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. ARBANGEMKNT MURDEREUS. " 533 should choose to contribute, and a document signed by two principal chiefs, expressing the sum already collected and paid and their intention of forthwith collecting the remainder, and paying it before a stipulated time. Difficulties about the pre- sent, as compared with the former value of the shells, were quickly ended by arbitration ; and their value estimated at fifty dollars per ton : the ready way in which this question about the value of the shells was settled, gave me a high idea of the natives' wish to do right, rather than take advantage of a doubtful point of law. I next had to remark, that the queen had given up the mur- derers of the master and mate of the Truro in a merely nominal manner, and not in effect ; and that she must expect to receive a communication upon that subject by the next man-of-war. She asked me — whether I really thought they would be required from her by the next man-of-war .'* I replied : " Those men were tried and condemned by the laws of Otaheite. Your majesty, as sovereign, exercised your right of pardoning them. I think that the British Govern- ment will respect your right as queen of these islands ; and that his Britannic Majesty will not insist upon those men being punished, or again tried for the same offence ; but the propriety of your own conduct in pardoning such notorious offenders, is a very different affair. It will not tend to diminish the effect of a report injurious to your character, which you are aware has been circulated.'' After a pause, I said, " I was desired to enquire into the complaints of British subjects and demand redress where necessary. No complaints had been made to me ; therefore I begged to congratulate her majesty on the regularity and good conduct which had prevailed ; and thanked her, in the name of my countrymen, for the kindness with which they had been treated." I then reminded Pomare of the deep interest generally felt for those highly deserving and devoted missionaries, whose exertions, hazardous and difficult as they had been, and still were, had raised the natives of Otaheite to their present en-