177^. ROUND THE WORLD. 371 



and all the fruits which were in season, in the utmost 

 profusion ; besides fish at Otaheite, and fowls at the 

 other isles. All these articles we got in exchange for 

 axes, hatchets, nails, chissels, cloth, red feathers, beads, 

 knives, scissars, looking-glasses, &c. articles which will 

 ever be valuable here. I ought not to omit shirts as 

 a very capital article in making presents ; especially 

 with those who have any connexions with the fair 

 sex. A shirt here is full as necessary as a piece of 

 gold in England. The ladies at Otaheite, after they 

 had pretty well stripped their lovers of shirts, found a 

 method of clothing themselves with their own cloth. 

 It was their custom to go on shore every morning, 

 and to return on board in the evening, generally clad 

 iu rags. This furnished a pretence to importune the 

 lover for better clothes ; and when he had no more of 

 his own, he was to dress them in new cloth of the 

 country, which they always left ashore ; and appear- 

 ing again in rags, they must again be clothed. So 

 that the same suit might pass through twenty different 

 hands, and be as often sold, bought, and given away. 



Before I finish this account of these islands, it is 

 necessary to mention all I know concerning the go- 

 vernment of Ulietea and Otaha. Oreo, so often 

 mentioned, is a native of Bolabola ; but is pos- 

 sessed of Whenooas or lands at Ulietea ; which, I 

 suppose, he, as well as many of his countrymen, 

 got at the conquest. He resides here as Opoony's 

 lieutenant ; seeming to be vested with regal au- 

 thority, and to be the supreme magistrate in the 

 island. Oo-oo-rou, who is the Earee by hereditary- 

 right, seems to have little more left him than the bare 

 title, and his own Whenooa or district, in which, I 

 think, he is sovereign. I have always seen Oreo pay 

 him the respect due to his rank ; and he was. pleased 

 when he saw me distinguish him from others. 



Otaha, so far as I can find, is upon the very same 

 footing. Boba and Ota are the two chiefs ; the latter 

 I have not seen ; Boba is a stout, well-made young man ; 



