expired without a figh or groan, or any kind of motion fufficient to alarm his wife, and those friends that fat round his bed. During his whole fickness, he was never heard to utter one repining word, but expreffed, in all his behaviour, an entire refignation to the divine will; and, in all the farewells he bid to his friends and relations, he was never feen to fhed a fingle tear, or fhew any mark of forrow; he would often check his wife when he beheld her weeping, and expreffed his confidence in God's promises, whenever he spoke of her children, which is fomewhat remarkable. His truly polite behaviour continued to manifeft itself to the laft; he never afked for a drop of drink to wet his lips with, but with the utmost politenefs; and he treated every body around him with that fame sweetness and ease that was fo peculiar and natural to him through life. Some Account of the Religion of the South Seas, taken from the Appendix to the firft Miffionary Voyage, in the Years 1796, 1797, and 1798. T DEITIES OF THE SOUTH SEAS. HOUGH the world was at firft of one fpeech and one religion, all confeffing Jehovah in triune exiftence, the true tradition began foon to be obfcured. On the difperfion of mankind, gods many and lords many were created. The Eaft, amidft its thoufand deities, ftill preferved fome traces of the triune God. Whoever reads the ingenious Mr. Morris's account of India, will receive fingularly curious information on this subject. However abfurd the notions of deity and creation may appear, now retained by the Otaheiteans, the moft polished nations of Greece and Rome devoutly embraced equal abfurdities. It fhould afford matter of great thankfulness, that we have been rescued from the darkness of idolatry. So far at leaft hath the world been indebted to Chriftianity, that wherever this hath prevailed, before it every idol hath mouldered into dust. The deities of Otaheite are nearly as numerous as the perfons of the inhabitants. Every family has its tee, or guardian fpirit, whom they fet up, and worship at the morai; but they have a great god, or gods of a fuperior order, denominated FWHANOW Po, born of night. The general name for deity, in all its ramifications, is EATOOA. Three are held fupreme; ftanding in a height of celeftial dignity that no others can approach unto: and, what is more extraordinary, the names are perfonal appellations: 1. Tāne, te Medōoa, the Father. 2. Oromattow, 'Tooa tee te Myde, 3. Taroa, Mannoo te Hooa, To these, the dii majores, they only address their prayers in times of greatest distress, and feasons of peculiar exigency, fuppofing them too exalted to be troubled with matters of lefs moment than the illness of a chief, ftorms, devaftations, war, or any great calamity. Indeed, fear and fuffering feem to be more powerful motives to worship than gratitude. The house of these fwhanow po, is at Oparre, where the chief earie rahie refides. The following names of other gods are collected: Orohho, Otoo, Tamaharro, Tey'eree, Orouhatoo, Ohawhow, Tamma, Toaheite, Vaveah. For general worship they have an inferior race, a kind of dii penates. Each family has its tee or guardian spirit : he is fuppofed to be one of their departed relatives, who, for his fuperior excellences, has been exalted to an eatooa. They fuppofe this fpirit can inflict fickness or remove it, and preserve them from a malignant deity who alfo bears the name tee, and is always employed in mifchief. They have a tradition, that once in their anger, the great gods broke the whole world into pieces; and that all the islands around them are but little parts of what was once venōoa nõe, the great land, of which their own island is the eminent part. A curious converfation held with Männe Manne, the high priest, and Taatā Orēro, the orator and oracle of the country for tradition, is as follows, interpreted by the Swede Andrew: In the beginning, Tane took Tarōa, and begat Avye, fresh water; Atye, or Te Myde, the fea; alfo Awa, the water spout; Matai, the wind; Arye, the fky; and Pō, the night; then Mahanna, the fun, in the fhape of a man called Oerōa Tabōoa: when he was born, all his brethren and fifters turned to earth; only a daughter was left, by name Townoo; fhe became the wife of Oerōa Tabōa, by whom the conceived thirteen children, who are the thirteen months: 1. Papeeree; 2. Ownoonoo; 3. Paroromooa; 4. Paroromoree; 5. Mooreeha; 6. Heaiha; 7. Taoa; 8. Hoorororera; 9. Hooreeama; 10. Teayre; 11. Tetai; 12. Waeaho; 13. Weaha. • Townoo now returned to earth, and Oerōa Tabōoa embraced a rock called Poppoharra Harreha, which conceived a fon named Tetooboo amata hatoo; after which the rock returned to its original ftate, and the father of the months himself died, and went to duft. The fon he left embraced the fand of the sea, which conceived a fon of the name of Tee, and a daughter called Opeera; then he alfo died, and returned to the earth. Tee took his fifter Opeera to wife, who produced a daughter Oheera, Reene, Moonoa; the mother died, and the father furvived in her illness the entreated her husband to cure her, and fhe would do the fame for him if he fell fick, and thus they might live for. ever; but the husband refused, and preferred her daughter, whom, on her decease, he took for his wife. daughter bore him three fons, and three daughters; the fons, Ora, Wanoo, Tytory; the daughters, Hennatoomorrooroo, Henaroa, Noowya. The father and mother dying, the brothers faid, Let us take our fifters to The wife, and become many. So men began to multiply upon the earth. Refpecting a future ftate, they fuppofe no perfon perifhes or becomes extinct. They allow no punishment after death, but degrees of eminence and felicity, as men have been here moft pleafing to the deity. They regard the spirits of their ancestors, male and female, as exalted into eatōoas, and their favour to be fecured by prayers and offerings. Every ficknefs and untoward accident they esteem as the hand of judgment for fome offence committed; and therefore, if they have injured any person, they fend their peace-offering, and make the matter up: and, if fick, fend for the priest to offer up prayers and facrifices to pacify the offended eatōoa; giving any thing the priests afk, as being very reluctant to die. But if they find their cafe defperate, they take leave of their friends, and commend them to the guardian fpirits, exhorting them to be more careful of offending them than they themselves had been. When the fpirit departs from the body, they have a notion it is fwallowed by the eatōoa bird, who frequents their bu rying-places and morais; and paffes through him in order to be purified, and be united to the deity. And fuch are afterwards employed by him to attend other human beings, and to inflict punishment, or remove fickness, as fhall be judged requifite. The evil demon named Tee, has no power but upon earth; and this he exercifes by getting into them with their food, and caufing madness or other diseases; but thefe they imagine their tutelar faints, if propitious, can prevent or remove. They believe the ftars were the children of the fun and moon, attributing every fubflance to procreative power; and when the fun and moon are eclipfed, they suppose them in the act of copulation; and pretend to foretel, from their appearance at fuch times, the future events of war, fickness, or the like. They imagine, when a ftar fhoots (as we call it), it is the Eatōoa: that in the moon there is a vaft country with trees and fruits; that a bird of Otaheite once flew up thither, and, ate of the fruit; and on his return, dropped fome of the feeds, from which a great tree fprang, of which the bird ftill eats, and of no other. With regard to their worship, Captain Cook does the Otaheiteans but juftice in' faying, they reproach many who bear the name of Chriftian. You fee no inftances of an Otaheitean drawing, near the Eatōoa with careleffness and inattention; he is all devotion; he approaches the place of worship with reverential awe; uncovers when he treads on facred ground; and prays with a fervour that would do honour to a better profeffion. He firmly credits the traditions of his ancestors. None dares difpute the existence of deity. They put great confidence in dreams, and fuppofe in fleep the foul leaves the body under the care of the guardian angel, and moves at large through the regions of fpirits. Thus they fay, My foul was fuch a night in fuch a place, and faw fuch a spirit. When a perfon dies, they fay his foul is fled away harre pō, gone to night. It is fingular, that Pomarre declared to the Miffionaries that he had, before their arrival, been dreaming about the Speaking-book, which they should bring from the Eatōoa. They entertain a high idea of the power of fpirits. In the beautiful and romantic view of Taloo harbour, the remarkable peaked mountain is faid to be but a part of the original one. Some fpirits from Ulietea had broken off the other half, and were tranfporting it down. the bay, in order to carry it away with them, but, being overtaken by the break of day, they were obliged to drop it near the mouth of the harbour, where it now ftands confpicuous as a rock; for, like the elves and fairies of our ancestors, thefe fpirits walk and work by night. Their fuperftitious notions of this kind are endless; unhappily, their most unnatural and cruel cuftoms are connected with them, and they are tenacious of the worst, fearing the neglect of thefe, though inadvertently, would bring down the difpleasure of the Eatōoa upon. them, and expole them to fickness or death. |