1769. are drawn towards each other, and fastened together with their strongest cord, fo as to form a kind of Gothic arch, which is completely thatched quite to the ground, being open only at the ends; they are fometimes fifty or fixty paces long. As connected with the navigation of these people, I fhall mention their wonderful fagacity in foretelling the weather, at least the quarter from which the wind fhall blow at a future time; they have several ways of doing this, of which however I know but one. They fay, that the Milky-way is always curved laterally; but fometimes in one direction, and fometimes in another: and that this curvature is the effect of its being already acted upon by the wind, and its hollow part therefore towards it; so that, if the fame curvature continues a night, a correfponding wind certainly blows the next day. Of their rules, I fhall not pretend to judge; but I know that, by whatever means, they can predict the weather, at least the wind, with much greater certainty than we can. In their longer voyages, they fteer by the fun in the day, and in the night by the flars; all of which they diftinguish separately by names, and know in what part of the heavens they will appear in any of the months during which they are visible in their horizon; they also know the time of their annual appearing and disappearing with more precision than will easily be believed by an European aftronomer, СНАР. CHA P. XIX. Of the Divifion of Time in Otaheite; Numeration, Computation of Distance, Language, Difeafes, Difpofal of the Dead, Religion, War, Weapons, and Government; with fome general Obfervations for the Use of future Navigators. W E were not able to acquire a perfect idea of their method of dividing time; but obferved, that in speaking of it, either past or to come, they never used any term but Malama, which fignifies Moon. Of these moons they count thirteen, and then begin again; which is a demonstration that they have a notion of the folar year: but how they compute their months fo that thirteen of them shall be commenfurate with the year, we could not difcover; for they say that each month has twenty-nine days, including one in which the moon is not visible. They have names for them feparately, and have frequently told us the fruits that would be in feafon, and the weather that would prevail, in each of them; and they have indeed a name for them collectively, though they use it only when they speak of the mysteries of their religion. Every day is fubdivided into twelve parts, each of two hours, of which fix belong to the day, and fix to the night. At these divifions they guess pretty nearly by the height of the fun while he is above the horizon; but there are few of them that can guess at them, when he is below it, by the ftars. 1769. Time. VOL. II. G g In 1769. Numbers, Language. In numeration they proceed from one to ten, the number of fingers on both hands; and though they have for each number a different name, they generally take hold of their fingers one by one, shifting from one hand to the other till they come to the number they want to exprefs. And in other inftances, we obferved that, when they were converfing with each other, they joined figns to their words, which were fo expreffive that a stranger might easily apprehend their meaning. In counting from ten they repeat the name of that number, and add the word more; ten, and one more, is eleven; ten, and two more, twelve; and so of the rest, as we say one and twenty, two and twenty. When they come to ten and ten more, they have a new denomination, as we fay a score; and by thefe fcores they count till they get ten of them, when they have a denomination for two hundred; and we never could discover that they had any denomination to exprefs a greater number: neither, indeed, do they seem to want any; for ten of these amount to two thousand, a greater number than they can ever apply. In measuring distance they are much more deficient than in computing numbers, having but one term which answers to fathom; when they speak of diftances from place to place, they exprefs it, like the Afiatics, by the time that is required to pass it. Their language is foft and melodious; it abounds with vowels, and we easily learnt to pronounce it: but found it exceedingly difficult to teach them to pronounce a single word of ours; probably not only from its abounding in confonants, but from fome peculiarity in its ftructure; for Spanish and Italian words, if ending in a vowel, they pronounced with great facility. Whether Whether it is copious, we were not fufficiently acquainted with it to know; but it is certainly very imperfect, for it is almost totally without inflexion, both of nouns and verbs. Few of the nouns have more than one cafe, and few of the verbs more than one tenfe; yet we found no great difficulty in making ourselves mutually understood, however ftrange it may appear in speculation. They have, however, certain affixa, which, though but few in number, are very useful to them, and puzzled us extremely. One asks another, Harre hea?" Where are you "going?" the other anfwers Ivahinera, "To my wives;" upon which the first repeating the answer interrogatively, "To your wives?" is answered, Ivahinereira; "Yes, I am go"ing to my wives." Here the fuffixa era and eira save sevcral words to both parties. I have inferted a few of their words, from which perhaps fome idea may be formed of the language. 1769. 230 Ahou, Avee, Ahee, another like chefnuts. 1769. Vaee, Poe, wild plantains. Eupea, Poe matawewwe, pearl. Malama, a garment. Whettu, a low ifland. Eno, blood. A, a net. the fun. the moon. a ftar. a comet. the sky. a cloud. good. bad. yes. no. Erai, Eatta, Miti, bone. Ima, Aeo, flesh. Paree, ugly. |