POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
44 / 
ened by the lofty mountain in the centre. Often have I 
seen the mists and clouds resting on its sides^ or encir¬ 
cling its brow^ while the sunbeams have irradiated its 
summit ; and it has appeared^ especially when seen from 
a distance^ 
As some tall cliff' that rears its awful form, 
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm.” 
On the northern side of the valley, and near the foot 
of Matoereere, we proposed to erect our dwelling and the 
printing-house. Mr. Davies selected a spot between this 
place and the sea, on the same side ; and Mr. Orsmond 
fixed upon one near the southern border of the harbour, 
and on the opposite side of the valley of Mahamene. 
which was spacious, fertile, well watered, and suffi¬ 
ciently high to be secure from dampness. 
The people readily erected the frame of our house 
and the printing-office, which was put up much in the 
same manner as that had been which we occupied 
in Eimeo 3 but, as it was intended for a more permanent 
abode, it was finished with greater care. It had but one 
floor, excepting that over the printing -office there was 
a kind of loft for drying the paper. The front was 
boarded with materials brought from Port Jackson. 
The walls at the ends and the back were plastered with 
excellent coral lime 3 and both the printing-house and 
dwelling were floored with bread-fruit boards, split or 
sawn by the natives 3 the windows in the bed-rooms, 
sitting-rooms, study, and printing-house, were glazed 3 
and what was a new and strange thing to the natives, 
our kitchen, in which was a stone oven, fire-place, and 
chimney, was included under the same roof. 
Cooking houses were usually detached from the dwell- 
