5 3 ° R E M A R K S ; o n t h e
names o f the months and days,, but knew them only imperfectly,
having taken no pains to preferve their knowledge j but thofe pro.-
feffed teachers, ( Tahata-orrera-J were more perfect. However
there mull, have been a time when this knowledge was, firft intr.0,-
duced. among them, and that man who was its. author m ull have
had patience to attend,with unwearied; application to. the ftudy of
the heavens,, and the motion, o f the heavenly, bodies,, and heen
endued with fagacity to difcover the true length o f the folar or
bread-fruit year, and the duration of lunations,, together; with
the beginning of the new moons. T h e direction rin which the
remote iflands are fituated, which they know, is, a bufinefs o f the
greateii difficulty,, and required a remarkable Ikill, reflection,. and
combination of feveral incidental:. points; which evidently thews,
that this man had very ft tong natural parts, and. had; ufcd himlelf
to apply them to the various occurrences, of, his life,, and the
objects furrounding him. I t might perhaps be urged, that this
knowledge had been molt probably carried along with them from
Alia and the more civilized nations o f that continent.. Though
this perhaps might be allowed in- regard, to other fciences,, yet
their knowledge o f aftronomy, and. geography,, or. their Ikill in
determining with nicety the. true lituation o f ifles at the diftance,
of 400. leagues from their own country, and directing the courfe
o f
H U M A N E 9 P E C I E S. S 3 i
o f their boats by the fun and ftars, * proves evidently that this
fcience mull have had its rife. and progrefs among themfelves; as
many points could by no means agree, had the Afiatic aftronomy
difcovered in the Northern Hemifphere been carried to Taheitee.
The points where the fun rifes and fets at different feafons, in
countries fituated in the Southern hemifphere, differs from
thofe in the Northern, fo that the Afiatic knowledge mult have
been in a great meafure ufelefs. Th e farther the Afiatic country,
in which we will fuppofe the Taheitean aftronomy to have
originated, is removed from the equinoctial line Northwards,
the more fenlible does this difference become, and renders it more
probable that the inhabitants o f thefe ifles were the inventors of
their own aftronomy and geography : and i f they had ftrength of
Y y y 2 mind
* The Endeavour, in which ftiip Tupaya failed to Batavia, failed tint from Taheitee
into forty Degrees South Latitude, then Ihe came by a North Weft courfe into twenty-eight
Degrees, after this (he came by a South Weft courfe to about thirty-eight Degrees, and
by a Weftern run to New Zeeland, which iflands were circumnavigated in runs of various
directions to forty-eight Degrees South Latitude, till by another Wefterly courfe the coafts
-of New Holland -were reached, along which ihe failed North and North Weft, up to about
four Degrees North Latitude, and then Weft to Savtt, and laftly by the Streights of
Sunda to Batavia. However, Tupaya was never at a lofs to point to Taheitee, at whatever
■ place he came, even at Batavia at more than 2000 Leagues diftance: which evidently
proves that he was perfectly well acquainted with aftronomy and geography, as far as they
are ncccfliiry for thefe purpofes.
A R T S
AND
SCIENCES