PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY. 
167 
CHAP. VIII. 
Conduct of the Leeward Island chiefs—Hostilities in the 
island of Raiatea—Subversion of idolatry in Huahine, 
Raiatea, Tahaa, and Borabora—General reception of 
Christianity in the Society Islands—Abolition of the Areoi 
society—Arrival of Mr. Crook—Pomare’s family idols 
sent to England—Translation of the king’s letter—Con¬ 
duct of the Missionaries—Accounts of their labours and 
success—Inquiries suggested by the change—Remarks 
on the time, circumstances, means, and agents, connected 
with the establishment of Christianity—The Missionaries 
not Unitarians. 
The mighty workings of the Spirit of God, in pro¬ 
ducing this remarkable change, were not confined 
to Tahiti, Eimeo, and the adjacent islands, forming 
the Georgian group, it extended also to the Lee¬ 
ward or Society Islands. A simultaneous move¬ 
ment appears to have taken place among the rulers 
of the people, to throw off the yoke of pagan priest¬ 
craft, to rend asunder their fetters, and remove 
from the eyes of the nation, in its remote ex¬ 
tremities, the veil of delusion by which they had 
so long been blinded. Tamatoa, the king of Raia¬ 
tea, shortly after his return from Tahiti, publicly 
renounced idol-worship, and declared himself a 
believer in Jehovah and Jesus Christ. Many of 
the chiefs, and a number of the people, followed 
his example. 
The prince of darkness, the author of paganism, 
whose sway had been unrivalled, and whose seat 
