K A U A I A N D O A H U. 83 



seven years previous to our visit, it had five hundred and eighty-three 

 communicants ; of these eight have died, eighteen were dismissed to 

 join other churches, fifty-nine expelled for unchristian conduct, and 

 four hundred and ninety-eight are now connected with the church. 

 Most of the latter have a good degree of conscience, and some sense 

 of Christian obligation, whilst others, as might be expected, are appa- 

 rently little more than in name. Christians. 



From 1832 to 1839, there were four hundred and forty-five mar- 

 riages. There has been a register of the births and deaths kept for a 

 part of the time, which would go to show that the former was to the 

 latter as one to two. Some particular years seem to have varied 

 somewhat from this : in Waialua, forty-five births to one hundred 

 and thirty-six deaths. In another place the proportions were as 

 seven to seventeen ; and in a third, as two to eight, without any pre- 

 vailing disease. In 1836, at Waialua, the births were thirty -four, the 

 deaths ninety ; in 1839, fifty-six to one hundred and eighty-five. 



The population in 1832, at Waialua, was 2,640 ; in 1836, 2,415 ; 

 decrease in four years, 225. 



From the great differences between the several places, without the 

 existence of any epidemic, one is led to believe that mistakes may 

 have been made in the register ; the general belief, however, is, that 

 the numbers that will represent the decrease most accurately, are the 

 above. 



The causes of decrease in this district are supposed to be sterility 

 and abortion ; the latter is quite common, and instances are known 

 where women have had six or seven, and sometimes as many as ten, 

 in the same number of years, and no living children. 



Infanticide has been practised to some extent, down to 1840. From 

 facts derived from the natives, it would appear that both personal and 

 mutual abuse at an early period of life between the sexes, holds a 

 prominent place among the causes of this decrease. 



The law of marriage it is thought will have a wholesome influence. 

 Mr. Emerson has never heard of more than one instance where the fear 

 of punishment for the breach of the laws of chastity has produced 

 infanticide. The laws which formerly existed, requiring parents to 

 pay taxes for children over ten years of age, may have had that ten- 

 dency. It is ascertained that the repeal of this law, and the enact- 

 ment of the one now existing, which off"ers a premium for large fami- 

 lies of legitimate children, have induced many to take care of their 

 offspring. The law which compels unmarried women found to be 



