DEATH OF POMARE II. 187 God in Christ is adapted to kindle in our hearts, augmented by gratitude to Him who hath brought life and immortality to light. CHAPTER IX. Arrival of the deputation in Huahine-Death of Pomare-Notice of his ancestry-Description of his person-His mental character and habits--Perseverance and proficiency in writing-His letter to England, &c.-Estimation in which he was held by the people-Pomare the first convert to Christianity-His commendable endeavours to promote its extension-Declension during the latter part of his life-His friendship to the missionaries uniform-His aid important-Circumstances connected with his deathAccession of his son Pomare III.-Coronation of the infant king-Encouraging progress in learning-Early death-Extensive use of letters among the islanders-Writing on plantain-leaves-Value of writing-paper-South Sea Academy-Trials peculiar to mission families among uncivilized nationsAdvantages of sending missionary children to civilized countries. SOON after our return from Tahiti, the indisposition of Mr. and Mrs. Williams required a suspension of their exertions in Raiatea, and a visit to New South Wales. Mr. On the 8th of December, 1821, the shout of E pahi, e! A ship, ho! re-echoed through our valley; we proceeded towards the beach, and, on reaching the sea-side, beheld a large American vessel already within the harbour. The captain soon landed, and informed us that our friends Messrs. Bennet and Tyerman were in the ship. We hastened on board, conducted them to the shore, and welcomed them to our dwellings. Bennet took up his abode with Mr. Barff, while we were happy to accommodate Mr. Tyerman. The chiefs and people, who had been led to expect a visit from our friends, greeted their arrival with demonstrations of joy; these friends remained some time in Fa-re, and the period they spent with us was one of unusual interest and enjoyment. In the close of this year, 1821, the mission and the nation experienced the heaviest beareavement that had occurred since the introduction of Christianity. This was the death of the king, Pomare II., which took place on the seventh of December, the day preceding the deputation's arrival in Huahine. His health had been for some time declining, but his departure at last was sudden. I spent the greater part of a Sabbath afternoon with him at Eimeo, in the beginning of October. He was then unable to leave the house, but was not considered dangerously ill. I was then for some days with him, and had not seen him since. He had long been afflicted with the elephantiasis, a disorder very prevalent among the people; but the principal cause of his dissolution was a dropsical complaint to which he had been for some time subject. The conspicuous station Pomare had occupied in the political changes of Tahiti, since the arrival of the missionaries, the prominent part he had taken in the abolition of idolatry, the zeal he had manifested in the establishment of Christianity, and the assistance he had rendered to the missionaries, caused a considerable sensation to be experienced among all classes by his death; and as his name is perhaps more familiar to the English reader than that of any other native of the South Sea islands, some account of his person and character cannot fail to be acceptable. Pomare, originally called Otoo, was the son of Pomare and Idia: the father was sovereign of the larger peninsula when it was visited by Cook, and was then called Otoo; subsequently, being aided by the mutineers of the Bounty, he became king of the whole island, and adopted the name of Pomare, which at his death was assumed by his son, and has since been the hereditary name of the reigning family. Idia, his mother, was a princess of the adjacent island of Eimeo, and sister to Motuaro, one of the principal chiefs at the time of Cook's visit. Pomare was the second son of Otoo and Idia, the first having been destroyed according to the regulations of the Areois society, of which they were members. He was born about the year 1774, and was consequently about forty-seven years of age at the time of his decease. Tall, and proportionably stout, but not corpulent, his person was commanding, being upwards of six feet high.* His head was generally bent forward, and he seldom walked erect. His complexion was not dark, but rather tawny; his countenance often heavy, though his eyes at times beamed with intelligence. The portrait of Pomare in the frontispiece to the first volume of this * His father's height was six feet four inches. CHARACTER OF POMARE. 189 work is from one taken at Tahiti by an artist attached to two Russian ships of discovery, that visited the islands a short time before his death, and, excepting a little undue prominency in the forehead, is a good like ness. His character was totally different from that of his father-who was a man of enterprise, excessive labour and perseverance, bent on the aggrandizement of his family, and the improvement of his country, clearing waste tracts of land, planting them, and generally occupying the people with some public work. Pomare took no delight in exertions of this kind; his habits of life were indolent, his disposition sluggish, and his first appearance was by no means adapted to produce a favourable impression on a stranger's mind. Captain Wilson conceived such an idea of his stupidity and incapacity, as to suppose him the last person on whom any favourable impression would be made. He was, however, though heavy in his appearance and indolent in his habits, inquisitive, attentive, and more thoughtful, perhaps, than any other native of the islands; a keen observer of every thing that passed under his notice, although at the time he would not appear to be paying particular regard. He was not only curious and patient in his inquiries, laborious in his researches, but often exhibited a great degree of ingenuity. I have sometimes been in his company, when he has kept a party of chiefs in constant laughter, as much from the coolness with which his expressions were uttered, as the humour they contained. He was not, however, fond of conviviality or society, but appeared to be more at ease when alone, or attended only by one or two favourite chiefs. In mental application Pomare certainly exceeded every other Tahitian; and had he been free from practices which so banefully retarded his progress, and enjoyed the advantage of a regular and liberal education, there is every reason to believe the development and culture of his intellect would have shown that it was of no inferior order. He had heard much, from the early visiters to his island, of King George, and appeared on more than one occasion desirous to make the British sovereign his model. He was walking one day in the district of Pare with great dignity, in the company of the missionaries, when he suddenly stopped, and said, "Does King George walk in this way?" As soon as he in any degree comprehended the use of letters, he manifested a great desire to be able to read and write, and was one of the first pupils. Looking over the books of the missionaries one day, he saw a Hebrew Bible: the singularity of the letter attracted his attention; and having been informed that it was the language of the Jews, in which the greater part of the Scriptures was written, he expressed a wish that one of the missionaries would teach him to read it, inquiring at the same time whether King George understood Hebrew. In this he did not persevere, but he soon made himself master of the English alphabet, and could read in the English Bible, not with fluency, but so as to comprehend the meaning of the plainest parts. It was, however, in his native language that the Tahitian ruler made the greatest progress, and in writing this he excelled every other individual. Mr. Nott and Mr. Davies were his principal instructers; the latter has spent many hours with him, sitting on the ground, and teaching him to form letters on the sand, probably before Dr. Bell's system was introduced to general notice in England. The handwriting of Pomare, during the latter part of his life, was much better than that of any of the missionaries. His earliest letters or notes, the first ever written by a native, were from Eimeo. In 1805 he wrote a letter to the missionaries. In 1807 he wrote one to the missionary society, which, being the first despatch ever forwarded by a native of those islands to Britain, is a great curiosity. The directors had written, advising him to banish the national idol, to attend to the instruction of the missionaries, and to discountenance those sins which were so rapidly depopulating his country. In reply, he wrote a letter in the native language, which the missionaries translated; he then copied the translation, and both letters, signed by his own hand, were forwarded to London. He expresses a determination to banish. Oro to Raiatea, wishes the directors success in their efforts to instruct the people of Tahiti, which he calls a bad land, a regardless land. He desires them to send a number of men, women, and children to Tahiti, to send cloth, and then they will adopt the English dress; but tells them, that, should he be killed, they will have no CHARACTER OF POMARE. 191 friend in the islands. "Come not here after I am dead," was his expression. He also requested them to send him all the curious things in England, especially those necessary for writing, and after enumerating pens, ink, &c., concluded his request by stating, "Let no writing utensil be wanting." He signed his name, "Pomare, King of Tahiti," &c. and superscribed his letter to My Friends the Missionary Society, London." 66 Sedentary occupations and amusements appeared more congenial to Pomare than active pursuits; he found an agreeable occupation in braiding the finest kinds of cinet with the fibre of the cocoanut-husk; writing, however, was his chief employment and recreation. At first he had a writing-house erected, that he might follow his favourite pursuit uninterrupted by his domestics or the members of his household; he then had a table, but, during the latter part of his life, he usually wrote lying in a horizontal position, leaning his chest on a high cushion, and having a desk before him. Pomare kept a regular daily journal, and wrote, in a book provided for that purpose, every text of Scripture that he heard. Sometimes he wrote out the prayers he used in social and private devotion; maintained an extensive correspondence, after the introduction of writing among the people; prepared the first code of laws for his kingdom; transcribed them fairly with his own hand, and promulgated them with his voice. He also rendered very important aid to the missionaries in the translation of the Scriptures, and copied out many portions before they were printed. The king was remarkably pleased with engravings and paintings, and has often called at my house to look at the plates in an Encyclopædia, frequently asking if I thought it possible for him to learn to draw. I always told him it depended on his own industry; that I had no doubt of his capacity, if he would apply. His policy as a ruler was deliberative and cautious, rather than prompt and decisive, and most of his measures were pursued more with a view to their ulterior influence than to their immediate effect. His views were in many respects contracted, and he was easily imposed upon by bold and heedless advisers. He was more rapacious than tyrannical, and probably would not have been so rigid in his actions, but for the influence of |