174 GENERAL ACCOUNT OF SOUTH SEA ISLANDS CH. vn 



the names and rank of the different Eatuas, or divinities, the 

 origin of the universe and all its parts, etc. This knowledge 

 has been handed down to them in set sentences, of which 

 those who are clever can repeat an almost infinite number. 



Besides religion, the practice of physic and the knowledge 

 of navigation and astronomy is in the possession of the 

 priests : the name indeed, Tahowa, signifies a man of 

 knowledge, so that even here the priests monopolise the 

 greater part of the learning of the country in much the 

 same manner as they formerly did in Europe. From their 

 learning they gain profit as well as respect, each in his 

 particular order ; for each order has priests of its own ; nor 

 would those of the manahounis do anything for a toutou 

 who is below them. 



Marriage in these islands is no more than an agreement 

 between man and woman, totally independent of the priest ; 

 it is in general, I believe, well kept, unless the parties agree 

 to separate, which is done with as little trouble as they came 

 together. Few people, however, enter this state, but rather 

 choose freedom, though bought at the inhuman expense of 

 murdering their children, whose fate is in that case entirely 

 dependent on the father, who if he does not choose to 

 acknowledge both them and the woman, and engage to con- 

 tribute his part towards their support, orders the child to be 

 strangled, which is instantly put in execution. 



If our priests have excelled theirs in persuading us that 

 marriage cannot be lawful without their benediction having 

 been bought, they have done it by intermingling it so far 

 with religion that the fear of punishment from above secures 

 their power over us ; but these untaught persons have 

 secured to themselves the profit of two operations without 

 being driven to the necessity of so severe a penalty on the 

 refusal, viz. tattowirig and circumcision; neither of these 

 can be performed by any but priests, and as the highest 

 degree of shame attaches to the neglect of either, the people 

 are as much obliged to make use of them as if bound by the 

 highest ties of religion, of which both customs are totally 

 independent. They give no reason for the tattowing but 



