- E. [2] "The View Of The Otaheitan Fleet Frequently Brought To Our Minds An Idea Of The Naval Force Which That Nation Employed In The First Ages Of Its Existence, And Induced Us To Compare Them Together.

The Greeks were doubtless better armed, having the use of metals; but it seemed plain, from the writings of Homer, in spite of poetical embellishment, that their mode of fighting was irregular, and their arms simple, like those of Otaheite.

The united efforts of Greece against Troy, in remote antiquity, could not be much more considerable than the armament of Otoo against the isle of Eimea; and the boasted mille carinae were probably not more formidable than a fleet of large canoes, which require from fifty to an hundred and twenty men, to paddle them. The navigation of the Greeks, in those days, was not more extensive than that which is practised by the Otaheitans at present, being confined to short passages from island to island; and as the stars at night directed the mariners through the Archipelago at that time, so they still continue to guide others in the Pacific Ocean. The Greeks were brave; but the numerous wounds of the Otaheitan chiefs, are all proofs of their spirit and prowess. It seems to be certain, that in their battles they rouse themselves into a kind of phrenzy, and that their bravery is a violent fit of passion. From Homer's battles, it is evident, that the heroism which produced the wonders he records, was exactly of the same nature.

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