1840.] TREATMENT OF WOMEN. 349 



the musket, with the use of which they have become pretty 

 well acquainted. 



The language of the Feejeean has most of the character- 

 istics usually noticed in the dialects of Polynesia. It is ex- 

 ceedingly full and copious. They have an appropriate term 

 for every passion and emotion of the mind, and for every 

 species of plants, trees, fruits, flowers, and animals, that is 

 found in the group. 



Polygamy is common. Every man has as many wives as 

 he can afford to keep. The higher chiefs sometimes have 

 from one to two hundred ; but the middling classes content 

 themselves with ten or a dozen ; and the poor kai-si is unable 

 to indulge in the luxury of more than one. Wives are procured 

 by making presents to the parents, or by capturing them from 

 a hostile tribe. The marriage ceremony is performed by the 

 priests, who enjoin upon the parties the duty of loving, 

 honoring, and obeying, very much in the same manner as in 

 civilized countries. Adultery is punished by the injured 

 husband, if he possesses the power, with great severity, often 

 in a mode too disgusting to be mentioned. When a chief 

 dies some of his wives are usually strangled, either with or 

 without their consent, and buried with him. Old people are 

 frequently put to death, at their own desire, to escape decrepi- 

 tude, and are sometimes forcibly strangled, or buried alive, by 

 their children. Persons in an infirm condition, or sick of a 

 lingering disease, are often served in the same manner. 



The women are the mere slaves of their husbands, and are 

 beaten by them at pleasure. From fear, rather than affection, 

 they are generally faithful. Parturition is not severe among 

 them, probably on account of their active habits of life ; and 

 some women will resume their ordinary occupations within an 

 hour after their delivery. 



The Feejeean has a great number of divinities. The prin- 

 cipal one is Ndengei, who is worshipped in the form of a 

 large serpent. There are many subordinate deities, some 

 good and others evil. They have a tradition that all men are 

 descended of one pair of parents, and that they are darker 



