was some little diversity in the different observations, owing to a halo around the body of the planet, supposed to be its atmosphere, which very much disturbed the times of contact, particularly the internal ones, i. e. the points when the planet was completely immersed in the sun, and when it began to emerge. From this celestial phænomenon, the ground on which the observatory stood was christened Point Venus, though possibly it might have deserved the appellation on other

accounts.

This was the astronomers' day of happiness; the reward of all their pains, privations, shiverings, scorchings, salt diet, tossing to and fro, sea-sickness, and incarceration on ship board, which, in the opinion of Dr. Johnson, only differs from imprisonment in the county gaol by being much more disagreeable.

While the officers and savants were absorbed in observation and calculation, some of the ship's crew broke into one of the store rooms,

which enables to read and understand an author with vernacular fluency, and without the intervention of English, is of no use at all, any further than the practice of construing may give a command of language, very dearly purchased by the confusion which a superficial knowledge of derivations introduces into our apprehension of the primary meaning and collateral application of words. That a good classical scholar will understand his native tongue better than a man of only one language is more than probable, but the classic smatterer will be found to think more vaguely, and express his thoughts less precisely, than the mere English scholar of the same calibre of intellect. Sensible women, who have small French and no Latin, commonly express themselves both viva voce, and on paper, much better than their husbands and brothers, because they say the words which their thoughts bring along with them, whereas men used to construe, are always construing their thoughts into a diction as alien and unnatural as if they actually thought in one language and spoke in another. To the female, language is the body of thought; to the half taught male, the drapery. When we consider that in nothing has the discipline of intellect so strong a bearing on the moral being, as in what regards the just appreciation of words, we cannot think this a matter of light importance. Far be it from us to favour any system of education which would consign the beautiful works of antiquity to neglect and oblivion; but for those whose school days must necessarily be few, we very much doubt the expediency of giving any of that precious time to grammars and lexicons, unless the mind be of a very fanciful or poetical turn, or possess the peculiar faculty of a linguist. Latin and Greek should always make a part of the erudition of an idle gentleman, and of a professional scholar, but may well be dispensed with by the great and valuable class, who are destined to the active employments of life.

For the satisfaction of the few, who are unfortunate enough to be even more ignorant of astronomy than ourselves, we may take the liberty to state that the transit, or passage of a planet over the sun's disk, is an unfrequent phænomenon, only incident to the inferior planets (those revolving between the earth and the sun), and of great importance in determining the distances of the heavenly bodies from the sun, from the earth, and from each other.

and stole a quantity of spike nails. This was a very serious disaster, for the improvident distribution of the booty among the islanders tended to bring down the value of iron, the staple commodity. One of the thieves was detected, but, though punished with two dozen lashes, he refused to inform against his accomplices.

Sunday the 4th of June was, in strictness of speech, the King's birth day, but the celebration was deferred till the 5th, in order that all the parties might unite in the festivities at Point Venus. Events, trivial as this, are not without interest, when they carry the thoughts and feelings of man half across the globe. Narratives of voyages never are dull books, though they may sometimes have been written by very dull men. Their tedious minuteness is often their greatest charm. We are always interested to know what an Englishman was doing at half past ten at night on the Pacific Ocean. Several native chieftains were present at the commemoration, who drank the King's health under the name of Kihiargo, the nearest approximation their organs could make to King George. It was extremely amusing to hear the metamorphoses which these islanders, whose own language, soft, liquid, and melodious, was easily mastered even by the common seamen of the Endeavour, effected upon the crabbed, consonant-crowded names of their visitors. The commander was Toote, Mr. Hicks, Hete (a manifest improvement); Boba was Mr. Robert Molineux, the sailing master, for Molineux was quite unapproachable; Mr. Gore was Toaro; Dr. Solander, Toruno; Mr. Banks, Tapank; Mr. Parkinson, Patini; Mr. Green, Eteree, and Mr. Petersgill, Petrodero. It is manifest how much the northern roughness of our appellatives is softened by Otaheitan Italianization. A skilful linguist might have derived many useful hints and agreeable speculations as to the formation of languages from this pretty miscalling.

Soon after the transit, our voyagers had an oppportunity of witnessing an Otaheitan funeral. In few matters have savage, not to say civilized nations, betrayed greater absurdities than in funeral rites; and yet, the respect almost universally paid to the remains of mortality has been held, and not unwisely, a symptom of a stirring instinct and foreboding of immortality. The Otaheitan custom seems admirably calculated to bring on a pestilence; yet, before their commerce with Europeans, it is said that epidemic disease was unknown among these islanders. Previous to interment the bodies are exposed in a shed, and not removed till all the flesh is putrified away; then the bones are buried. In so warm a climate the decomposition must go on rapidly. Along with the body, which is laid out under a canoe awning, covered with fine cloth, some articles of food are placed, as an offering to the

gods, though, as they do not believe that the gods eat, this offering must be considered as merely ceremonial. Like the ancient Greeks and Orientals, the Otaheitans signalize their grief by wounding their bodies, which is performed with a shark's tooth. Fragments of cloth, stained with blood and tears are thrown upon the body. The relatives of the deceased occupy, for some time, a habitation near the place of sepulture, and the chief mourner another.*

*The following account of an Otaheitan funeral is taken from the "Family Library," vol. 25. It refers to the period of which we are writing, and admirably illustrates the two points of character we so much love and commend in Sir Joseph, his passion for observation, and his catholic spirit of accommodation, undaunted by "the world's dread laugh."

"An old woman having died, Mr. Banks, whose pursuit was knowledge of every kind, and who, to gain it, made himself one of the people, requested he might attend the ceremony, and witness all the mysteries of the solemnity of depositing the body in the Morai or burying place. The request was complyed with, but on no other condition than his taking a part in it. This was just what was wished. In the evening he repaired to the house, where he was received by the daughter of the deceased and several others, amongst whom was a boy about fourteen years of age. One of the chiefs of the district was the principal mourner, wearing a fantastical dress. Mr. Banks was stripped entirely of his European dress, and a small piece of cloth was tied round his middle. His face and body were then smeared with charcoal and water, as low as to the shoulders, till they were as black as those of a negro. The same operation was performed on the rest, among whom were some women, who were reduced to a state as near nakedness as himself-the boy was blacked all over; after which the procession set forward, the chief mourner having mumbled something like a prayer over the body.

It is the custom of the Indians to fly from these processions with the utmost precipitation. On the present occasion, several large parties of the natives were put to flight; all the houses were deserted, and not a single Otaheitan was to be seen. The body being deposited on a stage erected for it, the mourners were dismissed to wash themselves in the river, and to resume their customary dresses, and customary gaiety."

There is at least a consistency in blacking the body for mourning, where the body is tatooed for ornament. To the latter operation Sir Joseph Banks never submitted, though we doubt not he would have endured it, if his so doing would have elucidated any point of the history of nature or of man; especially as the Otaheitans seldom tatoo the face.

A man who makes the pursuit and enlargement of knowledge his main earthly object, should stop at nothing but crime to obtain it. Such a man was Sir Joseph Banks, and no duty, inherited or assumed, forbad the indulgence of his passion. But there are many situations in which it is, in the present state of society, a moral obligation to refrain from whatever has a tendency to the ridiculous. It would have been by no means proper for Captain Cook to have appeared at the funeral in Otaheitan mourning. It would neither have suited the dignity of his office, nor the gravity of his character. In fact, there are some people that may be laughed at, and not the less respected, and others who may not. In order to ascertain which genus you belong to yourself, you have only to consider whether there is any thing in your

On the 12th of June, some of the islanders came to complain that two of the seamen had stolen their bows and arrows, and some strings of plaited hair. The charge was investigated, and brought home; the offenders were punished with two dozen lashes. It is not mentioned whether the Otaheitans betrayed the same sensibility on this as on a former occasion.

Their bows and arrows are merely used for sport, or for killing birds. In battle they use only slings and javelins. Tubourai Tamaide could send a shaft more than the sixth part of a mile. He shot kneeling, and dropped his bow as soon as the arrow was discharged. Sir Joseph Banks in his morning walk met some Otaheitan minstrels, who poured forth extempore strains, mostly in praise of their English visitors, accompanied by the music of two flutes and three drums. The drummers were the improvisatori.

The filching disposition of the Otaheitans increasing with impunity, Mr. Cook resolved if possible to check it by some decisive step. He had strictly prohibited his men from firing on any pretext at the natives, as he justly thought that he had no right to act after the English law, in a country where no such law had been promulgated. It seemed the best expedient to retaliate by seizing certain canoes laden with fish. Twenty canoes and their freight were detained, and notice was given, that unless the stolen articles were restored, the canoes would be burned; a threat which there was no intention of putting in force. A list of the lost and stolen was made out, consisting of a coal-rake, the sentry's musquet, Sir Joseph's pistols, a sword, and a water cask. The Otaheitans thought to compound the matter, by bringing back the rake only, and begged hard to have their canoes released, as the fish was spoiling. But Mr. Cook insisted on the original condition. This firmness however did not produce its usual effects, and he was obliged at last to give up the canoes without recovering the lost property.

About the same time a deadly offence was committed by an officer of the Endeavour, who had gone ashore to get ballast for the ship, and

personal or official character which any one with whom you are likely to come in contact wishes to despise. Now, if you exercise an authority founded on that vague kind of fear which is the common substitute for respect, you may be pretty sure that you have. If your duty or vocation oblige you to exercise sway over course, boisterous, uncultivated minds-over men of strong passions and little sensibility-over proud men, or conceited boys, be sure that you have those who would hold you in contempt if they dare. Or if your virtue wears a severe aspect, and requires to be well known before it can be loved, depend upon it that the world is weary of reverencing you, and will shout triumph when you furnish it with a reasonable pretext for holding you up to scorn.

not finding any stones adapted for the purpose, began to demolish a Morai or sepulchral pile. The islanders violently opposed this proceeding, and sent a messenger to the fort, signifying that no such profanation would be permitted. Sir Joseph, as usual, was the peacemaker. The petty officer must have been a blockhead.

On another occasion Mr. Monkhouse, the surgeon, pulling a flower from a tree in a sepulchral enclosure, received a violent blow on the back of the head from one whose forefathers slept beneath the violated shade. He grappled the assaulter, but two other natives came and rescued him. Most nations, however ignorant, pay some respect to the depositaries of the dead, nor has any refinement of philosophy been able to argue the feeling away.

On the 19th, while the canoes were still detained, Oberea and her train arrived at the fort. She blushed not to request a night's lodging in Sir Joseph's tent; but his loss was too recent for even his gallantry to forget, so the lady was obliged to spend the hours of repose in her canoe. She had spirit and sensibility enough to feel this rebuke very severely, and the next morning she returned to the fort, and put herself, her canoe, and all that it contained into the power of the stranger. A hog and a dog were the price of reconciliation; and now, for the first time, Captain Cook and his friends tasted dog's flesh. Tupia, the priest, after the manner of the ancient Popa, was both butcher and cook; but his method of extinguishing life by holding his hands over the animal's nose and mouth, took a full quarter of an hour ; and his mode of baking the dog with hot stones, in a hole dug in the ground, was very tedious; but the dog made an excellent dish. The esculent dogs are fed entirely upon yams, cocoa-nuts, and other vegetables. All meat and fish is cooked in the same way; but hogs and dogs are the only quadrupeds eaten, and the poultry is very indifferent.

On the 21st the fort was visited by Oamo, the husband of Oberea, from whom she was separated by mutual consent, and they lived as amicably as any other neighbours; with him came the heir apparent, a minor, under the guardianship of Toothah, who exercised command in his name. Oberea and her attendants made their obeisance, by uncovering themselves from the waist upward. By a most singular law of succession, the child succeeds to its father's authority and title as soon as it is born, the father continuing to administer government as regent; but in this case the claims of Oamo were superseded in favour of Tootahah, who had distinguished himself as a warrior. The young prince was betrothed to his sister, an Egyptian fashion; though, she was sixteen and he no more than seven. Neither of these young people