130 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
opened a school in a part of their own dwelling. In 
October^ Mr. Davies proposed to begin with the boys 
attached to their own houses^ and met them three nights 
in the week for the purpose of instructing them in the 
catechism^ and teaching them to read those few 
specimens of writing they had been able to prepare. 
At the same time^ Messrs. Nott and Davies were re¬ 
quested to draw up a brief summary of the leading 
events, and a short account of the principal persons 
mentioned in the Old Testament, in the form of a 
scripture history, for the use of these scholars. In the 
course of the following year, a spelling book, which 
Mr. Davies had composed and used, was sent to Eng¬ 
land. Here it was printed, and afterwards transmitted 
to the islands, for the use of the schools. 
No long period had elapsed since the first establish¬ 
ment of the Mission, without a vessel’s touching at 
Tahiti. By many of these the Missionaries had been 
able to write to the directors and their friends in Eng¬ 
land, and from several they had secured a small supply 
of such articles as they most needed. But since the 
arrival of the Royal Admiral, in July, 1801, although the 
directors had repeatedly sent out articles to Port Jack- 
son for the Mission, the Missionaries had received neither 
supplies nor letters from England. Many vessels had 
sailed from Port Jackson, where the supplies were 
lying, and had afterwards touched at the island; but the 
captains, having no intention of doing so when they sailed, 
had refused to take the goods on board. Tea and sugar, 
and many other comforts, they had long been destitute of ; 
and their apparel was scarcely such as to enable them to 
appear respectably in the company of any of their coun¬ 
trymen who might visit the island. Several of them were 
