POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
145 
of the Sabbath, the only sacred day now recognized 
amongst them. With others, there is reason to believe 
it arises from the influence of example, and the respect¬ 
ability it was at this time supposed to impart to indivi¬ 
dual character. But with many it originates in far 
higher motives, and is the result of Christian principle in 
regard to what they consider a duty. 
A number of instances, strikingly illustrative of this 
fact, might be adduced ; I will, however, only refer to 
one. A man came to the Monday evening meeting on 
one occasion, and said his mind was troubled, as he 
feared he had done wrong. He was asked in what 
respect; when he answered, that, on the preceding day, 
which was the Sabbath, when returning from public 
worship, he observed that the tide, having risen higher 
than usual, had washed out to sea a large pair of double 
canoes, which he had left on the beach. At first he 
thought of taking a smaller canoe, fetching back the 
larger ones, and fixing them in a place of security 5 
but while he was deliberating, it occurred to his re¬ 
collection that it was the Sabbath, and that the scrip¬ 
tures prohibited any work. He therefore allowed the 
canoes to drift towards the reef, until they were broken 
on the rocks. But, he added, though he did not work 
on the Sabbath, his mind was troubled on account of the 
loss he had sustained, and f/iat he thought was wrong. 
He was immediately told that he would have done right, 
had he fetched the canoes to the shore on the Sabbath. 
When, however, it was considered, that perhaps this 
pair of canoes had cost him nearly twelve months’ labour, 
and that, before they were lost he was comparatively 
richer than many an English merchant is in the pos¬ 
session of a five or six hundred ton vessel, it appears 
IL u 
