A 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE MISSIONARY SOCIETYs 
appeared to him, and told him he must 
Sacrifice a man to him, or he should be 
angry. Im obedience to this he arose, 
Jaid hands on the first man he caught 
suitable to his purpose, and murdered 
him without hesitation. They put great 
confidence in dreams, believing that in 
sleep the soul leaves the body under the 
care of a guardian angel, and moves at 
darge through the region of spirits. 
*© And all things are that seem.” 
Tn conformity to this faith, they say, my 
soul was such a night in such a place, 
and saw such a person. A _ shooting 
star they imagine to be the Eatooa.— 
When a person dies, they say his soul 
‘is gone to the night; yet they havea 
belief, that when the soul departs from 
the body, it is swallowed by the Eatooa 
bird who frequents their Morais, and 
»passes through him in order to be puri- 
fied, and be united to the Deity. The 
Dowels they suppose to be the seat of the 
soul. Pr aitog | 
_ Their idolatry is more refined than 
‘that of more civilized nations: they do 
mot believe that there is any inherent 
power in the idol, nor that it represents 
the Deity; but that the Deity at certain 
‘times enters into it. When the last ad- 
Vices came away, a war was expected 
Bene cconnt of such an idol, which had 
from another. This was nothing more 
than an unhewn log of wood, about six 
feet long, wrapt up in sundry cloths, 
and decorated with red feathers. A 
‘More complicated object of superstition 
_is the sacred canoe which the missionaries 
describe. : 
«« It is decorated with various apparatus of 
‘idolatry ; such as the image of a bird, nearly 
“as large as a goose, rudely formed, and co- 
‘yered with feathers of difierent colours, into 
“which the poor natives boldly assert their 
god Ooéro delights to enter ; a small canopy, 
xed over a little stocl, under this also they 
believe their god at times rests himself; the 
’inopy is covered with feathers; a hollow 
eylinder, about ten feet long, and three feet 
round, covered with feathers, set upright on 
the stern of the canoe, which was very lofty 
_ —its use we know not ;—and various other 
things. To themselyes the sight was very 
gern and magnificent; to us it could only 
shew what sin has done, and is doing, and 
_ draw forth a desire that they might be saved 
~ from such fooleries.” 
en stolen by the people of one district. 
191 
Though the missionaries disbelieved 
the actual agency of their spirits at first, 
after they had remained some time on 
the island, they also, like the Swedish 
sailors, attributed to the devil what they 
were not philosophers enough to explain. 
We continue, say they, making some 
advances in the knowledge of the lan- 
guage, and acquaintance with many 
of their diabolical practices, whereby it 
is demonstrated they are very deep in 
the mysteries of Satan’s kingdom. 
‘© In the afternoon, hearing that a neigh- 
bour, who was oft at our houses, was very 
ill and dying; brothers Bicknell, Eyre and 
Henry, went to his dwelling, where they 
saw the poor man lying on the ground, an 
seemingly in so great pain as silently forced 
tears from his eyes. ‘I'he brethren had not 
much opportunity of speaking to him, as a 
priest was present, and chaunting his prayers 
over him with as much musical harmony as 
the chaunting ceremony in a cathedral._— 
These poor heathens thank us but little, 
when they understand that our message is 
not to promise them a long temporal life, 
and an indulgence of sensual enjoyments. 
Like all other of the children of our first pa- 
rents, their conceptions of, and. desires for 
good, extend not beyond the present werld. 
In the evening held a prayer-meeting. May 
it please God to pour out upon all the camp 
of Israel, a mighty spirit of prayer. 
“© Dec. 4th.---Warm weather, with a gen- 
tle north wind. We hear that the sick man, 
- noticed yesterday, is so far recovered as to be 
able to walk about. We are informed that 
the condition the brethren saw him in, was 
owing to his being cursed by the priest who 
‘was chaunting over him for his recovery, 
anda ratéera in the neighbourhood. ‘These 
two cursed him because he cursed a canoe 
which the ratéera is preparing for Pomére. 
There is such a mystery of iniquity in the 
execrations used by the natives, that the 
wisdom which is from beneath is very mani- 
fest by them. Though we cannot credit all 
that is reported concerning them, yet we 
think that the powers of darkness are busy 
agents with the execrators, and execrated, in 
a manner, beyond their commen influences, 
-and that the bodies of the execrated, arein | 
reality affected thereby.” 
The enchantment which they practise 
to discover a robber is beautifully ima- 
gined. A pit is made and filled with 
water: the priest holding a young plan- 
tain-tree in his right hand, utters his 
prayers over this pit till the spirit of 
the thief is reflected in the * water. 
4 > . . - . . 
Me .* One of our old metrical’ romances, contains a passage oddly resembling this supers 
sition, } 
«Mais % ’ 
th . Horn seyd, in thine erber is a tree, 
We 
- 
4 
- 
There under is a wall free; 
Ygrowen all with yoe; 
