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.