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following fhocking tale: "This time three years I came over from my father's to attend my fifter here while the lay-in of that fine child below. Very foon after fhe was brought to-bed, I fell in labour. I went out into an out houfe, where, in little more than an hour, I was delivered of a fine beautiful boy. I looked at it some little time, then pinched its throat till I killed it. I then wrapped it up, carried it into the houfe, and locked it into my box; went to my fifter, asked how the did, then went down to the nurse and affifted her. After a fortnight I took my murdered infant out of my box, and threw it into the common horfe pond by the rode fide, where it was foon trod to pieces; and I have never had one happy, no, not one cafy minute. fince; and now the fight of my fifter's fweet little lively child playing about diftracts me; for, I think that, if it had not been for my dreadful wickedness, I might now have had one alfo. But I murdered it; and I am going to Hell for it." Upon recollection and conference it appeared that fhe had been milling an hour and a half at the time the mentioned, and could not be found. She alfo told them, that, in confequence of her milk, fhe had two broken breafts; for cure of which, the applied to a furgeon in the neighbourhood, who faid to her,If I did not know you, and know that you are a young woman of fuch extraordi nary good character, I fhould fwear that you had borne a child. She foon after married a young man who had courted her fome time. She faid, that, fome time after her marriage, her husband afked her what became of her pregnancy previous to their marriage? To which, fhe faid, the replied, "It never came to good." It furely came to evil for all parties. Immediately upon this, feveral minifters were fent for, one of whom, in particular, earnestly exhorted her to fly to Chrift, endeavouring to fhow her the gracious promifes of the Redeemer to ALL who will come to him"Him that cometh to ME I will in NO wife caft out.""Though your fins be as SCARLET, they fhall be white as fnow; though they be RED as crimson, they shall be as wool." But, alas! for her, poor unhappy woman, fhe was not enabled to come; for, her uniform reply was, when the was entreated to cry to the Lord Jefus for mercy and par don, "I cannot even name his name!-I cannot utter it!I am damned to all eternity!-I fee, I feel the flames of Hell within and all around me!" Thus died this unhappy woman-of, as faid all about her, no diforder but a wounded fpirit; not having, as the medical men who attended her faid, any bodily diforder-only the horrible agonies of her

mind!-How ftrong a proof this of the wife man's aphorifm: "The fpirit of a man can fuftain his infirmities—but a wounded fpirit who can bear?"

ON THE OTAHEITAN SACRIFICES.

THE

HE occafions of facrifices and oblations are multitudinous, as from the day a person is born, a number of Amoas, or offerings, are neceffary, at various ftages, to render them capable of eating with their different relatives, and on a variety of feftal feafons; as the building of war canoes -the facred canoes-meeting of chiefs, &c. The general oblations, are hogs, fish, cloth, and a variety of roots and fruits, with the plantain, &c. These are all performed at the Morais, and attended with much feafting.

But the most fingular are the human facrifices, which on many occafions form an effential part of the service. Thefe always accompany warlike preparations to engage their Deities to profper their enterprifes, or to deprecate their wrath under any great calamities: and are efpecially nume rous on the acceffion of a new monarch. A tranfaction of this fort, reported by one prefent, will convey the strongest idea of the horrible ceremony.

The fucceffion of inheritance is known to be fingular, as the child fupplants his father, and as foon as he is born becomes the head of the family. The prefent king of Otaheite is the fon of Otoo, who on the acceffion of his fon, became Pomarree, and funk down into one of the chieftains, to give place to his child. On the day of his inauguration, the greatest preparations were made, and the feasting immenfe,

The Royal Maro, or badge of fovereignty, is a fash of net-work, and thrummed with red and yellow feathers. This is placed on the Morai, and from thence, with folemn prayers brought by a chief Prieft, and bound round the young king, who is carried on men's thoulders.

His uncle, a chief of Eimeo, first harrangued his majefty, acknowledging his fupreme dominion. He then produced three dead human victims, which were folemnly conveyed from the canoes to the Morai. A chief Priest, with a young plantain tree in his hand, fcooped out an eye from each of the victims, and with a long train of ceremo nies prefented them to the young king. The bodies were then conveyed away, and buried in the Morai. The fame

ceremony was repeated by the Chieftains of the feventeen diftricts into which the island is divided; fome offering one, and fome two human facrifices, according to the extent of their diftrict.

Thefe were followed by a large drove of hogs, and immenfe quantities of turtle fish, and vegetables, on which the chiefs feafted in the greatest abundance, and continued for two months, The reafon affigned by their Priefts for offering the eye of each victim to the King, was, that the head of a man being reputed facred, and the eye the principal feature, this was the propereft to be prefented; as the king holds his mouth open during the presentation, additional ftrength and difcernment is fuppofed to enter into him thereby; and as his tutelar Deity receives the foul of the facrifice, his own is fuppofed to be in consequence greatly enlarged.

The deftruction of the human fpecies by this inhuman cuftom cannot but be great, and its abolition among the mercies to be fought in conveying to them the gospel.

The mode of felecting the victims has been fomewhat differently reported, though probably reconcileable. One fays, that whenever a victim is required, the Priest, with five or fix other perfons, goes round the diftrict, and that the man whom the Prieft fixes upon, is immediately knocked down with a club, by a perfon coming behind him, un、 fufpected, and fuddenly.

But a perfon who more explicitly defcribes the process may perhaps be more exact in the mode, and as fome circumftances take off a little from the horror of the proceed. ing, I fhould hope the facts may be credited,

When a human facrifice is demanded the chief of the diftrict convenes the Ratirras, or principal landholders, and none are permitted to be prefent but fuch as are nobles by birth. After ftating to them the purpofe of the meeting, they confer together, upon the moft criminal, and the most worthless fubject in their diftrict; fixing ufually upon a culprit, who has been guilty of blafphemy, a notorious thief, or who hath fled into that diftrict from another, on account of his crimes. This decifion, once formed, is kept a pro, found fecret, and probably the only one of the kind. Perfons are appointed to execute the fentence with the greatest privacy. They are to watch their opportunity, ufually at night, and when the victim is afleep. The weapon ufed on this occafion is a ftone adze: and they are especially careful to ftrike on the nape of the neck, and kill with a

blow, without disfiguring the body, as the Priests may not offer any body which is mangled. And if a woman even

bites a man to draw blood, he is thenceforth profane, and cannot be offered in facrifice, nor admitted to any facred fervices of the Morai. The dead body is immediately put into a basket of cocoa-nut leaves, and carried to the canoe to be conveyed to the Morai.

But it is not always that the chief can find a man, who is judged deferving of death, nor can he oblige the Ratirras to pronounce fentence, if they think the requifition improper, or find none deferving death for their crimes; for this feems the only way in which criminals are executed, as they never bring any perfon to 'trial face to face, left his friends fhould interpofe, and attempt a rescue: but no notice is taken of his death in this cafe, and every one fupposes it was just.

On fuch occafions, they who are confcious of guilt, fhelter themselves on the facred ground near the Morai, where they may not be flain, unless trepanned from their retreat. If the Ratirras will grant no human victim, a hog is then fubftituted.

This, with the horrible cuftom of murdering the new, born infants, a frequent ufage, forms the moft forbidding feature of these otherwife mild and gentle iflanders. We hope to teach them a facrifice, that will put an end to these atrocities; and fet them examples of paternal love, that will, make them cherish their offspring.

T. H-S.

SCAR

INCONSTANCY. A FRAGMENT.

CARCELY had Philander entered his clofet to meditate the fermon he had just heard, when his ears were affailed by a fudden rap at the door; and he was quickly informed, that fome company waited in the parlour to fee him. With much reluctance, increafed by the confcious. impropriety of Sunday vifits, he left his beloved retreat: and, upon entering the room, was faluted by the complaifance of Curiofo, Mutator, and Ventofus. After the formalities of an unexpected interview were adjufted, Philander, addreffing himfelf to Curiofo, faid, "Where have you been this morning?"-"why, really," replied Curiofo, "I can hardly tell; for to be honeft, I have spent a great part of the time in running about."" Then, I fear," faid

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Philander, "you have not spent the time very profitably," "Indeed you are much mistaken," anfwered Curiofo, "for I have attended two prayer meetings, and heard three fermons, and it is not dinner time yet.' "How can that be poffible?" replied Philander, with an unusual degree of earneftnefs. "Why," faid Curiofo, "I heard Diligens at feven o'clock, and as foon as fermon was over, haftened to a focial prayer meeting at a friend's houfe. After breakfast, I met with fome Chriftian brethren in the vestry of our meeting, and fpent fome time in prayer before fervice commenced; then, after hearing our minifter, I ran as hard as I could to a certain chapel, and was just in time for the text; so that you fee I have made a good ufe of my time.” Juft as he was pronouncing the laft fentence, he was interrupted by Philander, who with a very ferious air told him, he much doubted the propriety of his laft expreffion.— "Why fo?" faid Curiofo. Becaufe," replied Philander, "I think the time could have been better fpent."-"Surely," anfwered Curiofo, "it cannot be more profitably spent than in hearing the Gospel."-"Give me leave, friend,” said Philander, "to enquire what were the particular fubjects you heard infifted upon?" The most tremendous clap of thunder could not have produced a more fudden change in Curiofo than did this queflion. He was mute: but at length, with a faultering accent, he begged that Philander would give him time to recollect. "That," anfwered Philander," is what I wanted you to take. It does not appear to me that you have gained much good by your attendance, when you cannot call to mind even the general outlines of the fubject. Had you been fatisfied, as I was, to hear one fermon, with a mind prepared by ferious felf-examination, and after that, to retire, in order to apply what you had heard, which was fuitable to your cafe, you would not only have retained in your memory the precious truths which fell from the lips of the preacher; but might, perhaps, have been able to fay-They were life and fpirit to my foul." Philander, perceiving that Curiofo was quite embarraffed, in order to afford him time to recover himself, turned the converfation to Mutator, who, finding he was about to be addrefied, was willing to be beforehand, and said, “Pray who do you think I heard this morning?" "Why," answered Philander," as I know your attachment to Gracilis, it is but natural to fuppofe you have attended upon him.”— "Not I, indeed," rejoined Mutator, "I thought you had known that I have entirely left him." "Surprizing!" ex

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