228 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
sal conversation; and the facility with which books 
conld be multiplied, filled the minds of the people 
in general with wonderful delight. Multitudes 
arrived from every district of Eimeo, and even 
from other islands, to procure books, and to see 
this astonishing machine. The excitement mani¬ 
fested frequently resembled that with which the 
people of England would hasten to witness, for 
the first time, the ascent of a balloon, or the move¬ 
ment of a steam-carriage. So great was the influx 
of strangers, that for several weeks before the first 
portion of the Scriptures was finished, the district 
of Afareaitu resembled a public fair. The beach 
was lined with canoes from distant parts of Eimeo 
and other islands; the houses of the inhabitants 
were thronged, and small parties had erected their 
temporary encampments in every direction. The 
school during the week, and chapel on the Sab¬ 
bath, though capable of containing 600 persons, 
were found too small for those who sought admit¬ 
tance. The printing-office w T as daily crowded by 
the strangers, who thronged the doors, &c. in such 
numbers, as to climb upon each others backs, or 
on the sides of the windows, so as frequently to 
darken the place. The house had been enclosed 
with a fence five or six feet high ; but this, instead 
of presenting an obstacle to the gratification of 
their curiosity, was converted into the means of 
facilitating it: numbers were constantly seen sit¬ 
ting on the top of the railing ; whereby they were 
able to look over the heads of their companions 
who were round the windows. 
Among the various parties in Afareaitu, at this 
time, were a number of the natives of the Pau- 
motu, or Pearl Islands, which lie to the north¬ 
east of Tahiti, and constitute what is called the 
