The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-14 00:00:00

AFFAIRS OF OTAHEITE.

MEETING OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SO-
CIETY IN EXETER HALL.—(THIS DAY.)
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)

Dr. MonnasoN moved the second resolution, which
he said he had no doubt would find a cordial response
from the meeting :—" That the meeting having heard
the letter addressed by Queen Pomare to the chiefs of
Otaheite, exhorting them to the exercise of forbear-
ance, peace, and patience, cannot withhold the ex-
pression of their esteem and admiration. They re-
gard her conduct on this trying occasion as eminently
worthy of commendation, and as an illustration of the
influence of Christianity over her mind, and. -that of
her people, -and that. while this people sympathised
with her, it desired more especially, as a religious
body, to express their deep and affectionate sympathy
with her as a suffering Christian and as a member of
the religious community of Papeete ; and that the
meeting offers its friendly acknowledgment to Captain
Nicholas, Captain Thompson, Captain Elliott, Lord
W. Russell, Captain Gambier, Captain Fitzroy, Cap-
tain Waldegrave, and Lieutenant Hunt, and the other
officers who had manifested an interest in the affairs
of Otaheite." He was sure that meeting would cor-
dially sympathise with Queen Pomare, who had been
subjected to such dastardly acts of perfidy on the part
of the French.—(Cheers.) It had been declared that
a great outrage had been committed--(Hear, hear)—
and the civilised world would expect that a great
outrage would be dealt with by Great Britain as it
deserved.—(Hear, hear.) He was an ardent friend
of peace, and he wished the day might be far distant
when England and France might meet in hostile con-
flict, and it was in order that that peace might be
maintained that he wished that their relations might
exist on honourable terms. Popery had tried to ad-
vance its principles at the mouth of the cannon, but
they would meet them with their Bibles, and suc-
ceed.—(Cheers.)
Dr. LEIFCITILD seconded the resolution. He said
he was sure they would give their cordial sympathy
to Queen Pomare—(Hear, hear)—and that they
would also sympathise with their missionary and con-
sul, for he was still their consul, Mr. Pritchard. That
individual had been calumniated, but when a man was
to be ill-treated, it was easy to find a pretext under
which to cover it. Mr. Pritchard had been obliged
to leave his family. He had been imprisoned for six
days, and in a French vessel, and was sent from
Otaheite to another island, from which he came to
this country, and was now amongst them. He had
no fear of their religious establishment in
Otaheite. The people there were too well grounded
to admit the errors and mummeries of Popery.
He did not wish for war, but if peace could only be
maintained by the sacrifice of honour and humanity
trod everything that was dear, why then he was not
an eelvocate for such a peace and woe to him from
whom the offence cometh.—(Cheers.)
The resolution was agreed to.
J. Cosen;m!, Esq., Editor of the Patriot, proposed
the next resolOtion. The effect of the resolution was
that the meeting' saw with pleasnre that the efforts
of the Roman Catholic priests to withdraw the people
of Otaheite from the truth and to introduce their own
superstitions had been without success. It expressed the
hope that the Protestant religion would be supported.
The speaker went on to give a detail of the pro-
ceedings which led to the circumstances which they
were there met to discuss. He said that there was
an opinion that the first fault committed was by their
missionaries, who had refused admission into the
island to two Roman Catholic priests. But the truth
was, there was a law of the island to that effect, and
the missionaries had nothing whatever to do with it.
They were not refused admittance on the ground of
religion, but from political motives, , and he contended
Queen Pomare was justified in doing what she had done.
The missionaries had created laws and literature in
Otaheite, and had excited the admiration of the
world, and yet these priests had been sent there by
Louis Philippe, for the purpose of destroying the la-
bours of the missionaries. Subsequent events had
amply justified any advice which the missionaries
might have given to Queen Pomare. It had been
said that they wished to bring about a hostile colli-
sion with France. They had nothing to do with
questions of peace or war, but they ought not to be
afraid of any other country, when that country was
the aggressor. If, indeed, the star of the glory of
.Britain was set, let them mourn over their country's
fall in private and succumb to France—(Cheers)—
or if they were too poor to keep up a navy equal to
that of France, they must succumb. If they did not
mean to continue the protection which they had
afforded to Queen Pomare, why had they appointed
Mr. Pritchard as British Consul ?—(Cheers.) It was
said that Exeter Hall usurped the functions of the
House of Commons. It was not their fault if the
House of Commons chose to devolve its functions on
Exeter Hall.—(Cheers.) It was a grievous thing
that the House of Commons hed not taken up the
subject.—(Cheers.)
,There was to much pusilanie
rnity existing on the subject. Otaheite was not the
only island that was to be snbject to a French
protectorate. There was Hayti. There were the
Sandwich Islands. There were the recommenda-
tions to expel our consul et Cuba. It was time
the country should be roused ; but as to war, France
no more dared to go to war than England.—(Loud
cheers.) There 'might be a party in France who
would wish to take advantage of war to depose the
present dynasty—(Hear, hear)—but he did not be-
lieve that there existed anything like a war party in
France.—(Cheers.) Louis Philippe, for his selfish
purposes, had taken the Roman Catholic missionaries
under his protection ; but he believed the French
people were perfectly indifferent on the subject.—
(Cheers.) The Paris press was completely under the
control of the Court, and did not express the feel-
ings of the people, and had our Govern•
merit
.not deceived the Missionary Society,
and suppressed information by garbling documents
laid on the table of' the House of Commons—had
they sent out :proper instructions to Lord Cowley—
had they printed the whole of the information in
their possession, then the Society might have gone
to the French Government and demanded justice for
the missionaries: He concluded by proposing the
resolution.—(Cheers.)
The Rev. A. FREEMAN announced that the mis-
sionary press in Otaheite was fettered ; nothing being
permitted to be printed but under the censorship of
the French Government.—(Hisses.)
The non. and Rev. B. Nom-. .)
seconded the resolu-
tion. lie had to
recal to the recollection of the
meeting, that
whelove of frenchn the Otaheitans exhibited their
prootection, by doing what
they had a right t
their fresh provisions todo'refusing to bring
the market for the
French crews to purchase, the
all thosenech General issued '
an ordinance proscribing
who refused to
bring forward their provisions,
and
the Otaheitans
tied, the Queen was deposed, and her
property
dered. Under these circumstances when the Bprinittu.sh
-
Co:tsul—and he had yet to learn that a BritßritishConsul
ceased to be such, because he protested against a
flagrant usurpation—(Cheers)—when the British
Consul gave proper and good advice to Queen pomare,
he was seized, and amidst the jeers of French sol-
diery conducted to prison. It was proclaimed by
the French that the British Consul should
he held responsible for all that might oc-
cur. This he took from French accounts.
Blood had been shed. Many Otaheitans had fallen, and
more wounded. They were assembled to express the
sympathy with their Christian Otaheitan bretheren,and
with their own countryman, who bad been oppressed,
imprisoned, and robbed.—(Cheers.) What repara •
tion could the French Government give for the wrongs
iivki li they had Committed ? Our Government said
-the Auld get protection for British subjects, but
,3.....
.4:2e

ilfteen Pomace and her people were not British sub-
-: jests, ;and if this meeting only expressed sympathy
'_:tv&th t it would do good. What reparation could
-. %stun ake those who had been made widows
bans by these wrongs ?—and it was right
ey should meet this day to declare that