1835. 



DECREE — MARE APPEAL. 



535 



a soldier, in a foreign cause. By this decree de Thierry lost 

 his enlisted troops, except a few New Zealanders, and whaling 

 seamen. 



One of the seven judges, an intelligent, and, for an Otaheitan, 

 a very well educated man, named ' Mare,' asked to speak to me. 

 " You mentioned, in the third place,'' said Mare, that you 

 were desired to enquire into the complaints of British subject?, 

 and demand redress, if necessary. You have stated that no 

 complaint has been made, and you have given us credit for 

 our conduct : allow me now to complain of the behaviour of one 

 of your countrymen, for which we have failed in obtaining 

 redress." Here Mare detailed the following case of the ' Ve- 

 nilia,* and said that no reply to their letter to the British 

 government, had yet been received. Mare then added, in a 

 temperate though feeling manner, " does it not appear hard to 

 require our queen to pay so large a sum as 2,853 dollars out of 

 her small income ; while that which is due to her, 390 dollars, 

 a mere trifle to Great Britain, has not obtained even an acknow- 

 ledgment from the British government .P" 



I ventured to assure Mare that some oversight, or mistake, 

 must have occurred, and promised to try to procure an answer 

 for them, which, I felt assured, would be satisfactory. 



The letter on the subject of the Venilia, very literally 

 translated, is as follows: it is, for many reasons, a curious 

 document, 



" Our friend, the king of Britain, and all persons in office 

 in your government, may you all be saved by the true God ! 



" The following is the petition of Pomare, of the governors, 

 and of the chiefs of Tahiti. 



" A whale-ship belonging to London, has been at Tahiti : 

 ' Venilia' is the name of the ship, ' Miner' is the name of the 

 captain. This ship has disturbed the peace of the government 

 of Queen Pomare the first. We consider this ship a disturber 

 of the peace, because the captain has turned on shore thirteen 

 of his men, against the will of the governor of this place, and 

 other persons in office. The governor of this district made 

 known the law clearly. The captain of the ship objected to 



