United States Exploring Expedition, 29 



taining an actual relish for human flesh. The pottery of the 

 Feejees is among the most remarkable of their manufactures, 

 as this art is not known to the Polynesian races. Collections 

 equally curious were obtained at other places, but we must 

 pass them by without remark. 



The portfolios of the artists are rich in scenes of every kind, 

 illustrating the islands or regions visited, and their inhabi- 

 tants. The scenery of the islands, their mountains and foresis, 

 their villages, with interior and exterior views of huts and 

 public houses — their spirit-houses or temples — ^fortifications- 

 household utensils — canoes — the natives in council — dressed 

 and painted for war — the domestic scenes of the village — 

 costumes — tattooing — modes of cooking, eating, drinking cava, 

 taking and curing fish, swimming, gambhng, and other amuse- 

 ments — their war-dances, club-dances, jugglery, and nume- 

 rous other particulars illustrating their manners and customs, 

 have been sketched with fidelity. The portraits, too, are nu- 

 merous, and so faithful, that the natives, who had not seen 

 them taken, on beholding them, would cry out with surprise 

 the name of the individual represented. 



The number of sketches of scenes and scenery amounts to 

 more than 500, besides 500 others of headlands ; the number 

 of portraits is about 200. They have been taken at all the 

 places visited, from Madeira, where the vessels first stopped, 

 throughout the cruise, to St Helena. It is unnecessary to 

 enumerate the particular regions. 



The principal importance of the observations and sketches 

 illustrating the different races, consists in their bearing upon 

 the history of these races, their migrations, and their physical 

 and moral characteristics. These subjects, in connection with 

 the study of languages, which together constitute the science 

 of ethnography, received special attention during the cruise. 

 The opportunities for observation have been unusually good, 

 and the information collected wall prove, it is believed, highly 

 interesting. Only a few of the results can here be alluded to. 



It has been long known that the inhabitants of the princi- 

 pal groups scattered over the Pacific to the east of the Feejee 

 islands, those usually included under the general name of 

 Polynesia, belong to one race, and, in fact, are one people 



