1769 RANKS AND CLASSES 177 
of these classes during our stay in the island, I know little 
of their real situation. 
Each of the earees keeps a kind of court, and has a large 
attendance, chiefly of the younger brothers of his own 
family and of other earees. Among these were different 
officers of the court, as Heewa no ¢ Earee, Whanno no t’ 
Earee, who were sometimes sent to us on business. Of all 
these courts Dootahah’s was the most splendid, indeed we 
were almost inclined to believe that he acted as locum tenens 
for Otow, the Haree ra hie being his nephew, as he lived 
upon an estate belonging to him, and we never could hear 
that he had any other public place of residence. 
The earees, or rather the districts which they possess, 
are obliged in time of a general attack to furnish each 
their quota of soldiers for the public service; those of the 
principal districts which Tupia recollected, when added 
together, amounted to 6680 men, to which army it is 
probable that the small quotas of the rest would not make 
any great addition. 
Besides these public wars, which must be headed by the 
Earee ra hie, any private difference between two ecarees is 
decided by their own people without in the least disturbing 
the tranquillity of the public. Their weapons are slings, 
which they use with great dexterity, pikes headed with the 
stings of sting-rays, and clubs six or seven feet long, made | 
of a very heavy and hard wood; with these they fight by 
their own account very obstinately, which appears the more 
probable as the conquerors give no quarter to any man, 
woman, or child who is unfortunate enough to fall into 
their hands during or for some time after the battle, that 
is, until their passion has subsided. 
Otahite at the time of our stay there was divided into 
two kingdoms, Oporenoo, the larger, and Tiarrebo; each had 
its separate king, etc. etc., who were at peace with each 
other; the king of Oporenoo, however, called himself king 
of both, in just the same manner as European monarchs 
usurp the title of king over kingdoms in which they have 
not the least influence. 
N 
