TONGATABOO. 39 
once to an issue, and demanded that the terms he dictated should be 
acceded to by the heathen within a few hours. To enforce his demand, 
he landed a large part of his crew, with officers, and proceeded to the 
fortress of Bea; only an hour was given its defenders to decide. I 
am informed that it has since been understood that if a longer time 
had been granted, they would have acceded to his demand. He was 
punctual to his time, and on the chiefs refusing to surrender, he made 
an attack upon the fortress. On his advancing near the gate, he, with 
many of his officers and men were shot down; the survivors suffered 
a total defeat, and were obliged to retreat forthwith. The heathen 
now became the assailants, and the Christian party, together with the 
missionaries, were forced to embark, and afterwards landed at Vavao; 
King George was obliged to retire, and Nukualofa was invested by the 
heathen. Thus ended this religious war, and | cannot but believe that 
the precipitate zeal of the missionaries was the cause of so disastrous 
a result. That the heathen were well disposed to make peace, I am 
well assured; a little patience and forbearance, and at the same time 
encouraging intercourse with their towns and setting them a good 
example, would have gradually and surely brought about the desired 
results: while to force them to become converts, was a mode of pro- 
ceeding calculated only to excite their enmity and opposition. 
The night previous to our sailing, May 3d, two of the Feejee 
women who had been smuggled from Vavao by Captain Wilson, 
paddled off in a canoe to the Peacock, entreating to be received on 
board and conveyed to their own country, and with the view of 
securing their object, it was found they had thrown away their 
paddles. The request was denied, and Captain Hudson had new ones 
at once made for them; they were compelled to enter their canoe 
again, and paddled off. They then visited the tender Flying-Fish, 
and in order to prevent their being turned off in the same way, they 
set their cance adrift. As it was late at night, they were retained on 
board, and sent to the Vincennes early in the morning. Well under- 
standing, from the interview I had with King George in relation to 
the Currency Lass, his feelings on the subject, (for the abduction of 
these very women from the island of Vavao had been the cause of the 
difficulty,) I immediately ordered them to be landed. I did this be- 
cause I was not willing to have an appearance of inconsistency in the 
minds of these natives, in first blaming conduct I thought unwarrant- 
able in Captain Wilson, and then doing the same act myself. Had I 
taken any other course, it would no doubt have provoked aggression 
upon the first American vessel that visited any of the ports of this 
group. My commiseration and that of many of the officers was 
