176 ROYAL PLEASURE-HOUSE. 
stood precisely on the same spot where Cook’s 
Observatory had formerly been erected. As 
a particular favour from the Government, I 
was also accommodated with a royal pleasure- 
house in its neighbourhood for my private re- 
sidence. This very large building, which re- 
sembled an ancient temple in appearance, had 
been a favourite abode of the deceased monarch 
Pomareh, and since his death had remained 
uninhabited, out of respect for his memory. A 
number of utensils which had belonged to him, 
and a canoe, on which he had obtained many 
splendid victories, were still preserved here as 
memorials of the beloved king. The house was 
wholly without walls—the roof of leaves resting 
on numerous pillars; a mode of construction 
extremely well adapted to this warm and dry 
climate. The environs were very beautiful: 
high trees covered with thickest foliage invited 
to repose under their shadows, and a brook 
clear as crystal offered an inviting bath. The 
air was filled with the perfume of a neighbour- 
ing orange-grove, which scattered its fruit upon 
the earth. The lemons and oranges, which we 
found delicious, the Tahaitians despised as too 
