Beechey having asserted a noon high water. Magnetic data were looked to with anxiety; and I was now to enter the field where so many talented men had preceded me. Furnished with well-tested instruments, perseverance alone was required. In addition to these considerations, I expected to meet with those who had befriended me in 1826, and I hoped possibly to be of service to their country.

Having obtained the necessary data for securing the meridian distance, we moved, on the morning of the 5th, through Toanoa channel to Papeete.

This channel in the Blossom's day was deemed impassable, but is now the common entrance, the French frigate, l'Artemise, having entered by it.

On entering the reefs, the boats of thirteen American whale ships came to our assistance, and, aided by a light air, we were taken through in good style by our pilot "Jim," of notoriety in Beechey's work. As a native pilot, he deserves great credit, and acquits himself with far more coolness and decision than many Europeans. At twenty minutes past eight we dropped anchor in Papeete Bay, followed shortly by the Starling.

Before entering the narrows, the chiefs, Paofai, Itoti, and the husband of the queen's mother, paid me a visit. I was much surprised at their loss of caste. In former times they were the essence of propriety; now they were reduced to compete with the other natives for the washing of linen, even in their fancy uniforms.

The consul, Mr. Pritchard, immediately paid me a visit, and we proceeded together, about noon, to visit queen Pomare, then residing at her country establishment, at Papawa. She has been married within the last six years to a young chief at Huaheine, by whom she has two sons who are living, the eldest about three years old.

I expected, as an old acquaintance, to have met with a cordial reception, but I subsequently learned that she had been so much harassed by threats of vengeance from various nations, that she hardly knew whether I had not come to make some new demand for satisfaction. However, this soon wore away upon the explanation of Mr. Pritchard, and she readily assented to my making use of the small island, Motu-utu, to land our stores, &c. during the operations of caulking and replacing some copper. Her apprehensions removed, she immediately moved down to her new house at Papeete. Her husband, of whom, however, she is very fond, is a great scamp, and is causing much trouble in the island.

Owing to the caulking and other disagreeables on board, I took up my abode at the house of the queen's aunt, where I erected my observatory, and superintended the building of a new boat. Unfortunately, there were several whalers in port, refitting, and it was not until the sixth day after our arrival that we could obtain any aid from artificers, our own being nearly useless or sick. Those who eventually came, performed about half as much as we were accustomed to in civilized countries.

Representation having been made to me that there were several cases where British subjects had opposed the verdict of Tahitan juries, and the queen and chiefs having solicited my advice thereon, a public meeting of the chiefs was convened.

Upon the questions which were brought forward for my consideration, I had only direct answers to give, confirming the sentences in accordance with their laws, and expressing my surprise that they should have hesitated in carrying them vigorously into execution, when they had the assurance of the British consul that his government would not countenance any opposition to them. Some discussion, however, threatened to arise, in consequence of their putting "home questions," which bore severely on the conduct of foreigners present. But these I avoided, by answering as for British subjects only, or the British consul,-promising any private advice they might wish at a future occasion.

Upon one decision against a British subject, viz., that of a young man who had forcibly retained the wife of a native, I was applied to by the defendant for redress, inasmuch as he had acted under the authority of the queen's husband, who had given the woman a paper desiring her to go and live with this young man, and say "that he told her to do so." As this was a manifest usurpation of authority, and the parties had thus been led into error and fined for it, I enclosed the documents to the queen and chiefs, requiring them to look into the matter, and

adding that as they had talked so much about their laws being disregarded by foreigners, it was incumbent on them to see that they were not brought into contempt, by being tampered with by one of their own body.

The affair was taken up with spirit. The queen (although not without a struggle) gave up her husband to the law, and issued a summons to the seven supreme judges. When they had assembled, the young king-consort refused to appear, and after much noise and excitement, the conference was put off until it could be more solemnly conducted, by summoning all the chiefs of Eimeo, as well as those of Tahiti.

Upon their assembling, the king again refused to appear, backed by the lowest order of foreigners living on the beach, who were interested in setting the laws at defiance. At length the queen, to prove her sincerity, and that she would not screen him, requested that the judges would adjourn to the palace, and try him there. This was accordingly done.

On my passage thither, I had an opportunity of witnessing some of the manoeuvres which were attempted in order to foil the trial. Indeed, some of the braggadocios talked largely of going in a body to protest against the proceedings. They were the beach rabble before alluded to. They had not the courage to appear, and the judges proceeded to select a jury. They were about to proceed to trial; the king having submitted, and appeared. As I per

ceived this would afford a good opportunity for the judges to give him a lecture, which opportunity might be lost after the trial, I expressed myself (as far as I was concerned) "satisfied that he had at length seen his error, and submitted to the laws of his country, and that I merely wished the judges to point out to him, in the presence of the queen, chiefs, and people, his total inability to interfere with the government: that he was merely the queen's husband, and by the laws of the island was not even entitled to the authority of a chief.

This had an almost electric effect. Taatee and Utamme, the two oldest chiefs, immediately stepped forth, and in the most energetic language, told him his faults, and finally exhorted him to stay more at home, and look to the interests of the queen and their children.

The several chiefs who had secretly opposed me, and supported the ultras, now stepped forth, and were lavish of "soft sawder." In fact, the tables were entirely turned.

To conclude the matter, I immediately offered the king and queen my hand, and invited them, together with Taatee and Utamme, to dinner on board, where they enjoyed themselves rationally and happily, and were entertained by fireworks from the island. Much to the chagrin of the disaffected, they were for this night entirely cut off from their society and machinations.

Having put upon paper answers to several ques