Sriunitron satin tVum Ihe Lav of tnr>\.', > t «r 4 rn w^ Parhelia.— Hoscltu Shoal — Sunday Uhrnl. 



1 ' D Islands. 1 0« <j A 1 A UOO. American whaler spoken, 



CHAPTER XXI. 

 TONGATABOO. 



DEPARTURE PROM XEW ZEALAND — CAPE BRETT— HALO AND PARHKLI A— (I" KP AT ISLAND— SHIP " TOBArCO-PLANT" 



— w at xr-s pouts— arrival at tonoataioo— threatened war — orrzaED mediation— landino and he- 



CKPTION -NATITR WARRIORS— KINO JOSIAH— KINO GEORGE— COUNCIL CALLED — ITS PROCEEDINGS— CXVS E OP 

 HOSTILITIES— AMBITION OP KtKti OEORO E— M ESSENOKR SENT TO Til T- HEATREN PARTT— TOWN OP Nt/'KtTALOPA 



— MR. AND MRS, TCCSK»- KINO GEORGE.'* TOWS— II H HOUSE AND PUHN I TURK— HETUKN OP THE MfcSSENOER— 

 AIUUVAL OP THE HEATHEN Cll 1 EPS— PEE LINGS OP TTli HEATHEN OP TONOA — MCMUl— ENGLISH SCHOONER 

 "CURRKNcr LAM"— DEPARTURE OP THE UEATHEH CHIRPS— TIS1T OP THE R1SO TO TOE VINCEXNEft— THEIR 

 CANOE — CANOES OP THE TONGESE— BOAT-SO NO — NATIVE MUSIC — INTERVIEW WITH TUR KINGS— P At LURE OP 

 THE MEDIATION— VISIT TO MO A — RELIGION OP THE HEATHENS— DATIVE* OP ROTUMA — APPEARANCE AND 

 D 11 CSS OP THE TONOEBE — THEIR CHARACTER ~ TA M A II A A— SPORT OP EAT' CATCH INO — PEEJ EE WARRIOR- 

 COUNCIL OP WAR— POPULATION OP THE 1SLAKDH— MISSIONARY OPERATIONS— PEATS OP THE TONOR8B IN 

 SWIMMING— GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OP TONGA — VEOKTATION— CULTIVATION— PRODUCTIONS— CLIMATE— DISEASES 



— MODE OP TRAPPIC — ARBtVAL OP THE PORPOISE — NATIVE PILOTS — ARRIVAL OP THE PEACOCK — HER 

 REPAIRS AT 8YDNE Y— DIPP11T LTIEB ATTENDING THEM— PASSAGE OP TnE PEACOCK PIIOM NEW SOLTH WALES 

 —ROYAL PAMILY OF TONGA— TERMINATION AND RESULT OP THE WAR— CASE OP THE PEEJEE WOMEN— TOM 

 ORANUT. 



IlAVfNfi completed such repairs as were necessary, 

 the Vineeimvs, with the Porpoise and Flying- Fish 

 in company, sailed from the- Bay of Islands on the 

 fj'ih April, 11140, for Tungatabon. I believe that no 

 person in the squadron Ml any regret at leaving 

 New Zealand, fur there was a want of all means | 

 Of amusement, as well as of any objects in whose 

 observation we were interested. 



We had at first a light breeze from the north- 

 ward and westward, followed hya calm, after which 

 the wind came round to the southward. The wea- 

 ther wjih remarkably pleasant. 



Cape Brett, according to our observations, is 

 erroneously placed in the charts, which make it 

 forty-two minutes ton far to the eastward. We 

 experienced after sailing a current of eight miles 

 to the northward in twenty-four hours. On tbe 

 h"ch April, the current Bet north-cast-by-north, half 

 a mile per hour. 



On the !>tb, the sea was very smooth, and the 

 day calm ; and M Hot only tried the current, but 

 the distance below the surface at which a white 

 objeet was visible. The sun's altitude was ob- 

 served at the same time. 



I was desirous to pass over the positions of 

 some of the doubtful shoals, and to verify tbe 

 longitude assigned to Sunday Island (tbe Kaoul 

 of D'Kntrceasteaux). Had this not been my de- 

 sign, I should have preferred pursuing a more 

 eastern route than 1 did, which I am satisfied 

 would havu shortened our passage to Tongata- 

 boo. I do not conceive, however, that there is 

 any difficulty in reaching that island, or any risk 

 of falling to the leeward of it nt this season Of the 

 year, for westerly winds prevail iu its neighbour- 

 hood. We had a light wind from north-east to east- 

 north-east. 



On the 11th April, we had reached latitude 29° 

 S., longitude 17lr W., and had on that day a most 

 beautiful halo. It was formed at first of the 

 segments of two great circles, the chorda uf which 

 subtended an angle of 51°. These gradually 

 united, and formed a circle around the sun, 

 whose diameter measured 42°. 



The parhelia wore very distinct, and had spurs 

 on their outer sides ; two points in the vertical 

 plane intersecting the sun, were very bright, but 

 did not form parhelia ; the sun's altitude wus 20° 

 20' : no decided clouds were to be seen, but the 

 I whole sky was hazy, and the wind fresh from (he 

 north-east. About two hours after this phenome- 

 non, much lightning occurred, with torrents of 

 rain, but no thunder, and this continued throughout 

 the night. The barometer stood at 2!K>y in. ; 

 thermometer 7 l a 7 ,! »'- The weather by six in the 

 morning had cleared, and we had the wind light 

 from the westward. The clouds were seen Hying 

 rapidly from the north-east. 



Uu the 13th the wind still continued from the 

 Bouthward and westward, hut light clouds were 

 still flying from east-north-east, and the sea was 

 rough and uncomfortable. We had passed over 

 the place assigned to the Rosetta Shoal, and I 

 believe 1 may safely state it does not exist in that 

 place. 



On the 14lh we mado Sunday Island, the Raoul 

 of D'Eutrecasteaux. It is high and rugged, and 

 had every appearance of being volcanic; the rocks 

 rise like basaltic columns. The island affords no 

 anchorage, and the wind being light, I was not 

 able to get near enough to seud a boat to land and 

 procure specimens ; the sea, also, was very rough. 

 Sunday Island, Recording to our observation*, 

 lies in latitude 29* 12' S,, and longitude 17»' 

 15' W., which agrees well with its established posi- 

 tion; it is said to be inhahited by a Tew white men, 

 and some of the officers reported that they saw 

 smoke. 



On the loth, we fell in with the Tulwicco Plant,, 

 American whaler, Swain, master, that left the 

 United States about the same time we did. She 

 had not been very successful. A singular circum- 

 stance is connected with this ship during her 

 cruise: ll.B.M. bhip Herald, Captain Niii-s, whmu 

 we met in Sydney, picked up, several months since, 

 off Java Head, four hundred miles from land, a 

 whale-boat, with six men, who reported to Captain 

 Nias that they had left the ship Tobacco Plant, 



