18 cook's VOYAGE TO AUG. 



cloth. Iii the evening we played off* some fire- 

 works, which both astonished and entertained the 

 numerous spectators. 



This day, some of our gentlemen, in their walks, 

 found, what they were pleased to call, a Roman Ca- 

 tholic chapel. Indeed, from their account, this was 

 not to be doubted ; for they described the altar and 

 every other constituent part of such a place of wor- 

 ship. However, as they mentioned, at the same time, 

 that two men, who had the care of it, would not suf- 

 fer them to go in, I thought that they might be mis- 

 taken, and had the curiosity to pay a visit to it my- 

 self. The supposed chapel proved to be a toopapaoo, 

 in which the remains of the late Waheiadooa lay, as 

 it were, in state. It was in a pretty large house, 

 which was inclosed with a low pallisade. The toopa- 

 paoo was uncommonly neat, and resembled one of 

 those little houses, or awnings, belonging to their 

 large canoes. Perhaps it had originally been em- 

 ployed for that purpose. It was covered, and hung 

 round, with cloth and mats of different colours, so as 

 to have a pretty effect. There was one piece of scar- 

 let broad-cloth, four or five yards in length, conspi- 

 cuous among the other ornaments ; which, no doubt, 

 had been a present from the Spaniards. This cloth, 

 and a few tassels of feathers, which our gentlemen 

 supposed to be silk, suggested to them the idea of a 

 chapel ; for whatever else was wanting to create a 

 resemblance, their imagination supplied ; and if they 

 had not previously known, that there had been Spa- 

 niards lately here, they could not possibly have made 

 the mistake. Small offerings of fruit and roots seemed 

 to be daily made at this shrine, as some pieces were 

 quite fresh. These were deposited upon a whatta, 

 or altar, which stood without the paliisades ; and 

 within these we were not permitted to enter. Two 

 men constantly attended, night and day, not only to 

 watch over the place, but also to dress and undress 

 the toopapaoo* For when 1 first went to survey it, 



