248 AVOYAGETO 



^ J778- corners, with a handle, almofl like one fort of the patoas of 



February. - -i i -t ■ 



^e\\ Zealand; but its edges are entirely furrounded with 

 Hiaiks' teeth flrongly fixed to it, and pointing outward ; 

 having commonly a hole in the handle, through which 

 pafTes a long llring, which is wrapped feveral times round 

 the wrilt. We alfo furpe(5ted that they ufe flings on fome 

 occafions ; for we got fome pieces of the haematites, or blood- 

 llone, artificially made of an oval fliape, divided longitudi- 

 nally, with a narrow groove in the middle of the convex 

 parr. To this the perfon, who had one of them, applied a 

 cord of no great thicknefs, but would not part with it, 

 though he had no objetSlion to part with the ftone, which 

 muft prove fatal when thrown with any force, as it weighed 

 a pound. We likewife faw fome oval pieces of whetrtone 

 well polifhed, hut fomewhat pointed toward each end, 

 nearly refembling in fliapc fome ftones which we had fecn 

 at New Caledonia in 1774, and ufed there in their flings. 



What we could learn of their religious inflitutions, and 

 the manner of difpoflng of their dead, which may, pro- 

 perly, be confidered as clofely conne<5led, has been already 

 mentioned. And as nothing more flrongly points out the 

 affinity between the manners of thefe people and of the 

 Friendly and Society Iflands, I muft juft mention fome other 

 circumflances to place this in a ftrong point of view ; and, 

 at the fame time, to fliew how a few of the infinite modifi- 

 cations of which a few leading principles are capable, may 

 diflinguifli any particular nation. The people of Tonga- 

 taboo inter their dead in a very decent manner, and they 

 alfo inter their human facrifices ; but they do not offer, or 

 cxpofe any other animal, or even vegetable, to their Gods, 

 as far as we know. Thofe of Otahcite do not inter their 

 dead, but cxpofe them to wafte by time and puircfa(5tion, 

 7 though 



