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 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 to personal cleanliness or diet: as they grow older, the boys are made to exercise themselves 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 in respect to females, and which is not of small importance, since it tends to prove 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-fafi'ne consists of the wives and daughters of inferior chiefs and matabooles, 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.

In 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 64 of this volume. Those places which require explanation we shall elucidate by notes. The date of the following circumstances is the 18th of May, 1777.

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"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 accompanied them; and upon landing was conducted to the same place where I had been "seated the day before, and where I saw a

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large concourse of people already assembled.

I guessed that something more than ordinary "was in agitation, but could 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,

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plantains, cocoa-nats, 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, "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, "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 Hapaee, had laid this tax upon them for the "present occasion.

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"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 "before us, armed with clubs made of the green branches of the cocoa-nut tree. These

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paraded about for a few minutes and then "retired; the one half to one side end the

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"other half to the other side, seating them"selves before the spectators. Soon after, they "successively entered the lists, and entertained "us with single combats. One champion rising up and stepping forward from one side,

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challenged those of the other side, by ex"pressive gestures more than by words, to "send one of their body to oppose him. If "the challenge was accepted, which was ge

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nerally the case, the two combatants put "themselves in proper attitudes, and then began the engagement, which continued till "one or other owned himself conquered, or till "their weapons were broken. As soon as each "combat was over, the victor squatted himself "down facing the chief, then rose up and re"tired. At the same time, some old men who "seemed to sit as judges, gave their plaudit in "a few words; and the multitude, especially "those on the side to which the victor be

longed, celebrated the glory which he had "acquired, in two or three huzzas.

"This entertainment was now and then suspended for a few minutes. During these in"tervals there were both wrestling and boxing "matches. The first were performed in the "same manner as at Otaheite, and the second "differed very little from the method practised