fleet,. .tbe;:prefentPomärre, foon after Cook left the ifiand,- and, the
lofs 'hath never; finch] been repaired : there are" not,' at prefent, five
large war canoes at Otaheite. -«.Happily the ifland o f Eimëo becoming
fubJe&itoiBis.fföüV government, ahd Iddeah and Männe Manne,
firaqe tl^Edekth ofoMbtuaro; having: the: eMtf Äüthbftit^there, the:
king« hath littlé; to apprehendr from /ihviafibn, as he was moft eafily
vulnerable flromithai: quarter. : j
The war canoes differ from1 common ones in.conftruótion, having;
M g lr bows, on which are carved rude'Jimages ó f k ien ; and their
fterns run up tapering, fometinas^toljyenty-fqur feet, and ornamented
with the like figures: the bottom "is fharp; the fides rounding
in towards the top in the midfhip frame, like the print, o f a fpade on
a pack o f cards. They are built’ o f Biort pieces .about ,fix feet; each,
except the keel, which feldonv exceeds three pieces, of* twenty ïjön
thirty feet long, and fometimes is formed o f t^omnly. r "The^fiiort
piè^sfare^lafhed too ther fecvirely w ith ; tfinflef? mÉdj^'öf 4 wóï-tiut
fibres j the feams are talked With thé fatrie, and payed With ïf t i bread-
firuit gum; but a heavy fedöpfcns thef^tólk, fand makes them leaky-
and ithey have no methods ó f clearing'th ew a ter .bUtdiy hading with
fcoopsy fo that five or fiix hands are thuscpnftantly employed ;at- Tea;
aiid/infportitKeyärehauledsupiÄi.dry^roUnd,^^itó-prëvêntjhëfefiBkiAg.'
' Thé bread-fruit tree plarik is pPeferróf for- dürability '/fifdtf though hot
a êlofe-graihed wood; the lalt-wafer: worms will' nbt töuéh it,' a pro-
pettyWtfhieh few. others o f:thduh wbods póffefs‘/ 'v
'Inbuildbig the caifees, theyïüfbdke to Barn óuf theinfide o f the
tree, andifmoothithe fides'witb coral and .fhikdp but thöfe ividW-jhave
iron tciflïs prefer the method o f citttlag them into fhäpe, and 'hqflok',
as* far more expeditious. They prepare their pitch for paying-the
teams, b y wrapping the gum; jpfijthe bread-fruit tree rbUnd^tSähdle-
nuts ftuck on fkewers ofcocoa-’nut le a fr ib s : thefe being lighted, the
pitch drops-'into a tray o f water, and; fqueez ingout the aqueous par-
ticlesv thfey 'fpread it on the plank edge, and lay thé eoCoa-ttut huik
beaten fine over it; then fmear it with pitch, and fit on the pext
A ppendix.]
plank', prefimg xtip'owerfy}ly with;rppesf'andlevers,land fecuring it in
its place 'Vfe'kfe ''lafhip^j^bj
The war carnet an^'tS^fe facred togithe ^atSba^are built b y a
general le v y : the'chief, Jffues his oVderkKtQLljhe toWhasV'tliey toithe
ratlrras, y^holoall' liperi theicjfehantsythe mariahoune, forthogsp cfoth,
,oilj §c.,-,to,'.fuppqfb the-’carpmters;.wlrq, are- fen tto the ‘work.’ They
firft, gxan^ine ;tbe I -h iUs, and pitcfejonitbc fproper. timbers the'rafirra
,op,w|>oie landsritis-jfoundu fendh men.tcboiit i t dowri;-- and heW k in
the{roqighv..undeE tH^, caEpentiEs^dire^om1 that.- it m&y; hadthe' gafidr
'removed^ as ,-k is.foipefaniesii ati^icon^dcEahle! fdiflakee. <*’ 'When <the
timbers are! collected; theyare laidifnder^he fired Whereihe-canae-is'tk
✓ be built;:,a*feaftis then m^de to; eqgagbthe faveforgblqall.ftakcelofdhe
Eatooa -and being very acceptable, to-the workmen; theylholcl one^before
t-hq,treeis cut,(down,tanqthef at .|he commencement o f the bv&MlrigfiaHd
on makingTafB ,evpry epurfe.-' fW h en tlMsfirif'firake gffhottpfn rsJfcbmT
pleted,, there is a great* entertainijjeht and offermgjiandi.fb'On tEUklte
whole,is finifhfed, when the feftiyity-as,gTgateft'; 'aS h th e canbe
the Eatoea drefled- out xyith clothe breafiplates;. and-red.-fea&ers; ahd
a' human viftim-iistioffered. The pfferih^srfor> tbd warcicanofe'si'*e
only hogs, &c. which are brought to ,*©fcme^'cHielifn
whofeid%i6fe4t;is|built; there;;tikespriefts -firangle them a^.’tffUaH
and clean the'm;' fmearing them over* -wdtbKth^f,;*pwu^febdg and
placingjtheipiOn 'the fwhatta,cor .altar,* T^itflryahbgi.pknt^srJfr^
;and long,prayers : .the entrails and 'gdtsr are* cleaned and eafeSKaSPfghe
-moral. -Sometimes.the hogs are drefled before tli^^isipffefedblS^ie
altar ; ; t%?re.they are,left th putrefy, „ofc'be^eaten byjbish^vhifctev'jfei.
quent thefe places; the heron efpecially, and the woodpecker.
Thefe birds are refpeaed as facred, and negreAkilkd),^asy ir isKf&ppoM"-
thp deity defeends in them,: when be comes. *:to .the ■ mbraivto.i i»fpirb/thb
priefl, and give an anfwer to. their prayers.
The canoe offered.to the Eatooa,' finely drefled-, is drawn up to the
morai with all the facrifices and oblations; there the eye o f the dead
vidfim is firft offered to: the king,, with the planlaini and prayers, and