THE LATE KING GEORGE OF TONGA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2490, 15 April 1893, Page 3

THE LATE KING GEORGE OF TONGA.

Mr Robert Paulin sends the Otago Daily Times the following summary ol a long letter he has received from Tonga touching the death and burial of the late King of Tonga. His correspondent—an educated European—has spent most of his life among the palm trees by the warm, blue waters of the tropical Pacific : King George died on Saturday, the 18 th February. Ho did not think his time was up, as he was so halo and hearty, and till close on his death showed no signs of breaking up. He left a will bequeathing his kingdom to his great grandson, Tama Ahau, together with all his buildings at Tongatabu, Vavau, and Haabai, and the land they stand on, with KOQOdol hard cash at present fu the royal safe. The chiefs agreed to the will, and Taufa Ahau took his oath on the sacred chair of Tonga, and became king, But now came the great question, where and how to bury old King George ! Dr Campbell, a European, residing at Tonga, wanted to open the veins and infect preserving compounds, but the natives would not have the body touched, so they got a European named Leger to make a coffin large enough to hold four men, and line it with zinc. In this they put the body of the old king, and filled it up with sandal wood. The head was left bare, and opposite the face was a glass window for the old king still to look out at and see his kingdom, and through which his loyal subjects could still see their beloved monarch.

They were long in deciding where to bury him. One party wanted him buried at Mua—the burying place of the old Tui Togus, or sacred priests of Tonga,— and they started clearing a space for the grave, in doing which a large tree fell and killed a young mau. This made them think the king must not be buried there A chief named Lavina wanted to take the body to Haupaai and bury it; but a majority of the chiefs carried the day, and they decided te bury him at Malaioula. on the flat in front of the two Wesleyan colleges at Nukualofa. They asked the Kev Mr Bowring, Wesleyan minister, to let them bury the king on Zione, but lie said he could not do so without the consent of the Wesleyan trustees, who live in Sydney. Mount Zione is a conspicuous hill close to the sea at Nukualofa. It is a round hill with a smooth grass-clad surface, about 80ft high, and there is a church on its summit. The hill is clear of bush or trees, and from its top beautiful views are obtained of palms, blue sea, and lovely outlying islands. Well, it was rather too long to keep the old king till they could hear from Sydney. Already the body had swollen so much as to raise the lid of his coffin, so they said they would make another hill higher than Zione. They got all the cayts, and horses and the set to work to make thp new hill to bury their king. They 1 worked night and day, tilling the carts with coral, stones, and sand, and taking UiQret

away to the the mound. Besides carting they carried great quantities rolled up in mats, as muhli as men and women could stagger under. They took it wery easy the first few days, but the old king’s body was decomposing so much tint some people objecled. On the Sunday week after the death the Rev. Mother from the Roman Catholic Chuich at Maofaga (about a mile from Nukulofa) came and told them that if they did not bury the old king soon they would have a pestilence, and scared the wife of an influential chief names Tugi so much so that she told her husband, who stirred up the workers. They went at it with fresh vigour, encouraging each other with cries of “ Male ofa.” At night the scene was very picturesque. Hundred of lights were kept burning round the house the dead body was in, and hundreds more were scattered amongst the workers. On the 4th March the burial hill was finished and on Monday, the 6th, the old king was buried in the hill his people had made for the purpose. Unfortunately, my correspondent was laid up on the day of the burial, aud does not in any way describe the ceremony.