244 REMARKS AND OPINIONS. 



would be of great advantage to the learned inqui- 

 rer, to undertake this work, to commit to writing 

 what the Owhyeeans know of themselves ; for 

 where monuments and letters are wanting, lan- 

 guages change under foreign influence, traditions 

 are lost, manners assimilate, and the European 

 will one day find on the Sandwich islands, new 

 Europeans, who will have forgotten their origin 

 and their ancestors. 



Of all the Europeans settled there, M. Marin 

 appears to possess the most extensive knowledge 

 of the people of Owhyee. He has studied it in 

 many respects and had occasion to compare and 

 enrich his observations on many voyages to other 

 islands in the South Sea, from Otaheite to the 

 Pelew islands. M. Marin had committed them 

 to paper, and we regret, with him, the loss of his 

 MSS. During our first stay at Hana-rura, he 

 promised to answer in writing several questions we 

 had put to him, and to give us his remarks on our 

 return. But we were deceived in the hopes he 

 had given us reason to entertain. He had not 

 been able to spare time for this work, and during 

 our second stay, he was so mucli engaged with the 

 ships lying in the harbour, that we were able to en- 

 joy his instructive conversation only for a few mo- 

 ments. 



M. Marin regretted the recent death of an old 

 man at Woahoo who was particularly acquainted 

 witli the aucicnt traditions of his people, and with 



