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history, and religion. All the adults, especially the
nobility, following the example of their ruler, shunned the
missionaries and were not willing to accept the Christ-
ian faith, and any other instructions concerning management or
husbandry, especially farming, although they could see with
their own eyes that the Europeans cultivated the land better.
The cultivated fields seeded with wheat and maize (which, by
the way, was on the islands before the missionaries), awaited
a rich harvest. The reasons for this indifference of the
natives to something better cannot be found solely in laziness
and following the old ways, but more in the influence of Euro-
peans living on the islands, of whom stood out a fugitive
French sailor by the name of [John] Rivés. They found it ad-
vantageous for themselves that the inhabitants of these islands
should remain in ignorance, fearing that the teaching of the
missionaries would improve the morals of these people, es-
pecially women leading a rather dissolute life, and that then
they would not be able any longer to satisfy their passions,
lust, and greed to enrich themselves through deceit by money
gotten from American and other commanders of vessels visiting
Hanaruro Harbor. In those days the debauchery in these islands
still reigned in full strength, especially at Vahu, so often
visited by Europeans, and most of all by American whalers.
The unmarried women knew no shame. The married ones, fear-
ing to be discovered by their husbands, were more restrained,
and had affairs onlu with foreigners. Often the masters them-
selves sold their spouses from greed. If any one of them was