i68 R E M A R K S -oti t h e
-p r in c i - full of natives coming 'off with coco-nuts, bananas, fugar-canes,
socie- F -fifli, &c. and all wanted to exchange thefe refrefliments for iron,
t i e s , crying aloud hierro ! hierro l which is the Spanith name for iron,
and in its pronunciation not very different from y'uree, the Taheitean
word for the fame; an‘d as the Ladrones as well as Taheitee,
or at leaft fome neighbouring ifles, were firft feen by Spaniards, there
is verylittle doubt but the name o f yuree is originally meant for
hierrv. T h e lofs o f one o f Roggewyn’s thips m ijj'2, on the low
ifland o f O-Anna, gave thefe illanders again' a frelh fupply of
iron. T h e anchors loft by Mr. de Bougainville at O-Hide a were
afterwards taken up by the natives, and the' king o f Taheitee fent
one as a rare prefent to Opunee king o f Bora-bora. Laftly the
Englith imported fuch quantities o f iron-tools, efpecially hatchets,
chilfels, plains, faws, gimlets, and fpikes and nails o f all dimenfions,
-that this commodity will not eafily come into difufe among
them, and is ftill lefs likely to be entirely forgotten. Elpecially
as all'thefe nations are very remarkable for preferring the fmalleft
pieces o f iron for many years': thus fo r inftance, when we landed
$t Tonga-tabu one of the natives fold a very fmall nail carefully
■ .
fattened in a handle o f hard wood, and tied to it by firings o f coco-
- nut-core. This nail was undoubtedly left by Taefman, who was
there in 1643, and confequently had been preferved 130 years,
•and is now lodged amongft other curiofities in the Britith Mufeum.
Beads
H U M A JST S P E C I E S , 3 6 9
Beads o f glafs, fince our feveral expeditions to the South Seas, are
very common; as incredible quantities have been exchanged in
thefe Seas fo r coco-nuts, yams, and bread-fruit. I t is -however,
remarkable, that in O-Taheitee, thofe which were white and
tranfparent were preferred, in the Friendly Elands; the black beads
were.in high efteem; and green ear-rings, and green or red glafs'
buttons were moft eagerly fought after in New-Zeeland. Each of
thefe nations therefore had a peculiar tafte. .At Tanna the cafuarina-
wood for clubs was brought from Irromanga, hatchets made o f
black folid lava came from Anattom, and .thofe o f white fhell
iram.Immer. So that each country gives up its fuperfluities in
exchange for other articles, which are lefs .common, and deemed,
either really necefiary, or an improvement, or an article of
lu x u r y ..
T h e acquifition o f the various articles, o f commerce form the
wealth and the opulence o f individuals in thefe iflands. Our ftay
at O-Taheitee has raifed many perfons from a low rank, and from
poverty to affluence and a higher clafs; for when a man at T a heitee
had acquired fome wealth, he could keep it for his own ufe,
or was permitted to ditpofe.of it in fuch a manner as he pleated.
This likewife was obferved atEafter-ifland,theMarquefas, New -Z e e land,
the New-Hebrides and New-Caledonia : but at the Friendly-
iflands the cafe was otherwife; Attaha, one of the Inferior chiefs,
B b b . was
P R I N C I P
L E S OF
S O C I E T
I E S .