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

1835. OTAHEITAN CUSTOMS MEETING. 527 lish nor Otaheitan. Before she became sovereign, she was known by the name of Aimatta, which signifies ' eye-eater ;'* but Po- mare has since been adopted as the royal name. In affixing her signature, 'Vahine' is added, which means ' female' — thus ' Po- mare Vahine.' Her husband is a young, intelh gent man; but he has no share in the government, being only king-consort. This man was the only native of the island, that I saw, whose nose was sharp and projecting. It is amusing to think that they call a man ' long nose,' in this country, when they wish to wound his feelings deeply. During the first few days after a child is born, the mother or her attendants keep pressing the back of the infant's head with one hand, and the forehead and nose with the other, to make the head hia;h and the nose and brow flat. Children of the higher ranks undergo more compression, because they are more carefully attended.f How the queen's husband escaped, or could be chosen by her with such a nose, I am at a loss to discover. 24th. With all the officers who could be spared from the duty of the ship, Mr. Darwin and I repaired early to Papiete. Mr. Wilson, Mr. Henry, and Hitote, were of the party. Ar- rived at the hospitable abode of Mr. Pritchard, we waited until a messenger informed us of the queen's arrival at the appointed place of meeting — the English chapel. From our position we had just seen the royal escort — a very inferior assemblage. It appeared that the chiefs and elderly people had walked to the chapel when our boats arrived, leaving only the younger branches of the community to accompany Pomare. The Eng- lish chapel is a small, wooden structure, with a high, angular roof; it is about fifty feet in length and thirty feet wide ; near the eastern end is a pulpit, and at each corner a small pew- The rest of the building is occupied by strong benches, exten- ding nearly from side to side ; latticed windows admit light and air ; the roof is thatched in a partly Otaheitan manner ; none * I need not remark upon the offering made to the king- in the time of human sacrifice. + Mitchell, the native pilot, described this process to me minutely.