make the people submit. He continued to offer up human sacrifices, to gain the favour of his gods. He was also anxious to preserve the favour of the seamen on the island, hoping that they would help him much, when war should break out.

Otu continued to behave as ill to his subjects as before, though it was his unjust conduct that had made them desire to deprive him of his power. Here is an instance of his injustice. Some of the sailors attempted to rob the natives of their cloth. Complaints were made to Otu; instead of listening to them, he desired that the cloth might be given to the sailors, who had stolen it. These sailors, however, were so impudent as to refuse to accept it; probably supposing that Otu would expect them to do too much for him in return for the cloth. They not only refused the cloth, but went and offered to assist a rebel chief, named Teohu, that was an enemy of the king. Otu was of course enraged at this conduct, though it was a due reward for his meanness.

It was now nearly a year since a ship had been seen at Tahiti, when on December 29th a vessel appeared. It was a whaler, called the Albion, and was lately come from Port Jackson.

When Mr. Broomhall saw the ship, he felt ashamed of his conduct being known, and wrote

to the brethren to ask them to behave familiarly towards him, before the crew; but of course his request was refused. Thus Mr. Broomhall behaved as King Saul once did, when he said to Samuel, "Honour me now before the elders of Israel."

This ship brought three pieces of bad news to the missionaries. One of them was, that Mr. Harris intended never to return, having been hired by some English at a place near Port Jackson, called Norfolk Island, as a minister, and schoolmaster. He had sent, however, some presents to his brethren, and five pair of scissors to the natives.

. Another piece of bad news was, that three of the missionaries who had gone-to the Friendly Islands three years before, had been murdered, and the rest obliged to flee in a ship to Port Jackson.

The last evil tidings was, that the Duff, which had been on its way to Tahiti with thirty missionaries, had been taken captive by a French ship. The brethren were reminded, by hearing of these troubles, of the mercies that God had shown them in causing them to arrive safely at Tahiti, and to dwell there in safety; and in deep humility they cried, "Why such goodness to us, Lord ?"

The ship, however, brought some good as well as evil tidings. The governor of New

152

GOVERNOR KING'S LETTERS.

South Wales (the country where Port Jackson was situated) had sent letters and a present to the missionaries and to Pomare, who, the governor naturally supposed, was king of the island, and greater than his son. The present to the brethren was twelve pounds of soap= and that to Pomare was six yards of red bunting, (a stuff of which flags are made.) The letters to both were kind. Governor King (for that was the governor's name) told Pomare, in the letter he sent him, that he hoped his people profited from the teaching and example of the missionaries, and asked him to get Mr. Jefferson to write a letter for him in answer to his. Pomare accordingly told Mr. Jefferson to inform Governor King that his subjects were rebellious, and to complain of the behaviour of the seamen,, and to ask for fire-arms.. He also sent some presents to the governor..

The missionaries were much comforted by the notice the governor had taken of them and Pomare, as they hoped it might be a means of keeping the rebellious people in quietness;; at the same time they felt that their safety did not depend upon an arm of flesh,, but upon the living God;, and the remembrance of his power and love was their rock,, and the tower of their strength..

CHAPTER XVIII.

1801.

A VERY PLEASANT SURPRISE.

IT is some time since I have spoken of Mrs. Henry and her children, of whom you will doubtless like to hear. Mrs. Henry had been very poorly, ever since her return to Tahiti. She had suffered much from sickness of various kinds. Both she and her children also at different times had fallen down the stairs (which were probably steep and narrow) of the new house; and Mrs. Henry had been hurt a great deal. It was supposed that the pool of rain water, near the new house, injured her health. But as the old house was uncomfortable, and partly occupied, Mr. Henry, instead of removing to it, built a little dwelling for himself close to it. The small house which Mr. Main had built for himself, and in which Idia had dwelt for a little while, had been removed by the king's order to another place at some distance. About fifty men had taken the roof, as it was, upon their shoulders, and carried it away; and others had removed the pillars.

About this time Mrs. Henry adopted a little child. She was a year or two older than her own Sarah, and was called Nancy. She was the daughter of an Irishman named Connor. He was an ignorant man, who had been cast on the island many years before. When the missionaries first arrived, he was living in the neighbouring islands; but lately he had removed to Tahiti with the native woman, who was his wife. Connor dressed like the savages, and wore his hair hanging loose down his back; his eyes were red from drinking ava. He could not read, and had half forgotten how to speak English, and he knew almost as little about the true God as the heathen. Yet he was not mischievous and troublesome, like most of the sailors on the island: therefore the brethren noticed him; they also tried to instruct him. Mrs. Henry felt compassion for his poor child's soul, and so she kindly undertook the charge of it.

The island continued in a state of disquietude. There was no open war, but it seemed every day ready to break out. Pomare was exceedingly enraged against the people of Atehuru, because they had stolen the image of Oro, the god of war, from the temple at Pare, and had hid it in their own part of the country. They had done this, in the hope of conquering by Oro's power, when the war should begin ;