A VOYAGE TO 
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1779. Chief; and fo of the reft. It may be here, too, obferved, 
t_ - that the loweft clafs are often tattowed with a mark, that 
diftinguifh.es them as the property of the feveral Chiefs to 
whom they belong. 
The drefs of the men generally confifts only of a piece of 
thick doth called the maro, about ten or twelve inches broad, 
which they pafs between the legs, and tie round the waift. 
This is the common drefs of all ranks of people. Their 
mats, fome of which are beautifully manufactured, are of 
various fizes, but moftly about five feet long, and four 
broad. Thefe they throw over their fhoulders, and bring 
forward before; but they are feldom ufed, except in time of 
•war, for which purpofe they feem better adapted than for 
ordinary ufe, being of a thick and cumberfome texture, and 
capable of breaking the blow of a ftone, or any blunt wea¬ 
pon. Their feet are generally bare, except when they have 
occafion to travel over the burnt ftones, when they fecure 
them with a fort of fandal, made of cords, twilled from the 
fibres of the cocoa-nut. Such is the ordinary drefs of thefe 
iflanders; but they have another, appropriated to their 
Chiefs, and ufed on ceremonious occafions, confifting of a 
feathered cloak and helmet, which, in point of beauty and 
magnificence, is perhaps nearly equal to that of any nation 
in the world. As this drefs has been already defcribed with 
great accuracy and minutenefs, I have only to add, that 
thefe cloaks are made of different lengths, in proportion to 
the rank'of the wearer, fome of them reaching no lower 
than the middle, others trailing on the ground. The infe¬ 
rior Chiefs have alfo a fhort cloak, relembling the former, 
made of the long tail-feathers of the cock, the tropic and 
man of war birds, with a broad border of the fmall red and 
yellow feathers, and a collar of the fame. Others again 
are 
