OF THE TONGA PEOPLE.

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render by such means the wound more favour-able. The wound had been received the daybefore ; and on pressing the finger upon itsorifice the broken end of the arrow could notnow be felt, except by the pain which suchpressure gave the patient. In the first place,the operator marked with a piece of charcoalthe situation and length of the intended inci-sion, which was about two inches ; the smallwound made by the arrow being in the centreof it. The integuments were now drawn up-wards, so that the black line lay upon andparallel with the superior rib; an assistantpressing his hand above, and another below thesituation of the intended incision, with a viewto keep the integuments firm and steady. Theoperator having now chosen a fit piece of bam-boo, began his incision, and carried it downto the bone, the whole length of the mark,which was done with five or six motions ofthe hand, aided by considerable pressure: inthis part of the operation a shell could not beused, on account of its liability to break. Theinteguments being now allowed to return totheir natural situation, the incision was cau-tiously continued with a splinter of shell, mid-way between the two ribs, dividing the inter-costal muscles to nearly the same extent as theexternal wound, to allow of the introduction