POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
529 
agreeable occupation in braiding the finest kinds of cinet 
with the fibre of the cocoa-nut husk ; writings however, 
was his chief employment and recreation. At first, he 
had a writing house erected, that he might follow his 
favourite pursuit, uninterrupted by his domestics or the 
members of his household i he then sat at a table, but, 
during the latter part of his life, he usually wrote lying 
in an horizontal position, leaning his chest on a high 
cushion, and having a desk before him. 
Pomare kept a regular daily journal, and wrote in a book i 
provided for that purpose, every text of scripture that he 
heard. Sometimes he wrote out the prayers he used in 
social and private devotion 5 maintained an extensive cor¬ 
respondence, after the introduction of writing among the 
people ; prepared the first code of laws for his kingdom; 
copied them out fairly with his own hand, and promul¬ 
gated them with his voice. He also rendered very im¬ 
portant aid to the Missionaries in the translation of the 
scriptures, and copied out many portions before they 
were printed. 
The king was remarkably pleased with engravings and 
paintings, and has often called at my house to look at the 
plates in an Encyclopaedia, frequently asking if I thought 
it possible for him to learn to draw. I always told him it 
depended on his own industry 5 that I had no doubt of his 
capacity, if he would apply. In connexion with these 
encouragements, I received from him the accompanying 
note, soon after our settlement at Afareaitu in 1817* 
I insert it as a specimen of his hand-writing, although it 
is by no means so carefully written as many of his 
letters, or his copy of the laws, &c. It will also serve 
as a specimen of the idiom of the language, as I have 
affixed a literal translation. 
3 Y 
II. 
