17(^>9. ROUND THE WORLD. 225 



CHAP. XIX. 



OF THE DIVISION OF TIME IN OTAHEITE ; NUMERATION, 

 COMPUTATION OF DISTANCE, LANGUAGE, DISEASES, DISPOSAL 

 OF THE DEAD, RELIGION, WAR, WEAPONS, AND GOVERN- 

 MENT ; WITH SOME GENERAL OBSERVATIONS FOR THE USE 

 OF FUTURE NAVIGATORS. 



W E were not able to acquire a perfect idea of their 

 method of dividing time ; but observed, that in 

 speaking of it, either past or to come, they never 

 used any term but Malama, which signifies Moon. 

 Of these moons they count thirteen, and then begin 

 again ; which is a demonstration that they liave a 

 notion of the solar year : but how they compute their 

 months so that thirteen of them shall be commen- 

 surate with the year, we could not discover ; for they 

 say that each month has twenty-nine days, including 

 one in which the moon is not visible. They have 

 names for them separately, and have frequently told 

 us the fruits that would be in season, and the weather 

 that would prevail, in each of them ; and they have 

 indeed a name for them collectively, though they use 

 it only when they speak of the mysteries of their re- 

 ligion. 



Every day is subdivided into twelve parts, each of 

 two hours, of which six belong to the day, and six to 

 the night. At these divisions they guess pretty 

 nearly by the height of the sun while he is above 

 the horizon ; but there are few of them that can 

 guess at them, when he is below it, by the stars. 



In numeration they proceed from one to ten, the 

 number of fingers on both hands ; and though they 

 have for each number a different name, they gener- 

 ally take hold of their fingers one by one, shifting 

 from one hand to the other till they come to the 

 number they want to express. And in other in- 



VOL.I. Q 



