309. "In May, the oysters caft their spawn, (which nalty is fet upon any that fhall deftroy the clutch, the dredgers call their spats); it is like to a drop is because they find, that if that be taken away, of candle, and about the bignefs of a halfpenny, the oufe will increase, and the mufcles and cockThe fpat cleaves to ftones, old oyfter-fhells, pieces les will breed there, and deftroy the oysters, they of wood, and fuch like things, at the bottom of having not whereon to ftick their fpat. The oyl the fea, which they call clutch. It is probably ters are fick after they have fpat; but in June and conjectured, that the fpat in 24 hours begins to July they begin to mend, and in Auguft they are have the fhell. In May, the dredgers (by the law perfectly well: the male oyfter is black fick, havof the admiralty court) have liberty to catch all ing a black fubftance in the fin; the female whiteoysters, of what fize foever. When they have fick (as they term it), having a milky fubftance in taken them, with a knife they gently raise the small the fin. They are falt in the pits, falter in the brood from the clutch, and then they throw the layers, but falteft at fea." The oyfter affords the clutch in again, to preferve the ground for the curious in microfcopic obfervations a very pleafing future, unless they be fo newly fpat, that they can- entertainment. In the clear liquor many little not be fafely fevered from the clutch; in that cafe round living animalcules have been found, whofe they are permitted to take the ftone or fhell, &c. bodies being conjoined, form fpherical figures that the fpat is upon, one fhell having many times with tails, not changing their place otherwife than 20 fpats. After May, it is felony to carry away by finking to the bottom, as being heavier than the clutch, and punithable to take any other oyf- the fluid; thefe have been feen frequently sepaters, unlefs it be those of size, (that is to fay) a- rating, and then coming together again. In other bout the bignefs of an half-crown piece, or when, oyfters, animalcules of the fame kind were found, the two fhells being fhut, a fair fhilling will rattle not conjoined, but fwimming by one another, between them. The places where thefe oyfters whence they seemed in a more perfect state, and are chiefly catched, are called the Pent-Burnham, were judged by Mr Leeuwenhoek to be the aniMalden, and Colne waters; the latter taking its malcules in the roe or femen of the oftyer. A fename from the Colné, which paffes by Colchef male oyfter being opened, incredible multitudes ter and gives name to that town. (See COLNE.) of fmall embryo oyfters were feen, covered with This brood and other oyfters they carry to the little fhells, perfectly transparent, and fwimming creeks of the fea, at Brickelfea, Merfy, Langno, along flowly in the liquor; and in another female, Fiugrego, Wivenho, Tolefbury, and Saltcoaft, the young ones were found of a browner colour, and there throw them into the channel, which and without any appearance of life or motion. they call their beds or layers, where they grow M. Joblot alfo kept the water running from oyfand fatten; and in two or three years the fmalleft ters three days, and it appeared full of young oyfbrood will be oysters of the size aforefaid. Thofe ters fwimming about nimbly in it; these increased oyfters which they would have green, they put in fize daily; but a mixture of wine, or the vainto pits about three feet deep in the falt-marshes, pour of vinegar, killed them. In August oyfters which are overflowed only at fpring-tides, to are fuppofed to breed, because young ones are which they have fluices, and let out the falt-wa- then found in them. Mr Leeuwenhoek, on the ter until it is about a foot and half deep. Thefe 4th of Auguft, opened an oyster, and took out of pits, from fome quality in the foil co-operating it a prodigious number of minute oyfters, all alive, with the heat of the fun, will become green, and and fwimming nimbly about in the liquor, by communicate their colour to the oysters that are means of certain exceeding fmall organs, extendput into them in 4 or 5 days, though they com- ing a little way beyond their fhells; and thefe he monly let them continue there fix weeks or two calls their beards. In these little oysters, he could months, in which time they will be of a dark difcover the joinings of the fhells; and perceived green. To prove that the fun operates in the that there were fome dead ones, with their fhells greening, Tolesbury pits will green only in fum- gaping. Thefe, though so extremely minute, are mer; but that the earth hath the greater power, feen to be as like the large oysters in form as one Brickelfea pits green both winter and fummer: egg is to another. As to the fize of them, he and for a further proof, a pit within a foot of a computes that 120 of them in a row would extend greening.pit will not green; and thofe that did an inch; and confequently, that a globular body, green very well, will in time lofe their quality. whofe diameter is an inch, would, if they were The oyfters, when the tide comes in, lie with alfo round, be equal to 1,728,000 of them. He their hollow fhell downwards; and when it goes reckons 3000 or 4000 are in one oyster, and found out, they turn on the other fide: they remove many of the embryo oyfters among the beards; not from their place, unless in cold weather, to fome faftened thereto by flender filaments, and cover themselves in the oufe. The reason of the others lying loofe: he likewife found animalcules scarcity of oyfters, and confequently of their dear- in the liquor 500 times lefs than the embryo oyf. nefs, is, because they are of late years bought up ters. It is not very uncommon to fee on oyfterby the Dutch. There are great penalties by the fhells, when in a dark place, a fhining matter or admiralty court laid upon thofe that fish out of bluish light, like a flame of brimftone, which thofe grounds which the court appoints, or that fticks to the fingers when touched, and continues deftroy the clutch, or that take any oyfters that fhining and giving light for a confiderable time, are not of fize, or that do not tread under their though without any fenfible heat. This fhining feet, or throw upon the fhore, a fish which they matter being examined with a microscope, was call a five finger, resembling a spur-row!, because found to confift of three forts of animalcules; the that fifh gets into the oysters when they gape, firft whitish, and having 24 or 25 legs on a fide, and fucks them out. The reason that fuch a pe- forked, a black speck on one part of the head, the bagk back like an eel with the fkin ftripped off. The fecond fort, red, refembling the common glowworm, with folds on its back, but legs like the former; a nose like a dog's, and one eye in the head. The third fort, fpeckled, with a head like a fole, with many tufts of whitish hairs on the fides of it. Some much larger and greyish might be feen, having great heads, two horns like a fnail and 6 or 8 whitish feet; but thefe did not feem to fhine. (1.) * OSTRICH. n. f. [autruche, Fr. ftruthio, Lat.] Ostrich is ranged among birds. It is very large, its wings very thort, and the neck about four or five fpans. The feathers of its wings are in great efteem, and are ufed as an ornament for hats, beds, canopies they are ftained of feveral colours, and made into pretty tufts. They are hunted by way of couffe, for they never fly; but ufe their wings' to affift them in running more fwiftly. The oftrich fwallows bits of iron or brafs, in the fame manner as other birds will swallow fmail ftones or gravel, to affift in digefting or com, minuting their food. It lays its eggs upon the ground, hides them under the fand, and the fun hatches them. Calmet.-I'll make thee to eat iron like the offrich, and swallow my fword like a great pin, ere thou and I part. Shak.-Gayeft thou the goodly wings unto the peacock? or wings and feathers unto the ofrich? Job, xxxix. 13.-Their oftrich ftomachs make their fwords their meat. Cleav.-Modern oftriches are dwindled to mere larks. Arbuthnot. (2.) OSTRICH. See STRUTHIO. (1.) OST RICONI, a river of France, in Corfica, which runs into the fea, near (2.) OSTRICONI, a town in the ifland and dep. of Corfica, 22 miles WSW. of Baftia. OSTRINGER. See AUSTURCUS. OSTROVAZZO, GREAT, and two towns in the Zerimagna. The latter has walls. OSTROVIZZA, a town in Dalmatia (See DALMATIA), which fome fuppofe to be the fame as Arauzona, and others the STLUPI of the ancients. It was purchafed in 1410 by the republic of Venice, for 5000 ducats, and fome pieces of land befides. Its fortrefs, which was feated on a rock perpendicularly cut all round, and defervedly reckoned impregnable before the use of artillery was taken by Soliman in 1524, but soon after returned under the dominion of Venice. At prefent, no traces of its fortification remain, and it is only a bare and infulated mafs. There are fome natural curiofities about the place. Ash trees, mushrooms, and vipers abound. OSTUNI, a town of Naples, in Otranto, with a bishop's fee. Its territory is well cultivated, and abounds with olives and almonds. It is feated on a mountain, near the Gulph of Venice: 16 miles NW. of Brindici, and 24 NE. of Tarento. Lon. 17. 49. E. Lat. 49. 59. N. OSTURCUS. See AUSTURCUS. (1.) OSWALD, ST, the first Christian king of Northumberland, during the Heptarchy. He totally defeated CADWALL, the British monarch, at the village named from him SÅ OSWALD, (See N° 2.) but was afterwards defeated and killed by PENDA, K. of Mercia, at OsWESTRY, on the sth Aug. 642. The Pagan barbarian, Penda, cut his body in pieces, and expofed them on stakes, in the field, as trophies of his victory. The priests, therefore, ranked him as a faint and martyr, and OSTRITZ, a town of Lufatia, 8 miles S. of pretended to confirm his faint fhip by miracles. Gorlitz. OSTROE, one of the FERRO ISLANDS. - OSTROFF, MEDNOI. See MEDNOI. OSTROGOTHIA, or EAST GOTHLAND, a province of Sweden, the E. divifion of Gothland. See GOTHLAND, No 1. § i. OSTROGOTHS, or EASTERN GOTHS. See GOTHS; ITALY, § 6, 7; and THEODÓRIC. OSTROGOZSK, a town of Ruffia, in Voronez; 40 miles S. of Voronez. Lon. 56. 48. E. Ferro. Lat. 51. o. N. OSTROGZEK, a town of Poland, in Volhynia; 18 miles SW. of Berdiczow. OSTROKOLLA, a town of Pruffia; 80 miles SE. of Konigsberg. OSTROLENKA, a town of Poland, in Masovia; 48 miles NE. of Warfaw. OSTROSINA, a town of Croatia, 12 miles SE. of Carlstadt. OSTROV, a town of Ruffia, in Pfkov, on the Velika. Lon. 46. o. E. of Ferro. Lat. 57. 20. N. OSTROVA, LYSSIE. See Fox ISLANDS; KAMTSCHATKA, § 9; and LYSSIE. (2.) OSWALD, ST, a village of Northumberland, near the Picts Wall, N. of Hexham; where K. OSWALD fet up the firft crofs in Northumberland, in gratitude for his victory. (See N° 1.) OSWANSLO, a town of Sweden, in Geftricia. OSWEGATCHY, a lake and river of New York. The latter runs into the St Lawrence, in Lon. 75. 28. W. Lat. 44. 43. N. (1.) OSWEGO, a fort of North America, on the S. fide of the lake Ontario. Lon. 70. 35. N. Lat. 45. 15. N. (2.) OSWEGO, a river of New York, which runs from lake Oneida; thence meandering W. receives the SENECA; after which, turning NNW. it falls into Lake Ontario, at Fort Ofwego. Its whole courfe is 75 miles. It abounds with falmon. (3, 4) OSWEGO, a town and fort of New York, on the E. coaft of Lake Ontario. Lon. 76.36. W. Lat. 43. 22. N. (5.) OSWEGO TEA. See MONARDA. ÖSWEICZEN, or a town of Poland, in CraOSWEIZEN, Scovia. It carries on a great trade in falt, and is feated on the river Viftula, 15 miles SW. of Cracus. Lon. 19. 47. E. Lat. 5o. 1. N. OSWESTRY, an ancient town of England, in Salop; 174 miles from London; with a caftle, a wall, and a ditch. It was anciently a borough, and is celebrated in Saxon hiftory and legendary piety; (for for the defeat and death of K. Ofwald. (See Os- 52. N. OSYMANDES, or a famous king of Egypt, OSYMANDYAS, who, according to fome authors, was the firft monarch who collected a great number of books for the purpose of forming a library. To this curious collection he gave the title of Pharmacy of the Soul. "He appears to have been a prince of great elegance and tafte. Diodorous Siculus defcribes many sumptuous edifices erected by him; among thefe his palace or maufoleum has been eminently diftinguished for the paintings and fculptures with which it was adorned. OSYRIS, in botany, POET'S CASSIA, a genus of plants, of the clafs dioecia, belonging to the order triandria. OSYTH, ST, a village of Effex, in which are the remains of an ancient monaftery, now the feat of the Earl of Rochford. It lies near the fea, 9 miles SE. of Colchester. OSYUT, a town of Egypt, feated near a mountain, famous for its vaft and numerous grottoes, cut out of the folid rock; one of which was large enough to hold 600 horses. OSZMANA, a town of Lithuania, in Wilna, 28 miles SE. of Wilna. (1.) OTABALO, a province of S. America, in Quito. The lands are chiefly laid out in plantations of corn, fugar canes, &c. The native Indians are very induftrious, both in manufactures and agriculture. They fow wheat and barley in furrows, putting the grain into fmall holes, which, though a tedious method, is amply repaid by the produce. They manufacture, cottons, carpets, pavilions, quilts, damasks, &c. of various colours. Horfes, black cattle, and theep abound, and great quantities of cheese are made. (2.) OTABALO, the capital of the above province, is a large city, and contains about 20,000 tonls, among whom are many Spaniards. (1.)* OTACOUSTICK. n.. [wra and axvw; otacoustique, French. An inftrument to facilitate hearing. In a hare, which is very quick of hearing, it is fupplied with a bony tube; which, as a natural otacouflick, is fo directed backward, as to receive the malleft and moft diftant found that comes behind her. Greau's Cofmal. VOL. XVI. PART H. (2.) OTACOUSTICK INSTRUMENT, or Auricular Tube, an inftrument to facilitate the hearing. See ACOUSTICS. OTADINI. See OTODINI. OTAHA, one of the SOCIETY ISLANDS, in the South Sea. It lies N. of Ulietea, and is separated from it by a ftrait, 2 miles broad. It has two good harbours. The people and the produce are fimilar to thofe of the other iffands. OTAHEIFEANS, the natives of OTAHEITEE. See next article, § 4, 6, 8, 11-16. (1.) OTAHEITEE, a celebrated ifland of the South Sea, discovered by Captain Wallis in 1767; vifited in 1768, by M. Bougainville; and by Captain Cook in 1773 and 1774, who had in 1769 failed round the island in a boat to obferve the tranfit of Venus. Lon. from 149. 13. to 150. o. W. Lat. from 17. 30. to 17. 48. N. (2.) OTAHEITEE, APPEARANCE OF. The island confifts of two diftin&t kingdoms, which are uni ted by a narrow neck of land; the larger being called by the natives Tiarrabou, or O-TaheiteeNue; the fmaller one Opoureonou, or O-TabeiteeEte. The circumference of both islands is about 40 leagues'; the larger kingdom being divided into 43 diftricts. The country has a delightful roman tic appearance. The coaft, viewed from the fea, prefents a moft beautiful profpect, being elevated like an amphitheatre. The inland is skirted with a reef of rocks, and towards the fea is level, being covered with fruit trees of various kinds, particu larly the cocoa-nut. About 3 miles from the fhore, the country rifes into lofty hills terminated in peaks, covered with wood to the fummits, from which large rivers are precipitated into the fea. The ftones everywhere appear to have been burnt. (3.) OTAHEITEE, CLIMATE OF. The air is extremely healthy and pleafant; the heat is not troublefome; and fresh meat will keep very well for two days. The winds do not blow conftantly from the eaft, but generally a little breeze from E. to SSE. The tide rifes very little; and, being governed by the winds, is very uncertain. (4.) OTAHEITEK, DISEASES AND METHODS OF CURE IN. Thefe iflanders, who inhabit huts expofed to all the winds, and hardly cover the earth, which ferves them for a bed, with a layer of leaves, are remarkably healthy and vigorous, and live to old age without enduring any of its infirmities; their fenfes are acute, and they retain their beautiful teeth to the laft. There are, however, feveral forts of leprous complaints, which appear in cutaneous eruptions of the fcaly kind; fome were feen that had ulcers upon different parts of their bodies: yet they feemed little regarded by thofe who were afflicted with them, and no application whatever was used to them, not fo much as to keep off the flies. But the excellency of their climate, and the fimplicity of their vegetable food, prevent almost all dangerous and deadly diforders. They are fometimes afflicted with the cholic, and coughs are not unknown among them; and the chiefs, who fare more fumptuoufly, are fometimes attacked with a diforder fimilar to the gout, in which the legs are fwelled and exceffively painful. M. de Bougainville's furgeon had feen many with marks of the small pox, The ufual method employed here to restore the Zzz fick fick to health, is by pronouncing a fet form of words; after which the exorcift applies the leaves of the cocoa-tree plaited to the fingers and toes of the fick; fo that nature is left to conflict with the difeafe, without being affifted with any falutary application of art. The venereal difeafe was entailed upon these people by the crew of M. Bougainville's fhips, who visited this ifland a fhort time after Captain Wallis had left it. The natives diftinguished it by a name of the fame import with rottennefs. However they had found a fpecific cure for it, as none were feen on whom it had made a great progrefs, when captain Cook was there, in 1769. (5.) OTAHEITEE, FERTILITY, SOIL, AND PRODUCE OF. The foil is a rich fat earth, of a blackith colour. It produces fpontaneously, or with very flight culture, a great variety of the moft excellent fruits; fuch as bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, bananas of 13 forts, plantains, potatoes, yams, fugar-canes, ginger, turmeric; a fruit that grows in a pod like a large kidney-bean; a tree called aubarra, which produces fruit fomething like the pine-apple, and which in the Eaft-Indies is called PANDANES; a fpecies of fern; and the Chinese paper mulberry, of the bark of which they make their cloth; the AVA-AVA, the BARRINGTONIA, with many other rare plants, of which no defcription can be given fufficient to convey a juft idea of them. (6.) OTAHEITEE, FOOD, COOKERY, AND MANNER OF LIVING IN. The food of the common people entirely confifts of vegetables. These are, the bread-fruit, with bananas, plantains, yams, apples, and a four fruit, which, though not pleafant by itfelf, gives an agreeable relish to roafted bread-fruit, with which it is frequently beaten up: (See ARTOCARPUS, 1-5.) The Blefh, which is referved for the tables of the great, is either, poultry, hogs, or dogs: the flesh of their fowls is not well-tafted, but that of dogs is efteemed by the natives beyond pork. The dogs are fed on vegetables and never allowed to tafte animal food. The fmaller fish are generally eaten raw, as we eat oyfters: every thing that can be procured from the fea is made an article of their food: To dress their food, they kindle a fire, by rubbing the end of one piece of dry wood upon the fide of another. They then dig a pit about half a foot deep, and two or three yards in circumference; they pave the bottom with large ftones, which they lay down very smooth and even, and then kindle a fire in it with dry wood, leaves, and the husks of cocoanuts. When the ftones are fufficiently heated, they take out the embers, and rake up the afhes on every fide; they then cover the ftones with a layer of green cocoa-nut leaves, and wrap up the animal that is to be dreffed in the leaves of the plantain. When it is placed in the pit, they cover it with the hot embers, and lay upon them breadfruit and yams, which are also wrapt up in the leaves of plantain. They are quite unacquainted with the method of boiling water, as they have no veffels among them that will bear the fire. Their general drink is water, or the milk of the cocoa-nut. They showed in general an averfion to strong liquors; and when one of them happened to drink fo freely with any of the fhip's com pany as to be intoxicated, he refolutely refused to tafte any thing that was likely to produce the fame effect again; but they have a plant called ava-ava, from the root of which they procure a liquor which has an inebriating quality. See AVA-AVA. The quantity of food which they eat at a meal is prodigious. Captain Cook fays, he has seen one man devour 2 or 3 fishes as big as a perch; three bread-fruits, each bigger than two fifts; 14 or 15 plantains, or bananas, each 6 or 7 inches long and 4 or 5 round, and near a quart of the pounded bread-fruit. Men of rank are conftantly fed by their women. They have alfo a kind of fermented paste called mahie. (See ARTOCARFUS, The men and women never eat together. 3-) (7.) OTAHEITEE, FOWLS, QUADRUPEDS, INSECTS AND FISH OF. The domeftic poultry refemble thofe of Europe; there are alfo wild ducks, green turtle-doves, large pigeons, fmall paroquets, with beautiful red, blue, and green feathers, kingsfifhers, large cuckoos, and blue herons. There were no quadrupeds but dogs, hogs, and rats. No frogs, tods, fcorpions, centipedes, or any kind of ferpent, have been found here: there are ants, however, but not numerous. There is great variety of excellent fish. (8.) OTAHEITEE, FUNERAL CEREMONIES IN. When one of them was dead they placed the corpfe in the open air till the bones became quite dry: a fhed was erected close by the house where the deceased had refided; it was about 15 feet long, and 11 broad; one end was left quite open; the other end, and the two fides, were partly inclosed with a fort of wicker-work. The bier was a frame of wood, like that on which the fea beds, called cots, are placed, with a matted bottom, and supported by four pofts, at the height of about four feet from the ground. The body was covered firft with a mat, and then with white cloth; by the side of it lay a wooden mace, one of their weapons of war; and near the head of it, which lay next to the close end of the shed, lay two cocoa-nut shells; at the other end a bunch of green leaves, with fome dried twigs, all tied together, were ftuck in the ground, by which lay a ftone about as big as a cocoa-nut. Near thefe lay one of the young plantain leaves that are used for emblems of peace, and clofe by it a ftone ax. At the open end of the shed alfo hung, in several strings, a great number of palm-nuts; and without the shed was fluck up in the ground, a ftem of a plantain tree, about fix feet high, upon the top of which was placed a cocoa-nut shell full of fresh water; against the fide of one of the pofts hung a small bag, containing a few pieces of bread-fruit ready roafted. The food fo placed by the corpfe is defigned as an offering to their gods. They caft in, near the body, fmall pieces of cloth, on which the tears and blood of the mourners, have been shed; for in their paroxyfms of grief it is an univerfal cuftom to wound themselves with a fhark's tooth. The mourner, is always a man; and he is dressed in a very fingular habit. When the bones are stripped of their flefh, and become dry, they are buried. As soon as a native of Otaheitee is dead, the house is filled with relations, who deplore their lofs; fome by loud lamentations, fome by lefs clamor. ous, but more genuine expreffions of grief. Thofe who There are two kings in the island, one being fovereign of each of the peninfulas. Each of them is treated with great refpect by all ranks, but does not appear to be invested with so much power as is exercised by the earees in their own diftricts. When the king, whom they called O-Too, made a vifit to Captain Cook, the chiefs, who happened to be there before him, immediately stripped themfelves in great hafte. Captain Cook took notice of it; upon which they said earee, earee, fig.. nifying, that it was on account of O-Too being prefent; but this was the only outward token of refpect they paid him, for they never rofe from their feats, or made any other obeifance. The earees are lords of one or more of the diftricts into which each of the peninsulas is divided, and of which there are 43 in the larger one. Thefe parcel out their territories to the manahounis, who fuperintend the cultivation of the ground. The loweft clafs, called tortorus, feem to be nearly under the fame circumftances with the villains in feudal governments. They do all the laborious work, cultivate the land, catch fish, fetch wood and water, &c. Each of the earees keeps a kind of court, and has a great number of attendants, chiefly the younger brothers of their own tribe; and among thefe fome hold particular offices, but of which little more is known than fome of their names. But the obedience, which the towtows yield to their chiefs, is very remarkable. They are not fuffered to taste any animal food, although they are employed in feeding it for their lords. They endure patiently very fevere blows, and all this paffive fpirit is preferved without any power lodged in the hands of the king to enforce it; for he ufes no military force, nor is attended with guards. There are but few actions which are reckoned crimes among the Otaheiteans. Adultery, however, is fometimes punished with death: but in general, the woman escapes with a fevere beating, and the gallant paffes unnoticed. The regulation of public juftice is not confined to the magiftrate; for the injured party redreffes his own wrong by inflicting whatever punishment he can upon the offender: but in matters of notorious wrong, the chiefs fometimes interpofe. The nobility have livery for their fervants; and in proportion as the mafter's rank is more or lefs elevated, thefe fashes are worn higher or lower, being faftened clofe under the arms of the fervants belonging to the chiefs, and going round the loine of thole belonging to the lowelt clafs of nobility. Several parts of the island feem to be private property, which defcend to the heir of the poffeffor on his death, and the defcent feems to fall indifferently on man or woman. who are in the nearest degree of kindred, and are really affected by the event, are filent; the reft are one moment uttering paffionate exclamations in a chorus, and the next laughing and talking with out the leaft appearance of concern. In this manner the remainder of the day on which they affemble is spent, and all the fucceeding night. On the next morning the body is fhrouded in their cloth, and conveyed to the fea-fide, on a bier which the bearers fupport upon their shoulders, attended by the priest, who having prayed over the body re peats his fentences during the proceffion. When it arrives at the water's edge, it is fet down upon the beach; the priest renews his prayers, and taking up fome of the water in his hands, fprinkles it towards the body, but not upon it. It is then carried back 40 or 50 yards; and foon after brought again to the beach, where the prayers and fprinkling are repeated. It is thus removed backwards and forwards feveral times; and while thefe ceremonies have been performing, a houfe has been built, and a small space of ground railed in. In the centre of this houfe, or tupapow, pofts are fet up to fupport the bier, which is at length conveyed thither, and placed upon it; and here the body remains to putrify, till the flesh is wholly wafted from the bones. As foon as the body is depofited in the tupapow, the women affemble, and are led to the door by the nearest relation, who ftrikes a fhark's tooth feveral times into the crown of the chief mourner's head; the blood copiously flows, and is carefully received upon pieces of Tinen, which are thrown under the bier. The reft of the women follow this example; and the ceremony is repeated at the interval of 2 or 3 days, as long as the zeal and forrow of the parties hold out. The tears alfo which are fhed upon thefe occafions, are received upon pieces of cloth, and offered as oblations to the dead. Whilft thefe ceremonies are carrying on by the women, the men feem to be wholly infenfible of their lofs; but two or three days after, they alfo begin to perform a part. The neareft relations take it in turn to affume the drefs, and perform the offices. The chief mourner carries in his hand a long flat flick, the edge of which is fet with fharks teeth; and in the frenzy, which his grief is fuppofed to have infpired, he runs at all he fees, and if any of them happen to be overtaken, he ftrikes them moft unmercifully with his indented cudgel, which can not fail to wound them in a dangerous manner. The proceffions continue at certain intervals for five moons; but are lefs and lefs frequent, by a gradual diminution, as the end of that time approaches. The mourning which is worn here is an head-drefs of feathers, the colour of which is confecrated to death, and a veil over the face. The whole nation is faid to appear thus on the death of their king. The mourning for fathers is very long. The women mourn for their hufbands, but not the husbands for their wives. (9.) OTAHEITEE, GOVERNMENT OF. The government of the Otaheiteans feem greatly to refemble the early state of the European nations under the feudal system. Their orders of dignity are earee-rahie, which anfwers to king; caree, baron; manabouni, vaffal; and towtow, villain, (10.) OTAHEITEE, HOUSES OF. The chief use which they make of their houses is to fleep; for unless it rains, they eat in the open air under a tree. Thefe houfes are sheds, built in the wood between the fea and the mountains; they are erected on an oblong square; their width is nearly half their length; they are nothing more than a roof, not quite 4 feet from the ground, raised on 3 rows of pillars. The roof refembles our thatched houfes in England, and confifts of two flat fides inclining to each other, thatched with palm leaves. Zzzz The |