452 THE FOPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



A HISTOEY OF TAHITI. Ill 



Bi- De. ALFRED GOLDSBOROUGIi MAYKU 



CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON 



SUDDENLY, on September 3, 1803, Pomare I. died, and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son, the weak, savage, drunkard Pomare II.; Who 

 even with Euroi^ean aid was unable to maintain his power, so detested 

 was he even in his own ancestral district. Thus, in 1808, the new 

 "king," together with his niinisterial allies, were forced to flee to the 

 Island of Eimeo, the Tahitians under Opuhara of Papara having utterly 

 routed them without a convert having been gained to Christianity. 



After this, in October, 1809, all but two of the missionaries set sail 

 for Australia, leaving only Mr. Nott and Mr. Hayward, who retreated to 

 the Island of Huahine, leaving their friend the " king " a lonely exile 

 upon the little Island of Eimeo, his " Elba " being but ten miles long 

 and five wide. Deserted and helpless, even his native district lost, 

 Pomare came to realize that his sole hope lay in inducing the mis- 

 sionaries to return to his aid. Thus, in 1811, did Pomare II. regain 

 his allies, exhibiting his " change of heart " by begging for baptism from 

 their hands in Jul}^, 1812. 



This case is by no means unique among the annals of missionary 

 success in the Pacific, for Thakombau of Fiji became a convert only 

 when missionary aid became indispensable to maintain his power, and 

 George Tubou of Tonga gained greatly in material things through his 

 acceptance of Christianity. 



In order to appreciate the victory of the missionaries in causing 

 Pomare to accept Christianity, we must remember that the high chiefs 

 in Polynesia were leaders in spiritual far more than in temporal things, 

 and conversion was tantamount upon their part to an abnegation of 

 their godly origin. Thus it was that at first no natives would follow 

 the example of Pomare, all believing him to be mentally deranged. His 

 act seemed that of a Sampson who in despair had crashed the temple 

 upon his own head. 



Converts followed slowly, some from conviction, others probably 

 perceiving, as Pomare appears to have done, the worldly advantages to 

 be gained, and thus in 1813 the idols of Eimeo were publicly burned to 

 the great joy of the missionaries, who thereafter gained rapidly in 

 political power and religious authorit}^, arming their converts with both 

 guns and Bibles.*' Thus in 1815 the missionary party became strong 

 enough to invade Tahiti ; and in November of that year they gained a 



6 See "The Memoirs of Arii Taimai, " p. 160. 



