POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
125 
hour. The attendants, and others who were not so 
distinguished, after recovering from evident astonishment 
at seeing the Huahinian ladies for the first time in 
European caps, were by no means sparing in their 
remarks. Some observed,' they were perhaps designed 
to keep the head cool; others, to keep it warm; and 
others supposed they were to preserve it from the flies 
and musquitoes. All agreed that they looked very 
strange, and the wearers appeared to think so them¬ 
selves ; but it was supposed to be according to the usage 
of ladies in England,—and to the despotism of fashion, 
even here, all minor considerations were rendered sub¬ 
servient. 
The desire to obtain foreign clothing was now very 
great, equal to that with which they sought iron tools; 
and whenever they procured one article of it, it was worn 
forthwith, without waiting till the suit was completed. 
This often rendered their appearance to a European eye 
exceedingly ludicrous. There was a degree of propriety 
usually manifested by all classes of the females, in their 
dress: they either paid more attention to their appear¬ 
ance than the other sex, or were better informed; and 
the only inconsistency we ever observed was that of a 
woman’s sometimes wearing a coat or jacket belonging 
to her husband or brother. The men, however, were 
less scrupulous; and whether it resulted from their 
fondness of variety, or a supposition that the same 
clothes, worn in different ways, would appear like 
distinct articles of dress, I am not able to say; but I 
have seen a stocking sometimes on the leg, and some¬ 
times on the arm, and a pair of pantaloons worn one 
part of the day in the proper manner, and during another 
part thrown over the shoulders, the arms of the wearer 
