manners inhabitants o f the ifland o f Tanna, were by no means contented
COMPARED
with the red colour; they improved upon it, by adding the fhining
black,. o f a kind of black lead, or black wadd (Molybdenum plumbago.
Linn.) and a white prepared o f Ihell lime, and then laying
each on alternately, in oblique broad flripes a-crofs their faces- In
the Admiralty-ifles, Captain. Carteret faw likewife people, who had
marked their faces with white flreaks. *"
T h e ear-laps of the people at Eafler-iflandy and. the N ew -
Hebrides, were* diftended to an enormous fize, fo as to hang down
to their fhoulders : they ufed for that purpofe fome fcrolls o f the
elaflie leaf o f fugar-cane, and this is much, affefted by feveral nations
in America, and likewife at Siam, where they ufe the. fame
fcrolls o f leaves, in order to aggrandife the hole; nor is this cuf-
tom unknown in Africa, where feveral negro women ufe large
folid ear-rings, o f fix inches diameter; -f- and in the North o f Alia
the Mungalic tribes wear ear-rings o f ahout a foot long. On the
coaft o f Malabar the holes in the ears are fo large, that a man’s
hand may pafs through with eafe; nor is this a wonder, as their
ear-rings weigh fometimes.above two ounces each. J
S The
* Hawkefworth, vol, i. p. 6op
-j- Voyage de Brue.
+ Dillon’s Voyage to the Eaft-Indies i Engtifli tranflation, London 8vo, 2 698, p. 107.
The nails o f the people o f quality at Taheitee, and the neighbourhood,
are o f a great length, fo that fometimes the part Handing
beyond the finger, is equal to one o f the joints : the dancing
.girls, (who are always perfons o f quality) have alfo very long
■ nails : and this cuftom is likewife common among the women of
the Gold-coal! in Africa * : the Mandarines in China, carefully
preferve their long nails as a proof or mark o f their nobility and
rank ; and keep on purpofe fmall cafes of bamboo over them during
the night, to prevent accidents + : in Siam, the dancing girls make
ufe o f falfe long nails, made o f brafs, in order to come up to this
fafhion %: at Maghindanao, (commonly called Mindanao) the
nails o f the thumb on their left hand are never cu t ; and the
people in Java are find to wear long hair and long nails. §
T h e figure o f the nofe feems to have been an object worthy the
attention o f the midwives at Taheitee; and fince, they are o f opinion
that a broad, fomewhat flat nofe, is ornamental, they deprefs
the nofe immediately after the birth of the child, and repeat this
adtion upon the child, whilfl it is Hill tender, which we have al-
4 G ready
** Prévôt Hift. des Voyages, tom. ir.*
'f Ofbeck’» Voyage to China, vol. i. p. *70,
J Delà Loubere Voyage.
§ Voyages faits pour l’Etabliflement de la Compagnie des lades Orientales (Amtlerdam
i;702,) roi. i, p. 392.