Money. — Political Reminiscences. 23 



soon the captains of English ships wearing round hats, whence 

 they now seem to imagine that such a head-gear is the in- 

 signia of captain's rank, or of a chief. 



Their knowledge of money was confined to Rupees, which 

 they discriminated into two sorts, viz. the ordinary East 

 Indian coin, and the English sixpenny-piece, which they 

 called '' small Rupees," covering with them, by way of orna- 

 ment, the ends of the small bits of bamboo which they usu- 

 ally wear through the hole that transpierces the greatly dis- 

 tended lobe of the ear. 



Of the two Catholic missionaries, Borie and Chopard, who 

 in 1835 had remained a short time on the island, not one of 

 the natives could give us any particulars ; and likewise of the 

 Danish corvette Galatea^ which visited the group in 1846, they 

 had but a dim remembrance, and even this of a far from com- 

 plimentary character; the poor people having been over 

 whelmed with the apprehensions that their island was about to 

 be taken possession of, and themselves exposed to a lingering 

 death by hunger. " Danish bad people," they exclaimed, 

 " wanted to take our island. Suppose I could come to your 

 island and take it ? Not good ! no good people ! " 



We returned on shore with the natives, who, in consequence 

 of their friendly reception on board, had already become 

 somewhat more tranquil and trustful. Tents were now 

 pitched, the astronomical and geodetical instruments, toge- 

 ther with the barometer and thermometer, were adjusted, the 

 tide-gauge fixed at the most suitable point, and the island 



