4 *8- R E M A R I S o n t h e
m a n n e r s lions, and fat dawn in order to take feme refrelhments,' the.natives
o f Taheitee and the Society Ilfonds never omitted to r-ub our feet
. and arms, and to add this to the many little a£ts- o f k-indnefs. and
holpitality, which- they bellowed upon us. with the greateft readinefs
and chearfulnefs; as they, themfel-ves never, failed, to. perform, this
fcrvice to one another, on limilar- occalions-.
The rank afligned.to .-women. in. domellic. fociety, among the vas-
rious nations, has fo great an influence upon. their ■ civilization and
morality, that I. cannot leave this fubjedt;. without adding, a few- remarks..
The-more debafed the iituation o f a nationis,. and.of courfe
the more remote, from civilization,, the more. harihl.y. we found the
women, treated. In T i e r r -a d e e F uego-women-pick the mufcles
from.the rocks,, which conftitute. their chief food. InNEW-ZEB-
l a n d ,. they colledt the. eatable fern-roots ( P t e r js efcukhtq,. P.olyt-
podium. meduilare,j they drefs the• victuals, prepare the flax-plant,
and. manufacture, it into garments, knit the nets, for, their, fifliing,
and are never- without labour and:employment;. whilll the.furly. men
pafs the greater part o f their time in.lloth and indolence however,
thefe are the leaft hardlhips o f thefe unhappy females;-, for they are
not only the drudges, o f the men,, but. are no,t even permitted to
punifli their, unruly and wanton boys, who often throw Hones at
their mothers, or beat, them with, impunity, under the eyes and
lanftion o f their, fathers; and'they are looked'upon as beings calcu2
lated
m U M À ' N S P E C I E S.
lated for the mère fatisfadlion o f brutal appetites, nor treated better manner«
than beafts o f burden, without being allowed to have the lead: will
of their own : which incontellibly proves, how much men, in a
degenerated and fav-age Hate, are inclined to oppre-fs the weaker
party.
Et Venus in Jylvts jungèbat corpora amàrifuin-,
Conciliàbàt enhn vel mûtua quemque ctipido-,
Vel ’violenta viri vis, at que impeitfà libido-.
L u cr eT-. lib. .v-.
The females at T a 'n n à , M a x l i c o l l o -, an d N k w- C a i . e d o x i a ,
were not in .a-much happier condition for, though we never knew
them to be beaten and abufed by their own offspring, they were
however obliged to carry burdens, and to take upon themfelves
every laborious and toiïfomë part o f domellic bUfinefs. This unhappy
Iituation o f the females among the favage and barbarous tribes
o f the -SoUth-Seâ, has neverthelefs been prôdüdtive o f an advantage,
which, in our opinion, fliould rate them above their furly lords or
Oppreflbrs; for, though the confiant afts o f indelicacy, oppreflion,
and inhumanity, are fo far from contributing towards the real contentment
of the females, that they on the contrary reduce them to
the moll wretched beings ; yet this very oppreflion, and the more
delicate-frame of their bodies, together with the finer and more irritable
dexture of their nerves, have contributed more towards the
H h h 2 Approve