OF THE TONGA PEOPLE.

255

It is a curious circumstance, that at the Fiji islands, the men, on the contrary, are not tat-tovved, but the women are. The operation ismanaged by their own sex, though by no meansto that extent to which it is performed on theTonga men, contenting themselves chiefly withhaving it done on the nates in form of a largecircular patch, though sometimes in that of acrescent; and most of them have it also doneon the labia pudendi, consisting of one line ofdots on each side, just within the verge of theexternal labia.

We cannot with certainty say that the glan-dular ulcerations above alluded to are alwaysproduced by the tattow, though in all likeli-hood, when it has recently been performed, itis the exciting cause ; but the people are verysubject to scrofulous indurations, glandular en-largements, and ulcers: they call the diseasecahi; the parts affected are the groins, axillae,and neck; though many other parts of thebody are also liable to ulcers, which they callpdlla. These diseases sometimes run on to suchan extent, and assume such appearances, thatwe believe some travellers have mistaken themfor lues venerea. It is certain that some indi-

Prince. The beauty and neatness of the execution far ex-ceeded my expectations. It may best be compared to a pairof blue satin small-clothes very tastefully configured.