MANNERS
COMPARED
which he pttts the head, and has one part hanging down the bread
and to the knees, and the Other reaching as far down behind. Th e
women wear bracelets o f tortoife-ihell above their elbows, and in
their ears, rings made o f the fame fubftance, in which they fome-
thnes put odoriferous flowers, or fmall beads o f coco-nut-fhells.
T h e men ufe a kind of cap or fillet, made o f plaited filaments,
ituck round with birds feathers Handing upright. Their body is
marked with various lines difperfed in various compartments, but
•the women and children are without them. T h e y are a fet of
people having well-proportioned limbs, but their chiefs are remarkably
tall and lufty, their hair is black, long, and falling in
cu rls; their beards are ftrong and bulhy, their nofes broad, their
eyes large, liyely and piercing. In their temper is a mixture o f the
greateft good-nature and benevolence j therefore i f ever they quarrel,
they are never carried away fo far by their paffion or hatred as to kill
their adverlary: the higheft pitch o f their vengeance is to fight their
foes at fifty cuffs, and as foon as fome o f the by-ftanders interfere
and feparate the combatants, their anger is over and they are eafily reconciled,
efpecially by a few prefents made to theperfon offended. I f
ever any one commits a heinous crime, his punilhment never extends
further than banilhment to one o f the neighbouring iflands. Though
the breach o f conjugal fidelity is reckoned a great crime, it is however
deemed venial, and the injured hulband eafily forgets the offence
for
for a handfome acknowledgement: but he is ftill at liberty to
divorce the wife upon fuch occafions. The wife is likewfe permitted
to feparate herfelf from her hufband upon any flight offence-,
difpleafure or difguft. One curious cuftom however prevails among
them, according to which a man marries the wife of his deceafed
brother, in cafe he has left no children to inherit; this cuftom,
as faraa we know, is no where pradtited among the inhabitants o f
the iflands which we had occafion to vifit. Th e common people are
contented with one wife, though it be not unlawful to- marry more
than one, and with the chiefs and nobles it is looked upon as a
mark of rank to have more than one wife ; nay, the King o f the
diftridt o f C i t t a c refiding at the iile o f H u o g o l e u or T o r r e s ,
has nine wives. Among themfelves they keep ftridtly honeft,
and pilfer only from Arrangers; they covet iron above all things,
and every one who obtains fome, either by purchafe from Europeans,
from fhipwrecks, or by Health, is obliged to bring it to the chief,
who orders fuch tools to be made o f it, as the fize and form o f the
iron will beft admit, and then his fubjedts hire them for their own
ufe at a certain price.
Their benevolent and friendly difpofition gives unity and friend-
lhip to their focieties; their lively and joyful temper prompts
them to mirth and all kinds of fports, and the enjoyment o f
pleafure; they are amazingly addidted to laughing, and are fond of
4 H little