account had previously, visited on their way from the «Samoan
Archipelago* islands forming the intermediate groupe of Ellice’s
Islands. There they found' people 4‘ who understood
the Samoan language, and spoke a pure Polynesian dialect/?
“ They were ia general appearance; rinferior to the Samoans,
of middle size, and deep brown complexions, like the Hawai-
ians, whom they were thought also to, resemble int,tbeir
features; hut they were welFprovided with beards, inwhich
respect they „resembled the Feejees. They rvere tattoaed
differently from any heretofore seen,”
is The Tarawan. people-had a distinct tt&ditkftL. o f ; the- .’ftfst
peopling o f their, groupe of islands. The* first inhabitants
arrived in two. canoes i from Barn ess or | Baneha,an,; jslind
which, t^ey,say, lies, to the southryvest.^>. Afterwards twqpther
canoes eaipe from an island sto the -southward, whi#b they
term Araoi. The latter rvere better-lookingc people thandh®:
others, and spoke a different language. ?, FqF¥f§qme^generafioris
the two rapes lived together in peace, but at length the Bausba
people killed the Arnoi men and took their wives. ? .
The people of this gToupe§differ in their personal £raits from
the Polynesians, and more nearly resemble the Malays. Their
colour is a dark copper, a shade or two deeper than the
Tahitian complexion; they are of the middle .size, well-made
and slender;vtheir hair is fine, i black, and glossy; thajpese
slightly aquiline, but a little broad at its base; the | mouth is
large, with full lips and small teeth; the. cheek-bones project
forward so as to give the eyes the appearance of being sunken.
Their average height is about 6 feet 8 inches.
They are divided into three classes, chiefs, landholders,
and slaves.
A great and marked distinction between these natives and
the Polynesians is the absence of the system of Tabu, or any
laws of prohibitions from the priests, supposed to emanate
from fheir- gods. Their j religion is simple, but peculiar to
them. They believe in a future state, and that souls go to
Kainakake or elysium after death. They have no kind of
intoxicating drink.
The population of this archipelago is, as far as it could be
numbered, aboufi< 60,00# souls. In Drummond’s Island
there were abou^dôôQi; The |)eii{5Îè‘bfLthë Pitt Island, which
is° hardly' otib of theG^.foùpe, differ greatly from tlie other
islanders.
It mUst bè observed that the inhabitants of the island of
Makin are excepted from the description given of the natives
of other islands They differ *'!so; much in
appëaraneeffcom the others that werfe-it not for their manners,
customs, and language**5 they could not be classed among th e
same race.” “ Wood, a seaman, who had ; lived af long time
in this archipelago; afieeunte# for thé;}difference {in appearance
by their being at all times abundantly -supplied with food
andlivtng an inéètiteiMfe^ with notbint^^Vdisturb theiFpé&æ,
which has coritihéed Unbroken for Upwards ;of at1 cefttury.
They-' have from this cause become indoleSt.r: ! Their colouris
a shade lighter than' th&f iàîàndërfe in this'groupe,
their utatUre taller, and their‘Whblë^frtefee muéhaiar^èr : their
limbs : are full and well-rounded : their ; bodies are as smooth
as a ehild’b f their1 features oval, and’âlûfë tfigbfriri UndldeM-
Uatethan these of the natives u’f th é ’; southern islafidséf the
same groupe.”*
S e c t io n Geneva], Survey o f the Marian Archipdago.
The following is the geographical description'of these islands
given by M. de Freycinet, whose aoeburrfejof this «archipelago
is one of the most elaborate portions of ?his work* «
The Marian Islands, situated in the northern part of the
great ‘ equinoctial .ocean, about 4Q0 leagues to the east; of
the Philippines, extend« north, and«!south fremithe I8| Tf)’ to
the 20° 3.0* pf lat., and in longitude reach only 1° 17V I
Seventeen? islands or groupesi of^ islets compose' this archipelago,
the largest of which are Guam, or Guahara, the
capital, Saypan, Rota, and Tinian. The others are Agoigau,
Farallon de Medinilla, Anataxan, Langoan, Farallon de
Exploring Voyage, vol. v. p. 83.