OF La PEROUSE. 2^^ 



reach the Efperance, whence we fet off half an 

 hour after, when the weather was become more 

 favourable, in order to go on board of the Re- 

 cherche. 



The inhabitants of New Caledonia are, in 

 general, of a middling flature ; however, we 

 fiiw one who w^as near two meters high, but he 

 was very ill made. Their hair is woolly. The 

 cuftom of plucking out the hair is pretty much 

 diffufed among thefe people; yet we remarked 

 fome who fuffered their beard to grow. The 

 colour of their fkin is as black as that of the 

 favages of Cape Diemen : they do not, like 

 them, cover themfelves with charcoal duft ; 

 we only remarked fome who had blackened part 

 of their bread: by tracing on it broad frripes dif- 

 pofed obliquely, and called poun in their lan- 

 guage. Several were adorned with necklaces 

 of the form of that which is reprefented in 

 Plate XXXVII. Fig. ^. : thofe necklaces are made 

 of plaited hair ; they commonly wear, fufpended 

 to them by a firing, a fmall piece of bone ra- 

 ther rudely carved, which appeared to be a hu- 

 man bone. Their arms were fometimes orna- 

 mented with bracelets cut out of fhells, or 

 of quartz, and other hard (tones. See Plats 

 XXXVII. Fig. 5 and 6. 



Thefe warlike people pay the greateft atten- 

 tion to the manufacture of their weapons, which 



they 



