POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
117 
sue their former avocations. Their gardens were again 
enclosed, and such seeds as they had preserved were 
committed to the ground. The study of the language, 
which, under the guidance and assistance of Mr. Nott, 
had been regularly pursued one or two evenings every 
week, was resumed. In the instruction of the children, 
the greatest difficulties had been experienced from the 
restless unrestrained dispositions and habits of the 
scholars, wffio, unaccustomed to any steady application or 
to the least control, seldom attended to their lessons long 
enough to derive any advantage from the efforts of their 
teachers. As opportunity offered, the Missionaries also 
preached to the people, and catechized the children. 
The natives, however, continued their depredations on 
the little remaining property of the Mission; and, in 
order to deter others, one of them, who had been detected, 
was publicly flogged by the king’s order. 
Towards the close of the year 1802, Mr. Jefferson 
and Mr. Scott made the tour of Tahiti, for the pur¬ 
pose of preaching to the people. In most of the places 
they were hospitably entertained, though, on one occa¬ 
sion, the chief refused them lodging, because a former 
Missionary had not rewarded him for his attentions. 
In some instances, the natives appeared to listen with 
attention and interest to their message, but they fre¬ 
quently found great difficulty in inducing them to attend 
and often observed with pain that their instructions 
were received with indifference or with ridicule. At 
one place, though the people on their first arrival wel¬ 
comed them cordially, yet when they understood the 
object of their visit, a very marked, and by no means 
pleasing change, appeared in their behaviour. 
For many years, the first Missionaries were annoyed 
