Februaly Europe, and made me no longer regret the inhofpitality we had met with
i---- ----- 1 at St. Francifco and Monterrey. The temporary ufe that we wifhed to
make of a few yards of the American fhore, for our own convenience
and for the promotion of fcience, was not here, as in New Albion, granted
with reftriftions that precluded our acceptance o f the favor we folicited;
on the contrary, immediately on our arrival an ample fpace, protefted
by the moil facred laws, o f thé country, 1 was appropriated to our fervicèy
whilft thofe of our firiall community whofe inclinations led them into
the interior parts of the illand, either for recreation, or to examine its
natural produftions, found their defires met and encouraged by the kind
afliftance o f Tamaahmaah, and their feveral purfuits rendered highly entertaining
and agreeable, by the friendlhip and hofpitality- which was-
IheWn them at.every houfe in the courfe of their excurlions.
A conduct fo difintereftedly noble; and uniformly obferved by fo untutored
a race, will not fail, to excite a ' certain; degree o f regret, that
the'firft facial principles, teaching mutual fuppört and univerfal benevolence,
Ihould fo frequently, amongft civilized people, be facrificed to’
fufpicion, jealoufy, and diftruft. Thefe fentiments had undoubtedly'
very ftrongly operated againft us on a recent occafion; but had the gentleman,
to whofe afliftance wé appealed, but rightly confidered our peculiar
fituation, he muft have been Convinced there could not have exifted a
neceflity for the. unkind treatment he was pleafed, to offer to our little
fquadron; and he Would have fpared me at this moment the unwelcome
talk of making this comparifon, by which the world will perceive what:
I muft have felt upon that occalion.
Wcdncf. 12, - A very ftrift taboo was on this day to be enforced over all the illand,
and required that the refpe&ive chiefs fhould retire to their own eftates,
for the purpofe of rigidly obferving the attendant folemnities; which
were to continue two nights and one day; In the event of the omen’s
proving favorable,- the chiefs would' be permitted to eat o f fuch pork as
they might think proper to ccnfecrate on this occafion; and high poory,
that is, grand prayers would be performed; but fhould the omens be
otherwife, the rites were inftantly to be fufpended.
I had
I had frequently expreffed to Tamaahmaah a defire of being prefent on Fe’W4^
fome of thefe occafions; and he now informed me, that he had obtained v_— ,— .
for me the confent of the priefts, provided I would, during the continuance
of the interdiction, attend to all the reftriftions which their religion
demanded.
Having readily promifed to comply with this condition, I was with
fome degree of formality vilited by feveral of the principals of their religious
order, one of whom was diftinguilhed by the appellation of
Eakoo'a, n0 Tamaahmaah; meaning the god of Tamaahmaah. This
prieft had been one of our frequent attendants, notwithftanding which,
he was, on this occafion, detefted in Healing a knife; for which offence he
was immediately difmifled from our party, and excluded from the precincts
of our encampment.
The reftraints impofed confifted chiefly in four particulars; firft, a total
feclufion from the company of the women; fecondly, partaking of no
food but fuch as was previoufly confecrated; thirdly, being confined to
the land, and not being afloat, or wet with fea water ; and fourthly, not
receiving’', or even touching, the moft trivial article from any one, who
had not attended the ceremonies at themorai.
. Thefe reftriftions were confidered neceffary to: be obferved by the .
whole of our party refident on fhore; and about fun-fet we attended the
fummons of the king at the morai, who was there officiating as high prieft,
attended by fome of the principaT refidents of their religious orders,
chanting an invocation to the felting fun. This, was the commencement
of thefe facred rites; but as I propofe to treat this fubjeft more
fully qn a future occafion, I ffiall for the prefent poftpone the detail of
my obfervations, and briefly ftate> that their prayers feemed to have
fome regularity and form, and that they did not omit to pray for the
welfare of His Britannic Majefty, and our fafe and happy return to our
native country. A certain degree of order was perceptible throughout
thefe ceremonies, accompanied by many fuperftitious and myfte-
rious formalities.; amongft which, a very, principal one was performed
about the dawn of day. A t this time the moft profound filence was
required of every creature within hearing of this facred place- The