POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
403 
induced to undervalue them, A small quantity of cocoa- 
nut oil^ the article they could most easily procure^ was 
therefore demanded for each hook^ and cheerfully paid 
by every native. This was not done with a view of 
deriving any profit from the sale of the books^ but 
merely to teach the people their value | as no higher 
price was required than what it was supposed would 
cover the expense of paper and printing materials^^—and 
we still continued to distribute elementary books gra¬ 
tuitously. 
The season occupied in the printing and binding of 
these books was one of incessant labour^ which^ in a 
tropical climate^ and a season when the sun was ver- 
ticalj was often found exceedingly oppressive | yet it 
was one of the happiest periods of my life. It was 
cheering to behold the people so prepared to receive 
the sacred volume^ and anxious to possess it. I 
have frequently seen thirty or forty canoes from 
distant parts of Eimeo^ or from some other island, 
lying along the beach; in each of which, five or six per¬ 
sons had arrived—^whose only errand was to procure 
copies of the Scriptures. For these many waited five or 
six weeks, while they were printing. Sometimes I have 
seen a canoe arrive with six or ten persons for books | 
who when they have landed, have brought a large 
bundle of letters, perhaps thirty or forty, written on 
plantain leaves, and rolled up like a scroll. These let¬ 
ters had been written by individuals, who were unable 
to come and apply personally for a book, and had 
therefore thus sent, in order to procure a copy. 
Often, when standing at my door, which was but a 
short distance .from the sea-beach, as I have gazed 
on the varied beauties of the rich and glowing land- 
