POWER OF CONSCIENCE. 
79 
yet he knew the eggs were not his ; and so power¬ 
ful was the impression of the impropriety of the 
action, that he returned to the nest, and very care¬ 
fully replaced the eggs. 
A similar course was pursued by a native with 
whom I was once travelling across the island, with 
regard to a pocket-knife that he had picked up, 
but afterwards threw down, near the same place, 
simply because it did not belong to him. 
These facts are most pleasing and decisive illus¬ 
trations of the power of Christian principles. Yet 
every individual is not influenced by them. These 
were Christian men; there are others who are such 
only in name, and who are addicted to the prac¬ 
tice of pilfering and theft, especially at those 
stations near the harbours which are the most fre¬ 
quent resorts of shipping, where the temptations 
are greatest, and the influence of foreign inter¬ 
course most injurious. Nevertheless, when we 
consider that they were formerly, as every navi¬ 
gator by whom they were visited has testified, 
almost a nation of thieves—that Hiro, the god of 
thieves and plunderers, occupied a place in their 
mythology, and had a temple and priests—we can¬ 
not but admire the operation of Christian princi¬ 
ples in producing, in such a number of instances, 
a conscientious regard to justice and honesty. It 
w r as, there is reason to believe with many, the 
result, not of an apprehension of detection, but of 
a strict regard to moral rectitude, and the declared 
will of Him who said, “ Thou shalt not steal.” 
Towards the close of the year 1820, Mr. Davies 
left Fare, to supply the station at Papara, in Tahiti, 
which had been destitute of a Missionary since the 
decease of Messrs. Tessier and Bicknell. The 
management of the press, supplying the books for 
