[The practice of infanticide] did not prevail either at the Navigators or Hervey groups; but the extent to which it was carried at the Tahitian and Society Islands almost exceeds credibility. Of this, however, I may enable the reader to form some estimate by selecting a few out of numberless circumstances which have come within my own knowledge. Generally, I may state that, in the last-mentioned group, I never conversed with a female that had borne children prior to the introduction of Christianity, who had not destroyed some of them, and frequently as many as from five to ten. During the visit of the Deputation, our respected friend, G. Bennett, Esq., was our guest for three or four months; and, on one occasion, while conversing on the subject, he expressed a wish to obtain accurate knowledge of the extent to which this cruel system had prevailed. Three women were sitting in the room at the time, making European garments, under Mrs. W.’s direction: and, after replying to Mr. Bennett’s inquiries, I said, "I have no doubt but that each of these women have destroyed some of their children." Looking at them with an expression of surprise and incredulity, Mr. B. exclaimed, "Impossible! such motherly, respectable women could never have been guilty of so great an atrocity." "Well," I added, "we’ll ask them." Addressing the first, I said to her, "Friend, how many children have you destroyed?" She was startled at my question, and at first charged me with unkindness, in harrowing up her feelings by bringing the destruction of her babes to her remembrance; but, upon hearing the object of my inquiry, she replied, with a faltering voice, "I have destroyed nine." The second, with eyes suffused with tears, said, "I have destroyed seven;" and the third informed us that she had destroyed five. Thus three individuals, casually selected, had killed one-and-twenty children!¹

¹Williams, J.n/an/an/an/an/a, , 498–500.