Ch. v. the Idands of the South Sea. 81 



ness of every kind of food ; and Mr. Anderson, 

 apparently after a very attentive investigation of 

 the subject, mentions the frequent recurrence of 

 famines. The Missionaries, on the contrary, 

 though they strongly notice the distress from this 

 cause in the Friendly Islands and the Marquesas, 

 speak of the productions of Otaheite as being in 

 the greatest profusion ; and observe that notwith- 

 standing the horrible waste committed at feast- 

 ings, and by the Eareeoie society, want is seldom 

 known.* 



It would appear, from these accounts, that the 

 population of Otaheite is at present repressed 

 considerably below the average means of subsis- 

 tence, but it would be premature to conclude that 

 it will continue long so. The variations in the 

 state of the island which were observed by Cap- 

 tain Cook in his different visits appear to prove 

 that there are marked oscillations in its prosperity 

 and population. % And this is exactly what we 

 should suppose from theory. We cannot imagine 

 that the population of any of these islands has for 

 ages past remained stationary at a fixed number, 

 or that it can have been regularly increasing, ac- 

 cording to any rate, however slow. Great fluc- 

 tuations must necessarily have taken place. Over- 

 populousness would at all times increase the na- 

 tural propensity of savages to war ; and the en- 

 mities occasioned by aggressions of this kind, 



* Missionary Voy. p. 195. Appen. p. 385. 

 f Cook's Second Voy. vol. i. p. 182, & seq. and 34C. 

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