MANNE RS with the winds and feafons,, the name« of the liars.,- and their rifingt
and fetting, and a knowledge o f the fituRtion- of; a- confiderable
number o f iflands in thofe tropical feas;■ the art of navigating by,
the fun in the day time, and by the moon and ftars in the nigh t::
the number, and-names-of days in a lunation,,, and o f lunations' in a
year. This exercife o f their memories in retaining the. various-;
names exprefling thefe ideas*, and o f other mental faculties .confirming
by their, own experience the. truth o f the phenomena,, communicated
to them by their parents and. teachers,,, gives them.a turn.;
and as i t were a predileftion- for the examination o f truth;. w h ich ,.
when applied to the purpofes o f common: facial Tife, gives a llrong;
tindlure o f honefty and candour,., which is moll particularly
neceflary in.all human tranfadlions, But i f we Ihould require proofs
of their humanity, we need only to quote the navigators in the.;
Refolution», Adventure,. Endeavour, Dolphin,, and. Mr. dé-
Bougainville,. at Taheitee,. as fo. many monuments o f their.-
humanity and friendly difpofition : they provided us with refrèlh—
ments and vail quantities of hogs j they aflifted us when we were :
often unattended a great way up in their country; they, vied with-,
each other in Ihewing us marks o f their kindnefs and hofpitality,.
invited us to fit down in the cooling lhade o f their houfes, rubbed
and chafed our wearied limbs, offered us a delicate dinner, prepared
from the belt o f their fruits,, undertook to become the bearers o f
our
:our vidtuals and acquisitions, o f plants, Ihells, and fillies, in our MANNERS
-ex.eurfi.Qns, -carried us .over all waters and rivulets ..on their backs,
and fetched the ducks and other birds which we had fhot.; -they
-entertained us with fongs and danpes.; made u's prefents of cloth
and provifions^ and fome of .them were polite -in every acceptation
-of the word, and -treated us in a manner, which cannot but leave
in our minds the moft Jailing impreflions of their -courtefy and
benevolence.
Thefe great principles o f candour and humanity, which are fo
well underllood, and fo generally pradtifed by -thefe nations,
have no doubt, a great influence on their morals and manners.
T h e firit dawnings o f the law of nature», taught them .to be
cautious, and abllain from doing harm to their fellow creatures-;
hut morality gives the great,practical lefibn to make as-many fellow
creatures happy as poffible. I w ill not however, maintain that
•thofe feelings o f moral fenfe are abfolutely the fame at all times,
in all climates., .and among all nations: for I am well aware, that
■ often the fame nation approves of an adlion at one period o f time,
and at another condemns it. I am likewife not fo ignorant as to
-deny'that the fame adlion is cpnd.emn.ed by onepao.ple, and approved
b y another, or at leaft not reckoned to be criminal; becaufe nations
are in this refpedt like-wile, fimilar to individuals : they gradually
ripen to an age of maturity, and acquire in every .age a mare Heady,
D d d 2 end