308 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
favourable impression their deportment left upon 
his mind. Speaking of his intercourse with the 
people on an island in 19. 40. S. lat. and 140. 29. 
W. long., which he has designated Byam Martin 
Island, he observes, “We soon discovered that 
our little colony were Christians : they took an 
early opportunity of convincing us of this, and 
that they had both Testaments and hymn-books 
printed in the Otaheitan language, &c. Some of 
the girls repeated hymns, and the greater part 
evinced a respect for the sacred books, which 
reflects much credit upon the Missionaries under 
whose care, we could no longer doubt, they had at 
one time been.”* 
The frigate afterwards visited Bow Island ; and 
having spoke of the state of the inhabitants, the ty¬ 
ranny and brutality of the men, and the debasement 
and misery of the females, Captain Beechey, men¬ 
tioning the presence of the Dart, an English vessel, 
states, “ The supercargo of the Dart had hired a 
party of the natives of Chain Island to dive for 
shells: among these was a native Missionary, a 
very well-behaved man, who used every effort to 
convert his new acquaintances to Christianity. He 
persevered amidst much silent ridicule, and at 
length succeeded in persuading the greater part 
of the islanders to conform to the ceremonies of 
Christian worship. It was interesting to contem¬ 
plate a body of savages abandoning their supersti¬ 
tions, silently and reverently kneeling upon the 
sandy shore, and joining in the morning and even¬ 
ing prayers to the Almighty.”! 
* Beeckey’s Voyage, vol. i. p. 1G4. t Ibid. vol. i. p. 178. 
