CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 191 



difficult to understand two facts mentioned by El- 

 lis, namely, that after the murderous battles of 

 former times, the survivors on the conquered side 

 retired into the mountains, where a handful of men 

 could resist a multitude. Certainly, half a dozen 

 men, at the spot where the Tahitian reared the old 

 tree, could easily have repulsed thousands. Sec- 

 ondly, that after the introduction of Christianity 

 there were wild men who lived in the mountains, 

 and whose retreats were unknown to the more 

 civilized inhabitants. 



November 20th. — In the morning we started ear- 

 ly, and reached Matavai at noon. On the road we 

 met a large party of noble, athletic men going for 

 wild bananas. I found that the ship, on account 

 of the difficulty in watering, had moved to the 

 harbour of Papawa, to which place I immediately 

 walked. This is a very pretty spot. The cove is 

 surrounded by reefs, and the water as smooth as 

 in a lake. The cultivated ground, with its beauti- 

 ful productions, interspersed with cottages, comes 

 close down to the water's edge. 



From the varying accounts which I had read 

 before reaching these islands, I was very anxious 

 to form, from my ov\ti observation, a judgment of 

 their moral state, although such judgment would 

 necessarily be very imperfect. First impressions 

 at all times very much depend on one's previously- 

 acquired ideas. My notions were drawn from El- 

 lis's "Polynesian Researches," an admirable and 

 most interesting work, but naturally looking at 

 everything under a favourable point of view ; from 

 Beechey's Voyage, and from that of Kotzebue, 

 which is strongly adverse to the whole missionary 

 system. He who compares these three accounts 

 vvill, I think, form a tolerably accurate conception 

 of the pi'esent state of Tahiti. One of my impres- 



