ntroversy about them is reserved for another place. In the mean
time the reader may amuse himself with the following notices in addition
to the substance of the text; they are extracted from the account of
this voyage, already referred to in the preceding notes. "On our first
approaching the coast, evident signs of fear appeared among those in the
boat, on seeing men of such enormous size, while some, perhaps to
encourage the rest, observed that these gigantic people were as much
surprised at the sight of our muskets, as we were at seeing them, though
it is highly probable they did not know their use, and had never heard
the report of a gun. But this was sufficient to remind us, that our
fire-arms gave us an advantage much superior to that derived from
height of stature and personal strength."--"The commodore and chief
officers entered upon a short consultation on the propriety of landing.
The first officer, fired with the thoughts of making a full discovery in
regard to these Indians, who have been so much the subject of
conversation among the English, made a motion to approach nearer and
jump on shore; but the commodore objected to it, and would not suffer
any man to go before himself."--"Immediately on our landing, they came
about us to the number of two hundred or more, looking at us with
evident marks of surprise, and smiling, as it should seem, at the great
disproportion of our stature."--"They were so delighted with the
different trinkets, which they had an opportunity of viewing, as they
hung round their necks, and fell down before their bosoms, that the
commodore could scarcely restrain them from caressing him, particularly
the women, whose large and masculine features corresponded with the
enormous size of their bodies. _Their middle stature seemed to be about
8 feet; their extreme 9 and upwards_; though he did not measure them by
_any standard_, and had reason to believe them rather more than
less."--"The commodore himself measures full six feet, and though he
stood on tip-toe, he could but just reach the crown of one of the
Indians' heads, who was not, _by far_, the tallest among them."--"They
seemed particularly pleased with Lieutenant Cumming, on account of his
stature he being 6 feet 2 inches high, and some of them patted him on
the shoulder, but their hands fell with such force, that it affected his
whole frame." The two last paragraphs, with more to the same effect, are
given in a note, and are said to ha