1773. ROUND THE WORLD. 195 



enough to persuade the people that he was a bad 

 man. If I except their funeral ceremonies, all the 

 knowledge that has been obtained of their religion, 

 has been from information ; and as their language is 

 but imperfectly understood, even by those who pre- 

 tend to the greatest knowledge of it, very little on 

 this head is yet known with certainty. 



The liquor which they make from the plant called 

 Ava ava, is expressed from the root, and not from the 

 leaves, as mentioned in the narrative of my former 

 voyage. The manner of preparing this liquor is as 

 simple as it is disgusting to an European. It is thus: 

 several people take some of the root and chew it till 

 it is soft and pulpy ; then they spit it out into a plat- 

 ter or other vessel, every one into the same ; when a 

 sufficient quantity is chewed, more or less water is 

 put to it, according as it is to be strong or weak ; the 

 juice thus diluted is strained through some fibrous 

 stuff like fine shavings ; after which it is fit for drink- 

 ing, and this is always done immediately. It has a 

 pepperish taste, drinks flat, and rather insipid. But 

 though it is intoxicating, I saw only one instance 

 where it had that effect ; as they generally drink 

 it with great moderation, and but little at a time. 

 Sometimes thev chew this root in their mouths, as 

 Europeans do tobacco, and swallow their spittle ; and 

 sometimes I have seen them eat it wholly. 



At Ulietea they cultivate great quantities of this 

 plant. At Otaheite but very little. I believe there 

 are but few islands in this sea, that do not produce 

 more or less of it ; and the natives apply it to the 

 same use, as appears by Le Mair's account of Horn 

 Island, wherein he speaks of the natives making a 

 liquor from a plant in the same manner as above 

 mentioned. 



Great injustice has been done to the women of 

 Otaheite, and the Society Isles, by those who have 

 represented them, without exception, as ready to 

 grant the last favour to any man who will come up 



o 2 



