52 
A VOYAGE TO 
1777 * 
September 
■ im J 
and elegant; that is, more fo than we had ufually met with 
r at any of thefe iflands. But the principal object I had in 
view, this day, in going to Oparre, was to take a view of an 
embalmed corpfe, which fome of our gentlemen had hap¬ 
pened to meet with at that place, near the refidence of Otoo. 
On inquiry, I found it to be the remains of Tee, a Chief well 
known to me, when I was at this illand, during my laft 
voyage. It was lying in a toopapaoo , more elegantly con- 
firudted than their common ones, and in all refpedts fimilar 
to that lately feen by us at Oheitepeha, in which the remains 
of Waheiadooa are depolited, embalmed in the fame manner. 
When we arrived at the place, the body was under cover,, 
and wrapped up in cloth, within the toopapaoo ; but, at my 
defire, the man who had the care of it, brought it out, and 
laid it upon a kind of bier, in fuch a manner, that we had as 
full a view of it as we could wifh; but we were not allowed 
to go within the pales that inclofed the toopapaoo. After he 
had thus exhibited the corpfe, he hung the place with 
mats and cloth, fo difpofed as to produce a very pretty effedk 
We found the body not only entire in every part; but, what 
furprized us much more, was, that putrefaction feemed 
fcarcely to be begun, as there was not the leaft difagreeable 
fmell proceeding from it; though the climate is one of the 
hotted, and Tee had been dead above four months. The 
only remarkable alteration that had happened, was- a fhrink- 
ing of the mufcular parts and eyes; but the hair and nails 
were in their original ftate, and ftill adhered firmly; and 
the feveral joints were quite pliable, or in that kind of re¬ 
laxed Hate which happens to perfons who faint fuddenly. 
Such were Mr. Anderfon’s remarks to me, who alfo told me, 
that on his inquiring into the method of effecting this pre- 
fervation of their dead bodies, he had been informed, that, 
foon 
