A woman is not ashamed to shew her limbs at a dance, or when bathing, if they are perfect; if they are not, she will avoid being seen as much as possible, and tho the Men and Weomen frequently bathe together they are more remarkable for their decency then levity at such a time.

They have no Walls to their houses nor do they require any. Notwithstanding which they cannot be charged with holding Carnal Conversation in Publick and like privacy in such cases as much as we do, nor did I see any thing of the kind during our stay in the Islands tho they are not remarkable for their vertue. Yet this is not the General Charracter and the large Familys of some shew that there are some of that stamp.

Their Actions might possibly be for the sake of Gain — brought to a stile of what we call indecency, but where are the Countrys that do not produce Weomen of the Same discription — Iron is to them More Valuable then Gold to us, for the posession of which some of our own Country weomen would not stick at acts of indecency nor even horrid Crimes which these People would tremble to think of. Nay, they Challenge us with the Verry Crime and say we are ashamed of Nothing, using these things which we knew they were fond of to perswade them to commit such acts as their innocence had taught them to be ashamed of. If they can purchase Iron at the expence of their Beauty, or are able to get it by theft, they will. Neither of which Methods I hold to be a Crime in them. They know its Value and think no price to[o] great for it.

Gold is preferd in Other Countrys and some, as fine Weomen as any in Europe, are said to prefer it to Virtue yet we upbraid these untaught and uncontrould people with such actions as we ourselves help them to Commit.

They lay no restraint on their Children because they are the Head of the Family and therefore do as they please; having no law nor Custom to prevent them they have a Number of Amusements which would not suit the Idea of Europeans, which however are dropd as they Grow up, when they become ashamed of these Childish sports but are not Compelld unless they think proper themselves — and as there are always sufficient in all Countrys to promote evil practices they who do not like them can only reform

Indigenous Histories