Origin of the Name Pomdre. — Introduction of Horses. 201 



the island,* Christianity began to take root and spread abroad 

 through the country. In 1812 Pomdre II., the eldest son 

 and successor of Otu, declared himself of the Christian faith. 

 Five years later a further accession of missionaries arrived in 

 a merchantman from New South Wales, who, among other 

 things, brought with them a small printing press. Then for 

 the first time the natives of the Society Islands learned to 

 comprehend the blessedness of the greatest discovery of all 

 time. On 30tli June, 1817, after much preliminary instruc- 

 tion by the missionaries, the first proof of a catechism was 

 struck off by King Pomare 11. In the course of the same 

 year there were issued from the missionary press at Papeete 

 2300 copies of a little alphabet book. 



It was the same ship that brought the first horse to the 

 island, a present fi:'om the owner of the vessel to King 

 Pomdre. The natives could not conceal their amazement 

 when they saw the captain astride of the splendid animal. 

 Very striking was the remark made by King Pomare on the 

 occasion : " King George of England," said he, ''rides on a 

 horse ; but King Pomdre, a yet mightier, king, sits at public 

 solemnities upon the neck of one of his subjects ! " 



The labours of the missionaries were crowned with the 



* The derivation of the name Pomare, which has since become that of the Ta- 

 hitian dynasty, is purely accidental. The father of Otu was once travelling among 

 the mountains, and had to camp out in the open air. The bad weather gave him a 

 violent cold with hoarseness, which induced one of his companions to name the night 

 spent in such discomfort Po-mare, i. e. a night (po) of cough (mare). The chieftain 

 so acutely felt the pertinency of this name that he adopted it as his own name. — 

 (Vide Ellis, Polynesian Researches, vol. ii. p. 70.) 



