^240 cook's first voyage 1769. 



the mistress of the family, dress the victuals : they 

 also catch the fish. 



Each of* the P]arees keeps a kind of* court, and has 

 a great number of attendants, chiefly the younger 

 brothers of their own tribe ; and among these 

 some hold particular offices, but of what nature 

 exactly we could not tell. One was called the Eowa 

 no VEaree, and another the TVhanno no VEaree, and 

 these were frequently dispatched to us with mes- 

 sages. Of all the courts of these Earees, that of 

 Tootahah was the most splendid, as indeed might 

 reasonably be expected, because he administered the 

 government for Outou, his nephew, who was Earee 

 rahie of Obereonoo, and lived upon his estate. The 

 child of the baron or Earee, as well as of the sovereign 

 or Earee rahie, succeeds to the title and honours of 

 the father as soon as it is born : so that a baron, who 

 was yesterday called Earee, and was approached with 

 the cermony of lowering the garments, so as to un- 

 cover the upper part of the body, is to day, if his 

 wife was last night delivered of a child, reduced to 

 the rank of a private man, all marks of respect being 

 transferred to the child, if it is suffered to live, though 

 the father still continues possessor and administrator 

 of his estate : probably this custom has its share, 

 among other inducements, in forming the societies 

 called Arreoy. 



If a general attack happens to be made upon the 

 island, every district under the command of an Earee, 

 is obliged to furnish its proportion of soldiers for the 

 common defence. The number furnished by the 

 principal districts, which Tupia recollected, when 

 added together, amounted, as 1 have observed before, 

 to six thousand six hundred and eighty. 



Upon such occasions, the united force of the 

 whole island is commanded in chief by the Earee 

 rahie. Private difi'erences between two Earees are 

 decided by their own people, without at alf disturb- 

 ing the general tranquillity. 



