T H E P A C I F I C O C E A N. 159 



Erreoe woman is delivered of a child, a piece of cloth, dip- ^ '777- 



* * December, 



ped in water, is applied to the mouth and nofe, which fuf- 

 focates it. 



As 



nefs of r into / (of which the vocabularies of the different iflands give us repeated 

 inftanccs), we have the Tamole of the Caroline Iflands, and the Tamolao, or Tamahctf 

 of the Friendly ones. 



If thefe fpecimens of affinity of language fhould be thought too fcanty, fome very 

 remarkable inftances of fimihrity of ciiftoms and inftitutions will go far to remove 

 every doubt, i. A divifion into three clafles, of nobles, a middle rank, and the 

 common people, or fervaiits, was found, by Captain Cook, to prevail both at the 

 Friendly and the Society Iflands. Father le Gobien exprefsly tells us, that the fame 

 difl:indion prevails at the Ladrones : II y a trois etats, parmi les infulaires, la nohlcjji^ 

 le /noyen, tsf le menu. 2. Numbcrlefs inftances occur in Captain Cook's vova^e to 

 prove the great fubjcdion under which the people of his iflands are to their Chiefs. 

 We learn from Le (jobien, that it is fo alfo at the Ladrones - La nolhjfe eftd'unfierte 

 incroyable, isf ttcn le peuple dans uii ahalfemcnt qii'on ne pourroit nnaginer en Europe, kc. 

 3. The diverfions of the natives at VVateeoo, the Friendly, and the Society Iflands, . 

 have been copioufly defcribed by Captain Cook. How fimilar are thofe which Le 

 Gobien mentions in the following words, as prevailing at the Ladrones .' Ilsfe di- 

 vertijpnt ti danfer, counVf fautlr, littler, paur s'exercer, & eprouver Icur forces. lis 

 prennent grand plaifir a raconter les avantures de leurs ancctres, & a reciter des vers de ■ 

 Itttrs po'etes. 4. The principal (hare fuftained by the women, in the entertainments at 

 Captain Cook's iflands, appears fu/Ticicmly from a variety of inftances in this work ^ 

 and we cannot read what Le Gobien fays, of the pratflice at the Ladrones, v/ithout 

 tracing the ftrongeft refemblance. — Dans lews affemhlees elles fe mettent doux ou frieze 

 fcmmes en rond, dcbotit, fans fe rcmucr. Dans cctte attitude elles chantent les vers fa- 

 iulcux dc leurs po'etes avcc un agrement, i3 une jujlffj'e qui plairoit en Europe. L' accord de 

 l:ur voix e/l admirable, iff ne cede en rien a la mufttjue concertce. Elles ont dans les mains 

 dc pctits coquilles, dont elles fe fervent avec bcuuccup de precifion. Elles foutiennent leur voix., 

 (2 animent lew chants avec une aSlionfi vive, & des gejies ft exprejjives, qu' elles charment 

 ceux qui les voient, i^ qui les entcndcnt. 5. We read, in Hawkcfworth's account of 

 Captain Cook's firft voyage, Vol. ii. p. 235. that garlands of the fruit of the palm- 

 tree and cocoa-leaves, with other things particularly confecrated to funeral folemnities, 

 are depofited about the places where they lay their dead ; and that provifions and water 

 are alfo left at a little diftance. How conformable to this is the pradice at the La- 

 drones, as defcribed by Le Gobien ! Us font qutlques repas autour du tombeau ; car or, 

 en cleve toujours un fur le lieu oii le corps ejl enterre, ou dans Ic voifmage ; on le charge de 

 fieurs, de branches de palmier s, de coquillages, & de tent ce qu'ils ot.t de plus precieux. - 

 6. It is the cuftom at Otaheite [fee Hawkcfvvorch, Vol. ii. p. 236.] not to bury the 

 fculls of the Chiefs, with the reft of the bones, but to put them into boxes made for 

 tliat purpofe. Here again, we find the fame ftrange cuftom prevailing at tlie La- 

 drones j. 



