62
ANCHORAGE.
[Chap. II.
1841
August.
August.
first across the narrow neck of land to Kororarika, and thence in canoes to Haumi, where they could indulge their horrid feast in more security and without fear of interruption.
Capt. Fitzroy very justly observes, that this sad catastrophe is now known to have been caused by mutual ignorance of each other's language; the Frenchmen, not understanding that the spot was "tabooed" persisted in fishing there against the remonstrances of the natives, and endeavoured to maintain their intrusion by force.
With reference to the anchorage I had chosen for our ships, and in which I was guided chiefly by his remarks, he observes, that "the estuary, or arm of the sea, forms an excellent harbour for ships not larger than third-class frigates; or, to speak in a more definite manner, for those which do not draw more than seventeen feet of water. On each side the land rises to five or six hundred feet, sheltering the anchorage without occasioning those violent squalls, alternating with calms, that are found under the lee of very high land, over which strong wind is blowing. As far as I know, there are very few shoals or banks in the wide space which forms the inner harbour. A slight stream of current and tide runs outwards during about seven hours, and the tide sets inwards about five, though with still less strength." To his ample and interesting account of this part of New Zealand and its inhabitants, and to the numerous more recent accounts of this painfully interesting