508 
P E L E W ISLANDS, 
conduit of thefe hitherto-unknovvn people, we now pro¬ 
ceed to lay before our readers what we have learned of 
their government, cuftoms, manners, and arts; together 
with a defcription of the face of their country. In this 
■ the editor of Captain Wilfon’s Voyage mult be our guide; 
and, if our narrative do not fatisfy the man of fcience, it. 
is to be obferved, that the Antelope was not a ftiip 
lent out purpofely to explore undifcovered regions, nor 
were there people on-board properly qualified to eftimate 
the manners of a new race of men ; they had amongft 
them no philofophers, botanifts, or draughtfmen, expe¬ 
rienced in fucli fcientific purfuits as might enable 
them to examine with judgment every objeit which pre- 
fented itfelf. Diftrefs threw them upon thefe iflands ; 
and, while they were there, all their thoughts were occu¬ 
pied on the means of liberating themfelves from afituation 
of all others the moll affliifingto the mind, that of being 
cut off for ever from the fociety of the reft of the world. 
It however clearly appears, from their uniform tefti- 
mony, that at Pelew the king was looked up to as the 
father of his people; and, though diverted of all external 
decorations of royalty, had every mark of diftindtion paid 
to his perfon. His rupacks, or chiefs, approached him 
with the greateft refpedl; and his common fubjedts, 
whenever they parted near him, or had occafion to addrefs 
him, put their hands behind them, and crouched towards 
the ground. Their councils were always held in the 
open air, where the king firft ftated the bufinefs upon 
which he had afi'embled them, and fubmitted it to their 
confideration. Each rupack delivered his opinion, but 
without rifing from his feat ; and, when the matter be¬ 
fore them was fettled, the king ftanding up put an end 
to the council. When any meffage was brought him, 
whether in council or elfewhere, if it came by one of the 
common people, it was delivered at fome diftance in a 
low voice to one of the inferior rupacks, who bending in 
an humble manner at the king’s fide, delivered it in the 
fame manner with his face turned.afide. His commands 
appeared to be abfolute, though he adted in no important 
bufinefs without the advice of his chiefs; and every day 
in the afternoon, whether he was at Pelew or with the 
Englifli, he went to fit in public for the purpofe of hear¬ 
ing any requefts, or of adjufting any difference or dif- 
pute which might have arifen among his fubjedls. But 
thefe, according to our editor, feldom happened ; for, as 
their real wants were but few, and they faw nothing to 
create artificial ones, every one w r as chiefly occupied with 
his own humble purfuits; and, as faras the fhip’s crew, who 
remained among them about three months, could decide, 
they appeared to conduct themfelves towards each other 
with the greateft civility and benevolence ; never wrang¬ 
ling or entering into quarrelfome contentions, as is cuf- 
tomary among thole who call themfelves a polifhed and 
enlightened people. Even when children fliowed a dif- 
polition of this kind, they llrongly marked their difplea- 
fure, by flirting with rebuke their little animofities. 
Next in power to the king was his brother Raa Kook, 
who was official general of all his forces. It was his duty 
to fummon the rupacks to attend the king for whatever 
purpofe they were wanted. He was alfo his prefumptive 
heir; the fucceffion of Pelew not going to the king’s 
children till it had parted through his brothers ; fo that 
after the demife of Abba Thulle, the fovereignty would 
have defcended to Raa Kook ; on his demife to Arra 
Kooker; and on the death of this laft it would have re¬ 
verted to Qui Bill, the king’s eldeft fon, when Lee Boo, 
liis fecond fon, of whom we have much to fay, would have 
become the hereditary general. 
The office of firft minifter is defcribed as follows: 
c ‘ The king was always attended by a particular chief or 
rupack, who did not appear to pofl'efs any hereditary of¬ 
fice, but only a delegated authority. He was always near 
the king’s perfon, and the chief who was always firft 
confulted ; but, whether Ids office was religious or civil, 
or both, our people could not learn with any certainty. 
He was not confidercd as a warrior, or ever bore arms, 
and had only one wife, whereas the other rupacks had 
two. The Englifli were never invited to his houfe, or 
introduced into it, although they were conducted to 
thofe of almoft every other chief.” Of the other rupacks 
it is obferved “That they could only be regarded as 
chiefs or nobles ; they were not all of the fame degree, 
as w r as plain by a difference in the bone they wore : this 
was a mark of rank worn upon the wrift, with which 
Captain Wilfon was inverted by the king; but what 
animal it came from, our people could not iearn. They 
generally attended the king, and were always ready at 
his command to accompany him on any expedition with 
a number of canoes properly manned, and armed with 
darts and fpears, who were to remain with him till they 
had his permiffion to return home with their dependents. 
In this part of their government we may trace an outline 
or the feudal fyftem ; but, from the few opportunities our 
people had of inveftigating points of internal government, 
it appeared that the titles of rvpaclis were perfonal badges 
of rank and diftindtion ; nor did they apprehend they 
were hereditary honours, unlefs in the reigning family, 
who muft of neceffity be of this clafs.” 
Thefe iflands are in general of a moderate height, and 
covered with wood ; and encircled on the weft fide by a 
reef of coral, from two to fix leagues from the fliore, and 
of great length. Cooroora, the capital of which is Pe¬ 
lew, bears the marks of induftry and good cultivation. 
All the iflands which the Englifli faw were covered with 
trees of various kinds, and fome of them of large fize, 
which appeared from their canoes, made of their trunks, 
and capable of carrying twenty-eight or thirty men. 
Among the trees in the foreft, they obferved the ebony, 
and alfo a tree which, when pierced with a gimblet, 
yielded a juice of the confiftence of cream; a fpecies of 
the manchineel tree; a tree in fize and its branches refem- 
bling the cherry-tree, and in its leaves the myrtle, and 
having, inftead of bark, an outward coat of the thick- 
nefs of a card, darker than the iniide, though equally 
clofe in texture, the colour of the interior part being 
nearly that of mahogany, and fo extremely hard, that few 
of the tools which the Englifli had could work it with¬ 
out breaking their edges. Here were alfo the cabbage- 
tree, and a tree whofe fruit refembled an almond ; the 
carambola, and the wild bread-fruit, called by the na¬ 
tives riafna.il. Yams and cocoa-nuts, being the chief 
means of fubliftence, are objects of particular attention. 
Of the beetle-nut, which abounds, the natives make 
great ufe ; and their iflands alfo afford plantains and ba¬ 
nanas, Seville oranges, and lemons. They furnifli fome 
fugar-canes, great abundance of the bamboo, and like- 
wife the turmeric, ufed as a dye, and-employed by the 
women for rtaining their fkins. None of the iflands 
which the Englifli vifited afforded any kind of grain, nor 
any fort of quadruped, except fome rats, which were 
found in the woods, and three or four meagre cats found 
in the houfe, and which were probably drifted afhore 
from fome wreck. Of birds, pigeons were the moft nu¬ 
merous; and they had plenty of cocks and hens, undo- 
mefticated and running wild in the woods, of which they 
had made no ufe as articles of food till they were in- 
ftrudted by the Englifli to eat them. Several birds of 
beautiful plumage were obferved to fly about, and fome 
of a fmall fize, whofe notes were very melodious, and par¬ 
ticularly one, which .ufed to ling every morning and even¬ 
ing, with a pipe as fweet as a flageolet. Of fiili they had 
great variety. 
Thefe iflands, when feen from the fea, exhibit high 
rugged land, covered with wood; the interior parts were 
in many places mountainous, but the valleys were exten : 
five and beautiful, and prefented many agreeable prof- 
pedts. The foil was in general rich ; the grafs, as no 
cattle ate it down, grew high, and was burnt up with the 
heat of the fun. The Englifli faw no river in thefe 
iflands; their lupplies of frefli water were derived from, 
fmall ftrearns and ponds, of which there were many. 
They had no fait, or any kind of feafoning with their 
food. 
