>774- PTEMBER. far as I underftood, they rarely feel any pain i t ; but in fome
the diforder caufed a kind of excoriation, and began to form
blotches; which were marks of a greater degree of virulence.
The leprofy, of which this elephantiafis, or prodigious
fwelling, according to the opinion of the medical faculty,
is a fpecies, feems to be a difeafe particularly incident
to dry, parched climates. The countries where it commits
the greateft ravages, as the coaft of Malabar, Egypt, Pa-
leftine, and all Africa, are remarkable for droughts, and
contain in many places vaft tradls of fandy defarts. I do
not mean to fuppofe that leprofy is the natural effedl of a
dry climate, but only to hint, that heat and drought may
contribute to make the human body more liable to its attacks.
I obferved this day that the women of New Caledonia
are hardly fo much efteemed by the men as thofe of
Tanna. They commonly kept at a diftance from the men,
and feemed fearful of offending them by a look or gefture;
they were the only perfons in the family who had any employment,
and feveralof them brought bundles of flicks and
fuel on their backs. Their infenfible hufbands feldom
deigned to look upon them, and continued in a kind of
phlegmatic indolence, whilft the women fometimes indulged
that focial cheerfulnefs, which is the diftinguifhing
ornament of the fex. Thus, in every country, mankind are
fond of being tyrants, and the pooreft Indian, who knows
ao wants but thofe which his exiftence requires, has already
learnt
learnt to enflave his weaker helpmate, in order to fave him- s««™*.
felf the trouble of fupplying thofe wants, and cruelly exacts
an obedience from her, which has been continued among
favages as a curfe upon the fex*. Confidering thefe humiliations
and cruel oppreffions of the fex, we have fometimes
the greateft reafon to admire, that the human race has
perpetuated itfelf, and that the Creator has wifely planted a
motive in the female breaft, which ftands the teft of every
outrage, which makes them patient to fuffer, and prevents
their withdrawing from the power of their tyrants.
After dining on board, we paffed tbe afternoon afhore
again, and were fo far fuccefsful in our refearches, as to obtain
a beautiful fpecies of parrot, which was entirely new
to zoologifts. It was fhot in a plantation far exceeding
every thing I had feen upon New Caledonia for extent, as.
well as for the variety and flourilhing ftate of the vegetables
in it. There were feveral walks of bananas, feveral fields.
of yams and eddoes, together with fugar-canes, and like-
wife fome fpecies of yamboo-trees (eugema), which we had- -
never feen before. Different parts of it were feparated by
paths, and the whole was kept in good order. Induftrious
individuals are therefore to be met with even among thefe-.
indolent people; and when navigators have an opportunity
of becoming the benefactors of favages, for example^, by
* Gen. in. v.er; 1.6...
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