A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 15 (of 18) by Robert Kerr

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That Taweiharooa might be sent away in a manner becoming his birth,
another youth was to have gone with him as his servant; and, with this
view, as we supposed, he remained on board till we were about to sail,
when his friends took him ashore. However, his place was supplied next
morning by another, a boy of about nine or ten years of age, named
Kokoa. He was presented to me by his own father, who, I believe, would
have parted with his dog with far less indifference. The very little
clothing the boy had he stript him of, and left him as naked as he was
born. It was to no purpose that I endeavoured to convince these people
of the improbability, or rather of the impossibility, of these youths
ever returning home. Not one, not even their nearest relations, seemed
to trouble themselves about their future fate. Since this was the case,
and I was well satisfied that the boys would be no losers by exchange of
place, I the more readily gave my consent to their going.

From my own observations, and from the information of Taweiharooa and
others, it appears to me that the New Zealanders must live under
perpetual apprehensions of being destroyed by each other; there being
few of their tribes that have not, as they think, sustained wrongs from
some other tribe, which they are continually upon the watch to revenge.
And, perhaps, the desire of a good meal may be no small incitement. I am
told that many years sometimes elapse before a favourable opportunity
happens, and that the son never loses sight of an injury that has been
done to his father.[145] Their method of executing their horrible
designs, is by stealing upon the adverse party in the night; and if they
find them unguarded, (which, however, I believe, is very seldom the
case,) they kill every one indiscriminately; not even sparing the women
and children. When the massacre is completed, they either feast and
gorge themselves on the spot, or carry off as many of the dead bodies as
they can, and devour them at home, with acts of brutality too shocking
to be described. If they are discovered before they can execute their
bloody purpose, they generally steal off again, and sometimes are
pursued and attacked by the other party in their turn. To give quarter,
or to take prisoners, makes no part of their military law; so that the
vanquished can only save their lives by flight. This perpetual state of
war, and destructive method of conducting it, operates so strongly in
producing habitual circumspection, that one hardly ever finds a New
Zealander off his guard either by night or by day. Indeed, no other man
can have such powerful motives to be vigilant, as the preservation both
of body and of soul depends upon it; for, according to their system of
belief, the soul of the man whose flesh is devoured by the enemy, is
doomed to a perpetual fire, while the soul of the man whose body has
been rescued from those who killed him, as well as the souls of all who
die a natural death, ascend to the habitations of the gods. I asked,
Whether they eat the flesh of such of their friends as had been killed
in war, but whose bodies were saved from falling into the enemy's hands?
They seemed surprised at the question, which they answered in the
negative, expressing some abhorrence at the very idea. Their common
method of disposing of their dead, is by depositing their bodies in the
earth; but if they have more of their slaughtered enemies than they can
eat, they throw them into the sea.

[Footnote 145: Every reader almost will here recollect, that a similar
disposition to perpetuate grievances has been found to operate in all
barbarous nations, and indeed amongst many people who lay great claims
to refinement in civilization. It will be found, in truth, too strong an
effort for most men's charity, to regard with perfect impartiality
either a person or a nation whom their fathers had pointed out as an
enemy. On the great scale of the world, we see it is the nearly
inevitable consequence of war to generate malicious feelings. In
addition, then, to some contrariety of interest, to some real or
imaginary aggression, or even a bare possibility of being injured, it is
almost enough, at any time, for the commencement of a new struggle
betwixt rival nations, that one, or both of them, remember they were
formerly at variance. Nor is it at all requisite for due rancour in such
cases, that politicians explain the grounds of the quarrel, and
aggravate the enormous injustice of the opponent, or prove his readiness
to do mischief. The animosity is already conceived, and waits only the
removal of the gauze-like partition, to be able, with greater certainty
of effect, to guide its instruments of destruction. "Hear," says Mr
Ferguson, in his essay on this subject, "hear the peasants on different
sides of the Alps, and the Pyrenees, the Rhyne, or the British channel,
give vent to their prejudices and national passions; it is among them
that we find the materials of war and dissension laid without the
direction of government, and sparks ready to kindle into a flame, which
the statesman is frequently disposed to extinguish. The fire will not
always catch where his reasons of state would direct, nor stop where the
concurrence of interest has produced an alliance. 'My father,' said a
Spanish peasant, 'would rise from his grave if he could foresee a war
with France.' What interest had he, or the bones of his father, in the
quarrels of princes?" The answer might easily be given by another
anecdote. During a parley betwixt the leaders of two rival Highland
clans, which had for its object the peaceable termination of their
differences, a subordinate officer, not relishing the unusual homily,
went up to his chief in a rage, and upbraided him for delaying the
combat. "Don't you see," says he, brandishing his claymore, "that the
sun is almost set?--we'll no hae half time to kill thae rascals!" The
peasant naturally enough wished that his father might rise again to take
his share in the delightful work of slaughter. Pray, what childish
scruples withhold persons of such keen appetites from occasionally
taking a belly-full of their enemy's flesh?--E.]

They have no such thing as _morais_, or other places of public worship;
nor do they ever assemble together with this view. But they have
priests, who alone address the gods in prayer for the prosperity of
their temporal affairs, such as an enterprise against a hostile tribe, a
fishing party, or the like.

Whatever the principles of their religion may be, of which we remain
very ignorant, its instructions are very strongly inculcated into them
from their very infancy. Of this I saw a remarkable instance, in the
youth who was first destined to accompany Taweiharooa. He refrained from
eating the greatest part of the day, on account of his hair being cut,
though every method was tried to induce him to break his resolution, and
he was tempted with the offer of such victuals as he was known to esteem
the most. He said, if he eat any thing that day the _Eatooa_ would kill
him. However, toward evening, the cravings of nature got the better of
the precepts of his religion, and he ate, though but sparingly. I had
often conjectured, before this, that they had some superstitious notions
about their hair, having frequently observed quantities of it tied to
the branches of trees near some of their habitations; but what these
notions are I could never learn.

Notwithstanding the divided and hostile state in which the New
Zealanders live, travelling strangers, who come with no ill design, are
well received and entertained during their stay; which, however, it is
expected will be no longer than is requisite to transact the business
they come upon. Thus it is that a trade for _poenammoo_, or green talc,
is carried on throughout the whole northern island. For they tell us,
that there is none of this stone to be found but at a place which bears
its name, somewhere about the head of Queen Charlotte's Sound, and not
above one or two days journey, at most, from the station of our ships. I
regretted much that I could not spare time sufficient for paying a visit
to the place; as we were told a hundred fabulous stories about this
stone, not one of which carried with it the least probability of truth,
though some of their most sensible men would have us believe them. One
of these stories is, that this stone is originally a fish, which they
strike with a gig in the water, tie a rope to it, and drag it to the
shore, to which they fasten it, and it afterwards becomes stone. As they
all agree that it is fished out of a large lake, or collection of
waters, the most probable conjecture is, that it is brought from the
mountains, and deposited in the water by the torrents. This lake is
called by the natives Tavai Poenammoo, that is, the Water of Green Talc;
and it is only the adjoining part of the country, and not the whole
southern island of New Zealand, that is known to them by the name which
hath been given to it on my chart.

Polygamy is allowed amongst these people; and it is not uncommon for a
man to have two or three wives. The women are marriageable at a very
early age; and it should seem, that one who is unmarried, is but in a
forlorn state. She can with difficulty get a subsistence; at least she
is, in a great measure, without a protector, though in constant want of
a powerful one.

The New Zealanders seem to be a people perfectly satisfied with the
little knowledge they are masters of, without attempting, in the least,
to improve it. Nor are they remarkably curious, either in their
observations or their enquiries. New objects do not strike them with
such a degree of surprise as one would naturally expect; nor do they
even fix their attention for a moment. Omai, indeed, who was a great
favourite with them, would sometimes attract a circle about him; but
they seemed to listen to his speeches like persons who neither
understood, nor wished to understand, what they heard.

One day, on our enquiring of Taweiharooa, how many ships, such as ours,
had ever arrived in Queen Charlotte's Sound, or in any part of its
neighbourhood? he began with giving an account of one absolutely unknown
to us. This, he said, had put into a port on the N.W. coast of
Teerawitte, but a very few years before I arrived in the Sound in the
Endeavour, which the New Zealanders distinguish by calling it Tupia's
ship. At first, I thought he might have been mistaken as to the time and
place; and that the ship in question might be either Monsieur
Surville's, who is said to have touched upon the N.E. coast of
Eaheinomauwe, the same year I was there in the Endeavour; or else
Monsieur Marion du Fresne's, who was in the Bay of Islands, on the same
coast, a few years after. But he assured us that he was not mistaken,
either as to the time, or as to the place of this ship's arrival, and
that it was well known to every body about Queen Charlotte's Sound and
Teerawitte. He said, that the captain of her, during his stay here,
cohabited with a woman of the country; and that she had a son by him
still living, about the age of Kokoa, who, though not born then, seemed
to be equally well acquainted with the story. We were also informed by
Taweiharooa, that this ship first introduced the venereal disease
amongst the New Zealanders. I wish that subsequent visitors from Europe
may not have their share of guilt in leaving so dreadful a remembrance
of them amongst this unhappy race. The disorder now is but too common
here, though they do not seem to regard it, saying, that its effects are
not near so pernicious at present as they were at its first appearance.
The only method, as far as I ever heard, that they make use of as a
remedy, is by giving the patient the use of a sort of hot bath, which
they produce by the steam of certain green plants laid over hot stones.

I regretted much that we did not hear of this ship while we were in the
sound; as, by means of Omai, we might have had full and correct
information about her from eyewitnesses. For Taweiharooa's account was
only from what he had been told, and therefore liable to many mistakes.
I have not the least doubt, however, that his testimony may so far be
depended upon, as to induce us to believe that a ship really had been at
Teerawitte prior to my arrival in the Endeavour, as it corresponds with
what I had formerly heard. For in the latter end of 1773, the second
time I visited New Zealand, during my late voyage, when we were
continually making enquiries about the Adventure, after our separation,
some of the natives informed us of a ship's having been in a port on the
coast of Teerawitte. But, at this time, we thought we must have
misunderstood them, and took no notice of the intelligence.

The arrival of this unknown ship has been marked by the New Zealanders
with more causes of remembrance than the unhappy one just mentioned.
Taweiharooa told us their country was indebted to her people for the
present of an animal, which they left behind them. But as he had not
seen it himself, no sort of judgment could be formed from his
description of what kind it was.

We had another piece of intelligence from him, more correctly given,
though not confirmed by our own observations, that there are snakes and
lizards there of an enormous size. He described the latter as being
eight feet in length, and as big round as a man's body. He said they
sometimes seize and devour men; that they burrow in the ground; and that
they are killed by making fires at the mouths of the holes. We could not
be mistaken as to the animal; for, with his own hand, he drew a very
good representation of a lizard on a piece of paper, as also of a snake,
in order to shew what he meant.[146]

[Footnote 146: There can be little doubt that the animal here called a
lizard is an alligator.--E.]

Though much has been said, in the narratives of my two former voyages,
about this country and its inhabitants, Mr Anderson's remarks, as
serving either to confirm or to correct our former accounts, may not be
superfluous. He had been three times with me to Queen Charlotte's Sound
during my last voyage; and, after this fourth visit, what he thought
proper to record, may be considered as the result of sufficient
observation. The reader will find it in the next section; and I have
nothing farther to add, before I quit New Zealand, but to give some
account of the astronomical and nautical observations made during our
stay there.

The longitude of the observatory in Ship
Cove, by a mean of 103 sets of observations,
each set consisting of six or
more observed distances, was 174 deg. 25' 15" E.

By the time-keeper, at Greenwich rate, it
was 175 26 30

By ditto, at the Cape rate, it was 174 56 12

Variation of the compass, being the mean
of six needles, observed on board the
ship 12 40 0 E.

By the same needles on shore, it was 13 53 0

The dip of the south end, observed on
shore was 63 42 0

By a mean of the results of eleven days observations, the time-keeper
was too slow for mean time on February 22, at noon, by 11h 50' 37",396;
and she was found to be losing on mean time at the rate of 2",913 per
day. From this rate the longitude will be computed, till some other
opportunity offers to ascertain her rate anew. The astronomical clock,
with the same length of pendulum as at Greenwich, was found to be losing
on sidereal time 40",239 per day.

It will not be amiss to mention, that the longitude, by lunar
observations, as above, differs only 6' 45" from what Mr Wales made it
during my last voyage; his being so much more to the W. or 174 deg. 18' 30".

The latitude of Ship Cove is 41 deg. 6' 0", as found by Mr Wales.

SECTION VIII.

_Mr Anderson's Remarks on the Country near Queen Charlotte's Sound.--The
Soil.--Climate.--Weather.--Winds.--Trees.--Plants.--Birds.--Fish.--Other
Animals.--Of the Inhabitants.--Description of their Persons.--Their
Dress.--Ornaments.--Habitations.--Boats.--Food and Cookery,--Arts.--Weapons
--Cruelty to Prisoners.--Various Customs.--Specimen of their Language._

The land every where about Queen Charlotte's Sound is uncommonly
mountainous, rising immediately from the sea into large hills, with
blunted tops. At considerable distances are valleys, or rather
impressions on the sides of the hills, which are not deep, each
terminating toward the sea in a small cove, with a pebbly or sandy
beach; behind which are small flats, where the natives generally build
their huts, at the same time hauling their canoes upon the beaches. This
situation is the more convenient, as in every cove a brook of very fine
water (in which are some small trout) empties itself into the sea.

The bases of these mountains, at least toward the shore, are constituted
of a brittle, yellowish sand-stone, which acquires a bluish cast where
the sea washes it. It runs, at some places, in horizontal, and, at
other-places, in oblique strata, being frequently divided, at small
distances, by thin veins of coarse quartz, which commonly follow the
direction of the other, though they sometimes intersect it. The mould,
or soil, which covers this, is also of a yellowish cast, not unlike
marl; and is commonly from a foot to two, or more, in thickness.

The quality of this soil is best indicated by the luxuriant growth of
its productions. For the hills (except a few toward the sea, which are
covered with smaller bushes) are one continued forest of lofty trees,
flourishing with a vigour almost superior to anything that imagination
can conceive, and affording an august prospect to those who are
delighted with the grand and beautiful works of nature.

The agreeable temperature of the climate, no doubt, contributes much to
this uncommon strength in vegetation. For, at this time, though
answering to our month of August, the weather was never disagreeably
warm, nor did it raise the thermometer higher than 60 deg.. The winter,
also, seems equally mild with respect to cold; for in June, 1773, which
corresponds to our December, the mercury never fell lower than 48 deg.; and
the trees, at that time, retained their verdure, as if in the summer
season; so that, I believe, their foliage is never shed, till pushed off
by the succeeding leaves in spring.

The weather, in general, is good, but sometimes windy, with heavy rain,
which, however, never lasts above a day; nor does it appear that it is
ever excessive. For there are no marks of torrents rushing down the
hills, as in many countries; and the brooks, if we may judge from their
channels, seem never to be greatly increased. I have observed, in the
four different times of my being here, that the winds from the
south-eastward are commonly moderate, but attended with cloudy weather,
or rain. The S.W. winds blow very strong, and are also attended with
rain, but they seldom last long. The N.W. winds are the most prevailing;
and though often pretty strong, are almost constantly connected with
fine weather. In short, the only obstacle to this being one of the
finest countries upon earth, is its great hillyness; which, allowing the
woods to be cleared away, would leave it less proper for pasturage than
flat land, and still more improper for cultivation, which could never be
effected here by the plough.

The large trees which cover the hills are chiefly of two sorts. One of
them, of the size of our largest firs, grows much after their manner,
but the leaves, and small berries on their points, are much liker the
yew. It was this which supplied the place of spruce in making beer;
which we did with a strong decoction of its leaves, fermented with
treacle or sugar. And this liquor, when well prepared, was acknowledged
to be little inferior to the American spruce beer, by those who had
experience of both. The other sort of tree is not unlike a maple, and
grows often to a great size; but it only served for fuel, as the wood,
both of this and of the preceding, was found to be rather too heavy for
masts, yards, and other similar repairs.

There is a greater variety of trees on the small flat spots behind the
beaches. Amongst these are two that bear a kind of plum of the size of
prunes, the one yellow, called _karraca_, and the other black, called
_maituo_, but neither of them of a very agreeable taste, though the
natives eat both, and our people did the same. Those of the first sort
grow on small trees, always facing the sea; but the others belong to
larger trees that stand farther within the wood, and which we frequently
cut down for fuel.

A species of _philadelphus_ grows on the eminences which jut out into
the sea; and also a tree bearing flowers almost like myrtle, with
roundish spotted leaves of a disagreeable smell. We drank the leaves of
the _philadelphus_ as tea, and found that they had a pleasant taste and
smell, and might make an excellent substitute for the oriental sort.

Among other plants that were useful to us, may be reckoned wild celery,
which grows plentifully in almost every cove, especially if the natives
have ever resided there before; and one that we used to call
scurvy-grass, though entirely different from the plant to which we give
that name. This, however, is far preferable to ours for common use, and
may be known by its jagged leaves, and small clusters of white flowers
on the top. Both sorts were boiled every morning, with wheat ground in a
mill, and with portable soup, for the people's breakfast, and also
amongst their pease-soup for dinner. Sometimes they were used as sallad,
or dressed as greens. In all which ways they are good; and, together
with the fish, with which we were constantly supplied, they formed a
sort of refreshment, perhaps little inferior to what is to be met with
in places most noted by navigators for plentiful supplies of animal and
vegetable food.

Amongst the known kinds of plants met with here, are common and rough
bindweed; night-shade and nettles, both which grow to the size of small
trees; a shrubby speedwell, found near all the beaches, sow-thistles,
virgin's bower, vanelloe, French willow, euphorbia, and crane's-bill;
also cudweed, rushes, bull-rushes, flax, all-heal, American nightshade,
knot-grass, brambles, eye-bright, and groundsel; but the species of each
are different from any we have in Europe. There is also polypody,
spleenwort, and about twenty other different sort of ferns, entirely
peculiar to the place, with several sorts of mosses, either rare, or
produced only here; besides a great number of other plants, whose uses
are not yet known, and subjects fit only for botanical books.

Of these, however, there is one which deserves particular notice here,
as the natives make their garments of it, and it produces a fine silky
flax, superior in appearance to any thing we have, and probably, at
least, as strong. It grows every where near the sea, and in some places
a considerable way up the hills, in bunches or tufts, with sedge-like
leaves, bearing, on a long stalk, yellowish flowers, which are succeeded
by a long roundish pod, filled with very thin shining black seeds. A
species of long pepper is found in great plenty, but it has little of
the aromatic flavour that makes spices valuable; and a tree, much like a
palm at a distance, is pretty frequent in the woods, though the deceit
appears as you come near it. It is remarkable, that as the greatest part
of the trees and plants had at this time lost their flowers, we
perceived they were generally of the berry-bearing kind; of which, and
other seeds, I brought away about thirty different sorts. Of these, one
in particular, which bears a red berry, is much like the supple-jack,
and grows about the trees, stretching from one to another, in such a
manner as to render the woods almost wholly impassable.

The birds, of which there is a tolerable stock, as well as the vegetable
productions, are almost entirely peculiar to the place. And though it be
difficult to follow them, on account of the quantity of underwood, and
the climbing plants, that render travelling, for pleasure alone,
uncommonly fatiguing, yet a person, by remaining in one place, may shoot
as many in a day as would serve six or eight others. The principal sorts
are large brown parrots, with white or greyish heads; green parroquets,
with red foreheads; large wood pigeons, brown above, with white bellies,
the rest green, and the bill and feet red; two sorts of cuckoos, one as
large as our common sort, of a brown colour, variegated with black, the
other not larger than a sparrow, of a splendid green cast above, and
elegantly varied with waves of golden, green, brown, and white colours
below. Both these are scarce, but several others are in greater plenty;
one of which, of a black colour, with a greenish cast, is remarkable for
having a tuft of white curled feathers hanging under the throat, and was
called the _poy_ bird[147] by our people. Another sort, rather smaller,
is black, with a brown back and wings, and two small gills under the
root of the bill. This we called the small wattle bird, to distinguish
it from another, which we called the large one, of the size of a common
pigeon, with two large yellow and purple membranes also at the root of
the bill. It is black, or rather blue, and has no resemblance of the
other but in name, for the bill is thick, short, and crooked, and has
all together an uncommon appearance. A gross-beak, about the size of a
thrush, of a brown colour, with a reddish tail, is frequent; as is also
a small greenish bird, which is almost the only musical one here, but is
sufficient by itself to fill the woods with a melody that is not only
sweet, but so varied, that one would imagine he was surrounded by a
hundred different sorts of birds when the little warbler is near. From
these circumstances we named it the mocking bird. There are likewise
three or four sorts of smaller birds; one of which, in figure and
lameness, exactly resembles our robin, but is black where that is brown,
and white where that is red. Another differs but little from this,
except in being smaller; and a third sort has a long tail, which it
expands as a fan on coming near, and makes a chirping noise when it
perches. King-fishers are seen, though rare, and are about the size of
our English ones, but with an inferior plumage.