To this treaty the French captain, La Place, who, in April, 1839, anchored in Papeete harbour for repairs to his frigate, the Artémise, added another article, which was countersigned by the Queen and the principal chiefs, and authorized the free celebration of the rites of the Catholic religion.[66]
Had these demonstrations on the part of France had for the sole object the protection of the interests of Catholicism and French subjects, no civilized power could have objected to an act which, in entire consonance with the more humane and enlightened spirit of the 19th century, asserted the equal rights of every form of religious worship.
But she was not content with removing obstacles or asserting rights; political aims, as it proved, were being advanced under cover of a struggle on behalf of the Catholic Church;
and the events which speedily ensued are but a series of acts of violence and humiliations inflicted, so entirely unjustifiable, that even the French Government found itself in the end compelled to disapprove and condemn the acts of its representatives in Oceania.
In September, 1842, M. Du Petit-Thouars came on a second visit to Tahiti. He had by this time been promoted to his flag, and had been appointed Captain-general of the French stations in the Southern Ocean. He had already taken possession of the Marquesas Islands in the name of France, and appeared to have come to Tahiti with similar intentions. This second visit terminated after the Queen and her subjects had been submitted to the most cruel humiliations, in the establishment of a French protectorate, which several chiefs demanded in a document addressed by them to Louis Philippe, and which the Queen was compelled to subscribe. In November, 1843, Du Petit-Thouars came once more to Papeete, and now took possession of the entire island, on the flimsy pretext that an intentional insult had been given to France, in the shape of a flag which he saw waving above the Queen's residence, and which he mistook for that of England! The Tahitian flag was forcibly struck by the French soldiers, and replaced by that of France, while Tahiti itself was declared a French colony. Queen Pomáre protested against this new high-handed insult; she wrote a letter of complaint to the French monarch, relating the extravagances of his officers, and in a dignified and
simple address, implored the sympathy and support of Queen Victoria.[67]
The violent proceedings of the admiral were not endorsed by the Government of Louis Philippe, which recalled Du Petit-Thouars, and restored to Queen Pomáre the islands of Tahiti and Eimeo, but the French protectorate remained unaltered, since which the two islands have remained, if not de jure, at all events de facto, a French colony. The administration is vested in the hands of a proportionately increased staff of French officials, and import and export duties are levied by the French authorities, while the Queen herself receives her civil list of £1000 at the hands of the "Trésorier et payeur des Etablissements français en Océanie."[68]
Papeete or Papéïti (Pape, water, Iti, little), which derives its name from a rivulet which falls into the sea here, lies at the bottom of a semi-circular bay, seven miles west of Point Venus, the northernmost spot of the island. It is the chief town on the island, the residence of the Queen, and the seat of government, all which is not incompatible with its being of very limited dimensions, not rising above the grandeur of an ordinary village. The dwellings of the Europeans, constructed for the most part of wood, covered with palm-leaves, partly extend along the shore, partly help to make pretty regular streets, amid which rise up on every side bread-fruit trees, cocoa-palms, and orange-trees, which make up in cheerfulness for any deficiency in stateliness of aspect. Southwards of the bay lie a belt of police barracks, the Protestant place of worship (Fare-pure, house of prayer), and the prison (Fare-auri, house of iron); eastward it is bounded by the promontory of Fare-Ute, forming a sort of dock-yard, where ships of 300 tons can be repaired. Not far from the place of disembarkation, and near the centre of the township, rises one of the most elegant buildings in Papeete, namely, that where the various stores for the troops are housed. The mansion of the Governor closely adjoins the residence assigned to the Queen, from which it is only separated by a garden hedge. Both are extremely simple and unpretending edifices, built of wood, and impress the visitor much less than another large quadrangular building, built of stone in the Oriental style, and surmounted by a cupola—this is the
Fare-Aporaa, or "House of Big Words," which has numerous congeners among more civilized communities. Here, for the future, are to be held the sessions of the Legislative Assembly, and here the laws of the country are to be debated. Ever since the protecting hand of the French Protector has extended itself likewise over the unfortunate inhabitants of the Society Islands, the Tahitian parliament is opened with all that pomp and tinsel splendour which your true Frenchman cannot dispense with, even among the primitive islands of the Pacific. The Queen, accompanied by the Governor, proceeds, escorted by a long retinue, to the Chamber, and opens the assembly in person, which solemnity is announced to the gaping crowd outside by a salvo of twenty-one guns. The French Governor, however, plays the most conspicuous part, as in him is vested the right of deciding whether the convocation of the chosen of the people be requisite or not. Hence it happens that many a year passes when it does not suit the wishes of the Governor that parliament should meet. On such occasions (such was the case while we were there) the Governor promulgates a simple edict to that effect.[69]