musical, and in most cases easy of pronunciation. We
heard a boat song to-day, the air of which was sweet
and plaintive; we tried in vain to catch the words, and
unfortunately, none of us had skill enough to note down thè
air. We observed several people in canoes, making drawings
of the ships, but they hid their work when they were
observed. In consequence of what had been said last
might of our wanting repairs, a party of shipwrights and
•caulkers was sent on board the Alceste this morning, but
their tools werè of a Lilliputian order, and quite unsuited to
the rough work required. . .
The variety of colour and pattern in the dresses of the
¡pèopie to-day, is remarkable. Many wear printed cottons,
Others have cotton dresses with the pattern drawn on it by
hand, instead o f being stamped ; but blue, in all its shades;
is th e -prevalèntecolour, though there were many dresses
resembling in every respect Highland tartans. The children;
•in general, wear more shewy dresses than the men, and of
the dress of the women we can say nothing, as none have
.yet been seen. Every person has one of the girdles before
described, which is always of a different colour from the
dress, and is, in general, richly ornamented with flowers in
embossed silk, and sometimes with gold and silver threads.
This dress is naturally so graceful, that even the lowest
boatmen have a picturesque appearance. Their hair, which
is of a glossy black, is shaved off the crown, but the
bare place is concealed by their mode of dressing the
hair in a close knot over it. Their beards and mustachios
are allowed to grow, and are kept neat and smooth.
They are ra th e r; low in stature, but are well formed, and
have an easy graceful carriage, which: suits ;well with
their flowing dress. Their colour is not good, some being
very dark and others nearly white, but in most instances
they are of a deep copper. This is fully compensated for
by the sweetness and intelligence s of their countenance;
Their eyes, which are black, have a placid expression,:arid
their teeth are regular and beautifully white. In deportment
they are modest, polite, timid, and respectful, and in
short, appear to be a most interesting and amiable people.
Two of our friends who had visited us in the morning,
and whose, names we have discovered to be Ookoomaj and
Jeema, came on board again about half past five, and staid
an hour; they had nqt received any answer, they said, from
the Great Man, and therefore could not send pilots to the
“ hoonee gua,” or little ship. They were accompanied by a
chief whom we took to be, a Chinese, from his looks,-and his
appearing to understand the interpreter better than the
others. His formal and suspicious manner did not promise