mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i5-012

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died with him in England.

The late king, Tameamea I, during his lifetime, despite
his enlightened state of mind concerning religion, did not
wish to introduce a new faith into the islands subjugated by
him, but on his deathbed, he bequeathed to his son and to the
regent, Kahumanna, the tast of doing it gradually. Upon his death,
their first concern was to abolish the tabu,* burn the idols,
and destroy the morai [place of worship]. Thus the
inhabitants had no religion at all, because, having abolished
the old one, they did not accept the Christian faith, although
they already had teachers. The missionaries about whom was
spoken previously were called, Biniam [Hiram Bingham], the
senior, and Ferster [Asa Thurston], the junior. They had with
them a kister [catechist?] or clerk, by the name of Lamis
[Elisha Loomis], and a farmer. Lamis, in addition to his
duties, managed a small printing establishment where was
printed a short catechism and an alphabet of Latin letters,
translated at that time by the missionaries into the Hawaiian
language. Upon their arrival in 1818 [1820], the king granted
them lands and gave them laborers, permitted them to preach
Christianity, and to baptize whoever wanted it, but
he did not embrace the faith, from laziness I suppose.

The missionaries started a school where about 30 child-
ren were taught writing, reading, the beginning of holy

*I consider it unnecessary to describe the meaning of this
word because it was explained by many travelers before me.