• THE PEARL ISLANDS. 307 
falling’ of the trees, and the rising of the sea over 
those entangled among their trunks, and the ruins 
of their houses, had occasioned the loss of many 
lives. Besides the distress caused by the above 
afflictive visitation, he received the unpleasant 
tidings of the defection of two of the native teach¬ 
ers ; but was gratified to learn, that Manao and 
Mareuu were stedfast, and that the inhabitants of 
ten other islands, among those so thickly spread 
over the ocean, between Tahiti and the Marquesas, 
had received native teachers. The influence of 
Christianity had been salutary, in softening the 
barbarous character of the natives of Anaa, yet 
their savage dispositions were occasionally mani¬ 
fested. Desirous to extend the knowledge of th© 
new religion, they sent two native teachers to 
Amanu. The inhabitants of this island attacked 
the strangers, wounded one of the teachers, killed 
both their wives, and obliged the survivor and his 
friends to seek their safety in flight. The wife of 
one of the teachers was the daughter of the chief 
of Anaa. The report of her murder so enraged many 
of the inhabitants, that, forgetting the principles of 
forbearance inculcated by the gospel, and so nobly 
exhibited by their countrymen on another occa¬ 
sion, they fitted out a fleet, sailed to Amanu, and 
punished with death a number of the inhabitants. 
Captain Beechey, who recently visited this ar¬ 
chipelago, has furnished an interesting account of 
the appearance, extent, and structure of many of 
these islands, with an affecting description of the 
state of the inhabitants; and although he must 
have been misled in the report he received of the 
Chain Islanders being cannibals, notwithstanding 
their having embraced Christianity, his account of 
the native teachers, whom he met with, shews the 
x 2 
