placed, parallel to the boat to prevent its overfetting; at the prow
and poop, and likewife at each end o f an out-rigger, projefting
from each fide of the mail, are fmall apartments; the fails are
manufactured o f a mat of palm leaves.
T h e common occupation o f men confifts in preparing the foil
for the cultivation o f various roots for their fubfiltence j for which
purpofe they clear the ground o f the woods with their ftone-
■ hatchets, in a very troublefome manner, and then fet' fire to the
wood when perfectly d r y ; the fmoak and fire o f which is often
feen at a great diftance out at fea. Fifhing, takes up a great deal of
their time, and they ufe for that purpofe among other contrivances,
a balket. T h e building houfes and boats together with the making
their-arms, are likewife allotted to the men. T h e women affi.ft-
the men in. fewing and planting their roots, and are betides occupied
in drefling their victuals,, and preparing' cloth from the bark
o f a plane-tree. * T h e tree called by them balibago is likeyyife-
employed in the manufacture of cloth by their women.
In their domeftic life they are very fober-and uniform; they'
rife with the fun, and go to fleep when it fets. 1 For their meals
they keep no regular time, but eat whenever appetite prompts
them, and whenever opportunity offers : However they eat but
little
* The plane-tree here mentioned is in oft probably the Morus pafyri/era, fince its jagged
leaves might be miftaken for t ofe of a plane-tree» i
little at a time, and repeat it often. They bathe three times a day,
and are always very neat and cleanly. Their king or great chief
refides in the ifleof U l e e , and another lives in that o f L a m u r e c ,
and all the chiefs or Tamales, of the neighbouring ifles are fubjeCts
of vaffals o f thefe two kings, Each, ifland contains a great many
noblemen or Tamales o f the royal family and one of them governs
the, ifle. A kind o f gentry inferior in rank are next to the Tamales,
and the low people are ftill more fubjeCted ; each of thefe ranks of
men Ihew great refpeCt to their chiefs.
Thofe who are willing to pay a vifit to their chiefs, Ihew their
refpeCf amongft others by painting their bodies with a kind of an
aromatic yellow pafte> * this is likewife obferved on their feftivals;
but the chiefs are almoft conftantly painted in this manner. T h e
raiment of the. common people confifts of a piece of cloth wrapped
round their loins and thighs, part o f which pa-ffes between their
legs. Th e women are dreffed in the fame manner, with this difference,
only, that the cloth reaches down to'the middle of their
legs, whereas, that of the men hardly covers the knees. Th e upper
part o f the body is naked; however fometimes a kind o f cloak
with a hood to it is worn by them over their Ihoulders. The chief
wears a piece of cloth with aiiole cut in the middle o f it, through
which
; * In the Friendly ifles, Eafter Ifland, and all the'New Hebrides, .they ftain their bodies,
and cloth fometimes. with a yellow aromatic powder, extracted from turmeric*
MANNERS
COMPARED