FORM OF GOVERNMENT. TSy 
or the celebration of marriage, their religion was 
no way concerned. 
If a woman bore her lover a child, which he 
acknowledged to be his, the marriage was con- 
cluded without further ceremony, but was 
easily dissolved and a new connexion formed. 
A married man would sometimes entertain a 
concubine, but never had more than one wife. 
The kings only formed an exception to this rule. 
The last monarch married at the same time the 
four daughters of a neighbouring king, and 
during our visit they were all living and re- 
spected as his widows. One only of them had 
brought him children; and when during the 
latter years of his government he became a con- 
vert to the Christian religion, this one only 
passed for his lawful consort. 
In both peninsulas of Tahaiti the form of go- 
vernment was monarchical, and each had its 
own king, assisted by a council of Yeris, whom 
he consulted on all important occasions. These 
were held in great veneration among the people. 
No one, not even a female or a Yeri of the high- 
est rank, might appear before them without un- 
covering the upper part of the body—a token 
