TONGATABU. 119 



taro baked in banana leaves, and seasoned with cocoa-nut 

 milk and sugar-cane juice, &c. &c. Euinart's champagne 

 was twice served round ; English bottled beer flowed co- 

 piously. There were also bowls of cocoa-nut milk, besides 

 port wine, pale and brown brandy. There was no sherry, this 

 wine not being to the King's fancy. At dessert appeared enor- 

 mous fruit pies, plum puddings, and cheese. We were waited on 

 by two women, the one stout and fat, of pure native blood, the 

 other a half-caste, of a trimmer figui'e, who spoke English well. 

 Eveiything went on with great deliberation, and the dishes 

 were as cold as if they had been prepared the day before. 

 We learnt afterwards that the King had not only himself 

 ordered the dinner, but had also superintended the cooking 

 of it, and we regretted that he liad not instead thouoht of 

 offering us a simple repast aftei- the fashion of the country. 

 Cigars were brought in at the end ; there was no question 

 of coffee. The King again instructed his secretary to ex- 

 press his thanks to the Commodore for having been treated 

 by him in a manner he had never experienced from any 

 other person, and the better to testify his sense of the obli- 

 gation he declared hiVuself ready to do whatever would be 

 agreeable to him ; an offer of which we coidd not doubt the 

 sincerity, for liis majesty had been so thoughtful as to order 

 his subjects to get for us a great number of pretty live sea- 

 shells. 



Two French missionaries favoured the Commodore with a 

 visit, I acting as interpreter. They were M. Chevron, ' pro- 

 vicaire apostolique,' a very amiable old man, and M. Samaze, 



