spect 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 minutiæ 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 objected 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. 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.

CHAPTER VII.

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. These evils, whenever they happen, are supposed to proceed immediately from the gods, as visitations for their crimes.

There is no public religious rite whatsoever, and scarcely any in private, at which the ceremony of drinking cava does not form 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 cáva, 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 at 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, matabooles, 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 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 málai, 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 malái, into which the circle on either side extends. On his right and left hand sits a mataboole, who order and arrange the ceremonies alternately in the manner directly to be shown, and whom, for the sake of distinction, we shall call presiding matabooles. 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. As a general rule, however, 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 oc

*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.

cupied by the young chiefs and sons of matabooles belonging to the chief who presides; and in the middle 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 matabooles 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 some one to retire, and 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 be considered only 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 * i. e. One row behind another, with their faces towards the chief.

may

VOL. II.

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