1773' November. any grooves. The bruifed mafs is chewed, what little juice
there may be in it fucked out, and the reft thrown afide.
The mamaghoo on the contrary is tolerably good eating,
and the only fault feems to be, that it is not plentiful
enough for a conftant fupply. At their return they were
witnefies of an inftance of the ferocity of manners of this
favage nation. A boy about fix or feven years old demanded
a piece of broiled pinguin, which his mother held
in her hands. | As the did not immediately comply with
his demand, he took up a large, ftpne and threw it at her.
The woman incenfed at this action ran to punifti him, but
fhe had fcarcely given him a Angle blow, when her huf-
band came forward, beat her unmercifully, and daftred her
againft the ground, for attempting to correct her unnatural
child. Our people who were employed in filling water,
told my father they had frequently feen fimilar inftanees
of cruelty among them, and particularly, that the boys had
actually ftruck their unhappy mother, whilft the father
looked on left flie fliould attempt to retaliate, . Among all
favage nations the weaker fex is ili-ncaicd, and the
law of the ftrongeft is put in force. Their women are
mere drudges, who prepare raiment and provide dwellings,
who cook and frequently colled! their food, and are requited
by blows and ail kinds of feverity. At New Zeeland
it feems they .carry this tyranny .to- exc.efs, and the males
are taught-from their earlieft age, to hold their mothers in
contempt,
contempt, contrary to all our principles of morality. I leave
this barbarity without a comment, in order to relate the
remaining occurrences of this day, which was pregnant in
difeoveries relative to the New Zeelanders. The captain,
with Mr. Wales, and my father, went to Motu-Aro in the
afternoon, where they looked after the plantations, collected
greens for the ffiips, &c. In the mean while fome of the
lieutenants went to the Indian Cove, with a view to trade
with the natives. The firft. objedts which ftruck them were
the entrails of a human corfe lying on a heap a few fteps
from the water. They , were hardly recovered from their
firft furprize, when the natives fttewed them feveral limbs
of the body, and exprefled by words and geftures that they-
had eaten the reft. The head without the lower jaw-bone,
was one of the parts which remained, and from which it
plainly appeared, that the deceafed was a youth about fifteen
orfixteen years old. The ikull was fractured near one of
the temples, as it feemed by the ftrokc .of a pattop-pattoo..
This gave our officers an opportunity of enquiring how they
came in- pofleffion of the body. The natives anfwered, that.
they had fought with their enemies, and had killed feveral.
of them, without being, able to bring away any of the dead-
befides; this youth. At the fame time they acknowledged,
that they had loft fome of their friends, and pointed to feveral.
women who were feated apart, Weeping and cutting their
foreheads with fltarp ftones, in commemoration of the dead.-
Gur