138 CRUISE OF TEE 'CUBAQOA: 



Samoans wliom they greatly resemble ; but those of the 

 lower class are less polished than the corresponding class in 

 the Samoan group. ^ 



It is a pity that the women, following the fashion of the 

 men, cut their hair very short and stain it with chinam, 

 which gives it a reddish tint ; two customs Avhich they put 

 down to the score of cleanliness, as being preventives 

 against vermin. The women are accustomed to leave their 

 breasts bare ; to check this there is a law imposing a fine 

 of five dollars on any woman seen outside her fence with 

 her bosom imcovered, but this does not appear to be very 

 strictly carried out.^ 



The Tongans were formerly addicted to cannibalism, but 

 in a very restricted way it seems — that is to say, in only 

 exceptional cases ; they have now for years abandoned this 

 savage custom, and have become a very decent sort of people. 

 The offences most frequent among them now are petty thefts, 

 fornication, and sometimes burglary ; assassination is rare, 

 but two cases having occurred within ten years. The 

 London Mission Society attempted the conversion of these 

 islands as far back as 1797, but was compelled by the war 

 to abandon its project ; in 1822, the first Wesleyan missionary 

 landed at Tongatabu, but owing to a variety of circumstances, 

 the mission was not fully established until 1826, There 



' Erskine, p. 156. 



^ Ibid., p. 158. — Descent is by the female line, as in the Sandwich 

 Islands, and consequently the women have an honourable position. 

 Their domestic relations are said to bear comparison with those of 

 any civilised state. 



