Polynesian., 1845-05-17

IN a future state; they appear, however, to
nave some slight idea of an evil spirit.
when hove-to off the island, ar European
came on board, who stated himself to be
George Lovett, a dcserter from the London
whaler Olley. He brought off a list of the
whalers, with their success, that had recent
ly touched there.
1hls island and many others in the Pacific,
are infested by Europeans, who are either
runaway convlcts, EXPIRES, or deserters
from whalers, and are for the most part men
OF the very worst desert ption, who it appears
prefer living q prccarious life of Incidence
and ease with the unenlightened savage,
rather than submit to the restraint ofthe sal
utary laws of civilized society; they live in
a manner easily to be imagined from men of
this class, without either law, religion or C.
d%ucation to control them-with an unlimited
quantity of ardent spirits, which they obtain
from distilling the toddy that exudes from the
cocoa-nut tree; this spirit is not very p%alata-
bic, but it serves, to use their own express
sion, to "tickle the BRAIN" When under the
influence of intoXication the most atrocious
crimes are committed by these miscrcants.
who must, both by their pernicious example
and advice, do much injury to this naturally
hAiu anu "CI uISIOSCu race OI men,, anu VIII
retard considerable the great work of civil
cation and Christianity, whenever these blcs-
sings are offered them by the servant ofGod.
These fiends frequently urge the different
tribes to war and deeds of blood, in ordor to
participate in the spoiIs of the vanquished.
1t was notorious, more especially among
the Sydney whalers, who occasionally call at
this island, and the fact was | believe, not
unknown to the government authorities in
Sydney, that there were several runaway,
doubly-convicted %felons, who had cut out a
whale boat, and made their escape from the
penal settlement of Norfolk Island, and were
living in this place for several years. 1t ap-
pears there were four ofthese villains at first;
two of them subsequently left in an American
whalers, either to carry their pernicious in
fuencc to some of the adjacent islands, or
proceeded to America; the remaining two
were we'll known by the names of Paddy and
Jones. The former died Of dysentery some
time since, and Lovett gives the following
account of the latter, who appears to have
been a most desperate and depraved char
acter. Lovett obtained his information from
the natives who were present at the time,
and have since been confirmed of its truth
by the testimony of a master of a whalcr who
touched at this island shortly after the event
alluded to took place.
1t appears that on the 10Th of October,
l84l, eleven Europeans were deliberately
murdered by the monster Jones, in the fol-
lowing manner: he invited them all to visit
him to pertake of a feast and when he had rot
his victims intoxicated with the island spirit,
he gave them food in which he had pre-
viously mixed poison; this proved fatal to
seven the remaining four having refused to
eat, ne watched his opportunity and shot
them. Most OF these men are supposed to
have been dcsertcrs from the Woodlack, |
Sydney whalcr. The only cause which in
stigated the monster to this Wholesale murder
was jealousy, he being fearful that some of
these unfortunate men might supersede him
In his influence with the natives, over whom
he had hitherto unlimited control. To re-
move suspicion from himself he endeavorcd
to make 1t appear that the deed had been
perpetrated by some of the natives, which
they Indignantly denied, and in consequence
withdrew their countenance from him, and
he was subsequently compelled to leave the
island.
On my passage down to China, | went on
board the ship William Gillies, from Macao,
and learnt from her that Jones had arrived
there from Guam, and was anxious to ship
tor England. Jones was personally known
to some of the Gillies' crew.
1t is to be feared that these horrible scenes
of bloodshed and dcpravity are of frequent
occurrence among the PoIynesian Isles, more
especially to the westward, where no effort
been made to introduce civilization and
Christianity. In many Of these places the
Europeans are very numerous; on the island
of Ascension, which | visited l84I. there
were upwards of sixty, and will doubtless,
opportunity offer, cut off any vessel
which might be tempted to stop at this island
in Ordar IN nhtoin raforh,nnntS ne "a Ia, 80, !