and Veachi may easily be conceived sources of nobility, on account of their supposed divine original, and the How because he holds the reins of government, and is invested with power. The family of Finow, who is the present How, say, that they descended neither from Tooitonga nor Veachi, but are altogether a distinct race: the fact, probably, is, that Finow's family is a distant branch of one of the others; but having at length ascended the throne, it drew its rank and consequence more from this circumstance. than from such distant relationship. The present Finow's father was the first of his family that came to the throne, which he did by usurpation and expulsion of the then reigning family. (Vide vol. i. p. 77). The Hows before that time, as far back as they have credible records, which is not more than about four, or, at most, five generations, were all relations of Tooitonga. At all events, this is certain, that the present acknowledged fountains of nobility are Tooitonga, Veachi, and the king, in the order in which they here stand. In every family nobility descends by the female line; for where the mother is not a noble, the children are not nobles; but supposing the father and mother to be nearly equal by birth, the following is the order in which the individuals of the family are

to be ranked, viz. the father, the mother, the eldest son, the eldest daughter, the second son, the second daughter, &c., or, if there be no children, the next brother to the man, then the sister, the second brother, the second sister, &c. But if the woman is more noble than the man, then her relations, in like order, take precedence in rank, but they do not inherit his property, as will be seen in another place. All the children of a female noble are, without exception, nobles.

The MATABOOLES rank next to the chiefs; they are a sort of honourable attendants upon chiefs, are their companions, counsellors, and advisers; they see that the orders and wishes of their chiefs are duly executed, and may not improperly be called their ministers, and are more or less regarded according to the rank of the chief to whom they are attached. They have the management of all ceremonies. Their rank is from inheritance; and they are supposed to have been, originally, distant relations of the nobles, or to have descended from persons eminent for experience and wisdom, and whose acquaintance and friendship on that account became valuable to the king, and other great chiefs. As no man can assume the rank and title of mataboole till his father be dead, the greater part of them are beyond the middle

age of life, and, as it is their business to make themselves acquainted with all rites and ceremonies, and with the manners, customs, and affairs of Tonga, they are always looked up to as men of experience and superior information. Some of the matabooles are adepts also at some art or profession, such as canoe-building, or superintending funeral rites: this last, though a ceremony, the generality of matabooles do not attend, as it is also a distinct profession. Those few that are canoe-builders are very perfect in their art, and only make canoes for the king, or other great chiefs. The matabooles also make themselves acquainted with traditionary records, and hand them down to their sons. When a mataboole dies, his eldest son, or, if he have no son, his next brother, becomes a mataboole. All the sons and brothers of matabooles are mooas.

MOOAS are the next class of people below the matabooles; they are either the sons or brothers of matabooles, or descendants of the latter. As the sons and brothers of matabooles are mooas, and as no mooa can become a mataboole till his father or brother whom he is to succeed is dead, so, in like manner, the sons and brothers of mooas are only tooas, and no tooa can become a mooa till his father or brother whom he is to succeed is dead.

The

mocas have much to do in assisting at public ceremonies, such as sharing out food and cava under the direction of the matabooles: they sometimes arrange and direct instead of the matabooles, unless on very grand occasions. Like the matabooles, they form part of the retinue of chiefs, and are more or less respected according to the rank of their chiefs. Most of the mooas are professors of some art.

Both matabooles and mooas have the business of attending to the good order of society, to look to the morals of the younger chiefs, who are apt to run into excesses, and oppress the lower orders (the tooas), in which case they admonish them, and if they pay no attention, they report them to the older chiefs, and advise that something should be done to remedy such evils. They are very much respected by all classes. Tooas are the lowest order of all, or the bulk of the people. They are all, by birth, ky fonnooa, or peasants; but some of them are employed occasionally in the various occupations of performing the tattow, cooking, clubcarving, and shaving, according to their abilities in these respective arts, and meet with encouragement by presents. Those tooas that are evidently related to mooas, and consequently have a chance of becoming mooas, are respected by those who can trace no such relationship.

PROFESSIONAL CLASS OF SOCIETY.-We now come to speak of those who draw respect rather than rank according to their usefulness in different arts and manufactures, more or less regarded. Some of these, as we have before seen, are matabooles, and rank accordingly, the greater part of them are mooas, and the remainder of course tooas.

Among those that practise the arts there are many that do it because their fathers did the same before them, and consequently have brought them up to it, and these are for the most part such as practise arts that are considered ingenious, and therefore respectable; and hence they have no motive sufficiently strong (unless it be sometimes laziness), to engage them to relinquish it, particularly as they obtain presents from their chiefs for their ingenuity. There is no positive law to oblige them to follow the business of their fathers, nor any motive but the honourable estimation in which their arts are held, or their own interest, or the common custom.

None of them are matabooles but a few of the canoe builders and the superintendants of funeral rites, perhaps about a fifth or a sixth part of them, and some of these are very expert in cutting ornaments out of whales teeth for necklaces, or for inlaying clubs, likewise in making clubs and spears, and other warlike instruments,