OF THE TONGA PEOPLE.

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tunate. From what he has heard and seenof the success of this operation at the Tonga islands, he is disposed to believe that about threeor four in ten recover by the aid of it. TheFiji islanders, however, speak of the happy ef-fects of this singular mode of cure with muchmore confidence than the natives of Tonga ; butas they claim the merit of the discovery, theyare probably rather too profuse in praise of it.

Tetanus is not the only disease for the cureof which the operation of tocolosi is performed:it is adopted also in cases of wounds in the ab-domen, upon the mistaken notion that any ex-travasated blood in the cavity of the abdomenis capable of passing off by the discharge fromthe urethra. Mr. Mariner saw the operationperformed once in this case, and, as the manwas considered in a very bad state, and not-withstanding got well, the cure was attributedto this remedy. It is also performed for reliefin cases of general languor and inactivity of thesystem; but, in such instances, they only en-deavour to produce irritation by passing thereed without any thread or artificial opening:the present king had it thus performed on himfor this purpose; and two days afterwards hesaid he felt himself quite light, and full ofspirits.

The natives of these islands are very subject