POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
229 
CHAP. IX. 
Distillation of ardent spirits—Description of a native still—Materials 
employed in distillation—Murderous effects of intoxication—Seizure 
of the Queen Charlotte—Murder of the officers—Escape of Mr. Shelly 
—Seizure of the Daphne—^Massacre of the captain and part of the crew 
—Upaparu removes to Eimeo—First Christians denominated Bure 
Atua— Public triumph over idolatry in Eimeo—Visit of the Queen 
and her sister to Tahiti—Emblems of the gods committed to the 
flames—^Account of Farefare—Projected assassination of the Bure 
Atua—Manner of their escape—War in Tahiti—Pomare’s tour of 
Eimeo. 
Intemperance at this time prevailed to an awful and 
unprecedented degree. By the Sandwich Islanders, 
who had arrived some years before, the natives had 
been taught to distil ardent spirits from the saccha¬ 
rine ti root, which they now practised to a great 
extent, and exhibited, in a proportionate degree, 
all the demoralizing and debasing influence of drun¬ 
kenness. 
Whole districts frequently united, to erect what might 
be termed a public still. It was a rude, unsightly 
machine, yet it answered but too well the purpose for 
which it was made. It generally consisted of a large 
fragment of rock, hollowed in a rough manner, and fixed 
firmly upon a solid pile of stones, leaving a space under¬ 
neath for a fire-place. The hut-end of a large tree was 
then hollowed out, and placed upon the rough stone boiler 
for a cap. The baked ti root, Dracance terminalis, 
