260 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
As soon as possible^ Mr. Nott was despatched by his 
companions to Tahiti. On reaching the shores of this 
island^ from which five years before he had been obliged 
to fiee for his life, he found it was all true that had been 
told them, that the people were in that interesting state 
described by the prophet, when, enraptured by the 
visions of Messiah’s future glories, he exclaimed, The 
isles shall wait for his law.” In this delightful situation, 
as he travelled round the islands, he literally found them 
not merely willing to be instructed, but anxious to hear; 
meeting together of their own accord, and often spend¬ 
ing the hours of night in conversation and inquiry on 
the important matters connected with the religion of 
Jesus Christ. When he returned, Mr. Bicknell went 
over oil the same errand ; and observed every where the 
most encouraging attention, on the part of the people, 
to the instructions he communicated. The school at 
Papetoai was greatly increased ; and hundreds, who had 
been early scholars there, were now stationed as teachers 
among the adjacent islands, imparting to others the 
knowledge they had received. 
Not fewer than three thousand persons at this time pos¬ 
sessed a knowledge of the books in their native language, 
which were in daily use. Besides eight hundred copies 
of the Abridgment of Scripture, and many copies of part 
of the Gospel of St. Luke in manuscript, about two 
thousand seven hundred spelling-books had already been 
distributed among the pupils at Eimeo, or sent over to 
Tahiti 5 still they were unable to meet the daily increas¬ 
ing detnand of the people. 
The mighty -workings of the Spirit of God, in pro¬ 
ducing this remarkable change, were not confined to 
Tahiti, Eimeo, and the adjacent islands, forming the 
