S60 SOUTH SEA ISLANDS. 



twist it round their heads, and thus add to their native ferocity of 

 countenance, which always expresses either surprise or anger. The 

 stature of the. women is proportional to that of the men. They are 

 tall, slender, and not without grace, though in general disgusting 

 from their gross effrontery and indecency. The inhabitants of these 

 islands cultivate several arts with success. Their houses have even 

 a kind of elegance, and they finish their work very neatly, with tools 

 made of a very fine and compact species of basaltes, in the form of 

 an adze. They manufacture very fine mats, and some paper stuffs. 

 They are almost continually on the water, and do not go so much as 

 from one village to another on foot, but perform all their journeys in 

 canoes ; on which account M. de Bougainville called these islands 

 the Navigators' Islands. Their villages are all situate in creeks by 

 the sea-side, and have no paths from one to the other. In their dis- 

 position they appear to be thievish, treacherous, and ferocious. 



THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. 



THESE islands were so named by captain Cook, in the year 1773, 

 on account of die friendship which appeared to subsist among the 

 inhabitants, and from their courteous behaviour to strangers. Abel 

 Jansen Tasman, an eminent Dutch navigator, first touched here in 

 1643, and gave names to the principal islands. Captain Cook labo- 

 riously explored the whole cluster, which he found to consist of 

 more than sixty. The three islands which Tasman saw, he named 

 New Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Middle burg. The first is the 

 largest, and extends about twenty-one miles from east to west, and 

 about thirteen from north to south. These islands are inhabited by 

 a race of Indians, who cultivate the earth with great industry^ The 

 island of Amsterdam is intersected by straight and pleasant roads, 

 with fruit trees on each side, which afford shade from the scorching 

 heat of the sun. 



The principal of these islands are, Tongataboo, or Amsterdam ; 

 Eaoovve, or Mkldleburg ; Annamooka, or Rotterdam; Hapaee, and 

 Lefooga. The first, which is the largest, lies in 21 degrees 9 mi- 

 nutes south latitude, and 174 degrees 46 minutes west longitude. 

 Eaoowe, when viewed from the ship at anchor, formed one of the 

 most beautiful prospects in nature, and very different from the others 

 of the Friendly Isles ; which, being low and perfectly level, exhibit 

 nothing to the eye but the trees which cover them : whereas here the 

 land, rising gently to a considerable height, presented an extensive 

 * prospect, with groves of trees interspersed at irregular distances, in 

 beautiful disorder; the rest is covered with grass, except near the 

 shores, which are entirely covered with fruit and other trees ; amongst 

 which are the habitations of the natives. In order to have a view of 

 as great a part of the island as possible, captain Cook and some of 

 his officers walked up to the highest point of it. From this place they 

 had a view of almost the whole island, which consisted of beautiful 

 meadows, of prodigious extent, adorned with tufts of trees, and in- 

 termixed with plantations. " While I was surveying this delightful 

 prospect," says captain Cook, " I could not help flattering myself 



