sovereign of the entire island--the alleged ruler by prescription
of various clans, who for ages perhaps have treated with each
other as separate nations. To reinstate this much-injured prince
in the assumed dignities of his ancestors, the disinterested
strangers have come all the way from France: they are determined
that his title shall be acknowledged. If any tribe shall refuse
to recognize the authority of the French, by bowing down to the
laced chapeau of Mowanna, let them abide the consequences of
their obstinacy. Under cover of a similar pretence, have the
outrages and massacres at Tahiti the beautiful, the queen of the
South Seas, been perpetrated.

On this buccaneering expedition, Rear Admiral Du Petit Thouars,
leaving the rest of his squadron at the Marquesas,--which had
then been occupied by his forces about five months--set sail for
the doomed island in the Reine Blanche frigate. On his arrival,
as an indemnity for alleged insults offered to the flag of his
country, he demanded some twenty or thirty thousand dollars to be
placed in his hands forthwith, and in default of payment,
threatened to land and take possession of the place.

The frigate, immediately upon coming to an anchor, got springs on
her cables, and with her guns cast loose and her men at their
quarters, lay in the circular basin of Papeete, with her
broadside bearing upon the devoted town; while her numerous
cutters, hauled in order alongside, were ready to effect a
landing, under cover of her batteries. She maintained this
belligerent attitude for several days, during which time a series
of informal negotiations were pending, and wide alarm spread over
the island. Many of the Tahitians were at first disposed to