A Letter on Otaheite. 2S5 



These vain speculations however, which are created and sustain- 

 ed by nothing but the difficulty of raising the veil of the past, are 

 immediately refuted, with regard to the inhabitants of the South Sea 

 Islands, by the remarkable traditions, which are still preserved 

 among them, some passages, from which I have transcribed for your 

 perusal. These passages, I have taken from the article, on the sub- 

 ject of their religion, contained in the work alluded to, before. The 

 article itself begins thus : 



" Who could have believed, that among nations so barbarous, as 

 th5se that inhabit the Islands in the South Sea, there should be dis- 

 covered, the ancient doctrines that there is only one God; that he 

 is the soul of the Universe ; that it is he, that imparts life and in- 

 telligence to every thing thai lives and has nnderstanding ; that he 

 is^ at the same time, both cause and effect ; that he is both active 

 and passive ; both substance, and what aiiimates substance ; in a 

 word, that he alone, is all, and in all; both creation, and the crea- 

 tor; the great mover of life, as well as motion and action. But 

 let us hear how the traditions remaining among them speak on these 

 subjects. The translations of them, which I have subjoined to the 

 traditions in their original language, which is here expressed in let- 

 ters agreeably to English orthography, contain as near an approxi- 

 mation, as I could make to their meaning, as understood by the na- 

 tives themselves. 



" Pah-rah-hee, Tah-ah-ro-ah, tee-ee-o-ah. Ro-to, eah 



There was an immense being, so he was called. He sustained 



te ah-e-ne. Ah-ee-tah fanuah ; ah-ee-tah rah-ee ; 



himself in immmensity. There was no earth ; there was no heaven ; 



ah-ee-tah tah-ee ; ah-ee-tah, tah-ah-tah ; Tee-ah-o-rah 



there was no sea ; there was no man ; The Supreme being or 



Tah-ah-ro-ah; ee nee-ah ; Fah-ah-ree-ro, 



Tah-ah-ro-ah called ; but there was no answer ; Being alone in 

 no-ah, ee— ho— rah, o— ee— ah ee te ho e nah— ree— ah i. 

 existence, he transformed himself into the universe." 



In some of the other Islands, there is this variation. " He called 

 to the east, but there was no answer ; he called to the north, but 

 there was no answer ; he called to the west, but there was no an- 

 swer; he called to the south, but there was no answer; then being 

 alone in existence he transformed himself into the universe." 



This is an extract from their traditions in relation to the creation 

 of the world. I would gladly give you the whole of it, but my lim- 



