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Chapter XIII.
Samoan Group—Rose Island—Tutuila.

On the 29th of September, 1839, at daylight, we got under way from Eimeo, and made sail to the westward, passing the Society Island Group, viz Sir Charles Saunders' Isle, Huaheine, Tahaa, Borabora, Maufili, and Moutoiti. All of these, with the exception of the last, are high lands.

On the 30th we made Bellinghausen's Island, which is a low coral island, similar to those which have been already described. It was uninhabited, and is of a triangular form.

Birds were in great plenty, and as tame as we had found them at other uninhabited islands we had visited. No lizards or rats were observed, nor was the common fly seen.

In the afternoon we again made sail to the westward. On the 6th of October we passed near the locality of the Royal George Shoal, but saw nothing of it.

On the 7th, which was the day appointed for our rendezvous off Rose Island, we came in sight of it, and at the same time descried the Porpoise That vessel had passed by Nairsa or Dean's Island, and connected the survey of it with that of Krusenstern's and Lazareff. They are uninhabited, though occasionally visited by the natives of Nairsa Island. The position of Recreation Island was passed over, but no signs of land discovered.

Rose Island, the most eastern of the Samoan Group, was discovered by Freycinet, who gave it its name. It appears, at first, like a round knoll of land, but, on a nearer approach, this is found to arise from a large clump of Pisonia trees, similar to those found growing in the low archipelago. It is a low annular coral island, of small dimensions, inundated at high water, with the exception of two small banks, one of which is entirely covered by the clump of trees. The other is formed of dead coral, without any vegetation. A remarkable coral formation, like a submerged tree, thirty feet in diameter over its top, was found in the centre of the lagoon, rising page 155to the level of low water, and having all around it a depth of six fathoms.

Some boulders of vesicular lava were seen on the coral reef; they were from twenty to two hundred pounds' weight, and were found among blocks of coral conglomerate.

Birds were seen flying over the island, and on landing we found them in great numbers, and very tame. The frigate-birds and boobies (sula), whose nests had before been observed on low bushes, were here found on the tops of trees fifty feet high. The noddies laid their eggs on the parts of the island destitute of vegetation. Tern were in great numbers; their breeding-place was in a thicket on the weather-side of the island, or that which was exposed to the wind and sea, and was remarkable from the regularity with which the eggs were placed, about three feet apart, without any nest, and, with but few exceptions out of many thousands, each egg lay separately. The colour of the eggs is a dirty white, mottled with brown.

On the 7th we left Rose Island, and at sunrise made the island of Manua, which is two thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. It has the form of a regular dome, rising in most places precipitously from the water to the height of three or four hundred feet, after which its ascent appears more gentle and even. It is sixteen miles in circumference, is well covered with a luxuriant vegetation, and has many cocoa-nut groves on its north-west side.

On approaching it Oloosinga was in sight, and shortly after Ofoo. These two islands lie to the north-westward, at the distance of about four miles.

This island is inhabited. The principal settlement is on the north-west side.

The canoes of these islanders were the best we had seen. They are built of a log, having upon it pieces fastened together, to raise them sufficiently high. They are thirty or forty feet long, and are partly covered in at both ends. Some of them are capable of containing twenty or twenty-five men, and are very swift. The chief usually sits cross-legged on the forward platform or deck. They have an outrigger, which is not so far removed from the canoe, and renders them more liable to be upset.

The king or chief of these islands resides at Oloosinga, in consequence of its being more easily defended.

Alter our party reached the ship, we made sail for Oloosinga, where I went on shore to see the king or chief, who was old and decrepit. His name is Lalelah. His brother, and presumptive successor, was with him, and met me as I landed from the boat. His mode of salutation was by taking my hand, and rubbing the back of it against his nose,

He led the way to his hut, situated under a mural precipice twelve hundred feet in height.

The island of Oloosinga is a narrow ledge of rocks, rising nearly perpendicular on both sides, and is three miles in length. So precipitous is it at its ends, that it is impossible to pass around it on page 156the rocks. The strip of land is about five hundred yards in width, on which bread-fruits and cocoa-nuts grow in great profusion and sufficient abundance for all the wants of the natives. They told me that this island had been chosen as a place of safety, since the other became unsettled in consequence of the wars of the Christian and Devil's parties.

The house of the king was elliptical in form, and-thirty feet long, erected on a well-flagged terrace of stone, about four feet above the ground. It was well shaded with cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, and was supported around by ten stout posts, with three others in the centre reaching the top. The roof came down within three and a-half feet of the ground, and projected as eaves, about eighteen inches or two feet. In the centre the hut was fifteen feet high, and well thatched.

The whole floor was ordered to be spread with fine mats, which were carefully unrolled, and laid over the coarser ones on the floor. The king then seated himself in the centre, and desired me to take a seat between himself and brother. Shortly afterwards, two large wooden trays were brought in, filled with cooked bread-fruit, and covered over with leaves. One of these was placed before me, when the king made a long speech, giving me welcome and offering food to eat. I was then desired to hand some to the king and his brother, and to others who were pointed out to me. This I did, but unfortunately continued my task, and handed it to one of the Kanakas, or common-people, who were sitting close around us; much displeasure was evinced, accompanied with angry looks. I now looked around for my men, but they were out of sight, on their return to the boat. In order to make the best of my situation, I asked what was meant, and feigned to be quite ignorant of having given any offence. After a minute they were apparently appeased, and pleasant looks were restored.

They handed round a shell, containing cocoa-nut oil, to dip the bread-fruit in, and another containing salt water. After we had eaten, they began a careful examination of my clothes, and appeared much pleased with the buttons My pocket-handkerchief was taken out of my pocket, and spread on the mat to be examined by the king. His brother took off my hat and put it on the top of his large, bushy head. They then had ava made, of which I could not partake, after seeing the process of making it. It is first chewed by the women and thrown into a large bowl; water Is added to it, and it is then strained through leaves. This was partaken of by them all, while they gave me a fresh cocoa-nut.

They were becoming more familiar every moment, and it was getting late, so I thought it time to make a move. I therefore rose up, and was followed by the natives, in number upwards of a hundred, including the king and his brother, to the boat. I looked carefully around for arms, but saw none among them. My boat was aground the king, his brother, and several others got into it, saying they must have some presents They seemed disposed to resist, and showed a determination to contest our getting off. I, on the other hand, was determined to get rid of them, and peaceably page 157if I could; I therefore ordered the boats crew to arm themselves, and drive every one of the natives from the boat, at the same time intimating to the king to use his authority, which I found, however, existed only in name. We thus succeeded in getting clear of the crowd, until we had no more than eight left; to each of these I prosented a small fish-hook, and ordered them to get into the water, which was about a foot deep, and go; this they did, one by one. At last came the king and his brother's turn, to whom I presented, with great ceremony, first a small and then a large fish-hook; after which they left me, apparently in good humour. I was heartily glad to be rid of such rapacious, troublesome fellows so easily, and without a fight. We then pushed our boat off. When just beyond the reef, in taking up our anchor, the boat had the appearance of returning again on shore. On seeing this, a great shout was set up by the natives, and one of them immediately advanced with my powder-flask. He said it had been taken by a boy out of the boat, and had been dropped into the water, to be picked up after we had shoved off. I gave the man a small present for his apparent honesty; but I am inclined to believe it was the fear of detection, and the belief that we had missed the article and were returning for it, that induced him to give it up so willingly. It was some time before he could be made to understand what the reward was for, but when he found it was for his honesty, he laughed heartily.

This having excited our suspicions, the boat's crew informed me that a canoe that was paddling off had been alongside of the gig, and that they felt satisfied that the natives had taken something from us. It being in our course towards the ship, we gave chase, and being favoured by the wind, soon overtook the canoe, to the great fright of the two natives, who were paddling with all their might, and whose eyes were full of tears when overtaken. They had nothing at all in their canoe, and after examination it proved we had lost nothing. To console them for this alarm, I gave them a few trifles, and they became easy and cheerful.

The coral reef around this island was different from any I had hitherto seen. It consisted of two regular shelves, the outer one from fifty to sixty feet wide, and the inner in places measuring one hundred and forty feet. A distinct mark of high water was measured along the beach, and found to be twenty feet above the ordinary sea-tide, which has from four to five feet rise.

Ofoo lies to the westward of Oloosinga. There is a passage for boats of about a fourth of a mile in width between them, and anchorage on the western side. Ofoo resembles Oloosinga; and, from the accounts we received, it has but few inhabitants; those of Oloosinga having made war upon them, and killed the "natives" off. There is a small and comparatively low islet off its western end, near which there is an anchorage. After sunset we bore away for Tutuila, which can be seen in fine weather from these islands.

At daylight on the 11th we were near the eastern end of Tutuila, and off the island of Anuu.

The island of Tutuila is high, broken, and of volcanic appearance. It is seventeen miles long, and its greatest width is five miles. The page 158harbour of Pago-Pago penetrates into the centre, and almost divides the island into two parts It is less varied in surface than the Society Islands, and its highest peak, that of Matafoa, was found to be 2327 feet above the sea. The spurs and ridges that form the high land are like those of Tahiti, precipitous, sharp-edged, and frequently rise in mural walls from the water to a height of three or four hundred feet, showing the bare basaltic rock. Above this height the surface is covered with a luxuriant vegetation to the very top of the mountains; the cocoa-nut tree and tree fern give the principal character to this beautiful scenery. Dead coral is seen along the shores, above high-water mark.

The harbour of Pago-Pago is one of the most singular in all the Polynesian isles. It is the last point at which one would look for a place of shelter: the coast near it is peculiarly rugged, and has no appearance of indentations, and the entrance being narrow, is not easily observed. Its shape has been compared to a variety of articles: that which it most nearly resembles is a retort. It is surrounded on all sides by inaccessible mural precipices, from eight hundred to one thousand feet in height. The lower parts of these rocks are bare, but they are clothed above with luxuriant vegetation. So impassable did the rocky barrier appear in all but two places, that the harbour was likened to the valley of Rasselas changed into a lake. The two breaks in the precipice are at the head of the harbour and at the Pilot's Cove. The harbour is of easy access, and its entrance, which is about a third of a mile in width, is marked by the Tower Rock and Devil's Point.

We were surrounded, as soon as we entered, by a large number of canoes, filled with natives, who all seemed delighted with the ship and the number of men on board. When we had moored, one of the principal chiefs, whose name was Toa, was admitted on board: he was an athletic, muscular man, of large frame, about forty years of age, with a pleasant expression of countenance; he manifested great pleasure in welcoming us. He began by telling me, through the interpreter, that he was a missionary; that he had formerly been a great thief, and a doer of many bad acts, but being now a missionary, he was reformed and stole no more. He told this with such an open expression of countenance and so much simplicity that I could scarcely forbear smiling. After I had finished asking him questions, he continued eyeing me from, head to foot, as if determining my dimensions. I told the interpreter to ask him why he looked at me so intently. He replied, that he had a coat on shore that was too tight for him about the arms and chest, and he believed it would fit me: if so, he should be glad to exchange it for the jacket I had on. Not being inclined to this exchange, I ordered a small hatchet to be given him. This gratified him much, and he instantly went over the ship's side to show it to his friends. This same Toa is chief of the village of Fungasar, about three miles distant from the harbour, on the north side of the island. He learns to read and write, being taught by some of the small children, and attends school regularly. He became of great use to us, and was a constant visitor. During one of his visits on board, he espied some red umbrellas among the page 159presents, and from that time was continually endeavouring to obtain one for his wife, and brought many articles in the hope of inducing us to part with it in exchange for them.

The geological character of this island is similar to that of Manua; it has only a shore-reef of coral, and soundings extend some distance from it. It has many desirable ports or bays on its north side, where vessels may obtain wood, water, and supplies. The best and safest port, however, is that of Pago-Pago, on its south side, which affords a safe harbour for vessels to overhaul, and where supplies may be had in abundance.

Tutuila is thickly settled round its shores, and particularly at its south-western end: this is lower and more easily cultivated than the eastern, which is high and rugged. The only communication is by the sea-shore, the hills being too precipitous and difficult of ascent to pass over.

The men of Tutuila are a remarkably tall, fine-looking set, with intelligent and pleasing countenances. In comparison with the Tahitians, they would be called sedate.

The women are far from being good-looking, with the exception of some of the younger ones. They are remarkably domestic and virtuous, exhibiting a strange contrast to those of Tahiti. Here there is no indiscriminate intercourse, the marriage tie is respected, and parents are extremely fond of their offspring. The inhabitants are disposed to be hospitable to strangers, although they expect remuneration for it. Travelling is generally believed to be safe throughout the island of Tutuila; and the natives, as far as our experience goes, are not the blood-thirsty race they have been reported to be. The unfavourable estimate of their character has, I presume, been derived from those who first knew them, and particularly from their attack upon the expedition of La Perouse. Of this conflict I obtained the following particulars from the Rev. Mr. Murray, who had them from an old man, who was a witness of the affray. The latter is the only individual now alive in the settlement who was present when it occurred, and his testimony was corroborated by others who had heard of it from those who witnessed the scene.

On the morning of the massacre, the vessels stood in towards the land. About noon the boats went ashore, as recorded by La Perouse, and while on shore, a number of canoes, belonging to the island of Upolu (to which Tutuila was at the time subject), went from the shore, and proceeded directly to the vessels. When these canoes were alongside, a young man in one of them laid his hand on an iron bolt in some part of the ship, with the intention, it is supposed, of stealing it. He was fired upon by the French. The ball passed through his shoulders, and mortally wounded him. The natives, on seeing the effect of the shot on one of their number, were greatly enraged, and immediately left the vessels, and hastened to the shore, where they found the boats that had gone to get water. On reaching them, they began the attack, which resulted in the massacre of M. De Langle, and of those who were with him on the shore. When the natives began this attack, the great body of the French were absent from the boats; some were in the bushes gathering plants, page 160and others talking to the females. On the commencement of the disturbance, they all rushed towards their boats, and the confusion became general. The minute circumstances of the affray, further than the above, cannot now be ascertained from the natives. They are however, very clear in reference to the cause, and those who were the actors in it, viz: the natives of Upolu. The Tutuilians maintain that they endeavoured to save the lives of the French; and on the following day, as soon as they dared to venture from the mountains, whither they had fled during the massacre, they collected the bodies, which they found in a state of nudity, dressed them in native cloth, and buried them in the beach, as they were accustomed to bury their own chiefs. The actors in the massacre proceeded at once to Upolu, which will account for their afterwards having been seen there, and recognised by the French. Our inquiries relative to the spot where they had buried the bodies were not satisfactorily answered. How the carpenter's son escaped is not known. He is said to be still living at a village on the eastern part of the island. There appears to be mention made of a boy among the missing, in La Perouse's account. Levasii, a chief of the district of Faleletai, was at the massacre of the party of La Perouse. He was then a boy of thirteen years of age. He remembered the occurrence, and that three of the Pap-alangr were killed.

The perpetrators of the deed were some young chiefs from, the district, who were on a "malanga" to Tutuila. At that time, Aana district had the rule, or was the "Malo" party, and domineered over the inhabitants of the other islands and districts.

On the 17th, our friend Toa gave us an invitation to visit him at his town of Fungasar, on the north side of the island. It is situated on the next bay to that now called Massacre Bay, where De Langle was killed. The path across the island is a very difficult one to travel; it leads up through the valley, and across the dividing ridge, which, is quite precipitous. The rain which had fallen made it very slippery, and the journey was fatiguing to those not accustomed to this kind of walking.

I was much struck here with the manliness and intelligence of the natives, and with their frank, open expression of countenance. The colour of their complexion is rather darker than that of, the natives of Tahiti. The outlines of face and figure are very like those we had left, their hair and eyes black, and their teeth good and white. Some of them had frizzled hair, but it was generally straight.

Just before arriving at the village, we were met by Toa, and some of his relations and attendants, who welcomed us to his village, saluting me by rubbing his nose with my hand.

He ordered a pig, taro, bread-fruit, &c. &c., for our entertainment. These were cooked in the universal Polynesian mode, by being covered up in a hole with hot stones. We were soon told that the feast was ready, but having had some experience of their cooking, we desired it might remain in the oven a little while longer. Their usual custom is to take it out the moment that the taro is cooked; and from daily practice, they are well acquainted page 161with the time required to cook it. This is scarcely sufficient to give the pig time to be warmed through. Our request prevailed, and in the course of half an hour we were summoned to the councilhouse or fale-tele, where strangers are always entertained We were shown our seats, on one side of a circle, while Toa, with his family and friends, occupied the other. The mats, except one, were not very clean. The pig, which must have weighed one hundred pounds, was brought in, and laid with the taro and bread-fruit on banana-leaves. A butcher's knife was all that we possessed to carve it with. The whole village, old and young, men, women, and children, who were waiting in anxious expectation for their share, now surrounded us, and made it uncomfortable to eat, with so many hungry expectants; I made haste, therefore, to divide it, and with it they soon dispersed. The taro was exceedingly well cooked, dry, and farinaceous. The bread fruit they said was too young, and not being considered good by them, they objected to-giving us any of it, but did not hesitate to eat it themselves. A pig is a great treat to them, for, although they have plenty, they prefer selling to eating them.

In the grove near the village, we saw several piles of stones. They were the graves in which they formerly buried the dead, just below the surface. On the top were placed stones, forming a high pile. Now they bury their dead in graves about three feet deep, and enclose them with the Dracæna, which grows rapidly, and forms a pretty and neat trellis.

Toa became quite communicative, and as he showed me about his village, he told me, through the interpreter, that before the missionaries came, the chiefs all had their "aitu," or spirits, which they worshipped, and that they felt themselves obliged to do every thing they commanded. His aitu were fresh-water eels, which he constantly fed in the brook near the village. I visited it, and requested him to catch one, which he attempted to do; but after a long search, turning over large stones, and examining holes, he was unsuccessful. He said there were many in it formerly, and quite tame; but since he had embraced Christianity, they had all been caught and destroyed. On further questioning him, he told me that he had himself eaten them; and that formerly, if any one had touched, disturbed, or attempted to catch one, he should have killed him immediately. He said his eels were very good to eat, and was sorry he could not find any more; and laughed very heartily when I spoke to him about eating his aitu. I mention this circumstance to show the powerful effect the Christian religion has had upon the ancient customs of this people.

Toa, after his unsuccessful search for his favourite eels, went into the brook for a bath, which he told me he very frequently did during the day; and it was delightful to see the pleasure be took in it.

Towards evening, we took our leave of Toa, thanking him warmly for his kindness: we were escorted to the outside of the village by his friends and relations, whilst Toa himself accompanied us to Pago-Pago.

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The natives have no fixed time for meals, eating whenever they feel hungry. Their food consists of pork, fish, bread-fruit, cocoanuts, bananas, &c., but principally of taro. All of these are produced in abundance. Water is their common drink, and, notwithstanding cocoa-nuts are so abundant, the milk is seldom used; the trouble of procuring them is too much for them. They use ava made from the Piper mythisticum, and it is the only intoxicating drink they have.^*It is never used to excess, although old and young, male and female, are very fond of it. The taste, to one unaccustomed to it, is not pleasant, being somewhat similar to that of rhubarb and magnesia. Their mode of preparing it is the same as has already been described.

They sleep on the large coarse mats, with which they always cover the floors of their houses. Over these they spread coloured tapas, some of which are also used for nets of protection against the numerous musquitoes. For a pillow they use a piece of bamboo supported on small legs. Their hair is usually shorn close, and coral lime, or ashes, sprinkled over it to destroy the vermin, which are generated in great numbers in their tapas and mats.

According to old Toa, a native is in a comfortable condition when he has a good house; a well-made visiting canoe; a neat, handy, large, and well-formed woman for a wife; a taro-patch, with a good fence; cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, with a reasonable number of pigs.

The women are now admitted to the same privileges as the men. The chiefs have still great power over the people, although the influence of the missionaries has tended greatly to dimmish it. Most of the people look back to the days when polygamy existed with regret, and cannot understand why they are restricted to one wife. They say, "Why should God be so unreasonable as to require them to give up all their wives but one for his convenience?" They pay just attention to their religious duties; morning and evening prayers are always said, as is grace before their meals, and with a devotion rarely to be seen among civilised men.

Their amusements seem to be few; their books are constantly before them, and a great portion of their time is employed over them. Old gray headed men may be seen poring over the alphabet, and taught by some of the youngest of the family. The employment of the men is to cultivate and weed the taro, and to take care of the fences; they also make sennit for their houses, and canoes for fishing. The women are engaged in making mats, and the boys and girls play, and wait upon their seniors.

Next to study, fishing is their great employment. This is performed by driving the fish towards the nets in shoal water, where they are easily caught. The cast-net is also used.

The only amusement we saw, is a game called lafo-tupe, which is played with cocoa-nut shells, and resembles shuffle-board.

Their observance of the Sabbath is very strict, and it is impos-page 163sible to get a native to do anything whatsoever on that day, but perform his religious duties. They attend church regularly. In Mr. Murray's congregation there are about thirty communicants, and nearly one thousand attendants on public worship. They come from many of the surrounding villages. Mr. Murray has been here about three years, and the native preachers nine or ten; he is well acquainted with the difficulties of his station, but seemed to feel assured that his exertions were about being crowned with success.

Polygamy, which formerly was practised to a great extent, still exists among those who have not been converted. Circumcision is practised among them.

They carry their children on the hip, as in the low Archipelago. They are eaily betrothed, without regard to age, the girl being saa, or tabooed, until of marriageable age. During the intervening time, all kinds of native property are accumulated, such as mats, &c., for the bridal day. Two days previous to it, the inhabitants of the district are gathered together for feasting and dancing. On the third day, the bride is produced before the assembled multitude, and the ceremony attendant on marriage that was customary among the Jews performed. After the marriage had been consummated, the dowry was exhibited, and each article being held up, it was proclaimed by whom it was presented; the multitude, having consumed all the eatables, and exhausted their strength in rioting and debauchery, dispersed.

I have seldom seen a more devout or attentive collection of people than I observed at times in the church-meeting, which was held in the council-house at Pago-pago.

Upon the conclusion of a long service, they were observed to divide themselves into three parties; one remaining in the church, and the other two repairing to different buildings. The afternoon is employed in further explanations and examinations by the missionaries. The native missionaries have also meetings on Eridays.

Their mode of singing hymns is peculiar, the whole mass joining in some parts, with all the lungs they could muster. This exercise appeared to afford them great delight. The congregation were mostly dressed in tapas, or clothed in one sort of garment or other; but the person who attracted our attention most, was the consort of Pomale. From being the wife of the most influential personage, she had received more presents from us than any other; and she was endeavoured, on this occasion, to display on her person the greaw of part, if not all, that she had thus acquired. These consisted of a It calico gown, four or five petticoats of different colours, woollen so this green slippers, cap and bonnet, a large plaid blanket shawl, and ally pair of polar gl'oves, the whole surmounted by a flaming red and umbrella-and this with the thermometer at 87°! It was different the to keep our eyes off her during the service, and before the end much all her finery became awry. The other natives also seemed to west, the desire of exhibiting their acquisitions, though these, in a frequently of no more than a vest, or a pair of pantaloons, page 164shirt, or occasionally of a long-skirted coat, without either of the former garments, so that a small roll of tapa was needed to cover their nether parts.

Some unauthorized attempts were made to induce the natives to break the missionary laws, by offers of great value in their eyes; they were told the missionaries would not see them. On understanding which, they pointed to the heavens, and replied, "There missionary see." This was conclusive, and a just and severe rebuke.

The Peacock and Flying-Fish again joined us on the 18th of October. Orders were given them to proceed to Upolu, to commence the survey of that island.

The climate of Tutuila is mild and agreeable, particularly at Pago-pago, where the temperature is lower than it is elsewhere on the island, in consequence of its generally being overshadowed with clouds that hang on the high land. There is usually a fine breeze, which sets in about ten o'clock, and continues until sunset. The nights being calm, much dew falls in fine weather. We had little fair weather during our stay, and the prognostication of the natives proved too true respecting the difficulty of seeing the sun and stars. The wind at times was very strong, almost a gale, accompanied by light rain and mist.

In our explorations, nearly all the villages of this island were visited. Those of Fagaitua and Leone, on the southern coast, are the largest, and are more of the Devil's towns than the others. One of their customs is truly savage. They seldom use pork as a food, consequently it is a great rarity with them; but at intervals of several months the villagers assemble at a feast, at which thirty or forty hogs are killed, when they gormandize on them for four or five days, or as long as the food lasts. The whole is eaten, entrails and all. Fish and taro are the principal food, and large numbers of the natives may be seen fishing off the coast in fine weather. The kind of fish usually caught are mullet.

There is a large kind of worm which they esteem a great delicacy, and which is eaten with much relish. It is impossible to see them sucking down the entrails of the biche-de-mer, holithuria, and echina, without disgust. They also eat many of the shell-fish that are found on the shore.