58 



PORTER'S JOURNAL, 



That thej, and particularly the women of that class which 

 cohabited with the sailors, will steal from strangers, I had 

 abundant proof. These, however, were of the lowest order, 

 and honesty is not expected from them in any part of the 

 world. 



During our operations at the camp, where carpenters, 

 coopers, armourers, sail-makers, <fec. were employed, 

 it is natural to suppose that small tools, and articles of 

 great value, were exposed to the natives. As from sunrise 

 to sunset, the camp was perfectly invested with them, it 

 would have been impossible to prevent, or to have detected 

 thefts, had they been so inclined. But as numerous as 

 they were, constantly assisting us in our labours, mixing 

 with our men, sitting for hours, eyeing with the greatest 

 attention the different works, carrying, or handling and 

 examining tools of every description, entering our tents 

 and houses, performing for us many domestic services, 

 assisting us in our wars, carrying for us our arms, our cloth- 

 ing, and provisions, being absent from us whole days with 

 those precious things, still, during our stay, no article, was 

 ever missed by any person, except some trifles which were 

 pilfered from the sailors by the girls, and this was, in all 

 probability, in retaliation for the tricks which had been 

 played on them. The clothing of the officers and men, 

 which was washed at a stream, much frequented by the 

 natives of both sexes, at the distance of near half a mile 

 from the camp, v/as frequently exposed, and might easily 

 have been carried off unperceived. But none of it was 

 ever lost, and I am inclined to believe that a more honest, 

 or friendly and better disposed people does not exist under 

 the sun. They have been stigmatized by the name of 

 savages ; it is a term wrongly applied; they rank high in 

 the scale of human beings, v/hether we consider them 

 morally, or physically. We find them brave, generous, 

 honest, and benevolent, acute, ingenious, and intelligent, 

 and the beauty, and regular proportions of their bodies, 

 correspond with the perfections of their minds. They 

 are far above the common stature of the human race, sel- 

 dom less than five feet eleven inches, but most commonly 

 six feet two or three inches, and every way proportioned* 

 Their faces are remarkably handsome, with keen, piercing 

 eves : teeth white, and more beautiful than ivory : coun^ 



