POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 59 
that they are seldom surpassed, even in the fairest por¬ 
tions of the world. 
On the morning of the 16th of February, 1817^ as the 
light of the day broke upon us, we discovered that 
during the preceding night we had drifted to a con¬ 
siderable distance from the island; the canoes of the 
natives, however, soon surrounded our vessel ; numbers 
of the people were admitted on board, and we had the 
long desired satisfaction of intercourse with them, 
through the medium of an interpreter. They were not 
altogether so prepossessing in person as, from the dif¬ 
ferent accounts I had read, I had been led to anticipate. 
The impression produced by our first interview was, 
notwithstanding, far from being unfavourable ; we were 
at once gratified with their vivacity, and soon after 
with the simple indications of the piety which several 
exhibited. A good-looking native, about forty years of 
age, who said his name was Maine, and who came on 
board as a pilot, was invited to our breakfast. We 
had nearly finished when he took his seat at the table ; 
yet, before tasting his food, he modestly bent his head, 
and, shading his brow with his hand, implored the 
Divine blessing on the provision before him. Several 
of the officers were much affected at his seriousness ; 
and though one attempted to raise a smile at his ex¬ 
pense, it only elicited from him an expression of com¬ 
passion. To me it was the most pleasing sight I had 
yet beheld, and imparted a higher zest to the enjoy¬ 
ment I experienced in gazing on the island, as we 
sailed along its shores. 
There is no reason to suppose that Tahiti, or any other 
island of the group, is altogether volcanic in its origin, as 
Hawaii and the whole of the Sandwich Islands decidedly 
