I3<5 
A VOYAGE TO 
1777. in the meat; nor miift too great a quantity be packed toge- 
ther at the firft faking, left the pieces in the middle fhould 
heat, and, by that means, prevent the fait from penetrating 
them. This once happened to us, when we killed a larger 
quantity than ufual. Rainy, fuitry weather, is unfavour¬ 
able for falling meat in tropical climates. 
Perhaps, the frequent vilits Europeans have lately made 
to thele illanders, may be one great inducement to their 
keeping up a large Rock of hogs, as they have had expe¬ 
rience enough to know, that, whenever we come, they may 
be fure of getting from us what they efteem a valuable con- 
lideration for them. At Otaheite, they expect the return of 
the Spaniards every day ; and they will look for the Eng- 
lifli, two or three years hence, not only there, but at the 
other illands. It is to no purpofe to tell them, that you 
will not return. They think you mull; though not one of 
them knows, or will give himfelf the trouble to inquire, 
the reafon of your coming. 
I own, I cannot avoid expreffing it as my real opinion, 
that it would have been far better for thefe poor people, 
never to have known our fuperiority in the accommodations 
and arts that make life comfortable, than, after once know¬ 
ing it, to be again left and abandoned to their original inca¬ 
pacity of improvement. Indeed, they cannot be reftored to 
that happy mediocrity in which they lived before we difco- . 
vered them, if the intercourfe between us fhould be difcon- 
tinued. It feems to me, that it has become, in a manner, 
incumbent on the Europeans to vilit them once in three or 
four years, in order to fupply them with thofe convenien- 
cies which we have introduced among them, and . have 
given them a predilection for. The want of fuchuccalional 
fupplies will, probably, be felt very heavily by them, when 
it 
