172 QUEEN POMARE. [1839 



nially elected ; annual sessions are held for the general pur- 

 puses of legislation, and extra sessions may at any time be 

 convened. Each district has a court of its own, and there is 

 also a general supreme court consisting of seven judges, five 

 of whom reside at Tahiti, and two at Eimeo. All the So- 

 ciety Islands, and some of the Paumotu Group, acknowledge 

 the authority of the sovereign ; but the more remote islands 

 are little known or civilized, and are not represented in the 

 national assembly. 



Aimata, or Pomare IV, the present queen, is the grand- 

 daughter of king Pomare I, so well known in the early his- 

 tory of Tahiti. She is now (1849) about thirty-nine years 

 of age, is a good-looking, though not a pretty woman, and has 

 a clear olive complexion, dark intelligent eyes, and black 

 hair. She is not above the medium height, and is somewhat 

 inclined to corpulency. The queen has been twice married. 

 She was divorced from her first husband. Her second is 

 called Pomare-taui, or " Pomare's-man," equivalent, proba- 

 bly, to " king-consort," in the more refined courts of Europe. 

 He is nine years younger than the queen, and is a gay, easy- 

 humored man, comparing favorably with the other young 

 men of Tahiti in personal appearance, but rather too much 

 given to the use of intoxicating drinks. Matrimonial squab- 

 bles are not wanting, it is said, to disturb the harmony of the 

 royal menage. When her consort was a mere lad, Pomare 

 exercised quite a motherly sort of authority over him, and, 

 if reports be true, frequently applied the rod of correction. 

 But as soon as he reached man's estate, the tables were 

 turned ; although she could rate him soundly as ever with 

 her tongue, she was no match for him in physical strength, 

 and he repaid the inflictions of his august spouse, in kind, with 

 something added, too, in the shape of interest. Happily, per- 

 haps, for the safety of the state, both parties seem to have 

 been benefited by this reciprocal chastisement, and jog along 

 together, without seriously disturbing the peace of the island 



Both their majesties are fond of state and display. There 

 are sentinels constantly parading in front of the royal resi- 



