FOOTNOTES:

FOOTNOTES:[29]We are indebted to C. W. Stafford, Esq., Under Secretary of State to the Colonial Government, for copies of the latest statistical documents, from which we learninter aliathat at the end of 1859 the population amounted to 129,392, the aborigines numbering 56,049, and the foreigners 73,343.[30]According to the tradition handed down from the chief Te-heŭ-heŭ, their forefathers emigrated first from Hawaiki-Tawiti-Nui, to Hawaiki-Patata, where they sojourned some time, and thence went to Hawaiki-Ki-te-Maiteŭ, whence they came to New Zealand.[31]According to Dr. Thomson ("The story of New Zealand past and present, savage and civilized." London. John Murray, 1859), who lived eleven years at Auckland prosecuting his duties as a surgeon in the army, the Maori came to New Zealand, passing by Rarotonga, from Sawaii, the largest of the Navigators' Islands, about the year 1419. This opinion, which is not devoid of probability, is not however incompatible with the Sandwich Islands being the original cradle of the New Zealanders, and Sawaii only a sort of intermediate station. (See United States Exploring Expedition 1838-42. Ethnography or Philology, vol. vii., by Horatio Hale, Philadelphia. Lea and Blanchard, 1846.—The Traditionary Migrations of the New Zealanders and the Maori Legends (Die Wundersagen der Neu-Seeländer und der Maori Mythos), by C. Schirren. Riga. N. Kymmel, 1856.)[32]The sick were formerly made to drink the fluid contained in the shells of fresh and salt-waterConchyliæ.[33]Of these the most important are:—"Polynesian Mythology, and ancient traditional History of the New Zealand Race, as furnished by their Priests and Chiefs. London, 1855." "Proverbial and Popular Sayings of the Ancestors of the New Zealand Race. Capetown, 1857."[34]New Zealand: being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures during a Residence in that Country, between the years 1831 and 1837. By J. S. Polack, Esq., member of the Colonial Society of London. In two volumes. London, Rich. Bentley, 1838.—Travels in New Zealand, with contributions to the Geography, Geology, and Natural History of that Country. By Ernest Dieffenbach, M.D., late Naturalist to the New Zealand Company. 2 vols. London, J. Murray, 1843.—The Southern Districts of New Zealand; a Journal with passing Notices of the Customs of the Aborigines.—By Edward Shortland, M.A., London, Longman and Co. 1851.—A Dictionary of the New Zealand Language and a concise Grammar; to which is added a Collection of Colloquial Sentences. By W. Williams, D.C.L., Archdeacon of Waiapú. London, 1852.—The Ika-a-Mauí, or New Zealand and its Inhabitants. By R. Taylor. London, 1855.—A Leaf from the Natural History of New Zealand. By R. Taylor. Wellington, New Zealand, 1848.—New Zealand, the "Britain of the South." By Charles Hursthouse. London, E. Stanford, 1861. Of purely scientific works relating to botany, Dr. Hooker's "Flora of New Zealand" may be mentioned as the most comprehensive.[35]Rona is a Maori maiden of whom a legend relates that the moon, irritated at her petulant disposition, carried her off to the upper regions.[36]The dead is here spoken of as the evening star, which is supposed to rise in another world, where on its arrival it is welcomed with great rejoicings by the thousands that have preceded it.[37]Main is the same as the Kumera, or sweet potato.[38]Tikoro is the name of a race or tribe of the Hokianga district.[39]A Maori, who maintained his neutrality, though he evidently views the victories of his countrymen with partial eyes, wrote us only a few months ago, "that in the combats which marked the first outbreak of hostilities, the English lost 2000 and the Maories only 1000!"[40]Maori Mementos, being a series of Addresses presented by the Native People to H.E. Sir George Grey, Governor and High Commissioner of the Cape of Good Hope, and late Governor of New Zealand, with introductory remarks and explanatory notes; to which is added a small Collection of Laments, &c., by Charles Olivier B. Davis, translator and interpreter to the General Government. Auckland, 1855. Also, "The New Zealand chief Kawiti, and other New Zealand warriors." Auckland, 1855.[41]Potatáu (i. e. shriek by night) was so far back as 1833, during the bloody contests of the Waikatos against the Taranaki, a renowned warrior and cannibal, who at that period, according to undoubted authority, had with his own hand slain 200 of the foe, and had returned home from the battle-field satiated with human flesh, and rich in slaves. In the evening of his days he was an advocate of peace, and a friend of the whites. When he died, in 1860, his son, second of the name, was declared his successor.[42]Observations on the State of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of New Zealand. By F. D. Fenton, the compiler of the statistical tables of the native population. Auckland, 1859. "The object of the publication by the Government of this paper is to draw attention to the state of the native population, especially to the decrease in numbers—with a view to invite inquiry as to the cause, and suggestions of a remedy."[43]Of the enormous waste of human life caused by these wars some idea may be formed from the fact that at the storming and capture of the singlepáhof Matakitaki on the river Waipa 2000 warriors were killed; a larger amount of killed than that of the English army at Waterloo![44]Of the bitter feelings excited by the Maori revolt among the inhabitants of Australia, an idea may be formed from the fact that Dr. Mackay, a well-known personage in political circles at Melbourne, seriously proposed to the Government of Victoria to send a volunteer expeditionary force to the seat of war, to assist in suppressing the rebels. The expenses, which Dr. Mackay estimated at £15,000 to £20,000, were to be repaid by sales of land in the conquered portion. Nay, this learned expounder of the "law" went so far as to pronounce the subjugation of these "savages" as imperatively necessary. The men were to be shipped off to Melbourne, to work as "SLAVES" for seven years; the females to be carried away and disposed of as wives for the Chinese and well-conducted white convicts! Dr. Cairns, Bishop of Melbourne, and other ministers of the gospel, adds this humane philanthropist, to be at liberty to use "all fair means" (!!!) for their conversion.—CompareSydney Morning Herald, Saturday, July 21st, 1860.[45]The most important American, Indian, and Australian markets may be reached by screw steamer from Auckland as follows:—MilesDaysNew Caledonia12505Tahiti23809Sandwich Islands406014Valparaiso542020San Francisco595022Batavia475017Manila465017Singapore505018Calcutta682026Sydney12605Melbourne14206Adelaide17807Hobart Town12505Panama532020If the contemplated routeviâPanama be made available (with a coaling station at Gambier Islands), some 3500 miles or 14 days' sail would be saved, so that New Zealand would be reached in from 41 to 48 days, and Sydney and Melbourne in about 53 and 54 days respectively.[46]According to Dr. Thomson's meteorological observations, the following are the averages for the town of Auckland (36° 50′ S.), temperature 591⁄2° Fahr.; rain-fall 451⁄2inches; days on which rain falls 160; barometer 29.95 inches.[47]Not less interesting are the returns as to the number of soldiers attacked with consumption and who died of it at the various garrisons, which are as follows: Of 1000 soldiers there wereAttackedDiedIn New Zealand602.7At Cape of Good Hope983In Australia1335.8At Malta1206In Canada1486.7In Great Britain1488[48]These grants, however, are only made to the person who actually defrays the expenses of the passage: thus they are not made to children, but to their parents; not to the servant, but to the master, who has paid the passage of the former.[49]Besides the Kauri pine, there is abundance of Rimu or red pine, the Kahi-Katea or white pine, the Tanakaha or pitch pine, the Matan or black pine, as also the Puriri or New Zealand oak, all trees of great utility.[50]At the period of theNovara'svisit to Auckland the proportion of the various nationalities and religions were as follows:Nations.Irish11,881Scotch11,881English35,644Germans and other nations594———60,000Religions.Catholics7,500Presbyterians7,500Wesleyans and Dissenters15,000Episcopalians30,000———60,000[51]The Government also publishes at its own expense a Maori paper weekly, Te Karere Maori, the Maori Messenger, the subscription to which is 5s.6d.per annum, and is intended to keep the coloured population informed of the most important political and social events, as also to tend to their civilization. We subjoin the contents of a single number now lying before us. "The laws of England.—Remarks upon ship-owners.—Official notices.—Letter from the chiefs of Chatham Island.—Farming, commercial, and maritime news.—Price current.—Speech of some brown chiefs at a meeting at Mongonui.—Letter from Bay of Islands.—Deaths.—The Auckland infirmary.—Government orders, &c." Colonel Brown deserves special praise and acknowledgment for the publication of the laws of England in Maori, accompanied with the original text, although the fruits of this arduous but important labour may only gradually become apparent.[52]It is especially worthy of remark, that wherever the Anglo-Saxon race colonize, the newspaper and the post-office follow the footsteps of the first settlers. After these come the church and the school-house. Newspaper perusal and dispatch of letters are among the first necessities of life to the Englishman. In the whole of New Zealand there were, in 1858, 64,357 copies of the various journals struck off, and 482,856 letters received and dispatched. The province of Auckland alone figures for 239,367 papers and 133,121 letters.[53]See Appendix III.[54]See Appendix IV.[55]These two Maories, who at first were very much depressed, soon got reconciled to their new sphere, and by their excellent conduct and obliging disposition, presently became great favourites among the crew. Only during our rough passage round the Horn, the tremendous storms and the unaccustomed severity of the cold caused them great uneasiness; they thought, as they themselves said, that "they must have died then;" and great were their longings for their native country. When at last they arrived safely and in excellent health at Trieste, they travelled to Vienna in company with one of the members of the Expedition, where, through the kindness of Privy Councillor von Auer, they entered into the Imperial-Royal Printing House, and were also instructed in the most important and interesting particulars of European civilization. Mr. Zimmerl, a member of that Institution, who had made the Maori idiom a special study, taught them English and German, as well as the manipulation of types and lithography, besides copper-plate engraving and drawing from nature. So intelligent and anxious for improvement did they prove themselves to be, that the Imperial Government were requested by the Directors of the State Printing Office to present the two Maories on their return to their native country with the necessary implements to enable them to avail themselves at home of the knowledge they acquired under such creditable circumstances. During their nine months' stay in Vienna, they were made acquainted with all the "lions" of the metropolis, and all the manners and customs of European civilized life. Of all the numerous sights that must have astonished their unaccustomed senses, there was none that seemed to have made a more powerful impression than the Railway, "the most splendid evidence of the powers of the foreigners, compared with which all others are unimportant, and which they earnestly trust will soon be introduced into New Zealand." The culmination of their visit to Vienna consisted in a visit they paid to their Majesties in the Imperial Palace, by whom they were received with the most gracious consideration, and orders issued that they should receive a handsome present, and have their return to their native country defrayed at the Government cost. On 26th May, 1860, the two New Zealanders quitted Vienna, and travelled through Germany to London, where they stayed several weeks, were presented to the Queen, and embarked at Southampton for Auckland direct. They arrived in safety at home, and have since then repeatedly written to their friends and associates in Vienna. The style of these epistles is in the highly figurative style peculiar to New Zealand. They abound in repetitions, and are not very inventive in rounding their sentences or giving their impressions, though they occasionally surprise the reader by the tenderness and poetic fervour of their thoughts. Thus, for example, Toe-toe writes once from Vienna to one of the Expedition resident at Trieste: "Thou art at Trieste, on the sea-shore! We climbed the Leopold Berg,—thence to descry the clouds which floated over Styria. Trieste we could not see, for our eyes were veiled by the tears which flowed from them!" The news we have received of Toe-toe since have been rather distressing. He issues from the press, presented to him at Vienna, stirring publications, comparing the Maories to Pharaoh (?) and exciting them to declare their independence![56]Commanded by Captain Wilkes, recently so notorious by his conduct with reference to the English mail steamerTrent, in Nov. 1861.[57]See Appendix V.[58]Of this wonderful bird a cast was moulded in gypsum, and has been sent to the great International Exhibition, 1862.[59]See Appendix.

[29]We are indebted to C. W. Stafford, Esq., Under Secretary of State to the Colonial Government, for copies of the latest statistical documents, from which we learninter aliathat at the end of 1859 the population amounted to 129,392, the aborigines numbering 56,049, and the foreigners 73,343.

[30]According to the tradition handed down from the chief Te-heŭ-heŭ, their forefathers emigrated first from Hawaiki-Tawiti-Nui, to Hawaiki-Patata, where they sojourned some time, and thence went to Hawaiki-Ki-te-Maiteŭ, whence they came to New Zealand.

[31]According to Dr. Thomson ("The story of New Zealand past and present, savage and civilized." London. John Murray, 1859), who lived eleven years at Auckland prosecuting his duties as a surgeon in the army, the Maori came to New Zealand, passing by Rarotonga, from Sawaii, the largest of the Navigators' Islands, about the year 1419. This opinion, which is not devoid of probability, is not however incompatible with the Sandwich Islands being the original cradle of the New Zealanders, and Sawaii only a sort of intermediate station. (See United States Exploring Expedition 1838-42. Ethnography or Philology, vol. vii., by Horatio Hale, Philadelphia. Lea and Blanchard, 1846.—The Traditionary Migrations of the New Zealanders and the Maori Legends (Die Wundersagen der Neu-Seeländer und der Maori Mythos), by C. Schirren. Riga. N. Kymmel, 1856.)

[32]The sick were formerly made to drink the fluid contained in the shells of fresh and salt-waterConchyliæ.

[33]Of these the most important are:—"Polynesian Mythology, and ancient traditional History of the New Zealand Race, as furnished by their Priests and Chiefs. London, 1855." "Proverbial and Popular Sayings of the Ancestors of the New Zealand Race. Capetown, 1857."

[34]New Zealand: being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures during a Residence in that Country, between the years 1831 and 1837. By J. S. Polack, Esq., member of the Colonial Society of London. In two volumes. London, Rich. Bentley, 1838.—Travels in New Zealand, with contributions to the Geography, Geology, and Natural History of that Country. By Ernest Dieffenbach, M.D., late Naturalist to the New Zealand Company. 2 vols. London, J. Murray, 1843.—The Southern Districts of New Zealand; a Journal with passing Notices of the Customs of the Aborigines.—By Edward Shortland, M.A., London, Longman and Co. 1851.—A Dictionary of the New Zealand Language and a concise Grammar; to which is added a Collection of Colloquial Sentences. By W. Williams, D.C.L., Archdeacon of Waiapú. London, 1852.—The Ika-a-Mauí, or New Zealand and its Inhabitants. By R. Taylor. London, 1855.—A Leaf from the Natural History of New Zealand. By R. Taylor. Wellington, New Zealand, 1848.—New Zealand, the "Britain of the South." By Charles Hursthouse. London, E. Stanford, 1861. Of purely scientific works relating to botany, Dr. Hooker's "Flora of New Zealand" may be mentioned as the most comprehensive.

[35]Rona is a Maori maiden of whom a legend relates that the moon, irritated at her petulant disposition, carried her off to the upper regions.

[36]The dead is here spoken of as the evening star, which is supposed to rise in another world, where on its arrival it is welcomed with great rejoicings by the thousands that have preceded it.

[37]Main is the same as the Kumera, or sweet potato.

[38]Tikoro is the name of a race or tribe of the Hokianga district.

[39]A Maori, who maintained his neutrality, though he evidently views the victories of his countrymen with partial eyes, wrote us only a few months ago, "that in the combats which marked the first outbreak of hostilities, the English lost 2000 and the Maories only 1000!"

[40]Maori Mementos, being a series of Addresses presented by the Native People to H.E. Sir George Grey, Governor and High Commissioner of the Cape of Good Hope, and late Governor of New Zealand, with introductory remarks and explanatory notes; to which is added a small Collection of Laments, &c., by Charles Olivier B. Davis, translator and interpreter to the General Government. Auckland, 1855. Also, "The New Zealand chief Kawiti, and other New Zealand warriors." Auckland, 1855.

[41]Potatáu (i. e. shriek by night) was so far back as 1833, during the bloody contests of the Waikatos against the Taranaki, a renowned warrior and cannibal, who at that period, according to undoubted authority, had with his own hand slain 200 of the foe, and had returned home from the battle-field satiated with human flesh, and rich in slaves. In the evening of his days he was an advocate of peace, and a friend of the whites. When he died, in 1860, his son, second of the name, was declared his successor.

[42]Observations on the State of the Aboriginal Inhabitants of New Zealand. By F. D. Fenton, the compiler of the statistical tables of the native population. Auckland, 1859. "The object of the publication by the Government of this paper is to draw attention to the state of the native population, especially to the decrease in numbers—with a view to invite inquiry as to the cause, and suggestions of a remedy."

[43]Of the enormous waste of human life caused by these wars some idea may be formed from the fact that at the storming and capture of the singlepáhof Matakitaki on the river Waipa 2000 warriors were killed; a larger amount of killed than that of the English army at Waterloo!

[44]Of the bitter feelings excited by the Maori revolt among the inhabitants of Australia, an idea may be formed from the fact that Dr. Mackay, a well-known personage in political circles at Melbourne, seriously proposed to the Government of Victoria to send a volunteer expeditionary force to the seat of war, to assist in suppressing the rebels. The expenses, which Dr. Mackay estimated at £15,000 to £20,000, were to be repaid by sales of land in the conquered portion. Nay, this learned expounder of the "law" went so far as to pronounce the subjugation of these "savages" as imperatively necessary. The men were to be shipped off to Melbourne, to work as "SLAVES" for seven years; the females to be carried away and disposed of as wives for the Chinese and well-conducted white convicts! Dr. Cairns, Bishop of Melbourne, and other ministers of the gospel, adds this humane philanthropist, to be at liberty to use "all fair means" (!!!) for their conversion.—CompareSydney Morning Herald, Saturday, July 21st, 1860.

[45]The most important American, Indian, and Australian markets may be reached by screw steamer from Auckland as follows:—MilesDaysNew Caledonia12505Tahiti23809Sandwich Islands406014Valparaiso542020San Francisco595022Batavia475017Manila465017Singapore505018Calcutta682026Sydney12605Melbourne14206Adelaide17807Hobart Town12505Panama532020If the contemplated routeviâPanama be made available (with a coaling station at Gambier Islands), some 3500 miles or 14 days' sail would be saved, so that New Zealand would be reached in from 41 to 48 days, and Sydney and Melbourne in about 53 and 54 days respectively.

[45]The most important American, Indian, and Australian markets may be reached by screw steamer from Auckland as follows:—

MilesDaysNew Caledonia12505Tahiti23809Sandwich Islands406014Valparaiso542020San Francisco595022Batavia475017Manila465017Singapore505018Calcutta682026Sydney12605Melbourne14206Adelaide17807Hobart Town12505Panama532020

If the contemplated routeviâPanama be made available (with a coaling station at Gambier Islands), some 3500 miles or 14 days' sail would be saved, so that New Zealand would be reached in from 41 to 48 days, and Sydney and Melbourne in about 53 and 54 days respectively.

[46]According to Dr. Thomson's meteorological observations, the following are the averages for the town of Auckland (36° 50′ S.), temperature 591⁄2° Fahr.; rain-fall 451⁄2inches; days on which rain falls 160; barometer 29.95 inches.

[47]Not less interesting are the returns as to the number of soldiers attacked with consumption and who died of it at the various garrisons, which are as follows: Of 1000 soldiers there wereAttackedDiedIn New Zealand602.7At Cape of Good Hope983In Australia1335.8At Malta1206In Canada1486.7In Great Britain1488

[47]Not less interesting are the returns as to the number of soldiers attacked with consumption and who died of it at the various garrisons, which are as follows: Of 1000 soldiers there were

AttackedDiedIn New Zealand602.7At Cape of Good Hope983In Australia1335.8At Malta1206In Canada1486.7In Great Britain1488

[48]These grants, however, are only made to the person who actually defrays the expenses of the passage: thus they are not made to children, but to their parents; not to the servant, but to the master, who has paid the passage of the former.

[49]Besides the Kauri pine, there is abundance of Rimu or red pine, the Kahi-Katea or white pine, the Tanakaha or pitch pine, the Matan or black pine, as also the Puriri or New Zealand oak, all trees of great utility.

[50]At the period of theNovara'svisit to Auckland the proportion of the various nationalities and religions were as follows:Nations.Irish11,881Scotch11,881English35,644Germans and other nations594———60,000Religions.Catholics7,500Presbyterians7,500Wesleyans and Dissenters15,000Episcopalians30,000———60,000

[50]At the period of theNovara'svisit to Auckland the proportion of the various nationalities and religions were as follows:

Nations.Irish11,881Scotch11,881English35,644Germans and other nations594———60,000Religions.Catholics7,500Presbyterians7,500Wesleyans and Dissenters15,000Episcopalians30,000———60,000

[51]The Government also publishes at its own expense a Maori paper weekly, Te Karere Maori, the Maori Messenger, the subscription to which is 5s.6d.per annum, and is intended to keep the coloured population informed of the most important political and social events, as also to tend to their civilization. We subjoin the contents of a single number now lying before us. "The laws of England.—Remarks upon ship-owners.—Official notices.—Letter from the chiefs of Chatham Island.—Farming, commercial, and maritime news.—Price current.—Speech of some brown chiefs at a meeting at Mongonui.—Letter from Bay of Islands.—Deaths.—The Auckland infirmary.—Government orders, &c." Colonel Brown deserves special praise and acknowledgment for the publication of the laws of England in Maori, accompanied with the original text, although the fruits of this arduous but important labour may only gradually become apparent.

[52]It is especially worthy of remark, that wherever the Anglo-Saxon race colonize, the newspaper and the post-office follow the footsteps of the first settlers. After these come the church and the school-house. Newspaper perusal and dispatch of letters are among the first necessities of life to the Englishman. In the whole of New Zealand there were, in 1858, 64,357 copies of the various journals struck off, and 482,856 letters received and dispatched. The province of Auckland alone figures for 239,367 papers and 133,121 letters.

[53]See Appendix III.

[54]See Appendix IV.

[55]These two Maories, who at first were very much depressed, soon got reconciled to their new sphere, and by their excellent conduct and obliging disposition, presently became great favourites among the crew. Only during our rough passage round the Horn, the tremendous storms and the unaccustomed severity of the cold caused them great uneasiness; they thought, as they themselves said, that "they must have died then;" and great were their longings for their native country. When at last they arrived safely and in excellent health at Trieste, they travelled to Vienna in company with one of the members of the Expedition, where, through the kindness of Privy Councillor von Auer, they entered into the Imperial-Royal Printing House, and were also instructed in the most important and interesting particulars of European civilization. Mr. Zimmerl, a member of that Institution, who had made the Maori idiom a special study, taught them English and German, as well as the manipulation of types and lithography, besides copper-plate engraving and drawing from nature. So intelligent and anxious for improvement did they prove themselves to be, that the Imperial Government were requested by the Directors of the State Printing Office to present the two Maories on their return to their native country with the necessary implements to enable them to avail themselves at home of the knowledge they acquired under such creditable circumstances. During their nine months' stay in Vienna, they were made acquainted with all the "lions" of the metropolis, and all the manners and customs of European civilized life. Of all the numerous sights that must have astonished their unaccustomed senses, there was none that seemed to have made a more powerful impression than the Railway, "the most splendid evidence of the powers of the foreigners, compared with which all others are unimportant, and which they earnestly trust will soon be introduced into New Zealand." The culmination of their visit to Vienna consisted in a visit they paid to their Majesties in the Imperial Palace, by whom they were received with the most gracious consideration, and orders issued that they should receive a handsome present, and have their return to their native country defrayed at the Government cost. On 26th May, 1860, the two New Zealanders quitted Vienna, and travelled through Germany to London, where they stayed several weeks, were presented to the Queen, and embarked at Southampton for Auckland direct. They arrived in safety at home, and have since then repeatedly written to their friends and associates in Vienna. The style of these epistles is in the highly figurative style peculiar to New Zealand. They abound in repetitions, and are not very inventive in rounding their sentences or giving their impressions, though they occasionally surprise the reader by the tenderness and poetic fervour of their thoughts. Thus, for example, Toe-toe writes once from Vienna to one of the Expedition resident at Trieste: "Thou art at Trieste, on the sea-shore! We climbed the Leopold Berg,—thence to descry the clouds which floated over Styria. Trieste we could not see, for our eyes were veiled by the tears which flowed from them!" The news we have received of Toe-toe since have been rather distressing. He issues from the press, presented to him at Vienna, stirring publications, comparing the Maories to Pharaoh (?) and exciting them to declare their independence!

[56]Commanded by Captain Wilkes, recently so notorious by his conduct with reference to the English mail steamerTrent, in Nov. 1861.

[57]See Appendix V.

[58]Of this wonderful bird a cast was moulded in gypsum, and has been sent to the great International Exhibition, 1862.

[59]See Appendix.

Native Fête to the Governor

Tahiti.

Duration of Stay From 11th To 28th January, 1859.

State of the island at the close of last century.—The London Missionary Society and its emissaries.—Great mortality among the native population.—First arrival of Catholic Priests in Oceania.—French Protectorate and its consequences.—The Tahitian Parliament and Tahitian debaters.—William Howe.—Adam Kulczycki.—Scientific aims and achievements.—The Catholic mission.—Pré Catalanand native dances.—Prisoners of war from New Caledonia.—Point Venus.—Guava-fields.—The fort of Fautáua.—Lake Waiiria.—PopularFêteat Faáa.—Ball given by the Governor.—Queen Pomáre.—Geographical notes on Tahiti and Eimeo.—Climate.—Vegetation.—The Kawa root, and the intoxicating drink produced from it.—Great expense of the French Stations in Oceania.—Projects of reform.—Results of English and French colonization.—Two convicts.—Departure.—The WhalerEmily Morgan.—Attempt to fix the zero point of magnetic declination.—"Colique végétale."—A victim.—Pitcairn Island.—A fire-side tale of the tropical world.—An accident without ill results.—Humboldt's Current.—Arrival at Valparaiso.

Of all the innumerable islands of the vast Pacific, there is none which at various periods has attracted the attention and aroused the interest of the civilized world in the same degree as that in whose harbour we were now lying at anchor.At first it was the inimitable grace of Cook's narrative of his stay in Otaheite,[60]and the simplicity and felicity of its inhabitants, that left a deep and permanent impression on the mind of the educated reader; in after-times occurrences of a political nature riveted the sympathy of Europe upon this distant island and its queen.

Before entering upon a description of the present condition of Tahiti we may be permitted to cast a hasty retrospect as to the state of the group when the first English missionaries arrived on the Society Islands.

It was in March, 1797, about 18 months after the foundation of the Missionary Society in London, that eighteen ministers of the everlasting gospel landed in Tahiti, with their wives and children, from the renowned shipDuff. This small community dispersed itself among the various islands, and had to make head against obstacles of unwonted magnitude during a series of years. At length, about 1803, shortly after the death of King Pomáre I., who had raised himself from the position of a mere chief to the sovereignty ofthe island,[61]Christianity began to take root and spread abroad through the country. In 1812 Pomáre II., the eldest son and successor of Otu, declared himself of the Christian faith. Five years later a further accession of missionaries arrived in a merchantman from New South Wales, who, among other things, brought with them a small printing press. Then for the first time the natives of the Society Islands learned to comprehend the blessedness of the greatest discovery of all time. On 30th June, 1817, after much preliminary instruction by the missionaries, the first proof of a catechism was struck off by King Pomáre II. In the course of the same year there were issued from the missionary press at Papeete 2300 copies of a little alphabet book.

It was the same ship that brought the first horse to the island, a present from the owner of the vessel to King Pomáre. The natives could not conceal their amazement when they saw the captain astride of the splendid animal. Very striking was the remark made by King Pomáre on the occasion: "King George of England," said he, "rides on a horse; but King Pomáre, a yet mightier king, sits at public solemnities upon the neck of one of his subjects!"

The labours of the missionaries were crowned with themost splendid success. To them is due the merit of having abolished the hideous custom of human sacrifice, of having introduced law and order into the native administration, and of having extirpated various odious vices from their social habits. By their representatives, King Pomáre II. was induced to prohibit all distilleries and places where the kawa-drink was fabricated. Schools and chapels were erected, Bibles and spelling-books were printed and disseminated, till within ten years not alone did all the natives profess Christianity, but the majority of the younger population had learned to read and write.

The cheering spiritual influence exercised by these Protestant missionaries over the aborigines was not unfortunately accompanied by a simultaneous elevation of their physical condition. In consequence of early debauchery and the spread of diseases of a certain class, which appear to be the inevitable concomitants of the first contact of the white man with primitive races, there has been a marked falling off among the population. It almost seems as though the Tahitians had attained the utmost pitch of their civilization, and thence, in obedience to a mysterious natural law, have been compelled, like so many other coloured races, to surrender this lovely abode to a more energetic and self-developing race, till the appalling doom befalls them of being erased from the list of nations!

Thirty-nine years had elapsed since the first missionary had set foot in Tahiti, and Christianity had spreadfar and wide, before the first Catholic priest appeared in Oceania.

Etienne Rochouse, a young priest of the so-called association of Picpus, founded at Paris in 1814, had been named "Vicar Apostolic of Eastern Oceania," with title of Bishop of Nelopolisin partibus, and about the close of 1833 embarked at Bordeaux with four missionaries[62]bound for Valparaiso, where the holy brethren arrived on 13th May, 1834. Their design was, wherever practicable, to forestal the Protestant missionaries in their zeal for conversion among the tribes of the South Sea Islands, whence they might diffuse themselves over the neighbouring countries, and thus gradually introduce themselves among the remotest populations, in the hope "that all, whom heresy has led astray and brought under its iron yoke, may be freely brought under the mild and gentle yoke of Catholic doctrine."[63]

In 1836, the catechist Columban Murphy was dispatched to the Sandwich Islands, with instructions to stop at Tahiti on his way, and to make on the spot all possible inquiries as to the probable prospects of establishing a Catholic mission there. This was the first representative of the Romish Church that had visited Tahiti during the thirty-nine years this island was evangelized; and, carried away by the blind religious fanaticism which in former centuries led the Spanishmonks so lamentably astray, Murphy believed that "hell itself must have been moved and puzzled by such an event!"[64]Murphy, or Columban, as he now called himself, travelled as a working carpenter, wore a thick beard, smoked a "cutty" pipe, and might have been taken for anything else under the sun than a Catholic priest. Although serious misgivings were felt by the native authorities as to his real quality, he nevertheless received permission to settle upon the island. He accordingly spent a couple of months here, and laboured with great zeal to pave the way for a Catholic settlement at a future period. In November of the same year, two more missionaries, Fathers Caret and Laval, came on to Tahiti. The circumstances under which they arrived aroused the suspicions of the authorities and of the entire population. For they did not land at Wilks's Harbour, at that time the only accessible harbour on the island, but secretly, on the opposite side. According to the law of the country, however, no captain or owner of a ship was permitted to land a passenger without having previously obtained the permission of the Queen or Governor of the island. After the two Catholic priests had gone the round of the island and had visited nearly all the native villages along the coast, they at last came to Wilks's Harbour, now Papeete, where they received amost cordial welcome from a Belgian settler, the then American consul, Mr. Moehrenhout.

In the course of an interview which Laval and Caret had with the Queen, they remarked that they had only come to teach the word of God, and presented the youthful and at that period pretty-looking Queen Pomáre with a silk shawl. The Queen did not however seem disposed to accede to their wishes, but ordered the laws of the country to be read before them. The priests however declined listening to them, and took their departure.

A notification was hereupon conveyed to the two strangers that the Queen could not permit them to stay any longer upon the island, and a similar intimation was made to Mr. Moehrenhout. As the schooner which had brought Laval and Caret was preparing to set sail again, the opportunity was seized to dismiss them by the same conveyance which had landed them. They, meanwhile, had blockaded themselves in a house, to which they refused all admission. The schooner thereupon was detained for twenty-four hours, and the Queen's officers surrounded the house, awaiting the moment when the two missionaries were to leave the place. They never made their appearance however. Ultimately the officers of the law were compelled to tear off the roof from the house, while others, forcibly seizing the priests, conveyed them with their paraphernalia on board the schooner, which at once made sail, and carried them back to Gambier Island, whence they had last come. Notwithstanding theill-success of this first venture, Pater Caret made his appearance off Tahiti a second time seven weeks later, on board of an American brig, accompanied on this occasion by another priest, Father Maigrat. The captain of the brig, a man named Williams, wrote the Queen a letter requesting permission to land his two passengers. The answer was a firm refusal, and so continued, despite the repeated representations of the captain, as also of the above-mentioned M. Moerenhout. Upon this the captain went to work in true Yankee fashion with the view of landing the two Catholic missionaries by force on the island, but had to give way before the prudent but decided attitude of resistance adopted by the natives, who crowded down to the water's edge and prevented the boats from landing. This last attempt to carry matters with a high hand having failed, the captain set sail and carried off with him the two missionaries.

France, though no longer openly claiming the specific character of a Catholic monarchy as in the days of Louis XIV., but, on the contrary, proclaiming herself, by her laws at least, a free state for all forms of religious worship, apparently thought herself compelled to interfere in this quarrel, with all the weight of a great European power, two of whose subjects had been treated with unmerited indignity. Accordingly in September, 1838, the French frigateVenus, commanded by Commodore Du Petit-Thouars, appeared off Tahiti to demand satisfaction for the ill-treatment of the French missionaries Laval and Caret, which they assessed at2000 Spanish piastres. At the same time a treaty was concluded between the French Government and Queen Pomáre, by which from that time all subjects of the King of France were to be at liberty to visit and reside in the Society Islands without molestation, and were to enjoy similar privileges with the English.[65]

To this treaty the French captain, La Place, who, in April, 1839, anchored in Papeete harbour for repairs to his frigate, theArtémise, added another article, which was countersigned by the Queen and the principal chiefs, and authorized the free celebration of the rites of the Catholic religion.[66]

Had these demonstrations on the part of France had for the sole object the protection of the interests of Catholicism and French subjects, no civilized power could have objected to an act which, in entire consonance with the more humane and enlightened spirit of the 19th century, asserted the equal rights of every form of religious worship.

But she was not content with removing obstacles or asserting rights; political aims, as it proved, were being advanced under cover of a struggle on behalf of the Catholic Church;and the events which speedily ensued are but a series of acts of violence and humiliations inflicted, so entirely unjustifiable, that even the French Government found itself in the end compelled to disapprove and condemn the acts of its representatives in Oceania.

In September, 1842, M. Du Petit-Thouars came on a second visit to Tahiti. He had by this time been promoted to his flag, and had been appointed Captain-general of the French stations in the Southern Ocean. He had already taken possession of the Marquesas Islands in the name of France, and appeared to have come to Tahiti with similar intentions. This second visit terminated after the Queen and her subjects had been submitted to the most cruel humiliations, in the establishment of a French protectorate, which several chiefs demanded in a document addressed by them to Louis Philippe, and which the Queen was compelled to subscribe. In November, 1843, Du Petit-Thouars came once more to Papeete, and now took possession of the entire island, on the flimsy pretext that an intentional insult had been given to France, in the shape of a flag which he saw waving above the Queen's residence, and which he mistook for that of England! The Tahitian flag was forcibly struck by the French soldiers, and replaced by that of France, while Tahiti itself was declared a French colony. Queen Pomáre protested against this new high-handed insult; she wrote a letter of complaint to the French monarch, relating the extravagances of his officers, and in a dignified andsimple address, implored the sympathy and support of Queen Victoria.[67]

The violent proceedings of the admiral were not endorsed by the Government of Louis Philippe, which recalled Du Petit-Thouars, and restored to Queen Pomáre the islands of Tahiti and Eimeo, but the French protectorate remained unaltered, since which the two islands have remained, if notde jure, at all eventsde facto, a French colony. The administration is vested in the hands of a proportionately increased staff of French officials, and import and export duties are levied by the French authorities, while the Queen herself receives her civil list of £1000 at the hands of the "Trésorier et payeur des Etablissements français en Océanie."[68]

Papeete or Papéïti (Pape, water,Iti, little), which derives its name from a rivulet which falls into the sea here, lies at the bottom of a semi-circular bay, seven miles west of Point Venus, the northernmost spot of the island. It is the chief town on the island, the residence of the Queen, and the seat of government, all which is not incompatible with its being of very limited dimensions, not rising above the grandeur of an ordinary village. The dwellings of the Europeans, constructed for the most part of wood, covered with palm-leaves, partly extend along the shore, partly help to make pretty regular streets, amid which rise up on every side bread-fruit trees, cocoa-palms, and orange-trees, which make up in cheerfulness for any deficiency in stateliness of aspect. Southwards of the bay lie a belt of police barracks, the Protestant place of worship (Fare-pure, house of prayer), and the prison (Fare-auri, house of iron); eastward it is bounded by the promontory of Fare-Ute, forming a sort of dock-yard, where ships of 300 tons can be repaired. Not far from the place of disembarkation, and near the centre of the township, rises one of the most elegant buildings in Papeete, namely, that where the various stores for the troops are housed. The mansion of the Governor closely adjoins the residence assigned to the Queen, from which it is only separated by a garden hedge. Both are extremely simple and unpretending edifices, built of wood, and impress the visitor much less than another large quadrangular building, built of stone in the Oriental style, and surmounted by a cupola—this is theFare-Aporaa, or "House of Big Words," which has numerous congeners among more civilized communities. Here, for the future, are to be held the sessions of the Legislative Assembly, and here the laws of the country are to be debated. Ever since the protecting hand of the French Protector has extended itself likewise over the unfortunate inhabitants of the Society Islands, the Tahitian parliament is opened with all that pomp and tinsel splendour which your true Frenchman cannot dispense with, even among the primitive islands of the Pacific. The Queen, accompanied by the Governor, proceeds, escorted by a long retinue, to the Chamber, and opens the assembly in person, which solemnity is announced to the gaping crowd outside by a salvo of twenty-one guns. The French Governor, however, plays the most conspicuous part, as in him is vested the right of deciding whether the convocation of the chosen of the people be requisite or not. Hence it happens that many a year passes when it does not suit the wishes of the Governor that parliament should meet. On such occasions (such was the case while we were there) the Governor promulgates a simple edict to that effect.[69]

The Tahitians, long before the arrival of the French, had a code or charter of their own. The last was drawn up in 1823 by the Protestant missionaries, upon the model of that of England, and was revised in 1826. Its provisions were that the throne should be inherited by either male or female descendants of the reigning dynasty. By it the island was divided into seven districts; the legislative power was vested in an assembly of fourteen members, viz. two from each district, who were to be re-elected every three years by the people. This constitution underwent divers mutilations at the hands of the French Protectorate, till it had lost all importance. At present, however, it is the subject of lively debate, and the Tahitian parliament at Papeete can reckon some really distinguished speakers; but its solution depends much less upon the conviction of logic than the influence of the French officials.

We heard a very remarkable speech from Ravaai, one of the most gifted of the native orators, on the occasion of a debate as to whether a law should be passed admitting beer and French wines, duty free, into the island. Several speakers were of opinion, considering the terrible spread among both sexes of drunkenness, with all its attendant evils,that every description of spirituous liquor should be prohibited to be sold to the natives; Ravaai, on the other hand, spoke in favour of the enactment, and in the course of his speech remarked: "If the use of spirituous liquors were in itself criminal, as some persons maintain, we should not see it in every-day use by the Europeans living amongst us, our pioneers in the path of civilization. It is only excess, abuse, that are punishable. This we must expect to have to punish, but do not rob us of an inherent right by a sumptuary and unnatural prohibition. Your declarations concerning murder, incendiarism, ruffianism, all which you adduce as the results of the use of brandy, are but oratorical flourishes: spirituous liquors, the misuse of which I equally with yourselves deprecate, have, no doubt, produced disorders, but these have been suppressed, and if our island had no further ills to encounter we might rejoice this day over a future of such prosperity and promise! Such, unfortunately, isnotthe case! People tell us of murders and robberies! Go the round of the island! go from Mahaéna to Punaruu, from Papenoo to Taapua, and a variety of other places—climb the mountain to the very summit of Fautáua; ask at these abodes of sorrow, baptized with noble blood, and covered with honoured graves! Say what has filled the graves of Mahaéna with human bones? Is it the unlimited use of spirits, or is it not rather the ignorance begotten of fanaticism run mad, which disloyally put weapons into your hands? But the graves are dumb; and certain persons present may at this momentrejoice at that repose. If it is your wish sincerely, and with hope of definite results, to forbid the sale of intoxicating stimulants in Tahiti, begin by forbidding those mighty nations who trade with our island, and are interested in this traffic, from bringing and introducing the destroying liquids in their vessels!! But your voices, ye unhappy Tahitians, are too feeble to make themselves heard in England, in France, in Spain, in America! Well, then, renounce it, deny yourselves!" The law was passed by ninety-five votes against thirteen, and, in consequence, not merely French wines, but all sorts of liquors, may be sold in Tahiti unchecked by license. The penalties for drunkenness have since then formed an important source of revenue!

Among the foreigners settled in Papeete our Expedition had reason to be especially thankful to Mr. W. Howe, member of the London Missionary Society, and M. Adam Kulczycki,[70]director of the administration of native matters, two gentlemen, of whom the former has, during a residence of twenty-two years in Tahiti, employed in spreading the gospel and raising the morals and religious standard of his little flock, proved himself as useful a servant, as the latter by his valuable contributions to our knowledge of the physical condition of the island. Dr. Nadaud, botanist and physician, also laidthe Expedition under deep obligations by the cordiality with which he placed himself at the disposal of the naturalists, to accompany them on their various excursions, and imparting to them his own valuable experience, while the splendid and comprehensive work of Dr. G. Cuzent[71]upon Tahiti, contributed greatly to assist our personal impressions, experiences, and observations. Mr. Howe, the sole English missionary now resident in Tahiti, received us with much kindness, and escorted us through the various missionary buildings, in which, unfortunately, the spiritual energy of bygone years has dwindled away under the baleful French Protectorate. The institute for the education of teachers and pastors is quite closed,—in the printing establishment, which formerly kept ten compositors and two iron hand-presses in constant employment, only small religious tracts are now permitted to be sold, and these exclusively in Tahitian, a work which one man can easily get through. In the missionary library we saw several interesting works and manuscripts, mostly of a religious cast. One was shown us which seemed to be highly esteemed, and consisted of a thick manuscript treating of Tahiti, the author of which was a Mr. Orsmond, the oldest Protestant missionary upon the island, who died in 1857. It is said that M. Moerenhout, the former Belgian and American consul at Papeete, in his work upon Tahiti, availedhimself largely of this manuscript, which has also been translated into Swedish.

Mr. Howe spoke highly of the liberality of the present Governor, M. Saisset, as compared with the intolerance displayed by his predecessors, with respect to celebrating Protestant worship. Then, he told us, he was not permitted to preach elsewhere than in his chapel, and then only in English, whereas now he can perform religious service in other districts whenever the natives request him to do so. Moreover, in the dissemination of religious tracts and books of prayer, there is much more relaxation than formerly, and during the last tour of inspection of the Governor, that gentleman himself took with him 500 copies of a translation of the Bible, for distribution among the Protestant natives of the districts he was about to visit. The want of elementary religious books in the interior was so great, that even Catholic teachers had to sue for some, preferring Protestant Bibles to having none at all.

Although Mr. Howe is the only one of the fourteen missionaries once resident here to whom permission was accorded to remain behind on the island, there are nevertheless a great number of native teachers who preach and celebrate worship on the Sunday. TheCanakas,[72]as it is the custom to call the natives, on such occasions bring with them to the chapel their Bibles and little hymn-books in a smallcase made of plaited palm fibre, a modern department of Tahitian industry, and, in the interior more especially, observe the Sabbath with much strictness.[73]It may be reckoned that by far the larger number of the inhabitants of Tahiti and Eimeo, or Morea, profess Protestantism, whereas the number of native Catholics does not exceed 100 in both islands. Notwithstanding the numerous advantages which the Catholic Church has enjoyed since the establishment of the French Protectorate, it has not succeeded in acquiring any great influence among the natives, or in enlarging its boundaries. The Bishop, Monseigneur Tépaud Jansen, Bishop of Axieri, who resides at Papeete, is also the sole priest and teacher in the colony. This spiritual guide has every day to celebrate mass in his wretched little chapel of bamboo walls and palm thatch, and has never yet succeeded in getting the half-ruined church close by finished for his reception; the 8000 francs per annum (£320) paid by Government as long as the church is being built seem rather to postpone than hasten its erection. Moreover, there is not as yet any public school in Papeete, a want which is the more sensibly felt and the more permanent in its effects, as the majority of the Protestant schools are closed, and consequently a large proportion of the rising generation[74]are growing up in utterignorance. In four districts in the interior out of thirty-three, live two or three French missionaries who instruct the natives in French. There is neither lack of energy among these zealous labourers, nor of the requisite funds,[75]to extend the field of their labours, so that if the Catholic mission in Tahiti makes no progress, and after twenty years' exertion can only reckon 100 neophytes, the explanation must be sought in the existence of conditions, which neither the self-denying zeal of Catholic missionaries nor material protection can affect.[76]

While in the interior of the island Sunday is thus observed with much strictness, there is great indifference, if not worse, in its observance in the seaport; indeed, it is the French official who sets the example of disregarding it. For nowheredoes one witness more utter shamelessness than at what is known as the Pré Catalan, a lawn-like meadow, which extends directly in front of the Governor's palace, and, in fact, is one of its dependencies. Here, in presence of the French gens d'armes and soldiers, under the very eyes of the Protectorate authorities, and in entire defiance of the native laws,[77]dances of the most dissolute kind are executed by half-drunk Tahitian girls. One must have seen the Upa-Upa danced by these lascivious Tahitians, with all the impassioned vehemence of a sensual nature, in order to comprehend the mingled shame and indignation with which it fills any but a French by-stander. Singularly enough, the Upa-Upa, or Hiva, has a marked resemblance to the well-known Can-can, as it is, or used formerly to be, danced in the Quartier Latin at the Chaumière, by the students and grisettes, with the sole difference that in the Upa-Upa the grace of the Parisian dances is entirely lost sight of, so that there remains nothing but a series of obscene gestures, most unblushingly presented. The musicians sitting on the ground strike with the flat of the hand a little kettle-drum(pehu), and beat time as well with their feet. Suddenly, a dancer of either sex springs into the inclosure, goes through a number of extraordinary animated movements, which are the louder laughed at and applauded in proportion to their indecency, after which he or she mingles once more with the crowd, exhausted and breathless.

The Tahiti women have almost invariably beautiful black hair, and singularly small hands and feet. Their figure is on the average that of the middle stature of European women. Their dress is simple, but very clean and neat. They wear a long white gown with plaits, which gives them somewhat the appearance of vestals, and wear a coronal of flowers on their head, or entwine the flaming blossoms of theHibiscus rosasinensisin their thick black tresses. The more coquettish also affect an exceedingly elegant head-dress (rewarewa), which they make of the young tender leaves of the cocoa-palm, the satin-paper-like epidermis being converted by the manipulation of their skilful hands into an exquisitely fine-wove, rustling tissue, which they arrange among their luxuriant locks with genuine idealistic grace.

The men, like the women, are tall, slim, and well-proportioned. The face usually is far from ugly, and betokens no little intelligence; the lips are full, the complexion a yellowish-brown, but on the whole fairer than that of the New Zealanders. The occipital region of the head seems to be artificially flattened, the forehead well-formed, the chin and lower maxillary bones are broad. Some wear Europeanclothing, others a wide piece of blue calico (paréu), wound round the loins and reaching to the knees.

The dancing in the Pré Catalan continued from afternoon till far on in the night, although only a faint gleam of light shone on the green floor, so that the darkness threw a convenient veil over both dancers and spectators. Quite close to the crowd of pleasure-seeking natives was a group of natives of New Caledonia. These had been made prisoners of war during the recent campaign of the French on that island, and had been transported hither to undergo a term oftravaux forcéson the public works. On the whole, however, they were kindly enough treated, and on Sundays were permitted to "dance," such as the performance was, in the presence of their custodian. On our presenting them with a few small silver coins they went through their most renowned national dances for us, which are much ruder and more natural than those of the Tahitians, but apparently are not of so frivolous a character as the Upa-Upa, and other similar cancanized contortions of the limbs as indulged at Tahiti. The New Caledonians arranged themselves with spears and sticks in a circle, rushed violently at each other, leaped impetuously about in a state of artificial excitement, uttering the most singular sounds and the most appalling yells, then dispersed and reunited repeatedly, the leader of the dance all the while muttering very fast, but in perfect time, some unintelligible words, apparently to fire their ardour by recalling to them the memory of some nationalvictory. The obscene Tahitian dances on the Sundays in Government gardens had been resuscitated five months before, and for this reason Pré Catalan, the only public promenade in Tahiti, is avoided by the Europeans resident in Papeete. The Protestants feel themselves sorely aggrieved by having such a spectacle openly sanctioned on the Lord's Day by the French authorities, and a collection having been set on foot about the time of our visit for raising sufficient to maintain a permanent band of music, a number of Protestants and missionaries declined to subscribe, on the ground of disapproving of money being expended in promoting such amusements.

Among the excursions made by the members of the Expedition, a double interest attached to that made to Point Venus. It was on this promontory that Captain Cook first made the astronomical observations by which he determined the position of the island. The ride thither lay through delicious groves of cocoa-palms and bread-fruit trees, mingled here and there with citron and orange-trees, as also bananas and guavas. Near the Point lies the village of Matavai, inhabited by several white settlers, each in his little cottage with its blooming garden around it. The tree-likeOleanderand the beautiful red flowerHibiscus rosasinensistowered above in full bloom, the entire scene being almost sufficient to captivate a European. The native governor of the district is a pretty well-educated man, who has spent nine months in Paris, and on the occasion of the capture by the French of the fort ofFautáua had been rewarded for his not very patriotic services by the cross of the Legion of Honour, besides being appointed chief of the militia. His farm is very nicely managed, and his daughters, elegant, well-mannered brunettes, speak a little French, an accomplishment in which the Tahitian ladies, notwithstanding their intimate relations with the sons of "la grande nation," are usually entirely deficient. At Point Venus is a lighthouse, with an intermittent light, visible about 14 miles seaward, in charge of an aged French veteran (invalide). The tamarind tree is still pointed out, which Captain Cook planted close to the spot where he completed those renowned labours, which still single him out as the greatest of Pacific discoverers.

With the exception of those to Point Venus on one side, and to the large villages of Faáa and Papeuriri in the opposite direction, there are no practicable roads on the island. On the whole, there are about 36 miles of road suitable for wheeled carriages,—all travels beyond must be performed on horseback, by which means the entire island can be traversed in a few days. One of the most agreeable excursions, and which well repays the trouble, is undoubtedly a drive to the beautifully situate hill-fort of Fautáua, renowned in the annals of the island. The first part of the road leads over unsightly fields of guava (Psidium guava), first imported from South America in 1815 by an American missionary, with the laudable object of increasing the number of useful plants upon the island, but which has since so entirely over-grownlarge tracts of land, that its systematic extirpation begins to be discussed. Wherever the guava takes root it destroys all other vegetation. It has already extended over the loveliest spots, where its seeds have been dropped in human or animal excrement. Its apple-shaped fruit, red-fleshed inside, is in the raw state anything but pleasant to the taste, and is not readily eaten even by the natives, but a sort of jelly prepared of it could be made an important article of export, as it is already along the west coast of South America. The fruit is also valuable for provender, as animals foddered with it speedily get quite fat, while its wood, growing with great rapidity, is in much request for fuel.

After riding a few miles through these guava-fields, we were astonished at finding a sugar plantation close by the road, which here ran through a lovely little valley. This is the property of an Englishman named Johnson, who, once a whaler, and afterwards a sandal-wood trader, has resided for more than thirty years in Tahiti, and has married a native woman. Johnson, in partnership with a Frenchman named Le Rouge, had planted 23 acres of land with sugar-cane, and when we saw him in February, 1859, expected a crop of from 100 to 110 hogsheads of sugar. The whole property is a perfect model farm, and receives every encouragement and assistance from Government, with the view of extending sugar-planting.[78]Immediately adjoining the plantation, the river Fautáua flows past, here about five feet deep, and furnishing a most excellent bathing-place. Johnson, like many another, lamented the appalling rapidity with which the native population was falling off, which he ascribed to the daily increasing prevalence of the vices of drunkenness and debauchery. He related to us how many valleys, now lonely and abandoned, were pretty densely peopled only twenty years ago! Then the population was estimated at 15,000, now it is only 5000.[79]

The aspect of the sugar plantation is remarkably fine, and an occasional glimpse of the surrounding hills, bathed in the sunlight, imparts a sublimity that at once arrests the attention, the crags rising in close proximity, and appearing much more precipitous and inaccessible than they are in reality. The Diadem (the name given to several peaks which have a striking resemblance to a crown) displays itself from this point in all its wondrous loveliness, above which tower lofty mountain-peaks, 6000 or 7000 feet in height, which have never been trodden by the foot of the naturalist.

Close behind the hospitable dwelling of Mr. Johnson begins the primitive forest, under the delightful cool shades of which one can ride almost to the goal of the excursion, surrounded on every side by luxuriant green canopies that seem to scale the very clouds, under whose domes play grateful currents of air.[80]

The path, although always a steep ascent, was in very fair condition; only at the point where it was necessary to ford the river Fautáua, which every year swells into an angry torrent during the rainy season, did we find any serious impediment to our further advance. The bridge across the stream had been swept away, and there was nothing for it but to lead the horses through the water, an achievement of no little difficulty and waste of time, owing to the strength of the current and the terror and obstinacy of some of our horses.

After a ride of several hours in a sort of green twilight, the forest began to open, and there before our astonished gaze was the most important waterfall on the island, imparting an inconceivable freshness and animation to the landscape around. The Fautáua makes at this point a leap of about 200 metres(650 feet), into a huge basin, which lies at the foot of a lofty precipice, 420 metres (1450 feet) above the level of the sea; the temperature of the water in the basin itself being about 70° Fahr.

The steep crags, which tower overhead on all sides, and like a gigantic wall impede the view of the peninsula of Taiarapu, which lies behind them, are as marvellous in the luxuriance of the vegetation that covers them, as they are strategically important by their impregnability, the French having only succeeded in gaining footing upon them by treachery, and not by fortune of war. Some chiefs favourable to the French had acted as guides, and had led them by secret and dangerous paths up to these heights, for which service they to this day receive an annual pension paid in gold out of the state treasury. Formerly the rough, steep, almost inaccessible precipices formed of themselves a natural fort, and by their peculiar form, their position, and their strength, might be called the key of the entire island. The French conquerors immediately converted this spot, 630 metres (2052 feet) above the level of the sea, into a small fort with the usual tricolor flag, and, on the limited flat surface at their disposal, on which alone it was possible to build, erected a barrack and a few huts, besides laying out a kitchen-garden, which supplies with fruit and vegetables the residents of this solitary but lovely abode.

The officer on guard within the fort received us with that fascinating friendliness andbonhommiecharacteristic of theFrench in all parts of the world, and which makes them everywhere such "jolly" companions. The provisions we had brought with us were speedily improved by the addition of everything that the garrison mess could set before us, and there was no lack even of delicacies, as they might be considered in these latitudes, for the little kitchen-garden contiguous furnished plenty of water-cresses and strawberries. The temperature was at this season singularly delicious and elastic, but in July, when the thermometer occasionally sinks to 461⁄2° Fahr., the little garrison suffers much from cold and inflammatory attacks.

Another excursion, not less charming but far more arduous, is that to the Waiiria Lake, far in the interior of the island. This was achieved by Mr. Frauenfeld, one of the zoologists of the Expedition. From Papeuriri in the south of the island, which is easily reached in one day from Papeete by a road winding along the coast, the Waiiria valley leads in a S.S.E. to N.N.W. direction, up to the central peak, whence the deep valleys and water-courses radiate towards the coast like the spokes of a wheel. The valley is at first tolerably wide, but so densely covered with trees and shrubs, interlaced in wild confusion, that the horses had to be left behind at Papeuriri. A rather wide mountain-torrent rushes throughout its length, and, a little further on, when the valley contracts into a pathless defile, has not merely to be crossed so frequently as to baffle all count, but leaves the tourist to scramble up its rocky course by leaping from stone to stone. After four hours' toilthe valley suddenly closes in, and it becomes necessary to scramble up an almost perpendicular precipice 1000 feet in height. It was a tight bit of work, struggling upwards under a tropical rain over the slippery moss-grown blocks, every cranny and projection thickly studded with creeping plants. The crest of the pass, from 60 to 80 feet wide, hemmed in by precipices impossible to scale, was fortified by the natives during the war; that is to say, a breastwork of stones was thrown up, thus converting the depression on the other side of the mountain, in which lies the lake, into an inaccessible lurking-place. Not far distant is the deep narrow defile of Ruotorea, which played so conspicuous a part in the older history of Tahiti, as it was customary to fling into it all prisoners of war. At length, about twoP.M., the lake itself was reached, lying in a sort of mountain cauldron, the sides of which descend steeply, while two of the loftiest peaks, those of Tetuero and Anaori, rise sheer out of the lake to a height of 5000 feet.[81]Except at the narrow strip of ground, on which M. Frauenfeld found himself standing, and which was nothing but a beach of small extent, there was no other spot within sight at which it would have been possible to land. The distance to the opposite shore, when visible, seems about half a mile. The whole basin, even where the enclosing rocks are steepest, indeed, almost perpendicular, and thence up to thesummits of the loftiest peaks, is densely covered with trees, reeds, and creepers, especiallyscitamineæ, the brilliant green hues of which are reflected in the mirror-like surface of the lake below. All the forests here are of wild plantain, and the sugar-cane is found growing wild in a variety of places. A few ducks, a swallow, and a couple of parrots were all that was seen of animal life. A strange silence brooded over the entire landscape,—not a leaf trembled, not a sound broke the solemn stillness, and a depressing feeling of loneliness and utter abandonment seized on the traveller. The spot for the night's encampment was selected close to a large stone, against which a sort of penthouse was erected of banana leaves, which promised welcome shelter during the night. The exceedingly unfavourable weather prevented an adequate investigation being made of the environs of the lake, and as the following morning was ushered in with, if anything, an accession of bad weather, the plan which had been projected of constructing a boat with which to explore the lake was abandoned, and the party set out on their return to Papeete.

During our stay at Tahiti, a grand national festival took place at the little village of Faáa, about an hour's walk from Papeete. In fact, it has latterly become the custom, on every change of Governor, to have a feast of welcome in his honour in every district. On such occasions speeches are made, presents are prepared, dances are practised, and long tables, groaning under all sorts of food and drink, are set out in the open air for the invited guests. Governor Saisset, whohad been seven months in office, and had already made the circuit of the island, visiting all the districts, was, however, not yet welcomed with the customary festivities of the inhabitants of Faáa. This solemnity accordingly passed off with all pomp on 22nd February. By eightA.M.some twenty cavaliers had assembled in front of the Government Palace, whence, with the Governor at their head, and accompanied by the native militia, also mounted, they took the road to Faáa. Only one lady, Madame de la Richerie, wife of theCommissaire Impérial, accompanied the cavalcade. On our arrival at Faáa we found the native females, attired in their gayest national dress, formed into line, and the men, partly clothed in the European manner, partly in the "Paréu," a broad scarf of printed muslin wound round the loins, shaking their variegated plumes, and carrying banners and flags of bark specially prepared for the feast, some Pandanus leaves being also handed to the guests.

As soon as the Governor had taken his seat in the verandah of the large and elegant residence of the chieftain, or warden of the district (for in Tahiti every office, with all rights pertaining thereto, descends among the female members of the chief's family likewise),[82]a number of girls, dressed all in whiteand wearing elegant garlands of flowers, stepped forward and began to sing a national Tahitian hymn; after which the orator of the day, a handsome man, dressed partly in the European, partly in the native manner, wearing a black round felt hat and feathers, and a variegated bark shirt over a black coat(!) delivered a very pathetic address. His delivery and his gestures recalled strongly to mind the New Zealand orators, but, unlike the latter, he was considerate enough not to tax unduly the patience of his foreign guests, to whom not one word of his very moving discourse was intelligible. This preliminary over, a number of girls presented themselves one after the other to the Governor, and in token of allegiance presented their garlands and the nicely prepared upper robe of bast. In this manner about 100 crowns and bast-mantilles were delivered, the most elegant of which the Governor kindly presented to the members of our Expedition.

In the reception-court a perfect mountain of bananas had been piled up, together with an immense heap of cocoa-nuts; these were also presented to the Governor and his suite, with the remark that every inhabitant of the district had contributed his mite to the festival, and bade the foreign guests a cordial welcome. "We may stay days, weeks, ay! months," exclaimed the orator, "and every house and all that was in it will be placed at our disposal; every one will take a pleasure in doing our bidding and forestalling all our wishes!"

After this hearty, idyllic ceremonial, the inhabitants of Punataná, an adjoining district, came up, amid a flourish ofdrums and trumpets, and arranged themselves on the wide road right in front of the chieftainess of Faáa, in consequence of Maheanú, their chieftainess, a zealous Protestant, not permitting on her grounds the execution of any improper dances, or the singing of broad songs. In fact, neither the Upa-Upa nor any other of the numerous Tahitian "Cancans à la Chicard" were suffered to be danced; the consequence of which was that they danced it all the more eagerly on the road. Six drummers, each with his little kettle-drum, squatted cross-legged on the floor, the right hand being employed to strike the instrument. To this primitive music, enlivened at times by a shrill cry, both men and girls now began to go through the most indecent gestures, accompanied by leaping on and toying with their partners till they had worked themselves up to such an artificial frenzy of excitement, that each couple at last retired exhausted and bathed in perspiration, under a flourish of drums and a loud shriek from the orchestra.

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