heaven or earth, and must bafile every investigation as to their origin. It may be satisfactory to the friends of the Missionaries, to learn that their. prayer-meetings and public ordinances were constantly kept up, the morning and afternoon of every day, and on Sundays three times in the day. The natives, however, did not attend. The brethren took it by turns to visit parts of the island within their reach on that day. The preaching, or rather the example, of the Missionaries, is not, however, wholly without effect. The Sabbath is called by the natives Mahanate Etooa, the day of God; and however little attention, in every other respect, they pay to religion, their conduct in the immediate neighbourhood of Matavai, on this day, is more sedate and orderly than on any other. The Missionaries have doubtless gained a small victory over them in this point, as likewise in another of still greater consequence; the greater part of their former obscenity in their public dances has disappeared, and in the neighbourhood of Matavai the Sunday has something of the semblance of a Christian Sabbath. The Missionaries indeed neglect nothing to render their mission successful; but I repeat, that I fear their efforts will be for a long period unsuccessful. It is perhaps expecting too much of the Otaheitans in their present state, to expect any thing of Christian faith from a people so rude and barbarous; perhaps the Missionaries, according to a trite proverb, have begun at the wrong end, preaching the mysteries of their religion, before they have laid a foundation by in

structing them in its simple elements. The doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation are not for Otaheitan understandings.

The huts of the natives in general are but little superior to so many sheds; some of them covered with grass, others not. Their whole furniture, even that of the royal family, consists only of a few wooden stools about six or seven inches in height, and the side of an old canoe, which answers the purpose of a bedstead for the chief, as the stools supply that of a pillow; the remainder of their furniture consists of a few country baskets, some of them from the Sandwich islands; a wooden tray or two, in which they mix their popay, ava, &c. a piece of hard wood, and a stone muller employed for pounding; some of the country gourds, cocoa nut shells, and a scoop net.

This is a complete inventory of their best furnished houses. The Otaheitans to a man are passionately attached to their own country, and believe it not to be exceeded by any country in the world. They have cocoa nuts, and what can exceed their bread fruit? They are fully persuaded that we have no other purpose in visiting their island, but that we are half starved at home, and that we came here to fatten, or as they say, to get handsome; in a word, Otaheite is the finest island in the world, and Pomarre the greatest man.

Mr. Turnbull's ship was lost on some rocks in one of the windward islands, and the crew narrowly escaped death by the hands of the natives; after severe conflicts and privations, they arrived at

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Otaheite in a square punt, rudely formed from the wreck of the ship. "They were too much fatigued and worn out to attend divine service in the chapel of the Missionaries: Mr. Jefferson, therefore, with that anxious piety which distinguishes him, preached a thanksgiving sermon in the house."

One sailor was severely wounded, but carefully attended by Mr. Elder the surgeon, and the other Missionaries. "His life was long despaired of, nor could he possibly have survived, had he experienced less kindness and attention. And here let me not forget Mr. Jefferson; but to say every thing in one word, I shall only add, that he practised actively what he preached zealously. Once for all, I must express my regret, that such labourers are fixed on so ungrateful a soil; may their future harvest be such as to reward their toil."

In the beginning of August, 1803, Otoo the king, Tereea-navoura king of Tiarraboo, Pomarre, Eddea and her warriors, Paitia the brother of Pomarre, and Owo his sister, together with ten Europeans, and all their adherents and fighting men, departed on a mighty expedition against Attahooroo, and having reduced the rebels to submission, Pomarre divided the forfeited lands of their principal chiefs amongst his own friends. Tereea-navoura died during this expedition, to the great grief of Eddea, for he was her favourite son.-Otoo was the favourite of Pomarre.-Eddea had, for her share, a great part of the forfeited domains in Attahooroo.

A ship having arrived before the ceremonies at Attahooroo were finished, Pomarre hastened

back to Opare to prepare his presents; he had got his hogs in the canoe, and was half way to the ship, when he was seized suddenly with a fit, and falling with each hand on the side of the canoe, expired. The poor fellows in the canoe paddled immediately back as fast as possible to his house at Opare, where, in her way likewise to the ship, Eddea had by this time arrived.-"All was anguish and confusion; some imputed his death to one cause, others to another; but the opinion of the majority was, that he had offended the gods, though they could not agree by what means, except by his human sacrifices. They had recourse to one most singular remedy: the body of a human victim which he had sacrificed about three weeks before, was brought, and stretched prostrate under him, in the hopes of appeasing the offended deity.

None had more cause of regret in this event than the Missionaries, to whom Pomarre had been a fast friend. They wrote to the captain of the ship, who was bound to Port Jackson, requesting him to remain till the morning, that the sense of the Society might be taken in what manner to act upon this unexpected occurrence. The following morning Mr. Jefferson came to the ship, and informed us that after several consultations, the Society had resolved to confide in the promises of Eddea, who said that every thing should doubtless proceed as before. Mr. Jefferson, at parting, requested me to desire their friends at home not to be over solicitous as to their safety.

Otoo was still at Attahooroo when his father

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died, and no intelligence had been as yet received from him when we sailed. How he felt this loss I cannot say, but it appears to me that the loss to the royal family must be irreparable. With the exception of Pomarre and Eddea, none of them appeared to possess sufficient abilities either to manage their own people or awe their enemies. It is a crisis big with events for the Otaheitans. It is impossible to predict what may be the event."

Mr. Turnbull took his passage for Port Jackson in the ship to which Pomarre was on a visit when he died. I have made many extracts from Mr. Turnbull's publication, taking him as the chief authority for the state of Otaheite during his residence there. I will close my communications from him, with the remarks which he made respecting the Missionaries during his first visit to Otaheite. "We cannot omit in this place to do justice to the amiable manners and truly Christian deportment of these men, who, like the apostles of old, foregoing all the comforts of civilized life, and a life at least of tranquillity in their native land, have performed a voyage equal to the circumnavigation of the globe, and, like the dove of the ark, carried the Christian olive over the world of waters. Their life is a life of contest, hardship, and disappointment; like their holy Master, they have to preach to the deaf, and exhibit their works to the blind."

Otoo, on his return to Opare, after the death of his father, behaved with kindness towards the Missionaries, and assured them of his protection. Being sole possessor of the kingly power, he now