*774-
Jf.VNE. gether, were by them confidered as relations. They fup-
pofed that captain Cook and my father were brothers,
purely from this reafon ; for, with all their good heart, they
are but indifferent phyfiognomifts. Their hofpitality towards
us was frequently quite difinterefted; and gave us a
right to form the moft flattering conclufions in regard to
their conduit towards each other. They are hofpitable
without feeming to know i t ; and leave to ftrangers who
vifit them, the pleafing and grateful talk of recording their
virtues,
C H A P . VIII.
Run from the Society to the Friendly Iflands.
I l l t i t S I l :/ • . .. ■ I
T T T E fired a falute of feveral guns on leaving the ifiand
’ ’ of Raietea, in honour of his majefty’s birth day ; Saturday
and this difcharge of our artillery afforded no fmall entertainment
to the inhabitants. During the fix weeks
which we had fpent at Taheitee and the Society Iflands, we
had been well refrefhed, and were perfectly recovered from
our bilious and fcoTbutic complaints: a venereal difbrdec
was, however, the reward of thofe, that
— -with unbafliful forehead', woo’d:
The means of fickne.fs and debility. Shakespeare.
Nearly one half of our crew were afflidted with this
naufeou9 and fhameful difeafe; though it was in general
lefs virulent that in Europe. Our converfations with Ma-
hine on its ravages, gave us the greateft reafon to be convinced,
that it exifted at Taheitee and the Society Iflands
previous to captain Wallis’s voyage in 1768. Mahine
frequently aflured us, that feveral years before that period,,
his mother died of this difeafe at Borabora. Its appearance
has therefore been attributed to a wrong caufe in various
parts-;