THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 3^5 



and, perhaps, other virtues which our ihort flay with them "777. 

 might prevent our obferving. v— v ' 



The only defecft fullying their characfier, that we know 

 of, is a propenfity to thieving ; to which, we found, thofe 

 of all ages, and both fexes, addi(5led ; and to an uncommon 

 degree. It fliould, however, be conildered, that this excep- 

 tionable part of their conduct feemcd to exifl merely with 

 refpect to us ; for, in their general intercourfe with one an- 

 other, I had reafon to be of opinion, that thefts do not 

 happen more frequently (perhaps lefs fo) than in other 

 countries, the diChoneft pra(fl:ices of whofe worthlefs indivi- 

 duals are not fuppofed to authorize any indifcriminate 

 cenfure on the whole body of the people. Great allow- 

 ances fhould be made for the foibles of thefe poor natives 

 of the Pacific Ocean, whofe minds we overpowered with 

 the glare of objedls, equally new to them, as they were cap- 

 tivating. Stealing, amongft the civilized and enlightened 

 nations of the world, may well be confidered as denoting a 

 charadler deeply flained with moral turpitude, with avarice 

 unreftrained by the known rules of right, and with profli- 

 gacy producing extreme indigence, and neglecfling the 

 means of relieving it. But at the Friendly and other iflands 

 which we vifited, the thefts, fo frequently committed by 

 the natives, of what we had brought along with us, may 

 be fairly traced to lefs culpable motives. They feemed 

 to arife, folely, from an intenfe curiofity or defire to poffefs 

 fomething which they had not been accuftomcd to before, 

 and belonging to a fort of people fo different from them- 

 felves. And, perhaps, if it were poffible, that a fet of be- 

 ings, feemingly as fuperior in our judgment, as we are in 

 theirs, fliould appear amongft us, it might be doubted, 

 whether our natural regard to juflice would be able to re- 



VoL. I. 3D flrain 



