i^orter's journal. 



the practice here. But notwithstanding this, thej are all 

 circumcised, not in the manner of Jews, but by having the 

 foreskin slit ; and the instrument used for this purpose is a 

 shark's tooth. The operation is performed on children by 

 the priests, and on those occasions they have feasts, abun- 

 dant in proportion to the wealth of the parents. Nor is 

 Mr. Fleurien's opinion, as to the object of those ligatures, 

 more correct. He supposes it to be a refinement of vo- 

 luptuousness, the only end of which is that of preserving 

 to the part always covered the greater irritability when it 

 ceases to be so. Those ligatures are put on from a refine- 

 ment in modesty, not of sensuality. The uncovered ex- 

 tremity of this member is the only part which they believe 

 they ought to be ashamed to show, and when this is secured 

 by the^aforesaid ligature, every other covering may be laid 

 aside without violating decency. It is rarely worn except 

 when they are in every other respect naked, and then even 

 where most private, and when occupied in fishing, and the 

 greater part of the time in the water, this covering is care- 

 fully kept on, and nothing whatever can induce them at 

 such times to dispense with it. Ts this depravity ? Is this 

 want of modesty ? or is it not rather holding up an exam- 

 ple of decency to civilized man, who, with the most un- 

 blushing disregard to shame on such occasions, exposes to 

 view a part which the merest savage assiduously conceals ? 



The shark's tooth is also used by the women to scarify 

 themselves, to show the excess of their grief, particularly 

 on the death of a husband. But like those of other parts 

 of the world, on such occasions, their grief (if excessive) 

 is not lasting. I have) seen a woman, whose wounds were 

 still unhealed — deep wounds inflicted on her neck, breast, 

 and arms, for the loss of her husband, who had been de- 

 voured by a shark. She presented herself at our village, 

 and joined in the general traffic of favours* 



Their implements for the manufacture of cloths consist 

 only of a beater and a smooth log. They are both of that 

 kind of hard wood of which the war clubs are made. The 

 beater is about eighteen inches in length, one end of which 

 is rounded for the handle, the rest is squared, and slightly 

 grooved the length of the square. The whole operation 

 of making the cloth consists in beating the bark out on the 

 log to the size required, keeping it wet and gently stretch- 



VOL. II. 16 



