mistresses, and servants of the deceased, and such other females of some rank who choose, out of respect, to officiate on the occasion, were assembled in the house, and seated round the corpse, which still lay out on the bales of gnatoo. They were all habited in large, old, ragged mats; the more ragged, the more fit for the occasion, as being more emblematical of a spirit broken down, or, as it were, torn to pieces by grief. Their appearance was calculated to excite pity and sorrow in the heart of any one, whether accustomed or not to such a scene. Their eyes were swollen with the last night's frequent flood of grief, and still weeping genuine tears of regret; the upper part of their cheeks perfectly black and swollen, so that they could hardly see, with the constant blows they had inflicted on themselves with their fists; and their breasts also were equally bruised with their own misplaced and untimely rage.

Among the chiefs and matabooles who were seated on the malái, all those who were particularly attached to the late king, or to his cause, evinced their sorrow by a conduct, usual indeed among these people at the death of a relation, or of a great chief (unless it be that of Tooitonga, or any of his family), but which, to us, may well appear barbarous in the extreme; that is to say, the custom of cutting and wounding themselves with clubs, stones, knives, or sharp shells. One at a time, or two or three together, would run into the /middle of the circle formed by the spectators, to give these proofs of their extreme sorrow for the death, and great respect for the memory of their departed friend. The sentiments expressed by these

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victims of popular superstition were to the following purpose:-Finow! I know well your mind; have departed to Boiotoo, and left your people under suspicion that I, or some of those about you, were unfaithful: But where is the proof of infidelity? where is a single instance of disrespect?" Then, inflicting violent blows, and deep cuts in the head with a club, stone, or knife, would again exclaim, at intervals, "Is this not a proof of my fidelity? does this not evince loyalty and attachment to the memory of the departed warrior?" Then, perhaps, two or three would run up, and endeavour to seize the same club, saying, with a furious tone of voice, "Behold! the land is torn with strife! it is smitten to pieces! it is split by revolts! how my blood boils! let us haste and die! I no longer wish to live! your death, Finow, shall be mine! But why did I wish hitherto to live? it was for you alone! it was in your service and defence, only, that I wished to breathe! but now, alas, the country is ruined! Peace and happiness are at an end! your death has insured ours! henceforth war and destruction

alone can prosper. These speeches were accompanied with a wild and frantic agitation of the body, whilst the parties cut and bruised their heads every two or three words, with the knife or club they held in their hands.

Others somewhat more calm and moderate in their grief, would parade up and down with rather a wild and agitated step, spinning and whirling the club about, striking themselves with the edge of it two or three times violently upon the top or back of the head; and then, suddenly stopping, and looking steadfastly at the instru

ment spattered with blood, exclaim, "Alas! my club, who could have said that you would have done this kind office for me, and have enabled me thus to evince a testimony of my respect for Finow! Never, no, never can you again tear open the brains of his enemies! Alas! what a great and mighty warrior has fallen! Oh, Finow, cease to suspect my loyalty; be convinced of my fidelity! But what absurdity am I talking! If I had appeared treacherous in your sight, I should have met the fate of those numerous warriors who have fallen victims to your just revenge. But do not think, Finow, that I reproach you; no! I wish only to convince you of my innocence; for who, that has thoughts of harming his chiefs, shall grow white-headed like me? (an expression made use of by some of the old men). O cruel gods! to deprive us of our father, of our only hope, for whom alone we wished to live! We have, indeed, other chiefs, but they are only chiefs in rank, and not, like you, alas! great and mighty in war!"

Such were their sentiments and conduct on this mournful occasion. Some, more violent than others, cut their heads to the skull with such strong and frequent blows, that they caused themselves to reel, producing afterwards a temporary loss of reason. It is difficult to say to what length this extravagance would have been carried, particularly by one old man, if the prince had not ordered Mr Mariner to go up and take away the club from him, as well as two others that were engaged at the same time. It is customary on such occasions, when a man takes a club from another, to use it himself in the same way about his head; but Mr Mariner being a foreigner, was

and,

not expected to do this; he therefore went up, after some hesitation and struggle, secured the clubs, one after another, and returned with them to his seat, when, after a while, they were taken by others who used them in like manner.

After these savage expressions of sorrow had been continued for nearly three hours, the prince, having first signified his intentions to Voona, for reasons before stated, gave orders that the body of his father should be taken to Felletoa to be buried. In the first place, a bale of gnatoo was put on a kind of hurdle, and the body laid on the bale. The prince then ordered that, as his father was the first who introduced guns in the wars of Tonga, the two carronades should be loaded and fired twice before the procession set out, and twice after it had passed out of the malái; he gave directions also that the body of Finow's daughter, lately deceased, should be taken out of the fytoca, in the model of a canoe, and carried after the corpse of her father; that, during his life, as he wished always to have her body in his neighbourhood, she might now at length be buried with him. Matters being thus arranged, Mr Ma, riner loaded the guns, and fired four times with blank cartridge. The procession then moved forward. The wives of the deceased and women attendants proceeded in silent sorrow; next followed the body of Finow, the body of his daughter, the matabooles; and lastly, the young prince

* It should be mentioned that the young prince had now in his possession only two carronades, the other two being at the Hapai Islands with Toobo Toa. But then Toobo Toa had only half a barrel of gunpowder, and no iron shot, whereas the prince had seven or eight barrels, and a considerable number of balls.

and his retinue. When the procession had got out of the fortress, (the malai, of which we are speaking, being in the middle of the fortress of Neafoo), and had passed the place where the guns were drawn up, Mr Mariner fired two more rounds, then loaded them with canister shot, lighted a match, to be in readiness in case of need, and ordered the guns to follow the proces. sion, whilst he went last to see that they were properly drawn. It was not the prince's intention to order another salute; but he had previously told Mr Mariner to load them again, not with blank cartridge but with shot, and to carry a lighted match in his hand, "for, perhaps," said he, we may have need of it." This, it may be easily seen, was a measure of policy; he ordered them to be fired, that he might have a plea for carrying them in the procession along with him, and he ordered them to be loaded a third time, as if they were to be in readiness for another salute at the grave, but in fact för his own safeguard, lest certain chiefs should take advantage of the opportunity.

In the course of two hours they arrived at Felletoa, where the body was laid in a house on the malai at some distance from the grave, till a smaller house could be brought close to it; * and this was done in the course of an hour. corner posts being taken up, the four pieces which compose the building (a kind of shed in a pyra

The

* The body is always placed in a house in front of the fytoca during the time the grave is digging. If there be no house near, a small one is immediately brought for the purpose, which, from the construction of their houses, is readily done by the aid of 50 or 60 men.