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"its immensity. Moving quickly onwards for CHAP. "weeks together, we meet with nothing but the "same blue, profoundly deep ocean. Even within VOYAGES "the archipelagoes, the islands are mere specks, COVERY. "and far distant from one another. Accustomed "to look at maps drawn on a small scale, where dots, shadows, and names, are crowded together, "we do not rightly judge how infinitely small the "proportion of dry land is to the water of this "vast expanse." *

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The principal observatory for the Transit was established by Cook on the northern cape of Otaheite, which, from thence, was called Point Venus. During the interval between Wallis's departure and Cook's arrival, the island had been visited by a French circumnavigator, M. de Bougainville, who applied a similar appellation from a wholly different train of ideas- he surnamed it a realm of loveLA NOUVELLE CYTHERE.

The residence of Cook at Otaheite during three whole months allowed him ample opportunities to observe the country and the people. Few regions of the earth appear so highly favoured by Nature. Nearly round the island, but at some distance from its shores, there extends a reef of coral rocks, within which the islanders may safely fish or disport themselves in their canoes. Within it there is also room and depth for any number of the largest ships. The glowing sunshine is tempered

* Darwin's Journal, December 19. 1835.

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OF DISCOVERY.

This,

CHAP. by the lofty peaks in the centre of the island, and by sea-breezes from a vast expanse on every side. VOYAGES The light soil, watered by many a sparkling rivulet from the mountains, brings forth, almost without culture, and in inexhaustible profusion, the richest fruits for the use of man- as the cocoa-nut, the sugar-cane, the Chinese mulberry, and bananas of thirteen kinds. There was no European fruit nor grain of any sort. But the want of it was supplied by a rare and special gift of Providence to these South Sea islanders- the bread-fruit tree. in its trunk and branches, has been compared to an oak, in its foliage to a fig-tree; and the fruit is about the size and shape of a child's head. The rind being removed, there appears within a soft and spongy substance, white as snow, which, when divided into portions, and roasted, affords nearly the taste and the nourishment of bread. Thus, at Otaheite did a few turns before a fire supersede our manifold processes, which, from the tools that they require, are connected with so many processes more of ploughing, sowing, harrowing, reaping, storing, thrashing, grinding, baking, — and, in late years at least, legislating!

--

The race of men who were found inhabiting this island were, for the most part, tall, well-propor tioned, and handsome; their complexion of a clear

light olive. Their mild, intelligent looks, and

* See, however, as against the bread-fruit, the forcible remarks of Dr. Johnson; Boswell's Life, under the date May 7. 1773.

their gentle manners, seemed far indeed removed CHA P. from the common ferocity of savages. But they

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OF DISCOVERY.

had the barbaric practice of drawing upon their VOYAGES bodies various patterns by small punctures—a practice which they, and we from them, denominate Tattooing. Their dress consisted of either cloth or matting; the former made from the bark of trees. In wearing it (but on that point civilised nations and barbarians well agree) they had rather more regard for fashion than for use; thus Cook observed of the chiefs, that whenever they came to visit him, they had folded round their loins as much cloth as would suffice to clothe a dozen people while the rest of their bodies was quite bare.

"It has been remarked," says a recent traveller, "that it requires only little habit to make a dark "skin more pleasing and natural to the eye of an

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European than his own colour. A white man bathing by the side of an Otaheitean was like a plant bleached by the gardener's art, compared "with a fine dark-green one growing vigorously in "the open fields."*

To the Otaheiteans, the use of letters or the art of writing were utterly unknown. They had no metal whatever, all their tools being made of stone, shells, or bone. This was of the less importance to them, since they required no tillage, nor any but the lightest toil. It was observed of them, at this time, that to catch fish was their chief labour, and

* Darwin's Journal, November 15. 1835. VOL. VI.

F F

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OF DISCOVERY.

CHAP. to eat it their chief luxury. Their houses, sufficient for such a climate, were no more than a thatch of VOYAGES palm leaves, raised a little way on poles, and open at all sides. They had no tame quadrupeds besides hogs and dogs. Both of these they cooked for food, by a process of small ovens and hot stones; "and in my opinion," adds Captain Wallis, "the "meat is better in every respect than when it is "dressed any other way."* Having no vessel in which fluids could undergo the action of fire, and their climate being unvisited by frosts, they had as little idea that water could ever be made hot as that it could ever be made solid. At breakfast, on board the ship, a hissing tea-urn was to them an incomprehensible mystery; and one Otaheitean, who on that occasion slightly scalded his own hand, was gazed at by the rest with terror and

amazement.

The longer residence of Captain Cook enabled him to become acquainted with their language. He describes it as soft and melodious, and easy to pronounce. It bears little or no affinity to those of the Old World, but was found, though with great varieties of dialect, extending to New Zealand, and over many of the archipelagoes of the South Sea.

For their religion, the Otaheiteans believed in two great deities, or first beings, by whom all other

Hawkesworth's Voyages, vol. i. p. 484. Captain Cook says he same. (vol. ii. p. 197.)

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OF DISCOVERY.

beings were produced. The year was, they said, CHAP. the daughter of these; the year begot the months, and the month begot the days. The stars, as they VOYAGES supposed, were partly the offspring of the first pair, but partly, also, had increased among themselves. They had an hereditary priesthood; and, according to their own avowal, the horrible practice of human sacrifices.* Most of their other rites related to their sepulchral monuments, which they called Morais; their dead being neither burned, nor buried, nor yet embalmed, but, at least in some cases, laid out to decay above ground.

For their government they had one supreme and many subordinate chiefs. But the lesser peninsula (for Otaheite consists of two connected by a narrow neck of land) acknowledged a different sway. Between both sanguinary wars were sometimes waged, in which little mercy was shown even to women or children. Their chiefs, as their priests, were hereditary, of either sex, but of fluctuating authority. Thus, for example, when Captain Wallis first discovered the island, he saw a woman of middle age, named Oberea, whom, from the demeanour of the people towards her, he supposed to be their Queen; but during the later visits of Captain Cook Oberea had declined from her high estate, and was little regarded.

* Cook's Second Voyage, vol. i. p. 185. This does not seem to have been suspected during his first visit, nor yet during Captain Wallis's.