. Tinah is a very large man, much above
the common stature, being not less than six feet four inches in height
and proportionably stout: his age about thirty-five. His wife (Iddeah) I
judged to be about twenty-four years of age: she is likewise much above
the common size of the women at Otaheite and has a very animated and
intelligent countenance. Whydooah, the younger brother of Tinah, was
highly spoken of as a warrior but had the character of being the greatest
drunkard in the country; and indeed to judge from the withered appearance
of his skin he must have used the pernicious drink called ava to great
excess. Tinah was fed by one of his attendants who sat by him for that
purpose, this being a particular custom among some of the superior
chiefs; and I must do him the justice to say he kept his attendant
constantly employed: there was indeed little reason to complain of want
of appetite in any of my guests. As the women are not allowed to eat in
presence of the men Iddeah dined with some of her companions about an
hour afterwards in private, except that her husband Tinah favoured them
with his company and seemed to have entirely forgotten that he had
already dined.

Provisions were brought off to the ship in the greatest plenty and, to
prevent as much as possible anything which might occasion disputes, I
desired Mr. Peckover, the gunner, to undertake the management of our
traffic with the natives. Some of the hogs brought today weighed 200
pounds and we purchased several for salting. Goats were likewise brought
off for sale, and I bought a she-goat and kid for less than would have
purchased a small hog. Our friends here expressed much disappointment
that there was no portrait-painter on board; Tinah in particular, who
wished to have had pictures of his father and family.

An intimacy between the natives and our people was already so general
that there was scarce a man in the ship who had not his tyo or friend.
Tinah continued with me the whole afternoon, in the course of which he
ate four times of roast pork besides his dinner. When he left the ship he
requested I would keep for him all the presents I had given to him as he
had not at Matavai a place sufficiently safe to secure them from being
stolen; I therefore showed him a locker in my cabin for his use and gave
him a key to it. This is perhaps not so much a proof of his want of power
as of the estimation in which they hold European commodities and which
makes mor