PUBLIC AND SOCIAL EXERCISES. 119 
station in Eimeo; they had attended the school 
and public instruction in the place of worship; and 
several, among the most promising of whom was 
Paumoana, at present a valuable native Missionary 
in the Hervey islands, appeared to be under the 
decisive influence of Christian principles. 
After an absence of two years, during which he 
had resided in Tahiti, vainly expecting the resto¬ 
ration of his government, and endeavouring to 
recover his authority in his hereditary dominions, 
Pomare returned to Eimeo in the autumn of 1814, 
accompanied by a large train of adherents and 
dependants, all professors, at least, of Christianity. 
These regularly attended the school, and increased 
the congregation to such a degree, that it was ne¬ 
cessary again to enlarge the place of worship. The 
king had been unable to withstand the temptation 
with which he had been assailed at Tahiti, to use 
ardent spirits; and although not addicted to entire 
intoxication, yet it induced the Missionaries to fear 
that he, like Agrippa, was but almost a Christian. 
They could not but indulge unfavourable appre¬ 
hensions on his account; yet, considering his pre¬ 
vious habits, that intemperance had ever been the 
vice to which he was most addicted, and the pecu¬ 
liar temptations to which his residence in Tahiti 
had exposed him, they could not readily relinquish 
the hopes they had entertained respecting him. 
The numerous attendance and increasing ear¬ 
nestness of the people, induced the Missionaries to 
meet them for Divine worship twice on the Lord’s 
day, and once during the week. In addition to 
these public instructions, they held a meeting every 
Sabbath evening with those whose names had been 
written down as the disciples of Christ, and spent 
much time in more private endeavours to direct 
