DISMISSAL OF MEMBERS. 89 
dismissal of those who, by their conduct, had dis¬ 
graced the Christian profession. -On these occa¬ 
sions, we presented to their consideration the 
direction of the scriptures, and the duty of the 
church resulting therefrom; and when it was 
aecessary to dismiss an individual from fellowship, 
it was always done with solemn prayer and most 
effecting regret. 
We were not called to this painful duty soon or 
often. One or two instances occurred before I 
removed to the Sandwich Islands. They were, 
aowever, exceedingly distressing, especially the 
first, which preyed so constantly upon the mind of 
the individual, that, though fully convinced of his 
fault, and the propriety of the proceeding, he 
never recovered the shock he received. It was 
exceedingly painful to those who could no longer, 
without dishonouring the Christian name, allow 
him to be identified with them, to separate him. 
He soon offered every evidence of deep and sin¬ 
cere penitence, and was affectionately invited to 
return to the bosom of the church : but although 
he came again among them, a cloud ever after 
hung over him; and a disease, aggravated by 
mental anxiety, attacked his frame, and soon 
brought him to the grave. 
Christian churches were formed upon the same 
or similar principles in the Windward or Georgian 
Islands, some months before this was established 
in Huahine. From the peculiar local circum¬ 
stances of the people, the churches in Tahiti have 
been exposed to greater trials than that in Hua¬ 
hine has yet experienced, especially those formed 
in stations adjacent to the anchorage of shipping. 
In the vicinity of these, the baneful influence of 
foreign seamen is most destructive of moral im- 
