that any one had been buried there, but as they approached the pile they simultaneously came to a stop, and began to murmur among themselves, using the words mate mate. No inducement could persuade them to proceed, until it was explained to them by David Whippy, that there was no desire to dig in the direction of the grave, which was to be left sacred. With this intimation they seemed well satisfied, and went on digging merrily. A large quantity of seeds, of various kinds of vegetables and fruits, were planted. For the fencing and digging of the garden I gave, by agreement, a trade musket, and I believe this included the purchase of the ground!

The day after Tanoa's visit, I received from him a royal present of ten hogs, a quantity of yams, taro, fruit, &c.

Our stay at Ovolau continued for six weeks. Among the incidents which occurred during this time were the following:

On the 17th May, David Bateman died. He had been a marine on board the Porpoise, and had been transferred to the Vincennes at Tonga. A post mortem examination showed that the right lung was almost wholly destroyed by disease, and there was about a pint of purulent matter in the pleura.

On the 19th, Seru, the son of Tanoa, arrived from Ambau, for the purpose of visiting me. I immediately sent him and his suite an invitation to meet me at the observatory on the following day, with which he complied. Seru is extremely good-looking, being tall, well-made, and athletic. He exhibits much intelligence both in his expression of countenance and manners. His features and figure resemble those of a European, and he is graceful and easy in his carriage. The instruments at the observatory excited his wonder and curiosity. He, in common with the other natives, believed that they were intended for the Purpose of looking at the Great Spirit, and in consequence paid them the greatest respect and reverence. This opinion saved us much trouble, for they did not presume to approach the instruments; and although some of them were always to be found without the boundary which had been traced to limit their approach, they never intruded within it. They always behaved civilly, and said they only came to sara-sara (look-on).

I afterwards took Seru on board the Vincennes, where, as his father had recommended, I gave him plenty of good advice, to which he seemed to pay great attention. I had been told that he would probably exhibit hauteur and an arrogant bearing, but he manifested nothing of the kind. He appeared rather, as I had been told by his father I would find him, "young and frisky." He was received with the same attentions that had been paid to his father. The firing of the guns seemed to take his fancy much, and he was desirous that I should gratify him by continuing to fire them longer; but I was not inclined to make the honours paid to him greater than those rendered to his father, knowing how observant they are of all forms. The whole party, himself included, showed more pleasure and were much more liberal, in their exclamations of vi naka! vi naka! and whoo! using them more energetically than the king's party, as might be naturally expected from a younger set of natives. Seru is quite ingenious; he took the musket

given him to pieces as quickly, and used it with as much adroitness as if he had been a gunsmith. His ambati (priest) was with him, and the party all appeared greatly delighted with the ship. On the whole I was much pleased with him during his visit; shortly afterwards, he, however, visited the ship during my absence, and displayed a very different bearing, so much so as to require to be checked. I learned a circumstance which would serve to prove that the reputation he bears is pretty well founded. He on one occasion had sent word to one of the islands (Goro, I believe), for the chief to have a quantity of cocoa-nut oil ready for him by a certain time. Towards the expiration of the specified interval, Seru went to the island and found it was not ready. The old chief of the island pleaded the impossibility of compliance, from want of time, and promised to have it ready as soon as possible. Seru told him he was a great liar, and without further words, struck him on the head and killed him on the spot. This is only one of many instances of the exercise of arbitrary authority over their vassals.

One day, while at the observatory, I was greatly surprised at seeing one whom I took to be a Feejeeman enter my tent, a circumstance so inconsistent with the respect to our prescribed limit, of which I have spoken. His colour, however, struck me as lighter than that of any native I had yet seen. He was a short wrinkled old man, but appeared to possess great vigour and activity. He had a beard that reached to his middle, and but little hair, of a reddish grey colour, on his head. He gave me no time for inquiry, but at once addressed me in broad Irish, with a rich Milesian brogue. In a few minutes he made me acquainted with his story, which, by his own account, was as follows.

His name was Paddy Connel, but the natives called him Berry; he was born in the county of Clare in Ireland; had run away from school when he was a little fellow, and after wandering about as a vagabond, was pressed into the army in the first Irish rebellion. At the time the French landed in Ireland, the regiment to which he was attached marched at once against the enemy, and soon arrived on the field of battle, where they were brought to the charge. The first thing he knew or heard, the drums struck up a White Boys' tune, and his whole regiment went over and joined the French, with the exception of the officers, who had to fly. They were then marched against the British, and were soon defeated by Lord Cornwallis; it was a hard fight, and Paddy found himself among the slain. When he thought the battle was over, and night came on, he crawled off and reached home. He was then taken up and tried for his life, but was acquitted; he was, however, remanded to prison, and busied himself in effecting the escape of some of his comrades. On this being discovered, he was confined in the black hole, and soon after sent to Cork, to be put on board a convict-ship bound to New South Wales. When he arrived there, his name was not found on the books of the prisoners, consequently he had been transported by mistake, and was, therefore, set at liberty. He then worked about for several years, and collected a small sum of money, but unfortunately fell into bad company, got drunk, and lost it all. Just about this time Captain Sartori, of the ship General Wellesley, arrived at Sydney. Having

202

Personal appearance of the Feejees.

lost a great part of his crew by sickness and desertion, he desired to procure hands for his ship, which was still at Sandalwood Bay, and obtained thirty-five men, one of whom was Paddy Connel. At the time they were ready to depart, a French privateer, Le Gloriant, Captain Dubardieu, put into Sydney, when Captain Sartori engaged a passage for himself and his men to the Feejees. On their way they touched at Norfolk Island, where the ship struck, and damaged her keel so much that they were obliged to put into the Bay of Islands for repairs. Paddy asserts that a difficulty had occurred here between Captain Sartori and his men about their provisions, which was amicably settled. The Gloriant finally sailed from New Zealand for Tongataboo, where they arrived just after the capture of a vessel, which he supposed to have been the Port au Prince, as they had obtained many articles from the natives, which had evidently belonged to some large vessel. Here they remained some months, and then sailed for Sandalwood Bay, where the men, on account of their former quarrel with Captain Sartori, refused to go on board the General Wellesley: some of them shipped on board the Gloriant, and others, with Paddy, determined to remain on shore with the natives. He added, that Captain Sartori was kind to him, and at parting had given him a pistol, cutlass, and an old good-for-nothing musket; these, with his sea-chest and a few clothes, were all that he possessed. He had now lived forty years among these savages. After hearing his whole story, I told him I did not believe a word of it; to which he answered, that the main part of it was true, but he might have made some mistakes, as he had been so much in the habit of lying to the Feejeeans, that he hardly now knew when he told the truth, adding

Personal appearance of the Feejees.

that he had no desire to tell any thing but the truth.

Paddy turned out to be a very amusing fellow, and possessed an accurate knowledge of the Feejee character. Some of the whites told me that he was more than half Feejee; indeed he seemed to delight in showing how nearly he was allied to them in feeling and propensities; and, like them, seemed to fix his attention upon trifles. He gave me a droll account of his daily employments, which it would be inappropriate to give here, and finished by telling me the only wish he had then, was to get for his little boy, on whom he doated, a small hatchet, and the only articles he had to offer for it were a few old hens. On my asking him if he did not cultivate the ground, he said at once no, he found it much easier to get his living by telling the Feejeeans stories, which he could always make good enough for them; these, and the care of his two little boys, and his hens, and his pigs, when he had any, gave him ample employment and plenty of food. He had lived much at Rewa, and until lately had been a resident at Levuka, but had, in consequence of his intrigues, been expelled by the white residents, to the island of Ambatiki. It appeared that they had unanimously come to the conclusion that if he did not remove, they would be obliged to put him to death for their own safety. I could not induce Whippy or Tom to give me the circumstances that occasioned this determination, and Paddy would not communicate more than that his residence on Ambatiki was a forced one, and that it was as though he was living out of the world, rearing pigs, fowls, and children. Of the last description of live stock he had forty-eight, and hoped that he might live to see fifty born to him. He had had one hundred wives.

CHARACTER-DIVISION

BEFORE proceeding to the narration of the operations of the squadron in the Feejee Group, it would appear expedient to give some account of the people who inhabit the islands of which it is composed. A reader unacquainted with their manners and customs can hardly appreciate the difficulties with which the performance of our duties was attended, or the obstacles which impeded our progress. Our information, in relation to the almost unknown race which occupies the Feejee Group,

was obtained from personal observation, from the statements of the natives themselves, and from white residents. I also derived much information from the missionaries, who, influenced by motives of religion, have undertaken the arduous, and as yet unprofitable task, of introducing the light of civilization and the illumination of the Gospel into this benighted region.

Although, as we shall see, the natives of Feejee have made considerable progress in several of the

useful arts, they are, in many respects, the most barbarous and savage race now existing upon the globe. The intercourse they have had with white men has produced some effect on their political condition, but does not appear to have had the least influence in mitigating the barbarous ferocity of their character. In this group, therefore, may be seen the savage in his state of nature; and a comparison of his character with that of the natives of the groups in which the Gospel has been profitably preached, will enable our readers to form a better estimate of the value of missionary labours than can well be acquired in any other

manner.

The Feejeeans are generally above the middle height, and exhibit a great variety of figure. Among them the chiefs are tall, well-made, and muscular; while the lower orders manifest the meagreness arising from laborious service and scanty nourishment. Their complexion lies, in general, between that of the black and coppercoloured races, although instances of both extremes are to be met with, thus indicating a descent from two different stocks. One of these, the coppercoloured, is no doubt the same as that whence the Tongese are derived.

None of them equal the natives of Tonga in beauty of person. The faces of the greater num ber are long, with a large mouth, good and well-set teeth, and a well-formed nose. Instances, however, are by no means rare, of narrow and high foreheads, flat noses, and thick lips, with a broad short chin; still they have nothing about them of the negro type. Even the frizzled appearance of the hair, which is almost universal, and which at first sight seems a distinct natural characteristic, I was, after a long acquaintance with their habits, inclined to ascribe to artificial causes. Besides the long bushy beards and mustaches, which are always worn by the chiefs, they have a great quantity of hair on their bodies. This, with the peculiar proportion between their thighs and the calves of their legs, brings them nearer to the whites than any of the Polynesian races visited by us.

The eyes of the Feejeeans are usually fine, being black and penetrating. Some, however, have them red and bloodshot, which may probably be ascribed to ava drinking.

The expression of their countenances is usually restless and watchful; they are observing and quick in their movements.

The hair of the boys is cropped close, while that of the young girls is allowed to grow. In the latter it is to be seen naturally arranged in tight cork-screw locks, many inches in length, which fall in all directions from the crown of the head. The natural colour of the hair of the girls can hardly be ascertained, for they are in the habit of acting upon it by lime and pigments, which make it white, red, brown, or black, according to the taste of the individual.

When the boys grow up, their hair is no longer cropped, and great pains is taken to spread it out into a mop-like form. The chiefs, in particular, pay great attention to the dressing of their heads, and for this purpose all of them have barbers, whose sole occupation is the care of their masters' heads. The duty of these functionaries is held to be of so sacred a nature, that their hands are tabooed from all other employment, and they are

not even permitted to feed themselves *. To dress the head of a chief occupies several hours, and the hair is made to spread out from the head, on every side, to a distance that is often eight inches. The beard, which is also carefully nursed, often reaches the breast, and when a Feejeean has these important parts of his person well dressed, he exhibits a degree of conceit that is not a little amusing.

In the process of dressing the hair, it is well anointed with oil, mixed with a carbonaceous black, until it is completely saturated+. The barber then takes the hair-pin, which is a long and slender rod, made of tortoise-shell or bone, and proceeds to twitch almost every separate hair. This causes it to frizzle and stand erect. The bush of hair is then trimmed smooth, by singeing it, until it has the appearance of an immense wig. When this has been finished, a piece of tapa, so fine as to resemble tissue-paper, is wound in light folds around it, to protect the hair from dew or dust. This covering, which has the look of a turban, is called sala, and none but chiefs are allowed to wear it; any attempt to assume this head-dress by a kaisi, or common person, would be immediately punished with death. The sala, when taken care of, will last three weeks or a month, and the hair is not dressed except when it is removed; but the high chiefs and dandies seldom allow a day to pass without changing the sala, and having their hair put in order.

The Feejeeans are extremely changeable in their disposition. They are fond of joking, indulge in laughter, and will at one moment appear to give themselves up to merriment, from which they in an instant pass to demon-like anger, which they evince by looks which cannot be misunderstood by those who are the subjects of it, and particularly if in the power of the enraged native. Their anger seldom finds vent in words, but has the character of sullenness. A chief, when offended, seldom speaks a word, but puts sticks in the ground, to keep the cause of his anger constantly in his recollection. The objects of it now understand that it is time to appease him by propitiatory offerings, if they would avoid the bad consequences. When these have been tendered to the satisfaction of the offended dignitary, he pulls up the sticks as a signal that he is pacified.

According to Whippy, who had an excellent opportunity of judging, the Feejeeans are addicted to stealing, are treacherous in the extreme, and, with all their ferocity, cowards. The most universal trait of their character is their inclination to lying. They tell a falsehood in preference, when the truth would better answer their purpose; and in conversing with them, the truth can be only obtained by cautioning them not to talk like a Feejee man, or, in other words, not to tell any

lies.

Adroit lying is regarded as an accomplishment, and one who is expert at it is sure of a comfortable subsistence and a friendly reception wherever he goes. Their own weakness in this respect does not render them suspicious, and nothing but what is

These barbers are called a-vu-ni-ulu. They are attached to the household of the chiefs in numbers of from two to a dozen.

The oil is procured by scraping and squeezing a nut called maiketu; the black is prepared from the laudi nut.

greatly exaggerated is likely to be believed. In illustration of the latter trait, I was told by Paddy Connel, that he never told them the truth when he wished to be believed, for of it they were always incredulous. He maintained that it was absolutely necessary to tell them lies in order to receive credence.

Covetousness is probably one of the strongest features of the Feejeean character, and is the incentive to many crimes. I have, however, been assured, that a white man might travel with safety from one end of an island to the other, provided he had nothing about him to excite their desire of acquisition. This may be true, but it is impossible to say that even the most valueless article of our manufactures might not be coveted by them. With all this risk of being put to death, hospitable entertainment and reception in their houses is almost certain, and while in them, perfect security may be relied on. The same native who within a few yards of his house would murder a coming or departing guest for sake of a knife or a hatchet, will defend him at the risk of his own life as soon as he has passed his threshold.

The people of the Feejee Group are divided into a number of tribes, independent and often hostile to each other. In each tribe great and marked distinctions of rank exist. The classes which are readily distinguished are as follows: 1. kings; 2. chiefs; 3. warriors; 4. landholders (matanivanua); 5. slaves (kai-si). The last have nominally little influence; but in this group, as in other countries, the mere force of numbers is sufficient to counterbalance or overcome the force of the prescriptive rights of the higher and less numerous classes. This has been the case at Ambau, where the people at no distant period rose against and drove out their kings.

Among the most singular of the Feejee customs, and of whose origin it is difficult to form a rational opinion, is that which gives certain rights to a member of another tribe, who is called Vasu (nephew). To give an idea of the character of this right, and the manner in which it is exercised, I shall cite the case of Tanoa. He, although the most powerful chief in the group, feels compelled to comply with, and acknowledges Thokanauto (better known to foreigners as Mr. Phillips) as Vasu-togai of Ambau, who has in consequence the right of sending thither for any thing he may want, and even from Tanoa himself. On Tanoa's first visit to me, among other presents, I gave him one of Hall's patent rifles. This Thokanauto heard of, and determined to have it, and Tanoa had no other mode of preserving it than by sending it away from Ambau. When Rivaletta, Tanoa's youngest son, visited me one day at the observatory, he had the rifle with him, and told me that his father had put it into his hands, in order that it might not be demanded.

Afterwards, when Thokanauto himself paid me a visit, he had in his possession one of the watches that had been given to Seru, and told me openly that he would have the musket also. While at Levuka, he appropriated to himself a canoe and its contents, leaving the owner to find his way back to Ambau as he could. The latter made no complaint, and seemed to consider the act as one of

course.

When the Vasu-togai or Vasu-levu of a town or

declaring war.

district visits it, he is received with honours even greater than those paid to the chief who rules over it. All bow in obedience to his will, and he is received with clapping of hands and the salutation, "O sa vi naka lako mai vaka turanga Ratu Vasulevu," (Hail! good is the coming hither of our noble Lord Nephew).

When the Vasu-levu of Mbenga goes thither, honours almost divine are rendered him, for he is supposed to be descended in a direct line from gods. Mbenga formerly played a very conspicuous part in the affairs of the group, but of late years it happened to get into difficulties with Rewa, in consequence of which Ngaraningiou attacked it, conquered its inhabitants, and massacred many of them. Since that time it has had little or no political influence.

The hostile feelings of the different tribes makes war the principal employment of the males throughout the group; and where there is so strong a disposition to attack their neighbours, plausible reasons for beginning hostilities are not difficult to find. The wars of the Feejeeans usually arise from some accidental affront or misunderstanding, of which the most powerful party takes advantage to extend his dominions or increase his wealth. This is sometimes accomplished by a mere threat, by which the weaker party is terrified into submission to the demand for territory or property.

When threats fail, a formal declaration of war is made by an officer, resembling in his functions the heralds (feciales) of the Romans. Every town has one of these, who is held in much respect, and whose words are always taken as true. When he repairs to the town of the adverse party, where he is always received with great attention, he carries with him an ava root, which he presents to the chiefs, saying, "Korai sa tatau, sa kalu" (I bid you goodbye, it is war). The usual answer is, "Sa vi naka, sa lako talo ki" (It is well, return home). Preparations are then made on both sides, and when they mean to have a fair open fight, a messenger is sent from one party to ask the other, what town they intend to attack first. The reply is sometimes true, but is sometimes intended merely as a cover for their real intentions. In the latter case, however, it rarely succeeds; in the former, both parties repair to the appointed place.

In preparing for war, and during its continuance, they abstain from the company of women; and there were instances related to me, where this abstinence had continued for several years.

When a body made up of several tribes has approached near the enemy, the vunivalu, or general, makes a speech to each separate tribe. In this he does all in his power by praises, taunts, or exhortations, as he thinks best suited to the purpose, to excite them to deeds of bravery. To one he will talk in the following manner:

"You say you are a brave people. You have made me great promises, now we will see how you will keep them. To me you look more like slaves than fighting men.'

men."

Or thus: "Here are these strangers come to fight with us. Let us see who are the best To another tribe he will say, "Where do you come from?" Some one of the tribe starts up, and striking the ground with his club, replies by naming its place of residence. The vunivalu then con