1773-
could by no means depend upon them, for we never met
September. with any man who had vifited them ; however, they ferved
to convince us, that the natives of the Society Ifles have
fometimes extended their navigation farther than its pre-
fent limits, by the knowledge they have of feveral adjacent
countries. Tiipaya, the famous man who embarked at
Taheitee in the Endeavour, had enumerated a much more
confiderable lift of names, and had aftually drawn a map
of their rcfpeciivc fituations and magnitudes, of which lieutenant
Pickerfgill obligingly communicated a copy to me. In
this map we found all the names above-mentioned, except
Ooborroo and Tuboöai: but if his drawing had been ex-
aft, our fhips muft have failed over a number of the iflands
which he had laid down. It is therefore very probable
that the vanity of appearing more intelligent than he really
was, had prompted him to produce this fancied chart of the
South Sea, and perhaps to invent many of the names of
iflands in it, which amounted to more than fifty.
The chief and his fon breakfafted with us, and went
alhore with a number of prefents in return for fome of
theirs. We followed foon after, and were invited by him
to become fpeftators of a dramatic dance or heeva; which
was the more readily accepted by us, as we had never feen
one before. The place where it was performed was an
area, about twenty-five yards long and ten wide, enclofed
between two houfes which flood parallel to each other.
The
The one was a fpacious building, capable of containin g a September.
great multitude of fpeftators; but the other was only a
narrow hut, which was fupported on a row of polls,
and open towards the area, but perfectly clofed up with
reeds and mats on the oppolite fides •, one corner of
it was matted on all fides, and this was the dreffing-
room of the performers. The whole area was fpread
with three large mats of the beft workmanfhip, ftriped with
black on the edges. In the open part, of the fmaller hut
we faw three drums of different fizes, cut out of folid
wood, and covered with fhark’s fkin, which were continually
ftruck with the fingers only by four or five men with
amazing dexterity. The largeft of thefe drums was about
three feet high and one in diameter. We had already fat
fome time under the oppofite roof, amidft the principal ladies
of the ifland, when the aftreffes appeared. One of
them was Poyadua, the fair daughter of the chief Oreta,
and the other a tall well lhaped lady, of very agreeable features,
and likewife a very fair complexion *. Their, drefs
was remarkably different from the ufual falhion of thefe
iflands, It confifted of a piece of the brown cloth, of the
country fabrick; or, inftead of that, of a piece of blue
European cloth, clofely wrapped round the breaft, fo as to
refemble the clofe dreffes which our ladies wear ; a kind
of ruff of four rows of their cloth, alternately red and!
* That is,. confLdering her as a native of the Society Ifles.
white;.