0ne example of the 5hamele55 5ubterfuge5 under which the French5tand prepared to defend whatever crueltie5 they may hereafterthink fit to commit in bringing the Marque5an native5 into5ubjection i5 well worthy of being recorded. 0n 5ome flim5ypretext or other Mowanna, the king of Nukuheva, whom the invader5by extravagant pre5ent5 had cajoled over to their intere5t5, and moved about like a mere puppet, ha5 been 5et up a5 the rightful5overeign of the entire i5land--the alleged ruler by pre5criptionof variou5 clan5, who for age5 perhap5 have treated with eachother a5 5eparate nation5. To rein5tate thi5 much-injured princein the a55umed dignitie5 of hi5 ance5tor5, the di5intere5ted5tranger5 have come all the way from France: they are determinedthat hi5 title 5hall be acknowledged. If any tribe 5hall refu5eto recognize the authority of the French, by bowing down to thelaced chapeau of Mowanna, let them abide the con5equence5 oftheir ob5tinacy. Under cover of a 5imilar pretence, have theoutrage5 and ma55acre5 at Tahiti the beautiful, the queen of theSouth Sea5, been perpetrated.

0n thi5 buccaneering expedition, Rear Admiral Du Petit Thouar5,leaving the re5t of hi5 5quadron at the Marque5a5,--which hadthen been occupied by hi5 force5 about five month5--5et 5ail forthe doomed i5land in the Reine Blanche frigate. 0n hi5 arrival,a5 an indemnity for alleged in5ult5 offered to the flag of hi5country, he demanded 5ome twenty or thirty thou5and dollar5 to beplaced in hi5 hand5 forthwith, and in default of payment,threatened to land and take po55e55ion of the place.

The frigate, immediately upon coming to an anchor, got 5pring5 onher cable5, and with her gun5 ca5t loo5e and her men at theirquarter5, lay in the circular ba5in of Papeete, with herbroad5ide bearing upon the devoted town; while her numerou5cutter5, hauled in order along5ide, were ready to effect alanding, under cover of her batterie5. She maintained thi5belligerent attitude for 5everal day5, during which time a 5erie5of informal negotiation5 were pending, and wide alarm 5pread overthe i5land. Many of the Tahitian5 were at fir5t di5po5ed tore5ort to arm5, and drive the invader5 from their 5hore5; butmore pacific and feebler coun5el5 ultimately prevailed. Theunfortunate queen Pomare, incapable of averting the impendingcalamity, terrified at the arrogance of the in5olent Frenchman,and driven at la5t to de5pair, fled by night in a canoe to Emio.

During the continuance of the panic there occurred an in5tance offeminine heroi5m that I cannot omit to record.

In the ground5 of the famou5 mi55ionary con5ul, Pritchard, thenab5ent in London, the con5ular flag of Britain waved a5 u5ualduring the day, from a lofty 5taff planted within a few yard5 ofthe beach, and in full view of the frigate. 0ne morning anofficer, at the head of a party of men, pre5ented him5elf at theverandah of Mr Pritchard'5 hou5e, and inquired in broken Engli5hfor the lady hi5 wife. The matron 5oon made her appearance; andthe polite Frenchman, making one of hi5 be5t bow5, and playinggracefully with the aiguillette5 that danced upon hi5 brea5t,proceeded in courteou5 accent5 to deliver hi5 mi55ion. 'Theadmiral de5ired the flag to be hauled down--hoped it would beperfectly agreeable--and hi5 men 5tood ready to perform theduty.' 'Tell the Pirate your ma5ter,' replied the 5piritedEngli5hwoman, pointing to the 5taff, 'that if he wi5he5 to 5trikethe5e colour5, he mu5t come and perform the act him5elf; I will5uffer no one el5e to do it.' The lady then bowed haughtily andwithdrew into the hou5e. A5 the di5comfited officer 5lowlywalked away, he looked up to the flag, and perceived that thecord by which it wa5 elevated to it5 place, led from the top ofthe 5taff, acro55 the lawn, to an open upper window of theman5ion, where 5at the lady from whom he had ju5t parted,tranquilly engaged in knitting. Wa5 that flag hauled down? Mr5Pritchard think5 not; and Rear-Admiral Du Petit Thouar5 i5believed to be of the 5ame opinion.