392 MONTE VERDESON'S GROUP — THE NATIVES*. [1830, 



belonging to the Philippine Company, commanded by Don Juan Bap- 

 tiste Monteverde, in her passage from Manilla to Lima, on the 18th of 

 February, 1806. 



This group is nearly circular, and contains about thirty islands, of 

 different sizes, the largest being not more than ten miles in circumfer- 

 ence. They are all surrounded by a coral reef, which has from three to 

 seven feet of water on it, where the sea breaks very heavily all the year 

 round. The islands all stand on the inner edge of the coral reef, with 

 boat-passages between them, from one-fourth of a mile to two miles 

 in width ; thus following the circle of the reef all round, leaving in the 

 centre a large lagoon about seven leagues in length, from north-east 

 to south-west, and about five leagues from north-west to south-east. 



The bottom of this lagoon is literally covered with the pearl oyster, 

 in a depth of water from three to twenty fathoms ; and the surrounding 

 reef abounds with biche-de-mer of a very superior quality. The hawk's- 

 bill turtle also visits the shores of the islands at certain seasons of the 

 year, for the purpose of laying their eggs and raising their young. 

 Upon all these articles the natives set little or no value. 



These islands are all very low, the most elevated points of them 

 not rising more than, one hundred feet above the level of the sea. The 

 surface of each is literally covered with cocoanut-trees, bread-fruit trees, 

 and palm-trees ; besides many other kinds of wood that is highly useful 

 to the islanders in the construction of their canoes, houses, and war 

 implements. 



The natives are tall, well made, robust, and active. Their average 

 stature, I mean that of the men, is six feet two inches, and few of them 

 weigh less than two hundred and fifty pounds. They are of an olive 

 colour, with rather flattish noses, black curled hair, of six or eight 

 inches in length, high cheek-bones, small black eyes, very quick and 

 penetrating, high prominent foreheads, a beautiful white and regular 

 set of teeth. Their hands and feet are small, in proportion to the size 

 of the body and limbs. Their bodies are very round and straight, 

 with full chests, and square broad shoulders. In short, they are as 

 fine models for the sculptor or painter as I have ever met with. 



The females are about five feet three inches in height, with slen- 

 der bodies, round and plump as an apple. Their countenance is 

 pleasing and interesting, and their sparkling black eyes irresistibly 

 fascinating. They are, in short, in every respect equal, and in some 

 superior, to the females of Young William's Group. 



The dress of both sexes, after marriage, is alike ; consisting of a 

 simple tapper around the loins, descending half-way to the knees; that 

 of the female being ornamented like those of Young William's Group. 

 The unmarried go entirely naked, showing their finely-modelled limbs 

 to the best advantage. Both sexes take to the water at a very early age, 

 and soon become almost as much habituated to it as the amphibia of 

 the Gallipagos Islands. Their canoes and war implements are similar 

 to those of the other group, only much larger. 



When these people first came alongside the Antarctic, they gave the 

 crew cocoanuts and bread-fruit, without asking any thing in return ; 

 but it was some time before any of them could be prevailed upon to 



