The Rams & He Goats they could Not abide from their disagreeable Smell and Many of the Goats were banishd to the Mountains as their Flesh was not a Compensation for the Mischief they did to the Cloth plantations, those they keep now are always tyed if they are near one of these Plantations and at best are not esteemd equal to a Dog — this Method of treating them prevents the Island from being over run with them which it soon would be if they were suffered to range at large.

Notwithstanding their having lost all these Valuable Curiositys they still remember Captain Cook for bringing them and take More Care of his Picture then all the rest. They Made frequent enquiry after him & Sir Joseph Banks, both of whom will never be forgotten at Taheite — they were exceeding sorry when they heard of Captain Cooks death and Wishd that His Son might come and take possession of His fathers land, He being acknowledged Chief of Maatavye and will be as long as his Picture lasts.

They were also very inquisitive about all their friends and were happy when we entertaind them with an Account of their Welfare. Their Language is Soft and Melodious, abounding in vowels; they have only seventeen letters yet they can express any thing with ease, tho for want of the others which Compose our Alphabet they never could pronounce any English word which Contains them.

They Count their time by Years of 12 Months which they have Names for and Calculat it by the Suns passing & repassing over their heads; they Call the Month Marrama or Moon tho they do not always begin or end with the Moon — they have Names for evry day of the Moons age and can tell Her age to a Certainty at first Sight without the Assistance of Figures. As they never keep an account of their time they can easily reconcile any mistake in their reckoning at the end of the year when the Sun is over their heads — they devide the day and Night into 12 equal parts and can tell their time exactly by the Sun in the Day time and the stars at Night — they have also Names for evry Wind and are excellent Judges of a Change and can tell whether the Season will be uncommonly dry or Wet before it commences.

They have No Method of Measuring distance but by the length of

Indigenous Histories