504 



NEW ZEALAND. 



Dec, 1835. 



sidered in all cases as a protection. The chiefs agreed to 

 confiscate the land of the aggressor to the King of England. 

 The whole proceeding, however, in thus trying and punishing 

 a chief was entirely without precedent. The aggressor, 

 moreover, lost cast in the estimation of his equals ; and this 

 was considered by the British as of more consequence, than 

 the confiscation of his land. 



As the boat was shoving off^ a second chief stepped into her, 

 who only wanted the amusement of the passage up and down 

 the creek. I never saw a more horrid and ferocious expres- 

 sion, than this man had. It immediately struck me, •! had 

 somewhere seen his likeness : it will be found in Retzsch^s 

 outlines to Schiller^s ballad of Fridolin, where two men are 

 pushing Robert into the burning iron furnace. It is the 

 man who has his arm on Robert's breast. Physiognomy 

 here spoke the truth ; this chief had been a notorious mur- 

 derer, and was to boot an arrant coward. At the point 

 where the boat landed, Mr. Bushby accompanied me a few 

 hundred yards on the road : I could not help admiring the 

 cool impudence of the hoary old villain, whom we left lying 

 in the boat, when he shouted to Mr. Bushby, Do not you 

 stay long, I shall be tired of waiting here.'' 



We now commenced our walk. The road lay along a well- 

 beaten path, bordered on each side by the tall fern, which 

 covers the whole country. After travelling some miles^ we 

 came to a little country village, where a few hovels were col- 

 lected together, and some patches of ground cultivated for 

 potato crops. The introduction of the potato, has been 

 the most essential benefit to the island ; it is now much more 

 used, than any native vegetable. New Zealand is favoured 

 by one great natural advantage ; namely, that the inhabitants 

 can never perish from famine. The whole country abounds 

 with fern ; and the roots of this plant, if not very palatable, 

 yet contain much nutriment. A native can always subsist 

 on these, and on the shells which are abundant on all parts 

 of the sea- coast. The villages are chiefly conspicuous, by 



