rivers — should be subject to so fatal a disease
as galloping consumption. The only cause to
which I can attribute such an affliction is,
their indifference to lying out all night exposed
to every change of weather — to cold
and rain — which, in young and tender constitutions,
must produce the most pernicious
consequences. I f some few are rendered
hardy and robust by this process, many, no
doubt, are killed by it. I endeavoured to
impress on the minds of all my female friends
the great danger of thus exposing themselves
to cold; but they only laughed at my precautions,
and said, “ If Atua wished it, so
it must b e : they could not strive with the
Great Spirit.”
I have heard so much said about the great
impropriety of the white settlers admitting
the native females into their society, so
much of the scandalous conduct of captains
of ships suffering their men to have sweets
hearts during their stay in port, and so much
urged in justification of the indignation shown
by the missionaries when this subject is
touched on by them, that I feel it necessary
to state one decided benefit which has resulted
from that intercourse, and which, in my
opinion, far more than counterbalances the
evil against which there has been raised so
loud an outcry.
Before our intercourse took place with the
New Zealanders, a universal and unnatural
custom existed amongst them, which was that
of destroying most of their female children in
infancy; their excuse being, that they were
quite as much trouble to rear, and consumed
just as much food, as a male child, and yet,
when grown up, they were not fit to go to
war as their boys were. The strength and
pride of a chief then consisted in the number
of his sons; while the few females who had
been suffered to live were invariably looked
down upon by all with the utmost contempt.
They led a life of misery and degradation.
The difference now is most remarkable. The
natives, seeing with what admiration strangers
beheld their fine young women, and what
handsome presents were made to them, by
which their families were benefited; feeling
also that their influence was so powerful over
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