The Descent of Man

ding to Dr. Ruschenberger of the U.S. Navy,
who visited these islands between 1835 and
1837, in one district of Hawaii, only twenty-five
men out of 1134, and in another district only
ten out of 637, had a family with as many as
three children. Of eighty married women, only
thirty-nine had ever borne children; and "the
official report gives an average of half a child to
each married couple in the whole island." This
is almost exactly the same average as with the
Tasmanians at Oyster Cove. Jarves, who published
his History in 1843, says that "families
who have three children are freed from all
taxes; those having more, are rewarded by gifts
of land and other encouragements." This unparalleled
enactment by the government well
shews how infertile the race had become. The
Rev. A. Bishop stated in the Hawaiian 'Spectator'
in 1839, that a large proportion of the children
die at early ages, and Bishop Staley informs
me that this is still the case, just as in
New Zealand. This has been attributed to the