148 



PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



I soon began to perceive the resemblance of the Feejeeans to La- 

 billardiere's portraits of New Caledonians ; and a further acquaint- 

 ance with the people, presented novelty at every step. Points con- 

 nected with their personal appearance, first arrested attention ; as the 

 presence of wigs; and the variety of colours imparted to the hair. 

 Of these, the flaxen or ashy tint alone appeared to be the result of a 

 process of dyeing ; while the coal-black and the red, were derived 

 from the mixture of foreign substances. Among a variety of fashions, 

 the men sometimes wore very numerous slender braids; and though I 

 saw nothing to justify the report, that " the Feejeeans count the sepa- 

 rate hairs," the attentions bestowed on the head-dress occupy no in- 

 considerable portion of their lives. 



The seeming absence of tattooing, was at first attributed to the 

 circumstance that the Feejee complexion is too dark to show the 

 markings conspicuously. It appeared, however, that the women have 

 the practice, and cover the markings by the dress. Ornament and 

 national designation, are in this case out of the question ; and the 

 reasons assigned by the Feejeeans, are probably not more reliable 

 than their tales respecting circumcision and the removal of a finger- 

 joint. Tattooing occurs among the modern Arabs, derived appa- 

 rently from certain nations of antiquity ; and there seems every pro- 

 bability, that the custom originated with a light-coloured race. The 

 question will acquire further interest, if it can be made to appear that 

 in this one instance the Feejeeans have borrowed a custom from the 

 Polynesians. 



In many instances, the women were further marked on the arms 

 and upper part of the breast with elevated scars; such as have been 

 observed to replace tattooing in other countries where the complexion 

 is very dark. These scars had sometimes the form of stars, or of con- 

 centric circles. 



With the change in complexion, a change had taken place in 

 national taste in regard to colours ; yellow, the favourite with the 

 Malayan race, giving place, among the Feejeeans, to vermilion-red. 

 White seemed in some measure a rival; for the lace-like tapa cover- 

 in": the hair of the men in the semblance of a turban, together with 

 the belt or sash completing their dress, were invariably white. By a 

 coincidence showing actual accordance with the complexion, red and 

 white, were subsequently found to be the favourite colours with the 

 equally dark Telingans of Hindostan ; and were used almost exclu- 

 sively in the dress of those seen at Singapore. Another difference 



