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LIBRARY
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RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE.
VOL. I.
JOURNAL
or
TYERMAN AND BENNET.

0. Pelton Sc.
REV DANIEL TYERMAN.
priblished Ty Crucker Brewster, Boston
Jonathan twitt N, York.
JOURNAL
OF
.
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS
BY THE
REV. DANIEL TYERMAN AND GEORGE BENNET, Esq.
DEPUTED FROM TIIE
LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY,
TO VISIT THEIR VARIOUS STATIONS .
IN THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS, CHINA, INDIA, &c.
BETWEEN THE YEARS 1821 AND 1829.
- COMPILED FROM ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS,
BY JAMES MONTGOMERY,
AUTHOR or “THE WORLD BEFORE THE FLOOD,” “THE CHRISTIAN
PSALMIST," AND OTHER POEMS.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
“Glorify ye the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.- From the
uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous."
Isaiah xxiv. 15, 16.
From the First London Edition,
REVISED
BY AN AMERICAN EDITOR.
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY CROCKER AND BREWSTER,
47 Washington Street.
NEW YORK: JONATHAN LEAVITT,
182 Broadway.
1832.
403
ТЯХ
Chiago Phert, den.
*** 3:34 - 137
PREFACE :
TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.
AMONG the most signal of the moral changes characteriz-
ing the present day, are those which have recently taken
place in the islands of the Pacific. Ecclesiastical history
describes nothing more remarkable, since the apostolic age.
The facts proving the marvellous nature of these changes
have come to us through so many channels, and from so
many sources, that they can no longer be reasonably denied.
From the most polluted and savage barbarisin and the
grossest paganism, whole communities have been elevated
to an intelligent profession of Christianity, and to compara-
tive civilization, purity, and comfort. And what renders
the fact of this change more interesting and valuable is, that
it affords conclusive proof of the efficacy of modern mis-
sions, although they have not the miraculous powers with
which the first missionaries of the Christian church were
endowed. The transformation is wholly the result of the
A *
PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDÌTION..
divine blessing upon modern missions. Until ministers of
the gospel visited the Pacific, the progress of society, in all
the islands which have since been evangelized, was down-
ward, and with a rapidity which commerce did but accel-
erate. Indeed, there is nothing in the history of Polynesian
missions to countenance the maxim, so often quoted by
theoretical men, that barbarians must be civilized before
they can be Christianized. Such a process of melioration
certainly was not practicable in those islands. The gospel
was the only power that could reach the degradation of the
inhabitants; and the gospel did reach it, and created a taste
and desire in the people, which nothing else could, for the
arts and conveniences of civilized life.
Authentic accounts of the progress of this work have
been given to the world, from time to time, during the fif-
teen years past, in the journals and letters of missionaries,
and in the official documents of missionary societies. The
several histories of modern missions, also, which have been
written within this period, contain summary views, partic-
ularly those of Lord, Winslow, and Jones.
To satisfy the religious community, however, and exert
the highest and best influence on public sentiment, there was
needed a continuous and comprehensive description of this
whole field of triumphant missionary enterprise, from eye-
witnesses competent to judge and testify: and such we
PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.
vii
now have, in the volumes of Mr. Stewart on the Sandwich
Islands, the Polynesian Researches of Mr. Ellis, and the
Voyages and Travels of Messrs. Tyerman and Bennet.
The work last named has been stereotyped by the pub-
lishers of the American edition--so great is their confidence
that it will come into extensive demand. Never did trav-
ellers have such opportunities and facilities, as were enjoyed
by Messrs. Tyerman and Bennet, for investigating the state
and prospects of missions in so many heathen countries.
Never was there such a various mass of original testimony
respecting missions, and fields for missionary enterprise,
embodied in a single work, as there is in this. The
whole seven years' travels of these excellent men were
performed, also, as they were commenced, in the exercise
of a spirit truly benevolent; and this trait of their characters
appears to have continually increased in disinterestedness
and ardor. And how conducive is such a spirit to candor
and impartiality, to faithfulness and truth! The candid
reader will perceive so much evidence of conscientious
integrity running through these pages, that he will seldom :
be tempted to incredulity.
The claims of science and taste were not forgotten.
The journals of these intelligent travellers abound in
notices of animals, birds, and fishes, in topographical delin-
aunty.
PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION.
eations, and descriptions of natural scenery. But MAN
is the grand subject of their inquiries, as he ought to be-
in his various habitations, pursuits, relations, and prospects;
and not a little of what is related concerning him is in the
attractive form of anecdote. . .
..
This work is specially commended to the attention of
parents and guardians, as a valuable auxiliary in their exer-
tions to cultivate a taste for profitable reading in the youth
committed to their care. Nothing less than a circumnavi-
gation of heaven-born charity is described in these volumes ;
and the accomplished Author has executed his task so well,
that the most cultivated minds will find pleasure and advan-
tage in their perusal.
..
R. A.
Boston, November, 1831.
INTRODUCTION.
The Missionary Society,* founded on the Catholic prin-
ciple of union among Christians of various denominations,
was established in the autumn of 1795. The first under-
taking of its founders and patrons was to send the gospel
to the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Accordingly, in the
year following, the ship Duff, commanded by Captain
Wilson, sailed with twenty-nine missionaries (of whom
several were married, and had their wives and children with
them) on board, and arrived, in March 1797, at Tahiti,
then, and still, by some reputable writers, miscalled Ota-
heite, where the greater part of the company took ụp their
residence. Others were settled at St. Christina and Ton-
gatabu. For nearly seventeen years, under many adverse
and discouraging circunstances, the work (thus begun)
was continued with apparently little success. It afterwards
pleased God, in his own good time and way, to display his
power and glory among the people who there sat in dark- ,
ness and the shadow of death ; nor hath his word, since
* Now known by the name of the London Missionary Society,
to distinguish it from similar institutions of later date, and which
are confined principally to the particular bodies of Christians to
which they are respectively attached.
INTRODUCTION.
It
that time, ceased to grow and prevail : island after island
has abandoned idolatry, and, while multitudes of the inliab-
itants have professed obedience to the faith, many have
given satisfactory evidence of genuine conversion. · All the
principal events contributing towards this great change, or
accompanying and following it, are touched upon in the
volumes here submitted to the public, with sufficient clear-
ness, it is hoped, to render any explanations unnecessary
in this place.
In the year 1921, the Rev. Daniel Tyerman, of the Isle
of Wight, and George Bennet, Esq. of Sheffield, were de-
puted by the Parent Society to visit the various stations in
those uttermost parts of the sea, both for the purpose of
cheering the hearts and strengthening the hands of the
missionaries, and, as representatives of the Christian com-
munity at home, to witness and report what great things
the Lord had done for the heathen there. The following
quotations from a circular, issued by the directors, in 1820,
will more particularly show their intentions in making the
appointment which, at first, embraced the South Sea Islands
only, though, in the sequel, it included the stations in the
other quarters of the world :—" The great objects of the -
deputation will be, to make themselves thoroughly ac-
quainted with the state of the missions, and of the islands ;
and to suggest, and, if possible, carry into effect, such plans
as shall appear to be requisite for the furtherance of the
gospel, and for introducing among the natives the occupa-
tions and habits of civilized life. In order to the attainment
of these objects, it is proposed to form such arrangements
as shall tend to the introduction of Christian churchés ; the
establishment and improvements of schools for the children
of the missionaries and of the natives, and, eventually, of
INTRODUCTION.
.
.
. xi
D
trades; and a proper and constant attention to the cultiva-
tion of the ground.”
These first objects of their appointment being fulfilled, the
deputation were subsequently instructed by the directors to
proceed to Java, the East Indies, &c., on a like embassy
of good-will and friendly inquiry, to the numerous estab-
lishments, insular and continental, in that quarter of the
world, where the Society had agents, doing the work of evan-
gelists. These additional duties having been likewise accom-
plished, the deputation, under special circumstances, were
authorized to survey another field of missionary labor in Mad-
agascar, where important results might be expected from
their presence at that particular time. There, however, Mr.
Tyerman was suddenly removed by death; and Mr. Ben-
net, in consequence of a political revolution in the island,
was compelled to leave it. After visiting some of the sta-
tions in South Africa, he reached England in the summer
of 1829; and, as early as arrangements could be made,
the work now presented to the public was undertaken.
The documents, official and private, from which these .
volumes have been composed, were of great bulk, and ex-
ceedingly multifarious. They consisted chiefly of a journal
kept by both members of the deputation, jointly, during
the first two years of their travels, and a separate one by
Mr. Tyerman, continued to nearly the day of his death.
Mr. Bennet subsequently furnished several interesting nar-
ratives and other valuable contributions. These materials,
however, were so extensive and miscellaneous, as well as so
minute, that it became the duty of the compiler, instead of
abridging or condensing the mass, to recompose the whole,
in such a form as should enable him to bring forth, in
succession, as they occurred to the travellers themselves,
TAY
INTRODUCTION.
the most striking and curious facts relative to their personal
adventures, or which came to their knowledge by the way.
He has, therefore, trod step by step after them, confining
himself, as faithfully as practicable, to the order of subjects
under the original dates, after exercising his best discretion
in the use of his materials, chiefly consisting of memoranda,
generally rough and unshapen—the first thoughts, in the
first words of the writers, at the time, and upon the spot,
recording the actual impressions and feelings awakened or
confirmed by the things themselves. These he has en-
deavored so to exhibit as to do full jiistice to the individuals
whose journals he was thus retracing, and on whose
authority the statements derived from them must rest. ..
Throughout the whole of the first, and the early chapters
of the second, volume, great care has been taken to preserve
- as many personal, national, and moral traits of character,
traditions, fragments of history, and anecdotes, of the super-
stition, forms of government, manners, customs, and prac-
tices, of the inhabitants of the South and North Pacific
Islanders, as could be published without offence to decorum.
But it must be plainly stated that the half of their abom-
inations may not be told—however harmless, amiable, and
happy they have been represented, in their former state, by
occasional visitors, too many of whom loved them for their
licentiousness, and knew little, and cared less, about the
reckless tyranny of their chiefs, the diabolical frauds of
their priests, their wars of massacre, and their unnatural
cruelties one towards another, especially their nearest con-
nections. Nothing which has contributed to make a class
of human beings either better or worse than otherwise they.
would have been, and at the same time different from all
others of their fellow-creatures, can be insignificant or un-
L
INTRODUCTION.
xiii
interesting; and however puerile, absurd, horrible, or re-
volting, many things here stated may be in themselves, it
was from the accumulation and pressure of these that soci-
ety, through unregistered ages, took its form in the most
fertile and beautiful regions of the Pacific. Hence the
slightest memorial of the least influential of such co-operat-
ing causes must be of some value, and worthy of preserva-
tion, if it add but an atom to our knowledge of human na-
ture, essentially the same every where, though varying in
its aspect according to external contingencies. A chapter
would have been wanting in the history of our species, or
at best the contents of it, collected from other sources,
would be exceedingly deficient, if the authentic informa-
tion furnished by resident missionaries, and collected by
the late deputation, were not now rescued from oblivion,
and put upon record, in such publications as Mr. Ellis's
Polynesian Researches and the following Journal. From
the plan of the latter, it will be found that the same topics
are occasionally referred to again and again ; but in each
instance presented under new phases, and with additional
particulars, as the travellers obtained fuller and clearer
intelligence on points which were continually the object of
inquiry and examination. In a few years all traces of the
former things which are now done away would have been for
ever obliterated: the old who still remember them would be
dead; the rising generation, of course, are brought up in
the knowledge of those better things which are regenerating
society throughout all the Christianized'islands. This, then,
which would have been expedient under any circumstances,
has become necessary at the present time, when the gross-
est fictions are invented, industriously circulated, and in
xiv
INTRODUCTION. I
some instances eagerly received to bring the missionaries
and their labors into contempt.
In chapter xxxii. vol. ii. p. 217, of this work, will be
found some mention of a visit paid by the Russian Captain
Kotzebue to Tahiti; at a time when the deputation were
there. There has lately been published in England what
is called “ A New Voyage Round the World,” &c. by this
gentleman. In a section of more than a hundred pages,
entitled “ O Tahaiti," the writer has thought proper to as-
sert as historical facts things which never happened under
the sun, and to express sentiments, concerning the mission-
aries and their converts, which no man could entertain who
was not under strong prejudice, if not actual delusion.
This is not the place to expose his errors in detail. That
will, probably, be done from another quarter, and by an
abler hand; but two or three of his misrepresentations must
not be passed over, as they stand in direct contradiction to
much that will be found in the following pages respecting
the introduction of Christianity and its benign effects in the
Society Islands. The captain says :-
“After many fruitless efforts, some English missionaries
succeeded at length, in the year 1797, in introducing what
they called Christianity into Tahaiti, and even in gaining
over to their doctrine king Tajo, who then governed the
whole island in peace and tranquillity. This conversion
was a spark thrown into a powder magazine, and was fol-
lowed by a fearful explosion. The inarais were suddenly
destroyed by order of the king every memorial of the for-
mer worship defaced—the new religion forcibly established,
and whoever would not adopt it put to death. With the
zeal for making proselytes, the rage of tigers took possession
INTRODUCTION. -
XV
of a people once so gentle. Streams of blood flowed;
whole races were exterminated ; many resolutely met the
death they preferred to the renunciation of their ancient
faith.” &c. *****"King Tajo, not content with seeing,
in the remains of his people, none but professors of the new
faith, resolved on making conquests, that he might force it
on the other Society Islands. He had already succeeded
with most of them, when a young warrior, Pomareh, king
of the little island of Tabua, took the field against him.
What he wanted in numbers was supplied by his unexam-
pled valor, and his superiority in the art of war. He sub-
dued one island after another, and at last Tahaiti itself, and
having captured its king, offered the zealous murderer of
his subjects as a sacrifice to their manes.”—Vol. i. pp. 159
-160.
How much truth is there in this straight-forward state-
ment? Let the reader judge.-—There never existed such
a personage as King Tajo. Pomare the First was king of
Tahiti during the early residence of the missionaries in that
island. He died in 1803, having never so much as pre-
tended to embrace Christianity. He was succeeded in the
sovereignty by his son, Otu; who eventually assumed the
name of Pomare II.-Christianity was not received, “after
many fruitless efforts,” in 1797; nor till 1814 were a "pray-
ing people” found among the inhabitants. After that time
they rapidly multiplied. In the latter end of the following
year, 1815, the only battle that ever took place between
Christians and idolaters, in Tahiti, was fought, in which the
latter were the aggressors, and, after being defeated in the
field, were wholly subdued by the clemency of Pomare in
sparing his vanquished enemies, a thing unheard of before
in the exterminating wars of these islanders. Since then
INTRODUCTION. -
neither war nor battle has been known throughout the
whole windward group. [See Ellis's Polynesian Researches,
vol. i. chap. x. pp. 245 to 280; and this Journal, vol. i. chap.
vi. p. 116 to 118.] In the Leeward Islands, at Huahine, an
idolatrous army of rebels yielded, without a blow, to Hautia,
when that Christian" chief offered them pardon and peace.
[See this Journal, vol. i. chap. xiii. p. 203.] In Tahaa the
idolaters, under King Fenuapeho, were routed by Tamatoa,
king of Raiatea, and after the conflict the lives of the prison-
ers, including Fenuapeho himself, being spared, this chief
and all his people submitted to the conqueror, who restored
to the former his sovereignty, and to the latter their insular
independence. [See this Journal, vol. ii. chap. xxvi. p.
145.] The universal rejection of heathenism, and accept-
ance of the gospel, in each of these cases, followed the mer-
ciful use of victory by the champions of the truth. . There
are on record shocking instances of the murder of natives
for embracing the “new religion,” by the bigoted adherents
of the old, but Captain Kotzebue may be safely challenged
to produce one example of an individual being put to the
alternative of preferring “death to the renunciation of his
ancient faith.” It rests with him also to show when, how,
where, and by whom, “whole races were exterminated;"
-certainly not in any island, whose inhabitants have been.
converted to Christianity, in the South Seas.' What he
means at page 169, by the bloody persecution instigated
by the missionaries, which performed the work of a deso-
·lating infection," he would find hard to explain before the
bar of God or man. At each he is answerable for it.
“The religion taught by the missionaries is not true
Christianity.” [Vol. i. p. 168.] If that which Captain
Kotzebue practises be“ true Christianity," assuredly that
INTRODUCTION.
xvii
which the missionaries teach is not. Try him by his own
test. In an interview with the queen, he says, “ She asked
me whether I was a Christian, and how often Í prayed
daily ?” “I merely replied, that we should be judged
according to our actions, rather than the number of our
prayers.” [Vol. i. p. 183.] Every page of his fables and
lucubrations, respecting the missionaries and their people,
proves that he is not of that religion which says, " Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” One
example may suffice. Vol. i. p. 193, he observes,“ Though
the vice of theft has certainly greatly diminished among the
Tahaitans, they cannot always refrain from endeavoring to
appropriate the articles they prize so highly. For instance,
I THINK, if any one of the Tahaitan ladies had found an
opportunity of stealing a bit of the mock-gold-lace, the
temptation would be too great to withstand.” Thus, as
an instance of irresistible thieving propensity in the Ta-
haitan ladies," he thinks if something which did not happen
had happened, then a certain consequence would have fol-
lowed! What can any honest man think of f Otto von
Kotzebue, Post Captain in the Russian Imperial Navy, and
Commander of the ship Predpriate ?”
The rest of his slanders, sarcasms, and insinuations (espe-
cially at pp. 196-7, which are fitter for a court of justice than
of criticism), may be left, for the present, to the exposure
which awaits them. It must be acknowledged that in these
the renowned circumnavigator has afforded the public op-
portunity enough for judging of his Christianity by his
" actions ;"-one cannot help wishing, however, that he
had left one solitary specimen of his « prayers.” If he
had, it is not uncharitable to suppose that it might have
begun thus : “God, I thank thee, that I am not like,” &c.
B *
xviii
INTRODUCTION.
The reader may fill up the form; and, to assist him in doing
this, the following paragraph may be useful. It seems that,
on a former voyage, Captain Kotzebue had introduced yams
into Otdia, one of the Navigators’ Islands, where, during
his absence, they had been so successfully cultivated-triat, on
his visit there after leaving Tahiti, he was “shown a pretty
large field very well stocked with them.” He says, “ The
delightful feelings with which I surveyed the new planta-
tion may be imagined, when it is recollected that these
poor islanders, from want of means of subsistence, are com-
pelled, assuredly with heavy hearts, to murder their own
offspring, and that this yam alone is sufficient to remove so
horrible a necessity. I might joyfully affirm, that, through
My instrumentality, the distressed mother need no longer
look forward to the birth of her third or fourth child with
the dreadful consciousness that she has endured all her
pains only to deliver a sacrifice to the hand of the murderer.
When she should clasp her child to her breast, and see her
husband look on it with a father's tenderness, they might both
remember Totabu,* and the beneficent plants which he had
given them.”—The man who had done this good deed, and
could enjoy, by anticipation, such a reward of it in his own
bosom, might have been taught, by his better feelings, to
“think” and speak otherwise than he has done of men, who
have not only introduced fruits and roots, but herds and
flocks, mechanic arts, reading and writing, civilized man-
ners and domestic comforts (to say nothing of “true Chris-
tianity'), into not one but many islands—men, who, accord-
ing to his own confessions, have almost banished drunken-
ness, thieving, and profligacy, so far as their influence has
* Kotzebue, in the island-dialect.
INTRODUCTION.
xix
reached ;---men, through whose “ instrumentality,” not in
imagination, but in fact, thousands of mothers have been
taught to spare all their children, instead of “delivering"
-not the third or the fourth” only, but three-fourths of
them, as soon as they were born, as “sacrifices to the hand
of the murderer.”
To return to the main burthen of the present Journal of
the first Missionary Voyage ever made round the world :-
an authority of a far higher standard in literature and morals
than Captain Kotzebue, thus speaks of the humanizing
effects of the gospel :—“Even over the wild people, inhab-
iting a country as savage as themselves, the Sun of Right-
eousness arose with healing under his wings. Good men,
on whom the name of saint (while not used in a supersti-
tious sense) was justly bestowed, to whom life and the pleas-
ures of the world were as nothing, so they could call souls
to Christianity, undertook, and succeeded in, the perilous
task of enlightening these savages. Religion, although it
did not at first change the manners of nations waxed old in
barbarism, failed not to introduce those institutions on which
rest the dignity and happiness of social life. The law of
marriage was established among them, and all the brutalizing
evils of polygamy gave place to the consequences of a union
which tends, most directly, to separate the human from the
brute species. The abolition of idolatrous ceremonies took
away many brutalizing practices; and the gospel, like the
grain of mustard-seed, grew and flourished, in noiseless
increase, insinuating into men's hearts the blessings insepa-
rable from its influence.”—Sir Walter Scott's History of
Scotland.
All this has been literally realized in the islands of the
South Seas, so far as they have received Christianity. In-
.
XX
INTRODUCTION.
numerable proofs of it will appear in the following pages.
The former and present circumstances of these minute por-
tions of the inhabited globe are not less truly thân poetically
contrasted by a living writer :-
“ Where, in the furthest deserts of the deep,
The coral-worm its architecture vast
Uprears, and new-made islands have their birth,
The Paphian Venus, driven from the west,
In Polynesian groves, long undisturbid,
Her shameful rites and orgies foul maintain'd.
The wandering voyager, at Tahiti, found
Another Daphne.
On his startled ear,
What unaccustomed sounds come from those shores,
Charming the lone Pacific ?-Not the shouts
Of war, nor maddening songs of Bacchanals;
But, from the rude Marae, the full-toned Psalm
Of Christian praise.--A moral miracle !
Tabiti now enjoys the gladdening smile
Of Sabhaths. Savage dialects, unheard
At Babel, or at Jewish Pentecost,
Now first articulate divinest sounds, .
And swell the universal Amen."
From The Star in the East, by JOSIAH CONDER.
May 2, 1831.
CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
1
I
CHAPTER I.
Page.
The Tuscan sail3, with the Missionaries on board, May 2, 1821
Novelty of Nautical Arrangements--Whaler's Anecdote-Drop
down the Channel-Bay of Biscay-Color of the Water--Cape
Finisterre-Luminous Appearances in Ship's Track--Charnel
House at Madeira--North-east Trade-wind-Sucking Fish--
Cross the Tropic of Cancer--Flying Fishes—The Black Whale-
The Southern Cross--Whit-Monday-A Shark caught-Exploit
of a Tahitian-Crossing the Line-Booby-birds-Magellan
Clouds--Animals of the Deep-Spermaceti Whale-Marine
Rainbows--The Albatross--Thunder, Lightning, and Fiery Me-
teor A Hard Gale-Peo and Egmont Hen-Grampus Falk-
land Islands--Porpoises and Penguins--The Turpin--Staten
Island—Mr. Tyerman relates a Singular Passage of his Early
Life~" Long-footed” Swells of the Ocean-Doubling Cape
Horn--Accident-Superstition of Sailors......
..... 1
CHAPTER II.
Commemoration of the Sailing of the Ship Duff, with the first Mis-
sionaries to the South Seas--Mollyınauks-Agitated Sea-scene-
A Storm-Imminent Peril and great Deliverance--Tropic of
Capricorn-The “ Prickly Heat” _The Gannet–War Hawk-
Lunar Influence-Dangerous Archipelago-A Whale struck-
The Tropic Bird - Planet Venus-Lunar Rainbow-Water-
spouts-Sailors' Dreams—A Booby-bird taken-Retrospective
Reflections_Indications of Land-An unknown Island Reso-
lution, Doubtful, Tuscan, Birnie, Chain, and other Islandsm Ar-
rival at Tahiti..........
........
24
.
CHAPTER III.
I
Pomare's Residence-Account of a League of Pacification among
the Natives-Strangers in Tahiti-Repararu's House-Cocoa-
nut Water--Exotic Trees-Dress of Natives-St. Luke's Gospel
transcribed by Pomare-Visit to Papeiti--Preparations for the
xxii
CONTENTS.
Sabbath--Singular Consequence of a Mistake in Captain Wil-
son's Sea-reckoning-First Sabbath at Matavai--Prevalence of
Infanticide in former Times--Canoe-making-Fishing--Incident
by which the Gospel was carried to Raiatea-Horrors of Idola-
try--Pomare--Spirituous Liquors--Progress of Christianity at
Raivavai--Tahitian Supper--Tabued Trees....
......
45
CHAPTER IV.
Islands which have received Christianity--Language of the Na-
tives of the Society Islands-Destruction of Idols-Domestic
Manufactures--Presents from the King--Hiro, the God of
Thieves-War-spear-Missionaries prepare a Code of Laws
Tatooing abandoned-Visit to Eimeo-Strolling Players Public
Service--Introduction to Pomare--Interview with Christian
Church and Congregation-Social Meetings for Religious Im-
provement....
...................
62
CHAPTER V.
Project of a Cotton Mill-Shells, &c.-Magnificent Natural Pan-
orama--Night-scene-Bans of Marriage-Palma Christi, and
other Plants--Native Martyrs--Great Marae--Arabu, Chief of
Eimeo-Cowries, &c.--Roman Catholic Missionary--Trials of
the first Preachers of the Gospel here-Roguery of the Island-
ers formerly—Their present Character contrasted--Idolatrous
Priests--Second Intervicw with Pomare--Tatooing-Mosquitoes
-Return to Tahiti-Housekeeping--Native Manners--Barter-
................
CHAPTER VI.
trade...
78
Fishing by Torch-light-Valley of Matavai--Sufferings of first
Missionaries-Rare Birds--Ora Tree, &c.—Basaltic Cliffs--Sim-
ple Method of producing Fire-Traits of Tahitian Character--
Mode of Living-Administration of the Sacrament—Diseases of
the Natives—Burial of a Child-Proper Names, Phosphoric
Matches-Apprehensions of a Disturbance Site for Cotton Fac-
tory-American Ship in Matavai Bay-Account of a Plot once
formed by Tahitians to seize a European Vessel-Providential
Preservation of the Lives of Mr. Wilson' and Mr. Bennet at
Sea-The last Battle of the last Native War...:
.....
99
CHAPTER VII.
Visit to Bunaauia—Maubuaa, or the Swine-owner-Man punished
for Swearing-Return to Matavai-Coral-groves--King of Bora-
bora's Solicitude to have a Missionary-Eagerness of the People
to obtain Books--Anecdotc of Pomare-Visit of Captain Walker
-Simple Substitute for Bellows Interview with Pomare--Sail
to Eimeo-Examination of Candidates for Church Fellowship-
Public Fast and Prayers for thc King-Anecdote of Raiatean
Affection towards a Missionary--Shaving Process-Singular
CONTENTS.
xxiii
Species of Crab-Native Generosity-Evils resulting from the
Use of Stills-Taro-Plantation - The Hoop-Snake-A Court of
Justice-First Burning of Idols.
............. 120
CHAPTER VIII.
Departure for the Leeward Islands—Huahine-Distinguished Na
tives—Speeches-Death of Pomare--Grounds on which the Ef-
fects produced by Christian Missions in these Islands have been
inisrepresented-Last Injunctions and Dying Scene of Pomare. 134
CHAPTER IX.
Native Marriage-Missionary Settlement-Gradations of Society.--
Interesting Visit and Conversation-Shocking Practices of the
old Idolaters--Strata—Coral-formations......
146
is......................
CHAPTER X.
Engagements of a Week-Plan for an Insurrection-Native Car-
pentry_The Bread-Fruit Tree-Aromatic Grass Mountain
Prospect-The Cocoa-Nut Tree......
... 159
CHAPTER XI.
Coasting Tour round Huahine-Rocking-stone-Hurricane by
Night-Mahabu Harbor-Matara-Sea-side Meal-Native Say-
ings-Large Marae-Converted Priest of Oro—Picture of a
Party asleep--Converted Shark-worshipper-A Shark Marae
Accident-Bird-Value of a Nail........
......................
170
YTY
CHAPTER XII.
Ils
Lizard-god-Motley Dinner Company-Traditions-Dog Marae-
Rock-Scenery-District of Hiro, God of Thieves-Puerile Pre-
rogative of Areois-Cascade-Fern-leaf Printing Memorial
Trees planted-Columnar Rock-Comfortless Plight of the
Coasting Party-Curious Species of Lobster-Marae of Tani-
Idol-Festival Extensive Lagoon-Extraordinary Aoa Tree-
Royal Burying-place-Native Contributions to Missionary So-
ciety-Gross Notions formerly entertained concerning a Future
State...
..........
183
. CHAPTER XIII.
Tempestuous Weather-Case of Conscience-Rights of Fishery-
Native Frankness-Tani's Bed-Destruction of Tani's Idol
Tani's converted Priest-Ancient Forum-Fortified Eminence-
Ludicrous Tradition-Meteors-Offerings to Tani-End of the
Cruise round Huahine-Astronomical Notions of the Islanders-
Divisions of the Day, &c.Prompt Justice Singular Moth
Terms for the Winds--Appointment of Deacons in the Church
Visit to Tiramano—Exotic and Naturalized Vegetables..... 201
xxiy
CONTENTS:
CHAPTER XIV.
A Feeding—Warning Discourses against Apostasy-A Native
Hog a rare Animal now—A singular Fish– Handicrafts—Tahi-
tian Language, and Figures of Speech-Sugar-cane Crop-
Dauntless, Ship of War- Uncommon Spider-Questions pro-
posed for Consideration Co-operation in House-building-Pres-
ents to Deputation-Tradition respecting the first Man and
Woman-Noa--Mr. Tyerman and Mr. Eilis sail for Borabora-
A Shark captured-Placid Beauty of the Sea-Arrival at Bora-
bora-Missionary Station Influence of Conjurers, Visit to two
English Vessels-Opening of a new Chapel......
...............
19
CHAPTER XV.
Areois, or Vagabonds--Custom of dispatching infirm Persons-
Method of Negotiating respecting Peace or War-Fantastic
Superstitions—Marriagos of Chiefs in former Times-Conversa-
tion-meeting-Messrs. Ellis and Tyerman return to Huahine
Candidates for Baptism-Native Numeration-Baptism adminis-
tered-Indigenous Diseases--Animals, aboriginal and natural-
..... 238
ized....
CHAPTER XVI.
Two Vessels in the Offing-Taronarii—Projected Visit to the Mar-
quesas Islands-Auna, Mattatore, and their Wives, set apart as
Native Missionaries to the Marquesas–Birth of Taronarii's
Daughter-Two Brigs-Embarkation for the Marquesas--Am-
phibious Dexterity of the Islanders-Nocturnal Placidness of
the Sea-Cockroaches—Towaihae Bay, Sandwich Islands Mot-
ley Appearance of Natives....
........ 257
JOURNAL.
CHAPTER I.
The Tuscan sails, with the Missionaries on Board, May 2, 1821-Nov-
elty of Nautical Arrangements-Whaler's Anecdote—Drop down the
Channel-Bay of Biscay-Color of the Water-Cape Finisterre-
Luminous Appearances in Ship’s Track-Charnel-house at Madeira
-North-east Trade Wind-Sucking Fish-Cross the Tropic of Cancer
-Flying Fishes The Black Whale-The Southern Cross—Whit-
Monday --A Shark caught-Exploit of a Tahitian-Crossing the Line
- Booby-birds--Magellan Clouds—Animals of the Deep-Sperina-
ceti Whale-Marine Rainbows—The Albatross—Thunder, Light-
ning, and Fiery Meteor--A Hard Gale-Peo and Egmont Hen-
Grampus—Falkland Islands—Porpoises and Penguins—The Turpin
-Staten Island-Mr. Tyerman relates a singular Passage of his early
Life - Long-footed ” Swells of the Ocean-Doubling Cape Horn
-Accident-Superstition of Sailors.
Tre Tuscan, a South Sea whaler, of about 360 tons bur-
then, commanded by captain Francis Stavers, was provided
to convey us on our voyage to the islands of the Pacific
Ocean. To Alexander Birnie, Esq. the Society which we
- represented was indebted for the grant of a free passage, not
only to ourselves, but also to the Rev. Mr. Jones, a mission-
ary to the Georgian Isles-his wife--Messrs. Armitage and
Blossom, artisans--their wives and two children belonging
to Mr. Armitage. This act of noble liberality, on the part
of the proprietor of the vessel, will ever be recollected by the
directors and representatives of the London Missionary So-
ciety with peculiar gratitude. The ship's crew consisted of
thirty-five young and healthy men and boys, including a first,
second, and third mate. Besides these, there was a surgeon
on board, and a native of Tahiti, about twenty-five years of
MISSIONARIES ON BOARD.
age, who had been baptized by a missionary in that island,
and received the name of Robert.
All things having been prepared for our long and interest-
ing voyage, the ship sailed from London to Gravesend, on
Wednesday, the 2d of May, 1821. On Saturday, the 5th,
having parted with many friends and ministers, who accom-
panied us to the latter place, we went on board; the anchor
was weighed, and, the weather being favorable, we dropped
down the river, five or six miles, when we came to anchor
again to wait for the next tide. On this evening, after social
worship, in which we committed ourselves and each other to
Him whose we are, and whom we wish to serve, we retired
to rest for the first time on board, under circumstances
which called for humble gratitude and heartiest praise ;
goodness and mercy surrounding us on every side.
May 6. (Lord's day.) This forenoon we had divine ser-
vice in the cabin. The forty-third chapter of Isaiah was
read; and Mr. Tyerman preached from our Lord's last words:
"Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of the world.”
-Matt. xxviii. 20. In the afternoon, notwithstanding the
hurry and uproar above from tacking, &c., we had the privi-
lege, according to our Savior's appointment, to eat bread
trust that we had fellowship in that hour with all our Chris-
tian friends elsewhere, who were then observing the same
blessed ordinance, or, like our female companions, (from
sickness in their case,) providentially detained from the table
of our common Master.
May 7. We proceeded to the Downs, where we anchored.
This evening, we enjoyed the pleasure of uniting in spirit,
at a missionary prayer-meeting, with the thousands of our
Israel, who, in different parts of the earth, at the same time
(on the first Monday in the month) offer their fervent sup-
plications for the universal prevalence of that glorious gospel
which brings life and immortality to light.
May &. Yesterday and to-day we have been busily occu-
pied in arranging our packages in our births and the cabin,
so that those things which would oftenest be wanted might
always be nearest at hand. Much and grievous inconveni-
ence is frequently suffered by passengers from lack of a little
foresight and good management in this respect. Being our-
selves almost new to the sea, the effect of every thing on
board was strange to us. The grunting of the swine, the
WHALER'S ANECDOTE.
bleating of the sheep and goats, the clamor of the ducks, the
cackling and crowing of the fowls, but, above all, the appear-
ance, activity and language of the sailors, could not fail to
amuse us. The manner of heaving the lead to sound the
depth of the water (a frequent process at this commence-
ment of our navigation), particularly struck us. But the
following incident may be inore intélligible than a descrip-
tion of a nautical ceremony. : “ Cook," says the steward,
“milk the goat.” The cook proceeds to the operation.
Ordering one of the boys to hold the animal's horns, and
resting the under part of his own thigh on the calf of his op-
posite leg, he adroitly places a hind leg of the goat between
these, and proceeds to discharge his duty with inflexible
composure, while the poor kid stands by, with piteous looks,
beholding the beverage provided for its sustenance thus
recklessly taken away.
May 10. The wind being strong, but contrary, we have
hitherto made slow progress. To-day we had fine views of
Hastings and Seaford, and other places near shore. Con-
versing with the captain, who has been for many years en-
gaged in the whale fishery, he related the following circum-
stance. Being once pursued by a whale, which he had
wounded, he parried the assault for some time with a lance;
but the furious monster at length rushed on the boat, and
with one crash of its jaws bit it in two; himself and his com-
rades only being preserved by leaping into the water when
they saw the onset was inevitable. They were rescued from
their peril by other boats at hand. He observed, that the
black whale of the North Seas discovers such affection for
her young one, that when she perceives danger, she takes it
under one of her fins, and swims off with it. If the latter be
struck, the dam never leaves it, but risks her own life to save
that of her calf. On the contrary, the sperm whale of the
South Seas will suffer her offspring to be taken without man-
ifesting any concern, and providing only for her own safety;
or occasionally, when escape is difficult, turning, as in the
instance above mentioned, with the most savage ferocity on
her pursuers. Our captain's father lost his life in attacking
one of these formidable monsters.
May 12. This day we reached Portsmouth, when, the
wind being contrary, we went on shore, and thence passed
over to Newport, Isle of Wight, where we were cordially
welcomed and entertained by Mr. Tyerman's friends, to
BAY OF BISCAY_CAPE FINISTERRE.
whom his sudden re-appearance was equally unexpected and
delightful.
May 19. The wind having become fair, we went on board
again this morning, and proceeded with great rapidity down
the English Channel, presenting a great press of sail to a
powerful and prosperous breeze.
May 20. (Lord's day.) This morning we had public wor-
ship, for the first time, on deck; the captain, officers, and
crew, being all in attendance. Mr. Tyerman preached from
Psalm cvii. 23, 24: “ They that go down to the sea in ships,
and do business in great waters, these see the works of the
Lord, and his wonders in the deep." Mr. Jones preached
en deck in the afternoon.
May 22. We have this day passed into the Atlantic, cross-
ing the mouth of the Bay of Biscay. Early in the morning
we had a strong gale, and proceeded, amidst prodigious
waves, at the rate of eleven knots an hour, with scarcely any
sail spread. Towards noon the wind died away, and left
us for several hours at the mercy of a troubled sea that could
not rest, but rolled and rocked with awful agitation. In the
evening the gale revived, and hurried us on in our desired
course. A linnet and two swallows, taking refuge in our
shrouds, were caught by the sailors; but the poor birds were
so exhausted, by the violence of the wind and the length of
their flight, that they soon expired.
May 23. To-day we first perceived the change of the color
of the water from green to dark blue; the former indicating
comparative shallowness, the latter, unfathomable depth.
May 24. We are off Cape Finisterre, having experienced
favorable weather since the 22d. The night is beautiful
with stars, amidst a pure unclouded- sky. The ship sails
majestically over an invisible expanse of water, marked only
by silver-topt breakers, accompanying and following in its
wake. The only persons on deck are the man at the helm-
with his eye on the compass, and his hand on the wheel
and the mate, who silently paces the deck, listening and
looking through the gloom.
May 25. Multitudes of porpoises playing round the vessel ;
two were harpooned, and brought on board. The blubber
yielded three gallons of good lamp-oil.' The liver and some
of the fleshy parts were dressed and eaten by the sailors. In
the evening, the foam round the vessel was spangled with
luminous but evanescent points; the flakes occasionally
et,
CHARNEL-HOUSE AT MADEIRA.
emitting their brilliant rays for several seconds. This phe-
nomenon, not yet satisfactorily explained by philosophers,
though common every night, is very striking; the track of a
ship is sometimes so highly irradiated as to present the ap-
pearance of a train of fire for a considerable distance.
May 27. (Lord's day. We had public service twice in
the cabin. The deck had been cleared last night, and no
work that could be avoided was done on the Sabbath. It
was pleasing to see the crew, clean and in their best clothes...
engaged in reading the Bibles and tracts which we had given
them.
May 28. This morning we had the satisfaction to see
Porto Santo, one of the Madeira Islands. Our party have
been fully occupied to-day in writing to friends in Old Eng-
land. This is a peculiarly interesting ship-board scene,
whenever an immediate opportunity of communicating with
home is presented in the course of a long voyage.
May 29. We reached Madeira, and went on shore at Fun-
chal; the captain purposing to take in a supply of various
provisions. No description of this lovely, magnificent, and
well-known island, by transient visitors, can be necessary
here. One of the most remarkable objects of curiosity which
we visited was a room in the church of St. Francis, about
fifteen feet square, and the same in height, completely lined,
or rather einbossed, both on the side walls and the ceiling,
with human skulls, set in squares composed of arms and
thigh bones, which form a separate frame for each skull.
These hideous relics are said to be those of saints and emi-
nent personages, of which the sepulchres have been defrauded
to decorate this Golgotha of superstition. The whole has a
horrible and ghastly appearance, which is aggravated by the
filthiness of the place, and the dilapidations continually oc-
curring--the skulls and bones from time to time falling from
their fixtures, and strewing the floor with mouldering frag-
ments. On inquiring the cause of the neglect of a sanctua-
ry so peculiarly precious to devotees as this must have been,
we were told that the funds bequeathed for the maintenance
of its melancholy state had been lost; and there was not
charity in the present day found to keep this charnel-house
in repair-.One word may be added concerning the vines.
These were planted at the fronts of the houses, in gardens;
lattice-works, about seven feet high, are raised and extended
over the whole ground-plot. The vines, being conducted
6. SUCKING-PISH-CROSS THE TROPIC OF CANCER.
over these frames, not only repay the owners by their deli-
cious fruits, but afford a most refreshing shade, under which
the whole family may be sheltered from those fierce rays of
the sun which give excellent flavor to their grapes, and make
the wine of Madeira one of the choicest beverages “ to glad-
den man's heart;' not here only, but at the uttermost ends.
of the carth.
May 31. Having re-embarked last evening, we this day
lost sight of Madeira in our progress.
June 1. We have been amused by observing- luminous
objects floating in the 'sea, at the sides and in the wake of
the vessel; they were generally of a beautiful blue or green
color, sometimes appearing at the depth of several feet, and
occasionally rising to the surface, when their brilliancy forth-
with vanished. These, we conjectured, might be the same
substances (of whatever nature) which, in the dark nights,
have heretofore exhibited such splendor in the water.
June 2. This morning we got into the N. E. trade wind,
which continued to freshen for several hours. A sun-fish,
(the tetrodon mola of Linnæus) was harpooned from one of
our boats, and brought on board. It measured five feet and
a half in length, and four and a half in width. While it
was towed alongside of our ship, several sucking-fish (echi-
neis remora of Linnæus) accompanied it, adhering to different
parts of the body. One of these singular animals was taken
by a spear. It was eleven inches in length, in form resem-
bling a trout, of a brown color, without scales, slimy and
loathsome to the sight. When put into a vessel of water, it
immediately attached itself to the side by its suckers, which
are twelve in number, placed in the throat, within a flat oval
surface, two inches in length, and barely an inch and a half
in breadth. By these the creature sticks with surprising
firmness to whatever it assails. Fishes of the same kind,
though much larger, are a grievous annoyance to the whales,
and often cause them to bound out of the water, to shake off
their tormentors by the fall.
June 5. This evening we have crossed the tropic of Can
cer. A flying-fish (exocætus volitans) having lighted on
board, we had an opportunity of examining its curious
formation. This specimen was in size and shape much like
a herring; the sides and belly were bright as burnished sil-
ver, with a tinge of blue along the back-the eye large; the
two pectoral fins, rising from the gills, had each twelve rays,
FLYING FISHES—THE BLACK WHALE.
six and a half inches long, connected by a delicate transpa-
rent membrane; with these it can readily direct itself for-
ward or backward, swim in the water or dart through the air.
These fish abound in the Atlantic, and are sometimes seen
singly, sometimes in shoals; often in their brief flight falling
upon the decks of vessels. They sometimes continue on the
wing for two or three hundred feet, then suddenly, if in
flocks, disappear altogether; nor do they seem to feel any
difficulty in flying against the wind. Their course, when
we have observed them in our vicinity, was always from the
ship, their motion apparently undulating with the billows,
and nearly parallel with the surface. They have many ene-
mies in both elements; rapacious fishes and birds of prey.
Our mate told us that he once saw a man-of-war eagleman
albatross (Diomedea cxulans), pounce downward upon a fly-
ing-fish, while, at the same instant, a thunny, or albacore,
sprang from below to seize it. Neither seemed to see the
other, and so eagerly did they aim at their common prey,
that the thunny's head bolted into the open beak of the alba-
tross. The latter struggled hard to carry off its unexpected
prize, which, however, proved too weighty, and fell back
into the water. Meanwhile, the flying-fish escaped with life
from both the deaths that threatened it.
June 6. At noon we were under a vertical sun; our lati-
tude being 22° 46' N. The thermometer in the shade stood
at 72°, but in the sun the mercury rose to 106°..
June 7. The cry of“ A whale !-a black fish!"--occasion-
ed much commotion, in lowering down the boats, and for a
while pursuing it; but the prey escaped. At dinner, the
second mate related the following incident, confirmed by the
testimony of the captain. . On a late voyage, when near to
the coast of South America, an immense whale suddenly
rose at the side of the ship to such an height out of the water,
and flung himself (unconscious of its presence, having come
up with great impetuosity from the deep) with such force
athwart the bow of the vessel as to cut it sheer off. Being
but a small whaler, she filled and sunk so speedily, that the
crew had barely time to take to their boats. They were soon
after received on board of a companion-ship which was
fishing hard by.
June 9. We have been much gratified by seeing what the
sailors call a Portuguese man-of-war, and a galley-fish.
These beautiful creatures are of various sizes; this was
8
PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR-THE BLACK FISH.
about as large as a hen's egg. The animal resembles a
bladder, transparent rose-colored, with a kind of keel formed
in festoons, plaited like a ruff, on the upper part. This ap-
pendage, being raised above the water, serves for a sail,
while numerous tentacula, proceeding from the under side,
enable it to steer its course, seize its prey, or to cast anchor,
as it were, and fix itself on the moving surface of the waves.
It is said to be exceedingly venomous, and one of the mates
told us that he had frequently been stung by it while bathing.
Though we handled that which was brought on board very
freely, none of us felt any annoyance from it. Linnæus de-
nominates this kind of mollusca holocuria pliysalis.
Towards evening there was again a sudden and loud cry,
“There she goes !—she spouts !-a sperm !-I see her fluke!”
and in an instant both starboard and larboard boats were
lowered, manned, and out in pursuit of a whale. They re-
turned disappointed of their object. The captain and his
party, however, had themselves a very narrow, providential
escape; for while their boat was lowering, the davits (posts
to which the tacklings for that purpose are attached) gave
way, when. boat and men in it were precipitated upon the
sea, but immediately rescued, with some slight personal in-
juries only, though the captain had no expectation but that
the boat must have been stove to pieces by the fall, and
some lives lost, if not all.
June 10. (Lord's day.) Mr. Tyerman preached in the
morning, from Matt. xvi. 26: “What is a man profited, if
he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ?” and
Mr. Jones, in the afternoon, from Psalm I. 15: “Call on me
in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glo-
rify me.” The latter service was somewhat interrupted by
the appearance of a vast shoal of what the sailors call black
fish. Judging by the space which they occupied, there must
have been several hundreds. Two boats were sent after
them, and soon returned, each with a prize. These were of
that species of whale called delphirus delphis, or the bottle-
nosed dolphin. The length of the larger was twenty feet,
and its girth at the shoulder eleven. The color of the whole
body was black, except a small white spot mid-way between
the shoulders and the tail; the latter was divided into two
lobes, forked, lying in the plane of the horizon, and thirty
inches from tip to tip. The form sloped both ways, from the
shoulders to the head, and also to the tail. The nose was
THE SOUTHERN CROSS.
9
truncated and remarkably blunt and angular. Two thirds
up the face was the blow-hole, through which the animal
breathes. When the skin was removed, this orifice would
admit the open hand. The mouth was wide, provided with
lips; and the jaws were armed with teeth, sharp, bent rather
inward, projecting an inch and a half from the gums, an inch
in diameter at the root, and two inches asunder. The
tongue was the size of that of a full-grown ox; the roof of
the mouth hard, rough, and of a dark green. The eyes
were larger than those of an ox. Two pectoral fins, hard
and strong, about two feet and a half in length, and pointed,
bent inward; these were articulated with the shoulder-blades
by the ball and socket joint, as the upper part of the arm in
the human subject. On the back was a protuberance of
solid fat, like a fin, two feet high, diminishing towards the
tail. The flesh was black-red; the heart about the bulk of
an ox's; the lungs and liver large in proportion. In the
stomach were found the remains of various fishes, as the John-
dory, (zeus auratus), a conger-eel (muraena conger), and the
squid (sepia octopodia), or cuttle-fish, with several of their
fine transparent eyes. The weight of the greater of these
creatures must have been nearly a ton and a half. The fat
was from one to two and a half inches thick, under the fore-
head seven inches. The blubber of both yielded ninety gal-
lons of oil, of which the larger furnished two thirds. The
stomachs were preserved and dried to make drum-tops, for
which it is said their texture is admirably adapted.
At night, (the sky being clear after much cloudy weather,)
for the first time, we descried the constellation crux or the
cross. The four stars composing this glory of the southern
hemisphere, are of large but varying magnitudes, and so
placed as readily to associate with the image of the true cross,
the lowest being the brightest. Another beautiful constella-
tion attracted our notice, nearly in the zenith. This was the
northern crown, in which seven stars brilliantly encircle two
thirds of an oval figure. We were reminded—and though
the idea may seem fanciful, yet it was pleasing to ourselves
amidst the still night, and on the far sea-that while we kept
in constant view the cross, that cross on which our Savior
died for our redemption, we might venture to hope that the
crown, the crown of life, which “the Lord, the righteous
Judge," hath promised to “ give unto all them that love his
appearing,” might be bestowed upon “ us in that day.”
1
T
10
WHIT-MONDAY.
June 11. This being Whit-Monday, we remembered many
of our dear friends and connections, who were celebrating, in
the land that we love, their Sunday-school anniversaries; and
with these, in spirit, we held delightful communion. This
day has been chiefly occupied by the crew in cutting up the
black-fish caught yesterday, boiling the blubber, and other
necessary but disgusting operations. Several holes in the
sides and heads of these animals were found crowded with
crab-like lice. The same insects are such tormentors of the
sperm-whales, that a small fish which feeds on them is said
never to be disturbed at his meals by the grateful creatures
to whom he renders such welcome service.
June 14. The weather being calm, we have lately made
little progress. The sailors amused themselves with bathing
and swimming about the ship; occasionally throwing them-
selves into the water from different parts of the vessel at con-
siderable elevations. Robert, the Tahitian, however, ex-
celled them all in this daring exercise. He climbed the fore-
yard, and from the end of it precipitated himself without fear
or injury into the sea. - The height could not have been less
than forty feet.
June 16. Two ships were seen this morning, at consider-
able distances on either side of ours. Perceiving that one of
them was standing towards us, our captain manned a boat
and went on board, thinking that the crew might be in want
of some assistance. It was a Portuguese brig, laden with
salt, and bound to one of the South American ports. On
the captain's return, we paid a visit to the stranger, to vary
the scene, which had become somewhat dull on our own ves-
sel, from the long-continued calm. We were politely receiv-
ed, but could not help pitying the misery and discomfort of
those on board; for though the sea was quite still, the water
with them was running over the deck. On contrasting our
tight, trim ship, and all its internal conveniences, with this
crazy hulk, we felt truly thankful for our superior lot.
This evening, while several of the crew were bathing, the
captain and others from the deck observed a shark preparing
to attack the boatswain, who was not aware of his peril till
alarmed by their cries, warning him instantly to make for the
ship. Happily he escaped when the monster. was within
three yards of him, in the very attitude and act to seize his
prey. A boat was immediately sent out to return the assault
upon the enemy. The boatswain, whose choler had been
A SHARK CAUGHT.
11
most vehemently moved by his danger, finding himself left
behind, immediately baited a large hook with about half a
pound of pork, and suspended the line over the stern of the
vessel, hoping to allure his late voracious pursuer to. its own
destruction. In less than five minutes his hope was realized ;
and his transport then was equal to his former rage, when he
saw the shark fast upon his snare. It was quickly hauled on
deck, by means of a rope dexterously noosed round its tail.
The captive made à desperate floundering, but was overpow-
ered, and despatched as easily as an animal so horribly tena-
cious of life could be. The motion of the heart actually con-
tinued for some minutes after it was taken out of the body.
It may be observed, that for the bulk of the fish the heart
was remarkably small, not being larger than a pullet's egg.
The sailors called this the brown shark (squalus carcharias).
It measured six feet in length. Not contented with what
had been already taken, the hook was again baited, and
presently another shark (squalus glaucus) was hoisted on
board : this was eight feet long, and differed in various par-
ticulars from the former. It proved to be a female, which,
on being opened, was found to include thirty-four young
ones, each about a foot in length.
June 17. (Lord's day.) Mr. Tyerman preached on deck
in the forenoon to the whole company; but in the afternoon,
the weather having changed from almost a dead calm to very
heavy wind and rain, Mr. Jones was obliged to perform his
duty in the cabin to olir own small party.
Talking, during dinner, of the character of those island-
ers whom we hope soon to see, the captain said that, on his
last voyage, when he had gone out as mate only, they had
on board two New Zealanders, and a native of Tahiti. The
latter, on many occasions, displayed fearless courage and
prompt intelligence; of which he gave us a strange example.
Late one evening, he (our captain, then mate) had struck
a very large sperm whale, not far from the ship. The fish,
after some convulsions, remained motionless for a considera-
ble while, apparently about three yards below the surface of
the water. The crew having waited in vain to see her rise,
the captain of the vessel was afraid that he should lose her.
On looking down earnestly, however, he thought she must be
dead, the mouth being open. Hereupon he observed, that
he should like to have a noose-rope thrown round the lower
jaw; and told the Tahitian youth that he would give him a
12
EXPLOIT OF A TAHITIAN-NIGHT-SCENE:
bottle of rum, if he would venture to dive down and perform
that office. The chief mate (our captain), whose harpoon
was in the whale, protested against such an attempt as too
hazardous; but the captain urged the necessity of making
sure of so valuable a booty. The Tahitian, meanwhile, sura
veying the body as it lay, and tempted by the proffered re-
ward, exclaimed, “Ay, ay, she dead—I go.". According-
ly, taking the rope, ready for application, between his two
hands, he lowered himself directly over the monster's mouth,
put the noose over the lower jaw, placed his foot against ther"
jaw to tighten the rope, and then buoyed himself up, sprang
into the boat, and claimed his reward. The carcass was
thus secured (for happily the whale was dead,) and towed to
the ship. We shall not inquire whether this story most dis-
plays the extraordinary boldness of the South Sea islander,
or the inhuman cupidity of the European captain of that
vessel.
June 20. Last night and this morning we have had squalls
and heavy rains. A fresh breeze followed, and is carrying
us delightfully along. The captain doubts not but this is the
commencement of the south-east trade wind, which we have
been desiring through several days of weary calm. The
brilliancy of the sea this evening far surpassed what we had
hitherto seen of the kind. The ship was going rapidly along,
throwing up a furrow of foam about the bow. In this, the
luminous appearances before mentioned glittered with pećui-
liar delicacy ; but it was after the foam had subsided in the
frothless water (itself of a deep-black hue), that they dis-
played their full splendor, gliding, like millions of diamonds,
in giddy succession by the side of the vessel, or flashing in
her wake. Lifting our eyes above, we beheld the stars, in
the absence of the moon, sparkling with unmitigated lustre,
amidst a sky of such intense purity, that the heavenly bodies
far excelled in glory their appearance through our native
atmosphere.
June 21. As the sun now enters Cancer, and is at his
greatest northern distance from the line, this may be called
one of the two mid-winter days of the equator. To us the
temperature is very agreeable. It has ceased to be a novelty
to see our very brief shadows falling towards the south at
noon, and at night to observe the moon pursuing her course
to the north of the zenith; but these circumstances have not
ceased, from time to time, to engage our attention and affect
CROSSING THE LINE-BOOBY-BIRDS.
13
our feelings, since all the phenomena peculiar to these lati-
tudes remind us, by contrast, of the land of our birth, and
the friends of our hearts abiding there.
June 23. This day we passed the equator ; when cer-
tain preposterous ceremonies, as usual, were observed on
board, during which we did not escape a little sprinkling of
salt water.
June 24. (Lord's day.) Mr. Tyerman preached this morn-
ing upon deck, from Isaiah xxxiv. 17: “ His hand hath
divided it to them by line." His object being to improve
the event of yesterday, he made the following observations:
1. There is a line of being, which we all crossed when we
were born; then we were endowed with a rational and intel-
ligent nature; and then we entered upon our state of proba-
tion. II. There is a line of regeneration, dividing the moral
world into two hemispheres, in one of which dwell the righ-
teous, and in the other the wicked. This line must be
crossed by all, before they can become Christians indeed,
and enjoy the privileges of the gospel. III. There is a line
of death, which we must each cross when we have finished
our probationary course, and go before the tribunal of God
to render an account of the deeds done in the body; but
when, where and how we shall cross this line, we know not.
IV. There is a line which divides between heaven and hell:
this, none shall ever cross who have once taken up their
abode in either of those regions. In application it was re-
marked, that if we would not lament having crossed. the line
of being, nor fear crossing the line of death, we should be
concerned to cross the linc of regerieration; that when
we fail on earth we may be received into everlasting habita-
tions, on the right side of the line that divides between heav-
en and hell.
June 25. We have been agreeably interrupted in our ·
usual occupations, by the sight of many booby-birds (pelica-
nus sula) wheeling round the vessel, and pouncing upon such
flying-fish as happened to be on the wing. Two were shot;
one of which was brought on board. It was about two and'
a half.feet in length, and measured five between the extremi-
ties of the wings. The inside was nearly all stomach, and
contained five flying-fishes, three of them recently swallowed.
This, and some other species, have been called boobies, from
their excessive stupidity, and the marked silliness of their
aspect. When they alight on the yards or rigging of vessels,
14
STORM-BIRDS-WHALES.
they shiver, and shake their heads in a peculiar manner, and
often suffer themselves to be taken with the hand. They
have a remorseless enemy, of their own tribe, the man-of-war
bird (pelicanus aquilus), which rushes upon them, and by
severe blows with its pinions and bill forces the booby to sur-
render the prey from between its beak, which the spoiler
:
June 27. We have made little progress, the inconstancy
of the weather, with frequent squalls, furnishing constant
work for all hands, in reefing, unreefing, and shifting sails,
&c. It seems that the trade winds, notwithstanding their
ordinary steadiness, are liable to considerable irregularities,
and often perplex the most experienced and skillful navigators.
We have lost sight of ursa minor, and the polar star, of
course; the pointers are withdrawing, and ursa major, we
suppose, will soon disappear.
June 28. The flying-fish which we liave seen for some
days past are much larger than those that appeared in higher
Mother Cary's chickens, have been observed. The specta-
cle of the nocturnal heavens (under their new aspect, adorn-
ed with constellations never seen in the north) has been
occasionally enlivened of late by meteors of great splendor,
emerging from immensity, and as suddenly absorbed, leaving
darkness more sensibly dark from the effect of the momenta-
ry lucid interval.
June 30. We descried two whales this morning. They
were of the Greenland species (balana mysticctus ), or right
whale, as the sailors significantly call them. These are dis-
tinguished from the sperm whale by the manner in which
they spout—the former having the spiracle, or breathing
hole, at the top of the head; consequently, when they
breathe, the column of water which they eject rises perpen-
dicularly. On the contrary, the sperm whales having the
corresponding aperture in the nose, the water is thrown hori-
zontally.
The two which we now saw not being of the sperm kind,
our captain did not order chase of them. We observed one
of these “hugest of things that swim the ocean-stream,”
twice come up to breathe, and each time it cast forth a large
volume of water to the height of from twenty to thirty feet,
not in a fountain form, but in a cloud of spray that some-
thing resembled a small ship, in full sail, at a distance.
MACELLAN CLOUDS--ANIMALS OF THE DEEP.
15
July 2. This evening one of the Magellan clouds appeared
in the south, about ten o'clock. Of these there are three,
called after the Portuguese navigator, whose name is thus
recorded at once in heaven and on earth, by being associated
with these beautiful phenomena in the southern hemisphere,
and also with the straits at the extremity of the South Amer-
ican peninsula, both of which he discovered on the first voy-
age made by man round the world, though he unfortunately
perished before he had personally accomplished it-leaving
that honor to his companion Cano, who brought the vessel
home. The ncbulae before mentioned are of the color of the
galaxy, and probably; like it, composed of a multitude of
stars, indiscernibly small. The galaxy itself, fom these
Austral regions, is much more clearly defined to the eye
than in England. It seems a vast attenuated cloud, most
delicately white, and apparently nearer to the earth than the
starry concave that swells into infinity above, and shines out
in the lustre of the brightest constellations of both hemi-
spheres.
July 3. We are now in the latitude of Tahiti, though
scarcely half way on our voyage thither; the continent of
South America, and many a weary league of ocean, lying
between us and the objects of our hopes and our prayers.
We have been peculiarly excited, by this slight coincidence,
to implore the divine blessing upon ourselves, as the messen-
gers of the churches to the inhabitants of that and the neigh-
boring islands, where the Redeemer hath “much people;"
and we humbly trust that our visit to those Gentile converts
may be one of peace, and love, and joy, to build them up in
their most holy faith ; as well as to comfort the hearts, and
strengthen the hands, of the faithful missionaries who arc
laboring among them, and are over them in the Lord.
July 5. The monstrous figures, and unwieldy floundering,
of the fin-backed whales (balcena physalus), which often
reach the length of eighty or ninety feet, but are of no value
to the fishers, yielding little oil, greatly amused us this morn-
ing, till our attention was diverted—for we are always on
the look out for new objects by the swift and graceful mo-
tions of the noddy (sterna stolida), a bird which skims, like
a swallow, along the smooth surface of the ocean, clamoring
and snapping up the flying-fishes that cross its flight
July 7. The animals which we have noticed, for the first
time, to-day and yesterday, were the toad-fish (lophius his-
16
SPERMACETI WHALE-MARINE RAINBOWS.
trio), which was wounded by a lance but escaped; small
water-spiders, wonderfully nimble in running on the surface,
and diving below it when alarmed; and Cape pigeons (pro-
cellaria capensis). The latter eagerly pick up bits of lard
thrown upon the waves, or are easily caught by a hook and
line, baited with the same.
July 8. We find ourselves in the midst of "the great and
wide sea, wherein are things. innumerable, both great and
small,” according to the language of the psalmist. The
deep was full of animation, and the surface turbulent with
the pastime of leviathan and his attendants. Birds of differ-
ent kinds followed the whales, and perched on their backs
when they emerged, to pick off the small insects, like lice,
which prey on these enormous creatures, and often make
large holes in their well-lined flanks.
July 10. A shoal of sperm whales (physeter macrosepha-
lus) passed us, within a quarter of a mile from the ship.
They were known by their brown color, and their peculiar
manner of spouting; but the wind blew too hard to allow
our crew to venture after them. This species of whale, as
well as the Greenland and fin-backed, grows sometimes to
the length of from eighty to ninety feet. The head is in-
mense in proportion to the body; and it is in the cavities of
the skull that the valuable matter, called spermaceti, is found,
in a liquid form. To obtain this, a hole is made in the cra-
nium, whence it is taken out with buckets, in very great
quantities. Our captain, who has long been employed in
this fishery, tells us that he has sometimes laded as much as
four and even five hundred gallons of spermaceti, out of the
head of a single whale.
July 11. The wind having been boisterous last night, as
we were contemplating the agitation of the waters this morn-
ing, on the lee quarter, the sun at the same time shining
brightly, we were pleased on beholding, for the first time,
many marine rainbows, which were formed on the spray,
from the tops of some of the higher waves. The prismatic
colors were vivid and distinct, though the bows were evanes-
cent. The albatross begins to show itself on this stage of
our course. It is a majestic fowl, especially when seen
among the pintado-petrels, great numbers of which are con-
tinually on the wing in our wake. The albatrosses that we
have met with are of the diomedea cxulans species. The
wandering albatross, or man-of-war bird, is larger than a
THUNDER, LIGHTNING, AND FIERY METEOR.
17
.
swan, weighing from twenty to twenty-eight pounds, with
wings extending from ten to thirteen feet. The prevailing
color is white, diversified with black and gray. It is very
voracious, devouring its fishy prey whole, in such quantities
as sometimes to prevent its rising on the wing, though in
general it soars very high.
July 12. The thermometer stood this morning at 55.
The anchors were removed from the bow to the deck. We
are daily making every necessary preparation for doubling
Cape Horn. A pintado was shot, and fell into the water,
when immediately the large flock of its companions alighted
around it, but for what purpose we did not discover. A
small bird, about the size of a thrush, called by mariners the
quarter-moon bird, because its wings, when expanded, bear
some resemblance to the crescent moon, joined the feathered
tribes which; day and night, follow in the wake of our vessel.
It is of a light gray color, and glides with great swiftness
close to the water, precisely directing its curvilinear flight
according to the undulation of the sea.
July 13. The gale having been strong all day, the waves
indeed ran mountains high. The captain remarked that he
had generally encountered as tremendous weather in this
quarter, off Rio de la Plata, as in any part of the world
where he had been. There was a double halo round the
moon this evening, which, we are told, portends more blow-"
ing weather.
July 14. We had much thunder. and lightning last night.
During the storm, a fiery meteor, apparently the size of a
man's head, shot through the atmosphere, and fell into the
sea near our ship. The light which it diffused was so sud-
den and intense that night became as noon-day. Had it
struck our vessel, we might have all perished on the spot,
and no record, of our end been discovered. till the day
of judgment. We are in the hands of God, and on
Him, whom all the elements obey, is our sole dependence.
To-day, the boats which had hitherto been suspended over
the quarters, and kept ready for whale-fishing, have been
taken upon deck and lashed down.
July 15. (Lord's day.) The weather very tempestuous.
Mr. Tjerman preached from Psalm lxxxix. 9: “Thou rulest
the raging of the sea : when the waves thereof arise, Thou
stillost thein."
July 18. The storm has abated. We daily experience
2*
1
18
A HARD GALE.
increasing cold, which requires thicker clothing and other
comforts, which those who have been at sea, and have want-
ed, can well appreciate.
A magnificent albatross, snowy white, except the tips of
the wings, which were dark brown, came suddenly near our
ship this forenoon; then passed away, like an apparition of
beauty. This might be deemed a bird which had attained
full maturity, or rather great age, not only by its size, but by
the pure color of its plumage, which, in the younger ones,
is much more dusky.
Towards night the gale again came on with such fury that
there was no rest for us in our beds; but, “in the multitude
of our thoughts within us," the remembrance of friends afar
off, and of God ever present with us as with them,"refreshed
our souls."
July 19. Having requested the captain to inform: us
whenever any thing novel or striking was to be seen from
deck, by day or by night, he sent for us .early this morning
to witness the approach of a tremendous, squall. Sky and
ocean, indeed, wore an aspect so wild and menacing that we
landsmen might well have been excused if we had felt great-
ly appalled. From overwhelming fear, however, we were
graciously preserved by Him whose strength is made perfect
in weakness. To us' it was intensely interesting to observe
the vigilant care which marked the countenance of our com-
mander, whose rapid glances seemed to take in, at once,
every part of the ship, and the whole surrounding hemisphere
of horrors and perils ; especially eyeing, with instinctive jeal-
ousy, the quarter from which the instant storm was coming
down in its fury, and prepared in a moment to meet it with
all the resources of his skill, and the capabilities of his vessel;
to see also that half of the crew whose watch it was, standing,
each at his post (alongside of brace, tack, sheet, or lift),
waiting with an air of prompt yet patient attention for the
sudden and urgent commands that might be given ; but par-
ticularly to behold the timoncer (the man at the helm), whose
hands firmly grasped the wheel, and whose eye alternately,
anxiously, intelligently, glanced from the compass-box to the
sails, from the sails to the eye of the captain, and thence
again to the compass. The picture, the reality, which this ::
scene presented, was sublimely affecting, and produced an ::::
exaltation rather than a depression of mind, amidst all the
terrors of conflicting elements around us.' A fall of snow
ÞEO AND EGMONT TİON=THE GRAMPUS-TURPINS
19
that followed covered the deck four inches deep. The squall,
however, passed away without having harmed us.
July 21. South lat: 47° 23'. West long. 47° 53'. The
thermometer stood at 45, in the companion. The newly-
seen birds which have joined our train are principally the
peo, or stinkpot (named from its abominable smell), and
what Cook calls the Egmont hen. Great quantities of sea-
weed float by us, indicating the vicinity of land.—Weather
calmer.
July 24. Several grampuses (delphinus orca) passed the
stern of our ship this morning. This species is called by
seamen the killer, from its successfully attacking and de-
stroying whales. When the latter, even in a shoal, find a
grampus among them, they are said to be so terrified
that those which have young ones take them upon their
backs, and heave them completely out of the water, to pre-
serve them from the ravenous enemy. The tongue of the
whale is the delicacy which the grampus seizes in his assault,
and he tears it out with surprising dispatch.
July 26. In the afternoon we were near the Falkland
Islands, which lie off the Straits of Magellan. Whale-por-
poises and penguins were the principal novelties discovered
within the last few days. Our captain and crew have often
spoken of an animal which they call Turpin, found on the
Galipagos Islands, on the west coast of South America, near
the equator, about ninety degrees west longitude; to-day we
have taken down a description of it. They represent this
creature as a species of tortoise, the shell of which is black,
carinated and reflected at the neck. The scutilla is oval
and composed of irregular plates; the head and eyes are
small; the neck slender and much longer than in other spe-
cies of the tortoise, being about twenty-eight inches in one of
middle size. The legs are twelve inches in length; the foot
consisting of five toes, the claws of which are hooked and
strong. Turpins, at different ages, are found from three
inches long to six feet; some being a load for four or five
men. They live entirely on shore, feeding upon plants, and
resort much to springs and rivulets of fresh water, where they
are generally taken. Though so strong, in some instances,
as to carry four or five men standing upon their -backs, they
are so slow of motion as to be easily caught; when turned
upon their backs, they are unable to recover their legs, and
are thus secured: Their flesh is such excellent and nourish-
20 SINGULAR PASSAGE OF MR. TYERMAN'S EARLY LIFE.
ing food that we are informed a ship's crew is never weary
of it; and they are, therefore, eagerly sought by sailors at
the landing-places. As these animals are exceedingly ab-
stemious, and can live for months without eating (in a state
of torpor), they are particularly useful on long voyages in the
South Pacific. When taken, these live lumps of stock are
stowed away, like dead lumber, in the hold between decks,
and constitute a valuable store of fresh provisions. The fe-
male lays a considerable number of eggs, which are spheri-
cal and about three inches in diameter; these she buries in
the sand, where they are hatched by the heat of the sun.
South lat. 54° 25'. West long. 57° 20'. Therm. 43.
July 27. We are off Staten Island, east of Terra del Fue-
go, the Straits of Le Maire lying between them. Vessels
sometimes venture through these into the South Pacific, but
the passage is perilous. We have lately sailed at great
speed; the weather, though blustering, being favorable to "
our progress.
July 29. (Lord's day.) The sun rose bright from the sea,
which was lightly in motion, the wind being moderate. We
have found this indeed a Sabbath, a day of rest and holy
pleasure, amidst the loneliness of savage lands in view, and
meeting oceans, on which we are sailing, round Cape Horn.
This celebrated point, “placed far amidst the melancholy
main,” presents none of those tremendous horrors (though
still in the depth of winter) with which the captain and crew
tell us it is almost always invested. Mr. Tyerman preached
in the morning from Psalm cxxi. 4: “Behold, He that keep-
eth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." At the close of
his discourse he mentioned the following circumstance.
“ Yesterday was the anniversary of a great and very remark-
able deliverance which I experienced in the year 1793. At
that time I was intimate with several young men as gay and
trifling as myself; and we frequently spent our Sabbaths in
pleasure on the Thames. Early in the week, on the occa-
sion referred to, I and four others had planned a Sunday
party down the river; to make the most of it, we agreed to
embark on Saturday afternoon, and proceed to Gravesend.
On Friday night, when I lay down to rest, a transient mis-
giving, whether it was right so to profane the Sabbath of the
Lord, gave me a little uneasiness; but I overcame the moni-
tory feeling, and fell asleep. On Saturday morning, when I
awoke, the thought again came upon me, but again I resisted
SINGULAR PASSAGE OF MR. TYERMAN'S EARLY LIFE. 21
it, and resolved to meet my companions in the afternoon. I
was about to rise, but while I mused I fell asleep again, and
dreamed. I thought myself in a certain place, whither di-
vine Providence often led me at that season of my life.
Here a gentleman called me to him, saying, that he had a
letter for me, which I went to receive from his hand. When
I reached him, he had opened the enclosure and appeared to
be reading the contents. I imagined then that I looked over
his shoulder, and perceived that the letter was closely writ-
ten, but a pen had been drawn through every line, and had
obliterated all the words. Wondering what this could mean,
I was going to take hold of the letter, when a large black
seal presented itself to my sight, and so startled me that forth-
with I awoke, with this sentence upon my mind, 'You shall
not go!' Though I had never been in any way superstitious
regarding dreams, this so affected me, and the words,
"You shall not go,' seemed so perpetually sounding in my
ears, and haunting my imagination, that I determined to be
obedient and not go; persuaded that some evil would befall
me if I did. I spent that day and the two following in great
anguish and anxiety, expecting hourly to hear something that
would explain this singular presentiment. No tidings, how-
ever, arrived till Tuesday morning, when I read in a news-
paper the following paragraph. 'Last Sunday, in the after-
noon, as a boat, with four young gentlemen, a waterman, and a
boy, belonging to Mr. — of Wapping, was coming up
the river, in Bugsby's hole, a little below Blackwall, a gust of
wind upset the boat, and all on board perished. That was
the identical boat on which I was to have embarked. I
could scarcely believe my eyes; I read the paragraph again
and again. There it was, and there it remained, speaking
the same words. I cannot express the horror and conster-
nation of my mind. I was constrained to exclaim, 'This is
the finger of God! Who am I, that God should in so won-
derful a manner interpose for my deliverance? What a
warning against Sabbath-breaking! What a call to devote
myself to the Lord and his service!'-A warning which I
took, and a call which I humbly hope I was thenceforward
enabled to obey : "For God speaketh once, yea twice; yet
man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falleth upon man, in slumberings upon the
bed; then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their in-
struction, that he may withdraw man from his purpose, and
LONG-FOOTED SWELLS OF THE OCEAN.
hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the
pit, and his life from perishing."" Job xxxiii. 14, 18.
July 31. Our course has been W. S. W. with little inter-
ruption. At noon we were about 105 miles short of the
meridian of Cape Horn. The captain prognosticated that
we should soon have some genuine Cape Horn weather.
This he inferred from the aspect of the sky, and the heaving
of the ocean, continually on the increase, though the breeze
was inconsiderable.' Every swell of the waves seemed a mile
in extent, having what the sailors call a long foot; that is,
the sea rose and fell gradually and majestically, not shortly
and abruptly, as we have generally observed to be the case,
especially in the Bay of Biscay. These long-footed swells
are almost peculiar here, and would seem to have been ap-
pointed by Providence in that merciful economy which for-
gets not to care for man, even where he most seldom ven-
tures), to render these seas navigable, which, according to
our captain, they would not be in fresh weather, were the
waves as precipitous, and liable to break suddenly, as they
are in most parts. To-day we have had the first heavy fall
of snow.
Aug. 1. Having reached a southern latitude, 69° 30',
sufficiently high for doubling Cape Horn, and being in the
course to avoid meeting icebergs in the night, which are not
unfrequent here. We escaped ; indeed, we saw none,
visitors. By doubling Cape Horn is meant, not merely pass-
ing that point of land, but sailing quite round the other side
of the extreme peninsular projection of South America, into
the Pacific Ocean.
Aug. 4. At noon we reached W. long. 75º, five degrees
further on our way since this time yesterday.
Aug. 5. We began to shape our course in a W. N. W.
direction, to obtain the advantage of the trade winds, when
we reach their region. The captain and crew daily express
their surprise at the unwonted continuance of that propitious
weather which has hitherto brought us safely through the
very realm of tempests, where Anson, Byron, and other navi-
gators, suffered so much. We had public worship in the
cabin to-day, when Mr. Tyerman preached from the pecu-
liarly appropriate text, Isa. xxxii, 2: “A man shall be as an
hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest,"'
ACCIDENT-SUPERSTITION OF SAILORS.
23
The sacrament of the Lord's supper was afterwards adminis-
tered to our little church, and we can say, of a truth, God
was with us.
Aug. 7. A sailor being aloft, eight or nine feet above the
leeward shrouds, his foot slipped, and he fell over the rail
into the clue, or lower corner of the mainsail, which was
stretched a little above the leeward bulwark. The captain,
having seen his first slip, ran to help him, and providentially
caught the poor fellow, just as he was sliding off from the
sail into the water. Had he not been rescued that moment,
he must have been drowned, for the ship was going at great
speed, and the boats were lashed upon the deck. Happily
he received no serious harm. The same man had fallen
from the deck into the hold of the vessel, in the London
Dock, before she sailed; and then had as narrow an escape
from death, though with a severe contusion on the head.
Sailors are proverbially superstitious. This escape of
their comrade occasioned much conversation among the
crew, and sundry stories were told, which, though awful
enough at sea, may appear puerile on land. Two of these
(for the sake of exemplifying the only fears that seamen feel,
and the groundlessness of them) we shall record. Our
chief mate said, that on board of a ship where he had served,
the mate on duty ordered some of the youths to reef the
main-top-sail. When the first got up, he heard a strange
voice saying, “ It blows hard." The lad waited for no
more; he was down in a trice, and telling his adventure. A
second immediately ascended, laughing at the folly of his
companion, but returned even more quickly, declaring that
he was quite sure that a voice, not of this world, had cried
in his ear, “It blows hard.” Another went, and another,
- but each came back with the same tale. At length the
mate, having sent up the whole watch, ran up the shrouds
himself, and, when he reached the haunted spot, heard the
dreadful words distinctly uttered in his ears, “It blows
hard.”—“Ay, ay, old one; but, blow it ever so hard, we
must ease the earings for all that,” replied the mate undaunt-
edly; and looking round, he spied a fine parrot perched on
one of the clues, the thoughtless author of all the false alarms,
which had probably escaped from some other vessel, but had
not previously been discovered to have taken refuge on this.
Another of our officers mentioned, that, on one of his voy
ages, he remembered a boy having been sent up to clear a rope
24
SUPERSTITION OF SAILORS.
which had got foul above the mizzen-top. Presently, how-
ever, he came back, trembling, and almost tumbling to the
bottom, declaring that he had seen “Old Davy," aft the
cross-tree; moreover, that the Evil One had a huge head
and face, with prick-ears, and eyes as bright as fire. Two
or three others were sent up in succession; to all of whom
the apparition glared forth, and was identified by each to
be “Old Davy, sure enough.” The mate, in a rage, at
length mounted himself; when resolutely, as in the former
case, searching for the bugbear, he soon ascertained the
innocent cause of so much terror to be a large horned owl,
so lodged as to be out of sight to those who ascended on the
other side of the vessel, but which, when any one approach-
ed the cross-trees, popped up his portentous visage to see
what was coming. The mate brought him down in tri-
umph, and “Old Davy," the owl, became a very peaceable
ship-mate among the crew, who were no longer scared by
his horns and eyes; for sailors turn their backs on nothing
when they know what it is. Had the birds, in these two
instances, departed as secretly as they came, of course they
would have been deemed supernatural visitants to the
respective ships, by all who had heard the one, or seen the
other.
CHAPTER II.
Commemoration of the Sailing of the Ship Duff, with the first Mission-
aries to the South Seas-Mollymauks-Agitated Sea-scene-A Storm
Imminent Peril and great Deliverance-Tropic of Capricorn-The
“ Prickly Heat"_The Gannet- War-Hawk-Lunar Influence
Dangerous Archipelago-A Whale struck-The Tropic Bird-Planet
Venus-Lunar Rainbow-Water-spouts Sailors' Dreams A Booby-
bird taken-Retrospective Reflections-Indications of Land-An
unknown Island-Resolution, Doubtful, Tuscan, Birnie, Chain and
other Islands-Arrival at Tahiti.
Aug. 10. This day, twenty-five years ago, the first
Missionaries to the South Sea Islands embarked at Black-
wall, with that distinguished servant of God, Captain James
Wilson, in the ship Duff. The remembrance of this great
event (as it has proved) in the history of those remote re-
MOLLYMAUKS.
gions of the globe, which but a few years before were not
known to exist, and for centuries upon centuries, it may be
presumed, had been inhabited by generations of idolaters
furnished us with much matter for interesting conversation,
devout thanksgiving, and fervent prayer, in the course of
the day. We were especially led to commemorate, with
gratitude and joy, the patient perseverance in well-doing of
those good men by wirom it pleased God eventually to com-
mence one of the most signal gospel miracles, in the con-
version of heathen tribes, recorded in the annals of the
church of Christ. Nor did we forget with what zeal, faith,
and love, in this sacred cause, the Directors of the London
Missionary Society had been enabled, during many fruitless
years, to support their patient laborers in that untried
field, sowing precious seed, watering it with tears, and
waiting the Lord's own “ appointed weeks of harvest.”
T'hose - weeks" are come, and the harvest is great; the
reapers, indeed, are comparatively few, but many among the
natives are entering upon the work.
Aug. 13. Two sea-fowls, called by the sailors, Molly-
mauks (a variety of the Diomedea fuliginosa), were taken.
This bird is about the bulk of a goose in body, but the ex-
pansion of the wings, though these are remarkably arched,
reaches seven feet. Their flight is very graceful, and per-
formed with little apparent exertion; though long in the air,
descend, go with the wind, or sail against it. The plumage
on the back and upper parts is dark blue, and white be-
neath. When they alight on the water to seize their prey,
these large fowls buoy themselves over the surface, with
their wings balancing above their bodies, either to preserve
their steadiness, or to be ready to take flight. When placed
upon deck they are unable to raise themselves from the
level; and when upon the sea it is curious to watch them
taking advantage of the tops of the waves to mount aloft.
When the water is smooth, they seem to run upon it with
their feet for a great distance, and then rise very gradually
before they can obtain full play for their wings. Having
just killed the last of our live-stock, a sheep, we must here-
after be content without fresh meat, with which we have
been moderately indulged ever since we left home. Hith-
erto our health has been unimpaired; truly, goodness and
26
AGITATED SEA-SCENE.
correspond with our obligations, and God be acknowledged
in all our ways !
Aug. 15. Yesterday and to-day have been exceedingly
tempestuous; and the spectacle of the sea the most sublime
and appalling that we ever beheld. The diversity of forms
assumed by the stupendous billows was very striking ; they
confounded the eye, and made giddy the brain, in attempt-
ing to follow their motions and their changes. There
they rolled along in a continuous range of vast height, and
several miles in length ; 'while here they were followed by
huge masses of heaped-up water of lesser extent, with steep
and rugged declivities; others again rose like immense
cones, or insulated mountains of fearful elevation, while
the foam broke over their summits, and poured down their
sides, glistening in the sunbeams with dazzling whiteness,
a vivid green appearing beneath it, and the colors of both
being rendered more brilliantly conspicuous by the black
sides of the billows down which these streams of splendor
were hurried into the abyss below. The whole horizon
presented a tumultuous succession of similar images, per-
petually intervolving on every hand. We were preserved,
amidst all this uproar and confusion, by Him who holdeth
the waters in the hollow of his hand, and there, when the
danger was most imminent, we were safe. It is worthy of
note, that not at the shore only, but in the midst of the wide
ocean, He sets bounds to the sea, saying to it, “ Thus far
shalt thou go, and no farther :" by the very element that
raises the waves they are restrained from increasing in the
ratio of the gale, or no vessels could live among them; for
when the wind exceeds a certain degree of strength, it
actually blows down and keeps under the wild surges, which
it had previously swollen to their limited height by a less
impulse. The clue of our main-stay-sail broke loose while
the storm was thus raging, and flapped with such violence,
that no one dared to approach it, for a blow would have
been death; such was the force with which it struck, that,
getting entangled with one of the largest of our anchors, it
immediately heaved the shaft upon the bulwark. The sailors
mastered it at length by hauling down the sail itself, and
making it fast.
Aug. 16. Last night has been one of horrors and deliv-
erances beyond all that we have yet experienced. We had
retired to rest as usual, though few could sleep, on account
IMMINENT PERIL AND GREAT DELIVERANCE. - 27
of the creaking and rocking of the vessel, the yelling of the
winds, and the roaring of the waves. About one o'clock,
Mr. Bennet heard a tremendous explosion or crash, as though
the ship had been violently disrupted, or all her timbers
compressed together by some inconceivable force; a hideous
glare of light at the same time bursting through the bull's-
eye above, upon the darkness. Instantly afterwards, he
heard the captain calling out of the cabin below, with ve-
hemence, the two names of the Deputation : " Mr. Bennet !
Mr. Tyerman! did you hear ?-did, you hear that? Oh,
pray to God for us! All is over !---all is over! Lord, have
mercy upon us !” A second time, before Mr. Bennet could
answer, the terrible light flashed like a momentary confla-
gration of all around, and a louder peal of thunder than
before accompanied the blaze, followed by what seemed to
be the sea itself rushing in cataracts between decks. This,
however, proved to be a storm of hail, the stones of which
were as large as pigeons' eggs, and severely smote the faces
and hands of those above, who were personally exposed to
it. Again the captain cried out, “ It is now all over!--prạy,
and Mr. Jones, who had been asleep, now came running
occurrences, and what injury had been sustained. Just
then a third flash of lightning, and a crack of thunder, the
one more faint, the other less deafening than before, and with
four distinct pulsations between them, gave token that the
danger, though still near upon us, might be passing away.
The chief mate, whose watch it was upon deck, now in-
formed us that the hurricane began about nine o'clock, but
it had not reached its crisis till towards one, when we first
distinguished the voice of the thunder from the wailing of
the wind, and the booming of the waves; and when that
dreadful shock convulsed the vessel, which convinced the
captain that it must have been fatally struck, as at the same
time he heard the expression aloud, " The pumps are of no
use now!” The mate said that this first, great flash heated
his face, and he felt as if stunned for a moment or two, the
'sulphurous flame appearing to run down his jacket-sleeve.
The second peal was accompanied by a crimson blaze,
which was instantaneously followed by the tempest of hail,
pouring like shot upon himself and his terrified comrades,
who (to use his own expression) crowded about him like a
28
IMMINENT PERIL AND GREAT DELIVERANCE.
flock of sheep, and could scarcely be prevailed on to quit his
side on the necessary duties of the ship. He observed, that
the main-stay-sail had happily been taken in before the
squall, or it must inevitably have been carried away, and
perhaps involved the destruction of the vessel, with all on
board. This he thought a very providential act, for he had
only done it under an impression which urged him, as if he
had heard a voice, saying, “ Take it in-take it in ;-take
in the main-top-sail !” The Lord, however, so ordered it,
that amidst all these perils not a mast was sprung or
struck; not a sail carried away or ripped; not a timber
suffered damage; not a life was lost, nor limb injured, of
passenger or crew.
The captain was most powerfully affected with the terrors
and the mercies of the past night, and appears very serious
this day. He says that, on the preceding evening, when he
returned to the cabin from deck, he read a portion of Scrip-
ture before lying down in his cot, when these words were
deeply impressed upon his heart, “ Jesus answered them,
Do ye now believe ?" Oh, that both he and we, and our
fellow-voyagers, may have grace to profit, as we ought, by
this display of divine goodness towards us; and more fully
than ever before to consecrate ourselves, body and soul, for
time and eternity, to his service! May he give to each of
us that spiritual discernment and understanding
..
“ Which hears the mighty voice of God,
And ponders what he saith ;
His word and works, his gifts and rod,
Have each a voice of faith."
S. lat. 42° 19'. W. long. 88° 30. Therm. 48º.
Aug. 17. This afternoon the gale had greatly abated
from its violence, the sea gradually subsided, and we set
more sail. The evening was calm, and the night serene.
The two Magellanic clouds were conspicuous objects in the
southern sky, to the east of the galaxy, of which they seem-
ed fleecy fragments, rent from the beautiful zone with which
the hand of Omnipotence has invested the heavens.
Aug. 22. This day, and not before, the dead-lights (close
shutters) have been removed, and we have again the pleas-
ure of viewing the ocean from our cabin windows. The
last week has been employed by the officers and crew in
making preparations for their fishery, these being the chief
THE TROPIC or CAPRICORN.
.
29
regions for sperm whales in the Pacific. From the winter,
which we experienced beyond Cape Horn, we are a second
time enjoying the warmth and splendor of summer within
less than two months, being now about as far to the west
as we were to the east of South America, when we were
in the same latitude before. Our captain informs us that
he was once becalmed for fourteen days in these seas, during
which he made but 1°:40 of progress. In this deplorable
situation, which might have been prolonged indefinitely, he
was so short of water that not more than a pint and a half
per day was allowed to each man, for every purpose. Provi-
dence hath more bountifully. dealt with us. We are career-
ing in safety before a fair wind; our bread has been given
to us, and our water is sure. What blessings are bread and
water, when these are literally the only food of voyagers on
the great deep! We all assent to the fact that they are so,
but how much so they only can tell who have been ready to
perish for want of the one, or the other, or both. In the
afternoon, the surface of the sea was almost covered with
young Portuguese men-of-war (formerly described), all ex-
ceedingly small, and resembling transparent bubbles--yet
bubbles instinct with life. Many sheer-waters were flying
around us at this time. These birds appear to be equally
fitted to fly in both elements; for when they dive after their
prey, they move in pursuit of it under water with a velocity
and force hardly less than the speed and the power that
carry them through the air.
Aug. 25. The wind being north, we put the ship about
at 8 o'clock A. M., shaping our course towards the islands
which we were appointed to visit. We have hitherto been
disappointed of the east trade winds. This evening we
crossed the tropic of Capricorn, and rejoice to find ourselves
again in the torrid zone. Our captain, who is a 'man of
shrewd observation, states that in passing from a cold into a
hot climate (by the swift transitions inade in voyaging) he
has generally remarked more than usual irritability and
quarrelsomeness among sailors. This, if it be so, may arise
from the same physical cause which generates the complaint
denominated prickly heat-a peculiar itching sensation over
the whole skin, or tormenting one particular part only.
This disease, if such it may be called, is often experienced
by persons, whether accustomed to the sea or not, when
they enter the tropical latitudes, and is probably the effect of
3 *
30
THE GANNET.
heated blood, which may very naturally have a provoking
influence over the temper. Our informant, the captain,
assures us that this fretful and pugnacious disposition sub-
sides in a few days after the crew have been inured to
the high temperature of these regions; while the prickly
heat, in like manner, soon passes away, without the use of
medicine.
Considering that the islands of the Pacific may have been
originally peopled from the continent of South America, we
inquired of our captain, who is well acquainted with the
persons and manners of many of the tribes of each, whether
he could discern any resemblance between them. He says
that there is a manifest similarity as to form, stature, and
complexion, but none in language that he could ever per-
ceive. Of the latter, however, we may doubt his compe-
tency to judge. It is observable that the natives of the
islands can learn to speak the languages of the South
American Indians much more easily and perfectly than the
English, or any other European tongue.
Aug. 26. “A sperm whale," was several times an-
nounced from the mast-head to-day, but in every instance
proved to be of the physalis kind, of which we were glad,
though the crew were disappointed. We had much feared
that the sanctity of the Sabbath would be broken by this
adventurous sort of fishing. Mr. Tyerman aptly chose for
the text of his sermon in the forenoon: “Hinder me not,
seeing the Lord hath prospered my way." Gen. xxiv. 56.
Aug. 27. Among other birds that we have lately seen
for the first time, this day a solitary gannet (pelicanus bas-
sanus) approached us, but soon disappeared. It is about
three feet in length; the body white, excepting the tips of
the wings, which are dark brown ; the tail wedged; the
beak and quill-feathers black. While the female of this
species of pelican is engaged with incubation, the male
provides food, and brings it to her. This consists princi-
pally of herrings and sprats. In the bag under his bill, he
is able to carry four or five herrings at once. In proof of
the affection which some of the feathered tribes occasional-
ly manifest towards one another, the following statement
was made by one of our respectable officers on board, and
he assured us that the circumstance came within his own
knowledge. On the island of Natividad, in the South Seas,
one of the pelicans frequenting there had received some in-
SPERM WHALE.
-
31
jury, which maimed a wing, and disabled it from flying or
diving. The unfortunate bird must have perished speedily,
had not other pelicans, of the same species, regularly forag-
ed for it, and day by day brought a supply of various kinds
of small fishes from the sea, which they disgorged before it,
and left for their invalid companion to feast upon. When
the sailors discovered this, they often watched the opportu-
nity, and robbed the poor creature of its charitable subsist-
ence-making many a good meal of what was compassion-
ately intended for the cripple, that could not help itself,
much less avenge its wrongs.
We were much pleased this morning to be told by the
captain that he was resolved to put down the practice of
profane swearing on board the ship, and that he had just
given notice of his determination to carry the law on this
subject into effect in future, and fine every man a shilling
for each oath he should be known to utter. (N. B. Every
master of a ship who does not enforce and execute this law
among his crew, is himself liable to a fine of five pounds.-
So says our authority.)
Aug. 28. Last night the south-east trade winds, for
which we have been daily looking, hoping, and praying,
sprang up, and we are now steadily and pleasantly proceed-
ing on our way. The heavens have assumed much the
same appearances as they wore between the tropics, on the
Atlantic; innumerable small white clouds flock the sky,
and temper the sunbeams, which otherwise would be op-
pressive. We saw a pilot-fish (scomber ductor) to-day, near
the stern of our vessel ; it is of a silvery blue color, with
four transverse bands of a deeper tinge; four dorsal spines,
and the tail marked with black; the length is about eighteen
inches, and the general shape like that of a' tunny, but the
head much shorter. It takes its name from often swimming
before or near the shark, which it is supposed to pilot to its
prey.
Aug. 29. · A sperm whale was discovered within two or
three hundred yards of our ship. In a few minutes four
boats were equipped, manned, and in pursuit; but she
escaped, disappearing in a moment when the first boat ap-
proached her, by diving into unfathomable depths, from
which they in vain watched for her re-ascent. No whale
can remain more than from five-and-thirty minutes to an
hour below the surface, when it must come up to discharge
: WAR-HAWK.
the water collected, and to inhale fresh air into its lungs.
Whales frequently remain buoyant upon the surge for half
an hour, during which they spout from sixty to seventy
times, if nothing disturb them. Every distinct species of
this genus is regular almost to a minute to the time peculiar
to it, so that when the kind of whale is ascertained the in-
terval may be calculated, after it has gone down, when it
must of necessity rise to take breath again.
Aug. 31. We are flying swiftly and delightfully on the
wings of the trade wind, and though now within the tropics,
and in so low a latitude as 19° S., yet the weather is by no
means uncomfortably warm. No climate, indeed, can be
conceived finer, or more congenial to our feelings and gen-
eral health, though some allowances of course must be
made for our being upon the water, and having the advan-
tages of cooling sea breezes by night and by day. We never
have had so few birds accompanying us as now, while we
are proceeding towards the equator; and they are considera-
bly diminished in numbers as well as in variety. We have
only a few pintados, or Cape pigeons, and these are daily
forsaking us. The cause probably is that these latitudes are
too warm for our late visitors, their plumage being remarka-
bly thick and downy, and more adapted to colder climates.
About this time, however, we first perceived the trópic bird,
as it is called, from the zone to which its range is supposed
to be confined. It preys upon flying-fish exclusively; as our
sailors say, and not upon dolphins and albicores, as some
naturalists affirm. It is rarely seen on land, except during
the breeding season; there it perches on trees, but makes
its nest on the ground in the bushes.
Sept. 4. Another stranger visited us this morning-the
war-hawk (pelicanus minor), or lesser frigate pelican. The
bill and head of this bird are of a dingy white; the body
ferruginous, with a large, diamond-shaped, white patch on
the belly, which gives it a singular appearance when flying,
this spot forming a strong contrast with the rest of the
plumage. The tail is forked. The male has a red gill
hanging below the throat. The talons resemble those of an
hawk, connected with a foot which is partially webbed.
We are told that these creatures are so fierce and mis-
chievous 'that they often perch on the masts of ships, and
delight to tear in pieces the vanes. While engaged in this
work they are so eager, and heedless of any thing else, that
33
LUNAR INFLUENCE.
it is not difficult to approach and knock them down. In
general they soar very high, watching for flying-fishes, on
which they pounce with incredible velocity.
According to our captain, who has had much experience
in the favorite fishery of these seas, the whales are consid-
erably under the influence of the moon, as to the course
which they take, and their appearance above water; the
full and change of that luminary., being the periods at which
they may be sought with most probability of success.
Indeed, lunar influence seems to occasion phenomena of
a very curious nature. It is confidently affirmed that it is
not unusual for men on board a ship, while lying in the
moonlight, with their faces exposed to the beams, to have
their muscles spasmodically distorted, and their moutlıs
drawn awry—affections from which some have never recov-
ered; others have been so injured in their sight as to lose
it for several months. Fish, when taken from the sea-water,
and hung up in the light of the moon during a night,
have acquired such deleterious qualities, that when eaten
the next day the infected food has produced violent sickness
and excruciating pains. We have conversed with people
who have been themselves disordered after having partaken
of such fish. It is hazardous to touch on this subject; we
repeat what we have heard from those who ought to be
believed, and who would not affirm that of which they
themselves were not persuaded. The statements are left to
be confirmed or disproved by others who have better oppor-
tunity than we had of ascertaining their foundation in fact.*
Sept. 5. The captain has been very anxiously examining
his charts of these seas, because we are now in a situation
from which we must proceed from the east to Tahiti, in
which direction lie so many small islands, and coral-reefs,
as to entitle the section which they occupy to the name of
“the dangerous Archipelago;" and the peril of navigating
it may be much increased by our coming thither about the
equinox.
* In the Baptist Missionary Accounts, No. XV., we find the follow-
ing passage :—“He who has slept in the moonlight is heavy when he
awakes, and as if deprived of his senses, and, as it were, oppressed by
the weight of the dampness which is spread over his whole body's
This is stated by the writer in proof of the fact which he asserts, that
“ the moonbeams have a pernicious influence in the east," if not gen-
erally in tropical climates.
34
FIERY METEOR.
Sept. 7. A shoal of sperm whales being descried to lee-
ward, at the distance of nearly two miles, three boats were
dispatched to reconnoitre and attack them, if practicable,
though it was within an hour and a half only of sunset.
The first mate struck and fastened to one; but after being
dragged for some time, and brought at length into the
midst of the shoal, he was compelled to cut his line, and
make the best of his way out of such formidable company.
While the whale was rapidly drawing out of the line, the
boat, following the same direction, struck against the bulk
of another monster of the same kind, floating leisurely
along, nearly on the surface of the water; but though thrown
on one side by the shock, the boat happily glided over the
back of the unwieldy animal, without being either stoved
or capsized. Our third mate was so keen to draw blood
from a sperm whale that, though it was too late for him to
fasten upon him with his harpoon, he pierced its flank with
his lance, which he unexpectedly lost for his inconsiderate
frolic, the fish swimming away with it.
This evening, about seven o'clock, a fiery meteor was
discerned from the deck, traversing the heavens due west,
and seeming to sink into the ocean at the horizon. It con-
tinued visible nearly eight minutes, and had about twelve
degrees of elevation when first discovered. Its course was'
steady and majestic ; in apparent magnitude greater than
that of the planet Jupiter, and in color deeper than that
of Mars. As it descended towards the sea, it had the glow-
ing hue of intensely-heated iron. No train, nor any radia-
tions, diverged from its clear and well-defined disk. The
sky was remarkably serene at the time, with the exception
of a few very light, thin clouds, behind one of which it was
obscured for some moments. Without pretending to decide,
we were of opinion that this beautiful but awful phenome-
non, might be electrical, and that westward, where it van-
ished from us, it probably exploded in lightning and thun-
der. To ourselves, it was followed within an hour, by
thick dark clouds, and torrents of heavy rain fell during the
night.
Sept. 8. After laying to some hours last night, to give
the whales which we had recently seen an opportunity of
getting ahead of us, in which direction some of them were
going, we again set sail, in hopes of coming up with them
by break of day; but we were disappointed, and saw no
1
THE PLANET VINUS-LUNAR RAINBOW.
more of the shoal. This we, who were but passengers,
regretted the more, because we feared that the sailors might
be disheartened, after being so long from home without
having made any capture. The officers and the whole
crew, in these expeditions, are interested in the result of the
voyage, depending upon the cargo which they can take back
for the reward of their labors and perils." The owners of
the vessels reserve a certain proportion of the oil, &c., ob-
tained, as a remuneration for the expense of fitting-out, risk,
wear and tear, &c:; the remainder is then divided among.
the ship's company, each according to his rank, as previous-
ly agreed upon. This reciprocity of interest in the success
of a voyage-a voyage often lasting three years-gives ener-
gy and boldness in the prosecution of their common object
which probably no other principle could effect.
The captain shot a tropic bird; it was of the red-billed
species. When brought on board, being only wounded, it
was exceedingly fierce, biting every thing that came near it.
The long red feather in the tail of this bird is a remarkable
appendage, and, small as it is, conjecture is puzzled to assign
any use for it in the economy of its possessor. The planét
Venus shone out this evening with a beauty and splendor
incomparably excelling her loveliest appearance in our native
land, of which we were so often reminded by those lumina-
ries of the heaven which are common to every region of the
earth, and familiar from infancy to every eye that owns the
light.
Sept. 9. (Lord's day.) The public services on deck have
been well attended, and uninterrupted by temptations from
the sea, in the forms of sperm whales. We observe, with
pleasure, that those seamen and boys to whom Bibles or Tes-
taments have been presented, have carefully covered the
backs with canvass, and are frequently employed in reading,
not only this best of books, but religious tracts also, which
from time to time have been put into their hands.
Sept. 11. There has been exhibited the rare spectacle of
a lunar rainbow this night, off the starboard, and towards
the north-west. It presented a complete semicircle for a
few minutes, and for several moments was attended by a
secondary arch above. The colors were more obvious in
this lunar iris than in several which we had seen before, yet
they were faint in comparison with the feeblest solar bow.
The green and orange were the prevalent hues.
36
- WATER-SPOUTS.
Sept. 12. This morning we were gratified with the sight
of several water-spouts, and as they were at sufficient dis-
tances to forbid the apprehension of danger, we could view
curiosity. The first two that we perceived were diffused and
ill-defined, each having the appearance of a local shower of
rain. The third, however, was perfect in form, and fully
realized the expectations which we had conceived of these
singular phenomena. It appeared in the north-east, a-head
of the ship, and, as we presumed, about six miles off. The
atmosphere was rather sultry; the thermometer stood at 77.
Many white clouds were scattered abroad, with a few dark
and lowering ones, which in England would have been re-
garded as signs of thunder. There was but little wind at
the time, and we could observe that heavy showers were fall-
ing at a distance. The cloud with which the water-spout
communicated was black, and highly charged with aqueous
vapor, pretty widely stretched, and probably half a mile in
elevation. From the bottom of this dense mass, which was
jagged and uneven, the water-spout reached downward to
the sea, not in a direct line, but at the upper part sloping to-
wards the north, making an angle of about sixty degrees
with the horizon, for nearly one third of its whole length;
and thence striking perpendicularly to the surface of the
water. At the place where it communicated with the cloud
the diameter was the largest, being, at the distance from
which we viewed it, of the apparent size of the trunk of a
great oak-tree, cut off immediately at the root, and inverted;
of course, its real dimensions must have been very consider-
able. The column tapered gradually to the bottom, where
its diameter might equal half that of the upper end. One
eye, as traced on a back-ground of white clouds, which made
the outline more conspicuous, the edges being comparatively
dark, and the central part lighter by several shades. The
lower end was less distinct, yet visible down to the water,
notwithstanding the haziness near the horizon. We watched
it for a quarter of an hour; how long it had held together
previously, we could not tell, but it was completely formed
when discovered from our vessel.
This curious phenomenon began to disperse from the bot-
the shape of an inverted cone attached to the cloud : and
WATER-SPOUTS.
37
this continued several minutes after the pillar had vanished.
The vapors, into which it had been visibly drawn up, being
then surcharged, broke asunder, and poured down a deluge
of dark rain upon the spot where the apparition had stood.
As we were going in the direction of this danger, the ship
was put about to avoid coming nearer, for such a body of
water falling upon it would probably have been destructive.
These exhalations may be dissipated by firing a gun towards
them...
On the philosophy of these phenomena we presume not to
decide. It appears to us that there are two descriptions of
water-spouts; the one peculiar to the sea, the other not un-
frequently seen on land, though not confined there, since the
same circumstances may form this kind any where. In one
case, namely, the first, we suppose that the water ascends
from the surface of the waves to form clouds, which disperse
over the upper regions of the atmosphere; and of this class
we imagine that to have been which we passed this morning. *
In the other instance, by whatever process the weight of
water may have been accumulated in the air, in the sequel it
descends from the overcharged cloud upon the earth. '* Wa-
ter-spouts of this kind have often burst with such violence,
upon the places of their visitation, as to plough the eminences,
flood the valleys, tear up trees, excavate deep pits, and carry
away cottages, harvests and cattle, in their track of devasta-
tion. The breeze increased after the water-spout had dis-
appeared. The evening was very fine. In the trade winds,
it is no uncommon thing to see two strata of clouds, one
· above the other, sailing in contrary directions. This even-
ing, however, we witnessed distinctly three strata, the upper
and lower going rapidly northward, and the middle one
southward.
Sept. 13. A man-of-war hawk, many tropic birds, and in-
numerable porpoises, gamboling before, behind, and on either
side, have attracted our attention to-day, but no sperm-whales.
The long delay is discouraging to our crew, who may ima-
gine there is some truth in the old saying among whale-
* These, according to the testimony of those who have most frequently seen
them (so far as we have been able to collect), always begin to be forinel at
the bottoin of the low impending cloud, and are gradually elongated down-
ward. Il so, neither the theory of their being raised by electrical influence,
or by whirlwinds, can be true, though these are the most generally received
notions.
38
BOOBY-BIRD TAKEN.
catchers --- There is no luck while a woman is on board."
Most probably, though they are too civil to say so, they heart-
ily wish to be rid of us, by a safe deliverance at our desired
haven, in the Pacific Isles. The superstitious notions of
mariners are inveterate, and some of them grotesque enough.
They lay great stress upon their dreams (and every sailor
dreams, from the captain down to the cabin-boy), often tell-
ing them one to another, and to the passengers, at the same
time most anxiously asking for the interpretation of them.
We have been repeatedly entertained, at breakfast and din-
ner-time, with narrations by our own intelligent officers of
their dreams, some of which have been strange and fearful
indeed, and calculated to quail the stoutest heart that believes
such things realities—the actual experiences of the soul her-
self in sleep, or prognostications of what must befall her
awake and in the body.
Sept. 14. A booby (a variety of the pelicanus sula) was
caught, which differs considerably from those of this species
that we had seen, and have mentioned before. It measured,
from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, two feet eight
inches; across the wings, from tip to tip, five feet eight
inches. The bill was four inches in length ,serrated half way,
straight, but a little bent at the tip, and of a yellowish-gray
color. The eyes, which are bright with a very light-tinctur-
ed iris, being placed at the upper part of the bill, where it is
quite destitute of plumage, gives this singular fowl an aspect
so vacant as at first sight to justify its name; especially as the
gape of the beak extends backwards beyond the sockets of
the eyes. We were much struck with the utter simplicity of
this bird which we had obtained, having an opportunity of
observing its manners. It had received no injury that we
could discover, except the destruction of one eye, which the
shot had entered; it fell the instant it was struck, and was
picked up by one of the boats without difficulty. As soon as
it was placed on deck, the creature seemed perfectly at home,
and without fear, among strangers.' Though it had so re-
cently suffered the loss of an eye, and must have been suffer-
ing from the wound, it presently laid its head upon its back,
between its wings, and went to sleep as if nothing had been
amiss ; nay, its slumbers were so sound, that though a person
put his mouth to its ear, and bawled with all his might, it did
not awake. After remaining with us all night, without any
attempt to escape, in the morning it was placed upon a boat
RETROSPECTIVE REFLECTIONS.
39
at the stern of the ship, whence it might have flown off at its
pleasure; it chose, however, to stay there, and began to dress
and oil its feathers with the most unaffected composure, as if it
had been bred and trained up among us. When we approach-
ed too near, or touched it, though it would bite sharply in self-
defence, it seemed to have no notion of retreating. After-
wards, when it was thrown overboard, it coolly washed itself
for a few minutes, then took wing without difficulty, and
steered its course exactly towards Dog Island, which lay not
far distant, and where the booby family abound.
Sept. 16. (Lord's day.) Mr. Tyerman, in the forenoon,
preached a sermon peculiarly addressed to young persons, of
which class our crew is principally composed, from Matt. xix.
16, &c. “What good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life," &c. Mr. Jones preached in the afternoon from Isa. xxvi.
24: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is
stayed on Thee.” We have reason to hope that our feeble
instructions have not been bestowed in vain upon our com-
panions; several who were very reprobate seem to be much
reformed.
Where we have held public worship to-day, it is probable
that God was never acknowledged before since the creation.
It is an affecting consideration, that whether we follow the
same meridian round the globe, north and south, or the
same parallel of latitude, east and west, it will not conduct us
across a single spot where the true God is known or served.
If we traverse the meridian, and encircle the earth, north
and south, we shall pass over the western parts of North
America, where all is darkness; if we follow the parallel of
latitude, till the extremes of “east and west become the
same,' we shall intersect South America and Africa, Mada-
gascar, New Holland, the New Hebrides, and the Friendly
Islands, (leaving Tahiti and its adjacencies a little to the
right of our return), where all-all is darkness. In the little
-islands last mentioned, the true light has at length shined,
and thousands of their Gentile inhabitants know the day of
their visitation. When shall the Sun of Righteousness arise
over all the nations with healing beains ?-Lord God, thou
knowest!
It is now nearly four months since we saw land, or (with
the exception of two) any other ship than our own--any :
other human beings than ourselves. All this time we have
been in the centre of a circle of ocean, whose circumference
INDICATIONS OF LAND.
may be a hundred miles, under a canopy of sky, diversified
by day with ever-varying clouds, and beautiful by night with
those resplendent stars and planets which are seen no where
to so much advantage as from the plane of the great deep.
Every instant the centre of our floating circle has been chang-
ing place, while the horizon-ring has moved with it in exact
agreement, and at the same invariable distance. This idei,
and the image connected with it, reminds us of Him, con-
cerning whom the ancients said, “ His centre is every where,
his circumference no where." S. lat. 16° 59'. W. long.
133°. Thermometer 177º.
A magnificent meteor was seen this evening, about eleven,
o'clock. Its apparent diameter was equal to that of the
moon, and during its appearance the whole horizon, sea, and
sky, were lighted up like mid-day. It commenced its prog-
ress from the zenith, eastward, descending with great velo-
city, and being visible about fourteen seconds, when it ex-
ploded into ten or twelve fragments, each of which for an
instant was as bright as the planet Venus, and immediately
afterwards the whole vanished.
Sept. 18. Many small white birds having been fluttering
about us this morning, we judged that we must be near some
land; of which, indeed, there had been other usual indica-
tions yesterday. On account of the imperfections of all our
charts, the captain deems it necessary to send a boat a-head,
with a light on board, in the night time, about two miles in
advance, to make signals if any reefs or islands should be
perceived, these seas being crowded, in some parts, with
sunken rocks and coral proininences. Like a star on the
face of the dark occan, this leading torch glides on before,
and prepares our way, as an assurance of safety, or a warn-
ing of danger.
Sept. 19. The first green island of the west saluted our
view about sunrise; and how welcome it was to our hearts,
how lovely to our eyes, they only can know who have endur-
ed the captivity of months on board a narrow ship, ever
floating, yet never in appearance approximating the harbor,
which thought can reach in a moment, and there linger and
weary itself with looking, in imagination, from the shore, for
the first glimpse of the expected vessel; as though the spirit
could spring to its destination at once, and wait, for days
and weeks together, the slow arrival of the body. Such ro-
mantic, yet perfectly natural, feelings, they must have expe-
AN UNKNOWN ISLAND.
rienced, who, like us, have traversed thousands of leagues of
watery waste, with their whole desires towards the haven
whither they were bound, and yet only knowing by lapse of
time that the space between them and their destination was
diminishing in proportion. The sea-birds below, and the
stars above, changing according to the latitudes which we
crossed, had hitherto been the chief tokens, and evidences to
our sight of progress on our voyage over the monotonous
abyss; one horizon of water being as undistinguishable from
another as two hemispheres of sky. We gazed, therefore,
with unsatisfied delight on this first nameless spot of earth on
the face of the Pacific, which we had discovered, and on
which (so little explored as yet are these regions) probably
no eye of European had ever rested before, and perhaps no
human eye which could see, in its existence and productions,
the being and beneficence of the Creator and Upholder of all
things. This island was about five miles in length, well
wooded, and indicating the climate under which it flourished
by the cocoa-nut and palm-trees with which it was adorned.
The land was flat, and surrounded by a coral reef, on the
south-east and north-west, on which the waves broke tre-
mendously, forbidding all approach. We could perceive
many of the natives running along the white shore. They
were nearly naked, and seemed to look very earnestly but
hesitatingly towards us, whether they should put out in their
canoes, of which there were several on the margin of the
beach. One carried a long staff, probably a spear, which he
often brandished in his hand. We find no. distinct account
of this island by former voyagers. It may, indeed, be St.
Narcisso; but, if so, it is laid down very incorrectly in the
charts, its true place being 17° 24' S. lat., and 139° 33' W.
long. This day four months we left Portsmouth; we have
hitherto been safely, pleasantly, and expeditiously brought
on our voyage by a merciful Providence.
Sept. 20. Early this morning land was again announced
from the mast-head, as being under our larboard-bow. It
proved to be Resolution Island, discovered by Captain Cook,
and named after his ship. It is small, and not ascertained
to be inhabited. Doubtful Island, first seen by M. de Bou-
gainville, next presented itself; it is of considerable extent;
we observed smoke rising in various places from among the
trees as we passed, at the distance of seven miles, in the
evening. Our hearts yearned over the benighted people of
4*
42
TUSCAN ISLAND-CHAIN ISLAND.
these sequestered tracts, unvisited by the dayspring from on
high, while in low accents-lost amidst the murmur of the
waves, except to that ear with which the spirit listens to the
still soft wailings of humanity, wherever they are uttered-
We seemed to hear the forlorn inhabitants saying, “ No man
careth for our souls !” In the name of the Society that sent
us, in the name of the Lord, whom we serye, our hearts re-
sponded, “ God be merciful unto you, and bless you, that his
name may be known throughout your islands, and his saving
health experienced by all the dwellers upon earth."
Sept. 21. Having lain to for the night (being now in the
maze of the Dangerous Archipelago), at day-light land was
again discovered, and as no name was found for it, nor its
existence traced in the charts, we called it Tuscan Island,
from our vessel. It lies S. lat. 170 22. W. long. 143° 20'.
In the afternoon, the captain sailed towards the shore in one'
of the boats, and hailed the natives, who were asseinbled to
gaze at the strange spectacle of a European ship on their
lone waters. Several of thern came off in their little canoes,
two of whom ventured, though timidly, into his boat. He
gave them some trifling matters, and they presented him
with two large pearl oysters in return. This is the twenty-
sixth anniversary of the first general meeting of the London
Missionary Society, and we joyfully commemorated it, in
gratitude for the great things which the Lord hath already
done for us, and in hope of the yet greater which He is even
now performing. Of the latter, we expect soon to be eye-
witnesses, and to obtain an impression of their glory and
reality beyond any thing that we could receive by the hear-
ing of the ear.
Sept. 22. To another undescribed island, which we
passed to-day, we gave the name of Birnie, in honor of the
wörthy owner of that ship, in which, by his generosity, we
were enjoying a free passage to the scene of our appoint-
ment.
Sept. 23. We passed the curious series of islets, linked
together, on which Captain Cooke conferred the appropriate
appellation of Chain Island. The young Tahitian, Robert,
who came out with us, viewing this group with remarkable
emotion, was asked the reason; when he informed us that
his father and mother resided there; also that he himself
was born there, though he had lived a long time in Tahiti.
Sept. 24. Maiatia, or Osnaburgh Island, hove in sight,
ARRIVAL AT TAHITI.
43
1
at a distance of five or six leagues. As we approached within
ten miles, the land rose in the form of a sugar-loaf, of vast
dimensions, and seemed a mere naked rock, standing in the
sea, and towering to the clouds. It is of a character very
dissimilar to the low, verdant patches of earth which we have
passed, and which seem to be altogether coral reefs, where-
upon soil has been gradually formed, and plants and trees
introduced by means easily conjectured; while animals and
men, from time to time, being brought thither, have settled
and become naturalized on finding the means of subsistence.
Maiatia, on the contrary, is of more ancient structure, and
most majestic elevation. The crags and declivities are
clothed, two-thirds of the way towards the truncated top,
with rank vegetation, surmounted by cocoa-nut trees, single
or in clumps. There is, however, no anchoring place on the
coast, which is said to be four miles in compass; not even a
boat can land without imminent hazard.
About one o'clock P. M., our captain discerned the loom of
Tahiti, over the larboard-bow. This was a dark black shade
indicating its site; and, as we were advancing at the rate of
nine knots an2 hour, we hoped to anchor in Matavai Bay by
sunset. But the wind, which had blown hard all day, in-
creased so much in violence towards evening, that we were
reluctantly compelled to stand off from the land, and lay to
for the night; the atmosphere, moreover, being very hazy,
and frequent heavy showers descending. Since we left
England, we had encountered only one severe gale, and in
these seas, surrounded as we were by multitudes of miniature
islands, our situation was certainly so perilous that we might
- have perished on the reefs of the very haven to which we
had been so long steering; but the good hand of our God
was upon us, and we escaped.
Sept: 25. Tahiti; “the desire of our eyes," came upon
us at sunrise, in all its grandeur and loveliness ;--more grand
in the height of its mountains, and more lovely in the luxu-
riance of its valleys, than our imaginations had ever pictured
it from the descriptions of former visitors and missionaries.
We had before us, in exquisitely undulated outline, the two
peninsulas of which Tahiti consists; the whole rendered
more striking by the shadowy obscurity which clouds of dif-
ferent hues and density cast over it. In a few hours, as we
drew nearer, the beautiful region unveiled itself in all its
enchanting variety of hills and plains, woods and waters:
· 44
ARRIVAL AT TAHITI."
hills green up to their peaks, twice the height of Snowden ;
plains spaciously opening from between the high-lands to-
wards the shore, where the dwellings of the population were
thickly sprinkled, under the shade of scattered trees; woods
of gigantic growth and tropical ramification, so different
from British forest scenery; and water bursting in brilliant
cascades from the rocky eminènces, then winding in rivulets
through the valleys to the sea.
About eleven o'clock in the forenoon the first canoe came
Coff towards us, for which the captain hove to. This small
piece of excavated bread-fruit tree, balanced by an outrigger
(that is, a piece of purau wood, lashed to the ends of two small-
er pieces, which project from the sides of the vessel), amused
us by the simplicacy of its construction, and the dexterity with
which it was managed by the two natives who occupied it;
though, the sea being rather rough, we were inexperienced
enough in their tactics to feel considerable apprehension for
their safety. They proved to be à chief of a neighboring
district and one of his followers, bringing bread-fruit, cocoa-
nuts, plantains, and lemons, which they hoped would be
acceptable to the strangers. Our visitors were neatly appar-
elled in native cloth, and their modest and courteous de-
meanor exceedingly engaged our attention. Great numbers
of their countrymen followed, in canoes of various sizes, from
which they poured upon our deck; others, with their little ves-
sels, lined the passage by which we were to enter the port
of Matavai, while multitudes of both sexes and all ages
ranged themselves in groups on Point Venus (the place
whence the transit of the planet of that name across the
sun was observed on Captain Cook's first voyage), and along
the adjacent reef that runs out into the sea to witness and
welcome our arrival. At length, by the Providence which
had thus far helped us, we came to anchor in the bay, after
narrowly escaping shipwreck, even at the last moment, by
keeping too closely to the Dolphin Rock. Among the chiefs
who had come on board and crowded our cabin, one, ac-
cording to the custom of the country, chose Mr. Tyerman,
and another Mr. Bennet, for his tayo, or friend, and desired
a return of similar acknowledgment on their part. As a
characteristic signal of our arrival, we had hoisted the Mis-
sionary flag, which had been prepared on our voyage, having
the insignia, on a white ground, of a dove flying, with an
olive branch in its bill, enclosed in a circle made by a
POMARIE'S RESIDENCE.
45
serpent with the tail in its mouth, and this fenced with a
triangle, on the sides of which was the motto, “Glory to God
in the highest, on earth peace, good will to men." By this
our brethren on the island had recognized the expected
Deputation, and informed the natives of our character and
object. Mr. Nott and Mr. Wilson, the missionaries at this
station, came on board, and most cordially received us as
hoped-for partakers and helpers of their joy. After dinner
we landed, and arrangements were made by these kind
friends for our accommodation in their dwellings during our
stay in this neighborhood.
CHAPTER III
Pomare's Residence-Account of a League of Pacification among the
-Exotic Trees- Dress of Natives—St. Luke's Gospel transcribed by
Pomare- Visit to Papeiti-Preparations for the Sabbath-Singular
Consequence of a Mistake in Captain Wilson's Sea-reckoning-First
Sabbath at Matavai--Prevalence of Infanticide in former Times
Canoe-making-Fishing-Incident by which the Gospel was carried
to Raiatea-Horrors of Idolatry-Pomare-Spirituous Liquors--Prog-
ress of Christianity at Raivavai-Tahilian Supper-Tabued Trees.
Sept. 26. Artúr bringing some of our packages on
shore, Captain Stavers, having learned that there was better
anchorage in Wilks's harbor, seven miles to the south, pro-
ceeded thither.
King Pomare, we found, was residing on the adjacent
island of Eimeo, when we arrived. One of his houses
standing near Mr. Nott's, the latter accompanied us to see
it. This structure, about a hundred feet in length by forty
in breadth, is nothing more than a thatched roof, supported
by wooden pillars tapering from the base to the top, leaning
a little inward, and not more than eight feet high. There
were umities (a kind of wooden dishes), baskets, bundles of
cloth, and various articles of domestic furniture, hanging up
several bedsteads were standing. Near this large shed (for
such it appeared to us) there was a smaller dwelling, the
walls of which were framed of slight bamboos fixed perpen-
dicularly in the ground; and there was a door at each end.
When the king is here, it is in this small place of retirement
46
STRANGERS IN TAHITI.
that Mr. Nott and he meet for the purpose of translating
portions of the sacred Scriptures; and here, from day to
day, have they often been employed, in settling the text and
copying out the completed portions, from morning till night.
The king is remarkably fond of writing; he was the first
who learned the art, and is, probably, the greatest proficient
in it among all his countrymen: when he writes, he lies
down on the floor, with a support for his chest, and a desk
before him. Between this sequestered apartment and the
larger dwelling, are courts belonging to each. Here a very
interesting scene took place, about six weeks before our 'ar-
rival. A number of the Ana people, or inhabitants of Chain
Island, and Pomutaus (both subjects of Pomare) assembled
here. These tribes had long indulged towards each other
the most rancorous hatred, and, their islands being adjacent,
they were continually at war, in conducting which, neither
side gave quarter. The king determined, if possible, to
subdue this enmity, and establish permanent peace between
them. He therefore convened a meeting of the chiefs and
principal personages, unarmed, on both sides. These were
separately ranged in the two courts above mentioned, divided
by a low fence. There stood Pomare, between the two
parties, and in an impressive speech exhorted them to recon-
ciliation. His arguments and his authority prevailed, and
the representatives of both islands entered into an agreement
upon the spot, that there should be no more war between
their respective people, but that friendly intercourse should
take place of perpetual strife. It was laid down, upon mu-
arrived from one island at the other, their visit should not be
regarded as an indication of hostility, but if eight or ten
came together, evil intentions should be suspected, and their
plain in its conditions, was ratified at once, and the issue
promises to be happy; there being little probability that the
contracting parties will be otherwise excited by their neigh-
bors than to love and good works, wars having ceased
throughout the other dominions of Pomare, ever since
Christianity became paramount in Tahiti and Eimeo.
Near the king's two residences, a number of persons
were living in small hovels, natives of a distant island, who
had been driven by a storm on this coast, and received with
the hospitality which their pitiable circumstances needed..
REPAPARU'S HOUSE.
47
Though of the same color as the Tahitians, these strangers
differ considerably from the latter in language and manners.
They are not tatooed, and in all respects seem an inferior
cast of savages. We could not find that they either profess
any form of idolatry, or have any idea of a Supreme Being.
They are now learning the Tahitian dialect, both to speak
and to read it; they regularly attend public worship ; and
should any of them be made rightly acquainted with the
gospel, they may become teachers of it to their countrymen
when they shall be returned to their homes. As, by the
agency of storms, population had been carried to remote
islands of these seas, in ages past, so, in the wisdom of Divine
Providence, storms have been occasionally made instrument-
al in extending the knowledge of the gospel, by casting
heathen barks upon coasts already evangelized, as well as
by diverting European missionaries or Gentile converts from
their course on temporary voyages, and detaining them on
barbarous shores, where, in the sequel, they have planted
churches of Christ.
In the progress of our walk along the beach we came to
the house of Repaparu, the chief who had engaged Mr.
Tyerman to be his tayo, or friend. He is related to the
royal family, and is, moreover, secretary to the Tahitian
Missionary Society. When we entered, he and his wife, a
young woman about seventeen years of age, and several of
his attendants-the chiefs always having a number of such
in their train-immediately seated themselves cross-legged on
the floor. The house was about a hundred and twenty feet
in length, having one side separated from the other, and
partitioned into small bed-rooms for the use of the family.
The remaining half formed an open court from end to end.
Many of the neighbors, having flocked in after us, to gratify
their curiosity by looking at the visitors, seated themselves
without ceremony, as though they were at home. At our
request, Repaparu's attendants fetched their New Testa-
ments, out of which they read sundry portions, verse by
verse, alternately, with Auency and emphasis; answering
also with great readiness such questions, arising out of the
context, as Mr. Nott put to them. We addressed a few
sentences to them through the latter, as our interpreter, on
the great love of God manifested towards them, in sending
the gospel of his Son to their islands. A dish of popoi, a
preparation of bananas, mixed with cocoa-nut water, some-
EXOTIC TREES.
thing like pudding, was now handed to us, in clean cocoa-
shells. Though a favorite kind of food here, we did not
much relish it, having yet to learn to like the luxuries of the
South Seas.
We afterwards prolonged our ramble nearly two miles
nied by.groups of natives, who joined us from time to time,
eager to have the pleasure of carrying our urnbrellas, or
doing any kind office in their power. Being thirsty, we
requested some pape-haari, or cocoa-nut water, whereupon
two or three of them ran to the nearest trees, which they
climbed with surprising facility, by clasping the stems with
their arms, and pressing their naked feet against the bark ; ;
and thus these tall and branchless stems were apparently
ascended with almost as much ease as they walked on level
ground. Presently several fine nuts were brought to us, the
having punctured one end of the shell, we were each pre-
sented with a draught of this most delicate beverage for
appeasing thirst in a tropical clime. On our return, we
passed through a rich grove of orange, lime, tamarind, and
other fruit-trees, planted five-and-twenty years ago by the first
missionaries, and now in their prime. Here stood the house
which they built after their landing, and occupied for some
time, while they were sowing in tears the precious seed of
the word, apparently on the barren and unimprovable rock
alone; that structure was afterwards burnt, during one of
the frequent wars, and no other has been since reared on
its site.
All the remainder of the day, Mr. Nott's dwelling was
thronged by the natives, who came to see and welcome us
with their national salutation-Ia-ora-nahmevery blessing be
upon you! Without hesitation, and in the most affable man-
ner, many came in and seated themselves cross-legged upon
the floor, while others stood at the door, or peeped through
the window at us. This, it seems, is the custom of the
country, and considered no way obtrusive. We asked them
to sing one of their hymns, which they did very harmoniously,
to a tune familiar to our ears. When they had gratified
their curiosity, and not less manifested their good will, they
quietly went away, one by one, others in succession supply-
ing their places till evening.
Most of the men wore no other dress than a piece of native
DRESS OF THE NATIVES.
cloth wound about the loins, and passed between the legs.
Some had a loose mantle of the same thrown over their
shoulders; and a few were more closely covered with an up-
per garment called a tibuta, which is a length of similar
stuff, with a hole cut in the middle, through which the head
appears, while the two ends hang down before and behind as
low as the mid-leg, the sides being loose and open. The
women were clad much in the same style, with a girdle suf-
ficiently broad to serve for a petticoat, a shawl-like cloth
gracefully gathered round the shoulders, and in general a
bonnet, made after the English fashion, of platted grass.
Mr. Nott, among other curiosities, showed us a manuscript
copy of the translated Gospel of St. Luke, executed by King
Pomare in a very neat, small hand. It was from this copy
that the first edition of that Evangelist was printed. Mr.
Nott stated that he had been greatly aided by Pomare in
making that version, the king being better acquainted with
the Tahitian language, and its capabilities, than most of his
subjects. This is probably an unparalleled instance of a
prince-and that no mean one, for he had the power of life
and death, and his will was law in all cases throughout his
dominions—devoting time and talents to the slow and pain-
ful labor of translating the sacred Scriptures, and copying
out the work for the press with his own hand, that he might
be the means of bestowing upon his people the greatest
earthly boon which God has bestowed upon man. The
Gospel of St. Luke was indeed the first volume ever printed
in any language of the South Sea Islands, except a small
spelling-book, nccessary to prepare the way for it by teaching
the natives to read their own tongue.
Sept. 27. We all sailed to Papeete in the Tuscan, where
our property was landed, and lodged on the premises of Mr.
Crook, at that station. This day we had the satisfaction to
meet several of the missionaries, with their partners and
children, namely, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, and their family, from
Huahine; Mr. and Mrs. Williams, and their infant, from
Raiatea; also Messrs. Bourne and Darling, from Bunaauia.
A meeting being specially appointed for the purpose of re-.
ceiving the deputation, and the persons accompanying us, we
delivered our official credentials, and declared, each in a few
words, our joy and gratitude on having, by the blessing of
God, arrived safely at the scene of their labors, after our long
voyage. The brethren then passed a resolution, recording their
50
PREPARATIONS FOR THE SABBATH.
pleasure in beholding us as the representatives of the Society
at home; also expressing their hope that beneficial effects, to
the cause of the gospel here, would be the result of our em-
bassy. They passed another resolution of cordial thanks to
the directors, for the very seasonable and valuable supplies,
&c., which had been sent out to them through us. We soon
felt ourselves truly happy and at home among these pious and
devoted servants of the Lord, who, possessing a remarkable
diversity of gifts and dispositions, appear to us well qualified
to promote the cause of the gospel in this new and interest-
ing field.
Mr. and Mrs. Crook have nine children; yet the comfort
of their habitation, the order in-doors, and the behavior of
every member of their family, reflect the highest credit on
their prudence and economy. We have here had a good op-
portunity of remarking how much the skill and ingenuity of
missionaries are called into exercise, to supply the lack of
many European conveniences and accommodations. But
though we had perceived much admirable foresight in man-
aging affairs during the day, we still wondered where and
how we were all to be lodged for the night. Without any
bustle, and seemingly with little difficulty on the part of Mrs.
Crook, sufficiently commodious berths were found for every
one of us—thirty-two persons, young and old; and a peaceful
night followed a gladsome day.
Sept. 28. We went on board the Tuscan again this morn-
ing, for some packages which we wished to be conveyed to
Matavai. In setting out, we were delayed some time, while
the natives who were to accompany us to the latter place
collected their provision of cocoa-nuts and bread-fruit for the
Sabbath, as they were not to return hither till Monday.
This (our Iriday) was their Saturday, and it is the universal
practice of all the Christian natives of these islands to prepare
their Sunday's food on the last day of the week. Not a fire
is lighted, neither flesh nor fruit is baked, not a tree is climb-
ed, nor a canoe seen on the water, nor a journey by land
performed, on God's holy day; religion-religion alone is
the business and delight of these simple-minded people on
the Sabbath.
The men having laid in their stores, we proceeded in Mr.
Ellis's boat on our little cruise along the coast. Where we
could see the bottom of the water, the ground was covered
with the most beautiful corals, of different colors, and sin-
FIRST SABBATII AT MATAVAI.
· 51
gularly diversified forms; sometimes rising so near to the
surface that our keel grazed upon their crests; then again
we sailed over depths unfathomable to the eye. Towards
evening we landed safely at Mr. Nott's in Matavai Bay.
Sept. 30. On Friday night we retired to rest, but waked
not till Sunday morning, though the interval allowed for
sleep had not been longer than usual! This was the conse-
quence of a miscalculation by captain James Wilson, and
the first missionaries who settled here. Coming from the
east, and keeping up the reckoning with which they set out,
they gained a day, instead of dropping one, not bearing in
mind that as London comes under the meridian ten hours
earlier than Tahiti, which is 150° of longitude to the west,
the day, at the latter place, is proportionably later. Some
inconvenience has been suffered from this mistake, since the
intercourse with Europeans has become more frequent than
formerly here; but not so much as to induce the missiona-
ries to correct it, at the hazard of occasioning worse confu-
sion in the minds of a people to whom it would probably be
difficult to make the change intelligible.
This has been to us, at Matavai, a Sabbath of peculiar
enjoyment and sanctity. At sunrise, we went to the chapel
on the beach, near Mr. Nott's house--a neat structure, hav-
ing bamboo walls, thatched with palm-leaves, furnished with
benches made of bread-fruit-tree planks, and capable of hold-
ing about four hundred persons. It is now used only as a
school and prayer-meeting house. On our arrival, we found
the place filled with natives, of both sexes, and various ages.
They were all kneeling, while one of them was offering up
prayer in the most fervent and devout manner. Scarcely a
head was lifted up when we entered, and stepped as softly as
might be to a place near the person who was officiating at
the time. When he had finished his address to the Deity,
he gave out a hymn, which was sung with much animation
by the people. He then read a portion of St. John's Gospel,
many of those who were present producing their Testaments,
and following his voice with their eyes on the words of the
book. Another prayer was then offered up, and the assem-
bly departed, in the most quiet and becoming order, to their
homes, after having continued together about an hour in this
spontaneous service, for none but natives were present, ex-
cept ourselves—two strangers, who coming into their meet-
ing under such circumstances, though we understood not a
52
:
FIRST SABBATH AT MATAVAI.
word that was sung or said, yet were constrained, by evi.
dence which we could not mistake, to confess that of a truth
God was in the midst of them; and so, falling down, we felt
that we could, with them, worship Him who is no respecter
of persons, but who accepteth those, in every nation, that
fear him, and work righteousness.
After breakfast, at nine o'clock, we accompanied Mr. Nott
to public service, in the greater chapel over the river. This
we found filled with a silent, decorous, and neatly clothed
congregation, of nearly six hundred persons; many of the
females wore bonnets of the English shape, and other parts
of European dress. Mr. Nott preached from the words,
“ Sanctify thei through thy truth.”—John xvii. 17. And
what indeed but the truth-the truth of God-could have
sanctified such a people as they were, within this genera-
tion-yea, less than seven years ago ? The audience were
exceedingly attentive, and appeared to join heartily in songs
of praise, and silently to engage in prayer with the minister.
We dined at Mr. Wilson's, whose house is hard by; from
whence, learning that some native teachers would catechise
the children, we returned to the chapel; and there witnessed
a scene at once exhilarating and affecting. About sixty
young persons were on their knees when we entered, while
a chief of the district was praying with them. During the
catechism which followed, the questions and answers were
repeated to us in English, when we were gratified to observe
that the former were well adapted, and the latter, for the
most part, intelligent and satisfactory. At four o'clock there
was public worship again. Mr. Wilson preached from Heb.
ii. 3: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salva-
tion ?". After the morning native service, Mr. Tyerman
addressed us from Luke xiii. 7: “ Cut it down; why cum-
bereth it the ground?”—and Mr. Jones, in the evening, from
Numb. xxiii. 23: “What hath God wrought!” We closed
this first Sabbath among these Christians of the Gentiles with
edifying conversation, in company with Mr. Nott and Mr.
Wilson, our host. What we have witnessed and recorded
now we believe to be a fair exemplification of what occurs
every Sabbath here, and at all the missionary stations in
these parts. Oh, that every friend of this cause at home
could see the things that we have seen, and hear what we
have heard, and feel what we have felt, this day, of the pres-
ence and power of God, to heal, revive, yea, new-create the
:
.
. PREVALENCE OF INFANTICIDE IN FORMER TIMES. 53
*
souls which sin hath fatally wounded, and exposed to "the
second death !" How would their zeal, their faith, their
hope, their love be increased, and their labors, their prayers,
and their sacrifices, multiplied in proportion!
- While going to Mr. Wilson's, in the morning, we convers-
ed with Mr. Nott, who has resided here from the commence-
ment of the mission, on the subject of infanticide, and learn-
ed, with horror, that it had been practised to an extent.
incredible except on such testimony and evidence as he,
and the brethren on other stations, have had the means of
accumulating. He assured us, that three fourths of the chil-
dren were wont to be murdered as soon as they were born,
by one or other of the unnatural parents, or by some person
employed for that purpose-wretches being found who might
be called infant-assassins by trade. He mentioned having
met a woman, soon after the abolition of the diabolical prac-
tice, to whom he said, “How many children have you ?"
“ This one, in my arms," was her answer. “And how many
did you kill ?” She replied, “ Eight!” Another woman, to
whom the same questions were put, confessed that she had
destroyed seventeen! Nor were these solitary cases. Sin
was so effectually doing its own work in these dark places of
the earth, that, full as they were of the habitations of cruelty
and wickedness, war, profligacy and murder, were literally
exterminating a people unworthy to live; and soon would
the " cities have been wasted without inhabitant, the houses
without a man, and the land been utterly desolate.” But the
gospel stepped in, and the plague was stayed. Now the
married, among this Christianized population, are exceed-
ingly anxious to have offspring, and those who have them
nurse their infants with the tenderest affection.
Oct. 1. We visited Mr. Crook.. In the afternoon, as we
were walking round the head of the beautiful harbor, we ob-
served a man and woman stitching together the parts of a
canoe, which had been previously shapen from planks of the
bread-fruit, and fitted together. The thread used for this
purpose is called nape by the natives; by the English, cinet:
It is prepared from the fibres of the cocoa-nut husk, and
platted into small cords, remarkable for strength and dura-
bility. Holes are bored, two and two, about an inch apart,
with two feet distance between each two; these, in the pieces
to be fastened together, being opposite each other, and
wide enough to allow the cinet to be drawn three or four
54.
.
FISHING.
times through. The couple whom we saw at work proceeds
ed very deliberately; when the cinet was passed through a
hole, it was pulled tight by means of a short stick, whereby a
strong purchase was obtained; and while this was employed -
on one side, a stone was used on the other to beat the cord
flat, that it might lie close. A peg was then driven into the
hole, to keep it from slackening, till another stitch had been
taken; and the work was secured after the last stitch in the
same way by a pin, that filled up the hole, and wedged the
· end fast. In this manner" the largest canoes are built, or
rather are manufactured; the numerous pieces of which they
consist being compactly held together by this kind of thread,
which lasts as long as the timber itself, however exposed to
the changes of weather, action of water, and ordinary wear
and tear. The joints are made to correspond as exactly as
possible before the parts are sewed together, and they are
afterwards caulked with the shorter fibres of the cocoa husk.
Near this industrious pair, some men were fishing. One
of these had a spear, with two iron arrow-shaped heads;
fixed on the top of a bamboo slraft, upwards of ten feet in
length. The other had a similar shaft with a bunch of slen-
der, sharp-pointed sticks tied at the upper end, resembling a
small carpet-broom. Armed with these simple instruments,
they waded knee-deep into the water, watching for their
prey, which they struck with admirable dexterity as soon as
it came within their reach.
Oct. 3. This day the division of stores and presents sent
out by the directors, under our care, to the resident mission-
aries was completed, when they all expressed themselves
highly gratified with the kindness and liberality which had
thus remembered them on their distant stations. Mr. Wilson
mentioned the following circumstance in the course of con-
versation. Five years ago, being at Eimeo, a ship was
driven upon the reef 'which circumscribes its shores. Por
mare, with nineteen of his subjects, accompanied by Mr.
Wilson, went off to assist the crew in getting the vessel from
the rocks, where she was in danger of being beaten to pieces.
No sooner had they set her afloat than a violent gale came
on, which drove the ship with them all on board as far as
Raiatea, one of the Leeward Islands, where they landed.
A great feast was immediately prepared by the hospitable
inhabitants for Pomare and his company. Mr. Wilson em-
braced this opportunity of preaching the gospel where it had
HORRORS OF IDOLATRY.
55
never been heard before. This he continued to do for three
months, during which he was detained there by contrary
winds; and he had good reason to believe that many who
heard the joyful sound learned to know it, and to walk in
the light of God's countenance. One day, while he was
teaching the people, an old man stood up, and, exclaimed,
“My forefathers worshipped Oro, the god of war, and so
have I; nor shall any thing that you can say persuade me to
forsake this way. And," continued he, addressing the mis-
sionary, “what do you want more than you have already?
Have you not won over such a chief, and such a chief;—
ay, and you have Pomare himself !_what want you more ?''
“All-all the people of Raiatea; and you yourself, I want!"
replied Mr. Wilson. “No, no," cried the old man; “me-
you shall never have me! I will do as my fathers have done
I will worship Oro; you shall never have me, I assure you."
Yet, within six months from that time, this stanch, inflexi-
ble, inveterate adherent of the bloody superstition of Oro (the
Moloch of the Pacific) abandoned his idol, and became a
worshipper of the true God.
Some time afterwards, when Mr. Wilson was coasting on
a preaching tour round Tahiti, his boat struck upon a reef,
his books and his stores were all drenched in water, and his
little boy narrowly escaped being drowned.' In this dilemma,
when he was ready to abandon his object, and return home,
a man came to him, and said, "Do you remember what you
told me at Raiatea?”, “No," replied he; who are you,
and what was it that I said to you?” Thereupon, with much
emotion, the other informed him that his preaching, while
he was detained at Raiatea (on the above occasion) had
made him so unhappy, under the burthen of his sins, that he
could no longer continue his idolatrous practices, but had
renounced them, and begun to serve and pray to Jehovah
alone. The missionary, at these unexpected good tidings,
thanked God, took courage, and proceeded on his way.
: We see and hear, wherever we go, evidences of the glori-
ous and blessed moral, religious, social and political revolu-
tion which the gospel has wrought in these islands. Pomare,
while yet a heathen, was, like all his barbarian ancestors,
exceedingly cruel in wreaking vengeance on his enemies.
A king of Tahiti has been known to take the living children
of those whom he had slain in battle, make holes through
their heads at the juncture of the neck, and passing a cord
56
POMARE.
of cinet through the wounds, drag the little innocents, shriek-
ing and struggling, along the beach, till they expired in ago-
nies; the savage conqueror meanwhile remorselessly rejoicing
in his trophies like a fiend incarnate. The princes and
chiefs were equally regardless of justice towards their sub-
jects as of mercy towards their foes. A certain man having
a fine sow and ten pigs, the sovereign sent him word that he
desired to have them. The owner surrendered the pigs, but
kept back the sow, at which his majesty was furiously
enraged, but forbore to take by force what he had failed to
obtain by intimidation. Another person had raised a luxu-
riant crop of tobacco on his ground; the king heard of it,
and ordered the whole to be cut down and cured for his own
use. Resistance would have been vain, or have cost the
injured man his life. If he wanted a canoe, he had only to
demand and have the best that belonged to any of his people.
The very mats on which a man and his family slept have
been unceremoniously, and without any offer of compensa-
tion, required and given up to gratify the royal rapacity.
Some time ago, choosing to send a present of hogs and
canoes to one of the Leeward Islands, Pomare got every
thing of the kind that lay readily within his grasp ; but the
objects of his bounty were as little benefited by it as his sub-
jects from which it was extorted. The messengers whom he
dispatched with the gift to Huahine remained so long there,
that they devoured ninety-eight large høgs, and consumed a
proportionate quantity of fruits and other provisions, to the
great distress of the inhabitants. All the inconveniences
attending this mode of exaction from his subjects are not yet
removed; though more regular forms of paying tribute are
gradually introduced. Late circumstances connected with
Pomare's commercial speculations, which have involved him.
in difficulties, have 'urged him to be more rigorous in taxing
his subjects in the old arbitrary way. Yet he keeps nothing
for himself more than is necessary for the maintenance of his
household; the large remainder of his revenue being swal-
lowed up by those hungry chiefs and soldiers who usually
attend him, as counsellors and guards, and on whom he is
principally dependent.
At Eimeo a Christian chapel has been built, upon the site ·
of a marae, or temple. When this place of worship was
opened, and the sacrament was administered alike to con-
verts of both sexes, an aged man, who had been a priest.
POMARC.
57
under the reign of idolatry, was indignant that the women
should be admitted to eat with the men, and seriously pro-
posed to the king that all the females who had communicated
at the Lord's table should be killed, because the spot on
which this offence against heathen prejudice had been com-
mitted was holy ground, which women had never been per-
mitted to pollute by treading upon it. Pomare of course
rejected the Satanic counsel, and the hoary-headed priest
himself afterwards saw and acknowledged his error. .
In their pagan state, these islanders, like all uncivilized
tribes, were excessively revengeful, and would pursue or
watch the object of their enmity from place to place, and
from shore to shore, for many years, if an earlier opportunity
occurred not to gratiſy their cruel rage. On such occasions,
when they have at length slain their victim, the murderer
has been known to pound the body to pulp with large stones,
and then, spreading it to the sun till it was dried like leather,
he would cut a hole in the middle, through which to thirust
his head, and wear it as a tibuta, the arms dangling down in
front, and the legs behind, till it was worn out, and fell in
pieces from his back. A practice similar to this, it is said,
obtained among the ferocious New Zealanders. How differ-
ent is the character of the South Sea converts now! No
people are more harmless and inoffensive; none more “ kindly
affectioned one toward another.”
A few weeks before our arrival, soine dissatisfaction had
arisen in a district of Tahiti, in consequence of the king's
partiality in distributing his property among his chiefs. An
individual had sent Pornare a large hog, for which he hum-
bly asked a black-lead pencil in return. This being refused,
he and some others who had taken offence for similar causes
formed a conspiracy to destroy the king, and to effect a revo-
lution in the government. The plot being discovered, the
two ringleaders were apprehended, tried and condemned.
Tahitians seldom deny a crime of which they have been
guilty, when charged with it; and these culprits frankly ac-
knowledged theirs. They were sentenced to death, and
hanged upon a tree in the presence of multitudes, who wit-
nessed the execution with indescribable horror, as a scene
equally new and terrible; justice not having been wont to be
administered with such solemnity, of old, when the most
summary and cruel punishments were inflicted on offenders
without any legal forms. Mr. Crook attended on the spot,
55
POMARE.
and while the bodies were hanging (which they did for an
hour) earnestly addressed the spectators, and “reasoned
with them of righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to
come," allowing brief intervals of awful silence, that their
minds might be more affected by ruminating on the subjects
thus brought home to their consciences.
In connection with the vengeance formerly wreaked upon
criminals, and the monstrous atrocities committed against
vanquished enemies, we have been told that there are wild
men in the mountains who have haunted the highest accessi-
ble eminences for many years, and living in such deplorable
degradation, that the barbarism of their countrymen, before
they received the gospel, was civilization in comparison with
their state. These were principally persons who had offend-
ed the king, the chiefs, or the priests, or had been vanquish-
ed in battle, and fled to the fastnesses and woods in the
interior of the island for refuge. One of these stray beings
had been taken alive some short time ago, and brought to a
Christian village, where he was treated with the utmost
kindness and hospitality by the people, as well as introduced
to their religious meetings, but without any apparent happy
influence upon his sullen and untractable disposition. He
seized the first convenient opportunity, when unobserved, to
steal away from the custody of benevolence, and escape back
to his rude freedom and hard fare among the mountains, nor
has he since been heard of. Several others are known to be
yet living in those forlorn and hideous solitudes.
Oct. 5. Mr. Nott received a letter from the king, at Eimeo,
who expresses high 'satisfaction on hearing of the arrival of
the deputation, and those who accompanied them as future
settlers. He says that he regards us as friends, shall treat us
as such, and furnish us with food and other necessaries. He
proposes to return from Eimeo as soon as his health will
allow him, and particularly requests that, in the meantime,
the presents from the society intended for him may not be
shown to any one else.
We are glad to hear that Pomare spends his evenings in
listening to the words of eternal life”-portions of the
Scriptures which he himself has essentially aided to translate
into his own tongue being read to him by the chiefs and
other persons in attendance. He has sometimes twenty or
more of these sitting around him, taking verse by verse in
turn. Of these he has himself taught several to read, and he
SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS.
59
TO
delights to improve others. He learned to read in the year
1802, and began to write about the same time. He may be
said in a great measure to have taught himself both these
accomplishments, which were never acquired by a South
Sea Islander before. He engaged the missionaries to furnish
him with lessons, consisting of syllables, words, sentences
and paragraphs, in gradation, upon slips of paper ; these he
took with him when traveling from place to place, and
copied at his leisure, with unwearying diligence and applica-
tion; thus reading and writing at the same time, and giving
his instructors very little trouble. He is wont also to engage
in extemporary prayer in his own family; though he occa-
sionally calls upon one or other of his attendants to officiate.
Prayer is thus offered twice a day beneath his roof, and he
permits no business whatever to prevent the regular discharge
of this duty.
It is lamentable, however, that an example in many re-
spects so much to be commended, and so worthy of imitation,
should be counteracted in its benign influence by some de-
basing habits to which the king is unhappily addicted. He
is inordinately fond of spirituous liquors, but as he is depend-
ent upon ships touching on his coast for supplies of these, he
is frequently, for long intervals, abstemious from necessity.
This is remarkable, when it is known that he has ample ma-
terials for making spirits in his own land, and is well ac-
quainted with the art of distilling. Not only does the sugar-
cane grow luxuriantly here, but also the tiï plant, from the
root of which excellent spirit may be extracted. Before
Christianity was embraced, there were multitudes of stills
throughout Tahiti and the adjacent islands, and vast quanti-
ties of spirits were manufactured. But when the gospel
change took place, every still was destroyed, and their use
in future entirely prohibited. Thus is this extraordinary man
so deeply sensible of the evils of intoxication, that he will not
suffer ardent spirits to be prepared even for himself, notwith-
standing his infatuated love of strong drink, rather than haz-
ard the consequences to his people, were they again to be
exposed to such perilous temptations. When some Russian
ships of discovery touched at Tahiti, not long ago, the com-
mander soon discovered Pomare's besetting infirmity, and
expressed his astonishment that, having the means of indul-
gence within his power, he did not avail himself of them.
His astonishment was of another kind when the missiona-
60
PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY AT RAIVAVAI.
denial.
But whatever Pomare may have been formerly, while he
was a heathen; whatever he may be now in the sight of
God, professing as he does the Christian faith, without
works, in all respects, corresponding thereto; he has always
acted in the most friendly manner towards the mission-
aries, and the cause in which they have been laboring
among his subjects; never failing, when opportunity offered,
to employ his influence for the promulgation of the gospel.
In the year 1820, he visited Raivavai, or High Island, lying
about four hundred miles southward of Tahiti, where, not-
withstanding its distance, his authority was acknowledged.
On his arrival, he found two parties at war with each other,
and devastating the country by their feuds. Pomare inter-
posed, brought the hostile leaders together, and reconciled
them. When he was about to return home, he left this
charge :--- Watch and see ;-the man who stirs up war
again, let him be put to death." The inhabitants, at his
persuasion, had cast away their idols; and two Tahitian
converts were stationed among them, at his departure, to
instruct the willing savages in reading, writing, and other
useful arts. The king's visit on this occasion appears, from
accounts received a few months ago, to have been followed
by the most auspicious effects. The peace had not been
broken ; a large chapel had been erected, which was crowd-
ed on the Sabbath with eager audiences. The captain of
the ship, who brought this intelligence, said, that on the
Sunday when he was there, he counted eight hundred and
forty-eight persons at public worship--seven hundred within,
and the rest standing without, hearing the scriptures read,
and prayers offered, by teachers, who had themselves, not
long before, been dark idolaters. The whole population of
Raivavai is little more than sixteen hundred souls. They
had turned the stocks, which they formerly reverenced as
gods, into stools to sit upon in the temple which they had
dedicated to the true God. They are now earnestly desiring
European missionaries to be placed over them, and Para,
the chief of the island, sent hither a message by the afore-
As we were returning from a visit to Matavai, this even-
ing, (Oct. 5,) we were invited by some natives to partake
of such hospitality as they could afford, which gave us an
TAHITIAN SUPPER---TABUED TREES.
'. 61
opportunity of witnessing, and enjoying too, a meal in the
genuine Tahitian style. In a court, surrounding a good
habitation, we were placed on a bench under a purau-tree.
As it soon grew dark, two rude lamps—each a stone about
four inches square, in the middle of which was a hole, the
shape and size of a tea-cup, filled with cocoa-nut oil, having
an upright cotton wick blazing above it were placed on
the ground, and gave sufficient light during the entertain-
ment. The table-cloth-purau-leaves, spread in a circle-
was laid on the ground. On this was placed a hot bread-
fruit, smoking from the oven, a piece of a baked fish, and a
cocoa-nut shell of salt water, into which the morsels of the
fish were to be dipt before they were put into the mouth.
Cocoa-nut and spring water constituted the beverage. We
relished the repast, and were delighted with our host. He
was an old man, and had known captain Cook, and called
himself his friend. We were much amused with his con-
versation, which a little broken English, mixed with the
native dialect, sometimes rendered ludicrously intelligible.
He described captain Cook as a tall, stout man; and said,
that at the first visit of the latter to the island, he himself
had one child, at the second, three, and at the third, five.
The English, he observed, had tables, chairs, and dishes, at
their meals; but the Tahitians took their food in the prim-
itive manner which we saw. We bade him farewell with
hearty expressions of thanks, which were returned to us
with not less hearty good wishes by our host and his family.
As we went home through the darkness, our guide was very
careful to warn us against obstructions in the way, especially
when we climbed “ One-tree Hill," which is very steep and
rough. At a particular point he stopped, and directed
our attention to the bay below, which extends at the foot
of the mountains, observing, that there Pomare, father of
the present king, had fallen down in his canoe, and died
instantly.
Several of the cocoa-nut trees, which we passed in our
walk, having patches of leaves tied about the stems, at the
height of six or seven feet, we inquired the reason, and were
told that such trees were tabu—set apart as private property,
and that all persons, except the owners, were thus prohibited
from climbing or gathering fruit from them. A tree so ta-
bued is seldom violated; when it is, the delinquent, if
. 6
62
ISLANDS WHICH HAVE RECEIVED CHRISTIANITY.
found out, is punished with banishment to a desolate island,
as unworthy of honest society.
Two natives came into Mr. Nott's house, and sat till late
at night, apparently listening to our conversation with the
most reverential respect. At length they rose up from the
floor, and one of them said to Mr. Nott, “I don't understand
a word that you all have been thinking and talking about;
but I'll tell you what I have been thinking :-there are
many parts of this island, especially Taiarabu, that have no
teachers ;-why don't you send teachers to them ?" So say-
ing, he and his companion departed.
CHAPTER IV.
Islands which have received Christianity--Language of the Natives
of the Society Islands-Destruction of Idols-Domestic Manufac-
tures Presents from the King-Hiro, the God of Thieves—War-
spear–Missionaries prepare a Code of Laws,Tatooing abandoned-
Visit to Eimeo-Strolling Players Public Service-Introduction to
Pomare-Interview with Christian Church and Congregation
Social Meetings for Religious Improvement.
Oct. 7. We have spent a second blessed Sabbath-day
here.-- The following islands are known to have cast away
their idols, and declared themselves worshippers of the liv-
ing God :--Tahiti, Eimeo, Huahine, Raiatea, Tala, Bora-
bora, Maupiti, which may be seen from Borabora, thirty
miles off'; also Tetaroa, twenty-eight miles north-west of
Tahiti; Maiaoiti, Tubuai, three hundred miles south of
Tahiti; Raivavai, upwards of sixty miles east by south of
Tubuai; and Rurutu, upwards of three hundred miles south
of Maiaoiti. It is believed, that several of the islands in
the Dangerous Archipelago have likewise abandoned pagan-
ism, and are waiting for the gospel. Though some of the
avowedly Christian islands have no European missionaries
resident upon them, native teachers, by the blessing of God,
conduct the Sabbath and week-day devotions, reading the
scriptures, singing, and praying, “in the great congregation;"
as well as privately, and from house to house, expounding
the truths of Christianity according to their knowledge;
exhorting those who say that they are believers, to adorn the
.
LANGUAGE OF THE NATIVES.
63
doctrine of God our Savior by a suitable walk and con-
Oct. 8. We are daily learning for ourselves, from the
lips of the natives, words and phrases of the language.
By these means we have already a considerable vocabulary
written down ; which we often rehearse before, our teachers
of this class, who, sometimes seated in a circle about us,
for hours together, exercise all their ingenuity and patience
too, in giving us instructions, especially in the pronuncia-
there being a nicety and refinement in this, which our
British friends would hardly believe could exist in a lan-
guage of uncivilized men. Sometimes, in our walks, as
leaf, a flower, a fruit; and name it to us in Tahitian, giving
it also in parau Bretane (English) if they happen to know
that: and all this they do with unaffected good nature,
never being tired of repeating the word, till we have caught
the correct accent and sound, or come as near as we can.
Oct. 9. We make a point of putting down, from day to
day, such information respecting the past and present state
of these islands as we receive. The mighty moral change
commenced from the king himself. Pomare, like his pro-
genitors and his subjects, was a gross idolater; and so he
remained for many years after the arrival of the mission-
aries, though he was always their steady friend and patron.
At length he began to suspect the power of his national
divinities, and by a bold experiment, in which he felt that
he hazarded both his kingdom and his life, he resolved to
put them to the test. It had always been customary for the
people when they caught a turtle to present it to the sove-
reign. This royal perquisite was immediately taken to the
marae, and there baked; which being done, part of it was
offered to the idol, to render him propitious, and the remain-
der was brought to the king and his family, who were then,
but not before, allowed to eat of it. It was pretended by
the priests, and of course believed by the multitude, that if
this ceremony was not performed, some supernatural pun-
ishment would be inflicted on the offenders. On a certain
time, a turtle being brought to Pomare, he commanded it to
be dressed at his own house, and forbade any portion of it
to be presented at the temple. He then sat down with his
household, but no one except himself had the hardihood to
!
64
DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.
taste. The superstitious chiefs and people naturally expect-
ed to see vengeance poured upon the sacrilegious prince,
nor was he himself without secret misgivings that spoiled
the keen relish with which he would otherwise have rioted
on the delicious food. But nothing disastrous following, he
was convinced of the folly of idolatry and the impotence of
his gods; he therefore determined to cashier them, and em-
brace the religion of the missionaries
• Hereupon he convened his chiefs, told them what he had
done, and exhorted them to follow his example, at the same
time assuring them that he should employ no coercion, but
leave every one free to do as he pleased. For himself and
his house, however, he declared, like Joshua of old, that
they would serve the Lord. By an extraordinary correspon-,
dence of feeling, the principal men and a great proportion
of the common people, in comparatively a short time, came
to the same resolution. The majority of the idols were, in
the sequel, committed to the flames, or delivered to the miss.
sionaries as spoils of the gospel, and Jehovah was publicly
confessed to be the only God of the Tahitians. After re-
peated inquiries we are fully satisfied that no compulsion
was used to carry this wonderful measure, and human
compulsion, if attempted, would probably never have carried ::
it against priests, and chiefs, and people, all inveterately
attached to the superstitions of their fathers. What but the
great power of God alone could have done this?
On our walk to-day, we called at several houses of the
natives, by all of whom we were cordially welcomed. In
one we saw two women making cloth of the inner bark of
certain trees. A strip of this, being carefully cleaned from
the outer rind, is placed upon a piece of wood, called tutu,
about four inches square, with two deep grooves on one side,
and smooth on the other. This is beaten by women sitting
on the ground, with an instrument of the wood called Ie.
This is about eighteen inches long, and two inches square,
one end being rounded for a handle. The four sides of this
instrument are cut longitudinally into grooves, graduating in
fineness; the coarser being applied first, and the finer suc-
cessively till the cloth is finished. This bark being gluti-
nous, the pieces are united without difficulty, either sidewise,
or end to end, by strokes of the le; these strokes also, re-
ducing the thickness of the materials, both widen and
lengthen the cloth, till the whole is completed, in measure
DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.' ;
65
and substance, as may be required. When thus prepared
the web is first bleached, and afterwards stained the color
intended. This is altogether women's work.
In another house, we witnessed the manner of making
that sort of matting called pini, which is of a coarse texture,
woven of rushes by the fingers. The ends of the rushes
where the joints occur, are cut off with a muscle-shell, as
expertly as they might be with a pair of scissors. When
the makers offer these mats for sale, they expect an equal
length of white calico in exchange. They are used for
flooring and bedding; the latter by the natives, the former
by the missionaries. We found others of the industrious
people employed in manufacturing the mats, which they call
paua, of cocoa-nut leaves, cut into necessary lengths and
breadths, which are admirably platted together, and form
very strong protections to keep out the rain, when laid, as
they generally are, at the doors of the dwellings.
The process of obtaining cocoa-nut oil next caught our
attention. The kernel is first scraped into thin flakes, being
ingeniously scooped out of the shell by means of a semi-
circular piece of flat iron, sharpened and fixed upon the an-
gular point of a sloping stool, on which the person sits, and
turns the nut, open at one end, over this edge till the con-
tents are cleared out. The sliced kernels are then put intch
a trough, or an old canoe, where in a few days the oil
drains from them, is carefully collected, put into bamboos,
and corked up for use. This oil is called mori, and has
entirely superseded the candle-nut for lighting. To the
missionaries, however, the natives are indebted for this val-
uable preparation.
An opportunity was afforded us of observing the Tahitian
method of baking. A broad, shallow excavation, shaped
like a tea-saucer, six inches in depth, and wide in propor-
tion, as made in the ground by means of a pointed stick.
A fire was then kindled in it with dry wood, over which a
number of stones, the size of a man's fist, were piled, and
left till they were highly heated. The wood ashes being
then carefully separated, the glowing stones were spread
over the bottom of this oven. Ä pig's head and feet were
placed on one side, upon the stones, and on the other two
pieces of bread-fruit, from which the rind had been scraped.
The whole was then covered with purau-leaves to a good
depth, upon which was heaped the earth that had been
6
*
.66
PRESENTS FROM THE CHIEFS.
V
scooped out of the hole, to keep in the heat and steam. " In
less than an hour and a half, the flesh and fruit were ready ;
and the earth and leaves being carefully removed, the food
was brought out perfectly clean and well cooked. The whole
was cleverly managed by a little boy ten years of age. Large
hogs are sometimes roasted whole in these earth-ovens, Hav-
ing some of the hot stones put into the inside. Being thus
prepared, the gravy is retained, and the meat is excellent.
Oct. 10. The old man, who calls himself Mr. Mane, and
captain Cook's friend, whose new house we expect to occu-
py, has engaged, at Mr. Nott's request, to make the necessa-
ry division of it into rooms, for our accommodation. He is
very civil, and will not employ any one to help him in the
work, being determined to do 'every thing himself. The peo-
ple of Tahiti are not of various trades and occupations, every
man, even the chiefs, with few exceptions, being able to
build his house, construct his canoe, manufacture his fishing
tackle, &c.; and when we consider with how few and simple
tools he contrives to do all this, his skill and dexterity are ad-
mirable.
One of our taios (or friends) has presented us with a hog,
some cocoa-nuts, maias and mountain plantains. When a
present is thus made, it is usually placed on the outside of the
house, and the chief, whose servants have brought it, himself
enters, and invites' his friend to come out and look at it.
The latter of course complies, and orders his attendants to
bring the articles within doors. No expressions of thanks
are used on these occasions, and we cannot find out that the
language contains any terms for such acknowledgrnents.
We have learnt, however, that those who are favored with
such gifts from great men, are expected to make returns of
something more valuable to the mercenary donors..
Oct. 12. A considerable number of chiefs waited upon us,
with a great train of attendants, bringing various presents,
consisting of hogs and fruits. When we went out to receive
them, the whole party were sitting on their heels in silence,
with their faces towards the house, at the distance of twenty
yards from the present—the pigs being tied up, and the fruits
spread upon the ground. At our appearance they all rose,
and the chiefs informed us of the object of their visit. AC-
cording to the custom, in such cases, we went and looked at
the gifts; but our feelings compelled us to go beyond the
usual' courtesy, and express our sense of their kindness thus
HIRO, THE GOD OF THIEVES.
67
manifested to strangers. A present from the king to us hav-
ing been announced, we went to the house of Manaonao
(Pomare's vicegerent at Tahiti, during his absence), at Pa-
peete, where his majesty has a house, it being necessary that
his bounty should be 'administered on his own premises. We
were then informed by the old chief (who is old and griev-
ously afflicted with a species of elephantiasis), that the pres-
ents were made to us in the name, not only of the king, but
of the chiefs, the people, and the missionaries, to the deputies
of the London Society, and those who had accompanied us
hither. There were five hogs, a great bundle of native cloth,
as much as three men could lift, and a large quantity of cocoa-
nuts, bananas, and mountain plantains. We were requested
to look at these things, which we did, and, as in the former
case, expressed, as well as we could, our pleasure on receiv-
ing such tokens of friendship from the king and the several
classes of his subjects, which had been named to us. :
Having frequent occasion to recur to the former state of
society in these islands, we have just heard, that, among oth-
er idols, there was a god of thieves, held by his worshippers
in the highest honor. He was called Hiro, and among his
votaries were many of the cleverest men, not from the lower
ranks only, but even some of the principal chiefs. The arts
and contrivances which these resorted to, in order to obtain
the property of their neighbors and strangers, proved that
this strange representative of Satan was served with more
than ordinary devotion. His rites were celebrated in dark-
ness, at the change of the moon. While the husband prowl-
ed forth to rob, the wife went to the marae to pray for his suc-
cess; yet, if success were not always' found, it would be with
an ill grace if they should charge Hiro with bad faith towards
his followers; for, faithful as they were in making vows, they
were knavish enough in performing them; thus, if a hog had
been stolen, an inch or two of the end of the tail was deemed
a sufficient thank-offering to him. With this in his hand,
the thief went to the marae, and, laying it down on the
ground, he would say, cantingly, “Here, good Hiro, is a
piece of the pig that I stole last night for you, but don't you
tell.” Then he would slink away, persuading himself that,
if he had wronged his neighbor, he had not wronged his god;
though, to do his ingenuity justice, he had tied such a triple
knot of villany, that it would be a nice point for a casuist to
determine, whether he had cheated his neighbor, his god, or
himself, the most.
68
MISSIONARIES PREPARE A CODE OF LAWS.
An idea of the savage barbarity with which wars were ac-
customed to be carried on among these tribes, may be formed
froin the horrible weapons with which they mangled and
slew one another. Among these, there was what might be
called a trident; an instrument, consisting of a long shaft,
to the head of which were attached three spines from the
tail of the ray-fish. These are strong, sharp bones, deeply
barbed; and they were so artfully fastened, that, when
struck into the body of an enemy, they were instantly detach-
ed from the handle, and remained rankling in the wound,
from which the barbs prevented their being withdrawn. To
be pierced by one of these, was almost certain death, and
death accompanied by the most excruciating torture.
But when the gospel changed their hearts, it softened their
manners, and enlightened their understandings. Finding
their religion to be false, they suspected that every thing else
by which they had been ruled must be wrong--their customs,
their manners, their legislation. Hence, at their paraprou-
ras, or conversations for improvement, instituted by the mis-
sionaries, they would frequently solicit information, not on
moral and religious subjects only, but also on government and
jurisprudence. The missionaries, however, always referred
them to the king and the chiefs, when questions of policy
were put to them, saying, that they came not thither to med-
dle with the laws and civil institutions, but to teach them the
true religion, which would itself prepare them to receive and
practise what was true, and right, and good, in every other
respect. At length, the king himself requested their assist-
ance in forming a new code of laws, founded on scriptural
authority and principles. Even this they declined as long as
they could with propriety, but being often importuned, they
consented to prepare a code of legislation, suited to the
changed circumstances of the people. This, though neces-
sarily imperfect, in the first instance, but capable of being
improved from time to time, as observation or experience
might warrant, did great credit to those who framed it, to the
king who adopted it, and to the people who submitted to a
system of polity and jurisprudence so essentially different
from that under which they had lived. The practice of
tatooing their persons was one in which all classes delight-
ed, but which they willingly abandoned, as associated with
idolatry and licentiousness, when they received a purer reli-
gion. It was made a crime under the new laws, and when
STROLLING PLAYERS.
great severity. Such sacrifices of passion, pride, supersti-
tion, vánity, self-indulgence, ferocity, with all the malignant
and inveterate evils in which they had been nurtured, have
seldom been made by whole nations at once, as, on the adop-
tion of Christianity, were resolutely, spontaneously, and al-
most universally, made by the people of these small islands,
each of which was in fact a country by itself, and the few
hundreds or thousands of its inhabitants a distinct nation.
We left Papacete about noon, this day (Oct. 10), and sail-
ed, with a pleasant breeze, in Mr. Bicknell's boat, for Eimeo,
which lies twenty-five miles from this harbor; presenting, as
we approached it, a landscape on the sea, whence it rises,
and on which it seems to repose under the blue firmament,
having an undulated outline, that swells, from the coral-reefed
shore, to the elevation of three or four thousand feet at its
sharp pointed summits. In one of the highest of these peaks,
there is a hole, open to the sky beyond, which may be seen
through it. Tradition says, that the god Pae, being angry
with this island, shot an arrow at it from Tahiti, which pass-
ed through the heart of the rock, leaving this orifice behind,
as a memorial of his prowess. On the south side of the same
eminence is a vast amphitheatre, which, in the last war, com-
menced by the idolatrous party against the king and his
Christian adherents, was selected by Pomare as a place of
refuge, in the issue of his being defeated and driven from his
own island by the rebels. In this natural strong hold, almost
impregnable to barbarian assailants, he hoped to be able to
conceal himself and his friends, including the missionaries,
till eventual safety could be secured. The battle, however,
was in favor of the righteous cause; idolatry itself was over-
thrown by the decision of that day; and those whom his arms
had not destroyed in the conflict, his clemency afterwards
subdued and endeared to his sway.
: As we drew near the island, Mr. Nott added to the pleasure
which we felt in contemplating the majestic scenery before
our eyes, by relating various circumstances of the age gone
by, and the new one that is begun. During the former pe-
riod, there was a description of persons, called Papaiaomu
(Areois), a kind of strolling players, who went about the
country, from one chief's district to another, reciting stories
and singing songs for the entertainment of the people. The
70
VISIT TO PAPE-TOI.
several speakers might take their distinct parts, and not
merely recite, but act them. These compositions, we are
told, frequently did credit to the talents of the authors, while
the accuracy and liveliness with which they were repeated,
showed considerable powers of memory, as well as of imita-
tion in the performances. But they were connected with un-
utterable abominations, and therefore have been entirely
discontinued since purer manners have followed in the train
of Christian principles. The licentious dancers, the barba-
rous cock-fightings (for these were favorite games formerly),
with other detestable and cruel sports, have been likewise
abandoned; the natives confining themselves to the innocent
and healthful exercises necessary in fishing, sailing, climbing
trees, &c., in pursuing their daily manual occupations; many
of which are new to them, since civilization has multiplied
the number of their wants, and increased their means of sup-
plying them. We have not detected any instance of wanton
barbarity inflicted on animals, either by children or adults ;
whatever be the state of their hearts, they have received the
gospel as a dispensation of mercy, and externally, at least,
duct.
When we got into shoal-water, the bottom of the sea was
covered with forests of the most beautiful corals, exquisite
in coloring, and endlessly diversified in ramification; while,
fishes of hues yet more brilliant, and shapes as peculiar, were
playing among their intricate mazes.
About eight o'clock in the evening we reached Pape-toi,
on the north-west of the island, where the missionaries re-
side. Messrs. Henry and Platt were waiting with a great
concourse of the people, to welcome us. We had scarcely
got under cover of Mr. Platt's hospitable roof, when five of
the deacons of the church came to aroha us, that is, to ex-
press their joy at our arrival in Eimeo. Most heartily we
returned their congratulations, by declaring our wonder and
delight at beholding what great things the Lord had done
ren, said (among other strong observations)—“We are
brands plucked out of the burning. Satan was destroying,
and casting us one after another into the flames of hell;
but Jehovah caine, and snatched us out of his hands, and
threw water upon the fire that was consuming us so we
were saved !” After inviting us to meet the whole congre-
.
IDOLS BURNT AT EIMEO.
71
gation on Monday, to have a friendly talk together, they
departed.
Oct. 14. (Lord's day.) The public services, in the na-
tive languages, were most numerously attended, both in the
it, in their Christian sanctuaries, to witness the stillness, the
order, the devotion of these 'poor islanders, lately wild sav-
ages, ignorant alike of God and of themselves, and wallow-
ing in all manner of abominations—their religion, such as it
was, teaching them nothing but evil !.
We visited one of the deacons, who, on account of lame-
ness, was unable to wait upon us yesterday with his breth-
ren. The benevolent and intelligent expression of his
countenance exceedingly struck us, and interested us to
know something of his personal history.; He is a' chief and
also a judge of the island, who, both in his official and pri-
vate character, is venerated by his people, and regarded by
the missionaries. The latter bear testimony, that by his
uniform Christian demeanor he has hitherto adorned that
gospel, which he was the first in Eimeo publicly to confess
by throwing his idols into the flames. This he did in the
presence of his countrymen, who stood shuddering at his
hardihood, and expecting that the evil spirits, to whom the
senseless stocks were dedicated, would strike him dead on
the spot for the profanation. He remained unharined, how-
ever, and it was not long before other chiefs followed his
example, and the people joining in with them, the temples,
the altars, the images of Satan were universally overthrown.
We have remarked, both here and in Tahiti, that in various
instances, the churches of the true God have been erected
on the very sites of the demolished maraes ; so that where
their murdered brethren were wont to be offered up to
devils, the regenerated natives now present themselves, body
and soul, as living sacrifices to Him, who spared not his
own Son for them, and who with Him is now freely giving
them all things.
A new chapel being much needed at this station, many
of the materials are already prepared. The stone work for
the windows has been wrought with peculiar neatness, and
would do credit to European masons. A chief, who resides
in another part of the island, but comes every Saturday
night, with his family, to spend the Sabbath here, is building
72
INTRODUCTION TO POMARE.
a substantial habitation near the intended place of worship.
This is to be plastered both within and without, and when
complete will be a really handsome and comfortable man-
sion, such as had never been known among his pagan
ancestors, nor might have been attempted for ages to come,
had he and his posterity remained pagans. We were sur-
prised, and pleased, to-day, to see so large a proportion of
the congregation clothed after the English fashion, and with
English manufactures, which they have already learned.
gracefully and modestly to adapt to their persons, as well as
accommodate to the climate.
We are informed that Pomare has appointed to-morrow
for our introduction to him. The missionaries deeply de-
plore his present threatening illness; always speaking of
him in the most grateful terms, as the decided and steady
friend of them and their work, notwithstanding his insane
propensity, at times, to drink ardent spirits to excess. Oh,
what a lesson is here afforded, of the infatuating, enslaving,
destroying ascendency of sin over human weakness, in the
form of but one gross habit inevitably fixed! He employs,
indeed, all his influence and authority to prevent others from
committing the same folly; often laments his own infirmity
with vain remorse and impotent resolution to shun the snare
in future; but when the temptation again presents itself,
again he falls. The sad spectacle of their monarch, thus
led captive by an enemy the most insidious, we have reason
to believe, has made both young and old, among his sub-
jects, more watchful against sensual indulgences, and more
constant in prayer to be delivered from evil.
Oct. 15. Being summoned to wait upon Pomare, we set
out, accompanied by Messrs. Nott, Henry, and Platt. The
king was confined by indisposition at a house, not far from
hence, on the north-west side of Taloo harbor. Before we
reached his majesty's residence, we passed the queen's, a
long low building, with several small square windows in
front, and enclosed by a high fence of purau sticks. On
the way, we had to cross several small streams, over which
we were carried on men's shoulders. The natives are very
powerful and expert for such service, which, in traversing
these islands, is often needed. As we approached the pal-
ace, if we may call it so, the royal guards formed a long
line on one side of the road, with their fire-locks shouldered;
some of these were dressed in English costume, and others
OT
INTRODUCTION TO POMARE.
173
in native cloth, without any regard to uniformity. This train
of soldiers reached to the bamboo fence surrounding the
dwelling; when, by aid of stepping-stones on each side, we
had surmounted this stockade, we were desired by an officer,
in a scarlet coat, to halt. Immediately he gave a signal,
and a volley of musketry was fired; this, we understand, is
the highest token of respect which the king ever confers
upon his visitors.
After waiting a few moments in this court, we were ad-
mitted into the house, and introduced by Mr. Nott to Po-
mare. The king, after the first recognition of his visitors,
pointed to some low stools, on his right hand, signifying that
we should sit down upon them. He himself was seated on
the ground immediately before the door, a large mat being
spread over the long dry grass that covered the floor, and a
calico sheet laid upon that part of the mat which the king
occupied. Several pillows were placed behind him against
one of the pillars that supported the roof, and on these he
leaned during the audience. He was handsomely arrayed
in his best robes. He wore, on the upper part of his body,
a white calico shirt, over which was thrown a beautiful
tibuta, of native cloth, brilliantly colored and ornamented;
the ground being yellow, and various figures stained upon
it, with great taste, in the Tahitian style. His lower limbs,
as he reclined, were enveloped with the white sheeting on
which he was placed, gathered loosely about him. On a
stool, at his left hand, sat the queen, Taaroa Vahine, a young
woman, about twenty-five years of age, with her son, a fine
boy, not yet a year and a half old; and her sister, Taaroa-
maiturai, at her side. The queen is a short, good-looking
person, and, comparatively, of a fair complexion. She and
her sister were well-dressed in the English fashion, with
gowns, bonnets, and, what is very rare, shoes and stockings.
The little prince had nothing on but a thin muslin vest, that
reached below his knees. He is not yet weaned ; the.
queen, his mother, suckles him, and she performed that ma-
ternal duty several times in our presence. The boy's name
is Teariitaria. Near this group sat the princess Aimata, a
healthy girl about ten years of age, by Pomare's former
spouse. Her skin is of a darker tincture than her half-
brother's. She was neatly clad in a blue-flowered frock, and
wore a straw bonnet. Next to her were seated three ladies
of honor dressed in English cottons :-two of these were
74
INTRODUCTION TO POMARE.
very corpulent. To the queen, her son, the princess, her
sister, and these three female attendants, we were formally
introduced, and had the honor to shake hands with each.
On one side of the door, nearly in front of the king, sat
Tati, his prime minister ; and further off, ranged through
the interior of the spacious apartment, stood a great number
of chiefs and servants of the household. Many other per-
sons, on the outside, were permitted to look in upon the
scene, through the interstices of the enclosure or- walls,
which were nothing more than purau staves fixed in the
ground, in the usual manner. In a corner of the building
stood the king's bed, screened by a curtain of native cloth,
which formed a small recess, with space sufficient for a
bedstead. The house was about sixty feet long by forty
wide, without division of rooms; and, besides the bed al-
ready mentioned, contained no furniture, except a few Areoi
stools, several mats, and some small articles of domestic
convenience.
When we were duly seated, we first inquired after his
majesty's health; to which he replied, that it was the same
as it had been for some time, and he was still suffering pain.
We then announced the purpose of our visit to his domin-
ions, and delivered to him the most respectful remembrance
and regards of the society which we represented ; assuring
him of the gratitude and esteem, in which his protection -
and encouragement of the missionaries were held by the di-
rectors and officers. We then produced the letters which
we' had brought for him, from the society, and stated that
the presents, according to his own desire, had been left at
Tahiti. He returned a very gracious answer, expressing his
pleasure at beholding us on his islands, as a deputation from
the society in England. We next thanked the king for his
kindness towards our brethren, who were stationed here as
preachers of the gospel, and cordially congratulated him on
the glorious and peaceful triumphs of that blessed gospel
over the ancient cruel and abominable idolatries that pre-
vailed before missionaries visited these shores ;-triumphs,
in which, we were confident, he himself must heartily re-
joice, since, under God, he had been eminently instrumental
in promoting them.
Pomare now inquired concerning the operations of the
society in other regions of the earth, and seemed highly
gratified with the glad tidings which we were enabled to
INTRODUCTION TO POMARE.
75
bring him, respecting the progress of the gospel in Africa,
the East and West Indies, and elsewhere. We took this
opportunity of recognizing the establishment of missionary
associations within his own dominions, and returned thanks,
on behalf of the parent society, for the munificent contri-
butions of cocoa-nut oil, and other articles of native pro-
duce, which had been sent by himself and his subjects, and
received by our treasurer. We further informed him, that
we had brought another missionary and his wife, to be sta-
tioned among his people; also two artizans, the one a car-
penter, the other well skilled in the manufacture of cotton
cloth. These we recommended to his special protection ;
as it was the desire of the directors of the missionary so-
ciety to benefit him and his subjects, by teaching them (next
to the lessons of eternal truth) useful arts and occupations,
whereby, even in the comforts of this life, they might be
raised far above their former state. In this he appeared
cheerfully to concur.
The discourse then turned on European politics. He
asked concerning the state of France since the restoration
of the old family and government; and mentioned Buona-
parte as being in safe custody. We told him that we had
left France, England and all Europe at peace; that the king
of the British Islands, George the Fourth, was in good
health, and the country in a state of increasing prosperity
in its commercial concerns ;-we laid particular stress on
the benefits which England derived from the influence and
example of his (Pomare's) late friend, George the Third, in
encouraging agricultural improvements, general industry,
and education by means of schools, in which not only or-
dinary but Christian instruction was given to the children
of the poor ; we added, that our present sovereign and many
of the nobility, as well as the ministers of the gospel, and a
vast number of the professors of religion among us, were
promoting the knowledge of the sacred scriptures, in every
quarter of the earth, to which access could be obtained, by
sending to all people, in their own language, translations of
the words of eternal life. We had not sat long, when he
ordered wine to be brought, with glasses, which were placed
on a low stool before us. Fearing that our presence and
conversation might prove fatiguing to him, as he was evi-
dently very much indisposed, we rose to depart, but he re-
quested us to stay a little longer, and then we were con-
76.
INTERVIEW WITH CHURCH AND CONGREGATION.
ducted to the court-yard to view the presents which he had
provided for us. These consisted of fourteen fine hogs, and
five large heaps of bananas, mountain plantains, taro, bread-
fruit, cocoa-nuts, &c., placed on frames, like hand-barrows,
each as heavily loaded as two men could carry. We return-
ed to acknowledge the royal bounty, manifested by these
gifts, as well as those we had received in Tahiti, on Friday
last, after which we took our leave, highly gratified with
the circumstances of this audience.
Pomare, so far' as we could judge, for we only saw him
seated, lias more of personal dignity than could be expected
from one who had been so lately a rude and fierce barba-
rian. In stature, we are told, he reaches six feet two
inches, with limbs and frame athletic in proportion. His
countenance is far superior in comeliness, as well as in ex-
pression, to the engraved portrait which has been published
in England, though that presents a general likeness. The
visage is long, the features bold, the lips thick, and the nose
broad-set, according to the prevailing traits of the Tahi-
tians; but his complexion is swarthier than ordinary among
his countrymen. He wears his beard rather long on the
upper lip, reserving also a small tuft between the lower lip
and the chin. His hair is worn short round the front and
sides of the head, with one long lock behind, which was
rolled up and fastened at the crown. His hands are consid-
erably tatooed, particularly round the joints of the fingers.
His manner appeared courteous and affable, though grave,
and he was occasionally languid frorñ ill health ; but, as we
are informed, he is never loquacious. Every one speaks of
him as a man of talents, judgment and foresight; as well as
possessed of far more general knowledge than could be ex-
pected, considering the few and imperfect means he has en-
joyed of gaining instruction. His subjects look up to him
as an oracle, and behave, in his presence, with profound
veneration. When we remember how lately he was sole and
despotic arbiter of life and property throughout these islands,
much credit is due to him for having exercised his authority
with comparative mildness and equity ; those instances of
rapacity and oppression, which occasionally occur, being in
fact exceptions from the acknowledged forbearance and leni-
ty of his usual government.
In the after part of the day, we proceeded to the place of
worship, to meet the church and congregation of believers
SOCIAL MEETINGS FOR RELIGIOUS IMPROVEMENT.
77.
here, according to appointment. These were all assembled :
to meet us in their best apparel; and with looks of the most
animated satisfaction, they welcomed us as we entered, and
made our countenances to reflect corresponding delight, even
as face answereth to face in water. Mr. Tyerman opened
the meeting with prayer. We were then conducted to that
part of the chapel where the deacons and church-members, a
hundred and three in number, were seated. To these we
gave, the right hand of fellowship, in the name of the mission-
ary society, and all those Christian friends in England whom
we represented on this occasion. We afterwards addressed
the audience, and congratulated them on what God had done
for them, since it had pleased him to open the eyes, the ears
and the understandings of the population of these beautiful
and sequestered isles (long under the dominion of the prince
of darkness), to see and hear and know the things that be-
longed to their peace. · After expatiating at some length on
the propagation of the gospel, in other parts of the world, by
missionary, Bible, tract and school societies,—the word
preached and taught being every where accompanied by
signs following, a hymn was sung, and Mr. Bennet closed
the meeting with prayer. Mr. Nott was our interpreter.
We then shook hands with all the baptized and candidates
for baptism. Never had we witnessed more Christian affec-
tion and unity of spirit. The fruits of the gospel are the
same every where, -love, joy and peace, social as well as
personal.
When we retired from this service to a neighboring house,
to partake of some refreshments, the kindness of the congre-
gation was shewn to us, by the usual tokens,-a present of
two hogs, a quantity of such fruits as were in season, and
some roots of taro of prodigious bulk. In the evening, there
was a meeting of a considerable number of females, among
whom were the queen and her sister, at Mr. Henry's house,
for the purpose of praying, reading and conversing on reli-
gious topics. Similar means of grace are enjoyed weekly,
and conduce much to the mental and spiritual improvement
of those, who, under the despotism of idolatry, were the most
degraded of slaves.
SHELLS, &c.
CHAPTER V.
Native Martyrs-Great Marae Arabu, Chief of Eimeo-Cowries,
&c.-Roman Catholic Missionary-Trials of the first Preachers of
the Gospel here-Roguery of the Islanders formerly-their present
Characier contrasted-Idolatrous Priests - Second Interview with Po-
Native Manners-Barter Trade.
Oct. 16. This morning, accompanied by the missionaries,
we went up the valley, to examine -a situation which had
been pointed out, as eligible for a mill of any kind, but espe-
'cially for cotton works, such as were proposed to be con-
structed by Mr. Armitage. The supply of water by a plen-
tiful siream, the pleasantness, healthfulness and fertility of
the situation, with its proximity to the residences of the mis-
sionaries, seemed to render this spot, in every way, suited
for such an establishment. The vast amphitheatrical bosom
of the mountains might graze thousands of cattle; and it was
with pleasure that we saw several cows and a bull eating the
luxuriant herbage on their slopes. This small herd belongs to
Mr. Henry, and supplies him abundantly with milk and butter.
Pomare has signified his approbation of this plan of a cotton-
factory, “if the man can carry it into effect.” These words
repeated several times, intimate not only some doubt on the
part of the king of success, but some prejudice against the
undertaking, from the failure of Mr. Gyles's previous experi-
ment.
In the afternoon we ascended the fine harbor, and river-
mouth, in two canoes. On the coral rocks and the beach,
as we proceeded, we collected the following shells ---the
areho, a small brown turbinate, a quarter of an inch long,
found adhering to a leaf in the water;—a small muscle, of
delicate taste, called by the natives pice ;-tona, a large
cockle ;-the ehi, another bivalve of the same species, but
larger even than the former ;-also the pui, a brown worm,
marked with black rings, an inch apart; some of these
worms were from one to one and a half and two feet in
length; they lay at the bottom of the shoals, and when taken
out seemed to be nothing more than long slender bladders of
water. The piao, or brown butterfly, was flying in great
MAGNIFICENT NATURAL PANORAMA.
.
79
numbers around. We met a man who had caught a singu-
lar and splendid fish. It resembled a flounder in shape,
being twelve inches by six in length and breadth. The pre-
vailing color was a silvery gray, the tail and side fins of the
richest gold, the delicate shades of which were radiated be-
yond the junctures of these with the body. The natives call
this fish parala, and consider it excellent food. We observ-
ed, likewise, a small species of sprat, called ona, the body of
which is brown, the fins black. The maau toria, a small
bird, like a plover, was frequently seen sitting on the rocks.
safety, and convenience of obtaining fresh water and wood.
It is nearly three miles in length by half a mile in width.
The deep water continues at the sides to the very shore, so
that a ship may approach close, and be moored fast to a tree
with perfect, security. The entrance is through the opening
of a reef, which runs across the mouth, and protects it from
wards the head of this bay, we came to a bar of sand, brought
down by the river. Over this, the natives dragged the
canoes, and then we were paddled a mile up the stream, on
either bank of which the most luxuriant tropical vegetation
expanded, in the majestic ito, chestnut, vi-apple, and cocoa-
nut trees; with innumerable puraus, of every size and form;
shrubs and plants, especially the cryptogamous ones, flour-
ishing in richest abundance, and often of prodigious magni-
tude.
We landed near the site of the sugar-mills, formerly erect-
ed by Mr. Gyles, now in ruins; the valuable parts of the
machinery having been removed by Mr. Bicknell, junior,
and Pomare, with the view, it is said, of re-commencing the
works at Tahiti. The sugar scheme failed here, in conse-
quence of the king's jealousy, excited by false alarms insinu-
ated into his mind, by foreigners, that slavery and the cul-
ture of the cane were necessarily associated ; as though the
Europeans would presently come and possess themselves of
the islands, when they found that sugar was produced in
them. From the site of the dilapidated mills, we ascended
Mount Gyles (so called from the late settler here), which
stands nearly in the midst of a vast circumvallation of
towering eminences, that meet and astonish the eye at every
turn.
The mountains, with surpassing grandeur, and not less
80
MAGNIFICENT NATURAL PANORAMA.
beauty of contour and coloring, when seen at due distance,
do indeed form corresponding walls, to what may be styled
an immense rotunda, roofed with a blue expanse of firma-
ment, overhanging the pinnacles of the everlasting hills.
Here, were such an occasion to arrive, a fit theatre might be
found for the assembled population of an empire, to receive
a message from heaven, by the voice of the archangel, and
the trump of God, whose sound should go forth, and be heard
throughout the whole area and circumference, crowded with
gazing, listening, or adoring multitudes. The proportions-
of this temple of earth and sky (for such it appeared) were
so harmonious and exact, that its inmensity was lost, at first
sight, for want of a contrast whereby to measure its parts.
But when we looked back upon the harbor of Taloo, and
saw the steep declivities, by which we had ascended from the
beach, diminished like peaked points beneath our feet, we
were then made almost tremblingly sensible of the màgni-
tude of the mountains that here engirdled our horizon, and
the breadth of the interjacent valley, in the middle of which
we stood, and felt how little is man, when he perceives but a
glimpse of the greater works of God, though they are uncon-
scious matter, and he a living, intellectual soul. Yet is there
an exaltation (akin to the immortality that stirs within him),
even in that humbling sense of littleriess; for it is not his
inferiority to mounds of earth, and tracts of water, which he
feels, but his utter nothingness before Him who made all
these, and into whose presence-chamber he seems to be
brought, when scenes, like that which we were contemplat-
ing, overpower the nerves, and almost disembody the spirit
by the entrancement which they induce. Language can
convey no distinct idea of such a panorama as here stretched
around us. The ground, clothed with exuberant vegetation,
rises gradually from the coast towards this interior district,
where the whole surface bursts, as it were, into abrupt and
precipitous elevations, the crests of which are naked rocks, of
stupendous bulk, and strangest forms. Some seem to stand
on very narrow bases, with broad and beetling fronts; one,
facing the harbor, resembles a huge tower, surmounted by a
sharp spire; in another place, a mass of black stone, apart
from the adjacent range (which is brown basalt), bears a
rude likeness to the head and shoulders of a man. The val-
leys intersecting these gigantic heights, are as lovely and
fertile as the eye can desire to look upon, when, giddy and
-
BANS OF MARRIAGE...
81:
bewildered with gazing on the terrible sublimities above, it
seeks repose in the green dells and shady solitudes below.
In the evening, while we slowly returned across the har-
bor, the glimmering of the stars, as they multiplied over
head, gave to the faded realities of day-light the unsubstan-
tial forms of shadows; woods, rocks and mountains being
· alike dark shapes, and the sea itself an invisible inirror of
the firmament, in which beneath, as above, the planets Jupi-
ter, from the east, and Venus, from the west, contended with
each other in brilliancy and beauty.
It added much to our enjoyment on this excursion, to be
in company with the only two remaining missionaries, Mr.
Nott and Mr. Henry, who first came out, in the ship Duff,
with captain Wilson; and while on our return, at night-fall,
we sang, in our boat, upon the water, “God moves in a mys-
terious way—his wonders to perform,” &c., these fathers of
the Polynesian church acknowledged that He had often thus
dealt with them, and having found Him ever faithful, they
had learned to trust in Him, under the darkest dispensations
of Providence.
Oct. 17. Mr. Nott preached this afternoon to a congre-
gation of about three hundred persons. At the close of the
service, the bans of marriage were published between a
young man and woman, who, having formed a strong attach-
ment, desired to be united. A relative of the female, how-
ever, disapproving of the match, stood up, and forbade it.
This brought on a short altercation between the parties.
Some friends of the young man had objected in the first in-
stance, but having been induced afterwards to consent, the
young woman's friends determined to retaliate, and were not
now to be appeased. The disappointed couple, therefore,
in great affliction, were obliged to postpone their nuptials,
till all who were interested should be reconciled. After pub-
lic worship most of the people retired to the adjoining school-
room, to attend a prayer-meeting, at which the queen and
her sister were present. These personages are always ac-
companied by two soldiers, armed with muskets, wherever
they go.
Towards evening we visited some of the plantations in the
neighborhood of the king's house. Here we saw the plant,
called papà, a kind of rush, the long spires of which are
used in making the finest mats. The paper mulberry,
called onte, grows in great luxuriance here; its bark furnishes
82
.
PALMA CHRISTI. NATIVE MARTYRS.
the material for the best native cloth. - The stem is sel-
dom more than an inch in diameter, rising to the height of six
or seven feet, and producing a broad, rough, light-green leaf.
We were shown a ninii, or press, by which the residue of
the cocoa-nut oil is extracted, after the better portion has .
been drained off by the process formerly described. The
bamboo-bottles, in which the oil is kept, are single joints of
that cane, which hold from two to three quarts each. The
oil is introduced by a small hole pierced through the partition
at one end; when full, the aperture is 'plugged up, and
bound over with the leaf of the fara, tied tight with purau
· bark. The palma christi, or castor oil plant, grows plentiful-
ly in these islands. It produces its berries, at the same
time, in every stage, from small green clusters to full ripe
ones; and frequently in the same bunch, the crude and the
mellow appear intermingled. This seems to be the case, in
some degree, with most of the fruit-bearing trees in this cli-
mate, which, being ever-green themselves, yield, contempo-
raneously and in succession, leaves, blossoms and fruit :-the
vi-apple, and one other tree alone, being deciduous.
We.called upon the church deacon, already mentioned
as being a chief and judge under the king. When this man
first embraced the gospel, he became an object of hatred and
abhorrence to the idolaters. A party of these had once con-
spired to kill him, when he and a few other pious persons
were assembled together, in the evening, for prayer. The
ruffians came secretly upon them, armed with muskets, and
levelling their pieces, were about to destroy the whole groupe
at a volley. Their deliverance was singularly providential;
the marked victims within knew nothing of the lurking assas-
sins without, yet were the latter restrained from executing
their diabolical purpose, by an influence, which (as they
declared afterwards) they could not understand. Seized
with sudden horror at the deed on which they had been so
desperately bent, they threw down the murderous engines,
and rushing into the room, confessed their guilt. The Chris-
tians received them with so much kindness, and so freely
forgave them,—thus heaping coals of fire upon their heads,-
that they were utterly overcome, and went away promising
never to molest them again; and they kept their word. Two
others, however, who had professed the Christian faith, were
called to seal their testimony with their blood. Their per-
secutors having surprised them, and escape being cut off,
GREAT MARAE.
83
P
they meekly said, "We know what you want. You may
kill our bodies; our souls you cannot kill ;-do your pleas-
ure." They were slaughtered in cold blood, and their
remains offered at the marae, in sacrifice to the idol-gods;
but sacrifices of every kind, to “the abominations” of Eimeo,
were soon after abolished for ever.
Oct. 18. Wishing to visit a marae, once held in extraor-
dinary veneration, at the distance of seven miles westward,
we sent to the king to request the loan of a suitable canoe.
One was immediately sent, with a sufficient number of na-
tives to paddle it to the desired spot. On our way we
touched at two small motus (incipient islands) composed of .
coral rock, and scarcely above the level of high water. On
these, the aito (the iron-wood of Europeans) grows in great
luxuriance, entirely covering the surface, and presenting the
appearance of a forest upon the sea. Each of these islets is
about a mile and a half in circuit, and distant half a mile
from the coast of Eimeo. Some rabbits have been turned
loose upon one of them, in hope that they may breed there.
The wind being contrary we landed before 'we had reach-
ed the marae, and walked thither along the shore. Here we
passed a spacious chapel (itself formerly a marae), where
had been held the annual missionary meeting for the adja-
cent islands, in May last. On that occasion, three thousand
persons were assembled. This building is famous for hav-
ing been the rendezvous of the Areois. Here they cele-
brated their horrid excesses; and here the doom of thou-
sands, when hostilities were meditated, had often been de-
cided by the auguries of the priests. This structure, in the
native style, is two hundred and ten feet in length, forty-five
wide, supported by seventy pillars at the sides, and having
nine others within, placed along the middle, to support the
ridge-tree. When the glorious revolution took place, the
king transformed this haunt of all that was unclean into a
Christian sanctuary.
Thence we proceeded to the great marae, or rather assem-
blage of several maraes, built on a projecting point of land;
such situations often being chosen, as most conspicuous at
sea, and most convenient for landing canoes. Near the sea,
upon the very beach, is a large heap of massy stones, a hun-
dred feet long, and twenty feet high. The side near the
water is in ruins, many of the blocks having fallen down;
the other side bears more distinct traces of its original con-
- 84
ARABU, CHIEF OF EIMEO
struction, several of the steps, or courses, of hewn stone, re-
maining entire. Adjoining are the dilapidated walls of two
enclosures. In one of these the priest was wont to officiate,
in a sitting posture, with his back resting against a huge
stone, formerly erect, now prostrate. In this attitude he
offered up prayers to the idol, which was placed at the oppo-
site end. Fragments of carved ornaments in wood were -
lying about, mingled with the relics of hogs and fishes, once
offered in sacrifice. At a short distance stands a second
marae, nearly perfect. This consists of three steps, the front
stones of which are hewn, having courses of rounded ones
ranged alternately in layers with them. The summit is half
the width and length of the basement; the interior has been
filled up with coral blocks. A quarter of a mile from this
stood the house of the gods. Here their images were depos-
ited; but having been ejected, their dwelling has fallen into
irreparable decay; stones, beams, and rafters are scattered
over the ground, mouldering and overrun with rank vegeta-
rounded by a gloomy grove of what once were sacred trees
the ati, aito, and others; beneath whose melancholy shades
the rites of blood and the orgies of darkness were celebrated,
a spectacle for fiends to glory in, and from which angels, if
they came nigh, would turn away and weep.
As we came away we met Tarahoi, a hoary-headed inan,
who had formerly been a prophet of Oro (the god of war:).
At this place Mr. Henry has seen him, in a fit of pretended
inspiration, convulsed through all his limbs, distorting his
countenance, and foaming at the mouth, like one verily pos-
sessed by an evil spirit. His oracles, uttered in unnatural
ejaculations, were words of fate, and on them depended life
or death, war or peace; kings and people being equally
swayed by his mysterious counsels. Leaving him we pro-
ceeded to the residence of Arabu, the principal chief of
Eimeo, who, though he was one of the last to yield to Chris-
tianity, has been among the first of its professors in every
good word and work. He had prepared a bountiful refresh-
ment for us; but, while it was setting out, presented us with
cocoa-nut water, of which we took a welcome draught, after
the morning's fatigue. A number of natives, meanwhile,
I
.
with handsome mats, in honor of our visit. We seized the
opportunity of addressing the company, in earnest and affec-
;
..
COwrics, &c.
85
tionate terms, on their eternal interests. They listened with
humble and apparently sincere devotion. The entertain-
ment, which was now brought in, consisted of an entire hog,
smoking from the oven, borne by two men, who placed it on
à tray upon the floor, at the side of a large wooden bowl,
called an umiti, containing a baked fowl and bread-fruit.
The table-cloth, consisting of purau leaves, was spread be-
side these dishes, before us (the guests), in a circular form,
about four feet in diameter. After a blessing had been im-
plored, a native carver, with a large knife, separated portions
of the flesh, fowl and bread, laying them, in turn, before us;
when we all ate and were satisfied. While we were enjoying
this repast, we could not prevail on our kind host to partake
of any thing with us. This is the custom of the country.
Whatever is set before their guests is expected to be eaten
by them, or taken away. Here was an ample supply, both
for ourselves and our attendants, who gladly carried off all
that night overtook us in our canoe, before we could reach
home. But the evening was serene; not a breeze ruffled
the lagoon, and the natives think nothing of striking upon
sunken rocks in these still waters; when such an accident
happens, they jump out, and heave the light bark over the
obstruction, then spring back to their seats, and paddle away
again, in perfect security—from fear at least. We arrived
safe, but late, at the missionary station.
Oct. 19. In rambling among the rocks and coral reefs,
we have found many objects of interest and curiosity, in
natural history. The porcho, or cowrie, abounds in its nu-
merous and elegant varieties. The rimu, a purple spunge,
adheres to the corals, and looks beautiful under the water.
Two species of eels are common here; the one about six
inches long, and the bulk of a goose-quill; the other smaller
still, with a mouth projected far beyond the head, at the ex-
tremity of a large snout. We remarked also the nohu, a de-
scription of toad-fish, five inches in length, thick and chubby
in its form; with small eyes, sunk deep into its head, and
just behind an uncouth mouth, which opens upwards. It
has gills and fins, with a row of sharp spikes upon its back,
and is assuredly one of the most loathsome things to look
upon in the animal creation. It lies at the bottom of the
water, and is so nearly the color of the sand as not to be
easily discovered. This creature is the dread of the natives,
86
PRESENT OF FISHES.
who sometimes tread upon it with their “naked feet, which
the keen prickles upon its back pierce deeply, and cause
excruciating torture. A locked jaw, and death, are some-
times, the results of being lacerated by this miserable little
urchin, which happily is not common. Another plague to
the natives is the huruhurumau, a crab-like insect, which
also pricks their feet, and gives exquisite pain. - We found a
brown-speckled gelatinous animal, having two horn-like pro-
jections on its head, and two below the neck; also two flaps,
that double over its back, from which it ejects a purple fluid,
when disturbed. Many small fishes, singular in shape and
splendidly tinctured, play among the coral groves, or glide
beneath the smooth lagoons.
This evening we attended the catechising of adults at the
chapel. There were about two hundred present, young and
old, of both sexes. They read in course, verse by verse,
from the New Testament, and then explained their views of
the meaning. These were generally correct, and where er-
roneous, it was the business of the missionaries to set them
right. They are exceedingly docile, and receive with filial
reverence the instructions of their teachers.
Oct. 20. We ascended, to a considerable height, the
morintain behind the missionary settlement, from which a
commanding prospect of the adjacent reefs and winding
shores is obtained. The rocks are a blue stone, of close and
hard texture, containing a considerable portion of ferruginous
matter; when exposed to the atmosphere, the metal oxydizes,
and the mass assumes a deep-black color.
We received a present of fishes from Pomare. One of
these, called oirihumu, is curious. It is eighteen inches
long and half as many broad; the shape oval; the tail and
fins yellow, with a border of black; strong and sharp teeth
arm either jaw; besides which, it has a formidable defensive
apparatus, both on the back and under the belly, namely,
three sharp-pointed bones curving backwards, connected by
a membrane; these the fish can raise for the annoyance of
an enemy, or contract, so as to lie flat with the body, at
pleasure. There are five rows, also, of short spires extend-
ing about the tail. It is esteemed delicate food.
Oct. 21. We had the usual Sabbath services, in the native
and English languages. In the evening, Mr. Tyerman bap-
tized the infant daughter of Mr. Platt, the missionary.
We have lately been told that, several years before the ar-
.
TRIALS OF THE FIRST PREACHERS HERE. ;
87
rival of our missionaries, some Popish adventurers, from Li-
ma, in Peru, came to establish the Roman faith here, as had
been done by their church throughout South America.
They settled in Tahiti, where they built a coinmodious house,
and enclosed the space about it with a strong fence, to pro-
tect their live stock of hogs and fowls. The natives, how-
ever, by one ingenious stratagem or another, contrived to
rób them of every thing; by fish-hooks and lines catching
the fowls, and by more violent means possessing themselves
of the swine. At length, finding that the natives treated all
their attempts to convert them with derision, and, besides
plundering them of their property, continually harassed them
with knavish pranks-on one occasion, alarming them with
the apprehension that poison had been given to them, when
they had been induced to taste of the teve, which blistered
their lips as soon as they touched it-these unfortunate
emissaries abandoned their project in despair, and returned
home.
For many years our missionaries were used in the same
reckless and mischievous manner; but neither mockery nor
mal-treatment moved them. Enduring hardness as good
soldiers of Jesus Christ, they could not be conquered, be-
cause they would not yield. These devoted men, so soon as
they had gained sufficient mastery of the language, made
frequent tours through the islands, publishing from village to
village the gospel of the kingdom. They generally travelled
two and two together; and when they arrived in a populous
neighborhood, one went to one extremity, and the other to
the other, inviting the inhabitants, from house to house, to
attend at the appointed place. After thus collecting a small
flock, and conducting them towards the central rendezvous,
one of their reluctant recruits would make this excuse, and
another that, to go into the bush, to call upon a friend, &c.;
so that seldom more than ten or twelve could be mustered
when the service began. Some of these soon deserted likewise,
and the rest either made game of the preacher, or were them-
selves laughed to scorn by their profane neighbors. These
would say to a deformed person, “Go, you hump-back, to the..
preacher, and he will set you straight;" or to a cripple, “Take
your lame leg to the white man; he will cure it.” For nearly
twenty years, the missionaries bore reproach and shame, will-
ingly, for the Lord Jesus; but it grieved their feeling hearts
to see the same ignorance, superstition, lewdness and cruelty,
88
ROGUERY OF THE ISLANDERS FORMERLY.
without diminution, prevailing among the heathen, as they
found at their landing. Meanwhile, like their Roman Catho-
lic predecessors, they could scarcely preserve any movable
property from people who gloried in theft and roguery. One
day, when a great quantity of linen and other apparel, which
had been washed, was exposed to dry in the garden,
some expert pilferers, by means of long bamboos, with fish-
hooks at the end, abstracted every article, and escaped with
the spoil, unperceived. The houses being open, like bird-
cages, passers-by could see every thing that was hung up
within; and they frequently had the boldness and the skill
to make what they coveted their own. Mr. Nott, however, on
one occasion, having preached a sermon to some of them, on
the conversion of Zaccheus, the publican, the next day one of
his hearers brought a gimblet, a second an axe, a third a ham-
mer, a fourth a book, and other various articles—all stolen, and
some of them long ago, from ships and strangers-the con-
science-smitten culprits confessing their depredations, and
promising amendment. This afforded some encouragement,
and, indeed, it was one of the first satisfactory.fruits of the
labors of our brethren here.
Contrasted with by-gone times, in this respect, and in
proof of the honesty of the people now, it may be mentioned,
that a pair of gloves, which Mr. Tyerman had lost one night,
upon the public road, were brought back to be owned the
next day, by a young woman who had found them. We are
not yet aware that any thing has been purloined from us since
our landing. Many packages, brought from the ship, have
been (from necessity) left out, night after night, under a shed,
which is quite open at one end, and nothing has been missed.
Let men of the world, in the exercise of ordinary candor, ac-
count for this change in the character of a whole people-not
in one island, but in several on any other ground than that
of a pure and divine principle superseding a corrupt human
one, wherever the gospel has been victorious over idolatry.
But the most formidable obstacle to the success of the mis-
sionaries, in their evangelical work, was the apparently indis-
soluble union of statecraft and priestcraft here; the civil and
ecclesiastical offices, if not lodged in the same individuals, be-
ing confined to those who were interested in upholding both
force not being sufficient, without fraud, to hold even barba-
rians under their bondage. Justice and humanity were out
of the question; nothing was too violent or too infamous to be
IDOLATROUS PRIESTS.
.89
adopted, if it promised to strengthen or to increase royal or
sacerdotal usurpations. The king stood at the head of all the
chiefs on the one hand, and of all the priests on the other ;
consequently, these two bodies supported their common head,
while he protected and aggrandized each in return, that
he might secure his own ascendency. This crafty and
cruel system kept the people in the most abject servility.
Whatever the king, the chiefs, or the priests, required or com-
manded, none durst refuse or resist. If any one were so
rash, he was marked out as a victim to be sacrificed to the
demon-divinities, in whose name, and by whose sanction,
all acts of oppression were decreed and justified. A poor
fellow who had committed an offence of this kind, being
aware of his danger, sought sanctuary on the premises of
one of the missionaries, and so long as he remained within
the enclosure, he was safe. Several months had elapsed,
and the affair seemed to be forgotten, when the man ventur-
ed forth again. Within three days he was caught, and
murdered. His body was carried to the marae, in a basket
called haape, made of cocoa-leaves twisted together; such
as the priests used in presenting human sacrifices (after they
had been slain at a distance) to their atrocious idols, in
whose presence the carcasses were hung upon the sacred
trees around the shrine.
Though the king was supreme over the priests, as well as
the chiefs, it is remarkable what power the former, especial-
ly those of Oro, who pretended to inspiration, sometimes af-
fected to exercise over him. In their fits of fanatical frenzy,
while delivering oracles, they would insist on the sovereign's
implicit compliance with their mandates, denouncing the
most dreadful judgments if he were refractory. One of these
insolent impostors, on a certain occasion, vehemently urged
Pomare to commence some horrid operations on the day fol-
lowing. The king hesitated, saying, “If it rains, we shall
not be able to proceed.” “The weather is in my hands,
and there shall be no rain to-morrow,” replied the priest.
Next day, however, the rain descended in torrents till noon.
Mr. Nott, who had heard of what had passed, went to the
king, and pointing to the clouds, as they poured down the
water, exclaimed, “What is this, king ?" "What is it?-
why, it is rain," answered Pomare. “But did not the
prophet of Oro tell you that the rain was in his hands, and
that there should be none to-day?" inquired the missionary.
8 *
90
.SECOND INTERVIEW WITH PUMARE.
TS
“He did; but no doubt Oro is angry on some account,' res
plied the king, evidently evading the consequence of such
failure in the prediction. This circumstance, and other ex-
posures of the knavery of the pretended prophets, no doubt,
had their effect upon that shrewd and intelligent prince,
when the eyes of his mind became once a little enlightened,
to discern the fooleries and atrocities of the ancient super-
stition.
The following circumstance will tend to show how the chiefs,
leagued with the priests, maintained their dignity in the eyes
of the people. When a chief was seized with sickness, or when
his wife bore him a child, the whole district was immediately
laid under a restriction, which they called rahu. This was
done by the direction of the priest, who sent a poro (a herald),
dressed in green leaves, fastened round his neck, and hang-
ing down to his girdle, to make proclamation, in these words:
“Let no fires be kindled; let no food be cooked ; let no ca-
noes put to sea,” &c. &c. So long as this prohibition re-
mained, the people were obliged to go to distant parts of the
island to prepare their victuals; nor was it removed till cer-
tain prayers had been made, and sacrifices offered at the
* marae. Meanwhile, if any one dared to violate the inter-
dict, immediate death was the penalty.--The gospel was the
fittest instrument to break such a yoke; and it has broken it.
Oct. 22. We have had a second interview with the king.
He proposes to make an aquatic tour round the island of
Eimeo, by short stages, for the benefit of his health. He
came from his house, early this morning, in his canoe, and
being unable to walk, appointed us to meet him at the resi-
dence of Mr. Bicknell, which is near the beach. His prime
minister, Tati, waited upon us to announce his master's
wish to take friendly leave of us before his departure. AC-
cordingly we accompanied him to Mr. Bicknell's, where we
found Pomare lying on a sofa, with his legs and feet covered
as before. His breath was short; le often coughed, and
showed symptoms of great weakness, as well as pain,
from indisposition. He told us that he had given orders for
all such things to be collected for us (curiosities of the coun-
try), as we might desire to take home on our return. We
intimated that we should like to have the model of a canoe.
He replied, “It is made long ago ;''--meaning that it should
certainly and immediately be done. He inquired concern-
ing our plans for future operations; especially, when we
MAMA, FORMERLY A PHOPHET or oro.
91
.
thought of making the tour of Tahiti, as he himself intended
to return thither, after having completed his voyage round
Eimeo. We explained to him, as far as we could foresee,
our purposes in respect to cursorily visiting those windward,
and also the leeward islands, in the course of a few months.
He afterwards asked what o'clock it was, probably that he
might gratify his curiosity with the sight of our watches;
being fond of all such articles as display exquisite mechanical
skill in their construction. He is said to possess many val-
uable watches of his own, and to have given no small num-
ber away among his chiefs. Having examined ours with
much attention, he inquired if we had any spectacles. Mr.
Bennet produced a pair, with green shades. Pomare put
them on, looked through them, and seemed much delighted,
but returned them very quietly. When we had left the house,
however, he requested one of the missionaries to follow us,
and propose an exchange of his own green shades, which
were too small, with those of Mr. Bennet, which precisely
fitted him. The request was, of course, readily complied
with. Our audience, this time, lasted about an hour, and we
had much reason to be pleased with the king's courtesy.
When we had returned to our friend's house, the queen,
her daughter, and her sister, came in, to take leave of us,
before commencing their journey with the king. They
were all attired in the native fashion, with a cloth girt round
the loins, and another thrown loosely over the shoulders.
Their English dresses, it seems, are their robes of state, and
for Sundays. They wore small bonnets, however, and shoes
and stockings..
Two chiefs afterwards visited us. One of these, named
Mama, is a man of great influence in Eimeo, and formerly
was a prophet of Oro. He assured us, that although he
sometimes feigned his fits of inspiration, to deceive the cred-
ulous multitude, yet, at other times, they came upon him
involuntarily and irresistibly. Something seemed to rush
through his whole frame, and overpower his spirit, in a man-
ner which he could not describe. Then he frothed at the
mouth, gnashed his teeth, and distorted his limbs with such
violence that it required five or six strong men to hold him.
At these times his words were deemed oracles, and whatever
he advised respecting state affairs, or other matters, was im-
plicitly observed by king and chiefs. However loath any
person might be to admit the reality of Satanic possession,
92
FORMER PERILS OF MISSIONARIES. -
in these days, all who have witnessed the fearful exhibitions
of idolaters while affecting preternatural influences, or havé
conversed with such as have themselves been actually, or in
imagination, under those influences and who, after they
have become Christians (when no doubt of their sincerity
could be entertained), have declared ingenuously how far
they had wilfully imposed upon others, or how far (judging
by their present feelings and convictions) they have been
themselves deceived by fanatic excitement, so as to have be-
come the passive instruments of him whose business it is
or to deceive the nations ;''-would feel it very difficult to in-
validate the pretension, though there is by no means suf-
ficient evidence absolutely to establish it. Our visitor says
that he never feels any thing of the kind now, nor has he
ever been tempted in like manner since he embraced Chris-
tianity. These desperate impostors often threatened to kill
the missionaries, whom, nevertheless, they dreaded as much
as they hated. Often they could not bear the sight of those
good men, and ran to hide themselves at their approach.
The preservation of the lives of our missionaries in such a
country for twenty years always exposed and defenceless as
they were, yet boldly rebuking sin, and inculcating righte-
ousness-conduct calculated to rouse the vengeance of a
wicked people, without fear of God or respect for men be-
fore their eyes --may surely be regarded as a proof of the
divine care of the good Shepherd,” who sent forth his im-
mediate disciples as “ sheep among wolves," with this maxim
for their conduct- be ye wise as serpents, but harmless as
doves ;” and this assurance for their comfort amidst trials-
" the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”—Matt. x.
16, 30.
The two chiefs who called upon us to-day, with many
others, are about to accompany the king on his coasting voy-
age round Eimeo, and thence to Tahiti, to witness the event
of his alarming malady; and to know, as they themselves
informed us, his mind concerning the future government of
his dominions. Pomare seems to be very generally esteemed
by all classes of his subjects, who regard him as the greatest
sovereign that ever reigned in these islands.
In the evening we walked along the foot of the mountain
towards the king's house, where we had had our first audience
with him. Hard -by, observing a small cabin, composed of
leaves and mats, about the size and shape of a gipsy-tent,
TATOOING.
93
and open at one end, we inquired of the neighbors what it
was; when we were answered that it was a fare bure raa,-
a house of prayer, belonging to Pomare, into which he is
near the beach, is shaded by a few trees, and surrounded with
a fence. We could not look upon such an oratory, for such
a man, without deep emotion. The very grass that strewed
the floor, on which he was wont to prostrate himself, seemed
evidence of some good thing found in him towards the
Lord God of Israel.”'
Oct. 23. We have often been struck with the singular
ingenuity displayed in the tatooing of the bodies and limbs
of these people. No two are marked alike. Different
figures and devices, according to every one's fancy, are im-
printed upon their skins, with a regularity and beauty which
cannot but excite admiration. In very few instances the
face was tatooed; the chest, arms, loins, legs, and hands of
the men were principally thus ornamented. The women are
tatooed on the same parts, but more especially and curiously
about the ankles, and over the foot as far as the toes. The
rank of the individual might frequently be guessed by the
quantity and character of these elegant delineations. We
idolatry, or any of its rites; there is little doubt that it was
an artifice employed to enhance personal beauty, according
to the notions prevalent here, as well as among other barba-
rous nations, with whom this usage obtains. As soon as
abandoned. None of the young people are seen thus deco-
rated, though some attempts have been made to revive the
fashion in several of the islands. In fact, it is now looked
upon as a badge of heathenism, and if openly resumed, in
any district, would be regarded as a symptom and signal
of revolt against the existing government, of which Christi-
anity is the avowed basis. Tatooing was executed by pro-
fessional artists, who travelled about the country for employ-
ment, and obtained ample recompence from their customers,
in hogs, cloth, fruit, and whatever else they wanted. The
operation was generally performed at the age of twelve or
thirteen years. The whole was not accomplished at once,
but at different times, as the patient was able to bear the
pain and inflammation that followed every stage of the process.
The instruments used were flat bits of hard bone, an inch
94
MOSQUITOES.
in length, and of different widths, from an eighth to a quarter
of an inch. One edge of each piece was cut into fine, close
spikes, like a very small-toothed comb; it was then fastened
to a stick four inches long, as the head of a rake is attached
to the handle. This being held between the fore-finger and
thumb of one hand of the operator, and the indented edge
struck gently with a piece of wood, held in like manner in
his other hand, inflicted as many punctures in the skin as
there were points in the instrument. The coloring matter
was introduced with the strokes, the teeth of the bony tool
being each time dipped into a preparation of soot, produced
by the burnt candle-nut, collected in a small oven, and mixed
with water to the consistency of cream. This coloring, in
the ofive skins of the natives, becomes an indelible dark
blue; and where the tatooing has been well executed, the
patterns resemble exquisite net-work, or delicate embroidery.
It is remarkable, that though the parts which bear these im-
pressions are liable to be affected with blotches and scars, like
the rest of the body, yet, when the wounds are healed, the
figures reappear on the sound skin, though sometimes a little
distorted.
Oct. 24. The weather being favorable, we took leave of
our friends, many of whom came to say, “ Taorana," "all
blessings be upon you!” and at eight o'clock A. M. we put
off in a boat for Tahiti. We were, however, soon compelled,
by a cross wind, to land a few miles from the missionary set-
tlement. The chief of the district not being at home, we
were but scantily supplied with provisions by the poor inhab-
itants, who nevertheless made us welcoine, and furnished us
with the best cheer they could. The mosquitoes swarmed
here, and were excessively troublesome ; for we no sooner
forebore driving them away than they alighted in great mul-
titudes on our hands, and quite covered them, till we again
destroyed or swept off the pestilent annoyances.
On the beach here there is a marae, built of coral blocks,
twenty feet by twelve in length and breadth, and sloped from
the ground like the roof of a house. It is less dilapidated
than these forsaken structures generally are. We had often
heard of the pious people of these islands retiring among the
bushes, for the purposes of prayer and communion with God.
To-day, we were happy to follow their practice, and under
the shade of thickets or embowering trees, poured out our
souls before Him who inhabiteth eternity, and whom we
.
RETURN TO TAHITI.
95
found as verily present among the woody solitudes of Eimeo,
as in temples made with hands in our own country—at the
domestic altar, round which we have worshipped with Chris-
tian friends, or in the closet, at our own home, when we have
shut to the door, and prayed “to our Father which seeth in
secret.” At our temporary-lodging here, there was no divis-
ion of the house into rooms, the whole being one open apart-
ment, from end to end ; so that, being obliged by continued
adverse weather to spend the night in it, blankets spread
upon the floor were our beds, while our boat's crew of natives
slept upon the grass that strewed the floor, or in the open air
without. There being a small chapel, Mr. Nott had previ-
ously preached to the few people that lived at hand. :
Oct. 25. The wind having subsided, we re-embarked at
four o'clock this morning, and by eleven in the forenoon
reached Tahiti safe and well. We had scarcely landed
when a strong gale began to blow, which, if it had sprung up
a few minutes earlier, must have driven us many miles down
the coast, westward, before we could have made shore. We
reached Matavai in the evening, after having refreshed our-
selves at Mr. Bicknell's, and been sumptuously entertained,
by an aged chief, named Noauno, by the way.
Oct. 27. Feeling the necessity of having some rallying
point, as well as store-room for our luggage and provisions,
we had engaged a small house at Matavai, which being now
conveniently fitted up for our reception, we removed into it
from Mr. Nott's. It is a native dwelling, situated at the
head of the bay, and near the river, commanding views of
land and water of great extent on the Tahitian coast, with
the graceful island of Eimeo reposing in aërial perspective, at
the distance of ten leagues. On the one hand, about a stone's
throw, a chapel of superior architecture, and large dimen-
sions, is rising towards completion; on the other, a rich and
productive orchard of orange, lime, citron, and tamarind
trees, planted by the first missionaries. Near this stood
their original residence, built by themselves, substantially, of
wood and stone, but burnt down by the enemies of Pomare,
in the first war against Christianity, which drove the king
and our brethren from Tahiti, to take refuge in Eimeo.
The house which we have taken measures thirty feet in
front, and is eighteen feet wide. The walls are of purau
sticks, placed an inch and a half asunder, so that to Europe-
an constitutions it is airy enough. The roof slopes to within
96 :
SECURITY AND CONTENTMENT.
six feet of the ground, and is thatched in the native style
with broad leaves. The door is composed of a few rough
boards, clumsily nailed together, and hangs upon leathern
hinges, which have once been the soles of a pair of shoes.
In front of this, on the outside, there is a small enclosure,
formed of stakes driven into the ground, and so high as not
very easy to be stepped over. This is to keep out the pigs,
which would otherwise visit us in our dwelling, with as much
freedom and as little ceremony as the people themselves.
At some points, boards, and at others, mats, are attached to
the walls to keep out a little of the wind and rain. We,
however, shall find it convenient to line the inside with cloth,
to prevent being continually overlooked by curious eyes,
hundreds of which are daily peeping and prying around us.
The interior arrangements are open-work partitions, like the
extreme walls, forming a bed-room and also a place for stores,
at each end, with a spacious drawing-room between, carpeted
with long grass. Two canteen tables have been lashed to-
gether to form one; boxes placed upon each other are our
seats, but not much to be depended on, as their crazy support
is very apt to be withdrawn if slightly overbalanced. Our
landlord's old bedstead, a number of casks, and other lum-
ber, furnish one side of this grotesque apartment. Our own
iron bedsteads were at first placed on the floor, but we were
then so liable to be invaded by armies of fleas, peopling the
grass with which the floor was strewn, that we were obliged
to raise them on stilts, to a height which made the evil of
climbing into bed only less than the evil of falling out might
have been. Even this precaution did not prevent our be-
siegers, the fleas, from storming our nocturnal citadels; it
only put them to a little more trouble in scaling the outworks.
But we had multitudes of assailants in the air as well as on
the ground; from these (the musquitoes) our lawn curtains
proved a sufficient defence, when we had oncc excluded the
enemy from within, and drawn them round our beds.
When we commenced housekeeping, we each engaged a
native man-servant to wait upon us, cook our victuals, carry
us across fords, and help to manage the boat when we had to
sail from one place to another. But, however humble our
dwelling and scanty our accommodations, we envy not kings
their palaces nor great men their splendor. The presence
of God, not visible but felt, hath hallowed and blessed our
frail tabernacle, which we dedicated to Him from the hour

NATIVE MANNERS,
97
that it became our abode. Here it is our duty and our hap-
piness to serve Him, in that cause to which He has appoint-
ed us. Though our slightly wattled dwelling could have
afforded no security against violence, we needed none; shel-
ter from the elements was all that we wanted. Hither, dur-
ing the intervals of visiting, and after the fatigues of the day,
we retired for privacy; and at night lay down in peace, fear-
ing no evil, under the never-slumbering eye of Him that
keepeth Israel; and amidst a people, lately savages, now
Christians—Christians in their infant state.-On an island
inhabited only by children, we should not have been more at
home and at ease.
Oct. 28. (Lord's day.) While we were in the house, be-
tween the hours of divine service, many of the natives came
in, with the frank familiarity which custom justifies here,
and observed with quiet but intense curiosity all that we did
and all that we had about us. One of them read a chapter
from the gospel of St. Luke; they afterwards sang a hymn;
and all behaved with the utmost decorum. Though it is not
always agreeable to our notions of comfort to be encumbered
with the presence of strangers, we must acknowledge that
there is always so much good nature expresesd in their coun-
tenances, and such simplicity of manners among them, that
it is impossible to be seriously offended with their inquisitive-
ness. They go into every room, and carefully examine what
happens to attract their notice, but never remove any thing
out of its place, nor even handle it.
Oct. 29. The Tahitians are very early risers. No sooner
does the day begin to dawn than they quit their couches,
and proceed to their occupations, beginning with their pri-
vate and social devotions, for in every house there is family
prayer, morning and evening. Whatever these islanders
may have been, in their heathen state, they are not the in-
dolent beings now which they were formerly represented to
be. They do a great deal of work, but it is chiefly done in
the early part of the day, while Europeans are in bed.
This morning many had assembled about our house, between
five and six o'clock, bringing different articles for sale.
They were careful, however, not to disturb us. By seven
o'clock our sitting-room was crowded. Our visitors brought
a great variety of merchandise, to tempt us to barter ;-such
as hogs, goats, fowls, eggs, native cloth, pearl-shells, fishing-
hooks (very ingenious and beautiful contrivances), lines, cor-
-
98
BARTER-TRADE.
dage made of various materials, mats, bags, nets, calabashes
for water vessels, sweet-scented oil, umitis (large wooden
dishes), penus (stone-hammers), stools, spears, bows and ar-
rows, &c. &c. We made various purchases by barter ;
knives, forks and scissors were in the greatest request, but
European cloth would have been more acceptable, now that
civilization is increasing their wants and their comforts, the
former stimulating them to procure the latter by honest in-
dustry, and improvement in such arts and manufactures as
they already practise, or are learning. Our house continued
to be crowded, both within and without, till afternoon; and
though the people ceased to importune us to buy their com-
modities when they saw us prepare for breakfast and dinner,
yet many seated themselves on the floor, and witnessed with
earnest attention our performances at both these meals.
Though we could very well have dispensed with such spec-
tators, yet we willingly indulged their harmless curiosity, in
hope that they might be induced, by what they saw, to
change their own ruder modes of feeding.
Among the wares offered for sale were mourning-bells.
These are made of two large pearl-shells, loosely fastened
back to back; when knocked against each other, they emit a
singularly shrill noise, which may be heard at a considerable
distance. These bells were used when a member of a
family died, or when a chief was ill. In the latter instance,
the priests went about at night, ringing these bells, making
the most dismal noises, and uttering such intercessory pray-
ers to the gods as follow :-" Tahi tea; have mercy!—Tahi
po tea; have mercy, this night!-Faa hoia mai to maru ;
restore thy own servant !- Eiatoa tenaia; quench not his
Hife!”—This lugubrious mummery was all deceptive and
· hypocritical, to impose on the credulity of the people. The
crafty priests cared not for the chiefs, any further than as the
chiefs were necessary instruments of extortion upon the vas-
sals for the maintenance of idolatry. Every conceivable
trick was resorted to for the acquisition of property; people,
chiefs, the sovereign himself, were all fleeced to enrich the
greedy hierarchy. The most valuable presents which the
king received from England, or obtained from the captains
of vessels touching upon his coast, he was generally com-
pelled to offer to the gods. But these gifts were reserved for
great occasions, such as the commencement of a war. Then
were the royal treasures impoverished to enrich the maraes,
THE PIRIPIRI.
and render the deities propitious; the priests of course being
the proxies of the dumb idols, and appropriating all the pre-
cious things either to their own use, or distributing them
among their dependents and patrons; thus maintaining their
influence over every class of the community.
Towards evening we walked out into the neighborhood.
In one house we found twelve women diligently employed in
beating out cloth from the bark of trees, keeping up a regular
stroke, to a tune, with their wooden hammers. In the midst
aware, had become studded, nearly all over, with a small
burr, called piripiri, which is so keen that it instantly ad-
heres where it touches; and, piercing through the thinner
parts of the clothing, scratches and inflames the skin. This
little plant abounds every where, and is, in the vegetable
world, what fleas and mosquitoes are in the animal—a vexa-
tious companion.
CHAPTER VI. ,
Fishing by Torch-light-Valley of Matavai–Sufferings of first Mission-
aries— Rare Birds-Ora Tree, &c.--Basaltic Cliffs—Simple Method
of producing Fire-Traits of Tahitian Character-Mode of Living-
Administration of the Sacrament-Diseases of the Natives-Burial
of a Child-Proper Names—Phosphoric Matches--Apprehensions of
a Disturbance-Site for Cotton-Factory-American Ship in Matavai
Bay-Account of a Plot once formed by Tahitians to seize a Euro-
pean Vessel-Providential Preservation of the Lives of Mr. Wilson
and Mr. Bennet at Sea-The last Battle of the last Native War.
Oct. 31. Last night our house was surrounded and as-
saulted by depredators, who made repeated attempts to force.
an entrance, but were unable. The circumstance did not
give us much uneasiness, the rogues being only pigs and
dogs. We were much more annoyed by our enemies within
doors—the fleas, which, in spite of our stilted bedsteads, ob-
truded upon us, and were so ardent and active that sleep was
hopeless in such society. The fleas here are much smaller
than those in England, and are so nimble that it is next to
impossible to catch them. They breed in the herbless sand,
and shelter in the grass that covers the floors of the houses ;
happily, the light clothing of the natives affords these vermin
little cover for hiding themselves.
100
FISHING BY TORCH-LIGHT.
Several women, accompanied by a-man, were engaged this
evening in catching fish, by torch-light. They first made a
dam across the stream, of the branches of trees, close twisted
together. In this three openings were left, through which
the water was allowed to run. At each of these one of the
party was stationed with a net, which was held in such a
manner that scarcely a fish could pass without being entan-
gled. Two others, with their torches, made of dry cocoa-
leaves, commenced operations at some distance above; the
one on this side of the stream, the other on that, walking
slowly, and striking the water with part of the leaf, to drive
the fish downwards into the nets. By this simple contrivance
a large draught was taken.
Clocks are not yet common in Tahiti, and but few of the
people have watches. It is very difficult, therefore, to con-
vey an idea of the exact time when any thing is to be done.
We wished to have an early breakfast to-morrow; our old
landlord told the servants to bake some bread-fruit for us; he
then imitated the crowing of the cock, signifying that it was
to be ready when the cock himself should make such a noise
in the morning. This venerable man is unwearied in his en-
deavors to accommodate us. He learned to read and write
at an advanced age. This evening we were singing some
Tahitian hymns, with the people who came to see us, when
he produced a hymn-book, transcribed by himself, in a legible
hand, from a printed copy. The impression first issued was
so inadequate to supply the eager demands, that many per-
sons were at the pains of thus writing out the hymns for their
own use.
Nov. 1. This morning, accompanied by the Rev. Messrs.
Wilson and Jones, we set out to ascend the valley of Mata-
vai. This valley lies north-west and south-east. Towards
the sea it opens into a rich champaign of considerable extent,
covered with groves of bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees; while,
inland, it grows narrower and narrower, trending like the
curvature of the stream that winds through it. This stream
has a considerable fall in several places; the bed consists of
large black stones; the width varies, but is generally about
twenty yards. The base of the high mountains, on both
sides, occasionally comes down to the edge of the water,
so that we had, from time to time, either to ford it, or submit
to be carried across on men's shoulders. In one part of our
progress, we took off our shoes and stockings, and walked
VALLEY OF MATAVAI.
101
about a mile barefoot, having to cross the stream six times
within that distance. In this short exercise we learned to
sympathize with our elder missionaries, who for many years
were wont to travel barefoot over the stony tracks of this
mountainous and uncultivated country, preaching the gospel
wherever they could persuade a few natives to listen to them
though that was often with scorn and derision. Sometimes,
when they had to cross great breadths of burning sands, they
used to furnish theinselves with bundles of foliage from the
adjacent woods, and, laying down a green leaf at every step,
they 'set the soles of their feet successively upon these cool,
soft patches of carpeting, and thus escaped the blistering ef-
fects of treading upon a soil that resembled hot ashes con-
cealing half-extinguished fires. Recollection of the hard-'
ships of these faithful men, while they thus trod their painful
way over gravel that cut, and sand that scorched, their feet,
in iniserable worn-out vestments, and often scantily supplied
with food,--humbled us by comparison with our easier cross
and lighter load; while it endeared them also to our affec-
tions, as those to whom it was given .not only to labor but to
suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus.
The mountains on either hand rise abruptly and to a con-
siderable altitude; their sides are generally clothed with
trees and bushes, which overhung our heads as we went, and
closing or opening the scene of sky and valley, frequently
presented the most singular and pleasing pictures. In sev-
eral places the crags towered perpendicularly from the bed
of the current, to the height of five hundred feet and more,
decorated with trees and shrubs, which, starting out of the
fissures in their bold faces, seemed to grow in air, suspended
and supported of themselves. From the tops of these huge
masses of rock, which are but the basement-story of the stu-
pendous superstructure of mountains, the upper eminences
sloped to a fearful elevation beyond, and appeared to hide
their sunny peaks in the deep-blue firmament. Throughout
the whole valley there are objects of grandeur and awe that
overwhelm the beholder and defy description. Some years
ago, part of an adjacent cliff slid down to the bed of the
river here, and dammed up the channel, till the water had
spread into a broad pool, which threatened, when it should
burst by accumulation, to devastate all the lower lands. The
terrified inhabitants expected to see their dwellings, planta-
tions, and all they, possessed, borne onward into the sea,
9 *
.:
102
:
RARE RIRDS-ORA TREE. .
while they had no power to avert or restrain the calamity.
Providence, however, so ordered, that the water gradually
made its way through the looser materials, till the leakage,
had slowly opened a moderate vent, through which the whole
body drained off, without doing any further injury.
The stones distributed through the bed of the river corre-
spond with those of the adjacent rocks, being chiefly a coarse
breccia or pudding-stone, composed of blue rag and chert in
brown clay; the material is exceedingly hard, and resembles
the substance of Roman walling found in our own country.
Some of the porous blocks contain small quantities of iron
pyrites, and occasionally minute sparks of silicious crystals
in the cavities. The mouroa, a tropic-bird, was occasionally
seen flying from point to point, at a vast height in the narrow
sky, between the opposing cliffs, in which it builds its nest.
We observed also the otu teatea, or white crane; and the
opia, which resembles the swallow in shape and habits; but
the tail is short and not forked; the body is of a glossy blue,
the wings, tail, and head dusky brown, and the bill yellow.
It often swept by us, in its pursuit of flies, low along the
ground, or following the course of the river. Lizards of va-
') rious kinds, from four to five inches long, were numerous in
our path; their bodies generally brown and speckled, with
blue or green tails. They are harmless and vivacious, but
slunk under cover at our approach. The brown libellula, or
dragon-fly, abounds here. Black flies, like those of England,
and mosquitoes swarm every where.
We passed a remarkably large tree, called ora, of that
species from the bark of which the natives make a valuable
brown cloth; the leaf is shaped like that of the laurel. This
specimen, at its root, measured nearly forty feet in circum-
ference. The upper part of the stem divided itself into two
lateral branches, extensively ramified, while the bark, from
the ground to the head, was thickly mantled with ferns and
parasitical plants. The vi-apple, in this valley, flourishes
amazingly. The lower part of the trunk is curious, expand-
ing into five or six flat buttresses, admirably adapted to sup-
port the wide-spreading top. We found the tara papa, or
pine-apple, growing wild, on which the rats feed deliciously.
The ape, a plant of the arum species, springs up here to a
great size. One of its broad, deep-green leaves, carried over
the head, is a sufficient shelter from rain or intense heat;
and these were so used by the natives, who, when they first
BASALTIC CLIrrs. ·
103
saw the European umbrella, naturally called it fareraquape
- from fare a house, raau a leaf, and ape the above-mention-
ed plant,—the arum-leaf-house.
As we advanced up the valley, the sun shone with great
strength, and we found it a fatiguing journey to the point at
which we aimed. At length we reached the object (called
by the natives pihaa), a singularly fine basaltic cliff, with the
rivulet flowing at its basis, from which it rises almost perpen-
dicularly, to the height of two hundred feet, by three hundred
in breadth. Above, it is covered with dark earth, fragments
of rock, and towering trees. The whole mass is columnar;
the pillars being irregular pentagons, the sides of which vary
from five to eight inches in width; and all the pillars stand
close to one another without adhering. There are no joints,
nor natural divisions in the shafts, from the bottom to the
top; though in some are seen casual fractures, which cross
the diameters at different angles, evidently occasioned by ex-
ternal injuries from falling substances, as those columns which
are not exposed to similar injury from above are perfect.
This magnificent breast-work stands nearly perpendicular,
with a slight inclination towards the south-east. But the
most singular feature of this basaltic formation is presented
on that quarter which is highest up the stream. The columns
there descend from the same elevation with the rest, and are
parallel to them, till within twenty-five feet of the water,
where they swerve into a graceful sweep, or segment of a cir-
cle, of which the diameter might be forty or fifty feet. The
shafts of this curved part preserve their exact juxta-position
to each other, and have been as entire as the upright ones,
though now they appear considerably more shattered, by
fragments of rock precipitated from the top. The whole
bulk consists of hard compact basalt, of a dark-blue color,
much resembling many of the beds of trap-stone in Europe.
On the contrary bank of the river, the rocks are so intri-
cately overgrown with underwood that it was too difficult for
us to ascertain whether they were of corresponding structure;
but about a quarter of a mile higher up the current, the ba-
saltic form was apparent on both sides. There the clustered
columns are lying in almost every conceivable position with
respect to each other, yet all in so regular a state as to imply
that they have not been disturbed since their first arrange-
ment, by whatever means that may have been produced.
A heavy shower of rain hastened our departure, after some
104
SIMPLE METHOD OF PRODUCING TIRE.
time spent in beholding and adıniring this stupendous work
of almighty skill. On our way home, we had an opportunity
of observing the simple and ingenious process by which the
islanders obtain fire. A man took a piece of dry purau
wood, twelve inches long, and two thick. With another
stick of the same tree, sharpened to a point, and held with
both his hands, at an angle of about 45°, he rubbed the for-
iner gently, as it lay on the ground, till he had scratched a
groove in it several inches long. Then, continuing the same
operation, but pressing the point harder upon the lower piece,
and increasing the velocity of the motion, some brown dust
was soon formed within the groove, and collected at one end.
In a few seconds smoke was apparent, and the dust was ig-
nited. The spark was then immediately conveyed into a
finger-hole opened in a handful of dry grass. The man
blew upon it, and, waving the tuft in the air, the grass was
quickly in a flame. The whole experiment:did not occupy
more than two minutes.
Nov. 2. From an interesting conversation with Messrs.
Nott and Wilson, this evening, we obtained the following in-
formation. King Pomare, though his power has long been
absolute, has never intermeddled with the spiritual concerns
of the missions, or of the Christian churches formed in his
dominions. He was long ago baptized, but has never yet
partaken of the Lord's Supper, nor sought admission to it,
often saying that he is not a fit subject. In fact, he seems to
have a dread of this ordinance, lest, by unworthily receiving
it, he should incur the divine displeasure.
The Tahitians, in their heathen state, never forgot a ben-
efit nor forgave an injury. In the last war between the
Christians and idolaters, the latter, being vanquished, fled to
the fästnesses of the mountains. A chief of the victorious
party learning that, among the enemy who had thus escaped,
there was a man who had shown kindness to himself in a
former war, set off to find him, tracking the fugitive as well
as he could from hill to hill, and thicket to thicket, frequent-
ly calling him by name, to the extent of his voice, imploring
him to come forth, and promising him safety and subsistence.
At length he found the poor fellow, received him under his
protection, brought him from the wilderness to his own house,
and there fed and treated him with the hospitality of a kind
friend. Nor were instances of such gratitude rare. On the
other hand, their revenge was implacable, following its victim
UNEQUAL MARRIAGES.
105
from island to island, or waiting from year to year, till it
could revel in his agonies and exult over his death. Chris-
tianity has confirmed what was good, and extinguished what
was evil, in the habits and dispositions of these people.
They love as brethren, and they can forgive, as they pray
to be forgiven. This was signally exemplified in the war
above alluded to, which was conducted without ferocity, and
in which, for the first time, mercy was shown to the vanquish-
ed. The Christians conquered by their valor, but they
triumphed by their forbearance. Neither plunder, nor vio-
lence, nor massacre followed the defeat of their foes; and
the latter, astonished at this new thing in the islands, were
soon induced to submit to such magnanimous conquerors.
The ancient wars of this people were horribly destruc-
tive—when the weapons were slings, spears, clubs, &c.—and
the conflict was decided, man to man, at close quarters.
The greater part, on both sides, often fell; the prisoners
were butchered in cold blood; and those who fled to the
mountains were hunted down and slain, like wild beasts.
Since they have procured fire-arms from European visitors,
and learned the use of them, the slaughter on their battle-
fields has not been so great in proportion as formerly. The
gospel of peace, however, has abolished all wars in those
islands which have cordially received it.
Nov. 3. Several persons brought us presents of fruit, this
morning, among whom was a female chief, whose husband
is “a man of low degree." Such unequal matches are fre-
quent, but they affect the condition of neither; the woman
retains her rank and authority, but does not exalt her partner
to an equality with herself in these respects. The children
of such marriages, under the reign of idolatry, were always
destroyed at their birth, as being degraded by the inferiority
of their father. Now all children are not only spared, but
tenderly nourished and trained, by both parents, who are
affectionately fond of them. Yesterday we saw at the
church-meeting a woman, who is now regarded as a pious
character, who, “in her times of ignorance," had killed eight
of her offspring with her own hands. What ought to be our
detestation of a system which thus outraged nature in her
dearest charities! What our admiration of that religion
which proposes to reclaim the beings whom that system had
perverted and which has reclaimed them, in hundreds, yea,
thousands, of instances!
106
ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENT.
This afternoon our kitchen took fire, and the whole fabric
was quickly consumed before our eyes. The loss was not
great. Our provisions are dressed, at a short distance from
the dwelling, under a wide-spreading purau tree. A fire is
made on the ground, and, to prevent its being extinguished
by a sudden fall of rain, a few large leaves were formed into
a kind of roof, which was suspended by a string fastened to
an over-hanging branch. By some accident. the flames
caught this awning; in an instant all was in a blaze, and a
few moments afterwards all in ashes. Few are our wants in
this happy land, and they are easily supplied ; in no part of
the world, probably, with less variety of materials for provid-
ing the cornforts of life, are the latter more accessible to
every body, in all places and circumstances. The evils of
wealth and poverty are scarcely known, where hogs and
fowls are all that are needed for animal food, and 'wholesome
fruits may be plucked from almost every bough; while, to
build dwelling-houses, frame vessels to navigate the ocean,
and furnish clothing suitable to the climate,--the wood, the
bark, the leaves of trees, self-planted, or improved with small
culture, abundantly suffice.
Nov. 4. Being sacrament-day, we partook, for the first
time, of this ordinance, with our brethren and sisters from
among the gentiles. We had the privilege of carrying
the elements to the communicants, and were deeply affected
to observe the becoming solemnity with which they were re-
ceived,-in soine cases, with tears, and with trembling.
From the devotion which was manifested, and the great care
taken by their pastors in receiving candidates to the Lord's
table, there was good cause to hope that those who here
commemorated the dying love of their Redeemer were wor-
thy, however little they might seem in their own eyes. There
were sixty-five natives, men and women, present. All who
have been baptized are candidates for this ordinance; but
none are admitted till the missionaries are fully satisfied of
the sincerity of their professions, and the reality of their re-
ligion, by the consistency of their conduct and conversation. .
Among the communicants, this day, was a man who had
been a priest and a prophet of Oro, the god of war-and not
the Mars only, but the Moloch of Polynesia-so cruel and
abominable were the rites with which that representative of
Satan was worshipped. This votary, however, once so hon-
ored and enriched by his office, when he felt the gospel as -
'
DISEASES OF TIL NATIVES.
107
the power of God, renounced his distinctions, forsook tlie
craft whereby he got his wealth, and became, so far as man
can judge, a sincere and humble disciple of the Lord Jesus.
The fact and evidence of this, and many a like conversion,
cannot be doubted by infidel or gainsayer; the common day-
light reveals these; and God, who knoweth the heart, we
must believe, will show, in his own time, that, in the majori-
ty at least, the changes were not less real and spiritual than
avowed and apparent. How delightful it was to us to wit-
ness such a company as were assembled this day, in such a
place, words cannot express. Their whole behavior in the
house of God corresponded with that of an old-established
congregation; and their appearance was that of respectable
people, according to the peculiar habits and manners of their
country; modesty, cleanliness and neatness characterizing
their deportment, their persons, and their apparel.
In the afternoon we were present at the catechetical in-
struction of the children, by Repaparu, a chief who lives in
this vicinity. There were a hundred and four of these little
we observed but one who had any personal defect; the rest
were healthy and cheerful, sound in mind and limb. The
sight was beautiful, but its moral aspect was yet more so to
the eye of faith, at once seeing and foreseeing the effects of
Christianity thus supplanting paganism on a soil which the
latter had cursed with thorns and briers, through unrecorded
ages past.
In the evening we distributed medicines for the use of
men, women and children, who came to us, afflicted with a
complaint (very prevalent just now) which occasions great
difficulty of breathing, but which soon gives way to such
simple remedies as we may venture to recommend. Mr.
Nott says that he remembers several occasions when epidemic
gers from the other side of the globe. A grievous ulcer, at
one time, was thus introduced, which spared neither chiefs
nor people, nor the missionaries themselves; and a canoe
coming hither from the leeward islands, while this plague
raged, took back the infection to their shores. It does not
appear that the children here are subject to such infectious
ing-cough, croup, &c., are unknown. Scrofulous complaints
are common, and make shocking ravages. There are a few
108
BURIAL OF A CHILD-PROPER NAMES.
lepers; we have seen one in attendance on the king; his
skin is white, covered with a scaly scurf, and exceedingly
unsightly; his hair and eye-brows are of a flaxen color, and
his eyes very tender. The disease is not considered conta-
gious. Consumptive cases occur, and cut off many of the
young. :
Nov. 10. The corpse of a child was interred this morn-
ing, according to the Christian rites now observed here.
The coflin, shaped as in England, was neatly covered with
white native cloth, bound about with cinet. While borne on
the road, a mat, for a pall, was thrown over it, but when set
down at the grave-side this was removed and spread on the
grass. The missionary (Mr. Wilson), having read a chapter
from the New Testament, prayed, and delivered a brief dis-
course. The coffin was then let down into the ground, by
slips of purau bark, which served for cords, and the mat,
folded up, being spread upon it, the earth was thrown in,
and the grave closed. What seemed to us remarkable was,
that the father himself assisted in depositing the remains of
his offspring in the dust, and was the first to begin filling up
the opening by pushing the earth into it. This, however, he
did with affecting solemnity, though not a tear rose in his
eye. The mother was not present.
We have learnt that there is no class of names here ap-
propriated exclusively to either sex. Parents give their chil-
dren such as they please, which are often chosen from local
or incidental circumstances, and are sometimes absurd
enough. Thus there is a boy, in this neighborhood, who
is called Vahincino, which means a bad woman; also a girl,
Taata-maitai, a good man. Children do not take the names
of their parents, and each person has but one at a time; this,
however, he may change at will, and go by ten or more in
the course of his life; but formerly no one durst appropriate
that of the sovereign, which would have been death; and so
sacred was this prohibition that if there were a slight resem-
blance only, between a subject's name and the king's, the
former must be abandoned. Hence we have never met with
either person or thing called by any sound at all like Pomare.
As this proscription extended to the whole family of the Arii,
or blood-royal, and also to the principal chiefs, the names of
their vassals and inferiors, nay, those even of plants and ani-
mals (to avoid desecration), were wont to be changed when
any of the privileged order received at birth, or afterwards
PHOSPHORIC MATCHES.
109
adopted, similar ones. In their heathen state, the designa-
tions which many persons bore were such as characterized
the national impurity of manners and grossness of mind.
Christianity has, in this respect, wrought a happy reforma-
tion; the missionaries, of course, refusing to acknowledge
any convert or baptize any child by an improper name.
The king's name, and his alone, is still regarded as forbid-
den to the multitude, though respectable people are said to
forbear using it from reverence to their prince rather than
regard to any assumed monopoly on his part. This is the
only trait of a savage custom left, which we have yet found
in these islands, and at any rate it is a harmless, though not
an insignificant one, when regarded as the last memorial of
a tyranny passed away which reached the very names of the
slaves upon whom it was exercised.
· Nov. 6. This evening, after the missionary prayer-meet-
ing, many persons followed us to our home; when they had
sat awhile they informed us that they were come to see some
fire-works, which they had heard we could show them. At
first we were quite at a loss to guess what could have given
rise to such a report, till recollecting that, yesterday, we had
tried some phosphoric matches, which we had brought with
us, we concluded that these must be the fire-works of which
they had been told. Accordingly we gratified the simple
people exceedingly, when we exhibited the process of light-
ing a few such matches by introducing them into a phial
containing the chemical preparation for that purpose. · Re-
paparu, the aforementioned chief, coming in, stood astonish-
ed, as at the performance of a miracle, when he witnessed
this well-known experiment. Being invited to dip a match
himself, he held the apparatus at arms' length, and trem-
blingly complied. He succeeded, and was delighted with
the result; but his success could not embolden an ancient
warrior, one who had fought many a battle, and faced the
greatest dangers in the field, to touch the phial, or even to
come near it; he was panic-struck at the mysterious spectacle
of light coming out of darkness, though the simple method of
producing fire by the friction of two pieces of wood, among
his own countrymen, is, in reality, much more curious and
surprising to the eye of an intelligent stranger. Frequently,
when the natives examine our various articles, which may be
new to them, they exclaim, “wonderful Britain!” Last
night we put together a French lamp, and lighted it, where-
. 10
110
.
APPREHENSIONS OF A DISTURBANCE.
upon our old landlord, overpowered with amazement, cried
out, “ Tahiti ino!” « Beretané maitai !" " Tahiti bad! Brit-
ain good !". Unwilling that he should feel any prejudice
against his own country, which we saw was rising in his
mind, we replied, “ Aita; Tahiti maitai,"_"No; Tahiti
is good.”
Two grasshoppers were brought to us;--the one called
vivi, of a delicate straw-color, an inch.in length, but more
slender than the English insect; the antennæ also are longer;
the other a small green one, half of the size of the former,
and more compact in its proportions. There is a remarka-
ble paucity of all kinds of animals in this part of the world,
except of fishes, whose varieties as well as numbers are very
great.
Nov. 17. We went to the chapel this morning to see the
schools. That for adults commenced at, six o'clock with
singing and prayer. There were between two and three
hundred present, whose names were called over, each an-
swering to their own. A chief superintended the lessons ;
the people read one to another, some in elementary books,
others in the scriptures; many with great fluency. At the
end of an hour they went away, when the children came in
with their teachers. This attendance also lasted no more
than an hour. The portions of time devoted to instruction
are necessarily short, but adapted to the circumstances of
the people, who, having been unaccustomed either to close
mental application, or personal confinement, would be wea-
ried by longer exercises. But these brief seasons often re-
curring, and the minds of the learners, both old and young,
being quick of apprehension, and their memories tenacious,
Intelligence has just been received from Eimeo, that the
king is worse_indeed, in imminent danger. Should he die
at this time, it is apprehended that there may be a serious
struggle among the chiefs of this island for the ascendency;
jealous symptoms occasionally appearing. Should such a
convulsion take place, neither our property nor our lives
would be very safe, in the reaction, or rather the resurrec-
tion, of heathenism, which is not dead, but sleeping, in the
hearts of the unconverted; for we cannot forget that the pro-
fession of Christianity is not Christianity, however happily
influential in restraining evil it may be under ordinary cir-
cumstances; but in the time of temptation," what can be
SITE FOR COTTON-FACTORY.
· 1111
expected from those who “ have no root in themselves ?”!
Our fears, however, may be groundless, and arise from our
inexperience of the improved character of the whole people,
and the regenerated character of a great inany, who consti-
tute the Christian churches among them.
Nov. 8. We were presented with a bunch of bananas, of
extraordinary size, weight, and number of fruits; of the lat-
ter there were two hundred and fourteen, most of them full
grown. It was as much as the strength of one of us could
accomplish, to lift this single cluster from the ground.
Several chiefs called to take leave of us, being about to
sail for Eimeo to visit the king. It is supposed that, in the
event of his demise, Tati, his prime advisei, will assume the
regency, as guardian'to Pomare's son or daughter, both of
whom are children. This chief, though an able and worthy
man, is not generally beloved, as he is suspected to be in-
clined towards arbitrary measures in the administration of
state affairs, to which the people, having now tasted the
sweets of enfranchisement, are resolutely opposed. “The
Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice, and the multitude of
the isles be glad thereof." This is our assurance of hope.
Messrs. Armitage and Blossom came, t?is afternoon, to
inform us that they had examined and approved of the sta-
tion which had been pointed out for a cotton-mill, in Eimeo.
The chiefs of that island were very anxious that the manu-
factory should be established there, and had offered to build
suitable houses, &c., if it were so determined. Pomare, too,
had said that he should not prevent it, if we were in favor
of Eimeo,--though both he and Manaonao, a principal chief
here, had set their minds on having the first cotton-works
commenced in Tahiti: the latter, fearing to lose this benefit
to his district, had actually dispatched two double canoes,
with forty men, who had taken possession of the machinery
against Mr. Blossom's will, but under a plea of royal author-
ity. On consulting with Messrs. Nott and Wilson, it was
their opinion that it would not be well to thwart the king's
purposes, because, unless the undertaking were counte-
nanced, by him, it would inevitably fail in the issue..
- Nov. 9. We walked to the house of Manaonao, to settle
the question respecting the cotton factory; and at his desire
we visited several places in his district of Pare, but found
them all equally ineligible, there being no fall of water from
any source of sufficient power to be applied to mill-work..
112
AMERICAN SHIP IN MATAVAI PAY.
TNT
The old man was much distressed by our unfavorable report,
and requested us to explore another water-course, at a place
called Pirae, where there is a small village, with several
considerable buildings, unoccupied, which might be turned
to immediate use, if the settlement should be made there.
This site appeared to all of us preferable to any other that
we had seen, and if the plan must be tried in Tahiti, we
agreed that this should be the place. The chief was now
as much delighted as he had been before disheartened ; and
he issued orders for the workpeople to begin, forthwith, to
put the standing tenements in repair, at his own expense,
for the present accommodation of Messrs. Armitage and
Blossom.
In the bed of one of the currents which we traced, we
found a black shell, resembling an English snail's, in size
and shape, but having six sharp spines, like those of a thorn,
growing round it in a spiral form, from the centre to the cir-
cumference.
Nov. 10. Early in the afternoon, a ship was descried in
the ofling, and by six o'clock she cast anchor in Matavai bay.
She proved to be the General Gates, captain Riggs, an
American, in the seal-fishery, three years from home, but
unsuccessful, having taken no more than eleven thousand
seals, when seventy thousand were wanting to complete her
cargo. The captain had touched, a few days ago, at Raiva-
vai, or High Island, where, having detected a native in the
act of stealing a musket from his boat, he attempted to re-
cover it, but received a blow from a sabre (which the savage
had concealed) that had nearly cost him his life, having cut
through his hat. This island acknowledges the sovereignty
of Pomare, who had visited it, some time ago, and left two
Tahitians there to teach the inhabitants the truths of the gos-
pel. In the affair just mentioned, the captain was about to
take vengeance upon the natives for the affront which he
had suffered; but the Tahitian missionaries interposed, and
made peace. Captain Riggs speaks well of the people gen-
erally, who have abjured idolatry, and embraced the doc-
trines of Christ. Instances have not unfrequently occurred,
in which the missionaries at Tahiti have prevented the com-
manders of foreign ships from committing, or sustaining, in-
juries. Once, in war time, a party, under some provocation,
had declared that they would seize the first vessel which
should arrive on the coast. Mr. Nott, then residing with
"A PLOT TO SEIZE A EUROPEAN vessel.
S.
113
the king, who was a fugitive from his own island, in Eimeo,
heard of this, and determined, if possible, to prevent it. He
therefore wrote a letter to warn any captain, who might ar-
rive, of the desperate design. It was a matter of no small
difficulty to find a trust-worthy messenger, who would watch
the opportunity, and deliver the caution in time to obviate
the danger. By the advice of Pomare, a native of the Po-
motu islands was selected for this service. The letter was
given into his charge, and he was directed to go and reside
among others of his countrymen, at Matavai. It is said that,
notwithstanding he acted with the utmost discretion, he was
suspected by the Tahitians; however, he proved true to his
employers, and by good management contrived to secrete the
letter till the opportunity of using it came. At length, His Maj-
esty's ship, the Hibernia, captain Campbell, appeared, and an-
chored in the bay of Matavai, for it was not in the man's power
to get on board before she came in. The natives immedi-
ately put out in their canoes, and, being welcomed by the
crew, soon crowded the deck. They were headed by the
chief of Pare, who was to conduct the execution of the plot.
To throw the captain off his guard, this chief presented him
with a large roll of native cloth, and behaved with the great-
est semblance of good will. Two or three days were neces-
sary to complete the preparations for the capture. When
the crisis arrived, the chief of Pare gave the signal of attack;
but the chiefs of Matavai, who were leagued with him, per-
ceiving that there were more of his people than of theirs on
board at the time, and fearing that these would get the
greatest share of the plunder, tacitly forbore to act. This,
providentially, caused the delay of another day. Early the
next morning, the Pomotu man, finding part of an old canoe
on the beach, with perilous resolution hazarded his life in it,
and was able to keep it afloat till he was received on board
of the British ship. Proceeding instantly to the cabin, where
the captain lay asleep, he awoke him, and presented the let-
ter. À favorable breeze was blowing, and the vessel was
soon under weigh, and out of reach of danger, either from
the natives already on board (including the chief of Pare),
or the multitude of canoes that were putting off from the
shore to join them, and carry the design into effect. Enrag-
ed by this unexpected failure-the occasion of which they
instantly perceived—the Tahitians on board rushed towards
the cabin to murder the man who had given the strangers
10 *
114
NATIVE FUNERAL.
.
.
.
the hint , to escape. The captain, however, protected him
with a loaded pistol, which kept the assailants at bay, and
they were presently, all driven overboard, and picked up by.
their companions, in canoes, as they swam for their lives
towards the harbor. Captain Campbell immediately sailed
for Eimeo, where he waited on Mr. Nott, and gratefully ac-
knowledged his very considerate kindness, to which the
preservation of the ship and crew appeared to be owing. The
same captain had an armed schooner on her way to Tahiti,
the arrival of which was expected in a few weeks. He there-
fore left a boat's crew at Eimeo, with directions to keep a
good look-out to prevent that vessel from proceeding to -Ta-
hiti. The men failed in this duty, from neglect or accident;
the schooner reached its appointed destination, and was im-
mediately boarded, stormed and plundered by the savages.
One man was killed in the conflict; the rest of the crew,
though overpowered by numbers and taken prisoners, event-
ually made their escape to Eimeo, and the schooner was af-
terwards recovered.
Nov. 12. We have agreed with captain Riggs, of the
General Gates, to convey us to the leeward islands, which he
intends to visit, and whither, but for this favorable opportu-
nity, we had not expected to be able to go before next
spring.
A man from the Pomotu islands having died yesterday, we
went to see the funeral this morning. The coffin was one
end of an old canoe; the corpse was covered with a piece of
coarse red cloth, and tied down with a cord. Two of the
deceased's countrymen dug the grave with the broad ends of
two old paddles. His wife sat beside the coffin on the
ground, while the earth was thrown up. She did not ap-
pear at all disconsolate, but joined in conversation, and even,
in laughter, with the company around her.
In the afternoon, wishing to visit captain Riggs, to agree
upon the terms of our passage, we went, accompanied by
Mr. Wilson, down to the beach to look for a conveyance.
The ship's boat had not come on shore, and we saw no ca-
noes at hand, though there were many out of call round the
vessel. At last we found a small canoe lying under the
shade of some pandanus palm-trees, and not far from the wa-
ter's edge; but there were no able-bodied natives near the
spot to paddle us, all the men being gone to the mountains
to procure food, or to the ship for traffic and curiosity. Sev-
PROVIDENTIAL PRESERVATION AT SEA.
. 115
.eral mothers with their children having followed us, we ask-
ed a woman and a boy if they could row us to the ship.
They readily answered, “ Yes, surely we could;" “but,"
said the female, “no woman is now permitted to go out to
any ship that comes here, as they used to do." The mis-
sionary, however, under the peculiar urgency of our circum-
stances, granted her a dispensation in this case. Thereupon
we dragged the canoe to the water, and shipped ourselves
into it with no little difficulty, on account of the narrowness
of the vessel, and its extreme liability, from lightness, to be
upset by the smallest derangement within. The woman and
boy took their stations fore and aft; Mr. Tyerman sat near
the head, next to the boy; while Mr. Bennet and Mr. Wil-
son occupied the space between them and the woman at the
stern. We got pretty well over the surf; but as we proceed-
ed from the shore, and found the swell of the sea regularly
increasing, while the upper edge of our little bark was near-
ly even with the water, we began to feel the peril of our situ-
ation, and heartily “repented having quitted the firm land in
such a cockle-shell. But, as Mr. Wilson thought there
would be quite as much danger in attempting to return now,
as in going forward, we pushed away, and were soon along-
side of the General Gates; when, as might have been ex-
pected, we perceived the agitation of the water to be greatly
heightened by the rocking of the ship. Our canoe, however,
was paddled up to the gangway; whereupon, Mr. Tyerman,
being nearest to the ladder, stood up and caught hold of the
ropes; but, as the first step was rather high, he inadvertent-
ly, though very naturally, set his foot on the edge of our tiny
vessel, which, before a word could be uttered to warn him
of his imprudence, was fairly overset, and floating bottom
uppermost. Here Mr. Bennet must speak for himself-
“ Anticipating this catastrophe when I saw Mr. Tyerman
get up, and not being able to swim, I seized hold of the side
of the canoe, and kept hold when it was capsized; but, hav-
ing only the round bottom to rest my arm upon (canoes being
without keels), I felt I should not be able to maintain my
buoyancy long; I recollected also that many sharks are
usually in the neighborhood of ships, off shore. In this ex-
tremity I cried out loudly for help, and soon saw many of the
natives peeping carelessly over the sides of the vessel, and
saying one to another, “Te papaai roto te miti! te papaai
roto te miti!' - The foreigners are in the water ! the for-
116 - THE LAST BATTLE OF THE LAST NATIVE WAR.
eigners are in the water!' But they moved not to my assist-
ance; in fact, being themselves almost amphibious, and such
accidents often occurring to them, they thought we were
- sporting among the waves; it never came into their heads
that we could not swim! Mr. Tyerman, however, on look-
ing back, and perceiving our plight, hastened to obtain a
rope, which he and another person threw overboard; when
one end falling across the canoe, within my reach, I eagerly
grasped it, first with one hand, then with the other; but I
had no sooner let go the canoe, expecting to be hoisted up
into the ship, than down I sank close under its side. My in-
stant thoughts were these :—they have dropped the rope
without keeping hold of the other end; I shall now certainly
be drawn under the vessel ;—and thus I enter eternity! It
is the will of God; and I commit myself to his mercy, in
whose presence I must appear in a few moments! While
these presentiments were rushing through my mind, sudden-
ly I felt the rope tighten within my hands, for I continued to
clasp it instinctively, though my head had already become
confused, from the quantity of water which I had swallowed,
and the horror of my natural feelings—though perfectly will-
ing then and there to die, if such were the appointment of
· Providence. But a gracious power was present to preserve
me, and happily I was hauled on board, when I speedily re-
covered to the delightful enjoyment and expression of grati-
tude and praise for this great deliverance. Mr. Wilson,
who held by the after-part of the canoe, was rescued by
some natives, who sprang from the ship into the sea as soon
as they were aware of his actual danger. As for the woman
and the boy, who had paddled us from shore, they swam
about quite at their ease, till they could conveniently climb
on board of the ship.”
Thịs evening, after our return to land, Mr. Nott related to
us several particulars concerning the last battle of the last
war-and may it ever be the last !-in this island; when
Pomare, having professed himself a Christian, was opposed by
a powerful idolatrous party, and overcame them, not less by
his clemency after the conflict than by the prowess of himself
and his followers in it. It was on the twelfth of November,
1815, that this decisive action was fought, and it was the
Sabbath. Pomare had previously landed from Eimeo, with
a considerable number of his faithful adherents, most of
whom, like himself, had renounced the worship of idols; and
III
THE LAST BATTLE OF THE LAST NATIVE WAR.
117
with the force which he then mustered (about eight hundred,
including those who had joined him in Tahiti), he hoped to
be able to quell the insurrection and recover the sovereignty
of this island, Mr. Nott, who had resided with him during
his temporary exile, forewarned the king to be on his guard
during the Sabbath, while the army rested for the purposes
of devotion, since it was probable that the enemy would
seize that opportunity to attack him during the time of divine
worship. Accordingly he commanded his people (as many
as had the opportunity) to assemble armed, and to be pre-
pared at any moment against surprise, but on no account to
move except in obedience to his signals. Having planted
their muskets on the outside of the building in which they
were convened, at the hour of prayer, they entered upon the
solemn service, but were soon interrupted by the cry, “it is
war!-it is war!”-Pomare, who remained without, on a spot
where he had an ample view of the neighborhood, having
discovered a considerable body of the enemy, hastening in
martial array towards the place where he and his people
were met. He, however, maintained his presence of mind,
and ordered that the singing should proceed, prayer should
unless actual 'hostilities were commenced before it could be
concluded. This was done, when, under the dire necessity
laid upon them, they rose , from worship, and went forth to
' battle, resolved, in the spirit of the exhortation of Joab to
Israel, to “be of good courage, and play the men for their
people, and for the (cities) of their God;" content also to
add," the Lord do that which seemeth him good !” Thus
they marched in several bands, one following another, to
tance, a signal was given, whereupon they halted, and, fall- .
ing down on their knees, implored divine protection, and
success against the idolaters. They then went forward, and
the second division, at the same place, bowed themselves on:
the ground in like manner, supplicating help from above;
division after division followed the example, and thus, not
with carnal weapons only, but with the most effectual missile
from the armory of God-with“ all prayer," they faced, they
fought, and they discomfited, the rebels. One of the chief
prophets of Oro, the god of war, animated the idolaters,
promising them victory, the spoil of their antagonists, and
118
.
HUMANITY OF THE CONQUERORS.
fierce, and wavering in its issues, as the desultory conflicts
of undisciplined combatants must be. While the foremost
warriors of the king's army were thus engaged with open
breast, and arm to arm, against their desperate assailants, a
corps of chosen men, defiling through a wood that flanked
the field, emerged from thence in the critical juncture, and
fell with irresistible impetuosity upon the rear of the latter,
levelling and routing all before them. The chief command-
er of the idolaters was slain, and the intelligence of his
death being rapidly communicated through the ranks of his
followers, already broken, a panic seized them, and they
fled in utter confusion to the mountains.
The prophet of Oro, among the most disheartened and
terrified, sought refuge with the rest in the recesses of the
interior. He has since declared that the power of Oro then
forsook him—the evil spirit went out of him, and never after-
wards returned. Pomare's conquering bands were eager to
pursue the fugitives and complete the victory, though they
disavowed the purpose of destroying them. The king, how-
ever, interfered, and said, in a style of oriental magnificence,
-“ The mountains are mine: follow not the vanquished
thither! The motus (the low coral islets where the enemy
had left their wives and children) are mine : let them alone
there also. Proceed only along the open ways. Take no
lives :-take nothing but the spoils which you find in the
field or on the roads." The idolatrous prisoners were so
affected by the king's lenity, and the forbearance of the vic-
tors generally-having expected, as a matter of course, to be
barbarously murdered in cold blood--that many of them
immediately offered to join Pomare's army. These were
magnanimously pardoned, and received into his service; so
that, on that very day, idolaters who had fought for Oro and
his priests united in rendering thanks to the only true God
for the victory which the Christians had obtained. Others
of the dispersed adversaries, when they saw and heard how
differently the king acted on this great occasion from the in-
human usages of their country, gave themselves up at discre-
tion, coming with their weapons in their hands, and words of
peace on their lips. They were all made welcome. Thus
ended that glorious day for Tahiti--glorious, not for Tahiti
only, but for all the islands in the Pacific whither the gos-
pel has subsequently been carried from that Zion in the
West.
REBEL PRIEST OF ORO SPARED.
119
On the evening of the battle, the aforementioned prophet
of Oro stole down from his retreat to the beach, with one
attendant only. There they seized a small canoe, and put
off to sea; but the courage of the attendant failing, he flung
himself into the water, at the reef, and swam on shore.
The prophet, therefore, pursued his voyage alone, through the
darkness of the night; and, by almost incredible exertions,
reached Limeo in safety. On landing he went and delivered
himself up to the queen, whom Pomare had left behind under
the care of Mr. Nott. The missionary was consulted as to
what ought to be done with this strange and terrible being,
who was known to be at once one of the most implacable of
the king's enemies, and the most malignant of the opposers
of Christianity. A hesitating word from Mr. Nott might
have caused him to be massacred, without mercy, on the
spot. “Let him live; do him no harm; give him 'food,"
said the Christian teacher; and his advice was obeyed.
The humbled and astonished captive was overcome by such
unexampled kindness; and, being allowed his liberty, he
began to attend the school for adults : soon aſterwards he
made open profession of the faith of the gospel, and has
thenceforward conducted himself as a sincere convert.
Such was the effect, upon the minds of the natives at
large, of the clemency shown to the defeated rebels in Tahiti,
that a spirit of prayer came upon the whole population ; and
the voice of penitence, of supplication, or thanksgiving,
resounded at all hours of the day from the bushes, under
cover of which the people-men, women, and children,
socially or singly-retired to give utterance to their desires,
their fears, or their exultation, under the conviction of sin,
alarm at the judgments which they heard denounced hy the
new religion against the wicked, or their joy, hope, and peace
in believing. The priests of Oro were maddened by this
change, which they could not prevent; they threatened the
king, the people, the missionaries, but their rage was impo-
tence. Their idols could not save either themselves or their
worshippers; all the former perished, and many of the latter
turned from them to serve the living God.
0
)
120
VISIT TO BUNAAUIA.
CHAPTER VII.
Visit to Bunaauia-Maubuaa, or the Swine-owner-Man punished for
Swearing-Return to Matavai–Coral-groves-King of Borabora's
Solicitude to have a Missionary-Eagerness of the People to obtain
Books-Anecdote of Pomare-Visit of Captain Walker-Simple
Substitute for Bellows-Interview with Pomare-Sail to Eimeo
Examination of Candidates for Churchi-fellowship-Public Fast and
Prayers for the King—Anecdote of Raiatean Affection towards a
Missionary,Shaving Process-Singular Species of Crab-Native
Generosity--Evils resulting from the Use of Stills Taro-Planta-
tion—The Hoop-Snake-A Court of Justice-First Burning of
Idols.
Nov. 15. We sailed coastwise, this afternoon, to Buna-
auia, to visit the missionary station where Messrs. Darling
and Bourne labor. By the way we touched, in our slight
boat, upon many sunken rocks, which lie thick between the
reef and the shore; but in every instance we escaped without
injury.
We have been gratified with a sight of the printing-office,
from which, besides portions of the scriptures, a translation
of Dr. Watts's catechisms, and a complete edition of Tahi-
tian hymns, have recently been issued. We afterwards pro-
ceeded to the chapel ; it occupies a piece of ground formerly
desecrated by a vast marae, of which there is yet a relic
undestroyed a memorial reminding beholders of what hath
passed away, and from what thraldom the children have been
delivered whose fathers Satan had bound, it may be through
a series of ages, since these islands were first colonized by
sinners, who, descended from Adam,“ have gone in the way
of Cain." The country hereabout is well cultivated, and
proportionately fruitful. We were glad to see many dwellings
in progress of erection upon the improved plan of wattling
and plaster; having the interior divided into convenient
family apartments. Proofs of industry and advancement in
civilization were discernible every where, in the persons,
the dress, the manners, and the habitations of the natives.
Formerly the desultory, roving, and indolent habits of the
whole population of these islands prevented them from
taking any unnecessary pains to build their houses for
permanent occupation. The provident and well-regulated
modes of living, introduced with the gospel, have proved
favorable to improvement in every way, and perhaps in
MAUBUAN, OR THE SWINE-OWNER.
121
none more than in their domestic economy, from which,
decency, good order, and comfort have expelled the grossness,
confusion, and filthiness of what might be called promis-
cuous intercourse.when men, women, and children, in-
mates and strangers, ate, drank, and lodged, in one long,
narrow apartment, of which the whole structure consisted.
So much are the residents in this district pleased with
the happy innovations lately adopted, that at a public
meeting, expressly convened for that purpose, a resolution
was passed, that any house thereafter built in the old
slovenly style might be pulled down by any body, and the
dilapidator should be exempt from punishment.
A few mornings ago a woman, with an infant in her
arms, called on the missionaries here to beg a little milk.
Being asked whose child it was that she carried, she
answered, “ Mine." To a second question, as to its age,
she said, “It was born last night, when the moon was
yonder," pointing to that part of the heavens froni which
the beautiful planet had lighted her babe into the world.
The pains of parturition are comparatively mild in this
genial clime, and under the favorable circumstances which'
freedom from artificial restraint in clothing, and bodily
exercise naturally produce. Yet there are here occa-
sional cases of death among the women from that
cause.
Nov. 17. Several chiefs of this district have waited upon
us with presents of fruit and hogs. Among these was one
named Maubuaa, or pig-owner. His oflice, under the
idolatrous system, was to provide human sacrifices when
the king required such from this neighborhood. With a
stone, or other weapon, he used to spring upon his select-
ed victims, unawares, and, when slaughtered, packed the
bodies in cocoa-leaf baskets, and delivered them to be hung
up, according to custom, on sacred trees, round the maraes
of Oro. This man has slain many for such horrid offer-
ings. He is now a member of a Christian church, and,
to all appearance, “a new creature.”
The missionaries have sometimes much to bear with in
the conduct and conversation of their converts --even
those who have given satisfactory evidence of their genuine
change of heart. The day on which Upaparu, a chief
of the district of Matavai, had been baptized, he addressed
Mr. Bourne in a very improper spirit, rudely demanding,
11
122
MAN PUNISHED FOR SWEARING.
“What are you teaching us? And why do you not instruct
us in English, and other things besides religion ?” “A
soft answer” turned away his wrath, though it did not
satisfy him; he went away offended. A day or two
afterwards, reading the words of our Savior to his dis-
ciples, “ He that despiseth you, despiseth me," he was smit-
ten to the heart, and became so troubled on account of his
bad behavior to the missionary, that, though he held out
some time, he could neither eat nor sleep till he had con-
fessed his fault and obtained reconciliation.
In the afternoon it was announced to us, that the congre-
gation of Christian native's had met in the school-room, and
desired to see us. We found about five hundred present,
whom we affectionately addressed on their privileges and
duties. They then signified their wish to be perinitted, indi-
vidually, to shake hands with us, in token of their esteem,
and we cheerfully consented; the women first, the men next,
and the children last, coming forward in turn thus to con-
gratulate us on our arrival among them. A hymn of praise
was then sung, and Mr. Bourne concluded this meeting of
warm hearts and happy countenances with prayer.
Not only the chapel, but the school-house in which we had
just met, and the dwellings of the missionaries, stand upon
the ground of the demolished heathen temple already men-
tioned. It was of great extent, and was held in such vene-
ration formerly that it was usual for the inhabitants of the
adjacent valley, which winds into the interior of the island,
to come every morning, and offer prayers on their knees, at
this shrine of the prince of darkness.
Nov. 18. Being the Sabbath, public worship was devout-
ly attended by congregations of seven to eight hundred per-
sons. An ignorant old man, who had made no decided
profession of religion, was excluded from divine service, and
required to stand on the outside of the chapel during its
performance. He had been guilty of profane swearing,
which in the eyes of these people is a heinous offence. In
a fit. of passion he had threatened one who had provoked
him, in very peculiar phraseology, namely,"that he would
kill, and deliver him to be eaten by his God." This menace,
in their idolatrous state, was regarded as the most dreadful
that could be uttered ; and the culprit, on the present occa-
sion, was punished by the authority of the chiefs, who,
though they mingle not only in the sanctuary but in general
RETURN TO MATAVAI.
123
with the people, as their equals (all being under the govern-
ment of the laws), yet when they please to command are
still obeyed with implicit deference.
Nov. 19. As we returned to Matavai, the day was exceed-
ingly fine, but the heat of a vertical sun, to which we were
exposed upon the water, without awning in our small boat,
made the voyage irksome. The bottom of the sea, as we
glided along, was brilliantly bestrewed with corals, in end-
less variety of form and exquisite tints of coloring. Among
the myriads of beautiful fishes that sported in these subma-
rine forests was one of very peculiar shape. It was about
an inch long, crossed with three black belts in a parallel
direction. The body, which is flat, terminates abruptly,
as though it had been cut short behind, and from this squared
end the tail projects.
· In traversing the bay of Matavai we found a considerable
swell breaking upon the beach, and from a cavern, at the
foot of One-Tree Hill, the foam came rolling and flashing
with furious precipitation. On reaching Mr. Nott's house,
we found there the king of Borabora, whose name is Mai.
He had brought a letter from Mr. Orsmond, the missionary on
that station, expressing great joy at our arrival here, and affec-
tionately inviting us to visit that island. On hearing that Mr.
Jones had come out with us as a missionary, the people of Bo-
rabora had held a public meeting, and resolved to request
Mr. Jones to settle with them. So earnest were they to obtain
their object that the king himself had been deputed as their
ambassador, and had come a hundred and thirty, miles hith-
er in an open boat. By the way he had been driven from
island to island by contrary winds, and at length reached Ta-
hiti with his life in his hand, preserved to him by a merciful
Providence. Mai is thirty-five years of age, a tall and stately
person, with pleasing manners and intelligent aspect. The
case of Borabora is not singular; missionaries are wanted
on every hand; and from shore to shore, on the Pacific decp,
voices are crying, “ Come over and help us!”
Before we left Bunaauia, this morning, we had an oppor-
tunity of witnessing how eager the natives are to obtain such
books as are, from time to time, printed here. Mr. Bourne had
just 'completed a compendious spelling-book, with a transla-
tion of Dr. Watts's small catechism. This book they call
the Baba. It having been announced for publication to-day,
before six o'clock in the morning about a hundred persons
11
·
124
ANECDOTE OF POMARE.
crowded the house, anxious to secure the precious volume;
and, being fearful that there might not be copies to supply all,
each urged his claim to priority of purchase. The price was
a bamboo of cocoa-nut oil. “See, cried one, “how large
a bamboo mine is !-let me have a book first." . But mine :
is much larger than his," exclaimed another; “let me have
one before him." A poor man, lest he should be too late, had
applied on Saturday night, but could not get his Baba then..
He, however, refused to take back his bamboo of oil, and
readiness against the Monday.
All, at length, were gratified.
o'clock. He arrived before seven, having previously attend-
ed the adult-school in the chapel. He brought in his hand a
copy of the three Gospels which have been printed in the
Tahitian language. The word of God is made the travel-
ing companion of these people, who go not from home a
day without it. The king appeared to prize his treasure
exceedingly. At breakfast he sat at table with us, and used
his knife and fork with tolerable address after the Euro-
pean fashion. He ate heartily, but not immoderately. The
Tahitians often take a large quantity of food at once, but
then they have but one principal daily meal, in the forenoon,
and that consists chiefly of vegetable provision. Pomare
once dining on board a ship, the captain asked him what
part of the fowl he would please to have. "All of
it,” replied the king, to the astonishment and amusement of
the foreigners, who soon, however, perceived the purpose for
which his majesty chose “the lion's share;"—he had several
attendants, to each of whom he sent a part. Mr. Orsmond
and Mr. Jones wrote a letter of grateful acknowledgment
to the people of Borabora, declining their invitation at
present; after which Mai left Tahiti on a visit to Pomare at
Eimeo.
Nov. 22. Mr. Davies, the missionary at Papara, arrived
here, with intelligence that the king, with his chiefs, had
landed at Atehura, from Eimeo, last evening. He gives an
encouraging account of the progress of the gospel on his
station.--In the afternoon a brig, direct from Port Jackson,
anchored in Matavai Bay. It proved to be the Dragon;
captain Walker, who brought a letter for the missionaries
here, from the Rev. Mr. Marsden, informing them that, in a
late trial between a Mr. E. and himself, as the friend of
INT
· SIMPLE SUBSTITUTE FOR BELLOWs.
125
king Pomare, damages to the amount of £1200 had been
given in favor of the latter. Captain Walker said he had late-
ly been in Bengal, and that at a place where he had given an
account, in a public assembly, of the wonderful changes
which the religion of Christ had effected in these islands, a
young man, a Brahmin, stepped forth, and, in a long and
energetic address, declared his astonishment and delight at
hearing such good news, and concluded by saying that
thenceforth he himself would abandon idolatry, and embrace
the faith wlrich had wrought such marvels here.
Nov. 24. A message arrived from the king, who is at
Bunaauia, expressing his earnest wish that we would defer
our voyage to the leeward islands, for certain reasons. We
deemed it expedient to comply, though our arrangements
were otherwise nearly completed.--As we returned home
from Mr. Wilson's, where we had dined, we observed on an
open, airy plot of ground, near the sea, a Tahitian apparatus
to perform the work of a pair of bellows, in blowing a fire
to heat iron. This contrivance was under a fara-tree. In
order to concentrate the wind to a point, and bring the blast
upon the flame, several mats, made of cocoa-leaves, were
placed so as to form a sort of funnel, behind which the fire
was kindled. Some of these mats were fixed upon their
edges, forming an acute angle, at which two others were
placed on their ends, about a foot from the ground. Thus
all the wind falling within this opening was made to pass
through the aperture at its contracted end, and thereby
brought to bear upon the fire. Though there was only a gentle
breeze abroad, yet the blast here was sufficient to produce
the intensity of heat required.
· Nov. 26. Accompanied by Messrs. Nott and Crook, we
sailed to Bunaauia, in captain Walker's boat, on a visit to
Pomare. In approaching the royal presence we had to pass
by a long line of soldiers, who had been stationed in advance
to receive us. Several of them carried bells in their hands,
. which they tinkled from the time when we came in sight till
we had passed them. These body-guards stood with their
muskets shouldered, but did not fire them. We found the
king lying upon a couch, covered with a white counterpane,
and his head considerably raised by pillows. He received
us very graciously, and we, in return, wished him “every
good,' according to the most approved form of salutation
used here. He looked better, we thought, than when we
11*
126
INTERVIEW WITH POMARE.
last saw him, in Eimeo; but yet his person was much
swollen, and, on feeling his pulse, the arm remained pitted
where the pressure had been. The queen, with her son
upon her knee, sat near the king, and a number of chiefs,
both men and women, were in attendance, all sitting cross-
legged on the floor, at the extremity of the shed in which
this audience was given. A table was placed near Pomare,
on which were spread various fruits and wines, of which we
were invited to partake. Among the company present we
noticed one of those natives whose complexions are as fair
as those of Europeans; but in this instance his white and
florid color appeared unnatural, and the effect of disease, the .
skin being scaly, and his weak blue eyes so tender that he
held down his head to escape being annoyed by the light.
It is common for persons, afflicted with incurable disorders,
or any strange deformity, to resort to the house of the king
or some great chief, where, as part of their retinue, they find
a sanctuary and maintenance.
The king being too unwell to converse much, after sitting
a little while, and talking on subjects connected with our
visit to his dominions, we took our leave. We were after-
wards informed that Pomare had been seized with a faintinga
fit, last night, and it was apprehended for some time that he
was dead. The missionaries were immediately called in.
They found the chiefs and all his attendants weeping round
him. When he revived, he complained of violent pains in
his right side, and was so impressed with the expectation of
early dissolution, that, as soon as he was able, he entered
into discourse with them on the probable consequences of
his death. Though he would give them no positive direc-
tions respecting his successor, he earnestly exhorted them to
be unanimous in their choice, and then they would do well.
Nov. 27. On our return to Matavai, we found a man,
who was at work on the new road, dressed in a jacket of the
cloth prepared from the husky material that envelopes the
roots of the cocoa-nut, the strong fibres of which stand at
right angles with each other. Such vegetable cloth pos-
sesses great strength, and is often used in sails for canoes.
This jacket was purchased of the owner for a knife. As we
passed many small dwellings by the way-side, the people
every where saluted us, offering pine-apples, cocoa-nut
water, or any dainty that they had, which might be accepta-
ble to us.
CY
CANDIDATES FOR CHURCHI-FELLOW SIIIP. 127
Nov. 29. In the forenoòn we embarked on board of the
General Gates, and sailed for Eimeo, where we landed, in
the course of five hours, in Taloo harbor. This is one of the
most secure, capacious, and beautiful ports in the world; five
hundred vessels might ride here in perfect safety, while wood
and water might be obtained within a few yards of the an-
chorage. In the evening we had an opportunity of witnessing
with what circumspection the missionaries admit natives to
religious privileges. Two men and two women were exam-
ined, previous to their being received as communicants,
touching their knowledge of the nature of the Lord's Supper,
the obligations of church-members one towards another, and
the general, social and relative duties of professing Christians.
The answers of the candidates were highly satisfactory, and
the exhortations of their teachers were ſervent, faithful, and
authoritative, as became ministers of the gospel of truth,
which requires purity of heart and holiness of life in all its
subjects. We, ourselves, put several questions. To one
man we said, “What are your reasons for supposing that
you have experienced that change which is called 'being
born again, and without which 'a man cannot enter the
kingdom of God ?!" He replied, “I feel a desire after good -
things, and I hate the bad things in which I once delighted.
I wish to be made holy, and free from sin. Therefore I
hope my heart has been changed.”_Of another, a second
candidate (a female), we inquired, “Since the scriptures
lay it down, as an evidence of true religion, that we love
God and his people, what makes you think that you have
this twofold affection ?''-Her answer was, “ I want to serve
God; I have pleasure in attending the public and private
meetings for religious instruction; and I love to be in the
company of good people.” We asked the third (a man),
"As it is indispensably necessary that you should constant-
ly perform all your Christian and common duties, do you
expect to be saved by your good deeds ?” “No," said he ;
" though I think it right and necessary to do these duties, I
depend for salvation on the merits of Jesus Christ alone.”_
To the fourth (another woman) we remarked, “ As great and
important duties belong to members of churches, we should
be glad if you would name some of these, and tell us how
you intend to discharge thein ?” She answered, “It is my
duty to come regularly to the sacrament, to do good to other
people, and to pray for them. I hope, therefore, to be found
128
PUBLIC FAST AND PRAYERS FOR THE KING.
faithful in these, and all things else required of me." - These
examinations continued till a late hour; yet as we were re-
turning from Mr. Henry's house, where they were held, in
company with Mr. Platt, we passed many persons who were
still sitting by the road-side, waiting for the missionary, to
obtain from him information on various points of scriptural
knowledge; so eager and yet so patient are these “babes."
for the “ sincere milk of the word.”
We find that the chiefs of Tahiti and Eimeo have sent
messengers round the islands, to request that to-morrow
may be observed as a day of fasting and prayer for the res-
toration of the king's health; but, if it should be otherwise
ordained, then directing supplication to be made that it
would please God to prepare his soul for the kingdom of
heaven. Accordingly, we found all the people here busily
setting their household affairs in order, that the day might
be kept holy as a Sabbath ; it having been also determined
that, till after sunset, the inhabitants should abstain from
food of all kinds.
Nov. 30. · Though fast-days had been partially held by
those who were Christians here, on occasion of actual or
apprehended war, yet this was the first national fast that had
ever been observed in the islands since the gospel was
planted in them. It was, therefore, solemnized with deep
and peculiar feelings of awe and devotion. The services
were commenced by a prayer-meeting at sunrise. In the
forenoon, the public worship was introduced by lymns,
successively given out, and prayers offered by three native
chiefs, afterwards, Mr. Henry read a portion of scripture,
and delivered a suitable discourse. In the afternoon, the
church-meeting was held, at which the four candidates,
examined last night, were publicly admitted into church-fel-
lowship, by a show of hands in their favor ; when an affec-
tionate charge was addressed to them by the missionary.
The public service followed, as in the former part of the
day, Mr. Platt conducting it, and exhorting the congre-
gation.
Dec. 1. We have just received letters from the missiona-
ries, Messrs. Threlkeld, Williams, Ellis, Orsinond, and
Barff, in the leeward islands, cordially inviting us over, and
offering to send a boat for us ; but as we are already on our
way thither, by the American ship, this will be unnecessary.
These letters contain much gratifying intelligence concern
ANECDOTE OF AFFECTION TOWARDS A MISSIONARY. 129
ing the progress of the gospel on those stations. The
following circumstance deserves honorable record :-Mr.
Orsmond says, “Once, at Raiatea, on my arrival, the king,
the chiefs, and great numbers of the people, ran into the
water, laid hold of my little boat, and carried it, including
myself and all my cargo, upon their shoulders, about a fur-
long inland, into the royal yard, with masts, sails, and rig-
ging all displayed; the bearers and the accompanying
multitude shouting as they went, 'God bless our teacher,
Otomoni!' (Orsniond, as softened down in the delicate
Pacific tongue). A circumstance nearly similar occurred
to the same missionary at Borabora.
To-day, we agreed to give captain Riggs, of the General
Gates, nine hogs, the remaining part of Pomare's present to
us when we were here last, for our passage in his ship to
the leeward islands. On our walk, in the afternoon, we
were amused by observing the process of shaving here. The
operator was sitting on the ground, holding between his legs
the head of the patient, who lay most resolutely on his back
during the infliction; and it was difficult to award the meed
of praise between them—the barber for his skill and perse-
verance in clearing away a week's growth of harsh bushy
beard, with a razor little better than an iron hoop, and with-
out either water or soap to facilitate its progress; or the
victim of his bad tool, but dexterous management, for the
patience and good nature with which he bore the torture to
the last bristle of his chin.
On the beach, near the king's house, we found a small
but curious crab, which is common here. These creatures
bury themselves in the moist sand or mud to the depth of a
hand-breadth or more. One of the largest which we dug
up was three-quarters of an inch in length, of a dark-brown
color ; others, however, are marked with blue spots. The
peculiarity of this little animal is, that one of its fore-claws is
disproportionately large, being sometimes the size of its whole
body, and of a bright red tint; while the corresponding claw
is of the same color with its legs, and so small as scarcely
to be perceptible without being sought out. The eyes stand
at the extremity of two projections, each half an inch in
length. When the crab enters its hole, these flexible. instru-
ments, which can be moved in all directions, turn downwards
into grooves of the under shell, where they are sheathed in
perfect security. On the approach of danger, these helpless
.
130
NATIVE GENEROSITY.
creatures burrow into the sand with surprising celerity; but
the sagacious hogs as quickly grub them up with their
snouts, and greedily devour the delicate morsels. The na-
tives call this species ohitimataroa, the big-eyed crab. ;
In the evening, a person brought us a very fine mat for
sale, and requested to have a shirt in exchange. He said
that the reason why he came so late was, that he wished to
appear becomingly dressed on the morrow, the Sabbath.
Some friends of his, who had arrived from the leeward islands,
being poorly and scantily clad, he had generously given
them the best clothes he had, leaving himself without suitable
covering for the public assembly. It is an ancient custom to
give to a friend whatever he asks for, whether food or rai-
ment, and however the owner may want it himself. To refuse
a request of this kind would be deemed such a breach of hos-
pitality as to bring upon the person the reproach of being a
churl, a character held in abhorrence by these people, who, in
some respects, live as if they were all of one family, and had
every thing in common. It was formerly so imperative to
divide their morsel one with another that when a man killed
a hog, it was baked whole, and all his neighbors who chose
came to partake of it; he himself having only as much as he
could eat, and the entire carcass being devoured at a meal.
Customs of this kind, which suited the lazy and the sensual
in their heathen state, are now fast falling, as they ought,
into disuse ; while Christian charity, the principle of the pur-
est benevolence, makes them ready to communicate of their
good things to those that are in need, without reckless waste
or unnecessary impoverishment of themselves for worthless
vagabonds, of whom, formerly, there were multitudes consum-
ing the fruits of the soil, and the produce of industry, with-
out cultivating the one or contributing to the other. -
Dec. 1. On a visit to Mrs. Bicknell, we had much conver-
sation with her respecting the death of her husband, which
took place about a year ago. She mentioned, that she had
once received a letter from him on one of his preaching tours
through Tahiti, before the gospel was received there, in
which he complained that there were stills in operation every
where, and the people were given up to drunkenness and
debauchery, in consequence of the excessive use of spirituous
liquors, the fatal secret of preparing which they had been
taught by strangers bearing and disgracing the name of:
Christians. It is melancholy to think how apt barbarians.
TARO PLANTING.
:
131
are to learn what is evil from civilized visitors, and how slow
to receive that which is good ;-alas! we may add, how much
more apt are visitors from civilized nations to communicate
evil than good to ignorant savages, both by teaching and
example! We have already recorded that Pomare, on em-
·bracing Christianity, abolished the stills throughout his
dorninions; and (though himself, unhappily, addicted to
strong drink, when he had it by purchase from ships touch-
ing upon his coast) he never permitted it to be prepared at
hoine, even for his own gratification, lest he should “put an
enemy" into the mouths of his subjects “to steal away their
senses."
Dec. 3. Mr. Platt, wishing to have a piece of ground ad-
jacent to his house planted with taro (sweet potatoes), had
mentioned it to the deacons, who assembled the congregation,
last Saturday, to consider whether they would do the work
for their minister. On the question being put, the people
gladly offered their services, and this morning they came to
falfil their engagement. The ground for the cultivation of
this root is low and wet, and here it was covered with rank
and coarse vegetation. In a few hours, however, the whole
plot was cleared and planted. The many hands made light
work, by an easy division of the whole into small portions.
Except two or three spades, short, pointed sticks were the
only tools employed to root up the grass, dig the soil, and
plant the taro. The laborers were very soon ludicrously be-
spattered with mud; yet nothing could exceed the good-
humor with which they performed their disagreeable task ;
many of them sat down in the mire to gather out the stones,
and put in the plants. One woman only was among them,
with several boys. In one quarter the king's servants were
employed, in another the queen's, and several bands else-
where; all keeping to their own departments. By noon, the
whole was nearly completed, when the work-people were
entertained with a baked hog and the usual vegetable fare,
provided by Mr. Platt. On the occasion, sundry chiefs
headed their vassals, and toiled with their own hands as hard
as any of them. This is always the case when any public
service is to be done, the principal men deeming it their
honor to be the ablest and busiest of the multitude, who,
under such encouragement as well as superintendence, vie
with each other who shall do the most and the best in accom-
plishing the common object. The taro plants are placed.
132
.
A COURT OF JUSTICE.
something less than a yard apart; this is necessary, both to
allow their luxuriant growth, and that they may be regularly
supplied with water. The roots are fit for use in six months,
but both the bulk and quality are much improved if permitted
to remain in the ground a year. Roasted or boiled, the
taro is excellent food.
Dec. 4. We have just witnessed the novel scene of a
court of justice here.' Hard by the chapel, there stands a
magnificent purau-tree, round about and under the expand-
ed shade of which long forms for seats were fixed, enclosing
a square of about twenty-five feet across. No pains had
been taken to clear the ground, which happened to be strewn
with loose stones. The judges took their places on the
benches. Most of these were secondary chiefs, the superior
ones being with Pomare at Tahiti. They were handsomely
- robed in purau mats and cloth tibutas, with straw hats, and
made a most respectable appearance. There were nearly
thirty of these; among whom one, called Tapuni, having
been previously appointed chairman of the tribunal, was dis-
tinguished above the rest by a bunch of black feathers,
gracefully surmounted with red, in his hat. Hundreds of
people, seated themselves on the outside of the square. Two
young men were then introduced, who sat down quietly at
the foot of the tree. These were the culprits: they were
charged with having stolen some bread-fruit. Silence and
earnest attention prevailed. Tapuni now rose, and called
upon the accused to stand up, which they immediately did.
lle then stated the offence for which they were arraigned,
and as their guilt was clear, having been detected in the
fact, he told them that they had committed rebellion, by
breaking the law, outraging the authority of the king, and
disgracing the character of their country. One of the young
men, hereupon, frankly confessed that he had perpetrated
the theft, and persuaded his comrade to share with him the
crime and the plunder. Witnesses are seldom called in such
cases, offenders generally acknowledging their misdeeds, and
casting themselves on the justice of the court to deal with
them accordingly. This is a remarkable circumstance, and
we are assured that it is so common as to constitute a trait
of national character. A brief conversation followed among
the judges, respecting the utua, or punishment, to be inflici-
ed on the youths, as they were thus faahapa, or found guilty.
The sentence was then delivered by the president; this was,
FIRST DESTRUCTION OF IDOLS.
133
that they should each build four fathoms of a wall, now erect-
ing about a plot of taro ground, belonging to the king. In
such cases, the condemned are allowed their own reasonable
time to execute the task required, and it generally happens
that their friends, by permission, lend them assistance. We
have seen an aged father helping his son to perform hard
labor of this kind, which must, nevertheless, be finished to
the satisfaction of an authorized inspector. It is remarkable,
in the administration of justice here, that, when the sentence
is pronounced, the criminal is gravely asked whether he him-
self agrees to it, and he generally replies in the affirmative.
There is something very primitive and patriarchal in this
simple yet solemn form of conducting trials.
A second cause now came on. The plaintiff had engaged
certain persons to plant a quantity of land with tobacco, at a
stipulated price. While these were at work, two-fellows, not
employed by the plaintiff, volunteered their assistance to the
hired laborers. When the tobacco was ripe, these two came
and took away a quantity of the crop, as a compensation for
their officious services. The action was, therefore, brought
against them, to recover the tobacco, or damages to the value
of it. When the case had been stated, much discussion
arose; but as it could not be found that the law had made
express provision for such an anomalous offence, the consid-
eration of the subject was deferred till another time.
Near this missionary station, called Papetoai, the first
destruction of idols took place. Mr. Henry, still resident
there, was present. A-chief, named Pati, having fully made
up his mind to the perilous experiment, which should prove
whether the objects of his fathers' worship and his own were
gods or not,-he publicly announced, before Pomare and a
great number of the natives, that he would bring the images
from the marae in the adjacent valley, and burn them, before
the sun, next day. Some of the missionaries, fearful of the
consequences, advised him to consider well what he was
about to do; but Mr. Henry, young and zealous for the Lord.
of Hosts, clapped the heroic chief on the back, and encour-
aged him to lose no time in carrying his good purpose into
execution. Accordingly, on the morrow, Papi brought his
family idols, three in number, upon his back, to the place of
execution. There, throwing the lumber down upon the
ground, he took an axe, hewed away the wicker-work that
encased them, and split the uncouth shapes, to see what
12
134
DEPARTURE FOR THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.
might be within, when bones of fishes and men, that had
been sacrificed, were found in the cavities. The dumb logs
and stocks were then cast into the flames of a large fire, and
presently consumed to ashes the people gazing with horror
and astonishment on the eacrilegious act, expecting that some
signal vengeance would overtake the bold assailant of the
gods. The latter, however, could not help themselves; and
the spectators, witnessing such total impotence, felt their faith
in the superstition of their ancestors not a little shaken.
Their children will hardly know what that superstition was,
so utterly, though gradually, have all traces of it been abolish-
ed since that memorable conflagration.
CHAPTER VIII.
Departure for the Leeward Islands, Huahine-Distinguished Natives
-Speeches-Death of Pomare-Grounds on which the Effects pro-
duced by Christian Missions in these Islands have been misrepre-
sented— Last Injunctions and Dying Scene of Pomare.
Dec. 5. TAKING leave of our friends in Eimeo, we em-
barked on board the General Gates, and were soon under
weigh on our voyage to the leeward islands. The breeze
was slight, but towards evening we came to anchor off Titu-
roa, eight leagues distant from Tahiti, captain Riggs having
determined to land here, for the purpose of purchasing a ſur-
ther stock of provisions.
Dec. 6. Glad to escape from our confined births in the
ship, we rose early. A large shark being on the scout near
the vessel, a hook well baited was let down, and in a few min-
utes the voracious animal was floundering on the deck,
where he was quickly dispatched, and the fins, or flippers,
taken off, to be preserved for the China market, where such
commodities fetch a good price. Mr. Tyerman accompanied
captain Riggs in the boat, intending to land, which, howev-
er, was a matter of no small difficulty, and some peril. Ti-
turoa is, in fact, a group of coral islets, ten in number, com-
prehended within one general reef, and separated from each
other by interjacent lagoons. On the reef the surf breaks
perpetually, with great violence; here the boat narrowly es-
caped being wrecked in attempting to push into calm water.
At length an entrance was found, where the captain got on
HUAHINC.
135
shore, by sometimes wading up to the loins, and sometimes
being carried on men's shoulders. To his great disappoint-
ment neither hogs nor fowls .could be procured, and only a
small quantity of fruit and fish. An effort to land on a sec-
ond island proved ineffectual.
This group of motus (as they are called) is about twenty
miles in circuit. They are low, flat spots, 'beautifully cover-
ed with cocoa-nut, vi-apple, and other trees; but the bread-
fruit is not found growing here, nor; indeed, on any of the
coral islands to which the salt water has access. On the
contrary the cocoa frequently stands within the margin of ,
the sea, and shoots up in stately luxuriance, with its shadow
perpetually floating upon the brine. There are no mountain-
plantains nor bananas here. The inhabitants of these com-
parative solitudes are few and poor; and, though they have
acknowledged Christianity, are as yet less instructed in it
than those of the more fertile and favored islands in the
neighborhood. .
Dec. 7. Pursuing our course, about noon the island of
Huahine hove in sight, at the distance of twenty-five miles
over the lee-bow. At first the appearance was conical, blue,
and dimly discernible; but, as we approached, the outline
broke into distinct hills, and in the glow of sunset many
sharp peaks were seen crowding through the evening-sky.
Dec. 8. At day-break we neared Huahine. The island,
which is irregularly oval, much resembles Eimeo in its aspect
to the eye, though the eminences are neither so high nor so
peaked as those of the latter, and are wooded even to the
summits; their flanks, in some places rocky and steep, are
hollowed into narrow fissures or deep ravines. Numerous
valleys, descending from the interior, open towards the beach.
Many small islands studding the face of the sea, on all sides,
add a variety of graceful objects, whether contemplated from
the deck or from the shore. One of very peculiar form,
standing apart, might have been taken for a Chinese temple,
built upon the waves, when seen from the point where we
first descried its tapering height against the horizon. It was
covered with cocoa-nut and other trees. Soon afterwards,
the missionary settlement, at the head of the bay, saluted our :
view, and was most welcome to our hearts. It has an im-
posing appearance, and reminded us more of a large town
than any place we had lately seen, many of the houses being
of considerable size, all white, and the chapel, a noble edi-
136
PARE HARBOR, HUAHINE.
fice, in the centre. A lofty mountain rises in the back-
ground of this expanded picture, between the foot of which
and the sea there runs a narrow border of low land, rich in
tropical trees, pleasant to the eye and good for food.
Fronting this station, which is on Fare Harbor, where
captain Cook formerly anchored, we could discern, towards
the north-west, the adjacent islands of Raiatea, Tahaa, and
Borabora, beautifully displayed between the level ocean and
the bending sky, that seemed to enclose them behind and
above. The morning was delightfully serene, and with a
gentle breeze we were soon wafted through an opening of
the reef into the calm and safe lagoon. This reef of coral
extends across the bay, having two passages through which
entrance or egress may be made, each about a quarter of a
mile in breadth, with great depth of water; while upon the
rocky barrier itself the surge is for ever rolling and retreat-
ing in foam and spray, through which no bark, however light
or strong, can live to carry a crew or cargo.' The bay here
is a mile wide, and about as much inward from the reef to
the shore; and anchorage is so secure that vessels generally
lie close upon the beach, and are moored to a tree, head and
stern. Two streams of fresh water, one at the south and the
other at the north side, flow into the harbor, and fertilize the
land round the settlement.
Mr. Ellis and Mr. Barff, the missionaries here, sent their
boat to bring us on shore, and gave us a most cordial wel-
come to Huahine, on which we were glad to set our feet, as
on a field which the Lord had blessed. By the time when we
had reached Mr. Barff's house, hundreds of the natives had
assembled to greet us, whose laoranas-"all good be with
you”-rang in our ears; but to shake hands with all that of-
fered was almost more than our strength could endure; many
children were among them, and shouted for joy with the rest.
With the first whom we saw came Mahine and Mahine Va-
hine, the king and queen of Maiaoite, who have great influ-
ence in this island, where they usually reside. Mahine,
when an idolater, was a mighty man of valor, and rendered
essential service in raising Pomare to his dignity in Tahiti.
In the last conflict, also, with the heathen insurgents, he had
distinguished himself pre-eminently. He commanded the
third division in the order of march to battle, and when the
first and second were compelled to fall back, he firmly ad-
vanced to charge the enemy, whose chief leader was soon
QUEEN POMARE VAHINE.
137
afterwards slain by a shot from one of his men: total discom-
fiture soon followed. On Mahine's return to this island, af-
ter the war, as he leaped on shore, he exclaimed, “The
idolaters were conquered by prayer." He seems about sixty
years of age, a tall and venerable man, and generally dresses
in European costume. He might at the time above mention-
ed have obtained extensive dominions, with great civil power;
but he nobly resigned the whole into the hands of others,
saying that he would have nothing to do thenceforward with
political affairs, but should give himself to hearing the word,
and obeying the will, of God during the remainder of his
days. His consort is a woman of royal blood, and majestic
presence, with courteous manners. She dresses in the Eng-
lish fashion. This exalted and good man has lately sustained
a severe stroke of affliction in the death of his son, by a for-
mer wife, who, had he lived, would have been king of Hua-
hine. He was cut off by rapid consumption in his twentieth
year. To aggravate the grief of the aged parent and the
community at large, who had a national interest in his life,
the youth was the last branch of his family that had seen the
light. He left, however, a wife far advanced in pregnancy;
and on the expected birth of a grandchild the poor bereaved
father hangs his hope of reparation of the ruin of his house.
In this prospective solace all the people affectionately sympa-
thize. His son died about a month since, and was buried in
the chapel-yard; on which occasion, close by the grave, Ma-
hine had a little hut erected, wherein he remained, night and
day, sorrowing and seeking resignation, till a few days ago,
when he came forth as one who could say, “Father, thy will
be done."
Our next visitor of rank was Pomare Vahine, sister to Po-
mare's queen, and herself the queen of Huahine. Her robe
was a long shirt which reached nearly to the ground. . She is
an agreeable woman in person and manners. Next came
Hautia, another princely personage, with his wife, a helpmate
worthy of him. He is prime minister to the queen-in fact
he is regent, and governs on her behalf. He was followed
by a person who was once the chief of all the soothsayers,
but who now appears a pious and exemplary Christian. The
deacons of the church, and many of the second rank of
chiefs, who are the land-owners, also waited upon us with
their cheerful congratulations. This hearty reception of our-
selves, as the representatives of the Parent Society, was the
12*
138
GREAT CONGREGATION.
more peculiarly gratifying to us because it proved the high
esteem in which the resident missionaries are held here.
Mr. Bennet was invited to take up his abode with Mr. Barff,
and Mr. Tyerman with Mr. Ellis. These excellent men,
with their amiable wives and families, occupy comfortable
dwellings, built in the English style, surrounded by neat and
well-stocked gardens; and, while they zealously devote their
talents to the service of man and the glory of God, they en-
joy the filial affection of the people among whom they labor.
Similar testimonies we can bear in reference to all the
faithful missionaries whom we have yet seen on the other
islands.
Dec. 8. Being the Sabbath, we went to the early prayer-
meeting in the chapel, and were astonished to find not ſewer
than a thousand persons assembled to pay their morning vows
to God. These devout exercises, as in Tahiti and Eimeo,
were conducted entirely by natives, and consisted of singing,
praying, and reading the scriptures. About twelve hundred
men, women, and children, afterwards constituted the con-
gregation, at the public service in the forenvon. The chapel
is very compact and commodious, and as many as sixteen
hundred auditors have occasionally been crowded into it.
The pulpit stands on one side of the square area. Around
it are placed the pews of the royal family and those of the
principal and secondary chiefs, according to their rank; be-
yond these are the forms on which the commonalty sit, and.
also the Sunday scholars, of whom there were four hundred
present. Among these were the children of the royal line,
and of the great chiefs, prettily attired, as their only distinc-
tion, in purau-mat tibutas. After the sermons, on both parts
of the day, it was difficult for us to escape from the good folks,
who thronged around us to express their gladness at our, ar-
rival. But what pleased us most was a notice, given out after
service, that to-morrow there would be a public meeting of
the islanders to aroha us among them. The word aroha
strictly means to compassionate, but it is used also to signify
love and delight, as well as earnest desire, towards an object.
Here it implied, to give us a fervent welcome-a welcome in
which the tenderness of affectionate hearts should be mingled
with the joy of grateful minds, on seeing the representatives
of those Christian friends, in a far country, who did not neg-
lect to aroha them in their low estate, but sent the messen-
gers of the everlasting gospel to raise them from the dust,
MEETING TO WELCOME THE DEPUTATION.
139
and set them among the princes of the Lord's people, yea,
to make them sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.
Dec. 9. Agreeable to the notice yesterday, the people as-
sembled in the chapel, at three o'clock this afternoon, to aroha
us on our arrival. The royal princes, chiefs, raatiras (land-
owners), and other persons, of both sexes, all ages, and divers
classes, were present. A beautiful, heart-moving spectacle it
was, to look upon a thousand human beings, so changed, as
the adults all were, from what they and their fathers had
been, through untold generations, and especially to meet the
lovely countenances and gazing eyes of four hundred chil-
dren among them, now training up in the nurture and admo-
nition of the Lord-who, had the gospel not found them on
the threshold of life, and rescued them, would (for the most
part at least have been murdered, at their birth, by the pa-
rents to whom they owed their existence, and from whose
hands, perhaps (as idolaters, wallowing in all manner of
abominations), death was the best boon they could have re-
ceived. After singing and prayer, we each addressed the as-
sembly on what God had done for them, in them, and by
them; exhorting these Christian professors, not only to hold
fast that whereunto they had attained, but to go on to perfec-
tion, following after holiness with entire devotion of heart,
soul, mind, and strength, to the Lord's service. We also ex-
plained to them the purposes of our visit, as a deputation to
these islands from the London Missionary Society. Several
speeches were then addressed to us; our good brethren, the
missionaries, acting as interpreters to both parties. We shall
record specimens of these as translated for us on the spot.
Auna, one of the deacons of the church, said: “Brethren,
our hearts rejoice exceedingly on account of the great good-
ness of God in bringing you among us this day. Our hearts
are filled with love and affection towards you, though we
never saw your faces before yesterday. My tears of gladness
almost prevent my saying more. You come from a very far
land, on an errand of good-will to us, and we desire that your
visit should be such an one as that of Barnabas to Antioch,
who, when he had seen the grace of God, was glad, and ex-
horted them all, that with purpose of heart they should cleave
unto the Lord. We, here, were in darkness, without the
knowledge of God or the way of life, when you, in your
country, turned your eyes towards us. But it was God who
inclined you to think of us, and send teachers to instruct us
140
SPEECHES OF NARII AND MAHINE. .
.
.
in the good word, and lead us into the way to heaven. We
now, with you, look to that Savior who gives endless life to
those who believe in his name; and we, as well as you; love.
Him because He first loved us and sought us out when we
were running along the road to destruction. We are pleased
to find that you have received our little property, which we
sent to the Society to help them in causing the word of God
to grow in every country, and we pray that we may never be
weary in thus well-doing, but go on and increase in our én-
deavors, that others may be made. as happy as we are. Pray
you, dear friends, for us, that we may hold on to the end;
and, if at any time we faint in this work, may we remember
the word of Him who hath said, “Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.?"..."
Narii, a church-member, next spoke : “Friends, elder
brethren, fathers! Peace be unto you, on coming among us,
from God and from Jesus Christ! Our prayers have been
answered, and you have been brought hither in safety to the
delight of our hearts. We long ago learnt that you were on
your way, but now we have heard your voices and seen your
faces, in the midst of us and our teachers, in the house of
our heavenly Father; yours as well as ours. Our faith is
confirmed, this day, by hearing from you the same things
which we hear from our teachers; because we see that your
word and theirs is one. Some of our brethren, who had
heard that you were coming, have died without seeing you.
It is the goodness of God which has lengthened our breath
to bid you welcome. These children, on whom you love so
much to look, we also rejoice to behold alive at this time;
they are property given unto us of the Lord, which we dear-
ly prize, and which we are determined to dedicate to him;
in former days they might have been all murdered ! But
they and we now meet you in the temple of Jehovah! Ah!
it was not so once: Pray; then, .for us, that the Spirit of
Christ may dwell in our hearts, and we will pray for you. If
we never meet you again on earth, may we meet you, and all
our friends beyond the sea, at the right hand of our Re-
deemer, in the kingdom of God.”
Mahine, king of Maiaoite, then rose and said: “We were
on the brink of the fire of hell, when the first English captain
found us; and, when the second came, we were all leaping
down the precipice of death. The ship Duff brought us the
love of God, and the message of mercy. And yet we con-
TEAUA'S SPEECH.
-
141
tinued in the same wicked way. That time, however, is
past. The grace of God has turned our feet into the paths
of peace and endless life. We never thought of looking to
Him; we desired neither Him nor his salvation; but He
sought us, He called us, and He made us to hear his voice.
We, old people, well remember what we formerly were.
We hated, and hunted, and killed one another. We once
fed on husks, but now we feast on the ripe bread-fruit of the
word of Christ. Through God's love alone that word was
brought to us, by our kind friends and teachers, who leaped
hither over the tops of the breaking waves to help us. May
we, then, be faithful and steadfast to the end ; never may you
hear, after your return to Britain, that we have gone back to
our evil ways; never may you have cause to exclaim-Be-
hold, the land which we so much rejoiced to see is become a
land to be sorrowed and wept over! This is truly a harvest
of joy. We have long waited for it, and it is come at length.
I am an aged man, and I trust I am going to Jesus : had I
died before I saw your faces, I should not have died so hap-
pily as I shall now."
Teaua, one of the raatiras, made the following remarks :-
“ Friends, you have come from a very far country, out of love
to our kings and chiefs, and to us, raatiras, and to all our
people. By the goodness of God you are come. We did not
love you ; we did not send any body to you to show you kind-
ness. We never had such friends before. The former king
of Tahiti saw your former brethren and died. He is no-
more; but we live to see you among us and our rulers; and,
having seen you, they and we rejoice and are happy together.
Our kings are glad ; our chiefs are glad; our raatiras are
glad; our people are glad ; and we all bid you, our two elder
brethren, welcome to Huahine, with praise and thanksgiving
to Jehovah, for conducting you safely hither."
It may be observed, that these four persons addressed us
in the name of the respective ranks which they represented.
They all spoke with ease, animation and fluency. No trans-
lation can be expected to convey more than the sentiments
that were delivered, which, clothed in their native idioms, pos-
sessed a grace and simplicity not easily transferable into the
diction of a more polished tongue. After these addresses we
signified our willingness to give, to all who desired it, the
right hand of fellowship, on behalf of the London Missionary
Society, and in the name of the whole Christian world, which

142
DEATH OF POMARE.
was deeply interested in the extension of its borders over the
isles of the Pacific Ocean. The kind and ingenuous people
were delighted with this token of our friendship, and all the
congregation, in classes, according to their standings in the
church, down to the Sunday-school children, came in due or-
der to take their share in this hearty testimonial of good will,
which, however long and wearisome, under other circum-
stances, it might have been, was truly gratifying to our purest
feelings, and was evidently felt in the same way. by all our
Huahine brethren and sisters.
We spent the evening with our missionary friends at the
house of Mr. Ellis. Here a man and a woman came in, and,
sitting down upon the floor, told us that they had enjoyed so
much happiness at the public meeting that they could not go
to rest, that night, without coming to tell us. We questioned
them upon several passages of scripture, to prove their reli-
gious knowledge, when their answers were not only generally
correct, but showed that they had diligently read and consid-
ered those portions of holy writ which have been rendered
into their native tongue.
Dec. 8. At six o'clock this morning we visited the
schools, and were surprised to find two large rooms well fill-
ed; the one appropriated to men and boys, the other to wo-
men and girls, all attentive to their teachers, and employed
upon their various branches of learning. Among the rest
were the old king Mahine and his queen, who, with their
class-fellows, were conning their scripture lessons verse by
verse, and answering interrogatories which were put to them
as they proceeded. This is the exercise of every morning in
the week, except Saturday and Sunday. Some were learn-
ing their letters, others spelling, many reading, and several
were writing.
Mai, king of Borabora, has arrived here from Tahiti, with
tidings of the death of Pomare, on Friday last. The island
was in great sorrow and anxiety. Many rumors were afloat,
and fears excited as to the result of this momentous event.
The mission is in the hand of God, and we are content that
He should do what seemeth Him good with his own work
and his own servants.
Dec. 10. To show how little confidence is to be placed
in the reports of worldly-minded strangers, who visit these
islands, and are ill disposed towards the moral revolution
which has taken place since the old licentious times, we state
SCANDALOUS REPORTS OF VISITORS.
-
143
the following circumstances. Captain R. having given out
that one of the principal chiefs here had asked him for rum,
which is a prohibited liquor, -on investigation of the fact, we
found that the chief had inquired if he had any wine, the
missionaries having advised him to obtain some, to take me-
dicinally. The captain thereupon insidiously set before him
å glass of rum, which the honest man, as soon as he perceived
to be spirit, set down upon the table, and resolutely refused
to taste it, notwithstanding the importunity of the captain.
This makes us suspect the truth of the strange affair which
was told us as having happened at Tituroa. Too many sea-
men, who touch at these islands, expecting to revel, as of
old, in all manner of impurity, are ready, in their rage and
disappointment, to propagate the most atrocious slanders
against these islanders and their Christian instructors; through
whose influence they are almost wholly prevented from allur- ·
ing females on board their vessels. A captain P., of the ship
W., was so horribly provoked, when he was off here, that he
threatened to fire a broadside, at his departure, on the inno-
cent inhabitants, because they were more virtuous than him-
self, impudently telling them, that if any of them were killed
the missionaries must bear the blame. While this profligate
fellow was lately at Eimeo, he wrote a letter to a brother cap-
tain, at Tahiti, at the foot of which was this postscript:
“This is a desperately wicked island; there is not a -
to be had for love or money.” These things would be too
disgusting to record, but truth and justice require that the
British public should know of what spirit those men are who
bring home evil reports of these Christian converts, and vilify
the change of character and manners wrought by the gospel
upon these quondam idolaters, who-then were all that repro-
bate visitors could desire, and now are all that they hate.
We took a walk this evening up the side of the mountain.
Many traces of houses are scattered abroad, the foundations
of which only remain. At a considerable height are the ru-
ins of a marae. Here, as in Eimeo and Tahiti, we find sim-
ilar proofs of a population, in former years, far more abun-
dant than at present. Huahine was subjected to the same
devastating system of superstition and licentiousness as the
other islands. There was not, indeed, comparatively, so
much of war, human sacrifice, and pestilent disease, but in-
fanticide was awfully frequent.' An old chief informs us, that
his father told him this was a modern practice, resorted to by
144
POMARE'S LAST INJUNCTIONS.
the women to prolong a youthful and attractive appearance,
which they supposed would be lost, if they suckled their off-
spring; and the innovation was sanctioned by the chiefs, in
regard to their own children, the fruit of unequal marriages,
to preserve a pure and legitimate lineage of aristocracy. The
Areois destroyed their children, because they would not be
encumbered with them in pursuing their migratory habits;
and girls were more especially made away with than boys,
because it was very troublesome to rear them—the abomina-
ble -proscription of the female sex requiring that their food
should be dressed in separate ovens from that of their fathers,
and brothers, their husbands and male kindred.
We have just learnt that Pomare, before his demise, nom-
inated his son, an infant of eighteen months, to be his suc-
cessor; and also appointed the queen (the boy's mother), her
sister, Pomare Vahine, and five principal chiefs of Tahiti to
be a regency during the long minority to come; he had fur-
ther directed that the young king should be solemnly crowned
in the European manner, and requested that all the mission-
aries would attend, and take their part in the ceremony.
Pomare's dying charge was,—“If my son grow up a good
man, receive him as your king; if a bad one, banish him to
Huahine !” He requested that his queen and her sister
would continue to reside in Tahiti with his successor ; but if
they should ever remove to Huahine (of which Pomare Va-
hine is queen) then that they would take his bones along with
them. These things he carefully settled with his chiefs the
day before his death. He likewise expressed anxious concern
for the prosperity of the religion of the gospel among his peo-
ple, to the last; enjoining all classes to give heed to the things
that were spoken to them by their teachers. He gave a spe-
cial charge concerning the cocoa-nut oil, which had been con-
tributed by himself and his subjects for the Missionary So-
ciety, that it should be intrusted to a New Holland captain
about to return thither, but be held at the disposal of the dep-
utation.
The contributions from the missionary association of this
island (Huahine) in the present year, have been twelve balls.
of arrow-root, and six thousand three hundred and forty-nine
bamboos of cocoa-nut oil.–At the anniversary meeting in
May last, among the memorandums of addresses delivered,
the following deserve notice.-Teaua, the secretary, said
“ Another master formerly was ours. Great was the work we
MISSIONARY SPEECHES OF NATIVES.
145
had then to do-to build canoes, and to make fau (dresses)
and taumi (head-ornaments) for warriors. 'Much' proper-
ty we gave to our gods; our great hogs, and even men
were sacrificed to idols. Those days are gone by; let us
now be active in doing the good work in which we are en-
gaged ; let us do it with joy, and with all our hearts; let us
not be spiritless in this cause; let us all be invincible heroes;
let us drinic the bitter sea-water.” (i. e. willingly suffer any
privation in carrying it on).—Hautia said: “Our fathers
are dead. They knew not the good word nor the good
customs of the present days; but through the grace of God
we know these things, and we must not sit still. Solomon
had work to do in his time: he built the house of Jehovah at
Jerusalem. My friends, God has given work into our hands
also that his house may be erected, and all the heathen
enter in. Remember the words of Isaiah, “Enlarge the :
place of thy tent; and let them stretch forth the curtains of'.
thine habitation; spare not, lengthen thy cords, strengthen
thy stakes. Well then, I say to you, let that place be en-
larged ; let those curtains be stretched out; and it will be
well. I say also spare not; say not that it is a great work,
but let us collect the oil again for next year.”—Mahine
said: “We have been in darkness, and had nearly died
therein. We are a remnant left by Satan; for if hïs reign
had been lengthened, all the people would have been his,
and they would all have been destroyed by him, for ever.
We have lifted up our hands, all of us, even the eight divis-
ions of Huahine; but let not the hand only be lifted up;
iny friends, we will lift up our hearts. Behold our contribu-
tions; they are less during the past than the former year;
like the ebbing tide they are falling off. It must not be so
again ; let the tide return, and let it always increase. Our
fathers are dead. They perished, some by the club, some
by the spear, some by the stone from the sling, and some by
quarrels concerning their wives. We are saved from all
these evil things. Let us then be diligent to do our duty.
Like Caleb and Joshua, let us all follow the Lord fully. Let
us not hear the good word of God with the outside of our
hearts, but let us keep it in the middle of our hearts."
The great chief and regent here, Hautia, speaking of the
late king's death, said I could not sleep all night for
thinking of Pomare. I was like a canoe rocking on the
stormy waves, which cannot rest. I thought of his body,
VOL. 1.
13
146
THE LAST WORDS OF POMARE.
and I said, in my heart, that is dead, and will soon be in the
grave; but his soul, where is it ?”
Mr. Redfern, a surgcon from Port Jackson, and Mr.
Crook, the missionary, were present with the king in his
last hours. They found him in a very low, comatose state,
with short lucid intervals. During one of these, Mr. Crook
addressed a few brief words of exhortation to him; and after-
wards, seeing his end approaching, observed, “I would gladly
do for you what I can, but I fear my best will be of little
avail. You have, indeed, been a great sinner, but Christ is
a great Savior, and none but Jesus can help you now."
He replied, “ None but Jesus !” These were his last ac-
cents. He fell into a lethargy. The queen and her sister
hung over him, weeping aloud. Aimata, his daughter,
seemed but little affected; but his cousin Manihinihi cried
bitterly. The missionary held the young prince, at the foot
of the bed, and sat. mournfully watching the king's counte-
nance. At eight o'clock, in the evening, Pomare ceased to
breathe. Mr. Crook then. kneeled down with his afflicted
family, and prayed for them. Their anguish afterwards
brake out in brief .cjaculations: “ Alas! alas ! our king !-
He brought us hither !-and now, alas, alas, for the chil-
dren !" These were uttered in a singing tone, and were
very loud and vehement at times.
CHAPTER IX.
Native Marriage--Missionary Settlement-Gradations of Society
Interesting Visit and Conversation--Shocking Practices of the old
Idolaters-Strata-Coral-formations.
Dec. 11. We have had much conversation with Mahine
Vahine, the old king's consort, on religious subjects. She
spoke like a truly pious and intelligent woman. We made
her a few slight presents; among these was an engraved por-
trait of Pomare, with which she was much pleased, and
touched to the heart, saying, “ Every time I look at this, it
will make my affection to grow.”
A marriage has just been solemnized here. Mr. Barff
officiated as minister. The bridegroom and the bride were
of respectable rank, and several persons attended to witness
the ceremony. This commenced with reading a portion of
NATIVE MARRIAGE.
147
scripture, from St. Matthew's gospel, concerning marriage.
The young couple, who had first taken their seats on a bench
in front of the pulpit, the woman on the left hand of her
intended husband, now stood up. The bridegroom was
then directed to take the bride's right hand in his own, and
i answer the question, “ Wilt thou take this woman to be thy
wife, and be faithful to her till death ?" Having replied, “I
will,” the converse of the question was put to the bride, she,
at the same time, taking his right hand into hers, and an-
swering, "I will.” The missionary then told the congre-
gation that these two persons were man and wife. A charge
on their mutual duties was addressed to them, and the cere-
mony was concluded with prayer. The names of the par-
ties, with those of two witnesses, were then registered in a
book kept for that purpose.--In all the islands marriages
are performed in this simple manner, the bans having been
once previously published in the congregation to which the
families belong.--When we came out of chapel, we saw the
provision made for the wedding dinner. It consisted of a
large hog, baked whole ; about sixty baskets of bread-fruit
and cocoa-nuts; many fishes, of different kinds; and several
umitics (wooden dishes) containing papoi, a kind of pudding,
and other delicacies. The feast was laid out under an ex-
tensive shed. Several hundred guests had been invited,
and it was expected that all the provisions would be con-
sumed.
Dec. 12. A meeting of the baptized has been held in the
chapel this afternoon. From six to seven hundred persons
were present. After a brief discourse, bý a' missionary,
several of the congregation stated their Christian experience;
they also quoted portions of scripture on which they had
been meditating, and asked questions on these and other
· religious topics, which were answered by the minister. In-
terrogatories were likewise put to them; and in their replies,
as well as in the narratives which they gave concerning their
past lives, great ingenuousness was manifested by all.
Here, as elsewhere, old things are passing swiftly away,
and; behold, all things are becoming new. Though the
gospel had been introduced before Mr. Ellis and Mr. Barff
came hither, it had made little progress. These able and
diligent missionaries, having fixed their abode at this place,
itinerated from hence through the whole island, preaching
every where, and instructing all classes of the population
148
MISSIONARY SETTLEMENT.
that they should forsake dumb idols, and turn to the living
God. This laborious and inconvenient system was con-
tinued till last year, when, at a public meeting expressly
convened, it was proposed that the people should come to
their teachers, and settle in their immediate neighborhood,
for the purpose of more frequently and fully hearing the
words whereby they might be saved. A large majority of
the inhabitants acceded to this proposition, and, flocking
from all quarters, they soon began to erect their humble,
but neat, dwellings, about this beautiful bay; the families
of each of the eight districts, into which the island is
divided, voluntarily choosing to associate, and build near to
each other. Thus was the camp of this little Israel distin-
guished by its several tribes, occupying their adjacent tents.
This plan was productive of immediate and permanent
benefit. The former residents here were indolent and slov-
enly, careless of comfort, and equally unconcerned about
spiritual improvement; in fact, there was not a decent
dwelling in the whole place. Other portions of the island
were much in the same situation ; but, since the new settle-
ment has been begun, the character and manners of the
people have been rapidly and happily changed; they are
becoming more and more industrious, orderly, and cleanly,
as well as more intelligent, and willing to be instructed in
the things that pertain to godliness, finding it profitable to
this life, in addition to the promise of the life to come.
Many well-framed and plastered houses have been built,
and domestic accommodations, unknown to their ancestors,
are found under every roof. The inhabitants still continue
to keep and cultivate the lands from which they removed, in
the distant mataimaas, or districts, where much timber is
grown, suitable for all general purposes. Thirteen or four-
teen saw-pits are constantly occupied by workmen, who
manage the pit-saw far better than might be expected ; and
now. the same sized tree from which they could formerly (by
splitting the bole, and hewing each part thin) produce only
two planks, is handsomely cut into nine or ten good boards,
at less expense of time and labor. Those who have plastered
their habitations are much delighted with the security which
they afford them. They say, also, that they are cooler in
warm, and warmer in cold weather (being, indeed, less
affected by atmospheric changes), than their old ones were,
which they now consider as only fit for pig-styes and lumber-
.
GRADATIONS OF RANK.
149
stores. One of the chiefs was observing, the other day,
that he and his family could now sleep in comfort, in the
night time, when wind and rain are beating against
the walls, or pouring down upon the roof; whereas, while
he lived in his old wattled shed, on such occasions, he
was disturbed by thinking-Is such a piece of cloth out
of the way of the wet ? Where are the books ?--won't they
all be spoiled? The provision, too, is it safe?
While these village-erections are thus carrying forward,
a new form of society is growing up with them. The
advantages of neighborly intercourse and l'eligious instruc-
tion, tend to localize the settlers, and to wear them from
their vagrant habits of strolling from place to place, and
eating idle bread wherever they could get it. The gospel
may be said to have first taught them the calm, enduring,
and •endearing sweets of home, which their vagabond fore-
fathers, and many of themselves, hardly knew to exist, till
the religion of Him who had not where to lay his head,
taught them how good and how pleasant a thing it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity, instead of roving like
fishes, or littering like swine.
We also observe, with great satisfaction, that Christianity,
so far from destroying those distinctions in social life, which
a wise Providence has made so necessary to human happi-
ness, that no barbarians are entirely without them, has both
sanctioned and sanctified them here. The kings and chiefs
were never held in higher esteem by their subjects and de-
pendants than they are now; nor are the gradations of rank
in any part of Europe more easily recognized than in these
uttermost parts of the sea. High birth is observable, not
only in the countenances, speech, and personal carriage of
the magnates, but even in the manner, or rather the order,
in which they walk. Though a causeway has been made
from the houses of the missionaries to the chapel, protected
by cocoa-nut trees, laid along the sides, the middle part
being covered with pebbles, and wide" enough for several
persons to walk abreast; yet the people continue one to
follow another in line, as formerly, in the narrow tracks.
If both be of the same rank, the wife comes after the hus-
band; but if the wife be a woman of rank, and the husband
of an inferior class, she goes first, and he, without ever im-
agining himself degraded, treads in her steps. A curious
instance of this kind occurred to-day. Mahine, the king
13*
150
VISIT TO MAHINE AND HAUTIA.
13
of Maiaoiti, and Hautia, the regent of Huahine, had hither-
to received us in their character as members only of the
Christian church; but though they had paid us the most
grateful attention at the public Aroha, this was not enough
for their dignity as royal personages. They, therefore, de-
termined on giving us a token of their esteem in their politi-
cal capacity, as heads of the government. '
To-day being appointed for our visit and audience, at the
house of Hautia, we set off, in the afternoon, from the Chapel,
accompanied by Mr. Ellis and Mr. Barff. As we approach-
ed, we passed between two rows of soldiers, with their fire-
locks shouldered, and beyond these, drawn up in like man-
ner, all the raatiras, or land-proprietors, with their war-spears
grasped in their hands. On entering the house, we found
there Mahine and Hautia, with their wives; who were pres-
ently joined by all the Hui Arii, or royal family of this
island, -eleven persons, of princely rank, in the whole. The
wife of one of these being an Arii by birth and her husband
of inferior blood, he would not enter the house until she
had gone in before him, though all the others, as a matter
of course, took precedence of their partners. As soon as
we were all seated,-on a signal given the soldiers fired
their muskets, and then retired, along with the raatiras, to
a shed which had been prepared for their reception.
Hautia and Mahine occupied a very large Arioi stool,
at the upper end of the room. Mr. Tyerman first addressed
them, expressing our high sense of gratitude for the honor
which they had done us by this signal mark of their atten-
tion. He briefly stated the objects which the deputation
contemplated, and the Christian purposes of the London
Society in sending us so far. Ours, he said, was a visit
of love to the missionaries, and of high respect to the kings
and chiefs of the various islands. The deputation'rejoiced
to see what God was doing here, both in advancing the
cause of religion and of civilization. He added the heart-
felt thanks of the deputation to the sovereigns and their
principal officers, for the great kindness which had hereto-
fore been shown to the missionaries, and our hope that such
protection would never be withdrawn.-Mr. Ellis interpret-
ed. Hautia replied with much fervor; alluding to the for-
mer reprobate condition of the people with abhorrence, and
then with delight acknowledging the blessedness to which
they had been called by the gospel, and led by the missiona-
ROYAL ENTERTAINMENT.
.
151
ries. Mr. Bennet afterwards enforced similar sentiments;
Mr. Barff interpreted, and Mahine returned a pious and ani-
mated answer. There was a natural air of dignity and
grace, both in the speech and conduct of these two not less
excellent than exalted men, on the occasion. Command
and condescension alike became them.
Wine, pine-apples, bananas, and other fruit, were then
placed upon the table, and we were invited to partake.
Wine-glasses being deficient, tea-cups and tumblers were
put in requisition, and served very well, where all was
done and taken in good part. All the ladies were dressed
in the English costume, excepting shoes and stockings,
which were worn by Hautia Vahine alone. The most
unaffected and cordial friendship was displayed by our
royal hosts towards us, and we returned their kindness
with the gratitude of the heart; while, on both sides, the
only language intelligible to all was that of the countenance
lighted up with smiles and looks of reciprocal esteem. The
heat of the weather, at this season (being near Christmas),
reminded us of the reverse in our native climate; and this
introduced an amusing conversation respecting snow, ice,
&c., phenomena which they had never seen. One present
observed, -" Perhaps it is on account of there being so much
snow in your country that your skins are so white."
After sitting some time, we walked out with some of the
company up the side of the mountain, on the slope of which
Hautia's house is built. It is very steep, rocky, and covered
with fern, grass, &c. Having reached a considerable eleva-
tion, we enjoyed superb views of the harbor, the reefs, the ad-
jacent islets, the sea in its boundless magnificence, on the one
hand;. and on the other, rich tropical prospects of hill, and
dale, and woods of ample breadth, engirdled by the winding
shore, or leaning against the dark-blue heaven, where distant
uplands, with their green' declivities, and craggy summits,
looked down from the very firmament upon the puny emi-
nence on which we had taken our stand, and where we
felt ourselves at a giddy height, so little were we, individual-
ly, amidst grandeur and beauty so overwhelming. In the
scene beneath, the coral barrier, rising from unfathomable
darkness, to“ the warm precincts of the cheerful day," and
stretching across the harbor, formed a conspicuous object.
On this, the ocean-billows broke in foaming light, while
smooth within, the bright lagoon lay calm and exquisitely
152
CORAL FORMATIONS.
pictured with patches of landscape, shapes of floating clouds,
broad paths of sunshine, and clear depths of downward
sky reflected from its surface. Our companions told us.
that, in their days of ignorance, they believed the long rough
coral reef to be a rib of one of the gods, but how it came
there, they did not pretend to know. We explained to
them, as well as we could, how these marvellous structures
are forined by multitudes on multitudes of the feeblest things
that have life, through ages working together, and in suc-
cession, one mighty onward purpose of the eternal God;
while each poor worm, among the millions which perhaps
an angel could not count, is merely performing the common
functions of its brief existence, and adding, perhaps, but a
grain to a mass of materials which, in process of time, may
fill up the bed of the Pacific Ocean, and convert it into a
habitable continent. We showed them how thus the motus
had been gradually raised above the flood, and become
lovely spots of verdure, capable of maintaining both animals
and men ; producing trees for food and for building; as well
as plants to nourislı hogs and fowls, or sheep and cattle, such
as had been introduced into Eimeo, and might hereafter
be bred in all the fertile islands of this southern hemisphere.
This turn of the conversation led us to speak of our wells,
and the depth to which we must often penetrate to obtain
water ; also, of our mines, and coal-pits, which sometimes
were extended even under the sea, as well as sunk into
stupendous caverns, in the hearts and beneath the founda-
tions of the highest hills. They listened with patient but
gratified curiosity; and informed us that when our country-
men first visited their shores, they thought that England
must be a poor hungry place, since the people sailed so far
to obtain their abundant and delicious food : nay, they used
to wonder much that king George had not long ago come
hither himself, as he must have tasted or been told of their fine
pork.
On our return to the house, the raatiras were again
drawn up to honor our entrance, holding their war-spears,
as ensigns of dignity, in their hands, there being happily
now none but holyday use for such barbarous weapons here.
These persons are the possessors of landed estates in capite.
They are an important class of the community, and well
aware of their importance. In their public speeches they.
compare the island to a canoe upon the ocean. The king
PIOUS PRACTICES OF CHRISTIAN NATIVES.
153
is the mast, and they (the raatiras) are the ropes by which
it is supported and the sails are managed. While the ropes
continue good the mast is strong, and winds and waves
in vain would overset the vessel of the state. Tea was now
served to us, in the English manner, with all the complete
apparatus of cups and saucers, teapot, caddy, tray, spoons,
&c., all which had been purchased from ships touching on
the coast. Fried bananas and sea-biscuits were handed
round, and nothing that hospitality, in such a place, could
offer was withheld from us. After tea a prayer-meeting
was proposed and gladly acceded to. It was a heart-hum-
bling and heart-cheering sight to behold all these ruling per-
sonages joining in such an act of devotion, and pouring out
their souls in fervent supplication before the King of kings.
Nor let it be imagined that these are insignificant barbari-
ans vested with a little brief authority. No European poten-
tate possesses the despotic sway which they once exercised;
and, in their evangelized state, their conduct and demeanor,
as rulers and ministers of secular government, becomes them
well, and would adorn more polished and splendid courts
in all that constitutes simple dignity and honest courtesy.
King Mahine, being first called upon to engage in prayer,
requested his nephew to give out a hymn and read a chapter
in one of the gospels, which the youth did with great modesty
and seriousness. Mahine then offered up an extemporane-
ous prayer with natural fluency and deep pathos. A hymn,
in English, and a chapter in the same, were afterwards sung
and read, when Mr. Tyerinan prayed in his native tongue,
for all blessings, spiritual and temporal, according to their
wants, upon the sovereigns and their subjects here and
through all the groups of isles adjacent. The domestics
were all present at this family service. Wherever the
Christian native of these newly-enlightened lands builds an
house, like Abraham of old he raises an altar there, and,
with his household, calls upon the name of the Lord.—
After much interesting conversation, at the close of the even-
ing we retired, equally edified and charmed with our visit.
The soldiers and raatiras had remained at their posts all
the while, and so soon as we had reached the foot of the
hill, a farewell volley of musketry was fired.
Dec. 14. The more we consider it, the more marvellous in
our eyes becomes the change which the gospel-the great
power of God indeed !-has wrought in the hearts and minds
154
CHANGES WROUGHT BY THE GOSPEL.
of these people. Meekness, gentleness, generosity, are their
leading characteristics. They seem incapable of a cruel
deed, owing to principles engrafted upon the once harsh but
now' regenerated stock of nature, which forbid every act
of injustice, and are favorable only to kindness, forbear-
ance, and forgiveness of wrong. It is hard, perhaps impossi-
ble, for British Christians to divest themselves entirely of
those feelings of horror with which they are wont to look
upon murderers, adulterers, and criminals of the foulest die
in their own country, when they judge of heathen and sav-
ages, who formerly were all these, and worse than may be
named in the ear-however holy, harmless, and exemplary
may be the lives they now are leading in the fear of God and
in charity with all mankind. Though such converts give
every testimony, that men can give, of being born again of
water and the Spirit,” yet even experienced "masters of
Israel," when they hear the report thereof, are ready to
exclaim, with Nicodemus, “ How can these things be?” We.
answer, they are; and “the day will declare it.” A man
called upon us to offer a small present. In conversation
with him we were struck with*the humility, kindness, and
devotional spirit which he manifested. On inquiry, after-
wards, it appeared that this very person had been one of the
most savage and remorseless of his species so long as he re-
mained an idolater and a warrior. On one occasion, having
been sent by Pomare to destroy an enemy, he went, surprised
his victim, ripped him up alive, and actually left the wretch-
ed man on the spot after his bowels had been torn out the
assassin not having mercy enough to put him out of torture
by another stroke. After their ferocious conflicts were over,
the conquerors were wont to pile the slain in heaps, with
their heads towards the mountains and their feet towards
the sea. Next morning they would visit the carcasses to
wreak the impotence of an unappeasable vengeance upon
them, by mangling and polluting them in the most shocking
ways that brute cruelty or demoniac frenzy could devise.
One would turn up the face of a slaughtered enemy, and,
grinning with fiend-like malice at it, would exclaim, " Aha!
you killed my father at such a place; now I will punish
you!" Another would say to a putrefying corpse, “ You
robbed me of my wife; and now I will have my revenge."
Then they would mutilate the limbs and trample them in.
the dust, cut off the head, pound it to pulp, dry it in the
FUNERAL SERMONS FOR POMARE.
155
sun, and when converted to powder, scatter it on the wind :
sometimes even, we have been assured, they would prepare
the body itself in such manner that it became parched up
like leather, and they then would wear it over their own shoul-
ders, in the manner of one of their tibutas, thrusting their
head through a hole made for the purpose, the arms and
legs dangling down, before and behind, till the loathsome
envelope dropped, piecemeal, from their backs. Their out-
rages upon the women and children, both living and dead,
of their vanquished foes, when they sacked their dwellings,
cannot be described. If the enlightened Greeks and the
heroic Romans, in their heathen state, were “ without natu-
ral affection, implacable, unmerciful," what better could be
the ignorant barbarians of the South Seas, insulated as they
had been, till our own times, from all communication with
civilized nations? And if some of those Romans, afterwards,
through "obedience to the faith," were “ called of Jesus
Christ," and " beloved of God;" and if many of those
Greeks were " sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints,"
who shall doubt that these " Gentiles in the flesh," “ aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in
the world;"—who shall doubt that these may be “ brought
nigh by the blood of Christ," and be “no more strangers
.. and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the
household of God ?” For ourselves, after what we have
seen and heard, we cannot doubt that these things may be ;
--nay, we believe, and are sure, that they are; the gospel
being here, as elsewhere," the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth."
Dec. 15. Being Lord's day, at the several public services
the recent death of Pomare was commemorated, and lessons
of warning, instruction, encouragement, and correction,
were drawn by the preachers from the several portions of
divine truth which they chose for the themes of their ser-
mons. Mr. Ellis, from Eccles. xii. 7, “ Then shall the dust
return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return to
God who gave it;'—Mr. Barff, from Isa. xlii. 3, "I will
pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine
offspring ;"-Mr. Tyerman, from 2 Cor. i. 3, “The Father
of mercies.” The missionaries, of course, addressed the
native congregations in their own language; and Mr. Tyer
man discoursed to his British audience in theirs.
156
MOUNTAIN-STRATA.
Dec. 16. We walked, this morning, northward of the
settlement. About the centre point of the head of this
harbor, and a hundred yards from the shore, the rocks
project, and form a bold feature of scenery. On examining.
these, we found that they were composed of alternate strata
of blue stone and coarse breccia, each layer about two feet.
thick, and all dipping towards the north-west, at an angle
of 25° with the horizon. The blue stone is much honey-
combed, abounding with cavities. Most of the rocks of this
and the other islands have the same character, which, with
their black surfaces, seems to prove that they have been sub-
jected to volcanic action. In the neighboring mountains a
firm blue clay abounds, which contains great quantities of
nodules, resembling charcoal; and the rocks themselves
appear to be of the same material, only differing from the
clay in hardness. .
A little further to the north, the dip of the strata inclines
more towards the plane of the horizon, and the blue stone
has been removed from the incumbent breccia, so as to di-
vide it beneath. On one side of the breccia are perpendicu-
lar strata of rag-stone, of a slaty structure, furrowed at the
edges, where they cross-cut. From these run two thinner
strata, of the same kind, about three inches in thickness,
and three inches apart, athwart the breccia. A soft earthy
substance fills up the interstice, in which are fragments of
shells; and among these .a specimen of the genus turbini,
nearly perfect, was found. These parts of the rock, from the
presence of such remains, must be presumed not to have
been subjected to the fusing and consuming violence of fire.
We proceeded along the level ground, between the abrupt
ascent of the mountains and the sea. This fertile border is
in some places a mile in breadth, and forms the valuable
district of Puaod. That the tide formerly flowed here, even
to the mountain-foot, cannot be doubted, the soil consisting
of earth, intermingled with marine relics, shells, coral, sand,
&c. Much of this champaign tract is planted with bananas,
sweet potatoes, &c.; bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, and Chinese
paper mulberry-trees, also thrive upon it. On one part
stands an exceedingly remarkable tree, of the coa, or oro
species (the banyan of India), from the bark of which the
cloth of that name is manufactured. This grotesque tree
grows upon one side of a rock, nearly perpendicular, over the
front of which (being from thirty to forty feet high, and as
AN EXTRAORDINARY TREE.
157
many broad) hundreds of its roots descend, singularly impli-
cated, and forming a kind of net-work. The stems of the
tree above rise up thirty feet at least from the rock, being
supported by multitudes of roots, which find their sustenance
in the soil below. These occupy a space nearly a hundred
feet in compass, and display various arches and recesses, of
most curious appearance. On one side, the impending
branches have sent down a root of forty feet, which, having
got footing in the ground, has given birth to a young tree.
Multitudes of other long fibrous shoots, of a black color, are
growing downward from the horizontal branches above,
which, though dangling wildly in the air now, will strike
root as soon as they reach the ground, and add their antic
columns to “the pillared shade." The natives have a tradi-
tion that the seed of this gigantic plant was brought by a bird
from the moon.
Part of the rock which supports this tree is of a light
colored sand-stone, and the sest of a micaceous schistus,
very hard and sparkling in the fracture. The adjacent emi-
nences are principally of a similar material, many fragments
of which, from three to four inches thick, lie scattered below.
With these flat stones the natives sometimes pave their floors
and court-yards. Large blocks of olive-colored chert are
also occasionally found here.
Further onward, we came to a beautiful lagoon, seven
miles long by three wide, connected with another yet more
to the north, of nearly equal extent. They both communi-
cate with the sea, and contain great quantities of fine fish
of the salmon species. The eastern side of this lake is
bounded by a narrow margin of low ground, from which
the mountains rise precipitously, decorated with small aito-
trees all the way upwards to their summits; on the other
side, the land is also flat, reaching to the shore. Here the
cocoa-nut flourishes in luxuriance, this noble tree delighting in
a soil that gives it the fatness of the earth, and the freshness
of the sea, to nourish its growth and perfect its fruit.
In calling at several houses, we found two dreadfully
afflicted persons sitting upon the floor. The complaint is
called fce-fee, a species of elephantiasis, the direst plague,
in the shape of a disease, of these islands. The legs and
thighs of one of these were swollen to a prodigious size; the
bulk and weight of the lower part of the body of the other
prevented the poor patient from rising up. He was a young
VOL. I.
14
158
LAND ABANDONED BY THE SEA.
man, about twenty-five years of age, and had not been more
than three years under the oppression of this cruel and invet-
erate malady. He bore his hard lot with exemplary pa-
tience.
In the beds of the rivers, and elsewhere, as we rambled
along, we observed many basaltic fragments. These are
angular, having three, four, and five sides ; the sides and
angles of the same stone being all different, and varying in
breadth from two to nine inches. These pieces are of sun-
dry lengths and sizes, as well as texture; some hard and
blue, others highly impregnated with mica.
The cause why the sea has abandoned so much ground,
now constituting the low borders of this and other islands,
may be sought in the extraordinary formation of the coral
reefs which encircle them. Before these had attained suf-
ficient extent and elevation the tide must have had full
access to the foot of the mountains; and the many high
cliffs which rise abruptly from the inland side of these level
tracts seem to indicate that the islands themselves were once
much larger than they now are ; and, consequently, that the
sea has removed all the ground which lay between the pres-
ent steep faces of the mountains and their original bounda-
ry. At a very remote period, no doubt, the coral-worms
began their labors, and these minute but wonderful artificers
probably laid the foundations of their stupendous structures
upon the rocks, from which the washing of the sea had
cleared the earth and looser strata. As the reefs grew
beneath the flood, the force of the ocean against the land
would be gradually diminished ; and, when the former
reached the surface of the water, they would afford (as they
do now) protection to the shore from all further encroach-
ment on the part of the tide. Depositions from the sea, and
carth brought by rains from the high lands, would gradually
fill up the space left between the reefs and the mountains.
This has been done to a considerable extent, and the soil so
accumulated is now covered with the richest vegetation.
Thus those immense basins (called lagoons, so far as they
are occupied by water) were formed, of which the coral
ramparts on the one side, and the tall cliffs on the other,
are the boundaries. In some cases, the reefs run to the foot
of the mountains; but, in general, they rise at some distance
-from a few yards to two or three miles. Upon these rug-
ged circumvallations the waves beat with perpetual violence;
ENGAGEMENTS OF A WEEK.
159
while, in those hollows between them and the low flat coast,
the lagoon is diffused in blue tranquillity, and, except when
lashed into turbulence by the winds, scarcely a breaker is
seen on the beach. Under the direction of a wise and be-
neficent Providence, how much are these islands indebted to
the poor and slender coral insect, for the construction of
those mighty moles that curb the fury of the mightier deep,
and, by their happy interference, have occasioned those
fruitful lines of level soil to spread between the hills and floods,
which furnish the inhabitants with the principal part both of
their food and raiment!. ;.
CHAPTER X.
Engagements of a Week-Plan for an Insurrection-Native Carpen-
try - The Bread-fruit Tree-Aromatic Grass-Mountain Prospect-
The Cocoa-nut Tree.
Dec, 17. The following weekly course of public and
private services here, will show the great pains which are
taken by the missionaries, for the improvement of their con-
gregations. On the Sabbath there is an early prayer-meeting,
conducted by the natives themselves; and in the fore and
afternoon sermons are preached by the missionaries. The
Sunday-schools for both sexes are opened twice in the inter-,
vals of public worship. All the children attend the latter,
and sit in the chapel, in a quarter specially allotted to them,
under the superintendence of their teachers. They are also
regularly catechised.—Every other morning (except Satur-
day, provision-day), at sunrise, and again at noon, schools
are held for an hour, which are attended by adults as well
as children. In these, which are under the immediate di-
rection of the missionaries, reading, writing, arithmetic, &c.,
are taught.-On Monday afternoon is a meeting, at the
chapel, for free. conversation on all kinds of useful topics,
connected with : religion and the means of ameliorating the
condition of the people at large. The missionaries attend to
answer such questions as may be put by all who desire in-
formation on these subjects ; and there are seldom fewer than
from four to five hundred present. -On Tuesday afternoon
the female communicants and candidates for the communion
assemble for instruction, alternately at the houses of Mr.
160
DAILY OCCUPATIONS.
Ellis and Mr. Barff. The pious and intelligent wives of the
missionaries preside over these class-meetings; in which
several native women pray extemporaneously, as well as
devoutly read the scriptures to the rest.-On Wednesday
afternoon Mr. Ellis or Mr. Barff delivers a lecture or homily
in the chapel to audiences of from seven to eight hundred
persons.-On Thursday afternoon the baptized and candi-
dates for baptism are convened to receive admonition and
exhortation by the missionaries on their respective duties
and privileges.-On Friday there is a catechetical meeting,
for both children and adults, which is found to be exceed-
ingly beneficial as well to those who ask as those who an-
swer inquiries. The kings and chiefs come to these various
services, without parade of rank, as humble hearers and
diligent learners. -On the first Tuesday* in every month a
missionary prayer-meeting is held for the spread of the gos-
pel throughout all the world; and on the last Friday, previous
to the sacramental Sunday, there is a preparation-meeting
for the communicants.
The daily occupations of these islanders are household
affairs, providing food, building their houses, constructing
canoes, sailing, fishing, planting their grounds, making
fences, manufacturing cloth, hats, bonnets, all kinds of ap-
parel, &c. Before Christianity found them, the principal
part of their time was spent in eating, sleeping, and profli-
gacy; but now their hours are generally employed in honest
and profitable labor, or useful and pleasant engagements,
among which school-learning and tasks at home are highly
prized. Few indulge themselves in unnecessary sleep,
even in the middle of the day. The kings, queens, and
chiefs, of both sexes, take the lead, and love to excel in all
sorts of work. Though they have many persons at their
command, and ready to execute all their wishes, they are
not ashamed to labor with their own hands, both for exam-
ple's sake, and for the delight they take in doing every thing
well-yea, better than others. If any of their dependents
should leave them behind in carpentry, boat-building, or
other handicraft, the highest among them would be mortified.
In the same spirit, if any of the female servants of a princi-
pal woman could make finer cloth, or devise more elegant
* Their Tuesday corresponds to our Monday. See p. 50. Ed.
PLAN FOR AN INSURRECTION.
161
patterns wherewith to ornament it, than she, the mistress
would feel herself humbled.
Dec. 18. About half a year ago, a spirit of insubordina-
tion manifested itself in Huahine. There were upwards of a
hundred of the most headstrong young men in the island,
who, being dissatisfied with the strictness of Christian disci-
pline, determined to restorem or at least among themselves
to practise«the old habits of licentiousness. They had con-
spired to take away the life of Hautia, the regent;, and
hoping that the raatiras would join them against the Bue
Arii (royal family) and the Christians, they actually took up
arms,-though their array was not very formidable, a few
muskets, clubs, and spears being all the weapons they could
and coming suddenly upon the rebels, demanded their imme-
diate, unconditional surrender. They acquiesced, and the
ringleaders were brought to justice. It was found that they
had tatooed themselves, which, though harmless in itself, is
tions ; by them it was used as a symbol of their dissatisfac-
tion with the better order of things, and -a signal for revolt
against the existing government. Many of these mal-contents
proved to be refugees from other islands, who had resorted
hither that they might return to their heathen freedom from
religious restraint. These aliens were all sent home, and
the natives were condemned, to hard labor on the public
works, such as roads, piers, &c. Their chief, a youth. of
high rank, was equally degraded and punished with the rest.
It is remarkable that, about the same time, there were simi-
lar insurrections in Tahiti and Raiatea, but in both those
'islands the projects of the factions were detected and frus-
trated.
The Bue Arii here, having just now received a commu-
nication from Tahiti, requesting their attendance at that
metropolitan station, to consent to the young Pomare's
accession to his late father's sovereignty, Mahine came to
consult the missionaries; for the confidence which all ranks
place in their teachers leads them to ask their advice, on
any thing of importance; and truly these excellent men are
worthy of the esteem and confidence reposed in them. Ma-
hine, being king of Eimeo, and chief of a large district in
Tahiti, it was necessary that he at least should make the
14*
162
NATIVE CARPENTRY.
voyage. But mark the active piety of this venerable man.
Recollecting that his other island, Maioiti, was not yet fully
supplied with copies of all the translated portions of the
scriptures, he requested to have a hundred copies of the
gospel of St. John, which is only just printed, that he might
call and distribute them among his subjects there, on his way.
Dec. 19. The deputation agreed to address a letter of
condolence to the queen of Tahiti, on the death of her
husband, Pomare, which was done, and intrusted to the
care of Mahine, at whose house we spent a pleasant after-
noon. In the evening he and several chiefs, with their suite,
between seventy and eighty persons in all, embarked in a
large boat, with a favorable breeze, hoping to reach Tahiti in
twenty-four hours.
We took the dimensions of the chapel here, and found
them a hundred feet by sixty. One end of this spacious
structure was built by king Mahine, the other by Hautia,
the regent, and the middle by the raatiras. The pews were
put up by the different chiefs, according to their respective
taste and fancy, yet following a general plan laid down for
them. The workmanship was executed by hands which had
never done any thing of the kind before. When this is con-
sidered, and also that they had scarcely any tools (those
which they had being indifferent ones), it must be confessed
that the result of their labors was very creditable to their
skill and industry; though, being unaccustomed to square
and line, some parts lean one way and some another ; while
the whole, of course, is more compact than symmetrical.
The pulpit, however, is a fair piece of carpentry. One in-
genious workman, who had made a sofa for his seat in the
chapel, to his utter astonishment, when he placed it there,
discovered that it would not stand upon its legs, though it
had six substantial ones. When he sat down at one end,
the other tilted up no small height in the air, and when he
rose, down came that which had been in the ascendant, ac-
cording to the laws of gravitation. Not discouraged by this
ill-omened beginning, he addressed himself to construct
another, on more geometrical principles. This perfectly
answered his hopes, and very quietly bears both its own
weight and his. Such pieces of furniture are now made
with great neatness and accurate adjustment, for private
houses.
THE BREAD-TRUIT TREL.
163
Dec. 21. The bread-fruit trees are at this season in full
bearing, and grow to the highest perfection in this island.
The Linnæan name is artocarpus. This tree being well
known to voyagers, and through them, by name, to the pub-
lic, a popular, rather than a scientific, description of it may
be acceptable here. It grows to the size of an ash in Eng-
land, and is not unlike that tree in form and the color of its
bark. The branches affect an upright position. The leaves
are much like those of the fig, but more deeply indented,
besides growing to a far greater size, some being a foot and
a half long. Its appearance is very stately and luxuriant.
The fruit is egg-shaped, and sometimes measures twenty-
two inches in its shortest, and twenty-five in its largest,
circumference. The rind is smooth, green, and marked
with hexagonal specks. Under this skin lies the pulp which
is eaten, and within that a fibrous.core, containing the seeds.
The tree is propagated by scions springing from the root of
the old stock. These are either suffered to remain and grow
up in a clump, or are transplanted singly. They require
to be carefully attended to; the ground must be kept clear
from weeds for some time, and also well fenced from the hogs,
who devour the plants greedily wherever they can light
upon such dainties. They are cultivated almost entirely on
the low grounds, rarely thriving on the mountain sides, or
very near the sea. The trees retain perennial verdure,
and bear four crops of fruit in the year. The manifold
bounty of Providence is remarkably manifested in giving
this valuable product of a soil (not copious in variety of
plants) to the people of these islands. It supplies them with
food, raiment, and timber-each in its kind abundant and
excellent. Their canoes are hollowed out of its trunk, or
framed from its planks; the beams, rafters, and flooring of
their houses are hewn out of its substance; and it also
furnishes a good pitch, in the gum which exudes from
holes bored into its stem. Of the bark a very useful de-
scription of cloth is prepared, and with this, indeed, they
would want no other. The fruit is a delicate and whole-
some substitute for bread; being very nutritious, and of a
sweet and pleasant flavor. Various modes of dressing this
food are in use among the natives. The skin being pared
away, the pulp is most generally split and roasted, or rather
baked, in earthen ovens, upon and under hot stones; and
it is often thus cooked with part of a hog, a fowl, or a fish.
164 THE VARIOUS USES OF THE BREAD-FRUIT TREE.
When taken out, it is soft and mealy, much resembling, in
color and taste, fine spunge biscuit. The natives frequenta
ly beat or squeeze it in their hands, and dip the pieces in
salt water, when they eat it. This fruit, in fact, is the prin-
cipal support of the people, who seldom make a meal with-
out a large proportion of it. They call it miory. Though
there are about thirty varieties of this tree, which come in
contemporaneously, or in close succession, each bringing four
crops in the year, yet there are more than three months out
of the twelve when the fruit is either not to be obtained
or very scarce. To compensate this inconvenience, the in-
habitants preserve great quantities of that which is quite
ripe, in pits, about four feet deep, and of the same width.
These pits are carefully lined with grass, and then with the
preserved fruit. The latter, being cleared of the green
coating, and split, is thrown together on a heap, and covered
with leaves, for from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, as the
state of the weather may be. The pile is then opened, and
the cores of all the split pieces being extracted, these are again
laid together; after which the whole undergoes a process of
ferinentation, and becomes soft. It is then stowed in the
pit, covered with grass, and the grass pressed down with
stones. The bread-fruit thus cured is taken out of these
state of a sour paste, when it is dressed according to every
man's taste... Though the natives, from habit, are fond of it
in this way, the food is difficult of digestion, and, by no
means wholesome. :
Dec. 22. We walked up the valley, this afternoon, that
we might reach, if practicable, the summit of the right-hand
mountain, and examine the rocks which crown it. Having
tracked the stream for some distance, we began to climb the
steep acclivity through a forest so tangled with underwood
that it was often difficult to thread or force our way. Many
of the trees grow to a prodigious bulk, especially the mape,
a species of large chestnut, the fruit of which the natives
roast, and reckon delicious. This tree writhes itself into
most fantastic shapes, and attains an enormous breadth as
'well as height. The trunk is singularly indented, like a
deeply and irregularly fluted pillar, leaving in some places
scarcely more than the thickness of a plank in the middle.
Some specimens were evidently of incomputable age, meas-
EXUBERANT VEGETATION.
165
-
uring from forty to fifty feet in girth.--Higher up the
mountain we found traces of ancient but long-forsaken
dwellings, and contiguous to them groves of bread-fruit.
trees that once had fed the generations gone by. A great
variety of parasitical plants, especially ferns, clothed the
stems and branches of the old trees to the very top. One
fern displayed leaves from three and a half to fourteen feet
in length. It was growing on the side of a deep ravine,
and was of that kind which the natives, in times of great
scarcity, are constrained to eat; but it is very indifferent
food even to their taste. We observed another curious
fern, the seeds of which were formed on the tips of its thin
and slender leaves.
We passed several veins of reddish earth, and of clayey
consistence, adjacent to which were strata of rocks, hard
and blue. Many of the loose stones, in our track, were
angular, and seemed to have been so formed by crystalliza-
tion, not by. contact with each other. After ascending the
side of the mountain to a considerable height with great
difficulty and fatigue, finding ourselves apparently little
nearer the object of our aim, with the danger of being be-
nighted in the wilderness if we proceeded much further, we
abandoned our enterprise and returned. While contemplat-
ing the exuberance of vegetation here, and recollecting that
thus it must have been poured with unceasing prodigality
from the lap of the earth and returned thither, season by sea-
son, without having answered any proportionate end, as pro-
vision for brute or human life-few vestiges of either being
any where discernible---we were ready to inquire, “Where-
fore all this waste ?" But He, without whose will not a
sparrow falls to the ground, can have made nothing in vain.
And here we may rationally believe that the perpetual re-
newal and decomposition of vegetable matter, in all its curious
and exquisite forms of blade and stalk, of leaf, flower, seed,
from the moss on the crag to the cocoa-nut and bread-fruit tree
-has been preparing, through ages past, a soil in the desert,
of which the produce, through ages to come, shall nourish a
numerous and happy population, whose industry and wants,
as they multiply on the earth, shall lead them alike to culti-
vate the deep declivities of the mountains, and clear the im-
pervious fastnesses of the forests for food and for room to
dwell in.
106
AROMATIC GRASS.
Dec. 23. (Lord's day.) In the afternoon Mr. Ellis
preached a sermon from the text, Prov. xiv. 32, “The
wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous
hath hope in his death :"_and he took occasion from these
words to impress a powerful sense of the peril of living in
.sin, upon the hearts of his hearers, in consequence of the
recent and awful end of a young man, who, though he fre-
quented public worship, was a scoffer at Christianity, and
had been suddenly“ driven away," it was to be feared, “ in
his wickedness."
The profession of religion is universal here, and the
people's ideas of its importance are so exalted that, though
many are strangers to its power, very few treat it other-
wise than with reverence. They seem horror-struck at the
fearful end of the reprobate young man alluded to, and it is
hoped that what they deem a judgment upon him may be a
profitable warning to themselves.
Dec. 24. We scaled the mountain Aridi, on the south
of Mr. Ellis's house. The sides are very steep, and it was
a laborious effort to gain the top, which is computed to be
three thousand feet above the lagoon. Red and blue clay,
and stone of the same colors, compose this mountain.
Among other plants we observed many tufts of a short kind
of grass, which the natives call More tohe noanoa on ac-
count of its strong aromatic scent, which is most rank in the
tohe, or part above ground: in the blade' there is nothing
remarkable. From the crest of this eminence the panorama
of land and sea is truly sublime; and the mind is expanded
and elevated as the eye expatiates over its various and
richly-contrasted features. There are but two points of land
so high as to interrupt the sight from losing itself within a
ring of horizon, immeasurably.spread. At the head of the
bay, and the foot of the kill, lies the missionary settlement,
with its multitude of small buildings, in every stage of erec-
tion. Northward, a gracefully curved tongue of land, green
and figurishing, with tropical fruit-trees, runs several miles
into the sea. North-east appear the sharp.ridges which,
rising abruptly, tier above tier, accumulate into the great
mountain already mentioned as the loftiest in the island.
This may be five thousand feet above the sea; and, from the
champaign below even to the peak, it is clad with copses
and woods covering the fissures and ravines which descend
SCENERY OF HUAHINE.
:
:
167
along its sides towards a deep valley, that opens to the har-
bor, and pours into the lagoon its perpetual stream of clear,
fresh water. A little below the summit of this mountáin juts
out the broad face of an immense rock; striped with various
strata, some nearly horizontal and others dipping toward's
the north-west, at an 'angle of about 45°. The extremity of
the subjacent valley forms a vast amphitheatre, crowded with
majestic trees. The chain of heights appears continuous
with this paramount one, quite round the south to south-
west; and, over the hollows of the undulated outline, the
sea gleams blue and crystalline beyond. The harbor of
Haapape lies at the foot of the hill on which we stood, and
which, on this flank, is nearly perpendicular. The basin is
deep to the very shores, which are coral-reefs, where ships
may lie close and perfectly secure. South-west of this la-
goon an eminence, loftier than that which we now occupied,
rises, with imposing grandeur of form and ruggedness of
character. Instead of being clothed from head to foot,
like the former and superior one, on the opposite quarter,
with tall groves and verdant thickets--this sterner mass is
composed of rocks, of which the abrupt edges and diversified
strata, at various degrees of obliquity, break out, at frequent
intervals of space, from the top to the bottom. Turning our
eyes seaward, the islands of Raiatea and Tahaa, at the
distance of thirty miles, lay in miniature-beauty; yet filling
the mind with the idea of remote magnificence by the bold-
ness of their contour; while the pyramidal peaks of Borabora,
at thrice the breadth of intervening water, were distinctly
visible. But words cannot paint images with sufficient ac-
curacy to justify lengthened description ; on no subject is
the impotence of language so perplexingly felt, by those who
best know its utmost capabilities of delineating natural
scenery, as when one man, from personal knowledge, en-
deavors to convey to the apprehension of another the color,
form, arrangement, and effect of fixed and definite objects.
Dec. 25. Being Christmas-day, we were in spirit at home,
among our English friends and kindred ; and trusted that
they would also-though unknowing where we were-re-
member us, at “the ends of the earth," or "afar off upon
the sea."
Next to the bread-fruit, already described, the cocoa-nut
tree, cocos nucifera, is the most valuable product of the soil,
in these islands. It grows to the height of seventy or eighty
168
CA
THE COCOA-NUT TREE.
feet. The stem tapers from the bottom gradually to the top,
without branch or off-set; but at the summit it shoots forth
from twenty to thirty vast leaves, some of which are six or
seven yards in length. These hang in a graceful tuft all
round the crown of the trunk. When young and small the
leaves are entire, but as they lengthen they divide into nar-
row slips, each of which has a wiry rib running up the middle,
and diverging from the spinal stalk of the leaf--as it may be
called. Though strong at the point of contact with the tree,
the weight of this enormous foliage would soon break it off,
but, where it branches out, a cloth-like substance, called Aa,
whose fibres run at right angles with each other, is formed,
and invests the tree with its strong and needful intertexture,
running also about twenty-four inches up the leaf, and afford-
ing it complete support. From among the junctures of
these leaves with the head of the stock spring branches of
tendrils, on which grows the fruit, a nut enveloped with a
husk about two and a half inches thick, green on the out- ·
side, and composed of close, tough fibres, which run longi-
tudinally from end to end, presenting an oval shape, rather
angular at the sides. The shell is hard and black, the
kernel white, lining the shell, and containing the milky
water within; but the nut being often brought to England,
no minute description can be necessary in this place. Some
trees will produce, at the same time, a hundred nuts, each
containing from half a pint to a wine-quart of the liquor;
and these noble fruits closely encircle the top of the stem,
like a beaded belt, or coronet, beneath the pendent crest of
plume-like leaves.
The trunk of this remarkable tree is a bundle of fibres,
closely connected by a cementing matter. Within two or
three feet of the ground, these fibres spread forth into thou-
sands of small roots, which insinuate themselves through the
superficial earth, and spread horizontally twelve or fourteen
feet from the bole, in all directions. This cordage must be
amazingly strong, for it supports the whole tree, with all its
bulk and weight of stem, foliage, and fruit. The bark
seems to be of little use in this species, as it generally rots
off towards the ground, at an early stage. We have seen
cocoa-stocks decayed through the heart, and others of which
large portions of the ontside had been cut away, to a con-
siderable depth, which yet continued to thrive and bear
leaves and nuts. The timber (if these live fagots of well-
COCOA-NUT OIL, &c. .
169
packed fibres can be called timber) is of some value, being
used for rafters in sheds and cut into short lengths for fences;
spears were formerly made of it. The leaves are turned
to better account, being platted into mats, shaped into bas-
kets, and occasionally manufactured into bonnets.--The
fibres of the husks are twisted into ropes and lines of vari-
ous sizes, which are exceedingly strong.--The shell of the
nut is converted into drinking-cups, lamps, and other small
vessels.---The water is a delicious beverage, always cool and
refreshing; those who have only tasted it in England have
no idea what a luxury it is between the tropics.--The kernel,
when scraped out of the shell, is either eaten raw, or, being
squeezed through the fibres of the husk, yields a pleasant
and nutritious milk, which is sometimes mixed with arrow-
root, and a kind of pudding is compounded of both. The
kernel also produces the oil, now so abundantly made here,
by a process formerly described in this journal.---Thus tim-
ber, fuel, mats, baskets, ropes, drinking-vessels, a wholesome
beverage, good food, liquor strainers, bonnets, oil, and bowls
for lamps--are produced from this convenient tree; which;
with the bread-fruit, --Were there no other sources of supply,
-would nearly meet all the necessities of the people.
The natives distinguish the cocoa-nut by various names
according to its various stages of growth.-When young,
and before the kernel is formed, they call it orio; when it
has only a thin jelly within, it is called nina ; when the ker-
nel becomes more palpable, nimaha ; when harder still,
omoto ; when quite ripe, opaa; afterwards, when the whole
interior is filled up with a kernel, from which the young
leaves spring, it is called uto; at this time the outside turns
brown, and it is from the fruit in this state that the oil is
drained. When the nuts are intended for propagation, they
are hung, being quite ripe, upon a tree. In about six
months a green leaf shoots out of one of the three holes at
the smaller end. The nut is then put into the ground, to
the depth of the shell, with the sprout upwards, when, from
the other two holes, a pair of roots strike downward, and the
plant is nourished by the decay of the nut till it can draw its
entire sustenance from the soil; and such is its freedom of
growth that there is scarcely a spot, however otherwise
barren and unpropitious to vegetation, from which this
stately plant will not spring up, with its diadem of beauty
and girdle of fertility. In about six years it begins to bear ;
VOL. I. 15
170
ROCKING-STONE.
the fruit is nearly twelve months in coming to perfection.
Though the cocoa-trees rise to such amazing height, the
natives climb them with the facility of cats. This they do, :
sometimes, by what may be called walking up the stems, the
motion of the leg following that of the hand; but more
generally they effect their purpose by fastening their legs
together, about twenty-four inches apart, with a rope; when,
placing a foot on each side of the tree, they draw up their
bodies by the action of their arms, without difficulty.
CHAPTER XI.
Coasting-tour round Huahine-Rocking-stone-Hurricane by Night
-Mahabu Harbor-Matara-Sea-side Meal-Native Sayings
Large Marae--Converted Priest of Oro Picture of a Party asleep
-Converted Shark-worshipper-A Shark-marae-Accident-bird-
Value of a Nail.
Dec. 26. ACCOMPANIED by Mr. Ellis and Mr. Barff, to-
gether with the queen of Hautia, several of the royal family,
and many people, we set off, about noon, to make a tour of
this island. The day was favorable, and a gentle breeze
waſted us out of the harbor. As we sailed along the coast,
we admired the mountain precipices, starting upright from
the beach, and the gradual slopes beyond towering into
wooded knolls or piked pinnacles, that sharpened into van-
ishing points amidst the immensity of heaven above. The
nether rocks were generally dark-colored; the strata diverse
in dip and material; in one instance, the layer appeared
slaty and horizontal. On the summit of a high cliff, to the
south, stands a huge rocking-stone, shaped like a bishop's
mitre, which moves to and fro on the application of a very
small force. Expanding from their serpentine recesses
between the inland mountains to the shore, valley after
valley saluted our view, and gladdened our hearts with the
exuberance of their vegetable riches, promising-yea, pro-
ducing, day by day, inexhaustible provisions for all that live
around their precincts. At three o'clock we reached the
island of Papeorea, on the south-west extremity of Huahine.
This little spot, which seems but a hillock amidst the sea,
stands about sixty feet above high-water mark, and is ex-
quisitely adorned with the trees common to the climate.
HURRICANE BY-NIGHT.
171.
The rock is of the same black stone as prevails throughout
the adjacent islands, intersected with breccia; though in one
part we discovered a hard blue vein, in a contrary direction
to the other strata, and nearly vertical. This is divided into
fragments of various shapes, but all approaching to rude
regularity of figure,-square, triangular, &c. In another
place the formation is very singular, one portion being bent
and pointed, like horns, and another rounded like cylinders ;
the exterior of this stone is yellow, the interior slate-blue;
and all these rocks are much impregnated with ferruginous
matter. We are not aware, however, that iron, or indeed
any other metallic ore, has been traced in any of these
islands.
Having perambulated the whole of this petty domain, won
from the deep in some far distant age, we dined and supped
in one meal, had family prayer in the Tahitian language, and
made arrangements, at an early hour, to bivouac for the
night. Our company, including the queen and her retinue
(who met us here), consisted of a hundred persons. Our
four small beds were put up in a native house, open at one
side. This we contrived to partition with sails and blankets,
and deemed ourselves very sufficiently sequestered in our
tent-like chambers. The people without found no difficul-
ty, consistently with their simple habits and few wants, in
accommodating themselves on the ground, partly under
another shed, and partly in the open air around it. We had
not long composed our little camp to rest, when we were
suddenly assailed by a violent shower of rain, accompanied
with a tempestuous wind, which had nearly dislodged us all.
The natives awoke immediately; those under the shed were
driven out, by the crazy roof coming down in fragments,
though with no very heavy ruin, upon them. The out-of-
door sleepers, of course, were soon roused by the pelting of
the storm, and ran in all directions to the trees and bushes
for refuge. A strange scene of confusion followed; the
hogs were screaming, the goats bleating, and forcing their
way into our bed-room for shelter, from whence it was not
easy to repulse them; men, women, and children were hur-
rying to and fro, and mingling their voices of surprise and
consternation. But the uproar soon subsided; the people
cowering under cover, wherever they could find it, presently
resumed their characteristic good humor, and, after talking and
172
AUAHINE-ITI.
laughing for several hours, while the turmoil of elements con-
tinued, they gradually sunk with the wind and the rain to rest.
Dec. 27. Though there were some showers this morning,
we got under weigh at an early hour. East of the island on
which we had lodged Huahine presents a spacious harbor,
surrounded on the landward by hills and mountains, of in-
describable beauty, and singularly contrasted, yet richly har-
monized. The slopes are verdant to the water's edge;
while above, height over height, clad in different colored
foliage, and ridge beyond ridge, gray, and black, and crag-
ged, present successive scenes of landscape, which pen can-
not trace, nor pencil follow, through their ever-varying, yet
always pleasing, combinations, as the lights and shadows
change upon their surface, or the beholder changes the place
whence he contemplates them. We sailed nearly round this
ample basin, which is about three miles across, and of which
the shores, though irregularly winding, are as gracefully
curved as the convolutions of a shell. Making our exit at
the southern outlet, on our right lay Papeorea, which we had
lately quitted; and on the left, Huahine-iti, or Huahine the
less--a vision of enchantment to the eye. Nothing in na-
ture can exceed in picturesque unity of subject (if the
phrase may be allowed) the spectacle of one of these modern
Hesperides, having its mountains, woods, and waters, all
lovely and lighted with sunshine, reposing on the flood,
and doubling its image beneath ; nor can any thing ideal
exceed in romantic effect the bewildering illusion produced
by looking upon it askance, with the head inclined down-
ward, when the reality and the reflection are so identified as
to make both appear one-an island, alone in the midst of a
sea, as deep as the firmament-or, as fancy might easily
feign, an entire little world (a satellite to this) invisibly sus-
pended “'twixt upper, nether, and surrounding" sky.
Opposite Papeorea a vast rock rises out of the water with
great majesty. This mass is generally composed of alter-
nate strata of blue rag and breccia. There is a remarkable
vein, about two feet in thickness, which runs aslant, and in .
a contrary direction to all the rest. Strong marks of the
action of fire are visible on the surface, and in one side we
found a hole, which may have been a volcanic crater. Here
and there, also, there are strata of black stone, which, when
broken, has a pitchy appearance.
•
MAHABU HARBOR.
173
We next reached the harbor of Mahabu, on the north-
west side of Huahine-iti. There is no passage between the
coral-reefs into this lagoon, which is of an oval shape, and
of capacity to accommodate all the war-ships of Europe with
safe anchorage. Like the former bays which we have visit-
ed, this is overlooked by craggy cliffs, between which and
the water, there is a breadth of fertile low-land. In the
middle appears a single small.coral-motu, with a tuft of cocoa-
nut trees waving upon its circlet of rock. We landed at the
head of the bay, where a place of worship has been erected.
Near it stands an old native house, which had been cleaned
and strewn with grass for our accommodation. Here we
put up our beds, and after dining a raatira said he had a
little speech to say to us, if we would accompany him. We
went, and lo! he presented each of us with a hog. Other
presents of fruit were brought to us in the course of the
day. In the evening divine service was held in the adja-
cent chapel, wherein about a hundred persons assembled.
This is a very rich district, and the produce might well
maintain ten thousand inhabitants round the margin of the
lagoon. The late population have all removed to the mis-
sionary settlement at Fare, and only visit their old neigh-
borhood occasionally, to gather the fruits which the bounty
of Providence causes to grow here without their care or
culture.
Dec. 28. We spent many hours in exploring the valleys,
declivities, and remoter elevations, which every where pre-
sented similar objects for curiosity in the productions of the
soil, and for admiration in the sections of sea and land
scenery, on which the sight was never weary of dwelling, or
rather roving from point to point; finding at once action and
repose in expatiating as freely as the wind that breathed over
the mountains and rippled the ocean.
In the afternoon we proceeded on our cruise, keeping
within the reefs, which are two miles from the shore, and
afford perfect security from the breakers on the side of the
sea. A high rock, projecting from the flank of one of the
inountains, was pointed out to us, over the brow of which a
man once leaped, to escape the spear of his pursuer, from
whom he had stolen some property. Happily the fugitive
alighted on a quantity of loose earth, which had been thrown
up only the day before, and missed being dashed to pieces
- on the spot. We soon afterwards passed by one of the two
15*
174
VILLAGE OF MATARA. :
districts whose inhabitants declined to emigrate to the mis-
sionary settlement, to be nearer.the means of Christian in-
struction, of which, at that time, they thought more lightly
than the bulk of their countrymen. They come, however,
occasionally to Fare, to hear the gospel, and their teachers
in turn visit them when opportunity offers. In the evening.
we landed at Matara, where there is a small native village,
and a chapel. A beautiful motu stretches across the mouth
of the bay here, and presents a complete specimen of a coral-
island, where the rude structure of thousands of millions of
minute worms, growing up, through successive ages, into a
barren reef, has gradually been invested with soil, and now
is as "a field which the Lord hath blessed.” Our sleeping
quarters had been comfortably arranged, and we passed a
quiet night, in a large native dwelling, divided into three
apartments, of which we occupied one end; the queen, with
her attendants, the other; and the middle space served for
a common eating-room.
Dec. 29. After an early breakfast and family prayer, we
visited the aforementioned motu. A beach, composed of
fragments of shells and other marine exuviæ, surrounds the
island, which is nearly two miles in circumference. The
coral-rocks-themselves incorrigibly sterile, but over which
nature has spread prolific tillage--at several points jut out
into the sea, and again disappear in the sand. Even in the
centre and highest part of this new-made land, coral is
every where visible, as the substratum of the whole. In ad-
dition to the trees and plants commonly found on such spots,
we collected eleven which were new to us.
Having caught a sufficient number of fishes, we ordered
them to be dressed. Immediately a fire was kindled on the
beach, and the repast was served up in so primitive a style
that we could not but be reminded of that scene, by the
iake of Tiberias, where the risen Redeemer showed himself
to his disciples, and condescended to sit down with them by
"a fire of coals" on the shore, and fish laid thereon, and
bread, of which He gave to them with his own hands, as
He was wont to do, in the character of their Lord and Mas-
ter, before his passion). Ah! who can remember the sequel
---for “when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter,
Son of Jonas, lovest thou me?"-without “ being grieved,"
less because of the thrice-repeated question, than because he
who has most experienced a Savior's love-his pardoning
NATIVE SAYINGS.
175
love-is most sensible how imperfectly he can answer,
“Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love
Thee."
On this occasion, 'a trifling circumstance occurred which
is only worth notice as exemplifying the style of conversa-
tion in this remote corner of the world, where great plain-
ness of speech is quite consistent with good manners. Mr.
Barff, not having observed the fire which had been lighted,
asked a native where it was. “You are a strange-eyed
man," was the reply that he received, and this was
given in perfect good humor, meaning no more than that
if you will use your eyes you cannot help seeing it before
your face. Such abrupt and significant answers are com-
mon ainong these people, who, though loquacious, strive to
make their remarks in the fewest possible words; and often
both matter and manner are equally pithy.-One evening
the queen was amusing herself with peeping through a small
opera-glass, belonging to one of our party. Having never
seen any thing of the kind before, she was delighted with
trying its powers, as she imagined, first on one and then
another of the company, seated in different and distant
parts of the spacious room. At length she exclaimed,
“This is a short way of getting at a person !” The sur-
prise of children in such a case is the reverse; they think
the glass brings the objects near to themselves; she seemed
to imagine that it carried her to the object.
Towards evening we walked to the great marae of Oro,
which is within a mile of this bay. The queen and her.
friends accompanied us. Near “the high place” of this
sabomination" of Huahine we called upon an aged man,
who was the last priest here at the murderous shrine of the
god of war. In youth he must have been uncommonly
large and powerful. His face was singularly tatooed, which
is in itself remarkable (indeed only the second instance that
we have seen), as the vainest among the one sex, and the
fiercest of the other, were not wont thus either to adorn or
disfigure their countenances. And herein these Pacific
islanders differed entirely from other savages who practise
the same fanciful method of marking themselves. The
North American Indians, the New Zealanders, &c., glory
in the characteristic imagery which they depict on their fore-
heads, cheeks, and chins, by this barbarous species of em-
broidery. The gray hair of the patriarch before us was cut
176
CONVERTED PRIDST or oro.
short, except one thin lock, which was allowed to grow long
behind. But what gave peculiar interest to his person and
· character was the circumstance of his being blind, the
occasion of his blindness, and its effect upon his future life.
The dark idolater had long withstood the gospel, and refused
to acknowledge the sanctity of the Sabbath, after the former
was received, and the latter commanded by authority, to be
observed in these islands. One Sabbath morning, in con-
tempt of the day, he went out to work in his garden. On
returning to his house, he became blind in a moment.
Dreadfully alarmed, he cried out, “I am a dead mana
dead man!” His neighbors, in amazement, came running
to his assistance ;-but vain was human help; an invisible
hand was upon him, and had closed up his eyes for ever
from seeing the sun. But the same hand, we may believe,
opened the eyes of his understanding by the stroke which
destroyed the light of the body; he immediately concluded
that this affliction was a judgment upon him for disobeying
(probably against strong, though long-resisted, internal con-
victions) the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. His country-
men were under the same impression. He humbled himself
in the dust, mourned over his sins, confessed them, abjured-
idolatry, and embraced that religion which had already
triumphed over almost every other heart in the island except
his own. To this day he has continued in that renovated
state of mind, and his conduct has been conformable to his
profession.
After some conversation with him respecting what he had
been, and what he is now, we informed him whither we were
going; he then got up, and accompanied us, finding his way
without difficulty by the aid of a long stick. We were soon
at the marae. This measured a hundred and forty-six feet
in length, by eighteen in width, and was in a tolerably com-
plete state, only a few of the great stones having been dis-
placed. It is built of large flags of coral-rock, placed upon
their edges in the ground, and forming an inclosure, which
is filled up with earth. On this a second smaller inclosure
had been raised in the same manner, leaving a platform all
around, four feet wide. Within this upper story were
interred the bones of the miserable victims, human and
brute, which from time to time had been sacrificed to the
demon-idol worshipped here. One of the large flag stones
measured nine feet by ten. The labor of heaving such
CONSCIENTIOUSNESS OF A CONVERTED PRIEST.
170
1
.
blocks from the bottom of the sea, bringing them so far,
and building them up here, must have been immense.
Tare no Oro, or Oro's house, stood behind this long range
of earth and stones, about the middle of the farther wall. It
was a small structure, only eight feet long by six in widtlı..
About three yards beyond, and upon the ground, lay a flat
stone, twelve or fourteen inches square, on which the priest
of Oro formerly was accustomed to stand, when he offered
his prayers and practised his enchantments. Close to this;
rising behind it, was another stone, sufficientiy broad and
elevated to form a seat for him when weary, or wien the du-
ty of his office required him to assume the posture of repose.
Without due consideration, we requested the old priest to
take his, stand, and show us in what manner he prayed to
Oro, and delivered oracles to the people. Wir undisguised
reluctance, he consented, and stepped upon the accursed
spot, from which he had so often, in times past, acted the
part both of the deceiver and the deceived. But when he
was about to repeat one of the prayers to Oro--as though he
had come within the grasp of the power of darkness, and felt
himself in the act of apostasy-_" fear came upon him, and
trembling, that made all his bones to shake;" and down from
his station he leaped with precipitancy, crying out, “I dare
not do it-I dare not do it." He was so troubled that he
left the scene as hastily as he could, dreading a second
judgment, and declaring that, if he did such a thing, he'
should die immediately. We were much affected, and re-
gretted having inadvertently brought him into such terror
and peril, while we could not but admire his conscientious-
ness. At the further end of this huge mass stood a small
marae, twelve feet by seven, long and broad. This, we were
told, had been built on the occasion of making an arii, that.
is, adopting into the royal family a person of inferior birth. .
Ceremonies were then observed, which the worst words in
our language would be abused in describing.
When the house of Oro had been erected, several human
sacrifices were slain, and every pillar that supported the roof
was, as it were, planted in the body of such a victim, having
been driven, like a stake, through it into the ground. There
had been fourteen grand occasions, when human sacrifices
had been thus offered, within the remembrance of the old
priest. As he enumerated these, he took a piece of taro
178
.
IMAGE OF oro.
1
leaf in his hand, a shred of which he tore off and threw upon
the ground, to mark each, when he mentioned it in order.
In surveying this wreck of Satan's throne, melancholy
retrospection carried our spirits through the dark ages which
had passed over these lands, while they were full of the hab-
itations of cruelty and wickedness; when one generation
went, and another came, without, change, or hope, or possi-
bility of deliverance, till the messengers of mercy, with their
lives in their hands, and the love of Christ and the souls for
whom He died in their hearts, appeared upon their shores to
preach liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison-
doors to them that were bound. The idols, the temples, the
bloody rites, the detestable profligacy, the gross ignorance,
the spiritual slavery, and the personal abasement, of the people,
have all disappeared; and, however imperfect yet, society is
advancing in genuine civilization; and, however deficient,
still the church of God is growing in grace, and in the
knowledge, practice, and enjoyment of pure and undefiled
religion. Those of the natives whose habits were formed
under the old atrocious system, in contemplating the trans-
formation, not in themselves only, but in all things around
them, scarcely know how to reconcile the former and the
present state of things; it is to them as though the one or
the other must be a dream; yet, by bitter remembrance and
happy experience, “the wornwood and the gall” not less
certainly were their portion once, than “the milk and honey"
are now. In their prayers and discourses, they love to con-
trast the two states. They compare the present to peace,
aſter long and murderous wars—to an abundant fruit-har-
vest, after famine and drought to undisturbed, refreshing
sleep, after days and nights of toil, and watching, and dis-
tress.
When the altars were overthrown, and the idols burnt,
the image of Oro, which made this place hideous, was also
demanded by the regenerators of their country, that execu-
tion might be done upon it. The old priest, seeing his craft
in danger, but determined to cleave to the hope of reviving
it till the last, hid his god—a shapeless log of timber—in a
cave among the rocks. Hautia, however, was not to be
trifled with, nor could such a nuisance as the pestilent stock,
to which human beings had been sacrificed, be permitted to
exist any longer on the face of the earth, lest the plague of
- PICTURE OF A PARTY ASLEEP.
179
idolatry should again break out among its reclaimed follow-
ers. He insisted upon its being brought-forth, and commit-
ted to the flames, in the presence of the people, who had but
the day before trembled and fallen down before it. This
was done; but still the priest himself held to the superstition
of his fathers, though he had seen their god consumed to
ashes by mortal man with impunity; and he ceased not to
spurn at the religion of the strangers till the signal event al-
ready mentioned, when blindness fell upon his outward, and
light upon his inward, vision. One of the largest stones of
this dilapidated marae was taken away, a few weeks ago, to
Tare, and there placed over the grave of the young heir to
the kingdom of these islands, the son of Mahine, formerly
mentioned. Near this marae there are two stones, one upright,
the other prostrate, the only remains of a very ancient struc-
ture of a similar kind. They are both basaltic fragments, of
irregular angular shape; but whence they were brought we
could not learn. To these dumb blocks divine honors were.
accustomed to be paid, and prayers offered, by the fanatic
priests and the deluded multitude.
The night-quarters, in the house where our servants, and
those who accompanied us of their own accord, were lodged,
presented a singularly grotesque spectacle after they were all
laid down to sleep. Each spread his mat on the ground, and
threw himself upon it, apparently at random, but perfectly at
ease; heads and feet lying in all directions. Some made
pillows of their mats, some made pillows of their neighbors,
and some did without pillows at all. If it had rained down
sleepers through the roof upon the floor, they could hardly
have fallen more unpremeditatedly, or been more whimsical-
ly disposed; yet all slept soundly, as though, having nothing
to do but to sleep, each was making the best use of his
time; their coverings were the native mantles which they
wore in the day: yet ludicrous as the spectacle at first view
appeared, there was not the slightest indecorum observable
among the group. Sir Joshua Reynolds has remarked, that
unconstrained; the same may be said of the unconscious
acts and attitudes, sleeping or waking, of people like these,
who follow simple instinct in whatever they do. Nature her-
self might have put her children to bed here, having given
them such pliancy of limbs, and healthiness of frame, that,
180
A SHARK-MARAE.
as they sunk down, so they lay, in sweet, untroubled, and
profound repose.
Dec. 30. Being Lord's day, the usual services, in Tahi-
tian and English, were duly performed, and devoutly attend-
ed. At our evening prayers, we could not but observe how
differently the very ground on which we were kneeling, sing-
ing, and offering supplications at a throne of grace, had been
but lately occupied. Our house stands upon part of a marae,
which was dedicated to the worship of the shark-a fit repre-
sentative of him who is the prototype of all idols--the devour-
er, the destroyer! This was a family marae, and the owner,
who had often prayed and sacrificed here to the most vora-
cious of things that swim, was present with us at the worship
of the Father of all mercies. He informed us that, accord-
ing to the traditions of his fathers, a horrible monster once
worked its way upwards through the solid ground. As it ap-
proached the surface, the people were alarmed at the con-
vulsion of the earth beneath their feet; and while they were
flying on all sides, a huge shark reared its head, and opened
its jaws, through the cleft soil, on this very spot. In com-
memoration of so great a prodigy, the ancestors of our in-
formant had built the marae, which came into his possession
by inheritance. He had, however, desecrated the shrine, or
rather consecrated it to a better purpose, having converted it
into a dwelling for himself and his family, now acknowledge
ing the true God.
Sharks are numerous about this coast, and they were
formerly worshipped from fear; indeed, the fear that hath
torment was the mother of devotion here, as it is in every
other heathen land. Large oblations were frequently offered
to them by the priests who served at their altars. We are
assured that numbers of these ravenous animals were so far
tamed in this bay, that they came regularly to the beach to
be fed with fish and pork, which were provided for them in
Targe quantities. This marae being situated very near the
lagoon, a shark once worked his way through the sand, and
took personal possession of his temple, the water flowing in
with him; whereupon, the reservoir thus formed being prop-
erly dammed up, and from time to time replenished, he luxu-
riated in his sanctuary, and daily received his food from the
devotees who flocked thither. Whenever the natives, in
their canoes, encountered a shark at sea, they endeavored to
NAMES OF DEIFIED SHARKS.
181
propitiate him by throwing out some of the fish which they
might have caught; and such offerings were so acceptable to
these divinities, that the latter would follow the boats to the
shore, and gradually became familiar enough to wait till
their portion was dealt forth to them. Nevertheless, the un-
grateful sharks, having a god of their own-"their belly”-
- never failed to sacrifice even their worshippers to that idol,
when they could catch a stray man, woman or child, in the
water, or on the beach, near enough to be seized and car-
ried into the deep.. ..
Dec. 31. - To-day we explored the neighborhood of this
bay. About a furlong from the head of it is a cliff, nearly
perpendicular, seven hundred feet high, acoording to our
calculation, and extending a quarter of a mile laterally. It
consists of one enormous mass of very black chert. Many
huge fragments lie at the foot, 'which are, for the most part,
overrun with grass and low shrubs. From the upper face of
the precipice itself, spring scattered tufts of ito and purau
plants. We walked upwards of three miles into the valley,
from whence the inland mountains tower away to an eleva-
tion which gives the sense of toil to the eye that climbs them,
stage by stage, over thick forests and interrupting crags, fol-
lowing their sinuosities, and marking their slopes, as they
diminish in distance. One of these acclivities we ascended,
to visit a marae, situated in a solitude of woods and rocks.
which gave more than ordinary solemnity of horror to the
idolatrous temple. Here, again, shärks. were the tutelary
deities, or rather the hostile fiends whose fury was sought to
be appeased by the superstitious reverence paid to them..
Several of these sea-monsters were distinguished above the
nameless multitude that prowl for prey throughout the
boundless ocean.' One, named Tuarihono, had the pre-
eminence, because he was a foreigner, and came from the
island of Maupiti. It is a remarkable fact, that the natives
here were always more prone to think highly of what was
brought from a strange country, than what belonged to their
own. A second was called Teabua, a third Teariihioroa, a
.fourth Tearcaumua, &c. How many others were thus dis-
tinctly recognized, we could not ascertain. Indeed, almost
every family had its particular shark, to which it vowed and
made oblations here, or at other maraes. They always gave
a name to these savage.creatures, when they numbered them
among the gods, by some circumstance connected with the
. VOL. I. 16.
182
A BIRD-DIVINITY.
'
fish itself, the place where it appeared, its size, color, &c.;.
but all the appellations were magnificent and sounding, it
being understood that the sharks would be offended with
paltry and vulgar ones. On this spot, the raatiras, or land-
owners, used to meet to practise the sacred exercise of the
bow and arrow, which, being tabued, were never employed
as weapons in war. In the course of our excursion this day,
We visited another marae, on the beach, larger than either.
of the former, but learnt nothing particular in reference to:
its history. A white bird, with a long blue bill, and web-
footed, about the size of a dove, was brought to us. The
natives call it pirai; and this harmless creature was also
one of " the lords many, and gods many, worshipped here.
It was supposed to preside over accidents, and, being often
found sitting in the bread-fruit trees, its protection against
falls in climbing them was sought. It was believed that,
when this hird perceived any one thus precipitated by an
unlucky slip, it would inmediately fly beneath his body, as
if to rescue him before he reached the ground, or, at least,
formation, assured us that he had proved it to be true by
personal experience; for, on a certain occasion, when he
was dislodged from a bread-fruit tree, one of these compas-
sionate birds glanced under him so closely as to touch his
neck with the flapping of its wings, and he sustained no in-
jury (as he presumed) in consequence of this happy inter-
ference of one of the gods; whereupon he immediately cut a
large bunch of banánas, and went and offered them to his
deliverer at the marae. This day, in the course of our
ramble, we caught a vivi, a giant of a grasshopper, which
measured nearly five inches in length. The body was green,
the wings red.
island was taken from a boat at Raiatea. It was a spike-
nail, and brought hither by its fortunate possessor as some-
thing of rare value. And so it proved, for he made no small
gain by lending it out for hire, to canoe-builders, to bore
holes in the sides of their planks. Afterwards, another lucky.
fellow got hold of a nail, and not knowing how such a thing
came into existence, he shrewdly conjectured that it must
have been formed by a process of vegetation. Wherefore,
to propagate so valuable an exotic, he planted his nail in the
ground, but waited in vain for the blade, the bud, the blos-
MOTLEY DINNER COMPANY.
183
som, and the'fruit. This man iš still living, and has not
heard the last of his speculation; being often reminded, to
his no small chagrin, of the folly by which he acquired at
least one piece of knowledge.
CHAPTER XII.
Lizard-God-Motley Dinner Company–Traditions--Dog-Marae
Rock Scenery--District of Hiro, God of Thieves Puerile Preroga-
tive of Arcois-Cascade-Fern-leaf Printing—Memorial Trees plant-
ed— Columnar Rock-Comfortless Plight of the Coasting Party-Cu-
rious Species of Lobster-Marae of Tani—Idol-Festival-Extensive
Lagoon-Extraordinary Aoa Tree-Royal Burying-place-Native
Contributions to Missionary Society-Gross Notions formerly enter-
țained concerning a Future State.
1822. Jan. 1. PROCEEDING on our circumnavigation of
the island, along the north-east coast, we landed about two
miles from our last quarters to visit a ravine which has been
opened, by soine unrecorded convulsion, to a great depth,
through a solid rock of chert and breccia. This singular
fissure is a quarter of a mile in length, from twelve to fifteen
feet wide, near the entrance, but narrowing to eight or nine
towards the upper end. A strange tradition existed con-
cerning this place : in a remote age a lizard was born of a
human mother, and immediately translated into a god when
it saw the light. Here was its retreat and its temple; and
here divine honors have been paid to the four-footed reptiles
of that species ever since. From thence we walked along
the beach, though it was hard to pick our steps among the
protruding rocks and sharp prickly corals that interrupted
our path in many places. We rested at a native house
whither the queen and her retinue had gone last night, and
where they had now prepared a sumptuous entertainment, of
the usual country viands, for us and our attendants, and all
that' chose to partake of it. The house was a miserable
shed, though spacious, the roof being rent into sky-lights,
and the walls into breaches. The dinner-party was more
numerous and hearty, than either select or congenial—the
queen and her friends, ourselves and our servants, with sun-
dry hangers-on of the natives; also a rabble of dogs, cats,
hogs, and fowls, eagerly and unceremoniously putting in their
claims for a share of the feast. Good humor, however, pre-
194
DOG-MARAE.
vailed, and there was abundant fare, both for man, and beast,
and winged fowl. In addition to our portion of this social
meal, we each received a present of a live hog.
Near at hand was the ruin of a marae, out of which we
picked several human skulls, being those of victims who had
been here offered to. Oro. An intelligent native, of high
rank, now a Christian, formerly an Areoi, told us; in answer
to a question, that the belief of these vagabonds (the Areois)
respecting a future state, was this—The spirits of themselves
and their friends went into some place far away, where they
enjoyed happiness, in the tenth degree, or of the highest
kind. They lived at large, in the midst of an immense
plain, round which stood all the gods, joining hands, with
interlocked fingers, and forming an impregnable protection ;
while those within the circle revelled in all inanner of sen-
sual delights. We have heard other traditions on the same
subject; little dependence can be placed on any as being
universal; one was believed here, and another there, and
they had only one common quality--that of being equally
preposterous in rnass and abominable in detail.
We afterwards took to our boat again, sailing between the
land and a coral islet, overshadowed with trees, nearly two
miles in length and half a mile in breadth. At the further
point of this motu, a scene of startling peculiarity and gran-
deur burst upon our view. Immediately before us, a vast
conical mountain stood up from the shore to the heavens,
having on its peak the faded crown of a perishing marae,
once held in profound veneration, having been dedicated to
the worship of the dog. On either side of the straits, be-
tween Huahine and Huahine-iti, craggy precipices crowd
one upon the back of another, to the height of three thousand
feet. Over the top of one of these hangs a huge rock, as
though it were disrupted from its seat and falling instantly
upon the valley beneath. On the contrary shore, gigantic
masses, of the same character, rear their weather-beaten but
immovable. ridges, as in defiance of earthquakes or storms,
passively maintaining their ground till they shall be crumbled
into dust, under the perpetual foot of time, on the very spot
where they were first fixed at the creation, left bare by the
retiring waters of the deluge, or heaved from the bottom of
the abyss by the volcanic throes that gave birth to the islands
of which they are at once the ornaments and the stability.
These stupendous eminences are mouldered into many sin-
THE HOLE IN THE WIND.
185 -
gular but not inis-shapen forms, for grandeur and grace are
distinguishable among all their variations; while, through
the thick verdure that generally arrays them, break forth
denuded crags, black, crimson, and gray, and frequent fis-
sures open into their recesses, yet conceal what they dis-
close, their' borders being curiously curtained with foliage
that seems to live in the air as its element, and scarcely to be
indebted to the stone cliff, whence its springs, either for
nourishment or support. Even the perpendicular faces of
the rocks are often overgrown, in this genial climate, with
rank and luxuriant vegetation.
Crossing over the district called Apoomatai, or the hole in
the wind, the meaning of which we have not been happy
enough to learn, we took up our quarters for the night at a
preaching-place, where there is a small chapel, and a house
for the use of the missionaries when they come hither. We
had evening service in the former, attended by about fiſty
persons, and in the latter we prepared our beds, but expected
no sleep, on account of the multitudes of mosquitoes. The
natives, however, to our no small surprise and pleasure-
though it was hard to believe such good news-told us that
the pestilent swarms would retire at the close of day. And
so they did :--this place has somehow become tabucd, from
their visits, during the night, for, every where else, the mat-
ins, the vespers, and the vigils of these everlasting tormentors
of flesh and blood, are little less annoying than their noon-
day inflictions.
Ncar this privileged spot, and before we enjoyed the un-
hoped-for comfort of undisturbed repose, we visited a lofty
mountain, rising just behind our lodging. We estimated the
elevation at three thousand feet. A spring spouts from its
flanks, at two-thirds of the way, which the traveller finds
very refreshing in the toilsome ascent. From the summit,
as from every other, the views were sublime and enchanting
- loveliness of color, and grace of form, marking every fea-
ture of land and sea scenery; combined with amazing height
of interior mountains, winding irregularity of coast, smooth
water within the lagoons, rough breakers on the reefs with-
out, coral islands here and there; all compassed with the
infinity of sea beyond and of sky above. Here is the ex-
treme verge of Huahine. An insulated rock projects from
the head of this mountain, presenting a panorama-stand by
day, and a point on which star aſter star may be seen by
16 *
186
HIRO, THE GOD OF THIEVES.
night, from the depth below, lingering over its pinnacle, and
cresting it with their beams, as they pass in their courses.
The strata of this rock are irregular, and consist of volcanic
rubble and basaltes, both quite black.-We remarked a sec-
ond spring trickling from the under stratum of this pile,
notwithstanding its great elevation. The same plants were
also found in this superior region as on the lower slopes.
The cotton-plant was abundant, and an uncommon kind of
stone-crop.. But the most curious was a species of mimosa,
or sensitive plant, with a white blossom, like that of the pea,
but very minute. It rises to the height of fourteen inches,
and is called by the natives hora. The sweet-scented grass,
formerly mentioned, grows exuberantly here, and is now in
full blow and fragrance. Ferns and reeds also flourish in
every crevice and hollow. The structure of the middle part
of this mountain, so far as the soil was laid bare, is the same
red loam which is traced every where in the high lands here,
and which appears to be decomposed lava, containing many
fragments of honey-combed stones, of the same color. This
is a royal domain, and formerly was a favorite haunt of those
human harpies—the Areois, in whose character and habits
all that is most loathsome earthly, sensual, devilish”_was
combined. The low land between the beach and the foot of
the mountains is little more than a hundred yards in breadth,
but exceedingly fertile. Towards the south, however, it ex-
pands gradually into a spacious and beautiful valley—a lap
into which the horn of plenty has been unsparingly poured.
Auna, who was formerly one of his most zealous and favored
votaries, informs us that Hiro, the patron divinity of thieves,
was devoutly worshipped here and throughout these islands,
though he was a god of but recent creation. He is said to
have been a native of Raiatea, and so far from being born
an immortal that (if the ambiguity may be allowed) he did
not even die one-his skull having been preserved at Opoa,
in that island, and seen by persons now living there, though
it has recently disappeared with the other relics of idolatry.
This Hiro was so subtle and audacious a robber that even
the altars and maraes of the gods were not safe from his
sacrilegious fingers. To his skill in thieving were added all
those other accomplishments for which heathen deities in all
countries, from Greece and Rome to Tahiti and Raiatea,
have been celebrated-lying, murder, debauchery, &c. &c.
Nor was he less famous for managing a canoe, and playing
PREROGATIVE OF THE AREOIS..
187
the pirate by sea, than the burglar and bandit on shore.
After his death, when enrolled among the gods for his atroci-
ties, he was reverenced even above Oro, to whom he proved
himself superior by throwing him down and lying upon him.
His skull, as already mentioned, was deposited in a large
marae, which he had himself erected, and his hair was put
into the body of Oro's image and committed to the flames at
Maeoa. The devotees of this idol were all persons of more
than vulgar rank; our friend Auna, being of royal kindred,
was admitted to that honor. Indeed, it was not to be ex-
pected, even in such a state of savage society as then existed,
that any except the great should be permitted to seize their
neighbors goods with impunity.
T'he fraternity of Areois had some customs and practices
which they affected to reserve to themselves, and which it
would have been at the peril of others to adopt., These
were either exceedingly gross or exceedingly puerile. Of
the latter we are assured that the following was a favorite
one, which it migk: have been death for an uninitiated person
to imitate. When they sat on the ground, or on a low stool,
they put one foot on the other thigh, and continued giving
the toes a particular motion, while in the one hand they
waved at arm's length a fan, made of the white hairs of a
dog's tail, to drive away the mosquitoes; and in the other
held a nasal flute, on which they occasionally made a flour-
ish of notes, by blowing into it through one of the nostrils.
It is remarkable that this little musical pipe is shaped like
a German flute or fife, and is sounded as above, through a
hole in the side, near the upper end, which is plugged.
Jan. 2. After we had each planted a cocoa-nut, in front
of the house where we had lodged, in memorial of our visit,
we proceeded in the boat to reconnoitre the straits which
separate the greater and lesser' of the Huahines. The open-
ing between the two islands is about a mile in width, with
steep declivities on either shore. This narrow channel ex-
pands into a capacious basin and fine harbor, round which
the most romantic scenery extends along the coast, and rises
inland to the loftiest elevations. " Indeed, this is the character
of all these scattered islands, throughout the Southern Pacific,
they are mountains in the midst of the sea, whether seen
from afar or at hand ;--from afar, nothing more exquisite in
aerial perspective can be imagined than their slim and unsub-
stantial forms first peering above the horizon, but gradually
188
.
.
MAGNIFICENT CASCADE.
growing in bulk, in clearness, and in beauty, on approach-
ing them; till, at hand, the richest coloring and the most
harmonious combinations of the contrasted elements of love.
liness and magnificence that constitute picturesque landscape
are found, in a degree of diversity at once inexhaustible, and
unexhausting to the eye, the imagination, the intelligence, :-
and even the heart of the beholder---associated, as these
“fortunate islands” now are, with all the “ blessings" which
the dying Jacob prayed might be the portion of his beloved
Josephi- blessings of the heaven above, blessings of the
deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the
womb; blessings~ * * * * * *" which have prevailed
above the blessings of (their) progenitors unto the utmost
bound of the everlasting hills.” Gen. xlix. 25, 26. How
literally, how locally, how spiritually, these have been verified
in reference to Tahiti, Huahine, and their adjacencies, must
be manifest to every one who has heard or read what God
hath wrought for them, by the gospel of his Son, within the
last ten years : how much more evident must it be to us,
whose eyes have seen all these things, and whose hearts have
thrilled with delight at the contemplation of so much bliss
where so much misery lately reigned ! Here, truly, “where
sin hath abounded, grace doth much more abound.” So be
it, till the end of days!
The queen was in the boat with us as we sailed into this
harbor, and, part of the district belonging to her, we deter-
mined to rest a few hours for refreshment. While dinner
was preparing, on shore, we proceeded along the coast to-
wards the western side of the bay to examine the site of a
cascade, whose waters we had, for some time, observed
flowing down a steep channel. When we had approached it
at the nearest point, the stream appeared to fall from the
height of little more than a hundred feet; but what much
more powerfully arrested our curiosity was the columnar for-
mation of the face of the rock over a section of which the
water was precipitated. We landed, and were detained a
considerable time by a heavy shower of rain. We gathered
some small oysters, of a very delicate flavor, on the beach here;
they were attached to the stones and trees which were at
the edge of the water. In ascending the mountain we ex-
perienced great difficulty on account of the steepness and
slipperiness of the ground; the latter inconvenience being
much increased by the recent shower, which had saturated
AN
PRINTING WITII LEAVES OF PLANTS.
189
the herbage, and made the clay (a red loam) like mortar
under our feet. The sides of this eminence were overrun,
with forests of tall fern and dwarf ito shrubs. When we
reached the top, which may be calculated at two thousand
feet, we had to descend into a glen beyond, where the stream
that supplies the fall has its source. The spring is strong,
and sallies out of the earth at all times abundantly, but in
consequence of the late rains it was unusually swollen and
vigorous when we were there. The water thus projected
pours at once over the verge of a precipice of chert-stone, to
look over which makes the head, swim, and the nerves in-
stinctively recoil with horror, the abyss being so profound,
when contemplated from this point, that the whole, height of
the mountain itself seems to be the leap of the cataract from
its summit to the sea: The actual fall we ascertained to be
three hundred and fifty feet. Of course, in its headlong
career, the rounded volume, that rolls over the verge like
molten crystal, expands into azure sheets or darts in silver
streams on its middle passage, tumbles into foam a little lower,
and resolves into spray towards the bottom, so widely scatter-
ed that a bath may be taken under the affusion without any
inconvenience. The face of the crags down which it rushes,
and leaps, and spreads, and sparkles in the sun-beams, being
quite black, gives intensity of brilliance to the many-colored
waters, under all their changes of form, from the torrent
above to the shower of dew-drops below. Here we gathered
specimens of the elegant small ferns, with which the native
women impress figures, in divers colors, upon their cloth, —
literally a method of printing, which is but one remove below
the boasted invention of the Chinese by means of engraven
blocks, before the art was discovered in Europe. It is true
that the delicate patterns of leaves and flowers, taken from
living plants, upon their apparel, may be said to teach these
ingenious females only so many letters of the alphabet of na-
ture; yet, though incapable of instructing them in any thing
else, they do always remind them of some of her most ex-
quisite productions; and may often revive in recollection the
places where süch are to be found, as well as the circum-
stances under which particular specimens were gathered upon
the spot—the weather, the company, the pleasures, or the
disappointments of the day on which they were sought.
Here each of us left a memorial of our visit, by planting a
cocoa-nut; and though the future trees may not, indeed can-
190
COLUMNAR ROCK.'
not, tell “ the story of their birth," to those who sit under
their shadow, and find their fruit sweet to their taste, yet, 'to
ourselves, they will be mnemonics of the inind; and, when
in distant regions we picture the scenery of this sequestered
spot, we shall add to the beautiful objects which we saw here
the images of those which we left, though but in their gernis;
and these will be endeared by the thought that they are our'
representatives, flourishing and fulfilling, in solitude, the pur-
poses for which the Lord God caused them to grow out of
the ground. Would that we were ever doing the same, in our
emigrations ! Mr. Ellis and Mr. Barff planted two on the
one side of the stream, and we (the deputation) two on the
other. ·
But, as we have intimated, it was the columnar structure
of the face of the rock itself that excited our most curious
attention. The stone is chert and not basalt, being in this
respect essentially different from the singular specimen of
the latter in Matavai valley. The columns here are gener-
ally large; in form a great part , are pentagonal, in a few
instances they are only quadrate, some again approach to
the triangle, while others are nearly hexagons. One of them
measured four feet four inches. Those of the four-sided pil-
lars varied from a foot and a half to 'thirty inches. The
same shafts also differ often in diameter, in their several
parts, as much as they do from each other. The divisions of
the pentagons and the hexagons are also much at variance;
a side, in some cases, being not more than an inch or two,
in others upwards of a foot, wide. The whole colonnade de-
clines from the perpendicular towards the east, at an angle
of seventy-five degrees with the horizon. The height of this
naked front of rock is three hundred and fifty feet, and the
length a quarter of a mile. But, from small denuded patches
on other parts of the mountain, where similar phenomena
are discernible, it is probable that the whole mass is of the
same formation. The lower extremities of many of the col-
umns, near the waterfall, having been broken off, the stumps
above jut out and show their respective shapes. When wet
the stones are deep black, but when dry a light blue, ex-
ceedingly agreeable to the eye.
Reluctantly descending from this secluded spot, so inter-
esting to the traveller in search of rarities, and the philoso-
pher in quest of geological data, we arrived at our boat. It
. was then near six o'clock in the evening. We had previ-
VIOLENT THUNDER-STORM.
191
.
.
ously heard distant thunder, and now, in the course of a few
minutes, we were thoroughly drenched with rain, from which
neither umbrellas nor wrapping could protect us. The tor-
rents continued to fall till we had reached our party on
shore. Here, having changed our clothes and dined, the
house being very dirty and uncomfortable, we resolved to pro-
ceed to our next station at the foot of the Sacred Mountain, :
called Mow, about four miles off. We accordingly set out
for the desired haven some time after sunset, the glimpses of
the moon affording us precarious but welcome assistance in
exploring our way. Incessant lightnings and the perturbed
state of the clouds, meanwhile, excited apprehensions v:hich
were soon realized. On our passage the utmost caution was
requisite in steering the boat, the sea, to the distance of two
miles from the shore, being so covered with coral-rocks and
their spiky ramifications, as, in many places, to be unnaviga-
ble, and in all very shallow; hence we were, every few min-
utes, aground and afloat alternately; nor was this to be won-
dered at, for our boat having on board, in all, sixty persons,
was much too heavily laden for such a perilous cruise, espe-
cially after nightfall, when the depths and shoals could not
be distinguished. Thus, when we struck upon the reef, all
the native men were obliged to jump out into the water to
lighten the vessel and heave her over the obstruction. But
they were invariably cheerful, and worked with all their
might, so that by fits and starts, as it were, we at length landed
at the destined point. Before, however, we could reach shel-
ter, the long-threatening clouds poured down all their ven-
geance upon us, and we were a second time soaked through
all our apparel, as though we had been dragged through the
sea. Our female companions, with their infants, suffered
much from the pitiless pelting of this storm, there being vio-
lent wind as well as rain, while, in the midst of all, they were
compelled to be carried on shore upon the backs of our men,
and afterwards had to run to the distance of a quarter of a
mile before they could get under cover.
The place provided for our reception was a large chapel
built in the native style, on pillars, and open on all sides.
Here, then, we were at last-threescore of us!—comfortless
enough, but having nothing to do but to make the best we
could of our quarters. It was midnight when we landed:
the lights in the place had all been put out by those of our
party who had previously arrived there, and who, never ex-
192
CURIOUS SPECIES OF LOBSTER.
pecting that we would venture to follow them over such a
sea of sunken rocks and shallows, in the dark, had retired to
rest. With wet clothing, wet bedding, and nothing ready
to dry either, we were loudly welcomed with the Taoranas
(may you be blessed !) of our friends, whose slumbers we had
disturbed. Presently, however, a fire was kindled 'at one
end of the chapel, and we found ourselves in a noble place
of worship, open, indeed, on every side, to all the elements
in all their moods, but having a sound roof to' ward off some
of the deluging rain, at this time, and in other respects
affording plenty of room for the accommodation of most of
our clan. Notwithstanding the noise, the bustle, and appa-
rent confusion, among so numerous and heterogeneous a
party, we composed ourselves for rest without much difficulty,
each in his own way; 'and, sooner than could have been ex-
pected, silence and general tranquillity prevailed throughout
the spacious and well-occupied tenement.
While we were exploring the neighborhood of the cascade,
this day, some of the men, whom we had left at the landing-
place, caught two very curious fishes of the lobster-species.
The native name of this animal is Varoo. The general
form is that of the lobster; the length nine inches; the body
is covered with a delicate shell, of which the jointed com-
partments, nine in number, beside the tail-piece, admit of
freedom of motion. Under the five central ones there are
fringes, like fins, and to that which lies between these five
and the tail are attached two flappers, on either side, pro-
jecting outward and backward. Under each of these there
is a strong, bony, sharp-pointed weapon, with which the crea-
ture can defend itself, and probably secure its prey, by clasp-
ing the latter beneath its belly, when the forks must pierce
whatever comes between them. These are said to be veno-
mous, and the natives are much afraid of being wounded by
them. To each of the three plates of the shell, next the
head, are fitted two legs, one on either side. The head is
an inch and three quarters long, and narrowing in width
from an inch-and a half, at the hinder part, to three quarters
of an inch at the frontage. Towards the middle are the
eyes, the mouth, and four antennæ, with a kind of fin on
each side. But the most singular and novel characteristics
of this animal are its large claws, which grow from the upper
part of the body and the neck.' These have four joints each,
that at the extremity being a fine and almost transparent
THE SACRED MOUNTAIN.
193
bone, with ten sharp rays shooting outwards, longer and
longer, and stronger also in proportion to the outermost.
This ten-toothed appendage closes down into a correspond-
ing groove, or slit, of the inner joint, which exactly fits it as
a sheath-the whole resembling a common pocket-comb that
shuts into a case. The mouth and adjacent organs are like
those of the lobster. The color, when alive, is pale yellow
with lilac and black spots. This also was one of the divini-
ties of these benighted regions, where men “changed the
glory of the uncorruptible God into an image, made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed beasts, and
to creeping things.”
Jan. 3. We are now in the district of Aruri, a royal
domain, where parties of pleasure, or for war, were wont to
assemble. The land being exceedingly fertile, abundant
food was always to be found for such occasions, when the
consumption was great indeed. The chapel, built on the
site of a demolished marae, is eight feet long by thirty wide.
It has a pulpit, but no fixed benches nor pews; and was,
therefore, better suited, in some respects, for our nocturnal
encampment than if it had been more completely furnished.
Near it stands a large house, twice as spacious as the chapel,
formerly the haunt of the Areois, a "sty of Epicurus' herd,''
rendered abhorrent to every pure feeling by the bloody and
obscene rites of those "unclean spirits" that once pos-
sessed it. Within this no longer desecrated enclosure, a
number of our fellow-travellers had been lodged; and we
were awakened, soon after day-break, by the songs of Zion,
which they were singing at their morning worship; and
sweeter minstrelsy we never heard. A few years ago our
brethren, the missionary servants of Jehovah, dwelt here like
men in exile, if not in captivity; and when the heathen
mocked them, and required of them mirth, saying, "" Sing us
one of the songs of Zion !" they might have indeed replied,
in bitterness of spirit, “How shåll we sing the Lord's song
in a strange land ?"
There are various other houses in this district; but few
are tenanted, the former inhabitants having removed to the
missionary settlement, and only visiting their lands here
occasionally. The beach is low and marshy; three exten-
sive valleys open upon it from the interior. On the west
stands the Sacred Mountain, rising in great majesty, and
almost perpendicularly, on every side; hence the summit
VOL. 1.
Ayo
1
194
MARAE OF TANI.
.
cannot be reached, even by the natives, in wet weather. Ito
trees run all the way up its steep declivities, and flourish
superbly on the top, which is broad and flat. Some crags
jut out on the south side. In times of war this was a strong
hold to which the vanquished fled, and where they could not
be successfully assailed; for, when once they had ascended
the precipices, they could hurl down stones, like thunderbolts,
upon their pursuers below; and throw back their besiegers
themselves, like stones, whenever they attempted to scale
those impregnable ramparts. On this proud eminence stood
a marae, devoted to the worship of the dog.
From the west to the south are seen vast ranges of hills,
with sunny valleys, or dark ravines, intersecting; the flanks
of these are generally clad with verdure, though often em-
bossed with towering rocks or overhanging crags. Between
the south and east are the straits through which we sailed;
and there we distinguished the termination of the motu, and
the commencement of a further range of low islands, to the
extent of ten miles, a very narrow line of sea separating be-
tween them and the main land. An opening into the broad
ocean beyond, a mile in width, with a reef over which the
surf continually breaks, divides this chain into two parts, of
which each motu is a link. The rain continued to fall heavily
all this day, so that we could scarcely leave our abode. At
night the storm came down with hitherto unprecedented vio-
lence, and we seemed to be in the midst of a land-flood, so
vehemently did the stream beat, and the winds blow, about
our frail yet stable tenement.
Jan. 4. The weather not permitting us to resume our
journey, we made an excursion to the neighboring motu, to
visit the marae of Tani, the chief god of Huahine in the age
of idolatry. It stands about a hundred yards from the shore,
embosomed among trees of many kinds, which wholly ob-
scure the edifice till the spectator arrives upon the spot.
Like most erections of the kind, it consists of two stories, of
oblong shape; the lower, a hundred and twenty-four feet by
sixteen, and the upper diminished proportionately, with a
small wing at the back. The basement is about ten feet in
height, and fronted with coral blocks, placed on their edges,
some of which are as high as the story itself; these form the
walls of an enclosure, which is filled up with earth. The
superior but smaller part is faced with coral, and filled with
earth, in like manner, but not more than three feet high,
TRADITION CONCERNING TANI.
.
195
having at each end an upright stone of twice that elevation.
In the centre of the principal front stands the bed of Tani, a
stone-framed pile, eighteen inches above ground, but twenty-
four feet long by thirteen wide! Hard by is another and
lesser inclosure, not more than half the dimensions of Tani's
bed, yet large enough to hold all the gods beside that be-
longed to this celebrated grove and temple. All these vari-
ous structures were exceedingly rude, but massy, in materials
and masonry. Not a tool seems to have been lifted up upon
any of the stones, the angles are ill-formed, nor are the walls
in right lines; but the whole pandemonium is in rare pres-
ervation, scarcely a block having been dislodged from its
place. Trees of centuries, judging from their venerable and
magnificent appearance, overshadow this “ dark place," with
meeting arms, and foliage "star-proof.” One of these an-
cients measured fifteen yards in girth above the root. There
is a tradition worthy of the superstition attached to this shrine
of folly. Tani often wanted to fly away-from his bed here,
we presumebut having a very long tail, like a boy's kite,
that unlucky appendage always caught in the boughs of this
sacred tree; by which he was instantly dragged down to
earth again. However, he has now escaped-escaped for
ever-though not by flight, but by fire, having been burnt
(in effigy, of course) in his own house, called Taumatai, in
the year 1817, by those resolute image-destroyers, Hautia and
Tiramano, in their zeal for the Lord of Hosts. The idol, a
huge, mis-shapen block of wood, was about the height and
bulk of a very tall and stout man; but, like many of his fra-
ternity here (“the gods made with hands"), by the bungling
of the artist, he was one of those " whose heads do grow be-
neath their shoulders,” there being no separation of those
parts above; whilst below, the uncouth body terminated in a
point (without legs) like a cone inverted. It had likewise
the usual mockeries to represent eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and
arms; but these were “most lame and impotent conclusions"
of such matters. The whole was covered with cinet, or plat-
ted twine, made from the fibres of the cocoa-nut husk.
At this marae, once a year, when the kings and priests
thought proper, there was what might be called a national
assembly and festival held. Hither all the idols of Huahine
were brought from their various temples to be clothed with
new dresses and ornaments. On this occasion, Tani was
laid on the middle of his bed, having the gods of four
196
FESTIVAL OF ALL THE IDOLS OF HUAHINE.
19
districts'placed on his right hand, and the gods of four other
districts, into which the island was divided, on his left.
The chiefs stood in rows opposite to their own divinities,
and the priests round Tani, as lord over them all. Various
antic ceremonies having been performed, and prayers offer-
ed, the images were stripped of their old vestments. Many
of these wooden stocks, being hollow, were filled with beau-
tiful feathers, and other precious trinkets, which were also
brought out, and either renewed' or replaced. None but
men were allowed to attend this anniversary. One who had
often been present assured us that, on these occasions, a
quantity of ava, for the purpose of making a detestable in-
toxicating liquor, nearly as large as the marae itself in bulk,
used to be collected, besides provisions in an immense quan-
tity; eighty or a hundred hogs, also, were slaughtered and
roasted to entertain the multitudes that were attracted hither
by their devotion to the gods and their love of good cheer.
The feast lasted three days, and was a season of gluttony,
drunkenness, and debauchery of every kind. The priests
themselves were often so intoxicated as to be unable to re-
peat their devotional addresses in the required posture ; they
would then grovel upon the ground, like swine, muttering
and hiccuping their incantations. While this carnival last-
.ed, no fire was allowed to be lighted, nor · labor to be per-
formed, throughout the island. At the close of the ceremo-
nies, a particular god, called Maavai, was brought forth,
stripped and gutted like the rest, when immediately, they
say, it began to rain tremendously. This was the signal for
the removal of all the new-clad idols to their respective ma-
raes. No female was permitted to approach one of these sa-
cred edifices on pain of death, which was instantly inflicted
by whoever witnessed the sacrilege. Nay, such was the
cruel and remorseless proscription of the sex from religious
rites or privileges, that if the wives or children of the priests
theinselves came within a certain distance, while they were
engaged in some particular services, they were murdered on
the spot, even by their husbands and fathers, with the most
desperate ferocity.
Jan. 5. We proceeded on our coasting cruise, to-day,
sailing through a strait, no wider than the Thames, which
divides the motu from the main land. Though little more
than a mile in length, the passage presented us with most
gratifying prospects on either hand. Oa the right lay a
EXTENSIVE LAGOON.
197
lovely low island overflowing (if we may use the expression)
with verdure to the water's edge, and displaying a rich va-
riety of the most luxuriant vegetation, from the gigantic
cocoa-nut to the common grass, running riot in the fertility
of its sea-formed soil. On our left the Sacred Mountain
towered up to the firmament, of which, in some aspects, it
seemed a pillar, so shapely, so stately, and lofty, were its
proportions! The relics of maraes--the worst works of
man--and some of the most beautiful, sublime, and benefi-
cent of the works of God--the everlasting hills and the for-
ests of fruit-trees, presented their melancholy piles of tum-
bled stones, at brief intervals, exciting horror in respect to
the past, and gratitude for the present state of the people of
these terrestrial paradises to the eye. Of these ruins we
counted ten within the circuit of view from our boat, some
on the flat shore, others on the declivities, and others in the
recesses of the valleys. Several stone walls, of rough blocks,
were built in this small channel, for the purpose of catching
fish. . These are composed of loose materials, broad at the
base, narrowing towards the top, and even with the surface
of the water. These rude dams are curved, and constitute
inclosures, or pinfolds, into which the natives drive the fish
from the open water, and there take them with facility.
At the extremity, the strait, through which we had been
delightfully sailing and singing hymns as we sailed, sudden-
ly opened into a large oval lake, of which the motu forined
one side, and the high cliff of Huahine the other. This
splendid lagoon, now as smooth as a mirror, we ascertained
to be five miles in length by one wide. The scenery around
forbids description ; exemplifying all the varieties of natural
grandeur and vegetable affluence to be found in these trop-
ical climes and insular situations. A small village and
chapel at length fixed our eyes, which nothing else but the
traces of man (always pre-eminently interesting to us) could
long detain, where such bewildering glories of the inanimate
creation met us, surrounded and pursued us, on every side.
We were informed that this was the most renowned place in
all Huahine, having been, from generation to generation,
the abode of the kings, and, consequently, the metropolis of
the kingdom.
We landed to examine a famous marae, and also a far
more famous tree, which may be regarded as the most extra-
ordinary natural production of these islands; indeed, we
17*
-198
...
EXTRAORDINARY AOA TREE.,
gazed upon it with overwhelming astonishment. This tree
is called aoa by the natives. The trunk is composed of a
multitude of stems grown together, and exhibiting a most
fantastical appearance from the numerous grooves, which
run vertically up the bole, and are of such depth that a
transverse section would rudely resemble the axle and spokes
of a wheel without rim. The girth, near the foot, is seventy
feet. From the height of eight feet, and onward to forty,
immense, branches proceed, in nearly horizontal lines, on - .
every hand; from which, as from similar trees which we
have seen and already described, perpendicular shoots tend
downward, till they reach the ground, take root, and become
columns of the “pillared shade.” More than forty of these
we counted, standing like a family of earth-born giants
about their enormous parent. A circle drawn round all
these auxiliary stems, measured a hundred and thirty-two
feet in circumference; while a circle embracing the utmost.
verge of their lateral ramifications, was not less than four
hundred and twenty feet. The upper stories (if such we
may call them) of this multiform tree, presented yet more
singular combinations of intersecting and intertwisting
boughs, like Gothic archies, oriels, and colonnades, propped,
as by magic, in mid-air. These were occasionally massy or
light, and every where richly embellished with foliage,
through which the flickering sunshine gleamed in long rays,
that lost themselves in the immensity of the interior laby-
rinth, or danced in bright spots upon the ground, black with
the shadows of hundreds of branches, rising tier above tier,
and spreading range beyond range, aloft and around. The
height of this tree (itself a forest) cannot be less than eighty
feet. It stands so near the lagoon that some of its boughs
overhang the waters. Not far from its site, there is a Chris-
reigns of Huahine were buried and where, indeed, they
lay in more than oriental state, each one resting in his bed,
at the foot of the Sacred Mountain, beneath the umbrage of
the magnificent aoa, and near the beach for ever washed by
waters that roll round the world, and spend themselves here
after visiting every other shore between the poles. The
great marae itself was dedicated to Tani, the father of the
gods here; but the whole ground adjacent was marked with
the vestiges of smaller maraes-private places for worship
FRLE-WILL MISSIONARY OFFERINGS.
199.
island, and the head-quarters of royalty and idolatry. On
the limbs of the tree already described, there is reason to
believe that thousands of human sacrifices have been hung.
One low bough, of great length and bulk, was pointed out to
us, as having been the principal gibbet for such victims,
century after century. The tree itself was sacred to Tani;
but he has been expelled hence, and for ages to come, under
the shadow of this prodigy of vegetation, it is to be hoped
that “incense and a pure offering”-the incense of prayer,
and the pure offering of bodies, presented as “living sacri-
fices"_will continue to be made here to the true God, by
more of his spiritual worshippers than Satan had of his de-
luded votaries in all the times gone by. On this ground we
could not help thinking how many bloody rites had been
performed, and what wickedness had been wrought, without
interruption from one warning voice, or the overture of one
embassy of peace, to a people destroying themselves and
one another; a people equally at war, in their atrocious
practices, with nature and with God. But “the people that
walked in darkness have seen a great light, and to them that
sat in the shadow of death hath the glory of the Lord' ap-
peared.” It has been said to Huahine, “ Arise, shine! for
thy light is come;" and she has arisen, and she does shine,
in the garments of salvation and the beauty of holiness. We
have already stated that this island contributes largely, ac-
cording to its means, towards the support of the London
Missionary Society. Silver and gold she has none, but what
she hath-oil, and cotton, and arrow-root, and hogs—these
she gives with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; or,
if her children grudge the sacrifices which they bring, she
refuses to accept them for the service of the sanctuary.-
When a missionary association was first established here,
and contributions were solicited, the people were explicitly
informed that they should not be compelled to give any
thing; whatever they did, therefore, must be of their own
free will. One day, a native brought a hog to Hautia, who
was the treasurer, and, throwing the animal down at his
feet, said, in an angry tone, "Here's a pig for your society."
“Take it back again,” replied Hautia, calmly; “God does
not accept angry pigs." He then explained to the man the
objects of missionary institutions, and the necessity of those
who supported them doing so from right motives, especially
enforcing the scripture words, “ The Lord loveth a cheerful
200
.
GROSS IDEAS OF A FUTURE STATL.
giver." The man was obliged to take his hog home again;
for, though exceedingly chagrined to have it rejectedre-
fusal being considered a great affront when a present is of
fered-Hautia was too sternly conscientious to accept it.
In Tahiti, on a similar occasion, a person brought a quanti-
ty of cocoa-nut oil to Pomare, in a like bad spirit, exclaim-
ing, “ Here are five bamboos of oil; take them for the socie-
ty." “No," said the king, “I will not mix your angry
bamboos with the missionary oil; take them away." And
he dismissed the reluctant contributor from his presence,
with his gifts in his hands, bitterly mortified at having be-
trayed his meanness, and exposed himself to such a rebuke
before his neighbors. He would afterwards have been glad
to redeem his character with twice the number of bamboos,
but the reproach clave to him. .
Our friend Auna, this evening, gave us some further par-
ticulars of the absurd notions held by the Areois concerning
a future state. The land of graves around us naturally led
to conversation on subjects which lie beyond the grave.
Some of these dissolute reprobates believed that, when a
father or a, son died, and went to heaven-the heaven formerly
described by Auna, as a great plain, amidst a circle of the
gods--the survivor, at his decease, was met by the former,
just on this side of the celestial barrier, who there seized the
new comer, and having baked him whole in an earth-oven,
as hogs are baked below, put his body, thus dressed, into a
basket made of cocoa-nut leaves, and then presented him as
a dainty offering to the god whom he had worshipped when
alive. By this cannibal divinity he was now eaten up; after
which, through some inexplicable process, the dead and de-
voured man emanated from the body of the god, and became
immortal.--If a father buried his son, or å son his father, in
an unconsecrated place, it was said that the deceased would
appear to the survivor the next day, and say, “ You have
buried me in common earth, and so long as I lie there I
cannot go to heaven”.of course always meaning the sensual
heaven of the Areois" you must bury me with ceremonies,
and in holy ground.” The corpse was then taken up; the
arms bound to the shoulders, and the knees up to the body;
it was then interred in a hole dug to fit its dimensions, in a
sitting posture, but.so shallow that the earth barely covered
the head. This was the most honorable form of sepulture,
- and principally confined to high personages. But it was
TEMPOŞTUOUS WEATHER.
:
201
more usual to keep the corpses of their friends above ground,
on frames, or in the recesses of maraes, allowing them to pu-
trefy and contaminate the air all round the depositories of
such nuisances. When a person was dying, his relatives
standing about him would say, “Take care of your head."
We have not been able to learn the particular meaning of
. this figure of speech. It probably had been imagined, when
the phrase first originated, that the head was the seat of the
soul; and that, on the death of the body, the soul came out
of the mouth.
CHAPTER XIII.
Tempestuous Weather-Case of Conscience-Rights of Fishery-Na-
tive Frankness-Tani's Bed-Destruction of Tani's Idol-Tani's con-
verted Priest-Ancient Forum-Fortified Eininence-Ludicrous Tra-
dition--Motoors--Offerings to Tani-End of the Cruiso round Hua-
hino-Astronomical Notions of the Islanders-Divisions of the Day
&c.Prompt Justice—Singular Moth—Terms for the Winds—Ap-
pointment of Deacons in the Church-Visit to Tiramano-Exotic and
Naturalized Vegetables.
Jan. 6. (Lord's day.) We had tremendous weather last
night rain and wind-which occasioned us no small incon-
venience in our slight dwelling. Mr. Bennet complained on
Friday of indisposition, from cold taken in consequence of
being incessantly exposed to rain and sca-spray, for upwards
of twenty-four hours, and afterwards (having lent his blanket
to accommodate a friend) lying in his undried clothes, on a
board, all night.—The usual services, including prayer-meet-
ings and sermons, were performed in the chapel here. Not-
withstanding the tempest and torrents of rain in the forenoon,
the place was filled by an attentive audience, all seated on the
floor (there being but one bench in the place), which, howev-
er, had been comfortably strewn with grass for their accom-
modation. As an example of the conscientiousness with
which the Christian natives here honor the Sabbath, we may
mention that a man came to us this evening, in some per-
plexity, saying, “I saw a great many fishes in the 'weir (one
of the stone inclosures above mentioned), and, being afraid
that they would escape before morning, I put a few large
stones at the entranco, to prevent them from getting out.
Have I done wickedly?"-Such nice inquiries the people
202
RIGHTS OF FISHERY.
often make, and they are sometimes of a nature so peculiarly
delicate that it requires great discretion, and much acquaint-
ance with their habits of thinking and feeling, to answer
them satisfactorily. These questions, however, show that
many keep their hearts with great diligence, and watch with
a single eye over their conduct.
Jan. 7. The violence of the weather prevented us from
getting abroad to-day.-The lake here abounds with fine fish,
of which large quantities have just been taken by the natives,
the prevalence of the north wind having occasioned the shoals
to emigrate from the upper end of the lake, and flock for shel-
who own the adjoining districts, and such kind of property is
considered so valuable, that every superficial inch is claimed
right as stanchly as game-preserves are held in England.
The salmon caught here are remarkably delicate, and breed
abundantly.
In the afternoon, at the conversation-meeting (where all
kinds of profitable questions are allowed to be asked by the
natives, and are frankly answered by the missionaries), one
of the raatiras said "I have been thinking, this day, on that
passage in the Psalms, 'Who will show us any good ?' and I,
said in myself, 'Who will show us any good?' My heart has
been thinking evil against the king (Hautia), who is sitting
there. I have been told that he intends to take my fishing-
ground from me. I want to know whether it is so, because
my heart has been full of bad thoughts against him for it."
The missionaries very properly declined to interfere with
such a case; indeed, they uniformly forbear from meddling,
without special necessity, with disputes among the natives,
which are best settled by arbitrators chosen from themselves.
Their reply, on this occasion, in the presence of both parties,
was that, so long as the bue raatiras acted with justice and
due respect towards their chiefs, they might be assured that
these would deal justly and kindly with them. This little
circumstance shows the Tahitian frankness and fearlessness
of speaking all their mind, even before their highest superi-
ors; and the patience with which Hautia permitted the affair
to pass, in public, equally exemplified the noble forbearance
of which such generous spirits as his at once refined and
elevated by Christianity—are capable.
Near the chapel there is a stone, on which the idol Tani
1991
DESTRUCTION OF TANI'S IDOL.
203
was wont to be set down, that he might rest himself after the
fatigue of being carried in a man's arms (whose peculiar.
office it was) down the steep hill adjacent, from his grand ma-,
rae above, when, on certain extraordinary public occasions,
it was necessary that he should be removed. The stone is a
rough flag, as it was separated from the rock, four feet long,
one and a half broad, and nine inches thick. It is placed
horizontally on the edge of the lake, about half a mile from
the sacred tree. While we were looking at this relic of .pue-
rile idolatry, one of the bue raatiras came up. He is now a
pious, inoffensive man; but he long and stoutly stood against
the gospel in this neighborhood, and was one of the ring-
leaders of the rebel-party who opposed the chiefs when they
renounced idolatry. Being asked when the idol Tani was last
brought down hither, he replied, “It was when the servants
of the true God came to attack us for going to war with them
because of their new religion. Tani was brought down by
us, and laid upon that stone. The two bodies of warriors
stood, face to face, so near together as to be ready to begin
the battle. Hautia, one of our friends who is now with us,-
and Tiramano, the chief woman, were at the head of the
Christians--for you must know that the chief women here
buckle on the cartouch-box, and bear the musket before their
troops, as well as the chief men. When both sides were
about to strike the first blow, Hautia and Tiramano made an
offer of peace. They said, 'You must soon fall into our
hands, or we must soon fall into yours; but, if you will lay
down your arms. now, we will be friends with you. Then
the true God caused the desire of peace to grow in our hearts,
and we answered, “We will have peace; we will not fight
for those false gods any more; we will submit to the true
God!' And so it ended; peace was made between us; a fire
was lighted just here, Tani's image was thrown into the
flames, and burnt to ashes, before the eyes of both parties.
Immediately afterwards we consumed his house and destroyed
his marae. We, who had been rebels on account of our
idols, turned to the true God. And then a great feast was
made, and the men and the women ate together, in proof that
we had all embraced the gospel in our hearts. It was never so
before ; if a woman had sat down on this stone, or even touch-
ed it with her finger, she would have been instantly mur-
dered.”? We congratulated Hautia on having been made the
Lord's instrument in accomplishing so great a deliverance of
204
CONVERTED PRIEST OF TANI.
his nation from 'the thraldom of Satan. He replied, with
much emotion, “All my forefathers worshipped Tani-where
are they now? It is my mercy to live in better days."
Jan. 8. We visited several maraes, accompanied by Mr.
Ellis and a native, named Toumata, who formerly held the
illustrious office of te amo atua, or bearer of the god Tani.
He belonged to the order of priests, and was a personage of
such superhuman sanctity that every thing which he touched -
became sacred; he was, therefore, not suffered to marry, as -
the honor of being his wife was too much for any mortal
woman. But this was not all; he would himself be so defiled
by such a connection that he would be disqualified for his
office, and must immediately resign it; nay, if he did not re-
pent, and return with a great peace-offering to Tani's house,
he might expect to be first struck blind, and afterwards
strangled in his sleep. He was not allowed to climb a co-
coa tree, because, if he did, it would be so hallowed that no-
body else durst afterwards ascend it. He was the only man
living who had a right to handle the god Tani; and it was
his special prerogative to carry the idol when it was annually
removed to the neighboring motu to be stripped and new
dressed, as already described; and though the latter ceremo-
ny was permitted to be performed by the priests, he alone
could carry back the image to its marae on the mountain
side. To do this, and re-instate it in its upper chamber, he
had to climb a post of Tani's house, twenty-five feet high,
with the unwieldy block .on his shoulders. This office he
voluntarily resigned, with all its privileges and emoluments,
and embraced Christianity, on the day and at the place where
Tani was burnt by Hautia and the zealous warriors who
overthrew their country's idols with violence, but subdued
their pagan adversaries with meekness, as stated in yester-
day's journal. Toumata is a stout man, about thirty-five
years of age, and very well versed in the traditions of his
heathen forefathers, which enabled him to give us much in-
formation concerning the objects that attracted our curiosity
in this day's excursion.
The first marae that we visited was the sepulchral one of
the kings of Huahine, for many generations. It was an ob-
long inclosure, forty-five feet long by twenty broad, fenced
with a strong stone wall. Here the bodies of the deceased,
according to the manner of the country, being bound up, -
with the arms doubled to their shoulders, the legs bent under
ANCIENT FORUM.
205
.
their thighs, and both forced upwards against the abdomen,
were let down, without coffins, into a hole prepared for their
reception, and just deep enough to allow the earth to cover
their heads.
Close behind this was another inclosure, thrice the length
and twice the width of this; the whole raised to the height
of five feet above the ground; the walls of oblong, and
the pavement of flat, stones, forming a pretty level platform.
On this were held the national councils, when the kings,
priests, chiefs, and land-owners assembled to determine
questions respecting peace, war, or other great public con-
cerns. On such occasions this stage was crowded with the
great actors in those scenes of violence which used to con-
vulse the island with civil strife; while thousands of the
people, the sufferers in such tragedies, thronged around it,
to hear the issue of consultations which were to relieve them
from hostilities already raging, or to break tranquillity then
reigning, by letting loose man against man, family against
family, and district against district, till rapine, murder, and
devastation had done all but their worst, by stopping short
only of utter extermination in their progress. The political
and priestly orators who were wont, at such times, to ha-
rangue the multitude, often displayed no mean powers of sav-
age eloquence.
Close upon the margin of the lagoon, and under the
shadow of the sacred tree, stands a marae, dedicated to the
departed spirits of the kings whose bodies are interred in
the adjacent one. This, like the rest, is composed of rough
coral blocks for walls, and raised to a second story by small
flags and stones. A third, belonging to a family of the Bue
Raatera, built in like manner, is seen in the same vicinity.
Others appear on the lower slope of the hill, which are
respectively dedicated to Tani, Raa, and Oro, the principal
idols of Huahine. Above these there has been constructed,
at some barbarous period, a vast wall ten feet high and six
thick. This rampart consists of rough masses of stone from
the crags above, or coral-reef from the sea, piled and attached
without cement, with great labor and no small art. It was
raised for the purpose of obstructing the course of a pursu-
ing or invading enemy up the steep side of the mountain,
which it engirdles to the length of two miles, and only
breaks off at points of interruption where the precipice itself
precludes all possibility of assault. The upper regions of
VOL. I. . 18 -
206
FORTIFIED EMINENCE.
this acclivity were considered almost impregnable; and they
not only afforded security to fugitives who gained them, but
the fertility of the soil, which was thick-planted with cocoa-
nut and bread-fruit trees, nearly to the top, and the perpetu-
al springs of fresh water abounding there, furnished provis-
ion for the occupants as long as they were likely to be be-
sieged by a baffled army below. Behind this fortified
eminence, and with a small valley only between, the moua
tabu, or Sacred Mountain, already described, rises about
three thousand feet; from the summit of which, as a last
retreat, defiance might be hurled, not in words only, but in
the enormous missiles of disrupted rocks, and the smaller
ammunition of loose stones, with which the surface was
abundantly strewn.-On the lower mountain are many ma-
hill and subjacent beach seem to have been holy ground,
in the unhallowed sense in which men consecrate, upon
the face of God's earth, temples and altars to Idols and
devils.— The great marae, so dedicated to Täni, stands
superior among all these, being nearly a hundred feet by
eighty in length and breadth, with walls in some parts nine
feet thick. In the centre of this rude edifice, Tani's bed
is seen, on which his idol was laid when prayers were offered
to it, and near that another platform, which the dumb stock
occupied on special occasions.
At the distance of thirty feet, in front of the marae, is the
usual raised seat for the priest when he performed his devo-
tions; and, near the same, what may be called the altar,
consisting of a flat flag-stone and an upright one, on which
the animals, offered in sacrifice, were formerly slaughtered;
these were swine and fowls. But the altar on which the
bodies of the victims, when slain, were presented, was a
frame of wooden piles and planks, sixteen feet long, six
wide, and ten high. On these occasions the fowls of the air
had plenteous feasting. Near the spot were two large heaps
of bones, principally the skulls of hogs. On the declivity,
immediately below the marae, are two small terraces, raised
to the height of twelve inches each from the ground, and
on the lower side of these are stationed eight insulated
stones, set up at some distance from one another, designat-
ing, by their position in reference to the temple, that part
of it which particularly belonged to each of the eight districts
of the island ; and round which the inhabitants of the same,
1
TANI'S HOUSE.
207
on public solemnities, congregated in tribes, as we were
given to understand. On the north of the marae was Tani's
house (now destroyed), å little wooden chamber, built on
posts, twenty-five feet high, and to which there was no ac-
cess except by climbing one of them. This was the sanctu-
ary where the image was usually kept, and from and to which
it was always carried by our companion, Toumata, till the day
when the idol, the sanctuary, and the worship of Tani were
destroyed. We are told that when the people saw the
flames ascending from the pile on which Tani was laid, by
Hautia and his Christian warriors, they were powerfully
affected-some with joy, others with sorrow, and not a few
with apprehension that the god would speedily arise and
inflict summary vengeance on his enemies, if not destroy
the whole island and its inhabitants, for the indignity offered
to his wooden proxy. It ought to have been mentioned that
on one side of Tani's house there is a remarkable stone, set on
end, which (like the tree on the motu, formerly mentioned)
is said to have caught his long tail, when, from the top of
it, he attempted to mount into the air on a journey of mischief.
This tail, it seems, was a.grievous drawback to Tani, and
various trees, in the boughs of which it had been entangled
when he was taking his flight, have become sacred in con-
sequence of being touched by it, though to his own bitter
disappointment, when they caught him and prevented his
aerial flight. The old people say that meteors were former-
ly much oftener seen from these islands than they are now.
These, as well as comets, they imagined to be the tails of
the gods, and, therefore, when they saw them streaming
through the atmosphere, they immediately threw off their up-
per garments and exclaimed, “a god! a god!” Tani's un-
lucky appendage, probably, was of celestial origin, in this re-
spect; and, instead of being translated to the skies, like Ber-
enice's locks, was attached to the popular image of his person,
in commemoration of some magnificent meteor, whose train,
in its flight, measured ninety or a hundred degrees.
Toumata tells us that, when he was a boy, the whole of
this hill was covered with dwellings and gardens. Now
there are but three houses standing upon it, of which one
only is inhabited. Similar evidences of decay and devasta-
·tion meet our eyes every where on this tour. So fatal, in-
deed, were the effects of war, licentiousness, infanticide, and
208
SACRIFICES TO TANI.
idolatry, towards the close of their reign, that the population
of Huahine, in the course of a few years, was reduced from
at least ten, some say twenty, thousand, to little more
than as many hundreds.
When living animals were brought to be sacrificed to
Tani, no blood was shed. They were laid upon the stone,
and most cruelly, because most clumsily, strangled by the
pressure of their necks between two pieces of wood., Not
hogs and fowls only, but fishes, fruits, and intoxicating
spirits were offered at this altar. Of these good things
though presented on the frame, before described, for Tani
to feast upon, or rather to be consumed by the birds or
perish by putrefaction-it was shrewdly suspected that few
were consumed by so slow a process, the priests having
found a much more convenient way of disposing of them.
It is remarkable that among the contributions to Tani's
service were first-fruits, according to the season of the year;
a poor person was expected to bring two of the earliest
gathered, of whatever kind, a raatira ten, and the chiefs
and princes more, according to their rank and riches. These
were thrown down upon the ground, at the marae, with the
expression, “Here, Tani, I have brought you something
to eat." In general, when hogs were presented, the
heads only were laid upon his altar, the remainder being
baked and devoured by the worshippers and the priests.
Many kinds of fish, but neither sharks nor turtles, were
thus offered. Human sacrifices were never slain or exposed
here; these were all gibeted at the enormous aoa tree, on
the beach below. For Tani's bearer (our friend Toumata)
there was set apart, out of these gifts, a certain portion of
food, which even the kings dared not to take away or touch.
At a marae, on the beach, we were shown a precious relic.
This was said to be a fragment of Tani's canoe, which,
though a stone, could swim as well as if it had been timber.
To prove this a man threw it into the water, and it actually float-
ed! The fact and the solution of the puzzle were equally ap-
parent; it was a large piece of pumice-stone. Whence this
specimen came the people could not inform us, but they
said that there were more pieces of the same substance at
other places on the island, which, according to an old tra-
dition, had been collected by some devout person, formed
into a canoe, and presented to Tani. The priests, no
RAIN-SWOLLEN WATERFALLS.
209
doubt, knew well how to avail themselves of a natural cir-
cumstance to hold an ignorant and credulous people in de-
lusion by the semblance of a miracle.
Jan. 9. This day we proceeded on our voyage in Hautia's
double canoe. Along the coast we counted nine maraes in
the space of a mile. Most of these were curiously, and,
indeed, picturesquely, placed, on tongues of land projecting
into the lagoon, and were “monuments of piled stones,"
nearly as they came out of the quarry, which an earthquake
may have made in the rifted rocks on shore, or as they had
been broken, by the fury of the surge, from the coral-reefs
that shut out the main sea from beating upon these well-
defended coasts. This chain of Moloch's posts, as they may
be termed, extended to the foot of the Sacred Mountain,
which, at this quarter, rises immediately from the water's
edge with awful grandeur. We intended to have ascended
its flanks, but the steepness and slipperiness of the ridges
forbade the attempt. The scenery along this neighbor-
hood is of the boldest character, excelling, at once, in every
feature of beauty and sublimity which can be found else-
where. Description, after what we have already attempted,
would be mere verbiage here. What most peculiarly strikes
the eyes of European beholders, accustomed to associate
nakedness and sterility with mountains of the highest order,
is that the loftiest mountains of these islands are verdant to
the very peaks, as though they were themselves masses of
gigantic vegetation, springing, budding, branching, flower-
ing, and bearing fruit, from the sea-beach upward to the
firmament. Great quantities of rain having descended
during the last few days, the waterfalls that came tumbling,
in white volumes of foam, from the cliffs and through the
ravines, added much of splendor and animation to the re-
posing magnificence of surrounding objects, which, from
their nature, were for ever at rest. Motion is so intimately
connected with life, that the presence of water, even when
not seeming to move, yet being known to be never entirely
quiescent, is always exhilarating to the spirits as well as
grateful to the eye. But in no form is this vital element
more visibly and audibly alive than when it assumes the
Protean character of cascades, perpetually changing shape,
and breadth, and color, and action, as they glide towards
the verge, roll over the precipice, leap down the rocks,
shoot the gulf below, and rebound through the atmosphere
à 18*
210
END OF THE CRUISE ROUND HUAMINE.'
in vapor and spray, while the quivering rainbow, overarchi
ing the scene of turbulence, rises and falls, and brightens or
fades, in air above, as the waters, in their ebullience, swell
or subside, and the sun, in full splendor, or gleaming through
mists, calls out of invisible space that apparition of beauty
and emblem of peace.
At the foot of the amphitheatre of mountains are number-
less trees, scattered and in groups, which, when viewed
from the track of our voyage, appeared like diminutive shrubs
in comparison with the stupendous eminences behind them ;
but as we came near the coast, which they greatly adorn
by overshadowing land and water with their boughs, they
resumed the style and dignity that belonged to them as
giants of the forest in stature, and patriarchs in antiquity.
The water in most parts of the lagoon is shallow, and our
canoe was frequently pushed forward by two men with long
poles. In the afternoon we disembarked, and, having taken
some refreshment, proceeded homewards to the missionary
station at Fare harbor, by land. The distance was not
more than three miles, but the floods, in consequence of the
late heavy rains, being out in many places, the path was
overflowed, and made very uncornfortable. for foot-passen-
gers. Had not Mr. Bennet been much refreshed and re-
invigorated with change of air, and agreeable motion, on
our cruise along shore of the lagoon, he would not have
been able, in consequence of his late severe indisposition,
to make his way with the rest of us. Thanks be to God,
however, he was mercifully supported, and we all arrived in
safety, and with grateful hearts, at the comfortable abodes
of our friends. The natives thronged to welcome their teach-
ers and ourselves among them again.
Jan. 10. The inhabitants of these islands, during their
sequestration from the rest of the world, had very scanty
ideas of astronomy, and were very defective in their calcu-
lations of time. They had some notion of a year by observ-
ing the return of the Pleiades, which they called Matarii.
The six months during which that cluster of stars appeared
above the horizon, at the going down of the sun, they called
Matarii inia, or above; and the remaining six, during which
they are not seen after sunset, they called Matarii iraro,
or below. Though the common people do not seem to have
known any other constellations by special names, there
were among the priests and chiefs some who distinguished
.
.
NATIVE ASTRONOMICAL NOTIONS.
211
Gemini, Ursa Major, Orion, &c., by particular appellatives;
but ive found none who could give us any satisfactory ac-
count of them. We learned, however, that they had noticed
the wandering tracks of the planets, and had names for each
of them. The morning star (whether Jupiter or Venus)
was called Horo poi poi, or Tauroa. Having observed that
the rest of the stars were fixed in their relative stations, they
imagined that the sky was a substantial dome, the concave
side (like a cocoa-nut cup turned upside down) being spread
over the sea, and held in its place by the stars, answering
the purpose of fasteners, or nails with shining heads. The
latter idea they must haye got since their intercourse with
Europeans, as previously they had nothing in their car-
pentry work resembling nails; the planks of their canoes
being all attached with fibrous cordage, in the manner of
sewing. When a strange ship arrived from a great dis-
tance, they supposed it had come from under another
inverted cone of sky, through a hole in the lower part of
their own; the perpetual expansion of space, every where
presenting the same hemispheric appearance, had not
entered into their conceptions.
Having no Sabbath, they had no division of time corre-
sponding with a week, nothing in external nature pointing
out such an artificial arrangement to a barbarous people;
the moon, of course, attracted their attention, and they
marked the number of days which elapsed from one lunation
to another, and had a separate and significant name for
each. The gradations and sections of day and night were
very accurately ascertained, as will be seen by the following
curious table :-
Eao-Is a day, or the time from dawn to dark.
Hoe mahaua One day, or the time from sunrise to sunset.
MaruaoThe very earliest indication of approaching day.
Aanrala The first breaking of the clouds previous to
Ahiata > the dawn of day.
Tatahiata)
Arehurehuroa—The dawn of day, or the time when objects
just begin to appear, thongh but indistinctly.
Feraorao_When objects appear a little more distinct, and
when birds, flies, &c., begin to move.
Poipo:—Morning, when the faces of people are distinguish-
able; also the time from full day-light to noon.
212
DIVISIONS OF THE DAY.
A0-Day-light.
Hiti raaotoramSun-rising.
Ua teitei ti ra~When the sun is high, or forenoon.
Avatca-Noon, when the rays of the sun fall on the crown
Tohibu te ra—When the rays fall a little on one side of the
head.
Taupe te ra , When the shadow is as long as the object is
Taủpeûpe ſ high.
Taha tëra When the shadow is longer than the object
Tahataha te ra ) is high.
-Peupe } When the sun approaches the horizon.
Tape te raj
Te mairi raa į te iria tai-When the sun's upper limb is
level with the horizon.
Ahiahi-Evening.
Arehurehu raa— Retiring twilight.
Poiri-Darkness.
Po, or
Ruż
Night.
Tui raa rui
Vehe raa rui-The division of the night at midnight.
Pananu raa tai–The flowing of the tide, or the time before
midnight or noon.
Pahe raa trum-The ebbing of the tide, or the time after
noon or after midnight. (In these seas it is always
high water at noon and at midnight, but the tide rises
very little.)
Jan. 11. There is little reason, as yet, in these islands,
to complain of the law's delay. Justice is prompt, and pun-
ishment certain, in the present inartificial state of society ;-
a circumstance which, according to the English legislative
authorities of the old world, is the best security for public
peace and private welfare, by preventing many crimes which
would be committed, at a venture, were the penalties a
hundred fold more severe, and the chances of escape numer-
ous in proportion..A short time ago a woman had got her-
self tatooed. It was discovered, in the course of a day or two,
one afternoon; she was immediately brought to trial, con-
victed, and next morning she was at work, carrying stones
to the pier, which was constructing on the beach by the
SINGULAR MOTH.
213
hands of public offenders like herself.--Four men' were late-
ly detected in a house, having a quantity of ava, from which
they were about to prepare the favorite intoxicating liquor
of these islands in their idolatrous state. The building was
immediately condemned to be pulled down, while the fellows
were in it; and a message was dispatched to the chief,
whose vassals they were, informing him that there was a
house, belonging to some of his people, which would be sent
to him to do what he pleased with it. Accordingly the roof
was presently removed, and carried away on men's shoul-
ders; the inhabitants being left to follow it, if they thought
fit, or remain exposed to the inclemency of the weather.
The night being very tempestuous, they went from house to
house, imploring shelter, but were every where denied; the
good folks within declaring that they were tata ino, bad men,
with whom they would have nothing to do. At last the
outcasts came to the missionaries, beseeching them to have
compassion on them. Their misery found pity there, and
they were allowed to take up their quarters in a neighbor-
ing shed, as a refuge from the torrents of rain which were
descending.
Jan. 12. This day we saw one of those large moths which
the natives call burehua. This beautiful insect is an inch
long, with very full black eyes; the body and wings are
brown, spotted with white. But the most remarkable feature
is the proboscis, which is from four to five times the length
of the creature itself; and it is very amusing to see with what
skill, delicacy, and quickness, it collects its food from the
nectaries of flowers of all sizes and shapes, by means of this
exquisitely sensitive and pliable instrument, with which it
ransacks their sweets, while it flutters on the wing three
inches above their untouched petals. And then it flits from
blossom to blossom, darting out or withdrawing this penetrat-
ing sucker, which finds its way without difficulty into the
deepest tubes wherein nature hides the honey, elaborated for
its use, but not to be come at without diligent search.'
Talking about the weather, our friends informed us that
these islanders formerly believed that the winds were confin-
ed in two caves, the one where the sun rises, and the other
where he sets; and that, according to the seasons of the
year, those from the east, or those from the west, were let
loose to blow over land and ocean. This poetical theory
had evident reference to the trade-winds. But they were
214
TERMS FOR THE WINDS.
hy
very nice observers of the winds in their effects, and their
language was as copious in terms to characterize these as we
have found it rich in those that distinguished the natural
portions of the day. The east wind they called maoai ; the
east-north-east, maoai-taraua ; the north-east, pafaapiti;
north, pafaiti ; the winds from north to west, toerau; west
and by south, arafenua; west-south-west, aruimaoro; and
those from east by south to south-west, maraamu, &c. A
strong south wind was called mar aamu moano; a gentle one
from south-east, moraamu hoe; a gusty wind, with heavy
blasts, and rain, from whatever quarter, haapiti ; a hurri-
cane, tearing up trees, overturning houses, &c., huri; a
squall with showers, papape; a high tempest at sea, ahoahoa
taurfemala, &c.
Jan. 13. Being Lord's day, in addition to the usual ser-
vices, the sacrament was administered. There were thirty
native communicants present; others were gone with Mahine
to Tahiti. Among the church members are Mahine and
Mahine Vahine, king and queen ; Hautia and his wife Hau-
tia Vahine, who, in fact, administer the government in Hua-
hine, under queen Pomare Vahine; with nearly all the other
resident members of the royal family, who have not been
admitted to religious privileges because they are great and
powerful, but because they appear to be consistently and
eminently pious. Our brethren here, on the establishment
of their Christian church, manifested a spirit of wisdom and
sound judgment, on a very delicate point, which reflected the
highest credit upon their independence of character. When
deacons were to be appointed, though Mahine, Hautia, and
other principal persons, were really the best qualified for the
responsible trust, both by their talents and devotedness to
the service of God, yet-from an apprehension that it might
form a dangerous precedent, and be pleaded thereafter as.
authority why their successors in the kingly dignity should
also be chosen to this office in the church; and, likewise,
lest temporal chiefs should imagine that their rank gave
them right to lord it over God's heritage-the missionaries
conscientiously opposed the election of deacons from that
class. To the honor of those who were thus passed by, they
all had the good sense to acknowledge the validity of such
an objection, and the good feeling not be offended, but meek-
ly to submit to the decision of those in whom they conſided,
not only as their spiritual fathers, but as their best counsel.
CHARACTER OF TIRAMANO.
215
ors in matters concerning which they deemed it right to
interpose with their advice; and the interference of the mis-
sionaries in peculiar cases, like the present, being never
cither officious or impertinent, has always carried weight
and influence in proportion. Under the idolatrous system,
the kings had uniformly been chief-priests; and it required
110 little firmness to prevent a similar association of secular
and ecclesiastical pre-eminence being introduced into Chris-
tian institutions. In the places of common worship, there-
fore, kings, chiefs, raatiras and people, meet as equals; but
elsewhere, we may affirm from what we have seen, in no
country is greater respect and obedience paid to civil author-
ities.
Jan. 14. Mr. Ellis and Mr. Tyerman (Mr. Bennet being
too unwell to accompany them) were sent for, late in the
evening, to visit the distinguished female chief, Tiramano,
who was considered to be dangerously ill, in consequence of
having ruptured a blood vessel a few days ago; but who had
also been made worse by taking some violent medicine,
administered by a native practitioner, which had produced a
much greater hemorrhage. She was lying on a mat, on the
ground, under an open shed, covered with a piece of native
cloth, and surrounded by her friends and dependants, who
were sitting cross-legged, in great numbers, on every side,
and directing all their eyes towards her with intense solici-
tude, to see the issue. Distress was visible in every counte-
nance, and the tears were rolling down the cheeks of several,
amongst whom were the principal personages of the island;
she herself is the third in rank. It may be remembered
(see January 7) that this heroic female, at the head of her
people, herself 'shouldering a musket, marched with Hautia
and his Christian warriors against the rebels who had risen
in defence of their maraes and idols; and that the latter were
vanquished without a battle by words of peace, instead of
threatenings and slaughter breathed out' against them. To
look at Tiramano one would not imagine her a feeble,
quiet, retiring, woman-capable of such courage and decis-
ion as she then manifested; but when her spirit was moved
in a righteous cause, she became a Deborah in the field,
though a Mary in the house sitting at Jesus' feet; and so
devoted were her followers to their magnanimous mistress
that it was believed, had an engagement taken place, they
would have fallen, man by man, at her side, rather than she
216
NATURALIZED TREES AND PLANTS.
U11
should have been slain or captured. Her visitors found her
a little recovered from a fainting fit, and in'a devout and
patient frame of mind. Her piety and good conduct reflect
honor upon the sex to which she belongs, and which hereto-
fore was deemed unworthy even to eat at the table, or taste
the same food with man-the barbarian-himself but a step
above the hog on which he fattened.
We find that the following valuable exotics have been
introduced into this island :-
The pine-apple and the papau; both brought hither by the
unfortunate captain Bligh.
The superior kinds of cotton, brought by the missionaries.
There is a small indigenous cotton-tree, of little value.
The coffee-plant, lately introduced, of which some very
promising specimens are growing in Mr. Ellis's garden.
. Oranges, lemons and limes; also tamarinds, planted by ,
captain Cook, but principally cultivated with success by the
first missionaries, and now every where flourishing and bear-
ing abundantly.
The custard-apple, brought by Mr. Ellis from Rio Janeiro;
of which he has three plants, now producing fruit for the
first time.
The Indian shot thrives prodigiously, though not long ago
received from the captain of some vessel which touched here.
The berries are round, black, exceedingly hard, and bear a
fine polish. They are strung together for beads.
Cabbages and onions succeed tolerably well for one season,
but the seed will not come to maturity.
Maize, or Indian corn, has found a genial soil here, and
must hereafter be a great acquisition, by supplying a variety
of substantial food, which the increasing population, and im-
proved state of society, in these islands, will need, both for
health and sustenance. It is not to be imagined that a civila
ized people, whose habits, through cultivation of mind, and
consequent personal delicacy, shall be proportionately raised
above mere animal nature, could, under any circumstances,
remain satisfied to subsist on bread-fruit and plantains, with
occasional relishes of hogs' flesh.
Potatoes will bring a crop, for one season, from foreign
seed; but afterwards they fail entirely.
French beans are prolific, and seed well.
Radishes, turneps, and pease, have not yet been reared to
any advantage, and most probably cannot be naturalized,
FUTURE COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES.
217
Vines, so far as they have been tried, apparently would
thrive well. There are but two or three of these left, and
unfortunately the swine have nearly destroyed them.
Guavas, Cape mulberries, and figs, produce fruit of fine
flavor, and might, if duly trained, be brought to high perfec-
tion.
Tobacco might be raised and cured to any extent which
mercantile speculation could require.
The castor-nut (by whom introduced we know not) has
evidently found soil which it loves and luxuriates in, growing
wild, and in astonishing profusion. The oil, of which some
small quantity has been made by the missionaries (who,
nevertheless, want the necessary apparatus for properly
preparing it), might become an important article of com-
merce.
The spices (at least many of them) which belong to tropi-
cal climates, might be cultivated here; but they have not
been at all introduced. The present generation of inhabit-
ants will not see the commercial advantages which might be
reaped by their birth-places; but, though these are but
specks on the face of the ocean, it cannot be doubted that
they are destined to share in the prosperity of other parts of
the recently colonized world adjacent. They will, imper-
ceptibly perhaps, grow into importance with New Holland,
which is geographically so situated as to hold the keys of
east and west; whereby it will necessarily become the medi-
um of communication between the Indian Archipelago and
the Pacific Islands, as well as a central emporium for the
sale and interchange of the commodities of each.
Jan. 15. Besides the bread-fruit, the cocoa-nut, and the
plaintain, formerly described, we have obtained a knowledge
of the following useful trees, which are iniligenous in both
groups of islands, the windward and the leeward :-
The purau we have frequently had occasion to mention,
as employed for various purposes. The slender shoots are
converted into light rafters and paling for fences. The inner
bark of the trunk is twisted and drawn into strong cordage.
The elegant purau-tibutas and mats are made of the same
bark, stripped from the young branches. The leaves are
spread for table-cloths at entertainments. The timber is
used in many ways :—when well dried, for procuring fire by
friction; for walling houses with the planks, and wattling
VOL. I.
19
218
INDIGENOUS TREES AND PLANTS.
them with the twigs; for manufacturing paddles and con-
structing canoes; now also for oars and boat-building, which
are gradually superseding the former.
The ati furnishes a suitable material for umities, or dishes ;
likewise stools, the keels of canoes, and other massy wood-
work. The gum of this tree is administered medicinally.
Of the bark of the aoa, peeled from the branches and
small roots, beautiful brown cloth is made, which is highly
valued here.
The mape is a species of chestnut, which attains a great
size, and bears' abundant fruit. The nut is inclosed in a
thick husk, oval-shaped, flattened, and about three inches
long. The natives esteem the kernel pleasant food when
roasted. The timber makes tough handles for axes, and
other heavy edge-tools. The mati is a kind of mountain-sloe.
With the juice of its berries the Tahitian red cloth is dyed ;
from the bark fine cordage is prepared, when the shrub itself
is not more than two years old.
Of the ito weapons of war were fashioned of old; but the
sacred, or rather once cursed, wood, which was the raw ma-
terial whereof the gods were made. It is now applied to the
much more humble and homely, yet far better, purposes of
supplying middle posts to support the frame-roofs of dwellings,
and occasionally for rafters. The mallets, also, with which
bark is beaten into the cloth called Ie, are often carved out
of the ito.
Miro, or amae, is a superior timber for carpentry and
cabinet-work. It was formerly much employed about the
maraes, for implements and ornamental furniture. The
altars were frequently decorated with its graceful foliage.
The grain is as close as that of mahogany.
Mara is a very hard and enduring timber. The altars
were constructed of it; also the larger paddles, the keels of
canoes, and posts on which to hang the most valuable uten-
sils or articles of dress in dwelling-houses.
The bua furnishes a very white and lasting wood, but it is
short-grained; yet found suitable for many ordinary purposes.
With the flowers the people, especially the women, were fond
of adorning their hair.
We may enumerate, without discriminating notice, the
fata, tou, tiere, fara, paiori, atae, aute, &c., which are used
' WARNING DISCOURSE AGAINST APOSTASY.
. 219
for domestic furniture, house and boat-building, manufactur-
ing dresses, or, borrowing their rich blossoms on festival
occasions, as head-garlands--according to their various qual-
ities.
CHAPTER XIV.
A Feeding-Warning Discourse against Apostasy-A native Hog a rare
Animal now—A singular Fish—Handicrafts—Tahitian Language,
and Figures of Speech-Sugar-cane Crop--Dauntless, Ship of War-
Uncommon Spider-Questions proposed for Considération-Co-opera-
tion in House-building Presents to Deputation--Tradition respecting
the first Man and Woman--Noa-Mr. Tyerman and Mr. Ellis sail for
BoraboramA Shark captured-Placid Beauty of the Sea-Arrival at
Borabora--Missionary Station--Influence of Conjurers—Visit to two
English Vessels-Opening of a new Chapel.
Jan. 16. In the forenoon a messenger announced that
Hautia and the raatiras had sent us a feeding-a present of
eatables; and, before it was delivered, a similar token of
good will was brought to us from the members of the church.
When the whole was set out for our acceptance, in the
chapel-yard, there appeared provision enough to feast all the
island. There were seven hogs, and heaps upon heaps of
cocoa-nuts, maias, bananas, and mountain-plantains; with
taro, pine-apples, pumpkins, sugar-canes, &c., &c.
In the evening, Mr. Ellis chose for the text of his lecture,
“ Israel slideth back, like a backsliding heifer ;-now the
Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place.”—Hosea iv.
16. At the close of the discourse, we perceived that there
was much earnest talking at the lower end of the chapel ;
when, on inquiring the cause, we were pleased to find that
the text, and the application of it by the preacher, had come
with such force to the hearts of the people that they were
constrained to express their godly fears, lost they also, like
Israel of old, might be tempted to slide back to their idola-
tries, and depart from the Lord their shepherd, who now fed
them “as a lamb in a large place.” Such discourses often
produce exceedingly wholesome impressions upon the minds
of these unsophisticated converts to the truth, to whom
nothing appears so revolting as the idea of apostasy from that
faith which they have found to be an inestimable blessing to
themselves, their families, and their country.
220
SINGULAR FISH-HANDICRAFTS.
Jan. 17. We have just seen what is now a rare animal
a hog of the native breed, such as were found on these islands
by the first navigators, but which have been nearly killed off;
or, being crossed with swine of European origin, have been
superseded by a mixed race, much superior in size and value.
This was an unsightly creature; very small, short and hump-
backed, with a disproportionately long head, and dwarf ears
turned backward. But the main singularity was its tail,
placed as if it grew upon the back; this was not more than
two inches long, but bushy with thick hair, that covered the
'adjacencies. The color of the bristles and hide was reddish-
brown.
A singular fish, which had been struck with a spear and
caught in the bay, was brought to us. It is called Aavere.
It resembles an eel, and is a yard long, with a remarkably
projecting snout one fourth of its whole length, at the ex-
tremity of which is the mouth. The upper part of this pro-
boscis consists of several bones so exquisitely articulated,
side by side, as to be capable of enormous expansion, while
below, where these bones seem to unite closely, by an equally
curious contrivance, there is a connecting membrane which
falls inward and admits of corresponding distension with the
cavity above; so that this small snout (in shape like a gun-
barrel) might be enlarged enough to receive a substance
equal in bulk to the whole body of the animal itself. It has
pectoral, dorsal, and ventral fins, of very delicate structure.
The tail-fins are finely arched backwards, and, from between
them, as from the centre of a crescent, shoots out a tapering
tail four inches long, and ending in a point. The color is
blue on the back and gray below; the eyes are large, and the
pupil is surrounded by a glaring yellow iris.' It is said that
this arrow-like animal can dart itself out of the water with
such violence as to pierce with its snout the body of a man.
This fish is esteemed delicious food.
We were amused to see some of the natives here working
at a smithy belonging to the missionaries; and, considering
their indifferent tools and the few instructions which they had
received, it must be confessed, that they did very well. They
were forging, and hammering into form, hinges and fish-
spears; but, understanding the nature and use of the latter
much better than the former, they made them more neatly.
Many of these people may be called tolerable carpenters, but
they have little notion of fashioning good joints, or geometri-.
-
16.
INDUSTRY OF THE ISLANDERS.
221
1
cally proportioning their work, except when they do it their
own way. Thus, in constructing their canoes and building
their houses in the style to which they have been accustomed,
though they use neither plumb-line, compass nor square, yet
they finish every part with great accuracy and symmetry.
Their deficiencies in the mechanical arts are not those of
capacity, but the mere habits of untaught practice, or rather,
practice according to different and less perfect rules and
models. The women, in devising and executing patterns
upon their many-colored and diversely ornamented cloths,
frequently discover fine fancy and delicate taste, while the
men, in the few handicrafts exercised by them in these
islands, prove that they are not in anywise inferior to Europe-
ans, according to their means, in ingenuity or invention.
Haying little choice of tools, and those often. much the worse
for wear, whatever they do costs them immense application,
yet, by sheer patience and perseverance the most commenda-
ble, they surmount every ordinary difficulty, and, in fact, are
daily improving in such kinds of new-learnt modes of man-
ual labor as have been hitherto introduced among them.
Whatever they were formerly, when profligacy and idolatry
prevailed, the present generation are by no means the lazy
and inactive race which the earlier visitants have represented
their fathers to have been. Being under no obligation to toil
like slaves for a scanty maintenance, and, moreover, being
very lively and inquisitive-when a ship arrives, the people,
of course, will crowd about it in their canoes, to see what is
to be seen, as well as to barter provisions for hardware, &c.
Day after day new companies, from different parts of the
coast, may do the same, and while they skim upon the sea,
like water-spiders, in their light vessels, with their busy pad-
dles, or dive and swim about in it as if they were amphibious,
they may, indeed, appear to strangers to have nothing else to
do, or too fond of ease and enjoyment to do any thing else;
but those who should thus judge would be greatly mistaken.
The fact is every where manifest that industry, civilization,
and good morals, are entirely transforming the character, the
habits, the pleasures, and the occupations of this people.
Like the eagle renewing his youth, and soaring, from pure
buoyancy of spirit, to the height of the firmament or the
serpent casting his slough, and gliding out of darkness and
torpor, in the dunghill where he slept away the winter, into
the freedom of fresh air and the warmth of spring-sunshine
19 *
222
TAHITIAN LANGUAGE. .
- here is a nation “ born in a day," and emerging, as it were
by miracle, from the blindness, captivity, and filthiness of ig-
norance, superstition, and vice, into the light of knowledge
and the beauty of holiness; the former exalting them as
children of menthe latter adorning them as children of God.
It is not that all are thus illuminated and sanctified perhaps
but few can be said to be pre-eminently so; but, directly or
indirectly, actively or passively, there are few who are not
enjoying and exemplifying the benefits of that Gospel, which,
like Wisdom of old, may be said to cry "in the top of high
places and by the way of the paths,” in these mountainous
regions of the west, “Receive my instruction, and not silver;
and knowledge rather than choice gold :-I dwell with pru-
dence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions :-Riches
and honor are with me, yea, durable riches and righteous-
ness:mI cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I
will fill their treasures." Prov. viii. 1, 2, &c. And literally
has the personification of Wisdom, in the same inspired
book (Prov. in. 13_18.), been verified, by the gospel, in
Tahiti, Huahine, Raiatea, Eimeo, Borabora, and other bar-
barous regions, whose very existence was unknown to the
Christian world for more than seventeen centuries. Looking
back but an hundredth part of that term-looking back only
seventeen yearswhat were these islands, and what their in-
habitants then? What are they now ? Surely, where war,
infanticide, and debauchery cut short life not only at its
threshold, but way-laid it on all its stages, making it at the
same time so miserable that death was hardly an evil to be
deprecated—the Gospel, which brings life and immortality
to light whithersoever it goes—the Gospel has come hither,
with “ length of days in her right hand, and in her left hand
riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and
all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that
lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth
her."
Jan. 18. We have been diligently endeavoring, since our
arrival at Tahiti, to acquire some knowledge of the Polyne-
sian language, which, with few and easy varieties of dialect,
is spoken throughout all the peopled islands of the Pacific.
When we first heard the natives conversing together, we
could scarcely conceive that the sounds were those of speech;
so smooth and well-voweled and liquid were all these, that
they seemed only indistinct murmurings in the air round our
FIGURES OF SPEECH.
223
ears. The hum of bees under a lime-tree in blossom might,
to our apprehension, have been as easily resolved into words
as the audible breath that came from lips on which our eyes
were fixed, but which were durnb, to our understandings.
And yet it was evident, by the animation of look and grace
of action which accompanied this delicate confusion of
tongues, that every tone and inflection was full of intelligence.
This.must be, more or less, the strange feeling which the
hearing of an unknown language excites in every one's
mind, but which gradually wears away as frequent recurrence
enables him to detect articulation in the undulating syllables,
which were before but as the lapse of free waters, and to
disentangle the maze of running accents, which, at first,
were to him no accents at all. By little and little, in like
manner, and by the exercise of minute attention, we learned
to unravel the implicated cadences of low, soft voices, which,
from unintelligible monotony, grew into emphatic expression,
. and at length rose into the harmonious utterance of ever-
varying thought, in diction correspondingly copious and clear.
Nay, so voluble, sweet, and agreeable to the ear, is the
speech, but especially the song, of the lonely inhabitants of
these uttermost isles, that we cannot more aptly illustrate its
peculiarity than by calling it the Italian of Barbarians. In
common conversation, much of figure, though very brief and
unostentatious, is employed. In speeches and in prayer,
likewise, the allusions and similitudes of the natives are
often exceedingly beautiful and appropriate; never redundant,
nor verbose, but for the most part so condensed and perspic-
uous as to prove that they think with accuracy, and can
place their conceptions, by means of simple yet forcible
phraseology, in the happiest points of view for being under-
stood and approved by others.
As examples of the kind of figures which they employ we
have preserved the following; and they may be said to be
indigenous.—Those persons who attend public worship, but
turn a deaf ear to the truths which are continually preached
to them, are like the sea-eggs (echini), which, though they
live upon the coral-reefs, where the sea is breaking day and
night above them, yet never hear the sound of the waves.
Those who have the means of grace, but make no improve-
ment in divine knowledge, are like the tehu (a kind of fish)
which takes a prodigious quantity of food into its mouth, but
discharges the greater part through its gills, without swallow-
224
SUGAR-CANE CROP.
ing or digesting; and, therefore, with all its voracity, it re-
mains lean.--In his duties, especially in religion, a man's
spirit should be like water flowing down the shallow channel
of a brook; which, though it meets with stones, and sticks,
and innumerable obstructions, in its course, continues to
ripple and wind, and insinuate itself, perseveringly, through
every opening, till it has left them all behind; when, deep and
broad, at length, it runs into the sea.—Those who refuse to
hearken to the voice which warns them to flee from the wrath
to come, but who will hold on in their headlong career of
ſolly that leads to destruction, are aau tuchaummen who will
not heed their chief, when he calls them up in the night, and
says, “It is war; the enemy is at hand to attack you in
your houses; and before morning you and your family will
be murdered, if you do not immediately get up and stand
upon your defence." But the sluggard, from within, impa-
tiently replies, “ Go your way; you talk random words; you
know nothing about it; and I won't believe you.” He then
lies down again to sleep, and is awoke when it is too late by
the war-cries of the assailants, who have surrounded his
house, and are taking it by storm, while he in vain would
attempt to escape, or yet more hopelessly implores mercy of
the destroyers.
Mr. Ellis and Mr. Barff having inclosed and planted two
acres of land with sugar-cane, some time ago, and part of
the crop being ripe, this morning men were employed in
crushing the stems in a mill, to express the juice, for the
purpose of manufacturing sugar for domestic use. The
canes were of fine quality, and very rich in juice, which,
when boiled, is expected to produce one eighth of its own
quantity, in sugar and molasses.
Jan. 20. (Lord's day.) Mr. Ellis preached in the fore-
noon from the text, " The Lord reigneth; let the earth
rejoice, let the multitudes of the isles be glad thereof."
Psalm xcvii. 1. These words; uttered almost three thousand
years ago, by one who probably knew not the length and
breadth of one fourth of the globe, were this day fulfilled
before our eyes, in the remotest regions of that undiscovered
world, which, in the mind of Him“ who calleth the things
that are not as though they were,”—had been predestined to
receive the blessing of the gospel so many centuries after-
wards; and whose present inhabitants, in the language of
prophecy, were personally addressed as already existent,
CANNIBALISM AT THE MY
QUESAS.
225
J.
when as yet there were none of them; nay, even when it
cannot be ascertained whether this portion of “the multitude
of the isles " was then peopled, or yet lay, like spots of sun-
shine, on the dark bosom of the unnavigated deep.
Jan. 21. Early this morning a large vessel hove in sight,
and lay off the mouth of the harbor. It proved to be His
Britannic Majesty's ship of war, the Dauntless, captain Gam-
bier, which was on the Indian station, but had been dis-
patched to the Marquesas, to search out the fate of several
Englishmen, who, it was reported, having landed there some
months ago from two whale-boats, were captured, killed,
and devoured by the cannibal inhabitants. We have been
informed that the circumstance, which had been much mis-
represented, was this.--A whale-ship coming to anchor off
one of the islands of that group, the captain bargained with
the natives for the purchase of some hogs, but when the sell-
ers were about to deliver them, the property which ought to
have been given in exchange was withheld. The captain after-
wards sent two boats ashore, manned with ten hands. These
the savages overpowered, upon their landing, seized the boats,
and dragged the sailors among the bushes, where they
slaughtered eight, and devoured their bodies. The other
two were spared, but only on condition that they should be
tatooed all over, and thus become naturalized; and to this
--whether honor or degradation—the poor fellows submitted,
to save their lives. Captain Gambier, on his arrival, de-
manded restitution of the boats; and, being refused, an al-
tercation ensued, during which the Dauntless fired upon the
savages, of whom, it is said, several were killed. Some of
the natives, happening to be on board at the time, witnessed
the affray with cool indifference as to its worst consequences,
and were childishly amused with the explosion of the guns,
and seeing their wooden houses knocked down by the invisi-
ble stroke of the shot. But, though the people of that bay
were thus ferocious and unappeasable, the captain visit-
ed another harbor, at the distance of a few miles, where the
residents were peaceable and well behaved. These islands
are represented to us as being very populous, and the na-
tives, especially the men, a remarkably fine race, far supe-
rior in muscular strength to the Tahitians, and much fairer
in complexion.
Captain Gambier, with several of his officers, came on
shore here, this morning, and dined and spent the day
226
VISIT TO THE SHIP DAUNTLESS.
with us very pleasantly, at the houses of our missionary
friends.
Jan. 22. Attended by the queen and her daughter, with
others of the royal family, we went on board the Dauntless,
to return the visit of yesterday. The queen, as well as
Messrs. Ellis and Barff, took with them presents of hogs, ar-
row-root, cocoa-nuts, maia, native cloth, &c., for the captain;
by whom we were very kindly received and hospitably en-
tertained. This being the first ship of war which had ever
visited these shores, the natives viewed every part of it with
minute and intelligent curiosity, inquiring the use of all that
was new to them. The superb dresses as they appeared
to their unpractised eyes—of the captain and officers, es-
pecially excited their admiration. They called the epau-
lettes muni (money), because of their resemblance to gold.
We returned on shore, at noon, and in the evening had a
long conversation with the missionaries respecting the no-
tions which their converts entertain of God, time, and eter-
nity. Their views of God, our friends think, are truly scrip-
tural. Of time, as time, their ideas are necessarily imper-
fect, there being no original word in their language to signi-
fy length of duration--that, apparently, having never entered
the mind of their ancestors, or themselves, even in reference
ly acknowledged divisions of time among those who lived
but from day to day; few having observation enough to
compute a year of moons as a regularly recurring period,
much less a year by the sun's journey along the ecliptic;
their two annual sections, according to the relative position
of the Pleiades, have been already described; but practical
chronology may be said to have been undiscovered by a
people who had no annals and but few traditions. Of futu-
rity, it may therefore be taken for granted that they had no
definite anticipation, nor can any thing like consistent belief
in a state after death be gathered from the crude and con-
tradictory fables which we have heard repeated on that sub-
Jan. 23. Two young men were arraigned before the na-
tive magistrates, to-day, for having practised what in Eng-
land would have been called a hoax, and by some deemed a
very good joke; but which, in this land of simple morals,
was charged as a mischievous deception. The offenders
had been out on a fishing excursion, but, catching nothing,
· SUBJECTS PROPOSED FOR CONSIDERATION.
227
O
they tied their lines to a kind of bowl, with which water is
baled out of canoes. This they threw out and drow back
again frequently, as though they were taking fish as fast as
they could off their hooks. Tempted by the bait, thus pre-
sented to them, some persons on shore paddled out to sea,
with their tackle, to fish in the same lucky spot; but soon
finding out their mistake, they resented the jest put upon
their credulity, and summoned the actors before the usual
tribunal. The case was proved, and the accused were sen-
tenced to do some labor at the pier, for their trick. A mis-
sionary, however, interposed in their behalf, and obtained a
pardon, after their being suitably admonished, and promising
to behave more discreetly in future.
A large female spider, of a dark-brown color, was exam-
ined by us, this evening. She had under her abdomen a
distended bag, containing not merely a family, but a tribe
of young ones. This precious deposit she held close to her
body by means of two large fangs, resembling legs, which
grew out of the thorax. It was with great reluctance that
she parted with her treasure, which, she seemed to cling to
more than to life itself; for when it had been forcibly wrest-
ed from her, though immediately set at liberty, she would
scarcely move from the spot. The bag was an inch and an
eighth in diameter, and nearly circular. As soon as it was
rent from the mother, the young brood swarmed forth, like
the inmates of an ant-hill broken open. They were very
small, and (as we guessed) from three to four hundred in
number. On their irruption, the whole multitude hung from
their maternal receptacle by separate minute threads, form-
ing a string three feet in length. .
Jan. 24. At a meeting of the people belonging to the
missionary settlement here, held in the chapel this afternoon,
Auna, one of the deacons, proposed two subjects for consid-
eration. The first was—that all the women should set them-
selves to work to make cloth for those who were poor or afflict-
ed, and unable to procure decent apparel. The cloth thus
contributed was to be laid up in store and dealt out to the
necessitous, by trust-worthy persons, as occasion required.
This proposal was immediately agreed to. Twenty years
'ago, and, probably, through twenty hundred years antecedent,
such an idea would not have come into the mind of a native
of these islands; and, had such a scheme of deliberate char-
ity been suggested, it would have been treated with neglect,
228
CO-OPERATION IN HOUSE-BUILDING.
C
as something not to be understood, or, perhaps, heard wit!
scorn, as too monstrous to be thought of. Auna's second
subject for consideration was by what means their houses
might be more expeditiously completed ? Many dwellings
have been begun here, of which the walls are wood, to be
covered with plaster. All the people have determined to
construct theirs on this improved plan; but, as every man
must be his own architect and builder, from the foundation
to the roof, the labor is long and excessive, and necessarily,
in many instances, very indifferently performed. Much dis-
cussion arose upon this subject, every individual present be-
ing more or less interested in it. The business was con-
ducted in the most regular manner. . Several persons made
speeches-some, indeed, of considerable length on the
question. Each, in turn, was patiently heard, and there
never appeared the smallest disposition to interrupt any one.
All agreed in the necessity of adopting not only a more ex-
peditious, but a better system than was heretofore practised ;
which, however well it might suit their ancestors in running
up simple sheds-slight roofs on upright poles, without walls,
or at most inclosed with a little wicker-work—was no longer
adapted to the erection of more substantial tenements, with
such interior accommodations as were deemed requisite in
the new era of society which had commenced from the in-
troduction of the gospel. Without going into details of the
various suggestions that were successively canvassed and
dismissed, we need only mention the result, in proof of the
good sense of the people. It was resolved to divide them-
selves into two companies, the one consisting of those who
resided on the right side of the bay, and the other of those
who resided on the left. The company belonging to each
section were to assist the members in turn in building their
houses. The owner, in every case, was to set the side pil-
lars and to thatch the roof. His neighbors were to do the
rest for him, all working together; by which means, instead
of many imperfect skeletons, scattered along the shore.(some
falling to ruins before they were finished), in a short time a
neat and comfortable village of white-plastered dwellings
would be seen among the trees, at the foot of the mountains,
and looking towards the sea. This plan delighted the peo-
ple, who are exceedingly fond of doing or enjoying whatever
they can in company, whether it be hard labor, innocent
recreation, or religious exercises.
MAN AND WOMAN CREATED.
229
.. Jan. 25. While we were at Mr. Barff's, this evening,
the queen, followed by the deacons of the church, and their
wives, arrived with presents for each of the deputation, in
token of their esteem and affection. They entered one by
one, seating themselves quietly upon the parlor floor, without
speaking a word. Presently a beautiful purau mat, and one
of more ordinary texture and larger size, were spread upon
the floor. Each individual, in order, then brought out what
he or she had prepared. The sundry articles, as they were
set down, were equally divided, a portion being laid upon
either mat. These were principally mats of many kinds,
some exquisitely wrought and ornamented ; and a considera-
ble number of small baskets. One of the deacons then, in
a brief and modest address, requested our acceptance of
their gifts, which were presented personally to the deputa-
tion, those on the one mat to Mr. Tyerman, and those on the
other to Mr. Bennet, who each expressed their grateful sense
of the kindness of their Huahine friends.
Having remarked that the word tani was applied not only
to the tutelary idol of this island, but also to a husband, we
asked Auna the reason. This led to a long conversation on
the exploded mythology. Among other curious particulars,
Auna informed us that Taroa was the name of the Supreme
Divinity, the creator of all things. Among the rest he made
the first man, and called him Tani. That word, therefore,
does not primarily signify a husband, but is the generic
term for the whole human race. Taroa found it a very
troublesome job to form this new kind of being, of so many
parts, as it took him a whole morning to put them together,
and finish the model. The material, they understood, was
sand; and some who had reasoned more deeply concerning
the matter, thought that sand of three colors--white, black,
and red-must have been employed in the manufacture of
people of those different complexions. Taroa, having com-
pleted the man, thought he would be very miserable if he
were left alone in the world, and therefore determined to
give him a companion. To accomplish this he made a hole
in his side, and took out something, of which he made a
woman, and brought her to Tani, who' was wonderfully
pleased with Taroa for having been so kind to him. Woman
being made of one of man's ribs-for they say expressly, on
being questioned as to the point, that it was a rib which Ta-
roa took out of Tani's side-accounts for the female loving
VOL. I. 20
230
•
NOA, THE GOD OF REFUGE.
and cleaving to her husband with such fervent and self-de-
nying affection as she often manifests. This story is most
probably of very late origin, taken from what their fathers,
of the last generation, have been told by British sailors, who
deserted, or were left by accident on their coasts by the early
circumnavigators, or in some such way; for it is scarcely
credible that so extraordinary a coincidence of a heathien
tradition with a scriptural record could have been found in
their rude mythology.
From the same conversation, we learned that there was
another great deity, called Noa, who was said to be a terri-
ble giant, clothed in a mourning robe, with an instrument
of destruction in his right hand, with which he slew whom-
soever he met, in his fury. Yet he was compassionate to
the vanquished in war, and was, in fact, the god of refuge
to all who fled for safety from their enemies to the moun-
tains. On asking some of the intelligent natives if they did
not perceive a resemblance between this strange personage
and Noah, who prepared an ark of refuge for the few, of his
own family, who were sheltered in it from the deluge that
swept away the rest of the human race,--they said that they
did perceive that resemblance, and they thought that their
fathers must have made the scripture account crooked,
though they knew not when or how it was done.
Jan. 27. (Lord's day.) At the early prayer-meeting
here, as in other places, the chapel was crowded. Tamatoa,
the king of Raiatea, his queen, and most of the chiefs, were
present. They afterwards flocked around us, to bid the
deputation welcome, with their joyful and cordial iaoraanas.
Jan. 28. Accompanied by the king, and his nephew, a
youth twelve years of age, who has been married no small
part of his short life to a girl of the same age, Mr. Tyerman
and Mr. Ellis (Mr. Bennet being detained by indisposition)
set sail for Borabora. As we pushed from the pier, a salute
was fired from a small cannon and a few muskets, which
was continued with repeated volleys for some time. Other
guns were discharged from various points as we proceeded
along the shore, and amongst the rest, from negligence, a
full-loaded piece, of which the ball whizzed over our heads
as we sat in the boatma boat filled with people, each of
whom had cause to thank God for having escaped the shot,
which might have fatally struck any one of us, had it passed
a few inches lower. There being no wind, we had to de-
· VOYAGE TO. BORABORA.
231
pend on the use of the oar, throughout the whole day, which
occasioned great exertion, on the part of our men, under a
vertical sun. But no European crew, however well trained,
could have held more steadily to their work, or performed it
with more alacrity, than our native rowers. As we were
thus laboriously proceeding, a large shark had the audacity
to spring at one of the oars, and fasten upon it with his
teeth. On being disappointed of his prey, by mistaking so
indigestible a substance for palatable food, he approached
quite near the boat, as though he ineditated an attack for
the purpose of carrying off a living victim; but he was an-
ticipated by our brave fellows, one of whom laid hold of ą
fin, and kept his gripe, regardless of the danger. The ter-
-. rible animal instantly raised his tail out of the water over
the gunnel of the boat, which, notwithstanding his desperate
floundering, several of our stout hands seized, and detained
him by it till the rest had made a rope fast round his belly,
when, by their united force, and after many efforts, they ac-
tually succeeded in hauling him out of his element, and lay-
ing him a prisoner at the bottom of the boat. There, with
mallets and staves which they had on board, they soon dis-
patched him. This was more than either fighting or amuse-
ment to the conquerors, for they took their slain enemy on
shore, in the evening, and baked and made their suppers of
him. Such assaults upon canoes are not uncommon by
these voracious and persevering fishes, who will follow in
their wake, frequently biting the oars, and watching un-
weariedly to snatch one of the crew overboard, for a day to-
gether. Many of the natives are fearless of the most savage
shark, when they are properly equipped with weapons to re-
pel or attack, and ropes to secure the formidable but precious
carcass, dead or alive.
Our voyage, though slow, was exceedingly pleasant. We.
were sailing on “a sea of glass, mingled with fire,” from the
splendor of the sunshine upon it; while on every hand, like
halcyons' nests, above the tranquil surge, that only broke in
wreaths of snow-white spray upon the circumambient reefs,
appeared the little peopled spots of mountain, wood, and
level beach, that form these western Cyclades. We might
have imagined ourselves transported beyond the regions of
storms, and floating upon that true Pacific flood, “where the
green islands of the happy shine," while, as in the vision of
Ezekiel, “the firmament that was above their head" appeared
232
ARRIVAL AT BORABORA.
DHAN
“as it were a sapphire stone;" or-such was the ethereal
purity of the sky—we might apply to it even the higher
words of Moses, when he and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
and seventy of the elders from afar, on the Mount of Sinai,
“saw the God of Israel ;” and “there was under his feet
as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the
body of heaven in his clearness.” Oh, how often to the eyes
of those who live as seeing him who is invisible, may " the
heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament show
his handiwork!" And oh! how often, when they behold
“the earth full of his goodness," do not their aching hearts
exclaim, “And why is it not full of his praise ?"
. On approaching Borabora, with its stately and most mag-
nificent peaks, which are three quarters of a mile in height,
we found that what appeared at a distance but one, was in
reality a cluster of islands. In the centre of these stands
Borabora, with its belt of motus, like a prince among his
courtiers. The coral reefs, on which the latter are founded,
branch out to great lengths in the deep sea; and, on the side
of Tahaa, whither we were steering, completely fortify the
shores with ramparts, through which there are no openings.
We were, therefore, obliged to diverge to the north-west, at
which there is a good entrance to a commodious harbor.
As we struck into the lagoon, and rowed towards the beach,
the descending sun had turned the waters to flame, and the
towering rocks beyond into palaces and pinnacles, more
superb in architecture, and richer in materials, than the
visions of romance ever exhibited in fairy-land. We disem-
barked at the pier, which has been carried out in a tri-
angular form, having a middle path, with two sheets of water
between the exterior walls, a quarter of a mile in length,
towards the reef. This must have been reared at an im-
mense expense of native labor, to heave the coral blocks
out of their sub-marine quarries, and fix them in compact
bulwarks within the domain of the deep. Mr. Orsmond,
the missionary, with a great concourse of people, was wait-
ing to welcome us on the pier. Hither, be it recorded, by
the mercy of God, we had been brought seventy miles in an
open boat, without injury or mischance, though the death-
shot had passed over our heads at our outset, and the shark
had rushed from his ambush upon us by the way.
Jan. 29. Mr. Tyerman, with his companion Mr. Ellis,
under the guidance of Mr. Orsmond, walked through the

Drawn by Joan Denas from
ricetch by D Tyarms
D. Felton se
MISSIONARY SETTLEMENT, ISLAND OF BORABORA.
Sec, Vall.P 232
CONSULTING THE GODS.
233
missionary settlement, which extends two miles and a half
along the shore, having a wide foot-path through the whole;
formed by laying the trunks of cocoa-nut trees on either side,
and filling up the space between with earth. The dwellings of
the natives are built on both sides of this road, at convenient
distances, all the way. Many of these are in the new style,
wattled and plastered. The place of worship does great
credit to the industry of the builders. It is seventy-five feet
· long; by forty-five broad, and is most commodiously furnished
with benches; the floor is lowest along the middle line, from
each side of which it slopes very gradually towards the
walls, and the forms are so placed, that all may, without in-
terruption, see the preacher. The pulpit is a specimen of
remarkably neat workmanship. At one end of this chapel
is a large room, used as a court-house, and suitably fitted up
for the transaction of public business. 'At the front of Mr.
Orsmond's house there is a large plot of open ground
towards the beach. Here a feast is intended to be held, on
Friday next, by the two kings and their chiefs, with the
raatiras, in token of their cordial union and common friend-
ship. Mr. Orsmond having promised the children of the
school a half-holyday if they would prepare this place for the
occasion, the little creatures were as busy as bees, running
and returning in all directions, to collect and bring arms'-
full of grass, to strew. over the ground, for the company to
sit down upon when they should assemble. And well and
expeditiously they performed their pleasant task, on which
it was quite exhilarating to see them employed.
Jan. 30. Mr. Orsmond states that, formerly, in Borabora,
and probably in the other islands, when people went to the
maraes to ask leave of the gods to do any thing on which
they had set their minds, their addresses were rather like
legal notices than humble petitions; for example—“Tani
(supposing it were at his altar), I am going to leave you; if
I wish to eat a pig's head, I shall eat it; if I want to take a
journey, I 'shall take one; if I choose to marry, I shall get a
wife; but don't look after me-look towards the Po," the
place of the dead:
There were among them, in their heathen state, con-
jurers, who pretended that they could not only tell their
dupes where they might find lost goods, but could bring back
their runaway wives. In the latter case, the bereaved hus-
20 *
234
FORMER INFLUENCE OF CONJURERS.
band who sought the advice and help of such a wise man
brought a good fat hog, as a present, with him, together with
something which had belonged to his faithless spouse—as a
teare, or flower, which she had worn in her ear. But if, in
going to the consultation, he crossed a brook, and carried the
flower in his hand, all spells and cantrips would be fruitless;
he, therefore, would throw the precious relic to the opposite
bank, and wade after it; when, having put it into the hands
of the conjurer, he was prepared to expect that, by virtue of
this man's charms (which were pretended prayers to some idol),
the false one would, of her own accord, return to her husband,
follow him every where, and love him with entire affection.
The credulity of the people ascribed marvellous powers
to these impostors in many other cases. If they could only
get hold of something, however filthy or worthless, which
could be traced to the object of their vengeance, they were
believed to have his life at their mercy--and mercy.they had
none. They muttered certain cant words to household idols
of their own, the names of which they kept secret-be-
cause the knowledge of them would enable others to set up
for conjurers as well as themselves—and within five or six
hours their victims would die by the most dreadful torments,
which would distort their limbs, and horribly convulse their
bodies. What other aids beside imprecations, to accomplish
their diabolical ends, these wretches might employ, were of
course kept as secret as the names of their familiar spirits,
though much more easy to be guessed. An old sorcerer,
of this class, lately died here, who was reported to have
slain his hundreds. “Bloody and deceitful men," indeed,
they were, whose “words were drawn swords;" and who
bent their lips “as bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter
words;" which they did, that they might “ shoot in secret,"
and “suddenly.” A late king of one of these islands is
said to have been an adept in this mystery of iniquity. One
of his subjects having refused to obtain for his sovereign
something which he had been required to furnish, on being
informed of his disobedience, the king instantly hung down
his head and remained silent several minutes, repeating,
as it was supposed, within himself, the words of doom,
from which there was no escape. Soon afterwards the man
fell down, as in an epilepsy, and expired, without any sus-
picion that other violence had been exercised upon him than,
TRICKS OF THE CONJURERS.
235
probably (though the conjurers generally concealed their
designs from their victims lest they should employ other conju-
rers to counteract their spells), the terror of knowing that
he was laid under the magic curse. It is very remarkable
that among all barbarian tribes, in their lowest state, similar
arts of sorcery are practised, and the same preternatural
effects ascribed to them. Here, however, there was a class
of persons, who were invulnerable by the missiles of these
children of the devil, full of all subtlety and mischief as
they were; and these could not only defy their spells, but
insult them to their faces with impunity, and rescue others
from their clutches. These were not offensive conjurers,
though they might be called defensive ones, being employed
by people who suspected themselves bewitched by the
former, to repel the evil which they apprehended, by incan-
tations or prayers, of a similar kind, to some unknown
fiend—which should cause the plague, meditated against
them, to recoil upon the original conjurers, who would then
fall down and die instead of their intended victims.
A frequent trick of the malicious conjurers was to obtain
(as usual, and indispensable) something which had come
from the person whom they meant to destroy, or which had
belonged to hiin. This they inclosed in a cocoa-nut shell,
and watched an opportunity to bury it, unobserved, in the
earth, under the oven of stones in which he was accustomed
to bake his provisions. When, therefore, the destined vic-
tim attempted to put bread-fruit or hog's-flesh into this oven,
to be dressed, the mortal agony seized him, and he died on
the spot. All the deaths, in these cases, were of this
hideous kind, and by their symptoms they may be supposed
to have been accomplished by poison; but, however this
might be," the poison of asps was under the tongues” of
these men who assassinated with their breath. Yet the
worst of them (we state the facts as they have been con-
firmed to us by the best testimony that could be procured)—
the worst of them never had any power over those who had
embraced Christianity. Of these there is reason to believe
that they were actually afraid, having a secret misgiving that
they bore " charmed lives," which no power of theirs could
· touch. When, therefore, they would harm them, it was at-
tempted by open violence or ordinary stratagem, seeing their
false gods were impotent against the servants of the true
God. In like manner they acknowledged that all Europeans
236
HONORS TO THE DEAD.
were beyond their reach. Some time ago an English sailor .
had been left on shore by a ship touching at Matavai bay.
There he lived a considerable time. The conjurers, having
conceived some spite against this stranger, tried all their
jugglery to kill him, but he remained unhurt. One night a'
number of the murderous fraternity stole into the hut,
where he was in bed, and put a piece of fish into his basket.
The sailor, however, happened to be awake, though he
thought it prudent to pretend sleep. When his visitor was
gone, he quietly got up and removed the fish out of his
basket into that of a native, a fellow-lodger. In the morn- -
ing the latter cooked and ate the fish, which caused him to
be seized with the customary convulsions, and to die in the
course of a few hours...
When the natives buried their relatives they were accus-
tomed to put the blossoms of bread-fruit, with leaves of the
edible fern; under their arms, saying, “You go to the Po,
plant bread-fruit there, and be food for the gods; but do not
come and strangle us, and we will feed your swine and cul-
tivate your lands.” But often, as we have already men-
tioned, they did not bury at all the corpses of their favorite
relatives or friends; keeping them above ground till the
bones were left bare from the decay of the flesh. They
would then take the skulls, place them in conspicuous situa-
tions, near their abode, and deck them with flowers, stuck
in the cavities or wreathed about the temples, and these
they renewed daily. However revolting their endurance of
the previous process of corruption, within the cognizance
of their senses, may be to our feelings of reverence towards
the dead, there is something indicative of tenderness and
delicacy in this custom of adorning the saddest memorials
of mortality, above ground, with the loveliest emblems of
liſe, poured in perpetual succession, from the bosom of the
earth.
Jan. 31. Two English brigs coming into the harbor, the
captains landed to purchase provisions and take in water;
whereupon a brisk pig-market was held, on the beach, under a
large tree. The sales were by barter; from four to five yards
of ordinary printed cotton being exchanged for hogs, accord-
ing to their size and fatness. No women went on board
of the vessels, and very few men; formerly the decks of such
ships were crowded with natives, of both sexes, to their shame
and injury.
OPENING OF A NEW CHAPEL.
:
237
Feb. 1. The wind blew hard all last night. The gusts
were at times so violent as to threaten the overthrow of all
before them; they came like mighty waves of the sea,
breaking in succession over the mountains, and roaring
through the valleys, as though the tides had found free pas-
sage over the beach, and were inundating the country. The
thatch of our residence was raised from the roof, and the
walls were bent inward, but yet the wooden frame-work
stood its ground till the fury of the storm was spent. Many
limbs of large trees were scattered along the ground, and
the tops of some of the finest cocoa-nut stems were prostrated.
On the little motu opposite this settlement, they stood thus
headless, presenting a singularly forlorn rank and file of
stumps, like ship-masts without rigging.
This day the new chapel was opened with suitable ser-
vices. It was usual, in times past, for the king, at the con-
secration of maraes, to enter and walk over them before the
feet of either chiefs or people were allowed to tread the idol's
courts. In a few instances, after the gospel had been intro-
duced, where Christian places of worship were opened, the
native kings were permitted by the missionaries (then una-
ware of the pagan practice) to appear at the head of their
subjects, and take their places within before the multitude
were admitted. This was conceded in consideration of their
rank, to which the natives, on all occasions, paid the highest
deference, and which their Christian teachers never discoun-
tenanced when duly exercised. But, as soon as the mission-
aries found that the precedence thus claimed was a relic of
idolatry, they set their faces resolutely against it, and it was
no longer allowed. On this occasion neither of the sove-
reigns of Borabora desired such a questionable distinction,
Upwards of a thousand persons, old and young, crowded the
chapel at the opening, and probably the whole population of
the island, except the few detained by sickness or infirmity,
visited it in the course of the day. All were attired in their
best, and principally native, apparel, few opportunities occur-
ring here to traffic for European articles of dress. This gave
a peculiarly characteristic appearance to the scene—it was a
perfect South-sea-island assembly, and as such beautifully
picturesque. The public feast in the open air, for which
preparations had been made, was abandoned on account of
the inclemency of the weather, but the congregation, divid-
ing into several companies, adjourned to so many private
238
BORABORA CARPENTRY. :'.
dwellings, and celebrated the great event in social enjoyment
after the solemnities of the sanctuary were over.
This is the largest chapel which we have yet seen. It has
been built under the superintendence of Mr. Orsmond; and
all the people of the eight districts into which the island is
divided contributed their share of materials and manual labor
towards the erection. This occupied the builders twelve
months; and workmen in Europe, furnished with requisite
tools, as well as brought up to the trade, can form no idea of
the amount of toil and pains expended by these unpractised
hands, with no implements which they could use, except the
rude ones of their forefathers, and a few of a better fashion,
but so worn as to be nearly useless to men unskilled, at best,
in the use of them. The bread-fruit-tree timber was, for the
most part, cut down in the mountains, and dragged, by main
force, to the place, where large boles were split in two pieces,
each making a separate plank and no more. The rafters
and flooring were formed in like manner. But, though often
weary and sometimes discouraged by the length and difficul-
ty of the task, the zealous converts from idolatry felt the
inspiring principles of the new religion which they had
chosen sufficient to renew their strength, from time to time,
and enable them to persevere till the last beam was laid, and
a temple to God raised, by the first hands which had ever
been lifted up to him in prayer within the borders of the
island.
CHAPTER XV. .
Areois, or Vagabonds—Custom of Dispatching Infirm Persons—Method
of Negotiating respecting Peace or War-Fantastic Superstitions-
Marriages of Chiefs in former Times—Conversation-meeting-Messrs.
Ellis and Tyerman return to Huahine—Candidates for Baptism-Na-
tive Numeration-Baptism administered—Indigenous Diseases-
Animals, aboriginal and naturalized.
Feb. 2. We shall here put down a few circumstances
which we have lately learned concerning the Areois, the
legion-fiends of these voluptuous haunts of Belial. They
were one confraternity throughout both the windward and
the leeward group, though each island had its native band;
but, being a vagabond race, they roved from one to another,
at home every where, and every where welcomed on account
ARCOIS, OR VAGABONDS.
239
of the merriment which they carried with thein, or obsèqui-
ously reverenced for the terror which they inspired when
they had occasion to extort property from those who durst
not withhold it, whether they sued, or whether they threat-
ened. They consisted generally of the cleverest and hand-
somest of the people of both sexes, though the proportion of
men to women was as five to one. On their lewdness we
shall not dwell; their habits of this kind have been made
notorious (even beyond the truth) by former writers. When
a company of these “chartered libertines” landed, after one
of their brief voyages, upon a shore where they meant to
make some stay, their first business was to take a small suck-
ing-pig and present it at the marae, as a thank-offering to
the god for having brought them in safety to that place.
This, we understand, was the only sacrifice ever offered in
token of gratitude to their imaginary divinities by any of the
South-sea islanders; all other gifts which they brought to
the altars were to turn away wrath, or bribe their malignant
deities to be propitious to them in war, or on other important
enterprises-not acknowledgments of mercies or favors be-
stowed. But the sacrifice of the sucking-pig by the Areois
had a further meaning than to express gratitude, which they
probably never felt; it signified to the people among whom
they had come that they wanted food. This rite, therefore,
was followed by a feeding (as it was called), when fifty or
sixty hogs, perhaps, and fruit in proportion, were presented
to them, together with rolls of cloth, and every necessary for
their personal accommodation. This “feeding” was not all
consumed at once, nor upon the spot, but portions of it were
set apart, and sent to their brethren in other islands by early
canoes. Thus when they alighted, like a swarm of locusts,
in a rich district, they were not, like locusts, contented with
what they could devour themselves, but swept away from the
miserable inhabitants whatever they could obtain, for the
support of those of their order who were wallowing at their
ease on dunghills of sloth, while these were laboring abroad
in their vocation. That vocation was principally the exhibi-
tion of licentious dances, and occasionally dramatic scenes,
rudely constructed, or the recital of romantic and diverting
tales concerning their ancestors and the gods. Many of
these were very long, and regularly composed, so as to be
repeated verbatim, or with such illustrations only as the wit
or fancy of the narrator might have the skill to introduce.
240
CUSTOM OF DISPATCHING INFIRM PERSONS.
Their captain, on public occasions, was placed cross-legged
on a stool seven feet high, with a fan in his hand, in the
midst of the circle of laughing or admiring auditors, whom
he delighted with his drollery, or transported with his gri-
maces, being, in fact, the merry-andrew of the corps, who, like
a wise fool, well knew how to turn his folly to the best
account.
The Areois were countenanced, not by the vulgar only, but
by the kings and chiefs, who indulged them in all their licen-
tious practices, and probably found them very convenient
tools for the furtherance of their own purposes of fraud and
oppression. Availing themselves of the influence which they
thus possessed, these reprobates were guilty of the most cruel
exactions wherever they went. One of them, for example,
would enter the house of a poor man, and by certain cere-
monies pretend to make his little boy, playing on the floor,
a king; then, with mock homage, he would say, "I am
come to the king's house; I want food, give me that pig; I
want apparel, give me that piece of cloth.” And the father
of the new-made king seldom had the hardihood to refuse
the boon so flatteringly demanded. If he did refuse, his
visitor would threaten him with banishment or death; and
such threats were not to be despised.
One of the monstrous practices of these islanders, before
they embraced the gospel, was to bury their friends alive;
when, from their infirmities, they became burthensome to the
young and the vigorous. They would dig a hole in the sand
on the sea-beach, then, under pretence of taking their aged or
sick relative to bathe, they would bear him on a litter to the
spot, and tumble him into the grave which had been prepar-
ed, instantly heaping stones and earth upon him, and tram-
pling the whole down with their feet, till whether they left
him dead or alive was of little moment, as it was impossible
for him to rise again. In other cases the unnatural kindred
would rush into the invalid's house at once, from opposite
ends, and make their spears meet in his body. Then they
would coolly share the spoil of his little property, and depart
without any other reflection except that they had rid them-
selves of a nuisance, and, perhaps, gained a paltry article of
dress or furniture as the price of blood.
The following method was sometimes adopted in negoti-
ating peace between two belligerent parties. The principal
warriors of each met by appointment at a particular place,
.'"
METHOD OF NEGOTIATING PEACE.
241
standing aloof at a short distance from one another. An
orator then stepped forth from the ranks on one side, and
addressed the adverse chiefs, proposing terms of reconcilia-
tion. When he had done, he threw a piece of coral among
them. If the terms were approved, assent was declared ; if
not, the coral was flung back. In that case a second, and
sometimes a third or fourth, of the party disposed for concili-
ation, came forward, offering better and better conditions,
till they were either wholly accepted or rejected. In the
latter'event, of course, hostilities were immediately renewed ;
but in the former, those who had just before been mortal ene-
mies flew into each other's arms, and celebrated the end of
strife by a feast of friendship. Peace was occasionally sought
in another manner. The deputies empowered to make pro- .
posals embarked in the handsomest canoe belonging to their
friends, taking with them the stem of a mountain-plantain,
and a piece of very fine cloth, about eighteen inches square,
on which was laid a wreath of sweet-scented fern, garnished
with a few red feathers. With these pacific emblems, and a
priest at their head, they paddled towards the shore of the
enemy's district. When they had arrived at a convenient
station, the priest - rose up in the canoe, and addressed the
representatives of the other party, who were standing on the
beach, telling them who he himself was, who was his god,
who they were from whom he came, and what kind of offers
he had to make to them. If these were not favorably receiv-
ed, the priest and his friends were answered by a volley of
stones from the shore, and compelled to sheer off as hastily
as might be. Otherwise they were invited to land, when the
terms were immediately ratified. A large hog' was then
brought, and made to stand upright, while some men of both
parties, with two strong sticks, one placed upon the neck and
the other against the throat, strangled the poor animal by
-main force in pressing them together. They then stabbed
it, caught the blood in a vessel, and sprinkled the carcass
with it all over, from head to tail; after which it was carried
to the marae and offered to Oro, or Tani, or whatever idol
might be worshipped there. The negotiators on each side
afterwards took the cloth, in turn, and said to the others,
“ If you tear this cloth (that is, if you violate this treaty) you
shall bear the blame, and we will tear you to pieces." Words
to the same purport were uttered alternately by “the high
contracting parties” over the garland, the feathers and the
VOL. I.
21
242
.
THE DESTINY OF-KINGS AFTER DEATH.
plantain-stem, signifying that those who were guilty of bad
faith should be scattered like the former, and broken like the
latter, by those whom they now deceived and hereafter
assailed.
We have already mentioned a few of the many incoherent
notions which these people entertained regarding a future
state. With respect to this, whatever hopes of a sensual
paradise the Areois might cherish, the views of the multitude
were gloomy and terrifying. They called the hades to which
the departed went by the same name as night, Po. They
knew not where or what it was, but imagined that the gods
resided there, and preyed upon the dead, who, after being
made their food, by a singular metamorphosis, became spirit-
ual and immortal, in some sensé which our informant could
not comprehend, and therefore could not explain to us. The
destiny of their kings in the world to come was little flatter-
ing to their pride and supremacy on earth. They believed
that each of these illustrious personages was converted, after
death, into a very useful piece of furniture common in native
houses here, and consequently not less necessary in the pal-
aces of the gods, called fatama; which something resembles
the pedestal and -pegs, in English passages and entrance-
halls, on which hats and great-coats are hung. Here it is
the branch of a tree, with the lateral forks cut short, on
which baskets, bonnets, and other utensils or portions of
dress are hung, fixed upright in the middle of dwellings, for
the convenience of all the occupants. To escape this degra-
dation, and to be numbered among the gods, those sovereigns
who were rich enough made friends of the priests by the
most costly presents. When in danger of death, a king who
had been great and powerful in this life, and wished to be so
in the next, sent four or five of the largest and fattest hogs,
and as many of the best canoes, that he could procure, with
any rare and valuable European article which he might hap-
pen to possess, to the priests. These loyal and grateful
subjects, in return, put up daily prayer in his behalf, at the
maraes, till his decease; after which his body was brought
to one of these sacred places, and kept in an upright attitude
for several days and nights, during which yet larger gifts
were sent by his relatives, and the most expensive sacrifices
offered to the idols, of which the priests, as their proxies,
were the principal recipients. The putrid carcass was then
taken away, and placed in a canoe, which was rowed out on
NATURE OF SACRIFICES.
243
the lagoon, as far as an opening in the reef, and thence
brought back again; the farce of fanatical prayers and lugu-
brious ceremonies being performed by the priests, over the
corpse, on the water as well as on land. The royal remains
were at length laid out to rot in state upon one of the plat-
forms already described as the usual depositories of the
mighty dead.”
Many of the sacrifices which were formerly offered by these
Gentiles were, in their design at least, expiatory. When a
subject had offended the king, and dreaded his vengeance,
he fled into the mountains, or crossed to another shore, and
did not dare to approach the sovereign till his wrath had
been allayed by a peace-offering. This was generally done by
some prudent relative, who watched the opportunity to take
a good fat hog to his majesty, and say,—"Let this pig recon-
cile you to such an one." According as that present was
accepted or refused the culprit judged of his safety or peril
if he appeared again in the presence of the king. . When
swine, fowls, fruits, and human victims were taken to the
altars of their mercenary and vindictive divinities, it was
frequently in atonement for some crime committed, or in an-
ticipation of one meditated by the devout worshippers. A
woman, intending to effect abortion during pregnancy (which
was atrociously common), or to murder her offspring as soon
as it should be born, presented herself, if possible, a day
before the time, at the marae, with a rou maire-a sprig of
sweet-scented fern-in her hand, which she threw down
upon the sacred stones, saying, “I intend to give you a man
to-morrow; do not be angry with me."
Marriages among the higher orders were often contracted
in the following manner. A person who had a beautiful
daughter brought her, while yet a child, to a chief, saying,
with the utmost frankness, “ Here is a wife for you!" If the
great man liked the girl's appearance, he took her off her
father's hands, and placed her with some trusty dependant, to
be trained and fattened, like a calf for the slaughter, till she
had attained a suitable age. When her master chose to
take her for his wife, the betrothed and their friends met at
the marae. The girl appeared there with a cord about her
neck, supported by one of her nearest kin, and accompanied
by a man holding some leaves of sweet-smelling fern in each
of his hands, which he pressed on either side of his head,
above the ears. When the procession reached the altar, these
C
244
OFFICES OF THE PRIESTS IN WAR.
leaves were cast upon the ground. The priest, having mut-
tered his prayers, took up one of the sprigs of fern, and, while
each of the dead ancestors of the bride (so far back as they
were remembered) was named, he doubled down or tore off
one of the side leaflets. Then, while the names of her living
relatives were mentioned in due order, one of the remaining
leaflets was successively pointed out as the number of each.
When that which represented the nearest in blood of those
who were at hand occurred, that kinsman stepped forth,
loosed the rope from the bride's neck, and delivered her to
her husband. The friends on both sides then presented the
couple with hogs, bundles of cloth, wooden dishes, canoes,
&c. &c., according to their rank and ability. In less time
than the honeymoon requires to fill and empty her horn, the
chief probably grew weary of his spouse, and said to her,
Atira (it is enough), haere e jo (go away). The woman
was then abandoned, and what often became of her may.
be easily guessed. In this manner the great people took and
put away as many wives as they pleased, or could get.
The priests of these islands were not confined to the ex-
ercise of their devotional functions; they were also warriors
and statesmen, who acccompanied their kings both at the
council-board and in the field—by sea as well as by land.
On the water the priests carried their idol in a separate
canoe; in which the image was sometimes placed on a high
stool, sometimes laid down when immediate danger was
apprehended, and sometimes held up in the hands of his
bearer, during a battle. This sacred canoe always led the
· van of the rest, and the priests were accustomed to fight to
the most desperate extremity in defence of their palladium,
for while this was uncaptured the conflict might be maintained,
but as soon as it was lost, the party to which it belonged
would fight no more. The moment the god fell into the ad-
versary's hands, his" divinity forsook him, and so did his
adherents. Panic-struck, they fled in all directions.
The superstition of these islanders was indeed interwoven
with every thing that was done by them, whether national
and on a large scale, or personal and domestic ; from affairs
the most important, to those that were least significant.
Before a Tahitian would put off in his canoe from the beach,
to go a fishing, he made a point to pray to his god for suc-
cess. Was this the case with an ignorant, degraded, idola-
trous race of barbarians, whose religion was as base as their

-
A CONVERSATION-MEETING.
245
deities were impotent? What excuse, then, will those offer,
for their uniform disregard of God in all their ways, who
profess the only true religion in the world, and yet exclude
that religion from every thing they do?
Feb.-5. The last three days have been so tempestuous
that we could do little more than hold our meetings, religious
and social, within doors, and collect such points of informa-
tion concerning the former practices of these people as we
have recorded under the foregoing date. Yesterday evening
about fifty natives came into Mr. Orsmond's house to hold
a free conversation with us. Many exceedingly curious
(and some very subtle) questions were asked, which showed
comprehensive thought, acute reasoning, and fine moral
feeling, to be no uncommon qualities of mind here, little as
the higher intellectual powers have hitherto been brought
into exercise. As to original capacity, we cannot doubt that
the reclaimed savages, who are receiving instruction of every
kind as little children, need not be ashamed to measure their
standard with that of the bulk of mankind in civilized
countries. We have often been astonished when we have
visited their schools, and been assured-as in this island-
that not more than three or four persons knew so much as
the letters of the alphabet eleven months ago—we say we
have been astonished to find scores, both among adults and
children, who can now read the New Testament with fluency
and correctness; while the progress of intelligence keeps
pace with the acquisitions of memory. At the conversation-
meeting, yesterday evening, a man, who was sitting among
the rest upon the floor, suddenly cried out, in gréat agitation
of spirit, “What shall I do? I have continually before my
eyes the likenesses of my children whom I killed in their in-
fancy when I was a heathen. Wherever I go they meet me;
and I seem to see them as plainly as I did when I took them
from my wife's arms, immediately after they were born, and
destroyed them. I know not what to do!” Suitable re-
pentance, and fruits meet for repentance in his future con-
duct, were, of course, earnestly and faithfully recommended
to the self-accused and self-condemned sinner. He had been
the murderer of four of his offspring, but was happily himself
rescued from the service of him “who was a murderer from
the beginning” in time to prevent him from laying violent
hands on four more who have since been born to him, and
21 *
246
RECENT CHANGE IN THE NATIVE LANGUAGE...
whom, we trust, he is now endeavoring to train up in the
service of Him who came “ not to destroy men's lives, but
to save them." This afternoon, the weather being more
favorable, we (Mr. Tyerman and Mr. Ellis) returned to
Raiatea.
Feb. 6. The morning being fine, we embarked again in our
boat for Huahine, but were obliged to put back before noon.
Our conversation, while at sea, turned upon the language of
these islanders. On inquiring whether the change from
paganism to Christianity had been favorable to its improve-
ment or otherwise, we were informed that, hitherto, it had
made little difference, except in the vocabulary, by rendering
obsolete many obscene terms which formerly were much
employed, and naturalizing some words, such as Himeni, a
Hymn, Sabati, the Sabbath, and scriptural names, as Jeho-
va, and Jesus Christ, &c., necessary for Christian worship,
The language, expurgated of the abominations above men-
tioned (which were necessarily associated with the worst
possible taste), is becoming more delicate and refined, both
in pronunciation and rhythm, in proportion as purer, nobler,
and more graceful modes of thinking and speaking have
naturally resulted from familiarity with worthier subjects for
thought and speech, among the natives. The violent ha-
rangues to which war and danger formerly gave birth, and
the bitter invectives which were wont to be uttered in the
quarrels, jealousies, and recriminations of private life, are
now—the former never, and the latter rarely, heard ; yet the
Tahitian tongue lacks neither nerve nor copiousness; nor
are opportunities wanting to display all its excellencies on
glorious themes and great occasions--as in courts of justice,
national and religious assemblies, but especially on mission-
ary anniversaries. And (which might hardly be expected)
there is as much diversity of talent, among the untaught
orators of these little islands of the west, as may be found
among the leaders of the British senate; we make no invidi-
ous or absurd comparisons as to quantity. Their speeches,
whether argumentative or declamatory, are seldom long.
They feel much annoyed by a tedious talker, and when such
a one gets up, they will say to each other, “ Now, we must
look about for our patience." Though very careful not to
wound, in public debate, the personal feelings of those to
whom they are opposed, they can be sufficiently sarcastic in
RETURN TO HUAHINE.
- 247
conversation. If asked, "Did you not like such a speaker ?!!
“Oh, yes!" "And did you not like such a speech ?“ Yes,
to be sure; and we like the bleating of a billy-goat.”
Feb. 7. It was not till evening that we were able to put to
sea again, in the hope of reaching Huahine by rowing hard
all night—that island lying thirty miles distant, and the
surge being still greatly agitated by the recent long-prevailing
high winds. We were on board sixteen persons, Europeans
and natives, exposed in an open boat, with little provision
in case of need, and the probability, were a hard gale to
come on (which the lowering aspect of the heavens portend-
ed), of being driven we knew not whither on the limitless
ocean. But, after a sufficient trial of faith and patience to
make us feel ourselves wholly at the mercy of Him“who
layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, who maketh
the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the
wind,” the moon arose, and the remainder of the night was
five o'clock in the morning we landed at Huahine ; a num- .
ber of the kind hearted people were standing on the shore,
who welcomed our return with their joyful iaoraanas; these
we heartily re-echoed, and added our hallelujahs to the Lord,
who, amidst the perils of the deep, had delivered us from all
our fears.
Feb. 8. At the afternoon meeting, in the chapel here,
about fifty candidates for baptism underwent a final examina-
tion, previous to their reception by that rite into the church of
believers. Thirteen of these were young men and women,
who, being above the age of childhood when their parents
had taken upon themselves Christian vows, refused to follow
their example then, but who are now to be baptized on their
own voluntary confession. The candidates this day examined
have been nearly three years under preparatory instruction,
countrymen; and, having given satisfactory evidence both
of their knowledge of gospel-principles and their conformity
to gospel-precepts, are to be admitted into full fellowship with
the people.of God in this place.
Feb. 9. Among the peculiarities of the Tahitian language
is one which (so far as we are aware) has no parallel in any
other. The numerals have what may be called the distinc-
tion of tense; the prefix A being the sign of the past and
248
NATIVE NUMERATION.
present, and E the sign of the present and future. Several
of them also have two names. Thus :-
Past and Present. :
Present and Future.
Atahi ...... One .... Etahi, or Hoa. . .
Apiti, or Aruá . . Two.... Epiti, or Erua.
Atoru ...... Three . . . Etoru.
Amaha . ..... Four ... Emaha.
Apai, or Arima · Five . ;. . Epai, or Erima.
Aono, or Afene · Six .:.. Eono, or Efene.
Ahitu ..:... Seven . . . Ehitu.
Avau, or Avaru . Eight ... Evau, or Evaru.
Aiva ....... Nine . ... Eiva.
Ahuru ...... Ten .... Ehuru.
If a person, therefore, were asked how many articles of a
particular kind he had yesterday, how many he has to-day,
or how many he shall have to-morrow (or at any past or fu-
ture time), he would use different words in answering the
question. Thus: "A ac buaa nanahi ?” “ How many hogs
had you. yesterday?" If he had six, he would say “ Aono"
—meaning “ I had six.” “But how many have you to-day ?”
If the number were the same as yesterday, he would say
“ Aono"-meaning "I have six.” « But how many shall you
have to-morrow ?" He would then change the prefix from A
to E, and say " Eono”-meaning “I shall have six.” Or
in the three cases he might use the second terms for six,
and say afene, or efene. When the numbers run above ten
they compute upon the usual principles ; eleven being ten
and one, twelve ten and two, &c. When they come to
twenty, they say two tens; thirty, three tens, &c. A hun-
dred has a distinct appellation, rau. They afterwards pro-
ceed by hundreds as previously by tens-one hundred, two
hundred, &c., till they reach a thousand, which is called
mano. Again connecting the units in succession with the
mano, when they arrive at ten thousand they call that sum
manotini. Then numbering manotinis as they had done
manos up to ten times ten thousand, they call a hundred
thousand rehu ; and, counting upward on this, in like man-
ner, to a million, they call that ihu; beyond which they have
no specific name for any specific. number, though, by the
use of ahurus, raus, manos, manotinis, and rehus, they can
multiply the ihus (millions) to any amount expressible by hu-
man terms.
BAPTISM ADMINISTERED.
249
Feb. 10. (Lord's day.) Mr. Ellis preached in the fore-
noon from the words—" Jesus answered him, If I wash thee
not, thou hast no part with me.”-John xiii. 8. After this
service the public baptism commenced, when nearly a hun-
· dred men, women, and children, were thus admitted into
Christ's visible church. A hollow square having been made
with benches at the lower end of the chapel, where there
are no pews, the candidates took their seats, with their faces
towards a table placed in the middle for the accommodation
of the officiating ministers. Mr. Ellis, after a brief address,
proceeded to administer this sacramental ordinance to the
adults, seated as they were upon the forms before him ; re-
peating over each the words of the Institution :-
“Bapatizo—[This is an engrafted word, there being no
corresponding term in the native tongue --
te ioa no te Medua, e no te Tamaidi, e no te Varua Maitai.”
“I baptize thee, – -
, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
When the adults had all received baptism, an infant be-
longing to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, and another belonging to Mr.
and Mrs. Barff, were dedicated to God by the same rite-
the symbol of regeneration, which Mr. Tyerman, at the
request of the parents, administered. The children of the
adult natives (on whom the ceremony had just been per-
formed)-some in the arms, and some four or five years
old—were then baptized by Mr. Barff"; fathers and mothers,
sons and daughters, being thus brought into the “communion
of saints” on earth in the same hour; the former first giving
themselves “unto the Lord," and then entering into cove-
nant for those little ones which the Lord had given to them,
to bring them up in his nurture and admonition. The
scene was affecting and solemn beyond any thing that we
had yet witnessed, and the season was truly refreshing from
the presence of the Most High. Mr. Barfl preached in the
afternoon from Deuteronomy xxvi. 16–18: “This day the
Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and
judgments, fc. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to
be thy God, fc. And the Lord hath avouched thee this day
to be his peculiar people," foc.
Feb. 11. At the conversation-meeting, which was nu-
merously attended, many texts were quoted, both by men
and women, from various parts of scripture, that they might
be particularly expounded by the missionaries. It is sur-
250
:, INDIGENOUS DISEASES.
prising with what eagerness these new converts to the gospel
seize and treasure up the precious words of grace which
they catch from the lips of their teachers, when quoted from
still untranslated books of the bible ;- as well as with what
diligence they commit to memory numerous chapters and
whole gospels which have been rendered into their mother
tongue. Some who cannot read themselves can repeat
almost every text which they ever heard, and even large
portions of the New Testament, which they have learned by
* hearkening to others, while these read aloud to little au-
diences which they sometimes collect in the open air, under
a tree, or in their family circles. There are few, indeed,
of those who regularly attend public worship who do not
know by heart all the hymns that are usually sung there.
We have made minutes, from time to time, of the diseases
which are most frequent in these islands. The following
are the principal :-
Hotiti, pulmonary consumption, which carries off, on an
average, three of every hundred that die.
Fefe, a species of elephantiasis, causing hideous enlarge-
ments of the arms and legs. About four in a hundred are
affected by it here ; though in Borabora, among a thousand
inhabitants, there is only one invalid of this class. Un-
wholesome food, or too much food, heat, dạmp, ill-construct-
ed dwellings, want of cleanliness, and indolent habits,
induce this deforming complaint, which will, probably, be
much more rare in future, from the exceedingly improved
state of society.
Hydrocele, another gigantic tumefaction of morbid parts
of the body, too frightful for description ; which, it is to be
hoped, purer and more temperate modes of living will like-
wise subdue. One in a hundred is more or less afflicted in
this way.
Monumonu, or the throbbing—that is, the tooth-ache, is
not common. The natives have the finest and most perfect
teeth, perhaps, in the world.
Tariaturi-a deaf ear; and vava-dumbness. Both
these terms are used to signify the condition of a person
born deaf and dumb. There is but one case of it in Hua-
hine, where there are two thousand inhabitants.
Matapom Blindness. Of this, in the same population,
there are three instances.
Bupa, a shivering fit; and ahuậa burning fit-are em-

INDIGENOUS DISEASES.
251
ployed to express the symptoms of intermittent fevers, which
are frequent here, especially during the rainy season. They
sometimes assume the form of ague.
Matapoto, a spasmodic affection of the face. It discovers
itself by a pain in the forehead, which, proceeding down-
ward, successively affects the eye, the ear, and the neck ;
this is followed by locked jaw, when the patient swoons
outright, and, unless prompt relief be administered, speedily
expires. The natives have a specific of some efficacy, which
they immediately prepare, and force into the stomach by
wrenching open the jaws. This malady, which is not un-
common, is most rife after long dry weather. .
Tuabu-Hump-back. Two in a hundred have this un-
sightly encumbrance. It is induced by a fever, which
leaves a tumor on the vertebral column. Children from
four to five years of age are frequently thus afflicted. If
the spine curves at a certain crisis of the complaint, the
patient recovers ; if not, he dies. Men are generally more
distorted in this manner than women. In many cases the
hump on the back is remarkably angular, and the chest
proportionately enlarged, while the thighs and legs are long
and small; yet the persons themselves are often very strong
and active.
Ofao, taviri, aati, and obumare names given to different
symptoms of bowel-disorders, which, though often produced
by the nature of their food, are seldom fatal.
Perioz—signifies a cripple ; of these there are few.
Avachape--means bandy-legged ; this deformity is also
rare, though it is the universal practice to carry young
children astride upon the hips.
Tona, a relic of that loathsome disease which is the
scourge of licentiousness, and which was very destructive in
these islands after its introduction by European visitors.
That plague is now extinct. The tona, which it left behind,
afflicts the sufferer under its malignant effects with dreadful
ulcers in different parts of the body.
Tabu-Scrofula. The word tabu signifies a cut, or scar.
Many deeply-indented and disfigured faces and necks bear
testimony to the prevalence of this ravager of strength and
poisoner of health.
Oniho, a kind of small-pox, mild in its form, but leaving
the skin pitted. It is infectious, attacks persons of all ages,
and the same subject is liable to take it repeatedly.
252
ABORIGINAL ANIMALS.
Aropoabu, a disease of the neck, resembling the.goitres
of Switzerland. We have seen a few prodigious instances
of these glandular swellings.
Feb. 13. Having some leisure, at present, we transcribe
from our memoranda occasional information on general sub-
jects. We shall here enumerate the few quadrupeds which
are found on these islands.
Buaa—the hog. We have formerly described the only
native specimen which we have seen (ugly, stunted, and
small), and mentioned also that the breed being now nearly
extinct, the loss has been more than compensated to the
people by the present race, which are a cross between the
British and the former, with an intermixture of the Chinese,
the first and the last having been introduced by captain
Cook and other early circumnavigators who touched here.
These gluttonous animals, having abundance of nutritious
food, thrive amazingly, and soon become fat enough for the
slaughter. We have seen some weighing twelve or thirteen
score pounds. These swine are characterized by their deep
flanks, flat bodies, and long tusks. Some of the boars,
which run wild among the mountains, are very formidable
if attacked and compelled to act on the defensive. When
surrounded they will rush through the ring of their antago-
nists, striking right and left, and with a single well-directed
blow of their sharp tusks rip the flesh of a man's leg from
the bottom to the top, or even gore him in the body till the
bowels drop out through the wound.
Uri—the dog. Commodore Wallis and captain Cook
found dogs here. They had long bodies and short legs, like
our terriers; but that pure breed is no longer seen, a non-
descript tribe having sprung up in their stead, from the in-
troduction of "mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound, and curs
of low degree," by foreign vessels. They are generally very
ill-looking creatures, lean, feeble, and diseased, as might be
expected from the wretched fare on which they feed the
refuse of their owners' tables. Yet hydrophobia is unknown.
There is no remembrance of a mad dog having ever been
seen here, notwithstanding the torrid climate.
Tore—the rat. The native rat is much smaller and of a
lighter color than the English ; but the Iore paapa, the
foreign rat, brought from ship-board, is large, and has all the
bad qualities of the worst European vermin.
Moo—the lizard. Reptiles of this species are very nu-
ANIMALS NATURALIZED.
253
merous ; they are small, beautiful in coloring, and perfectly
harmless.
These four are the only quadrupeds that were aboriginal,
here. The following have been introduced.
The horse, which the natives called horo buaa fenua,-
the hog* that runs over the ground, when they first saw
with what fleetness he could traverse the beach, on which
he was landed, as a present to Pomare. There is but that
one of the kind here, which “ roams over the plain," at his
ease, having never been used for riding; yet he is perfectly.
gentle.
The cow, buaatoro—This useful animal was brought hith-
er by the missionaries, who have, here and at Eimeo, small
but improving herds. They thrive well, breed early and
fast, and give abundance of milk. The long grass, which
they find every where, is excellent food for them, and they
are subject to no particular diseases. Several have been
killed, and the beef proved very good ; but they are yet too.
few and precious to be made every-day food. The natives
are very much afraid of them.
The sheep is called here buna mamoe,-the inoffensive
hog. There are half a dozen of these animals on the
islands, brought hither by the missionaries, but they are
lean, small, and ill-shapen. The climate is too hot, and
they will probably never be kept to any advantage. The
little tormenting burr, called piripiri, of which we have
formerly spoken as a vegetable pest here, sticks to the wool,
and gradually forms a close mat about its body, which
greatly annoys the poor sheep, and would hinder it from
thriving freely were there no other obstruction.
The goat,-called here buaaniho, the hog with horns,-
was introduced by some of the first ships, and lighted upon
a soil and clime entirely suited to its wants and habits; of
course it breeds rapidly, and grows to a great size. As
there is no occasion for woollen clothing here, and the flesh
of the goat and her kid is as delicate and well-flavored as
mutton and lamb in England, sheep may very well be dis-
pensed with. The goats are exceedingly beautiful creatures,
and on the lofty mountains they find green pastures, fresh
air, and that freedom in which they delight. Their milk is
richer than that of the cow. There are flocks, consisting
* Buaa seems to be a generic name for a quadruped.
VOL. I.
22
254
A CHRISTIAN ENTERTAINMENT.
of severa hundreds, on some of the islands. These are the
property of the missionaries; but the natives, who at first
abhorred them on account of the new and offensive odor,
to which their nostrils had not been accustomed, begin to
manifest an inclination to possess animals, in every other
respect, so useful and desirable ; and the missionaries en-
courage them in this, as in every other wish, that may lead
them to improve their condition in life. Besides, to keep
goats there is neither trouble nor expense required. They
forage for themselves.
The cat,-called here iore più fare, the- house-climbing
rat; because, when strange cats were brought from ships
into the native dwellings, they naturally ran up the wooden
walls, or bare poles, which support the roofs. Cats have
now become domesticated.
Feb. 14. We were, this day, invited to a public dinner,
given by the principal, chiefs of the island to the members
of the Christian church here (as a token and pledge of
union' among all true believers), whatever were their rank
or circumstances in civil society. It was truly a love-feast,
to welcome the newly-baptized among the flock of Christ.
The candidates for baptism also were invited to be par-
takers of the general joy. It was held in a spacious
house, a hundred and sixty feet long by forty wide, belong-
ing to a distinguished chief, named Tiramano. This han-
queting-room was quite a native structure, in the old style
a long roof, resting upon two ranges of pillars, twenty-four on
each side, and a row of nine loftier ones down the middle, to
support the ridge-pole. At the upper end a table, covered
with a white cloth, and furnished with knives and forks, also
two convenient settees, with benches and stools, were placed
for the accommodation of the royal family, the missionaries,
and ourselves. The whole of the floor beside was occupied
by the natives, sitting cross-legged, in companies, with the
food before them, spread upon purau-leaves for plates. The
inclosure in front of the house was occupied in a similar way,
by a portion of the numerous guests. The sight was exceed-
ingly impressive and delightful, for they were clean in their
persons and apparel, pleasure beamed in every countenance,
and all were of one heart and one mind, to be happy and to
make happy, so far as they could. The entertainment, con-
sisting of the usual provisions, was well laid out; it was
abundant, and all things were done decently and in order,
FORMER HEATHEN ENTERTAINMENTS.
255
though more than a thousand persons shared in it. Many of
the mothers had their young children with thém; yet not a
cry was heard. Te mau poti iti (the little milk-drinkers, as
infants are prettily called 'here,) behaved as well as their
parents, and by their presence added interest and beauty to
the scene. In addition to the native luxuries of baked hogs
and fruits of every kind that were in season, boiled pork,
boiled fowls, fruit pies, and puddings of various kinds, were
served up, course after course, at our table. There was
such plenty for all the guests that, after heartily enjoying the
good cheer, enough remained for the guests to take home
with them, and renew the feast another day, in their family
circles. The residue of our own messes (which were as
large as Benjamin's when Joseph entertained his brethren)
our servants took care of, as their customary perquisite. It
is hardly necessary to say that, in such an assembly, when
all the dishes had been placed, before any were touched, the
blessing of God was asked upon the bounty of his Providence.
After the meal, several of the chiefs, the missionaries, and
ourselves, successively addressed the company on such topics
as the occasion suggested. In conclusion, a hymn of praise
was sung, and one of the chiefs returned thanks for this
day's mercies, and offered up earnest supplication that good-
ness and mercy might follow his country-people and their
teachers, all the days of their lives. The people afterwards
quietly dispersed, and in their peaceful dwellings presented
their evening sacrifices at the family altar.
Feasts were frequent in the times of ignorance, but they
were only for the men; the women never being allowed,
either publicly or privately, to sit down with their tyrants, or
eat of the same food. Surfeiting, drunkenness, debauchery,
quarreling, and murder were the usual felicities and excesses
on such occasions. Here there was no riot, no intoxication,
no evil speaking, but in their place temperate refreshment,
cheerful converse, and universal harmony. Yet it would be
impossible to express the conflict of emotions, hardly recon-
cilable, with which we looked round upon this great assem-
bly,—remembering what they had been, and beholding'what
they were, and reflecting that the mere wisdom of man, em-
ployed to its utmost power, and with its utmost charity,
through an equal number of years, by agents a hundred fold
more gifted in worldly policy than the humble missionaries
who had brought the gospel hither, could have done little
256
FORM OF ROYAL MESSAGES.
towards transforming such a people from savage to civilized
society,--nothing, in fact, compared with what has been
done by “the foolishness of preaching." We could only re- ·
solve the moral miracle before our eyes by the declaration of
our Savior, “The things which are impossible with men
are possible with God." We will not disturb the hallowed
pleasure which we trust this brief account of a day in a
thousand, in the Pacific isles, will communicate, however
imperfectly, to those who may read it, by exhibiting in con-
trast the characters of many that sat at meat with us there,
in their heathen and in their Christian states ; lest the hor-
ror which the former must awaken might convert the deep
delight inspired by a contemplation of the latter, as exempli-
fied at the late baptismal sacrament, and at the present inno-
cent festival, into an undefinable feeling of doubt and fear,
lest faith, and hope, and charity had mistaken the nature or
the reality of the change-the new birth, we must call it,
and we will of many of these children of the devil, now
children of God. Those, however, who willingly doubt and.
fear in this manner, may question whether their faith, hope,
and charity come up to the standard of scripture. Till it
can be demonstrated, that “with God these things are im-
possible, we must continue to believe, upon such evidence
as hitherto has convinced us, that they are not possible only
but realized among the Polynesian people.
This feast was given by the voluntary contributions of
many persons, and designed, as we were informed among
other things, particularly to express their happiness in having
us (the deputation) among them. One of the speakers
said, in the fullness and simplicity of his heart, that he had
been praying to the Lord not to let us go away, but keep us
here as long as we lived. · Feasts were formerly made in this
manner by the taniau. The niau is a message of royal au-
thority, issued sometimes to a single district, and sometimes
throughout the whole island. The king's messenger, in
such case, took one of the feather-like branches of the cocoa-
.nut tree upon his shoulder, or a bundle of the side leaves in
his hand. Thus, charged with his dispatches, he went from
chief to chief, putting into the hands of each a piece of cocoa-
leaf, four or five inches in length, and delivering with it the
royal commands. Each principal chief, in like manner, com-
municated the message to those in rank below him, these to
raatiras, they to their inferiors, and the latter to the people
Y
TARQUARII.
257
at large. By this simple process the whole island was put in
motion in the course of a few hours, all classes promptly con-
tributing their quota of provisions towards the great enter-
tainment, or towards carrying into effect the sovereign's.
wishes, whatever they might be. Business done thus is
called tariau, or by message. Whoever accepts the bit of
cocoa-leaf offered by the messenger thereby signifies his com-
pliance with the royal mandate. Whoever should refuse to
accept it would run great risk of being banished to some re-
mote island for his contumacy; disobedience, under - such
circumstances, being “constructive treason."
CHAPTER XVI.
Two Vessels in the Offing-Tarouarii—Projected Visit to the Marque-
sas Islands--Auna, Mattatore, and their Wives, set apart as Native
Missionaries to the Marquesas--Birth of Tarouarii's Daughter-Two
Brigs-Embarkation for the Marquesas--Amphibious Dexterity of
the Islanders-Nocturnal Salubrity of the Sea-Cockroaches--To-
waihae Bay, Sandwich Islands--Motley Appearance of Natives.
Feb. 16. Two vessels appeared in the offing, at day-
break. They proved to be the Mermaid, sixty-one tons
hurthen, captain Kent, a small sloop, and the Prince Regent,
captain Brown, a schooner. The latter, seventy tons bur-
then, had been built at Port Jackson, was a neat copper-
bottomed bark, carrying six guns, and was now on its way
as a present from the king of England to the sovereign of
the Sandwich Islands, under the convoy of captain Kent.
In the course of the afternoon we went on board, and were
very politely received by the captains of both vessels.
Feb. 17. We accompanied Mr. Ellis on a visit to Ta-
rouarii, king Mahine's daughter-in-law, who expects soon to
be the mother of a posthumous child, which, if spared to
live, will be the future sovereign of Huahine; its deceased
father having been heir-presumptive to the reigning queen.
We were surprised to find this great lady, on whom the
hopes of the nation are placed, in a small shed, about seven
feet square, separated froni a larger dwelling, for her special
convenience on the august occasion of giving birth to a
prince. She was reposing upon grass spread over the floor,
and there was no other furniture in the apartment but a lamp
22*
258
PROJECTED VISIT TO THE MARQUESAS.
made of a cocoa-nut shell, glimmering with its faint beams
upon the ground, and on the posts and rafters which formed
the walls and roof, presenting to the eye their deep intersect-
ing shadows, strongly contrasted with the flickering lines
and spots of feeble light between. The queen of the island,
Hautia, and Hautia Vahine, her father and mother, with
another female, were her attendants. The shed stood within
a few paces of the sea, and had been purposely chosen, ac-
cording to the approved custom, for the benefit of free air,
and to afford her an opportunity, as soon as she should be
delivered, to plunge into the sea, and there sit in the water
for half an hour. This strange, and we might deem perilous
practice, to a woman in such delicate circumstances, is com-
mon here; and we are assured that, in most instances, it is
the means of restoring strength and animation to the ex-
hausted mother, who frequently goes about her ordinary
household business an hour or two after she has come out of
the purifying flood.
Feb. 21. During the last few days we have made an en-
gagement with captain Kent to carry Mr. Ellis, ourselves,
and some native teachers (whom it has been determined by
the church here to send thither) to the Marquesan Islands,
about a thousand miles distant from these groups. The cap-
tain promises to land our little missionary band of volunteers
there, on his way to the Sandwich Islands, or, if he cannot
beat so far to the windward now, to carry us with him to the
latter, and leave those appointed to the former on his return
to New South Wales.—This day was fixed for holding a
full religious assembly, to set apart two natives willing and
qualified to carry Christianity and civilization to the barba-
rous Marquesans, who are represented as the most ferocious
savages in these seas. About twelve hundred persons assem-
bled in the great chapel. After a suitable hymn and prayer,
Hautia, the regent, was called to the chair. Several short
addresses were then delivered to the people, by the missiona-
ries and the deputation, on the nature, importance, and diffi-
culties, of the proposed engagement; the labors, privations,
and perils, to which those who undertook it would be exposed;
and the only reward to which they must look for such sacri-
fices--the blessing of God upon themselves, and the work of
their hands, in their benevolent endeavors to communicate
the benefits of the gospel of peace to aliens and enemies per-
ishing for lack of instruction.
AUNA AND AUNA VAHINE.
259
Our late travelling companion, Auna, a principal chief,
formerly a leader among the Areois, and a priest of Hiro, the
god of thieves, then stood up in the midst of the meeting.
His lofty stature and commanding presence, the sanctity of
his regenerated character, and above all (so far as the eye
was concerned), his countenance, beaming with benignity
and intelligence, filled every bosom with emotions of awe,
delight, and expectation. He looked round with an air of
unaccustomed anxiety and embarrassment, and at first-per-
haps for the first time in his life—hesitated in the utterance :
of his sentiments on a public occasion. At length, with a
noble modesty, he began, “ Mca maitai tciemIt is a good
thing that some of us should go from Huahine to carry the
blessings of Christianity to those people who are yet lying in
the same ignorance, wickedness, and misery, as we ourselves
were but a few years ago. It is our dutý, then, to take to
the Marquesas that (parau maitai nate atua) good word of
God which has been sent to us from (Bcretáne) Britain by
the hands of missionaries, and which has been made so great
a blessing to us. I have, therefore (parau iti), a little
speech to make to the meeting, which is this,—if I and
my wife might be so favored as to be sent on this errand to
the heathen at the Marquesas-but, perhaps, we are not
worthy; yet, if we could be thought suitable for this great
and good work, both my wife and I would be very happy to
be the bearers of the gospel to those wicked islanders.”
: When he had thus spoken, he sat down, with the most
affecting humility waiting for the decision of the assembly.
Hautia, the president, immediately rose, and said, “ Auna
is the man to go!" Others exclaimed, " Auna is the man!"
A chief then stood up, and observed, that he also had a little
speech on the subject, which was, that Auna was not only
the man to go, because he could himself both teach inany
things, and set the example of all he taught, but because
Auna was " a two-handed man;" he had a good wife, Auna
Vahine, who would help her husband in every pious work,
and would also teach the women to read and to pray, to
clothe themselves decently, to make their own dresses, plat
straw bonnets, manage their families, and bring up their
children in the right way. This being universally assented
to, Auna and his wife were appointed as it were by accla-
mation, so greatly was the meeting moved—the first messen-
gers from this church to their heathen neighbors; neighbors,
260
HAUTIA AND HAUTIA VAJINE.
in fact, though they dwelt a thousand miles off, and neigh-
bors in the language of the gospel, because they loved them
as themselves.
Another chief was then named, Mattatore, a pious, intel-
ligent, and remarkably ingenious man in every kind of work
to which he turned his hand. Several of the congregation
successively stood up, and in their “ little speeches," recom-,
mended him and his partner (for he also was “a two-handed
man") as suitable fellow-laborers with Auna and his wife.
Mattatore, disclaiming with unaffected diffidence any superi-
or qualifications for the honorable work, added, that if his
partner and himself were deemed worthy to be intrusted with
it, by the deputation from Beretane, the missionaries and
their Christian country-people, they should be happy to un-
dertake it. The whole congregation then looked towards
Hautia, who, to the surprise of every one, remained silent,
and appeared sad; his noble countenance expressed much
agitation of spirit, and he hesitated for a while to unburthen
his mind in words. At length he rose, and, with an air of
meekness and humility which gave inexpressible grace to
the dignity of the high-born island-chief, he said, “I have a
little speech, because a thought has grown up in my heart,
and it has grown up also in the heart of Hautia Vahine (his
wife). But, perhaps, it is not a good thought; yet I must
speak it; and this is our thought.-If the missionaries, and
the deputation, and the church of Huahine, think that I and
my wife would be fit companions for Auna and his wife, to
teach the good work of God to those idolatrous people who
are as we were, and cause them to become as we are here, and
in Tahiti, and Eimeo, and Raiatea, and Borabora, we should
be rejoiced to go; but, perhaps, we are not worthy, and
others may be much better suited for the blessed work; yet
we should love to go.”
This declaration from one who, as regent, was virtually
king of the island, who held valuable hereditary possessions
upon it, as well as received large contributions, to support
his royal state, both from chiefs and people who, besides
his political and civil functions, filled a wide sphere of use-
fulness in the church, as superintendent of schools, as patron
and promoter of infant arts and thriving industry among his
subjects, and who was himself an example of all that he
recommended to others or required of them- this declara-
tion produced a most extraordinary sensation throughout
SURPRISE AT HAUTIA'S OFFER.
261
the whole assembly, but especially in our breasts-emotions
never to be forgotten, nor ever to be recollected without
a renewal of the strange and overwhelming delight which
we experienced on witnessing such a proof of the power of
divine grace, in making the blind idolater, the stern warrior,
the proud chief of a barbarous people, under the influence
of a new and regenerating principle, willing to forsake all,
deny himself, and take up his cross, that he might follow the
Redeemer to regions of despair, where Christ was not named,
and where his disciples might expect both “ to know the
fellowship of his sufferings and to be conformed unto his
death.” But, having already experienced “the power of his
resurrection," " none of these things moved" the voluntary
candidates for a perilous service, “neither counted they
their lives dear unto them, so that they might finish their
course with joy, and the ministry which they had received
of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
Of Hautia and his wife we could not but thus judge. As
soon as we had a little recovered from our surprise, we rose,
and thus addressed the royal pair : “Hautia! we have here-
tofore been pleased, beyond our hopes, with every thing
which we have seen of the happy effects of the gospel, in
this island and others, since we arrived from England to visit
you. Truly the Lord has caused his good word to grow up
among you, and bearfruit abundantly. But nothing which we
have heard, or seen, or felt, has delighted us more than what
you have done, and said, and made us to enjoy in our own
souls, this day. It was a good thought that grew up in your
own heart-it was a good thought that grew up in the heart
of your wife, Hautia Vahine; and we believe that it was
God himself who caused that thought to grow in each of
you. But we also believe that it is his will that we should
now say to you, as the prophet, in the name of the Lord,
said unto David (whose history and character you know)
when he desired to build an house for the name of the
Lord God of Israel ;' 'Thou didst well that it was in thine
heart ; nevertheless thou shalt not build the house, but thy
son shall build it. We say, therefore, it is well that it was
in your hearts to go to the Marquesan islands on this errand
of mercy; yet you must not go yourselves; others must do
that good work. Hautia, God hath placed you here as
king, in a station of the highest honor and most extensive
usefulness. Here you have great influence, and that influ-
262
BIRTH OF TAROUARII'S DAUGHTER.
ence you employ largely for his glory and for the benefit of
your people. Here you are a nursing father, and Hautia
Vahine is a nursing mother, to the church. Here you are
a terror to evil doers and a praise to them that do well. In
no other place could you do so much good, by authority, by
précept, by persuasion, and by example, as you are necessarily
doing here, in the exercise of that power and those talents with
which you have been invested. We again say that we are
glad that the thought did grow up in your heart; but we be-
lieve that the Lord says to you, by us, you must not go on
this mission, for He hath need of you here. Other chiefs (as
deputies from you and your subjects) may be as useful among
the ferocious Marquesans as you could be—whereas, in Hua-
hine, none can equal you in usefulness.” Hautia, deeply affect-
ed, replied : “ Since you say so, perhaps it is the Lord's will
that we should not go to the Marquesas, but stay in Huahine;
perhaps we may serve him better here. Be it so; and yet I
wish that it had fallen to me and my wife to go.”
Auna and Mattatore and their wives were then set apart to
this new ministry in special prayer, by Mr. Ellis; after which,
while they yet remained kneeling at the table in the front
of the pulpit, Mr. Barff delivered to them a solemn charge,
respecting their future duties among the heathen to whom
they were thus ordained to preach the unsearchable richies
of Christ. The whole service was concluded with singing
and prayer; and the people departed with hearts that burned
within them, both with affection towards the friends with
whom they were thus parting, and with humble thankfulness
to God that they were permitted to give up those who were
most deservedly dear to them to his service, and to the
heathen, to bring them to the knowledge of the truth.
Feb. 23. This day Tarouarii, Mahine's widowed daugh-
ter-in-law, became the mother of a posthumous child. To
the disappointment of the families to which she was allied,
the infant was a girl; but, though a boy had been anxiously
desired, both by chiefs and people, recognizing, as they now
do, a divine superintending Providence, they soon soothed
their minds into acquiescence, and are contented to believe
that this will be for the best. Volleys of musketry were
fired repeatedly in the course of the day, in honor of the
birth of the princess, and in hope that she-their only hope
in the direct line—may live to be the future queen of Hua-
hine. The wife of one of the missionaries was sent for im-
EMBARKATION FOR THE MARQUESAS.
263
mediately, to dress the babe in the English fashion, as it has
been determined, on every occasion, to conform as nearly as
possible to the manners and customs of the nation which has
sent them spiritual fathers and instructors in righteousness.
Captain Walker, of the Dragon brig, and captain Hunter,
of the Macquarrie, both came into the harbor this morning.
Here, then, for the first time since a European ship was
seen in these waters, there are four vessels at anchor at the
same time. Four hundred in a British port would not excite
greater curiosity and admiration. We have just been told
that captain Walker, with some of his crew, having landed
on one of the multitude of little islands with which these
latitudes are spotted, and having taken on shore with them
a goat, the people, at once imagining it must be a god, flock-
ed round it to gratify their curiosity and show their venera-
tion, no such animal having been ever seen there before.
The goat, feeling itself incommoded by their handling and
crowding, began to manifest its displeasure—butting at one
child, knocking down another, and pursuing a third, so that
the group were soon put to flight. Alarmed and enraged
at this hostile conduct of the new god, the people appeared
about to take vengeance on the strangers; but, before they
had wrought up their minds to make an attack, the captain
and some of his party, by a singular stratagem, contrived
to amuse the enemy till they could safely venture to turn their
backs upon them. Having some razors in their possession
for traffic, they made signs that they would shave any of
the people that wished to be so accommodated. This was
eagerly accepted, and one man after another offered his
chin, which was quickly cleared of the stubble, the sailors
gradually retreating, till, having reached the shore, they leap-
ed into their boat, and rowed away.
Feb. 25. The last three days having been employed in
making preparations for our voyage, and taking leave of our
friends, English and native, here, we embarked with cap-
tain Kent about noon. A breeze from the east quickly
carried our little sloop, and its associate the schooner, out of
Fare harbor. Before nightfall the heights of Huahine had
vanished, and we were once more upon the broad ocean, com-
mitting ourselves, in fervent and believing prayer, to His
guidance “whom winds and seas obey." Our ship is little
more than sixty' tons burthen. Our company consists of
twelve persons, namely--the deputation (Messrs. Tyerman
264
AMPHIBIOUS DEXTERITY OF THE ISLANDERS.
and Bennet), Mr. Ellis, Auna and Mattatore, and their
wives, and our Tahitian attendants. Our provisions, both
live stock and vegetables, occupy considerable room; so
that, with the captain and crew, both deck and cabins are
well peopled and filled.
Feb. 28. The wind having been very light, and some-
what variable, our progress has not been rapid, but quite
pleasant to the feelings of those of us who have been accus-
tomed to the motion of a ship. This day one of our finest
store hogs fell overboard, not having yet got his “sea legs,"
we presumea happy phrase to express the oscillating gait
of persons accustomed to walk on deck with a motion cor-
responding to the swing of the vessel. While the sailors
were lowering á boat to recover the unfortunate animal, two
of our Tahitian attendants leaped after it, and brought it close.
under the ship's side, where they fastened a rope round its
body, by which it was presently hauled upon deck. The
dexterity of these people in the water is surprising. Men,
women, and children, can all swim and dive; indeed, in-
fants are so early taught these necessary accomplishments of
a half-amphibious life that they sometimes excel in them
before they can walk. On a certain occasion, as our mis-
sionary friends at Huahine, with their children, were crossing
the upper part of the bay at Fare, their canoe was suddenly
upset, when they and several helpless infants were plunged
at once into deep water. The queen, a woman of vast bulk,
being near at hand, and perceiving their danger, immediate-
ly threw herself into the lagoon, swam to their assistance,
and with her own hands saved the life of one of the party
from destruction. A female servant followed the children,
caught them in her arms, and swam to shore with her res-
cued treasures, which she delivered safely into the hands of
their overjoyed parents, themselves just snatched from death
by their wonted intrepidity, habitual presence of mind, and
fearlessness of peril, in situations where the fear itself proba-
bly constitutes the chief part of the danger.
Nothing can exceed the salubrity of the atmosphere in
these regions during the night-time. So soon as the sun
goes down, the temperature becomes agreeable and refresh-
ing. Elsewhere, between the tropics, heavy dews are wont
to follow the oppressive heat of day, and render any expo-
sure of the person to the night-breeze dangerous. Here
there is no humidity that need be dreaded. We have been
A SHARK AND HER YOUNG ONES, KILLED.
265
repeatedly, during our insular circumnavigations, whole
nights upon the water, in open boats, without experiencing
either damp or chill, or observing any clamminess upon our
clothing or the rigging of our scallop-shell vessels. Hence
the islanders frequently sleep upon the ground, under the
open sky, without fearing or feeling any inconvenience.
On board of European ships, also, the sailors, in these seas,
lie down to rest on the bare deck with the same impunity.
The most delicate constitution may luxuriate in breathing
the pure, mild, midnight air of these voluptuous climes.
March 7. (South lat. 7° 58'. West long. 153° 1711.)
We have been becalmed for the last two days. The dull-
ness of the scene was interrupted, this morning, by the
approach of a large shark to the vessel, sufficiently near, to
its own cost, to be harpooned, and hauled on board. It
measured eight feet four inches in length, and proved to be
a female. When opened, eleven young ones, each two feet
three inches long, were taken out of two wombs within her.
She seemed to be near the time of regular parturition ; for,
when separated from their dam, they floundered about the
deck, with great strength and vivacity, for a considerable
while. After the mother-shark had been cut quite in sun-
der; across the middle, and received several heavy blows
from a large hatchet, wielded by a powerful man, she still
writhed in her death-pangs, and opened and closed her jaws
with spasmodic force-so frightfully tenacious are these
animals of life. The islanders say that immediately before
the females bring forth their young, they are particularly
savage and voracious; they are then, also, most daring in
their attacks, and most difficult to subdue, or to kill when
resistance on their part is vain. It was horrible to look
upon the massacre, on our deck, of such a parent and her
numerous progeny, infuriated with pain, and burning with
life, till the final spark became extinct in the last drop of
blood that coagulated.
March 11. (S. lat. 8° 42'. W. long. 148° 41'. Therm.
83°.) We have made little progress. Variable winds, and
rains occasionally, have exercised our patience; but it is not
for us to choose our course at sea any more than “it is in
man that walketh to direct his steps." We saw several
killers or threshers, as they are called, indifferently. These
are a species of large ferocious fishes, which often attack
the whales in these seas, by bounding out of the water and
VOL. I.
23
266
A BOY FALLS OVERBOARD.
JU
lighting, like arrows, upon them; when it is said that they
sometimes so torment as to destroy their enormous but
utterly impotent victims ;-in what manner we cannot clearly
learn, and may be permitted to doubt the fact. If the
whales die under such assailants, it must be as much of
fright as of the wounds which the latter can inflict on their
thick-blubbered carcasses.
March 14. The wind has lately been north-east, and we
are, therefore, sailing in the direction of the Sandwich
Islands, it being now improbable that we should reach the
Marquesas. The nights are brilliant, not with moon and
stars alone, but frequent fiery meteors, suddenly kindled
as out of nothing, and as suddenly, resolving again into
nothing. We now see the constellation of the Great Bear,
but as yet have been looking in vain for the polar star.
March 15. A native New Holland boy-an orphan,
whose father was drowned, and whose mother died while
he was young, whom our captain has kindly taken into his
service-fell orerboard, this morning, unperceived by any
body, till his cries, as he followed the ship, swimming with
desperate but unequally-matched exertion, to overtake her,
summoned all hands that could be employed to his assis-
tance. Again, as in the case of the hog, while the boat was
launching, our two Tahitian servants flung themselves into
the sea, with a rope. When they met the poor lad among
the waves-resolutely buffeting them, but almost exhausted
---the one received him upon his back, and the other swim-
ming beside, they thus brought him to the boat, which took
up all three, and they were soon safe on board. This youth,
like his countrymen, goes almost entirely naked, and cannot
be persuaded to encumber himself with clothes. His hair
is brown, and the color of his skin like that of the Tahitians,
but darker, probably from continual exposure to the elements.
His escape was very remarkable. On inquiring, we learned
that he fell overboard from the lee bow. He had, therefore,
gone clean under the vessel, and been borne up at the
weather quarter, when first discovered. Had he come up
astern, it is probable that he must have perished before he
was missed, no one being there to be alarmed by his shrieks.
He was washing himself, as was his custom, by drawing up
buckets of sea-water, and throwing them over his body,
when he lost his balance, and fell headlong into the
deep.
'
LUMINOUS TRACKS IN THE SEA.
267
'
March 16. Yesterday the sun was vertical, to-day we
have passed him, and, after long witnessing his daily course
through the north, again behold him, as in our native
country, to the south of us. We have not been more than
ten months absent from England, yet this is the fourth time
that we have come under his vertical rays. The sun, how-
ever, has not been permitted to smite us by day, nor the
moon 'by night;" the stars have not " fought against us in
their courses ;"' " the bands of Orion” have not been loosed
to destroy us by storms, nor have “ the sweet influences of
Pleiades” been bound, to withhold blessings, by land and by
sea, from us. (S. lat. 0° 55' 36''. W. long. 149° 46').
This track of ocean is remarkably full of the nocturnal
spangles which we have noticed elsewhere. Millions of
these efflorescences of flame, as they seem to the eye,
pass the sides of the vessel every moment, and form in her
wake a train of brilliancý such as no comet, in its periheli-
um, ever drew “o'er half the heavens.” Beautiful illumina-
tions of the same kind, whatever be their nature, are fre-
quently seen at a' great depth in the clear water, which, in
the night-time, becomes jet black. Often, through this dark
but limpid medium, have we amused ourselves by tracking
the routes of large fishes, such as porpoises or sharks, gleam-
ing along in lines of light beneath the abyss, itself invisible
with gloom. These, like coruscations of a sub-marine
aurora, might sometimes be discovered at far distances,
shooting and disappearing, slowly or suddenly, according to
the courses of the sea-monsters, each of which, like the
leviathan of scripture, "maketh a path to shine after him;
one would think the deep to be hoary." Job xli. 32.
March 17. The minutest circumstances relative to animal
life, even in its lowest classes, are worthy of record. Last
night, about ten o'clock, hundreds of cockroaches issued,
at the same instant, from all their hiding-places in the cabin,
and began to fly about. In the course of, a few minutes
they all retired again, without assigning any reason (which
we could understand) for their spontaneous and simultaneous
irruption or retreat. Some on board said it was a sign of
rain, but none fell in the night, nor is there yet any less
ambiguous sign of such downfall in the sky. We crossed
the line about two o'clock this morning, and find ourselves
again in our own hemisphere, which, like every thing in
any way associated with the subject, reminds us of home,
268
. FIRST APPEARANCE OF HAWAII.
March 20. (N. lat. 5° 40'. W. long. 149° 14'.) At
noon we had a strong squall, accompanied by heavy rain
from the east. Since the evening when the cockroaches
swarmed out of their holes in the cabin, to take an airing by
candle-light, and retired as unaccountably as they came, the
weather has certainly changed from almost unbroken calm
and drought to fits of wind and showers, with sluggish in-
tervals, when air and ocean seem alike inert and impotent
to speed our way.
March 26. After a continuance of the same, weather :
during the last five days (though with more frequent gusts
and showers), as we had previously experienced, last night
the gale blew very hard, with almost constant rain, but our
small bark suffered no damage. N. lat. 15° 43'. W. long.
152° 35'.
March 28. At three o'clock, p. m., land appeared right
ahead, that is, wearing west, distance about twenty leagues ;
and, though clouds covered the highest mountains, the
lower ranges, to a great extent, were distinctly visible. We
could not doubt, from our observations, that this was one of
the Sandwich Islands, our north latitude being 19° 23', and
west longitude 154° 5'. This was a joyful sight to all on
board. Towards evening we lost it again, the fog being
considerable ; but the loom of land was, nevertheless, cogni-
zable by the thick dark clouds overhanging it.
March 29. Having lain-to in the night, at break of day
the land was clearly seen about fifteen miles off, though the
eininences were still shrouded in thick vapor. As we ap-
proached, the coast seemed to be rock-bound, the waves
dashing at the bottom of the cliffs. These might be a hun-
dred feet in average height; while beyond them the land
sloped gradually up to ten times that elevation, green, and
occasionally studded with clumps of trees. This declivity
was rent into ravines, opening towards the sea, and mani-
festly furrowed by fierce cataracts in rainy seasons. When
we had proceeded about ten miles along the coast, its char-
acter changed into sterner magnificence, the cliffs rising
to five hundred feet, and being more deeply indented with
vast chasms, of which the black and almost perpendicular
fronts were brilliantly enlivened with numerous cascades,
rolling, as their course lay, over rocky beds, oblique or
abrupt, in all the forms that water can assume rushing
through steep or straitened channels. These falls are

Drava by Joh. Dennis iron
sketch by D. Tyeran
TOWAITAE BAT ISLAND OF GAWAII.
JOHN ADAMS, OF HAWAII.
269
called Papehii, and from their multitude it is said that the
island itself takes its name, Owhyhce (Hawaii, according to
the improved orthography) meaning the same thing. One
of our Tahitian women being asked, while we were thus
coasting, whether she could swim on shore, replied, “O
yes; why not?—very easily !"—though we were at least five
miles from the land.
By the time that we had reached Towaihae bay, the wind
fell, and we were perfectly becalmed. This bay forms the
segment of a large circle, receding about a mile inward, but
of much more considerable width, having three stately
mountains at its head, whose bases come down to the sea.
· Along the ridge of one of these were several streaks of snow,
though the height was not so great as to warrant the expec-
tation of so rare a spectacle in these tropical regions. The
soil upon their slopes, and round the bay, hadi a bare and
sterile aspect, in comparison with the exuberant fertility of
the islands which we had lately left. On the southern side
rose a dreary conical hill, utterly destitute of vegetation,
pretty evidently the crater of an extinct or a reposing
volcano.
- In the dusk of the evening, a personage of some impor-
tance came off to us from the shore, in a boat of four oars,
who called himself John Adams. He is a native of Hawaii,
and said that he was governor of the island in the absence
of the king. He was a very stout man, much resembling
the superior chiefs of Tahiti (who are distinguished far
above the commonalty by their “ limbs of giant mould”),
but of a much swarthier complexion than they. Our visitor
was dressed in European costume, with jacket and trowsers.
He informed us that Rihoriho, the reigning king, resides at
present on another island of the cluster, called Oahu (Woa-
hoo, as formerly written), that he has five wives, and drinks
an immoderate quantity of ardent spirits.* Various scraps
of local intelligence this John Adams very freely communi-
cated; and as he speaks English (which he learnt from the
American visitors and residents, though he can neither
read nor write) sufficiently well for the purpose of gossiping
conversation, we found no difficulty in talking with him.
As he wished to go with us to Kearakekua bay, the captain
* The reader must bear in mind, that this visit was made as long
ago as the year 1822. Am. Editor.
23*
270
VISITS FROM THE NATIVES.
permitted him to remain on board, and he sent back his
attendants with the boat.
March 30. The wind having gone down, we were de-
tained in the bay. Several canoes caine from the shore,
crowded with persons of both sexes; who manifested consid-
erable curiosity at the sight of our two little vessels-though
European and American ships of far greater burthen are no
rarities here—but they brought us nothing either for presents
or for sale. They are evidently in personal appearance of -
an inferior race to our Tahitians; though probably hardier
in their habits, and certainly more savage in their disposi-
tions, not having yet experienced the transforming and soft-
ening influence of that Christianity which has improved the
inhabitants of the Society Isles almost as much to the eye as
in the spirit of their mind. Most of these visitors wore their
fine curled hair long on the top of their heads, which had a
graceful appearance. We scarcely observed one of them
who had not lost three or four front teeth, either in the
upper or lower jaw, which much disfigured their mouths.
John Adams says that, when a particular friend or near
relative dies, they usually knock out a few of these, in token
of their affection. He himself had lost two, which he had
sacrificed to the memory of the late king Tamehameha.
Many came on board, very scantily attired, and very sloven-
ly in their manners, but we perceived no disposition to steal,
or commit any other kind of mischief. They came, and
walked about, and went away again, as familiarly as if they
belonged to the ship's crew.
March 31. Being still becalmed here, John Adams's'.
boat brought us a fresh supply of cocoa-nuts, sugar-canes,
and a calabash of water, from the shore. This present was
very acceptable, and soon furnished employment for all on
board. It was amusing to see with what relish our Tahiti-
ans, after a month's abstinence (or rather penance on sea
stores), enjoyed a meal of their own sweet food, though both
the canes and the cocoas were inferior to those of their
native soil. The logs, the goats, the fowls, and the very
dogs, which had fared indifferently enough on board, all
came in for their share of the delicious repast. So many
mouths, and so many kinds of appetite, were brought to
bear upon the crude provisions, that while one ate one part,
and another another, scarcely a fragment was left ; leaves
and stalks, shells and husks, being greedily devoured by
FIRST LANDING ON HEATHEN GROUND.
271
this or that class of guests, at an entertainment where each
might have said in their own particular dialect) to any other
of the company, - Hail, fellow! well met!"
Being yet unable to proceed to our proposed harbor, we
went on shore, and for the first time set foot on a heathen
soil. The very thought went to our hearts and through
them, exciting emotions which we shall not pretend to par-
ticularize. Here, where the gospel as yet has done but lit-
tle in its spiritual effects, we were taught to estimate, more
truly than we could even upon the spot, how much it has
done in the Society Islands. The contrast was powerful,
and it was saddening; yet not without hope. We cannot
better express the peculiar feelings which the state of the
people whom we were now beholding awakened within us-
in reference to what they had been heretofore, what they are
now, and what we must believe they soon will be than in
the language of prophecy :-" It shall come to pass, in that
day, that the light shall not be .clear nor dark: but it shall
be one day which shall be known to the Lord; not day nor
night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall
be light."--Zech. xiv. 6,7 Thus in this region of the
shadow of death, which the day-spring from on high is but
beginning to visit, light verily seems to be struggling
with darkness, as it does in the figurative prediction just
quoted, " and the darkness comprehendeth it not;' but God
hath commanded it to shine, and who shall forbid it, or ar-
rest its progress ? Not all the powers of darkness. It may
be long before it beam forth, but “at evening time it shall
be light."'*.
The natives flocked to the water-side when we landed;
shouting, exulting, and running towards us from all quarters.
On the beach we were met by an old man bearing in his
hand a small white stick, newly peeled of the bark, with a
green leaf stuck transversely at the top. - This we took to be
either a wand of office or an emblem of peace. It was,
probably, both, for the patriarch conducted us very cour-
teously to the residence of the principal chief of the district.
This personage and his wife were sitting on one side of the
entrance, and received us in the most friendly manner, but
without rising. The house consisted of one very large apart-
* These hopes have, happily been since realized, to a considerable
extent-Compiler.
272.
MO'TLEY APPEARANCE OF THE NATIVES.
ment, having wide folding-doors at each end, but without
windows. The floor was handsomely carpeted with mats.
On these we seated ourselves cross-legged, according to the
style of the country. Both the folding-doors were then
thrown open, and the natives, young and old, unceremoni-
ously rushed in, to gaze at the strangers. Every thing ap-
peared disadvantageously different from what we had been
accustomed to see in the Christianized islands. The women
wore no covering except a slight cloth about their loins;
while a peculiar kind of head-dress gave them a very odd
appearance. The hair in front was left about two inches
long, and made to stand upright by being daubed with a
composition like mortar. One girl, in addition to this gro-
tesque toupee, had bound her long natural tresses into a pig-
tail. The hair of our host was tied in a knot upon the
crown of his head, and a corresponding knot was made of
his beard under the chin. His consort's locks were not de-
filed with dirty powder, like those of the other females; but
her legs, and various parts of her person, were superbly
tatooed. The only ornament in the house was a print, taken
from Cook's voyages, of a man and woman of this island.
A slight repast being set before us, which consisted of cocoa-
nuts, a liquor prepared from the sugar-cane, tasting like ci-
der, a pudding of some kind of farinaceous paste, and pieces
of an insipid root, several feet long, and as thick as a man's
leg, unknown to us, we took a little of each, and then walked
out, accompanied by the chief himself, to the neighboring
village.
· The inhabitants presented a motley appearance, from the
disgusting scantiness of their dress in most of them, and the
preposterous fashion of it in others. One man, who had an.
English shirt on, gave us to understand that he was a priest,
and pointed to the adjacent marae, at which he officiated.
This idolatrous temple was built upon a projection of lava;
and large masses of the same substance lay scattered about
the houses and the sea-shore. On either side of the village,
two vast rivers of lava, a quarter of a mile wide, reaching
from the mountain heights to the water, and -of prodigious
thickness, showed the tracks of devastation which they had
respectively followed, when, molten and burning, they had
been cast forth from the adjacent crater, which reared its
. head amidst the bright and genial heaven, far above the
green and fruitful earth, on which it had stamped the curse
KEARAKEKUA BAY.
273
of everlasting sterility, ever since the igneous torrent had,
from its mouth, rolled over the land. .
The houses were all built according to one uncouth mod-
el, bearing very little resemblance to the Tahitian dwellings.
They have no side walls, but are, in fact, mere thatched
roofs, resting on the ground, and shaped like the top of a
haystack in England. On the beach we found a company
of nearly thirty persons sitting in a circle, with their faces
inward, all apparently paying the most humble deference to
a female who occupied the chief place, and who was not un-
gracefully attired in a scarlet woollen under-dress, of Euro-
pean manufacture, and an upper robe of fine native cloth.
She wore, also, a curious necklace, composed of a great
number of flat circular black beads, fastened upon a thick
cord, which was tied behind ; a crooked ornament, made of
the tooth of some enormous fish, being suspended in front.
Over her bosom, also, was slung a small looking-glass, by a
slip of brown list. Her demeanor was remarkably modest.
We learned that she was the woman of highest rank in the
village. :
March 31. We are just arrived in Kearakekua Bay,
where captain Cook lost his life. It was like entering a
British harbor; here being no less than eleven American
whalers, from 300 to 350 tons burthen each. Numerous ca-
noes immediately flocked round our anchorage, which is
within a quarter of a mile of the beach. These came, not
from idle curiosity, but to offer their merchandise and pro-
visions, of various kinds, for sale. All the American cap-
tains visited us, in the course of the day, with the most hos-
pitable offers of any thing which we might want and their
ships could supply. Many native women and girls having
come on board, to see our Tahitian female friends, the latter,
perceiving how much the Hawaiians were gratified with their
personal attire, took the opportunity frankly to reprove them
for appearing abroad with so little clothing on; assuring
them that, in the southern islands, no modest woman durst
go out of doors so unbecomingly exposed. They added,
moreover, “and we will not acknowledge you to be women
if you do not dress more decently." The dialects of both
nations are so nearly akin that the natives can converse very
well with one another.


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