The Otaheitans cannot resist pilfering.  ‘I must bear my testimony,’ says Cook, ’that the people of this country, of all ranks, men and women, are the arrantest thieves upon the face of the earth; but,’ he adds, ’we must not hastily conclude that theft is a testimony of the same depravity in them that it is in us, in the instances in which our people were sufferers by their dishonesty; for their temptation was such, as to surmount what would be considered as a proof of uncommon integrity among those who have more knowledge, better principles, and stronger motives to resist the temptations of illicit advantage; an Indian among penny knives and beads, and even nails and broken glass, is in the same state of mind with the meanest servant in Europe among unlocked coffers of jewels and gold.’  Captain Wallis has illustrated the truth of this position by an experiment he made on some persons, whose dress and behaviour indicated that they were of a superior cast.  ’To discover what present,’ he says, ’would most gratify them, I laid down before them a Johannes, a guinea, a crown piece, a Spanish dollar, a few shillings, some new halfpence, and two large nails, making signs that they should take what they liked best.  The nails were first seized with great eagerness, and then a few of the halfpence, but the silver and gold lay neglected.’  Here then it might with truth be said was discovered

     The goldless age, where gold disturbs no dreams.

But their thirst after iron was irresistible; Wallis’s ship was stripped of all the nails in her by the seamen to purchase the good graces of the women, who assembled in crowds on the shore.  The men even drew out of different parts of the ship those nails that fastened the cleats to her side.  This commerce established with the women rendered the men, as might readily be expected, less obedient to command, and made it necessary to punish some of them by flogging.  The Otaheitans regarded this punishment with horror.  One of Cook’s men having insulted a chief’s wife, he was ordered to be flogged in their presence.  The Indians saw him stripped and tied up to the rigging with a fixed attention, waiting in silent suspense for the event; but as soon as the first stroke was given, they interfered with great agitation, earnestly entreating that the rest of the punishment might be remitted; and when they found they were unable to prevail, they gave vent to their pity by tears.  ’But their tears,’ as Cook observes, ’like those of children, were always ready to express any passion that was strongly excited, and like those of children, they also appeared to be forgotten as soon as shed.’  And he instances this by the following incident:—­Mr. Banks seeing a young woman in great affliction, the tears streaming from her eyes, inquired earnestly the cause; but instead of answering, she took from under her garment a shark’s tooth, and struck it six or seven times into her head with great force; a profusion of blood followed, and