These people are of the middle size, rather slender than otherwise; many are little, but few tall or stout; the most of them have good features, and agreeable countenances; are, like all the tropical race, active and nimble; and seem to excel in the use of arms, but not to be fond of labour.  They never would put a hand to assist in any work we were carrying on, which the people of the other islands used to delight in.  Bat what I judge most from, is their making the females do the most laborious work, as if they were pack-horses.  I have seen a woman carrying a large bundle on her back, or a child on her back and a bundle under her arm, and a fellow strutting before her with nothing but a club or spear, or some such thing.  We have frequently observed little troops of women pass, to and fro, along the beach, laden with fruit and roots, escorted by a party of men under arms; though, now and then, we have seen a man carry a burden at the same time, but not often.  I know not on what account this was done, nor that an armed troop was necessary.  At first, we thought they were moving out of the neighbourhood with their effects, but we afterwards saw them both carry out, and bring in, every day.

I cannot say the women are beauties, but I think them handsome enough for the men, and too handsome for the use that is made of them.  Both sexes are of a very dark colour, but not black; nor have they the least characteristic of the negro about them.  They make themselves blacker than they really are, by painting their faces with a pigment of the colour of black-lead.  They also use another sort which is red, and a third sort brown, or a colour between red and black.  All these, but especially the first, they lay on with a liberal hand, not only on the face, but on the neck, shoulders, and breast.  The men wear nothing but a belt, and the wrapping leaf as at Mallicollo.  The women have a kind of petticoat made of the filaments of the plantain-tree, flags, or some such thing, which reaches below the knee.  Both sexes wear ornaments, such as bracelets, ear-rings, necklaces, and amulets.  The bracelets are chiefly worn by the men; some made of sea-shells, and others of those of the cocoa-nut.  The men also wear amulets; and those of most value being made of a greenish stone, the green stone of New Zealand is valued by them for this purpose.  Necklaces are chiefly used by the women, and made mostly of shells.  Ear-rings are common to both sexes, and those valued most are made of tortoise-shell.  Some of our people having got some at the Friendly Islands, brought it to a good market here, where it was of more value than any thing we had besides; from which I conclude that these people catch but few turtle, though I saw one in the harbour, just as we were getting under sail.  I observed that, towards the latter end of our stay, they began to ask for hatchets, and large nails, so that it is likely they had found that iron is more serviceable than stone, bone, or shells, of which all their tools I have seen are made.  Their stone hatchets, at least all those I saw, are not in the shape of adzes, as at the other islands, but more like an axe.  In the helve, which is pretty thick, is made a hole into which the stone is fixed.