One that I measured was fifty-one feet long, and only one foot and a half wide at the top. In the widest part, it was about three feet; and this is the general proportion. It does not, however, widen by a gradual swell; but the sides being strait, and parallel, for a little way below the gunwale, it swells abruptly, and draws to a ridge at the bottom; so that a transverse section of it has somewhat the appearance of the mark upon cards called a spade, the whole being much wider in proportion to its length. These, like the largest irahahs, are used for fighting; but principally for long voyages. The fighting pahie, which is the largest, is fitted with the stage or platform, which is proportionably larger than those of the ivahah, as their form euables them to sustain a much greater weight. Those that are used for sailing are generally double; and the middle size are said to be the best sea-boats. They are sometimes out a month together, going from island to island; and sometimes, as we were credibly informed, they are a fortnight or twenty days at sea, and could keep it longer if they had more stowage for provisions, and conveniences to hold fresh water.

When any of these boats carry sail single, they make use of a log of wood which is fastened to the end of two poles that lie across the vessel, and project from six to ten feet, according to the size of the vessel, be yond its side, somewhat like what is used by the flying Proa of the Ladrone Islands, and cailed in the Account of Lord Anson's voyage, an out-rigger. To this out-rigger the shrouds are fastened, and it is essentially neces sary in trimming the boat when it blows fresh.

Some of them have one mast, and some two; they Are made of a single stick, and when the length of the canoe is thirty feet, that of the mast is somewhat less than five and twenty; it is fixed to a frame that is above the canoe, and receives a sail of matting about me third longer than himself; the sail is pointed at the top, square at the bottom, and curved at the side; somewhat resembling what we call a shoulder of mut.

ton sail, and use for boats belonging to men of war: it is placed in a frame of wood, which surrounds it on every side, and has no contrivance either for reefing or furling; so that, if either should become necessary, it must be cut away, which, however, in these equal climates can seldom happen. At the top of the mast are fastened ornaments of feathers, which are placed inclining obliquely forwards; the shape and position of which will be conceived at once from the figure, in one of the cuts.

The oars or paddles that are used with these boats, have a long handle and a flat blade, not unlike a baker's peel. Of these every person in the boat has one, except those that sit under the awning; and they push her forward with them at a good rate. These boats, however, admit so much water at the seams, that one person at least is continually employed in throwing t out. The only thing in which they excel is landing, and putting off from the shore in a surf: by their great length and high sterns they land dry, when our boats could scarcely land at all; and have the same advan tages in putting off by the height of the head.

The ivahahs are the only boats that are used by the inhabitants of Otaheite; but we saw several pahies that came from other islands. Of one of these I shall give the exact dimensions from a careful admeasurement, and then particularly describe the manner in which they are built.

Extreme length from stem to stern, not reckoning the bending up of either

Breadth in the clear of the top forward

Breadth in the midships

Breadth aft

In the bilge forward

In the midships

Aft

Feet. Inches.

51

1

2

1

1

2

2 11

2

3

Depth in the midships

Height from the ground on which she stood 3 6

the first seam, bb the second, and cc the third.

The first stage or keel, under a a, is made of a tree hollowed out like a trough; for which the longest trees are chosen that can be got, so that there are never more than three in the whole length: the next stage, under b b, is formed of a straight plank, about four feet long, fifteen inches broad, and two inches thick: the third stage under c c, is, like the bottom made of trunks, hollowed into its bilging form; the last is also cut out of trunks, so that the moulding is of one piece with the upright. To form these parts separately, without saw, plane, chissel, or any other iron tool, may well be thought no easy task; but the great difficulty is to join them together.

When all the parts are prepared, the keel is laid upon blocks, and the planks being supported by stanchions, are sewed or clamped together with strong thongs of plaiting, which are passed several times through holes that are bored with a gouge or auger of bone, that has been described already; and the nicety with which this is done,may be inferred from their being sufficiently water-tight for use without caulking. As the plaiting soon rots in the water, it is renewed at least once a-year; in order to which, the vessel is taken entirely to pieces. The head and stern are rude with respect to the design; but very neatly finished, and polished to the highest degree.

These pahies are kept with great care, in a kind of house built on purpose for their reception; the houses are formed of poles set upright in the ground, the tops of which are drawn towards each other, and fastened together with their strongest cord, so as to form a kind of gothic arc, which is completely thatched quite to the ground, being open only at the ends; they are sometimes fifty or sixty spaces long.

As connected with the navigation of these people, I shall mention their wonderful sagacity in foretelling the weather, at least the quarter from which the wind shall blow at a future time; they have several ways of doing this, of which however I know but one. They say, that the milky way is always curved laterally; but sometimes in one direction, and sometimes in another and that this curvature is the effect of its being already acted upon by the wind, and its hollow part therefore towards it; so that, if the same curvature continues a night, a corresponding wind certainly blows the next day. Of their rules, I shall not pretend to judge; but I know that, by whatever means, they can predict the weather, at least the wind with much greater certainty than we can.

of

In their longer voyages, they steer by the sun ia the day, and in the night by the stars; all of which they distinguish separately by names, and know in what part of the heavens they will appear in any the months during which they are visible in their horizon; they also know the time of their annual appearing and disappearing with more precision than will easily be believed by an European astronomer.

CHAP. XIX.

Of the Division of Time in Otaheite; Numeration, Computation of Distance, Language, Diseases, Dis posal of the Dead, Religion, War, Weapons, and Government; with some general Observations for the Use of future Navigators.

We were not able to acquire a perfect idea of their method of dividing time; but observed, that in speaking of it, either past or to come, they never used any term but malama, which signifies Moon. Of these moons they count thirteen, and then begin again; which is a demonstration that they have a notion of the solar year but how they compute their months so that thirteen of them shall be commensurate with the year, we could not discover; for they say that each month has twenty-nine days, including one in which the moon is not visible. They have names for them separately, and have frequently told us the fruits that would be in season, and the weather that would prevail, in each of them; and they have indeed a name for them collectively, though they use it only when they speak of the mysteries of their religion.

Every day is subdivided into twelve parts, each of two hours, of which six belong to the day, and six to the night. At these divisions they guess pretty nearly by the height of the sun while he is above the horizon; but there are few of them that can guess at them, when he is below it, by the stars.

the

In numeration they proceed from one to ten, number of fingers on both hands; and though they have for each number a different name, they generally take hold of their fingers one by one, shifting from one hand to the other till they come to the number And in other instances we obthey want to express.