A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

is the love of ornament in our species. "The methods to obtain them from us were very different, andconsequently not always equally successful. When we distributed a few beads to one set of people,some young fellows would impudently thrust their hands in between them, and demand their share,as though it had been their due; these attempts we always made it our business to discourage by aflat refusal. It was already become difficult to deny a venerable old man, who, with a hand not yetpalsied by age, vigorously pressed ours, and with a perfect reliance upon our good-nature, whisperedthe petition in our ears. The elderly ladies, in general, made sure of a prize by a little artful flattery.They commonly enquired for our names, and then adopted us as their sons, at the same timeintroducing to us the several relations, whom we acquired by this means. After a series of littlecaresses, the old lady began, Aima poe-èetee no te tayo mettua? "Have you not a little bead for yourkind mother?" Such a trial of our filial attachment always had its desired effect, as we could not failto draw the most favourable conclusions from thence in regard to the general kind disposition of thewhole people: for to expect a good quality in others, of which we ourselves are not possessed, is arefinement in manners peculiar to polished nations. Our other female relations in the bloom ofyouth, with some share of beauty, and constant endeavours to please, laid a claim to our affectionsby giving themselves the tender name of sisters; and all the world will agree that this attack wasperfectly irresistible." But it must not be imagined that the fair sisters in this happy island, any morethan elsewhere, were exempt from certain ruder passions, by which, at times, they seem to vie withthe lords of the creation. Mr F. has preserved a very characteristic trait of such a spirit of dominationin his account of one of the Potatow's wives, which may be read, but it is to be hoped will not beimitated, by any of our female friends. "Polatehera," says Mr F. "was so like him in stature and bulk,(one of the tallest and stoutest men in the island,) that we unanimously looked upon her as the mostextraordinary woman we had ever seen. Her appearance and her conduct were masculine in thehighest degree, and strongly conveyed the idea of superiority and command. When the Endeavourbark lay here, she had distinguished herself by the name of Captain Cook's sister, and one day, beingdenied admittance into the fort on Point Venus, had knocked down the sentry who opposed her, andcomplained to her adopted brother of the indignity which had been offered to her." Altogether,however, this gentleman is the eulogist of the natives and country of Otaheite, and admits, that heleft them with great regret. We shall conclude our extracts from his description, by the followingremarks as to the language:--"Many of them seeing us desirous of learning their language, by askingthe names of various familiar objects, or repeating such as we found in the vocabularies of formervoyages, took great pains to teach us, and were much delighted when we could catch the justpronunciation of a word. For my own part, no language seemed easier to acquire than this; everyharsh and sibilant consonant being banished from it, and almost every word ending in a vowel. Theonly requisite, was a nice ear to distinguish the numerous modifications of the vowels which mustnaturally occur in a language confined to few consonants, and which, once rightly understood, give agreat degree of delicacy to conversation. Amongst several observations, we immediately found thatthe O or E with which the greatest part of the names and words in (the account of) Lieutenant Cook'sfirst voyage, is nothing else than the article, which many eastern languages affix to the greater partof their substantives." He applies this observation to the name of the island which he thinks has beenfortunately expressed by M. Bougainville in French, by Taiti, without the initial vowel usually givento it in English books.--E.SECTION XII.An Account of the Reception we met with at Huaheine, with the Incidents that happened while the Ships laythere; and of Omai, one of the Natives, coming away in the Adventure.As soon as we were clear of the bay, and our boats in, I directed my course for the island of Huaheine,where I intended to touch. We made it the next day, and spent the night, making short boards under thenorth end of the island. At day-light, in the morning of the 3d, we made sail for the harbour of Owharre; inwhich the Resolution anchored, about nine o'clock, in twenty-four fathoms water. As the wind blew out of