1777- THR pacific OCEAN, 131 



CHAP. IX. 



ACCOUNTS OF OTAHEITE STILL IMPERFECT. THE PREVAILING 



WINDS. BEAUTY OF THE COUNTRY. CULTIVATION. 



NATURAL CURIOSITIES. -THE PERSONS OF THE NATIVES. 

 DISEASES. GENERAL CHARACTER. LOVE OF PLEA- 

 SURE. LANGUAGE. SURGERY AND PHYSIC. ARTICLES 



OF FOOD. EFFECTS OF DRINKING AVA. TIMES AND 



MANNER OF EATING. CONNECTIONS WITH THE FEMALES. 



CIRCUMCISION. SYSTEM OF RELIGION. NOTIONS ABOUT 



THE SOUL AND A FUTURE LIFE. VARIOUS SUPERSTITIONS. 



TRADITIONS ABOUT THE CREATION. AN HISTORICAL 



LEGEND. HONOURS PAID TO THE KING. DISTINCTION 



OF RANKS. PUNISHMENT OF CRIMES. PECULIARITIES 



OF THE NEIGHBOURING ISLANDS. NAMES OF THEIR GODS. 



NAMES OF ISLANDS THEY VISIT. EXTENT OF THEIR 



NAVIGATION. 



I o what has been said of Otaheite, in the ac- 

 counts of the successive voyages of Captain Wall is, 

 Monsieur de Bougainville, and Captain Cook, it would 

 at first sight, seem superfluous to add any thing ; as 

 it might be supposed, that little could be now 

 produced, but a repetition of what has been told 

 before. I am, however, far from being of that 

 opinion ; and will venture to affirm, though a Very 

 accurate description of the country, and of the most 

 obvious customs of its inhabitants, has been already 

 given, especially by Captain Cook, that much still 

 remains untouched ; that, in some instances, mis- 

 takes have been made, which later and repeated ob- 

 servation has been able to rectify ; and that, even 

 now, we are strangers to many of the most important 

 institutions that prevail amongst these people. The 

 truth is, our visits, though frecpjent, have been but 

 transient ; many of us had no inclination to make in- 

 quiries ; more of us were Unable to direct our iri- 



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