OCTOBER 20th. -- The survey of the Galapagos Archipelagobeing concluded, we steered towards Tahitiand commenced our long passage of 3200 miles. Inthe course of a few days we sailed out of the gloomy andclouded ocean-district which extends during the winter farfrom the coast of South America. We then enjoyed brightand clear weather, while running pleasantly along at therate of 150 or 160 miles a day before the steady trade-wind.The temperature in this more central part of the Pacific ishigher than near the American shore. The thermometer inthe poop cabin, by night and day, ranged between 80 and83 degs., which feels very pleasant; but with one degree or twohigher, the heat becomes oppressive. We passed throughthe Low or Dangerous Archipelago, and saw several ofthose most curious rings of coral land, just rising above thewater's edge, which have been called Lagoon Islands. Along and brilliantly white beach is capped by a margin ofgreen vegetation; and the strip, looking either way, rapidlynarrows away in the distance, and sinks beneath the horizonFrom the mast-head a wide expanse of smooth water can beseen within the ring. These low hollow coral islands bearno proportion to the vast ocean out of which they abruptlyrise; and it seems wonderful, that such weak invaders arenot overwhelmed, by the all-powerful and never-tiring wavesof that great sea, miscalled the Pacific.

November 15th. -- At daylight, Tahiti, an island whichmust for ever remain classical to the voyager in the SouthSea, was in view. At a distance the appearance was notattractive. The luxuriant vegetation of the lower part couldnot yet be seen, and as the clouds rolled past, the wildestand most precipitous peaks showed themselves towards thecentre of the island. As soon as we anchored in MatavaiBay, we were surrounded by canoes. This was our Sunday,but the Monday of Tahiti: if the case had been reversed,we should not have received a single visit; for the injunctionnot to launch a canoe on the sabbath is rigidly obeyed.After dinner we landed to enjoy all the delights producedby the first impressions of a new country, and that countrythe charming Tahiti. A crowd of men, women, and children,was collected on the memorable Point Venus, ready toreceive us with laughing, merry faces. They marshalledus towards the house of Mr. Wilson, the missionary of thedistrict, who met us on the road, and gave us a very friendlyreception. After sitting a very short time in his house, weseparated to walk about, but returned there in the evening.

The land capable of cultivation, is scarcely in any partmore than a fringe of low alluvial soil, accumulated roundthe base of the mountains, and protected from the waves ofthe sea by a coral reef, which encircles the entire line ofcoast. Within the reef there is an expanse of smooth water,like that of a lake, where the canoes of the natives can plywith safety and where ships anchor. The low land whichcomes down to the beach of coral-sand, is covered by themost beautiful productions of the intertropical regions. Inthe midst of bananas, orange, cocoa-nut, and bread-fruittrees, spots are cleared where yams, sweet potatoes, andsugar-cane, and pine-apples are cultivated. Even the brush-woodis an imported fruit-tree, namely, the guava, whichfrom its abundance has become as noxious as a weed. InBrazil I have often admired the varied beauty of thebananas, palms, and orange-trees contrasted together; andhere we also have the bread-fruit, conspicuous from its large,glossy, and deeply digitated leaf. It is admirable to beholdgroves of a tree, sending forth its branches with the vigourof an English oak, loaded with large and most nutritiousfruit. However seldom the usefulness of an object canaccount for the pleasure of beholding it, in the case of thesebeautiful woods, the knowledge of their high productivenessno doubt enters largely into the feeling of admiration. Thelittle winding paths, cool from the surrounding shade, ledto the scattered houses; the owners of which everywheregave us a cheerful and most hospitable reception.

I was pleased with nothing so much as with the inhabitants.There is a mildness in the expression of their countenanceswhich at once banishes the idea of a savage; andintelligence which shows that they are advancing incivilization. The common people, when working, keep the upperpart of their bodies quite naked; and it is then that theTahitians are seen to advantage. They are very tall, broad-shouldered, athletic, and well-proportioned. It has beenremarked, that it requires little habit to make a dark skinmore pleasing and natural to the eye of an European thanhis own colour. A white man bathing by the side of aTahitian, was like a plant bleached by the gardener's artcompared with a fine dark green one growing vigorously inthe open fields. Most of the men are tattooed, and the ornamentsfollow the curvature of the body so gracefully, thatthey have a very elegant effect. One common pattern, varyingin its details, is somewhat like the crown of a palm-tree.It springs from the central line of the back, and gracefullycurls round both sides. The simile may be a fanciful one,but I thought the body of a man thus ornamented was likethe trunk of a, noble tree embraced by a delicate creeper.

Many of the elder people had their feet covered withsmall figures, so placed as to resemble a sock. This fashion,however, is partly gone by, and has been succeeded by others.Here, although fashion is far from immutable, every onemust abide by that prevailing in his youth. An old manhas thus his age for ever stamped on his body, and he cannotassume the airs of a young dandy. The women are tattooedin the same manner as the men, and very commonly on theirfingers. One unbecoming fashion is now almost universal:namely, shaving the hair from the upper part of the head,in a circular form, so as to leave only an outer ring. Themissionaries have tried to persuade the people to change thishabit; but it is the fashion, and that is a sufficient answerat Tahiti, as well as at Paris. I was much disappointed inthe personal appearance of the women: they are far inferiorin every respect to the men. The custom of wearing a whiteor scarlet flower in the back of the head, or through a smallhole in each ear, is pretty. A crown of woven cocoa-nutleaves is also worn as a shade for the eyes. The womenappear to be in greater want of some becoming costume eventhan the men.

Nearly all the natives understand a little English -- that is,they know the names of common things; and by the aid ofthis, together with signs, a lame sort of conversation couldbe carried on. In returning in the evening to the boat, westopped to witness a very pretty scene. Numbers of childrenwere playing on the beach, and had lighted bonfireswhich illumined the placid sea and surrounding trees;others, in circles, were singing Tahitian verses. We seatedourselves on the sand, and joined their party. The songswere impromptu, and I believe related to our arrival: onelittle girl sang a line, which the rest took up in parts,forming a very pretty chorus. The whole scene made usunequivocally aware that we were seated on the shores of anisland in the far-famed South Sea.

17th. -- This day is reckoned in the log-book as Tuesdaythe 17th, instead of Monday the 16th, owing to our, so far,successful chase of the sun. Before breakfast the ship washemmed in by a flotilla of canoes; and when the nativeswere allowed to come on board, I suppose there could nothave been less than two hundred. It was the opinion ofevery one that it would have been difficult to have picked outan equal number from any other nation, who would havegiven so little trouble. Everybody brought something forsale: shells were the main articles of trade. The Tahitiansnow fully understand the value of money, and prefer it toold clothes or other articles. The various coins, however, ofEnglish and Spanish denomination puzzle them, and theynever seemed to think the small silver quite secure untilchanged into dollars. Some of the chiefs have accumulatedconsiderable sums of money. One chief, not long since,offered 800 dollars (about 160 pounds sterling) for a smallvessel; and frequently they purchase whale-boats and horses atthe rate of from 50 to 100 dollars.

After breakfast I went on shore, and ascended the nearestslope to a height of between two and three thousand feet.The outer mountains are smooth and conical, but steep; andthe old volcanic rocks, of which they are formed, have beencut through by many profound ravines, diverging from thecentral broken parts of the island to the coast. Havingcrossed the narrow low girt of inhabited and fertile land,I followed a smooth steep ridge between two of the deepravines. The vegetation was singular, consisting almostexclusively of small dwarf ferns, mingled higher up, withcoarse grass; it was not very dissimilar from that on someof the Welsh hills, and this so close above the orchard oftropical plants on the coast was very surprising. At thehighest point, which I reached, trees again appeared. Ofthe three zones of comparative luxuriance, the lower oneowes its moisture, and therefore fertility, to its flatness;for, being scarcely raised above the level of the sea, the waterfrom the higher land drains away slowly. The intermediatezone does not, like the upper one, reach into a damp andcloudy atmosphere, and therefore remains sterile. Thewoods in the upper zone are very pretty, tree-ferns replacingthe cocoa-nuts on the coast. It must not, however, besupposed that these woods at all equal in splendour theforests of Brazil. The vast numbers of productions, whichcharacterize a continent, cannot be expected to occur inan island.

From the highest point which I attained, there was a goodview of the distant island of Eimeo, dependent on the samesovereign with Tahiti. On the lofty and broken pinnacles,white massive clouds were piled up, which formed an islandin the blue sky, as Eimeo itself did in the blue ocean. Theisland, with the exception of one small gateway, is completelyencircled by a reef. At this distance, a narrow but well-defined brilliantly white line was alone visible, where thewaves first encountered the wall of coral. The mountainsrose abruptly out of the glassy expanse of the lagoon, includedwithin this narrow white line, outside which the heavingwaters of the ocean were dark-coloured. The view wasstriking: it may aptly be compared to a framed engraving,where the frame represents the breakers, the marginal paperthe smooth lagoon, and the drawing the island itself. Whenin the evening I descended from the mountain, a man, whomI had pleased with a trifling gift, met me, bringing with himhot roasted bananas, a pine-apple, and cocoa-nuts. Afterwalking under a burning sun, I do not know anything moredelicious than the milk of a young cocoa-nut. Pine-applesare here so abundant that the people eat them in the samewasteful manner as we might turnips. They are of an excellentflavor -- perhaps even better than those cultivated inEngland; and this I believe is the highest compliment whichcan be paid to any fruit. Before going on board, Mr. Wilsoninterpreted for me to the Tahitian who had paid me so adroitan attention, that I wanted him and another man to accompanyme on a short excursion into the mountains.

18th. -- In the morning I came on shore early, bringingwith me some provisions in a bag, and two blankets for myselfand servant. These were lashed to each end of a longpole, which was alternately carried by my Tahitian companionson their shoulders. These men are accustomed thusto carry, for a whole day, as much as fifty pounds at eachend of their poles. I told my guides to provide themselveswith food and clothing; but they said that there was plentyof food in the mountains, and for clothing, that their skinswere sufficient. Our line of march was the valley of Tiaauru,down which a river flows into the sea by Point Venus.This is one of the principal streams in the island, and itssource lies at the base of the loftiest central pinnacles,which rise to a height of about 7000 feet. The whole islandis so mountainous that the only way to penetrate into theinterior is to follow up the valleys. Our road, at first, laythrough woods which bordered each side of the river; andthe glimpses of the lofty central peaks, seen as through anavenue, with here and there a waving cocoa-nut tree on oneside, were extremely picturesque. The valley soon began tonarrow, and the sides to grow lofty and more precipitous.After having walked between three and four hours, wefound the width of the ravine scarcely exceeded that of thebed of the stream. On each hand the walls were nearly vertical,yet from the soft nature of the volcanic strata, treesand a rank vegetation sprung from every projecting ledge.These precipices must have been some thousand feet high;and the whole formed a mountain gorge far more magnificentthan anything which I had ever before beheld. Untilthe midday sun stood vertically over the ravine, the air feltcool and damp, but now it became very sultry. Shaded by aledge of rock, beneath a facade of columnar lava, we ate ourdinner. My guides had already procured a dish of smallfish and fresh-water prawns. They carried with them asmall net stretched on a hoop; and where the water wasdeep and in eddies, they dived, and like otters, with theireyes open followed the fish into holes and corners, and thuscaught them.

The Tahitians have the dexterity of amphibious animalsin the water. An anecdote mentioned by Ellis shows howmuch they feel at home in this element. When a horse waslanding for Pomarre in 1817, the slings broke, and it fellinto the water; immediately the natives jumped overboard,and by their cries and vain efforts at assistance almostdrowned it. As soon, however, as it reached the shore, thewhole population took to flight, and tried to hide themselvesfrom the man-carrying pig, as they christened the horse.

A little higher up, the river divided itself into three littlestreams. The two northern ones were impracticable, owingto a succession of waterfalls which descended from thejagged summit of the highest mountain; the other to allappearance was equally inaccessible, but we managed to ascendit by a most extraordinary road. The sides of thevalley were here nearly precipitous, but, as frequently happenswith stratified rocks, small ledges projected, which werethickly covered by wild bananas, lilaceous plants, and otherluxuriant productions of the tropics. The Tahitians, byclimbing amongst these ledges, searching for fruit, haddiscovered a track by which the whole precipice could be scaled.The first ascent from the valley was very dangerous; for itwas necessary to pass a steeply inclined face of naked rock,by the aid of ropes which we brought with us. How anyperson discovered that this formidable spot was the onlypoint where the side of the mountain was practicable, I cannotimagine. We then cautiously walked along one of theledges till we came to one of the three streams. This ledgeformed a flat spot, above which a beautiful cascade, somehundred feet in height, poured down its waters, and beneath,another high cascade fell into the main stream in the valleybelow. From this cool and shady recess we made acircuit to avoid the overhanging waterfall. As before, wefollowed little projecting ledges, the danger being partlyconcealed by the thickness of the vegetation. In passingfrom one of the ledges to another, there was a vertical wallof rock. One of the Tahitians, a fine active man, placedthe trunk of a tree against this, climbed up it, and then bythe aid of crevices reached the summit. He fixed the ropesto a projecting point, and lowered them for our dog andluggage, and then we clambered up ourselves. Beneath theledge on which the dead tree was placed, the precipice musthave been five or six hundred feet deep; and if the abysshad not been partly concealed by the overhanging ferns andlilies my head would have turned giddy, and nothing shouldhave induced me to have attempted it. We continued toascend, sometimes along ledges, and sometimes along knife-edged ridges, having on each hand profound ravines. Inthe Cordillera I have seen mountains on a far granderscale, but for abruptness, nothing at all comparable with this.In the evening we reached a flat little spot on the banksof the same stream, which we had continued to follow, andwhich descends in a chain of waterfalls: here we bivouackedfor the night. On each side of the ravine there were greatbeds of the mountain-banana, covered with ripe fruit. Manyof these plants were from twenty to twenty-five feet high,and from three to four in circumference. By the aid ofstrips of bark for rope, the stems of bamboos for rafters,and the large leaf of the banana for a thatch, the Tahitiansin a few minutes built us an excellent house; and withwithered leaves made a soft bed.

They then proceeded to make a fire, and cook our eveningmeal. A light was procured, by rubbing a blunt pointedstick in a groove made in another, as if with intention ofdeepening it, until by the friction the dust became ignited.A peculiarly white and very light wood (the Hibiscus tiliareus)is alone used for this purpose: it is the same whichserves for poles to carry any burden, and for the floatingout-riggers to their canoes. The fire was produced in a fewseconds: but to a person who does not understand the art,it requires, as I found, the greatest exertion; but at last, tomy great pride, I succeeded in igniting the dust. TheGaucho in the Pampas uses a different method: taking anelastic stick about eighteen inches long, he presses one endon his breast, and the other pointed end into a hole in a pieceof wood, and then rapidly turns the curved part, like acarpenter's centre-bit. The Tahitians having made a small fireof sticks, placed a score of stones, of about the size ofcricket-balls, on the burning wood. In about ten minutes thesticks were consumed, and the stones hot. They had previouslyfolded up in small parcels of leaves, pieces of beef,fish, ripe and unripe bananas, and the tops of the wild arum.These green parcels were laid in a layer between two layersof the hot stones, and the whole then covered up withearth, so that no smoke or steam could escape. In abouta quarter of an hour, the whole was most deliciously cooked.The choice green parcels were now laid on a cloth ofbanana leaves, and with a cocoa-nut shell we drank thecool water of the running stream; and thus we enjoyed ourrustic meal.

I could not look on the surrounding plants without admiration.On every side were forests of banana; the fruitof which, though serving for food in various ways, lay inheaps decaying on the ground. In front of us there was anextensive brake of wild sugar-cane; and the stream wasshaded by the dark green knotted stem of the Ava, -- so famousin former days for its powerful intoxicating effects. Ichewed a piece, and found that it had an acrid and unpleasanttaste, which would have induced any one at once tohave pronounced it poisonous. Thanks to the missionaries,this plant now thrives only in these deep ravines, innocuous toevery one. Close by I saw the wild arum, the roots of which,when well baked, are good to eat, and the young leavesbetter than spinach. There was the wild yam, and a liliaceousplant called Ti, which grows in abundance, and has a softbrown root, in shape and size like a huge log of wood: thisserved us for dessert, for it is as sweet as treacle, and witha pleasant taste. There were, moreover, several other wildfruits, and useful vegetables. The little stream, besides itscool water, produced eels, and cray-fish. I did indeed admirethis scene, when I compared it with an uncultivated one inthe temperate zones. I felt the force of the remark, thatman, at least savage man, with his reasoning powers onlypartly developed, is the child of the tropics.

As the evening drew to a close, I strolled beneath thegloomy shade of the bananas up the course of the stream.My walk was soon brought to a close, by coming to a waterfallbetween two and three hundred feet high; and againabove this there was another. I mention all these waterfallsin this one brook, to give a general idea of the inclinationof the land. In the little recess where the water fell, it didnot appear that a breath of wind had ever blown. The thinedges of the great leaves of the banana, damp with spray,were unbroken, instead of being, as is so generally the case,split into a thousand shreds. From our position, almostsuspended on the mountain side, there were glimpses into thedepths of the neighbouring valleys; and the lofty points ofthe central mountains, towering up within sixty degrees ofthe zenith, hid half the evening sky. Thus seated, it wasa sublime spectacle to watch the shades of night graduallyobscuring the last and highest pinnacles.

Before we laid ourselves down to sleep, the elder Tahitianfell on his knees, and with closed eyes repeated a longprayer in his native tongue. He prayed as a Christian shoulddo, with fitting reverence, and without the fear of ridiculeor any ostentation of piety. At our meals neither of the menwould taste food, without saying beforehand a short grace.Those travellers who think that a Tahitian prays only whenthe eyes of the missionary are fixed on him, should haveslept with us that night on the mountain-side. Before morningit rained very heavily; but the good thatch of banana-leaves kept us dry.

November 19th. -- At daylight my friends, after theirmorning prayer, prepared an excellent breakfast in the samemanner as in the evening. They themselves certainly partookof it largely; indeed I never saw any men eat near somuch. I suppose such enormously capacious stomachs mustbe the effect of a large part of their diet consisting of fruitand vegetables, which contain, in a given bulk, a comparativelysmall portion of nutriment. Unwittingly, I was themeans of my companions breaking, as I afterwards learned,one of their own laws, and resolutions: I took with me aflask of spirits, which they could not refuse to partake of;but as often as they drank a little, they put their fingersbefore their mouths, and uttered the word "Missionary."About two years ago, although the use of the ava was prevented,drunkenness from the introduction of spirits becamevery prevalent. The missionaries prevailed on a few goodmen, who saw that their country was rapidly going to ruin,to join with them in a Temperance Society. From goodsense or shame, all the chiefs and the queen were at lastpersuaded to join. Immediately a law was passed, that nospirits should be allowed to be introduced into the island,and that he who sold and he who bought the forbiddenarticle should be punished by a fine. With remarkable justice,a certain period was allowed for stock in hand to besold, before the law came into effect. But when it did, ageneral search was made, in which even the houses of themissionaries were not exempted, and all the ava (as thenatives call all ardent spirits) was poured on the ground.When one reflects on the effect of intemperance on theaborigines of the two Americas, I think it will be acknowledgedthat every well-wisher of Tahiti owes no common debtof gratitude to the missionaries. As long as the little islandof St. Helena remained under the government of the EastIndia Company, spirits, owing to the great injury they hadproduced, were not allowed to be imported; but wine wassupplied from the Cape of Good Hope. It is rather a strikingand not very gratifying fact, that in the same yearthat spirits were allowed to be sold in Helena, their use wasbanished from Tahiti by the free will of the people.

After breakfast we proceeded on our Journey. As my objectwas merely to see a little of the interior scenery, wereturned by another track, which descended into the mainvalley lower down. For some distance we wound, by a mostintricate path, along the side of the mountain which formedthe valley. In the less precipitous parts we passed throughextensive groves of the wild banana. The Tahitians, withtheir naked, tattooed bodies, their heads ornamented withflowers, and seen in the dark shade of these groves, wouldhave formed a fine picture of man inhabiting some primevalland. In our descent we followed the line of ridges; thesewere exceedingly narrow, and for considerable lengths steepas a ladder; but all clothed with vegetation. The extremecare necessary in poising each step rendered the walk fatiguing.I did not cease to wonder at these ravines andprecipices: when viewing the country from one of the knife-edged ridges, the point of support was so small, that theeffect was nearly the same as it must be from a balloon. Inthis descent we had occasion to use the ropes only once, atthe point where we entered the main valley. We slept underthe same ledge of rock where we had dined the day before:the night was fine, but from the depth and narrowness of thegorge, profoundly dark.

Before actually seeing this country, I found it difficultto understand two facts mentioned by Ellis; namely, thatafter the murderous battles of former times, the survivorson the conquered side retired into the mountains, where ahandful of men could resist a multitude. Certainly halfa dozen men, at the spot where the Tahitian reared the oldtree, could easily have repulsed thousands. Secondly, thatafter the introduction of Christianity, there were wild menwho lived in the mountains, and whose retreats were unknownto the more civilized inhabitants

November 20th. -- In the morning we started early, andreached Matavai at noon. On the road we met a large partyof noble athletic men, going for wild bananas. I found thatthe ship, on account of the difficulty in watering, had movedto the harbour of Papawa, to which place I immediatelywalked. This is a very pretty spot. The cove is surroundedby reefs, and the water as smooth as in a lake. Thecultivated ground, with its beautiful productions, interspersedwith cottages, comes close down to the water's edge.From the varying accounts which I had read before reachingthese islands, I was very anxious to form, from my ownobservation, a judgment of their moral state, -- although suchjudgment would necessarily be very imperfect. First impressionsat all times very much depend on one's previouslyacquired ideas. My notions were drawn from Ellis's "PolynesianResearches" -- an admirable and most interestingwork, but naturally looking at everything under a favourablepoint of view, from Beechey's Voyage; and from that ofKotzebue, which is strongly adverse to the whole missionarysystem. He who compares these three accounts will, I think,form a tolerably accurate conception of the present state ofTahiti. One of my impressions which I took from the twolast authorities, was decidedly incorrect; viz., that theTahitians had become a gloomy race, and lived in fear of themissionaries. Of the latter feeling I saw no trace, unless,indeed, fear and respect be confounded under one name.Instead of discontent being a common feeling, it would bedifficult in Europe to pick out of a crowd half so many merryand happy faces. The prohibition of the flute and dancingis inveighed against as wrong and foolish; -- the more thanpresbyterian manner of keeping the sabbath is looked at ina similar light. On these points I will not pretend to offerany opinion to men who have resided as many years as Iwas days on the island.

On the whole, it appears to me that the morality andreligion of the inhabitants are highly creditable. There aremany who attack, even more acrimoniously than Kotzebue,both the missionaries, their system, and the effects producedby it. Such reasoners never compare the present state withthat of the island only twenty years ago; nor even with thatof Europe at this day; but they compare it with the highstandard of Gospel perfection. They expect the missionariesto effect that which the Apostles themselves failed to do.Inasmuch as the condition of the people falls short ofthis high standard, blame is attached to the missionary, insteadof credit for that which he has effected. They forget,or will not remember, that human sacrifices, and the powerof an idolatrous priesthood -- a system of profligacyunparalleled in any other part of the world -- infanticide aconsequence of that system -- bloody wars, where the conquerorsspared neither women nor children -- that all these have beenabolished; and that dishonesty, intemperance, and licentiousnesshave been greatly reduced by the introduction of Christianity.In a voyager to forget these things is base ingratitude; forshould he chance to be at the point of shipwreck on someunknown coast, he will most devoutly pray that the lesson ofthe missionary may have extended thus far.

In point of morality, the virtue of the women, it has beenoften said, is most open to exception. But before they areblamed too severely, it will be well distinctly to call to mindthe scenes described by Captain Cook and Mr. Banks, inwhich the grandmothers and mothers of the present raceplayed a part. Those who are most severe, should considerhow much of the morality of the women in Europe is owingto the system early impressed by mothers on their daughters,and how much in each individual case to the precepts ofreligion. But it is useless to argue against such reasoners; --I believe that, disappointed in not finding the field oflicentiousness quite so open as formerly, they will not givecredit to a morality which they do not wish to practise, or to areligion which they undervalue, if not despise.

Sunday, 22nd. -- The harbour of Papiete, where the queenresides, may be considered as the capital of the island: it isalso the seat of government, and the chief resort of shipping.Captain Fitz Roy took a party there this day to hear divineservice, first in the Tahitian language, and afterwards in ourown. Mr. Pritchard, the leading missionary in the island,performed the service. The chapel consisted of a large airyframework of wood; and it was filled to excess by tidy, cleanpeople, of all ages and both sexes. I was rather disappointedin the apparent degree of attention; but I believe myexpectations were raised too high. At all events the appearancewas quite equal to that in a country church in England.The singing of the hymns was decidedly very pleasing, butthe language from the pulpit, although fluently delivered, didnot sound well: a constant repetition of words, like "tatata, mata mai," rendered it monotonous. After English service,a party returned on foot to Matavai. It was a pleasantwalk, sometimes along the sea-beach and sometimes underthe shade of the many beautiful trees.

About two years ago, a small vessel under English colourswas plundered by some of the inhabitants of the Low Islands,which were then under the dominion of the Queen of Tahiti.It was believed that the perpetrators were instigated to thisact by some indiscreet laws issued by her majesty. TheBritish government demanded compensation; which was accededto, and the sum of nearly three thousand dollars wasagreed to be paid on the first of last September. The Commodoreat Lima ordered Captain Fitz Roy to inquire concerningthis debt, and to demand satisfaction if it were notpaid. Captain Fitz Roy accordingly requested an interviewwith the Queen Pomarre, since famous from the ill-treatmentshe had received from the French; and a parliament washeld to consider the question, at which all the principal chiefsof the island and the queen were assembled. I will not attemptto describe what took place, after the interesting accountgiven by Captain Fitz Roy. The money, it appeared,had not been paid; perhaps the alleged reasons were ratherequivocal; but otherwise I cannot sufficiently express ourgeneral surprise at the extreme good sense, the reasoningpowers, moderation, candour, and prompt resolution, whichwere displayed on all sides. I believe we all left the meetingwith a very different opinion of the Tahitians, from what weentertained when we entered. The chiefs and people resolvedto subscribe and complete the sum which was wanting;Captain Fitz Roy urged that it was hard that their privateproperty should be sacrificed for the crimes of distantislanders. They replied, that they were grateful for hisconsideration, but that Pomarre was their Queen, and that theywere determined to help her in this her difficulty. Thisresolution and its prompt execution, for a book was openedearly the next morning, made a perfect conclusion to thisvery remarkable scene of loyalty and good feeling.

After the main discussion was ended, several of the chiefstook the opportunity of asking Captain Fitz Roy many intelligentquestions on international customs and laws, relatingto the treatment of ships and foreigners. On somepoints, as soon as the decision was made, the law was issuedverbally on the spot. This Tahitian parliament lasted forseveral hours; and when it was over Captain Fitz Roy invitedQueen Pomarre to pay the Beagle a visit.

November 25th. -- In the evening four boats were sent forher majesty; the ship was dressed with flags, and the yardsmanned on her coming on board. She was accompanied bymost of the chiefs. The behaviour of all was very proper:they begged for nothing, and seemed much pleased with CaptainFitz Roy's presents. The queen is a large awkwardwoman, without any beauty, grace or dignity. She has onlyone royal attribute: a perfect immovability of expressionunder all circumstances, and that rather a sullen one. Therockets were most admired, and a deep "Oh!" could beheard from the shore, all round the dark bay, after eachexplosion. The sailors' songs were also much admired; andthe queen said she thought that one of the most boisterousones certainly could not be a hymn! The royal party didnot return on shore till past midnight.

26th. -- In the evening, with a gentle land-breeze, a coursewas steered for New Zealand; and as the sun set, we had afarewell view of the mountains of Tahiti -- the island to whichevery voyager has offered up his tribute of admiration.

December 19th. -- In the evening we saw in the distanceNew Zealand. We may now consider that we have nearlycrossed the Pacific. It is necessary to sail over this greatocean to comprehend its immensity. Moving quickly onwardsfor weeks together, we meet with nothing but thesame blue, profoundly deep, ocean. Even within thearchipelagoes, the islands are mere specks, and far distant onefrom the other. Accustomed to look at maps drawn on asmall scale, where dots, shading, and names are crowdedtogether, we do not rightly judge how infinitely small theproportion of dry land is to water of this vast expanse.The meridian of the Antipodes has likewise been passed; andnow every league, it made us happy to think, was one leaguenearer to England. These Antipodes call to one's mind oldrecollections of childish doubt and wonder. Only the otherday I looked forward to this airy barrier as a definite pointin our voyage homewards; but now I find it, and all suchresting-places for the imagination, are like shadows, whicha man moving onwards cannot catch. A gale of wind lastingfor some days, has lately given us full leisure to measurethe future stages in our homeward voyage, and to wishmost earnestly for its termination.

December 21st. -- Early in the morning we entered the Bayof Islands, and being becalmed for some hours near themouth, we did not reach the anchorage till the middle of theday. The country is hilly, with a smooth outline, and isdeeply intersected by numerous arms of the sea extendingfrom the bay. The surface appears from a distance as ifclothed with coarse pasture, but this in truth is nothing butfern. On the more distant hills, as well as in parts of thevalleys, there is a good deal of woodland. The general tintof the landscape is not a bright green; and it resembles thecountry a short distance to the south of Concepcion in Chile.In several parts of the bay, little villages of square tidylooking houses are scattered close down to the water's edge.Three whaling-ships were lying at anchor, and a canoe everynow and then crossed from shore to shore; with theseexceptions, an air of extreme quietness reigned over thewhole district. Only a single canoe came alongside. This,and the aspect of the whole scene, afforded a remarkable,and not very pleasing contrast, with our joyful and boisterouswelcome at Tahiti.

In the afternoon we went on shore to one of the largergroups of houses, which yet hardly deserves the title of avillage. Its name is Pahia: it is the residence of themissionaries; and there are no native residents except servantsand labourers. In the vicinity of the Bay of Islands, thenumber of Englishmen, including their families, amounts tobetween two and three hundred. All the cottages, many ofwhich are white-washed and look very neat, are the propertyof the English. The hovels of the natives are so diminutiveand paltry, that they can scarcely be perceived from a distance.At Pahia, it was quite pleasing to behold the Englishflowers in the gardens before the houses; there wereroses of several kinds, honeysuckle, jasmine, stocks, andwhole hedges of sweetbrier.

December 22nd. -- In the morning I went out walking; butI soon found that the country was very impracticable. Allthe hills are thickly covered with tall fern, together witha low bush which grows like a cypress; and very littleground has been cleared or cultivated. I then tried thesea-beach; but proceeding towards either hand, my walkwas soon stopped by salt-water creeks and deep brooks. Thecommunication between the inhabitants of the differentparts of the bay, is (as in Chiloe) almost entirely kept upby boats. I was surprised to find that almost every hill whichI ascended, had been at some former time more or lessfortified. The summits were cut into steps or successiveterraces, and frequently they had been protected by deeptrenches. I afterwards observed that the principal hills inlandin like manner showed an artificial outline. These arethe Pas, so frequently mentioned by Captain Cook under thename of "hippah;" the difference of sound being owing tothe prefixed article.

That the Pas had formerly been much used, was evidentfrom the piles of shells, and the pits in which, as I wasinformed, sweet potatoes used to be kept as a reserve. Asthere was no water on these hills, the defenders could neverhave anticipated a long siege, but only a hurried attack forplunder, against which the successive terraces would haveafforded good protection. The general introduction of firearmshas changed the whole system of warfare; and an exposedsituation on the top of a hill is now worse than useless.The Pas in consequence are, at the present day, always builton a level piece of ground. They consist of a double stockadeof thick and tall posts, placed in a zigzag line, so that everypart can be flanked. Within the stockade a mound of earth isthrown up, behind which the defenders can rest in safety, oruse their fire-arms over it. On the level of the groundlittle archways sometimes pass through this breastwork,by which means the defenders can crawl out to the stockadeand reconnoitre their enemies. The Rev. W. Williams, whogave me this account, added, that in one Pas he had noticedspurs or buttresses projecting on the inner and protectedside of the mound of earth. On asking the chief the useof them, he replied, that if two or three of his men wereshot, their neighbours would not see the bodies, and so bediscouraged.

These Pas are considered by the New Zealanders as veryperfect means of defence: for the attacking force is neverso well disciplined as to rush in a body to the stockade, cutit down, and effect their entry. When a tribe goes to war,the chief cannot order one party to go here and anotherthere; but every man fights in the manner which best pleaseshimself; and to each separate individual to approach a stockadedefended by fire-arms must appear certain death. Ishould think a more warlike race of inhabitants could notbe found in any part of the world than the New Zealanders.Their conduct on first seeing a ship, as described by CaptainCook, strongly illustrates this: the act of throwing volleysof stones at so great and novel an object, and their defianceof "Come on shore and we will kill and eat you all," showsuncommon boldness. This warlike spirit is evident in manyof their customs, and even in their smallest actions. If aNew Zealander is struck, although but in joke, the blowmust be returned and of this I saw an instance with oneof our officers.

At the present day, from the progress of civilization, thereis much less warfare, except among some of the southerntribes. I heard a characteristic anecdote of what took placesome time ago in the south. A missionary found a chief andhis tribe in preparation for war; -- their muskets clean andbright, and their ammunition ready. He reasoned long onthe inutility of the war, and the little provocation whichhad been given for it. The chief was much shaken in hisresolution, and seemed in doubt: but at length it occurredto him that a barrel of his gunpowder was in a bad state, andthat it would not keep much longer. This was brought forwardas an unanswerable argument for the necessity of immediatelydeclaring war: the idea of allowing so much goodgunpowder to spoil was not to be thought of; and this settledthe point. I was told by the missionaries that in thelife of Shongi, the chief who visited England, the love ofwar was the one and lasting spring of every action. Thetribe in which he was a principal chief had at one time beenoppressed by another tribe from the Thames River. Asolemn oath was taken by the men that when their boysshould grow up, and they should be powerful enough, theywould never forget or forgive these injuries. To fulfil thisoath appears to have been Shongi's chief motive for goingto England; and when there it was his sole object. Presentswere valued only as they could be converted into arms;of the arts, those alone interested him which were connectedwith the manufacture of arms. When at Sydney, Shongi,by a strange coincidence, met the hostile chief of the ThamesRiver at the house of Mr. Marsden: their conduct was civilto each other; but Shongi told him that when again in NewZealand he would never cease to carry war into his country.The challenge was accepted; and Shongi on his return fulfilledthe threat to the utmost letter. The tribe on theThames River was utterly overthrown, and the chief towhom the challenge had been given was himself killed.Shongi, although harbouring such deep feelings of hatredand revenge, is described as having been a good-naturedperson.

In the evening I went with Captain Fitz Roy and Mr.Baker, one of the missionaries, to pay a visit to Kororadika:we wandered about the village, and saw and conversed withmany of the people, both men, women, and children. Lookingat the New Zealander, one naturally compares him withthe Tahitian; both belonging to the same family of mankind.The comparison, however, tells heavily against the NewZealander. He may, perhaps be superior in energy, butin every other respect his character is of a much lowerorder. One glance at their respective expressions, bringsconviction to the mind that one is a savage, the other acivilized man. It would be vain to seek in the whole ofNew Zealand a person with the face and mien of the oldTahitian chief Utamme. No doubt the extraordinary mannerin which tattooing is here practised, gives a disagreeableexpression to their countenances. The complicated butsymmetrical figures covering the whole face, puzzle and misleadan unaccustomed eye: it is moreover probable, that the deepincisions, by destroying the play of the superficial muscles,give an air of rigid inflexibility. But, besides this, there isa twinkling in the eye, which cannot indicate anything butcunning and ferocity. Their figures are tall and bulky; butnot comparable in elegance with those of the working-classes in Tahiti.

But their persons and houses are filthily dirty and offensive:the idea of washing either their bodies or their clothesnever seems to enter their heads. I saw a chief, who waswearing a shirt black and matted with filth, and when askedhow it came to be so dirty, he replied, with surprise, "Donot you see it is an old one?" Some of the men have shirts;but the common dress is one or two large blankets, generallyblack with dirt, which are thrown over their shoulders in avery inconvenient and awkward fashion. A few of the principalchiefs have decent suits of English clothes; but theseare only worn on great occasions.

December 23rd. -- At a place called Waimate, about fifteenmiles from the Bay of Islands, and midway between theeastern and western coasts, the missionaries have purchasedsome land for agricultural purposes. I had been introducedto the Rev. W. Williams, who, upon my expressing a wish,invited me to pay him a visit there. Mr. Bushby, the Britishresident, offered to take me in his boat by a creek, where Ishould see a pretty waterfall, and by which means mywalk would be shortened. He likewise procured for me aguide.

Upon asking a neighbouring chief to recommend a man, thechief himself offered to go; but his ignorance of the valueof money was so complete, that at first he asked how manypounds I would give him, but afterwards was well contentedwith two dollars. When I showed the chief a very smallbundle, which I wanted carried, it became absolutely necessaryfor him to take a slave. These feelings of pride arebeginning to wear away; but formerly a leading man wouldsooner have died, than undergone the indignity of carryingthe smallest burden. My companion was a light active man,dressed in a dirty blanket, and with his face completelytattooed. He had formerly been a great warrior. He appearedto be on very cordial terms with Mr. Bushby; but atvarious times they had quarrelled violently. Mr. Bushbyremarked that a little quiet irony would frequently silenceany one of these natives in their most blustering moments.This chief has come and harangued Mr. Bushby in a hectoringmanner, saying, "great chief, a great man, a friendof mine, has come to pay me a visit -- you must give himsomething good to eat, some fine presents, etc." Mr. Bushbyhas allowed him to finish his discourse, and then has quietlyreplied by some answer such as, "What else shall your slavedo for you?" The man would then instantly, with a verycomical expression, cease his braggadocio.

Some time ago, Mr. Bushby suffered a far more seriousattack. A chief and a party of men tried to break into hishouse in the middle of the night, and not finding this so easy,commenced a brisk firing with their muskets. Mr. Bushbywas slightly wounded, but the party was at length drivenaway. Shortly afterwards it was discovered who was theaggressor; and a general meeting of the chiefs was convenedto consider the case. It was considered by the New Zealandersas very atrocious, inasmuch as it was a night attack, andthat Mrs. Bushby was lying ill in the house: this lattercircumstance, much to their honour, being considered in allcases as a protection. The chiefs agreed to confiscate theland of the aggressor to the King of England. The wholeproceeding, however, in thus trying and punishing a chiefwas entirely without precedent. The aggressor, moreover,lost caste in the estimation of his equals and this wasconsidered by the British as of more consequence than theconfiscation of his land.

As the boat was shoving off, a second chief stepped intoher, who only wanted the amusement of the passage up anddown the creek. I never saw a more horrid and ferociousexpression than this man had. It immediately struck meI had somewhere seen his likeness: it will be found inRetzch's outlines to Schiller's ballad of Fridolin, where twomen are pushing Robert into the burning iron furnace. Itis the man who has his arm on Robert's breast. Physiognomyhere spoke the truth; this chief had been a notoriousmurderer, and was an arrant coward to boot. At the pointwhere the boat landed, Mr. Bushby accompanied me a fewhundred yards on the road: I could not help admiring thecool impudence of the hoary old villain, whom we left lyingin the boat, when he shouted to Mr. Bushby, "Do not youstay long, I shall be tired of waiting here."

We now commenced our walk. The road lay along awell beaten path, bordered on each side by the tall fern,which covers the whole country. After travelling somemiles, we came to a little country village, where a few hovelswere collected together, and some patches of ground cultivatedwith potatoes. The introduction of the potato hasbeen the most essential benefit to the island; it is now muchmore used than any native vegetable. New Zealand isfavoured by one great natural advantage; namely, that theinhabitants can never perish from famine. The wholecountry abounds with fern: and the roots of this plant, ifnot very palatable, yet contain much nutriment. A nativecan always subsist on these, and on the shell-fish, which areabundant on all parts of the sea-coast. The villages arechiefly conspicuous by the platforms which are raised onfour posts ten or twelve feet above the ground, and onwhich the produce of the fields is kept secure from allaccidents.

On coming near one of the huts I was much amused byseeing in due form the ceremony of rubbing, or, as it oughtto be called, pressing noses. The women, on our first approach,began uttering something in a most dolorous voice;they then squatted themselves down and held up their faces;my companion standing over them, one after another, placedthe bridge of his nose at right angles to theirs, and commencedpressing. This lasted rather longer than a cordialshake of the hand with us, and as we vary the force of thegrasp of the hand in shaking, so do they in pressing. Duringthe process they uttered comfortable little grunts, verymuch in the same manner as two pigs do, when rubbingagainst each other. I noticed that the slave would pressnoses with any one he met, indifferently either before orafter his master the chief. Although among the savages, thechief has absolute power of life and death over his slave,yet there is an entire absence of ceremony between them.Mr. Burchell has remarked the same thing in Southern Africa,with the rude Bachapins. Where civilization hasarrived at a certain point, complex formalities soon arisebetween the different grades of society: thus at Tahiti allwere formerly obliged to uncover themselves as low as thewaist in presence of the king.

The ceremony of pressing noses having been duly completedwith all present, we seated ourselves in a circle in thefront of one of the-hovels, and rested there half-an-hour.All the hovels have nearly the same form and dimensions,and all agree in being filthily dirty. They resemble a cow-shed with one end open, but having a partition a little waywithin, with a square hole in it, making a small gloomychamber. In this the inhabitants keep all their property,and when the weather is cold they sleep there. They eat,however, and pass their time in the open part in front. Myguides having finished their pipes, we continued our walk.The path led through the same undulating country, the wholeuniformly clothed as before with fern. On our right handwe had a serpentine river, the banks of which were fringedwith trees, and here and there on the hill sides there was aclump of wood. The whole scene, in spite of its green colour,had rather a desolate aspect. The sight of so much fernimpresses the mind with an idea of sterility: this, however,is not correct; for wherever the fern grows thick and breast-high, the land by tillage becomes productive. Some of theresidents think that all this extensive open country originallywas covered with forests, and that it has been cleared by fire.It is said, that by digging in the barest spots, lumps of thekind of resin which flows from the kauri pine are frequentlyfound. The natives had an evident motive in clearing thecountry; for the fern, formerly a staple article of food,flourishes only in the open cleared tracks. The almost entireabsence of associated grasses, which forms so remarkable afeature in the vegetation of this island, may perhaps beaccounted for by the land having been aboriginally coveredwith forest-trees.

The soil is volcanic; in several parts we passed overshaggy lavas, and craters could clearly be distinguished onseveral of the neighbouring hills. Although the scenery isnowhere beautiful, and only occasionally pretty, I enjoyedmy walk. I should have enjoyed it more, if my companion,the chief, had not possessed extraordinary conversationalpowers. I knew only three words: "good," "bad," and"yes:" and with these I answered all his remarks, withoutof course having understood one word he said. This, however,was quite sufficient: I was a good listener, an agreeableperson, and he never ceased talking to me.

At length we reached Waimate. After having passed overso many miles of an uninhabited useless country, the suddenappearance of an English farm-house, and its well-dressedfields, placed there as if by an enchanter's wand, wasexceedingly pleasant. Mr. Williams not being at home, I receivedin Mr. Davies's house a cordial welcome. After drinking teawith his family party, we took a stroll about the farm. AtWaimate there are three large houses, where the missionarygentlemen, Messrs. Williams, Davies, and Clarke, reside;and near them are the huts of the native labourers. On anadjoining slope, fine crops of barley and wheat were standingin full ear; and in another part, fields of potatoes and clover.But I cannot attempt to describe all I saw; there were largegardens, with every fruit and vegetable which England produces;and many belonging to a warmer clime. I may instanceasparagus, kidney beans, cucumbers, rhubarb, apples,pears, figs, peaches, apricots, grapes, olives, gooseberries,currants, hops, gorse for fences, and English oaks; also manykinds of flowers. Around the farm-yard there were stables,a thrashing-barn with its winnowing machine, a blacksmith'sforge, and on the ground ploughshares and other tools: inthe middle was that happy mixture of pigs and poultry, lyingcomfortably together, as in every English farm-yard. At thedistance of a few hundred yards, where the water of a littlerill had been dammed up into a pool, there was a large andsubstantial water-mill.

All this is very surprising, when it is considered that fiveyears ago nothing but the fern flourished here. Moreover,native workmanship, taught by the missionaries, has effectedthis change; -- the lesson of the missionary is the enchanter'swand. The house had been built, the windows framed, thefields ploughed, and even the trees grafted, by a New Zealander.At the mill, a New Zealander was seen powderedwhite with flower, like his brother miller in England. WhenI looked at this whole scene, I thought it admirable. It wasnot merely that England was brought vividly before mymind; yet, as the evening drew to a close, the domesticsounds, the fields of corn, the distant undulating countrywith its trees might well have been mistaken for our fatherland:nor was it the triumphant feeling at seeing what Englishmencould effect; but rather the high hopes thus inspiredfor the future progress of this fine island.

Several young men, redeemed by the missionaries fromslavery, were employed on the farm. They were dressed ina shirt, jacket, and trousers, and had a respectable appearance.Judging from one trifling anecdote, I should thinkthey must be honest. When walking in the fields, a younglabourer came up to Mr. Davies, and gave him a knife andgimlet, saying that he had found them on the road, and didnot know to whom they belonged! These young men andboys appeared very merry and good-humoured. In the eveningI saw a party of them at cricket: when I thought of theausterity of which the missionaries have been accused, I wasamused by observing one of their own sons taking an activepart in the game. A more decided and pleasing change wasmanifested in the young women, who acted as servants withinthe houses. Their clean, tidy, and healthy appearance, likethat of the dairy-maids in England, formed a wonderfulcontrast with the women of the filthy hovels in Kororadika.The wives of the missionaries tried to persuade them not tobe tattooed; but a famous operator having arrived from thesouth, they said, "We really must just have a few lines onour lips; else when we grow old, our lips will shrivel, and weshall be so very ugly." There is not nearly so much tattooingas formerly; but as it is a badge of distinction between thechief and the slave, it will probably long be practised. Sosoon does any train of ideas become habitual, that themissionaries told me that even in their eyes a plain face lookedmean, and not like that of a New Zealand gentleman.

Late in the evening I went to Mr. Williams's house, whereI passed the night. I found there a large party of children,collected together for Christmas Day, and all sitting rounda table at tea. I never saw a nicer or more merry group; andto think that this was in the centre of the land of cannibalism,murder, and all atrocious crimes! The cordiality andhappiness so plainly pictured in the faces of the little circle,appeared equally felt by the older persons of the mission.

December 24th. -- In the morning, prayers were read inthe native tongue to the whole family. After breakfast Irambled about the gardens and farm. This was a market-day, when the natives of the surrounding hamlets bring theirpotatoes, Indian corn, or pigs, to exchange for blankets,tobacco, and sometimes, through the persuasions of themissionaries, for soap. Mr. Davies's eldest son, who manages afarm of his own, is the man of business in the market. Thechildren of the missionaries, who came while young to theisland, understand the language better than their parents,and can get anything more readily done by the natives.

A little before noon Messrs. Williams and Davies walkedwith me to a part of a neighbouring forest, to show me thefamous kauri pine. I measured one of the noble trees, andfound it thirty-one feet in circumference above the roots.There was another close by, which I did not see, thirty-threefeet; and I heard of one no less than forty feet. These treesare remarkable for their smooth cylindrical boles, which runup to a height of sixty, and even ninety feet, with a nearlyequal diameter, and without a single branch. The crownof branches at the summit is out of all proportion small tothe trunk; and the leaves are likewise small compared withthe branches. The forest was here almost composed of thekauri; and the largest trees, from the parallelism of theirsides, stood up like gigantic columns of wood. The timberof the kauri is the most valuable production of the island;moreover, a quantity of resin oozes from the bark, which issold at a penny a pound to the Americans, but its use wasthen unknown. Some of the New Zealand forest must beimpenetrable to an extraordinary degree. Mr. Matthewsinformed me that one forest only thirty-four miles in width,and separating two inhabited districts, had only lately, forthe first time, been crossed. He and another missionary,each with a party of about fifty men, undertook to open aroad, but it cost more than a fortnight's labour! Inthe woods I saw very few birds. With regard to animals,it is a most remarkable fact, that so large an island, extendingover more than 700 miles in latitude, and in many partsninety broad, with varied stations, a fine climate, and landof all heights, from 14,000 feet downwards, with the exceptionof a small rat, did not possess one indigenous animal.The several species of that gigantic genus of birds, theDeinornis seem here to have replaced mammiferous quadrupeds,in the same manner as the reptiles still do at the Galapagosarchipelago. It is said that the common Norway rat, inthe short space of two years, annihilated in this northernend of the island, the New Zealand species. In many placesI noticed several sorts of weeds, which, like the rats, I wasforced to own as countrymen. A leek has overrun wholedistricts, and will prove very troublesome, but it was importedas a favour by a French vessel. The common dockis also widely disseminated, and will, I fear, for ever remaina proof of the rascality of an Englishman, who sold the seedsfor those of the tobacco plant.

On returning from our pleasant walk to the house, I dinedwith Mr. Williams; and then, a horse being lent me, I returnedto the Bay of Islands. I took leave of the missionarieswith thankfulness for their kind welcome, and with feelingsof high respect for their gentlemanlike, useful, andupright characters. I think it would be difficult to finda body of men better adapted for the high office whichthey fulfil.

Christmas Day. -- In a few more days the fourth year ofour absence from England will be completed. Our firstChristmas Day was spent at Plymouth, the second at St.Martin's Cove, near Cape Horn; the third at Port Desire,in Patagonia; the fourth at anchor in a wild harbour in thepeninsula of Tres Montes, this fifth here, and the next, Itrust in Providence, will be in England. We attended divineservice in the chapel of Pahia; part of the service beingread in English, and part in the native language. Whilst atNew Zealand we did not hear of any recent acts of cannibalism;but Mr. Stokes found burnt human bones strewedround a fire-place on a small island near the anchorage; butthese remains of a comfortable banquet might have beenlying there for several years. It is probable that the moralstate of the people will rapidly improve. Mr. Bushby mentionedone pleasing anecdote as a proof of the sincerity ofsome, at least, of those who profess Christianity. One ofhis young men left him, who had been accustomed to readprayers to the rest of the servants. Some weeks afterwards,happening to pass late in the evening by an outhouse, he sawand heard one of his men reading the Bible with difficultyby the light of the fire, to the others. After this the partyknelt and prayed: in their prayers they mentioned Mr.Bushby and his family, and the missionaries, each separatelyin his respective district.

December 26th. -- Mr. Bushby offered to take Mr. Sulivanand myself in his boat some miles up the river to Cawa-Cawa, and proposed afterwards to walk on to the village ofWaiomio, where there are some curious rocks. Followingone of the arms of the bay, we enjoyed a pleasant row, andpassed through pretty scenery, until we came to a village,beyond which the boat could not pass. From this place achief and a party of men volunteered to walk with us toWaiomio, a distance of four miles. The chief was at thistime rather notorious from having lately hung one of hiswives and a slave for adultery. When one of the missionariesremonstrated with him he seemed surprised, and saidhe thought he was exactly following the English method.Old Shongi, who happened to be in England during theQueen's trial, expressed great disapprobation at the wholeproceeding: he said he had five wives, and he would rathercut off all their heads than be so much troubled about one.Leaving this village, we crossed over to another, seated ona hill-side at a little distance. The daughter of a chief, whowas still a heathen, had died there five days before. Thehovel in which she had expired had been burnt to the ground:her body being enclosed between two small canoes, wasplaced upright on the ground, and protected by an enclosurebearing wooden images of their gods, and the whole waspainted bright red, so as to be conspicuous from afar. Hergown was fastened to the coffin, and her hair being cut offwas cast at its foot. The relatives of the family had tornthe flesh of their arms, bodies, and faces, so that they werecovered with clotted blood; and the old women looked mostfilthy, disgusting objects. On the following day some of theofficers visited this place, and found the women still howlingand cutting themselves.

We continued our walk, and soon reached Waiomio. Herethere are some singular masses of limestone, resemblingruined castles. These rocks have long served for burialplaces, and in consequence are held too sacred to be approached.One of the young men, however, cried out, "Letus all be brave," and ran on ahead; but when within a hundredyards, the whole party thought better of it, and stoppedshort. With perfect indifference, however, they allowed usto examine the whole place. At this village we rested somehours, during which time there was a long discussion withMr. Bushby, concerning the right of sale of certain lands.One old man, who appeared a perfect genealogist, illustratedthe successive possessors by bits of stick driven into theground. Before leaving the houses a little basketful ofroasted sweet potatoes was given to each of our party; andwe all, according to the custom, carried them away to eaton the road. I noticed that among the women employed incooking, there was a man-slave: it must be a humiliatingthing for a man in this warlike country to be employed indoing that which is considered as the lowest woman's work.Slaves are not allowed to go to war; but this perhaps canhardly be considered as a hardship. I heard of one poorwretch who, during hostilities, ran away to the oppositeparty; being met by two men, he was immediately seized;but as they could not agree to whom he should belong, eachstood over him with a stone hatchet, and seemed determinedthat the other at least should not take him away alive. Thepoor man, almost dead with fright, was only saved by theaddress of a chief's wife. We afterwards enjoyed a pleasantwalk back to the boat, but did not reach the ship till late inthe evening.

December 30th. -- In the afternoon we stood out of theBay of Islands, on our course to Sydney. I believe we wereall glad to leave New Zealand. It is not a pleasant place.Amongst the natives there is absent that charming simplicitywhich is found in Tahiti; and the greater part of the Englishare the very refuse of society. Neither is the country itselfattractive. I look back but to one bright spot, and that isWaimate, with its Christian inhabitants.