H 



U 



M 



A 



N 



S 



P 



E 



C 



I 



E 



429 



« 9 



Haooen to be brethren or relations, join together in maintaining MANNERS 





+ 



one woman, and they ufed to excufe themfelves that they had no 

 women enough. Strange and unnatural as this cuflom may appear 



however 



lefs true, and owes its 



g 



undoubtedly 



P 



caufes 



In the 



ty of Ch 



r 

 I 



Bukaria, and India 



women 



mufE 



where men are ufed to marry more than one wife, 



J 



naturally grow fcaree, being taken by main force or addrefs, or by 



L 



commerce : it is no wonder therefore that feveral men are obliged 

 to maintain but one wife. Eafler-ifland, when if was difcovered in^ 



r 



1722, by Roggewein contained many thoufands of inhabitants.* 

 The Spaniards found in 1770 about 3000 people on it, -f* and 



we in 1774, fcarcely 900 



•f 



This gradual diminution of 



inhabitants is^ a lingular appearance ^ but what is flill more 

 remarkable, is, that among thefe 900 there were but about 50 

 women in all :. fo that the number of men to that of women was as 



17 ta 



*' Mr. Dalrymple's Colleftion of Voyages, vol. li. p. gi, and 112; 

 ^ See Mr. Dalrymple's Letter to Dr. Hawkefvvorth, London, 4t° 1773? P^ge 34t' 

 % Captain Cook's Vo3^age towards the South Pole, and round the World, vol. r, p. 289. 

 It IS fald, '* The inhabitants of this ifland do not feem to exceed fix or feven hundred 

 *' fouls, and above two. thirds of thofe we favv, were males.'' The difproportion betwcca 

 men and women is undoubtedly greater. Capt. Cook was lickly, and did not join the 

 e>:p:dition over the ifland, being too weak. I am certain their houfes contained no 



women concealed :. and am equally fure that all the women I &v, did not exceed fifty; 

 nor is it probable that they had reflrained theis females from appearing during our ftay^i, 

 as they were by no means of a jealous dlfpofitiou*. 



N 



^ 



/ 



