THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
2 55 
that though the mufic of the chorus, and that of the 1777. 
dancers, correfponded, conftant practice in thefe favourite , M ^ ay ; 
amufements of our friends, feems to have a great fhare in 
effe&ing the exadl time they keep in their performances. 
For we obferved, that if any of them happened accidentally 
to be interrupted, they never found the fmalleft difficulty 
in recovering the proper place of the dance or fong. And 
their perfect difcipline was in no inftance more remark¬ 
able, than in the fudden tranlitions they fo dexteroufly 
made from the ruder exertions, and harffi founds, to the 
fofteft airs, and gentleft movements *. 
The place where the dances were performed, was an 
open fpace amongft the trees, juft by the fea, with lights, at 
lmall intervals, placed round the infide of the circle. The 
concourfe of people was pretty large, though not equal to 
the number aftembled in the forenoon, when the marines 
exercifed. At that time, fome of our gentlemen guefted 
there might be prefent about five thoufand perfons ; others 
thought there were more; but they who reckoned that 
there were fewer, probably, came nearer to the truth. 
* In a former note, at p. 188. it was obferved, that the fongs and dances of the Caro¬ 
line Iflanders, in the North Pacific, bear a great refemblance to thofe of the inhabitants 
of Wateeoo. The remark may be now extended to thofe of the Friendly Iflanders, de- 
fcribed at large in this chapter. That the reader may judge for himfelf, I have feledted 
the following particulars from Father Cantova’s account. “ Pendant la nuit, au clair 
“ de la lune, ils s’aflemblent, de temps en temps, pour chanter & danfer devant la maifon 
“ de leur Tamale. Leurs danfes fe font au fon de la voix, car ils n’ont point d’inllru- 
u ment de mufique. La beaute de la danfe, confifte dans Pexadte uniformite des mouve- 
“ mens du corps. Les hommes, fepares des femmes, fe poftent vis-a-vis les uns des 
w autres; apres quoi, ils remuent la tete, les bras, les mains, les pieds, en cadence.— 
u Leur tete efi: couverte de plumes, ou de fleurs j—et l’on voit, attachees a leurs oreilles, 
“ des feuilles de palmier tifliies avec aflez d’art.—Les femmes, de leur cote,—fe regardant 
u les unes les autres, commencent un chant pathetique & langoureux, accompagnant le 
“ fon de leur voix du mouvement cadence de la tete & des bras,” Lettres Edifiantes 
Curienfes } Tom. xv. p. 314, 315, 
CHAP. 
