girdle round their waists, and an upper cloak, which is made of very coarse materials for ordinary wear, but is of a much finer fabric, and often, indeed, elaborately ornamented, when intended for occasions of display. Both these articles of attire are always made of the native flax. The New Zealanders wear no covering either for the head or the feet, the feathers with which both sexes ornament the head being excepted.

The food upon which they principally live is the root of the fern-plant, which grows all over the country. This root, sometimes swallowed entirely,

and sometimes only masticated, and the fibres rejected after the juice has been extracted, serves the New Zealanders not only for bread, but even occasionally for a meal by itself. When fish are used, they do not appear, as in many other countries, to be eaten raw, but are always cooked, either by being fixed upon a stick stuck in the ground, and so exposed to the fire, or by being folded in green leaves, and then laid between heated stones to bake. But little of any other animal food is consumed, birds being killed chiefly for their feathers, and pigs being only produced on days of special festivity. The first pigs were left in New Zealand by Captain Cook, who made many attempts to stock the country both with this and other useful animals, most of whom, however, were so much neglected that they soon disappeared.

Cook likewise introduced the potato into New Zealand; and that valuable root appears to be now pretty generally cultivated throughout the northern island. The only agricultural implements, however, which the natives possess are of the rudest description; that with which they dig their potatoes being merely a wooden pole, with a cross-bar of the same material fixed to it about three feet from the ground. Mr. Marsden saw the wives of several of the chiefs toiling hard in the fields with no better spade than this; among others the head wife of the great Shunghie, who, although quite blind, appeared to dig the ground, he says, as fast as those who had their sight, and as well, first pulling up the weeds as she went along with her hands, then setting her feet upon them that she might know where they were; and, finally, after she had broken the soil, throwing the mould over the weeds with her hands,

NEW ZEALAND CHIEF.

It is a point of honor with a chief never to touch what belongs to those who have trusted themselves to his friendship, and against whom he has no claim for satisfaction on account of any old affront or outrage. To be supposed capable of doing so, would be felt by any of them as an intolerable imputation. We find a striking instance of this, to pass over many others that might be quoted, in the conduct of Tetoro, who returned home to New Zealand from Port Jackson, along with Captain Cruise, in the Dromedary. It was thought necessary, during the passage, to take from this chief a box containing some gunpowder, which he had got with him, and to lodge it in the magazine until the ship arrived at New Zealand. "Though every exertion," says Captain Cruise, "was used, to explain the reason why he was requested to give it up, and the strongest assurances made that it should be restored hereafter, he either could not or

would not understand what was said to him. Upon parting with the property, which, next to his musket, was in his eyes the greatest treasure in the world, he fell into an agony of grief and despair which it was quite distressing to witness, repeatedly exclaiming, No good;' and, rolling himself up in his mat, be declined the conversation of every one. He remained in this state so long, that the powder was at length brought back; but he refused to take it, saying, that they might again put it in the magazine, since they must now be aware that he had not stolen it."" Similar to that of Tetoro, was the conduct of a chief whom Mr. Marsden met with on his first visit to New Zealand, and who was so much grieved and ashamed at the circumstance of one of his dependants having stolen some trifle from that gentleman, that he sat for two days and nights on the deck of the ship, and could not be prevailed upon to enter the cabin. The following engraving of a view in New Zealand, is from Cook's Voyage.

REMARKABLE TRAVELS.

The accounts brought home by travellers, regarding countries rarely visited and little known, have been always received with much incredulity by those who were little acquainted with the world; and the Persian Proverb that he who has seen the world has a right to tell lies," has been used rather too lavishly in judging of the details of travellers, that were afterwards found to be worthy of far different treatment. "We travellers," says Lady Wortley Montague," are in very bad circumstances: If we say nothing but what has been said before us, we are dull, and we have observed nothing. If we tell any thing new, we are laughed at as fabulous and romantic, not allowing either for the difference of ranks, which affords difference of company, or more curiosity, or the change of customs, that happens every twenty years in every country. But the truth is, people judge of travellers exactly with the same candor, good-nature, and impartiality, they judge of their neighbors upon all occasions." It is this which has led many men of high honor, who would not submit to have their veracity called in question, to continue entirely silent regarding many remarkable things seen by them in strange countries, and the relation of which would most probably have been received with evident incredulity by the hearers.

A Hindoo scarcely thinks it possible that any nation can live without rice-a Greenlander thinks the same of blubber-a Persian thinks the same of the date-tree-an African of the palm-tree—a Maldivian of the cocoa-nut-and a Tartar of the horse. -while the native of Terra del Fuego would be much astonished if he were told that any nation