228 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
When they were admitted, and beheld the na¬ 
tive printer at work, their astonishment was 
great. They were some time before they would 
approach very near, and appeared at a loss whe¬ 
ther to consider the press as an animal or a 
machine. As their language is strikingly an ala- 
gous to that spoken in the Society Islands, I 
entered into conversation with them. They were 
very urgent to be supplied with spelling-books, 
which I regretted my inability to effect to and 
extent, as our edition was nearly expended. 
Learning that they had discontinued idol-worship, 
I asked why they had abandoned their gods. 
They replied, that they were evil spirits, and had 
never done them any good, but had caused fre¬ 
quent and desolating wars. Moorea,* they said, 
was their teacher, and had instructed them con¬ 
cerning the true God, for whose worship in the 
island of Anaa,f whence most of them came, they 
had already erected three chapels. 
But little time was allowed for the drying of the 
printed sheets. The natives were in want of 
books, and most eager for them : the first inquiry 
of every party that arrived, usually was, “ When 
will the books be ready ?” The presses were 
therefore fixed, and, having acquired some know¬ 
ledge of bookbinding as well as printing, before 
leaving England, I proceeded, as soon as the 
printing was finished, to binding, though but inade¬ 
quately furnished with materials. 
The first bound copy was- sent to Papetoai, and 
is still, I believe, in Mr. Nott’s possession ; the 
second, half-bound in red morocco, was presented 
* He had been a professor of Christianity, and a pupil 
in the Mission-school, some time before our arrival, 
t Prince of Wales’s Island. 
