feveral vollies, with which the numerous body of fpectators feemed well pleafed, the chief entertained us, in his turn, with an exhibition, which, as was acknowledged by us all, was performed with a dexterity and exactness, far furpaffing the fpecimen we had given of our military manoeu vres. It was a kind of a dance, fo entirely different from any thing I had ever seen, that I fear, I can give no description that will convey any tolerable idea of it to my readers. It was performed by men; and one hundred and five perfons bore their parts in it. Each of them had in his hand an inftrument neatly made, fhaped fomewhat like a paddle, of two feet and a half in length, with a small handle and a thin blade; fo that they were very light. With these inftruments, they made many and various flourishes, each of which was accompanied with a different movement. At first, the performers ranged themfelves in three lines; and, by various evolutions, each man changed his ftation in fuch a manner, that those who had been in the rear came into the front. Nor did they remain long in the fame pofition. At one time, they extended themselves in one line; they then formed into a femicircle; and lastly into two fquare columns. While this laft movement was executing, one of them advanced, and performed an antic dance before me; with which the whole ended.

The mufical inftruments confifted of two drums, or rather two hollow logs of wood, from which fome varied notes were produced, by beating on them with two fticks. It did not, however, appear to me, that the dancers were much aflifted by these founds, but by a chorus of vocal mufic, in which all the performers joined at the

fams

1

fame time. Their fong was not deftitute of pleafing melody; and all their correfponding motions were executed with fo much fkill, that the numerous body of dancers feemed to act, as if they were one great machine. It was the opinion of every one of us, that fuch a performance would have met with univerfal applaufe on an European theatre; and it so far exceeded any attempt we had made to entertain them, that they feemed to pique themselves upon the fuperiority they had over us. As to our mufical inftruments, they held none of them in the least esteem, except the drum; and even that they did not think equal to their own.

In order to give them a more favourable opinion of English amufements, and to leave their minds fully impreffed with the deepest fenfe of our fuperior attainments, I directed fome fireworks to be got ready; and, after it was dark, played them off in the prefence of Feenou, the other chiefs, and a vaft concourse of their people. Our water and ky-rockets, in particular, pleafed and aftonifhed them beyond all conception; and the fcale was new turned in our favour.

This, however, feemed only to furnish them with an additional motive to proceed to fresh exertions of their very fingular dexterity; and our fireworks were no fooner ended, than a fucceffion of dances began. As a prelude to them, a band of mufic, or chorus of eighteen men, feated themselves before us, in the centre of the circle. Four or five of this band had pieces of large bamboo, from three to five or fix feet long; the upper end open, but the other end closed by one of the joints. With this clofe end, the performers kept conftantly ftriking the ground, though

Лowly,

flowly, thus producing different notes, according to the different lengths of the inftruments, but all of them of the hollow or base fort; to counteract which, a perfon kept striking quickly, and with two fticks, a piece of the fame substance, split, and laid along the ground, and, by that means, furnishing a tone as acute, as thofe produced by the others were grave. The reft of the band, as well as those who performed upon the bamboos, fung a flow and soft air, which fo tempered the harther notes of the above inftruments, that no bye-ftander, however accustomed to hear the moft perfect and varied modulation of sweet founds, could avoid confeffing the vast power, and pleafing effect, of this fimple harmony.

Soon after they had finished, nine women exhibited themselves, and fat down fronting the hut where the chief was. A man then rofe, and ftruck the first of these women on the back, with both fifts joined. He proceeded, in the fame manner to the fecond and third; but when he came to the fourth, whether from accident or defign I cannot tell, inftead of the back, he struck her on the breaft. Upon this, a person rose inftantly from the crowd, who brought him to the ground with a blow on the head; and he was carried off without the leaft noife or diforder, But this did not fave the other five women from fo odd a difcipline, or perhaps neceffary ceremony; for a perfon fucceeded him, who treated them in the fame manner. Their difgrace did not end here; for when they danced, they had the mortification to find, their performance twice difapproved of, and were obliged to repeat it.

Curiofity, on both fides, being now fufficiently gratified, by the exhibition of the various en、 tertainments I have defcribed, I began to have time

time to look about me. Accordingly, next day, I took a walk into the Iiland of Leefooga, of which I was defirous to obtain fome knowledge. I found it to be, in feveral refpects, fuperior to Annamooka. The plantations were more numerous, and more extensive. We obferved large spots covered with the paper mulberry-trees; and the plantations, in general, were well stocked with fuch roots and fruits as are the natural produce of the island. To these I made fome addition, by fowing the feeds of Indian corn, melons, pumpkins, and the like.

The island is not above feven miles long; and, in fome places, not above two or three broad. The east fide of it, which is exposed to the trade wind, has a reef, running to a confiderable breadth from it, on which the fea breaks with great violence.

When I returned from my excursion into the country, I found a large failing canoe faft to the hip's ftern. In this canoe was Latooliboula, whom I had feen at Tongataboo, during my laft voyage; and who was then fuppofed by us to be the king of that ifland. He fat in the canoe, with all that gravity, by which he was fo remarkably diftinguished at that time; nor could I, by any entreaties, prevail upon him now to come into the fhip. Many of the islanders were prefent; and they all called him Arekee, which fignifies king. I had never heard any one of them give this title to Feenou, however extenfive his authority over them, both here and at Annamooka, had appeared to be; which had, all along, inclined me to fufpect that he was not the king, though his friend, Taipa, had taken pains to make me believe he was. Feenou was on board

my

my fhip at the same time; but neither of thefe great men took the least notice of each other.

In the morning of the 23d, as we were going to unmoor, in order to leave the island, Feenou, and his prime-minifter, Taipa, came along-fide in a failing canoe, and informed me, that they were fetting out for Vavaoo, an island, which they faid, lies about two days fail to the northward of Hapace. The object of their voyage, they would have me believe, was to get for me an additional fupply of hogs, and fome red feathered caps for Omai, to carry to Otaheite, where they are in high efteem. Feenou affured me, that he fhould be back in four or five days; and defired me not to fail till his return, when, he promised he would accompany me to Tongataboo. I thought this a good opportunity to get fome knowledge of Vavaoo, and proposed to him to go thither with the fhips; but he feemed not to approve of the plan; and, by way of diverting me from it, told me, that there was neither harbour nor anchorage about it. I therefore consented to wait, in my prefent ftation, for his return; and he immediately fet out.

In my walk, on the 25th, I happened to ftep into a house, where I found a woman fhaving a child's head with a fhark's tooth, ftuck into the end of a piece of ftick. I obferved that the firft wetted the hair with a rag dipped in water, applying her inftrument to that part which fhe had previously soaked. The operation feemed to give no pain to the child; although the hair was taken off as close as if one of our razors had been employed. Encouraged by what I now faw, I foon after tried one of thofe fingular inftruments upon myself, and found it to be an excellent fucce

daneum.