xliv 



PREFACE. 



posed to view a well-proportioned bosom, and deli- 

 cate arms, might also contribute to fan their amo- 

 rous fire ; and the view of several of these nymphs 

 swimming nimbly round the ship, such as nature 

 had formed them^ was perhaps more than sufficient 

 to subvert the little reason which a mariner might 

 have left to govern his passions."* 



Captain Wilson, another English voyager, who 

 went out on a Missionary voyage, to the South Sea, 

 in the ship Duff, in speaking of the practice of the 

 females, of using leaves for coverings, archly ob- 

 serves, " The knavish goats were guilty of a very 

 great offence with regard to the poor young maidens^ 

 for they would not leave them even the little cloth- 

 ing they had : they flocked round them to get at the 

 green leaves, till most of them were left entirely in 

 their native beautv.*'t 



Similar passages to those just given, abound in 

 all the English voyages to this portion of the globe^ 

 Avitliout exception. Quotations that would fill a 

 volume, might be made, from Byron, Wallis, Car- 

 teret, and a hundred others. But it is now time to 

 turn to Cook's voyages, to which particular atten- 

 tion ought to be paid, for reasons before mentioned. 

 The author will content himself with one or two 

 extracts, referring to others, equally worthy of note, 

 though his limits will only permh of the following : 



" x^mong these Indians we saw many women 

 whose lips were of a blackish hue, and their cheeks 

 were painted with a lively red. They had large 

 knees, and slender, bandy legs, owing to a want of 

 exercise, and sitting in their canoes cross-legged. 

 The ladies were very agreeable to our crews, who 

 had no opportunity of indulging an intercourse with 



Forster, vol. 2. p. 135, and vol. 1. 54, 55. S^c Ibifl. p. 265. Pee 

 iilso vol. 1. p. 260, 57, &c. 



+ Wjj.son^ as <)notefl by J/angrsdorfi', p P4- 



