aUW BRITAIN AND ITS PEOPLE. 619 



before the Anthropological Institute in England, and they 

 have been ])rinted in the joui'nal of that Society. 



Their canoes, considering their tools, are exceedingly well 

 made, but are frail and they do not sail. In the north-eastern 

 part of New Britain the natives make long canoes by very 

 rudely hollowing trunks of trees, and then jfixing large out- 

 riggers upon them. The New Ireland people make a kind 

 of boat after the fashion of a whaleboat. It is strongly put 

 together, but rather narrow. Both the canoes and boats are 

 well managed, and make rapid and safe passages even in 

 stormy weather. 



The weapons of the people consist of spears and clubs of 

 various kinds, the stone club being a terrible weapon. The 

 bow and arrow is not knoAvn except as a toy for children, 

 but the sling is a useful and a dangerous weapon. Pitfalls 

 are dug, spikes jilaced in the path point upward, and spears 

 cunningly hidden in the grass, making travelling dangerous 

 in war time. Sham tights are frequently engaged in by the 

 young people, who thus learn to handle their weapons. 



The betel nut is largely cultivated and eaten in jN'evv 

 Britain. It is eaten in the usual way with lime and the leaf 

 and fruit of the pepper plant, the lime being carried in small 

 bags which will hold about three ounces. It is slightly 

 stimulating, but its chief attraction is, I think, its power to 

 allay the pangs of hunger, and being taken frequently instead 

 of food, the people suffer loss in physical sti'ength. To possess 

 a large number of betel-nut trees means a good income. 



Tobacco seems to have been known in some paits prior 

 to the permanent establishment of whites in the country. 

 Soon after my arrival on the mainland of New Britain I 

 saw a party from a place called Baining and they were smok- 

 ing. The cigar was almost as thick as a man's wrist and fully 

 one foot long. The ]>arty sat in the circle and they passed 

 the cigar round. When smoking- the man held it to his 

 mouth with both hands, while another man sat before him 

 holding a firestick at the other end. The smoker continued 

 drawing in the smoke for at least a minute without emitting 

 any. The cigar was then passed on to his neighbour. I 

 watched the man, wondering what he had done with the 

 smoke. Soon he began to send it out tii rough mouth and 

 nostrils until he was enveloped in quite a cloud of it, and so 

 it went on all round the circle. 



The inhabitants of tiie bush are quite a diiierent race of 

 people, the coast people evidently being invaders and con- 



