Volume 2

An account of the natives of the Tonga islands, in the south Pacific ocean. With an original grammar and vocabulary of their language / Compiled and arranged from the extensive communications of Mr. William Mariner, several years resident in those islands. By John Martin.

  • Mariner, William, 1791-1853.
Date:
[etc., etc.] 1827
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of the natives of the Tonga islands, in the south Pacific ocean. With an original grammar and vocabulary of their language / Compiled and arranged from the extensive communications of Mr. William Mariner, several years resident in those islands. By John Martin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    which had been fired in he former attacks upon the garrison were again found and collected; be- sides which he also sent a canoe to the islands of Togoo, N. W. of Vavaoo, to collect a cargo of round black pebbles, which are found there in abundance. With all this ammunition, Finow was far su- perior to Toobo Toa, who had only two guns, and was withal very short both of powder and shot. All these preparations, however, were never re- quired, for, shortly after, Tonga-mana's conoe ar- rived, bringing intelligence that Toobo Toa had proceeded with his army to the assistance of the garrison before spoken of in the Island of Tonga. About this time there happened a very heavy storm of thunder and lightning, which is always considered ominous by the natives, and esteemed the harbinger of some great event, such as inva- sion, death of a great chief, arrival of an European ship, &c. This event therefore produced, as it generally does, considerable anxiety in the minds of the people, which was much increased by the dreams of several women. One dreamed that during the time of the inachi, Tooitonga, at the head of a number of hotooas, attacked them, and broke to pieces the consecrated yams; another, that she had been at Bolotoo, and heard a decree of HigOoleo (one of the principal hotooas), that Vavaoo should shortly experience some great ca- lamity, because the people had neglected some particular and important ceremonies. In this state of the public mind, parties were sent to the outer islands to keep a perpetual watch, and to bring immediate intelligence of any canoe that might appear. In the course of a little time, it was re- VOL. II. B