tavia, for my falling in with Savu was more chance and not design.

But to return to this Island, the Natives of which are of a Dark brown
Colour, with long lank Hair; their Cloathing is a peice of Calicoe or
other Cotton Cloath wrapped about their Middle; the better sort have
another peice, which they wear over their Shoulders, and the most of them
wear Turbands or Handkercheifs tyed round their Heads. They Eat of all
the Tame Animals they have got, viz., Hogs, Horses, Buffaloes, Cocks and
Hens, Dogs, Catts, Sheep and Goats, and are esteem'd much in the same
order, as I have mentioned; that is, their Hog flesh, which is certainly
as good as any in the world, they prefer before anything else; next to
Hogs, Horses, and so on. Fish is not esteem'd by them, and is only eat by
the common or poor people, who are allowed little else of meat kind.

They have a Custom among them, that whenever a king dies all the Cattle,
etc., that are upon his Estate are kill'd, with which the Successor makes
a feast, to which is invited all the principal people of the Island, who
stay until all is consumed; after this they every one, according to his
Abilities, make the young King a present, by which means he gets a fresh
stock, which he is obliged to Husband for some time. The other principal
men make also feasts, which are as extraordinary as these, for they
seldom end so long as the giver has got anything left alive upon his
Estate. They are said to be a people of good Morals, Virtuous and Chaste,
each man having only one wife, which he keeps for life; Fornication and
Adultry is hardly known among them. When a great Man marrys he makes
presents to all his Wife's relations of European and other Foreign
commodities to the value of 100 Rix Dollars. This Custom the Dutch East
India Company find it to their Interest to incourage. They speak a
Language peculiar to themselves, into which the Dutch have caus'd the new
Testament to be Translated, and have introduced it, with the use of
letters and writing, among them. By this means several hundred of them
have been converted to Christianity; the rest are some heathens, and
others of no religion at all, and yet they all stick up to the strict
rules of Morality. They all, both Men and Women, Young and Old, Chew of
the Beetle Leaf, Areca Nutts, and a sort of white lime, which I believe
is made from Coral stone; this has such an effect upon the Teeth that
very few, even of the Young people, have hardly