-.*> * 
22 COOK’S VOYAGE, " 
parts of the country : veflels might be built of the ’fine timbe? 
which abounds in thefe parts, at very little trouble and ex- 
pence, fit for fuch a navigation as would anfwer the purpofe. 
I cannot indeed exaftly aflign the depth of water which a vef- 
fel intended to navigate this river, even as far up as I went 
wi h the boat, fhould draw, becaufe this depends upon the 
depth of water that is upon the bar or ’flats, which lie before 
the narrow part of the river, for I had no opportunity to make 
myfelf acquainted with them ; but I am of opinion, that a vef- 
fel which fhould draw not more than twelve feet would perfect- 
ly anfwer the purpofe. 
When we firfl arrived upon the coaft of this country, we 
imagined it to be much better peopled than we afterwards 
found it, concluding that the inland parts were populous from 
the fmoke that we faw at a confiderable diftance from the 
/here ; and perhaps that may really be the cafe with refpeCt to 
the country behind Poverty Bay, and the Bay of Plenty, where 
the inhabitants appeared to be more numerous than in other 
places. But we had reafon to believe, that, in general, no part of 
country bnt the fea coaft is inhabited ; and even there we found 
the people but thinly fcattered, all the weftern coaft from Cape 
Maria Van Diemen to Mount Egmont being totally defolate ; 
fo that upon the whole the number of inhabitants bears no pro- 
portion to the extent of country. 
CHAP. IX. 
A defer ipt ion of the inhabitants, their habitations, apparel, Eff c. 
T HE ftature of the men in general is equal to the largeft of 
thofein Europe : they are flout, well limbed, and flefhy ; 
but not fat, like the lazy and luxurious inhabitants of the iflands 
in the South Seas : they are alfo exceedingly vigorous and ac- 
tive ; and have an adroitnefs, and manual dexterity in an un- 
common degree, which are difeovered in whatever they do. I 
have feen the flrokes of fifteen paddles on a fide, in one of their 
canoes made with incredible quicknefs, and yet with fuch mi- 
nute exaClnefs of time, that all the rowers feemed to be actuat- 
ed by one common foul. Their colour in general is brown ; 
but in few deeper than that of a Spaniard, who has been ex- 
pofed to the fun ; in many not fo deep. The women have 
not a feminine delicacy in their appearance, bnt their voice is 
remarkably foft ; and by that, the drefs of both fexes being 
the fame, they are principally diflinguifhed : they have, how- 
ever, like women of other countries, more airy cheerfulnefs, 
and a greater flow of animal fpirits, than the other fex. Their 
hair, both of the head and beard, is black ; and their teeth 
extremely regular, and as white as ivory : the features of both 
fexes 
