2 ji Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
was to be expected in a community in which a 
high degree of sentimentality prevailed, occa¬ 
sionally came to pass, and the unsuccessful suitor 
was sometimes even led to the commission of 
suicide, under the influence of revenge and despair. 
Unaccustomed to disguise either their motives or 
their wishes, they generally spoke and acted with¬ 
out hesitation ; hence, whatever barriers might 
oppose the union of the parties, whether it was 
the reluctance of either of the individuals them¬ 
selves, or of their respective families, the means 
used for their removal were adopted with much 
less ceremony than is usually observed in 
civilised society.” As an instance of this, he 
relates the following authentic story : A young 
chief of Murea (or Eimeo), an island a few 
miles from Tahiti, became attached to the niece 
of one of the principal raatiris , or landowners, 
on the island of Huahine. He was one of the 
body-guard of Taaroarii, the king’s son, and 
although only twenty years of age, was already 
distinguished for his courage in warfare and his 
gigantic stature and perfect proportions, while 
his pleasing countenance and manners and 
engaging disposition generally, rendered him a 
favourite with both whites and natives. The 
