THE DESCENT OB OBIGIN OF MAN 249 



the same time account for the increased mortality, especially 

 of the children. The islands were visited by Cook in 1779, 

 by Vancouver in 1794, and often subsequently by whalers. 

 In 1819 missionaries arrived, and found that idolatry had 

 been already abolished, and other changes effected by the 

 king. After this period there was a rapid change in almost 

 all the habits of life of the natives, and they soon became 

 "the most civilized of the Pacifie Islanders." One of my 

 informants, Mr. Coan, who was born on the islands, remarks 

 that the natives have undergone a greater change in their 

 habits of life in the course of fifty years than Englishmen 

 during a thousand years. From information received from 

 Bishop Staley, it does not appear that the poorer classes 

 have ever much changed their diet, although manjr new 

 kinds of fruit have been introduced, and the sugar-cane 

 is in universal use. Owing, however, to their passion for 

 imitating Europeans, they altered their manner of dressing 

 at an early period, and the use of alcoholic drinks became 

 very general. Although these changes appear inconsider- 

 able, I can well believe, from what is known with respect 

 to animals, that they might suffice to lessen the fertility of 

 the natives." 



Lastly, Mr. Macnamara states*' that the low and degraded 

 inhabitants of the Andaman Islands, on the eastern side of 

 the Gulf of Bengal, are "eminently susceptible to any change 

 of climate; in fact, take them away from their island homes, 

 and they are almost certain to die, and that independently of 

 diet or extraneous influences." He further states that the 

 inhabitants of the Valley of Nepeil, which is extremely hot 



^ The foregoing statements are taken chiefly from the following works 

 "Jarves's History of the Hawaiian Islands," 1843, pp. 400-407. Cheever, 

 "Life in the Sandwich Islands," 1851, p. 211. RuBchenberger is quoted by 

 Bonwick, "Last of the Tasmanians, " 1870, p. 378. Bishop is quoted by Sir 

 E. Belcher, "Voyage Round the World," 1843, vol. i. p. 272. I owe the 

 census of the several years to the kindness of Mr. Coan, at the request of 

 Dr. Youmans, of New York; and in most oases I have compared the Youmans 

 figures with those given in several of the above-named works. I have omitted 

 the census for 1850, as I have seen two widely different numbers given. 



" "The Indian Medicai Gazette," November 1, 1871, p. 240. 



