w/- large canopy of the finer fort of cloth; with a piece of the
—v ' coarfer fort, fpread under them and before them, that was
feventy-fix yards long, and feven and a half broad. On one
fide was a large old boar; and on the other fide a heap of
cocoa-nuts. A number of people were feated round the
cloth ; and, amongft them, I obferved Mareewagee, and
others of the firft rank. I was defired to fit down by the
prince; and then Omai informed me, that he had been
inftrudted by the king to tell me, that, as he and I were
friends, he hoped that his fon might be joined in this
friendfhip; and that, as a token of my confent, I would
accept of his prefent. I very readily agreed to the propofal;
and, it being now dinner-time, I invited them all on
board.
Accordingly, the young prince, Mareewagee, old Toobou,
three or four inferior Chiefs, and two refpeftable old ladies
of the firft rank, accompanied me. Mareewagee was drefled
i'n a new piece of cloth, on the Ikirts of which were fixed
fix pretty large patches of red feathers. This drefs feemed
to have been made, on purpofe, for this vifit; for, as foon
as he got on board, he put it off, and prefented it to me;
having, I guefs, heard that it would be acceptable, on account
of the feathers. Every one of my vifiters received from me
fuch prefents, as, I had reafon to believe, they were highly
fatisfied with. When dinner came upon table, not one of
them would fit down, or eat a bit of any thing that was
ferved up. On expreffing my furprife at this, they were all
taboo, as they faid ; which word has a very comprehenfive
meaning; but, in general, fignifies that a thing is forbidden.
Why they were laid under fuch reftraints, at prefent, was not
explained. Dinner being over, and, having gratified their
curiofity, by ihewing to them every part of the fhip, I then
co'ndudted them aihore.
As ■ foon as the boat reached the beach, Feenou, and
fome others, inftantly ftepped out. Young Fattafaihe fol- ' r—
lowing them, was called back by Mareewagee, who now
paid the heir apparent, the fame obeifance, and in the
fame manner, that 'I had feen it paid to the king. And
when old Toubou, and one of the old ladies, had ihewn
him the fame marks o f refpeit, he was fuffered to land.
This ceremony being over, the old people ftepped from my
boat, into a canoe, that was waiting to carry them to their
place of abode.
I was not forry to be prefent on this occafion, as I was
thus furniihed with the moft unequivocal proofs of the fu-
preme dignity of Poulaho and his fon, over the other principal
Chiefs. Indeed, by this time, I had acquired fome
certain information about the relative flotations of the fe-
veral. great men, whofe names have been fo often mentioned.
I now knew, that Mareewagee and old Toobou
were brothers. Both of them were men of great property
in the iiland, and feemed to be in high eftimation with the
people ; the former, in particular, had the very honourable
appellation given to-him, by every body, of Motooa Tonga;
that is to fay, Father of Tonga, or of his Country. The
nature of his relationihip to the king was alfo no longer a
fec-ret to u s ; for we now underftood, that he was his father
in-law; Poulaho having married one of his daughters,
by whom he had this fon; fo that Mareewagee was the
prince’s grandfather. Poulaho’s appearance having fatisfied
us, that we-had been under a miftake, in confidering Feenou
as the fovereign of thefe iflands, we had been, at firft,
much puzzled about .his real rank ; but that was, by this
time, afcertained. 'Feenou was one-of Mareewagee’s fonsj.
and Tooboueitoa was another.