CHARACTERS. 



479 



required to pay these honours. 

 Davis and Young, the two per- 

 sons before noticed, are much 

 favoured by tlie kir^g, and are 

 raised to the rank of cliiefs, and 

 have extensive grants of land. 

 The lands are in t!ie liigliest state 

 of cultivation. 'I'he islaiid of 

 VVahoo, though only secondary 

 in size, is one of the most im- 

 portant on account of its fertility, 

 and because it possesses the only 

 secure harbour to be met with in 

 the group. During the thirteen 

 months Campbell was at Wahoo, 

 about twelve ships touched there. 

 The navy, in 1S09, was aboiit 

 sixty vessels : these were then all 

 hauled on shore, and preserved 

 with great care, it being time of 

 peace : these were chiefly sloops 

 and schooners under forty tons, 

 built by native carpenters under 

 the direction of Boyd. The " Lilly 

 Bird'' is, however, about two 

 hundred tons ; but this vessel was 

 bought from the Americans. In- 

 dian corn and many garden \e- 

 getables arc cultivated with suc- 

 cess ; and in a short time the 

 breed of cattle, horses, and sheep, 

 left there by Captain Vancouver, 

 ■will be abundant. The king has 

 several horses, and is fond of 

 ridiiig. Many individuals have 

 large i!ncks of sheep : and in 

 some of tlie large islands there 

 are considerable herds of Aviid 

 cattle. The chiefs are proprie- 

 tors of the soil, and let the land 

 in small farms to the k^ver 

 orders, who pay rent in kindj 

 t'.ic ciiicfs pay a rent and other 

 subsidies to the sovereign. There 

 wereat Wahoo at one time, during 

 our author's stay, about sixty 

 whites, chiefly English, left by 

 American vessels ; several amongst 



them were convicts who ha.d es- 

 caped from New South Wales. 

 jNIany inducements are held out 

 to sailors to remain ; if tliey con- 

 duct themselves with propriety, 

 they rank as chiefs, and are at all 

 events certain of being main- 

 tained, as the chiefs are always 

 anxious to have white men about 

 them. Many artificers are in the 

 king's employ ; all that are in- 

 dustrious are well rewarded by 

 h'm ; many, however, aie idle 

 and dissolute, particularly the 

 convicts ; the latter have intro- 

 duced distillation into the island, 

 and give themselves up to drink- 

 ing. Davis, a Welchman, who 

 was very industrious, so puzzled 

 the natives, that they could only 

 account for his sirigularity by 

 supjiosing him one of tlieir own 

 countrymen, who had gone to 

 Cahiete, cr England, and after 

 his death had returned to his 

 native land. Most of the whites 

 have married native women, by 

 whom they have families, _but 

 no attention is paid by them to 

 their education or religious in- 

 struction. The chiefs about tlie 

 king have each a separate office 

 assjgncd to him — as treasurer, &c. 

 The king is entirely absolute. 



" Though the people are under 

 tlie dominion of some chief, for 

 whom they work or cultivate the 

 ground, and by whom they are 

 supported in old age, they are by 

 no means to be considered as 

 skives attached to the soil, but 

 arc at liberty to change masters 

 wlicn they think fit. The prin- 

 cipal duty of the executive is en- 

 trusted to the priests, and by 

 them the revenue is collected and 

 tlie laws enforced. They believe 

 in a future state, when they will 



be 



