1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 9T/S 



the web, so that probably their work goes on but 

 slowly. That they dyed this cloth we first guessed 

 from its colour, and from the indigo which we saw 

 in their plantations ; and our conjecture was after- 

 wards confirmed by Mr. Lange's account. I have 

 already observed, that it is dyed in the yarn, and we 

 once saw them dyeing what was said to be girdles for 

 the women, of a dirty red, but with what drug we 

 did not think it worth while to inquire. 



The religion of these people, according to Mr. 

 Lange's information, is an absurd kind of paganism, 

 ' every man choosing his own god, and determining for 

 himself how he should be worshipped ; so that there 

 are almost as many gods and modes of worship as 

 people. In their morals, however, they are said to 

 be irreproachable, even upon the principles of Chris- 

 tianity : no man is allowed more than one wife ; yet 

 an illicit commerce between the sexes is in a manner 

 unknown among them : instances of theft are very 

 rare ; and they are so far from revenging a supposed- 

 injury by murder, that if any difference arises between 

 them, they will not so much as make it the subject of 

 debate, lest they should be provoked to resentment 

 and ill-will, but immediately and implicitly refer it 

 to the determination of their king. 



They appeared to be a healthy and long-lived 

 people ; yet some of them were marked with the 

 small-pox, which Mr. Lange told us had several 

 times made its appearance among them, and was 

 treated with the same precautions as the plague. As 

 soon as a person was seized with the distemper, he 

 was removed to some solitary place, very remote 

 from any habitation, where the disease was left to 

 take its course, and the patient supplied with daily 

 food by reaching it to him at the end of a long pole. 

 Of their domestic economy we could learn but 

 little: in one instance however their delicacy and 

 cleanliness are very remarkable. Many of us were 

 ashore here three successive days, from a very early 



VOL. II. T 



