VOYAGE TO THE 
between the chiefs 
tranquillity besides 
April, may have hitherto depended upon their obscurity, or on the equally 
defenceless condition of their neighbours with themselves ; but the ex- 
tension of navigation has removed the one, and an advancement of 
civilization and of power has destroyed the balance of the other. 
Keligious books are distributed among the huts of such of the 
natives as are converted, or who are, as they term themselves, 
but many of the inhabitants are still tooti-ouris or bad characters, an 
old expression signifying literally rusty iron, and now indiscriminately 
used for a dissenter from the Christian religion and a low character. 
'I’hese persons are now of no religion, as they have renounced their 
former one, and have not embraced that which has been recently in- 
troduced. 
Ignorance of the language prevented my obtaining any correct 
information as to the progress that had been made generally towards 
a knowledge of the scriptures by those who were converted ; but 
my impression was, and I find by the journals of the officers it was 
theirs also, that it was very limited, and but few understood the simplest 
parts of it. Many circumstances induced me to believe that they con- 
sidered their religious books very much in the same light as they did 
their household gods ; and in particular their conduct on the occasion of 
a disturbance which arose from some false reports at the time of the 
robbery on the stores of the ship, when they deposited these books in 
the mission, and declared themselves to be indifferent about their lives 
and property, so long as the sacred volume, which could be replaced at 
any time for a bamboo of oil, was in safety. In general those wffio were 
missi-narees had a proper respect for the book, but associating with d 
the suppression of their amusements, their dances, singing, and music? 
they read it with much less good will than if a system had been intro- 
duced which wmuld have tempered religion with cheerfulness, and have 
instilled happiness into society. 
The Otaheitans, passionately fond of recreation, require more re- 
laxation than other people; and though it might not have been possible 
at once to clear the dances from the immoralities attending them, stid 
CHAP, the affairs of the government, or from the jealousies 
and the great landholders, the Boo Ratiras. Their 
