-H, Hitoirawy wheal.— Superiority of the „, . D . m Von Srhanl*'» chart uf Talno 



TO naitvc* of Kimeo over those of l.iiiii:. I \ U I 1 I A .> I ' I - 1 M U >. 



[fai l":;ir. 



Mr. arnl Mi-a. Simpson have ihe care of a school 

 fur the ehilil nn i of missionaries and respectable 

 white inn nl* : these art; kept entirely separate 

 from the children uf the natives ; the reason as- 

 signed f««r this exehisivenoss is, iliat the danger of 

 the. former receiving improper ideas is Mieh as to 

 preclude their association with the latter. This 

 may he good policy as far as the white children 

 are roue< med, although I douht its having a good 

 effect on their minds if they arc destined to spend 

 their live* among the islands. The habit they 

 will thus acquire of looking upon the natives as 

 their inferiors, cannot fail to have an injurious 

 inrlneneo on both. The cxclusivenesa is curried 

 so far, that the children of whites by native women, 

 although they are united in ihe relation of husband 

 and wife, are not admitted into these schools, he- 

 cause, aa they say, tliey do not wish their children 

 to he contaminated hy intercourse with such n 

 mixture of hit >od. In pursuance of the Fame polity 

 they have, as it is said, procured the enactment of 

 a law prohibiting marriage between whites ami the 

 mi lives. 



This, I must say, appeared to me the worst 

 feature I hod seen in the missionary establishment, 

 ll is placed here for the avowed purpose of re- 

 claiming the natives from idolatry, ami the vices 

 which are its concomitants. In doing this, their 

 most successful efforts have been in the conversion 

 ami moral improvement of the young ; yet they 

 bring up their own children to 'look down upon 

 them as being of an inferior order. In becoming 

 acquainted villi this feature, 1 no longer woudered 

 at the character, which I was compelled by a re- 

 gard for truth to give, of the children of missionary 

 parents in Tahiti. 



The inisstoiuvries are now awnre that their 

 proper plan is to devote their time and attention 

 to the young; and in pursuance of this object, Mr. 

 and Mrs. Howe have lately arrived from England, 

 for the purpose of establishing an infant school. 



It is to be regretted that the schools of manual 

 labour luve, f<ir what reason I could not learn, 



been disi tiuued, Suite of ihe natives who had 



been instructed in them evinced a knowledge of 

 ihe trade of tin- carpenter, ami furnished the ships 

 whh vrry good hrtards sawn by themselves. 



The uativca of Eimeo have an advantage over 

 those of Tahiti in being free from ihe iniluciice of 

 evil example ; many of them are industrious, and 

 possess a proper feeling uf the benefits they have 

 derived from the missionaries, of whom they 

 speak, whenever questioned, as friends. 



Three of our crew having become enamoured of 

 these islands, deserted while rise Vinceiines lay at 

 Kimeo. They left the ship about ten o'clock at 

 night, »<>ou after which their absence was dis- 

 covered, and partus sent out in every direction 

 to intersect tho roads and drive them to the hills. 

 This was effected the following morning, and a 

 largo party of natives was employed to hunt them 

 up. This ia-1. ilo v spec lily performed, ami at last 

 drove the deserters to one of the highest ridges, 

 in full view of the ship. Here the runaways ap- 

 peared at first disposed to make fight with stones; 

 but vhcii they saw tho odds against them, and 

 witnessed tho alertness of the natives in leaping 

 from cliff to cliff, ihcy thought it best to give 

 themselves up; which I hey did to three natives, 

 naked except the maro, and armed respectively 



with a rusty swurd, an old cutlass, and a piece of 

 iron hoop. These bound their hands, and hd them 

 down Lo the shore, whence they were brought on 

 board, where the three native* received the re- 

 ward offered for their apprehension. Tho chase 

 and capture whs an amusing sight to those who 

 watched (lie proceedings fr< 10 the ship. 



tauten has, if possible, a more broken surface 

 than Tahiti, and is more thrown up into separate 

 peaks; ii« scenery is wild even in comparison with 

 that of Tahiti, and particularly upon the shores, 

 where the mountains rise precipitously from the 

 water, to the height of twenty-five hundred feet. 

 The reef which surrounds the island is similar to 

 that of Tahiti, and as we have seen to he the case 

 there, uo soundings are found on the outside of it. 

 Black cellular lava abounds, and holes are found 

 in its shattered ridges, among which is the noted 

 one through which the god Onto is said to have 

 thrown his spear. 



While we remained at Kimeo, I visited Papon 

 or Cook's Harbour, which lies lo the en.sf of thai 

 of Taloo. There is a marked resemblance between 

 the two ports, except that the shores of I'apoa are 

 not i|iiite as precipitous as those of Taloo, und the 

 entrance of the former not as practicable. 



Wood and water may be had at both harbours 

 in abundance, but in other respects the island is 

 not well adapted aa a place for the supply of ships. 

 No more than a Bingle ship would probably be able 

 to find refreshments at a time. It is, therefore, 

 seldom visited, and its surplus produce is carried 

 to Tahiti for sale. Notwithstanding, tho articles 

 of traffic an> quite as dear as at Tahiti. 



It has been seen that the alluvial plain at tin- 

 head of the harbour of Taloo is partly occupied by 

 plantations of sugar. The cane is of superior 

 quality, and the climate well adapted to its pro- 

 duction; the plant is indeed indigenous, and it is 

 well known that the variety of it found at Tahiti 

 has been introduced advantageously into the West 

 Indies. At Eimeo the crop is liable to injury 

 from the ground-rot, and their are difficulties at- 

 tending the management of the crop, which cause 

 the cultivators to speak despondingly. About one 

 hundred ton*, however, are made annually. 



Coffee, cotton, and all other tropical plants, suc- 

 ceed well at Kimeo, and lite quantity of tapa 

 manufactured is greater iu proportion than at 

 Tahiti. 



I took the opportunity of my anchorage in the 

 harbour of Eimeo, lo verify the chart made by 

 Captain Von Schauta, of the Russian ship America, 

 and found it accurate. I have added ?ome sound- 

 ings, and laid down the topography of the shores, 

 aioi the outline of the reefs, more minutely than 

 he had attempted. 



Un leaving Eimeo, I bade adieu to the Tain tian 

 islands; but I can not close the portion of the nar- 

 rative which is devoted to them, without ngain 

 expressing the pleasure 1 and all my officers derived 

 from our intercourse with the missionaries, and 

 our obligations for the kindness received from 

 them and other residents. Among those to whom 

 we are iudtbled, I cannot refrain from naming 

 George Pritehard, Esq., II. D. M, Consul, of whose 

 strenuous exertions to advance the Welfare of ihe 

 people, and sustain ihe government in its efforts 

 to promote their best interests, I became by ob- 

 servation fully aware. It is to be regretted that 



