4:7^ 



1^ E M A R K S 



O N 



THE 



AR^T S 

 AND 



SCIENCES 



thoy -CQixid by no means determine with any degree of 



how many years they had lived : for they think it fatisfadion enough 



to live long, without minutely keeping an account of their age, 



r 

 I 



months or years. When Capt. Cook came to O-Taheitee in the 

 year 1769, he-fav/ Tootaha and calls him a middle aged man ; * 



no doubt the younger brother of O-A 



d H 



I 



who both were grey-headed m 1774, when we came to Taheitee; 

 their mother was flill alive, and in my opinion between 60 and 70, 

 flie had white hair, and was very corpulent, and feemed fUll to 

 retain fo much vigour and flrength, as to render it probable that 



fhe might live feveral years. 



They have no doubt, in thefe ifles dii^afes, but as far as I am 

 able to judge, from what I faw, difeafes are lefs numerous, and 

 lefs common, than in our climates and focieties. And many reafons 



w 



may be affigned, which may induce us to believe the inhabitants 

 more happy, and lefs fubjed to that croud of difeafes, infelling our 



V I 



communities, and cauling generally fuch a havock among our 

 Europeans, as mufl fhock even the feelings of the moft intrepid 

 philofopher, or the moft indolent beholder 3 for they are nothing 

 lefs than fcenes of death varied in many hundred fhapes. 



They all live in a climate which muft be efteemed excellent j 



I 



for if you do not ufe immoderate exercife, and purpofely expofe 



yourfelf 



^ ftawkefworth, vol. ii. p» 84, 



