1 So 9
Is I
Inhabitants.
P O L Y N E S I A. #
in the large countries o f A s .f aW k * a fiteilar lin g u la * ? m a y b e oh-
feBtjd, th e fcarcity o f animal .food -pnobalaly; efmljeWing-the ^ a ^ e a
chiefly to re,fide on the %re§. v; - J - w -Y >';a Jf * , : , i
Near the central fummxfc o f the large mouptam o f ^ f a h e i t e ^ h i e f i in
circumference though H B height, W K
lake,, of feme e x te n t: hut no I M W M th e re W w S I <tS
which fp rin g lrom the Ikirts, apd pui$5$ a brief c o p tf^ o f two g j | f ee
miles to the ocean.
T h e natural colour o f the inhabitants is -olive, inclining.« copper.
Menfexpofed to the fun become very dark; but th e women are only a
{hade or two deeper than an European brunette. T h
eyes with white even teeth, foft Ikin, and-elegan'tHiulbst; while, theigair
is of a jetty bla.ck, perfumed and ornamented with flowers*7 But Jwh
all thefe advantages' they- yield -mfinkdydn beauty to the'w'omfeffiJSahe
Marquefas, the facebeing widened from continual preffige feg p j j g l g ,
which by’diftending the mouth, and flattening
giyes a broad' hiafeuliSe appearance. Herifeec 8
Grecian and academical forms, given M j B E g '
precifion, tp the people o f the Southiffeas^in the prints t f e tW ^ n ^ a n y
the Englifti and French voyages, are totally falfe* and imaginary. - ‘Nor
can there b e a greater ifljury to books oTlgenbineieM
fbrniatfefi; than tins praSade* which r e h d a rs 'th o fe o d e rh f Ih ts -fa f inferior
in 'e v ^ y re fp e a :tb fotne excellent a n i e n t ;r ^ r eM t a t ib 6 s ^ h ‘I)e
Bry. - ,
But while the women thus feduloufly endeavour to de 'fttoygheir
natural beauty, th ey are o f the moft aflable and ebgagirlg maririefs;
and feem endre ftrangers to thofe unaccountable caprices; hidden ffibwns,
and violences o f temper, which form the ch ie f domeftic peftitehde of
civilized fociety. Always generous and good humoured, they are flow
* In the chart which accompanies the Miffionary voyage Polynefia is abfurdly called Letter
Auftralia as i f it were wholly to the fouth o f the equator, or even approached the lerra
Auftrali* of exploded maps. Auftralafia is named Greater Aujlralta,| while the latter word only
' means Southern things, and cannot with any .degree o f grammar be applied to a-region. Ucc.o ,
fa his dream o f Scipio, ufes Jujlrah regia merely for a fouthern country: but the pluralmeutcr ot
the adje&ive.cannot be ufed as.an appellation.
I Mia Voyage, 327. to
P O - L Y ' N ^ I A . 5’Q7
cto*takeKd®fe®c&,'-fall<J-éaifil 1 p^eM^d|ïrfe$èr 'ehtertaiöiiTfgj thé febdments óf Societv
tlóhgfa’fid Üi many countries, IsI,Er'
ihr morévè^^f^fitaM thö®ïte^'^ks,,dfüdbihl^arm*ddmatë's®iéif beauty
.■möt»4^hajy.ffip’éfe^ite®i49c c h 'y ^ ^ i ïw l d F 'h i ^ i h '“’northern regiótis.
Tfee dhiêfs,!are'-fe&er th'a^^%be',‘^©|^plfe,i;)fS)vvU|)e^n'^S f®dÓlH(fix feet1-; and As
'gerfonal -feafe^Md^ltreogth êvÊ- the chief '^ifH^<piohk>i1a learly? feciety, it
fepróbable tha®*tdièir ancéïtors- wó|^|^ieéé^^||thëfë5 advantages, which
have #>.een^ ‘©©h$j^éd^Wupbi?iöf Toê;df<lah«|^e.iJ' "Tffo; drefsVof ;both
^^es,|lii dearly <he ËfeïUè^e^ce^JhAt-t^b5m'èn 'Wear tfefe Mar'<>\ a narrow
<3fe§bwrapped ro®vrjid thet-Waife ‘'atadlfpaflki gj be tly^e n| fhe^thfghsl
A,l\ ohl-bugi p&,c^fGUt,dnx^the.hpiiddl^kGf|‘ admit’ 'rthe *heady! hangs down
befdrè^bdSbehind'ainib another ' ^eglsfs! wrapper,ökn<f the middle4,' and
a ^Pi^piPi-^ntlejs'rthicownti^^rjaJsl. jfïBcBa? offlowers
; and therwornen,fu|e' a ^kijidi oh bpAIlbtjtfB'a.fle .of cobo^' , •
JgjlljjP* ; jPartii^it^in is- .eafy ; t a,nd the*;infant cbhrfwmii a'S jfpph^a^thi can
walk. I
Their vpase aüd ^eeeh are fqft and harmonious.; and* th'eir,dialed i$
the» I^liapiJof|the.' Pacific „qceanls >Their t traderrn^j|ilfaélui|eiS ,ar^.truly
^ffitderfuki apjd'v*.eyifïc.e j r>gteqféft «« Their dwéll|ngSs are
^JQU-t 'Eighteen fegt ip length, with a -few articles? of-furniture, fiich asr
bafket^^nlats., atickiftj -large cheh. t-A gs e r d a i t h e ..mlgin^ r y . '
abcqjints there-is>^p pjubli\appearance of-imtqildeft^; and they^mputq
il^4ote^exhi4ilióp^|o\the bribpsi.^f tl^if Efeghih, ,vifitors^ |
Their deitig^.are nu^beyiSps; .each family hsgf’m^itg jTee,, or gua-rdiatif ReL'gioni
fp i^ ^ w bom; they^Wjirlhip at-ï^i^ Moraj,;, hutethey ba-^e a .great gp^,/ on
§J5^svjqf h. ^fpperjhijprder,. ftyj‘ed.T,Whanówfci|fi',^4r thè|jpj;ögg.fflyi öf^night.,
The divinities ih. general are ftyled the Eatooa. The. chief feefn;S. to be
Tane, who has a wife Taroa : from' them fpring Pp the night, Ma-
hannathe fun, &c. Man alfo. proceeds from a divine'origin, as in the
Japanefe my thology, their foie idea of creation being procreation. Thefe,
benevolent people; cannot conceive a future punifliment; and regard the
idea-as only the utinoft effort of human malignity.:;! But they admit the -
immortality of the foul, and degrees of future, eminence and happinefs;-.
proportioned to its virtue ;.and- piety. They have- a. high idea of the
P°wer of fpirits, and believe that the beautiful peak near the harbour of;
MR *
3 T 2