390 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
others, called by the names of his principal friends or 
companions, which, following his example, they used 
to cultivate themselves; the others were cultivated by 
their dependants. As the chief walked through the 
village, he pointed out the houses in which Tameha- 
meha formerly resided, and several groves of noni 
trees, the morinda citrifolia , that he had planted, as 
Miomioi remarked, before his beard was grown. Tame- 
hameha was undoubtedly a prince possessing shrewd¬ 
ness and great strength of character. During his reign, 
the knowledge of the people was much enlarged, and 
their comforts in some respects increased: their acqui¬ 
sition of iron tools facilitated many of their labours; 
the introduction of fire-arms changed their mode of 
warfare ; and in many cases, cloth of European manu¬ 
facture was substituted for that made of native bark. 
But these improvements appear to be rather the result 
of their intercourse with foreigners, than of any mea¬ 
sures of their sovereign; though the encouragement he 
gave to all foreigners visiting the islands, was, no doubt, 
advantageous in these respects. He has been called 
the Alfred of the Hawaiians ; but he appears rather to 
have been their Alexander, ambition and a desire of 
conquest having been his ruling passions during the 
greater part of his life, though towards its close ava¬ 
rice superseded them. It has been stated that he pro¬ 
jected an invasion of the Society Islands, but the re¬ 
port, from many conversations on the subject with the 
natives, appears destitute of all foundation. Miomioi 
also pointed out the family heiau of Tamehameha, of 
which Tairi was the god, and the heiau was called Hare 
o Tairi , House of Tairi. It was an insignificant pile of 
stones, on a jutting point of volcanic rocks. Miomioi, 
