POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES, 
155 
to shew the reasonableness of this opinion^ by point¬ 
ing out and explaining the connexion between the 
nerves pervading the several organs of sense^ and the 
brain—the cessation and interruption of mental sensa¬ 
tion and exercise, when the nerves of the brain were 
permanently injured—or when the line of nerves ex¬ 
tending from an organ to the brain was broken. They 
usually answered, they would believe it because we 
said so, but that they did not understand it: indeed 
it was not to be expected that they should, as their 
knowledge of the anatomy of the human frame was 
exceedingly limited. They had no idea even of the 
existence of nerves, and it was necessary to intro¬ 
duce into their language a word by which they might 
be designated. Discussions of this nature, though 
adapted to interest the people, and encourage the exer¬ 
cise of intellect, were probably more amusing than profit¬ 
able ; and notwithstanding the diversified subjects pre¬ 
sented, their inquiries generally referred to the new 
order of things which Christianity had introduced. 
In reference to this, while they were sometimes 
trivial, and perhaps ludicrous, they were often deeply 
interesting and highly important, and not unfrequently 
difficult and perplexing. I have written many of them 
down at the time; others have been recorded by my 
companions i a selection will convey a more correct idea 
of their mode of thinking and expression, than any 
general description. 
Many of their questions referred to the exercise of 
prayer, for punctual attendance to which they have been 
uniformly distinguished. Prayer for Divine direction 
accompanied their earliest inquiries on the subject of 
religion ^ and when in any district even two or three 
