TE PITO TE HENUA, OE EASTEE ISLAND. 543 



made king, for his bravery ami success in freeing his country from the 

 Tongan yoke. 



Plans were made to open this tomb, but lor the lack of time could not 

 be carried out, and the observations on this interesting relic were con- 

 fined to one hasty visit. 



Continuing still farther to the westward, to the island of Tinian, one 

 of the Ladrones, are found two ranges of stone columns, over a dozen 

 in number, and somewhat similar in size and shape to those of the 

 cromlech at Tongatabn; but the curious feature of this ruin is that 

 each column is surmounted by a large semi-globe, flat surface upward, 

 weighing 4 tons. Freycinet supposes them to be supports of wooden 

 ceilings to houses, that long ago have fallen into ruin, but other author- 

 ities assert that they are sepulchral urns. The natives call them "the 

 houses of the ancients." 



Upon the adjacent islands are numerous remains of a similar charac- 

 ter, but in most cases the columns are smaller. 



In the island of Pouape, Caroline group, are found remains of a 

 higher grade of stone work and which are a puzzle to ethnologists.* 

 Upon the bank of a creek that empties into Metalanien harbor is an 

 inclosure with massive walls built of basaltic prisms 300 feet long and 

 35 feet high. There is a gateway opening upon the creek composed of 

 enormous basaltic columns laid flat, inside of which is a court inclosed 

 by walls 30 feet high. There are terraces against the wall inside, also 

 built of basaltic prisms 8 feet high and 12 feet wide. The inclosure is 

 nearly square and is divided into three parts by low walls running north 

 and south. 



In the center of each court is a closed chamber 14 feet square, orna- 

 mented with basaltic columns and roofed with the same stone. On the 

 central ridge of the opposite side of the island, 10 miles distant, are a 

 large number of very line basaltic columns, and this must have been the 

 quarry for the structure just described, for the configuration of the land 

 is such that roads would have been impracticable, and the only deduc- 

 tion is that the material must have been taken down to the coast and 

 thence by water to the location on the creek. 



This is reported to have been the home of the buccaneers, but it is 

 impossible that they could have put up works of such magnitude. 

 There are other ruins on the island, and also some mounds of consider- 

 able size, L2 feet high and a quarter of a mile long. On Kusai, and other 

 islands of the group are found ruins, but those of Ponapeare by far the 

 most remarkable. 



Though not properly in the province of the work, a short description 

 by Mr. Wallace of some of the architectural wonders of Java is in- 

 serted, lie estimates the date of their construction at five hundred 

 years ago when the island was under the sway of the Hindoos. 



• From Wallace's " Australia." 



