9:2 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
stretched i^forth his hand, and looking at the limbs of 
his body, said, ^^Here the wisdom of God is dis¬ 
played. I have hinges from my toes to my finger-ends. 
This finger has its hinges, and bends at my desire—^this 
arm, on its hinge, is extended at my will—by means of 
these hinges, my legs bear me where I wish; and my 
mouth, by its hinge, masticates my food. Does not 
all this display the wisdom of God 
The above will shew, more clearly than any 
declaration I can make, that the inhabitants of these 
distant isles, though shut out for ages from inter¬ 
course with every other part of the world, and deprived 
of every channel of knowledge, are, notwithstanding, by 
no means inferior in intellect or capacity to the more 
favoured inhabitants of other parts of the globe. These 
statements also warrant the anticipation that they will 
attain an elevation equal to that of the most cultivated 
and enlarged intellect, whenever they shall secure the 
requisite advantages. 
They certainly appear to possess an aptness for 
learning, and a quickness in pursuit of it, which is 
highly encouraging, although in some degree counteracted 
by the volatile disposition, and fugitive habits, of their 
early life, under the influence of which their mental 
character was formed. 
The moral character of the South Sea Islanders, though 
more fully developed than their intellectual capacity, 
often presents the most striking contradictions. Their 
hospitality has, ever since their discovery, been pro¬ 
verbial, and cannot be exceeded. It is practised alike 
by all ranks, and is regulated only by the means of the 
individual by whom it is exercised. A poor man feels 
himself called upon, when a friend from a distance visits 
