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Cricket & Crisis. Tonga's major crisis occurred at the turn of the century, when the British introduced cricket to the islands. The Tongans were so fascinated with the game that they abandoned their work en masse. Even toddlers and old men insisted on playing, while the copra mildewed on the ground and the pigs ate the overripe bananas. A special meeting of the Tongan cabinet was called to meet the crisis and the cabinet decided to ask the British consul for advice. The consul suggested that the Tongan Assembly pass a law limiting the playing of cricket to two days a week. The cabinet took his advice, the law is still on the books, and the Tongans have lived happily ever after.
*A dynasty rich in Hanoverian names. Queen Salote's great-great grandfather was George I (1797-1893). He was succeeded by his great-grandson George II (1874-1918). Queen Salote's name, the Tongan equivalent of Charlotte, was given her in honor of her great-great grandmother who, in turn, was named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg, Consort of Britain's George III.