TAHITI. 15. 



mythology of the island, embodied in the superstitious tales still occa- 

 sionally current among its inhabitants. It is to be hoped that they 

 will preserve a record of these, before they are obliterated by their 

 exertions to destroy the ancient superstition. But they would have 

 succeeded sooner in eradicating the practice of reciting these legends, 

 had they provided a substitute in works of fiction, inculcating moral 

 and religious lessons, or teaching useful knowledge. So also, while 

 it was indispensable to put down those amusements which were the 

 means or incentives to debauchery, this measure ought to have been 

 accompanied by the introduction of innocent modes of recreation. 

 For want of the first resource, much time is now spent in unmeaning 

 gossip, and the necessity for the other is often shown in a listless 

 idleness. 



No attempt has been made by the missionaries to introduce the 

 mechanic arts, or improvements in agriculture, yet it cannot be 

 doubted, that to have taught them even the simplest of these, would 

 have materially aided the progress of civilization, and reacted favour- 

 ably upon that of religion. The failure of a cotton manufactory, with 

 expensive machinery, which was erected on the island of Eimeo, 

 affords no argument against the probable success of less complex arts. 

 The natives were not prepared to pass at once from habits of desultory 

 exertion, to the regular and stated occupation of the mill. But the 

 spinning-wheel, the hand-loom, and the plough, would not have required 

 such a decided change, in the number of hours of labour, and would 

 have served as a preparation for more continuous industry. The two 

 former implements have at length been introduced by other hands, and 

 have already been adopted with eagerness by some of the natives. 



The change of dress which has been introduced by the missionaries 

 and other foreigners, has, on the contrary, had an injurious effect on 

 the industry of this people. While they wore their native tapa, the 

 fabric, though of little value, gave employment to numbers of women ; 

 and this change of dress, intended as an advance in civilization, has 

 had the effect of superseding employments which formerly engaged 

 their attention, and occupied their time. The idleness hence arising, 

 and the artificial wants thus created, have no little influence in perpe- 

 tuating licentiousness among the females, to whom foreign finery is a 

 great temptation. The European dress, at least as worn by them, is 

 neither as becoming, nor as well adapted to the climate as that which 

 it has almost superseded. Many of the missionaries now see these 

 things in their true light, and informed me that they were endeavouring 

 to pursue a more enlightened course. 



Upon the whole, although the missionaries may be chargeable with 



