propitious, they quit the field of battle in sullen silence. The head already in possession is preserved for the Chief on whose account the war was undertaken, as a satisfaction for the injury which he, or some one of his tribe, had received from the enemy. "When the war is over, and the head properly cured, it is sent round to all the Chief's friends, as a gratification to them, and to show them that justice had been obtained from the offending party. "With respect to the body of the Chief, it is cut up into small portions, and dressed for those who were in the battle, under the immediate direction of the Chief who retains the head: and, if he wishes to gratify any of his friends who were not present, small portions are reserved for them; on the receipt of which they give thanks to their god for the victory obtained over the enemy. If the flesh should be so putrid, from the length of time before it is received, that it cannot be eaten, a substitute is eaten instead. "They not only eat the flesh of the Chiefs, but are wont to take their bones, and distribute them among their friends, who make whistles of some of them, and fish-hooks of others. These they value and preserve with care, as memorials of the death of their enemies. "It is also customary with them, for a man, when he kills another in battle, to taste the blood of the slain. Heimagines that he shall then be safe from the wrath of the god of him that is fallen; believing, that, from the moment he tastes the blood of the man whom he has killed, the dead man becomes a part of himself, and places him under the protection of the Atua, or god, of the departed spirit. "Mr. Kendall informed me, that, on one occasion, Shunghee ate the left eye of a great Chief whom he killed in battle at Shukeangha. The New-Zealanders believe that the left eye, some time after death, ascends to the heavens, and becomes a star in the firmament. Shunghee ate the Chief's left eye from present revenge; and under the idea of increasing his own future glory and brightness when his own left eye should become a star. VOL. VI. "When a Chief of the enemy's party is killed, his body is immediately demanded by the assailants; and, as be fore stated, if the party attacked are intimidated, it is directly delivered up. If the Chief was a married man, his wife is then called for; and she is also delivered into the hands of the enemy. She is taken away with the body of her husband, and is killed. If she loved her husband, she voluntarily resigns herself and her children; and desires the victors to do to her and her children as they had done to her husband. If the party refuse to give up the Chief's wife, they are immediately attacked by the enemy; who will not give up the contest till they obtain her, or are overpowered. "When they have got possession of a Chief and his wife, after the woman is killed, their bodies are placed in or der before the Chiefs. The Areekee, or High Priest, then calls out to the Chiefs to dress the body of the man for his god; and the Priestess, who is also an Areekee, gives the command to the wives of the Chiefs to dress the woman for her god. The bodies are then placed on the fires, and roasted by the Chiefs and their wives; none of the common people being allowed to touch them, as they are tabooed. "When the bodies are dressed, the Areekees take each a piece of the flesh, in a small basket, which they hang on two sticks stuck in the ground, as food for their gods, (to whom they are going to offer up their prayers, and whom they are about to consult relative to the present contest,) in order that their gods may partake first of the sacrifices. "While these services are performing, all the Chiefs sit, in profound silence, in a circle, round the bodies, with their faces covered with their hands or mats, as they are not permitted to look on these mysteries; while the Areekees are praying, and picking small pieces of the flesh from their sacrifices, which they eat at the same time. These consecrated bodies are only to be eaten by the Areekees. "When all the sacred services are completed, the Areekees return the answer of their gods to their prayers and offerings. If their prayers and offerings 46 are accepted, the battle is immediately renewed, (as before mentioned) and all in common feed upon the after-slain. They eat the slain, not so much for food, as for mental gratification; and to display, publicly, to the enemy, their bitter revenge. "Wishing to know if the Areekees prayed secretly to their gods, at the time of performing the above ceremonies, I asked them the question: to which they replied, No; but publicly, and with an audible voice, that all might hear what was prayed for-unless the Areekees disapproved of their proceedings: in that case, their prayers were not heard. "The New-Zealanders are not only afraid of being killed in battle, if they enter on war without permission of their god; but they are also afraid of spiritual consequences-that they will either be afterward killed by the anger of their own god, or that of their enemy. "They fully believe that a Priest has power to take away their lives by incantation or charm; and attribute many of their deaths to this cause. "In the village of Tippoonah, I observed the heads of eleven Chiefs stuck up on poles, as trophies of victory. I learned that they were part of those whom Shunghee brought with him from his last expedition to the southward. He had cured them all. Their countenances were very natural, excepting their lips and teeth, which had all a ghastly grin, as if they had been fixed by the last agonies of death. "How painful must these exhibitions be to the wives, children, and subjects of these departed Chiefs, who are prisoners of war, and labouring on the very spot, with these heads in full view! My mind was filled with horror and disgust at the sight of this Golgotha: at the same time I anticipated, with pleasing sensations, that glorious period, when, through the influence of the Gospel, the voice of joy and melody would be heard in these habitations of darkness and cruelty, where nothing now reigns but savage joy on one hand, and weeping and mourning on the other." Alleged Origin of eating Human Flesh. Conversing with the Chiefs of Ti ami on this subject, Mr. Marsden says: "They first alleged, that it originated from the largest fishes of the sea eating other fishes, and of some even eating their own kind-that large fishes eat small ones-small fishes eat insects dogs will eat men, and men will eat dogs, and dogs devour one another the birds of the air also devour one anotherand one god will devour another god. I should not have understood how the gods could eat one another, if Shunghee had not before informed me, that, when he was to the southward, and had killed a number of people, he was afraid that their god would kill him in retaliation, esteeming himself a god; but he caught their god, being a reptile, and eat part of it, and reserved the other part for his friends, as it was sacred food; and, by this means, he rested satisfied that they were all secure from his resentment.' Retaliation the Substitute for Law.. "As these people have no regular established government, it appears that all crimes are punished, either by an appeal to the sword, or by plundering the offender of his little property, and laying waste his potatoe-grounds." Mr. Marsden relates the following instance, among various others, of this spirit of retaliation : "The people of a village between Whangarooa and the North-Cape had taken the bones of the father of Shunghee's wife from the sepulchre, and had made fish-hooks of them. Having satisfied himself of the fact, Shunghee proceeded to the village where the people lived who had committed the sacrilege; and, going up within gun-shot of them, in the open day, informed them that he was come to punish them for spoiling the sepulchre where his wife's father's bones had been deposited, and for making his bones into fish-hooks. They admitted his charge, and the justice of his conduct: he then, without entering the village, fired upon them, and killed five men; whereupon the party attacked, requested him to fire no more; for the death of those who were shot was a sufficient atonement for the offence committed. Shunghee answered that he was satisfied; and the busi ness was thus decided, with the mutual consent of both parties. "The death of a Chief may be revenged by his children's children, if the tribe to which he belonged should ever have strength to retaliate. Hence the foundation is continually laid for new acts of cruelty and blood, from generation to generation; as the remembrance of these injuries seems never to be forgotten by them." Superstitious Fear of their Gods. From Mr. Marsden's conversations with the Chiefs of Tiami, we extract some passages on this subject : "They said, if they did not pay very particular attention to all that their Priests told them, they should die. If they went to battle, and neglected any ceremony relative to their food, &c. and a spear only touched them, they should die immediately; but if they observed the ceremonies, and a spear should go through their bodies, they should not die. I asked them, if a Chief had been speared through the heart, or the temples of the head, whether he would recover or not, admitting he had been tabooed. They replied that he would not. I then wanted to know of what use their tabooing was, as Europeans recovered from similar wounds with themselves with out tabooing. "We told them, that Pomare, King of Otaheite, thought, some time ago, as they did. He tabooed his houses and provisions, and was constantly under fear lest his god should kill him and his people; but, since the Missionaries have lived at Otaheite, and he and his people had been taught the meaning of God's Book, he had abolished all tabooing; and had eaten any proper food, and had slept any where, like the Europeans; and was under no fear of being killed by his former gods. They were much surprised at this information, and inquired how long it was since Pomare had ceased to taboo. We told them that it was more than three years ago since Pomare had embraced our religion. The Chiefs then replied, that if we would send Missionaries to instruct them, and to convince them that their religion was wrong, and to prevent their gods from killing them, they would think and act as we did.' Strength of Natural Affection in the New-Zealanders. Mr. Marsden gives an affecting account of the meeting of Tooi and his sister, on one of Korrokorro's islands: "When we had reached the beach, Tooi said one of his sisters was coming, whom he had not seen since his return; and earnestly requested me to get into the canoe before she arrived, as he did not wish to have his first meeting with her there. I begged him to wait for her, as she was hastening down the hill, and not to regard me; but I could not prevail upon him: he leaped into the canoe, urging me to follow him. I delayed till she had reached the beach, when I stept in. Tooi ordered the canoe to put off: but, at that moment, his sister sprung into the canoe, weeping aloud, and passed by me. She fell on her knees, and grasped Tooi's: he saluted her, when she gave vent to her feelings in tears and loud lamentations, which she continued for about an hour. When we landed on Motoorooa, she still sat weeping for a long time. Tooi conducted himself with great propriety; he suppressed all the wild feelings of an uncultivated mind, and yet shewed all the soft and tender feelings of nature toward his sister. I could not but view his conduct with admiration; and told him to indulge his affection for his sister, without any respect to my being present. I saw that he was anxious, lest the warmth of his sister's affection, and the strong manner in which she manifested it, should overcome his manly fortitude, and cause him to imitate her example; as he had done on a former occasion, when I first visited New-Zealand " On leaving New-Zealand, Mr. Mars den took some sons of Chiefs with him. Of the parting scene, he says "The Chiefs took leave of their sons, with much firmness and dignity, in the cabin; while, on the deck, the mothers and sisters of the boys were cutting themselves, after their manner, and mingling their blood with their tears. Shunghee, the head Chief, parted with his favourite son in the cabin, without a tear: I afterwards heard him on deck giving vent to his feelings, with sig loudest bursts of weeping." An affecting scene was witnessed by Mr. Marsden in the river Gambier :— "As we passed along I observed a Chief's wife making loud lamentations. On inquiring the cause of her deep distress, she informed me, that, since our passing down the river, she had lost her two sons, and one child belonging to the village with them. The children had been sent, in a canoe, to gather cockles on a sand-bank in the river, which is dry at low water. The wind arose on the flow of the tide, and carried away the canoe, leaving the children on the bank; and when the tide arose, it swept all away. She added, that her husband was also lately dead. She was a young woman. Her mother was sitting beside her, mourning and weeping with her. They had cut themselves after their manner, for the dead. I felt for her affliction, and would gladly have relieved her distress. I had nothing to give her but a few fish-hooks and my pocketknife; with which I presented her, and which she thankfully received." them Mr. Marsden writes afterward"At day-break this morning, we heard the lamentations of the poor widow, on the summit of the hill, weeping for her children. Her affliction of mind was very heavy. She was left wholly to the feelings of nature, which appeared to be intolerable. The consolations of religion could not pour the oil of joy into her wounded spirit. She knew not God; and evidently had no refuge to fly to for relief. In the fullest sense of the Apostle's meaning, she was without hope, and without God in the world; and this is the situation of the whole of her countrymen, when under affliction. They will sit for months, night and day, mourning in a similar manner, for the loss of their dearest relatives. The blessings which Divine Revelation communicates in the whole body of a nation who are favoured with it, can never be adequately estimated. The knowledge of the only true God spreads its genial influences, from the king on his throne, through all the different ranks of his subjects, down to the condemned felon in his cell." On his visit to Tiami, he says"About six o'clock, while I was taking my breakfast, on a sudden I heard the loudest lamentations. On turning to the place from whence they came, I observed several women crying aloud, with the blood streaming down their countenances. On inquiry, I learnt that the Chief's wife who had accompanied us, had buried a child not long before; and these women were come to mourn and weep with her, on that account. They held all their faces together, mingled their blood with their tears, and cried aloud, cutting themselves, at the same time, with pieces of flint-stone. I was much shocked at the sight. The Chief came to me, and asked if I was afraid; I answered I was not afraid, but I was much grieved to see them cut themselves in such a manner; that this custom did not prevail in any nation of Europe, and was a very bad one. He replied that the New-Zealanders loved their children very much; and could not shew it sufficiently, without shedding their blood. I replied, to weep was very good, but not to cut themselves. This barbarous custom univer sally prevails among the natives of this island." Motives and Encouragements. "The wants of these poor heathens have only to be made known to the Christian world, and then they will be relieved. Their country, which is now only an uncultivated wilderness, will then stand thick with corn; and the voice of joy and gladness will then be heard in these dreary regions of darkness, superstition, cruelty, and sin!" Having assembled one Sunday, on the beach, for public worship, as there was no place for divine service sufficiently large to hold the people, they were surrounded by natives, among whom were a number of Chiefs from different districts, some even from the river Thames. On this occasion, Mr. Marsden writes, "It was very gratifying to our feelings, and afforded us a pleasing prospect, to be able to perform the worship of the true God in the open air, without any sensations of fear or danger, when surrounded by cannibals with part of this state, the prospects of the Church are highly encouraging. Early in the summer, the corner stone of a new brick church was laid in NewPreston; and, on the 4th of July, the corner stone of another was laid in Salisbury. In addition to these, more than $2,000 have already been subscribed towards erecting an Episcopal house of worship in Canaan. It is pleasing to receive such pieces of intelligence as these. "O pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and plenteousness within thy palaces. For my brethren and companion's sake, I will wish thee prospe their spears stuck in the ground, and On the last Sunday which Mr. Marsden spent, on this occasion, in New Zealand (November 7, 1819) he administered the Lord's Supper to the settlers, and baptized nine children, born to them on the island. We quote his impressive remarks on this occasion: "I trust that the Divine Word and ordinances will continue in this land of darkness to the end of time. I have no doubt but that the Lord will prepare for himself a people in New-Zealand. He never fed any nation with manna from heaven, but the Israelites; and as he has now sent the manna of his word among these heathens, we may safely infer that he will provide Israelites in this wilderness to feed upon it. His promises are sure; and known unto him are all his works from the beginning. We extract a few paragraphs from the address delivered at the laying of the corner stone of the church in Sharon, on the 4th of July: "We have assembled, my brethren, and Christian friends, to lay the corner stone of an edifice, to be expressly and religiously appropriated to the solemn service of Almighty God. We are met to supplicate the blessing of Heaven on our endeavours-to implore success from the Author of all things-the Giver of every good and perfect gift. The object in which we are engaged is most laudable. It is trusted that the holy temple about to be erected will be sacredly appropriated to the pious design of its founders-the pure and primitive worship of the Almighty. "With the advancement of our strength as a nation, and the progressive diffusion of light and knowledge, we look for a proportionate increase of edifices dedicated to the offices of religion; in which men shall offer their tribute of gratitude for the innumerable public and private blessings they enjoy, and yield the homage due from the dependent creature to the Sovereign Creator. "While beauty and magnificence pervade the works of creation, to have the temple of God's residence mean and sordid, would reflect discredit on a heathen community-much more on an enlightened and privileged Christian congregation. It was this sentiment that pervaded the breasts of the pious patriarchs of old. They grieved to see |