14 TAHITI. 



is its institution more religiously attended to than in those Polynesian 

 islands which are under missionary influence. On that day no canoe 

 is launched upon the waters, and no person is seen abroad except 

 while on his way to or return from church. When thus seen, they 

 are neatly and decently clothed, although in very bad taste. At 

 church they form a respectable-looking congregation, and listen with 

 attention to the preacher. 



The success of the missionaries in introducing this strict ob- 

 servance of a Sabbath is ascribed by themselves in a great degree 

 to its analogy to the taboo-days of heathen times, and the continu- 

 ance of its sanctity is now insured by the penalties which await an 

 infraction of it. The punishment for Sabbath-breaking consists in 

 the offender being compelled to make a certain number of fathoms of 

 road, and upon a repetition of the offence, the number of fathoms is 

 much increased. 



I cannot pass without notice the untiring efforts of many of the 

 foreign residents to disparage the missionaries and vilify the natives. 

 They endeavour on all occasions to prepossess the minds of visiters 

 against both. These efforts, however, generally fail of success; for 

 no reflecting mind can fail to perceive how devoid they are of any 

 foundation, nor avoid noticing the baneful effects these residents are 

 themselves producing, by inculcating principles for which many of 

 them have been compelled to fly their own countries, or teaching the 

 practice of crimes from whose penalty they have made their escape. 



There are about a hundred characters of this description on the 

 island, and to give a better idea of them I shall divide them into 

 three classes. 



The first class comprises merchants, if they can be so called. The 

 sole object of these is to make money. I regret to say that, as far as 

 my observation went, this purpose is not accomplished without injury 

 to the Avelfare of the natives. This class endeavours to place both 

 the persons who compose it and the premises they occupy beyond 

 the reach of the local law. 



The second class is composed of the children born upon the island 

 of missionary parents. Of these many seem to have forgotten utterly 

 the principles instilled into them in their infancy. 



The third class is much the most numerous, and those I include in 

 it appear destitute of all moral or religious principle. They stand 

 out openly and boldly in defiance of all law and decency. Among 

 them continual complaints are to be heard against the missionaries, 



