TAHITI. 515 



The beauty of Tahiti, as seen from the sea, is not to be over- 

 rated. It forms a most striking contrast to the barren-lookino- 

 Oahu. One of the first sights I saw on landing was a party of 

 Frenchmen starting off into the mountains to shoot wild pigs. 

 One of them was laden with long French loaves. Another led 

 a dejected-looking mongrel dog by a large rope tied round its 

 neck, and a third had his body encircled by the usual huge horn, 

 without the assistance of which a Frenchman cannot go out shoot- 

 ing even partridges at home. I little expected that so much of 

 Parisian manners would not have worn off at the distant Tahiti. 



The Tahitians appeared, as far as could be judged from so 

 short an acquaintance, to dislike their French rulers, and seemed 

 to like Englishmen all the more by contrast. Some natives 

 grew suspicious and less friendly at once because they found 

 that I could speak French. Possibly if the English were in the 

 position of rulers they would lose their popularity. The natives 

 have remained mostly Protestants, notwithstanding the efforts 

 of Ptoman Catholic missionaries during the French occupation. 



Tahiti is the principal colony of France in the Pacific, and 

 even New Caledonia is under the rule of the head government 

 at Tahiti. 



Tahiti is wretchedly supplied with provisions. The Guava 

 bush has overrun all the lower country and covered it with 

 scrub ; hence there is scarcely any pasturage. Cattle are 

 procured from the Sandwich Islands, and it depends on the kind 

 of weather which the sailing-vessels that bring them meet 

 with, whether they are worth eating or not when they arrive. 



We bought for the use of our mess at Papeete the most 

 miserable specimens of sheep that I have ever seen. They had 

 come from Easter Island which is now principally occupied as a 

 sheep run, the inhabitants having been largely deported to 

 Tahiti, where some of them are employed as household servants, 

 the men waiting very well at the dinner-table in European dress. 

 The sheep had been long on the voyage, and were so miserably 

 poor that one of them only weighed about ten pounds when 

 skinned. Pork is the only animal food which is cheap and 

 plentiful at Tahiti. 



One of the greatest treats to the natives is tea and bread-and- 



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