SANDWICH, a town of the county of Kent, in the hundred of Eastry, and lathe of St Augustine, sixty-eight miles from London. It is situated on the river Stour, two miles from its entrance into the sea. It was once accessible by ships, but the sand has nearly choked the passage, though some plans are at present in contemplation to improve it. It is one of the Cinque Ports, and as such, is governed by a corporation composed of a mayor, four aldermen, and eleven councillors, who have jurisdiction over Deal, Fordwich, Ramsgate, Reculver, Sarre, Stower, and Walmer. It was once fortified, and a portion of its walls is still standing. Sandown Castle, a strong fortress within the parish, commands the anchorage of the Downs. It is rather a decayed town, but has a market on Wednesday and Saturday. There are three established churches, and also places of worship for dissenters. It returns two members to parliament, and confers on the family of Montague the title of earl. The population amounted in 1821 to 2912, and in 1831 to 3136.

Sandwich, an island in the Eastern Seas, opposite to the island of New Ireland. It is covered with trees, and its general appearance is picturesque and pleasing. Long, of the most westerly point 50. 54. 15. E. Lat. 2. 59. 26. S.

Sandwich Islands. These islands, which are situated in the Pacific Ocean, are eleven in number. They were discovered by Captain Cook and Captain King in the year 1778, and have been subsequently visited by Vancouver, Meares, Turnbull, and various other navigators. These islands received their name from the Earl of Sandwich, during whose administration they were discovered. In their climate they resemble the West India islands, which lie in the same latitude, although, on the whole, the temperature is more moderate; nor are they subject to the dreadful hurricanes which desolate the West India Islands. The thermometer during the day never rises higher than 88°, but its mean height at noon is about 83°. There is a constant land and sea breeze every night. The vegetable productions differ little from those in the rest of the South Sea islands. The bread-fruit thrives, the sugar-canes are of unusual size, and large vegetable roots are produced, shaped like a yam, and from six to eight pounds in weight, which yield a juice that was found to be an excellent substitute for sugar. These islands are evidently peopled by the same race which is found in the islands of New Zealand, the Society and Friendly Islands, and the Marquesas; a race that possesses, without any intermixture, all the known lands between the latitudes of 47° south and 20° north, and between the longitudes of 184° and 260° east. The natives are in general above the middle size, graceful in all their movements, and capable of bearing great fatigue. They are of a much darker complexion than the Otaheitans, and are altogether an inferior people, though many have fine open countenances, and a number of the women have a sweetness and sensibility which renders them very engaging. They are distinguished from Europeans by one pecu-[7:19:640] liarity, namely, a fulness of the nostril, without any flatness or spreading of the nose. They are praised by Captain King for their mild and affectionate dispositions; yet it is difficult to reconcile such dispositions with the habits of savage life, which are always ferocious and cruel. Humanity, mildness, and all the gentler sympathies of the human heart, are fostered by civilization. They are the result of cultivation, and not the spontaneous produce of the human heart; and, accordingly, they come to no maturity in the adverse soil of barbarism. Besides, they are inferior to the other islanders in that sure test of humanity, namely, respect for women. It has even been suspected, though no positive evidence of the fact has been found, that they are or have been in the practice of eating the bodies of their enemies; and it is well known, that the sacrificing of human victims was commonly practised among them, which is certainly no index of any mildness in their manners; and the same ferocious spirit is indicated by their wearing, as ornaments the most precious and invaluable, which are handed down as a sort of heir-looms in families, the bones of their enemies slain in battle, which are fashioned into various forms. Their natural capacity when they were first visited by Europeans was found to be good; they had made some improvements in agriculture and manufactures; and the eager curiosity with which they attended the armourer’s forge, and the many expedients they invented for working the iron procured from Europeans, afforded strong proofs of their docility and their ingenuity. They had, however, all the peculiar customs of the most savage nations, and are still in the practice, along with all the other inhabitants of these islands, notwithstanding the example and exhortations of the missionaries settled among them, of tatooing their bodies, and also their face, which is peculiar to them and to the New Zealanders. The common dress of all ranks of people consists only of a piece of thick cloth ten or twelve inches broad, which they pass between the legs and tie round the waist. They have another dress appropriated to ceremonial occasions, which consists of a feathered cloak and helmet, and which is remarkable for its beauty and magnificence, and is reserved chiefly for persons of high rank. The common people chiefly subsist on fish and vegetables, such as yams, sweet potatoes, ta-mow, plantains, sugar-canes, and bread. To these the people of a higher rank add the flesh of hogs and dogs, dressed in the same manner as at the Society Islands. They also eat fowls. For further particulars, and a more full account of these islands, see Polynesia .