take off the vulgar, by imitating their expressions and pronunciations. The family of Duatonga, if they spoke to any of the domestics or visitors, would always be answered, "Ahee," "Yes, sire," but most others were answered with, "Cohou," "Yes, sir;" this latter term, if pronounced as it is spelt, would be a polite reply, but if spoken as if it was spelt Cohaa, it would be very vulgar, and signify our broad expression What;" if spoken to a chief, the man would be struck down for his rudeness.

Their nocturnal conversations would continue till ten or eleven in the evening, till they all fell asleep. Their conversation and comparisons were sometimes so very droll and ludicrous, that I occasionally burst out into a fit of laughter, which would make them say, "Coe Kata gee aha Balo," What are you laughing at, Balo? "Mannogge abai eyette ge mou touloo. "He is making game of us, I suppose." They called me by the name of Balo.

If one chanced during the night to awake, he would renew the conversation with some neighbour that might happen to rouse, and then they would call to each other till they all awaked, and enjoy another hour's chat.

As soon as the morning dawned, they arose; and then took place the important ceremony of drinking kava, and eating yams, &c. which formed their breakfast; in which as much order and exactness were observed, as in the forming and exercising a regiment of soldiers. The kava is a root planted principally for the use of the chiefs, and too scarce for the lower orders,

It is made into a spirit of an in toxicating nature. The top and branches of this plant are thrown away. The root alone is used, and this is of a soft nature, that may be beaten to pieces. The root is first scraped with a shell, and rubbed clean with the rough husk of the cocoa-nut, and then divided among the company to be prepared for making the liquor.

A large circle is formed by the whole company, all sitting in the same posture, with their legs crossed. The chief sits at the head of it. On each side of him are stationed the tackhangers, or ministers of the chief, to superintend the preparation of the kava. The kava is then brought before the chief. The person who is to mix it, by order of the tackhangers, then splits the root into small pieces with a flat piece of wood, or whale-bone, which they procure from the bodies of dead whales that are sometimes thrown upon the coast. The pieces of kava-root thus split, are then distributed amongst the circle, who hand them to the young people among them who have clean teeth, fit to chew it. Each person has a leaf by him, on which he lays his portion of masticated kava-root. When it is all chewed, a large bowl with three legs is handed round, and they empty their leaves, containing the prepared kava-root, into it. The bowl is then placed within the circle opposite the chief; and on each side of it are seated two young men, with plantain leaves, to keep off the flies. The person who has the management of the bowl, having received the different portions of masticated root, turns it on one side to show it to the tackhangers, and with his face towards the "Gooch kava anama. "All the kava is chewed."

If the tackhangers judge that there is sufficient for the company, they say "Baloo," "mix it." Then one of the persons holding the fans of plantain branches, pours water out of cocoa-nut shells, which stand near them in readiness, while the other keeps off the flies. As he pours, the tackbanger notes and regulates the quantity, and at length calls out, "Moua," i. e. "stop."

The root, thus chewed and mixed with water, is then squeezed by bandfuls held up for the tackhangers to judge of the strength of the liquor, as it falls, into the dish: if it appears sufficiently strong, a strainer is brought, made of the inner bark of a tree, which, when scraped thin and fine, and well washed, is laid out to dry, and becomes very white and clean. With this, they strain the liquor from the masticated kava-root. When they have repeated the straining three or four times, and perfectly cleansed it, the person who sits by the bowl calls out "Tooma kava," the " kava is clean." During this time, the company, who are sitting in silence, are not idle: they form dishes in a curious and skilful manner of plantain leaves. As soon as the kava is ready, appointed persons rise from the circle with their plantain dishes, and approach the bowl. The man who mixed it, then takes up a large strainer full, and another holds his dish underneath, over the great bowl, till it is filled. The former then calls out, "Kava go aga." "Whose is this kava?" The tackhanger replies, "Havee ge Dabou." "Take it to Dabou," or to any other per

In this way the name of every one of the company is repeated before he is served. The person whose name is pronounced then claps his hands, and the waiter, by this signal informed which it is, takes the kava to him. The persons serving it out to the company conduct themselves in the most becoming and orderly manner, arranging their apparel with the greatest neatness, walking with grace, and presenting it with ceremonious politeness. If a man were to conduct himself with the least disorder or disrespect, the chief would order him to be struck down. When they present the kava to Duatonga, or any of his family, all of whom are considered sacred, they must sit down cross-legged, before they deliver it out of their hands.

During the preparation of the kava, the Tomaagee, or principal servants of the chief, are busily employed in an out-house, built for the purpose, in baking yams. These, as soon as ready, they bring in baskets, made of entwined leaves, and lay them before the chief and the circle of his guests as far as they go. They eat these yams after drinking the kava; and during their meal talk with each other, as they please, on different subjects.

Whenever the lower orders can procure the kava, they always drink it in companies in this festive manner; in which they often spend the two or three first hours of the morning. They have this pleasure, however, but seldom, as the chiefs generally exact it of them, to drink it with their brother chiefs and their attendants. They exer cise an arbitrary power over the lower orders, and have every thing Mm 2 belonging

belonging to them in their power, which their sub-officers take from them, without ceremony, as the chief may need. Though the provision they have by them be ever so scanty, they are required to cook a part of it for the chief; so that they are frequently obliged to eat the root of the plantain tree, for a wretched subsistence, or to resort to the chief, and beg some food. The chief will send his attendants round the districts, in a time of scarcity, and order the people to dress a certain quantity of provisions for him by a limited time; with which he lays up a store for himself, and his wives and household, and leaves others to get what they can.

They often drink the kava from break of day to eleven or twelve o'clock at noon, till their attendants are completely tired of waiting on them. They then go and lie down, and sleep for two or three hours; when they rise, they bathe, walk among the plantations, or amuse themselves in wrestling, boxing, or any other way that pleases. their fancy; but particulary in bathing, playing in the water, and shooting of arrows. Bathing is a very favourite amusement, in which they generally indulge two or three times a-day. Both sexes often play together in the water at the following diversion: - They fix two posts, about a hundred yards distant from each other, in a depth of water about four feet, near the shore, and midway betwixt them is placed a large stone. Then dividing into two companies, the game is, which side cah first tug the stone to their own post. In playing at this diversion with them, I have seen numbers at the bottom of the water

together, hauling and pulling the stone different ways, with all the eagerness that contending parties, in the northern counties of England, exert themselves to drive the shinney to its goal. When a diver returned to the surface, for breath, another of his party instantly

dived down to take his place. I have seen one person carry a stone of considerable weight ten or twelve yards in this game, through the baoyant aid of the water.

But they take particular delight in another amusement in the water, called Furneefoo. They go down to the flat shore at bigh water, when the swell rolls with great force to the land, and plunge in and swim some yards into the sea, then pushing themselves on the top of the swell, they ride in, close to the shore. It is astonishing to see with what dexterity they will steer themselves on the wave, one hand being stretched out, as the prow before, and the other guiding them like a rudder behind: and though they are riding in upon the swelling billow, with a frightful rapidity, that makes you apprehend they will be dashed and killed upon the shore, they will, with surprising agility, turn themselves suddenly on one side, and darting back through the next wave, swim out to sea, till another swell waft them on towards shore; when, if inclined to land, they will again turn themselves on one side, and, awaiting the wave's return, dart through the refluent surge, and reach the shore in safety. Several hours are often spent at one time in this sport, in which the women are as skilful as the men. I never attempted this diversion

diversion myself, as the trial might have been fatai.

But in another amusement, in which the chiefs often divert themselves, viz. shooting rats, I became, after a time, almost as dexterous as the natives. To provide for this sport, they take out the kernel of the cocoa-nut, which being burned and chewed, the servants are sent to strew it in places near the road, in fences, and in hollow trees, Meanwhile the chiefs, with bows and arrows, take their station near, and making a squeaking noise, exactly like the rats, these animals soon come out to feed upon the nuts, when the chiefs, ranged in order, each for his turn, shoot at them for a wager; he that kills the most, in the same number of shots, wins the game.

They are a very active people, yet they often spend whole days, when they have no particular employment, in luxurious indolence. These days they generally close in - dancing and singing, of which they are peculiarly fond.

The chief will send round the district, and collect together thirty, forty, or fifty young people of both sexes, to dance with his attendants by the light of tomais, or torches, formed, as we before shewed, from the unctuous bark of the cocoa-tree.

These dances are very beautiful. Young women of the most graceful figure and comely features, assemble on these occasions, their dark ringlets bespangled with aromatic flowers of a peculiar whiteness, their necks and shoulders encircled with wreaths of variegated flowers, lastefully strung together like beads, their graceful limbs covered only with a thin drapery, and

in some cases, only shaded with an entwined garland of gee-leaves.

Their dances are very much diversified, and performed with admirable grace and uniformity, by companies of eighty or a hundred, who all move together with the greatest exactness. I never saw soldiers go through their evolutions with more prompt regularity than these companies time the diversified motions that compose their dances.

They seem in their element when dancing: such is the ease, pleasure, grace, and activity which they exhibit in every intricate part of this favourite amusement.

Their music is not so pleasing. The principal instrument is a kind of drum, formed out of a log of wood, hollowed through with a long small aperture, and laid lengthways upon two pieces of wood. This is beaten whilst eight or ten bamboos, of different lengths, with pieces of wood fastened and bound to the end of them, are struck against the barrel, and produce a sound according to the length of the stick. Of these drums they have two or three; which, with the bamboos and the singing, make a little rough concert. Their songs are beautiful and melodious; partaking more of a lively than a plaintive air, but rather monotonous. These dances are often performed in particular spots where there are large trees.' To these places the young people resort for this purpose. They are frequently kept up till midnight, when performed in a chief's house, and sometimes till morning, by an interchange of performers, who alternately retire to rest, and rise again to dance.

So fond are they of this amusement, that they dance almost on all occasions. However extravagantly they have mourned for the dead, they generally terminate their grief with this ceremony of joy; in which I have seen the women so eager, that they have forgotten all sense of decorum, and thrown off all incumbrance of dress for greater freedom and diversion.

This is the general mode of life at Tongataboo. They never rise, but the kava is prepared, and distributed in the exact order I have described; and immediately the tackhangers call for the cooks in the badoo, or kitchen, who bring the baked yams, and present them to the guests. If there is no serious business for the chiefs, indolent slumbers, or the amusements of conversation and choice, fill up the middle part of the day, which is, however, sometimes diversified with boxing, or other athletic exercises; and luxurious festivities close the evening.

Such an indulgent life, however, is only in the power of the chiefs. The lower classes, as will be farther shown, are obliged to labour, not only for themselves, but for their superiors; and, after all, their little stock is not secured to them by that inviolable right of private property and personal safety, which, in our unequalled land of liberty and law, renders the poorest peasant as secure and independent as the senate that guards, or the sovereign that rules it.

Accustomed to these scenes of pleasure, luxury, and amusement, unrestrained by the presence of my companions, unassisted by any public means of grace, having singly

to stem the torrent of iniquity, it was not long before I felt the pernicious influence of general example. This, however, was much owing to my own negligence of private duties, and my yielding to the corrupt inclinations of my sinful nature. Indeed, when I look back, I perceive that the unsubdued propensities of my heart, which be gan to operate before I came to reside with Mulkaamair, were not duly resisted. Instead of praying for grace to withstand and mortify theni, I began to indulge in foolisht imaginations, and neglect the needful exercises of private prayer, reading the bible, and meditation. These first steps out of the path of duty, which are generally taken by most backsliders, soon led me into still farther aberrations from the right way. I began to dislike the means of grace; I never visited the brethren; found delight in the company, manners, and amusements of the natives; and soon took too large a part in them. As the religious impressions of my mind were weakened, the corrupt dispositions of my heart gathered strength. Yet, at times, my conscience troubled me with loud accusations of inconsistency, which forced me to pray. At lengtin, liowever, I became so hardened as to despise my convictions; and totally absented myself from those appointed periodical meetings of the brethren, which might have révived them. My regard for them daily diminished, and I left off vi siting them.

My evil inclinations, now unchecked by law, and by the reverential sense of the Divine Being, gradually gained the dominion. As my sense of the turpitude and guilt of