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veral Pahies that came from other iilands. Of one of these I fhall give the exact dimenfions from a careful admeasurement, and then particularly defcribe the manner in which they are built.

Feet, Inches,

Extreme length from stem to ftern, not
reckoning the bending up of either 51
Breadth in the clear of the top forward
Breadth in the midships

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Height of her head from the ground,

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Height of the stern from the ground

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1769..

a a is the first seam,

bb the fecond, and cc the third.

F 4

The

1769.

The first stage or keel, under a a, is made of a tree hollowed out like a trough; for which the longest trees are chofen that can be got, fo that there are never more than three in the whole length: the next stage, under bb, is formed of ftraight plank, about four feet long, fifteen inches broad, and two inches thick: the third stage, under cc, is, like the bottom made of trunks, hollowed into its bilging form; the last is also cut out of trunks, fo that the moulding is of one piece with the upright. To form these parts feparately, without faw, plane, chiffel, or any other iron tool, may well be thought no easy task; but the great difficulty is to join them together.

When all the parts are prepared, the keel is laid upon blocks, and the planks being fupported by ftanchions, are fewed or clamped together with ftrong thongs of plaiting, which are passed several times through holes that are bored with a gouge or auger of bone, that has been defcribed already; and the nicety with which this is done, may be inferred from their being fufficiently water-tight for ufe without caulking. As the platting foon rots in the water, it is renewed at least once a-year; in order to which, the vessel is taken entirely to pieces. The head and ftern are rude with refpect to the defign; but very neatly finished, and polished to the highest degree.

These

These Pahies are kept with great care, in a kind of house built on purpose for their reception; the houses are formed of poles fet upright in the ground, the tops of which 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 shall 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; fo that, if the fame curvature continues a night, a corresponding 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 stars; all of which they distinguish separately by names, and

know

1769.

1769. 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.

CHAP.

CHAP. XIX.

Of the Divifion of Time in Otaheite; Nume ration, Computation of Distance, Language, Difeafes, Difpofal of the Dead, Religion, War, Weapons, and Government; with Some general Obfervations for the Ufe 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 thefe 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 commensurate with the year, we could not discover; for they fay that each month has twenty-nine days, including one in which the moon is not visible. They have names for them separately, and have frequently told us the fruits that would be in season, and the weather that would prevail, in each of them; and they have indeed a name for them collectively, though they use it only

176.

Time.

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