mountainous country, but rich and fertile; especially the northern parts, where it is also well inhabited. The inhabitants of this country are a strong, well-made, active people, rather above the common size. They are of a very dark brown colour, with long black hair. They are also a brave, warlike people, with sentiments void of treachery. Their arms are spears, clubs, halberts, battle-axes, darts, and stones. They live in strongholds, or fortified towns, built in well chosen situations, and according to art. We had frequent skirmishes with them, always where we were not known: Our fire arms gave us the superiority. At first some of them were killed; but we at last learned how to manage them without taking away their lives: and when once peace was settled, they ever after were our very good friends. These people speak the same language as the people of the South Sea Islands, we had before visited, though distant from them many hundred leagues, and of whom they have not the least knowledge, or of any other people whatever. Their chief food is fish, and fern roots: they have too, in places, large plantations of potatoes, such as we have in the West Indies, and likewise yams, &c. Land animals they have none, either wild or tame, except dogs, which they breed for food. This country produceth a grass plant like flags, of the nature of hemp or flax, but superior in quality to either. Of this the natives make clothing, lines, nets, &c. The men very often go naked, with only a narrow belt about their waists: the women, on the contrary, never appear naked. Their government, religion, notions of the creation of the world, mankind, &c., are much the same as those of the natives of the South Sea Islands.
