72 CRUISE OF THE ' CUBAQOA: 



tious, he brought with lain Iroiu Tahiti several young 

 horses and mares, the first ever seen in the island. Suffered 

 to go loose these strange creatures leapt over enclosures, 

 trampled down provision grounds, and terrified the chil- 

 dren, upon which the natives speared one or two of them 

 during the night/ Now it is manifest that these people 

 would inevitably think they had as much right to destroy 

 Mr. Pritchard's hoi'ses as he had to permit his horses to 

 destroy their property, and endanger the lives of their 

 children, and yet, we are gravely told that no compensation 

 could be obtained, because the perpetrators could not be 

 discovered. It would appear from this, that our Missionary 

 Consul, who, in either of his capacities, was boimd to set 

 an example of equity, would have actually exacted compen- 

 sation from the parlies offending him, but without, as far as 

 we can learn, in any way compensating those injured by 

 him, who could prove their non-participation in the act 

 of retaliation. It is obvious that they are not the best 

 teachers of civilization who give their lessons in this fashion. 

 Malietoa,^ the head chief of the Samoan group, came on 



1 That it was no fanciful apprehension on their part may be inferred 

 from what Captain Erskine says of the Tongans, namely, that they 

 destroyed all the horses left by Captain Cook, from fear of mischief to 

 the provision grounds, and discouraged their importation for this reason. 



At p. 406, vol. ii. of ' Fiji and Fijians' is a wood-cut illustrating 

 ' the fright of natives at first seeing a horse,' in the village of Nandi, 

 on the coast of Vanua Levu: some are running away in frantic terror, 

 and others seeking safety in the trees. 



^ In 184!9, Malietoa, then thirty-five years of age, was described as 

 having a mild expression of countenance, and being quiet and gentle- 

 manlike in his manners. His dress was a long white linen coat, and 



