MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS. 
179 
landers call them, “ Kookes”) cannot afford the above mats; they accordingly 
manufacture a covering of flax, which gives them the appearance of having 
their backs thatched; one end of the flax is secured in a band of wove matting, 
the other hanging down twelve or sixteen inches, and forming a secure covering 
against the rain : this they call a Kokoho. 
They are subject to many diseases, induced by their bad mode of living; con¬ 
sumption is very prevalent among them, but the most destructive is a species of 
venereal which is hereditary in many families, and a virulent kind of itch, which 
if not dangerous, is very infectious, especially among Europeans. 
Some have represented them as being virtuous and happy in the native state, 
but the missionaries have had to dispel ignorance of the blackest and darkest 
kind. He has had to assault systems which have descended from generation to 
generation, most revolting to humanity, a depravity grown inveterate by ages of 
continued and unrestrained iniquity. 
When Cook first landed, some unhappy quarrels with the natives occasioned 
the shedding of much blood on both sides, and for years caused the island of New 
Zealand to be looked upon with horror by Europeans. Even the natives of the 
unfrequented island of Tucopee are acquainted with their savage acts of canni¬ 
balism. Since Cook's visit the habits of these people have undergone a great change; 
then it was requisite, when a vessel anchored, that the boarding netting should 
be up and all on the alert, in case of surprise. Their principle was to make the 
captains of the vessels believe themselves secure, and then to rush on the crew and 
murder them and plunder the vessel. Too often have they succeeded, and as 
often have they paid dearly for their cruelty and deceit. In the case of the ship 
Boyd (Captain Thompson), in 1809, at Wangarrae, when they so thoroughly 
attained their object in murdering the crew and plundering the vessel, which was 
richly laden, many of the plunderers paid the penalty of their lives for the act, 
the vessel having a considerable quantity of powder on board, and from their 
utter ignorance of its power, by some means caused it to ignite, which blew up 
the vessel, killing or maiming for life all on board; nor did their suffering end 
here, for they brought down upon themselves the vengeance of every vessel that 
visited the coast for years after. 
I was assured by some of the natives whose fathers assisted in murdering the 
crew of the French vessel commanded by Marion, that the attack was unpre¬ 
meditated ; it was from Marion's ignorance of the customs, and particularly of 
the religious prejudices of the New Zealanders, that he lost his life and crew, as 
no act is more likely to cause the displeasure of the natives than the use of the 
seine*, for most of the best beaches are tabooed or sacred. The natives entreated 
* Those who are not acquainted with the loss of the French vessel commanded by Marion, may 
2 b 2 
