infamous commerce, the New Icelanders went through the;
whole veffel, offering their daughters and filters promifcu-
oufly to every perfon’s embraces, in exchange for our iron,
tools, which they knew could not be purchased at an
eafier rate. It does not appear that their married women
were ever fuffered to have this kind of inter.courfe with,
our people. Their ideas of female chaftity are,, in this re-
fpeCl, fo different from ours, that a girl may favour a
number of lovers without any detriment to her character;,
but if fhe marries,, conjugal fidelity is exacted.,from her
with the greateft rigour. It may, therefore be alledged,.
that as the New Zeelanders. place no value on the continence
of their unmarried women, the arrival of, Europeans
among them, did not, injure their moral characters in this;
rcfpcct; bt;t we doubt whether they ever debated thcm-
felves fo much as to make a trade of their women, before
we created new wants by {hewing them iron-tools; for the
poffeflion of which they do not hefitate to commit an-
aftion that, in our. eyes, deprives them of the very fliadow
of fenfibility.
It is unhappy enough that the unavoidable confe*
quence of all our voyages of difcovery, has always
been the lofs of a number of innocent lives ; but this-
heavy injury done to the little uncivilized communities-
which-Europeans. hav,e vifited, is trifling; when compared,
to the irretrievable harm entailed upon them by corruptingtheir
their morals. If thefe evils were in fome meafure com-
penfated by the introduction of fome real benefit in thefe
countries, or by the abolition of fome other immoral cuf-
toms among their inhabitants, we might at leaft comfort
ourfelves, that what they loft on one hand, they gained on
the other ; but I fear that hitherto our intercourfe has
been wholly difadvantageous. to the nations of the South:
Seas ; and that thofe communities have been the lead injured,
who have always kept aloof from us, and whofe-
jealous difpofition did not fuffer our failors to become too-
familiar among them, as if they had perceived in their
countenances that levity of difpofition, and that fpirit of
debauchery, with which they are generally reproached.
Several of thefe people were invited into the cabin, where-
Mr. Hodges applied himfelf to {ketch the moft charade^
riftic faces, while we prevailed on them to fit ftill for a few
moments, keeping their attention engaged, by a variety of
trifles which we {hewed, and fome of which we prefented
to them. We found feveral very expreffive- countenances
among them, particularly fome old men, with grey or
white heads and beards ; and fome young men, with
amazing bufhy hair, which hung wildly over their faces,;
and increafed their natural favage looks. The ftature o f
thefe people was middle-fized in general, and their form>
and colour almoft entirely the fame as that of the Dufky Bay
people; their drefs was likewife made in the fame-manner;