150 



PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



appearance ; and the nose-flute was more common than among the Po- 

 lynesians. Indeed, we soon began to perceive, that the people were 

 in possession of almost every art known to the Polynesians, and of 

 many others besides. The highly finished workmanship, was unex- 

 pected ; everything being executed, until recently, and even now for 

 the most part, without the use of iron. In the collection of imple- 

 ments and manufactures brought home by the Expedition, the ob- 

 server will, I think, distinguish in the Feejeean division, something 

 like a school of arts for the other Pacific islands. 



The origin of Polynesian circumcision, was now explained: and 

 various other customs, which had previously appeared unaccountable, 

 were found to rest on physical causes ; having been extended abroad 

 by the process of imitation. 



The personal aspect of the Feejeeans is unprepossessing. But all 

 residents concur in regarding them as "a far more ingenious people 

 than the Polynesians." They employ a greater variety of improve- 

 ments in domestic economy, are better cultivators, and are even more 

 skilful in the management of a canoe. In architecture, the Feejeeans 

 have made no mean progress; and they are the only people I have 

 seen, among those classed by Europeans as 'savages,' who manifested 

 a taste for the fine-arts; while, as with the ancient Greeks, this taste 

 was universal. 



The esculent plants of the Polynesians, occur equally at the Fee- 

 jee Islands, and in general are cultivated in greater variety and per- 

 fection. The only apparent exceptions were : the batatas or sweet- 

 potato, which we did not meet with ; the vi-apple (Spondias), heard 

 of in but one locality ; and the hanana, as there seemed to be fewer 

 varieties of it than at Samoa. To counterbalance these deficiencies, 

 roots and fruits unknown at the more eastern islands, made their ap- 

 pearance; and indeed, the number of cultivated plants is found to 

 increase with great regularity, on receding from the Hawaiian and 

 approaching the Feejee Islands. 



Fish, in variety perhaps unexampled, are procured by the people of 

 the coast; and by means of numerous devices, among which the Sa- 

 moan method of frightening, was mentioned. Some of the Feejeean 

 nets and seines are of exceedingly neat workmanship; and others are 

 of coarse material, for capturing turtle. Shell-fish also exist in great 

 variety and profusion ; and a peculiar large species of crab, abounds 

 in certain localities. A small whitish Holothuria, proof against other 

 than Feejeean powers of mastication, is sometimes used for food; but 



