7(5 cook's second voyage august, 



out adding an entire passage out of Mr. Wales's jour- 

 nal. As this gentleman was continually on shore 

 amongst them, he had a better opportunity of seeing 

 what they could perform than any of us. The pas- 

 sage is as follows : <c I must confess I have been often 

 44 led to think the feats which Homer represents his 

 44 heroes as performing with their spears a little too 

 44 much of the marvellous to be admitted into an 

 " heroic poem; I mean when confined within the 

 44 streight stays of Aristotle. Nay, even so great 

 44 an advocate for him as Mr. Pope acknowledges 

 " them to be surprising. But since I have seen 

 44 what these people can do with their wooden spears, 

 44 and them badly pointed, and not of a very hard 

 44 nature, I have not the least exception to any 

 44 one passage in that great poet on this account. 

 44 But, if I see fewer exceptions, I can find infinitely 

 44 more beauties in him ;*as he has, I think, scarce 

 «* an action, circumstance, or description of any 

 « 4 kind whatever, relating to a spear, which I have 

 " not seen and recognised among these people ; as 

 " their whirling motion, and whistling noise, as they 

 <; fly ; their quivering motion, as they stick in the 

 44 ground when they fall ; their meditating their aim, 

 44 when they are going to throw ; and their shaking 

 44 them in their hand as they go along, &e. &c." 



I know no more of their cookery, than that it con- 

 sists of roasting and baking ; for they have no vessel 

 in which water can be boiled. Nor do I know that 

 they have any other liquor but water and the juice 

 of the cocoa-nut. 



We are utter strangers to their religion ; and but 

 little acquainted with their government. They seem 

 to have chiefs among them -> at least some were 

 pointed out to us by that title ; but, as I before ob- 

 served, they appeared to have very little authority 

 over the rest of the people. Old Geogy was the 

 only one the people were ever seen to take the least 

 notice of ; but whether this was owing to high rank 



