56 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 26, 1859. 
they were both right and both -wrong. The fact, was true; but 
the hypothesis that the trout had swallowed the barbel was 
not true— that was an opinion.” In ronclusion, Professor Owen 
said he had mentioned this anecdote to illustrate the importance 
of distinguishing between fact and opinion, and of looking very 
carefully to see that the assertions were true before they formed 
their opinions upon them. If they did that, it w r ould be of very 
great advantage to them ; and this was the best advice he could 
offer them.—(P rofessor Owen at Leeds Mechanics’ Institution.) 
Tutrila. —This is one of the Navigator’s Islands in the 
Western Pacific. It was visited during the summer of 1819 by j 
Captain Erskiue, in ITer Majesty’s ship “ Havannnh,” and the ’ 
following are extracts from his published “Journal:”— 
“ In the afternoon I landed, with several of the officers, at the 
head of the harbour; and, in company with Mr. Gibbons, Maunga, 
and five or six of his people, walked over to Fanga-saa, or Sacred 
Bay, situated on the north side of the island, adjoining Massacre 
Bay, where the unfortunate affray took place in 1787 between the 
natives and the boats’ crew of M. de Bangle, which resulted in 
his death and that of eleven of his companions. The walk, 
which occupies little more than an hour, is by a tolerable foot¬ 
path over a steep Bill; the height of the pass being, as estimated . 
by Captain Bethune, 625 feet, and through a denso forest in¬ 
terspersed with Cocoa-nut trees. We stopped once or twice to 
breathe and drink the milk of the Cocoa-nuts, which the chief’s 
attendants procured for us; climbing the trees, by looping their 
feet together to keep them from slipping, with great ease and 
quickness, and tearing off the thick husk with their teeth in a 
manner which would dislocate the jaw of an European. The i 
cool milk is very refreshing ; and the pulp, if the nuts are not too 
old, agreeable and wholesome. Our friends ate it with avidity ; 
but we were told they were indebted to our presence for the treat, 
the Cocoa-nuts at this season of the year being ‘ saa,’ or tabued, 
and may, except when required for the use of chiefs, or strangers, 
travelling, be used onty for making oil; this article being, in fact, 
the single one of commercial value which they produce. Our ap¬ 
proach to the village of Fanga-saa (a short description of which 
may, from the general similarity, serve for all in Samoa), was 
indicated by the provision grounds, fenced with low walls of 
broken coral, in which, interspersed with Bread-fruit trees, were 
growing Bananas, Yams, 'Taro, and the Ava Pepper ( Piper my- 
thisticum). A neatly-kept path led into the village, situated 
under the shade of a Cocoa-nut grove (the infallible signs of i 
habitation among the islands), and only a few yards distant from 
the sea; on the borders of which were seen a few covered sheds 
for their larger canoes, the smaller ones being hauled up on the 
beach. The houses stand at irregular distances, and in no formal 
order; the path, or street, being, however, cleanly swept, as in 
the open space (or malai) in front of the large house (or fala-tele), 
which is common to all the inhabitants when meeting either for 
business or amusement, and is also the residence of casual 
strangers. Tins house, although of large dimensions, is of similar [ 
construction to all the others, forming an oblong with elliptical 
ends of about fifty feet long by twenty broad. Three posts, of ; 
from twenty to thirty feet high, support the ridge pole, which, , 
with the surrounding line of posts of five feet high, form as it were ! 
the skeleton of the structure. The roof, which is constructed . 
separately from the rest of the building, is composed of three '■ 
parts—the centre, and the two ends ; the rafters of the former 
being parallel to each other, and those of the ends curved, and 
resembling an immense cabriolet hood. The effect of the latter j 
is very singular and pleasing; and they, being of considerable j 
length, are made of separate pieces of the wood of the Bread-fruit | 
tree, joined together by an ingenious scarf or joint. These 
portions of the roof, which are well thatched with the leaf of the | 
Sugar-cane, being elevated on the frame above mentioned, arc 
securely lashed with cord made of Cocoa-nut fibre, first to the 
low r er row of posts, and then to each other, no nails, or pegs, of 
any description made use of; thus leaving the whole house open 
to the height of five feet from the ground. Mats, suspended from 
the lower part of the roof, may, however, be let down when re¬ 
quired ; and the floor, which is raised some feet above the level 
of the surrounding ground, and paved with pebbles like many of 
our summer-houses, is covered with soft mats for sitting or 
reclining. Two wood fires are generally kept burning between 
the central posts ; and the large ava-bowl made from the Tamanu 
(Calopliyllum inopliyllum ), occupies a conspicuous place. All 
cooking, however, is performed outside of the house, in the hot 
stone oven common to Polynesia; consisting merely of a hole in 
the ground a foot or two in depth, in which the food, either 
animal or vegetable, after having been cleaned and wrapped in 
Banana-leaves, is covered up for a time (varying from one to four 
hours), with stones previously heated, the earth being filled in 
and piled up in a mound to prevent the escape of the steam. 
When a stranger of consequence enters a house, a new or clean 
mat is almost always offered for his seat, and an air of freshness 
and cleanliness pervades the whole mansion.” 
“ My having come among them in a friendly way being an¬ 
nounced, and ended with an exhortation to behave to shipwrecked 
strangers in future in a Christianlike manner, the ava-bowl was 
ordered to be prepared. The younger part of the audience, who, 
men and women, were seated in an outer circle outside of the roof 
of the house, immediately started oil’, and returned in a few 
minutes with a few plants of the Ava Pepper. The root of this 
having been cut into short pieces and scraped, the lads, previously 
rinsing their mouths w ith water, proceeded to chew it; delivering 
the pulp when sufficiently masticated to the maker, who had 
carefully washed his hands, and seen that the large wooden bowl, 
standing on legs and highly polished on the inside, was perfectly 
clean. When enough had been chewed, which was the case in 
about ten minutes, clean water was poured in from Cocoa-nut 
shells till the bowl was nearlyfull, and the whole was then mixed. 
A cloth, or strainer, made of the leafy fibre of some tree, wais then 
handed to him, and the liquor filtered through it by taking it up 
as if by a sponge, and squeezing it back into the bowl. This 
operation having been performed two or three times, the maker 
tossed the straining-cloth away from him, and proclaimed, in a 
loud voice, ‘ The ava is ready,’ an announcement followed by 
the whole party clapping their hands. Two men were then 
selected, one to call out, in the proper order of precedency, the 
names of those to whom the cup was to be offered, and the other 
to act the part of cupbearer. The duty of the former was per¬ 
formed in a loud singing tone, ending off with the person’s name 
in a flourish ; and the cup, or Cocoa-nut shell, which, from long • 
use and the effects of the Ava, was highly polished on the inside, 
and had an agreeable smell, was handed round with much form 
and ceremony. The officers and myself having declined our 
share, the first was presented to Maunga, who, I remarked, called 
out to fill the cup up to the brim. Mr. Gibbons was next called, 
but begged to be excused; and the inferior chiefs and talking- 
men were then served, until the whole was finished. The cup¬ 
bearer performed his office with much grace, holding the cup at 
first as high as his head, and quietly lowering and depositing it 
at the feet of the person to whom it was destined. I may remark, 
that in all meetings it is considered highly indecorous to sit with 
outstretched legs, the proper position being that of a tailor on his 
shop-board ; and it would be an insult to pass anything over the 
legs, or feet, of a chief. These points of ceremony are, however, 
dispensed with in the case of Europeans ; although the people 
always seemed pleased with our attempts, sometimes awkward 
enough, to conform to their customs. I regretted for this reason 
that I had excused myself from tasting the Ava, particularly as 
its preparation is not so disgusting as the accounts of some 
travellers had led mo to expect.” 
“ It is much to be regretted that these people have, as yet, no 
stimulus to steady industry, there being few opportunities for the 
purchase of goods to improve their condition. The means of ex¬ 
change they might soon acquire by the manufacture of Cocoa-nut 
oil, which could bo produced to a great extent. The process at 
present is of the simplest kind, being merely the scooping out the 
kernel of the nuts by hand, and leaving the oil to drip through 
the bottom of an old canoe, perforated with holes, into any vessel 
prepared to receive it. Wo saw on the beach one or two iron 
tanks, which the missionaries had procured for this purpose; and 
we were informed that their congregations had contributed eleven 
tons of oil to the Society this year, the value of which they esti¬ 
mated at £40 a ton in London. Cotton and Arrowroot might 
also bo produced as articles of export, and any description of 
tropical vegetables grown in sufficient abundance to subsist a 
large population. They have no cattle in this island; but pigs 
are plentiful, although they seem not to bo used as daily articles 
of food, but only at feasts and on great occasions. We were told 
of an instance when 1,700 pigs were killed at once, to celebrate 
the opening of a chapel in one of the districts ; but this profusion 
is very'properly discouraged by the missionaries. They have 
also poultry; but the principal articles of food are Bread-fruit, 
Taro, and Bananas (all of which were sold alongside), and Yams 
in the season. Maunga sent me off a dish, prepared in the native 
hot-stone oven, of Taro-top, filled with a ci’eaiuy preparation of 
tire Cocoa-nut, called palu-sami, which wc afterwards met with 
