414 TAHITI. [chap, xviii. 



faces. The prohibition of the flute and dancing is inveighed 

 against as wrong and foolish ; — the more than presbyterian man- 

 ner of keeping the sabbath is looked at in a similar light. On 

 these points I will not pretend to offer any opinion, in opposition 

 to men who have resided as many years as I was days on the 

 island. 



On the whole, it appears to me that the morality and religion 

 of the inhabitants are highly creditable. There are many who 

 attack, even more acrimoniously than Kotzebue, both the mis- 

 sionaries, their system, and the effects produced by it. Such 

 reasoners never compare the present state with that of the island 

 only twenty years ago ; nor even with that of Europe at this 

 day ; but they compare it with the high standard of Gospel per- 

 fection. They expect the missionaries to effect that which the 

 Apostles themselves failed to do. In as much as the condition 

 of the people falls short of this high standard, blame is attached 

 to the missionary, instead of credit for that which he has effected. 

 They forget, or will not remember, that human sacrifices, and 

 the power of an idolatrous priesthood — a system of profligacy 

 unparalleled in any other part of the world — infanticide a conse- 

 quence of that system — bloody wars, v/here the conquerors 

 spared neither women nor children — that all these have been 

 abolished ; and that dishonesty, intemperance, and licentiousness 

 have been greatly reduced by the introduction of Christianity. 

 In a voyager to forget these things is base ingratitude ; for 

 should he chance to be at the point of shipwreck on some un- 

 known coast, he will most devoutly pray that the lesson of the 

 missionary may have extended thus far. 



In point of morality, the virtue of the women, it has been often 

 said, is most open to exception. But before they are blamed too 

 severely, it will be well distinctly to call to mind the scenes de- 

 scribed by Captain Cook and Mr. Banks, in which the grand- 

 mothers and mothers of the present race played a part. Those 

 who are most severe, should consider how much of the morality 

 of the women in Europe, is owing to the system early impressed 

 by mothers on their daughters, and how much in each individual 

 case to the precepts of religion. But it is useless to argue against 

 such reasoners ; — I believe that, disappointed in not finding the 

 field of licentiousness quite so open as formerly, they will not 



