As cultivated roots and fruits form the chief subsistence of these islanders, they are all employed in husbandry, in which they have attained a considerable degree of skill. Their plantations are generally surrounded with neat fences, and divided into separate plots, some of which are planted for ornament, but are chiefly occupied in raising articles of food. The principal of these are the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees, which are dispersed without any or der, and soon require little attention ; the sugar-cane, which is usually crowded into small spots, without any order ; the mulberry, from which cloth is made, which is allowed an open space, and kept very clean ; the pandanus, planted in close rows at the sides of the fields ; the yams and plan tains, which are put into the ground with great exactness, so as to form squares in every direction. The instruments used for the purpose are nothing more than wooden stakes, flattened and sharpened at one end ; and sometimes the largest have a short piece fixed transversely, by means of which they press the implement into the ground with the foot. With these stakes they make small holes for the reception of the roots, and then dig up the surrounding grass. Notwithstanding, however, the fineness of the cli mate, and the fertility of the soil, there generally occurs a period of scarcity before the gathering of the new fruits, which may be owing to the improvidence of the natives, the deficiency of the produce, or the difficulty of preserv ing it; and sometimes to the prevalence of insurrections, preventing cultivation, so as often to produce an actual famine.
Though there is no community of goods among them, it is the custom to apply freely for provisions to those who have plenty ; and it would be accounted a gross breach of hospitality to refuse, while any stores remained. Should any one be sitting with his family at meat before his house, a stranger passing by will sit down among them without ceremony, and expect a share of the meal.
The houses of the natives are constructed with little in genuity or taste, and are, properly speaking, nothing more taan tnatched roofs or sheds, supported by posts and raf ters. Tile floor is raised with earth, smoothed and level led, and covered with thick matting. Some of them are open on all sides, but generally they are enclosed on the side with strong mats, or branches of the cocoa nut tt Le interwoven with each other. A thick mat, about three f.:et broad, bent into a semicircular fount, placed ise. and sometimes fastened to the beams, encloses a space aa a bed-roo.n for the master of the family and his wife ; while the rest sleep upon any part of the floor, the uumareied lying in different places; and if the household is large, there are little huts adjoining for the children and servants. The habitations of the lower class are only wretched hovels, scarcely suflicient to shel ter them from the weather; but those of the chiefs are more comfortable and commodious, their ordinary dimen sions being about 12 feet in height, 20 in breadth, and 30 in length. The house of the second chief in Tongatabou
was 50 feet in length, and of an oval form. One large and lofty post was fixed in the centre, and an oval ring of lesser ones were planted round it at equal distances, forming the sides of the building. Upon those posts, layers were fixed, and from these, rafters were extended to the pillar in the middle, thus uniting the whole edifice. The inside of the roof was ornamented with beautiful matting, which was protected by an outer thatch of plantain branches, interwo ven like basket work. In rainy weather, screens of mat ting, made of the cocoa tree, were fastened to the outer posts, but the door-way was left open night and day. The floor was covered with beautiful matting, of so close a tex ture as to be impervious to insects. The furniture gene rally consists of some wooden stools, which are used as pillows; two or three wooden bowls for holding their fa vourite liquor kava ; baskets of different sizes, into which they put their tools, fish-hooks, Ste.; a bundle or two of cloth, a few gourds, and cocoa-nut shells.
They discover more ingenuity in the construction and ornaments of their canoes, which are the most perfect of their mechanical productions, and which surpass in neat ness of workmanship all others in the South Sea. They are built of several planks of the bread-fruit tree, sewn together with cocoa-nut line in so neat a manner, that they appear on the outside as if they were composed of one so lid piece. The fastenings are all on the inside, and pass through karts or ridges, wrought on purpose on the edges and ends of the different boards. They are of two kinds, double and single. The single canoes are from 20 to SO feet in length, about 22 inches broad in the middle, and 18 inches deep, with the head resembling the point of a wedge, and the stern terminating in a blunter point. At each end is a kind of deck, extending one third of the whole length ; but they are open in the middle. They have all out rig gers, and are sometimes navigated with sails, but more generally with paddles, the blades of which arc short, end broadest in the middle. The double canoes are composed of two vessels, about 60 or 70 feet long, 4 or 5 broad in the middle, and S deep, exclusive of the deck. These are fastened together, about six or seven feet asunder, by strong cross beams, secured by bandages to risings on the open middle spaces, and ever these is laid a boarded platform. They are rigged with one mast, with steps upon the plat form, which can easily be raised or takcai down ; and are navigated by a latteen or a triangular sail of mat, extend ed by a long yard, a little bent or crooked. On the plat form is generally erected a little shed or hut for the mas ter and his family; and these frequently contain a movea ble fire hearth, composed of a shallow square trough, fill ed with stones. These vessels are capable of carrying about 50 persons, and sail at a great rate. They are fitted both for burden and distant navigation, and can scarcely sink in any circumstances, so long as they hold together.