346 cook's second voyage may, 



was, Warou, warou, warou te Tata, that is, many, 

 many, many men, as if the number far exceeded 

 their arithmetic. If we allow forty men to each 

 war canoe, and four to each of the others, which 

 is thought a moderate computation, the number 

 will amount to nine thousand. An astonishing num- 

 ber to be raised in four districts ; and one of them, 

 viz. Matavai, did not equip a fourth part of its fleet. 

 The fleet of Tiarabou is not included in this account ; 

 and many other districts might be arming which we 

 knew nothing of. I, however, believe that the whole 

 isle did not arm on this occasion, for we saw not the 

 least preparations making in Oparree. From what 

 we saw and could learn, I am clearly of opinion that 

 the chiefs or chiefs, of each district superintended 

 the equipping of the fleet belonging to that district ; 

 but, after they are equipped, they must pass in 

 review before the king, and be approved of by him. 

 By this means he knows the state of the whole, before 

 they assemble to go on service. 



It hath been already observed, that the number of 

 war canoes belonging to Attahourou and Ahopata 

 was an hundred and sixty, to Tettaha forty, and to 

 Matavai ten, and that this district did not equip one- 

 fourth part of their number. If we suppose every 

 district in the island, of which there are forty-three, 

 to raise and equip the same number of war-canoes as 

 Tettaha, we shall find, by this estimate, that the whole 

 island can raise and equip one thousand seven hundred 

 and twenty war canoes, and sixty-eight thousand able 

 men, allowing forty men to each canoe. And, as 

 these cannot amount to above one-third part of the 

 number of both sexes, children included, the whole 

 island cannot contain less than two hundred and four 

 thousand inhabitants; a number which, at first sight, 

 exceeded my belief. But, when I came to reflect on 

 the vast swarms which appeared wherever we came, I 

 was convinced that this estimate was not much, if at 

 all, too great. There cannot be a greater proof of 



