«71 into fome refemblawce of the human figure, like thofe which
October.
are called e-tee at Taheitee, but they were treated in the-
fame manner, that is without the leaft degree of refpedt or
veneration, being frequently trod upon and kicked about.
Thefe burying-places, which are called a-Vayetooca in the-
language of rhe country, are always delightfully fituatedi
on green lawns, and furrounded with the fineft groves.-
That which I have here defcribed, was drawn by Mr. Hodges,-,
and an exadt reprefentation of it is inferted in captain Cook s:
own account of this voyage.
W e continued our walkthrough the plantations, and met:
with very few inhabitants, they being almoft all gone towards
the trading-place. Thofe' we faw palled by us, orr
continued their occupations without Hopping on our account.
Neither curiofity, nor diflrufl and jealoufy excited^
them to prohibit our farther progrefs ; on the contrary, they-
always fpoke in a kind tone to us, which fufficiently cha-
radlerized their difpofition. We looked into many of the'
houfes and found them empty, but always laid out with'
mats, and delightfully fituated among odoriferous Ihrubs..
Sometimes they were feparated from the plantations by a:
Tittle fence, through which- a door, like thofe of Ea-oowhe,
gave admittance^ which could be Ihut on the infide. In;
that cafe only the area, which this fence enclofed around"
the hut, was planted with the odoriferous grove, which is1
lb much in requeft. with the natives. A walk, of threemiles;
miles brought us to the eaftern Ihore of the iflandr where 0 cto»e«.
it forms a deep angle, which Tafman called Maria Bay.
Where we fell in with it, the ground Hoped imperceptibly
into a fandy beach; but as we walked along towards the
north point, we found it rofe perpendicularly, and in fome
places it was excavated and overhanging. It confifled,.
however, entirely of coral, which is a ftrong proof of fome
great change on our globe, as this rock can only be formed
under water. Whether it was left bare .by a gradual
diminution of the fea, or perhaps by a more violent revolution
which our earth may formerly have fuffered, I Ihall
not venture to determine. So much, however, may be af-
fumed as a certainty, that if we fuppofe a gradual diminution
of the fea, at the rate which they pretend to have ob-
ferved in Sweden*, the emerfion of this ifland muft be of
fo modern date, that it is matter of aflonifhment how it
eame to be covered with foil, herbage, and forefts ; fo well
Rocked with inhabitants, and fo regularly adorned as we
really found it. We picked up a quantity of fhells at the
foot of the fleep rock, where we fometimes waded in water
to the knees upon a "reef, on account of the flood tide-
which was advancing. We likewife met with feveral natives
returning, from the trading-place, who fold us a number
of fifh-hooks and ornaments, a fiflx-net made like our
eafting-nets, knit of very firm though flender threads, fome:
* See-the Memoirs of the Swedifli Academy o f Sciences at Stockholm.. matss