Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

442 AUSTRAT.ASIA.warlike expedition to Wnvckauri. The unhappy Mori-ori, suddenly attacked, wereeasily captured, and the conquerors immediately selected those to be eaten. Thevictims had themselves to fetch the wood and to prepare the fire on which theywere roasted.'The papulation of Chatham was thus reduced from fifteen hundredat the time of the conquest to no more than thirty-six, practically slaves, despitethe official decrees of emancipation. Their reserved holdings comprise little morethan 600 acres.The Maori are amongst the finest islanders of the Oceanic world. Some arevery tall, and the majority above the average European height, strong and wellbuilt,with very broad chest, but with trunk proportionately longer and lowerextremities shorter than amongst the whites. The features are as a rule sufficientlyregular, with slightly prominent cheekbone, high forehead, piercing andhaughty glance. Formerly the men were carefully depilated, in order to increase