people of this family, so it was strongly
suspected by Mr. Anderson, that, like them, they still continue to feast on
human flesh. The evidence on which he founds this opinion, has been stated
very fully in the tenth section of the third chapter; but, as I always
entertained great doubts of the justice of his conclusions, it may not be
improper to take this occasion of mentioning the grounds on which I venture
to differ from him. With respect to the information derived from the
natives themselves, I shall only observe, that great pains were taken, by
almost every officer on board, to come at the knowledge of so curious a
circumstance; and that except in the two instances mentioned by Mr.
Anderson, we found them invariably denying the existence of any such custom
amongst them. It must be allowed, that Mr. Anderson's knowledge of their
language, which was superior to that of any other person in either ship,
ought certainly to give his opinion great weight; at the same time, I must
beg leave to remark, that being present when he examined the man who had
the small piece of salted flesh wrapped in cloth, it struck me very
forcibly, that the signs he made use of meant nothing more, than that it
was intended to be eat, and that it was very pleasant or wholesome to the
stomach. In this opinion I was confirmed, by a circumstance which came to
our knowledge, after the death of my worthy and ingenious friend, viz. that
almost every native of these islands carried about with him, either in his
calibash, or wrapped up in a piece of cloth, and tied about his waist, a
small piece of raw pork, pork, highly salted, which they considered as a
great delicacy, and used now and then to taste of. With respect to the
confusion the young lad was in, (for he was not more than sixteen or
eighteen years of age,) no one could have been surprised at it, who had
seen the eager and earnest manner in which Mr. Anderson questioned him.

The argument drawn from the instrument made with sharks' teeth, and which
is nearly of the same form with those used at New Zealand for cutting up
the bodies of their enemies, is much more difficult to controvert. I
believe it to be an undoubted fact, that this knife, if it may be so
called, is never used by them in cutting the flesh of other animals.
However, as the custom of offering human sacrifices, and of burning the
bodies of the slain, is still prevalent here, it is not improbable that the
use of this instrument i