THEPACIFICOCEAN. 53 



foon after their death, they are difembowelled, by drawing '777- 



n- , . -^ , September. 



the inteltmes, and other vifcera, out at the (?nus ; and the . v 



whole cavity is then filled or Huffed with cloth, introduced 

 through the fame part ; that when any moifture appeared 

 on the flcin, it was carefully dried up, and the bodies after- 

 ward rubbed all over, with a large quantity of perfumed 

 cocoa-nut oil j which, being frequently repeated, preferved 

 them a great many months; but that, at laft, they gradu- 

 ally moulder away. This was the information Mr. Ancicr- 

 fon received ; for my own part, I could not learn any more 

 about their mode of operation, than what Omai told me, 

 who faid, that they made ufe of the juice of a plant which 

 grows amongft the mountains; of cocoa-nut oil; and of 

 frequent wafhing with fea-watcr. I was alfo told, that the 

 bodies of all their great men, who die a natural death, arc 

 prelcrved in this manner ; and that they expofe them to 

 public view for a very confiderable time after. At firft, they 

 are laid out every day, when it docs not rain ; afterward, 

 the intervals become greater and greater; and, at lafl, they • 

 are feldorn to be feen. 



In the evening, we returned from Oparre, where we left 

 Otoo, and all the royal family ; and I faw none of them till 

 the 1 2th; when all, but the Chief hiinfelf, paid me a vifit. Friday 

 He, as they told mc, was gone to Attahooroo, to alUft, this 

 day, at another human facrifice, which the Chief of Tiara- 

 boo had firnc thither to be offered up at the triorai. This 

 fecorid inllance, within the courfe of a few days, was too 

 melancholy a proof, how numerous the vicftims of this 

 bloody iuperftition- are amongft this humane people- I 

 would have been prefent at this facrifice too, had I known 

 of it in time ; for, now, it was too late. From the very - 

 {iime caufe, I miflcd being prefent at a public tranfa^flion, 



I which 



