66 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
ceiving themselves under no obligation to hear 
preaching, as they do not know how to read ; pre¬ 
tending, that ignorance exempts them from all 
obligation to attend religious exercises. 
Leaving* Kairua early, in a canoe with four men, 
provided by the governor, Messrs. Thurston and 
Goodrich reached Kaavaroa about nine o’clock in 
the morning. Kamakau was waiting for them, 
and. seemed to rejoice at their arrival. After 
taking some refreshment, they repaired in com¬ 
pany to the ranai, for public worship. On reaching 
it, they found about one hundred of the people 
already there. Before the service commenced, 
the chief arose, directed them to remain quiet, and 
pay the greatest attention to the word of life, 
which they were about to hear. 
Shortly after the conclusion of the service, the 
Missionaries passed over Kearake’kua bay in a 
canoe, landed on the opposite side, and walked 
along the shore about a mile, to Karama. Here, 
in a large house, they collected about three hun¬ 
dred people; to whom Mr. Thurston preached, 
and was pleased with the interest they manifested. 
Some, who stood near the speaker, repeated the 
whole discourse, sentence by sentence, in a voice 
too low to create disturbance, yet loud enough to 
be distinctly heard. There were seven or eight 
American and English seamen present, who re¬ 
quested that they might be addressed in their own 
language. Mr. Goodrich accordingly preached to 
them from Rev. iii. 20. 
Returning from Karama to the southern side of 
Kearake’kua bay, where they had left their canoe, 
they passed the ruins of an old heiau, the morai 
mentioned in Captain Cook’s voyage, where the 
observatory was erected. The remaining walls 
