CAPTAIN COOIi’s FIRST VOYAGE.

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The men have filver pincers hanging by firings round their necks, with which theypluck out the hair of their beards; and both men and women root out the hair thatgrows under the arms.

The drefs of the men confifts of two pieces of cotton cloth, one of which is boundround the middle, and the lower edge of it being drawn pretty tight between the legs,the upper edge is left loofe, fo as to form a kind of a pocket, in which they carry theirknives and other things : the other piece being paffed under the former, on the backof the wearer, the ends of it are carried over the Ihoulders, and tucked into the pocketbefore. The women draw the upper edge of the piece round the waill tight, whilethe lower edge, dropping to the knees makes a kind of a petticoat: the other pieceof cloth is fattened acrofs the breaft, and under the arms. This cloth, which ismanufactured by the natives, is dyed blue while in the yarn; and, as it is of variouslhades, its look when it comes to be worn is very beautiful.

The ornaments of the natives of Savu are very numerous, and confift of rings?beads worn round the neck and on the wrifts, and chains of plaited gold wire,likewife hung round the neck: thefe things were worn by both fexes; but thewomen had alfo girdles of beads round their waift, which helped to keep up thepetticoat.

The houfes on the illand of Savu are of different lengths, from twenty fdet to fourhundred, according to the rank of the inhabitant, and are fixed on ports about four orfive feet from the ground. The houfes are generally divided into three rooms ofequal fize, the centre room being fet apart for the ufe of the women; and fometimesfmaller rooms are enclofed from the fides of the building, the whole of which is thatchedwith the leaves of the palm-tree.

The natives eat of all the tame animals which the illand produces, but they preferthe hog to all the reft; next to the hog’s flefh they admire that of the horfe, to whichfucceeds the buffalo, and then the poultry; and they like the flelh of cats and dogsmuch better than that of goats and lheep. They feldom eat fifh.

The fan-palm is the moft remarkable, and moft ufeful tree that grows on the illand,its ufes being equally great and various. Soon after the buds put forth, the natives cutthem, and tying under them little balkets, formed of the leaves of the tree, a liquordrops into them, which has the tafte of a light wine, and is the common liquor ofthe inhabitants. The leaves of the tree are applied to the various ufes of makingtobacco-pipes, umbrellas, cups, balkets, and the thatching of houfes. The fruit isnearly the fize of a full grown turnip; but the natives are not fond of it. r

Ihe illand confifts of five divifions, each of which has a raja, or chief governor 0its own. Thefe divifions are called Timo, Maffara, Regeeua, Laai and Seba. fton this laft divifion that our Englifh adventurers went on Ihore; the raja of whicwas between thirty and forty years of age, and remarkable for his corpulency.governs his people with the moft abfolute authority, but takes on him very little of theparade or pomp of royalty. .,

The natives are fo expert in the ufe of their lances, that they will throw them witfuch force and exaclnefs, as to pierce a man through the heart at the diftance of fi xt yor feventy yards.

The inhabitants of Savu are divided into five ranks; the rajas, the land-owners,manufacturers, labourers, and Haves. The land-owners are refpeCted in proportionto the extent of their lands, and the number of their Haves, which laft are bought an^fold with the eftates to which they belong ; but when a Have is bought feparately,fat hog is the price of the purchafe. Though a man may fell his Have in this manne^>

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