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POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES, 
than they had yet observed it. The king acquiesced in 
their proposal, and requested their instructions. 
At the same time that the king thus publicly desired 
to profess Christianity, he proposed to erect a large and 
substantial building for the worship of. the true God. 
His own affairs remained unsettled and discouraging; 
he was still an exile in Eimeo, and rumours of war 
not only prevailed in Tahiti, but invasion threatened 
Eimeo. This island the Missionaries considered only 
as a temporary residence, till they should be able to 
resume their labours in Tahiti, or establish a mission 
in the leeward islands, and therefore recommended 
him to defer it. But he replied, No, let us not mind 
these things, let it be built.” 
Shortly after this important event, which may justly 
be considered as the dawning of that day, and the first 
ray of that light, which has since shed such lustre, and 
beamed with such splendour and power, upon these isles 
of the sea, two chiefs arrived from Tahiti, inviting 
Poniare to return and resume his government, promising 
an amicable adjustment of their differences. The 
interests of his kingdom appeared to require his con¬ 
currence with their proposal; and, on the thirteenth of 
August, in less than a month after the pleasing event 
referred to, he sailed with them from Eimeo, followed 
by the chiefs and people from the Leeward Islands, and 
most of the inhabitants of Papetoai and its vicinity. 
His departure, in this critical state of mind, was much 
to be regretted, as it deprived him of the instructions of 
his teachers, exposed him, to many temptations, and 
much persecution. 
Pomare, in infancy, had been rocked in the cradle of 
paganism, and trained under its influence through subsc- 
