F0R1£U*S JOURNAL. 



roLipd the v/aist, and hangs down to the calves of the legs^ 

 performing the part of a petticoat. The whole of thiis 

 dress being white, and generally kept clean and neat, gives 

 to these female islanders an appearance of grace and modes- 

 ty not to be found among any others in a state of nature^ 

 Their ornaments consist of beads strung round their necks, 

 and circular pieces of ivory or whale's teeth attached to 

 their ears. They have also another species of ornament^ 

 tastily formed of a dark kind of wood, which receives a 

 high polish ; it is fashioned something in the form of the 

 letter Z, has its ends tipped with the mother of pearl, and 

 is otherwise ornamented with beads and small teeth. They 

 also wear occasionally round their necks a small wild 

 cucumber, which abounds on the island ; also a large red 

 berry, which grows on a tree, and resembles, at a distance, 

 the dried red peppers. The smell of this latter is agree- 

 able, and this is probably what they most esteem it for. 

 They also are fond of tying round their necks large bunches 

 of sweet scented flowers, and when not restrained by 

 tabbooes, they ornament their heads with rich plumage 

 formed of the breast and tail feathers of the cock. They 

 also anoint themselves with cocoa-nut oil mixed with a 

 red paint made from turmeric-root, which is here highly 

 esteemed, and cultivated with much care. This, in a short 

 time, removes the yellowness of the skin, and displays a 

 fair and clear complexion, which might vie in beauty with 

 our handsomest dames. The roses are then blooming on 

 their cheeks, and the transparency of their skin enables 

 you to trace their fine blue veins. I had an opportunity 

 of visiting a tfibe that had not for a long time been tab- 

 booed. The beauty and gayety of the women astonished 

 me, and I noticed some of the young girls, who, as respected 

 the form of their persons, beauty of their faces, and fair- 

 ness of their skins, might have served as the most perfect 

 models. 



Agreeably to the request of the chiefs, I laid down the 

 plan of the village about to be built. The line on which 

 the houses were to be placed was already traced by our 

 barrier of water casks. They were to take the form of a 

 crescent, to be built on the outside of the enclosure, and to 

 be connected with each other by a wall twelve feet in 

 length and four feet in height. The houses were to be fifty 



