NEW ZEALAND. 
705 
all thofe arts of civilized life, which the miffionaries were 
to introduce among them.” 
The miffionary having purchafed the land for the fet- 
tlement, it became difficult to have the deed of fale pro¬ 
perly ligned. The contrivance, pro fignature, was ail 
amufing one : it confilted of “ a complete reprefentation 
of the amoco, or tatooing, of the countenance of Gunnah” 
■ (the feller), to which he put his mark as the ratifying 
fymbol. The deed itfelf is as follows: “ Know all men 
to whom thefe prefents ffiall come, that I, Ahoodee O 
Gunnah, king of Ranghehoo, in the ifland of New Zea¬ 
land, have, in coniideration of twelve axes to me in hand 
now paid and delivered by the Rev. Samuel Marfden, of 
Paramatta, in the territory of New South Wales, given, 
granted, bargained, and fold, and by this prefent inftru- 
ment do give, grant, bargain, and fell, unto the com¬ 
mittee of the Church Miffionary Society for Africa and 
the Eaft, inftituted in London, in the kingdom of Great 
Britain, and to their heirs and fucceffors, all that piece 
and parcel of land, fituate in the diitriCt of Hoffiee, in the 
ifland of New Zealand, bounded on the fouth fide by the 
bay of Tippoona and the town of Ranghehoo, on the 
north fide by a creek of freffi water, and on the weft by a 
public road into the interior ; together with all the rights, 
members, privileges, and appurtenances, thereunto belon- 
ing, to have and to hold, to the aforefaid committee, their 
heirs, fucceffors, and affigns, for ever, cleared and freed 
from all taxes, charges, impofitions, and contributions, 
whatfoever, as and for their abfolute and proper eftate 
for ever. In teftimony whereof, I have to thefe prefents, 
thus done and given, let my hand at Hoffiee, in the ifland 
of New Zealand, this 24th day of February, in the year 
of Chrift one thoufand eight hundred and fifteen. 
Gunnah. 
Thomas Kendall. 
J. L. Nicholas.” 
When they had fettled the colonifts, the voyagers took 
an excurfion from the Bay of Iflands, and vilited the river 
Thames, of Cook, and the fettlements on its banks. 
They here encountered Mayhanger, the native Mr. Savage 
brought to England, and who excited fo much notice in 
London about ten years ago, when he was prefented to 
the king and royal family. Mayhanger had relapfed into 
a3 great barbarifm as the reft of his countrymen, feemed 
quite indifferent about England, and wholly occupied in 
contriving what he might afk for. A cat and fome large 
nails were, however, the only objects of his cupidity ; 
and with thefe he was gratified. 
At another place they met a native of Hindooftan, a 
deferter from the city of Edinburgh, who had reconciled 
himfelf to the habits and mode of living of the New Zea¬ 
landers. He was married, and preferred this ifland to 
his own country. 
A funeral is generally one of themoft curious of favage 
ceremonies. In New Zealand they are thus conducted: 
“ The New Zealanders never fuffer their dead to remain 
longer above ground, after the vital fpark is extinguifhed, 
than till they can arrange the forms of their inhumation. 
Being curious to obferve their ceremonies upon this oc- 
caiion, we immediately liaftened to the place where the 
corpfe was lying, which was about a mile from Ranghehoo. 
Arriving here, we found feveral of the natives on the 
beach before us, and the body of the deceafed bundled 
up in the clothes he wore at the time he expired 5 the 
knees and feet apparently brought clofe to the body; 
and the whole faftened tight round with a belt, and placed 
on a bank between two poles, which had ferved to convey 
it thither. Though the affemblage was large, the number 
of mourners were few ; and of all who were Handing be- 
fide the corpfe, I could fee only the widow of Tippahee, 
and another woman, who appeared ferioufly affected. 
Thefe wept bitterly, and were particularly careful that 
we ffiould not approach too^iffiar the body; telling us, 
with anxious precaution, that it was taboo taboo, and 
ffiowing violent figns of uneafinefs, left we fnould advance 
beyond certain prefcribed limits. The other natives who 
were in attendance, though fome of them had all the 
hideous marks of forrow infcribed on their faces, felt, 
I am perfuaded, no real concern. One young man, who 
was probably a near relation of the deceafed, had his face 
lacerated in a frightful manner, and was ffiedding tears 
very copioufly; but, on going up to this mourner, I wit- 
neffed in him a molt unfeemly tranfition, for he fmiled 
with a degree of vivacious levity that proved his grief to 
be only in the revolting femblance. I (hook hands with 
him, and, from only fmiling at firft, he now laughed very 
heartily ; and his behaviour was altogether fo inconfiftent 
with the appearance he affumed, that I knew not how to 
account for it, unlefs by confidering the moft doleful tef- 
timonies of forrow among fome of thefe people as nothing- 
more than common-place forms, prefcribed by long-efta- 
blilhed ufage. The women, excepting the two firft I have 
mentioned, evinced, in the prelent inftance, no regret 
whatever: they laughed and talked away without the 
leaft referve, quite heedlefs of the occalion, being much 
more inclined to loquacity and mirth than to filence or 
dejeCtion.” 
Mr. Nicholas ftrongly enforces the advantages that 
might accrue from the importation of the flax of New 
Zealand, (which has been fuccefsfully cultivated in the 
department of the Drome, in France.) After being ab- 
lent four months, he narrates the return of the expedition, 
to Port Jackfon, having left a fettlement in the Bay of 
Iflands, which promifes to civilize the country, and ren¬ 
der it of importance as a place of trade, and of interelt 
as a place where intellectual talents, moral virtues, and 
Chriftian duties, are fuperfeding lavage ignorance, bar¬ 
barous crimes, and fuperftitious horrors. The two iflands 
of which New Zealand confifts extend from lat. 34. to 38. $, 
Ion. 181. to 194. YV. 
To the eallward of New Zealand is an ifland of con- 
fiderable extent, and well peopled, difcovered by Mr. 
Broughton in 1791, when on a voyage aound the world 
with Vancouver. He called it Chatham Ifland ; the people 
andits productions are the lame as thofe of New Zealand. 
It may be proper here to notice a recent difcovery of 
a group of iflands direCtly fouth of the louth cape of 
Tavai Poenammoo, one of the New Zealand's, named 
Lord Auckland's Group by the difcoverer, Mr. Briftow, 
mafter of a South-Sea whaler, in gratitude to the noble¬ 
man whofe name they bear, for having, when a boy, pro¬ 
cured him admiffion into the fchool of Greenwich-hof- 
pital. This group, feven in number, were firft feen on 
the 10th of Auguit, 1806 ; and, on the 20th of October, 
1807, Capt. Briftow came to anchor with his lhip, the 
Sarah, in a fine harbour on the largeft ifland, which he 
called Enderby ; and to the harbour he gave the" quaint 
name of Sarah's Bofom. They are fituated in lat. 50. 40. S. 
and Ion. 166. 35. E. Wood and water being plentiful, 
and eafily procured, they are reprefented as holding out, 
in this defolate and remote region, confiderable advantages 
to the fouthern whale-filhery. The climate, however, is 
unufually fevere, and the weather tempeftuous. In the 
middle of fummer (December), every day was attended 
with fnow, fleet, or rain. Yet this feverity of climate 
appeared to make no unfavourable impreffion on the 
vegetable productions, as the woods were covered with 
verdure fo early in the fpring as OCtober. He obferved 
four kinds of timber-trees, the principal of which was the 
mangrove, growing to the height of thirty or forty feet; 
but the trunks were lo twilled and turned by the violent 
winds, that it was difficult to find a ftraight piece of ten 
feet in length. There was no want of flirubby and her¬ 
baceous plants. There were neither men nor quadrupeds 
of any kind; but feals, fea-elephants, and Pea-fowl, in 
great plenty. The woods abounded with a great variety 
of finging birds, with fweet melodious notes, and among 
them was a fpecies of lark; wild-ducks, feals, and fnipes, 
were plentiful; and he caught a kind of rock-cod with 
the hook and line. 
To 
