TRIAL BY JURY. 
143 
law under which, if proved guilty, they would be 
punished. When he had finished, and called 
upon them to say whether it was true or not, one 
of them got up, and answered with great fluency, 
and good action. He maintained their innocence, 
and called a witness to confirm it. The witness, 
very artfully, turned his evidence to the account 
of the prisoners. Others also, in some way or 
other, favoured the accused, and the defendants 
were therefore discharged, from want of evi¬ 
dence.” 
On the 12th of May, 1820, a code of laws was 
unanimously and publicly adopted in Raiatea, and 
recognized as the basis of public justice by the 
chiefs and people of Tahaa, Borabora, and Mau- 
piti. The substance of the Raiatean laws was 
copied from those enacted by the government of 
Tahiti during the preceding year. They extended 
to twenty-five articles, imbodying several most 
valuable enactments omitted by the Tahitian code. 
The most important of these was the institution of 
Trial by Jury . This was certainly the greatest 
civil blessing the inhabitants of the Pacific had 
yet received; and future generations will cherish 
with gratitude the memory of the Missionaries of 
Raiatea, at whose recommendation, and with 
whose advice, it was established by law in these 
islands. 
Naturally violent and merciless under a sense 
of injury, we often found them too severe towards 
offenders; and while we occasionally interceded 
on behalf of those whose punishment appeared 
greater than their crime, we lost no opportunity of 
conveying just and humane, as well as scriptural 
ideas on matters of jurisprudence, without, how¬ 
ever, interfering with their proceedings, or coante- 
