Voona, the chief of Vavaoo, having fled to Hamoa (the Navigator's Islands) with a canoe full of other chiefs, Finow found himself master of the whole place, and was declared king, giving up the government of it to Toobó Nuha, as a sort of viceroy, to pay him an annual tribute. All affairs being settled at Vavaoo, Finow returned to the Hapai Islands, to meditate future attempts upon the island of Tonga.

In the mean time, affairs went on very badly at Tonga. Toogoo Ahoo left neither son nor brother to succeed him; but he had several distant relations, each of whom put in claims for the sovereignty. A violent civil contention ensued, and the island was soon divided into several petty states. In the course of a little time, each party had built a fort for itself, so that there were at least twelve or thirteen different garrisoned places upon the island. Thus, was the Island of Tonga,

to which war had hitherto been a stranger, torn by civil strife, and at times given up a prey to famine, a situation worse, perhaps, than that under the tyranny of Toogoo Ahoo. Besides their domestic troubles, every year they were disturbed by attacks from Finow, who made it his annual custom to make a descent upon one or other of their fortresses, and sometimes upon several of them in the same season; but they were all so well fortified and entrenched, that their enemy, however powerful, consisting of Hapai people, under the command of Finow, and the Vavaoo people, under that of Toobó Nuha, had never succeeded, up to the time of Mr Mariner's arrival, in taking or destroying a single fort; that is to say, during the space of seven or eight years.

This piece of history Mr Mariner heard not only from Finow, but from Toobó Nuha, Tooitonga, and a number of other chiefs, as also, though in detached portions, from several of the inhabi tants of the Island of Tonga; and he found an uniform consistency in all their accounts. It will therefore appear, that, at the time of Captain Cook's visit, the whole of Tonga (that is to say, the Island of Tonga, the Hapai Islands, and Vavaoo) was under the sole dominion of Toogoo Ahoo, whose seat of government was on the Island of Tonga, and who received tributes from Finow, chief of the Hapai Islands, and from Voona, chief of Vavaoo. That, at the time of Mr Mariner's first arrival, the Island of Tonga was, and had been for several years, divided into various petty states, all at war with one another, whilst Finow was king of the Hapai Islands and Vavaoo, and Toobó Nuha only tributary chief of the latter place.

Mr Mariner, and those of his companions who were with him at the Island of Lefooga, (four in number), now received orders from the king to prepare for the annual attack upon the Island of Tonga, and to get ready four twelve-pound carronades. They immediately set to work, to mount them upon new carriages with high wheels, made by the native carpenters under their directions which being done, Finow expressed his opinion, that the gun was an instrument not well fitted for their mode of warfare, which consisted in sudden attacks and retreats, according to circumstances, rather than in a steady engagement. He very

* Voona, it is related, did not pay his tributes regularly as he ought to have done, but, being a powerful chief, and his possessions so far from the seat of government, Toogoo Ahoo had never ventured to take hostile measures,

readily entered into an acknowledgment of the advantages of a steady contest, but was apprehensive that his men would not easily be brought to stand it. Mr Mariner and his companions, however, promised that they and their countrymen (who were dispersed upon other islands), would remain in the front of the battle with their four guns, provided the Tonga people would agree to stand fast and support them. The king assented to this on the part of his men, and a few days afterwards, when he reviewed them, he signified his wishes, and they swore to fulfil their duty. In the mean time the Englishmen employed themselves in collecting the shot which the natives had brought from on board, but which they had thrown aside, not being able to shape them for any common purpose, Every preparation was also making by the natives for the approaching war. They repaired the sails of their canoes, collected their arrows, spears, and clubs ; and the women employed themselves in packing up bales of gnatoo * mats, &c.

One day, whilst these preparations were going forward, the king asked Mr Mariner whether he had a mother living; and upon his replying in the affirmative, he appeared much grieved that he should be separated so far from her. It is a custom in the Tonga islands for men (and sometimes women) to adopt or choose a foster-mother, even though they have their own natural mother living, with a view of being better provided with all necessaries and conveniences, as cloth, oil, food, &c. On this occasion the king appointed one of his wives, Mafi Habe, to be Mr Mariner's adopted mother, telling him, that if there was any thing he

* Gnatoo, a sort of cloth made of the bark of the Chinese paper mulberry tree,

wanted to make his situation more comfortable, he need only apply to Mafi Habe, and as she was a woman of consequence, it was in her power to procure him any thing that in reason he might require. This woman had afterwards as much real esteem and parental affection for him as she could possibly have for her own son.

At this time there lived in the island of Lefooga a female, who for many years had been afflicted with insanity. She had become insane in consequence of excessive grief, partly occasioned by the death of a near relation, but principally by her child having been taken from her to be strangled as an offering to the gods, for the recovery of his sick father. * As this poor woman was considered of no use to society, Finow was desirous that she should be put out of the way; and as he was also anxious again to witness the execution of a musket ball, he one day desired Mr Mariner to shoot her. The latter entreated to be excused from this ungrateful task, assuring the king that he was perfectly willing to risk his life in his service against his enemies; but that it was quite contrary to the sentiment of the religion in which he had been brought up, and to the laws of his country, to destroy an innocent fellow-creature in cold blood. Finow immediately admitted the excuse, without being at all offended, and the unfortunate woman for that time escaped. A few days afterwards, however, as she was walking about upon the beach, Finow ordered a Sandwich islander who was at hand with his musket to shoot her. With ready acquiescence, he levelled his

*This religious rite will be described in another place.

piece and shot her dead upon the spot. Mr Mariner was at a little distance, and saw the fact without having it in his power to prevent it. She had just been in the act of picking up a shell or something, as the shot struck her; when she screamed out, and springing two or three feet from the ground, fell into the sea. The people in general were rather glad that she was dead, as she used to break in upon religious ceremonies, and on other occasions, when they were drinking cava, and dance about to the annoyance of every body, sometimes with scarcely any clothes on, which is considered very indecent and disrespectful.

All things being now prepared for the invasion of Tonga, the gods invoked, and Finow assured of success, orders were sent to all the Hapai islands to make Namooca the place of general rendezvous. The large canoes of Lefooga, about fourteen in number, were then launched, which, with Toobó Nuha's fleet from Vavaoo, made together about fifty sail. These fifty sail, under the direction of Finow, four of the largest having each a carronade on board, proceeded towards the appointed place; but on account of contrary winds were obliged to put into Wiha. Here Finow took an opportunity to review his men, most of them being painted and drest after the warlike manner of the Fiji islands. They paraded up and down for some time, brandishing their clubs and spears, and exhibiting a sort of sham fight. Finow sat with several other chiefs in the house on the malái. †

The ceremony of invocation, and the supposed inspiration of the priests, will be described hereafter.

+ The malai is a grass-plat, about three acres in extent, with a house on it, and is used for various public pur