'!Í i'f
ments follow the curvature of the body so gracefully, that
they have a very pleasing and elegant effect. One common
figure, varying only in its detail, branches somewhat like a
tuft of palm-leaves* from the line of the backbone, and
curls round each side. The simile may he a fanciful one,
but I thought the body of a man thus ornamented, was like
the trunk of a noble tree embraced by a delicate creeper.
Many of the older people had their feet covered with
small figures, placed in order so as to resemble a sock.
This fashion, however, is partly gone by, and has been
succeeded by others. Here, although each man must for
ever abide by the whim which reigned in his early days, yet
fashion is far from immutable. An old man has thus his
age for ever stamped cn his body, and he cannot assume the
atrs of a young dandy. The women are also tattooed m the
same manner as the men, and very commonly on their
fingers. An unbecoming fashion in one respect is now
almost universal; it is that of cutting the hair, or rather
shaving it, from the upper part of the head, in a circular
form, so as to leave only an outer ring of hair. The
missionaries have tried to persuade the people to change
this habit: but it is the fashion, and that is sufficient
answer at Tahiti as well as at Paris. I was much disappointed
in the personal appearance of the women; they
are far inferior in every respect to the men. The custom
of wearing a flower In the back of the head, or through a
small hole in each ear, is pretty; the flower is generally
either white or scarlet, and like the Camelia Japónica.
They wear also a sort of crown of woven cocoa-nut leaves,
as a shade to their eyes. The women appear to be m
greater want of some becoming costume, even than the
men.
Nearly all understand a little English; — that is^ they
know the names of common things, and by the aid of this,
• T h e s im ila rity is n o t c lo se r th a n b e tw e e n th e c a p ita l o f a C o r in th ia n
c o lam n a n d a tu f t o f a c a n th u s .
T
together with signs, a lame sort of conversation could be
carried on. In returning in the evening to the boat, we
stopped to witness a very pretty scene; numbers of children
were playing on the beach, and had lighted bonfires, wliich
illuminated the placid sea and surrounding trees. Others,
in circles, were singing Tahitian verses. We seated ourselves
on the sand, and joined their party. The songs
were impromptu, and I believe related to our arrival: one
little girl sang a line, which the rest took up in parts,
forming a very pretty chorus. The whole scene made us
unequivocally aware that we were seated on the shores of an
island in the South Sea.
N o v e m b e r 17t i i . — This day is reckoned in the log-book
as Tuesday the l7 th instead of Monday the 16th, owing to
our, so far successful, chase of the sun. Before breakfast
the ship was hemmed in by a flotilla of canoes, and when
the natives were allowed to come on board, I suppose their
numbers could not have been under two hundred. It was
the opinion of every one, that it would have been difficult
to have picked out an equal number from any other nation,
who would have given so little trouble. Every body
brought something for sa le : shells were the main article of
trade. The Tahitians now fully understand the value of
money, and prefer it to old clothes or other articles. The
various coins, however, of English and Spanish denomination
puzzle them, and they never seemed to think the small
silver quite secure until changed into dollars. Some of
the chiefs have accumulated considerable sums of money.
One not long since offered eight hundred dollars (about
160 pounds sterling) for a small vessel; and frequently they
purchase whale-boats and horses, at the rate of from fifty
to a hundred dollars.
After breakfast I went on shore, and ascended the slope
of the nearest part of the mountain, to an elevation between
two and three thousand feet. The form of the land is
rather singular, and may be understood by explaining its
hypothetical origin. I believe the interior mountains once