If This Dress Had Not Entirely That Perfect Form, So Justly Admired In The Draperies Of The Ancient Greek Statues, It Was However Infinitely Superior To Our Expectations, And Much More Advantageous To The Human Figure, Than Any Modern Fashion We Had Hitherto Seen."

"It was not long before some of these good people came aboard.

That peculiar gentleness of disposition, which is their general characteristic, immediately manifested itself in all their looks and actions, and gave full employment to those who made the human heart their study. They expressed several marks of affection in their countenance, took hold of our hands, leaned on our shoulders, or embraced us. They admired the whiteness of our bodies, and frequently pushed aside our clothes from the breast, as if to convince themselves that we were made like them." According to this gentleman, it was the women of the "baser sort," who yielded without difficulty to the solicitations of the sailors. "Some of them," says he, "who came on board for this purpose, seemed not to be above nine or ten years old, and had not the least marks of puberty. So early an acquaintance with the world seems to argue an uncommon degree of voluptuousness, and cannot fail of affecting the nation in general. The effect, which was immediately obvious to me, was the low stature of the common class of people, to which all these prostitutes belonged. Among this whole order, we saw few persons above the middle size, and many below it; an observation which confirms what M. de Buffon has very judiciously said on the subject of early connections of the sexes. Their features were very irregular, and, in general, very ordinary, except the eyes, which were always large and full of vivacity; but a natural smile, and a constant endeavour to please, had so well supplied the want of beauty, that our sailors were perfectly captivated, and carelessly disposed of their shirts and clothes, to gratify their mistresses. The simplicity of their dress, &c. might contribute to this attraction; and the view of several of these nymphs swimming all nimbly round the sloop, such as nature had formed them, was perhaps more than sufficient entirety to subvert the little reason which a mariner might have left to govern his passions. As trifling circumstances had given occasion to their taking the water. One of the officers on the quarter-deck intended to drop a bead into a canoe for a little boy about six years old; by accident it missed the boat and fell into the sea, but the child immediately leaped overboard, and diving after it, brought it up again. To reward his performance, we dropped some more beads to him, which so tempted a number of men and women, that they amused us with amazing feats of agility in the water, and not only fetched up several beads scattered at once, but likewise large nails, which, on account of their weight, descended quickly to a considerable depth. Some of them continued a long while under water, and the velocity with which we saw them go down, the water being perfectly clear, was very surprising. The frequent ablutions of these people seem to make swimming familiar to them from their earliest childhood; and, indeed, their easy position in the water, and the pliancy of their limbs, gave us reason to look on them almost as amphibious creatures." These trifling ornaments were most eagerly coveted by all ages and sexes, and often prized much above any other European goods however useful, so prevalent and powerful is the love of ornament in our species. "The methods to obtain them from us were very different, and consequently not always equally successful. When we distributed a few beads to one set of people, some young fellows would impudently thrust their hands in between them, and demand their share, as though it had been their due; these attempts we always made it our business to discourage by a flat refusal. It was already become difficult to deny a venerable old man, who, with a hand not yet palsied by age, vigorously pressed ours, and with a perfect reliance upon our good-nature, whispered the petition in our ears. The elderly ladies, in general, made sure of a prize by a little artful flattery. They commonly enquired for our names, and then adopted us as their sons, at the same time introducing to us the several relations, whom we acquired by this means. After a series of little caresses, the old lady began, Aima poe-eetee no te tayo mettua? "Have you not a little bead for your kind mother?" Such a trial of our filial attachment always had its desired effect, as we could not fail to draw the most favourable conclusions from thence in regard to the general kind disposition of the whole people: for to expect a good quality in others, of which we ourselves are not possessed, is a refinement in manners peculiar to polished nations. Our other female relations in the bloom of youth, with some share of beauty, and constant endeavours to please, laid a claim to our affections by giving themselves the tender name of sisters; and all the world will agree that this attack was perfectly irresistible." But it must not be imagined that the fair sisters in this happy island, any more than elsewhere, were exempt from certain ruder passions, by which, at times, they seem to vie with the lords of the creation. Mr F. has preserved a very characteristic trait of such a spirit of domination in his account of one of the Potatow's wives, which may be read, but it is to be hoped will not be imitated, by any of our female friends. "Polatehera," says Mr F. "was so like him in stature and bulk, (one of the tallest and stoutest men in the island,) that we unanimously looked upon her as the most extraordinary woman we had ever seen. Her appearance and her conduct were masculine in the highest degree, and strongly conveyed the idea of superiority and command.

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