- 
 
MSGILL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES, 
 
 DURING 
 
 A RESIDENCE OF NEARLY SIX YEARS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 SOUTH SEA islands; 
 
 INCLUDING 
 
 DESCRIPTIONS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY AND SCENERY OF THE 
 ISLANDS—WITH REMARKS ON THE HISTORY, MYTHOLOGY, 
 TRADITIONS, GOVERNMENT, ARTS, MANNERS, 
 
 AND CUSTOMS OF THE 
 INHABITANTS. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM ELLIS, 
 
 MISSIONARY TO THE SOCIETY AND SANDWICH ISLANDS, AND AUTHOR 
 
 OF THE “ TOUR OF HAWAII.” 
 
 “In so vast a field, there will be room to acquire fresh knowledge for centuries to 
 come, coasts to survey, countries to explore, inhabitants to describe, and perhaps to render 
 more happy.” COOKE. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 FISHER, SON, & JACKSON, NEWGATE STREET, 
 
 M,DCCC,XXIX. 
 
The Directors and Supporters 
 
 OF 
 
 THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY; 
 
 THESE VOLUMES, 
 
 DESCRIBING TIIE SCENES OF THEIR EARLIEST EXERTIONS, 
 AND THE IMPORTANT RESULTS 
 
 OF THEIR OPERATIONS, 
 
 AMONG THOSE WHO WERE THE FIRST OBJECTS 
 
 OF THEIR BENEVOLENT SOLICITUDE, 
 
 ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY THEIR OBLIGED, 
 
 AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V ♦ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 < . > 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 PREFACE. 
 
 Accurate information respecting the different parts of 
 the world, is probably possessed in a greater degree, and 
 diffused to a wider extent, at the present day, than 
 it has been at any former period. The mariner has 
 encountered the dangers of untraversed and hitherto 
 impenetrable 6eas; and the traveller has explored remote 
 and inhospitable countries, in order to increase general 
 knowledge, and add new facilities to the prosecution of 
 enlightened philosophical research. 
 
 Without depreciating the pursuits of science, or the 
 advantages of a more enlarged acquaintance with the 
 natural history of our globe, the Christian philanthropist 
 directs his attention to objects still more important, 
 uid is led to contemplate, with growing intensity 
 of interest, the moral and spiritual condition of mankind. 
 The dominion and extent of delusive and sanguinary 
 idolatries, with their moral debasement and attendant 
 misery, have excited his liveliest concern; and to the 
 melioration of human wretchedness thus induced, and 
 the extension of true religion, as the only solid basis of 
 virtue and happiness, his energies are directed, and 
 his resources consecrated.—Animated by the predictions 
 of inspiration which refer to the moral renovation of 
 the world, and cheered by “the signs of the times/' his 
 
 O, F COQ 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 anticipations of ultimate success are strengthened by the 
 effects that already reward his exertions. 
 
 The results of efforts combined for the accomplish¬ 
 ment of these objects, though various, have been such 
 as materially to affect some of the most interesting 
 portions of the human race. Their influence is at the 
 present moment felt among the aborigines of Africa, the 
 victims of colonial slavery, the millions of civilized China 
 and India, the population of the inhospitable regions of 
 
 Siberia and Greenland, and the inhabitants of the distant 
 
 -• 
 
 islands of the South Sea. 
 
 In this latter part of the world the author has spent a 
 number of years, endeavouring to promote the knowledge 
 of Christianity among the natives; and while engaged 
 in this pursuit, he regarded it as perfectly consistent with 
 his office, and compatible with its duties, to collect, as 
 opportunity offered, information on various subjects 
 relative to the country and its inhabitants. 
 
 Although circumscribed in geographical extent, and 
 comparatively insignificant in amount of population, the 
 South Sea Islands have been regarded with unusual 
 interest ever since their discovery; and the descriptions 
 already given to the public, of the loveliness of their 
 general appearance, and the peculiar character and en¬ 
 gaging manners of their Inhabitants, have excited a 
 strong desire to obtain additional information relative to 
 the varied natural phenomena of the Islands themselves ; 
 the early history; the moral, intellectual, and physical 
 character of the people, and the nature of their ancient 
 institutions. 
 
 All their usages of antiquity having been so entirely 
 superseded by the new order of things that has followed 
 the subversion of their former system, the knowledge 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 i » 
 
 VII 
 
 of but few of them is retained by the majority of the 
 inhabitants, while the rising generation is growing up in 
 total ignorance of all that distinguished their ancestors 
 from themselves. The present, therefore, seems to be 
 the only time in which a variety of facts, connected 
 with the former state of the Inhabitants, can be secured ; 
 and to furnish, as far as possible, an authentic record of 
 these, and thus preserve them from oblivion, is one 
 design of the following Work. 
 
 To those whose attention has been directed to the 
 systems of polytheism that have at different times pre¬ 
 vailed among mankind, the account of the ancient religion 
 of the Islanders will not be uninteresting. Although 
 established among a people scarcely above the rudest 
 barbarism, destitute of letters, hieroglyphics, and symbols, 
 and by their isolated situation deprived of all intercourse 
 with the rest of the world; it is, as a system, singularly 
 complete. 
 
 The invention displayed in the fabrication and adjust¬ 
 ment of its several parts, the varied and imposing 
 imagery under which it was exhibited, and the mysterious 
 nnd complicated machinery which sustained its opera- 
 lions, were truly remarkable; and, in the standard of 
 \ irtue which it fixed, in the future destinies it unfolded, 
 and in its adaptation to the untutored but ardent mind, 
 the Polynesian system will not suffer by comparison 
 with any systems which have prevailed among the most 
 polished and celebrated nations of ancient or modern 
 times. 
 
 1 he following work will exhibit numerous facts, which 
 may justly be regarded as illustrating the essential charac¬ 
 teristics of idolatry, and its influence on a people, the 
 simplicity of whose institutions affords facilities for 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Vlll 
 
 observing its nature and tendencies, which could not be 
 obtained in a more advanced state of society. 
 
 In some respects, the mythology of Tahiti presents 
 features peculiarly its own: in others it exhibits a strik¬ 
 ing analogy to that of the nations of antiquity. In each, 
 the light of truth occasionally gleams through a mass of 
 darkness and error. The conviction that man is the 
 subject of supernatural dominion, is recognized in all, 
 and the multiplied objects of divine homage, which dis¬ 
 tinguished the polytheism of the ancients, marked also 
 that of the rude islanders. Nor was the fabulous religion 
 of the latter deficient in the mummeries of sorcery and 
 witchcraft, the delusion of oracles, and the influence of 
 other varieties of juggling, and oppressive spiritual 
 
 domination. 
 
 The South Sea Islanders appear under circumstances 
 peculiarly favourable to happiness, but their idolatry 
 exhibits them as removed to the farthest extreme from 
 such a state. The baneful effects of their delusion was 
 increased by the vast preponderance of malignant deities, 
 frequently the personifications of cruelty and vice. They 
 had changed the glory of God into the image of cor¬ 
 ruptible things, and instead of exercising those affections 
 of gratitude, complacency, and love, in the objects of 
 their worship, which the living God supicmely lequiies, 
 they regarded their deities with horrific dread, and wor¬ 
 shipped only with enslaving fear. 
 
 While the false system of Tahiti shews the distance 
 to which those under its influence departed from the 
 knowledge and service of the true God 3 it also furnishes 
 additional confirmation of the fact, that polytheism, 
 whether exhibited in the fascinating numbers of classic 
 poetry, the splendid imagery of eastern fable, or the rude 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IX 
 
 traditions of unlettered barbarians, is equally opposed 
 to all just views of the being and perfections of the only 
 proper object of religious homage and obedience; and 
 that, whether invested with the gorgeous trappings of a 
 cumbrous and imposing superstition, or appearing in the 
 naked and repulsive deformity of rude idolatry, it is alike 
 unfriendly to intellectual improvement, moral purity, 
 individual happiness, social order, and national pros¬ 
 perity. 
 
 These volumes also contain a brief, but it is hoped 
 satisfactory history of the origin, progress, and results of 
 the Missionary enterprise, which, during the last thirty 
 years, has, under the Divine blessing, transformed the 
 barbarous, cruel, indolent, and idolatrous inhabitants of 
 Tahiti, and the neighbouring Islands, into a compara¬ 
 tively civilized, humane, industrious, and Christian 
 people. They also comprise a record of the measures 
 pursued by the native governments, in changing the 
 social economy of the people, and regulating their com¬ 
 mercial intercourse with foreigners, in the promulgation 
 of a new civil code, (a translation of which is given,) the 
 establishment of courts of justice, and the introduction 
 of trial by jury. 
 
 Besides information on these points, the present work 
 furnishes an account of the intellectual culture, Christian 
 experience, and general conduct, of the converts; the 
 proceedings of the Missionaries in the several depart¬ 
 ments of their duty; the administration of the ordi¬ 
 nances of Christianity; the establishment of the first 
 churches, with their order and discipline; the ad¬ 
 vancement of education; the introduction of arts; 
 the improvement in morals; and the progress of civili¬ 
 zation. 
 
 b 
 
X 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 During an absence of ten years from England, the author 
 made copious notes of much that came under his notice, 
 and, while residing in the South Seas, kept a daily journal. 
 From these papers, from the printed and manuscript 
 documents in the possession of the London Missionary 
 Society, (to which the most ready access has been afforded,) 
 from the very ample communications by the Missionaries 
 in the islands, especially his respected colleagues Mcssis. 
 Barff and Williams, and from information derived by daily 
 intercourse for several years with many of the natives, 
 who have been identified with the most important events 
 of the last thirty years in Tahiti, the present volumes 
 have been written. He has studiously and constantly 
 endeavoured to render the accounts accurate, and trusts 
 they will prove not only interesting, but useful. 
 
 For the defects that may appear in the execution of 
 the work, he feels it necessary to apologize. It has been 
 prepared amidst incessant public engagements, and some 
 parts have passed through the press during his absence on 
 a distant journey in behalf of the Missionary Society. 
 
 To the Rev. Joseph Fletcher, A. M. of London, who 
 amidst his numerous and important engagements, has 
 kindly inspected most of the sheets, and to Captain 
 R. Elliot, R. N. who has favoured the author with the 
 use of his drawings for the embellishment of the Work, 
 he takes this opportunity of tendering his sincere and 
 grateful acknowledgments. 
 
 July t 1829. 
 
CONTENTS OF VOL. L 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Historical notice of the discovery of the Pacific—Voyage of Magellan— 
 Discoveries of Cook—Impressions produced by his voyages—Missionary 
 appointment to the South Sea Islands—Embarkation at Portsmouth— 
 Last view of England. Reflections on leaving our native country— 
 View of Madeira—Arrival at Rio de Janeiro—Appearance of the 
 harbour—Slave ship—Incidents on shore—Voyage to New Holland— 
 Tempest off the coast—Residence in New South Wales—Observations 
 on the aborigines.Page 1 to 22. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Voyage to New Z3aland—Intercourse with the inhabitanfs—Sabbath on 
 
 shore—Visit to Waikadie— Instance of parental tenderness_Forest 
 
 scenery—Sham-fight and war-dances—Character of the New Zealanders 
 —Prospects of the Mission—Arrival at the island of Rapa— Sin<mlaritv 
 of its structure—Appearance of the natives—Violent proceedings on 
 board—Remarkable interposition of Providence—Visit of the natives to 
 Tahiti—Introduction of Christianity to Rapa—Increased geooraDhical 
 acquaintance with the Pacific.. . . Page 23°to50 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Voyage to Tubuai—Notice of the mutineers of the Bounty—Origin of the 
 inhabitants of Tubuai—Visit of Mr. Nott—Prevention of war—Settle¬ 
 ment of native Missionaries—Arrival off Tahiti—Beauty of its natural 
 scenery—Anchoring in Matavai Bay—Appearance of the district—His¬ 
 torical notice of its discovery—Of the arrival of the ship Duff—Settle¬ 
 ment of the first Mission—Cession of Matavai—Departure of the Duff 
 —Influence of the mechanic arts on the minds of the people—Compa¬ 
 rative estimate of iron and gold—Difficulties attending the acquisition of 
 an unwritten language—Methods adopted by the Missionaries—Pro¬ 
 pensity to theft among the natives.Page 51 to 78 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Character and death of Haamanemane—Efforts to prevent human sacrifices 
 and infant murder—Resolution of the Missionaries, relative to the use of 
 fire-arms—Arrival of the first ship after the Duff’s departure—Assault 
 upon the Missionaries—Its disastrous Consequences—Pomare’s revenge 
 —Death of Oripaia—Invasion of Matavai—Murder of Mr. Lewis— 
 Pom are’s offering for the Mission Chapel—Arrival of a king’s ship— 
 
 Friendly communications from the governor of New South Wales_ 
 
 Government orders—Act of parliament for the protection of the South 
 Sea Islanders—Arrival of the Royal Admiral —Landing of the 
 Missionaries—Departure of Mr. Broomhall—Notice of his subsequent 
 history.Page 79 to 106 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Xll 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 ._u;™ ti.o i^tivp lannuae-e-— National council m Atehuru—Sci 
 
 in the islands—Appearance and behaviour of native congregations \ oy- 
 a ,T e to Afareaitu—Native meal—Description of Afareaitu—Removal 
 thither —Means of conveyance—Description of the various kinds of 
 canoes used in the Society Islands—Origin of the name—Account of 
 Tetuaroa, the watering-place of Tahiti—Methods of navigating their 
 canoes—Danger from sharks—Affecting wreck—Accident in a single 
 canoe—Length of the voyages occasionally made . Page 144 to 182 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Account of the remarkable change in the South Sea Islands—Discouraging 
 impressions under which the Missionaries abandoned the islands—invita¬ 
 tion from Pomare to return—State of the king’s mind during his exile m 
 Eimeo—His reception of the Missionaries—Death of three of their num¬ 
 ber-influence of domestic bereavement on the Missionary life—Po- 
 mare’s profession of Christianity-Application for baptism—Demonstra¬ 
 tion of the impotency of their idols—Proposal to erect a place of wor¬ 
 ship—Extracts from his correspondence—Influence of his steady adhe¬ 
 rence to Christianity—Ridicule and persecution to which he was exposed 
 —Visit of Missionaries to Tahiti—Oitu and Tuahine—Description of 
 the scenery of the valleys in Tahiti—Explanations of the plate of Ma- 
 
 Page 183 to 204. 
 
 tavai . 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 First record of the names of the professors of Christianity—Taaroarii s 
 rejection of idolatrous ceremonies—Determination of Patii, the priest of 
 Papetoai—Idols publicly burnt at Uaeva, in Eimeo—Increase of the 
 scholars—Contempt and persecution on account of the profession of 
 Cliristianity—Baneful influence of idolatry on social intercourse—Humi¬ 
 liating circumstances to which its institutes reduced the female sex— 
 Happy change in domestic society, attending the introduction of Chris¬ 
 tianity—Persecution of the Christians—Worshippers of the true God 
 souoht as victims for sacrifice to the pagan idols—Notice of Abrahama ■ 
 
 Martyrdom in Tahiti 
 
 Page 205 to 228 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Distillation of ardent spirits—Description of a native still—Materials em¬ 
 ployed in distillation—Murderous effects of intoxication—Seizure of the 
 Queen Charlotte—Murder of the officers—Escape of Mr. Shelly—Sei¬ 
 zure of the Daphne—Massacre of the captain and part of the crew—Upa- 
 paru s removal to Eimeo—First Christians denominated Bure Atua— 
 Public triumph over idolatry in Eimeo—Visit of the Queen and her sister 
 to Tahiti—Emblems of the gods committed to the flames—Account of 
 Farefare—Projected assassination of the Bure Atua—Manner of their 
 escape—War in Tahiti—Pomare’s tour of Eimeo . Page 229 to 244. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 The refugees in Eimeo invited to return to Taliiti—Voyage of the king and 
 his adherents—Opposition to their landing—Public worship on the Sab¬ 
 bath disturbed by the idolatrous army—Courage of the king—Circum¬ 
 stances of the battle of Bunaauia—Death of the idolatrous chieftain— 
 \ ietory of the Christians—Clemency of the king and chiefs—Destruction 
 of the image temple and altars of Oro—Total subversion of paganism 
 —General reception of Christianity—Consequent alteration in the cir¬ 
 cumstances of the people—Pomare’s prayer—Tidings of the victory 
 conveyed to Eimeo—Its influence in the adjacent islands—Remarks 
 on the time, circumstances, means, and agents, connected with the 
 
 ch ange.Page 245 to 280. 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 Account of the music and amusements of the islanders—Description of the 
 sacred drum—Heiva drum, &c. Occasions of their use—The Bu or trumpet 
 —Ihara—The vivo, or flute—General character of their songs—Ballads, 
 a kind of classical authority—Entertainments and amusements—Taupiti, 
 or festival—\V restling and boxing—Effects of victory and defeat—Foot¬ 
 races—Martial games—Sham fights—Naval review’s—Apai, bandy or 
 cricket—Tuiraa, or foot-ball—The haruraa puu, a female game—Native 
 dances—Heiva, &c.—The te-a, or archery—Bows and arrows—Reli¬ 
 gious ceremonies connected with the game—Cock-fighting—Aquatic 
 sports—Swimming on the surf—Danger from sharks—Juvenile amuse- 
 
 ments .Page 281 to 310. 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 An account of the Areois, the institution peculiar to the inhabitants of the 
 Pacific—Antiquity of the Areoi society—Tradition of its origin—Account 
 of its founders—Infanticide enjoined with its establishment—General 
 character of the Areois—Their voyages—Public dances—Buildings for 
 their accommodation—Marine exhibitions—Oppression and injury occa¬ 
 sioned by their visits—Distinction of rank among them—Estimation in 
 w r hich they are held—Mode of admission—Ceremonies attending ad¬ 
 vancement to the higher orders—Demoralizing nature of their usages— 
 Singular rites at their death and interment—Description of Rohutu noanoa 
 the Areois heaven—Reflections on the baneful tendency of the Areois 
 society—Its dissolution—Conversion of some of the principal Areois— 
 Character and death of Manu—Infanticide connected with the Areoi 
 society—Numbers destroyed—Universality of the crime—Mode of its 
 perpetration—Reasons assigned by the people for its continuance—Dis¬ 
 proportion it occasioned between the sexes—Its abolition on the recep¬ 
 tion of Christianity—Influence of Christian principles—Maternal tender¬ 
 ness—Former treatment of children. .... Page 311 to 344. 
 
XIV 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 
 Voyage to A-fa-re-ai-tu—Means of subsistence among the islands—Pigs— 
 Dogs—Fowls—Different varieties of fish eaten by the people—Methods 
 of drying animal food—Edible vegetables and fruits—Description of the 
 bread-fruit tree and fruit—Various methods of preparing it—Aruma or 
 Ta-ro—U-hi, or yam—U-ma-ra, or sweet potato—Culture, preparation, 
 and method of dressing arrow-root—Growth, appearance, and value of 
 the cocoa-nut tree—Several stages of growth in which the fruit is used 
 by the people—Process of manufacturing cocoa-nut oil—Varieties of 
 plantain, or banana—Vi, or Brazilian plum—A-hia, or jambo—Ino- 
 carpus, or native chestnut—Varieties of Dracanae— Combinations of 
 native fruits, &c.—Foreign fruits and vegetables that flourish in the 
 • islands ..Page 345 to 379. 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 Times of taking food among the islands—Tradition of the origin of the 
 bread-fruit tree—Tahitian architecture—Materials employed in the erec¬ 
 tion of native houses—Description of their various kinds of buildings— 
 Usual enclosures—Increased demand for books—Establishment of the 
 printing press—Eager anticipations of the people—First printing in the 
 island done by the king—Printing the Gospel of St. Luke—Liberal aid 
 from the British and Foreign Bible Society—Influence of the process of 
 printing, &c. on the minds of the people—Visit of a party of natives 
 from the eastern archipelago—Desire of the inhabitants for the scrip¬ 
 tures—Applicants from different islands—Estimation in which the scrip¬ 
 tures are held—Influence of the press in the nation—Number of works 
 printed. .Page 380 to 408. 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 Arrival of Missionaries from England—Retrospect of labour at Afareaitu— 
 Honesty of the people—Departure from Eimeo—Voyage to the Society 
 Islands—Appearance of Huahine — Fa-re harbour and surrounding 
 country—Accommodations on shore — Building and launching of the 
 Ilaweis—Re-occupation of Matavai—New stations in Tahiti—Journeys 
 across the interior of Eimeo—Village of Tamai—State of the inhabitants 
 of Huahine—Commencement of Missionary labours—Influence of pre¬ 
 sents to the people.Page 409 to 431. 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 Arrivals in IIuahine—Support of the Mission—Formation of the Tahitian 
 Missionary Society—Place of meeting—Speech of the king—Formation 
 of a Society in Huahine—Establishment of the Mission in Raiatea—De¬ 
 scription of the district of Fare—Erection of dwellings—Preaching in the 
 native language—Indolence of the South Sea Islanders—Means adopted 
 for the encouragement of industry—Cotton plantation—Disappointment 
 in returns—Arrival of Mr. Gyles—Introduction of the art of making 
 sugar, &c.—Visit to Tahiti—Sugar plantations and mills in the Leeward 
 Islands—Introduction of coffee from Norfolk Island—Culture and pre¬ 
 paration of tobacco for exportation ..... Page 432 to 465. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XV 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 Renewed endeavours to promote industry among the people—Arrival of 
 
 Messrs. Blossom and Armitage—Establishment of the cotton factory_ 
 
 lirst cloth made in Eimeo—Prospects of success—Death of Mrs. Ors- 
 mond—Voyage to Raiatea—Sudden approach of a storm—Conduct of 
 the natives—\ iolence of the tempest—Appearance of the waterspouts— 
 Emotions awakened by the surrounding phenomena — Influence of 
 waterspouts on the minds of the natives—Conduct of a party overtaken 
 by one at sea—Deliverance during a voyage from the Sandwich Islands 
 —Abatement of the storm—Appearance of the evening—Arrival at 
 Raiatea — Kindness of the inhabitants — District of Opoa—Visit to 
 the settlement—Importance of education—Methods of instruction—Sab¬ 
 bath schools—Annual examination of the scholars—Public procession 
 —Contrast between the present and former circumstances of the chil¬ 
 dren . ...... Page 466 to 502. 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 Account of Taaroarii—Encouraging circumstances connected with his early 
 life—His marriage—Profligate associates—Fatal effects of bad example 
 —Disorderly conduct—His illness—Attention of the chiefs and people— 
 Visits to his encampment—Last interview—Death of Taaroarii—Funeral 
 procession—Impressive and affecting circumstances connected with his 
 decease and interment—His monument and epitaph—Notice of his father 
 —His widow and daughter—General ideas of the people relative to 
 death and a future state—Death the consequence of Divine displeasure 
 —State of spirits—Miru, or heaven—Religious ceremonies for ascertain¬ 
 ing the causes of death—Embalming—The burying of the sins of the 
 departed—Singular religious ceremony—Offerings to the dead—Occu¬ 
 pation of the spirits of the deceased—Superstitions of the people—Oto- 
 haa, or lamentation—Wailing—Outrages committed under the paroxysms 
 of grief—Use of sharks’ teeth—Elegiac ballads singularly beautiful—The 
 heva—Absurdity and barbarism of the practice—Institution of Christian 
 burial—Dying expressions of native converts . . Page 503 to 536. 
 
PLATES IN VOL. I. 
 
 Head of Pomare .. to face the Title 
 
 Maps:—Polynesia—and Georgian and Society Islands.page 1 
 
 Cession of Matavai to Captain Wilson, for the Missionaries. 64 
 
 Interior of the District of Matavai, in Tahiti .* 204 
 
 North-east View of the District of Fa-re in Huahine. 414 
 
 WOOD ENGRAVINGS 
 
 Head of ’Ilonghi...in page 30 
 
 Skreened Canoe . 165 
 
 War Canoe. 168 
 
 Single or Island Canoe. 172 
 
 Tahitian Idols... 211 
 
 Tahitian Still .230 
 
 Tahitian Drum. 282 
 
 Trumpet Shell. 284 
 
 Tahitian Swing . 309 
 
— 
 
 Lennon: PabliaW ty JCEiher Son t P. Jwfeon. JB 29 I*r«*n t Engmrcd Vy J.t C .WUtar. 
 

 
 ■ A 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 * -* v 
 
 
 
 * 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 ' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • • 
 
 •• 
 
 * 
 
 
 W- 
 
 
 
 
 IP* 
 
 
 
 v : 
 
 
 ^ M 
 
 I 
 
 » j^-rk 
 
 •? c 
 
 V ? 
 
 ■>■ * *. - 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Historical notice of the discovery of the Pacific—Voyage of Magellan— 
 Discoveries of Cook—Impressions produced by his voyages—Missionary 
 appointment to the South Sea Islands—Embarkation at Portsmouth— 
 Last view of England. Reflections on leaving our native country— 
 View of Madeira—Arrival at Rio de Janeiro—Appearance of the 
 harbour—Slave ship—Incidents on shore—\ oyage to New Holland— 
 Tempest off the coast—Residence in New South Wales—Observations 
 on the aborigines. 
 
 The Pacific, the largest ocean in the world; extending 
 over more than one third of the surface of our globe, was 
 discovered in the year 1513, by \ asco Nugnez de Balboa, 
 a courageous and enterprising Spaniard, governor of the 
 Spanish colony of Santa Maria, in the isthmus of Darien. 
 
 The desire of finding a more direct communication 
 with the East Indies had prompted Columbus to the 
 daring voyage which resulted in the discovery of the new 
 world. In that immense and unexplored region, his 
 followers pursued their career of enterprise, until Balboa, 
 by discovering the great South Sea, accomplished what 
 Columbus, notwithstanding his most splendid achieve¬ 
 ments, had in vain attempted. In his march across the 
 isthmus which separates the Atlantic from the Pacific, 
 an enterprise designated by Robertson as the boldest on 
 
 p 
 
 
 
o 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 which the Spaniards had hitherto ventured in the New 
 World, Balboa, having been informed by his Indian 
 guides, that he might view the sea from the next moun¬ 
 tain, advanced alone to its summit; and beholding the 
 vast ocean spread out before him in all its majesty, 
 fell on his knees, and rendered thanks to God for 
 having conducted him to so important a discovery. 
 He hastened towards the object he had so laboriously 
 sought, and, on reaching its margin, plunged up to his 
 middle in its waves, with his sword and buckler, and 
 took possession of it in the name of his sovereign, Fer¬ 
 dinand of Spain. 
 
 Seven years after this important event, Magellan, a 
 Portuguese, despatched by the court of Spain to ascertain 
 the exact situation of the Molucca Islands, sailed along 
 the eastern coast of South America, discovered the straits 
 that bear his name; and, passing through them, first 
 launched the ships of Europe in the Southern Sea. It is, 
 however, probable, that neither Balboa, while he gazed 
 with transport on its mighty waters, nor Magellan, when 
 he first whitened with his canvass the waves of that 
 ocean whose smooth surface induced him to call it the 
 Pacific, had any idea either of its vast extent, of the 
 numerous islands that studded its bosom, the diver¬ 
 sified and beautiful structure of those foundations, 
 which myriads of tiny architects had reared from the 
 depths of the ocean to the level of its highest wave, or ol 
 the varied tribes of man by whom they were inhabited. 
 Boldly pursuing his w r ay across the untraversed surface ol 
 this immense ocean, Magellan discovered the Ladrone, 
 and subsequently the Philippine islands. The object ol 
 the voyage w^as ultimately accomplished ; the Y ictory, 
 the vessel in which Magellan sailed, having performed 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 O 
 
 the first voyage ever made round the world, returned to 
 Europe: but the intrepid commander of the expedition 
 terminated his-life without reaching his original destina¬ 
 tion^ having been killed in a quarrel with the natives 
 of one of the Philippine Islands. 
 
 Several distinguished Spanish, Dutch, and British 
 navigators followed the adventurous course of Magellan 
 across the waters of the Pacific, and were rewarded 
 by the discoveries they made in that part of the world, 
 which, under the appellation of Polynesia, from a 
 Greek term signifying many islands , geographers have 
 since denominated the sixth division of the globe.* 
 
 But, although many single islands, and extensive groups 
 of diversified forms and structure, some inhabited by iso- 
 lated families of men, others peopled only by pelicans or 
 aquatic birds, have been visited and explored, fresh dis¬ 
 coveries continue to be made by almost every voyager; 
 and it is by no means improbable, that there are still 
 many islands, and even groups of islands, which remain 
 unknown to the inhabitants of the other parts of the 
 globe. 
 
 Most of the early voyages of discovery in this ocean 
 attracted unusual attention ; but none appear to have 
 excited a livelier interest, or produced a deeper impres¬ 
 sion, than those performed by Captain Cook, in the latter 
 part of the eighteenth century. These were instrumental, 
 in a great degree, in diverting public attention from the 
 
 * According to Pinkerton, Malte Brun, and others, Polynesia includes 
 the various islands found in the Pacific, from the Ladrones to Easter 
 Island. The principal groups are, the Ladrone Islands—the Carolinas— 
 the Pelew Islands—the Sandwich Islands—the Friendly Islands—the 
 Navigators’ Islands—the Harvey Islands—the Society Islands—the 
 Georgian Islands, and the Marquesas. 
 
4 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 splendid and stupendous discoveries in the New World, 
 and directing it to the clustering islands spread over the 
 Pacific; exhibiting them in all the loveliness of their 
 natural scenery, the interesting simplicity, and novel 
 manners, of their inhabitants. I he influence of Cook s 
 discoveries appears to have been felt by voyagers and 
 travellers of other countries, as well as by those of his 
 own. Humboldt, speaking of his laborious rescan lies 
 in South America, remarks, that, “the savages of 
 America inspire less interest, since the celebrated 
 navigators have made known to us the inhabitants of 
 the South Sea, in whose character we find such a 
 mixture of perversity and meekness i the state ol halt- 
 civilization in which these islanders are found, gives a 
 peculiar charm to the description of their manners. 
 Here, a king, followed by a numerous suite, comes and 
 presents the fruits of his orchard; there, the funeral 
 festival embrowns the shade of the lofty forest. Such 
 pictures, no doubt, have more attraction than those 
 which portray the solemn gravity of the inhabitants of 
 the Missouri or the Maranon.” 
 
 Since the death of Captain Cook, several intelligent 
 and scientific men from England, France, and Russia, 
 have undertaken voyages of discovery in the South Seas, 
 and have favoured the world with the result of their 
 enterprises. Their accounts are read with interest 
 by the philosopher, who seeks to study human na¬ 
 ture under all its diversified forms; and by the natu¬ 
 ralist, who investigates the phenomena of our globe, and 
 the varied productions of its surface. Voyages of dis¬ 
 covery are also favourite volumes with the juvenile reader. 
 They impart to the youthful mind many delightful and 
 glowing impressions relative to the strange and interest- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 ing scenes they exhibit, which in after life are seldom 
 obliterated.—There are few who do not retain the 
 vivid recollections of their first perusal of Prince Leeboo, 
 or Captain Cook’s Voyages. Often, when a school-boy* 
 I have found the most gratifying recreation, for a winter’s 
 evening, in reading the account of the wreck of the 
 Antelope, the discovery of Tahiti, and other narratives of 
 a similar kind. Little, however, did I suppose, when in 
 imagination I have followed the discoverer from island 
 to island in the Pacific, and have gazed in fancy on 
 the romantic hills and valleys, together with their 
 strange but interesting inhabitants, that I should ever 
 visit any of these scenes, the description of which 
 afforded me so much satisfaction. Yet this, in the 
 providence of God, has since taken place; and I have 
 been led, not indeed on a voyage of discovery, commer¬ 
 cial adventure, or naval enterprise, but, as a Christian 
 Missionary, on an errand of instruction; not only to 
 visit, but to reside a number of years among the inte¬ 
 resting natives of those isolated regions. 
 
 Letters written in 1812 by my esteemed pastor, the 
 Rev. J. Campbell, during a journey in South Africa, 
 undertaken at the request of the London Missionary 
 Society, first directed my attention to Missionary en¬ 
 gagements. Subsequent events led me to devote my 
 life to these pursuits, and, under the patronage of the 
 above Society, I was, in the year 1815, appointed a 
 Missionary to the South Seas. 
 
 In the month of January, 1816, in company with Mr. 
 and Mrs. Threlkeld, Mrs. Ellis and myself sailed from 
 Portsmouth for the Georgian and Society Islands. It 
 was the morning of the Sabbath when we embarked. 
 Our friends in Gosport were preparing to attend public 
 
G 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 worship, when we heard the report of a signal-gun. I lie 
 sound excited a train of feelings, which can be under¬ 
 stood only by those who have been placed in similar 
 circumstances. It was a report announcing the arrival 
 of that moment which was to separate, perhaps 
 for ever, from home and all its endearments, and rend 
 asunder every band which friendship and affection had 
 entwined around the heart. The report we had heard 
 might have proceeded from some other vessel ; we 
 hastened, therefore, to the windows, which commanded 
 an extensive view of the sea, and, looking towards 
 the anchorage, saw the small cloud of smoke rising 
 up among the rigging, and the signal for sailing flying 
 from the mast of our vessel. Instead of proceeding 
 to the place of worship, we directed our steps towards 
 the sea shore; but, before we left our dwelling, we united 
 in prayer with our friends, and were by them affec¬ 
 tionately committed to the guardian care of Him, in 
 obedience to whose sacred injunction, “ Go, teach all 
 nations,” we were about to embark; and on whose 
 protection and blessing we alone depended for safety 
 and success. A number of kind friends attended us 
 to the beach, where, after waiting a few moments, we 
 bade them farewell, and then raised the last foot 
 from that earth which was our native soil, over which 
 we had often trod under all the varied emotions of our 
 earliest and maturer years, but which we never expected 
 to tread again. 
 
 Among those who had walked with us to the shore, 
 several dear brethren, students in the Missionary semi¬ 
 nary at Gosport, anxious to defer, as long as possible, 
 the final parting, took their seats beside us in the 
 boat, and accompanied us to the ship. The wind was 
 
POLYNESIAN- RESEARCHES. 
 
 *r 
 
 / 
 
 liigh, the sea rough, and the snow fell thickly around 
 us. The inclemency of the weather favoured the silence 
 we felt disposed to indulge; and although these were 
 the last moments we were to spend with those whom 
 kindness had prompted to attend us to the ship, the 
 length and nature of the voyage before us, the thoughts 
 that lingered with those, to whom, as we supposed, 
 we had bidden adieu for ever, and the conviction that 
 we must soon part with those who still sat beside us. 
 to meet no more on earth, gave a melancholy solem- 
 nity to our thoughts, and predisposed us to silence 
 and reflection, rather than to conversation. When we 
 reached the vessel, a scene was presented very incon- 
 genial with the frame of our minds, and unlike the still¬ 
 ness of the Sabbath. All was bustle and confusion. The 
 decks w r ere crowded with live stock, vegetables, &c. the 
 cabins filled with packages and trunks, and the sailors 
 all engaged in the various labours incident to getting 
 ready for sea. The moment had now arrived when we 
 were to separate from our last friends—we took an 
 affectionate* though rather hurried leave of them, and 
 committing each other to the benediction of Heaven, 
 exchanged the parting hand at the vessel’s side. As 
 their boat pushed off from the ship, they again bade us 
 farewell by a signal, which we involuntarily returned, 
 while we continued with indescribable emotion to watch 
 their progress, until the intervention of some vessel, or the 
 sv oiling of the waves, hid them entirely from our view. 5 * 
 
 The\ shortly afterwards embarked, and commenced their labours in 
 the East nearly as soon as we reached the distant islands in the South : 
 two of them, however, I believe, only remain; the others have died in the 
 Missionary field, and, after a short and laborious course, under a most 
 inhospitable clime, have ended their toil, and entered into rest. 
 
8 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Although we had embarked in the forenoon, the bustle 
 and activity of every one on board, the adjusting and 
 securing different articles in the cabin, brought on the 
 close of the day, before we felt in any degree settled. 
 Towards evening, however, I left the cabin for the deck, 
 and enjoyed an hour of solemn, and, I trust, profitable 
 meditation. Our ship was now under way, and pro¬ 
 ceeding steadily, though not rapidly, through the 
 water. Every headland we passed on the Isle of Wight, 
 and every point of land on the Hampshire coast, as it 
 receded from my view, awakened the impression that 
 I should never behold it again. I lingered with intensity 
 of feeling on each passing scene, until the shadows of 
 night gathered thickly around, and the only objects 
 visible from the ship were a few distant lights, glim¬ 
 mering amidst the darkness in which every thing besides 
 was concealed. After gazing on these lights until a late 
 hour, I directed, as I supposed, a last glance towards 
 them, and the coasts they illuminated, and retired to rest. 
 
 The next morning I hastened on deck, and looking 
 abroad upon the expanse of waters, distinguished with 
 delight a point of land. It was England; my eye 
 rested on it with strong and painful interest; the mighty 
 waters, like those of the deluge, appeared to rise higher 
 and higher ; until, at last, the waves of the distant and 
 naked horizon appeared to have rolled over it; and 
 our vessel, like the ark, seemed all that remained to us 
 of the terrestrial world. In every direction there was 
 nothing now to be seen, but one wide waste of water 
 below, and the outstretched heavens above. England, 
 with all its associations and its enjoyments, its tenderest 
 earthly ties, and its distinguished religious privileges, 
 had vanished. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 9 
 
 My feelings, though strong, were not discouraging, 
 nor did my choice awaken one emotion of regret; my 
 desire to engage in the work, was as ardent as when my 
 services were first tendered. From many sources of hap¬ 
 piness, and sacred Christian privileges long enjoyed, I 
 felt myself, indeed, about to be removed; while dangers 
 and trials, hitherto unknown, could not but be antici¬ 
 pated. The Divine promise, however, “Lo, I am with 
 you always, even unto the end of the world,” was my 
 support, and under its cheering influence I could appro¬ 
 priate the language of the poet, and exclaim— 
 
 O thou great Arbiter of life and death ! 
 
 Nature’s immortal, immaterial sun ! 
 
 Whose all-prolific beam late called me forth 
 From darkness, teeming darkness, where I lay 
 The worm’s inferior—and, in rank, beneath 
 The dust I tread on—high to bear my brow, 
 
 To drink the spirit of the golden day, 
 
 And triumph in existence ; and couldst know 
 No motive but my bliss; and hast ordained 
 A rise in blessing! with the Patriarch’s joy 
 Thy call I follow to the land unknown : 
 
 I trust in thee, and know in whom I trust: 
 
 Or life or death is equal; neither weighs; 
 
 All weighs in this—O let me live to Thee !” 
 
 The parting scenes, the embarkation, the last view 
 taken of his native land, when leaving it for a distant 
 clime, in which he expects to end his days, awaken 
 indescribable emotions, and render it a season to which 
 a Missionary is accustomed to look back, during subse¬ 
 quent periods of his life, with no ordinary interest. 
 
 I have witnessed these emotions in others, as well as 
 experienced them myself, and shall not soon forget 
 
 c 
 
10 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the evident feeling with which Mr. Nott, who, after 
 an absence of thirty years, visited England in the 
 summer of 1826, exclaimed, as he a second time left 
 the British shore, to return to the South Sea Islands, not, 
 in the language of the poet, (Camocns,) u Ungrateful 
 country, thou shalt not possess my bones ,’ 9 but, u Io nei 
 oe e tau fenua ! eita vau e talii faaliou adu ia oe Fare¬ 
 well, my native land, I shall never step on you again. 
 
 Out of sight of land, and proceeding every day farther 
 from it, the feelings in immediate connexion therewith 
 gradually began to subside, our thoughts were in¬ 
 creasingly occupied with the novel scenes by which we 
 were surrounded 5 and our attention was engaged by the 
 pursuits which, at sea, we were able to follow. About 
 three weeks after leaving Portsmouth, we touched at 
 Madeira, and, proceeding on our voyage to Rio Janeiro, 
 cast anchor at the mouth of its beautiful harbour in 
 the evening of the 20th of March, 1816. 
 
 The light of the next morning presented before us one 
 of the most magnificent and extensive landscapes I ever 
 beheld. The mass of granite rock, surmounted by the 
 fort of Santa Cruz on our right, the towering Sugar- 
 loaf mountain on our left, the picturesque island at the 
 mouth of the harbour, the distant town of St. Sebastian, 
 the turrets of the castle, the convent of St. Antonio, the 
 lofty range of mountains in the interior, whose receding 
 summits were almost lost in aerial perspective, where 
 
 “Distance lends enchantment to the view,” 
 
 all successively met the eye, together with the widely 
 expanded and beautiful hay, one of the finest in the world, 
 studded with verdant islands, rendered more picturesque 
 by the white cottages with which they were adorned. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 J1 
 
 The whole scene was enlivened by the numerous boats, 
 with their white and singularly shaped sails, incessantly 
 gliding to and fro on the smooth surface of the water, and 
 the shipping of different nations riding at anchor in the 
 bay, or moored to the shore. Among the vessels, which 
 exhibited almost every variety of size and form, those by 
 no means least interesting to us, were two British frigates; 
 one of which was the Alceste, on her way to China, to 
 join Lord Amherst’s embassy. These objects excited in 
 our minds a variety of pleasing sensations, heightened by 
 the circumstance of the country before us being almost 
 the first land we had seen since leaving England. 
 
 There is something very exhilarating in approaching 
 land, or entering a friendly port, after a long voyage ; and 
 the pleasure we felt on this occasion was so much in¬ 
 creased by the novel and delightful landscapes inces¬ 
 santly opening to our view, as we sailed along the bav, 
 that we were unwilling for a moment to leave the deck. 
 Our enjoyment was, however, interrupted by a spectacle 
 adapted to awaken sensations very different indeed from 
 those inspired by the loveliness and peace of the scenery 
 around us. 
 
 We had proceeded about half way to the anchorage, 
 when we approached a brig sailing also into the harbour, 
 which, as we came alongside of her, appeared to be a 
 slave ship returning from the coast of Africa. The 
 morning was fine and the air refreshing, and this had 
 probably induced the cruel keepers to bring their wretched 
 captives up from the dungeons of pestilence and death 
 in which they had been confined. The central part of 
 the deck was crowded with almost naked Africans, con¬ 
 stituting part of the cargo of the gloomy looking 
 vessel. 
 
12 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Though their ages appeared various, the majority 
 seemed to have just arrived at that period of human life, 
 when the prospects of man are brightest, and the hopes 
 of future happiness more distinct and glowing, than during 
 any other portion of his existence; they were most of them, 
 so far as we could judge, from fourteen to eighteen or 
 twenty years of age; some were younger. We regarded 
 them with a degree of melancholy interest, which for a 
 time rendered us insensible to the beauties of nature 
 every where spread before our eyes. Our passing, how¬ 
 ever, appeared to affect them but little. The greater 
 part of these unhappy beings stood nearly motionless, 
 though we did not perceive that they were chained : some 
 directed towards us a look of seeming indifference; others, 
 with their arms folded, appeared pensive in sadness; while 
 several, leaning on the ship’s side, were gazing on the 
 green islands of the bay, the rocky mountains, and all the 
 wild luxuriance of the smiling landscape ; which probably 
 awakened in their bosoms thoughts of “home and all its 
 pleasures,” from which they had so recently been torn; 
 and, judging of the future by the past short period of 
 their wretched bondage, their minds were perhaps dis¬ 
 tressed with painful anticipations of the toils and suffer¬ 
 ings that would await them on the foreign shore they 
 were approaching! 
 
 Circumstances detained us at Rio Janeiro above six 
 weeks, and although on our arrival we were perfect 
 strangers, we experienced the greatest hospitality and 
 kindness from the English merchants and other residents 
 there. During the whole of our stay, two of these gentle¬ 
 men accommodated us at their country houses, a few 
 miles distant from the city, where all that friendship 
 could devise for our enjoyment was generously furnished, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 13 
 
 and every thing provided, when we left, that could make 
 the remaining part of our voyage comfortable. 
 
 The heat of the climate was rather oppressive, but 
 the mornings and evenings were pleasant, and, during 
 the forenoon, the sea breezes in general refreshing. The 
 habits of the people, the singularity of the buildings, 
 the narrow streets, projecting balconies, and trellis- 
 work doors and windows, the varied productions of the 
 country, with the sublime grandeur and romantic beauty 
 of the scenery, were all adapted to arrest the attention of 
 those who now, for the first time, found themselves in a 
 foreign land. 
 
 1 o us, the moral and religious state of the people was 
 the subject of greatest interest; and, every observation 
 we made, was adapted to awaken the liveliest gratitude to 
 Him who had cast our lot in a happier land. Ignorance, 
 and disregard of all religious principle, or the substitu¬ 
 tion oi ceremony in its place, appeared every where 
 prevalent. To the freedom of the press, and liberty 
 of conscience, the inhabitants were perfect strangers. 
 No book, we were informed, was allowed to be printed 
 or imported for circulation, without the inspection of 
 individuals appointed for this duty, whose censorship, 
 it appeared, was such as to extinguish every source 
 (if light, and perpetuate the darkness of the people. 
 Popery is the religion of the country; and we had an 
 opportunity of beholding it in its own element. The 
 demise of the queen-dowager of Portugal took place 
 about the time of our arrival; and I had an opportunity 
 of witnessing the funeral, which took place by torch-light. 
 Numbers of ecclesiastics, in the habits of their respec¬ 
 tive orders, appeared in the procession, mounted on mules, 
 which were led by persons bearing large burning tapers 
 
14 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 or torches; and on the occasion of a ceremony, connected, 
 as we were informed, with the passage of her soul from 
 purgatory to the regions of glory, the royal chapel was 
 most splendidly illuminated. Desiring to see, for myself, 
 their kind of worship, and the appearance of the wor¬ 
 shippers, I frequently went to the royal chapel, on our 
 first arrival. The rich gilding and numerous paintings, 
 the images, massy silver candlesticks, and other costly 
 ornaments of the building; the novel habits and sonor¬ 
 ous voices of the priests; and, above all, the music 
 mixed with many of their rites, were certainly adapted 
 to produce a powerful impression upon the feelings of 
 the majority of those who resorted thither; the greater 
 part of whom had perhaps never seen a Bible ! But 
 notwithstanding there was so much that was imposing 
 in its accompaniments, their worship often appeared a 
 mere heartless attendance on customary ceremonies. 
 Images of the Virgin Mary appeared at the corners of 
 some of the principal streets, in little glass-cases, and 
 in the evening a small lamp was placed before them. 
 In front of these, the poor ignorant Catholic, kneel¬ 
 ing in the streets, and offering his prayers to the 
 image, together with other ceremonies performed at 
 this season of the year, presented a most lamentable 
 spectacle. Scenes, the most ludicrous imaginable, some¬ 
 times occurred. I was surprised one morning, about 
 the time of Good Friday, to behold what I thought was 
 a man suspended from a tree, on the opposite side of 
 the road: observing my attention attracted, the family 
 informed me that it was the day on which the Catho¬ 
 lics were accustomed to hang Judas. I was surprised 
 to see this representation of the traitor, exhibited in 
 a fashionable coat, waistcoat, and pantaloons, with a 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 15 
 
 pair of Hessian boots, and a cocked hat! The figure 
 hung there till about noon, when it was taken down, 
 and fastened upon the back of a young ox: one end of 
 a rope was tied to each of the animal’s horns, and the 
 other end held at a distance of six or eight yards by 
 two young men; who, keeping opposite sides of the 
 road, ran backwards and forwards with the animal, till it 
 became quite furious, and at last, dislodging the image 
 of Judas from its back, the ox tore it to pieces with its 
 horns and its feet. The spectators appeared to derive 
 no small gratification from the exhibition; but such a 
 scene, partaking, according to their opinion, in some 
 degree, of a religious observance, could not be witnessed 
 by a Christian without emotions of pain. 
 
 I draw no invidious comparisons between Roman 
 Catholics and Protestants; I desire to cultivate towards 
 the former, as individuals, every feeling of Christian kind¬ 
 ness and charity; but I could contemplate Popery with 
 no satisfaction, not because its extension circumscribes 
 the influence of Protestantism, but because it has always 
 appeared to me one of the most absurd and fatal delu¬ 
 sions which the powers of darkness ever invented for the 
 destruction of mankind. 
 
 Here, for the first time, we came into actual contact 
 with slavery. There are, perhaps, few places where the 
 slaves meet with milder treatment; but it was most . 
 distressing, on passing the slave market, to observe the 
 wretched captives there bought and sold like cattle; or 
 to see two or three interesting looking youths, wear¬ 
 ing a thin dress, and having a new red cotton hand¬ 
 kerchief round their heads, led through the streets by 
 a slave-dealer, who, entering the different houses or 
 workshops as he passed along, offered the young 
 
1G POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 negroes for sale; yet scarcely a clay passed while we 
 were in the town, during which we did not meet these 
 heartless traffickers in human beings thus employed. In 
 the English or Portuguese families with which we had 
 any opportunities of becoming acquainted, although the 
 domestic slaves did not appear to be treated with that 
 unkindness which the slaves in the field often experience, 
 yet, even here, the whip was frequently employed in a 
 manner, and under circumstances, revolting to every 
 feeling of humanity. 
 
 While we continued in Rio, I had several oppor¬ 
 tunities of preaching on the Sabbath in the dwelling 
 houses of two of the merchants whom we were visit¬ 
 ing. This was shortly after the treaty of peace with 
 Great Britain, which secured to British subjects resid¬ 
 ing in Brazil, the right of public Protestant worship, 
 but not of proselyting the inhabitants. Several of the 
 English families attended; by whom proposals were 
 made, requesting me to remain as a minister of religion 
 among them. There were at that time fifty-seven British 
 mercantile houses—two hundred and fifty English; and 
 dependent upon them, six hundred servants, including 
 blacks. Having, however, devoted my life to the service 
 of the heathen, I felt it my duty to decline their invita¬ 
 tion, and to proceed to my original destination. During 
 the first week of May, we took leave of our friends, 
 thankful for the attentions and kindness we had ex¬ 
 perienced. Severe domestic affliction detained my col¬ 
 league, the Rev. L. E. Threlkeld, at Rio, and we were 
 under the necessity of proceeding alone on the remainder 
 of our voyage. 
 
 Sailing from Rio, we directed our course across the 
 Atlantic, doubled the Cape of Good Hope, and, travers- 
 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 17 
 
 ing the Indian ocean, proceeded towards New South 
 Wales. Our passage was pleasant, and eleven weeks 
 after leaving Brazil, we made the western coast of 
 \ an Diemen’s Land. We passed through Bass’s Straits 
 on the same day, and sailed along the eastern shore of 
 New Holland towards Port Jackson. Soon after day¬ 
 light the next morning, we perceived a sail some miles 
 before us, which we found on nearer approach to be a 
 small schooner. Our captain on visiting her found only 
 three men on board, who were in the greatest distress. 
 They had been at Kangaroo Island procuring seal-skins, 
 with a quantity of which they were now bound to Syd¬ 
 ney. They had remained on the island, catching seals, 
 till their provisions were nearly expended; and during 
 their voyage, they had encountered much heavy weather, 
 had been nearly lost, and were so exhausted by fatigue, 
 want of food, and constant exposure, that they could not 
 e\ en alter the sails, when a change in the wind rendered 
 it necessary. -They had been for some time living on 
 seal-skins; pieces of which were found in a saucepan 
 over the fire, when the boat’s crew boarded them. The 
 men from our ship trimmed their sails, and our captain 
 offered to take them in tow; but as they were so near 
 ihrir port, which they hoped to reach the next day, they 
 declined accepting his proposal. When he returned to the 
 ship, he sent them some bread and beef, a bottle of wine, and 
 some water; which the poor starving men received with an 
 indescribable degree of eagerness and joy. The seamen 
 who conveyed these supplies returned to the ship, and we 
 kept on our way. We did not, however, hear of their 
 arrival, and as we remained nearly six months in Sydney 
 after this time, and received no tidings of them, it is 
 probable their crazy bark was wrecked, or foundered 
 
 D 
 
18 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 during a heavy storm that came on in the course of the 
 following day. 
 
 The wind from the south continued fresh and favour¬ 
 able, and in the forenoon of the next day we sailed towards 
 the shore, under the influence of exhilarated spirits, and 
 the confident expectation of landing in Port Jackson 
 before sunset. About noon we found ourselves near 
 enough the coast to distinguish different objects along 
 the shore, and soon discovered the flagstaff erected on 
 one of the heads leading to Sydney, our port of destina¬ 
 tion, about four miles distant from us, but rather to 
 windward. The captain and officers being strangers to 
 the port, some little time was spent in scanning the 
 coast, in the hope of finding an opening still farther 
 northward; but at twelve o’clock our apprehensions 
 of having missed our port were confirmed, as the latitude 
 was then found, by an observation of the sun, to be four 
 miles to the northward of Sydney heads. We had, in 
 fact, sailed with a strong but favourable wind, four miles 
 past the harbour which we ought to have entered. Hope, 
 which had beamed in every eye, and lighted up every 
 countenance with anticipated pleasure, when we first 
 neared the land, had alternated with fear, or given way 
 
 to most intense anxiety, when we witnessed the uncer- 
 
 * 
 
 tainty that prevailed among our companions, as to our 
 actual situation; but disappointment the most distress¬ 
 ing, was now strongly marked in every countenance. 
 66 About ship,” exclaimed the captain ; immediately the 
 ship’s head was turned from the land, and, steering as 
 near the wind as possible, we proceeded towards the 
 open sea. After sailing in this direction for some 
 time, the ship was again turned towards the shore; but 
 the wind, which during the forenoon had been so favour- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 19 
 
 able, was now against us, and as soon as we could dis¬ 
 tinguish the flagstaff on the coast, we found ourselves far¬ 
 ther from it than before. The wind increased : and as the 
 evening advanced, a heavy storm came on, which raged 
 with fearful violence. The night was unusually dark; 
 the long and heavy waves of the Pacific rolled in foam 
 around our vessel; the stormy wind howled through 
 the rigging ; all hands were on deck, and twice or thrice, 
 while in the act of turning the ship from the land, the 
 sails were rent by the tempest; while the hoarse and 
 hollow roaring of the breakers, and the occasional glim¬ 
 mering of lights on the coast, combined to convince us 
 of our situation, and the proximity of our danger. The 
 depiession of spirits, resulting from the disappointment, 
 which had been more or less felt by all on board, the 
 noise of the tempest, the vociferations and frequent im¬ 
 precations of the officers, the hurried steps and almost 
 incessant labours of the seamen on deck, and the heavy 
 and violent motion of the vessel, which detached from 
 tin ii fastenings, and dashed with violence from one side 
 of the ship to the other, chests of drawers, trunks, and 
 barrels, that had remained secure and stationary dur¬ 
 ing the voyage, produced a state of mind peculiarly dis¬ 
 tressing. The general disorder that prevailed, with the 
 constant apprehension of striking on some fatal rock, 
 that might lie unseen near the craggy and iron-bound 
 shore, and being either ingulfed in the mighty deep, 
 or wrecked on the inhospitable coast, rendered the n'urht 
 altogether one of the most alarming and anxious that we 
 had passed since our departure from England. Amidst 
 the confusion by which we were surrounded; we expe- 
 
 lienced comparative composure of mind; resting on our 
 God: 
 
20 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 h When c/cr the fearful depth "we hung. 
 
 High on the broken wave, 
 
 We knew He was not slow to hear, 
 
 Nor impotent to save.” 
 
 In such a season, confidence in Him who holdeth the 
 wind in his fists, and the waters in the hollow of his hand, 
 
 can alone impart serenity and support. 
 
 As the morning advanced, the storm abated; and at 
 sunrise we found ourselves at a considerable distance 
 from the shore. Contrary winds kept us out at sea for 
 nearly a fortnight, which was by far the most irksome 
 part of our voyage. At length we again approached the 
 coast, and were delighted, as we sailed along it on the 
 morning of the eleventh day, to behold a pilot-boat steer¬ 
 ing towards us. Our vessel had been several times seen 
 from the shore, since the day of our first disappointment; 
 and as soon as we had appeared in sight this morning, 
 the governor of New South Wales, then lcs.ding at Sid¬ 
 ney, had despatched the pilot, with orders to go out even 
 sixty miles, rather than return without bringing the 
 vessel in. He boarded us about twenty miles from Port 
 Jackson, and conducted us safely within the heads, in the 
 evening of the same day. Early the next morning, we 
 proceeded to Sydney Cove, where we cast anchor on the 
 22d of July, after a passage, including our stay in Rio 
 Janeiro, of only a few days more than six months. 
 
 Five months elapsed before we could meet with a con¬ 
 veyance to the Society Islands. This detention, how¬ 
 ever, favoured me with an opportunity of visiting the 
 chief settlements of New South Wales, and beholding 
 several of the rare and interesting animals and vege¬ 
 table productions of that important colony. I was 
 happy also to become acquainted with Mr. Leigh, the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 21 
 
 Wesleyan minister, and to experience, during this period, 
 the friendship and kind attentions of the Rev. S. Mars- 
 den, senior chaplain of the colony, the steady and inde¬ 
 fatigable friend of Missions and Missionaries in the 
 South Seas. He resided at Paramatta, where we passed 
 the greater part of our stay in New South Wales very 
 pleasantly, in the family of the late Mr. Hassel, formerly 
 a Missionary in Tahiti. Mr. and Mrs. Hassel landed at 
 Matavai from the ship Duff, in 1797? but had retired to 
 Port Jackson, in consequence of an attack made by the 
 natives on the Missionaries. 
 
 In company with Mr. S. O. Hassel, I made several ex¬ 
 cursions into the interior of the country, where w r e fre¬ 
 quently saw the inhabitants more completely in a state of 
 nature, than those we met with in the vicinity of the 
 principal towns. The aborigines are but thinly spread 
 over that part of New Holland bordering on the colony • 
 and though the population has been estimated at three 
 millions, I am disposed to think, that, notwithstanding 
 the geographical extent of the country, it does not con¬ 
 tain so many inhabitants. Their appearance is gene¬ 
 rally repulsive, their faces looking more deformed from 
 their wearing a skewer through the cartilage of the 
 nose. Their colour is dark olive, or black, and their 
 hair rather crisped than woolly. In proportion to 
 the body, their limbs are small and weak, while their 
 gait is exceedingly aw r kward. Excepting in the neigh¬ 
 bourhood of the chief tow r ns, they were usually destitute 
 of clothing, though armed with a spear or lance, with 
 which at a great distance they are fatal marksmen. 
 They are represented as indolent, treacherous, and cruel. 
 Agriculture is unknown among them, although the 
 indigenous productions of the country yield them 
 
22 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 little if any subsistence. Their food is frequently 
 scanty, precarious, and loathsome, sometimes consisting 
 of grubs and reptiles taken in the hollow or decayed 
 trees of the forest. Occasionally, however, they procure 
 excellent fish from the sea, or the lakes, rivers, &c. 
 Their dwellings are low huts of bark, and afford but a 
 mere temporary shelter from the weather. 
 
 They are a distinct people from the inhabitants of New 
 Zealand, or the South Sea Islands; altogether inferior to 
 them, and apparently the lowest grade of human kind. 
 Their habits are fugitive and migratory, and this has per¬ 
 haps greatly contributed to the failure of the benevolent at¬ 
 tempts that have been made by the government and others 
 to meliorate their condition, and elevate their character. 
 The school for aboriginal children, under the patronage 
 of the government, was a most interesting institution : I 
 frequently visited it, and was surprised to learn that, 
 though treated with every kindness, the young scholars, 
 when an opportunity occurred, frequently left the 
 school, and fled to their native woods, where every 
 effort to discover the retreat, or to reclaim them, proved 
 ineffectual. Notwithstanding their present abject con¬ 
 dition, and all the existing barriers to their improve¬ 
 ment, it is most ardently to be hoped, and most con¬ 
 fidently to be anticipated, that the period will arrive, 
 when this degraded and wretched people will be raised 
 to the enjoyment of all the blessings of intelligence, 
 civilization, and Christianity. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 23 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Voyage to New Zealand—Intercourse with the inhabitants—Sabbath 
 onshore—Visit to Waikadie—Instance of parental tenderness—Forest 
 scenery—Sham fight and war-dances—Character of the New Zealanders 
 —Prospects of the Mission—Arrival at the Island of Rapa—Singularity 
 of its structure—Appearance of the natives—Violent proceedings on 
 board—Remarkable interposition of Providence—Visit of the natives 
 to Tahiti—Introduction of Christianity to Rapa—Increased geographical 
 acquaintance with the Pacific. 
 
 On the tenth of December, 1816, we sailed from Sydney in 
 the Queen Charlotte, a brig belonging to J. Bimie, Esq., 
 bound for the Society and Marquesan Islands. On the 
 21st of the same month, we reached New Zealand; and 
 here for the first time saw the rude, untutored inha¬ 
 bitants of the South Sea Islands, in their native state. 
 At daylight, on the morning after our arrival on the 
 coast, we found ourselves off Wangaroa bay, where, six 
 \ ears before, the murderous quarrel took place, in which 
 the crew of the Boyd were cut off by the natives, and 
 near which, subsequently, the Methodist Missionary sta¬ 
 tion at Wesley dale, established in 1823, has been, 
 through the alarming and violent conduct of the inha¬ 
 bitants, abandoned by the Missionaries, and utterly 
 destroyed by the natives. Several canoes, with three 
 or four men in each, approached our vessel at a very 
 early hour, with fish, fishing-lines, hooks, and a few 
 curiosities for sale. Their canoes were all single, ge¬ 
 nerally between twenty and thirty feet long, formed 
 
24 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 out of one tree, and nearly destitute of every kind of 
 ornament. 
 
 The men, almost naked, were rather above the middle 
 stature, of a dark copper colour, their features frequently 
 well formed, their hair black and bushy, and theii faces 
 much tataued, and ornamented, or rather disfigured, by 
 the unsparing application of a kind of white clay and led 
 ochre mixed with oil. Their appearance and conduct, 
 during our first interview, was by no means adapted to 
 inspire us with prepossessions in their favour. Our cap¬ 
 tain refused to admit them into the ship, and after bar¬ 
 tering with them for some of their fish, we proceeded on 
 our voyage. 
 
 On reaching the Bay of Islands we were cordially wel¬ 
 comed by our Christian brethren, the Missionaries of the 
 Church Missionary Society, who had been about two years 
 engaged in promoting instruction and civilization among 
 the New Zealanders. They were the first Missionaries 
 we had seen on heathen ground, and it afforded us plea¬ 
 sure to become acquainted with those who were in some 
 respects to be our future fellow-labourers. Having been 
 kindly invited to spend on shore the next day, which was 
 the Sabbath, we left the ship soon after breakfast, on the 
 morning of the 22nd. When we reached the landing 
 place, crowds of natives thronged around us, with an idle 
 but by no means ceremonious curiosity, and some time 
 elapsed before we could proceed from the beach to the 
 houses of our friends. 
 
 The Missionaries had on the preceding day invited me 
 to officiate for them, and I was happy to have an op¬ 
 portunity of preaching the gospel on the shores ot New 
 Zealand. Several of the natives appeared in our little 
 congregation, influenced probably by curiosity, as the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 service was held in a language unintelligible to them. I 
 could not, however, but indulge the hope that the time 
 was not distant, when, through the influence of the schools 
 already established, and the general instructions given by 
 the Missionaries ; my brethren would have the pleasure 
 of preaching, on every returning Sabbath, the unsearch¬ 
 able riches of Christ, to numerous assemblies of attentive 
 Christian hearers. The circumstance of its being exactly 
 two years, this Sabbath day, since Mr. Marsden, who 
 visited New Zealand in 1814—1815, for the purpose of 
 establishing a Christian Mission among the people, 
 preached, not far from this spot, the first sermon that 
 was ever delivered in New Zealand, added to the feelings 
 of interest connected with the engagements of the day. 
 
 Circumstances detaining us about a week in the Bay of 
 Islands, afforded me the means of becoming more fully 
 acquainted with the Missionaries, making excursions to 
 different parts of the adjacent country, and witnessing 
 many of the singular manners and customs of the people. 
 I visited, in company with the captain of our ship, and 
 Mr. Hall, one or two of the forests which produce the 
 New Zealand pine, recently discovered to be so valuable 
 as spars for vessels. 
 
 In one of these excursions, shortly after leaving the 
 Bay of Islands, we reached Kowakowa, where Mr. Hall 
 proposed to land. As we approached the shore, no trace 
 of inhabitants appeared, but we had scarcely landed when 
 we were somewhat surprised by the appearance of Tetoro 
 and a number of his people. The chief ran to meet us, 
 greeting us in English, with “How do you do?” He per¬ 
 ceived I was a stranger, and, on hearing my errand 
 and destination, he offered me his hand, and saluted me, 
 according to the custom of his country, by touching my 
 
 E 
 
26 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 nose with his. He was a tall, fine-looking man, about 
 six feet high, and proportionably stout, his limbs firm 
 and muscular, and when dressed in his war-cloak, with all 
 his implements of death appended to his person, he must 
 have appeared formidable to his enemies. When ac¬ 
 quainted with our business, he prepared to accompany 
 us; but before we set out, an incident occurred that greatly 
 raised my estimation of his character. In front of the 
 hut sat his wife, and around her played two or three little . 
 children. In passing from the hut to the boat, Tetoro 
 struck one of the little ones with his foot 5 the child 
 cried, and though the chief had his mat on, and his gun 
 in his hand, and was in the act of stepping into the boat 
 where we were waiting for him, he no sooner heard its 
 cries, than he turned back, took the child up in his arms, 
 stroked its little head, dried its tears, and giving it to the 
 mother hastened to join us. His conversation in the boat, 
 during the remainder of the voyage, indicated no infe¬ 
 riority of intellect nor deficiency of information, as far as 
 he had possessed the means of obtaining it. On reaching 
 Waikadie, about twenty miles from our ship, we were 
 met by Waivea, Tetoro’s brother; but his relationship 
 appeared to be almost all that he possessed in common 
 with him, as he was both in appearance and in conduct 
 entirely a savage. 
 
 We accompanied them to the adjacent forests. T.he 
 earth was completely covered with thick-spreading and 
 forked roots, brambles, and creeping plants, overgrown 
 with moss, and interwoven sc as to form a kind of 
 uneven matting, which rendered travelling exceedingly 
 difficult. The underwood was in many parts thick, and 
 the trunks of the lofty trees rose like clusters of pillars 
 supporting the canopy of interwoven boughs and verdant 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 2/ 
 
 foliage, through which the sun’s rays seldom penetrated. 
 There were no trodden paths, and the wild and dreary 
 solitude of the place was only broken by the voice of 
 some lonely bird, which chirped among the branches of 
 the bushes, or, startled by our intrusion on its retire¬ 
 ment, darted across our path. A sensation of solemnity 
 and awe involuntarily arose in the mind, while con¬ 
 templating a scene of such peculiar character, so unlike 
 the ordinary haunts of man, and so adapted, from the 
 silent grandeur of his works, to elevate the soul with 
 the sublimest conceptions of the Almighty. I was 
 remarkably struck with the gigantic size of many of the 
 trees, some of which appeared to rise nearly one hundred 
 feet, without a branch, while two men with extended 
 arms could not clasp their trunks. About three in 
 the afternoon we left Waikadie, but the darkness of 
 night veiled every object from our view, long before we 
 reached our vessel. 
 
 Near the settlement at Rangehoo, a small field had 
 been tilled by the Missionaries, in the European manner. 
 I visited it in company with Mr. King, and was pleased to 
 see one of the first crops of wheat that had ever grown, 
 under European culture, in New Zealand, looking green 
 and flourishing. Two years before this, Duatere and 
 Honghi had received wheat from Mr. Marsden, which they 
 had carefully sown, and which had arrived at perfection. 
 The introduction of the European methods of culture, 
 and subsequent processes of converting it into bread, may 
 naturally be expected to encourage the natives to facili¬ 
 tate its more extensive growth. In several parts of the 
 low-lands the native flax-plant ,phormium tenax, was grow¬ 
 ing remarkably strong. It is by no means like the flax 
 or hemp plants of England, but resembles, in its appear- 
 
28 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 ance and manner of growth, the flag or iris; the long 
 broad sword-shaped leaves furnish the fibre so useful in 
 making dresses for the natives, fishing lines, twine, and 
 strong cordage employed as running rigging in most of 
 the vessels that trade with the islanders. It is a most 
 valuable plants and will probably furnish an important 
 article of commerce with New South Wales, or England. 
 
 An unusual noise from the land aroused us early on 
 the morning of the 25th, and, on reaching the deck, a 
 number of war-canoes were seen lying along the shore, 
 while crowds of natives on the beach were engaged in 
 war dances, shouting, and firing their muskets at frequent 
 intervals. On inquiry, we found that on the day we had 
 visited Waikadie, a chief of Rangehoo had committed 
 suicide, by throwing himself from a high rock into 
 the sea. This event had brought the chiefs and war¬ 
 riors of the adjacent country, to investigate the cause of 
 his death; armed and prepared for revenge, in the event 
 of his having been murdered. A council was held for 
 some hours on the beach, when the strangers, being satis * 
 fied as to the cause and manner of the chief’s death, pre¬ 
 parations for war were discontinued, the people of Ran¬ 
 gehoo repaired to their fields, to procure potatoes for 
 their entertainment. It was Christmas-day, and about 
 twelve o’clock we went on shore to dine ith one of 
 the Mission families. In the afternoon, I walked 
 through the encampment of the strangers, which was 
 spread along the sea-shore. Their long, stately, and in 
 many instances beautifully carved canoes, were drawn up 
 on the pebbly beach, and the chiefs and warriors were 
 sitting in circles, at a small distance from them. Each 
 party occupied the beach opposite their canoes, while 
 the slaves or domestics at some distance further from 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 29 
 
 the shore, were busied round their respective fires, 
 preparing their masters’ food. Near his side, each war¬ 
 rior's spear was fixed in the ground, while his patupatu, 
 a stone weapon, the tomahawk of the New Zealander, 
 was hanging on his arm. Several chiefs had a large iron 
 hatchet or bill-hook, much resembling those used by 
 woodmen or others, in mending hedges in England. 
 These, which in their hands were rather terrifying wea¬ 
 pons, appeared to be highly prized; they were kept 
 clean and polished, and generally fastened round the 
 wrist by a braided cord of native flax. The patupatu 
 was sometimes placed in the girdle, in the same manner 
 as a Malay would wear his knife or dagger, or a Turk 
 his pistol. They were generally tall and well-formed 
 men, altogether such as it might be expected the warriors 
 of a savage nation would be. Several of these fighting- 
 men were not less than six feet high; their limbs were 
 muscular and firm, and their bodies stout, but not cor¬ 
 pulent. The dress of the chiefs and warriors consisted, 
 in general, of a girdle round the loins, and a short cloak 
 or mantle, worn over the shoulders, and tied with cords 
 <>f braided flax in front. The rank of the chief appeared 
 to be sometimes indicated by the number of his cloaks 
 fastened one upon the other; that which was smallest, 
 but generally most valuable, being worn on the outside: 
 the whole resembled in this respect the capes of a 
 travelling-coat. 
 
 Their physiognomy, indicating any thing but weak¬ 
 ness or cowardice, often exhibited great determination. 
 They wore no helmet, or other covering for the head. 
 
 1 heir black and shining hair sometimes hung in ring¬ 
 lets on their shoulders, but was frequently tied up on the 
 crown of their heads, and usually ornamented by a tuft 
 
30 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Of waving feathers. Their dark eyes, though not large, 
 were often fierce and penetrating; their prominent fea¬ 
 tures in general well formed; but their whole countenance 
 was much disfigured by the practice of tatauing. Each 
 chief had thus imprinted on his face, the marks and invo¬ 
 lutions peculiar to his family or tribe; while the figures 
 tataued on the faces of his dependants or retainers, 
 though fewer in number, were the same in form as those 
 by which the chief was distinguished. The accompanying 
 representation of the head and face of ’Honglii, * the cele¬ 
 
 brated New Zealand warrior, who was among the party that 
 arrived this morning at the settlements, will convey no 
 inaccurate idea of the effect of this singular practice. The 
 tatauing of the face of a New Zealander, answering the 
 
 * The bust, from which, by the kindness of the Secretary of the Church 
 Missionary Society, the drawing of the above is taken, was executed with 
 great fidelity by ’Honglii during a visit to Port Jackson. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 31 
 
 purpose of the particular stripe or colour of the High¬ 
 lander's plaid, marks the clan or tribe to which he 
 belongs. It is considered highly ornamental, and, in 
 addition to the distinguishing lines or curves, the intri¬ 
 cacy and variety of the pattern, thus permanently fixed on 
 the face, constitutes one principal distinction between 
 the chiefs and common people, and may be regarded as 
 the crest, or coat of arms, of the New Zealand aristocracy. 
 Tatauing is said to be also employed as a means of 
 enabling them to distinguish their enemies in battle. 
 In the present instance, its effect on the countenance, 
 where its marks are more thickly implanted than in 
 any other part of the body, was greatly augmented by 
 a preparation of red ochre and oil, which had been 
 liberally applied to the cheeks and the forehead. Quan¬ 
 tities of oil and ochre adhered to my clothes, from 
 close contact with the natives, which I found it impossi¬ 
 ble to prevent; but this was the only inconvenience I 
 experienced from my visit. 
 
 The warriors of New Zealand delight in swa<r<rerin°: 
 
 O uu P 
 
 and bravado, and while my companion was talking with 
 some of Korokoro’s party, one of them came up to me, 
 and several times brandished his patupatu over my head, 
 as if intending to strike, accompanying the action with the 
 fiercest expressions of countenance, and the utterance of 
 w T ords exceedingly harsh, though to me unintelligible. 
 After a few minutes he desisted, but when we walked 
 away, he ran after us, and, assuming the same attitude and 
 gestures, accompanied us till we reached another circle, 
 where he continued for a short time these exhibitions of 
 his skill in terrifying, &c. When he ceased, he inquired, 
 rather significantly, if I was not afraid. I told him 
 I was unconscious of having offended him, and that. 
 
32 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 notwithstanding his actions, I did not think he intended 
 to injure me. The New Zealanders are fond of endea¬ 
 vouring to alarm strangers, and appear to derive much 
 satisfaction in witnessing the indications of fear they 
 are able to excite. 
 
 A number of tribes from different parts of the Bay 
 being now at Rangehoo, the evening was devoted to pub¬ 
 lic sports on the sea beach, which most of the strangers 
 attended. Several of their public dances seemed immoral 
 in their tendency, but in general they were distinguished 
 by the violent gestures and deafening vociferations of the 
 performers. No part of the sports, however, appeared so 
 interesting to the natives, as a sham fight, in which the 
 warriors wore their full dresses, bore their usual weapons, 
 and went through the different movements of actual 
 engagement. 
 
 Shungee, or, according to the modern orthography of the 
 Missionaries, ’Honghi, with his numerous dependants and 
 allies, formed one party, and were ranged on the western 
 side of the beach, below the Missionaries’ dwelling. The 
 chief wore several mats or short cloaks, of various sizes 
 and texture, exquisitely manufactured with the native 
 flax, one of them ornamented with small shreds of dog’s 
 skin, with the hair adhering to it; these were fastened 
 round his neck, while in his girdle he wore a patupatu, 
 and carried a musket in his hand. His party were gene¬ 
 rally armed with clubs, and spears nine or ten feet long. 
 Their antagonists were ranged at the opposite side of the 
 beach. At a signal given, they ran violently towards each 
 other, halted, and then amidst shouts and clamour, rushed 
 into each others ranks, some brandishing their clubs, 
 others thrusting their spears, which were either parried 
 or carefully avoided by the opposite party. Several were 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 33 
 
 at length thrown down, some prisoners taken, and ulti¬ 
 mately both parties retreated to a distance, whence they 
 renewed the combat. As the day closed, these sports were 
 discontinued, and the combatants and spectators retired to 
 their respective encampments. 
 
 Having filled our water casks, increased our supply 
 of provender for the cattle and sheep I had on board, 
 procured a number of logs of timber towards the erection 
 of our future dwelling; and having spent a week very 
 pleasantly with our Missionary brethren; we took leave 
 of them, grateful for the assistance of their influence with 
 the natives, and the kindness and hospitality we had ex¬ 
 perienced at their hands. 
 
 New Zealand comprises two large and several smaller 
 islands, extending from 34 degrees to 47 degrees south 
 latitude, and from 166 to about 180 degrees east lo ng 
 It was discovered by Tasman, a Dutch navigator, in 1642. 
 He sailed from the north point along the eastern shore, 
 which was afterwards called Cook’s Straits, where he 
 anchored in a bay, to which, in consequence of an attack 
 from the natives, he gave the name of Murderers’ Bay, 
 and finally left the coast without landing. In 1//0, 
 New Zealand was visited and explored by Captain Cook, 
 who discovered the straits that are called by his name. 
 
 1 he settlement at Rangehoo, and one formed subsequently 
 by the Wesleyan Missionary Society in Wangaroa, and 
 the Church Missionary station at Kerekere, are all on 
 the large northern island. The climate is salubrious, 
 the thermometer ranging between 40 and 80 degrees, 
 avoiding the heat of the tropical climates, yet warmer 
 than most of the temperate latitudes, generally equable, 
 and seldom experiencing those sudden vicissitudes so 
 frequent in the variable climate of England. The soil is 
 
 F 
 
34 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 in many parts fertile; and though few articles of food are 
 indigenous, or when introduced grow spontaneously, yet 
 it is capable of a high state of cultivation, and would 
 probably favour not only the growth of wheat and other 
 grain, but also of many of the fruits and valuable produc¬ 
 tions of the temperate and tropical climates. The moun¬ 
 tains do not appear so lofty and broken as those of the 
 Society Islands, and consequently the soil may be culti¬ 
 vated with greater facility. In addition to the growth 
 of corn introduced by Mr. Marsden, and the assist¬ 
 ants of the Missions at the several stations, the natives 
 have long cultivated the Irish potato with facility and 
 advantage. It is not indigenous, but was left by some of 
 the ships touching here, and not only furnishes a valuable 
 addition to the means of subsistence for the natives, but 
 a very acceptable article of provision for the crews of 
 the vessels by whom they are visited. Other European 
 roots and vegetables have been introduced, but with less 
 success. The kumara, or sweet potato, has been long 
 cultivated, although the fern root furnishes a principal 
 part of the food for the common people at some seasons 
 of the year. The climate is favourable for rearing cattle 
 and sheep, as well as the different kinds of poultry. The 
 pine timber produced in the forests is valuable, not only 
 to the inhabitants, but as an article of export both to 
 New South Wales and to Great Britain. The river 
 Thames to the south-east is a fine and capacious 
 harbour. The coasts are well stocked with fish, 
 which, with potatoes and fern root, constitute the food 
 of the inhabitants. These advantages, together with its 
 local situation in regard to New Holland, render it of 
 importance to that growing colony. 
 
 The population of New Zealand has been estimated at 
 
 
35 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 half a million; it may exceed this number. The inha¬ 
 bitants are certainly far more numerous than those of 
 the Society Islands, and appear exempt from many of 
 the diseases which afflict their northern neighbours. 
 They are a hardy industrious race, generally strong 
 and active, not only capable of great physical exer¬ 
 tion, but of high moral culture, and are by no means 
 deficient in intellect. Their tatauing and carving fre¬ 
 quently display great taste; and when we consider the 
 tools with which the latter is performed, it increases our 
 admiration of their skill and perseverance. They are, 
 nevertheless, addicted to the greatest vices that stain the 
 human character, treachery, cannibalism, infanticide, and 
 murder. Less superstitious than many of the natives of 
 the Pacific, but perhaps as much addicted to war as any 
 of them, if not more so ; war appears to be their delight, 
 and the events of their lives are little else than a series of 
 acts of oppression, robbery, and bloodshed. A conquer¬ 
 ing army, returning from an expedition of murder and 
 devastation, bring home the men, women, and children 
 of the vanquished, as trophies of their victory. These 
 unhappy beings are reduced to perpetual slavery, or 
 sacrificed to satiate the vengeance of their enemies. On 
 these occasions, little children, whose feeble hands could 
 scarcely hold the knife or dagger, have been initiated in 
 the dreadful work of death, and have seemed to feel de¬ 
 light in stabbing captive children, thus imbruing their 
 infant hands in the blood of those who, under other cir¬ 
 cumstances, they w’ould have hailed as playmates, and 
 have joined in innocent and mirthful pastimes. Their wars 
 are not only sanguinary, but horribly demoralizing and 
 brutal, from the circumstance of the captives, or the 
 slain, furnishing the victors with their triumphal banquet. 
 
36 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 The cannibalism of the inhabitants of New Zealand, and 
 other islands of the Pacific, has been doubted by some, 
 and denied by others, and every mind influenced by the 
 common feelings, or exercising the common sympathies of 
 humanity, must naturally resist the conviction of his species 
 ever sinking to a degradation so abject, and a barbarity so 
 horrible, until it be substantiated by the clearest evidence of 
 indisputable facts. But however ardently we may have hoped 
 that the accounts of their anthropophagism were only the 
 result of inferences drawn from their familiarity with 
 and apparent satisfaction in deeds of savage murder; the 
 accounts of the Missionaries who have resided amongst 
 them, no longer admit any doubt to be entertained of 
 the revolting and humiliating fact. The intercourse they 
 have had with the greater part of the foreign shipping 
 visiting their shores, has not been such as to soften the 
 natural ferocity of their character, improve their morals, 
 inspire them with confidence, advance their civ ilization, 
 or promote peace and harmony among themselves; fre¬ 
 quently it has been the reverse, as the affair of the Boyd, 
 and the desolation of the island of Tipahee, affectingly 
 demonstrate. 
 
 To the eye of a Missionary, New Zealand is an inte¬ 
 resting country, inhabited by a people of no ordinary 
 powers, could they but be brought under the influence 
 of right principles. By the Christian philanthropists of 
 Britain, who are desirous not only to spread the light of 
 revelation and Christian instruction among the ignorant 
 at home, but are also making noble efforts to send its bless¬ 
 ings to the remotest nations of the earth, it has not been 
 overlooked. 
 
 In 1814, the Church Missionary Society sent their Mis¬ 
 sionaries to New Zealand; and, under the direction and 
 
Polynesian researches. 
 
 37 
 
 guardianship of the Rev. S. Marsden, the steady patron of 
 the New Zealand Mission, established their first settle¬ 
 ment at Rangehoo in the Bay of Islands. Considerable 
 reinforcements have been sent, and three other stations 
 formed. Since that period, the Wesleyan Missionaries 
 commenced their labours near Wangaroa. The Mission- 
 aiies and their assistants, who have laboured at these sta¬ 
 tions ever since their commencement, have not only 
 steadily and diligently applied to the study of the lan¬ 
 guage, which is a dialect of that spoken in all the eastern 
 portion of the Pacific, established schools for the instruc¬ 
 tion of the natives, and endeavoured to unfold to them 
 the gieat truths of revelation, but have from the begin- 
 ning,by the establishment of forges for working iron, saw- 
 pits, carpenters shops. Sec, laboured to introduce among 
 the natives, habits of industry, a taste for the mechanic 
 arts, and a desire to follow the peaceful occupations of 
 husbandry; thereby aiming to promote their advance¬ 
 ment in civilization, and improve their present condi¬ 
 tion, while they were pursuing the more important 
 objects of their mission. 
 
 Success indeed has not been according to their de¬ 
 sires, but it has not been altogether withheld; the gene- 
 wil character of the people, in the neighbourhood of the 
 settlements, is improved, and several pleasing instances 
 of piety among the natives have been afforded. Diffi¬ 
 culties attending the introduction of Christianity were 
 fiom the first, and are still to be expected. The gross 
 ignorance, prejudices, and superstition of the natives, 
 the unbridled influence of their passions, the effects of 
 their intercourse with foreigners inimical to the moral 
 influence of the gospel, combine to resist its establish¬ 
 ment. To these may also be added, their habitual 
 
38 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 treachery and crime, and, above all, tlieii lo\c oi 
 war, and their wretched system of government, which 
 is probably one oi the greatest barriers to theii general 
 reception of Christianity. 
 
 It was a favourable circumstance attending the change 
 that has taken place both in the Society and Sandwich 
 Islands, that each island had its chief $ and that in sonic 
 instances several adjacent islands were under the govern¬ 
 ment of a principal chief or king, whose authority was 
 supreme, and whose influence, in uniting the people 
 under one head, predisposed them, as a nation, to iecei\e 
 the instructions imparted by individuals countenanced 
 and protected by their chief or king. Persons of the 
 highest authority not only patronized the Missionaries, 
 but frequently added to their instructions, their com¬ 
 mendation, and the influence of their own example in 
 
 having already received them. 
 
 In New Zealand there is no king over the whole, or 
 even over one of the larger islands. 1 lie people are gene¬ 
 rally governed by a number of cliieitains, each indeed a 
 king over his narrow territory, supreme among his own 
 tribe or clan, and independent of every other. The same 
 system prevails in the Marquesas, and the Friendly and 
 Figi islands, where no law of right is acknowledged, but 
 that of dominion. A desire to enlarge their territory, 
 increase tlieir power, or satisly revenge, leads to fie- 
 quent and destructive war, strengthens jealousy, and 
 cherishes treachery, keeps them without any common 
 bond of union, and prevents any deep or extensive 
 impression being made upon them as a people. This 
 necessarily circumscribes the influence of the Mission¬ 
 aries, and is, in a great degree, the cause which led 
 the Wesleyan Missionaries for a time to suspend alto- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 39 
 
 getlier their efforts, and has recently so painfully dis¬ 
 turbed those of their brethren in connexion with the 
 Church Missionary Society. 
 
 1 he labours of the mechanic and the artisan are 
 valuable accompaniments to those of the Missionary; 
 but Christianity must precede civilization. Little hope 
 i^ to be entertained of their following to any extent the 
 useful arts, cultivating habits of industry, or realiz¬ 
 ing the enjoyments of social and domestic life, until 
 tliej are brought under the influence of those principles 
 inculcated in the word of God. And notwithstanding 
 t lie discouragements to be encountered, this happy 
 lesult should be steadily and confidently anticipated by 
 those engaged on the spot, as well as by their friends 
 at home. Their prospect of success is daily becoming 
 more encouraging. They have not yet laboured in hope, 
 so long as their predecessors did in the South Sea Islands ; 
 where nearly fifteen years elapsed before they knew of one 
 true convert. The recollection of this circumstance is 
 adapted to inspire those employed in New Zealand with 
 courage, and stimulate to perseverance, as there is every 
 reason to conclude, that when the New Zealanders shall 
 by the blessing of God become a Christian people, they 
 will assume and maintain no secondary rank among the 
 nations of the Pacific. 
 
 On the twenty-eighth of December, 1816, we sailed from 
 the Bay of Islands, and proceeded in an easterly direc¬ 
 tion, with favourable winds, until the 26th of January, 
 when, at daybreak, we discovered an island which we 
 afterwards found to be Rapa, though usually designated 
 Oparo. The first account of this island is given by 
 A ancouver, who discovered it in his passage from 
 New Zealand to Tahiti, on the 22d of December. 
 
 « 
 
40 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 1791 .* According to the observation made at the time, it 
 was found to be situated in lat. 3/ • 36. S. and long. 144. 
 
 11. W. The mountains are lofty and picturesque, and 
 the summits of those forming the high land in the centic, 
 singularly broken, so as to resemble, in no small degree, a 
 range of irregularly inclined cones, or cylindrical columns, 
 which their discoverer supposed to be towers, or fortifi¬ 
 cations, manned with natives. 
 
 The higher parts of the mountains seemed barren, 
 but the lower hills, with many of the valleys, and the 
 shores, were covered with verdure, and enriched with 
 trees and bushes. The island did not appear to be 
 surrounded by a reef, and, consequently, but little low 
 land was seen. The waves of the ocean dashed against 
 the base of those mountains, which, extending to the sea, 
 divided the valleys that opened upon the eastern shore. 
 As we were not far from the island when the sun w ith- 
 drew his light, we lay off and on through the night, and, 
 at daybreak, the next morning, found ourselves at some 
 distance from the shore. We sailed towards the island 
 till about 10 a. m. ; when, being within two miles of the 
 
 * The mingled emotions of astonishment and fear, with which the 
 natives regarded every thing on board Vancouver’s ship, pre\ented their 
 replying very distinctly to the queries he proposed ; and he observes, 
 “ Their answers to almost every question were in the affirmative, and our 
 inquiries as to the name of their island, &c. were continually interrupted 
 by incessant invitations to go on shore. At length, I had reason to believe 
 the name of the island was Oparo, and that of their chief Korie . Although 
 I could not positively state that their names were correctly ascertained, 
 yet, as there was a probability of their being so, I distinguished the island 
 by the name of Oparo, until it might be found more properly entitled to 
 another/’ The explicit declarations of the natives, made under more 
 favourable circumstances, have now determined Rapa to be the proper 
 name of this island. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 41 
 
 beach; the prow of our vessel was turned to the northward, 
 and we moved slowly along in a direction nearly parallel 
 v ith the coast* After advancing in this manner for 
 some time, we saw several canoes put off from the land, 
 and not less than thirty were afterwards seen paddling 
 round our vessel. There were neither females nor chil¬ 
 dren in any of the canoes. The men were not tataued, 
 and wore only a girdle of yellow ti leaves round their 
 waists. Their bodies, neither spare nor corpulent, were 
 finely shaped; their complexion a dark copper colour; 
 their features regularly formed; and their countenances, 
 often handsome, were shaded by long black straight or 
 curling hair. Notwithstanding all our endeavours to 
 induce them to approach the ship, they continued for a 
 long time at some distance, viewing us with apparent 
 surprise and suspicion. At length, one of the canoes, 
 containing two men and a boy, ventured alongside. Per¬ 
 ceiving a lobster lying among a number of spears at the 
 bottom of the canoe, I intimated, by signs, my wish to 
 have it, and the chief readily handed it up. I gave him, 
 in return, two or three middle-sized fish-hooks; which, 
 after examining rather curiously, he gave to the boy, 
 who, being destitute of any pocket, or even article of 
 dress on \x hich he could fasten them, instantly deposited 
 them in his mouth, and continued to hold with both 
 hands the rope hanging from our ship. The principal 
 person in the canoe appearing willing to come on board, 
 
 I pointed to the rope he was grasping, and put out my 
 hand to assist him up the ship’s side. He involuntarily 
 laid hold of it, but could scarcely have felt my hand 
 grasping his, when he instantly drew it back, and, raising 
 it to his nostrils, smelt at it most significantly, as if to 
 ascertain with what kind of a being he had come in con- 
 
 G 
 
42 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 tact. After a few moments’ pause, he climbed over the 
 ship’s side, and as soon as he had reached the deck, our 
 captain led him to a chair on the quarter-deck, and, 
 pointing to the seat, signified his wish that lie should be 
 seated. The chief, however, having viewed it for some 
 time, pushed it aside, and sat down on the deck. Our 
 captain had been desirous to have the chief on board, 
 that he might ascertain from him whether the island 
 produced sandal-wood, as he was bound to the Maiquesas 
 in search of this article. A piece was therefore procuicd 
 and shewn to him, with the qualities of which he appear¬ 
 ed familiar; fot, after smelling it, he called it by some 
 name, and pointed to the shore. While we had been 
 thus engaged, many of the canoes had approached the 
 ship ; and when we turned round, a number of the natives 
 appeared on deck, and others were climbing up o\ei the 
 bulwarks. They weie certainly the most savage-looking 
 natives I had ever seen, and their behaviour was as un¬ 
 ceremonious as their appearance was uninviting. \ an- 
 couver found them unusually shy at first, but afteiwaids 
 remarkably bold, and exceedingly anxious to possess 
 every article of iron they saw: although his ship was sur¬ 
 rounded by not fewer than three hundred natives, there 
 were neither young children, women, nor aged persons, 
 in any of their canoes. 
 
 A gigantic, fierce-looking fellow, seized a youth as he 
 was standing by the gangway, and endeavoured to lift 
 him from the deck; but the lad, struggling, escaped 
 from his grasp. He then seized our cabin-boy, but the 
 sailors coming to his assistance, and the native finding 
 he could not disengage him from their hold, pulled his 
 woollen shirt over his head, and was preparing to leap 
 out of the ship, when he was arrested by the sailors. We 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 43 
 
 had a large ship-dog chained to liis kennel on the deck, 
 and, although this animal was not only fearless 
 but savage, yet the appearance of the natives seemed 
 to terrify him* One of them caught the dog in his arms, 
 and was proceeding over the ship’s side with him, but 
 perceiving him fastened to the kennel by his chain, he 
 was obliged to relinquish his prize, evidently disappoint- 
 ed. He then seized the kennel, with the dog in it \ when, 
 finding it nailed to the deck, he ceased his attempts to 
 remove it, and gazed round the ship, in search of some 
 object which he could secure. We had brought from 
 Port Jackson two young kittens; one of these now came 
 up from the cabin, but she no sooner made her appear¬ 
 ance on the deck, than a native, springing like a tiger 
 upon its prey, caught up the unconscious animal, and 
 instantly leaped over the ship’s side into the sea. Has¬ 
 tening to the side of the deck, I looked over the bulwarks, 
 and beheld him swimming rapidly towards a canoe lying 
 about fifty yards from the ship. As soon as he had 
 reached this canoe, holding the cat with both hands, and 
 elevating these above his head, he exhibited her to his com¬ 
 panions with evident exultation ; while, in every direction, 
 the natives were seen paddling their canoes towards him, 
 to gaze upon the strange creature he had brought from 
 the vessel. When our captain beheld the thief thus 
 exhibiting his prize, he seized his musket, and was in the 
 act of levelling it at the offender, when I arrested his arm, 
 and assured him I had no doubt the little animal would 
 be preserved and well treated. Orders were now given 
 to clear the ship. A general scuffle ensued between the 
 islanders and the seamen, in which many of the former 
 were driven headlong into the sea, where they seemed as 
 much at home as on solid ground, while others clambered 
 
44 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES 
 
 over the vessel’s side into their canoes. In the midst of 
 the confusion, and the retreat of the natives, the dog, which 
 had hitherto slunk into his kennel, recovered his usual 
 boldness, and not only increased the consternation b^ his 
 barking, but severely tore the leg of one of the fugitives 
 who was hastening out of the ship, near the spot to which 
 he was chained. The decks were now cleared, but as 
 many of the people still hung upon the shrouds and 
 about the chains; the sailors drew the long knives with 
 which, when among the islands, they were furnished, 
 and by menacing gestures, without wounding any, 
 succeeded in detaching them altogether from the ship. 
 Some of them seemed quite unconscious of the keenness 
 of the knife, and, I believe, had their hands deeply cut by 
 snatching or grasping at the blade. A proposal was now 
 made to entice or admit some on board, and take two of 
 them to Tahiti, that the Missionaries there might become 
 acquainted with their language, gain a knowledge of the 
 productions of their island, impart unto them Christian 
 instruction, and thus prepare the way for the introduction 
 of Christianity among their countrymen, as well as open 
 a channel for commercial intercourse. Our captain offer¬ 
 ed to bring them to their native island again, on his 
 return from the Marquesas ; and, could their consent have 
 been by any means obtained, I should, without hesitation, 
 have acceded to the plan $ but, as we had no means of 
 effecting this object, I did not conceive it right to take 
 
 them by force from their native island. 
 
 » • 
 
 On a former voyage, about two years before this period. 
 Captain Powel had been becalmed near the shores of 
 this island. Many of the natives came off in their canoes, 
 but did not venture on board; perceiving, however, a 
 hawser hanging out of the stern of the ship, about fifty of 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 45 
 
 them leaped into the sea, and grasping the rope with 
 one hand, began swimming with the other, labouring and 
 shouting with all their might, as they supposed they were 
 drawing the vessel towards the shore. Their clamour 
 attracted the attention of the seamen, and it was found 
 no easy matter, even when all hands were employed, to 
 draw in the rope. While the greater part of the crew 
 were thus engaged, a seaman leaning over the stern with 
 a cutlass in his hand, so terrified the natives, that as they 
 were drawn near the vessel they quitted their hold, and 
 by this means the hawser was secured. A breeze shortly 
 after springing up, they steered away, happy to escape 
 from the savages by whom they had been surrounded. 
 
 On the present occasion we experienced a signal deli¬ 
 verance, which, though it did not at the time appear so 
 remarkable, afterwards powerfully affected our minds. 
 As soon as the ship was cleared of the natives, and the 
 wind was wafting us from their shores, I went down 
 to the cabin, where Mrs. Ellis and the nurse had been sit¬ 
 ting ever since their first approach to the ship ; and when 
 I saw our little daughter, only four months old, sleep¬ 
 ing securely in her birth, I was deeply impressed with 
 the merciful providence of God, in the preservation of 
 the child. During the forenoon, the infant had been 
 playing unconsciously in her nurse’s lap upon the quar¬ 
 ter-deck, under the awning, which was usually spread in 
 fine weather, and she had but recently taken her 
 to the cabin, when the natives came on board. Had 
 the child been on deck, and had my attention been for a 
 moment diverted, even though I had been standing by 
 the side of the nurse, there is every reason to believe that 
 the motives which induced them to seize the boys 
 on the deck, and even the dog in his kennel, would 
 
46 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 I 
 
 have prompted them to have grasped the child in her 
 nurse’s lap or arms, and to have leaped with her into 
 the sea before we could have been aware of their design. 
 Had this been the case, it is impossible to say what 
 the result would have been; bloodshed might have 
 followed, and we might have been obliged to depart from 
 the island, leaving our child in their hands. From the 
 crude food with which they would have fed her, it is pro¬ 
 bable she would have died; but, from my subsequent 
 acquaintance with the natives of the South Sea Islands, I 
 do not think that during her infancy they would have 
 treated her unkindly. As it was, we felt grateful for the 
 kind Providence which had secured us from all the dis¬ 
 tressing circumstances which must necessarily have at¬ 
 tended such an event. 
 
 These brief facts will be sufficient to shew somewhat 
 of the character of the natives of Rapa, in 1791 and 1817. 
 They continued in this state until within the last two or 
 three years, during which a considerable change has taken 
 place. 
 
 Towards the close of the summer of 1825, a cutter 
 belonging to Tati, a chief in Tahiti, when on a voyage 
 to the Paumotus, or pearl islands, visited Rapa, and 
 brought two of its inhabitants to Tahiti. On their first 
 arrival they were under evident feelings of apprehension; 
 but the kindness of Mr. Davies the Missionary, and the 
 natives of Papara, removed their suspicions, and inspired 
 them with confidence. They were both delighted and 
 astonished in viewing the strange objects presented to 
 their notice. The European families, the houses, the gar¬ 
 dens, the cattle, and other animals, which they saw at 
 Tahiti, filled them with wonder. They also attended the 
 schools and places of public worship, and learned the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 47 
 
 alphabet. Soon after their arrival, the cutter sailed again 
 for their island, and the two natives of Rapa returned 
 to their countrymen loaded with presents from their 
 new friends, and accompanied by two pious Tahitians, 
 who were sent to gain more accurate information rela¬ 
 tive to their country, and the disposition of its in¬ 
 habitants. When the vessel approached their island, 
 and the people saw their countrymen, they appeared 
 highly delighted; and towards the evening, when, accom¬ 
 panied by the two Tahitians, they drew near the beach 
 in the ship’s boat, they came out into the sea to 
 meet them, and carried the men and the boat alto¬ 
 gether to the shore. This to the strangers was rather 
 an unexpected reception; but, though singular, it was 
 not unfriendly, for they were treated with great kindness. 
 The accounts the natives gave their countrymen, of what 
 they had seen in Tahiti, were marvellous to them: the 
 captain of the cutter procured some tons of sandal-wood, 
 and when he left, the Tahitians returned, having received 
 an invitation from the chiefs and people to revisit their 
 island, and reside permanently among them; a request 
 so congenial to their own feelings, that they at once pro¬ 
 mised to comply. 
 
 In the month of January, 1826, the two Tahitian 
 teachers and their wives, accompanied by two others, one 
 a schoolmaster and the other a mechanic, sailed from 
 Tahiti for Rapa. They carried with them not only spelling 
 
 books, and copies of the Tahitian translations of the 
 
 % 
 
 Scriptures, but also a variety of useful tools, implements of 
 husbandry, valuable seeds and plants, together with 
 timber for a chapel, and doors, &c. for the teachers’ houses. 
 They were conducted to their new station by Mr. Davies, 
 one of the senior Missionaries at Tahiti, who was pleased 
 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES, 
 
 48 
 
 with his visit, and, upon the whole, with the disposition 
 of the people, although some appeared remarkably super¬ 
 stitious, and, as might be expected, unwilling at once to 
 embrace Christianity. This arose from an apprehension 
 of the anger of their gods, induced by the effects of a 
 most destructive disease, with which they had been 
 recently visited. The gods, they imagined, had thus 
 punished them for their attention to the accounts from 
 Tahiti. The teachers however landed their goods, and the 
 frame-work of the chapel. The chiefs received them with 
 every mark of respect and hospitality, pointed out an 
 eligible spot for their residence, gave them some adja¬ 
 cent plantations of taro, and promised them protection 
 and aid. 
 
 The sabbath which Mr. Davies spent there was pro¬ 
 bably the first ever religiously observed on the shores of 
 Rapa. Several of the natives attended public worship, 
 and appeared impressed with the services. These being 
 performed in the Tahitian language, were not unintel¬ 
 ligible to them. The native teachers were members of 
 the church at Papara, although they were but few in 
 number, and were surrounded by a heathen population in 
 a remote and solitary island, and as it was then expected 
 the vessel would sail on that or the following day, they 
 joined with Mr. Davies their pastor in commemorating the 
 death of Christ, under the impression that it was the 
 last time they should ever unite in this hallowed 
 
 ordinance. 
 
 The island of Rapa is about twenty miles in circum¬ 
 ference^ it is tolerably well wooded and watered, espe¬ 
 cially on the eastern side, where Aurai, a remarkably 
 fine harbour, extending several miles inland, is situated. 
 The entrance is intricate, but the interior capacious, the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 49 
 
 beach good, and fresh water convenient. Situated some 
 degrees from the southern tropic, the climate is brac¬ 
 ing and salubrious, the soil is fertile, and while it nou¬ 
 rishes many of the valuable roots and fruits of the inter- 
 tropical regions, is probably not less adapted to the 
 more useful productions of temperate climes. Mr. 
 Davies estimates the population at about two thousand. 
 Vancouver supposed that Rapa contained not less than 
 fifteen hundred, merely from those he saw around his ship. 
 In their language, complexion, general character, super¬ 
 stitions, and employments, they resemble the inhabitants 
 of the other islands of the Pacific, though less civilized 
 in their manners, more rude in their arts, and possessed 
 of fewer comforts, than most of their northern neigh¬ 
 bours were, when first discovered. Their intercourse 
 with Tahiti will not only increase their knowledge, and 
 their sources of temporal enjoyment, but it is to be hoped 
 will be the means of introducing Christianity among 
 them, and raising them to the participation of its 
 “ spiritual blessings.” 
 
 A fiesh a\enue is ooened for European commerce, and 
 valuable information is likely to result from the visit of 
 the teachers to this solitary abode. The English Mis- 
 sionary from .Tahiti was the first foreigner that ever 
 landed on their coasts j but many Years before his arrival, 
 an inhabitant of some other island, the only survivor of the 
 party with whom he sailed from his native shores, had been 
 by tempestuous weather drifted to the island, and was found 
 there by the native teachers, who first went from Tahiti. 
 His name was Mapuagua, and that of his country Manga- 
 neva, which he stated was much larger than Rapa, and 
 situated in a south-easterly direction. The people he 
 described as numerous, and much tataued ; the 
 
 H 
 
50 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES, 
 
 name of one of their gods the same as that of one for¬ 
 merly worshipped by the Tahitians. An old man, who 
 resided at the same place with the stranger, gave Mr. 
 Davies the name of eleven places, either districts of Manga- 
 neva or adjacent islands, which are unknown to the 
 Tahitians. The information thus obtained will be valu¬ 
 able in the search for those islands which has already 
 been commenced; and if no sources of wealth be found, 
 nor important channels of commerce opened, their dis¬ 
 covery will increase our geographical knowledge, and 
 extend the range of benevolent operation. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 51 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Voyage to Tubuai—Notice of the mutineers of the Bounty—Origin 
 of the inhabitants of Tubuai—Visit of Mr. Nott—Prevention of war— 
 Settlement of native Missionaries—Arrival off Tahiti—Beauty of its 
 natural scenery—Anchoring in Matavai Bay—Appearance of the dis¬ 
 trict—Historical notice of its discovery—Of the arrival of the ship Duff 
 Settlement of the first Mission—Cession of Matavai.—Departure of 
 the Duff—Influence of the mechanic arts on the minds of the people— 
 Comparative estimate of iron and gold—Difficulties attending the acqui¬ 
 sition of an unwritten language—Methods adopted by the Missionaries 
 —Propensity to theft among the natives. 
 
 On leaving Rapa, we sailed in a northerly direction 
 till the third of February, when we reached the island 
 of Tubuai, situated in lat. 23 degrees 25 minutes S., and 
 long. 149 degrees 23 minutes W. At a distance it ap¬ 
 pears like two islands, but, on a nearer approach, the high 
 land is found to be united. 
 
 Tubuai was discovered by Cook in 1777 , and after the 
 mutineers in the Bounty had taken possession of the 
 vessel, and committed to the mercy of the waves. Captain 
 Bligh with eighteen of his officers and men, this was the 
 first island they visited. Hence they sailed to Tahiti, 
 brought away the most serviceable of the live-stock left 
 there by former navigators, and in 1/89 attempted a set¬ 
 tlement here. Misunderstandings between the mutineers 
 and the natives, and the unbridled passions of the former, 
 led to acts of violence, which the latter resented. A mur- 
 
52 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 
 derous battle ensued, in which nothing but superior skill 
 and fire-arms, together with the advantages of a rising 
 ground, saved the mutineers from destruction. Two were 
 wounded, and numbers of the natives slain. This led 
 them to abandon the island ; and after revisiting T. ahiti, 
 and leaving a part of their number there, they made their 
 final settlement in Pitcairn’s island. Their attempt to 
 settle in this island is celebrated in a poem by the late 
 Lord Byron called, “ The Island, or Christian and his 
 Companions,” in which are recorded some affecting 
 circumstances connected with the subsequent li\ es and 
 ultimate apprehension of many of these unhappy men, 
 and several interesting facts relative to the Society and 
 Friendly Islands. 
 
 Tubuai was also the first of the South Sea Islands that 
 gladdened the sight of the Missionaries who sailed in the 
 Duff. They saw the land on the morning of the 22d of 
 February, 1/9/, near thirty miles distant; and as the 
 wind was unfavourable, the darkness of night hid the 
 island from their view before they were near enough 
 distinctly to behold its scenery, or the people by whom 
 it was inhabited. I can enter in some degree into 
 their emotions on this unusually interesting day. All 
 that hope had anticipated in its brightest moments, 
 was no longer to be matter of uncertainty, but was 
 to be realized or rejected. Such feelings I have experi¬ 
 enced, and can readily believe theirs were of the same 
 order as those of which I was conscious, when gazing on 
 the first of the isles of the Pacific that we approached. 
 Theirs were probably more intense than mine, as a de¬ 
 gree of adventurous enterprise was then thrown around 
 Missionary efforts, which has vanished with their novelty. 
 Our information, also, is now much more circumstantial 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 53 
 
 and explicit than theirs could possibly have been. Tubuai 
 is stated^ in the Introduction to the Voyage of the Duff; 
 to have been at that time but recently peopled by some 
 natives of an island to the westward; probably Rimatara; 
 who; when sailing to a spot they were accustomed to 
 visit; were driven by strong and unfavourable winds on 
 Tubuai. A few years after this, a canoe sailing from 
 Raiatea to Tahiti; conveying a chief who was ancestor to 
 Idia; Pomare’s mother; was also drifted upon this island, 
 and the chief admitted to the supreme authority ; a third 
 canoe was afterwards wafted upon the shores of Tubuai; 
 containing only a human skeleton; which a native of 
 Tahiti; who accompanied the mutineers; suj>posed be¬ 
 longed to a man he had killed in a battle at sea. The 
 scantiness of the population favoured the opinion that 
 the present race had but recently become inhabitants of 
 this abode; and the subsequent visits of Missionaries 
 from Tahiti; with the residence of native teachers among 
 the people; have furnished additional evidence that the 
 present Tubuaian population is but of modern origin, 
 compared with that inhabiting the island of Raivavai on 
 the east, or Rurutu and Rimatara on the west. 
 
 Tubuai is compact, hilly, and verdant; many of the 
 hills appeared brown and sunburnt, while others were 
 partially wooded. It is less picturesque than Rapa, but 
 is surrounded by a reef of coral, which protects the low¬ 
 land from the violence of the sea. As we approached 
 this natural safeguard to the level shore, a number of 
 natives came out to meet us. Their canoes, resembling 
 those of Rapa, were generally sixteen or twenty feet long; 
 the lower part being hollowed out of the trunk of a tree, and 
 the sides, stem, and stern formed by pieces of thin plank 
 sewn together with cinet made of the fibrous husk of the 
 
54 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 cocoa nut. The stem projected nearly horizontally, but 
 the stern being considerably elevated, extended obliquely 
 from the seat occupied by the steersman. The sterns 
 were ornamented with rude carving, and, together with 
 the sides, painted with a kind of red ochre, while the 
 seams were covered with the feathers of aquatic biids. -a 
 tabu had been recently laid on the island by the priests, 
 which they had supposed would prevent the arrival of 
 any vessel, and they were consequently rather discon¬ 
 certed by our approach. Among the nati\es who came 
 on board, was a remarkably fine, tall, well-made man, 
 who appeared, from the respect paid him by the others, 
 to be a chief. His body was but partially tataued, his 
 only dress was a girdle or broad bandage round his loins, 
 and his glossy black and curling hair was tied in a bunch 
 on the crown of his head, while its extremities hung in 
 ringlets on his shoulders. His disposition appeared 
 mild and friendly. His endeavours to induce us to land 
 were unremitted, until it was nearly sunset \ when, find¬ 
 ing them unavailing, and receiving from the captain an 
 assurance that he would keep near the island till the 
 morrow, he remained on board, although considerably 
 affected by the motion of the vessel. 
 
 The next morning we stood in close to the reefs, and a 
 party from the ship accompanied the chief to the shore ) the 
 population appeared but small, the people were friendly, 
 and readily bartered fowls, taro, and mountain plantains 
 for articles of cutlery and fish-hooks. 1 heir gardens were 
 unfenced, and the few pigs they had, were kept in holes 
 or wide pits four or five feet deep, and fed with biead- 
 fruit and other vegetables. Only one was brought on 
 board, and very readily purchased. Many of the nati\ es, 
 in addition to the common bandage encircling their bodies, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 55 
 
 and a light cloth over their shoulders, wore large folds of 
 white or yellow cloth bound round their heads, in some 
 degree resembling a turban, which gave them a remark¬ 
 ably Asiatic appearance. They also wore necklaces of 
 the nuts of the pandanus; the scent of which, though 
 strong, is grateful to most of the islanders of the Pacific. 
 A few weeks before our arrival, a canoe from Tahiti, 
 bound to the Paumotu or pearl islands, had been drifted 
 on Tubuai; and the people on board, although peace¬ 
 able in their conduct, had incurred the displeasure of the 
 inhabitants by endeavouring to persuade them to renounce 
 idolatry and embrace Christianity. The strangers, though 
 plundered and otherwise ill-treated, forbore to retaliate^ 
 from the influence of Christian principles which they 
 had imbibed at Tahiti. 
 
 Subsequently, the Tubuaians heard more ample details 
 of the change that had taken place in the adjacent island 
 of Rurutu, as well as in the Society Islands—that the 
 inhabitants had renounced their idolatry, and erected 
 places for the worship of the true God—and determined 
 to follow their example. In the month of March, 1822, 
 they sent a deputation to Tahiti, requesting teachers and 
 books. The messengers from Tubuai were kindly wel¬ 
 comed, and not only hospitably entertained by the Tahi¬ 
 tian Christians, but led to their schools and their places 
 of public worship. Two native teachers were selected 
 by the church in Matavai, and publicly designated by the 
 Missionaries to instruct the natives of Tubuai. The 
 churches in Tahiti, so far as their means admitted, 
 furnished them with a supply of articles most likely 
 to be useful in their missionary station ; and the 13th 
 of June, 1822, they embarked for the island of Tubuai. 
 Mr. Nott the senior Missionary in Tahiti, embarked in 
 
56 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the same vessel, for the purpose of preaching to the peo¬ 
 ple, and affording the native Missionaries every assist¬ 
 ance in the commencement of their undertaking. 
 
 Finding, on their arrival, the whole of the small 
 population of the island engaged in war, and on the 
 eve of a battle, Mr. Nott and his companions repaired 
 to the encampment of Tamatoa, who was, by hereditary 
 right, the king of the island; acquainted him with the 
 design of their visit, and recommended him to return to 
 his ordinary place of abode. The king expressed his 
 willingness to accede to the proposal, pro\ ided his ri\ al, 
 who was encamped but a short distance from him, and 
 whom he expected on the morrow to engage, would also 
 suspend hostilities. Paofai, a chief who accompanied 
 Mr. Nott, went to Tahuhuatama, the chief of the oppo¬ 
 site party, with a message to this effect. He was kindly 
 received, his proposal agreed to, and a time appointed 
 for the chiefs to meet midway between the hostile par¬ 
 ties, and arrange the conditions of peace. . 
 
 On the same evening, or early the next morning, the 
 chieftains with their adherents, probably not exceeding 
 one hundred on either side, quitted their encampments, 
 which were about a mile and a half or two miles apart, and 
 proceeded to the appointed place of rendezvous. When 
 they came within fifty yards of each other, they halted. 
 The chiefs then left their respective bands, and met mid¬ 
 way between them; they were attended by the Mission¬ 
 aries, and after several propositions had been made by 
 one party, and acceded to by the other, peace was con¬ 
 cluded. The chiefs then embraced each other; and the 
 
 % A 
 
 warriors in each little army, wherein the nearest relations 
 were probably arranged against each other, perceiving 
 the reconciliation of their chiefs, dropped their imple- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 57 
 
 ments of war, and, rushing into each other’s arms, pre¬ 
 sented a scene of gratulation and joy very different from 
 the murderous conflict in which they expected to have 
 been engaged. They repaired in company to the resi¬ 
 dence of the principal chief, where an entertainment was 
 provided. Here the Missionaries had a second interview 
 with the chiefs, who welcomed them to the island, and 
 expressed their desires to be instructed concerning the 
 true God, and the new religion, as they usually denomi¬ 
 nated Christianity. 
 
 On the following morning, the inhabitants of Tubuai 
 were invited to attend public worship, when Mr. Nott 
 delivered, in a new building erected for the purpose, the 
 first Christian discourse to which they had ever listened. 
 It was truly gratifying to behold those, who had only the 
 day before expected to have been engaged in shedding 
 each other’s blood, now mingled in one cpiiet and atten¬ 
 tive assembly, where the warriors of rival chieftains 
 might be seen sitting side by side, and listening to the 
 gospel of peace. 
 
 Mr. Nott was unexpectedly detained several weeks at 
 Tubuai; during this time he made the tour of the island, 
 conversed with the people, and preached on every favour¬ 
 able occasion that occurred. The Queen Charlotte at 
 length arrived; when, having introduced the native teachers 
 to the chiefs and people, and recommended them to their 
 protection, he bade them farewell, and prosecuted his 
 voyage to High Island. The chiefs had desired that 
 one teacher might be left with each; and, in order to 
 meet their wishes, two, Hapunia and Samuela, from the 
 church at Papeete, were stationed by Mr. Nott in this 
 island, one with each of the chiefs. The native Mission¬ 
 aries found the productions of Tubuai less various and 
 
 i 
 
58 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 abundant than those of Tahiti^ and the adjacent islands. 
 The habits of the natives were remarkably indolent, 
 and inimical to health, especially the practice of dress¬ 
 ing their bread-fruit, &c. only once in five days. Against 
 this the teachers invariably remonstrated, and presented 
 to them, also, a better example, by cooking for themselves 
 fresh food every day. Since that time, a distressing epi¬ 
 demic has, in common with most of the islands, pievailed 
 in Tubuai, and has swept off many of the people. Never¬ 
 theless, the native teachers continue their labours, and 
 the condition of the people is improved. In February, 
 1826, when Mr. Davies visited them, the profession of 
 Christianity was general; 38 adults and four children 
 were baptized. The chiefs and people were assisting 
 the teachers in building comfortable dwellings, and 
 erecting a neat and substantial house for public w oi - 
 
 ship. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 4tli of February we sailed 
 from Tubuai; but, in consequence of unfavourable winds, 
 did not reach Tahiti till the 10th. As we approached 
 its southern shore, a canoe came off with some natives, 
 who brought a pig and vegetables for sale; but the 
 wind blowing fresh, we soon passed by, and had little 
 more than a glance at the people. About sunset we found 
 ourselves a short distance to the northward of Point"V enus, 
 having sailed along the east and northern shores of Tahiti, 
 charmed with the rich and varied scenery of the island, 
 justly denominated the queen of the Pacific, whose 
 landscapes, though circumscribed in extent, are 
 
 “ So lovely, so adorned 
 
 With hill, and dale, and lawn, and winding; vale, 
 Woodland, and stream, and lake, and rolling seas,” 
 
 i 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 59 
 
 that they are seldom surpassed, even in the fairest por¬ 
 tions of the world. 
 
 On the morning of the 16th of February, 181/, as the 
 light of the day broke upon us, we discovered that 
 during the preceding night we had drifted to a con¬ 
 siderable distance from the island; the canoes of the 
 natives, however, soon surrounded our vessel; numbers 
 of the people were admitted on board, and we had the 
 long desired satisfaction of intercourse with them, 
 through the medium of an interpreter. They were not 
 altogether so prepossessing in person as, from the dif¬ 
 ferent accounts I had read, I had been led to anticipate. 
 The impression produced by our first interview was, 
 notwithstanding, far from being unfavourable; we were 
 at once gratified with their vivacity, and soon after 
 with the simple indications of the piety which several 
 exhibited. A good-looking native, about forty years of 
 age, who said his name was Maine, and who came on 
 board as a pilot, was invited to our breakfast. We 
 had nearly finished when he took his seat at the table ; 
 yet, before tasting his food, he modestly bent his head, 
 and, shading his brow with his hand, implored the 
 Divine blessing on the provision before him. Several 
 of the officers were much affected at his seriousness; 
 and though one attempted to raise a smile at his ex¬ 
 pense, it only elicited from him an expression of com¬ 
 passion. To me it was the most pleasing sight I had 
 yet beheld, and imparted a higher zest to the enjoy¬ 
 ment I experienced in gazing on the island, as we 
 sailed along its shores. 
 
 There is no reason to suppose that Tahiti, or any other 
 island of the group, is altogether volcanic in its origin, as 
 Hawaii and the whole of the Sandwich Islands decidedly 
 
60 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 are. The entire mass of matter composing the latter, 
 has evidently been in a state of fusion, and in that state 
 has been ejected from the focus of an immense volcano, 
 or volcanoes, originating, probably, at the bottom of the 
 sea, and forming, by their action through successive 
 ages, the whole group of islands ; in which, nothing like 
 primitive or secondary rock has yet been found. In 
 Tahiti, and other islands of the southern cluster, there 
 are basalts, whinstone dykes, and homogeneous earthy lava, 
 retaining all the convolutions which cooling lav a is know n 
 to assume; there are also kinds of hornstone, limestone, 
 silex, breccia, and other substances, which have never, 
 under the action of fire, altered their original form. 
 Some are found in detached fragments, otheis in laige 
 masses. The wild and broken manner, however, in 
 which the rocks now appear, warrants the inference, that 
 since their formation, which was probably of equal 
 antiquity with the bed of the ocean, they have been 
 thrown up by some volcanic explosion, the disruptions 
 of an earthquake, or other violent convulsions of the 
 earth ; and have, from this circumstance, assumed theii 
 
 bold, irregular, and romantic forms. 
 
 Midday was past before we entered Matavai bay. 
 As we sailed into the harbour, we passed near the coial 
 reef, on which Captain Wallis struck on the 19tli of 
 June, 1767, when he first entered the bay. His ship 
 remained stationary nearly an hour ; and, in consequence 
 of this circumstance, the reef has received the name 
 of the Dolphin rock. As we passed by it, we felt grate¬ 
 ful that the winds were fair and the weather calm, and 
 that we had reached our anchorage in safety. Ma-ta-vai, 
 or Port Royal, as it was called by Captain Wallis, is 
 situated in latitude 17°* 36'. S. and longitude 149°. 35 . W. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 61 
 
 It is rather an open bay, and although screened from 
 the prevailing trade winds, is exposed to the southern 
 and westerly gales, and also to a considerable swell 
 from the sea. The long flat neck of land which forms 
 its northern boundary, was the spot on which Captain 
 Cook erected his tents, and fixed his instruments for 
 observing the transit of Venus ; on which account, it has 
 ever since been called Point Venus. Excepting those 
 parts enclosed as gardens, or plantations, the land near 
 the shore is covered with long grass, or a species of con¬ 
 volvulus, called by the natives pohue; numerous clumps 
 of trees, and waving cocoa-nuts, add much to the beauty 
 of its appearance. A fine stream, rising in the interior 
 mountains, winds through the sinuosities of the head of the 
 valley, and, fertilizing the district of Matavai, flows through 
 the centre of this long neck of land, into the sea. 
 
 Such, without much alteration, in all probability, was 
 the appearance of this beautiful bay, when discovered 
 by Captain Wallis, in 1/6/ ; and two years after, when 
 first visited by Captain Cook; or when Captain Bligh, 
 in the Bounty, spent six months at anchor here in 
 1788 and 1789; when Captain Vancouver arrived in 1792; 
 Captain New, of the Daedalus, in 1793; and Captain 
 Wilson, in the Duff, who anchored in the same bay on 
 the 6th of March, 1797* 
 
 It was on the northern shores of this bay, that eighteen 
 of the Missionaries, who left England in the Duff, first 
 landed, upwards of thirty years ago. They wer° 
 
 u -the messengers 
 
 Of peace, and light and life, whose eye unsealed 
 Saw up the path of immortality, 
 
 Far into bliss. Saw men, immortal men, 
 
 Wide wandering from the way, eclipsed in night. 
 
62 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Dark, moonless, moral night, living like beasts. 
 
 Like beasts descending to the grave, untaught 
 Of life to come, unsanctified, unsaved.” 
 
 To reclaim the inhabitants from error and superstition, 
 to impart to them the truths of revelation, to improve 
 their present condition, and direct them to future 
 blessedness, were the ends at which they aimed; and 
 here they commenced those labours which some of them 
 have continued unto the present time; and w hich, 
 under the blessing of God, have been productive of the 
 moral change that has since taken place among the 
 inhabitants of this and the adjacent islands. Decishe 
 and extensive as that change has since become, it was 
 long before any salutary effects appeared as the result 
 of their endeavours. And, although the scene before me 
 was now one of loveliness and quietude, cheeiful, yet 
 placid as the smooth waters of the bay, that scaicoly 
 rippled by the vessel s side, it has often v\ orn a a c, 1 y 
 different aspect. Here the first Missionaries frequently 
 heard the song accompanying the licentious areois 
 dance, the deafening noise of idol worship, and saw the 
 human victim carried by for sacrifice: here, too, they 
 often heard the startling cry of war, and saw their 
 frighted neighbours fly before the murderous spear 
 and plundering hand of lawless power. The invaders 
 torch reduced the native hut to ashes, while the lurid 
 flame seared the green foliage of the trees, and clouds 
 of smoke, rising up among their groves, darkened for a 
 time surrounding objects. On such occasions, and they 
 were not infrequent, the contrast between the country, 
 and the inhabitants, must have been most affecting, 
 appearing as if the demons of darkness had lighted 
 up infernal fires, even in the bowers of paradise. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 G3 
 
 Within sight of the spot where our vessel lay, four of 
 the Missionaries were stripped and maltreated by the 
 natives, two of them nearly assassinated, from the anger 
 of the king, and one of them was murdered. Here the first 
 Missionary dwelling was erected, the first temple for 
 the worship of Jehovah reared, and the first Missionary 
 grave opened; and here, after having been obliged to 
 convert their house into a garrison, and watch night and 
 day in constant expectation of attack, the Missionaries 
 were obliged, almost in hopeless despair, to abandon a 
 field, on which they had bestowed the toil and culture of 
 twelve anxious and eventful years. 
 
 On the 7th of March, 1/9/, the first Missionaries went 
 on shore, and were met on the beach by the late Pomare 
 and his queen, then called Otoo and Tetua; by them 
 they were kindly welcomed, as well as by Paitia, an 
 aged chief of the district. They w T ere conducted to a 
 large, oval-shaped native house, which had been but 
 recently finished for Captain Bligh, whom they expected 
 to return^. Their dwelling was pleasantly situated on 
 the western side of the river, near the extremity of Point 
 Venus. The natives were delighted to behold foreigners 
 coming to take up their permanent residence among 
 them; as those they had heretofore seen, with the excep¬ 
 tion of a Spaniard, had been transient visitors. The Spa¬ 
 niard had saved his life by escaping from Langara’s ship, 
 while it was lying at anchor in Tairabu, in March 17/3, 
 at which time three of his shipmates were executed. The 
 benefit the natives had derived from this individual, and 
 the mutineers of the Bounty, prior to their appre¬ 
 hension by the people of the Pandora, and the residence 
 of several of the crew of the Matilda, which had been 
 wrecked on a reef not far distant, led them to desire the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 64 
 
 residence of foreigners. The inhabitants of Tahiti had 
 never seen any European females or children, and were 
 consequently filled with amazement and delight, when 
 the wives and children of the Missionaries landed. 
 Several times during the first days of their residence on 
 shore, large parties arrived from different places in front 
 of the house, requesting that the white women and chil¬ 
 dren, would come to the door and shew themselves. 
 The chiefs and people were not satisfied with giving 
 them the large and commodious Fare Beritani (British 
 House,) as they called the one they had built for Bligh, 
 but readily and cheerfully ceded to Captain Wilson and 
 the Missionaries, in an official and formal manner, the 
 whole district of Matavai, in which their habitation was 
 situated. The late Pomare and his queen, with Otoo his 
 father, and Idia his mother, and the most influential per¬ 
 sons in the nation, were present, and Haamanemane, an 
 aged chief of Raiatea, and chief priest of Tahiti, was the 
 principal agent for the natives on the occasion. The ac¬ 
 companying plate, representing this singular transaction, 
 is taken from an original painting in the possession of 
 Mrs. Wilson, relict of the late Captain Wilson. It 
 exhibits, not only the rich luxuriance of the scenery, 
 but the complexion, expression, dress, and tatauing 
 of the natives, with remarkable fidelity and spirit. 
 The two figures on men’s shoulders are the late king 
 and queen. Near the queen on the right stands 1 eter 
 the Swede, their interpreter, and behind him stands 
 Idia, the mother of the king. The person seated on the 
 right hand is Paitia, the chief of the district; behind him 
 stand Mr. and Mrs. Henry, Mr. Jefferson, and others. The 
 principal person on this side is Captain Wilson; between 
 him and his nephew Captain W. W ilson, stands a child 
 
I 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 65 
 
 of Mr. Hassel; Mrs. Hassel with an infant is before 
 them. On the left, next to the king, stands his father 
 Pom are, the upper part of his body uncovered in homage 
 to his son, and behind him is Hapai, the king’s grand¬ 
 father. Haamanemane, the higli-priest, appears in a 
 crouching position, addressing Captain Wilson, and sur¬ 
 rendering the district.—Haamanemane was also the taio , 
 or friend, of Captain Wilson; and rendered him con¬ 
 siderable service, in procuring supplies, facilitating the 
 settlement of the Mission, and accomplishing other ob¬ 
 jects of his visit. 
 
 Presentations of this kind were not uncommon among 
 the islanders, as a compliment, or matter of courtesy, 
 to a visitor ; and were regulated by the rank and means 
 of the donors, or the dignity of the guests. Houses, 
 plantations, districts, and even whole islands, were 
 sometimes presented; still, those who thus received 
 them, never thought of appropriating them to their own 
 use, and excluding their original proprietors, any more 
 than a visitor in England, who should be told by his 
 host to make himself perfectly at home, and to do as 
 he would if he were in his own house, would, from this 
 declaration, think of altering the apartments of the 
 house, or removing from it any part of the furniture. 
 It is, however, probable, that such was their estimate of 
 the advantages that would result from the residence of 
 the Mission families among them, that, in order to afford 
 every facility for the accomplishment of an object so 
 desirable, and hold out every inducement to confidence 
 for the Missionaries, as to their future support, they were 
 sincere in thus ceding the district. They might wish 
 them to reside in it, exercise the office of chiefs over 
 the whole, cultivate as much of it as they desired, and 
 
 K 
 
66 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 receive tribute from those who might occupy the 
 remaining parts; but by no means, perpetually to 
 alienate it from the king, or chief, to whom it originally 
 belonged. This they knew could not be done without 
 their permission, and that permission they could at any 
 time withhold. In 1801, when the Royal Admiral arrived, 
 Pomare was asked, when the Missionaries were intro¬ 
 duced to him, if they were still to consider the district 
 theirs; and though he replied in the affirmative, and 
 even asked if they wished the inhabitants to remove, it 
 afterwards appeared that the natives considered them 
 only as tenants at will. All they desired was, the per¬ 
 manent occupation of the ground on which their dwell¬ 
 ings and gardens were situated; yet, in writing to the 
 Society, in 1804, they remark, in reference to the 
 district, “ The inhabitants do not consider the district, 
 nor any part of it, as belonging to us, except the 
 small sandy spot we occupy with our dwellings and 
 gardens ; and even as to that, there are persons who 
 claim the ground as theirs/’ Whatever advantages the 
 kings or chiefs might expect to derive from this settle¬ 
 ment on the island, it must not be supposed that it was 
 from any desire to receive general or religious instruc¬ 
 tions. This was evident, from a speech once made by 
 Haamanemane, who said that they gave the people 
 plenty of the parau (word) talk and prayer, but very few 
 knives, axes, scissors, or cloth. These, however, were 
 soon afterwards amply supplied. A desire to possess 
 such property, and to receive the assistance of the 
 Europeans in the exercise of the mechanic arts, or in 
 their wars, was probably the motive by which the 
 natives were most strongly influenced. 
 
 Captain Wilson was, however, happy to find the king, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 67 
 
 chiefs, and people so willing to receive the Missionaries, 
 and so friendly towards them; and the latter being now 
 settled comfortably in their new sphere of labour, the 
 Duff sailed for the Friendly Islands on the 26th of March. 
 
 Having landed ten Missionaries at Tongatabu, in the 
 Friendly Islands, Captain Wilson visited and surveyed 
 several of the Marquesan Islands, and left Mr. Crook a 
 Missionary there; he then returned to Tahiti, and on the 
 6th of July, the Duff again anchored in Matavai Bay. The 
 health of the Missionaries had not been affected by the 
 climate. The conduct of the natives had been friendly 
 and respectful; and supplies in abundance had been fur¬ 
 nished during his absence. While the ship remained at 
 Tahiti, Mr. W. W ilson made the tour of the island; the 
 iron, tools, and other siq^plies for the Mission, were 
 landed: the Missionaries, and their friends on board, hav- 
 ing spent a month in agreeable intercourse, now affection¬ 
 ately bade each other farewell. Dr. Gilham having inti¬ 
 mated to Captain W. his wish to return to England, was 
 taken on board, and the Duff finally sailed from Matavai 
 on the 4th of August, 1797* The Missionaries return¬ 
 ing from the ship, as well as those on shore, watched her 
 course as she slowly receded from their view, under no 
 ordinary sensations. They now felt that they were cut 
 off from all but Divine guidance, protection, and support, 
 and had parted with those by whose counsels and pre¬ 
 sence they had been assisted in entering upon their 
 labours, but whom on earth they did not expect to 
 meet again. Captain Wilson coasted along the south 
 and western shores of Huahine, and then sailed to 
 Tongatabu; where, after spending twenty days with the 
 Missionaries, who appeared comfortably settled, he 
 sailed for Canton, where he received a cargo, with 
 
68 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 which he returned to England, and arrived safely 
 in the Thames; having completed his perilous 
 voyage, under circumstances adapted to aflord the high¬ 
 est satisfaction, and to excite the sinccrest gratitude 
 from all who were interested in the success of the 
 important enterprise. 
 
 The departure of the Duff did not occasion any diminu¬ 
 tion in the attention of the natives to the Missionaries in 
 Tahiti. Pomare, Otu, Haamanemane, Paitia, and other 
 chiefs, continued to manifest the truest friendship, and 
 liberally supplied them with such articles as the island 
 afforded. The Missionaries, as soon as they had made the 
 habitation furnished by the people for their accommoda¬ 
 tion in any degree comfortable, commenced with energy 
 their important work. 
 
 Their acquaintance with the most useful of the me¬ 
 chanic arts, not only delighted the natives, but raised the 
 Missionaries in their estimation, and led them to desire 
 their friendship. This was strikingly evinced on several 
 occasions, when they beheld them use their carpenters' 
 tools ; cut with a saw a number of boards out of a tree, 
 which they had never thought it possible to split into 
 more than two, and make with these, chests, and arti¬ 
 cles of furniture. When they beheld a boat, built up¬ 
 wards of twenty feet long, and six tons burden, they 
 were pleased and surprised; but when the blacksmith’s shop 
 was erected, and the forge and anvil were first employed 
 on their shores, they were filled with astonishment. 
 They had long been acquainted with the properties and 
 uses of iron, having procured some from the natives of 
 a neighbouring island, where a Dutch ship, belonging 
 to Roggewein s squadron, had been wrecked many 
 years before they were visited by Captain Wallis, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 69 
 
 When the heated iron was hammered on the anvil, and 
 the sparks flew among them, they fancied it was spitting 
 at them, and were frightened, as they also were with the 
 hissing occasioned by immersing it in water; yet they 
 were delighted to see the facility with which a bar of 
 iron was thus converted into hatchets, adzes, fisli-spears, 
 and fish-hooks, &c. Pomare, entering one day when the 
 blacksmith was employed, after gazing a few minutes at 
 the work, was so transported at what he saw, that he 
 caught up the smith in his arms, and, unmindful of 
 the dirt and perspiration inseparable from his occupa¬ 
 tion, most cordially embraced him, and saluted him, 
 according to the custom of his country, by touching 
 noses. Iron tools they considered the most valuable 
 articles they could possess; and a circumstance that 
 occurred during the second visit of the Duff, will shew 
 most strikingly the comparative value they placed upon 
 gold and iron. The ship’s cook had lost his axe, and 
 Captain Wilson gave him ten guineas to try to pur¬ 
 chase one with, supposing that the intercourse the 
 natives had already had with Europeans, would enable 
 them to form some estimate of the value of a guinea, 
 on I the number of articles they could procure with 
 it, from any other ship that might visit the island; 
 but, although the cook kept the guineas more than a 
 u eek, he could meet with no individual among the 
 natives who would part with an axe, or even a hatchet, 
 in exchange for them. 
 
 W hile some of the Missionaries were employed in the 
 exercise of those arts which were adapted to make the 
 most powerful impression upon the minds of the natives, 
 others were equally diligent in exploring the adjacent 
 country, planting the seeds they had brought with them 
 
yo POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 from Europe and Brazil, and studiously endeavouring to 
 gain an acquaintance with the native language, which they 
 justly considered essential to the accomplishment of 
 their objects. 
 
 This was a most laborious and tedious undertaking. 
 The language was altogether oral; consequently, neither 
 alphabet, spelling-book, grammar, nor dictionary existed. 
 On their arrival, they found two Swedes, Peter Hager- 
 steine, and Andrew Cornelius Lind; the former had 
 been wrecked in the IVIatilda, and the latter had been left 
 by Captain New of the Daedalus, only a few years before 
 the Missionaries arrived. Peter had a slight knowledge of 
 the colloquial language of the natives; and in all their 
 early communications with the chiefs and people, the 
 Missionaries were glad to avail themselves of his aid 
 as interpreter. He was a man of low education and 
 bad principles; and if he did not intentionally misre¬ 
 present the communications of the Missionaries, his 
 statements must often have conveyed to the natives’ 
 minds very erroneous impressions of their sentiments and 
 wishes. From him, as an instructor, they could derive no 
 advantage; as he seldom came near them excepting when 
 he bore some message from the king, or the chief with 
 whom he resided. The remarks of former voyagers, and 
 the specimens of the language they had given, were of 
 little service, as they could only be the names of the 
 principal persons and things that had come under the 
 notice of such individuals, and even in the representation 
 of these, the orthography was as various as the winters 
 had been numerous. In reference to their attempts to 
 acquire the knowledge of Tahitian, they remarked, that 
 they foimd all Europeans, who had visited Tahiti, had 
 mistaken the language as to spelling, pronunciation, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. \ 
 
 and ease of acquisition. In addition to the printed 
 specimens, they had a small vocabulary, compiled by one 
 of the officers of the mutineers in the Bounty, who had 
 resided some months in Tahiti, prior to the arrival of the 
 Pandora; when he was arrested, and brought a prisoner 
 to England, where he was executed at Portsmouth. 
 This vocabulary he left with the worthy clergyman who 
 attended him in his confinement, and by him it was 
 kindly given to the Missionaries; who found it more 
 useful than every aid besides. On their voyage, 
 they had carefully studied it, but though they were thus 
 put in possession of a number of words, in their proper 
 collocation they discovered they had everv thing to 
 leam. They had arranged a number of words in sen¬ 
 tences according to the English idiom, which they sup¬ 
 posed would be serviceable on landing; but the use of 
 which they soon found it necessary to discontinue. One 
 of these sentences, Mity po tuaana , often afterwards 
 amused the king, when he came to know what they 
 intended by it. Maitai is good, po is night, and tuaana 
 brother. Good-night, brother, was the sentiment in- 
 t< nded ; but if the natives understood the English word 
 mighty, it would mean. Mighty night, brother; or,’ if 
 they understood mity as their word maitai , the phrase 
 would be an assertion to this effect, Good (is the) night, 
 brother. This circumstance shews the difficulties they 
 had to contend with, even when they had acquired the 
 
 meaning of many of the substantives and adjectives in 
 the language. 
 
 In these embarrassments they had no elementary books 
 to consult, no preceptors to whom they could apply, but 
 " ere obliged, partly by gestures and signs, to endeavour 
 to obtain the desired information from the natives; who 
 
^2 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 often misunderstood the purport of their questions, 
 and whose answers must, as often, have been quite 
 unintelligible to the Missionaries. A knowledge of the 
 language was, however, indispensable ; and many of the 
 Missionaries employed much of their time among the 
 natives, making excursions through the neighbouring 
 districts, spending several days together with the chiefs 
 at their own habitations, for the purpose of observing 
 their customs, and obtaining an acquaintance with the 
 words which they employed in social intercourse among 
 themselves. This was the more necessary, as the natives 
 who reside in those parts visited by shipping, soon pick 
 up a few of the most common English phrases, which 
 they apply almost indiscriminately, supposing they are 
 thereby better understood, than they would be if they 
 used only native words; yet these words are so changed 
 in a native’s mouth, who cannot sound any sibilant, or 
 many of our consonants, and who must also introduce a 
 vowel between every double consonant, that no English¬ 
 man would recognize them as his own, but would write 
 them down as native words. Pickaninny is a specimen 
 
 of this kind. 
 
 It was not in words only, but also in their application, 
 that the most ludicrous mistakes were made by the peo¬ 
 ple. “Oli mani,” a corruption of the English words 
 “ old man,” is the common term for any thing old; 
 hence, a blunt, broken knife, and a threadbare or ragged 
 dress, is called <c oli mani.” A captain 01 a ship, at 
 anchor in one of the harbours, was once inquiring of 
 a native something about his wife, who was sitting by. 
 The man readily answered his question, and concluded 
 by saying, u Oli mani hoi,” she is “ also an old man. 
 
 Part of each day was by several devoted to the study 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 73 
 
 of the language, while once a week, the whole met toge¬ 
 ther for conversation and mutual aid in its acquisi¬ 
 tion. The only means they had of obtaining it, was 
 by observing carefully the native sounds of words, 
 and writing down the characters by which they were 
 expressed. In this they found great difficulty, from 
 what generally proves a source of perplexity to a learner 
 in his first attempt at understanding a foreign tongue, 
 viz. the rapidity with which the natives appeared to 
 speak, and the want of divisions between the distinct 
 words. The singular fact of most of their syllables con¬ 
 sisting of a consonant and a vowel, and a vowel always 
 terminating both their syllables and their words, in¬ 
 creased their embarrassment in this respect. 
 
 It was a circumstance highly advantageous to the Mis¬ 
 sionaries, that the Tahitians were remarkably loquacious, 
 often spending hours in conversation, however trivial its 
 topics might be, patiently listening to inquiries, and 
 anxious to make themselves intelligible. Although 
 among themselves accustomed to hear critically, and 
 to ridicule with great effect, any of their own country¬ 
 men who should use a wrong word, mispronounce or 
 place the accent erroneously on the one they used, yet 
 they seldom laughed at the mistakes of the newly arrived 
 residents. They endeavoured to correct them in the 
 most friendly manner, and w r ere evidently desirous that 
 the foreigners should be able to understand their lan¬ 
 guage, and convey their own ideas to them with dis¬ 
 tinctness and perspicuity. 
 
 When the Missionaries heard the natives make use of 
 a word or sentence with which they were not already 
 acquainted, they wrote it down, and repeated distinctly 
 several times what they had written. If the natives 
 
 L 
 
74 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 affirmed that the word or sentence was correctly pro¬ 
 nounced by the Missionary, it was left for more careful 
 and deliberate investigation. Sometimes they endea¬ 
 voured to find out words, by presenting to the natives 
 different combinations of the letters of their alphabet: 
 thus they would pronounce the letters a a, and say, 
 “what is that?” The natives would answer by pointing 
 to the fibrous roots of a ( tree, or the matted fibres 
 round the cocoa-nut stalk, which are called aa . They 
 would then pronounce others, as a i, and ask what it 
 meant; the natives, putting their hand to the back of the 
 neck, and repeating ai 9 told them that that part of the body 
 was thus called. By this means they sometimes discovered 
 the meaning of a variety of words, which they did not 
 before know were even parts of the language. In speak¬ 
 ing of their progress, shortly after they had commenced 
 this department of labour, they observe, “We have already 
 joined some thousands of words together, and believe 
 some thousands yet remain.” Still their progress w^as 
 but slow, and one of them, who has perhaps made himself 
 most familiar with the native tongue, has frequently 
 assured me, he was ten years on the island, before he 
 knew the meaning of the word ahiri , corresponding to 
 the English word if\ used only in connexion with the 
 past tense of the verb to have , as “If I had seen,” &c. 
 
 While the Missionaries were thus employed, the chiefs 
 continued friendly and attentive; the people, however, 
 began to manifest that propensity to theft, which they 
 evinced even on the first visits they received. This 
 obliged them to watch very narrowly their property. 
 Clothing and iron tools appeared to be most earnestly 
 sought; and, notwithstanding the measures of security 
 which they adopted, their blacksmith’s shop was robbed by 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. ~5 
 
 P 
 
 a native* who dug two or three feet into the ground on 
 the outside* and* burrowing his way under the wall or 
 side of the house* came up through the earthen floor 
 within* and stole several valuable articles. 
 
 Their increased acquaintance with the people had 
 awakened their deepest commiseration* when they be¬ 
 held them* not only wholly given to idolatry* and mad after 
 their idols* but sunk to the lowest state of moral degra¬ 
 dation and consequent wretchedness. This furnished 
 a powerful incentive to energetic perseverance in the 
 acquisition of the language* that they might speedily 
 instruct them in the principles of Christianity* and 
 thereby elevate their moral character* diminish their 
 actual suffering* and improve their present condi¬ 
 tion. 
 
 The Tahitian was the first Polynesian language re¬ 
 duced to writing. In acquiring a knowledge of its 
 character and peculiarities* and reducing it to a regular 
 system* the Missionaries had to proceed alone. In 
 adapting letters to its sounds* forming its orthography* 
 and exhibiting the vernacular tongue in writing to the 
 people* presenting to the eye that which had before 
 been applied only to the ear* and thus furnishing a 
 vehicle by which light and knowledge might be conveyed 
 through a new avenue to the mind* they w T ere unaided by 
 the labours of any who had preceded them* and were 
 therefore the pioneers of those who might follow. That 
 their difficulties were great* must be already obvious. 
 They advanced with deliberation and care* and though 
 the Tahitian dialect as written by them is doubt¬ 
 less imperfect* and susceptible of great improve¬ 
 ment* the circumstance of its having formed the basis 
 of those subsequently written* the ease with which it 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 70 
 
 is acquired, and the facility with which it is used by the 
 natives themselves, are evidences of its accuracy and its 
 utility. 
 
 The Missionaries have been charged with affectation 
 in their orthography, &c. but so far from this, they have 
 studied nothing with more attention than simplicity and 
 perspicuity. The declaration and the pronunciation of 
 the natives formed their only rule in fixing the spelling of 
 proper names, as well as other parts ot the language. 
 They aimed at precision, and having adopted the English 
 character, affixed to each letter a distinct and invariable 
 sound. The letters of each word constitute the word, 
 so that a person pronouncing the letters used in spelling 
 a word, would, in fact, pronounce the word itself. Pur¬ 
 suing this plan, they were under the necessity of pre¬ 
 senting to the natives a mode of spelling difteient 
 from that which had been given to Europeans in the 
 narratives of early voyagers. They did this reluc¬ 
 tantly. Their early associations and strongest predi¬ 
 lections were all in favour of Otaheite, Plitea, Otahaa, 
 &c., and it was only from the firm conviction that such 
 were not the native designations of these islands, that 
 they adopted others. 
 
 As the native names of persons and places will un¬ 
 avoidably occur in the succeeding pages, a brief notice of 
 the sounds of the letters, and the division of some of the 
 principal words, will probably familiarise them to the 
 eye of the reader, and facilitate their pronunciation. 
 
 The different Polynesian dialects abound in vowel 
 sounds perhaps above any other language; they have 
 also another striking peculiarity, that of rejecting all 
 double consonants, possessing invariably vowel termina¬ 
 tions, both of their syllables and words. Every final 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 // 
 
 vowel is therefore distinctly sounded. Several con¬ 
 sonants used in the English language, do not exist in 
 those of the Georgian and Society Islands. There is no 
 sibilant, or hissing sound: s and c, and the correspond¬ 
 ing letters, are therefore unnecessary. The consonants 
 
 that are used retain the sound usually attached to them 
 in English. 
 
 T. he natives sound the vowels with great distinctness; 
 a has the sound of a in father, e the sound of a in fate, 
 i that of i in marine or e in me, o that of o in no, and u 
 that of oo in root. The diphthong ai is sounded as i in 
 w ine. The following are some of the names most fre¬ 
 quently used in the present work. 
 
 The first column presents them in the proper syllabic 
 divisions observed by the people. In the second column 
 I have endeavoured to exhibit the native orthoepy, by 
 employing those letters which, according to their general 
 use in the English language, would secure, as nearly as 
 possible, the accurate pronunciation of the native words. 
 The h is placed after the a only to secure to that vowel 
 the uniform sound of a in father, or a in the interjection 
 till, or aha . I is also placed after a, to secure for the 
 * ‘Lilian vowel e, invariably the sound of a in hay or clay . 
 
 NAMES OF PLACES. 
 
 Ta-hi-ti ......pronounced as.Tah-he-te 
 
 Ma-ta-vai.Mah-tah-vye 
 
 p a-re.Pah-ray 
 
 Pa-pe-e-te... Pah-pay-ay-tay 
 
 A-te-hu-ru ....Ah-tay-hoo-roo 
 
 Tai-a-ra-bu...Tye-ah-rah-boo 
 
 Ei-me-o ....Eye-may-o 
 
 Mo-o-re-a.Mo-o-ray-ah 
 
 A-fa-re-ai-tu .... Ah-fah-ray-eye-too 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES 
 
 O-pu-no-hu .. •. 
 
 Hu-a-lii-ne. 
 
 Fa-re. 
 
 Rai-a-te-a . 
 
 O-po-a.. 
 
 U-tu-mao-ro.... 
 
 Ta-ha-a ........ 
 
 Bo-ra-bo-ra ... 
 
 Mau-ru-a.. 
 
 Ra-pa.. 
 
 Ai-tu-ta-ke .... 
 
 Mi-ti-a-ro. 
 
 Ma-u-te. 
 
 A-tu-i. 
 
 Ra-ro-to-gna .. 
 or 
 
 Ra-ro-ton-ga .. 
 Tu-bu-ai ...... 
 
 Rai-va-vai . •.. 
 Ri-ma-ta-ra ... 
 
 .O-poo-no-hoo 
 .Hoo-ah-h6-nay 
 .F&h-ray 
 ,Rye-ah-tay-ali 
 .O-po-ab 
 .Oo-too-mao-ro 
 , .Tah-ha-ah 
 , .Bo-rah-bo-rah 
 .Mou-roo-ali 
 , .Rah pah 
 ,. Eye-too-tah-kay 
 , .Me-te-ah-ro 
 , .Mah-oo-tay 
 .. Ah-too-e 
 . .Rah-ro-to-na 
 or 
 
 . .Rah-ro-ton-ga 
 . .Too-boo-eye 
 .. Ry-vah-vye 
 .. Re-mah-tah-rah 
 
 NAMES OF PERSONS. 
 
 Po-ma-re . 
 
 I-di-a. 
 
 Ai-ma-ta..-. 
 
 Te-ri-ta-ri-a 
 
 Ta-ro-a-ri-i. 
 
 Ma-hi-ne. 
 
 Te-rai-ma-no. 
 
 Tau-a .• ••. 
 
 Ta-ma-to-a.. < 
 
 Fe-nu-a-pe-ho. 
 
 Mai. 
 
 Au-na. 
 
 .Po-mah-ray 
 .E-dee-ah 
 •Eye-mah-tah 
 .Tay-ree-tah-re-ah 
 .Tah-ro-ah-ree 
 .Mah-he-nay 
 .Tay-rye-mah-no 
 .Tou-ali 
 .Tah-mah-to-ah 
 .Fay-noo-ah-pay 1 
 .Mye 
 , .Ou-nah 
 
 A fn . Q ...... 
 
 .(God).. 
 
 
 Va-ru-a........ 
 
 . (Spirit) 
 
 
 Ta-a-ta. 
 
 .(Man).. 
 
 .Ta-ah-tah 
 
 A -vi-i .. 
 
 .(King) . 
 
 
 Ra-a-ti-ra. 
 
 
 ......... Ra-ah-t^-rah. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 79 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Character aiul death of Haamanemane—Efforts to prevent human sacri¬ 
 fices and infant murder—Resolution of the Missionaries, relative to 
 the use of fire-arms—Arrival of the first ship after the Duff’s depar- 
 tuie Assault upon the Missionaries—Its disastrous Consequences— 
 Pomare’s revenge—Death of Oripaia—Invasion of Matavai—Murder 
 of Mr. Lewis—Pomare’s offering for the Mission Chapel—Arrival of a 
 king’s ship—Friendly communications from the governor of New South 
 Wales—Government orders—Act of parliament for the protection of 
 the South Sen Islanders—Arrival of the Royal Admiral—Landing of 
 the Missionaries—Departure of Mr. Broomhall—Notice of his subse¬ 
 quent history. 
 
 Haamanemane, the old priest, who had been Captain 
 Wilson’s taio , or friend, w r as frequently with the Mis¬ 
 sionaries, and uniformly kind to them. He was evidently 
 a shrewd and enterprising man; yeti should think some¬ 
 times rather eccentric. When arrayed in a favourite dress, 
 which was a glazed hat, and a black coat fringed round 
 the edges with red feathers, his appearance must have 
 been somewhat ludicrous, although this was probably his 
 sacerdotal habit, as red feathers were always considered 
 emblematical of their deities. He had formerly been a 
 principal chief in Raiatea, and still possessed great in¬ 
 fluence over the natives, especially in the adjacent 
 island of Eimeo, where, with a little assistance from the 
 European workmen, he had built a schooner, in which he 
 
80 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 came over to see his friend Captain Wilson, during the 
 second visit of the Duff to Tahiti. T-his vessel, consi¬ 
 dering it as their first effort at ship-building, was an 
 astonishing performance. To him, the Missionaries had 
 frequent opportunities of speaking, though apparently 
 with but little good effect, against many of the sanguin¬ 
 ary features of their idolatry, especially the offeiing of 
 human sacrifices, in which they knew he had been more 
 than once engaged since their arrival. Sometimes, how¬ 
 ever, he spoke as if he officiated, in these horrid rites, 
 more from necessity than choice. 
 
 He was remarkably active and vigorous, and, though 
 far advanced in years and nearly blind, indulged, without 
 restraint, in all the degrading vices of his country. 
 Moral character, and virtuous conduct, were never con¬ 
 sidered requisite, even in those whose office was most 
 sacred. As a priest, he practised every species of extor¬ 
 tion and cruelty 5 neither was he less familiar w ith in¬ 
 trigue, nor free from ambition, as a politician. His sup¬ 
 posed influence with the gods, his deep skill in the 
 mysteries of their worship, and the constant diead of 
 his displeasure, which would probably have doomed the 
 individual, by whom it was incurred, to immolation on 
 the altar of his idol, favoured, in no small degiee, his 
 assumption and exercise of civil power, both in Eimeo 
 and Tahiti. A jealousy appeared to exist between him 
 and Pomare, the father of Otu, who was king of the 
 island; and during the absence of the former, on a visit 
 to a neighbouring island, he formed a league with Otu, 
 to deprive Pomare of all authority in Tahiti. Hav¬ 
 ing offered a human victim to his idol, he invaded the 
 district of the absent chieftain, and brought war to the 
 very doors of the Mission-house, in less than sev en- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 81 
 
 teen months after the departure of the Duff. The attack 
 was made at daybreak, in the western border of Ma- 
 tavai: four individuals were killed, and afterwards 
 offered by the priest to his deity. The inhabitants, 
 unable to withstand the young king and his ally, aban¬ 
 doned their plantations and their dwellings, and fled for 
 their lives. The invaders divided the district, and the 
 priest, taking possession of the eastern side, revelled in 
 all the profligacy and insolence of plunder and destruc¬ 
 tion. His triumph, however, was but short. Pomare 
 sent privately to Idia directions for his assassination. 
 After two or three solicitations from his mother, Otu, 
 though in closest alliance with him, consented to his 
 death, and he was murdered by one of Idia’s men, at the 
 foot of One-tree Hill, as he was on his way to Pare, on the 
 3d of December 1798, ten days after the invasion of 
 Matavai. 
 
 The Missionaries sought an early opportunity to un¬ 
 fold to the rulers of the nation the objects of their Mis¬ 
 sion, and, after several disappointments, held a public 
 interview with Pomare, Otu, and other principal chiefs, 
 in which they stated, as distinctly as possible, through 
 th< medium of Peter Hagerstien, as interpreter, their 
 design in coming to reside amongst them; viz. to 
 instruct them in useful arts, teach them reading and 
 writing, and make known to them the only true God, 
 and the way to happiness in a future state; urging 
 the discontinuance of human sacrifices, and the aboli¬ 
 tion of infanticide. As an inducement to compliance 
 with this last request, they offered to build a house for the 
 accommodation of the children that might be spared, 
 whom they promised to nurse with attention equal to 
 that which they paid to their own. The chiefs and peo- 
 
 M 
 
82 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 pie listened attentively to the proposition, appeared 
 pleased, and said that no more children should be mui- 
 dered. It was, however, only a promise. 
 
 The distressing circumstances under which this un¬ 
 natural and revolting crime was practised, and the awful 
 extent to which it prevailed, was one of the first of the 
 many horrid cruelties filling these “dark places” of pagan¬ 
 ism, that deeply affected them. More than once having 
 received intimation of the murderous purpose of the 
 parents, they had, when the period of childbirth drew 
 nigh, used all their influence to dissuade them from its 
 execution, offering as a reward for this act of common 
 humanity, articles highly valued by them. "Y\ hen these 
 
 had failed to move the parents’ hearts, and they could 
 obtain no promise from either the father or mother, 
 that they would spare the child, the wives of the Mis¬ 
 sionaries have, as a last resort, begged that the infant, 
 instead of being destroyed, might be committed to 
 their care. But the people were so much under the 
 slavish influence of cruel custom, that, w ith one 01 
 two exceptions, their efforts were unavailing, and the 
 guilty murderers have in a few days presented them¬ 
 selves at the Missionary dwellings, not only with most 
 affecting insensibility, but apparently with all the impu¬ 
 dence of guilty exultation. 
 
 The persons and the habitations of the Missionaries 
 had hitherto been secure, excepting from petty thefts; 
 they were, however, occasionally alarmed by rumours of 
 war. Haamanemane had formerly requested their aid 
 in a descent he intended to make upon Raiatea foi the 
 recovery of his authority there; but this they had firmly 
 declined. The pilfering habits of the people rendered 
 it necessary for them to watch their property during the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 83 
 
 night; and the unsettled state of political affairs in the 
 island indicating their exposure to the consequences 
 ot actual war, led them to consider the line of conduct 
 it would be their duty under such circumstances to pur¬ 
 sue. They were in the possession of fire-arms, which 
 they had brought on shore solely with a view to in¬ 
 timidate the natives, and deter any, who, unrestrained 
 by the influence of those chiefs who had guaranteed 
 their protection, might be disposed to attack them. The 
 propriety of their using fire-arms was, however, questioned 
 by some, and discussed by the whole body; who publicly 
 agreed that it was not their duty even to inflict punish¬ 
 ment upon those that might be detected in stealing their 
 property, but to complain to their chiefs; that they could 
 take no part even with their friends in any of their wars. 
 They resolved that their arms should be used for de¬ 
 fence, only in the event of an attack being made upon 
 their habitations ; and not even then, until every means 
 of avoiding it had been employed. Some of the Mis¬ 
 sionaries carried their principles of forbearance so far, 
 as to declare that, but for the exposure of the females, 
 even then it would not be right to have recourse to 
 arms. Such were the views of the Missionaries, and 
 the circumstances of the people, when an event trans¬ 
 pired which altogether altered the aspect of affairs in 
 reference to the Mission. 
 
 On the 6th of March 1/98, exactly twelve months from 
 the day on which the Duff first anchored in Matavai bay, 
 a vessel arrived at Tahiti; which, being the first they had 
 .cen since the departure of Captain Wilson, awakened 
 considerable interest. She was boarded by three of the 
 Missionaries at the mouth of the harbour, and found to 
 be the Nautilus of Macao, commanded by Captain 
 
84 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Bishop, and originally bound to the north-west coast of 
 America for furs. Being driven by a heavy gale to Kamts- 
 chatka, and, unable to pursue her intended voyage, she had 
 altered her course for Massuefero, near the South American 
 coast, but had been compelled by stress of weather to 
 steer for Tahiti. The ship was in great distress, the 
 crew in want of most of the necessaries of life, and the 
 captain had nothing to barter with the natives for sup¬ 
 plies, but muskets and powder. These indeed vveie foi- 
 merly the only articles of trade, with the exception of 
 ardent spirits, that many adventurers e\ ei thought of 
 giving to uncivilized nations, in exchange for the pro¬ 
 duce of their countries! The natives crowded the ship; 
 and Pomare, who was on board, beheld with expres¬ 
 sions of contempt the poverty of the vessel, and the 
 distress of her crew. In the minds of the Missionaries 
 their circumstances awakened compassion, and they 
 readily offered to furnish the captain with such supplies 
 as the island afforded, and to assist him in procuring 
 
 water. 
 
 The Nautilus had touched at the Sandwich Islands, 
 and had brought away some of the natives: while the 
 vessel remained, five of these absconded; one was 
 brought back, but escaped again. Ihe vessel lemained 
 five days at Tahiti, procured such supplies as the crew 
 were most in need of, and ultimately sailed, leaving the 
 five Sandwich Islanders on shore. 
 
 Exactly a fortnight after her departure, this vessel 
 again entered Matavai Bay, much to the surprise of the 
 Missionaries, who were informed by the captain and 
 supercargo, that, in consequence of a severe gale off 
 Huahine, she was unfitted for her voyage to Massuefero, 
 and that they intended to proceed to Port Jackson, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 85 
 
 when they had increased their supplies. In the course 
 of the night, two seamen absconded with the shin’s 
 
 A. 
 
 boat; and the next morning the captain and supercargo 
 addressed a letter to the Missionaries, acquainting them 
 with the desertion of the men ; and their determination, 
 in consequence of their deficiency of hands, to recover 
 them, cost what it would; soliciting, at the same time, 
 aid in effecting their apprehension. The Mission¬ 
 aries recovered the boat, on the following day; and, 
 anxious to afford the captain and supercargo of the 
 Nautilus every assistance in their power, agreed to use 
 their influence with the king, and two of the principal 
 chiefs, to induce them to send the seamen on board. 
 Four of the Missionaries went on this errand to the 
 district of Pare, where the king and chiefs were residing. 
 After walking between two and three hours, they reached 
 the residence of Otu, the young king. The Sandwich 
 Islanders were among his attendants, and they had 
 reason to suspect that he had favoured the concealment 
 of the seamen. 
 
 Desirous of disclosing their business to the chiefs 
 when together, they remained some time, expecting the 
 arrival of Pomare, for whom they had sent. The king 
 was sullen and taciturn; and, after waiting nearly half 
 an hour for Pomare, the Missionaries departed, to wait 
 on him personally, at his own dwelling. 
 
 As they passed along, the natives tendered their 
 usual salutations, and about thirty accompanied them. 
 They had, however, scarcely proceeded a mile on their 
 way, when, on approaching the margin of a river, they 
 were each suddenly seized by a number of natives, who 
 stripped them, dragged two of them through the 
 river, attempted to drown them, and, after other 
 
8(3 
 
 POL YN ESIAN R ESE ARCH ES. 
 
 ill-treatment, threatened them with murder. Some of 
 the natives gave the Missionaries a few strips of 
 cloth; and; at their request, conducted them to Pomare 
 and Idia, whose tent was at some distance. These 
 individuals beheld them with great concern; and, 
 expressing no ordinary sympathy in their distress, im¬ 
 mediately furnished them with native apparel and re¬ 
 freshment ; and, when they had rested about an hour, 
 accompanied them on their return to Matavai.—When 
 they reached Otu’s dwelling, Pomare called the king, 
 his son, into the outer court, and questioned him as to 
 the treatment the Missionaries had received. He said but 
 little ; yet there was reason to suppose, that if the assault 
 had not been made by his direction, he was privy to it. 
 Bent on the conquest of the whole island, and desirous, 
 in conjunction with those attached to his interests, of 
 depriving his father and younger brother of all authority 
 in Tahiti, muskets and powder were articles in greatest de¬ 
 mand, and the aid of Europeans was most earnestly desired. 
 The Missionaries, by furnishing supplies to the vessel, 
 had prevented his obtaining the former; and in order 
 to be revenged on them for this act of friendship to 
 those on board, he had allowed some of his men to 
 follow and to plunder them. Their having applied for 
 the return of the Sandwich Islanders, who had before 
 absconded from the vessel, led him to suspect their busi¬ 
 ness on the present occasion. The seamen, who had 
 deserted from the Nautilus, were under the protection 
 of the king, and appeared among his attendants. The 
 Missionaries did not disclose the object of their visit; 
 but Pomare insisted on the deserters being delivered up, 
 assuring them they should be carried on board the next 
 day. The seamen expressed their determination to 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 87 
 
 remain; and one of them said, “If they take me on 
 board again, they shall take me on board dead.” The 
 conduct of Pomare, the king’s father, with that of his 
 queen, Idia, was highly commendable: several of the 
 articles of dress, which had been taken from the 
 Missionaries, were restored, and the people in general 
 appeared to compassionate them; though two of them 
 heard the natives, who were stripping them, remark that, 
 as they had four of them in their possession, they would 
 go and take the fourteen remaining at Matavai. In the 
 evening the Missionaries arrived at their dwelling, having 
 been furnished by Pomare with a double canoe, for their 
 conveyance home. 
 
 The impression this unpleasant occurrence produced 
 upon the society at Matavai, was such, that eleven 
 Missionaries, including four who were married, judged 
 a removal from the island to be necessary; and as the 
 captain and supercargo of the Nautilus offered a passage 
 to any who were desirous of returning to Port Jackson, 
 they prepared for their departure. Two days after the 
 plunder of the Missionaries, Pomare sent the chief 
 priest of the island with a fowl as an atonement, and a 
 young plantain as a peace-offering, and on the follow¬ 
 ing day hastened to their dwelling. 
 
 The report of the departure of the Missionaries soon 
 spread through the island, and appeared to be regretted 
 by many of the people. Pomare, who had ever been 
 most friendly, manifested unusual sorrow, and used 
 extraordinary efforts to persuade them to stay. He 
 went through every room in their house, and every birth 
 on board, and addressed each individual by name, with 
 earnest entreaties to remain, and assurances of protec¬ 
 tion. IVoti, eiaha e haere , Mr. Nott, don’t go, was his 
 
88 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 language to that individual, and such was also used to 
 others. His evident satisfaction was proportionate, 
 when he perceived that Mr. and Mrs. k<yre, and five of 
 the single Missionaries, resolved to continue in Tahiti. 
 
 On the 29th of March, those Missionaries who 
 intended to leave, bade their companions farewell; and, 
 during the night of the 30th, sailed from Matavai, and 
 proceeded to New South Wales. It is worthy of remark, 
 that this event, so destructive to the strength of the 
 Mission, crippling the efforts of its members, and 
 spreading a cloud over their future prospects, resulted 
 not from opposition to the efforts of the Missionaiies, 
 nor from any dispute between them and the priests 
 or people, on subjects connected with the idolatry of 
 the latter, but from their benevolent endeavours to 
 serve those, whom purposes of commerce had brought 
 to their shores, and whom adverse weather had reduced 
 to circumstances of distress—a class of individuals 
 whom the Missionaries, in those seas, have ever been 
 ready to succour, but who, with some gratifying excep¬ 
 tions, have not always honourably requited that kind¬ 
 ness to which, in some instances, they have owed their 
 own preservation. 
 
 The decision of those who left Tahiti, may, to some, 
 perhaps, appear premature, but it is not easy to form a 
 correct estimate of the dangers to which they were 
 exposed. They were well aware of many; but there 
 were others, actually existing, of which they were then 
 unconscious. Otu, called Pomare since his father s 
 death, has often, during the latter years of his life, told 
 Mr. Nott, that after the departure of the Duff, frequently, 
 when he has been carried on men’s shoulders round 
 the residence of the Missionaries, Peter the Swede, who 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 89 
 
 has been with him, has said, when the Missionaries 
 were kneeling down in prayer, at their morning or 
 evening family worship, “See, they are all down on 
 their knees, quite defenceless; how easily your people 
 might rush upon them, and kill them all, and then then- 
 property would be yours.” And it is a melancholy 
 fact, that the influence of unprincipled and profligate 
 foreigners, has been more fatal to the Missionaries, 
 more demoralizing to the natives, more inimical to the 
 introduction of Christianity, and more opposed to its 
 establishment, than all the prejudices of the people in 
 favour of idolatry, and all the attachment of the priests 
 to the interests of their gods. 
 
 However much those who remained might have been 
 affected by the departure of so many of their com¬ 
 panions, they felt no disposition to abandon the field, 
 or relax their endeavours for the benefit of the people. 
 Pomare had not only sent an atonement and a peace¬ 
 offering, but, even before the Missionaries sailed, had 
 made war upon the district, and had killed two of the 
 men who had been engaged in assaulting them. This 
 was, indeed, a matter of regret to the Missionaries; but 
 i 1 was also an evidence of his displeasure at the treatment 
 they had received. On his assurances of protection, 
 those who remained reposed the most entire confidence ; 
 which, during his subsequent life, his conduct uniformly 
 warranted. Committing their persons to the merciful 
 and watchful providence of God, and, under him, to the 
 friendly chiefs who had manifested so much concern for 
 their safety; they had sent all the fire-arms, ammunition, 
 and other weapons, possessed by the Society, on board 
 the Nautilus, excepting two muskets, which they pre¬ 
 sented to Pomare and Idia. To the former they gave 
 
 N 
 
 % 
 
90 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 up their public stores, and all the property they 
 possessed, together with the smith s shop, and the 
 tools. They also offered Pomare their private property, 
 but he refused to take it; informing them, that so 
 long as they remained, every thing in the store-room 
 should be at their command; but that, in the event of 
 their leaving the island, he should consider whatevei 
 remained as his own. On a subsequent occasion, when 
 he feared, that on account of a destructive war then 
 prevailing, they might leave, he directed them to take 
 their property with them ; hereby evincing the most 
 disinterested friendship, and a desire to alleviate, rathei 
 than profit by, their distresses. Their situation was cri¬ 
 tical, but in a letter which they forwarded on this occasion 
 to the Society, they express firm confidence in God, 
 unabated attachment to their work, and contentment with 
 such means of support as the country afforded. 
 
 Not long after the departure of the Nautilus, it was 
 reported, that in order to avenge the death of the two 
 men he had killed, the people of Pare had declared war 
 against Pomare. He applied to the Missionaries for 
 assistance, and, entering the room in which they were 
 assembled, inquired how many of them knew how to 
 make war. Mr. Nott replied “ We know nothing of war.” 
 Pomare withdrew, and they afterwards agreed not to 
 resort to the use of arms, either for offence or defence. 
 Their determination was made known to their friends; 
 and, as no dissatisfaction appeared, they were led to hope 
 that they should be permitted peaceably to prosecute their 
 labours, without any further solicitation on the subject. 
 A native who had assisted in the smith’s shop was 
 enabled, after the departure of the Missionaries, who had 
 used the forge, to make fish-hooks, adzes, and a number 
 
» 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 91 
 
 of useful iron articles; but the skill lie had acquired, 
 instead of being employed to promote the industry, 
 civilization, and comfort of his countrymen, was soon 
 applied to purposes of barbarity and murder; and the 
 Missionaries beheld with regret that he was often em¬ 
 ployed in manufacturing not only useful tools, but 
 weapons for battle. 
 
 Pomare subsequently made war upon the inhabitants 
 of Pare, where the Europeans had been plundered : the 
 people were defeated, fourteen of them killed, and forty 
 or fifty of their houses burnt. 
 
 Eive months after the departure of the Missionaries in 
 the Nautilus, two large vessels were seen standing towards 
 Matavai bay. As soon as they hoisted English colours, 
 the natives were thrown into the greatest consternation, 
 and, packing up whatever they could carry away, aban¬ 
 doned their houses, and were seen in every direction fly¬ 
 ing towards the mountains. Being asked their reasons 
 for such a proceeding, they answered, that seeing two 
 large English ships, they apprehended they were come 
 to revenge the assault upon the Missionaries. After many 
 assurances to the contrary, their fears seemed to be 
 re moved. When the Captains came on shore in the 
 evening, they were welcomed by the Missionaries, and 
 introduced to the chiefs, whose familiarity and cheer¬ 
 fulness soon evinced that every feeling of suspicion had 
 subsided. These vessels were the Cornwall and the Sally 
 oi London, South Sea whalers. As the ships were 
 in repair, and the crews in health, they remained only 
 three days in the harbour, and sailed from the island on 
 the 2/th of August ; having made a number of presents 
 to the chiefs, they did not leave any of their crews on 
 shore, which was a matter of great satisfaction to the Mis- 
 
92 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 sionaries, who had beheld with regret the baneful in¬ 
 fluence of unprincipled seamen, on the minds and habits 
 of the people. 
 
 From one of these ships, Oripaia, a chief of Papara, and 
 rival of Pomare, had received a large quantity of gun¬ 
 powder as a present. The powder being coarser in the 
 grain than what the natives had been accustomed to 
 receive, they imagined either that it was not powder, or 
 that it was a very inferior kind. In order to satisfy 
 themselves, Oripaia proposed to one of his attendants to 
 try it. A pistol was loaded, and fired over the whole 
 heap of powder they had received, and around which the 
 chief and his attendants were sitting. A spark fell from 
 the pistol, and the whole of the powder instantly ex¬ 
 ploded. As soon as the natives had recovered from the 
 shock, perceiving the powder adhering to their limbs, 
 they attempted to rub it off, but found the skin peel off 
 with it; they then plunged into an adjacent river. Six 
 of the natives were severely injured, and Oripaia with 
 one of his attendants died. As soon as Pomare was 
 acquainted with the accident, he begged Mr. Broomhall 
 to visit the house in which the accident had occurred, 
 and endeavour to relieve the sufferers. The chief appeared 
 in a most affecting state, dreadfully scorched with the 
 powder; Mr. Broomhall employed such applications 
 as he supposed likely to alleviate his sufferings; 
 these, however, increased, and both the chief and his 
 wife attributed his pains, not to the effects of the explo¬ 
 sion, but to the remedies applied, or rather to the poison 
 imagined to be infused into the application by the god 
 of the foreigners. This not only aroused the jealousy of 
 the chief, and the rage of Otu, but had nearly cost Mr. 
 Broomhall and his companions their lives, and made 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 93 
 
 the Missionaries extremely cautious in administering 
 medicine to any of the chiefs. Native remedies were 
 now applied, to relieve the sufferings of Oripaia, but they 
 were unavailing, and, after languishing for some time in 
 the greatest agony, he expired. The body of the deceased 
 chief was embalmed by a process peculiar to the inhabit¬ 
 ants of the South Sea Islands. It was placed on a kind of 
 platform; and a number of superstitious ceremonies were 
 observed. During the performance of these rites, 
 Pomare’s orator, and some of the inhabitants of Matavai, 
 used insulting expressions in reference to the corpse; 
 which so incensed Otu, that, aided by the chief priest, 
 he immediately made war upon the district of Matavai. 
 Late in the evening, the Missionaries and people had 
 some intimation of his intention : before daylight the next 
 morning, the attack was commenced at one end of the 
 district; the inhabitants fled before the assailants; and by 
 sunrise, the warriors of Otu had scoured the district from 
 one end to the other, driving before them every inha¬ 
 bitant, excepting a few in the immediate vicinity of the 
 Missionary dwellings. Several warriors, with clubs and 
 spears, surrounded the Missionary house, but its inmates 
 " mained unmolested; and in the course of the day, 
 Haamanemane arrived, and assured the Mission family 
 no evil was designed against them. In the evening 
 they were also visited in an amicable manner by Otu 
 and his queen. 
 
 In connexion with this attack upon the district of 
 Matavai, which belonged to Pomare, Otu and Haamane- 
 mane declared that Pomare was deprived of all authority 
 in the larger peninsula. The districts on the west and 
 south side declared for Otu, and those on the western 
 'vere threatened with invasion in the event of refusal. 
 
94 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 In the division of the territory thus seized, the chief 
 priest received the eastern part of Matavai; but he did 
 not long enjoy it, he was murdered, as already stated, very 
 shortly afterwards. This event gave a new aspect to poli¬ 
 tical affairs in the island, and appeared to unite in one 
 interest Otu and Pomare his father. The inhabitants of 
 Matavai left their places of retreat, and, having presented 
 their peace-offering, re-occupied their lands. The Mis¬ 
 sionaries resumed their attempts to instruct the natives, 
 but found the acquisition of the language so difficult, 
 and the insensibility of the people so great, that they 
 were exceedingly discouraged. Some of the natives, 
 however, were led to inquire how it "was that Cook, 
 Vancouver, Bligh, and other early visitors, had never told 
 them any of those things which they heard from the 
 teachers now residing with them. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1799? the Missionaries 
 were called to the melancholy duty of conveying to the 
 silent grave, under very distressing circumstances, Mr. 
 Lewis, one of their number, and the first Missionary who 
 had terminated his life on the shores of Tahiti. He 
 landed from the ship Duff in 1797? continued to labour 
 with his companions, respected and useful, until about 
 three months after the departure of the Nautilus with 
 the families to Port Jackson, when he left the Mis¬ 
 sion house, and took up his residence with a taio, or 
 friend, in the eastern part of the district. Three weeks 
 afterwards, he intimated to his companions his inten¬ 
 tion of uniting in marriage with a native of the island, 
 solemnly purposing to abide faithful towards her until death. 
 Considering her an idolatress, the Missionaries deemed 
 this an inconsistent and unlawful act, but Mr. Lewis, per¬ 
 severing in his determination, they dissolved the con- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 95 
 
 nexion that had subsisted between him and themselves, 
 as members of the church of Christ, and discontinued 
 all Christian and social intercourse with him. He 
 was still constant in attendance on public worship, 
 industrious in the culture of his garden, and in working 
 for the king and principal chiefs, who were evidently 
 much attached to him. On the 23d of November, the 
 Missionaries heard he had died on the preceding evening. 
 They hastened to his house, and found the corpse lying 
 on a bed; the forehead and face considerably disfigured 
 with wounds, apparently inflicted with a stone and a 
 sharp instrument. The female with whom he had lived 
 as his wife, informed them that he went out of the 
 house on the preceding evening, and that hearing a 
 noise shortly afterwards, she hastened to the spot 
 whence it proceeded, and saw him on the pavement in 
 front of the house, beating his head against the stones. 
 On looking at that part of the pavement where he had 
 fallen, one or two of the stones were stained with 
 blood. Some of the natives said that he had acted as 
 if insane, others that the evil spirit had entered into 
 him ; but, from several expressions that were used, there 
 was reason to apprehend he had been murdered. 
 
 Assisted by two or three natives, Mr. Bicknell and 
 Mr. Nott dug his grave in a spot near their dwelling on 
 the north side of Matavai bay, which had been selected 
 as a place of interment. On the evening of the 
 29th of November, 1799, Mr. Nott, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. 
 Eyre, and Mr. Bicknell, bore his remains to the grave, 
 where Mr. Harris read the xcth Psalm, and offered up an 
 appropriate prayer to Almighty God. The circumstances 
 of his death w r ere truly affecting, and the feelings of the 
 Missionaries such as it would be in vain to attempt to 
 
96 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 describe. They have since learned that he was murdered, 
 and some of them have also regretted that after his sepa¬ 
 ration, that kindness and friendly intercourse were not 
 continued, which might perhaps, without compromise of 
 character, have been consistently maintained. Pomare, 
 considering himself the protector of the Missionaries, 
 though he did not appear to think he had been murdered, 
 yet proposed, if it appeared to the survivors that such 
 had been the fact, to destroy the inhabitants of the 
 district ; and so much did many of the latter fear 
 such an event, that several fled to the mountains. The 
 Missionaries, considering that in such retaliation the 
 innocent would suffer with the guilty, interposed, and 
 prevailed upon the king to spare the district, but to 
 punish the guilty whenever they might he discovered. 
 
 Scarcely were the remains of Mr. Lewis consigned to 
 the silent grave, when an event occurred, which again 
 reduced the number of this already weakened hand. 
 The Betsy of London, a letter of marque, arrived with 
 a Spanish brig her prize, with which she was proceed¬ 
 ing from South America to Port Jackson. The com¬ 
 mander of the Betsy having intimated his intention of 
 returning in five or six months, Mr. Harris proposed 
 to his companions to visit New South Wales; and 
 on the 1st of January 1800, he sailed from Matavai bay, 
 intending to return when the ship should revisit the 
 islands. By this conveyance, the remaining Missionaries 
 wrote an account of their circumstances and their pros¬ 
 pects to the directors in London, stating, that although 
 they had not acquired a sufficient knowledge of the 
 language to enable them publicly to preach the gospel, 
 they had observed, whenever they had conversed with the 
 natives, that though they could perceive the difference 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. Q 7 
 
 between Christianity and paganism, their attachment 
 to the abominations of the latter was too strong to 
 
 be removed by any other influence than that of the Spirit 
 of God. 
 
 Anxious to avoid unnecessary expenditure, they had on 
 a former occasion written, to prevent the Society’s incur¬ 
 ring any further expense on their account, as their re¬ 
 maining on the island was uncertain ; but now, as 
 there was a prospect of peaceable continuance, and the 
 liberal supply they had taken out in the Duff, being, by 
 plunder, presents, &c. nearly expended, they found it 
 necessary to apply for a few articles for their own use, 
 and others for presents to the chiefs, whom they de¬ 
 scribed as daily visiting their dwellings, and treating 
 them with kindness. 
 
 Five days after the departure of the Betsy, the Mis¬ 
 sionaries had the satisfaction to welcome again to their 
 Society, Mr. and Mrs. Henry ; who returned from Port 
 Jackson in the Eliza, a South Sea whaler. Mr. Henry 
 was the only one of the number who had left, that 
 resumed his labours in Tahiti. By his arrival, the Mis¬ 
 sionaries received the pleasing intelligence of the Duff’s 
 second destination to Tahiti, and were led to expect with 
 Iht arrival a reinforcement of labourers, and the various 
 supplies of which they stood so much in need. Having 
 repaired the vessel and recruited his stores, the captain 
 sailed from Tahiti on the 14th of January, leaving on 
 the island three of his seamen, whose influence among 
 the inhabitants in general was soon found to be most 
 unfavourable. 
 
 Hitherto, the public worship of God had been per¬ 
 formed in one of the apartments of the Mission-house, 
 but as it appeared expedient to erect a place for this 
 
 o 
 
98 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 specific object, to which also the natives might have 
 access for the purpose of religious instruction, a spot 
 was selected near the grave of Mr. Lewis; and on the 
 5th of March 1797, with the assistance of a number of 
 Pomare’s men, they commenced the erection of their 
 chapel. The chiefs procured most of the materials, and 
 when it was nearly finished, Pomare sent a jish as an 
 off* 'ing to Jesus Christ, requesting that it might he hung 
 up in their new chapel. This was the first building ever 
 erected on the South Sea Islands, for the worship of the 
 living God; and although the Missionaries were cheered 
 with the hope of often beholding it filled with attentive 
 hearers or Christian worshippers, they were obliged to 
 pull it dow T n early in the year 1802, to prevent its afford¬ 
 ing shelter to their enemies, or being set on fire by the 
 rebels, by which their own dwelling might have been 
 destroyed. 
 
 The pleasing anticipations which the Missionaries had 
 been led to indulge in connexion with the second visit 
 of the Duff, were destroyed by the arrival of the 
 Albion, in Matavai bay on the 27tli of December in the 
 same year. Her commander, Captain Bunker, brought 
 them no letters from England, but conveyed the melan¬ 
 choly tidings of the capture of the Duff by a French 
 privateer. He also delivered from Mr. Harris, who was 
 settled in Norfolk Island, a letter acquainting them with 
 the murder of three of the Missionaries in the Friendly 
 Islands, the departure of one, the flight of the rest to 
 Port Jackson, and the total destruction of the Tonga 
 Mission. Their own circumstances were by no means 
 prosperous; they had heard but once from England; 
 they were expecting every day the arrival of the Duff with 
 cheering tidings and additional aid; but the intelligence 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 99 
 
 now received, not only disappointed their hopes, but de¬ 
 pressed their spirits, and darkened their prospects. In the 
 letter sent at this time to the directors, they express their 
 anxiety to hear from England, their conviction of the 
 facilities tkatwould be afforded towards the establishing the 
 gospel in Tahiti and the neighbouring islands, if they were 
 joined by a body of Missionaries and an experienced 
 director, and recommended that a surgeon and several 
 mechanics should be included in the number of those 
 who might be sent. 
 
 The Albion had scarcely sailed, when large fleets of 
 canoes, filled with fighting men, arrived, and the island 
 was agitated with the apprehension of hostilities between 
 the king and chiefs. The removal of Oro, the national 
 idol, from Pare to Atehuru, was the cause of the 
 threatened conflict: ammunition was prepared ; a large 
 assembly of chiefs and warriors met at Pare; and it was 
 daily expected that the long concealed elements of war 
 would there explode, and plunge the nation in anarchy 
 and bloodshed. At this critical period, his majesty's 
 ship, Porpoise, arrived in Matavai bay. The letter and 
 presents Pomare received by this conveyance from the 
 g< rnor of New South Wales, and the attentions paid 
 to him by the commander of the vessel, tended, in no 
 small degree, to confirm Otu in his government, and to 
 intimidate his enemies. 
 
 The governors of the colony of New South Wales 
 have uniformly manifested the most friendly concern 
 for the safety of the Missionaries, and the success of 
 the several Missions in the South Seas. On the present 
 occasion. Governor King, in a letter to Pomare, re¬ 
 marked, that he could e( not too strongly recommend to 
 his kind protection, the society of Missionaries whom 
 
100 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 he had taken under his care;” and that, “ such protec- 
 tion could not fail to excite the gratitude of the 
 Missionaries, and the friendship of King Geoige. 
 Governor iMaccpiarie, his successor, manifested the 
 same kindness towards the Missionaries, and an 
 equal regard for the welfare and security of the natives. 
 In order to protect the inhabitants of New Zealand and 
 the South Sea Islands from the oppression, violence, 
 and murder, of unprincipled and lawless Europeans, 
 he issued, in December, 1813, an order, alike creditable 
 to the enlightened policy of his administration, and the 
 benevolence of his heart. A copy was brought to the 
 Society Islands, and is here inserted. 
 
 Government and General Orders, dated Dec. 1, 1813. 
 
 “ No ship or vessel shall clear out from any of the ports within this 
 territory, (New South Wales,) for New Zealand, or any other island in 
 the South Pacific, unless the Master, if of British or Indian, or the 
 Master and Owners, if of Plantation Registry, shall enter into bonds 
 with the Naval Officer, under £1000 penalty, that themselves and crew 
 shall properly demean themselves towards the natives; and not commit 
 acts of trespass on their gardens, lands, habitations, burial grounds, 
 tombs, or properties, and not make war, or at all interfere in their 
 quarrels, or excite any animosities among them, but leave them to the 
 free enjoyment of their rites and ceremonies; and not take from the 
 islands any male native, without his own and his chief’s and parents’ 
 consent; and shall not take from thence any female native, without the 
 like consent—or, in case of shipping any male natives, as mariners, 
 divers, &c. then, at their own request at any time, to discharge them, first 
 paying them all wages, &c. And, the natives of all the said islands 
 being under His Majesty’s protection, all acts of rapine, plunder, piracy, 
 murders, or other outrages against their persons or property, will, upon 
 conviction, be severely punished.” 
 
 In reference to another Order resembling this, and 
 issued Nov. 19, 1814, it is declared, that— 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 101 
 
 “Any neglect or disobedience of these Orders, will subject the 
 offenders to be proceeded against with the utmost rigour of the law, on 
 their return thither, (viz. New South Wales;) and, those who shall return 
 to England, without first resorting to this place, will be reported to His 
 Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies, and such documents trans¬ 
 mitted, as will warrant their being equally proceeded against and 
 punished.” 
 
 Although the justice and humanity of the governor of 
 New South Wales were so distinctly manifested in the 
 foregoing Orders, these regulations were found in¬ 
 sufficient to prevent outrage upon the natives, from the 
 masters and crews of vessels visiting the islands: an 
 act was therefore passed in the British parliament, in the 
 month of June, 181/, entitled, “An Act of the 5/th of the 
 King, for the more effectual punishment of Murders and 
 Manslaughters committed in places not within His 
 Majesty’s dominions.” As it is a document important to 
 the peace and security of the inhabitants of Polynesia, I 
 deem no apology necessary, for inserting it nearly entire. 
 In the preamble of the bill, it is stated, 
 
 “ That grievous murders and manslaughters had been committed in 
 th* S' uth Pacific Ocean, as well on the high seas, as on land, in the 
 islands of New Zealand and Otaheite, and in other islands, countries, and 
 places, not within His Majesty’s dominions, by the masters and crews of 
 British ships, and other persons, who have, for the most part, deserted 
 from, or left their ships, and have continued to live and reside amongst 
 the inhabitants of these islands; whereby great violence has been done, 
 and a general scandal and prejudice raised against the name and character 
 of British and other European traders: And, whereas, such crimes and 
 offences do escape unpunished, by reason of the difficulty of bringing to 
 trial the persons guilty thereof: For remedy whereof, be it enacted by 
 the King’s most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of 
 the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons, in this present 
 parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that from and 
 
102 
 
 / 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 after the passing of this Act, all murders and manslaughters committed, or 
 that shall be committed, in the said islands of New Zealand and Otaheite, or 
 within any other islands, countries, or places, not within His Majesty’s 
 dominions, nor subject to any European state or power, nor within the 
 territory of the United States of America, by the master or crew of any 
 British ship, or vessel, or any of them, or by any person sailing in, or 
 belonging thereto 5 or that shall have sailed in, or belonged to, and have 
 quitted any British ship, or vessel, to live in any of the said islands, 
 countries, or places, or either of them, or that shall be there living, shall 
 and mav be tried, and adjudged, and punished, in any of His Majesty s 
 islands, plantations, colonies, dominions, forts, or factories, under or by 
 virtue of the King’s commission, or commissions, which shall have been, 
 or may hereafter be issued, under and by virtue, and in pursuance, of an 
 Act passed in the forty-sixth year of His present Majesty, entitled, an Act 
 for the more speedy trial of offences committed in distant countries, or 
 
 upon the sea.” 
 
 By the Porpoise, they also received the agreeable 
 intelligence that a ship, with a reinforcement of Mission¬ 
 aries, and necessary supplies from England, was on her 
 way to the islands. In the afternoon of the 10th of 
 July, 1801, the Royal Admiral, commanded by Captain 
 W. Wilson, anchored in the bay, having a number of 
 Missionaries on board, together with supplies and letters 
 from their friends and the directors, from whom they 
 had heard only once, during the four years they had 
 dwelt on the island. Mr. Shelly, one of the Missionaries 
 who had been stationed in the Friendly Islands, but had 
 escaped to New South Wales, returned to I ahiti in this 
 ship, and was cordially welcomed by the Missionaries, 
 along with those who had arrived from England. 
 
 On the 13th of July, 1801, Captain Wilson, and the 
 eight Missionaries from England, landed near Point 
 Venus, and were introduced to Otu, Pomare, and other 
 principal chiefs, by whom they weie welcomed to Fahiti. 
 Pomare said he cvas pleased with their arrival, and ex- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 103 
 
 pressed his willingness that others should join them. 
 The gratification he expressed on their landings however, 
 did not arise from any desire after religious instruction, 
 for in this interview he spoke of their engaging in war 
 with him, and probably rejoiced in their arrival only as a 
 means of increasing the strength of his influence, and 
 the stability of his government. After remaining about 
 three weeks at Tahiti, and assisting the society in their 
 regulations by his counsel, and in the preparation of 
 their houses by the carpenters of the ship, Captain 
 Wilson sailed from Matavai on the 31st of July. With 
 him, Mr. Broomhall left Tahiti for China or India. He 
 had been above five years on the island, having arrived 
 in the Duff, in 1/9/. He was an intelligent, active 
 young man, 24 years of age, had been highly serviceable 
 to the Mission, and was respected by the natives until 
 about twelve months prior to the arrival of the Royal 
 Admiral, when he intimated his doubts as to the reality 
 of Divine influence on the mind, and the immortality of 
 the soul. His companions endeavoured to remove his 
 scepticism; but failing in their efforts, he was separated 
 from their communion, having on several occasions 
 j ! *licly declared his sentiments to be deistical. He 
 then lived some time with a native female, as his wife, 
 but was soon left by her; and, on the arrival of Captain 
 Wilson, requested permission to leave the island in his 
 ship. His departure from the island, under such cir¬ 
 cumstances, although desirable on account of the in¬ 
 fluence of his principles and conduct on the minds of 
 the inhabitants, could not but be peculiarly distressing 
 to those he left behind. They followed him with their 
 compassionate regard and their prayers, and, after a num¬ 
 ber of years, learned that he had been engaged in a vessel 
 
104 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 trading in the Indian seas; that he had at length made 
 himself known to the Baptist Missionaries at Serampoie, 
 from whom they heard that he had renounced his 
 erroneous sentiments, and professed his belief in the 
 
 truth of the Christian revelation. 
 
 The circumstances which follow, relative to the 
 penitence of this unhappy man, are taken from the 
 
 Circular Letters” published by the Baptist Missionaiy 
 Society. In one of these, dated Calcutta, May, 8, 1809, 
 the writer says, 
 
 “ W r e have lately seen the gracious hand of God stretched out in a most 
 remarkable manner, in the recovery of a backsliding Missionary, after 
 nine years of wandering from God. This person had been chosen with 
 others for an arduous undertaking; had been set apart to the great work, 
 and had engaged in it to a considerable extent; having acquired a tolerable 
 knowledge of the language in which he was to preach to the heathen. 
 At this period, he fell into open iniquity; and embraced a gloomy state of 
 infidelity, the frequent consequence of backsliding from God.” 
 
 Having left the Mission and gone to sea, se\ eral 
 alarming incidents, particularly the breaking of his 
 thigh at Madras, and a severe illness in Calcutta, tended 
 to awaken him to a sense of his danger. But, although 
 he held a correspondence with several serious persons, 
 he studiously concealed his previous character and his 
 name. At length, after writing a long letter, in which 
 he describes the anguish of his mind with dieadful 
 minuteness, he obtained a private interv iew w ith Hi • 
 Marshman and Mr. Ward, of which the following is the 
 
 result. 
 
 « At the time appointed, he called on brother Marshman, at hi other 
 Carey’s rooms, and, after a little conversation on the state of his soul, 
 he added, You now behold an apostate Missionary. I am-, who 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 105 
 
 left his brethren nine years ago. Is it possible you can behold me 
 without despising me ?—The effect which this discovery of Divine mercy 
 displayed to a backslider, had on brother Marshman’s mind, can better 
 be conceived than described. It for the moment took away the anguish 
 occasioned by a note that instant received from Serampore, saying that 
 brother Carey was at the point of death! Brother Marshman entreated 
 this returning prodigal to be assured of the utmost love on our part; 
 encouraged him in his determination to return to his Missionary 
 brethren, and promised to intercede on his behalf, both with his 
 brethren, and those who sent him out.” 
 
 Soon after the above interview, Mr. Broomhall em¬ 
 barked on another voyage to some port in India, purposing, 
 on his return, to dispose of his vessel, and devote the 
 remainder of his days to the advancement of that cause 
 which he had abandoned; but from that voyage he 
 never returned: neither Mr. Broomhall nor his vessel 
 was ever afterwards heard of,—it being supposed the 
 vessel foundered, and all on board perished. 
 
 p 
 
IOC 
 
 rOLYN ESI AN RESEARCHES. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 First preaching in the native language—National council in Atehuru— 
 Seizure of the idol Oro—Rebellion of the Oropa—Introduction of use¬ 
 ful foreign fruits and vegetables—Providential arrival of two vessels— 
 Battle of Pare—King’s camp attacked, Oro retaken—Mission-house 
 garrisoned w r ith seamen, &c.—Desolation of the war—Death of the 
 king’s brother—Ravages of foreign diseases—Death of Pomare— 
 Sketch of his character—Otu assumes the name of his late father— 
 Origin of the regal name—Efforts to instruct the children—Death of 
 the queen—Compilation of the first spelling-book—First school for 
 teaching reading and writing—Arrival of the Hawkesbury—Death 
 of Mr. Jefferson—Mr. Nott’s visit to the Leeward Islands—Rebellion 
 in Matavai—Defeat of the king—Departure of the majority of the Mis¬ 
 sionaries—Abandonment of the Mission. 
 
 Anxious to increase the resources of the islands, 
 those who had arrived in the Royal Admiral had brought 
 with them a variety of useful seeds, with plants of the 
 vine, the fig, and the peach-tree, from Port Jackson, 
 which were planted in the Mission garden. Many of 
 the seeds grew, and the vegetables produced added a 
 pleasing variety to the indigenous productions of the 
 country. The vine, the peach, and the fig, appeared to 
 thrive very well; but in the war which broke out shortly 
 after, the fences were broken down, the plants torn up, 
 or trodden under foot, and the garden entirely destroyed. 
 Pineapples and water melons, of which the natives 
 seemed remarkabky fond, were preserved amidst the 
 general devastation. The pineapple grew luxuriantly 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 107 
 
 in several parts of Tahiti; and though the natives were 
 told it was palatable food, they were so mistaken in 
 the nature of the fruit, that they baked numbers of 
 them, in their native ovens, before they attempted to 
 eat any undressed. 
 
 The Missionaries who had arrived in the Duff, had now 
 acquired so much of the language as to be able to preach 
 to the natives in their own tongue, and to engage in the 
 catechetical instruction of the children. In these exercises 
 they did not confine themselves to the inhabitants of their 
 own vicinity, but visited the adjacent districts; and, in 
 the month of March, 1802, Mr. Nott, accompanied by 
 Mr. Elder, made the first Missionary tour of Tahiti, for 
 the purpose of instructing the inhabitants. They were, 
 in general, hospitably entertained, and had many op¬ 
 portunities of speaking to the people, who frequently 
 listened with attention, and often made inquiries, either 
 while the preacher was speaking, or after the service 
 had ended. They seemed interested in the account of 
 the creation, and deeply affected with the exhibition of 
 Jesus Christ, as the true atonement for sin; instead of 
 pearls, or pigs, or other offerings, which they had been 
 
 ustomed to consider as the best means of propitiating 
 l heir deities. Some said they desired to pray to the true 
 God, but were afraid the gods of Tahiti would destroy 
 them if they did: others remarked, that the Duff came 
 last among the ships, and that, if the gospel had been 
 conveyed by the first ship, the gods of feathers, as they 
 denominated their idols, would long ago have been 
 destroyed: and one of the principal chiefs, at whose 
 residence they spent the night, observed to the natives 
 around, that he believed they had the true foundation, 
 or source of knowledge. 
 
108 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 On their return home, they passed through the district 
 of Atehuru, and found the king, Pomare, and all the 
 chiefs and warriors of the land, assembled at the great 
 Marae, where a number of ceremonies were performing 
 in honour of Oro, the great national idol. As they 
 passed the Marae, they saw a number of hogs on the 
 altar, and several human sacrifices placed in the trees 
 around; and when they reached the spot where the chiefs 
 were assembled, they found Pomare offering five or six 
 large pigs to Oro, on board a sacred canoe, in which the 
 ark, or residence of the idol, was placed. Notwithstand¬ 
 ing his being thus engaged, they told him Jehovah alone 
 was God, that pigs were not acceptable to him as offer¬ 
 ings, that Jesus Christ was the true atonement for sin, 
 and that God was offended with them for killing men. 
 The chief at first seemed unwilling, but at last said he 
 would attend to their religion. 
 
 On the following day, when the king, chiefs, and 
 people, were assembled within the temple, Otu and his 
 father, pretending to have received intimation that Oro 
 wished to be conveyed to Tautira, in Taiarabu, Pomare 
 addressed the chiefs of Atehuru, requesting them to 
 give him up; but the orators of the Atehuruan chiefs 
 resisted. Otu then demanded him, but the chiefs 
 still refused compliance. Pomare then recommended 
 his son, the king, to allow the Atehuruan chiefs 
 to retain the idol until a certain ceremony had been 
 performed. This the king declined, and again insisted 
 that Oro should be given up. This was still refused; 
 and, having asked for some time without effect, he rose 
 up in anger, and ordered his party to withdraw. A 
 number of his attendants rushed upon the canoes, others 
 seized the god by force, tore him away from the people 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 109 
 
 of Atehuru, and bore him towards the sea. This was 
 not only the signal for war, but the commencement of 
 hostilities. The Atehuruans fled to the valley, and the 
 king and Pomare set sail with their fleet to the place of 
 rendezvous; and, lest Oro should feel indignant at the 
 treatment he had received, a human sacrifice was 
 ordered; and, as no captive was at hand, one of Pomare’s 
 own servants was murdered, and offered, as soon as the 
 king reached the shore. The next morning, the fleet 
 sailed with the idol for Tautira, and the Missionaries 
 returned to their companions, with the tidings of these 
 threatening events. When the fleet reached Papara, 
 Pomare sent them w T ord that it was probable the 
 Atehuruans would attack them, and advised them to be 
 upon their guard. Ten days after, they heard that the 
 inhabitants of Ateliuru had invaded the district of Faa, 
 murdered those who had not escaped by flight, burnt 
 down the houses, and continued their murderous and 
 desolating course into the district of Pare, which joins 
 Matavai on the south. Here they drove out the inhabi¬ 
 tants, burned their habitations, and then returned to 
 heir own territory; not, however, without threatening 
 ' enter the district of Matavai, assault the Missionaries, 
 md plunder their property. 
 
 This rebellion, called in the annals of Tahiti, Te tamai 
 ia Rua, The war of Rua, (Rua being the name of the 
 principal leader of the rebellion,) was the most powerful 
 and alarming that had yet taken place; and the circum¬ 
 stances by which God providentially preserved the 
 Missionaries from its rage, and from inevitable ruin, 
 were remarkable. About six weeks before Mr. Nott 
 commenced his tour of Tahiti, the Norfolk, an armed 
 brig from Port Jackson, arrived at Matavai, and brought 
 
110 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shelly to join the Mission. About a week 
 after the arrival of the Norfolk, the Venus, another 
 colonial vessel, came into the bay, and left on shore 
 Captain Bishop and six seamen, to purchase pigs and salt 
 pork for Port Jackson, while Captain Bass pursued his 
 voyage to the Sandwich Islands, on the same errand. 
 About the 30th of March the Norfolk was wrecked in 
 Matavai bay, having been driven on shore by a heavy 
 gale of wind. The hull was destroyed, but all the stores 
 were preserved. Seventeen Englishmen were thus cast 
 ashore, and added to the number of those already 
 residing there. These, together with Captain Bishop 
 and his men, exposed to one common enemy, united 
 with the Missionaries for mutual defence; and to them, 
 under God, the Missionaries owed their preserva¬ 
 tion. Two or three hundred warriors came from Eimeo 
 to Pomare’s aid. They encamped in the northern part 
 of Pare, where they were joined by a number of the 
 inhabitants of those districts, favourable to his cause; 
 but they were attacked and driven in confusion before 
 the rebels towards Matavai, which had now become the 
 frontier district. 
 
 On the day of the engagement. Captain Bishop, with a 
 strong party, occupied the pass on the top of One-tree 
 Hill, arrested the progress of the victors, and favoured 
 the retreat of the vanquished, whose courage appeared to 
 have forsaken them, under the conviction that the god Oro 
 had fought with their enemies, and rendered them invincible. 
 The rebels did not attempt to enter the district, but sent 
 a messenger with proposals of alliance, offering the 
 English the government of Matavai, and the two districts 
 to the southward, which they had already ravaged. If 
 this was not agreed to, they demanded permission to 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Ill 
 
 march through the district to attack their enemies 
 beyond Matavai, and, in the event of refusal, declared 
 their intention of forcing a passage with the club and 
 the spear. The refugees from the conquered districts 
 had already sheltered themselves under the protection of 
 the Missionaries and their companions, and they would 
 have fallen a sacrifice to the cruelty of their enemies, 
 had these been allowed to pass through the district. 
 The English, therefore, acceded to the first proposition. 
 The Ateliuruans ratified the treaty, returned to their own 
 land, and thus afforded the foreigners at Matavai, and 
 those under their protection, a short respite from the 
 dread of immediate attack. Had the Missionaries been 
 the only Englishmen residing on the island at the time, 
 it is most probable the victors woidd not have been 
 checked by them in their career of conquest. They 
 would have prosecuted their march of destruction ; and, 
 as the Missionaries remark, they must have retreated, or 
 fallen a sacrifice to their fury. 
 
 Flushed with success, and animated with the belief 
 the god fought with them, the rebels, having 
 <>lfered in sacrifice the bodies of the slain, and united in 
 ir confederacy the districts of Papara, and the whole 
 •>f the south-west side of the larger peninsula, cross¬ 
 ed the isthmus, marched at once to Tautira, and 
 attacked the king and Pomare; who, ever since their 
 arrival with the idol they had seized in Atehuru, had 
 been engaged in offering human sacrifices, and, by other 
 acts of worship, propitiating the favour of Oro. The 
 rebels conducted their expedition with so much secrecy 
 and despatch, that the king was taken by surprise. 
 Notwithstanding this, the assailants were, in their first 
 onset, repulsed ; but, renewing their attack in the night 
 
| \2 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 although Pomare’s party had forty muskets, and those 
 in the hands of the rebels were not more than fourteen, 
 they threw the king’ s forces into confusion, killed a , 
 
 chief of influence, a near relative of Pomare’s, and, driving 
 his warriors to their canoes, retook the object of their 
 murderous contention, the image of Oro, and remained 
 masters of the whole of Tairabu, as well as of the 
 south and western side of the large peninsula. 
 
 Pomare, with his vanquished forces, pursued their 
 voyage to Matavai, where he and his son were received ; 
 
 with respect by Captain Bishop and his companions. 
 
 His affairs appeared desperate, and he entertained no j 
 
 thoughts of security, but by flight to Eimeo. When, ^ 
 
 however, he beheld the manner in which the English j 
 
 had prepared to defend themselves, if attacked; and was 
 assured by Captain Bishop, and his companions, that if 
 he ■was conquered, they were not \ and that they w ould , 
 
 support him in the present critical state of the nation, 
 and assist in the restoration of his government, his 
 prospects appeared to brighten, and he again indulged 
 the hope that his affairs might be retrieved. 
 
 The rebels were now masters of the greater part of the 
 island; and, as the Missionaries had every reason to believe 
 they would attempt the conquest of the remainder, and 
 knew that their establishment was the only point u here they 
 were likely to meet with the slightest resistance, they 
 neglected no means of defence. The Mission-house was 
 converted into a garrison. The enclosures of the garden 
 were destroyed, the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees cut 
 down, to prevent their affording shelter to the enemy, 
 and the means of annoyance from their muskets or their 
 slings. Their chapel was also pulled down, lest the 
 enemy should occupy it or burn it, and from it set fne 
 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 113 
 
 to their own dwelling. A strong paling, or stockade, 
 was planted round the house ; boards, covered with nails* 
 were sunk in the paths leading to it; and thither the 
 Missionaries, Captain Bishop, Captain House, commander 
 of the vessel that had been wrecked, and the seamen 
 under their orders, now retired, as they daily received 
 the most alarming accounts of the intention of the rebels 
 to make their next attack upon them. The veranda in 
 front of their dwelling was protected by chests, bedding, 
 and other articles, so as to afford a secure defence from 
 musket-balls; and the sides of the house, which were 
 only boarded, were fortified with similar materials. 
 Four brass cannon, which had been saved from the wreck 
 of the Norfolk, were fixed in two of the upper rooms, 
 and the inmates of the dwelling were placed under arms, 
 as far as the number of muskets would admit. The 
 Missionaries, as well as the seamen, stood sentinels 
 in turn, night and day, in order to prevent surprise. 
 Their situation at this time must have been most dis¬ 
 tressing. Independently of the desolation that surrounded 
 them, and the confusion and disquietude that must 
 m cessarily have attended their being all confined in one 
 * ise, together with the two captains and their seamen, 
 
 1 hey were daily expecting an attack. Sometimes they 
 heard that the rebels were entering Matavai from the 
 east, at other times from the west, and sometimes they 
 received intelligence that they had divided their forces, 
 and intended to commence the attack from two opposite 
 points at the same time. 
 
 Pomare erected some works on One-tree Hill, to 
 arrest their progress, should they attempt the district in 
 that direction; and, hearing they were still ravaging the 
 peninsula of Tairabu, sent a strong party to tabu-te ohua , 
 
 Q 
 
114 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 strike their encampment at home. His party readied 
 Atehuru, without molestation, late at night; and, after a 
 short concealment, falling upon the unconscious and 
 defenceless victims, under the cover of the darkness of 
 midnight, in two hours destroyed nearly two hundred 
 men, women, and children. The men who remained at 
 home, in times of war, were generally either aged or 
 sick, and incapable of bearing arms. This unprovoked 
 act of cruelty, on the part of Pomare, heightened to such 
 a degree the rage of the rebels, that they vowed the entire 
 
 destruction of the reigning family. 
 
 While the affairs of the island remained in this un¬ 
 settled state, the Nautilus arrived, and Pomare prevailing 
 on the captain to furnish him with a boat manned by 
 British seamen armed, went to Atehuru to present some 
 costly offering to Oro, whose favour he still considered 
 to be the only means of restoring his authority. 
 Although that idol was now in the hands of his enemies, 
 yet, as his errand was of a sacred charactoi, the Ateliu- 
 ruans, notwithstanding they would not admit him to the 
 temple, allowed him to present his offerings, which he 
 deposited on a part of the beach near the temple, and 
 peaceably retired. 
 
 When Pomare returned, he solicited from the captains, 
 men and arms to go against the insurgents ; and on the 
 3d of July, Captain Bishop and the mate of the Nautilus, 
 with twenty-three Europeans, well supplied with ammu¬ 
 nition, arms, and a four-pound cannon, accompanied 
 Pomare’s forces to the attack. All the Missionaries re¬ 
 mained at Matavai, excepting one, who accompanied 
 Captain Bishop as surgeon. On reaching Atehuru, they 
 found the rebels had taken refuge in their Pare or 
 natural fortress, about four miles and a half from the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 115 
 
 beach. This retreat was rendered by nature almost 
 impregnable to the native warriors, and the only avenues 
 leading to it being defended by the barriers its occupants 
 had thrown up, it appeared difficult, if not impossible, to 
 take it by storm, even with the foreign aid by which the 
 king was supported. After spending the day in almost 
 harmless firing at the enemy, the English and the natives 
 were on the point of embarking to return, when the 
 rebels having been decoyed from their encampment by 
 the daring and challenges of an active and courageous 
 young man, who had assumed the name of To-morrow 
 morning , chased him and his companions down to 
 the sea-side. Here they were checked by Pomare’s 
 musketeers, and retreated a few moments, when they 
 halted, and faced their pursuers; but on the arrival of the 
 English, they were seized with a panic, and fled. Seven¬ 
 teen of the rebel warriors, including Rua, one of their 
 leaders, were taken, and killed on the spot by Pomare ; 
 whose followers, according to their savage rules of war, 
 t reated their bodies with the most wanton brutality. 
 
 I *omare and his English allies marched the next morn- 
 ig to the strong-hold of the natives, and were much 
 ippointed at finding it filled with men determined 
 > defend it to the last. A female was sent, as a herald, 
 with a flag of truce to the warriors in the fortress, in¬ 
 forming them of the number slain, and proposing to 
 them the king’s terms of peace. Taatahee, the remaining 
 chief of the rebels, who was related to Pomare, directed her 
 t o tell him that when they had done to him, as they had 
 done to Rua the slain chief, then, and not till then, there 
 would be peace. As it appeared improbable that the 
 place could be attacked with advantage to the assailants, 
 and equally improbable that its occupants would accept any 
 
116 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 terms of capitulation that the king would offer. Captain 
 Bishop returned to Matavai, and on the day following 
 Pomare sailed about twelve miles towards Pare. Here 
 he fixed his encampment; and, although peace was not 
 concluded, hostilities appear to have been for some time 
 suspended. 
 
 Soon after the return of Captain Bishop, the Nautilus 
 sailed ; and the Venus having returned to Tahiti, on the 
 19th of the following month, Captain Bishop with his 
 men left the island. 
 
 Dreadful and alarming as these superstitious and 
 bloody contests had been, and though still exposed to 
 the horrors of savage war, the Missionaries, protected 
 in their work by the care of God, felt that they were 
 
 “-devote to God and truth, 
 
 And sworn to man’s eternal w'eal, beyond 
 Repentance sworn, or thought of turning back. 
 
 and determined, in dependence on Divine protection and 
 support, to maintain their station; diligently to labour 
 and patiently to wait for the reward of their toil. They 
 beheld, with deepest distress, their gardens destroyed, 
 their trees cut down, the fences they had reared with so 
 much care demolished, the country around a desolate 
 wilderness, and the inhabitants reduced to a state of 
 destitution and wretchedness; yet they could not con¬ 
 template the remarkable interposition of Providence, in 
 affording them the means of perfect security amidst 
 the surrounding destruction, without unmingled emotions 
 of admiration and gratitude. 
 
 The cessation of hostilities afforded the Missionaries a 
 respite from anxious watching, and allowed them to pur- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 117 
 
 sue their former avocations. Their gardens were again 
 enclosed, and such seeds as they had preserved were 
 committed to the ground. The study of the language, 
 which, under the guidance and assistance of Mr. Nott, 
 had been regularly pursued one or two evenings every 
 week, was resumed. In the instruction of the children, 
 the greatest difficulties had been experienced from the 
 restless unrestrained dispositions and habits of the 
 scholars, who, unaccustomed to any steady application or 
 to the least control, seldom attended to their lessons long 
 enough to derive any advantage from the efforts of their 
 teachers. As opportunity offered, the Missionaries also 
 preached to the people, and catechized the children. 
 The natives, however, continued their depredations on 
 the little remaining property of the Mission; and, in 
 order to deter others, one of them, who had been detected, 
 was publicly flogged by the king’s order. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1802, Mr. Jefferson 
 and Mr. Scott made the tour of Tahiti, for the pur¬ 
 pose of preaching to the people. In most of the places 
 they were hospitably entertained, though, on one occa- 
 M " i| i chief refused them lodging, because a former 
 ionary had not rewarded him for his attentions. 
 
 I * i ome instances, the natives appeared to listen with 
 attention and interest to their message, but they fre¬ 
 quently found great difficulty in inducing them to attend 
 and often observed with pain that their instructions 
 v, ere received with indifference or with ridicule. At 
 ° lie place, though the people on their first arrival wel- 
 comed them cordially, yet when they understood the 
 object of their visit, a very marked, and by no means 
 pleasing change, appeared in their behaviour, 
 lor many years, the first Missionaries were annoyed 
 
118 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 in almost all tlieir attempts to preach to the people. 
 Sometimes, when they had gone to every house in a vil¬ 
 lage, and the people promising to attend had left their 
 houses, they often found, on reaching the appointed place, 
 that only two or three had arrived there; at other times they 
 either talked all the while about their dress, complexion, 
 or features, and endeavoured to irritate them by false 
 insinuations as to the objects of their visit; or to excite 
 the mirth of their companions by ludicrous gestures, or 
 low 'witticisms on the statements that were made. 
 Brainard remarks, that while he was preaching, the 
 Indians sometimes played with his dog: but the first 
 teachers in Tahiti were often disturbed by a number of 
 natives bringing their dogs, and setting them to fight on 
 the outside of the circle they were addressing; or they 
 would bring their fighting cocks, and set them at each 
 other, so as completely to divert the audience, who would 
 at once turn with avidity from the Missionary, to the 
 birds or the dogs. On some occasions, while they have 
 been preaching, a number of Arcois , or strolling players, 
 passing by, have commenced their pantomime or their 
 dance, and drawn away every one of the hearers. At 
 such times, those who had stood round the Missionary 
 only to insult him by their insinuations, ridicule him by 
 their vulgar wit, or afflict his mind by their death like 
 apathy and indifference to the important truths he had 
 declared, have instantly formed a ring around the areois, 
 and have gazed on their exhibitions of folly and of vice 
 with interest and pleasure. 
 
 In addition to these sources of disturbance, they were 
 sometimes charged with being the authors of all the 
 disasters and suffering of the people, in consequence of 
 praying to their God, whom the natives called a bad God 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 119 
 
 when compared with Oro. Under these circumstances, 
 it required no small degree of forbearance and self- 
 possession, as well as patient toil, to persevere in 
 preaching the gospel among a people whose spirit and 
 conduct afforded so little encouragement to hope it 
 would ever be by them received. 
 
 Hitherto their labours had been confined to Tahiti; 
 but in December 1802, Mr. Bicknell, accompanied by 
 Mr. Wilson, made a voyage to Eimeo, and, travelling 
 round it, preached “ the unsearchable riches of Christ** 
 to its inhabitants, many of whom appeared to listen with 
 earnestness, and desired to be more fully instructed. 
 
 The same year, in the month of November, Teu, an aged 
 and respected chief, the father of Pomare, and the grand¬ 
 father of the king, died at his habitation not far from 
 the Mission-house. He was remarkably venerable in 
 his appearance, being tall and well made, his coun¬ 
 tenance open and mild, his forehead high, his hair 
 blanched with age, and his beard, as white as silver, 
 hanging down upon his breast.* He had led a quiet 
 an I peaceful life ever since the arrival of the Mission, 
 probably the oldest man in the island, and, what is 
 ' ' 1 unusual, died apparently from the exhaustion 
 
 •>i nature, or old age. He was esteemed by the 
 natives, and supposed to be a favourite with the gods, 
 but whenever the Missionaries had endeavoured to 
 p'uir into his benighted mind the rays of divine light 
 and truth, revealed in the sacred volume, it was a cir- 
 c iinstance deeply regretted by them, that he had gene¬ 
 rally manifested indifference or insensibility. 
 
 In the plate of the Cession of Matavai, lie appears standing on the 
 ngbf hand of the king, and immediately behind Pomare. 
 
120 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 The family at Matavai were exposed to trials not only 
 from the evils of war, the opposition of the heathen to their 
 instructions, but also from the false reports which were 
 circulated against them. An instance of this occurred 
 early in the following year, 1803, when the Unicorn, a 
 London ship, arrived on her return from the north-west 
 coast of America. Otu the king suddenly left Matavai, 
 and repaired to his dwelling in Pare, incensed against 
 some of the Missionaries, who, he had been informed, had 
 been endeavouring to excite prejudices in the mind of 
 the captain against him, that he might not receive any 
 presents, and had prevented him from giving the natives 
 the price they had asked for their pigs. This report was 
 most unfounded, and it was hoped the effects were soon 
 removed. 
 
 About this time the Margaret, in which Captain 
 Byers and Mr. Turnbull had visited the islands for pur¬ 
 poses of commerce, was wrecked on a reef about 200 miles 
 distant; Mr. Turnbull had remained in Tahiti; Captain 
 Byers, his officers, and crew, consisting of sixteen in¬ 
 dividuals, with the mate’s wife and child, safely reached 
 that island in a long kind of chest, or boat, which they 
 had built with the fragments of the wreck. 
 
 Towards the close of the last year, Otu’s brother 
 Teariinavahoroa, the young prince of Tairabu, removed 
 from the smaller peninsula in consequence of the increase 
 of his disorder, which appeared to be consumption. 
 Pomare, his mother, Idia, his brother and sister, and 
 the chiefs, paid him every attention ; human sacrifices 
 were offered; and both Pomare and Otu frequently 
 invoked their gods in his favour, and presented the most 
 costly offerings. For a number of days no fires were 
 allowed to be lighted, in order that these might be 
 
PC LYNESI AN R ES E A R C H ES. 
 
 121 
 
 effectual: but all were unavailing; the young chief, who 
 had scarcely arrived at the age of manhood, died in the 
 district of Pare on the 19th of June 1803. The Mis¬ 
 sionaries frequently visited him after his arrival in Pare, 
 and, as far as their scanty means would allow, ad¬ 
 ministered cordials suited to his languid state. They 
 were, however, most anxious to direct his mind to the 
 great Physician of souls, and to lead him to apply for 
 those remedies that would heal his spiritual maladies, 
 and prepare him for his approaching dissolution. 
 On this subject, they noticed with distress not only the 
 unwillingness of his friends that any thing should be said, 
 but also the insensibility of the young chieftain himself. 
 It was supposed by the people, that his illness and death 
 were occasioned by the incantations of Metia, a priest of 
 Oro, a famous wrestler and sorcerer, whose influence, 
 ceremonies, and prayers, had induced the evil spirits to 
 enter into the young prince, and destroy him. Coun¬ 
 ter ceremonies were performed; prayers, called faatere, 
 were offered, to drive the evil spirits from him, and 
 these, it was imagined, would all be unavailing, 
 Imiiki the Europeans direct his mind to any other 
 i irce, or offer on his behalf prayers to any other 
 god, and hence in part may have proceeded the aver¬ 
 sion of his friends to the presence and efforts of the 
 Missionaries. 
 
 Another large meeting of chiefs, priests, and warriors, 
 was held during the summer of 1803 at Atehuru, and 
 rumours of war were again spread through the land. 
 Here Otu once more demanded the body or image of 
 the great god Oro, which the chiefs agreed ultimately to 
 give up to the custody of the king, but which they were 
 not so ready at once to surrender. 
 
 R 
 
122 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 The state of the people was at this time most affecting. 
 Diseases, introduced by Europeans, were spreading, un¬ 
 mitigated, their destructive ravages, and some members of 
 almost every family were languishing under the influence 
 of foreign maladies, or dying in the midst of their days. 
 The survivors, jealous of the Missionaries, viewed them 
 as the murderers of their countrymen, under the supposi¬ 
 tion that these multiplied evils were brought upon them 
 by the influence of the foreigners with their God. 
 They did not scruple to tell them that He was killing the 
 people; but that by and by, when Oro gained the ascen¬ 
 dency, they should feel the effects of his vengeance. In 
 addition to the diseases resulting from their immorality, 
 there were others of a contagious and often fatal 
 character, to which the natives were formerly strangers. 
 These had been conveyed to the islands either by the 
 visits of ships, or the desertion of seamen afflicted with 
 them; they produced the most distressing sickness and 
 mortality among the people; and, although nothing could 
 be more absurdly imagined, yet, according to their ideas 
 of the causes of disease and death, that they originated 
 in the displeasure of some offended deity, or were in¬ 
 flicted in answer to the prayers of some malignant 
 enemy, they were, from the representations of some, and 
 the conjectures of others, led to suppose that these dis¬ 
 eases were sent by the God of the Missionaries, in 
 answer to their prayers, and because they would not 
 reject Oro, and join in their worship. 
 
 At this time an event transpired, which threatened at 
 first a revival of all the confusion and desolation of war. 
 This was the demise of Pomare, the father of Otu the 
 king. His death was sudden; he had taken his dinner, 
 and was proceeding with two of his attendants in a 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 123 
 
 single canoe towards the Dart, a vessel on the point of 
 sailing from the bay. While advancing towards the ship, 
 he felt a pain in his back, which occasioned him involun¬ 
 tarily to start in his seat; and, placing his hand on the 
 part affected, he fell forward in the canoe, and instantly 
 expired. The suddenness and circumstances of his death, 
 taken in connexion with the troubles in which he had 
 recently been engaged with the greater part of the people 
 oi the island, on account of his violent seizure of the idol 
 at Atehuru, strengthened in no small degree the idola¬ 
 trous veneration with which the natives regarded their 
 god; and the anger of Oro was by them supposed to be 
 the direct cause of Pomare’s death. 
 
 In person, Pomare, like most of the chiefs of the 
 South Sea Islands, was tall and stout; in stature he was 
 six feet four inches high, his limbs active and well pro¬ 
 portioned, his whole form and gait imposing. He was 
 often seen at Matavai, walking along with firm steady 
 steps, and using with ease as a walking-stick a club of 
 polished iron-wood, that would have been almost suffi¬ 
 cient for an ordinary native to have carried. His coun- 
 1 on nee was open and prepossessing, his conversation 
 1 *le, though his manner was grave and dignified. He 
 w, s originally only a chief of the district of Pare, but 
 his natural enterprise and ambition, together with the 
 attention shewn him by the commanders of British ves¬ 
 sels, their presents of fire-arms and ammunition, and the 
 aid of European seamen, especially the mutineers of the 
 Bounty, had enabled him to assume and maintain the 
 supreme authority in Tahiti. Though not possessed of 
 the gieatest personal courage, he was a good politician, 
 and a man of unusual activity and perseverance. He 
 laboured diligently to multiply the resources of the island. 
 
124 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 and improve the condition of the people, and his adherents 
 were always w T cll furnished with all that the island 
 afforded. The uncultivated sides of the mountains, and 
 the low flat sandy parts of the shore, seldom tilled 
 hy the natives, were reclaimed by his industry; and 
 many extensive groves of cocoa-nut trees in 4 aliiti and 
 Eimeo, which the inhabitants say were planted by 
 Pomare, remain as monuments of his industry, and 
 yield no small emolument to their present proprietors. 
 In all these labours he endeavoured to infuse Jus 
 own spirit into the bosom of his followers, and to 
 animate them hy his example, usually labouring with 
 his people, and planting with his own hands many of 
 the trees. 
 
 To the Mission families he was uniformly kind. 
 Shortly before his death, he recommended them to the 
 protection of his son; though the more he understood 
 the chief object of their Mission, the greater aversion he 
 seemed to manifest to it. To the favour of the gods he 
 considered himself indebted for all the aggrandisement 
 of his person and family; and if the Missionaries would 
 have allowed the claims of Oro or Tane to have received an 
 equal degree of attention to that which they required for 
 Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, Pomare would readily have 
 admitted them; but when required to renounce his 
 dependence upon the idols of his ancestors, and to 
 acknowledge Jehovah alone as the true God, he at once 
 rejected their message. He was justly considered as the 
 principal support of the idolatry of his country. In 
 patronizing the idols, and adhering to all the requirements 
 of the priests, &c. he appears to have been influenced by 
 the constant apprehension of the anger of his gods. 
 Ten, his father, was a Tahitian prince; his mother was a 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 125 
 
 native of Raiatea; he was born in the district of Pare; 
 and at the time of his deaths which took place on the 
 3d of September, 1803, was between fifty and sixty years 
 of age. 
 
 In the circumstances attending the formation of his 
 character, and in the commencement, progress, and result 
 of his public career, there w r as a striking resemblance 
 between Pomare, the first king of that name in Tahiti, 
 and his contemporary, Tamehameha, the first king of the 
 Sandwich Islands. Both rose from a comparatively 
 humble station in society, to the supreme authority; 
 both owed their elevation principally to their own energies, 
 and the aid they derived from their intercourse with 
 foreigners; both appeared the main pillars of the 
 idolatry of their respective countries; and both left to 
 their heirs the undisputed government of the islands they 
 had conquered. Each appeared to have possessed natural 
 endowments of a high order, and both were probably 
 influenced by ambition. Pomare was distinguished by 
 laborious and patient perseverance; Tamehameha, by 
 bold and daring enterprise. The characters of their 
 immediate descendants were in some respects similar 
 • * ach other, though both were very different persons 
 1 om their respective predecessors. 
 
 Otu the king was at Atehuru at the time of his father’s 
 death. He sent several messengers to Pare, commanding 
 the body to be brought to him; but to this the raatiras, 
 or resident chiefs, objected. When the Missionaries 
 paid a visit of condolence, Idia requested them to tell 
 her son it was her wish that the body should remain at 
 Pare; and to this the king consented. 
 
 The death of Pomare did not alter the political state 
 of Tahiti; its only influence on the people was such as 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 126 
 
 tended to confirm them in their superstition; for, on the 
 occasion of a religious ceremony, wherein his spirit was 
 invoked, and which took place shortly after his decease, 
 it was declared that he was seen by Idia, and one of the 
 priests. To the latter it was said he appeared, above 
 the waters of the sea, having the upper part of his person 
 bound with many folds of finely braided cinet. From this 
 circumstance his favourite wife assumed the name of Tane 
 rurua , from Tane, a husband, and rurua, bound round, 
 or bound repeatedly. 
 
 Towards the middle of the year 1804, the king went 
 over to Eimeo, taking with him the great idol Oro, to 
 propitiate whom, so many of the inhabitants had 
 been sacrificed. About the same time, Mr. Caw, a ship¬ 
 wright from England, joined the Mission. Otu now 
 assumed the name of Pomare, which has ever since been 
 the regal name in Tahiti. Its assumption by his father 
 was, as many names are among the Tahitians, perfectly 
 accidental. He was travelling, with a number of his 
 followers, in a mountainous part of Tahiti, where it was 
 necessary to spend the night in a temporary encamp¬ 
 ment. The chiefs’ tent was pitched in an exposed 
 situation; a heavy dew fell among the mountains; he 
 took cold, and the next morning was affected with a 
 cough; this led some of his companions to designate the 
 preceding night by the appellation of po-mare , night of 
 cough, from po , night, and mare , cough. The chief was 
 pleased with the sound of the words thus associated, 
 adopted them as his name, and was ever afterwards 
 called Po-ma-re. With the name he also associated the 
 title of majesty, styling himself, and receiving the 
 appellation of, “His Majesty Pomare.” 
 
 Peace continued during the remainder of the year, and 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 
 127 
 
 the Missionaries were enabled to persevere in their 
 labours, although they were cheerless, and apparently 
 useless. Great attention had, during the last year, been 
 paid to the instruction of the children in the short 
 catechism, in which the first principles of Christianity 
 were familiarly exhibited to the minds of the young 
 people. Mr. Davies, in particular, had devoted much of 
 his time to this work; and although it had hitherto been 
 found impracticable to teach the children letters, a 
 number had committed the catechism to memory. The 
 gospel was preached, not only in the immediate neigh¬ 
 bourhood of Matavai, but in every district in Tahiti 
 and Eimeo; yet the people seemed more than ever 
 disposed to neglect or ridicule the message. Some¬ 
 times they said, We will hear our own gods ; at other 
 times they scoffingly asked the Missionaries, if the 
 people of Matavai had attended to their word; if the 
 king, or any of his family, had cast away Oro; declaring, 
 that when the king and chiefs heard the word of Jehovah, 
 then they would also. 
 
 Early in January, 1805, the Missionaries prepared a 
 ! u ger catechism; and, on the 6th of March, they adopted 
 i i Tahitian alphabet. In forming this, the Roman 
 < Uaracters were preferred ; sounds in the Tahitian 
 language attached to them, and a native name affixed to 
 each, for the purpose of facilitating the introduction 
 of letters among the people. It was, however, a long 
 time before any, among the native inhabitants of Tahiti, 
 could be induced to learn the letters of the alphabet. 
 The Missionaries continued their labours in preaching 
 to the people, and teaching the catechism to the children. 
 One or two vessels arrived, but brought no letters or 
 supplies; and, towards the close of the year, they expe- 
 
128 
 
 PO LY N ESI AN R BSE AR CH ES. 
 
 rienced a heavy loss, in the destruction of a large and 
 flourishing plantation. 
 
 Three of the Missionaries had cleared, enclosed, 
 and cultivated it; and had rendered it, as far as the pro¬ 
 ductions of the island were available, subservient to their 
 interests. They had stocked it with cocoa-nuts, oranges, 
 limes, and citrons, of which, not fewer than six hundred 
 plants, with other productions, were growing remarkably 
 well. In one hour, however, the whole of the fence 
 was burnt to the ground, and the plantation destroyed, 
 or the few plants that remained were so much injured 
 as to be nearly useless. Great as was the loss ex¬ 
 perienced on this occasion, they had reason to fear it 
 was caused by some of their neighbours, who had 
 designedly set fire to the long dry grass immediately 
 to windward of the plantation. This was probably 
 done from motives of jealousy, lest, by cultivating 
 the land, and reaping the fruits of it, the foreigners 
 should suppose it had become theirs, and the natives 
 cease to be its proprietors. On this acount, much as 
 they suffered by its destruction, they deemed it inex¬ 
 pedient to complain to the king. 
 
 In the month of January, 1806, Pomare returned from 
 Eimeo, bringing with him the idol Oro, which was kept 
 in his sacred canoe; while the human sacrifices, offered 
 on his arrival, were suspended on the trees around. The 
 Missionaries paid a visit to the king, soon after his 
 return ; and, as he had become remarkably fond of using 
 his pen, he intimated his wish that they should build 
 him a small plastered house, near their own, in which 
 he could attend to his writing without the interruptions 
 he experienced in his own dwelling. 
 
 Early in the year 1806, the Mission was again 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 129 
 
 weakened by the departure of Mr. Shelly, with his 
 family. He relinquished Missionary pursuits, and sailed 
 for Port Jackson on the ninth of March. 
 
 In the month of July, following, the queen of Tahiti 
 died, in the district of Pare, after an illness of nearly 
 eight weeks. About the time her indisposition com¬ 
 menced, she had become the mother of a still-born 
 child; tlie sickness that followed, and the fatal termina¬ 
 tion to which it led, were supposed to be the results of 
 a cruel and unnatural practice, that cannot be described— 
 a species of infanticide often resorted to by females of 
 high rank in the island, although not unfrequently 
 issuing, as was imagined on the present occasion, in the 
 death of the perpetrator. Pomare had offered his prayers 
 to the gods of his family, and many ceremonies had 
 been performed, but to no purpose. The queen was in 
 person about the middle stature; mild and affable in her 
 behaviour; addicted to all the vices of her country; and 
 was cut oil in the prime of life, being about twenty-four 
 years of age at the time of her death. The king and 
 his mother appeared affected with their loss; and the 
 f i u f of his relatives was severe, as the death of so manv 
 •iibers of Pom are’s family threatened, at no very 
 remote period, its total extinction. Pomare was left a 
 widower and childless, all the children of the late queen 
 having been destroyed. 
 
 Although reports of war were heard during the year, 
 there was no actual hostility; and, under discourage¬ 
 ments every day increasing, the Missionaries were 
 enabled to prosecute their labours. Having found it 
 difficult to engage the attention of the children, while 
 attempting to teach them in the presence of the adults, 
 who ridiculed the idea of their learning letters, they 
 
 s 
 
130 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 opened a school in a part of their own dwelling. In 
 October, Mr. Davies proposed to begin with the boys 
 attached to their own houses, and met them three nights 
 in the week for the purpose of instructing them in the 
 catechism, and teaching them to read those few 
 specimens of writing they had been able to prepare. 
 At the same time, Messrs. Nott and Davies were re¬ 
 quested to draw up a brief summary of the leading 
 events, and a short account of the principal persons 
 mentioned in the Old Testament, in the form of a 
 scripture history, for the use of these scholars. In the 
 course of the following year, a spelling book, which 
 Mr. Davies had composed and used, was sent to Eng¬ 
 land. Here it was printed, and afterwards transmitted 
 to the islands, for the use of the schools. 
 
 No long period had elapsed since the first establish¬ 
 ment of the Mission, without a vessel’s touching at 
 Tahiti. By many of these the Missionaries had been 
 able to write to the directors and their friends in Eng¬ 
 land, and from several they had secured a small supply 
 of such articles as they most needed. But since the 
 arrival of the Royal Admiral, in July, 1801, although the 
 directors had repeatedly sent out articles to Port Jack- 
 son for Tahiti, yet the Missionaries had received neither 
 supplies nor letters from England. Many vessels had 
 sailed from Port Jackson, where the supplies were 
 lying, and had afterwards touched at the island; but the 
 captains, having no intention of doing so when they sailed, 
 had refused to take the goods on board. Tea and sugar, 
 and many other comforts, they had long been destitute of; 
 and their apparel was scarcely such as to enable them to 
 appear respectably in the company of any of their coun¬ 
 trymen who might visit the island. Several of them were 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 131 
 
 some years with only one pair of shoes ; and often, in 
 many of their journeys undertaken for the purpose of 
 preaching and instructing the natives, they had travelled 
 barefoot. In addition to these privations, the gloom and 
 discouragement that depressed their spirits, on account 
 <>1 l lie total want of success attending their labours, must 
 have been increased, in no ordinary degree, by the un¬ 
 certainty and anxiety of remaining, at that remote 
 distance from home, five years without even once hearing 
 by letter from their native country, or their friends, 
 lwom this distressing state of feeling, they were in a 
 great measure relieved by the arrival of the Hawkesbury, 
 a colonial vessel, which anchored in Matavai bay on the 
 20th of November, 1806. 
 
 Since the year 1804, the Society in England had 
 authorized Mr. Marsden to expend annually, for the 
 support of the Missionaries, two hundred pounds, and 
 had also sent out supplies. Unable to meet, in Port 
 Jackson, with any vessel proceeding to Tahiti, Mr. 
 Marsden had at length engaged the Hawkesbury, a small 
 sloop of about twenty tons burden, to take out the letters 
 arid articles that had been so long delayed. The com- 
 i ications from England conveyed to the Missionaries 
 tin welcome assurance that they were not forgotten by 
 their friends at home; but most of the articles, especially 
 the clothing, from the length of time it had been lying 
 at Port Jackson, and the wretched state of the vessel in 
 which it was sent, were so injured as to be almost useless; 
 ihe packages were wet with the sea-water, and their 
 contents consequently spoiled. 
 
 The repeated trials with which the Missionaries were 
 exercised, the privations they endured, and the painful 
 and protracted discouragements by which, at this period, 
 
132 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 they were depressed, were of no ordinary character. 
 Few among modern Missionaries have been called to 
 endure such afflictions; and it is matter of devout ac¬ 
 knowledgment, that, notwithstanding the darkness of 
 their prospects and the destitution of their circum¬ 
 stances, they were still enabled to persevere, and leave 
 the event with Him, at whose command they had entered 
 on their work. 
 
 Peace continuing in the island during the close of 
 1806, and the beginning of 1807* allowed the teach¬ 
 ers to pursue uninterruptedly their endeavours to plant 
 Christianity among the inhabitants, although at that 
 time with little prospect of success. 
 
 The ravages of diseases originating in licentiousness, 
 or nurtured by the vicious habits of the people, and 
 those first brought among them by European vessels, ap¬ 
 peared to be tending fast to the total desolation of Tahiti. 
 The survivors of such as were carried off by these means, 
 feeling the incipient effects of disease themselves, and 
 beholding their relatives languishing under maladies of 
 foreign origin, inflicted, as they supposed, by the God 
 of the foreigners, were led to view the Missionaries 
 as in some degree the cause of their suffering; and 
 frequently, not only rejected their message, but charged 
 them with being the authors of their misery, by praying 
 against them to their God. When the Missionaries 
 spoke to them on the subject of religion, the deformed 
 and diseased were sometimes brought out and ranged 
 before them, as evidences of the efficacy of their 
 prayers, and the destructive power of their God. The 
 feelings of the people on this subject, were frequently 
 so strong, and their language so violent, that the 
 Missionaries have been obliged to hasten from places 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 133 
 
 where they had intended to have addressed the people. 
 Instead of listening with attention, the natives seemed 
 only irritated by being, as they said, mocked with pro¬ 
 mises of advantage from a God by whom so much 
 suffering had been inflicted. Under these circumstances, 
 their distresses were somewhat relieved by the arrival 
 
 ft 
 
 of Mr. Warner; who, after due preparation, had been 
 sent from England in the capacity of surgeon to the 
 Mission, which he joined on the 12th of May, 1807- 
 The strength, however, which his arrival added to their 
 establishment, was somewhat counterbalanced by the 
 removal of Mr. Youl, one of those who had arrived in 
 the Royal Admiral, and who departed in the vessel that 
 conveyed Mr. Warner to Tahiti. 
 
 In the month of June, the flame of war was rekindled 
 in Taiarabu, and the district of Atehuru, where the 
 king’s party suddenly attacked the inhabitants; and, 
 after killing upwards of one hundred, including their 
 principal chiefs, covered the country with all the 
 murder and desolation that usually attended the march 
 of the infuriated bands through the territories of those 
 v, ho were too weak to oppose their progress. Having 
 ! en to the mountains such as had escaped the 
 laughter in the assault, plundered their houses, and 
 afterwards reduced them to ashes, the king took the 
 bodies of the slain on board his fleet; and, sailing to 
 Tautira, offered them in sacrifice to Oro. 
 
 Towards the close of the year, the Mission sustained a 
 heavy loss in the death of Mr. Jefferson. He was one 
 of those Missionaries that arrived in the ship Duff; he 
 had borne f<r the heat and burden of the day,” and finished 
 his course on the 25th of Sept., 180/. He was a man of 
 intelligence and ability, possessing extraordinary de- 
 
134 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 votedness and patient zeal. He had laboured unre¬ 
 mittingly for ten anxious years; filling, with credit to 
 himself and advantage to the Mission, the most im¬ 
 portant station among his brethren, by whom he was 
 highly and justly respected. He maintained an arduous 
 post among the pioneers of the little army of Christian 
 Missionaries 3 who, 66 unarmed with bow and sword,” 
 had ventured to attack idolatry in its strongest holds 
 among these distant islands; and, 
 
 “ High on the pagan hills, where Satan sat 
 Encamped, and o’er the subject kingdoms threw 
 Perpetual night, to plant Immanuel’s cross. 
 
 The ensign of the gospel, blazing round 
 Immortal truth.” 
 
 And, though he fell upon the field before he heard 
 or uttered the shout of victory, his end was peaceful, 
 and his hopes were firm. On a visit to Matavai, 
 in the early part of 1821, conducted by Mr. Nott, 
 I made a pilgrimage to his grave. I stood beside 
 the rustic hillock on which the tall grass waved in 
 the breeze, and gazed upon the plain stone that marks 
 the spot where his head reposes, with feelings of vene¬ 
 ration for his character. I felt, also, in connexion 
 with the change that lias since taken place, that he had 
 indeed desired to see the things that I beheld, but he 
 had died without witnessing, on earth, the gladdening 
 sight; and that, in reference to his unremitted exertions, 
 I and my junior companions had entered into his labours, 
 and were reaping the harvest for which he had toiled. 
 
 Shortly after Mr. Jefferson’s death, Mr. Nott, accom¬ 
 panied by Mr. Hayward, visited the islands of Huahine, 
 Raiatea, and Borabora; travelled round each, preach- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 135 
 
 ing and teaching the people; and thus, for the first 
 iiine, published among their inhabitants the great truths 
 of Christianity. Many of the natives listened with 
 attention and apparent interest. The illness of the king 
 terminated, for a time, the war which he had commenced 
 against the people of Atehuru, and allowed the Mission¬ 
 aries uninterruptedly to pursue their labours in Tahiti. 
 
 Early in 1808, Mr. Elder left this island for Port Jack- 
 son. Peace at that period every where prevailed, but it 
 was of short duration. The dissatisfaction of the farmers, 
 intciior chiefs, and lower orders of the people, with 
 Pomare’s conduct, was daily increasing, and his recent 
 massacre of the Atehuruans had greatly strengthened 
 their determination to destroy his authority, and revive 
 the ancient anstocratical form of government. In 
 the month of October, the Missionaries received a note 
 f 10111 t^ e king, informing them of the probability of war, 
 recommending them to be upon their guard, and not to 
 be deceived or taken by surprise. In consequence of 
 this intimation, and the increasing signs of approaching 
 hostilities, they established a strict watch every night, 
 m,: seldom went far from their dwelling. The prepa- 
 Ji ' us for battle were continued on both sides; every 
 morning it was expected that hostilities would com¬ 
 mence before the close of the day, and every night it 
 was apprehended that an attack would be made before 
 morning. In this state of distressing anxiety, without 
 any means of flying from the gathering storm, all the 
 families continued till the 25th of October, when a 
 vessel from Port Jackson providentially anchored in the 
 bay, and, by ensuring a safe retreat in the event of sudden 
 assault, afforded no small alleviation to their minds. 
 
 On the Sabbath-day, the 6th of ^November, the district 
 
136 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 of Matavai was thrown into great confusion, and num¬ 
 bers of men appeared in arms. The king, who was on 
 board the ship at the time, hastened on shore, and was only 
 restrained from commencing an immediate attack by the 
 counsel of his uncle, who urged the necessity of invoking 
 the favour of the gods before commencing hostilities. 
 This afforded the people of Matavai time to retire, and 
 encamp in the adjoining district with the people of 
 Apaiano. Projmsals of peace were sent by the king, but 
 the rebels, being reinforced from the districts to the 
 eastward, refused to meet Pomare, or negociate with 
 him ; and war appeared inevitable. 
 
 The king, expecting that his camp, which was at 
 Matavai, would be immediately attacked, recommended 
 that the wives and children of the Missionaries should 
 take shelter in the vessel. They embarked on the 7tb 
 amid much confusion, but with the sincerest gratitude to 
 God for the refuge so seasonably provided. The night 
 passed without any attack; several leading chiefs, whom 
 the rebels expected, had not arrived, and the Europeans 
 were thus permitted to pack up a few articles for their 
 use on board. The next morning a letter was addressed 
 to the captain, requesting him to delay his departure 
 forty-eight hours, that they might deliberate on the 
 steps necessary to be taken. On the following day the 
 Missionaries Nott and Scott went alone to the rebel 
 camp at Apaiano, and invited the leaders to an interview 
 with Pomare. The chiefs treated them with every mark 
 of friendship, regretted that their establishment should 
 suffer from the quarrel between them and the king, and 
 requested them not to leave the island. The leaders of 
 the rebels refused, however, to meet Pomare except in 
 battle, and every hope of accommodation now vanished. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 13 / 
 
 This disastrous war is called, in the Tahitian tradi¬ 
 tions, the Tamai rcihi ia Arahuraia , The great war of 
 Arahuraia. It was headed by Taute, who had long been 
 the king’s prime-minister, and who was one of the most 
 powerful chiefs and successful warriors on the islands. 
 His name inspired terror through the ranks of his ene¬ 
 mies; and, when the king heard that he had joined 
 the rebels, he was so affected, that he burst into tears. 
 Pomare advised the married Missionaries to leave 
 the island. 1 hey were unanimous in opinion, that 
 there was no prospect of safety or usefulness, even should 
 the rebel chiefs prove their friends ; and this, together 
 with the consideration of the little success that had at¬ 
 tended the labours of so many years, occasioned their 
 determination to remove. Four of the unmarried Mis¬ 
 sionaries offered to remain with the king, that they might 
 be upon the spot, should any favourable change take 
 place; the others, with most of the Europeans on the 
 island, sailed from Tahiti on the 10th of November, 1808, 
 and arrived the following day at the island of Huahine. 
 Here they were hospitably received by the chiefs and 
 people. 
 
 f ■ !,<1 affairs of Tahiti continued in the same state 
 u it i 1 the 22d ol December; when the king, influenced by 
 Metia the j:>rophet of Oro, attacked the rebels; who 
 were not only superior in numbers, but favoured in the 
 conflict by the occupation of an advantageous position. 
 Notwithstanding the prophet’s prediction of victory, Po¬ 
 mare was defeated, and fled with precipitation to Pare; 
 leaving a number of muskets in the hands of his ene¬ 
 mies, and several principal warriors among the slain. 
 
 ( onvinced, that though the chiefs of the victorious army 
 might be friendly to them, yet that they could not re- 
 
 T 
 
138 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 strain their followers, who, in time of war, threw off all 
 subordination; and expecting that the victors, after 
 this success, would instantly attack their dwelling, and 
 that their lives were no longer secure, the Missionaries re¬ 
 maining at Tahiti fled to Eimeo, where they were shortly 
 after joined by the king. Some months afterwards, 
 three others were compelled to follow their companions to 
 Huahine. During their residence here, some among them 
 ♦ had made the tour of the island, and endeavoured, with 
 but little prospect of success, to instruct the inhabitants. 
 
 The melancholy prospect of affairs, their expulsion 
 from Tahiti, the total destruction of the settlement, and 
 the little probability of a restoration of peace, induced 
 them to determine on removing by the first opportunity 
 to Port Jackson. This occurred in the course of the 
 year ; and on the 26th of October 1809, they all sailed 
 from the islands, excepting Mr. Hayward, who remained 
 in Huahine, and Mr. Nott, who still resided in Eimeo 
 with the king. 
 
 After the victory of the 22d of December 1808, the 
 rebels plundered the district of Matavai and Pare, and, 
 devoting to destruction every house and plantation, re¬ 
 duced the whole country to a state of the wildest desola¬ 
 tion and ruin. The Mission houses were ransacked and 
 burnt, and whatever the insurgents were unable to carry 
 away was destroyed. Every implement of iron was con¬ 
 verted into a weapon of war. The most valuable books 
 were either committed to the flames, or distributed 
 among the warriors for the purpose of making cartridge 
 
 papers, and the printing types were melted into musket 
 balls. 
 
 During such seasons, it was not merely apprehension, 
 but actual danger, to which all the Europeans were 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 139 
 
 exposed. On one occasion, Mr. Nott, returning from a 
 visit to the king, was resting in a native house, when a 
 party of the rebels approached the spot; his native com¬ 
 panion, one of Pom are’s warriors, observing them, 
 touched him on the shoulder, and urged him to fly to the 
 canoe lying on the beach : he and his fellow-traveller had 
 scarcely pushed off from the shore, when the men came 
 up, and, finding they had escaped, invited them to land, 
 or requested the native to allow the foreigner to walk. 
 Mr. Nott’s companion assured him, however, that if he 
 landed, his life would certainly be taken, merely because 
 he was a friend to the king. The natives followed the 
 canoe for some miles, but Mr. Nott was mercifully pre¬ 
 served, and reached Matavai in safety, indebted, under 
 God, to the vigilance and promptitude of his Tahitian 
 friend for his life. Before this time, a musket ball (aimed 
 at a native who had taken shelter in his house) was 
 fired through the window of the room in which he was 
 sitting; and during another war, the spear of one of the 
 king’s enemies was already poised, and would in all 
 probability have inflicted a fatal wound in his body, 
 >i- i the interference of one of Mr. Nott’s friends at 
 H'»‘ oment,saved him from the deadly thrust. 
 
 It is not easy to form an accurate idea of the distress 
 of i lie last Missionaries who reluctantly left Tahiti, when 
 they beheld their gardens demolished, their houses plun¬ 
 dered and burnt, their pupils engaged in all the barbarity 
 of a savage war; and the people, among whom they had 
 hoped to introduce order, and peace, and happiness, 
 doomed to the complicated miseries attending anarchy, 
 idolatry, and all the varied horrors of cruelty and of vice. 
 The enterprise in which they had embarked, had at its 
 commencement united in bonds of disinterested philan- 
 
MO 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 thropy, parties before but seldom associated; and had, 
 by a vigorous and combined movement, in force and 
 magnitude surpassing any thing that had been hitherto 
 attempted by British Christians, introduced a new era in 
 the Missionary efforts of modern times.—It had excited 
 among all classes the liveliest interest, called forth the 
 most splendid efforts of sacred eloquence, and the noblest 
 deeds of Christian benevolence; but, painful and deeply 
 humiliating as it was, it now appeared to those devoted 
 servants of God, who had, amidst protracted and 
 severe privations, maintained their ground till life was 
 no longer secure—after having engaged the prayers 
 of the people of God, and waited in vain for the 
 results of patient and self-denying toil, during twelve 
 eventful years—that the scene of their labour must be 
 abandoned. 
 
 Their enemies became bold in denouncing the enter¬ 
 prise as the wild project of extravagance and folly, 
 and stamping upon its projectors and conductors the 
 impress of the blindest fanatacism. Even those who, 
 though they had not condemned the scheme as Utopian 
 and visionary, had withheld their sanction and their 
 aid, now pointed to the deserted field as a demonstra¬ 
 tion of the soundness of their judgment, and an ex¬ 
 planation of their conduct. There were others also, who, 
 whatever might be their opinion of the measure itself, 
 and however they might approve or disapprove of the 
 choice of those with whom it originated, in the selection 
 of the most distant, isolated, and, as it regarded the moral 
 character of its inhabitants, the most unpromising parts 
 of the world, for the first field of their labours, con¬ 
 sidered its projectors as influenced in a great degree by 
 self-confidence, and a desire of aggrandisement or 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 141 
 
 applause. It lias sometimes been unwarrantably insi¬ 
 nuated, that the founders of the Missionary Society 
 expected to convert the heathen to Christianity by 
 their own energy; and the allegation has been occa¬ 
 sionally repeated since those days,—perhaps in some 
 instances, to increase the impression produced by the 
 accounts of the recent changes which have taken place 
 in those islands, contrasting the former and latter results 
 of Missionary labours, and representing them as demon¬ 
 strations of the impotency of man, and the power of 
 the Most High. The lively feeling that attended the 
 establishment of the Missionary Society, the liberality 
 ol the principles recognized as its basis, and the com¬ 
 bination ot different parties in its support, were at that 
 time adapted to excite in minds of a cautious and delibe¬ 
 rative habit, and fearful of innovation, the apprehension 
 that it had originated in a desire, on the part of its 
 projectors, to signalize themselves, and secure a name 
 and influence in the Christian world, to which they 
 were not otherwise entitled. Individuals, w hose minds 
 were deeply imbued with the subject, who had iden¬ 
 tified themselves with its progress and its results, and 
 1 * 1 embarked not only their influence, but much of their 
 property, in the undertaking, might, and probably did, 
 under the ardour of their feelings, indulge on some occa¬ 
 sions in a splendour of imagery, and a richness of de¬ 
 scription, that exceeded the sober realities of fact: but 
 they never imagined that they could subvert any system 
 of idolatry by their ow n agency ; or, that their efforts 
 w ould be in any degree effectual for the conversion of 
 thf* people, but as they were attended by the influence of 
 the Holy Spirit. There might be, and perhaps w'as, a 
 more confident hope of the speed)' accomplishment of the 
 
142 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 object than now prevails ; but the appeals and addresses, 
 delivered at that period, manifest a deep conviction of 
 human insufficiency, and breathe a spirit of entire 
 dependence upon the blessing of God. 
 
 But although Tahiti was, by the departure of the 
 Missionaries, surrendered, for a season, as a prey to the 
 spoiler, and subjected to the rule of ignorance, barbarism, 
 and idolatry, it was not abandoned by Him, in obedience 
 to whose command to “go and teach all nations,” the 
 Mission had been undertaken. He had still “ thoughts 
 of mercy” towards its inhabitants, and was, by this dis¬ 
 tressing event, teaching those who had undertaken the 
 work—and instructing his church, in regard to all 
 their future efforts to extend his gospel—that singleness 
 of aim, purity of motive, and patient diligence in labour, 
 were of themselves insufficient for the work; that it was 
 by His Spirit that the heathen were to be converted; and 
 that without His blessing, Paul might plant, and Apollos 
 might water, in vain. 
 
 The rebels were no sooner masters of the island, than 
 they determined to murder the captain and officers, and 
 seize the first vessel that should arrive. The Mission¬ 
 aries, aware of this, wrote a letter, which they gave to a 
 native, to hand to the master of the first ship that might 
 touch there. The Venus schooner, however, arrived, 
 and was seized by the people, before the native could 
 deliver his letter: the master and seamen were not 
 murdered, but kept prisoners, to be offered in sacrifice to 
 Oro. The Hibernia, Captain Campbell, also arrived 
 shortly afterwards; but Captain Campbell, receiving the 
 letter, was warned of his danger, and not only secured 
 his own vessel, but succeeded in rescuing the schooner 
 and her crew. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 143 
 
 Although most of the Missionaries returned to the 
 islands, and resumed their labours in Eimeo in 1811 and 
 1812, yet their efforts in Tahiti were not resumed till 
 the close of 181so that on my arrival I found no one 
 here. Hence, I have been induced to give the foregoing 
 brief historical sketch of the leading facts connected 
 with the establishment and termination of the first 
 
 Mission to Tahiti, in connexion with my first visit to 
 Matavai. 
 
144 
 
 POLYNJBSfAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Anchorage in Matavai—Visit from Pomare—Landing his horse—Inter¬ 
 view with the queen and princess—Astonishment of the natives on 
 viewing the horse and his rider—Description of Eimeo—Opunohu, or 
 Taloo harbour—Landing at Eimeo—AVelcome from the natives—First 
 night on shore—Present from the chiefs—Visit to the schools—First 
 Sabbath in the islands—Appearance and behaviour of native congre¬ 
 gations—Voyage to Afareaitu—Native meal—Description of Afareaitu 
 —Removal thither—Means of conveyance—Description of the various 
 kinds of canoes used in the Society Islands—Origin of the name— 
 Account of Tetuaroa, the watering-place of Tahiti—Methods of navi¬ 
 gating their canoes—Danger from sharks—Affecting wreck—Accident 
 in a single canoe—Length of the voyages occasionally made. 
 
 The sea had been calm, the morning fair, the sky without 
 a cloud, and the lightness of the breeze had afforded us 
 leisure for gazing upon the varied, picturesque, and 
 beautiful scenery of this most enchanting island. We 
 had beheld successively, as we had slowly sailed along 
 its shore, all the diversity of hill and valley, broken 
 or stupendous mountains, and rocky precipices, clothed 
 with every variety of verdure, from the moss of the 
 jutting promontories on the shore, to the deep and 
 rich foliage of the bread-fruit tree, the Oriental luxu¬ 
 riance of the tropical pandanus, or the waving plumes 
 of the lofty and graceful cocoa-nut grove. The scene 
 was enlivened by the waterfall on the mountain’s side, 
 the cataract that chafed along its rocky bed in the 
 recesses of the ravine, or the stream that slowly wound 
 
ro LYX ESI AN R ESE A RC H ES. 
 
 145 
 
 its way through the fertile and cultivated valleys, and 
 the whole was surrounded by the white-crested waters 
 of the Pacific, rolling their waves of foam in splendid 
 majesty upon the coral reefs, or dashing in spray 
 against its broken shore. 
 
 1 he cataracts and waterfalls, though occasionally 
 seen, are by no means so numerous on any part of the 
 Tahitian coast, as in the north-eastern shores of Hawaii. 
 The mountains of Tahiti are less grand and stupendous 
 than those of the northern group—but there is a greater 
 richness of verdure and variety of landscape ; the moun¬ 
 tains are much broken in the interior, and deep and 
 frequent ravines intersect their declivity from the 
 centre to the shore. As we advanced towards the 
 anchorage, I had time to observe, not only the diversified 
 scenery, but the general structure and form, of the 
 island. Tahiti, excepting a border of low alluvial 
 land, by which it is nearly surrounded, is altogether 
 mountainous, and highest in the centre. The mountains 
 frequently diverge in short ranges from the interior 
 towards the shore, though some rise like pyramids 
 with pointed summits, and others present a conical, 
 or sugar-loaf form, while the outline of several is 
 regular, and almost circular. Orohena, the central and 
 loftiest mountain in Tahiti, is six or seven thousand 
 feet above the sea. Its summit is generally enveloped 
 in clouds; but when the sky is clear, its appearance is 
 broken and picturesque. 
 
 The level land at the mouth of Matavai valley is broad, 
 but along the eastern and southern sides the mountains 
 approach much nearer to the sea. A dark-coloured 
 sandy beach extends all round the bay, except at its 
 southern extremity, near One-tree Hill, where the shore is 
 
 u 
 
146 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 rocky and bold. Groves of bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees 
 appear in every direction, and amid the luxuriance of 
 vegetation, every where presented, the low and rustic 
 habitations of the natives gave a pleasing variety to the 
 delightful scene. 
 
 Most of the islanders who had boarded us in the 
 morning continued in the ship, others arrived as we 
 approached the bay, and long before we anchored, our 
 decks were crowded w T ith natives. Our prepossessions 
 in their favour continued to increase, and we viewed 
 them with no ordinary interest, as those among whom 
 we were to spend the remainder of our days. Many of 
 them wore some article of European dress, and all were 
 attired in native cloth, though several had only a maro, 
 or broad girdle, round the waist. There was a degree of 
 openness in their countenances, and vivacity in their 
 manners, which was not unpleasing. 
 
 We had not been long at anchor, before Pomare sent 
 us a large albicore, and a variety of provisions, and 
 shortly after came on board. I was struck with his 
 tall and almost gigantic appearance; he was upwards 
 of six feet high, and seemed about forty years of 
 age. His forehead was rather prominent and high, 
 his eyebrows narrow, well defended, and nearly straight; 
 his hair, which was combed back from his forehead, 
 and the sides of his face, was of a glossy black colour, 
 slightly curled behind; his eyes were small, some¬ 
 times appearing remarkably keen, at others rather heavy ; 
 his nose was straight, and the nostrils by no means 
 large, his lips were thick, and his chin projecting. He 
 was arrayed in a handsome tiputa of native manufacture. 
 His body was stout, but not disproportioned to his 
 height; and his limbs, though well formed, were not firm 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 147 
 
 and muscular. He welcomed me to Tahiti; but, at the 
 same time, appeared disappointed when he learned that 
 only one Missionary had arrived, having been led to expect 
 several. His acquaintance with English was very partial, 
 and mine with Tahitian much more so; our conversation 
 was, consequently, neither very free nor animated. He 
 inquired after King George, Governor Macquarrie, and 
 Mr. Marsden, the time of our departure from New 
 Holland, the nature of our voyage, &c. These inqui¬ 
 ries I answered, and handed him a number of small 
 presents which I had brought from England, adding a 
 curious penknife of my own, which he had appeared 
 desirous to possess. He had a small English Bible, and, 
 at his request, I read to him one or two chapters. He 
 appeared to understand, in some degree, the English 
 language, although unable to speak it. After spending 
 some time in the cabin, the king went to see the cattle 
 we had brought from New South Wales, and particu¬ 
 larly a horse, which the owners of the ship had sent 
 him as a present. 
 
 Pomare was greatly delighted with the horse ; and, in 
 the course of the afternoon, the poor animal, after having 
 been hung in slings, and unable to lie down during the 
 greater part of the voyage, was hoisted out of the hold, 
 to be taken ashore in a large pair of canoes which the 
 king had ordered alongside for that purpose. During 
 this transition, while the horse was suspended midway 
 between the gangway and the yard-arm, some of the 
 bandages gave way; when the animal, after hanging 
 some time by the neck and fore-legs, to the great 
 terror both of Pomare and the captain, slipped through 
 the slings, and, clearing the ship’s side, fell into the 
 sea. He instantly rose to the surface; and, snorting. 
 
148 
 
 POLY N BS IAN R BSE A RC H ES. 
 
 as if glad, even under these circumstances, to gain his 
 freedom, swam towards the shore; hut the natives no 
 sooner saw him at liberty, than they plunged into the 
 water, and followed like a shoal of sharks or porpoises after 
 him. Some seizing his mane, others his tail, endeavoured 
 to hold him, till the terrified creature appeared in great 
 danger of a watery grave. The captain lowered down 
 the boat; the king shouting, directed the natives to leave 
 the horse to himself; but his voice was lost amid the din 
 and clamour of the crowds that accompanied the 
 exhausted and frightened animal to the land. At length 
 he reached the beach in safety; and, as he rose out of the 
 water, the natives on the shore fled with precipitation, 
 climbing the trees, or crouching behind the rocks and 
 the bushes for security. When, however, they saw 
 one of the seamen, who had landed with the captain 
 from the ship, take hold of the halter that was on his 
 neck, they returned, to gratify their curiosity. Most of 
 them had heard of horses, and some of them had, per¬ 
 haps, seen those belonging to Mai, (Omai,) landed on 
 the island by Captain Cook, forty years before; but it 
 was undoubtedly the first animal of the kind the 
 greater part of them had ever seen. 
 
 The king had not been long on board, when the queen 
 arrived, and was ushered into the cabin. Her person 
 was about the middle stature; her complexion fairer 
 than any other native I have ever seen; her form 
 elegant, and her whole appearance remarkably pre¬ 
 possessing. Her voice, however, was by no means 
 soft, and her manners were less engaging than those 
 of several of her companions. She was attired in a 
 light loose and flowing dress of beautifully white 
 native cloth, tastefully fastened on the left shoulder, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 149 
 
 and reaching to the ankle; her hair was rather 
 lighter than that of the natives in general; and on 
 her head she wore a light and elegant native bonnet* 
 of green and yellow cocoa-nut leaves; each ear was 
 perforated* and in the perforation two or three flowers 
 of the fragrant Cape jessamin were inserted. She was 
 accompanied by her sister* Pomare Yahine. Aimata* the 
 young princess* only daughter of Pomare and the queen* 
 who appeared about six years of age* was brought by 
 her nurse* and followed by her attendants into the 
 cabin. A Ye delivered the few presents w T e had brought 
 for them* regretting that we could not enter into con¬ 
 versation. They spent about two hours on board; and 
 then* followed by their numerous retinue* returned to 
 the shore. 
 
 Soon after sunrise the next morning* our vessel was 
 surrounded with canoes* and provisions in abundance 
 were offered for barter. Pomare also sent us a present. 
 
 About nine o'clock* I saw crowds of natives repairing 
 towards the place where the horse had been tied up* in 
 charge of one of Pomare’s favourite chiefs ; and shortly 
 afi r wards he was led out* while the multitude gazed at 
 ‘ with great astonishment. Soon after breakfast* our 
 captain landed with the saddle and bridle* and other 
 presents* which Mr. Bernie* of Sydney* had sent out 
 with the horse. They were delivered to Pomare, who 
 requested that the saddle and bridle might be put on 
 the horse* and that the captain would ride him. His 
 wishes were complied with* and the multitude appeared 
 highly delighted when they saw the animal walking and 
 running along the beach* with the captain on his back. 
 They called him buaa-horo-fenua and huaa-afai-taata; 
 land-running pig, and man-carrying pig. About mid- 
 
150 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 day the captain returned to the ship; and we shortly 
 afterwards weighed anchor, and sailed for the island of 
 Eimeo. 
 
 Moorea, the name most frequently given by the natives to 
 this island, was discovered by Captain Wallis, and by him 
 called Duke of York Island. It is situated about twelve or 
 fourteen miles west from Tahiti, and is twenty-five miles 
 in circumference. In the varied forms its mountains 
 exhibit, the verdure with which they are clothed, and 
 the general romantic and beautiful character of its 
 scenery, this island far exceeds any other, in either the 
 Georgian or Society groups. A reef of coral, like a ring, 
 sunounds the island 5 in some places one or two miles 
 distant from the shore, in others united to the beach. 
 Several small and verdant islands adorn the reef: one 
 lies opposite the district of Afareaitu on the eastern side 5 
 two others, a few miles south of Papetoai; the latter are 
 covered with the elegantly growing Casuarina, or Aito 
 trees, and were a favourite retreat of Pomare the Second. 
 Eimeo is not only distinguished by its varied and 
 beautiful natural scenery, but also by the excellence of 
 
 its harbours, which are better than those in any of the 
 other islands. 
 
 On the north side is Taloo harbour, in lat. 17° 3 (/ 
 north, long. 150° west: one of the most secure and de¬ 
 lightful anchoring places to be met with in the Pacific; 
 Opunohu is the proper name of this harbour; near the 
 mouth of which, on the right-hand side, there is a small 
 rock, called by the natives Tareu , towards which, it is 
 possible, Captain Cook was pointing, or looking, when 
 he inquired of the natives the name of the harbour his 
 ship was then entering. Tareu might be easily under¬ 
 stood as if spelled Taloo, and the name of the rock 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 151 
 
 thus mistaken for that of the harbour. Separated from 
 Opunoliu by a high mountain, is another capacious bay, 
 t ailed, after its discoverer, Cook’s harbour; it is equally 
 convenient for anchorage with the former, but is rather 
 more difficult of access. 
 
 On the north-eastern side of Eimeo, between the moun¬ 
 tain and the sea, is an extensive and beautiful lake, called 
 Tamai, on the border of which stands a sequestered 
 village, bearing the same name. The lake is stocked 
 with fish, and is a place of resort for flocks of wild 
 ducks, which are sometimes taken in great numbers. 
 The rivers of Eimeo are but small, and are principally 
 mountain streams, which originate in the high lands, roll 
 down the rocky bottoms of the deep ravines, and wind 
 their way through the valleys to the sea. The mountains 
 are broken, and considerably elevated, but by no means 
 so high as those of Tahiti, which are probably 7000 feet 
 above the level of the sea. 
 
 We enjoyed a most delightful sail along the northern 
 part of Eimeo, the next morning, and soon after twelve 
 o’< lock anchored in the spacious and charming bay of 
 Opunohu, or, as it is usually called, by foreigners. The 
 ha -mr of Taloo. 
 
 Eong before we anchored, Messrs. Bicknell, Wilson, 
 I ferny, and Davies, came on board, followed by the 
 other members of the Mission, who greeted our 
 arrival with satisfaction. We accompanied them to 
 the shore, and landed on the western side of the bay, 
 in tlie afternoon of the 13th of February, 1817, happy, 
 under circumstances of health and comfort, to enter 
 upon our field of future labour, and grateful for the 
 merciful providence by which we had been conducted 
 in safety to the end of our long and eventful voyage. 
 
152 
 
 POL YN ESI AN ItESEA R C H ES. 
 
 On reaching the habitations of the Missionaries, we 
 were cordially welcomed to their society, and were 
 rejoiced to behold them cheered by the intelligence we 
 had brought, and the prospect of receiving a still greater 
 accession to their numbers. The evening passed 
 pleasantly and rapidly away; many of the pious 
 inhabitants and chiefs, in the neighbourhood, came to 
 greet our arrival, with evident emotions of delight ; among 
 them was one, whose salutation I shall never forget: “ la 
 ora na oe i te Atua, la ora oei te haere raa max io ?iei y no te 
 Arolia o teA+ua oe i tae mai ai ,” “ Blessing on you from 
 God, peace to you in coming here, on account of the love 
 of God are you come.” These were his words. His 
 person was tall and commanding, his hair black and 
 curling, his eyes benignant, and his whole countenance 
 beamed with a joy that declared his tongue only obeyed 
 the dictates of his heart. His name was Auna, a native 
 of Raiatea, formerly an areoi and a warrior, who had 
 arrived, with numbers of his countrymen, to the support 
 of Pomare, after his expulsion from Tahiti, but whose 
 heart had been changed by the power of the gospel of 
 Christ. He was afterwards associated with us at 
 Huahine, subsequently became my fellow-labourer in 
 the Sandwich Islands, and was, when I last heard from 
 the islands, about to be ordained pastor of a Christian 
 church in Sir Charles Sanders’s Island. 
 
 At a late hour we retired to rest, but not to sleep. 
 We needed and sought repose, but the incidents of 
 the day had produced a degree of excitement that did 
 not speedily subside; in addition to which, the constant 
 and loud roaring of the surf kept us awake till nearly 
 daybreak. The house in which we lodged was near the 
 shore; and the long heavy billows of the sea rolling 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 153 
 
 in successive surges over the coral reefs that surround 
 the island, kept up, through the night, a hollow and 
 heavy sound,* resembling that produced by the rumbling 
 of carriages in a vast city, heard at a distance in the 
 stillness of evening. The wall, or outside of the 
 dwelling, was composed only of large sticks, or poles, 
 placed perpendicularly from the floor to the roof, two 
 or three inches apart, so that we could see the ocean on 
 one side, and the dark outline of the inland mountains 
 on the other; while looking up through the roof, we 
 could easily discern the stars twinkling in a blue and 
 cloudless sky. We did not, however, feel the air too 
 cool; and our lodging was quite as good as that in which 
 the Missionaries to the Sandwich Islands passed their 
 flrst night in Honoruru; and much better than Mr. 
 Marsden, and his companion, procured in New Zealand. 
 The first night he passed on shore, he slept on the 
 earthern floor, by the side of a warrior, the murderer of 
 the crew of the Boyd, and a cannibal; and the spot on 
 which he lay was encircled by native spears fixed in 
 the ground. 
 
 hi the morning we arose somewhat refreshed; and, in 
 • ' nurse of the day, landed our goods from the vessel. 
 
 ' house had been prepared, by the king, for the 
 expected Missionaries; but, as it was damp, and our 
 residence at Papetoai w r as not likely to be permanent, 
 we took up our abode in a dwelling already occupied in 
 part by Mr. Crook and his family. 
 
 I w r as astonished at the accounts I now received, of the 
 change that had taken place among the people. The 
 profession of Christianity was general, many had learned 
 to read, and were teaching others; all were regular in 
 their exercises of devotion; and, in many of the small 
 
 x 
 
151 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 gardens attached to the native houses, it was pleasing 
 to see the little fare bare kuna , house for hidden prayer. 
 The greater part of the Missionaries, who had fled to 
 Port Jackson, when expelled from Tahiti in 1808, having 
 been invited by Pomare, returned in 1812. In 1816 
 they were joined by Mr. Crook, who had been stationed 
 by Captain Wilson in the Marquesas : they had visited 
 Tahiti, for the purpose of preaching to the inhabitants, 
 but they had not been able to re-establish the Mission 
 in their original station, and were, consequently, all 
 residing at Eimeo when we arrived. 
 
 The chiefs of the district, and island, soon visited us, 
 received a few articles as presents, and appeared highly 
 gratified with what they saw, especially with some 
 engravings of natural history. They sent us a present 
 of food; or, as they call it, “faaamua ” a feeding; con¬ 
 sisting of two or three large pigs, which were dragged 
 along by force, squalling terribly all the way, and tied 
 to a stick near the door; a number of bunches of 
 plantains, bananas, cocoa-nuts, and bread-fruit, were also 
 brought, and piled up in three heaps on the sand, near 
 the pigs. I was then called out, and a native repeated 
 the names of the chiefs who had sent us the food; and, 
 pointing to the heaps of fruit and the pigs, said one was 
 for me, and another for Mrs. Ellis, and the third for 
 our infant daughter. He then directed the native 
 servants of the house to take care of it, and departed. 
 
 Soon after my arrival, I visited the school, and was 
 greatly delighted to behold numbers of adults, as well 
 as children, under the direction of Messrs. Davies and 
 Tessier, learning their alphabet and their spelling, or 
 reading with distinctness their lessons, ’which were 
 principally extracts from Scripture. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 155 
 
 The building, in which they were taught, stood near 
 the sea-beach, under the shade of a clump of cocoa-nut 
 trees. Though of no very durable kind, it appear¬ 
 ed well adapted to the purpose to which it was 
 appropriated. It was upwards, of sixty feet long, and 
 rather narrow. The thatch was composed of the leaves 
 of the pandanus, neatly fastened on rafters of purau or 
 hibiscus, and the walls, or sides and ends, were formed 
 with straight branches resembling the rafters, and 
 planted in the ground about two inches asunder. There 
 was a door at each end; windows were altogether 
 unnecessary in such a building, as the space between 
 the poles, forming the outside, admitted light and air 
 in abundance; and wind, with rain, sometimes in larger 
 quantities than was quite agreeable. The floor, which 
 was of sand, was covered with long dry grass. A rustic 
 sort of table, or desk, between three and four feet 
 high, stood on one side, equally distant from each end, 
 and the whole of the building was filled with low 
 forms, on which the natives were sitting; while, on 
 one side I saw one or two forms longer and broader 
 t! 1 the rest, with small ledges on the sides, filled 
 • sand, for the purpose of teaching writing, after 
 the manner of the national schools in England. A 
 number of pillars in the centre supported the ridge 
 pole, or rather the different ridge poles, which unitedly 
 sustained the roof of the building. The different joints 
 in these, and the narrow horizontal boards supporting 
 the bottoms of the rafters, presented a kind of chrono¬ 
 logical index to the history of the place. It was first 
 erected by the liberality of a gentleman in London. He 
 presented to Tapioi, the Marquesan youth who accon> 
 panied Mr. Bicknell to England, the articles with which 
 
156 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the natives were hired to build this first school and 
 chapel in Eimeo. It was then much more compact, and 
 the width better proportioned than it now appeared. 
 It had always been employed, not only as a school, but 
 also as a chapel. When the number of scholars and 
 worshippers of the true God increased, so as to 
 render accommodation difficult, one of the ends had 
 been taken down, a new piece of timber joined to the 
 ridge pole, the building lengthened about twelve or 
 fifteen feet, and the end then closed up. When the 
 place became again too small, a similar enlargement 
 had been made; and, as the new piece which supported 
 the roof, was laid upon the former ridge pole, it dis¬ 
 tinctly marked the increase of Christian worshippers at 
 the place within the last four or five years. 
 
 The first Sabbath I spent in the islands, was a day of 
 deep and delightful interest. The Missionaries were 
 accustomed to meet for prayer at sun-rise, on the morn¬ 
 ing of the Sabbath. This service I attended, and was 
 also gratified to find, that not fewer than four or five 
 hundred of the natives, imitating their teachers in this 
 respect, met for the purpose of praise and supplication 
 to the true God, during the interval of public worship, 
 which was held early in the morning, and four in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 About a quarter before nine in the morning, I accom¬ 
 panied Mr. Crook to the public worship of the natives, 
 held in the same house in which I had visited the 
 school a day or two before. It was, indeed, a rude and 
 perishable building, totally destitute of every thing im¬ 
 posing in effect, or exquisite in workmanship; yet I 
 beheld it with emotions of pleasure, as the first roof 
 under which the natives of Tahiti had assembled, in 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 157 
 
 any number, to receive the elements of useful knowledge, 
 to listen with sincerity and satisfaction to the word 
 of God, and to render publicly unto Him the homage 
 of their grateful praise ; for, 
 
 “ Though gilded domes, and splendid fanes, 
 
 And costly robes, and choral strains, 
 
 And altars richly dress’d ; 
 
 And sculptur’d saints, and sparkling gems, 
 
 And mitred priests, and diadems, 
 
 Inspire with awe the breast: 
 
 u ’Tis not the pageantry of show 
 That can impart devotion’s glow, 
 
 Nor sanctify a prayer. 
 
 The soul enlarged, devout, sincere, 
 
 With equal piety draws near 
 The holy house of God, 
 
 That rudely rears its rustic head, 
 
 Scarce higher than the Indians’ shed ; 
 
 By Indians only trod.” 
 
 The place was thronged with people, and numbers 
 were standing or sitting round the doors and the outside 
 of the building. When we arrived, they readily made 
 v > for us to enter; when a scene, destitute indeed of 
 )'■' l uificence and splendour as to the structure itself, or 
 ! richness in personal adornment of its inmates, but 
 certainly the most delightful and affecting I had ever 
 beheld, appeared before me. Between five and six hun¬ 
 dred native Christians were there assembled, to worship 
 the true God. Their persons were cleanly, their apparel 
 neat, their countenances either thoughtful, or beaming 
 with serenity and gladness. The heads of the men 
 were uncovered, their hair cut and combed, and their 
 beards shaven. Their dress was generally a pareu round 
 the waist; and a native tiputa, over their shoulders. 
 
158 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 which covered the upper part of the body, excepting the 
 arms. The appearance of the females was equally 
 interesting; the greater part of them wore a neat and 
 tasteful bonnet, made with the rich yellow-tinted 
 cocoa-nut leaf. Their countenances were open and 
 lively; many of them had inserted a small bunch of the 
 fragrant and delicately white gardinia, or Cape jessamine 
 flowers, in their hair; in addition to which, several of 
 their chief women wore two or three fine native pearls 
 fastened together with finely braided human hair, and 
 hanging pendent from one of their ears, while the other 
 was adorned with a native flower. Their dress was 
 remarkably modest and becoming, being generally what 
 they term aim bu , which consists of large quantities 
 of beautifully white native cloth, wound round the body, 
 then passed under one arm, and fastened on the other 
 shoulder, leaving uncovered only the neck and face, and 
 part of one arm. 
 
 The assembly maintained the most perfect silence, 
 until Mr. Davies, who officiated on the occasion, and 
 was seated behind the table, which answered the double 
 purpose of a desk for the schoolmaster, and a pulpit for 
 the minister, rose up, and gave out a hymn in the 
 native language. The whole congregation now rose, and 
 many of them joined in the singing. A prayer was then 
 offered, during which the congregation remained stand¬ 
 ing; another hymn was sung; the people then sat down, 
 and listened attentively to a discourse, delivered by the 
 Missionary standing on the ground behind the desk. 
 When this was ended, a short prayer was offered, the 
 benediction pronounced, and the service closed. The 
 assembly dispersed with the utmost propriety and order; 
 many of them, as they passed by, cordially shook me by 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 159 
 
 the hand, and expressed their joy at seeing me among 
 them. My joy, and excitement of feeling, was not less 
 than theirs. There was something so pleasing and 
 novel in their appearance, so peculiar in their voices 
 when singing, and in their native language, both during 
 the prayers and sermon, and something so solemn and 
 earnest in their attention, with such an air of sincerity 
 in devotion during the whole service, that it deeply 
 affected my heart. I was desirous of speaking to them 
 in return, and expressing the grateful satisfaction with 
 which I had beheld their worship ; but the scene before 
 me had taken such a powerful hold of my feelings, that 
 1 returned home in silence, filled with astonishment at 
 the change that had taken place, and deeply im¬ 
 pressed with the evidence it afforded of the efficacy of 
 the gospel, and the power of the Almighty. At eleven 
 o’clock I attended public worship in the English 
 language. 
 
 At four in the afternoon the natives again assem¬ 
 bled, and I attended at their worship. Though I 
 could not understand their language, I was pleased 
 with the large attendance, and the serious and earnest 
 m t in which the people listened to an ani- 
 n it.r ! discourse delivered by Mr. Nott. In the even¬ 
 ing several of the Missionaries met for social worship, and 
 with this sacred exercise we closed our first Sabbath in 
 the Society Islands, under a deep impression of the 
 advantages of Christianity, and the pleasing effects which 
 we had that day witnessed, of Divine influence over the 
 hearts of the most profligate idolaters. 
 
 In the afternoon of the succeeding Sabbaths, I visited 
 a number of Christian chiefs at their own houses. We 
 usually found them either reading together, conversing 
 
ICO 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 on the contents of their books, or some other religious 
 subject. At Hitoti’s dwelling which, I visited on the 
 second Sabbath after my arrival, the household were 
 about to kneel down for prayer when we entered ; we 
 joined them, and several of the petitions which the chief 
 offered up to God, appeared, when interpreted by my 
 companion, remarkably appropriate and expressive. 
 
 In the course of my first week on shore, I made several 
 excursions in different parts of the district. The soil, 
 in all the level part of the valley, was a rich vegetable 
 mould, with a small portion of alluvial, washed down 
 from the surrounding hills, which are generally covered 
 with a stiff kind of loam or brownish-red ochre. Several 
 large plantations were well stocked with the different 
 productions of the island ; but a large portion of the 
 valleys adjacent to the settlement, were altogether uncul¬ 
 tivated, and covered with grass or brush-wood, growing 
 with all the rank luxuriance that a humid atmosphere, a 
 tropical sun, and a fertile soil, would combine to pro¬ 
 duce. 
 
 I also accompanied one of the Missionaries on a voyage 
 to the opposite side of the island, about twenty miles 
 distant from the settlement at Papetoai. Two natives 
 paddled our light single canoe along the smooth water 
 within the reefs till we reached Moru, where we landed, 
 to take some refreshment at the house of a friendly 
 chief. This was the first native meal I had sat down to, 
 and it was served up in true Tahitian style. When the 
 food was ready, we were requested to seat ourselves on 
 the dry grass that covered the floor of the house. A 
 number of the broad leaves of the purau, hibiscus tile- 
 aceus, having the stalks plucked off close to the leaf, 
 were then spread on the ground, in two or three succes- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 161 
 
 sive layers, with the downy or underside upwards, and 
 two or three were handed by a servant to each individual, 
 instead of a plate. By the side of these vegetable plates, 
 a small cocoa-nut shell of salt water was placed for each 
 person. Quantities of fine large bread-fruit, roasted 
 on hot stones, were now peeled and brought in, and a 
 number of fish that had been wrapped in plantain leaves, 
 and broiled on the embers, were placed beside them. 
 A bread-fruit and a fish was handed to each individual, 
 and, having implored a blessing, we began to eat, dip¬ 
 ping every mouthful of bread-fruit or fish into the small 
 vessel of salt water,—without which, to the natives, it 
 would have been unsavoury and tasteless. I opened the 
 leaves, and found the fish nicely broiled; and, imitating 
 the practice of those around me, dipped several of the 
 first pieces I took into the dish placed by my side : but 
 there was a bitterness in the sea water which rendered 
 it rather unpalatable, I therefore dispensed with the 
 further use of it, and finished my meal with the bread- 
 fruit and fish. 
 
 \bout two o’clock in the afternoon, we resumed our 
 jninney; travelling sometimes along the sea-beach, and 
 i >er times availing ourselves of the canoe until near 
 mi set, when we reached Afareaitu—and created by our 
 arrival no small stir among the people. 
 
 The next morning we examined the district, and were 
 delighted with its fertility, extent, and resources. 
 Afareaitu is on the eastern side of Eimeo, opposite the 
 di trict of Atehuru in Tahiti, and is certainly one of the 
 finest districts in the island. It comprises two valleys, 
 or rather one large valley partially divided by a narrow 
 hilly ridge extending from the mountains in the in¬ 
 terior, towards the shore. The soil of the bottom of 
 
 Y 
 
162 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the valley is rich and fertile, well stocked with cocoa- 
 nuts and bread-fruit trees. The surrounding hills are 
 clothed with shrubs or grass, and the lofty and romantic 
 mountains forming the central boundary, are adorned 
 with trees or bushes even to their summits. Several 
 broad cascades flowed in silvery streams down the sides 
 of the mountain, and, broken occasionally by a jutting 
 rock, presented their sparkling waters in beautiful con¬ 
 trast with the rich and dark foliage of the stately trees, 
 and the flowering shrubs that bordered their course. A 
 number of streams originating in these water-falls pursued 
 their course through the valley, and one, receiving in its 
 way the tributary waters of a number of sequestered 
 streamlets, swelled at times into what in these islands 
 might be called a river, and flowed along the most fertile 
 portions of the district into the sea. 
 
 A small bay was formed by an elliptical indentation of 
 the coast, an opening in the reef opposite the bay ad¬ 
 mitted small vessels to enter, and a picturesque little 
 coral island, adorned with two or three clumps of hibis¬ 
 cus and cocoa-nut trees, added greatly to the beauty of 
 its appearance. There was no swamp or marshy 
 land between the shore and the mountains ; the ground 
 was high, and the whole district not only remarkably 
 beautiful, but apparently dry and healthy. The abun¬ 
 dance of natural productions, the apparent salubrity of 
 the air, the convenience of the stream of water, the 
 facility of the harbour, combined to recommend it as 
 an eligible spot for at least the temporary residence of 
 a part of the Missionaries. We therefore waited on the 
 principal chiefs, one of whom had accompanied us from 
 Papetoai, and inquired if it would be agreeable to them 
 for us to come and reside there. They expressed 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 163 
 
 themselves pleased with the prospect of such an event, 
 and promised every assistance in the erection of our houses, 
 &c. Having accomplished the object of our visit, we 
 left Afareaitu, and returned to Papetoai the same evening. 
 
 The circumstances of the inhabitants of the wind¬ 
 ward and leeward islands, most of whom had renounced 
 idolatry, and their earnest desire to receive religious 
 instruction, rendered it exceedingly desirable, that the 
 Missionaries should no longer remain altogether at Pa¬ 
 petoai, but establish themselves in the different islands; 
 but the vessel which they had commenced building in 
 1813, being still unfinished, and the anticipation of a con¬ 
 siderable accession to their numbers, induced them to 
 
 defer forming any new station, until such reinforcement 
 should arrive. 
 
 The natives in the several islands were in want, not 
 only of teachers, but also of books. I had taken out a 
 printing-press and types, and having, at the request of 
 the Directors, learned the art of printing in England, 
 it was proposed, that as a temporary measure, to supply 
 11n existing demand for books, the press should be 
 up at Afareaitu. By this arrangement two stations 
 ' I be formed in Eimeo, and the whole of the inhabi¬ 
 tants be brought more fully under religious instruction. 
 
 ! n order to carry these plans into effect, we left Papetoai 
 on the 25th of March, with Mr. Davies, Mr. and Mrs. 
 C rook and family. Mrs. Ellis, and myself, with an 
 infant and her nurse, set out in a native canoe, having 
 most of our goods and luggage on board. Mr. Crook and 
 family preceded us in a fine large double canoe, called 
 “Tiaitoerau” literally “ wait for the west wind,” from 
 tiai to wait, and toerau west wind. It was between 
 thirty and forty feet in length, very strong, and, as a 
 
164 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 piece of native workmanship, well built. The keel, or 
 bottom, was formed with a number of pieces of tough 
 Tamanu wood, inophyllum callophyllum , twelve or six¬ 
 teen inches broad, and two inches thick, hollowed on 
 the inside, and rounded without, so as to form a convex 
 angle along the bottom of the canoe; these were fastened 
 together by lacings of tough elastic cinet, made with the 
 fibres of the cocoa-nut husk. On the front end of the keel, 
 a solid piece, cut out of the trunk of a tree, so contrived as 
 to constitute the forepart of the canoe; was fixed with the 
 same lashing; and on the upper part of it, a thick board 
 or plank projected horizontally, and formed a line 
 parallel with the surface of the water. This front piece, 
 usually five or six feet long, and twelve or eighteen inches 
 wide, was called the ihu vaa , nose of the canoe, and, 
 without any joining, comprised the stem, bows, and 
 bowsprit of the vessel. 
 
 The sides of the canoe were composed of two lines 
 of short plank or board, an inch and a half or two 
 inches thick. The lowest line was convex on the 
 outside, and nine or twelve inches broad; the upper 
 one straight. The stern was considerably elevated, 
 the keel was inclined upwards, and the lower part 
 of the stern resembled the bottom of a pointed shield, 
 while the upper part of the noo, or stern, was nine or 
 ten feet above the level of the sides. The whole was 
 fastened together with cinet, not continued along the 
 seams, but by two, or at most, three holes made in each 
 board, within an inch of each other, and corresponding 
 holes made in the opposite piece, and the cinet passed 
 through from one to the other. A space of nine inches 
 or a foot was left, and then a similar set of holes 
 made. The joints or seams were not grooved together, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 165 
 
 but the edge of one simply laid on that of the other, and 
 fitted with remarkable exactness by the adze of the work¬ 
 man, guided only by his eye : they never used line or rule. 
 The edges of their planks were usually covered with a 
 kind of pitch or gum from the bread-fruit tree, and a 
 thin layer of cocoa-nut husk spread between them. 
 The husk of the cocoa-nut swelling when in contact 
 with the water, fills any apertures that may exist, and, 
 considering the manner in which they are put together, 
 the canoes are often remarkably dry. The two canoes 
 forming Tiaitoerau, which was a double one, were fasten¬ 
 ed together by strong curved pieces of wood, placed hori¬ 
 zontally across the upper edges of the canoes, to which 
 they were fixed by strong lashings of thick cinet. 
 
 Skreened Canoe . 
 
 I'he space between the two bowsprits, or broad 
 planks projecting from the front of our canoe, was 
 covered with boards, and furnished a platform of con¬ 
 siderable extent; over this a kind of temporary awning 
 of platted cocoa-nut leaves was spread, and under it 
 H passengers sat during the voyage. The upper part 
 of each of the canoes was not above twelve or fifteen 
 inches wide; little projections were formed on the inner 
 part of the sides, on which small moveable thwarts or 
 seats were fixed, whereon the men sat who paddled it 
 
166 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 along, while the luggage was either placed in the bot¬ 
 tom, piled up against the stern, or laid on the ele\ated 
 stage between the two canoes. The heat of the sun 
 was extreme, and we found that our i ustic awning 
 afforded a grateful shade. 
 
 The rowers appeared to labour hard. Their paddles, 
 being made of the tough wood of the hibiscus, ^vcic 
 not heavy; yet, having no pins in the sides of the 
 canoe, against which the handles of the paddles could 
 bear, but leaning the whole body over the canoe, hist 
 on one side, and then on the other, and working the 
 paddle with one hand near the blade, and the other 
 at the upper end of the handle, and shovelling as it 
 were the water, appeared a great waste of strength. 
 They often, however, paddle for a time with remarkable 
 swiftness, keeping time with the greatest regularity. The 
 steersman stands or sits in the stern, with a large paddle ; 
 the rowers sit in each canoe two or three feet apart, the 
 leader sits next, the steersman gives the signal to start, 
 by striking his paddle violently against the side of the 
 canoe, every paddle is then put in and taken out of the 
 water with every stroke at the same moment; and after 
 they have thus continued on one side for five or six 
 minutes, the leader strikes his paddle, and the rowers 
 instantly and simultaneously turn to the other side, and 
 thus alternately working on each side of the canoe, they 
 go along at a considerable rate. There is generally a 
 good deal of striking the paddle when a chief leaves or 
 approaches the shore, and the effect pretty much resem¬ 
 bles that of the smacking of the whip, or sounding of 
 the horn, at the starting or arrival of a coach. 
 
 The isolated situation of the islanders, and their 
 dependence on the sea for a large proportion of the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. \ftj 
 
 means of subsistence, necessarily impart a maritime 
 character to their habits, and render the building 
 lilting, and managing of the vessels one of the most 
 general and important of their avocations. It also 
 procures no small respect and emolument for the 
 Tahua tarai vaa, builder of canoes. Vaa waa , or 
 vaka , is the name of a canoe, in most of the islands of 
 the Pacific; though by foreigners they are uniformly 
 called canoes, a name first given to this sort of boat 
 by the natives of the Caribbean Islands,* and adopted by 
 Europeans ever since, to designate the rude boats used 
 by the uncivilized natives in every part of the world. 
 
 1 lie canoes ol the Society Islanders are various, both 
 in size and shape, and are double or single. The canoes 
 belonging to the principal chiefs, and the vaa mataaina, 
 public district canoes, were in general large—fifty, sixty, 
 or nearly seventy feet long, and each about two feet 
 wide, and three or four feet deep; the sterns 
 remarkably high, sometimes fifteen or eighteen feet above 
 the water, and frequently ornamented with rudely carved 
 hollow cylinders, square pieces, or grotesque figures, 
 r - ‘1 tiis. The rank or dignity of a chief was supposed, 
 in ne degree, to be indicated by the size of his canoe, 
 iJ arving and ornaments with which it was embellish- 
 erl, and the number of his rowers.—Next in size to 
 these was the pahi, or war canoe. I never saw but 
 one of these: the stern was low, and covered, so as 
 to afford a shelter from the stones of the assailants; 
 the bottom was round, the upper part of the sides 
 
 * After his first interview with the natives of the newly discovered 
 islands, in the Caribbean sea, w r e are informed by Robertson, that Co¬ 
 lumbus returned to his ship, accompanied by many of the islanders in 
 their boats, which they called canoes', and though rudely formed out of 
 the trunk of a single tree, they rowed them with surprising dexterity. 
 

 168 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 was narrower, and perpendicular; a rude imitation of 
 the human head, or some other grotesque figure, was 
 carved on the stern of each canoe. The stern, often ele¬ 
 vated and curved like the neck of a swan, terminated in 
 the carved figure of a bird’s head, and the whole was 
 more solid and compact than the other vessels. There 
 was a kind of platform in the front, or generally near the 
 centre, on which the fighting men were stationed : these 
 canoes were sometimes sixty feet long, between three 
 and four feet deep, and with their platforms in front, or in 
 the centre, were capable of holding fifty fighting men.* 
 
 War Canoe . 
 
 The vaatii, or sacred canoe, was always strong and large, 
 more highly ornamented with carving and feathers than 
 any of the others. Small houses were erected in each, 
 and the image of the god, sometimes in the shape 
 of a large bird, at other times resembling a hollow 
 cylinder ornamented with various coloured feathers, 
 
 * In Cookes voyages, a description is given of some, one hundred and 
 eight feet long; but I never saw any so large. 
 
 
 M 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 169 
 
 was kept in these houses. Here the prayers were 
 frequently preferred, and the sacrifices offered. 
 
 Their war canoes were generally strongs well built, 
 and highly ornamented. They formerly possessed 
 large and magnificent fleets of these, and other 
 large canoes; and, at their general public meetings, or 
 festivals, no small portion of the entertainment was 
 derived from the regattas, or naval reviews, in which 
 the whole fleet, ornamented with carved images, and 
 decorated with flags and streamers, of various native 
 coloured cloth, went through the different tactics with 
 great precision. On these occasions the crews by which 
 they were navigated, anxious to gain the plaudits of 
 the king and chiefs, emulated each other in the exhibi¬ 
 tion of their seamanship. The vaatii, or sacred canoes, 
 formed part ot every fleet, and were generally the most 
 
 imposing in appearance, and attractive in their decora¬ 
 tions. 
 
 f l lie peculiar and almost classical shape of the large 
 Tahitian canoes, the elevated prow and stern, the rude 
 figures, carving, and other ornaments, the loose folding 
 dr | ry of the natives on board, and the maritime aspect 
 ir general places of abode, are all adapted to pro- 
 1,111 ’ a singular effect on the mind of the beholder. I 
 Jirai often thought, when I have seen a fleet of thirty 
 or forty approaching the shore, that they exhibited no 
 l.iint representation of the ships in which the Argonauts 
 sailed, or the vessels that conveyed the heroes of Homer 
 to the siege of Troy. 
 
 Hvery canoe, of any size, had a distinct name, 
 always arbitrary, but frequently descriptive of some 
 real or imaginary excellence in the canoe, or in memory 
 ol some event connected with it. Neither the names 
 
 z 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 170 
 
 of any of their gods, or chiefs, were ever given to their 
 vessels; such an act, instead of being considered an 
 honour, would have been deemed the greatest insult 
 that could have been offered. The names of canoes, in 
 some instances, appear to have been perpetuated, as the 
 king's state canoe was always called Anuanua, or the rain¬ 
 bow. The most general and useful kind of canoe is 
 the tipairua, or common double canoe, usually from 
 twenty to thirty feet long, strong and capacious, with 
 a projection from the stem, and a low shield-shaped 
 stern. These are very valuable, and usually form the 
 mode of conveyance for every chief of respectability or 
 influence, in the island. They are also used to 
 transport provisions, or other goods, from one place 
 to another. 
 
 They have also a remarkably neat double canoe, 
 called Maihi, or twins, each of which is made out of a 
 single tree, and are both exactly alike. The stem and stern 
 are usually sharp; although, occasionally, there is a 
 small board projecting from each stem. These are 
 light, safe, and swift, easily managed, and seldom used 
 but by the chiefs. A canoe of this kind was a favourite 
 conveyance with the late king Pomare. 
 
 The single canoes are built in the same manner, 
 and with the same materials, as the double ones. 
 Their usual name is tipaihoe , single landing, and they 
 are more various in their kind than the others. The 
 small buhoe , the literal name of which is single shell, 
 is generally a trunk of a tree, seldom more than twenty 
 feet in length, rounded on the outside, and hollow 
 within ) sometimes sharp at both ends, though generally 
 only at the stem. It is used by fishermen among the 
 reefs, and also along the shore, and in shallow water. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 171 
 
 seldom carrying more than two persons. The single 
 mailii is only a neater kind of buhoe. 
 
 • he vaa motu, island-canoe, is generally a large, 
 strong, single vessel, built for sailing, and principally 
 used in distant voyages, from one island to another. 
 In addition to the ordinary edge, or gunwale, of the 
 canoe, planks, twelve or fifteen inches wide, are fastened 
 along their sides, after the manner of wash-boards in a 
 European boat. The same are also added to double 
 canoes, when employed on long voyages. A single 
 vaa is never used without an outrigger, varying in 
 size with the vessel; it is usually formed with a light 
 spar of the hibiscus, or of the erythrina, which was 
 highly prized as an ama, or outrigger, on account of its 
 being both light and strong. This is always placed 
 on the left side, and fastened to the canoe by two hori¬ 
 zontal poles, from five to eight feet long; the front one 
 is straight and firm, the other curved and elastic; it is 
 so fixed, that the bark, when empty, does not float 
 upright, being rather inclined to the left; but, when 
 sunk into the water, on being laden, &c. it is generally 
 e ,v i while the outrigger, which is firmly and in¬ 
 i'- 'sly fastened to the sides by repeated bands of 
 l' ig cinet, floats on the surface. In addition to this, 
 the island-canoes have a strong plank, twelve or fourteen 
 feet iong, fastened horizontally across the centre, in an 
 inclined position, one end attached to the outrigger, and 
 'be other extending five or six feet over the opposite 
 ■uid perhaps elevated four or five feet above the sea. 
 A small railing of rods is fastened along the sides of 
 this plank, and it is designed to assist the navigators in 
 balancing the keel, as a native takes his station on the 
 one side or the other, to counteract the inclination which 
 
“*r 
 
 172 
 
 PO L YN ESI A N R ESE A R C H ES. 
 
 the wind or sea might give to the vessel. Sometimes 
 they approach the shore with a native standing or sitting 
 on the extremity of the plank, and presenting a singular 
 appearance, which it is impossible to behold without 
 expecting every undulation of the sea will detach him 
 from his apparently insecure situation, and precipitate him 
 into the water. 
 
 Single , or Island Canoe . 
 
 This kind of canoe is principally employed in the voyages 
 which the natives make to Tetuaroa , a cluster of islands, 
 five in number; the names of which are Rimatu, Onehoa, 
 Moturua, Hoatere, and Reiona; these are enclosed in one 
 reef, in which there is an opening on the north-west, but 
 only such as to admit, and that with difficulty, their own 
 canoes. The whole cluster is called Tetuaroa. They are 
 low coralline islands, the highest parts being not more than 
 three or four feet above the water, and the only soil they 
 contain is composed of sand and fragments of coral, with 
 which is mingled vegetable mould produced on the 
 islands, or carried from Tahiti. The chief article of food 
 produced in these islands is the fruit of the cocoa-nut 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 173 
 
 tree; with extensive and verdant groves of which they 
 are adorned. They seem, at a distance, as if they were 
 gron ing on the surface of the water, and the roots and 
 stems of many are washed by the spray, or by the tide 
 when it rises a few inches higher than usual. Upon the 
 kernel of the cocoa-nut, and the fish taken among the 
 reefs, the inhabitants principally subsist. 
 
 Tetuaroa , the long, or distant, sea, is part of the here¬ 
 ditary possessions of the reigning family, and is attached 
 to the district of Pare. Most of the inhabitants of these 
 little islets occupy, under the king, a part of his own 
 land, from which they are supplied with bread-fruit and 
 taro. They arc much employed in fishing, and formerly 
 brought over large quantities of fish, carrying to the islands 
 in return bread-fruit, and other edible productions of 
 Tahiti. In the wars which disturbed the conclusion of 
 the reign of Pomare the First, and the commencement of 
 that of his successor, many of the inhabitants were cut off; 
 and the decrease of population, thus occasioned, has dimi¬ 
 nished the intercourse between these islands and Tahiti. 
 
 In addition to the fishery carried on here, Tetuaroa has 
 I been a kind of watering-place for the royal family, 
 a ' . frequent resort for what might be called the 
 1 Inunable and gay of Tahiti.—Hither the areois, dan¬ 
 cers, and singers, were accustomed to repair, together 
 with those whose lives were professedly devoted to indo¬ 
 lent pleasures. It was also frequented by the females of 
 1 lie higher class, for the purposes of hdupori* increas¬ 
 ing the corpulency of their persons, and removing, by 
 luxurious ease under the embowering shade of the 
 cocoa-nut groves, the dark tinge which the vertical sun 
 of 1 ahiti might have burnt upon the complexions. So 
 great was the intercourse formerly, that a hundred of 
 
174 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES 
 
 these island-canoes have been seen at a time upon the 
 beach of Tetuaroa. 
 
 In navigating their double canoes, the natives frequently 
 use two sails, but in their single vessels only one. The masts 
 are moveable, and are only raised when the sails are used. 
 They are slightly fixed upon a kind of step placed across 
 the canoe, and fastened by strong ropes or braces extending 
 to both sides, and to the stem and stern. The sails were 
 made with the leaves of the pandanus split into thin 
 strips, neatly woven into a kind of matting. The shape 
 of the sails of the island-canoes is singular, the 
 side attached to the mast is straight, the outer part 
 resembling the section of an oval, cut in the longest 
 direction. The other sails are commonly used in the 
 same manner as sprit or lugger sails are used in 
 European boats. The ropes from the corners of the sails 
 are not usually fastened, but held in the hands of the 
 natives. The rigging is neither varied nor complex ; 
 the cordage is made with the twisted bark of the hibiscus, 
 or the fibres of the cocoa-nut husk—of which a very good 
 coiar rope is manufactured. 
 
 The paddles of the Tahitians are plain, having a 
 smooth round handle, and an oblong-shaped blade. Their 
 canoes have no rudder, but are steered by a man in the 
 stern, with a paddle generally longer than the rest. In long 
 voyages they have two or three steering paddles, in¬ 
 cluding a very large one, which they employ in stormy 
 weather, to prevent the vessel from drifting to leeward. 
 The tataa , or scoop, with which they bale out the 
 leakage, is generally a neat and convenient article, cut 
 out of a solid piece of wood. Their canoes were 
 formerly ornamented with streamers of various coloured 
 cloths, and tufts of fringe and tassels of feathers were 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 175 
 
 attached to the masts and sails, though they are now 
 seldom used. A small kind of house or awning was 
 en cted in the centre, or attached to the stern, to skreen 
 the passengers from the sun by day and the damp by 
 night. The latter is still used, though the former is but 
 seldom seen. They do not appear ever to have orna¬ 
 mented the body or hull of their vessels with carving or 
 painting; but, notwithstanding this seeming deficiency, 
 they had by no means an unfinished appearance. 
 
 In building their vessels, all the parts were first accu¬ 
 rately fitted to each other, the whole was taken to pieces, 
 and the outside of each plank smoothed by rubbing it 
 with a piece of coral and sand moistened with water; 
 it was then dried, and polished with fine dry coral. The 
 wood was generally of a rich yellow colour, the cinet 
 nearly the same, and a new well-built canoe is perhaps 
 one of the best specimens of native skill, ingenuity, and 
 perseverance, to be seen in the islands. Most of the 
 natives can hollow out a buhoe, but it is only those who 
 have been regularly trained to the work, that can build 
 a 1: * canoe, and in this there is a considerable division 
 - i ! i hour, —some laying down the keel and building the 
 huli. ome making and fixing the sails, and others 
 fasi ning the outriggers, or adding the ornaments. The 
 principal chiefs usually kept canoe-builders attached to 
 their establishments, but the inferior chiefs generally 
 hired workmen, paying them a given number of pigs, or 
 fathoms of cloth, for a canoe, and finding them in pro- 
 vi n while they are employed. The trees that are cut 
 down in the mountains, or the interior of the islands, are 
 often hollowed out there, sometimes by burning, but 
 generally by the adze, or cut into the shape designed 
 and then brought down to the shore. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 176 
 
 Idolatry was interwoven with their naval architecture, 
 as well as every other pursuit. The priest had certain 
 ceremonies to perform, and numerous and costly 
 offerings were made to the gods of the chief, and of the 
 craft or profession, when the keel was laid down, when 
 the canoe was finished, and when it was launched. 
 Valuable canoes were often among the national offerings 
 presented to the gods, being ever afterwards sacred to 
 the service of the idol. 
 
 The double canoes of the Society Islands were larger, 
 and more imposing in appearance, than most of those 
 used in New Zealand or the Sandwich Islands, but by 
 no means so strong as the former, nor so neat and light 
 as the latter. I have, however, made several voyages 
 in them. In fine weather, and with a fair wind, they 
 are tolerably safe and comfortable; but when the weather 
 is rough, and the wind contrary, they are miserable sea- 
 boats, and are tossed about completely at the mercy of 
 the winds. Many of the natives that have set out on 
 voyages from one island to another have been carried 
 from the group altogether, and have either perished at 
 sea, or drifted to some distant island. 
 
 In long voyages, single canoes are considered safer 
 than double ones, as the latter are sometimes broken 
 asunder, and are then unmanageable ; but, even though 
 the former should fill or upset at sea, as the wood is 
 specifically lighter than the water, there is no fear of 
 their sinking. When a canoe is upset or fills, the 
 natives on board jump into the sea, and all taking hold of 
 one end, which they press down, so as to elevate the 
 other end considerably above the sea, a great part of the 
 water runs out; they then suddenly loose their hold of 
 the canoe, which falls upon the water, emptied in some 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 177 
 
 degree of its contents. Swimming along by the side of 
 it, they bale out the rest, and then climb into it again, 
 and pursue their voyage. This has frequently been the 
 case; and, unless the canoe is broken by upsetting or 
 filling, they are seldom prevented from accomplishing 
 their voyage. The only evil they fear in such circum¬ 
 stances is that of being attacked by sharks, which have 
 sometimes made sad havock among those who have 
 been wrecked at sea. 
 
 An instance of this kind occurred a few years ago, 
 when a number of chiefs and people, all together thirty 
 two, were passing from one island to another, in a large 
 double canoe. They w 7 ere overtaken by a severe tempest, 
 the violence of which tore their canoes asunder, and 
 separated them from the horizontal spars by which they 
 were united. It was in vain for them to endeavour to 
 place them upright, or empty out the water, for they 
 could not keep them in an erect position, nor prevent 
 their incessant overturning. As their only resource, they 
 collected the scattered spars and boards, and constructed 
 a r»f< on which they hoped they might drift to land. 
 Th veight of the w r hole number, who were now col- 
 f • 1 >n the raft, was so great as to sink it so far below 
 ih urface, that they sometimes stood above their knees 
 in water. They made very little progress, and soon 
 became exhausted by fatigue and hunger. In this con¬ 
 dition they were attacked by a number of sharks. 
 Destitute of a knife, or any other weapon of defence, 
 
 |l fell an easy prey to these rapacious monsters. One 
 altci another was seized and devoured, or carried away 
 by them; and the survivors, w'ho with dreadful anguish 
 beheld their companions thus destroyed, saw the num¬ 
 ber of assailants apparently increasing, as each body 
 
 2 a 
 
178 
 
 PO LYN ES I AN R ES EARCHES. 
 
 was carried away, until only two or three remained. 
 The raft, thus lightened of its load, rose to the sur¬ 
 face of the water, and placed them beyond the reach 
 of the voracious jaws of their relentless destroyers. 
 The voyage on which they had set out, was only 
 from one of the Society Islands to another, conse¬ 
 quently they were not very far from land. The tide 
 and the current now carried them to the shore, where 
 
 t 
 
 they landed, to tell the melancholy fate of their fellow- 
 voyagers. 
 
 But for the sharks, the South Sea Islanders would 
 be in comparatively but little danger from casualties 
 in their voyages among the islands ; and although 
 when armed they have sometimes been known to 
 attack a shark in the water, yet when destitute of a 
 knife or other weapon, they become an easy prey, 
 and are consequently much terrified at such merciless 
 antagonists. 
 
 Another circumstance also, that added to this dread 
 of sharks, was, the superstitious ideas they entertained 
 relative to some of the species. Although they 
 would not only kill, but eat certain kinds of shark; 
 the large blue sharks, squalus glaucus , were deified by 
 them, and, rather than attempt to destroy them, they 
 would endeavour to propitiate their favour by prayers 
 and offerings. Temples were erected, in which 
 priests officiated, and offerings were presented to the 
 deified sharks, while fishermen and others, who were 
 much at sea, sought their favour. Many ludicrous 
 legends were formerly in circulation among the people, 
 relative to the regard paid by the sharks at sea, to 
 priests of their temples, whom they were always said to 
 recognize, and never to injure. I received one from 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 1/9 
 
 the mouth of a man, formerly a priest of an akua mao , 
 shark god; but it is too absurd to be recorded. The 
 principal motives, however, by which the people appear 
 to have been influenced in their homage to these crea¬ 
 tures, was the same that operated on their minds in refe¬ 
 rence to other acts of idolatry; it was the principle 
 of fear, and a desire to avoid destruction, in the event 
 of being exposed to their anger at sea. 
 
 The superstitious fears of the people have now 
 entirely ceased. T was once in a boat, on a voyage 
 to Borabora, when a ravenous shark approaching 
 the boat, seized the blade of one of the oars, and bein«* 
 detached from that, darted at the keel of the boat, 
 which he attempted to bite. While he was thus em¬ 
 ployed, the native whose oar he had seized, leaning 
 over the side of the boat, grasped him by the tail, suc¬ 
 ceeded in lifting him out of the water, and, with the 
 help of his companions, dragged him alive into the 
 boat, where he began to flounder and strike his tail 
 with great rage and violence. We were climbing up 
 on the seats out of his way, but the natives, giving 
 hii i 1 wo or three blows on the nose with a small 
 u ■ i : n mallet, quieted him, and then cut off his head. 
 W landed the same evening, when I believe they baked 
 and ate him. 
 
 I he single canoes, though safer at sea, were yet liable 
 to accident, notwithstanding the outrigger, which re¬ 
 quired to be fixed with care, to prevent them from 
 upsetting. To the natives this is a matter of slight 
 inconvenience, but to a foreigner it is not always plea¬ 
 sant or safe. Mrs. Osmond, Mrs. Barf, Mrs. Ellis, and 
 myself, with our two children, and one or two natives, 
 were once crossing the small harbour at Fare, in Hua- 
 

 180 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 liine; a female servant was sitting in the fore part of 
 the canoe, with our little girl in her arms, our little 
 boy was at his mother’s breast, and a native, with a 
 long light pole, was paddling the canoe along, when 
 a small buhoe, with a native youth sitting in it, darted 
 out from behind a bush that hung over the water, and 
 before we could turn, or the youth could stop his canoe, 
 it ran across our outrigger. This in an instant went down, 
 our canoe was turned bottom upwards, and the whole 
 party precipitated into the sea. The sun had set soon 
 after we started from the opposite side, and the twilight 
 being very short, the shades of evening had already 
 thickened around us, and prevented the natives on the shore 
 from perceiving our situation. The native woman held 
 our little girl up with one hand, and swam with the 
 other towards the shore, aiding, as well as she could, 
 Mrs. Osmond, who had caught hold of her dark hair, 
 which floated on the water behind her ; Mrs. Barf, on 
 rising to the surface, caught hold of the outrigger of 
 the canoe that had occasioned our disaster, and, call¬ 
 ing out for help, informed the people on the shore 
 of our danger, and speedily brought them to our 
 assistance. 
 
 Mr. Osmond no sooner reached the beach, than he 
 plunged into the sea; Mrs. O. leaving the native by 
 whom she had been supported, caught hold of her hus¬ 
 band, and not only prevented his swimming, but sunk 
 him so deep in the water, that, but for the timely arrival 
 of the natives, both would probably have found a watery 
 grave. Mahine-vahine, the queen, sprang in, and con¬ 
 veyed Mrs. Barf to the shore. I came up on the side 
 opposite to that on which the canoe had turned over, 
 and found Mrs. Ellis struggling in the water, with the 
 
 \ 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 181 
 
 child still at her breast. I immediately climbed upon the 
 canoe, and raised her so far out of the water, as to allow 
 the little boy to breathe, till a small canoe came off to 
 our assistance, into which she was taken, when I swam 
 
 to the shore, grateful for the deliverance we had expe¬ 
 rienced. 
 
 It was not far from the beach where this occurred, yet 
 the water was deep, and several articles which we had in 
 the canoe, were seen the next day lying at the bottom, 
 among coral and sand, seventeen or eighteen fathoms 
 below the surface. Accidents of this kind, however, 
 
 1 11 ^ut seldom ; and though we have made many voy¬ 
 ages, this is the only occasion on which we have been 
 in danger. 
 
 1 he natives of the eastern isles frequently come down 
 to the Society Islands in large double canoes, which the 
 Tahitians dignify with the name of paid, the term for 
 a ship. They are built with much smaller pieces of 
 wood than those employed in the structure of the Tahi¬ 
 tian canoes, as the low coralline islands produce but 
 very small kinds of timber, yet they are much superior 
 bol I for strength, convenience, and sustaining a tempest 
 ai • They are always double, and one canoe has a 
 pri manent covered residence for the crew. The two 
 masts are also stationary, and a kind of ladder, or 
 wooden shroud, extends from the sides to the head of 
 the mast. The sails are large, and made with fine 
 matting. Several of the principal chiefs possess a pahi 
 paumotu, which they use as a more safe and convenient 
 mode of conveyance than their own canoes. One canoe, 
 that brought over a chief from Rurutu, upwards of three 
 hundred miles, was very large. It was somewhat in the 
 shape of a crescent, the stem and stern high and pointed. 
 
182 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 and the sides deep ; the depth from the upper edge of the 
 middle to the keel, was not less than twelve feet. It was 
 built with thick planks of the Barringtonia, some of which 
 were four feet wide; they were sewn together with cocoa- 
 nut cinet, and although they brought the chief safely, 
 probably more than six hundred miles, they must 
 have been very ungovernable and unsafe in a storm or 
 heavy sea. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 183 
 
 I 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 Account of the remarkable change in the South Sea Islands—Discourag¬ 
 ing impressions under which the Missionaries abandoned the islands— 
 Invitation from Pomare to return—State of the king’s mind during his 
 exile in Eimeo—His reception of the Missionaries—Death of three of 
 their number—Influence of domestic bereavement on the Missionary 
 life—Pomare’s profession of Christianity—Application for baptism— 
 Demonstration of the impotency of their idols—Proposal to erect a 
 place of worship—Extracts from his correspondence—Influence of his 
 steady adherence to Christianity—Ridicule and persecution to which 
 he was exposed—Visit of Missionaries to Tahiti—Oitu and Tuahine— 
 Description of the scenery of the valleys in Tahiti—Explanations of 
 the plate of Matavai. 
 
 Previous to our embarkation from England, we bad 
 heard that a favourable change, in regard to Christianity, 
 had taken place, in the minds of the king of Tahiti and 
 a f ■ • vv of the people. On our arrival in Port Jackson, 
 utelligence was confirmed, and we were also 
 i a mraged by the accounts we received of the abolition 
 of idolatry by the whole of the inhabitants of the 
 Georgian or Windward Islands. 
 
 Here we also saw the family idols of Pomare, which 
 had been sent from the islands to be forwarded to 
 England, as specimens of the objects they had been 
 accustomed to worship. When we reached the islands, 
 we found, not only that the reports we had heard 
 were correct, but that the change had progressively 
 advanced, becoming daily more extensive in its influence, 
 
184 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 and decisive in its character, and that the whole of the 
 inhabitants were no longer idolaters, but either pro¬ 
 fessors of Christianity, or desirous to receive religious 
 instruction. 
 
 We had now spent some weeks with the Missionaries 
 and people at Papetoai; this had afforded us the means 
 of learning from those who had been on the spot, 
 many of the particulars connected with this amazing and 
 important work. We had also witnessed something of 
 its effects in the conversation and deportment of numbers 
 who had experienced its moral influence, and evinced 
 its benign and elevating power. It was naturally a 
 matter of the deepest interest to a Missionary’s mind, 
 important in all its bearings on the object nearest to 
 his heart, and first in the aims and the purposes of 
 his life. 
 
 The accounts given by the Missionaries, on my first 
 arrival, and the many interesting facts which subsequently 
 came to my knowledge, when I had acquired such an 
 acquaintance with the language of the people, as to be 
 able to pursue my inquiries among them, have not only 
 excited the highest delight, but convinced me, that, in the 
 circumstances under which the change occurred, the 
 agency by which it was accomplished, and the per¬ 
 manency of its effects, it is altogether one of the 
 most remarkable displays of Divine power that has 
 occurred in the history of mankind, and is, perhaps, 
 unparalleled since the days of the apostles. Detached 
 notices of this event have been transmitted to Eng¬ 
 land in the letters of the Missionaries, and in the 
 different publications of the Missionary Society, No 
 connected and regular account has, however, yet been 
 furnished ; and, notwithstanding all that has been 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 185 
 
 recorded, it may still be affirmed in the language of the 
 deputation sent by the Society to the South Seas, that 
 “ God has indeed done great things here.” 
 
 It is much to be regretted, that the Missionaries 
 on the spot—who were intimately acquainted with every 
 indication of the moral and spiritual process that 
 was going on, even in its incipient stages, and e\ery 
 event which marked its gradual development, until, in 
 the language of the natives on another hut similai 
 occasion, it burst upon them like the light ol the morn¬ 
 ing—did not, at the time, prepare a full and particular 
 account of the work which, under God, they had been 
 instrumental in effecting : but their motto alw aj s w as, 
 to “ say too little rather than too much/’ to persevere 
 in labour, rather than employ their time in detailing 
 their engagements ; and to exercise the greatest caution 
 and brevity in speaking of any thing connected with 
 themselves, or the people around them, lest subsequent 
 events should disappoint the anticipations which present 
 favourable appearances might originate. Ibis piu- 
 dential reserve, on some accounts, cannot be too highly 
 commended; yet, it is possible to carry it too far; 
 a I in the present instance, however honourable to 
 il: individuals who maintained it, it cannot be 
 
 doubted that the world has been thereby deprived of 
 a full record of events, intimately connected with the 
 destinies of the people among whom they transpired, 
 and with the propagation of the gospel in the most 
 distant parts of the world, during every future age 
 of the Christian church. 
 
 Before proceeding to narrate the leading matters 
 connected with our residence in Afareaitu, some 
 account of that change may, perhaps, be neither impro- 
 
 2 u 
 
186 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 perly nor . unacceptably introduced in this place, 
 where our Missionary life may be said to have com¬ 
 menced. It was on my first arrival in Eimeo, that the 
 accounts of this work, although partial, produced the 
 greatest effect on my own mind, and left an impression 
 that was only deepened by subsequent details from the 
 natives themselves ; and which, through whatever scenes 
 I may yet pass, will never be effaced. I would, how¬ 
 ever, only ofier it as a substitute for the more explicit 
 statement which my predecessors in the islands might 
 render; and if, by attracting their attention to the 
 subject, I should induce them to furnish such a deside¬ 
 ratum, my attempts will not have been altogether in vain. 
 Should this be elicited, they will confer no ordinary 
 benefit on the cause of Missions, and afford great satis¬ 
 faction to the Christian world. 
 
 In the year 1809, Mr. Nott alone remained with 
 the king and the people in the island of Eimeo; 
 the other Missionaries, with the exception of 
 Mr. Hayward, removed from Huahine to Port Jack- 
 son. Although the gospel had been fully, faithfully, 
 and constantly preached, for some years in Tahiti, 
 occasionally in most of the other islands, and many of 
 the people had imbibed a tolerably clear speculative 
 knowledge of the leading doctrines taught in the sacred 
 volume, yet there was no individual on whom they could 
 look, as having been benefited by their instructions—no 
 one whose mind was savingly enlightened, or whose 
 heart had experienced any moral change. Discouraging 
 as these circumstances were, the Missionaries would not 
 ha\e abandoned their station, but for the destruction with 
 which the civil war, and the defeat of the king, seriously 
 threatened them; and, in addition to this darkened aspect 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 187 
 
 of affairs, as it regarded the success of their enterprise, 
 the state of feeling bordering on hopeless despair, under 
 which they departed from the islands, greatly augmented 
 their distress. 
 
 While in Port Jackson, they received affectionate and 
 encouraging letters from the Society, and their friends 
 in England, and communications of a most touching, 
 yet confident kind, from the king, who invited their 
 return. 
 
 The way being thus opened for the resumption 
 of their work, and depending on the blessing of God, 
 they again embarked, in the autumn of 1811, for the 
 islands. During their absence, Pomare had remained 
 excluded from his hereditary dominions, and in exile on 
 the island of Eimeo. Whether the melancholy reverses 
 he had experienced, and the depression of spirits con¬ 
 sequent upon the dissolution of his government, and the 
 desolation of his family, led him to doubt the truth of 
 that system of idol-worship to which he had been 
 devoted, and on which he had invariably relied for suc- 
 ce s in every military, civil, and political enterprise, 
 whether the leisure it afforded for contemplation 
 inquiry, under the influence of these feelings, 
 inclined him to reflect more seriously on the truth 
 of those declarations he had often heard respecting 
 the true God, and to consider his present condition as 
 the chastening of that Being whom he had refused 
 to acknowledge,—it is impossible to determine ; but 
 these disastrous events had evidently subdued his 
 spirit, and softened his heart. 
 
 When the Missionaries who returned from Port Jack - 
 son landed in Eimeo, the king received them with the 
 warmest demonstrations of joy. Mr. and Mrs. Bicknell, 
 
188 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the first who arrived, resided some time in the same 
 house with him. He spent much of his time in reading 
 and writing, in conversation, and in earnest inquiry 
 about God, and the way of acceptance with Him,—and 
 sometimes spoke in terms astonishing even to the Mis¬ 
 sionaries themselves. One or two other natives appeared 
 also favourably impressed in regard to the religion 
 of the Bible. Under these auspicious appearances, 
 although prevented by the unsettled state of laliiti from 
 resuming their station in Matavai, the Missionaries were 
 enabled to commence their labours in the island of 
 Eimeo. They also indulged a hope of establishing a 
 Mission in Raiatea, one of the Leeward or Society 
 Islands, when a series of domestic trials frustrated all 
 their plans of extended usefulness, and confined them for 
 several years to this island. 
 
 On the 28th of July, 1812, Mrs. Henry finished her 
 earthly career. She had accompanied her husband from 
 her native country in the ship Duff, with the first Mis¬ 
 sionaries who landed in Tahiti. In all the trials of the 
 Mission she had sustained her part; and, with unwaver¬ 
 ing devotedness to its interests, had endeavoured to per¬ 
 form with efficiency and cheerfulness the duties of her 
 station, until her life fell a sacrifice to the privations and 
 toils of her eventful and perilous career. It was, how¬ 
 ever, a sacrifice cheerfully offered on her part. Her 
 memory was greatly esteemed by those who had borne 
 with her the burden of the day, and survived her in the 
 field. In a letter to the Directors of the London Mis¬ 
 sionary Society, under the date of June 24, 1813, the 
 Rev. S. Marsden thus wrote of Mrs. Henry—“No 
 woman, in my opinion, could be more sincere, and 
 more devoted to the work, than she was. Her natural 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 189 
 
 disposition was amiable, her piety unaffected, and her 
 love for the poor heathens unfeigned. I trust she is now 
 resting from her labours in Abraham’s bosom; and that 
 some poor heathens, amongst whom she had lived, have 
 gone before, and that some will follow after, to glory.” 
 This afflictive bereavement was followed by another 
 equally painful, viz. the death of Mrs. Davies, which 
 took place on the fourth of the following September. 
 Her disconsolate partner had scarcely received the sym¬ 
 pathies of his companions in exile and labour, when the 
 newly closed grave of the mother was opened again, to 
 receive the remains of an infant daughter, who sur¬ 
 vived its parent but three short weeks. In one week 
 more, Mrs. Hayward terminated in death her sufferings, 
 and was buried by the side of her departed sisters. The 
 letters which conveyed to England the animating 
 tidings of the first dawning of a brighter day on Tahiti, 
 conveyed also the sad recital of these inroads of death ; 
 and well might the Missionaries on that occasion “ sing 
 of mercy and of judgment.” 
 
 When death enters a family, and removes a wife 
 in<l a mother from the social and domestic circle, 
 i. ;h every alleviation which society, friendship, and 
 n ligion can impart are available, there is a chasm left, 
 and a wound inflicted on the survivors, which must be 
 felt in order to be understood: when death repeatedly 
 enters in this way a family connexion, the distress is 
 proportionably augmented; but it is impossible to 
 foi in an adequate idea of the desolateness of the 
 Mission family, (for such it might be called,) at this 
 time, and the cheerless solitude of those thus bereft of 
 the partners of their days, and the mothers of their 
 child ren. They were left to sustain alone the toils, 
 
190 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 sorrows, and privations of their remote and isolated 
 station, and to pursue in solitary pilgrimage the arduous 
 and rugged track in which the providence of God had 
 called them to walk, far from the sympathy of the kin¬ 
 dred and friends of the departed. They were equally 
 remote from all the kind attentions of tenderest friend¬ 
 ship, the rich consolations of Christian intercourse, 
 and the public ordinances of that religion, which is 
 alone adapted to impart effectual consolation. Cut off 
 also from the endearments of home, the pleasures of 
 delightful intercourse in civilized life, the satisfaction 
 derived from books, and the reciprocal interchange of all 
 the offices of friendship, the only earthly solace a 
 Missionary enjoys among an uncivilized people, except 
 what he derives from his work, is found in the social 
 endearments of the domestic circle. However remote 
 from the land of his nativity may be its locality, however 
 rustic his abode, however rude its appendages, or limited 
 its sources of comfort, compared with what in other 
 parts may be enjoyed,—around his rural hearth, and in 
 the bosom of his family, there he finds the scene of his 
 richest earthly felicity. In any situation, bereavements 
 such as those which befell the little band at Eimeo at this 
 time, would have been distressing: to the Missionaries 
 they were peculiarly so. The channels of comfort were 
 dried up, and though they had full and free access to the 
 fountain of all blessedness and consolation, and were 
 enabled to say—“ He hath done all things well,” yet their 
 trial must have been peculiarly poignant and severe. It 
 is remarkable, that at a period of such unparalleled 
 domestic distress, the most encouraging appearances 
 of the Divine favour towards the nation around them, 
 should have been afforded; and it is probable that the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 191 
 
 very cheering prospects under which they were at this 
 time called upon to pursue their Missionary engage¬ 
 ments, greatly alleviated their sorrow. 
 
 They had established public worship ; Mr. Davies had 
 opened a school; an increased and pleasing attention had 
 been manifested, by several, to the instructions com¬ 
 municated ; and only ten days before the death of Mrs. 
 Henry, Pomare, the king of Tahiti, publicly professed his 
 belief in Jehovah the true God, and his determination to 
 serve him. He also requested to be baptized, and to 
 become one of the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 assuring the Missionaries that his resolution to give him¬ 
 self up to God, was the result of long and increasing con¬ 
 viction of the truth and superiority of the religion of 
 the Bible, expressing at the same time his desire to 
 be more fully instructed in the matters to which it 
 referred. 
 
 Pomare had for some time past shewn his contempt 
 for the idols of his ancestors, and his desire to be 
 taught a more excellent way, that he might obtain the 
 favour of the true God. The natives had watched the 
 change in his mind with the most fearful appre- 
 h< ion, as to its results upon the minds of his sub- 
 jet is. They w r ere powerfully affected on one occasion 
 when a present was brought him of a turtle , which was 
 always held sacred, and dressed with sacred fire within 
 the precincts of the temple, part of it being invariably 
 offered to the idol. The attendants were proceeding 
 with the turtle to the Marae, when Pomare called them 
 back, and told them to prepare an oven, to bake it 
 in his own kitchen, and serve it up, without offering it 
 to the idol. The people around w r ere astonished, and 
 could hardly believe the king was in a state of sanity. 
 
192 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 or was really in earnest. The king repeated his direc¬ 
 tion ; a fire was made, the turtle baked, and served up 
 at the next repast. The people of the king’s house¬ 
 hold stood, in mute expectation of some fearful 
 visitation of the god’s anger, as soon as the king should 
 touch a morsel of the fish; by which he had, in this 
 instance, committed, as they imagined, an act of daring 
 impiety. The king cut up the turtle, and began 
 to eat it, inviting some that sat at meat with him 
 to do the same; but no one could be induced to touch 
 it, as they expected every moment to see him either 
 fall down dead, or seized with strong convulsions. 
 The king endeavoured to convince his companions that 
 their idea of the power of the gods was altogether 
 imaginary, and that they had been the subjects of com¬ 
 plete delusion; but the people could not believe him: 
 and although the meal was finished without any evil 
 result, they carried away the dishes with many ex¬ 
 pressions of astonishment, confidently expecting some 
 judgment would overtake him before the morrow, for 
 they could not believe that an act of sacrilege, such as 
 he had been guilty of, could be committed with impu¬ 
 nity. 
 
 The conduct and conversation of Pomare in reference 
 to the gods, on this and similar occasions, must neces¬ 
 sarily have weakened the influence of idolatry on the 
 minds of those by whom he was attended; and if it 
 produced no immediate and salutary effect on them, it 
 doubtless confirmed his own belief in the vanity of idols, 
 and the folly of indulging either hope or fear respecting 
 them. A number of the principal chiefs of the Leeward 
 Islands, as well as the adherents to his cause, and the 
 friends of his family in Tahiti, constantly resided with the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 193 
 
 king, after his expulsion from the island of his ances¬ 
 tors, and accompanied him on his return to resume his 
 former government. He spared no efforts favourably to 
 impress them in regard to Christianity ; but to no purpose 
 for a long time. When he offered himself for baptism, 
 he stated that he had endeavoured to persuade Tamatoa, 
 his father-in-law, and JTapoa, the king and principal 
 chief of Raiatea, to renounce idolatry, and become the 
 disciples of Jesus Christ; but they had assured him, 
 whatever he might do, they would adhere to Oro. 
 Others expressed the same determination; and Pomare 
 came forward alone, requesting baptism, and desiring 
 to hear and obey the word of God, as he said 6C he de¬ 
 sired to be happy after death, and to be saved at the 
 day of judgment.” He did not confine his efforts to 
 pi h ate conversation, but in public council urged upon 
 Tamatoa and Mahine, the chiefs of Raiatea and Hua- 
 hme, the adoption of the Christian religion; hereby 
 publicly evincing his own determination to adhere to 
 the choice he had made. 
 
 The Missionaries had every reason to believe the king 
 u as sincere in his desires to become a true follower of 
 t l*i 1 f ; but as they then deemed only those who were 
 true converts to Christianity, proper subjects for the 
 ( hristian rite of baptism, and feared that his mind might 
 not be sufficiently informed on the nature and design of 
 that ordinance, and that he was rather an earnest inquirer 
 aftor divine truth, than an actual possessor of its moral 
 principle and spiritual influence, they proposed to him 
 to defer his baptism until he had received more ample 
 instruction. They were also desirous to receive addi¬ 
 tional evidence of his sincerity, and of the uprightness 
 and the purity of his conduct, during a longer period 
 
 2 c 
 
194 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 than they had yet observed it. The king acquiesced in 
 their proposal, and requested their instructions. 
 
 At the same time that the king thus publicly desired 
 to profess Christianity, he proposed to erect a large and 
 substantial building for the worship of the true God. 
 His own affairs remained unsettled and discouraging; 
 he was still an exile in Eimeo, and rumours of war 
 not only prevailed in Tahiti, but invasion threatened 
 Eimeo. This island the Missionaries considered only 
 as a temporary residence, till they should be able to 
 resume their labours in Tahiti, or establish a mission 
 in the leeward islands, and therefore recommended 
 him to defer it. But he replied, “ No, let us not mind 
 these things, let it be built.” 
 
 Shortly after this important event, which may justly 
 be considered as the dawning of that day, and the first 
 ray of that light, which has since shed such lustre, and 
 beamed with such splendour and power, upon these isles 
 of the sea, two chiefs arrived from Tahiti, inviting 
 Pomare to return and resume his government, promising 
 an amicable adjustment of their differences. The 
 interests of his kingdom appeared to require his con¬ 
 currence with their proposal; and, on the thirteenth of 
 August, in less than a month after the pleasing event 
 referred to, he sailed with them from Eimeo, followed 
 by the chiefs and people from the Leeward Islands, and 
 most of the inhabitants of Papetoai and its vicinity. 
 His departure, in this critical state of mind, was much 
 to be regretted, as it deprived him of the instructions of 
 his teachers, exposed him to many temptations, and 
 much persecution. 
 
 Pomare, in infancy, had been rocked in the cradle of 
 paganism, and trained under its influence through subse- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 195 
 
 quent life. His father Pomare, and his mother Idia, 
 were probably more infatuated with idolatry, and more 
 uniformly attached to the idols, and every institution 
 connected with their worship, than even the priests, or 
 perhaps any other individuals in the islands. He had 
 been early and often initiated in all the mysteries of 
 falsehood and abomination connected with the system, 
 and had engaged with avidity in the bloody and 
 murderous rites of idol worship. In addition to this, 
 lie had been nurtured amid the debasing and pollut¬ 
 ing immorality, for which his country, ever since its 
 discovery, had been distinguished; and although his 
 ideas of the moral perfections of the true God might be 
 but indistinct, and his views of the purity required in 
 the gospel but partial, yet it might naturally be ex¬ 
 pected, that the convictions of guilt in such an indi¬ 
 vidual, when first awakened to a sense of the nature and 
 consequence of sin, would be deep and severe. That 
 this was actually the case, appears from several letters 
 which he wrote to the Missionaries soon after his 
 arrival in Tahiti, as well as from the conversation they 
 had with him on the subject. 
 
 a letter, dated Tahiti, September 25, 1812, he thus 
 expresses himself: u May the anger of Jehovah be 
 appeased towards me, who am a wicked man, guilty of 
 accumulated crimes,—of regardlessness and ignorance of 
 the true God, and of an obstinate perseverance in wick¬ 
 edness ! May Jehovah also pardon my foolishness, unbe¬ 
 lief, and rejection of the truth ! May Jehovah give me 
 his good Spirit to sanctify my heart, that I may love 
 what is good, and that I may be enabled to put away 
 all my evil customs, and become one of his people, and 
 be saved through Jesus Christ, our only Saviour ! I am 
 
196 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 a wicked man, and my sins are great and accumulated. 
 But O, that we may all be saved, through Jesus Christ.” 
 Referring to his illness about this time, he said, a My 
 affliction is great; but if I can only obtain God’s favour 
 before I die, I shall count myself well. But, O ! should 
 I die with my sins unpardoned, it will be ill indeed with 
 me. O ! may my sins be pardoned, and my soul saved, 
 through Jesus Christ! May Jehovah regard me before 
 I die, and then I shall rejoice, because I have obtained 
 the favour of Jehovah.” 
 
 In another letter, written about a fortnight afterwards, 
 he observes, “ I continue to pray to God without ceas¬ 
 ing. Regardless of other things, I am concerned only 
 that my soul may be saved by Jesus Christ! It is my 
 earnest desire, that I may become one of Jehovah’s 
 people; and that God may turn away his anger from 
 me, which I deserve, for my wickedness, my ignorance 
 of him, and my accumulated crimes !” In February, 
 1813, he wrote to the following effect. “ The Almighty 
 can (or will) make me good. I venture with my 
 guilt (or evil deeds) to Jesus Christ, though I am not 
 equalled in wickedness, not equalled in guilt, not 
 equalled in obstinate disobedience, and rejection of the 
 truth, hoping that this very wicked man may be saved by 
 Jehovah, Jesus Christ.” 
 
 Such was the interesting state of Pomare’s mind, at 
 the close of the year 1812, and the commencement of 
 1813. At the same time that this event shed such 
 light upon the prospects of the Missionaries, other 
 circumstances concurred, to confirm them in the 
 conviction, that God was about to favour in a signal 
 manner their enterprise, to follow their labours with 
 his blessing, and with still greater success. Of one or 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 197 
 
 two other natives they had every reason to hope most 
 favourably* while one, who died about this time* left a 
 phasing testimony behind* of repentance* and reliance 
 on the pardoning mercy of God. 
 
 The king’s visit to Tahiti did not succeed so 'well as 
 1 he messengers had promised* or his friends had antici¬ 
 pated : rumours of war prevailed in the western and 
 southern parts of the island* and many of the chiefs sent 
 professions of subjection; but the continuance of such 
 acknowledgment was uncertain. Some of his ablest 
 allies* especially Tapoa the chief of Raiatea* was removed 
 by death* and the others prepared to return to their own 
 islands. Early in the following year* the district of 
 Matavai w T as surrendered to Pomare* hut he was justly 
 doubtful of the sincerity of the surrender. Amidst all 
 these unfavourable circumstances* he continued bold and 
 uncompromising in his renunciation of the idols* and 
 every rite of idolatry; observing the sabbath* and* on 
 every suitable occasion* exhibiting the truth and ex¬ 
 cellency of the religion of Jesus Christ. Although 
 this honourable conduct produced a surprising effect 
 iij; n the minds of many of the inhabitants of Tahiti 
 
 ' Ivimeo* who considered the king better acquainted 
 ' Hi with the religion of the natives* and that of the 
 foreigners* than any other person in the islands; it pro¬ 
 cured him many enemies* and exposed him to no ordi¬ 
 nary degree of ridicule and persecution* not only from 
 his idolatrous rivals* but from his allies* and the mem¬ 
 bers of his household and family. These attributed all 
 ins reverses to the respect he had shewn the Mission¬ 
 aries* and the inclination he had indulged towards their 
 God ; and declared that he need not expect his affairs to 
 be retrieved* since he had forsaken the gods of his 
 
198 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 ancestors, and insulted those to whom his family was in¬ 
 debted for the elevated distinction to which it had been 
 raised in Tahiti, and the neighbouring islands. Pomare, 
 however, was uninfluenced by any of these representa¬ 
 tions, and, notwithstanding the embarrassed state of his 
 affairs, and the uncertainty of the result, to which the 
 present agitation, and the approaching national assem¬ 
 bly of chiefs and people, might lead, and though his 
 friends added insult and reproach to his misfortunes, he 
 remained u steadfast and unmoveable.” 
 
 The communications between Tahiti and Eimeo were 
 now frequent, and the repeated accounts of Pomare’s 
 persevering and laudable endeavours to enlighten 
 the minds of his subjects, were not the only cheering 
 tidings they received. Mr. Bicknell went over in a 
 vessel bound to the Pearl Islands, and in a few days 
 returned, with the pleasing report that a spirit of inquiry 
 had been awakened among some of the inhabitants of 
 that island, that two of those they had formerly in¬ 
 structed, had occasionally met to pray to God. In order 
 to ascertain the nature and extent of the anxiety 
 which had been excited, and to confer with the indi¬ 
 viduals under its influence, Messrs. Scott and Hayward, 
 having been deputed by their companions to visit Tahiti, 
 sailed over from Eimeo, on the 15th of June, 1813. 
 Although the king was residing in Matavai, they landed 
 in the district of Pare, and proceeding to the valley of 
 Hautaua, they learned that the report was correct, and 
 that in the neighbourhood there were some who had 
 renounced idolatry, and professed to believe in Jehovah, 
 the true God. 
 
 On the following morning, according to the usual 
 practice when travelling among the people, they 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 199 
 
 retired to the bushes near their lodgings, for medi¬ 
 tation and secret prayer. The houses of the natives, 
 h»ov. ver large they might be, never contained more than 
 one room; and were generally so crowded with people, 
 that retirement was altogether unattainable. While 
 seeking this, about the dawn of the day, on the morn¬ 
 ing after their arrival, Mr. Scott heard a voice at no 
 great distance from his retreat. It was not a few de¬ 
 tached sentences that were spoken, but a continued 
 address; not in the lively tone of conversation, but 
 solemn, as devotion; or pathetic, as the voice of lamen¬ 
 tation and supplication. 
 
 A variety of feelings led him to approach the spot whence 
 these sounds proceeded, in order to hear more distinctly* 
 O, what hallowed music must have broke upon his 
 listening ear, and what rapture must have thrilled his 
 soul, when he distinctly recognized the voice of prayer, 
 and heard a native, in the accents of his mother-tongue, 
 with an ardour that proved his sincerity, addressing 
 petitions and thanksgivings to the throne of mercy. 
 It was the first time he knew that a native on Tahiti’s 
 sli had prayed to any but his idols; it was the first 
 
 n voice in praise and prayer, that he had ever heard, 
 
 > : lie listened almost entranced with the propriety and 
 glowing language of devotion, then employed, until 
 his feelings could be restrained no longer. Tears of 
 joy started from his gladdened eye, and rolled in swift 
 succession down his cheeks, while he could hardly 
 forbear rushing to the spot, and clasping in his arms 
 the unconscious author of his ecstacy. He stood trans¬ 
 fixed as it were to the spot, till the native retired; when 
 he bowed his knees, and, screened from human obser¬ 
 vation by the verdant shrubs, offered up, under the 
 
200 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 canopy of heaven, his grateful adoration to the Most 
 High, under all the melting of soul, and the excite¬ 
 ment of spirit, which the unprecedented, unexpected, 
 though long-desired events of the morning had inspired. 
 When the Missionaries met at the house in which they 
 had lodged, the good tidings were communicated; the 
 individual was sought out; and they were cheered with 
 the simple yet affecting account he gave of what God 
 had done for his own soul, and of the pleasing state of 
 the minds of several of his countrymen. 
 
 His name was then Oito , though it is now Petero; he 
 had formerly been ail inmate of the Mission family at 
 Matavai, and had received instructions there. He has 
 since been a useful member of the community, and is still 
 a consistent member of a Christian society; in which he 
 has for some years sustained, with credit to himself 
 and advantage to the church, the office of deacon. 
 He had occasionally been with the king since his return 
 to Tahiti, and some remarks from Pomare had awakened 
 convictions of sin in his conscience. Anxious to obtain 
 direction and relief, yet having no one to whom he could 
 unburden his mind with hopes of suitable guidance, 
 he applied to Tuahine , who had for a long time lived 
 with the Missionaries; hence Oito inferred he would 
 be able to direct his mind aright. Tuahine has since 
 rendered the most important services to the Mission, 
 in aiding Mr. Nott with the translations. When the 
 Gospel by John, and the Acts of the Apostles, were 
 finished, and Mr. Nott left Huahine, in July 1819, he 
 removed to Raiatea, his native island, and has since been 
 not only a useful member of society, and an ornament to 
 the religion he professes, but an officer in the Christian 
 church in Raiatea. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 201 
 
 TuRhine’s mind, on the subject of the Christian reli¬ 
 gion, was in a state resembling that of Oito’s. Their 
 crun ersation deepened their impressions; they frequently 
 met afterwards for this purpose, and often retired to the 
 privacy of the sequestered valleys or verdant shrub¬ 
 beries adjacent to their dwellings, for conversation and 
 prayer. The singularity of their conduct, together with 
 the report of the change in the sentiments of the king, 
 soon attracted observation: many derided them, but 
 several young men and boys attached themselves to 
 Oito and Tuahine, and this little band, without any 
 Missionary to teach them, or even before any one was 
 acquainted with the circumstance, agreed to refrain from 
 worshipping the idols—from the evil practices of their 
 country—to observe the Sabbath-day,—and to worship 
 Jehovah alone. They had established among themselves 
 a prayer-meeting, w T hich they held on the Sabbath, and 
 often assembled at other times for social worship. 
 
 This intelligence was like life from the dead to the 
 Missionaries ; they thanked God, and took courage ; but 
 before commencing their journey round Tahiti, they 
 \> rote to their brethren in Eimeo an account of what 
 1 1 ' had seen and heard : declaring all that they had 
 In ird was true, that God had “also granted to the 
 Gentiles repentance unto life,” that some had cast away 
 t heir idols, and were stretching out their hands in prayer 
 to God, &c. The effect of their letter was scarcely less 
 on the minds of the Missionaries in Eimeo, than the 
 
 V 
 
 recital had been to themselves in Tahiti. They were 
 d* eply affected, even unto tears. I have often heard 
 Mr. Nott speak, with evident indications of strong feeling, 
 of the emotions with which this letter was read. And 
 when we consider the long and cheerless years, which he 
 
 2d 
 
202 
 
 PO L YN ES IAN R ESEARCUES. 
 
 and some of his associates had spent in fruitless, hope¬ 
 less toil, on that unpromising field, the slightest pros¬ 
 pect of an ultimate harvest, which these facts certainly 
 warranted, was adapted to produce unusual and exalted 
 joys,—emphatically a Missionary’s own,—joys “that a 
 stranger intermeddleth not with.” 
 
 Messrs. Scott and Hayward made the tour of Tahiti, 
 preaching to the people whenever they could collect a 
 congregation, and then returned to Eimeo with Tuahine, 
 Oito, and their companions,—who accompanied them, in 
 order to attend the school, and receive more full 
 instruction in those things, respecting which, though 
 formerly so indifferent, they were now most anxious to 
 be informed. 
 
 Tuahine was born in the island of Raiatea, but had 
 been some time residing in the inland parts of the dis¬ 
 trict of Pare. Oito was an inhabitant, if not a native, of 
 Hautaua, and in this lovely, verdant, and sequestered 
 valley, the first native meeting for prayer was held, and 
 the first associated vows were paid to heaven. 
 
 I have often passed along the mouth or opening of 
 this valley, and regret that I never had an opportunity 
 of traversing its interior, and visiting the abode of Oito, 
 or the sites of the rural oratories of the first Christians 
 in Tahiti. Hautaua valley is an interesting spot, not 
 only on account of the events connected with the early 
 history of Christianity, which transpired within its bor¬ 
 ders, but also from the peculiarity of its scenery. 
 
 In the exterior, or border landscapes, of Tahiti and 
 the other islands, there is a variety in the objects of 
 natural beauty; a happy combination of land and water, 
 of precipices and level plains, of trees, often hanging 
 their branches clothed with thick dark foliage over the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 203 
 
 ;-ea, tid distant mountains shewn in sublime outline and 
 11, best hues ; and the whole often blended in the harmony 
 oi nature, produces sensations of admiration and delight. 
 The inland scenery is of a different character, but not 
 less impressive. The landscapes are occasionally exten- 
 -.ivc, but more frequently circumscribed. There is, how¬ 
 ever^ a startling boldness in the towering piles of basalt, 
 often heaped in romantic confusion near the source or 
 margin of some cool and crystal stream, that flows in 
 silence at their base, or dashes over the rocky fragments 
 that arrest its progress : and there is the wildness of 
 nuance about the deep and lonely glens, around which 
 the mountains rise like the steep sides of a natural 
 amphitheatre, till the clouds seem supported by them— 
 this arrests the attention of the beholder, and for a time 
 suspends his faculties in mute astonishment. There is 
 also so much that is new in the character and growth of 
 trees and flowers, irregular, spontaneous, and luxuriant 
 in the vegetation, which is sustained by a prolific soil, 
 it I matured by the genial heat of a tropic clime, that it 
 if dapted to produce an indescribable effect. Often, 
 h, n, either alone, or attended by one or two com- 
 >ns, I have journeyed through some of the inland 
 rts of the islands, such has been the effect of the 
 nery through which I have passed, and the unbroken 
 stillness which has pervaded the whole, that imagination, 
 unrestrained, might easily have induced the delusion, that 
 we were walking on enchanted ground, or passing over 
 ; ry lands. It has at such seasons appeared as if we had 
 been carried back to the primitive ages of the world, 
 and beheld the face of the earth, as it was perhaps often 
 exhibited, when the Creator’s works were spread over it 
 in all their endless variety, and all the vigour of ex- 
 
204 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 haustless energy, and before population had extended, 
 or the genius and enterprise of man had altered, the 
 aspect of its surface. 
 
 The valleys of Tahiti present some of the richest 
 inland scenery that can be imagined. Those in the 
 southern parts are remarkable for their beauty, but 
 none more so than those of Hautaua, Matavai, and 
 Apaiano. Those portions of them, in which the incipient 
 effects of the advancement of civilization appear, are the 
 most interesting; presenting the *neat white plastered cot¬ 
 tages in beautiful contrast with the picturesque appear¬ 
 ance of the mountains, and the rich verdure of the 
 plains. 
 
 The accompanying plate represents a scene in the 
 valley of Matavai, near the bank of the river which flows 
 through the district. It was taken on the spot by Capt. 
 Elliot, who spent some time at Matavai, in the begin¬ 
 ning of 1821 . The rustic building by the side of the 
 stream is a Missionary’s cottage, and was at that time 
 occupied by Mr. Nott. The surrounding scenery is 
 delineated with accuracy and care 5 but the effect of the 
 lofty mountain in the centre, which often appeared en¬ 
 circled with clouds, through which its romantic peaks 
 sometimes penetrated, and of the rich purple hue that 
 glowed on its sides, with other parts of the landscape, 
 are such as to surpass the efforts of the graphic art. 
 

 
 /'ts/n-r. Son &* CY London, WZU. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 205 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 First record of the names of the professors of Christianity—Taaroarii's 
 rejection of idolatrous ceremonies—Determination of Patii, the priest 
 of Papetoai—Idols publicly burnt at Uaeva, in Eimeo—Increase of 
 the scholars—Contempt and persecution on account of the profession 
 of Christianity—Baneful influence of idolatry on social intercourse— 
 Humiliating circumstances to which its institutes reduced the female 
 sex—Happy change in domestic society, attending the introduction of 
 Christianity—Persecution of the Christians—Worshippers of the true 
 God sought as victims, for sacrifice to the pagan idols—Notice of 
 Abrahama—Martyrdom in Tahiti. 
 
 Soon after the return of Messrs. Scott and Hayward 
 from Tahiti, indications of the same convictions and 
 inquiry were occasionally manifested in Eimeo; and 
 on the 25th of July, 1813, which was the Sabbath, 
 the first place for public worship erected in the island 
 of Eimeo was opened. It was also the first build¬ 
 ing in the islands ever used by the natives for this 
 sacred purpose. The exercises of the day were highly 
 interesting both to the Missionaries and their little band 
 of followers. At the close of the evening service Mr. 
 Davies gave notice, according to previous arrangements, 
 that on the following morning a public meeting would 
 be held; when all who had sincerely renounced their 
 false gods, who had desired also to relinquish their evil 
 customs, to receive Jehovah for their God, and to be 
 instructed in his word, were invited to attend. Forty 
 
200 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 natives came at the time appointed; the design 
 of the meeting was explained by Mr. Noft. It was, 
 to urge those who were undecided, and wished to 
 become sincere disciples of Jesus Christ, to make 
 their desires known—that the Missionaries might pay 
 them special attention, and give them suitable instruc¬ 
 tions : they listened attentively, and many appeared 
 deeply affected. They were afterwards individually inter¬ 
 rogated as to their desires in reference to these impor¬ 
 tant matters : during this inquiry thirty-one declared they 
 had renounced the idols, their worship, and every prac¬ 
 tice connected with idolatry; wishing to abandon every 
 thing contrary to the word of God. These thirty-one 
 requested to have their names written down as those 
 that desired to worship God, and to become disciples 
 of Christ. Others said they intended to cast away their 
 idols, but did not wish to have their names written down 
 at that time. All who felt inclined to come were invited, 
 but none were urged. The names of these thirty-one were 
 written down; and among the first of them, Oito and 
 Tualiine’s were to be seen. In writing down the names 
 of those who thus publicly professed Christianity, the 
 Missionaries were influenced by a desire, not only to 
 instruct them more fully, but to become personally 
 acquainted with them, and to exercise over them a 
 guardian care, which they could not do without knowing 
 their names, places of abode, &c. To their number, eleven 
 more were soon added; and with these they afterwards 
 held frequent meetings, for the purpose of informing their 
 minds, and encouraging them to faithfulness in their 
 attachment to the Redeemer. Among the last number 
 was Taaroarii, the young chief of Huahine and Sir 
 Charles Sanders’ Island, and Matapuupuu, a principal 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 207 
 
 areoi, and chief priest of Huahine, who had long* been 
 one of the main pillars of idolatry in the island to which 
 he belonged. 
 
 On the 28th of July, 1813, a number of areois visited 
 Taaroarii's encampment at Teataebua, five miles from 
 Papetoae, the Missionary settlement; prepared an enter¬ 
 tainment, invited him to attend, and, before it com¬ 
 menced, were about to perform some heathen rites con¬ 
 nected with the food they were to eat, and to deliver an 
 oration, in which his rank, descent, and connexion with 
 the gods by origin and family, and his future place among 
 them, were to have been detailed. This, Taaroarii strictly 
 prohibited; declaring that he intended no longer to 
 acknowledge the gods of Tahiti, which were no gods ; 
 that no more ceremonies should be performed on his 
 account, as he purposed to worship Jehovah. He was 
 anxious to know more respecting God, and wished them 
 also to hear about Him; and, therefore, sent a message 
 to Mr. Nott, requesting him to come down and preach to 
 the people at his place of abode. 
 
 Mr. Nott gladly complied with his request, and, ac- 
 panied by Mr. Hayward, repaired a few days after- 
 
 1 ' to his encampment. When they arrived at Tiatai- 
 I; Puru, the king of Huahine, and the chief of Eimeo, 
 received them very cordially : said his son Taaroarii 
 wished to be instructed in the word of God, to learn 
 about Jehovah and Jesus Christ, of whom he had so 
 1 requently heard Pomare speak. The chief added, that 
 
 bough he had no desire after these things himself. 
 In did not wish to oppose his son, or prevent his hearing 
 whatever Mr. Nott might have to communicate. The 
 fi i! ger oi the Almighty was strikingly exhibited in the door 
 thus effectually opened for the preaching of the gospel. 
 
208 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Puru and his adherents had not been much with the 
 Missionaries. The people of Huahine and their chief 
 were certainly among the most superstitious and idola¬ 
 trous tribes of the Pacific. Pomare, and not the Mis¬ 
 sionary, had on this occasion been employed as the agent, 
 under God, in influencing the mind of the young chief, 
 who was likely to become the king of Huahine and 
 Eimeo, and in a way which at once demonstrated that 
 it was the purpose of God that he should be made ac¬ 
 quainted with divine truth. Hence he was induced to pro¬ 
 hibit an acknowledgment to the gods of his ancestors, and 
 to invite the messengers of salvation to his camp, to speak 
 unto him and his adherents words whereby they might 
 be saved. While the Missionaries admired the means 
 by which God had thus shewn them that the work was 
 His, and not theirs, and thus deprived them of attributing 
 any thing to their own influence, they rejoiced in the 
 opportunity now afforded of proclaiming the tidings of 
 mercy from the most High. Mr. Nott conversed a long 
 time with them, and preached an instructive and affect¬ 
 ing discourse from Isa. xlix. 7- I have often^heard the 
 young man's mother-in-law, and other members of the 
 household, speak of this discourse as having deeply 
 impressed their minds. When Mr. Nott left them, he 
 invited the chief and his adherents to visit the station 
 on the Sabbath, and cultivate an intercourse with other 
 Christian chiefs. 
 
 On the following Sabbath, Taaroarii attended; his 
 father also became, a few months afterwards, a sincere 
 convert. They accompanied us to Huahine in 1818. 
 Taaroarii died rather suddenly in 1821. His father is 
 the venerable king of Huahine ; and has, ever since his 
 return, proved not only a father to the people, but a 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 209 
 
 uniform and bright ornament to the religion of the 
 
 Cross. \ ; 
 
 i iesides these regular periods of instruction and 
 times of public worship* the Missionaries frequently 
 held special meetings with those whose names they 
 had written down* for the purpose of unfolding more 
 fully the sublime doctrines of revelation* and uniting 
 with them in social worship. They had the delightful 
 satisfaction of hearing some of the new converts engage 
 in prayer, and were surprised and gratified* in a high 
 degree* with their fluency and fervour* as well as the 
 appropriateness of their language* when engaged in this 
 sacred duty. They also learned with pleasure* that 
 they were accustomed to retire morning and evening 
 for secret prayer. 
 
 In one of the visits which Mr. Nott made to the 
 residence of Taaroarii* for the purpose of preaching 
 to his people* he was followed by Patii* the priest of 
 the temple in Papetoai* the district in which the 
 Missionaries resided. This individual appeared to listen 
 • • t attentively to what was said; and after the con- 
 ion of the service* he and Mr. Nott proceeded toge- 
 along the beach towards the settlement. As they 
 dked* Patii fully disclosed the feelings of his mind to 
 Mr. Nott* and assured him that on the morrow* at a cer¬ 
 tain hour, he would bring out the idols under his care* 
 and publicly burn them. The declaration was astound¬ 
 ing ; it was too decisive and important in its nature* 
 tnd promised results almost too momentous to be 
 true. Mr. Nott replied* u I fear you are jesting with 
 me, and stating what you think we wish* rather than 
 what you intend. I can scarcely allow myself to believe 
 what you say/’ “ Don’t be unbelieving,” replied 
 
 2 E 
 
210 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Patii, “ wait till to-morrow, and you shall see/’ The 
 religion of Jesus Christ was the topic of conversation 
 until they reached the settlement; when Patii took his 
 leave, and Mr. Nott informed his colleagues of the suc¬ 
 cess of his visit to the young chief of Huahine, and the 
 determination which the priest of the district had made 
 known to him. The impression which the intelligence 
 of these events produced upon their minds, was that of 
 mingled admiration, gratitude, and hope, to a degree 
 that may be better imagined than expressed. 
 
 The arrival of the evening of the following day was 
 awaited with an unusual agitation and excitement of 
 feeling. Hope and fear alternately pervaded the minds 
 of the Missionaries and their pupils, with regard to the 
 burning of the idols, and the consequent tumult, devasta¬ 
 tion, and bloodshed that might follow. The adherents 
 of Christianity were but few, (less than fifty,) and sur¬ 
 rounded by jealous and cruel idolaters—who already 
 began to wonder “whereunto this thing might grow.” 
 Patii, however, was punctual to his word. He, with his 
 friends, had collected a quantity of fuel near the sea- 
 beach ; and, in the afternoon, the wood was split, and 
 piled on a point of land in the western part of Papetoai, 
 near the large national Marae, or temple, in which he 
 had officiated. Hie report of his intention had spread 
 among the people of the district, and multitudes assem¬ 
 bled to witness this daring act of impiety, or the sudden 
 vengeance which they expected would fall upon the 
 sacrilegious criminal. The Missionaries and their 
 friends also attended. The varied emotions of hope and 
 fear, of dread and expectation, with a strange air of 
 mysterious foreboding, agitating the bosoms of the 
 multitude, were strongly marked in the countenances 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 211 
 
 of the spectators; resembling, perhaps in no small 
 degree, the feeling depicted in the visages of the assem¬ 
 bled Israelites, when the prophet Elijah summoned 
 them to prove the power of Baal, or to acknowledge the 
 omnipotence of the Lord God of Israel. short time before 
 sun-set, Patii appeared, and ordered his attendants to 
 apply fire to the pile. This being done, he hastened to the 
 sacred depository of his gods, brought them out, not in¬ 
 deed as he had been on some occasions accustomed to do, 
 that they might receive the blind homage of the waiting 
 populace,—but to convince the deluded multitude of the 
 impotency and the vanity of the objects of their adora¬ 
 tion and their dread. When he approached the burning 
 pile, he laid them down on the ground. They were 
 small carved wooden images, rude imitations of the 
 human figure; or shapeless logs of wood, covered with 
 finely braided and curiously wrought cinet of cocoa-nut 
 fibres, and ornamented with red feathers. The accom¬ 
 panying representations will convey some idea of the 
 shape and appearance of the former kind. 
 
212 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Patii tore off the sacred cloth in which they were enve¬ 
 loped, to be safe from the gaze of vulgar eyes; stripped 
 them of their ornaments, which he cast into the fire; and 
 then one by one threw the idols themselves into the crack¬ 
 ling flames—sometimes pronouncing the name and pedi¬ 
 gree of the idol, and expressing his own regret at having 
 worshipped it—at others, calling upon the spectators to 
 behold their inability even to help themselves. Thus 
 were the idols which Patii, who was a powerful priest in 
 Eimeo, had worshipped, publicly destroyed. The flames 
 became extinct, and the sun, which had never before shed 
 his rays upon such a scene in those islands, cast his last 
 beams, as he sunk behind the western wave, upon the 
 expiring embers of that fire, which had already mingled 
 Avitli the earth upon which it had been kindled—the ashes 
 of the once obeyed and dreaded idols of Eimeo. 
 
 Patii on this occasion was not prompted by a spirit 
 of daring bravado, but by the conviction of truth, 
 deeply impressed upon his heart, and a desire to 
 undeceive his deluded countrymen; probably consi¬ 
 dering, that as his conduct and instruction had hereto¬ 
 fore done much to extend and propagate the influence 
 of idolatry, so his thus publicly abandoning it, and 
 exposing himself to all the consequences of their dreaded 
 ire, would most effectually weaken their confidence in the 
 gods, and lead them to desire instruction concerning 
 that Being, who, he was convinced, was the only living 
 and true God,—who was a spirit, and was to he wor¬ 
 shipped, not with human or other sacrifices, save those 
 of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, or the sacri¬ 
 fices of thanksgiving and of praise. 
 
 Although many of the spectators undoubtedly 
 viewed Patii with feelings analogous to those with which 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 213 
 
 the Melitians viewed the apostle Paul when the viper 
 fastened on his hand, and were, many of them, evidently 
 disappointed when they saw no evil befall him, they 
 did not attempt to rescue the gods, when insulted, 
 and perhaps riven by the axe, or stripped to be cast 
 into the flames. No tumult followed, and no one 
 came forward to revenge the insult offered to the tute¬ 
 lar deities of their country. Probably, Gamaliel-like, 
 they thought it best not to interfere at that time, as 
 their belief in the power of the gods had hitherto 
 remained unshaken, and they doubtless expected that, in 
 their own way, the gods would take signal vengeance on 
 those by whom, in the sight of the nation, they had been 
 thus dishonoured. 
 
 The watchful providence of God, over His infant cause 
 in these islands, was remarkably conspicuous in pre¬ 
 serving Patii and his friends, and allowing them, after 
 the events of the evening, safely and peacefully to 
 return. There were many present, who w T ere indig¬ 
 nant at the insult, and filled with rage at the impiety of 
 11 ;tct, as well as convinced, that if this conduct should 
 !»• Militated by others, not only would their craft and 
 emoluments be endangered, but they would no 
 longer be able to exercise that unquestioned influence 
 over the people, to which they had hitherto been accus¬ 
 tomed ; nor to indulge their base propensities, and live 
 in that luxurious ease they then enjoyed. Had any 
 popular tumult followed this heroic act, the idolaters 
 - 4 -*e so numerous and powerful, and the Christians 
 so w r eak, that their destruction would have been 
 inevitable; and even the lives of the Missionaries, who 
 would have been considered as the cause of all the dis¬ 
 turbances, might not have been secure. God, however, 
 
214 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 preserved them, and they returned, to render to him the 
 thanks and the glory due unto his name. 
 
 The conduct of Patii, when it became more extensively 
 known, produced the most decisive effects on the priests 
 and people. Numbers in Tahiti and Eimeo were em¬ 
 boldened, by his example—not only in burning their 
 idols, but demolishing their maraes or temples; their 
 altars were also stripped and overthrown, and the wood 
 employed in their construction converted into fuel, and 
 used in the native kitchens. 
 
 Patii became the pupil of the Missionaries, and a 
 constant worshipper of the true God, persevering amidst 
 much ridicule and persecution. Whether his mind had 
 at this time undergone a divine and decisive change, it 
 is not necessary now to inquire; every evidence that 
 could be required, has since been given, of the sincerity 
 of his profession of Christianity, and the influence 
 of its principles on his heart. His conduct, from 
 this period, has been uniformly moral and upright, his 
 mind humble, his disposition affectionate and mild, and 
 his habits of life reformed and industrious. The in¬ 
 fluence of his character in Papetoai, where he is best 
 know n, has occasioned his election to an important 
 office in the Christian church. He is a valuable and 
 steady friend, and an assistant, in whom the Mis¬ 
 sionaries can repose confidence. Although not a 
 chief of the highest rank, he had been raised by the 
 kmg and people to the office of a magistrate, in his 
 own district. His conduct on the above occasion gave 
 idolatry a stab more deadly than any which it had 
 before received, and inflicted a wound, from which, 
 
 with all the energy subsequently manifested, it never 
 could recover. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 215 
 
 In the month of March, 1814, Mr. Nott, accompanied 
 by Mr. Hayward, visited Huahine, Raiatea, and Tahaa, 
 the principal of the Society Islands, conversing with the 
 inhabitants, travelling round the islands, and preaching 
 to the people wherever it was convenient. In every 
 place they were welcomed and entertained with hos¬ 
 pitality. The inhabitants frequently assembled to hear 
 their instructions, as soon as they knew of their arrival 
 in a district or village; whereas, on every former 
 occasion, it had required much time and labour, by 
 personal application, to assemble the smallest congre¬ 
 gations. Many appeared to listen with earnestness and 
 satisfaction to the message they delivered, called God 
 the good spirit, and scrupled not to designate their 
 own gods as varua maamaa y and varua ino y foolish 
 spirits, and evil spirits. 
 
 In the autumn of the same year, Mr. Wilson went on 
 board a vessel at Eimeo, which was driven to the 
 leeward islands, where contrary winds detained him 
 and his companions for three months. During this 
 p< < iod he was much among the people, preached to 
 »< • idive congregations on the Sabbath and other days, 
 
 " ■ w as happy to find that those whose names had been 
 written down at Tahiti continued steadfast. He also 
 added to their number thirty-nine others, whose names, 
 at their own desire, were recorded as the professed wor¬ 
 shippers of the true God. When he left them, they 
 t xpressed the deepest regret, and requested that one of 
 Missionaries would come and reside among them. 
 
 Before Mr. Nott visited the Society Islands, he 
 finished the translation of the Gospel of Luke; and, in 
 the course of the same year, the Missionaries sent a 
 copy of their catechism to New South Wales, to be 
 
21(5 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 printed there. They were exceedingly anxious to obtain 
 a supply of elementary books, as the spelling books 
 from England were expended, and the desire for 
 instruction had increased to such a degree, that 
 
 upwards of two hundred scholars attended their school 
 at Papetoai. 
 
 About this time, several of the chiefs of the Society 
 Islands, and many of their adherents, who had come 
 up in 1811 to assist Pomare in the recovery of his 
 government and authority in Tahiti, returned to their 
 own dominions; not, however, without most earnestly 
 
 requesting the Missionaries to send them teachers and 
 books. 
 
 Tamatoa and his brother, with other chiefs, had been 
 residing for some time at the Missionary station in 
 Eimeo, they had attended the school and public in¬ 
 struction in the place of worship; and several, among 
 the most promising, of whom was Paumoana, at 
 present a valuable native Missionary in the Harvey 
 
 islands, appeared to be under the decisive influence 
 of Christian principle. 
 
 After an absence of two years, during which he had 
 resided in Tahiti, vainly expecting the restoration of 
 his government, and endeavouring to recover his 
 authority in his hereditary dominions, Pomare returned 
 to Eimeo in the autumn of 1814, accompanied by a large 
 tiain of adherents and dependants, all professors, at least, 
 of Christianity. These regularly attended the school, 
 and increased the congregation to such a degree, that 
 it was necessary to enlarge the place of worship. The 
 king had been unable to withstand the temptation 
 with which he had been assailed at Tahiti, to use 
 ardent spirits; and although not addicted to entire 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 217 
 
 intoxication, yet it induced the Missionaries to fear that 
 he, like Agrippa, was but almost a Christian. They 
 could not but indulge unfavourable apprehensions on 
 his account; yet, considering his previous habits, that 
 intemperance had ever been the vice to which he was 
 most addicted, and the peculiar temptations to which 
 his residence in Tahiti had exposed him, they could not 
 readily relinquish the hopes they had entertained re¬ 
 specting him. 
 
 The numerous attendance and increasing earnestness 
 of the people, induced the Missionaries to meet them 
 for Divine worship twice on the Lord's day, and once 
 during the week. In addition to these public instruc¬ 
 tions, they held a meeting every Sabbath evening with 
 those whose names had been written down as the 
 disciples of Christ, and spent much time in more 
 private endeavours to direct the views, and confirm 
 the belief, of those who were desirous to be added to 
 their number. These sacred exercises were enlivened 
 by the natives, who united with their teachers in 
 celebrating the praises of Jehovah, a number of the 
 natives having been taught to sing hymns that had been 
 < m«i r ;ed in the native language. The Missionaries 
 had often, with mingled feelings of horror and pity, 
 heard their songs of licentiousness or of war, as well as 
 the cantillations of their heathen worship, and their 
 songs in honour of their idols; and it is hardly possible 
 to form an adequate idea of the delightful transport 
 with which, at first, they must have heard the high 
 praises of the Almighty ascend from native voices. 
 
 Upaparu , a principal chief in the eastern part of 
 Tahiti, came over to Eimeo for the express purpose 
 of seeking Christian instruction, and attending the 
 
218 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 assemblies for public worship. He was accompanied by 
 twelve of his people* ecpially anxious with himself* and 
 his wife* Maihota* to know more respecting these 
 important matters. On the 15th of April they reached 
 the Missionary station. The following day was the 
 Sabbath. They attended public worship in the fore¬ 
 noon ; and when they saw the congregation standing up* 
 and heard them sing the praises of Jehovah in their 
 native tongue* they w T ere for some time mute with as¬ 
 tonishment, and some of them so deeply affected* as to 
 be unable to refrain from tears. An excellent discourse 
 was afterwards delivered by Mr. Scott* to which they 
 listened with mingled feelings of wonder and delight. 
 
 A variety of events occurred at this time* to confirm 
 the attachment of those who had professed themselves 
 favourable to Christianity* and to induce those who were 
 undecided to join them. On one occasion* a family in 
 Eimeo were plunged into great distress* on account of 
 the sufferings of one of its members* and the prospect 
 of a fatal issue. A priest was sent for* who implored 
 the assistance of his god; but* continuing his inter¬ 
 cession for a long time* without any apparent relief to 
 the sufferer* he deserted* and left the family in hopeless 
 disappointment. A native* who was a worshipper of 
 Jehovah* was among the attending friends. He kneeled 
 down* and offered up a fervent prayer to the true God. 
 While he was thus engaged* relief was afforded* and 
 the weeping and forebodings of the family turned into 
 grateful wonder* and joyous gratulations.* I simply 
 
 In recording this incident, it is proper to state, that the Missionaries 
 disclaim all idea of miraculous interposition. At the same time, the provi¬ 
 dential coincidence of the events, and the encouragement which the word 
 of God gives to “ fervent and effectual prayer,” demand attentive con¬ 
 sideration, and grateful acknowledgment.—Psalm cvii. 43. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 219 
 
 state the fact, as it is recorded by the Missionary in the 
 island at the time, without making any comment; which, 
 indeed, it neither requires nor admits. On the minds 
 of the family, and the inhabitants of the place, it pro¬ 
 duced a powerful impression. They hastened to the 
 idol temple of the district, which they demolished, 
 breaking down the altars, and bringing forth their gods, 
 which they execrated as false, and publicly committed 
 to the flames. 
 
 A similar instance occurred early in this year. 
 One of the scholars, the wife of an areoi, who had 
 for some time, with her husband’s consent, attended 
 the school, was suddenly taken ill. The members of 
 the family were alarmed; and, accustomed to attribute 
 every calamity to the anger of the gods, immediately 
 concluded that her illness was occasioned by their dis¬ 
 pleasure, which she had probably incurred by attending 
 the school and the Christian worship of the Missionaries. 
 Patii , the priest of the district, was instantly sent for. 
 On his arrival, a small pig and a young plantain were 
 (>i cured, and handed to Patii; who, in offering them to 
 hi god, thus addressed him : O Satani! eialia oe e riri , 
 / /, faaora, Teie te hapa , ua faarue ia oe, ua haava - 
 
 n hta e te papaa , Teie te buaa, eialia e riri; u O Satan ! 
 be not angry, restore, restore; this is the sin, deceived 
 by the foreigners (she) has forsaken you. Here is a 
 pig (as an atonement,) be not angry.” In this address 
 ii is singular to notice the application of the term Satan 
 * the god Patii invoked. It was introduced by the 
 Missionaries, and at this time adopted by the Christians, 
 when speaking of any of the idols of Tahiti. Although 
 dangerously ill at the time these efforts were made, the 
 woman recovered; and, notwithstanding all the fearful 
 
220 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 representation of consequences, made by her friends, 
 attended the school again, so soon as her strength 
 admitted. Her infatuation, as they conceived it to be 
 in this respect, not only encouraged her school-fellows, 
 but, with other circumstances which occurred about the 
 same time, made a considerable impression on the minds 
 of the idolaters, and occasioned some of the priests 
 publicly to declare their firm conviction 66 that the 
 religion of the foreigners would prevail, in spite of all 
 opposition” 
 
 The progress of Divine truth was so rapid among 
 the natives, that, in the close of 1814, not fewer than 
 300 hearers regularly attended the preaching of the 
 gospel. Upwards of 200 had given in their names, as 
 professors of Christianity. Three hundred scholars 
 attended the means of instruction in Eimeo; besides 
 which, there were a number in Sir Charles Sander’s 
 Island, Huahine, and Raiatea; so that, at this time 
 there is reason to believe that between five and six 
 hundred had renounced idol-worship. 
 
 These encouraging appearances, in regard to the 
 affairs of the new converts, only appeared to arouse the 
 anger of their idolatrous enemies, who were no longer 
 satisfied with simply ridiculing, and treating with con¬ 
 tempt, the objects of their hatred, but proceeded to more 
 alarming plans of resistance against the progress of 
 those new principles which were daily gaining ground 
 among the people. It was by no means an uncontested 
 triumph, nor an undisputed possession, that Christianity 
 acquired in those islands ; every inch was reluctantly sur¬ 
 rendered ; and, at several periods, persecution raged, amid 
 the Elysian bowers of Tahiti and Eimeo, as much as ever 
 it had done in the valleys of Piedmont, or the metropolis 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 221 
 
 of the Roman empire. Many, in Tahiti especially, were 
 plundered of their property, banished from their 
 homes and their possessions, their houses were burnt, 
 and they themselves hunted for sacrifices to be offered 
 to Oro, merely because they were Bure Atua prayers to 
 God. In some places, the persecutions were so invete¬ 
 rate as to produce remonstrances, even from several of 
 the inferior chiefs, who were themselves idolaters. 
 
 The commencement of the year 1815 is distinguished, 
 in the annals of Tahiti, by changes in society, affecting 
 deeply, not only the religious, but the domestic condi¬ 
 tion of the people, especially of the females. Idolatry 
 had exerted all its withering and deadly influence, not 
 only over every moment of their earthly existence, but 
 every department of life, destroying, by its debasing and 
 unsocial dictates, every tender feeling, and all the en¬ 
 joyments of domestic intercourse. The father and the 
 mother, with their children, never, as one social happy 
 band, surrounded the domestic hearth, or, assembling 
 under the grateful shade of the verdant grove, partook 
 together, as a family, of the bounties of Providence, 
 nameless but delightful emotions, experienced on 
 " occasions, were unknown to them, and all that 
 u are accustomed to distinguish by the endearing 
 ippellation of domestic happiness. The institutes of 
 Oro and Tane inexorably required, not only that the 
 wife should not eat those kinds of food of which the 
 husband partook, but that she should not eat in the 
 same place, or prepare her food at the same fire. This 
 restriction applied not only to the wife, with regard 
 to her husband, but to all the individuals of the 
 female sex, from their birth to the day of their death. 
 In sickness or pain, or whatever other circumstances, 
 
 \ 
 
222 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the mother, the wife, the sister, or the daughter, might 
 be brought into, it was never relaxed. The men, 
 especially those who occasionally attended on the ser¬ 
 vices of idol worship in the temple, were considered 
 ra 9 or sacred; while the female sex, altogether, was con¬ 
 sidered noa , or common : the men were allowed to eat 
 the flesh of the pig, and of fowls, and a variety of fish, 
 cocoa-nuts, and plantains, and whatever was presented 
 as an offering to the gods, which the females, on pain 
 of death, were forbidden to touch; as it was supposed, 
 they would pollute them. The fires at which the men’s 
 food was cooked, were also sacred, and were forbidden to 
 be used by the females. The baskets in which their pro¬ 
 vision was kept, and the house in which the men ate, were 
 also sacred, and prohibited to the females under the same 
 cruel penalty. Hence the inferior food, both for wives, 
 daughters, &c. was cooked at separate fires, deposited 
 in distinct baskets, and eaten in lonely solitude by the 
 females, in little huts erected for the purpose. 
 
 The most offensive and frequent imprecations which 
 the men were accustomed to use towards each other, 
 referred also to this degraded condition of the females. 
 E taha miti noa oe no to medua , Mayest thou become a 
 bottle, to hold salt water for thy mother ; or another, 
 Mayest thou be baked as food for thy mother; were im¬ 
 precations they were accustomed to denounce upon each 
 other: or, Take out your eye-ball, and give it to your 
 mother to eat. 
 
 To this cheerless and debasing distinction, the 
 female sex had been for ages subject, from the direct 
 injunctions of their false system of religion ; and as its 
 cumbrous fabric began to give way, this barbarous and 
 arbitrary requisition was pro port ionably disregarded. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 223 
 
 Not only were the sacred materials with which the altars, 
 and the apendages of the temple, had been constructed, 
 com crted into fuel; but the food, considered sacred, was 
 esteemed so no longer, the invidious and debasing dis¬ 
 tinctions attached to the females were removed, and both 
 sexes, among those who professed Christianity, sat down 
 together to their cheerful meal. 
 
 Under the influence of these encouraging prospects, 
 although enfeebled by frequent indisposition, the Mis¬ 
 sionaries prosecuted their work; their scholars increased 
 in the same degree that the profession of Christianity 
 prevailed, and a supply of four hundred copies of their 
 abridgment of the New Testament, and a thousand 
 copies of small elementary books, which had been printed 
 in New South Wales, arrived very opportunely about 
 this time; spelling books they were still much in want 
 of, as those formerly printed in England had long been 
 expended. 
 
 Such was the pleasing state of things in the com- 
 mcncement of 1815. The importance and advantages of 
 edur it ion appeared to be more extensively appreciated, 
 
 ' I i tween forty and fifty, principally adults, regularly 
 M 11 * h*d the Mission school. The agents of vice, ido- 
 Liifv, and cruelty, were not inactive. The struggle 
 I) tween light and darkness, truth and error, order, and 
 anarchy, benevolence and barbarism, had never ap¬ 
 peared more intense and conspicuous, than at this 
 time. The little band of scholars in the Mission 
 school, and worshippers in the chapel, unwilling to 
 enjoy their privileges alone, employed every proper 
 and persuasive means to induce their friends and 
 relatives to attend to these things ; at least to make 
 a trial of the school, and to hear what was said about 
 
224 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the true God. The latter, however, frequently became 
 indignant at the very proposal, charging the God of the 
 foreigners with all the maladies under which they 
 suffered, and the disturbances that agitated the country; 
 accusing them also of bringing down the vengeance of 
 their own gods upon the family, by deserting their 
 altars, and worshipping with the strangers. Frequently, 
 however, they answered their entreaties only with ridi¬ 
 cule and scorn, tauntingly inquiring, Where is the good 
 of which you speak so much—the salvation of which you 
 tell us ? the foreigners themselves die, their pupils die, 
 or suffer the same pain that we do; and what good have 
 you derived from going to their schools ? Let us see—if 
 you go this week, and bring home a good bundle of 
 cloth, or scissors, or knives, or any thing else worth 
 having, then we will go too; if not, we will have nothing 
 to do with such profitless work. The state of things 
 resembled greatly that described by the Saviour, when 
 speaking of the results that should follow the promulga¬ 
 tion of his gospel. In many a family, the husband was 
 an idolater, and the wife a Christian,—or the reverse; the 
 parents addicted to the gods of their ancestors, and the 
 child a disciple of Jesus Christ; and many a wife was 
 beaten by her husband, and many a child driven from 
 the parental roof, solely on account of their attachment 
 to the new religion. In Tahiti, the idolaters proceeded 
 to the greatest acts of lawless violence and horrid 
 murder. 
 
 More than once, individuals were selected to be 
 offered in sacrifice to the gods, only because they were 
 Christians. Mr. Davies, in his journey round Tahiti, 
 in 1816, met with the murderer of the young man 
 who was offered in sacrifice by the people of Taia- 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 225 
 
 rabii. to insure success in their last attack upon the 
 pe< >ple of Atehuru and Papara, and whose tragical death 
 he justly considered, ought to be recorded, because it is 
 hoped it was “the last human sacrifice offered in 
 Tahiti,” and because the victim was selected “on 
 account of his attachment to Christianity.” 
 
 Aberahama, an interesting and intelligent young man, 
 who was a pupil in our school at Eimeo, was marked out 
 as a victim; and, when the servants of the priests came 
 to take him, being obliged to fly for his life, he was pursued 
 by the murderers, shot at, wounded, and but narrowly 
 escaped. When he received the ball, he fell, and, 
 unable to save himself by flight, crawled among the 
 bushes, and hid himself so completely, as to elude the 
 vigilant search of his enemies, although it was continued 
 for some time, and they often passed near his retreat. 
 Under cover of the darkness of night, he crept down to 
 the dwelling of his friends, who dressed his wound, and 
 conveyed him to a place of safety. But, although he 
 recovered from the shot, and lives, not only to enjoy the 
 blessings of the gospel in this world, and to be useful 
 imparting its benefits to others, he will, to adopt the 
 '"age of Mr. Davies, “carry the honourable scar to 
 his grave.” 
 
 An immolation, equally affecting, was related to 
 me by Mr. Nott. A fine, intelligent young man, on 
 becoming a disciple of Christ, and a public worshipper 
 of Jehovah, was ridiculed by his family; this proving 
 ineffectual, flattering promises were made of temporal 
 advantages, if he would again unite with those 
 who had been his former associates in idol worship ; 
 these he also declined. He then was threatened with 
 all their weight of vengeance; and still remaining firm 
 
 2 G 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 PyI 
 
 McGill university library 
 
 
 391638 
 
 • •• 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 \/ . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4-l/6?53tf 
 
 
 
228 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 and Christian principle. Before, however, these feelings 
 could be exercised, and the earth had drank up his 
 blood, or his insulted corpse was deposited on their 
 altar, his liberated and ransomed spirit had winged its 
 Avay to the realms of blessedness, received the welcome 
 greeting of his Saviour, and, invested with the robes 
 of victory, the palm of triumph, and the crown of glory, 
 had joined “ the noble army of martyrs;” and united in 
 ascriptions of grateful homage unto Him who had loved 
 him, and not only made him faithful to the end, but 
 triumphant over death. Those who heard the young 
 man’s dying words, and witnessed his calm unshaken 
 firmness in the moment of trial, with many, among 
 whom the report circulated, were probably led to think 
 differently of the religion he professed, than they had 
 done before. The blood of the martyrs has ever been 
 the seed of the church; and, from an exhibition of 
 principles so unequivocal in their nature, and so happy 
 in their effects, it is not too much to presume that it 
 proved so on the present occasion. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 229 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Distillation of ardent spirits—Description of a native still—Materials 
 employed in distillation—Murderous effects of intoxication—Seizure 
 of the Queen Charlotte—Murder of the officers—Escape of Mr. Shelly 
 —Seizure of the Daphne—Massacre of the captain and part of the crew 
 —Upaparu removes to Eimeo—First Christians denominated Bure 
 Vtua —Public triumph over idolatry in Eimeo—Visit of the Queen 
 and her sister to Tahiti—Emblems of the gods committed to the 
 flames—Account of Farefare—Projected assassination of the Bure 
 Atua—Manner of their escape—War in Tahiti—Pomare’s tour of 
 Eimeo. 
 
 Intemperance at this time prevailed to an awful and 
 unprecedented degree. By the Sandwich Islanders, 
 who had arrived some years before, the natives had 
 been taught to distil ardent spirits from the saccha¬ 
 ric ti root, which they now practised to a great 
 
 t nt, and exhibited, in a proportionate degree, 
 lie demoralizing and debasing influence of drun¬ 
 kenness. 
 
 Whole districts frequently united, to erect w r hat might 
 Ik* termed a public still. It was a rude, unsightly 
 machine, yet it answered but too well the purpose for 
 which it was made. It generally consisted of a large 
 ; e luent of rock, hollowed in a rough manner, and fixed 
 firmly upon a solid pile of stones, leaving a space under¬ 
 neath for a fire-place. The but-end of a large tree was 
 then hollowed out, and placed upon the rough stone boiler 
 for a cap. The baked ti root, Drcicance terminalis, 
 
‘230 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 macerated in water, and already in a state of fermenta¬ 
 tion, was then put into the hollow stone, and covered 
 with the unwieldy cap. The fire was kindled under¬ 
 neath ; a hole was made in the wooden cap of the still, 
 into which a long, small, bamboo cane, placed in a 
 trough of cold water, was inserted at one end, and, 
 when the process of distillation was commenced, the 
 spirit flowed from the other into a calabash, cocoa-nut 
 shell, or other vessel, placed underneath to receive it. 
 
 Tahitian Still . 
 
 When the materials were prepared, the men and 
 boys of the district assembled in a kind of temporary 
 house, erected over the still, in order to drink the ava , 
 as they called the spirit. The first that issued from 
 the still being the strongest, they called the ao; it was 
 carefully received, and given to the chief; that subse¬ 
 quently procured, was drunk by the people in general. 
 In this employment they were sometimes engaged for 
 several days together, drinking the spirit as it issued 
 from the still, sinking into a state of indescribable 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 231 
 
 wretchedness, and often practising the most ferocious 
 barbarities. 
 
 Travellers among the natives experienced greater 
 inconvenience from these district stills than from any 
 other cause, for when the people were either prepar¬ 
 ing one, or engaged in drinking, it was impossible to 
 obtain either their attention, or the common offices of 
 hospitality. Under the unrestrained influence of their 
 intoxicating draught, in their appearance and actions 
 they resembled demons more than human beings. 
 
 Sometimes, in a deserted still-house might be seen 
 the fragments of the rude boiler, and the other ap¬ 
 pendages of the still, scattered in confusion on the 
 ground; and among them the dead and mangled bodies 
 of those who had been murdered with axes or billets 
 of wood in the quarrels that had terminated their dis¬ 
 sipation. 
 
 It was not only among themselves that their unbridled 
 passions led to such enormities. One or two European 
 vessels were seized, and the crews inhumanly murdered. 
 
 Me first was the Queen Charlotte, of Port Jackson, the 
 
 \ c iel by which we arrived in the islands. 
 
 wards the autumn of 1813, Mr. Shelly, formerly a 
 Missionary in Tongatabu, and subsequently in Matavai, 
 
 * rrived as master of the Queen Charlotte, at Eimeo, on 
 his way to the Paumotu, or Pearl Islands. These lie to 
 1 - H ‘ eastward of Tahiti, and form what is denominated 
 ! he Dangerous Archipelago. The vessel was but irnper- 
 
 t iy manned, and a number of natives, of Raiatea and 
 i aliiti, were taken on board, to dive among the lagoon 
 islands for the pearl oyster. They proceeded to their 
 destination, but had scarcely commenced their pearl¬ 
 fishing, when the natives attacked the crew, barbarously 
 
232 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 murdered the first and second officers, who were men of 
 fine stature and benevolent dispositions; and killing one 
 of the seamen, took possession of the ship. Mr. Shelly’s 
 life was threatened, and only spared at the instance of 
 two lahitians, who, anxious to save him, requested that 
 he might be kept, to navigate the vessel to Tahiti, 
 whither they intended to return. One of these natives 
 was Upaparu, a chief of rank, present secretary to 
 the government of Tahiti, and a steady friend to 
 foreigners. When the vessel arrived at Tahiti, Po- 
 mare succeeded in securing to Mr. Shelly its restoration, 
 though most of the property had been plundered. Mat¬ 
 ting was procured for sails, and the vessel reached Port 
 Jackson in safety. 
 
 Flushed with the success that had attended the savage 
 and daring effort of the Raiateans, the Tahitians, whom 
 Captain Fodger had employed on board his vessel, the 
 Daphne, for the purpose of diving among the pearl 
 islands, rose upon the ship’s company, murdered the 
 captain and some of the men, took possession of the 
 vessel, and brought her to Tahiti. Mr. G. Bicknell, a 
 nephew of Mr. Bicknell, was on board at the time, 
 but his life was spared, amidst the general carnage that 
 attended the assault. The mutinous natives returned 
 to their own island, but were met as they were about 
 to enter the harbour at Tahiti, by Captain Walker of the 
 Endeavour, who succeeded in retaking the vessel, and 
 thus deprived them of their plunder. 
 
 These acts of daring outrage and appalling crime, on 
 the one side, and of increasing and decided attachment 
 to the principles of order, humanity, and religion, on the 
 other, seemed to indicate that matters in Tahiti were 
 last verging to an important issue, and that, before long, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 233 
 
 some violent convulsion in society must follow. The 
 Missionaries could not view these things with insensi¬ 
 bility, as they saw what they had to expect, should they 
 fall into the hands of those who had been guilty of such 
 wanton cruelty; their support was, however, derived 
 f'om the conviction, that their God was governor among- 
 i he nations, and that the Lord omnipotent reigned. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1813, one of the early 
 scholars departed to the world of spirits, under the 
 consolation that pure religion imparts in the hour 
 of death. He was often heard to say, while confined 
 !<• his couch, when he saw his former companions going 
 to the school, or the place of worship, “ My feet cannot 
 follow, but my heart goes with you.” He did not pre¬ 
 tend to know much, but he knew that he was a sinner, 
 and that Jesus Christ came into the world to save 
 
 sinners, and this knowledge removed from his mind the 
 fear of death. 
 
 Early in the same year, the number of pupils, and 
 id (hose who professed Christianity, considerably in¬ 
 creased in Eimeo, and favourable intelligence continued 
 to arrive from the adjacent island. 
 
 1 e report of the increase of the Christians, and their 
 ini • oicement in knowledge, &c. had already circulated 
 i! i roughout Tahiti; the minds of many were unsettled, 
 dini numbers were halting between two opinions. Upa- 
 pai u, a chief of rank and influence in the eastern part 
 ol ) ahiti, with his wife, and twelve or thirteen of his 
 people, came over to Eimeo, in order to receive 
 instruction. The inhabitants of the Leeward Islands, 
 whose encampment he passed when on his way to 
 I apetoai, strongly persuaded him to join their party, 
 and carry the flag of the gods to Raiatea, entreat- 
 
 2 H 
 
234 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 ing him to adhere to the religion of his fathers, 
 and to beware of Matupuupuu , a man of influence, an 
 areoi, and a higli-priest, from Huahine, who had recently 
 joined the Christian converts, and Utami, a well- 
 informed and enterprising man, chief in the island of 
 Tahaa, who, with his wife, had also attached himself 
 to their number. 
 
 Fifty had now given in their names, as having 
 renounced idolatry, desiring to acknowledge Jehovah 
 alone as the true God, and to he instructed in the 
 obedience his word required. Others attended in such 
 numbers, that it was found necessary to enlarge the 
 first place of worship they had ever used in the islands. 
 The converts were punctual and regular in their ob¬ 
 servance of the outward ordinances of religion, in 
 frequent social meetings for prayer, and seasons 
 of retirement for private devotion. Their whole 
 moral conduct seemed changed; the things they once 
 delighted in, they now abhorred, and found enjoyment 
 in what had formerly been a source of ridicule or 
 aversion. Their habit of invariably asking a blessing, 
 and returning thanks after meals, and their frequent 
 attention to prayer, attracted the notice of their coun¬ 
 trymen, and procured for them, as a term of reproach from 
 their enemies, the designation of Bure Atua , literally 
 Prayers to God; from Bure , to pray, and Atua , God; the 
 meaning of which was, the people who prayed to God, 
 or the praying people. Bure Atua is a designation in 
 no respect dishonourable to those to whom it was ap¬ 
 plied, and of which they have never been ashamed, 
 though considered as an epithet of contempt or oppro¬ 
 brium, and applied in a manner similar to that in which 
 the term Saint or Methodist is used in the present day, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 235 
 
 or the designation of Nazarene or Christian was given to 
 the first disciples. Since the profession of Christianity 
 lias become general, it has been much less used than 
 formerly. Haapii parau, learners, or brethren, friends, 
 and disciples, are the terms most frequently employed 
 by the converts themselves. 
 
 In the close of 1814, Pomare-vahine, the daughter of 
 the Icing of Paiatea, and the sister of Pomarc s queen, 
 paid a visit to Eimeo, from the Leeward Islands, and in the 
 month of May, 1815, made a voyage to Tahiti, in com¬ 
 pany with her sister the queen, with a numerous train of 
 companions and attendants, most of whom professed to be 
 Christians. Their object was to make the tour of Tahiti, 
 " it h the \ is it or from the Leeward Islands. Previously, 
 however, to their embarkation, a signal triumph was 
 achieved in favour of Christianity, at a public festival, in 
 which they were the most conspicuous party. 
 
 It has ever been considered a mark of respect 
 due to every distinguished visitor, to prepare, soon after 
 t -"’ arrival of such an individual, a sumptuous feast, 
 termed by the natives a faamuraa , or feeding. Not, 
 however, by furnishing a rich and splendid entertain- 
 at the habitation of the proprietors, and inviting 
 
 guests the parties in honour of whom it was pre¬ 
 pared, but by cooking a number of whole pigs, fowls, and 
 li.-di, with a proportionate accompaniment of roots and 
 vegetables, puddings, and what may be called their made- 
 dishes, and carrying the whole to the encampment of the 
 visitor, with a considerable addition of the choicest 
 fruits the season may afford. 
 
 An expensive and sumptuous entertainment of this 
 kind was furnished by the chiefs of Eimeo for the 
 queen’s sister. A large quantity of every valuable kind 
 
236 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 of food was dressed and presented, together with several 
 bundles of native cloth. On such occasions, it was cus¬ 
 tomary for a priest or priests to attend; and before any 
 of it was eaten, to offer the whole to the gods, by taking 
 parts of the animals, and particular kinds of the fruit, 
 to the temple, and depositing them upon the altar. The 
 king and his friends were desirous on this occasion to 
 prevent such an acknowledgment. When, therefore, 
 the food was presented to Pomare - vahine, before 
 any article was touched by the attendants, and while 
 the spectators were expecting the priests to select the 
 customary offerings to the idols, one of her principal 
 men, who was a Christian, came forward, uncovered his 
 head, and, looking up to heaven, offered in an audible voice 
 theii acknowledgments and thanksgivings to Jehovah, 
 who liberally gave them food and raiment and every 
 earthly blessing, lhe assembled multitude w'ere con¬ 
 founded and astonished ; and the food being, by this 
 act, offered as they considered to Jehovah, no one dared 
 to take any part of it to the idol temple. 
 
 When the party reached Tahiti, they landed in Pare, 
 the hereditary district of Pomare’s family, where they 
 were welcomed by the friends of the king, and the guar¬ 
 dian ot Aimata, his only child, who with her nurse 
 resided here. 
 
 From the few Christians in the neighbourhood, they 
 w’ere happy to learn that the inhabitants of large 
 sections of Pare, and the adjacent district of Matavai. 
 the former residence of their teachers, had renounced 
 idolatry, and were desirous to receive Christian in- 
 truction. 
 
 Bjr the queen, or her sister, the king sent over a new 
 book to Aimata, his infant daughter, which being con- 
 
F>OLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 23 / 
 
 sidered as an indication of his purpose that she should 
 be trained up in the new religion, was a source of great 
 encouragement to the converts, and of corresponding- 
 dissatisfaction to the idolaters, who already began to 
 meditate on the means of their destruction. 
 
 T( was not in Pare and Matavai alone that the pro¬ 
 fessed worshippers of God were to be found. Some 
 there were who openly avowed their attachment to the 
 new order of things, maintaining, in the midst of the 
 heathen around them, daily worship in their families, and 
 morning and evening private devotion; others, who, for 
 fear of giving offence to their chiefs or neighbours, 
 maintained secretly their profession, and at the hour of 
 midnight met together, as the persecuted Christians in 
 England have often formerly done, in the depths of the 
 woods, or the retired glens of the valleys, for conference 
 or social prayer. 
 
 The state of affairs in Tahiti was such, as to prevent 
 the queen and her sister from proceeding on their in- 
 tended tour of the island; but while they remained at 
 Care, a circumstance occurred similar to that which had 
 tr pired in Eirneo, though probably more decisive and 
 important in its immediate results. 
 
 - hen a present of food and cloth was brought to the 
 visitors by some of the chiefs of Tahiti, the priests also 
 attended, and, observing the party disinclined to 
 acknowledge or render the customary homage to the 
 gods, began to expatiate on the power of the gods, and, 
 pointing to some bunches of ura, or red feathers, which 
 < always considered emblematical of their deities, em¬ 
 ployed insulting language, and threatened with vengeance 
 tlie queen’s companions. One of Pomare-vahine’s men, 
 the individual who had offered their acknowledgments to 
 
238 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 God, oil the presentation of food in Eimeo, hearing this, 
 and pointing to the feathers, said, “ Are those the mighty 
 things you so extol, and with whose anger you threaten 
 us ? If so, I will soon convince you of their inability 
 even to preserve themselves.’* Running at the same 
 time to the spot where they w r ere fixed, he seized the 
 bunches of feathers, and cast them into a large fire close 
 by, where they were instantly consumed. The people 
 stood aghast, and uttered exclamations of horror at the 
 sacrilegious deed; and it is probable that this act in¬ 
 creased the hatred already rankling in the bosoms of the 
 idolatrous party. 
 
 The individual who acted so heroic and con¬ 
 spicuous a part on these occasions was Farefau , a 
 native of JBorabora, but attached to the household of 
 Pomare-vahine, with whom he had arrived from the 
 Leeward Islands in 1814. When he reached Eimeo, he 
 was an idolater, but soon became a pupil in the school; 
 and, in the close of the same year, desired that his 
 name might be recorded among the converts. He 
 occupied a prominent station in all the struggles between 
 paganism and true religion; and maintained an un¬ 
 blemished character, and an unwavering profession, 
 through the varied scenes of that unsettled period. 
 He engaged with diligence in teaching the inhabitants 
 of the remote and rocky parts of Taiarabu the cate¬ 
 chism and the art of reading; and after a lingering 
 illness, during which he enjoyed the presence and 
 support which true religion alone can impart, delivered, 
 as he expressed himself on the last day of his life, 
 from the fear of death, and having his hopes fixed or 
 relying on the Son of God as the only Saviour, he died 
 in peace, at our Missionary station in Afareaitu, on the 
 
POLYNESIAV RESEARCHES. 
 
 239 
 
 29th of July, 181/, nearly two years after the total 
 overthrow of idolatry in 1815. 
 
 lie Avas a man of decision and daring enterprise: 
 and though on the occasion in Tahiti ahoA'e referred 
 to, he may ha\e acted AA’itli a degree of zeal some— 
 "hat imprudent, it was a zeal resulting, not from 
 ignorant rashness, but enlightened principle, and holy 
 indignation against the boasting threatenings and lying 
 vanities of the priests of idolatry; to whose arts of 
 deception he had formerly been no stranger. 
 
 The influence of the Bure Atua in the nation, from 
 the rank many of them held, and the confidence with 
 which they maintained the superiority of their religion, 
 together Avith the accessions that were daily made to 
 their numbers from various parts of the island, not 
 only increased the latent enmity against Chris¬ 
 tianity which the idolaters had always cherished, but 
 awakened the first emotion of apprehension lest this 
 neAV Avord should ultimately prevail, and the gods, their 
 temples, and their Avorship, be altogether disregarded. 
 To avoid this, they determined on the destruction, the 
 toi:'l annihilation, of every one in Tahiti who was known 
 to pray to Jehovah. 
 
 project was formed by the pagan chiefs of Pare, 
 Matavai, and Hapaiano, to assassinate, in one night, 
 every individual of the Bure Atua. The persecuted 
 party was already formidable in point of numbers and 
 rank, and the idolaters, in order to ensure success in 
 their murderous design, invited the chiefs of Atehuru 
 ■ mI Papara to join them. The time was fixed for the 
 perpetration of this bloody deed. At the hour of mid¬ 
 night they Avere to be attacked, their property plun¬ 
 dered, their houses burnt, and every prisoner secured, 
 
210 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 to be slaughtered on the spot. The parties, who for a 
 long time had been inveterate enemies to each other, 
 readily agreeing to the proposal, were made friends on 
 the occasion, and cordially assented to the plan of 
 destroying the Christians. The intended victims 
 of this treachery were unconscious of their danger, 
 until the evening of the 7th of July; when, a few 
 hours only before the horrid massacre was to have 
 commenced, they received secret intelligence of the ruin 
 that was ready to burst upon them. 
 
 Circumstances, unforeseen and uncontrollable by their 
 enemies, had prevented the different parties from 
 arriving punctually at their respective points of ren¬ 
 dezvous ; otherwise, even now escape would have been 
 impracticable, and destruction inevitable, as the Porionu, 
 inhabitants of Pare, Matavai, and Hapaiano, would have 
 been on the one side, and in their rear, and the party 
 from Atehuru and Papara on the other. The delay in 
 the arrival of some of these, afforded the only hope of 
 deliverance. 
 
 At this remarkably critical period, the whole of 
 the party having to attend a meeting either for public 
 worship, or for some other general purpose, assembled 
 in the evening near the sea. No time was to be lost. 
 Their canoes were lying on the beach. They were 
 instantly launched; and, hurrying away what few things 
 they could take, they embarked soon after sunset, and 
 reached Eimeo in safety on the following morning, 
 grateful for the happy and surprising deliverance they 
 had experienced. The different parties, as they arrived 
 towards midnight, learned, with no ordinary remorse 
 and disappointment, that their prey had been alarmed, 
 and had escaped beyond their power. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 241 
 
 A large body of armed and lawless warriors, be¬ 
 longing to different and rival chieftains, thus brought 
 together under irritated feelings, and perhaps mutually 
 accusing each other as the cause of their disappointment, 
 were not long without a pretext for commencing the 
 of death among themselves. Ancient animosities, 
 restrained only for the purpose of crushing what they 
 considered a common enemy, were soon revived, and 
 led to an open declaration of war between the tribes 
 assembled. The inhabitants of Atehuru and Papara, 
 who had been invited by the Porionu to join them in 
 destroying the Bure Atua, attacked the Porionu; and, 
 in the battle that followed, obtained a complete victory 
 over them, killing one of their principal chiefs, and 
 obliging the vanquished to seek their safety in flight. 
 
 After this affair, the people of Taiarabu joined the 
 victors. The whole island was again involved in war, 
 and the conquering party scoured the coast from 
 Atehuru to the eastern side of the isthmus, burning 
 every house, destroying every plantation, plundering 
 rv. ry article of property, and reducing the verdant and 
 I ntiful districts of Pare, Faaa, the romantic valleys 
 ' I autaua, Matavai, and Hapaiano, and the whole of 
 
 i north-eastern part of the island, to a state of barren¬ 
 ness and desolation. 
 
 Success did not bring peace or rest to the victorious 
 party. Proud of their triumph, insolent in crime, and 
 impatient of control, the Atehuruans and natives of 
 Papara quarrelled with the Taiarabuans, who had joined 
 them in destroying the Porionu. A battle followed. 
 The natives of Taiarabu were defeated, and fled to their 
 •"itiesses in the mountains of their craggy peninsula, 
 leaving the Oropaa masters of the island. 
 
 2 i 
 
 \ 
 
242 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Numbers of the vanquished fled to Eimeo, where they 
 were received by the king, or protected by the chiefs, 
 who had taken no part whatever in the wars that were 
 now desolating Tahiti, and who determined to observe 
 the strictest neutrality; or, if they acted at all, to 
 do so only on the defensive, should invasion be at¬ 
 tempted. 
 
 Besides the refugees, who in consequence of defeat 
 in Tahiti had taken shelter in Eimeo, numbers who 
 had secretly embraced Christianity, and feared ultimate 
 destruction from the idolaters, although religion ap¬ 
 peared to have no influence in the present commotion, 
 came over to Eimeo, and joined the Christians. The 
 aggregate of those whose names were written down as 
 such, amounted at this period to nearly four hundred, 
 and the pupils in the school were between six and 
 seven hundred. Want of books alone prevented its being 
 very considerably enlarged. 
 
 Notwithstanding the Bure Atua had escaped the ma¬ 
 chinations of their enemies, and the murderous counsel 
 of the idolaters had issued in their own defeat, yet it 
 was impossible, that, amidst the agitation which prevailed 
 in Tahiti, the adjacent island of Eimeo should remain 
 free from apprehension and disquiet; and although the 
 king had sent repeated messages of a peaceable ten¬ 
 dency to the conquerors, and had received assurances 
 that there was no feeling of hostility towards him and 
 his adherents, yet they knew, by past experience, that 
 no reliance was to be placed on such professions, and 
 were not without daily fears that a hostile fleet might 
 disembark an invading army on their shores. 
 
 When the queen and her sister went over to Tahiti, 
 Pomare undertook a journey round Eimeo, purposing 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 243 
 
 to travel by short stages, and, by conversation with the 
 chiefs of the different districts, to inform them of the 
 nature of Christianity, endeavour to induce them to 
 receive it, and recommend it to the people. He w r as 
 not at first exempt from some degree of ridicule in 
 this undertaking ; for many of the chiefs and landed 
 proprietors in Eimeo, were by no means strongly 
 attached to his family. They were, moreover, at that 
 time the firm supporters of idolatry, and considered 
 his neglect of the gods of his ancestors, as the cause 
 of his own troubles, and the disastrous war then 
 desolating Tahiti, his hereditary kingdom. He was 
 not, however, discouraged; and it must have been 
 truly gratifying to have beheld him thus usefully 
 engaged. 
 
 Whatever may have been the influence of Christian 
 principles on his own mind, in subsequent periods of 
 his life, Pomare certainly was employed by the Almighty, 
 as an instrument most effectually to promote the im¬ 
 portant process, at this time changing altogether the 
 moral, civil, and religious aspect of the nation. The 
 success that attended his endeavours appears from a 
 letter which he addressed to the Missionaries while 
 encamped in the district of Maatea, on the side of 
 the island nearly opposite to that in which the Euro¬ 
 pean settlement stood. In this letter he stated his 
 delight in beholding the chiefs inclined to obey the 
 word of God ; which, he said, Jehovah himself was 
 causing to grow, so that it prospered exceedingly. 
 Thirty-four or thirty-six, in one district, had, to use 
 his own expression, “laid hold of the 'word of God,” 
 though there were others who paid no attention to 
 those things. 
 
244 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 At Haumi, the adjoining district, but few were pre¬ 
 vailed upon to forsake paganism; but among them was 
 an intelligent man* who was a priest. 
 
 At Maatea, the district from which the king wrote, 
 ninety-six renounced idolatry while he was there, in 
 addition to others who had done so before. The change 
 appeared to be general here. The chiefs, priests, and 
 people publicly committed their idols to the flames, 
 attended public worship, requested to have their names 
 written down as desirous of becoming Christians, 
 and importuned the king and his attendants to pro¬ 
 tract their visit, that they might be more fully in¬ 
 formed in all the matters connected with the profes¬ 
 sion they had now made. 
 
 The Bure Atua had hitherto escaped the ruin intended 
 for them by their enemies; and, though these were 
 masters of Tahiti, in Eimeo, and secretly in Tahiti, the 
 number of those who had joined the Christians w r as 
 greatly increased. This state of things could not long 
 remain. The haughty and turbulent spirit of the victors 
 was such as to prevent it: and in the event of their pro¬ 
 ceeding to the object for which they had taken up 
 arms, viz. the suppression of Christianity, it was by no 
 means improbable that both the native Christians and 
 their teachers, if they were not destroyed by their 
 enemies, might be expelled from Tahiti and Eimeo. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 245 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 The refugees in Eimeo invited to return to Tahiti—Voyage of the king 
 and his adherents—Opposition to their landing—Public worship on 
 the Sabbath disturbed by the idolatrous army—Courage of the king— 
 Circumstances of the battle of Bunaaui'a—Death of the idolatrous 
 chieftain ^ ictory of the Christians—Clemency of the king and 
 chiefs—Destruction of the image temple and altars of Oro—Total sub¬ 
 version of paganism—General reception of Christianity—Consequent 
 
 alteration in the circumstances of the people—Pomare’s prayer_ 
 
 Tidings of the victory conveyed to Eimeo—Its influence in the adjacent 
 islands Remarks on the time, circumstances, means, and agents, con¬ 
 nected with the change. 
 
 In the commencement of the year 1815, the affairs of 
 Tahiti and Eimeo, in reference to the supremacy of 
 Christianity or idolatry, were evidently tending to a 
 crisis ; and although the converts had carefully avoided 
 all interference in the late wars which had deso¬ 
 lated the larger island, they were convinced that 
 the time was not very remote, when their faith and 
 principles must rise pre-eminent above the power and 
 influence of that system of delusion and crime, of which 
 they had so long been the slaves. To maintain the Chris¬ 
 tian faith, and enjoy a continuance of their present peace 
 and comfort, they foresaw would be impossible. Under 
 the influence of these impressions, the 14th of July, 
 1815, was set apart as a day of solemn fasting and 
 prayer to God, whose guidance and protection was 
 implored. A chastened and dependent frame of mind 
 was very generally experienced at this period by the 
 
246 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 Christians, which led them to be prepared for what¬ 
 ever in the course of Divine providence might tran¬ 
 spire. 
 
 Soon after this event, the pagan chiefs of Tahiti sent 
 messengers to the refugees in Eimeo, inviting them to re¬ 
 turn, and re-occupy the lands they had deserted. This 
 invitation they accepted \ and, as the presence of the 
 king was necessary in several of the usages and cere¬ 
 monies observed on these occasions, Pomare went over 
 about the same time, formally to reinstate them in 
 their hereditary possessions. A large number of Po- 
 mare’s adherents, who were professors of Christianity, 
 and inhabitants of Huahine, Raiatea, and Eimeo, with 
 Pomare-vahine and Mahine, the chief of Eimeo and Hua¬ 
 hine, accompanied the king and the refugees to Tahiti. 
 When they approached the shores of this island, the 
 idolatrous party appeared in considerable force on the 
 beach, assumed a hostile attitude, prohibited their 
 landing, and repeatedly fired upon the king’s party. 
 Instead of returning the fire, the king sent a flag ot 
 truce and a proposal of peace. Several messages were 
 exchanged, and the negociations appeared to terminate in 
 confidence and friendship. The king and his followers were 
 allowed to land, and several of the people returned un¬ 
 molested to their respective districts and plantations. 
 Negociations for the adjustment of the differences that 
 had existed between the king and his friends, and the 
 idolatrous chiefs, w T ere for a time carried on, and at 
 length arranged, apparently to the satisfaction of the 
 respective parties. The king, and those attached to his in¬ 
 terest, were not however without suspicion, that it was 
 only an apparent satisfaction ; and they were not mis¬ 
 taken. The idolaters had indeed joined with them in 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 24 7 
 
 bending the wreath of amity and peace, while they 
 were at the same time secretly and actively concerting 
 measures for their destruction. 
 
 The 12th of November, 1815, was the most eventful 
 day that had yet occurred in the history of Tahiti. It 
 was the Sabbath. In the forenoon, Pomare, and the 
 people who had come over from Eimeo, probably about 
 eight hundred, assembled for public worship at a place 
 called Narii, near the village of Bunaaula, in the district 
 of Atehuru. At distant points of the district, they sta¬ 
 tioned piquets ; and when divine service was about to 
 commence, and the individual who was to officiate stood 
 up to read the first hymn, a firing of muskets was heard; 
 and, looking out of the building in which they were 
 assembled, a large body of armed men, preceded and 
 attended by the flag of the gods, and the varied emblems 
 of idolatry, were seen marching round a distant point 
 of land, and advancing towards the place where they 
 were assembled. It is war! It is war! was the cry 
 which re-echoed through the place; as the approaching 
 army were seen from the different parts of the building. 
 Many, agreeably to the precautions of the Missionaries, 
 had met for worship under arms ; others, who had not, 
 were preparing to return to their tents, and arm for the 
 battle. Some degree of confusion consequently prevailed* 
 Pomare arose, and requested them all to remain quietly in 
 their places ; stating, that they were under the special 
 protection of Jehovah, and had met together for his worship, 
 which was not to be forsaken or disturbed even by the 
 approach of an enemy. Auna , formerly an areoi and a 
 warrior, now a Christian teacher, who was my informant 
 on these points, then read the hymn, and the congregation 
 sang it. A portion of scripture was read, a prayer 
 
248 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 offered to the Almighty, and the service closed. Those 
 who were unarmed, now repaired to their tents, and 
 procured their weapons. 
 
 In assuming the posture of defence, the king’s 
 friends formed themselves into two or three columns, 
 one on the sea-beach, and the other at a short distance 
 towards the mountains. Attached to Pomare’s camp, 
 was a number of refugees, who had, during the late 
 commotions in Tahiti, taken shelter under his protec¬ 
 tion, but had not embraced Christianity; on these the 
 king and his adherents placed no reliance, but stationed 
 them in the centre, or the rear, of the column. The 
 Bure Atua requested to form the viri or frontlet, ad¬ 
 vanced guard ; and the paparia , or cheek of their forces ; 
 while the people of Eimeo, immediately in the rear, 
 formed what they called the tcipono , or shoulder, of their 
 army. In the front of the line, Auna , Upaparu , Hitote , 
 and others equally distinguished for their steady adhe¬ 
 rence to the system they had adopted, took their station 
 on this occasion, and shewed their readiness to lay 
 down their lives rather than relinquish the Christian 
 faith, and the privileges it conferred. Mahine, the king of 
 Huahine, and Pomare-vahine, the heroic daughter of the 
 king of Raiatea, with those of their people who had pro¬ 
 fessed Christianity, arranged themselves in battle-array 
 immediately behind the people of Eimeo, forming the body 
 of the army. Mahine on this occasion wore a curious 
 helmet, covered on the outside with plates of the beauti¬ 
 fully spotted cowrie, or tiger shell, so abundant in the 
 islands; and ornamented with a plume of the tropic, or 
 man-of-war bird’s feathers. The queen’s sister, like a 
 daughter of Pallas, tall, and rather masculine in her sta¬ 
 ture and features, walked and fought by Mahine’s side \ 
 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 249 
 
 clothed in a kind of armour of net-work, made with small 
 and strongly twisted cords of romctha, or native flax, 
 and armed with a musket and a spear. She was sup- 
 poited on one side by Farcfau, her steady and courageous 
 friend, who acted as her squire or champion ; while 
 Mahine was supported on the other by Patini, a fine, 
 tall, manly chief, a relative of Mahine’s family • and one 
 who, with his wife and two children, has long enjoyed 
 the parental and domestic happiness resulting from Chris¬ 
 tianity,—but whose wdfe, prior to their renunciation of 
 idolatry, had murdered twelve or fourteen children. 
 
 Pomare took his station in a canoe with a number of 
 musketeers, and annoyed the flank of his enemy nearest 
 the sea. A swivel mounted in the stern of another 
 canoe, which was commanded by an Englishman, called 
 Joe by the natives, and who came up from Raiatea, did 
 considerable execution during the engagement. 
 
 Before the king’s friends had properly formed them¬ 
 selves for regular defence, the idolatrous army arrived, 
 and the battle commenced. The impetuous attack of 
 the idolaters, attended with all the fury, imprecations, 
 and boasting shouts, practised by the savage when rush¬ 
 ing to the onset, produced by its shock a temporary con¬ 
 fusion in the advanced guard of the Christian army : 
 some were slain, others wounded, and Upaparu, one of 
 Pomare’s leading men, saved his life only by rushing 
 into the sea, and leaving part of his dress in the hands 
 of the antagonist* with whom he had grappled. Not- 
 
 * This man was afterwards an inmate of my family, and, in conversa¬ 
 tion on the subject, has often declared that he did not go to battle to 
 support idolatry, about which he was indifferent; but from the 
 allegiance he owed to his chief, in whose cause he felt bound to fight, 
 and who was leader of the idolatrous army. 
 
250 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 withstanding this* the assailants met with steady and 
 determined resistance. 
 
 Overpowered* however* by numbers* the viri, or front 
 ranks* were obliged to give way. A kind of running fight 
 commenced* and the parties were intermingled in all the 
 confusion of barbarous warfare. 
 
 “ Here might the hideous face of war be seen, 
 Stript of all pomp, adornment, and disguise.” 
 
 The ground on which they now fought* excepting that 
 near the sea-beach* was partially covered with trees 
 and bushes; which at times separated the contending 
 parties* and intercepted their view of each other. Under 
 these circumstances it was* that the Christians* when 
 not actually engaged with their enemies* often kneeled 
 down on the grass* either singly or two or three together* 
 and offered up an ejaculatory prayer to God—that he 
 would cover their heads in the day of battle* and* if 
 agreeable to his will* preserve them* but especially 
 prepare them for the results of the day* whether victory 
 or defeat* life or death. 
 
 The battle continued to rage with fierceness ; several 
 were killed on both sides; the idolaters still pursued their 
 
 # T 
 
 way* and victory seemed to attend their desolating march* 
 until they came to the position occupied by Mahine* 
 Pomare-valiine* and their companions in arms. The 
 advanced ranks of these united bands met, and arrested 
 the progress of the hitherto victorious idolaters. One 
 of Mahine’s men* Raveae,* pierced the body of Upufara * 
 
 * In 1818 this individual accompanied us to Huahine, where he died 
 a short time before I left the islands. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 251 
 
 the chief of Papara, and the commander - in - chief 
 of the idolatrous forces. The wounded warrior fell, 
 and shortly afterwards expired. As he sat gasping on 
 the sand, his friends gathered round, and endeavoured 
 to stop the bleeding of the wound, and afford every assist¬ 
 ance his circumstances appeared to require. “Leave 
 me,” said the dying warrior; “mark yonder man, in 
 front of Maliine’s ranks; he inflicted this wound ; on him 
 revenge my death.” Two or three athletic men instantly 
 set off for that purpose. Raveae was retiring towards the 
 main body of Mahine’s men, when one of the idolaters, 
 who had outrun his companions, sprang upon him before 
 he was aware of his approach. Unable to throw him on 
 the sand, he cast his arms around his neck, and endea- 
 vouied to strangle, or at least to secure his prey, until 
 some of his companions should arrive, and despatch him. 
 Raveae was armed with a short musket, which he had 
 reloaded since wounding the chief; of this, it is supposed, 
 the man who held him was unconscious. Extend¬ 
 ing his arms forward, Raveae passed the muzzle of his 
 musket under his own arm, suddenly turned his body on 
 one side, and, pulling the trigger of his piece at the 
 same instant, shot his antagonist through the body, who 
 immediately lost hold of his prey, and fell dying to the 
 ground. 
 
 The idolatrous army continued to fight with obstinate 
 fury, but were unable to advance, or make any impres¬ 
 sion on Mahine and Pomare-valiine’s forces. These not 
 only maintained their ground, but forced their adversaries 
 back ; and the scale of victory now appeared to hang 
 in doubtful suspense over the contending parties. Tino, 
 the idolatrous priest, and his companions, had, in the 
 name of Oro, promised their adherents a certain and an 
 
252 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 easy triumph. This inspired them for the conflict, and made 
 them more confident and obstinate in battle than they 
 would otherwise have been ; but the tide of conquest, which 
 had rolled with them in the onset, and during the early part 
 of the engagement, was already turned against them, 
 and as the tidings of their leader's death became more 
 extensively known, they spread a panic through the ranks 
 he had commanded. The pagan army now gave way 
 before their opponents, and soon fled precipitately from 
 the field, seeking shelter in their pari’s, strong-holds, 
 or hiding places, in the mountains ; leaving Pomare, 
 Mahine, and the princess from Raiatea, in undisputed 
 possession of the field. 
 
 Flushed with success, in the moment of victory, the 
 king's warriors were, according to former usage, pre¬ 
 paring to pursue the flying enemy. Pomare approached, 
 and exclaimed, Atira! It is enough !—and strictly prohi¬ 
 bited any one of his warriors from pursuing those who 
 had fled from the field of battle; forbidding them also 
 to repair to the villages of the vanquished, to plunder 
 their property, or murder their helpless wives and 
 children. 
 
 While, however, the king refused to allow his men to 
 pursue their conquered enemies, or to take the spoils 
 of victory, he called a chosen band, among which was 
 Farefau, who had offered up the public thanksgiving 
 at the festival in Eimeo and Patini, a near relative 
 of Mahine, who had been his champion on that day, and 
 sent them to Tautira, where the temple stood in which 
 the great national idol, Oro, was deposited. He gave 
 them orders to destroy the temple, altars, and idols, with 
 every appendage of idolatry that they might find. 
 
 In the evening of the day, when the confusion of 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 battle had in some degree subsided, Pomare and the 
 chiefs invited the Christians to assemble, probably in 
 the place in which they had been during the morning 
 disturbed—there to render thanks to God, for the pro¬ 
 tection he had, on that eventful day, so mercifully 
 afforded. Their feelings on this occasion must have 
 been of no common order. From the peaceful exercise of 
 sacred worship, they had been that morning hurried into 
 all the confusion and turmoil of murderous conflict with 
 enemies, whose numbers, equipment, implacable hatred, 
 and superstitious infatuation from the prediction of their 
 prophets, had rendered them unusually formidable in 
 appearance, and terrible in combat. Defeat and death 
 had, as several of them have more than once declared, 
 appeared, during several periods of the engagement, 
 almost certain ; and, in connexion with the anticipated 
 extirpation of the Christian faith in their country, the 
 captivity of those who might be allowed to live, the 
 momentous realities of eternity, upon which, ere the 
 close of the day, it appeared to themselves by no means 
 improbable they would enter; had combined to produce 
 a deep agitation, unknown in the ordinary course of 
 human affairs, and seldom perhaps experienced even in 
 the field of battle. They now celebrated the subversion 
 of idolatry, under circumstances that, but a few hours 
 before, had threatened their own extermination, with the 
 overthrow of the religion they had espoused, and on 
 account of which their destruction had been sought. 
 The Lord of hosts had been with them, the God of 
 Jacob was their helper, and to him they rendered the 
 glory and the praise for the protection he had bestowed, 
 and the victory they had obtained. In this sacred act 
 they were joined by numbers, who heretofore had wor- 
 
254 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 shipped only the idols of their country, but who now 
 desired to acknowledge Jehovah as God alone. 
 
 The noble forbearance and magnanimity of the king and 
 chiefs, in the hour of conquest, when under all the intoxi¬ 
 cating influence of recent victory and conscious power, 
 were no less honourable to the principles which they 
 professed, and the best feelings of their hearts, than con¬ 
 ducive to the cause of Christianity. This generous tem¬ 
 per did not terminate with the command issued on the 
 held of contest, but it was a prominent feature in all 
 their subsequent conduct. 
 
 When the king despatched a select band to demolish 
 the idol temple, he said, “ Go not to the little island, 
 where the women and children have been left for security ; 
 turn not aside to the villages or plantations; neither 
 enter into the houses, nor destroy any of the property 
 you may see; but go straight along the high road, 
 through all your late enemy’s districts.” His direc¬ 
 tions were attended to; no individual was injured, no 
 fence broken down, no house burned, no article of pro¬ 
 perty taken. The bodies of the slain were not wantonly 
 mangled, nor left exposed to the elements, or to be 
 devoured by the wild dogs from the mountains, and the 
 swine that formerly would have been allowed to feed upon 
 them; but they were all decently buried by the victors, 
 and the body of the fallen chief, Upufara, was conveyed 
 to his own district, to be interred among the tombs of 
 his forefathers. 
 
 Upufara, the late chief of Papara, was an intelli¬ 
 gent and interesting man; his death w r as deeply 
 regretted by Tati, his near relative, and successor in the 
 government of the district. His mind had been for a 
 long time wavering, and he was, almost to the morning 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 255 
 
 of the battle, undetermined whether he should renounce 
 the idols, or still continue their votary. One of his 
 intimate companions informed me, that a short time 
 before his death, he had a dream which somewhat 
 alarmed him. He thought he saw an immense oven, 
 (such as that used in preparing opio,) intensely heated, 
 and in the midst of the fire a large fish writhing in 
 apparent agony, unable to get out, and yet unconsumed, 
 living and suffering in the midst of the fire. An im¬ 
 pression at this time fixed itself on his mind, that perhaps 
 this suffering was designed to shew the intensity of the 
 torments which the wicked would endure in the place 
 of punishment. He awoke in a state of great agitation 
 of mind, with profuse perspiration covering his body, 
 and was so affected, that he could not sleep again that 
 night. The same individual who resided with Upufara 
 stated also, that only a day or two before the battle, 
 he said to some one, with whom he was conversing, 
 cc Perhaps we are wrong : let us send a message to the 
 king and Tati, and ask for peace; and also for books, 
 that we may know what this new word, or this new 
 religion, is.” But the priests resisted his proposal, 
 and assured the chiefs, that Oro would deliver the Bure 
 Atua into their hands, and the hau and mana , government 
 and power, would be with the gods of Tahiti. In 
 addition to this, and any latent conviction that still 
 might linger in his mind, of the power of Oro, and the 
 
 result of his anger should he draw back; he stood 
 
 / 
 
 pledged to the cause of the gods, and probably might 
 feel a degree of pride influencing his adherence to 
 their interest, lest he should he charged with cowardice 
 in wishing to avoid the war, on which the chiefs, who 
 were united to suppress Christianity, had determined. 
 
256 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 The party sent by the king to the national temple 
 at Tautira, in Taiarabu, proceeded directly to their place 
 of destination. It was apprehended that, notwithstand¬ 
 ing what had befallen the adherents of idolatry in 
 battle, the inhabitants of Taiarabu, who were at that 
 time more zealous for the idols than those of any other 
 part of the island, who considered it an honour to be 
 entrusted with the custody of Oro, and also regarded his 
 presence among them as the palladium of their safety, 
 might, perhaps, rise en masse , to protect his person from 
 insults, and his temple from spoliation. No attempt 
 of this kind, however, was made. The soldiers of 
 Pomare, soon after reaching the district, proceeded to 
 the temple, acquainted the inhabitants of the place and 
 keepers of the temple with the events of the war, and 
 the purpose of their visit. No remonstrance was made, 
 no opposition offered—they entered the depository of 
 Tahiti's former god; the priests and people stood round 
 in silent expectation; even the soldiers paused a 
 moment, and a scene was exhibited, probably strikingly 
 analogous to that which was witnessed in the temple 
 of Serapis in Alexandria, when the tutelar deity of that 
 city was destroyed by the Roman soldiers. At length they 
 brought out the idol, stripped him of his sacred cover¬ 
 ings and highly valued ornaments, and threw his body 
 contemptuously on the ground. It was a rude, un¬ 
 carved log of aito wood, casuarina equisatifolia , about 
 six feet long. The altars were then broken down, the 
 temples demolished, and the sacred houses of the gods, 
 together with their covering, ornaments, and all the 
 appendages of their worship, committed to the flames. 
 The temples, altars, and idols, all round Tahiti, were 
 shortly after destroyed in the same way. The log of 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 257 
 
 wood, called by the natives the body of Oro, into which 
 they imagined the god at times entered, and through 
 which his influence was exerted, Pomare’s party bore 
 away on their shoulders, and, on returning to the camp, 
 laid in triumph at their sovereign’s feet. It was subse¬ 
 quently fixed up as a post in the king’s kitchen, and 
 used in a most contemptuous manner, by having bas¬ 
 kets of food suspended from it; and, finally, it was 
 ii\en up for fuel. This was the end of the principal 
 idol of the Tahitians, on whom they had long been 
 so deluded as to suppose their destinies depended; 
 v hose fa\ our, kings, and chiefs, and warriors had 
 sought; whose anger all had deprecated; and who had 
 been the occasion of more bloody and desolating wars, 
 for the preceding thirty years, than all other causes 
 combined. Their most zealous devotees were in general 
 now convinced of their delusion, and the people united 
 in declaring that the gods had deceived them, were 
 unworthy of their confidence, and should no longer be 
 objects of respect or trust. 
 
 Thus was idolatry abolished in Tahiti and Eimeo; 
 the idols hurled from the thrones they had for 
 ages occupied; and the remnant of the people 
 liberated from the slavery and delusion in which, by 
 the cunningly devised fables of the priests, and the 
 cc doctrines of devils,” they had been for ages held 
 as in fetters of iron. It is impossible to contemplate 
 the mighty deliverance thus effected, without exclaiming, 
 
 “What hath God wrought!” and desiring, with regard 
 to other parts of the world, the arrival of that promised 
 and auspicious era, when the gods “ that have not made 
 the heavens” shall be destroyed, and “the idols shall be 
 utterly abolished.” 
 
 2 L 
 
258 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 The total overthrow of idolatry, splendid and im¬ 
 portant as it was justly considered, was but the begin¬ 
 ning of the amazing work that has since advanced 
 progressively in those islands. It resembled the dis¬ 
 mantling of some dark and gloomy fortress, or the razing 
 to its very foundation of some horrid prison of despotism 
 and cruelty, with the materials of which, when cut 
 and polished and adorned, a fair and noble structure 
 was, on its very ruins, to be erected, rising in gran¬ 
 deur, symmetry, and beauty, to the honour of its pro¬ 
 prietor, and the admiration of every beholder. The 
 work was but commenced, and the abolition of 
 idolatry was but one of the great preliminaries in those 
 designs of mercy, and arrangements of divine provi¬ 
 dence, which were daily unfolded, with increasing 
 interest and importance, in their influence on the destiny 
 of the people. 
 
 The conduct of the victors, on the memorable 12th of 
 November, had an astonishing effect on the minds of the 
 vanquished, who had sought shelter in the mountains. 
 Under cover of the darkness of night, they sent spies 
 from the retreats to their habitations, and to the places 
 of security in which they had left their aged and 
 helpless relatives, their children, and their wives. 
 These found every one remaining as they had left 
 them on the morning of the battle, and were in¬ 
 formed, by the wives and relatives of the defeated war¬ 
 riors, that Pomare and the chiefs had, without any excep¬ 
 tion, sent assurances of security to all who had fled. Tins 
 intelligence, when conveyed to those who had taken refuge 
 in the mountains, appeared to them incredible. After 
 waiting, however, some days in their hiding-places, they 
 ventured forth, and singly, or in small parties, returned 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 259 
 
 to their dwellings; and when they found their planta¬ 
 tions uninjured; their property secure* their wives and 
 children safe* they were utterly astonished. From the 
 king they received assurances of pardon* and were not 
 backward in unitedly tendering submission to his autho¬ 
 rity* and imploring his forgiveness for having appeared 
 in arms against him. Pomare was now* by the unani¬ 
 mous will of the people* reinstated on the throne of his 
 father* and raised to the supreme authority in his 
 dominions. His clemency in the late victory still 
 continued to be matter of surprise to all parties 
 who had been his opponents. u Where/’ said they* 
 “ can the king and the Bure Atua have imbibed these 
 new principles of humanity and forbearance ? We have 
 done every thing in our power* by treachery* stratagem* 
 and open force* to destroy him and his adherents; and 
 yet* when the power was placed in his hand* victory on 
 his side* we at his mercy* and his feet upon our necks* 
 lie has not only spared our lives* and the lives of our 
 families* but has respected our houses and our property !” 
 While making these inquiries* many of them* doubtless* 
 recollected the conduct of his father* in sending one 
 night* when the warriors of Atehuru had gone over to 
 Tautira* a body of men* who at midnight fell upon their 
 defenceless victims* the aged relations* wives* and 
 children of the Atehuruans* and in cold blood cruelly 
 murdered upwards of one hundred helpless individuals* 
 and this probably made the conduct of Pomare II. 
 appear more remarkable. At length* they concluded that 
 it must be from the new religion* as they termed Chris¬ 
 tianity ; and hence they unanimously declared their de¬ 
 termination to embrace it* and to place themselves 
 and their families under the direction of its precepts. 
 
260 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 The family and district temples and altars, as well 
 as those that were national, were demolished, the idols 
 destroyed by the very individuals who had but recently 
 been so zealous for their preservation, and in a very 
 short time there was not one professed idolater remain¬ 
 ing. Messengers were sent by those who had hitherto been 
 pagans, to the king and chiefs, requesting that some of 
 their men might be sent to teach them to read, and to 
 instruct them concerning the true God, and the worship 
 and obedience required by his word. Those who sent 
 them expressed at the same time their determination 
 to renounce every evil practice connected with their 
 former idolatrous life, and their desire to become alto¬ 
 gether a Christian people. Schools were built, and 
 places for public worship erected; the Sabbath was ob¬ 
 served, divine service performed ; child-murder, and the 
 gross abominations of idolatry, were discontinued. 
 
 What an astonishing and happy change must have 
 taken place in the views, feelings, and pursuits of the 
 inhabitants of Tahiti, in the course of a few weeks, from 
 the battle of Narii, or Bunaau’ia ! A flood of light, like 
 the rays of the morning, had broken in upon the in¬ 
 tellectual and spiritual night, which, like a funeral pall, 
 had long been spread over the inhabitants of the val¬ 
 leys and hills of Tahiti, and had rendered their abodes, 
 though naturally verdant and lovely as the bowers of 
 Eden, yet morally cheerless and desolate as the region 
 of the shadow of death ! 
 
 If the spirits of departed prophets, from their seats of 
 bliss, look down upon our globe; how must Judah’s royal 
 bard have bent with rapture, to behold the accomplish¬ 
 ment of triumphs, which, while he swept the hallowed 
 harp of prophecy, he had foretold :—The multitude of 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 261 
 
 the isles made glad* under Jehovah’s reign, and the kings 
 of the isles bringing presentsf to his Son ! And what 
 new transport must have thrilled Isaiah’s ardent spirit, 
 when he now beheld a partial accomplishment of what, 
 in distant ages, he had delighted to sing. “ The wilder¬ 
 ness rejoiced—the desert blossomed as the rose—the 
 sword was beaten into the ploughshare—the wolf and 
 the lamb dwelt together—and the islands sang the 
 praises of Jehovah!”! 
 
 With equal transport, and with greater sympathy, 
 those happy disembodied spirits of just men made perfect, 
 who have more recently entered on their everlasting rest, 
 if they have a knowledge of what passes on earth, must 
 have viewed the change! And if angels, who have none 
 of those sympathies which the redeemed must feel, 
 experience an addition to their joy, in every sinner 
 that by penitence returns to God, it seems an inference 
 not unwarranted by revelation, that the spirits of de¬ 
 parted believers may have a knowledge of events and moral 
 changes, which transpire in our world, especially with 
 those relating to the progress of the Messiah’s reign among 
 mankind. Then with what augmented joy must that 
 honoured and distinguished saint,§ in strict obedience 
 to wiiose last bequest and dying charge, the South Sea 
 Mission was attempted, with those holy and devoted 
 men wiio first matured, and subsequently aided so 
 nobly, the plan of sending the gospel to Tahiti, have 
 viewed the pleasing change. Those patient labourers, 
 also, who had toiled in the field, but had been called 
 away before the first waive-sheaf was gathered in, must 
 have felt their joy increased, as the enlarged spiritual 
 
 * Psalm xcvii. 1, f Psalm lxxii. 10. J Isaiah xlii. 10. 
 
 § The late Countess of Huntingdon. 
 
262 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 
 
 perceptions which they possess enabled them to look not 
 only on the outward change in circumstances and in 
 conduct, but on that more delightful transformation of 
 character, which every day unfolded to their \ iew some 
 new and lovely features. And with what loud ecstatic 
 songs of gratitude and praise, must they have welcomed, 
 to those realms of happiness, the first arrivals fiom 
 those clustering isles, of redeemed and purified spirits, 
 who had been made partakers of the grace of lift, and 
 
 heirs with them of immortality. 
 
 The knowledge of the spiritual nature of Christianity, 
 possessed by many of the new converts, was doubtless 
 but imperfect, their acquaintance with the will of God 
 but partial, and probably on many points at first erro¬ 
 neous, but still there was a warmth of feeling, an undis¬ 
 guised sincerity, and an ardour of desire, (in scripture 
 called “the first-love”) that has never been exceeded.Aged 
 chiefs and priests, and hardy warriors, with their 
 spelling-books in their hands, might be seen sitting, 
 hour after hour, on the benches in the schools, by the 
 side, perhaps, of some smiling little boy or girl, by 
 whom they were now thankful to be taught the use of 
 letters. Others might be often seen employed in pulling 
 down the houses of their idols, and erecting temples for 
 the worship of the Prince of peace, working in happy 
 companionship and harmony with those whom they had 
 met so recently upon the field of battle. 
 
 Their Sabbaths must have presented spectacles on which 
 angels might look down with joy. Crowds, who never 
 had before attended any worship but that of their 
 demon gods, might now be seen repairing to the rustic 
 and lowly temple erected for Jehovah’s praise; amidst 
 their throng, mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 263 
 
 who never were before allowed to join the other sex 
 in any acts of worship. Few remained behind; all the 
 inhabitants of the district or village, who were able, 
 attended public worship. It is true, there was no 
 Missionary to preach the gospel to them, or to lead 
 their public service, yet it was performed with earnest¬ 
 ness, propriety, and devotional feeling. 
 
 The more intelligent among the natives, who had been 
 longest under instruction at Eimeo, usually presided. 
 They sung a hymn; a portion of their scripture history, 
 which was entirely composed of scripture extracts, was 
 read; and prayer, in simplicity of language but sincerity 
 of heart, was offered up to God. Those who had not 
 printed books, wrote out portions of scripture for these 
 occasions, and sometimes the prayers they used. 
 These were often remarkably simple, expressive, and 
 appropriate: I have one of Pomare’s by me, in his 
 own hand-writing, furnished by Mr. Nott. There is no 
 date affixed to it, but from the evident frequency with 
 which it has been used, and the portion of scripture 
 written on the preceding pages of the same sheet of 
 paper, I am inclined to think it was written about this 
 period. The prayer is excellent, and the translation, 
 which I also received from Mr. Nott, will require from 
 the Christian reader no apology for its insertion, as a speci¬ 
 men of the style and sentiments employed by the natives 
 of Tahiti in their devotional services. It is as follows : 
 
 “ Jehovah, thou God of our salvation, hear our 
 prayers, pardon thou our sins, and save our souls. Our 
 sins are great, and more in number than the fishes* in the 
 
 * This is, perhaps, the most natural and expressive figure, or com¬ 
 parison, an Islander could make. There is no idea of multitude more 
 familiar to his mind than that of a shoal of fishes, by which the shores 
 he inhabits are occasionally or periodically visited. 
 
264 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 sea, and our obstinacy lias been very great; and without 
 parallel. Turn thou us to thyself, and enable us to cast 
 oft’ every evil way. Lead us to Jesus Christ; and let 
 our sins be cleansed in his blood. Grant us thy good 
 Spirit to be our sanctifier. Save us from hypocrisy. 
 Suffer us not to come to thine house with carelessness; 
 and return to our own houses and commit sin. Unless 
 thou have mercy upon US; we perish. Unless thou save 
 us, unless we are prepared and made meet for thy 
 habitation in heaven, we are banished to the fire, we 
 die; but let us not be banished to that unknown world 
 of fire. Save thou us through Jesus Christ, thy Son, the 
 prince of life; yea, let us obtain salvation through him. 
 Bless all the inhabitants of these islands, all the families 
 thereof; let every one stretch out his hands unto God, and 
 say, Lord save me, Lord save me. Let all these islands, 
 Tahiti with all the people of Moorea, and of Huahine, 
 and of Raiatea, and of the little islands around, partake 
 of thy salvation. Bless Britain, and every country in the 
 world. Let thy word grow with speed in the world, 
 so as to exceed the progress of evil. Be merciful to us 
 and bless us, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." 
 
 While these delightful changes were advancing in Tahiti, 
 the king and his friends were not unmindful of those who 
 had been left behind in a state of painful uncertainty at 
 Eimeo. As soon as possible after the battle, a canoe was 
 despatched by Mahine, king of Eimeo and Huahine, with 
 the tidings of its result. Matapuupuu, or, as he is now 
 called, Taua, was the bearer of the gladdening intelli¬ 
 gence, and was a very suitable person to be sent on 
 such an errand. He was a native of Huahine, where 
 he had been chief priest since the death of his elder 
 brother, who had sustained that office before him. He 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 265 
 
 came up from Huahine to Pomare’s assistance in 1811; 
 early in the year 1813, he had made a profession of 
 Christianity, and was among the first whose names were 
 written down at Eimeo. He was not only a priest, but an 
 areoi, and a warrior of no ordinary prowess. When his 
 canoe appioached the shore of Eimeo, the teachers and 
 their pupils hastened to the beach, under the conflicting 
 emotions of hope and fear. The warrior was seen stand¬ 
 ing on the prow of his light skiff, that seemed impatiently 
 dashing through the spray, and rushing along the tops of 
 the waves towards the shore, which its keel scarcely 
 touched, when, with his light mat around his loins, his 
 scarf hanging loosely over his shoulder, and his spear in 
 his hand, he leaped upon the sandy beach. Before they 
 had time to ask a single question, he exclaimed, “ Ua 
 pau ! Ua pau ! i te bure anaeVanquished ! vanquished ! 
 b }' prayer alone ! His words at first seemed but as words 
 of irony or jest; but the earnestness of his manner, the 
 details he gave, and the intelligence he brought from 
 
 the king and some of the chiefs, confirmed the declara- 
 tion. 
 
 The Missionaries were almost overcome with surprise, 
 and hastened to render their acknowledgments of 
 grateful praise to the Most High, under feelings 
 that it would be impossible to describe. It was, indeed, 
 a joy unspeakable, the joy of harvest. In that one year 
 they reaped the harvest of sixteen laborious seed-times, 
 sixteen dreary and anxious winters, and sixteen unpro¬ 
 ductive summers. They now enjoyed the unexpected 
 but exhilarating satisfaction resulting from the pleasure 
 of the Lord prospering in their hands, in a degree 
 
 and undei circumstances that few are privileged to 
 experience. 
 
266 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 As soon as possible, Mr. Nott was despatched by his 
 companions to Tahiti. On reaching the shores of this 
 island, from which five years before he had been obliged 
 to flee for his life, he found it was all true that had been 
 told them, that the people were in that interesting state 
 described by the prophet, when, enraptured by the 
 visions of Messiah’s future glories, he exclaimed, “ The 
 isles shall wait for his law.” In this delightful situation, 
 as he travelled round the islands, he literally found them 
 not merely willing to be instructed, but anxious to hear ; 
 meeting together of their own accord, and often spend¬ 
 ing the hours of night in conversation and inquiry on 
 the important matters connected with the religion of 
 Jesus Christ. When he returned, Mr. Bicknell went 
 over on the same errand; and observed every where the 
 most encouraging attention, on the part of the people, 
 to the instructions he communicated. The school at 
 Papetoai was greatly increased; and hundreds, who had 
 been early scholars there, were now stationed as teachers 
 among the adjacent islands, imparting to others the 
 
 knowledge they had received. 
 
 Not fewer than three thousand persons at this time pos¬ 
 sessed a knowledge of the books in their native language, 
 which were in daily use. Besides eight hundred copies 
 of the Abridgment of Scripture, and many copies of part 
 of the Gospel of St. Luke in manuscript, about two 
 thousand seven hundred spelling-books had already been 
 distributed among the pupils at Eimeo, or sent over to 
 Tahiti; still they were unable to meet the daily increas- 
 
 in# demand of tlie people. 
 
 The mighty workings of the Spirit of God, in pio- 
 ducing this remarkable change, were not confined to 
 Tahiti, Eimeo, and the adjacent islands, forming t e 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 26/ 
 
 Georgian group, it extended also to the Leeward or 
 Society Islands. A simultaneous movement appears to 
 have taken place among the rulers of the people, to 
 throw off the yoke of pagan priestcraft, to rend asunder 
 their fetters, and remove from the eyes of the nation, 
 in its remote extremities, the veil of delusion by which 
 they had so long been blinded. Tamatoa, the king of 
 Raiatea, shortly after his return from Tahiti, publicly 
 renounced idol-worship, and declared himself a believer 
 in Jehovah and Jesus Christ. Many of the chiefs, and 
 a number of the people, followed his example. 
 
 The prince of darkness, the author of paganism, 
 whose sway had been unrivalled, and whose seat and 
 stronghold had long been here, as well as in the other 
 islands, did not tamely surrender his dominions. The 
 idolatrous chiefs and inhabitants took up arms, to defend 
 the cause of the gods, and revenge the insult offered by 
 the king. Their efforts, however, were but as the 
 ragings of an expiring monster, whose fangs were broken 
 and whose heart had been pierced. The idolaters were de¬ 
 feated, and afterwards treated with the same clemency and 
 lenient conduct which the Christian conquerors in Tahiti 
 had manifested, and Christianity was firmly established. 
 The vanquished, however, though spared and liberated 
 by the generosity of Tamatoa, shewed themselves un¬ 
 worthy of the kindness with which they had been treated, 
 by still talking of war on behalf of the idols. But as 
 their numbers were few, their influence small, and as the 
 great body of the people were doubtless favourable to the 
 new order of things, hopes of success were comparatively 
 faint, and no further attempt was made. 
 
 The chiefs and greater part of the population of Tahaa, 
 an island included in the same reef with Raiatea, imitated 
 
268 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 the example of Tamatoa and the Raiatean Christians, and 
 destroyed their idols. 
 
 The intelligent and enterprising chiefs of Borabora, 
 Mai, and Tefaaora, were remarkably active in weakening 
 the influence of the gods on the minds of the people 
 under their government, undermining and subverting 
 every species of idol-worship that prevailed in the islands. 
 They succeeded, at length, in inducing the inhabitants, by 
 their example and persuasion, to seek an acquaintance 
 with that more excellent way revealed in the word of 
 God, for whose worship they erected a convenient and 
 respectable building. 
 
 Mahine sent a special message to Huahine, and the 
 same change took place in that island; which was per¬ 
 haps, for its size and population, more attached to its 
 idols than any other. Idol-worship, with all its attend¬ 
 ant cruelty and moral degradation, was discontinued. 
 The temples were demolished, and the gods committed 
 to the flames. Thus, in one year, the system of false 
 worship, which had, from the earliest antiquity of its popu¬ 
 lation, prevailed in these islands, was happily abolished, 
 it is hoped to be revived no more. 
 
 In the course of the following year, the loss sustained 
 by the death of Mr. Scott was repaired by the arrival 
 of Mr. Crook from New South Wales; he reached the 
 islands in the month of May, and rendered important 
 service in the prosecution of the common enterprise. 
 
 During the same year, the profession of Christianity 
 became general throughout the whole of the Society 
 Islands. Several of the chiefs and people of Borabora 
 and Raiatea visited Maurua, the most westerly of the 
 Leeward Islands, and succeeded in persuading the chiefs 
 and people to demolish their temples and idols, and 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 269 
 
 receive Christian instruction. The most pleasing results 
 continued to attend the efforts of the new converts in 
 Tahiti. Pomare sent most of his own family idols to 
 the Missionaries, that, as he observed in a letter accom¬ 
 panying them, dated February 19th, 1816, “ they might 
 either commit them to the flames, or send them to 
 England.” 
 
 These idols I saw at Port Jackson, in 1816; they are 
 now deposited in the Missionary Museum, Austin Friars. 
 It is impossible to behold them without sympathizing in 
 the feelings of Pomare, when he calls them—Tahiti’s 
 foolish gods. 
 
 A number of interesting and important inquiries 
 is naturally suggested by this amazing change ; 
 and we are anxious to be made acquainted with every 
 fact, in the application of those means which induced its 
 commencement, and sustained its progress. In all its 
 departments, and under every circumstance, it bears the 
 impress, and exhibits, in the clearest manner, the sove¬ 
 reignty and the power, of the Almighty, in regard alike 
 to the time of its commencement, the circumstances of 
 its progress, and the means of its accomplishment. 
 
 In regard to the time of its occurrence. During no 
 period in the history of the Mission, could “ the time to 
 favour” the nation have appeared more unlikely than the 
 present. The king’s mind appears to have been first 
 seriously exercised in reference to the declaration which he 
 subsequently made, after the dispersion of the Mission¬ 
 aries, and their departure from the islands, when only 
 one (viz. Mr. Nott) remained with him; and when, 
 in consequence of the state of perpetual alarm and 
 agitation in which the people were kept by the war, 
 none could be induced to attend preaching or instruction. 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 2/0 
 
 It is probable that at that period public ordinances 
 were altogether discontinued. The first public or open 
 indications of the change, were given at a time which, 
 according to human probabilities, was but little favourable 
 to such events. The Missionaries had but recently- 
 returned from their banishment, and the work of instruc¬ 
 tion had scarcely been resumed 5 it was the beginning, 
 and but the beginning, of a second attempt to plant the 
 gospel in those islands. The Missionaries considering 
 the whole of the twelve years spent in Tahiti as so much 
 time lost, were commencing afresh their endeavours on 
 another island, and could hardly expect that at this 
 time, after such a protracted delay, God would at once 
 prosper their undertaking. 
 
 The circumstances of the nation, and of the Mission, 
 were by no means favourable to such a change. It was 
 not a time of peace, and leisure, but of protracted, obsti¬ 
 nate, and barbarous war—the king and his adherents 
 were in exile, alternately agitated by the entreaties of 
 their auxiliaries to attempt to retrieve their affairs by a 
 descent upon Tahiti, or expecting their retreat to be in¬ 
 vaded by their audacious and rebellious conquerors. It was 
 a period of humiliation, darkness, and distress; while the 
 population of Tahiti itself was torn by factions, and 
 desolated by wars, that threatened its extinction. Their 
 teachers were not much more favourably circumstanced. 
 Few in number, compared with what they had been when 
 they maintained their former station in Matavai, and 
 suffering under the heaviest domestic bereavements ; pre¬ 
 vented by personal indisposition, and other circum¬ 
 stances, from engaging, either very frequently or ex¬ 
 tensively, in the main work of instructing the people; 
 their exertions, greatly to their own regret, were 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 2/1 
 
 exceedingly circumscribed. In addition to these dis¬ 
 couragements, the prejudices of many of the king’s most 
 warm and valuable friends were unusually strong, as they 
 considered the continuance of his misfortunes to result, 
 in part, from the countenance he was giving, and the 
 inclination he manifested towards the religion of the 
 foreigners. 
 
 In the means employed there was nothing extraordinary. 
 It is recorded, in the history of the Greenland Missions, 
 that the Moravian brethren, for five or seven years, 
 laboured patiently and diligently in teaching their hearers 
 what are termed the first principles of religion,—incul¬ 
 cating the doctrines of the being and attributes of God, 
 and the requirements of his law,—without making the least 
 favourable impression upon them, or being, in many 
 instances, able to secure the attention of the people to 
 their instructions. The first instance of decisive and 
 salutary effect from their teaching, was, we are in¬ 
 formed, what would, in general, be termed accidental, 
 and occasioned by their reading to some native visitors 
 an account of the sufferings and death of the Saviour, 
 which they were translating into the vernacular tongue. 
 The attention of one of the party was arrested, his heart 
 deeply affected, and ultimately his character entirely 
 changed. This circumstance led to a complete 
 alteration in the instructions they gave. The incarna¬ 
 tion, the life, especially the sufferings and death, of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, were, from this time, the principal 
 subjects brought before the minds of their hearers, and 
 the results were such as to shew the propriety of the 
 alteration. Where they had before been unable to make 
 the least impression, they now beheld numbers deeply 
 affected, and on whom these truths appeared to 
 
272 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 produce an entire change of character and deportment. 
 I do not, however, suppose we are to infer from the 
 account that is given of this amazing work in 
 Greenland, that, during the first five or seven years 
 of their labours there, the being and character of God, 
 &c. were inculcated, to the exclusion or neglect of the 
 way of salvation through Jesus Christ. Their teaching 
 would, in that case, have been more defective than I am 
 willing to suppose it was. Nor do I think we are to 
 conclude, that, after the change in their instruction, 
 the doctrines of the Saviour’s advent, sufferings, and 
 death, were insisted on, to the exclusion of the former ; 
 this mode of exhibiting scripture truth would have been 
 almost as defective as the other: but I suppose that, 
 during the earliest years of their labours, the first prin¬ 
 ciples of religion were more frequent and prominent in 
 their instructions, than the doctrines peculiar to the 
 gospel, and that, subsequently, these points .received that 
 more frequent attention, which the character, being, 
 and law of God, had formerly obtained. No alteration, 
 even of this kind, however, appears to have taken place 
 in the kind of doctrines inculcated by the Missionaries 
 among the Tahitians. From the time of my arrival in 
 the islands, I had always a great desire to know whether 
 any change had been made by the early preachers in their 
 discourses, and other means employed at this period : 
 I have not, however, been able to learn that there was 
 any thing extraordinary; they do not appear in any re¬ 
 spect to have varied the manner, or the matter, of their 
 instructions. I have often asked Mr. Nott, and 
 others who were on the spot, if there was any 
 alteration in the mode of instruction, or the nature of 
 their addresses, as to the prominency of any of the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 273 
 
 doctrines of the gospel, which had not been so fully 
 exhibited before; but I have invariably learned, that they 
 were not aware of the least difference in the kind of 
 instruction, or the manner of representing the truths 
 taught at this period, and those inculcated during their 
 former residence in Tahiti. 
 
 Their aim had always been to exhibit fully, 
 and with the greatest possible simplicity, the grand 
 doctrines and precepts taught in the Bible, giving 
 each that share of attention which it appeared to 
 have obtained in the volume of revelation. God, they 
 had always endeavoured to represent as a powerful, 
 benevolent, and holy Being, justly requiring the grate¬ 
 ful homage, and willing obedience, of his creatures. 
 Man, they had represented as the Scripture described 
 him, and their own observation represented him to he, 
 a sinner against his Maker, and exposed to the conse¬ 
 quences of his guiltthe love of God, in the gift of his 
 only begotten Son as a propitiation for sin, and the 
 only medium of reconciliation with God, restoration to the 
 enjoyment of his favour, and the blessing of immor¬ 
 tality ; faith in this atonement, and the sinner’s justifica¬ 
 tion before God, were truths frequently exhibited. 
 The doctrine of Divine benevolence thus displayed, 
 was altogether new to the Tahitians; nothing analo¬ 
 gous to it had ever entered into any part of their 
 mythology. Its impression on their minds was at 
 this time proportionate. The necessity also of Divine 
 influences, to make the declaration of these truths 
 effectual to conversion, and to meeten those who believed 
 for the heavenly state, had ever been inculcated in the 
 catechetical and other exercises of the school, in the 
 meetings for reading the Scriptures and conversation, 
 
 2 N 
 
2/4 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 and in the discourses delivered in their assemblies for 
 public worship. 
 
 The wonderful change that now seemed to be wrought 
 in the minds and hearts of many, did not appear to be 
 more the immediate result of instructions gi\ en at the 
 time, than the remote but certain effect of truth im¬ 
 parted, and precious seed, which, having been scattered 
 years before, was now revived with a power, that 
 the individuals themselves could not comprehend, nor 
 on ordinary principles explain. This circumstance 
 should never be lost sight of; it is a wonderful mani¬ 
 festation of the faithfulness of God, who has declared 
 that his word shall not return unto him void, but shall 
 be found even after many days; and it is remarkably 
 adapted to cheer the hearts of all who are called to 
 labour and wait patiently, sowing season after season 
 in hope, without reaping the wislied-for harvest. 
 
 The universal, and in many instances permanent, 
 moral and religious change, that has been effected in 
 the South Sea Islands, (of the commencement, and more 
 important parts of which, a regular, though necessarily 
 brief account, has now been given,) appears, in whatever 
 view we can possibly contemplate either its nature or 
 its results, nothing less than a moral miracle. A change 
 so important in its character, so rapid in its progress, so 
 decisive in its influence, sublime almost in proportion 
 to the feebleness of the agency by which it was, 
 under God, accomplished, although effected on but 
 a small tribe or people, is perhaps not exceeded in 
 the history of nations, or the revolutions of empires, 
 that have so often altered the moral and civil aspect of 
 our world. This great and important event, confirmed 
 in its results, and strengthened in its character, by the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 2/5 
 
 extension of its influence, and the increasing power of 
 the principles it implanted, during the last fourteen 
 years, already occupies no inferior place among the 
 modern evidences of Christianity, and the demonstra¬ 
 tions of its legitimate tendency to ameliorate the condi¬ 
 tion, and elevate the moral and intellectual character, 
 of the most wretched and depraved among mankind. 
 Emotions of astonishment, admiration, and gratitude, 
 involuntarily arise in every mind in the least degree sus¬ 
 ceptible of humanity or religion ; while increasing con¬ 
 victions of the divine origin of revelation must fasten 
 on the understanding, and additional encouragement 
 strengthen the hopes, of every individual who, accord¬ 
 ing to the promise of God, is anticipating the arrival 
 of a period, when a transformation, equally decisive and 
 lovely, shall change the moral deserts of the earth into 
 regions of order and beauty, and the wilderness shall 
 become as the garden of the Lord. 
 
 In order more fully to illustrate the kind of scripture 
 truth that appears, in connexion with others, to have 
 affected deeply the minds of the people, one single 
 instance, among many that might be adduced, 
 will shew, that in the mild and verdant islands of 
 the south, as well as the frozen and barren regions of 
 the north, in Tahiti as well as in Greenland, the attrac¬ 
 tions of the Cross move and melt the human heart. 
 It was the custom of the Missionaries, not only to 
 instruct the natives in the school, preach to them in 
 the chapel, and itinerate through the villages, but 
 to assemble them for the purpose of reading, from 
 manuscript, such portions of the scripture as were 
 deemed suitable to their circumstances. On one of 
 these occasions, Mr. Nott was reading the* first portions 
 
2/8 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 incorrect ideas of the work, or mistaken views of the 
 qualifications necessary for its accomplishment. It is 
 not, however, to those who abandoned the task, that I 
 refer so much, as to those who (except when driven from 
 it by the approaching desolations of murderous war) 
 maintained their post, and died in the field; or who, 
 after having sustained the privation and toil of thirty 
 years of exile from country and from home, are still 
 willing to end their days among the people with 
 whose interests and destiny they have identified them¬ 
 selves. 
 
 Their family connexions may not indeed have been 
 of the highest class, neither may the individuals them¬ 
 selves have enjoyed the advantages of a very liberal edu¬ 
 cation, nor possessed any very extensive acquaintance 
 with the world. It is only in comparatively recent times 
 that individuals of this class have, by embarking person¬ 
 ally on the arduous and self-denying work of propagat¬ 
 ing Christianity amongst the pagan nations, exhibited 
 some noble examples of Christian devotedness. Many 
 of the first Missionaries to the South Sea Islands were 
 acquainted with the most useful of the mechanic arts, 
 which w^ere adapted to produce a very favourable im¬ 
 pression upon the minds of the people. They had 
 obtained a creditable English, if not a classical, educa¬ 
 tion, a due knowledge of the scriptures, and an experi¬ 
 mental aquaintance with the principles of Christianity ; 
 while some, with great mental vigour combined no small 
 degree of intellectual culture. Their own improvement, 
 and the preparation for the work, was prosecuted contem¬ 
 poraneously with their efforts to instruct the people; 
 and the numerous and respectable philological and other 
 manuscripts which these have transmitted to England, 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 279 
 
 although never published, shew that they were far from 
 being unqualified for their work. 
 
 Had the first Mission to the South Seas been com¬ 
 posed entirely of individuals eminent for their scientific 
 knowledge and classical attainments, they would proba¬ 
 bly have been less suitable agents than those who 
 actually went; as, it may be presumed, their previous 
 habits of life would not have furnished the best prepara¬ 
 tives for the privations and difficulties to which they 
 would have been exposed. Yet it would undoubtedly 
 have been highly advantageous to the Mission, had some 
 such gifted individuals been included among its mem¬ 
 bers. Such were not, however, at that time so ready, as 
 they have subsequently been, to engage in the enter¬ 
 prise, and the service necessarily devolved on those who 
 were willing, under every accompanying disadvantage, 
 to undertake it. They were not perhaps distinguished 
 by brilliancy of genius, or loftiness of intellect; but 
 in uncompromising sternness of principle, unaffected 
 piety, ardour of devotedness, uncomplaining endurance 
 of privations, not easily comprehended by those who 
 have always remained at home, or visited only civilized 
 portions of foreign climes, in undeviating perseverance 
 in exertion under discouragements the most protracted 
 and depressing, and in plain and honest detail of their 
 endeavours and success, they have been inferior to few 
 who have been honoured to labour in the Missionary 
 field. I have known some of these devoted men, who, 
 though not insensible to the endearments of kindred 
 and home, and the comforts of civilized life, have for 
 years been deprived of what most would deem the 
 necessaries of life. These self-denying individuals have 
 been so destitute of a change of apparel, that they could 
 
280 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 not, without some sacrifice of feeling, meet any of their 
 own countrymen by whom the island might be visited; 
 and, often rising in the morning from the rustic bed, 
 without knowing whence the supplies of even native 
 food for the day were to be derived, they have sent out a 
 native servant-boy to seek for bread-fruit in the moun¬ 
 tains, or to solicit a supply from the trees of some 
 friendly chief in the neighbourhood, while they have 
 repaired to the school, and pursued their daily exercises 
 of instruction, cheered and encouraged only by the pro¬ 
 gress of their scholars. 
 
 Such are the men who have long laboured in these 
 islands ; and though others may have been associated 
 with them, who have turned back, or proved themselves 
 unequal to the station, where many, who stand firm 
 at their post at home, would perhaps have fainted, or 
 have fallen under the discouragements inseparable from 
 it—they have been faithful. They seek not the praise 
 that cometh from man, but the testimony of their con¬ 
 sciences and the approval of Heaven; and irrespective 
 of the honour God has put upon them, they are entitled, 
 from their steady and successful course, to be a highly 
 esteemed for their works’ sake.” 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 281 
 
 .CHAP. XI. 
 
 Account of the music and amusements of the islanders—Description of 
 the sacred drum—Heiva drum, &c. Occasions of their use—The bu or 
 trumpet Ihara—The vivo, or flute—General character of their 
 songs Ballads, a kind of classical authority—Entertainments and 
 amusements—Taupiti, or festival—Wrestling and boxing—Effects 
 of victory and defeat—Foot-races—Martial games—Sham fights— 
 Naval reviews—Apai, bandy or cricket—Tuiraa, or foot-ball—The 
 haruraa puu, a female game—Native dances—Heiva, &c.—The te-a, 
 
 01 archery Bows and arrow r s—Religious ceremonies connected with ~ 
 
 the game Cock-fighting—Aquatic sports—Swimming on the surf_ 
 
 Danger from sharks—Juvenile amusements. 
 
 With the ancient idolatry of the people, their music, 
 their dances, and the whole circle of their amuse¬ 
 ments, had been so intimately blended, that the one 
 could not survive the other. When the former was 
 abolished, the latter were also discontinued. Their 
 music wanted almost every quality that could render it 
 agreeable to the ear accustomed to harmony, and was 
 deficient in all that constitutes excellence. It was 
 generally boisterous and wild, and^ with the exception of 
 the soft and plaintive warblings of the native flute, was 
 distinguished by nothing so much as its discordant, 
 deafening sounds. 
 
 The principal musical instrument used by the South 
 Sea Islanders, was the pahu , or drum. This varied in 
 size and shape, according to the purpose for which it 
 was designed. Their drums were all cut out of a solid 
 piece of wood. The block out of which they 
 
 2 o 
 
 were 
 
282 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 made, being hollowed out from one end, remaining 
 solid at the other, and having the top covered with 
 a piece of shark's skin, occasioned their frequently 
 resembling, in construction and appearance, a kettle¬ 
 drum. The pua and the reva, which are remarkably 
 close-grained and durable, were esteemed the most suit¬ 
 able kinds of wood for the manufacture of their drums. 
 The pahu ra , sacred drum, which was rutu, or beaten, 
 on every occasion of extraordinary ceremony at the idol 
 temple, was particularly large, standing sometimes eight 
 feet high. The sides of one, that I saw in Tane’s marae 
 at Maeva, was not more than a foot in diameter, but 
 many were much larger. In some of the islands, these 
 instruments were very curiously carved. One which I 
 brought from High Island, and have deposited in the 
 Missionary Museum, is not inelegantly decorated; 
 others, however, I have seen, exhibiting very superior 
 workmanship. 
 
 Tahitian Drums. 
 
 The drums used in their heivas and dances were 
 ingeniously made. Their construction resembled that 
 of those employed in the temple, the skin forming the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 283 
 
 head was fastened to the open work at the bottom by 
 strings of finely-braided cinet, made with the fibres of 
 the cocoa-nut husk. The drums beaten as accompani¬ 
 ments to the recital of their songs, were the same in 
 shape, but smaller. They were all neatly made, and 
 finely polished. The large drums were beaten with two 
 heavy sticks, the smaller ones with the naked hand. 
 When used, they were not suspended from the shoulders 
 of the performers, but fixed upon the ground, and con¬ 
 sequently produced no very musical effect. The sound 
 of the large drum at the temple, which was sometimes 
 beaten at midnight, was most terrific. The inhabitants 
 of Maeva, where my house stood within a few yards of the 
 ruins of the temple, have frequently told me, that at the 
 midnight hour, when the victim was probably to be 
 offered on the following day, they have often been 
 startled from their slumbers by the dull, deep, thrilling 
 sound of the sacred drum; and as its portentous sounds 
 have reverberated among the rocks of the valley, 
 every individual through the whole district has trem¬ 
 bled with fear of the gods, or apprehension of being- 
 seized as the victim for sacrifice. 
 
 The sound of the trumpet, or shell, a species of murex 
 used by the priests in the temple, and also by the herald, 
 and others on board their fleets, was more horrific 
 than that of the drum. The largest shells were 
 usually selected for this purpose, and were sometimes 
 above a foot in length, and seven or eight inches in 
 diameter at the mouth. In order to facilitate the blow¬ 
 ing of this trumpet, they made a perforation, about an 
 inch in diameter, near the apex of the shell. Into this 
 they inserted a bamboo cane, about three feet in length, 
 which was secured by binding it to the shell with 
 
284 
 
 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 finely-braided cinet; the aperture was rendered air-tight 
 by cementing the outsides of it with a resinous gum 
 from the bread-fruit tree. These shells were blown 
 when any procession marched to the temple, at the in¬ 
 auguration of the king, during the worship at the 
 temple, or when a tabu, or restriction, was imposed in 
 the name of the gods. We have sometimes heard them 
 blown. The sound is extremely loud, but the most 
 monotonous and dismal that it is possible to imagine. 
 
 The Trumpet Shell . 
 
 The ihara was another exceedingly noisy instrument. 
 It was formed from the single joint of a large bamboo 
 cane, cut off a short distance beyond the two ends or 
 joints. In the centre, a long aperture was made from 
 one joint towards the other. The ihara, when used, 
 was placed horizontally on the ground, and beaten with 
 sticks. It was not used in their worship, but simply as 
 an amusement; its sounds were harsh and discordant. 
 
 The vivo , or flute, was the most agreeable instrument 
 the Tahitians appear to have been acquainted with. 
 It was usually a bamboo cane, about an inch in diameter, 
 and twelve or eighteen inches long. The joint in the 
 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
 
 285 
 
 cane formed one end of the flute ; the aperture through 
 which it was blown was close to the end; it seldom had 
 more than four holes, three in the upper side covered 
 with the fingers, and one beneath, against which the 
 thumb was placed. Sometimes, however, there were 
 four holes on the upper side. It was occasionally plain, 
 but more frequently ornamented, by being partially 
 scorched or burnt with a hot stone, or having fine and 
 beautifully plaited strings of human hair wound round 
 it alternately with rings of neatly-braided cinet. It was 
 not blown from the mouth, but the nostril. The per¬ 
 former usually placed the thumb of the right hand upon 
 the right nostril, applied the aperture of the flute, which 
 he held with the fingers of his right hand, to the other 
 nostril, and, moving his fingers on the holes, produced his 
 music. The sound was soft, and not unpleasant, though 
 the notes were few; it was generally played in a plain¬ 
 tive strain, though frequently used as an accompaniment 
 to their pehes , or songs. These were closely identified 
 both with the music and the dances. The ihara , the 
 drum and the flute, were generally accompanied by the 
 song, as was also the native dance. 
 
 Their songs were generally historical ballads, and 
 varied in their nature with the subjects to which they 
 referred. They were exceedingly numerous, and adapted 
 to every department of society, and every period of life. 
 The children were early taught these uhus , and took 
 great delight in their recital. Many of their songs referred 
 to the legends or achievements of the gods, some to the 
 exploits of their distinguished heroes and chieftains; 
 while others were of a more objectionable character 
 They were often, when recited on public occasions, 
 accompanied with gestures and actions corresponding to