had learnt in this respect from sinking for ever into oblivion.

In order that no opportunity might be lost of securing greater accuracy to the following pages, besides Jeremiah Higgins, * I sought out those of Mr Mariner's companions belonging to the Port au Prince, who had returned to England, and met with three viz. William Towel, Thomas Dawson, and Thomas Eversfield, whose statements, as far as they went, were all confirmatory of Mr Mariner's more elaborate information.

I might here go into detail with many other proofs of Mr Mariner's accuracy. I might refer to numerous places in Campbell's Voyage, which appeared after the first edition of the narrative part of this work was printed off, where the author relates matters regarding the Sandwich Islands, corroborative of what Mr Mariner has stated. + I might also quote Kotzebue's Voyages,-Nicholas's Voyage to New Zealand,the Supplement to the Encyclopædia Britannica, the Quarterly Review, and other works where the "Account of the Tonga Islands" is

* Of whom, see Preface to Second Edition.

↑ The late king of those Islands, Támmeahméha, who, from his zealous endeavours to civilize and promote the prosperity of his country, has been called another Peter the Great, strongly solicited Mr Mariner to remain with him and be his secretary.

favourably mentioned. With regard to its popular interest, I may refer to the French translation of M. DEF, published at Paris; to the use which the late Lord Byron has made of the traditionary tale of the Cavern of Hoonga, in his poem of "The Island;" and to other poetical effusions founded upon the same subject.

With regard to my own labours in this work, I shall presume to say nothing more than that I have spared no pains in my endeavours to render the following pages worthy of public confidence, and that my reliance on the truth of all Mr Mariner's details, after having so amply proved many of them, and found no inconsistency or contradiction, is such that I can never regret the time or pains I have bestowed on an interesting, and I flatter myself, instructive subject. I have been a little more full than I otherwise should have been in this Introduction, in order that the mind of the reader may be prepared, without mistrust, for the quantity of interesting matter which so young a man has observed and remembered. He was nineteen years of age when he left the Tonga Islands, and it is perhaps to the circumstance of his youth that we are indebted for so intimate a knowledge of the people. In conclusion it may be stated, that Mr Mariner is still in London, and has been several years situated in the office of Mr Edward Hancock,

stock-broker, No. 12, Copthall Court, near the Bank, his residence No. 2, Stebon Place, Mile End, and that his Portrait, in the frontispiece

to this volume, is an excellent likeness.

London, August 1827.

JOHN MARTIN.

ACCOUNT

OF THE

TONGA ISLANDS.

CHAPTER I.

ON Tuesday, February 12th, 1805, at eleven o'clock a. m. the Port au Prince weighed anchor at Gravesend, made sail, and worked down the river. At twelve p.m. she came to an anchor at the Warp. The following day she weighed anchor again, passed through the Downs with a fair wind, and, sailing down the Channel, proceeded on her intended voyage. No circumstances worth mentioning occurred during several weeks. The wind continued fair, but variable. On the 20th of March, in the afternoon, the mizen-mast gave way, by the jerk of a swell, and was found much decayed under the copper, in the way of the mizen-gaff: this damage, however, by the next day, was completely repaired. On her arrival (April 9th) in lat. 21. 55. S. long. 38. 38. W. a very heavy gale came The foretopsail-yard, being now discovered to be rotten in the slings, was sent down and re

on.

placed by a new one. The gale continued to increase, and, from three to five in the morning, continual flashes of lightning came on from different quarters, with loud and repeated claps of thunder, succeeded by very heavy rains.

From this period till the time of her arrival off the river of Plate, the weather was changeable, and for the most part stormy. On the 6th of May she commenced her cruize in this river. Nothing particular, however, occurred for several days, except the loss of a boy, who accidentally fell overboard, and was drowned, in spite of every exertion made to save him. On the 13th, being off the island of Lobos, a boat was sent on shore to reconnoitre. In the evening she returned, without having discovered any inhabitants; a number of seals, however, were seen, and proper apparatus for skinning them, which, in all probability, had been used by persons from the mainland, in the habit of resorting to this island for the express purpose of procuring seal-skins.

On Tuesday the 14th, two boats were sent on shore to the high land above Maldonado, to reconnoitre and kill wild cattle, which were seen in abundance. The vessel in the mean time plied in a bay under the high land. The boats returned next morning at eight o'clock, with one bull, not having been able to kill more, on account of the storminess of the weather, which rendered them too wild. The crew were detained on shore much longer than they otherwise would have been, in consequence of the desertion of two men, who had been left to take care of the boats; and after a search of several hours, without effect, they were under the necessity of returning without them.