142 Letter 1X. 
that these natives may be distinguished from the Polynesians, 
who inhabit the islands eastward of Fiji. 
Taking the New Hebrideans as a whole, they are a low and 
degraded people, inferior to almost every barbaric race that I 
have heard of, the aborigines of Australia, perhaps, excepted. 
On account of the limited size of their homes, they cannot, 
like the latter, be of a nomadic character ; indeed, on account 
of their continual inter-tribal wars, it is frequently the case that 
a man cannot travel over a mile or two in any direction from 
his own village. 
They are a cultivating people, raising, without very much hard 
work, sufficient yams, taro, and bananas, to supply themselves 
with food during that portion of the year when the bread-fruit 
is not in season. During those months that they have the 
bread-fruit (which requires no cultivation) they become a lazy 
people—the warlike amongst them betaking themselves to 
lazy fighting, and the rest to lazy doing nothing. 
They are a mixed people, composed probably of two in- 
gredients—the negro and the Malay ; and on different islands 
these ingredients are mixed in such different proportions as to 
produce tribes varying exceedingly in form, features, colour, 
language and customs. The Melé and Fili natives seem to be 
nearest to the Malay, and the Eramangans to the negro. The 
nearer the approach to the Malay, the more do they seem to 
improve in outward appearance and in intelligence; from 
which it will be inferred that the Melé and Fili natives are the 
finest in the group, and the Eramangans the poorest, which is 
my opinion. 
While speaking of good looks, it is worthy of notice, that the 
men on almost all the islands are much superior to the 
women in this respect. If the fact is plain, the cause is equally 
