PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 105 



" The pretty girls of the Adelphi." Throughout the 

 day the islanders acquitted themselves very creditably, 

 and their conduct showed a close observance of Eu- 

 ropean manners. 



A few days afterwards the king gave an entertain- 

 ment, at which his guests were seated at a long table 

 spread in the European style, and furnished with 

 some very good wines. Among other good things we 

 had Leuhow, a dish of such delicious quality that 

 excursions are occasionally made to the plantations 

 for the pleasure of dining upon it ; and, from this cir- 

 cumstance, a pic-nic and a Leuhow party have become 

 nearly synonymous. The ingredients of the dish are 

 generally the tops of the taro plant and mullet which 

 have been fattened in ponds ; these are wrapped in 

 large leaves and baked in the ground, though some- 

 times fowls and pork are used. In order to amuse us, 

 the king had also assembled several dancers and the 

 best bards in the island ; and we had the pleasure of 

 witnessing some native performances, which were the 

 more interesting, as these entertainments will shortly 

 lose all their originality by the introduction of foreign 

 customs. On the present occasion, indeed, it was 

 difficult to procure performers of any celebrity, and 

 both bards and dancers were sent for from a consider- 

 able distance ; and even then only two of the latter 

 were considered worth our notice. The performance 

 opened with a song in honour of Tamehameha, to 

 which succeeded an account of the visit of Rio Rio 

 and his queen to England ; their motives for under- 

 taking the voyage were explained ; their parting with 

 their friends at Woahoo ; their sea-sickness; their 

 landing in England; the king's attempts to speak 

 English ; the beautiful women of this country ; and 



