'217 



THE PENRHYN ISLANDS. * 



1 HE high, thick woods, which arc formed by the 

 cocoa-palms on the Penrhyn islands, deceived us 

 at a distance, with the appearance of elevated 

 shores. Smoke announced to us that they were 

 iniiabited. As soon as we had approached the 

 shore, innumerable boats surrounded us, and a 

 peaceable people offered to trade with us. 



The islanders are strong and well made, stouter 

 than the inhabitants of Easter Island, and of the 

 same colour. They are not tattooed, but many 

 have furrows and stripes lacerated in the skin of 

 the body and arms, which in one of them seemed 

 to be quite fresh and bleeding. They have fre- 

 quently no front teeth. Elderly people arcj' very 

 corpulent, and large. We observed several old 

 men who had suffered the thumb-nails to grow, a 

 speaking testimony of their privileged idleness. 

 In one of them, this nail, which was bent inwards, 

 had reached to the length of between two and 

 three inches. 



We counted about thirty-six boats j in eacli of 

 them were from seven to thirteen people, who 



* Voyfwje ofGovenor Pliilipp, Second Edition, Load. 1790, 

 p. 233. Lieut. Watts' Narrative of the Return oi" the Lady Pen- 

 rhyn, (Capt. Sever,) p. 254-.. and Appendix, p. 33. table?, p. 39, 



