vm> the extenfive knowledge of which he feems to have been
A ugitst.
pofTefied, and which we expected ftiould have endeared him
to his countrymen,, waa^ only mentioned by one or two
perfons, who received the mews of his death with perfedfe
indifference. Whilft we were engaged in this; converfation,
I our Highlander performed on the bag-pipe to the infinite
fatisfaffion of all the Taheitians, who. lillened to hxna with
a mixture of admiration and delight. King O-Too in particular
was fio well pleafed with his mufical abilities, which
S have already obferved were mean enough, that he ordered
him a large piece of the eoarfer cloth as a reward for his
trouble.
As this, vifit was merely a vifit of ceremony, we foon
got up to return to our boat, but were detained a little
longer by the arrival of E-Happai * the father of the
fovereign. He was a tall, thin man, with a grey beard
and hair, feemed to be of a great age, but was not yet
entirely worn out. He received the prefents which our
captains made him, in a cold carelefs manner, which is
natural to old people, whofe fenfes are confidently impaired.
The accounts o f former voyagers had already
apprifed us of that ftrange conftitudon, by virtue of which
the fon a flumes the fovereignty in his father s life time'!'»
but we could not without furprize, behold the aged Happai,
* See Hawkefworth, vol. II. p. I5 4> Whappai. t Ibid, P- U 4»
naked
naked to the waift in his Ton’s prefence, conform to the AogifVt
general cuftom. Thus the ideas univerfally annexed ta
confanguinity, are fuppreffed in order to give greater
weight to the regal dignity, and I cannot help thinking
that fuch a facrifice to political authority, argues a greater
degree of civilization than has been allowed to the Tahei-
tians by our former navigators. However, though Happat
was not invefted with the fupreme command, his birth and
rank entitled him to deference from the common people,
and to a proper fupport from the king. The province or
diftrift of O-Parre, was therefore under his immediate
orders, and fupplied not only his wants, hut thofe alfo of
his attendants. After a very fhort flay with this old chief,
we parted from him, and from the king his fon, and returned
on board in the pinnace, which Maratata had occupied
during the whole time of our interview, priding
himfelf very much on his fuppofed intereft with us. During
our abfence feveral tents had been erected on Point
Venus, for the convenience of our wood-cutters and wa-
terers, and the fick of the Adventure. The aftronomers of
both veilels had likewife fixed their obfervatory nearly on
the fame fpot, where Mr. Green and captain Cook had obferved
the tranfit of Venus. We found a great number of
inhabitants about the veilels, and among the reft feveral
of the better fort of people, who having aceefs to all parts
of the ftiip, followed every body with their petitions for
U u 2 beads