„1W- to this e f f e d : 1 T h a t the whole iiland o f Huaheine, and
O d o b e r .
-— |——> every th in g in it, were m in e ; and that, therefore, I might
give what portion o f it I pleafed to m y friend.” Omai, who,
lik e the reft o f his countrymen, feldom fees things beyond
the prefent moment, was g rea tly pleafed to hear this*;
thin kin g, no doubt, that I ihould be very liberal, and give
h im enough. But to offer what it wou ld have been im proper
to accept, I confidered as offering nothing at a ll; and,
therefore, I now defired, that they would not only affign the
particular fpot, but alfo the exaCt quantity o f land, w hich
they would allot for the fettlement; Upon this, fome Chiefs,
who had already left the aflembly, werefen t fo r ; and, after
a fhort, confultation among themfelves, m y requeft was
granted b y general co n fen t; and the ground immediately,
pitched upon, adjoining to the houfe where our meeting
was held. .T h e extent, along the fliore o f the harbour, was
about two hqndred yards ; and its depth, to the foot o f the
hill, fomewhat mo re ; but a proportional part o f the hill
was included in the grant.
T h is bufinefs being fettled to the fatisfaftion o f all parties,
I fet up a tent afhore, eftablifhed a poll, and ereCted the
obfervatories. T h e carpenters o f both fhips were alfo fet to
w ork, to build a fmall houfe for Omai, in which he migh t
fecure the European commodities that were his property.
At the fame time, fome hands were employed in m akin g a
garden for his ufe, planting fhaddocks, vines, pine-apples,
melons, and the feeds o f feveral other vegetable articles; all
o f w hich I had the fatisfafhion o f obferving to be in a flou -
rifh in g ftate before I left the iiland.
Omai now began ferioufly to attend to his own affairs,
and repented heartily o f his ill-judged prodigality while at
Otaheite.
Otaheite. He found at Huaheine, a brother, a lifter, and a '777-
brother-in-law ; the fitter being married. But thefe did not >___JL
plunder him, as he had lately-been by his other relations.
I was forry, however, to difcover, that, though they were
too honeft to do him any injury; th e y were o f too little con-
fequence in the iiland to do him any pofitive good. T h e y
had neither authority nor influence to proteCt his perfon, or
his p ro p e r ty ; and, in that helplefs fituation, I had reafon
to apprehend, that he run great rifk o f being, ftripped o f
every thing he had got from us, as foon as he ihould ceafe
to have us within his reach, to enforce the good behaviour
o f his countrymen, b y an immediate appeal to our irre-
fiftible power.
A man who is richer than his neighbours is fure to be envied,
by numbers who w ifh to fee him brought down to
their own level. But in countries where civilization, law,
and religion, impofe their reftraints, the rich have a rcaf'on-
able ground o f fecurity. And, belides, there being, in all
fuch communities, a diffufion o f property, no Angle in dividual
need fear, that the efforts o f all the poorer fort can ever
be united to injure him, excluftvely o f others who are
equ ally the objeCts o f envy. It was very different w ith
Omai. He was to live amongft thofe who are ftrangers, in
a great meafure, to any other principle o f aCtion befldes the
immediate impulfe o f their natural feelings. But, what
was his principal danger, he wa.s to be. placed in the very
Angular fltuation, o f being the only rich man in the community
to which he was to belong. And having, by a fortunate
connection with us, got into his poffeflion an accumulated
quantity o f a fpecies o f treafure which none o f his
countrymen could create by any art or induftry o f their
own ; while all coveted a fhare o f this envied wealth, it
V o l . II. o was