28 HISTORY OF 



prevent their eating any fish or meat that day. 

 During the whole ceremony, the name of the 

 deceased is. never mentioned, and the night 

 after, two natives sit up to watch the grave. 



And when the body is to be burnt, the cere- 

 mony is the same till it reaches the grave, in 

 which is laid twigs and brush-wood, large logs 

 being piled round it, about three feet high ; 

 some grass h spread over the pile, the body 

 js then put on it, with its head to the North ; 

 logs of wood arc then placed over the Avhole, 

 which is instantly set fire to and consumed. 

 The next day the ashes are raked together, co- 

 vered with mould, over which is placed the bark 

 of a tree. 



They have a truly horrid accompaniment to 

 these ceremonies, when a mother leaves a young 

 child, and no one can be found to nurse and 

 suckle it, which is, for the father, or nearest re- 

 lation, to place the child in the grave directly 

 after the mother, and dashing a large stone on 

 the infant, the grave is instantly covered up by 

 the natives, and thus both are burnt together. 

 To this cause may be partly assigned the 

 great want of population among the natives. 

 This cruel ceremony is however never per- 

 formed if any nurse can be found, or any person 

 will engage to become its father, though its 

 real father is alive : a man thus agreeing to 

 become a father to the child, in case of the 

 mother's death, reminds me nearly of what we 

 call godfathers, only with this t^ruly essential 



