1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 437 



bartering, which is the only medium that unites all- 

 nations in a sort of friendship. They understand 

 barter (which they call fukkatoii) so perfectly, that 

 at first we imagined they might have acquired this 

 knowledge of it by commercial intercourse with the 

 neighbouring islands ; but we were afterward assured 

 that they had little or no traffic, except with 

 Feejee, from which they get the red feathers, and the 

 few other articles mentioned before. Perhaps, no 

 nation in the world traffic with more honesty and less 

 distrust. We could always safely permit them to 

 examine our goods, and to hand them about, one to 

 another; and they put the same confidence in us. If 

 either party repented of the bargain, the goods were 

 re-exchanged with mutual consent and good-humour. 

 Upon the whole, they seem possessed of many of the 

 most excellent qualities that adorn the human mind ; 

 such as industry, ingenuity, perseverance, affability, 

 and, perhaps other virtues which our short stay with 

 them might prevent our observing. 



The only defect sullying their character, that 

 we knew of, is a propensity to thieving ; to which 

 we found those of all ages and both sexes ad- 

 dicted, and to an uncommon degree. It should, 

 however, be considered, that this exceptionable part 

 of their conduct seemed to exist merely with respect 

 to us ; for, in their general intercourse with one 

 another, I had reason to be of opinion, that thefts 

 do not happen more frequently (perhaps less so) 

 than in other countries, the dishonest practices of 

 whose worthless individuals are not supposed to 

 authorize any indiscriminate censure on the whole 

 body of the people. Great allowances should be 

 made for the foibles of these poor natives of the 

 Pacific Ocean, whose minds we overpowered with 

 the glare of objects equally new to them as they 

 were captivating. Stealing amongst the civilized 

 and enlightened nations of the world, may well be 



-_ Q 



F F O 



