January. Tlle queen-mother, although deftitute of any pretenfions to beauty,
------ ’ an8 haying in her perfon a very mafculine appearance, has yet, in her
general deportment, fomething eXeeflively pleafing and engaging; free
from any aufterity or pride, fhe is endued with a comparative elegance
o f manners, which plainly befpeaks her defcent, and the high, fituation
in which Ihe is placed. Although her figure exhibited no external
charms of feminine foftnefs, yet great complacency and gentlenefs were
always confpicuous; indicating, in the moft unequivocal manner, a mind
poffeffmg, and alone aftuated by thofe amiable qualities which moll
adorn the human race. All her aXions feemed direXed to thofe around
her with an unalterable evennefs of temper, and to be guided by a pure
difinterefted benevolence. Self, which on mod occafions is the governing
principle in the conduX of thefe inlanders, with her was totally disregarded
; and indeed; fuch was her very amiable difpofition, that it
counterbalanced any difadvantages Ihe might labour under in a deficiency
o f perfonal attractions.
The portrait of tie r re te on canvas would moft probably be gene-
rally thought intitled to a preference; yet fhe appeared by no means to
poflefs either mental endowments, or other excellent qualities, in the
fame degree with the queen-mother ; if fhe had them, they were latent,
and required fome particular exertion to bring them into aXion. Her
foftnefs and effeminacy afforded her fome advantage over her filler ; yet
there was a fhynefs, want of confidence and manner in her general
demeanor, that evinced her motives to be Iefs difinterefted. We
were however led to believe, that fhe was not deftitute of the amiable
qualities, though to us they did not appear fo confpicuous as in the
charaXer of the queen-mother. O f the two ladies, F ierrete was now
the favorite of Pomurrey, at leaft we had every reafon to think fo. by the
general tenor of his conduct. Notwithftanding this preference, he was
obferved in feveral inftances to abide implicitly by the advice and opinion
of the queen-mother, and to treat her with great affeclion and regard
; who in return never appeared jealous or diffatisfied at the marked
attention,-or evident partiality, with which her filler F ierrete was
treated by Pomurrey.
In
. ■ In confequence of the very fu.perior rank and condition of thefe two j 1192"
ladies, they poffeffed privileges which I had never before feen conferred 1__ ,__
•on any of the women of the Great South Sea nation ; as they were not
only permitted to eat of all the good things o f the country, but allowed
to partake of them in company with men ; as well the chiefs, of the
ifland as ourfelves; and of the -identical difhes at any repaft o f which
men, had eaten, without incurring difpleafure of difgrace: thefe were
honors to which we had reafon to believe no other females o f the ifland
could afpire.
Thefe two ladies with the deceafed Matooara Mahow, were the children
of a filler of Maheine, and his only near relations. Mahow I confidered
to be the fame perfon mentioned by Captain Cook, under the name of
Tiareetabbonooa; as, on our firft arrival, he was introduced to me by
the name of Areetaboonooa, which, appellation was almoft immediately
dropped, and he was afterwards called Mahow; occafioned moft likely
by the recent alteration in their language, which has before been ftated
to have taken place on the acceflion of the young king Otoo. :
■ As Maheine was an Errooe, whofe advanced age precluded the expectation
of his having children, little doubt was entertained that his confequence
and power would foon defcend to his family, which had become
more firmly attached to the Otaheitean authority by the intermarriage
of the late Matooara Mahow with Pomurrey’s youngeft lifter. This connexion
appears to have been an important political meafure, to infure ia
permanent eftablifhment of peace and tranquillity between the two iflands,
on the conqueft, or death of Maheine. The event was however long
looked for before it arrived, for we underftood it did not happen until
about fifteen months previous to our arrival; at which time Maheine was
killed.in a battle fought at Athoora by him and fome of the weftern
chiefs, againft the partizans of Pomurrey,. who, I believe, then for the
firft time came off viXorious.
Maheine having fallen in this confliX, and- Towha being dead, little
was neceffary to complete. the | conqueft,. which was finally accom-
plilhed by the excurfion of the. Bounty’s people in a veffel they had
eonftruHed from the timber of the breadfruit tree; and as good or bad
T 2 fortune