During the above operation, various people in the exterior circle are employed making cava cups of the unexpanded leaf of the banana tree, which is cut into lengths of about nine inches, each piece being then unfolded is nearly square; the two ends are next plaited up in a particular manner, and tied with a fibre of the stem of the leaf, forming a very elegant cup, not unworthy of imitation. These leaves are provided beforehand, as well as the water, the bowl, &c. by the cooks. Sometimes it happens that there is not water enough, in which case off starts some one from the exterior circle to fetch more, running as if it were for his life, and twenty more after him, each anxious to shew his readiness in arriving first with the water: in a short time, if they are not returned, twenty or thirty more will rush off with equal swiftness: presently after they are seen coming back, forty or fifty in number, at full speed, with three or four cocoa nutshells of water; or if any thing else is wanted, it is fetched in the same prompt way.

In the meanwhile, also, the fono, or provisions to be eaten with the cava, is shared out. This generally consists of yams, ripe bananas, or plantains, in sufficient quantity that each in the superior circle may have a small portion to eat after his dish of cava. The mataboole calls

out for somebody to come and divide the fono: a couple generally advance forward and proceed to make the division. A large portion is first separated, and presented to the presiding chief, by laying it before him: this being done, the mataboole orders the remainder to be divided equally between the two sides, left and right, of the superior circle; each person has consequently a portion presented to him in the order in which he sits. This operation takes up about three or four minutes, and is performed quietly, when the man at the bowl begins to wring out the cava.

The infusion of cava being now strained, the performance of which generally occupies about a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, the man at the bowl calls out gooa ma he caváne, the cava is clear: the mataboole replies, fucca tow, squeeze out, alluding to the peculiar operation of filling the cups. Two or three from the inferior or exterior circle now come forward and sit down near the bowl, bringing with them and placing on the ground several of the cups: one then rises and holds with both hands a cup to be filled, standing a little on one side, and holding the cup over the middle of the bowl, so that his body does not obstruct the view of those at the top of the superior circle. The

man who manages the bowl fills the cup by dipping in a portion of fow rolled together, and which, when replete with the liquid, he holds over the cup, compressing it so that the infusion falls into it, to the quantity of about the third of a pint. The one who has the cup now turns and stands a little on one side, with his face towards the chief: at the same time one of those who have been described, sitting by the side of the bowl and employed fanning it, cries out with a loud voice, cava gooa heca, the cava is deposited (i. e. in the cup): the mataboole replies, angi ma - give it to naming the party who is to have it, who, hearing his name announced, claps the hollow part of his hands together twice (unless it be the presiding chief), to signify where about he is seated: the cup-bearer then advances and presents it standing, unless it be to a great chief at Tooitonga's cava party, when he presents it sitting.

We must now describe the order in which the different individuals in the company are served, which is a most important part of the ceremony, and requires all the attention of the presiding mataboole. It must be noticed as a general rule, that the chief at the head of the circle receives either the first or third cup; the third cup, however, is properly his due: the first,

according to old established custom, the mataboole orders to be given to his fellow mataboole on the other side of the chief, unless there be a chief or mataboole from another island in company; it is then given to him, as being a visitor. If there be a person in the circle who has made present of the cava, the first cup is given in compliment to him. But supposing that the cava was not a present, and there are two or more visitors in company of about equal rank, and the mataboole is in doubt which of them ought to have it, to avoid giving offence he orders it to be given to the presiding chief; and this is the only case in which the chief at the head of the company gets the first cup; the other mataboole then receives the second, the third falls to the lot of the chief next in rank to the president, and so on, without farther hesitation, to every one according to his rank. So that the president either has the first or third cup, and the mataboole who is not giving directions either has the first or second cup: but to render this important piece of Tonga ceremony more clear, we shall suppose the several possible instances, and state the order of the service in each. The person whom we here call the mataboole is one of those two sitting by the side of the president, and who is not actually

giving directions; for one mataboole only regulates the serving out of each bowl; and if the bowl is filled a second time, the other mataboole directs the ceremonies, and so on alternately

1st. Where the cava is a present, and the giver is in company, the order is thus: the giver; the mataboole; the president.

2d. The cava not being a present, or the giver

not in company, but there being a visitor, thus the visitor; the mataboole; the president.

3d. There being two or more visitors of nearly equal rank, and the master of the ceremonies not knowing how to choose without giving offence, thus: the president; the mataboole; the chief next below the president in rank. 4th. There being no visitor present, thus: the mataboole; the chief next in rank to the president; the president.

Hence it will appear that the giver of the cava, in those instances where it is a present, has the first cup, in preference to any body else; at least this is generally the case, unless there be a visitor present, who is evidently superior in rank to him: on such an occasion the visitor would be preferred to the giver, and the