Narrative and Successful Result of a Voyage in the South Seas ... to ascertain the actual fate of La Pérouse's expedition, interspersed with accounts of the religion, manners, customs and cannibal practices of the South Sea islanders

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NARRATIVE OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE FATE OF LA PEROUSE. r i.A PH3IR<0> sJg RS ' i.O. NARRATIVE AND SUCCESSFUL RESULT OF A VOYAGE IN THE SOUTH SEAS, PERFORMED BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNMENT OF BRITISH INDIA, TO ASCERTAIN THE ACTUAL FATE 01 LA PEROUSEs EXPEDITION, INTERSPERSED WITH ACCOUNTS OF THE RELIGION, MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND CANNIBAL PRACTICES OF THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS. BY THE CHEVALIER CAPT. P. DILLON, Member of the Legion of Honour ; of the Aniatic Society of Bengal, and of the Geographical Soviet;/ of Paris : Commander of the Hon. East-India Company's Ship Research. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: HURST, CHAWQE, AND CO., ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD. 1829. LONDON! PRINTED BY J. L. COX, GREAT QUEEN STREET, lincoln's-inn FIELDS. NARRATIVE, #c. %c.

Chapter I. Manners And

CUSTOlMS OF THE FRIENDLY ISLANDERS. On this subject I shall avail myself of the correct and interesting sketch of the Friendly Islanders given by Mr. Mariner; because, having arrived among them in early youth, and become perfectly acquainted with their language, man ners, customs, and modes of thinking, he had better opportunities of observation than any one who either went before or came after him. His work, though highly valuable and interesting, is in comparatively few hands ; and from personal observation, and the inquiries made of others when on the spot, I can bear testimony to its general accuracy. I begin with the DIFFERENT GRADES OF RANK. One and the same individual (a priest), who to-day is scarcely held in any estimation, may to- VOL. II. B morrow (under the influence of the inspiration of some god) take place of every body present, seat himself at the head of the cava ring, be respected as the god himself, and his discourse attentively listened to as oracular.

Again, the king himself, whom one might suppose to be the greatest per son in the country (and in fact he has the greatest power), isby no means the highest noble, but must yield in point of rank to many others. In this order of things, therefore, we shall first speak of those persons to whom rank and respect are yielded on the score of religious circumstances : and these are Tooitonga, Veachi, and the Priests. The high-priest and other divine persons. — We here speak of Tooitonga as if actually ex isting in his full rank, with all the public honours of religious estimation ; but it will be recollected that before Mr. Mariner's departure from Eavaoo, the king had done away entirely with aU the ceremonies formerly considered due to the divine character of this chief: and as this was done immediately after Tooitonga's death, his son did not succeed to this high title; so that, if affairs still remain in the same state at Eavaoo, there is at present no Tooitonga, and probably never again will be.

Tooitonga and Veachi are both acknowledged descendants of chief gods, who formerly visited the islands of Tonga ; but whether their original mothers were goddesses, or merely natives of Tonga, is a question which they do not pretend to decide. Of these two personages, Tooitonga, as may be guessed from his title, is far higher in rank. The word imports ' chief of Tonga,' which island has always been considered the most noble of all the Friendly Islands; and from time immemorial the greatest chiefs have been accustomed to make it their principal place of residence, and after their decease to be buried there in the tombs of their ancestors. This island, moreover, gives name, by way of pre eminence, to all the islands taken collectively, as a capital town sometimes gives name to a county ; and withal it has acquired the epithet of sacred, taboo, and is thus sometimes called Tongataboo, denoting its excellence.

From this circumstance it is erroneously noted down in our charts Tongataboo ; but taboo is only an epithet occasionally used. Thus all that need be said in this place of Tooitonga is, that he is by far the greatest egi or noble, having the credit of a divine origin, and that all respect and veneration is therefore due to him. Veachi, as mentioned before, is another egi of divine origin, but far from being equal to Tooitonga. The king, indeed, avoids his pre asence, the same as he would that of Tooitonga, _2 and always pays him the usual obeisance when he happens to meet him : but he has no peculiar marks of high respect shewn to him as are shewn to Tooitonga ; that is to say, no ceremonies that are in themselves peculiar and different from what are shewn to other chiefs by their in feriors.

Priests, or Jhke-gehe. — The term fahe-gehe means ' split off, separate, or distinct from,' and is applied to signify a priest or man who has a peculiar or distinct sort of mind or soul, differ ing from that of the generality of mankind, which diasposes some god occasionally to inspire him. The civil ranks of society are thus divided : — Hoxv, or king ; egi, or nobles ; matabooles ; mooas and tooas. Of the king. — The hotc, or king, is an arbi trary monarch, deriving his right to the throne partly from hereditary succession and partly from military power, which latter he is occasionally obliged to exert to secure himself in the former. His power and influence over the minds of the people is derived from the follow ing circumstances, namely, hereditary right; supposed protection of the gods, if he is the lawful heir ; his reputation as a warrior ; the nobility of his descent ; and, last but not least, the strength and number of his fighting men.

He, of course, possesses the greatest power of any individual ; but in respect to rank, as before observed, he is differently circumstanced. In this last particular, not only Tooitonga, Veachi, and priests actually inspired, are superior to him, but even several other nobles are higher in rank, not as to office or power, but as to blood or descent : for nobility consists in being related either to Tooitonga, Veachi, or the How, and the nearer any family is related to them the nobler it is : those related to Tooitonga being nobler than those equally related to Veachi, and those related to this latter being more noble than those equally related to the How. Hence it appears that there must be many egies more noble than even the king himself; and to such the king, meeting them, must shew the same marks of respect as are usual from an inferior to a superior ; and if he were to touch any thing personally belonging to the superior chief, as himself or his garments, or the mat on which he sleeps, he becomes tabooed, as it is termed, or under the prohibition to feed himself with his own hands ; or if he does, it is at the risk of becoming diseased, or suffering some other calamity from the gods as a punishment.

But from this taboo he can readily free himself, by performing the cere mony of moe-mbe, which consists in touching with both hands the feet of the superor chief, or of one equal to him. Egi, or Jiobles. — All those persons are egi, or nobles, or chiefs (for we have used these terms synonimously), who are any way related either to the family of the Tooitonga, or Veachi, or the How, and all and nobody else but chiefs have the privilege of freeing people from the taboo, under circumstances and in the manner related in the above paragraph. In every family nobility descends by the female line ; for where the mother is not a noble the children are not nobles. But supposing the father and mother to be nearly equal by birth, the following is the order in which the individuals of the family are to be ranked, viz. the father, the mother, the eldest son, the eldest daughter, the second son, the second daughter, &c. ; or, if there be no children, the next brother to the man, then the sister, the second brother, the second sister, &c. But if the woman is more noble than the man, then her relations, in like manner, take precedence in rank; but they do not inherit his property.

All the children of a female noble are without exception nobles. Matabooles. — These rank next to the chiefs : they are a sort of honourable attendants upon chiefs ; are their companions, counsellors, and advisers ; they see that the orders and wishes of their chiefs are duly executed, and may not improperly be called their ministers, and are more or less regarded according to the rank of the chief to whom they are attached. They have the management of all ceremonies. JIJooas are the next class of people below the matabooles. They are either the sons or brothers of matabooles, or descendants of the latter. As the sons or brothers of matabooles are mooas, and as no mooa can become a mataboole till his father or brother, whom he is to succeed, be dead ; so, in like manner, the sons and brothers of mooas are only toons, and no tooa can become a mooa till his father or brother, whom he is to succeed, be dead.

Professional class of society. — We now come to speak of those who draw respect rather than rank, according to their usefulness in different manufactures more or less regarded. Some of these are matabooles, and rank accordingly ; the greater part of them are mooas, and the remainder of course tooas. Among those that practise the arts, there are many that do it because their fathers did the same before them, and consequently have brought them up to it ; and these are, for the most part, such as practise arts that are considered ingenious, and therefore respectable, and hence they have no motive sufficiently strong (unless it be sometimes laziness) to en gage them to relinquish it, particularly as they obtain presents from their chiefs for their in genuity. There is no positive law to oblige them to follow the business of their fathers, nor any motive but the honourable estimation in which their arts are held, or their own interest, or the common custom.

None of them are matabooles, but a few of the canoe-builders, and the superintendents of funeral rites ; perhaps about a fifth or a sixth part of them. And some of these are very ex pert in cutting ornaments out of whale's teeth, for necklaces, or for inlaying clubs ; likewise in making clubs and spears and other warlike in struments, which are not separate professions, but arts practised by the canoe-builders as being expert in the use of the togi or axe. But the two lowest of all, viz. the cooks and peasants, are such by inheritance. The term cook is frequently applied to a man though he be not a cook, to signify that he is of very low rank. The following, then, will be the order in which the different professions will stand, as to the respect they may command in society. All individuals are not, however, esteemed accord ing to their profession, but according to their abilities in it; for a clever man in one art will be sometimes more esteemed than a man of moderate abilities in a higher.

In this arrange ment, the cooks of chiefs are placed before the peasants, because the cooks of chiefs generally have to overlook them. r Toqfoonga so vaca, canoe- "j builders. I „ ,, , | Followed Toqfoonga a fi.no le, cutters of both by mawhale-teeth ornaments. [ tabooles and Toqfoonga taboo, superintendents j mooas* £g of funeral rites. J °-3 / Toojbongata tndca, stone-masons, o or makers of stone coffins. Toqfoonga jia cobenga, net-makers. Toofoonga totu'ica, fishermen. followed rjL jrn i I both Toqfoonga langa sulk, large > mooas and . house-builders. tooas. ■g ( Toqfoonga tu tatto'iv, those who u I perform the tattow. >>J Toqfoonga tongi acotv, club- .ti carvers. £2 Toqfoonga fy cava, barber, or \ K I shaver with shells. \ 0°ly°by ( Targdta fe oo'moo, cooks. ( tooas. Hereditary J ° , \ Key fonooa, peasants.

J RELIGION. The religion of the Tonga Islands rests chiefly on the belief of the following notions : 1. That there are Hotooas, gods, or supreme beings, who have the power of dispensing good and evil to mankind, according to their merit, but of whose origin they form no idea, rather supposing them to be eternal. 2. There are other Hotooas, or gods, viz. the souls of all deceased nobles and matabooles, who have the like power of dispensing good and evil, but in an inferior degree. 3. That there are besides several Hotooa Poxv, or mischievous gods, whose attribute is never to dispense good, but petty evils and troubles ; not as a punishment, but indiscriminately, to whomsoever it may be, from a pure mischievous disposition. 4. That all superior beings, although they may perhaps have had a beginning, will have no end. 5.

That the world also is of doubtful origin, and co-existent with the gods ; the solid sky, the heavenly bodies, and the ocean, being pre existent to the habitable earth, which was after wards drawn out of the water by the god Tan galoa, whilst fishing with a line and hook. 6. That mankind, according to a partial tra dition, first came from Bolatoo, the residence of the gods, an island to the north-westward, and resided at the Tonga Islands by command of Tangalao. They consisted of two brothers with their wives and attendants, whose origin they pretend to know nothing about. 7. That all human evil is inflicted by the gods upon mankind, on account of some neglect of religious duty, either in the person or persons who suffer the infliction, or in the egi or chief whom they serve ; and the contrary of good. 8.

That all egi or nobles have souls, which exist hereafter in Bolotoo, not according to their mortal merit but their rank in this world ; and then they have power similar to the original gods, but less. The matabooles also go to Bolotoo after death, where they exist as matabooles or ministers to the gods ; but they have not the power of inspiring priests. The mooas, according to the belief of some, also go to Bolotoo ; but this is a matter of great doubt. But the tooas, a lower class of people, have no souls, or such only as dissolve with the body after death, which consequently ends their sentient existence. 9. That the human soul during life is not a distinct essence from the body, but only the more etherial part of it, which exists in Bolo too in the form and likeness of the body the moment after death. 10.

That the primitive gods and deceased nobles sometimes appear (visibly) to mankind, to warn or to afford comfort and advice ; that the primitive gods also sometimes come into the living bodies of lizards, porpoises, and a species of water-snake : hence these animals are much respected. Their coming into porpoises is supposed to be for the purpose of taking care of vessels, &c. 11. That the two personages of the Tonga Island known by the name of Tooitonga and Veachi, are descended in a right line from two chief gods, and that all respect and veneration is therefore due to them. 12. That some persons are favoured with the inspirations of the gods, by an actual existence of the god for the time being in the person (the priest) so inspired, who is then capable of prophesying. 13. That human merit or virtue consists chief ly in paying respect to the gods, nobles, and aged persons ; in defending one's hereditary rights; honour, justice, patriotism, friendship, meekness, modesty, fidelity of married women, parental and filial love, observance of all reli gious ceremonies, patience in suffering, forbear ance of temper, &c. 14.

That all rewards for virtue or punish ments for vice happen to men in this world only, and come immediately from the gods. 15. That several acts acknowledged by all civilized nations as crimes, are under many cir cumstances considered by them as a matter of indifference, such as revenge ; killing a servant who has given provocation, or any body else, provided it be not a very superior chief or noble; rape, provided it be not upon a married woman, or one to whom respect is due on the score of su perior rank from the perpetrator ; theft, except it be consecrated property. 16. Omens are considered direct indications of the gods to mankind. Charms or supersti tious ceremonies to bring evil upon any one are considered for the most part infallible, as being generally effective means to dispose the gods to accord with the curse or evil wish of the male volent invoker.

To perform these charms is considered cowardly and unmanly, but does not constitute a crime. The Tonga people universally believe in the existence of a large island called Bolotoo, lying at a considerable distance to the north-westward of their own island, which they consider to be the place of residence of their gods, and of the souls of their noble matabooles. This island is supposed to be much larger than all their own islands put together ; to be well stocked with all kinds of useful and ornamental plants ; always in a state of high perfection, and always bearing the richest fruits and the most beautiful flowers, according to their respective natures. That when these fruits or flowers are plucked, others immediately occupy their place ; and that the whole atmosphere is filled with the most delightful fragrance that the imagination can conceive, proceeding from these immortal plants.

The island is also well stocked with the most beautiful birds of all imaginable kinds, as well as with abundance of hogs, all of which are immortal, unless they are killed to provide food for the hotooas, or gods ; but the moment a hog or bird is killed, another living hog or bird immediately comes into existence to supply its place, the same as with the fruits and flowers : and this, as far as they know or suppose, is the only mode of propagation of plants and animals. The is land of Bolotoo is supposed to be so far off" as to render it dangerous for their canoes to at tempt going there; and it is supposed, moreover, that even if they were to succeed in reaching so far, unless it happened to be the particular will of the gods, they would be sure to miss it. They give, however, an account of a Tonga canoe, which on her return from the Feejee Islands a long time ago, was driven by stress of weather to Bolotoo.

Ignorant of the place where they were, and being much in want of provisions, seeing the country abound in all sorts of fruit, the crew landed and proceeded to pluck some bread-fruit ; but, to their unspeak able astonishment, they could no more lay hold on it than if it were a shadow. They walked through the trunks of trees and passed through the substance of the houses (which were built like those of Tonga) without feeling any resis tance. They at length saw some of the hotooas, who passed through the substance of their bodies as if there was nothing there. The hotooas re commended them to go away immediately, as they had no proper food for them, and promised them a fair wind and a speedy passage. They accordingly put directly for sea, and in two days' sailing with the utmost velocity they arrived at Kamoa (the Navigators' Islands), at which place they wanted to touch before they went to Tonga.

Having remained at Kamoa two or three days they sailed for Tonga, where they arrived with great speed. But in the course of a few days they all died, not as a punishment for having been at Bolotoo, but as a natural consequence, the air of Bolotoo, as it were, infecting mortal bodies with speedy death. The hotooas are supposed to have no canoes, not requiring them ; for if they wish to be any where, there they are the moment the wish is felt. The Hotooas, or supernatural intelligent be ings, may be divided into classes. 1. The original gods. 2. The souls of nobles that have all attributes in common with the first, but inferior in de gree. 3. The souls of matabooles that are still inferior, and have not the power, as the two first have, of coming back to Tonga to inspire the priests, though they are supposed to have the power of appearing to their relatives. 4.

The original attendants or servants, as it were, of the gods, who although they had their origin, and have ever since existed in Bolotoo, are still inferior to the third class. 5. The Hotooa Po"æ, or mischievous gods. 6. Mbooi, or the god that supports the earth, and does not belong to Bolotoo. The first class, or original hotooas, are sup posed to be rather numerous, perhaps about three hundred ; but the names of very few are known, and those only to some of the chiefs and matabooles. Several of these primitive hotooas have houses dedicated to them. The houses are built in the usual style, but generally somewhat more care is taken both in building them and keeping them in good order, decorating their enclosures with flowers, &c. About twenty of the gods have houses thus consecrated to them, some having five or six, others one or two.

The following are the names and attributes of the principal gods. Tdli-y-Toobo. The literal meaning of this name, from which nothing can be deduced, is ' Wait there, Toobo.' He is the patron of the How and his family ; not of Finow in particu lar, who is the present king, but of any one who may be king. He is also god of war, and is consequently always invoked in time of war by the How's party. In time of peace he is also occasionally invoked for the general good of the nation, as well as for the particular interest and welfare of the How's family. Tobifooa Bolotoo. — The literal meaning of this is '. Chief of all Bolotoo.' From this name one would suppose him to be the greatest god in Bolotoo, but he is inferior to the one before mentioned. How he came by this name the natives themselves can give no account : the only answer they make is, that such is his pro per name.

Although he is the god of Bolotoo, he is inferior to Tali y Toobo ; insomuch, that they scarcely make a comparison between them. If you ask them whether Tooi fooa Bolotoo is a great god, they will answer, " Yes, he is a very great god."- — •" Is Tali y Toobo a great god ?" — >" Yes, much greater." — " How great then is Tali y Toobo ?"-—" He is a great chief, from the top of the sky down to the bottom of the earth." Higooleo (meaning ' unknown') ; a very high god, revered principally by Tooitonga's family. VOL. II. c He has no priest nor any house, and is supposed never to come to Tonga. The natives are un certain about his attributes. Toobo Totdi (literally, ' Toobo the mariner'). He is the patron of Finow's family, also the god of voyages. In the first quality he is often invoked by Finow ; in the second quality he is often invoked by chiefs going upon any maritime expedition ; also by any body in a canoe during a voyage.

He is not the god of the wind, but is supposed to have great influence with that god. His chief power is extended to the preservation of canoes from accidents. Aldi Vdloo (the meaning of this name is not known ; Valoo the number eight). A god that pa tronizes the How's family, but is particularly the patron god of Toe Oomoo, the late king's aunt. A'lo, A'lo (literally, ' to fan'). God of wind and weather, rain, harvest, and vegetation in general. This god is generally invoked about once a month if the weather is seasonable, that it may remain so ; if the weather is unseasonable or destructive on shore, by excessive wind or rain, he is invoked every day. A'lo A'lo is not the god of thunder and lightning, of which indeed there is no god acknowledged among them, as this phenomenon is never recollected to have done any mischief of consequence.

In boisterous weather at sea, the superior god Toobo Fotai, the protector of canoes, and other sea gods, are always invoked in place of A'lo A'lo. This ceremony is repeated every ten days, for eight times successively. Tobi Bolotoo (literally, ' chief of Bolotoo'). This and the three following gods are all minor gods of the sea and of voyages, and protector of Finow's family. Notwithstanding his name he is inferior to all the gods mentioned before him, but much upon an equality with the three following : Hcda dpidpi (literally, ' a laad crowded'). He has the same attributes as Tooi Bolotoo. Tbgi Oocummea (literally, an ' iron axe'). The same attributes as the above. Toobo Bobgoo (literally, ' Toobo the short'). The same attributes as the above. Tanglba, god of artificers and the arts. Doubtful if he has any house dedicated to him.

He has several priests, who are all carpenters. It was this god that brought the Tonga Islands from the bottom of the sea whilst fishing. Such are the names and attributes of the chief primitive gods : next to those in rank and power come the souls of nobles, The Hotooa Pow, or mischievous gods. Of these there are, perhaps, several in number, but only five or six are supposed to be particularly active, and from their disposition to plague c mankind, they reside more frequently at Tonga than at Bolotoo. They are accused of being the cause of all the petty inconveniences and troubles of life ; and at Hamon (or the Navigators' Island) they have an idea, which is very con venient to the reputation of the females, that some of these Hotooa Pow molest them in their sleep, in consequence of which there are many supernatural conceptions.

At Toonga, how ever, the matter is never carried to that extent. These HotooaPow had no priests, have no houses dedicated to them, nor are they ever invoked. All the great misfortunes of life, as has been before observed, are special inflictions for the crimes of men ; whereas, the mischievous tricks played by theHotooaPow are for their own whim and delight. They lead passengers astray, trip them up, pinch them, jump upon their backs in the dark, and cause the nightmare and frightful dreams. They are never seen. Moot. — A god that supports the earth, the earth lying on him, he being prostrate. This, as may be supposed, is a very gigantic being, greater in personal bulk than any of the others. He never inspires anybody, nor ever leaves his situation. He has no house dedicated to him. When an earthquake happens, it is supposed that this god, feeling himself in an uneasy pos ture, is endeavouring to turn himself about; and on such occasions the people give loud shouts, and beat the ground with sticks, which is supposed to have the effect of making him lie still.

They have no idea of what he lies on, nor ever make any inquiries about it ; and say it would be folly to do so, for who could go there and see. Such is the account they give of their gods : and the respect which they pay to these ima ginary beings is so great and so universal, that scarcely any instance is known of downright impiety. Idea of tJie Creation of the World. — It is believed that originally there was no land above the water but the island of Bolotoo, which, like the gods, the heavenly bodies, and the ocean, has probably always been. One day Tangaloa, the god of arts and inventions, went forth to fish in the great ocean, and having from the sky let down his hook and line into the sea, on a sudden he felt a great resistance. Believing that he had caught an immense fish, he exerted his strength, and presently there appeared above the surface several points of rock, which increased in number and extent the more he drew his line.

The rocky bottom of the ocean, in which it was now evident his hook had caught, was thus fast advancing to the surface, so as to have made one vast continent, when unfortunately the line broke, and the islands of Tonga remain to shew the imperfection of Tangaloa's attempt. The rock in which the hook was fixed was already above the surface, and is to be seen to this day in the island of Hoomga, where they shew the very hole where it caught. The hook was in the possession of the Tooitonga family till about thirty years ago, when it was accidentally burnt along with the house in which it was kept. Tangaloa having thus discovered land by the divine influence of himself and other gods, it was soon replete with all kinds of trees, herbs, and animals, such as were in Bolotoo, but of an inferior quality, and subject to decay and death.

Being now willing that Tonga should also be inhabited by intelligent beings, he commanded his two sons thus :* " Go and take with you your wives, and dwell in the world at Tonga ; divide the land into two portions, and dwell separately from each other." They departed accordingly. The name of the eldest was Toobo, and the name of the youngest was Vaca-acow-ooli, who was an exceeding wise young man ; for it was he that first formed axes, and invented beads, and cloth, and looking glasses. The young man called Toobo acted * The following story is, as nearly as possible, a literal transla tion of the language in which they tell it. very differently, being very indolent, saunter ing about and sleeping, and envying very much the works of his brother. Tired at length with begging his goods, he bethought himself to kill him, but concealed his wicked intentions.