177^. except the propenfity to thieving, w hich feems innate in
.Fetlr“ary' ■ nloil o f the people we have vilited in this ocean, the y were
exceedingly friendly to us. And it does their fenfibility no
little .credit, without ¡flattering ourfelves, that w h en they
faw the various articles o f our European -manufafture, they
could not help exprelfing their furprize, by a mixture o f joy
and concern, that feemed to apply the cafe, as a leffon o f
h um ility to themfelves ; and, on all occalions-, th e y appeared
deeply impreiied w ith a confcioufnefs o f their own
in fe riority .; a behaviour which equ ally exempts the ir national
chat-after from the prepofterous pride o f the more
poliflied Japanefe, and o f the ruder Greenlander, ft was a
pleafure to obferve w ith how much affeftiori the women
managed their infants, and how readily the men lent their
affiftance to fuch a tender office ; thus fufficiently diftin-
g u ifh in g themfelves from thofe favages, who cfteem a w ife
and child as things rather necelfary, than defnable, or
worthy o f their notice.
From the numbers w hich we faw collefted at every v illage,
as w e failed paft, it may be fuppofed, that the inhabitants
o f this illand are pretty numerous. A n y computation,
that w e make, can be only conjeftural. But, that fome
notion may be formed, w hich iha ll not grea tly err op
either fide, I would fuppofe, that, in cluding the d ra g g lin g
houfes, there might be, upon the whole illand, fixty fuch
villages, as that before which we anch ored ; and that, a llow
in g five perfons to each houfe, there would be, in every
village, five hu nd red ; or thirty thoufand upon the illand.
T h is number is, certainly, not e x a g g e ra ted ; for we had
fbmetimes three thoufand perfons, at leait, upon the beach ;
w hen it could not be fuppofed, that above a tenth part o f
the inhabitants were prefcnt.
T he cbrinfibfl-diefsfibofh' o f the w om en and o f th e men, *77*
I , , 1 , ■ tr ri ( February;
bee-iT alre&d^ defdi'ibeu. The nr it- have' often much u.
larger p ie ce s 'o f cloth wrapped round'them, reaclling-frofri
j t ilf beidw th e bread's to 'th e hams, o f lower'; and feveral
were foeri w ith : pieces; thrown lo o ie ly about the ihoulders, ■
■Which covered’ the greateil part d f the body y btibthe children,
When vbry y o u n g , a re quite naked.' T h e y wear noth
in g 1 uporithe-fiead ; but the hair; in both fexes, is cut in
different fornasq and the general faihion; efpecially among
the ’ Women; iso to have in lo n g , before; and fhort behind.
T h e men o fte n had it cut; or ihaved, on each fide, in fuch a
manner, th a t 'th e remaining : paft, in fome meafure, re-
fenlbleS' the' creil o f their caps or helmets,.«formerly' de-
fcribed. Both fexeso however; feem v e r y carelefs about
th e irh a ir , and -have; nothing! liker combs to drefs it 'with.
Inftanees o f ' w ea rin g it, in a lin g u la r manner, were fome-
times met with among the men, who twill it into a num-
b'er o f feparate'parcels; lik e the' tails o f a wig, each-about
the thicknefs- o f a linger ; though the greateil part o f thefe,
w hich are foi lo n g that they reach far down the back, we
obfcrved, were artificially fixed upon the head, over their
OWnhalr*:
It is remarkable, tliat, contrary to the general praftice o f
the illands we had hitherto difcovered in the Pacific Ocean,
the people o f the Sandwich Illands have not their ears perforated;;
nOr have they the lealt idea o f wearing ornaments
iiV'them. Both fexes, neverthelefs, adorn themfelves with
necklaces made o f bunches o f fmall black cord, lik e our
* T h e print o f Horn Ifland, which we meet with in M r . Dalrymple’ s account o f
L e Mai re and Schouten’ s voyage, reprefents fome o f the'natives* o f that' ifland - with:
fuch long tails, hanging from their heads, as are here defcribed. See Dalrymple's
Voyages to the South Pacific, V o l. ii; p. 5#.'
hat