Mr. Nott, one of these missionaries, declared that
three out of four of the children were murdered as soon as they were
born. He met a woman soon after this dreadful crime had been abolished
to whom he said, "How many children have you?" "This one in my arms,"
was her answer. "And how many did you kill?" She replied, "Eight."
Another woman, who was asked the same question, said that she had
destroyed _seventeen_. Infanticide, or, in other words, the destruction
of infants, says the Rev. Mr. Williams, was carried to an almost
incredible extent in Tahiti, and some other islands. He writes, "During
the visit of the deputation, G. Bennet, Esq., was our guest for three or
four days; and on one occasion, while conversing on this subject, he
expressed a wish to obtain accurate knowledge of the extent to which
this cruel practice had prevailed. Three women were sitting in the room
at the time, making European garments, under Mrs. Williams direction;
and, after replying to Mr. Bennet's inquiries, I said, 'I have no doubt
but that each of these women has destroyed some of her children.' Mr.
Bennet exclaimed, 'Impossible; such motherly, respectable women could
never have been guilty of so great an atrocity.
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