Avomr. their heads, without being cut, or reftrained into any particular
form, had not a bad effect; and the green plantane
leaf which they generally wore, inftead o f covering it from
the fight, ferved rather to fet off its black colour to advantage.
They wore in their ears tortoife-fliell rings ; but we
obferved that the number o f ornaments confiderably en-
creafed with age, the oldeft and uglieft being loaded with
necklaces, ear-rings, nofe-jewels, and bracelets. It appeared
to me that the women were not held in any efteem
by the men, but obeyed upon the fmalleft fign ; and according
to the accounts of our waterers (See above, p. 292.!
many were feen in the humiliating guife of drudges and
beads of burden. Perhaps the laborious talks which they
are forced to perform, contribute to lelTen their ftature, ep
pecially if they are difproportioned to their ftrength. It is-
the pradtice of all uncivilized nations to deny their women'
the common privileges of human beings, and to treat them
as creatures inferior to themfelves. The ideas of finding
happinefs and comfort in the bofom of a companion, only
arife with a higher degree of culture. Where the mind is
continually occupied with the means of fc 1 f -prefcrvation,
there can be but little refined fentiment in the commerce of
the fexes, and nothing but brutal enjoyment is known;*
Infirmity and meeknefs, indead of finding a protedlor in the'
favage, are commonly infulted and opprefled1: the love of
power is fo natural- to mankind, that they eagerly feize every
oppor-v
opportunity to exercife their fuperiority over thofe who are avcvIt..
unable to refid. The encreafe of population necefiarily brings
on a greater degree of polifh; the cares of felf-prefervation are
in great meafure removed from the individual to the community
; affluence takes the place of want and indigence, and the
mind more unemployed', takes pleafure in the more refined
enjoyment of life ; it gives a loofe to a difpofition for mirth
and play, and learns to fet a value on the amiable qualities
of the fex. The favage is not wholly incapable of tender—
nefs and affedtion ; we trace them in the boy whild he remains
thoughtlefs and free from care * ■, but as foon as he
feels the urgent wants of his exidence, every other fentiment
or indindl is forced to lie dormant. We obferved an
indance of affedlion among the natives of Tanna this
evening, which drongly proves that the paffions and innate
qualities of human nature are much the fame in every climate.
A little girl, about eight years old, of very agreeable
features, peeped at us between the heads of the people
who were feated on the ground. As foon as lhe found her-
felf obferved, fhe ran away to- hide herfelf in the hut. I
beckoned the child to come back, and fhewed her a piece of
Taheitee cloth, but I could not prevail on her to come and
fetch it. Her father got up, and with fome entreaty per-
fuaded her to come to> me. I took hold of her hand, and'
* W e may remember, that the attachment o f the people at Tanna towards us,,
began, with the rifing generation,.
gav,&