TRIAL OF THE REBELS. 227 
Hautia and his friends returning; the young chief, 
who was about six-and-twenty years of age, with 
his adherents, following in their train as captives. 
We mingled our congratulations for the issue of 
the events of the day. We were also thankful to 
learn, that although one individual had a very 
narrow escape, yet no life had been lost, and no 
person injured. 
Two days afterwards we attended the trial of 
the rebels, at a special court, held in the open air. 
The conduct of each was candidly and impartially 
examined; and, as many, it was found, had gone 
merely to accompany the chief, or to procure food, 
without any intention of joining in the rebellion, 
they were liberated. The others, who had not 
only designed but commenced hostilities, by plun¬ 
dering the plantations, killing and eating the hogs 
of the party favourable to the laws, were sentenced 
to public labour, and were set to work in small 
parties, with police-officers to attend them. Al¬ 
though they were repeatedly interrogated as to the 
reasons for their conduct, they said but little in 
reply. In the evening of the same day, great 
numbers of the people attended our weekly ser¬ 
vice, when I endeavoured suitably to impress their 
minds in reference to the recent painful events, 
by directing them to the history of Absalom’s re¬ 
bellion. 
There have been two or three slight insurrec¬ 
tions in Tahiti since the promulgation of the laws, 
but they have affected only a small number. 
They have not been recent, and the laws seem 
firmly established; but there are many, in all 
the islands, who find them an irksome restraint, 
and would most willingly, if an opportunity of¬ 
fered, abrogate them. Such individuals desire 
Q 2 
