PRESENT OF A BRITISH SCHOONER. 
33 
CHAP. II. 
Present from the British government to the king of the 
Sandwich Islands—Voyage to Hawaii—Appearance of 
the island—Intercourse with the people-—Kearakakua 
bay—Visit to Kuakini the governor—Voyage to Oahu 
—Welcome from the American Missionaries^—Detention 
in Oahu—Journeys and endeavours to instruct the 
people—Invitation to reside among them—Labours of 
Auna and native teachers—Destruction of idols—Ob¬ 
servance of the sabbath by the king and chiefs—Atten¬ 
tion to religion—Karaimoku—Religious services in the 
families of the principal chiefs—Effects of our visit—- 
Departure for the Society Islands—Return to Oahu— 
Arrival of Missionaries—Objects of the projected tour 
of Hawaii—Remarks on the orthography of native 
words. 
Tamehameha, who had governed the islands thirty 
years, and whose decease had taken place less than 
twelve months before the arrival of the Missionaries, 
had invariably rendered the most prompt and accept¬ 
able aid to those English vessels which had touched 
at the islands. In return for the friendship so uni¬ 
formly manifested, the British government instructed 
the governor of New South Wales to order a schooner 
to be built at Port Jackson, and sent as a present 
to the king of the Sandwich Islands. In the 
month of February, 1822, his majesty’s colonial 
cutter, Mermaid, having in charge the vessel de¬ 
signed for the king of Hawaii, put in+o the harbour 
of Huahine for refreshments. ptain of the 
