POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
5G3 
with his guardian and friends reached the chapel, where 
we were waiting to receive them. Aimata, attended by 
her mother-in-law, the queen of Tahiti, her sister, and 
the wife of Mahine, chief of Huahine, arrived shortly 
after. The royal party vrere attended by the dependants 
of Hautia, the governor of the island. In honour of the 
distinguished guest, these dependants or guards were not 
only arrayed in their best apparel, which was certainly 
any thing rather than uniform, but they also marched 
under arms. Many of the raatiras of Huahine attended, 
out of respect to the reigning family. 
When the ceremony commenced, Mr. Barff and myself 
took our station near the communion table in front of 
the pulpit; Pomare and his friends standing ^on our 
right, and Aimata with her relatives on the left. The 
raatiras formed a semicircle three or four deep imme¬ 
diately behind the bride and bridegroom, while the body 
of the chapel was filled with spectators. Most of the 
chiefs appeared in European dresses, some of which 
being large loose gowns of highly glazed chintz of a 
brilliant red and yellow colour, intermixed with dresses 
of black and blue broad cloth, presented a novel spec¬ 
tacle. 
The principal part of Pomare^s dress was manufac¬ 
tured in the islands, and worn after the ancient fashion. 
Aimata wore a white English gown, a light pink scarf, 
and a finely platted hibiscus bonnet trimmed with white 
ribands. The queen, Pomare-vahine, and all the females 
of the royal party, appeared in white dresses of foreign 
manufacture. The raatiras wore the native costume 
peculiar to their rank and station, while the dress of the 
multitude behind them presented almost every variety of 
European and native clothing. 
