1777-
July. believe, that when ihe is angry with them, the pfoduftibns-
of the earth are blafted; that many things are deitroyed by-
lightning; and that they themfelves are afflifted with fick-
nefs and death, as well as their hogs and other animals.
When this anger abates, they fuppofe that every thing is
reftored to its natural order ; and it ffiould feem, that they
have, a great reliance on the efficacy of their endeavours
to appeafe their offended divinity. They alfo admit a
plurality of deities, though all inferior to Kallafootmga-.
Amongft them, they mention Toifooa-boolbotoo> God of the
clouds and fog; Talleteboo, and fome others, refiding in the-
heavens. The firil in rank and power, who has the government
of the fea, and its produdhons, is called Futtafaibe,,
or, as it was fometimes pronounced, Fbotbfooa; who, they
fay, is a male, and has for his wife Fykava kajeea: and here,,
as in heaven, there are feveral inferior potentates, fuch as
Vahaa fonooa, Tareeava, Mattaba, Evarooj and others. The-
fame religious fyftem, however, does not extend all over the
duller of the Friendly Illes; for the fupremeGod of Hapaee-,
forinftanee, is called Alo A lo ; and otherTiles have two or
thiee, of different names. But their notions of the power, and
other attributes of thefe beings, are fo very abfurd, that they
fuppofe they have no farther concern with them after death;
q They have, however, very proper fentiments about the
immateriality and-the immortality of the foul. They call it
life, the living principle, or, what is more agreeable to their
notions of it, an Otooa; that is, a divinity, or invifible being
They fay, that, immediately upon death, the fouls of
their CInefs feparate from their bodies, and go to a place
called BooJootoo; the Chief, or god, of which, is Goaleho. This
Gookho feems to be a perfonification of death ; for they ufed
to fay to us, “ You, and the men of Feejee (by this junc-
8 I “,, n. ofin.
“ tion, meaning to pay a compliment, expreffive of their
“ confeffion of our fuperiority over themfelves),, are alfo
“ fubjeil to the power and dominion of Gooleho.” ■ His
country, the general receptacle of the dead, according to
their mythology, was never Teen by any perfon ; and yet,
it feems, they know that it lies to the Weilward of Feejee;,
and that they who are once tranfponed thither, live for
ever; or, to ufe their own expreffion, are nor fubjefl to
death again ; but feait upon all the favourite produdls of
their own country, with which this everlafting abode is
fuppofed to abound. As to the-fouls of the lower fort of .
people, they undergo a fort of tranfmigration ; or, as they;
fay, are eat up by a hir’d called laata,. which walks upon,
their graves: for that purpofe,
I think I may venture to affert, that they do not worfhip
any thing that is the work of their own hands, or any vi-
fible part of the creation- They do not make offerings, of
hogs, dogs, and fruit, as at Otaheite, unlefs it be emblematically;
for their morals were perfedtly free from every
thing of the kind. But that they offer real human facrifices,
is, with me, beyond a doubt. Their morais, ovfatogkas (for
they are called by both names, but moftly by the latter),,
are, as at Otaheite, and many other parts, of the world; bu-
rying-grounds, and places.of worfhip; though fome of
them feemed to be only appropriated to the firil purpofe;
but thefe were fmall, and, in every other. refpecT, inferior
to the others.
' Of the nature of their government, we know no more than
the general outline. A fubordination is eftabliffied among
them, that refembles the feudal fyftem of our progenitors
in Europe. But of its fubdivifions, of the conftituent parts,
and.
mi-
July