1835. 



CHIEFS — NATIVE HOUSES. 



511 



not existed in the conduct of Mr. or Mrs. Wilson. Two chiefs, 

 of inferior rank, made acquaintance with us; they walked into 

 the room, shook hands, sat down at their ease, and conversed 

 with Mr. Wilson in exactly the manner of respectable English 

 farmers. They were large, but inactive-looking men, and 

 round-shouldered — suitably clothed, above the knees, in clean 

 white jackets, shirts, and wrapper trowsers, with their closel}^- 

 cut hair hidden by a large straw-hat — their appearance was 

 very respectable. ' la-orana,' pronounced ' yoronha,"* was a 

 salutation we soon learned ; but one of my younger shipmates 

 was a little perplexed during his first excursion, " Why does 

 every one call me ' Your honour,' " said he. Most of our 

 officers and many of the men passed the evening on shore, 

 and Mr. Darwin and myself rambled about until darkness 

 summoned all on board. 



Often as the native houses have been described, I found them 

 different from the idea I had formed. Perhaps they are now 

 rather slighter, and not constructed exactly like those of other 

 times. Upon slight posts, placed in the ground in a long ellipse, 

 a very light and elegant frame- work of ^purau'^ is supported. 

 This frame- work forms the low, but extensive roof; and upon it 

 a thatch of pandanus leaves, — simply doubled upon twigs or 

 reeds placed crosswise on the purau-wood rafters, which have 

 their ends outwards, — forms a light covering, impervious to 

 water, regular, indeed pretty to the eye, impenetrable by heat, 

 and easily replaced once in eight or ten years. The middle of 

 the roof forms an obtuse angle, as a common low roof does 

 elsewhere ; but the ends are rounded. The purau rafters are 

 placed at equal distances around the circumference, converging 

 as radii to the centres and central line of the ellipse. All of them 

 are of equal length and size, and their ends are generally orna- 

 mented v^ith a neat matting, made of a mosaic f pattern. Each 

 line of twigs, holding the leaves, is straight and equi-distant 

 from the next ; and as, in the house, only about three inches of 

 the smooth surface of each leaf is seen between the lines of 

 twigs, the flat under surface, of an uniform appearance and 

 * The 'purau' is something- i^V^ .-Vkoo. t Or arabesque. 



