there lay twenty-two bodies perfectly naked, and arranged side by side in even order. They were so dreadfully bruised and battered about the head, that only two or three of them could be recognised. At this time a man had just counted them, and was reporting the number to the chief, who sat in the hammocknettings; immediately after which they began to throw them overboard. Mariner and the cooper were now brought into the presence of the chief, who looked at them awhile and smiled, probably on account of their dirty appearance. Mariner was then given charge to a petty chief to be taken on shore, but the cooper was detained on board. Mr. Mr. Numerous hardships and fatigues were now endured for some time, he was at length taken into the presence of Finow, the How or king of these islands, who, it appears, had taken a peculiar liking to him from seeing him on board the Port au Prince. All his hardships and insults were now at an end, from this moment he became the bosom friend of the monarch, who though cruel and ambitious to the last degree, was yet a man of strong intellect and generous sentiments. Shortly after his arrival, Finow (the king) insisted on his giving up his books and writing materials, with which he had occasionally amused himself, the reason given for such an extraordinary demand, was, that the king could not allow him to practise witchcraft, to the injury of the Tonga people; but when he afterwards understood the language, the king explained to him his opinion of books and papers and gave his reasons for that opinion in the following account He "Some years ago, on the arrival of an "European vessel, one of the white men "came to live among them by choice. "This man's name was Morgan. "lived for a considerable time on terms of 66 great friendship with the natives, and "was much respected by them; some "time afterwards there came another "European vessel," (the Duff, captain "Wilson, with the missionaries,)" and "from this ship also there came several "white men to live by choice among them. The white men that came last "built a house, in which they used often "to shut themselves up, to sing and per "form ceremonies, (as Finow expresses "it). Matters went on verv well for some "time at length a quarrel ensued be"tween Morgan and the other white men, "at first about an iron pot which he "wanted to borrow of them, and then "about some pigs which they said he "had stolen from them: upon this they informed the chiefs that this Morgan "had been a bad man in his own coun"try, and was under sentence of banish"ment for his crimes; but from the full "execution of which he had escaped." (He had actually escaped from Botany Bay). "The people then began to treat "Morgan with every species of insult, so "that his life was very uncomfortable, "and often in great danger. Morgan in " "his turn told the chiefs who they were; "viz. that they were men sent out by the "king of England, to bring a pestilence upon the people of Tonga, and that they accordingly shut themselves up in this "house, to perform witchcraft, and make "incantations, which was the cause of "the pestilence that then raged:" (there was an epidemic disease at the time, which was very fatal among the chiefs, two or three dying every day) " and that "all their books were books of witch"craft. The chiefs began to take Mor66 gan's statement into serious considera"tion; there certainly was a great mor 66 66 tality among them: the white men "often assembled, and sang very loud; "besides which, they would not let the "Tonga people be present; and to pre vent them even from peeping through "the crevices of the reed fencing of the "house, they stopt them up with all kinds " of filth, knowing that the cleanliness of "the Tonga people would not then allow "them even to approach. And the chiefs "said to themselves, if these people are “doing no harm, why do not they allow "us to be present? we do not conceal our ceremonies from them, why do not "they expose theirs to us? In the mean "while Morgan said to the chiefs, You 666 see the effect of their incautations several of you are dying every day; "by and by you will be all cut off, and the king of England will take possession of your islands; for although you have the remedy in your power, "you will not make use of it.'-The chiefs took the alarm in time; they rushed upon the white men, and "killed all but "three, who were at that time under "the protection of Veachi;" a great chief, hereafter to be noticed. Such was the cause of the fate of the missionaries, as related by the king to Mr. Mariner, who often afterwards heard the same relation from other chiefs. He enquired what became of the three that were under the protection of Veachi, and learnt that they were killed during a civil war they might indeed have made their escape, along with some natives who invited them into a canoe, which was going to another island, but they chose to remain; urging for their reason that they had not quarrelled with any of the Tonga people, and that consequently they should not be hurt; the others informed them, however, that it was the Tonga custom not only to kill an enemy, but also all bis friends and relations, if possible: the three missionaries then replied that as they had done no harm, and meant no harm, their God wouid protect them: at this moment, a party of natives, who were lying in wait in a neighbouring thicket, rushed out and killed them with their spears. The natives in the canoe pushed off from the shore, and made their escape. How necessary it is to know the customs of the country! how baneful it is to be presumptuous! Our best intentions may be ruined by the ignorance of the one, and influence of the other. That books and writing should be esteemed implements of witchcraft in an unlettered country is by no means surprising, and we cannot avoid thinking the missionaries unwarrantably thoughtless, in suffering such an opinion to prevail amongst them. As missionaries, sent to teach, we must suppose them qualified to explain by signs, language, and a variety of other methods, such particulars both relating to religious matters and the principles of civilization in general, as they were before ignorant of, and we hope the history we have just related will put future missionaries more upon their guard. Although Mr. Mariner was obliged to surrender his books, &c. and had the mortification of seeing them burned, he continued in friendship with the king, and on many occasions was of the greatest service to him, being his constant attendant both in the field of battle and Finow's in parties of pleasure. anxiety for the comfort and welfare of Mr. M. is on no occasion better exemplified than in the following little anecdote when he was preparing to accompany him in an expedition against a neighbouring chief. One day, whilst these preparations were going forward, the king asked Mr. Mari ner whether he had a mother living; upon his replying in the affirmative, he appeared much grieved that he should be separated so far from her. It is a custom in the Tonga islands, for men, (and sometimes women,) to adopt or choose a foster mother, even though they have their own natural mother living, with a view of being better provided with all necessaries and conveniences, as cloth, oil, food, &e. On this occasion the king appointed one of his wives, Mafi Habe, to be Mr. Mariner's adopted mother, telling him, that if there was any thing he wanted to make his situation more comfortable, he need only apply to Mafi Habe, and as she was a woman of consequence, it was in her power to procure him any thing that in reason he might require. This woman had afterwards as much real esteem and parental affection for him as she could possibly have for her own son. Certain regulations respecting the commencement of hostilities, and some kind of religious ceremonies or invocations of a superior being, previous to the first attack of an enemy, are insisted upon by all nations; and although ticulars of religious worship, we we shall hereafter notice the parlowing account of the ceremony must beg leave to extract the folof Toogi, as performed by Finow before he attacked the island of Tonga. Before morning, several presents were brought to Finow and his chiefs, by the people living at a consecrated place on the island of Tonga, called Mafanga. Ma fanga is a piece of ground about half a mile square, situated on the western part of the island of Tonga. In this spot are the graves where the greatest chiefs from time immemorial have been buried, and the place is therefore considered sacred; it would be a sacrilege to fight here, and nobody can be prevented from landing; if the most inveterate enemies meet upon this ground, they must look upon each other as friends, under penalty of the displeasure of the gods, and consequently an untimely death, or some great misfortune. There are several of these consecrated places on different islands. The following morning, Finow and part of his forces lauded at Mafanga: he immediately proceeded to his father's grave with several chiefs and matabooles, (Mr. Mariner being also with them) to perform the ceremony Toogi. All who went for this purpose put on mats instead of their usual dress, and wreaths made of the leaves of the ifi tree* round their * Inocarpus edulis, necks (significant of respect and humility.) They sat down cross-legged, (the usual way of sitting) before the grave; Finow, as well as the rest, beating their cheeks with their fists for about half a minute, without speaking a word. One of the principal matabooles then addressed the spirit of Finow's father to the following purpose: "Behold the man (meaning Finow) who has come to Tonga to fight "his enemies; be pleased with him, and "grant him thy protection; he comes to "battle, hoping he is not doing wrong; "he has always held Tooitonga* in the "highest respect, and has attended to all "religious ceremonies with exactness," One of the attendants then went to Finow, and received from him a piece of cava root, which he laid down on the raised mount before the Fytoka (buryingplace). Several others, who had pieces of cava root in their bosoms, went up to the grave in like manner and deposited them. The ceremony being thus finished, Finow and his friends returned to the beach, where a large root of cava was brought to them as a present, by the chief of the consecrated place, on which they regaled. The act of bringing presents to an hostile chief reminds us of Ossian's description of Cuchullin inviting Swaran to his feast previous to giving him battle; indeed many of their customs, the reverence for their departed warriors, and the noble generosity of their sentiments, strongly remind us of the romantic enthusiasm of Ossian. The expedition having succeeded, Finow, after taking possession of the enemy's position, proceeded to rebuild the fortress, which was fenced with reeds; this step was taken by the admonition of the gods, who were consulted through the medium of the priests in the following manner. The night previous to the consultation of the oracle, the chief orders his cooks to kill and prepare a hog, and to procure a basket of yams, and two bunches of ripe plantains. These things being got ready, the next morning they are carried to the place where the priest resides, or wherever he may be at that time: the priest is sometimes previously apprized of the circumstance, at other times not. The chiefs and matabooles clothe themselves in mats, and repair to the place where Topitonga is a great chief, supposed to be descended from a god. the priest is to be found; if it is at a house, the priest seats himself just within the eaves; if at a distance, he seats himself on any convenient spot of ground, and the matabooles seat themselves on either hand, so as would form a circle, or rather an ellipsis, if there was not a considerable vacant space left opposite the priest. In this space, at the bottom of the circle, sits the man who prepares the cava, the roots being previously chewed by the cooks, attendants, and others, who sit behind him behind these again sit the chiefs indiscriminately among the people. The chiefs take this retired and humble station on account of the sacredness of the occasion, conceiving that such modest demeanour must be acceptable to the gods, As soon as they are all seated, the priest is considered as inspired, the god being supposed to exist within him from that moment. He sits for a considerable time in silence, with his hands clasped before him; his eyes are cast down, and he remains perfectly still. During the time that the victuals are being shared out, and the cava being prepared, the matabooles sometimes begin to consult him; sometimes he answers them, at other times not; in either case he remains with his eyes cast down. Frequently he will not answer a word till the repast is finished, and the cava too. When he speaks, he generally begins in a low and very altered nearly its natural pitch, though sometimes tone of voice, which gradually rises to a little above it. All that he says is supposed to be the declaration of the god, and he accordingly speaks in the first person as if he were the god. All this is done generally without any apparent inward emotion or outward agitation; but sometimes his countenance becomes fierce, and as it were, inflamed, and his whole frame agitated with inward feeling; he is seized with universal trembling; the perspiration breaks out on his forehead, and his lips, turning black, are convulsed; at length tears start in floods from his eyes, his breast heaves with great emotion, and his utterance is choked. These symptoms gradually subside. Before this paroxysm comes on, and after it is over, he often eats as much as four hungry men, under other circumstances, could devour. The fit being now gone off, he remains for some time calm, and then takes up a club that is placed by him for the purpose, turns it over and regards it attentively; he then looks up earnestly, now to the right, now to the left, now again at the club; afterwards he looks up again, and about him in like manner, and then again fixes his eyes upon his club, and so on, for Their houses are built somewhat in form of a shed, open all round, and the eaves coming within about four feet of the ground. several times: at length he suddenly raised the club, and, after a moment's pause, strikes the ground, or the adjacent part of the house, with considerable force: immediately the god leaves him, and he rises up and retires to the back of the ring among the people. If the company now wish for any more cava, Finow, or the greatest chief present, goes and sits at the head of the ring. It might be supposed that this violent agitation on the part of the priest is merely an assumed appearance for the purpose of popular deception; but Mr. Mariner has no reason at all to think so. There can be little doubt, however, but that the priest, on such occasions, often summons into action the deepest feelings of devotion of which he is susceptible, and by a voluntary act disposes his mind, as much as possible, to be powerfully affected: till at length, what began by volition proceeds by involuntary effort, and the whole mind and body become subjected to the over-ruling emotion. But there is nothing new in all this ancient times, as well as modern, afford numerous instances of this nature; and savage nations, as well as civilized, display ample testimony that false religions, and false notions of religion, act upon some minds with such extraordinary impulses, that they are mistaken for divine inspirations. This account strongly reminds us of the oracles of ancient times, and in all probability had its origin in the once celebrated pagan worship. We have before observed, that the art of writing was considered witchcraft, and Mr. Mariner has given us a most diverting account of the astonishment it occasioned. Having understood that European ships occasionally touched at the island of Tonga, he wrote a letter, with gunpowder dissolved in gum water, which he used as ink, describing his situation, and wish to return home; this letter was addressed to the captain of any ship which might arrive, and given to the care of the chief of Manfanga (the consecrated place formerly mentioned). Finow, having heard of this letter, demanded to see it; but not being able to make any thing of it, desired to be informed what it meant, which was accordingly done. This mode of communicating sentiments was an inexplicable puzzle to Finow; he Asiatic Journ.-No. 15. took the letter again and examined it, the increased astonishment of every body. Mr. Mariner then told him that, in several parts of the world, messages were sent to great distances through the same medium, and, being folded and fastened up, the bearer could know nothing of the contents; and that the histories of whole nations were thus handed down to posterity, without spoiling by being kept (as he chose to express himself). Finow acknowledged this to be a most noble invention, but added, that it would not at all do for the Tonga islands; that there would be nothing but disturbances and conspiracies, and he should not be sure of his life, perhaps, another month. He confessed, however, that he should like to know it himself, and for all the women to know it, that he might make love with less risk of discovery, and not so much chance of getting his brains knocked out by their husbands. Mariner immediately informed him, that he could write down any thing that he had never seen: the king directly whispered to him to put Toogoo Ahoo (the king of Tonga, whom he and Toobo Nieuha had assassinated many years before Mr. Mariner's arrival). This was accordingly done, and the other read it; when Finow was yet more astonished, and declared it to be the most wonderful thing he had ever heard of. He then desired him to write "Tarky," the chief of the garrison of Bea, whom Mr. Mariner and his companions had not yet seen; (this chief was blind in one eye). When "Tarky" was read, Finow enquired whether he was blind or not; this was putting writing to an unfair test! and Mr. Mariner told him that he had only written_down the sign standing for the sound of his name, and not for the description of his person. He was then ordered to write," Tarky, blind in his left eye," which was done, and read to (To be continued.) COLLEGE OF FORT WILLIAM, PUBLIC DISPUTATION. CALCUTTA, JULY 17, 1816. On Monday the 15th instant, being the day appointed by His Excellency Lord Moira, Visitor of the College of Fort William, for the Public Disputations in the Oriental Languages; the President and Members of the College Council, the Officers, Professors, and Students of the College, met at ten o'clock in the forenoon, at the Government House, where the Honorable the Chief Justice, the Honorable N. R. Edmonstone, the Honorable A. Seton, and the Honorable G. Dowdeswell, Members of the Supreme Council; the Honorable Sir Francis Macnaghten, one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, with many of the Civil and Military Officers of the Presidency, as well as several re. spectable Natives, were also assembled. Lady Macnaghten, and many other ladies of the settlement, likewise honored the college with their presence on the occa-sion. Soon after ten o'clock, his Excellency the Visitor, attended by the President of the College Council, the Secretary to the College, and the Officers of his Excellency's suite, entered the room where the -disputations were to be held. When the Visitor had taken his seat, the disputations commenced in the following order HINDUSTANI. "The satirical poetry of the Hindustani equals that of any other Oriental language." Respondent, Mr. W. A. Pringle. First Opponent, Mr. G. E. Law. The Bengali language is better suited to historical, than to poetical or philosophical composition." Respondent, First Opponent, Second Opponent, Moderator, Mr. T. Clerk. Mr. W. Wilkinson. Mr. T. G. Vibart. Rev. Dr. W. Carey. PERSIAN. "The cause of the Persian language having so long flourished, where it is not indigenous, arises from the encourage ment it has met from the several governments, which have successively ruled the country." First Opponent, Respondent, Second Opponent, Moderator, Mr. W. Wilkinson. Mr. W. A. Pringle. Mr. A. Reid. Captain T. Roebuck. SANSKRITA. "To acquire a perfect knowledge of the Sanskrita language requires a longer period of diligence and exertion, than to attain a similar degree of proficiency in any vernacular tongue " Declamation by Mr. T. Clerk. When the disputations were concluded, the president of the college council pre sented to his excellency the visitor the several students of the college, who were entitled to receive degrees of honor, medals of merit, or other honorary rewards, adjudged to them at the pub |