174 MORAL CHARiAîOTER
Le Gobien, who was well acquainted with the Marian
islanders, has given the following account of them. He refers
principally to the inhabitants of Guahan.
Il Leur inconstance, et leur légèreté sont incroyables.
Comme ils ne se gênent en rien, et qu’ils se livrent aveuglément
à leur caprice et à leurs passions, ils passent aisément
d’une extrémité à l’autre. Ce qu’ils souhaitoient avee le plus
d’ardeur, ils ne le veulent point un moment après J” v
M. de Freycinet, who cites this statement, adds immediately
=some observations which indicate a firmercharaeteri'
Humane after victory, and aboveuall' punctual to their
word, they were only accustomed to require of a prisoner
takenjn war a simple verbal engagement not to escape : and
whoever in such a case broke his parole was put : to death by
his own family,; who fancied themselves covered ; with. disV
honour by such a breach of; faith.
** When an old man says to one_of his countrymen, or even
to a stranger, ‘ I desire-that we should ;be friends,’ it is considered
as a sacred contract. But if it happened ?thafethe
latter acted against the interests of his friend,- bhe whole
family of the other beeamo enemiea of tbeuperseniwbo, had.
broken his faith. Whether the; imputed wrongs be real ©j?
imaginary, it is inexamining the affair in this point of view
that we are enabled to explain /the altercations between thé
people of the Marian Islands and the first missionaries. By
atrocious calumnies the Chinese, Choco-Sanghy,, first rent
dered these courageous ecclesiastics objects of suspicion to
a great number of the inhabitants. On the other hand the
efforts-of the Spaniards to restrain licentiousness and change
certain customs at length excited against them the indigna^
tion of the same persons who had at first received them in
the most favourable manner.
“ To considerable,intellectual endowments the old inhabitants
of the Marian Islands joined great facility of receiving
instruction, and aptitude both in manual employments and in
the study both of letters and of fine arts.
“ A few words will suffice to describe the modern inhabitants.
* Esprit plus paresseux qu’actif, gens simple, hospitalier,
et généreux ; en général fort soumis à leur chef.’
OF THE MARIAN ISLANDERS. 175
“ Parental affection is no where more strongly displayed
or more; active than by the Marian islander. Formerly he was
allowed to have many concubines, all taken from the class to
which he himself belonged-; but he had only one lawful wife.
It was strictly forbidden to the’noble# not only to marry, but
to. take a concubine from the caste of the Mangatchangs.
Some examples, nevertheless, are cited of the-infraction of
this rule. In s uch a case the Matoa who had been guilty of
such an offence took caret® conceal it from his family, who,
had it been known,- would not have failed to inflict capital
punishment. The delinquent, in order to avoid persecution,
had the alternative* of renouncing his caste, and of. passing
in>the quality of Achaot into another tribe, For the rest it is
remarkable-^ that the plebeian girl received nb>> punishment.
Wd>wero informed that since tbearrivafobf the Spaniards at
Guaham, a Matoa of the village! of iGuaton, being enamoured
of a young and beautiful Mangatchang, took flight with her,
but could find- no asylum in- any other tribe. because he
re&sëdï tor separate himselfffrom hist eotopaniom Pursued
by the relatives of the young daaany the^ two'fevers wandered
for some time in |the midst of woods- and-the most inaccessible
rocks. An existence so precarious and . M misérable reduced
them t©~despair. Resolved to put an end to: it, they constructed
a tomb in Stone, where 'th ey laid t an infant the
miserable offspring of their *fevéi;f‘ In; the? extremity of grief
they climbed to the top of a precipitous rock, and threw
themselves into the waves. The place was named afterwards,
by the- Spaniards, Capo de los Amantes,; Cape of Lovers.”
Before marriage the greatest ffeenee existed between the
two sexes ; and according to the information afforded to
M. de Freycinet, an almost promiscuous intercourse prevailed.
It was by opposing this general corruption of manners that
the Christian missionaries drew upon themselves the hostility
of these islanders, which protracted for a, long period their
conversion, and fostered by the priests gava rise to long and
destructive wars.