176 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
the authority of the queen, governors, and chiefs. 
They were subsequently printed, and circulated in 
every part of the islands. 
In a letter which Mr. Barff transmitted with a 
printed copy, speaking of the laws, he remarks, 
“ You will find them, in every material point, the 
same as when you left the islands !” I insert a 
literal translation of this code, not because it was 
the last promulgated, nor that I consider it supe¬ 
rior in every respect to those by which it was pre¬ 
ceded, but because it was adopted by the people 
with whom I was most intimately connected, and 
received a greater degree of the attention of my 
colleague and myself, than any of the others. It 
might, perhaps, have been abridged, or a mere 
enumeration of the laws might have furnished 
all the information that is interesting ; yet the first 
code of laws adopted, written, and printed among 
a people, who, but a few years before, were igno¬ 
rant heathen, and lawless savages, is a document 
so important in the history of the people, as to 
justify its entire insertion. The title is E Ture na 
Huahine: u A Law,* or Code of Laws, for Hua- 
hine, caused to grow in the government or reign of 
of Teriiteria, Hautia, and Mahine, subordinate 
(rulers)” and the Imprint is—“ Huahine, printed 
at the Mission Press, 1823.” 
The following is the Introduction immediately 
after the names of the queen and two principal 
chiefs— 
u From the favour of God , we have our govern¬ 
ment, Peace to you (People) of Huahine .” 
* There is no word in their language for law. The 
Hebrew word has been introduced, as according with the 
genius and idiom of Tahitian better than any other. 
