792 ' N E W Z E 
common method of difpofing of the dead is by burying 
i n the earth ; but, if they have more of their flaughtered 
enemies than they can eat, they throw them into the fea. 
“ They have no fuch thing as morais, or places of public 
v.’orlhip; nor do they ever alfemble together with this 
view. But they have priefts who alone addrefs the gods 
in prayers for the profperity of their temporal affairs. 
Whatever the principles of their religion may be, they 
are ftrongly inculcated from their infancy : of this I had 
a remarkable inftance in the youth who was firft deftined 
to accompany Taweiharooa. He refrained from eating 
the greateft part of the day, on account of his hair being 
cut} though every method was tried to induce him to 
break his refolution, and he was tempted with the offer 
of fuch victuals as he was known to like bell. He faid, 
that, if he ate any thing that day, the Eatooa would kill 
him : however, towards evening the cravings of nature 
got the better of the precepts of religion, and he ate, 
though but fparingl-y. The New Zealanders feem to be 
perfe&ly fatisfied with the little knowledge they are 
inafters of, without attempting in the leaft to improve it; 
nor are they remarkably curious either in their obferva- 
tions or enquiries.” 
Tuvai Poenavimoo is for the moft part mountainous, 
and to all appearance a barren country, and thinly peo¬ 
pled. Eaheinomanwe has a much better appearance ; it is 
indeed not only hilly, but mountainous: yet even the 
hills and mountains are covered with wood, and every 
valley has a rivulet of water; the foil in thefe valleys, and 
in the plains, of which there are many that are not over¬ 
grown with wood, is in general light, but fertile, and fit 
for every kind of European grain, plant, and fruit. 
From the vegetables that were found here, there is realon 
to conclude the winters are milder than in England, and 
the fummer not hotter, though it was more equally warm. 
Dogs and rats are the only quadrupeds that were feen, 
and of the latter only a few. The inhabitants breed the 
dogs for the foie purpofe of eating them. There are feals 
and whales on the conft ; and they once faw a fea-lion. 
The birds are hawks, owls, quails; and there are fong- 
birds, whole note is wonderfully melodious. There are 
ducks and fhags of feveral forts, not unlike thofe of 
Europe; and the gannet, which is exactly the fame. The 
fea-coaft is vifited by albatrolTes, Iheer-waters, pintados, 
and penguins. The infefts are ftefti-flies, beetles, butter¬ 
flies, fand-flies, and mufquitos; and the neighbouring fea 
abounds with filh, which are equally delicate and whole- 
forne food. Capt. Cook feldom came to anchor but they 
caught enough, with hook and line only, to fupply the 
whole lhip’s crew ; and, when they filhed with nets, every 
mefs in the fhip, except thofe who were too indolent, 
falted as much as fupplied them when at fea fome, time af¬ 
ter. The fifh was not lefs various in kind than plentiful in 
quantity ; there were many forts they had never before feen. 
This country abounds wfith forelts filled with very 
large, ftraight, and clean, timber. There is one tree 
about the iize of an oak, which was diftinguifhed by a 
fcarlet fiotver, that appeared to be compofed of feveral 
fibres; and another which grows in fwarnpy ground, very 
ftraight and tall, bearing fmall bunches of berries, and 
a leaf refembling that of a yew'-tree; about 400 fpecies 
of plants were found, all of which are unknown in Eng¬ 
land, except garden night-fhade, fow-thiftle, two or three 
kinds of fern, and one or two forts of grafs. They found 
wild celery, and a kind of crefles, in great abundance on 
the fea-fltore; and, of eatable plants railed by cultivation, 
cocoas, yams, and fweet potatoes. There are plantations 
of many acres of thefe yams and potatoes ; anil the Chi- 
nefe paper mulberry-tree is to be found, but in no abun¬ 
dance. There is only one (lirub or tree in this country 
which produces fruit, and that is a kind of a berry almoft 
ta.ftelefs ; but they have a plant which anfwers all the 
ufes of hemp and flax. There are two kinds of this plant, 
the leaves of one of which are yellow, and the other deep- 
^ed, and both of them refemble the leaves of flags; of 
ALAND. 
thefe leaves they make lines and cordage, and much 
ftronger than any thing of the kind in Europe. Thefe 
leaves they likewife fplit into breadths, and, tying the 
flips together, form their filhing-nets. Their common 
apparel by a Ample procefs is made from leaves; and their 
finer, by another preparation, is made from the fibres. 
This plant is found both on high and low ground, in 
dry mould, and deep.bogs; but, as it grows largeft in the 
latter, that feems.to be its proper foil. 
The men of this country are as large as the largeft 
Europeans. Their complexion is brown, but little more 
fo than that of a Spaniard. They are full of fiefh, yet 
are flout and well fliaped. The women poflefs not that 
delicacy which diftinguifhes the European ladies; but 
their voice is Angularly foft, which, as the drefs of both 
fexes is fimilar, chiefly diftinguifhes them from the men. 
The men are active in a high degree; their hair is black, 
and their teeth are white and even. The features in both 
fexes are regular; they enjoy good health, and live to a 
very advanced age. The women are modeft and referved 
in their behaviour and converlation. They were not in¬ 
deed dead to the fofter impreflions; but their mode of 
conlent was, in their idea, as harmiefs as the content to 
marriage with us, and equally binding for the ftipulated 
time. If any of the Englilh addrefled one of their women, 
he was informed, that the confent of her friends mult be 
obtained, which ufually followad on his making a prefent. 
This done, he was obliged to trept his temporary wife at 
leaft as delicately as we do in England. They anoint 
their hair with oil, melted from the fat of fifh or birds. 
The poorer people ufe that which is rancid, fo that their 
fmell is very difagreeable : but thofe of fuperior rank 
make ufe of that which is frelh. They wear combs, both 
of bone and wood, which are confidered as an ornament, 
when ftuck upright in the hair. The men tie their hair 
in a bunch on the crown of their head, and adorn it with 
the feathers of birds, which they likewife fometimes place 
on each fide of the temples : they commonly wear fhort 
beards. The hair of the women fometimes flows over the 
lhoulder 3 , and fometimes is cut fhort. 
Both fexes, but the men more than the women, mark 
ftheir bodies with black ftains called uinoco; in general 
the women ftain only the lips, but fometimes mark other 
parts with black patches; the men, on the contrary, put 
on additional marks from year to year, fo that thofe who 
are very ancient are almoft covered; exclufive of the 
amoco, they mark themfelves with furrows : thefe furrows 
make a hideous appearance,.the edges being indented, 
and the whole quite black. The ornaments of the face 
are drawn in the fpiral from, with equal elegance and 
corredtnefs, both cheeks being marked exactly alike; 
while the painting on their bodies refembles fillagree 
work, and the foliage in old chafed ornaments; but 
no two faces or bodies are painted exaffly after the 
fame model. Thefe Indians likewife paint their bodies, 
by rubbing them with red-ochre, either dry or mixed 
with oil. Their drefs is farmed of the leaves of the flag, 
fplit into flips, which are interwoven, and made into a 
kind of matting; the ends, which are feven or eight inches 
in length, hanging out on the upper fide. One piece of 
this matting, being tied over the fhoulders, reaches to the 
knees : the other piece, being wrapped round the wrift, 
falls almoft to the ground. Thefe two pieces are faffened 
to a firing, which, by means of a bodkin of bone, is palled 
through, and tacks them together. The men wear the 
lower garment only at particular times. What they con- 
■fider as the moft ornamental part of their drefs, is the fur 
of dogs, which they cut into ftripesj and few on different 
parts of their apparel. As dogs are not in plenty, they 
difpofe thefe ftripes with great ceconomy. They have a 
few firefles ornamented with feathers; and one man was 
feen covered wholly with thofe of the red parrot. The 
women never tie their hair on the top of their head, nor 
adorn it with feathers; and are faid to be lefsanxious about 
drefs than the men. The ears of-both fexes are bored, 
4 and 
