were getting ready, some of us, accompanied by a few of the king’s attendants, and Omai as our interpreter, walked out to take a view of a fiatooka, or burying-place, which we had observed to be almost close by the house, and was much more extensive, and seemingly of more consequence, than any we had seen at the other islands.  We were told that it belonged to the king.  It consisted of three pretty large houses, situated upon a rising ground, or rather just by the brink of it, with a small one at some distance, all ranged longitudinally.  The middle house of the three first, was by much the largest, and placed in a square, twenty-four paces by twenty-eight, raised about three feet.  The other houses were placed on little mounts, raised artificially to the same height.  The floors of these houses, as also the tops of the mounts round them, were covered with loose, fine pebbles, and the whole was inclosed by large flat stones[167] of hard coral rock, properly hewn, placed on their edges, one of which stones measured twelve feet in length, two in breadth, and above one in thickness.  One of the houses, contrary to what we had seen before, was open on one side; and within it were two rude wooden busts of men, one near the entrance, and the other farther in.  On enquiring of the natives, who had followed us to the ground, but durst not enter here, What these images were intended for? they made us as sensible as we could wish, that they were merely memorials of some chiefs who had been buried there, and not the representations of any deity.  Such monuments, it should seem, are seldom raised; for these had, probably, been erected several ages ago.  We were told that the dead had been buried in each of these houses, but no marks of this appeared.  In one of them, was the carved head of an Otaheite canoe, which had been driven ashore on their coast, and deposited here.  At the foot of the rising ground, was a large area, or grass-plot, with different trees planted about it, amongst which were several of those called etoa, very large.  These, as they resemble the cypress, had a fine effect in such a place.  There was, also, a row of low palms near one of the houses, and behind it a ditch, in which lay a great number of old baskets.

[Footnote 167:  The burying places of the chiefs at the Caroline Islands, are also inclosed in this manner.  See Lettres Edifiantes & Curiouses, tom. xv. p. 309.—­D.]

After dinner, or rather after we had refreshed ourselves with some provisions which we had brought with us from our ship, we made an excursion into the country, taking a pretty large circuit, attended by one of the king’s ministers.  Our train was not great, as he would not suffer the rabble to follow us.  He also obliged all those whom we met upon our progress, to sit down till we had passed, which is a mark of respect due only to their sovereigns.  We found by far the greatest part of the country cultivated, and planted with various sorts of productions; and