116 SKETCHES OT A VOYAGE 



baked roots of the Taro (Jirum esculenium^) or a sort of wooden 

 trencher, with a large oval stone. The mass so prepared is mixed with 

 a small quantity of water, and set aside for several days to ferment, when 

 it becomes sour, and is about the consistence of paper-hanger's paste. 

 This, with fish, either raw or baked, constitutes almost the sole food of 

 the common people. Give a Sandwich Islander plenty of poe, with a 

 raw fish or two at each meal, and he asks for nothing more ; deprive 

 him of his dear loved sour paste, and he loses his spirits, and is miser- 

 able. The manner in which he takes his food is primitive enough. He 

 seats himself cross-legged upon the ground, with his calabash before 

 him, and a fish, and a little pile of salt on a wooden dish by his side. 

 His first two fingers are inserted into the paste, and stirred round sever- 

 al times until enough adheres to coat them thickly, when they are car- 

 ried by a quick motion to the mouth, which is open to receive them, 

 and are sucked clean : a little pinch, with the fingers is then taken of 

 the fish which is perhaps floundering beside him, followed by a similar 

 pinch of salt, to season the whole repast. This sort of feeding may 

 seem to most of your readers, as fit only for savages, but 1 can assure 

 them, I have made many a hearty meal from similar dishes, and found 

 the fish (when I had succeeded in ridding myself of the idea of raw- 

 liess,) very palatable. 



[n order to favor the natural inclination to obesity, the Chiefs use, in 

 general, but little exercise, and eat enormously of the nutritious food be- 

 fore mentioned. They usually occupy about an hour at each meal, and at 

 intervals of some 15 minutes, the eating ceases, and an attendant ap- 

 proaches to perform the " rMnu-?'Mmi ". — This is the regular Z:neadmo' 

 process, recommended, some few years' since, with such good effect, in 

 cases of dyspepsia, by the celebrated Dr. Halstead. After this opera- 

 tion has been performed, the patient resumes his task with renewed gusto, 

 and it is astonishing what vast quantities of poe a fat native will imbibe 

 in the course of an hour's eating. Even the King, and the Royal fam- 

 ily, although they dine sumptuouly every day, can never be content 

 to finish a meal williout a dessert of poe. When strangers are present, 

 their Majesties take their paste delicately with a spoon, but when alone, 

 and under no restraint, they dip their royal fingers into the dish secun- 

 dum artem. The King, KauikeuoulU or Tamehamelia HI, as he is now 

 most frequently called, was, at the time of ray visit, only about 20 years 

 of age ; stout, active, and remarkably well formed, but evidently inclin- 

 ing, like all the chiefs, to unwieldy fatness. When I first paid my re- 

 spects to him, he was sitting in his ojfice^ a small house which he occu- 

 pied as a place for the transaction of business, lie was reclining at his 



