height; and, when broken off, appears sometimes of a reddish, though oftener of a brownish yellow colour, and of a pretty stiff consistence. Where the shore is low, the soil is commonly sandy, or rather composed of triturated coral; which, however, yields bushes growing with great luxuriance; and is sometimes planted, not unsuccessfully, by the natives.

"Of cultivated fruits, the principal are plantains; of which they have fifteen different sorts or varieties; bread-fruit; two sorts of fruit found at Otaheite, and known there under the names of jambu and eeevee; the latter a kind of plumb; and vast numbers of shaddocks, which, however, are found as often in a natural state as planted.

"The roots are yams, of which are two sorts; one black, and so large, that it often weighs twenty or thirty pounds; the other white and long, seldom weighing a pound; a large root called kappe; one not unlike our white potatoes, called mawhaha; the talo, or coccos of other places; and another, named · jeejee.

Besides vast numbers of cocoa-nut trees, they have three other sorts of palms, two of which are very scarce. One of them is called beeoo; which grows almost as high as the cocoa-tree, has very large leaves platted like a fan, and clusters or bunches of globular nuts, not larger than a small pistol ball, growing amongst the branches, with a very hard kernel, which is sometimes eaten. The other is a kind of cabbage-tree, not distinguishable from the cocoa, but by being rather thicker, and by having its leaves more ragged. It has a cabbage three or four.feet long; at the top of which are the leaves, and at the bottom the fruit, which is scarcely two inches long, resembling an oblong cocoa-nut, with an insipid tenacious kernel, called, by the natives, neeoogoola, or red cocoa-nut, as it assumes a reddish cast when ripe. The third sort is called ongo ongo, and much commoner, being generally found planted about their

fiatookas. It seldom grows higher than five feet, though sometimes to eight; and has a vast number of oval compressed nuts, as large as a pippin, sticking immediately to the trunk, amongst the leaves, which are not eaten. There is plenty of excellent sugar-cane, which is cultivated; gourds; bamboo; turmeric; and a species of fig, about the size of a small cherry, called matte, which, though wild, is sometimes eaten. But the catalogue of uncultivated plants is too large to be enumerated here. Besides the pemphis decaspermum, mallococca, maba, and some other new genera, described by Doctor Foster*, there are a few more found here; which perhaps the different seasons of the year, and his short stay, did not give him an opportunity to take notice of. Although it did not appear, during our longer stay, that above a fourth part of the trees, and other plants, were in flower; a circumstance absolutely necessary to enable one to distinguish the various kinds.

"The only quadrupeds besides hogs are a few rats, and some dogs, which are not natives of the place, but produced from some left by us in 1773, and by others got from Feejee. Fowls, which are of a large breed, are domesticated here.

66

Amongst the birds are parrots, somewhat smaller than the common grey ones, of an indifferent green on the back and wings, the tail blueish, and the rest of a sooty or chocolate brown; parroquets not larger than a sparrow, of a fine yellowish green, with bright azure on the crown of the head, and the throat and belly red; besides another sort as large as a dove, with a blue crown and thighs, the throat and under part of the head crimson, as also part of the belly, and the rest a beautiful green.

"There are owls about the size of our common sort, but of a finer plumage; the cuckoos mentioned

* See his Characteres Generum Plantarum. Lond. 1776.

at Palmerston's Island; king-fishers about the size of a thrush, of a greenish blue, with a white ring about the neck; and a bird of the thrush kind, almost as big, of a dull green colour, with two yellow wattles at the base of the bill, which is the only singing one we observed here; but it compensates a good deal for the want of others by the strength and melody of its notes, which fill the woods at dawn, in the evening, and at the breaking up of bad weather.

"The other land birds are rails as large as a pigeon, of a variegated grey colour, with a rusty neck; a black sort with red eyes, not larger than a lark; large violet coloured coots with red bald crowns; two sorts of fly-catchers; a very small swallow; and three sorts of pigeons, one of which is le ramier cuivre of Mons. Sonnerat*; another, half the size of the common sort, of a light green on the back and wings, with a red forehead; and a third, somewhat less of a purple brown, but whitish underneath.

"Of water-fowl, and such as frequent the sea, are the ducks seen at Annamooka, though scarce here; blue and white herons; tropic birds; common noddies; white terns; a new species of a leaden colour, with a black crest; a small blueish curlew; and a large plover, spotted with yellow. Besides the large bats, mentioned before, there is also the

common sort.

"The only noxious or disgusting animals of the reptile or insect tribe, are sea snakes, three feet long, with black and white circles alternately, often found on shore; some scorpions and centipedes. There are fine green guanoes, a foot and a half long; another brown and spotted lizard about a foot long; and two other small sorts. Amongst

*Voyage à la Nouvelle Guinée, Tab. cii.

the other insects are some beautiful moths; butterflies; very large spiders; and others; making in the whole, about fifty different sorts.

"The sea abounds with fish, though the variety is less than might be expected. The most frequent sorts are mullets; several sorts of parrot-fish; silver fish; old wives; some beautifully spotted soles; leather jackets; bonnetos; and albicores; besides the eels mentioned at Palmerston's Island; some sharks; rays; pipe-fish; a sort of pike; and some curious devil-fish.

"The many reefs and shoals on the north side of the island, afford shelter for an endless variety of shell-fish; ; amongst which are many that are esteemed precious in Europe. Such as the true hammer oyster; of which, however, none could be obtained entire; a large indentated oyster; and several others, but none of the common sort; panamas; cones; a sort of gigantic cockle, found also in the East Indies; pearl shell oysters, and many others; several of which I believe, have been hitherto unknown to the most diligent inquirers after that branch of natural history. There are likewise, several sorts of sea-eggs; and many very fine star-fish; besides a considerable variety of corals; amongst which are two red sorts, the one most elegantly branched, the other tubulous. And there is no less variety amongst the crabs and cray fish, which are very numerous. To which may be added, several sorts of sponge; the sea hare, holothuria, and the like.”

CHAP. IX.

A GRAND SOLEMNITY CALLED NATCHE, IN HONOUR OF THE KING'S SON, PERFORmed. THE PROCESSIONS AND OTHER CEREMONIES, DURING THE FIRST DAY, DESCRIBED. THE MANNER OF PASSING THE NIGHT AT THE KING'S HOUSE. · CONTINUATION OF THE SOLEMNITY, THE NEXT CONJECTURES ABOUT THE NATURE OF IT. DEPARTURE FROM TONGATABOO, AND ARRIVAL AT EOOA. ACCOUNT OF THAT ISLAND, AND TRANSACTIONS

DAY.

THERE.

E

We were now ready to sail, but the wind being easterly, we had not sufficient day-light to turn through the narrows, either with the morning or with the evening flood; the one falling out too early and the other too late. So that without a leading wind, we were under a necessity of waiting two or three days.

I took the opportunity of this delay to be present at a public solemnity, to which the king had invited us when we went last to visit him, and which he had informed us, was to be performed on the 8th. With a view to this, he and all the people of note quitted our neighbourhood on the 7th, and repaired to Mooa, where the solemnity was to be exhibited. A party of us followed them the next morning. We understood, from what Poulaho had said to us, that his son and heir was now to be initiated into certain privileges; amongst which was that of eating with his father; an honour he had not as yet been admitted to.

We arrived at Mooa about eight o'clock, and