FRIENDLY ISLANDS, are situated in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, and lie between and 21f South Latitude, and between 176° 30' and 185° 50' East Longi tude. Their name expresses the firm alliance subsisting among their inhabitants, and the courteous behaviour which they testify towards strangers. Their number exceeds 150, but the greater part are mere rocks and shoals, or barren and desert spots. Nearly one half, however, are of consi derable size, but the situation and extent of a few only have been ascertained. Sixty-one arc marked on Captain Cook's chart, and the principal information concerning them is to be found in his voyages.
The most important are, Tonga, Tongataboo, or Amster dam, discovered by Tasman in 1642, is situated in 21° 9' South Latitude, and 175° 1' West Longitude. It is rather of an oblong form, bearing some resemblance to an isosce les triangle, stretching in length from cast to west, broadest at the east end, and about 20 leagues in circumference. It is a low land, nearly all of an equal height, never rising more than 80 feet above the level of the set ; and is sur rounded by a reef of coral rocks, extending about 100 fa thoms from the shore, and breaking the force of the sea be fore it reaches the land. A deep lagoon on the north coast, forms a secure and capacious harbour with a good bottom, but there is great scarcity of good fresh water in all these islands. This kind of rock appears also to be the basis of the island, as scarcely any other stone is seen either on the coast or in the interior. The rock projects in many places above the surface, but the soil is generally of a considera ble depth, and in the cultivated parts is a loose black mould, apparently produced by decayed vegetables. The surface at a distance appears to be clothed with trees of different sizes ; but the tufted heads of the cocoa palms produce the most striking effect. The largest tree is a species of fig; and the most common bushes on the uncultivated spots, are the pandanus, saitanoo, and several sorts of hibiscus. Though the climate is more variable than in countries far ther within the line of the tropic, yet the foliage is only shed by degrees, every leaf as it falls being succeeded by another; and though the country exhibits little of that land scape beauty, which is produced by a variety of hills and vallies, yet it is well laid out in plantations, and altogether presents the appearance of perpetual spring, and exube rant fertility. It abounds in the richest productions of na
ture; cocoa nut trees, bread fruit, plantains of fifteen varie ties, bananocs, shaddocks, sugar-cane, a kind of plum, fig, and nectarine, yams white and black, the latter of which weigh from 20 to 30 pounds, gourds, Jesuits bark, bamboo, &c. and an innumerable list of uncultivated plants. The only quadrupeds are hogs, dogs, rats, and small lizards.* The land birds, besides large domestic fowls, are pigeons, turtledoves, parrots, parroquets, cuckoos, king's fishers, rails, coots, fly-catchers, swallows ; large bats, measuring from three to four feet between the tips of the wings when extended ; a kind of green-coloured thrush, the only sing ing bird observed in the island ; and several smaller birds. The water fowl are ducks, tropic-birds, herons, noddies, terns, small curlew, and large spotted plover. Nearly fifty different sorts of insects have been noticed, particularly very large spiders, and the most beautiful moths and butterflies; a ad of the reptile tribe, sea snakes about three feet long, scorpions, centipedes, and guanoes. The variety of fish is not so great as might be imagined ; and the most common are mullets, silver fish, old wives, parrot fish, soles, leather jackets, albicores, bonnclos, eels, pike, and devil fish; but there is great abundance of shell fish about the reefs and shoals, especially huge cockles, pearl shell and some other oysters, (but none of the common sort,) comes, crabs, crav fish, sea eggs, curious kinds of star fisk. There are no towns or villages on the island, and the houses are built in the midst of separate plantations. These plan tations are enclosed by fences of Leeds about six feet high, and these inclosures called Abbeys, frequently contain four or five houses. Smaller spaces round each habitation, are called Ladores.