530 



REMARKS 



O N 



THE 



ARTS 

 AND 



SCIENCES 



names of the months and days, but knew them only imperfedly, 

 having taken no pains to preferve their knowledge ; but thofe pro- 

 fefled teachers, (Tahata-orrero J were more pcrfed:. However 

 there muft have been a time when this knowledge was firft intro- 

 duced among them, and that man who was its author muft have- 

 had patience to attend with unwearied application to the fludy of 



the heav 



d the motion of the heavenly bodies, and b 



endued with fagacity to difcover the true length of the folar or 

 bread-fruit year, and the duration of lunations, together with 

 the beginning of the new moons. The direction in which the 



L 



remote iflands are fituated, which they know is a bufmefs of the 



\ 



greateft difficulty, and required a remarkable fkill, refledion, and 



combination of feveral incidental points;, which evidently fhews, 

 that this man had very flrong natural parts, and had ufed himfelf 



life 



and the 



to apply them to the various occurrences of his 



r 



objeds furrounding him. It might perhaps be urged, that this 

 knowledge had been moil: probably carried, along with them from 

 Afia and the more civilized nations of that continent. Though 

 this perhaps might be allowed in regard to other fciences, yet 

 their knowledge of afl:rononiy< and geography, or their ikill in 



determining with nicety the true fituation of ifle 



the diftance 



Qf 400 leagues from their own country, and dire(5ling the courfe 



o£ 



\ 



