412 



A VOYAGE TO 



'777- popular man fhould ftart up, in any of them, Feenou, or 

 whoever holds his office, is immediately difpatched thither 

 to kill him. By this means, they crufli a rebellion in its 

 very infancy. 



The orders, or clafles, amongft their Chiefs, or thofe who 

 call themfelves fuch, feemed to be almoft as numerous as 

 amongft us; but there are few, in comparifon, that are 

 lords of large diflrids of territory; the reft holding their 

 lands under thofe principal barons, as they may be called. 

 I was, indeed, told, that when a man of property dies, 

 every thing he leaves behind him falls to the king ; but that 

 it is ufual to give it to the eldeft fon of the deceafed, with 

 an obligation to make a provifion, out of it, for the reft of 

 the children. It is not the cuftom here, as at Otaheite, for 

 the fon, the moment he is born, to take from the father the 

 homage and title ; but he fucceeds to them, at his deceafe ; 

 fo that their form of government is not only monarchical, 

 but hereditary. 



The' order of fucceffion to the crown, has not been of late 

 interrupted ; for we know, from a particular circumftance, 

 that the Futtafaihes (Foulaho being only an addition, to dif- 

 tinguiflithe king from the reft of his family) have reigned, 

 in a dired Hne, for, at leaft, one hundred and thirty-five 

 years. Upon inquiring, whether any account had been 

 prelerved amongft them, of the arrival of Tafinan's fliips, 

 we found, that this hiftory had been handed down to them, 

 from their anceftors, with an accuracy which marks, that 

 oral tradition may fometimes be depended upon. For they 

 defcribed the two Ihips, as refembhng ours ; mentioning 

 the place where they had anchored ; their having ftaid buc 

 a few days; and their moving from that ftation to Anna- 

 mooka. And, by way of informing us how long ago this 



had 



