THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
249 
alio inter their human facrifices; but they do not offer, or 1778. 
expofe any other animal, or even vegetable, to their Gods, t _ Ft?|br ^ ar ^ 
as far as we know. Thofe of Otaheite do not inter their 
dead, but expofe them to wafle by time and putrefaction, 
though the bones are afterward buried; and, as this is the 
cafe, it is very remarkable, that they fhould inter the entire 
bodies of their human facrifices. They alfo offer other 
animals, and vegetables, to their Gods; but are, by no 
means, attentive to the flate of the facred places, where thofe 
folemn rites are performed; moil of their Morals being in a 
ruinous condition, and bearing evident marks of negledl. 
The people of Atooi, again, inter both their common dead, 
and human facrifices, as at Tongataboo; but they refemble 
thofe of Otaheite, in the flovenly flate of their religious 
places, and in offering vegetables and animals to their Gods. 
The taboo alfo prevails in Atooi, in its full extent, and 
feemingly with much more rigour than even at Tongataboo. 
For the people here always afked, with great eagernefs and 
figns of fear to offend, whether any particular thing, which 
they defired to fee, or we were unwilling to fhew, was taboo , 
or, as they pronounced the wojd, tafoof The mala , rati, or 
forbidden articles at the Society 1 Hands, though, doubtlefs, 
the fame thing, did not feem to be fo ftri6tly obferved by 
them, except with refpedl to the dead, about whom we 
thought them more fuperftitious than any of the others 
were. But thefe are circumflances with which we are not, 
as yet, fufhciently acquainted, to be decifive about; and I 
fhall only juft oblerve, to fhew the fimilitude in other mat¬ 
ters, connected with religion, that the priefts, or tahounas , 
here, are as numerous as at the other iflands; if we may 
judge, from our being able, during our fhort flay, to diftin- 
guifh feveral, faying their poore, or prayer. 
Vol.II. Kk 
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