of July, I
shall now give the best account of its inhabitants, with their manners
and arts, that I can; but having been in a very bad state of health the
whole time, and for great part of it confined to my bed, it will of
necessity be much less accurate and particular than I might otherwise
have made it.

The inhabitants of this island are a stout, well-made, active, and
comely people. The stature of the men, in general, is from five feel
seven to five feet ten inches, though a few individuals are taller, and
a few shorter; that of the women from five feet to five feet six. The
complexion of the men is tawney, but those that go upon the water are
much redder than those who live on shore. Their hair in general is
black, but in some it is brown, in some red, and in others flaxen, which
is remarkable, because the hair of all other natives of Asia, Africa,
and America, is black, without a single exception. It is generally tied
up, either in one bunch, in the middle of the head, or in two, one on
each side, but some wear it loose, and it then curls very strongly: In
the children of both sexes it is generally flaxen. They have no combs,
yet their hair is very neatly dressed, and those who had combs from us,
made good use of them. It is a universal custom to anoint the head with
cocoa-nut oil, in which a root has been scraped that smells something
like roses. The women are all handsome, and some of them extremely
beautiful. Chastity does not seem to be considered as a virtue among
them, for they not only readily and openly trafficked with our people
for personal favours, but were brought down by their fathers and
brothers for that purpose: They were, however, conscious of the value of
beauty, and the size of the nail that was demanded for the enjoyment of
the lady, was always in proportion to her charms. The men who came down
to the side of the river, at the same time that they presented the girl,
shewed a stick of the size of the nail that was to be her price, and if
our people agreed, she was sent over to them, for the men were not
permitted to cross the river. This commerce was carried on a
considerable time before the officers discovered it, for while some
straggled a little way to receive the lady, the others kept a look-out.
When I was acquainted with it, I no longer wondered that the ship was in
danger of being pulled to pieces for the nails and iron that held her
together, which I had before puzzled myself to account