Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/148

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TRANSACTIONS AT

sistency in all their accounts. From this it will appear, that at the time of Captain Cook's visit, the whole of Tonga, (that is to say the island of Tonga, the Hapai islands and Vavaoo,) was under the sole dominion of Toogoo Ahoo, whose seat of government was on the island of Tonga, and who received tributes from Finow, chief of the Hapai islands, and from Voona[1], chief of Vavaoo: that at the time of Mr. Mariner's first arrival the island of Tonga was, and had been for several years, divided into various petty states, all at war with one another; whilst Finow was king of the Hapai islands and Vavaoo, and Toobó Nuha only tributary chief of the latter place.

Mr. Mariner and those of his companions who were with him at the island of Lefooga, (and were four in number,) received orders from the king to prepare for the usual annual attack upon the island of Tonga, and to get ready four 12 pound carronades. They immediately set to work, to mount them upon new carriages with high, wheels, made by the native carpenters, under their directions. This being done, Finow

  1. Voona, it is related, did not pay his tributes regularly as he ought to have done, but being a powerful chief, and his possessions so far from the seat of government, Toogoo Ahoo had never ventured to take hostile measures.