POLYNESIA. 35 



two divisions, eastern and western. The former includes Hau, or 

 Bow Island, and all to the east of it; the latter, those lying to the west 

 of this island, thirty-nine in number. The inhabitants of the former 

 are independent, and still in their savage state, having little commu- 

 nication with one another. Those of the latter are under the sway of 

 Ngana, or Anaa, commonly called Chain Island. This supremacy is 

 of modern date, and has been gained by conquest. When the other 

 islands were first visited by ships, they were found inhabited by a 

 numerous and warlike population. About the beginning of the 

 present century, the natives of Ngana began to acquire a superiority 

 in arms over the rest. They attacked one island after another, de- 

 stroying most of the people, and carrying the remainder captives to 

 their own island, where they became the slaves of their conquerors. 

 In this way, thirty-eight of the Paumotus were completely depopu- 

 lated. On the introduction of Christianity, which took place about 

 twenty-five years ago, through the agency of native Tahitian mis- 

 sionaries, many of the captives were allowed to return to their several 

 islands, remaining, however, under the dominion of Ngana, which 

 they consider the metropolis. The number upon each of the subject 

 islands is very small, while on Chain Island there are said to be three 

 or four thousand. How it happened that this people should have 

 originally obtained this superiority in war, cannot easily be explained. 

 Their island is surpassed in size by several others. It has, however, 

 a shallow lagoon, abounding in fish, which gives them a good supply 

 of food, and the island is said to be a grove of cocoa-nut trees from 

 one end to the other. The probability is, that it had always a some- 

 what larger population, in proportion to its size, than the others, and 

 being situated at some distance from the rest of the group, it was less 

 exposed to sudden attack, and its people were more enterprising. As, 

 moreover, they have always kept up a frequent communication with 

 Tahiti, they were probably supplied with firearms sooner than the 

 people of the other islands. 



The Chain Islanders acknowledge no king, but have several chiefs, 

 who owe their influence to various circumstances of birth, valour, 

 reputed wisdom, &c. The state of society bears a general resem- 

 blance to that which prevails in New Zealand. The Paumotus are 

 generally considered as under the Tahitian government, but the sub- 

 jection is merely nominal. The Society Islanders, in fact, stand in 

 some dread of their fierce and warlike neighbours. 



At the Marquesas there is less distinction of rank than at any other 



