rywhere
observable, are all surrounded by cultivated gardens. In the evening,
they are lighted by the oily nuts of the taper-tree, fastened in rows on
splinters.

Mr. Hoffman's visit to the house of his friend Maititi, excited the
greatest joy. His host presented to him his wife and children, and
entertained him in the most splendid manner his means would allow.

In the capital Mr. Hoffman found nothing remarkable. The palace
inhabited by the Royal Family, was a spacious hut, with an ante-chamber
or outer house, in which eight of the guard kept watch. Their only
weapon was an old pistol fastened on a plank; this was frequently fired,
probably to accustom the young King to the tumult of battle. The old
King lies buried under a stone monument, in front of which three guns
are kept; but, to prevent accidents, they are nailed up.

We have already mentioned the trade in cocoa-oil carried on by the
Tahaitians, and the ship possessed by the Queen. This is commanded by an
Englishman, and a part of the crew is also English. It was just returned
from a voyage among the Society Islands, where it had been to collect
tribute, and was preparing to carry a cargo of cocoa-oil, stowed in
thick bamboo-canes, to Port Jackson. From the Captain, who visited me, I
gained much information concerning the present state of affairs in these
seas. He had learnt from ships returned from the Friendly Islands, that
their King had recently conquered the Navigator Islands, which now paid
tribute to him.

The map of Matarai, and of the bay which bounds it on the north-east,
completed by us with the utmost care from trigonometrical surveys, is
attached to this volume, and renders any further description of the
coast it embraces unnecessary. In December and January, the Tahaitian
summer months, the trade-wind is often interrupted by violent
north-westers. Rain and storms are then frequent, and often last till
April; in the other months the trade-winds blow without intermission,
and the sky is always serene. For this reason, what is here called the
summer, might pass for the actual winter; and as the roads of Matarai
are open to the west wind, it is advisable for ships visiting Tahaiti at
this season, to run into the harbour, which lies eight miles west of
Venus Point. It is spacious, formed by coral reefs, protected against
all winds, and has two entrances so convenient, that ships may sail
either in or out with almost any wind.

The ebb and flow of