SABBATH-REBELLION—POLYGAMY. 197 
The sixth enactment, relating to barter, was 
required, not only for the exchanges, or trade, 
carried on among the natives themselves, but 
for the prevention of misunderstandings between 
them and those foreigners by whom they might 
be visited for purposes of traffic. They are 
naturally fickle, and were formerly accustomed to 
return articles which they exchanged, merely be¬ 
cause they desired to repossess whatever they 
might have given for it; this practice led to fre¬ 
quent altercations, and, when trading with foreign¬ 
ers, to serious quarrels. 
The law which prohibits labour on the Sabbath- 
day, is perhaps enforced by a penalty dispropor- 
tioned to the offence. It ought, however, to be 
observed, that as a nation they were accustomed 
to pay the strictest regard to this day from religious 
considerations, before the legal enactment was 
made, which was principally designed to prevent 
annoyance to those who were desirous to devote 
the day to religious services. The road which the 
offenders were to make, was not much more than 
a footpath, with a small trench dug on each side, 
and raised in the centre, from the sand or earth 
taken from its borders. 
The eighth law, referring to rebellion, is trans¬ 
lated from the amended code of 1826, simply 
because this article was much shorter than that of 
1823. It contains the substance of the former 
enactment, which had been copied verbatim from 
the Tahitian code, and was drawn up by Pom are, 
it fixes the punishment for the third offence to 
perpetual banishment, instead of leaving it optional 
with the judges to banish, or sentence to public 
abour for seven years or for life. 
The ninth regulation can only be of temporary 
