man a chief. After a time, however, he acknowledged that he got better used, in proportion as he became acquainted with the customs and language. He expressed his astonishment at the perseverance with which the white people worked from morning till night, to get money: he could not conceive how they were able to endure so much labour.

After having heard this account, Finow asked several questions respecting the nature of money: what was it made of?—was it like iron ? could it be fashioned like iron into various useful instruments? if not, why could not people procure what they wanted in the way of barter ?— but where was money to be got?—if it was made, then every man ought to spend his time in making money; that when he had got plenty, he might be able afterwards to obtain whatever he wanted. In answer to the last observation, Mr. Mariner replied that the material of which money was made was very scarce and difficult to be got, and that only chiefs and great men could procure readily a large quantity of it; and this either by being inheritors of plantations or houses, which they allowed others to have, for paying them so much tribute in money every year; or by their public services; or by paying small sums of money for things when they were

in plenty, and afterwards letting others have them for larger sums, when they were scarce: and as to the lower classes of people, they worked hard, and got paid by their employers in small quantities of money, as the reward of their labour: &c. That the king was the only person that was allowed to make (to coin) money, and that he put his mark upon all that he made, that it might be known to be true; that no person could readily procure the material of which it was made, without paying money for it; and if contrary to the "taboo" of the king, he turned this material into money, he would scarcely have made as much, as he had given for it. Mr. Mariner was then going on to shew the convenience of money as a medium of exchange, when Filimóëátoo interrupted him, saying to Finow, I understand how it is;money is less cumbersome than goods, and it is very convenient for a man to exchange away his goods for money; which, at any other time, he could exchange again for the same or any other goods that he might want; whereas the goods themselves might have spoilt by keeping (particularly if provisions) but the money he supposed would not spoil; and although it was of no true value itself, yet being scarce and difficult to be got without giving something useful

and really valuable for it, it was imagined to be of value; and if every body considered it so, and would readily give their goods for it, he did not see but what it was of a sort of real value to all who possessed it, as long as their neighbours chose to take it in the same way. Mr. Mariner found he could not give a better explanation, he therefore told Filimóëátoo that his notion of the nature of money was a just one. After a pause of some length, Finow replied that the explanation did not satisfy him he still thought it a foolish thing that people should place a value on money, when they either could not or would not apply it to any useful (physical) purpose: " if," said he, "it were made of iron, and could be converted "into knives, axes, and chisels, there would be some sense in placing a value on it; but as it 66 was, he saw none: if a man," he added, "has more yams than he wants, let him ex

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change some of them away for pork or

gnatoo; certainly money was much handier, " and more convenient, but then as it would "not spoil by being kept, people would store "it up, instead of sharing it out, as a chief "ought to do, and thus become selfish; whereas, if provision was the principal property of a man, and it ought to be, as

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being both the most useful and the most "necessary, he could not store it up, for it "would spoil, and so he would be obliged "either to exchange it away for something "else useful, or share it out to his neighbours, "and inferior chiefs and dependants, for no"thing." He concluded by saying, “ I under"stand now very well what it is that makes "the Papalangis so selfish ;—it is this money!"

When Mr. Mariner informed Finow that dollars were money, he was greatly surprised, having always taken them for playing counters, and things of little value; and he was exceedingly sorry he had not secured all the dollars out of the Port au Prince, before he had ordered her to be burnt: "I had always thought," said he, "that your ship belonged to some 66 poor fellow, perhaps to king George's cook ;* for captain Cook's ship, which belonged to the king, had plenty of beads, axes, and looking

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glasses on board, whilst yours had nothing "but iron-hoops, oil, skins, and twelve thou"sand playing counters, as I thought them: "but if every one of these was money, your "ship must have belonged to a very great chief ❝ indeed."

At these islands a cook is considered one of the lowest of mankind in point of rank.

Finow and his chiefs having now remained at the Hapai islands nearly six weeks, resolved to return to Vavaoo, and the following day set sail: the prince and Mr. Mariner accompanying them. As soon as they arrived at Vavaoo, the king gave orders that all the dogs in the island, except a few that belonged to chiefs, should be killed, because they destroyed the game, particularly the kalai; after which he promised himself great sport with his favourite bird. As the breed of dogs was scarce at these islands, there were not more than fifty or sixty killed on this occasion; but on these several of the chiefs made a hearty repast. Finow was particularly fond of dog's flesh, but he ordered it to be called pork; because women and many men had a degree of abhorrence at this sort of diet. The parts of the dog in most esteem are the neck and hinder quarters. The animal is killed by blows on the head, and cooked in the same manner as a hog: Mr. Mariner has frequently partaken of it, and found it very good; the fat is considered excellent. At the Sandwich islands the practice was almost universal in Mr. Mariner's time, so that more dog's flesh was eaten than pork; the hogs being preserved to be used as a trading commodity with European and American vessels. At these last mentioned islands