And their common men who also fell in this battle, were all buried in one hole at the foot of the pile.  This, Omai, who was present, told me, was done the day after the battle, with much pomp and ceremony, and in the midst of a great concourse of people, as a thanksgiving-offering to the Eatooa, for the victory they had obtained; while the vanquished had taken refuge in the mountains.  There they remained a week or ten days, till the fury of the victors was over, and a treaty set on foot, by which it was agreed, that Otoo should be declared king of the whole island, and the solemnity of investing him with the maro was performed at the same morai with great pomp, in the presence of all the principal men of the country.[7]

[Footnote 7:  We must trespass a little on the reader’s patience as was formerly threatened.  But on so curious, and indeed so exceedingly important a subject as human sacrifices, it is allowable to claim the serious attention of every intelligent being.  Who can withhold anxiety from an enquiry into the reality of the fact, as a fundamental part of religion in every nation at some period of its history—­or dare to affect indifference as to the origin and meaning of so portentous and horrible a rite?  It will be our study to be as brief as possible in conveying the information respecting both, which every man ought to possess, who values correct opinions respecting the moral condition of our nature.  First, then, as to the universality of the practice.  This is of course to be ascertained from testimony.  And perhaps on no subject in the history of mankind, is there a more decided agreement in the assertions of different witnesses.  We shall run over the various nations of the earth, of whom we have any thing like satisfactory evidence.  Here we avail ourselves of the labours of several authors, as Dr Jenkin, De Paauw, Mr Bryant, Mr Parkhurst, Dr Magee, and others.  We commence with the Egyptians, of whom alone, we believe, any doubt as to their being implicated in the practice has been entertained.  Thus Dr Forster, in his Observations on Cook’s Second Voyage, excepts them from his remark that all the ancient nations sacrificed men, saying that where-ever it is affirmed in old writers that these people were addicted to it, we are to understand them as alluding to the Arabian shepherds, who at one time subdued Egypt.  Such was the opinion of the writer of this note, but more attentive enquiry has induced him, in this instance, to disregard the distinction.  Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch, quoted by Dr Magee, mention their sacrificing red-haired men at the tomb of Osiris; and from other sources, it appears that they had a custom of sacrificing a virgin to the river Nile, by flinging her into its stream.  The Phoenicians, Canaanites, Moabites, Ammonites, and other neighbouring people, were in the habit of sacrificing their children to their idols, especially Moloch, on certain, calamities, and for various reasons.  See on this head some