5 6 4
march great fterility of the country. They were inferior in ftature
to the natives of the Society and Friendly Hies, and to thofe
of New Zeeland, there being not a fingle perfon amongft
them, who might be reckoned tall. Their body was like-
wife lean, and their face thinner than that of any people
we had hitherto feen in the South Sea. Their want of
cloathing, and a great eagernefs to obtain our goods without
offering any thing in return, feemed altogether to be
fufficient marks of poverty. They were all prodigioufly
punctured on every part of the body, the face in particular;
and their women, who were very fmall and {lender limbed,
had likewife punftures on the face, which refembled the
patches fometimes worn by our ladies. The number of
women in the croud did not exceed ten or twelve ; they were
feldom fatisfied with their natural clear brown colour, but
painted the whole face with a reddifh brown ruddle, over
which they laid on the bright orange of the turmeric-root;
or ornamented themfelves with elegant ftreaks of white
{hell-lime. The art of painting is therefore not confined
to thofe ladies who have the happinefs to imitate French
fafliions. The women were all drefled in pieces of cloth,
which appeared fcanty when compared to the Taheit-ian
dreflfes. Both fexes had thin, but not favage features,
though the little fhelter which their barren country offers,
againft the fun-beams, had coni rafted their brows fometimes,
and drawn the mufcles of the face up towards the
eye.
eye. Their nofes were not very 4 . broad, ' but rather flat M, ’a7r74i ~h.
between the eyes ; their lips ftrong, though not fo thick as
thofe of negroes ; and their hair black and curling, but
always cut flrort, fo as not to exceed three inches. Their
eyes were dark brown, and rather fmall, the white being,
lefs clear than in other nations of the South Seas. Their
ears were remafkable for the great length of the lap, which,
frequently hung on the lhoulder, and was pierced with fo;
large a hole, that the extremity could be tucked up through,
it. In order to bring it to- this fize, they wore a leaf of a
fugar cane, which is very elaftic, rolled up in it like a fcroll
by which means it was always on the flretch. The violent
aftion of the fun upon their heads has forced them to com
trive various coverings for that part. Many of the men-
wore a ring about two inches thick, flrongly and curioufly
plaited of grafs, and fitting clofe round the head. This,
was covered with great quantities of the long black feathers,
which decorate the neck of the man of war bird. Others-
had huge bufliy caps of brown gulls feathers, which, were
almoft as large.as the full-bottomed wigs of European lawyers
; and {till others wore a Ample hoop of wood, round»
which a number of the. long white feathers of a. gannet-
hung nodding, and waved in the wind. The women wore-
a great wide cap, made of very neat mat-work ; it was
pointed forwards, formed a ridge along the top, and two»
large lobes, behind, on each fide, which we. found extremelyc
o o l i n g