is the uncommon smallness and delicacy of
their fingers, which may be put in competition with the finest in
Europe.

The general colour is a cast deeper than the copper brown; but several
of the men and women have a true olive complexion, and some of the last
are even a great deal fairer, which is probably the effect of being less
exposed to the sun, as a tendency to corpulence, in a few of the
principal people, seems to be the consequence of a more indolent life.
It is also amongst the last, that a soft clear skin is most frequently
observed. Amongst the bulk of the people, the skin is more commonly of a
dull hue, with some degree of roughness, especially the parts that are
not covered, which perhaps may be occasioned by some cutaneous disease.
We saw a man and boy at Hepaee, and a child at Annamooka, perfectly
white. Such have been found amongst all black nations; but I apprehend
that their colour is rather a disease, than a natural phenomenon.

There are nevertheless, upon the whole, few natural defects or
deformities to be found amongst them, though we saw two or three with
their feet bent inward, and some afflicted with a sort of blindness,
occasioned by a disease of the _cornea_. Neither are they exempt from
some other diseases. The most common of which is the tetter, or
ring-worm, that seems to affect almost one half of them, and leaves
whitish serpentine marks every where behind it. But this is of less
consequence than another disease which is very frequent, and appears on
every part of the body in large broad ulcers, with thick white edges,
discharging a clear thin matter, some of which had a very virulent
appearance, particularly those on the face, which were shocking to look
at. And yet we met with some who seemed to be cured of it, and others in
a fair way of being cured; but this was not effected without the loss of
the nose, or of the best part of it. As we know for a certainty, (and
the fact is acknowledged by themselves), that the people of these
islands were subject to this loathsome disease before the English first
visited them, notwithstanding the similarity of symptoms, it cannot be
the effect of the venereal contagion, unless we adopt a supposition,
which I could wish had a sufficient foundation in truth, that the
venereal disorder was not introduced here from Europe by our ships in
1773. It assuredly was now found to exist amongst them, for we had not
been long there, before some of our people re