cocoa-nuts. Females were not allow pork, fish, and many other kinds of f wife must not even dress her food at fire with her husband, neither must the same board with him, or enter or that of her father or brother. Sic were sometimes tabued; in which cas dared approach them, not even the friend or relative; and they were left in the open field, within the sight an of their friends, who afforded then shelter nor solace.

Although this whole system of o was in the hands of the priests an and they managed it at their pleasu suit their own purposes, yet any vi it was considered an offence against Their fury could only be appeased by and sacrifice of the offender; and means, he escaped such a fate, he ever after in fear of some judgment sooner or later overtake him. Whate he was called to suffer in after life, or ever death he might die, he was loo by his friends as paying a just penal transgressions.

The purposes which this system o tions was made to answer, by the ha capricious chiefs, were such as to lower classes with incessant fear. fice was wanted, and no criminal a tabu was laid, of such a nature, and ur

circumstances, that it must almost necessarily be broken; but if this device failed, another tabu was secretly laid, and the person who unconsciously violated it, was immediately seized, and dragged to the bloody altar. The following fact will serve as an example of this species of cruelty and deception. A priest having privately laid a tabu on the edge of the water, near which stond several houses, a canoe was sent around into the bay, directly in front of them. When arrived there, the boat was intentionally overturned, and one of the men who had been in it, feigning himself to be drowning, an old man from one of the houses, moved by sympathy for his perilous condition, sprang into the water to render him assistance. But at the instant of this generous act, he was seized by a servant of the priest, hurried to a neighbouring temple, and there inhumanly slain as a sacrifice. When this object was accomplished, the frowning man entered his canoe and rowed way.

Distressing as were the effects of the tabu ystem on the people at large, it was made to ear with peculiar rigour upon females. How vretched, for instance, was the lot of a wife! hut out from the habitation of her husband, nd deprived, in a great measure, of the comorts of home, and the sympathies of him who hould have supported and protected her,

look for kindnogg and friend

ship? Hard, indeed, was her fate alike of the enjoyments of this of the animating hopes which b Christian's prospect, as he looks other.

The evils arising from this sour possible, enhanced by the practice my; one husband having many w is an evil of which we can have n ception. It is the bane of human destroys at once the sacredness of between husband and wife; sacrific er enjoyments of domestic happine all that is social; and breaks tha which binds the parent to the ch child to the parent. The connexi the parents themselves, resulting finement of feeling, is strengthene cred obligation, and may be disso time, and upon the slightest pret dreadful consequences which fol system, are beyond the power of Even could the connexion betwee band and the wife be made per situation of females and children be deplorable.

But the effects of the tabu sys polygamy, by no means end with suffering of those against whom th to bear. Wherever they prevail, pect to see a universal prostra the kind feelings of our natures

ted together to will

every article that came within th and to deprive the sufferers of the tion of their property that escaped t "When I went," says Mr. Richard morning, I found the owners of th with their families, sitting on mats i air, where they had all slept during The people were collected round not from sympathy or kindness. The families were rather the subjects o than of pity. I returned to our hou noon took four malos in my hand, again to the spot. I found the fami fore, except that they had a sheet of drawn as an awning over their heads, them from the very oppressive heat which was now vertical. There we two hundred people standing around gave to each of the men under the malo. The people all seemed asto my making the presents, for they co no cause for it. Some said, 'What foreigner is, to make presents to t men." Others said, 'He expects give him something, by and by; the are all cunning men.' One inqu much earnestness, Did you think t were chiefs?' I answered, 'No.' quired again, with increasing inter what have they ever given you?' I Nothing.' Said he, They are po very poor; why should you give any