THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
147 
{truck us as fuperior in every refpedt; and as pofteffing all 1777. 
thofe delicate charadteriftics, which diftinguifh them from , Pccember ; 
the other fex in many countries. The heard which the 
men here wear long, and the hair which is not cut fo 
fhort, as is the fafhion at Tongataboo, made alfo a great 
difference; and we could not help thinking, that, on every 
occafion, they fliewed a greater degree of timidity and 
fickienefs. The mufcular appearance, fo common amongft 
the Friendly Iflanders, and which feems a confequence of 
their being accuftomed to much acftion, is loll here, where 
the fuperior fertility of their country enables the inhabit¬ 
ants to lead a more indolent life; and its place is fupplied 
by a plumpnefs and fmoothnefs of the fkin; which, 
though, perhaps, more confonant with our ideas of beauty, 
is no real advantage; as it feems attended with a kind of 
languor in all their motions, not obfervable in the others. 
This obfervation is fully verified, in their boxing and 
wreftling, which may be called little better than the 
feeble efforts of children, if compared to the vigour with 
which thefe exercifes are performed at the Friendly 
Iflands. 
Perfonal endowments being in great efteem amongft 
them, they have recourfe to feveral methods of improving 
them, according to their notions of beauty. In particular, 
it is a practice, efpecially amongft the Erreoes , or unmar¬ 
ried men of fome confequence, to undergo a kind of phy- 
ftcal operation to render them fair. This is done by re¬ 
maining a month or two in the houfe; during which time 
they wear a great quantity of clothes, eat nothing but 
bread-fruit, to which they afcribe a remarkable property 
in whitening them. They alfo fpeak, as if their corpu¬ 
lence and colour, at other times, depended upon their 
U 2 food; 
