1778. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 289 



On the inside, one may frequently see from one 

 end to the other of these ranges of buildings with- 

 out interruption. For though in general there be 

 the rudiments, or rather vestiges, of separations on 

 each side, for the accommodation of different fami- 

 lies, they are such as do not intercept the sight, and 

 often consist of no more than pieces of plank, run- 

 ning from the side toward the middle of the house, 

 so that if they were complete, the whole might be 

 compared to a long stable with a double range of 

 stalls, and a broad passage in the middle. Close to 

 the sides in each of these parts is a little bench of 

 boards, raised five or six inches higher than the rest 

 of the floor, and covered with mats, on which the 

 family sit and sleep. These benches are commonly 

 seven or eight feet long and four or five broad. In 

 the middle of the floor, between them is the fire-place, 

 which has neither hearth nor chimney. In one house, 

 which was in the end of a middle range, almost 

 quite separated from the rest by a high close par- 

 tition, and the most regular as to design of any that 

 I saw, there were four of these benches, each of 

 which held a single family at a corner, but without 

 any separation by boards ; and the middle part of 

 the house appeared common to them all. 



Their furniture consists chiefly of a great number 

 of chests and boxes of all sizes, which are generally 

 piled upon each other close to the sides or ends of 

 the house, and contain their spare garments, skins, 

 masks, and other things which they set a value upon. 

 Some of these are double, or one covers the other 

 as a lid, others have a lid fastened with thongs, and 

 some of the very large ones have a square hole, or 

 scuttle, cut in the upper part, by which the things 

 are put in and taken out. They are often painted 

 black, studded with the teeth of different animals, or 

 carved with a kind of frieze-work and figures of 

 birds or animals as decorations. Their other do- 

 mestic utensils are mostly square and oblong pails or 

 VOL. vi. u 



