84 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
of the rocks^ the hills^ the mountains^ the valleys^ 
and every natural object by which the rising settlement 
was surrounded. The chiefs vied with each other in the 
size, elevation, or conveniences of their houses 2 some 
being, like Pohuetea’s and Teriitaria’s, built upon a pier 
in the sea; others preparing to attach verandas, by 
which they could remain cool under a meridian sun; 
others erected rude covered balconies, in which they 
might enjoy a more extended prospect, be shaded from 
the sun, and breathe purer air. The rustic palm-leaf 
thatch, and beautifully white plastered walls, of all the 
buildings, whether standing on the sea-beach, on the 
mountain's side, embowered under the bread-fruit and 
cocoa-nut grove, or situated in the midst of their plan¬ 
tations, with a walk strewed with fragments of coral 
and shells leading from the road to the door, appeared 
in delightful contrast with the thick dark foliage of 
the trees, the perpetual luxuriance of vegetation, and 
the variegated blossoms of the native flowers. 
The duration of the buildings was in general according 
to the nature of the thatch; the same house frequently 
received two or three new roofs, and if the frame was 
well put together, and the timber seasoned, a plastered 
cottage would probably last ten or fifteen years. Many, 
however, from the rude and hurried manner in which 
they were built, became dilapidated in a much shorter 
period. 
While individuals and families were thus engaged in 
the erection of their domestic habitations, the people 
of the island were occupied in raising a spacious and 
substantial chapel. They commenced it in the begin¬ 
ning of 1819 , and completed it early in the following 
year. It was one hundred feet long, and sixty wide. 
