382 HONOLULU. 
the town, contrived to cause objections to be made to this application 
of the building, and the natives, finally, after raising many difficulties 
and throwing obstacles in the way, refused it altogether, and would 
listen to no proposition to build a church. This was quietly borne, and 
Mr. Mills held the meetings in the open air, under a large tree near 
by. One day, as they were engaged in service, and the whole congre- 
gation was seated around in their best attire, a violent shower came 
up. All looked to the preacher, who was Mr. Mills, for an adjourn- 
ment; but he was too fervent, and continued his exhortations until the 
whole were well drenched, and their finery of tapa, &c., which cannot 
stand the wet, spoiled. This taught them a lesson, and they not only 
agreed to the use of the fale-tele, but set about heart and hand to build ~ 
the church. 
On the arrival of Mr. Williams, Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold 
was informed that a man by the name of Gideon Smith, a native of 
Bath, Massachusetts, late of the ship Herald, of Dorchester, had been 
murdered by a small chief, named Tagi, at the instigation of Sanga- 
pabetele, chief of the towns of Saluafata, Fusi, and Saleleso. The 
assigned cause was, that Smith had not been faithful to his promise of 
giving Tagi some small articles. He was, in consequence, waylaid 
and killed at night by Tagi. (See Mr. Williams’s letter and affidavit, 
in Appendix XX.) 
Mr. Williams and the British consul, Mr. Cunningham, held an 
examination of the murderer and his family, and the circumstances 
all clearly proved the murder to have been most deliberate. 
It will be recollected that, according to the rules and regulations of the 
king and chiefs, assembled in fono, at Apia, murderers were to be given 
up to the first man-of-war of our nation which should visit the island. 
Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold, with the consul, proceeded, on the 
morning of the 8th of September, to Saluafata, to demand the murderer 
from the chief in whose town he resided. They reached that place at 
an early hour, and made the demand of the chief Sangapabetele. A 
council of the chiefs was at once assembled, when all united in the 
deliberate falsehood, that the murderer had escaped, but that they had 
sent in pursuit of him. They ended by promising that, as soon as he 
was caught he should be delivered at Apia. 
Three deserters from the American ship Lorne, which was at 
anchor in the harbour, were then demanded; and these men were 
promptly caught and delivered over the next day, to the master of the 
Lorne, by the chief of Saluafata. 
The chiefs and people of Upolu, including even our old friend Pea, 
and his natives of Apia, boasted much of the failure of our attempt to 
