POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
565 
were made among the chiefs, or higher ranks in society. 
The parties themselves were not often sufficiently ad¬ 
vanced in years to form any judgment of their own, yet, 
on arriving at maturity, they rarely objected to the 
engagements their friends had previously made. 
The period of courtship was seldom protracted among 
any class of the people; yet all the incident and romantic 
adventure that was to be expected in a community in 
which a high degree of sentimentality prevailed, was 
occasionally exhibited, and the disappointed, perhaps, 
led to the commission of suicide, under the influence of 
revenge and despair. Unaccustomed to disguise either 
their motives or their wishes, they generally spoke and 
acted without hesitation ; hence, whatever barriers might 
oppose the union of the parties, whether it was the 
reluctance of either of the individuals, or of their respec¬ 
tive families, the means used for their removal were 
adopted with much less ceremony than is usually 
observed in more civilized society. Several instances of 
this kind occurred during our residence in Huahine : 
one regarded a chief of Eimeo, attached to Taaroarii 
the • king’s son. His figure was tall and gigantic, his 
countenance and manners not unpleasing, and his dispo¬ 
sition mild and humane. He was upwards of twenty 
years of age. Some time after our arrival in Huahine, 
he became attached to the niece of the principal raatira 
in the island, and tendered proposals of marriage. Her 
family admitted his visits, and favoured his design, but 
the object of his choice declined every proposal he made. 
No means to gain her consent were left untried, but 
all proved unavailing. He discontinued his ordinary 
occupations, left the establishment of the young chief 
who had selected him for his friend, and repaired to the 
