Februar ^one was f°me part of the planking, and fitting up her infide according
«---- .---- 1 to the tafte and fancy of Tamaahmaah. Having no doubt but all this
Saturday aa. would be effefled with little difficulty by themfelves, on faturday our
carpenters were ordered to repair on board with their tools. Befides the
afliftance I had afforded in budding the hull of the veffel, I had furnifhed
Tamaahmaah with all the iron work Ihe would further require; oakum
and pitch for caulking, proper mails, and a fet of fchooner fails, with
canvafs, needles, and twine to repair them hereafter. With refpeft to
cordage, they had a fufficiency of their own manufafture for her rigging,
fchooner falhion, and every other neceffary purpofe.
Tamaahmaah was exceedingly well pleafed, and thankful for our exertions;
and it was extremely gratifying to my feelings to refleft, that fuch
valuable opportunities Ihould have offered for bellowing this gratification
upon the king, and many effential benefits upon his people; all
of whom were now well convinced, that thefe fuperior advantages were
only to be obtained by the conllant exercife of the fame honefly and civility,
by which thefe had been fecured to them on the prefent occafion.
Very little doubt can be entertained of the exalted pleafure Tamaahmaah
would enjoy in the attainment, by honorable means, of lb
defirable an objefl as his new fchooner; efpecially at thofe times, when
his mind recurring to, the virtuous caufes that had given him fo valuable
a poffeflion, he would naturally make a comparifon between them,
and the criminal meafures purtued, by Tamaahmotoo for a limilar acquifi-
tion; which he had no fooner poffeffed by treachery and barbarity; than
he was. deprived of it with indelible marks of infamy, and the lofs of his
. reputation and cbaraticr.
Sunday 23. On funday evening, agreeably to my promife, I accompanied Tamaahmaah
to the morai, and fubmitted to all the forms, regulations, and re-
ftriflions o f the taboo. The ceremonies were fimilar to thofe I had before
obferved, though they were more concife,, left formal, and. attended by
fewer perfons.
I was not on this, as on the former occafion, purely an idle fpeflator;
but was in fome degree one of the aftors. Whilft in the morning the
principal ceremonies and prayers were performing, I was, called upon to
give
give my opinion on feveral matters that were agitated at one time by
the king, and at others by the principal priefts. Amongft thefe, was
the propriety of their remaining at peace, or making war againft the
other iflands? The ceffion of the ifiand; and if by that voluntary mea-
fure, they would be confidered as the fubjeéts óf Great Britain? Under
this impreflion, in what manner ought they to conduft themfelves towards
all ftrangers, as well thofe who might yifit them from civilized
nations, as the inhabitants of the neighbouring iflands ? With thefe, and
fome other quéftions of lefs importance, I was very ferioufly interrogated;
and I made fuch anfwers to each as. was confiftent with my own
fituation, and, as I confidered, were moll'.likely to tend in future to
their happinefs and tranquillity.
I was not prohibited in my turn from offering my fuggeffions, or demanding
their attention to my requifitions. Anxious left the objefl I
had fo long had in view Ihould hereafter be defeated; namely, that of
eftablilhing a breed of Iheep, cattle, and other European animals in thefe
iflands, which with fo much difficulty, trouble, and concern, I had at
length fucceeded fo far as to import in good health and in a thriving condition;
I demanded, that they Ihould be tabooed for ten years, with a
difcretionary power in the king alone to appropriate a certain number of
the males of each fpecies, in cafe that fex became predominant, to the ufe
of his own table; but that in fo . doing the women Ihould not be precluded
partaking of them, as the intention of their being brought to the
ifland was for the general ufe and benefit of every inhabitant of both
fexes, as foon as their numbers Ihould be fufliciently increafed to allow
of a general diftribution amongft the people.' This was unanimoufly
approved of, and faithfully promifed to be obferved with one exception
only; that with refpeft to the meat of thefe feveral animals, the women
were to be put on the fame footing as with their dogs and fowls-; they
were to be allowed to eat of them, but not of the identical animal that
men had partaken, or of which they were to partake; Much con-
verfation took place on thefe different fubjefls, when not otherways
engaged in funflions of a religious nature; all thefe ceafing at funrife