17^9. ROUND THE WORLD. 187 



any serpent. But the sea supplies them witli great 

 variety of most excellent fish, to eat which is their 

 chief luxury, and to catch it their principal labour. 



As to the people they are of the largest size of Eu- 

 ropeans. The men are tall, strong, well-limbed, and 

 finely shaped. The tallest that we saw was a man 

 upon a neighbouring island, called Huaheine, who 

 measured six feet three inches and a half. The 

 women of the superior rank are also in general above 

 our middle stature, but those of the inferior class are 

 rather below it, and some of them are very small. 

 This defect in size probably proceeds from their early 

 commerce with men, the only thing in which they 

 differ from their superiors, that could possibly affect 

 their growth. 



Their natural complexion is that kind of clear 

 olive, or hrunette, which many people in Europe 

 prefer to the finest white and red. In those that 

 are exposed to the wind and sun, it is considerably 

 deepened, but in others that live under shelter, espe- 

 cially the superior class of women, it continues of its 

 native hue, and the skin is most delicately smooth 

 and soft : they have no tint in their cheeks, which 

 we distinguish by the name of colour. The shape of 

 the face is comely, the cheek-bones are not high, 

 neither are the eyes hollow, nor the brow prominent: 

 the only feature that does not correspond with our 

 ideas of beauty is the nose, which, in general, is 

 somewhat flat ; but their eyes, especially those of the 

 women, are full of expression, sometimes sparkling 

 with fire, and sometimes melting with softness ; their 

 teeth also are, almost without exception, most beauti- 

 fully even and white, and their breath perfectly with- 

 out taint. 



The hair is almost universally black, and rather 

 coarse : the men have beards, which they wear in 

 many fashions, always, however, plucking out great 

 part of them, and keeping the rest perfectly clean 

 and neat. Both sexes also eradicate every hair from 



