Au7»i pafs, to and from that ifle and the eaft point of the harbour,
—<i——' were fifhing canoes. Thefe canoes were of unequal fizes ;
fome thirty feet long, two broad, and three deep; and they
are compofed of feveral pieces o f wood clumfily fewed together
with bandages. The joints are covered on the outfide
by a thin batten champhered off at the edges, over which
the bandages pafs. They are navigated either by paddles
or fails. The fail is latteen, extended to a yard and boom,
and hoifled to a fhort mail. Some of the large canoes have
two fails, and all of them outriggers.
At firft we thought the people of this illand, as well as
thofe of Erromango, were a race between the natives of the
Friendly Iflands and thofe of Mallicollo; but a little acquaintance
with them convinced us that they had little or no
affinity to either, except it be in their hair, which is much
like what the people of the latter ifland'have. The general
colours of it are black and brown, growing to a tolerable
length, and very crifp and curly. They feparate it into fmall
locks, which they woold or cue round with the rind of a Sender
plant, down to about an inch of the ends ; and, as the
hair grows, the woolding is continued. Each of thefe cues
or locks is fomewhat thicker than common whip-cord ; and
they look like a parcel of fmall firings hanging down from
the crown of their heads. Their beards, which are ftrang
and buffiy, are generally fhort. The women do not wear
their hair fo, but cropped; nor do the boys, till they approach
manhood. Some few men, women, and children, were feen,
who had hair like ours j but it was obvious that thefe were
of another nation ; and, I think, we underflood they came
from Erronan. It is to this illand they afcribe one of the two
languages which they fpeak, and which is nearly, if not exactly,
adlly, the fame as that fpoken at the Friendly Iflands. It is
therefore more than probable that Erronan was peopled >--- .—
from that nation, and that, by long intercourfe with Tanna
and the other neighbouring iflands, each hath learnt the
other’s language, which they ufe indifcriminately.
The other language which the people of Tanna fpeak,
and, as we underftood, thofe of Erromango and Annatom,
is properly their own. It is different from any we had before
met with, and bears no affinity to that of Mallicollo j fo that, it
fhould feem, the people of thefe iflands are a diflindt nation
of themfelves. Mallicollo, Apee, &c. were names entirely
unknown to them; they even knew nothing of Sandwich
Illand, which is much the nearer. I took no fmall pains to
know how far their geographical knowledge extended; and
did not find (hat it exceeded the limits of their horizon.
• Thefe people are of the middle fize, rather flender than
otherwife; many are little, but few tall or flout; the mofl
of them have good features, and agreeable countenances;
are, like all the tropical race, adtive and nimble ; and feem
to excel in the ufe of arms, but not to be fond of labour.
They never would put a hand to affifl in any work we were
carrying on, which the people of the other iflaqds ufed to
delight in. But what I judge mofl from, is their making
the females do the mofl laborious work, as if they were
pack-horfes. I have feen a woman carrying a large bundle
on her back, or a child on her back and a bundle under her
arm, and a fellow flrutting before her with nothing but a club
or fpear, or fome fuch thing. We have frequently obferved
little troops of women pafs, to and fro, along the beach,
laden with fruit and roots, efcorted by a party of men under
arms; though, now and then, we have feen a man carry a
3 ' burden