10 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



people. The former are generally men of stature, often six feet in 

 height, and proportionably muscular; the latter, in general slightly 

 made, and not more than five feet ten inches in height. The beard is 

 black, and frequently copious. The hair also black, or dark and frizzled, 

 but not woolly. It is worn in a variety of fashions. If a Eeejeean be 

 a dandy in anything, it is in the dressing of his head. There is a regular 

 guild of barbers, who dress hair professionally ; and this operation is as 

 lengthy and important as it was in the days of our great grandmothers. 

 The most usual fashion of wearing the hair is to comb the locks straight 

 out from the head, each lock, stiffened with some oily matter, being fre- 

 quently separately twisted. Thus the head appears about thrice its 

 proper diameter. Over the hair so dressed is commonly thrown a piece 

 of very fine white bark cloth, called a sala. This has the effect of a 

 turban, and certainly improves the appearance, besides protecting the 

 precious Avork of the barber from disarrangement. Frequently, several 

 of the locks behind the ear are plaited, and hang down like tassels on 

 the neck. Sometimes I have seen one side of the head cropped close, 

 whilst at the other the hair was allowed to grow into a great bush. 

 These were very fast men, apparently, who wore it in this fashion. Some- 

 times, instead of the sala, head-dresses of leaves and flowers are worn, 

 especially by the young ladies. I remember, in one of my rambles, 

 encountering a merry party of young girls with head-dresses made of 

 torn and crumpled leaves and flowers, very tastefully arranged. The 

 same parties had their ears bored, and the hole distended by large rolls 

 of leaves stuck in. 



The sleeping-place is commonly separated by curtains formed of mats. 

 The beds are also of matting. But a wooden pillow is a necessary part 

 of the furniture. It is so contrived that the head, or rather the neck, 

 may rest on it without disarranging the elaborately dressed hair. 



Manufactures of several kinds exist in different parts of the islands, 

 and specimens will now be exhibited of the native pottery, native cloth, 

 basket-work, &c. [Specimens of warlike implements, spears, war clubs, 

 hunting or birding clubs, &c, all elaborately carved, were hung round 

 the room.] It is surprising to think that most of these clubs and spears 

 were carved with implements no better than stone hatchets and chisels, 

 bits of shell, and such like rude tools. The natives are now well sup- 

 plied with European hatchets and knives ; and but few clubs are made. 

 In fact, these weapons have ceased to be valuable in native eyes, since 

 Europeans have made them acquainted with the use of fire-arms. In a 

 very few years neither club nor spear will be found in Eeejee, for, even 

 though they may not be beaten into ploughshares and pruning-hooks, they 

 will certainly be supplanted by rifles and revolvers. These implements 

 of a rude people have, therefore, their interest, and ought to find a place 

 in our Museum, which is designed to exhibit in epitome something illus- 

 trative of the history of the various races of men. It is curious, too, to 

 observe how similar patterns are reproduced in different ages of the world 

 and by the most distant peoples. Thus, one of the lamps on the table 

 might have been dug from an ancient Roman tumulus. Yet, what con- 



