4o6 A VOYAGE TO 



1777- and in what manner they are conne6t:ed, fo as to form a body 

 poUtic, I confefs myfelf totally ignorant. Some of them told 

 us, that the power of the king is unlimited, and that the life 

 and property of the fubje6t is at his difpofal. But the few 

 circumftances that fell under our obfervation, rather contra- 

 didled than confirmed the idea of a defpotic government. 

 Mareewagee, old Tooboo, and Feenou, acffed each like petty 

 fovereigns, and frequently thwarted the meafures of the 

 king; of which he ofren complained. Neither was his 

 court more fplendid than thofe of the two firft, who are the 

 mod powerful Chiefs in the iflands ; and, next to them, 

 Feenou, Mareewagee's fon, feemed to ftand higheft in 

 authority. But, however independent on the defpotic 

 power of the king the great men may be, we fav/ inilances 

 enough to prove, that the lower order of people have no 

 property, nor fafety for their perfons, but at the wall of the 

 Chiefs to whom they refpecflively belong. 



Tongataboo is divided into many diftri6ls; of above thirty 

 of which we learned the names. Each of thefe has its par- 

 ticular Chief, who decides differences, and diftributes juf- 

 tice within his own diftridt. But we could not form any 

 fatisfadiory judgment about the extent of their power in ge- 

 neral, or their mode of proportioning punifliments to 

 crimes. Moll of thefe Chiefs have poflefTions in other 

 iflands, from v;hence they draw fupplies. At leaft, we know 

 this is fo with refpeift to the king, who, at certain eftablifla- 

 ed times, receives the product of his diftant domains at Ton- 

 gataboo ; which is not only the principal place of his refi- 

 dence, but, feemingly, of all the people of confequence 

 amongft thefe ifles. Its inhabitants, in common converfation, 

 call it the Land of Chiefs -, while the fubordinate ifles are 

 diflinguilhed by the appellation of Lands of Servants. 



6 Thefe 



