198 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
application, and the necessity for its introduction 
arose from the peculiar circumstances of the 
people, while passing, as it were, from paganism to 
Christianity. Prior to the subversion of heathen¬ 
ism, polygamy prevailed more or less in all the 
South Sea Islands : some of the chief women had 
also a plurality of husbands. This regulation did 
not require those who had entered into these 
relations in a heathen state to dissolve them on 
becoming Christians-, and was only designed to 
prevent any one from making these engagements 
after they had become such: it is a circumstance 
which merits notice, that there were very few who 
did not of their own accord, and by agreement 
among themselves, disannul this relationship ex¬ 
cepting with one individual. They knew that, with 
more than one person, it was inconsistent with the 
precepts of the bible; and this consideration in¬ 
duced the discontinuance of their former practice. 
If their previous habits of life, and the notorious 
licentiousness of their character, be regarded, their 
conduct in this respect is a striking illustration of 
the power of Divine truth upon their minds, and 
of the attention they considered its injunctions 
to require. This article was amended in 1826, 
and it was enacted, in the event of a man mar¬ 
rying a second wife, without her knowing that 
he was already a married man, he should not 
only be sentenced to public work, but should 
furnish compensation for the female he had thus 
injured. 
The twelfth enactment, which regards the disso¬ 
lution of the marriage contract, is rather a singu¬ 
lar article. The influence of former institutions 
appears to require it, or at least something of the 
kind. Formerly, with whatever ceremonies the 
