514 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
as the guardian of her infant daughter. Since our de- 
parture the child has been trained, by its fond mother, 
according to the direction of Mrs. Barff, and will proba¬ 
bly succeed to the government of the island at its grand¬ 
father’s death. 
Mahine, the pious and venerable "chief, still lives to be 
an ornament to the Christian religion, a nursing father 
to the infant churches established in his country, and 
the greatest blessing to the people whom he governs. 
His daughter-in-law in some degree supplies to him the 
place ofj his departed son, and is, indeed, the comfort 
and solace of his declining years. Her behaviour to him 
and his family has been uniformly affectionate and re¬ 
spectful—-the whole of her public and domestic conduct, 
such as to deserve the imitation of her own sex, among 
whom she has maintained her elevated station with 
becoming propriety, and to confirm those pleasing anti¬ 
cipations we have often indulged respecting her religious 
character. We have reason to hope that she is not a 
Christian merely in sentiment and opinion, but that her 
mind is under the decisive influence of the principles 
inculcated in the sacred volume.* 
Having had occasion to speak of the decease and inter¬ 
ment of Taaroarii, an account of the views of death and 
a future state, and the rites of burial, which formerly 
V 
*** Among a number of letters which have recently come to hand from 
the Society Islands, Mrs. Ellis had the satisfaction to receive one from the 
widow of Taaroarii, of an extract from which, the following is a literal 
translation. ** Peace to you from the true God, from Jehovah, and from 
Jesus Christ. My word to you is, that my affection for you and your 
children is unabated. Through the goodness of God your breath has 
been lengthened out. We did not know whether you were living or 
not, and, behold, your little presents arrived, and we knew that you were 
still living. On account of the goodness of God, our breath is lengthened. 
