98 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
great. The destitute and thoughtless readily at¬ 
tached themselves to their establishments, for the 
purpose of securing the means of subsistence with¬ 
out care or apprehension of want. 
The bue raatira, or middle class in society, form¬ 
ed the most important body in times of peace, and 
the strength of their armies in periods of war. 
Warriors were sometimes found among the atten¬ 
dants on the king or chief; but the principal de¬ 
pendence was upon the raatiras. These, influenced 
by a noble spirit of independence, accustomed to 
habits of personal labour, and capable of enduring 
the fatigues of war, were, probably from interest 
in the soil, moved by sentiments of patriotism more 
powerfully than any other portion of the people. 
The raatiras were frequently the priests in their 
own family temples ; and the priests of the national 
maraes, excepting those allied by blood to the 
reigning families, were usually ranked with them. 
The hui arii, or highest class, included the king 
or reigning chieftain in each island, the members 
of his family, and all who were related to them. 
This class, though not numerous, was considered 
the most influential in the state. Being the high¬ 
est in dignity and rank, its elevation in the estima¬ 
tion of the people was guarded with extreme care ; 
and the individuals, of whom it was composed, 
were exceedingly pertinacious of their distinction, 
and jealous of the least degradation by the admis¬ 
sion of inferiors to their dignity. 
Whenever a matrimonial connexion took place 
between any one of the hui arii with an individual 
of an inferior order, unless a variety of ceremonies 
was performed at the temple, by which the infe¬ 
riority was supposed to be removed, and the parties 
made equal in dignity, all the offspring of such an 
