ledted, that the courfe o f the Spaniih trade from Acapulco
— «— to the Manillas, is but a few degrees to the Southward o f
the Sandwich Iflands, in their paflage out, and to the Northward,
on their return, this fuppolition will not appear in the
leaft improbable.
The common drefs o f the women bears a clofe refem-
blance to that o f the men. They wrap round the waift a
piece of cloth, that reaches ha lf way down the thighs ; and
fometimes, in the cool o f the evening, they appeared with
loofe pieces o f fine cloth thrown over their ihoulders, like
the women o f Otaheite. The pau is another drefs very frequently
worn by the younger part o f the fex. It is made o f
the thinneft and fineft fort o f cloth, wrapt feveral times
round the waift, and defcending to the l e g ; fo as to have
exaitly the appearance o f a fu ll ihort petticoat. Their hair
is cut ihort behind, and turned up before, as is the fafhion
among the Otaheiteans and New Zealanders; all o f whom
differ, in this refpeft, from the women of the Friendly
lilands, who wear their ■ hair long. We faw, indeed, one
woman in Karakakooa Bay, whofe hair was arranged in a
very lingular manner; it was. turned up behind, and brought
over the forehead, and then doubled back, fo as to form a
fort- o f fhade to the face, like a fmall bonnet.
Their necklaces are made o f fhells, or o f a hard, fhining,
red berry. Belides which, they wear wreaths o f dried flowers
of the Indian m a llow ; and another beautiful ornament,
called crate, which is generally put about the neck, but is
fometimes tied like a garland round the hair, and fometimes
worn in both thefe ways at once, as may be feen in the print
o f the woman o f the Sandwich ljlands. It is a ruff o f the thick-
uefs o f a finger,, made, in a curious manner, o f exceedingly
fmall.
fmall feathers, woven fo clofe together as to form a furface >779-
as fmooth as that o f the richeft velvet. • The ground was ■
generally o f a red colour, with alternate circles o f green,
yellow, and black. Their bracelets, which were alfo o f
great vaiiety, and very peculiar kinds, have been already
defcribed.
At Atooi, fome o f the women wore little figures o f the
turtle, neatly formed o f wood or ivory, tied on their fingers
in the manner we wear rings. Why this animal is thus
particularly diftinguiihed, I leave to the conjedtures o f the
curious. There is alfo an ornament made o f ihells, fattened
m rows on a ground o f ftrong netting, fo as to ftrike each
other, when in motion; which both men and women, when
they dance, tie either round the arm or the ankle, or below
the knee. Infteid o f Ihells, they fometimes make ufe o f
dogs teeth, and a hard red berry, refembling that o f the
holly.
There remains to be mentioned another ornament (if fuch
it may be called), the figure o f .which may be better conceived
from the annexed print, than any written defcrip-
tion. It is a kind o f mafk, made o f a large gourd, with
holes cut in it for the eyes and nofe. The top was ftuck full
o f fmall green twigs, which, at a diftance, had the appearance
o f an elegant waving plume; and from the lower part
hung narrow ftripes o f cloth, refembling a beard. We never
faw thefe maiks worn but twice, and both times by a number
o f people together in a canoe, who came to the fide o f
the fhip, laughing and drolling, with an air o f mafquerad-
ing. Whether they may not likewife be ufed as a defence
for the head againft ftones, for which they feem beft de-
figned, or in fome o f their public games, or be merely in-
T 2 tended