3 9® R E M A R K S o n t h e
m a n n e r s carry cleanlinefs to a very great length ; they bathe every morning
■ and evening, in a rivulet, or the fea-water,. and after they come
out o f the fea, they conftantly undergo an immeriion o f their bodies
in frefh water, for the ablution o f the briny particles ; before and
after their meals they wafti their hands; and were' glad to obtain
■ from us. combs o f all fizes and kinds, in order to adjuft their hair,
and likewife to free them from vermin, which, before the intro-
duftion o f European combs, they frequently fearch.ed.for, .rendering
this fervice to one another: they likewife anoint their hair, with
perfumed coco-nut oil, both to caufe a fine fmell, and to!hinder
the increafeof vermin, which are inftantly killed, as foon:as their
fpiracula are ftopt up with the oil. T h e want or fcarcity of. freih
water, in all the Low and Friendly-Iflands, makes the natives lefs
careful o f ablution, and caufes among them, 1 believe, thefe cutaneous
and leperous diforders, which we found fo .common among
them. But the inhabitants o f the New-Hebrides and: N ew TCale-
donia, we obferved to be more cleanly,, becaufe freih water, is
more common, and they were likewife careful in.deftroying the
yermin.
Th e inhabitants of the Friendly,-Iflands conftantly clip the hair
-of their beards, by means o f two fharp bivalve, fhells;' and lid o
tiot remember, to have feen, in all thefe ifle.s, oneJingle mail, with
» long
H U M ' A N S P E C I E S'..
a long beard. - * Th e hair o f the head is commonly black, and m a n n e r s
flowing in beautiful natural-, ringlets; the natives, however, generally
cut it ihort; and in a few individuals only, from Bolabola,.
we obferved long hair.
- Befides thefe articles belonging to the external appearance of
the nations in the South-Seas, there are many others, which are
equally chara&eriftic, and the language is’ none-of the leaft ftriking,.
curious and' intereftingv W e acquired only a very imperfeft' knowledge
o f the many languages fpoken in the various ides' o f the
South-Sea ; we'Jhall therefore not pretend to be very full upon
this fubjeft, nor can it be expe£ted; we ihalf only offer on that
head a few general remarks.
Th e language o f the Society-ifles was better underftood By
us than any other, becaufe we had made fo confiderable a ftay among
them, and had an opportunity o f making ufe o f the vocabularies
collefted in former voyages, and of converting with the natives
whom we had on board ;, the- other dialefts: were only imperfectly
under-
•*. We are.therefore forry, that we cannot, hr this'inftance, fay of the young, artifl’s pic»
ture, repreferating the landing at the Friendly-ifles, which is engraved for'Capt. Cook’s voyage,
omnedullt fun&im qui mifcuit utile. as he made it. a fine compofition. at the expencc o.£
truth, by giving all the men large bulhy beards, contrary to the cojlume of the country, and
by cloathing many figures from head to foot, with fine flowing draperies, in the fineft Greek
ftyle, though the natives are conftantly naked from the girdle upwards; the elegant form-
of their naked bodies would have producers fine an efledt, as the drapery : and in.repre—
fentationa of this>kind.intended to accompany an hiftory of. a voyage, the chief recpiifite and.
merit is truthj.which ought not to be Sacrificed.to whim and caprice..