252 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
preceding the subversion of paganism, not less 
than two-thirds of the children were massacred ! 
A female, who was frequently accustomed to wash 
the linen for our family, had thus cruelly destroyed 
five or six. Another, who resided very near us, 
had been the mother of eight, of which only one 
had been spared. But I will not multiply instances, 
which are numerous in every island, and of the 
accounts of which the recollection is most distinct. 
I am desirous to establish beyond doubt the belief 
of the practice, as it is one which, from every con¬ 
sideration, is adapted to awaken in the Christian 
mind liveliest gratitude to the Father of mercies, 
strongest convictions of the miseries inseparable 
from idolatry, tenderest commiseration for the 
heathen, and vigorous efforts for the amelioration 
of their wretchedness. 
The universality of the crime was no less painful 
and astonishing than its repeated perpetration by 
the same individuals. It does not appear to have 
been confined to any rank or class in the commu¬ 
nity ; and though it was one of the indispensable 
regulations of the Areoi society, enforced on the 
authority of those gods whom they were accus¬ 
tomed to consider as the founders of their order, it 
was not peculiar to them. It was perhaps less 
practised by the raatiras, or farmers, than any other 
class, yet they were not innocent. I do not recol¬ 
lect having met with a female in the islands, during 
the whole period of my residence there, who had 
been a mother while idolatry prevailed, who had 
not imbrued her hands in the blood of her 
offspring. I conversed more than once on the 
subject with Mr. Nott, during his recent visit to 
his native country. On one occasion, in answer 
to my inquiry, he stated, that he did not recollect 
