FIRST, MISSIONARY 4 0 8 ,VOYAGE [A p p e n d ix .
In , improvements and civil government the people o f the.. Friendly
Iflands appear fuperior: their cajioes .are, larger, more nuroferous;
apd .better, formed j their clubs, and- carvmgs;.more Curious, their land
better ppltiyated,; tbeir 'roads', neatly' maintained, and, their -.country
generally- enclofed, w ith jreed fences-;, property,! alf© appears |more protected,
and rid while thfe defpofiCgirule
at Otaheite, in.many inftanees, and the infolent d^niridsidfi
arreoy jfociety, tend to deftroy all induftry. RefpeCtrforitjhe chiefs
is every where great, hut appeared leaft'at Ohitahdds .rr)
Iri manners, the Society mariders feem thehrio'ft diflolute, and the.
arreoy fbciety the fink pflewdnefs and Cruelty.-, -In the Friendly Iflands
marriage is general, and* except the; chiefs, they feem to haverpnly
one wife; faid at Tongatabqo, Lfhat' adBlteiy viftp^di^^djtyith
death. There, and at the Marquefas, no infant murders; ate .allowed;
but, contrariwife, they are fond o f their children,-- and take pleafure
in a numerous- family. - Though at the deceafe qfiT ib o MoomoPe,
and during jhis. illnefi, Jo rn e cruel and in humap pr'aCfciees are' men--
tinned*, y e t nothing comparable with the. horrible
at Otaheite. In another feature alfo they greatly differ*; as;pld;age is
as much rcfpe&ed at Ohitahoo and Tongataboo as it, is riegledfed jat
Otaheite.
. ,Iri i^feir propenfity to theft they too .much refeijabkd each other,
though the Friendly iflanders feemed the :010ft .daring., With ire-
fpeCt to the difeafe which makes the moft fatalravage* /the Society
iflanders are much t he-moft generally- infe&ed.j fewer, at Tongataboo;
and. f t the Marquefas it is happily yet unknown.
.As ritri;nature;fertility,; all the. iflands, with prudence arid-culture,
would furnifh abundant fuppliesi feut as, the natives labour.littlej arid
trplbjfo the fpontaneous productions o f the earth,chiefly,'all fuffer
at: certain/times o f the year, yvben the bread-fruitis.out of; feafon,
a (temporary; fearcity. At Ohitahoo. it amounted to hunger j . .the
mahie was difgufting; and the. very animals were pinched for want o f
food, though no where did the bread-fruit trees appear more flomifhmw
B 9
A psenbi?,] TQ THR. SG^TFfcSEA ISLANDS.
jpg,gA A t. Tongataboo, ïtlfe^chiefs. tO' fecure^ plenty, changed their
abodes to other iflapds. At Otaheite the greatest profufion o f native
productions appeared* notwithstanding -the horrible wafte committed
ats their feaftings,'and bygffle arreoy - ^pd .want is fejdpm
known. The border o f low land teems with plenty o f bread-fruit,
evee, and cocoa-iiut: ~ At t!foira.nodJ'mê^fs^nb^dvv land • at Tonthough
cultivated,/ -^ery productive- affer EWijliug.flJith^pther iflands,
Captain Wilfonrira^res-^ that he wg^- ftuxpMy Struck, a t^l'fecond
l^jfit^to Oteheite, ...with tiie Superior =ps^nefs oShèh'fearibefe,-their
addrefs, an<| their vil^^iimprovement during
mat, fmall fbac.e,du .nthe-dcafe pfi (jfffeij^ibrrnmdrefs as well as|l|hlu
mbnr j apd, ta k in^ in to th^ ^ ^ Sm tits amenity, the fa fehr ltyo f th^
'Cmhifte,i - -the1,plenty* *b!f fine water,-Spontaneous productions ©f the
earth, „the* rich and moft1 romantically,piChirefqiie appeairan^a&'wf thfe
country^£helCfeJt ’„the ju^ g fiJ ff )the title giv^n-tg^Qtaheite by $ije
the navigators,: as. the .Queen o f Iflands.-
I
3 9