CHAP. III.] MIXED MARRIAGES. 41 



such mixed marriages : there results from them one 

 of the finest half-castes that exists, and I would add, 

 also, an improvement on the race, at least in its 

 physical particulars, as far as can be judged from 

 children. They retain, however, many of their 

 mother's peculiarities, especially in the colour and 

 quality of hair and eyes. They are generally 

 attached to her race, and of course better acquainted 

 with her language than with English. I may ob- 

 serve that their number in the islands is nearly 400. 

 A European having a native for his wife obtains, 

 as a matter of course, the full protection of her 

 father ; and if the latter is a powerful chief, the 

 son-in-law can exercise a great influence, as the 

 natives generally take great delight in their grand- 

 children. Connexions of this kind, even if the 

 couple had been lawfully married, have been viewed 

 and, as it appears, most unwisely with great 

 contempt by the missionaries, who are too apt to 

 consider the people to whom they have been sent to 

 preach the Gospel as an inferior race of beings ; in 

 many cases, however, the missionaries seem to have 

 been actuated by a desire to check the influence of 

 bad characters who may thus connect themselves 

 with a tribe. From some cases which have come 

 under my observation, I must remark that many 

 of these have turned out very good marriages ; 

 and as the average native female population seems 

 to be greater than the male, this will furnish a 



