he would not believe that such a trifling instrument could tell which way the wind was; and neither he, nor any other chief on board, was willing to trust their lives to it: if what the compass said was true, they must indeed be running out to sea to an alarming distance; and as night was already set in, and the gale strong, their situation was perilous. Most on board, however, thought that this was a trick of Mr. Mariner to get them out to some distant land, that he might afterwards escape to Papalangi; and even Finow began to doubt his sincerity. Thus he was in an awkward predicament: he was certain they were going wrong, but the difficulty was how to convince them of what was now, in all probability, essential to their existence, for the weather threatened to be bad, and it seemed likely that the night would continue very dark. At length, be pledged his existence for their safety, if they would but follow his advice, and suffer him to direct their course; and that they should kill him if they did not discover Vavaoo, or some of the other islands, by sun-rise. This pledge was rather hazardous to him, but it would have been still more so, for them all, to have continued the course they were then in. They at length consented; the canoe was immediately close hauled, and Mr.

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Mariner directed their steering; the gale luckily remained nearly steady during the night; all on board were in great anxiety during the whole time, and Mr. Mariner not the least so among them. In the morning, as soon as the light was sufficiently strong, a man, who was sent up to the mast-head, discovered land, to the great relief of their anxiety; and the rising sun soon enabled them to recognize the shores of Vavaoo, to their unspeakable joy, and, in particular, to the wonder and amazement of Finow, who did not know how to express his astonishment sufficiently at the extraordinary properties of the compass. How such a little instrument could give information of such vast importance, produced in him a sort of respectful veneration, that amounted to what was little short of idolatry; for finding that Mr. Mariner could not explain why it always pointed more or less to the north, he could hardly be persuaded but what it was inspired by a hotooa. He was so pleased with this property of the compass, that he almost always carried it about him afterwards: using it much oftener than was necessary, both at sea and on shore, for it always seemed a new thing to him.

It may easily be supposed, that Finow, with such an enquiring mind as he possessed, took

delight in every thing that afforded him instruction, or satisfied his curiosity; not only in regard to things that were very extraordinary, but those also that were moderately common and useful. He was accustomed, therefore, to visit the houses of canoe-builders and carpenters, that he might learn their respective arts, and he often made very judicious observations. He very frequently went into the country to inspect the plantations, and became a very good agriculturist, setting an example to all the young chiefs, that they might learn what was useful, and employ their time profitably. He used to say, that the best way to enjoy one's food was to make oneself hungry by attending to the cultivation of it.

There were many individuals at the Tonga islands besides Finow, that possessed uncommon intellect, as well as good disposition of heart, but none of them seemed endowed with that extraordinary desire of investigation which so strongly characterised the king. Among the most remarkable of these was his uncle, Finow Fiji, and his friend, Hala A'pi Api. The first of these was venerated for his wisdom; a quality which he derived rather from his great experience, steady temper of mind, and natural solid judgment, than from the light of extraordinary

intellectual research. Nevertheless, this divine quality was marked in his countenance; there was something graceful and venerable about his forehead and brow that commanded respect and confidence. He had no quick sparkling look of ardour, nor fire of impetuosity, but his deep-seated eye seemed to speculate deliberately upon objects of importance and utility. His whole physiognomy was overshadowed by a cast of sublime melancholy, but he had been one of the greatest warriors that Tonga ever produced. The islands of Fiji, (whence he derived his name), had been the scenes of his achievements, and the stories recorded of him equalled those of romance; his arm had dispensed death to many a Fiji warrior, whose surviving friends still recollect the terror of his name; but all the warlike propensities of this mighty chieftain seemed now absorbed in a conviction of the vanity and absurdity of useless bloodshed; and nothing seemed now to afford him a greater pleasure, (next to giving counsel to those who asked it), than to play with little children, and to mingle with unwonted cheerfulness in their amusements. Finow Fiji was perhaps about fifty years of age,* and was become rather cor

* No native of Tonga knows his age, for no account of the revolution of years is kept.

pulent his whole demeanour was not erect, powerful, and commanding, like that of his brother, the late king, but his slow step and steady action shewed something of solid worth in his character, that wrought respect in the beholder without any mixture of fear.-It has just been said, that Finow Fiji performed most of his warlike feats at the Fiji islands: the greater part of the time that he was there, Hala Api Api,* though a much younger man, (about thirty,) was his constant friend and companion; they always fought near together, and were said to have owed their lives to each other thirty or forty times over. The mutual friendship of these two was very great, although their characters were widely different in many respects.

To form a tolerable idea of Hala Api Api, we must conceive to ourselves a slim yet athletic and active figure, of a middling stature, full of fire and impetuosity; endowed with a mind replete with the most romantic notions of heroic bravery: full of mischief (without malignity), wrought up with the most exuberant generosity: the heat and inconstancy of youth was in him strangely mixed with the steadiness and wisdom of age: no man performed more mis* The young chief whose conduct towards Talo has been related.

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