and Society Iflands. Their features were coarfe', but ex-
preffed great good-nature. The forehead in general was
high, the nofe broad and flat at the root, and the eyes rather
fmall. Their cheek-bones were very prominent, and
the cheeks commonly plump. Their hair was frizzled,
and often cut fhort, as among the natives of the Society
and Friendly Iflands. The huts, which flood about tent
yards from the banks of the river, on a little riling, were
o f a conical fliape, about ten feet high, but not pointed at
the top. Their innermoft fkeleton confifled of feveral poles
placed nearly upright, and connected together by twilled
flicks like hurdles. Over thefe we found a covering of
matts from top to bottom, and upon that a thick and well-
contrived thatch of ftraw. What little light there is in
thefe houfes, comes in through the entrance, which is a
hole about four feet high ; fo that the inhabitants mud
ftoop to go in or out. We found them full of fmoke, and
faw a heap of afhes in the entrance ; and concluded that
they were obliged to light fires, in order to drive away the
mofquitoes, which mull infeft the fwamps in the neighbourhood
; though this day being rather cool, we faw but few.
The huts were furrounded by a fmall number of coco-
palms, deftitute of fruit, fome fugar-canes, bananas, and
eddoes, which the natives had fupplied with water by
feveral little trenches. Some of the eddoes were a£tual]y
fet under water, in the fame manner as is cuftomary
throughthroughout
the South Sea Iflands. The whole plantation,
however, had avery.fcanty appearance, and feemed to be
infufficient to afford nourilhment to the inhabitants
throughout the year. We entirely miffed that variety of
fruits, which we had hitherto met with in the tropical
iflands, and naturally'recolledled the poverty of the inhabitants
of Eafter Ifland, above whom it appeared, that
the people before us enjoyed but few advantages. A native
named Heebai, feemed to be the principal man among the
few families which were here affembled ; we made him
fome prefents, and walked about on the banks of the river
towards the mangroves, meeting with a new plant by the
way. Towards the hills, of which the firft rifings were
at the diftance of about two miles, the country looked extremely
dreary ; here and there indeed, we faw a few trees,
and fmall cultivated fpots, but they appeared to be loft on
the great extent of barren and unprofitable country, which
refembled our moors more than any thing elfe. Upon a
large heap of embers and afhes before the huts, lay a round
earthen pot, which could hold four or five gallons. It was
very clumfily fhaped, had a large belly, and confifled of a
reddifh fubftance, which was totally covered with foot both
without and within. After a fhort ftay with the good
people of this fpot, whofe provifions were doubtlefs fo
fcanty, that they could not fpare any for us, we reimbarked
in our boats. The natives came along fide early the next
1774*
1 PTE M BEE.
morning: