5°
1770, two pieces ferve for a complete drefs; one of them is tied March.
t— v— j over their fhoulders with a firing, and reaches as low as
the knees ; to the end of this firing is fattened a bodkin of
bone, which is eafily patted through any two parts of this
upper garment, fo as to tack them together; the other piece
is wrapped round the waift, and reaches nearly to the
ground: the lower garment, however, is worn by the. men
only upon particular occafions; but they wear a belt, to
which a ftring is fattened, for a very Angular ufe. The inhabitants
of the South Sea iflands flit up the prepuce fo as
to prevent it from covering the glans of the penis, but thefe
people, on the contrary, bring the prepuce over the glans,
and to prevent it from being drawn back by the contraction
of the part, they tie the firing which hangs from their girdle,
round the end of it. The glans indeed feemed to be the-
only part of their body which they were folici'tous tp, conceal,
for they frequently threw off all their drefs but the belt
and ftring, with the moft carelefs indifference, but fhewed
manifeft figns of confufion, when, to gratify our curiofity,
they were requefted to untie the ftring, and never confented
but with the utmoft reluctance and fhame. When they have
only their upper garment on, and fit upon their hams, they
bear fome refemblance to a thatched lroufe; but this covering,
though it is ugly, is well adapted to the ufe of thofe
who frequently fleep in the open air, without any other
fhelter from the rain.
But befides this courfe ftiag or thatch, they have two forts,
of cloth, which have an even furface, and are very ingeni-
oufly made, in the fame manner with that manufactured
by the inhabitants of South America, fome of which we
procured at Rio de Janeiro. One fort is as coarfe as our
coarfeft canvas, and fomewhat refembles it in the manner of
laying the threads, but it is ten times as ftrong: the other is
8 formed
formed by many threads lying very clofe one way, and a
few crofting them the other, fo as to bind them together';
but thefe- are about Italian inch afunder, fomewhat like the
round pieces of cane matting; which are fometimes placed
under the. difhes upon a table. This is frequently ftriped,
and always had a pretty appearance, for it is compofed of
the fibres of the fame plant, which are prepared fo as to
fhine like filk. It is made in a kind of frame of the fize of
the cloth, generally about five feet long, and four broad,
acrofs which the long threads, which lie clofe together, or
warp, areftrained, and the crofs threads, or woof, are worked
in by hand, which mutt be a very tedious operation.
To both thefe kinds of cloth they work borders Of different
colours, in flitches, fomewhat like carpeting, or rather like
thofe ufed in the famplars which girls work at fchool. Thefe
borders are of various patterns, and wrought with a neat-
nefs, and even ah elegance, which, confidering they have
no needle, is furprizing : but the great pride of their drefs
confifts in the fur of their dogs, which they ufe with fuch
ceconomy that they cut it into ftripes, and few them upon
their cloth at a diftance from each other, which is a ftrong
proof that dogs are not plenty among them; thefe ftripes
are alfo of different colours, and difpofed fo as to produce a
pleafing effefl. We faw fome dreffes that were adorned with
feathers inftead of fur, but thefe were not common; and
we faw one that was intirely covered with the red feathers
of the parrot.
The drefs of the man who was killed, when we firft went
afhore in Poverty Bay, has been defcribed already; but we
faw the fame drefs only once more during our ftay upon the
coaft, and that was in Queen Charlotte’s Sound.
G 2 The