446 
MISSIONARY TOUR 
connected with his family, and that the same was the 
case with Rihoriho. 
The marriage was postponed; and it appears the 
opinion of the chiefs in general, that it ought not to 
take place. The individuals themselves are entirely 
passive in the affair; and we view it as a happy cir¬ 
cumstance, subversive of an evil custom, and tending 
to produce moral feelings highly advantageous, and 
illustrative of the collateral advantages arising from 
the influence of Christian missionaries. 
An interesting conversation took place this evening, 
relative to the first visits the islanders received from 
foreigners. The possession of pieces of iron, particu¬ 
larly one supposed to be the point of a broad sword, 
by the natives of Tauai, (Atooi,) when discovered by 
Captain Cook, induced some of his companions to think 
they were not the first European visitors to the islands. 
We have endeavoured to ascertain, by inquiring of the 
most intelligent of the natives, whether or no this was 
the fact. 
They have three accounts of foreigners arriving at 
Hawaii prior to Captain Cook. The first was the 
priest, Paao, who landed at Kohala, and to whom the 
priests of that neighbourhood traced their genealogy 
until very recently. Of this priest some account is 
given in a preceding chapter. 
The second account states, that during the lifetime of 
Opiri, the son of Paao, a number of foreigners (white 
men) arrived at Hawaii, landed somewhere in the 
south-west part of the island, and repaired to the moun¬ 
tains, where they took up their abode. The natives 
regarded them with a superstitious curiosity and dread, 
and knew not whether to consider them as gods or men. 
