290

GENERAL HABITS

that the women are by no means slaves to themen; it is, that the female chiefs are allowedto imitate the authority of the men, by havingtheir cow-fafi'ne, as the male chiefs have theircow-tangata : their cow-faftne consists of thewives and daughters of inferior chiefs and ma-tabooles, and it may be easily conceived thatsuch an association tends to support their rankand independence.

The subject we are now treating of naturallyleads us to speak of the more domestic habitsand manners of the people; but these may beconsidered in two points of view ; first, on thegrand and extensive scale, such as they arepresented to foreigners, by way of shewingthemselves off to the best advantage; and se-condly, in their more familiar, true, and unre-served state. With respect to the first, it wouldbe difficult to give a more correct and descrip-tive account than has already been given inCook’s Voyages, written principally by Mr #Anderson, and which we shall beg leave toquote, first, out of respect to its accuracy, andsecondly, because it involves a most interestingpoint of time, that in which the natives hadcome to the resolution of assassinating CaptainCook and his companions, as mentioned in page60 of this volume. Those places which require