THE MALAY RACE. 



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to cleanliness in the details of domestic economy; the large, airy, 

 elliptical houses, so admirably adapted to the climate; and yet in all, 

 the wide difference from the customs of Europeans. 



A journey across the island having been projected, we asked our 

 guides about the ascent of Oroena, the central mountain or most 

 elevated point of the island. They replied with great simplicity, but 

 as it appeared subsequently, with a good deal of truth : " no Taheiti 

 man had ever been able to get there, and therefore a White man 

 could not go." They appeared to have no measurements for short 

 distances or short periods of time, corresponding to a mile or an hour; 

 but always pointed to the place in the heavens, where the sun would 

 be when we should arrive at the proposed station. The ' Queen' had 

 groves of cocoa palms at intervals along the road ; or, in other words, 

 these were reserved for the use of travellers. Other cocoa palms 

 were ' taboo,' and bore a mark of private reservation ; for this regu- 

 lation has the advantage over the 'law' of civilized nations, of being 

 universally respected. 



The Taheitians have been found to excel in the culinary art; and 

 their mode of cooking has been often described. Our repast was 

 served up on leaves; a number being handed to each person, in lieu 

 of a plate. There was refinement, we found, in eating with the fin- 

 gers; and for the want of practice, our party acquitted themselves 

 but awkwardly. A cocoa-nut shell containing water, afterwards 

 formed a substitute for finger-bowls. In another particular, we 

 equally found ourselves at fault ; for having always worn clothes, 

 and been accustomed to the use of chairs, it was impossible to assume 

 postures (sometimes, it is true, not according with our ideas of grace), 

 in which we saw the natives resting easily. This greater suppleness 

 of limb gave them many advantages over us; and the most active 

 of our guides, after lashing his heels together, would ascend a cocoa 

 palm almost as rapidly as we would have walked over the same 

 horizontal distance. 



After leaving the coast, our way lay up the valley of a mountain 

 torrent, which we were obliged to ford frequently, and sometimes to 

 travel in its bed. We were exposed for some days to frequent and 

 heavy rains, and soon began to envy the naked condition of the 

 natives, who became dry in a few moments, whereas our clothing 

 once wet, remained so for hours. This circumstance led to some 

 views on the subject of clothing, particularly in tropical climates, 

 which had not before occurred to me. Man not being created an 



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