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- 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 where about he is seated: the cup-bearer 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 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 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.

2d. 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 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 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

66

وو

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. When a second bowl is filled, it is served out the same as the first, i. e. not beginning where the first 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,