Tamaahmaah, the king of the Sandwich Islands, is well known to the readers of voyages. His dress, when Kotzebue first saw him, consisted of a white shirt, blue pantaloons,: a red waistcoat, and a coloured neckcloth. His courtiers, for the most part, were clothed in blach frock coats, not remarkable for their closeness of fit. One of the ministers had the waist of this dress coat, (which was his sole article of covering,) half up his back. It had been buttoned in front with great difficulty, and he perspired copiously under his troublesome magnificence: yet he bore it as patiently as a nymph of 1750 submitted to tight lacing. The sentinels were quite naked, with a musquet in their hand, and a cartridge box and pair of pistols tied round their waist.

The favourite queen, Kahumanna, was sitting in her own house, between two other ladies, smoking tobacco, driving away the flies with a fan, combing her hair, and eating water melons. Children here learn to smoke before they can walk. Kahumanna, after a few whiffs, swallowed part of the smoke and emitted the rest through her nostrils. She then handed. the pipe to her visitor, and, not a little astonished at his refusal, passed it to her neighbour, who, after a short enjoyment, gave it to the third. As soon as the first pipe was emptied, a second was filled, and the former transfer recommenced. The hair is cut short, excepting for two inches over the forehead. It is then smeared with streaks of a white sticky substance, and combed back so as to rise above the dark brown countenance. All the queens were very corpulent, and none of them less than fifty years of age.

The heir apparent, as successor to the throne, has already begun to exercise the rights of his father. These, at present, consist in fulfilling the most important taboos. The first of these is, that nobody must see him by day. The unfortunate violator of this strange custom expiates his transgression by death. The prince, on his admission to these privileges, assumes the magnanimous title of Lio-Lio, or Dog of all Dogs. When Kotzebue had his audience, he found the Dog of all Dogs, tall, fat, and naked, lying stretched on his stomach on the ground. He is about two and twenty, and is likely to prove a very unworthy successor to his sagacious and enterprising father.

Tamaahmaah walked with Kotzebue to a Morai, and, having embraced one of the statues, he said, "These are our gods whom I worship: whether I do right or wrong I do not know; but I follow my faith, which cannot be wicked, as it commands me never to do wrong." He had already feasted his visitors most plentifully, on a hog. On his return home

he sate down to table himself. Banana leaves were used as dishes. The repast consisted of boiled fish, yams, taro roots, and a roasted bird, a little larger than a sparrow, which is very rare, and, like the water of Choaspes, is food

"Of none but kings *.

Instead of bread he eat taro-dough, which when diluted with water becomes a soft pap. It stood at his right hand, in a gourd shell, and whenever he ate fish or flesh he dipped his forefinger in the dough, and dexterously stuffed a portion into his mouth. He perceived that the Europeans attentively observed his motions, and said in consequence, "This is the custom in my country, and I will not depart from it." An attendant close to him held a wooden box with a lid, in the form of a snuff box, which was opened when the king wished to spit, and was shut closely after the operation. This careful custody of the royal saliva arises from à belief that as long as they possess this treasure, their enemies cannot affect him by any illness produced through magic.

From the island of Woahoo, Kareimoku, the governor under Tamaahmaah, sent out an Englishman of the name of Hebottel, (we doubt the orthography of this name,) as pilot. The governor himself, on his first visit, was dressed in a very tight coat, waistcoat, and breeches, a cocked hat, and topped boots. He was accompanied by his suite, all richly caparisoned, but they were obliged to abstain from eating, because pork was unlawful unless previously consecrated in a Morai, and all the other dishes, having been dressed over the same fire, were taboo. But drink of any kind was acceptable, and "without difficulty they swallowed a bottle of rum at one draught." A few days afterwards the governor returned the banquet, and excused his own absence through an English interpreter, by saying, his lady was so very tipsy that he was unable to leave her.

In latitude 9o. 43'. longitude 189°. 53'. (the Russians, we suppose, count all round the globe,) Lieut. Kotzebue fell in with an extensive coral reef. Two straits were found in it, one of which afforded a hazardous passage to the Rurick. Within the reef, which girt it like a wall, was a huge bay, in which a perfectly smooth and clear water was studded with numerous islands. Their base is coral, and they are entirely formed by the labours of submarine animals.

*We know, as well as Jortin, that other Persians besides the king, drank of the water of Choaspes; although perhaps the king himself might drink of no other. But the passage, as Milton gives it, suits our purpose best without this refinement.

"The spot on which I stood filled me with astonishment, and I adored in silent admiration the omnipotence of God, who had given even to these minute animals the power to construct such a work. My thoughts were confounded when I considered the immense series of years that must elapse, before such an island can rise from the fathomless abyss of the ocean, and become visible on the surface. At a future period they will assume another shape; all the islands will join and form a circular slip of earth, with a pond or lake in the circle; and this form will again change, as these animals continue building, till they reach the surface, and then the water will one day vanish, and only one great island be visible. It is a strange feeling to walk about on a living island, where all below is actively at work." Vol. II. p. 36.

An intercourse was soon established with the natives; several Baydares (or boats of skin) approached the Rurick, and out of one of them, four men leaped into the water, and swam towards the European vessel.

"One of them led the way, bearing a large shell-horn; the others followed with cocoa-nuts and pandanus fruit; and those who had remained behind, awaited in silence the success of their embassy, which advanced towards us with much confidence. The leader, with the horn, was advantageously distinguished by his whole арpearance: he was a tall, well-made man, of thirty; his black hair, which was elegantly bound together upon his head, was ornamented with a wreath of white flowers, in the form of a crown. In his ear-holes, which were remarkably large, he wore rolls of tortoiseshell, ornamented with flowers; round his neck hung various gay ornaments he was differently tattooed, and much more than the others, which gave him the appearance of a man in armour: his face, animated by a pair of most expressive eyes, was adorned with whiskers. Astonishment, fear, and curiosity, alternated in his countenance; but, overcoming his feelings, he advanced towards me with a majestic step, and repeatedly uttering the word Aidara! presented to me his shell-horn." Vol. II. P. 39.

Rarick, for such his name proved to be, pointed sometimes to the sun, and sometimes to the sky, as if inquiring from which the strangers had descended. His astonishment at the various new objects presented to him, was always expressed by a loud prolonged Oh! his companions, who otherwise did not utter a sound, repeated it, and the third echo of this 0- -h! was returned from the surrounding canoes> On farther acquaintance, the customary pledge of amity was required by Rarick, in an exchange of names with the European Tamon or chief. Kotzebue assumed the name of Rarick; Rarick that of Totabue, which we hold to be very accurate pronunciation. The ship was called Ellip Oa (large,

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boat,) and as they were unacquainted with any quadruped, excepting the rat, which they called Didirick, a dog, which was introduced to them, and at which they were exceedingly frightened, received the name of Ellip Didirick (Large Rat,) In time they were sufficiently reconciled to his appearance to play with him, but if in his play he once began to bark, their friendship was at an end; and in a moment they were all secreted in the shrouds. Another of the chiefs, Lagediack, was much interested at the sight of writing. Kotzebue wrote his name down, and told him it was Lagediack.

"He was greatly frightened to see himself represented by such singular figures, and seemed to fear that he would be obliged, by magic, to assume such a shape; the others laughed heartily at the comical Lagediack on the tables, while he himself stood in great uneasiness, expecting the terrible metamorphosis. I soon relieved him from his painful situation by effacing his name; he embraced me full of gratitude, and begged me to transfer Langin to the table; 'but the latter, who had looked at my conjurations timidly at a distance, on hearing this proposal, ran, with loud cries, to the other side of the ship, where he concealed himself." Vol. II. p.69.

We remember a Senior Wrangler in our time, at Cambridge, who was not entirely free from similar apprehensions. Not long before he went into the Senate House to be examined for his degree, he dreamed that he was converted into a square root, and felt much pain from his inability to extract himself from the mystic symbol, which overshadowed him in his sleep.

The sight of boiling water occasioned incredible astonishment.

"During our work we had our tea-things brought on shore, and then went to Rarick's hut, where the kettle was already on the fire, round which the inhabitants assembled, looking at the boiling water, which they considered to be alive. Under the shade of a palmtree the napkin was spread on the ground, and they all joined in the loud Oh! at this new wonder; but when we began to make the tea, there was no end of their talking and laughing, and they attentively observed all our motions. The tea was ready, and their curiosity was without bounds when they saw us drink it. I offered Rarick a very sweet cup, which he did not venture to take to his lips till after a great deal of persuasion. Unfortunately, the tea was very hot; he burned his mouth, and I but just saved my cup, which he was going to throw from him. The fright spread like an electric shock, and they were all prepared to run off. Rarick, at length, determined to taste it; the others looked at him with much astonishment, and when he found the tea agreeable, they all wanted to have some, and expressed, by a loud smacking, that they liked

it; they were likewise fond of eating biscuits with it, but the sugar carried off the prize." Vol. II. p. 72.

Labugar, a third chief, delighted in wine; he was pleased to feel how it ran down into his stomach, which he held, that it might not run out.

The inhabitants of these islands, to which Kotzebue, naturally enough, gave the name of Romanzoff's group, (the principal being called Otdia by the natives, and the whole number being sixty-five,) are described to be clean in their persons, and in their domestic arrangements. The care of the husband's head is committed to the wife: and the ladies are as diligent as the Portugueze in their researches. Nay, they proceed either in their revenge, or in their appetite, to the practice of which monkeys are said to be so fond: and which the classical reader will recollect, was so much in vogue with the Budini and the Adyrmachidæ *. On one of these islands called Aur, Kotzebue remarked two savages, differently tattooed from the rest. One of them (Kadu,) a man of agreeable countenance, about thirty years of age, asked permission to remain with the ship. He obtained it, and gave, at intervals, the following account of himself.

"Kadu was born in the island of Ulle, belonging to the Carolinas, which must lie at least 1500 English miles to the west from here, and is known only by name on the chart, because Father Cantara, in 1733, was sent from the Ladrones, as missionary to the Carolinas. Kadu left Ulle with Edock, and two other savages, in a boat contrived for sailing, with the intention of fishing at a distant island; a violent storm drove these unfortunate men quite out of their course: they drifted about the sea for eight months, finding, but seldom, fish for their food, and at last landed, in the most pitiable situation, on the island of Aur. The most remarkable part of this voyage is, that it was accomplished against the N.E. monsoon, and must be particularly interesting to those who have been hitherto of opinion that the population of the South Sea Islands commenced from west to east. According to Kadu's account, they had their sail spread during their whole voyage, when the wind permitted, and they plied against the N.E. monsoon, thinking they were under the lee of their island; this may account for their at last coming to Aur. They kept their reckoning by the moon, making a knot in a cord, destined for the purpose, at every new moon. As the sea produced abundance of fish, and they were perfectly acquainted with the art of fishing, they suffered less hunger than thirst, for though they did not neglect during every rain to collect a small stock, they were often totally destitute of fresh

* Herod. IV. 109. 168.