S0B cook's voyage to may, 



ably distinguished at that time ; nor could I by any 

 entreaties, prevail upon him now to come into the 

 ship. Many of the islanders were present, and they 

 all call him Arekee, which signifies king. I had 

 never heard any one of them give this title to 

 Feenou, however extensive his authority over them 

 both here and at Annamooka, had appeared to be ; 

 which had all along inclined me to suspect that he 

 was not the king, though his friend Taipa had 

 taken pains to make me believe he was. Latooli- 

 boula remained under the stern till the evening, 

 when he retired in his canoe to one of the islands. 

 Feenou was on board my ship at the same time ; 

 but neither of these great men took the least notice 

 of the other. 



Nothing material: happened the next day, except 

 that some of the natives stole a tarpaulin, and other 

 things from off the deck. They were soon missed 

 and the thieves pursued, but a little too late. I 

 applied, therefore, to Fenou, who, if he was not king, 

 was at least vested with the highest authority here, 

 to exert it, in order to have my things restored. He 

 referred me to Earoupa, who put me off from time 

 to time ; and at last nothing was done. 



It is remarkable, that Captain Cook should not take any notice of 

 his having called the same person by two names so very different. 

 Perhaps we may account for this by supposing one to be 

 the name of the person, and the other the description of his 

 title or rank. This supposition seems well founded, when we 

 consider, that Latoo, in the language of these people, is some- 

 times used to signify a great chief; and Dr. Foster, in his 

 Observations, p. 378, 379, and elsewhere, speaks of the sovereign 

 of Tongataboo, under the title of their Latoo. This very person 

 is called by Dr. Foster, p. 370, Latoo-Nipooroo ; which furnishes 

 a very striking instance of the variations of our people in writing 

 down the same word as pronounced by the natives. However, 

 we can easily trace the affinity between Nipooroo and Liboula, 

 as the changes of the consonants are such as are perpetually 

 made, upon hearing a word pronounced, to which our ears have 

 not been accustomed. Mr. Anderson here agrees with Captain 

 Cook in writing Latooliboula. 



