[5] The strict honesty which the inhabitants of nearly all the Polynesian Islands manifest towards each other, is in striking contrast with the thieving propensities some of them evince in their intercourse with foreigners. It would almost seem that, according to their peculiar code of morals, the pilfering of a hatchet or a wrought nail from a European is looked upon as a praiseworthy action. Or rather, it may be presumed, that bearing in mind the wholesale forays made upon them by their nautical visitors, they consider the property of the latter as a fair object of reprisal. This consideration, while it serves to reconcile an apparent contradiction in the moral character of the islanders, should in some measure alter that low opinion of it which the reader of South Sea voyages is too apt to form. TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE Obvious typographical errors were corrected: page vi, “Mysterious” changed to “mysterious” page 2, “attentuated” changed to “attenuated” page 3, quote mark added after first “Marquesas!” page 7, double primes changed to primes in first coordinate page 18, “coacoa-nut” changed to “cocoa-nut” page 23, period changed to comma after “home” page 26, “tatooed” changed to “tattooed” page 52, “Decend” changed to “Descend” page 62, “hairbreath” changed to “hairbreadth” page 66, “inceased” changed to “increased” page 89, “interwined” changed to “intertwined” page 112, “preverse” changed to “perverse” page 120, “kemp” changed to “kelp” page 123, “As” changed to “At” page 150, period added after “enemy” page 199, “Figneroa” changed to “Figueroa” page 242, “as” changed to “is” page 273, “tumultous” changed to “tumultuous” page 281, comma added after “course” Spelling variations were not normalized (e. g. “figure head”, “figure-head” and “figurehead”, “forefinger” and “fore-finger”, “clamor” and “clamour”, “verd-antique” and “verde-antique”, “incumbrances” and “encumber”).