V A R I E T
I E S OF,
•MENare
ftrong and adtive, marked by fine outlines. Their females have
generally coarfe features, few having any thing agreeable or pleafing
in their round faces, with thick lips and wide mouths. Their
teeth are fine, their eyes lively, the hair finely curled, the body
in fuch as have not yet borne children, is well proportioned, with
a flowing outline, and fine extremities. The generality are of a
mild and good natured temper, ready to pleafe their guefts in every
thing in which they can be ferviceable : but the ungrateful foil
affording them only a fparing fubfiftence, and that too, hot to be
procured without much labour, they could not fupply us with any
roots or vegetables ; and we were obliged to provide them with the -
firil dog and bitch, and the firil boar and fow, which in time to.
come may perhaps fupply them with a new and acceptable change
o f food.
Secondly, T h e inhabitants o f T a n n a , ~one of the New
Hebrides, are almoft o f the lame fwarthy . colour as~ the former';
only a few had a clearer complexion, and in thefe the tips o f their
hair were o f a yellowilh brown : the hair and beards o f the reft are
all black and crilp, nay, in fome woolly. The generality o f them
are tall, flout, and well made, none o f them are corpulent or
fat. Th e features of the greateft part are manly and bold, and but
few are difagreeable. Their females are of the fame complexion,
have before child-bearing, generally a fine outline, but they are all
ill-favoured,
adlfavoured, nay, fome are very ug ly: I faw but two, who had
lefs harlh lineaments, and a fmile'upon their countenance. Both
fixes have large holes in the lap ~of their 'ear, and wear feveral large
rings oftortoife-lhell in them; the Ji'pium ndrium islikewifeper-
forated, and they wear a flick or whitifh .cylindrical ftone- in it.;
T h e hair of thefe people is drefled in the moftcurious and lingular
manner; for they take a fmall parcel o f their-hair,-of the thicknefs
o f a pigeons quill and queue it up in the outer rind o f a .convolvulus,,
and thus they go on till they have finifhed.the whole, which grows
■ very copioufly; by this means their heads' bear , fome refemhlancc
to a: porcupine covered with prickly quills. • Their .-whole . hody is
naked, and the genitals only, are curiouily wrapped up in.leaves tied
ibyaftring, and then tucked up to a rope which they wear , round
their waifts. On their breafts and arms are figures;cut in, to which
th e y apply fome plant that raifes a fear above the reft of the fkin.,
T h e y are a good natured, friendly fet o f men, exercifing hofpitality
i l i a high degree. They feem to be valorous in encountering enemies,
■ who are equal to them in arms.;. nay,- before they perfectly knew how
Tar our arms were fuperior ;to, and more deftruftive than theirs,
a Angle man with a dart or fling,, would often Hand in a:path, and
hinder a party of eight or ten o f us from going higher up into the
country. They were miftruftful , and.-jealous in the beginning;
but after we had learnt a few words o f . their language; and c.on-
I i vinced
V A R I E T
I E S o p
M E N , ■