THE CAROLINE ISLANDS. 207 



an eclipse of the moon ; which we cannot, how- 

 ever, suppose could be foretold at Eap before the 

 discovery of writing. 



Feasts and banquets, which take place on seve- 

 ral occasions, such as the piercing tlie ears of 

 children, the cutting of their hair at Eap, tattoo^ 

 ing, &c. seem to have no religious signification. 



Singing and dancing, mostly inseparable, every 

 where constitute the chief delight, the chief amuse- 

 ment. There are different kinds of festive sports> 

 which are led up by the different sexes, or by both 

 united, and of w hich each bears a different cha" 

 racter and a peculiar name. Their songs are, 

 however, not accompanied by any musical instru- 

 ments, and even the drum is unknown in the Cai'o- 

 linas. 



The chiefs seem to be subject to each other,, 

 according to a kind of feudal system. Opinion 

 raises them high above the lower people, and ex- 

 traordinary demonstrations of respect are paid ta 

 them, with which we are sufficiently acquainted by 

 Cantova's Letters, and (for Pelew) from the Ac- 

 count of the Pelew Islands. They bow before 

 them to the ground, and only crawl to them. The 

 boats lower their sails in sight of the island of 

 Mogemug, the residence of the principal chief of 

 the group of this name. This reverence to noble^ 

 perhaps divine, descent, does not a})pear to inter- 

 fere in purely human connections between chiefs 

 and other men, notwithstanding the relative rank. 



