From the rigid severity with which some of these mourning and religious ceremonies are executed, one would expect to find, that they meant thereby to secure to themselves felicity beyond the grave; but their principal object relates to things merely temporal.  For they seem to have little conception of future punishment for faults committed in this life.  They believe, however, that they are justly punished upon earth; and consequently use every method to render their divinities propitious.  The Supreme Author of most things they call Kallafootonga, who, they say, is a female residing in the sky, and directing the thunder, wind, rain, and, in general, all the changes of weather.  They believe, that when she is angry with them, the productions of the earth are blasted; that many things are destroyed by lightning; and that they themselves are afflicted with sickness and death, as well as their hogs and other animals.  When this anger abates, they suppose that every thing is restored to its natural order; and it should seem that they have a great reliance on the efficacy of their endeavours to appease their offended divinity.  They also admit a plurality of deities, though all inferior to Kallafootonga.  Amongst them, they mention Toofooa-boolootoo, god of the clouds and fog; Talleteboo, and some others, residing in the heavens.  The first in rank and power, who has the government of the sea, and its productions., is called Futtafaihe, or, as it was sometimes pronounced, Footafooa, who, they say, is a male, and has for his wife Fykava kajeea; and here, as in heaven, there are several inferior potentates, such as Vahaa fonooa, Tareeava, Mattaba, Evaroo, and others.  The same religious system, however, does not extend all over the cluster of the Friendly Isles; for the supreme god of Hepaee, for instance, is called Alo Alo; and other isles have two or three of different names.  But their notions of the power and other attributes of these beings are so very absurd, that they suppose they have no farther concern with them after death.

They have, however, very proper sentiments about the immateriality and the immortality of the soul.  They call it life, the living principle, or, what is more agreeable to their notions of it, an Otooa, that is, a divinity, or invisible being.  They say, that immediately upon death, the souls of their chiefs separate from their bodies, and go to a place called Boolootoo, the chief, or god, of which is Gooleho.  This Gooleho seems to be a personification of death; for they used to say to us, “You, and the men of Feejee (by this junction meaning to pay a compliment, expressive of their confession of our superiority over themselves), are also subject to the power and dominion of Gooleho.”  His country, the general receptacle of the dead, according to their mythology, was never seen by any person; and yet, it seems, they know that it lies to the westward