494 ‘ . ' ' P O L Y N E S I A .
' jj There are befides many ifles fcattered in different directions, which
would be difficult to conned with any group, and indeed none pf them,
yet difcovered, appears to be of any confequence.
' I . T h e P e l e w I s l e s .
This group recently attracted confiderable attention, from an ingenious
and' pleafing account of them, drawn up by Mr. Keate, from $he
papers of Captain Wilfon, who fuffered fhipwreek on thefe' iflands in
fjojfa The narrative is doubtlefs heightened by Mr. Keate’s' imagination,
but the people appear to be a m'oft gentle and amiabléJrïce, fhe
gay aind innocent children of nature. It is a peculiarity, which hadheen
remarked in defcnbihg thé brienbl archipelago,; that the fifrafl1 rftës lire
the chief feats of comparative civilisation, by the concentrationI of Society.
To»this circumftance may be added, that in large iflands the natives
folit into.diftinCt tribes, generally whence
the .pièafurabïèjaflioris almoft expire in the conftant furcdfióh'-Örfear
and rage, while in thé fmall iflands, there being no room for'Tecfeffifen,
the fociety becomes as it were one family.- Much will dorfbilefs d^hend
upon the propenfities of the native"race, .and even da the ChkraCtef1 And
manners of the flrft fettle'rs and their immediate defcendants, hütpêkcept
On the above principles,, it tnight perhaps be difficült fö afeciUUl 'for the
contraft of manners between the people of the Pelews and thofeof-New
■Zealand, who are probably of one original ftem*
TheJPelewans are a flout well made people, rather above the middle
ftature. Their complexions are of a far deeper colour than whai is un-
* Dr. Forfter thinks, Obf. 358, that the original people of A uftralaiia and Polynefia was the negro
breed found in Papua, New -Holland, See., for even in Otaheite the e'onimon people aremuch darker
than the chiefs, and perhaps o f a mingled race.. According to that author the Malays of Malacca
■ gradually fpread to Borneo, the Philippines, the Ladrones, and Carolines : thence to the Friendly
Iflands and New Zealand, the Society Iflands, the Marquéfas* and as far ealt as. Eaffier Ifland.
To Papha, New Caledonia, and^the New Hebudes, the Malays did not bend iheii-progrefs, cor to
New Holland,fothat thefe laft countries remain in the poffeflion o f the primitive! race.. In ihc
large iflands,. as Borneo, Luzon, See. the ntgrbesretired to the inferior mountains, beingcalled
Biajosj Negrillos, Zambales, Harfuris, See. 5 but in the leiTer ifles they were conquered,; and became
Toufotu. ., 2' 1 "~7 1,1'J der’ftood
P O L Y N E S IA . 4 9 5
derftood^y the copper hue, but riot-black; and-their hair-is long and' Pelews
flovrang, 'V The-'men aSr'e entirelyt-naked^hile <ke Women .only wear
two kittle aprons, HSthisr M i i j madeiof therhufb'of the cocoa nut.
Both fexfe aitolfSkooed^ "an* the -teeth 'are 'lyed' hlack, - «Polygamy' is ai-
lo-wtr^iiarid the dead-ate interred. i Thete.feems.no appearance of rei
Iig%Many kind,.though they have-an idea' that the foul Survives the.
affable^ ,aAd induftrious, this,, little tribe, -like thednhabi-
tants gfi.Qtaheite, form, qa exception to* thp gqneral rulefdf favage exift-
encel^Mr. Keate has published a yocab&lary of fhe language, which is
probably a diale<a..of the Mfday; diffufed through-thefe feas.
33h^g©yernm.ent;i^.in!f the hands, of % king,'under whom, there $re ru-
/^4«^r.e§ie%^ho alfo-conftitute a kind of) nobles, -‘The'pr&perty of
alidad and is %ppfe4ito.-be- vefted ’in thpfovereig w ^ e that-ofthe’
peopl|.1is Only7pp4qnal; as a, c?moe, 'weapons, or, rpde ■’
tureMtiGur'dom-eftic,.poultry are-here, wldkrF,th(e wood.s, and were Rfgl -
leded b y the nativ.es, till taught b f the Eoglifh, that- they’ proper,
for food. . Their chfef.nourifliment appears,to,rbe fifh;; but they made
a kind of fweptpieat&.froHi, the fugar cane, ..which feems, indigenous.
Thfphief drink was the mijk-pf th.e}cocoa, nut. -They, cpfamonty, rife at
daylight, and immediately- go to bath in frefh water. Thek houlgs are
r-a}%|ori- large fton.es, about .three feet Jawaa gl&y grpund,..,being, con-
ftraS # l8 f:'Pianks'and bamboos* and the fke7place in-tfip middle, jfee^ed
with'^afd rubbifh. There are large manfiens for public meetings. >t-The
b|ft knives,are ©f mother of pearl, others o f'4. large mufcle.flij^oriplit
, They make oval veffeI%of,,coarfe earthem..ware,' 'in general
%irarticles referable-thofe of Qta,heite, and other, ifles ip, the.^u th Sea.
The weapons are fpeari., darts, and flings s and*the cario,^ are formed
the trunk of a tree, neatly ornamented*. }
^T^efe ifles. had .fcarcely been vifije^by any European ,till Captain
ilfon landed at OJoolOng, Mr. Keate’safcqopnt is, rat-h&r .romantic
than .exad, for it appears that Abba Thylle was king o f tjbp ifle called
oprQ^aa, and the Englifh called the capital,»^w rpfidenc^of^the king-,
Thefe iflands are in general of a moderate j^eight, well povered
WltJl wood j and are circled ^op the weft fide by ^,.reef of cor^'from
1 Keate, 318.
two