FIJIAN POLITY. 231 



order. To my great joy, there were ripe pods, and I 

 could gather the produce of the very seeds only set 

 three months ago. Mr. Coxon was glad to see me again, 

 and availed himself of my invitation to go for a few days 

 to Cakaudrove, as the eastern extremity of Vanua Levn 

 is more particularly called. 



Shortly after my arrival, Eitova, the deposed chief of 

 Macuata, called on me. I told him to leave oif black- 

 ing his face, as it set foreigners against him, and was 

 regarded as a demonstration of heathenism, though it 

 might not be intended as such. Golea, or rather Ratu 

 Golea, the chief of Somosomo, also dropped in. He had 

 cut his hair short, and was so much altered for the 

 worse, that I did not know him until recognizing him 

 by his melodious voice. He had now about thirty 

 wives ; and Eleanor, the Queen, had quite recently given 

 birth to a fine boy, who would be " Vasu " to Bau, and 

 about whom the natives were in ecstasy. 



The Fijians are not so prepossessing in appearance 

 as those lazy and handsome fellows the Tonga men, who 

 flock over here in great shoals ; but whilst the Ton- 

 guese lose, the Fijians gain by a closer acquaintance. 

 There is a manliness about them that is extremely win- 

 ning ; and I quite agree with Macdonald, that if their 

 likenesses could be accurately taken, they would form 

 quite a contrast to the ill representations of these islan- 

 ders extant. Ratu Vakaruru, whose portrait is given 

 in the frontispiece, is one of the finest Fijians living ; 

 but I cannot say that the copy I had made of Mac- 

 donald's unpublished drawing does justice to him. 

 Their language, so far as euphony goes, yields to none 

 1 have- heard in any quarter of the globe, and to my ear 



