THEPACIFICOCEAN. ejj 



tween motion and found. At the fame time, it fliould be '777- 



Ma-/, 



obferved, that though the mufic of the chorus, and that of 

 the dancers, correfponded, conftant pracftice in thefe favourite 

 amufements of our friends, feems to have a great fhare in 

 effecting the exadl time they keep in their performances. 

 For we obferved, that if any of them happened accidentally 

 to be interrupted, they never found the fmalleft difficulty in 

 recovering the proper place of the dance or fong. And 

 their perfe(5t difcipline was, in no inftance, more remark- 

 able, than in the fudden tranfitions they fo dexteroufly made 

 from the ruder exertions, and harfh founds, to the fofteft 

 airs, and gentleft movements*. 



The place where the dances were performed, was an 

 open fpace amongfl the trees, juft by the fca, with lights, at 

 fmall intervals, placed round the infide of the circle. The 

 concourfe of people was pretty large, though not equal to . 

 the number alTembled in the forenoon, when the marines 

 exercifed. At that time, fome of our gentlemen guefTed 

 there might be prefent about five thoufand perfons j others 

 thought there were more; but they who reckoned that 

 there were fewer, probably, came nearer to the truth. 



* In a former note, at p. i88. it was obferved, that the fongs and dances of the Caro- 

 line Iflanders, in the North Pacific, bear a great refemblance to thofe of the inhabitants 

 of Wateeoo. The remark may be now extended to thofe of the Friendly Iflanders, 

 defcribed at large in this chapter. That the reader may judge for himfelf, I have 

 fcletted the following particulars from Father Cantova's account. " Pendant la 

 " nuit, au clair de la lune, ils s'aflemblent, de temps en temps, pour chanter & danfer 

 *' devant la maifon de leur TavuU. Leurs danfes fe font au fon de la voix, car ils 

 " n'ont point d'inftrumctit de mufique. Labeautede la danfe, confilte dans I'exaitc 

 ♦' uniformite des mouvemens du corps. Les honimes, fepares des femmcs, fe poflcnt 

 " vis-a-vis les uns des autres ; apres quoi, ils remuent la tete, les bras, les mains, les 

 " pieds, en cadence. — Leur tete eft couverte de plumes, ou de fleurs ; — et I'on voit, at- 

 *' tachees a leurs oreilles, des feuilles de palmier tifTues avec aflezd'art. — Les femmes, 

 " de leur cote, — fe regardant les unes les autres, commencent un chant pathetique U 

 " langoureux, accompagnant le fon de leur voix du mouvement cadence de la tete ii 

 •' des bras." Lettrci EcUfiantes & CHrku/es, Tom. xv. p. 314, 315. 



CHAP. 



