1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAK. 145 



at this time. If it continues to be so fashionable, it 

 bids fair to destroy great numbers. 



The times of eating, at Otaheite, are very frequent. 

 Their first meal, or (as it may rather be called) their 

 last, as they go to sleep after it, is about two o'clock 

 in the morning ; and the next is at eight. At eleven, 

 they dine, and again, as Omai expressed it, at two, and 

 at five ; and sup at eight. In this article of domestic 

 life, they have adopted some customs which are ex- 

 ceedingly whimsical. The women, for instance, have 

 not only the mortification of being obliged to eat by 

 themselves, and in a different part of the house from 

 the men ; but, by a strange kind of policy, are ex- 

 cluded from a share of most of the better sorts of 

 food. They dare not taste turtle, nor fish of the 

 tunny kind, which is much esteemed ; nor some par- 

 ticular sorts of the best plantains ; and it is very sel- 

 dom that even those of the first rank are suffered to 

 eat pork. The children of each sex also eat apart; 

 and the women, generally, serve up their own vic- 

 tuals; for they would certainly starve, before any 

 grown man would do them such an office. In this, as 

 well as in some other customs relative to their eating, 

 there is a mysterious conduct which we could never 

 thoroughly comprehend. When we enquired into the 

 reasons of it, we could get no other answer, but that 

 it is right and necessary it should be so. 



In other customs respecting the females, there 

 seems to be no such obscurity ; especially as to their 

 connections with the men. If a young man and wo- 

 man, from mutual choice, cohabit, the man gives the 

 father of the girl such things as are necessary in com- 

 mon life ; as hogs, cloth, or canoes, in proportion 

 to the time they are together ; and if he thinks that 

 he has not been sufficiently paid for his daughter, he 

 makes no scruple of forcing her to leave her friend, 

 and to cohabit with another person, who may be 

 more liberal. The man, on his part, is always at 

 liberty to make a new choice ; but, should his con- 



VOL. VI. L 



