THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 125 



haps not find it very difficult to conjecture. It has been al- »779> 

 ready obferved, that they bear ftrong marks of affinity to v. — *— « r 

 fome of the Indian tribes, that inhabit die Ladrones and Ca- 

 roline Iflands ; and the fame affinity may again be traced 

 amongft the Battas and the Malays. When thefe events 

 happened, is not fo eafy to afcertain ; it was probably not 

 very lately, as they are •extremely populous, and have no 

 tradition of their own origin, but what is perfectly fabulous ; 

 whilft, on the other hand, the unadulterated ftate of their 

 general language, and the fimplicity which ftill prevails in 

 their cuftoms and manners, feem to indicate, that it could 

 not have been at any very diftant period. 



The natives of thefe iflands are, in general, above the 

 middle fize, and well made ; they walk very gracefully, 

 run nimbly, and are capable of bearing great fatigue ; 

 though, upon the whole, the men arc fome what inferior, 

 in point of ftrength and activity, to the Friendly iflanders, 

 and the women lefs delicately limbed than thofe of Otaheite. 

 Their complexion is rather darker than that of the Otaheite- 

 ans, and they are not altogether fo handfome a people *. 

 However, many of both fexes had fine open countenances; 

 and the women, in particular, had good eyes and teeth, and 

 a fweetnefs and fenfibility of look, which rendered them 

 very engaging. Their hair is of a brownifli black, and 

 neither uniformly ftraight, like, that of the Indians of Ame- 

 rica, nor uniformly curling, as amonglt the African ne- 

 groes, but varying, in this refpeift, like the hair of Europe- 

 ans. One ftriking peculiarity, in the features of every part 

 of this great nation, I do not remember to have Teen any 



* The annexed print of a man of Sandwich I/lands, was taken from a portrait of 

 our friend Kancena, 



where 



