Chap. VII. The Extinction of Races. 1 87 



"island." This is almost exactly the same averiige as wibh the 

 Tasmanians at Oyster Cove. Jarves, who published his History 

 in 1843, says that " families who have three children are freed from 

 ■' all taxes ; those having more, are rewarded by gifts of land and 

 " other encouragements." This unparalleled enactment by the 

 government well shews how infertile the race had become. The 

 Eev. A. Bishop stated in the Hawaiian ' Spectator ' in 1839, that a 

 large proportion of the children die at early ages, and Bishop 

 Staley informs me that this is still the case, just as in New 

 Zealand. This has been attributed to the neglect of the childi-en 

 by the women, but it is probably in large part due to innate weak- 

 ness of constitution in the children, in relation to the lessened 

 fertility of their parents. There is, moreover, a further resem- 

 blance to the case of New Zealand, in the fact that there is a 

 large excess of male over female births : the census of 1872 

 gives 31,650 males to 25,247 females of all ages, that is 125'36 

 males for every 100 females; whereas in all civilised countries 

 the females exceed the males. No doubt the profligacy of the 

 women may in part account for their small fertility ; but their 

 changed habits of life is a much more probable cause, and which 

 will at the same time account for the increased mortality, 

 especially of the children. The islands were visited by Cook in 

 1779, by "Vancouver in 1794, and often subsequently by whalers. 

 In 1819 missionaries arrived, and found that idolatry had been 

 already abolished, and other changes effected by the king. After 

 this period there was a rapid change in almost all the habits of 

 life of the natives, and they soon became " the most civilised of 

 " the Pacific Islanders." One of my informants, Mr. Coan, who 

 was born on the islands, remarks that the natives have undergone 

 a greater change in their habits of life in the course of fifty years 

 than Englishman during a thousand years. From information 

 received from Bishop Staley, it does not appear that the 

 poorer classes have ever much changed their diet, although 

 many new kinds of fruit have been introduced, and the sugar- 

 cane is in universal use. Owing, however, to their passion for 

 imitating Europeans, they altered their manner of dressing at 

 an early period, and the use of alcoholic drinks became very 

 general. Although these changes appear inconsiderable, I can 

 well believe, from what is known with respect to animals, that 

 they might suffice to lessen the fertility of the natives.^' 



" The foregoing statements are Islands,' 1851, p. 277. Ruschen- 



taken chiefly from the following berger is quoted by Bonwick, 'Last 



works : ' Jarves' History of the of the Tasmanians,' 1870, p. ,378. 



Hawaiian Islands,' 1843, p. 400-407. Bishop is quoted by Sir E. Belcher, 



Oheever. ' Life in the Sandwich ' Vdviigi- Uuund the World,' 1843, 



