had a jubilee. The first symptom was an." Tame as Trenck's mouse, they stood in unusual clustering and humming amongst their holes, peering at you like old grandthe swarms lining the beams overhead, and fathers in a doorway;" watching for their the inside of the sleeping-places. This was prey, and disputing with the sailors the succeeded by a prodigious coming and going weevil-biscuit, rancid pork, and horse-beef, on the part of those living out of sight. composing the Julia's stores; or smothering Presently they all came forth; the larger themselves, the luscious vermin, in molasses, sort racing over the chests and planks; which thereby acquired a rich woodcock winged monsters darting to and fro in the flavor, whose cause became manifest when air; and the small fry buzzing in heaps al- the treacle-jar ran low, greatly to the dismost in a state of fusion. On the first gust and consternation of the biped consualarm, all who were able darted on deck; mers. There were no delicate feeders on while some of the sick, who were too feeble, board, but this saccharine essence of rat was lay perfectly quiet, the distracted vermin too much even for the unscrupulous stomachs running over them at pleasure. The per- of South-Sea whalers. A queer set they formance lasted some ten minutes.' Per- were on board that Sydney barque. Paper sons there are, weak enough to view with Jack, the captain, was a feeble Cockney, loathing and aversion certain sable insects of meek spirit and puny frame, who glided that stray at night in kitchen or in pantry, about the vessel in a nankeen jacket and and barbarous enough to circumvent and canvas pumps, a laughing-stock to his destroy the odoriferous coleoptera by art- crew. The real command devolved upon ful devices of glass traps and scarlet wafers. the chief mate, John Jermin-a good sailor Such persons will probably form their ideas and brave fellow, but violent, and given to of Typee's cockroaches from their own do- drink. The junior mate had deserted; of mestic opportunities of observation. That the four harpooners only one was left, a were unjust to the crew of the Julia, and fierce barbarian of a New Zealander-an would give no adequate idea of their suffer- excellent mariner, whose stock of English ings. As a purring tabby to a roaring ja- was limited to nautical phrases and a frightguar, so is a British black-beetle to a cock-ful power of oath, but who, in spite of his roach of the Southern Seas. We back our cannibal origin, ranked as a sort of officer, assertion by a quotation from our lamented in virtue of his harpoon, and took command friend Captain Cringle, who in his especially of the ship when mate and captain were graphic and attractive style thus hits off the absent. What a capital story, by the by, peculiarities of this graceful insect. Typee tells us of one of this Bembo's whal"When full grown," saith Thomas, "it is ing exploits! New Zealanders are brave a large dingy brown-colored beetle, about and bloodthirsty, and excellent harpooners, two inches long, with six legs, and two and they act up to the South-Seaman's feelers as long as its body. It has a strong war-cry, "A dead whale or a stove boat!" anti-hysterical flavor, something between There is a world of wild romance and thrilrotten cheese and asafoetida, and seldom ling adventure in the occasional glimpses stirs abroad when the sun is up, but lies of the whale fishery afforded us in Omoo; concealed in the most obscure and obscene a strange picturesqueness and piratical crevices it can creep into; so that, when it mystery about the lawless class of seamen is seen, its wings and body are thickly co- engaged in it. Such a portrait gallery as vered with dust and dirt of various shades, Typee makes out of the Julia's crew, beginwhich any culprit who chances to fall asleep ning with Chips and Bungs, the carpenter with his mouth open, is sure to reap the and cooper, the "Cods," or leaders of the benefit of, as it has a great propensity to forecastle, and descending until he arrives walk into it, partly for the sake of the at poor Rope Yarn, or Ropey, as he was crumbs adhering to the masticators, and called, a stunted journeyman baker from also, apparently, with a scientific desire to Holborn, the most helpless and forlorn of inspect, by accurate admeasurement with all land-lubbers, the butt and the drudge the aforesaid antennæ, the state and condi- of the ship's company! A Dane, a Portution of the whole potatoe-trap." A descrip- guese, a Finlander, a savage from Hivartion worthy of Buffon. Such were the de- hoo, sundry English, Irish, and Americans, licate monsters, the savory sexipedes, with a daring Yankee beach-comber, called Sawhom Typee and his comrades had to wage lem, and Sydney Ben, a runaway ticket-ofincessant war. They were worse even than leave-man, made up a crew much too weak the rats, which were certainly bad enough. I to do any good in the whaling way. But

hedge, and had unrolled his ungainly carcass over half the world. He quoted Virgil, and talked of Hobbes of Malmsbury, besides repeating poetry by the canto, especially Hudibras. In the easiest way imaginable, he could refer to an amour he had in Palermo, his lion-hunting before breakfast among the Caffres, and the quality of the coffee to be drunk in Muscat." Strangely must such reminiscences have sounded in a whaler's forecastle, with Dunks the Dane, Finland Van, and Wymontoo the Savage, for auditors.

the best fellow on board, and by far the table, if less luxurious than that of a royal most remarkable, was a disciple of Escula- yacht or New York liner, surely offered pius, known as Doctor Long-Ghost. Jer-something better than the biscuits, hard as min is a good portrait; so is Captain Guy; gun-flints and thoroughly honeycombed, but Long-Ghost is a jewel of a boy, a com- and the shot-soup, "great round peas plete original, hit off with uncommon feli- polishing themselves like pebbles by rolling city. Nothing is told us of his early life. about in tepid water," on which the restive Typee takes him up on board the Julia, man of medicine was fain to exercise his shakes hands with him in the last page of grinders during his abode forward. As the book, and informs us that he has never regarded society, he lost little by relinsince seen or heard of him. So we become quishing that of Guy the Cockney, since acquainted with but a small section of the he obtained in exchange the intimacy of doctor's life; his subsequent adventures Melville the Yankee, who, to judge from are unknown, and, save a chance hit or his book, must be exceeding good comtwo, his previous career is a mystery, un-pany, and to whom he was a great resource. fathomable as the Tahitian coast, where, The doctor was a man of learning and acwithin a biscuit's toss of the coral shore,complishments, who had made the most of soundings there are none. Now and then his time whilst the sun shone on his side the he would obscurely refer to days more paliny and prosperous than those spent on board the Julia. But however great the contrast between his former fortunes and his then lowly position, he exhibited much calm philosophy and cheerful resignation. He was even merry and facetious, a practical wag of the very first order, and as such a great favorite with the whole ship's company, the captain excepted. He had arrived at Sydney in an emigrant ship, had expended his resources, and entered as doctor on board the Julia. All British whalers are bound to carry a medico, who is treated The Julia had hitherto had little luck in as a gentleman, so long as he behaves as her cruise, and could scarcely hope for betsuch, and has nothing to do but to drug the ter in the state in which Typee found her. men and play draughts with the captain. At Besides the losses by desertion, her crew first Long-Ghost and Captain Guy hit it off was weakened by disease. Several of the very well; until, in an unlucky hour, a dis- men lay sick in their berths, wholly unfit pute about politics destroyed their harmo- for duty. The captain himself was ill, and nious association. The captain got a all would have derived benefit from a short thrashing; the mutinous doctor was put in sojourn in port; but this could not be confinement and on bread and water, ran thought of. The discipline of the ship was away from the ship, was pursued, captured, bad, and the sailors, desperate and unruly and again imprisoned. Released at last, fellows, discontented, as well they might be, he resigned his office, refused to do duty, with their wretched provisions and uncomand went forward among the men. This fortable state, were not to be trusted on or was more magnanimous than wise. Long- near shore. Three-fourths of them, had Ghost was a sort of medical Tom Coffin, a they once set foot on dry land, would have raw-boned giant, upwards of two yards absconded, taken refuge in the woods or high, one of those men to whom the be- amongst the savages, and have submitted tween-decks of a small craft is a residence to any amount of tattoo, paint, and noselittle less afflicting than one of Cardinal ringing, rather than return to the ship. Balue's iron cages. And to one who "had Already, at St. Christina, one of the Marcertainly, at some time or other, spent quesas, a large party had made their escape money, drunk Burgundy, and associated in two of the four whale-boats, scuttling the with gentlemen," the Julia's forecastle third, and cutting the tackles of the fourth must have contained a host of disagreea- nearly through, so that when Bembo jumpbles, irrespective of rats and cockroaches, ed in to clear it away, man and boat went of its low roof, evil odors, damp timbers, souse into the water. By the assistance of and dungeon-like aspect. The captain's a French corvette, and by bribing the king VOL. XI. No. III.

26

of the country with a musket and ammuni- [commander. The vessel was not even altion, the fugitives were captured. But it lowed to go into port, although needing was more than probable that they and repairs, and in fact unseaworthy; and as others would renew the attempt should op- to healing the sick, selfish Paper Jack portunity offer; so there was no alterna- thought only of solacing his own infirmitive but to keep the sea, and hope for bet- ties. The fury of the ill-fed, reckless, dister days and for the convalescence of the contented crew, on discovering the project invalids. Two of these died. Neither of their superiors, passed all bounds. Bible nor Prayerbook were on board the Chips and Bungs volunteered to head a godless craft, and like dogs, without form mutiny, and a round robin was drawn up of Christian burial, the dead were launched and signed. But when Wilson, an old acinto the deep. The situation of the sur-quaintance of Guy's, and acting consul in vivors inspired with considerable uneasi- the absence of missionary Pritchard, came ness the few amongst them capable of re- on board, the gallant cooper, who derived flection. The captain was ignorant of much of his courage from the grog-kid, was navigation; it was the mate who, from the cowed and craven. The grievances brought commencement of the voyage, had kept the forward, amongst others, that of the saltship's reckoning, and kept it all to him- horse (a horse's hoof with the shoe on, so self. He had only to get washed over- swore the cook, had been found in the board in a gale, or to walk over in a drunken pickle), were treated as trifles and poohfit, to leave his shipmates in a fix of the poohed by the functionary, "a minute most unpleasant description, ignorant of gentleman with a viciously pugged nose, latitude, longitude, and of everything else and a decidedly thin pair of legs." But if necessary to be known to guide the vessel Bungs allowed himself to be brow-beaten, on her course. And as to the sperm whales, which Jermin had promised them in such abundance that they would only have to strike and take, not a single fin showed itself. At last the captain was reported dying, and the mate took counsel with Long-Ghost, Typee, and others of the crew. He would gladly have continued the cruise, but his wish was overruled, and the whaler's stem was turned towards the Society Islands.

so did not his comrades. Yankee Salem flourished a bowie-knife, and such alarming demonstrations were made, that the counsellor, as the sailors persisted in calling the consul, thought it wise to beat a retreat. Jermin now tried his hand, holding out brilliant prospects of a rich cargo of sperm oil, and a pocket-full of dollars for every man on his return to Sidney. The mutineers were proof alike against menace and The first glimpse of the peaks of Tahiti blandishment, and, at the secret instigawas hailed with transport by the Julia's tion of Long-Ghost and Typee, resolutely weary mariners. They had got a notion refused to do duty. The consul, who had that if the captain left the ship, their arti- promised to return, did not show; and at cles were no longer binding, and they should last the mate, having now but a few invalids be free to follow his example. And, at any and landsmen to work the ship and keep rate, the sickness on board and the shaky her off shore, was compelled to enter the condition of the barque, guaranteed them, harbor. The Julia came to an anchor as they thought, long and blissful leisure within cable's length of the French frigate, amongst the waving palm-groves and soft- on board which consul Wilson repaired to eyed Neuhas of Polynesia. Their arrival obtain assistance. The Reine Blanche was in sight of Papeetee, the Tahitian capital, to sail in a few days for Valparaiso, and was welcomed by the boom of cannon. The the mutineers expected to go with her and frigate Reine Blanche, at whose fore flew be delivered up to a British man-of-war. the flag of Admiral Du Petit Thouars, thus Undismayed by this prospect, they continucelebrated the compulsory treaty, concluded that morning, by which the island was ceded to the French.

Captain Guy and his baggage were now set on shore, and it was soon apparent to his men that whilst he nursed himself in the pure climate and pleasant shades of Tahiti, they were to put to sea under the mate's orders, and after a certain time to touch again at the island, and take off their

ed stanch in their contumacy, and presently an armed cutter," painted a 'pirate black,' its crew a dark, grim-looking set, and the officers uncommonly fierce-looking little Frenchmen," conveyed them on board the frigate, where they were duly handcuffed, and secured by the ankle to a great iron bar bolted down to the berth-deck.

Touching the proceedings on board the French man-of-war, its imperfect disci

"In

pline, and the strange, un-nautical way of man in canvas frock and hat of tarpaulin, carrying on the duty, Typee is jocular and We shall not dwell on these small inconsatirical. American though he be-and, sistencies and oversights in an amusing but for occasional slight yankeeisms in his book. We prefer accompanying the Julia's style, we might have doubted even that crew to Tahiti, where they were put on fact he has evidently much more sympa-shore contrary to their expectations, and thy with his cousin John Bull than with his not altogether to their satisfaction, since country's old allies, the French, whom he they had anticipated a rapid run to Valpafreely admits to be a clever and gallant raiso, the fag-end of a cruise in an English nation, whilst he broadly hints that their man-of-war, and a speedy discharge at valor is not likely to be displayed to ad- Portsmouth. Paper Jack and Consul Wilvantage on the water. He finds too much son had other designs, and still hoped to of the military style about their marine reclaim them to their duty on board the institutions. Sailors should be fighting crazy Julia. On their stubborn refusal, they men, but not soldiers or musket-carriers, as were given in charge to a fat, good-humorthey all are in turn in the French navy. ed, old Tahitian, called Captain Bob, who, He laughs at or objects to everything; the at the head of an escort of natives, conveyed mustaches of the officers, the system of pun- them up the country to a sort of shed, ishment, the sour wine that replaces rum known as the Calabooza Beretanee or Engand water, the soup instead of junk, the lish jail, used as a prison for refractory pitiful little rolls baked on board, and dis- sailors. This commences Typee's shoretributed in lieu of hard biscuit. And whilst going adventures, not less pleasant and praising the build of their ships-the only original than his sea-faring ones; although thing about them he does praise-he ejacu- it is with some regret that we lose sight of lates a hope, which sounds like a doubt, that the vermin-haunted barque, on whose board they will not some day fall into the hands such strange and exciting scenes occurred. of the people across the Channel. Through the book, however, fun and incicase of war," he says, "what a fluttering dent abound, and we are consoled for our of French ensigns there would be! for the separation from poor little Jule, by the Frenchman makes but an indifferent sea- curious insight we obtain into the manners, man, and though for the most part he fights morals, and condition of the gentle savages, well enough, somehow or other he seldom on whom an attempted civilization has fights well enough to beat :"-at sea, be it brought far more curses than blessings. understood. We are rather at a loss to "How pleasant were the songs of Toobonai," comprehend the familiarity shown by Typee with the internal arrangements and archi- how gladsome and grateful the rustle of tecture of the Reine Blanche. His time leaves and tinkle of rills, and silver-toned on board was passed in fetters; at night- voices of Tahitian maidens, to the rough fall on the fifth day he left the ship. How, seamen who had so long been "cabined, we are curious to know, did he become ac- cribbed, confined," in the Julia's filthy quainted with the minute details of "the forecastle! Not that they were allowed crack craft in the French navy," with the free range of the Eden of the South Seas. disposition of her guns and decks, the com- On board the Reine Blanche their ankles plicated machinery by which certain ex- had been manacled to an iron bar; in the ceedingly simple things were done, and Calabooza (from the Spanish calaboza, a even with the rich hangings, mirrors, and dungeon), they were placed in rude wooden mahogany of the commodore's cabin stocks twenty feet long, constructed for the Surely the ragged and disreputable muti-particular benefit of refractory mariners. neer of the Julia, whose foot had scarcely There they lay, merry men all of a row, fed touched the gangway, when he was hurried upon taro (Indian turnip) and bread-fruit, into confinement below, could have had and covered up at night with one huge scanty opportunity for such observations: counterpane of brown tappa, the native unless, indeed, Herman Melville, or Typee, cloth. It was owing to no friendly indulor the Rover, or by whatever other alias he gence on the part of Guy and the consul, be known, instead of creeping in at the that their diet was so agreeable and saluhawseholes, was welcomed on the quarter-tary. Every morning Ropey came grindeck and admitted to the gun-room, or to ning into the prison, with a bucket full of the commodore's cabin, an honored guest the old worm-eaten biscuit from the Julia. in broadcloth, not a despised merchant sea- It was a huge treat to the unfortunate

Cockney, thus to be instrumental in the drunkenness and debauchery, account for annoyance of his former persecutors; and this frightful decrease, which must result lucky for him that their limbo'd legs pre- in the extinction of the aborigines.

"The palm-tree shall grow,
The coral shall spread,
But man shall cease."

vented their rewarding his visible exultation otherwise than by a shower of maledictions. They swore to starve rather than consume the maggoty provender. Luckily the natives had it in very different estima- So runs an old Tahitian prophecy, soon to tion. They did not mind maggots, and held be realized. And if Pomaree, who is unBritish biscuit to be a piquant and delicious der forty years of age, proves a long-lived delicacy. So in exchange for the allotted sovereign, she may chance to find herself a ration, the mutineers obtained a small queen without subjects. Concerning her quantity of vegetable food, and an unlimit- majesty and her court, Typee is diffuse and ed supply of oranges, thanks to which re- diverting. This is an age of queens, and freshing regimen the sick were speedily although her dominions be of the smallrestored to health. And after a few days est, her people few and feeble, and her preof stocks and submission, jolly old Captain rogative wofully clipped, she of Tahiti has Bob, who spoke sailors' English, and obsti- made some noise in the world, and attracted nately claimed intimacy with Captain Cook, a fair share of public attention. At one -whose visit to the island had occurred time, indeed, she was almost as much some years before his birth-relaxed his thought of and talked about as her more severity, and allowed the captives their civilized and puissant European sisters. freedom during the day. They profited of In France, La Reine Pomarée ? was lookthis permission to forage a little in a quiet ed upon as a far more interesting personage way; assisting at pig-killings, and drop- than Spanish Isabel or Portuguese Maria; ping in at dinner-time upon the wealthier and extraordinary notions were formed as of their neighbors. Tahitian hospitality is to the appearance, habits, and attributes of boundless, and the more praiseworthy that her dusky majesty. Distance favored dethe island, although so fertile, produces lusion, and French imagination ran riot in but a scanty amount of edibles. Bread-conjecture, until the reports of the valiant fruit is the chief resource; fish, a very im- Thouars, and his squadron of protection, portant one, the chief dependence of many dissipated the enchantment, and reduced of the poorer natives. There is little in- Pomaree to her true character, that of a dustry amongst them, and on the sponta- lazy, dirty, licentious, Polynesian savage, neous produce of the soil the shipping make who walks about barefoot, drinks spirits, heavy demands. Polynesian indolence is and hen-pecks her husband. Her real proverbial. Very light labor would enable name is Aimata, but she assumed, on the Tahitians to roll in riches, at least ac- ascending the throne, the royal patrocording to their own estimate of the value nymic by which she is best known. There of money and of the luxuries it procures. were Cæsars in Rome, there are Pomarees The sugar-cane is indigenous to the island, in Tahiti. The name was originally asand of remarkably fine quality; cotton is sumed by the great Otoo (to be read of in of ready growth; but the fine existing plan- Capt. Cooke), who united the whole island tations are owned and worked by whites, under one crown. It descended to his son, who would rather pay a drunken sailor and then to his grandson, who came to the eighteen or twenty Spanish dollars a month, throne an infant, and, dying young, was than hire a sober native for his fish and succeeded by her present majesty, Pomaree taro.' Wholly without energy, the Tahi- Vahinee I., the first female Pomaree. This tians saunter away their lives in a state of lady has been twice married. Her first drowsy indolence, aiming only at the avoid-husband was a king's son, but the union ance of trouble, and the sensual enjoyment was ill-assorted, a divorce obtained, and of the moment. The race rapidly dimi- she took up with one Tanee, a chief from nishes. "In 1777, Captain Cook estimat- the neighboring island of Imeeo. ed the population of Tahiti at about two hundred thousand. By a regular census taken some four or five years ago, it was found to be only nine thousand!" Diseases of various kinds, entirely of European introduction, and chiefly the result of

She

leads him a dog's life, and he consoles himself by getting drunk. In that state he now and then violently breaks out, contemns the royal authority, thrashes his wife, and smashes the crockery. Captain Bob gave Typee an account of a burst of this