454 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
they were more anxious than the other sex to obtain 
foreign articles of dress^ and the conveniences and 
the comforts of domestic life—or Avhether^ feeling more 
peculiarly their obligations to Christianity^ and desiring 
to take the lead in the introduction of those habits which 
they had been taught to consider as the necessary re¬ 
sult of its principles^ and the accompaniments of a 
Christian profession—it is unnecessary to determine; but 
they laboured diligently and perseveringly, cutting down 
in the mountains wood for the fencing, employing their 
own servants to transport it to the shore, clearing away 
the brushwood, enclosing the ground, digging the soil, 
planting the seed, watching with constancy its growth, 
and carefully gathering the cotton. 
In order to encourage them by our example, and 
direct them by our own proceedings, Messrs. Barlf, Ors- 
mond, and myself, having obtained permission from 
the owners of the valley in which we resided, employed 
natives to clear away the trees and bushes with which 
it was overgrown, for the purpose of planting it with 
coffee, sugarcane, or cotton. On this we also bestowed 
personally many an hour, desirous not only to afford 
those who were inclined to follow our advice, and 
cultivate the earth for articles of commerce, the 
encouragement of our counsel and direction, but to 
demonstrate the practicability of accomplishing, by 
means within their power, what had been proposed. 
4'he directors of the Missionary Society were fully 
sensible of the necessity of introducing a regular 
system of industry among the islanders, in order , to 
the assuming and maintaining a station amongst 
Christian or civilized nations ; and felt that the interest¬ 
ing and peculiar circumstances of the people at this time. 
