1759-} 
, 
fons, preferves them from that fuperb bat- 
tology which we call thesrichnefs of Jan- 
euage, and whichmakes us lofe, in the la- 
byrinth of words, the juftnels of percep- 
tions, and the promptitude of judgement. 
The Otaheitean, on the contrary, names 
mmmediately the object which he perceives; _ 
and the tone in. which he pronounces the 
name of this object, has already exprefled 
the manner in which he is affected by it. 
A few words make a rapid converfition. 
The operations of the foul, the movements 
of the heart, are ifochronous with the frit 
movements of the lips. He who fpeaks, 
_ and he who hears, are always in unifon. 
Let it not be thought here, however, 
that we are {peaking of a Horde’ of xude 
and ftupid favages. Every operation per- 
formed by them bears the ftamp of the 
moft perfect intel ligence.;, Canoes of a 
conftruction which has no knowa model; 
their directien regulated. by the infpection 
of the ftars;) vaft houles, of an, elegant 
form, commodious and regular; a very 
eurious art of weaving their linen; the 
Fruit-trees ranged judicioufly intheir fields, 
which haye all the agreeable afpect of our 
erchards and’ plantations, without’ their 
tedious» uniformity; all the dangerous 
places on their coaits pointed out by buoys 
and no&turnal ‘li¢hts, in favour of thofe 
who are pafline on the fea; all their plants, 
known and diitinguifhed by names which 
mdicate even their affinities; the inftru- 
ments of thejr arts, although drawn from 
rude materials, are fit fo be compared with 
eurs in the choice of forms. and. certitude, 
of their. operations,: fuch are. the rights 
which they already poffefs to our efteem, 
notwithftanding the, little time we. have 
had to be acquainted with them. 
The induftry with which they han-- 
dled and examined the iron; the horror 
they exprefled for knives and {ciTors, as 
they feemed to divine the ill ufe which 
might be made of them; the cagernefs 
they teftined in taking the dimenfions. of 
our boats, floops, fails, tents, barrels, in 
a word, ,of .whatever they thought they 
could advantageoufly imitate, excited 
equally our,curiofity and ingenuous, ad. 
miration. 
Their averfion to wine and. liquors. 
was invincible,.. Sage in every thing, they. 
receive their aliment and. drink fairhfully 
from the hands of nature. They have 
neither fermented liquors nor boiled mefl- 
es: of courfe, I never faw more beautidul 
teeth, nor finer carnation colours. 
Some of their chiefs were adinitted to 
our tables.. They would have an account 
to be given them of every plate which was 
brought on the tables, If a leguminous 
¢ 
Commerfon's Defeription of Otahettes ‘ 
534 
plant feemed good, they immediately afked 
for fome of the grains of it, and, on receiv 
ing them, wifhed to learn how and where 
they were to be fown, and how long they 
weuld be in coming to maturity. Our 
bread appeared to them excellent; but we 
muff fliew them the grain of- which it was 
made, the method of pulverifing it, of 
converting the meal into pafte, and-of fer- 
menting and baking it. All thefe pre- 
cefies were foilowed up and feifed: in the 
detail; moft frequently it.was fufScient te 
tell them half of the thing; the other they 
had already foreteen and divined. . 
Several of their manufactures have 
the appearance of being borrowed origi- 
nally trom the Europeans.» Thus the art 
of knitting drag-nets and putting them 
together as we do; the practice of bleed- 
Ing, made with {plinters of nacre (mother 
of pearl) fharpened:in the form of lancets; - 
the re‘emblance of: their feats to thofe 
which our joiners make, very low, on four 
feet, and without a back, forchildren ; their 
cords; their*lines made of the fibres of 
vegetables; their trefles of hair; their 
hooks; their bafkets, made in the form of 
hermieties; the copes which pals about 
the necks of the men, in form of a Dalma- 
tica; their paflion for ear-pendents and 
bracelets ; the {pecies of caltanets whicia 
they make with pearl oyfters; their flutes 
which refemble ours, but which they find 
it more convenient to play with the nofe; 
with other ufages, which taken feparately 
ettablith nothing, but collectively . they 
feem to forma feries of imitations of Euro. 
pean modes; or ti ne Geek 24 
Y thall not quit my dear Otaheiteans, a 
nation which f refpe st, till T have exculpa- 
ted them from an injuflice which fas been 
done them-in treating. them as. thieves. 
It is true, for I, will diflemble nothing, — 
that they, have carried off a number of 
things trom-us, and that with a dexterity 
which would do-honour to the moft dex. 
terous’ pick-pockeéts in Paris’; but the 
right of property has no exiftence in a ftate 
of nature: it is a matter of pure conven- 
tion. The Otaheitean, who has nothing 
ot his own, who offers and gives generoufly 
whatever he fees defirable, Knows nothing 
of this exclufive richt, nor’of the mutuat 
conyention on which it is founded :' how 
therefore can he merit the infamous name 
of thief ?--One of their princes wha vilited 
us wos a pleafant robber; with one hand 
he took away a nail, a glafs, or a bifcuit, 
to give it with the other tothe firft of 
his own people whom he met, from whom 
he took bananas, hens, and hogs, to bring 
them to ps. 
** As to what re‘pedts the fimplicity 
of 
