We were no sooner seated in the house, surrounded by a considerable number of natives, not less than a hundred, than two or three of the women welcomed us with a song, which, though exceedingly simple, has a very pleasing effect, and was highly musical when compared to the Tahitian songs. They beat time to it by snapping the second finger and thumb and holding the remaining three fingers upright. Their voices were very sweet and mellow, and they sang in parts. When they had done they were relieved by others, who sung the same tune, and at last they joined together in chorus. A very ingenious gentleman, who was on this voyage with us, has favoured me with one of the tunes which heard in this island, which may serve as a specimen to the musical part of my readers: MUSICAL EXAMPLE GIVEN In this little specimen the music is in the minor key (a flat third). They varied the four notes without ever going lower than A or higher then E; singing them rather slow, and sometimes ending the chord: MUSICAL EXAMPLE GIVEN << less