NEW ZEALAND. 
794 
which failed almoft immediately. Duaterra was much 
concerned at being compelled to return without accom- 
plilhing the objedl of his voyage, for which, he obferved, 
liis countrymen would find great fault with him. It is 
certainly a circumftance much to be regretted, that this 
young man, who by birth and marriage is related to 
eleven out of the thirteen chiefs of New Zealand, fliould 
have loft the only reward which he expedted for two 
years’ hard toil as a common failor, without wages, or 
other remuneration than clothing and provifion. Dua¬ 
terra, during his refidence in this country, related certain 
particulars refpedting the traditions and manners of thofe 
remote iflanders, which open a field for curious fpecu- 
lation. In regard to the creation of man, he reports, 
that the New Zealanders have been taught from time 
immemorial, by their priefls and fathers, to believe that 
three gods made the firft man. The general term for bone 
is eve; and they univerfally believe that the firft woman 
was made of an eve, or bone, taken from the fide of the 
firft man. The fable of the Man in the Moon is likewife 
an ancient tradition among thefe people. There was, 
(fay they,) a long time ago, in New Zealand, a man named 
Rona, who was going for iome water one very dark night, for 
neither moon nor ftars were then to be feen. He accidently 
hurt his foot. While in this fituation, and fo lame as to 
be unable to return home, the moon came fuddenly upon 
him. Rona laid hold of a tree to lave himfelf, but in 
vain ; for the moon carried both him and the tree away, 
and they are ftill to be feen there to this day. 
The common mode of falutation between two perfons 
is, to bring their nofes in contaft with each other; and 
Duaterra declared, that, when he left New Zealand, fo 
many came to fee him previous to embarkation, his nofe 
was fore with rubbing againft the nofes of his friends. 
We are enabled to add fome interefting particulars of 
the manners of this people from the report of a miffionary - 
voyage to New Zealand, performed fo lately as the year 
1815. The Church Miffionary Society in London having 
been induced in 1814, at the recommendation of Mr. 
Marfden, to eftablilh a miffion in New Zealand, that be¬ 
nevolent gentleman, who was principal chaplain of New 
South Wales, determined to accompany the miffionaries 
in their hazardous undertaking. But, as the New Zea¬ 
landers are looked upon,'*at the colony of New South 
Wales, as barbarians of the moft furious and implacable 
difpofitions, it was not without much earnelt importunity 
that Mr. Marfden obtained leave of abfence from the go¬ 
vernor for four months, as his excellency confidered it a 
moft dangerous enterprife for him to venture his life 
among them; and told him plainly, he did not think 
himfelf juftified in granting him the permiffion, though 
with extreme reluctance he yielded to his requeft. Mr. 
Marfden was accompanied alfo by John Liddiard Nicholas, 
elq. who was at Port Jackfon upon a commercial fpecu- 
lation, and who afterwards wrote a “ Narrative of the 
Voyage,” which was publifhed in London at the begin¬ 
ning of the prefent year 1818. 
The miffion was kindly received by all the New’ Zea¬ 
land chiefs whom they vifited; with fome they traded 
for wood, which was obtained at a very cheap rate, and 
an advantageous cargo carried back to Port Jackfon. 
Among the reft, Korra-Korra entertained them hol- 
pitably, and, in honour of his guefts, inftituted a Iham- 
fight, equivalent to the tournaments of ancient European 
times. This bloodlefs battle was contefted with every 
fign of favage fury, bowlings, war-fongs, ffiouts, and 
clamours. “ From this mock encounter, (fays Mr. Ni¬ 
cholas,) which W’as carried on, while it Iafted, with im¬ 
petuous aftivity, and was an exadf reprefentation of their 
real mode of fighting, we had an opportunity of eftimating 
how formidable thele favage warriors mull always prove 
themlelves in a ferious conflict. Their general plan is, 
for each individual to fingle out his antagonift, with 
whom he engages in furious combat, and continues to 
fight till one or other of them falls; as neither has any 
idea of quitting the ground while he has a drop of blood 
remaining, unlefs as the triumphant viClor. They always 
throw the long fpear before they come to clofe attack, 
when the battle-axe and pattoo-pattoo are alone,employed. 
The combatants on both fides were nearly equal in point 
of numbers, Duaterra (already mentioned as a chief who 
had been in England) having about two hundred, and 
Korra-Korra not quite fo many; but from the nature of 
the fight, in which they attacked and retreated, as the 
bufinefs of the entertainment required, and in obedience 
to their own free will, it was impoffible to fay which party 
would prove fuperior in an aftual engagement, the appear¬ 
ance of each being equally formidable. Duaterra’s men. 
were equipped like their adverfaries, and had the lame 
terrible peculiarities of disfigurement; while the two 
parties formed fuch an aflemblage as the reader would 
hardly luppofe could ever be found among his fellow- 
mortals. Amongft thofe who diftinguifhed themfelves by 
peculiar intrepidity, and were foremolt in every attack, 
I was a good deal furprifed to fee the queen of Tippoonah, 
Duaterra’s lady, Whofe courage, on this day, was eminently 
confpicuous. This fturdy amazon, dreffed out in the red 
gown and petticoat Ihe had received from Mr. Marfden, 
and holding a large horfe-piftol in her hand, appeared 
upon all occafions anxious to fignalize herfelf; and, fu¬ 
perior to the timidity of her fex, difplayed in the conflict 
the moft undaunted fpirit, rivalling the boldeft man in 
deeds of heroifm, and lele&ing for her antagonift the 
moft formidable lhe could find. But, from the exertions 
of her majefty, both in the battle and war-dance, or what 
may not be improperly termed the play and afterpiece, 
her plump frame was quite exhaufted, and (lie flood, at 
the conclufion of the entertainment, panting for breath, 
and reeking with perforation. In this ftate lhe was 
pleafed to notice me with a diftinguifhed mark of flatter¬ 
ing condefcenfion, by holding out her lips for me to kifs; 
an honour I could have very well dilpenfed with, but 
which, at the lame time, I could not decline, without 
offering a flight to a perfonage of fuch elevated conle- 
quence. Befides this dauntlefs Penthefilea, I obferved 
likewife fome other female warriors, who joined in the 
combat with much relolution, and, following the example 
of their queen, expofed themfelves in the thickeft of the 
fight to mimic dangers. From what I difcovered, how¬ 
ever, I found that it was not a general practice for women 
in this illand to take the field; and that the paffion for 
warlike prowefs was only to be found among certain 
ladies of a more intrepid character than the reft. 
“ The chiefs maintain confiderable ftate. In the centre 
of one of their towns we were lhown the throne of Kan- 
geroa. It was curioufly lhaped, and railed upon a poft 
about fix feet from the ground, with fome fanciful devices 
of grotefque carving. There was a ftep to it, to aflift the 
chief in getting up, and it ferved him alfo for a footftool. 
On his throne, the chief, elevated above his people, dif- 
penfed his laws and ilTued his commands with as much au¬ 
thority as the moft abfolute potentate in Europe. Con¬ 
tiguous to this feat was another, appropriated exclufively 
for the ufe of the queen dowager, Kangeroa’s mother; and 
clofe to it a finall box, to hold her majefty’s provifions. 
“ The people are, with all their barbarity, very in¬ 
genious. The children of the natives difplayed before us 
a fpecimen of their ingenuity, as we rowed along the cove, 
in a curious imitation of our Ihip, the A6iive, made in 
wicker-work. They had fitted up their little bark as 
nearly after the plan of the model as poffible: (he had a 
bowfprit and two malts, with ropes connected to them; 
while the builders, having now launched her into the 
water, were proving the luccefs of their labours, and 
feemed quite happy at the refult. This ftrong proof of 
the imitative genius of thefe people was the more pieafing 
to us, .as being found in the children, who thereby gave 
us every reafon to augur favourably of their future im¬ 
provement; and the refledlion was highly gratifying, that 
they might, as they grew up, copy, with fimilar inijullry. 
