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4 short accouat of the Megaiithic MonumeDls of Tonga. 



It was my good fortune to be able to pay a short visit to Ton- 

 ga inDecember 1917. The Premier of Tonga Tui Fakano and the 

 British Résident did ail in their power to show me the remains 

 of the stone structures. We proceeded in four cars for a round of 

 the Island. After traversing some 8 or 9 miles, we passed a phal- 

 lic stone, about 4 feet high and 18 inches thick, standing at the 

 road side. I was informed that it was the only one remaining on 

 the island. After going some 9 miles more we stopped at a na- 

 tive cottage and got out. We went into the dense scrub some 

 50 yards and there saw a long dark coral stone structure. It was 

 covered in dense verdure, trees were growing on it, their roots 

 forcing the stones apart. I paced the long side of it and found it 

 to measure some 42 mètres and the shorter side tobe 28 mètres. 

 There were only two tiers one above the other and on top a small 

 coping of a différent coral stone and about one foot high. and 

 about 4 inches thick, this was evidently more modem than the 

 lower part. AU my measurements were checked next day by a 

 skilled surveyor, who took them ail in links, wich hâve been 

 converted into mètres. It is to be noted that the surface of the 

 lower tier is not level, but slopes upwards, towards the center, 

 some 4 inches above the level and that the corners are nicely mi- 

 tred. I was informed by the Premier that it was recorded in le- 

 gends, that the stone was quarried at Eua, an island some 10 

 miles away and that the quarring place could still be seen. He 

 also told me that the buildershadexperienced trouble in landing 

 the largest stone (the south corner stone) about 30 tons, but that 

 the God had got over the difficulty by making water and so 

 floating the vessel. I should express this by supposing that the 

 architect or man in command of opérations, of the ruling race, 

 probably a parallel case, is the British ruling in many South Sea 

 islands, had extemporised some System of digging a dock and 

 then flooding it. And that this scientific use of his knowledge had 

 passed into legend, in a natural native explanation ofoccult po- 

 wer. 



The pyramid or structure, is oriented within a fewdegrees ot 

 the True North, that is a diagonal runningthro' the corners. The 

 south corner stone, as I hâve mentioned, is the largest and weighs 

 about 30 tons or 21 cubic mètres. To me the whole structure ap- 



