guests by trifling presents, and, amongst other things, gave them a
piece of sham gold-lace, several yards in length, which was received
with extraordinary eagerness. The Royal sisters divided it between them,
and added it to the black crape trimming of their hats; and so great was
the admiration excited by this novel article of finery, that the rage
for gold-lace became an absolute fever among the more distinguished
Tahaitian ladies. Vain now proved the severe lessons of the
Missionaries, forbidding all adornment of the person. There was no end
to petitions for lace, and the more our store of it diminished, the more
highly did they value the smallest piece they could obtain. The
tormented husbands came every day to the ship, willingly offering a fine
fat pig and eight fowls for half an ell of the false lace, to satisfy
the longings of their wives. They beset me incessantly in my dwelling
on shore, for this new and invaluable appendage of luxury; and were
astonished beyond measure, that I, the commander, should possess none of
it. The ladies who finally were unsuccessful in procuring the means of
imitating a fashion thus accidentally introduced by the Royal sisters,
_tout comme chez-nous_, actually fell ill and gave themselves up to the
boundless lamentations of despair.
While the Royal Family remained below in the cabin, their attendants
were engaged on deck in purchasing from our sailors all sorts of old
clothes for a hundred times their value, in Spanish piastres. The
Tahaitians have yet no notion of the value of money, which they get from
the ships that touch at the island, and by their trade in cocoa-oil with
New Holland.
The Missionaries have done their utmost to draw money into the country,
and for this purpose have fixed prices on every article of provision,
under which no one dares to sell them to foreign ships. These prices
are, however, so high that nothing but necessity would induce any one to
pay them, so that the ships in general rather provide themselves with
old clothes, utensils of various kinds, and toys, which enable them to
make most advantageous barters, and frequently even to bring away money.
The plan of the Missionaries, therefore, like many other financial
regulations, has been found in operation to produce a result directly
contrary to the effect intended.
During the visit to my vessel, the young Princess had found an
opportunity to bargain with a sailor for a sheet; having secured this
treasure, she ran with it upon deck in the most extravagant joy, viewed
it over and over with delight, and there formed it into a really very
becoming drapery. She appeared quite conscious of her increased
attractions in this attire, leaped about in the most sprightly manner,
and called on all the persons of the Court to admire her. In short, a
young European lady on first decorating herself with the most costly
Persian shawl, would not have been half so happy as this young Princess
dressed in the sailor's sheet.
At four o'clock, the dinner was served to our guests and their suite,
entirely in the Russian mode; except the etiquette of placing the Royal
Family a little apart from the rest of the company. The infant King had
long before begun to cry from weariness, and had been carried back into
the boat, where he had quietly fallen asleep. A prayer was repeated
before and after dinner. The visitors seemed to think our dishes very
palatable, and even the Royal Family ate with good appetite, though they
had so recently made a substantial meal. Their conduct was extremely
decorous, and showed much aptitude in imitation. They made use of the
knives, forks, and spoons as readily as if they had been always
accustomed to them; and the wine, though by no means despised, was very
moderately enjoyed.
After dinner a general conversation took place, in which a man of
seventy years of age distinguished himself by his animation and
intelligence. He was the only individual present who had personally
known Captain Cook. He asserted that he had been his particular friend,
and for this reason still bore his name, which he pronounced quite
correctly, although there is neither a C nor K in the Tahaitian
alphabet. He boasted not a little of having accompanied Cook in his
coasting voyages about the islands, and of having often slept in the
same tent with him. He knew the names of all Cook's company, and could
recollect the particular pursuits of each officer. To describe the
manner in which Cook had observed the height of the sun, he asked for a
sextant, placed himself in a stooping position, and looking fixedly upon
an angle, often called with a loud voice, Stop!
He could relate the Bible-history in short extracts, from the Creation
to the birth of Christ; and in order to explain the doctrine of the
Trinity, he held up three fingers, pressed them together, and looked
towards the Heavens. The old Cook (as he called himself,) was not
entirely ignorant of geography. He said he possessed a map presented to
him by his friend;--that England was an island, and much smaller than
Russia; and traced out, on a map of the World being opened before him,
the way by which we had come to Tahaiti.
At sunset our Royal visitants departed, highly gratified with their
entertainment, and returned to the capital. This visit being over, I
hoped to be at liberty to pursue my occupations in peace, but in this I
was disappointed. Though my habitation was surrounded by sentinels, I
was continually disturbed by swarms of curious islanders, who,
troublesome as they were, were yet so gentle and good-tempered that it
was impossible to be angry with them. They were particularly pleased
with Dr. Eschscholz's little museum, and took pains to collect from
every corner of the island, butterflies, beetles, birds, and marine
productions, by way of showing their sense of the kindness with which he
exhibited his treasures, often receiving from him in return some
trifling present, which they considered of great value. One of them was
fairly overpowered with gratitude by the gift of an old coat. With much
admiration of such profuse generosity, and many expressions of rapture,
he at length succeeded in cramming his large body into the garment of
the infinitely smaller and more slender philosopher, and strutted about
with his back hunched up, and his arms sticking out, envied by all his
acquaintances for the magnificence of his attire.
Though the vice of theft has certainly greatly diminished among the
Tahaitians, they cannot always refrain from endeavouring to appropriate
the articles they prize so highly. For instance, I think if any one of
the Tahaitian ladies had found an opportunity of stealing a bit of the
mock gold lace, the temptation would have been too great to withstand.
Every theft however is, on discovery, punished without distinction of
persons, and the criminal, on conviction, is generally sentenced to work
on the highway. A road has been made round the island, on which those
who have committed great transgressions, are condemned to labour; but it
is probable that neglect of prayer, or any trifling offence against the
Missionaries, would also entail this punishment upon them.
We had an opportunity of observing the severity with which theft is
punished. A complaisant husband could not resist the entreaties of his
wife, who longed for one of our sheets. One day, when the sailors were
washing in the river, he took an opportunity, unperceived as he thought,
to snatch up one of these coveted articles and run off with it. Some of
his countrymen, who had watched him, directly brought him back, bound
him to a tree, and informed me and a Missionary of the circumstance. On
reaching the spot, I already found the Judge of the district and the
Missionaries Wilson and Tyrman standing beside the thief, who was still
bound to the tree. Mr. Tyrman, who was especially bitter, could not
refrain from abuse: he called the criminal a brute, who was not worthy
to be treated as a human creature, and acted altogether as if the affair
were his. This would have surprised me, as the judge of the district was
present, and Mr. Tyrman had no official appointment on the island, but
he was a member of the Missionary Society,--_et tout est dit_. I was now
asked if I wished the offender to be whipped, as he had not the means of
paying the forfeit of three pigs to the person robbed, which the law
demands, in addition to the punishment of ignominious labour. I forgave
him the equivalent for the pigs, and begged that he might be dismissed
with a severe admonition upon the disgrace of theft, and an earnest
warning for the future. This request, however, was not granted, and the
unfortunate offender was taken away, still tied, to work on the highway:
the Judge and Mr. Wilson concurred in assuring me that he was not a
Tahaitian, but an inhabitant of another island, who had come hither with
one of the tributary kings, and declared that a Tahaitian would not have
stolen the sheet. The only article which we lost besides this, was an
iron hoop from a barrel, and as the thief was not discovered, it
remained undecided whether their assertion was well-grounded or not. At
all events, it appears certain that thefts do not take place oftener
than among civilized nations.
With the chastity of the Tahaitian women, the case is similar; and it
does not appear to me that the breaches of this virtue are more frequent
on the whole than in Europe. It was with the utmost caution and secrecy,
and in the most fearful anxiety lest their errors should be betrayed to
the Missionaries, that the females complied with the desires of our
sailors. An accidental occurrence proved that their terrors were not
groundless. A married man who possessed a house of his own, was induced
to barter, according to the custom of his ancestors, the favours of his
wife for some pieces of iron: he had also assisted a young man in an
intrigue with a woman whose husband was not so complaisant, by lending
his house as a place of rendezvous. Suddenly the owner and his wife
disappeared in the night, the house was found empty next morning, and we
could never learn what had become of its proprietors. Have the
Missionaries already introduced the _Oubliettes_?
Having occasion one morning to visit Wilson on business, I found his
door, which usually stood open, closed and fastened: I knocked several
times; but the whole house seemed buried in the repose of death: at
length, after loud and repeated strokes, the door was opened by Wilson,
whose cheeks bedewed with tears made me apprehensive that some great
calamity had befallen him; I was however soon satisfied that devotion
alone had caused this emotion. In an ante-room I found four or five
naked Tahaitians, of the highest rank, as Wilson told me, on their knees
reading the Bible. Having apologized for what appeared to be an
unseasonable intrusion, I was about to retire, but was invited by
Wilson, in a friendly manner, into the inner apartment, where I found
his whole family, with Messrs. Bennet and Tyrman, kneeling round a
breakfast-table, on which coffee and various kinds of meat were
arranged. Tyrman was praying aloud, the rest silently joining him. He
thanked God for the progress the Missionaries had made in spreading
Christianity. How willingly would I have concurred in his thanksgiving,
had the religion they taught been true, genuine Christianity, propitious
to human virtue and human happiness.
The prayer lasted yet a quarter of an hour; on its conclusion, the
company rose and breakfasted with a good appetite; but offered nothing
to the distinguished personages in the other apartment, who were
suffered to leave the house unnoticed.
I found the bread-fruit, as baked in the ovens by the Europeans here,
excellent. The natives retain their old custom of baking in the earth.
During breakfast, Wilson related the difficulties he had encountered in
the conversion of the Tahaitians. They would not allow that his faith
was superior to their own; and when he appealed to the miracles which
confirmed the truth of the Christian doctrine, they required that he
also should restore sight to the blind and raise the dead to life; the
confession of his inability was met with derision, and for many years he
gained no disciples. How different, in all probability, would the effect
have proved, had he, instead of the miraculous history of his religion,
directed the attention of the susceptible Tahaitians to its pure
morality, leading so naturally to the idea of a common Father, and a
fellowship of charity. O, ye Missionaries, how much blood might ye not
have spared!
I received another visit from the Royal Family, accompanied this time by
many of the Vice-Kings then in Tahaiti, with their consorts. Among them
was the grandfather of the little monarch Pomareh the Second. After some
preliminaries, my illustrious guests unanimously preferred a request in
the most modest, yet pressing manner. They wished me to get a pair of
boots made for the little King. His coronation, they said, would soon
take place, and they did not think it decorous, on so solemn an
occasion, for the Sovereign of all the Society Islands to sit barefooted
on his throne.
I immediately ordered my shoemaker to provide for the Royal necessity;
the measure was taken, and my complaisance rewarded by the gratitude of
the whole company. At this visit, also, the guests ate and slept. I took
advantage of this opportunity to observe the method of preparing the
pig, always the chief dish in their feasts. A sufficiently large round
hole was dug in the earth, and filled with stones. A fire was then
lighted in it, and kept burning till the stones were red-hot, when the
ashes and cinders were taken out, and the stones covered with large
banana-leaves, upon which the pig was laid, after being thoroughly
cleaned, and stuffed with the glowing stones; more leaves were spread
upon it, and covered with hot stones, and finally, the hole was filled
up with earth. After a certain time it was taken out, and proved a more
tender and delicate roast, than the best European cook could have
produced. They dress their vegetables in the same manner, and the
flavour is excellent; the bread-fruit, only, I preferred as baked in
Wilson's European oven.
[Illustration: PLAN OF MATTAWAY BAY AND VILLAGE]
Matarai Bay is rich in finely flavoured fish, of various, sometimes
extraordinary form, and beautiful colours. The Tahaitians eat them
raw, or only steeped in sea-water. Their fishing-tackle consists of
nothing more than bad angling lines and hooks; to make nets as their
forefathers did, would trespass too much upon the time they are obliged
to spend in prayer. Hence fish is so great a rarity to them, that their
eager desire for it sometimes prompts them to belie their good
character, of which we had an example. One of our large nets having
brought up a multitude of fine fish, the temptation was too strong to be
resisted, and our friends would have forcibly shared our acquisition
with us, had not our severe reproof, and the accidental appearance of
the judge of the district, restrained them. They then tried to obtain
the fish by barter, and offered their most valuable tools for the
smallest and worst of them; I gave them, however, so many, that for once
their appetite was fully satisfied with a luxurious repast.
I had heard much of an institution established by the Missionaries for
the instruction of the people, and was desirous to learn what progress
the Tahaitians had made in the rudiments of science. Being informed
that the lessons commenced at sunrise, the first rays of that luminary
found me one morning at the school-house, as I conceived the simple
structure before me to be. Its walls were formed of bamboo canes,
erected singly, at sufficient distances to admit the refreshing breeze
from all sides, and supporting a good roof. The interior was one
spacious quadrangular apartment, provided with benches, and raised seats
for the teachers.
I had not waited long before the pupils of both sexes entered. They were
not lively children, nor youths, whom ardour for the acquisition of
knowledge led to the seat of instruction, but adults and aged persons,
who crept slowly in with downcast looks, and prayer-books under their
arms. When they were all assembled and seated on the benches, a Psalm
was sung; a Tahaitian then rose, placed himself on an elevated bench,
and read a chapter from the Bible. After this they sang again, and then
knelt with their backs to the reader, who, also kneeling, repeated with
closed eyes a long prayer. At its conclusion, the orator resigned his
place to another Tahaitian, when the whole ceremony commenced anew;
another Psalm, another chapter, and another prayer were sung and said;
again and again, as I understood, a fresh performer repeated the
wearisome exercise; but my patience was exhausted, and, at the second
course, with depressed spirits and painful impressions, I left the
assembly.
Several such meetings are established in different parts of the island,
but no schools of a different character. The children are taught a
little reading and writing in their parents' houses, and beyond this,
knowledge is mischievous. It is true, that most of the Missionaries are
incapable of communicating further instruction; but the opinion that it
is easier to govern an ignorant than a well-educated community, seems
here, as elsewhere, to form a fundamental principle of policy.
To pray and to obey are the only commands laid upon an oppressed people,
who submissively bow to the yoke, and even suffer themselves to be
driven to prayers by the cudgel!
A police-officer is especially appointed to enforce the prescribed
attendance upon the church and prayer-meetings. I saw him in the
exercise of his functions, armed with a bamboo-cane, driving his herd to
the spiritual pasture. He seemed himself to be conscious of the
burlesque attaching to his office,--at least he behaved very absurdly in
it, and many a stroke fell rather in jest than in earnest. The drollery
of the driver did not, however, enliven the dejected countenances of his
flock.
In the prayer-house, which at first, in my simplicity, I had taken for a
school, no Missionary was present. The assembly consisting, except
myself, of natives only, though tolerably quiet, was not so profoundly
silent as at church. I endeavoured to read in the countenances of those
around me, what might be the thoughts which at the moment occupied their
minds, and few were the eyes which did not, as they passed muster, speak
of other matter than devotion and the Bible. Most of them appeared
engaged in very profane speculations: friendly glances occasionally
interchanged, betrayed the hopes of the younger devotees; while many a
stately Yeri was probably considering by what means he should procure
from my ship's-company an old waistcoat, or a pair of torn pantaloons
in which he might appear with suitable dignity at the approaching
coronation; and among the ladies, some might be weighing the pleasure of
possessing a sailor's sheet, against the risks they must run to obtain
it.
Exactly facing me was seated a fair one most becomingly enveloped in
this envied habiliment, and enjoying with modest complacency, but
visible triumph, the admiration with which the eyes of her country-women
were fixed upon her garment.
I had heard from the Missionaries many wonderful accounts of the Lake
Wahiria, situated among the mountains which rise in the centre of the
northern peninsula. They had themselves never seen it, and considered it
almost impossible for an European to reach it; even the boldest
Tahaitians rarely visit it; and a saying is current in the island, that
it is inhabited by an evil demon. Its depth they report to be
unfathomable, and cannot conceive from what cause this huge body of
water can be stationary at so great a height.
Mr. Hoffman, our mineralogist, an active young man, resolved to
undertake this expedition, accompanied by three Tahaitians:--Maititi,
who on our arrival had concluded a treaty of friendship with him, and
adopted the name of Hoffman; Tauru, a respectable elderly man; and
Teiraro, a brisk and lively young fellow. The two latter could write
their own names. At first they raised many objections, assuring him that
the journey, at all times difficult, was now dangerous from the waters
being swollen by the rains; however, a shirt promised to each of them
overcame all these obstacles, and the travellers set out at mid-day in
excellent spirits. Maititi, a soldier in the royal Tahaitian army, bore
the insignia of his rank in a musket, to which nothing but the lock was
wanting, and a cartouche-box without powder. He had learnt a few English
words, and, by their help, advised Mr. Hoffman to carry with him some
presents for his countrymen: for he observed, that though hospitality
and the consequence attaching to the stranger's appearance would secure
him a good reception, it was desirable that a man with whom he had
united himself in the bonds of friendship, should also command respect
by his liberality.
They travelled on a broad fine path through forests of fruit trees, and
several villages, and considered the population of this district to
exceed that in the neighbourhood of Matarai. In the country of Weijoride
they began to climb the mountains, and soon entered a charming valley
stretching to the south-southwest, and enclosed by high steep rocks,
basaltic, like those of Matarai. Down their precipitous sides clothed
with the richest green rushed innumerable streamlets to swell the
largest and most rapid rivulet on the island, which watered the whole
extent of this luxuriant valley. Here the cocoa, palm, and the
bread-fruit tree disappear, but bananas and oranges flourishing wild,
produce finer and more juicy fruit than our best hot-houses.
A few scattered huts raised on the margin of the little river, gave
tokens of human habitation. In one of these, occupied by an old married
pair, our travellers passed the first night. Maititi seemed to consider
himself quite on a foraging party, and Mr. Hoffman was under the
necessity of begging him to moderate his zeal, and leave the care of the
entertainment to their host. The old man fetched a pig, and Maititi,
with great dexterity, played the part both of butcher and cook. Mr.
Hoffman describes the operation of lighting the fire on this occasion,
in the following manner:--A Tahaitian took two pieces of wood of
different degrees of hardness, laid the softer upon the ground, and very
rapidly rubbed its length backwards and forwards with the harder. This
made a furrow, in which the dust rubbed from the wood collected, and
soon became hot; it was then shaken among dry leaves and burst into a
flame. The whole process seemed easy and quick; but Mr. Hoffman could
not succeed in it though he made many attempts. Before supper, the
master of the house recited a prayer aloud, the family repeating it
after him, but not audibly. They then ate a hearty but silent meal, and
prayed again before lying down to sleep. The couch offered to Mr.
Hoffman was a raised platform in the hut, thickly spread with mats, with
a pair of sheets of the Tahaitian manufacture, called Tapa, for its
covering.
The volubility of his guides, restrained during the repast by the more
important business of satisfying their appetites, now broke out to his
great disturbance. They chattered almost incessantly during great part
of the night with the host, whom they were probably entertaining with an
account of our ship, which he had not yet visited, and of their
intercourse with us. Mr. Hoffman, on taking leave in the morning, gave
his host a knife, an important present, which the old man received very
gratefully, as far exceeding his expectations.
The valley as they proceeded became wilder, but more beautiful: it
opened to greater width, the precipices around rose to a thousand feet
in height, covered from their black summits down to the valley with
green shrubs of a thousand hues, through which cascades glittering like
silver in the sun, rushed gurgling and foaming to the river.