NEUTRAL TONGA. 309 



and write, all are professed Christians. They still retain a 

 good deal of their old Tongan pride, but are courteous to 

 strangers. 



The Government is a monarchy, the reigning King being 

 George of Tonga, who is assisted by a Council, or Parliament. 

 On each of the great islands there resides a governor. These 

 are men of intelligence who speak English, dress well, and live 

 in imported houses of the European fashion. The Governor 

 of Vavau in 1874 was named David all the Tongans take 

 great delight in scriptural, or English names. He was a man 

 of huge stature and majestic presence, and looked very well in 

 a handsome uniform he had made for him in Sydney, at a 

 cost of about 200. A friend of mine gave me the following 

 curious account of this personage, with whom he stayed. 

 David's house would be regarded in the Australian colonies as 

 a fitting residence for any high official below the rank of a 

 Viceroy. It is constructed of imported materials, all the 

 interior panelled and polished; the furniture of every room 

 being elegant and costly, and imported from New South 

 Wales. In the centre of the building is a large dining-hall 

 with stained-glass doors at either end, which is only used on 

 state occasions. Here the table is laid with every requisite, 

 fine linen, plate, and cut glass. The cook is a Chinaman, the 

 butler a negro. A better, or more elegantly served dinner one 

 would scarcely expect in Sydney : everything is in profusion, 

 even to champagne and soda-water. This David, like all his 

 colleagues, apes the manners of a British officer. One remark 

 he made was very characteristic of the man. My friend per- 

 ceived on a Sunday afternoon that he did not leave the house, 

 although his people were all at church for the second time. 

 He inquired the reason, and the Governor replied, 'I have 

 been this morning; too much church is not good. I have 



