Page:Williams and Calvert, Fiji and the Fijians, New York, 1860.djvu/109

THE PEOPLE. 83 semble those of a European, and he is graceful and easy in his carriage." This opinion agrees with Captain Erskine's description of the same Chief. He says, " It was impossible not to admire the appearance of the Chief: of large, almost gigantic size, his limbs were beautifully formed and proportioned ; his countenance, with far less of the Negro cast than among the lower orders, agreeable and intelligent ; while his immense head of hair, covered and concealed with gauze, smoke-dried and slightly tinged with brown, gave him altogether the appearance of an Eastern Sultan. No garments confined his magnificent chest and neck, or concealed the natural colour of the skin, a clear but decided black ; and in spite of this paucity of attire — ^the evident wealth which surrounded him showing that it was a matter of choice and not of ne- cessity — he looked ' every inch a king.' " These descriptions will apply to many of the Fijian dignitaries ; and the difference between Chiefs and people is not so marked as in some groups : the lower ranks have neither the sleek skin nor portly mien of their superiors, yet supply a fair ratio of fine men, supple in joint, strong in limb, and full of ac- tivity. There is a prevailing opinion, that Albinoes occur more frequently among the Papuan race than elsewhere. My own observation tends somewhat to confirm this, as, during my residence in Fiji, I met with five specimens of this exceptional variety. In three of these, who were adults, the skin had an unnatural appearance ; it was whiter than that of an Englishman who had been exposed to the sun, and smooth and horny to the touch. Through the heat of the sun it was deeply cracked and spotted with large brown freckle-like marks, left by old sun-sores. All these persons suffered much from exposure to the sun, and never, as far as I could learn, became accustomed to the heat. The skin had a slight tinge of red, and hair, together with that of the head, of a flaxen colour. In two cases the iris was blue, and in the third there was a sandy tinge. The eyes were kept half closed, as though unable to bear much light. One man of this class I knew well. He lived for four years near me, and was industrious and good-tempered, and eventually became a Christian. Natives are sometimes seen with white hands or feet, the effect of disease ; but this blanched appearance never spreads over the body, neither are the parts affected painfully sensitive to the sun's heat. The last Albino that I saw, was a child of two or three weeks old, born of Christian parents who were young and healthy. It was a remarkable object, the skin being much whiter than the gen- erality of English infants, and very clear. A twin case occurred in the village of Na Vavi — a boy and girl, both of whom reached maturity.