PACIFIC AND BEEIUNG'S STRAIT. 281 



the simple Otaheitans, who were with difficulty con- 

 vinced that the size of the purser (who was the larg- 

 est man in the ship) did not confer on him the best i^e.' 

 claim to be the Ratira-rai, or captain of the Blossom. 



The arrival of the chiefs was an event very fa- 

 vourable to the wishes of the consul, who availed 

 himself of the opportunity it afforded of urging, 

 with some prospect of success, the repeal of an or- 

 der issued by the regent, which had occasioned se- 

 rious mischief to one of our merchant ships; and 

 which, if not speedily rescinded, must have endan- 

 gered not only the property, but even the lives of 

 individuals trading to these islands. The consul 

 had already appealed against the obnoxious decree, 

 but it was at a time when he was not supported by 

 the presence of a king's ship ; and the short-sighted 

 policy of the regent did not anticipate the probabi- 

 lity of the consul soon receiving such a powerful 

 support to his negotiation. She had ventured, 

 therefore, to dismiss his remonstrance, intimating 

 that she was fully aware of his defenceless situation. 

 The case under discussion was as follows. 



The queen, seeing the estimation in which the 

 pearl oyster-shells were held by Europeans, imagin- 

 ed that by levying a duty on them she would great- 

 ly increase her revenue. Orders were accordingly 

 issued to all the tributary islands to seize every ves- 

 sel trading in shells, which had not previously ob- 

 tained the royal licence to procure them. The 

 Chain Islanders, who, from their enterprising and 

 marauding habits, may be considered the buc- 

 caneers of the eastern South Sea archipelago, were 

 too happy to find themselves fortified with a plea 

 for a proceeding of this nature, and instantly sent 



