TAPUS 
84 
pebbles, about the size of a very large pin s head, 
are thrust down its throat, to make its heart callous, 
hard, and incapable of pity. After the prayer has 
been uttered, and the pebbles swallowed, the child 
is carried home in the arms of the person by whom 
he was baptized : and if he has received the name 
of any great man, he is presented to the friends of 
that person who are present, to be eaten by them ; 
because the child has assumed a name which ought 
to be considered sacred, and is thereby deemed 
guilty of an almost unpardonable offence. As a 
ransom for the life of the infant, and for the pre- 
sumption of the priest, large presents of food are 
made to all strangers — a feast is prepared— the 
child is restored, with singing, into the arms of its 
parents — and old and young sit down to enjoy 
themselves, in true New«Zealand style. 
From their method of baptizing, we proceed to 
notice the ‘‘tapus*” of this people, with which every 
thing they do is more or less connected. This 
system of consecration — for this is the most fre- 
quent meaning of the term tapu’’ — has prevailed 
through all the islands of the South Seas ; but 
no where to a greater extent than in New Zea- 
land. It enters into all their labours, pervades all 
their plans, influences many of their actions, and, 
in the absence of a better security, secures their 
persons and their property. Sometimes it is used 
for political, and at other times for religious^ pur- 
poses : sometimes it is made the means of saving 
life ; and at other times, it is the ostensible reason 
