82 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
attack their dwelling, and that their lives were no 
longer secure, the Missionaries remaining at Tahiti 
fled to Eimeo, where they were shortly after joined 
by the king. Some months afterwards, three 
of them were compelled to follow their companions 
to Huahine. During their residence here, some 
had made the tour of the island, and endeavoured, 
with but little prospect of success, to instruct the 
inhabitants. 
The melancholy aspect of affairs, their expul¬ 
sion from Tahiti, the total destruction of the settle¬ 
ment, and the little probability of a restoration 
of peace, induced them to determine on removing 
by the first opportunity to Port Jackson. This 
occurred in the course of the year; and on the 
26th of October, 1809, they all sailed from the 
islands, excepting Mr. Hayward, who remained in 
Huahine, and Mr. Nott, who still resided in Eimeo 
with the king. 
After the victory of the 22d of December 1808, 
the rebels plundered the district of Matavai and 
Pare, and, devoting to destruction every house 
and plantation, reduced the whole country to a 
state of the wildest desolation and ruin. The 
mission houses were ransacked and burnt, and 
whatever the insurgents were unable to carry away 
was destroyed. Every implement of iron was con¬ 
verted into a weapon of war. The most valuable 
books were either committed to the flames, or 
distributed among the warriors for the purpose of 
making cartridge papers, and the printing types 
were melted into musket balls. 
During such seasons, it was not merely appre¬ 
hension, but actual danger, to which all the Euro¬ 
peans were exposed. On one occasion, Mr. Nott, 
returning from a visit to the king, was resting in a 
