374 
A VOYAGE TO 
1777- Feejee, as we were told, lies three days fail from Tonga- 
- —; _» taboo, in the direction of North Weft by Weft. It was de¬ 
scribed to us as a high, but very fruitful bland; abounding 
with hogs, dogs, fowls, and all the kinds of fruit and roots 
that are found in any of the others ; and as much larger 
than Tongataboo; to the dominion of which, as was re- 
prefented to us, it is not fubjedt, as the other illands of this 
archipelago are. On the contrary, Feejee and Tongataboo 
frequently make war upon each other. And it appeared, 
from feveral circumftances, that the inhabitants of the lat¬ 
ter are much afraid of this enemy. They ufed to exprefs 
their fenfe of their own inferiority to the Feejee men, by 
bending the body forward, and covering the face with their 
hands. And it is no wonder, that they fhould be under 
this dread; for thofe of Feejee are formidable on account 
of the dexterity with which they ufe their bows and flings; 
but much more l'o, on account of the favage pradtice to 
which they are addicted, like thofe of New Zealand, of 
eating their enemies, whom they kill in battle. We were 
fatisfied, that this was not a mifreprefentation. For we met 
with feveral Feejee people at Tongataboo, and, on inquir¬ 
ing of them, they did not deny the charge. 
Now, that I am again led to fpeak of cannibals, let me 
alk thofe who maintain, that the want of food firft brings 
men to feed on human flelh, What is it that induceth the 
Feejee people to keep it up, in the midft of plenty ? This 
this is the very name by which the inhabitants of the Caroline Iflands diflinguifh their prin¬ 
cipal men. We have, in two preceding notes, inferted pafiages from Father Cantova’s 
account of them, where their Tamoles are fpcken of; and he repeats the word at leaft a dozen 
times, in the courfe of a few pages. But I cannot avoid tranfcribing, from him, the fol¬ 
lowing very decifive teftimony, which, renders any other quotation fuperfluous. “ L’auto- 
“ ritie du Gouvernement fe partage entre plufieurs families nobles, dont les Chefs s’ap- 
“ pellent Tamoles. II y a outre cela, dans chaque province, un principale Tamole , auquei 
tC tous les autres font foumis.” Lettres Edijiantes et Curieufes y Tom. xv. p. 312. 
3 pradtice 
