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by her train; beside her stood the native peasant-and, around them all, what may be termed the police-officers. Turning to Teuhe, the magistrate inquired for what purpose they had been convened. The poor man said, that in his garden grew a bread-fruit tree, whose shade was grateful to the inmates of his cottage, and whose fruit, with that of those which grew around, supported his family for five or seven months in every year; but that, yesterday, some one had cut it down, as he had been informed, by order of the queen. He knew that they had laws-he had thought those laws protected the poor man's property, as well as that of kings and chiefs; and he wished to know whether it was right that, without his knowledge or consent, the tree should have been cut down.

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The magistrate, turning to the queen, asked if she had ordered the tree to be cut down. She answered, "Yes." He then asked if she did not know that they had laws. She said, "Yes;" but she was not aware that they applied to her. The magistrate asked, "If in those laws” (a copy of which he held in his hand) "there were any exceptions in favour of chiefs, or kings, or queens?" She said, "No"-and despatched one of her attendants to her house, who soon returned with a bag of dollars, which she threw down before the poor man, as a recompense for his loss. "Stop," said the justice, we have not done yet." The queen began to weep. "Do you think it right that you should have cut down the tree without asking the owner's permission?" continued the magistrate. "It was not right," said the queen. Then turning to the poor man, he asked, "What remuneration do you require ?" Teuhe answered, "If the queen is convinced that it was not right to take a little man's tree without his permission, I am sure she will not do so again. I am satisfied-I require no other recompense. His disinterestedness was applauded; the assembly dispersed-and afterward, I think, the queen sent him privately a present equal to the value of his tree.

CHAPTER VIII.

Visit from the windward islands-Opposition to the moral restraints of Christianity-Tattooing prohibited by the chiefs-Revival of the practice-Trial and penalty of the offenders-Rebellion against the laws and governmentPublic assembly-Address of Taua-Departure of the chiefs and people from the encampment of the king's son-Singularity of their dress and appearance-Interview between the rival parties-Return of Hautia and the captives-Arrival of the deputation at Tahiti-Account of Taaroarii-Encouraging circumstances connected with his early life-His marriageProfligate associates-Effects of bad example-Disorderly conduct-His illness-Attention of the chiefs and people-Visits to his encampment-Last interview-Death of Taaroarii-Funeral procession-Impressive circumstances connected with his decease and interment-His monument and epitaph-Notice of his father-His widow and daughter-Institution of Christian burial-Dying expressions of native converts.

DURING the year 1821, besides going to Tahiti, I made three voyages to Raiatea, and spent several weeks with the missionaries there. These voyages were not dangerous, although we were often out at sea all night, and sometimes for nights and days together. The Hope, whose arrival at Tahiti in April had afforded us so much satisfaction, called at Huahine on her way to England, with a cargo she had taken in at Tahiti. Shortly after this we were also favoured with a visit from Messrs. Darling and Bourne, who accompanied the captain of the Westmoreland from Tahiti in the ship's long-boat. After meeting the missionaries of the leeward islands at Raiatea, they passed some weeks with us in Huahine. Their visit was peculiarly gratifying, being the first we had received from any of the missionaries in the wind<ward islands, though we had been at Fa-re harbour upwards of three years. The season they spent with us was also distinguished by one or two important circumstances.

Paganism had been renounced in 1816, and a general profession of Christianity followed the commencement of the mission here; there were, however, a number who felt the restraint Christianity imposed upon their evil propensities to be exceedingly irksome. These were principally young persons; and though, from the influence of example or the popularity of religion, they had attached themselves to the Christians, they were

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probably hoping that a change would take place in the sentiments of the nation more favourable to their wishes, and relax the restriction which the precepts of Scripture had imposed. They did not, however, disturb the tranquillity of the community.

But when the chiefs intimated their intention of governing for the future according to the principles and maxims of the Bible, and that the new code of laws had received the sanction of Pomare-vahine, as well as that of the ruling chiefs on the island, they began to be apprehensive that the existing state of things was likely to be permanent. They then first exhibited a disposition to oppose their application. Several who had trangressed had been by the chiefs admonished and dismissed; the latter, at the same time, firmly declaring their determination to enforce the laws which they had promulgated.

Among other prohibitions, that of tattooing, or staining the body, was included. The simple act of marking the skin was not a breach of the peace, but it was intimately connected with their former idolatry, always attended with the practice of abominable vices, and was on this account prohibited. In the month of July it was discovered that a number, about forty-six young persons, had been marking themselves. The principal chiefs said that formerly the disobedience of so numerous a party to any order of the chiefs would have been considered equivalent to a declaration of war, and they should have sent armed men after them at once, and either have slain or banished the delinquents; but now, as they had laws, they wished to know whether it would be right that they should all be tried, and, if found guilty, have the sentence annexed to the crime pronounced against them.

We told the chiefs it would not be wrong, and the next morning attended the trial. It was conducted with the greatest candour and forbearance on the part of the magistrates and accusers, and an equal degree of submission on the part of the offenders, though it appeared they had supposed that from their numbers and the circumstance of one or two young chiefs of distinction being among them, the government would not have noticed their conduct. They were sentenced to build a certain quantity of stone-work on the margin of the sea.

In a day or two afterward it was discovered that Taaroarii, the king's son, a youth about eighteen years of age, had also been tattooed; and this being considered as an expression of his disapprobation of his father's proceedings, and of his determination as to the conduct he designed to pursue, produced a great sensation among the people. His venerable father was deeply affected, and the struggle between affection for his son and his duty to the people was evidently strong. The latter prevailed; he directed him to be tried, and attended him to the trial: here he affectionately admonished his son to profit by his experience, and warned the spectators, telling them not to be deceived, and suppose that the laws by which they had mutually agreed to be governed would be violated with impunity. Some of the latter observed, if the king's son does not escape, what will become of the common men?

Taaroarii, the chief of Sir Charles Sanders's Island, and the expected successor to his father in the sovereignty of Huahine, now assisted in building the portion of stone-work allotted to him. His friends and attendants performed the greater part of the labour-still there was a feeling of pride, that would not allow him to stand altogether idle. I visited his house one evening, and entered freely into conversation with him on the subject. He observed that he was sorry for what he had done, but appeared to indicate that he did not wish it to be thought that the work assigned him was any punishment.

Several unsteady young men and women, who followed the example of the first party, were also tried, and sentenced to similar punishments; and afterward two principal personages in the island, by having their bodies tattooed, joined their party: these two were the son of the king of Raiatea, who was residing at Huahine and his sister, who had been married to a member of Mahine's family. Their party was now strong, both in point of number and influence, and we expected that the simple circumstance of marking the person with tattoo was only one of the preliminaries of their design; and in this we were not mistaken.

In the month of August we heard that Taaroarii, with a number of those whom the chiefs had sentenced to labour on the public works, had left their employment, and were gone to Parea, in the northern part of

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the island. They told the officers of the chief appointed to superintend them that they intended in a few days to return. The people were greatly attached to the king's son, and the officers, willing to show him every indulgence, did not oppose his removal; but reports were soon circulated that he was employing emissaries to invite the disaffected to join him, with the assurance, that as soon as they were strong enough, he intended to assume the government of the island, and abolish the laws-that under his reign every one should follow his own inclinations with regard to those customs which the laws prohibited. His father being absent at Raiatea, he had judged the present a favourable time for making a vigorous effort.

On the evening of the 9th of September, which was the Sabbath, a messenger came from the chiefs while we were engaged at family prayers, informing me that a large party of wild young men had gone to Parea, and that the son of the king of Raiatea was preparing to follow them. I went down to his dwelling; his wife and several of his principal men were persuading him to remain, and not unite himself with those whose designs were evidently unfavourable to peace. I mingled my entreaties with theirs, but it was of no avail. His own men, finding he could not be deterred unless by violence, desisted: while a number of young fellows, like minded with himself, urging him to depart, he hastened after the party that had gone to Parea. As soon as Hautia, the deputy-governor of the island, heard it, he gave orders for the people to prepare to go, and fetch them back the next day.

On the following morning, accompanied by Messrs. Darling and Bourn, I went down to the settlement about sunrise, to witness the proceedings of an assembly convened to consider the events of the preceding day. It was one of the most interesting of the kind I ever attended. The public council was held in the open air, on the sea-beach, in the shade of several tamanu-trees, that grew in front of the governor's house. Hautia sat on a rustic native seat near the trunk of the principal tree. The chiefs of the different districts and the magistrates were assembled near him, while most of the people of the settlement had gathered round, to witness their proceedings, full of anxiety for the result.