hate conspiracies. He was of a most humane and benevolent disposition, but far, very far from being weak in this respect, for he was a lover of justice. The people readily referred to him for a decision in their private quarrels, and on these occasions he was never thought to have judged rashly. If he could not immediately decide, he adjourned the cause till the next day, and in the mean time took the trouble to inquire further particulars from those who knew more of the matter. If he was severe with any body, it was with his own servants, for he used to say that his father was too partial to them, by which means they had become assuming, taking upon themselves the character of chiefs, and oppressing others of the lower orders; but now he would make them know their proper places. If they did any thing wrong, they trembled in his presence. Nevertheless, the benevolence of his heart was wonderfully expressed in his manners. While he was yet on board the ship, Captain Fisk desired Mr Mariner to tell him that it would be bad policy for him ever to attempt taking a ship, as it would prevent others coming to trade with them, or, if they came at all, it might be to punish him and his people for their treachery. As soon as Finow understood what the captain said, he made a step forward to Mr Mariner, and taking his hand, pressed it cordially between his,* saying, with tears in his eyes, and a most benevolent and grateful expression of countenance, "Tell the chief that I shall always consider the Papalangies as my

* He had learnt the action of taking the hand from the Englishmen there, and used to say it was the most friendly and most expressive way of denoting one's feeling of sincerity.

relations, as my dearest brothers; and rather would I lose my life than take any thing from them by force or treachery. He had scarcely finished speaking when the captain exclaimed, "I see, I see what he means,-you need not translate that to me!"

Finow's intellect was also very extraordinary, that is to say, it was naturally strong, and was very little obscured by prejudices. We have seen several instances of the wisdom of his conduct; and a few anecdotes will serve to show that his specific reasoning faculty was far above the common. He had learnt the mechanism of a gun-lock by his own pure investigation. One day, on taking off the lock of a pistol to clean it, he was astonished to find it somewhat differently contrived, and a little more complicate than the common lock, which he had thought so clever and perfect that he could not conceive any thing better. On seeing this, however, he was somewhat puzzled, at first with the mechanism, and afterwards with its superiority to the common lock, but he would not have it explained to him; it was an interesting puzzle, which he wished to have the pleasure of solving himself. At length he succeeded, and was as pleased as if he had found a treasure; and in the afternoon at cava, he was not contented till he had made all his chiefs and matabooles understand it also. He did not know the existence of the pulse till Mr Mariner informed him of it, and made him feel his own, at which he was greatly surprised, and wanted to know how the Papalangies first found it out. He was informed at

the same time, that the pulse was influenced by various diseases and passions of the mind; and that in most parts of the world, those whose profession it was to cure diseases, often judged of the state of the complaint by the pulse. Upon which he went about to two or three that were ill to feel their pulses, and was much delighted with the new discovery. A few days afterwards one of his servants very much offended him by some unwarrantable act, upon which he became violently angry, but on a sudden the thought struck him of the association between the passions and the pulse, and immediately applying his hand to his wrist, he found it beating violently; upon which, turning to Mr Mariner, he said, you are quite right; and it put him in such good humour, that the servant got off with a mild remonstrance, which astonished the fellow very much, as he did not understand the cause, and was sitting trembling from head to foot, in full expectation of a beating.

Mr Mariner explained to him the form and general laws of the solar system; the magnificent idea of the revolutions of the planets, the diurnal revolution of the earth, its rotundity, the doctrine of gravity, the antipodes, the changes of the seasons, the borrowed light of the moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, &c. These were his frequent themes of discourse-they pleased him, astonished him, and filled him with intense desire to know more than Mr Mariner was able to communicate. He lamented the ignorance of the Tonga people; he was amazed at the wisdom of the Papalangies, and wished to visit them, that he might acquire a mind like theirs. The doctrine of the sun's cen`tral situation and the consequent revolution of the

planets he thought so sublime, and so like what he supposed might be the ideas and inventions of a God, that he could not help believing it, although it was not quite clear to his understanding. What he seemed least to comprehend was how it happened that the antipodes did not fall into the sky, below (as he expressed it), for he could not free his mind from the notion of absolute up and down : but said he had no doubt, if he could learn to read and write, and think like a Papalangi, that he should' be able to comprehend it as easily, adding, that the minds of the Papalangies are as superior to the minds of the Tonga people as iron axes are superior to stone axes!-He did not, however, suppose that the minds of white people were essentially superior to the minds of others; but more clear in consequence of habitual reflection and study, and the use of writing, by which a man could leave behind him all that he had learnt in his lifetime.

One day as Mr Mariner was sharpening an axe, and Finow was turning the grindstone, the latter observed that the top of the stone was not only always wet, but so replete with water that it was constantly flying off in abundance on the application of the axe. This on a sudden thought puzzled him; it seemed to him strange that the superabundance of water should not run off before it got to the top. Mr Mariner began his explanation thus: "In consequence of the quick successive

revolutions of the stone "when on a sudden Finow eagerly exclaimed (as if a new light had shot across his mind), " Now I understand why the antipodes do not fall off the earth, it is in consequence of the earth's quick revolution! This was a false explanation, and he soon saw that

it was, much to his disappointment; but it shows the activity of his mind, and how eager it was to seize every idea with avidity that seemed to cast a radiance upon the object of his research.

On another occasion they were returning to Vavaoo from the Hapai Islands, where the king had been to fetch some of his property, consisting chiefly of things which originally belonged to the officers of the Port au Prince. Among others there was a box containing sundry small articles, and a pocket-compass-the latter he did not know the use of, and had scarcely yet examined. During the whole day it was nearly calm, and the paddles were for the most part used. A breeze, however, sprang up after dark, accompanied with a thick mist; and taking it for granted that the wind was in its usual direction, they steered the canoe accordingly, sailing for about two hours at the rate of seven knots an hour. As they did not reach the shores of Vavaoo, the thought now occurred to Mr Mariner that the wind might possibly have changed, and in that case, having no star for a guide, a continuance of their course would be exceedingly perilous; he therefore searched for the compass to judge of their direction, when he was much alarmed to find that the wind had chopped round nearly one quarter of the compass. mentioned this to the king, but he would not believe that such a trifling instrument could tell which way the wind was; and neither he, nor any other chief on board, was willing to trust their lives to it. If what the compass said was true, they must indeed be running out to sea to an alarming distance; and as night was already set in, and the gale strong, their situation was perilous. Most on

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