POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
183 
CHAP. VII. 
Account of the remarkable change in the South Sea Islands—Discourag¬ 
ing impressions under which the Missionaries abandoned the islands— 
Invitation from Pomare to return—State of the king’s mind during his 
exile in Eimeo—His reception of the Missionaries—Death of three of 
their number—Influence of domestic bereavement on the Missionary 
life—Pomare’s profession of Christianity—Application for baptism— 
Demonstration of the impotency of their idols—Proposal to erect a 
place of worship—Extracts from his correspondence—Influence of his 
steady adherence to Christianity—Ridicule and persecution to which 
he was exposed—Visit of Missionaries to Tahiti—Oitu and Tuahine— 
Description of the scenery of the valleys in Tahiti—Explanations of 
the plate of Matavai. 
Previous to our embarkation from England, we bad 
heard that a favourable change, in regard to Christianity, 
had taken place, in the minds of the king of Tahiti and 
a few of the people. On our arrival in Port Jackson, 
this intelligence was confirmed, and we were also 
encouraged by the accounts we received of the abolition 
of idolatry by the whole of the inhabitants of the 
Georgian or Windward Islands. 
Here we also saw the family idols of Pomare, which 
had been sent from the islands to be forwarded to 
England, as specimens of the objects they had been 
accustomed to worship. When we reached the islands, 
we found, not only that the reports we had heard 
were correct, but that the change had progressively 
advanced, becoming daily more extensive in its influence. 
