THE MONTHLY REVIEW, REVIEW, For AUGUST, 1817. ART. I. 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. 8vo. 2 Vols. 11. 4s. Boards. Murray. 1817. THE HE Tonga Isles, a numerous and extensive groupe in the Pacific Ocean, situated westward of Otaheite, nearly midway between that island and the east coast of New Holland, were discovered by the Dutch navigator Abel Jansen Tasman, in 1643; who gave to the principal of them, which was low land like Holland, the name of Amsterdam, but which by the natives is called Tonga-taboo. They were not again. recognized by Europeans till the second voyage of our great navigator Captain Cook; who, in reference to the amicable intercourse which took place between him and the natives, denominated them the Friendly Islands. Since that period, numerous have been the voyages made thither by Europeans and Americans; whose published accounts, including the present, furnish ample descriptions of the islands, of the natives, and of their customs: from which might be formed a tolerably connected history of the most material events that have befallen this extraordinary people, (an epithet which the reader will find justified by the sequel,) within the last forty years. Of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, it has been the lot of Otaheite to have hitherto attained the greatest share of celebrity with Europeans: but, as we increase our acquaintance with the characters of the inhabitants of others, those of Otaheite lose the ascendancy. It is entirely within just bounds to remark that as great a difference of character prevails between the inhabitants of particular islands in the South Sea as between any two nations of Europe; for example, as between the Russians and the Sicilians: make comparison with antient times, the Otaheiteans may be regarded as the Sybarites, and the islanders among whom VOL. LXXXIII. or, to Mr. Mar Mr. Mariner resided as the Spartans, of the other hemisphere. The Otaheiteans might serve with advantage as mourners at the funeral of a Tonga-hero, because no people in the world would more pathetically perform the exterior of lamentation; and the Tonga-men might be spared the dreadful self-inflictions by which they manifest their affection or respect for a departed chief. From Dr. Martin's introduction to this narrative, we learn that William Mariner is the son of Mr. Magnus Mariner, now living near the Commercial Road, London; both father and son being mariners by profession as well as by name. William first went to sea in 1805, being then in his fourteenth year, and having received the advantage of education during five years at a good boarding-school. His first embarkation was in a large privateer, destined for the South Seas, commanded by a Captain Duck, who had served an apprenticeship with his father. The narrative of his voyage, now before us, and the descriptions of all that he saw, are not written by himself; and this circumstance, on the first notice of it, we felt as matter of regret, which was increased on finding by the preface that his education must have rendered him competent to the task: the remarks of a voyager who is his own journalist being, in general, beyond comparison, more satisfactory than those which are collected and given at second hand. The fidelity of the editor, however, and the great pains taken by him, to which the public are indebted for this account, oblige us to acknowlege ourselves satisfied on this head. In the introduction, he states that in 1811 he accidentally heard that Mr. William Mariner had been a resident at the Friendly Islands during the space of four years; and his curiosity being thus excited, he solicited his acquaintance, and discovered in the course of three or four interviews, that the information he was able to communicate concerning the people with whom he had associated, was more extensive than any that had yet appeared before the public. To my enquiries,' adds Dr. M., respecting his intentions of publishing, he replied, that having been for several years out of the habit of either writing or reading, he was apprehensive his endeavours would fail of doing justice to the subject, and modestly proposed to submit it to my consideration. In the mean 6 time, circumstances called him to the West Indies, and on his return he brought me memoranda of the principal events of the Tonga Islands, in the order they happened during his residence there.' Dr. Martin undertook the composition and arrangement; and not a page was written without Mr. Mariner Mariner being present, that he might be consulted in regard to every circumstance.' It is not a little extraordinary that the accounts of two South-Sea-voyagers should be presented to the public within a few months of each other, under circumstances so similar as those of Archibald Campbell (see our last Review) and William Mariner; each written and edited by persons wholly unconnected with them or their adventures, until they accidentally came under their notice, and then attracted to the task only by the interest which the circumstances excited. The ship in which Mr. Mariner sailed was named the Port-au-Prince, and was fitted out for the two-fold occupation of the whale-fishery and a cruise against the Spaniards in South America. Her success in the latter respect is lightly passed over as of small interest to the reader, and, as it turned out, of no account to the cruisers themselves. On the coast of California, the Captain died, and was succeeded in the command by Mr. Brown, the whaling-master. From the American coast, the Port-au-Prince sailed to the Sandwich Islands, where she remained a month; and the remarks respecting them are mixed with comments on Campbell's account. The number of white people on the single island of Woahoo is stated by Campbell to be nearly sixty: but in Mariner's time they were counted at ninety-four; and this rapid increase, on one island only, leads us to conjecture the probable consequence. It has lately been much surmized that the North American States, and also some of the European powers, have had it in contemplation to take possession of the Sandwich Islands; and this has in particular been conjectured of the Russians. The resort and settlement among the islands of so many European sailors, almost all veteran adventurers, and the use of fire-arms now introduced among the natives, may enable them to resist any force which a foreign power could conveniently employ in an attempt to usurp dominion. over them and take possession of their land; and so far it is well: :- -but, on the other hand, it is by no means improbable that these their newly adopted countrymen, whose residence among them is to be esteemed a security against foreign invasion, may themselves prove dangerous inmates. Campbell has remarked that the natives of the Sandwich Islands are not less fond than the white people of ardent spirits, the use of which has with many superseded that of their old favourite drink, the Kava; and Mariner relates that the King, to prevent excesses, allowed no stills but under the inspection of his own officers, all distilled spirit being his Z 2 - property, property, which he sold, or gave as favour, or reward, to whom he chose.' Eight natives of Owhyhee entered as seamen on board the Port-au-Prince, and on the 29th of November, 1806, she anchored at Lefooga, one of the Tonga islands. In the course of that day, one of the Sandwich islanders spoke to Mr. Brown, cautioning him to be on his guard, and advised him not to admit any natives except the chiefs into the ship: but Brown disregarded the intimation, and, on its being repeated, threatened to flog the Sandwich islander for being troublesome. On the second day after this circumstance, the treachery of the natives was so essentially aided by the unpardonable negligence of the Captain, that the ship was surprised and taken; and, of fifty-two Englishmen belonging to her, twenty-six were killed, among whom was Brown himself. The Sandwich islanders had a hint given to them to keep out of harm's way. Mariner was in the steerage writing when the natives made their assault: "Going to the hatchway for the sake of the light to mend a pen, he saw Mr. Dixon, one of the officers, standing on a gun, endeavouring, by his signs, to prevent more of the natives coming on board: at this moment he heard a loud shout from the Indians, and saw one of them knock Mr. Dixon down with a club: seeing now too clearly what was the matter, he turned about to run towards the gun-room, when an Indian caught hold of him by the hand; but luckily escaping from his grasp, he ran down the scuttle, and reached the gun-room, where he found the cooper: but considering the magazine to be the safest place, they ran immediately there; and having consulted what was best to be done, they came to the resolution of blowing up the vessel, and, like Samson of old, to sacrifice themselves and their enemies together.' They had time, however, to reconsider the matter, and thought that they would take the chance of going at once on deck, and trusting to the mercy of their enemies. Mariner went first, and, presenting himself with his hands open, asked whether they meant to kill him: when an Otaheite-man who had lived some time at the Friendly Islands, and had been an active adviser in the plan to surprise the ship, told him in broken English that he would not be hurt, as the chiefs were already in possession. The first object that struck Mr. Mariner's sight, on coming upon deck, was enough to thrill the stoutest heart: there sat upon the companion a short squab naked figure, of about fifty years of age, with a seaman's jacket, soaked with blood, thrown over one shoulder, on the other rested his iron-wood club, spattered with blood and brains, and what increased the frightfulness of his appearance was a constant blinking with one of his eyes, and a hor - rible convulsive motion with one side of his mouth. On another part of the deck there lay twenty-two bodies perfectly naked, and arranged side by side in even order. They were so dreadfully bruised and battered about the head, that only two or three of them could be recognized. At this time a man had just counted them, and was reporting the number to the chief, who sat in the hammock-nettings; immediately after which they began to throw them over-board. Mr. Mariner and the cooper were now brought into the presence of the chief, who looked at them awhile and smiled, probably on account of their dirty appearance. Mr. Mariner was then given in charge to a petty chief to be taken on shore, but the cooper was detained on board.' The King of the Tonga islands at this time was Finow, or Feenow; who, in the account of Captain Cook's visit to the Friendly Islands in his last voyage, appears the most conspicuous of any among the natives, though he was then only a subordinate chief, and had but just attained the age of manhood. He had taken particular notice of Mariner on first seeing him, and had given directions that, if it were found necessary to kill the white men, his life should be spared; and he always continued in favour and was kept near Finow. The remainder of the crew were either taken under the care of other chiefs, or left to shift for themselves among the natives; though Tooi-tooi, the Otaheitean before mentioned, endeavoured to persuade Finow to kill them all, lest another ship should arrive, and, hearing from them the fate of the Port-au-Prince, should take revenge. Another person escaped unhurt, of too remarkable a description not to be mentioned. This was an infant son of Stevenson, the convict who escaped from Botany Bay and first introduced the art of distilling at the Sandwich islands; and the father had delivered the child to the care of the sail-maker of the Port-au-Prince, to be carried to his relations in Scotland for education. After the capture of the ship, a daughter of Finow took the boy into her protection. The survivors of the crew were now made to get the ship under sail and work her close to the shore, where she was run aground to be broken up for the iron-work; and the casks in the hold, full or empty, were staved to get at the iron hoops. The ground-tier-casks were full of seal and whale oil; and, as the hoops were knocked off, the oil burst forth, and suffocated eight of the natives. In consequence of the great discharge of oil, the water in the hold was covered with it, to the depth of two feet. Two men, who had struggled out of this body of water and oil, strongly expressed their amazement (as they afterwards explained themselves to Mr. Mariner, when he understood their language) at the diffi culty they experienced in rising through the oil: they could swim in the water below easily enough, but as soon as they emerged Z3 from |