34 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
Haamanemane declared that Pomare was de¬ 
prived of all authority in the larger peninsula. 
The districts on the west and south side de¬ 
clared for Otu, and those on the western were 
threatened with invasion in the event of refusal. 
In the division of the territory thus seized, 
the chief priest received the eastern part of 
Matavai; but he did not long enjoy it; he was 
murdered, at the instance of Pomare, very shortly 
afterwards. 
Haamanemane, the old priest, having been 
Captain Wilson’s taio , or friend, was frequently 
with the Missionaries, and uniformly kind to them. 
He was evidently a shrewd and enterprising man; 
yet I should think sometimes rather eccentric. 
When arrayed in a favourite dress, which was a 
glazed hat, and a black coat fringed round the 
edges with red feathers, his appearance must have 
been somewhat ludicrous, although this was pro¬ 
bably his sacerdotal habit, as red feathers were 
always considered emblematical of their deities. 
He had formerly been a principal chief in Raiatea, 
and still possessed great influence over the natives, 
especially in the adjacent island of Eimeo, where, 
with a little assistance from the European work¬ 
men, he had built a schooner, in which he came 
over to see his friend Captain Wilson, during the 
second visit of the Duff to Tahiti. This vessel, 
considering it as their first effort at ship-building, 
was an astonishing performance. To him, the 
Missionaries had frequent opportunities of speak¬ 
ing, though apparently with but little good effect, 
against many of the sanguinary features of their 
idolatry, especially the offering of human sacrifices, 
in which they knew he had been more than once 
engaged since their arrival. Sometimes, however, 
