October 29.-Pomarre, Pepire, and Eddea, arrived at Point Venus in their canoes, during the night. To-day the chief, &c. visited us. In a conversation with Pomarre, he expressed an opinion that war would break out ere long, but not directly. He knew not who were his friends or his foes, but acknowledged the desire of the people to suppress the monarchical form, and to re-cstablish an independent government in each district. He did not deny that the arbitrary proceedings of Otoo were the cause of the present discontent.

March 6.-A dark cloudy day, with much rain, especially towards evening; a light wind from the westward. A great concourse of natives about us, who are passing their time in eating, drinking, wrestling, drumbeating, singing, hallooing, throwing their legs and arms about in a frantic manner, and such like revellings; the most part acting as if they were demoniacs. This assembly is owing to a marriage ceremony that is about to be performed between a chief of Oryatea, named Matte-ah, and a young woman, the daughter of the deceased chief of this district, named Maheiannoo. She and Matte-ah are both branches of Pomarre's family, and chiefs by birth; so that if there should be any offspring, it is probable it may live.

March 7.-Early this morning began the marriage ceremony between Matte-ah and Mahei-annoo. As the habitation of the parties is but a few yards distant from our dwellings, some of the brethren went down to be spectators. The mother and uncles of Mahei-annoo, were employed in giving

cloth to several of the friends who were met upon the occasion. In one of the houses was a kind of altar erected, covered with a piece of white cloth; and on it was placed some old cloths, which had lately enclosed the tomb of the deceased father of the bride. After they had distributed their various gifts of cloth, the parties went to the family's morai, where the ceremony commenced with spreading a large piece of white cloth across the pavement, this done, the bride and bride-groom each changed their dress; after which the mother of Mahei-annoo, with two or three female relations, having taken a sugar-cane and broken it into small pieces, laid the same upon the leaves of a tree called amai; the mother and female assistants then wounded their heads with shark's teeth, and caught the blood upon the leaves, on which were placed the broken sugar-cane, and aiterwards male and female relatives presented the leaves, sugar-cane, and blood to Matte-ah and Mahei-annoo, who were seated, the man on one side of the morai, and the woman on the other, about six yards apart; the whole was then offered up to the supposed god of the family, and laid upon the family altar. These strange proceedings were conducted with that levity and thoughtlessness which characterize in a peculiar manner the Otaheitans. The mother of the bride appeared a little more thoughtful, being a woman advanced in years, and increased the superstition and wickedness of the ceremony, by producing the skulls of her deceased husband and elder brother, which, accord

ing to the custom of the country, she had preserved, and anointed with cocoa-nut oil. These skulls were held before the leaves, sugar cane, and blood, at the time of presentation to the parties. These things being finished, the cloth spread upon the morai was folded up, and afterwards presented to the king at his habitation; and thus the ceremony ended, and the parties returned to their dwellings. The clothes Mattee-ah and Mahei-annoo put on, after entering the morai, are deemed sacred, and not to be worn in common. Notwithstanding all this abominable idolatry, the marriage tie is no more binding than if it had never been performed; so that if the man thinks proper, he may put away his new wife to-morrow, and be united to another in the like manner on the next day.

May 3.-A few days ago some canoes arrived from Tatooroa; one less in number than quitted the island. As it was dark and squally when they left the Motoo, the people are apprehensive some evil has befallen the canoe, in which were three men, one of them the man whom we call the blacksmith. He went over to Tatooroa about a fortnight since to see Pomarre, whose priest he is, and we hear, was returning with a commission to curse some particular person by his gods. There are among the Otaheitans certain enchanters, who are said to destroy by their incantations those they work upon. The natives positively assert that it is so, and they stand much in fear of them. Otoo is versed in all the abominable arts of his countrynen, and, we hear, practises them.

April 20.-It is reported, that before any hostilities will commence among the natives, the boat which Pomarre sent to the Pearl Islands is to return. It is expected, that besides pearls, she will bring back one or more human sacrifices from these islands, which Otoo and Pomarre purpose to offer to their god Oro. We also hear that the ground of quarrel between Pomarre, &c. and the district of Attahooroo is, that some persons belonging to that district, stole, some time ago, from Opare, the image of their great god Ooro, and have secreted it; and if it is not given up at the ensuing meeting, a war will be the certain consequence, if the overruling hand of the blessed God does not prevent it.

The image of this their god is nothing more than a piece of hard wood called Eito, about six feet long, without any carving, wrapped up in sundry cloths, and decorated with red feathers, &c. Into this log of wood the natives coufidently affirm Ooro enters at certain times.

We cease not to pray that the influences of the powers of darkness upon the minds of these heathens may be broken, and they speedily delivered from their dreadful captivity.

January 16. Intelligence was last evening received, that Te-aree-navo-roa, and his wife Toobboo-i-o-te-rye, the young king and queen of Tiaraboo, were arrived at Hàpyàno. A messenger was immediately sent off by Pomarre to conduct them hither; and this morning Eddea went to meet her son. Before noon the young chiefs arrived with

their retinue, and took up their abode at their brother Otoo's.

January 17.-The young king of Tiarraboo about our dwelling. Te-aree seems in his disposition very different from his brother Otoo, being more free, open, and sociable. He appears to be about seventeen years of age; he is already a great yavva drinker. Toobboo is about the same age, and, like her mother Owo, soft and affable in her temper. She is an entire stranger to female modesty, and frequently to be seen playing in the water quite naked with her male attendants, (for no female ones are allowed at the king's dwelling.) While brothers Nott and Jefferson were at Tiaraboo, in the month of December, the queen was seen on the sand before the dwelling, with no more than a marroo (or wrapper) round her loins, engaged in wrestling with a young man near her own size, covered with sand from head to foot.

January 28-The young king and queen of Tiarraboo left this district for their own land.

January 30.-Our place of residence appears now like a large village, from the number of houses erected to accommodate Vitua, Pomarre's brother, chief of Hapyano, and his party. According to the custom of the country, women have distinct houses from the men, in which they eat their food, &c., for the men eat not with the women, nor does one woman eat with another, nor even with their own children; but every woman and female child have their separate provision basket, as have also the men.