'.V.c 1 ^ -mvrr.i Schenkung des Vulkaninstituts Immanuel Friedlander 89 % *3 ■rrrr™ a*»' ■ ■ .-*- 'ft?.* • ifc i:*' •jjljsp ACCOUNT OF THE TONGA ISLANDS. uife ’ymsti&tt- i. . u-5 1 . * *m wr<5v:k' T. BAYLSON, LOMBARD-STREET, WHITEFEIAHS, LOKDOK iV 'VV-'IWJWP* ,^CH HI& * i ifoiuhet' ywj>y £ragg so. BBS 'tsmsssi. sJassMS P8P§1 §§n M?Mamwiejr h* tine Costume of tie Tonga Isjlanbs. Zarufon Felt, 2 ’, ISJS'lv-7Murray.A£bf?n47'7*->)'ti\?st. AN ACCOUNT OF THE NATIVES OF THE TONGA ISLANDS, IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN. WITH AN ORIGINAL GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY OF THEIR LANGUAGE. COMPILE AND ARRANGED FROM THE EXTENSIVE COMMUNICATIONS OF MR. WILLIAM MARINER, SEVERAL YEARS RESIDENT IN THOSE ISLANDS. BY JOHN MARTIN, M. D. “ The savages of America inspire less interest.... since celebrated navigators “ have made known to us the inhabitants of the islands of the South Sea .... The “ state of half-civilization in which those islanders are found gives a peculiar “ charm to the description of their manners .... Such pictures, no doubt, have “ more attraction than those which pourtray the solemn gravity of the inhabitant M of the banks of the Missouri or the Maranon.” Prrface to Humboldt's Personal Narrative, IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. SECOND EDITION, WITH ADDITION: LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET 8P 1818 , TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR JOSEPH BANKS, BART.G.C.B. PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY, &c. &c. &c. , THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT OF THE NATIVES OF THE TONGA ISLANDS, IN WHICH IT IS ATTEMPTED PARTICULARLY TO SET FORTH THEIR MANNERS, CUSTOMS, RELIGION, AND LANGUAGE, FROM THE ORAL DESCRIPTIONS OF AN ENGLISHMAN LONG RESIDENT THERE, IS MOST WILLINGLY INSCRIBED AS A SMALL, YET APPROPRIATE TRIBUTE OF RESPECT, BY HIS VERY OBEDIENT AND DEVOTED HUMBLE SERVANT, JOHN MARTIN. mm PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. Tin; flattering reception with which the present work has already been honoured by a liberal public, and the appearance of a French translation of it at Paris, in November last, are convincing proofs of the interest, at least, which the subject has excited. Whilst preparing this second edition, it has been my good fortune to meet with an additional weight of testimony in favour of the facts related ; and not to detain the reader with unnecessary matter, I shall at once lay open the source of this new proof of the strict fidelity of Mr. Mariner’s representations. Jeremiah Higgins, Vlll PREFACE. a young man belonging to the crew of the Port au Prince *, made his escape from the Tonga Islands about thirteen months before Mr. Mariner, that is to say, after a residence there of two years and eleven months. Being very young, he was one of the first who acquired a tolerable knowledge of the language ; he practised their dances, and learned their songs ;—and although he had not the advantage of those better opportunities which fell in Mr. Mariner’s way, and consequently is not so intimately acquainted, in certain points of view, with the political sentiments, and moral notions and habits especially of the higher classes of the natives, which the superior education of the latter, as well as his relative condition among the Tonga chiefs, rendered him more apt to acquire ; —still, the information obtained from Higgins must undoubtedly be considered valuable, if only regarded as generally corroborative, and in a few instances * He served on board this vessel in the capacity of what is technically termed a landsman, and was then about fifteen or sixteen years of age. PREFACE. IX somewhat corrective of Mr. Mariner’s statements. For three or four years (until December last) Jeremiah resided with his father, an old inhabitant of the town of Aylesbury, a man well known, and much respected; and in the employ of many farmers in the county as a hay-binder. Some time after the publication of the first edition of the present work, a copy was sent to Jeremiah, with a request, that he would particularly remark and make a memorandum of whatever he conceived not to be correctly stated. In the month of November last, Mr. Higgins, the father, happening to be in town upon some business, called to inform me, that his son had been exceed- ingly pleased with the perusal of the work, particularly as it served to corroborate many things Avhich he had previously related to his friends and neighbours, and to Avhich he had reason to think they did not always give the credit that was due; insomuch that he began to be heartily tired of answering their numerous inquiries. Among those to whom he had given the X PREFACE. most information prior to the publication of the work was Mr. T. Woodman, a very respectable and intelligent farmer, residing at Stone, near Aylesbury. As this gentleman had also read the book, I wrote to him to request the favour of his sentiments, with regard to the two unconnected sources of information, which had fallen in his way. From the answer which he obligingly sent me, dated Stone, 4th December, 1817,1 beg leave to extract the following paragraph, as bearing immediately upon the subject. “ I most certainly have many times, be- “ fore your publication appeared in the “ world, asked Jeremiah Higgins many “ questions respecting the inhabitants of “ the Tonga islands; but as he is a “ young man of a reserved disposition, the “ communications he made were always “ desultory, unconnected, and confined. “ Yet I cannot have the least doubt, or the “ least hesitation in saying, that in the ac- “ counts he gave, he spoke of the very “ same people, and of the very same inci- “ dents, which are related by Mr. Mariner, “ in the work you have recently publish- PREFACE. xi “ ed. He spoke to me of the capture of “ the vessel he sailed in : of the siege and “ reduction of the Tonga great fortress : of the effects of the great guns : of the pa- “ nic and consternation thence produced : “ of their religious and political convoca- “ tions, &c. &c., which are events so expect, and he trusted that they would submit to his rule and government as formerly. To this, some of the Vavaoo chiefs replied, that they, should be willing enough to acknowledge him king, as formerly, provided he would reside altogether at Vavaoo, and interdict all communication with the Hapai people, among whom there were many designing chiefs, of whose treacherous policy they had good reason to be afraid : or, if he did not choose to remain altogether at Vavaoo, he might reside at Hapai, and they would send him annual tribute, as usual, upon condition that neither he, nor his chiefs, nor any of the people of Hapai, would visit Vavaoo under any pretext whatsoever; for, as they were quite tired of disturbances and insurrections, they heartily wished to keep away all who were promoters of discord, all ambitious and discontented chiefs; all, in short, whose tempers were too fickle to love a peaceful and quiet life : and, as to the large fortress, they declared it had been constructed merely for the purpose of self defence. Finow then took up the discourse, stating, that he could not give his consent to terms which were inconsistent with his dignity, as supreme governor both of Hapai and Vavaoo, and that it was exceedingly hard he should suffer for the rashness si' 172 TRANSACTIONS AT and impolicy of others, and that they should cease to put that confidence in his wisdom and justice which he hoped he had always merited. He then repeated the arguments in favour of his innocence, and, in conclusion, urged a proof of his love and affection for the people ofVa- vaoo, by reminding them of the readiness with which he formerly joined their late beloved chief, in the assassination of Toogoo Ahoo, and, by this means, freed Yavaoo and all the Tonga islands of a tyrant; and of the ardour with which he fought in alliance with that great hero, in the memorable battle of Tonga ; and, although afterwards they (the Vavaoo people) opposed (from a mistaken notion) his progress in the same good cause, yet how T happy they had been since their submission to him, and had received from his authority a good and wise chief (Toob6 Nuha), and now that this great man had fallen a sacrifice to the ambition or malice of others, was it on that account that they ought to forego their reliance on the love and affection which he had hitherto so conspicuously shewn them ? “ But, as you seem “ disposed,” said he, “ to live in idleness and “ luxury, I will go and reside among a more “ manly people, and prosecute war against the “ island of Tonga.” In reply to all this, they again assured him of their love and respect THE TONGA ISLANDS. 173 for him as an individual, but, as they were determined to live free, they would neither propose nor accept of any other terms. The king then ordered his matabooles to conduct him to his canoe, and, turning towards the Vavaoo people, said, “ Live, then, among yourselves “ in idleness, and we will return to Ilapai.” During the time that Finow was addressing the Vavaoo people, the matabooles and warriors that surrounded his canoe (among whom was Mr. Mariner) appeared much moved, and several shed tears, for his powers of persuasion were such, that, in defending his own cause, he seemed to be the most worthy, the most innocent, and the most unjustly used : on this account the greater chiefs and old matabooles of Vavaoo remained in the fortress, fearing to listen to his arguments, lest, being drawn aside by the power of his eloquence, they might mistake that for true which w T as not, and even lead the young and ardent warriors into an error, by persuading them that what he said was reasonable and just. The fortress, on the top of a steep rising ground, as seen from the ernoes, presented a most formidable and warlike appearance: its extent seemed enormous, ard the tops of the white reeds, which were seen at a distance above the banks of red clay, the w’hole being 174 TRANSACTIONS AT strongly illuminated by the sun, represented to the imagination of Mr. Mariner the spears and javelins of ancient heroes, drawn up in battle array. On the top of the banks a number of warriors, armed with clubs and spears, were running to and fro, with fine light streamers,* full thirteen feet long, attached to their heads and arms, which, floating in the wind, produced a most romantic effect. The king and his matabooles being now returned to their canoe, the expedition proceeded out of the inlet, and arrived shortly at a small island, on which they landed, and stripped it of almost all its cava root. It is here proper to mention, that all the islands adjacent to Yavaoo were deserted by order of Toe Oomoo, that the people might be more safely situated in or near the fortress, in case of an invasion. The three canoes afterwards proceeded a little farther onward, and put in for the night at a small island, called Hoonga, about two miles from Vavaoo. The next morning they resumed their voyage, and arrived at Haano, the nearest of the Hapai islands, in the afternoon. * These streamers consist of the fine membrane stripped off from the under side of the cocoa-nut leaf. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 175 CHAP! Ell VI. Finow embarks again with all his army for Vavaoo, and arrives at Neafoo—Alarm in the night—Presence of mind in one of Finow’s men—Plan of attack—Siege commences—An armistice—Accident to Mr. Mariner, which causes the battle to be renewed—Audacity of a Vavaoo warrior—Finow forbids the guns to be used—Sortie of the enemy—Bravery of Chioolooa—Wonderful escape of Latoo Ila—Conduct of the llapai women—Finow’s army returns to Neafoo, and builds a fortress there—Alarm in the night—Revolt of a young chief to the enemy, and the consequences—Slaughter of the enemy by an ambuscade —Sixty bodies offered to the gods—Cannibalism—Supposed treachery of Lioofau—The king returns thanks to his tutelar god—Hints of his priest—Apprehension and punishment of Map pa Haano—Regulations respecting deserters—Cruelties exercised upon four of the enemy— Desertion of Toobo Boogoo from the enemy—One of Finow’s canoes surprised by an attack from Maccapapa at the island of Taoonga—Finow sends out an expedition against Maccapapa’s canoes, and takes ten—Attack on the enemy’s field of yams.—Mr. Mariner wounded—An attempt to secure the enemy's hogs. The day after the return of the expedition, the gods were invoked in the usual way, and the oracular answer was, to proceed immediately to war against Vavaoo. All things being in readiness, the following morning the king embarked with the whole of his forces, about 5t)00 men, besides 1000 women, in fifty large canoes, 176 TRANSACTIONS AT with the four carronades, ammunition, and every thing necessary for a vigorous attack upon the strong fortress ofVavaoo. Towards evening, the fleet arrived at Fonnooi-fooa (one of the small islands in the neighbourhood of Vavaoo), whence Finow dispatched four canoes, manned with select warriors, up the inlet, towards the fortress, with orders to kill whomsoever they could. They succeeded in killing three men, and severely wounding a fourth., whom, with the three dead bodies, they brought to Finow. Killing these three men, in the first attempt upon the enemy, was' by no means to be considered a trifling advantage, for it was supposed to augur the protection of the gods, and great future successes. Early in the morning, the Hapai fleet proceeded up the inlet to Neafoo (the consecrated spot formerly mentioned), where they landed safely, leaving the women in the canoes. The four carronades were planted opposite the house of a neighbouring malai, ready to be drawn up the following morning to the fortress, which was about three miles off. The day was spent in settling and arranging sundry matters. During the night, which was exceedingly dark, a considerable degree of alarm was excited by two or three of the enemy, who approached, and threw a spear among a number of Finow’s THE TONGA ISLANDS. 177 people, asleep near the house; it happened, however, to strike a bundle of spears that was placed upright against a tree, and, thi'owing it down, occasioned such a noise, that several of the men were awakened by it, who, thinking that the main body of the enemy was coming down upon them, began to run away; at this moment, one of them, more courageous than the rest, snatching up a piece of lighted wood, applied it to the touch-hole of one of the guns, which instantly went off, and produced such an effect on the enemy, that no more was heard of him that night. This certainly was a bold act for a man who had never before fired a gun in his life, and might in the worst case have been productive of the best effects, for, if the enemy had come in considerable numbers, as was at the moment falsely imagined, and this man had not had such presence of mind, all Know's army might have been put completely to the rout, their guns taken from them, and a vast number of them slain: as it was, the report of the gun, awakening all who were yet asleep, induced such a degree of consternation as is scarcely to be conceived; they ran in all directions, but most of them to the canoes, and it was some time before their fears were sufficiently calmed for them to be induced to return. The man who performed this exploit received VOL. I. N 178 TRANSACTIONS AT much praise and respect for his bravery; as to promotion, it is a thing not known among them, for no man can hold a rank in society which he is not born to (see second volume); and as to other modes of reward, the merit of a good or brave action is considered its best reward, together with the admiration and respect which it creates, unless the party makes a point to boast of it, and then his merit is set almost at nought. Early the following morning Finow divided his army into three grand divisions: the right wing was commanded by Toob6 T6a, the left by Lioofau, chief of Haano, and the centre by Finow himself: the guns were allotted, two to the centre, and one to each flank, and were managed by seven Englishmen, besides Mr. Mariner and a black native of South America, taken by the Port au Prince in one of her prizes. Matters being thus arranged, and Finow having repeated the orders he had formerly issued, viz. that his men should keep themselves perfectly steady, and not attack the enemy till they were quite close to them,—the army began its march towards the garrison. After four or five hours interrupted progress, owing chiefly to the weight of the guns and the badness of the road, they arrived before the fortress, on the banks of which a vast number of THE TONGA ISLANDS. 179 the enemy were assembled. As they approached, a shower of arrows was discharged upon them; but Finow ordered a mataboole to advance forward and request an armistice, that each party might take leave of what friends and relations they might have among their opponents * ; which being granted, a number came out of the garrison to take a farewell of their relatives,—perhaps the last farewell of those who were about to fight against them. Here ensued a moving scene ; many tears were shed on both sides, and many a last embrace exchanged. This affecting spectacle had lasted about two hours, when a circumstance accidentally occurred, unfortunate enough in its consequences, but which might have turned out still more so. One of the enemy, upon the outer bank of the fortress, wantonly shot an arrow at Mr. Mariner, but which fortunately missed him, and stuck in a tree close at his * In a civil war at these islands, as well as at other places, it often happens that sons have to fight against their fathers, and brothers against their brothers; but what renders this circumstance still more common at Tonga, is the adherence to an old established custom, which binds every man in honour to join the cause of that chief on whose island he happens to be at the time the war is declared, unless some circumstance, as particular relationship between great men, engages the chief of the island, upon earnest request, to give him liberty to depart. 180 TRANSACTIONS AT elbow; lie immediately turned about, and dis. Covering the man who discharged it, levelled his musket, on the impulse of the moment, and shot him dead upon the spot: instantly the enemy sounded the war-whoop, and all was uproar and confusion* The king, not understanding the cause, was in a most violent rage with Mr. Mariner, and would forthwith have dispatched him with his club, had he been near enough: his matabooles did all they could to calm his temper, but he was not easily pacified : he sent a man to Mr. Mariner to demand his musket, but the latter, feeling himself aggrieved, peremptorily refused: Finow, by this time, becoming somewhat more calm, and learning the true cause of the disaster, was speedily reconciled. In the mean time the enemy, conceiving this to be a piece of treachery, returned to their entrenchments, and assailed the besiegers with showers of arrows. The king now ordered the great guns to open a fire upon the fort, but they seemed to do little or no injury to the works, owing to the height of the place and the strength of the embankment; several, how. ever, were killed who ventured outside of it. The firing had lasted, with occasional intermissions, during six or seven hours, when a considerable number of the enemy were perceived coming out of the fencing, and sheltering THE TONGA ISLANDS. 181 themselves behind the banks, with the evident intention of sallying forth, Upon this the king ordered all his men to sit down, and to remain perfectly quiet and steady, although the enemy should advance quite close to them, till they received his further orders to rise up and rush upon them. They accordingly sat down. A party of fifteen or sixteen now came down from the fort, and seven or eight of the Hapai people ran forward to skirmish with them- One of the advanced patty of the enemy came up to within fifteen or sixteen yards of the carronade, of which Mr. Mariner had the charge, and there stood, brandishing his spear in a threaten,- ing attitude : Mr. Mariner immediately fired the gun at him, but the moment the match was applied the man fell flat on his face, and the shot missed him : the moment after he sprung up again, and advanced forward to within ten paces of the gun, dancing and making sundry warlike gesticulations; he then brandished and threw his spear, intending it to enter the gun, but it struck against the muzzle. Mr. Mariner, astonished at the boldness and presumption of this warrior, was determined to punish him for his rashness, and accordingly levelled his musket, but just as he was pulling the trig r ger, an arrow struck the barrel of the piece, and caused him to miss his aim, The warrinr 182 TRANSACTIONS AT then shouted aloud, and returned with all speed to the fortress. Here the reader will no doubt recollect the bravado of a man who assumed the name of Fanna Fonnooa (p. 149), and declared that he would advance boldly up to a gun and throw his spear into the mouth of it, by way of expressing his contempt for this instrument of warfare. This warrior was the man ; and he no doubt would have shared a severer fate, had Mr. Mariner been prepared for him, but having treated that threat as an idle boast, he had altogether forgotten the circumstance, and did not again reflect on it till after it was over. The main body of the enemy was still stationed behind the banks, upon places cut for them to stand on, so that they were defended breast high, and thus had an opportunity of discharging their arrows in abundance, without much risk of receiving a shot in return. After a time, however, they came forth from their strong hold, and assembled on the outside, forming themselves quickly into three divisions, the same as Finow’s army. Most of 'the greatest and bravest warriors stationed themselves in the left wing, with the view of descending, with all their concentrated power, on Finow’s right wing, commanded by Toobo Toa, along with whom were the other principal THE TONGA ISLANDS. 183 men that had assassinated Toob6 Nuha, six or seven in number : against each of these twenty of the enemy’s left wing had orders to throw their spears, at a signal to be given, without directing their attention particularly to any one else, each party of twenty having singled out its man. These matters having been arranged, and having stationed themselves outside the bank as above stated, the whole advanced slowly and steadily forward. Finow’s men stilt remained seated on the ground, according to the orders that had been given them, except a few who danced before them, by way of showing their contempt for the enemy, and of provoking them to hostilities. Mr. Mariner requested Finow to order these men in, that a cannonade might be opened upon the enemy but the king objected, stating that as they ventured forward in an open body he would receive their attack, and fight them upon equal terms; that these guns gave him too great an advantage, such as he scorned to take ; that it was more honourable to fight them man to man than to use against them arms that were rather fitted for the hostilities of spirits than of men # ; * The use of artillery seems to have conveyed to the imagination of Finow the same idea of tremendous warfare as is inspired by the expression of our great poet— “ Battle dangerous to less than gods.” 184 TRANSACTIONS AT at the same time he returned his thanks for the advantages formerly derived from the use of these weapons, which he thought well calculated for the destruction of forts. The enemy now advanced within thirty paces, and threw their spears: instantly the Hapai army, too eager to remain longer quiet, sprang up, and rushing upon their foes, a close engagement commenced, which was obstinately maintained for about an hour, when the enemy were repulsed, and beaten completely back into their fortress. It was now twilight, but the Hapai warriors pursued them to their very doors. One chief in particular, Chioolooa, although he was wounded in the breast by a five- barbed spear, the shaft of which he had broken off, rushed even within the banks of their fortress, and there knocked out a man’s brains ; in making his retreat, however, he was wounded in the back by another spear, which, not being barbed, he drew out, and ran back to his own party; but the wound was mortal, and he lingered till the next day. This was the same chief, who, on the day of Toobo Nuha’s burial, challenged any of the Vavaoo people to fight him (p. 145 ) : he came to battle, he said, with a kind of presentiment that he should be killed, and was determined, therefore, to sell his life as dearly as possible. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 185 It is not at all extraordinary that most of those who had assisted in the assassination of Toobo Nuha should fall victims, in this battle, to the vengeance of the enemy ; but it is very extraordinary that one among them, viz. Latoo Ila, (who, as may be remembered, insulted the body of Toob6 Nuha, and upbraided him with the murder of his father), should altogether escape without a single wound or hurt worth mentioning; although he, like the rest of the assassins, was the object of the vengeance of twenty men combined against him. This circumstance gave rise to the general opinion that he was defended by the gods. He certainly fought with uncommon bravery, and this was the first time that he had distinguished himself ; but it must be kept in recollection, that he was fighting against a party whose late chief had slain his own father. During this battle several of the Hapai women came to the scene of action, that they might be near their husbands to assist them if wounded. One ofjthem, the wife of Toobo Toa, (Toob6 Aho M£e,) was taken prisoner by the enemy, but extremely well used by them ; and about three weeks afterwards she was sent back, from motives of respect, because she was a great egi (chief) of the family of Tooitonga (vide Rank in society, second volume): had 186 TRANSACTIONS AT she been of the king’s family, she would no doubt have been retained a prisoner. Night was now set in, but, by I mow’s orders, a firing was kept up, merely with stones, to avoid a waste of shot, because no good aim could be taken : this lasted for about an hour. The king’s matabooles then made several speeches to the garrison, soliciting the Vavaoo chiefs to submit to the government of Finow, but they objected, under the apprehension that they should be afterwards killed by the treachery of the king or of Toobo Toa. Finow then addressed them, threatening to remain there the whole night, and the next day to set about building a fort opposite theirs, and to keep up the war until they either yielded or were destroyed. Shortly after this, however, he gave orders to his men to repair as silently and as speedily as possible to Neafoo. He deceived the enemy in this way, to prevent them proceeding by another road, and cutting off' his retreat. The guns were given in charge to some of the principal warriors, with men under their command to drag them along. The labour of doing this for three miles was by no means trifling, particularly as the road was very uneven : they swore heartily at all guns, and all Englishmen for making them, and wanted to know why they THE TONGA ISLANDS. 187 could not construct them a little lighter ; or at least, as they had ingenuity enough to make the guns, they ought to have, they said, the ingenuity also to make legs for them to walk with. Being arrived at Neafoo, the king, his chiefs, matabooles, Mr. Mariner, and some of the Englishmen, went on board the canoes to pass the night. Mr. Mariner now, as well as in numerous other instances, found the advantage of having an adopted mother, by whom he was provided with plenty of good food, consisting of cooked yams, ripe bananas, and raw fish. They had partaken of no food all the day, and even now not above thirty or forty, consisting of chiefs and matabooles, got any thing to eat, for the time was too far advanced, and the common men too fatigued, to cook yams enough for themselves that night; and as to raw fish, it was considered too good, and at that time too scarce, to give to them *. * The idea of eating raw fish is not one of the least revolting to the imagination ; and we are too readily disposed to believe, that nothing but excessive hunger could render this species of food at all palatable: hence voyagers, on witnessing this act among the natives of these islands, have reasonably supposed them to be some of the lower orders much distressed forwant of food(videLabillardiere’svoyage)j but the fact is, raw fish is a very palatable diet, and is accordingly eaten as a matter of choice, not of necessity. Being strongly assured of this fact by Mr. Mariner, I made the trial, and repeated it several times upon mackarel, salmon, 188 TRANSACTIONS AT The next morning, after the men had refreshed themselves, armed parties were sent out to cut reeds, for the purpose of building a fortress at Neafoo : Finow and his principal chiefs remained to lay out the plan, whilst others were employed in digging a ditch about fourteen feet wide and ten feet deep. The spot on which this fortress was planned out was so situated, that one side was close upon the sea-shore, on a steep rocky bank, and therefore required no further defence, for the enemy had no large canoes, having broken up all they had to make small ones, and with these it would be imprudent to venture as far as Neafoo, lest their retreat should be cut off' by Finow’s larger and swifter canoes. In the course of the day the fencing and ditch were tolerably well completed, so that the following night the greater part of the army slept on shore ; but they were not without alarm, for about midnight, a small party of the enemy having come down to reconnoitre, looked through the openings of some part of the fencing that was not quite finished, and seeing several of the men sitting round a and turbot, and found the assertion perfectly correct: all the preparation necessary, is to take off the skin, and wash the fish with a little salt water ; it will then taste as relishing as the oyster, and very similar to it. If we eat the oyster raw, why not other fish ? THE TONGA ISLANDS. 189 fire conversing together, they threw several spears at them, which wounded many, and struck all with a panic : the whole garrison was instantly in a state of confusion; and a great number so far lost their presence of mind as to endeavour to make their escape on board the canoes ; in this attempt, forgetting that it was low water, they leapt from off the banks, and fell upon the shelf of rocks below, in consequence of which several of them had broken arms and legs, and sundry contusions, which, together with the fright, producing universal spasm (tetanus *) in some of them, caused their death a day or two afterwards. In about a quarter of an hour the alarm perfectly subsided, and they passed the rest of the night quietly. During the following day the fencing was completed, and a second ditch was planned round the former; this, however, was to be without any fencing, that the guns might be brought to bear more readily upon the enemy, in case they should make a descent upon Nea- foo. This ditch was to be eighteen feet wide, and about ten deep. In three days it was dug, and the fortress completed. In the mean time the canoes were hauled up within the fencing, but no active operations were effected on either * Their mode of treating this disease, and their success in sometimes curing it, will be related under its proper head. 190 TRANSACTIONS AT side. Four or five women, however, revolted from the enemy, and brought information that the chiefs of Vavaoo, having now revenged themselves on most of Toobo Nuha’s murderers, had come to the resolution of waiting a little time without having recourse to any offensive measures, with a view of ascertaining what Finow’s real intentions were. The fortress being now quite completed, and the guns stationed one at each of the four entrances, of which there were two in front (on the inland side) and one on each of the other two sides ; Finow gave orders that a strong party should go forth early in the morning, towards the enemy’s fortress, and destroy all the plantations they could come at, but in case of an attack, they should make their retreat as speedily as possible. In the afternoon they returned laden with yams, plantains, &c. but having met with a sudden attack from the enemy, had lost several of their men. They brought intelligence that they had discovered a large field of fine yams nearly full grown, but it was so well defended that they could not with prudence make an attack upon it. Finow resolved to remain quiet the following night, lest the enemy should be lying in wait for him, but the night after that to proceed with a large and strong party to plunder and destroy this planta- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 191 tion. In the mean time a young chief revolted to the enemy, and communicated Finow’s intentions with certain additional details, which, however false, served to raise him in the opinion of the enemy, and establish his credit with them. He informed them, over and above the actual truth, that his own father Lioofau was to remain behind in the colo (fortress) with a small party to defend it, but that being' secretly an enemy to Finow, he would without doubt readily yield up the place to them. Upon the strength of this information they laid their plan accordingly : a large party of warriors, well armed, were to conceal themselves in a thick wood at no great distance from the field of yams, through which wood passed a road leading from Finow’s colo • they were to lie down on the ground and cover themselves with branches, &c. that as soon as Finow’s army had passed, they might be able to cut off their retreat: at the same time another strong party was to advance upon Neafoo, and take advantage of the supposed treacherous disposition of Lioofau. Finow having arranged his plan, set off very early in the morning with the far larger part of his men, leaving the remainder under the command of Lioofau to take care of the colo. Very fortunately for Finow, before he had advanced 192 TRANSACTIONS AT far, he met a man who had deserted from the enemy, and who informed him of their knowledge of his expedition, their plan of frustrating his object, as well as the alleged treachery of Lioofau. The king upon hearing this, before he advanced a step farther, ordered Lioofau into immediate confinement, with a strong guard over him. This being done, he proceeded towards the fortress of Felletoa, and taking advantage of the information given him by the deserter, actually hemmed in the very party that would otherwise have done the same to him. These, finding themselves, contrary to their expectations, surrounded by Finow’s army, and seeing no other resource than to endeavour to force their way through, made the attempt, and succeeded, after a hard struggle, attended by great slaughter: sixty of the enemy were killed, and fourteen or fifteen of the Hapai people also fell. The enemy now retreated towards the field of yams, to join those who were stationed there for its defence ; and Finow, thinking it hazardous to make a farther attack, retired back upon Neafoo, taking with him the sixty dead bodies. The other party of the enemy that had, in the mean while, advanced to Neafoo, finding the place not under the command of Lioofau, suspected some deception, and made a speedy retreat. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 193 The king and his army being arrived at their fortress, the sixty bodies were shared ont to the different gods that had houses dedicated to them within the place. In performing this ceremony the people formed a large circle on the ground, with the king at the upper end. The bodies being placed in a row before Finow, a man rose up, and counting the bodies, declared aloud their number. The king then ordered that so many should be allotted to such a god, and so many to such another, and so of the rest. The names of these gods were Tali y Toobo, Tooi fooa Bolotoo, Lau file Tonga,Too- bo lalo Tonga, and Chenitacala : the two first only are imaginary beings, the others are souls of departed chiefs ; the last of all is a goddess, the soul of a female chief of that name. This being done, the bodies were carried away, and laid before the houses of the different gods to whom they were allotted: where, after they had remained three or four hours, those who had left relations among the garrison of Neafoo were carried away and buried ; and the remainr der, which were only nine or ten in number, were conveyed to the water side, and there disposed of in different ways : two or three were hung up on a tree; a couple were burnt; three were cut open from motives of curiosity to see vol. r. o 194 TRANSACTIONS AT whether their insides were sound and entire*, and to practise surgical operations upon, hereafter to be described ; and lastly, two or three were cut up to be cooked and eaten, of which about forty men partook. This was the second instance of cannibalism that Mr. Mariner witnessed, but the natives of these islands are not to be called cannibals on this account: so far from its being a general practice, it is on the contrary generally held in abhorrence, and where it is occasionally done, it is only by young warriors, who do it in imitation of the Fiji islanders, attaching to it an idea that there is something in it designating a fierce, warlike, and manly spirit. When they returned to Neafoo after their inhuman repast, most persons who knew it, particularly women, avoided them, saying, “ Ia-whe moe ky-tanga- ta,” away! you are a man-eater. The bodies being thus all disposed of, Finow began to make enquiries respecting the alleged treason of Lioofau, and finding no one capable * It is a firm belief with the people that if a man infringes upon the Taboo (seep. 141) or commits any sacrilege, his liver or some other viscus is liable to become enlarged and schirrous : they therefore often open dead bodies out of curiosity, to see if they have been sacrilegious in their lifetime. The natives of these islands are particularly subject to schirrous tumours. TIIE TONGA ISLANDS. ]‘)5 of urging any thing against him, and he solemnly declaring his innocence, and stating that his son must have invented this tale to answer some purpose with the enemy; moreover, having always borne a good character and been well beloved by his men, and believed to have been always firmly attached to the interests of Finow, he was set at liberty and restored to his post. The day after this chief was reinstated, Finow ordered the ceremony of drinking cava to the priest of his tutelar god Toobo Totai, by way of gratitude for the late victory. This ceremony is exactly the same as that of invoking a god through the medium of his priest; and consists merely in the customary form of sitting down to make cava in the presence of a priest, (he presiding at the head of the ring). In this instance, after the cava, pork, &c. had been served out, one of the matabooles, in a few words, thanlked the god in the person of the priest for the late signal victories. The priest in answer, after waiting for another dish of cava, declared that Finow would at length succeed in his war against Felletoa, but that this fortress was not the strongest power he had to contend with, for the seeds of insurrection were already sown in his own army, and although Lioofau was perfectly innocent of what had been al- 193 TRANSACTIONS AT leged against him, yet there was one at no great distance from him for whom so much could not be said. The god having condescended to declare this, left his priest, and the latter arose and went away; the company then broke up. Know pretended to take no notice of what the priest declared, not wishing the circumstance to be much noticed by others. The following day an adopted son of Know brought him secret intelligence that he had heard that several men had been sent off at different times, by Mappa Haano, to the fortress of Felletoa, to concert with the enemy on the subject of revolt, and that this chief had the intention of doing what Lioofau had been unjustly accused of and imprisoned for. The king immediately sent for Mappa Haano, who obeyed the summons, and came drest up in mats, with green leaves round his neck, (marks of humiliation and fear) attended by a priest. When they arrived opposite Know’s house they sat down before it; then the priest rose and advancing nearer to Know, who was seated just within the eaves of the house, he again sat down before him, and stated that Mappa Haano had requested his intermediation, to express for him the sentiments of self-accusation with which he felt himself oppressed, and his acknowledgment of the justice of his fate, if Fi- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 197 now should think proper to take away his life. The king replied, that he did not mean to take away his life, for that it was not the custom at Tonga to kill those of whom one has no reason to be afraid, and that he did not think it worth his while to destroy a mere butterfly, (an insignificant being) but that he should take other measures of punishment not less exemplary. He then desired the culprit to consider himself for the future as divested of all power and rank,' no longer to be the commander of men, but a single and unprotected individual; that his chiefship from that moment was null, and that consequently he was never more to take his seat as a chief, at his cava ceremonies*. A certain chief, who was present, observed to Fi- now that if he suffered this man to live, although he was deprived of power, he might nevertheless by pernicious counsel inspire other chiefs with sentiments derogatory to the welfare of Finow’s government. To which the king replied, that this was not a war between men, in whose success or ill success the gods took no interest, but one in which his tutelar god, Toobo Totai, presided in a particular manner * One who is born a chief is always a chief, and all who associate with him must, as a point of religious duty, shew him the customary forms of respect; but in consequence of this sentence, nobody would associate with Mappa Haano. 198 TRANSACTIONS AT over his fortune and welfare, and that this god would take care that such pernicious attempts, on the part of the disgraced chief, should not affect the other chiefs of his army, or if they did, that he should be made acquainted with it by the priest.—The company now dispersed. After this period Mappa Haano always wore mats as significant of his degraded state. He seldom attended any public ceremonies or assemblies, because it obliged him to sit along with the common people, and he could not brook, on such occasions, to feel so much his inferiority to other chiefs who formerly were his equals. It must not be supposed that he always wore these mats from pure humility, but rather from fear, for had he appeared without them, Finow might have been angry, and death might have been the consequence. There being now every day some desertion or another from either army to the opposite one, the king issued orders that every deserter from the enemy should be put to death, the same as if he had been a deserter from himself. This he did the better to avoid all communication between the two contending armies. For some time past several of Finow’s men had been killed in different instances, by three or four of the enemy, under the command of a warrior named Moteita, a most expert and THE TONGA ISLANDS. 199 daring fellow, who often ventured by night and early in the morning close up to the colo of Neafoo to kill any stragglers they could meet with. One morning a party of Finow’s men, twelve or fourteen in number, among whom was Mr. Mariner, being out on a little excursion, surprised four of the enemy, who were busily employed digging ma* in a pit; these they immediately laid hold of, and dragged out, to take them hom,e prisoners. Imagining they had got Moteita and his followers who had so often committed depredations upon them, they resolved to make a signal example of their prisoners. A young chief, however, objected to this measure, and proposed that it would be better to decapitate them at once, and take their heads home. This plan was immediately assented to, but some one observing that they had no knives with them, another casting his eyes upon the ground, remarked, there was something that would do as well; and taking up a shell from a neighbouring spot, where some persons had been eating large pearl oysters, he proposed to proceed to work with oyster- shells as substitutes for knives: this was immediately approved of, and the four unfortunate * Ma is a species of prepared food, consisting of breadfruit, or plantains, or bananas; buried for a considerable time under ground, in order to ferment. 200 TRANSACTIONS AT victims were taken in hand. It was in vain that they begged their lives, protesting that they were not the persons they had taken them for: in vain did Mr. Mariner point out the cruelty of the act, urging them at least to kill them first speedily, and cut off their heads afterwards : to this remonstrance they answered that their prisoners deserved to be severely punished for the many atrocities they had committed; and as to killing them first, and cutting off their heads afterwards, they thought it unnecessary trouble. This horrible piece of cruelty -was accordingly committed on the spot. They began the operation, (after having stripped themselves, to prevent their garments from getting bloody,) by haggling at the back of the neck; they then cut gradually round the throat, till they had got through every thing but the spine, which they divided by turning the head down, and giving it a violent twist. This being done, they washed themselves, resumed their gnatoos, and proceeded with the four heads to the garrison. It was still early when they arrived, and they found the king sitting with his friends on the maldi drinking cava. The four heads were brought to him by different men, and placed in the middle of the circle upright with their faces towards Finow, who returned his thanks (as customary) to those who had killed them. M r. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 201 Mariner having seated himself near Finow, the latter asked him why they did not kill them at once, without cutting off their heads: this question he asked partly from motives of humanity, and partly to know why they took so much trouble about them. A few days after this event, Tooboo Boogoo, a certain priest, belonging to the colo of Felle- toa, and who was a relation of Finow, having been consulted, regarding some matters of policy, gave advice which appeared to the Vavaoo chiefs more consonant to Finow’s interests than their own, and they accordingly objected to it, declaring that he wanted to act a treacherous part in thus befriending his relation: upon which he told them that if they could place no credit in his word, nor confidence in his honesty, he was of no use to them, and therefore they had better kill him at once, or at least confine him ;—or if they had a mind to behave generously towards him, permit him to go away and live with Finow: the chiefs replied that they should take a little time to consider of it. He did not think proper, however, to wait for their decision, but made his escape early one morning, and took refuge with Finow, whom he informed of a design the enemy had of besieging him. In consequence of this information every preparation was made to put the fortress in the best possible state of defence. 202 TRANSACTIONS AT Some time now elapsed in expectation of the enemy’s approach; but there were no signs of them. Finow, in the mean while, came to a determination of making Yavaoo his place of constant residence. This he did for two reasons, first, because it was the largest and most fruitful of all his islands; and secondly, because by his presence he could better govern a people who appeared to be so little attached to his interests. It was now the scarce time of the year, and his stock of provisions began to grow short: it was necessary therefore to dispatch canoes to the Hapai islands for a fresh supply, that might last them till the season had so far advanced as to provide them with the vegetable produce of the surrounding country. A large canoe was therefore got ready, with orders to return with yams and ma ; she had an additional number of hands on board, with which to man another canoe that they were to bring back with them, laden in like manner. Several women and children also took this opportunity of going to Hapai to see their friends. One morning the canoe set sail for one of the Va- vaoo islands, called Taoonga, with the intention of remaining there during the night, and of departing again very early the following morning, to prosecute the voyage. Whilst here, however, the wind unfortunately changed, and they were under the necessity of remaining at Ta- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 203 oonga several days. For the first two or three days they kept a good look-out, lest they should be surprised by the enemy, and at night slept on board the canoe ; but not finding themselves disturbed by any one, they at length relaxed their vigilance, and slept on shore by large fires; in consequence of which they met with a sad disaster. On the fifth night they had lighted their fires as usual, and the greater part had fallen asleep, when forty or fifty of the enemy’s choicest warriors, commanded by Mac- capapa, rushed suddenly upon them. The enemy had heard from some stragglers, that this expedition to Hapai had been obliged to remain at Taoonga; they accordingly put to sea in their small canoes, and arrived at the opposite side of the island after dark: great part of them landed, and being guided by the fires, fell upon those who were reposing in imaginary security, and with their clubs made an end of about eight and twenty: the remainder escaped to the canoe, but not without much difficulty; for some of their companions who had remained to take care of it, being alarmed by the uproar of this sudden attack on shore, had pushed offinto deep water; so that those who made their escape from the beach were obliged to swim, and several of them were much wounded by spears thrown at them. Under cover of the 204 TRANSACTIONS AT darkness they got off to a neighbouring island; and early in the morning, the wind becoming more favourable, they proceeded on their voyage. In the mean while a man ran away from the enemy’s garrison, and brought information of the departure of Maccapapa to attack the Hapai expedition. Finow ordered several large canoes to put to sea immediately, in pursuit of them. This was speedily accomplished, and in the course of a few hours they came up with Mac- capapa’s canoes, and took ten of them. Many attempted to make their escape to the shore; but being prevented by the large canoes from proceeding to the regular landing-places, they were under the necessity of venturing their necks by climbing up steep rocks that rose almost perpendicularly from the water. In this attempt some fell and were killed. Thus were Finow’s men revenged. A fortnight now elapsed without any material circumstance occurring: almost every day, however, there was some little skirmish with the enemy; but which led to no particular result. At the end of this time, the canoes from Hapai not being yet returned, Finow began to turn his thoughts more seriously than ever towards the large field of yams before spoken of. He made preparations therefore for an at- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 205 tack upon it: hoping that if he did not succeed in procuring some yams, he should at least be able to bring the enemy to a general engagement. With this view he picked out some of the choicest of his men, about eighty in number, and gave them orders to conceal themselves, during the night, in a thicket close to the enemy’s fortress, and on one side of the road. Finow in the mean while proceeded with a party of six hundred towards Felletoa. When he arrived within a quarter of a mile of the fort, it being yet dark, he took up his station in a field of high grass, situated in a valley, which could not be seen by the enemy. He then dispatched a hundred men to dig up the yams, and fifty more, under the coirrnand of Hala Api Api, (an adopted son of die late Toobo Nuha,) to the fortress, with a riew of enticing the enemy out, and leading t/iem beyond the ambuscade. The enemy, however, kept close within his entrenchments. Tie fact was, there were not many men in the place, at least not great Avarriors, the rest having gone to another part of the island to launch p large canoe, for the purpose of bringing it rodnd to the garrison to break up and make smal soon as the enemy discover they sent down to their counanions at the further side of the island, to inform them of what ones of. But as d Hala Api Api, 206 TRANSACTIONS AT was going forward. They came as soon as they possibly could, but too late to save the yams. As soon as they arrived at the fort and saw the field of yams completely despoiled, they became dreadfully enraged, and rushed out in a body upon Hala Api Api, who immediately retreated, with a design of drawing them on beyond the two ambuscades. In this, for the most part, he succeeded to his wishes; for the enemy were so blinded by their rage, and pushed on by desire of revenge, that they did not reflect on the probability that there was some stratagem. They continued to follow, and he to retreat, till they passed the first ambush, where Fnow lay concealed, and were fast advancing towards the second, when Finow’s men, too eager for conquest, rose up and attacked them ir the rear: the second ambush, hearing the noise of this attack, immediately started up, and joining Hala Api Api, a hard and close fight Mas kept up for about a quarter of an hour; when the enemy finding themselves too strongly opposed, retreated towards the fortress, in which they took shelter, being pursued close up to their doors by the Hapai warriors. Having recoverec themselves a little from their consternation, they prepared to renew the combat, and again salied forth, and commenced a general engagement with spears and arrows, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 207 which lasted about three quarters of an hour; when they again took shelter within their walls. In the first engagement the enemy had forty men killed, and Finow only two: in the last attack they had only one man killed, and Finow none, though several died afterwards of their wounds; but this was only an engagement with arrows and spears, which they are very dexterous in avoiding: clubs were not used; for the enemy were upon a higher ground, and it would not have been prudent to have attacked them with the club, and risk the loss of their former advantages; and the enemy were too much discouraged to venture into the plain for this purpose. The day was so rainy that no muskets could be well used. In the last affair Mr. Mariner received an arrow in his foot, which passed quite through the broadest part of it: luckily it was not a bearded arrow ; but the wound was, nevertheless, a very bad one; for the weapon being made of a short, splintering wood, it broke in, and consequently he was afterwards disabled for several months; for the Tonga surgeons have not the best instruments in the world, and the pieces of wood they took out from time to time, by no better means than cutting down upon them with sharp shells, or bamboo; which rendered the affair very tedious and painful. 208 TRANSACTIONS AT The Hapai army being returned to Neafoo, Finow gave orders that no man should venture out for sometime, lest, the vigilance and anger of the enemy being now so strongly excited, some should fall a prey to their rashness. About a week afterwards, a warrior, named Havili, requested leave of Finow to permit him to go in a large canoe, with an armed party, to the north-west part of the island, to secure a number of hogs, which the' enemy kept there in a fencing, observing, that it would be but proper to relish the Yavaoo yams with a little Vavaoo pork! Havili was a man remarkable for laying hold of every opportunity of undertaking secret expeditions by night; and he was thought to have killed more men in his time than any other warrior. The king having granted him leave, he went on board a canoe, with forty stout men, and proceeded towards the place. The enemy, however, had previously sent an additional force to take care of their hogs, thinking, very justly, that Finow might be encouraged to turn his attention to that quarter, from having met with such success in the field of yams. It happened, one night, that part of this guard, sauntering about upon the beach, perceived a large canoe coming towards them. They immediately sent word to their companions, and, se- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 209 parating into two parties, concealed themselves on either side of the road leading to the fencing* The canoe having reached the shore, half the men landed with Havili at their head, and proceeded towards the place where the hogs were kept* They had no sooner passed the spot where the enemy lay concealed, than the latter rushed out, and attacked them in the rear so suddenly, and with such effect, that fifteen Were quickly dispatched, the enemy only losing one man, who was killed by Havili. This warrior and his four remaining men effected their escape to thfeir companions in the canoe, and pushed from the shore as quickly as possible. As they were paddling off, the enemy called out to them in derision, “ What! you wanted “ some pork, did you?—how do you like your “ treat ?—but stay, here are some fine pigs for “ you, ready killed” (alluding to the dead bodies), “ why don’t you come and take them “ away?”—but Havili and his men, sorely discomfited, returned home without making any farther attempt. £ ■& VOL. i. * TRANSACTIONS AT 210 CHAPTER VII, Desertion of one of Finow’s wives* and the wife of the prinee —Rencontre between one of the fugitives and Mr. Mariner—Attempt to take the enemy’s women while gathering shell-fish—Dispute about the female prisoners—Return Of the Hapai canoes with provisions—Palavali’s attack upon a party of the enemy, and killing a man within a sacred fencing—Strangling a child as an atonement for this sacrilege—Death of Palavali—Finow, growing tired of the war, in an artful manner negotiates a peace—Finow’s apology for the conduct of the Vavao® people at an entertainment given them—Entertainment given by the Vavaoo chiefs to Finow and his chiefs—Sentiments respecting praise, bravery, &c.—New regulations of Finow—Toobo Toa' deputed tributary governor of the Hapai islands—His arrival at the Hapai islands, accompanied by the prince and Mr. Mariner. A few days after Havili’s unsuccessful attempt to secure the enemy’s hogs, one of Finow’s wives ran away from Neafoo; being shortly missed by the rest of the women, in searching for her, it was found that one of his son’s wives had taken the same step, and it was supposed they had gone together. When this was made known to the king, he left the fortress instantly, accompanied by five or six men, and directed his course along the main road leading to Fel- letoa, but without any success. He returned THE TONGA ISLANDS, 211 very much dejected, and sent to his aunt, Toe Oomoo (the chief of the enemy), requesting to have his wife returned, stating, that it was a War between men, and not women ; but his remonstrances had no effect. These women both laboured under the jealousy and tyrannic influence of Moonga Toobo, Finow’s favourite wife: partly to rid themselves of this, and partly to visit and live with relations they had in the opposite garrison, they made their escape, and took a by road near the sea-shore. On the morning of their departure, Mr. Mariner was at some distance from Neafoo, gathering shaddocks in a thicket: for, although his wound did not allow him to use any active exertions, yet he now and then went abroad by the help of a stick, which, no doubt, was one cause that rendered the cure very tedious. Being up in a tree, he heard a rustling noise in the bushes below, and, directing his attention to the spot, was surprised to see one of Finow’s wives. Prompted by curiosity, he came quickly down, and, seizing her by the arm, inquired what caused her to stray so far from the fortress, and to expose her person and her life to the insults and cruelty of the enemy: she replied, that she had only come out for a walk, and was going shortly to return. To this account he objected, that it was too far, and too dangerous a walk v 2 212 TRANSACTIONS AT for her to take alone, with the risk of meeting^ Moteita and his followers, who often concealed- themselves in those woods, and declared his suspicion that she intended to run away. She immediately fell on her knees, clasped her hands, and begged and intreated most earnestly, that he would not prevent her flight from the dominion of tyranny to the bosom of her relations, and appealed most pathetically to his own feelings and affections towards his mother, or whatever relatives he might have in his own country, and represented how hard and cruelly severe it would be for any one to prevent him flying to them, if it were otherwise in his power. Being moved by the earnestness of her manner, and the unfortunate circumstances of her situation, he raised her up, and promised not to interfere in her escape, nor to divulge the matter to any one, and gave her full liberty to proceed whichever way she thought proper. Finow had, for a long time past, entertained the idea of seizing upon several of the enemy’s women, who were in the habit of assembling at a certain part of the inlet, to gather shell-fish, and now, that his wife had run away, he was more than ever encouraged to do this, by way of retaliation upon Toe Oomoo, for the detention of her. The place where they procured this sort erf fish, was upon a shelf of rocks (about THE TONGA ISLANDS. 213 a foot and a half deep at low water), that ran across the inlet at no great distance from Fel- letoa. Upon this shelf they were accustomed to fish every day, wading through the water. On these occasions,' 1 several men of their own party had frequently alarmed them by rushing out upon them, pretending to be the enemy, and had repeated this so often, that, at length, they only laughed at the joke, and ridiculed the idea of running away. One evening a party of Fi- now’s men, who had formed themselves for the express purpose of making an attack upon these women, set out in a canoe, and sailed to a part of the island where they could land unobserved, and proceed to the spot where they were fishing, without any danger of discovery, on account of the high bushes that were there in abundance. Being arrived on the spot, at an appointed signal they rushed out upon the women, who immediately set up a hearty laugh, taking them for their old friends, so fond of a joke; but, when they saw two or three knocked down with clubs, they ran away as fast as their strength and the resistance of the water would let them, and the men after them in full pursuit. There were thirty of them, of which number five were killed, and thirteen taken prisoners, the other twelve escaping safe to the opposite shore. In this affair the wife of Finow’s son was very 214 TRANSACTIONS AT nearly retaken; she ran so exceedingly swift through the water, knee-deep, and the young chief in pursuit of her exerted himself so much to overtake her, although he was near enough to knock her down with his club, that he actually fell through fatigue. It must, however, be said in favour of the chief, that the weight of his club was a great disadvantage, whereas his lovely fugitive ran without any incumbrance, for, in her endeavour to quicken her pace, her gnatoo (dress) became loose, and fell from her waist; this was the only time that she looked back, from a sense of modesty, to see if it was recoverable, but she was under the necessity of pursuing her flight without it. The thirteen prisoners were conducted to Neafoo*, though Finow had given orders that all that should be taken should be killed on the spot. The captors saved their lives, however, partly from motives of humanity, and partly * They were obliged, however, by the way, to submit to the will of their captors, for this is always considered athing of course, and not at all an act of brutality. These transactions are generally conducted in neighbouring woods, and by no means in an open, public, or outrageous way. In short, notions of delicacy, in respect to the female sex, have a much higher influence in the Tonga islands than what would be commonly understood from the accounts of some travellers : among the lower orders, of course, there are abuses every where, but these do not constitute the legal customs of a country. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 215 from those of profit (as they could employ them in making gnatoo, &c.) When they arrived at Neafoo, there happened a strong dispute between several relations of the prisoners, and those who had taken them ; the former arguing that they had a claim to the women, according to the old Tonga custom, which decrees, that all persons shall be in the service of their older and superior relations, if those relations think proper to employ them: the captors, on the other hand, strenuously grounded their claims on the right of conquest. The dispute ran very high, and they referred it to Finow, who replied, that he should not interfere in it, and they might settle it themselves as well as they could, for they had no right to bring the prisoners there to create disturbances, but should have dispatched them according to his orders. At length he condescended to give his opinion, viz. that the most proper method would be, under these circumstances, to cut each woman in tw T o, and give one half to her relation, and the other to the captor. The affair, however, was amicably settled, without having recourse to such bloody measures ; some being given up to. their relatives, and others retained, upon terms mutually agreeable to all parties. About this time the two long expected canoes arrived from Hapai, laden with provisions: they 216 TRANSACTIONS AT had been detained partly by contrary winds, and partly by the people going to visit their relatives at different islands. It has already been mentioned, more than once, that places, which have been consecrated either by express declaration, or by the burial of great chiefs, are forbidden to be the scene of war, and that it would be highly sacrilegious to attaek an enemy, or spill his blood within their confines. This circumstance, however, occurred a few days after the dispute about the female prisoners ; the particulars of it are as follow : Palavali (brother of Havili), went out one day on a foraging party with six men in two small canoes, and landed near a consecrated inclosure, called Griacao, one of the most fertile places in the whole island. Here they met with four of the enemy, who, perceiving their inferiority, made an endeavour to get into the consecrated place, where they would have been perfectly safe : Palavali, however, seeing their intention, got between them and the fencing, when one of the enemy made a bold push to pass his antagonist, and scramble over the reed-work, and had actually got one leg over, when Palavali struck him a furious blow on the head, and felled him dead within the place; seeing now what he had done, he was struck with fear, and yan away to the canoes, followed by his men. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 217 As soon as he arrived at the, fortress, he communicated to Finow what had passed, saying, in his defence, that he was so eager in pursuit, as to be out of’all self command. The king immediately ordered cava to be taken to the priest of his own tutelar god, that the divinity might be consulted as to what atonement was proper to be made for so heinous a sacrilege. The priest being inspired, made answer, that it was necessary a child should be strangled to appease the anger of the gods *. The chiefs, then, held a consultation, and came to the determination of sacrificing a child of Toobo Toa, by one of his female attendants f. Toobo Toa was present, and gave his consent that his child (about two years old) should be immolated to appease the anger of the gods, and turn aside their vengeance for the sacrilegious crime committed. The child was accordingly sought for; but its mother, thinking her child might be demanded, had concealed it; being, at length, found by * This is perfectly consistent with the Tonga custom, whenever the divinities are supposed to be exceedingly offended. It is a piece of superstition far from being uncommon in the history of mankind. Unpleasant truths as well as agreeable ones must be sought out and related, if we wish to arrive at a true knowledge of our own nature. f On such occasions, the child of a male chief is always chosen, as being worthier than others, and a child by an inferior female attendant, because it is not a chief j only those children being chiefs whose mothers are chiefs. 218 TRANSACTIONS AT one of the men who were in search of it, he took it up in his arms, smiling with delight at being taken notice of. Its poor mother wanted to follow, but was held back by those about her; on hearing its mother’s voice it began to cry, but, when it arrived at the fatal place of its execution, it was pleased and delighted with the band of gnatoo that was put round its neck, and, looking up in the face of the man who was about to destroy it, displayed in its beautiful countenance a smile of ineffable pleasure ; such a sight inspired pity in the breast of every one : but veneration and fear of the gods was a sentiment superior to every other, and its destroyer could not help exclaiming, as he put on the fatal bandage, 0 iaooe chi vale! (poor little innocent !) Two men then tightened the cord by pulling at each end, and the guiltless and unsuspecting victim was quickly relieved of its painful struggles. The body was then placed upon a sort of hand-barrow, supported upon the shoulders of four men, and carried in a procession of priests, chiefs, and matabooles clothed in mats, with wreaths of green leaves round their necks. In this manner it w r as conveyed to various houses consecrated to different gods, before each of which it was placed on the ground, all the company sitting behind it, except One priest, who sat beside it, and prayed THE TONGA ISLANDS. 219 aloud to the god that he would be pleased to accept of this sacrifice as an atonement for the heinous sacrilege committed, and that punishment might accordingly be withheld from the people. When this had been done before all the consecrated houses in the fortress, the body was given up to its relations, to be buried in the usual manner. About four or five days after the above horrible immolation, this same Palavali was killed in a skirmish with the enemy. He went out again on a foraging excursion with about 30 or 40 men, not professed warriors, but men on whose courage and honour no reliance could be placed. They met with a smaller body of the enemy, but who were all staunch fighting men j in a very short time Palavali’s men turned about to run away; he vainly endeavoured to rally them, and facing the enemy again to set them the example, he received several wounds and fell. At this moment his men also faced about, and seeing the perilous situation of their chief, became animated with courage, and drove the enemy a few paces back, whilst two or three picked him up and carried him to the fortress. When they arrived they proceeded to take out four spears which had pierced him, but he desired them to desist from so useless a task, as he was certain the gods had decreed his 220 TRANSACTIONS AT death as a punishment for his late offence. This too was the general opinion of the people, and was the subject of their conversation for a long time afterwards, contributing to spread a considerable gloom throughout the garrison. Pa- lavali died about half an hour after he was brought home. Finow already began to grow tired of the war: it was a kind of conflict not suited to his genius, he loved rather a few hard fought engagements and a speedy conquest. The enemy shewed no disposition to come forth from their strong hold and attack him ; and he had found by experience, that even the guns produced no sensible effect upon their fortification, situated upon an eminence, and defended by walls of clay*. He heartily wished for a peace, but he did not choose that his wish should be known, lest it should be attributed to fear or any other unworthy motive; in short, he wanted to bring about a peace, without being thought to wish for it; and the difficulty was to accomplish this. * Mr. Mariner could easily have devised a method to set the enemy’s fortress on fire; but he considered Toe Oomoo’s cause quite as just as that of Finow, and although the latter was his friend and benefactor, yet he had more than half assisted in the assassination of a man of admirable character (Toobo Nulia) who was also Mr. Mariner’s friend; besides, he did not choose to be the means of dealing out destruction upon a number of innocent women and children. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 221 He was, however, by no means deficient in policy, and he soon thought of a method. From time to time he held secret conferences with the priests, chiefly either upon religious subjects or upon political matters, as connected with the will of the gods. He spoke of his determination to remain at Vavaoo and prosecute the war till his enemies were destroyed; then on a sudden, as if his heart for the moment relented, he painted in the most striking colours the evils of war, and how sorry he was that the necessity of the case obliged him to punish his rebellious subjects with so dire an evil. He then represented, in the most lively colours, the blessings of peace, and on this side of the prospect touched his hearers so with the beauty of the description that they entreated him to endeavour to make a peace. He then pretended to be inexorable, but always threw in something in favour of the Vavaoo people, so that the priests at length thought there was no question at all about the propriety and honour of making a peace, and that it was their duty to persuade him to do it, for when they were inspired they had the same sentiment, and of course they considered it to be the sentiment of the gods, and represented it to him as such ; when he, pretending to submit only because it was the divine will, left the matter entirely to 222 TRANSACTIONS AT them to negotiate, and if they succeeded, it would afford him, he said, at least one great gratification, viz. the opportunity of again renewing his friendship with his aunt Toe Oo- moo, and paying her that respect which her superior relationship required. The day after the last conference, the priests accordingly dressed themselves in mats, with wreaths of green leaves round their necks as tokens of humility, not towards the enemy, but the gods, as fulfilling a commission sacred in its nature. Thus equipped, they set out on their way to Felletoa. In the mean time, Finow gave orders that none of his men, if they met with a party of the enemy, should commit any act of hostility, but should endeavour on all occasions to avoid them by as speedy a retreat as possible, for as the gods had admonished him to endeavour to make a peace, and the priests were actually fulfilling that endeavour, any act of hostility might defeat their purpose. The priests went four or five different times to hold conferences with the chiefs of Felletoa before they could bring about a reconciliation- For although the old men seemed willing enough to listen to terms of accommodation, influenced perhaps by their prejudice in favour of Finow as their lawful king, yet the young and spirited warriors, who saw clearly enough THE TONGA ISLANDS. 223 into the artful character of Finow, with much less of the above prejudice, constantly objected to make peace with a man on whose honour and integrity they thought it impossible to rely with any degree of certainty, and who would again give room for a quarrel with the Vavaoo people whenever it suited his purpose. This was their real thought, and perhaps a just one : though they did not express their sentiments with such latitude to the priests: to these they merely objected their apprehensions, that in the event of a peace, Finow would, at some fit opportunity, wreak his vengeance upon them personally for having fought against him. At length, however, they said that as their lives were not a matter of so much consequence as the peace and happiness of Toe Oomoo and her people generally, they were willing to withdraw their objections, that the affair might be speedily settled according to the wishes of the older chiefs. The priests now returned to Neafoo with the warmest assurances from the chiefs of Felletoa, that they would pay Finow an amicable visit the following day. The next morning the chiefs and warriors of Felletoa, with several women, were seen coming towards Neafoo, advancing two and two, all armed, painted and decorated with streamers, forming altogether a very beautiful and ro- 224 TRANSACTIONS AT mantic procession, bringing with them abundance of gnatoo, yams, &c. as presents to their relations. In this way they entered the fortress of Finow, and came into the king’s presence on the malai, where he was seated with his chiefs and matabooles. The Vavaoo people then laid down their spears, which were afterwards shared out to three of Finow’s principal chiefs, who again shared them out to all those below them in rank*. They seated themselves round the f malai, and cava was prepared, the young chiefs | and warriors of Felletoa waiting on the com- $ panyf. All this time Finow’s men were un- | armed J, (agreeably to the custom on such oc- | casions) but by his orders the greater part re- I mained at their houses where their arms were | deposited, for he was upon his guard lest his i guests had some stratagem to play : but he had j merely signified to his men, that it would be i better for them to remain at their houses, as it | * Mr. Mariner believes this to be always the case on such occasions; but this was the only instance of a peace formally established, that ever happened while he was there. t It is an honourable office to assist at cava parties, it is therefore generally filled by young chiefs. J The visitors come armed for the sake of parade, giving up their arms afterwards as presents ; those that receive them must be unarmed as a proof of their amicable disposition, and that they do not mean to get them in their power by stratagem. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 225 would inspire the Vavaoo chiefs with more confidence than if they were present in a body. During the time the cava was being served out, the king made a speech, addressed principally to the chiefs of Felletoa, in which he acknowledged that they were not to be blamed for their fears and apprehensions as long as they believed him to be the treacherous character which his enemies had represented him to be ; but he hoped that these calumnies were now at an end. He was willing, he said, to excuse them for having fought in honour of the memory of their late chief Toobo Nuha, against his murderers, for if they had not done so, he should have considered them cowards; but as most of these murderers had now by their death expiated their crime, and as he himself, as he solemnly assured them, was perfectly innocent of that affair, the present peace, he was convinced, was a most honourable one to all parties. He then made the most solemn protestations of the sincerity of .his intentions towards them, and as a proof of his wish to avoid all future occasions of quarrel, he should send back all his people to the Hapai islands, except a few matabooles, who were to remain with him at Vavaoo, which, for the future, he should make his place of residence, out of the love and respect he had for them; whilst he should con- VOL. i. o 226 TRANSACTIONS AT sign the government of the Hapai islands to Toob6 Toa, who was to send him annual tribute. When the cava was finished the company rose up, and the Vavaoo party returned to Fel- letoa, to prepare an entertainment for the Hapai people the following day. Early the next morning all the chiefs, mata- booles, and-warriors of Neafoo, painted and decorated themselves with streamers, and put on mats, in token of Einow’s inferiority as a relation to his aunt Toe Oomoo, chief of the fortress of Felletoa. They took spears in their hands, and, thus equipped, marched out of Neafoo, two and two, with Finow at their head, carrying with them presents for their relations in the opposite garrison. In this order they entered Felletoa, and proceeded to the maldi, where all the chiefs and matabooles of Toe Oomoo were seated ready to receive them. A quantity of hogs, yams, and fowls, were deposited in the middle of the circle, at the upper end of which a place was left vacant for the king to preside in, for, his aunt not being there, he was the greatest chief present. Flad Toe Oomoo been also present, she must have presided, at the head of the circle, and the king, as her inferior relation, must have seated himself opposite to her, on the outside of the cir- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 227 cle, among the common people ; for no two relations of different rank can sit in the same circle together*. On this account, and out of respect to Finow, he being sovereign, Toe Oomoo did not make her appearance. Finow being seated, his men, as they came in, deposited their spears in the middle, of the circle, to be afterwards shared out in the same manner as was done by the Vavaoo people at Neafoo the day before; they then retired to the outside of the circle, ready to wait upon the company. A large root of cava was then split into pieces, and distributed to be chewed as usual. While the cava was preparing, the provisions were shared out, ready to be eaten after the cava was drunk, This being done, and the provisions consumed, a second course of cava was prepared and served out, of which Finow having drunk a small quantity, retired to pay a visit to his aunt. When he arrived in her presence he went up to her, and, with great respect, kissed her hand, and she, in return, kissed his forehead t. He then sat down to * An accurate and full description of the ceremonious regulations of a cava party will be given in the second volume. f When a person salutes a superior relation, he kisses the hand of the party; if a very superior relation, he kisses the foot: the superior in return kisses the forehead. There may be some doubt as to the propriety of the term to kiss in this ceremony, for it is not performed by the lips after our Q 2 228 TRANSACTIONS AT drink cava with her and her attendants, and, as she presided, he of course sat outside, facing her. When the cava was finished, he walked out to view the fortifications, on which occasion the matabooles of Toe Oomoo waited on him, and pointed out every thing worthy of notice. They descanted on the excellence of the plan, and then gave him anecdotes of the war, telling him where such a chief was killed, where another lost his arm or his leg, where a cannon-ball had struck, &c.; and, as they viewed the outside of the works, they pointed out where the different murderers of Toob6 Nuha met their fate. All this, however, they told him in answer to his queries ; for it is a thing very remarkable in the character of the people of Tonga, that they never exult in any feats of bravery they may have performed, but, t»n the contrary, take every opportunity of praising their adversaries ; and this a man will do, although his adversary may be plainly a coward, and will make an excuse for him, such usual mode, but rather by the application of the upper lip and the nostrils, and has more the appearance of smelling. When two equals are about to salute, each applies his upper lip and nostrils to the forehead of the other, or he applies his lips to the lips of the other, but without any movement of them, or smack, as in our mode. Our kiss they never adopt, not even between the sexes, but, on the contrary, always ridicule it, and term it the inhite man’s kiss. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 229 as the unfavourableness of the opportunity, or great fatigue, or ill state of health, or badness of his ground, &c. In their games of wrestling they act up to the same principle, never to speak ill of their antagonist afterwords, but always to praise him. As an illustration of this character it may be remarked, that the man who called himself Fanna Fonnooa, (a great gun,) who ventured his life in his hazardous approach to Mr. Mariner, and threw his spear at the muzzle of his carronade, never afterwards boasted of it, nor appeared to think he had done any thing extraordinary, or at least worthy of after-notice. Their notions of true bravery seem to be very correct, and the light in which they viewed this act of Fanna Fonnooa serves for an example : they considered it in short a rash action, and unworthy a great and brave mind, that never risks any danger but with a moral certainty, or at least reasonable expectation, of doing some service to his cause. In these respects they accuse Europeans of a great deal of vanity and selfishness, and unfortunately with too much justice. It must be remarked, however, that these noble sentiments belong to chiefs, matabooles, and professed warriors; not much to the lowest orders, many of whom will knock a dead man about the head with a club till they have 250 TRANSACTIONS AT notched and blooded it a good deal, and pretend it was done in the battle against a living foe ; but such things are always suspected, and held in ridicule. Finow having for a considerable time inspected the fortification, praising every where the judgment with which it was planned, retired to the house which had formerly belonged to Toobo Nuha, where he passed the night. The following morning he summoned a general meeting of all the inhabitants ofVavaoo, which w r as soon accomplished, as the people were all at one or other of the two fortresses. He then gave directions to all the principal men respecting the cultivation of the country, which the late war had reduced to a sad state. He commanded that every one should be as frugal as possible in his food, that the present scarcity might be recompensed with future abundance. He ordered his fishermen to supply him and his ehiefs with plenty of fish, that the consumption of pork might be lessened. Having settled these matters, he next gave orders that the large fortress of Felletoa should be taken down, its fencing carried away by any body who might want it, its banks levelled with the ground, and its ditches filled up; urging, as his reason, that there was no necessity for a garrisoned place in time of peace, particularly THE TONGA ISLANDS. 231 in a spot which could be so much better employed for building an additional number of more commodious dwellings. The fortress of Neafoo, he said, might remain, for it was a place not convenient to live at, and therefore it was not worth while to take any trouble about it. These were his ostensible reasons, but his real motives were easy to be seen into: he was apprehensive, that, in the event of another insurrection, his enemies -might again possess themselves of this strong hold; but as to the other fortress, if he did not succeed in securing it for himself, he could easily dispossess his enemies of it, by destroying it with his carronades whenever he thought proper. These orders were begun immediately to be put into execution, under the inspection of the chiefs of the different districts of the island. The following day the king gave orders to Toobo Toa to proceed back to the Hapai islands, of which he constituted him tributary chief5 the tributes* were to be sent to Vavaoo * The tribute generally consists of yams, mats, gnatoo, dried fish, live birds, &c.; and is levied upon every man’s property in proportion as he can spare. The quantity is sometimes determined by the chief of each district, though generally by the will of each individual, who will always take care to send quite as much as he can well afford, lest the superior chief should be offended with him, and deprive him of all that he has. This tribute is paid twice a year; once 232 TRANSACTIONS AT half-yearly, as usual: at the same time, all the natives of Hapai, who had come to the war, were to return with their chief. On this occasion the young prince (Finow’s son, Moegnag- nongo) went with Toobo Toa to the Hapai islands, as he wished to look over his lands on the island of Foa; and Mr. Mariner accompanied the prince, as he preferred his character and habits to those of his father. They arrived safe at this island after a quick passage of about nine hours. at the ceremony of Inachi, or offering the first fruits of the season to the gods, in or about the beginning of October j and again, at some other time of the year, when the tributary chief may think proper, and is generally done when some article is in great plenty. The tribute levied at the time of the Inachi is general and absolute; that which is paid on the other occasion comes more in form of a present, but is so established by old custom, that, if it were omitted, it would amount to little less than an act of rebellion. It may here with propriety be observed, that the practice of making presents to superior chiefs is very general and frequent. The higher class of chiefs generally make a present to the king, of hogs or yams, about once a fortnight: these chiefs, about the same time, receive presents from those below them, and these last from others, and so on, down to the common people. The principle on which all this is grounded is of course fear, but it is termed respect (of a ). THE TONGA ISLANDS 233 CHAPTER VIII. Arrival of Filimoeatoo at Foa—Description of the sport called fanna kalai—Treaty of Filimoeatoo with the chief of Hihifo, respecting the bird kalai, for Finow—Desertion of several chiefs and warriors to Tonga—Island ofTofooa, and restrictions respecting cutting down the Toa tree (Casuarina)—Volcano on this island—Certain principles among the Fiji islanders alluded to—Grave of John Norton, of Captain Bligh’s boat, with some account of him— .Extract from Bligh’s narrative—Remarks upon the subject—Some account of a ship arriving at the island of Tonga from Botany Bay—Account given of Botany Bay by a Tonga chief and his wife, who had returned from there —Finow’s ideas respecting the value and circulation of money—General slaughter of the dogs at Vavaoo, on account of their destroying the game—Their flesh cooked and eaten by several chiefs—Finow’s first essay at the sport of fanna kalai with the bird from Tonga. Shortly after the arrival of the prince, with Toobo Toa and Mr. Mariner, at the island of Foa, there came a canoe from Vavaoo with the Tonga chief Filimoeatoo, who, it will be recollected, was a relation of Finow, and had joined his cause at Pangaimotoo, leaving the island of Tonga for that purpose, by leave of his superior, the chief of Hihifo. Filimoeatoo was now on his return to the island of Tonga, with a 234 TRANSACTIONS AT commission from Finow to treat with the chief of Hihifo respecting a particular bird of the species called kalai (trained for sport). This latter chief, although belonging to the island of Tonga, was never professedly Finow’s enemy, otherwise than as Finow had been associated with the late Toobo Nuha, whom the chief of Hihifo mortally hated*; but as Toob6 Nuha was now dead, and consequently all cause of enmity removed, Finow was in hopes he should be able to prevail upon the chief of Hihifo to make him a present of one of the first and best trained birds, of the kind in question, that ever was known, and which this chief had trained up with great care, and had long had in his possession, though it was the envy of every chief that had seen it. This particular bird Finow was ardently desirous of, to practise the sport called fanna kalai, of which we shall give a description. The sportsman, armed with a bow and arrows, conceals himself within a large cage, made of a sort of wicker-work, covered over with green leaves, but not so much but what he may see his game: on the top of this cage is the cock bird tied by the leg, who makes a noise, and flaps his wings, as if calling other birds to come and fight him : * The cause of this enmity, Mr. Mariner is not well acquainted with. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 235 within is a smaller cage, in which there is the hen bird, who also makes a peculiar noise, as if in answer to the one on the outside; but be this as it may, both cock birds and hens are attracted towards the spot, and are shot by the sportsman. This sport is practised by none but the king and very great chiefs, for training and keeping these birds require exceeding great care as well as great expense. One man is appointed to each pair of birds, and he has nothing else to do but to attend to the management of them; and, if this is not done with great skill, they will not make the noise necessary to attract others. So much attention, in short, is paid to these birds, that their keepers are authorised to go and demand plantains for them, of whomsoever it may be, and howsoever scarce may be this article of food, even if there were a famine, and the people almost starving : if a keeper, even on such occasions, sees a fine bunch of plantains, he will go and taboo it, which he does by sticking a reed in the tree, and telling the proprietor that those plantains are tabooed for the use of the birds. These keepers live well, and are, in general, very insolent fellows, sometimes committing very great depredations, under frivolous pretensions of procuring food for their birds. The sufferer sometimes makes a complaint to the king, or 236 TRANSACTIONS AT whatever chief the keeper belongs to; and if the chief thinks the offence really outrageous, he orders the man a severe beating, which is usually done by inflicting heavy slaps with the open hand upon his bare back, or striking him about the head and face with the fist. Filimoeatoo soon departed from Foa, on his way to Hihifo, and arrived at this place without any accident. He was not, however, so successful in the object of his journey as he expected to be ; for the chief of Hihifo was by no means willing to part with a bird, which, he said, had cost great hazard to himself, and the loss of many lives, to preserve; for he had sustained wars with so many other chiefs, who had quarrelled with him on account of his refusing to give it them, that he felt, he said, more than ever resolved to keep it: but, however, as Fi- now had so strong a desire for an excellent and well trained bird of that kind, he would make him a present of a pair, which, although not quite so good as the one in question, yet would be found exceedingly valuable. Before parting, however, he qualified His refusal of the rare bird by saying, that if he ever did give it away, it must be after very mature deliberation, for it had already cost him a vast deal, and was certainly the best bird that had ever been trained. He was heartily glad to hear of the death of THE TONGA ISLANDS. 237 Toobo Nuha, and declared that no personal enmity existed on his part towards Finow; but, on the contrary, he felt so great an attachment for him, that he would most willingly return with Filimdeatoo to Vavaoo to pay a visit to Finow, but that his matabooles would not allow him. Filimoeatoo having remained a day and a night with this chief, returned with the two birds to Finow, and gave him an account of his interview with the chief of Hihifo. Finow received the present, but was by no means well pleased with the refusal of the bird, on which he had so much set his heart. The following morning, however, he went out to try his success with these two, and which so far exceeded his expectations, that he wanted more than ever to have the excellent bird, and he immediately set about to obtain it by rich presents. He accordingly got ready sea-horses’ teeth, beads, axes, a looking-glass, several iron bolts, and a grinding stone, all of which he had procured from European ships, and chiefly from the Port au Prince. Besides these things, he ordered to be got ready several bales of Vavaoo gnatoo, fine Hamoa mats, and a large quantity of cava ; the whole of which he gave in charge to Filimoeatoo to take immediately to Hihifo, and present them to the chief, except some of the cava, which he was to distribute among the 238 TRANSACTIONS AT lower chiefs and matabooles, to engage them more readily in his interest. Finow himself accompanied Filimoeatoo as far as Haano, (one of the Hapai islands,) and took many of his principal chiefs along with him, with a view of lessening the consumption of food at Vavaoo. On this expedition there were five canoes, all of which arrived safe at Haano ; and from this island Filimoeatoo proceeded in one canoe with thirty men to Hihifo, where he also arrived safe, and distributed his presents. The chief of Hihifo, on this second urgent application from Finow, after some consideration, answered, that as he could not make any use of the bird himself, his time being so much taken up in constant warfare with his neighbours, and as it would not be consistent with the character of a chief* to retain from another that which he could not use himself, he would, at once, resign the bird to Finow, notwithstanding the high value he placed on it, and the immense care and trouble it had cost him. This famous bird was accordingly consigned to the charge of Filimoeatoo, who returned with all convenient speed to tell the king the success of his journey. Finow was still at the * The chiefs, among themselves, use this sort of expression,—as in civilized countries one would say, it is net acting like a gentleman. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 239 ' Hapai islands, when he received his long wished-for present; but he made no use of it till about three weeks afterwards, when he had returned to Yavaoo. In the mean time Mac- capapa, Lolo hea Bibigi, and three others, all chiefs and warriors, secretly left Vavaoo, and sailed for Tonga, to join Taky', chief of the fortress of Bea (who formerly burnt Finow’s fortress of Nioocalofa in so treacherous a manner)- They took this step, being apprehensive that the king might hereafter wreak his vengeance on them for fighting against him: the sequel will show how far their apprehensions were well grounded. Whilst Finow was yet at the Hapai islands, Mr. Mariner accompanied the prince to the island of Tofooa, to procure iron-wood, which is found there in great abundance. The prince first obtained leave from Tooitonga, (the divine chief,) for this island is his property, and therefore considered sacred; besides, it is supposed to be the residence of the sea gods, and on this account the people firmly believe that no sharks will hurt a man who is swimming near upon its coast, but, on the contrary, swim round him, and even pass so close as to toueh him, without shewing the least hungry disposition. Mr. Mariner, however, never had an 240 TRANSACTIONS AT opportunity of witnessing the miraculous abstinence of this sort of fish. On the island of Tofooa there is a small volcano, situated near the northern extremity, from which smoke almost constantly issues, and pumice-stones are very frequently thrown out. An eruption of flame takes place, sometimes twice or thrice a week, and at other times scarcely once in two months, and generally lasts from one to two or three days. The way to the top is extremely difficult; but Mr. Mariner, taking one of the natives of the island for a guide, resolved to ascend it. They began the ascent early in the morning, and, although their progress was much impeded by the quantity of loose pumice-stone, and often rendered yery dangerous, they reached the top in about four hours. There was at this time no eruption of flame, which had ceased a few hours before, after having lasted three days j smoke there was, however, in abundance, but which did not much annoy them, as they were on the windward side: sundry explosions were also heard from within, like the noise of water being thrown upon burning pitch. The crater was about thirty feet diameter. Whilst they were here, Mr. Mariner took care not to let his companion approach too near, lest he might THE TONGA ISLANDS. 2 41 have some sinister intent: such precaution was by no means unnecessary, as this species of treachery, when it can be performed secretly, is not unusual, particularly among great warriors, when they have some petty interest to consult. This, however, is not to be considered the natural disposition of the Tonga people, but a practice which, along with that of war, they have learned from the natives of the Fiji islands, where a man seldom goes out, even perhaps with his greatest friend, without being armed, and cautiously upon his guard. Mr. Mariner had, therefore, provided himself with a pistol, as a defence against any violent measures on the part of his companion. On their return down the mountain, he told his companion that he might have shot him dead, and nobody would have been the wiser, to which the man replied, “ I see you are loto boto*, like “ the Fiji people meaning that he possessed policy and caution against treachery; and added, “as lam unarmed, it is a proof that I “ had no ill design, and therefore did not sus- “ pect any in you.” Whilst on this island, Mr. Mariner went to see the grave of an Englishman, John Norton, belonging to the boat of the Bounty, Captain Bligh, whose crew had mutinied. He was led * Of a wise mind. VOL. I. R 242 TRANSACTIONS AT to visit this spot from a motive of curiosity, excited by the account which the natives had given him of the death of this man. Lest, however, the reader may have forgotten this particular circumstance in the narrative of Captain Bligh, we shall first give the accoun as related by this gentleman. Having put into this island for supplies, and after having remained a few days, he discovered that the natives had a design against him ; in consequence of which he made the best of his way with his men to the boat: the narrative then proceeds in the following words : “ When I came to the boat, and was seeing the people embark, Nageete wanted me to stay to speak to Eefow; but I found he was encouraging them to the attack, and I determined, had it then begun, to have killed him for his treacherous behaviour. I ordered the carpenter not to quit me until the other people were in the boat. Nageete, finding I would not stay, loosed himself from my hold, and went off, and we all got into the boat, except one man, who, while I was getting on board, quitted it, and ran up the beach to cast the stern-fast off, notwithstanding the master and others calling him to return, while they were hauling me out of the water. “ I was no sooner in the boat than the attack THE TONGA ISLANDS. 243 began by about two hundred men ; the unfortunate poor man, who had run up the beach,- was knocked down, and the stones flew like a shower of shot. Many Indians got hold of the stern rope, and were near hauling us on shore, and would certainly have done it, if I had not had a knife in my pocket, with which I cut the rope. We then hauled off to the grapnel, every one being more or less hurt. At this time I saw five of the natives about the poor man they had killed, and two of them were beating him about the head with stones in their hands. “We had no time to reflect, before, to my surprise, they filled their canoes with stones, and twelve men came off after us to renew the attack, which they did so effectually as nearly to disable all of us. Our grapnel was foul, but Providence here assisted us j the fluke broke, and we got to our oars and pulled to sea. They, however, could paddle round us, so that we were obliged to sustain the attack without being able to return it, except with such stones as lodged in the boat, and in this I found we -were very inferior to them. We could not close, because our boat was lumbered and heavy, and that they knew very well: I therefore adopted the expedient of throwing overboard some clothes, which they lost time in picking 244 TRANSACTIONS AT up ; and, as it was now almost dark, they gave over the attack, and returned towards the shore, leaving us to reflect on our unhappy situation. “ The poor man I lost was John Norton: this was his second voyage with me as quartermaster, and his worthy character made me lament his loss very much. He has left an aged parent, I am told, whom he supported.” The account the natives gave was to the following purport. Part of Captain Bligh’s crew had been on shore to procure water, and had all returned into their boat, except one man who was making the best of his way after his companions, with an axe in his hand; some of the natives, perceiving the axe, resolved to possess themselves of it, particularly one of them, who was a carpenter; they accordingly pursued him, and this carpenter, throwing a stone at him, knocked him down, and, coming up, beat him on the head with stones till he was dead. They then stripped the body, and dragged it up the country towards a malai, where they left it exposed two or three days, and afterwards buried it near the spot. They said very little about a general attack, merely stating, that some of the natives threw stones at Captain Bligh’s boat; and Mr. Mariner, at that time, not having read the narrative, did THE TONGA ISLANDS. 245 not enquire into such particulars as he otherwise would have done : but the most wonderful part of the story is, that the whole track of ground through which the body was dragged had ever since been destitute of grass, as well as the spot on which it lay for two or three days. It w r as this circumstance, principally, that engaged Mr. Mariner to visit the place, and there, indeed, he found the bare track of ground from the beach to near the place where they say he was buried ; nor has it much the appearance of a beaten path, besides that it leads to and from places, where there are but few inhabitants: at the termination of this track there is a bare place, lying transversely, about the length and breadth of a man. However trivial such relations may appear in themselves, they are worth mentioning, with a view to contrast them with the accounts given by credible travellers, that they may tend to prove how far the statements of the natives may be depended on ; besides which, in some instances, as in the present, they shew what kind of superstitions they are subject to (for another instance of this kind, see the affair of the missionaries, p. 61). As to the bare track, although it may not now have much the appearance of a beaten path, owing to the grass having grown irregularly on either side, yet there 246 TRANSACTIONS AT is every probability that, some years back, it was such, in a great degree, though now little trod : but those who are willing to keep up the spirit of the wonderful have attributed it to this supernatural cause. Superstitions, in all countries, are much of the same kind; we have similar ones in our own; but, whilst men of cultivated minds disregard them, the vulgar in general most firmly give their belief, particularly where there is some sensible object that appears to corroborate the tale *. Whilst Finow was yet at the Hapai islands, he often held conversations at his cava parties with Filimoeatoo, respecting the state of affairs at Tonga. Among other things, this chief related, that a ship from Botany Bay had touched there about a week before he arrived, on board of which there was a Tonga chief, Paloo Mata Moigna, and his wife, Fatafbhi, both of whom had formerly left Tonga (before the death of Toogoo Ahoo), and had resided some years at the Fiji islands, from which place they afterwards went along with one Selly (as they * I observe that some readers have looked upon the above explanation as if I had considered it perfectly satisfactory in regard to all the phenomena: this I did not intend : I have merely ventured to state what I consider to be the probable cause of the long track. As to the short transverse one, suffice it to say, that I do not believe it to have been occasioned by poor Norton’s body. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 247 pronounced it), or, probably, Selby, an Englishman, in a vessel belonging to Botany Bay, to reside there. At this latter place be and his wife remained about two years, and now, on their return to Tonga, finding the island in such an unsettled state, they chose rather, (notwithstanding the earnest entreaties of their friends) to go back again to Botany Bay. The account they gave of the English customs at this place, and the treatment they at first met with, it may be worth while to mention. The first thing that he and his wife had to do, when they arrived at the governor’s house, where they went to reside, was to sweep out a large court yard, and clean down a great pair of stairs; in vain they endeavoured to explain, that in their own country they were chiefs, and, being accustomed to be waited on, were quite unused to such employments : their expostulations were taken no notice of, and work they must. At first their life was so uncomfortable, that they wished to die ; no one seemed to protect them ; all the houses were shut against them ; if they saw any body eating, they were not invited to partake : nothing was to be got without money, of which they could not comprehend the value, nor how this same money was to be obtained in any quantity; if they asked for it, nobody would give them any, unless they worked for it, and *248 TRANSACTIONS AT then it was so small in quantity, that they could not get one tenth part of what they wanted with it. One day, whilst sauntering about, the chief fixed his. eyes upon a cook’s shop, and, seeing several people enter, and others, again, coming out with victuals, he made sure that they were sharing out food, according to the old Tonga fashion, and in he went, glad enough of the occasion, expecting to get some pork ; after waiting some time, with anxiety to be helped to his share, the master of the shop asked him what he wanted, and, being answered in an unknown language, straightway kicked him out, taking him for a thief, that only wanted an opportunity to steal. Thus, he said, even being a chief did not prevent him being used ill, for, when he told them he was a chief, they gave him to understand, that money made a man a chief. After a time, however, he acknowledged that he got better used, in proportion as he became acquainted with the customs and language. He expressed his astonishment at the perseverance with which the white people worked from morning till night, to get money: he could not conceive how they were able to endure so much labour. After having heard this account, Know asked several questions respecting the nature of money : what is it made of?—is it like iron ? can THE TONGA ISLANDS. 249 it be fashioned like iron into various useful instruments ? if not, why cannot people procure what they want in the way of barter ?—but where is money to be got ?—if it be made, then every man ought to spend his time in making money; that when he has got plenty, he may be able afterwards to obtain whatever else he wants. In answer to the last observation, Mr. Mariner replied that the material of which money was made was very scarce and difficult to be got, and that only chiefs and great men could procure readily a large quantity of it; and this either by being inheritors of plantations or houses, which they allowed others to have, for paying them so much tribute in money every year ; or by their public services; or by paying small sums of money for things when they were in plenty, and afterwards letting others have them for larger sums, when they were scarce: and as to the lower classes of people, they worked hard, and got paid by their employers in small quantities of money, as the reward of their labour: &c. That the king was the only person that was allowed to make (to coin) money, and that he put his mark upon all that he made, that it might be known to be true ; that no person could readily procure the material of which it was made, without paying money for it; and if contrary to the taboo of 250 TRANSACTIONS AT the king, he turned this material into money, he would scarcely have made as much as he had given for it. Mr. Mariner was then going- on to shew the convenience of money as a medium of exchange, when Filimoeatoo interrupted him, saying to Finow, I understand how it is;— money is less cumbersome than goods, and it is very convenient for a man to exchange away his goods for money; which, at any other time, he can exchange again for the same or any other goods that he may want; whereas the goods themselves may perhaps spoil by keeping (particularly if provisions) but the money he supposed would not spoil; and although it was of no true value itself, yet being scarce and difficult to be got without giving something useful and really valuable for it, it -was imagined to be of value; and if every body considered it so, and would readily give their goods for it, he did not see but what it was of a sort of real value to all who possessed it, as long as their neighbours chose to take it in the same way. Mr. Mariner found he could not give a better explanation, he therefore told Filimdeatoo that his notion of the nature of money was a just one. After a pause of some length, Finow replied that the explanation did not satisfy him : he still thought it a foolish thing that people should place a value on money, when they THE TONGA ISLANDS. 251 either could not or would not apply it to any useful (physical) purpose : “if,” said he, “ it “ were made of iron, and could be converted “ into knives, axes, and chisels, there would be “ some sense in placing a value on it; but as it “ is, I see none: if a man,” he added, “ has more “ yams than lie wants, let him exchange some “ of them away for pork or gnatoo; certainly “ money is much handier, and more convenient, “ but then as it will not spoil by being kept, “ people will store it up, instead of sharing it “ out, as a chief ought to do, and thus become “ selfish ; whereas, if provision were the prin- “ cipal property of a man, and it ought to be, “ as being both the most useful and the most “ necessary, he could not store it up, for it “ would spoil, and so he would be obliged either “ to exchange it away for something else useful, “ or share it out to his neighbours, and inferior “ chiefs and dependants, for nothing.” He concluded by saying, “ I understand now very “ well what it is that makes the Papalangis so “ selfish ;—it is this money ! ” When Mr. Mariner informed Finow that dollars were money, he was greatly surprised, having always taken them for paanga*, and * Paanga is the name they give to a certain kind of bear whieh is used in one of their games (see Laffb among the 252 TRANSACTIONS AT things of little value; and he was exceedingly sorry he had not secured all the dollars out of the Port au Prince, before he had ordered her to be burnt: “ I had always thought,” said he, that your ship belonged to some poor fellow, “ perhaps to king George’s cook*; for captain “ Cook’s ship, which belonged to the king, had “ plenty of beads, axes, and looking-glasses on “ board, whilst yours had nothing but iron “ hoops, oil, skins, and twelve thousand paanga “ as I thought: but if every one of these was “ money, your ship must have belonged to a “ very great chief indeed.” Finow and his chiefs having now remained at the Hapai islands nearly six weeks, resolved to return to Vavaoo, and the following day set sail: the prince and Mr. Mariner accompanying them. As soon as they arrived at Vavaoo, the king gave orders that all the dogs in the island, except a few that belonged to chiefs, should be killed, because they destroyed the game, particularly the kalai; after which he promised himself great sport with his favourite bird. As the breed of dogs was scarce at these islands, there were not more than fifty or sixty killed on games at the end of the second volume) : they supposed dollars to be used among us for a similar purpose. * At these islands a cook is considered one of the lowest of mankind in point of rank. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 253 the occasion; but on these several of the chiefs made, a hearty repast. Finow was particularly fond of dog’s flesh, but he ordered it to be called pork; because women and many men had a degree of abhorrence at this sort of diet. The parts of the dog in most esteem are the neck and hinder quarters. The animal is killed by blows on the head, and cooked in the same manner as a hog: Mr. Mariner has frequently partaken of it, and found it very good ; the fat is considered excellent. At the Sandwich islands the practice was almost universal in Mr. Mariner’s time, so that more dog’s flesh was eaten than pork: the hogs being preserved to be used as a trading commodity with European and American vessels. At these last mentioned islands most of the male dogs are operated upon, and afterwards fattened for the express purpose ; and Mr. Mariner thinks their flesh is nearly as good and tender as that of a sucking pig. Finow having ordered all things to be got ready, went out early in the morning after his arrival, to try the excellence of his bird; and had very great sport. The day following he went out again ; but the bird, from some cause or another, would not make any noise; and this made him so angry that he knocked it on the ground, and beat it with an arrow, 254 TRANSACTIONS AT and, after having almost killed it, gave it away to one of his chiefs, declaring how vexatious it was to have a bird that would not speak after having had so much trouble with it. He afterwards used the two birds that were first sent to him, and was tolerably well satisfied with them. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 255 CHAP. IX. Island of Hoonga—Curious cavern there, and how first discovered—Anecdote of the person who first discovered the cavern—Description of the sport of shooting rats—Popular tale of the origin of the Tonga islands—Finow’s return to Vavaoo—General Juno, and seizure of several chiefs —Stratagem used to secure Cacahoo—Several of the prisoners taken out to sea to be sunk; their conversation on the way—Conduct of Cacahoo whilst sinking—Conduct of the widows of the deceased, particularly of the widow of Now Fahoo—Description of the plantation cfMahe Boogoo—Popular tale of what happened at this plantation in former times—Tonga song—Abundance of a peculiar fish found here—This plantation given up by Mahe Boogoo, and conferred on Mr. Mariner by Finow—Mr. Mariner’s providential escape from a shark—A dead spermaceti whale found off one of the islands—Their method of making ornaments with its teeth—Anecdote exemplifying the high estimation in which whale’s teeth are held —Still greater value of them at the Fiji islands—Arrival of Cow Mooala from the Fiji islands. Finow, having at this time no business of importance on which to employ his attention, resolved to go to the island of Hoonga, lying at a small distance to the southward of Vavaoo, in order to inspect the plantations there, and to recreate himself a little with the sport of shooting birds and rats, Mr. Mariner, as usual, formed one of the party. On this island 256 TRANSACTIONS AT there is a peculiar cavern, situated on the western coast, the entrance to which is some feet beneath the surface of the sea even at low water ; and was first discovered by a young chief, whilst diving after a turtle. The nature of this cavern will be better understood if we imagine a hollow rock rising sixty feet or more above the surface of the water ; into the cavity of which there is no known entrance but one, and that is on the side of the rock, several feet under the water, which flows into it; and consequently the base of the cavern may be said to be the sea itself*. Finow and his friends, being on this part of the island, proposed one afternoon on a sudden thought, to go into this cavern, and drink cava. Mr. Mariner was not with them at the time the proposal was made ; but happening to come down a little while after to the shore, and seeing some of the young chiefs diving into the water, one after another, and not rise again, he was a little surprised, and enquired of the last, who was just preparing to take the same step, what they were * The depth of the entrance below the surface differs of course with the different heights of the tide: when Mr. Mariner entered, it was about six feet below the surface: Jeremiah Higgins says it was two or three feet when he went in, at nearly low water, at which period it is very difficult to enter, on account of the swell. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 257 about? “ Follow me,” said he, “ and I will " take-you where you have never been before ; “ and where Finow, and his chiefs and mata- “ booles, are now assembled.” Mr. Mariner, supposing it to be the famous cavern of which he had heard some account, without any further hesitation, prepared* himself to follow his companion, who dived into the water, and he after him, and, guided by the light reflected from his heels, entered the opening in the rock, and having dived through the passage, which is about eight or nine feet in letigth, rose into the cavern. Fie was no sooner above the surface of the water than, sure enough, he heard the voices of the king and his friends: being directed by his guide, he climbed upon a jutting portion of rock, and sat down. All the light that came into this place was reflected from the bottom, and was sufficient, after remaining about five minutes, to show objects with some little distinctness ; at least he could * It is proper to mention that in presence of a superior chief, it is considered very disrespectful to be undrest: under such circumstances as the present, therefore, every one retires a little, and as soon as he has divested himself of his usual dress, slips on an apron made of the leaves of the chi tree, or of matting called gie : the same, respect is shewn if it be necessary to undress near a chief’s grave; because some hotooa or god may be present. VOL. I. S 258 TRANSACTIONS AT discover, being directed by the voice, Finow and the rest of the company, seated like himself. Nevertheless, as it was desirable to have a stronger illumination, Mr. Mariner dived out again, and procuring his pistol, primed it well, tied plenty of gnatoo tight round it, and wrapped the whole up in a plaintain leaf: he directed an attendant to bring a torch in the same way. Thus prepared, he re-entered the cavern as speedily as possible, unwrapped the gnatoo, a great portion of which was perfectly dry, fired it by the flash of the powder, and lighted the torch. The place was now illuminated tolerably well, for the first time, perhaps, since its existence. It appeared (by guess) to be about 40 feet wide in the main part, but which branched off, on one side, in two narrower portions. The medium height seemed also about 40 feet*. The roof was hung with stalactites in a very curious way, resembling, upon a cursory view, the gothic arches and ornaments of an old church. After having examined the place, they drank cava, and passed away the time in conversation upon different subjects. Among other things, an * Jeremiah Higgins thinks it was not near so high: he had the light of the sun setting opposite to the entrance, and refracted through the water. Mr. Mariner had a superior light, from his torch. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 259 old mataboole, after having mentioned how the cavern was discovered, viz. by a young chief in the act of diving after a turtle, related an interesting account of the use which this chief made of his accidental discovery. The circumstances are as follow. In former times there lived a tooi (governor) of Vavaoo, who exercised a very tyrannical deportment towards his people ; at length, when it was no longer to be borne, a certain chief meditated a plan of insurrection, and was resolved to free his countrymen from such odious slavery, or to be sacrificed himself in the attempt : being however treacherously deceived by one of his own party, the tyrant became acquainted with his plan, and immediately had him arrested. He was condemned to be taken out to sea and drowned, and all his family and relations were ordered to be massacred, that none of his race might remain. One of his daughters, a beautiful girl, young and interesting, had been reserved to be the wife of a chief of considerable rank, and she also would have sunk, the victim of the merciless destroyer, had it not been for the generous exertions of another young chief, who a short time before had discovered the cavern of Hoonga. This discovery he had kept within his breast a pro-, found secret, reserving it as a place of retreat s 2 260 TRANSACTIONS AT for himself, in case he should be unsuccessful in a plan of revolt which he also had in view. He had long been enamoured of this beautiful young maiden, but had never dared to make her acquainted with the soft emotions of his heart, knowing that she was betrothed to a chief of higher rank and greater power. But now the dreadful moment arrived when she was about to be cruelly sacrificed to the rancour of a man, to whom he was a most deadly enemy. No time was to be lost; he flew to her abode, communicated in a few short words the decree of the tyrant, declared himself her deliverer if she would trust to his honour, and, with eyes speaking the most tender affections, he waited with breathless expectation for an answer. Soon her consenting hand was clasped in his: the shades of evening favoured their escape ; whilst the wood, the covert, or the grove, afforded her concealment, till her lover had brought a small canoe to a lonely part of the beach. In this they speedily embarked, and as he paddled her across the smooth wave, he related his discovery of the cavern destined to be her asylum till an opportunity offered of conveying her to the Fiji islands. She, who had entrusted her personal safety entirely to his care, hesitated not to consent to- whatever plan he might think promotive of THE TONGA ISLANDS. 2G1 their ultimate escape: her heart being full of gratitude, love and confidence found an easy access. They soon arrived at the rock, he leaped into the water, and she, instructed by him, followed close after: they rose into the cavern, and rested from their fears and their fatigue, partaking of some refreshment which he had brought there for himself, little thinking, at the time, of the happiness that was in store for him. Early in the morning he returned to Vavaoo to avoid suspicion : but did not fail, in the course of the day, to repair again to the place which held all that was dear to him; he brought her mats to lie on, the finest gnatoo for a change of dress, the best of food for her support, sandal wood oil, cocoa nuts, and every thing he could think of to render her life as comfortable as possible. He gave her as much of his company as prudence would allow, and at the most appropriate times, lest the prying eye of curiosity should find out his retreat. He pleaded his tale of love with the most impassioned eloquence, half of which would have been sufficient to have won her warmest affections, for she owed her life to his prompt and generous exertions at the risk of his own: and how much was he delighted when he heard the confession from her own lips, that she had long regarded him with a 262 TRANSACTIONS AT favourable eye, but a sense of duty had catised her to smother the growing fondness, till the late sad misfortune of her family, and the circumstances attending her escape, had revived all her latent affections, to bestow them wholly upon a man to whom they were so justly due. How happy were they in this solitary retreat! tyrannic power now no longer reached them : shut out from the world and all its cares and perplexities;—secure from all the eventful changes attending upon greatness, cruelty, and ambition;—themselves were the only powers they served, and they were infinitely delighted with this simple form of government. But although this asylum was their great security in their happiest moments, they could not always enjoy each other’s company; it was equally necessary to their safety that he should be often absent from her, and frequently for a length of time together, lest his conduct should be watched. The young chief therefore panted for an opportunity to convey her to happier scenes, where his ardent imagination pictured to him the means of procuring for her every enjoyment and comfort, which her amiable qualifications so well entitled her to : nor was it a great while before, an opportunity offering, he devised the means of restoring her with safety to the cheerful light of day. He signi- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 263 tied to his inferior chiefs and matabooles, that it was his intention to go to the Fiji islands, and he wished them to accompany him with their wives and female attendants, but he desired them on no account to mention to the latter the place of their destination, lest they should inadvertently betray their intention, and the governing chief prevent their departure. A large canoe was soon got ready, and every necessary preparation made for the voyage. As they were on the point of departure, they asked him if he would not take a Tonga wife with him. He replied, no ! but he should probably find one by the way: this they thought a joke, but in obedience to his orders they said no more, and, every body being on board, they put to sea. As they approached the shores of Hoonga, he directed them to steer to a certain point, and having come close to a rock, accord* ing to his orders, he got up, and desired them to wait there while he went into the sea to fetch his wife; and without staying to be asked any questions, he sprang into the water from that side of the canoe farthest from the rock, swam under the canoe, and proceeded forward into the sanctuary which had so well concealed his greatest and dearest treasure. Every body on board was exceedingly surprised at his strange conduct, and began to think him in- 264 TRANSACTIONS AT sane: and after a little lapse of time, not seeing him come up, they were greatly alarmed for his safety, imagining a shark must have seized him. Whilst they were all in the utmost concern, debating what was best to be done, whether they ought to dive down after him, or wait according to his orders, for that perhaps he had only swum round and was come up in some niche of the rock, intending to surprise them,—their wonder was increased beyond all powers of expression, on seeing him rise to the surface of the water, and come into the canoe with a beautiful female. At first they mistook her for a goddess, and their astonishment was not lessened when they recognised her countenance, and found her to be a person, whom they had no doubt was killed in the general massacre of her family ; and this they thought must be her apparition. But how agreeably was their wonder softened down into the most interesting feelings, when the young chief related to them the discovery of the cavern and the whole circumstance of her escape. All the young men on board could not refrain envying him his happiness in the possession of so lovely and interesting a creature. They arrived safe at one of the Fiji islands, and resided with a certain chief during two years: at the end of which time, hearing of the death of the tyrant THE TONGA ISLANDS. 265 of Vavaoo, the young chief returned with his wife to the last mentioned island, and lived long in peace and happiness. Such, as to matter of fact, is the substance of the account given by the old mataboole. There was one thing however stated, which might appear in opposition to probability, viz. that the chief’s daughter remained in the cavern two or three months, before her lover found an opportunity of taking her to the Fiji islands : if this be true, there must have been some other concealed opening in the cavern to have afforded a fresh supply of air. • With a view to ascertain this, Mr. Mariner swam with the torch in his hand up both the avenues before spoken of, but without discovering any opening; he also climbed every accessible place, with as little success. At the time Jeremiah Higgins was in this cavern it was nearly low water. He felt a draught of air coming from the left, and on examining the source of it found a hole which he thinks was more than a foot diameter, from which proceeded a tolerably strong and steady breeze, but not the least glimmer of light. This opening he guesses to have been about four feet above the surface of the water at that time. When Mr. Mariner was there, it must have been nearly high water, and the hqle 266 TRANSACTIONS AT probably covered : and even if it were not concealed it would transmit no current of air inwardly unless the tide were going out, which he thinks was not the case. At the time Higgins was there the weather Avas perfectly calm, not a breath of wind stirring ; consequently, the influx of air must have been occasioned by the descent of the surface of water within : on the other hand, when the water rises the air must rush out. This cavern therefore may be said to respire like an animal; the rise and fall of the tide acting as a diaphragm, and the above-mentioned narrow passage as a breathing hole. Jeremiah Higgins also heard the story of the young chief and his mistress, which perfectly accorded in all the material points with what is told above: it appears from his narration as well as from Mr. Mariner’s, that the natives give this account of the two lovers as a piece of true history, not a romance. There is a sort of shelf at the farther end of the cavern and high up, Avhich is pointed out as having been used for a bed-place. Finow and his party having finished their cava, dived out of the cavern, and resumed their proper dress : after which they proceeded across the country, and got into the public roads, to amuse themselves with the sport of shooting rats. These animals are not so large THE TONGA ISLANDS. 267 as in our parts of the world, but rather between the size of a mouse and a rat, and much of the same colour: they live chiefly upon such vegetable substances as sugar-cane, bread-fruit, &c.: they constitute an article of food with the lower orders of people, but who are not allowed to make a sport of shooting them, this privilege being reserved for chiefs, matabooles, and mooas *. The plan and regulations of the game of fanna gooma (rat-shooting) are as follow. A party of chiefs and others having resolved to go rat-shooting, some of their attendants are ordered to procure and roast some cocoa-nut, which being done, and the chiefs having informed them what road they mean to take, they proceed along the appointed road, chewing the roasted nut very finely as they go, and spitting, or rather blowing, a little of it at a time out of their mouths with considerable force, but so as not to scatter the particles far from each other; for if they were widely distributed, the rat would not be tempted to stop and pick them up, and if the pieces were too large, he would run away with one piece instead of stopping to eat his fill. The bait is thus distributed, at moderate distances, on each side of the road, * For a description of these ranks in society, sec the subject in the second volume. 268 TRANSACTIONS AT and the men proceed till they arrive at the place appointed for them to stop at. If in their way they come to any cross roads, they stick a reed in the ground in the middle of such cross roads, as a taboo or mark of prohibition for any one to come down that way, and disturb the rats while the chiefs are shooting : and this no one will do ; for even if a considerable chief be passing that way, on seeing the taboo he will stof> at a distance, and sit down on the ground, out of respect or politeness to his fellow chiefs, and wait patiently till the shooting party has gone by : a petty chief, or one of the lower orders, would not dare to infringe upon this tiiboo at the risk of his life. The distributors of the bait being arrived at the place appointed for them :o stop at, sit down to prepare cava, having previously given the orders of their chiefs to the owners of the neighbouring plantations to send a supply of refreshments, such as pork, yams, fowls, and ripe plantains. The company of chiefs having divided themselves into two parties, set out about ten minutes after the boohi, (or company that distributes the bait) and follow one another closely in a row along the middle of the road, armed with bows and arrows. It must be noticed, however, that the two parties are mixed ; the greatest chief, in general, proceeding first, her THE TONGA ISLANDS. 269 hind him one of the opposite party, then one of the same party with the first, and behind him again one of the other party, and so on alternately. The rules of the game are these : no one may shoot a rat that is in advance of him, except he who happens to be first in the row (for their situations change, as will directly be seen); but any one may shoot a rat that is either abreast of him or behind him. As soon as a man has shot, whether he hits the rat or not, he changes his situation with the man behind him, so that it may happen that the last man, if he have not shot so often as the others, % may come to be first, and vice versa, the first come to be last: and for the same reason, two or three, or more, of the same party, may come to be immediately behind one another. Whichever party kills ten rats first, wins the game. If there be plenty of rats, they generally play three or four games. As soon as they arrive at any cross roads they pull up the reeds placed as a taboo, that passengers coming afterwards may not be interrupted in their progress. When they have arrived at the place where the boohi are waiting, they sit down and partake of what is prepared for them ; afterwards, if they are disposed to pursue their diversion, they send the boohi on to prepare another portion of the road: the length of road prepared at a 270 TRANSACTIONS AT time is generally about a quarter of a mile. Ifj during the game, any one of either party set a fair shot at a bird, he may take aim at it; if he kill it, it counts the same as a rat, but whether he hit it or not, if he venture a shot, he changes place with the one behind him. Every now and then they stop and make a peculiar noise with the lips, like the squeaking of a rat, which frequently brings them out of the bushes, and they sit upright on their haunches, as if in the attitude of listening. If a rat is alarmed by their approach, and is running away, one or more cry out too ! (stop !) with a sudden percussion of the tongue, and is a term used, we may suppose, on account of the sharp and sudden tone with which it may be pronounced. This lias generally the effect of making the rat stop, when he sits up, and appears too much frightened to attempt his escape. When he is in the act of running away, the squeaking noise with the lips, instead of stopping him, would cause him to run faster. They frequently also use- another sound, similar to what ive use when we wish to answer in the affirmative without opening the lips, consisting in a sort of humming noise, sounding through the nostrils, but more loud, short, and sudden. The arrows used on these oecasions are nearly six feet long, (the waf-arrows being about three THE TONGA ISLANDS. 271 feet,) made of reed, headed with iron-wood: they are not feathered, and their great length is requisite, that they may go straight enough to hit a small object; besides which, it is advantageous in taking an aim through a thick bush. Each individual in the party has only two arrows, for, as soon as he has discharged one from his bow, it is immediately brought to him by one of the attendants who follow the party. The bows also are rather longer than those used in war, being about six feet, the war- bows being about four feet and a half; nor are they so strong, lest the difficulty of bending them should occasion a slight trembling of the hand, which would render the aim less certain. Finow and his friends having finished their shooting excursion, and taken some refreshment, directed their walk at random across the island, and arrived near a rock, noted by the natives as being (in their estimation) the immediate cause of the origin of all the Tonga islands. It happened once (before these islands were in existence) that one of their gods (Tan- galoa) went out fishing with line and hook : it chanced, however, that the hook got fixed in a rock at the bottom of the sea, and, in consequence of the god pulling in his line, he drew up all the Tonga islands, which, they say, would have formed one great land ; but the 272 TRANSACTIONS AT line accidentally breaking, the act was incomplete, and matters were left as they now are. They show a hole in the rock, about two feet diameter, which quite perforates it, and in which Tangaloa’s hook got fixed. It is moreover said that Tooitonga (the divine chief) had, till within a few years, this very hook in his possession, which had been handed down to him by his forefathers ; but, unfortunately, his house catching fire, the basket in which the hook was kept got burnt w r ith its contents. Mr. Mariner once asked Tooitonga what sort of a hook it was, and was told that it was made of tortoise-shell, strengthened by a piece of the bone of a whale : in size and shape it was just like a large albacore hook, measuring six or seven inches long, from the curve to the part where the line was attached, and an inch and a half between the barb and the stem. Mr. Mariner objected that such a hook must have been too weak for the purpose; Oh no, said Tooitonga, you must recollect that it was a god’s hook, and could not break ;—how came then the line to break ? was it not also the property of a god ?—I do not know how that was, replied Tooitonga ; but such is the account they give, and I know nothing farther about it. A few days after this excursion, Finow having portioned out several of the smaller THE TONGA ISLANDS. 273 islands to the government of certain of his chiefs and matabooles, returned with his party to Vavaoo. As soon as he arrived at Felletoa, he issued orders for a general assembly of the people, to be present on an appointed day, at a general jono, or harangue, to be addressed to them in regard to the affairs of agriculture, and to remind them of their duty towards their chiefs, and how they ought to behave at all public ceremonies ; in short, upon such subjects as were more or less connected with agriculture, or with moral and political duty. These Jonos are frequently held, and often upon subjects of a minor importance, such, for instance, as the expediency of repairing Finow’s canoe : on such an occasion, the owner of a certain plantation would be appointed to provide the carpenters with provisions, another to provide them with canoe-timber, a third with a peculiar kind of wood for wedges, a fourth with plait, &c.—the same with more extensive matters, as constructing a large house, planting of yams or bananas, supplying provisions for feasts, burials, &c. so that in all these matters a tax is laid upon the people, every principal owner of land providing his share. The jono now about to be held was of a general nature, to be addressed to all the people, or at least to the petty chiefs : but the petty chiefs themselves often address T VOL. i. 274 TRANSACTIONS AT fonos to their own dependants, when they want any thing done. It must be observed, that in all these fonos , whether general or 'partial, the labour and care fall entirely upon the [lower order of the people ; for although in the general fono the petty chiefs take the care ostensibly to themselves, yet afterwards, by a minor fono, each confers it on his dependants. Notwithstanding all this, the lower classes have time enough on their hands, and means enough in their possession, to live comfortably; that is to say, they have food sufficient for themselves and their children, however large their families, and enough clothing; and withal need never be in want of a house, for that is easily built: in short, real poverty is not known among them. A fono, although it may regard some affair of a public nature, is not always upon a subject where a tax is necessary to be levied, but frequently upon some matter connected with civil policy; as for instance,—when a piece of ground is laid waste by war, certain persons are appointed to cultivate it; and the chiefs are ordered not to oppress them with taxes, or with visits on their plantations, before they can supply means. It not unfrequently happens that young chiefs molest women whom they meet on the road ; then their husbands, if they are married women, make complaints to THE TONGA ISLANDS. 275 the older chiefs and matabooles, and Finow, in consequence, orders a fono to be addressed to the people, in which the impropriety of the conduct of the young chiefs is pointed out: the offenders receive a suitable admonition, and are ordered to desist from such ill behaviour for the future. From one cause or another, there is usually a fono, either general or partial, every fourteen or twenty days. It will be easily understood that addresses of this kind are absolutely and frequently necessary, for the preservation of tolerable decency and good order, among a people who have no knowledge of any means of graphic communication. The speech is generally made by some old and principal mataboole *, as it was on this occasion, when the ceremony was held at Macave, about two miles and a half from Felletoa ; after which, as usual, a large bowl of cava was provided. The chiefs and warriors ofVavaoo took a very active part in the preparation of the cava, to demonstrate to Finow their attention and loyalty. After the first bowl was drunk, while all were in expectation that the king would give out some * The reader will recollect that the matabooles hold a rank in society next below chiefs ; they are the ministers, as it were, and counsellors of chiefs: it is their duty also to attend to public ceremonies, and to keep an eye upon the morals and general conduct of the people. T 2 276 TRANSACTIONS AT more cava root to be prepared,—on a sadden he pronounced aloud the word boogi (hold or arrest). Instantly all the chiefs and warriors that had been particularly active against him in the late war were seized by men previously appointed: their hands were tied fast behind them ; and they were taken down to the beach, where, with the club, several were immediately dispatched; and the x-emainder were reserved till the afternoon, for what is considered a more signal punishment, viz. to be taken out to sea, and sunk in old leaky canoes. This transaction seemed to show how little was to be trusted to the honour of Finow, and how well founded were the suspicions of those Vavaoo chiefs, who had said that no reliance was to be placed in him; and that there was little doubt but that he would take an early opportunity of exercis* ing his revenger they therefore acted a wise part, who, as soon as the peace was concluded, fled at the earliest opportunity, some to the island of Tonga, others to the Fiji islands. It must, however, be acknowledged that Finow had received information of a conspiracy which these chiefs were designing against him ; and if this be true, his conduct was certainly less reproachable *. Finow being apprehensive * It must be remarked that their innocence was never positively asserted ; nobody supposed that they had actually THE TONGA ISLANDS. 277 that this attempt might fail, or that the Vavaoo people, in consequence, might again rise up against him, had previously sent a canoe to the Hapai islands, with orders to Toobo Toa that he and his chiefs should hold themselves in readiness to repair to his assistance at a moment’s notice. There proved, however, to be no necessity for their intervention, the conspiracy succeeding in a degree equal to his expectation. Some difficulty, however, was found in securing Cacahoo, a very great and brave warrior and mataboole, amazingly courageous and strong, although he was highly diseased with scrofula ; and, like most great warriors, was always (according to the Fiji practice) upon his guard against treachery. They had therefore recourse to stratagem on this occasion : Mr. Mariner’s services were required as the means, for he was present at the consultation of Finow and his chiefs upon the subject, and he conisented, being informed that the king’s intentions were merely to confine him as a prisoner till some parts of his conduct were examined into; and had it not been for the entered into any plan of conspiracy, but most persons suspected that they had held discourses upon the subject; and it was generally acknowledged that if a revolt were to take place, these would be the men likely to head it. Such is the summary way of managing matters in this state of society. 278 TRANSACTIONS AT part which this gentleman was appointed to act in the business, two or three no doubt would have been killed, and several wounded, in the attempt. It must be mentioned that Cacahoo, 'owing to his diseased appearance, was not present at the cava party after the fono (indeed, he was seldom present on any public occasion, except to fight:) it was resolved, therefore, that a young warrior, in company with Mr. Mariner and others, should go and present him with cava at his residence, as soon as the above chiefs were seized. Mr. Mariner was to sit next to him, and was to ask him for his spear, as if to look at it from curiosity ; for this spear was a remarkably good one, headed with the bones of the tail of the fy, (sting-ray,) and which he always carried about with him : Mr. Mariner could take this liberty better than any one else, as he was more or less acquainted with him ; and being a foreigner, his curiosity would appear more plausible, and less subject to suspicion : having got it into his hands, he was to throw it away, and this was to be the signal for the seizure. Before Cacahoo had time to hear of what was going forward at Ma- cave, the appointed party arrived at his house, and presented him cava. * Mr. Mariner took * Mr. Mariner was not, in many instances, a voluntary supporter of Finow’s conduct: but as necessity has no law, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 279 his seat next to him: and, after a while, asked him for his spear, that he might examine the head of it; which having got into his possession, he watched an opportunity, and threw it suddenly away : in a moment his enemies were upon him; but he sprang from the ground like an enraged lion, and burst away from them repeatedly, with such prodigious strength, that it was with the greatest difficulty they COuld bind and secure him. They then took their prisoner down to the sea-coast, and put him on board a canoe, to be drowned with the rest in the afternoon. These transactions happened between (about) eight and ten in the morning; after which ajl in some cases he was obliged to conform, where he would willingly have been excused, upon the principle, that of two evils the least is to be chosen. To an honest mind it is always an ungrateful task to use any species of deception. Mr. Mariner was in the service of the king: the latter thought proper to secure certain persons, among whom was one who could not easily have been taken without Mr. Mariner’s assistance; that is to say, without bloodshed and a loss of lives. The king was on all occasions his friend and protector; he felt it therefore his duty to conform to his views, where there appeared nothing intrinsically bad. Had he known what would have been the fate of Cacahoo, viz. to be condemned without trial,—let the consequences be what they might, he would not have submitted ; and, in that case, by losing Finow’s friendship, and incurring his displeasure, he would not, in all probability, have lived for us to have heard of him. 280 TRANSACTIONS AT the Hapai chiefs and warriors, that were with the king, appeared under arms, as also a certain Yavaoo chief, named Paoonga, a relation and confidant of Finow; all the rest of the Vavaoo chiefs and matabooles remaining unarmed, lest they might excite in Finow a suspicion that they meant to take hostile measures. About mid-day, or a little after, the large canoe, in which were the prisoners, lashed hand and foot, pushed out to sea, under the command of Lolo Hea Malohi, an adopted son of Finow. They had on board three old small canoes, in a very leaky, rotten state, in which the prisoners were destined to be put, and thus to be allowed gradually to sink, leaving the victims to reflect on their approaching dissolution, without having it in their power to help themselves. The distance they had to go was about two leagues : the weather being calm, the canoe was obliged to be paddled most of the way. In the mean while, some conversation passed between the prisoners, particularly between Now- faho and Booboonoo. Nowfaho observed to Booboonoo, that it would have been much better if they had never made a peace with Finow, and, to a certain degree, he upbraided Booboonoo with not having followed his advice in this particular : to this the latter replied, that he THE TONGA ISLANDS. 281 ilid not at all regret the late peace with Finow, for, being his- relation, he felt himself attached to his interests, and as to his own life, he thought it of no value, since the king did not think his services worth having. Nowfaho stated, that he had a presentiment of his fate that very morning ; for, as he was going along the road from Felletoa to Macave, he met a native woman of Hapai, and as he passed, he felt a strong inclination, he knew not from what cause, to kill her; and this bias of his mind was so powerful, that he could not help turning back and effecting his purpose ; at the same time he felt a secret presentiment that he was going to die, and this murder that he had committed appeared now to be a piece of vengeance on the Hapai people, weak, indeed, in itself, yet better than no revenge at all. Nowfaho, among other things, lamented that his friend Booboonoo had not repaired to the Fiji islands when peace was first made, and, by that means, have preserved his life : as to his own safety, he said it was not a matter of much consequence ; he only lamented that he was not about to die in an honourable way. Booboonoo expressed sentiments to the same purpose. Cacahoo now and then joined in the conversation, remarking, that he only lamented hig death inasmuch as no opportunity had been 282 TRANSACTIONS AT afforded him of revenging himself upon his enemies, by sacrificing a few of them. They were eighteen prisoners on board, of whom the greater part, before they arrived at the place where they were to be sunk, begged that the manner of their death might be changed to the more expeditious one of having their brains knocked out with a club, or their heads cleaved with an axe: this was granted them, and the work of execution was immediately begun. Having dispatched three in this way, it was proposed, for the sake of convenience, that the remainder, who begged to be thus favoured, should be taken to a neighbouring small island to be executed; which being agreed on, they disputed by the way who should kill such a one, and who another. Such was the conversation, not of warriors, for knocking out brains was no new thing to them, but of others not so well versed in the art of destruction, who were heartily glad of this opportunity of exercising their skill without danger ; for, coward-like, they did not dare to attempt it in the field of battle. The victims being brought on shore, nine were dispatched at nearly the same time, which, with the three killed in the canoe, made twelve, who desired this form of death. The remaining six being chiefs, and staunch warriors of superior THE TONGA ISLANDS. 283 bravery, scorned to beg any favour of their enemies, and were accordingly taken out to sea, lashed in two rotten canoes, which they had on board, three in each, and left to reflect on their fate; in the mean time their destroyers remained at a little distance to see them sink. Booboonoo, whilst in this situation, said, that he only died unhappy on account of his infant son, who would be left friendless and unprotected ; but, calling to a young chief in the larger canoe, of the name of Talo, begged, for the sake of their gods, that he would befriend his child, and never see him want either clothes or food suitable to the son of a chief ,; upon which Talo made a solemn promise to take the most attentive care of him, and Booboonoo seemed quite satisfied. Nowfaho lamented the sad disasters of that day, saying how many great and brave men were dying an ignominious death, who, some time before, were able to make the whole army of Finow tremble : he lamented, moreover, that he had ever retreated from his enemies, and wished that, on such an occasion, he had faced about, however inferior in strength, and sold his life at a high price, instead of living a little longer, to die thus a shameful death : he earnestly requested them to remember him in the most affectionate manner to his wife. Cacahoo swore heartily fit Fi- 284 TRANSACTIONS AT now, and all the chiefs of Hapai, cursing them in the most bitter manner *, and their fathers for begetting them, and heaping maledictions upon all their generation $ he went on in this manner, cursing and swearing at his enemies, till the water came up to his mouth, and, even then, he actually threw back his head for the opportunity of uttering another curse, spluttering the water forth from his lips, till it bereft him for ever of the power of speech. They were about twenty minutes sinking, after which the large canoe returned immediately to Va- vaoo. Booboonoo and Nowfaho were both men that bore a most amiable character : in time of war they were brave and enterprising; in time of peace, gentle and humane. The conduct of Nowfaho, in killing the poor Hapai woman, seems to make much against his humanity; * The curses used among the Tonga people are very numerous; but, for the most part, they are rather horrible commands than curses, and are, generally, in regard to maltreating one’s relations, or eating one’s superior relations ; for it is considered a crime to eat food which a superior relation has touched ; how much more, therefore, to eat that relation himself! For a sample ;—“ Bake your grandfather till his skin turns to cracknel, and gnaw his skull for your share !”—“ Go, and ravish your own sister!’’—“ Dig up your father by moonlight, and make soup of his bones,” &c. &c. Many of their sayings, in this way, are too indelicate to mention. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 285 but, as it was so contrary to his general sentiments and conduct, we ought to have the liberality to suppose, that it was a sudden frenzy of the mind, which, at the moment, he could no more help, than a man in convulsions can help the violent agitation of the body. Let this, however, be as it may, it is certain that he and Booboonoo were both admired for their mild and benevolent disposition, and were gaining every day, more and more, the love of the people, which, no doubt, caused the king to be jealous of them, lest their increasing power should ultimately annihilate his. Nowfaho’s desire of revenge was, of course, considered (in their state of society) a virtuous and manly sentiment. If we attend to their conversation at the approach of death, we shall find them both expressing sentiments of disinterested friendship for each other : Booboonoo is quite unhappy at leaving his infant son, and recommends him strongly to the care of Talo by all that is sacred and religious; Nowfaho desires to be affectionately remembered to his wife; these are not sentiments that belong to gross and savage minds. As to Cacahoo, he certainly was not so much famed for his benevolence, as for his prodigious strength and great personal courage ; yet still he was much beloved and respected; and several of the En- 286 TRANSACTIONS AT islimen were much indebted to him, as well as to the other two, for many acts of kindness. Mr. Mariner heard the foregoing relation from Talo, and two or three others that were in the large canoe, and considers it strictly consonant with the truth. The widows of those who were executed on the beach in the morning, and of those who were dispatched at the small island in their way out to sea, petitioned Finow to grant them leave to perform the usual rites of burial in behalf of their deceased husbands, which the king readily acceded to : and they accomplished the ceremony with every mark of unfeigned sorrow and regret. When the last affectionate remembrances of Nowfaho were made to his widow, she appeared greatly moved; for, though she scarcely wept, her countenance betrayed marks of violent inward agitation : she retired to her house, and, arming herself with a spear and club, went about to seek for the other widows, who had lost their husbands in the same way, and urged them to take up arms, as she had done, and go forth to revenge their husbands’ death, by destroying the wives of Finow, and his principal chiefs; finding, at length, that none of the others were willing to follow her example, she THE TONGA ISLANDS. 287 was obliged to give up the design altogether. It was suspected that Finow would have been, very angry on hearing her intention, but, on the contrary, he praised it much, and approved of it, as being not only a meritorious act of bravery, but a convincing proof that her affection for her deceased husband was great and genuine. After this transaction all the Vavaoo chiefs paid remarkable attention to Finow, not failing to send him frequent presents of cava, gnatoo, &c., and this they were the more anxious to do, as, being the richest men in the island, they were apprehensive that, in case their conduct displeased Finow, he might form another conspiracy against them, with a view to deprive them of their possessions; for they now found by woful experience, that he w T as not a man to be trifled with, and that his honour was not safely to be trusted to. The king now spent a considerable portion of his time in country excursions, for the purpose of shooting calai, of which sport a description has already been given. About this time a canoe was dispatched to the Hapai islands, for the purpose of procuring a quantity of fish, several species being there found in much greater abundance than at Vavaoo, or, at least, there is a much better opportunity of 288 TRANSACTIONS AT catching them, owing to the greater number of reefs and shelves. With this canoe, a certain chief, named Mahe Boogoo, departed for Ha- pai, where he possessed a large property, on which lie was desirous to reside for the future. He had also a plantation at Vavaoo, situated on the northern coast, about a mile and a half long, and half a mile broad, one end of which ran down close to the water’s edge: this property lie made a present of to the king. It will be proper to give a description of this plantation, because it includes, near the sea, the most romantic spot in all the Tonga islands ; which constitutes the subject of many of their songs, and is a place of resort to the young and old of both sexes, who wish to enjoy, for a few hours, the luxury of romantic scenery: it is famous, also, for having been, at a former epoch, the scene of an enterprising action on the part of some young chiefs, who took refuge there from their adversaries, and obstinately held their position for six months. It happens that nature has assembled in this spot, not only the wildest profusion of the vegetable kingdom, over which the lofty toa tree stands pre-eminent, but also objects of another description, overhanging rocks, hollow-sounding caverns, and steep precipices, calculated to give an aspect as bold and sublime as the ima- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 289 gination can well conceive, and constituting a species of scenery, which, in proportion as it is more rare, is more admired by the natives. To this retired spot you proceed along a road which runs through the whole length of the plantation, till you arrive at a thick wood of tamanoo and toa trees, situated on a very steep descent, down which the road becomes a narrow path, winding from side to side, and beset on either hand with the myile and jidle, and other shrubs, planted by the liberal hand of nature, whose variegated flowers perfume the air with the most delightful aromatic fragrance; whilst, from the lofty branches of the trees, the ear is soothed with the soft and plaintive voice of the wood-pigeon calling to his mate. Having proceeded with slow and lingering step along this winding path, for about five hundred yards, a flat plantation of cocoa-nut trees presents itself, through which, at a little distance, a beautiful prospect of the sea suddenly bursts upon the view. On each side a steep and lofty ridge of rocks, in the form of a crescent, extends into the water, forming a sort of bay. The ridge of rocks on the left hand are, for the most part, the highest, but, at the termination of that on the right, one, loftier than the rest, extends upwards to a great height, like the turret of some ancient battlement. VOL. i. u 290 TRANSACTIONS AT On this rock in former times, as popular tradition records, a band of young chiefs, the heads of a conspiracy, took refuge from the rage of their adversaries, and held the place during six months*; it being quite inaccessible, except by one narrow path, exceedingly steep and dangerous, not wide enough to allow two persons to pass up abreast. This passage was, of course, perfectly under the command of those above, who, by rolling large stones down, could, at any time, hurl destruction upon whomsoever might rashly attempt to ascend. Here they remained in security, as long as their stock of provisions lasted, and even when this was expended, they refused to yield, till famine and raging thirst had destroyed all but three, who, being tempted by a promise of pardon, gave themselves up to their adversaries. Scarcely was this done when they were taken before the king, who cruelly ordered them to be massacred in his presence. The number of those who died upon the rock were five, and they were buried on the spot: three of the graves are still very apparent; the other two are pointed out, but they are not in so distinct a state. The natives, now and then, ascend this rock, to enjoy the sublime beauty of the * They had supplied the place beforehand with ma, on which they lived during the whole time. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 291 surrounding scenery, or to reflect on the fate of those rebellious men, who, so long ago, departed from the scene of public tumult, by dying in an unsuccessful attempt to change the order of things. Here the moral reflections of the natives are sometimes heard in the following strain ; “ Where now are those men who “ once held up their heads in defiance of their “ chiefs? where now is the proud boast of su- “ periority ? Their bodies lie here mingled “ with the dust, and their names are almost “forgotten*!—But their souls! how are they “ affected ? are they now the same ambitious “ spirits in Bolotoo, as they were once in “ Tonga, when they animated this silent dust “ which is now all that remains of them ?—are “ they still the partizans of sedition, tumult, “ and war ?—but no ! in Bolotoo they are all “ gods, and see with a clear understanding “ what is right, without the folly of fighting !” Such are the reflections of those who visit this spot and view the lonesome habitations of the dead j but it is not often that such visits are made, owing to the difficulty of the ascent, * The names of some of these chiefs are still known to a few of the old matabooles, who have been at the pains of inquiring particulars from their fathers 5 but the cause in which they suffered is very imperfectly understood, and, no doubt, mixed up with a great deal of invention and surmise. u 2 292 TRANSACTIONS AT and the toil and trouble which it necessarily occasions. In the estimation of the romantic, however, this trouble is amply repaid by the rich and extensive scenery on every side, whilst the murmuring of the waves, breaking upon the rocks below, soothes the mind with a pleasing melancholy easier to be conceived than described. The effect which this works upon the minds of the natives will be more easily understood when we see a sample of their descriptive songs, which in language, like that of Ossian, are plaintive and pathetic. In the first place, however, it is necessary to state a few particulars relative to this romantic and diversified spot, that certain passages of the ensuing song may be better understood. On the right of the wood of tamanoo trees there is another wood, consisting almost wholly of toA trees : here the natives frequently resort to rinse themselves with the fresh water found in the hollows, between the junctions of the large branches or limbs that come off immediately from the trunk, after having bathed themselves in the sea: for the salt water,, without using such rinsing afterwards, is apt to produce, in hot climates, a cutaneous eruption: besides which, the fresh water washing prevents that uneasy sensation of heat in the skin, upon a little exertion, attended with a clamminess ; THE TONGA ISLANDS. 293 and sometimes, on the contrary, with a profuse perspiration. Here also they plait flowers which they have gathered at Matawto, (about a mile farther along the beach,) which the women put round their necks or take home to the mooa, and present to their lovers or their friends, or to superior chiefs. The following song is very often sung by them, or, to speak perhaps more correctly, is given in a sort of recitative by either sex ; and in the Tonga language has neither rhymes nor regular measure, although some of their songs have both. It is perhaps a curious circumstance that love and war seldom form the subjects of their poetical compositions, but mostly scenery and moral reflections. SONG. Whilst we were talking of Vavaoo tooa Licoo, the women said to us, let us repair to the back of the island to contemplate the setting sun : there let us listen to the warbling of the birds and the cooing of the wood-pigeon. We will gather flowers from the burying-place at Matawto, and partake of refreshments prepared for us at Licoo One: we will then bathe in the sea, and rinse ourselves in the Vdoo A’ca; we will anoint our skins in the sun with sweet scented oil, and will plait in wreaths the flowers gathered at Matawto. And now as we stand motionless on the eminence over Ana Manoo, the whistling of the wind among the branches of the lofty toa shall fill us with a pleasing melancholy; or our minds shall be seized with astonishment as we behold the roaring surf below, endeavouring but in vain to tear away the firm rocks. 294 TRANSACTIONS AT Oh! how much happier shall we be thus employed, than when engaged in the troublesome and insipid affairs of life. Now as night comes on, we must return to the Mooa :— but hark!—hear you not the sound of the mats?—they are practising a bo-ool<> * to he performed to-night on die maldi at Tanea ; let us also go there. How will that scene of rejoicing call to our minds the many festivals held there, befor® Vavaoo was torn to pieces by war. Alas ! how destructive is war!—Behold! how it has rendered the land productive of weeds, and opened untimely graves for departed heroes! Our chiefs can now no longer enjoy the sweet pleasure of wandering alone by moonlight in search of their mistresses: but let us banish sorrow from our hearts : since we are at war, we must think and act like the natives of Fiji, who first taught us this destructive art. Let us therefore enjoy the present time, for to-morrow perhaps or the next day we may die. We will dress ourselves with chi coola, and put bands of white tappa round our waists; we will plait thick wreaths of jiale for our heads, and prepare strings of Aoom for our necks, that their whiteness may shew off the colour of our skins. Mark how the uncultivated spectators are profuse of their applause !—But now the dance is over: let us remain here to-night, and feast and be cheerful, and to-morrow we will depart for the Mooa. How troublesome are the young men, begging for our wreaths of flowers, while they say in their flattery, “ See how charming these young girls look “ coming from Licooi —how beautiful are their skins, dif- " fusing around a fragrance like the flowery precipice of “ Mataloco —Let us also visit Licoo; we will depart tomorrow. The beautiful plantation, of which the above song is partly descriptive, is famed for the great fertility of its fields: the liberal hand of nature has there planted the bread-fruit and A kind of dance performed by torch-light. . THE TONGA ISLANDS. 296 cocoa-nut trees in abundance ; the soil is also highly favourable for the cultivation of yams, which grow there larger than in most other places. The water which terminates it at one end is noted for the vast abundance of a peculiar fish which resort to the shores of Vavaoo about the month of July. This fish they call Ooloo Caoo, and is about the size of the common sprat, and of much the same shape and hue. The common people consider it a great delicacy, but there is considerable danger of being poisoned by eating them promiscuously, for here and there is found one which, on eating, produces the most alarming and sometimes the most fatal effects*; and as there is no mark by which these poisonous ones may be known, it is always dangerous to eat of them, unless they be procured in the rocky bay of this plantation, where, they say, they never found any poisonous, and therefore partake of them without any reserve: the chiefs however seldom touch them, unless perhaps there is a scarcity of other fish. The time when they are best and in the greatest plenty is in the latter end of the * The symptoms produced are headach, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, with violent pains in the bowels, to which death generally succeeds in the course of four or five hours. The only remedy they use (which very seldom succeeds) is to cause the patient to drink abundantly of water, or, what is considered still better, the milk of young cocoa-nuts. 296 TRANSACTIONS AT month of July, when the natives flock to this plantation for the purpose of catching them, where having procured a quantity, they take them home to their families in baskets made of plaited leaves of the cocoa-nut tree. Mahe Boogoo, the chief to whom this valuable piece of ground belonged, being about to go and reside at the Hapai islands, made a present of this delightful spot to the king. Mr. Mariner, having now nothing particular in which to employ himself, the war being at an end, begged of the king to give up this plantation to him, that he might amuse himself by seeing it properly cultivated : to this the king, after a little hesitation, consented; when Mr. Mariner requested the farther favour that he might be exempt from all taxes, that no chief might despoil his plantation, under pretext of levying any species of contribution; and this exemption, he observed, would be no more than what was consistent with the Tonga custom, which exacts no contribution from foreigners, unless indeed it be upon some sacred occasion, as the ceremony of indchi, he. To this also the king gave his assent, upon mutual agreement, that the whole plantation was to be considered at Finow’s service, as being the father and protector of Mr. Mariner, but that he would not take any thing nor trespass upon it THE TONGA ISLANDS. 297 in any way without Mr. Mariner’s consent, who was to regulate every thing regarding it just as he pleased, and was henceforth to con- sider it as his property, together with all the persons who worked on it, consisting of thirteen men and eight women. To these the king gave orders they should pay the same attention and respect to Mr. Mariner as to himself or their former chief; he moreover informed the matooa, or overseer, that he had invested Mr. Mariner with full power to dispatch any of them with the club that failed in their duty, or neglected in any respect to shew proper attention to their new master. To this, in the usual form, they all returned thanks to the king for the new chief he had been pleased to appoint over them, and expressed their hopes that they should never deserve punishment by any want of respect towards the “ stranger chief.” As soon as Mr. Mariner entered upon his new possessions, he gave orders to get ready a large bale of gnatoo, which he sent to Finow as a present. About this time Mr. Mariner was very near being devoured by a shark. One of his servants that worked upon the plantation had laid pots about four feet deep in the water for the purpose of catching cray-fish, and Mr. Mariner one afternoon dived down to examine them, in 29S TRANSACTIONS AT hopes that he should be able to fulfil a promise he had made to Toobo mo Lakdpa the Prince’s favourite wife (whose situation required a few indulgences) to bring her some of this sort of fish. The spot was just upon the perpendicular declivity of a shelf of rocks. Having come up to take breath with the intention of going down a second time, he saw with terror the dorsal fin of a shark gliding swiftly along the surface of the water directly towards him ; he instantly clambered upon the reef and sprung on one side; in a moment after the deadly enemy, coming with impetuosity, rushed upon the shelf (in a foot and a half water) within a yard of him, and had some difficulty to get off" again. As soon as he had recovered from his consternation, for at first he scarcely knew where he was, he quickly got off" the reef, making very strong resolutions to avoid for the future a personal search after cray-fish in such situations. About a month after this a canoe came from one of the neighbouring small islands, bringing intelligence that a large dead spermaceti whale had drifted on a reef, off Vavaoo. Immediately all the chiefs ordered their canoes to be launched, that they might witness this unusual sight; and Mr. Mariner went along with them. They found the whale in a very bad state, half THE TONGA ISLANDS. 299 decayed, and sending forth no very agreeable odour: this however was a circumstance they did not much regard, their object being the teeth, of the substance of which they make a kind of necklace, by cutting it into smaller pieces, each preserving the shape of a whale’s tooth, from an inch to four inches long, having a hole in the broadest part, through which they are closely strung, and put round the neck; the largest being in front, and the others decreasing in size on each side, up to the back of the neck •, so that, when drawn close, their pointed extremities spread out, and form a very agreeable ornament upon their brown skins, and is much prized by them, on account of its scarcity as well as beauty. This has given rise to the accounts which voyagers have given that they wear teeth round their necks, whereas they are only forms of teeth cut out of the tooth of the whale ; and it is astonishing with what neatness they do this, making as little waste as would be possible to do with much better instruments than what they possess; which is nothing, in general, but a common shaped European chisel, or a piece of a saw, or in defect of these, a flattened nail rendered sharp : before they procured iron from European ships, they made use of a sharp stone. This kind of ivory they also use to inlay their 300 TRANSACTIONS AT clubs with, as well as their wooden pillows (see p. 127:) the high price set upon these ornaments will be exemplified in the following account, which Finow, on this occasion, gave to Mr. Mariner. A short time after the revolt at Tonga, when Finow first became sovereign of Hapai and Va- vaoo, news was brought him of a large dead whale being drifted on a reef, off a small island, inhabited only by one man and his wife ; who had the cultivation of a small plantation there. Finow immediately sailed for this place, and finding the teeth taken from the whale, questioned the man about them, who thereupon went to his house, and taking down a basket from the roof presented it to him,, but in it were only two teeth. The man protested that he put them all there, and knew nothing more about them ; and taxing his wife with having concealed them, she acknowledged that she had secreted one, and brought it to him, from a place in which no others were found; but this she assured him was all she had taken. The man defended 'his innocence on the plea that the teeth would be of no use to him ; for being poor, he could not sell them for any thing else, since every chief who could afford to give their value would question his right to them, and take them from him: and, for the THE TONGA ISLANDS. 301 same reason, he could not wear them. Finow was not satisfied with this plea, and being unable to make them confess by fair means, he threatened them both with death : the man still protesting his innocence, Finow ordered him to be immediately dispatched with a club j which being done, he again threatened the woman, and she as strongly protested her innocence : but when the club which had just ended the life of her husband was raised over her own head, she acknowledged that she had concealed another tooth, and accordingly brought it from a different place ; and being unable or unwilling to produce any more, she shared the same fate. Finow’s conduct here seems very cruel; but however, we are to place a great deal to the account of the state of society in which he lived ; and at the same time, we must consider that robbery is punished with death in other countries, as well as in Tonga. But what is most worthy of reflection is the strong hold which that ridiculous passion avarice takes of the human mind, which sometimes disposes a man to suffer death rather than part with what he cannot or will not ever make use of. Both the man and woman, in all probability, were guilty; the woman certainly was ; and yet she could bear to see her husband sacrificed befgre her face rather than confess all she knew of the 302 TRANSACTIONS AT matter, and entreat mercy for him at least, if not for herself. The remainder of these teeth were discovered a long time afterwards, by the particular intervention (as the natives will have it) of the gods. A few years had elapsed, when there being occasion to build and consecrate a house to some god, on the island of Lefooga, it was taken into consideration what valuable article should be deposited beneath its foundation, according to the custom on such occasions. They were about to get ready a large bale of gnatoo for this purpose, when the inspired priest of the god declared it to be the wish of the divinity to have some whale’s teeth ; and that there were several buried together on the small island just spoken of, in such a particular spot: which place being referred to and dug up, the teeth were found in a perfect state. This discovery was most firmly and most piously believed to have been made by the sacred interposition of the god himself, who inspired his favourite priest with the requisite knowledge to make it. In the Fiji islands, whales’ teeth are held, if possible, in still greater estimation, for it would be dangerous there for a man, unless he be a jgreat chief, and even then, if he were a foreigner, to be known to have a whale’s tooth about him j the personal possession of such a THE TONGA ISLANDS. 303 valuable property would endanger his life: the axe, or the club, on some unlucky occasion, would deprive him of it for ever, and of his life too. The whale of which we have been speaking as just found was, for the most part, in a very corrupted state; there were, however, some places where it was not quite so bad; and as whale’s flesh was rather a novelty, (and as novelty is often a provocative of appetite) the lower orders managed to make a meal of it. About this time a ship arrived off the northwest coast of Vavaoo. She proved tobetheHope, Captain Chase, of New York. When Mr. Mariner heard the agreeable intelligence of her arrival, he was with Finow at the small island of Ofoo, on the eastern coast of Vavaoo. He immediately asked the king leave to go on board, who very readily and very kindly gave his permission. Several matabooles were with him, one of whom whispered something to the king, which Mr. Mariner imagining to be prejudicial to himself, endeavoured to distract Finow’s attention by repeatedly thanking him for his liberal conduct towards him, and expressing the grateful sense he entertained of his long continued friendship and protection; assuring him that he had no other wish to leave the islands but what was prompted by the natural desire 304 TRANSACTIONS AT of returning to his native country, and the bosom of his friends. In the mean time he very distinctly heard the king say to the mataboole, “ but why should I keep him ?” and shortly after, his order to a fisherman to get ready instantly a certain canoe, and paddle Mr. Mariner on board, removed from his mind a load of anxiety. He again and again thanked his benefactor ; and, taking an affectionate leave of him, got into the canoe, and pushed off from the beach. There were three men to paddle, who after four or five hours hard pulling came up alongside the vessel. He saw upon the deck, Jeremiah Higgins, John Parish, and Hugh Williams. He hailed the ship; when the captain, or the mate, looked over the quarter, and said, “ We “ can’t take you, young man: we have more “ hands than we know what to do with.” Mr. Mariner could hardly believe the evidence of his senses;—not take him ! when he saw three of his companions already on board. He began to expostulate :—“ It is no use your saying any “ thing, we can’t take you,” replied the other. He then offered to procure whatever provisions the ship might want, but the unfeeling miscreant turned his back, and gave no answer. Thus, in one minute, from the elevation of hope his soul sunk into despair ; what to say,—what to do,— he knew not. Besides suffering the acute pain THE TONGA ISLANDS. 305 of disappointment, lie found himself in a very awkward dilemma. If the natives knew that the captain had refused to take him, it would hurt his reputation greatly in their esteem, as they would look upon him to be a low-born tooa, without friends or consideration in his own country. During this time the men in the canoe were too much occupied in viewing the appearance of the ship, to pay much attention to him. Having at length a little recovered himself by resisting the disagreeable ideas that were crowding in upon his mind, he endeavoured to assume a cheerful countenance; and informed the men that unfortunately the ship was bound to a country as far from his, as his was from Tonga; and although the captain wished him to come on board, he had determined to remain at Vavaoo until some British ship should arrive.— With feelings that almost choked his utterance he now ordered them to return to Ofoo. Every body wondered to see him return : his storv however was readily believed; but it seemed strange that he had brought them no presents from on board. “ What a number of axes he has “ got for us,” said one ironically: “ And what “ a heap of looking-glasses,” said another. “ Beads will now become quite common,” said a third; “ for Togi is going to give necklaces to all the girls in Vavaoo.” These jokes were vol. r. X TRANSACTIONS AT 30G exceedingly mortifying, and nothing could he* worse timed. He endeavoured to laugh at their humour; and by way of apology for his neglect, he told them that he was so disappointed at not finding the ship bound for his own country, that he had forgotten to ask for some presents : and besides, that he knew she had very few of those things on board, as she came from a country where they were scarce. Finow endeavoured to console him for his disappointment, assuring him in the kindest manner that he should go by the next ship bound to his own country. Some women informed Mr. Mariner that the matabooles had endeavoured to persuade Finow to retain him; but the king replied, that he and his companions had already suffered enough in having the ship taken from them, and being themselves kept so long from their native country, and that he did not think as the matabooles did, that it was the disposition of the Papalangis to return and take revenge! Another month now elapsed without any important circumstance occurring, when there arrived from the Fiji islands four canoes, bringing a Tonga mataboole, named Cow Mooala and his retinue, who had been absent from Tonga many years: but a narrative of this person’s adventures in foreign islands will best form a chapter of itself. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 307 CHAPTER X. Cow Mooala’s narrative—His early residence at the Fiji islands—Is drifted to Fotoona on his return to Tonga— Particular customs of Fotoona—Arrives at Lotooma on his return to Fiji—Character of the people—Popular tale of two giants—Arrives at Navihi Levoo, one of the Fiji islands—Character of the people—Their cannibalism —Observations—Sails for the island of Pau, the most important of the Fiji islands: its traffic—Account of an European vessel wrecked there—Anecdote of a gigantic lizard, (probably a crocodile) which did much mischief at a neighbouring isle: stratagem used to destroy it—Farther account of Pau—Description of several customs of the Fiji islands—Description of the island of Chichia, and its strong fortress : some account of its war with Pau—Description of a cannibal feast—Feast given by Finow on Cow Mooala’s return to Tonga. Cow Mooala went out to the Fiji islands with a number of young men, for the sake of an excursion, and to mingle in the wars of those people; sometimes at one island, sometimes at another, from the same motives probably as actuated Tooi Hala Fatai: (see p. 68). After having been absent about two years, he set sail on his return home, and having arrived within sight of Vavaoo, the wind became unfavourable to land, and the sea running very high, he was X 2 308 TRANSACTIONS AT obliged to change his course, and make for Hamoa, (the Navigator’s islands;) but the wind soon increasing to a heavy gale, drifted him to the island of Fotoona, situated to the north-west of Hamoa. As soon as the natives of this place observed his approach, a number of small canoes (for they were not in possession of sailing canoes) came from the shore to meet him; and, consistently with the laws and customs of the island, took possession of his canoe, and all his property. It forms an important part of the religion of this island to consider every thing that arrives there, whether of great or little value, as the property of their gods; no matter whether it be a large canoe, or a log of wood. It is first offered to the gods by the priest, with an appropriate address *, and is afterwards shared out among the chiefs. This spoliation is believed to be necessary for the welfare of the country; lest the gods should send a sickness among them, and cut them off, for infringing upon this great doctrine of their religion. This seems a very arbitrary law, and likely to have been invented for the purpose of plundering strangers, under the mask of reli* * This is the method of making offerings to the gods in Tonga; and, as Cow Mooida made no mention of any thing particular in this ceremony, among the people of Fotoona, it is presumed to be conducted in the same way. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 309 gion ; this, however, is not absolutely the case; for although they strip all strangers, without distinction, that come within their power, yet in return they lit them out with other canoes, (entirely at the expense of the chiefs who shared the plunder;) and supply them with so much of the produce of the island as may be necessary to support them in their way home ; together with presents of their gnatoo, mats, tortoise-shell, kc .: and withal behave very kindly: but not one single article that has been taken from them, however small the value, is again returned, even with the most earnest entreaty. Cow Mooala’s canoe was laden with sandal wood*, esteemed a very rich commodity at Tonga, but not one splinter of it was ever returned to him ; although the natives of Fotoona could make no use of it, not having adopted the practice of oiling themselves. His canoe was dragged on shore, broken to pieces, and offered up to the gods; afterward the planks were shared out among the chiefs, who devoted them to the f Sandal wood is of the growth of one of the Fiji islands, called Pau, and of only one spot upon this island, called Vooia. It has, indeed, been planted upon other of the Fiji islands, but without coming to any state of perfection. It has also been transplanted to the Tonga islands, but with as little success: for the wood thus produced possesses little or no scent, and consequently is unfit for their purpose, viz. to perfume the oil with which they anoint themselves. 310 TRANSACTIONS AT purpose of building smaller canoes, one large canoe making four small ones. They seem to have no inclination to visit distant islands, and never therefore build large canoes for themselves ; and consequently have no personal knowledge of any country but their own, except a few individuals among them, who have gone away with strangers from motives of curiosity, in large canoes built for the purpose. Cow Mooala described their method of fighting, (for it appears they cannot do without civil wars) which is conducted, according to his account, in two different modes, that is to say, with spears and with shark’s teeth. When a man pierces his enemy with a pike, he endeavours to lift him up from the ground on one end of it, or if opportunity will allow, he calls some of his comrades to his assistance, who thrusting their pikes also into him, they lift him high in the air, and carry him in triumph. The mode of fighting with shark’s teeth is as follows: the teeth being fixed in three rows on the palm and fingers of a species of glove made of the plaited bark of the hedbo, and both hands being armed in this manner, every man endeavours to come to a close scuffle with his antagonist, and to tear open his bowels with these horrid weapons. The supreme chief in Cow Mooala’s time was a man of remarkable THE TONGA ISLANDS. 311 bodily strength, and was always accustomed to fight with this sort of gauntlet in preference to the pike, not however to tear open the bowels of his enemy, but merely to catch a firmer hold of him whilst he threw him on his face; he would then place his foot upon the small of his back, and, seizing fast hold of the hair of his head, so bend his spine as to break it: with little men or boys, however, he would not take so much trouble, but laying them across his knee, as one would a stick, break their backs without farther ceremony! By way of defence from the pikes of their adversaries, they wear on the left side a species of armour made of the husk of the cocoa-nut plaited thick, and stuffed and quilted on the inside with the loose husk, picked fine : this reaches from the axilla down to the hip. Their wars generally originate in quarrels about hereditary right, or the exaction of tribute. Some time before Cow Mooala arrived, an European vessel, according to their description, (or an American) came to an anchor there. The natives as usual put off in their canoes, with a view to take possession of her according to the authority with which they were invested by the gods. The crew readily allowed them to come on board, supposing them to be governed by the usual spirit of curiosity; but shewed verv strong symptoms of opposition when they began, without ceremony, to plunder, and opened such 312 TRANSACTIONS AT peals of thunder on them that they were obliged to jump overboard and swim to their canoes with all expedition, sustaining the loss of 40 men. If this account be true, it would argue that they had not seen a ship before, or they certainly would have known her power, and not have made such an attempt. There is no ascertaining the point of time when this happened, for the natives keep no account of years, much less of months. Mr. Mariner does not know how long Cow Mooala remained at Fotoona, but it must have been at least a twelvemonth, to have afforded him time to build another large canoe fit for his voyage : which having at length accomplished, he again set sail with presents of gnatoo, mats, &c. and a sufficient quantity of provisions for his voyage, and directed his course for the Fiji islands, for the purpose of laying in another cargo of sandal wood. He had now on board thirty-five of his own people, including fourteen or fifteen Tonga women, besides whom he had four male natives of Fotoona, who begged to go with him that they might visit distant countries. In his way he touched at the island of Lotooma (about a day’s sail from Fotoona), a place noted for the peaceable disposition of the inhabitants, and where he was received with an uncommon degree of respect. As they were little accustomed to the appearance of strangers, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 313 they were greatly surprised at the sight of so large a canoe, and considered this chief and his men as hotooas (gods) or superior beings, and would not suffer them to land, till they had spread on the ground a large roll of gnatoo, which extended about fifty yards, reaching from the shore to the house prepared for them. At this island Cow Mooala remained but a short time: during his stay, however, the natives treated him with very great respect, and took him to see some bones which were supposed to have belonged once to an immense giant; about whom they relate a marvellous account, which is current at Tonga as well as at Lotooma. “ At a period before men of common stature lived at Tonga, two enormous giants resided there, who happening on some occasion to offend their god, he punished them by causing a scarcity on all the Tonga islands, which obliged them to go and seek food elsewhere. As they were vastly above the ordinary size of the sons of men now-a-days, they were able, with the greatest imaginable ease, to stride from one island to another, provided the distance was not more than about a couple of miles; at all events their stature enabled them to wade through the sea without danger, the water in general not coming higher than their knees, and in the deepest places not higher than their hips. 314 TRANSACTIONS AT Thus situated, no alternative was left them but to splash through the water in search of a more plentiful soil. At length they came in sight of the island of Lotooma, and viewing it at a distance with hungry eyes, one of them bethought himself that if this small island was ever so fruitful it could not supply more food than would be sufficient for himself at one meal; he resolved therefore wisely, out of pure consideration for his own stomach, to make an end of his companion : this he accordingly did, but by what means, whether by drowning him, strangling him, or giving him a blow on the head, tradition does not say. When he arrived at Lotooma he was no doubt very hungry, but at the same time he felt himself so sleepy that he was resolved to lie down and take a nap, particularly as night was fast approaching, and to satisfy his hunger the next morning: and very lucky it was for the poor natives that he did so, (for it appears this island was inhabited at that time). He accordingly made a pillow of the island of Lotooma, and not choosing to lie in the water, he stretched his legs (for so the story goes) over to the island of Fotoona, making a sort of bridge from one place to the other. By and by he snored to such a degree that both islands, particularly Lotooma, were shaken as if by an earthquake, so as greatly to disturb the peace- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 315 able inhabitants. The people of the latter island being roused from their slumbers were greatly alarmed, and well they might be, at this unseasonable and extraordinary noise. Having repaired to the place where his head lay, and discovering that it was an immense gigantic being fast asleep, they held a consultation what was best to be done; and came at length to a resolution of killing him, if possible, before he awoke, lest he might eat them all up. With this intention every man armed himself with an axe, and at a signal given they all struck his head at the same moment; up started the giant with a tremendous roar, and recovering his feet he stood aloft on the island of Lotooma, but being stunned with the blows, he staggered and fell again, with his head and body in the sea, and being unable to recover himself, he was drowned, his feet remaining upon dry land; and thus the great enemy was destroyed.” As a proof of these facts they shew two enormous bones, which, as they say, belonged to this giant, and the natives in general believe it. The people of Tonga, however, are not quite so credulous with respect to this story, which they generally tell in a jocose way. Mr. Mariner asked Cow Mooala what sort of bones they were ; he replied that they were enormously large, he could not well describe their shape,— 316 TRANSACTIONS AT that he was sure they were bones, though they were not at all like any human bones, and he supposed they must have belonged to some fish. To any new comer from Lo- tooma the first question is, “ have you seen the “ giant’s bones?” But it would appear that communications with Lotooma were not very frequent, since the inhabitants made so sad a mistake as to think Cow Mooala and his followers gods. Cow Mooala shortly took his departure from Lotooma, with three of the native women on board, in addition to his other follow'ers, and sailed for the Fiji islands. Owing to the wind he deviated a little from his course, but at length arrived safe at Navihi Levoo, (as the natives call it, meaning large Fiji: the word Navihi is corrupted by the Tonga people to Fiji,) one of the Fiji islands, to the north-west. Here Cow Mooala took up his residence with the chief of the island, where he remained a considerable length of time, assisting in the war with other islands. The inhabitants of Navihi Levoo are much more ferocious than those of most of the other Fiji islands ; this, however, is not stated merely upon the authority of Cow Mooala, who occasionally was apt to exaggerate a little, as will by and by be seen, but upon that of Mr. Mariner, who frequently saw and con- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 317 versed with some of its natives, as well as with those of the other islands, who were at Tonga in his time ; besides which he has since been at Pail, one of the Fiji islands, and consequently is able to form some judgment. The inhabitants of Navihi Levoo are not only more ferocious, but they are much better skilled in war than those of the other islands, and are therefore much dreaded by them: to give themselves a fiercer appearance, they bore a hole through the soft part of the septum of the nose, through w'hich, in time of war, they stick a couple of feathers, nine or twelve inches long, which spread out over each side of the face, like immense mustaches, giving them a very formidable appearance. The worst feature of their barbarism is the horrible practice of eating human flesh, which they carry to a greater extent than any of the other Fiji people. The chief of the island was reported to have a remarkable appetite in this way, we must not take him therefore as a sample for the rest; for he was not in the habit of sacrificing his prisoners immediately, (finding them perhaps too tough for his delicate stomach,) but of actually ordering them to be operated on, and put in such a state as to get both fat and tender, afterwards to be killed as he might want them. The hands and feet, particularly the latter, are considered the choicest parts. 318 TRANSACTIONS AT It may here be remarked, that' cannibalism is more or less practised on all the Piji islands, and has its origin, no doubt, in the constant wars in which the people are engaged : not that war among savage nations universally gives occasion to so horrid a custom, (for indeed we have many instances to the contrary;) but in those uncultivated nations, where a spirit of national hatred and thirst of revenge, on sonje extraordinary occasions, run very high, it appears to be an instinct of uncultivated nature, to crown the catastrophe by a feast at which civilized humanity revolts*, particularly where a scarcity of provisions exists at the same time. At the Fiji islands war and devastation are much more frequent than at the Tonga islands, consequently scarcity is also much more frequent, and cannibalism accordingly much more practised. The island of Navihi Levoo is more troubled by intestine war than the other Fiji * Mr. Mariner had from good authority a circumstance that may be mentioned here as illustrative of the point in question. A certain man at Tonga had a violent hatred to another, whom he sought an opportunity of killing in battle; at length he succeeded; and, cutting open the body, dissected off the liver, and took it home to his house. He tied the liver up in a piece of gnatoo, and whenever he wanted to drink water or cocoa-nut milk, he would dip it in, and then squeezing out some of the juice into his beverage, drink it off to satisfy his revenge: this fact was universally known and spoken of, but with much disgust. The cause of his enmity was the ill usage which his wife had received on being taken prisoner by the other. Mr. Mariner knew the man. THE TONGA ISLANDS. dig islands, and the people are greater cannibals. At the Tonga islands in particular, it may be remarked, that the island of Tonga (properly so called) is constantly in a state of war, and scarcity consequently is much more common there than at Vavaoo and the Hapai islands, and cannibalism, therefore, much less shuddered at; At the island of Tonga, indeed, this inhuman habit is by no means so general as at the Fiji islands, but then it has not been the scene of warfare for more than about twenty years, whereas the latter nation has been familiar* more or less, with this scourge of the human race, from time immemorial. Now we are upon this subject, we may mention, that at Tonga, the natives report that some time before Mr. Mariner’s arrival among them, an European ship touched there, the boat of which, on landing near Mafanga, had a quarrel with some of the natives, in consequence of which, three of her crew were killed and dragged up the country. These the natives embowelled and dressed the same as pork, and several ate heartily of them ; but shortly afterwards they were all taken very ill, being attacked with nausea and vomiting to a violent degree, and three of them actually died. Some of the natives attributed this circumstance to an unwholesome quality in white man’s flesh, others 320 TRANSACTIONS AT to the superior power of the gods of England, in the way of revenge for killing white men. They were strongly corroborated in their opinion of the superiority of the gods of England, by the circumstance that almost every man who had been actively concerned in the conspiracy against the Port au Prince happened either to be killed in battle or to die of disease, during the time Mr. Mariner remained at these islands; and they would often question him whether it were not owing to the interference of the English gods as a punishment; to which he always answered them in the affirmative, with a view to his own safety, and to inspire them with respect for the invisible powers, which, according to their notions, presided over the welfare of England and of Englishmen. Some of the natives, in joke, used to say, that they would kill Mr. Mariner, to see if the hotooas (gods) of England would revenge his death, alleging their disbelief in the unsolicited agency of the English hotooas, and their opinion rather that Mr. Mariner himself had been the cause of their death by his prayers, soliciting his gods to revenge the death of his countrymen. This, however, was a notion chiefly of the lower orders : the higher classes were of opinion, that the hotooas of England operated of their own accord, without any intervention or prayer. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 321 Finow was strongly of this opinion, observing that it was but fair to suppose that, in the same proportion as the white men were superior to them in knowledge, so were the hotooas of white men superior to their hotooas in divine power. But to return from this digression. Cow Mooala, after remaining a considerable time at Navihi Levoo, sailed with his people for Tacownove, which is a district on the western side of Pau, the largest of the Fiji islands. Pau is much resorted to by American vessels, and vessels from Port Jackson, for sandal-wood, ■which grows to perfection only at a certain part of the island, called Vooi'a. The principal market for this article is China ; and the demand for it is so great, in proportion to the smallness of the place which produces it, that it is now growing scarce, and, consequently, dearer. Formerly they would give a considerable quantity for a few nails, but now they demand axes and chisels, and those, too, of the best quality, for they have gradually become judges of such things : whales’ teeth are also given in exchange for it. The chiefs of the Fiji islands very seldom oil themselves, and, consequently, require very little of this wood, the principal use of it being to scent the oil. The natives of the Tonga islands, however, who require a considerable quantity of it for the above purpose, complain von. i. Y 322 TRANSACTIONS AT heavily of its scarcity; and what renders the matter still worse for them, is, that the Fiji people, demanding a greater number of axes and chisels for a given quantity of the wood, these implements are growing very scarce at the Tonga islands, and plentiful at Fiji. Before the Tonga people acquired iron implements, they usually gave whales’ teeth, gnatoo, mats for sails, and platt; but whales’ teeth are exceedingly scarce, and the other articles are too bulky for ready exportation. The sting of the fish called stingray was also occasionally given,, but these stings , which they use for the points of spears, are by no means plentiful. This fish is found in the greatest quantity at an island called Ooea, which lies about mid-way between Vavaoo and Hamoa. Another article of exchange is a peculiar species of shell, which they find only at Vavaoo, and is also scarce. It has already been remarked that the sandal-wood, tree will not bear to be transplanted to Tonga. During the time Cow Mooala was at Pau, a vessel was wrecked on a reef off that island. All the crew, except a couple, perished. The wreck was taken possession of by the natives; they got out of her a number of dollars, and a quantity of muslins, with some other East India commodities. From these circumstances it would appear that she was an American smuggler on THE TONGA ISLANDS. 323 her return from Peru, with part of her original cargo undisposed of. One of the men was after- wards killed in a quarrel with the other. Mr* Mariner could not learn the name of the vessel. The people of Pau gave Cow Mooala an account of an enormous lizard, which they supposed must have come from Bolotoo, and sent by the gods. They stated that, late one evening, a canoe put in at a neighbouring small island, to remain there for the night, being on her way to some more distant island. Tire weather being very hot, and the crew much fatigued, they resolved to sleep out the night upon the open beach. When they had been asleep some time, they were awakened on a sudden by the loud cries of one of their cgm- panions; starting up, they observed by the light of the moon, with the utmost astonishment, a prodigious lizard (as they termed it), plunge into the water. At this they were greatly alarmed, and, missing a man, they went farther up the country for safety. Early in the morning, one of them (a young lad) went into the sea to bathe, and was also snatched away by the inonster. The whole island was soon in a state of alarm ; every body, on hearing the news, flocked to the beach, but no lizard was to be seen. In the course of the day, they who belonged to the canoe took their departure. A 324 transactions at few days elapsed, during which the prodigy was no where to be found, and they supposed it was gone away altogether, imagining it to have been a visitation from a god for some crime they had committed. One evening, however, while a woman was washing some talo root in a salt water lake, about a quarter of a mile from the beach, surrounded by thick rushes, the monster suddenly made his appearance, and, seizing the unfortunate woman, plunged with her into the lake. The people of the neighbouring houses having given the alarm, all the inhabitants of the island were soon up in arms, and, running to the spot, uttered loud exclamations, and threw stones and various things into the lake j in consequence of which, the animal, being disturbed, rushed out, and made towards the sea, pursued by a number of men, who threw spears at .him ; but these were of no avail, his hard scales proved impenetrable to such weapons, and this circumstance, filling them with increased alarm and wonder, made them dreadfully afraid of him, and confirmed them in the opinion that it must be a god, for they saw him escape unhurt into the sea. In this way he had destroyed nine people at different places, partly on this island, and partly on another small island, close in the neighbourhood, when an old man, who had observed that he came on shore every morning at THE TONGA ISLANDS. 325 one particular place near the lake, in which he afterwards concealed himself, boldly devised a method to destroy him. Between the beach and the lake was a large j'ehi tree ; and the old man’s plan was this :—to procure a long rope, and, passing it over a strong branch of this tree, to let one end, at which there was a running noose, hang near the ground, whilst the other end was to be in the possession of about fourteen or fifteen strong men, concealed at a little distance in high grass. The old man, who was a staunch warrior, and well fitted for such a perilous task, having engaged the solemn promise of his confederates to act their parts with steadiness and fidelity, undertook to walk about on the beach at the time the monster was to be expected, and, at his approach, to recede behind the noose, through which the animal must necessarily pass his head to lay hold of him ; at which moment he would call out to them to pull the rope, and noose him tight. Matters being thus adjusted, the expected enemy made his appearance, and ran towards the old man, who took his station behind the noose, and, the moment the animal put his jaws through it, he sprang back, and gave the appointed signal ; instantly the cord was drawn tight, and their prey was caught with his head and one paw through the noose; they soon secured the rope. 326 TRANSACTIONS AT and, running up, beat him about the head, and pierced him wherever they could, till, at length, after much hard work, they killed him. When their toil was over, the first thing they thought of (for these people have a strange genius), was, to try if he was good to eat: they accordingly cut him up, and, selecting those parts which they thought the tenderest, they baked a sufficient quantity, and, finding it very good, made a hearty meal. Cow Mooala saw the bones of this animal, from the description of which, as well as what he had heard concerning the living animal, Mr. Mariner supposes that it must have been a crocodile that, by some accident, had made its way from the East Indies : and, as it was the first animal of the kind the natives had ever seen, or ever heard of, we need not wonder that they supposed it to be a super-? natural lizard, sent by the gods from Bolotoo, As a punishment for their offences, Pau is decidedly the largest of the Fiji islands, and much larger than Vavaoo: but Cow Mooala gave an exaggerated account of its size, describing it to be so large, that many of the people in its interior had never seen the sea, owing to their distance from it; and that the people living on the mountains, and wffio constantly resided there to avoid the frequent wars and disturbances on the plains below, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 327 -very seldom came down; and when they did, and saw fish for the first time, would not believe but what they were hotooas, (gods,) and wondered very much to see people eat them. The mountains on the western side, called Ta- eownove, are the highest. On the base of one of these mountains are two hot springs, situated near together, at which a neighbouring garrison generally boil their yams and plantains, by .putting them into a vessel with holes in the side, and suffering the boiling water to pass through it*. The natives of the Fiji islands are much more curly headed than those of the Tonga islands; and all of them, both men and women, powder their hair with the ashes of the bread-fruit leaf, or with powdered lime, prepared from the coral, or else with soot collected from the smoke of the tooi-tooL The pulverized lime is only worn now and then with a view to stiffen their hair, which it does remarkably well. In using either of these substances, they plentifully diffuse it through water, in which they dip their heads; and when the hair is dry they dip again, repeating this operation three or four times: the hair be- * Jeremiah Higgins, who was at these islands thirteen^ weeks, saw the steam arising from these springs, but he had sot an opportunity of approaching the spot. 328 TRANSACTIONS AT coming now replete with the powder, when quite dry they work it up with great care and attention, occupying three or four hours in frizzing it out with a sort of comb, to a considerable distance from the head, resembling an immense wig, from four to nine inches thick, being raised equally from the head, at the top, back, and sides. Like the Tonga people, they generally go bareheaded ; but to preserve this fine head-dress from being injured by the dews of the night, they usually cover it with about a square yard of white gnatoo, beaten out very fine, so as to appear the more light and elegant; and this is quite sufficient to keep off the moisture: they tie it on with remarkable neatness. At the Fiji islands the boys and girls go quite naked, the girls till they are about ten years old, the boys till they are about fourteen : after which periods the girls wear the usual dress of the women, which consists merely in a sort of circular apron, about a foot or fourteen inches broad, worn quite round the waist: when they grow old, it is increased to about a foot and a half in breadth. At the age of fourteen the boy begins to wear the mahi, or usual dress of the men, which has been accurately de. scribed by Captain Cook, as seen by him at the Sandwich islands, where they use the same, • ■ ^ THE TONGA ISLANDS. 329 though at the Fiji islands it is of much greater length, being wrapped round the body many times: one end of it passes between the legs, so as to represent, when adjusted, what in surgery is called a T bandage *. Children are married by their parents (or rather betrothed to each other) when they are three or four years old. This circumstance gives rise to the complaint usually made by the natives of Tonga who visit Fiji, that they can find no woman but who is under the protection of a jealous husband. This Cow Mooala sadly complained of; and it leads us to the inference, that the women there are very faithful to their husbands. A man may have several wives; but the greatest chief, that is, she who is of the best family, is the principal wife 5 and in respect to her,—if her husband die first, she must be strangled on the day of his death, and afterwards buried with him. Mr. Mariner knows this fact from what happened at Vavaoo, a short time after the peace with Toe Oomoo; and as it was not mentioned at that time, the present is a fit oppor- * At these islands they perform circumcision at fourteen years of age, after the Judaic method, i. e. by drawing forward the praeputium, and cutting off a section. At the Tonga islands they only make a longitudinal incision of the upper part of tfie prseputium, 330 TRANSACTIONS AT tunity to relate it. Among Finow’s followers, there was a certain chief, a native of Fiji, who about that period fell ill and died: his wife, who was also a native of Fiji, in accordance with the religious notions in which she had been brought up, considered it a breach of duty to outlive him; she therefore desired to be strangled. All her Tonga friends endeavoured to dissuade her from what appeared to them so unnecessary and useless an act; but no! she was determined, she said, to fulfil her duty, in defect of which she should never be happy in her mind,—the hotooas of Fiji would punish her; and thus, by living, she should only incur fresh miseries. Her friends, finding all remonstrances in vain, allowed her to do as she pleased: she accordingly laid herself down on the ground, by the side of her deceased husband, with her face upwards; and desiring a couple of Fiji men to perform their duty, they put a band of gnatoo round her neck, and pulling at each end, soon ended her existence *. In the evening they were buried together in the same grave, in a sitting posture, according to the Fiji custom. Mr. Mariner happened not to be present when she was strangled, but * It used to be the custom at Tonga, when the divine chief, Tooitonga, died, to strangle his chief wife ; but this absurd practice was left off during Mr. Mariner’s time. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 331 arrived in time to see them buried, and to hear the account of the recent event from those who had been eye-witnesses. Both sexes at the Fiji islands adopt the custom of making an incision in the lobe of each ear, and introducing a piece, 'about an inch long, of the mid-rib of the plantain leaf, to keep it distended: when healed, they introduce a thicker piece, and afterwards a still larger piece of the wood of the tree itself, so as to cause the lobe of the ear to spread and hang down considerably. This practice, as it is considered ornamental, the women carry to a much greater extent than the men ; and at length introduce such large pieces, that the lobe of the ear hangs down almost as low as the shoulder* the opening thuS made being about ten inches hi circumference. Frequently, by overstretching the lobe, it Splits ; and there are many women seen with it hanging down in two slips!! Their skins are by no means so smooth and sleek as those of the Tonga people, owing, probably, to the circumstance of their not oiling thfemselves. The gods are consulted in much the same way as at Tonga: there are, indeed, some few trifling differences in the ceremony, but these Mr. Mariner is not sufficiently acquainted with to state accurately : although he was after- 332 TRANSACTIONS AT wards. at Pau, he had not an opportunity of seeing this ceremony. Close to Pau lies a very small island, called Chichia, which is in itself a fortress almost impregnable. The nearest part is not more than a hundred yards from Pau; and, at low water, joins it by a ridge of sand. At the place where this ridge joins Chichia, there is a high rock, almost perforated by nature, and which art has rendered completely so. This rock is converted into a strong fortress, commanding the whole island, which, indeed, is rendered inaccessible in every part, by a heavy surf and dangerous rocks, except just to the left of the large rock, and that part is defended by a high fencing. On this small but strong island several natives of Tonga resided, for the chief was partial to them, because his wife was a native of that place ; he therefore readily admitted Cow Mooala and his men to come also and reside with him. Cow Mooala took an active part with the chief of Chichia in his war against the people of Pau. This war had been kept up for a long time, the people of Chichia constantly committing depredations on the people of Pau, without these being at all able to retaliate. Prom time to time they had taken a great number of prisoners, which were kept apart for a purpose THE TONGA ISLANDS. 333 directly to be mentioned. A few days before the period that Cow Mooala had fixed on for his return to Vavaoo, the chief of Chichia made a sortie from his strong hold, and gave a general battle to the people of Pan. The men of Chichia were victorious, and returned in triumph to their little island. The chief, elated by these victories, resolved now to have an extraordinary feast before the departure of Cow Mooala. On the following day, therefore, a grand warlike dance was performed by the men, with bracelets of fringed bark under their knees, and of shells round their arms. Their bodies and faces were painted with various configurations, in black and yellow, producing, no doubt, a strange appearance. Each man was armed with a club and spear; and, thus equipped, the whole body of them exhibited various warlike attitudes, such as throwing the spear, striking with the club, &c.—shouting and singing alternately. When they had finished their dancing, they sat down to drink cava ; after which the chief gave orders to his cooks to bring forward the feast: immediately they advanced two and two, each couple bearing on their shoulders a basket, in which was the body of a man barbacued like a hog'. The bodies were placed before the chief, who was seated at the head of his company, on a large 334 transactions at green. When all these victims were placed on the ground, hogs were brought in like manner $ xjdter that, baskets of yams, on each of which was a baked fowl. These being deposited in like manner, the number of dishes was counted, and announced aloud to the chief, when there appeared to be two hundred human bodies, two hundred hogs, two hundred baskets of yams, and a like number of fowls. The provisions were then divided into various portions, and each declared to be the portion of such a god ; after which they were given to the care of as ma«y principal chiefs, who shared them out to all their dependants, so that every man and woman in the island had a portion of each of these articles, whether they chose to eat them or pot. It would be perhaps increasing the horror of this picture beyond the truth to state that every person present partook of human flesh: these unfortunate victims were sacrificed and cooked more for a matter of form, probably, than any thing else; but it must be confessed that the chiefs, warriors, and more ferocious part of the company, partook of this inhuman diet, and several of them feasted on it. Such, at least, was the account of Cow Mooala; and Mr. Mariner has too much reason to think it true, because he afterwards heard the same ac- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 335 count from several of the natives of Chichia who visited Tonga. A few days afterwards Cow Mooala set sail for Vavaoo, where he arrived safe with about fifty attendants, as formerly noted, consisting of Tonga people, natives of Fiji, and others. As soon as his arrival was made known to Finow, he issued orders to the owners of the different plantations of Vavaoo to bring to the malid at Neafoo whatever they could afford, as presents to Cow Mooala and his companions *. On this occasion there were wrestling, fighting with clubs, cava drinking, he., as formerly described. It must be remarked, however, that when these great exhibitions of wrestling and fighting are shown on account of the arrival of visitors or persons who have been long- absent, 'it is customary for the new comers to be challenged by any one or every one of the island who chooses, so that in the end they are pretty certain of getting a thorough beating. No man, however, is obliged to accept the challenge, nor is it thought dishonourable to refuse it: in short, as they merely beat one another in a friendly way, it is considered a sport for general entertainment, in which any * It is always customary to make presents in this way to any newly arrived party, particularly to persons much respected, as was Cow Mooala, or who have been long absent. 336 TRANSACTIONS AT man may take an active part, if he feels himself at all so disposed. In these encounters they frequently get their arms broken; but this gives no one any concern, scarcely even the party who suffers, who immediately gets it set by any one in the company, (and they are all tolerably expert at this from frequent practice,) and bound up with bandages of gnatoo, using splints made from the cocoa-nut tree. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 337 CHAPTER XI. Arrival of a canoe from the island of Tonga, bringing a chief and two young matabooles, with a petition from Toobo Malohi: they give an account of the late transactions there, viz. Teoo Cava, chief of Hihifo, being joined by the chiefs and men that formerly belonged to Niooca- lofa, makes an attack on the fortress of Nookoo-No6koo, and takes it: the enemy return in the night, and set fire to it—Teoo Cava, making his escape, is stopped and killed by a Fiji islander—Conduct of Ata in the defence of Hihifo, and the bravery of Mdccapapa—Grief of Teoo Cava’s widows for his loss—Reference to an anecdote in the missionary voyage respecting Eliza Mosey (note)—Petition of Toobo Malohi and his chiefs to Finow : their reception by him, and ceremony of pardon—Toobo Malohi’s conversation with Finow, and his ultimate departure for the Hapai islands. Soon after Cow Mooala’s arrival from the Fiji islands, Finow received intelligence from Toobo Toa (chief of the Hapai islands) that a canoe had arrived at Lefooga, from the island of Tonga, with a chief, and two young matabooles. They came to petition Finow for pardon, in behalf of a great chief, named Toob6 Malohi, elder brother of Toobo Toa, who had been long resident at the island of Tonga, and had defended the cause of Finow’s enemies. As this chief brought very interesting information of all the recent events at the island of VOL. i. z 338 TRANSACTIONS AT Tonga, we shall give, an account of these transactions in the order in which they happened, and conclude with the ceremony of pardon, granted by Finow to Toobo Malohi and his followers. The reader will recollect, perfectly well, the fortress of Nioocalofa, on the island of Tonga, which Finow besieged with the four carronades, and afterwards burnt to the ground, with great slaughter of the garrison. Toobo Malohi was chief of this fortress at the time ; and in consequence of Finow’s vigorous attack, he left it, with such of his followers as could save themselves, and fled up the country, to seek refuge in some other fortress. This chief had all along been unfortunate : at the time of the great revolution of Tonga, and the early success of Finow, he had fled to the Fiji islands with his followers, and had resided there some time ; gaining experience in the art of war. On his return to Tonga, he built the fortress of Nioocalofa ; from which he was afterwards driven by Finow, as just related : he next took refuge in some other fortress; from which, owing to the jealousy of the chief, or some other cause, he was obliged to depart, and seek shelter in a third; from whence he was driven by some untoward circumstance ; and thus he became, in fact, quite a refugee; nobody being willing to receive him in a sincere and friendly way : till THE TONGA ISLANDS. 339 at length, however, he considered himself to have found a permanent asylum in the fortress of Hihifo, with Teoo Cava, the chief who had made Finow a present of the extraordinary well trained bird. Teoo Cava received him and his followers in a very cordial manner, considering them a great acquisition to his strength j for they had the reputation of being all great war- rior§, well schooled in the military practices of Fiji. Teoo Cava, at length finding that no enemy thought proper to attack him, resolved to lay siege to the garrison of Nookoo Nookoo: he was successful in his attack, and took it with an inconsiderable loss of men. This being done, he determined, contrary to the advice of his matabooles, to garrison both fortresses. The reason the matabooles gave for the impolicy of this conduct, was the readiness with which the enemy made their retreat; which they thought argued their intentions of returning speedily, with fresh strength. Ambition, and desire of larger possessions, blinding him, however, to his own proper interests, he neglected sage counsel; and, dividing his forces, reserved the choicest half for his own personal safety in the garrison of Nookoo Nookoo, and commissioned the rest to defend Hihifo. He had with him Toobo Malolii and his z 2 340 TRANSACTIONS AT warriors. In the course of the following night, the enemy came down again, and made a desperate attack upon them : having resolved to burn the place to the ground, they had appointed four hundred men to effect their purpose, each of whom was armed with a spear, and a lighted torch fixed at about a foot from the point of it. At a signal every man threw his flaming weapon at the fencing, or into the garrison, and, by the aid of this new invention, the place was set fire to, in several points at once. The besieged, with the view of rendering themselves more secure, had removed all the draw-bridges over the dry ditch round the fencing, except one; there was no ready means of escape, therefore, from the conflagration, which soon spread far and wide, except by one narrow path : hundreds consequently were compelled to leap into the ditch, the sides of which were too steep to climb. Among these was Teoo Cava, who, with several other great chiefs and warriors, managed to get out, by climbing up the backs of those whose fidelity prompted them to lend their superiors this friendly assistance at the utmost peril of their own lives. Teoo Cava, Having thus got out of the ditch, was making the best of his way unarmed to Hihifo, when he was met by a native of Fiji, belonging to the enemy’s party, who THE TONGA ISLANDS. 341 gave him the watch-word, which he was unable to answer; instantly the Fiji 'warrior struck him so violent a blow on the head with his club, that he buried it in his brains: the club had got so locked into the broken skull, that he could not immediately withdraw it; and he probably would have left it there, but discovering what a great chief he had killed, his club from that moment became exceedingly valuable to him ; the pledge as it were of future great successes, as long as he kept it in his possession : the triumph of his feelings, therefore, prevented him from seeing or hearing another man, who was fast approaching ; and whilst he was in the act of disengaging his club, his own brains were knocked out, and his speculations as suddenly destroyed, by one of Teoo Cava’s men, whose swiftness of foot brought him just in time to revenge his fallen chief, by laying his enemy prostrate by his side: but dangers were thickening round him, and he was compelled to leave the body of Teoo Cava on the field, and secure his own existence by a speedy flight to Hihifo; where all who succeeded in making their escape quickly arrived. The body of Teoo Cava was soon found by the enemy; it was conveyed to their fortress, cut to pieces, and (must it again be said !) dressed for food. Among the garrison of Hihifo there was a 842 TRANSACTIONS AT chief named Ata; he was not an old man, but he had a great reputation for political wisdom, and military skill. He was a native of the island, but at the time of the revolution his friends and acquaintance had all gone over to the Hapai islands for peace and safety. He however resolved to remain for the sake of his oldest and most sincere friend, Teoo Cava, and to assist and stand by him to the last; (for Ata was endowed also with some of the best qualities of the human heart). As Teoo Cava was now no more, Ata, conscious of his skill in war, and the confidence which all the men placed in him, proposed to take upon himself the command of the garrison; and his offers were gladly accepted. The other garrisons of the island soon hearing of the death of Teoo Cava, and the great losses he had sustained, several of them entered into league against Hihifo, and shortly commenced a siege, which lasted fourteen days; but at length, quarrelling among themselves, and finding the besieged hold out so manfully, and withal being struck with awful astonishment, at the extraordinary bravery of Maccapapa*, who was said to be invincible by the immediate protection of the gods;—they raised the siege, and each party * It will be recollected that Maccapapa was formerly in the service of Toe Oomoo ; but at the peace he left Vavaoo, apprehensive that Know might play him some treachery. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 343 repaired as quickly as possible to its own fortress, lest it should be taken possession of by some enemy. During the siege, all the women made themselves remarkable by their resolute assistance in the defence of the place ; lest, for want of men, it should be taken by the enemy. The widows of Teoo Cava*, however, were so afflicted at his loss, that many of them, it is said, strangled themselves At this time, Toobo Malohi sent word to his * Speaking of Teoo Cava calls to mind a circumstance, mentioned in the second missionary voyage, respecting Eliza Mosey and a black woman, both belonging to the American ship Duke of Portland, Captain Lovat Melon; the date is not mentioned. Through the treachery of Teoo Cava, (who from mistake of pronunciation they call Ducava,) the crew were all murdered, excepting three or four persons, among whom were Eliza Mosey, and the black woman. The latter was still at the Hapai islands when Mr. Mariner left ; she latterly became insane, but lived as a sort of domestic, (being harmless,) with a certain female chief, who treated her kindly. Eliza Mosey became one of the wives of Teoo Cava, who was much envied by the other chiefs on that account, she being a white woman. She made her escape afterwards, in the Union of New York, and arrived at Port Jackson, where she remained. Mr. Mariner has since accidentally heard from a woman who had been at Port Jackson, that Eliza Mosey returned afterwards to Tonga, with a ship that went for the purpose of laying in a cargo of pork, but which was shortly afterwards wrecked among the Fiji islands. f Mr. Mariner is not quite certain whether this report be correct: for it is an undoubted fact, that suicide is exceedingly rare among them. 344 TRANSACTIONS AT brother Toobo Toa, (chief of the Hapai islands,) that being weary of his unquiet and harassing life at Tonga, and being desirous to settle at Hapai, he wished his brother to petition the king in his behalf; and to obtain, if possible, his pardon for having fought against him at Nioocalofa, and to procure leave for himself and his chiefs and matabooles to reside at Hapai, and be henceforth tributary to him. This message was brought to Toobo Toa by a chief and two young matabooles, as before stated. Toobo Toa having communicated this request of his brother and his followers to the king, the latter, after a little consideration, gave his consent that they should reside at the Hapai islands, upon condition that Toobo Toa would keep a strict eye upon his brother’s conduct, and be answerable for him, which was immediately agreed to. Toobo Toa thereupon got ready a large canoe, and proceeded to Hihifo to receive his brother, who came on board with all his chiefs and choice warriors; the remainder of his attendants followed afterwards in another canoe. Having touched, in their way, at the Hapai islands, they proceeded on to Vavaoo, to pay their respects to Finow, and to receive his pardon. As soon as the king heard of their arrival at Vavaoo, he repaired with all his chiefs and ma- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 345 tabooles to the house on the maldi at Neafoo, having, besides their usual dress, small mats round the middle, significant of its being a solemn occasion, and out of respect, too, for Toobo Malohi (although he came as an humble suppliant), for he was a very great chief, superior even to Toobo Toa, as being his elder brother. Toobo Malohi being informed that the king was already seated in the large house on the maldi , ready to receive him, he and his followers, being all dressed in large mats, expressive of their very great respect, with leaves of the ifi tree round their necks as a mark of submission, went forth, with due sentiments, thus habited, and accompanied by a priest, to a house dedicated to Tali-y Toobo, and sat down before it. The priest then addressed the divine spirit that was supposed to reside there, to the following purpose : “ Here thou seest the “ men who have come from Tonga to implore “ thy pardon for their crimes; they have been “ rebels against those chiefs who hold power “ from divine authority, but, being sorry for “ what they have done, they hope that thou “ wilt be pleased to extend thy protection to- “ wards them for the future.” The priest then rose up, and laid a piece of cava root under the eaves of the house : after which he proceeded towards Finow, with the suppliants all follow- 346 TRANSACTIONS AT ing him, one close after another in the order of their rank, their heads bowed down, and their hands clasped before them, and, entering the house on the side opposite the king, they seated themselves before him and his matabooles, their hands still clasped together, and their heads bowed down almost to touch the ground. After a little time, the priest, who sat between them and the king, addressed the latter to the following purpose: “ You here see Toobo Malohi, “ and his chiefs and followers, who have been “ to implore the pardon of Tali-y Toobo, and “ are now come to humiliate themselves before “ you: not that they expect you will pardon “ them after so obstinate a rebellion, but they *• come to endeavour to convince you of their “ sorrow for so great and heinous a crime: “ they have no expectation but to die, there- “ fore your will be done*.” After a short pause, the priest again said, “ pass your sen- “ tence, Finowhe then rose up, and retired among the people. In a little time, Finow said to the supplicants, “ Toogood he lo ifi Take off' the ifi leaves (which is a sign of pardon) : of which command they took no notice, as if unwilling to believe so great a mercy was shewn to them. Finow again said, “ Toogood * This speech of the priest is to be considered more a matter of form than the real sentiments of the suppliants. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 347 “ he lo ifi” upon which each took off his ifi leaves, but they all remained in the same posture. Before we go further it must be observed, that there were vacant places left among Finow’s chiefs and matabooles for Toobo Malohi and his principal followers, who were of sufficient rank, to be called to after they had received their pardon; but for a great chief, circumstanced as was Toobo Malohi, to obey this summons (which is always pronounced by the mataboole sitting next to Finow) would neither be so respectful nor so prudent as to remain where he was, and take no notice of it, as if altogether unworthy of being so exalted; whilst a chief of less noble rank would not hesitate to obey the command, and take the seat appointed for him. All this is done upon the principle, that a great chief, so offending, ought to keep himself as humble as possible, lest, having great power and authority, he might be suspected of intentions to equalize himself with his superiors, and ultimately to revolt: whereas minor chiefs, having but little power, are not liable to excite jealousies : besides which, these minor chiefs, being governed by their superior, are thought to be less criminal than he who leads them astray by his authority. This formed a subject of dispute, beforehand, among the company: 348 TRANSACTIONS AT some thought that Tooho Malohi would in* stantly obey the order to take his appointed seat, conscious of his exalted rank, and fearless of the jealousy of Finow: the greater part, however, were of opinion, that he would remain where he was, knowing well the revengeful disposition of the How, and his promptitude to sacrifice those whom he suspected. In a little time this matter was put out of dispute. The mataboole on Finow’s right hand exclaimed aloud, “ Toobo Malohi! here is a “ place for you.” The chief seemed not to hear the summons, keeping his head bowed down to the earth : the mataboole again said, “ Toob6 Malohi! here is a place for you but his ears were still shut, and he preserved the same humble posture. The mataboole then said to the others successively (mentioning their names in the order of their rank), “ here is a place for you j” and they accordingly seated themselves as their names were called over, in the places appointed for their (i. e. those who were of sufficient rank to sit in the circle, the others retiring among the people), leaving Toobo Malohi seated by him self in the mieldle of the ring. Cava was now prepared, and served out to the company, eacl in his turn, according to his rank, not except ing Toobo Malohi, who, in this case, wa.‘ THE TONGA ISLANDS. 349 served the fourth : when the cava was presented to him, he neither took it nor raised up his head, but speaking to somebody who sat a little behind him, that person stretched his arms forward, and, receiving it for him, took it away, reserving it for Toobo Malohi, to drink after the cava party should be dissolved. The company, having finished their cava* di§pfrsed, and Toobo Malohi retired to take his. This chief and his followers remained at t Vavaoo about a fortnight before they sailed to the Hapai islands; during which time he entertained Finow with an account of different transactions at Tonga, relating what conspiracies had been devised, what battles had been fought, what brave chiefs and warriors had fallen. Every time he mentioned the death of a hero, Finow struck his breast with his fist, exclaiming, “ What a warrior has fallen in a “ useless war!” or something to that purpose. Before Toobo Malohi and his chiefs took their departure, Finow repeated his orders to Toobo Toa to keep a watchful eye upon them, and to give him the earliest information, if he discovered any symptoms of conspiracy, for he said he expected something of the kind, as they were all choice warriors, and had been well experienced at the Fiji islands. 350 TRANSACTIONS AT CHAPTER XIL Finow’s younger daughter falls? sick—Petitions to the gods —Farther account of the inode of invocation—Finow’s illness—Debate among the gods respecting Finow—This debate causes thunder and lightning—Supposed effect of Finow’s illness and recovery on his daughter—His daughter conveyed to the island of Ofoo—Her death— Ceremony of her burial—Strange custom of the people of Hamoa—Finow’s illness—Petitions to the gods—Strangu- lation of a child in the way of sacrifice—Finow’s death— Political state of the Tonga islands, occasioned by this event—Grief of Finow’s daughter—Mr. Mariner rebuked by the .prince for his grief at Finow’s death—Suspicious conduct of Voona—Consultation of the god Toobo Toty'— Report of what had been Finow’s intentions previous tc his death—The prince consults with his uncle on matters of political government relative to his succession. Shortly after Toobo Malohi and his followers had departed for the Hapai islands, Finow’s younger daughter, named Sdw-aw mat Loldngi (which, in the Hamoa language, means descended from the sky), about six or seven years of age, fell sick; on which occasion she was removed from her father’s house to another inside a fencing, consecrated to Tali-y-Toobo, the patron god of the Hows . Almost every morning a hog was killed, dressed, and pre- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 351 sented before the house, as an offering to the god, that he might spare her life for the sake of Finow. On these occasions, one or other of the matabooles, and sometimes two or three in succession, made an address to the invoked divinity (for he had no priest), to the following purpose: “ Here thou seest assembled Finow “ and his chiefs, and the principal matabooles “ of thy favoured land” (the Tonga islands, taken collectively), “ thou seest them humbled “ before thee. We pray thee not to be mer- “ ciless, but spare the life of the woman* for “ the sake of her father, who has always been “attentive to every religious ceremonyf: but “ if thy anger is justly excited by some crime “ or misdemeanor committed by any other of “ us who are here assembled, we entreat thee “ to inflict on the guilty one the punishment “ which he merits, and not to let go thy ven- “ geance on one who was born but as yester- “ day. For our own parts, why do we wish to “ live but for the sake of Finow; but if his “ family is afflicted, we are all afflicted, inno- * On such occasions they call the person for whom they intercede, however young, either a man, or woman, according to the sex, although they have appropriate words to express boy, girl, and child. f Finow was noted for his want of religion: the above words, therefore, were used as mere form, and because no one dared to say otherwise. 352 TRANSACTIONS AT “ cent as well as guilty. How canst thou be “ merciless! dost thou not see here Findw ,— “ and is not A'j'oo here, who descended from “ ancient Tonga chiefs now in Bolotoo ;—and “ is not Fotoo here, and did he not descend from “ Moomode formerly How of Tonga;—and is “ not A’lo here, arid Niucdpoo ,and Toobo !—then '• why art thou merciless ?” (spoken in rather an impatient and peremptory tone) “ have regard “ for Finow, and save the life of his daughter.” Every morning, as before stated, for about a fortnight, a hog was killed and offered to the god, and addresses were made similar to the above, and repeated five, six, or seven times £ day, but the god seemed to hearken not to theii petition, and the child daily got worse. Ir about fourteen or sixteen days, finding theii prayers unavailing, they took her to anothei fencing in the neighbourhood, consecrated t< Too’ifoo'a Bolo'too. Here the same ceremonie were practised for about a week, with as littli good result. Finow, finding his daughter get ting worse instead of better, ordered his largt canoes to be launched, and his wives, chiefs matabooles, in short his whole household, to g« on board. His sick daughter was conveyec into the canoe which he and his wives occupied Mr. Mariner also being on board. They se sail for the island of Hoonga, which belongei THE TONGA ISLANDS. 353 to a priest called Toobd Tea, who was accustomed to be inspired by Finow’s tutelar god Toobd Total. On this island several enclosures or fencings are consecrated to this god : to one of which his daughter was carried, and the same offering and same kind of address was frequently made; but in this case, not before the consecrated house where the sick child lay, but where- ever the priest happened to be, which was generally at his own house or at Finow’s. It must here be remarked that those gods who have priests are invoked in the person of the inspired priest wherever he may happen to be: those who have no priest are invoked at the consecrated house by a mataboole, as was the case in the late instance with Tali-y-Toobd, who has no priest. Toobd Total was thus invoked every day, in the person of his priest, during a fortnight or three weeks. Seated at the head of the cava ring*, he seemed much affected, and generally shed a profusion of tears. To their earnest entreaties he scarcely, ever made any answer, and when he did, it was, for the most part, to the following effect; “ Why do you weary your- “ selves with entreating me?” (speaking as if he were the god) “ if the power to restore the “ woman rested solely with me, I would do it: “ be assured it is all done by the will of the * See the form of invocation, p. 99. VOX. I. A A 354 TRANSACTIONS AT “ gods of Bolotoo.” Every day he visited the sick girl, occasionally sat down by her, took her hand and shed tears. During this time the ma- tabooles frequently repaired to the house of the priest, and laying cava before him, consulted him privately. On one of these occasions, Fi- now not being present, he told them that if they knew why the child was sick they would not come thus to invoke him : he then declared, in general terms, that it was for the common good. Finow, being informed of this, addressed the priest at the consultation on the following morning, asking him (or rather the god within him) what he meant by the general good ? “ If “ my spirits are oppressed, are not those of all “ my subjects so likewise ? but if the gods have “ any resentment against us, let the whole “ weight of vengeance fall on my head : I fear “ not their vengeance,—but spare my child; “ and I earnestly entreat you, Toobo Totdi , to “ exert all your influence with the other gods, “ that I alone may suffer all the punishment “ they desire to inflict.” To this the god returned no answer, and the priest retiring among the people, the company separated. As soon as Finow arrived at his house, his spirits no doubt much agitated, and his pride, in all probability, much hurt, he laid down on his mat, and felt himself much indisposed. His THE TONGA ISLANDS. 355 illness hourly increased, and feeling, as he said, a secret presentiment of approaching death, hia female attendants ran out and informed his chiefs and matabooles, who in consequence immediately repaired to his house, and found him unable to speak ; for as soon as he saw them he endeavoured in vain to give utterance to his ideas, and seemed choked by the vehemence of his inward emotions. At length a flood of tears coming to his relief, he acknowledged the justice of the gods, but lamented greatly that he was about to meet his death on a bed of sickness instead of going to brave it in the field of battle. After a little pause, he said in a calm but firm tone of voice, “ I tremble at the approaching “ fate of my country: for I perceive plainly, “ that after my death the state of affairs will “ be much altered for the worse. I have had “ daily proofs that the obedience of my subjects “ is not excited by their love but by their “ fears.” Several chiefs and matabooles who, owing to the crowd, were not able to get into the house, but overheard what passed, went immediately to the priest of Toobo Totai, and presenting him cava root, sat down before him. An old mataboole then addressed him, stating that they had firm belief in the power which the gods possessed of inflicting what punishment A a 2 356 TRANSACTIONS AT they chose upon mortals : but he entreated the god to use his influence with the other powers of Bolotoo, that they might not take offence at what Finow had said in the morning, which was merely spoken on the impulse of the moment, when warmly agitated with sentiments of affection for his daughter, and not from any real disrespect to the gods: he supplicated him also to have regard to the general good of the islands, and not by depriving them of Finow, to involve the whole nation in anarchy and confusion. The priest remained some time in silence, and was much affected : at length he announced that the gods of Bolotoo had, for a long time past, debated among themselves with regard to the punishment they should inflict upon Finow, for the many instances he had shewn of disobedience to religious precepts, and of exceeding disrespect for divine power ; that they had at first resolved upon his death, but that he (Toobo Totai) having repeatedly interceded in his behalf, some of the other gods also took his part; in consequence of which there arose very violent dissensions in Bolotoo ; not, as he explained to them, by actual fight- .ing'T for gods are immortal, and can neither be killed, wounded, nor hurt, but by urgent and potent arguments, which had occasioned, he said, the late high winds and tremendous thun- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 357 der. That they had consequently come to a resolution of saving his life, seeing that his death would be a greater evil to his people than to himself, and of punishing him in another and perhaps more severe way, viz. by the death of his most dear ahd beloved daughter, who must therefore be inevitably taken from him : for as it had been decreed, beyond all revocation, that either he or his daughter must die, her life could not be saved without taking away his. As a sort of proof of this decree, he bade them remark that whilst Finow was at this time ill, his daughter was much better, and comparatively full of life and spirits, (which was actually the case.) To-morrow, he said, her father would be tolerably well, for the gods had not decreed his immediate death, but only ?a temporary illness, to impress on his mind a sense of their power, and then his daughter would relapse, and become as bad or worse than ever. The priest being now silent, the chiefs and matabooles left him, with a strong belief of the truths he had been telling them. When they arrived at Finow’s house they found him somewhat better, but did not communicate what they had heard from his priest. This however was soon rumoured among the other chiefs and matabooles, in the king’s cook-house, where 358 TRANSACTIONS AT they generally resort for cava, and which from custom has become a sort of rendezvous to pick up or retail news. Mr. Mariner, who had been with Finow (his patron, father, and protector,) during his illness, coming to the cook - house and hearing what the priest lad said, went out of curiosity to Finow’s daughter, and was surprised to find her sitting up, eating ripe bananas, and in very good spirits, talking at intervals to her female attendants. In the evening Finow, feeling himself for the most part recovered, visited his daughter, and found her much worse than, as he was informed, she had been in the morning. He now expressed his intention of passing the night at her house, which he accordingly did. When he awoke in the morning he felt himself perfectly recovered; but going to his daughter’s mat, he found, to his utmost grief, that she was worse than ever. In the course of the morning he went down to the sea-shore, to give some orders respecting an alteration he designed in the sail of his canoe, in which he also employed himself (to distract his thoughts probably) the greater part of the day. At night he again slept at the house of his daughter; and very early the following morning gave orders for all |iis chiefs, matabooles, and attendants, to go on board his canoes, and gave directions for his THE TONGA ISLANDS. 359 daughter also to be carried on board ; then following himself, made sail for the island of Ofoo, with intention of consulting Alai Valoo, the tutelar god of his aunt Toe Oomoo. They arrived after two hours sail; and immediately, on landing, went and presented cava root to the priest of that god (the name of the priest Mr. Mariner has forgotten). In the mean time the sick child was taken to the god’s consecrated house. The company being seated in the presence of the priest, a bowl of cava was presented to him,—when the god said—“ It is “ in vain that you come here to invoke me “ upon a subject on which you have obtained “ ell the information that it is necessary for “ you to know. Toobo Total 1ms already in- “ structed you in the will of the gods, and I “ can communicate nothing farther.” The priest having said this, Finow and his attendants rose up and went their way. In the course of the afternoon the supposed victim of divine vengeance was removed to several other consecrated houses in the same island, and was suffered to remain about half an hour or an hour in each, with the hope that she would derive benefit from the auspices of either of the deities, who were imagined to reside in those places. Removal, however, appeared to make her worse; and at length she was almost 360 TRANSACTIONS AT speechless. During the night her father, with anxious solicitude, sat by the side of her mat, ■matching, with sighs and tears, the progress of her disorder. The next morning, which brought no sign of returning health to enliven the hopes of an afflicted parent,—Finow gave directions to proceed to Macave, the place at Vavaoo where (as the reader will recollect) Booboonoo, Cacahoo, and several other great warriors, were seized by Finow’s orders. By the time they had got a little more than half way to Vavaoo, the poor child died. Immediately all the female attendants began to lament in a most woful strain, beating their breasts with violent agitation, and exhibiting every mark of sorrow and despair ;—but Finow sat in silence and dejection, weeping for the fate of his daughter. In a little time they reached the coast of Vavaoo, and took the body to a large house, called Boono, (six posts,) on the malai at Neafoo, followed by Finow, his wives, chiefs, matabooles, and attendants, all habited in mats. The body was laid out on a fine and beautiful Hamoa mat, and then washed over with a mixture of oil and water : after which it was anointed with sandal-wood oil. It must be here noticed, that the king had determined, in the event of his daughter’s death, not to bury her exactly after the Tonga THE TONGA ISLANDS. 361 fashion, but partly according to that, partly agreeably to the custom of Hamoa, and partly according to a fancy of his own. After the body was washed and anointed with oil, it was wrapped up in fourteen or fifteen yards of fine East India embroidered muslin, which had formerly belonged to one of the officers of the Port au Prince. It was next laid in a large cedar chest, which had been made on board the same ship, for the use of Mr. Brown, out of some cedar planks taken in a prize. Over the body were strewed wreaths of flowers, made for the purpose by her female attendants. Orders were now issued by Finow, that nobody should wear mats, (although it was customary on such solemn occasions,) but should dress themselves in new tapas (this is the Hamoa custom) ; and instead of ifi leaves round their necks, he ordered that they should wear wreaths of Bowers, (this was an idea of his own,) as if dressed for some occasion of rejoicing. The chest was placed on two large bales of gnatoo, in the middle of the house, and the body laid thus in state for the space of twenty days ; during which time Mooonga Toobo, Fi- now’s principal wife, and all her female attendants, remained constantly with the body. In the course of the first night the mourners broke out in a kind of recitative, like that on occasion 362 TRANSACTIONS AT of the death of Toobo Nuha, (p. 143,) but in a very imperfect way, because Finow had ordered that no appearance of sorrow or sound of lamentation should be made; but, in spite of this injunction, they occasionally could not restrain their grief, beating their breasts with every mark of deepfelt anguish. It is difficult to conceive the reason of Finow’s whimsical conduct on this occasion, unless it were (as generally interpreted) an impious and revengeful endeavour to insult the gods, by ordering those ceremonies not to be performed which were considered objects of religious duty on such sacred occasions. Every morning and evening provisions and cava were brought for the entertainment of those who attended on the body. On the nineteenth day it was removed from the cedar chest, and deposited in the model of a canoe, about three feet and a half long, made for the express purpose, and nicely polished by one of Finow’s carpenters (this is the Hamoa custom). By this time the body had become much inflated, and extremely offensive; but the office of removing it was performed by some foreigners, natives of Hamoa, who were accustomed to such tasks *. During the whole * At Hamoa (the Navigator’s island) it is the custom to keep the dead above ground for a considerable length of time, as above related : as the body, during this period, is THE TONGA ISLANDS. 363 of this day, and the following night, the body inclosed in the canoe, with the lid closely fastened down, remained in the house : in the mean time Know issued orders for a general assembly of all the inhabitants of the island, to take place the ensuing morning before the house, and nobody to be absent under any pretext whatsoever, not even that of illness. Early the following day all the people, according to Finow’s orders, assembled before the house, where there was a large supply of provisions and cava for the conclusion of the ceremony. In the mean time the body was conveyed to the Fytoca, where it was deposited, inside the house, without any pomp or form, not within the grave, but on the top of it, that Finow might see the coffin whenever he pleased, and take it away with him whenever he went to a distance. On this extraordinary occasion, which the caprice of Finow rendered a scene of rejoicing rather than of mourning, after the provisions apt to become very inflated, it is the duty of a relation to prevent this happening to a great extent, by the practice of a most disgusting operation, viz. making a hole in some part of the abdomen, and, the mouth being applied, sucking out the putrescent fluids, and spitting them into a dish : and this is done out of love and affection for the deceased, without any apparent signs of disgust! Mr. Mariner had this from several natives of Hamoa. 364 TRANSACTIONS AT and cava were shared out, they began the entertainments of wrestling and boxing as usual at festivals. After the men had shown their strength and dexterity in these feats by single engagements, the king gave orders that all the women who resided north of the mooa should arrange themselves on one side, ready to combat all the women who resided south of the mooa, who were to arrange themselves on the other. It was not a very rare occurrence for women to fight in pairs on occasions of rejoicing; but a general engagement like this, with about fifteen hundred women on each side, was a thing altogether new, and beyond all precedent, and quite unexpected at a funeral ceremony. The women, however, readily engaged, and kept up the contest, with obstinate bravery, for about an hour, without a foot of ground being lost or gained on either side ; nor would the battle have subsided then, if Finow, seeing the persevering courage of these heroines, had not ordered them to desist, the battle having cost them several sprained ancles and broken arms. They fought with a great deal of steadiness, and gave fair hits, without pulling one another’s hair. The men now divided themselves in like manner into two parties, and began a general engagement, which was persisted in a considerable time with much THE TONGA ISLANDS. 3G5 fury, till at length that party which belonged to the side of the island on which Finow dwelt began to give way : instantly he rushed from the house in which he was seated, to reanimate his men by his presence and exertions, which he effected to such a degree, that the opposite party in their turn fell back, and were completely beaten off'the ground. This contest being now ended, the company dispersed, each to his respective home, whilst Finow retired to a small house, which had been built since his daughter’s death, near Bdono (the large house on the malai) ; and there, feeling himself much exhausted, he laid down to rest from his fatigue. He had not been long in this posture before he found himself very ill: his respiration became difficult: he turned himself repeatedly from side to side ; his lips became purple, and his under jaw seemed convulsed: from time to time he groaned deeply and most horribly : all the bystanders were much affected, the women shed a profusion of tears, and the men were occupied no doubt with the thoughts of what commotion might happen in the event of his death, what blood might be spilt, and what battles won and lost. The king, in the meanwhile, seemed perfectly sensible of his situation : he attempted to speak, but the power of utterance 366 TRANSACTIONS AT was almost denied to him j one word alone could be clearly distinguished, fonnooa (land or country): hence it was supposed that he meant to express his anxiety respecting the mischiefs and disturbances that might happen to the country in the event of his death. After waiting a little time, finding he did not get better, the prince, and a young chief named Voogi, went out to procure one of Finow’s children by a female attendant, to sacrifice it to the gods, that their anger might be appeased, and the health of its father restored*. They found the child in a neighbouring house, uncon* sciously sleeping in its mother’s lap : they took it away by force, and retiring with it behind an adjacent Fyt6ca, strangled it, as quickly as possible, with a band of gnatoo : they then carried it, with all speed, before two consecrated houses and a grave, at each place hurrying over a short but appropriate prayer to the god to interfere with the other gods in behalf of Finow, and to accept of this sacrifice as an atonement for his crimes. This being done, they returned to the place where Finow lay, but found him with scarcely any signs of life, * For further particulars respecting this ceremony, see p. 217. The younger Finow used often to express his regret that the gods were so relentless as to require such cruel sacrifices. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 367 speechless and motionless;—his heart, however, could be just felt to beat. In the mean while he was placed on a sort of liand-barrow r , which had been made on purpose, during the time the child was strangled. Fancying there were still some hopes of his recovery, his friends carried him on this bier to different consecrated houses, although he had, almost beyond a doubt, breathed his last with violent Struggles, about ten minutes before. He was first carried to the house dedicated to Tali-y- Toobo, where an appropriate prayer to the god w r as hurried over as quickly as possible: the corpse (for it was now perhaps nothing more, for there was no pulse at the wrist; and Mr. Mariner, applying his hand to the region of the heart, found it had ceased sensibly to beat) was conveyed to the house of the god Tobi-foo'a- Bolbtoo, where a similar prayer was preferred. Not contented with this, they next carried it to the grave of a female chief named Chinita- cala, and her spirit was in like manner invoked. Some hope still remained; and his body was carried a mile and a half up the country, on the road towards Felletoa, to the residence of Tooitonga, their great divine chief, at Nioo Lolo. When arrived here, the body was conveyed to Tooitonga’s cook-house, and placed over the hole in the ground where the fire is 368 TRANSACTIONS AT lighted to dress victuals: this was thought to be acceptable to the gods, as being a mark of extreme humiliation, that the great chief of all the Hapai islands, and Vavaoo, should be laid where the meanest class of mankind, the cooks, were accustomed to operate. All this time Tooitonga remained in his own house, for his high character, as a descendant of the gods, rendered it altogether unnecessary, and even degrading and improper, that he should interfere in this matter. By this time, his friends losing all hopes, and being convinced that he was really dead, brought the body back to Neafoo, where it was placed in the large house on the maldi , called Boono. In the mean while, many chiefs and warriors secretly repaired to their spears, (which were tied up in bundles,) and put them loose, ready to be seized at a moment’s notice ; and selecting out their clubs, arranged them, in order to be used on the urgency of occasion ; expecting every moment the shout of war from one quarter or another: and if we just take a cursory view of the state of affairs, at this critical juncture, we shall find that such apprehensions were by no means groundless. No sooner was the late How deceased, than all those principal chiefs who had, or imagined THE TONGA ISLANDS. 369 that they had some just claims to the government of Vavaoo, were expected to take up arms to assert their cause. Among these was Voona Lahi, otherwise Tooa Calao; who, it may be recollected, returned from Hdmoa with the late king’s son (see p. 151), and was chief of Vavaoo at the period of the Tonga revolution $ but was afterwards dispossessed of his island by the late How.'—Toobo Toa was another chief who it was thought would lay claim on this occasion, on account of his great strength in fighting men, and for having killed the late chief of Vavaoo (Toobo Nuha). A third chief was Fi* now Fiji, the late How’s brother, who perhaps had a greater claim than either of the two before mentioned, on account of his relationship; he was also a brave warrior, and considered to be a man of great prudence and wisdom : by some it was not supposed that he would lay any claim; for, although he was a brave warrior, when occasions called forth his courage, he was still a very peaceable man, remarkable for sage counsel, and for strong aversion against every kind of conspiracy or disturbance whatsoever. It was the prince and his party who entertained this high idea of his moderation; two other chiefs and their dependents thought otherwise of Fi- now Fiji, and expected he would prove a very VOL. i. B B 370 TRANSACTIONS AT powerful claimant*. Apprehensions were also entertained respecting the young chief Voogi, who assisted in strangling the child, for though it was not supposed he would lay claim to the sovereignty, yet being known to be strongly in the interest of Toobo Toa, his conduct required to be strictly watched. These were the chiefs, whose behaviour at this moment the young prince had to notice with a watchful eye. He had considerable confidence, however, in the sincerity of his uncle : Toobo Toa was at the Ha- pai islands :—Voona and Voogi therefore were the two whose designs he had most immediately to be apprehensive of. Such was the state of political affairs at the time of Finow’s death. As soon as his body was deposited on the bales of gnatoo, as before mentioned, one of his daughters, a beautiful girl of about fifteen, who stood by at the time, went almost frantic with excess of sorrow. The expressions of her grief were at first in loud and * Finow originally had two brothers, viz. Finow Fiji, and Toobo Nuha, but by different mothers. Finow’s lengthened name was Finow Ooloocalala. The proper family name is Finow, but no member of the royal family is allowed to assume the family name till his appointment to the sovereignty, unless his father choose to give it him as a sort of first name, to which his own proper name is attached, as was the case with Finow’s brother, who was called Finow Fiji. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 371 frequent screams, or in broken exclamations: Oyaooe'! ecoo tammy* e’! Oyaooe! Alas!—Oh! my father !—alas !—Her sorrow was so great that, at times, she appeared quite bereft of reason ; and her truly pathetic expressions of it, joined to those of the widows, and female attendants of the late king, all beating their breasts, and screaming from time to time, rendered the house truly a house of mourning, beyond the power of the imagination to picture. The place was lighted up at night, by lamps with cocoa-nut oil, (used only on such occasions) presenting a scene, if possible, still more affecting than that which happened on the occasion of Toobo Nuha’s death. In the course of the night, Mr. Mariner went into the house several times, partly out of curiosity indeed, but principally moved by feelings of regret for the loss of his great and kind patron ;—'for though he could not in every point of view admire him as a man,—yet he could not but esteem him and reverence him as a benefactor : he had received from him great and numerous favours: and notwithstanding his faults, there was a something essential in his character which commanded respect; and Mr- Mariner felt that, in losing him, he had sustained a very great loss. The prince checked him in these frequent visits to the house ; urg- b b 2 372 TRANSACTIONS AT ing, that as he was a man, he ought to feel as a man, and not mingle his sorrows with those of women; but if he wished to express his love for Finow, who had adopted him as his son, and had given him the name of a son whom he had lost some years before*, he should demonstrate that love and respect for the memory of so good a father, by engaging his attentions in the interests of his family, particularly in those of himself, who was his lawful heir ;—arid not show his affliction by a silly profusion of tears and sighs, which was beneath the exalted character of a warrior. About the middle of the night, no actual disturbance had taken place, but some of the prince’s confidents, who were dispersed about to be on the watch, brought intelligence that Vootia was holding secret conferences with some of the natives of Vavaoo- The prince, however, thought it advisable not to take any active measures, nor to appear to notice it: he therefore * The name of this son was Togi Oocummea, (an iron axe) which was also the name of one of the gods of the sea : for as they only obtain iron axes from across the sea, they naturally attribute the advantages which they possess, in having such a useful intrument, to the bounty of a sea god, whom they have accordingly designated by this name. Finow’s- son, who was so called, was a great favourite of his father, who, when he adopted Mr. Mariner, gave him the same name, as a proof of his real esteem. Mr. M. always went by this name, or for shortness sake, Togi. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 373 merely ordered his spies to keep a strict eye upon their proceedings, and to obtain all the farther information they well could, without incurring suspicion. At the same time he resolved in his own mind, as soon as the consent of the people should establish his authority, to banish all suspicious chiefs to the Hapai islands. About an hour afterwards, he learnt that Voogi the preceding day had ordered sundry parties of his men to post themselves behind the bushes, on each side the road to Nioo Lalo, during the time that Finow’s body was being carried there, with orders to rush out and kill all who accompanied the body, in case a fit opportunity presented itself: but no such opportunity having offered, his men had assembled armed along with him, at a house near the water side, with his canoe close at hand, and had been there all the preceding part of the night. The prince ordered that no notice should be taken of his hostile position, but that all his own men should keep themselves well armed, and in perfect readiness to meet the enemy in case of a revolt; he also dispatched men to watch as narrowly as possible other chiefs, whom he began to think might be connected with Voogi. During the remainder of the night, no disturbance took place. In the morning, as soon as it was light, the people began to assemble on the malki , out 374 • TRANSACTIONS AT of respect to the departed chief; and sat on the ground, waiting for the commencement of the ceremonies usual on such extraordinary occasions. In the mean time, the prince, and his uncle, Finow Fiji, prepared cava at a neighbouring house, and presented it there to the priest of Toobo Totai, out of respect to that god, who was now become the tutelar deity of the young prince. By the mouth of his priest the god desired him not to fear rebellion ; for who should dare to rebel against a chief who was the peculiar care of the powers of Bolotoo ? He commanded him moreover to reflect on the circumstances of his father’s death, as a salutary lesson to himself: “ Your father,” said the divinity, “ is now no more ;—but why did he die ?—be- “ cause he was disrespectful to the gods! ” The conference here ended. A short time after, the prince, whilst reflecting on the words of the oracle, was addressed by a woman, who was sitting behind him in waiting, and who was much respected by the late king and his family, on account of her having given him some information respecting a real or supposed conspiracy, on the part of the Vavaoo chiefs ; (Booboono, Cacahoo, and others, who were seized in consequence at Macave, and afterwards put to death: see p. 276.) This woman remarked to the prince THE TONGA ISLANDS. 375 that his father, just before he was taken ill, had sent two men to her to procure a rope, (she having the care of a store-house,) with orders to bring it to him secretly. These two men, whose names were Toohengi and Boboto, (the former the son of Toobo Boogoo a priest, the latter a cook,) happening now to be present, the prince turned to them, and asked if they knew the purpose for which his father wanted this rope;—whom he meant to bind with it ?—Hearing this question, Mr. Mariner, who was sitting close to him, exclaimed “What! “ did you not know that he intended to bind “ and afterwards to kill Toobo Tea, the priest “ of Toobo Totai, to be revenged on this god “ for not bringing about his daughter’s re- “ covery*?” This fact was afterwards confirmed by other persons, and particularly by certain warriors, who had actually received orders to seize Toobo Tea, and murder him. Thus was a plan of sacrilegious wickedness brought to light, which made all those who now heard it for the first time shudder at the mere thought: “ No wonder! ” (for such was the general ex- * This intention of the king had only been cautiously whispered about, among a few chiefs and matabooles, that were constantly with him ; and his sudden sickness and speedy death, which prevented him putting his threats into execution, had so occupied every body’s thoughts, that the circumstance for a time was forgotten. 376 TRANSACTIONS AT elamation) “ no wonder that he died! a chief “ with such dreadful intentions ! ” Mr. Mariner then stated, in addition, that he had heard the king say more than once, (a few days before he died,) “ How unmindful are the gods of my “ welfare !—-but no ! it is not the decree of the “ gods in general y —it is to that vexatious Too- “ bo Totai, that I owe my misfortunes; he “ does not exert himself for my good: but wait “ a little, I’ll be revenged! his priest shall not “ live long*!” The prince and his uncle, Finow Fiji, next held a consultation together respecting their mode of conduct, particularly in regard to certain chiefs, who were suspected of not being well disposed towards their family. Finow Fiji, for his own part, said, that he had no other wish than to coincide in whatever should seem likely to establish the peace and welfare of Hqfooloo Hozv (the name given to Yavaoo and all its neighbouring small islands, taken collectively), and that the only method of doing this would * Finow had often stated to Mr. Mariner his doubts that there were such beings as the gods:—he thought that men were fools to believe what the priests told them. Mr. Mariner expressed his wonder that he should doubt their exist* ence, when he acknowledged that he had more than once felt himself inspired by the spirit of Moomoe (a former How of Tonga): “ True!" replied the king, “ there may be gods; but what the priests tell us about their power over mankind^ I believe to be all false.’’ THE TONGA ISLANDS. 377 be to send all those chiefs, who pretended to have a right to the sovereignty, or who were suspected of such pretensions, away to the Hapai islands. As to his nephew, he said, that there could not well arise any dispute to his right of succession (except on the part of ill disposed chiefs), inasmuch as he was the late king’s heir, and was well beloved by the Vavaoo people, on account of his having been the adopted son of the late Toobo Nuha, and also because he was born at Vavaoo, and brought up there. The prince agreed with his uncle on the propriety of sending the pretenders to the Hapai islands, particularly Voona, who was of the line of those chiefs who governed Vavaoo before the revolt of Tonga; and also Voogi, who was at the head of a strong party of men, and was known to be in the interest of Toob6 Toa. The prince concluded by saying, “ But let us wait “ as quietly as possible, till the burial of my “ father, and then we shall have a different “ scene in the affairs of Vavaoo: when all pro- “ moters of civil discord are banished, the land “ shall be cultivated, and shall appear again “flourishing; for we have had war enough!” To which every body present replied, “ ’Tis all “ we wish for.” From the above sentiments of the two chiefs, it will appear to be their intention to confine 378 TRANSACTIONS AT the new sovereignty to the island of Vavaoo, and its neighbouring isles, without receiving tribute (unless voluntarily paid, which was not at all likely to be the case,) from the Hapai islands, now in possession of Toobo Toa, against whom the prince had no intention of waging a new war, and shedding more blood for the mere purpose of obliging him to continue that tribute as heretofore. The conference being ended, the two chiefs turned their attention to the removal of the body of the late How to Felletoa to be buried, as there were no fytocas at Neafoo but such as belonged to the family of Tooitonga; and it would have been contrary to custom to have buried an individual of the How’s family in a grave belonging to that of Tooitonga. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 379 CHAPTER XIII. Ceremony of Finow’s burial—Grief of his widows—Self inflictions of the mourners—Funeral procession to Felletoa— The policy of the prince—Description of the grave, and ceremony of interment—Ceremonies after burial—Respect paid by persons in passing the grave—The prince’s intimation to Voona that he should exile himself—The prince receives authority as Hotu at a cava party—His noble speech on this occasion—Farther exhortations to his chiefs and matabooles respecting the cultivation of the country—Half mourning commences—The ceremony of the twentieth day after burial—The dance called Mee too Buggi —Heroic behaviour of two boys at the grave—The late How’s fishermen exhibit proofs of their affection for the deceased —Moral and political character of the late How—His personal character—A brief comparison between the characters of the late and present How. All the chiefs and matabooles were now assembled on the malai at Neafoo. Among the rest was Voona, to whom the prince went up, and intimated the necessity of removing the body of his father to F611etoa. It would have been thought very disrespectful if he had not mentioned this to Voona before he issued orders respecting it, because Voona was a very great chief, even greater than Finow himself, and such a reserve on such a public occasion, towards a superior, would have been an act offen- 390 TRANSACTIONS AT sive to the gods. It may appear strange that Voona was a greater chief than the son of the king, yet it is a frequent occurrence, that the king is chosen from a family not of the highest rank, on account of his superior wisdom or military skill, and this was the case with the present royal family; so that the king is often obliged to pay a certain ceremonious respect (hereafter to be noticed) towards many other chiefs (even little children), who are greater nobles than he. The company were now all seated, habited in mats, waiting for the body of the deceased king to he brought forth. The mourners (who are always women, consisting of the female relations, widows, mistresses, and servants of the deceased, and such other females of some rank, who choose, out of respect, to officiate on the occasion), were assembled in the house, and seated round the corpse, which still lay out on the bales of gnatoo. They were all habited in large, old, ragged mats, the more ragged, the more fit for the occasion, as being more emblematical of a spirit broken down, or, as it were, torn to pieces by grief. Their appearance was calculated to excite pity and sorrow in the heart of any one, whether accustomed or not to such a scene : their eyes were swollen with the last night’s frequent flood of grief, and still THE TONGA ISLANDS. 381 weeping genuine tears of regret; the upper part of their cheeks perfectly black, and swollen so that they could hardly see, with the constant blows they had inflicted on themselves with their fists ; and their breasts, also, were equally bruised with their own misplaced and untimely rage. Among the chiefs and matabooles who were seated on the malai, all those who were particularly attached to the late king, or to his cause, evinced their sorrow by a conduct, usual, indeed, among these people at the death of a relation, or of a great chief (unless it be that of Tooitonga, or any of his family), but which, to us, may well appear barbarous in the extreme; that is to say, the custom of cutting and wounding themselves with clubs, stones, knives, or sharp shells : one at a time, or two or three together, would run into the middle of the circle, formed by the spectators, to give these proofs of their extreme sorrow for the death, and great respect for the memory of their departed friend. The sentiments expressed by these victims of popular superstition were to the following purpose : “ Finow! I know well your mind ; “ you have departed to Bolotoo*, and left your • Paradise. 382 TRANSACTIONS AT “ people under suspicion that I, or some of “ those about you, were unfaithful; but where “ is the proof of infidelity ? where is a single “ instance of disrespect ?” Then, inflicting, violent blows, and deep cuts in the head with a club, stone, or knife, would again exclaim, at intervals, “ Is this not a proof of my fidelity ? “ does this not evince loyalty and attachment “to the memory of the departed warrior?” Then, perhaps, two or three would run up, and endeavour to seize the same club, saying, with a furious tone of voice, “ Behold! the land is “ torn with strife ! it is smitten to pieces! it is “ split by revolts ! how my blood boils ! let us “ haste and die ! I no longer wish to live ! your “ death, Finow, shall be mine! but why did I “ wish hitherto to live, it was for you alone! “ it was in your service and defence, only, that “ I wished to breathe! but now, alas, the “ country is ruined! Peace and happiness are “at an end! your death has insured ours! “ henceforth war and destruction alone can “ prosper.” These speeches were accompanied with a wild and frantic agitation of the body, whilst the parties cut and bruised their heads every two or three words, with the knife or club they held in their hands. Others somewhat more calm and moderate in their grief, would parade up and down with THE TONGA ISLANDS. 383 father a wild and agitated step, spinning and whirling the club about, striking themselves with the edge of it two or three times violently upon the top or back of the head*, and then, suddenly stopping, and looking stedfastly at the instrument, spattered with blood, exclaim, “ Alas! my club, who could have said that you “ would have done this kind office for me, and “ have enabled me thus to evince a testimony of “ my respect for Finow! Never, no, never, can “ you again tear open the brains of his ene- “ mies ! Alas ! what a great and mighty warrior “ has fallen ! Oh ! Finow, cease to suspect my “ loyalty; be convinced of my fidelity ! But “ what absurdity am I talking! if I had ap- “ peared treacherous in your sight, I should “ have met the fate of those numerous warriors “ who have fallen victims to your just revenget “ but do not think, Finow, that I reproach “ you; no ! I wish only to convince you of my “ iniHupence, for who, that has thoughts of M harming his chiefs, shall grow white-headed “ like me ? (an expression made use of by “ some of the old men). O cruel gods! to de- *' prive us of our father, of our only hope, for “ whom alone we wished to live! We have, in- “ deed, other chiefs, but they are only chiefs * They understand tolerably well how to avoid the situation of the larger arteries. .384 TRANSACTIONS AT “in rank, and not like you, alas! great and “ mighty in war Such were their sentiments and conduct on this mournful occasion. Some, more violent than others, cut their heads to the skull with such strong and frequent blows, that they caused themselves to reel, producing afterwards a temporary loss of reason. It is difficult to say to what length this extravagance would have been carried, particularly by one old man, if the prince had not ordered Mr. Mariner to go up and take away the club from him, as well as two others that were engaged at the same time. It is customary on such occasions, when a man takes a club from another, to use it himself in the same way about his own head ; but Mr. Mariner, being a foreigner, was not expected to do this; he therefore went up, and, after some hesitation and struggle, secured the clubs, one after another, and returned with them to his seat, when, after a whil<^ they were taken by others who used them m like manner. After these savage expressions of sorrow had been continued for nearly three hours, the prince, having first signified his intentions to Voona, for reasons before stated, gave orders that the body of his father should be taken to Felletoa to be buried. In the first place, a bale THE TONGA ISLANDS. 385 of gnatoo was put on a kind of hurdle, and the body laid on the bale: the prince then ordered that, as his father was the first who introduced guns in the wars of Tonga, the two carronades should be loaded and fired twice* before the procession set out, and twice after it had passed out of the maldi ; he gave directions also that the body of Finow’s daughter, lately deceased, should be taken out of th efytoca, in the model of a canoe, and carried after the corpse of her father; that during his life as he wished always to have her body in his neighbourhood, she might now at length be buried with him. Matters being thus arranged, Mr. Mariner loaded the guns, and fired four times with blank cartridge. The procession then went forward; the wives of the deceased and women attendants proceeded first in silent sorrow, next followed the body of Finow, the body of his daughter, the matabooles, and lastly the young prince and his retinue. When the procession had got out of the fortress, (the maldi , of which we are speaking, being in the middle of the fortress of Neafoo) and had passed the place where the * It should be mentioned that the young prince had now in his possession only two carronades, the other two being at the Hapai islands with Toobo Toa. But then Toobo Toa had only half a barrel of gunpowder, and no iron shot, whereas the prince had seven or eight barrels, and a considerable number of balls. C C VOL. I. 386 TRANSACTIONS AT guns were drawn up, Mr. Mariner fired two more rounds, then loaded them with canister shot, lighted a match, to be in readiness in case of need, and ordered the guns to follow the procession, whilst he went last to see that they were properly drawn. It was not the prince’s intention to order another salute, but he had previously told Mr. Mariner to load them again, not with blank cartridge but with shot, and to carry a lighted match in his hand, for, “ perhaps,” said he, “ we may have need “ of it.” This, it may be easily seen, was a measure of policy; he ordered them to be fired that he might have a plea for carrying them in the procession along with him, and he ordered them to be loaded a third time, as if they wefe to be in readiness for another salute at the grave, but in fact for his own safeguard, lest certain chiefs should take the opportunity to revolt. In the course of two hours they arrived at Felletoa, where the body was laid in a house on the maldi at some distance from the grave, till another and smaller house could be brought close to it* 5 and this was done in the course * The body is always placed in a house in front of the fytoca during the time the grave is digging : if there be no house near, a small one is immediately brought for the purpose, which, from the construction of their houses, is readily done by the aid of 50 or 60 men. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 387 of an hour, the corner posts being taken up, the four pieces which compose the building (a kind of shed in a pyramidal form, the eaves reaching within four feet of the ground) were brought by a sufficient number of men, and put together at the place where it was wanted. This being done, the body was brought on the same hurdle or hand-barrow to the newly erected building, (if it may be so termed) and then being taken off the hurdle it was laid within, on the bale of gnatoo, and the house was hung round with black gnatoo , reaching from the eaves to the ground *. The women, who were now all assembled and seated round the body, began a most dismal lamentation, similar to that at Neafoo ; in the mean time a number of people, whose business it was to prepare graves, were digging the place of interment within the Jytoca, under the direction of Lanagi, a mataboole whose office was to superintend such affairs. Having dug about ten feet, they came to the large stone vault, such as was described in the note p. 144 ; a rope being then * This black gnatoo, or rather gnatoo of a dark colour, having a deep brown ground with black stripes, is not chosen on account of its colour, but because it is coarse and common (emblematical of poverty and sadness). They have a kind of gnatoo of very superior quality, but of the same colour and pattern, and this is used on occasions of rejoicing. C C 2 3S8 TRANSACTIONS AT fastened double round one end of the stone, which always remains a little raised for this purpose by means of certain bodies placed underneath ; it was elevated by the main strength of 150 or 200 men, pulling at the two ends of the rope, towards the opposite edge of the grave, till it was brought up on end. The body, being oiled with sandal-wood oil and then wrapped in Hamoa mats, was handed down on a large bale of gnatoo into the grave; the bale of gnatoo was then, as is customary, taken by the before-mentioned mataboole as his perquisite. Next, the body of his daughter, in the model of a canoe, was let down in like manner and placed by his side *. The great stone was then lowered down with a loud shout. Immediately certain matabooles and warriors ran like men frantic round and about the fytoca, exclaiming, “ Alas ! how great is “ our loss ! Finow ! you are departed ; witness * This grave, which was considered a large one, is capacious enough to hold thirty bodies. Two bodies which Mr. Mariner saw there, and which were in a very dry but perfect state, had been buried, as he was told by old men, when they were boys, and consequently must have been there upwards of forty years ; whije several others, of which nothing remained but the bones, had not been buried so long : this circumstance the natives suppose to be owing to different kinds of constitution, though, in all probability, to the kind or duration of disease of which they died. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 389 “ this proof of our love and loyalty!” At the same time they cut and bruised their own heads with clubs, knives, axes, &c. The whole company now formed themselves into a single line, the women first and afterwards the men, but without any particular order as to rank, and proceeded towards Lico (or the back of the island, as they term it, because there is no opening for large canoes), for the purpose (as customary) of getting a quantity of sand in small baskets, for the use directly to be described. The guns were not however taken in the procession, as the young prince considered the measure now unnecessary, every thing appearing perfectly quiet, for if any party had intended to revolt, they would have done it on their w 7 ay from Neafoo to the grave, whilst they had clubs and spears in their possession, and not during the ceremony of burial, before which every man, according to custom, deposits his arms in the neighbouring houses. It is true they might afterwards have taken up their arms again and planned mischief, but the prince, who had always his spies about, neither perceiving nor hearing of any symptoms of disturbance, did not wish to seem fearful of revolt, which would have been the case had he taken the guns with him to the bapk of the island, and which he could not 390 TRANSACTIONS AT have done with any plausible pretence, such as he had for bringing them to Felletoa. In their road to the back of the island they sang loudly the whole way, as a signal to all who might be in the road or adjacent fields to hide themselves as quickly as possible, for it is sacrilegious for any body to be seen abroad by the procession during this part of the ceremony ; and if any man had unfortunately made his appearance, he would undoubtedly have been pursued by one of the party, and soon dispatched with the club. So strictly is this f attended to, that nobody in Mr. Mariner’s time recollected a breach of a law so well known. Even if a common man were to be buried, and Finow himself were to be upon the road, or in the neighbourhood of the procession, whilst going to get sand at the back of the island, he would immediately hide himself; not that they would knock out the king’s brains on such an occasion, but it would be thought sacrilegious and unlucky, the gods of Bolotoo being supposed to be present at the time. The chiefs are particularly careful not to infringe upon sacred laws, lest they should set an example of disobedience to the people. The song on this occasion, which is very short, is sung first by the men, and then by the women, and so on alternately, and intimates (though THE TONGA ISLANDS. 391 Mr- Mariner has forgotten the exact words) that th efala (which is the name of this part of the ceremony) is coming, and that every body mnst get out of the way. When they arrived at the back of the island, where any body may be present to see them, and, on this occasion, it was at the part called Mofooe, every one proceeded to make a small basket of the leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, holding about two quarts, and to fill it with sand: this being done, each of the men carried two upon a stick across the shoulder, one at each end—while the women only carried one, pressed, in general, against the left hip, or rather upon it, by the hand of the same side, and supported by the hand of the opposite side, brought backwards across the loins, which they consider the easiest mode for women to carry small burdens *; they then proceeded back the same way, and with the same ceremony, to the grave. By this time the grave above the vault was nearly filled with the earth lately dug out, the remaining small space being left to be filled up by the sand, which is always more than enough for this purpose, that the mount, * This mode, which the women use, is called fafa; that which the men use, as just described, dmo ; carrying in the hand by the side, taggi-taggi ;—whilst the general term for any mode of carrying is fooa. 392 TRANSACTIONS AT of which the fytoca consists, may be strewed in like manner, it being considered a great embellishment to a grave to have it thus covered, and is thought to appear very well from a distance, where the clean sand may be seen on the outside of the fytoca ; besides which, it is the custom, and nobody can explain the reason why,—which is the case with several of their customs. This being done, the temporary house is taken to pieces, and thrown behind the fytoca in the hole, out of which the earth was originally dug to raise the mount on which the fytoca stands * : in this hole also are thrown all the baskets in which the sand was brought, as well as the remaining quantity of earth not used in filling up the grave. The ground within the fytoca is now covered with mats, similar to what are commonly used in the houses, and which are made of the leaves of the cocoa-nut tree. During the whole of this time the company was seated on the green before the fytoca , still clothed in mats, and their necks strung with the leaves of the ifi tree : after this they arose and went to their respective habitations, where they shaved their heads, and burnt their cheeks with a small lighted roll of * Or rather the house upon the fytoca, for the latter is a term given merely to the mount and the grave within it; they have several fytocas which have no houses on thijm, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 393 tapa*, by applying it once upon each cheek bone ; after which, the place was rubbed with the astringent berry of the matchi, which occasions it to bleed, and with the blood they smeared about the wound, in a circular form, to nearly two inches in diameter, giving themselves a very unseemly appearance f. They repeat this friction with the berry every day, making the wound bleed afresh : and the men, in the mean time, neglect to shave, and to oil themselves during the day; they do, however, at night, for the comfort which this operation affords. After having, in the first place, burnt their cheeks and shaved their heads, they built for themselves small temporary .huts, for their own accommodation during the time of mourning, which lasts twenty days. The women, who have become tabooed by touching the dead body, remain constantly in th ejytoca, except when they want food, for which they retire to one or other of these temporary houses, to be fed as mentioned in the note, p. 141, but they sleep in * Tdpa differs from gnatoo merely by its not being stamped or imprinted with any pattern. f Those whose love for the deceased is very great, or who wish it to be thought so, instead of burning their cheeks in the way mentioned, rub off the cuticle by beating and rubbing their cheeks with platt wound round their hands, made of the husk of the cocoa-nutj and this is a most painful operation. % 394 TRANSACTIONS AT the fytoca. The 'provisions with which these tabooed women and mourners in general are provided were sent, on this occasion, with bales of gnatoo, first to the young prince, by the different chiefs and matabooles ; the prince then ordered the greater part of them to be sent to the tabooed women : and they were accordingly carried and placed on the ground, at some distance from the grave, or else laid down before the temporary house, to which the chief of the tabooed women retires to be fed ; and she orders them to be distributed to the different, chiefs and matabooles, who again share them out in the usual way. The fifth and tenth days of such a ceremony are, however, marked by a greater quantity of provision than ordinary being sent, for which they give no reason but that of custom. On the twentieth day there is also an unusually large quantity sent; and this is by way of finishing the funeral ceremony. With these provisions they also send every day a supply of tomes*, to light up the fytoca during the night: these tomes are held by a woman, who, when fatigued > with this office, is relieved by another : those who take the light into their charge are of the lower ranks. They, as well as the others, when not oppressed by sleep, in general spend their time in talking upon in. * The tome is a sort of torch. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 395 different subjects. During these twenty days also, if any one pass th ejytoca, he must not proceed in his ordinary careless way, swinging his arms, but with a slow pace, his head bowed down, and his hands elapsed before him, if he have no burden ; and if he have, he must lower it, (from his shoulder for instance,) and carry it in his hands, or upon his bended arms :—but if he can conveniently do it, he will go a circuitous route, to avoid the grave. Here it may be observed, that, on all occasions, when a man with a burden passes a great chief, or the grave of a great chief, particularly if there be any one near to see him, he lowers his burden out of respect. Every day also, one or more approach, and sit before the grave for two or three hours, beating their faces with their fists; sometimes they bruise their heads with clubs, in which case they stand up*. These are the uniform and essential circumstances which always take place during this part of the ceremony of burying chiefs,—we now come to speak of those which were peculiar to this particular instance. On the day after the deceased How was put * Finow’s chief widow, Mooonga Toobo, every morning, attended by her women, cut the grass short before the grave with knives and sharp shells, sweeping away leaves and loose blades with brooms made of the mid rib of the cocoa-nut leaf: they also procured sweet-scented plants, principally the jidle, and planted them before the grave. 396 TRANSACTIONS AT in the ground, the principal chiefs and mata- booles requested the prince to intimate to Voona and certain other chiefs, their wish that they should go to the Hapai islands: this he did ; but, at the same time, gave them liberty to stop till the funeral ceremony was concluded. Voona received this intimation in a becoming manner, acknowledging the impropriety of his stay, if the people were any way jealous of his presence. The prince apologized for this step, urging the will of his people as his sole motive ; and expressed, with great warmth, his wish that he who had been so long his friend and companion could still remain his associate. The following day, at a general assembly of the chiefs and matabooles, after the cava was prepared, and the two first cups handed out, the third, which, according to custom, is presented to the chief who presides, was next filled; and when an attendant, As usual, declared aloud that the cup was filled, all eyes were fixed on the prince, whilst the mataboole who sat next to him exclaimed, “ Give it to Finow! ”—and it was accordingly handed to him, whilst he preserved an appearance of perfect unconcern at the name by which, for the first time, he was called*. And this was a matter of no small importance ; for had he ap- * See note, p. 370. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 397 peared elated at this circumstance, he would have been thought a man of a weak mind, little calculated to be a supreme chief: whereas the character of such a personage should be, in their estimation, (and very rightly too,) that of superiority over the influence of petty passions, and such trifling emotions as are fit only for the vulgar tribe of mankind. As soon as all the cava was served out and drunk, Finow addressed the company to the following purport. “ Listen to me, chiefs and warriors!-If “ any among you are discontented with the “ present state of affairs,—now is the time to go “ to Hapai; for no man shall x’emain at Vavaoo “ with a mind discontented and wandering to “ other places. I have seen with sorrow the “ wide destruction occasioned by the unceasing " war carried on by the chief now lying in the “ malcii: we have indeed been doing a great “ deal, but what is the result?—the land is de- “ populated! it is overgrown with weeds, and “ there is nobody to cultivate it: had we re- “ mained peaceful, it would have been populous “ still: the principal chiefs and warriors are “ fallen, and we must be contented with the “ society of the lower class. What madness ! “ is not life already too short ? Is it not a noble “ characteristic in a man to remain happy and “ peaceful in his station ? What folly then to 398 TRANSACTIONS AT “ seek for war to shorten that which is already “ too short! Who is there among us who can “ say, ‘ I wish to die—I am weary of life?’ “ Have we not then been acting like those of no “understanding? Have we not been madly “ seizing the very thing which deprives us of “ what we really want? Not that we ought to “ banish all thoughts of fighting ! If any power “ approach us with the front of battle, and at- “ tempt to invade our rights, our fury and “ bravery shall be excited more, in proportion “ as we have more possessions to defend. Let “ us therefore confine ourselves to agriculture, “ for that is truly guarding our country. Why “ should we be anxious for an increase of ter- “ ritory? Our land is quite large enough to “ supply us with food,—we shall not even be “ able to devour all its produce ! But perhaps I “ am not speaking to you wisely! the old mata- “ booles are present \ I beg them to tell me if “I am wrong. I am yet but a youth, and, on “ that account, should be unfit to govern, if my “ mind, like that of the deceased chief, sought “ not the advice of others: for your loyalty and “ fidelity towards him, however, I return you “ my sincere thinks. Finow Fiji, who is pre- “ sent, and the matabooles, know well my fre- “ quent inquiries concerning the good of our “ government: do not then say, wherefore do THE TONGA ISLANDS. 399 “ zve listen to the idle talk of a boy ? Recollect, “ whilst I speak to you, my voice is the echo “ of the sentiments of Toe Oomoo, and Oooloo- “ valoo, and Afoo, and Fotoo, and Alo, and all “ the high chiefs and matabooles of Vavaoo.— “ Listen to me ! I remind you that if there be “ any among you discontented with this state “ of affairs, the present is the only opportunity “ I will give to depart: for let pass this occa- “ sion, and not at all shall we communicate “ with Hapai. Choose therefore your dwelling- “ places; there is Fiji, there is Hamoa, there is “ Tonga, there is Hapai, there is Fotoona and “ Lotooma!—Those men in particular having “ minds unanimous, loving to dwell in constant “ peace,—they alone shall remain at Vavaoo “ and its neighbouring isles. Yet will I not “ suppress the bravery of any one warlike spi- “ rit:—Behold ! the islands of Tonga and Fiji “ are constantly at war; let him there display “ his courage. Arise ! go to your respective ha- “ bitations; and recollect, that to-morrow the “ canoes depart for Hapai*.” * For the original of this fine speech, and a literal translation, see the latter part of the grammar. Mr. Mariner had in a manner learnt it off by heart, for it was so universally admired that it was in every body’s mouth for a long time after. The above version will be found somewhat different from the one in the first edition, and the reason is I did not at that time feel so well the force and strength of the Tonga idiom. 400 TRANSACTIONS AT Finow, having finished his -speech, arose am went to his house, accompanied by the sons o' his chiefs and matabooles, who, together witl his warriors, formed his retinue. After a re past, provided beforehand*, he again made ai address, but in a more familiar and conversa tional way, on the advantages of cultivating land for one’s own food, and eating the product of one’s own labour; and to strengthen his ar gument, he observed, that, hitherto in Tonga it had been the custom for those who formed the retinue of chiefs to subsist on the provision which those chiefs thought proper to share out to them from their own store : and during the great famine (which happened many years before, while he was yet but a boy), he had re- marked that more of these men (chiefs’ dependents) had died than of the lower orders, who tilled the ground for their own support, as well as that of their chiefs, because they always found means to reserve food for themselves, however great might be the tax; while those who depended on the bounty of their chiefs got but a very scanty allowance. He then went on, “You do not know how much pleasure such * They often have cava parties where little is eaten, which was the case with that where he made the above speech ; those who are fond of cava seldom eat much with it, conceiving that food destroys its genuine taste, and prevents its due effect upon the system, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 401 “ men feel when they view the work of their “ own hands thriving daily: and, whilst eating, “ when they reflect that their labour has been “ repaid by the increase of their stores : there- “ fore let us (chiefs and attendants of chiefs) “ apply ourselves, as we have nothing else to “ do, to agriculture: follow my example; I “ will order a piece of ground to be cleared, “ and, during the next rain, I will assist in “ planting it with hiabo.” No other circumstances worthy of note happened during the twenty days concluding the burial ceremony. On the tenth day, those who were not relations of the deceased, nor constituted his household, wore a sort of half mourning ; that is to say, under their mats they wore a piece of gnatoo, not to be seen, but merely to be more comfortable to the skin than the mats, which, on these occasions, are not of the finest texture. After the twentieth day they wore their ordinary dress, and went to their proper habitations ; so did also the relations of the deceased, but then these wore mats for about two months afterwards, though with gnatoo under them. We now come to speak of the transactions of the twentieth day, which concludes the whole ceremony. Early in the morning of this day, all the rela- VOL. I. D D 402 TRANSACTIONS AT tions of the deceased chief, together with those who formed his household, and also the women who were tabooed by having touched his dead body, whilst oiling and preparing it, went to the back of the island (without any particular order or ceremony) to procure a number of flat pebbles, principally white, but a few black, for which they made baskets on the spot to carry them in as before mentioned, when they went to procure sand. With these they returned to the grave, and strewed the inside of the house with the white ones, and also the outside about the fytuca, as a decoration to it: the black pebbles they strewed only upon those white ones, which covered the ground directly over the body, to about the length and breadth of a man, in the form of a very eccentric ellipsis. After this, the house over the fytoca was closed up at both ends with a reed fencing, reaching from the eaves to the ground, and, at the front and back, with a sort of basket-work, made of the young branches of the cocoa-nut tree, split and interwoven in a very curious and ornamental way, to remain till the next burial, when they are to be taken down, and, after the conclusion of the ceremony, new ones are to be put up in like manner. A large quantity of provisions was now sent to the malai by the chiefs of the different districts of the island, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 403 ready prepared and cooked ; and also a considerable quantity prepared by Finow’s own household : among these provisions was a good supply of cava root. After the chiefs, matabooles, and others, were all assembled, the provisions and cava were served out in the usual way. During this time no speech was made, nor did any particular occurrence take place. The company afterwards repaired each to his respective house, and got ready for a grand wrestling-match and entertainment of dancing the Mee too Buggi (literally, the dance, standing up with paddles. See second volume.) During the intervals of the dances, several matabooles, warriors, and others, ran before the grave, bruising and cutting their heads with clubs, axes, &c., as proofs of their fidelity to the late chief: among them, two boys, one about twelve, the other about fourteen years of age (sons of matabooles), made themselves very conspicuous in this kind of self infliction ; the youngest in particular, whose father was killed in the service of the late chief, during the great revolution at Tonga, after having 'given his head two or three hard knocks, ran up to the grave in a fit of enthusiasm, and dashing his club with all his force against the ground, exclaimed, “ Finow! why should I attempt “ thus to express my love and fidelity towards d d 2 404 TRANSACTIONS AT “ you ? my wish is, that the gods of Bolotoo “ permit me to live long enough to prove my “ fidelity to your sonhe then again raised his club, and, running about, bruised and cut his little head in so many places, that he was covered with streams of blood. This demonstration on the part of the young hero was thought very highly of by every one present, though, according to custom, nothing at that time was said in his praise ; agreeably to their maxim, that praise raises a man’s opinions of his own merit too high, and fills him with self- conceit. The late How’s fishermen now advanced forward, to shew their love for their deceased master in the usual way ; though, instead of a club or axe, each bore the paddle of a canoe, with which he beat and bruised his head at intervals, making similar exclamations to those so often related. In one respect, however, they were somewhat singular; that is, in having three arrows stuck through each cheek, in a slanting direction, so that, while their points came quite through the cheek into the mouth, the other ends went over their shoulders, and were kept in that situation by another arrow, the point of which was tied to the ends of the arrows passing over one shoulder, and the other end to those of the arrows passing over the other shoulder, so as to THE TONGA ISLANDS. 405 form a triangle; and with this horrible equipment they walked round the grave, beating their faces and heads, as before stated, with the paddles, or pinching up the skin of the breast, and sticking a spear quite through ; all this, to prove their love and affection for the deceased chief. After these exhibitions of cruelty were over, this day’s ceremony (which altogether lasted about six hours) was finished by a grand wrestling-match, which being ended, every one retired to his respective house or occupation; and thus terminated the ceremony of burying the king of the Tonga islands. Finow’s character, as a politician, at least in point of ambition and design, may vie with that of any member of more civilized society; he wanted only education and a larger field of action, to make himself a thousand times more powerful than he was. Gifted by nature with that amazing grasp of mind which seizes every thing within its reach, and then, dissatisfied with what it has obtained, is ever restless in the endeavour to obtain more, how dull and irksome must ( have been to him the dominion of a few islands, which he did not dare to leave to conquer others, lest he should be dispossessed of them by the treachery of chiefs, and the fickleness of an undisciplined army. His 406 TRANSACTIONS AT ever restless and ambitious spirit would frequently vent itself in such expressions as the following: Oh, that the gods would make ‘S~me king of England! there is not an island “ in the whole world, however small, but what “ I would then subject to my power: the king “ of England does not deserve the dominion “ he enjoys ; possessed of so many great ships, “ why does he suffer such petty islands as those “ of Tonga continually to insult his people “ with acts of treachery? Were I he, would I “ send tamely to ash for yams and pigs ? No, I “ would come with the front of battle *; and “ with the thunder ofBolotane t I would shew “ who ought to be chief. None but men of “ enterprising spirit should be in possession of “ guns ; let such rule the earth, and be those “ their vassals who can bear to submit to such “ insults unrevenged!” With such sentiments as these would he now and then break forth in presence of Mr. Mariner, after conversing on the power of the king of England. Hence his character, as to ambition, is drawn by himself with bold and decided lines. As to intrigue * Mooa totv, which literally means the front or fore-part of battle, is a very usual expression among them. f The expression they use for the noise of guns; the word Britain they cannot pronounce in any other way than Bolot&ne. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 407 and design, the reader may refer to the history of his conduct in the revolution of Tonga, (p. 7l) where he suffered Toobo Nuha’s revenge to be the tool of his ambition, pretending to have no strong wish for the death ofToogoo Ahoo; hence Toobo Nuha took upon himself the charge of assassination, whilst Finow remained on the outside of the house with his men waiting the result: thus he did not draw upon himself the odium of any one, as an actual murderer of Toogoo Ahoo; all which fell upon the shoulders of Toob6 Nuha, equally as great and brave, but a more honest arjd a worthier man. For a more striking instance, look to his deep design in the history of thb assassination of his brother Toobo Nuha, who had been his own ally, and was then his most faithful servant (see p. 132); here again he made - use of another man’s revenge to effect his purpose ; and mark the admirable caution with which he steps in this affair throughout. He acknowledges that he promised Toobo Toa his assistance, but then states, as his reason, that he did it with the view of putting off Toobo Toa’s intention for a time, under the false pretence, he says, that it was not yet a fit opportunity; but in reality, as he tells the Vavaoo people , that he might find an occasion to prevent the mischief altogether! But who can 408 TRANSACTIONS AT doubt, after having observed closely the features of that transaction, but that Finow meant to bring about the murder ofToobo Nuba that very night, else why did he tell Mr. Mariner not to bring his whaling knife with him ? was it not that he wished to be unarmed, that lie might not have an opportunity of defending Toobo Nuba? Again, he did not, before he set out from his house, send for Toobo Nuha to accompany him, but when he had got half way on his road he stopped to bathe, and in the mean while, as if it were a second and a casual thought, he sent for his victim to accompany him to the old chief’s house, where they remained above two hours. Toobo Toa was not present, and Toobo Toa’s men were getting ready a canoe for him to escape, in case he were unsuccessful. When the first blow was given, Finow could not defend Toobo Nuha, because he was purposely unarmed, and because Toobo Toa’s men held him, which they would not have dared to have done had they not been so ordered by their chief. Need any more be said to shew his policy?—Once more notice him, when he wishes to make a peace with the Vavaoo people, after he had kept up for some time a fruitless contest (p. 220). To have expressed this wish might have weakened him in the opinion of his enemies; what does he in THE TONGA ISLANDS. 409 this case?—he takes frequent opportunity to converse with the priests: he does not tell them that he wishes for peace, but he observes that peace would be much more advantageous for his subjects; lamenting, at the same time, that the disobedience of the Vavaoo peojtle obliges him to have recourse to warlike measures : the minds of the priests, however, becoming strongly impressed with the advantages of peace, when inspired they advise him to make a peace ; he, pretending to do as the gods admonish him, yields to the solicitation, and permits his priests to make overtures, as if this step was originally designed by them, or rather by the gods, and that he consented merely because it was a point of religious duty to do so. Thus we find him an admirable politician, although the picture is occasionally marked with traits which do no honour to his character as a man. Farther instances of this kind may be noticed, such as his cruelty towards his conquered enemies, by starving his prisoners to death in the shocking manner related p. 78, for which he could have no excuse, unless to deter others from rebellion. As to his seizing several of the Vavaoo chiefs at a cava ring (p. 276), and ordering them to be killed, it may perhaps be that they were meditating an insurrection, as he was informed; 410 TRANSACTIONS AT hence such strong measures became almost necessary in a state of society like that *. But it would be rather severe to consider cruelty so great a crime among these people as it would be among us: the evil to society may be perhaps quite as great, but the demerit certainly falls not so heavy upon the perpetrator, nor does the victim, in all probability, feel it so much. To return to the subject, Finow was by no means destitute of the spark of humanity : it was remarkable in him that, although he was rather arbitrary, he hated to see oppression in others, and would frequently take the part of the oppressed, against those who were punishing them harshly; and this Mr. Mariner is confident did not arise from caprice, nor from pride, as willing to make himself L the only person to be feared, but from far better motives. As a proof of his sentiments in this respect, the following anecdote is worthy of notice : When Mr. Mariner was first able to explain himself in their language, young chiefs and warriors would frequently flock about him, (particularly * It is very far from my wish to extenuate Finow’s con - duct ; on the other hand, I should be sorry to represent him a worse man than he really was. His character no doubt was a very extraordinary one, and I have endeavoured to weigh duly and without prejudice every circumstance that might tend to throw a light upon it. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 411 those who were active in taking the Port au Prince,) and question him upon the use of various things they had seen on board that vessel, and then they would describe the difficulty they had in killing some of the men, mentioning, at the same time, who killed such a one and who killed another, and expressed, by their actions, how much such a man was convulsed when he died, and how deeply he groaned. Whilst talking upon such subjects, Finow passing that way, and overhearing the discourse, would command them not to talk upon a matter which must be so disagreeable to Mr. Mariner’s feelings ; that the fate of his companions was too serious a subject to be thus slightly spoken of: to which some of the chiefs replied, “ but he “ does not make that a subject of considera- “ tion, for none of them were his relations.”— “ Though none perhaps were his relations,” rejoined Finow, “ they were nevertheless his “ countrymen.” Remarks like these, if not made out of pride, or from a spirit of contradiction, (and Mr. Mariner firmly believes they were not,) may very well serve to convince us that Finow’s mind was by no means destitute of humanity; and though he was at times cruelly severe with his prisoners, in putting them to death by ways not the least painful, still this was perhaps on all occasions, to a cer- 412 TRANSACTIONS AT, tain degree, justifiable, as examples to keep others in terror: a method undoubtedly not the best, but such as may be easily overlooked in a state of society like that in which he lived *. As another example to throw into the * Finow was not considered wantonly cruel, like Toogoo Ahoo : his severe sentences were thought necessary, by others as well as himself, to place his new authority as king upon a secure foundation. It is Mr. Mariner’s opinion, in the impartiality of which I have reason to place the utmost confidence, that had Finow been less watchful, bold, decided, and severe, Toobo Toa would soon have shortened his reign ; or, if he had not, Voona would probably have dethroned him, on his return from Hamoa, in revenge for his former loss of Vavaoo : but his conduct was so unsearchable, his discovery of conspiracies was in a manner so instinctive, and his revenge so prompt, bold, and decisive, that the people looked up to him with extraordinary admiration, and pronounced him to be truly a great chief, worthy to be a king. The most judicious of the natives, while they considered his conduct as severe, declared it to be dictated by true policy. If therefore his severity, instead of being considered either criminal or cruel by his own people, was on the contrary thought worthy of admiration as becoming a great, politic, and wise chief so circumstanced, I think I am warranted in saying that it “ was perhaps on all occasions to a certain degree justifiable.” Finow, beyond all doubt, was greatly to be condemned, but not for his cruel severity: it was his disrespect for the gods that constituted his great crime,—a crime of such a magnitude that his people were astonished to see the gods favour his enterprizes. It is exceedingly difficult to judge of such a character without entering fully into the Tonga sentiments and habits. These remarks are made in consequence of some observations on the above passage in the Quarterly Review, No. 33, p. 25. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 413 scale in favour of Finow’s humanity and discriminative justice, we may quote the instance of pardon granted to the two boys of the Port au Prince, who, notwithstanding they were guilty of theft and sacrilege, were excused on account of their supposed ignorance of the extent of their crime; whilst a native would have been executed upon the spot. (See p. l63.) His conduct towards Mr. Mariner must also be noticed at the time when the Hope, Captain Chace, arrived at Yavaoo. (See p. 303.) It should here moreover be observed, that Finow’s temper w r as uncommonly irritable ; when once excited into anger, his rage was terrible: this he acknowledged himself, and would frequently say that his quick temper was the infliction sent him from Bolotoo *: and in some measure to obviate its ill effects, he frequently charged his matabooles to hold him whenever they saw him getting violently angry ! This they always did, and in about ten minutes or a quarter of * They believe that every man has some deep-seated evil, either in his mental or bodily constitution, sent him by the gods; but for which they assign no other reason than the delight they take in punishing mankind : this last opinion is however by no means universal, the generality of the natives do not pretend to assign any reason ; and upon mature consideration Mr. Mariner is convinced that the malignancy of the gods is not a Tonga doctrine, except as far as regards the Hotooa Pow hereafter to be spoken of. 414 TRANSACTIONS AT an hour he would become quite calm, and thank them for their interference. This admirable conduct is, no doubt, a beautiful trait in the character of a savage : and there is perhaps at this time many a man living at the Tonga islands who owes his present existence to this circumstance ; whose head would undoubtedly have been cleaved long ago, but for this laudable artifice on the part of their chief. Nor was he on all occasions unable to master his temper without these secondary means; for if we observe him when he approached the shores of Yavaoo, to address the people with the view of persuading them to amicable measures, we shall see that all the scoffs and insults of his enemies did not in the least ruffle his temper, contrary to the expectation of his friends. But, however, his temper was no doubt very irritable, and with such a temper, and in such a state of society, it is not to be wondered at that he should occasionally be very harsh in his measures towards those who rebelled against him. As to his moral character in general, not much can be said in his favour; he was suspected of harbouring revengeful designs against individuals for years, and would wreak his vengeance at a fit opportunity and kill them, as if from a momentary impulse of passion, when nobody was near to restrain him. His revenge THE TONGA ISLANDS. 415 in this way was sometimes wreaked upon chiefs, who, as he imagined, did not pay him so much tribute as their plantations could have afforded; at least such was supposed to be his motive, by those who knew him best. In describing the character of an extraordinary man, the picture is unfinished unless we furnish also a portraiture of his person, and of his personal manners; otherwise the imagination of the reader is sure to describe for itself a body, as a substratum on which all these mental qualifications are superinduced; and hence, incongruities are mingled together; the harmony of the picture weakened, if not quite destroyed; and an imperfect artificial construction is substituted for a perfect natural production. To give an example of the propriety, if not the necessity of this,—one might imagine from the character above given of Fi- now that he was of a very vindictive and cruel disposition, because we have given a few instances in confirmation of it: one might believe him therefore to have a countenance harsh and severe, a lowering, sullen brow, a haughty deportment, &c.—But nothing can be more remote from his true personal characterand we are surprised to hear that his countenance was indeed energetic, yet mild ; his brow prominent and bold, without sullenness; his dfc- 416 TRANSACTIONS AT portment manly and erect, without pride. Without the knowledge of these facts, we suppose him to have been cruel and malevolent; with the knowledge of them, we rather suppose him to have been severe ; but that his severity, where it degenerated into harshness, was occasioned sometimes by hastiness of temper; sometimes by misconception of the crime which he punished; at other times, (and perhaps partly at all times,) by the habits of the society in which he lived, these habits occasioning him to view acts of real cruelty in a light less atrocious than we should.—If, on the other hand, we were to find that his countenance spoke the same harsh language that his actions appeared to speak, we might, without much fear of error, set him. down as being often capable of malignant and atrocious actions*. Finow, the sole and arbitrary monarch of Vavaoo, and the Hapai islands, was in stature six feet two inches; in bulk and strength, stout and muscular; his head erect and bold; his shoulders broad and well made ; his limbs well * That which appears to be the worst of his actions, at least the most inhuman, viz. the assassination of his brother Toobo Nuha, was always an inexplicable puzzle to those who might be considered impartial; but they all seemed perfectly convinced that he would not have done it without some strong reason. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 417 set, strong, and graceful in action; his body not corpulent, but muscular; his hair of a jet black, and curly, yet agreeably so, without being woolly ; his forehead remarkably high j his brow bold and intelligent, with a little austerity; his eye large and penetrating, yet joined to an expression of mildness; his nose aquiline and large ; his lips well made and expressive ; his teeth remarkably large, white, and regular ; his lower jaw rather prominent; his cheek bones also rather prominent, compared with those of Europeans.—All his features were well developed, and declared a strong and energetic mind, with that sort of intellectual expression which belongs not so much to the sage as to the warlike chieftain : ambition sat high on his front, and guided all his energies: his deep and penetrating eye, and his firm and masculine deportment, while they inspired his adherents with confidence, struck awe to the minds of conspirators: his actions were, for the most part, steady and determined, and directed to some well studied purpose: his resolve was fate, and those who obeyed him with reluctance trembled, not without reason. He ap» peared, almost constantly, in deep thought, and did not often smile ;—when he spoke, in matters of some importance, it was not without first holding up the balance in his mind, to weigh VOL. I. E E 418 TRANSACTIONS AT well what he had to say: persuasion hung upon his lip, and the How of his eloquence was such, that many of his enemies were afraid to listen to him, lest they should be led to view the subject in a light prejudicial to their interests. Although, in matters of consequence, he always seemed to weigh well what he had to say, in subjects of minor importance he was very quick in reply: his voice was loud, not harsh but mellow, and his pronunciation remarkably distinct. When he laughed, which was not on trifling occasions, it was so loud as to be heard at an incredible distance; and with a very strange noise preceding it, as if he were hallooing after somebody a long way off, and the same kind of noise as he always made when in a passion: and this was peculiar to him. When in his house, however, giving orders about his domestic arrangements, his voice was** uncommonly mild, and very low. In regard to his sentiments of religion and policy, they may be pretty well gathered from sundry passages in the narrative:—with respect to his religion in particular, it is difficult to say whether he had any: it is certain that he disbelieved most of the oracles delivered by the priests; for although he conceived that they were really inspired, when they appeared to be so, yet he thought that frequently a great deal THE TONGA ISLANDS. 419 of what they declared to be the sentiments of the god was their own invention j and this par* ticularly in regard to what did not suit his own sentiments. He never, however, declared his opinion of these things in public ; though he expressed them, very decidedly, to Mr, Mari* ner, and some of his intimate friends. He used to say that the gods would always favour that party in war, in which there were the greatest chiefs and warriors. He did not believe that the gods paid much attention in other respects to the affairs of mankind ; nor did he think they could have any reason for doing so,-*r-no more than man could have any reason or inter rest in attending to the affairs of the gods. He believed in the doctrine of a future state, agree* ably to the notions entertained by his country* men ; that is, that chiefs and matabooleS, having souls, exist hereafter in Bolotoo, according to their rank in this world; but that the common people, having no souls, or those only that die with their bodies, are without any hope of a future existence. Such was the character of the late How of the Tonga islands,—a character not without a considerable share of merit; in some respects not unworthy imitation, and in every respect highly interesting.-r-We have pourtrayed it at some length, because such characters do not e e 2 420 TRANSACTIONS AT often come under our observation; and it is proper that we should know what men are and may be in a savage state, if we wish to judge with tolerable accuracy of the human character in a civilized state, that, by comparison of the two together,we may arrive at a betterknowledge of human nature in the abstract; a science of all sciences the most truly interesting ; a science to which all others are but auxiliary ; and without which all others would be but vain subtleties, fatiguing in the pursuit, and unsatisfactory in the possession. We come now to view the island of Vavaoo under the dominion of a man of a very different turn of mind; of one whose intellect was of a very superior kind; and who, unlike his late father, was void of inordinate political ambition, and sought the happiness of his people, not the extension of his own power ; an admirer of the arts, a philosopher among savages! But to shew better the contrast between the two, we need only mention, that, when the late king was not at his house, and it was necessary to seek for him, he was generally to be found at some public place, at some other chief’s house, or at the malai ; if the present king was wanted, he was to be found at the houses of carpenters, or canoe-builders, or else up in the country, inspecting some ground to be cultivated. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 421 CHAPTER XIV. The large fortress of Felletoa rebuilt—The late king appears to Foonagi (a female chief) in a dream—The charm of Tattao—Tonga-tnana arrives from the Hapai islands respecting the Inachi—Certain political views arising from this circumstance—Permission granted to Toobo Toa to come to Vavaoo to perform the usual ceremonies at Fi- now’s grave—His conduct on this occasion—His astonishment at the warlike appearance of the new garrison— Arrival of Lalohea cow Kefoo from Hapai—Great storm of thunder and lightning; its effects on the minds of the people—Dreams of a number of women, predicting the death of Tooitonga—Illness of Tooitonga—The fingers of several children cut off as sacrifices to the gods—Several children strangled—Tooitonga’s death—His burial—The king prepares himself to perform the usual ceremonies at his father’s grave—Accident of Mr. Mariner’s sneezing: his quarrel with the king on this account: his after conduct : their reconciliation. Soon after the burial of the late king, Finow Fiji proposed to his nephew (the present king) to rebuild the large garrison at Felletoa, which might serve as a strong and impenetrable fortification, in case of attack from a foreign enemy: besides which, he justly observed, that the garrison being rebuilt, it might serve as a place of residence for all the chiefs and great warriors ; a measure in itself highly political,as it would 422 TRANSACTIONS AT prevent the seditious from forming cabals and parties, which they might more easily do whilst living at a distance up the country, than they could under the eyes of the king. But it was not proposed that they should reside constantly at the garrison, and, by that means, neglect their plantations in the country, but that each should have a house built with the usual conveniences for his wife and family, within the fencing, to reside in at night, visiting his plantations during the day; or to retire to wholly, in case of invasion, civil commotion, and whenever the king should order him to do so. This proposal of Finow Fiji being assented to by the kingi the former requested permission to have the sole management of laying out the plan, and to see it carried into effect, which the latter readily agreed to. During the time the garrison was being rebuilt, a circumstance happened which seemed to indicate that a conspiracy was on the eve of b^ihg formed, if not actually begun, and, as the Circumstance alluded to is connected with a Certain superstitious ceremony worthy of detail, we shall be particular in the description of it, and give the account of it exactly as it happened. Foonagi, the wife of Finow Fiji, and formerly the Wife of Tymomangnoongoo (a great warrior, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 423 who was a party concerned in taking the Port au Prince), was a woman of uncommon penetration and discernment, and, on that account, as well as from the circumstance of her being the daughter of a chief who was a friend of the late Finow’s father, was highly regarded by the late king, and who attached himself to her so much, that it is supposed she lived with him as his mistress during the time that she was actually the wife of her first husband. She was a woman extremely religious, and universally respected, on account of her accurate knowledge with regard to all religious ceremonies, on which subject she was frequently consulted by the chiefs ; and, upon political matters, Finow himself often consulted her, for in this, also, she stood eminent in the esteem of every one. To Finow she seemed as much attached as he to her; and, after his death, mourned his loss with a sorrow beyond the reach of comfort. She, above all others, was most attentive in decorating with flowers planted by her own hand, and, with the utmost solicitude, keeping in order the fytoca where lay the body cf her deceased friend. For the space of six months this faithful mourner scarcely ever slept but on his grave, watering it with her tears, and disturbing the silence of the night with her sighs. One day she went, with the deepest affliction, to the house of Mo-oonga 424 TRANSACTIONS AT Toobo, the widow of the deceased chief, to communicate what had happened to her at the fytoca during several nights, and which caused her the greatest anxiety. She related that she had dreamed that the late How appeared to her, and, with a countenance full of disappointment, asked, why there yet remained at Vavaoo so many evil-designing persons •, for, he declared, that, since he had been at Bolotoo, his spirit had been disturbed by the evil machinations of wicked men conspiring against his son ; but he declared that “ the youth” should not be molested, nor his power shaken by the spirit of rebellion; that therefore he came to her with a warning voice, to prevent such disastrous consequences. The apparition next desired her to place in order the pebble-stones upon his grave *, and pay every attention to the fytoca; he then disappeared. This troublesome dream she had had three or four nights’successively. Mo-oonga Toobo, upon hearing this account, thought it expedient to search the fytoca, to see if the charm of tattao* had not been practised in re- * It must here be recollected, that mourners were accustomed to smooth the graves of their departed friends, and cover them with black and white pebbles. f The charm of tuttao consists in hiding upon the grave, or in any part of the fytoca, some portion of the wearing apparel of an inferior relation of the deceased, in consequence of which that relation will sicken and die j or, it may be bu- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 425 gard to the present Finow. They accordingly went together to the grave, and, after accurate examination, they discovered several bits of giiatoo, and a wreath of flowers curiously formed in a peculiar manner, invented by one of the wives of the king, and which they recollected to have seen him wear round his neck a few days before. This circumstance being communicated to Finow, and coming to the ears of his chiefs, and of the mataboolesof the late How, produced considerable consternation among many of them. Finow, however, with that cool presence of mind which marked his character, issued orders to his chiefs to keep a vigilant look out, and, without discovering the least alarm, did every thing in the way of preparation against the worst that might happen. He kept Mr. Mariner constantly near him, that he might not be accidentally separated from him in case of any public disturbance. On all occasions he endeavoured to make the conspirators (if any such there were) believe that he was perfectly off his guard, and in conscious security, and, ried in the house consecrated to the tutelar god of the family. This charm is not supposed to have the desired effect when the grave of a deceased person is made use of, unless the deceased was of superior rank to the person on whom the charm is practised. TRANSACTIONS AT 420 the better to convince them of this, he feigned to imagine that the bits of buried gnatoo, &c. must have been hidden there by some dogs in their play: by expressing himself in this way, he was in hopes of emboldening the conspirators to proceed with less caution in their plan, under the idea that he was off his guard. All this precaution, however, and studied policy, were unnecessary, as no signs of conspiracy became evident, and, perhaps, no conspiracy existed. In the mean time, the building and fortifying the garrison with extra ditches went on with dispatch, and, in a short time, was completed to the perfect satisfaction of Finow. Shortly after the fortress was finished, a canoe arrived from the Hapai islands with Tonga- mana, a chief of the line of Tooitonga, who came from Toobo Toa, with a request to know how the inachi * was to be sent to Tooitonga, seeing that Finow had declared that no communication whatever was to be kept up with Hapai. As all on board were habited in mats, with leaves of the ifi tree round their necks, as a .token of submission, and that they came upon a religious duty, they were permitted to land. After having presented cava to several consecrated houses, they came before Finow, and * The annual tribute of the first fruits of each island, to Tooitonga. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 427 presented some to him, and then opened to him the subject of their mission, stating that they came with a request from Toobo Toa, that he would grant him permission to present himself at Vavaoo, to pay his last respects to the memory of the late king, by performing the usual ceremonies at his grave; hoping that, although Finow seemed determined to cut off all communication with the Hapai islands, that still he would not carry his decree to such an extent as to form an insuperable bar to the performance of a religious duty, for that he (Toobo Toa) wished to take his last farewell of a great chief, who, while living, he so highly esteemed, and whose memory he had now so much reason to respect. After Finow had heard the subject of the embassy, he said, in reply, that he should consult his chiefs and matabooles as to what measures he ought to take, and would return a definitive answer as soon as possible. Tonga- mana and his party then rose up and went down to the beach, where their canoe was, and passed the night in the canoe-house. Immediately after they had departed, Finow held a council with his chiefs and matabooles, the result of which was, that Toobo Toa should be allowed to send the inachi , provided Tonga- mana’s canoe only was sent, and that this particular canoe should he allowed to come on any ii 428 TRANSACTIONS AT after occasion, upon condition that there were no more men on board than should be sufficient to constitute a crew ; or, if he encroached upon this law, the canoe was never to be allowed to come again : but the question regarding Toobo Toa’s coming was reserved for a future opportunity. This resolution was made, partly from religious motives, and partly to shew the Hapai people that they entertained no fears of them, but-chiefly, perhaps, to demonstrate to Toobo Toa, how well provided and well armed they were against all attacks from a foreign enemy. The following morning, at cava, this resolution respecting the celebration of the inachi, on the part of the Hapai people, was communicated to Tonga-mana, upon which he departed immediately, on his return to the Hapai islands. As soon as Toobo Toa heard the permission granted by Finow, he ordered the tributes from the different islands (intended for the inachi ) to be collected together, and put on board Tonga-mana’s canoe. At the same time, the inhabitants of Tofooa, an island belonging to Tooitonga, eager to send their tribute for the inachi, also dispatched a canoe to accompany that of Toobo Toa; and although this was contrary to Finow’s strict injunction (that only Tonga-mana’s canoe should come on this expedition), still they flattered themselves that, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 429 at it was a canoe from Tooitonga’s own island, it would be overlooked. But in this they were mistaken, for no sooner did the people of Va- vaoo (so jealous were they of any apparent encroachment on their liberties) perceive that two canoes, instead of one, w r ere coming to their shores, than they raised a great clamour, contending that the Hapai people had a mind to be treacherous; that, under the mask of religion, they were coming as spies; and, making these complaints to Finow, they called loudly for orders against such a proceeding, and insisted that one of the canoes should be sent back before the other should be allowed to land. Finow, seeing the conduct of the Hapai people, and hearing the complaints of his own, immediately gave orders that Tooitonga’s canoe should be instantly sent away, else neither of them should be allowed to land. Perceiving, however, afterwards, that Tooitonga’s canoe was laden with part of the tribute, and as it would have been sacrilegious to have sent back any portion of what was intended for the inachi, he ordered it to be landed, and the canoe, with all its men, who, by the by, were choice warriors, to be sent back immediately, without being allowed to set foot on shore. On this occasion, Finow, reflecting how easy it would be for any of the Vavaoo people who chose to 430 TRANSACTIONS AT leave the island on this occasion, and that Tool- tonga’s canoe would readily receive them, because the law which he had previously made extended not to this canoe, but only (according to the manner in which it was expressed), to that of Tonga-mana; reflecting on this, and seeing no way to prevent the evil, he openly proclaimed to the people, that if any wished to go and reside at Hapai, they had the opportunity of going in Tooitonga’s canoe, but that they would not be permitted to return to Va. vaoo. No one, however, thought proper to leave the island. After the ceremony of inachi, the canoe of Tonga-mana was sent away with permission to bring Toobo Toa, and any of his chiefs that thought proper to come, even although they filled more than one canoe, provided they only staid one day at Vavaoo, just to perform the ceremonies at the grave of the late How. For the king began now to consider that it would be had policy to impose too many restrictions on the admission of the Hapai people, as it would indicate want of strength, and a certain degree of apprehension ; and on the other hand, as the fortress was very strong, and able to resist almost any adverse force, he had not so much occasion to be under alarm. In the mean time Finow dispatched several THE TONGA ISLANDS. 431 small canoes to the outer islands of Hafooloo How*, to watch the arrival of Toobo Toa, and to return with immediate notice of this event to Vavaoo, which they did as soon as they saw three canoes which hove in sight. The notice being given to Finow, he sent back several of his own canoes to meet those of Toobo Toa, with orders that the Hapai canoes should not be allowed to advance farther than the neighbouring islands, but that they should bring Toobo Toa and his party along with them up the creek to Felletoa, in the Vavaoo canoes. This was accordingly done, and Toobo Toa, and about sixty of his warriors, were landed near the fortress. They were all dressed in mats ; their heads were shaven, and the leaves of the ifi tree were round their necks, according to the custom at burials. They were followed by several boys bearing a few spears, arrows, and clubs. They proceeded immediately to the grave of the late How, and after having sa* before it a little time, with their heads bowed down, Toobo Toa arose, and taking a sharp club from one of the boys, inflicted several very severe wounds on his own head, calling out to the deceased to witness this proof of his love and fidelity, and declaring aloud that his * The name given to Vavaoo and all its surrounding little inlands. 432 TRANSACTIONS AT sentiments towards his son were the same as those he formerly entertained towards him, notwithstanding that his death had occasioned this seeming breach between himself and his son ; and protesting how much he wished a perfect and friendly understanding with the Va- vaoo people, that he might occasionally have the opportunity of preparing the cava for young Finow; and by such and other assiduities prove his respect and loyalty towards his family: but as he supposed that the chiefs of Bolotoo had decreed otherwise, he should be contented to live at the Hapai islands, and evince his remembrance of the deceased, by sending, in Tonga-mana’s canoe, the produce of his own islands as presents to his son. This speech was followed by those of several of his party, all much in the same sentiment, and then, after bruising their heads, running spears and arrows through their cheeks, thighs, and breasts, they left the grave to attend to the cava of Finow. In the evening Finow, Toobo Toa, and Finow Fiji, had a short conversation together, when Toobo Toa expressed his wish to be tributary to Vavaoo, notwithstanding it might still be thought politic, as long as any of Toobo Nuha’s near relations were living, to keep him and his people at a distance, acknowledging that such a separation was the only THE TONGA ISLANDS. 433 way of preserving peace between the two powers. He stated, moreover, that with the view of keeping his own people from meditating either conspiracies against himself or wars against Vavaoo, (which they would be sure to do if they remained long idle), he should turn his attention to the assistance of the garrison of Hihifo at Tonga, which was upon friendly terms with him, but which he lately heard was very weak, and in great danger of being destroyed by the enemy. To the succour of his friends, therefore, he meant to proceed to Tonga with a strong army as soon as possible. To Toobo Toa’s proposal of still sending a tribute, Finow objected for two reasons, first, because Vavaoo itself yielded quite enough for the maintenance of his people, and secondly, because any tribute received from Toobo Toa might be construed by the people into an act of friendship and alliance, which ill suited with the sentiments they entertained towards the man who had formerly killed their beloved chief Toobo Nuha. As to the annual tribute for the inachi, it could not be dispensed with, because it was a religious act, and was necessary to be performed to ensure the favour of the gods, and to prevent any calamities which might otherwise be inflicted on them. Toobo Toa was obliged to accede to all that Finow VOL. i. v F 434 TRANSACTIONS AT had so reasonably said upon the subject; his pride, however (as it was believed) was much hurt at feeling the necessity of coinciding in the wishes of so young and inexperienced a chief. Whilst Toobo Toa was speaking, the tears ran down his cheeks, influenced probably by the feelings of his heart, for he had a great respect for the late How, a real friendship for him, and felt a sincere regret for his loss. The same evening he took his leave of Finow, by performing the ceremony of moe-moe*, and repaired * A kind of salute paid to the greatest chief present, and consists in bowing the head, (whilst sitting cross-legged before him) so that the forehead touches the sole of the chief s foot, (who sits in like manner) and then touching the sole of the same foot, (which may be either the right or the left) first with the palm and then with the back of each hand. The ceremony is also performed by persons who may have accidentally touched any part of a superior chiefs person, or any thing whatever belonging to him; and unless this ceremony is performed after such contact, they cannot eat without danger (as they suppose) of swelling up and dying. They are very subject to indurations of the liver, and certain forms of scrofula hereafter to be spoken of, and which, as they conceive, frequently happens from a neglect of this ceremony, after touching any thing belonging to a superior chief. They most frequently, however, perform it, without knowing themselves to have occasion for it, merely as a matter of caution. And if a man has eaten any thing without performing this ceremony when he had occasion for it, the chief applies the sole of his foot also to the man’s belly, as a greater security against such swellings. Moe-moe means literally to touch or press. (See note, p, 141.) THE TONGA ISLANDS. 435 with his men to the canoes, in which the following morning he departed for Hapai. Toobo Toa was greatly pleased with the appearance of the garrison, declaring that he had never seen any thing so warlike and formidable, not even at the Fiji islands, where he had lived several years. Finow had indeed given the strictest orders to make every thing appear in as good a state as possible, producing a tasteful display of clubs, spears, and arrows, arranged against the houses, with wreaths of flowers and certain warlike decorations. Upon the whole, when the size and strength of the place, with its situation, was taken into consideration, it was, perhaps, by far the most formidable fortification that had ever been established in any of those clusters of islands, in the midst of the southern ocean. About a month after the departure of Toob6 Toa, during which time nothing particular occurred, a fisherman from one of the neighbouring islands brought word that a small canoe had been seen coming in a direction from Hapai. In a short time the canoe itself arrived, bringing one of Finow’s principal warriors, Lolo Hea Cow Keifoo, and his two brothers, young lads, who had been at the Hapai islands in consequence of the illness of theif father, who had resided there, but was since 436 TRANSACTIONS AT dead. They brought intelligence that Toob6 Toa had ordered all the canoes to be got ready as soon as possible, and put in a state for sea; and all his fighting men to hold themselves in readiness to depart at a moment’s notice. In consequence of this order, Lolo Hea suspected, and indeed it was universally believed, that it was Toob6 Toa’s intention to make a descent upon the island of Vavaoo : hence he took the first opportunity to make his eseape with his two brothers ; for had he stayed to have come with the invading army, he could not in honour have deserted it, and would thus have been obliged to fight against his own countrymen*. Finow, on hearing this intelligence, was not backward in making the most judicious preparations to receive his enemy, and which he did, although he had no idea but that his intention was to land his men at Tonga, with a view to assist the garrison before spoken of; but still he held himself well prepared, according to the Tonga maxim, that is never to suspect any thing without immediately making preparations for the worst. To the rest of the preparations Mr. Mariner * Such is the opinion of the Tonga islanders, that if a man be at any foreign island which is about to wage war with his own, he holds himself obliged to side with the people among whom he is (see p. 179. note.) THE TONGA ISLANDS. 437 got ready a carronade, which had hitherto not been used, on account of its having been spiked. Having nothing wherewith to drill the touch-hole, he collected together a vast quantity of wood, and made a large fire, in the midst of which was the gun, of which, when hot, he readily cleared the touch-hole: it was then mounted upon a carriage. Thus Finow had three guns, six barrels of powder, and plenty of shot, for almost all the shot which had been fired in the former attacks upon the garrison were again found and collected. Finow also sent a canoe to the islands of Togoo, to the N. W. of Vavaoo, to collect a cargo of round black pebbles, which are found there in abundance, to serve as shot. With all this ammunition, Finow was far superior to Toobo Toa, who had only two guns, and was withal very short both of powder and shot. All these preparations, however, were never required, for, shortly after, Tonga Mana’s canoe arrived, bringing intelligence that. Toobo Toa had proceeded with his army to the assistance of the garrison before spoken of in the island of Tonga. About this time there happened a very heavy storm of thunder and lightning, which is always considered ominous by the natives, and esteemed the harbinger of some great event, 4.38 TRANSACTIONS AT such as invasion, death of a great chief, arrival of an European ship, &c. This event therefore produced, as it generally does, considerable anxiety in the minds of the people; and this anxiety was much increased by the dreams of several women. One dreamed that during the time of the inachi, Tooitonga, at the head of a number of hotooas, attacked them, and broke to pieces the consecrated yams ; another, that she had been at Bolotoo, and heard a decree of Higooleo, (one of the principal hotooas,) that Vavaoo should shortly experience some great calamity, because the people had neglected some particular and important ceremonies. In this state of the public mind, parties were sent to the outer islands to keep a perpetual watch, and to bring immediate intelligence of any canoe that might appear. In the course of a little time it was remarked that Tooitonga decreased considerably in size, losing flesh every day, although otherwise in good health ; it was not long, however, before he began to complain of weakness and loss of appetite. His illness beginning thus to be confirmed, occasioned his relations and attendants to have recourse to the usual ceremonies on such melancholy occasions. Accordingly every day one or other of his young relations had a little finger cut oft', as a propitiatory offering to the THE TONGA ISLANDS. 439 gods for the sins of the siclc man *. These sacrifices, however, were found of no avail;— greater, therefore, were soon had recourse to : and accordingly three or four children were strangled, at different times, in the manner which has already been related; and invocations were made to the deities at fytocas, consecrated houses, and in the persons of the priests, but still without effect, for the gods were deaf to their entreaties; and the illness of the sacred chief grew every day more alarming. As a last resource, therefore, to excite the compassion of the deities, they carried the emaciated person of Tooitonga to the place where his provisions were accustomed to be cooked t; * Nothing is more common in these islands than the sacrifice of a little finger on occasion of the illness of a superior relation : insomuch, that there is scarcely a grown-up person (unless a very great chief, who can have but few superior relations) but who has lost the little finger of both hands. Nor is there ever any dispute between two persons with a view to get exempt from this ceremony; on the contrary, Mr. Mariner has witnessed a violent contest between two children of five years of age, each claiming the favour of having the ceremony performed on him, so little do they fear the pain of the operation : the pain indeed is but very trifling, from the mode, probably, in which it is performed, which will be fully described in another place. f It must be recollected that this is an act of great humility, that the high and sacred chief of Tonga should resort to the place where his victuals are cooked. See the account of the death of Finow, p. 368. 440 TRANSACTIONS AT —in the same manner as Know was carried :— but notwithstanding all this, death overtook him in the course of eight days, after six weeks illness. About a month or six weeks after the funeral ceremonies were finished, (which will be described under the head of Religious Ceremonies, in the second volume,) Finow, who had not broken his head (as they call it) at the grave of his father, because perhaps on a public occasion it would have looked in him like an ostentatious display of what might have been thought affected feeling, resolved to perform this ceremony in a more private manner, accompanied only by a few of his warriors, to whom he now signified his intention. Accordingly one morning he and his men began to prepare themselves for this affair, when unfortunately an accident happened, which to us Europeans (in the present times) would not have attracted the slightest attention; but, in the estimation of these people, was a matter pregnant with the most important and serious consequences:—for at this time Mr. Mariner, on entering the house, happened to sneeze!! Immediately every one present threw down his club, for who would proceed on so important an expedition after so dire an omen * ! Finow’s * To sneeze at the moment of setting out on an expedition argues, in their opinion, the most fatal results: even Finow THE TONGA ISLANDS. 441 eyes flashed with the fire of rage;—directing them full on Mr. Mariner, he cursed him with the most bitter curse, “ strike your god!”— and, rising from the ground, he demanded why he came there ?—to which he answered, “ Your father would not have asked me that “ question ; and I am surprised that you are “ so much unlike him, as to believe in such su- £ “ perstitious nonsense.” This was too much for him to bear, particularly before so many of his men ; and snatching up a dub that lay near him, he would have instantly despatched him, if some of the men present had not pushed Mr. Mariner out of the house, while the rest held Finow. Upon this the former wished him good bye *—said that if he wanted him he might send for him, adding, that he did not before know that his presence was so disagreeable. Several men then came out of the house, and hurried Mr. Mariner away, lest Finow, before his passion had time to cool, should pursue him, and effect some desperate revenge: he retired, therefore, to a house near the grave. Shortly after, Finow having consulted with his men upon the subject of Mr. Mariner’s sneezing, resolved that, as he was a foreigner, and who had a superior mind, could not efface from it the depth of the impression. * The expression answering to this in the Tonga language is tea ger nofo, (and you remain,) and is a phrase always used in taking leave of any one. VOL. I. G G 442 TRANSACTIONS AT had different gods, his sneezing was not to be considered of any consequence: they then proceeded to the grave to perform the ceremony of head-breaking, when Finow and all his men, inspired with enthusiasm, cut and bruised their heads in a shocking manner; Finow in particular, not contented with the usual instruments, made use of a saw, the teeth of which he struck against his skull with such vehemence and goodwill, that he staggered as he went home with loss of blood. These scenes need not be further described ; we have already had enough of them. Mr. Mariner, immediately after this, proceeded to his plantation, resolving to remain there, and see how long Finow would be contented without his company. This conduct, according to the manners and customs of Europeans, appears extremely haughty, arrogant, and presumptuous : for although Finow, in this instance, was undoubtedly much to blame in putting himself in such a violent rage, and Mr. Mariner in danger of his life, on the occasion of an accident which might so easily have happened, and might have been so difficult to avoid, yet the latter being so much the inferior, we might suppose it to be his duty first to ask pardon for the offence so unintentionally committed : but this plan would be far from pro- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 443 during a good effect in the Tonga islands : on the contrary, he would have been thought a mean-spirited fellow, ever willing to sink himself below the dignity of a man, to purchase the pardon and friendship of a superior. And had he acted in this way, the king would most Undoubtedly have thought meanly of him, and never again have made him a confidential friend, which always implies something of an equality. In the evening (a few hours after his arrival at his plantation) a girl came with a message from his adopted mother, assuring him that he was perfectly safe, Finow having expressed his extreme sorrow for his own conduct: she advised him, however, not to return to the king till after several invitations, nor even till he came in person to request a renewal of his friendship ; for although it was dangerous in Tonga to be too haughty,—on the other hand, too much submission would be as bad (upon the principle above alluded to) : besides, as she was shortly going to live at the Hapai islands along with her father, she wished beforehand to see Mr. Mariner safe against all future designs and insults from inferior chiefs, by thus counselling him to act with becoming dignity towards even the king himself, whose friendship and sentiments towards Mr. Mariner she well knew. He accordingly took her advice, and remained at the 444 TONGA TRANSACTIONS. plantation ten days, notwithstanding repeated messages from Finow, and entreaties to return; and at last he so intimidated the messengers, by threatening to shoot them if they appeared again with that errand, that Finow at length resolved to fetch him himself; and accordingly one morning entered his house, and having awakened him, saluted him in the kindest and most affectionate manner, begged his pardon for his too hasty conduct, and wept abundantly. After this period they were inseparable friends. During this reconciliation, Finow explained to Mr. Mariner the cause of his unseasonable rage agaist him for sneezing: it was not that he had any superstitious idea of it as a bad omen, but that it might have this effect upon the minds of his men, and thus put off his intended ceremony. END of VOL. I. T. DAVISON, LOMBARD-STREET, WHITEFRIAR9, LONDON .mt>, Ms. ■4sfe*rv JiSS .-~«.-' , <»y,K jig* Vv-m m$m y:mi MM pg^. ,.t.V.^Jfc*L vs^.a;:.a.^: s-.&y . V s * "Marsssi r4**- "S l ~ i rz-. SVww'fj .*-»»» iii*-. ito.m M - . r;-- ***_ ••• ■■ -V v .- • .•■ • w:V • c ^ %■,' ' '" t v\%. ■ V fcj* frW' >£ »■ v 1 : ; s-: \‘g- "V : **#, >r i ' - j iief.t»i*X'"- ■'. ■ -jX\. .' ' j5\' ' ■ Schenkung des Vulkaninstituts Immanuel Friedlander a.M Z - " -t [ 1 I E * ' r ; ‘?Mr, a ' Vt* 'fcr'FA'j, :.- r.x^V-'Jvv 'JHT: «*■- ■* ■f ' TAi-c k, •, t AAm::, , - ’whtf'■,:■■'■ % AA.' : .. !','i ' %X?I6§ ... - • j «» Shifts*** ETHICS ETH-BIB K?#. ' , „. :-, v ■ 00100000797001 mm gWpsi* iiiilfli 'V i' S4£&S@i& . <_. <•*..- ■ *M ACCOUNT OF THE TONGA ISLANDS. zonioft T. DAVISON, LOMBARD-STflKETj WHITEFHJARS, LONDON, ^mis, mm m'.-j H o w Hafooloo ^ OF THE j I S I A If D S T H E P A I .JffboJcooneunoo a District wiled, Maca-vo b Fortress of Heatbo c Hill Taloy . tftel'eland -where the Fort au Prince was ait off", in Hie spot marked it d. Situation of the Cave of Tootawi e PlajitaHon, ' Zicoo One £ Fortress of Felletoas % Sacred ground called Onacow lr Salt-water-Zalzc i Hill hfooonga, laid E O O A (fajHamooca- chi ICao There two Zrlands are fdmou.r tor wood. Sc for the, manufacture of mats. OrvTofcoa there is a small volcano. a. District of Hahagv la Island of Pangaimotoo c (hnseauicd g round-Zfafhngt d Fortress of Hioocalofa/ e District of Hihifb 'Published as the act directs February ii l jSj8 bvJofuiMiuTagAlbemarleSUeetLondon,. JSYalker Sculf r- <£L AN ACCOUNT OF THE NATIVES OF THE TONGA ISLANDS, IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN. WITH AN ORIGINAL GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY OF THEIR LANGUAGE. COMPILED AND ARRANGED FROM THE EXTENSIVE COMMUNICATIONS OF MR. WILLIAM MARINER, SEVERAL YEARS RESIDENT IN THOSE ISLANDS.* BY JOHN MARTIN, M. D. M The savages of America inspire less interest.... since celebrated navigators '* have made known to us the inhabitants of the islands of the South Sea .... The “ state of half-civilization in which those islanders are found gives a peculiar “ charm to the description of their manners .... Such pictures, no doubt, have “ more attraction than those which pourtray the solemn gravity of the inhabitant “ of the banks of the Missouri or the Maranon.” Preface to Humboldt's Personal Narrative. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. SECOND EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET 8P 1818 . V >*/ AM.g'J ,:p i < i \)iM 89 ml CHAPTER XV. The king annihilates the divine chiefdom of Tooitonga, and the ceremony of inachi —Mr. Mariner’s adopted mother departs for Hapai—The stratagem used to prevent her female attendants from accompanying her—Spirited speech of Talo on this occasion—All communication with the Hapai islands shut up—The king’s extraordinary attention to the cultivation and defence of the country—Interesting anecdote respecting two chiefs, Hdla A'pi A'pi and Talo— Attempt from the people of Hapai—Mr. Mariner discovers an European vessel whilst on a fishing excursion: his men refusing to take him on board, he wounds one mortally, and threatens the others, upon which they paddle towards the ship—Anecdote of the wounded man—Mr. Mariner’s arrival on board, and reception from the captain—The king visits him in the ship: his behaviour on board : his earnest wish to go to England—Mr. Mariner sends on shore for the journal of the Port au Prince, and procures the escape of two of his countrymen—Further transactions on board— He takes a final leave of the king—The ship sails for the Hapai islands. IN consequence of Tooitonga’s death, the great obstacle to shutting up the communication with Hapai was, for a time at least, removed; but that it might be so more completely, the king came to a determination of having no more Tooitongas, and thus to pdt a stop for ever to the ceremony of inachi-, for he conceived VOL. II. B 2 TRANSACTIONS AT that there was very little public utility in what was supposed to be the divine authority of Tooi- tonga; but that it was, on the contrary, a great and useless expense to the people. This measure, as may be imagined, did not prove very objectionable to the wishes of the multitude, as it relieved them from the inachi, a very heavy tax; and, in times of scarcity, of course extremely oppressive. In regard to the religious objections which one might suppose would be started against the endeavour to set aside an institution so ancient, so venerable, and so sacred, as that of Tooitonga’s divine authority,—it must be noticed that the island of Tonga had, for many years, been deprived of the power, presence, and influence of Tooitonga, owing to its political situation; and, notwithstanding, appeared in the eyes of Finow, and of all his chiefs, warriors, and subjects, to be not less favoured with the bounties of heaven and of nature than the other islands, excepting the mischief and destruction which arose from human passion and disturbances: and if Tonga could exist without this divine chief, why not Vavaoo, or any other island ? This strong argument growing still stronger, upon a little reflection, brought the chiefs, matabooles, and older members of society, to the resolution, that Tooitonga was of no use at all; and the people THE TONGA ISLANDS. 3 themselves, ever willing to fall into measures that greatly promote their interest, notwithstanding a few religious scruples, very soon came to be of the same opinion too. As soon as Finow had come to this determination, and to that of shutting up all communication with the Hapai people, it became necessary to acquaint Tongamana, at his next arrival, with this new regulation, and to forbid him ever to return to Vavaoo again. In the mean time, however, as Finow had promised Tooi Bolotoo that his daughter (Mr. Mariner’s adopted mother) should be allowed to proceed to him at the Hapais, she was ordered to get herself and attendants ready to accompany Tongamana on his way back. Now it happened this person had a great number of female attendants, many of whom were some of the handsomest women at Vavaoo ; and, as the leave granted to her to depart was equally a licence for the departure of her attendants, Finow became apprehensive that the alienation of so many fine women from the country would occasion considerable discontent among his young men, and would perhaps tempt some of them to take the same step. He sent, however, for Mafi Habe, and told her, that, with her leave, he would contrive some means to keep back her women, whose departure might occasion so much disturbance: in b 2 4 TRANSACTIONS AT this intention she perfectly coincided, as she should have little use for them hereafter, in the retired life she meant to lead with her father, —two favourite attendants, however, excepted, whom she begged to take with her. Matters being so far agreed on, Finow, to avoid the appearance of injustice on his part, gave Mr. Mariner instructions how to act, with a view to bring about his object, as if it were a thought and impulse of his own. Accordingly, when Tongamana’s canoe was ready to depart, and every one in it, save Mafi Habe and her attendants, she was carried on board, and her two favourite attendants immediately followed : at this moment, when the rest of the women were about to proceed into the canoe, Mr. Mariner, who had purposely stationed himself close at hand with his musket, seized hold of the foremost, and threw her into the water, and forbad the rest to follow, at the peril of being shot. He then called out to Finow’s attendants, who were purposely seated on the beach, to come to his assistance, pretending to express his wonder at their folly, in permitting those women to leave them, for whose protection they had often hazarded their lives in battle: upon this (as had been previously concerted) they ran forward, and effectually prevented any of them from departing. At this moment, while their lamenta- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 5 tions rent the air, Finow came down to the beach ; and enquiring the cause of this disturb* ance, they told him that Togi (Mr. Mariner) had used violent measures to prevent their accompanying their beloved mistress, and that the young chiefs had cruelly assisted him. One of these chiefs (Talo) then addressed Finow:— “ We have all agreed to lose our lives rather “ than suffer these women, for whom we have “ so often fought, to take leave of us for ever. “ It is probable that we shall soon be invaded “ by the people of Hapai: and are we to suffer “ some of the finest of our women to go over to “ the men who will shortly become our enemies? “ Those women, the sight and recollection of “ whom have so often cheered our hearts in the “ time of danger, and enabled us to meet the “ bravest and fiercest enemies, and to put them “ to the rout ? If our women are to be sent “ away, in the name of the gods, send away “ also the guns, the powder, and all our spears, “ our clubs, our bows and arrows, and every “ weapon of defence: with the departure of the “ women our wish to live departs also, for then “ we shall have nothing left worth protecting, “ and, having no motive to defend ourselves, it “ matters little how we die.” Finow upon this was obliged to explain to Tongamana the necessity of yielding to the sen- 6 TRANSACTIONS AT timents of these young chiefs, to prevent the discontent and disturbance which might otherwise take place. The canoe was now ordered to leave Vavaoo for the last time, and never more to return, for if she or any other canoe should again make her appearance from Ilapai, her approach would be considered hostile, and proper measures would accordingly be adopted. At this moment, the women on the beach earnestly petitioned Finow to be allowed to take a last farewell of their dear and beloved mistress, which on being agreed to, nearly two hours were taken up in this affecting scene. From this time Finow devoted his attention to the cultivation of the island; and the exertions of this truly patriotic chief were so far successful that the country soon began to promise the appearance of a far more beautiful and cultivated state than ever: nor did he in the mean time neglect those things which were necessary for the better defence of the place, and accordingly the fortress underwent frequent examination and improvements. In the midst of these occupations, however, a circumstance happened which might have been the cause of much civil disturbance. It is well worth relating, as it affords an admirable character of one of the personages concerned, and shews a principle of honour and generosity of THE TONGA ISLANDS. 7 mind, which must afford the highest pleasure to those who love to hear of acts worthy the character of human nature. On one of the days of the ceremony known by the name of tow tow*, which is celebrated on the malai, with wrestling, boxing, &c., a young chief, of the name of Talo, entered into a wrestling- match with Hala Api Api (the young chief who, as may be recollected, was mentioned on the occasion of Toobo Nuha’s assassination). It should however be noticed, that a few days before, these two had held a debate upon some subject, in which neither could convince the other. It is usual on such an occasion, to prevent all future fruitless argument upon the same topic, to settle the affair by wrestling: not that this mode is considered in the light of a knockdown argument, perfectly convincing in its nature, but it is the custom for those who hold a fruitless contention in argument, to end the affair the next opportunity, by a contention in physical strength, after which the one who is beaten seldom presumes to intrude his opinion again on the other, at least not upon the same subject. Hala Api Api therefore challenged Talo on the spot. For a long time the contest * An offering to the god of weather, beginning at the time when the yams are full grown, and is performed every tenth day for eighty days. 8 TRANSACTIONS AT was doubtful; both well made, both men of great strength: at length, however, it was the fate of Talo to fall, and thus the contest ended. The fallen chief, chagrined at this event, could not allow, in his own mind, that his antagonist had overcome him by superior strength, but rather owing to an accidental slip of his own foot; and consequently resolved to enter the lists with him again at some future and favourable opportunity. This occasion of the ceremony of tow tow presenting itself,Talo left his companions and seated himself immediately opposite Hala Api Api; a conduct which plainly indicated his wish that thelatter inparticular should engagewith him: a conduct, too, which, though sometimes adopted, is generally considered indicative of a quarrelsome disposition, because the challenge ought not to be made to one in particular, but to any individual among those of a different place or party who chooses to accept it. As soon as Hali Api Api and his friends perceived this, it was agreed among them that he alone should oppose him. In a short time Talo arose and advanced; Hala Api Api immediately closed with him and threw him, with a severe fall. At this moment the shouts of the people so exasperated Talo, (for he had made sure in his own mind of gaining a victory) that, on the impulse of passion, he struck his antagonist, whilst THE TONGA ISLANDS. 9 rising off him, a violent blow in the face ; on which Hala Api Api threw himself in a posture of defence, and demanded if he wished to box with him: Talo, without returning an answer, snatched a tocco tocco *, and would evidently have run him through the body if he had not been withheld. Hala Api Api, with a nobleness of spirit worthy of admiration, seemed to take no notice of this, but smiling returned to his seat amid the acclamations of the whole assembly. All applauded his greatness of soul, as conspicuous now as on other occasions; Finow in particular shewed signs of much satisfaction, and in the evening, when he was drinking cava with the matabooles, whilst this noble chief had the honour to wait on them, the king addressed himself to him, returning thanks for the presence of mind which he had proved, and his coolness of temper; which conduct had placed his superiority and bravery in a far more splendid light than if he had given way to resentment: and as to his retiring, without seeking farther to prolong the quarrel, he was convinced (he said) that he had in view nothing but the peace and happiness of the people, which would undoubtedly have been disturbed by an open rupture with a man who was at the head of so povv- * A spear about five feet long, used by them as a walking stick, but seldom employed in battle. 10 TRANSACTIONS AT erful a party. To this the young chief made only this reply: “ Co ho m'dbni and appeared overcome by a noble modesty, at being so much praised (contrary to custom) before so large an assembly. In the mean while, Talo, conscious of his error, and ashamed to appear in public, retired to one of his plantations called Mote; whilst Hala Api Api, imagining what must be the distress of his feelings, resolved upon a reconciliation, and having intimated this to his men, he desired them to go armed, in case any misunderstanding should accidentally arise. Accordingly, one morning he and his men left the mooa, after having given out that he was going up the country to kill some hogs of his that were running wild : this he did lest the circumstance of his men being armed should give rise to false and dangerous suspicions respecting his intention ; and, at the same time, he invited several of Finow’s men to come and partake of the feast. As soon as they had left the fortress, he imparted to them all his real intention to offer Talo his former friendship, and to assure him that he had forgotten the late affair. When they arrived near the plantation, Hala Api Api went on a short distance before, and on entering * Meaning literally, “it is your truth:’’-—that if, what you say is true. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 11 the house found Talo fast asleep, attended only by his wife and one of her servants: they were both employed in fanning him. He left his spear on the outside of the house, and carried his club in with him. The noise he made on entering awoke Talo ; who, imagining that the other had come to assassinate him, started up, seizing his club, rushed out of the house, and fled : Hala Api A pi pursued him, taking with him his spear: his feelings now being greatly hurt to see one fly him so cowardly, who of late had matched himself as his equal, he at length became so exasperated that he threw his spear at him ; which, however, fortunately got entangled in some bushes. At this moment Talo was considerably in advance, in consequence of the time which it took the other to go back to the opposite side of the house for his spear: the latter was noted, however, for his swiftness, and conscious that he should overtake him, he continued the pursuit. Before Talo had crossed the field of high grass adjoining his house, he was under the necessity of throwing off his gnatoo, and very shortly after he threw away his club too. Hala Api Api stopped to pick it up, and thus loaded with two clubs he bounded after him with such extraordinary fleetness, that before they had half crossed the next field he overtook him, and catching hold of him by a 12 TRANSACTIONS AT wreath of flowers that hung round his neck, exclaimed with generous indignation, “ Where “ did you expect to escape to ? Are you a bird “ that you can fly to the skies; or a spirit that “ you can vanish to Bolotoo ?—Here is your club, “ which you so cowardly threw away; take it, “ and learn that I come not to deprive you of “ life, but to proffer you again my friendship, “ which you once prized so highly:” with that he embraced him, and tearing his own gnatoo, gave him half to wear. By this time Hala Api Api’s men coming up, he dispatched them immediately to the garrison, to prevent any disturbances which might arise from a false report of this adventure : for a few of Talo’s men being near the house, and mistaking Hala Api Api’s intention, imagined the fate of their chief inevitable, and had betaken themselves immediately to the garrison, with a view to excite the adherents of Talo to revenge his death ; for he was a powerful chief, had belonged to the former garrison, and would undoubtedly have had most of the chiefs of Vavaoo for the avengers of his cause. The two chiefs returned as soon as possible to Felletoa, to shew the people that they had entered again into a friendly alliance. When they arrived they found the whole place in such a state of disturbance, all being up in arms, party against party, that in all probability THE TONGA ISLANDS. 13 if they had arrived a little later, war would already have broken out. At the sight of them, matters were soon adjusted; and their mutual friendship became stronger than ever. A short time after this, the people of Hapai clearly shewed their intention of commencing hostilities ; but were defeated in the very act by the vigilance and bravery of some of Finow’s young warriors, among whom Mr. Mariner had the honour to take an active part. One day most of the large sailing canoes were launched, for the double purpose of procuring from some of the outer islands a quantity of coarse sand, and to convey those whose business it was to cut flag-stones for the grave of Tooitonga, to different places for that end. Owing, however, to contrary winds, they were not able to make the shores of Vavaoo that evening; and, in consequence, Finow, who was with them, proposed to remain at the island of Toonga during the night. A short time after, they received intelligence from a fisherman that a canoe, apparently from Hapai, was approaching, and, it was supposed, with an hostile intent, as she had a quantity of arms on board, and many men. In consequence of this, the young warriors requested of Finow leave to proceed in a number of small canoes (as the wind was unfavourable for large ones), and endeavour to cut them off. After a due 14 TRANSACTIONS AT consultation this was granted; and eleven canoes, manned with the choicest warriors, pad- died towards a small island at a little distance, on which the Hapai people had landed. As it was a moonlight night, the enemy saw them, and concealed themselves behind certain bushes at a small distance from the beech, where they supposed Finow’s men would land : they were right in their conjecture, and, as soon as Finow’s warriors were arrived, the enemy rushed upon them with their usual yell, and occasioned much disorder and alarm, but soon rallying, they pressed on them in return so closely and bravely, that they were obliged to retreat towards the place where their canoe lay; and here a most severe conflict ensued. Unfortunately, in hurrying on shore from the canoes, Mr. Mariners ammunition got wet, which rendered his musket of little use, hence he was obliged to employ only a bow and arrows. The enemy, finding themselves so well matched, and thinking they might soon be attacked by forces from the main land (Vavaoo), they embarked as speedily as they could; but, in doing which, they lost ten or twelve men. Mr. Mariner again tried to use his musket, and, after repeated trials, succeeded in shooting the two men that steered (it being a double canoe), after which he returned with his own party to their canoes, leaving nineteen of THE TONGA ISALNDS. 15 the enemy dead on the field, besides the two killed in the canoe: their own loss were four, killed on the spot, and three others, who died afterwards of their wounds. The enemy were about sixty in number; themselves about fifty. In this affair Mr. Mariner unfortunately received a violent blow on the knee by a stone from a sling, which lamed him for a considerable length of time. It appeared from the account of a boy, who was wounded and taken prisoner, that the enemy intended to proceed as secretly as possible to the westward of Vavaoo, and, under cover of the night, to make incursions on shore, and do all the mischief in their power. For the space of about two months after this affair, no circumstance worthy of note took place : no other attack from the people of Ha- pai was attempted, and all seemed peaceable and quiet. At the end of this period, however, there happened a circumstance, the most fortunate of all to Mr. Mariner, viz. that of his escape. In this time of peace, when he had nothing in which to employ himself, but objects of recreation and amusement, sometimes with Finow, or other chiefs, and sometimes by himself, he would frequently go out for two or three days together, among the neighbouring small islands, on a fishing excursion : as he was 16 TRANSACTIONS AT one evening returning homeward in his canoe, after having been out three days, he espied a sail in the westward horizon, just as the sun had descended below it; this heart-cheering sight no sooner caught his attention than he pointed it out to the three men in the canoe with him (his servants that worked on his plantation), and desired them to paddle him on board, holding out to them what an advantageous opportunity now offered itself to enrich themselves with beads, axes, looking-glasses, &c.; an opportunity which they might never again meet with: to this they replied, that they had seen her before, but that their fear of his wishing to go on board prevented them from pointing her out to him, for they had often heard their chiefs say, that they never meant to let him go if they could help it; and hence they were apprehensive that their brains would be knpcked out, if they suffered him to escape. Mr. Mariner then condescended to intreat them to pull towards the vessel, promising them very rich rewards. After conversing together, and whispering something between themselves, they told him, that, notwithstanding the great esteem and respect they had for him, they owed it as a duty to their chiefs to refuse his request; and, upon this, they began to paddle towards the nearest shore. Mr. Mariner instantly demanded, / THE TONGA ISLANDS. 17 in an elevated tone of voice, why they talked about the fear of chiefs ; were they not his servants, and had he not a right to act with them as he pleased? He then took in his hand his musket from behind him, when the man who sat next immediately declared, that, if he made any resistance, he w r ould die in opposing him, rather than allow him to escape: upon this, Mr. Mariner summoned up all his strength, and struck him a most violent blow, or rather stab, near the loins, with the muzzle of the piece, exclaiming at the same time, “ Ta gi ho Hotooa, “ co ho mate !! Toobo Toa, and Voona, both asked Mr Mariner why he had chosen to remain at Vavooa, and if they had not behaved equally kind to him as the king, or any of the Vavaoo chiefsi To this he replied, that he preferred Vavaoo to the Hapai islands, as the latter place brought to his mind many disagreeable remembrances: it was where his ship had been destroyed, and where he had met with many insults from the lower orders on his first arrival; besides, he acknowledged that he preferred the disposition of the Vavaoo people generally, and that he thought 58 TRANSACTIONS AT it would be highly ungrateful in him to leave the protection of a family that had befriended him all along. After two days stay at the Hapai islands, Captain Fisk ordered the natives out of the vessel, and directed his course to the Fiji islands, to lay in a stock of sandal wood for the China market. It may be proper here to mention, that the conduct of one of those (who chose to remain behind) was very suspicious. He did not originally belong to the Port au Prince, but was taken by her in one of her prizes (a Spanish vessel), when he gave himself out to be an American, though it appeared afterwards that he was a native of Cornwall. He resided at Hapai, with a chief named Lioofau, who was known to be a cunning, treacherous character, and, according to the accounts of many natives, this man was as bad. Thus much, however, is certain, that when Mr. Mariner took leave of the king, the latter taking him on one side, whispered to him to have a watchful eye upon Lioofau, and the Papalangi, mentioning his name, for that they certainly meant to take a vessel the first favourable opportunity. When the ship arrived at the Hapai islands, this man came on board, expressing his wish to return to Europe, and, as he was not to be judged upon mere hearsay evidence, the captain gave him a « THE TONGA ISLANDS. 59 pair of trowsers and shirt, and he fulfilled his duty with the rest of the sailors: though there was, as Mr. Mariner conceived, a great deal in his manner and watchful eye that looked badly. Just upon the ship’s departure, however, he got into a canoe, and told the captain that he had changed his mind and would remain where he was, and went on shore without returning the trowsers and shirt. Mr. Mariner afterwards heal'd, in China, that he had served the captain of the schooner before mentioned exactly in the same way. The gentleman from whom he had this information in China received it from the captain himself, who, at the same time, expressed his firm opinion, that this man meatit to take an European ship the first opportunity, or at least to be instrumental in doing it, by giving the natives instructions how it was best to be done. We forbear repeating the name of this individual, lest the reports of him should have been greatly exaggerated; there is too much reason to fear, however, that his designs were bad, and this notice may serve as a hint to ships who may hereafter touch there. The character of the Hapai people is not naturally more treacherous than that of the people of Vavaoo ; but as they have more petty chiefs whose interest they have to consult, the opportunity for treachery is perhaps more frequent : and if our great 60 TRANSACTIONS AT circumnavigator,, whose death the world has so much reason to deplore, had known them in this respect, he would not have misnamed them friendly; for, in fact, they had deliberately planned a conspiracy against him, and which would infallibly have been put in execution, if the chiefs who planned it had not disputed about the exact mode and time of making the assault. Finow (at that time tributary chief of the Hapai islands, Toogoo Ahoo being king), was not the designer of this conspiracy, but he gave counsel and advice respecting it. The other chiefs proposed to invite the captain and his officers to a grand bo-m£e (a night dance by torch-light), and at a signal to massacre him, his officers, and all the marines; but Finow (the late king’s father), objected to this, as the darkness of the night would be unfavourable to their operations in taking the two vessels, and proposed rather that it should be done by day, and that they should seize the opportunity of making the attack on the occasion of a grand entertainment which was shortly to be given to him in honour of his arrival, and after they were all destroyed, the men, who would naturally come in search of him, were to be conducted to the further part of the island under pretence that he was there, and they were then to be destroyed in like manner: and thus the two ships, their TIIE TONGA ISLANDS. ()1 crews being so weakened, might be taken (as they supposed), with ease. The entertainment was prepared, and Captain Cook and several officers being invited were present; it happened, however, a little before the appointed time when the signal was to be given, that most of the chiefs still expressed their opinion that the night-time would have been better than the day, and Fi- now, finding that the majority were of this opinion, was much vexed, and immediately forbad it to be done at all. Thus, no signal being given, the amusements went on without interruption, and Captain Cook and his officers were much pleased with their entertainment, acknowledging it to be far better than any other that they had received at the Friendly islands. (See his third voyage.) Mr. Mariner had this information at different times from several chiefs who were present, and in particular from Finow himself, (the father of the present king, and son of the chief who was at the head of the conspiracy.) As every information must be interesting which regards the history or fate of this great and good man, to whom society owes so much, we cannot omit mentioning some circumstances, subsequent to bis death, upon which the above anecdote so naturally leads the mind to reflect. The people of the Tonga islands behaved towards Cook with every external demonstration TRANSACTIONS AT e-2 of friendship, whilst they secretly meant to kill him; and the people of the Sandwich islands, although they actually did kill him, have paid, and still continue to pay him, higher honours than any other nation of the earth; they esteem him as having been sent by the gods to civilize them, and one to whom they owe the greatest blessings they enjoy. His bones (the greater part of which they have still in their possession!) they devoutly hold sacred; they are deposited in a house consecrated to a god, and are annually carried in procession to many other consecrated houses, before each of which they are laid on the ground, and the priest returns thanks to the gods for having sent them so great a man. When the Port au Prince was at Woahoo (one of the Sandwich islands), Mr. Mariner was informed of the above circumstances by an Englishman (or perhaps an American), who was a resident there: his name was-Harebottlej he seemed a man of some information and respectability, and was formerly the mate of an American vessel that touched there, but, in consequence of some disagreement with the captain, he chose to remain at those islands, and acted in the capacity of harbour-master to the king, and pilot to all ships that arrived, from each of which he demanded five or six dollars for his services. This person informed Mr. Ma- THE TONGA ISLANDS. 63 riner that the natives of Owyhee returned very few of the bones of Captain Cook, but chiefly substituted the bones of some other Englishman that was killed on that melancholy occasion; and that those of Cook were carried annually in procession as above related. When Mr. Mariner afterwards understood the Tonga language, he conversed upon the subject with the natives of Owhyhee, who were with him at Va- vaoo ; they corroborated every thing that Hare- bottle had said, and stated, moreover, that the natives had no idea that Cook could possibly be killed, as they considered him a supernatural being, and were astonished when they saw him fall. The man who killed him was a carpenter, and his immediate motive was, either the apprehension that Captain Cook was, at that moment, ordering his men to increase their fire, or, that he struck him, not knowing him to be the extraordinary being of whom he had heard so much, for he lived a considerable distance up the country, and was not personally acquainted with him. The flesh of their illustrious victim was shared out to different gods, and afterwards burnt; whilst the bones were disposed of as before related. Among the natives of Owyhee, from whom Mr. Mariner heard this, one was a chief of a middling rank, the rest were of the lower order, but they ail agreed in the same (>4 TRANSACTIONS AT statement; they had not been eye-witnesses, however, of that melancholy transaction (for they were all young men), but they spoke of these things as being universally known at the Sandwich islands, and beyond all doubt. They stated, moreover, that the king and principal chiefs were exceedingly sorry for the death of their extraordinary benefactor, and would have made any sacrifices in their power rather than so melancholy an accident should have occurred. It is related in Cook’s Voyages, that, as soon as he received his wound, the natives were seen to snatch the dagger (by which his death was effected), from each other’s hands, displaying a savage eagerness to join in his destruction. In all probability, however, this eagerness to seize the dagger was prompted in each by the wish to be possessed of an instrument which had become consecrated, as it were, by the death of so great a man ; at least, this is presumed, from what would have been the sentiment, had the accident happened at the Tonga islands. At length the Favourite arrived at the island of Pau (one of the Fiji islands), and anchored off a place called Vooiha, famous for sandalwood, for which the captain soon began to treat with the natives, and, before the ship’s departure, laid in several tons. In the mean time, Mr. Mariner went sundry times on shore, THE TONGA ISLANDS. 65 and had opportunities of receiving confirmations of what he had heard from Cow Mooala (see Chap. X,). The natives appeared to be a race considerably inferior to the Tonga people, partaking rather of the negro cast of countenance and form, at least in a small degree. As far as Mr. Mariner had opportunities of observing, their domestic comforts appeared much inferior to those of the people he had just left. They do not oil themselves, and to this he attributes the coarseness and harshness of skin, which is so different from that of the Tonga people. Their hair was somewhat more curly, and rather disposed to be woolly. Their whole external character, taking it generally, seemed fierce and warlike, rather than brave and noble. Their only dress was the mahi (see Vol. I. Chap. X.), and this nakedness of appearance serves at once to sink them in a degree of civilization below the natives of Tonga, and the Society islands. It is to be lamented that Mr. Mariner had not opportunities of seeing more of the natives of these islands than he did, with a view of drawing a juster comparison between them and the people whose manners he was so well acquainted with; but the apprehension that some accident might again detain him just on the eve of his return to civilized society, pre- VOL. II. F 66 TRANSACTIONS AT vented him from going on shore so often, or so far, as he otherwise might have done. He was curious to discover what opinion they had of the natives of Tonga, and found, uniformly, that they considered the latter to be a very treacherous race; whilst these, as already related, accuse the Fiji people of possessing the same bad character; but, in all probability, there is not much difference between them in this respect. From all that he has seen, and all that he has heard, however, he is disposed to believe that the Fiji people fight with more fury and animosity than the Tonga people, but that the latter, where they have been seriously injured, harbour sentiments of revenge for a longer time. Mr. Mariner witnessed no instance of cannibalism among them, but they made no scruple to acknowledge that such instances were very frequent, and Cow Mooala’s account of the feast of Chichia, where two hundred human bodies were served up, was confirmed by the report of several of the natives of Pau, who were not, indeed, present, but who spoke of it with much indifference, as having heard it often from those who were present, and as being a thing so likely, that there was no reason to doubt it. He had it also confirmed by a native of Tonga, resident at Pau, who acted as his interpreter, and THE TONGA ISLANDS. 67 who was present at this horrible feast. The language of these people is very different in sound from the Tonga language, and is much more harsh to pronounce ; it is replete with very strong percussions of the tongue, and with a frequent rattling of the letter r. It is rather a curious fact, if true, and it appears to be so from all that we can learn, that the language of the Sandwich islanders is more similar to the Tonga language than that of the Fiji islanders, though the latter people are not more than about one ninth part of the distance of the Sandwich islands from Tonga. There were several Englishmen (or Americans) at the island of Pau, but none of them wished to come away in the Favourite, except one; but as Captain Fisk had already more hands on board than he wanted, and as this man was not thrown accidentally (by shipwreck or otherwise) among these people, but had left his ship voluntarily, the captain did not choose to take him. It is much to be regretted that most of these men were, from all report, but indifferent characters, and had left their respective ships from no good motive: they had frequent quarrels among themselves, in which two or three had got murdered. Mr. Mariner’s information upon this point is from Fiji natives who visited Tonga, and also, since he has been 68 TRANSACTIONS AT ia London, from an Englishman * vviio had lived some two or three years at Pan, and whom he accidentally met near town, and who declared that he was heartily glad to come away, because he was afraid to live on the same island with his companions, lest he should be killed in some quarrel j and, if his report is to be credited, his companions were a very bad set, likely to do a great deal of mischief, not only to the natives by giving them but a mean and unjust opinion of civilized nations, but also to ships touching there, who might not be sufficiently on their guard. The Favourite, having laid in her store of sandal-wood, after five or six days stay at Pau, weighed anchor and resumed her voyage, and, in about five weeks, arrived at Macao. At an early opportunity Mr. Mariner procured the following certificate from Captain Fisk, thinking it might be of service to him, as he was totally unknown to every body. “ This is to certify, that the bearer, William “ Mariner, belonged to the unfortunate ship * This man’s name is Thomas Lee; he lived at that time at Hendon, and was frequently employed in bringing hay to London. He has since left that place, and is somewhere in town, but we have not been able to find him. He was very well acquainted with Cow Mooala, the Tonga maiaboole. THE TONGA ISLAND'S. 69 the Port au Prince, that was cut off at the “ Hapai islands, and that lie was taken from u thence by the brig Favourite.” (Signed) A. Fisk. (Macao Roads, Dec. 28 , 1810 . As he had but little money in his possession*, he resolved, the first opportunity, to enter on board one of the East India Company’s ships bound to England, and work his passage home. It happened, however, luckily, that he fell in with the officers of the Company’s cruiser, the Antelope, who, taking an interest in his story, corroborated by the account of Captain Fisk, invited him on board the Antelope, where, with the permission of Captain Ross, he remained for a couple of months, till an opportunity offered of going to England. He is happy to acknowledge, through this medium, his deepest sense of obligation to this gentleman in particular, and to the officers in general of the Antelope, for their extraordinary civility and kindness to him whilst lie remained on board ; and not less to Captain Robert Welbank, of the Honourable East India Company’s ship, the * He had about fifty or sixty dollars, part of which had been given to him by his adopted mother, Mafi Habe; the remainder he procured from a female native of Lefooga, by giving her a consideration for them in beads, &c.; these dollars belonged originally to the Port au Prince. 70 TRANSACTIONS AT Cuffnells, who received him on board with a letter of recommendation from Captain Ross, and gave him his passage to England. The Cuffnells arrived at Gravesend in June 1811 , when Mr. Mariner went on shore, and immediately came up to town; but, whilst looking out for his father’s house, who in the mean while had changed his residence, he was impressed and sent on board the tender: he immediately wrote to a friend, to acquaint his father with his arrival and his situation. His father, not less overjoyed than surprised at this unexpected information, repaired on board to visit his son, whom, an hour before, he had imagined (if he was even alive) to be resident among a savage people on the other side of the globe, with little or no view of making his escape*. After seven years long, hopeless absence, the hour of meeting arrived: the circumstances and sentiments of which we leave to the imagination. Mr. Mariner found his father in mourning for his mother: each had much to relate to the other; but this was not the time for free and unreserved com- * Mr. Mariner’s father had heard from William Towel, who had escaped about eighteen months before him, that his son was living, and still at Vavaoo; but he had represented his situation as rather hazardous and hopeless. See note, p. 59.). THE TONGA ISLANDS. 71 municafion: whilst the son was a prisoner, the father had to exert himself to procure his liberation, and in which he at length succeeded, after a week’s detention. As it may be considered interesting to know the fate of all the ship’s company of the Port au Prince, we shall conclude this chapter with a list of those who, along with Mr. Mariner, survived her capture. Besides the eight natives of the Sandwich islands, there were belonging to the ship fifty-two persons : twenty-six (including Mr. M.), were on board at the time the ship was taken, and, of these twenty-six, there were twenty-two massacred on the spot: of those who were on shore, three, besides Mr. Brown, the whaling-master, were also murdered, making, in all, twenty-six, who lost their lives on that disastrous occasion. The remaining twenty-six are correctly accounted for in the following list. The eight natives of the Sandwich islands, probably, had a hint from their countryman, Tooi-Tooi, to keep themselves out of harm’s way, which they effectually did. The ensuing statement is drawn up in the order in which the different events happened. John Scotland, Gunner; Jacob Myers, Seaman; William Ford, Seaman.—Left Namooca in a small paddling canoe, and were never afterwards heard of; supposed to have been lost, as a paddle belonging to that, canoe was found shortly afterwards, washed on shore at Namooca Igi. 72 TRANSACTIONS AT John Hearsey, Sail-maker.—Left the island of Tonga in an American vessel; but was accidentally drowned at the Fiji islands, as reported by some Englishmen at Fiji. William Towel, Captain’s steward; Robert Fitzgerald, a boy.—Left Vavaoo in the Mercury, a Botany Bay schooner, at a time when Mr. Mariner was at the Hapai islands. William Towel is now residing in Cross-street, Westmorland-place, City-road. Hugh Williams, Seaman; Jeremiah Higgins, and John Parish, Landsmen.—Escaped from Vavaoo thirteen months before Mr. Mariner, in the Hope, Capt. Chase, of New York: this is the captain that refuseil to take Mr. Mariner on board, stating, that he had hands enough ! Jeremiah Higgins now resides at Aylesbury. John Watson, Seaman.—Had gone to the Fiji islands with a Tonga chief, but Mr. Mariner did not hear any thing of him there. Samuel Carlton, Boatswain ; George Wood, Carpenter’s mate ; William Singleton, Landsman ; Alexander Macay, a boy.—Were at the island of Tonga at the time the Favourite arrived at the Hapai islands, and lost that opportunity of escape. Mr. Mariner has since heard that Samuel Carlton came away afterwards in another vessel. James Waters, Ordinary Seaman.—Refused to leave Vavaoo on account of age and infirmities. Nicholas Blake, Seaman; William Brown, and Thomas Eversfield, boys; John Roberts, a black native of the island of Tortola, a boy.—Refused to leave the Hapai islands under various pretences. William Stevenson, a child of two years of age, native of the Sandwich islands, the son of a Botany Bay convict, resident at Woahoo, whence the sail-maker had taken him in the Port au Prince, at the request of his father, that he might be brought to his relations in Scotland to be educated. This child was adopted by the daughter of tiie late king, (the widow of the late Tooitonga) and was much noticed: he probably still remains at Vavaoo, and must now be about thirteen years old, being two wheii he left his father. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 73 Robert Brown, Cooper; Thomas Dawson, Seaman; Thomas Brown, Landsman; Manuel Perez, Seaman ; Josef, a black.—These came away with Mr. Mariner in the Favourite; all but Thomas Brown were under the necessity of remaining in the East Indies. Thomas Brown got employment on board one of the homeward-bound vessels from China, and came to England in the same fleet with Mr. Mariner. Thomas Dawson has since been in London. Mr: Mariner regrets very much not being able to furnish dates; his only method of keeping time was by cutting certain notches on certain trees (unknown to any one,) but even with such rude memoranda, he was only out in his calculation one day at the time of the Favourite’s arrival. In the ensuing pages, we shall endeavour to furnish a correct view of all the manners, customs, and sentiments of the Tonga people, that have not been mentioned, or sufficientlv dwelt upon in the foregoing part of the work, and which it is hoped will be found exceedingly interesting, as ottering a striking contrast to the manners, customs, and sentiments of civilized nations ; and upon these subjects we shall speak in the following order: viz. Hank in society, religious, civil and professional; religion ; religious ceremonies; knowledge; dress; domestic habits; pastimes; music and poetry ; and lastly, language. 74 TRANSACTIONS AT CHAPTER XVII. Preliminary observations—Rank in society—Tooitonga— Veachi—Inspired priests—The king—Nobles—Order of succession to rank—Matabooles—Mooas—Tooas—Professional classes of society, hereditary and otherwise—Tabic of the order of professions—Succession to property—Old age—Female sex—Wives of chiefs—Adopted mothers— Concubines of chiefs—Arts practised by women—Children. The rank or estimation in which individuals are held in society at the Tonga islands may be most conveniently treated of, first, under three different points of view, viz. religious, civil, and professional, with reference to their mythology, political subordination, and their arts and manufactures ; and secondly, with reference to old age, female sex, and infancy. In this chapter, we propose to speak merely of rank in society, and the degree of respect due from one man to another; all which is determined in regard to every individual, by one or other, or more of the foregoing circumstances, mythology, politics, arts, age, sex, and childhood. To divide society into distinct classes, and to discourse of the degree of rank or respect accruing to individuals, accordingly as they may THE TONGA ISLANDS. belong to one or other of these classes, would be a task very difficult to execute, and perhaps impossible in respect to the people of these islands ; at least, not without making numerous exceptions and explanations, which would only be the means of rendering the description both tedious and complicate. For one and the same individual, (a priest,) who to-day is held in scarcely any estimation, may to-morrow, (under the influence of the inspiration of some god,) take place of every body present, seat himself at the head of the cava ring, be respected as the god himself, and his discourse attentively listened to as oracular. Again,—the king himself, whom one might suppose to be the greatest person in the country, (and in fact he has the greatest power,) is by no means the highest noble, but must yield in point of rank to many others. In this order of things, therefore, we shall first speak of those persons to whom rank and respect is yielded, on the score of religious circumstances; and these are Tooitonga, Veachi, and the priests. We here speak of Tooitonga as if actually existing in his full rank, with all the public honours of religious estimation ; but it will be recollected, that before Mr. Mariner’s departure from Vavaoo the king had done away entirely with all the ceremonies formerly considered 76 TRANSACTIONS At due to the divine character of this chief: and as this was done immediately after Tooi- tonga’s death, his son did not succeed to this high title ; so that if affairs still remain in the same state at Vavaoo, there is at present no Tooitonga, and probably never again will be; but if there should happen some violent political change, it is possible the son of the late divine chief may be raised to that honour: we therefore speak of Tooitonga as if actually existing. The family name of Tooitonga is Fatafehi, and the present head of the family, the only son (of legitimate rank,) is now a youth of about sixteen or seventeen years of age; his name is Fatafehi Low fili Tonga : he is still considered a chief of high rank, and has respect paid to him accordingly. Tooitonga and Veachi are both acknowledged descendants of chief gods who formerly visited the islands of Tonga, but whether their original mothers u'ere goddesses or merely natives of Tonga, is a question which they do not pretend to decide. Of these two personages, Tooitonga, as may be guessed from his title, is far higher in rank ;—the word imports chief of Tonga, which island has always been considered the most noble of all the Tonga islands, and from time immemorial the greatest chiefs have been accustomed to make it their principal place of. re^ THE TONGA ISLANDS. sidence,and after their decease to be buried there in the tombs of their ancestors. This island, moreover, gives name, byway of pre-eminence*, to all the islands taken collectively, as a capital town sometimes gives name to a country; and withal it has acquired the epithet of sacred, taboo , and is thus sometimes called Tonga taboo, denoting its excellence ; from this circumstance it is erroneously noted down in our charts Ton- gataboo; but taboo is only an epithet occasionally used. The respect which is shewn to Tooi- tonga, and the high rank which he holds in society, is wholly of a religious nature, and is far superior, when occasion demands it, to that which is shewn even to the king himself; for this latter, as will by and by be seen, is by no means of the most noble descent, but yields in this respect to Tooitonga, Vcachi, and several families related to them ; and if the king were accidentally to meet any chief of nobler descent than himself, he would have to sit down on the ground till the other had passed him, which is a mark of respect that a common peasant would be obliged to shew to any chief or Egi whatsoever ; and for this reason the king never associates with any chief superior to himself, and always endeavours to avoid meeting them, and they in like manner endeavour to avoid him, that he might not be put to the trouble of sitting 78 TRANSACTIONS AT down while they passed: for if any one were to forego this ceremony in presence of a superior Egi, some calamity from the gods would be expected as a punishment for the omission. Sitting down is with them a mark of respect, as standing up is with us, before a superior; upon the principle perhaps, that in this posture a man cannot so readily attack or assassinate the person in whose presence he is; or it may be that in this posture lowering his height is significant of his rank or merit being humbled in presence of the other. There are many ceremonies which characterise the high respect and veneration shewn to Tooitonga; but as in this place we are discours- ingof rank, not of ceremonies, the full description of the latter must be deferred till we come to speak of religious rites. Here we shall only mention, in a general way, in what these ceremonies chiefly consist. 1. The grand ceremony of inachi, which is performed once a year, (about the month of October,) and consists in offering the first fruits of the year to Tooitonga. It was supposed that if this ceremony were neglected, the vengeance of the gods would fall in a signal manner upon the people. 2. Peculiarity of his marriage ceremony. 3. Peculiarity of his burial ceremony. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 7 & 4. Peculiarity of the mourning for his decease. 5. Tooitonga is not circumcised, as all the other men are, unless he goes to foreign islands to undergo this ceremony; nor is he tattowed. 6. Peculiarities of speech, used in regard to Tooitonga; for instance, if the king or any chief hut Tooitonga be sick, they say he is tenga tdngi, but Tooitonga being sick, he is said to be boolobhi: so with many other words that are used exclusively for him, and which will be noticed hereafter. These things are mentioned in this place, merely to afford an idea of the high veneration in which Tooitonga is held; for to whom but the greatest personage can such peculiarities belong? Notwithstanding his high rank, however, he has comparatively but very little absolute power, which extends in a direct and positive manner only to his own family and attendants : as to his property, he has somewhat more than the generality of the nobles, but much less than the king, who by his arbitrary sovereignty can lay claim to almost any thing. Thus all that can be said in this place of Tooitonga is, that he is by far the greatest Egi t having the credit of a high divine original, and that all respect and veneration is therefore due to him. 80 TRANSACTIONS AT Veachi', as mentioned before, is another Egi of divine original, but far from being equal to Tooitonga. The king, indeed, avoids his presence, the same as he would that of Tooitonga, and always pays him the usual obeisance when he happens to meet him: but he has no peculiar marks of high respect shewn to him, as are shewn to Tooitonga ; that is to say, no ceremonies that are, in themselves, peculiar and different from what are shewn to other chiefs by their inferiors. There is this one universal acknowledgment, however, viz. that he is a great chief descended from a god, that he is next in rank to Tooitonga, and superior to every other chief. His name has no known literal meaning that Mr. Mariner can discover. Priests or Fahe-gehk. The term fahe-gehe means split off", separate, or distinct from, and is applied to signify a priest, or man, who has a peculiar or distinct sort of mind or soul, differing from that of the generality of mankind, which disposes some god occasionally to inspire him. These inspirations, of which an account has been given vol.i. p. 100, frequently happen, and on such occasions the priest has the same deference and respect shewn to him as if he were the god himself; if the king happen to be present, he retires to a respectful distance, and sits down among the body of the spectators, so THE TONGA ISLANDS. 81 would Veachi, and so would even the high divine chief Tooitonga, because a god is believed to exist at that momentin the priest, and to speak from his mouth: but at other times a priest has no other respect paid to him than what his own proper family rank may require. They generally belong to the iower order of chiefs, or to the matabooles, though sometimes great chiefs are thus visited by the gods, and the king himself has been inspired by Tali-y-toobo, the chief of the gods. During the time a priest is inspired he is looked on with more or less veneration, according to the rank of the god that inspires him. But more upon this subject under the head of religion. The civil ranks of society may be thus divided; How, or King; Egi, or Nobles; Mata- booles'; Mooas, and Tooas. The How, or King, is an arbitrary monarch, deriving his right to the throne partly from hereditary succession, and partly from military power, which latter he is occasionally obliged to exert to secure himself in the former. His power and influence over the minds of the people is derived from the following circumstances ; viz. hereditary right; supposed protection of the gods, if he be the lawful heir; his reputation as a warrior; the nobility of his descent; and lastly, but not least, the strength vol. ir. G 82 TRANSACTIONS AT and number of his fighting men. He, of course/ possesses the greatest power of any individual; hut, in respect to rank, as before observed, he is differently circumstanced. In this last particular, not only Tooitonga, Veachi, and priests actually inspired, are superior to him, but even several other nobles are higher in rank, not as to office or power, hut as to blood, or descent, for nobility consists in being related either to Tooitonga, Veachi, or the How, and the nearer any family is related to them, the nobler it is; those related to Tooitonga being nobler than those equally related to Veachi, and those related to this latter being more noble than those equally related to the How. Hence it appears that there must be many egies more noble even than the king himself, and to such- the king, meeting them, must shew the same marks of respect as are usual from an inferior to a superior: and if he were to touch any thing personally belonging to the superior chief,, as himself, or his garments, or the mat on which he sleeps, he becomes tabooed, as it is termed, or under the prohibition to feed himself with his own hands; or, if he does, it is at the risk of becoming diseased, or suffering some other calamity from the gods as a punishment: but from this taboo he can readily free himself, by performing the ceremony of mbe-mbe , which THE TONGA ISLANDS. S3 consists in touching, with both hands, the feet of the superior chief, or of one equal to him: but more of these ceremonies in their proper place. Egi, or Nobles. All those persons are egt, or nobles, or chiefs (for we have used these terms synonymously), wdio are any way related, either to the family of Tooitonga, or Veachi, or the How : and all, and nobody else but chiefs, have the privilege of freeing people from the taboo, under circumstances, and in the manner related in the above paragraph. Tooitonga and Veachi may easily be conceived sources of nobility, on account of their supposed divine original, and the How because he holds the reins of government, and is invested with power. The family of Finow, who is the present How, say, that they descended neither from Tooitonga nor Veachi, but are altogether a distinct race: the fact, probably, is, that Fi- now’s family is a distant branch of one of the others; but having at length ascended the throne, it drew its rank and consequence more from this circumstance than from such distant relationship. The present Finow’s father was the first of his family that came to the throne, which he did by usurpation and expulsion of the then reigning family. (Vide vol. i. p. 71). The Hows before that time, as far back as they 84 TRANSACTIONS AT have credible records, which is not more than about four, or, at most, five generations, were all relations of Tooitonga. At all events, this is certain, that the present acknowledged fountains of nobility are Tooitonga, Veachi, and the king, in the order in which they here stand. In every family nobility descends by the female line; for where the mother is not a noble, the children are not nobles; but supposing the father and mother to be nearly equal by birth, the following is the order in which the individuals of the family are to be ranked, viz. the father, the mother, the eldest son, the eldest daughter, the second son, the second daughter, &c., or, if there be no children, the next brother to the man, then the sister, the second brother, the second sister, &c. But if the woman is more noble than the man, then her relations, in like order, take precedence in rank, but they do not inherit his property, as will be seen in another place. All the children of a female noble are, without exception, nobles. The Matabooles rank next to the chiefs; they are a sort of honourable attendants upon chiefs, are their companions, counsellors, and advisers; they see that the orders and wishes of their chiefs are duly executed, and may not improperly be called their ministers, and are more or less regarded according to the rank of THE TONGA ISLANDS. 85 the chief to whom they are attached. They have the management of all ceremonies. Their rank is from inheritance; and they are supposed to have been, originally, distant relations of the nobles, or to have descended from persons eminent for experience and wisdom, and whose acquaintance and friendship on that account became valuable to the king, and other great chiefs. As no son of a mataboole can assume that rank and title till his father be dead, the greater part of them are beyond the middle age of life, and, as it is their business to make themselves acquainted with all rites and ceremonies, and with the manners, customs, and affairs of Tonga, they are always looked up to as men of experience and superior information*. Some of the matabooles are adepts also at some art or profession, such as canoe-building, or superintending funeral rites: this last, though a ceremony, the generality of matabooles do not attend, as it is also a distinct profession. Those few that are canoe-builders are very perfect in their art, and only make canoes for the king, or other great chiefs. The matabooles * The rank and office of the matabooles must be a very great advantage to the Tonga people: it may be presumed to be one great cause of the superiority of this nation over the inhabitants of the Fiji islands, the Society islands, the Sandwich islands, &c. 86 TRANSACTIONS At also make themselves acquainted with traditionary records, and hand them down to their sons. When a mataboole dies, his eldest son, or, if he have no son, his next brother, becomes a mataboole. All the sons and brothers of raa- tabooles are mooas. Mooas are the next class of people below the matabooles; they are either the sons or brothers of matabooles, or descendants of the latter. As the sons and brothers of matabooles are mooas, and as no mooa can become a mataboole till his father or brother whom he is to succeed be dead, so, in like manner, the sons and brothers of mooas are only tooas, and no tooa can become a mooa till his father or brother whom he is to succeed be dead. The mooas have much to do in assisting at public ceremonies, such as sharing out food and cava under the direction of the matabooles: they sometimes arrange and direct instead of the matabooles, unless on very grand occasions. Like the latter, they form part of the retinue of chiefs, and are more or less respected according to the rank of their chiefs. Most of the mooas are professors of some art. Both matabooles and mooas have the business of attending to the good order of society, to look to the morals of the younger chiefs, who are apt to run into excesses, and oppress the THE TONGA ISLANDS. 87 lower orders (the tooas), in which case they admonish them, and if they pay no attention, they report them to the older chiefs, and advise that something should be done to remedy such evils. They are very much respected by all classes. Tooas are the lowest order of all, or the bulk of the people. They are all, by birth, ky fonnooa, or peasants; but some of them are employed occasionally in the various occupations of performing the tattow, cooking, club-carving, and shaving, according to their abilities in these respective arts, and meet with encouragement by presents. Those tooas that are evidently related to mooas, and consequently have a chance, of becoming mooas, are respected by those who can trace no such relationship. Professional Class of Society. —We now come to speak of those who draw respect rather than rank according to their usefulness in different arts and manufactures, more or less regarded. Some of these, as we have before seen, are matabooles, and rank accordingly ; the greater part of them are mooas, and the remainder of course tooas. Among those that practise the arts there are many that do it because their fathers did the same before them, and consequently have brought them up to it, and these are for the most part such as practise arts that are considered 88 TRANSACTIONS AT ingenious, and therefore respectable; and hence they have no motive sufficiently strong (unless it be sometimes laziness) to engage them to relinquish it, particularly as they obtain presents from their chiefs for their ingenuity. There is no positive law to oblige them to follow the business of their fathers, nor any motive but the honourable estimation in which their arts are held, or their own interest, or the common custom. None of them are matabooles but a few of the canoe builders and the superintendants of funeral rites, perhaps about a fifth or a sixth part of them, and some of these are very expert in cutting ornaments out of whales teeth for necklaces, or for inlaying clubs, likewise in making clubs and spears, and other warlike instruments, which are not separate professions, but arts practised by the canoe builders as being expert in the use of the togi or axe ; at least there are no toofoonga fono k (inlayers of ivory), nor toofoonga gnahi mea tow (makers of warlike instruments), but who are also canoe builders. All the toofoonga Jo vaca (canoe builders), and toofoonga taboo (intendants of funeral rites), that are not matabooles are mooas, for no person of so low a rank as a tooa can practise such respectable arts. The remaining professions are followed both THE TONGA ISLANDS. 89 by mooas and tooas, with the exception of the three following, viz. toofoonga fy cava (barbers or shavers with shells), tangata fe oomoo (cooks), and Icy fonnooa (peasants), all of whom are tooas. Of the different professions, some are hereditary in the way before mentioned, and some are not; the latter consist of toofoonga ta tatloiv (those who perform the tattow), toofoonga iongi acow (club carvers, or engravers of the handle, not inlayers); and toofoonga fy cava (barbers). The arts followed by these are not hereditary, for they are not of that respectability to engage a man to follow any of them because his father did the same: they are practised by any one who has a natural turn that way. But the two lowest of all, viz. the cooks and peasants, are such by inheritance, for the chiefs in whose service they may be necessarily require their services, and their children naturally succeed them, for neither of these arts require any great talent to learn ; every body knows how to cook and till the ground in a tolerable degree; but those who are born to no better fate have no alternative left them, they must follow these necessary employments as the business of their life, if their chiefs command them ; and to such alone the terms cook and peasants are here applied. The cook is some- 90 TRANSACTIONS AT what the superior; he sees to the supplying of provisions, takes care of the store-house, looks to the thatching and fences of the dwelling- house, occasionally gives an eye to the plantation, and sometimes works upon it himself. The head cook is generally not a little proud of himself, and is looked on with some respect by the cooks below him and the common peasants. The term cook is frequently applied to a man though he be not a cook, to signify that he is of very low rank : for although a cook belonging to a chief mav give himself manv airs, and be thought something of by the common tooas about him; yet if there be a company of peasants together, he that has the least to boast of in respect of family connexions is sure to be made the cook, and as it were servant to the rest. The following then will be the order in which the different professions will stand as to the respect they may command in society:-—all individuals are not, however, esteemed according to their profession, but according to their abilities in it; for a clever man in one art will be sometimes more esteemed than a man of moderate abilities in a higher. In this arrangement the cooks are placed before the peasants, because the cooks of chiefs generally have to overlook them. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 91 Toofoonga fo vdca; canoe-'" builders. Toofoonga fono le; cutters of whale-teeth orna- ? ments. Followed both by mutabooles and mooas. Toofoonga taboo; superin- tendautsoffuneral rites.. Hereditary.' Toofoonga ta maca; stonemasons, or makers of stone vaults. Toofoonga jia cubenga ; net- makers. Toofoonga toty ica ; fishermen. I Toofoonga langafalle; large l house-builders. Followed both by mooas and tooas. Hereditary or not. ' Toofoonga ta tattoiv; those who perform the tattow. Toofoonga tongi acow; club- \ carvers. Hereditary.^ Toofoongafy cava; barbers-. or shavers with shells, followed only by Tangala fe oomoo ; cooks, j tooas . Kyfonnooa; peasants. J Property in these islands, as may easily be conjectured, consists principally in plantations, houses, and canoes, and the right of succession to it is regulated by the order of relationship, as given under the head of Nobles, p. 83, so in like manner is the right of succession to the throne. Having now given a view of the rank of individuals in society, with reference to religion, civil government, and professional occupations; we have now to consider it in respect to old age, sex, and childhood. Old persons of both sexes are highly reve- 92 TRANSACTIONS AT renced on account of their age and experience, insomuch that it constitutes a branch of their first moral and religious duty, viz. to reverence the gods, the chiefs, and aged persons; and consequently there is hardly any instance in these islands of old age being wantonly insulted. Women have considerable respect shewn to them on account of their sex, independent of the rank they might otherwise hold as nobles. They are considered to contribute much to the comforts and domestic happiness of the other sex, and as they are the weaker of the two, it is thought unmanly not to shew them attention and kind regard; they are therefore not subjected to hard labour or any very menial work. Those that are nobles rank like the men according to the superiority of their relationship. If a woman not a noble is the wife or daughter of a mataboole, she ranks as a mataboole; if she be a noble, she is superior in rank to him, and so are the children male and female; but in domestic matters she submits entirely to his arrangements; notwithstanding this, however, she never loses the respect from her husband due to her rank, that is to say, he is obliged to perform the ceremony of mde-mo'e before he can feed himself. If the husband and wife are both nobles of equal rank, the ceremony of THE TONGA ISLANDS. 93 mde-mo& is dispensed with; but where there is any difference the inferior must perform this ceremony to be freed from the taboo. If a woman marries a man higher in rank than herself, she always derives additional respect on that account; but a man having a wife who is a greater noble than himself acquires no additional respect from this source, but he has the advantage of her larger property. It is a custom in the Tonga islands for women to be what they call mothers to children or grown up young persons who are not their own offspring, for the purpose of providing them or seeing that they are provided with all the conveniences of life; and this is often done, although their own natural mothers be living, and residing near the spot,—no doubt for the sake of greater care and attention, or to be afterwards a substitute for the true parent, in the event of her premature death •, but the original intention seems not now understood, for it happens sometimes, that a young man having both his natural mother and a wife living, will take it in his head to have an adopted mother, whom he regards the same as his natural parent. If a woman is the foster mother to a person superior to herself, which is mostly the case, she acquires no additional respect from this source in society, though the adopted person be ever 94 TRANSACTIONS AT so great a noble ; but if a woman be an attendant upon a person of consequence, some respect always accrues to her on that account, because it is a thing publicly known, she forming apart of the retinue of the chief, and accompanying him everywhere ; whereas, the relation in which a woman stands to her adopted son or daughter is more a matter of private agreement and mutual understanding. Thus, Mafi Habe, one of the wives of Finow the first, the father of \he present king, was Mr, Mariner’s foster mother, appointed by the king her husband. To this person Mr. Mariner feels- ■himself greatly indebted for a considerable portion of his intimate knowledge of the language and true customs of Tonga, in contradistinction to words and customs introduced from other islands. She would frequently take the greatest pains in teaching him the correct Tonga pronunciation, and would laugh him out of all little habits and customs, in dress, manners, and conversation, that were not strictly according to the Tonga fashion, or not considered sufficiently polished and becoming an egi (noble.) In all respects, and on every occasion, she conducted herself towards him with the greatest maternal affection, modesty, and propriety: she was a \voman of great understanding, personal beauty, and aqniable manners. THE TONGA ISLANDS. 95 If a young girl is betrothed, or set apart to be the wife or concubine of a noble higher in rank than herself, she derives more respect on that account, independent of what is due to her own proper rank. The women employ themselves (particularly nobles) in making a variety of articles, chiefly ornamental; these employments, however, are considered accomplishments, not professions : some of the higher class of women not only make these employments an amusement, but actually make a sort of trade of it, without prejudice to their rank; which is what the lower class of. women could not do, because what they make is not their own property, but is done by the order of their superiors ; the highest accomplishments cannot add to a woman’s rank, though it does somewhat to the estimation in which she may be held, for such things, when well done, are honourable in a woman of rank. These things will be farther spoken of hereafter. Children acquire their rank by inheritance, as before observed, from the mother’s side : if she be not a noble they are not, and vice versa. If a man, however high his rank, were to have a child by a woman who is only a tooa, no matter whether they are married or not, (but indeed there is no instance of a noble marrying a tooa,) that child would not be a noble, though it were 96 TRANSACTIONS AT known that the father was a noble; the child might rank as a mooa, but not higher: on the contrary, if a woman who is a noble were to have a child by a tooa, the child would be a noble; but this perhaps seldom happens, for the pride of the females would not allow of such a low intrigue; or if such a circumstance were to take place, the greatest care would be used that it should not be known. Children that are nobles are somewhat less respected, as may be supposed, on account of their childhood ; but then any familiarity or slight disrespect that might be shewn them would only be by nobles nearly equal or superior to them. If Finow were to see a child of superior rank approach or be brought near him, he perhaps would say, (and frequently does on such occasions,) take that child away! why do you bring him here, troubling me with the taboo? or some such abrupt expression: such language, however, would not be decorous from an inferior, unless he be of nearly equal rank, and then only by authority of his superior age. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 97 CHAPTER XVIII. Enumeration of the principal notions on which the religion of Tonga is founded—Traditionary account of the island of Bolotoo—Division of the gods into six classes—Names and attributes of the principal original gods—Souls of Chiefs—Souls of Matabooles—Other Hotooas or inhabitants of Bolotoo—Hotooa Pow, or mischievous gods—The god that supports the earth—Observations upon death — Origin of the habitable earth, or rather of the islands of Tonga—Popular traditions respecting the original inhabitants of Tonga—Remarks—Another tradition respecting the same subject—Fiji story respecting an island of immortal women—Popular account of the origin of Turtles—General notion of the earth, sky, and heavenly bodies —Notions respecting the human soul and animal life— Ideas concerning the liver—The soul's immortality—Notions of the Fiji people in regard to the soul. The Religion of the Tonga islands rests chiefly upon a belief of the following notions. 1. That there are Hotooas, gods, or superior beings, who have the power of dispensing good and evil to mankind, according to their merit, but of whose origin they form no idea, rather supposing them to be eternal. 2. That there are other Hotooas or gods, viz. the souls of all deceased nobles and mata- booles, who have a like power of dispensing- good and evil, but in an inferior degree. VOL. II. H 98 RELIGIOUS TENETS 3. That there are besides several Hotooa Pow y or mischievous gods, whose attribute is never to dispense good, but petty evils and troubles, not as a punishment, but indiscriminately to whomsoever it may be, from a pure mischievous disposition. 4. That all these superior beings, although they may perhaps have had a beginning, will have no end. 5. That the world also is of doubtful origin, and co-existent, with the gods; the solid sky, the heavenly bodies, and the ocean, being pre-existent to the habitable earth, and that the Tonga islands were drawn out of the water by the god Tangaloa, whilst fishing with a line and hook. 6. That mankind, according to a partial tradition, first came from Bolotoo, the chief residence of the gods, an island to the northwestward, and resided at the Tonga islands, by command of Tangaloa: they consisted of two brothers, with their wives and attendants, whose original they pretend to know nothing about. 7. That all human evil is inflicted by the gods upon mankind, on account of some neglect of religious duty, either in the person or persons who suffer the inflictions, or in the egi or chief whom they serve; and the contrary of good. OF THE TONGA. PEOPLE. 99 8. That all egi or nobles have souls, which exist hereafter in Bolotoo, not according to their moral merit, but their rank in this world, and then they have power similar to the original gods, but less. The matabooles also go to Bolotoo after death, where they exist as matabooles or ministers to the gods, but they have not the power of inspiring priests : the mooas, according to the belief of some, also go to Bolotoo, but this is a matter of great doubt. But the tooas, or lower class of people, have no souls, or such only as dissolve with the body after death, which consequently ends their sentient existence. 9. That the human soul during life is not a distinct essence from the body, but only the more etherial part of it, and which exists in Bolotoo, in the form and likeness of the body, the moment after death. 10. That the primitive gods and deceased nobles sometimes appear (visibly) to mankind, to warn or to afford comfort and advice : that the primitive gods also sometimes come into the living bodies of lizards, porpoises, and a species of water snake, hence these animals are much respected; their coming into porpoises is supposed to be for the purpose of taking care of vessels, &c. 11. That the two personages at the Tonga 100 RELIGIOUS TENETS islands known by the name of Tooitonga and Veachi are descendants in a right line from two chief gods, and that all respect and veneration is therefore due to them. 12. That some persons are favoured with the inspiration of the gods, by an actual existence of the god for the time being, in the person (the priest) so inspired, who is then capable of prophesying. 13. That human merit or virtue consists chiefly in paying respect to the gods, nobles, and aged persons ; in defending one’s hereditary rights; honour, justice, patriotism, friendship, meekness, modesty, fidelity of married women, parental and filial love, observance of all religious ceremonies, patience in suffering, forbearance of temper, &c. 14. That all rewards for virtue or punishments for vice happen to men in this world only, and come immediately from the gods. 15. That several acts acknowledged by all civilized nations as crimes, are under many circumstances considered by them as matters of indifference, such as revenge, killing a servant who has given provocation, or any body else, provided it be not a very superior chief or noble; rape, provided it be not upon a married woman, or one to whom respect is due, on the score of superior rank, from the OP THE TONGA PEOPLE. 101 perpetrator; theft, except it be consecrated property. 15. Omens are considered direct indications of the gods to mankind : charms or superstitious ceremonies to bring evil upon any one are considered for the most part infallible, as being generally effective means to dispose the gods to accord with the curse or evil wish of the malevolent invoker; to perform these charms is considered cowardly and unmanly, but does not constitute a crime. The Tonga people universally and positively believe in the existence of a large island, lying at a considerable distance to the north-westward of their own islands, which they consider to be the place of residence of their gods, and of the souls of their nobles and matabooles. This island is supposed to be much larger than all their own islands put together, to be well stocked with all kinds of useful and ornamental plants, always in a state of high perfection, and always bearing the richest fruits and the most beautiful flowers according to their respective natures; that when these fruits or flowers are plucked, others immediately occupy their place, and that the whole atmosphere is filled with the most delightful fragrance that the imagination can conceive, proceeding from these immortal plants; 102 RELIGIOUS TENETS the island is also well stocked with the most beautiful birds of all imaginable kinds, as well as with abundance of hogs, all of which are immortal, unless they are killed to provide food for the hotooas or gods; but the moment a hog or bird is killed, another living hog or bird immediately comes into existence to supply its place, the same as with the fruits and flowers; and this, as far as they know or suppose, is the only mode of propagation of plants and animals. The island of Bolotoo is supposed to be so far off as to render it dangerous for their canoes to attempt going there, and it is supposed moreover, that even if they were to succeed in reaching so far, unless it happened to be the particular will of the gods, they would be sure to miss it. They give, however, an account of a Tonga canoe, which, on her return from the Fiji islands a long time ago, was driven by stress of weather to Bolotoo: ignorant of the place where they were, and being much in want of provisions,—seeing the country abound in all sorts of fruit, the crew landed, and proceeded to pluck some bread fruit, but to their unspeakable astonishment, they could no more lay hold of it than if it were a shadow; they walked through the trunks of the trees, and passed through the substance of the houses, (which were built like those of Tonga,) without feeling OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 103 any resistance. They at length saw some of the hotooas, who passed through the substance of their bodies as if there were nothing there: the hotooas recommended them to go away immediately, as they had no proper food for them, and promised them a fair wind and a speedy passage. They accordingly put directly to sea, and in two days, sailing with the utmost velocity, they arrived at Hamoa, (the Navigator’s islands,) at which place they wanted to touch before they went to Tonga. Having remained at Hamoa two or three days, they sailed for Tonga, where they arrived with great speed, but in the course of a few days they all died, not as a punishment for having been at Bolo- too, but as a natural consequence; the air of Bolotoo, as it were, infecting mortal bodies with speedy death. The hotooas are supposed to have no canoes, not requiring them ; for if they wish to be any where, there they are the moment the wish is felt. The Hotooas, or supernatural intelligent beings, may be divided into classes. 1. The original gods. 2 . The souls of nobles, that have all attributes in common with the first, but inferior in degree. 3. The souls of matabooles, that are still in- 104 RELIGIOUS TENETS ferior, and have not the power, as the two first have, of coming back to Tonga to inspire the priests, though they are supposed to have the power of appearing to their relatives. 4. The original attendants, or servants, as it were, of the gods, who, although they had their origin, and have ever since existed in Bolotoo, are still inferior to the third class. 5. The Hotooa Pow, or mischievous gods. 6. Moooi, or the god that supports the earth, and does not belong to Bolotoo. The first class, or original hotooas, are supposed to be rather numerous, perhaps about three hundred ; but the names of very few are known, and those only to some of the chiefs and matabooles ; for it may easily be supposed that, where no written records are kept, only those whose attributes particularly concern the affairs of this world should be much talked of; as to the rest, they are, for the most part, merely tutelar gods to particular private families, and having nothing in their history at all interesting, are scarcely known to any body else. Several of these primitive hotooas have houses dedicated to them; the houses are built in the usual style, but, ge nerally, somewhat more care is taken, both in building them, and keeping OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 105 them in good order, decorating their inclosures with flowers, &c. About twenty of the gods have houses thus consecrated to them, some having five or six, others one or two. The following are the names and attributes of the principal gods. Ta'li-y-Toobo'; (the literal meaning of this name, from which nothing can be deduced, is Wait there, Toobo /) He is the patron of the How and his family, not of Finow in particular, who is the present king, but of any one who may be king. He is also god of war, and is consequently always invoked in time of war by the How’s party: in time of peace he is also occasionally invoked for the general good of the nation, as well as for the particular interest and welfare of the How’s family. He has four houses dedicated to him in the island of Vavaoo ; two at the small island of Lefooga, one at Haano, one at Wiha, and two or three others of smaller importance elsewhere. He has no priest, unless it be the How himself, whom he sometimes inspires : but it has happened that a How, during his whole reign, has not been inspired. Too'i fooa Bolo'too ; the literal meaning of this is, “ Chief of all Bolotoo from this name one would suppose him to be the greatest god in Bolotoo, but he is inferior to the one before mentioned ■, how he came by this name the na- RELIGIOUS TENETS 106 tives themselves can give no account; the only answer they make is, that such is his propex name. Although he is the god of Bolotoo, he is inferior to Tali y Toobo, insomuch that they scarcely make a comparison between them ; if you ask them whether Tooi fooa Bolotoo is a great god, they will answer, “ Yes, he is a very “ great god.” “ Is Tali y Toobo a greater “ god?’’ “ Yes, much greater.” “ How great, “ then, is Tali y Toobo ?” “ He is a great “ chief, from the top of the sky down to the “ bottom of the earth!” He is also the god of rank in society, and in this quality he is often invoked by the heads of great families, as the king, and other great nobles, on occasion of sickness, or other family troubles. He has several houses dedicated to him ; three or four at Vavaoo, one at Lefooga, and a few 7 at other islands. He has three or four priests, whom he occasionally inspires ; at least Mr. Mariner is acquainted with three or four, but perhaps there are others. Higoole'o (no literal meaning that we can discover, unless igoo leo, to guard the tail); a very high god, regarded principally by Tooi- tonga’s family. He has no priest, nor any house, and is supposed never to come to Tonga. The natives are uncertain about his attributes. Toobo Toty, literally, Toobo the mariner. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 107 He is the patron of Finow’s family, also the god of voyages: in the first quality he is often invoked by Finow; in the second quality he is often invoked by chiefs, going upon any maritime expedition ; also by any body in a canoe during a voyage. He is not the god of wind, but is supposed to have great inflence with that god; his chief power is extended to the preservation of canoes from accidents : this god has several houses dedicated to him, chiefly at Vavaoo and the contiguous isles. Mr. Mariner only knew one priest belonging to him, but he, perhaps, has several. It will be recollected, in the former part of the history, at the time when Finow’s daughter was so ill, that this priest, when inspired, foretold that either Finow or his daughter must die, as decreed in Bolotoo: in consequence, Finow, after his daughter’s death, •was so exasperated with his god, Toobo Toty', for not making arrangements among the gods more favourable to him, that he vowed to kill his priest: this sacrilegious intention was, however, prevented by his own death, which happened as a judgment on him, according to the people’s notions. Vide vol. 1. Ala^ Valoo ; (Alai, no discoverable meaning; Valoo, the number eight); a god that patronizes the How’s family, but is particularly the patron god of Toe Oomoo, the late king’s aunt. This god is now and then invoked by 108 RELIGIOUS TENETS the king’s family, but very frequently by Toe Oomoo. He has a large consecrated fencing at Ofoo, one of the islands in the vicinity of Vavaoo: he has, at least, one priest, and is very frequently consulted in behalf of sick persons. A'lo A'lo; literally, to Jan. God of wind and weather, rain, harvest, and vegetation in general. This god is generally invoked about once a month, if the weather is seasonable, that it may remain so ; if the weather is unseasonable, or destructive on shore by excessive wind or rain, he is invoked every day. A'lo A'lo is not the god of thunder and lightning, of which, indeed, there is no god acknowledged among them, as this phenomenon is never recollected to have done any mischief of consequence. In boisterous weather at sea, the superior god Toobo Toty', the protector of canoes, and other sea gods, are always invoked in place of A'lo A'lo. About the time when the yams are full grown (near the latter end of December), the ceremony of iozv tow begins, consisting in an offering of yams, and other provisions, to the god A'lo Ado. This ceremony is repeated every ten days, for eight times successively, as will be described under the head of religious rites. This god has only two houses dedicated to him, one at Vavaoo, and the other at Lefooga: he has also two priests, one at each place. OF,THE TONGA PEOPLE. 109 Too'r Bolo'too ; literally, chief of Bolotoo. This and the three following gods are all minor gods of the sea and of voyages, and protectors of Finow’s family. Notwithstanding his name, he is inferior to all the gods mentioned before him •, but much upon an equality with the three following. He has two houses dedicated to him at Vavaoo, and one at Lefooga ; none elsewhere that Mr. Mariner knew of: he has, perhaps, two or three priests. Ha la A'pi A'pi ; literally, a road crowded. He has the same attributes as Tooi Bolotoo. Mr. Mariner knows of no house dedicated to him. He has one priest. To'gi Oocumme’a; literally, an iron are. The same attributes as the above. Toobo' Boo'goo ; literally, Toobo the Short. The same attributes as the above. Tangalo'a; god of artificers and the arts: doubtful if he has any house dedicated to him : has several priests, who are all carpenters. It w r as this god that brought the Tonga islands from the bottom of the sea, whilst fishing. Such are the names and attributes of the chief primitive gods ; next to those in rank and power come the souls of nobles. Souls of Egies, or Nobles : of these there must be a vast number. Their attributes are similar to those of the primitive chief gods: 110 RELIGIOUS TENETS they ha ve the power of inspiring priests, and of appearing in dreams and visions to their relatives and others. They have no houses dedicated to them, but the proper places to invoke them are their graves, which are considered sacred, and are therefore as much respected as consecrated houses. Their names are the same as they had whilst living, and they hold the same rank mutually among themselves as they held during their mortal existence; and whether their deeds were good or evil during their life, is a circumstance that does not at all affect their state in Bolotoo, all punishments for crimes being supposed to be inflicted by the primitive gods upon men during their lifetime ; in which inflictions the second class of gods have a proportional power with the first. As many of these souls of nobles have had strong warlike dispositions in this world, it might be supposed that they waged war against one another in Bolotoo; but this is not the case, for, in that state of existence, their understanding is much more clear than in this world, enabling them to discern what is right, and disposing them to choose it in preference to what is wrong: not but what they, and even the primitive gods, have verbal disputes, but which, from the clearness of their intellect, and the justice of their views, are supposed to be managed with divine OP THE TONGA PEOPLE. Ill temperance; blit as the temperate discussion of gods may appear awful violence to weak-minded man, so it is not to be wondered that such disputes at Bolotoo should produce thunder and lightning at Tonga; as happened in the discussion among the gods respecting the fate of Fi- novv and his daughter. (Vide vol. 1.) The Souls of Matabooles come next: of these little need be said ; they hold the same name and rank as daring their life. They have not the power of inspiring priests ; they cannot punish nor reward mankind, at least by any direct influence; though their friends and relatives sometimes beg their intercession with the higher gods, in behalf of their health, or prosperity, &c. They have no houses dedicated to them; they sometimes appear to their friends. Some of them are tutelar gods, and protectors of the tooas, or lower orders, which they are, as it were, by permission. The Attendants, or Servants of the Primitive Gods. These, like the gods to whom they belong, are original inhabitants of Bolotoo. They are considered of less quality than the souls of matabooles. They have no power in Tonga, and if they go there they cannot manifest themselves. Their number is supposed to be immense. The Hotooa Pow, or mischievous Gods.— 112 RELIGIOUS TENETS Of these there are perhaps several in number, but only five or six are supposed to be particularly active; and from their disposition to plague mankind, they reside more frequently at Tonga than at Bolotoo. They are accused of being the cause of all the petty inconveniences and troubles of life: and at Hamoa (or the Navigator’s islands), they have an idea which is very convenient to the reputation of the females, that some of these hotooa pow molest them in their sleep, in consequence of which there are many supernatural conceptions: at Tonga, however, the matter is never carried to that extent. These hotooa pozv have no priests, have no houses dedicated to them, nor are they ever invoked. All the great misfortunes of life, as before noticed, are special inflictions from the gods for the crimes of men: whereas the mischievous tricks played by the hotooa pozv are for their own whim and delight; they lead travellers astray, trip them up, pinch them, jump upon their backs in the dark, cause the nightmare and frightful dreams. They are never seen. Moooi—A god that supports the earth, the earth lying on him, he being prostrate. This, as may be supposed, is a very gigantic being, greater in personal bulk than any of the others. He never inspires any body, nor ever leaves OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 113 his situation. He has no house dedicated to him. When an earthquake happens, it is supposed that this god, feeling himself in an uneasy posture, is endeavouring to turn himself about; and, on such occasions, the people give loud shouts and beat the ground with sticks, which is supposed to have the effect of making him lie still. They have no idea of what he lies on, nor ever make any enquiries about it; and say it would be folly to do so, for who can go there and see ? Such is the account they give of their gods, and the respect which they pay to these imaginary beings is so great and so universal, that scarcely any instance is known of downright impiety; and indeed they have very strong motives to keep them in proper order in this respect, founded in their firm and fixed belief, that all human miseries are the consequent punishment of crimes, and that acts of atrocity are most frequently punished by disease and death ; and this risk of premature death among the tooas in particular must have a frightful aspect, as they consider the termination of life as the termination of their existence altogether. With respect to the chiefs indeed, to whom death is only a change to a better life, this apprehension may not take quite so strong a hold; nevertheless, life is always sweet, there are al- VOL. II. i 114 RELIGIOUS TENETS ways some purposes of ambition or enjoyment yet to be satisfied ; and when death does come, it is rather to be wished for in the field of battle than prostrate on a mat, overcome with pain, and disease, in the midst of one’s friends and relatives weeping and lamenting. The next subject in order to speak of, is the origin of the habitable earth, which, according to their notions, vague as they are, is as follows: —It is believed that originally there was no land above the water but the island of Bolotoo, which, like, the gods, the heavenly bodies, and the ocean, has probably always been. One day Tangaloa, the god of arts and inventions, went forth to fish in the great ocean, and having, from the sky let down his hook and line into the sea, on a sudden he felt a great resistance: believing that he had caught an immense fish, he exerted his strength, and presently there appeared above the surface several points of rocks, which increased in number and extent the more he drew in his line : the rocky bottom of the ocean, in which it was now evident his hook had caught, was thus fast advancing to the surface, so as to have made one vast continent; when unfortunately the line broke, and the islands of Tonga remain to shew the imperfection of Tangaloa’s attempt. The rock in which the hook was fixed was already above the OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 115 surface, and is to be seen to this day in the island of Hoonga, where they shew the very hole where it caught. The hook was in the possession of the Tooitonga family till about thirty years ago, when it was accidentally burnt along with the house in which it was kept. Tangaloa having thus discovered land, by the divine influence of himself and other gods it was soon replete with all kinds of trees, herbs, and animals, such as were in Bolotoo, but of an inferior quality, and subject to decay and death. Being now willing that Tonga should also be inhabited by intelligent beings, he commanded his two sons thus*: “ Go, and take “ with you your wives, and dwell in the world “ at Tonga: divide the land into two portions, “ and dwell separately from each other. They “ departed accordingly. The name of the “ eldest was Toobo, and the name of the a youngest was Vaca-ac6w-ooli, who was an ex* “ ceeding wise young man ; for it was he that “ first formed axes, and invented beads, and “ cloth, and looking-glasses. The young man “ called Toobo acted very differently, being “ very indolent, sauntering about and sleeping, “ and envying very much the works of his bro- “ ther. Tired at length with begging his * The following story is as nearly as possible a literal translation of the language in which they tell it. i 2 110 RELIGIOUS TENETS “ goods, he bethought himself to kill him, hut “concealed his wicked intention; he accord- “ ingly met his brother walking, and struck “ him till he was dead. At that time their fa* “ ther came from Bolot.oo with exceeding great “ anger, and asked him, Why have you killed “ your brother ? Could not you work like him? “ Oh thou wicked one! begone! go with my “ commands to the family of Vaca-acow-ooli; “ tell them to come hither. Being accord- “ ingly come, Tangaloa straightway ordered “ them thus: Put your canoes to sea, and sail “ to the east, to the great land which is there, “ and take up your abode there. Be your “ skins white like your minds, for your minds “ are pure; you shall be wise, making axes, “ and all riches whatsoever, and shall have “ large canoes. I will go myself and command “ the wind to blow from your land to Tonga; “ but they (the Tonga people) shall not be “ able to go to you with their bad canoes. “ Tangaloa then spoke thus to the others “ You shall be black, because your minds are “ bad, and shall be destitute; you shall not be “ wise in useful things, neither shall you go to ‘“the great land of your brothers; how can “ you go with your bad canoes ? But your bro- “ thers shall come to Tonga, and trade with you “ as they please.” OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 117 Mr. Mariner took particular pains to make enquiries respecting the above extraordinary story, with a view to discover whether it was only a corrupted relation of the Mosaic account; and he found that it was not universally known to the Tonga people. Most of the chiefs and matabooles were acquainted with it, but the bulk of the people seemed totally ignorant of it. This led him at first to suspect that the chiefs had obtained the leading facts from some of our modern missionaries, and had interwoven it with their own notions; but the oldest men affirmed their positive belief that it was an ancient traditionary record, and that if was founded in truth. It seems strange that they should believe an account which serves so much to degrade them, and makes even their very chiefs to be descendants of bad men, cursed by their father with the evils of poverty .and ignorance. Nevertheless, they readily own the superiority of the Papalangies, not only.in knowledge, but -disposition to do good; but, on the other hand, they do not as readily confess themselves to lie under a malediction: on the contrary, they maintain that they are far superior to us in personal beauty, and though we have more instruments and riches, they think that they could make a better use of them if they only bad them in their possession. Of the chiefs 118 RELIGIOUS TENETS and matabooles who related the foregoing account, some believed it firmly, others left it as they found it, none positively disbelieved it. Mr. Mariner related to them our scriptural and traditionary account of Cain and Abel, and expressed his opinion, that they must have received their information either from the missionaries, or from some Papalangi at an early period, whom accident had thrown among them ; but some still persisted that it was an original tradition of their own, whilst others owned there was so great a similarity between the two accounts, that they were disposed to believe they had received theirs from us, perhaps two or three or four generations back. But such things do not very often form a subject of conversation among them; consequently their knowledge and belief of these matters (as they have no writings) become very vague, incongruous, and uncertain. They have several other accounts of the origin of mankind, or rather of the first inhabitants of Tonga; but most of them are not only ridiculous but very confused and indeterminate, and, as Mr. Mariner believes, many are of no greater antiquity than the present generation, and invented perhaps for the purpose of passing away time for lack of better conversation, most of the natives being very fond of inventing OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 119 tales for amusement, like the continental nations west of them, but very void of the poetic •elegance of those nations. The account that is more universally known and believed, which is the least inconsistent with their general notions, and probably the most ancient, is the following:—• “ At a time when the islands of Tonga were “ already existing, but not yet peopled with in- “ telligent beings, some of the minor gods of Bolotoo being desirous to see the new world “ (which Tangaloa had fished up), put to sea, ■“ about two hundred iv number, male and fe- “ male, in a large canoe, and arrived at the “ island of Tonga. They were so well pleased * l tvith the novelty of the place that they deter- “ mined to remain there, and accordingly broke ■“ up their canoe to make small ones of it; but “ in a few days two or three of them died;— •“ this phenomenon alarmed all the rest, for “ decay and death was what their notion of their “ own immortality did not lead them to expect. “ About this time one of them felt himself “ strangely affected, and by this he knew that “ one of the superior gods was coming from Bolotoo to inspire him; in a little time he “ was actually inspired, and was told that the “ chief gods had decreed, that as they had “ come to Tonga, and had breathed the air of 120 RELIGIOUS TENETS “ the place, and had fed upon the produce of “ the place, they should become mortal, and “ people the world with mortal beings, and all “ about them should be ttica mama*. Upon “ this they were all exceedingly grieved, and “ were sorry they had broken up their cano>e, “ but they made another, and some of them put “ to sea with the hope of regaining the island of “ Bolotoo; in which endeavour, if they suc- “ ceeded, they were to come back and fetch “ their companions: but they looked in vain “ for the land of the gods, and were obliged to “ return sorely afflicted to Tonga.” In the above story there is a little inconsistency in respect to the gods coming from Bolotoo in a canoe; for the gods are generally understood to have no canoes, not requiring them,—for the moment they wish to be any where, their wish is accomplished without any further trouble, which is a mode of conveyance far superior to any of our inventions, either ancient or modern. The Tonga people have also a story among them respecting an island of immortal women existing somewhere to the north-west of Fiji; * Things of this world, mortal, subject to decay and death, in contradistinction to mea hotooa, things of the other world (Bolotoo), or larid of hotooas, immortal, and always flourishing. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 121 but this is suspected to be rather a Fiji tale than a tradition of their own, and consequently is not much believed among them. These immortal women are considered to be hotooas; but they are thought to have all the passions and propensities properly belonging to women of this world, insomuch that it is dangerous for canoes to put in there; not that the crew would be positively ill-treated by these fair goddesses, but too much kindness sometimes destroys as effectually, though perhaps not so quickly, as too much severity. It is reported that a Fiji canoe was once driven there by a gale of wind: the men landed, and were charmed with the truly kind reception they met with ; but in a day or two, finding the climate much too warm for their constitution, they wisely betook themselves again to their canoe, and with some difficulty reached the Fiji islands, bringing sundry marvellous accounts of the nature of the country, and the reception they met with. This story is prevalent, not only at Tonga and Fiji, but also at Hamoa (the Navigator’s island.) Some of the Fiji people believe it: the Hamoa people doubt it very much ; and the generality of the Tonga people deny it altogether. The natives of the Ton^a islands/have a tra- ditionary story respecting the origin of turtles ; 122 RELIGIOUS TENETS and as we are here discoursing about their notions of the world, which in some measure involve their knowledge of natural history, it ought properly to be told in this place. A considerable time after the existence of mankind at Tonga, a certain god, who lived in the sky, and whose name was Langi, received a command from the superior gods of Bolotoo to attend a grand conference, shortly to be held at the latter place, on some point of universal importance. Now it happened that the god Langi had several children*; among others, two daughters, beautiful young goddesses, who were of an age in which vanity and the desire to be admired was beginning to be a very strong passion, and consequently they had often expressed their wish to see the islands of Tonga, and to visit the people that dwelt there; but their father was too wise readily to give his consent. Business of importance, however, now demanded his absence from the sky; but being fearful that his inexperienced daughters might in the mean time descend to Tonga, he gave them the strictest commands not to leave their celestial residence till his return ; and as a motive for their obedience, he promised to * It would appear from this that the gods are supposed to have children, nevertheless Mr. Mariner believes that this is not consistent with the general opinion of the natives. OF THE TONGA. PEOPLE. 123 conduct them, when he came back, to Tonga, and gratify their wish with safety to themselves. With a view to strengthen his injunctions, and better to ensure their compliance, he represented in lively colours the many dangers they would subject themselves to, by infringing upon his commands : in the first place, he told them that the Hotooa Pow (mischievous gods), who resided at Tonga, would take every opportunity to molest them, and to throw difficulties and dangers in their way. Besides which, there were other evils of greater consequence to fear; for they were so beautiful (he told them), that the men of Tonga would furiously fight among themselves to obtain them for their wives, and that the quarrels occasioned by them would, no doubt, offend the superior gods of Bolotoo, and he (Langi) should thereby get into disgrace. The two goddesses having promised obedience to their father’s orders, he descended with speed to Bolotoo. He had scarcely left the sky, when they began to reason together on what he had told them : one said to the other, our father has only promised to take us to Tonga that he may keep us here till he come back; for has he not often promised us the same thing and never fulfilled his word ? True ; said the other, let us go to Tonga by ourselves for a little time, just to look at the mama people. 124 RELIGIOUS TENETS and we will return before he shall know any thing of it; besides, (said both of them together) has he not told us that we are more beautiful than the women of Tonga ? Yes! let us go immediately to Tonga and be admired, for in the sky there are many other goddesses nearly as beautiful as ourselves, and we are scarcely noticed. Upon this they descended together to the island of Tonga, and, having alighted in a lonely place, they walked towards the rnooa , discoursing as they went on the homage that was soon to be paid to their charms. When they arrived at the mooa ., they found the king and all his chiefs and principal people engaged in some grand ceremony of rejoicing, and were then drinking their cava. The moment they arrived all eyes were turned upon them, and all hearts, except those that envied, were filled with admiration and love. The young chiefs vied with each other in showing them the most signal attentions*; they already began to be i * It is not the least remarkable trait in the character of the Tonga people, that on almost all occasions they shew very marked attention to females ; and we believe that among all the different clusters of islands in the South Seas, the natives of these are singular in this respect. The women of Tonga are not obliged to labour to procure the necessaries of life for their idle husbands : the men work; the women do chiefly those offices that are requisite for domestic comfort, and for the promotion of health and cleanliness. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 125 jealous of each other; they left off drinking cava, and the whole assembly was put in confusion. At length the young men began to quarrel among themselves, but the king, to settle all disputes, by virtue of his superior power took them home to his own residence: the sun had scarcely set, however, before certain chiefs, with a strong armed force, rescued them from the king’s house: the whole island was soon in a state of confusion and alarm, and early the following morning a bloody war was commenced. In the mean time the gods of Bolotoo heard what was going forward at Tonga, and they immediately with great indignation charged poor Langi with being the cause of these disturbances : this god said in his defence, that he had ordered his daughters to remain at home, but unfortunately they were disobedient children. He immediately left the synod of gods, and flew with all speed to Tonga, where he found that one of his daughters, by having eaten of the productions of the place, had deprived herself of immortality, and was already dead. The loss of his daughter enraged him to the utmost extreme; he sought for the other, and, seizing her by the hair, he severed her head from her body: the head he threw into the sea, and flew, with rage and disappointment, back to the sky. The head in a short 126 RELIGIOUS TENETS time turned into a turtle, and was the origin and source of all the turtle now found in the world. This story obtains almost universal credit at the Tonga islands; in consequence, turtles are considered as almost a prohibited food, at least very few will venture to eat them without first offering a portion to some god, or sending some to any chief that may be at hand: and there are many that will not eat turtle on any account, being fearful of its producing enlarged livers, or some such visceral complaint. It is not supposed, however, to be so likely to have a bad effect upon great chiefs, as they approach so near in rank, and character to the gods themselves. Such are their principal notions respecting the origin of things. As to the first formation of the solid sky (as they deem it), or the island of Bolotoo, or the gods themselves, they pretend to form no idea, and never think of agitating the question, whether they are eternal, or whether they had a beginning, deeming all such speculations as vain and fruitless; for who, say they, can remember, or who has been there to see ? They have no legends or tales that seem to resemble those of the Society islands, as related by Captain Cook. Respecting the earth, their notion is, that it OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 127 has a flat surface, ending abruptly, which the sky overarches. If you ask them why the sea does not run over, the answer will be, “ How “ can I tell? I have never been there to see;; “ there are rocks, or something tu border it, “ probably.” With regard to the sun and moon, they pass through the sky, and come back some way, they know not how. As to the spots in the moon, they are compared to the figure of a woman sitting down and beating gnatoo: when the moon is eclipsed, they attribute the phenomenon to a thick cloud passing over it: the same with the sun. Respecting the human soul, in particular, they imagine it to be the finer or more aeriform? part of the body, and which leaves it suddenly at the moment of death; and it may be conceived to stand much in the same relation to* the body as the perfume and more essential qualities of a flower do to the more solid substance which constitutes the vegetable fibre- They have no proper word to express this fine aetherial part of man: as to the word loto, though it may be sometimes used for this purpose, yet it rather means a man’s disposition,, inclination, passion, or sentiment. The soul is; rather supposed to exist throughout the whole extension of the body, but particularly in the heart, the pulsation of which is the strength. 128 RELIGIOUS TELNETS and power of the soul or mind. They have no clear distinction between the life and the soul, but they will tell you that the fotomanava (the right auricle of the heart) is the seat of life. They form no idea respecting the use of the brain, unless it be, perhaps, the seat of memory; (they have a distinct word for memory, manatoo :) they derive this notion from the natural action of putting the hand to the forehead, or striking the head gently when trying to remember any thing. The liver they consider to be the seat of courage, and they pretend to have remarked (on opening dead bodies), that the largest livers (not diseased), belong to the bravest men. They also say they have made another observation respecting this viscus, viz. that, in left-handed people, it is situated more on the left than on the right side; and, in persons that are ambidexter, it is placed as much on one side as on the other. They are very well acquainted with the situation of all the principal viscera. They acknowledge that the tooas, or lower order of people, have minds or souls; but they firmly believe that their souls die with their bodies, and, consequently, have no future existence. The generality of the tooas, themselves, are of this opinion, but there are some who have the vanity to think they have immor : OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 129 tal souls as well as matabooles and chiefs, and which will live hereafter in Bolotoo. There seems to be a wide difference between the opinions of the natives in the different clusters of the South Sea islands respecting the future existence of the soul. Whilst the Tonga doctrine limits immortality to chiefs, matabooles, and at most, to mooas, the Fiji doctrine, with abundant liberality, extends it to all mankind, to all brute animals, to all vegetables, and even to stones and mineral substances. If an animal or a plant die, its soul immediately goes to Bolotoo; if a stone or any other substance is broken, immortality is equally its reward; nay, artificial bodies have equal good luck with men, and hogs, and yams. If an axe or a chisel is worn out or broken up, away flies its soul for the service of the gods. If a house is taken down, or any way destroyed, its immortal part will find a situation on the plains of Bolotoo: and, to confirm this doctrine, the Fiji people can shew you a sort of natural well, or deep hole in the ground, at one of their islands, across the bottom of which runs a stream of water, in which you may clearly perceive the souls of men and women, beasts and plants, of stocks and stones, canoes and houses, and of all the broken utensils of this frail world, swimming, or rather tumbling along one over the other pell-mell into the regions of immortality. Such is the Fiji philosophy, but VOL. II. 130 RELIGIOUS TENETS the Tonga people deny it, unwilling to think that the residence of the gods should be encumbered with so much useless rubbish. The natives of Otaheite entertain similar notions respecting these things, viz. that brutes, plants, and stones, exist hereafter (see Captain Cook’s Voyage), but it is not mentioned that they extend the idea to objects of human invention. Mr. Mariner is not acquainted with the notions of the Sandwich islanders upon these subjects : what we have related respecting those of the Fiji people he obtained from Fiji natives resident at Vavaoo, from Tonga people who had visited the Fiji islands, and from the natives of Pau, when he was there. The human soul, after its separation from the body, is termed a hotooa (a god or spirit), and is believed to exist in the shape of the body; to have the same propensities as during life, but to be corrected by a more enlightened understanding, by which it readily distinguishes good from evil, truth from falsehood, right from wrong; having the same attributes as the original gods, but in a minor degree, and having its dwelling for ever, in the happy regions of Bolotoo, holding the same rank in regard to other souls as during this life : it has, however, the power of returning to Tonga to inspire priests, relations, or others, or to appear in dreams to those it wishes to admonish; and OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 131 sometimes to the external eye in the form of a ghost or apparition : but this power of re-appearance at Tonga particularly belongs to the souls of chiefs, rather than of matabooles. It was thought that Finow the first was occasionally visited by a deceased son of his, not visibly, but announcing his presence by whistling. Mr. Mariner once heard this whistling, as he was with the king and some chiefs in a house at night lying on their mats: it was dark, and the sound appeared to come from the loft of the house. Mr. Mariner thinks this to have been some trick of Finow’s. The natives believed it to be a spirit. It is to be observed that they consider it taboo to whistle, as being disrespectful to the gods. It has already been stated, that the gods are believed sometimes to enter into the bodies of lizards, porpoises and water snakes; but this power belongs only to the original gods, not to the souls of chiefs. There is no future place of existence for the souls of men but Bolotoo, and, consequently, no state of future punishment; all rewards for virtue, and punishments for vice, being inflicted on mankind in this world, as before noticed. When Mr. Mariner acquainted some of them with the Christian doctrine of eternal punishment, they said that it was “ very bad in- “ deed for the Papalangies.” 132 HABITS OF THE CHAPTER XIX. Farther particulars respecting the divine chiefs Tooitonga and Veachi: respecting the priests—General remarks on the moral notions and habits of the people—The first principles which in them constitute the foundation of virtue—References to Toobo Nuha, Hala A'pi A'pi, and others—Farther habits of practical liberality—The principle of respect and veneration to the gods, chiefs, parents, and aged persons—Defence of hereditary rights, and love of country—Instances of the principle of honour: instances of the contrary: remarks: conclusions—Their liberal opinions of one another, and of European nations, with references—Humanity—General observations on the virtue of chastity—Investigation of the proportion of married women—Conduct of the married women—Conduct of the unmarried women : of the married men: of the unmarried men—General view of society, as far as their notions respecting chastity are concerned—Conclusions upon this subject—Remarks. The two divine personages, viz. Tooitonga and Veachi, or those who are supposed to be peculiarly of high divine origin, have already been spoken of as far as their rank is concerned. In respect to their habits, we might very naturally imagine that, in consequence of their high rank as divine chiefs, they would very frequently be inspired by the gods, and become the oracles of the divine will; but this, DIVINE CHIEFS AND PRIESTS. 133 as far as Mr. Mariner has seen and heard, has never been the case ; and it seems strange that the favour of divine inspiration should be particularly bestowed upon men seldom higher in rank than matabooles : such, however, is the case, and, to reconcile it with propriety, we may suppose that Tooitonga and Veachi are supposed to be of too high a rank to be the mere servants of the gods, and mere instruments of communication between them and mankind, but rather as the highest and most worthy of mankind, and next to the gods in rank and dignity. These two persons, however high in rank, have very little comparative power, though it is suspected that, formerly, when the Tonga people were a peaceable nation, and more attention was paid to religious rites and institutions, that they had a vast deal more influence than they have had of late years. They now very seldom meddle with political matters, though Mr. Mariner once witnessed an instance where Tooitonga ventured to advise Finow (the late king) respecting his warlike proceedings against Vavaoo, at the time when his aunt, Toe Oomoo, revolted; for this purpose he went into the house on a malui, and sent a messenger to the king to say that he was there; which is a polite mode of telling a person you want him to come, that you may speak to him. He did not go to the king’s house iit 134 HABITS OF THE person to communicate what he had to say, because, being the superior chief, every thing would have been tabooed that he happened to touch. When the king arrived, Tooitonga mildly addressed him on the subject of his aunt’s revolt, and advised that he should endeavour to accommodate matters rather than involve the country in war : to which the king shortly replied, “ My lord Tooitonga* may re- “ turn to his own part of the island, and content “ himself in peace and security; matters of “ w r ar are my concern, and in which he has no “ right to interfere.” He then left him. Thus, in all respects, we are to regard Tooitonga as a divine chief of the highest rank, but having no power or authority in affairs belonging to the king. It is presumed, however, that when the Tonga islands were in a state of peace, that is, before the people had acquired their warlike habits, that Tooitonga, as well as Veachi, had some influence even in matters of civil government, that their advice was often asked, and * Ho Egi Tooitonga means, literally, “ tliy lord Tooitonga,” in which the possessive pronoun thy, or your, is used instead of my : or, if the word egi be translated lordship, or chiefship, the term of address will be more consistent and similar to ours, your lordship, your grace, your majesty. The title, ho egi, is never used but in addressing a superior chief, or speaking of a god; or in a public speech. Ho Egi! also means chiefs, as in the commencement of the speech of Finow the second on coming into power. DIVINE CHIEFS AND PRIESTS. 135 sometimes taken. Veachi used often to lament to Mr. Mariner, that those happy days were passed away when they used to live in peace and happiness at the island of Tonga, when every body paid the highest respect to the divine chiefs, and there were no disturbances to fear, the land was well cultivated, and frequent rich presents were sent to them: others made the same complaint. In short, it would appear that the very ancient complaint, tempora mu- tantur, the Almost universal cry of dissatisfaction, is heard at the Tonga islands as'Well as elsewhere ; but the distant prospect generally appears more beautiful than the place whereon we stand : though, in all probability, Tooitonga and Veachi had great reason to complain, particularly Tooitonga, respect towards whom was evidently falling off even in Mr. Mariner’s time; for, formerly, it was thought necessary, when Tooitonga died, that his chief wife should be strangled and buried with him, but, in respect to the two last Tooitongas, this was not performed. Again, the late king would not allow Tooitonga to give him any advice in matters of war, but insisted that he should remain in peace and quietness at his own side of the island : and lastly, the present king, when the late Tooitonga died, would not allow his son to succeed to that high title, but, at one bold stroke, freed the 136 HABITS OF THE people from a vast burden of taxes, by annulling the title of Tooitonga, and the expensive ceremony of Inachi, with a view, also, (as the reader will recollect) to do away with the necessity of any communication with the Hapai people. Veachi, being a sensible, good, quiet sort of man, who interfered in no public matters, and who had nothing to do with the people of other islands but his own, (Toongooa,) was still suffered to retain his dignity, and probably does to this day; and, in that case, is the greatest chief at the Tonga islands, for the late Tooi- tonga’s son, if he have not been since made a Tooitonga, is below Veachi in rank. Thus it appears that the Tonga islands are undergoing a considerable change, both in respect to religion and politics; and if the communication • between Vavaoo and the Hapai islands, and between both places and Tonga, should remain closed for a number of years, it would be a curious inquiry, to investigate what changes the language will undergo in those respective places. In regard to the priests, their habits are precisely the same as other persons of the same rank; and, when they are not inspired, all the respect that is paid to them is that only which is due to their private rank. Mr. Mariner recollects no chief that was a priest: he has, indeed, seen the king inspired by Taly-y-Toobo DIVINE CHIEFS AND PRIESTS. 137 (who never inspires any body but the king,) but he is not strictly considered a priest on this account; those only, in general, being considered priests, who are in the frequent habit of being inspired by some particular god. It most frequently happens that the eldest son of a priest, after his father’s death, becomes a priest of the same god who inspired his father. The general circumstances of fits of inspiration have been already noticed (vol. i. p. 100). When a priest is inspired, he is thought capable of prophesying, or, rather, the god within him is said sometimes to prophesy; these prophecies generally come true, for they are mostly made on the probable side of a question, and when they do not come to pass as expected, the priest is not blamed, but it is supposed the gods for some wise purpose have deceived them ; or that the gods, for ought they know, have since changed their mind, and ordered matters otherwise; or that the god who inspired the priest spoke prematurely, without consulting the other gods. At the Sandwich islands the priests appear to be a distinct order or body of men, living for the most part together, holding occasional conferences, and at all times respected by the body of the people; whereas, at the Tonga islands the priests live indiscriminately with the rest of the natives, are not respected on the score of 138 HABITS OF THE PRIESTS. their being priests, unless when actually inspired, and hold no known conferences together, as an allied body. Mr. Mariner frequently associated with them, knew their general conduct, and inquired the opinion of all classes of the natives respecting them ; and, after all, has no reason to think that they combine together for the purpose of deceiving the people. He found nothing that he conceived very remarkable in their general character: if there was any difference between them and the rest of the natives, it was that they were rather more given to reflection, and somewhat more taciturn, and probably greater observers of what was going forward. They have no peculiarity of dress to distinguish them. The most remarkable of their prophecies, if they deserve that name, are those mentioned vol. i. on the occasion of a young chief being inspired by a female spirit from Bo.- lotoo ; and on that of the illness of Finow and his daughter, when one became better the other became worse, as the priest foretold. The priests associate with the chiefs as much as other ma- tabooles and mooas^ and, although T°oitonga and Veachi are considered divine chiefs, still they have no more to do with the priests, nor are they any otherwise connected with them, nor related to them, than are other chiefs. Having thus far given a general view of the MORALS. 139 religious opinions of the Tonga people, and an account of the habits of their divine chiefs and priests, we shall proceed to unfold, with as much accuracy and impartiality as possible, their notions and habits of morality; and in another chapter conclude the subjects connected with religion, by a detail of their religious ceremonies. Moral virtue will appear to have a very slender foundation in these islands, when we consider that the natives believe in no future place of reward, but what a man will equally possess, whether he live virtuously or not, and that they have no idea of a future state of punishment of any kind or degree whatsoever; and our opiniop of their notions of moral virtue will not be much exalted, when, on a striet examination of their language, we discover no words essentially expressive of some of the higher qualities of human merit, as virtue, justice, humanity; nor of the contrary, as vice, injustice, cruelty, &c. They have indeed expressions for these ideas, but they are equally applicable to other things. To express a virtuous or good man, they would say tangata lille, a good man, or tangata loto lille, a man with a good mind; but the word lille, good (unlike our word virtuous), is equally applicable to an axe, canoe, or any thing else: again, they 140 MORAL STATE have no word to express humanity, mercy, &c. but ofa, which rather means friendship, and is a word of cordial salutation : neither have they any word expressive of chastity, except noj'o mow, remaining fixed or faithful, and which in this sense is only applied to a married woman, to signify her fidelity to her husband ; but in another sense it is applicable to a warrior, to signify his loyalty and attachment to his chief. Farthermore, when we learn that theft, revenge, rape, and murder, under many circumstances, are not held to be crimes, we shall be tempted to exclaim, How miserable are these wretched people! the virtues have left their abode, and they are given up a prey to every evil passion! The picture is indeed dark, but we must throw a little more light upon it, and approach to take a nearer view. The Tonga people do not indeed believe in any future state of rewards and punishment, but they believe in that first of all religious tenets, that there is a power and intelligence superior to all that is human, which is able to control their actions, and which discovers all their most secret thoughts; and though they consider this power and intelligence to be inherent in a number of individual beings, the principle of belief is precisely the same; it is perhaps equally strong, and as practically useful as if they coin OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 141 sidered it all concentrated in their chief god. They firmly believe that the gods approve of virtue, and are displeased with vice j that every man has his tutelar deity, who will protect him as long as he conducts himself as he ought to do; but, if he does not, will leave him to the approaches of misfortune, disease, and death. And here we find some ground on which to establish a virtuous line of conduct: but this is not sufficient: there is implanted in the human breast a knowledge or sentiment which enables us sometimes, if not always, to distinguish between the beauty of disinterestedness and the foul ugliness of what is low, sordid, and selfish ; and the effect of this sentiment is one of the strongest marks of character in the natives of * these islands. Many of the chiefs, on being asked by Mr. Mariner what motives they had for conducting themselves with propriety, besides the fear of misfortunes in this life, replied, the agreeable and happy feeling which a man experiences within himself when he does any good action, or conducts himself nobly and generously, as a man ought to do: and this question they answered as if they wondered such a question should be asked. After this, we cannot but suppose (unless we are led by prejudice), that the seeds of very great virtues are implanted in their breasts and it would be very unrea- 142 MORAL STATE sonable to imagine that there are not many of the natives in whom these seeds germinate, grow up, and flourish to a very great extent; and if so, they cannot but be universally approved of and admired. If we 'wish for an example of these sentiments, we have one in the character of the noble Toobo Nuha, who lived as a great chief ought to do, and died like a good man. It is true he killed Toogoo Ahoo; but a native would observe, that in doing it he freed Tonga from the dominion of an oppressive and cruel tyrant. After that period he remained a faithful tributary chief to his brother the king; and when he was told that his brother was concerned in plotting his assassination, and that it would be better for him always to go armed, his disinterested reply was, that if his life was of no use to the king he was ready to die, and that he would not arm himself against him as long as the country was well governed!—He afterwards associated with his secret enemies without arms, and when the first unkind blow was given, his only exclamation was addressed pathetically to his brother, thus, “ Oh, Finow, am I to be killed?” He said no more, but instinctively parrying off the blows with his arms till they were both broken, he received them on his head, and fell a prostrate victim to the malice of his enemies. We have another noble instance of OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 143 disinterestedness and generosity in the person of Hala A'pi A'pi, in his liberal conduct towards his friend Talo (see vol. ii. p. 7). He said afterwards that he knew very well that Talo was no coward, but that a little petulance or disappointed vanity had occasioned him to make the first false step, of which he was afterwards so ashamed, and was so confused that he had not the proper use of his judgment; and that he (Hala A'pi A'pi), knowing what must be the wounded state of his feelings, pitied his situation, and immediately sought a reconciliation. Hala A'pi A'pi indeed, in the fiery wildness of his disposition, often committed excesses; but his general character rendered him universally beloved. He was generous perhaps in the extreme ; he was endowed with a certain share of wisdom: he knew well what was right, and, what is still better, he practised it. (See his character, vol. ii. p. 50 .) We have given here but two glowing instances of liberal sentiment; but we must reflect that they were universally admired : accordingly, the principle on which they were admired must of course be universally felt; and it would be strange indeed, if the fruits of such sentiments were shewn only in a few solitary instances. The attentive reader will have discovered others ; but if it be necessary to give another, we beg to cite one of a nature different from either of the above. The 144 MORAL STATE instance alluded to (vol. i. p. 107-) is where Mr. Mariner, with four Indian warriors, was flying from a large party of the enemy, when on a sudden he fell into a deep hole: his fate now seemed certain, the enemy would have gloried in killing him, for they had not forgotten the guns; but his four faithful companions exclaimed, “Let us stop for the Papalangi!” Three defended the ground with their clubs, while one helped him out, and one of the three was killed in that act of defence. These four men might have run off without risking their lives, but they were possessed of better sentiments:—“Let us stop for the Papalangi!”— they did stop, and they saved him. Their high admiration of what is generous and liberal in sentiment and conduct, is very well borne out by many of their most established customs and practices. The general conduct of chiefs and others towards one another seems to turn upon this principle of liberality. If one chief sees something in the possession of another which he has a strong desire to have, he has only to ask him for it, and in all probability it is readily and liberally given. The very tributes which the chiefs receive from inferiors ’come as much aspossiblein theform of presents*. * We must not deny but what these presents are frequently occasioned by fear,as may be discovered by several instances mentioned in the first volume; but still they are not de- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 145 Foreigners are exempted from all tributes, except those that are for the purpose of religious ceremonies, even though they occupy considerable plantations at Tonga: they also readily excuse foreigners for not according with their customs, or not paying respect to their gods; because, say they, they have gods of their own, and are not governed by our divinities. When any one is about to eat, he always shares out what he has to those about him, without any hesitation, and a contrary conduct would be considered exceedingly vile and selfish. At meals strangers or foreigners are always shewn a preference, and females are helped before men of the same rank, because they are the weaker sex and require attention. A number of such instances might be given if necessary, but these, it is presumed, are sufficient to demonstrate that the people of the Tonga islands are not only not selfish, but admire liberality, and are practically liberal. In such a kind of mind as we have been describing, we may readily suppose that the sentiments of veneration and respect are felt to a considerable degree; and, accordingly, every manded; they love to consider them as presents, and this sufficiently demonstrates the universal admiration of the sentiment of liberality. There are no officers appointed to see that the people pay their due quantity. VOL. II. L 14 (> MORAL STATE mark of such sentiments is shewn to the gotls, to chiefs, and aged persons. Actual impiety is little known among them: Finow (the late king) was, indeed, an impious character in many respects, but we have already seen how much the people wondered at his success. The same king was one day prevented from going out upon an expedition against the enemy, by one of his chiefs happening to sneeze, which is considered a bad omen. Finow, on a sudden, greatly exasperated, with raised arms, and clenched fists, exclaimed, in a loud voice, “ Crowd, all ye gods, to the protection of these “ people, nevertheless I will wreak my ven- “ geance on them tenfold!” But this impious exclamation was heard with horror by every body. There is no necessity to dwell upon the respect that is universally paid to chiefs, for it forms the stable basis of their government; and, of course, cannot be allowed to be infringed upon: it is, in short, a superior sacred duty, the non-fulfilment of which it is supposed the gods would punish almost as severely as disrespect to themselves. The great veneration which they pay to aged persons is a very amiable trait in their character ; and, though it is now kept up by old habit and custom, it must, no doubt, have arisen in the beginning from notions which would do honour to the most civilized OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 147 people; for it is not only to those who are old, both in years and wisdom, that such respect is paid, but every aged man and aged woman enjoys the attentions and services of the younger branches of society. Great love and respect for parents is another prominent mark of their character; and, indeed, it fnust be so, as it arises out of a two-fold motive: i. e. they pay respect on the score of parentage, and on that of superior chiefship or rank. Every chief also pays the greatest respect towards his eldest sister, which respect he shews in an odd way, but it is according to custom, viz. by never entering into the house where she resides; but upon what exact principle, except custom, Mr. Mariner has not satisfactorily learned. The same principle of love and respect for parents and superiors engages every man to secure and defend his hereditary rights as another point of religious duty, and in honour to the memory of his ancestors, from whom he received them. By a farther extension of the same sentiment, he loves the island on which he was born, in particular, and all the Tonga islands generally, as being one country, and speaking one language. But the amor patriae , in the mote extended sense, cannot be supposed to prevail in a very high degree, for, having no wars with foreigners, the opportunities for the 148 MORAL STATE excitement and growth of this passion are not very frequent ; nevertheless, in the history of the war at Vavaoo, we shall discover proofs of the existence of this noble sentiment, as well as in the life of Toobo Nuha, and in the death of the late king, who lamented that he left the country in a critical situation. The present king, and his uncle Finow Fiji, are, no doubt, patriots in the best sense of the word. Honour is another principle upon which we must speak; but, in regard to which, it is difficult to give the just character of the Tonga people. That they are honourable, in many respects, there can be no doubt; and that, in other respects, they do things which are, seemingly, at least, very dishonourable, there can be as little question. It was agreeable to every generous and honourable sentiment in Teoo Cava’s men, to help him out of the ditch at the peril of their own lives ; or in Mr. Mariner’s four companions, to save him at the same risk. It was honourable in the late king, who was a very passionate man, and expected to be obeyed, to receive in good part, and readily to excuse, Mr. Mariner’s refusal, on many occasions, to conform to orders that were not consistent with his principles. It was honourable in tfie Vavaoo people to have so much respect for the memory of their late chief, Toobo Nuha, as to resent his OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 149 wrongs by their steady and determined conduct in regard to his murderers: and the behaviour of Toe Oomoo and her sister on this occasion is not unworthy of admiration. Finow Fiji, on the death of his brother, might easily have made himself king, for his party was exceedingly powerful, and heartily wished him to take the supreme command, but he was a man of too much honour to rob his nephew of his right. If a man goes to another island, the chief of which, during his visit, makes war with the island from which he comes, he is bound in honour to side with the chief on whose island he is; and this point of honour, except on extraordinary occasions, is faithfully kept: thus Finow Fiji was at Vavaoo when his brother, the king, waged war with that island, and, honour binding him, he remained in the service of Toe Oomoo, directing his hostilities chiefly against Toobo Toa, and those men who were the actual assassinators of Toobo Nuha. These different instances (and many others might be mentioned) are not only, to a certain degree, honourable in themselves, but are universally considered so by the natives: thus we must not deny that they feel the principle of honour, and practise it to a certain extent: but then what shall we say on the other side of the question ? How can we excuse the capture of the Port au 150 MORAL STATE Prince, and the atrocious circumstances attending it: the assassination of Toobo Nuha; the treachery of Tarky', chief of the garrison of Bea (vol. i. p. 114)? But what stands forward both prominent and glaring, and the truth of which their own confession establishes, is, the serious design they entertained of assassinating Captain Cook and his officers at Lefooga, the 18th of May 1777, and putting' to death their acknowledged great and good benefactor! (See vol. ii. p. 60.) If we were to measure their conduct by the notions of virtue, honour, and humanity received among enlightened nations, we should do them great wrong, and forfeit our own titles to the epithets of just and honourable: we shall therefore endeavour to ascertain in what their notions of honour consist, and judge them upon their own principles. Their ideas of honour and justice do not very much differ from ours except in degree, they considering some things more honourable than we should, and others much less so : but they have one principle which to a greater or less extent is universally held among them, which is, that it is every man’s duty to obey the orders of his superior chief in all instances, good or bad, unless it be to fight against a chief still superior$ and even in this case it would not be actually dishonour- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 151 able. If a chief, therefore, designs to assassinate another, it is the duty of his men to assist him to the utmost of their power, whether they think it right or not. If two or three combine together to take a ship, they may depend upon their men’s readiness, as a point of duty, to execute their intentions; and if they are ordered to kill every man on board, they will most assuredly do it if they possibly can : if they are desired to save every man’s life, they will equally obey the order, by merely endeavouring to secure them, though perhaps at the risk of their own lives. Thus the crime of one mail will appear to us Europeans to be extended to two or three hundred, although these perhaps may be only the unwilling instruments, obedient because it is their duty to be so: but let the matter rest here for a moment, whilst we endeavour to examine the degree of crime of which the chief is guilty, who is at the head of the conspiracy. In the first place, his own opinion, and that of his countrymen, is, that it is no crime at all, that is to say, it is not what the gods will punish him for : h"e will however candidly acknowledge it to be wrong; he will say, he took the ship because Tonga, being a poor country, was in want of many useful things, which he supposed were in great plenty oil board, and that he killed the crew that he might 152 MORAL STATE better effect his object: taking the ship he will call an act of ungenerous oppression: killing the men an act of harshness, but he will add, how could it be helped? we would have saved the men if we could, but we did not dare to do it, for our own safety: but (supposing the chief addressing himself to Mr. Mariner in reference to the Port au Prince), “ we might “ also have killed you and your surviving com- “ panions, as we were advised, lest the next “ ship hearing from you what had been done, “ might take revenge ; but we have so good an “ opinion of the clemency and humanity ( ofa ) “ of the Papalangies, that we trust they will not “ take revenge: we will therefore treat you “ well and abide by the result.’’ Such are their notions of the crime (or fault,) as it regards the chief; and we think it but fair and liberal to judge of a man’s conduct according to his own notions of right and wrong, taking into account his opportunities of knowing better, and in this point of view, the natives of these islands are but mere infants in civilization and morality, (not from want of power, but opportunity of growth ;) our sentiments towards these people, therefore, should be mild and liberal; our conduct generous and careful, or severe and rigorous, according to circumstances; whilst our better notions of morality will teach us not to OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 153 be revengeful. In the mean while, we ought not to exculpate from all fault the men who obeyed their chief on the above occasion : they ■were guilty not because they obeyed, but because they obeyed with willingness, in hope of obtaining what to them were riches. In respect to the intended assassination of Captain Cook, every native of Tonga would have considered it, if it had taken place, a very base act, for which probably the gods would have punished them. Toobo Nuha’s assassination of Toogoo Ahoo was esteemed rather a virtue than a crime; but Toobo Toa’s assassination of Toobo Nuha was held a very atrocious act, offensive to the gods. An old mataboole used to say, that useless and unprovoked murder was highly offensive to the gods ; and that he never remembered a man guilty of it but who either lived unhappily, or came to an untimely end. Theft is considered by them an act of meanness rather than a crime ; and although some of the chiefs themselves have been known to be guilty of it on board ships, it is nevertheless not approved of. Their excuse is the strength of the temptation : the chiefs that would do it are, however, few. From the above considerations, we are disposed to say, that the notions of the Tonga people, in respect to honour and justice, as we 154 MORAL STATE have above viewed them, are tolerably well defined, steady and universal; but that, in point of practice, both the chiefs and the people, taking them generally, are irregular and fickle ; being in some respects exceedingly honourable and just, and in others the contrary, as a variety of causes may operate. In regard to these virtues, therefore, (in the sense in which we have here taken them,) they may be considered very faulty; though there are several admirable exceptions, whose characters become more splendid an*d meritorious by the contrast. As being closely allied with principles of honour and justice, we shall now examine the character of these people, as it regards their opinion of one another; and here we shall find something greatly to admire, and much to be approved of. While we accuse them of treachery and cruelty, they as loudly cry out that we are calumniators and detractors: for no bad moral habit appears to a native of Tonga more ridiculous, depraved, and unjust, than publishing the faults of one’s acquaintances and friends, for while it answers no profitable purpose, it does a great deal of mischief to the party who suffers; and as to downright calumny or false accusation, it appears to them more horrible than deliberate murder does to us: for it is * better, they think, to assassinate a man’s person OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 155 than to attack his reputation. In the first case, you only cause his death, which must happen to him some time or another, whether you will of not; but in the latter case you take from him what otherwise he might, strictly speaking, never have lost, which he might have carried with him faultless to the grave, and which afterwards might have remained attached to his memory as long as the memory of him existed. And they not only hold this as a just and honourable principle, but they likewise put it in practice ; so that instances of calumny and defamation are very rare. On the other hand, they equally avoid the baseness of flattery, and even where a man has performed some achievement that is really praiseworthy, they seldom commend him in his presence, lest it should make him vain and proud of himself; and that they are very well able to discriminate true bravery from false we have already stated and instanced in the former volume, where it is also remarked, that a modest opinion of oneself \s esteemed a great virtue, and is also put in practice : for a farther instance of this, the conduct of the present king may be noticed, when he first came into power, and his admirable speech on that occasion may also be referred to. In regard to humanity, or a fellow-feeling for one another, much is to be said on both 156 MORAL STATE sides of the question. The sentiment itself is universally approved of, and they speak highly of Europeans for their mild and humane conduct : it must be confessed, however, that they do not so extensively practise it, at least according to our notions of it, nor even, we may add, according to their own ; which must be attributed in some to a want of thought, and want of feeling, particularly in boys and young lads ; and in the older branches of society to motives of revenge, which, if it be for some serious injury, is deemed almost a virtue. We are here speaking of the men ; as to the women, they are universally humane: a few, indeed, of the principal wives of chiefs are proud and haughty, and consequently tyrannical; but, considering the women generally, they are exceedingly humane and considerate; and though in their talkativeness, as in other parts of the world, they naturally speak of one another’s faults, it is usually of such as are of a trifling mature, and without any malice, being mostly in the way of humour or joke : as to considerable faults, such as a woman’s infidelity to her husband, it would remain as much a secret with any of her own sex, (if they accidentally knew it,) as it possibly could with herself! Quarrels among the women are very rare. There is a lesser species of humanity, known commonly by the term good- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 157 nature, which is universally prevalent among the men as well as the women, and which is plainly depicted in the countenances of most of them. Taking all things into consideration, we must not venture to call them a humane people ; but, on the contrary, to say they were cruel would certainly be making use of too harsh a term. The next subject we shall consider is chastity. In respect to this, their notions are widely different from those of most European nations; we must, therefore, first examine what are their own ideas respecting this matter, and if they are such as are consistent with public decorum and due order and regularity in the social state, without tending to enervate the mind or debase the character of man, we shall take those ideas as the standard by which to judge them, and as far as they act consistently thereto we shall call them chaste, and as far as they infringe upon it we shall deem them offenders. But here it may be asked how are we to judge whether their own notions upon this subject are consistent with the good order of society, &c. To this we can make no other answer than by referring to the actual state of society there, and pointing out those evils which may be supposed to arise from their wrong notions upon this subject. In the first place, it is universally considered 158 MORAL STATE a positive duty in every married woman to remain true to her husband. What we mean by a married woman is, one who cohabits with a man, and lives under his roof and protection, holding an establishment of him. A woman’s marriage is frequently independent of her consent, she having been betrothed by her parents, at an early age, to some chief, mataboole or mooa : perhaps about one third of the married women have been thus betrothed; the remaining two thirds have married with their free consent. Every married woman must remain with her husband whether she choose it or not, until he please to divorce her. Mr. Mariner thinks that about two thirds of the women are married, and of this number full half remain with their husbands till death separates them ; that is to say, full one third of the female population remain married till either themselves or their husbands die : the remaining two thirds are married and are soon divorced, and are married again perhaps three, four, or five times in their lives, with the exception of a few who, from whim or some accidental cause, are never married; so that about one third of the whole female population, as before stated, are at any given point of time unmarried. This calculation is made with due reference to the women living on the plantations, who are almost all married to the OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 159 tooas who till the ground, and remain constantly so ; the unmarried women, therefore, live principally at the mooa, or place where the chiefs, matabooles, &c. dwell, and are attendants upon them or their wives. Girls that are too young to be marriageable are not taken into account. Having thus ascertained, as nearly as possible, the proportion of married women, we shall make an inquiry how far it may reasonably be supposed they are entitled to the reputation of fidelity. During the whole of Mr. Mariner’s four years residence at one or other of these islands, he had frequent opportunities of intimacy with the wives of chiefs ; for being a foreigner, and a white man, he was free from a great many restrictions to which the natives are subject: for instance, whenever he pleased he could go in the houses of Finow’s wives, or of the wives of other chiefs, and converse freely with them as long as he chose, which was a liberty that no male native could take beside the husband, relations, or the cooks that carried in the victuals; and from habit they became so much accustomed to his company and conversation as to think very little more of his presence than of one of their own sex, and consequently he had every favourable opportunity of becoming acquainted with their habits and sentiments, particularly as one of the old king’s wives, his 160 MORAL STATE adopted mother, was a woman of very good sense and unaffected manners, and freely discoursed with him upon all points that related to her happiness, to that of her female acquaintance, or to the condition of the women in general ; besides which, it must be recollected, that Mr. Mariner, being upon the greatest intimacy with the principal chiefs, was acquainted with most of their intrigues, which they did not scruple to relate to him, both on account of the confidence they had in him, and his being a foreigner*. With such opportunities of knowing the habits of the natives, relative to the subject in question, Mr. Mariner is decidedly of opinion that infidelity among the married women is comparatively very rare. He only recollects three successful instances of planned intrigue during the whole of his time ; one at the Hapai islands, on the part of Voogi, (the young chief mentioned on the occasion of the old king’s death,) who was considered the handsomest man at the Tonga islands; and two on the part of the present king, whose high rank and authority * This seems an odd reason for placing confidence in such matters ; but it arises from this circumstance, that, being a foreigner, he was not supposed to take that interest in their concerns which might lead a native to thwart any conduct which he did not happen to approve of. OP THfi TONGA PEOPLE. 161 must on the one hand render his attentions flattering to the women* whilst on the other it may be supposed to excite a little apprehension of the consequences of a refusal. A fourth instance may perhaps be added, on the part of the late king, with respect to Foonagi, the wife of Tymomangnoongoo, but this is only upon sus* picion. Several other instances no doubt there were, at different islands; but as so few were known to him, who had better opportunities of information than any native, we may presume that infidelity on the part of the women is a very unfrequeut occurrence ; and where it does happen, it must be with the connivance of their female attendants and servants, who are always with them, and attend them abroad, not as spies over their conduct, but as companions, it not being thought decorous, particularly for the wife of a chief, to walk out by herself: the wives of matabooles and mooas may walk out in the neighbourhood without attendants, but never to any distance. These are, therefore, great restrictions upon the conduct of married women ; but there is one still greater, viz. the fear of discovery, which must operate very strongly on the part of the wives of great chiefs, in whom an act of infidelity might occasion her husband to prevent a repetition by killing her: and as to the wives of persons of lesser VOL. IX. M 162 MORAL STATE rank, they might at least expect a severe beating, and the offender himself come off as badly, if not worse: but, independent of these restrictions, &c. Mr. Mariner is of opinion that the women are disposed to be faithful to their husbands, as being in their own acknowledgment their superiors, guardians, and protectors ; and most of them, he firmly believes, are much attached to them, as he judges from their conduct when they become widows : witness the behaviour of Toobo Nuha’s widows, and those of the late king. Mali Habe, Mr. Mariner’s adopted mother, did not, after the king died, marry another, or admit a lover; although Voogi, who was considered the handsomest, and one of the most agreeable men in all the Tonga islands, became passionately in love with her, and would have paid his addresses with the greatest fervour and perseverance, if she had allowed him opportunities : at this time she was at the Hapai islands, residing with her father, under whose protection she remained at the time Mr. Mariner left the islands, which was about eight months after her husband’s death; though she might have married again, without any impropriety, two months afterwards, or allowed of an amour without any reproach. With respect to the wives of the lower ranks in society, they are oftener to be met with alone, OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 163 and on such occasions sometimes consent to the solicitations of chiefs whom they may happen to meet, not, as Mr. Mariner thinks, from an abandoned principle, or want of affection to their husbands, but from a fear of incurring the resentment of their superiors: the wives even of the lowest orders, he thinks, are very faithfully attached to their husbands. From the above investigation, we think it would be but giving a fair opinion of the reputation of the married women to say, that they are not only circumspect in conduct, but chaste in principle; and when we consider that the married women form about two thirds of the female population, (that are marriageable,) it will give us no mean opinion of their moral reputation. When a man divorces his wife, which is attended with no other ceremony than just telling her that she may go, she becomes perfect mistress of her own conduct, and may marry again, which is often done a few days afterwards, without the least disparagement to her character: or if she choose she may remain single and admit a lover occasionally, or may cohabit with her lover for a time, and remain at his house without being considered his wife, having no particular charge of his domestic concerns, and may leave him when she pleases, and this she M 2 164 MORAL STATE may also do without the least reproach or the least secrecy. From this circumstance we may draw an argument in favour of the chastity of the women generally, for if they were of a different character it is natural to suppose that very few would marry, except those who, when very young, were betrothed to chiefs, and consequently married independently of their consent: but we find that three times that number are actually married : and as many are married three, four, or five times, it cannot be from an unchaste, libertine, or wandering disposition on the part of the women, seeing that when once divorced they may remain single if they please, and enjoy all the liberty that the most libertine heart can desire. If now it be asked, “ Why then do they marry?” The answer is, for love of one object, with the idea that the object of their affections will always make them happy ; and if they are disappointed in one instance they are willing to try it in a second, a third, &c.: in short, it would appear that the force of sentimental affection blinds them to the probability of a disappointment, and they willingly make a generous sacrifice of their liberty to prove the strength of their attachment*. As to those women who are not actually mar- * The position, that every woman is at heart a rake, does not appear to hold true in the Tonga islands. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 165 ried, they may bestow their favours upon whomsoever they please, without any opprobrium : it must not, however, be supposed, that these women are always easily won ; the greatest attentions and most fervent solicitations are sometimes requisite, even though there be no other lover in the way. This happens sometimes from a spirit of coquetry, at other times from a dislike to the party, &c. It is thought shameful for a woman frequently to change her lover. Great presents are by no means certain methods of gaining her favours, and consequently they are more frequently made afterwards than before. Gross prostitution is not known among them. With regard to the habits of the men in this respect, it must in the first place be observed, that no man is understood to be bound to conjugal fidelity: it is no reproach to him to intermix his amours, though if a married man does this to excess it is thought inconsistent: notwithstanding this liberty of conduct, however, most of the married men are tolerably true to their wives ; and where they have any other amour it is kept a secret from the wife, not out of any fear or apprehension, but because it is unnecessary to excite her jealousy, and make her perhaps unhappy: for it must be said, to tire hopour of the men, that they consult in no 166 MORAL STATE small degree, and in no few respects, the happiness and comfort of their wives. In such a case of amour, the female he is attached to never offers to associate with the wife during the time she cohabits with the husband; for this would be thought a great insult, though afterwards she may, as freely as if nothing had happened, even though the wife may have known of the transaction. The women of course feel occasionally much jealousy, but it is seldom strongly expressed, and very rarely produces any fatal consequences : pride generally causes them to conceal this passion. With respect to the unmarried men, their conduct is of course free, but they seldom make any deliberate attempts upon the chastity of other men’s wives. Rape, however, sometimes happens, and young chiefs are the perpetrators: but if a woman is known to be married, even though her husband be only a tooa, it would most likely save her from this outrage ; and if she did not choose to give her consent, she might go free without farther molestation. When a woman is taken prisoner (in war), she generally has to submit; but this is a thing of course, and considered neither an outrage nor a dishonour: the only dishonour being to be a prisoner, and consequently a sort of servant to the conqueror. Rape, though always con- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 167 sidered an outrage, is not looked upon as a crime, unless the woman be of such a rank as to claim respect from the perpetrator. When all things are taken into consideration regarding the connubial system of these people, their notions of chastity, and their habits in respect of it, we shall have no reason to say but what they keep tolerably well within those bounds which honour and decency dictate*; * It may be objected that such habits as we have been describing must often lead to a disregard of public decency, and which therefore must be very bad for the morals of the younger branches of society of both sexes, by making them acquainted with what they ought not to have any idea of, before the voice of nature whispered the important secret. In reply to this, we must observe, that no nation can well pay greater attention to public decency than the Tonga people : but at the same time we acknowledge, that conversation is often intermingled with allusions, even when women are present, which could not he allowed in any decent society in England: this, however, is never done if married women, or chiefs superior to the speaker, are near; because it would be disrespectful: but such subjects are not the result of depraved notions, they are rather the offspring of the imagination, and occasionally hazarded as vehicles of joke and humour. Notwithstanding this, the blush of female modesty suffuses the cheek in these islands as well as elsewhere, although the occasion of it is not so much considered an offence: though the females are very deficient in artificial modesty, they amply make up for it by the more genuine feeling of natural bashfulness. Those among us whose morality is almost skin deep, and who make a vast account of outside appearances, will perhaps condemn them for this. In respect to children of both sexes, it must be acknow- 168 MORAL STATE and if it be asked what effect this system has upon the welfare and happiness of society, it may be safely answered, that there is not the lodged that they become acquainted with such subjects at a very early age. Nevertheless, a young female, (suppose 8, 9, or 10 years old), conducts herself with becoming modesty, and any indecent allusion would put her to the blush. She possesses a kind of modest pride, which she probably copies from the example of her mother, or else it is her natural bashfulness, or perhaps both, which generally constitutes the safeguard of her chastity, till the affections of the heart growing ripe with riper years, she at length listens to the solicitations of her lover. In regard to the boys, Mr. Mariner never observed nor heard of any pernicious effect in their conduct, resulting from too early an acquaintance with these matters. When no secret is made, what is there to excite any farther inquiry ? But if the subject be involved in mystery, it seizes strong hold of the mind; it becomes a frequent topic of discourse; and, what is worse, the curious inquirer is not contented with partial hearsay evidence, he has recourse to experience; for as long as any thing is concealed from him, he is restless and dissatisfied; and when he knows all that he can know, it will be, probably, at a period much more early than is proper: but in what other way can weaccount for the facts? Mr. Mariner saw no men at Tonga, nor did he hear of any, who made debauchery the business of their lives : on the contrary, they were wrestlers, racers, boxers, and club-fighters, strong, well made men, with fine swelling muscles. Another circumstance must be noticed, as connected with morality, and that is, personal cleanliness, in which no nation can excel (without ridiculous refinement) the people of these islands; and it is not unworthy of observation, that personal cleanliness sometimes argues cleanliness pf mind and idea. As to certain preposterous habits, which so disgrace the moral character of nations west of them, and which haye beep said to infect the natives of some of the OF THE TONGA. PEOPLE. 169 least appearance of any bad effect. The women are very tender, kind mothers, and the children are taken exceeding good care of: for even in case of a divorce, the children of any age, (requiring parental care), go with the mother, it being considered her province to superintend their welfare till they grow up; and there is never any dispute upon this subject. Both sexes appear contented and happy in their relations to each other. As to domestic quarrels, they are seldom known ; but this must be said to happen rather from the absolute power which every man holds in his own family: for even if his wife be of superior rank, he is nevertheless of higher authority in all domestic matters, and no woman entertains the least idea of rebelling against that authority; and if she should, even her own relations would not take her part, unless the conduct of her husband were undoubtedly cruel. That the men are also capable of much paternal affection, Mr. Mariner has witnessed many proofs, some of which have been related ; and we have already mentioned that filial piety is a most important duty, and appears to be universally felt. Upon these grounds we would venture to South Sea islands, we must do the Tonga people the justice to say, that they have not the most remote idea of any thing of the kind. 170 MORAL STATE say, that the natives of these islands are rather to be considered a chaste than a libertine people, and that, even compared with the most civilized nations, their character in this respect is to be rated at no mean height; and if a free intercourse could exist with European society, it is a matter of great doubt (whatever might be the change in their sentiments), if their habits or dispositions in this respect would be much improved by copying the examples of their instructors. If, on the other hand, we compare them to the natives of the Society islands, and the Sandwich islands, we should add insult to injustice. We have thus endeavoured to give a just and impartial view of these people, as far as regards their notions and practices of the most important points of morality, trusting that the account will be found useful and interesting. A great deal more might, no doubt, have been said; but the farther we enter into minutiae upon such a subject, the more we are likely to form an erroneous opinion ; whilst the general outlines may be given without so much danger of being deceived; and what may be thought imperfect in this sketch, the intelligent reader will be able to supply according to his own judgment, by his attentive perusal of other parts of the work. If, for instance, it be ob- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 171 jected that we have not taken into consideration the question of their being anthropophagi, we reply, that all the instances that can any way go to substantiate their character in this respect, and which happened during Mr. Mariner’s stay there, have been faithfully mentioned, with the motives and occasions of them : from which, we think it is easy to draw the conclusion, that they by no means deserve this opprobrious name: for, although a few young ferocious warriors chose to imitate what they considered a mark of courageous fierceness in a neighbouring nation, it was held in disgust by every body else. 172 RELIGIOUS RITES CHAPTER XX. Preliminary observations—Cava root: ceremony of preparing the infusion, and order of serving it out, either as a chief, a priest, or a god may preside—The ceremony of Inaclii; of Fuccalahi; of Cava fucca igi; of Tow-tow; of Nawgia; of Tootoonima ; of Bootoo and its minor ceremonies, viz, Fata, Tootoo, Lafa, Toogi, Foa Odloo ; with a quotation from Leviticus; of Langi, and the very singular mode of shewing respect to the remains of Tooitonga of Taboo and the ceremonies of moe-mdb and fota of Tod- goo cava; of Lotoo —Omens—Charms. As attention to religious ceremonies forms an important feature in the character of the Tonga people, and as they consider that any neglect in this respect would amount to a crime, which the gods would punish with the most severe temporal inflictions, it becomes necessary to give a particular account of them. The punishments which they consider themselves liable to for disrespect to the gods and neglect of religious rites are chiefly conspiracies, wars, famine, and epidemic diseases, as public calamities ; and sickness and premature death, as punishments for the offences of individuals : and these evils, whenever they happen, are supposed to proceed imme- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 173 diately from the gods, as visitations for their crimes. There is no public religious rite whatsoever, and scarcely any in private, but of which the ceremony of drinking cava forms a usual and often a most important part; for which reason, although cava is taken on other occasions several times daily, we shall endeavour to give a full description of its preparation and form of distribution, before we proceed to those ceremonies which are more strictly religious. The root which they term cava, and by which name the plant producing it is also called, belongs to a species of the pepper plant: it is known by the same name at the Fiji islands; but at the Navigator’s islands, (which the Tonga people also visit), at the Society islands, and the Sandwich islands, it is universally called ava. At all these places it is used for the same or similar purposes. The state in which it is taken is that of infusion : it is drunk every day by chiefs, mata- booles, and others, as a luxury: the form of preparing and serving it out is the same, whether at a large party or a small one: the greatest order is observed during the whole time, and the rank of persons is particularly attended to. The following description we shall suppose to be of some grand occasion, either religious or 174 RELIGIOUS RITES political. At all cava parties, provisions are also shared out; but the habitual cava drinkers seldom eat more than a mouthful, and this they do to prevent the infusion, when drunk in large quantities, from affecting the stomach with nausea; but there are a few who will not even use this precaution. When the party is very large, it is held on a malai, for the sake of room; the chief who presides sitting within the eaves of the house. The time of the day is indifferent: small cava parties are frequently held by torch-light; but for religious ceremonies, whether of large or small parties, mostly in the morning. Women of rank never attend large public cava parties. In the first place, we shall endeavour to describe the form and order in which the company and attendants sit. The chief who presides, and who is always the greatest chief present, sits about two feet, or perhaps three, within the eaves of the house*, on the matting which constitutes the flooring, with his face towards the open malai, into which the circle on either side extends. On his right and left hand sits a mataboole: both these order and arrange the ceremonies alternately in the manner directly to be shewn, and whom, for the * It must be recollected, their houses are rather of an oval form, closed at the two ends and open in the front and back, the eaves coming within about four feet of the ground. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 175 saJce of distinction, we shall call presiding ma- tabooles. On the lower hand of either of them sits the next greatest chief present, and another, who may be his equal or a little inferior to him, on the opposite side, near the other mataboole: after these, come other chiefs, matabooles, and mooas, sitting more or less according to their rank; for as it frequently happens that the higher chiefs are not the first that come, the places due to their rank are found occupied by persons inferior to them, and rather than disturb the company, they take their seats a little out of the proper order ; but for a general rule, the higher chiefs sit towards the top; for it is not so much in the order of sitting that their rank is paid respect to, as in the order of their being served, which is done with the most scrupulous exactness. It is the characteristic of a mataboole, to know how to serve out cava and provisions according to the rank of individuals, so as not to give offence. Thus, the ring extends itself on either hand of the presiding chief, but it is in general not an exact circle, the greatest diameter dividing the top from the bottom, which last is rather less curved than the top. About one third of the ring which constitutes the bottom, is generally occupied by the young chiefs and sons of matabooles belonging to the chief who presides; and in the mid- 176 RELIGIOUS RITES die of these, exactly opposite the chief, sits the man who is to mix and prepare the cava after it is chewed: he is generally a mooa, tooa, or cook, though sometimes a chief; at any rate, he must be able to perform his task, which is not an easy one at large parties, with strength, dexterity, and grace. Behind those at the bottom of the ring, sits the body of the people, which, on extraordinary occasions, may consist of three or four thousand individuals, chiefly men; the number of women being comparatively small. If either of the presiding mata- booles now discovers any person of rank sitting much below the place he ought to occupy, he desires the individual who sits in that place to change situations with him; or if he sees a chief coming after the ring is formed, he orders one of those who is seated to get up and retire, and he calls out to the chief by his name, saying, “ here is a place for you.” Before we go further, we must make an important distinction between what we have here called the bottom and the rest of the ring : the latter, beginning with the chief, and advancing onwards on either side, constituting about two thirds of the whole ring, consists of but a single row of individuals, and this, for the sake of distinction, we shall denominate the superior circle ; the bottom, which may be considered only OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 177 the front of the body of the people, we shall name the inferior circle; and the body of the people, who are closely seated together indiscriminately*, we shall call the exterior circle. No person, though he be a chief of high rank, can sit in the superior circle at the same time that his father is there, (or any superior relation), even though he be at a considerable distance; and if he be already seated there, when his father comes, he must necessarily retire to the inferior or exterior circle, no matter which, out of respect to his superior relation : in either of the other circles, however, father and son may sit near to each other if they please ; on this account, the superior circle is alone considered the true cava party ; all the rest, both inferior and exterior, being rather to be considered attendants, and persons looking on, although several of them frequently obtain their share of provisions and cava, according to the quantity that there may be. From this circumstance, it happens, that the inferior ring is generally composed of the sons of those chiefs and matabooles, who belong to the presiding chief, (forming his cow nofo ), and who are perhaps situated in the superior or true ring: from this cause it also often happens, that very great chiefs are seated * i. e. One row behind another, with their faces towards the chief. VOL. II. N 178 RELIGIOUS RITES in the exterior circle; it being thought no particular advantage to be in the inferior, unless for those who wish to be assiduous in serving out the cava, which is an honourable office. During the late king’s life, his son, the present king, usually sat in the inferior or exterior circle, and assisted in chewing the root and serving it out. The company being thus all arranged, the provisions, if they have not been already brought, are now fetched by the cooks belonging to the chief at the head of the company, and who do this without receiving any orders. If the cava is not already brought, one of the presiding matabooles perhaps calls out to one of the cooks in the exterior ring, who immediately rises and advances through the inferior ring towards the mataboole, and, sitting down before him, receives orders to go to the chief’s home, and fetch such a root or such a quantity of cava: when he returns he enters the ring as before, through the inferior circle, bearing the cava root in his arms: if the provisions are coming in at the same time, the man with the cava advances at the head, amidst the thanks of the company, and proceeds close up to the chief and sits down, laying the cava root before him: the provisions are placed about eight or ten paces off, on the ground, when the cooks OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 179 who brought them immediately retire to their places in the exterior circle. In the mean while, the man who has brought the cava remains seated before the chief till he receives orders from the same presiding mataboole, to take the cava root to be broken up and chewed: he accordingly rises and carries the root to the man opposite the chief, who sits in the middle of the inferior circle : he places the root immediately before him, and retires to his seat. The root is now split up with an axe, or any such instrument, into small pieces, by the man who is to mix the cava, and those about him; and being thus sufficiently divided and scraped clean with muscle shells, &c. it is handed out to those sitting in the inferior and exterior circle, to be chewed. There is now heard a universal buzz throughout this part of the company, which forms a curious contrast to the silence that reigned before; several crying out from all quarters, my ma cava; my, my ma cava; my he cava ; give me some cava; give me cava ; some cava: each of those who intend to chew it, crying out for some to be handed to them. No one offers to chew the cava but young persons who have good teeth, clean mouths, and have no colds: women frequently assist. It is astonishing how remarkably dry they preserve the root, while it is undergoing this process of 180 RELIGIOUS RITES mastication. In about two minutes, each person having chewed his quantity, takes it out of liis mouth with his hand, and puts it on a piece of plantain or banana leaf, or sometimes he raises the leaf to his mouth, and puts it off his tongue in the form of a ball, of tolerable consistence, (particularly if it be dry cava root). The different portions of cava being now all chewed, which is known by the silence that ensues, nobody calling for any, some one takes the wooden bowl* from the exterior circle, and places it on the ground before the man who is to make the infusion. In the mean while, each person who sits at any distance from the inferior circle, passes on his portion of chewed root, so that it is conveyed from one to another till it is received by three or four persons, who are actively engaged in the front of the inferior circle, going from one side to the other collecting it, and depositing it in the wooden bowl: it is not, however, thrown in promiscuously, but in such a way, that each portion is distinct and separate from the rest, till at length the whole inside of the vessel becomes thickly studded, beginning at the bottom and going up on every side towards the rim: this is done that a judgment may afterwards be formed of the * The bowl used at a large party is about three feet in diameter, and about one foot in depth in the centre. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 181 quantity of beverage that it will make: as each portion is disengaged from its leaf, the leaf is thrown any where on the ground, The cava being thus deposited in the bowl, those persons who had been busy collecting it retire to their places and sit down : the man before whom the bowl is placed, now tilts it up a little towards the chief that he may see the quantity of its contents, saying, coe cava heni gooa tna, this is the cava chewed: if the chief (having consulted the mataboole), thinks there is not enough, he says, oofi-oofi , bea how he tan - gdta, cover it over, and let there come a man here; the bowl is then covered over with a plantain or banana leaf, and a man goes to the same presiding mataboole to receive more cava root, to be chewed as before; but if it be thought there is a sufficiency, he says, paloo, mix. The two men, who sit one on each side of him who is to prepare the cava, now come forward a little, and making a half turn, sit opposite to each other, the bowl being between them: one of these fans off the flies with a large leaf, while the other sits ready to pour in the water from cocoa nut shells*, one at a time. * These shells are whole, having merely two small holes at the top: the large ones are always chosen for this purpose : the nuts destined for this use are filled with salt water, and buried in the sand until the inside becomes decayed or 182 RELIGIOUS RITES Before this is done, however, the man who is about to mix, having first rinsed his hands with a little of the water, kneads together (the ma- taboole having said pa loo) the chewed root, gathering it up from all sides of the bowl and compressing it together; upon this, the mata- boole says, lingi he vy, pour in the water, and the man on one side of the bowl continues pouring, fresh shells being handed to him, until the mataboole thinks there is sufficient, which he announces by saying, mow he vy, stop the water: he now discontinues pouring, and takes up a leaf to assist the other in fanning. The mataboole now says, paloo ger tattow, beafucca mow, mix it every where equally, and make it firm, i. e. bring the dregs together in a body. Things being thus far prepared, the mataboole says, y he fow, put in the fow*: a large quantity of this fibrous substance, sufficient to cover the whole surface of the infusion, is now put in by one of those who sit by the side of the bowl, and it floats upon the surface. The man who manages the bowl now begins his dif- rather deliquescent, when it is poured out, and the inside well washed. * The Jow is the bark of a tree stripped into small fibres, and has very much the appearance of the willow shavings \ that are used in England to decorate fire-places in summer time. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 183 licult operation. In the first place, he extends his left hand to the farther side of the bowl, with the fingers pointing downwards, and the palm towards himself; he sinks that hand carefully down the side of the bowl, carrying with it the edge of the fow; at the same time his right hand is performing a similar operation at the side next to him, the fingers pointing downwards, and the palm presenting outwards. He does this slowly, from side to side, gradually descending deeper and deeper, till his fingers meet each other at the bottom, so that nearly the whole of the fibres of the root are by these means enclosed in the fow, forming as it were a roll of above two feet in length, lying along the bottom from side to side, the edges of the fow meeting each other underneath. He now carefully rolls it over, so that the edges overlapping each other, or rather intermingling, come uppermost. He next doubles in the two ends, and rolls it carefully over again, endeavouring to reduce it to a narrower and firmer compass. He now brings it cautiously out of the fluid, taking firm hold of it by the two'ends, one in each hand (the back of the hands being upwards), and raising it breast high, with his arms considerably extended, he brings his right hand towards his breast, moving it gradually onwards, and whilst his left hand is coming round towards 184 RELIGIOUS RITES his right shoulder, his right hand partially twisting the fow, lays the end which it holds upon the left elbow, so that the fow lies thus extended upon that arm, one end being still grasped by the left hand. The right hand being now at liberty, is brought under the left fore arm (which still remains in the same situation), and carried outwardly towards the left elbow, that it may again seize in that situation the end of the fow. The right hand then describes a bold curve outwardly from the chest, whilst the left comes across the chest, describing a curve nearer to him, and in the opposite direction, till at length the left hand is extended from him, and the right approaches to the left shoulder, gradually twisting the fow by the turn and flexures principally of that wrist: this double motion is then retraced, but in such a way (the left wrist now principally acting), that the fow, instead of being untwisted, is still more twisted, and is at length again placed upon the left arm, while he takes a new and less constrained hold *. Thus the hands and arms per- * This is described from seeing Mr. Mariner mimic the action ; and I have given a minute account of it, because it is an operation which the natives greatly admire when well performed. Jeremiah Higgins was singularly pleased with the accuracy of the description, which he said brought past times so clearly to his mind. Every thing, in short, tends to prove to me the correctness of Mr. Mariner’s details. OP THE TONGA PEOPLE. 185 form a variety of curves of the most graceful description : the muscles both of the arms and chest are seen rising as they are called into action, displaying what would be a fine and uncommon subject of study for the painter, for no combinations of animal action can develope the swell and play of the muscles with more grace or with better effect. The degree of strength which he exerts when there is a large quantity is very great, and the dexterity with which he accomplishes the whole never fails to excite the attention and admiration of all present: every tongue is mute, and every eye is upon him, watching each motion of his arms, as they describe the various curvilinear turns essential to the success of the operation. Sometimes the fibres of the fozv are heard to crack with the increasing tension, yet the mass is seen whole and entire, becoming more thin as it becomes more twisted, while the infusion drains from it in a regularly decreasing quantity, till at length it denies a single drop. He now gives it to a person on his left side, and receives fresh fmo from another in attendance on his right, and begins the operation anew, with a view to collect what before might have escaped him; and so on, even a third time, till no dregs are left, save what are so fine and so equally diffused 186 RELIGIOUS RITES through the whole liquid as not to be thus separated # . During the above operation, various people in the exterior circle are employed making cava cups of the unexpanded leaf of the banana tree, which is cut into lengths of about nine inches, each piece being then unfolded is nearly square; the two ends are next plaited up in a particular manner, and tied with a fibre of the stem of the leaf, forming a very elegant cup, not unworthy of imitation. These leaves are provided beforehand, as well as the water, the bowl, &c. by the cooks. Sometimes it happens that there is not * No man undertakes to perform this operation at a large party but who has been well practised on smaller occasions: for it is considered a great accomplishment, even worthy of a chief: but a failure on sucli an occasion would look very bad : Mr. Mariner, however, never witnessed one. The cava dregs which have been thus put aside are afterwards taken away by the cooks, and chewed over again to make fresh infusion for themselves. The disgusted reader will here perhaps call to mind the assertion we have formerly made, that no nation can excel the Tonga people in personal cleanliness, and will regret that they are not equally clean in their food. If this objection were made to a native, he would say, “ it is " not indeed very cleanly, for we would not eat a piece of “ yam which another had bitten; but chewing the cava is an “ ancient practice, and we think nothing of it: but what,” he will perhaps add, “ can fee more filthy and disgusting “ than the Papalangi practice of drinking the milk of a beast, “ and giving it to your children for food!”—-Every country has its customs. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 187 water enough, in which case off starts some one from the exterior circle to fetch more, running as if it were for his life, and twenty more after him, each anxious to shew his readiness in arriving first with the water: in a short time, if these do not return, twenty or thirty more will rush off with equal swiftness: presently after they are seen coming back, forty or fifty in number, at full speed, with three or four cocoa nutshells of water; or if any thing else is wanted, it is fetched in the same prompt way. In the meanwhile, also, the fono, or provisions to be eaten with the cava, is shared out. This generally consists of yams, ripe bananas, •or plantains, in sufficient quantity that each in the superior circle may have a small portion to eat after his dish of cava. The mataboole calls out for somebody to come and divide the fono: a couple generally advance forward and proceed to make the division. A large portion is first separated, and presented to the presiding chief, by laying it before him; this being done, the mataboole orders the remainder to be divided equally between the two sides, left and right, of the superior circle; each person has consequently a portion presented to him in the order in which he sits. This operation takes up about three or four minutes, and is per- 188 RELIGIOUS RITES formed quietly, when the man at the bowl begins to w'ring out the cava. The infusion of cava being now strained, the performance of which generally occupies about a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, the man at the bowl calls out gooa ma he cavane, the cava is clear: the mataboole replies ,fucca tow, squeeze out, alluding to the peculiar operation of filling the cups. Two or three from the inferior or exterior circle now come forward and sit down near the bowl, bringing with them and placing on the ground several of the cups : one then rises and holds with both hands a cup to be filled, standing a little on one side, and holding the cup over the middle of the bowl, so that his body does not obstruct the view of those at the top of the superior circle. The man who manages the bowl fills the cup by dipping in a portion of fow rolled together, and which, when replete with the liquid, he holds over the cup, compressing it so that the infusion falls into it, to the quantity of about the third of a pint. The one who has the cup now turns and stands a little on one side, with his face towards the chief: at the same time one of those who have been described, sitting by the side of the bowl and employed fanning it, cries out with a loud voice, cava gooa heca, the cava is deposited (i. e. in the cup): the mataboole replies, angi ma OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 189 -, give it to --, naming the party who is to have it, who, hearing his name announced, claps the hollow part of his hands together twice (unless it be the presiding chief), to signify whereabout he is seated: the cupbearer then advances and presents it standing, unless it be to a great chief at Tooitonga’s cava party, when he presents it sitting. We must now describe the order in which the different individuals in the company are served, which is a most important part of the ceremony, and requires all the attention of the presiding mataboole. It must be noticed as a general rule, that the chief at the head of the circle receives either the first or third cup ; the third cup, however, is properly his due: the first, according to old established custom, the mataboole orders to be given to his fellow mataboole on the other side of the chief, unless there be a chief or mataboole from another island in company; it is then given to him, as being a visitor. If there be a person in the circle who has made a present of the cava, the first cup is given in compliment to him. But supposing that the cava was not a present, and there are two or more visitors in company of about equal rank, and the mataboole is in doubt which of them ought to have it, to avoid giving offence he orders it to be given to the presiding 190 RELIGIOUS KITES chief; and this is the only case in which the chief at the head of the company gets the first cup; the other mataboole then receives the second, the third falls to the lot of the chief next in rank to the president, and so on, without farther hesitation, to every one according to his rank. So that the president either has the first or third cup, and the mataboole who is not giving directions either has the first or second cup: but to render this important piece of Tonga ceremony more clear, we shall suppose the several possible instances, and state the order of the service in each. The person whom we here call the mataboole is one of those two sitting by the side of the president, and who is not actually giving directions; for one mataboole only regulates the serving out of each bowl; and if the bowl is filled a second time, the other mataboole directs the ceremonies, and so on alternately. 1st. Where the cava is a present, and the giver is in company, the order is thus : the giver; the mataboole; the president. £d. The cava not being a present, or the giver not in company, but there being a visitor, thus: the visitor; the mataboole; the president. 3d. There being two or more visitors of nearly OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 191 equal rank, and the master of the ceremonies not knowing how to choose without giving offence, thus : the president; the mataboole ; the chief next below the president in rank. 4th. There being no visitor present, thus : the mataboole ; the chief next in rank to the president ; the president. Hence it will appear that the giver of the cava, in those instances where it is a present, has the first cup, in preference to any body else; at least this is generally the case, unless there be a visitor present, who is evidently superior in rank to him: on such an occasion the visitor would be preferred to the giver, and the mataboole would have the second, the president the third, and the giver would not obtain any till it came in the usual way to his turn according to his rank. If it be doubtful whether the giver or the visitor ought to have the preference, then, to avoid giving offence, the president gets it. So that in all cases the principal difficulty is in the disposal of the first three cups ; all the remainder being served out according to rank. If in the course of serving it out there be two persons of equal rank, the one sitting nearest the chief will be supplied first. At large cava parties very few, in proportion to the immense multitude present, get served 192 RELIGIOUS RITES with this infusion ; but there must always be enough for the superior circle, and for their relations who may be either in the inferior or exterior: which latter, who, for reasons before given, do not sit in the upper circle, are served nevertheless in the order of their rank, or nearly so. One thing more is to be observed; viz. when a cup of cava is announced to be given to a person whose superior relation is present, that superior relation has a right to counter-order it, which he does by calling out, “ give it to- mentioning the name of some individual whom he chooses should have it in preference to his inferior relation ; and this is often done. When the bowl is emptied, if the chief thinks proper, he orders another to be got ready; or if any person in company sends away for some cava root, to make a present of it to the chief, a fresh quantity must be prepared; but the president himself often sends away for a second, a third, and even a fourth supply of cava root. Each bowl must be served round as long as it will last: when the individuals of the superior circle, and the persons related to them, are served, if any remains, it is given out to others in the inferior and exterior circles; no person receiving two cups out of the same bowl. W T hen a second bowl is filled, it is served out the same as the first, i. e. not beginning where the first OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 193 left off, but commencing and going on with the same individuals as if it were the first bowl; the third in the like manner, &c. Every bowl is provided with a fresh quantity of fono, or victuals to be eaten with the cava, and which are shared out in the same way as before: these generally consist of yams, bananas, or plantains, but sometimes a baked pig is brought, in which case the liver and a yam is the portion presented to the chief; if fowls are brought, the skin of the throat, and the rump, are the president’s share. If, before the conclusion, any one in the superior circle wishes to leave, he says to the chief, Iky teoo mow cava, I cannot provide cava ; and, with this apology, he leaves : or, if he has actually provided cava, he has only to state some reason for his leaving the company, such as going to another island, or to superintend some work. It has been noticed, that there are two ma- tabooles, one on each side of the president, who direct the ceremonies; but it must be mentioned, that only one of them regulates the preparation and sharing out of each bowl: i. e. one regulates the first bowl, and the other the second, and so on alternately. They generally sit close to the chief, except when Tooitonga presides, and then there is an intervening space, between him and them, of about six feet, or ra- VOL. II. o 194 RELIGIOUS RITES ther more. No chief comes to an inferior chief’s cava party, or, if any extraordinary circumstance was to make this necessary, the inferior would be obliged to retire to his own exterior circle, and the superior visitor would preside: for the greatest chief present must always preside, unless there be an inspired priest, then he sits at the head of the circle, and the greatest chief in company, who would otherwise have that honourable situation, now retires, with other chiefs, to the exterior circle, not out of respect to the priest, who may be only a mooa, but out of veneration to the god supposed to exist within him; so that the superior circle, in such a case, consists principally of matabooles and mooas; for chiefs may be looked upon as distant relations to the gods, and no person may sit in the upper circle along with his superior relation ; besides it is an act of humility demonstrating great respect. When a priest presides, which is the case at all religious ceremonies, except where they are consulting a god who has no priest*, the latter always * When a god has no priest, as Tali-y-Toobo, for instance, no person actually presides at the head of his cava circle, the place being left apparently vacant, but which, it is supposed, the god invisibly occupies. On such occasions the cava party is always held before the house consecrated to the god : (as in the commencement of the illness of Finow's daughter.) And they go through the usual form of words, as if the first OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 195 has the first cup; the presiding mataboole, not actually officiating, has the second ; the third, fourth, fifth, and perhaps sixth cups, are given to the next higher persons in the superior circle; and then the chiefs who have retired to the exterior circle are, out of respect, helped; but this rests at the option of the officiating mataboole; afterwards the remainder of the superior circle are served. At smaller cava parties, the forms and words of ceremony are precisely the same; but when a priest does not preside, familiar conversation, and even joke and merriment, are indulged in. On all occasions every individual pays the greatest attention to his dress, that it be decorous and well tied on, that is, with neatness*. We have been particular in the description of the ceremony of preparing and drinking this incup was actually filled and presented to the god: thus, before any cup is filled, the man by the side of the bowl says, Cava gooa hlca, The cava is deposited (in the cup) : the mataboole answers, Angi ma ho egi, Give it to your god; but this is mere form, for there is no cup filled for the god. * Some of our readers will perhaps find some difficulty in believing this, but nothing is more true than that the Tonga people of any degree of rank are very particular in regard of their personal cleanliness and neatness of dress; insomuch that a man will often refuse to join a neighbouring cava party, because the gnatoo which he happens to have on may not be so new or so good as he could wish. 196 RELIGIOUS RITES fusion, because it sets in so strong a light the manners and customs of the people, and be- cause it so frequently accompanies almost every kind of religious ceremony. It is not pretended, however, that drinking cava is essential to- every religious ceremony, or to most of them, but that it is the custom to take it generally on such occasions. These religious ceremonies we shall now describe, and shall take them nearly in the order in which, by the natives, they are considered of most importance, or most sacred ; viz. Inachi; Fuccaldhi; cava fiicca egi; Tow- tow j Nawgta; Tootoomma; Baotoo; Langi; Taboo; Fota; Moe-mbe ; tobgoo cava. Although the ceremony of inachi was entirely abrogated by Finow just before Mr. Mariner left Vavaoo, we place it first in rank, because it always used to be considered of the utmost importance before it was done away with; besides which, it was a ceremony which affected the property of every individual in Vavaoo, and al the Hapai islands, and formerly in the island of Tonga also. Inachi. This word means, literally, a share or portion of any thing that is to be or has been distributed out: but in the sense here mentioned it means that portion of the fruits of the earth, and other eatables, which is offered to the gods in the person of the divine chief Tooitonga, which OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 197 allotment is made once a year, just before the yams in general are arrived at a state of maturity; those which are used in this ceremony being of a kind which admit of being planted sooner than others, and, consequently, they are the first fruits of the yam season. The object of this offering is to insure the protection of the gods, that their favour may be extended to the welfare of the nation generally, and in particular to the productions of the earth, of which yams are the most important. The time for planting most kinds of yams is about the latter end of July, but the species called caho-caho, which is always used in this ceremony, is put in the ground about a month before, when, on each plantation, there is a small piece of land chosen and fenced in, for the purpose of growing a couple of yams of the above description. As soon as they have arrived at a state of maturity, the How sends a messenger to Tooitonga, stating that the yams for the inachi are fit to be taken up, and requesting that he would appoint a day for the ceremony: he generally fixes on the tenth day afterwards, reckoning the following day for the first. There are no particular preparations made till the day before the ceremony: at night, however, the sound of the conch is heard occasionally in different parts of the 198 RELIGIOUS RITES islands, and as the day of the ceremony approaches it becomes more frequent, so that the people of almost every plantation sound the conch three or four times, which, breaking in upon the silence of the night, has a pleasing effect, particularly at Vavaoo, where the number of woods and hills send back repeated echoes, adding greatly to the effect. The day before the ceremony, the yams are dug up, and ornamented with a kind of ribbons prepared from the inner membrane of the leaf of a species of pandanus, and died red *; when thus prepared, it is called mellecoola, and is wrapped round the yam, beginning at one end, and running round spirally to the other, when it is brought back in the opposite direction, the turns crossing each other in a very neat manner. As the ceremony is always performed at the island where Tooi- tonga chooses to reside, the distant islands must make these preparations two or three days beforehand, that the yams, &c. may be sent in time to Vavaoo, where we will suppose the affair is to take place. The ninth day then * It is first soaked for six or eight hours in lime water, and afterwards in an infusion of the root of the nono, where it remains for about a week; it is afterwards exposed to the sun, and becomes of a bright red: the root of the nono is of a dark bright yellow, which, upon the action of lime water, becomes red. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 199 is employed in preparing and collecting the yams and other provisions, such as fish, cava root, and mahod, and getting ready mats, gnatoo, and bundles of mellecoola: but the yams only are to be carried in the procession about to be described. The sun has scarcely set when the sound of the conch begins again to echo through the island, increasing as the night advances. At the Mooa, and all the plantations, the voices of men and women are heard singing Nofo oooa tegger gnaooe, oooa gnaooe, Rest thou, doing no work; thou shalt not work. This increases till midnight, men generally singing the first part of the sentence, and the women the last, to produce a more pleasing effect: it then subsides for three or four hours, and again increases as the sun rises. Nobody, however, is seen stirring out in the public roads till about eight o’clock, when the people from all quarters of the island are seen advancing towards the Mooa, and canoes from all the other islands are landing their men ; so that all the inhabitants of Tonga seem approaching by sea and land, singing and sounding the conch. At the Mooa itself the universal bustle of preparation is seen and heard; and the different processions entering from various quarters, of men and women, all dressed up in new gnatoos , ornamented with 200 RELIGIOUS RITES red ribbons and wreaths of flowers, and the men armed with spears and clubs, betoken the importance of the ceremony about to be performed. Each party brings in its yams in a basket, which is carried in the arms with great care, by the principal vassal of the chief to whom the plantation may belong. The baskets are deposited on the malai (in the Mood), and some of the men begin to employ themselves in slinging the yams, each upon the centre of a pole about eight or nine feet long, and four inches diameter, The proceedings are regulated by attending matabooles. The yams being all slung, each pole is carried by two men upon their shoulders, one walking before the other, and the yam hanging between them, ornamented with red ribbons. The procession begins to move towards the grave of the last Tooitonga (which is generally in the neighbourhood, or the grave of one of his family will do), the men advancing in a single line, every two bearing a yam, with a slow and measured pace, sinking at every step, as if their burden were of immense weight*. In the mean time the chiefs and matabooles are seated in a semi- * And as if meaning to express, “ How bountiful are the “ gods, to give us so good a harvest, and provide us with “ yams so large and heavy!” OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 201 circle before the grave, with their heads bowed down, and their hands clasped before them. The procession now approaches: two boys, walking abreast of each other, precede it at a little distance, blowing conchs; then come the men, bearing the yams, about seventy or eighty in number, i. e. about a hundred and sixty men in a single line, as close to each other as the length of the pole will allow; after them comes a single line of men, about forty in number, singing aloud, as before stated, nofo oooa *, &c.; these are followed up by two other boys blowing conchs: they proceed between the grave and the chiefs, describing there a large circle two or three times, the conchs blowing and the men singing : the yams are then deposited, one after the other (still on the poles), before the grave, and the men sit down by the side of them, so that the chiefs and matabooles are in the rear: one of the matabooles of Tooitonga now rises, advances, and again seats himself before the grave, a little in advance of the men. Here he addresses the gods generally, and afterwards particularly, mentioning the late Tooitonga, and the names of several others. He returns * Not only no work may be done at the time of the inachi, but nobody may appear abroad, unless for the purposes of the ceremony. 202 RELIGIOUS RITES thanks for their divine bounty in favouring the land with the prospect of so good a harvest, and prays that their beneficence may be continued in future: this prayer he makes in the names of several chiefs present, whom he announces aloud. This being done, he arises and retires to his former place: the men now also rise and resume their loads in the same order, and, after having paraded round two or three times before the grave, return back to the ma- Mi the same way they came, singing and blowing the conchs as before. The chiefs and ma- tabooles, a short time afterwards, rise and follow them to the same place, where the yams are now again deposited, and- loosened from the poles, still, however, retaining their ornaments. The company seat themselves in a large circle, at which Tooitonga presides; the king, and other great chiefs, retiring behind among the mass of the people. The other articles that form part of the Indchi are next brought forward ; these are dried fish, mahoa', mats, gndtoo , and bundles of mellecoola , which, together with the yams (although not cooked), are shared out by one of the matabooles of Tooitonga. First, there is a considerable share (about one fourth), allotted to the gods, which the priests appropriate, and their servants immediately take away: about one half is allotted to the king, OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 203 which his servants, without farther orders, take away to his house, and the remainder is taken away by Tooitonga’s servants. It may seem strange that the latter has a smaller share than the king, but then he has not a quarter the number of dependents to divide it among. The materials of the Inachi being removed, the company form a regular cava party : some cava root is brought and prepared, and a large quantity of dressed victuals, perhaps a hundred and fifty baskets-full; a small portion of which is shared out to be eaten with the cava. While the infusion is preparing, a mataboole makes a speech to the people, stating, that as they have performed this important ceremony, the gods will protect them, and grant them long lives, provided they continue to pay due attention to religious ceremonies, and to pay respect to the chiefs. When the cava is finished, the circle separates, and the provisions are shared out to each chief according to his rank. The day concludes with wrestling, boxing, he. after which night dances commence. When these are ended, the people retire home, perfectly assured of the protection of the gods. At this ceremony, the quantity of provisions shared out is incredible; the people, therefore, look upon it as a very heavy tribute, though in fact the owners of the plantations 204 RELIGIOUS RITES (chiefs, matabooles, &c.) are at the expense of it; yet as there is much more provided than what is eaten, it helps to increase the scarcity if the season should not be abundant: but it is so much the custom at Tonga to make liberal and profuse presents, that the people generally either feast or starve. Sometimes it happens that several great feasts are given nearly about the same time ; as for instance, the occasion of the Inachi; the arrival of some chief from a distant island, after a long absence; the marriage or death of some great chief, as of Tooi- tonga himself, &c. These feasts threaten a scarcity; to prevent which, a taboo or prohibition is put upon several kinds of food, that they may not be eaten for a certain length of time, at the termination of which they perform the following ceremony, which takes off' the taboo : a famine or war may also occasion a necessity for this ta'boo to be imposed. Fuccalahi, i. e. to make all at large or free again; or to take off a restriction. As the mode of performing this ceremony has already been described, (see Vol. I. p. 120.) and the particular objects of it mentioned, (p. 113, same vol.) nothing farther need now be said upon the subject, except that it is generally concluded with a cava party. Cava Fucca egi: this consists in a cava OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 205 party, where an inspired priest sits at the head j the circumstances of inspiration we have already related, (Vol. I. p. 99-) and the form of serving out the cava when a priest presides, (Vol. II. p. 194.) The phrase cava fucca egi means literally, a god-like cava. Laying a small piece of cava root before the grave of a chief or consecrated house, out of respect to a god, or to a deceased relation, is called toogoo cava , and will be mentioned in its proper order. Tow-tow is an offering of yams, cocoa-nuts, and other vegetable productions to Ado A'lo (the god of weather) in particular, and to all the gods in general, for the purpose of ensuring a continuation of favourable weather, and consequent fertility. This ceremony is first performed at the time when the yams are approaching maturity, in the early part of November, and is repeated every ten days for seven or eight times. On the day appointed by the priest of A'lo A'lo, every plantation on the three parts of the island, viz. the hahagi, mooa, and H- hifo* districts provide a certain quantity of yams, cocoa-nuts, sugar-canes, bananas, plantains, &c. all which are brought to the maldi, tied upon sticks, so that each stick, when held horizontally, has * Hahagi is the north end of any island; hihifo the south end : the mooa part of the island being the centre. " 206 RELIGIOUS RITES about eight small yams hanging from it at equal distances ; or a couple of bunches of plantains or bananas, &c.: the sugar-canes are tied in bundles, three or four in each. These things being brought are disposed in three piles, one erected by the people of Hahagi, with their offerings, another by the people of Hihifo with theirs, and the third by those of the Mooa. The piles are placed on one side of the malai upright, the ends of the sticks next the ground, diverging from each other, and the upper ends meeting together; whilst others are placed across them on the top. Wrestling and boxing matches now commence, which generally last about three hours, and being ended, a deputation of nine or ten men from the priest of A'lo A'lo, all dressed in mats, with green leaves round their necks, arrives with a female child, to represent the wife of A'lo A'lo, and seat themselves before the three piles, forming a single line, with a large drum (kept there for the purpose) immediately in front of them. The deputation now offer up a prayer to A'lo Ado and the other gods, petitioning them to continue their bounty, and make the land fruitful, &c. j this being done, they give orders in regard to sharing out the provisions ; one pile being appropriated to Ado Ado and the other gods, the other two being shared out to different principal OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 207 chiefs, and sent home to their houses, the pile for the gods remaining still in its place. They then begin another short prayer to the same purpose, at the close of which they make a signal by beating upon the drum, when all that choose make a sudden dash at the pile appropriated to the gods, and each man secures as much as he can, to the great amusement of all the spectators, though many of the scramblers come off with wounded heads, and sometimes with fractured limbs, the broken sticks being thrown about in every direction. All the women now get out of the way, while the men stand up and commence a general pugilistic contest, one half of the island against the other half: this combat is termed toe tacow, and forms an essential part of this ceremony, but it is now and then practised at other ceremonies. At these general battles, the highest chiefs engage as well as the lowest tooas, and any one of the latter may, if he pleases, attack the king, and knock him down if he can, or even Tooi- tonga, without any reserve, and handle him unmercifully, without the least danger of giving offence. These combats are sometimes very obstinately kept up, and when neither party seems likely to yield the ground, after two or three hours dispute, the king orders them to desist. The most perfect good humour con- 208 RELIGIOUS RITES stantly prevails on these occasions : if a man is 1 knocked down, he rises with a smile ; if his arm is broken, he retires to get it set, without seeming to think any thing of it: on the contrary, to be angry, or to fight with the least animosity* would be considered the mark of a very weak mind. After the battle, those who have contended with superior chiefs, or think they may have touched superior chiefs, perform the ceremony of moemoe, to a chief at least as high in rank as any they may have come in contact with. Every tenth day, as before stated, these ceremonies are repeated for seven or eight successive times. The child that has been mentioned as representing the wife of Alo Alo is generally chosen from among the female chiefs of the higher ranks, and is about eight or ten years old: during the eighty days of this ceremony, she resides at the consecrated house of Alo Alo, where, the day before the first ceremony, a cava party is held, at which she presides, as well as at a feast which follows. She has nothing to do on the actual days of the ceremony, except to come with the deputation and sit down with them. Nawgia y or the ceremony of strangling children, as sacrifices to the gods, for the recovery of a sick relation. The blackest cloud * OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 209 that obscures the understanding of the Tonga people is surely that which prevents them seeing the unnatural cruelty and absurdity of this practice : we have, however, the most sanguine hopes that Moloch—horrid king,” will not much longer hold his reign in these islands. It is not, we verily believe, from a want of natural feeling, but from an excessive veneration and fear of the gods, created in an sera of great superstition, and now upheld by old practice, that the natives perform these horrible rites. All the by-standers behold the innocent victim with feelings of the greatest pity; but it is proper, they think, to sacrifice a child, who is at present of no use to society, and perhaps may not otherwise live to be, with the hope of recovering a sick chief, whom all esteem, and whom all think it a most important duty to respect, defend, and preserve, that his life may be of advantage to the country. The form of this ceremony is related (Vol. I. p. 217.) : other instances on the occasions of Finow’s last illness, and that of Tooitonga. The ceremony of Nawgia, (or strangling), used to be performed upon the chief widow of Tooitonga, on the day of her husband’s burial^ that she might be interred with him. Two Tooitongas were buried during Mr. Mariner’s time; one on his first arrival, and the other, VOL.IL p 210 RELIGIOUS RITES (i. e. the last), a few months before he came away. The first of these two, however, had no chief wife, i. e. he had no wife at all, or else none that was of so high a rank as to take the charge of his household, and be the mistress over the others ; consequently at his death no such ceremony was performed. The last Tooi- tonga’s wife (the daughter of the late king, and sister of the present) was not subjected to this inhuman rite—thanks to the good sense of the late and present king. When old Finow was living, he used to say, that if Tooitonga died before his wife, she should not be strangled: “ What,” said he, “ is the use of destroying a “ young and beautiful woman ? Who is there “ dares say that the gods are merciless and “ cruel ? My daughter shall not be strangled !” Tooitonga did not die till the present king came into power, and we have already seen that he not only did not allow his sister to be strangled, but he also did not permit another Tooitonga to succeed. In consequence, it was whispered about, that some great misfortune would happen to the country. At the Fiji islands, the principal wife of every chief, or at least of every considerable chief, undergoes this ceremony on the death of her husband. (See Vol. I. p. 330 .) Toorpo-NiMA, or cutting off a portion of the OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 211 little finger, as a sacrifice to the gods, for the recovery of a superior sick relation. This is very commonly done ; so that there is scarcely a person living at the Tonga islands but who has lost one or both, or a considerable portion of both little fingers. Those who can have but few superior relations, such as those near akin toTooitonga, or the king, or Veachi, have some chance of escaping, if their relations are tolerably healthy. It does not appear that the operation is painful. Mr. Mariner has witnessed more than once little children quarreling for the honour (or rather out of bravado) of having it done. The finger is laid flat upon a block of wood : a knife, axe, or sharp stone is placed with the edge upon the line of proposed separation ; and a powerful blow being given with a mallet or large stone, the operation is finished. From the nature and violence of the action, the wound seldom bleeds much : the stump is then held in the smoke and steam arising from the combustion of fresh plucked grass: this stops any flow of blood. The wound is not washed for two days ; afterwards it is kept clean, and heals in about two or three ■weeks, without any application whatever. One joint is generally taken off, but some will have a smaller portion, to admit of the operation be- p 2 212 REJjIGIOUS rites ing performed several times on the same finger, in case a man has many superior relations. Bootoo, or funeral ceremonies. For a partial description of these, reference maybe made to the burial ofToobo Nuba ; (Vol. I. p. 141.) for a particular one, as it regards the burial of a king, to that of Finow, (chap. IS.) What remains, therefore, principally to be described, are the peculiarities attending the burial of Tooitonga : in the first place, however, we shall give the names of the different parts of the ceremony of burials in general; the modes of all which have been already related in the instance last referred to: the names are these. Fala, or procuring small stones, (white and black), and sand, to cover the grave. Tootoo, or burning the persons of the mourners in spots, with lighted rolls of tdpa. Lafa : burning the arm in about six places, each in form of five or six concentric circles. Toogi : beating the cheeks, and rubbing off the cuticle, with cocoa-nut husk, or some sort of plait, wound round the hand. Foa Ooloo : wounding the head, and cutting the flesh in various parts, with knives, shells, clubs, spears, &c. in honour of the deceased, and as a testimony of respect for his memory and fidelity to his family. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 213 All these have been accurately described in the ceremony of burying the late king. There is one remark nevertheless to be made in respect to the four last, particularly Foa Ooloo; which appears, however inhuman, to be a very ancient and long established custom in the history of mankind. On turning to Leviticus, Chap. xix. verse 28 , we find this command, “ Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you.” The above-mentioned five ceremonies are common at all burials, and are conducted with more or less pomp, according to the rank of the individual deceased : in saying all burials, however, we must make one exception, viz. that of Tooitonga, on which occasion the ceremony of Foa Ooloo is never performed ; but the reason of this Mr. Mariner was never able to learn. At the funeral of the greatest chiefs, in general, this outrage is usually exercised with the utmost readiness and enthusiasm; but at that of Tooitonga, who is far higher than any other, it is altogether omitted: the natives have no law for this, but custom. Langi, or the ceremony of burying Tooitonga: this word is also applied to signify the grave of this chief during the whole of the funeral ceremonies : it literally means the sky; also, a band of singers; but there appears no 214 RELIGIOUS RITES connection between these different meanings. When Tooitonga is ill, the intercessions with the gods for his recovery are the same, though perhaps in a greater degree, as are made on the illness of other high chiefs : prayers are offered up ; priests become inspired; some children have their little fingers sacrificed j others are strangled, &c. When he is dead, his body is washed with oil and water, as usual; his widows come to mourn over him, &c.; and, according to the former custom, his chief widow should be strangled, but whether on the day of liis death or of his burial Mr. Mariner does not know. His fytoca, or burial-place, is of the same form as that of other chiefs. The day after his death, (which is the day of his burial) every individual at every island, man, woman, and child, has his head closely shaved: this is a peculiarity, and so is the custom of depositing some of his most valuable property along with the body in the grave, such as beads, whales’ teeth, fine Hamoa mats, &c .; so that his family burying-place, at the island of Tonga, where all his ancestors have been buried, must have become very rich; for no native would dare to commit the sacrilege of theft. The ceremony of interment is exactly the same as that of the king. The mourning is also the same, viz. old ragged mats, with OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 215 leaves of the ifi tree round the neck : but for Tooitonga the time of mourning is extended to four months; the mats being generally left off at the end of nearly three, whilst the leaves are still retained for another month. The taboo, for touching his body, or any thing that he had on when he died, extends to at least ten months, and for his nearest relations fifteen months. (See Vol. I. p. 141.) Every man neglects to shave his beard for at least one month; and during that time merely oils his body at night, but not his head. The female mourners remain within the fytoca about two months, flight and day, only retiring occasionally to the neighbouring temporary houses, to eat, &c. It will be seen, that what we have already related of these ceremonies differs in many respects, some in kind, and all in degree, from those attending the burial of the king: but those we are about to describe are altogether peculiar to Tooitonga’s funeral. In the afternoon of the day of burial, the body being already in the fytoca, almost every man, woman, and child, provided with a tome*, and a piece of holata\, sit down at about eighty * A certain part of the cocoa-nut tree, of which torches are made. t Part of the stem of the banana or plantain tree, used to receive the ashes falling from lighted torches. 216 RELIGIOUS RITES yards from the grave: in the course of an hour the multitude collects, probably to above three thousand, all clothed in old mats, &c. and seated as just stated. One of the female mourners now comes out of the jytoca , and advances in front, where she calls out to the people, saying mo too , bea qfi my, Arise ye, and approach ; whereupon the people get up, and advancing about forty yards, again sit down : two men behind the grave now begin to blow conch shells, and six others, with large lighted torches, about six feet high, and six inches thick, (made of bundles of tomes), next advance forward from .behind the jytoca, descend the mount, and walk round one after another several times, between the Jytoca and the people, waving their flaming torches in the air; they then begin to ascend the mount, at which moment all the people rise up together, and suddenly snap their bolatas, nearly at the same time, producing a considerable crash : they then follow the men with the torches, in a single line, ascending the mount and walking round the Jytoca, as they pass the back of which the first six men deposit on the ground their extinguished torches, and the rest their tomes and bolatas, the mourners within thanking them for providing these things: thus they proceed round, and return to their places and OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 217 sit down. The mataboole, who has the direction of the ceremonies, now advances in front of the people, and orders them to divide themselves in parties, according to their districts; which being done, he gives to one party the business of clearing away the bushes, grass, &c. from one side of the grave, and to another to do the same in regard to another part, a third to remove such and such rubbish, &c. so that the whole neighbourhood of th ejytoca becomes perfectly clear: this being done, all the people return to their respective temporary houses. Soon after dark, certain persons stationed at the grave begin again'to sound the conchs, while others chant partly in an'unknown language*, and partly in Hamoa, 'a sort of song, or rather a piece of recitative.' While this is going on, a number of men in the neighbourhood get ready to come to the grave, to perform a part of the ceremony which the reader will not think altogether consonant with the * The natives can give no account of what this language is, nor how they originally came to learn the words. It has been handed down from father to son, among that class of people whose business it is to direct burial ceremonies. None of them understand the words. It begins thus : too fia o chi locc ilaw eio chi toccalow ca meJafango eio manave tawto, 8fc. There are Several Tonga words among it, and in all probability it is old or corrupted Tonga, though no sense can now be made of it. 218 RELIGIOUS RITES high character for cleanliness which we have given the natives: it must be considered, however, a religious rite, standing upon the foundation of very ancient custom- These men, about sixty in number, assemble before the grave, and wait farther orders. The chanting being finished, and the conclhs having ceased to blow, one of the mourners comes forward, seats herself outside the fytoca, and addresses the people thus : “ Men ! ye are gathered here to perform the duty imposed on you ; bear up, and let not your exertions be wanting to accomplish the workhaving said this, she retires into the fytoca. The men now approach the mount (it being dark), and (if the phrase is allowable) perform their devotions to Cloacina ■, after which they retire. As soon as it is day-light, the following morning, the women of the first rank (wives and daughters of the greatest chiefs), assemble with their female attendants, bringing baskets, one holding- one side, and one the other, advancing two and two, with large shells to clear up the depositions of the over night; and in this ceremonious act of humility there is no female of the highest consequence refuses to take her part: some of the mourners in the fytoca generally come out to assist, so that in a very little while the place is made perfectly clean: this is re- OP THE TONGA PEOPLE. 219 peated the fourteen following nights, and as punctually cleared away by sun-rise every morning. No persons but the agents are allowed to be witnesses of these extraordinary ceremonies, at least it would be considered highly indecorous and irreligious to be so. On the sixteenth day, early in the morning, the same females again assemble; but now they are dressed up in the finest gnatoo, and most beautiful Hamoa mats, decorated with ribbons and with wreaths of flowers round their necks : they also bring new baskets, ornamented with flowers, and little brooms very tastefully made: thus equipped, they approach, and act as if they had the same task to do as before, pretending to clear away the dirt, though no dirt is now there, and take it away in their baskets. They then return to the mooa, and resume their mourning mats and leaves of the iji tree. Such are the transactions of the fifteen days; every day the ceremony of the burning torches being also repeated. The natives themselves used to express their regret that the filthy part of these ceremonies was necessary to be performed, to demonstrate their great veneration for the high character of Tooitonga, and that it was the duty of the most exalted nobles, even of the most delicate females of rank, to perform the meanest and most disgusting offices, rather than the sa- 220 RELIGIOUS RITES cred ground in which he was buried should remain polluted. For one month, from the day of burial, greater or less quantities of provisions are brought every day, and shared out to the people. On the first day a prodigious quantity is supplied; but on every succeeding day a less quantity, gradually decreasing till the last, when, comparatively, a very small portion is brought. The expenditure, and we may say waste of provisions, is, however, so great, as to require a taboo to be laid on certain kinds of provisions, (see Vol. I. p. 112), which lasts about eight or ten months; and at the end of that time the ceremony of fuccalahi is performed to remove it. Ta'jboo. —This word has various shades of signification: it means sacred or consecrated to a god, having the same signification as fucca egi: it means prohibited or forbidden, and is applied not only to the thing prohibited, but to the prohibition itself, and frequently (when it is in sacred matters), to the person who breaks the prohibition. Thus if a piece of ground or a house be consecrated to a god, by express declaration, or the burial of a great chief, it is said to he taboo; the like if a canoe be consecrated, which is frequently done, that it may be more safe in long voyages, See. As it is OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 221 forbidden to quarrel or fight upon consecrated ground, so fighting in such a place would be said to be taboo, and those that fought would be said also to be taboo ; and a man who is thus taboo would have to make some sacrifice to the gods as an atonement for the sacrilege, as instanced in Palavali’s case. (See Vol. I. p. 2l6.) If a man be guilty of theft, or any crime whatsoever, he is said to have broken the taboo ; and as all such persons are particularly supposed liable to be bitten by sharks, an awkward mode of discovering a thief is founded upon this notion, by making all the suspected persons go into the water, where sharks frequent, and he who is bitten or devoured is looked upon as the guilty person. If any one touches a superior chief, or superior relation, or any thing immediately belonging to him, he taboos himself ; but this is not supposed to produce any bad consequence, unless he feeds himself with his own hands, without first removing this taboo, which is to be done by performing the ceremony of mbS-mbe, directly to be explained. If a person touches the body of a dead chief, or any thing personally belonging to him, he becomes taboo, and time alone can relieve him. (See note, Vol. I. p. 141.) Certain kinds of food, as turtle, and a certain species of fish, from something in their nature, are said to be 222 RELIGIOUS RITES taboo, and must not be eaten until a small portion be first given to the gods. Any other kind of food may be n^dered taboo by a prohibition being laid on it. Fruits and flowers when tabooed are generally marked to be so, by pieces of white tapa, or a piece of plait, in the shape of a lizard or shark*. To prevent certain kinds of food from growing scarce, a prohibition or taboo is set on them for a time, as after the inachi, or other great and repeated ceremonies; and which taboo is afterwards removed by- the ceremony called fuccalahi; but this latter term is not only applied to the ceremony which removes the prohibition, but is equally used to express the duration of the taboo itself, and which therefore is often called the time of the fucca- la'hi. During certain ceremonies, as that of the inachi and th ejala (see Vol. I. p. 390), nobody may appear abroad, or at least in sight, it being tabooed to do so. Any thing that is not tabooed is said to be gnofooa (i. e. easy, or at liberty), and is a term used in contradistinction to taboo. When a person is tabooed, by touching a superior chief or relation, or any thing personally belonging to him, he will perform the cere- * Nevertheless they would not refuse to pluck and eat if Mr. Mariner, or any foreigner not influenced by such superstition, would first remove this external sign of the taboo. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 223 mony of moe-moe, before he will dare feed himself with his own hands. This ceremony consists in touching the soles of any superior chief’s feet with the hands, first applying the palm, then the back of each hand; after which the hands must be rinsed in a little water, or, if there be no water near, they may be rubbed with any part of the stem of the plantain or banana tree, the moisture of which will do instead of washing. He may then feed himself without danger of any disease, which would otherwise happen, as they think, from eating -with tabooed hands: but if any one think he may have already (unknowingly) eaten with tabooed hands, he then sits down before a chief, and taking the foot of the latter, presses the sole of it against his own abdomen, that the food which is-within him may do him no injury, and that consequently he may not swell up and die : this operation is called fota, (i. e. to press.) It is tabooed also to eat when a superior relation is present, unless the back is turned towards him: for when a person’s back is turned towards another, that other may be said, in one sense, not to be in his presence: also to eat food which a superior relation or chief has touched; and if either of these taboos is accidentally infringed upon, the ceremony of fota must be performed. If any one is tabooed by touching the person 224 RELIGIOUS RITES or garments of Tooitonga, there is no other chief can relieve him from his taboo , because no chief is equal to him in rank; and, to avoid the inconvenience arising from his absence, a consecrated bowl (or some such thing), belonging to Tooitonga, is applied to and touched, instead of his feet. In Mr. Mariner’s time, Tooitonga always left a pewter dish for this purpose, which dish was given to his father by Captain Cook. Veachi usually adopted a similar plan. Cava, either the root or the infusion, cannot be tabooed by the touch of any chief of what rank soever; so that a common tooa may chew cava which even Tooitonga has touched. Toogoo Ca'va. This ceremony consists in merely leaving a small piece of cava root before a consecrated house or grave, out of respect to a god, or to the departed spirit of a chief or relation, at the same time the ceremony of toogi or beating the cheeks is performed, as related (Vol. I. p. 89.) The toogi, which is performed at burials, is of a more serious nature. Lotoo is the term used for praying; but it is more commonly applied to prayers offered up in the fields to all the gods, but particularly to Alo Alo, petitioning for a good harvest. It will be also recollected, that prayers are offered up before consecrated houses and graves. As omens, to which they give a considerable OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 225 degree of credit, and charms, which they sometimes practise, are more or less connected with their religion, we shall say something of them, before concluding the present subject. Most of their omens we have already had occasion to mention, and have given instances of in the course of the narrative. As to dreams, (see Vol. I. chap. 4 and 14 .) Thunder and lightning (same vol. chap. 12 and 14 .) Sneezing (same vol. chap. 14 .) These omens obtain almost universal credit; and they are thought to be direct indications from the gods of some event that is about to happen. There is a certain species of bird which they call chicota', which is very apt to make a sudden descent, and dart close by one, making a shrieking noise: this bird they suppose to be endowed with a knowledge of futurity, and they consider this action to be a warning of some evil that is about to happen. As Mr. Mariner was once going out with the present king, and a party of men, upon some excursion against the enemy, one of these birds made a sudden descent, passed over their heads, settled on a tree, passed over their heads again, and again settled; upon which the majority, not excepting the king, were for returning immediately; but Mr. Mariner laughed at their superstition, and, to prove that the bird had no vol. ir. Q 226 RELIGIOUS RITES great insight into matters of futurity, he shot it with his musket: but, however, this did not prevent them from going back to their garrison ; and several had a full conviction that Mr. Mariner would soon be killed for this sacrilege. In respect to the charms practised among them, we have also a few words to say. The principal is that called tatao , which has already been described, Vol. I. chap. 14. There are only two other practices which can well come under this head, viz. cube, or rather vangi, which means a curse, or a malevolent order or command; and ta nioo, a charm to discover whether a sick person will live or die. Of the former, viz. cabe , we have given instances (Vol. I. p. 284), from which it will appear that they are chiefly malevolent wishes, or commands, that the object may eat, or otherwise maltreat his relations or gods; and when we come to reflect that they believe in no future place of punishment, but that all human evils are the consequences of crimes, and that disrespect to one’s superior relations is little short of sacrilege to the gods, these malevolent commands, however ridiculous some of them may appear to us, amount to the most horrible curses ; for if such commands were fulfilled, nothing less than the most dreadful of human miseries would be ex- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 227 pected to fall on the head of the sacrilegious perpetrator. But it is only when a number of curses are repeated in a string, as it were, and pronounced firmly, and with real malevolence, that they are supposed to have any effect; but not even then, if the party who curses is considerably lower in rank than theparty cursed. When a whole string is thus uttered, it is properly called vangi, and is often to the amount of thirty or forty in number. Mr. Mariner has heard one consisting of eighty maledictions, all disposed in rhyme; the rhyme, however, is not necessary: for a tolerable fair sample of this wonderful charm, the following may be taken : “ Dig up your father by “ moonlight, and make soup of his bones; bake “ his skin to cracknel; gnaw his skull; devour “ your mother; dig up your aunt, and cut her “ to pieces; feed upon the earth of your grave; “ chew the heart of your grandfather; swallow “ the eyes of your uncle; strike your god; eat “ the gristly bones of your children; suck out “ the brains of your grandmother; dress your- “ self up in the skin of your father, and tie it on “ with the entrails of your mother,” &c.&c.&c. As to the charm of ta nioo, it consists in spinning a cocoa-nut with the husk on, and judging by the direction of the upper part, when again at rest, of the object of inquiry, which is chiefly, whether a sick person will recover: for this q 2 228 RELIGIOUS RITES. purpose,'the nut being placed on the ground, a relation of the sick person determines that, if the nut, when again at rest, points to such a quarter, the east for example, that the sick man will recover: he then prays aloud to the patron god of the family, that he will be pleased to direct the nut, so that it may indicate the truth : the nut being next spun, the result is attended to with confidence, at least with a full conviction that it will truly declare the intentions of the gods at the time. The other occasions in which the spinning of a cocoa-nut is used, is chiefly for amusement, and then no prayer is made, and no degree of credit is attached to the result. The women often spin a cocoa-nut to decide some dispute at a game. SURGICAL SKILL, 229 CHAPTER XXL Introductory observations on the state of the healing art ill these islands—Their surgical knowledge borrowed from the Fiji islands—Medical skill of a Sandwich islander— The operation of cauiso, with a case described; regimen ; precautions against tetanus—Two cases of tetanus cured by the operation of tocolosi —Operation of boca, or castration : a man castrates himself—Fractures and luxations— Topical bloodletting—Opening abscesses—Burning and blistering—Friction—Scarification of the tunica adnata— Gun-shot wounds—Amputation—Circumcision— Ta tat- tovo at the Tonga islands ; at the Fiji islands—The diseases called cuhi and palla —Gonorrhoea—Observations respecting the existence of syphilis at these islands—Gonorrhoea cured by fright in three individuals— Tona, a disease similar to the yaws—An eruption on the feet called gnoivooa — Fooa, or elephantiasis— Momoco, or general wasting of the flesh— Feke-Jeke, a species of irregular intermittent. Having, in the three preceding chapters, given an account of the state of religion and morals in these islands, we shall now proceed to develope the next most important feature in the description of human habits, and shall therefore endeavour to set forth the state of useful knowledge to which they have arrived. In the first place, we shall treat of the healing art; not only because it stands prominent in 230 SURGICAL SKILL the general history of human science, but because, in all early stages of society, it appears to have a particular connexion with, and often to depend entirely upon, certain religious ceremonies ; nor is this to be wondered at, for, seeing that the operations of the animal oeconomy are so far involved in mystery, as frequently to escape the scrutinizing search of the most cultivated mind, how can it be otherwise but that a people, among whom the sources of knowledge are scanty, and the opportunities of experiment on tl^e animal oeconomy both rare and hazardous, should look to the gods for relief from those miseries which evidently proceed from an unseen hand: a considerable portion of the curative means of these people are, therefore, very naturally, invocation and sacri- Jice . Nevertheless, as the animal oeconomy is subject to a variety of accidents, the causes and operations of which take place, and pursue their progress, more or less, under the evidence of the external senses, appropriate means of cure are frequently had recourse to, and operative surgery is therefore not in a contemptible state of cultivation. All the remedies practised among them may very safely be ranked under these three heads, viz. invocation, sacrifice, and external operations ; as to interna] remedies, they sometimes. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 231 but very seldom, use infusions of a few plants, which produce, however, no sensible effect, either upon the system or upon the disease, and we may readily conceive in how little esteem such remedies are held when the king’s daughter, whose life so great pains were taken to preserve, took none of them, nor did any one think of proposing them. The idea of giving these infusions was first taken from the natives of the Fiji islands, who have the repute of being skilful in the management of internal remedies : and though almost all the surgical operations known and practised at the Tonga islands have avowedly been borrowed from the same source, and followed up with a considerable degree of skill and success, yet the Tonga people have generally failed in the former, and for the cure of constitutional ailments depend upon the mercy of the gods, without any interference on their own parts, except in the way of invocation and sacrifice. In such a state of things, it would be natural to suppose that they frequently make use of charms, amulets, &c. to assist in the cure ; but this, however, is never done, for they have not the most distant idea of this sort of superstition, which prevails so much over almost all the world, even in the most civilized countries. The natives of the Sandwich islands, however, appear to have a 232 SURGICAL SKILL knowledge of some medicines, but whether from original discoveries of their own, or from the information of Europeans, Mr. Mariner could not obtain any information from those natives who wei’e with him at Vavaoo. One of these Sandwich islanders (a petty chief) professed some knowledge of the healing art, and it so happened that Mr. Mariner was once the subject of his skill. Feeling himself much indisposed by a disordered state of the stomach and bowels, attended with head-ache and drowsiness, this Sandwich islander proposed to give him some internal remedies, whilst a native of Tonga, on the other hand, very much wanted him to lose some blood (by scarification with shells on the arms, legs, &c.) The remedies proposed by the former were an emetic and a cathartic : the cathartic consisted chiefly of the sweet potatoe grated, and the juice of the sugarcane ; to this, however, was added the juice of some other vegetable substance, with which Mr. Mariner was not acquainted. The emetic consisted of two infusions, one of certain leaves, and the other of a particular root, both unknown to him : the Sandwich islander informed him that the root was necessary to counteract the effect of the leaves, which was very powerful, and might, in a large dose, and without such addition, kill him. Upon this OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 253 discouraging information, the native of Tonga, with his scarifying shells, redoubled his persuasions, ridiculed the remedies of the other, and, on understanding what effect they would have, laughed most heartily at the idea of curing a sick man by means which would make a healthy man sick. The remedies of the surgeon, however, were not more agreeable than those of the physician, and the patient was at a loss to know to whose care he should entrust his health ; when the latter signified his intention of taking some of his own physic, which was the best proof he could possibly give of his confidence in it: two equal doses were accord- ingly prepared; the patient took one, and the doctor took the other. The cathartic was first given, and the emetic about an hour afterwards : the latter operated in about another hour, and the former, in conjunction with it, in about two hours and a half. They both evinced abundant evidence of their respective properties, and the following morning Mr. Mariner found himself perfectly well: which happy result the man who wanted to bleed him could by no means attribute to the remedies he had taken ! The Sandwich islander, notwithstanding he was much laughed at, particularly about his cathartics, obtained at length a considerable share of credit for his skill. Finow took his 234 SURGICAL SKILL remedies twice with very good effect, which encouraged some others to try; but as these circumstances took place only a short time before Mr. Mariner left, and consequently only a few trials had been made, we ought not to speak of them as constituting the medical knowledge of the Tonga people; but as this Sandwich island chief was a man of considerable judgment, and, as Mr. Mariner has every reason to think, a good observer, we indulge the hope that no ill success, at an early period, has destroyed confidence in the adoption of two such useful remedies. The ceremonies of invocation in behalf of sick people have already been described in the account of the sickness of the late king’s daughter: the sacrifices adopted on similar occasions are tootoomma and ncmgia ; cutting off fingers and strangling children : these also have both been described; the latter is only done for very great chiefs. We shall now proceed to speak of their operative surgery, and constitutional diseases, as far as Mr. Mariner’s observation can lead him to speak with accuracy. No native of Tonga undertakes to practise surgery unless he has been at the Fiji islands, where constant wars afford great opportunities of becoming skilful; and no native of Tonga would employ a surgeon who had not been OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 235 thus schooled: nor would any one, as Mr. Mariner believes, undertake an important surgical operation, unless he feels himself confident in what he is about to perform ; and it must be said of them, that they are not rash in their opinions. When a surgeon performs an operation, he never fails to obtain a present from the patient or his friends. The three most important operations are tawso, or paracentesis thoracis; tocolosi, or an operation for the cure of tetanus, which consists in making a seton of the urethra j and boca, or castration. Cawso is an operation which is performed to allow of the escape of extravasated blood, which may have lodged in the cavity of the thorax, in consequence of wounds, or for the extraction of a broken arrow. There are no other instances where they think of performing it. The instruments they use are a piece of bamboo and a splinter of shell; sometimes a probe made of the inid-rib of the cocoa-nut leaf. Mr. Mariner has seen a number of persons on whom the operation had been performed, and who were in perfect health; and two instances of the fact itself he was an eyewitness to. The one we are about to describe was performed upon a Fiji islander, who had received a barbed arrow in the right side, be- 236 SURGICAL SKILL tween the fifth and sixth ribs ; not in a line directly below the nipple, but about an inch backwards. The arrow had broken off about three inches- from the point *, under the third row of barbs, and from the rise and fall of the thorax in the act of respiration the whole piece was perfectly concealed from any external view: the barbs and the point were of the same piece with the rest of the head of the arrow. A countryman of the wounded man wished to perform the operation, but the patient desired that a friend of his, a native ofVavaoo, should manage it: this proved that he placed at least equal confidence in his skill as in that of his countryman ; indeed he had seen him perform the operation several times before, at the Fiji islands. The patient was now lying on his back, but a little inclined to his left side ; and this was considered a favourable posture for the operation. It was a fine clear day, and the weather warm: had it been rainy or cloudy, or had the patient felt himself cold, fires would have been lighted in the house, and a burning torch held to his side, to relax the integuments, and to * They are made thin under each barb, on purpose that they may break. The barbs of this arrow were about a quarter of an inch transverse diameter, and the stem of the arrow under each row of barbs about the eighth of an inch. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 237 render by such means the wound more favourable. The wound had been received the day before ; and on pressing the finger upon its orifice the broken end of the arrow could not now be felt, except by the pain which such pressure gave the patient. In the first place, the operator marked with a piece of charcoal the situation and length of the intended incision, which was about two inches ; the small wound made by the arrow being in the centre of it. The integuments were now drawn upwards, so that the black line lay upon and parallel with the superior rib; an assistant pressing his hand above, and another below the situation of the intended incision, with a view to keep the integuments firm and steady. The operator having now chosen a fit piece of bamboo, began his incision, and carried it down to the bone, the whole length of the mark, which was done with five or six motions of the hand, aided by considerable pressure: in this part of the operation a shell could not be used, on account of its liability to break. The integuments being now allowed to return to their natural situation, the incision was cautiously continued with a splinter of shell, midway between the two ribs, dividing the intercostal muscles to nearly the same extent as the external wound, to allow of the introduction 238 SURGICAL SKILL of a finger and thumb to lay hold of the arrow: during this part of the operation, however, the end of the arrow became perceptible, protruding between the costae at every expiration: the operator, as soon as possible, secured it with the finger and thumb of his left hand; whilst with his right he proceeded to widen the incision on either side, that he might take a deeper and firmer hold, and secure, if possible, the second row of barbs : to facilitate the operation, he now slipt the noose of a string over the barbs he held between his finger and thumb, and having secured which, his left hand was no longer in the way of his right; for by drawing the string as far as prudence would allow, he kept it prest upon the superior rib, and thereby preserved the arrow from receding at every inspiration. The incision was now carried through the intercostal muscles and the pleura, sufficiently to allow of the introduction of the finger and thumb of the right hand, with which he endeavoured to disengage as much as possible what might obstruct the barbs ; whilst with his left finger and thumb he laid hold of the end of the arrow, and kept gently twisting it, always one way, so as to break down those obstructions which could not be removed with the other hand, taking care, however, not to use so much force as might be OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 239 supposed liable to break the barbs ; and in this way, in the course of two or three minutes, he withdrew the arrow, bringing with it a small portion of the substance of the lungs, which could not be disengaged. During this part of the operation the patient was almost insensible he was held by those about him, to prevent any mischief arising from his struggles, which at times were violent. The operator now carefully examined the arrow, and being satisfied that every barb (of which there were three rows) was entire, he ordered him to be gently turned on the right side, so that the wound was depending, and to make it more completely so, a quantity of gnatoo was placed under him in two situations, viz. under the shoulder, and under the pelvis, in such a way that the orifice of the wound was evidently the most depending portion of the thorax. The patient being now perfectly sensible, the operator desired him to make a full inspiration, enquiring whether it gave him much pain; and being answered that he could bear it tolerably well, he desired him to make several full inspirations from time to time, but not so as to fatigue himself, and occasionally to move his body gently: by these means a considerable quantity of blood was discharged. A few hours afterwards the operator introduced between the ribs a portion of banana leaf, 240 SURGICAL SKILL smoothly folded several times, and anointed with cocoa-nut oil, as a pledget to keep open the wound. He ordered his patient to be kept perfectly quiet, not to be spoken to, no noise to be made, nor his attention to be attracted in any way: to live chiefly upon vegetable diet, or if he had any kind of meat, fowl in preference to pork, or if pork, it was to be very small in quantity, and without the least fat, with cocoa-nut milk for drink, in any quantity that he felt disposed to take. The first night he had a great deal of pain, much thirst, and little sleep; the following day he was much easier, a great deal of blood was found to have been discharged, and a fresh pledget was introduced, which was renewed every morning as long as any discharge was apparent. When the discharge of sanguineous fluid ceased, which was in about nine or ten days, the operator introduced his probe, to be sure that the cessation of the discharge was not occasioned by any obstruction : he then contented himself with a more superficial pledget, that the external orifice might not heal too soon ; and the patient was allowed to change his posture occasionally, but not for a long time together. As he grew better a little more meat was allowed him : but the use of cava was interdicted until he got tolerably well. The wound healed in about six OF THE TONGA. PEOPLE. 241 weeks, without any sort of dressing or washing; the patient was confined to his house about two months, and was not perfectly recovered till near a twelvemonth, when he seemed as healthy and as strong as ever, with scarcely any cough having supervened in the meanwhile. This was considered a very dangerous wound, and a very well conducted cure. Mr. Mariner does not know that they are acquainted either with the exact situation or existence of the intercostal arteries. It often happens that the arrow, not being a barbed one, is withdrawn without any difficulty; but still the surgeon thinks proper to perform the operation of cawso, not by enlarging the wound made by the arrow, but by making another at some little distance from it, in a part which, either from judgment or education, he deems more safe and proper. In all those persons whom Mr. Mariner knew to have undergone the cawso it had been performed in nearly the same situation as the one above stated. We have observed in the before-mentioned case that the wound was not washed, and it may here be noticed, that in all cases of considerable wounds produced by pointed instruments the patient is not allowed to wash himself till he is tolerably well recovered, nor to shave, cut his hair, nor his nails: for all these things VOL. II. n 242 SURGICAL SKILL they say are liable to produce gita (tetanus), unless the wound be of such a nature, and in such a situation, that it may with safety be first laid completely open, then there is no danger. Mr. Mariner never witnessed a case of tetanus produced by these means; but he met with many who said they had seen it in persons who had got nearly well of their wounds, but happening to wash themselves too soon, spasm supervened, and death was the consequence. They notice that wounds in the extremities, particularly in the feet and hands, are liable to produce tetanus : also, in persons already wounded, sudden alarms, or even any sudden noise that calls the attention abruptly, is liable to produce this complaint. They never allow females to be near men thus wounded, lest the mere stimulus of venereal desire should induce this dangerous complaint. As to cutting the hair and nails, they positively assert that the mere sensation of these simple and common operations has not unfrequently been productive of these dreadful consequences. The man whose case we have just mentioned was eight months without being washed, shaved, or having his hair or nails cut. Gita is a disease very common among the Tonga people; but still more common among the natives of the Fiji islands, who, from their OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 243 warlike habits, are more frequently in the way of it: they adopt, however, a remedy which the Tonga people have borrowed of them, and consists in the operation of tocolosi, or passing a reed first wetted with saliva into the urethra, so as to occasion a considerable irritation, and discharge of’ blood ; and if the general spasm is very violent, they make a seton of this passage, by passing down a double thread, looped over the end of the reed, and when it is felt in the perinaeum they cut down upon it, seize hold of the thread, and withdraw the reed, so that the two ends of the thread hang from the orifice of the urethra, and the doubled part from the artificial opening in the perinaeum; the thread is occasionally drawn backwards and forwards, which excites very great pain, and abundant discharge of blood. The latter operation Mr. Mariner has seen performed several times; but only twice for tetanus, arising in both instances from wounds in the foot: in these cases the spasms, but particularly the convulsive paroxysms, were exceedingly violent, extending to the whole body, neck, face, trunk, and extremities : but in neither case was the jaw permanently locked, though on every accession it was violently closed for a few seconds. A na_ tive of the Fiji islands performed one operation, and Hala A'pi A'pi the other: they both hap- 244 SURGICAL SKILL pened at Vavaoo, at different times. In either case the disease came on suddenly, three or four days after the wound was received, which was from an arrow not barbed. The moment the symptoms became evident iocolosi was performed. In the short space of two hours one of them was greatly relieved, and the other in about six or eight hours. The following day the one on whom Hala A/pi A'pi operated was quite well, and afterwards had no other attack; consequently the thread was withdrawn: but the other on the second day was not quite free from spasmodic symptoms, and a paroxysm coming on, the seton was moved frequently, which in two or three hours gave him great relief, and he afterwards had no other attack : it was thought prudent, however, to keep in the seton till the fourth or fifth day, when it was withdrawn. The effect of this operation was a considerable pain and tumefaction of the penis, but which gradually subsided (in about five or six days): the artificial openings in both cases healed spontaneously, without any difficulty. These are the only two cases of tetanus in which this operation was performed that Mr. Mariner can speak of with certainty, having been an eye-witness of them. He heard of several others at the Hapai islands, at the island of Tonga, &c. some of which were equally for- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 245 tunate. From what he has heard and seen of the success of this operation at the Tonga islands, he is disposed to believe that about three or four in ten recover by the aid of it. The Fiji islanders, however, speak of the happy effects of this singular mode of cure with much more confidence than the natives of Tonga; but as they claim the merit of the discovery, they are probably rather too profuse in praise of it. Tetanus is not the only disease for the cure of which the operation of tocolosi is performed: it is adopted also in cases of wounds in the abdomen, upon the mistaken notion that any ex- travasated blood in the cavity of the abdomen is capable of passing off by the discharge from the urethra. Mr. Mariner saw the operation performed once in this case, and, as the man was considered in a very bad state, and notwithstanding got well, the cure was attributed to this remedy. It is also performed for relief in cases of general languor and inactivity of the system; but, in such instances, they only endeavour to produce irritation by passing the reed without any thread or artificial opening: the present king had it thus performed on him for this purpose; and two days afterwards he said he felt himself quite light, and full of spirits. The natives of these islands are very subject 246 SURGICAL SKILL to enlarged testicles, and for this they sometimes perform the operation of boca (castration). Mr. Mariner’s limited observation on this subject does not authorize him to speak with any degree of certainty in regard to the precise nature of these tumefactions. Their mode of performing this operation is summary enough : a bandage being tied with some degree of firmness round the upper part of the scrotum, so as to steady the diseased mass, at the same time that the scrotum is closely expanded over it, an incision is made with bamboo, just large enough to allow the testicle to pass, which being separated from its cellular connexions, the cord is divided, and thus ends the operation: they neither tie the cord, nor take any pains to stop the bleeding; but, if the testicle be not very large, arid the epidydimis not apparently diseased, they perform the operation by dissecting it from that body with the same instrument. The external wound is kept from closing by a pledget of the banana leaf, which is renewed every day till the discharge has ceased ; the scrotum, in the mean time, is supported by a bandage. A profuse haemorrhage is mostly the consequence of this operation : it was performed seven times within the sphere of Mr. Mariner’s knowledge, during his stay; to three of which he was a witness: not one OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 247 of the seven died. One of these cases was that of a man who performed the operation on himself: his left testicle was greatly enlarged, being about five or six inches in diameter, and gave him, at times, severe lancinating pains: two or three times he was about to have the operation performed by a native of Fiji, but his courage failed him when he came to the trial. One day when Mr. Mariner was with him, he suddenly determined to perform the operation on himself; and it was not much sooner said than done: he tied on the bandage, opened the scrotum with a very steady hand, in a fit of desperation divided the cord and cellular substance together, and fell senseless on the ground : the haemorrhage was very profuse. Mr. Mariner called in some persons to his assistance, and he was carried into a house, but did not become sensible for nearly an hour, and was in a very weak state from loss of blood : this affair confined him to the house for two or three months. There was one rare instance of a man, both of whose testes were affected with some species of sarcoma, to a degree almost beyond credit: when he stood up, his feet were necessarily separated to the distance of three quarters of a yard, and the loaded scrotum, or rather the morbid mass, reached to within six inches of the ground : 248 SURGICAL SKILL there was no appearance of a penis, the urine being discharged from a small orifice about the middle of the tumor, that is to say, about a foot and a half below the os pubis. The man’s general health was not bad ; and he could even walk by the help of a stick, without having any sling or support for his burthen : it was specifically lighter than fresh water, and considerably lighter than salt water, so as to produce much inconvenience to him when he bathed. He died at the island of Foa, about two or three months before Mr. Mariner left Vavaoo. As to fractures, and dislocations of the extremities, it may be said that there is scarcely any native but what understands how to manage at least those that are most likely to happen ; for they are very well acquainted with the general forms of the bones, and articulations of the extremities. They use splints made of a certain part of the cocoa-nut tree : for broken arms they use slings of gnatoo. In fractures of the cranium they allow nature to take her' course "without interfering, and it is truly astonishing what injuries of this kind they will bear without fatal consequences : there was one man whose skull had been so beaten in, in two or three places, by the blows of a club, that his head had an odd mis-shapen appearance, and yet this man had very good health, except l OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 249 when he happened to take cava, which produced a temporary insanity. Fractures of the clavicle and ribs Mr. Mariner never saw there. The most common surgical operation among them is what they call tafa, which is topical blood-letting, and is performed by making, with a shell, incisions in the skin to the extent of about half an inch in various parts of the body, particularly in the lumbar region and extremities, for the relief of pains, lassitude, &c.; also for inflamed tumours they never fail to promote a flow of blood from the part; by the same means they open abscesses, and press out the purulent matter : in cases of hard indolent tumours, they either apply ignited tapa, or hot bread-fruit repeatedly, so as to blister the part, and ultimately to produce a purulent surface. Ill-conditioned ulcers, particularly in those persons whose constitutions incline to such things, are scarified by shells; those that seem disposed to heal are allowed to take their course without any application. In cases of sprains, the affected part is rubbed with a mixture of oil and water, the friction being always continued in one direction, that is to say, from the smaller towards the larger branches of the vessels. Friction, with the dry hand, is also often used in similar and other cases, for the purpose of relieving pain. •250 SURGICAL SKILL In respect to inflammations of the eyes, which sometimes rise to a very great height, attended frequently with a considerable purulent discharge ; they frequently have recourse to scarification by the application of a particular kind of grass, the minute spicula with which it is replete dividing the inflamed vessels as it is moved upon the tunica adnata. To assist in reducing ophthalmic inflammations, they also drop into the eye an acid vegetable juice, and sometimes another of a bitter quality ; the first is called vi, the latter bazelo. The species of ophthalmia to which they are subject, though sometimes lingering, is stated scarcely ever to have produced serious consequences, and is not considered contagious. Mr. Mariner neither saw nor heard of but one man who had lost his sight by disease. In cases of gunshot wounds, their main object is to lay the wound open, if it can be done with safety in respect of the larger blood-vessels and tendons, not only for the extraction of the ball, if it should still remain, but for the purpose of converting a fistulous into an open wound, that it may thereby heal sooner and better: if they have to cut down near larger vessels, they use bamboo in preference to the shell; the same near tendons, that there may be less chance of injuring them. They always OP THE TONGA PEOPLE. 251 make incisions nearly in the course of the muscles, or, at least, parallel with the limb. The amputation of a limb is an operation very seldom performed ; nevertheless it has been done in at least twelve individuals. Mr. Mariner seeing one day a man without an arm, curiosity led him to enquire how it happened, and found that he had been one of the twelve principal cooks of Toogoo Ahoo, the tyrant of Tonga, and had submitted to the amputation of his left arm, under the circumstances related Vol. I. p. 70. The mode in which this operation was performed was similar to that of too - ioonima, described Vol. II. p. 210, only that a large heavy axe was used for the purpose. The bleeding was not so profuse as might be imagined, owing, no doubt, to the bluntness of the instrument and violence of the blow. This stump appeared to Mr. Mariner to be a very good one; the arm was taken off about two inches above the elbow. Ten were stated to have done very well; of the remaining two, one died of excessive haemorrhage, and the other of mortification. There was also a man living at the island of Vavaoo who had lost a leg in consequence of the bite of a shark, which is not a very uncommon accident; but there was something unusual in this man’s particular case : his leg was not bitten off, but the flesh was almost 252 SURGICAL SKILL completely torn away from about five inches below the knee down to the foot, leaving the tibia and fibula greatly exposed, and the foot much mangled: he was one of those who chose to perform his own operations; with persevering industry, therefore, he sawed nearly through the two bones with a shell, renewing his tedious and painful task every day till he had nearly accomplished it, and then completed the separation by a sudden blow with a stone! The stump never healed. Mr. Mariner had this account from the man himself and many others. Tefe, or the operation of circumcision, is thus performed: a narrow slip of wood, of a convenient size, being wrapped round with gnatoo, is introduced under the praeputium, along the back of which a longitudinal incision is then made to the extent of about half an inch, either with bamboo or shell (the latter is preferred) $ this incision is carried through the outer fold, and the beginning of the inner fold, the remainder of the latter being afterwards torn open with the fingers: the end of the penis is then wrapped up in the leaf of a tree called gnatai , and is secured with a bandage: the boy is not allowed to bathe for three days: the leaf is renewed once or twice a day. At the Fiji islands this operation is performed by OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 253 amputating a portion of the praeputium, according to the Jewish rite. The operation of the ta tattow, or puncturing the skin, and marking it with certain configurations, though it is not properly surgical, yet we mention it here, as it is very apt to produce enlargements of the inguinal and axillary glands. The instrument used for the purpose of this operation somewhat resembles a small tooth comb : they have several kinds, of different degrees of breadth, from six up to fifty or sixty teeth: they are made of the bone of the wing of the wild duck. Being dipped in a mixture of soot and water, the outline of the tattow is first marked off before the operator begins to puncture, which he afterwards does by striking in the points of the instrument with a small stick cut out of a green branch, of the cocoa-nut tree: when the skin begins to bleed, which it quickly does, the operator occasionally washes off the blood with cold water, and repeatedly goes over the same places: as this is a very painful process, but a small portion of it is done at once, giving the patient (who may justly be so called) intervals of three or four days rest, so that it is frequently two months before it is completely finished. The parts tattowed are from within two inches of the knees up to about three inches above the umbilicus : there are certain patterns or forms of 254 SURGICAL SKILL the tatloxc, known by distinct names, and the individual may choose which he likes. On their brown skins the tattow has a black appearance, on the skin of an European a fine blue appearance. This operation causes that portion of the skin on which it is performed to remain permanently thicker. During the time that it is performed, but sometimes not for two or three months afterwards, swellings of the inguinal glands take place, and which almost always suppurate : sometimes they are opened with a shell before they point, which is considered the best treatment; at other times they are allowed to take their course. We need not wonder at the absorbents becoming so much affected when we consider the extent of surface which is subjected to this painful operation ; even the glans penis and the verge of the anus do not escape. It is considered very unmanly not to be tattowed, so that there is nobody but what submits to it as soon as he is grown up. The women are not subjected to it, though a few of them choose to have some marks on the inside of their fingers. The men would think it very indecent not to be tattowed, because though in battle they wear nothing but the maki, they appear by this means to be dressed, without having the incumbrance of clothing*. * I have seen two instances of the Tonga tatt6w, in Jeremiah Higgins, and in Thomas Dawson, both of the Fort au OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 255 It is a curious circumstance, that at the Fiji islands, the men, on the contrary, are not tat- tovved, but the women are. The operation is managed by their own sex, though by no means to that extent to which it is performed on the Tonga men, contenting themselves chiefly with having it done on the nates in form of a large circular patch, though sometimes in that of a crescent; and most of them have it also done on the labia pudendi, consisting of one line of dots on each side, just within the verge of the external labia. We cannot with certainty say that the glandular ulcerations above alluded to are always produced by the tattow, though in all likelihood, when it has recently been performed, it is the exciting cause ; but the people are very subject to scrofulous indurations, glandular enlargements, and ulcers: they call the disease cahi; the parts affected are the groins, axillae, and neck; though many other parts of the body are also liable to ulcers, which they call pdlla. These diseases sometimes run on to such an extent, and assume such appearances, that we believe some travellers have mistaken them for lues venerea. It is certain that some indi- Prince. The beauty and neatness of the execution far exceeded my expectations. It may best be compared to a pair of blue satin small-clothes very tastefully configured. 266 SURGICAL SKILL viduals affected with p/dla have been obliged to submit to the loss of a nose, the cartilaginous and softer parts of that organ becoming completely destroyed: it must be also mentioned at the same time, that the natives are subject to gonorrhoeal discharges, attended with ardor urinse. All these circumstances appear very equivocal: but Mr. Mariner has every reason to believe that the venereal disease did not exist under any form, either at the Hapai islands or Vavaoo, during the time that he was there; although, to his certain knowledge, three of the survivors of the Port au Prince’s crew had gonorrhoeas at the time the ship was taken, one of whom had brought it from England, and the other two had contracted it at the Sandwich islands. Several others of the ship’s company had also venereal affections: but they fell in the general massacre on board. In the first place we must observe, in respect to those labouring under the diseases called cdhi and palla, that the complaints are either not venereal, or that the venereal disease subsides in them, and the constitution cures itself spontaneously. 2dly, That the organs of generation are never affected previously to the more general disease coming on. 3dly, That these diseases are not known to be, or believed to be contracted by sexual intercourse. 4thly, That OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 257 though these diseases in some constitutions produce fatal consequences, yet very frequently the appetite and strength, and fulness of flesh, remain much the same as if no disease existed, though this happens in pAlla more than in cahi. In respect of the gonorrhoeas to which they are subject, they are for the most part very mild in their symptoms, and get well in a few days ; besides which, they are not capable of being communicated between the sexes, or at least this is not known or believed to be the case. With regard to the three men of the Port au Prince's crew, they got well without exactly knowing when or how: for the consternation occasioned by the capture of the ship and the desti'uction of their countrymen, and the alarm and state of anxiety in which they were for at least two or three days, had produced such a change in the constitution, or at least in the disease, that it had actually got well before they were aware of it. Mr. Mariner inquired among some of the oldest men if they had ever seen or heard of such a disease as syphilis or venereal gonorrhoea (describing the general character of it, and how it was communicated), and learnt that a woman, a native of one of the Hapai islands, having had connexion wuth one of the men belonging to a French ship, became on fire, (as they expressed it), and died after- vor.. II. s 258 SURGICAL SELL wards in a very bad state : aid this was all that he learned respecting what might reasonably be supposed to be true sypiilis. Pdila frequently gets well spontaneouay : but the remedies commonly used are scarification of the ulcered surface, powder of umerlc sprinkled over it, and sometimes a bitter vegetable juice dropped on it. They have among them another kind of ulcerous disease which they call tona, very distinct from the two last described, children being for the most part subject to it; and it is one of those diseases which only occur once during a person’s life. Tie patient is first seized with general languor and debility, attended with loss of appetite: in a few days an eruption appears in different parts of the body, but particularly in the corners of the mouth, axillae, groins, parts of generation, and anus 5 the pustules at first are exceedingly small, but at length increase to about half an inch in diameter ; fungous excrescences grow out of them, exhibiting a granulated surface, and discharging a viscous fluid, which concretes round the edges. These pustules come also upon the soles of the feet, and increase to a considerable size, giving very great pain : Mr. Mariner is not acquainted with the state of the pulse, &c. The disease generally lasts several OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 259 months, and so>metimes a couple of years. From the symptoms thus far described, there is not much doubt ;about its resemblance to what is called the yams „• the remedies they use for it are a certain bitter juice dropped into the ulcers, and rubbimg off the fungous excrescences with cocoa-nut husk dipped in sea-water. They are subject also to a pustulous eruption, chiefly confined to the feet, but which sometimes affects the hands : it usually appears between the toes, amd has in its external character a strong resemblance to psora, and itches very much : it appears in the form of small pustules with whitish heads, which, when rubbed off, generally discharge a watery fluid : it is supposed to arise from walking in clayey places without the opportunity of washing the feet afterwards : it is not thought to be contagious : it usually lasts about four or five days. The name they give it is gnowcoa. They use no remedy. They are also subject to a disease called fooa : but if we describe the symptoms of elephantiasis, we shall have related with tolerable accuracy the history of this disorder. Labillar- diere notices the disease, and calls it elephantiasis. They use no remedy for it. The disease called momoco , a sort of Marasmus, usually lasts from four to seven months : s 2 260 SURGICAL SKILL in the latter stages it somewhat resembles phthisis. It comes on with occasional chilliness, loss of appetite, lowness of spirits, wasting of the flesh: shortly succeed swellings in the groin and axillae; general debility, paleness of the lips. As the disease advances the patient stoops very much ; experiences pain in the chest, and across the shoulders: sometimes, but not often, a cough, and expectoration now supervene, the debility and emaciation become extreme, and death relieves the patient from his sufferings: these are all the symptoms which Mr. Mariner can speak of with certainty. They use no physical remedies. Feke-feke appears to be a sort of mild irregular intermittent: the paroxysm usually lasts from two to eight hours, and consists of a cold and a hot stage; but is seldom succeeded by perspiration. The returns of the paroxysm are very uncertain j sometimes two, at other times three, four, five or more days intervene. The patient is sometimes perfectly well for a month, and then his disorder returns. In regard to diseases properly belonging to females, Mr. Mariner has very little to communicate. The women are in general tolerably healthy: during the catamenia, they anoint themselves all over with a mixture of oil and turmeric, to avoid catching coldj and they do OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 261 the same after lying in, on which occasions women always assist, to the perfect exclusion of the other sex : respecting the circumstances of parturition, and the separation of the child, these things are kept a profound secret from the men*. The men also occasionally use this mixture of turmeric and oil in time of war, when the weather is wet, to prevent them from feeling chilly, for at that time they have scarcely any dress: Mr. Mariner on similar occasions has anointed himself all over with it, and found it to have the desired effect. * Difficult parturition, as may be supposed, is very rare. Jeremiah Higgins informs me, that he once saw a woman, who rendered wild, and as it were frantic with her sufferings, ran out of the house, her attendants not being able to restrain her, and wandered about the plantation, sometimes stooping down—at other times running as if to escape from the perils that threatened her: her attendants did not attempt to render her any personal assistance; they merely prayed aloud to the gods to send her a speedy and safe delivery; and when she was worn out with fatigue, they carried her into the house. She was three days in labour. 262 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES CHAPTER XXII. General observations on the principal arts and manufactures— Canoe-building—Inlaying with ivory—Preparing graves— Constructing stone vaults—Net making—Fishing—Housebuilding—Striking the tattow—Carving the handles of clubs—Shaving with shells—Cooking food—Enumeration of the principal made dishes—Making ropes; bows and arrows; clubs and spears—-Manufacture of gnatoo, and mode of printing it—Making mats, baskets, combs, thread, &c. The next subject in order is the state of the arts and manufactures. We have already spoken as far as respectability is concerned, of those which constitute distinct professions, being for the most part hereditary*, and are all exercised by men : there are several other arts, however, some of which are practised by men, others by women, but which are not considered professional, as they do not constitute the business of a person’s life; and the term toofoonga, (arti- zan), is consequently not applied to those who perform them : among these are principally the art of performing surgical operations; erecting See p. 87 —91 of this volume. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 263 fortifications j making ropes, bows and arrows, * clubs and spears, which are practised by men, whilst the manufacture of gnatoo , mats, baskets, thread, combs, &c., constitute the occasional employment of the women, even of those of rank. We shall give an account of each of the principal arts, beginning with those that are strictly professional. Fo vaca, canoe-building. As it would be impossible to give an intelligible and accurate description of this ingenious and useful art, without referring to well-executed plates, and as this has been already so ably done in Cook’s and d’Entrecasteaux’s voyages, we presume it would be but an unnecessary intrusion upon the attention of the reader to attempt entering into such a description. It may here be noticed, however, that the Tonga people have obtained a considerable share of information in the art of building and rigging canoes, from the natives of the Fiji islands. It has already been observed, that, in all probability, the communication between these two nations, at the distance of one hundred and twenty leagues, began on the part of the Tonga people, who being situated to windward, it is very likely that one or more of their canoes were formerly drifted to the Fiji islands by stress of weather; and although they have no tradition of such a cir- 264 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES cumstance, yet this one consideration tends strongly to corroborate the idea. It is highly probable that neither of them went out on a voyage of discovery, or if such an opinion be admitted, there is little doubt but that the people of Tonga first made the attempt, although the construction and rigging of their canoes were at that time far inferior. The grounds for this opinion are, first, their situation to windward, and secondly, their superior enterprising spirit, in affairs of navigation, which may be said to constitute a feature of their national character. Their superiority in this respect is so great, that no native of Fiji, as far as is known, ever ventured to Tonga but in a canoe manned with Tonga people, nor ever ventured back to his own islands, but under the same guidance and protection. If we look to the voyage of Cow Mooala, related in Chap. 10, we cannot but entertain a very favourable idea of his maritime skill. He sailed from the Fiji islands for those of Tonga, but the state of the weather prevented him making them; then he steered for the Navigator’s islands; and the weather being still unfavourable, he was drifted to Fo- toona, where his canoe was destroyed, and his cargo of sandal wood taken from him. Notwithstanding these misfortunes, as soon as another large canoe was built, he again ventured OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 265 to sea, and returned to the Fiji islands to lay in a second cargo. The Fiji islanders make their canoes principally of a hard firm wood, called fihi, which is not liable to become worm-eaten; and as the Tonga islands do not produce this wood, the natives are not able to build canoes so large or so strong as those of their instructors : all their large canoes, therefore, are either purchased or taken by force from the natives of Fiji. The natives of Tonga take the greatest pains with their canoes, polishing them with pumice-stone, and paying every attention that they are not more exposed to the weather than is absolutely necessary. The canoes of the Navigator’s islands are similar to those which were formerly in use at Tonga, but the natives of those islands never venture to the latter place but in canoes manned with Tonga people. Fono le, carving ornaments out of whales teeth, for the neck, and inlaying clubs, &c. with the same material. This art, as far as it regards ornaments for the neck, is of Fiji origin ; but inlaying clubs, wooden pillows, &c. is their own invention. An account of the ornaments for the neck has already been given, (Vol. I p. 299.) They inlay their clubs with extraordinary neatness, considering the rude tool they employ, which is generally a togi (or small adze), made out of an European chisel, a piece of an old saw, 266 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES or even a flattened nail, to which a handle is affixed. They only ornament those clubs which are considered good on account of their form, or the quality of the wood, or those which have done much execution: to the latter it used to be the custom to give a proper name. Those that make these ornaments are chiefly canoe- builders. Toofoonga ta'boo, superintendants of funeral rites : these, as the name indicates, have the regulation of every thing regarding burials of principal chiefs: they are generally mata- booles, and are always consulted respecting the preparations and forms of ceremony necessary on such occasions, and which are handed down by them from father to son. Toofoonga ta ma'cca, or makers of stone vaults for the burial of chiefs. The general form of these vaults has been already described, (Vol. I. p. 144.) The stones used for this purpose are about a foot in thickness, and are cut of the requisite dimensions, out of the stratum found on the beaches of some of the islands. Jia cobe'nga, net-making. This art is performed exactly in the same way as with us: the thread is made of the inner bark of a tree, which they call olongd: large nets, however, are made of plait, formed from the husk of the cocoa-nut. Toofoonga toty'ica, fishermen. All those OF THE TONGA PEOPLE, 267 who follow this profession are sailors: their mode of catching fish is chiefly with the net, though they sometimes make use of the line and hook. Langa falle, house-building. Every man knows how to build a house, but those whose business it is have chiefly to erect large houses on maldis, consecrated houses, and dwellings tor chiefs. The general form of their houses is oblong, rather approaching to an oval, the two ends being closed, and the 1'ront and back open; the sloping thatched roof descending to within about four feet of the ground, which is generally supported by four posts ; the larger houses by six, or sometimes more. The chief art in building a house consists in fastening the beams, &c. strongly, with plait of different colours, made of the husk of the cocoa-nut, in such a way as to look very ornamental; the co* lours, which are black, red, and yellow, being tastefully disposed. The thatch of the superior houses is made of the dried leaves of the sugarcane, and which will last seven or eight years without requiring repair. The thatch of the common houses is made of matting formed of the leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, and which lasts about two or three years; but being much easier to make than the other, it is more frequently used. The flooring is thus made: the 268 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES ground, being raised about a foot, is beaten down hard, and covered with leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, dried grass, or leaves of the ifi tree: over this is laid a bleached matting, made of the young leaves of the cocoa-nut tree. The house consists, as it were, but of one apartment, but which is subdivided occasionally by screens about six or eight feet high. In case of rain, or at night, if the weather is cool, they let down a sort of blind, which is attached to the eaves of the open sides of the house : these blinds are made of long mats, about six inches in width, one above another, and rather overlapping, and are so contrived as to draw up by means of strings, like our Venetian blinds, and are then concealed just within the eaves. The common houses have not these blinds, but, in place of them, a few mats hung up as occasion may require. Ta tattow, striking the tattow. This operation has already been described in the last chapter, and nothing farther is here to be said, except that Tooitonga is never tattowed at the Tonga islands ; for it is not considered respectful to put so high a chief to so much pain, and if, therefore, he wishes to undergo this operation, he must visit Hamoa, (the Navigator’s islands), for that purpose. Tongi aco'w, club carving or engraving. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 269 Formerly the whole of the clubs used to be engraved, but now this ornamental work is confined to the handle: it is executed with a great deal of neatness. A shark’s tooth used to be the instrument, but now they make a sort of graver out of a nail flattened, sharpened, and fixed in a handle. Instances of their neatness in this sort of workmanship may be seen in our museums, and in the engraved representations of other works. Fy cava, shaving the beard. They have two modes of performing this operation, viz. with the two valves of a certain kind of shell, which they call bi'bi, and with pumice-stone: the latter is used by the party himself who requires the operation ; the former by those whose profession it is to shave others. The edge of one valve being pressed horizontally against the chin or lip by the left hand, that portion of the beard which appears upon it is rubbed or filed off by the rough back of the other valve. This operation is generally performed once in about eight or ten days. The heads of infants are always kept closely shaved ; but this is done with a shark’s tooth by the mother. Fe oomoo, the art of cooking. If refinement in cookery be one proof of the civilization of a people, the natives of the South Seas have 270 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES something to boast of in this respect; at least the people of the Tonga islands can invite yon to partake of at least thirty or forty different kinds of dishes, consisting in or prepared from one or more of the following articles, viz. pork, turtle, fowls of different kinds, fish, yams, bread-fruit, plantains, bananas, cocoa-nuts, talo, and cabe, (esculent roots), and mahoa, a preparation from a root of the same name. We shall give a short account of the principal preparations of food. Baked pork. The animal is first stunned by a blow with a stick, and then killed by repeated blows on both sides of the neck. It is then rubbed over with the juicy substance of the banana tree, after which it is thrown for a few minutes on the fire, and, when warm, scraped with muscle shells or knives, and then washed. It is next laid on its back, when the cook cuts open the throat, and drawing forth the windpipe and gullet, passes a skewer behind them, and ties a string tight round the latter, afterwards to be divided: he then cuts a circular piece from the belly, from four to six inches diameter, and draws forth the entrails*, separat- * He has already made a circular incision round the anus, and tied the rectum to secure the contents, lest the interior of the abdomen should get dirty, which they are very careful to avoid, as they do not otherwise wash the inside, which they say would spoil it. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 271 ing the attachments either by force or by the use of bamboo: the diaphragm is then divided, and the gullet, windpipe, contents of the chest, stomach and liver, are all drawn away together along with the bowels: from these the liver is separated to be baked with the hog; the remainder is washed and cooked over hot embers, to be shared out and eaten in the mean while. The whole inside of the hog is now filled up with hot stones, each wrapped up in breadfruit leaves, and all the apertures of the body are closed up quickly, also with leaves : it is then laid with the belly downwards, in a hole in the ground, lined with hot stones, a fire having been previously made there for that purpose, but prevented, however, from touching them, by small branches of the bread-fruit tree : a few other branches are now laid across the back of the pig, and plenty of banana leaves strewed or rather heaped over the whole, upon which, again, a mound of earth is raised, so that no steam apparently escapes. The liver is put by the side of the pig, and sometimes yams. By these means, a good sized pig may be very well cooked in half an hour : a large hog is generally about half done in this way, then taken up, cut to pieces, and each piece being wrapped up separately in leaves, is cooked again in like manner. Yams, fowls, bread-fruit, and every 272 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES thing that is baked, is dressed after this manner; the larger yams being cut into smaller pieces. They perform the process of boiling in earthen pots, of the manufacture of the Fiji islands, or in iron vessels procured from ships, or in banana leaves: they also occasionally roast food upon hot embers. As to their made dishes, the following is a list of the principal. Vy-hoo; fish soup, made with a liquid preparation of cocoa-nut and water. Vy-obji j boiled yams mashed up with cocoa- nut and water. Vy-hopa ; ripe bananas cut in slices, and boiled with cocoa-nut and water. Vy-chi; a sort of jelly made of ma, and the juice of the qhi root. Vy-vi ; a sort of apple grated, mixed with water and strained. Boboi; a preparation of ma and chi, forming a stronger jelly, but similar to iyclii. Boi; similar to the above, but not jellied. Fy'caky lulo tobtoo; bread-fruit beaten up and cut into small pieces : it is eaten with a preparation of cocoa-nut, and the juice either of the chi or sugar-cane : it very much resembles, in appearance and taste, batter pudding, with melted butter and sugar. Fy'caky lolo matta; same as the above, eaten with the expressed juice of the cocoa-nut. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 273 Loo-lol6i; talo leaves heated or stewed with the expressed juice of the cocoa-nut. Loo-effenioo; talo leaves heated with grated cocoa-nut fermented. Loo alo he boodca ; talo leaves heated with a fat piece of pork, kept till it is high. Loo tdhi; talo leaves heated with a small quantity of sea water. Ma me; fermented bread-fruit. Ma hdpa ; fermented bananas. Ma natoo ; fermented bananas well kneaded and baked. Ma loloi; fermented bananas stewed with expressed juice of the cocoa-nut. Loloi fekke; dried cat-fish, stewed with the expressed juice of the cocoa-nut. Loloi ; a baked pudding made of mahoa root and the expressed juice of the cocoa-nut. Tawgootoo; a baked cake made of mahoa root, small pieces of cocoa-nut, and the expressed juice of the nut. Fucca-lili; the powder of mahoa root sprinkled into boiling water till the whole becomes a semi-jellied mass. Ve-hdlo; a preparation of the substance of young cocoa-nuts, with their milk stewed together. Awty'; the inside of young cocoa-nuts and the juice of the chi root mixed with the milk. 274 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES Thus far with those arts that are strictly professional, and are practised by men; there are some others not professional, which are also exercised by men, viz. surgical operations, erecting fortifications, rope-making, and making bows and arrows, clubs and spears: the first has been treated of in Chap. 21, and for the second, see Yol. I. p. 90. Rope-making. There are two kinds of rope, one made of the husk of the cocoa-nut, which is the superior sort, and the other of the inner bark of the jots. Although these ropes are made entirely by hand, yet even those of considerable circumference are laid with the greatest regularity: they are very elastic, and the strength of them is universally known. The husk of the cocoa-nut is first made into plait, which is then twisted into strands, and of these the rope is made. The bark of the fmv is not first made into plait, but at once into strands. Bows and arrows. The bows are generally made of the wood of the mangrove, though some few of the casuarina wood : the string is made of the inner bark of a tree they call olon- gk, and is exceedingly strong. The arrows are made of reed, headed with casuarina wood : some of these heads have three or four rows of barbs, and, to make them more formidable, are OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 275 tipped with the bone of the sting ray. (See Vol. I. p. 278.) Clubs and spears. Though the making of these be not a distinct profession, yet they are most commonly manufactured by the toofoonga fo vaca, as being expert in the use of the togi. Their clubs are of various shapes; but specimens of them, as well as of their spears, may be seen in our museums. The next arts to be spoken of are those practised by females, not so much as a task or labour, for women of rank often employ themselves this way, but as being their proper occupation. The most important of these is the Fabrication of gnatoo. This substance is somewhat similar to cotton, but not woven, being rather of the texture of paper : it is prepared from the inner bark of the Chinese paper mulberry tree, and is used for dress and other purposes. A circular incision being made round the tree near the root, with a shell deep enough to penetrate the bark, the tree is broken off at that part, which its slenderness readily admits of: when a number of them are thus laid on the ground, they are left in the sun a couple of days to become partially dry, so that the inner and outer bark may be stripped off together, T 2 276 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES without danger of leaving any of the fibres behind. The bark is then soaked in water for a day and night, and scraped carefully with shells for the purpose of removing the outer bark, or epidermis, which is thrown away. The inner bark is then rolled up lengthwise, and soaked in water for another day; it now swells, becomes tougher, and more capable of being beaten out into a firm texture: being thus far prepared, the operation of tootoo , or beating, commences. This part of the work is performed by means of a mallet a foot long, and two inches thick, in the form of a parallelopi- pedon, two opposite sides being grooved longitudinally to the depth and breadth of about a line, with intervals of a quarter of an inch. The bark, which is from two to five feet long, and one to three inches broad, is then laid upon a beam of wood about six feet long, and nine inches in breadth and thickness, which is supported about an inch from the ground by pieces of wood at each end, so as to allow of a certain degree of vibration. Two or three women generally sit at the same beam ; each places her bark transversely upon the beam immediately before her, and while she beats with her right hand, with her left she moves it slowly to and fro, so that every part becomes beaten OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 2 77 alike ; the grooved side of the mallet is chiefly used first, and the smooth side afterwards. They generally beat alternately : early in the morning, when the air is calm and still, the beating of gnatoo at all the plantations about has a very pleasing effect ; some sounds being near at hand, and others almost lost by the distance, some a little more acute, others more- grave, and all with remarkable regularity, produce a musical variety that is very agreeable, and not a little heightened by the singing of the birds, and the cheerful influence of the scene. When one hand is fatigued, the mallet is dexterously transferred to the other, without occasioning the smallest sensible delay. In the course of about half an hour it is brought to a sufficient degree of thinness, being so much spread laterally as to be now nearly square when unfolded; for it must be observed, that they double it several times during the process, by which means it spreads more equally, and is prevented from breaking. The bark thus far prepared is called fctagi , and is mostly put aside till they have a sufficient quantity to enable them to go on at a future time with the second part of the operation, which is called cocanga , or printing with coca. When this is to be done, a number employ themselves jn gathering the berries of the toe, the pulp 278 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES of which serves for paste ; but the mucilaginous substance of the mahoa root is sometimes substituted for it: at the same time others are busy scraping off the soft bark of the coca tree and the tooi-tooi tree, either of which when wrung out, without water, yields a reddish brown juice, to be used as a die. The co- bechi, or stamp is formed of the dried leaves of the paoongo sewed together so as to be of a sufficient size, and afterwards embroidered, according to various devices, with the wiry fibre of the cocoa-nut husk*; they are generally about two feet long, and a foot and a half broad: they are tied on to the convex side of half cylinders of wood, usually about six or eight feet long, to admit two or three similar operations to go on at the same time. The stamp being thus fixed, with the embroidered side uppermost, a piece of the prepared barkt is laid on it, and smeared over with a folded piece of gnatoo dipped in one of the reddish brown liquids before mentioned, so that the whole surface of the prepared bark becomes stained, but particularly those parts raised by the design in the stamp: another piece of * Making these cobechis is another employment of the women, and mostly women of rank. t The edges of the beaten bark, which is generally hard, knotty, and ragged, are cut off straight. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 279 gnatoo is now laid on it, but not quite so broad, which adheres by virtue of the mucilaginous quality in the die, and this, in like manner, is smeared over ; then a third in the same way; and the substance is now three layers in thickness : others are then added to increase it in length and breadth, by pasting the edges of these over the first, but not so as there shall be in any place more than three folds, which is easily managed, as the margin of one layer falls short of the margin of the one under it. During the whole process each layer is stamped separately, so that the pattern may be said to exist in the very substance of the gnatoo ; and when one portion is thus printed to the size of the cobechi, the material being moved farther on, the next portion, either in length or breadth, becomes stamped, the pattern beginning- close to where the other ended. Thus they go on printing and enlarging it to about .six feet in breadth, and generally about forty or fifty yards in length. It is then carefully folded up and baked under ground, which causes the die to become somewhat darker, and more firmly fixed in the fibre; besides which, it deprives it of a peculiar smoky smell which belongs to the coca. When it has been thus exposed to heat for a few hours, it is spread out on a grass-plat, or on the sand of the sea- 280 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES shore, and the finishing operation of toogi hea commences, or staining it in certain places with the juice of the hea, which constitutes a bril- liant red varnish ; this is done in straight lines along those places where the edges of the printed portions join each other, and serves to conceal the little irregularities there; also in sundry other places, in the form of round spots about an inch and a quarter in diameter: after this the gnatoo is exposed one night to the dew, and the next day being dried in the sun, it is packed up in bales to be used when required. When gnatoo is not printed or stained, it is called tapa. , They make also an inferior kind of gnatoo of the bark of young bread-fruit trees, which, however, is coarse, and seldom worn, but is chiefly used for various purposes at funerals. The whole of these operations are performed by women: the embroidering of the cobechis, or stamps, is always done by women of rank. In respect to mat and basket-making, they have mats of various kinds, made of strips of leaves or bark selected, dried, and otherwise prepared; all of which, except one or two of a coarser kind, are fabricated by women. The following are the names and qualities of them. Gnaji gnafi, mats to wear, of a finer quality, made of the leaves of the fa or paoongo , that OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 281 have been transplanted, in order to give them a finer and softer texture. Gie, stronger mats made of the bark of the fozo or olonga, worn chiefly by people in canoes to keep out the wet, as the water does not damage them : they appear as if they were made of horse-hair. Labillardiere mentions that he saw a woman of rank with a sort of mat made of the white hair of a horse’s tail. He supposed that it must have been procured from some horses that Cook had left there. Falla , mats to sleep on, made of the leaves of the paoongo. These are double, and are of various sizes, from six feet by three, to seventy or eighty feet by six; to lie along the whole length of the house. La, mats for sails, made of the leaves of the fa ; they are very strong and light. Tacapoio,' mats for flooring houses, made of the young leaves of the cocoa-nut tree. Tattffw, a sort of matting, plaited in a very ornamental way, made of young cocoa-nut leaves: they are used to screen the sides of houses from the weather. Cato , baskets : these are of various constructions ; sometimes of a sort of matting made with the leaves of the fa, paoongo, lo acow, &c.; at other times of the fibrous root of the cocoa- nut tree interwoven with plait made of the husk 282 ARTS AND MANUFACTURES. of the nut, and have rather the appearance of wicker-work: the latter are sometimes variously stained and ornamented with beads or shells worked in. The larger and coarser baskets are generally made by men, to hold axes and other tools in: also the baskets used to hold victuals, made of the leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, are generally made by men. Bcctvlit, mats for thatching houses, are either made by men or women, but more frequently by the former. Most of these mats, baskets, &c. are made by women of some rank as an amusing as well as profitable occupation, exchanging them afterwards for other things : (See p. 95 of this volume). Making of combs, the teeth of which consist of the mid-rib of the cocoa-nut leaf, is also an employment of women of rank. Making thread is an occupation of females of the lower order: it is performed by twisting the separate parts of the thread, in the act of rolling them with the palm of the hand along the thigh, and by a return of the hand, twisting them together the contrary way. The material of the thread is the prepared bark of the olonga. Needles are generally made by carpenters out of human thighbones, which are procured from their enemies slain in battle : the only use they have for them is to make sails. GENERAL HABITS. 283 CHAPTER XXIII. General habits of chiefs, matabooles, mooas, women and children—Quotation from Cook’s Voyages, affording a very correct view of their public festivals and rejoicings in honour of illustrious visitors, and describing very accurately their boxing and wrestling matches, and sundry dances: the whole including, a point of time when Captain Cook and his companions were to have been assassinated by the natives—An account of their different dances and songs—Specimen of their songs in rhyme—Specimens of their music—An account of their various sports and games—The pastimes of a day, with an account of an extraordinary character—Conclusion. Under the head of religion, we have given a cursory view of the general habits of Tooitonga, Veachi, and the priests : we shall now set forth, in a similar manner, those of the rest of society, as they regard chiefs, matabooles, mooas, tooas, women and children- Respecting the general habits of chiefs, matabooles, and mooas; the higher chiefs seldom if ever associate freely together, unless at the morning cava parties, and those meetings are to be considered, in a great measure, as visits of custom and form. The matabooles and mooas 284 GENERAL HABITS freely associate with the chiefs to whom they belong; tthey are their necessary attendants at cava parties, &c. and form the bulk of their fighting nnen and followers: they not only associate freely with one another, but also with the followers of other high chiefs, and even w T ith those high chiefs themselves, without any reserve, excepting the requisite ceremonies of respect which occasion may require. Every high or governing chief has his cow nofo (those who settle or dwell with him), or, as they are sometimes called, cow-mea (adherents), who consist of inferior chiefs and mata- booles; each of these inferior chiefs has his cow-tangata, or body of fighting men, consisting chiefly of mooas : the matabooles have no cow- tangata. The retinue, or cow-nofo, of a great chief, therefore, consists of inferior chiefs (with their cow-tangatas ) and matabooles ; and the retinue or cow-tangata of an inferior chief consists of mooas, and perhaps, also, a few tooas, who have been found brave fellows. A great number of these cow-nofo, perhaps about eighty or ninety, actually dwell in and near the superior chief’s fencing (each fencing having many houses), whilst there are many others who sleep and pass a great portion of their time at their own plantations; for not only inferior chiefs, but also matabooles and mooas, have plantations OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 285 of their own : the matabooles, however, excepting, perhaps, two or three inspectors of the chief’s plantations, dwell always in or near his fencing, as their presence is so often required by him for the regulation of different matters : with respect to the inferior chiefs, they generally live at their plantations; but the greater part, or, at least, about half of the mooas, dwell in the neighbourhood of the great chief to whom they belong. We shall now explain how these different individuals come to attach themselves to a particular chief. We will suppose that the present king or any other great chief has a son six or seven years of age, his playmates are the sons of the inferior chiefs, matabooles, and mooas of his father’s establishment, who freely associate with him, accompany him upon excursions, and imitate, in many respects, the habits of their parents : he does not, however, designedly play the chief, and conduct himself with arrogance towards them; they know his superior rank without being reminded of it; and although they wrestle and box, and play all manner of games with him, they never fail before they eat to perform the ceremony of mbe-moe , to take off the taboo which his superior rank has imposed upon his inferior associates: in some of his country excursions, he perhaps meets with 2S6 GENERAL HABITS two or three of the sons of tooas, who by their strength and agility in wrestling, or bravery in boxing, or some other ostensible quality, recommend themselves to his notice, and therefore become also his companions. Thus they grow up in years together, and as the young chief approaches towards manhood, he does not exact, but he receives, with more or less affability, the respect and attention which his inferior associates readily pay him, and who now may be termed his cow-tangala, i. e. associates, supporters, and defenders of his cause. He has not yet, however, any matabooles in his train, for all these are in the immediate service of the old chief, and the son of a mataboole cannot be a mataboole till his father is dead, and then he would not perform the functions of a mataboole, unless he were grown to man’s estate, and even then he would not be in the service of the younger chief, but of the elder. By and by the old chief dies, and the young one succeeds to his authority, and all the matabooles of his father become his matabooles, and the inferior- chiefs and mooas also enter his service in addition to those he had before; and though several of them upon this change may choose to retire to their plantations, they are, nevertheless, in his service whenever he may call upon them. In this order of things it happens, generally, OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 287 that young superior chiefs have, for the most part, old matabooles, and, as they grow older, they begin to have younger matabooles, who succeed their deceased fathers. In respect to the tooas , they may be subdivided into three ranks, viz. those few who are warriors, and are part of the cow-tangata of chiefs; those who are professed cooks, in the service of chiefs; and those who till the ground. The latter live entirely in the country with their wives and families, and occupy themselves wholly in cultivating the land : their wives and daughtei’s make gnatoo, mats, &c., but never till the ground, nor do any hard work. The natives of Fiji, Hamoa, and the Sandwich islands, who were resident at Tonga, used to say that it was not a good practice of the people of the latter place to let their women lead such easy lives; the men, they said, had enough to do in matters of war, &c. and the women ought therefore to be made to work hard and till the ground: no, say the Tonga men, it is not gnalefaf'me (consistent with the feminine character) to let them do hard work; women ought only to do what is feminine : who loves a masculine woman ? besides, men are stronger, and therefore it is but proper that they should do the hard labour. It seems to be a peculiar trait in the character of the Tonga 288 GENERAL HABITS people, when compared with that of the other natives of the South Seas*, and with savage nations in general, that they do not consign the heaviest cares and burdens of life to the charge of the weaker sex ; but, from the most generous motives, take upon themselves all those laborious or disagreeable tasks which they think inconsistent with the weakness and delicacy of the softer sex. Thus the women of Tonga, knowing how little their own sex in other islands are respected by the men, and how much better they themselves are treated by their countrymen, and feeling at the same time, from this and other causes, a patriotic sentiment, joined to their natural reserve, seldom associate with foreigners. Thus when the Port au Prince arrived at the Sandwich islands, the' ship was crowded with women ready to barter their personal favours for any trinkets they could obtain; but how different at Lefooga! where only one woman came on board, and she was one of the lower order, who was in a manner obliged to come by order of a native, to * If there is any exception to this in the South Seas, it is with the natives of Otaheite, but there neither men nor women work hard : the natives of the latter place appear altogether a soft effeminate race, strongly addicted to voluptuous habits j whilst in Tonga the men are of a more noble and manly character, and the women considerably more reserved. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 289 whom she belonged as a prisoner of war, and who had been requested by one of the officers of the ship to send a female on board. Captain Cook, also, strongly notices the reserve and modesty of the females of these islands; and the observations of this accurate narrator will serve to corroborate what we have been stating. We have already noticed the humane character of the Tonga females, and in addition we beg to observe, that their behaviour as daughters, wives, and mothers, is very far from being unworthy of imitation: children, consequently, are taken the utmost care of; they are never neglected either in respect of personal cleanliness or diet: as they grow older, the boys are made to exercise thamselves in athletic sports; the girls are made occasionally to attend to the acquirement of suitable arts and manufactures, and of a number of little ornamental accomplishments which tend to render them agreeable companions, and proper objects of esteem: they are taught to plait various pretty and fanciful devices in flowers, &c. which they present to their fathers, brothers, and superior chiefs, denoting respect for those who fill higher circles than themselves. There is still one observation to be made with respect to females, and which is not of small importance, since it tends to prove VOL. u. u 290 GENERAL HABITS that the women are by no means slaves to the men; it is, that the female chiefs are allowed to imitate the authority of the men, by having their cow-fafi'ne, as the male chiefs have their cow-tangata : their cow-faftne consists of the wives and daughters of inferior chiefs and ma- tabooles, and it may be easily conceived that such an association tends to support their rank and independence. The subject we are now treating of naturally leads us to speak of the more domestic habits and manners of the people; but these may be considered in two points of view ; first, on the grand and extensive scale, such as they are presented to foreigners, by way of shewing themselves off to the best advantage; and secondly, in their more familiar, true, and unreserved state. With respect to the first, it would be difficult to give a more correct and descriptive account than has already been given in Cook’s Voyages, written principally by Mr # Anderson, and which we shall beg leave to quote, first, out of respect to its accuracy, and secondly, because it involves a most interesting point of time, that in which the natives had come to the resolution of assassinating Captain Cook and his companions, as mentioned in page 60 of this volume. Those places which require OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 291 explanation we shall elucidate by notes. The date of the following circumstances is the 18th of May, 1777. “ Next morning early, Feenow and Omai, “ who scarcely ever quitted the chief, and now “ slept on shore, came on board. The object “ of their visit was to require my presence “ upon the island. After some time, I accom- “ panied them ; and upon landing was con- “ ducted to the same place where I had been “ seated the day before, and where I saw a “ large concourse of people already assembled. “ I guessed that something more than ordinary “ was in agitation, but coidd not tell what, nor “ could Omai inform me. “ I had not been long seated before near a “ hundred of the natives appeared in sight, “ and advanced laden with yams, bread-fruit, “ plantains, cocoa-nuts, and sugar-canes. They “ deposited their burdens in two heaps or piles, “ upon our left, being the side they came from. “ Soon after arrived a number of others from “ the right, bearing the same kind of articles, * c which were collected into two piles on that “ side. To these were tied two pigs and six “ fowls, and to those upon the left six pigs and “ two turtles. Earoupa seated himself before “ the several articles upon the left, and another “ chief before those upon the right, they being, u 2 292 PUBLIC FESTIVALS “ as I judged, the two chiefs who had collected “ them by order of Feenow, who seemed to be “ as implicitly obeyed here as he had been at “ Anamooka : and in consequence of his com- “ manding superiority over the chiefs of Ha- “ paee, had laid this tax upon them for the “ present occasion. “ As soon as this munificent collection of “ provisions was laid down in order, and dis- “ posed to the best advantage, the bearers of it “joined the multitude, who formed a large “ circle round the whole. Presently after, a “ number of men entered this circle or area be- “ fore us, armed with clubs made of the green “ branches of the cocoa-nut tree. These pa- “ raded about for a few minutes and then re- “ tired j the one half to one side and the other “ half to the other side, seating themselves be- “ fore the spectators. Soon after, they suc- “ cessively entered the lists, and entertained us “ with single combats. One champion rising “ up and stepping forward from one side, chal- “ lenged those of the other side, by expressive “ gestures more than by words, to send one of “ their body to oppose him. If the challenge “ was accepted, which was generally the case, “ the two combatants put themselves in proper “ attitudes, and then began the engagement, “ which continued till one or other owned him* OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 293 some go to sleep, and others, perhaps, talk till day-light. The first appearance of day is the * Sometimes two or three, at other times thirty or forty, may be sleeping in the same house. 334 DOMESTIC HABITS, &c. time of rising : they then get up, wrap their gnatoos round them, and go out to bathe either in the sea or in a pond; or, if neither is at hand, they have water poured over them out of cocoa-nut shells: they are very particular in cleaning their mouths, and frequently rub their teeth either with cocoa-nut husk or charcoal: they dry themselves with a piece of gnatoo , wrap their dress loosely round them, return to their houses, and oil themselves all over, generally with cocoa-nut oil scented with the aroma of flowers ; great chiefs frequently use the same oil scented with sandal wood. When bathing, they either wear an apron of gnatoo, or of the leaves of the chi tree. When they have bathed and oiled themselves, they put on their dress with all possible neatness: that of the men consists but of one piece of gnatoo, measuring about eight feet by five or six; this is folded round the body in a very neat manner: there are two or three modes, but the one which is considered the most elegant, and therefore the most usual among chiefs, is represented in the frontispiece: that part which circles round the waist is readily loosened, and brought over the head and shoulders, in case it should be necessary to go out at night. There is a band which goes round the body just above the hips, made also of gnatoo , but which is, for the most part, OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 333 concealed by the folds that go round the waist. There is some little difference in the way in which females adjust their gnatoos, but the chief distinction of their dress is a small mat *, which they wear round the middle, and is about a foot in breadth. Pregnant women, and old women, wear their dress in front so as to cover the breasts. Children are not encumbered with dress when at home till they are about two years old : when they go out, they have a piece of gnatoo wrapped round them. Having bathed, oiled, and dressed themselves, the chiefs hold cava parties, at which women seldom attend, for as they are no great cava drinkers, they generally form a circle of their own, and eat a meal; they take cava, however, at the same time, in a small quantity; whilst the men, on the contrary, take a large quantity of cava, and most of them very little food, as they generally eat a hearty meal about the middle of the day. The morning cava party usually lasts from two to five hours, according to the pleasure of the chiefs. After cava, the old men generally retire to their houses to sleep, or to amuse themselves with farther conversation. The younger ones follow the example or washes of their superior chiefs, and make an excursion * It would be considered highly indecorous and contrary to the t&boo for females to appear without this mat. 336 DOMESTIC HABITS, &c. with them to some distant part of the island; and whilst an entertainment is preparing for them at the plantation of some friend or relation, they amuse themselves at some game, or, perhaps, in inspecting the building of a canoe, or a large house, or examining the state of the plantations; or in sailing about, if near the sea, or in fishing ; or in practising dancing and singing. In these excursions the unmarried women generally accompany them. The married women, and those who choose to stay at the mooa, in the mean time employ themselves in one or other of the occupations suitable to their sex, or, if their husbands make an excursion to another island, they usually take a trip with them. The very young girls are generally employed in the early part of the day in making wreaths of flowers, which they have been out to gather in the morning before sun rise, while the dew was yet on them; for, being plucked at that time, they remain longer fresh. Sometimes they amuse themselves with walking near Licoo * where there are many romantic spots; at Vavaoo for instance they often visit the cave of Tootawi and the beach of Mo- * Licoo is the name given to the back or unfrequented part of any island, which is generally bold and rocky, and not fitted for the entrance of canoes. Some parts of the Licoo at Vavaoo were particularly romantic. OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 337 fooe, places celebrated in the song p. 320. Concerning the person after whom the cave is named, it may be interesting to give the following account, which Mr. Mariner often heard from the natives. A considerable time before the revolution of Tonga, when Yoona was governor of Yavaoo, there lived at the latter place a mooa whose name was Tootawi- He was a man of a solitary and reflective disposition ; to indulge his humour, he would often take with him provisions and retire to the northern or unfrequented part of the island near Licoo, and there saunter about among the rocks and caverns of the shore for two or three days together. He was so much in the habit of wandering over craggy and dangerous places, that it was said he could climb rocks and ascend frightful steeps with a facility beyond the power of any other human being. On one occasion he was absent so long from the mooa that his friends were apprehensive some misfortune had befallen him; and they commenced a search, expecting to find his body lying at the foot of some precipice, down which in an evil hour he had fallen. No vestige of him, however, was to be seen; and after a long time spent in the fruitless endeavour to discover his remains, they imagined he must have been devoured by a shark whilst bathing, and with this reflection they returned VOL. II. z 338 DOMESTIC HABITS, &c. dejected to their homes. A few months now elapsed, when one day some carpenters, whilst employed in cutting timber in the neighbourhood of Licoo, were surprised, and not a little startled, by the sudden appearance of the long lost solitary: he no sooner saw them than he fled, and they, a little recovered from their first astonishment, pursued ; but it was in vain they followed him among the cliffs ; he escaped by a path known and accessible only to himself. Many months passed away, and no more was seen or heard of Tootawi: several persons endeavoured to discover his retreat; they called his name aloud among the rocks, but no answer was returned excepting the echo of their own voice. His singular conduct formed every where the common topic of discourse, and the most ardent wish of the curious was to find out the place of his resort. Some young females went out early one morning to gather flowers while the dew was yet on them ; they extended their walk along Licoo, and strayed into wild and unfrequented places. Whilst they were admiring the sublimity of the surrounding scenery, their attention was suddenly arrested by the appearance of smoke rising from among the neighbouring cliffs, and they resolved if possible to ascertain the cause of so unexpected a circumstance. Animated by the hope of discovering what had been long sought for, they OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 339 ascended with much difficulty a steep and craggy place, and looking down on the opposite side they beheld in a small cave the figure of Tootawi, near a fire, preparing yams. Fear held them mute; not daring to interrupt him, and apprehensive of exciting his attention, they drew back, and descended the way they came. They ran speedily to a plantation at some distance, and announced to all they met that they had found out the abode of the recluse. A few of his friends immediately set out to visit him, and by the directions of the young women they approached the cave, at the entrance of which was Tootawi sitting on the ground in a thoughtful posture. He did not observe them till they were too near to allow of flight. He appeared displeased at the intrusion, and earnestly begged them to leave him : there was nothing on earth that he wanted, and all their arguments were thrown away in persuading him to return to society. Finding their endeavours fruitless, they yielded to his wishes, and left him. From that time many people went on different occasions, led chiefly by curiosity, to visit his cave, but it was very seldom they found him there; whether he had any other place of retreat nobody ever knew. He lived principally upon yams and the juice of the cocoa-nut; and the chief furniture of his cave was a mat to sleep on. When Voona, the governor, heard 340 DOMESTIC HABITS, &c. that his retreat was discovered, and that many went to visit the place, he issued orders, on the occasion of a foiio or general assembly of the people, that no one should molest him, and accordingly every respect was paid to the injunction. Some time after this, the battle of Tonga having been fought, Finovv invaded and conquered Vavaoo, upon which Voona fled to Ha- moa. No sooner had the king established his authority in the island than he took a guide to conduct him to the cave of Tootawi, of whose extraordinary character he had heard, and whom he had a most lively desire to see. He found him, and was received as any indifferent person. Finow spoke kindly to him; inquired if there was any thing that could render his situation more comfortable, and offered whatever could be thought of to induce him to return to the habitations of men; but Tootawi seemed equally indifferent to all; he wished for nothing but solitude. Canoes, houses, and plantations were to him matters of no value whatsoever; conversation had no charms for him, and the luxuries of life were insipid things. When Finow requested him to select a wife from among his numerous female attendants, he replied that it was of all things that which was most remote from his wishes. At length the king gave him an unlimited choice among the whole extent of OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. •341 his possessions, and in the most earnest manner entreated him to accept of something. Being thus strongly pressed, the moderate Tootawi chose a wearing-mat of the kind called gie fow *, and this was the only article that the eloquence and kindness of Finow could persuade him to accept of. The king left him with sentiments of admiration, and shortly after confirmed the orders that had been formerly given to prevent any body molesting him. Thus lived Tootawi for some three or four years afterwards; but one day he was found lying on the ground, stretched out dead within his cave. But to return to our subject; about mid-day it is usual to have another meal, when the chiefs receive a number of presents, of different kinds of provisions, from their dependents or friends, which the matabooles share out. In the afternoon some again join in conversation, others go out shooting rats, &c. In the evening they have dancing and singing, which is often continued till very late at night, on which occasion they burn torches, each being held by a man, who, after a time, is relieved by another. These dances are generally kept up for about four hours after dark. When no dances are * A certain kind of wearing-mat used chiefly in canoes, as it is not liable to be injured by sea-water. See p. 2SO. 342 DOMESTIC HABITS, &c. proposed, they retire to rest at sun-set, after bathing and oiling themselves, and even on these occasions the houses are lighted up with torches, during two, three, or four hours after dark: these torches are held by female domestics. It cannot be strictly said that they have any fixed times for meals, though it generally happens to be in the morning, about noon, and again in the evening; but it depends greatly upon how the chiefs are occupied, or what presents have been made to them: it frequently occurs that several presents come at the same time from different quarters-; then they have a feast: but whatever they have, whether much or little, it is always shared out to all present, each having a portion according to his rank: strangers and females generally obtain somewhat more than is due to their rank. Those who get more than they want never fail to supply others who have not enough : selfishness is a very rare quality among them : if a man has a piece of yam, though it be not enough for a meal, he will readily give half away to any one who may want it; and if any body else comes afterwards in like need, with the greatest good nature he will give half the remainder; scarcely saving himself any, though he may be very hungry. If during the day a chief, mataboole, or mooa, but particularly a chief, finds himself fa- OF THE TONGA PEOPLE. 343 tigued with walking, or any other exercise, he lies down, and some of his attendants come and perform one of the three following operations upon him, viz. toogi-toogi, mill , or fota, i. e, be- ** ing gently beaten upon, or having the skin rubbed, or having it compressed: these several operations are generally performed about the feet and legs; the first by constant and gentle beating with the fist; the second by rubbing with the palm of the hand; and the last by compressing or grasping the integuments with the fingers and thumb. They all serve to relieve pain, general lassitude, and fatigue ; they are mostly performed by the wives or female domestics of the party; and it is certain that they give very great ease, producing a soothing effect upon the system, and lulling to sleep. Headach is found to be greatly relieved by compressing the skin of the forehead and the scalp in general. Sometimes, when a man is much fatigued, he will lie on the ground whilst three or four little children trample upon him all over ; and the relief given by this operation is very great. Such is the history of the politics, religion, and knowledge,—and the manners, customs, and habits of the people of the Tonga islands ; and all that remains now to be done is to furnish an account of their language: for this pur- 344 CONCLUSION. pose we have constructed a grammar and dictionary, or, at least, an extensive vocabulary, which contains, it is presumed, more than eight-tenths of the genuine Tonga words, accentuated as they are pronounced by chiefs and those who think it an honour to speak correctly. The greater part of those words which are omitted are such as may be termed technical, belonging to their arts, and which, therefore, are easily forgotten, as expressing objects and actions which Mr. Mariner is no longer accustomed to: at the same time it must be confessed that there are a few other objects which are more familiar, but of which, also, by an unfortunate lapse of memory, the Tonga is forgotten ; among these we may mention the rainbow, the word for which Mr. Mariner has in vain endeavoured to recover: but these are imperfections to which all human endeavours are liable. If it be asked, what is the use to us of a grammar and dictionary of the language of an uncivilized people, with whom cultivated nations have so little concern, the answer is, that as the structure of their speech forms part of the history of the human mind, it may be found in some degree interesting to the philologist, and still more so to the philosopher. GRAMMAR OF THE I TGfcSTG A LANGUAGE. A LANGUAGE which is only spoken by a nation ignorant of every principle of grammatical construction, and possessing not the least knowledge, nor the most remote idea, either in theory or practice, of the art of writing, cannot be supposed to be richly endowed with variety of words, choice of ex* pression, or clear and accurate definitions, except of those ideas which are in common use. The rules by which it is spoken, and which can have no other security or foundation but in the constant habit of those who speak it, are nevertheless sufficiently well established; and if we could but readily and for a time emancipate our minds from a sense of the nicer grammatical distinctions in our own languages* it is presumed that the Tonga dialect, and perhaps others of the same class, would be found very simple and easy to be attained; but as it is, the wide differences of our own habits of speech will give it the appearance of a language replete with idioms,, and abounding in circumlocutions. The orthography of this language, from Mr. Mariner’s pronunciation, I have settled according to the following rules: first, in respect to the vowels, A is always pronounced as in the English words, tar , car, papa; or in the French article la, except when two consonants follow, when its sound is much less open, approaching very near to the a, in man, can , began. E, like the English a, in ray, say, day , or the French accented € in accablt ordonnt ; except where a double consonant follows, or tch,. then it is sounded as in men, ten, den. I, like the English e, in see, ice, be, or i, as it is pronounced in most European languages: except before a double consonant, in which case it is pronounced as in ink , sing. O, as the long English o, in mole, roll, dole; but short before a double consonant. U, like the sound of the English word you, or ew in few, except before a double consonant, then it is short, as in buck , tuck , suck . Y, like the English i , in sigh , die, white ; or the German «, in mew, sewt; VOL. II. B % A GRAMMAR OP but somewhat more short and sudden, perhaps rather like the English y in ally , apply: the same sound, when long, is expressed by the following diphthong: AI, like the long English i, in dine , mine, whine. It is a true diphthong, generated from the coalition of a and i, as above defined: the first being heavy, the second light. AO: this is a sound distinctly of two syllables, the a and the o being pronounced as defined in their respective places. AOO: this is a word of two syllables, the a and the oo being pronounced a* defined in their places. AU: this is a word of one syllable, pronounced like ow (which see below), but somewhat longer, and yet in such a way as not to run into two syllables like aoo (which see above). Thus these four sounds, viz. aoo, au, and ow , are very nearly similar, except to a good ear; and yet it is necessary they should thus be distinguished; for three of them are words of very different meanings, aoo, a cloud; au, the personal pronoun I, and ow, the possessive pronoun, thy. The same may be said of fao, a peg; faoo, load ; and fois, a turban: also too, a spear; taoo, to cook victuals under ground; and tow, war. OW, as in law, saw , paw. OW, as in how, allow, now. When the w is preceded by a or o, it must be joined in sound with it, not with any vowel or aspirate that may follow; as, fawha is to be pronounced faw-ha, not jdw-wha; for in point of fact, the w is not m such instances a separate letter, it only serves to give a peculiar sound, as above defined, to the a or the o. Ow is to be pronounced short, else it will run into the sound of au, which see above. OY, as in the English words, toy, coy , &c. OO, like the Italian or Spanish u, or like oo in tool, cool, &c., unless one o them be marked thus, o, in which case they are protiounced distinctly when oo is accented, the accent is uniformly upon the latter, thus, ov: when three o’s come together, the two which are not marked thus, 9 , constitute the diphthong; or if the first of the three is accented thus, boo, the two latter are the diphthong. As to the consonants, the following only need be particularly mentioned. T» is sounded between the b and p, but it has more the sound of the 6. C, before a and o,is hard, and partakes in like manner of a little of the sound of the hard g. It never occurs before e and i. To express the sound of the soft c, the letter s is always used. D: the sound of this letter is scarcely known in the Tonga language: there is indeed a sound approaching to it, but it is only the careless conversational way of pronouncing the t. G: this letter is always hard, as in game, gill (of a fish), begin, &c. Where- ever the sound of the English softg occurs, j is always used to express it. J. This letter has not, however, exactly the sound of the English y; but between j and z, so that if they in our English word jest were thus pronounced, it would sound betweenyest and zest, and not very much unlike chest . CH, is always sounded as in the English words choose, change, chair, See. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. ER: the r is never pronounced strongly: when it follows t it is scarcely sounded, giving merely a power to the e similar to what it has in the French words, !e, me, te. NG, as in the words among, song, wrong: but this sound is not to be intimately joined with the following vowel: for instance, Tonga is not to be pronounced Tdng-ga, as the English reader is apt to do, but thus, Tong-a. GN: here the g is not sounded strongly, but somewhat more so than in the word gnomon. Upon the subject of accentuation, I must observe, as a general rule (to avoid the too frequent and unnecessary use of typographical accents) that in words of two syllables the emphasis is to be laid on the first; in words of three syllables, it is to be placed on the middle one ; and in words of four syllables, on the first and third. In all exceptions to this rule, and in some of those instances where vowels themselves form syllables, typographical accents will be placed accordingly. It is to be noticed that in words of three syllables, when the first only is accented, that the two others are light ones; and that the accent is always put upon the vowel of the emphatic syllable. The Tonga language may be divided, like most others, into eight or nine parts of speech, and if nicer distinctions could aid in rendering the subject more clear, two or three might be added : but we apprehend that the usual number will be found quite as many as will suffice for our purpose; and as these are not always properly defined, the noun, adjective, verb, and participle, being often one and the same word, distinguished only by the general sense of the phrase, and sometimes scarcely by that, we might be disposed to lessen rather than to increase the quantity. In respect to those parts of speech which might be superadded, they consist of a peculiar particle used before the article, noun, adjective, and pronoun, according to certain rules, signs of the plural number, signs of the tenses of verbs, and two or three others, whose uses cannot be explained in a few words: of these we shall treat under the different parts of speech to which they are generally attached, or to which they seem most referable. The following, then, are nine divisions of speech, which we shall adopt in the present investigation, and of which we shall discourse in this order: Article, Noun, Adjective, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb, Conjunction, Preposition, Interjection. THE ARTICLE. We find in this language a very frequent use of these three particles, viz, he, co, and coe: on a strict investigation, however, we find that only the first, he, can properly be called an Article, being chiefiyused before nouns, and is sometime* used to distinguish them from verbs, though it is occasionally used before what in our language would be called the participle of the present tense, by which it is converted into a sort of noun : whereas the particle co is used not only before nouns, but also proper names, to mark certain significations more distinctly ; besides which, it is frequently prefixed to B 2 A GRAMMAR OF pronouns. As to the particle coe, it is only a coalition of the two former, hr, and co, the aspirate being dropped. Upon these considerations, I think we may venture to state, that there is but one Article in the Tonga language, viz. he: but as the particles co and coe seem to have a strong relation to it, we shall treat of them under the same head. The article he has no distinction either of gender or number; it may be used, we believe, before all nouns, though there are some occasions where it must be dispensed with, instances of which we shall give by and by. Its use may be exemplified thus : he tangata , a man ; he fajine, a woman; he togi, an axe. When the conjunction mo (and) precedes it, the aspirate is generally dropt, thus, he togi , moe coola, m6e prepalangi, rate jiawta; axes, and beads, and cloth, and looking-glasses. The occasions where it should be entirely left out will be best explained when illustrating the use of the particle co ; and some farther observations will be made upon this subject when treating of nouns. The particle co is very frequently used before nouns, pronouns, and proper names: the instance where it appears most essentially to occur is in answer to the question who or what ? and will then generally bear to be translated by the verb, it is or it was, &c.: thus, who is there ? a man, co he tangata: what is that? an axe, co he togi: who was with you? a woman, co he fajine: it is a man, it is an axe, it was a woman, &c. Before proper names it is used in like manner, the article being left out, as in answer to these questions: who did you see there ? co Finnw: who else did you see there ? co Toobo Nuha: but if the names of a number of persons are mentioned, the particle co is only put before the first, as,, who came in afterwards ? co Havili , mo Mooala , mo Talo, mo JLatoo, &c. (mo being a repetition of the conjunction). In like manner it is used before the proper names of brutes, and of inanimate things, as dogs, hogs, canoes, clubs, axes,&c..; for axes formerly had proper names, on account of their extreme scarcity and consequent value; and clubs also, which have become valuable on account of having been used in killing great chiefs, or from having done much execution. Before the names of different varieties of the same species this particle is also used, but the article he is omitted : as, co tooa, co cowmele, co caho-caho, co gnoo, all which are different kinds of yam: but when speaking of the yam in general, they would put the article he after co: as co he oofi, the yam: that is, in answer to a question, as before. Sometimes (not particularly in answer to a question) the name of the species and variety are both mentioned, as the chief Ooloo Valoo, the man Boboto; and in such cases the particle co is always used (the article he being omitted) before the proper name of the person spoken of, and often before the word expressing chief, man, &c.; but in this latter case (i. e. without the article) it seems to shew that the party spoken of is supposed to be known to the person addressed : as, co egi co Ooloo Valoo, the chief Ooloo Valoo; co tangata co Boboto , the man Boboto: if, on the contrary, the chief Ooloo Valoo, or the man Boboto, is supposed to be unknown to the party addressed, then the article he as well as the particle co would be used before egi, or tangata: THE TONGA LANGUAGE. ns, co he.egi co Ooluo Valoo, i. e. a ,certain chief called Ooloo Valoo; co he tangata co Boboto, a certain man named Boboto*. We have intimated just now that the particle co is not always used before the words egi and tangata, and we shall now point out when it is not to be used. If the above phrase, the chief Ooloo Valoo, or the man Boboto, were to occur in the latter part of a sentence, the particle co would be left out before egi or tangata, but the article he would remain: as, nai how giate au he tangata co Paloo , there came to me the man Paloo: but if the arrangement of the sentence be altered, thus, the man Paloo came to me, then both the article and particle may be prefixed to tangata, as before : as, co he tangata co Paloo nai how giate au. These two examples, however, intimate that the man Paloo is unknown to the party addressed; but if the contrary were the case, the last form of the sentence only could be used, and the article he must be left out: as, co tangata co Paloo nai how giate au, the man Paloo came to me; but nai how giate au co tangata co Paloo would not be grammatically expressed for any sense. In consequence of the frequent use of co before he, the two, in the rapidity of speech, are coalesced into one, the aspirate being omitted ; thus, coe instead of co he, as coe tangata co Boboto. We have hitherto expressed them separately for the sake of clearness, but shall henceforth write coe, according to the strictest pronunciation ; for co he tangata would not sound very well in. the ears of a Tonga chief who took pains to pronounce his language correctly. THE NOUN. The noun has, properly speaking, neither gender nor number-; i.e. the gender is distinguished neither by any peculiarity in the word, nor by any sign ; and the number is only distinguished sometimes by a sign, or by some other word of singular or plural signification : but the use of this prefixed sign or word will depend upon whether the noun be significant of an animate or inanimate nature : if of an animate nature, it will depend upon whether it be a rational or irrational nature. The singular number of inanimate beings is usually expressed by the simple noun, with the article he before it: as, he togi, an axe; he falle, a house. When it is intended to lay a particular stress upon the circumstance of there being only one, the numeral is used with the word be (only), and the article is left out; as togi be taha, axe only one ; falle be taha, house only one. When a certain and fixed number of inanimate objects are meant to be expressed, the numeral is used according to the following form; togi e ooa , axes two; falle e toloo , houses three; vaca e fa, canoes four: wherein it is seen that the particle e comes between the noun and the numeral, and * I do not mean, however, to lay down this rule as a fixed and certain one. To Mr, Mariner’s perceptions of the language, it appears in general correct; but he thinks they sometimes violate it through inadvertence, and, I may add, sometimes perhaps for the sake of euphony. A GRAMMAR OF which in all probability is the article, with the aspirate omitted, and placed in this situation for the sake of euphony. When speaking of an indefinite number of inanimate things, the word lahi (many or several), is used before the noun, the article intervening, with its aspirate dropped, as, lahi e togi, many the axes; lahi e vaca, many the canoes. This sign of the plural, however, is not always used ; as, for instance, whose axes are these? coe togi ahai co-eni , i. e. the axes whose these? Here there is nothing of a plural signification, for coe'ni means this as well as these, and only the general sense or the visible objects can determine it: or it would be better perhaps to express the rule thus : the singular number is often used for the plural, when it is sufficiently evident that the plural must be meant though not expressed, as in the foregoing example. In respect to animate beings, the singular is formed in the same way as exemplified in regard to inanimate: as, he booaca, a hog; he gooli, a dog; he tangata, a man; and if a particular stress is laid upon there being only one, the same form as with inanimate natures is used, provided it be an irrational living being, as, booaca be taha, hog only one; gooli be taha, dog only one; and such might be the answer to the question, how many hogs, (dogs, &c.) are there? but if the word booaca , (gooli, be not repeated in the answer, then taha must come before be, as, taha be, one only. But if the living object spoken of be a rational being,* as, only one god, one man, one chief, &c. then the word toca (for which no particular meaning, in this case, can well be given, unless we translate it person or rational individual) must be used before taha, as, tangata be toca taha , man only person one; and if in answer to such a question, as, bow many men were there ? the word tangata be not repeated in the answer, it must be constructed thus: toca taha be, person one only; toca coming first, and be last. In respect to this word toca , another observation must be made, viz, that it is never used unless with a numeral, or some word expressive of number; as, lahi, many ; chi, few. The plural number of animate irrational beings is sometimes formed exactly in the same way as exemplified when speaking of inanimate beings ; as in the following instances: if a certain, definite number be expressed, thus, booaca e ooa, hogs two; gooli e toloo, dogs three: if an indefinite number be expressed, thus, lahi e booaca, many hogs; lahi e gooli, many dogs : but if, in similar instances, rational beings were to be spoken of, then toca must be used, and the article e left out, according to this form, tangata toca ooa, two men; /"fine toca toloo , three women: but if the number of rational beings be indefinite, the mode of expression will be the same as with the irrational beings, with this only difference, that toca will come before lah\, as toca lahi e tangata , many men ; toca lahi e hotooa, many gods. There are two other modes of expressing the plural number of nouns of animate natures, and these are by the words cou>* and toonga, which appear to be collective nouns, and to have the signification of company, body, * The particle cow is sometimes used to inanimate substances, as, cow mya, cordage; cow oqfi , yams : but these are particular phrases. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. society, or multitude : they may be used indifferently, either with rational Or irrational natures 5 always observing, that in the former, case, where a numeral is used, or the word lahi or chi (many or few), toca must also be used, but not otherwise : as, cow tangata, or toonga tangata , men, or a body of men, cow booaca, or toonga booaca, a quantity of hogs : and if besides such a collective noun a numeral be also added, then the word toca must be used before the numeral, as in this phrase; a body of men to the amount of a hundred, caw tangata toca teaoo; i. e. a body of men, a hundred; or toonga tangata toca teaoo. The Tonga nouns cannot be said to have the signs of cases, or any sort of declension; and although the particle gi has frequently a dative signification, it is much more frequently to be taken in the sense of a preposition. The genitive case, where the proper name of a person or place is used, is often expressed by the sign a, as, Finow’s speech, Mafa'nga a Finow: but otherwise, as in this example, the name of the person, there is no sign, as, he hingoa hejie'na , i, e. the name the person. There is one more remark to make in regard to nouns expressing animate natures, (whether intelligent or not); but as this regards rather the personal pronouns which are used for them, we shall only mention it here by the way, and speak more,fully upon the subject under the proper head. The remark to be made is, that when such pronouns are the subjects of a verb, or of a question, as (speaking of dogs for instance), give them to me ; or in the question, what did you do with THEM ? they admit either of a dual or plural number, accordingly as there are two or more: the dual number of the third personal pronoun (in the above sense) being gino'wooa , and the plural number, gino'wtoloo. But more of this hereafter. ADJECTIVES. The words of this class, for a general rule (not without exceptions), follow the substantives whose qualities they express: as, he tangata Lille , a good man; he togi machila, a sharp axe. They have no distinction of gender or number: as, cow tangata UlU , good men; cow fqfne lilU, good women ; laid he togi machila , several sharp axes. In the exceptions to the rule that the adjective follows the substantive, it never comes immediately before the substantive except in one or two instances, that we can discover, and that is with the adjective (and sometimes adverb ), foo, great, very; and foe, whole, entire, single; which always comes immediately before its substantives : as foo lahi *, very many, or it may be translated as an adverb, exceedingly great; foo ita f great anger, or as it may also be rendered, very angry. Foe ooloo , a single head, or the whole head; foe oofi , a single yam, or an entire yam. In other instances, where the adjective precedes the substantive, some word or words always intervene : of this we have an instance in one of the examples to the former * Lahi may also mean great or large: in these examples we have instances of the indeterminate nature of the elements of the Tonga language. A GRAMMAR OK rule, viz. lahi he togi machila; where the adjective vwchila immediately follows its noun, serving to illustrate that rule; and the adjective lahi comes before the noun, serving to illustrate the present rule, where it is seen that something intervenes, viz. the article he: but for another instance, we have this : viz. he has many axes, gooa lahi enne togi, i. e. are many his axes*; here the possessive pronoun enne (his) comes between the adjective and substantive. The adjective in this, as well as other languages, is often used for a substantive ; as, I regard those brave men, gindzvtdloo toa gooa te ofa angi f, i. e. (to) those brave (men) do I esteem give: here it is seen that the adjective toa , brave, is used as a substantive, signifying brave men, tangata being understood. On the other hand, substantives are often used as adjectives: thus, tangata , a man, often signifies manly: as, he jie'na tangata, a manly person, i. e. a person being suph as a man ought to be; he vaca Fiji, a Fiji canoe. Adjectives are for the most part the same as the substantives, from which they have derived their signification; as title, good, goodness; lilU, good (the adj.); covi, evil; covi, bad, &c. They are frequently, however, formed from the substantive by the addition of ia, or ea: as mafanna, warmth, heat; mafannaia, warm, hot; and where the substantive ends in e, they are mostly formed by the addition of the letter a: as gele, mud, clay ; gelea, muddy, clayey. They are also sometimes formed by repeating the substantive: as lolo, oil; lolo-loto , oily : but it will be difficult to avoid being deceived by this rule, for there are many instances where the double word is a substantive; many where it is a verb; many where the single word has no meaning at all, not being used; others where the single word has a meaning very different from the double word: sometimes the word is doubled to increase the degree of a quality, &c. as cooloo-croloo, a species of dove; alo, to hunt; alo-alo, to fan; booi, (no meaning); booi-booi, a screen; coola , beads ; coola-coola, red; hina , a bottle; hina-hina, white ; title, good; very good. The vocabulary must he often referred to, to decide this rule. . * In this example gooa is the sign of the present tense, and as it has a plural signification, we translate it by the word are. Here the word gindwtdloo implies that three or more persons are spoken of; had there been only two, it would have been in the dual number : thus, gindwopa, them two, those two, &c. The word angi may admit of two meanings; it may either be the verb to give, or the preposition towards : if the first, then ofa (esteem) must be a substantive, as above translated; but if ungi be the preposition, then ofa must be the verb, (to esteem, to feel esteem,) and the sentence may be thus translated: those brave (men) I feel esteem towards. See angi, under Verbs. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. DEGREES OF COMPARISON. "What is properly called the comparative degree, in this language, is formed by the addition of the word ange to the adjective ; and the superlative mostly by the addition of the word obito, exceedingly. As to the word ange , it is often used to signify against , leaning against; and also like, similar to: allowing a little latitude to the first meaning, it may easily be conceived to signify being opposed to, or compared with; and this is the sense in which it must be taken, in quality of a sign of the comparative degree : it is also often used as a sign of adverbs, according to its other meaning, viz. like, similar to, after the manner of. As to the word obito, it requires no farther explanation at present j for its simple signification, exceedingly, is clearly appropriated to express the superlative degree. Both these signs of degrees follow the adjective : as, lille, good'; lille ange , better; HIM obito, best, or exceedingly good. For an example of the comparative degree we will say, this thing is better tkm that. To render this into Tonga, the principal circumstance to be attended to is the arrangement of the words; the substantive verb, or rather the sign of the present tense, will come first, and the whole sentence will run thus: is better the thing this, than the thing that; gooa lille ange he mea coeni gi he mea coia; the word gi, which literally means to, towards, we may translate than, in conformity with our idiom of speech. This is greater than that, gooa lahi ange he mea coeni gi he mea coia; i. e. is greater the thing this to the thing that, or than the thing that. But when the subject with which the comparison is made is a proper name, the connective gi, which joins the subjects of comparison, is changed to gia: as, Toobo is taller than Afoo, gooa lahi ange Toobo gia Afoo; i. e. is taller (more tali, more great) Toobo than Afoo. Finow is a greater chief than Toobo: in rendering this into Tonga, the word egi, a chief, becomes an adjective, and the word ange will follow it accordingly: as, gooa egi ange Findw gia Toobo; i. e. is chiefer Finow than Toobo. The superlative degree is signified for the most part by the word obito, most, very, exceedingly : as, this axe is the best, coe togi coeni gooa lille obito: i. e. the axe this is good exceedingly. But the word obito may be left out, and be (only) used in its stead, according to this form, this axe only is good, which will have exactly the same meaning as the foregoing example, for it will not imply that the others are bad, but that they are not good (or inferior) compared to it: for example, coe togi be coeni gooa HIM, this axe is the best, or, literally, the axe only this is good. If in reference to the last example given, it were intended to be implied that the axes with which the good one was compared were absolutely bad, this additional circumstance would likewise be expressed : as, this axe is the only good one among them, coe togi be coeni gooa lille, ca gooa corn fodLibS ginowtdloo : i. e. the axe only this is good, for are bad all they: or what is a more usual form of expression, gooa covi fodlibJ he togi, coe togi be coeni gooa A GRAMMAR OF - lilli: i. e. are bad all the axes, the axe only this is good. It seems rather an inconsistency to say all the axes are bad, and in the same sentence to acknowledge one of them to be good; this, however, is the Tonga idiom. When it is required to express the superlative degree in a very extended sense, the word obito is repeated; and if it is so exceeding as to be-in a manner almost beyond comparison, it is repeated twice: as, coe togi coeni gooa lille obito obito , obito. But if the axes with which this exceeding good axe is compared are, on the other hand, exceedingly bad, this is to be expressed by the word covi, bad, with obito also attached, according to this form: coe togi fodlibS coeni gooa covi obito , ca coe togi coeni gooa IMS obito , obito; which, word for word, is thus : the axes all these are bad exceedingly, but the axe only this is good exceedingly, exceedingly. Lastly, the form of the superlative degree may be used even though there be only one more axe, or whatever subject it may be, to compare it with; but this is a matter of mere choice, for the form either of the comparative or superlative degree may be used in such a case indiscriminately. PRONOUNS. The Tonga language may be said to have four kinds of pronouns, \iz. personal, possessive, interrogative, and demonstrative. 1. There are two kinds of.personal pronouns: 1st, Those which come before verbs, or at least are agents : as, / go; we went; they love: 2dly, Those which either are the subjects of a verb, as, strike him ; love her ; or are used in answer to a question, as, who goes? 1; who sings? he; or are used more strongly to identify the agent, like the pronouns myself, thyself, Ac. in English, when they are used in addition to the true personal pronouns : as, I myself will go, Ac. The personal pronouns, as agents Those governed by verbs or preposi- to verbs. tions, or used in answer to questions, Ac. I. Te; Oo. Au; Gita. Thou. Ger. Acoy: Coy. He, she, it. Ia. Aia; Ia. We. Mow. Gimowooa; Gimowtoloo. — Tow. Gitowooa; Gitowtoloo. Ye. Mo. Gimoooa; Gimotoloo. They. Now. Gindwooa; Ginowtoloo. We shall speak of these several pronouns in their proper order, and first of those which are the agents to verbs. ’ 2. Te and oo. Te is only used as the agent of a verb in the present ^ tense, and comes between the sign of the tense and the verb; as, gooa te aloo» I go,- gooa te ofa , I love or esteem. Oo is used only in the past and future tenses, and is then usually joined in one word with the sign of the THE TONGA LANGUAGE. tense: as, neoo * aloo, I went; teoo ' aloo, I shall go; neoo ofa, I loved or esteemed ; teoo ofa , X shall love or esteem. 3. Get , thou: this pronoun is used in all the tenses, and comes between the sign of the tense and the verb: the principal thing to be observed respecting it is, that when the sign of the present tense, gooa, comes before it, gooa is changed into goo : as, goo ger mohe, thou sleepest; na ger mohe, thou didst sleep; te ger mohe, thou shall sleep. 4. la, he: this pronoun follows the verb in all the tenses : as gooa mohe ia, he sleeps; na mohe ia, he slept; e f* mohe ia, he shall sleep : though sometimes ia is changed for ne> and which is then joined to the sign of the future tense : thus, tenne mohe, he shall sleep; tenne aloo, he shall go ; and in the past tense ia is sometimes omitted, and the sign na changed into nai: as, nai mohe, he slept; instead of na mohe ia. 5. Mow, we: this pronoun comes between the sign of the tense and the verb: as, gooa mow aloo, we are going, &c.; but the use of it is limited to -those instances in which the person spoken to is not included : as, when one person tells another that himself and others owe him much respect, saying, we greatly esteem you, the pronoun mow must be used, because the person spoken to is not involved in the sense of the word we. (See the following.) 6. Tow, we : this comes also between the sign and the verb ; its use is, however, restricted to those instances where the person addressed is meant to be included ; as, when one person reminds another that both of them are to go somewhere, to do something, &c.: as, we (i. e. thou and I,) are going the wrong way ; or, we (i e. thou and I), are sitting here idle. In short, mow is always used in this sense, viz. I and he, or I and they ; and tow is always used in this, viz. I and thou, or I and you, or I, thou, and they, or I, you, and they. See. 7. Mo, ye ; now, they; there are no particular observations to make respecting these pronouns: for examples of their use; te mo aloo, ye shall go; nanow n$fo, they remained; where it is seen they are placed between the sign of the tense and the verb. In regard to the second column of pronouns ; they are used either in addition to the first, the better to identify the person by laying a greater stress; or to distinguish the dual from the plural number; or in answer to the question who? or as the subjects of a preposition. When a particular stress is intended to be laid, as I myself, thou thyself, &c* any of these pronouns may be used in addition to the corresponding ones in the first column, with the exceptions of au, aedy, and aia; as, teoo aloo gita, I will go myself; te ger aloo coy, thou shalt go thyself; tenne aloo * The proper sign of the past tense is na, but in the first person where oo is joined with it, it is changed into ne. The pronoun te is changed into ex) in the future tense, probably because te is also the sign of that tense; and a repetition of the word te would be ambiguous, as tete means almost, and tete aloo would mean almost gone. *}• Te, the sign of the future tense, makes e in the third person singular. A GRAMMAR OF in he shall go himself (for this last see rule 4 ); so much for the singular number : in respect to the following, attention must be paid to the circumstances of dual and plural numbers ; if dual, those ending in ooa are to be used; if three or more individuals are,included, those ending in tobo must be adopted. In the first person dual and plural,, attention must also be paid to the differences of signification between mow and tow (see rules 5 and 6) ; as, te mow aioo gimowooa, we will go our (two) selves, (i. e. without you); te mow ahogimdwtoloo, we will go our (three or more) selves, (i. e. without you) ; te tow aloo gitdwooa, we will go our two selves (i. e. you and I); te tow aloo gilowtdloo , we will go our (three or more) selves, (i. e. including the person spoken to, and others, so as to make at least the number three); te wo aloo gimdooa, ye shall go ye (two) selves ; te mo aloo gimvtoloo, ye shall go, ye (three or more) selves ; te now aloo gindwooa, they shall go, them (two) selves ; te now aloo ginowtoloo , they shall go, them (three or more) selves f. This rule, therefore, not only serves to strengthen the sense, but also to mark the dual and plural numbers where it is necessary to do so. In regard to these pronouns, as being used in answer to the question who ? it must be^observed, that some of them in the singular number must have the particle co before them, others must not: and those in the dual and plural numbers may either have it or not, according to the option of the speaker. Those which cannot have the particle co, are gita, acoy, and aia ; while those which must have it are au, coy , and ia: as, who did it? co au , I; co coy, thou; co ia, he : or gita, I; acoy, thou ; aia, he; without the co. Gita is seldom used but in very familiar conversation, and is rather to be considered a vulgarism. Any of those in the dual and plural numbers may be used either with or without co ; care being paid to the circumstance of txvo or more, and to the habits of mow and tow. Whenever the preposition giate (to, towards), occurs before a personal pronoun in the singular number, the pronoun must be rendered into Tonga by those which, in the above rule, had the particle co before them, though in this that particle will be omitted ; as giate au, towards me; giate coy, towards thee; giate ia, towards him. In the dual and plural numbers they are all used in like manner ; as, giate gimowooa ; giate ginowtdloo, &c. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. These, in the singular number, do not seem to have much reference to the personal pronouns, except aia, his, which appears to be derived from ia, * If it were the past tense, as, he went himself, it would be nai aloo ia, for it would sound awkward to say, na aloo ia ia: therefore one of the pronouns is dropped, and the sign na changed into nai: and it has already been mentioned that nai may be adopted instead of na ia. See rule 4. t It may here be remarked that ooa , in these compound words, is the numeral two, and toloo the numeral three; but the pronouns compounded of the latter are used for any number of persons above two. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. he. In the dual and plural numbers they are exactly the same as the personal pronouns of both classes; as, Singular. My. E'oocoo; acoo. Thy. Ho; ow. His. Enne; ana; aia. Dual. Our (not thy). Gimowooa. Our (my and thy). Gitowooo. Your. Gimoooa. Their. Ginowooa. Plural. Our (not thy or your). Gimowtoloo. Our (also thy or your). Gitowtoloo. Your. Gimotoloo. Their. Ginowtoloo. Indefinite plural, i. e. either dual or plural. Our (not thy or your). Mow. Our (also thy or your). Tow. Your. Mo. Their. Now. Of these possessive pronouns some are used always before their substantives, viz. ioocoo, enne, mow, tow , mo, and now : as, doocoo mdnoo , my bird ; ennefoha, his son, &c. Two of them are only used after their substantives, viz. ow, thy; and aia, his ; as gndtoo aia, his gnatoo; vdca now *, thy canoe. All the rest, viz. dcoo, ho, ana , and those beginning with gi may be used either before or after their substantives, with this difference, that the last mentioned, viz. those beginning with gi, if they are put after their substantives, the gi is changed into a: and if dcoo, ho, and dna, are used after therr substantives, a precedes them; thus, Acoo falle ; my house, or houses. Falle aacoo; my house, or houses. Ho booaca; thy hog. Booaca aho ; thy hog. Ana togi; his axe, or axes. Togi aana; his axe, or axes. * When the pronoun ow is attached to a noun, the letter a must precede it, and thus it is converted into aow . See the following rule. A GRAMMAR OF Gimowooa oofi; our yam, or yams. Oofi amowooa ; our yam, or yams. Gitdwooa vaca ;• our canoe, or canoes. Vaca atowooa ; our canoe, or canoes. Gimoooa acow; your club, or clubs. Acow amoooa; your club, or clubs. Ginowooa gooli; their dog. Gooli anowooa; their dog. Those among the above phrases which have living beings for their subjects may be converted into plurals by the use of the word toonga, (see nouns); this word coming immediately before the noun ; as, thy hogs, ho toonga booaca , or toonga booaca aho: their dogs, ginowooa toonga gooli, or toonga gooli anowooa. The particle cow cannot be used for the same purpose. Those which have inanimate subjects are either singular or plural, as they ^bove stand i they may, however, admit a specific plural by the addition of the numeral, but in no other way. The possessive pronoun is sometimes used instead of the personal, particularly where the verbs my and angi are expressed; as, give it to him, angi ia ma ana , i. e. give it for his own : give it to me; my ia ma acoo , i. e. give it for my own: I will give it to you, teoo atoo ia ma ovo, i. e. I will give it for your own. The pronouns possessive of the dual and plural numbers may also be used in the same way. One more observation must, however, be made respecting the singular number, that those placed first on their respective lines cannot be used according to this rule, viz. eoocoo, ho, and cnne; \ nless some noun follows, and then these may, and not the others; as give it for his dog, angi ia ma enne gooli; not ana gooli; and so of the other two. Interrogative pronouns are the following, and are never used but as interrogatories. Co-hai? ahai? Who? Coe-ha? Which? Coe-ha? he-ha? What? Ahai? Whose? When they form part of a sentence, he-ha and ahai are always put at the end; the others are always put in the beginning, as, Co-hai na fy? Who did it? Coe-ha te ger fill? Which will you choose? Coe-ha te ger fy? What will you do? Te gerty he-ha? You will do what? What? Coe gooli heni ahai? Whose dog is this? The English word what , when applied to mankind, is rendered by co-hai , THE TONGA LANGUAGE. or ahdi, as, co-hai tangata co hena, or, coe tangata co-hena akai ? what man is that? But when brutes, or inanimate subjects, are implied, it must be rendered by coe-ha, or he-ha ; as, coe togi co-ena ke-ha? what axe is that? DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS. These are co-heni and aheni, this; cohena and ahena, that. Very little if any distinction is made between the use of co-heni and of aheni ; or between co-hena and ahena ; it is rattier more customary, however, to adopt those with the particle co before them. VERBS. The Tonga verb is exceedingly simple in construction, perhaps more so than is consistent with perfect clearness of speech; it does very well, however, for the common purposes of discourse. At most there are three different kinds of verbs ; viz. verbs regular, verbs irregular, and verbs defective; there are but three of the latter class In the whole language, viz. my, atoo , and angi; these, from the way in which they are often used, may, perhaps, be considered verbs auxiliary; but more of this when we treat of them. In-regard to the verbs irregular, we have only discovered one, but probably there are a few others : this one will be given in its proper place. The sense of the verb substantive r I am, thou art, he is, &c., is mostly involved in the regular verb, with the sign of the tense and the pronoun, and is seldom used alone: those which are usually called verbs neuter, as, to sleep, to boast, to walk, &c. are constructed the same as the verb regular; those which in other languages are called verbs passive are not known in the Tonga language; instead of saying, he was struck by a stone, they would say, a stone struck him ; for the tree was shaken by the wind, the wind shook the tree. The verb has but three tenses, present, past, and future, denoted by the signs gooa, na, and te; and three moods, indicative, imperative, and potential : the indicative is denoted by the want of a modal sign ; the imperative, or precative, by the deficiency both of a modal and temporal sign ; and the subjunctive by the use of the modal sign ger. In respect to the order of construction in the indicative mood, first comes the sign of the tense, then the pronoun, and lastly the verb; except in the third person singular, of each tense, where the pronoun is placed last. In the dual and plural numbers, the pronouns ending in ooa and ioloo are also expressed, and follow the verb. THE INDICATIVE MOOD. The present tense is denoted by the sign gooa, which runs unchanged through all the persons, except the second person singular, where the a is dropped : the first personal pronoun is te. See Pronouns. A GRAMMAR OF Example. —Singular. Gooa te aloo. I go. * Goo ger aloo. Thou goest. Gooa aloo ia. He goes. Dual. Gooa mow aloo gimdwooa. We (two) go (not you). Gooa tow aloo gitowooa. We (two) go (I and you). Gooa mo aloo gimdooa. Ye (two) go. Gooa now aloo ginbwooa. They (two) go. Plural, Gooa mow aloo gimowtbloo. We (three or more) go (not you). Gooa tow aloo gitowtoloo. We (three or more) go (I, you, &c. Gooa mo aloo gimotoloo. Ye (three or more) go. Gooa now aloo ginowtoloo. They (three or more) go. The past tense is denoted by the sign na , which is prefixed to all the persons, except the first, where it is changed into ne, and is joined to the persona] pronoun oo: in this tense, also, it must be remarked, that the third personal pronoun may either follow the verb as in the present tense, or it may be left out, and the sign changed into nax. Neoo aloo. Na ger aloo. Na aloo ia (or nai aloo). Na mow aloo gimdwooa. Na tow aloo gitowooa. Na mo aloo gimdooa. Na now aloo gindwooa. Na mow aloo gimowtoloo. Na tow aloo gitowtoloo. Na mo alob gimotoloo. Na now aloo ginowtoloo. Singular. I went. Thou didst go. He went. Dual. We (two) went (not you). We (two) went (I and you). Ye (two) went. They (two) went. Plural. We (several) went (not you). We (several) went (I, you, &c.) Ye (several) went. They (several) went. FUTURE TENSE. Tills is denoted by the sign te, except in the third person singular, where it is changed to e: in this tense, as in the past, oo is used for the first per- THE TONGA LANGUAGE. sonal pronoun, instead of ie, because te being also the sign of the tense, the repetition would create confusion in the signification, UU meaning almost . In this tense it must also be noticed, that the third personal sign instead of being e, is sometimes changed to Urine, and the pronoun ia omitted: but this is for the most part optional. (See rule 4 of the pronouns.) Singular. Teoo aloo, I shall go. Te ger aloo. Thou shall go. E aloo ia, (or tenne aloo). He shall go. Dual. Te mow aloo gimdwooa. We (two) shall go, (not you.) Te tow aloo gitdwooa. We (two) shall go, (I and you.) Te mo aloo gimoooa. Ye (two) shall go. Te now aloo ginowooa. They (two) shall go. Plural. Te mow aloo gim6wt61oo. We (several) shall go, (not you). Te tow aloo gitowtoloo. We (several) shall go, (I, you, &c). Te mo aloo gimotoloo. Ye (several) shall go. Te now aloo ginowtdloo. They .(several) shall go. THE IMPERATIVE MOOD. The imperative or precative mood is chiefly denoted by the deficiency both of a modal and temporal sign : it has the second person singular, and the first and second persons dual and plural. In the second person singular, the pronoun coy or subject of the verb comes after it; but in the first and second persons dual and plural, the pronouns tow and mo come before the verb, and the pronouns that distinguish the numbers follow the verb. AIoo coy. Example. —Singular. Go thou. Dual. Tow aloo gitowooa. Let us go, (you and I) Mo aloo gimoooa. Go ye, (ye two). Plural. Tow aloo gitowtoloo. Let us go, (you, I, &c.) Mo aloo gimdtoloo. Go ye, (ye three or more). The first person dual and plural of this mood cannot be used unless the person or persons spoken to are requested to include themselves also 5 as in vol. ir. C A GRAMMAR OF the phrase tow aho, let us go, the person spoken to is requested or ordered' to go likewise; for in no other sense can the first person dual and plural be rationally used in this mood. With this exception, therefore, the imperative or precative mood consists, as it ought to do, of the second person only in each number; but even the first person dual and plural when the pronoun tow is used, cannot altogether be considered irrational. All other forms that may be conceived to belong to this mood must be expressed by the help of the subjunctive mood, discovering the object or purpose for which the com* maud is made ; according to these forms, as, make no noise that we may sleep, (i. e. let us sleep, using mow for the pronoun); let him go, (i. e. permit or grant that he may go),&c. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. There is but one form in this mood, and that is denoted by the sign ger, and is applicable to any tense, as, Singular. Ger te aloo. Ger ger aloo. Ger aloo ia. Dual. Ger mow aloo gimowooa. Ger tow aloo gitowooa, Ger mo aloo gimoooa. Ger now aloo ginowooa. Plural. Ger mow aloo gimowtoloo. Ger tow aloo gitowtoloo. Ger mo aloo gimotoloo. Ger now aloo ginowtoloo. It is not always necessary, however, in the Tonga verbs, to distinguish be" tween the dual and plural numbers; for the indefinite plural (i. e, without the pronouns ending in ooa and taloo ) is often used: this is done when the former part of the sentence sufficiently indicates whether it be dual or plural; or where an uncertain number (two orvnore) is spoken of; or where precise accuracy is not required. An example of the verb without these dual and plural pronouns will be useful to bring into one view the simplicity of its construction: we shall take the verb mohe, to sleep. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. INDICATIVE MOOD. Present tense, Singular. Gooa te mohe. Goo ger mohe. Gooa mohe ia. Plural. Gooa mow (or tow) mohe. Gooa mo mohe. Gooa now mohe. Past tense . Singular Neoo mohe. Na ger mohe. Na mohe ia. Future tense . Plural. Na mow (or tow) mohe. Na mo mohe. Na now mohe. Singular. Teoo mohe. Te ger mohe. E mohe ia. Plural. Te mow (or tow) mohe. Te mo mohe. Te now mohe. IMPERATIVE MOOD. Mohe coy. Tow mohe. Mo mohe. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. Ger te mohe. Ger ger mohe. Ger mohe ia. Ger mow (or tow) mohe. Ger mo mohe. Ger now mohe. The third person of the past tense may be changed from na tnoke ia, into nai mohe . The third person of the future may be changed from e moke ia» into tenne moke. If the dual number be required to be expressed, it must be done by the addition of the pronouns ending in ooa ; if the plural, by those ending in toloo. A GRAMMAR OF In respect to that form of the verb usually called the infinitive mood, it must be acknowledged, that the Tonga verb has very little claim to a distinction of this kind : but with a view to shew how the infinitive mood in our own language is to be expressed in this, we shall make a few observations respecting it. There are three points of view in which we may consider the infinitive mood of our own language, with regard to its translation into Tonga, viz. first, where object, scope, or purpose is signified: as, he came here toJight; I went there to sleep, &c.; i. e. for the purpose of fighting, of sleeping, &c.: secondly, where wish or desire is signified: as, I want to eat; I wish to die: thirdly, where the infinitive mood assumes still more evidently the nature of a noun, allowing (even in English) an adjective expressive of its quality : as, to sleep is refreshing; to die is awful. In the first case, that is to say, where object, scope, or purpose is signified, the particle ger must be put before the word expressing the object: as, na how ia gi-keni ger mche, he came here to sleep ; na aJoo ia gi-hena GER tow, he went there to fight: ger moke and ger tow may here be considered the subjunctive mood, that he might sleep, that he might Jight; for ger is actually the sign of that mood, though the pronoun ia is not repeated after make and tow, because it was already indicated after how and aloo. In the second case, viz. where wish or desire is expressed, the noun is used without the article : as, gooa te Jia MoHis, I wish to sleep ; gooa teJia MATE, I wish to die; and this is exactly the form in which it may be expressed in English: as, I wish death; I want sleep: where it is seen that the noun is used without the article, as if it were the proper name of a being. It often happens in the Tonga as well (probably) as in other uncivilized tongues, that ideas are expressed by the aid of nouns, which could not bear to be translated iuto cultivated languages, but as verbs, or at least as participles; though in the language to which they 7 belong they shall have all the character of nouns, even with the article before them : as, in this sentence, he met the man walking : the participle walking would have in the Tonga the article before it, like a noun : as, naij'eccatagi he eva he tangata, he met the walking (i. e. in the walk), the man. As therefore the noun in this language is proportionably so much more frequent than the verb, wherever it may be doubtful whether a word be a verb or a noun, for the sake of uniformity, we call it a noun. The third and last form of the infinitive is where it has decidedly the character of a noun, and is therefore in the Tonga expressed witli the article; (that is to say, where desire or wish is not expressed): as, to sail is pleasant, gooa lille hefeldw; i. e. is pleasant the sailing; gooa lille he mohe, i. e. is good.the sleep, or, to sleep is good. In regard to verbs irregular, we have only discovered one, to envy; but it is probable there are a few others. There are two peculiarities in this verb; the first is, that the first person singular and plural of ail the tenses is expressed by amoochia , and all the others by manoo-manoo: the second is, that in the first person singular of the present tense, neither the sign of the tense nor the personal pronoun can be used, but throughout the rest of the THE TONGA LANGUAGE. verb they may: thus gooa te amoochia, I envy, would be bad grammar ; amoochia alone must be used : the verb therefore will run thus 9 Present tense. Singular. Amoochia *. Goo ger manoo-manoo. Gooa manoo-manoo ia. Plural. Gooa mow amoochia. Gooa mo manoo-manoo. Gooa now manoo-manoo Past tense. Singular. Neoo amoochia. Na ger manoo-manoo. Na manoo-manoo ia. Plural. Na mow amoochia. Na mo manoo-manoo. Na now manoo-manoo. Future tense. Singular. Plural, Teoo amoochia. Te mow amoochia, Te ger manoo-manoo. Te mo manoo-manoo. E manoo-manoo ia. Te now manoo-manoo. The subjunctive mood will run thus; ger amoochia, ger ger manoo-manoo, ger manoo-manoo ia, ger mow amoochia, &c. There are three words in this language which may be used either as verbs or prepositions; these are my, atoo, and angi; as verbs, they mean to give; as prepositions, they signify to, or towards: they are to be used, accordingly, as the .first, second,or third person may follow; thus, my signifies to give any thing to me, or us; atoo, to give to thee, or you ; angi, to give to him, her, it, or them: for example, My ia giate au: give it to me. My ia giat egimowtoloo: give it to us. Teoo atoo ia giate coy: I will give it to thee. Teoo atoo ia giate gimowtolao: L will give it to you. Angi ia giate ia: give it to him, or her. Angi ia giate ginowtoloo: give it to them. They mean, therefore, not only to give, but they signify, also, the direction of the gift: as prepositions they signify not only towards, but also the direction in which the motion is made; i. e. whether it be towards the first, second, or third person. The present tense of the verb to give is never used by itself, the future * Or, as it is sometimes pronounced, 'hamoochia. A GRAMMAR OF being substituted for it: but when my, atoo, and angi are joined to other verbs, which is often the case where transferring or giving is signified, or motion towards is implied, they may be used in the present tense if the sense require it. Thus fa means to love ; but for I love you, it is not sufficient to say, gooa te ofa coy; the verb atoo must also be used; example, gooa te ofa atoo giate coy; literally, I love give to you.; gooa te (fa angi giate ia, I love give to her: in which two examples, if atoo and angi be considered verbs, then ofa assumes the character of a noun: but if they be considered prepositions, then ofa remains a verb, and the literal translation will run thus: I love towards to you ; X love towards to her; in which giate (to) will appear superfluous. But it is not of much consequence whether they are verbs or prepositions, provided we understand how to use them. The best rule to be given is, that when the pure simple act of giving or making a present is signified, they are used without any other verb, as teoo atoo ia giate coy, I will give it to thee; and, in this case, either the past or the future tense must be used as the sense will best indicate. In respect to their junction with other verbs, it is generally either with verbs neuter, expressing motion towards, as to fly, to swim, to walk, to go, &c., or with such other verbs, the Tonga words for which may be used either as nouns or verbs, and being nouns, may be conceived to be transferred, or, at least, to be directed from one object towards another; thus ofa means, to love; also love: jio means, to see, or look at; also, a look: ta means, to strike; also a stroke, or blow, &c. as, Teoo fa angi giate ia: I shall love give to her; or, I shall love towards to her. Neoojio atoo giate coy: He a look gave to thee ; or, he looked towards at thee. Na ta my ia giate an: He a blow gave to me; or, he struck towards at me. In these instances the words my, atoo, and angi, are perhaps best translated as verbs of giving, transferring, or directing towards ; but when they are joined with verbs of motion, they appear to assume more of the character of prepositions. Na boonaatoo he manoogiate coy: Flew towards the bird to thee; i. e. the bird flew towards thee. Neoo Idle angi gi he falle: I ran towards to the house. Na Idle my ia giate au: Ran towards he to me ; i. e. he ran towards me. In both cases, the words my, atoo , and angi, immediately follow the verb or noun to which they belong, and if the agent of the verb be in the third person, whether a pronoun, a proper name, or any thing else, it always comes after atoo, my, or angi; as in two of the examples last given, he manoo (the bird) follows atoo, and ia (he) follows my. They also form parts of compound words: as, tdlumy', talatoo, and talangi, which signify to tell, say, or disclose; hut the first, from tala and my, means to inform me or us; the second, from tala and atoo, to inform thee, or you; the third, from tala, and angi, to inform him, her, them. As the words my, atoo , and angi, involve the idea of the person, the personal pronoun is often not expressed; as, my means, give to me, instead of saying, my giate au. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. ADVERBS. Most of the adverbs are formed from adjectives by the addition of fueca i(mode, or manner), or ange (like or similar to): when the former is used, it •constitutes the first part of the adverb ; when the latter is adopted, it forms the latter part: for examples, Mamafa. Heavy. Lill6. Good. Malohi. Strong. Vy-ry. Weak. Toa. Brave. Matta-matta tow. Warlike. Ita. Anger. Bibico. Lazy, Mamafa*ange. Heayily. Lille-ange. Well. Malohi-ange. Strongly. Vy-vy'-ange. Weakly. F ucca-toa. Bravely. Fucca matta-matta tow. In a warlike manner, F ucca-ita. Angrily. Fucca-bibico. Lazily. In the formation of the greater part of adverbs that are thus derived these affixes may be used indifferently; or, to speak more explicitly, any of them may be formed by ange, used as a suffix, and the greater part by J'ucca, used as a prefix: but as fucca is often employed to form verbs and adjectives, as may be seen in the Vocabulary by the list of words beginning with it, the adoption of it is not so safe as that of ange: for instance, IMS means good; but fucca MM means peace, peaceful, to make a peace; we must therefore say, HIM ange , for well. As there are several adverbs, chiefly those of time and place, which are not formed according to the foregoing rules, it would be well to subjoin a list of them. Be. Only. Behe; tattow be. In like manner. Tete. Almost. Fefe, How. Fooa-be. Universally-; wholly. Fucca taha. Together. Gehe; gehe-gehe. Separately. Iky' obito. Not at all. Abe. Perhaps. Alalie. Well. Mooni-ange. Truly. Gbfe; i-fe. Where; whither. Heni. Here; this place. Gi-heni. Hither; to this place. Hena. There; that place. Gi-hena; gi-he. 4 Thither; to that place. Gi-loto. Within. Gi-tooa. Without. Gi-botoo; tow-botoo. On one side. Gi-hage; gi-aloonga. Upwards. Gi-hifo; gi-lalo. Downwards. Gi-mooa; mooa-ange, Forw ards; in front; in presence of. Gi-mooi; mooi-ange. Backwards; behind. Gi-matow. To the right hand. Gi-hema. To the left. Me-fe, Whence. Me-heni. Hence. Me-hena. Thence. Me-aloonga; me-hage. From above* Me-hifo; me-lalo. From below. Mamaoo. Afar off. A GRAMMAR OF Tow-botoo gi heni. On this side. Tow-botoo gi hena. On that side. Gehe. Differently; elsewhere; otherwise. He aho coeni; he ahoni. To-day. Aho-be; ahoange-be. Daily. Abongi-bongi. To-morrow. Anib6. Last night. Aniafi. Yesterday. Toki. Lately. Taloo. Since. Any'. Presently; by-and-by. Tegiclii. Not yet; before that. Ate. When (in a future sense). Anife. When (in a past sense).' Loa. Long since; long ago. Iky'. Never. jCovvca. Whilst (only used with the first person). \ LoJotpnga. Whilst (only used with the second and third persons). Toe. Again; over again. PREPOSITIONS. There are but few words that, strictly speaking, come under this head; and some of those that do are often not expressed. There are many others that partake so much of the nature of adverbs, that they are classed accordingly My; atoo ; angi. To, towards. The use of these has been already explained under the head of verbs. (See Verbs) My always precedes the first personal pronoun expressed or understood: atoo, the second personal pronoun: angi , the third, or any noun. Gi; gia; giate . To, at, among. These three words have the same signification ; but gi is used before nouns and proper names of places; gia before the proper names of persons, and giate before pronouns. Gi, and gia , also signify than , being used to connect the two terms of comparison: before the proper names of persons, gia must be used. Gi signifies likewise, against, opposite; and about, or concerning. Mo. With, along with, besides: it is also the conjunction and; it is, moreover, the pronoun you , your. Tai. Without; destitute of; not having. This particle is in very frequent use as a deprivative, joined to other words, like our particles in, un, il, less, &c.: it always precedes the word to which it is joined. Oft. I$y ; at hand; near to. Me. From ; as, from Vavaoo to Lefooga. A. Of, or belonging to; but it is only used before proper names of persons and places; as, malanga a Toobo, the speech of Toobo: he gnatoo a Vavaoo, the gnaioo of Vavaoo. Ma. For; it is very commonly used before the possessive pronoun, when adopted instead of the personal, as, instead of saying, my ia giate au, give it to me, wc may say, my ia ma acoo , give it for my. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. INTERJECTIONS. In respect to these, we need only give a list of those that are in common use. Oiao! exclamation of surprise. (This is a word of four syllables.) Seooke ! of surprise or astonishment; the oo is dwelt long upon. Seooke! Seookele! Oiaooe! Of pity, pain, or distress; dwelling very long upon the e. Oiaoo! the same as above; dwelling long upon the oo as well as the a. Aw-i! of pity, pain. Wbi! of wonder. Wi! of disgust; fye! Isa { of anger, vexation, and rage; dwelling long upon the i. Tangi mdoni! a sort of oath ; solemnly declaring the truth. Fiamo-aloo! begone; out of my sight. Ne-ne 1 no wonder. Io! yes indeed; well. O'ooa! forbear; softly. NUMERALS. 1 taha. 2 ooa. 3 toloo. 4 fa. 5 nima. 6 ono. 7 fitoo. 8 valoo. 9 hiva, 100 teaoo. 200 ooa gneaoo. 300 toloo gneaoo. 400 fa gneaoo. 10,000 mano. 11,000 mano mo afe. 12,000 mano mo ooa afe. 13,000 mano mo toloo afe. 10 ongofooloo, or ooloo. 20 ooa ongofooloo, or ooafooloo. SO toloo ongofooloo. 40 fa ongofooloo. 50 nima ongofooloo. 60 ono ongofooloo. 70 fito ongofooloo. 80 valoo ongofooloo. 90 hiva ongofooloo. 1000 afe. 2000 ooa afe. 3000 toloo afe. 4000 fa afe. 20,000 ooafooloo mano. 30,000 toloo ongofooloo mano. 40,000 fa ongofooloo mano. 100,000 giloo. In respect to further combinations of these numbers, they run thus: 11 ongofooloo ma taha. 21 12 ongofooloo ma ooa. 22 13 ongofooloo ma toloo. 31 14 ongofooloo ma fa. 41 ooafooloo ma taha. ooafooloo ma ooa. toloo ongofooloo ma taha. fa ongofooloo ma taha. A GRAMMAR OF 101 teaoo ma taha. 120 teaoo ma ooafooloo. 121 teaoo ma ooafooloo ma taha. 1001 afe ma taha. 1100 afe ma tefioo. 1800 afe ma valoo gneaoo. 95,741 Hiva memo, ma nima afe, majitoo gnSdoo, mafa ongeofooloo, ma taha: that is, nine ten-thousands, and five thousand, and seven hundred, and four tens, and one *. It must be observed, that there are two words for ten, viz. ongofooloo and ooloo, which may be used indifferently for that number simply; but in combinations the former only can be adopted. For twenty there are also two words, viz. ooa ongofooloo , and ooafooloo, either of which may be employed in combination with the digits. In regard to the number of a hundred, teaoo , it is never used in the plural, gneaoo being substituted for it: thus, 200 cannot be expressed by ooa teaoo , but ooa gneaoo. In counting out yams and fish, they reckon by pairs, in the particular method explained in the Vocabulary under the word tecow. What are called ordinal numbers they express by putting the article he immediately before the number: this indeed is one mode of forming the plural (see noons ) thus, aho e toloo , or aho he toloo, means the third day, whilst it also signifies three days: but the sense in most instances sufficiently- points out the distinction. In connecting cardinal words by the conjunction and, they generally use the word ma instead of mo, except before afe, a thousand, when mo is more commonly used. The conjunction ma is, however, never employed but for connecting numbers: on other occasions this word is either the preposition for, or the name of a certain preparation of food. It may appear strange that they have particular names for such high numbers as 10,000 and 100,000, mano, and giloo , for they certainly have no use for them. They often have occasion to count yams to the number of a thousand, or more, and sometimes to the amount of two or three thousand, but never higher. M. Labillardiere, however, has had the perseverance to interrogate the natives, and obtain particular names for numbers as high as 1,000,000,000,000,000!! Here, however, he has overshot the mark, and instead of names of numbers, has only furnished us with names of things very remote from his speculations at that time: for 1,000,000 he gives us nanoo, which has no meaning that we can discover; for 10,000,000 laoalai, which should be loodle (according to our spelling), which means the pras- putium; for 100,000,000 laounoua (low noa), which means nonsense: 1,000,000,000 liuguee, which we take for liagi, and is the name of a game played with the hands, with which probably he made signs; for * Their capability of expressing such high numbers in this decimal mode appears to be suspected by some readers; but we ought to reflect, that a people who are in the frequent habit of counting out yams, &c. to the amount of one, two, or three thousand, must become tolerably good numerators, by finding out some method of rendering the task of counting more easy. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. 10,000,000,000 tolo tafai (toie ho fae), for which see the Vocabulary: 1,000,000,000,000, ling/ia (linga) see the Vocabulary: for a higher number they give him nava (the glans penis); for a still higher number, kaimaau (ky maow), by which they tell him to eat up the things which they have just been'naming to him: but M. Labillardiere was not probably the first subject of this sort of Tonga wit, which is very common with them. In the other numbers he is tolerably correct, except in putting giloo for mano , and mano for giloo: his general accuracy in respect to the numbers does him great credit. SYNTAX. To enter minutely into this subject, according to the usual form of grammars, would perhaps tend rather to perplex the memory than to assist the judgment: for we are not treating of a language the rules of which have been before systematically investigated, and written down; we are at present only in the act of making an investigation, in which the reader is requested to accompany us *. General rules have already been given under each part of speech, we shall now therefore merely furnish a few other observations in regard to construction, and give a few of the more difficult idioms of speech ; and in order that the reader may be better enabled to construe the ensuing specimens of composition, and thereby arrive at the genius of the language, a strictly literal translation will be adjoined to each. 1. In the first place, it must be noticed, that the tenses of verbs are often confounded; the future is frequently used for the present, and the present for the past; thus, I do not know is rendered in Tonga by iky' teoo itoa , literally, I shall not know. The present tense is generally used for the past, when the action spoken of happened not long before. 2. The future tense is also often used to express should, would, likewise can, could: thus, iky' teoo aloo, I cannot go; capow tenne aloo, if he should go. 3. When the future tense is used to express can, could, would, should, &c, and the negative is connected with it; the latter always comes immediately before the sign of the tense te. It must also be observed, that in this application of the future, the second class of personal pronouns (or those which follow verbs, and may be Englished by myself, thyself, &c.) may either he used or not, in addition to those that come before the verb : note also, that in this form of the future the third person singular is always tenne, &c.: for example. Iky' teoo aloo (giia); I can, could, would, or should not go. Iky' tegger aloo (coy) ; thou canst, wouldst, or sliouldst not go. * Mr. Mariner of course only obtained a practical knowledge of the language, for the natives themselves have no other. I have depended upon him to furnish me with good composition, and upon this the whole of the present investigation is built. A GRAMMAR OF Iky' tenne aloo (ia) ; he can, could, would, or should not go. Iky' te mow aloo (gimdwooa, or gimowtoloa ) ,* we can, could, would, or ehould not go. Iky' tetow aloo (gitowooa, or gitowtoloo); we can, could, would, or should not go. Iky'tem6 aloo (gimoooa, or gimdtoloo) ; ye can, could, would, or should not go. Iky / tendw aloo ( ginuzoooa, or gind : tt$oloo); they can, could, would, or should not go. Where the use of the pronouns gita, coy , ia, gimowooa, &c. is quite optional : if this form of tense is used interrogatively, there is no distinction but in the tone of voice. 4. When verbs of the same tense are repeated in a sentence, or even in several consecutive sentences, the sign of the tense is often left out, except in the first. 5. The personal pronouns that come before verbs, (see pronouns), and are agents of verbs, are sometimes omitted* but then the corresponding personal agents that follow verbs are used instead : as, low gita , I think, instead of te low ; where it is seen that the sign of the tense is also omitted ; ca tooange gitowtoloo gi he hifoanga, whilst we stand near the descent, (upon the heights): here gitowtoloo follows the verb tooange , but tow does not come before it. 6. The agent to the verb in the third person singular, whether pronoun, proper name, or noun, always follows the verb, and even other words sometimes intervene : as, nafecow giate ginowtoloo leva Tangaloa , Tangaloa ordered to them accordingly. 7. The possessive pronoun, when a noun follows, usually has the article preceding it: as, he now vaca , the their canoes. 8. Coia , which signifies that is, that is it, the very same, is often separated, co being put at the beginning, and ia at the end of the sentence: as, co he leo mooni ia, that is the true watching or guarding ; literally,, if the zcatch true that. 9. The particle le may generally be Englished by one of these conjunctions, and , also, or: often it may be translated only: particularly when it comes at the end of any member of a sentence, or before the pronoun ia: it is frequently a mere expletive. For the explanation of co and coe , see the Article. Mo may either be the conjunction and, or the pronouns you, your; or the preposition with. The particle ne is occasionally annexed to •words for euphony’s sake : as, nofone for nofo, to dwell or remain, &c.; but the e of this particle is scarcely pronounced ; it serves, however, to lengthen the o, and the syllablejW is then pronounced like our vror&scone, prone: the same with tacotone for tacoto; behene for behe, &c. 10. Many of the minor parts of speech are often omitted ; such as, which , that, since, with, in, is, are, he, she, it, &c. As to particular idioms of speech, we shall take them more or less in the order in which they occur, in the ensuing pieces of composition. 11. Malo is a term of salutation, approbation, and good wishes: it may mean welcome, well done, well borne, well said, &c. When one person THE TONGA LANGUAGE. visits another, the latter says, malo your coming or arrival: the other answers, malo your staying here: so they may say, malo your harangue or speech; wralo your work. If a man has borne a surgical operation with fortitude, they will say to him, malo your patience or fortitude. 12. The figure of speech which grammarians call antiphrasis is very much used in the Tonga language, not ironically, but on the most common and the most serious occasions: if they wish to express how great any thing is, they call it little; or how many there are, how few: instead of saying, what a number of yams are here, they will say, here is only oneyam! For I love you much, 1 don’t love you at all: hence the word chiodofa , a term of affection and endearment, is derived from chiatooofa, signifying, literally, small towards you (my) love , but really meaning my love for you is very great. Several examples of this figure occur in Finow’s speech to the Vavaoo people on his accession to the government. The sense of the context, or the manner or voice of the speaker, always sufficiently indicates what is truly meant: this figure is also used in derision, and it must be acknowledged they have a vein for irony. 13. If a man is very brave, it is an usual form of phrase to say, he is the only brave man : if a woman is very beautiful, she is the only beautiful woman, and so with other things. 14. There are several familiar phrases which often occur in conversation, some of which it would be difficult to understand from a literal translation, such as, Coe low; they say; it is said that. Coe mooni: true; it is true. Co ho mooni; it is your truth; you are in the right. Gooa lille ; 'very well. Na ger ife ? where hast thou been? where wert thou ? Na ife ia ? where has he been? where was he ? Iky'chi; not so much as a little; not at all; also (by antiphrasis) a great deal. Covvca aloo au; whilst I go. Here is another instance of the pronoun au following the verb, instead of the pronoun te coming before it. Iky' obito; not at all; by no means. Coeha? what? it means also, what is the matter. Gooa te lille ai; am I good there; i. e. I am glad of it. He mea coia covi; the thing that bad ; i. e. I am sorry for it. Coeha na ia: I wonder at it. This seems an obscure idiom; its etymology is probably thus, coihd! what! na was, ia it? (so.) In Finow’s speech, which is given the last, there are several phrases difficult to translate ; for it is not only the finest piece of composition, but it has more idioms than those which precede it; for which reason it is placed after the others, and to render it more easy to be understood, we here explain those phrases which are the most difficult to comprehend. 15. He MOW-MOW N AI TOOBOO HE TOW TAI TOOGOO HE TACOTO ci mala'i; he mow-mow, the destruction; nai, the sign of the past tense na, and the pronoun ia (he); tooboo, caused by, or which has sprung from ; he two, the war; taitoogoo , unceasing; he tacoto, the chief lying prostrate A GRAMMAR OF (metaphorically, dead); gi malai, in the malai or place where his grave was ; i. e. the destruction (which) has been caused by the war unceasing (of) the prostrate chief (now) in the malai. 16. Co iolotonga eni ; lolotonga, period, duration; eni, this; i. e. now is the time. 17. Gooa fy-fy bea-iia ? Gooa, the sign of the present tense used for the past;/y-/y, to keep doing, to be incessantly doing; hea-ha , and what? or, and what is the result; i. e. we have been doing a great deal, (waging wars, &c.) and what good results from it ? 18. Taiia he foo egi mo tangata tow gooa taw! Taha, one; he foo egi, the great chief; mo tangata tow , and warrior; gooa taw , is fallen; meaning (by antiphrasis), most of the great chiefs and warriors are fallen! 19. Co he loto aha'i ? Co he loto, it is the disposition or wish; ahai, of whom ? whose wish or intention is it ? meaning, how could it be helped ; it has happened in spite of our disposition to the contrary. 20. Ilonga be tanga'ta : ilonga, a mark, sign, or character; be, only ; tangata , (of) a man, (the wisdom of a man); i. e. it is a manly or noble characteristic. 21. Hf. mea coia tai low-no'a : he mea, (it is) a thing; coia, truly; tax low-noa, not at all foolish j meaning, (by antiphrasis), it is a thing exceedingly foolish. 22. Toonga mea ; toonga , a sign of the plural number of animate beings; mea, things, affairs; toonga mea , is used idiomatically to express persons, people. 23. O'ooa na mo manatoo gi he tow; o'ooa, desist: na, in case that; mo manatoo, you (are) thinking ; gi he tow, about war ; i. e. in case that, or if your thoughts are bent upon war; desist, or give up those thoughts. 24. Ofa-be ; Oh that; would to God; let but: a contraction for ofa-be ho egi; which is an idiom of speech praying the gods to shew so much love or mercy as to permit that, &c. 25. Lahi le'va he tow gno'ooe, tatto'w-be mo ia he tow to a: lahi leva , great accordingly; he tow gnoooe, our agricultural works; tattow-be , in like manner; mo ia, with it; he tow toa, our bravery; meaning, as the cultivation of our land becomes improved, our bravery in like proportion will become greater, as we shall have something worth fighting for. 26. Coe leo moo'ni ia; coeleo, the guarding; mooni, true; ia, that: that is the true guarding (he tow fonnooa, of our land,) alluding to the above method, cultivating it. 27. O'ooa chi na mo behe he mo loto; oooa, desist; a little; na mo behe, in case you say; he mo loto, in your minds. In case you say in your minds (so and so), desist a little from so saying; meaning (by antiphrasis), desist wholly or entirely from saying, &c. 28. Mo manatoo, ca le'a atoo leva au, coe fucca-ongo atoo ia, he ..loto a Toe Oomoo, mo Afoo, &c.; mo manatoo, recollect ye ; ca lea, whilst speak; atoo leva au, to you accordingly I; coe fucca-ongo is the echoing; atoo, to you; ia, it; he loto, (of) the minds; a Toe Oomoo, mo Afoo, &c., of Toe Oomoo and Afoo, &c. Recollect, whilst I speak to you, my voice only echoes to your ears the sentiments of Toe Oomoo, and Ooloo THE TONGA LANGUAGE. Valoo, and Afoo, and Fotoo, and Alo, and all the chiefs and matabooles of Vavaoo. 29. Fili-fili he mo manaco • filirfili, choose; he mo manaco, your wish; i. e. take your choice. In Finow’s speech, it will be observed, that the particle ne is occasionally attached to the ends of words for the sake of euphony, but this has been noticed before, (9). The dialogue that immediately follows serves to show a few of the more colloquial phrases. It is the substance of an actual conversation at Vavaoo, between two young chiefs, one of whom has just arrived from Hapai. The other pieces of composition are what have already been given in the English, in the body of the work, and may be referred to, to assist the sense: the small numbers refer to the rules and idioms which have just been given. The words in the Tonga part that are put in Italics are either mere expletives, or else cannot be expressed in English without sounding so uncouthly ns to darken the sense. The English words in parentheses are such as are not expressed in Tonga-. Malo feldw my. Malo nofo mo ho egi. Na ger how anife me Hapfii ? Gooa bo ooa he mow how; na mow xnohe anibo gi Motoo. Coe vaca gnaholo ho vaca? Seooke! coia be taha gooa gnaholo he felow Hapai. Low gita coe vaca lahi a Toob6 Toa gooa gnaholo be taha. O'ooa! co mow vaca ia. 16! coliai fooa he mo cow-vaca. Coe mataboole co Mooala, bea mo Afoo, mo cow-tangata a Voogi. CohaL he cow-fafine gooa how ? Coe fafine co Atoo, bea mo Latoo Lyfotoo lea, mo—, Seooke! aena be oeoefooa he mo cow-fafine: nai how ia coiha ? low-gita gooa lata be ia gi Hapai. Co ho mooni! coe fonnooa be gooa (11) Welcome (your) voyage hither. Well done (your) remaining with your chiefs. Did you come when from Hapai ? Are days two (since) our coming * : we slept last night at Motoo, Is the canoe swift, your canoe ? Eh! it’s (the) only one is swift (13) (in) the fleet of Hapai. Think 1 the canoe large of Toobo Toa is swift (the) only one. Hold ! is our canoe that. Ah indeed! who all (7) your crew ? Tlie mataboole Mooala, also and Afoo, and the suite of Voogi. Who the females (that) are come ? The woman Atoo, also and Latoo Lyfotoo lea, and— Ah! she only (is) beautiful (among) (7) your women: has she come for what? I think is (1) contented only she with Hapai. True! (14) is the land only con- * Our coming , here means beginning to come or setting off from Hapai. a Grammar op talata ia,- ca iky' tegger iloa gooa maraana gi he tamachi co Papani. Ne-ne enne how! hamoochia he tama. Io ! cohai mo ia. Coe fafine co Paloo, bea mo fafine Tonga co Fekika. Coe fafine Tonga! na mo gi Tonga. Na mow gi-ai; co gimowtoloo na capachia he colo co Nookoo Nookoo. Nai toca lain he mo cow-tow ? cohai mo giraotoloo. Co gimowtoloo be, bea moe cow- tangata a Ata me Hihifo. Cohai fooa guoa cafo? Gooa toca Jahi he mow cafo ; coe toonga jiena fa fanna he color gooa mate he tangata co Falo, bea mo Boboto; be gooa cafo covi he tama co Powfoo6, bea Panafi. Seooke ! mow-mow he toonga tangata toa. Co ho moonil gooa mow nofo manatoo be giate ginowtoloo. Coe fafine me-fe, he fafine na ger low my. He fafine co Fekika ? Coiabe; Coe fafine me Mafanga; iky' tegger manatoo he fafine mattahooa gi he abi a Motoo Lalo ? nai taggi mama he bo na tow mohe gi-ai. Nai tamachi he fafine coia ! Nai ge tamachi, lolotonga ho nofo gi Tonga, be gooa foo loa ho nofo gi Vavaoo. Coe tama ahai he fafine coia? Coe tama he mataboole co Fotoo. Coe low, gooa toa obito ia. Coe mooni! nai toloo enne cafo lie tow tow gi Nookoo Nookoo. tents her, for not (1) shall you know (she) is enamoured with the young man Papani. No wonder her coming! (howl) envy the youth! well! who with her? The woman Paloo, also and the Tonga woman Fekika. The Tonga woman! have been you at Tonga? We have been there; (they were) ourselves (who) did besiege the fortress (of) Nookoo Nookoo. Was it a body large (7)- your army ? who (were) with you. (There were) we only, also and the adherents of Ata from Hihifo. Who all are wounded? Are persons many, our wounded : the men (were) clever (at the) bow, (of) the fortress : are killed, the man Falo, also and Boboto; and are wounded badly the youth Powfooo,. also Panafi. Alas! destroyed are (many)brave men. True! we remain regretting only towards them. The woman from where; the woman yon spoke to me (about). The woman Fekika ? The same. The woman from Mafanga: not shall (I) you remember the woman beautiful at the house of Motoo Lalo ? she held the light, the night we slept there. Was a child the woman that! She was yet a child, during your stay at Tonga, and is (now) very long your residence at Vavaoo. The child whose, the woman that? Is the child (of) the mataboole Fotoo. They say, is brave exceedingly he. It is true! he had three his wounds (in) our battle at Nookoo Nookoo. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. Te mo wo afe gi Hapai? Iky' teoo iloa: coe low, te mow tatali heni bo vaioo bea ongofooloo. F/ooa-ger geralooteoo atoo he mea ma eooco fae gi-ai. Gooa lille. Tow wo gi he cava gi lotoa ? Io, tow wo, Shall you go when to Hapai? Not shall I know (1): they say shall we remain here eight or ten days. When you are about to go, I will give (to you) some things for my mother there. Very well! Let us go to the cava within the fencing. Yes, let us go. The following is the story ofTangaloa and his two sons, related p. 115, of this volume. The sentences are here put into paragraphs, the better to assist the eye in distinguishing the English for each principal word. Tomooa caky' hefonnooa. Coe hotooa co Tangaloa, mo enne foha toca * ooa na now nofo gi Bolo- too. Now nofo-nofo bea low leva Tangaloa gi enne foha toca-ooa, Aloo gimoooa mo ho ohana, mo nonofo gi mama gi Tonga. “ Vahe ooa he fonnooa, be mo nonofo gehe-gehe now aloo leva. He hingoa he jiena lahi co Toobo; he hingoa he jiena chi, co Vaca Acow-ooli. Coe tama boto obito; co ia na tomooa gnahi he togi, moe coola, moe papalangi, moe jiawta. Coe tama, fy gehe obito, co Toobo ; fucca bico-bico. A T a nofo eva-eva beia, moe mohe, moe manaco obito he gnaooe enne towgete. Fioo he cawle enne mea, manatoo First peopling the land. The god Tangaloa, and his sons two, did they dwell at Bolotoo. They (had) dwelt (a long time^) when spoke accordingly Tangaloa to his sons two, Go both, with your wives, and dwell in the world at Tonga. “ Divide (into) two the land, and you dwell separately :** they went accordingly. „ The name (of) the person large; (i. e. the elder) (was) Toboo; the name (of) the person little; (i. e. the younger) (was) Vaca Acowooli. Was the young man (the latter) wise exceedingly; was he did first make axes, and the beads, and the papalangi (cloth), and the looking- glass. The young man did diiferently very, (viz.) Toobo ; (he was) lazy. Remained walking about only he ; and sleeping, and envying exceedingly the works (of) his elder brother. Tired (of) begging his things, (he) * Toca is the sign of the plural number of intelligent beings. See Nouns, vol, a. D A GRAMMAR OF ger tamatea, mo toi-toi ger feia enne covi. Feccatagi leva he eva enne tehina, teia leva ger mate. Lolotonga he how now tammy' me Bolotoo moe foo ita obito, Fehoox leva ia, Coelia na ger tamate ho tehina ? iky tegger gnaooe coy angeco ia ? wi l moe covi! fiamo- aloo! Talangi gi he cow-mea a Vaca Acow ooli: talangi ger now how gi- heni. Notv how leva, bea fecow giate ginbwtoloo leva Tangaloa: Mo wo toho vaca gi tahi; mo felow gi tocalow gi he fonnooa lalii gi-ai, mo nonofo ai: Be mo gili tea ange-be-co mo loto, coe loto lille: Te mo boto, gnahi togi, moe coloa foo]i-be, be mo vaca lahi. Cowca aloo au talangi gi he raa- taogi ger how me mo fonnooa gi Tonga. Iky' chi te now fel6w giate gimo- toloo moe now vaca covi. Lea-angi leva Tangaloa gi he towgete, tegger ooli-ooli coy, co mo loto covi; be ger sese. Iky' obito tegger mea lille, iky' tegger aloo gi he fonnooa ho tehina ; fefe tegger aloo ai, moe mo vaca covi ? Co ho tehina be tenne how gi Tonga fuccatdw rao gimotoioo. bethought himself to kill him, and concealed (himself) to effect his evil (purpose). Met (he) accordingly the walking, his brother, (and) struck-he (him) accordingly to death. At that time coming their father from Bolotoo with great anger exceeding, Asked then he, Why have you killed your brother? not could you work (3) like him ? fye! and wicked! begone! Tell to the family of Vaca Acow- ooli: tell (them) that they come hither. They came accordingly, when commanded to them thus Tangaloa : You go (and) launch canoes to sea; and sail to the east, to (the) land great there, and dwell there. And your skin (be it) white just- like your mind, it is a mind good. Shall you (be) wise, making axes, and riches all-whatsoever, and also canoes large. In the. mean time, go I (to) tell to the wind that (it) come from your land to Tonga. (But) not little, (i. e. not all) shall they sail to you with their canoes bad. Spoke thus Tangaloa to the elder brother, shall you (be) black, as your mind (is) bad; and you (shall be) destitute. Not much shall you (have) things good; not shall you go to the land (of) your brother ; how can you go there with your canoes bad ? Your brother only shall come to Tonga to trade with you. The following is the song of which the translation was given in the first volume, p. 293. it belongs to the Nuba mode of composition. (See chap. 23. of this vol.) Mow nofo-nofo talanoa gia Vavaoo We remained talking about Ya- THE TONGA LANGUAGE. Tooa Licoo bea belie my he toonga fafine. Tow aloo fononga gl Licoo ger mamata he hifo he laa: tow fonongo gi he maboo he manoo mo he tangi he loobe. Tow toli he cacala gi he hifoanga gi Matawto. Tow nofo-nofo bea tow toofa he tatali omy' me Licoo One. Tow cowcow gi tahi, bea tow lanoo gi he Vaoo Aca mo tow laky' he fango nanamoo: tow tool cacala, mo tow fi he chi he tow toli me Matawto. Ca tooange gitbwtoloo gi he hifo- anga gi Ana Manoo, tow jio hifo mo tai-manava * gi he mamaoo he tahi gi-lalo. Gooa towloto manatoo, he foo ma- tangi gooa mabooange my me he foo toa gi toogoo oota gi tafanga-fanga. Gooa te loto lahif he mamata he gnaloo gi-lalo, footeange noa-a\-be ger lyigi he macca fefeca. Ha mea coia covi he tow nofone (9) gi he nofo giate ginowtoloo gi Mooa. Gooa ifi-afi, tow aloo gi Mooa : fonongo ! gooa ongo my lie langi: gooa now aco he bo-oola gerfyabogihe Malai gi Tanea ? Tow aloo gi-ai. Iky'te tow manatoo gi he tow oo-. vaoo Tooa Licoo, when said to us the women, Let us go (a) walk to Licoo, that (we may) behold the going down (of) the sun : we (will) listen to the singing (of) the birds, and the lamentations (of) the wood-pigeon. We (will) gather Rowers near the precipice, at Matawto. We (will) remain, and we (will) share out the provisions brought us from Licoo One. We (will) bathe in the sea, and we (will) rinse in the Vaoo Aca, and we (will) anoint (with) oil sweet*- scented: we (will) string flowers, and we (will) plait the chi (which) we (have) plucked from Matawto. Whilst (are) standing we upon the precipice at Ana Manoo, we (will) look down without breath, in the distance (upon) the sea below. As our minds (are) reflecting, the great wind whistles towards us from the great (lofty) Toa-trees in the inr land upon the plains. Is (to) me (the) mind large, beholding the surf below, endeavouring in vain to tear away the rocks firm. The thing that bad (by periph. good, viz.) the our state (i. e. thus employed) to (i. e. compared with) the state among those at the Mooa (It) is evening, (let) us go to (the) Mooa: hark ! there sounds to me tlie band of siugers *. are they practising a bO’Oob to perform to-night at tlie Malai at Tanea? Let us go there. Not shall we think (by periph. we * Tai-manava; breathless, meaning with wonder and astonishment. + Loto laid, means here, a mind elevated with the sublime. X To render this into more intelligible English, we may express it tints: “ Our state when thus employed will be indeed happy in comparison with the state of those engaged in the common affairs of life.” D 2 A GRAMMAR OF looagi nofo, lolotonga gooa tegicln lyigi he tow, he tow fonnooa. Oiaooe I coe mea fucca-manavahe co he tow : vackyange gooa vaooa he fonnooa bea gooa mate covi he toonga tangata. Gooa nofo noa ar-be ho-egi: iky' te now fu tango toca-taha-be he ma- hina gi he now feaooagi. O'ooa-na tow manatoo natoo : co- he-loto gooa tow he tow fonnooa. Co he fonnooa co Fiji nai oray' he tow gi he tow fonnooa co Tonga, bea gooa tow tooboo leva ange-co gin6w- toloo. O'ooa na tow manatoo-natoo, tow mate abe abongi-bongi. Tow valahechi-coolabea tow naw- agi he tapa he gnatoo, tow y he fow he tow tooi jiale, bea tow cahooa he hooni ger fucca-h&ange tow gnano- gnano, Fonongo-ange he mavava he toonga ky fonnooa. Gooa hiii he oola; be gooa toofa he genanga he tow catooanga; tow aloo abongi-bongi gi mooa. Iky he holi-my he toonga tangata cawleange tow twinga cacala, bea be- heange he now laboo my. “ He-mea-coia tai oeoefooa he tow toonga fafine me Licoo, iky' he lille shali deeply think) to our former state (of affairs), whilst not yet (had) torn the war our land. Alas! (it) is a thing terrible, the war; behold is bushy (over-gr-own with weeds and bushes) the land, and are dead sadly many men. Are remaining unsettled there our chiefs: not shall they much wander singly (by) the moonlight to their mistresses. Desist us reflecting: how can it be helped is (at) war our land ! The land (of) Fiji has brought the war to our land (of) Tonga, and (as) it is, let us act [accordingly like them: (i. e. like the Fiji people). Desist us (being) melancholy (i. e. let us be merry), we (shall be) dead perhaps to-morrow. Let us dress (with) the chicoola, and let us bind our waists with tapa (of) the gnatoo: we (will) put on the head-dress (made of) our strung jiale- flowers; and (put on) our necklaces (of) the hooni-flower to shew off our sun-coloured skins*. Listen to the applauses (of) the multitude: (i. e. mart how they praise us). Now is ended the oola; and (they) are distributing the materials (of) our feast: let us go to-morrow to the mooa. Not (are) eager towards us (meaning, are very eager) the (young) men begging our wreaths (of) flowers,and thus their flattery towards us. They (are) not beautiful, our (young) women (coming) from Li- * On being exposed a little while to the sun, their skins, particularly of women and children, and others not much subjected to the heat, become suffused with a reddish tint, which, together with the soft natural brown, is greatly admired. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. lie new gill gnagnano: gooatat(6w he coo*, not good their skins sun-conow nanamoo mo he hifoanga gi Ma- loured ; is to be compared their fra- taloco mo Vybooa, gooa te holi .ger grance, with the precipice at Mata- aloo gi Licoo, tow aloo gitowtoloo locc, and Vy-booa: I am anxious to abongi-bongi.” go to Licoo: Let us go (we) ourselves to-morrow. The'following is the speech which Finow the Second made to the chiefs and warriors of Vavaoo on his coming into power; it may be considered the best piece of Tonga composition: the English of it has been already given. See Vol. I. p. 397. Mo fonongo my gimotoloo, Ho-Egi, mo Tangata tow! - Capow gooa ai taha giate gimotoloo gooa tai-lata he tow nofone (9) co lo- lotonga-eni (16) ger aloo gi Hapai; Ca iky' obito teoo toogoo he taha ger nofo gi Hafooloo How mo emie loto tai-lata mo fealooagi. Na mamafa ecoo loto he mamatahe foo mow-mow nai tooboo he tow tai- toogoo he tacoto gi Malai (15). Gooa fy-fy bea-ha? gooa tai-caky' gooa vaooa he fonnooa, be gooa iky' taha ger enne gnoooe ; cani tow nofo lilie, mi caky' y-be. Taha he foo Egi mo tangata-tow gooa taw! mo tow nofo fuccataha mo he tooa; co loto ahai? Gooa tow loto-vale! low-gita gooa ge chi he tow moooine (9) Ilonga be tangata bea nofo ia ger fucca-manaco, mo fucca-lata, enne nofone (9). He mea coia tai low-noa ger fucca- ndno he mea gooategichi loloa-ange! Cohai giate gitowtoloo tenne be-he Ye, listen to me, chiefs and warriors ! If be there one among you is discontented (with) our state (of affairs) now is the time to go to Hapai; For not at all will I permit one to remain at Hafooloo How with his mind discontented and wandering. Has been heavy my mind, beholding the great destruction has caused the war unceasing (of) the prostrate chief in the Malai. We have been doing much, and what is the consequence? (17) is unpeopled and overrun withWeeds the land, and (there) is not one to its culture ; if we (had) remained peaceful, it (would) have been populous still. One the great chief and warrior is fallen! (i. e. many, 18) and we remain associated with the tooas; how can it be helped? (19). Are we mad! I think is yet little (i. e. already too short) our lives. It is a manly characteristic (20) when remains he (i. e. a man) to be fond (of) and contented (with) his station (place). It is a thing truly not foolish (i. e. very foolish, 21) to shorten the things (which are not yet long (enough). Who among you shall say (in) his * (By periphrasis) our young women from Licoo are exceedingly beautiful, the complexion of their skins is very good, &c. A GRAMMAR OF enne ioto “ gooa te fia mate—gooa te fioo he moodi.’’ Vacky'-my! na iky' tow fy gitow- toloo ange-co lie loonga-mea (22) loto-noa? Na tow goomi he mea, gooa faoo fooa-be lie tow mea inborn. Tky' teoo behe-atoo giate gimoto- loo, oooa-na mo manatoo gi be tow (23). Ofa be (24) ger matta-tow my be fonnooa, bea how nilii ger vete he tow abi, tow fucca-ha-angi giate ginowtoloo, ca Ialii leva he tow gnoooe, tattow-be mo ia he tow toa: Tow fy be leva gitdwtdloo he gnoooe, coe Ieo mooni ia (26) he tow fonnooa. Gooa tow holi gi he fonnooa gehe co-ooma ? Gooa lahiange-fow he fonnooa coeni gpr fafanga gitowtoloo; iky- cbi te tow fa gena enne tow. Neoo iky' abe lea-atoo fucca-loto- boto; coe cow-motooa gooa nofo-my, gooa te hoo-ange giate ginowtoloo ger tala-my, capow te hala: Gooa te ge tamachi, gooa te ilaw Iky' teoo boto he boole capow nai fucca-taha acoo loto, mo he loto he tacotone ger fy-teliha toca-taha be, iky ger ongo gi he now lea: Fucca-fetai mo gimotoloo he ofa, bea-mo he nofo-mow giate ia. Co Finow Fiji mo he cow-mata- boole gooa nofo-my, now ilaw-be ginowtoloo eoocoo fa fucca-fehooi gi he lille he tow nofone (9). O'ooa chi ua (27) mo behe he mo mind “ I desire death—I am weary (of) life.” Behold! have not we acted like people foolish-minded ? We have been seeking things (which) deprive (us) altogether (of) our true things (i. e. things really ■useful^. Nor will I say to you, give up your thoughts of fighting; Let but the front of war (approach) towards our land, and come any (force) to plunder our homes, we (will) make-shew-forth to them (that) whilst great accordingly our agricultural works, in like manner with it our bravery (2o). Let us do accordingly, ourselves, the agriculture (for) that is truly guarding our land. . We are anxious towards a land different, wherefore ? (i. e. why should we be anxious for an increase of territory ?) Is sufficiently great the land this for supplying food (to) us: not little (not at all) shall we be able to devour its produce. I have not, perhaps, spoken to you wisely; the elders (i. e, the matabooles) are sitting near me; I entreat to them that (they) tell me if I (am) wrong. I am yet a youth, I know, not should I be wise (in) governing if were alike, my mind and the mind (of) the prostrate (dead) chief, to act optionally, of one’s own accord, not to listen to their discourse: (My) thanks for your love, and also fidelity towards him. Finow Fiji and the matabooles are present, they know my frequent inquiries concerning (the) ^good (of) our government. Do not say in your minds, “ truly THE TONGA LANGUAGE. Joto ,— <( io, co tow fonongo gi he low- (do) we listen to the silly talk (of) a noa he tamachi coeha ?” boy wherefore ?” Mo manatoo ca lea atoo leva au, Recollect ye, whilst speak to you co he fucca-ongo atoo ia he loto a therefore I, it is the. echoing of the Toi Oomoo, mo Ooloovaloo mo Afoo, mindofToi Oomoo, and Ooloovaloo mo Fotoo, mo Alo, bea mo fooli-be and Afoo, and Fotoo and Alo, also he cow-Ho-egi mo he raataboole he and all the chiefs and the matabool.es Vavaoone (28). (of) Vavaoo. Mo fonongo my! cow fucca-ma- Listen ye to me! I remind ye, natoo-atoo giate gimdtoloo ; capow (that) if there any-one is (of) another gooa ai nihi gooa fonnooa gehe, be land, and there any-one is discon- gooa ai nihi gooa tal-lata ger nofo tented (with) remaining in this way, fucca-behene (9) co lolotonga-be this is the only opportunity I will coeni teoo atoo giate gimotbloo ger give to you to depart; for, let-pass aloo, ca, hiii leva coeni, iky' chi te accordingly this (occasion), not little tow feldw&gi mo Hapai; (i. e. not at all) shall we communicate with Hapai ; Fili-fili leva he mo nofoanga co Choose then your dwelling-places; Fiji e, co Ilamoa e, co Tonga e, co is Fiji there, is Hamoa there, is Hapai e, co Fotoona mo Lotooma e. Tonga there, is Hapai there, is Fotoona and Lotooma there. Ilonga-bemea gooaloto-fucca-taha In particular those having minds get' nianaco ho nofo he lille tai-toogoo, unanimous, that they love remaining —ginowtoloo-be te now nofo gi (in) the peace unceasing, they only, Hafooloo How. shall they remain at Hafooloo How. Iky-chi teoo behe ger lolomi he Not at all will I suppress the toa lie taha loto-tow. bravery (of) one warlike mind, Vacky'-ange! lie fonnooa co Tonga Behold! the land of Tonga and of bea mo Fiji gooa nofo tow he, mo Fiji are remaining (at) war: choose fill-fill he mo nianaco ger aloo gi he ye your wish to go to the one, to taha, ger fy ai he mo toa. perform there your bravery. Mo too! taggi-taha-be aloogienne Arise! each one go to his home abi, bea mo manatoo gi he aloo he also and reflect upon the departure vaca he bongi-bongi gi Hapai. (of) the canoes to-morrow to Hapai. These, it is presumed, will be found sufficient to give the reader a just idea of the nature and genius of the Tonga language; and will sufficiently enable him to compare it with others, to which it may be supposed to have some affinity ; as the Malay, for instance, or hereafter, perhaps, with those of the Fiji, the Sandwich, and the Society islands *, of each of which places we ought, in a few years, to have some better account than we have hitherto had; for there are English and American people who have been resident at those several clusters of islands for a number of years ; and, of course, ought to be perfectly acquainted with the customs, and tolerably well versed in their language. There is no doubt but that the farther inquiry is carried into the history of the South Seas, the more clearly it will appear that a very strong relationship exists between the natives of the different islands, notwithstanding the distance of their geographical situations. Affinities be- fi GRAMMAR OF tween their several languages have been already shewn by Cook and other navigators, but under a very disadvantageous circumstance, the want of a free communication of ideas; in consequence of which, many wrong words have been given; thus, lille is the Tonga word for good , but Cook gives my fogge (my foki), which means, give it me if you please: for a bead he gives, attakoa, which should be cahooa: be gives koooma (co-ooma) for the burnt circular marks in the skin; but this word means why ? for what ? whilst the proper word for those marks is lafa. For to sneeze, he gives efango (fafango), signifying, to blow the nose ; the word for sneezing being mafatooa: for the head, ooloo pokko (oolooboco), which means the skull: for the number 100,000,be gives laoonoa (low-noa), which literally means nonsense, or foolish discourse ! From at least fifty to a hundred other instances' of this, out of the same vocabulary, might be quoted ; and the same with Labillardiere’s Vocabulary, of which indeed we have already noticed a few remarkable instances. With respect to the Malayan language, Mr. Mariner has, with great diligence and attention, looked over the whole of the English part of Marsden’s Malayan Dictionary, and has selected the following list of above sixty words, which bear a considerable resemblance to the corresponding Tonga words. It is here very worthy of remark, that those Tonga words which contain the sound of the letter/ have in its place the letter p or 6 in the Malayan: and the above author notices in his preface to the same excellent work, that the Malays not having the sound/ in their own language, generally substitute p for it in those adopted Arabic words where it occurs*. TONGA. MALAYAN. ENGLISH, ica ikan fish mma lima five * The transition from the/to the p is perhaps more natural than may at first sight appear. Some nations confound the/ with the v; others the v with the b, and others again the b with the p. The Germans make little or no distinction between the sounds of/and v; the Spaniards have an intermediate sound of v and b , and the Tonga people of b and p. The word for land or country is sounded by the Tonga peopl efonnooa; the word for the same idea among some of the Fiji people is vonnooo, whilst others of the same nation pronounce the first letter like the Spanish sound between v and b , and others again distinctly call it bmnooa, from which the transition to ponnooa would evidently be very easy. In searching for analogies between the languages of the South Pacific Ocean, as they regard each other, and as they may have a relation to those of the Asiatic nations, it seems necessary to pay particular attention not only to the mutations of sound above noticed, but also to those between the l and r, the h and s, the hard g, k, and t, and probably some others: without such attention the eye and ear may be easily deceived, and overlook some very strong coincidences. My authority for the Fiji pronunciation above given, is Jeremiah Higgins, who was at those islands thirteen weeks. THE TONGA LANGUAGE. TONGA. MALAYAN. ENGLISH. lango lartgau a fly, (the insect) lae dahi forehead fooa buah fruit matangi angin wind matta kikila mata bilas goggle-eyed fooloo hula hair of the body j down fooloo fooloo ber hula hairy ooloo ulu the head toonga tangga ladder ate ati liver gootoo kutu louse hoohoo susu milk; also the breast mala mara misfortune paloo palu to mix namoo niamok' mosquito matta he hoohoo mata susu the nipple of the breast motooa tuah old tae tai ordure fili pllih to choose oofi ubi yams tooboo tumbuh to spring or grow up, as plants fooloo-fooloo ber bulu shaggy, hairy ma malu shame-faced lelle lari to run motooa tuah aged, ancient efoo abu ashes toola sulah bald aloo \ ka-luar begone! matta mata the blade of a knife, or edge of any thing gnignila niala to blaze matta gnila mata nila blear-eyed ila chela a mole in the skin acow-fanna panah a bow low-papa papan a board ooa dua two mamma mamah to chew fill pilih to choose, to select fonnooa beaua land or country tangi tangis to weep, to shed tears mate mati dead toolli tuli deaf gele gali to dig matta mata the eye mooi muda young afi api fire A GRAMMAR OF THE TONGA LANGUAGE. TONGA. MALAYAN. ENGLISH. angi towfa tellnga langit tufan tel inga the sky a gale of -wind the ear: the handle of a ia mafanna acow ongofooloo odafooloo tow sa-puluh dua-puluh taun lya panas Jkayu vessel he, she, it hot, (glowing) timber, wood ten twenty year, season The following are nearly alike in sound, but have some little shade of difference in their meaning. TONGA. MALAYAN. Toonoo; to roast. Low papa; a board. Fooloo he matta; the eye-brow. Acoo; the poss. pron. mine. Mamata; to inspect, to view. Tacabe ; poor, friendless. Boto; wise. Cata; to laugh. Boto-boto; round. Tunu ; to burn. Loh papan; a copy-book or table. Bulu mala: eve-lashcs. Aku; I. Mata-mata; an inspector. Ter-cbabe; ragged. Budi; wisdom. Kata; to speak. Bontar • around. With regard to the following Vocabulary of the Tonga language, thereader is requested to observe, that there is at the end of the second part a list, of those words which have been discovered to be omitted in the body of it; and that the greater part of those English words which he does not find, and whose synonimes neither are to be found, may be presumed to be such as there is no Tonga for, and which necessarily constitute a very numerous class. A VOCABULARY, TONGA AND ENGLISH. *#* For the Rules of pronunciation see the Grammar . ACO AHI A. A fence. A. Of or belonging to, (used only before proper names of persons and places,) as Finow’s speech, coe mnlanga a Finoio. A'a. To awake. A'anga. Pincers or forceps of any kind. ■ —. . A spider. Abe. Perhaps, likely. AbL Habitation; home. Abo. To-night. Abongi-bongi. To-morrow. Aca. A root. ——. To kick ; a kick. Achi. Through; bored through; to pierce through. Aco. To inculcate; to teach; also to learn. Acoo. My own: in composition it can only follow my , to give me, as my ia ma acoo, give it me, or literally, give it for my own. Acdw. Wood; any sort of club. Foo ccow, a tree or plant. Acow-awla. A particular kind of spear. Acow-fanna. A bow. Ac6w-fanna-tangata. A war-bow. Ac6w-fanna-gooma; a sporting bow. Acow-vaoo. A particular kind of spear. Acoy. You : this word is used only when it is the subject of the verb, or in answer to the question who ? A-ena. The relative pronoun, that: it is more usual, however, to say, co-ena. A-eni. The relative pronoun, this: it is more usual, however, to say co-eni- Afa. A hurricane, a storm; boisterous weather. A'fe. A thousand. Afe. When (used only in a future sense.) Afe-nima; see Aji-nima. Afi. Fire. Afi. To open by separation of parts, as the mouth, the hand, &c. Afi-nima. The palm of the hand, Afi-vae. The sole of the foot. Ahai? Who. Ahi, Sandal wood. Ahi-ahi. To try, essay, endeavour, strive ; an essay or endeavour. Aho. Hay-light; a day; the daytime ; by day: he aho coeni ; to-day. A'hoangebe. Daily. Aho-be. Daily. Ahoo. Smoke of burning bodies; soot. Aliooia. Sooted; smeared with soot; browned with smoke. Ai. There, in that place, (gi-ai is the more proper word.) AN G ATA Ala. The pronoun, he , used only after the verb, or in answer to the question who ? also the possessive pronoun, his . Ala. Applicable, fit, suitable. Ala. A term of appeal to draw attention, mostly used by children; a term of solicitation. Alanga. A haunch; a limb. Ali. Bald. A term applied only to the parts of generation. AIo. The suet of a hog; also the circular piece cut out round the navel of the hog, to embowel it: this piece is prepared in a particular way and eaten. Alo. To hunt; to paddle in a canoe. Alo-alo. To fan. Alofia. A volcano. Aloo. To go, to depart: get along! begone! The gait or walk of a person. Alooa. To persist in motion; to go on. Alooanga. The footsteps of man, or any animal; the track left by any thing moving. Alooangi. To proceed, (as to locomotion,) progression. Aloo-hage. To ascend. Aloo-hifo. To descend, to alight. Aloonga. High, lofty. ' A pillow; any thing to rest the head on. Amo. To carry on a stick between two men’s shoulders, one following the other: the stick so used is also called amo: if a man singly carries any thing upon a stick across his shoulders, it is called, amofucca tefooa Amoochi. To snatch, to pluck forcibly. Amoochia. See Hamoochia. Ana. A cavern; the cabin of a ship. ■ His own : it can only be used in composition with angi , to give to him, as angi ia m Permanent. Tolonga. Permit. Toogoo- Perpend (to consider, to ruminate on something past, to search the memory). Fiii he loto. Perpendicular. Too tonoo; focca- too. Perpetual. 'Tai toogoo. Person. Jiena. PIT PLU Perspire (to sweat). Cacava; (sweat) cacava. Perverse (obstinate). Pagnata. Pestilence. Mahagibihia; i. e. any contagious disease. Petition (to entreat). Cawle; (to beg with great earnestness) hoo; (an entreaty) cawle; hoo. Petty (little, trifling). Momoi. Petulant (saucy, impertinent). Ta- lahooi. Phantom (ghost, apparition). Ho- tooa. Phlegm (expectoration from the lungs). Foola. Phrase (a saying). Cananga. Phrenetic (mad, delirious). Vale. Pick (to choose). Fili fill. Picture. Tohi. Piece (speaking of food). Conga; (portion of any thing else) botoo ; (also for food, tehi, which see). Pierce (to bore through). Fucca ava; (to stab) hoca. Piercer (a gimblet, brad-awl, &c.) Vili. Pig. Booaca. Pigeon. Loobe. Pike. Tocco-tocco. Pile (heap, hillock). Toonga; (to pile, to heap up) foccatoo. Pilfer. Kyha. Pillage. Vete. Pillar (post). Bo. Pillow (to lay the head on). Kali; aloonga. Pimple. Fooa fooa. Pin. Hooi. Pincers (forceps of any kind, tongs, &c.) A'anga. Pinch (to squeeze, to nip). Low (to be sparing or frugal) fucca motooa tangata. Pine-apple. Fygna-pu. Pipe (the nose-flute). Fango-fango. Pipkin. Goolo. Pismire. Lo; (the large black ant) loata. Piss. Mimi. Pit. Loo-o. Pitch (tar, gum, See. or any thing of that nature). Booloo : the name of the gum of the bread-fruit tree, with which they close the seams of canoes, Pitch (to throw, also a particular game so called). Tolo. VOL. II. Pitfall. Lovosa. Pitiful (paltry). Matta-matta tooa; (exciting pity) fucca tangi. Pity (commiseration). Ofa: this word also means a fellow-feeling, hence, love, esteem, friendship, mercy, &c.; (to pity) ger ofa. Place (situation, post, . station), Anga; (to put) ai; y; toogoo. (In the first place) mooa-mooa- ange. Placid. Lolongo. Plain (flat). Lafa Iafa; lalafa: (clear, evident) maoo ; totonoo. Plainly (with truth). Mooniange. Plainly (smoothly). Molle-molle- ange. Plaintive sound. Tangi. Plait (to twist, to twine together). Fi; (to pucker) vaky'. Plane (to smoothen). Fucca molle- molle. Planet (either star or planet). Fetoo. Plank (a board of any sort). Low papa. Plant (any shrub or small vegetable ; a tree). Foo acow. Plant (to set in the ground). Taw. Plantain. Mamae. Plantation (farm, landed property). Fonnooa; abi. Play (to sport). Fucca va; (on a drum) ta naffa; (on a flute) ifi he fango-fango. Playful. Hooa. Pleasant. Lille. Please (to delight the mind). Fucca fia fia; (to please sensually) fucca maleca; (if you please) foki. Pleasure (mental pleasure). Fia-fia; (bodily pleasure) maleca. Plebeian (one of the lowest class). Tooa. Pledget (of banana leaf for wounds). Oomochi. Plenty (much, abundance). Lahi. Pliant (soft, flexible). Moloo. Pluck (to snatch forcibly). Ha- moochi; (to gather, as fruit, flowers, &c.) toli. Plug (to cork or stop up with any thing). Oomochi. Plumage (feathers). Fooloo-fooloo. Plump (fat, in good condition), Chino. Plunder (to rob, spoil, &c.) Vete; (to steal, thieve) kyha. FEE FOT Flunge (to sink suddenly in any fluid). Hoogoo. Pluvial (wet, moist, rainy). Vicoo. Poetry. T&anga. Point (fine end to any thing). Matta: (to point, or make a sharp point) fucca matta ; (to point the finger) toohoo. Pointed (sharp). Machila. Pointless (blunt). Becoo. Poison. Fucca cawna. Poke (to grope about in the dark). Fa-fa he boooli. Pole (staff). Tocco-tocco; (long pole to shove canoes in shallow water) pale vaca. Polish (brightness). Gnignila; (to brighten) fucca gnignila; (to smooth) fucca molle-molle. Pompous (lofty, chief-like). Matta- matta egi. Pond (lake or piece of water). Vy; ano. Ponder (to consider). Manatoo. Ponderous. Mamafa. Pool (a lake of standing water). Ano. Poor. Tacabe. Populace. Ky fonnooa. Populous. Oaky 7 . Pork. Booaca. Portentous. Mana. Portion (part of any thing). Botoo ; (a piece) conga; (share or allowance) inachi. Portliness (chieflike appearance). Matta matta egi. Position. Nofoanga; from nofo, to stay or dwell; and anga, a place : i. e. a staying or dwelling- place. Positive (certain, confident). Tai halla ; mow; (obstinate) pagnat& Possess. Mow. Possible (that which may be). Fa-fy. Post. Bo ; (a post to fasten a canoe to) toco; (station) nofoanga; tO'>nga. Posteriors. Lemoo; oochi. Posterity. Fanow. Postpone. Lolorni. Pot (to drink out of). Iboo ; (to cook victuals in) goolo. Potatoe (the sweet potatoe). Goo- mala. Pot-bellied (large bellied, in consequence of liaving eaten something tabooed )• Foola. Potent (strong). Malolii. Potently. Malohiange. Poverty. Tac&be. Pound (to stamp; to bruise). Toogu Pour (as a fluid). Lingi. Pout (to look cross or angry). Fucca ita ; inatta-matta ita. Powdery (covered with dust, &c.) Efoo-efoo; efooia. , Power (strength). Malohi. Powerful (strong). Malohi; (large) lahi. Powerless (weak). Vy'-vy': i. e. like water. Practice (custom, habit, &c.) Anga ; fucca. Practise (to exercise oneself in any art). Aco. Pragmatical (rather meddling with other people’s business, talking, about other people’s affairs). Nanivi. Praise. Mavava. Prate (to talk foolishly about what one does not understand). Lownoa.. Prattle. Lea fucca tamachx. Pray (to petition the gods). Lotoo ; (to beg, to entreat) hoo ; (pray do) foki. Precaution. Vacky': matta boto. Precede. Mooa-mooaange. Precedent (former). Mooa; mooa mooa. Precedence. Mooa; mooa mooa. Precious (valuable). Mow gnata r i. e. difficult to be obtained. Precipice. Hifoanga. Precise, (nice, exacty. Totonoo. Prefer. Fill; manaco. Pregnant (with child). Fetama, Premature (too early; unripe). Mooi; (premature birth) fanow mooi. Prepare. Teoo; (preparation) teoo. Prepuce. Lo-oole; lolo oole. Present (with me). Nofo my; from nofo, to dwell or exist, and my, near me; (with you) nofo atoo; atoo, with you, or near you; (with him) nofoange ; ange, with him. Present (a gift). Mea fooagi; fooagi-; (to present or give) my, atoo, angi. See these words in the other Vocabulary. Presently (by and by). Any'. Preserve (to protect). Feaoo; (to- keep)toogoo. PRO PUF Press (to squeeze). Lolomi; lolofi ; (to urge a request) cawle. Pretend (tofeign). Lohi. Pretty. Lille; 6'iotfooa , pretty as a woman, a pretty woman. Toleca - leca, a handsome man, a fine man : this last word is frequently applied by way of metaphor, to plants, trees, birds, &c. (a pretty smiling face) matta hooa. Prevalent (strong). Malohi; (frequent, common) fa. Prevent (to hinder, to obstruct). Taafi ; lolomi. Previously (beforehand). Mooa mooa ange. Prick (to puncture). Hoohoo. Prickle (thorn, splinter, &c.) Talla ; (prickly, thorny, full of thorns) tallaia. Pride (in dress or appearance). Toma; (in conductor speech) low cow. Priest. Fahe-gehe. Prime; morning. Hengi-hengi. Primitive (prior in point of place or time). Mooa ; oolooagi; tomooa. Principally. Lahiange., Prisoner. Boboola. Prithee. Foki. Private. Foofoo. Prize (booty; plunder). Vete. Proceed (to walk, or go on). Aloo- ange ; (to continue a discourse, or performance) fyange. Proclamation. F ono. Procreate, Fucca fan6w. Procumbent (lying down fiat). Tacoto. Procurable. Fa mow. Procure (to obtain, to catch hold of). Mow. Prodigality (wasteful extravagance). Mowmow. Prodigious. Foo lahi. Productive (as aland, or country). Moooi; (as a plant, or tree) fa fooa; (as any animal species) fa fanow. Profanation. Mowmow mea fucca egi. Profession (calling). Toofoonga. Progeny (offspring, children). Fanow. Prohibit. Fucca t&boo; (prohibition) taboo. Prolific (fruitful, as the ground). Fa fooa ; ( 11 i as animals) fa fanbw. Prolix (tedious in discourse). Too- goo loa. Prolong. Fucca loloa. Prominent (from small knots, or lumps). Teboo: (swelling, protuberant ; applied chiefly to diseased swellings) foofoola. Promiscuous (confused, mingled, without design). Fellenoa. Promise. No other word than tala, to tell or say. Promontory. Mooi tolo tolo. Prompt (quick, sudden, apt). Vave. Prone (bent down). Boono Mfo. Pronunciation. Lea; (he has a good pronunciation) gooa lea boto ia. Proof (evidence, demonstration). Fucca mboni. Proper (fit; suitable). Ala. Property (effects). Mea; (riches) coloa; (quality) anga-be. Propitious. Monooia. Prosper. Monooia. (Prosperity) the same. Prostrate. Teggerfiii. Ihotuberant. Foofoola. See Prominent. Proud (in dress, or appearance). Toma ; (in conduct or speech) Jow- cow; (in respect of rank or ability ) fia-fia. Prove (to essay, to endeavour, to ascertain). Ahi-ah\. Proverb (any common or trite saying). Cananga. Provide (to obtain beforehand). Mow. Provided that. Cap6w. Provident (cautious). Vacky'. Provision (food). Mea ky ; (stores) genanga. Provoke (to irritate, to make angry). Fucca ita; fucca lili. Prow (the head of a canoe, &c.) Tow mooa. Prudent. Loto vacca-vacky': loto boto. Prune. Tootoo. Pry (to peep, to look into). Fucca jio. Puerile (after the manner of a child). Fucca tamachi. Puff up (to swell). Foofoola; booboola. K2 QUI REA Pull (to drag, to draw). Toho. Pullet. Moa mooi. Pulp (— of the cocoa-nut, &c.) cacano; cano. Pulverize (to reduce to d.ust). Fucca. efoo. Pumice. Fooafooanga. Punctual (exact in time). Tonoo. Puncture (to prick). Hoohoo. Pungent (to the taste). Cawna. Punish (to castigate, to reprove, to scold). Towtea. Pupil (of the eye). Cano e matta. Puppy. Oohigi gooli. Purchase (to obtain by exchange). Fuccatow. Pure (clear, free from stain, or fault). Ma. Purify (to make clean, or clear). Fucca ma. Pursue (to chase). Tooli. Pus (purulent matter, corruption). Bela. Pusillanimity. Foi. Puss (a cat). Boosi. Pustule (boil, pimple, phlegmon). Fooa-fooa. Put (to place, lay, impose). Y; (to put by; to lay by in store) toogoo. Putrid (corrupt, stinking). Eho ; elo. Q. Quagmire. Toogooanga gele. Quake (to tremble, to shake). Te- temi. Quality (property). Anga-be. Quarrel. Ghe. Quarrelsome. Loto ita. Quarter (to divide into four parts). Vahe fa. Quell (- anger, or public disturbances). Fucca toogoo. Queen (the chief wife of the How), Chinifoo. Queer (unusual, odd). Gehe. Quench (to put out as fire). Ta mate. Question (an interrogation). Fe- hooi. Quick (speedy, swift). Vave; (quickly) vave-ange; (quick- sighted) matta vave. Quicken (to animate, or reanimate^). Fucca moooi; not used in respect of the foetus in utero. Quiet (not wandering). Nofo mow; (contented, peaceable) longo-longo, Quiet (to calm). Fucca longo longo; fucca loiongo ; (be quiet! ad,one!) 6ooa. Quit (to let go). Toogoo; (to leave a place) the same. Quite (perfectly, to the utmost). Obito. Quiver (to shake). Tetemi; (— for arrows) tanga caho. R Race (line, descent, progeny). Fa- now ; (a running match) feafe. Racket (confused noise). Longoa ; longoa. Radiant (splendid, shining). Gnig- nila. Rag. Holo. Rage. Lili; ita. Rail (a railing, or fence). A. Rain. Ooha; (rainy) oohala. Rainbow. This word is forgotten. Raise (to lift up). Higgi. Ramble by night. Tango. Rancid. Namooa. Rancour (inveterate hatred). Fucca fachi-fachi. Random (wandering, ill-directed, without intention). Noa. Rank in smell. Namooa. Ransack (to despoil). Vete. Rap (to strike, to hit). Ta. Rape. Toho-toho : i. e. to drag by force; (to ravish a female prisoner of war) taiogia. Rapid. Vave; (rapidly) vaveange. Rapine. Vete. Rare (scarce, peculiar). Fy gehe. Rasp (any kind of rasp, or file). Gili; (to rasp or file) gilichi. Rat (or mouse). Gooma. Ravenous. Hooa ky. Ravish. Tawgia. Toho-toho. Raw. Aw'tarawta. See Awta f Razor. Tele. Reach (to extend to). Tow; (to vomit) looa. Readily (easily). Fy'gnofooa^nge. Ready (in point of preparation). Teoo; (willing) pagnofooa. RES REI Real (true; unfeigned). Mboni. Re-ascend. Toe aloohage; (to climb up again) toe caca, Reason (motive, or cause of conduct). Mea fucca holi; (the rational faculty) they have no express word or phrase for this faculty ; perhaps loto, mind, or manatoo , thinking, might be used for it. Reave (to take by stealth). Kyha; (to take by violence) faoo. Rebound ( .— as an elastic body). Hobo; boona. Rebuke (to chide). Tow tea. Recent (oflate; new). Foo-o. Reckon (to count; to calculate). Low. Recollect (to try to remember). Manatoo; fili he loto: i. e. to search the mind. Reconcile (to make friends again). Fucca cow-tangata. Recover ( from sickness). Moo6i. Recount (to relate). Talauoa; low. Recreant (cowardly). Foi. Rectitude (•-of mind). Loto Bile. Red. Coola-coola. Reduce (to make less). Fucca chiange; fucca chi-chi. Reed. Cabo. Reef (a shelf of rocks). Hahanga. Refection (repast; meal). Genanga. Reflect (to consider). Manatoo; flli he loto; (-as a looking- glass) ata. Refractory (stubborn). Cano-gnata; literally, hard of heart, or of flesh. Refrain (to hold back from : don’t!) O'ooa; (don’t break the taboo); oooa na ger mow-mow he taboo; i. e. desist lest you break the taboo. Refresh (to recreate). Fucca ma- 1616 . Refulgent (bright; sparkling; glaring). Gnignila. Refuse (rubbish; sweepings). Awta- awta. Regain (to get again). Toe mow. Regal. Gnale mo e how. Region (a country ; a tract of land). Fonnooa. Reject (to throw away). Cliiagi. Reins (the loins, or rather the back). Tooa; (the kidneys) ate bili. Rejoice (to be glad). Fia fis. Rekindle. Toe tootoo. Relate (to narrate). Tala; low. Relation (kindred). Tehina; (a narration) talanoa; low. Relentless (unpitying; merciless). Tai ofa. Relinquish (to give up). Toogoo, Relish (taste). Hooa. Reluctant (unwilling and obstinate). PagnateL Remain (to continue). Nofo. Remainder. Toe : twenga. Remedy (to remove a complaint). Taw. Remember (memory). Manatoo; (to recollect) manatoo ^ fill he loto ; i. e. to search the mind. Remind. Fucca manatoo. Remnant (what is left). Toe. Remorseless. Tai ofa. Remote. Mamaoo. Remove (to take away). Ave. Removed (separated). Gehe. Rend (to tear asunder). Hai; (rent asunder) mahai-hai. Renew (to begin again). Toe fy. Repair (to mend). Gnahi, Repast. Genanga. Repeatedly (doing only; doing nothing else but). Fy-be; (he fe- peatedly told me) nai fv-be mo enne tala my ; i. e. he did do nothing but with his speaking to me. Replete. Bito. Report (news). Ongo; low. Repose (sleep). Molie; (rest from fatigue) malolo. -. Tacoto. Reprehend. Towtea. Reprimand. Towtea. Repudiate (to divorce). Chiagi; i. e. to throw away. Repugnance. Pagnata. Request (an entreaty). Cawle; (to ask, solicit, &c.) the same. Resemblance. Tattow. Resentful. Fucca fachl-fachi. Residence (a place of abode). Nofo- anga. Reside. Nofo. Residue. Toe. Resolution (courage, bravery). Toa. Resound (to echo; to sound). Ongo. Respect (esteem, regard). Ofa. Respire (to breathe). Manava; (to rest from toil) malolo. ROB SAL Resplendent. Gnignila. Rest (repose after fatigue). Maloio ; (sleep) mohe. Restless. Tai fa mobe. Restrain. Toogoo; taafi. Retain (to keep; preserve). Toogoo; (to continue) nolo. Retaliate. Sowagi: this word they have borrowed from the Fiji people. Retard (to hinder). Taafi. Retch (to vomit). Looa. Retinue (followers of a chief). Cow- nofo. Retired (hidden). Foofoo. Retreat (to run away). Hawla. Return (to come back). Tafoki. Reveal. Tala. Revenge. Fucca fachi-fachi. Review (to examine). Vacky'; (to review military forces) fuccate. Revive. Fucca moooi; (reviving, refreshing) fucca maloio. Revolve (in the mind). Manatoo; manatoo-natoo. Reunite (to join again). Toe fucca taha. Rib. Hooi palalooloo. Ridicule. Manooki. Rifle (to pillage). Vete. Rig (to equip). Teoo. Right (just; straight). Totonoo; (the right hand) nima matow. Rill (a running stream). Vy tafe. Rim (edge; brink). Matta. Rince. Lanoo. Rind (bark). Gili; (husk) booloo : (to skin) fohi; (to strip the husks off cocoa-nuts) hoca. Ring (a circle). Mamma; (tortoiseshell rings, worn on the fingers or thumb) mamma oono. Ringworm Lafra. Rip (to tear). Hai-hai. Ripe (as fruit; full grown). Mo- moho. Rise (to get up). Too ; (to grow; to increase) tooboo; (source; origin) toobooanga. Risible. Fucca cata. River. Vy oota; vy tafe. Road. Halla. Roam (to wander). Hee. Roar. Fucca longoa. Roast. Toonoo. Rob. K\ha. Robust (strong ; sinewy). Malohi. Rock. Foo macca. Rocky. Macca-macca; maccaia. Roll (to enwrap). Tacky'; (as a ball, wheel, &c.) teca. Roof (of a house). Tooa falle; (to cover with a roof; to thatch) ato. Roost (— as birds). Mohe. Root (of a tree, plant, &c.) Aca ; tefito; (to take root) tooboo; (to tear up by the roots) t&agi. Rope. Mya. Rotten (unsound). Bopo. Rove (to wander by night). Tango. Rough (rugged). Papata. Round (orbed). Fooa boto-boto. Rouse (to awake). A'a. Route. Halla. Row (a regular line of any thing planted). Otoo. Row (to impel with paddles, or oars). Towalo. Rub (to exercise friction). Mili. Rubity. Fucca coola-coola. Rubbish. Awta-awta. Rudder. Fohe oolli; i. e. a steering paddle. Rugged (rough). Papata. Ruminant (musing; thinking). Ma- natoonatoo. Rumour. Ongo; low. Rump (the buttocks). Lemoo ; (of a fowl) mooi he moa. Run (to move with a swift pace). Lelle: (to run a race) feafe; (to run as water ; to stream) tafe. Ruthless. Tai ofa. S. Sable (any dark colour). Ooli. Sack (to plunder). Vete. Sacred. Fucca egi. Sad (serious, thoughtful). Manatoo- natoo. Safe (secure). Mow. Sagacious. Loto boto. Sage (wise). Loto boto. Sail. La; (to sail) felow. Sailor. Toty'. Salacious (lustful). Fia feichi. Saline (briny). Cawna. Saliva. Anoo. Sally (to go forth). Fucca hifo. Salt. Masima; (to preserve with salt) fucca masima. Salute (by kissing). Ooma; fekita. SCO SER Same. Coiabe; tattowbe. Sand. One-one ; (sandy) one- 6neia. Sandals. Teboo vae. Sandal-wood. Ahi. Sane (healthy). Moooi. Sapless (dry). Moa inoa. Sapling (a young tree). Hooli. Sash (girdle). Naw. Satisfy. Fucca tioo. Satiate (satisfied 5 glutted). Fioo; (to satisfy; to glut) fucca fioo. Saucy. Talahooi. Save (to put by). Toogoo; (one whose life is saved) fucca moooi. Saving (parsimonious). Pepine. Saunter (to wander idly about). Eva-eva. Savour. Namoo; (savoury) namoo lille. Saw (the carpenter’s instrument). Gili. Say. Lea; boa; behe; tala. Scab. Pacoo he palla. Scalp. Gili he ooloo. Scale (of a fish). Oono. Scamper. Hawla. Scant (near; parsimonious). Pepine. Scanty (narrow). Low chi; (few) chi. Scapula, Hooi fohe: from hooi, bone, and fohe, a paddle. Scar (of any kind). Patoo. —— (from a wound received in war). Patoo he caffo. —— (from a wound, not received in war, nor by any warlike instrument). Patoo he lavea. -(from an ulcer, or any other •sore). Patoo he palla. Scarce (difficult to be procured). Mow gnata. Scarcity (famine; want of plenty). Honge. Scarce. Fucca manavahe. Scarlet (red). Coola-coola. Scatter (to disperse). Fele. Scent (smell; flavour). Nanamoo. Sdssars. Hele cochi. Scoff (to ridicule). Manooki; (a scoff) the same. Scold (to chide). Towtea. Scoop (a wooden instrument used to bale out the canoes). Ohoo; (to scoop) the same. .Scorch (to burn). Vela; (to blight) jnoboonoo. Score (twenty). Ooa ongcfoolio $ ooafooloo; tec6w. Scour (to cleanse). Holo-holo. Scraggy (lean ; thin). Tootooe. Scrape. Vow ; vow-vow. Scratch. Macohi. Scream. Caianga. Screen (to shelter). Booi-booi; (a screen) tattow. Scrotum. Laho. Scrub (to rub). Holo-holo. Scull (cranium). Ooloo boco. Scum (froth), Coa. Sea. Tahi; (the wide ocean) mooana. Sea-gull. Gnong-o. Seal (phoca). Oome. Seaman. Toty'. Sea-engagement. Vehaca. Sea-shore. Malta he tahi. Sea-sickuess (excessive nausea), Loa-loa; (actual vomiting) looa. Sea-weed. Limoo. Seam (suture). Tooianga. Sear (to burn ; to scorch). Tootoo : (dry) moa-moa. Search (to seek after). Goomi. Season (time, period). Lolotonga. Seat (a sitting place). Nofoanga; (to cause any one to sit) fucca- nofo. Second. He ooa. Secret (hidden). Foofoo; (to secrete) the same. Secure (safe). Mow; (to secure) fucca mow. See (to behold). Mamata; ilaw. Seed (of plants). Toonga; (of animals) hi; vata. Seek. Goomi. Seem (to appear). Belie. Seine (a net). Cobenga. Seize (to grasp hold of). Booge ; (to arrest) the same. Seldom. Tai fa ; i. e. not much. Select (to choose). Fili-fili. Sell (to barter). Fuccatow. Semen of animals. Hi; vata. Send. Ave. Sense (the mind, the rational perception). Loto. Sentiment (opinion). Loto. Sentinel (a guard). Leo. Separate (to divide). Vahe. Sepulchre (a tomb). Fytoca; tano. Serious (sad and thoughtful). Mana- too. SHO SIT Servant (female-). Cownanga. Servile. Matta-matta-tooa. Set (the sun sets). Gooa hifo he laa. Settle (to fix). Nofo. Settlement (place of abode). Nofo- anga. Seven. Fitoo. Seventeen. Ongofooloo ma fitoo. Seventy. Fitoo ongofooloo- Sever (to divide by force). To6too. Several. Labi. Severe (painful). Mamahi; severely) mamabiange ; (harsh) tai ofa. Sew. Tooi. Shabby (of meau appearance). Matta-matta tooa ; (shabbily) matta-matta tooaange. Shaddock. Moli. Shade (a shadow). Maloo; (to put in the shade) fucca maloo; (shady) maloo-maloo. Shaft (an arrow). Caho ; gnahow. Shaggy. Fooloo-fooloo. Shake. Looloo-looloo. Shall (sign of the future). Te. Shallow (not deep). Mamaha. Sham. Lohi. Shame. Ma; (shameless) tai ma. Shape (form, figure). Chino. Share (portion). Inaclii. --(to portion out). Toofa; (a part, or portion) inachi. Share-bone (os pubis). Pali. Shark. Anga. Sharp. Maehila; (to sharpen) fucca matta; fucca maehila. Shatter. Ly'igi. Shave. Tele; i. e. to scrape. She. la. Shed tears. Tangi. Shelf (a board to put things on). Fata; (a shallow) maha-maha. Shell. Gnedji. Shellfish. Fagnawta. Shelter. Booloo-booloo. Shew (to display). Fucca ha. Shine. Gnignila. Ship. Vaca papalangi; (to load a ship, or canoe) fooa vaca. Shipboard, Gi vaca., Shiver (to shake, or tremble). Tete- tete; (to break) fachi. Shoe (or sandal). Toboo vae. Shoot (as with a bow or gun). Fanna ; (vegetable-) hooli. Shore (beach). Matta he tahi. Short. N6no; (to shorten) fucca nono; (shortly) vave-ange. Shot (bullet). Macca fanna-tahgata; (cannon ball) macca fanna-fonnooa. Shoulder. Ooma. Shout. Calanga. Shower (a fall of rain). Ooha ; (showery; rainy) oohaia. Shriek (to scream). Calanga. Shrub (plants in general; wood). Foo acow. Shut. Tabooni. Shy (bashful)- Ma. Sick. Same as sickness. Sickness. Booloohi, tenga-tangi, mahagi: when Tooitonga is ill, they say he is booloohi : when any other chief is ill, they say he is tenga tanoi ; when any one not a chief is ill, they say he is mahagi. The word booloohi is confined solely to Tooitonga. Sicken. Fucca mahagi. Side (the side of the body). Vaca vaca : (the side of any thing, as a box or house) botoo. Siege (to besiege). Capa. Sight (faculty of). Maraata. Sign (token; omen). Mana; (a mark) ilonga. Signal (indication). Fucca ilonga; (remarkable) fy gehe. Signify. Behe. Silent. Longo-longo. Silly. Vale. Similar. Tattdw. Simple (not complex). Gnofooa; (easy to do) fy gnofooa. Since (after that time). Taloo: raooi-mooi-ange. (If) cap6w. Sincere. Mooni. Sinew'. Calava. Sinewy (strong). Malohi. Sing. Hiva. Singe (to scorch). Hoonoo; hoonoo-f hoonoo. Single (alone). Tahabe ; (if speaking of a, person) toca taha be; (unmarried) tai ohana. Singular (uncommon). Fy gehe; (only one) taha-be. Sink. Gnalo hifo; i. e. lost, or disappeared down. Sip. Inoo fucca chi-chi. Sister. Tooa-fafine. Sit. Nofo; (sit as men do, cross- SLO SOM Jegged) fuccatane ; (as women do, with the legs doubled up on one side) faite. Situation. Anga. Six. Ono. Sixteen. Ongofooloo ma ono. Sixty. Ono ongofooloo. Size (dimensions). Fooa; chino. Sizy (glutinous), Bigi-bigi. Skilful. Boto. Skin. Gili; (to pull or strip off the skin) fohi. Skinny (thin). Tootooe. Skip (to miss). Halla; (to leap) hobo. Skirmishing-party (an advanced party to bring on the engagement, by encouraging the enemy forward); fucca haiv-tow, from fucca how he tow; i. e. make come the battle. Skirt (edge). Matta. Skittish (startlish). Manavahe gno- fooa. Skreen (to shelter). Booibooi; (a skreen) tattfiw. Skulk (to hide). Toi-toi. Sky. Langi. Slack (loose). Movete ; tai mow. Slander. Fucca covi. Slap (to strike with the open hand). Chibi. Slave (a prisoner of war). Boboola. Slaughter. Foo mate. Slay. Ta mate. Sleek (smooth). Molle-molle. Sleep. Mohe. Sleepiness. Fia mohe ; (sleepy ; to nod with sleep) tooli mohe. Sleepless. Tai mohe. Slender (small, thin). Tootooe; chino chi. Slice. Tootanga. Slide (to slip). Heke-heke. Slight (small, insignificant). Momoi; chi. Slightly (a little ; in a small degree). Fucca chi-clii. Slim. Chino chi; tootooe. Sling. Macca ta; (to throw with a sling) the same. Slip (to slide accidentally). Taw; heke. Slippery- Heke-heke. Slit. Ava. Sloppy (wet). Vicoo. Slothful. Fucca bico bico; fucca hibico. Sloughy. Gelea. Slow. Totoca. Sluggish. Bibico. Slumber. Mohe. Small. Chi; oohigi: the latter word applied chiefly to the young of animals. Smart (brisk). Vave; (in dress) teoo; (to be painful) inamahi. Smash. Ly'igi. Smear (to bedaub). Pani. Smell (to smell; the act of smelling; to give out a goodismell). Nana- moo : (to give out a bad smell; to stink; a stink) namooa ; (to smell either well or badly) namoo; (smell of flowers) namoo cacala. Smile. Cata. Smite (to strike). Ta. Smoke. Alioo. Smooth. Molle-molle. Smutty (black, dirty). Pani ooli. Snake (they have no land snakes; a water snake is) toge. Snap (with the fingers). Fichi. Snare (to entrap). Hele; (a trap or gin of any sort) the same. Snarl (■-like a dog). Calo. Snatch. Hamoochi. Sneaze. Mafatooa. Snore. Tangooloo. Snout (the nose of any animal). Ihoo. Snug (concealed). Toi-toi; foofoo. So (in like manner). Behe. Soak (to steep in water ). Fucca vy. Soap. Coa papalangi. Soar (to fly aloft). Boona gi aloonga. Sob. Fetatangi. Sociable. Fucca cow-tangata; anga lille. Soft. Moloo; (to soften) fucca moloo. Softly (quietly). Longo-longoange ; (slowly) totocaange. Soil (earth, mould). Gele-gele ; (to stain or dirty) fucca ooli. Sole (of the foot). Tooboo vfie; afi vae. Sole (only). Taha be. Solicit (to beg, to request). Cawle ; (to entreat with earnestness) hoo. Solid (firm, hard). Fefeca. Solitary (living alone). Nofo fuqca- taha. Solve (to define). Fucca raaoo. Some. Nihi; mea. STA S VI Somebody. He taha. Son. Foha. Song. Hiva. Songster. Jiena fa hiva. Jiena hiva. Sonorous. Ongo-ongo. Soon. Vave. Soot. Aboo; (sooty) ahooia. Soothe (with flattery). Laboo; vasia : (to quiet a child when crying) fucca ua. Sord (grass-plot, turf). Moochie. Sordid (covetous, stingy). Pepine ; ruanoo-manoo. Sore .(painful). Mamalti; (sorely) niainahiange. Sorrow. Loto niamafa. Sort (to divide, to parcel out). Vahe. Sovereign (the king). How. Soul (the mind). Loto. Sound (whole, healthy). Moooi; (noise, tone) ongo; (to measure depth) toco. Soup (fish soup). Vy-hoo. Sour (acid). Mahe-malie ; (sourly) mahi-mahiange. Source. Toobuo-anga; (tooboo, to spring; angn, place). South. Gi Tonga. Sow (a female pig). Chinamanoo. Sow (to plant), law. , Spacious (wide, extensive). Ala. Spade (a sort of-). Hood. Spare .(thin, lean). Tootooe; (one whose life is spared) fucca moooi. Spark : (no other word than that for fire). Aji. Sparkle (to glitter). Gnignila. Speak. Lea ; boa ; low tajp ; belie. Spear. Tao. Speckled. Boole-boole. Spectre (apparition, ghost, god, or supernatural being). Hotooa. Speech (talk). Lea ; (an harangue) malanga. Speechless. Noa; tai fa lea. Speed (speedy). Vave ; (speedily) yaveange. Spell (in the sense of the sea phrase, “to take a spell or turn at work”). Fetongi; (a kind of spell or charm) tatao. Sperm. Hi. Spew. Looa. Spider. A'anga; hiria. Spill (also to pour). Lilingi. Spin (to make revplve). Vilo. Spine (the back bone). Hooi-tooa ; (a thorn,, prickle) talla; (spinous) talla-talla. Spiral (curved), Tacca tacky'. Spirit (God ; ghost). Hotooa ; (spirited, bold) toa ; (spiritless) foi. Spit (to eject saliva). Anoo ; (spittle) the same; (to expectorate by coughing) fooia. Spite. Fucca fachi. Splash. Eueca-bihi. Splay-foot. Ve-habe. Spleen (spite, malice). Fucca fachi. Splinter. Va aeow. Split (to divide). Fahe-fahe. Spoil (to plunder). Vete; (to injure) inowmow, Sponge. Cana. Sport (to sport in a playful way). Fucca va. Sportful (sportive). Hooa. Spot (place). Botoo. Spouse. Ohana. Sprain. Fachi. Spray ( -—. of the sea). Coa. Spread (to extend, cover over). Foli; foffolla. Sprjg. Va acow. Spright (a spirit, an apparition). Hotooa. Spring (togrow). Tooboo; (to jump) hobo. Springe (to catch with a noose), HeJe. Sprout. Tooboo. Spue. Looa. Spyme (froth). Coa; (to spume) fucca.coa. Spurious (counterfeit). Lola. Spurn (to kick). Aca. Sputter (to spit something out). Anoo. Spy (to discover). Tlaw; (to espy land at a distance) gite. Squab (short). Boogoo boogoo. Squall (fo scream), Calanga; (a sudden wind) towfa; (squally) havili. Squat (-on the haunches). Chike. Squeak. Gi. Squeeze (to press). Lolomi; (to wring out) tow. Squint. Tepa. Stab (to pierce). Hoca. Stable (fixed). Mow. Staff (also a short pike). Toco-toco ? Stagnant. Too mow. STO SIR Stain (a mark), llonga; (to die) toogoo. Stake (a post). Bo ; (to pledge for a wager) boota; (a pledge) fucca ky. Stale (old, long kept). Motooa ; tai foo-o. Stalk (a stem). Cow. Stand (to be on the feet). Too: (stand, a standing place) too- anga* toonga; (standing, fixed) nofo mow. Star (either a fixed star or planet). Fetoo. Starboard. Gi hamma. Stare. Jio. Startle (also to start). Fucca lelle moooi. Starve (to death). Mate he honge. Starvation (famine). Honge. State (condition). Nofo. Stately (as a man of superior rank). Matta-matta egi. Stationary (fixed). Mow. Stave (to break). Fetchi. Stay (to remain). Nofo. Stedfast. Mow. Steal. Kyha, Steam. Cocoho. Steep (to soak in water). Fucca vy. Steer. Oolli. Stem. Cow. Stench. Eho; elo. Step (gait). T.ebi; (footstep) ilonga vae; (to tread) too. Steril (barren, uncultivated). Tai moooi. Stern (in look). Matta mat*a ita; (of a navigating vessel) tow mooli. Sternly. Matta matta itaange. Sternum. Hooi fata fata. Stick. Va acow. Stick (to adhere). Bigi bigi. Sticky. Bigi bigi. Stiff. Fefeca. Still (to quiet). Fucca longo longo. Still (quiet). Longo longo; (yet) ge. Stillborn. Fanow mate; i. e. born dead. Sting. Oo-oo. Stinginess. Pepine. Stingray (a fish so called). Fy. Stingy. Pepine. Stink. Eho; elo. Stir (to move, to bustle). Gnaooe. Stitch (to sew). Tooi. Stock (to lay in store), Faooagi. Stomach. Gete. Stone. Macca; (stony) macca-mac- ca; m&ccaia. Stool (to sit on). Heca-anga; (evacuation) tae. Stoop. Boono. Stop (to hinder). Taafi; (to cease) toogoo; mow; (to stop up) boo- boonoo. Stopple (any sort of cork). Oomo- chi. Storehouse. Felleoco. Storm (a tempest). A'fa. Story (a tale). Fananga; talanoa. Stoutly. Malohiange. Stout (strong, powerful). Malohi; (stoutly) malohiange. Stow (to pack, or lay in order). Faooagi. Straddle. Heca. Straggle (to stray, to wander). Hee. Straight (not crooked; direct). To- tonoo. Straighten (to make straight). Fucca totonoo. Strain (to squeeze out, as cava, &c.) Tattow; (style of speaking) leo; (to pull tight) falo; (to make an effort) foote. Strait (narrow). Low chi; (of the sea) ava. Strand (the verge or shore of the sea). Matta he tahi. Strand (to run aground). Fucca toca. Strange (uncommon). Gehe; (foreign) mooli. Stranger (a foreigner). Mooli. Strangle. Nawgia. Strangury. Tai fa mimi; mimi ma- raahi. Stratagem. The word for this is forgotten. Stray. Hee. Stream (running water). Vy tafe. Streamer (a flag). Fooga. Streight (a narrow passage). Ava. Strength (also strenuous). Malohi; (strengthen) fucca malohi. Stretch (to draw out). Falo. Strew. Fucca fele. Strife. Ghe. Strike. Ta. String (twine, thread). Filo; (to string as beads, &c.) tooi; (string of a bow) ooca; (to string a bow) teca he acow fanna. Strip. Fucca telefooa; vete. SUM SWF Stripling (a youth). Tama. Strive (with muscular energy). Foote; (mildly; or with mental energy) ahi ahi. Stroke (a blow). Ta; (to rub) mili, Stroll (to wander). Hee. Strong. Maiohi; (strongly) malo- hiange. Struggle. Foote. Stubborn. Pagnat&. Stumble (to trip up in walking). Toogia. Stump (of a tree). Tefito acow. Stupendous. Fucca manavahe; fy- gehe. Stupid. Loto vale. Sturdy (hard, strong). Fefeca; maiohi. Sty (a pig-sty). Lotoa .booaca; from Lotoa, a fenced place, and booaca, a hog. Style (to name). Fucca hingoa. Subject (liable to). Fa. Sublunary. Mama. Subsequently. Mooi-mooi-ange. Subside (to become tranquil). Too- goo; hili. Subsidy (a tax). Fatongia. Subsist. Moo6i. Substantial (real). Mooni. Subtle (cunning). Malta boto. Succeed (to prosper). Mooonoo. Successful (fortunate). Monooia. Such (in like manner). Belie. Suck. Michi. Suckle. Fucca hoohoo. Sudden. Foki fa; (sudden death) fooa moodi fia; i. e. entire life want. Sudorific. Fucca cacava. Suet (of a pig). Alo. Suffer (to allow). Toogoo; (to bear) catagi. Suffice (to be enough). Lahi fow. Sufficient. Labi. Sufficiency. Lahi. Sugar-cane. Taw, Suit (to accord with). Ala; alia. Suitable (fit). A la; fucca tattow. Suite (attendants). Cow tacanga. Sulky. Malta ita; matta lili. Sully (in a physical sense). Fucca ooli. Sultry. Boobooha. Sum (to count). Low. Sumless (not to be counted), Tai fa low. Summit (of a mountain, &c.) Foonga. Sun. L&a. Sunburnt. Gnano. Sundry (many). Lahi. Sunless. Tai laa; maloo. Sunny ; sunshine; sunshiny. Laa. Sunrise. Hengi-hengi. Sunset. Ifi-afi; from iji, to blovf, and aji, fire; because in the evening hot embers are brought into the house from which torches are lighted by blowing. Superfluity. Toe. Superfluous. Tai (aoonga. Superintend. Vacca vacky'. Supernatural. Fucca hotooa. Supine (indolent). Fucca bico bico; (lying with the face upwards) to- coto fucca fooohagi. Supinely (indolently). Fucca bled bicoangc. Supper (a meal in the evening). Ky fucca ifi-afi. Supple (pliable) Moloo- Supplicate. Hoo; tangi; cawJe. Suppose. Behe. Suppress. Lolomi; taafi. Suppurate. Bela. Supreme. Tow gi langi; i. e. reaching to the sky. Sure (certain). Tai halla. Surfeit (an overcharge of food). Lola. Surge (a swelling sea; a surf). Gna- Ioo. Surly. Loto ita. Surplus. Toe. Surprise (to astonish). Fucca lelle moodi. Surprising. Fy gehe. Surround. Foli. Suspect. Mabaio. Suspend (to hang). Towlow; (to pul off) lolomi; taafi. Suspicious. Mahalo-halo. Sustain (to bear; to endure). Catagi. Sustenance (food). Mea ky. Swagger (to bully). Fucca boola matta. Swallow (a bird). Beca-beca; (to ingurgitate) folo. Swamp (watery ground). Ano. Sward (green turf). Mooehie, Sway (to direct). Boole. Swear (to declare upon oath). Fooa cava. Sweat. Cacava; (sweaty) cacavaia. TAM TEN Sweep (with a broom). Taffi-taffi. Sweepings (rubbish; dirt). Awta awta. Sweet. H060 melie. Sweeten. Fucca hooo melie. Sweetheart. Feaooagi. Swell. Booboola; foofoola; (a swelling) the same. Sweltry (sultry). Boobooha. Swelter (to be uncomfortable with heat). Fucca boobooha. Swerve (to wander). Hee. Swift. Vave; (swiftly) vaveange. Swim. Caccow; (to float, as inert matter) tee-tee. Swine. Booaca. Swing. Cave-cave. Swinish. Fucca booaca: this word also means on all fours. Swoon. Fooa nioooi fia. Sword. Heleta. Sycophantic. Lalaboo; vasia. Symmetry (harmony of form). Chino lillc. Symptom. Ilonga. T. Tabefy (to waste away by disease). Fucca tootooe he momoeo. Tabid. Tootooe he momoeo. Tacit. Lolongo, Tacitly. Longo longoange. Tack (to put about ship). Iliggi la; (a small nail) ooliigi fho. Tackle (the rigging of a canoe, &c.) Cow mya. Tail. Igoo;mooi. Taint (to corrupt;, to infect as flesh, &c.) Fucca elo. Take (to appropriate, or seize by violence, or power of authority). Faoo; (to accept) toogoo; (—a prisoner) mow he boboola; (take care!) vaeky'! Tale (a relation; a narrative). Ta- lanoa. Talk. Lea. Talkative. Gnootoo low ; fa lea. Tall. Loa-loa; loloa; (tallness) the same. Tallow (fat). Gnaco. Tally (to coincide). Fucca taha; fucca tatt6w. Tame. Lalata; (to tame) fucca la- lata. Tangle (as string, rope, &c.) Fucca fihi. Tantamount. Tattow. Tardy (slow). Totoca; (tardily) to- tocaange. Tarnish (to soil; to sully). Fucca ooli. Tarry. Nofo; tatali. Tart (sour). Mahe-mahe; (tartly) mahe-maheange. Task (duty or work to be done for the purpose of discharging a tax or impost). Fatongia. Taste (flavour). IIooo; (to taste) k y- Tatter (to tear). Mahaihai. Tattle. Low noa; low bisi. Tawny. Mello-mello, Tax. Fatongia. Teach (also to learn). Aco. Tear (water from the eye). Tooloo he matta; (to rend in pieces) ma- haihai. Tearful (weeping). Tangi. Teat. Hoohoo. Teaze (to importune and plague). Fucca fioo; (don’t teaze me) dooa tegger fucca fioo. Techy (peevish; fretful). Matta tangi. Tedious. Fucca bibico ; (tediously) fucca bibicoange ; (slow) tooy f . Teem (to bring forth young). Fallow. Teemfnl (pregnant). Fetama. Teemless (steril, as a female). Tai fanow; (barren, as land) tai moooi. Teeth. Cow-nifo. Telescope. Mea fucca ata. Tell (to say). Low ; tala; (to count) low. Temper (disposition of mind). Loto; anga. Tempest. A'fa. Tempestuous (windy). Havili-vili. Temple (consecrated house). Falle fucca egi. Ten. Ongofooloo; ooloo. Tenacity (stiffness in opinion). Gi- gihi. Tend (to guard). Feaoo. Tender (easily pained; also much subject to accidental wounds). Bele-bele gnedji. Tender-hearted. Loto lille: loto t mind, or disposition; IMS, good. TIM Tendinous (strong ; sinewy). Ma- lohi. Tendon. Calava: this word also means a vein, or artery. Tenth. He ongofooloo. Terra (to name). Fucca hingoa; (a terra, or name) hingoa. Termination (leaving off, or end, in a moral sense; as, the termination of our happiness or misery; also the act of leaving off, or finishing any work or labour). Hilianga; toogooanga. -(an end; boundary, &c.) Malta; maoo. Termless (boundless). Tai maoo. Terrible. Fucca manavahe ; fucca manavachi; fucca lelle moooi. Territory. Fonuooa. Terror. Manavahe; mfinavacM. Testicle Foi laho. Tetter (a pimple). Fooa fooa. Than. Gi; gia; giate: (the latter is only used before pronouns; gia before proper names ; and gi before nouns). Thank (to give thanks). Fucca fetai. That (demonst. pron.) Coena; aena. Thatch. Ato. The (the article). He. Thee. Acoy; coy. Theft. Kyh4. Their. New. Themselves. Ginowooa-be; ginow- toloo-be. Then (whilst; during the time). Lo- lotonga ; (next after that) bea. Thence (from that place). Me hena. There. Gi-hena; gi-ai. Thereabout (near that place). Ofi- ange gihe. Therefore. Leva. These. Coeni. They. Gi now-ooa; gi nowtoloo. Thick (in bulk). Matoloo. Thicken. Fucca matoloo. Thicket. Vaoo. Thief. J&na kyha. Thieve. Kyha; (thievish) fa kyha. Thigh. Tenga. Thin (lean). Tootooe; (slender, as applied to boards, cloth, &c. im- plying the proximity of the opposed surfaces) manifi; manifi-nifi. Thine. Ho. Thing. Mea; (things, affairs, business, &c.) uiea. Think, Manatoo. Thinly. Manifi-nifiange. Third. Toloo. Thirst. Fia inoo ; (thirsty) the same. Thirteen. Ongofooloo ma toloo. Thirty. Toloo ongofooloo. This. Coeni. Thither. Gihena. Thorax (the front part of, or breast). Fatafata. Thorn. Talla; (thorny) tallaia. Thorough (entire ; whole). Cotoa. Though. No proper word for. Thought (idea, opinion). Loto. Thoughtful. Manatoo. Thoughtless. Tai manatoo. Thousand. Afe, Thread (small line or string). Filo; (to thread, as a needle) tooi. Three. Toloo. Three score. Toloo gnacow; toloo ongofooloo. Threshold (a door). Matapa. Thrifty. Fucca motooa iangata. Thrive (to grow, as a plant, or animal). Moooi. Throat (the neck). Gia. Throb (to palpitate). Patoo. Throttle (the windpipe). Monga. Through (from end to end). Achi. Throw (to throw with force, as a ball or stone). Lichi; (to throw, or lanch a spear) vdo; (to throw, or pitch any thing heavy) lolo. Thrust (to stab). Hoca; (a stab) the same. Thumb. Motooa nima. Thump (to beat). Ta. Thunder. Mana. Thus (in this manner). Behe. Thy. Ho. Thyroid (cartilage of the throat, or Poraum Adami). Monga. Tickle. Maenne-enne; (ticklish) ma- enne gnofooa. Tidings. Ongo, Tie (in a knot). Naw; (to fasten) fucca mow ; (to fasten, or tie, by winding the rope round; to seize, in the sea phi’ase) lalava. Tight. Mow. Till (to cultivate the land). Hooo; gnoooe; (until) oooa. Timber. Acow; (to hew timber) ta acow; taanga. Time- No word fer: (during that time; whilst) lolotonga. TOW TRY Timid (timorous). Manavahe gno- fooa. Tincture (to dye). Toogoo. Tiny (little). Momoi; igi 5 chi. Tip, Mooi. Tire (to fatigue). Fucca hela; fucca bibico; (tiresome) fucca bibico- ange. Titillate (to tickle). Fucca maenne ; (titillation) maenne ; tnaenne- enne. Title (a name). Hingoa ; (to name) fucca hingoa. Tittle-tattle (to talk idly.) Low bisi. To. Gi ; gia; giate: (the first is used before nouns in general; the second before proper names; the third before pronouns). Toe. Cow-vae. Together. Fucca taha. Toil (to labour). Gnaooe. Token (a mark, or sign), llonga. Tomb. Fytoca. To-morrow. Abongi-bongi. To-night. Any'. Tongue. Elelo. Too (in excess). Fow; (it is large enough, or too large) gooa lahi fow. Tooth. Nifo. Tooth-ache. Nifo manoo. Toothless. Nifo-coo. Top (summit; surface). Foonga. Topsy-turvy. Filihi. Torch. Mama. Torment (pain). Mamahi; (to torment, or give pain) fucca mamalii. Torrid (burning). Vela. Tortoise (sea). Fonoo coloa; (fonoo, turtle; coloa , valuable). Tortoiseshell. Oono. Tortuosit) T (variously turned, or twisted). Miaw-i. Total. Cotoa: applied either to singular or plural nouns, in relation to mass, bulk, or entire quantity. Touch (to touch). Fa-fa; (touchy) ita gnofooa; loto ita. Tough (hard; stiff). Fefeca. Tow (to draw forward by a rope). Toho Towards. My; atoo ; angi: one of these three words is used, accordingly, as the meaning is towards the first, second, or third person; as, how my, come towards me; ieoo aloo atoo, 1 will go towards you; aloo angi , go towards- him: gi, gia , giate, are also used for to- wards: see gi. Towel (a piece of cloth to wipe on), Holo. Town (a place with many houses, where the chiefs and their attendants principally reside). Mooa. Trace (to mark out). Fucca ilonga. Track (path). Halla. Trackless (pathless). Tai halla. Trade (traffic). Fuccatow. Traduce (to misrepresent). Fucca covi. Train (to bring up). Fafanga. Tranquil (quiet; still). Lolongo; longo-longo. Transact (to do). Fy ; (transactions, deeds, events) fygna mea. Transparent. Ata. Transport (to convey). Ave. Trap (to ensnare). Hele. Trash (worthless things). Mea tai aoonga. Travail (labour; parturition). Faele. Travel (by land). Fononga; (by sea) felow. Traverse (crosswise). Fucca fetow- lag'- Tread. Too. Treasure. Coloa. Tree. Foo acow : this expression is applicable to any plant or vegetable. Tremble (to shake). Tetemi; tete- tete. Tremendous (dreadful). Fucca manavahe. Tremulous (trembling). Tetemi; tete-tete. Trench (a ditch). Gele. Tribute (a tax). Fatongia. Trip (to stumble). Toogia. Tripe (entrails). Gnacow. Trivial. Noa. Trouble (labour, difficulty). Fy- gnata. Trough (also a bowl of any kind). Goomete. Truce. Fucca lille. Truck (to traffic). Fuccatow. True. Mooni; (truly) mooniange. Trundle (to roll, or bowl along). Teca. Trunk (the body of any thing). Chino. Truth. Mooni. Try. Aht-ahi. VAN VIL Tuberous (warty; knotty). Toonga. Tuck up (as one’s dress). Hico, T uft (of hair). Tobe. Tug (to pull, or drag with force). Toho. Tumble (to fall). Taw. Tumefy (to swell). Foofoola; boo- boola. Tumid (swelled). Foola. Tumult (a riot; a quarrel). Ghe. Turban. Fow. Turmeric. Enga. Turn (to turn round), Tafoki; (a spell or turn at work to relieve another) fetongi; (disposition) anga. Turtle. Fonoo. Tusk (a tooth). Nifo. Twelve. Ongofooloo ma ooa. Twenty. Ooa-fooloo ; ooa ongofooloo. Vide Tecdw . Twice. Ooa. Twig. Va acow. Twine (to twist). Tacky'; fi. Twine (thread, &c.) Filo. Twinge (to pinch). Low. Twinkle (to wink). Gemo ; (in the twinkling of an eye) he gemo. Twirl (to spin round). Vilo. Twist. Fi. Twitch (to snatch). Hamoochi. Twixt (between). Gi loto. Two. Ooa; (twofold) ooa. Tyrannical. | malohi . tyrannize. J Tyrant. Tangata fucca malohi; tan- gata tai ofa. V Vacant (empty). Maha. Vacation (leisure). Nofo noa, Vagrant (wandering; unsettled). Tai nofo mow*; fealoo-agi. Vain (full of vanity). Fia-fia. Vale (a valley). Loo-o. Valetudinarian.. Vy-vy mahagi. Valiant (valorous; brave). Toa. Valley. Looo. Valuable. Mow gnata ; i. e. difficult to be obtained : (valuables, riches) coloa. Van (the front of an army). Mooa tow. Vanish. Mawle. Vanity (in exploit). Fia-fia; (in dress) toma; (in demeanour rather than in dress) low cow. Vapour (fume; steam). Cocoho. Variable (inconstant). Fealooagi. Variegated. Boole-boole. Vassal... Tooa; ky fonnooa. Vast. Lahi obito; foo lahi, Vault (to leap). Hobo; boona. Vaunt (to boast; to brag). Foota. Veer (to turn about). Tafoki. Veil (to cover the face). Boolo; (a veil) booloo-booloo. Vein. Calava; i. e. a blood-vessel, either artery or vein. Velocity. Vave. Venal (mercenary). Pepine;ma- noo manoo. Vend. Fuccatow. Venemous (deleterious). Fucca cawna. Venery (desire of). Fia feichi. Venge (to revenge). Sowia. Venom. M ea fucca cawna. Vent (a hole). Ava. Ventilate (to fan). Alo-alo. Veracity. Mooni. Verge (the edge). Matta. Verify. Fucca mooni. Verily. Mooniange. Veritable. Mooni. Verity. Mooni. Verse. Taanga. Very. Obito. Vessel (ship, boat, canoe). Vaca; (a pot or vase) goolo. Vestige (a mark; a sign). Ilonga. Vestment. Vala; teoo. Veteran (an old warrior), Motooa toa. Vex (to make angry). Fucca ita; (vexatious; troublesome) matta- oochi. Vibrate. Tetemi: this word also means, to shiver or shake. Victory* No direct word for; (victorious, strong) malohi. Victuals. Mea-ky : mea, things, %, to eat. View (to examine; to see). Ma- mata; vacky'; (a prospect) ma- mata. Vigilant. Ea leo. Vigorous. Malohi. Vigour. Malohi. Vile (filthy). Fucca lialia; (mean) matta-matta tooa. Vilify (to defame). Fucca covi. UND UNP Vindictive (revengeful). Fucca fa- chi-fachi. Violate (to ravish). Tawgia. Violence (strength, power, force). Malohi; (violent) the same. Virgin (a maid). Tahine. Visage (countenance). Matta; fo- fonga. Viscerate. Fucca gnacow. Viscous. Bigi- bigi. Visible. Iloa gnofooa; i. e. easy to be seen. Vision (a dream). Michi. Vizard (a mask). Booio. Vociferous. Langoa. Voice. Lea. Void (empty). Maha; (void of; not having) tai. Volcano. Alofia. Voluntary. Fy teliha. Vomit. Looa. • Voracious. H060 ky. Vow. Fooa cava; tangi mdoni. Voyage. Felow. Vulgar. Fucca tooa. U. Ugly (in countenance). Malta gehe; matta fucca lia-lia. Ulcer. Palla. Ultimate. Mooi obito; mooiange. Unabashed. Tai ma. Unable. Tai fa. Unaccustomed. Tai fa. Unanimous. Loto fucca taha. Unawed. Tai lnanavachi; tai ma- navahe. Unattended. Tocca taha be. Unbecoming. Tai ala; tai gnale. Unbind. Vete. Unceasing. Tai toogoo. Uncertain. Halla. Uncircumcised. Oole co. Uncle. Tooachina. Unclean (dirty). Tai ma. Unclose (to open). Taw. Unclothe. Vete. Unclouded sky. Langi ma. Uncommon. Fy-gehe. Uncover. Fucca ha. Unctuous (greasy with fat). Gnaco. Uncultivated (as land). Tai gn6- ooeia; vaooa. , Undaunted. Tai manavachi ; tai ma* navahd. VOL. II. Under. Gi Ialo; (undermost) gi lalo obito. Underneath. Gi Ialo* Understand. Iloa. Undesigning (true, faithful). Mdoni. Undo (to take to pieces, to unfasten). Vete; (undone, loose) vete. Undress. Vete he vala. Unequal. Tai tattow. Unerring. Tai halla. Uneven(notlevel, rough). Tai molle- molle; papata. Unexhausted. Tai ochi; i. e. not ended : tai*maha; i. e. unemptied. Unfasten. Vete. Unfatigued. Tai hela. Unfeigned. Mdoni. Unfit. Tai ala. Unfledged. Tai fooloo-fooloo. Unfold (to spread out, as gnatoo, &c.) Fofolla; (to expound) fucca maoo. Unforbidden. Gnofooa. Unfortunate. Malaia; (liable to trifling accidents) bela-bela-gnedji. Unfrequent. Gehe. Unfriendly. Anga covi. Unfruitful. Tai fooa. Unfurl. Vete. Ungathered. Tai toll. Ungenerous. Pepine. Unhappy. Tai lata. Unhealthy. Mahagi. Unheard. Tai ongo. Uniform (alike). Tattow. Uninhabited. Tai caky'. Unjointed (dislocated). Fachi. Union. F ucca taha. Unite. Fucca taha. Unkind. Anga covi. Unknown. Tai ilaw. Unlawful. Taboo. Unless. Ca iky. Unlike (dissimilar), Tai tattow. Unloose. Vete. Unlucky. Malaia. Unmanly. Tai fucca tangata. Unmarried. Tacabe; (applied only to females). Unmeet (unfit, unsuitable). Tai alia. Unmerciful. Tai ofa. Unmoved (firm ; fixt). Mow. Unnecessary (useless). Tai aoonga. Unnumbered. Tai low. Unobstructed. Tai t&afi, Unobtained. Tai mow. Unpainful. Tai raamahi. -I* UTT WEA Unperceived. Tai iloa. Unpropitious. Tai monooia; ma- laia. Unravel. Fucca maoo. •Unrelenting. Tai ofa. Unripe. Mooi ; tai momoho. Untfol. Vete. Unroot. Taagi. Unsafe. Tai mow. Unseemly (disagreeable to the sight). Fucca Iia lia. Unseen. Tai ilaw. Unseparated (together). Fucca taha. Unserviceable. Tai &oonga. Unskilful. Taiboto. Unspoiled (not plundered). Tai vete; (not damaged) tai mow- mow. Unstable (inconstant). Fealoo&gi; tai mow. Unsteadfast (not fixed). Tai mow. Unsuitable. Tai ala; tai tattow; tai gnale. Unsuspicious. Tai mahaio. Untangle. Vete; fucca maoo. Unterrified. Tai manavahS; tai m£- navacbi. Untie. Vete. Until. Ca. Untilled. Tai ho6o ; yaoo?u Unto. Gi; gia; giate. (See Gi). Untrue. Lohi; tai mdoni; (untruth) lohi. Unuseful. Tai aoonga. Unusual. Gehe. Unwashed. Tai foofooloo; tai pa- lootoo. Unwilling. Pagnata. Up. Hagi; (upper) aloonga-agi; gi aloonga. Upbraid (to chastise, to rebuke). Tow tea. Upon. Gi foonga. Upright (erect). Too tonoo; foe- catoo. Upside down. Filihi. Upwards. Gi alonga-agi. Urethra. Matta he oole. Urine. Mimi. Us (dual number). Giraowooa; gitowooa; (plural) gimdwtoloo; gitewtoloo. Useless. Tai aoonga. Utility. A'oonga; (of what use is it) coeh& enne aoonga. Utter (to speak). Lea. Utterly (wholly). Cotoa be. W. Waddle. AIoo fucca tetemi. Wade. Anoo. Waft (to beckon). Taloo. Wage (to make war). Tow. Wager. Boota; (to lay a wager) Fucca boota; fuccatow. Wail. Tungi: the general word used for weeping and lamenting. Waist. Chino. Wait (to wait for). Tatali; (wait a little!) mawquaw! Wake (to cease to sleep). A'a ; (to rouse from sleep) fucca aa. Wakeful. Leo. Waken. Fucca aa. Walk. Eva. Wan (pale). Matta tea. Wander. Hee. # Wane (to get less). Fucca chi. Want. Fia; (I want) gooa te fia; (deficiency) ge chi. War. Tow. Ward (to fend off). Calo. Warily. Fucca vack/ange. Warm. Mafanna; (warmth) the same. Warrior. Tangata tow. Wart. Toonga. Wary (circumspect). Loto vacca- vacky'. Was, were, (sign of past tense). Na. Wash. Foofooloo; palootoo; cow- cow. Waste. Mowraow. Watch (to keep guard). Leo. Watchful. Faleo. Water. Vy ; (salt —•) vy tahi; vy cawna; (fresh—) vy melie;(high —) hoco he tahi; (it is high water) gooa hoco he tahi; (it is low water) gooa maha he tahi. Water-melon. Hina papalangi. Watery. Vy. Wave (a billow). Gnaloo; (to beckon) taloo. Way (road). Halla; (in this way) behe. Waylay. Tattaoo; tatao. We. Gimowtdloo; gitowtoloo. (See the Grammar.) Weak. Vy-vy; (to weaken) fucca vy-vy; (weakly) vy'-vy'ange. Weapon. Mea tow. Wear (to use as clothing). Vala; (to wear away) motooa. WED WRE Weary. Hela; bibico. Weather, no word for: (a rainy day) aho oohaia; (a sunshiny hot day) aho l&a;*(a windy day) aho raa- tangi, &c. Weave. Lalanga. Wed. Ohana. Wedding (the mere ceremony). Taane. Weed. Mohoogoo; (to weed) eboo ; hooo. Weep. Tangi. Weight. Mamafa-; (weighty) ma- mafa; (weightily) mamafaange. Welcome (interjection), Malo. Well (for water). Lepa. Well (in health). Mbooi; (well done) malie. West. Gi Fiji ; i. e, towards Fiji. Wet. Vicoo. Whale. Tofoa. What? Coiha? (whatfor; for what purpose) co-ooma. Wheedle. Laboo. Wheel (a). Teka; (to turn round) tacky'. Whelp. Oohigi gooli. When (during, whilst). Lolotonga; (when) ? anife ? Where. Gi-fe;i-fe. Wherefore, why. Coeha. Whet (to sharpen). Fucca matta. Whether. Ca. Whetstone. Fooanga. Which. He fe. While, whilst. Ca; c6wca; lolo- tonga. Whimsical (odd, singular). Gehe ; sesele. Whimper. Tangi. Whine. Tangi. Whirl round. Milo. Whisk, Fooe. Whisper. Fafango. Whistle. Maboo. White. Hina-hina; tea; (to whiten) fucca hina-hina; (whiteness) hina. Whither. Gi-fe. Whitish. Hma*hinaange. Who. Cohai. Whole (in bulk). Cotoa-be; foa-be; (in number) fooli-be. Wholely. Cotoa. Whose. Ah&'i. Why. Coihae; cdooma. Wicked. Loto cori. Wide. A'ta, Widen. Fucca ita. Width. Low. Wife. Ohana, also a husband. Wild (uncultivated). Nofo vaoo; (undomesticated) tai lata. Will (volition). Fy teliha; (to wish) fia; (ill-will) fucca fachi. Willing. Pagnofooa. Wilful (stubborn). Cano gnata. Win. Mow. Wind (the). Matangi; (to roll up) tacky'. Window. Toopa. (See this word). Windpipe. Monga. Windward. Matta he matangi. Windy. Havili-vili. Wing. Capacow. Wink (accidental). Gemo; (to give the wink) canio. Winnow (to fan). Alo alo. Wipe, Holo-holo. Wire, Filooocummea; i, e. metallic thread. Wise (wisdom). Loto boto. Wish (to desire). Fia ; holi. With. Mo. Wither. Mate. Within. Gi loto. Without (outside). Gi tooa. Woman. Fafme. Womanish. Fucca fafine. Wonder (astonishment). Fucca lelle moooi. Wood. Acow. Word (no direct word for). Work. Gnaooe ; gnoooe. (See these words). Workman (any artificer). Toofoonga, World. Mama. Worldly. Mea mama. Worm (the common earth-worm) Gele mootoo. Worse. Coviange. Worship (to pray to the gods). Lo- too; (to perform religious rites) fy he mea fucca egi. Wound (in battle). Caffo; (a hurt from an ulcer, or accident) lavea. Wrangle (to quarrel). Ghe. W rap. F atoo- fatoo. Wrath. Lili, ita ; (wrathful) loto ita ; (wrathfully) liliange, itaange. Wrathless. Tai ita. Wreak (to revenge). Sowagi. Wreath. Twinga. Wreck (the canoe is wrecked). Gooa mate he vaca; i. e. is dead the canoe . Y EL YOU Writhe (to distort or twist the body). Miaw-i. Wrestle. Fungatooa. Wrong. Halla. Wring. Towtow. Wrist (no direct word for). Write. Tohi. Wry. Bico. Y. Yam. Oofi. Yawn. This word is forgotten. Yawning (sleepiuess). Fia mohe. Yean (to bring forth young). Fanow. Year. Tow. Yell. Calanga 5 ioho. Yellow. Mello: this word also implies light brown. Yellowish. MelJo-mello. Yelp (like a dog). Calo. Yes. Io. Yesterday. Aniafi. Yesternight. Anibo. Yet. Ge; (not yet) tegichi. Yield (to produce). Tooboo. Yonder. Gi hena. Yore. Gooa loa. You. Mo; gimoooa; gimotoloo. {See the Grammar). Young (youthful, not old). Mooi; (the offspring of any animal) oohigi. Your. . Ho. TONGA WORDS OMITTED IN THE VOCABULARY. Fucca aooky'. To beg yams for planting. - ghe. To contend; to quarrel. Gihe. There; thereabout Gitowooa. We; our. (See Grammar). Heoo. To ward off; to avoid. Maala. A field of yams. Matta. Ripe : (a term applied chiefly to cocoa-nuts). ERRATA. Grammar, second page, line 20, for “ Ow as in law,” read “ Aw as in law.” Among the numerals, in “ 70 fito ongofooloo, ,> read “Jiton” Vocabulary, Tonga and English. Verb. Chiodofa, for “ chi atoo a/a,” read “ chi atoo o/a,” Verb. Matta, for “ matta-ge/ied,” read “ matta- gehe Vocabulary, English and Tonga. Verb. Coction, for “ mafana read “ ma- J'amiA *’ Verb. Compatriot, for “ j'o&nnoa ,” read “ tonnooa. 51 ' Verb. Finger, for “ tamoo,” read tl toohoo” THE END. T. 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