The Press.
London, England, 1853-05-21 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Erskine was on this occasion principally eon-
(Trued. It comprises all that part of Occattica
inhabited by a Clark-skinned race with woolly
or frizzled hair, and includes New titanca.
New Britian, New Ireland, New Caledonia and
the Loyalty isles, the New Hebrides, the Fee-
jecs. and the Solomon Islands. Most of these
were visited by the ilarannah, but she coin-
meneed her cruise by bearing away to the
north-east and visiting Niece, the savage island
of Captain Cook. From thence she proceeded
to the islands of Samoa, or, as they were called
by M. de Bougainville, who discovered them
in 1768, "L'Arehipel des Is; ILA' igitteUrSe" Upon
one of these, lanai', or, as M. de hi Perottse
wrongly called it, Mamma, M. de tangle, the
second in command of the unhappy expedition
of M. do la Perouse, was massacred, with
eleven officers turd 11ICH, by the natives.
Tunes, however, are changed. In ls:10 Mr.
Williams, "the martyr of Ertututgo," esta-
blished at mission there. The missionaries
now, says Captain Erskine, number eighteen
(mostly married men with families), the main-
rity being Scotch Congregationalists. They
have made considerable tarogress among the

people, a large portion of ;vlieni are now pro
fessing Christians ; and for several years, in
spite of oceasional vexatious wars among the
tribes, a stnuiger eonmider his life and
property as safe in Samoa (as the natives
term the whole group) as in any part of the
world. These Samoan Isles are agreeable
places. They have as yet escaped the bastard
and baneful civilisation of Tahiti and Halvah).
while they have freed themselves from the im-
putation of loving their neig,hhours little
enough when living. though overmuch when
rooked. (We say the imputation only, for we
believe cannibalism has never been actually
proved against the Polynesians, though they
have never seemed to view the practice with
proper abhomence.) The missionaries have
great influence. The chiefs are not too savage,
mind the people are gentle enough when gently
treated. here is a sketch of an island beauty
in case any of our readers should be tempted
to marry and settle among yams, bananas, and
cue( smut s

We fwuul loitering about our boats at the head of the
harbour several of the young ladies of the district. I )ne, a
etsparttish girl, apparently not more than fifteen years of age,
although 1 was told she was at least three years older, was
pointed out as a daughter of l'omale, a ruling chief to
witton the former Mating,' succeeded, and she imme.
tliately received from us the title of "the Princess," by
which she was disfitiguished timing lbw stay.
She was, as were all her compatoions, decently. clad in
loathe garments, wearing Iwsides the titan*, deserthed he.
fore us resendoling a small I 100, a white mat or petticoat
(made triton the fibres of tlw [Nisei's), alai a neeklitee /of
coloured lwads. Her Iloilr was cut short, which, our natio,
mud told us, intimated she was ready for a husband; and
her arms almove the elbow were marked with sears Ns if
burnt. %Odell, we were informed, both 84.x1..; do wit la a piece
of lighted stick when in love, to demote the tire of the
passion. I gave her a pair of .loves and a few trinkets,
and delighted her the intim by limiting signs that I should
lawn my anus for her sake.—LFie ! Captain Erskine.
1—
This girl is ealltvl Mahia (Maria), and she has had some
education, as, when asked, she wrote her name on a piece let'
paper for one of our facers. Although associating fami-
lial). with the other young w t al, she is looked upon as
of a higher grade, being under the speeial Nov of the eltiet,
who, with the consent of the roomed (or " folio "), will
probably provide a suitable match for her. Chet visits of
eeretnionv from other trilws take place, she is (Idled upon
to play the part of " te-mai-tai," or great lady, and is then
dressed in her smartest garments, and gives directions to
the other woman. Month, she NI i 51.11,1411144 111'114VIr, how.
ever, or make a marriage without the co onsent of the author
cities, she would reliantly lose this position, one, probably,
net DMA eoveted ; indeed. she was said to have narrowly
escatwol Ulan the will's of a Tutuilan dandy, who had
al-
tuest rrsuatled her to eltope with him.
Apia, a village of Upolit, another of the Sit
moan group, is now the residence of Mr.
Pritehard, of Tahitian notoriety, who, report
says, has recently been converted to Roman-
ism.
From the Samoan Islands the Hetrannoh
proceeded to the Tonga or Friendly Islands,
visited by Captain Cook in 1774. Two of these
islands, Vionin and ilapai, are now completely
Christianised, though in the third, Tonga-
' tabu, or " The Sacred: there still exists a
strong heathen party.
The Feejees, the next group visited by the
Harannah, are the first, in coining front the
• eastward, in which we find the Polynesian
negro, the black, as opposed to the copper-
coloured, or proper Polynesian. This group
L was first regularly surveyed by the United