129 
O W II Y II E E. 
the neck, the fides being much Ihorter. This fafhion 
feems to prevail only among the principal people, that of 
the inferior fort being of an equal length in every part. 
Molt of them were very defirous of parting with their 
lieards, which, they faid, were difagreeable and trouble- 
fome; and were fond of being ihaved by our people. 
Some of the priefts wore their beards long, and would 
not on any account part with them. The women wear 
their hair long before, but very fhort behind, which is 
not the molt becoming mode; and, like thofe of the 
Friendly Illes, they have a way of rendering it of dif¬ 
ferent colours, red, yellow, and brown. The features of 
both fexes are good, and we fawfome of the females who 
might really be called fine women. Their teeth are even, 
and perfectly white. In general, they feetn to be very 
healthy, and we obferved feveral who appeared to be of 
great age.” 
In the year 1812, we faw at Plymouth a native of 
Owhyhee, fon of a man of rank there, who came over 
to fee this country. He came in the Ifaac Todd free 
Ihip, from Nootka Sound, with peltry, for London. He 
much amufed the Plymouth audience at the theatre, by 
the exprelTive aftonilhment he evinced while the perform¬ 
ance was going on. He has the exaCl countenance, and 
bulhy hair, defcribed above, and as expreffed in the 
plates of Capt. Cook’s lafl voyage. 
“ The cuftom of tattooing prevails greatly among 
thefe people, but the men have a much larger lhare of it 
than the women ; many have one half their body, from 
head to foot, marked in this manner, which gives them a 
molt linking appearance. It is done with great regula¬ 
rity, and looks remarkably neat: fome have only an arm 
marked in this manner, others a leg; fome again have 
both arm and leg, and others only the hand. The women 
are, for the moll part, marked upon the tip of their tongue; 
but of thefe we law but few. Both fexes have a particu¬ 
lar mark, according to the dillridl in which they live; or 
it is rather the mark of the (tree, or principal man, under 
whole jurifdiflion they more immediately are. 
“ Both men and women are very cleanly in their per- 
fons; the latter walh their whole body in frelh-water 
twice, and fometimes three times, a-day. There are no 
people in the w-orld who indulge themfelves more in their 
fenfual appetites; in fail, they carry it to a moll fcanda- 
lous and lhameful degree, and in a manner not proper to 
be. mentioned. 
“ Their clothing confills of cloth of different kinds : 
that worn by the men, which is called marro, is about 
half a yard wide, and four yards long; that of the women 
three quarters of a yard wdde, and of the fame length as 
the men’s: this they call pah-oouwu; they both wear it 
round their middle, but the men pafs it between their 
legs. The principal ornaments of the men are the fea¬ 
ther caps and cloaks; fome of the latter reach down to 
their heels, and have a moll magnificent appearance. 
They are made for the moil part of red and yellow feathers, 
which are tied upon fine net-work. The women too have 
their lhare in the ornamental way; that which they value 
moll is the urai; this is a kind of ruff or necklace, made 
ol red, green, black, and yellow, feathers, curioully put 
together, and in moll elegant patterns. They never 
think themfelves drelfed without one or two of thefe 
round their necks, and thofe who can afford it wear 
many. Others again are compofed of fmall variegated 
fhells, difpofed in a very neat manner; and fome confill 
of feveral row's of twilted hair, with a piece of carved 
wood or bone, highly polilhed, the bottom part forming 
a curve. The higher the quality of the wearer, the greater 
is the fize ot the wood or bone, and the quantity of the 
twilled hair. The next thing is the poo-remah, or brace¬ 
let; the moll valuable are made of boar’s tulks fattened 
together fide by fide with a piece of firing, by means of 
a hole drilled through the middle; the larger the tulks, 
the greater the value. Sometimes two lhells tied round 
the wrills, with twifted or braided hair, ferve the purpofe 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1229. 
of bracelets ; but even in this cafe they Ihow great nicety, 
being particularly careful to match them as near as poffi- 
ble. They were prodigioully fond of thofe we gave 
them, which were only a few beads, fecured by thread 
upon a llrip of fcarlet cloth, and made to button round 
the wrift. So much did they at firft value them, that a 
fmall hatchet and one of thefe would purchale a hog, 
which without it could not have been bought for three 
large hatchets. The women were perpetually teazing the 
men to accept of their various articles for thefe bracelets; 
at lead one of them was always to make a part of the 
price.” 
While Cant. Vancouver was at Owdiyhee, a formal cef- 
lion of the illand was made to the Britifh. This llrange 
llory is related at great length in the 3d vol. of his Voyage 
round the World. On the 25th of February, the king, 
with the chiefs of many of the dillridls of the illand, af- 
fembled “in grand council” on-board the Difcovery; 
all the officers of the two Ihips being prefent. “ The 
king, Tamaahmaah, opened the bufinefs in a fpeech, 
which he delivered with great moderation and equal firm- 
nefs. He explained the reafons that had induced him to 
offer the illand to the prote&ion of Great Britain ; and 
recounted the numerous advantages that himfelf, the 
chiefs, and the people, were likely to derive by the fur- 
render they were about to make.” Several other chiefs 
likewife fpoke. In all their fpeeches, their religion, go¬ 
vernment, and domellic economy, were noticed ; and it 
was clearly underilood that no interference was to take 
place in any of thefe refpefts ; that the chiefs and priefts 
were to officiate with the fame authority as before, and 
that no alteration in thefe particulars was in any degree 
thought of or intended. The preliminaries being fully 
difcuffed, the king repeated his former propofition, which 
w'as now unanimoufly approved ; and the whole party de¬ 
clared their affent by faying that they were no longer 
Tunato no Owhyhee , but Tanato no Brittannee; “ no longer 
men of Owhyhee, but men of Britain.” This being 
made known to the people in the furrounding canoes, the 
fame expreffions were repeated by them. Some officers 
were then fent on-lhore, wdio “ difplayed the Britilh co¬ 
lours, and took poffeffion of the illand in the name of his 
majelty.” The Ihips now fired a falute, and the following 
infeription on copper was depofited at the royal refidence : 
“ On the 25th of February, 1794, Tamaahmaah, king of 
Owhyhee, in council with the principal chiefs of the 
illand affembled on-board his Britannic majefty’s floop 
Difcovery in Karakakooa-bay, and in the prefence of 
George Vancouver, commander of the faid floop; Lieut. 
Peter Puget, commander of his faid majelly’s armed ten¬ 
der the Chatham ; and the other officers of the Dilcovery ; 
after due confideration, unanimoufly ceded the faid illand 
of Owhyhee to his Britannic majelly, and acknowdedged 
themfelves to be fubje&s of Great Britain.” 
How far captain Vancouver was authorifed or empow¬ 
ered, by circumftances, to receive thefe iflanders into the 
protection of the Britifh empire, or what obligations his 
having fo done has impofed on this country, does not ap¬ 
pear to us. We have related the bufinefs as it happened, 
and fliall leave the reader to make his own comment. 
It was not till the prefent year that we heard any thing 
of an intention to convert thefe fubjefts of his Britannic 
majelly to the national religion. The following is from 
the Times newftpaper of Jan. 6, 3820. “ A miffionary- 
eltablifhment is about to be made on the illand of Owhy¬ 
hee, See. The natives have already made very confider- 
able advances in civilization. Their king wrote a very 
legible hand, a fpecimen of which we have feen. His 
prime-miniller was named Mr. Pitt; his minilter of-juf- 
tice was tattooed in one half of his body, the other half 
was of a bright and Ihining colour, the natural com¬ 
plexion of the natives. Fie would fit with great dignity 
and hear the parties, plaintiff and defendant; and to 
whichever of the parties he turned the fable fide of his 
countenance judgment was given. The king, in imita- 
L 1 tiom 
