4 j 6
D *77!- feldom varied much, and the long and fliort ones were
placed promifcuoufly; a notch was formed at the top of
each, and the method of playing was only to Aide the in-
ftrument backwards and forwards along the lips. It had
commonly not above four or five different notes, and we
never met with one which included a whole oriave. Its
refemblance to the fyrinx, or Pan’ s flute of the civilized
Greeks, dignified it much more than any mufic which it
contained. From the method of playing it, the lovers of
mufic will ealily conceive that this divine art is entirely in
its infancy among the inhabitants. The vocal part, which
is the fame as we had already obferved it at Ea-oowhe, is
very far from being unharmonious, 'and the women beat
time to it by fnapping their fingers, very exarily; but its
whole extent is only of four notes, and therefore cannot
admit of any variety. They had likewife a flute of a bamboo
reed, nearly of the thicknefs of a German flute, which
they played with the noftrils, like the Taheitians. They
.commonly had ornamented it with various little figures,
burnt in, and pierced four or five holes in it, whereas the
Taheitian flute had but three in all. The method of ornamenting
wood by burning figures into it, was frequently
obferved in their bowls and various other utenfils.
It was near fun-fet when vise returned on board with
our colleriion, and found the veffels ftill furrounded by
many canoes, and the natives fwimming about extremely
vocifevociferous.
Among them were a confidcrable number of
women, who wantoned in the water like amphibious creatures,
and were eafily perfuaded to come on board, per-
ferily naked, without profeffing greater chaftity than the
common women at Taheitee, and the Society Ifles. Our
feamen took advantage of their difpofition, and once more
offered to our eyes a fcene worthy of the Oyprian temples.
A fhirt, a fmall piece of cloth, nay a few beads, were fome-
times fufficient temptationsi for which fome of the women
of Tonga-Tabboo, proftituted themfelves without any fenfe
of fliame. This lubricity was, however, very far from
being general, and we had reafon to believe that not a
Angle married woman was guilty of infidelity. If we had
been acquainted with the diftinriion of ranks as at Taheitee,
it is highly probable, that we Ihould have obferved
no other proftitutes than fuch as belonged to the lowed;
clafs of people. Still it remains an unaccountable Angularity
in the chararier of the nations of this part' of our
globe, that they fuffer any of their unmarried women to
admit the promifcuous embraces of a multitude of lovers.
Gan they imagine, that after giving fuch an unlimited
courfe to the impulfes of nature, they will make better
wives, than the innocent and the chafte! But it is in vain
that we endeavour to find reafons for the arbitrary whims of
mankind. Their opinions in refperi of the fex in particular,
have been infinitely various in all ages and countries.
V ol. I. N n n In