12 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
Though their ages appeared various;, the majority 
seemed to have j ust arrived at that period of human life, 
when the prospects of man are brightest, and the hopes 
of future happiness more distinct and glowing, than during 
any other portion of his existence; they were most of them, 
so far as we could judge, from fourteen to eighteen or 
twenty years of age; some were younger. We regarded 
them with a degree of melancholy interest, which for a 
time rendered us insensible to the beauties of nature 
every where spread before our eyes. Our passing, how- 
ei^er, appeared to affect them but little. The greater 
part of these unhappy beings stood nearly motionless, 
though we did not perceive that they were chained; some 
directed towards us a look of seeming indifference; others, 
with their arms folded, appeared pensive in sadness; while 
several, leaning on the ship’s side, were gazing on the 
green islands of the bay, the rocky mountains, and all the 
wild luxuriance of the smiling landscape; which probably 
awakened in their bosoms thoughts of ^^home and all its 
pleasures,” from which they had so recently been torn; 
and, judging of the future by the past short period of 
their wretched bondage, their minds were perhaps dis¬ 
tressed with painful anticipations of the toils and suffer¬ 
ings that would await them on the foreign shore they 
were approaching! 
Circumstances detained us at Rio Janeiro above six 
weeks, and although on our arrival we were perfect 
strangers, we experienced the greatest hospitality and 
kindness from the English merchants and other residents 
there. During the whole of our stay, two of these gentle¬ 
men accommodated us at their country houses, a few 
miles distant from the city, where all that friendship 
could devise for our enjoyment was generously furnished. 
