change in Samoa CHAP. VII. principal inquiry is made for wearing apparel, slates, pencils, and writing paper. The master of a whale-ship recently confessed that he had carried to the Navigators' group forty muskets for barter, and had only sold two. Great moral In a word, the history of modern missions does not supply a more powerful inducement to christian zeal, or a more gratifying reward to the intrepidity with which their great objects have been pursued. A few years ago, the European who casually landed on those islands, saw every where prevailing rapine, murder, cannibalism, and other crimes at which his heart sickened; at present, he may contemplate, at least in the christianized districts, morals comparatively pure, the exercise of a rational worship, peace, confidence, and brotherly kindness, all heightened by the assured intercourse of social enjoy. ment. CHAPTER VIII. New Hebrides, the Louisiade, Solomon, and Ladrone These several Groups have made no Progress in Civilisation or religious Knowledge-Enjoy a good Climate, and are capable of great Improvement-New Hebrides principally, discovered by Quiros-Are in most Parts very fertile-Inhabitants of the Negro Race-Visited by Bougainville and Captain Cook -The Inhabitants of Mallicollo described-Natives of Tanna Cannibals-Details supplied by Quiros-Attempts made by British Missionaries to improve the Natives-Murder of Williams by People of Erromango-Mr Heath succeeds in forming a Station-The Louisiade discovered by Torres, but named by Bougainville-Fierce Character of the Inhabitants -The Solomon Islands made known by Mendana-Visited by Carteret and other Navigators-The Inhabitants NegroesRemarks by Surville, Shortland, and D'Entrecasteaux-New Britain, New Ireland, and New Caledonia-The Natives in a low State of Civilisation-Pelew Islands-The LadronesDiscovered by Magellan-The Scenery very fine and cheering-People oppressed by a bad Government-Proceedings of the Romish Missionaries-Island of Guam-Inhabitants profess Christianity. Of the several groups now specified, as they have not CHẤP. VIII. yet made any marked progress in civilisation or religious The New knowledge, our account will be very brief, referring chiefly Hebrides. to their position, discovery, and physical properties. The first in order has indeed incurred an unfavourable distinction, as being the scene where Mr Williams, the indefatigable missionary, lost his life, under the hands of the savage natives. In other respects, it lays no claim to the attention of Europeans, beyond that prospective importance which most of the islands of the Pacific possess, on account of their fine climate, valuable produc CHAP. VIIL tions, and, above all, the capability they present of being one day converted into colonies, where an enlightened faith, science, art, and commercial activity, will ensure to the inhabitants all the blessings of social life. Tierra lel Its produce and people. The New Hebrides, including the islands discovered by Captain Bligh in 1789, are situated between lat. 13° 15′ and 20° 5' S., and long. 166° 40′ and 170° E. The largest of the whole is Tierra lel Espiritu Santo, which was first made known by Quiros in the year 1606. It extends more than seventy miles from north-west to south-east, with an average breadth of twenty-five. Farther south is Mallicollo, which is more than sixty miles long, and about twenty-eight broad, having a good harbour, called Port Sandwich, near its southern extremity. Erromango is fully eighty miles in circumference, and Tanna, which lies at no great distance, is computed to be at least twenty in length. In the latter, a volcano exists in a state of great activity; and, indeed, most of the cluster appear to have had their origin in the action of subterraneous fire. Hence the peculiar form of the islands which rise into lofty hills, and even mountains of great elevation. The valleys and level tracts along the coast are extremely fertile, displaying an immense profusion of vegetable riches. It is said, that more than forty different kinds of trees and plants are cultivated. The banana, sugar-cane, yam, arum, batata, and curcuma, are grown with great care in fields regularly divided. The cocoanut, bread-fruit, the cabbage-tree, figs, almonds, and oranges, are common. Bamboos, pepper, and mastic, are abundant, and the nutmeg-tree also frequently occurs. The usual domestic animals are reared, especially the pig, hogs, and a variety of fowls. The inhabitants belong to the race of Australian negroes, who also occupy part of the Fijee Islands; but judging by their agriculture, it must be admitted that they have made farther advances in civilisation than any other of the kindred tribes. Besides the obligations we owe to Bligh and Quiros for our knowledge of the New Hebrides, we are also indebted to Bougainville, who made some important dis coveries in 1768, and to Cook, whose investigations in CHAP. VIII. 1774 have rendered them familiar to every reader. Of the inhabitants of Mallicollo, the great navigator does not speak highly. He calls them an "ape-like nation ;" and The natives farther remarks, that they are the most ugly, ill-propor- of Mallicollo. tioned people he ever saw, being in every respect different from any he had observed in the Pacific. They are indeed a very dark coloured and rather diminutive race, with long heads, flat countenances, and monkey features. Their hair, mostly black or brown, is short and curly, but not quite so soft and woolly as that of a negro. Their beards are very strong, crisp, and bushy, and generally black and short. But what most adds to their deformity, is a belt or cord which they wear round the waist, and tie so tight over the belly, that the shape of their bodies is not unlike that of an overgrown pismire.* in Tanna. At Tanna, the discoverer was informed by the natives, Cannibalism that they were in the habit of eating human flesh. "They began the subject of their own accord, by asking us if we did; otherwise I should never have thought of ask Cook's Voyage towards the South Pole, vol. ii. p. 36. "The people of Mallicollo seemed to be quite a different nation from any we had yet met with, and speak a different language. Of about eighty words which Mr Forster collected, hardly one bears any affinity to the language spoken at any other island or place I had ever been at. The letter R is used in many of their words; and frequently two or three being joined together, such words we found difficult to pronounce. I observed that they could pronounce most of our words with great ease. They express their admiration by hissing like a goose." In reference to the island of Tanna, Cook states, that "during the night the volcano, which was about four miles to the west of us, vomited up vast quantities of fire and smoke, as it had also the night before; and the flames were seen to rise above the hill which lay between us and it. At every eruption it made a long rumbling noise like that of thunder, or the blowing up of large mines. A heavy shower of rain which fell at this time seemed to increase it; and the wind blowing from the same quarter, the air was loaded with its ashes, which fell so thick, that every thing was covered with the dust. It was a kind of fine sand, or stone ground or burnt to powder, and was exceedingly troublesome to the eye." CHAP VIII. ing them such a question. I have heard people argue, that no nation could be cannibals, if they had other flesh to eat, or did not want food; thus deriving the custom from necessity. The people of this island can be under no such necessity; they have fine pork and fowls, and plenty of fruits and roots." The natives of Tanna. The arts of the New Hebrides. At first the captain thought that the inhabitants of Tanna, as well as those of Erromango, were a race between the natives of the Friendly Islands and the people of Mallicollo, but a farther acquaintance convinced him that they had little or no affinity to either, except in their hair. It is very crisp and curly, like that of the negro families, and dark in the colour. They separate into small locks, wound tightly round with the rind of a slender plant; and each of these not being thicker than common whip-cord, look like a parcel of small strings hanging down from the crown of the head. Some few of both sexes were seen, who had hair like that of Europeans; but it was concluded that they belonged to a different nation, and were probably emigrants from Erronan. It is to this island they ascribe one of the languages they speak, and which is nearly the same as the dialect of the Tonga Archipelago. Hence, it is presumed, that the former was peopled from the Friendly Isles, and that, in consequence of a long intercourse, each had learned to use the speech of the other. It was found that, besides the arts necessary for the cultivation of the ground, the people who occupy the larger islands of the New Hebrides practise no other. They know, indeed, how to make a kind of matting, as also a coarse cloth manufactured from the bark of a tree, and used chiefly for belts. But their canoes present only a very imperfect acquaintance with the rules of shipbuilding; while their armour, on which they bestow the greatest pains, is very inferior in point of neatness to that seen in the more eastern parts of Polynesia. Little knowledge was acquired either as to their religion or form of government. Chiefs were introduced to the English in various parts of the several islands, but no one was |
