Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

524 RECREATION— HITOTE — POMARE. Nov. It was certainly better to suppress altogether, rather than only to restrain and alter their former licentious amusements, but it seemed to me that some kind of innocent recreation was :a!iuch wanted by these light-hearted islanders. There is a void in the mind where a naturally thoughtless and vola- tile disposition exists, which it is extremely difficult to fill with serious thoughts of any duration. To such minds " a quiet reflecting day," (as my respected and much lamented messmate in the Thetis, the Rev. Henry Hall, used to term Sunday), is, in a great measure, a vacant time of leisure, which if not occupied by innocent thoughts which interest without doing harm, is certain to be seized upon by evil imaginations and bad passions. During the time we passed in the churches it was sufficiently plain that there was no harshness usually shewn towards the children : for they clustered round their minister so closely when he moved about, that he was obliged to push them away, good naturedly, several times. From the manner of elderly, as well as young natives, I should conclude that " Pritate,""* as they called Mr. Pritchard, was a favourite. 23d. With Mr. Henry (the son of the missionary) a well known chief, ' Hitote,' came on board to share our breakfast. Captain Beechey has introduced him in his work and described his character. Mr. Henry was born upon the island, and had never visited England, yet a more English countenance, or more genuine English ideas, I have seldom met with in any part of the world. From him I received some information, to me very interesting, and to those for whom it was my duty to collect nautical intelligence, I hope useful.-f- Afterwards I hastened to Papiete to pay my respects to Queen Pomare. I was in time to see her arrive from Eimeo, sitting on the gun- wale of a whale-boat, loosely dressed in a dark kind of gown, without anything upon her head, hands, or feet, and without any kind of girdle or sash to confine her gown, which was fas- • Having so few consonants in their language, obliges them to change most of our names. t Mr. Henry's data were also used in adding to Krusenstern's chart.