424 •% B)Ml A R H s >0 a T<H E
m a n n e r s monogamy was moftuniverXally intreSuced am o n g the yarious.nations
o f the Soutji-Sea, Thera -were, I believe, inftances, efpecially
■ among the peqpleuf'quality* that a man endeavoured to have a love-
affair with fpmf o f the many females, who were always ready to
.gratify fueh votaries on the tint applicatjon; hut I never heard,
•that .a married woman ever .yielded, to the embraces-^of any lover,
polygamy i.s fp very common in all hot climate^,, and liketyife
among all barbarous nations,, where women are looked,upon as private
property-j it might appear very reiparkahle, that' in the llles of
the South-Sea, lying in a hot climate, whpre luxury had made a
•confiderable prpgrcfs, and where the. inhabitants were remarkably
addicted -to vene.ry ; or at New-Zeeland, and in the more Weftera
illes, where women, were 'lefs efteemed, polygamy ihoijld not have
been introduced, The.reafons o f this; extraordinary phenomenon
are. in my opinion to be,looked for, fr it, in the more gentle and
fweet manners o f their females s fecondly, in the equal proportion
o f females to males exifting in thefe ifles ; and laftly, in the .great
facility o f parting w ith a wife, 'and taking another in her Head, of
which we had feveral examples. Q-Amo, the hufhand of Q-Poorea,
had another wife when we Came to O-Taheitee j nor Was Ihe without
a perfon who a died the part o f a hulband, Potatoil had taken
'ti'dineeou, and parted with his wife Polatehera, who lived with
Maheine a.young O-raiedea Chief. But I find myfelf obliged here
t o
H t P .M- A N S P E C I C S.
to confefs, that I am not as yet perfuaded o f the great and univerfal
argument for monogamy, viz. the equal proportion o f women to'
men; as, in my opinion, it is not clearly proved, that this juft pro-*
portion takes place in all countries and climates. On the contrary, ■
I am o f opinion, that in Africa the conftitution of food and climate,
and the prevailing cuilom o f marrying many wives, have, by length
o f time; produced a- confiderable difparity between the numbers o f
men and women, fo that now to one man feveral w.omen are 1 o, n.
In all kinds of animals, it has been obferved, that in the. two lexes
when coupled; the moil vigorous -and hottefl conftitution always
prevails; fo that if, for inftance, the ftallion be more hot and vigorous"
than the mares; and not impaired by age and too often repeated
covering; the male foals in getieral will be more numerous'; but
if, on the contrary, - the mares are more vigorous, the ftallion old
and exhaufted by many copulations, their offspring will chiefly con-
fift of females. I f this be applied to the inhabitants o f Africa, itis
evident, that the men there, accuftomed to polygamy, are enervated.
by the ufe of fo many women, and therefore lefs vigorous ;
the Women, on the contrary, are of a hotter conftitution, not only on
account of their more irritable nerves, more fenfible organization,
and more lively fancy; butlikewife becaufe they are deprived ini
their matrimony o f that lhare of phyfical love, which in a monogamous
condition would all be theirs; and thus, for the above rea-
I 11 .............. .r : - . fons,
42.5
MANNERS