146 THE CRJJISE OF THE 'CURAQOA: 



Tongans that these islanders come to build those large canoes 

 on the construction of which the labour of years is employed; 

 that cotton is cultivated in the island of Ovalau, and that at 

 Eewa, on the island of Viti-Levu, several foreigners cultivate 

 it on a certain scale ; and that orange cowries are only to be 

 found on the western coast of Viti-Levu, between the point 

 of Eewa on the south-east and the island of Liku on the 

 south-west. The Consul's secretary had a single specimen 

 of this shell, but so handsome and perfect that he proposed 

 selling it for not less than £3. I visited several vendors of 

 curiosities who all set an exorbitant price on their articles ; 

 a notion of which may be derived from the sum asked rae 

 by an old sailor of the name of Eussell for a root of sandal- 

 wood weighing twenty pounds, for which he wanted fifty 

 dollars, or about ten shillings a pound, because, as he said, 

 this kind of wood was selling at the port from £50 to £65 

 the ton ; he also asked me £2 for a Pandanus mat from 

 Eotuma, which I had I'eason to know was not worth more 

 than ten shillings. I saw nothing in the business line could 

 be done with this cumiiiig, bronze-faced old tar, but when 

 on the point of leaving him he asked me if I should like to 

 see his two babies, to which paternal ]iroposition I, of 

 course, assented. He then, to my surprise, brought me 

 two old wooden goddesses — native idols, dressed in long 

 baby clothes, with very flat faces, mother-of-pearl eyes, 

 with their sexual characteristics clearly defined and very 

 remarkably developed, observing, as he handed them to me, 

 ' Aint it curous that these people should wuship such things 



