“Kookini held in his hand the portrait of Tammeamah, which had been tolerably well painted by the draftsman of the Russian expedition, under Capt. Kotzebue, and of which he had requested me to make him a copy.”
“(H)e and the governor had scarcely shaken hands, when they cried aloud several times; beat their breasts, frequently kissed the portrait of the King; and during a quarter of an hour shed abundance of tears.”
“Some of the persons who surrounded us, particularly the women, uttered cries of sorrow; while there were others who appeared scarcely to notice this scene of mourning.”
“When they had done weeping, I asked Kookini the reason of this sudden affliction; he answered, laughing, it arose from remembering the death of Tammeamah; and from that moment he began to amuse himself, as if a few tears had totally effaced the recollection of the virtues and great actions which had given rise to them.” (Arago; portions of Letter CIX, August 1819)
“On the 8th of May, 1819, Owhyhee was the theatre of a terrible calamity, which plunged the whole island into consternation; and not only extinguished amongst the inhabitants, the pride arising from the recollection of glorious conquests, but also made them look to the future with grief and apprehension.”
“Whenever you attempt to persuade the inhabitants of this place how little is sufficient to make them happy, they recur with affliction to the past, they look forward with dread to the future …”
“… and, with hearts overwhelmed with sorrow at the recent death of Tammeamah, they pronounce his beloved name with respect, and cannot find in the qualities of his son any motive for consolation under so severe a loss.”
“The people of this Archipelago were on the point of reaping the fruits of their courage and perseverance; they were about to taste the advantages of civilization, which had commenced under the most favourable auspices; a moment has again plunged them into that darkness, the veil of which had been lifted by their victorious arms.”
“On a bed of pain, Tammeamah saw the moment approach which was to tear him from the love of his subjects. He had just punished some rebels, and had established his power on a firm and durable basis.”
“He was not afraid of death, he had sought and braved it a thousand times in the midst of dangers; but he regretted a life which might still have been useful to the people under his dominion.”
“No sooner had fears begun to be entertained for so valuable a life, than the conjurors, quacks, and priests, from all the islands, were assembled at Karakakooa. Useless trouble! Tammeamah was no more.”
“Couriers were dispatched at every moment of the day to convey intelligence to the most distant towns of the state of him on whom the happiness or misery of all depended.”
“He was then in a situation of appreciating the love and attachment of subjects for their good Sovereign; but finding that all efforts to restore him to health were fruitless, he devoted his last moments to the happiness of his people.”
“He called around him his son and his principal chiefs, who suppressed their sorrow, that he might the less regret a life, rendered illustrious by such glorious actions; he expressed his gratitude to them, and, addressing the heir to his authority, said: …”
“‘My son, I leave you master of a country, which ought, if you are prudent, to satisfy your ambition, but which you will lose if you endeavour to aggrandize yourself. You may judge from the sacrifice I have been obliged to make of my ease, what the inheritance I bequeath to you has cost me.’”
“‘The chiefs who at this moment surround me, have participated in my dangers; and I am indebted to them for a great part of the glory I have acquired.’”
“‘They will be faithful, if you are just; their attachment to me guarantees it: but your inexperience may lead you astray; and you must guide your actions by their counsels and instructions.’”
“‘Never be hasty in punishing a fault committed by the foreigners established in the islands; put up even with a second offence; and only endeavour to repel them at the third attack.’”
“‘If you behave yourself according lo the advice I am now giving you, I will receive with pleasure the sacrifices with which you may honour me, and the offerings your love may bring. Farewell, my son! bear my best wishes to my wives, and to my mother. Farewell, my friends!’”
“As soon as this melancholy news was spread far and near, the people vied with one another in their cries of sorrow; every one seemed to have lost a benefactor and a father.”
“They beat their breasts, tore their hair, and rolled themselves in the dust; all the domestic animals which could be got at were sacrificed, and a great number of houses thrown down.”
“To preserve the memory of this fatal event, almost all the inhabitants had several of their teeth extracted: they engraved on their arms the beloved name of Tammeamah, and the date when they lost this good Prince: the women made a sacrifice of all their hair, and with hot irons burnt themselves in various parts of their bodies.”
“At Karakakooa, all the people collected in the public square, filling the air with groans; their too poignant sorrow made them desert their huts, and they appeared proud of exhibiting the scars, the infliction of which seemed to them an act of duty.”
“Such as repaired to the capital from a distance, to ascertain the truth of this great misfortune, were afraid to make inquiries on the road; and while they shook hands, they regarded each other with terror.”
“The Chiefs, in particular the officers who had first shared the glory and the danger of Tammeamah, saw, in his death, the melancholy presage of every sort of calamity.”
“Three days and three nights passed at Karakakooa, without the people venturing to leave the public square; and such was their attachment to their departed monarch …”
“… that he who had only slightly wounded his body and his face, blushing at his neighbour’s deeper gashes, appealed to him, and intreated him to extract one or two more of his teeth, and to cover his body with other burns, and with additional scars.”
“Such scenes of desolation took place, not only at Owhyhee, and under the eyes of the principal chiefs; but also with the same fury, or rather cruelty, at all the other islands.”
“There was no necessity to prohibit amusements and gaming; during fifteen days, the people either confined themselves to their houses, or the public square, where they could see the tomb of Tammeamah, except to satisfy the wants of nature.”
“Tammeamah was the exclusive subject of conversation: every body could relate some instance of his extraordinary courage; his justice and goodness were praised by all.”
“Sleep overtook them with such topics of consolation in their mouths, and they awoke at sun-rise, to renew the same eulogiums. He was for them the active monarch, and the just judge, the protector of the oppressed, and the terror of his enemies.”
“Even now, when sorrow for his loss is somewhat blunted, his virtues are never spoken of but with tenderness and regret. Friends never meet without shedding tears at the memory of the days that are gone; and the first toast given at meals, is always ‘Tammeamah.” (Arago; portions of Letter CX, August 1819.)
