FRIENDLY ISLANDS
667
FRIENDS
Friendly Islands, " as distinguisherl from the Fiji Isiaiuls (q. v.), generally reckoned a part of tjieni, are otherwise styled the Tonga Ghoup. They stretch in S. lat. from 18° to 23°, and in W. long, from 172° to 170°, and consist of about 32 greater and 150 small- er islands, about 30 of which are inhabited. The great majority are of coral formation, but some are volcanic in their origin, and in Tofua there is an act- ive volcano. The principal member of the archipelago is Tungatahoo, or Sacred Tonga, which contains about 7500 inhabitants, out of a total population of about 25,000" (Chambers, s. v.). In 1817 the missionaries estimated the population at 50,000. Next to Tongata- boo, the most important islands are Vavau, with about 5000 inhabitants, and the Ilabai group, with about 4000. '' The Friendly Islands were discovered by Tas- man in 1G13, but received their collective name froir Cook. Both these navigators found the soil closely and highly cultivated, and the people apparently un- provided with arms. The cliuiate is salubrious, but humid; eavtliquakes and hurricanes are frequent, but the former are not destructive" (Chambers, s. v.). The first attempt to introduce Christianity was made in 1797, when captain "Wilson, of the Duff, left ten mechanics at Ilihifo, or Tongataboo, in the capacity of missionaries. This attempt met with no success. The chief under whose protection they resided was mur- dered by his own brother, and the island involved in a civil war. Three of the missionaries were murdered by the natives ; the others were robbed of all their goods, and in 1800, being utterly destitute, and having but little prospect of usefulness among the natives, accepted frona the captain of an English ship a passage to New South Wales. For twenty years after this no missionaries visited the islands. In August, 1822, the Rev. Walter Lawr^', of the Weslej'an Missionary Society, arrived at Tongataboo, but he left again the next year for New South Wales. In 1825 the Rev. Messrs. John Thomas and John Hutchinson were ap- pointed to Tongataboo. Thay arrived in June, 1826, at Hihifo. In 1827 they were re-enforced by the ar- rival of Rev. Nathaniel Turner, Rav. William Cross, and Mr. Weiss. They found at Nukualofu, one of the chief tuwus of the island, two native preachers from Tahiti, who had been some time employed in that localitj', preaching to the people in the Tahitian lan- guage. They had erected a chapel, and 210 persons attended their teaching. In 1830 Mr. Thomas proceed- ed to Lifuka, the cliief of the Habai Islands. On his arrival he found that the king, Taufaahau, h:id re- nounced idolatry. Schools were soon opened both for males and females, which were well attended, chiefly by adults, and taught principallv by the natives them- selves. After being some months in the island, Mr. Thomas baptized king Taufaahau, whose conversion was followed by that of a large portion of the people. Among others was Tamaha, a female chief of the highest rank, who had been regarded as a deity, and •was one of the pillars of popular supsi-stition. In the island of Vavau, king Finau also yielded to the exlior- tations of the missionaries and of king Taufaahau, and with him about a thousand of his people renounced idolatry. In 1831 three new missionaries arrived, one of whom was a printer. A printing-press was now established, at which were printed large editions of several school-books, select passages of Scripture hymn-books, catechisms, and other useful books. Thus education made great progress, and numerous native helpers assisted the missionaries in preaching the Gospel in the various islands. In 1834 a powerful religious revival occurred, beginning in Vavau, and soon extending to the Habai and Tonga islands. It ■was followed by a remarkable reformation of manners. Poh'gamy was now abandoned, marriage became gen- eral, and greater decencj' and modest}' prevailed in dressing. Among the most zealous of the converts ■was king Taufaahau, who at his baptism was called
king George, while his queen was named Charlotte. He erected for the missionaries a very large chajiel in Habai, and, being a local preacher, p.eached himself an appropriate sermon on the occasion. In 1839, king George, in a large assembly of the chiefs and people, promulgated a code of laws, and appointed judges to hear and decide all cases of complaint which might arise among them. In June, 1810, the heathen chiefs of Tonga, where Christianity had made ninch less progress than in Habai and Vavau, broke out in rebel- lion. Captain Croker, of the British ship Favorite, who happened to arrive just at this time, xuiited the force under his command to that of king George, but he and two of his officers were killed, and tiie first lieutenant and nineteen men dangerously wounded. The mission in Tongataboo was broken up for a time, but it was resumed at the restoration of peace. In 1811 king George for a short time became a backslider in heart, but soon penitently acknowledged his fall, and ever since remained a devoted Christian. In 1845 he succeeded to the sovereignty of all the islands. In 1852 a new rebellion broke out in Tonga. It was in- stigated b}' a few chiefs who still adhered to heathen- ism ; but the Roman Catholic missionaries made com- mon cause with them, and one of them went in search of a man-of-war to chastise king George. The latter, however, succeeded in suppressing the revolt, in November, 1852, a French man-of-war arrived, the commander of which, captain BoUand, had been com- missioned by the French governor of Tahiti to inquire into certain complaints lodged against king George by the captain of a Frencli whaler, and by the Roman Catholic priests residing in Tonga. The king obeyed tha summons of the captain, went on board the man- of-war, and had a five-hours' conversation with the captain, who declared himself satisfied with tha reports made by the king, and in the name of the French gov- ernment recognised him as the king of the Friendly Islands, only stipulating that the king should protect the French residents and tolerate the Roman Catholic Church. These conditions were accepted by the king. In 1868 paganism in the Friendly Islands was almost extinct. Great numbers of the islanders can speak English, and, in addition, have learned writing, arith- metic, and geography, while the females have been taught to sew. The missions are still under the care of the Weslej'an Missionary Society, which in 18G8 had in the islands 5 circuits, 178 chapels, 2 other preaching-places, 19 missionaries and assistant mis- sionaries, 1686 subordinate paid and unpaid agents, 8613 members, 795 on trial for membership, 6617 schol- ars in schools, and 23,484 attendants on public wor- ship. See Newcomb, Cyclopcedia of Missions, p. 714; Walter Lawr}', Missions in Tonga and Feejee ; Wesleg- an Almanac for 1869. (A. J. S.)