not professed warriors, but men on whose courage and honour no reliance could be placed. They met with a smaller body of the enemy, but who were all staunch fighting men; and in a very short time, Palavali's men turned about to run away. He vainly endeavoured to rally them, and, facing about to set them the example, he received several wounds, and fell. At this moment his men also faced round, and seeing the perilous situation of their chief, became animated with courage, and drove the enemy a few paces back, whilst two or three picked him up, and carried him to the fort

ress.

When they arrived, they proceeded to take out four spears which had pierced him, but he desired them to desist from so useless a task, as he was certain the gods had decreed his death as a punishment for his late offence. This too was the general opinion of the people, and was the subject of their conversation long afterwards, contributing to spread a considerable gloom throughout the garrison. Palavali died about half an hour after he was brought home.

Finow already began to grow tired of the war. It was a kind of conflict not suited to his genius ; he loved rather a few hard fought engagements and a speedy conquest. The enemy showed no disposition to come forth from their stronghold and attack him; and he had found by experience, that even the guns produced no sensible effect upon their fortification, situated upon an eminence, and defended by walls of clay. * He heartily

* Mr Mariner could easily have devised a method to set the enemy's fortress on fire; but he considered Toe Oomoo's cause quite as just as that of Finow; and although the latter was his friend, he had more than half assisted in

wished for a peace, but he did not choose that his wish should be known, lest it should be attributed to fear or any other unworthy motive; in short, he wanted to bring about a peace, without being thought to wish for it; and the difficulty was to accomplish this. He was, however, by no means deficient in policy, and he soon thought of a method. From time to time he held secret conferences with the priests, chiefly either upon religious subjects or upon political matters, as connected with the will of the gods. He spoke of his determination to remain at Vavaoo and prosecute the war till his enemies were destroyed; then on a sudden, as if his heart for the moment relented, he painted in the most striking colours the evils of war, and how sorry he was that the necessity of the case obliged him to punish his rebellious subjects with so dire an evil. He then represented, in the most lively colours, the blessings of peace, and on this side of the prospect touched his hearers so with the beauty of the description that they entreated him to endeavour to make a peace. then pretended to be inexorable, but always threw in something in favour of the Vavaoo people, so that the priests at length thought there was no question at all about the propriety and honour of making a peace, and that it was their duty to persuade him to do it. When they were inspired they had the same sentiment, and of course they considered it to be the sentiment of the gods, and represented it to him as such; while he, pretend

He

the assassination of a man of admirable character (Toobo Nuha), who was also Mr Mariner's friend; besides, he did not choose to be the means of dealing out destruction upon a number of innocent women and children.

ing to submit only because it was the divine will, left the matter entirely to them to negotiate; and if they succeeded, it would afford him, he said, at least one great gratification, viz. the opportunity of again renewing his friendship with his aunt Toe Oomoo, and paying her that respect which her superior relationship required.

The day after the last conference, the priests accordingly dressed themselves in mats, with wreaths of green leaves round their necks as tokens of humility, not towards the enemy, but the gods, as fulfilling a commission sacred in its nature. Thus equipped, they set out on their way to Felletoa. In the mean time, Finow gave orders that none of his men should commit any act of hostility; for as the gods had admonished him to endeavour to make a peace, and the priests were actually fulfilling that endeavour, any act of hostility might defeat their purpose.

The priests went four or five different times to hold conferences with the chiefs of Felletoa before they could bring about a reconciliation. The old men seemed willing enough to listen to terms of accommodation, influenced perhaps by their prejudice in favour of Finow as their lawful king, yet the young and spirited warriors, who saw clearly enough into the artful character of Finow, with much less of the above prejudice, constantly objected to make a peace with a man on whose honour and integrity they thought it impossible, with any degree of certainty, to rely. At length, however, they said that as their lives were not a matter of so much consequence as the peace and happiness of Toe Oomoo and her people generally, they were willing to withdraw their objections. The priests

now returned to Neafoo with the warmest assurances from the chiefs of Felletoa, that they would pay Finow an amicable visit the following day.

The next morning the chiefs and warriors of Felletoa, with several women, were seen coming towards Neafoo, advancing two and two, all armed, painted and decorated with streamers, forming altogether a very beautiful and romantic procession, bringing with them abundance of gnatoo, yams, &c. as presents to their relations. In this way they came into the king's presence on the malai, where he was seated with his chiefs and matabooles. The Vavaoo people then laid down their spears, which were afterwards shared out to three of Finow's principal chiefs, who again shared them out to all those below them in rank. They seated themselves round the malai, and cava was prepared, the young chiefs and warriors of Felletoa waiting on the company. + All this time Finow's men were unarmed, ‡ agreeably to the custom on such occasions, but by his orders the greater part remained at their houses where their arms were deposited, for he was upon his guard lest his guests had some stratagem to play. He had merely signified to his men, that it would be better for them

*Mr Mariner believes this to be always the case on such occasions: but it was the only instance of a peace formally established, that happened while he was there.

It is an honourable office to assist at cava parties, it is therefore generally filled by young chiefs.

The visitors come armed for the sake of parade, giving up their arms afterwards as presents; those that receive them must be unarmed, as a proof of their amicable disposition, and that they do not mean to get them in their power by stratagem.

to remain at their houses, as it would inspire the Vavaoo chiefs with more confidence than if they were present in a body.

During the time the cava was being served out, the king made á speech, addressed principally to the chiefs of Felletoa, in which he acknowledged that they were not to be blamed for their fears and apprehensions as long as they believed him to be the treacherous character which his enemies had represented him to be; but he hoped that these calumnies were now at an end. He was willing, he said, to excuse them for having fought in honour of the memory of their late chief Toobó Nuha, against his murderers, for if they had not done so, he should have considered them cowards; but as most of these murderers had now by their death expiated their crime, and he himself, as he solemnly assured them, being perfectly innocent of that affair, the present peace, he was convinced, was a most honourable one to all parties. He then made the most solemn protestations of the sincerity of his intentions towards them; and as a proof of his wish to avoid all future occasions of quarrel, he should send back all his people to the Hapai Islands, except a few matabooles, who were to remain with him at Vavaoo, which, for the future, he should make his place of residence, out of the love and respect he had for them; whilst he should consign the government of the Hapai Islands to Toobó Tóa, who was to send him annual tribute. When the cava was finished the company rose up, and the Vavaoo party returned to Felletoa, to prepare an entertainment for the Hapai people the following day.

Early the next morning all the chiefs, mata