SPIRIT OF MAGAZINES.

CUSTOMS AND MANNERS OF TONGATABOO.

From an authentic Narrative of four years' residence there.

"My intimacy and credit with the chiefs daily increased, and I generally made one of their party, both on business and recreation.

"The chief, near whom I lived, had a brother at Arbai, a cluster of islands at no great distance, composed of Anamooka and other islands; and as his son was going thither on a festive occasion, he invited me to accompany him. I was pleased with the prospect of an excursion, and fitted out the canoe, which I had built, with the assistance of my workmen, for the voyage.

"I was much entertained in the tour, and joined the natives in all their amusements. The chief, whom we visited, mentioned to me a young person, whom he wished I would do him the honour to marry, that he might be related to me. She was a fair pretty girl, only fourteen years of age. I did not take her as my wife, but espoused her by a matrimonial ceremony, which often takes place, like the Jewish espousal, years before the consum mation of the nuptials.

"The matrimonial ceremonies were performed at this time in a grand marriage between Dugonagaboola, and the daughter of a chief of Arbai. To honour his nuptials by our attendance, was the cause of our excursion thither. Upon our arrival, we found Dugonagaboola had been there a fortnight, to provide for the festivities of his approaching wedding. By this time a large store of provisions was accumulated, consisting of pigs, yams, plantains, cocoa-nuts, &c. all which, on the bridal morn, were brought in regular order before the chief, whose daughter was to be married, and presented to him.

"The bride, a fine woman of twenty-three years of age, came soon after, at the head of three hundred women, who followed her in procession. Her dress was modest and elegant: a thin vest, neatly crimped, of a dark colour, which shewed her complexion to advantage, was fastened under her arms, and hung down to her waist, where it was bound close, by a skirt, enriched with flowery ornaments of matting..

"She walked at the distance of two or three paces before them; her carriage was graceful and majestic, yet modest; her eyes cast down with that diffident coyness and decorous timidity, which, notwithstanding the audacity of the age, so often heightens the charms of the daughters of Britain.

"As she entered the green before the fallee, or habitation, where the guests were all seated in comely rank and order, a female advanced from the company, and taking her respectfully by the hand, conducted her to her husband, and gracefully seated her by his side. The attendants then retired from her, and seated themselves in order with the guests, leaving the bride and bridegroom in a little space by themselves. The provisions were then plentifully distributed. After the repast, the bridegroom rose, advanced to the shore, and went on board the canoe. The three hundred women that attended her, rose up after him, conducted the bride in a procession to the shore, and four of them handed her into the canoe, and gently seated her by the side of her husband. She then took leave of them. I did not perceive her shed tears, but she hung down her head with a melancholy, modest air, and gently waved her hand as a farewel. The four attendants remained with her till the canoe was rowing off: they had been with her from her birth till this moment; when they resigned their charge to four others, who were to be the same guardians of her fidelity, as the former had been of her virginity. It is the custom through life thus carefully to keep the daughters of the principal chiefs. They are never suffered to be without one or two of these attendants, night and day. The young women indeed pride themselves much upon their virginity, which they call taihenee: and as the token and ornament of that state, their hair is suffered to remain uncut till their marriage. Whether this distinction, which is here properly considered the virgin's glory, is then laid aside, because her honour then becomes inseparable from that of the husband, I know not, but it is singular, that they have only one word to express both husband and wife, viz. Oanna, as though the union was so intimate that even language could not refer to the one, without including the other.

"As the husband receives his partner unspotted, he provides a similar guard to preserve her so: for unchastity is considered of so little account at Tonga, that though the husband might severely punish an offender, if discovered, yet they are frequently guilty of it in secret: the principal chiefs, therefore, have their wives guarded by elderly women; and O, that the influence of bad example may never make a Briton regret the want of such a precaution in his own land.

"Before I leave this subject, I will venture an anachronism,

by relating the process of a courtship at Tonga, as I witnessed it upon my return, till it closed in the marriage of the parties.

"A chief had conceived an affection for the daughter of a neighbouring chief, in Tongataboo. His intention was made known to the parents by a present of provisions, which was brought while I was with them, by a messenger, who at the same time communicated his master's wishes to marry their daughter. The parents received the proposal with indifference, as though not desirous of an alliance with them. The agent urged his suit, but could not prevail upon them to accept of the present. This was an indication of not consenting to the match; and the man returned with his present. The next day he came with an address still more urgent, and a present of provisions more abundant: this was also rejected. On the third application, however, the parents yielded to the solicitations of this petty envoy, and accepted of his present; which was the sign of their consent. They then communicated the affair to the daughter, who consented to the match. But, as the choice of a husband is not in the power of the daughters, but he is provided by the discretion of the parent, an instance of refusal on the part of the daughter is unknown at Tongataboo. This, however, is deemed no hardship there, where divorce and unchastity are so general. Some power of accepting or rejecting a partner for life, seems highly reasonable for the fair inhabitants of an island, where marriage, sanctioned and confirmed by laws human and divine, is justly considered an inviolable covenant for life: and a chaste fidelity, the pure fountain of its bliss, which would be destroyed by the least contamination.

"Preparations were then made for the nuptials. The joyful bridegroom arrived, and the virgin was introduced to him at the head of the same ceremonious procession described above, only in the latter part of the day. Almost the whole district was collected together to celebrate the marriage, and partook plenteously of the provisions collected for the occasion. At the close of the festival, the attendant women took the modest bride, who was seated by the side of her husband, by the hand, and gracefully conducted her in procession through the range of guests, to an apartment prepared for the occasion, to which he also soon retired; whilst the numerous visitors spent the night in entertainments and dances.

"These dances were performed with admirable skill. Every possible motion and inflexion of the body was made with an uniformity and rapidity, which the torpid limbs of Europeans could not, except after a very long course of exercise from earliest youth, imitate. The utmost order and decorum prevailed

throughout this festive exhibition of agility and joy; which terminated only with the dawn.

"After amusing ourselves for many days on this island, and receiving the most friendly attentions from the chiefs, Malkaamair's son fixed a period for our return; and a number of canoes assembled to accompany us.

"At day-break we took leave of the old chief, whom we had visited, and his young female relation, whom I had espoused, and sailed off for Tongataboo, which lay at the distance of sixty or seventy miles. The canoes sailed at the rate of six or seven miles in an hour, and brought us to the shores of Tonga in the evening; where we all repaired to our respective districts.

"I was charmed on my return with the flourishing appearance of my plantation. The bread-fruit, cocoa and plantain trees, had already shot forth branches, which promised, ere long, to cast around them a friendly shade. Some bread-fruit trees, almost as large as the oak, had indeed spread their sheltering arms for years near the spot where I built my fallee; and now their fruits hung in clusters amongst the branches, some as large as a boy's head, full grown, and exuding a gum; others turned yellow, through ripeness, and the gum dried up. These fruits, when cut into four parts, and baked like potatoes in the fire, in a kind of oven, formed a good substitute for bread, while the ripe cocoa-nuts supplied me with both meat and drink of a delicious favour, and the plantains furnished me with a refreshing desert after dinner. The oven which they use is a hole dug in the ground, the sides obliquely sloped: in this they kindle a fire, on which they place some stones; as soon as these are red hot, they draw the burnt sticks from under them, and, spreading the stones, place their provisions on them: they then lay some sticks prepared for the purpose across the hole to k ep it hollow, and cover them with plantain and other broad and long leaves; on which they heap grass and sods, to confine the heat. In this manner their provisions are cooked in the course of half an hour. I have seen a pig of the weight of fourteen or sixteen stone sufficiently baked in one of these ovens in the space of four hours.

"The rows of sugar canes which I had planted on each side the path leading to the high road, had shot up to the height of eight or ten feet; and now they embowered and entwined them. selves, so as to form a shady walk. I had improved upon the method of planting them, usual with the natives. They cut the stalk of a cane into two or three pieces, and planted them nearly upright in the ground; these shot forth stems at the lower knots, but decayed at the top. I planted them lengthways, in furrows, and thus succeeded in obtaining suckers from every knot.

"By this expedient my plantation of canes so increased after a time, that I had abundance for my own use, and for presents to my friends. My little farm was a garden throughout. Many came to offer themselves for workmen, as my land was free from fadongyeer, or tax on labour, and my labourers met with kind treatment. I willingly received them, as I took much pleasure in agriculture; and the chiefs perceiving my industry and success, and entertaining a friendship for me, gave me permission to cultivate lots of land adjoining to my own; and, ere long, I purchased some fields bordering upon my abbee, so that at last it comprised fifty acres; and my own household sometimes contained no less than thirt persons. So great was the fertility of my abbee, that I had yams, cocoa-nuts, and plantains, in such abundance, that even in the hungry season, or time of scarcity, after making liberal presents to my neighbours, and feasting my own family with daily plenty, the fruits were left to drop off the trees. I mention this circumstance, also, to show the honesty of the natives, and their regard for strangers. Though they thought it rather a commendable dexterity, than a crime, to rob European articles, because so rare and valuable, yet they would not plunder the plantation of another, especially that of a stranger. Many of the natives around who were pressed with want, came to beg the fruits of my estate. The abbe was robbed however but once, and that was by one man of the lowest order. He was detected by some other natives, who with great dexterity, discovered that he was the person who had stolen some pines and plantains from my abbee, by bringing the fruits to the trees, from which they had been robbed, and fitting them to the branches where they had been broken off. So great is their severity against a plunderer of the plantations, that they would have put him to death, had not I interposed: but they would not be satisfied without tying him up and flogging him.

"The umbrageous walk, which my thick-set hedge of canes. soon formed, was the admiration of all who saw it. It was my pleasure to trim my little shrubbery, and keep it clean and neat: and its delicious fruits and cooling shade, amply repaid me for my trouble. When wearied with labour, in my fields, I found great refreshment in walking or reclining in my embowering harbour of canes, and sucking the juicy sugar they contained. I used to break off a cane at the root, snap it into two or three parts, and, stripping down the cane, suck the pith, which was saturated with the sweet juice.

"The cane, when grown to perfection, was as thick as four fingers; but the chiefs were so fond of it, that they would not refrain from eating it till it arrived at maturity. It was a common amusement with them, to chew it for hours together.