Much real good effected by missionaries. 

 Native missionary. Dress of natives. 



PAUMOTU GROUP. 



The natives induced to visit the ships. 

 Ceremony of presents. 



69 



welcome. We were not long at a loss as to what 

 to ascribe it : the missionary had been at work 

 here, and his exertions had been based upon a firm 

 foundation; the savage had been changed to a rea- 

 sonable creature. Among the inhabitants was a 

 native missionary, who had been instrumental in 

 this work. If the missionaries had effected nothing 

 else, they would deserve the thanks of all those 

 who roam over this wide expanse of ocean, and 

 incur its many unknown and hidden dangers. 

 Here all shipwrecked mariners would be sure of 

 kind treatment, and a share of the few comforts 

 these people possess. No savage mistrust and fear 

 were seen here. The women and children came 

 about us, receiving our trifles. They showed much 

 joy and curiosity at the sight of us, and were eager 

 to supply our wants. 



I was particularly struck with the modest and 

 quiet behaviour of the native missionai'y, who was 

 a Tahitian. He kept himself aloof, whilst all the 

 others were crowding round to partake in the pre- 

 sents we were distributing, and seemed much gra- 

 tified and astonished when I selected him out as 

 the recipient of a present similar to the one I had 

 given the chief. 



All the males' heads were shaven, somewhat 

 after the fashion of a Dominican friar. This prac- 

 tice is said to have been adopted by the missionaries 

 at Tahiti, for the sake of cleanliness, and also to dis- 

 tinguish the Christian from the heathen party. The 

 women have theirs cut close, and some are clothed 

 in a pareu, consisting of three or four yards of cot- 

 ton, others in a loose gown. They were any thing 

 but good-looking ; but the men were tall and well 

 made. The variety of apparel was droll enough. 

 As for the children, I have seldom seen finer; all 

 were well formed, and as cheerful as they could be. 

 They were for the most part naked. 



This was the first island on which we observed 

 the dawning of Christianity and civilization. The 

 native missionaries, although they are yet ignorant 

 of most of the duties enjoined upon a Christian, 

 still do much good in preparing the way. Many 

 learn to read, and some even to write, under their 

 tuition ; yet they have many impediments thrown 

 in the way of their efforts by the introduction 

 of spirits by the whites. The old chief, and others, 

 are much addicted to the use of it, and the vessels 

 resorting here for the pearl-fishery generally em- 

 ploy native divers, and pay them for the most part 

 in rum or whiskey. We found here an Englishman 

 who had belonged to a schooner engaged in the 

 pearl-fishery. He told me he had been left there 

 sick by his captain, and had been kindly treated 

 during his stay of three months on the island. I 

 was in hopes of obtaining some information from 

 him, but he knew little or nothing of the language, 

 and was, morever, a stupid fellow. I gave him a 

 passage to Tahiti, whither he was desirous of 

 going, in the tender. 



Having some business on board, I invited the 

 chief to go off with me : he first inquired if all the 

 boats and men were to stay ; on my telling him 

 they were not, he said he would go on board if I 

 would also take his wife and her brother ; to which 

 I consented. 



The chief had lost one hand, which he informed 

 me had been bitten off by a shark whilst employed 

 in diving for shells. We became great friends, 

 and he thought it necessary to be at my side the 



whole time. He was an odd old man, and proved 

 before we left him that he had become acquainted 

 with some of the vices of civilization. 



We all embarked, soon reached the tender, and 

 bore away for the ship, some three or four miles 

 distant. The old one-handed chief now came up 

 to me in a very mysterious manner, and untying a 

 knot in the tail of his shirt, (which was the only 

 garment he wore besides his maro,) with no small 

 difficulty, with one hand and his teeth, drew from 

 it a small dirty piece of linen, tied up as a bag; this 

 he produced with great form, and evidently ex- 

 pected to astonish me. The contents proved to be 

 a few small discoloured pearls ; these he begged 

 me to accept, but I declined to receive them. We 

 now reached the ship, and I ordered every thing 

 to be shown them. Their surprise was very 

 great. 



The natives were much amused with the ship, 

 and surprised at the number of men on board. 

 Many small presents were given them. When they 

 were about taking their departure, the old chief 

 complained of being quite sick, and his whole air 

 and manner showed that he was much dissatisfied. 

 The reason could not be imagined. The vessel 

 had so little motion, it was thought it could not 

 originate from sea-sickness. I therefore told the 

 interpreter to inquire of him what was the matter. 

 No answer was given for some time, but they con- 

 sulted much among themselves in a low tone. The 

 question was repeated, when the old chief's wife 

 answered, "that I had not returned the present 

 that had been offered me, and that the chief 

 was not pleased ; for, according to their customs, 

 the offering a present to me entitled him to receive 

 one in return." As very many gifts had been 

 made him already, this amused me not a little. On 

 asking what it was they wanted, they at once sig- 

 nified whiskey, which they said was always given 

 them when they went on board ship ; and the 

 chief wanted some, for he was very sick. I ac- 

 cordingly ordered a bottle of water with a gill of 

 whiskey in it to be given them, and the moment 

 they smelt it their manner was changed ; they 

 became all animation, and left the ship in great 

 good humour. The brother was an intelligent 

 native ; he drew for me with a piece of chalk, on 

 the deck, with considerable accuracy, all the islands 

 he was acquainted with, giving their relative situa- 

 tions and the native names ; that of the island 

 we had seen the day before, as Tai-a-ra, and the 

 one to which I had given the name of Vincennes 

 Island, as Kawahe. He informed me of three 

 small islands to the southward of Sacken, which 

 were afterwards found by the Porpoise, during the 

 cruise to this group on which I sent her in 1840 ; 

 his knowledge of the western part of this group 

 was quite surprising. I place the entrance to the 

 lagoon of Raraka in longitude 144 57' 40" W., 

 latitude 16 6' 25" S. 



The entrance is on the north side of the island, 

 about one-third of its length from the western end. 

 It is a narrow passage, but will admit a small 

 vessel. The current runs very strong out of the 

 lagoon, so much so, that a boat cannot be pulled 

 against it. The water in the entrance is from five 

 to eight fathoms deep, but there is no advantage in 

 entering, as the reef is quite as steep within. A 

 small vessel may anchor on the outside, in ten 

 fathoms, close to the shore. This island is nearly 



