POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
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beneath the spreading branches of a venerable tree : on a 
finely-woven mat, before him, sat the queen, attended by 
her train; beside her stood the native peasant; and around 
them all, what maybe termed the police-officers. Turning 
to Teuhe, the magistrate inquired for what purpose they 
had been convened. The poor man said, that in his 
garden there grew a bread-fruit tree, whose shade was 
grateful to the inmates of his cottage, and whose fruit, 
with that of those which grew around, supported his 
family for five or seven months in every year; but that, 
yesterday, some one had cut it down, as he had been 
informed, by order of the queen. He knew that they had 
laws—^he had thought those laws protected the poor 
man’s property, as well as that of kings and chiefs ; and 
he wished to know whether it was right that, without his 
knowledge or consent, the tree should have been cut 
down. 
The magistrate, turning to the queen, asked if she had 
ordered the tree to be cut down. She answered, ^ Yes.’— 
He then asked if she did not know that they had laws. 
She said, ^Yes;’ but she was not aware they applied to her. 
The magistrate asked, Hf in those laws (a copy of which 
he held in his hand) there were any exceptions in favour 
of chiefs, or kings, or queens.’ She answered, ^No;’ and 
despatched one of her attendants to her house, who soon 
returned with a bag of dollars, which she threw down 
before the poor man, as a recompense for his loss.— 
^Stop,’ said the justice, ^we have not done yet.’ The 
queen began to weep. ^Do you think it right that you 
should have cut down the tree without asking the owner’s 
permission?’ continued the magistrate. ^It was not 
right,’ said the queen. Then turning to the poor man, 
he asked, ^ What remuneration do you require ?’ Teuhe 
