THE ANTIQUITIES OF TONGATABU

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7825, 18 June 1909, Page 1

THE ANTIQUITIES OF TONGATABU

THE TEILITHON AND THE PYRAMID TOMBS.

Last week a correspondent enquired through our columns for detailed-infor-mation concerning a remarkable ancient trilithon m the island of Tongatabu, brief reference to which is made m the Encyclopedia Britannica. The required particulars were supplied by Mr E. Tregear m a letter which we published, and Mr W. G. Lodder sent us a,-copy of a very rare privately-printed pamphlet containing a detailed account of the interesting monument. The pamphlet is called " The Wairarapa Wilderness," "m which," it is added, "will be found the wanderings of the passengers of the second cruise of the s.s. Wairarapa from Auckland, to the South Sea Islands and back during the month of July, 1884." It contains the log-book of the voyage, list of passengers and crew, and a reprint of the newspaper limtten by the passengers during the trip. The article from which we make extracts is headed "Description of Ancient Stones near Village of Kolqgo Tonga, called Koo ha Amoga a Maui." The site is located as " near the village of ... Kplpgp, ..v?hich:.,is situated, about fifteen''miles''frpm!.\Nukual6fa'j the principal town-in''the'island." ■ ■.' .".The .monument consists ; of three large -blocks- of stone composed of a limestone conglomerate; 'm, which; may be seen m\ich. fossil; coral, and many coral shells. At first sight it might appear that-the UQper stone'was not of quite the same nature as the lower ones, but careful examination led all our party to conclude that it really was of the same nature, only less weatherworn and more dressed by hand. The 'shape of the monument at first sight appears to be identical with the form so well know^i at Stonehenge,; two upright. stones, with a third one lying across the top of them; but a nioment'B observation shows a very marked difference. Instead bf the upper stone being merely superimposed, m this case it is carefully inserted into the other two; a groove about two feet wide has been cut m each upright stone, ard the urtTier stone, which has been carefully cut to the right size, has been placed m it so that the ends, are about iiush with the outside of the perpendicular stones, whilst the top is about flush with the top of the stones, though owing to the easternmost stone being a little lower than the other one, probably from breakage, it rises a little above it on that side. The horizontal stone lies east and west, and it is noticeable that either by accident or. design there is a slight though perceptible inclination of the faces of the I perpendicular stones towards the north —that is to sayj the north end of the opening between the stones is'slightly narrower than, the south. , i!";".'

"On the centre of the top of the horizontal stone,a hollow, has been scooped, out, about the size of a coconut "shell, and about an inch and a half deep. Whether this -hollow has been part of the original design or has been made at a subsequent period, it is impossible to say. Owing 'to the pressure 1 of -time and tlie absence of any correct tape or ruler, the masurernents must be considered to be approximate; they are, lioweyer,' roughly as follo>y: Hbight of perpondiPHlar stones, 14 to 15ft; depth of horizontal stone,' 4ft gin i distance I between perpendicular stones, 10ft; base of perpendicular stones, north-east side, 4ft; base of perpendicular stones,/ | north-west side, about 12ft, probably less; breadth' of perpendicular stones, at the top of east and west sides> about 7ft, probably more. It will'thus be see;* that the space contained between the three stones is nearly a: square, if not absolutely so, as possibly accurate measurement ,would .find it to be." The account' goes on to say that the stones are "greatly weatherworn, and vegetation growing on them, though picturesqiug. threatens to hasten their decay, the ifchjcji bush interfered with the examination, but pn the north and south sides there seemed to fee indications of a' trench, apparently part of a large circle. The stones were at the northernmost end, the end nearest the sea, from which they were distant about eighty yards. The party was unable to settle the question whether the stones were cut from any of the rock on the island, or whether they were _of the same "piaferjal as the stones of the pyramid tombs mm miles away; the vague tradition indicated a be}i# that they were imported. Colour was given to this suggestion by the fact that on the neighbouring uninhabited island or Fafa tbwfl were some six stones, hewn, seven to ' eight' foot m length, three feet broad, and one deep, Tppy Jay together m an irregular manner, bpjow high-water-mark, and there was no trace of any quarry from which they could have been taken. ' , Another article gives a brief account of the .curi.ou? ancient burial-ground at Mua, with its cur&u.s stono truncated pyramids,' and nunierous tpj»uh. ihe largest 'sports measured pere. was dMt land, over seypn feet above ground, and two feet thick, lo the centre wa§ a deep hollow, perfectly smooth, the size and shape of a chemists' large mortar. « The greatest mystery, is as to whence the stones come, and who put them thems fls far as is known there are.no Quarries m the immediate, neighbourhood %Se are no reliable traditions about them." By the natives they are called Langi (the Heavens) The visitors seem to have,made the best use of their opportunities of investigation, md wore greatly impressed with the aneiont monuments of the gronn and the attra,4jons of the islands to the archseojlogist.—Eyieuip^ Post, June 2.