Letter received by Banks from W. Sheffield, 1 April 1772 (Series 06.130) - No. 0001

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[Wor. Cole?]  April 1772                       

Dear Sir 
Your Favour of the 24th. March, was the more agreeable, as, amidst the multiplicity of yr more momentous Concerns, I had little Expectation of hearing from you. The Cause, which gave rise to my Enquiries concerning the [indecipherable], was the similarity I fancied between it, & your chlamydeas [chlamydia] It may turn out the yucca filament[osa]: as you surmise- if so, it is by no means peculiar to America, for I find it mentioned, by one of the Dutch Voyagers, to grow in some of the Islands in the Southern Ocean, very remote from the American Continent. I have not leisure, it being full Term & my Pupils pretty numerous, to enter upon a formal Comparison, between the Customs of the New Zelanders, & certain Tribes of Americans - nor indeed have I, as yet, Data sufficient to carry me farther than Conjecture, being unacquainted with many Essentials relating to the New Zelanders, which I hope the Publication of yr Voyage will inform me of. Suffice it then for the present to observe, that in perusing memoirs touching the manners, and customs of the American Indians, I have frequently fancied a similarity between some of these and those of New Zeland - to recollect a few -

Amongst the Americans I find reports of Cannibals who like the New Zelanders eat their Enemies whom they kill or take Prisoners in battle - but never prey upon their own Tribe - previous, to any warlike Expedition of Consequence, they take care to secure the old Men, Women and Children in inaccessible Fastnesses, to prevent a Surprize in their Absence. When they attack in File, they use Spears 16 or 18 feet long, pointed with Bones: probably Human. They use darts headed with Fishes Bones like those of New Zeland. The Chiefs of some of the Indian Tribes wear feathered Gorgets laced with teeth, probably Shark's. And here perhaps it may not be Extravagent to indulge a conjecture that the Custom of adorning with this feathered Broom was derived from the Mexicans, who, as Antonio de Sols. & other Authors, inform us were most remarkable for these kind of ornaments. The manner of weaving amongst some of these People seems to agree with that of New Zeland - it is Performed by Women, who take two round sticks, to which they fasten the Warp one of them is laid across two pieces of wood at a proper Distance from the Ground. the other