132 



A VOYAGE TO 



■ 779- Though the cuftom, of eating the bodies of their enemies, 



March. , , , r . . . . _ . 



be not known, by poiitive evidence, to exilt in any of the 

 South Sea Iflands, except New Zealand, yet it is extremely 

 probable, that it was originally prevalent in them all. The 

 facrificing human victims, which feems evidently to be a 

 relickof this horrid practice, ftill obtains univerfally amongfl: 

 thefe iflanders ; and it is eafy to conceive, why the New 

 Zealanders mould retain the repaft, which was probably the 

 laft act of thefe mocking rites, longer than the reft of their 

 tribe, who werefituated in more mild and fruitful climates. 

 As the inhabitants of the Sandwich Iflands certainly bear a 

 nearer refemblance to thofe of New Zealand, both in their 

 perfons anddifpofition, than to any other people of this fa- 

 mily, fo it was flrongly fufpected, by Mr. Anderfon, that, 

 like them, they fUll continue to feaft on human flefli. The 

 evidence, on which he founds this opinion, has been flated 

 very fully in the tenth chapter of the third book * ; but, as 

 I always entertained great doubts of the jultice of his con- 

 clufions, it may not be improper to take this occafion of 

 mentioning the grounds on which I venture to differ from 

 him. With refpect to the information derived from the na- 

 tives themfelves, I mail only obferve, that great pains were 

 taken, by almoft. every officer on board, to come at the 

 knowledge of fo curious a circumftance ; and that, except 

 in the two inftances mentioned by Mr. Anderfon, we found 

 them invariably denying the exiflence of any fuch cuflom 

 amongfl: them. It muli be allowed, that Mr. Anderfon's 

 knowledge of their language, which was fupcrior to that 

 of any other perfon in either fliip, ought certainly to give his 

 opinion great weight j at the fame time, I mull beg leave to 



* See Vol. II. p. 209, 210 — 214. 



remark, 



