DRESS OF THE CHIEFS.

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rough and rude in its construction, and altogether inferior to the most common fishing barks of the Sandwich Islanders. It was constructed from the breadfruit tree, and not from the more compact and beautiful koa-a species of acacia—the material in universal use for this purpose at that group. In its shape too, at the head and stern, it varied materially from theirs. A low prow, almost on a level with the water line, projected horizontally several feet before the body of the canoe, and terminated in a flat figure head carved into a hideous face. Between this and the bow, three green cocoa-nut leaves, four or five feet high, were fastened erectly; close to which, in the head of the canoe, upon a platform of small sticks covered with a mat, sat in the attitude of a Turk, a chief of distinction from the tribe of Taioa, next west from this valley. He was wrapt in a large white mantle of tapa or native cloth, and wore upon his head, a dried banana leaf neatly and ingeniously wrought into a becoming toque. In the middle of the boat was Haapé, with the girdle only, and a cap similar in material and make to that of the chief of Taioa; while Piaroro, elevated in the stern on a high platform, deeply fringed with the pendant leaves of a palm, acted the part of helmsman with a long steering paddle, as six or eight stout men hurried the bark over the water.

Piaroro, like Haapé, wore the girdle only; and his hair, in place of being closely knotted with tapa on the top of his head, as on the former occasion, was brushed out as far as possible on each side, and descended in enormous frizzles over his shoulders: imparting to the whole contour of his face, a most wild and savage aspect. In his ears he wore ornaments of

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DISTRIBUTION OF PRESENTS.

ivory, beautifully carved and polished; contrasting strongly in their whiteness with the jet black of his hair.

The finishing of the stern of the canoe was as peculiar as that of the prow. From the keel on each side a light round timber extended, curving gradually upward like the runners in front of a sleigh, and terminating in a broad flattened blade, six or eight feet above the water. Between these, at the top, a rude image of a god was suspended in a reclining posture; and from the extremity of each, a line was stretched to the corners of the platform, closely hung with tufts of human hair: the trophies of victorious conflicts with their enemies.

On coming over the sides of the ship, they paced the deck with a stateliness of step and importance of air, that at once bespoke the formality and display of the occasion; and by every look seemed to say-“ Our canoe and its trappings, will compare very advantageously, we think, with your black barges and flying pennants; and our head-dresses, to say the least, are full as becoming as a chapeau de bras!"

A boat had in the mean time been despatched for the ladies; and they shortly after arrived, very modestly enveloped in full draperies of white tapa, with turbans of a kind as thin and fine as gauze. The ceremony of refreshments was again gone through with, and Captain Finch made additional presents to them, of calico, &c., for mantles, and other articles of apparel. During the time they were on board, we had another evidence of the nature and force of the tabu: none of the females would ascend the poop which is the most pleasant part of the ship, while any of the chiefs remained in the cabin beneath.

EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR.

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After the serenade of an hour from the band, they returned to the shore, apparently highly pleased with their visit; the captain taking the young prince Moana, and his companion Teinae, both of whom came off with us in the morning, in his gig; followed by the chieftains in their canoe, and the ladies in a cutter,

LETTER XXVII

DANCE IN THE VALLEY OF THE HAPAS.

Bay of Taiohne, at Nukuhiva, }

July 29th,

AFTER one of the most fatiguing excursions I have ever made, not excepting even the descent into the volcano of Hawaii, I take my pen at eight o'clock, dear Hto note the scenes of the day, before they lose their freshness in the observations of another.

You may be surprised to hear that the whole is connected with a dance. The immediate vicinity of the bay in which we are, is so destitute, from the spoliations and consequences of the late war, of every thing peculiarly interesting in the heathenism of the people, that on hearing of an intended exhibition of the kind in the interior, a party from the ship to witness it was readily formed. I joined the company, not only for the sake of the opera, but also, on account of the facilities which would be presented by it, for gaining a knowledge of the country, and the true state of the people. Our number was made up of Lieutenant

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Magruder, Mr. Buchanan, Doctor Wessels, Midshipmen Bissell, Taylor, Irving, and myself, with John. Anthony, a protegè of the captain, several of the crew as attendants, and Morrison for a guide.

We left the ship between nine and ten o'clock, with a promise of being spared the showers which had fallen so abundantly the preceding morning. In this we were not disappointed, the whole day having been beautifully clear, though at times oppressively warm.

Our trip began by ascending one of the smooth, sloping hills of grass, whose softness and bright gleamings in the sun, as seen from the bay, throw an air of civilization over the boldness of the surrounding scenery. The path, leading along its summit for a half or three quarters of a mile, afforded delightful views on the one hand, of the harbor and its headlands, and the rich groves upon the beach and up the valley, and, on the other, of the numerous glens, cascades, and insulated peaks and cliffs of the mountains in the interior.

On turning an abrupt point near the farther declivity of the hill, a mile inland, two warriors, in full battledress, on their way to the Vincennes, came suddenly upon us both men of the noblest stature, every limb, in its muscular proportions, presenting a model for the skill of a statuary. Their dress, in every respect alike, was singularly striking and imposing; especially that of the head, which instantly attracted the admiration of the whole party. It consisted of a crescent, three or four inches broad at its greatest breadth, fixed uprightly in front, the lower edge following the line of the hair on the forehead, and the points terminating at each temple immediately above the ears.

A

OF TWO WARRIORS.

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neat border, the eighth of an inch wide, ran round the edges in a herring-bone pattern of alternate black and white; while the middle was entirely filled with the small, scarlet berries of the abrus precatorius, fastened upon the material of which it was constructed, by a gum which exudes from the bread-fruit tree. The crescent formed the front of a cap fitting closely to the head behind, and the foundation in which the heavy plumage surmounting it is fixed. This plumage consisted of the long, black, and burnished tail-feathers of the cock, the finest I ever saw; those in the centre being more than two feet in length. They were arranged behind the front-piece as closely as possible, and in such a manner, as to form the shape of a deeply pointed chapeau, placed crosswise on the head: the feathers in the centre standing perpendicularly, and becoming more and more vertical, till the lowest at the edges drooped deeply over the shoulders. The ends, falling from the highest point above the forehead, one over another in a regularly defined curve on either side, played in the air with the gracefulness of an ostrich plume, and imparted to the whole an appearance of richness and taste we had not been led to exany

.

pect from of the decorations of the country previously seen.

In their ears, and entirely concealing them, they wore ornaments of light wood, whitened with pipe clay. They are perfectly flat in front, something in the shape of the natural ear, but much larger, and are fastened by running a long projection on the hind part, through slits made in the ears, for receiving such ornaments. Strings of whale's teeth hung around their necks, and frizzled bunches of human hair were tied around their