he 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