and cannot fail of affecting the nation in general.  The effect, which was immediately obvious to me, was the low stature of the common class of people, to which all these prostitutes belonged.  Among this whole order, we saw few persons above the middle size, and many below it; an observation which confirms what M. de Buffon has very judiciously said on the subject of early connections of the sexes.  Their features were very irregular, and, in general, very ordinary, except the eyes, which were always large and full of vivacity; but a natural smile, and a constant endeavour to please, had so well supplied the want of beauty, that our sailors were perfectly captivated, and carelessly disposed of their shirts and clothes, to gratify their mistresses.  The simplicity of their dress, &c. might contribute to this attraction; and the view of several of these nymphs swimming all nimbly round the sloop, such as nature had formed them, was perhaps more than sufficient entirety to subvert the little reason which a mariner might have left to govern his passions.  As trifling circumstances had given occasion to their taking the water.  One of the officers on the quarter-deck intended to drop a bead into a canoe for a little boy about six years old; by accident it missed the boat and fell into the sea, but the child immediately leaped overboard, and diving after it, brought it up again.  To reward his performance, we dropped some more beads to him, which so tempted a number of men and women, that they amused us with amazing feats of agility in the water, and not only fetched up several beads scattered at once, but likewise large nails, which, on account of their weight, descended quickly to a considerable depth.  Some of them continued a long while under water, and the velocity with which we saw them go down, the water being perfectly clear, was very surprising.  The frequent ablutions of these people seem to make swimming familiar to them from their earliest childhood; and, indeed, their easy position in the water, and the pliancy of their limbs, gave us reason to look on them almost as amphibious creatures.”  These trifling ornaments were most eagerly coveted by all ages and sexes, and often prized much above any other European goods however useful, so prevalent and powerful is the love of ornament in our species.  “The methods to obtain them from us were very different, and consequently not always equally successful.  When we distributed a few beads to one set of people, some young fellows would impudently thrust their hands in between them, and demand their share, as though it had been their due; these attempts we always made it our business to discourage by a flat refusal.  It was already become difficult to deny a venerable old man, who, with a hand not yet palsied by age, vigorously pressed ours, and with a perfect reliance upon our good-nature, whispered the petition in our ears.  The elderly ladies, in general, made sure of a prize by a little artful flattery.  They commonly enquired