Visit of King Tanoa. His adoption of 

 the rules and regulations. 



OVOLAU. 



Presents made to Tanoa. 



197 



shrewdness, as far as it could be seen ; his mind is 

 said to be quite active; he is about five feet ten 

 inches in height, and of small frame; his features 

 are rather inclined to the European mould, and not 

 the least allied to the negro; his hair is crispy; he 

 speaks through his nose, or rather as if he had lost 

 his palate ; his body is, like that of all his people, 

 remarkably hairy. After presenting him to the 

 officers, and receiving the rest of his suite, I led 

 him to the after part of the deck, where mats 

 were laid down, and we all seated ourselves to 

 hold a council ; for I was anxious to finish first the 

 business for which I had particularly sought the 

 interview ; this was to procure the adoption of 

 rules and regulations for the intercourse with 

 foreign vessels, similar to those established in the 

 Samoan Group the year preceding. David Whippy 

 became my intarpreter, but Tanoa had too much 

 dignity about him to receive the interpretation 

 through Whippy alone, although he understood all 

 that he said perfectly, for Whippy speaks their 

 language well ; but he had his " speech-explaining 

 counsellor," Malani-vanua Vakanduna, or prime 

 minister, who was a remarkably good-looking, in- 

 telligent man. Whippy gave his name as Koro- 

 tumvavalu, and said that he had great influence 

 with the king. It was amusing to see their mode 

 of conducting the business, and to understand that 

 Tanoa's dignity would be offended by holding dis- 

 course with our friend Whippy as interpreter ; 

 not, however, (as it was explained to me by Tubou 

 Totai,) from any objection he had to Whippy, but 

 it would be derogatory to his rank and station. 



On the production of the rules and regulations, 

 Tanoa seemed rather confused, and at first ap- 

 peared dull and stupid; this I imputed to his ava 

 drinking, in which they had all indulged to excess 

 the night before. He did not seem to comprehend 

 the object of them, or as the interpreter expressed 

 it, " could not take the idea." This is not to be 

 wondered at, when it is considered that this was 

 the first act of the kind he had been called upon to 

 do. Tubou Totai being a traveller of some note, 

 readily understood their meaning, and through his 

 explanations Tanoa soon comprehended the object, 

 and listened with attention (his whole suite sitting 

 around) to the reading of them, sentence by sen- 

 tence; after which he made signs of understanding 

 them, and gave his approval and consent to 

 having them established, and the next day signed 

 them, by making his mark. That which he was 

 to keep I had rolled up and put into a bright 

 round tin case, which he seemed to regard with 

 great pride. 



Although I did not anticipate much immediate 

 good from these regulations, yet I was well satisfied- 

 they would be of use in restraining the natives as 

 well as masters of ships, and in securing a better 

 understanding between them; at any rate it was a 

 beginning, and would make them feel we were 

 desirous of doing them justice. I talked to him 

 much, through the interpreter, of the necessity of 

 protecting the whites, and of punishing those who 

 molest and take from them their goods in case of 

 shipwreck. He listened to me very patiently, and 

 said, " he had always done so ; that my advice was 

 very good, but he did not need it; that I must give 

 plenty of it to his son Seru, and talk hard to him ; 

 thut he would in a short time be king, and needed 

 it." 



We now proceeded to show them the ship. 

 Tanoa expressed great astonishment at the wheel, 

 and the manner of steering our large canoe or man- 

 of-war. I told him I was going to order some 

 guns to be fired with balls, when he immediately 

 expressed his joy at it, saying that he thought 

 I was offended with him, from my not firing when 

 he came on board. On my telling him it was not 

 so, but that he must consider it more honourable 

 to him to fire balls, he was well satisfied. It was 

 amusing to see the curiosity excited among them 

 all, when they understood the large guns were to 

 be fired. On the firing taking place, they all made 

 an exclamation of surprise and astonishment 

 followed with a cluck of the tongue in a high key, 

 putting their fingers to the mouth, and patting it 

 after the fashion of children, or one of our own 

 Indians in giving the war-whoop. Tanoa would 

 not at first look at the ball flying along and throw- 

 ing up the water. When the second was fired, he 

 uttered the same marks of surprise as the rest; 

 and after the third, he begged that no more should 

 be fired, as he was amply satisfied with the honour, 

 and the noise almost distracted him. As they 

 went about the ship, when they saw any thing that 

 pleased them, they would say vi naka, vi naka. 

 In expressing their satisfaction for many things, 

 they repeat the words vi naka several times very 

 quickly. 



Suitable presents were now distributed to Tanoa 

 and suite, consisting of shawls, axes, accordions, 

 plane-irons, whales' teeth, and a variety of other 

 articles, among which was a bpx of Windsor soap, 

 tobacco, a musket, watch, &c. These were received 

 with clapping of hands, their mode of returning 

 thanks. It was my intention to have had the feast 

 of rice-bread and molasses on board, but I found 

 their numbers so great that I determined on send- 

 ing it 011 shore, and only treated them to some 

 weak whiskey and water in lieu of ava, with which 

 they were much pleased. The marines were put 

 through their exercises, marched and counter- 

 marched to the music of the drum and fife, which 

 delighted them extremely. After being three 

 hours on board, hearing that the provisions for the 

 feast had been sent on shore, they desired to 

 depart, and were again landed. The Tongese sang 

 their boat-song as they sculled his canoe; but this 

 custom, according to Whippy, is not practised by 

 the Feejees. 



I have scarcely seen a finer-looking set of men 

 than composed the suite of Tanoa. There was a 

 great contrast between the Tongese and Feejees; 

 the former being light mulattoes, while the latter 

 were quite black: their whole make seemed to point 

 out a different origin. The Tongese have small 

 joints, and well-developed and rounded muscles, 

 while the Feejees' limbs are large and muscular; 

 the latter are slender in body, and apparently 

 inured to hard fare and living. The difference in 

 manner was equally great : in the Tongese there 

 was a native grace, combined with fine forms, and 

 an expression and carriage as if educated ; whilst 

 there was an air of power and independence in the 

 Feejees, that made them claim attention. They 

 at once strike one as peculiar, and unlike the 

 Polynesian natives, having a great deal of activity 

 both of mind and body ; this may be owing, in a 

 great measure, to their constant wars, and the 

 necessity of their being continually on the alert, to 



