THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



503^ 



tion, black, llraight, and lank, or hanging down over the '77^^. 

 flioulders. The neck is ftiort ; the arms and body have no ». ~,-_f 

 particular mark of beauty or elegance in their formation, 

 but are rather clumfy ; and the limbs, in all, are very fmall 

 in proportion to the other parts, and crooked, or ill made, 

 with large feet badly flaaped, and projedling ankles. This 

 laft defe(5t feems, in a great meafure, to arife from their 

 fitting fo much on their hams or knees^ both in their canoes 

 and houfes. 



Their colour we could never pofitively determine, as their 

 bodies were incrufted with paint and dirt ; though, in par- 

 ticular cafes, when thefc were well rubbed off, the whitenefs' 

 of the fkin appeared almoft to equal that of Europeans; 

 though rather of that pale effete call which diftinguiflies 

 thofe of our Southern nations. Their children, whofe fkins^ 

 had never been ftaincd with paint, alfo equalled ours ia 

 whitenefs. During their youth, fome of them have no dif- 

 agreeable look, if compared to the generality of the people; 

 but this feems to be entirely owing to the particular anima- 

 tion attending that period of life; for, after attaining a cer- 

 tain age, there is hardly any diflinction. Upon the whole, 

 a very remarkable famenefs feems to characfterize the coun- 

 tenances of the whole nation ; a dull phlegmatic want of 

 expreffion, with very little variation, being ftrongly marked 

 in all of them. 



The wornen are nearly of the fame fize, colour, and form,. 

 with the men; from whom it is not eafy to diftinguifh 

 them, as they poffefs no natural delicacies fufncient to ren- 

 der their perfons agreeable ; and hardly any one was feen, 

 even amongft thofe who were in the prime of life, who had 

 the leaft pretenfions to be called handforae. 



Their 



