, '7^9- though the father ftill continues polTeflor and adminiftrator
of his eftate: probably this cuftom has its fhare, among
other inducements, in forming the focieties called Arreoy,
War- If a general attack happens to be made upon the ifland,
every diftridt under the command of an Earee, is obliged to
furnifh its proportion of foldiers for the common defence.
The number furnifhed by the principal diftrifls, which Tupia
recolledled, when added together, amounted, as I have ob-
ferved before, to fix thoufand fix hundred and eighty.
Upon fuch occafions, the united force of the whole ifland
is commanded in chief by the Earee rahie. Private differences
between two Earees, are decided by their own
people, without at all difturbing the general tranquillity.
Weapons. Their weapons are flings, winch they ufe with great dexterity,
pikes headed with the flings of fling-rays, and dubs,
of about fix or feven feet long, made of a very hard heavy
wood. Thus armed, they are faid to fight with great ob-
ftinacy, which is the more likely to be true, as it is certain
that they give no quarter to either man, woman, or child,
who is fo unfortunate as to fall into their hands during the
battle, or for fome hours afterwards, till their paflion, which
is always violent, though not lading, has fubfided.
The Earee rahie of Obereonoo, while we were here, was
in perfetft amity with the Earee rahie of Tiarreboo, the
other peninfula, though he took himfelf the title of king of
the whole ifland: this, however, produced no more jealoufy
in the other fovereign, than the title of king of France,
aflumed by our fovereign, does in his moft Chriflian Majesty
In a government fo rude, it cannot be expeded that diftri-
butive juflice fhould be regularly adminiftered, and indeed
H z . where
where there is fo little oppofition of intereft, in confequence f
of the facility with which every appetite and paflion is gratified,
there can be but few crimes. There is nothing like
money, the common medium by which every want and
every wilh is fuppofed to be gratified by thofe who do not
poflTefs it ; there is no apparently permanent good which
either fraud or force can unlawfully obtain ; and when all
the crimes that are committed by the inhabitants of civilized
countries, to get money, are fet out of the account, not
many will remain : add to this, that where the commerce
with women is reftrained by no law, men will feldom be
under any temptation to commit adultery, efpecially as one
woman is always lefs preferred to another, where they are
lefs diftinguifhed by perfonal decorations, and the adventitious
circumftances which are produced by the varieties of
art, and the refinements of fentiment. That they are
thieves is true ; but as among thefe people no man can be
much injured or benefited by theft, it is not neceflary to re-
ftrain it by fuch punifliments, as in other countries are ablo-
lutely neceflary to the very exiftence of civil fociety. Tupia,
however, tells us, that adultery is fometimes committed as
well as theft. In all cafes where an injury has been committed,
the punifliment of the offender lies with the fuf-
ferer : adultery, i f the parties are caught in the faft, is
fometimes punifhed with death in the firfl ardour of refent-
ment ; but without circumftances of immediate provocation,
the female finner feldom fuflers more than a beating. As
punifhment, however, is enforced by no law, nor taken into
the hand of any magiftrate, it is not often inflidled, except
the injured party is the ftrongeft ; though the Chiefs do
fometimes punifh their immediate dependents, for faults
committed againft each other, and even the dependents of
others,