for prompt administration of summary justice. He was of noble blood; but, had he committed an act not sanctioned by law or custom, I am inclined to believe that this circumstance would not have protected him from the vengeance of the relatives of the deceased.
Hanging is one of the punishments of New Zealand, but I will not take upon myself to say what crimes are thought to deserve it; it is, probably, theft: they express a great abhorrence of this crime, and, among themselves, I believe their practice corresponds with their professions of honesty, but it can scarcely be expected that they should be proof against the temptations of European articles.
The chieftain of this part is named Tippeehee, but he was absent during my stay here, and Tiarrah, his brother, a likeness of whom is prefixed, administered the government in his stead. Tiarrah's character is mild, and rather deficient in energy; that
