588
were told alfo that four of the natives were gone away in her, whofe names were De-bededea—Paoodou—Tanadooee—and Opahiah.—At this time, they conjettured thiswas a French fhip, but on their arrival at the Cape of Good Hope , they learned that{he was a Spaniard, which had been feilt out from America . The Otaheiteans com-plained of a difeafe communicated to them by the people in this fhip, which they faidaffected the head, throat, and ftomach, and at length killed them. They feemed todread it much, and were continually enquiring if they had it.—This fhip they diftin-guifhed by the name of Pahai no Pep-pe, (fhip of Peppe) and called the difeafe Apa noPep-pe, juft as they call the venereal difeafe Apa no Pretane, (Englifh difeafe), thoughthey, to a man, fay it was brought to the ifle by M. de Bougainville; but they thoughtM. de Bougainville came from Pretane, as well as every other fhip which has touched atthe ifle.
The ifland of Otaheite , which in the year 1767 and 1768, as it were, fwarmed withhogs and fowls, was now fo ill fupplied with thefe animals, that hardly any thing couldinduce the owners to part with them.
The people here feem to be as happy as any under heaven; and well they may, for theypoffefs not only the neceflaries; but many of the luxuries of life in thegreateft profufion.
As Captain Cook had fome reafon to believe, that amongft their religious cuftoms,human facrifices were fometimes confidered as neceffary, he went one day to a Maraiin Matavia, in company with Captain Furneaux ; having with them, as they had uponall other occafions, one of their own men who fpoke their language tolerably well, andfeveral of the natives, one of whom appeared to be an intelligent fenfible man. In theMarai was a Tupapow, on which lay a dead corpfe and fome viands. He began withafking queftions relating to the feveral objects before him ; if the plantains, &c. werefor the Eatua ? If they facrificed to the Eatua, hogs, dogs, fowls, &c. To all of whichhe anfwered in the affirmative.
The man of whom he made thefe enquiries, as well as fome others, took fome painsto explain this cuftom to them ; but they were not matters enough of their language tounderftand them. He has fince learnt from Omai, that they offer human facrifices tothe Supreme Being. — According to his account, what men fhall be fo facrificed, de-pends on the caprice of the high prieft, who, when they are affembled on any foletnnoccafion, retires alone into the houfe of God , and ftays there fome time. When heconies out, he informs them that he has feen and converfed with their great God , (thehigh prieft alone having that privilege,) and that he has afked for a human facrifice, antells them that he has defired fuch a perfon, naming a man prefcnt, whom moft probablythe prieft has an antipathy againft. Ifte is immediately killed, and fo falls a victim mthe prieft’s refentment, who, no doubt (if neceffary) has acldrefs enough to perfuade thepeople that he was a bad man. ,
Great injuftice has been done to the women of Otaheite and the Society Ifles, Ythofe who have reprefented them, without exception, as ready to grant the laft favourto any man who will come up to their price. But this is by no means the cafe; 1favours of married women, and alfo the unmarried of the better fort, are as difficultbe obtained here as in any other country whatever. Neither can the charge be u .flood indifcriminately of the unmarried of the lower clafs, for many of thefe admitno fuch familiarities. That there are proftitutes here as well as in other countries, ^very true, perhaps more in proportion, and fuch were thofe who came on board{hips, and frequented the poft the people had on fliore. By feeing thefe mix t0minately with thofe of a different turn, even of the firft rank, one is, at firft, inclinethink that they are all difpofed the fame way, and that the only difference is in the p r ^' t