130 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES* 
CHAP. VI. 
Distillation of ardent spirits—Description of a native still 
—Materials employed in distillation—Murderous effects 
of intoxication—Seizure of the Queen Charlotte—Mur¬ 
der of the officers—Escape of Mr. Shelly—Seizure of 
the Daphne—Massacre of the captain and part of the 
crew—Public triumph over idolatry in Eimeo—Visit of 
the Queen and her sister to Tahiti—Emblems of the 
gods committed to the flames—Account of Farefau— 
Projected assassination of the Bure Atua — Man¬ 
ner of their escape—War in Tahiti—Pomare’s tour 
of Eimeo. 
The anarchy, crime, and wretchedness, which now 
desolated Tahiti, were increased by intemperance, 
which at this time prevailed to an awful and un¬ 
precedented degree. By the Sandwich Islanders, 
who had arrived some years before, the natives had 
been taught to distil ardent spirits from the saccha¬ 
rine ti root, which they now practised to a great 
extent; and exhibited, in a proportionate degree, 
all the demoralizing and debasing influence of 
drunkenness. 
Whole districts frequently united, to erect what 
might be termed a public still. It was a rude, 
unsightly machine, yet it answered but too well 
the purpose for which it was made. It generally 
consisted of a large fragment of rock, hollowed in 
a rough manner, and fixed firmly upon a solid pile 
of stones, leaving a space underneath for a fire- 
