272 PAUMOTU GROUP AND 



the 21st of January. The appearance of things at Papieti seemed very 

 much as they had been twelve months before; but some events had 

 occurred during the year, which it will be as well to notice, as they 

 will show how things are conducted, and give an insight into the con- 

 duct of royalty that was little dreamed of by us on our former visit. 



On the 7th of May, one of the unhappy domestic feuds of the royal 

 family threw the whole of Papieti into a ferment. The queen, followed 

 by all her attendants, with great lamentations, rushed into a foreigner's 

 house, to escape from her royal consort, who was pursuing her, utter- 

 ing dreadful menaces. The facts of the quarrel, as derived from 

 authentic sources, are as follows. As Pomare was on her way to 

 Papieti from her residence at Papaoa, she was met by Pomare-taui 

 riding furiously. Owing to the turn of the road, he did not perceive the 

 queen's party in time to stop, and ran over one of the maids, knocking 

 her down, and bruising her. Pomare, attributing the accident to his 

 being intoxicated, began to abuse him in opprobrious terms. Enraged 

 at it, he dismounted, and began not only to abuse, but also to strike 

 her. Not content with this, he caught her by the hair, threw her 

 down, and attempted to strangle her, which he was only prevented 

 from doing by the attendants, who held him until Pomare fled for her 

 life. Disappointed in overtaking her, he hurried to her new palace at 

 Papieti, and vented his anger by demolishing the windows, breaking 

 open her boxes and trunks, and tearing her wardrobe and finery to 

 pieces, — thus doing injury to the amount of some two thousand dollars. 



On the perpetration of this outrage, the queen at first declared her 

 intention of summoning the judges and suing for a divorce ; but soon 

 changed her mind, and forgave her husband on his promising future 

 good behaviour. 



Although this may appear extraordinary conduct on the part of the 

 king-consort, yet when one learns that the queen has been in the habit 

 of giving him a sound cudgelling, even on the highway, his conduct is 

 not so surprising, particularly as it is said that she administered her 

 punishments with such earnestness and force that he would not be 

 likely soon to lose the remembrance of them. 



These broils in the royal family may, I believe, be justly charged to 

 the foreign residents whom I have spoken of before as being the authors 

 of them, for they administer to his depraved appetite in order to derive 

 pecuniary advantage from these disturbances. 



On the 11th of May, a great meeting of the district schools took 

 place at Papaoa. This had been in prospect for several weeks, and 

 every one was anxious for the event. The procession to the chapel 

 was the great scene of display : here the orator of the day was to offi- 



