1773* ROUND THE WORLD. c 2%9 



my friend Attago was one of these. I am of opinion 

 that all the land on Tongatabu is private property, 

 and that there are here, as at Otaheite, a set of peo- 

 ple, who are servants or slaves, and have no property 

 in land. It is unreasonable to suppose every thing 

 in common in a country so highly cultivated as this. 

 Interest being the greatest spring which animates the 

 hand of industry, few would toil in cultivating and 

 planting the land, if they did not expect to reap the 

 fruit of their labour : were it otherwise, the indus- 

 trious man would be in a worse state than the idle 

 sluggard. I frequently saw parties of six, eight, or 

 ten people, bring down to the landing-place fruit and 

 other things to dispose of, where one person, a man 

 or woman, superintended the sale of the whole ; no 

 exchanges were made but with his or her consent ; 

 and, whatever we gave in exchange, was always 

 given them, which, I think, plainly showed them to 

 be the owners of the goods, and the others no more 

 than servants. Though benevolent nature has been 

 very bountiful to these isles, it cannot be said that 

 the inhabitants are wholly exempt from the curse of 

 our forefathers : part of their bread must be earned 

 with the sweat of their brows. The high state of cul- 

 tivation their lands are in must have cost them im- 

 mense labour. This is now amply rewarded by the 

 great produce, of which every one seems to partake. 

 No one wants the common necessaries of life : joy 

 and contentment are painted in every face. Indeed, 

 it can hardly be otherwise : an easy freedom prevails 

 among all ranks of people : they feel no wants which 

 they do not enjoy the means of gratifying ; and they 

 live in a clime where the painful extremes of heat 

 and cold are equally unknown. If nature has been 

 wanting in any thing, it is in the article of fresh water, 

 which, as it is shut up in the bowels of the earth, they 

 are obliged to dig for. A running stream was not 

 seen, and but one well, at Amsterdam. At Middle- 

 burg, we saw no water but what the natives had in 



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