{"id":"01KG8AM3B8K01YVV61Z3XCNQFM","cid":"bafkreigmacr3nzvfg2nhxleosgy6untx2wbkpijmasae57ty264httbbjq","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":839,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:25.200Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 3","source_file":"01KG89J1JYRSHWXR7JM0HYS9D4","start_line":782,"text":"a vague and magnificent account of their beauty. But these islands,\r\nundisturbed for years, relapsed into their previous obscurity; and it is\r\nonly recently that anything has been known concerning them. Once in the\r\ncourse of a half century, to be sure, some adventurous rover would break\r\nin upon their peaceful repose, and astonished at the unusual scene,\r\nwould be almost tempted to claim the merit of a new discovery.\r\n\r\nOf this interesting group, but little account has ever been given, if\r\nwe except the slight mention made of them in the sketches of South-Sea\r\nvoyages. Cook, in his repeated circumnavigations of the globe, barely\r\ntouched at their shores; and all that we know about them is from a few\r\ngeneral narratives.\r\n\r\nAmong these, there are two that claim particular notice. Porter’s\r\n‘Journal of the Cruise of the U.S. frigate Essex, in the Pacific,\r\nduring the late War’, is said to contain some interesting particulars\r\nconcerning the islanders. This is a work, however, which I have never\r\nhappened to meet with; and Stewart, the chaplain of the American sloop\r\nof war Vincennes, has likewise devoted a portion of his book, entitled\r\n‘A Visit to the South Seas’, to the same subject.\r\n\r\nWithin the last few, years American and English vessels engaged in the\r\nextensive whale fisheries of the Pacific have occasionally, when short\r\nof provisions, put into the commodious harbour which there is in one of\r\nthe islands; but a fear of the natives, founded on the recollection of\r\nthe dreadful fate which many white men have received at their hands, has\r\ndeterred their crews from intermixing with the population sufficiently\r\nto gain any insight into their peculiar customs and manners.\r\n\r\nThe Protestant Missions appear to have despaired of reclaiming these\r\nislands from heathenism. The usage they have in every case received from\r\nthe natives has been such as to intimidate the boldest of their number.\r\nEllis, in his ‘Polynesian Researches’, gives some interesting accounts\r\nof the abortive attempts made by the ‘’Tahiti Mission’’ to establish a\r\nbranch Mission upon certain islands of the group. A short time before\r\nmy visit to the Marquesas, a somewhat amusing incident took place in\r\nconnection with these efforts, which I cannot avoid relating.\r\n\r\nAn intrepid missionary, undaunted by the ill-success that had attended\r\nall previous endeavours to conciliate the savages, and believing much\r\nin the efficacy of female influence, introduced among them his young and\r\nbeautiful wife, the first white woman who had ever visited their shores.\r\nThe islanders at first gazed in mute admiration at so unusual a prodigy,\r\nand seemed inclined to regard it as some new divinity. But after a short\r\ntime, becoming familiar with its charming aspect, and jealous of the\r\nfolds which encircled its form, they sought to pierce the sacred veil\r\nof calico in which it was enshrined, and in the gratification of their\r\ncuriosity so far overstepped the limits of good breeding, as deeply\r\nto offend the lady’s sense of decorum. Her sex once ascertained, their\r\nidolatry was changed into contempt and there was no end to the contumely\r\nshowered upon her by the savages, who were exasperated at the deception\r\nwhich they conceived had been practised upon them. To the horror of\r\nher affectionate spouse, she was stripped of her garments, and given to\r\nunderstand that she could no longer carry on her deceits with impunity.\r\nThe gentle dame was not sufficiently evangelical to endure this, and,\r\nfearful of further improprieties, she forced her husband to relinquish\r\nhis undertaking, and together they returned to Tahiti.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 3"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJPE93M26D0Z4NV0CNQ80","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1JYRSHWXR7JM0HYS9D4","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AM3B883Z56XMKVFXENPJX","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AM3B89DCK0T533SWG7N4R","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:25.960Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:32.819Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}