fickle in their clothing. I saw the old man one day in the full dress of an English general, which had been sent to him by his late majesty George III.; but he felt so awkward in the cocked-hat, boots, &c. that he quickly got rid of them, and a few hours afterwards we saw him lounging about the village, sans hat, sans coat, sans shirt, sans culottes, sans every thing! On the death of the old king the Eooranee succeeded by the title of Tamaahmaah the Second.[1] At the period of our visit they knew nothing of the Christian religion; and the white professors of it who were resident among them, were badly calculated to inculcate its divine precepts. Since then, however, thanks to the indefatigable and praiseworthy exertions of the missionaries, this rude, but noble-hearted race of people, have been rescued from their diabolical superstitions, and the greater part of them now enjoy the blessings of Christianity.
Cook, Vancouver, Perouse, and others, have already written so ably on the manners, customs, amusements, laws, religion, and natural productions of these islands, that I might very probably
- ↑ This unfortunate prince is the same who, with his young queen, lately fell victims to misjudged British hospitality, joined to a climate to which they were unaccustomed.
