The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-20 00:00:00

OTAHEITE.

The following are two curious extracts from the cor-
respondence (just presented to Parliament) relating to
the affairs of Otaheite. The first is a letter from Queen
Pomare to Queen Victoria, and the second is a specimen
of " Otaheitean legislation:"—

" QUEEN PO3IARE AND CHIEFS OF OTAHEITE TO QUEEN

VICTORIA.

. " Otaheite, Nov. 8, 1838.
" Salutations, greetings, and friendship to the mighty
Queen of England.
" That I, Queen Pomare, with chiefs and representa-
tives of my people, assembled to-day as one body and
soul, to manifest to you, with the greatest delight, our
sentiments of obligation your constant and Christian
sympathy has laid us under.
" That in doing so, we are not only fulfilling a duty
transmitted to us by a generation nearly gone by, but
that, accustomed from ehitdhood to cherish the
name, we are following the impulse of our own hearts.
" That since the first Englishman neared our shores
in one of your vessels, we have praised you as the only
nation which showed us a Christian heart, and now may
you lend us a Christian hand.

•
" That the b!essings of your religion, which throfigh
your pious exertions you taught us to follow, opened to
us two new entrances to two new worlds, unknown here-
tofore to our poor people.
" That with the assistance of Jcsus Christ and the pa-
ternal care of the missionaries, we may hope to secure
one of these worlds; but, that the other in which civiliza-
tion leads us into, begins to embitter our life, and will
ultimately deprive us even of the domin:on of the graves
of our ancestors, if we are left to our own resources..
"That the commerce yid industry which civilization
attracts to our islands puts us daily into relations vt ith
the white people, superior to us in mind and body, and
to whom our institutions appear foolish, and our Govern-
ment feeble.

" That we made our exertions, with the concurrence
of what our poor experience and knowledge taught us,
to obviate these difficulties; hut that if we have suc-
ceeded in enacting the laws, we cannot succeed in giving
them the strength and force which they require.
" That thus, in our utter impossibility to make our-
selves strong and respected, we are threatened in what
we have dearest to our hearts—the Protestant faith and
our nationality.
" That we have nobody to assist us in our helpless
situation except you, who implanted in our hearts,
through your people, the love of Jehovah, the love of
order and industry.
" Do not let these good seeds perish; do not leave
undone what you began, and what is so happily pro-
gressing; lend us your powerful hand; take us under
your protection; let your flag cover us, and your lion
defend us; determine the form through which we could
shelu.r ourselves lawfully ender your wings; cause cur
children to bless you, and to cherish your Christian feel-
ings as we do.
. " May the Great Jehovah preserve you, and recom-
pense you for all you do in-our behalf.
" Peace be with you, the Queen of Great Britain, &c.
" QUEEN POMARE.
" TATL
" UTAML
" PAOFAL
" HITOTI.

" P.S.—Should 'not what is written above be under-
stood by you, we refer you to Captain Elliott, command-
ing your Majesty's ship Fly. He is acquainted with our
circumstances, and will make them fully known to. you.
LAW PASSED BY THE OTAHEITEAN LEGISLATIVE BODY.
" A Law concerning the Propagation of Tenets Incon-
sistent with the True Gospel:—
" Let Otaheiie, and all the islands of the kingdom of
Queen Poniare, Vahine the First, stand unique under
that Gospel which the missionaries from Britain have
propagated ever since the year 1797, that is, these forty
years past.
" When foreigners come from other countries to this,
on their landing let th;s law be put into their hands,
that they may know, if such persons persist in teaching
tenets which are inconsistent with that true Gospel
which has been of old propagated in Otahehite ; if they
build houses for worship, if they congregate followers: in
kinds of loacntdrin propagate
;
uncultivated places, that they might teach them all
customs t h e s usual
modesinds
of
wtroarns
aigfattehey troublestrange
the sake of amusing that do notwith comport the written
word of the God of Truth, such person has become
guilty of breaking the law, and will be judged and
awarded. This shall be his award. He will be sent to
his own land, and shall not reside in Otahehite.
"If any. Otaheitean shall propagate doctrines ilium-
sistent with the Gospel of Truth, such as are callel
Manicsia, because they are doctrines inconsistent with
those which have been taught by the missionaries from
Britain, and with what. is found in the written word of
God, that person has violated the law ; if he be a person
of rank or a common man, it is the same, he has broken
the law, and will be judged and awarded. This will be
his award. He will be sent to his native land to accom
plish the sentence of the law in, if it be public road, 50
fathoms ; if any other work, such as is found written in
the laws.
"If he persist in refusing to do it, he will be judged,
and new work imposed on him.
" Otaheite, Nov. 8, 1838."