29 i< COOK S SECOND VOYAGE MARCH, 



observe, that the last was obtained by Oedidee, who 

 understood their language much better than any of us; 

 though even he understood it but very imperfectly. 



It appears by the account of Roggewin's voyage, 

 that these people had no better vessels than when he 

 first visited them. The want of materials, and not of 

 genius, seems to be the reason why they have made 

 no improvement in this art. Some pieces of carving 

 were found amongst them, both well designed and 

 executed. Their plantations are prettily laid out 

 by line, but not inclosed by any fence ; indeed, they 

 have nothing for this purpose but stones. 



I have no doubt that all these plantations are 

 private property, and that there are here, as at Ota- 

 heite, chiefs (which they call Areekes) to whom these 

 plantations belong. But of the power or authority of 

 these chiefs, or of the government of these people, I 

 confess myself quite ignorant. 



Nor are we better acquainted with their religion. 

 The gigantic statues so often mentioned, are not, in 

 my opinion, looked upon as idols by the present 

 inhabitants, whatever they might have been in the 

 days of the Dutch ; at least, I saw nothing that 

 could induce me to think so. On the contrary, I 

 rather suppose that they are burying-places for cer- 

 tain tribes or families. I, as well as some others, saw 

 a human skeleton lying in one of the platforms, just 

 covered with stones. Some of these platforms of 

 masonry, are thirty or forty feet long, twelve or six- 

 teen broad, and from three to twelve in height ; 

 which last in some measure depends on the nature of 

 the ground. For they are generally at the brink of 



Urx KonV Von\ncr tfiP spa sn that this font* rrmv ha 4-ov. 



or twelve feet or more high, and the other may not 

 be above three or four. They are built, or rather 

 faced, with hewn stones of a very large size ; and the 

 workmanship is not inferior to the best plain piece of 

 masonry we have in England. Thev use no sort of 

 cement : yet the joints are exceedinsrlv close, and the 



