sensibility of look, which rendered them very engaging. Their hair is of a
brownish black, and neither uniformly straight, like that of the Indians of
America, nor uniformly curling, as amongst the African negroes, but varying
in this respect like the hair of Europeans. One striking peculiarity in the
features of every part of this great nation, I do not remember to have seen
any where mentioned; which is, that even in the handsomest faces, there is
always a fulness of the nostrils, without any flatness or spreading of the
nose, that distinguishes them from Europeans. It is not improbable that
this may be the effect of their usual mode of salutation, which is
performed by pressing the ends of their noses together.

The same superiority that is observable in the persons of the _Erees_,
through all the other islands, is found also here. Those whom we saw were,
without exception, perfectly well formed; whereas the lower sort, besides
their general inferiority, are subject to all the variety of make and
figure that is seen in the populace of other countries. Instances of
deformity are more frequent here than in any of the other islands. Whilst
we were cruising off Owhyhee, two dwarfs came on board, one an old man,
four feet two inches high, but exactly proportioned, and the other a woman,
nearly of the same height. We afterward saw three natives who were hump-
backed, and a young man born without hands or feet. Squinting is also very
common amongst them; and a man who, they said, had been born blind, was
brought to us to be cured. Besides these particular imperfections, they
are, in general, very subject to boils and ulcers, which we attributed to
the great quantity of salt they eat with their flesh and fish. The _Erees_
are very free from these complaints, but many of them suffer still more
dreadful effects from the immoderate use of the _ava_. Those who were the
most affected by it, had their bodies covered with a white scurf, their
eyes red and inflamed, their limbs emaciated, the whole frame trembling and
paralytic, accompanied with a disability to raise the head. Though this