of the new Hebrides islands in the south-sea, and the most considerable of them all next to Espiritu Santo. It is 18 leagues long from south-east to north-west; its greatest breadth, which is at the south-east end, is eight leagues; the north-west end is two-thirds its breadth, and narrower in the middle one-third. This contraction is occasioned by a wide and deep bay on the south-west side. It appears to be very fertile, and well inhabited; the land on the sea coast is rather low, and lies with a greater slope from the hills which are in the middle of the island; lat. 16 deg. 28 min. south; 167 deg. 56 min. east. On inquiring of the natives the name of this island, they were answered that it was Mallicollo, which has a near resemblance to Manicollo, the name which Quiros received for it 160 years before. He did not indeed visit the island, but had his intelligence from the natives.

The south coast, which was most attentively examined by captain Cook, is luxuriantly clothed with wood and other vegetables, from the sea-shore to the very summits of the hills. To the north-west, the country is less woody, but more agreeably intersected by lawns, some of which appeared to be cultivated. The vegetable productions of this country seemed to be in great variety; cocoa nuts, bread-fruit, bananas, sugar-canes, yams, eddoes, and turmeric; but captain Cook thought the fruits here not so good as at the Society and Friendly Isles. Hogs, and common poultry, are their domestic animals; and as the frequent squeaking of pigs was heard in the woods, it was concluded that the former are in considerable numbers here. A brace of Tahitian puppies was given them, with a view to stock the country with that species of animal; these they received with strong signs of satisfaction. The woods appeared to be inhabited by many species of birds. Here was caught a shark, which measured nine feet in length, on which the ship's company feasted with great relish; this shark, when cut open, was found to have the bony point of an arrow sticking in its head, having been shot quite through the skull. The wound was healed so perfectly, that not the smallest vestige of it appeared on the outside; a piece of the wood still remained sticking to the bony point, as well as a few fibres with which it had been tied on; but both the wood and the fibres were so rotted, as to crumble into dust at the touch.

Two large reddish fish of the sea-bream kind were likewise caught, on which most of the officers and some of the petty officers dined the next day. The night following every one who had eaten of them was seized with violent pains in the head and bones, attended with a scorching heat all over the skin, and numbness in the joints; even such hogs and dogs as had partaken of their fish gave strong symptoms of being poisoned; one hog, who had eaten of the garbage, swelled to a great size, and died at night; several dogs were affected in the same manner; they groaned most pitifully, had violent reachings, and could hardly drag their limbs along. These fish were supposed to have been of the same sort with those which Quiros mentions to have produced similar effects on board his ship, and which he calls parzas, which is the Spanish name for the sea-bream. Perhaps these fish are not always poisonous; but, like many species in the West and East Indies, may acquire that quality by feeding on poisonous vegetables; which conclusion is supported by the circumstance of the inhabitants having been found to be more poisonous than the rest. The effects of this poison on the officers continued for near a fortnight, during which time their pains returned every night, their teeth were loose, and their gums and palate excoriated.

The natives of Mallicollo are described as the most ugly, ill-proportioned people imaginable, and in every respect different from the other islanders in the South-Sea; they are of a very dark colour, and diminutive size; with long heads, flat faces, and monkey countenances; their hair, in general, black or brown, short and curly, but not quite so soft and woolly as that of a negro. Their beards are very strong, crisp, and bushy, and generally black and short. But what serves greatly to increase their natural deformity is a custom which they have of wearing a belt, or cord, round their waist; this rope is as thick as a man's finger; and is tied so tight round their belly, that it would be fatal to a person unaccustomed from infancy to such an unnatural ligature; for it cuts such a deep notch across the navel, that the belly seems in a manner divided, one part being above and the other below the rope. The men go quite naked, except a piece of cloth or leaf used as a wrapper. Most other nations invent some kind of covering from motives of shame; but here a roll of cloth, continually fastened to the belt, rather displays than conceals, and is the opposite of modesty. Besides having the flat broad nose and projecting cheek-bones of a negro, and a very short forehead, many increased their natural ugliness by painting their faces and breasts with a black colour. Some few had a small cap on the head made of matted-work. They wear bracelets of white and black shells, which press the upper arm so closely, that they seem to have been put on when the wearer was very young; this tends, as well as the belt, to reduce the Mallicollos to that slender shape which characterizes them. The depression of their foreheads is supposed to be artificial, as the heads of infants may be squeezed into any kind of form. The first natives that were seen carried clubs in their hands, and waded into the water, carrying green boughs, the universal sign of peace. In a day's time they ventured to come within a few yards of the ship's boat, which was sent out; when they dipped their hands into the sea, and gathering some water in their palms, poured it on their heads. The officers in the boat, in compliance with their example, did the same, with which the Indians appeared to be much pleased. They repeated the word tomarr, or tomarro, continually; which seemed to be an expression among them equivalent to tayo among the Society-Islands. The greater part were now armed with bows and arrows, and a few with spears. At length they ventured near the ship, and received a few presents of Tahitian cloth, which they eagerly accepted, and handed up their arrows in exchange, some of which were pointed with wood and some with bone, and daubed with a black gummy stuff which was supposed to be poisoned; but its effects were tried on a dog, without producing any dangerous symptoms. They continued about the ship, talking with great vociferation, but at the same time in such a good-humoured manner as was very entertaining. On looking steadfastly at one of them, he began to chatter with great fluency, and "grinned horribly a ghastly smile." Some continued about the ship till midnight; finding, however, at length, that they were but little noticed, for the captain wanted to get rid of them, they returned on shore, where the sound of singing and beating their drums was heard all night.

Mr Forster supposes there may be 50,000 inhabitants on this extensive island, which contains more than 600 square miles. "We ought (says he) to figure to ourselves this country as one extensive forest; they have only begun to clear and plant a few insulated spots, which are lost in it like small islands in the Pacific Ocean." Perhaps, if we could ever penetrate through the darkness which involves the history of this nation, we might find that they have arrived in the South-Sea much later than the natives of the Friendly and Society Islands: so much at least is certain, that the latter appear to be a race totally distinct from the former; their form, their language, and their manners, strongly mark this difference. The natives, on some parts of New-Guinea and Papua, seem to correspond, in many particulars, with what has been observed of the Mallicolse. They differ likewise very widely from the light-coloured inhabitants of the South-Sea, by keeping their bodies entirely free of punctures. Whatever these people saw, they coveted; but they never repined at a refusal. The looking-glasses which were given them were highly esteemed, and they took great pleasure in viewing themselves; so that these ugly people seemed to have more conceit than the beautiful nation at O-Taheitee and the Society Islands. Early the next morning the natives came off to the ship in their canoes, and four or five of them went on board without any arms. They soon became familiar, and, with the greatest ease, climbed up the shrouds to the masthead; when they came down, the captain took them into his cabin, and gave them medals, ribbons, nails, and pieces of red baize. They appeared the most intelligent of any nation that had been seen in the South-Sea: they readily understood the meaning conveyed by signs and gestures; and in a few minutes taught the gentlemen of the ship several words in their language, which appeared to be wholly distinct from that general language of which so many dialects are spoken at the Society-Islands, the Marquesas, Friendly-Isles, Easter-Island, and New-Zeeland. Their language was not difficult to pronounce, but contained more consonants than any of them. Mr Forster, and some of the gentlemen from the ship, went on shore, and conversed with the natives, who with great goodwill sat down on the stump of a tree to teach them their language. They were surprised at the readiness of their guests to remember, and seemed to spend some time in pondering how it was possible to preserve the sound by such means as pencils and paper. They were not only affiduous in teaching; but had curiosity enough to learn the language of the strangers, which they pronounced with such accuracy as led their instructors to admire their extensive faculties and quick apprehension. Observing their organs of speech to be so flexible, they tried the most difficult sounds in the European languages, and had recourse to the compound Russian jibek, all of which they pronounced at the first hearing without the least difficulty. They presently learned the English numerals, which they repeated rapidly on their fingers; so that what they wanted in personal beauty was amply compensated to them in acuteness of understanding. They express their admiration by hissing like a goose.

Their music is not remarkable either for harmony or variety, but seemed to be of a more lively turn than that at the Friendly-islands. Their behaviour to their visitants was, in general, harmless, but cautious: they gave them no invitation to stay among them; for they seemed not to relish the proximity of such powerful people, being probably accustomed to acts of violence and outrage from their neighbours. "In some of their countenances (says Mr Forster), we thought we could trace a mischievous, ill-natured disposition; but we might mistake jealousy for hatred."

Very few women were seen, but those few were no less ugly than the men: they were of small stature, and their heads, faces, and shoulders, were painted red. Those who were grown up, and probably married, had short pieces of a kind of cloth, or rather matting, round their waists, reaching nearly to their knees; the rest had only a string round the middle, with a wisp of straw; and the younger ones, from infancy to the age of 10 years, went stark naked, like the boys of the same age. The women were not observed to have any finery in their ears or round their necks and arms, it being fashionable in this island for the men only to adorn themselves; and wherever this custom prevails, the other sex is commonly oppressed, despised, and in a state of servitude. Here the women were seen with bundles on their backs, which contained their children; the men seemed to have no kind of regard for them. None of them came off to the ship, and they generally kept at a distance when any party landed from the boat. They perforate the cartilage of the nose between the nostrils; and thrust therein a piece of white stone about an inch and a half long, which is bent like the curvature of a bow. The houses here are, like those of the other isles, rather low, and covered with a palm-thatch. Malicollo, thatch. Some were inclosed or walled round with boards, and the entrance to these was by a square hole at one end.

Their weapons are bows and arrows, and a club about two feet and a half in length, made of the cau-kuarina wood, commonly knopped at one end, and well polished. This weapon they hang on their right shoulder, from a thick rope made of a kind of grass. It appeared to be preferred for close engagements, after having emptied the quiver. On the left wrist they wear a circular wooden plate, neatly covered, and joined with straw, about five inches in diameter, upon which they break the violence of the recoiling bow-string, and preserve their arm unhurt. Their arrows are made of a sort of reed; and are sometimes armed with a long sharp point made of the red-wood, and sometimes with a very hard point made of bone: and these points are all covered with a substance which was supposed to be poisoned. Indeed the people themselves confirmed these suppositions, by making signs to the gentlemen of the ship not to touch the point, and giving them to understand that if they were pricked by them they would die: they were very careful of them themselves, and keep them always wrapped up in a quiver. Some of these arrows are armed with two or three points each, with small prickles on the edge to prevent the arrow from being drawn out of the wound. Repeated and effectual trials of the virulence of this poison were made upon dogs, but they gave no signs of being hurt by it.

Their food seems to be principally vegetables, since they apply themselves to husbandry. As hogs and fowls are bred here, the natives, doubtless, feast sometimes on pork and poultry; and as they have canoes, it may be supposed that they draw a part of their subsistence from the ocean. The greatest number of canoes that were seen along-side the ship at one time did not exceed 10, or, according to Mr Forster, 14, and no more than four or five people in each: they were small, of indifferent workmanship, and without ornament; but provided with an outrigger.

After some slight indications of a hostile intention on the part of the natives, which they had shown in their canoes whilst about the ship, captain Cook, with a party of marines in two boats, landed in the face of 400 or 500 Indians who were assembled on the shore. Tho' they were all armed with bows and arrows, clubs and spears, they made not the least opposition; on the contrary, seeing the captain advance alone, unarmed, with only a green branch in his hand, one of them, who seemed to be a chief, giving his bow and arrows to another, met him in the water, bearing also a green branch. When they met, the branches were exchanged; and the chief led the captain by the hand up to the crowd, to whom he immediately distributed presents: in the mean time the marines were landed, and drawn up upon the beach. The captain then made signs that he wanted wood, and they by signs gave him permission to cut down the trees. A small pig was presently brought, and presented to the captain, who in return gave the bearer a piece of cloth. It was expected from this instance, that an exchange of provisions for various articles of merchandise would take place: but these expectations proved fallacious; no more pigs were procured, and only about half a dozen Mallow, cocoa-nuts, and a small quantity of fresh water. As Malinbury these islanders were possessed of hogs as well as fowls, their backwardness to part with either might be owing to the little estimation in which they held such articles as were tendered in barter; for they felt no value on any nails, or any other kind of iron-tools, and held all the gew-gaws of finery equally cheap. They would now and then exchange an arrow for a piece of cloth, but very seldom would part with a bow. After sending on board what wood had been cut, the party all embarked, and the natives dispersed. When the ship was about to leave this island, captain Cook gives the following relation: "When the natives saw us under sail, they came off in canoes, making exchanges with more confidence than before, and giving such extraordinary proofs of their honesty as surprized us. As the ship at first had fresh way thro' the water, several of the canoes dropped astern after they had received goods, and before they had time to deliver theirs in return: instead of taking advantage of this, as our friends at the Society-islands would have done, they used their utmost efforts to get up with us, and deliver what they had already been paid for. One man in particular followed us a considerable time, and did not reach us till it was calm, and the thing was forgotten. As soon as he came alongside, he held up the article, which several on board were ready to buy: but he refused to part with it till he saw the person to whom he had before sold it; and to him he gave it. The person not knowing the man again, offered him something in return, which he refused; and showing him what had been given before, at length made him sensible of the nice sense of honour which had actuated this Indian."