^9 
 
 BV  3680  .N59  S73  1880 
 Steel,  Robert,  1827-1893 
 The  New  Hebrides  and 
 Christian  missions 
 
THE    NEW    HEBRIDES    AND 
 
 CHRISTIAN   MISSIONS. 
 
WORKS  BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR. 
 
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THE    NEW    HEBRIDES 
 
 AND    CHEISTIAN    MISSIONS. 
 
 HCit!)  a  Sketcfj  of  tf}e  ILaltiour  CraStc, 
 
 NOTES   OF  A    CRUISE   THROUGH   THE    GROUP   IN 
 THE   MISSION   VESSEL. 
 
 KOBEET     STEEL,    D.D.,    Ph.D., 
 
 MINISTER  OF  ST.  STEPHEN'S  CHURCH,  SYDNEY  ; 
 
 SOMETIME   THE  GENERAL   ASSEMBLY'S   TUTOR  OP  CHURCH   HISTORY   AND  PASTORAL 
 
 THEOLOGY  IN  ST.  ANDREW'S  COLLEGE,  WITHIN  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  SYDNEY  J 
 
 AND  AGENT  OF  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 JAMES    NISBET    &    CO.,    21    BERNERS    STREET. 
 
 1880. 
 
MOEEISON   AND  GIBB,    EDINBURGH, 
 PEINTEKS   TO  HER   MAJESTY'S   STATIONERY   OFFICE. 
 
priitoetoit    1^ 
 
 \  thsolog:   - 
 
 PirfFACE. 
 
 This  volume  has  been  compiled  from  the  most  authentic 
 sources^  after  long  acquaintance  with  the  affairs  of  the  New 
 Hebrides  Mission,  and  after  a  personal  visit  to  the  islands 
 in  the  mission  vessel.  It  is  issued  for  the  information  of 
 the  friends  of  missions  and  of  humanity,  and  in  the  hope  that 
 it  may  aid  in  promoting  the  evangelization  and  civilisation 
 of  Western  Polynesia. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  Mission  has  had  its  martyrs.  It  was 
 there  John  Williams  fell  while  attempting  to  introduce 
 Christian  missions,  and  on  the  same  blood-stained  Isle  of 
 Eromanga  the  Gordons  perished  in  the  same  cause.  Many 
 native  teachers  '  have  hazarded  their  lives  for  the  name  of 
 our  Lord  Jesus  Christ'  among  the  savage  natives  of  the 
 group ;  and  a  noble  band  of  Christian  missionaries  have 
 braved  many  dangers  to  teach  a  cannibal  people  the  love 
 of  God.  Bishop  Patteson,  who  was  killed  at  Nukapu,  in 
 another  group,  is  also  associated  with  missionary  labour  in 
 the  northern  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides. 
 
 It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Christ's  faithful  servants 
 to  preserve  a  record  of  their  work,  and  the  biographical  is 
 therefore  interwoven  with  the  historical  throughout  this 
 volume. 
 
 The  recent  inhumanities  of  the  labour  traffic,  the  fears 
 of    French   occupation    of    the    islands,   and  the   strongly- 
 
vi  •  PREFACE. 
 
 expressed  desire  of  many  Australian  colonists  for  the 
 annexation  or  protection  of  the  New  Hebrides  by  the 
 British  Crown,  give  additional  interest  to  the  subject  of 
 this  book. 
 
 The  Author  has  endeavoured  to  be  faithful  in  his  narra- 
 tive, just  in  his  judgments,  and  charitable  in  his  views  ;  and 
 he  therefore  hopes  to  meet  with  a  favourable  reception  for 
 his  volume. 
 
 His  thanks  are  due  to  the  missionaries  who  have  assisted 
 him  in  collecting  information,  and  to  the  Eev.  John  Kay 
 of  Edinburgh,  who,  from  a  long  acquaintance  with  missions 
 in  the  New  Hebrides,  as  the  Convener  and  Secretary  of  the 
 Committee  in  Scotland,  has  given  such  intelligent  and  care- 
 ful supervision  to  the  publication  of  this  contribution  to 
 the  history  of  missions. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGK 
 
 CHAPTER   I. 
 
 THE   NEW    HEBRIDES    GROUP   OF    ISLANDS. 
 
 Discovery  of  the  group — Tlieir  position — Early  discoverers — De  Quires 
 an<l  the  supposed  Southern  Continent — First  sight  of  the  New 
 Hebrides — Appeals  to  the  King  of  Spain — Death  of  De  Quiros — 
 Subsequent  discoverers — Carteret,  Bougainville,  Cook,  etc. — Cook's 
 voyages — Name  of  group,  and  position  of  islands — Services  of  naval 
 ships — Mission  ships — Number  and  size  of  islands  —  Volcanic 
 character — Line  of  volcanic  action — Views  of  Dana  and  Darwin — 
 Absence  of  coral  reefs — The  soil  and  productions — Animals — Food 
 and  drink  of  people — The  natives — The  languages — The  seasons — • 
 Superstitions  of  people — Cannibal  propensities  and  atrocities — 
 The  sandal-wood  trade — Danger  to  European  life — Decrease  of 
 native  population,    ....... 
 
 CHAPTER   II. 
 
 THE   NEW    HEBRIDES    MISSION. 
 
 Origin  of  missions  in  Polynesia — Roman  Catholic  efforts — Captain 
 Cook's  opinion  of  Polynesian  missions — The  influence  of  Cook's 
 published  Voyages  on  missionary  enterprise — Founding  of  the 
 Jlissionary  Society — Efforts  in  the  South  Seas — John  "Williams  and 
 the  New  Hebrides  Mission — His  last  voyage  and  martyrdom — 
 liOcation  of  teachers — Settlement  of  Messrs.  Nisbet  and  Turner  on 
 Tanna — Their  peiils  and  flight — Interest  of  the  London  Missionary 
 Society  in  the  group  —  The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand's  zeal  and 
 enterprize — Aid  to  the  Presbyterian  Mission — Aneityum  occupied 
 by  Messrs.  Geddie  and  Powell — Departure  of  Mr.  Powell — Arrival 
 of  the  Rev.  John  Inglis — Extension  of  the  mission  to  Tanna — 
 Eromanga — Fate — Espiritu  Santo — Cliaracter  of  the  missionaries — 
 Testimonies  of  Captain  (now  Admiral)  Erskine,  Captain  Palmer — 
 Mr.  Brenchley's  views — Difficulties  of  missionaries — Their  mode  of 
 conducting  public  worship — Their  influence  on  the  natives  con- 
 trasted with  influence  of  traders — The  native  converts  tried  by  the 
 Ten  Commandments,  .  .  .  .  .  .32 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER  III. 
 
 THE   MISSION  VESSEL. 
 
 Missions  and  the  mercantile  marine — Ships  of  the  Royal  Navy — The 
 missionary  marine — The  Pacific  fleet — The  New  Hebrides  indebted 
 to  the  London  Missionary  Society's  vessel — The  services  of  the 
 Bishop  of  New  Zealand — Special  vessels  for  the  islands  of  the 
 group — The  Columha — The  John  Knox — The  Daysjmng — Circum- 
 stances connected  with  origin  of  the  latter — Mr.  Paton's  appeals — 
 Interest  of  Presbyterians  in  Australia — Maintenance  and  insurance 
 of  the  vessel — Value  of  services  to  the  mission — Wreck  of  Dayspi'ing 
 — Purchase  of  new  vessel — The  liberality  of  Australian  Sunday 
 scholars  and  others — Management  of  vessel, 
 
 CHAPTER   IV. 
 
 THE   SUPPORTERS   OF  THE  MISSION. 
 
 The  solitary  effort — The  Presbyterian  Secession  Church  in  Nova  Scotia 
 — Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  in  Scotland — United  efforts — 
 Church  of  the  Lower  Provinces  of  British  North  America — Church 
 of  the  Maritime  Provinces  in  connection  with  the  Established 
 Church  of  Scotland — Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada — The  Free 
 Church  of  Scotland — The  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Australia  and 
 New  Zealand — Ladies'  work  for  the  mission — Need  for  enlarged 
 effort — Appeal  for  more  missionaries,  .  .  .  .78 
 
 CHAPTER  V. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF  ANEITYUM. 
 
 Position  and  physical  character  of  island— The  people  and  their  worship 
 — Climate — Natural  history — First  vessel  and  its  effect  on  the 
 natives — Sandal-wood  trade — Mission  vessel — Settlement  of  native 
 teachers — Their  work— Settlement  of  Messrs.  Geddie  and  Powell- 
 Early  trials — Roman  Catholic  attempt  to  found  a  mission,  and  its 
 failure — The  chief  Waihit  a  convert^The  chief  Jukai — His  death 
 — Mr.  Geddie's  illness — Arrival  of  the  Rev.  John  Inglis — The  chief 
 Nohoat — Success  of  the  mission — The  building  of  the  church — 
 Translation  of  New  Testament — Its  printing  in  London —  Con- 
 tributions of  arrowroot  for  payment — Absence  of  missionaries — 
 Death  of  Ur.  Geddie — Estimate  of  his  services— Mrs.  Geddie — Her 
 narratives  of  cases — Cases  under  Mr.  Inglis — Present  state  of  popu- 
 lation and  of  the  church  on  his  side  of  the  island — Translation  of 
 Old  Testament  and  other  works — ilr.  Inglis'  services — Mrs.  Inglis 
 — Influence  of  chiefs — Contributions  of  native  Christians — The 
 service  of  song — The  Rev.  J.  D.  Murray — The  Rev.  Joseph  Annand, 
 M.A. — Mr.  J.  H.  Lawrie— Population — Membership  in  church — 
 Total  results  of  the  mission,  .  .  .  .  .93 
 
CONTENTS.  ix 
 
 CHAPTER   VI. 
 
 THE   ISLANB  OF  FOTUNA. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Singular  form — Its  position  and  productions — The  natives — Peculiar 
 language — Visit  of  Rev.  John  Williams — Location  of  teachers  and 
 their  sufferings — Settlement  of  the  Rev.  J.  Copeland — His  work 
 and  patience — People  slow  to  believe— Evidences  of  Christianity — 
 Heathen  worship — Mr.  Copeland's  boldness — His  visit  to  Australia 
 and  return  to  the  island — Death  of  Mrs.  Copeland — Mr.  Copeland's 
 weak  health  and  absence  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand — Return 
 to  the  island,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .129 
 
 CHAPTER    VII. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF  ANIWA — A   BRIEF   SOJOURN   AT   THE  MISSION-HOUSE. 
 
 Low  coral  island — Small  extent — Productions — Birds— Christian  teachers 
 settled — Their  trials — A  martyrdom — Settlement  of  Rev.  J.  G. 
 Paton — Success — An  island  evangelized—  Mission  premises — Ser- 
 vices in  the  church — The  Communion — Circuit  of  villages — A 
 singing  people — Family  religion — Translations — Rapid  decrease  of 
 population,  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .146 
 
 CHAPTER  VIII. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF   TANNA. 
 
 Position  of  the  island — Volcano — Soil — Temperature — Productions — 
 Natural  history — The  natives  and  their  habits — Missionary  efforts 
 — The  Rev.  John  AVilliams — Location  of  native  teachers— Settle- 
 ment of  Messrs.  Nisbet  and  Turner — Their  trials  and  flight — 
 Resumption  of  the  mission  by  Messrs.  Paton  and  Copeland, 
 Johnston  and  Matheson — Their  perils — Sketches  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
 Matheson,  and  of  Mr.  Johnston — Visit  of  Commodore  Sir  William 
 Wiseman,  Bart.,  in  H.M.S.  C^iwafoo^— Convoy  by  Dayspring^ 
 Punishment  of  Tannese — Animadversions  on  conduct  of  mission- 
 aries— Their  defence — -The  mission  resumed  by  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
 Neilson  and  Watt — Their  efforts  and  trials — Present  state  of  the 
 mission — Interest  of  the  Glasgow  Foundry  Boys'  Society  in  Tanna 
 — Recent  events — Earthquake  and  tidal  wave,        .  .  .     157 
 
 CHAPTER    IX. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF  EEOMANGA. 
 
 Nature  of  island — The  natives — Cook's  description  of  his  reception— 
 The  sandal-wood  trade — Effect  on  the  natives — Missionary  visit 
 and  martyrdom  of  the  Rev.   John   Williams  and  Mr.   Harris— 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introduction  of  native  teachers — Their  sufferings  and  danger — 
 Youths  taken  to  Samoa  and  tauglrt— Their  influence  on  their 
 people— Settlement  of  the  Rev.  G.  N.  Gordon — Sketch  of  his  life 
 and  labours — Tragic  end  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordon — Visits  of 
 Bishop  Patteson — A  brother  takes  the  fallen  standard— Settle- 
 ment of  Eev.  J.  D.  Gordon — The  Eev.  James  M'Nair — His 
 labours  and  death — Mr.  Gordon's  new  station — His  work — His 
 murder — Letter  of  Soso — Mr.  Gordon's  character — Lay  assistance 
 — Superstitions  of  people — Natural  history  —  Mr.  Brenchley's 
 remarks  on  Mr.  Gordon,  and  the  visit  of  H.M.S.  Cura<;oa — 
 Kowiowi,  the  murderer  of  Williams — Population — Character  of 
 people — Mode  of  dealing  with  them — Eeoccupation  of  mission  by 
 the  Rev.  Hugh  A.  Robertson — Martyi's'  memorial  tablet  and 
 church  at  Dillon's  Bay — Encouraging  prospects  of  the  mission,      .     191 
 
 CHAPTER    X. 
 
 THE    ISLAND    OF    FATE,    WITH    ITS    ISLETS. 
 
 Discovered  by  Captain  Cook  —  Position  and  character  —  Captain 
 Erskine's  visit — His  description — The  inhabitants — Theirpolygamy 
 — Cannibalism — Atrocity — Their  huts — Language — Superstitions 
 — Commencement  of  missions — Native  teachers — Their  trials  and 
 success — First  baptism  of  converts — New  virtues  contrasted  with 
 old  habits — First  missionary  —  The  Rev.  Donald  Morrison — 
 Sketch  of  his  life  and  labours — The  great  cannibal  chief  Marik 
 Tikaikow — Mr.  Morrison's  illness  and  death — The  Rev.  James 
 Cosh  settled — His  zealous  labour — Departure  from  the  mission — 
 Appointment  of  Rev.  J.  W.  Mackenzie— Encouraging  state  of  the 
 mission — Successes — Contrast  with  the  past — Mission  station  in 
 Havannah  Harbour — Native  teachers — Appointment  of  the  Rev. 
 Daniel  Macdonald — His  trials  and  work — Difficulties  of  the  sphere 
 — Successes — The  islandsof  Fila  and  Mel — The  Eev.  Joseph  Annand 
 — Peculiar  difficulties  on  these  islands,        .  .  .  .215 
 
 CHAPTER    XL 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA,  M'lTH  THE  ISLANDS  OF  PELE,  MAI',  METASO, 
 AND    MAKURU. 
 
 Difficulty  in  pronunciation — Position  of  island — Character  of  natives — 
 Settlement  of  the  Rev.  Peter  Milne — Tragedies  on  the  island — 
 Missionary  accused  by  officer  of  labour  vessel — Visit  of  H.M.S. 
 Eosarlo — Commander  Markhani's  conduct  to  the  natives — Vindi- 
 cates the  missionary — Objects  of  native  worship — Mythology — 
 Practices  of  the  people — Attitude  to  the  gospel — Mr.  Oscar 
 Mitchelsen — The  island  of  Pele — Native  teachers  settled — Mau 
 opposed  to  missions — Metaso — Singular  island — Ta,  the  Raro- 
 tongan  teacher — Effect  of  gospel — Visits  of  missionary — Makuru — 
 Openings  for  missionary  work  —  Recent  cannibalism  there — 
 Missionary  enterprise  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Llilne,         .  .  .     241 
 
262 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 CHAPTER    XII. 
 
 THE   ISLAND    OF   MAI    OR  THREE    HILLS. 
 
 Few  Christian  islands — Little  amount  of  missionary  effort  on  northern 
 part  of  the  group— Visits  of  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand — Acquisi- 
 tion of  languages  of  these  isles  by  Bishop  Patteson — Visits  in  the 
 Southern  Cross — Situation  of  Mai — Its  two  languages — Youths 
 taken  to  New  Zealand — Interest  of  Bishop  Patteson  in  the  people 
 — Death  of  the  youths — Sympathy  of  the  bishop — Visits  of  Dr. 
 Geddie  and  Mr.  J.  D.  Gordon — Continued  interest  of  Melanesian 
 mission,        .  . 
 
 CHAPTER   XIII. 
 
 THE   SHEPHERD    ISLES. 
 
 Named  when  discovered  by  Captain  Cook — Their  position,  number,  and 
 character — Language  a  dialect  of  Fatese — Dr.  Geddie's  visit — Mr. 
 Gordon's — Bishop  Patteson's — Mr.  Milne's — Settlement  of  Mr. 
 Mitchelsen  at  Tongoa,         ......     269 
 
 CHAPTER    XIV. 
 
 THE   ISLANDS   OP  API   OR  TASIKO,    LOPEVl,    AND   PAAMA. 
 
 Discovered,  by  Captain  Cook — Api,  rich  and  beautiful — Visited  by 
 mission  vessels — Native  teachers  left  by  the  Rev.  A.  AV.  Murray, 
 of  the  London  Missionary  Society — Their  early  death — Bishop 
 Patteson's  visits — His  acquisition  of  the  language — Danger  on 
 neutral  ground  of  tribes — Recent  massacres  on  the  island — Visit  of 
 H.M.S.  Challenger  with  returned  labourers — Views  of  a  writer  on 
 board — Lopevi  a  volcano — Paama  visited  by  Bishop  Patteson — 
 Language  acquired — Natives  taken  in  labour  vessels — Their  treat- 
 ment, ........     273 
 
 CHAPTER    XV. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF   MALLICOLLO. 
 
 Its  large  size — Its  position — Captain  Cook's  visit — Encounter  with 
 natives — His  account  of  them — Bishop  of  New  Zealand's  visit  and 
 his  danger— Visits  of /o/ui  Williams  and  H.M.S.  Rosario — Kid- 
 napping of  natives  by  the  Syren  and  the  Carl — Station  for  bedie 
 de  mer — Commercial  enterprise  in  the  future — Visit  of  Daysprinfj 
 — Need  of  a  missionary,       ......     285 
 
 CHAPTER   XVI. 
 
 THE    ISLAND   OF   AMBRYM. 
 
 A  volcano — Soil  very  rich — Aspect  beautiful — The  natives — Intercourse 
 with  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand — Bishop  Patteson — Visits  of  the 
 John  Williams,  and  Daysprinrj — Return  of  natives  by  the  latter 
 — Danger  of  missionary — The  Melanesian  Mission — Residence  of 
 Rev.  Mr.  Kenny  on  the  island — Footing  secured  for  mission — The 
 labour  traffic,  .......     297 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER    XVII. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF  ARAGHA,    PENTECOST,    OR  WHITSUNTIDE, 
 AND    MALO   OR   ST.    BARTHOLOMEW. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Discovered  by  Bougainville — Effect  of  his  discovery — Visit  of  the 
 Bishop  of  New  Zealand  to  the  island — Reception  by  the  natives — 
 Size  of  the  island  —  Its  character  —  Bishop  Patteson  and  the 
 language— The  visit  of  H.M.S.  Rosario — The  reception  given — 
 "Work  by  the  Melanesian  Mission — Bishop  Selwyn — Native  youths 
 — Thomas  Ulgan — A  new  Pentecost— St.  Bartholomew — Visit  of 
 labour  Yessels—Dayspring,  .....     303 
 
 CHAPTER    XVIII. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF  AOBA   OR   OPA,    OR  LEPEll'S   ISLE. 
 
 Discovered  by  Bougainville — His  landing — Opinion  of  the  natives — 
 Bishop  Patteson's  view  of  them — His  frequent  landings — Acquisi- 
 tion of  the  language — Interest  in  the  people — Scholars — Respect 
 of  people  for  him — Encouraging  opening — Tlie  Rev.  Charles  Bice 
 — His  residence — Prospect  of  the  mission — Recent  tragedy — Visit 
 of  H.M.S.  Wolverene,         .  .  .  .  .  .309 
 
 CHAPTER   XIX. 
 
 THE   ISLAND   OF   MAI  WO   OR  AURORA. 
 
 Position  and  size — Discovery  by  Bougainville — Origin  of  name — Visit 
 of  Captain  Cook — Another  discovery — Bishop  Patteson's  efforts — 
 The  quarrelsome  character  of  natives — Outrages  on  white  men — 
 Attack  on  Rosario — Residence  of  Bishop  Selwyn  and  his  work — 
 Are  arrows  poisoned? — Inquiries  of  Dr.  Messer  and  others — Bishop 
 Selwyn's  bereavement — Aurora,       .....     320 
 
 CHAPTER    XX. 
 
 THE   ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU   SANTO. 
 
 Largest  island — Most  northerly — Its  character — Quiros — Cook — De- 
 scription by  Rev.  J.  D.  Gordon — No  native  name  for  whole  island — 
 Diflerent  languages — ]\Ianners  of  people — Advanced  arts  in  pottery 
 — Style  of  villages — Mode  of  carrying  Avater — Long  buckets — 
 Cooking  —  Cleanliness  —  Affection — A  chief's  house — Weapons — 
 Arrows  and  spears  tipped  with  human  bone — Peculiar  ceremonies 
 at  feasts — Cannibalism — Missionary  efforts — Contemplated  by  De 
 Quiros — Visits  of  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  of  the  John  Williams, 
 and  of  Bayspring— The  Rev.  J.  D.  Gordon  acquired  language — 
 Resided  for  four  months — Settlement  of  Rev.  John  Goodwill  at  Cape 
 Lisburn — His  toils  and  dangers — Departure — Visit  of  Dayspring  in 
 1877— St.  Philip's  Bay — Opening  for  missionaries — Claim  on  sym- 
 pathy of  Cluistians,  ......     330 
 
CONTENTS.  xiii 
 
 CHAPTER    XXI. 
 
 NATIVE  TEACHERS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Peculiar  feature  of  Polynesian  missions — Important  aid — Effort  to  secure 
 them  in  the  New  Hebrides — Difficulties — Need  of  institution  for 
 training  teachers — Qualifications  of  Mr.  Copeland  for  the  work — 
 Healthiness  of  Fotuna  as  a  station  for  training  institution — The 
 language  of  Fate  as  a  vehicle  for  extending  the  mission — Economy 
 of  such  institutions — Their  necessity — Value  of  services  rendered 
 by  native  helpers — Testimony  of  Eev.  Dr.  Mullens  and  Rev.  S. 
 Macfarlane — Opinions  of  the  late  Bishops  Selwyn  and  Patteson, 
 and  their  efforts  to  educate  natives — Native  ministry  in  Hawaii, 
 in  Tonga,  and  Fiji — Natives  of  New  Hebrides  capable  of  higher 
 education  by  means  of  institution  for  the  purpose,  ,  .     348 
 
 CHAPTER    XXII. 
 
 THE   SYNOD   OF   THE   NEW   HEBRIDES   MISSION. 
 
 Missionaries  from  different  sections  of  the  Presbyterian  Church — Losses 
 by  death — Chiefly  by  violence,  or  diseases  brought  by  missionaries 
 — Small  loss  of  missionaries'  wives — Union  in  Synod — Place  of 
 meeting — Value  of  the  mission  vessel — Rotatory  meetings  recom- 
 mended and  tried — Moral  effect  on  natives — Need  of  medical  mis- 
 sionary— Discussions  and  debates  in  Synod — The  missionary  ladies 
 during  the  Synod — Minutes  of  the  Synod,  ....     365 
 
 CHAPTER    XXIII. 
 
 A   COMMUNION  SEASON  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 At  meeting  of  the  Synod — Various  services — Aspect  of  the  church  and 
 
 people — Testimony  to  value  of  missions,       .  .  .  372 
 
 CHAPTER    XXIV. 
 
 A  FUNERAL  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Death  of  chief  at  Aniwa — The  wailing — The  funeral  cortege — The  scene 
 at  the  grave — The  religious  service — The  burial — The  mourning 
 dresses — Sketch  of  Youwilli — His  opposition  to  the  missionary — 
 A  convert — His  death — The  last  of  his  race,  .  .  .379 
 
 CHAPTER    XXV. 
 
 THE   LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND   KIDNAPPING  OF  NATIVES. 
 
 Servitude  of  inferior  races — The  sandal-wood  trade — Chronic  irritation 
 caused  by  it — The  Peruvian  raid  in  1863 — Proposal  of  Captain 
 Towns  to  employ  Polynesians  in  Queensland — His  letter  to  mis- 
 sionaries— The  beginning  of  the  traffic— Native  Christians  from  the 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Loyalty  Islands — Their  character — Imported  labourers  from  the 
 New  Hebrides — Evils  of  the  traffic — Complaint  of  missionaries — 
 Decided  disapproval  of  tralRc  by  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty — 
 Their  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Queensland — Petitions  against  the 
 traffic — The  Queensland  Act — No  complaints! — Want  of  language 
 to  complain  in — Evidence  of  missionaries — Convictions  in  colonial 
 courts  for  murder  of  Polynesians — Pamphlet  of  New  Hebrides 
 Mission — Its  statements — Views  of  Bishop  Patteson — Of  the  Lon- 
 don Missionary  Society's  agent — The  Rev.  J.  P.  Sunderland — Of 
 Wesleyan  missionaries — The  Rev.  Lorimer  Fison — Case  of  the  Carl 
 — Mr.  F.  A.  Campbell's  testimony — Petitions  to  Parliament — The 
 Queen's  Speech — The  Kidnapping  Act  of  the  Imperial  Parliament — 
 The  traffic  since — New  Caledonia  and  French  vessels  in  the  trade — 
 Need  of  international  treaty — Cases  of  deception — Evils  from  sale 
 of  firearms  to  native  labourers — Buying  of  boys  for  labour  vessels 
 — Testimony  of  Rev.  R.  H.  Codrington — Of  Captain  Jacobs — Condi- 
 tion of  labourers  in  Fiji  from  insolvency  of  masters — Fiji  a  British 
 colony — The  proclamation  of  the  Queensland  Act — Sir  Arthur 
 Gordon's  influence — Recruiting  still  continued — Coolie  immigra- 
 tion— The  proposal  to  annex  the  New  Hebrides  to  the  British 
 Crown — Reasons  for  it — Rumours  of  French  annexation — Danger 
 to  the  missions — Claims  on  British  protection,        .  .  .     384 
 
 CHAPTER    XXVI. 
 
 THE  MELANESIAN   MIS.SION. 
 
 The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand's  large  diocese — His  missionary  enterprise — 
 Bishop  Patteson — His  voyages — Institution  in  New  Zealand — In 
 Norfolk  Island  —  His  coadjutors — His  death  —  The  sympathy  of 
 the  New  Hebrides  Mission — The  appointment  of  Bishop  Selwyn — 
 His  work — Requirements  of  the  mission,      ....     420 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A   CnUISE   IN  THE  MISSION  VESSEL   IN   1874. 
 
 clerical  furlough — Cabin  in  the  new  vessel — Compagnons  de  voyacje — 
 Farewell  salutes — Mai  cU  mer — Ball's  Pyramid — Sunday  on  board 
 — Sight  of  Aneityum — First  impressions — Rain — Walk  on  shore — 
 The  cemetery — Tropical  plants — Sail  for  Aname — Land  at  IMr. 
 Inglis'  —  The  orange  trees  —  A  mad  bull^ — Storm-bound — The 
 amenities  of  the  mission-house — The  translation  of  Scripture — 
 Return  to  vessel — A  man  overboard- — Kwamera — Awkward  landing 
 —Naked  savages— Fotuna — Visit  to  the  station — Vessel  out  of 
 sight — The  Fotunese — Re-embark — Native  luggage — Aniwa — The 
 missionary's  welcome  back — Port  Resolution — Visit  to  native  huts 
 — Kava-drinking — Sunday  on  shore — Comical  appearance  of  con- 
 gregation— The  volcano — Eromanga — Dillon's  Bay — Welcome  of 
 the  missionary — The  baby — Meeting  with  natives — Fate — Pango 
 Bay — Novel  sight  of  natives — Missionary  home — Havannah  Har- 
 l)our — The  coral  grove — A  labour  ship — Plantation  of  settler— A 
 
CONTENTS.  XV 
 
 I'AOK 
 
 '  Jlacilonakl  of  the  Isles ' — The  Wee-Wees — Nguna — Rock  ahead— 
 AVikl booking  natives — Sail  for  the  north — Sight  of  islands —Rapid 
 run — Espiritu  Santo — Meeting  with  chiefs — Friendly  cannibalism 
 —  Gay  cockades — Metaso — School  under  a  banyan — Seventeen 
 islands  in  sight — Erakor  and  Christian  people — Varieties  of  spelling 
 names — Communion  at  Eromanga — Visit  to  the  graves  of  the  mar- 
 tyrs—  Queen's  birthday  in  the  New  Hebrides — Aniwa  again — 
 Kwamera — Port  Resolution — The  sulphuric  springs — Missionary 
 graves — Memorials  wanted  in  churches — Boat  sail  to  Kwamera — 
 Naufangan — Native  hymn — A  storm  at  sea — The  Synod  of  the  mis- 
 sion— The  Communion — The  Bible  Society  meeting — A  French 
 Hag — A  turtle  as  an  evidence  of  Christianity — Accommodation  at 
 a  mission-house — Three  weeks  on  Aniwa — Sabbath  on  Fotuna — A 
 missionary's  library — Missionary  contributions  to  science  and  philo- 
 logy— Whale-fishing — A  shark  caught — Sunset  in  the  tropics — The 
 printing-press — Last  sight  of  the  New  Hebrides — Distances — The 
 isle  of  Mare — The  Isle  of  Pines — Australia  sighted — Home  again — 
 Character  of  the  missionary  vessel,  .  .  .  .  .431 
 
 The  Lord's  Prayer  and  other  Specimens  of  the  Languages  of  the  New 
 
 Hebrides  islands,      .......     468 
 
 Specimens  of  Addresses  and  Prayers  by  Native  Christians,         .  .472 
 
 Statistics  of  the  New  Hebrides  Mission,  .....     478 
 
 Statistics  of  Missions  in  Polynesia,  .....     485 
 
,REC.  JANlBbl 
 CHAPTER    I. 
 
 THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS. 
 
 '  The  constant  sun 
 Had  run  his  faithful  round 
 Beneath  the  crystal  wave  of  this  calm  sea  ; 
 And  centuries  had  filled  their  measure  up 
 "With  quiet  morns  and  peaceful  eventides  : 
 An  unclad,  tawny  race,  age  after  age. 
 Had  roved  the  woods  and  waters  all  unchanged. 
 But  men  of  other  life  from  a  far  land 
 Had  brought  Religion,  Enterprise,  and  Law. 
 The  merchant's  eye,  with  expectation  large. 
 As  oft  it  scanned  the  far  outstretching  point 
 Of  these  most  charming  isles,  with  anxious  gaze, 
 "Was  often  feasted  with  returning  bai-k 
 From  coast  barbaric,  or  from  unknown  isle, 
 Freighted  with  ocean's  wealth,  those  pearly  drops, 
 A  growth  indigenous  beneath  the  flood  ; 
 Or  laden  with  the  spoil  of  mamnaoth  brutes, 
 That  roam  the  vast  Pacific's  liquid  fields. ' 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  group  of  islands  was  first  fully  made 
 known  by  Captain  Cook,  who,  in  the  year  1774,  exactly 
 a  century  ago,  spent  forty-six  days  among  them.  He 
 found  them  to  lie  between  14°  29'  and  20°  16'  south 
 latitude,  and  between  the  meridians  165°  40'  and  170°  30' 
 east  longitude.  They  lie  in  a  direction  from  S.S.E.  to 
 jST.N.W.,  and  extend  over  four  hundred  miles.  They  are 
 about  two  hundred  miles  from  New  Caledonia  on  the  south- 
 west, and  about  the  same  distance  from  the  Solomon  Islands 
 on  the  north-west.  The  number  of  islands  in  the  group 
 that  are   inhabited  is  thirty,  and  there  are   several  smaller 
 
 A 
 
 A' 
 
2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 ones  in  the  vicinity  of  the  larger.  Tliough  Captain  Cook 
 had  the  honour  of  naming  the  group,  and  of  discovering 
 the  greater  part  of  the  islands,  he  was  not  the  hrst  to  sight 
 them.  Spanish  mariners  had  ventured  across  the  Pacific  in 
 search  of  another  continent  to  the  south  two  hundred  years 
 before.  The  first  of  these,  Alvaro  Mendana  de  Meyra,  the 
 nephew  of  the  viceroy  of  Peru,  did  not  come  so  far  soutli 
 as  the  New  Hebrides.  He  discovered  in  1568  the  Solomon 
 Isles,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  by  which  they  are  still 
 known  to  geography.  Mendana  was  anxious  to  revisit  the 
 scene  of  his  discoveries,  but  it  was  not  till  1595  that  he 
 was  able  to  accomplish  a  second  voyage  for  the  purpose  of 
 founding  a  Spanish  colony  on  the  Solomon  Isles.  He  had 
 with  him  on  this  occasion,  as  first  pilot,  Pedro  Fernandez 
 de  Quiros,^  a  native  of  Portugal,  and  '  an  officer  of  known 
 worth.'  They  failed  to  find  the  Solomon  group,  but  dis- 
 covered islands  which  they  called  Marquesas  group.  Men- 
 dana died  on  the  voyage,  and  although,  according  to  his 
 wish,  his  wife  Dona  Isabella,  who  had  accompanied  him, 
 was  left  in  command,  the  real  duty  devolved  upon  Quiros. 
 Sickness  on  board,  and  storms  at  sea,  made  great  havoc  on 
 the  fleet  of  four  vessels  and  four  hundred  persons.  Two 
 vessels  were  lost  shortly  after  setting  sail,  but  Quiros  '  by 
 his  firmness  maintained  discipline  among  the  discouraged 
 crew,  inspired  the  seamen  with  an  ardour  which  triumphs 
 over  obstacles,  and,  with  crazy  vessels,  having  famine  on 
 board,  and  navigating  in  seas  little  known,  succeeded  in 
 taking  back  to  Manilla  the  miserable  remains  of  his  fleet.' ^ 
 When  he  reached  Peru,  he  memorialized  the  viceroy  to 
 furnish  him  with  a  fleet  for  discovering  the  great  southern 
 
 ^  Markham,  in  his  Cruise  of  the  Hosario,  says  that  Quiros  was  with 
 Mendana  on  his  first  voyage  ;  but  this  cannot  be  accepted,  as  Quiros  was 
 born  in  1560,  and  would  only  have  been  eight  years  old  at  the  time.  See 
 the  Nouvelle  Biograhpie  Generale,  vol.  xli.  p.  291,  for  the  date. 
 
 -  Account  of  a  Meviorial  j^resented  to  His  Majesty  by  Captain  Pedro 
 Fernandez  de  Qu'ir,  concerninrj  the  Popidation  and  Discovery  of  the  Fourth 
 Part  of  the   World,  Australia  the   Unknoiun,  its  (jreat  riches  and  fertility, 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  3 
 
 coiitiuent,  which  he  maintained  on  scientific  grounds  to 
 have  existence  'to  act  as  a  balance  in  the  southern  hemi- 
 sphere.' The  viceroy  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  grant  his 
 request,  but  gave  him  letters  to  the  king  of  Spain,  and 
 advised  him  to  go  to  Madrid.  The  king  received  him 
 favourably,  ordered  him  to  be  furnished  with  two  vessels  lor 
 his  expedition,  and  invested  him  wdth  all  needful  authority. 
 He  returned  to  Peru,  where  two  ships  were  assigned  to 
 him, — one  commanded  by  himself,  and  the  other  by  Louis 
 "\''ar/  de  Torres.  They  left  the  South  American  port  on 
 tlie  31st  December  1605.  The  Society  and  Duff  Isles 
 were  passed,  and  a  landing  was  effected  on  Taumaco, 
 where  four  persons  were  deliberately  kidnapped  to  act  as 
 interpreters.  On  30th  April  1606,  land  was  sighted  to 
 the  south-east,  and  it  was  at  once  supposed  to  be  the  great 
 southern  continent.  It  was  the  largest  island  of  the  ISTew 
 Hebrides  group ;  but  as  its  insular  character  was  unknown 
 to  Quiros,  he  called  it  Ticrra  Australis  del  Esinritu  Santo. 
 The  vessels  were  anchored  in  a  port  at  the  head  of  a 
 splendid  bay,  into  which  a  river  flowed.  The  port  was 
 called  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  river  was  named  the  Jordan. 
 The  hopeful  commander  landed  and  laid  out  a  site  for  a 
 city,  to  be  called  the  ISTew  Jerusalem.  The  natives  at  first 
 were  friendly,  but  misunderstandings  arose,  and  several  of 
 them  were  shot,  cliiefly  by  order  of  Torres,  who  seems  to 
 have  quarrelled  with  Quiros.  It  was  therefore  resolved  to 
 leave  the  island.  The  vessels  encountered  a  gale  as  they 
 attempted  to  clear  the  bay.  Torres  was  obliged  to  put 
 back,  and  on  resumiiig  his  voyage  sailed  westward,  sighted 
 Australia,    and    passed    through   the    strait   to   the   north, 
 
 discovered  hy  the  same  Captain.  Translated  from  the  Spanish,  with  an 
 Introductory  Notice,  by  W.  A.  Duncan,  Esq.,  Sydney,  1874.  This  interest- 
 ing document  is  said  by  Mr.  Duncan  to  be  now  translated  for  the  first  time, 
 but  this  is  a  mistake.  The  extracts  given  in  this  chapter  were  copied  by 
 me  from  a  previous  translation  printed  many  years  ago.  Burney  in  his 
 Chronological  History  of  Discoveries  in  the  South  Sea,  published  in  1803, 
 gives  also  extracts  comprising  most  of  the  memorial. 
 
4  THE  NE  IF  HEBRIDES. 
 
 which  still  bears  his  name.  Quiros  sailed  for  Mexico, 
 which  seemed  a  strange  thing  to  do  so  early  in  the  voyage 
 of  discovery.  It  has  since  been  learned  that  his  men 
 mutinied,  and  that  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  America.^ 
 When  the  adventurous  voyager  got  back,  he  was  most 
 anxious  to  lit  out  another  expedition,  and  went  again  to 
 Spain  to  prosecute  his  object.  He  presented,  it  is  said, 
 many  memoirs  to  Philip  III.,  which  contained  a  most 
 inflated  description  of  his  discoveries.  '  Your  majesty  may 
 be  assured,'  he  said  in  the  chief  one,  '  that  the  extent  of 
 these  countries  exceeds  that  of  Europe,  Asia  Minor,  the 
 Caspian  Sea,  and  Persia,  together  with  the  islands  of  the 
 Mediterranean  and  Atlantic,  including  England  and 
 Ireland.  These  countries,  unknown  till  our  time,  occupy 
 one  quarter  of  the  earth's  surface ;  and  all  the  kingdoms 
 submitted  to  your  majesty's  dominion,  all  your  possessions, 
 do  not  equal  one-half  of  this  new  part  of  the  world,  which 
 has  an  additional  advantage  in  being  at  a  distance  from  the 
 Turks  and  Moors,  and  other  nations  whose  restless  activity 
 inclines  them  always  to  make  war  upon  their  neighbours. 
 These  countries  are  all  situated  in  the  torrid  zone,  and  a 
 great  part  extends  even  to  the  equinoctial  line.  Their 
 whole  extent  may,  perhaps,  be  about  ninety  degrees,  and 
 in  some  parts  rather  more ;  and  if  the  success  of  the 
 undertaking  proves  answerable  to  my  expectations,  the 
 Spaniards  will  have  establishments  and  large  cities  in 
 countries  which  are  the  antipodes  to  a  great  part  of  Africa, 
 and  the  whole  of  Europe  and  Asia,  and  not  inferior  to 
 them  in  magnitude. 
 
 '  I  entreat  your  majesty  to  observe  that  since  the 
 countries  discovered  by  me  in  15°  south  latitude  {Tierra 
 AustraUs  del  Esjpiritu  Santo)  are  richer  and  more  fertile 
 than   Spain,  those   that  are   situated    in    a    corresponding. 
 
 ^  A  letter  to  the  king  of  Spain  from  Diego  de  Prado,  an  officer  on  board, 
 dated  Goa,  1613,  proves  this.  See  Markham's  Cruise  of  the  liosario, 
 p.  21. 
 
IHE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  5 
 
 latitude  in  the  southern  hemisphere  ought,  by  proportion 
 and  analogy,  to  be  an  earthly  paradise. 
 
 '  These  countries  are  as  populous  as  they  are  fertile. 
 There  are  among  the  inhabitants  several  different  races  of 
 men, — black,  white,  mulatto,  tawny,  and  copper- coloured, 
 with  several  other  shades  more  or  less  approaching  these. 
 Some  of  them  have  their  hair  black,  long,  and  lank ;  others 
 woolly  and  thick ;  and  others  flaxen  and  shining.  These 
 varieties  of  species  prove  that  they  either  have  now,  or  had 
 formerly,  intercourse  with  various  people ;  and  this  con- 
 sideration alone  leads  us  to  conclude  that  the  population  of 
 those  countries  is  very  great.' 
 
 He  then  s;oes  on  in  the  same  hioh-sounding  language  to 
 
 o  0000 
 
 refer  to  their  works  of  art  in  wood,  stone,  and  pearl,  and 
 declares  that  the  other  captain  ^  had  seen  some  goats,  and 
 that  the  natives  made  him  understand  that  they  had  know- 
 ledge both  of  cows  and  buffaloes  !  Silver  and  pearls  he  had 
 himself  seen,  and  the  other  captain  had  seen  gold  !  '  These 
 three  objects  are  the  most  valuable  productions  which 
 nature  has  ajfforded  to  our  globe,'  Indigo  and  sugar  could 
 be  manufactured  on  the  banks  of  goodly  rivers ;  and  as 
 bees  had  been  seen,  there  could  be  no  want  of  honey !  All 
 this  rhodomontade  was  to  prove  '  to  His  Majesty  that  this 
 Tierra  Australis  del  Es'piritu  Santo  was  the  most  delicious 
 country  in  the  world,  the  garden  of  Eden,  the  inexhaustible 
 source  of  glory,  riches,  and  power  to  Spain  ! ' 
 
 A  thousand  vessels,  he  stated,  could  anchor  in  the  har- 
 bour of  Vera  Cruz.  Millions  of  birds  announced  the  rising 
 of  the  sun.  The  air  was  perfumed  with  all  kinds  of  odours 
 from  flowers.  The  climate  was  vmiforni  and  temperate, 
 and  no  snow  lay  on  the  summits  of  the  mountains !  It 
 would  soon  be  the  resort  of  Europeans,  and  have  an 
 immense  trade.  Nobody  would  know  fatigue  there.  No 
 crocodiles  were  in  the  rivers,  and  no  mosquitoes  on  the  land  ! 
 Dangers  would  be  unknown !  He  stated  also  that  he  had 
 ^  That  is  Torres  whom  lie  thus  styles. 
 
6  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 raised  a  cross  and  set  up  a  church  of  our  Lady  of  Loretto, 
 in  which  twenty  masses  were  said.  '  I  gained  the  jubilee 
 conceded  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  formed  a  solemn 
 procession  on  Corpus  Christi  day,  in  which  I  dignified  these 
 lands  by  walking,  preceded  by  the  most  holy  sacrament 
 and  the  standard  of  your  Majesty.' 
 
 Quiros  met  with  poor  success  at  the  Spanish  court. 
 '  The  feeble  descendant  of  Charles  v.,'  says  Mr.  Duncan, 
 '  was  deaf  to  his  entreaties,  or  if  he  obtained  some  assist- 
 ance, it  appears  to  have  been  wholly  disproportioned  to  the 
 greatness  of  his  enterprise.  After  having  consumed  several 
 years  in  attempts  to  obtain  the  means  of  carrying  out  his 
 great  project,  he  resolved  to  return  to  Lima,  and  with  what 
 means  he  had  been  able  to  collect,  attempt  a  new  voyage ; 
 but  he  never  reached  that  city.  He  died  at  Panama  in 
 1614.'^ 
 
 Australia  was  discovered  by  the  Dutch  navigator  Tasman, 
 about  the  same  place  where  Torres  saw  it  and  in  the  same 
 year ;  but  neither  of  these  captains  had  knowledge  of  the 
 discovery  made.  No  Spanish  ship  followed  in  the  track 
 of  the  brave  and  enthusiastic  Quiros.  His  inflated  account 
 did  not  tempt  a  people  proverbially  chivalrous,  and  filled 
 at  that  time  with  great  desire  for  the  glory  of  discovery 
 and  conquest.  It  was  left  to  our  own  illustrious  navigator, 
 Captain  Cook,  to  lay  down  a  general  outline  of  Terra 
 Australis  Incognita. 
 
 It  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  expedition 
 of  Quiros  before  another  adventurous  mariner  approached 
 Espiritu  Santo.  Le  Maire  and  ScnoNTEisr  steered  farther 
 north  in  1616,  and  so  did  Tasman  in  1642.  Dampier  did 
 not  sight  the  New  Hebrides  in  his  voyage  round  the  world, 
 and  Carteret  was  no  nearer  than  the  Swallow  Isles,  which 
 he  discovered  in  1767.  But  in  the  year  1768,  Bougain- 
 ville, commissioned  by  the  king  of  France,  got  very  nearly 
 
 ^  Commander  Markham,  in  his  Cruise  of  the  Rosario,  makes  the  date  of 
 the  death  of  Quiros  1616  ;  see  p.  25. 
 
THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  7 
 
 on  the  track  of  Quiros.  He  had  two  vessels,  the  Bondcuse 
 and  L'Etoilc.  He  discovered  the  islands  of  Aurora  and 
 Pentecost  on  the  22d^  May  1768,  and  a  monumental  isle, 
 which  he  named  Pic  de  I'Etoilc ;  but  Quiros  had  seen  this 
 one  hundred  and  fifty  years  before,  and  called  it  Nucstrci 
 Scnora  de  la  Luz.  Bougainville  also  landed  on  the  island 
 which  he  misnamed  by  the  epithet  Leper's  Isle,  from  ob- 
 serving some  of  the  natives  with  skin  diseases — a  very 
 common  sight.  The  next  day  land  appeared  on  all  sides 
 of  the  vessels,  and  the  commander  called  the  group  L'Arclii- 
 2mI  dcs  Grandes  Cydadcs.  He  then  sailed  by  St.  Bartholo- 
 2new's  Isle  between  Mallicollo  and  Espiritu  Santo.  His  own 
 name  remains  in  Bougainville  Passage  or  Strait,  between 
 St.  Bartholomew  and  Mallicollo  Islands. 
 
 In  the  year  1774,  the  great  English  navigator.  Captain 
 Cook,  then  on  his  second  voyage,  sailed  twice  through  the 
 group,  and  discovered  all  the  other  islands  to  the  south. 
 His  descriptions  are  the  very  opposite  of  those  of  Quiros, 
 and  are  so  accurate  that  at  the  present  day  they  are,  for 
 the  most  part,  literally  true  both  of  the  islands  and  the 
 people.  Captain  Cook  was  anxious  to  get  the  native  names 
 of  islands,  and  it  is  remarkable  how,  in  so  many  strange 
 tongues  that  met  his  ear,  he  caught  the  exact  names  of  such 
 a  number.  What  a  sight  must  have  met  his  eye  as  he 
 approached  the  island  which  he  called  Sandwich,  in  honour 
 of  his  patron  the  Earl  of  Sandwich,  First  Lord  of  the 
 Admiralty  !  In  1874,  in  the  same  position,  the  writer  saw 
 at  once  seventeen  of  these  isles,  from  the  conical  volcano  of 
 Lopevi,  5000  feet  high,  in  the  north,  to  the  terraced  lawns 
 of  Fate  on  the  south  ;  '  summer  isles  of  Eden,  in  dark  purple 
 spheres  of  sea  I ' 
 
 Cook  gave  the  name  New  Hebrides  to  the  whole  group, 
 but  he  selected  five  small  isles  in   the   centre  which   he 
 
 '  This  is  the  date  given  in  Bougainville's  voyage  as  translated  from  the 
 French  by  Forster.  Commander  Markham,  in  his  Cruise  of  the  Rosario, 
 says  it  was  the  4th  May.     It  was  Whitsunday  1768. 
 
8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 named  '  The  Shepherd  Isles,'  in  honour  of  his  distinguished 
 friend  Dr.  Shepherd,  then  professor  of  astronomy  at  Cam- 
 bridge. Another  he  named  Montague  Island,  one  Hitchin- 
 brook,  and  a  rocky  pillar  The  Monument.  Cook's  intercourse 
 with  the  islanders  was,  for  the  most  part,  humane ;  and  he 
 added  largely  to  the  knowledge  of  them  by  the  description 
 he  gave  in  his  published  works.  In  this  he  was  aided  by 
 the  learned  Forsters,  who  accompanied  him  as  naturalists. 
 In  some  languages  they  picked  up  as  many  as  eighty  words 
 on  one  island.  The  unfortunate  La  Perouse  passed  through 
 a  part  of  the  group  in  1788,  and  perished  off  Yanikoro  to 
 the  north — a  fact  not  known  for  forty  years,  though  two 
 vessels  under  Captain  D'Entrecasteaux  were  sent  in  1793 
 to  make  inquiry  after  his  fate.  The  volcano  of  Tanna  was 
 sighted  by  them  as  they  passed.  The  well-known  Captain 
 Bligh,  after  the  mutiny  of  the  Bounty,  sailed  in  his  open 
 boat  through  the  Banks'  Islands,  north  of  the  New  Hebrides, 
 but  did  not  land. 
 
 Little,  however,  was  added  to  the  geography  of  these  isles 
 since  the  days  of  Cook  till  Captain  Belcher  in  H.M.S. 
 Sulphur  sailed  in  1840;  and  till  Captain  Erskine  in 
 H.M.S.  Havannah  in  1849—50  discovered  and  named 
 Havannah  harbour  in  Fate.  Captain  Denham  in  H.M.S. 
 Herald  made  a  surveying  trip  in  1853—54,  which  was  of 
 very  great  service  to  future  navigators.  Very  frequently 
 have  Her  Majesty's  ships  sailed  through  the  group  during 
 later  years.  Captain  Erskine  published  the  journal  of  his 
 cruise  in  1853  ;  and  Captain  Palmer  and  Commander 
 Markiiam,  in  two  separate  works,  have  lately  given  their 
 journals  of  successive  cruises  in  H.M.S.  Rosario,  in  connec- 
 tion with  the  kidnapping  of  natives  for  plantations  in 
 Queensland  and  Fiji.  The  Cruise  of  H.M.S.  Curagoa  in 
 1865,  by  the  late  Mr.  Julius  Brexchley,  has  been  an 
 iniportant  addition.      It  was  published  in  1873. 
 
 Mission  ships  have  also  frequently  sailed  through  the 
 group  during  the  past  fifty  years,  and  many  trading  vessels 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  9 
 
 liave  called  at  the  islands   since    Captain    Cook's  voyages 
 made  them  known  to  the  world. 
 
 The  thii'ty  islands  of  the  group  diifer  considerably  in 
 size.  Aneityum  is  the  most  southerly,  in  latitude  20°,  and 
 in  east  longitude  170°.  It  is  diversified  by  mountains  and 
 ravines,  wooded  hills  and  barren  tracts.  The  mountains 
 rise  to  the  height  of  3000  feet.      Inland  there  appear 
 
 *  Majestic  woods  of  ever  vigorous  green, 
 Stage  above  stage  high  waving  o'er  the  hills. 
 Or  to  the  far  horizon  wide  diffused 
 A  boundless  deep  immensity  of  shade  : 
 Here  lofty  trees,  to  ancient  song  unknown. 
 The  noble  sons  of  potent  heat  and  Hoods 
 Down  rushing  from  the  clouds,  rear  high  to  heaven 
 Their  thorny  stems,  and  broad  around  them  throw 
 Meridian  gloom. ' 
 
 Aneityum  is  40  miles  in  circumference.  Tauna,  to  the 
 north-^vest,  is  about  30  miles  long  by  9  to  12  broad,  with 
 a  circumference  of  80  miles.  It,  too,  is  mountainous  and 
 wooded,  and  remarkably  fertile.  Eromanga,  to  the  north- 
 W'Cst,  has  a  circumference  of  75  miles.  Fat4  or  Sandwich, 
 a  beautiful  island,  is  about  the  same  size.  Mallicollo  is 
 60  miles  long  and  150  in  circumference.  Api  was  esti- 
 mated by  Captain  Cook  to  be  between  50  and  60  miles 
 round.  Ambry m,  a  picturesque  and  fertile  island,  with  an 
 active  volcano,  has  a  circumference  of  60  miles,  and  lies 
 16  miles  to  the  north  of  Api.  Pentecost,  to  the  north,  is 
 25  miles  in  length.  Leper's  Isle,  to  the  north-west,  is 
 smaller,  being  only  12  miles  long.  Aurora  is  30  miles  in 
 length  from  north  to  south,  and  about  7  miles  from  east  to 
 west.  St.  Bartholomew's  Isle  lies  betw^een  Mallicollo  and 
 Espiritu  Santo,  and  is  about  11  miles  long.  Espiritu 
 Santo,  the  most  northern  of  the  group,  is  also  the  largest, 
 being  70  miles  long  by  40  broad,  with  grand  mountains 
 richly  wooded,  and  large  tracts  of  good  land,  covered  with 
 dense  vegetation.  The  other  islands  in  the  New  Hebrides 
 are  small,  but  are  not  devoid  of  beauty  or  fertility. 
 
lo  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  consist  of  volcanic  islands,  in  the 
 centre  of  two  of  the  largest  coral  groups  to  be  found  in  the 
 world.  Though  coral  rocks  abound  in  all,  and  reefs  are 
 existing  on  a  small  scale,  it  is  remarkable  that  they 
 are  not  surrounded  by  the  coral  reefs  which  distinguish 
 so  many  islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  This  is  owing 
 to  their  volcanic  nature.  Professor  Dana  says  that 
 the  heat  transfused  through  the  waters  by  the  volcanic 
 action  and  submarine  eruption  destroyed  the  coral  zoo- 
 phytes.^ 
 
 Volcanoes  must  have  existed  more  or  less  in  all  the 
 islands.  Several  have  very  distinct  marks  of  burnt-out 
 craters,  while  all  have  the  volcanic  rock.  There  are  now 
 three  volcanoes  in  action.  Tanna,  in  tlie  south,  which  is 
 the  largest  and  most  violent;  Lopevi  and  Ambrym  to  the 
 north.  On  Tanna  are  boiling  sulphur  springs,  and  the 
 water  rushes  into  the  sea  so  hot  in  many  places  that  the 
 natives  boil  their  yams  in  it.  There  is  also  a  large  deposit 
 of  sulphur  near  the  volcano.  The  sounds  of  this  burning 
 mountain  are  still  heard  as  in  the  days  of  Cook,  and  there 
 is  the  pillar  of  smoke  by  day  and  then  the  pillar  of  fire  by 
 night.  The  volcano  is  the  great  lighthouse  of  the  southern 
 isles,  and  every  three  or  four  minutes  bursts  forth  with 
 greater  brilliancy,  like  a  revolving  light. 
 
 Volcanic  action  is  almost  exactly  in  the  direction  of  the 
 group  of  islands,  and  a  line  drawn  from  Tanna  in  a  north- 
 westerly course  would  pass  through  Lopevi  and  Ambrym, 
 and  go  on  through  the  volcano  of  Ureparapara,  the  boiling 
 springs  of  Vanila  Lava,  and  the  active  volcano  of  Tinakula 
 in  the  Banks'  group.  This  line  lias  the  largest  islands  on 
 either  side,^  and  extends  600  miles. 
 
 Wherever  the  volcanic  islands  are  found  in  Polynesia 
 they  are  the  result  of  subterranean  activity.  They  have 
 been   elevated    by   it   to  the   height   they   have   attained. 
 
 ^  Dana's  Corals  and  Coral  Jslayuls. 
 
 ^  Markham's  Cruise  of  the  Rosario,  p.  236. 
 
THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  \  i 
 
 Volcanoes,  according  to  Mr.  Darwin/  are  all  placed  in  areas 
 where  the  surface  of  the  earth  has  been  elevated,  or  at  least 
 stationary ;  they  are  never  found  where  the  land  has  been, 
 or  is  being  lowered.  In  some  of  the  New  Hebrides,  as  in 
 the  island  of  Fotuna,  for  instance,  there  are  distinct  marks 
 of  several  upheavals.  The  coral  rock  has  been  projected 
 to  a  great  height.  And  to  a  considerable  height  the 
 volcanic  rock  appears  cropping  out  amidst  the  surrounding 
 coral.  The  coral  was  all  built  at  a  depth  of  twenty  or 
 twenty-five  fathoms  from  the  surface.  Wherever  we  find 
 coral  rocks  lower  than  that,  there  has  been  a  depression,  as 
 is  the  case  in  all  the  reefs  and  islands  of  the  Pacific ;  and 
 wherever  the  coral  is  above  the  sea  level,  there  must  have 
 been  an  elevation  as  in  the  case  of  the  volcanic  islands. 
 The  volcano  does  not  accompany  the  atoll,  or  encircling 
 reef,  but  is  found  in  company  with  fringing  reefs.  The 
 volcanoes  are,  as  it  were,  on  the  edges  of  the  great  coral 
 masses  ;  the  subterranean  force  lifted  up  the  edges,  while 
 the  central  part  subsided.  This  theory  of  Mr.  Darwin  is 
 ingenious,  and  has  long  been  held  by  him. 
 
 What  time  must  have  elapsed  in  the  formation  of  these 
 great  masses  of  coral  !  The  barrier  reef  on  the  north-east 
 coast  of  Australia  is  one  thousand  miles  long — an  accumu- 
 lation of  limestone  rock  without  a  parallel  in  the  world. 
 Yet  this  is  merely  a  fragment  of  what  exists.  If  the  coral 
 zoophytes  build  only  an  inch  a  year,  how  many  thousand 
 years  must  have  elapsed  ere  they  elaborated  those  vast 
 rocks  ! 
 
 '  Ehrenberg,'  says  Mr.  Darwin,  '  saw  certain  large  massive 
 corals  in  the  Ked  Sea,  which  he  imagines  to  be  of  such  vast 
 antiquity  that  they  might  have  been  beheld  by  Pharaoh  ; 
 and,  according  to  Sir  C.  Lyell,  there  are  certain  corals  at 
 
 1  Darwin  on  The  Structure  and  Distrihutmi  of  Coral  Reefs,  p.  184,  second 
 edition.  '  This  brilliant  discovery  of  Mr.  Darwin  was  made  public  thirty- 
 years  ago,'  says  Professor  Huxley  in  his  lecture  on  Coral  and  Coral  Reefs  in 
 the  Manchester  science  lectures.  The  New  Hebrides  have  not  yet  been 
 examined  by  geologists,  which  is  much  to  be  regretted. 
 
1 2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Bermuda  which  are  known  by  tradition  to  have  been  living 
 for  centuries.  To  show  how  slowly  coral  reefs  grow  up- 
 wards, Captain  Beechey  has  adduced  the  case  of  the  Dolphin 
 Eeef,  off  Tahiti,  which  has  remained  at  the  same  depth 
 beneath  the  surface,  namely,  about  two  fathoms  and  a  half, 
 for  a  period  of  sixty-seven  years.  There  are  reefs  in  the 
 Red  Sea  wliich  certainly  do  not  appear  to  have  increased 
 in  dimensions  during  the  last  half  century,  and,  from  the 
 comparison  of  old  charts  with  recent  surveys,  probably  not 
 during  the  last  two  hundred  years.  These  and  other 
 similar  facts  have  so  strongly  impressed  many  with  the 
 belief  of  the  extreme  slowness  of  the  growth  of  corals,  that 
 they  have  even  doubted  the  possibility  of  islands  in  the 
 great  oceans  having  been  formed  by  their  agency.  Others, 
 again,  who  have  not  been  overwhelmed  with  this  difficulty, 
 have  admitted  that  it  would  require  thousands  and  tens  of 
 thousands  of  years  to  form  a  mass  even  of  inconsiderable 
 thickness  ;  but  the  subject  has  not,  I  believe,  been  viewed 
 in  the  proper  light.'  ^ 
 
 Professor  Huxley  also  remarks  that  '  there  is  no  doubt 
 whatever  that  the  sea  faces  of  some  of  them  are  fully  a 
 thousand  feet  high,  and  if  you  take  the  reckoning  of  an 
 inch  a  year,  that  will  give  you  12,000  years  for  the  age  of 
 that  particular  pyramid  or  cone  of  coral  limestone  :  12,000 
 long  years  have  these  creatures  been  labouring  in  con- 
 ditions which  must  have  been  substantially  the  same  as 
 they  are  now,  otherwise  the  polypes  could  not  have  con- 
 tinued their  work.  But  I  believe  I  very  much  under- 
 state both  the  height  of  some  of  these  masses,  and  over- 
 state the  amount  which  these  animals  can  form  in  the 
 course  of  a  year ;  so  that  you  might  very  safely  double 
 this  period  as  the  time  during   which   the   Pacific   Ocean, 
 
 ^  Darwin  on  The  Structure  and  Dldrihution  of  Coral  Reefs,  second  edition, 
 p.  95.  He  also  says  (p.  86)  :  '  The  total  number  of  species  of  coral  in  the 
 circunitropical  seas  must  be  very  great ;  in  the  Red  Sea  alone,  120  kinds, 
 accordim?  to  Ehrcnbert',  have  been  observed. ' 
 
THE  NFAV  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  13 
 
 the  fi-eneral  state  of  the  climate,  and  the  sea,  and  the 
 temperature,  have  been  substantially  what  they  are  now ; 
 and  yet  that  state  of  things  which  now  obtains  in  the 
 Pacihc  Ocean  is  the  yesterday  of  the  history  of  the  life  of 
 the  globe.'  ^ 
 
 Professor  Dana  does  not  agree  with  Mr.  Darwin  in  the 
 view  '  that  the  areas  of  active  volcanoes  in  general  are  areas 
 of  elevation  and  not  of  subsidence ;  nor  in  the  inference 
 that  reefs  are  absent  from  the  shores  of  islands  of  recent 
 volcanic  action  on  this  account.'  '  These,'  he  says,  '  do  not 
 accord  with  the  facts  stated, — for  example,  the  condition  of 
 Maui,  that  it  has  no  reefs  on  the  larger  half,  that  of  the 
 volcanic  cone  of  recent  action  ;  but  has  them  on  the  other 
 half,  whose  fires  were  long  since  extinct ;  for  it  is  not  pro- 
 bable that  the  one  end  has  been  undergoing  elevation  and 
 the  other  subsidence.'^  That  island,  Professor  Dana  says, 
 '  consists  of  two  peninsulas :  one,  the  eastern,  recent  vol- 
 canic in  character,  with  a  large  crater  at  the  summit ;  and 
 the  other,  the  western,  presenting  every  evidence,  in  its 
 gorges,  peaks,  and  absence  of  volcanic  cones,  of  having 
 become  extinct  ages  ago.  In  conformity  with  the  view 
 expressed,  the  coral  reefs  are  confined  almost  exclusively  to 
 the  latter  peninsula.' 
 
 On  the  island  of  Tanna,  whose  volcano  is  one  of  the 
 largest  in  the  Pacific,  coral  reefs  exist  on  the  south-eastern 
 side.  The  learned  and  accurate  Porster,  who  accompanied 
 Captain  Cook  when  the  island  was   discovered  in   1774, 
 
 1  Manchester  science  lectures.  Coral  and  Coral  Reefs,  by  Professor  Huxley. 
 Dr.  Bennett  of  Sydney  assured  Mr.  Darwin  that  he  found  much  coral  at  a 
 great  altitude,  and  -which  he  considered  of  recent  origin,  in  the  islands  of 
 the  New  Hebrides.     See  Darwin,  176. 
 
 2  Dana,  ut  svpra,  p.  303.  He  says  that  coral  is  made  by  four  organisms — 
 1.  Polyps,  the  most  important  of  coral-making  animals.  2.  Hydrolds,  which 
 make  the  common  large  corals— millepores.  3.  Bryozoans,  the  lowest  tribe 
 of  molluscs,  which  produce  delicate  corals.  These  abounded  in  the  Paleozoic 
 period,  and  some  beds  of  limestone  are  half  composed  of  thom.  4.  Ahja.e, 
 which  in  some  kinds  are  hardly  distinguished  from  coral,  except  that  they 
 have  no  cells. 
 
14  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 found  coral  rock  and  madrepores  there,  and  he  remarked 
 the  coral  reefs  on  the  whole  southern  shore.  There  are 
 reefs  on  Ambrym,  where  there  is  also  an  active  volcano. 
 On  Aneityum,  whose  volcanic  fires  have  been  long  extinct, 
 there  is  a  small  encircling  reef.  On  most  of  the  islands  in 
 the  group  there  are  patches  of  reefs.  The  growth  of  these 
 began,  according  to  the  theory  of  Professor  Dana,  when  the 
 fires  had  become  nearly  or  quite  extinct. 
 
 The  same  distinguished  scientific  writer  remarks  that 
 '  zoophytes  and  volcanoes  are  the  land-making  agents  of 
 the  Pacific.  The  latter  prepare  the  way  by  pouring  forth 
 the  liquid  rock  and  building  up  the  lofty  summit.  Quiet 
 succeeds,  and  then  commences  the  work  of  the  zoophyte 
 beneath  the  sea,  while  verdure  covers  the  exposed  heights.' 
 On  the  island  of  Tanna  there  are  seen  masses  of  vitrified 
 rock,  where  the  marks  of  the  waves,  in  which  it  once  flowed, 
 are  still  very  distinct,  and  not  far  from  these  rocks  are 
 patches  of  coral  reef.  In  the  Hawaian  group,  '  the  island  of 
 Hawaii,  which  is  still  active  with  volcanic  fires,  has  but 
 few  traces  of  coral  about  it,  while  the  westernmost  islands, 
 which  have  been  longest  free  from  such  action,  have  reefs 
 of  considerable  extent.' 
 
 Mr.  Darwin  says  :  '  It  must  be  here  remarlced  with  regard 
 to  the  proofs  of  both  subsidence  and  elevation,  that  I  do 
 not  judge  by  the  absence  or  presence  or  nature  of  the  coral- 
 reefs' round  the  volcanoes  themselves;  for,  as  Dana  re- 
 peatedly insists,  the  corals  may  have  been  there  destroyed 
 or  injured  by  the  heat  or  exhalations.  Nor  have  I  taken 
 into  account  the  presence  of  upraised  organic  remains  on  the 
 flanks  of  the  volcanoes  themselves.  I  judge  from  the 
 position  of  the  active  volcanic  vents  in  relation  to  neigh- 
 bouring islands  and  coasts,  situated  at  too  great  a  distance 
 for  any  corals  growing  there  to  be  injured  by  the  eruptions  ; 
 and  where,  from  the  presence  of  atoll-formed  or  barrier 
 reefs,  or  of  upraised  marine  remains,  we  have  reason  to 
 believe  that  either   subsidence   or   elevation   has   occurred 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  15 
 
 within  a  recent  period.'^  Again,  he  says  :  '  It  may,  I  think, 
 be  considered  as  almost  established,  that  volcanoes  are 
 often  present  in  the  areas  which  have  lately  risen,  or  are 
 still  rising,  and  are  invariably  absent  in  those  which  have 
 lately  subsided  or  are  still  subsiding;  and  this,  I  think, 
 is  the  most  important  generalization  to  which  the  study 
 of  coral  reefs  has  indirectly  led  me.'^ 
 
 The  soil  of  volcanic  islands  is  generally  very  rich  and 
 fertile.  This  is  seen  on  Tanna  and  Ambrym,  where  there 
 are  active  volcanoes.  It  may  be  said  to  pervade  the  New 
 Hebrides — especially  the  larger  islands.  Fati^  has  much 
 fertile  soil,  and  in  the  northern  islands  this  also  abounds 
 to  a  great  extent. 
 
 The  usual  tropical  plants  exist  in  the  New  Hebrides. 
 The  bread-fruit,  the  cocoa-nut  palm,  the  banana,  the  papua- 
 apple,  the  chestnut,  are  the  fruit-bearing  trees.  Yams  grow 
 to  a  great  size  on  Tanna,  and  they  are  produced  on  most 
 of  the  northern  islands.  On  Aneityum  the  taro  is  chiefly 
 cultivated  in  marshy  spots.  Beans  grow  well  there  also. 
 The  guava,  custard-apple,  pine-apple,  melon,  and  orange 
 have  been  introduced  and  grow  well.  Sugar-cane  is  largely 
 planted,  and  is  much  used  by  the  natives.^ 
 
 Of  animals  they  have  few.  The  pig  is  the  largest 
 quadruped.  It  existed  in  the  time  of  Captain  Cook. 
 On  many  of  the  islands  this  animal  runs  wild  as  well  as 
 domesticated.  It  is  highly  prized,  and  used  both  for 
 sacrifices  and  feasts.  And  whenever  a  pig  is  killed  to  pro- 
 pitiate the  spirits  of  the  dead,  it  is  always  baked  and  eaten. 
 Sometimes  many  are  killed  and  a  great  feast  is  held.  The 
 rat  is  the  only  other  quadruped.  There  are  fowls — chiefly 
 Malay — which  are  small.     They  are  also  eaten  ;  but  the 
 
 '  Darwin  on  The,  Structure  and  Distribution  of  Coral  Beefs,  second  edition, 
 p.  184. 
 
 ^  Darwin,  ut  supra,  p.  187. 
 
 ^  See  Contributions  to  (he  Ph;/fograpJiy  of  the  New  Hebrides,  from  Mr. 
 F.  A.  Campbell's  collection  hy  the  Baron  von  Miiller,  C.M.G.,  M.D.,  Ph.D., 
 F.  li.S.,  in  Year  in  New  Hebrides,  ajipendix. 
 
1 6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 people  scarcely  ever  eat  the  eggs  of  fowls.  They  bake 
 their  fowls  in  a  paste  or  pudding  made  of  bananas,  wrapped 
 np  in  leaves,  and  placed  on  the  hot  stones  of  their  native 
 ovens ;  thus  the  juice  is  all  preserved,  and  the  meat  made 
 luscious.  The  native  ovens  are  the  same  over  all  the 
 Pacific,  and  are  very  much  like  what  our  own  ancestors 
 Tised  for  preparing  food.  A  hole  is  made  in  the  earth, 
 and  loose  round  stones  heated  by  a  fire  of  wood ;  the  stones 
 are  then  taken  out,  except  a  number  at  the  bottom,  on 
 which  are  laid  pigs,  fowls,  yams,  or  puddings  wrapped  in 
 leaves ;  some  of  the  stones  are  laid  all  over,  and  the  whole 
 is  wrapped  again  in  leaves.  They  often  merely  light  a  fire 
 of  sticks  and  roast  their  yams,  bananas,  or  fish  on  the 
 top.  They  cook  only  once  a  day,  and  do  it  with  con- 
 siderable care.  They  make  puddings  of  banana,  into  which 
 they  put  cocoa-nut  well  rasped,  and  they  do  the  same 
 with  taro. 
 
 Their  drink,  in  addition  to  water,  which  in  some  places 
 is  scarce,  is  the  green  cocoa-nut  juice.  This  is  remarkably 
 plentiful,  and  has  a  pleasant  taste.  A  native  knows  by 
 tapping  it  with  his  knuckles  whether  it  is  in  the  right 
 state  for  drinking ;  and  it  is  astonishing  with  what  celerity 
 he  can  get  at  his  favourite  beverage.  He  runs  up  the 
 l^ranchless  tree  on  all  fours,  selects  his  nuts,  knocks  them 
 down,  then,  either  with  his  teeth,  which  always  seem  in 
 excellent  order,  or  with  a  sharp  stick  inserted  in  the 
 ground,  peels  off  the  tough  rind,  breaks  the  nut,  and, 
 holding  it  several  inches  above  his  moutli,  lets  the  stream 
 run  in,  while  he  swallows  as  it  runs.  Some  natives  of 
 Espiritu  Santo  actually  laughed  at  the  writer  when  he 
 held  the  nut  to  his  mouth  and  drank  in  the  ordinary  way. 
 The  pulp  when  the  nut  is  green  is  very  soft,  and  is 
 scraped  out  with  a  piece  of  the  shell,  and  taken  with  much 
 relish.  When  new-born  children  are  deprived  of  their 
 mothers  they  are  fed  upon  the  milk  and  pulp  of  the  cocoa- 
 nut.      In  the  absence  of  milk  of  cows  or  goats,  the  juice 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  17 
 
 of  the  nut  is  sometimes  used  in  tea  by  mission  families, 
 and  really  makes  an  agreeable  substitute.  Perhaps  to  the 
 writer,  who  only  tasted  it  once,  it  had  more  pleasantness 
 than  to  those  who  for  months  have  nothing  else. 
 
 A  sort  of  intoxicant  is  also  made  upon  almost  all  the 
 islands  of  the  Pacific,  but  not  equally  indulged  in  by  the 
 different  tribes.  It  is  made  from  the  roots  of  the  pepper 
 plant — Pi-pcr  methysticum.  The  process  of  making  it  is 
 very  disgusting.  Boys  or  young  men,  as  a  general  rule, 
 chew  it  in  large  mouthfuls,  and  after  it  is  well  mixed  with 
 saliva,  place  it  in  a  wooden  dish,  where  it  is  mixed  with 
 water.  It  is  then  carefully  strained,  and  the  fibrous  part, 
 well  squeezed  of  all  its  juice,  is  thrown  away.  The 
 strainer  is  a  small  piece  of  the  fibrous  bark  at  the  stem  of 
 the  front  of  the  cocoa  palm.  When  the  drink  is  made,  a 
 cocoa-nutful  is  presented  first  to  the  chief,  who  sucks  it 
 through  a  reed.  Then  others  get  their  share.  The  boys 
 get  none  of  the  drink,  and  women  are  not  allowed  to  taste 
 it.  It  stupefies  rather  than  excites.  The  men  eat  food  by 
 themselves,  and  this  is  generally  done  at  a  public-house — 
 that  is,  a  large  hut,  called  a  Kava-house,  placed  in  one  of 
 the  squares  near  a  spreading  banyan  tree,  where  a  whole 
 village  collects,  and  where  palavers  are  held  with  other 
 tribes.  Men  sleep  in  huts  by  themselves,  and  they 
 frequently  kindle  a  little  fire  of  sticks  near  their  couches. 
 They  sleep  upon  a  mat  on  the  ground,  or  sometimes  upon 
 a  couch  made  of  cane  slightly  elevated.  Their  pillows  con- 
 sist of  a  stick  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  raised  four  or  six 
 inches  from  the  ground  at  one  end  by  forked  legs.  Thus 
 the  curls  of  their  hair  are  kept  in  order,  and  they  take  to 
 the  single  bar  with  great  comfort.  In  some  huts  a  few  of 
 similar  pillows,  reserved  for  visitors,  are  hung  on  the  sides. 
 
 The  men  generally  go  naked,  except  a  small   wrapper 
 round  the  loins.      On   Tanna,  Fotuna,   and  Aniwa  this  is 
 
 B 
 
i8  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 very  small,  a  slight  belt  with  a  tuft  of  rags  or  grass  in 
 front.  On  Eromanga  the  belt  is  seldom  used,  but  there  is 
 a  tuft  of  grass  pendant  in  front.  Farther  north,  men 
 wear  a  girdle  of  native  matting.  In  the  southern  islands 
 the  hair  is  worn  long  by  men,  and  divided  into  hundreds 
 of  locks,  twined  round  with  a  very  fine  piece  of  the  inner 
 bark  of  a  plant.  These  cords  are  taken  to  the  back  of  the 
 head,  sometimes  to  the  neck,  and  the  beautiful  curls  hang 
 gracefully  at  tlie  end.  As  many  as  seven  hundred  of 
 these  locks  have  been  counted  on  a  single  head.  It  takes 
 about  five  years  to  complete  this  costume,  which  may  be 
 said  to  be  all  that  they  wear.  The  custom  continues  on 
 Tanna  and  Fotuna,  but  has  been  given  up  on  the  Christian 
 islands  of  Aneityum  and  Aniwa.  On  the  island  of 
 Eromanga,  men  wear  their  hair  more  bushy,  and  stick 
 ornaments  in  it.  Long-toothed  combs  are  much  used,  and 
 feathers  or  plumes  of  grass.  On  Fatt^  finely  carved  combs 
 are  used,  and  large  plumes  of  feathers.  The  same  prevails 
 toward  the  north,  the  whole  tail  feathers  of  cocks  of 
 different  colours  adorning  the  bushy  hair.  Pipes,  knives, 
 and  even  tobacco  are  pushed  into  the  curly  locks,  and  are 
 kept  safely.  The  ears  are  generally  bored,  and  on  Tanna 
 are  either  filled  with  painted  sticks  an  inch  in  diameter,  or 
 loaded  with  six  or  seven  tortoiseshell  rings.  On  Espiritu 
 Santo,  and  other  northern  islands  of  the  group,  boars'  tusks 
 are  twisted  on  the  arms.  On  most  islands,  shells  adorn  the 
 arms,  and  towards  the  north  elaborate  armlets  are  made  of 
 party-coloured  beads.  Men  always  go  armed  with  bows 
 and  arrows — the  latter  in  the  northern  islands  are  said  to 
 be  poisoned ;  with  tomahawks  of  stone  or  iron ;  with 
 spears  often  tipped  with  human  bone,  and  also  said  to 
 be  poisoned ;  ^  with  clubs  of  various  forms  made  of  very 
 hard  wood ;  and  now,  on  almost  all  islands,  with  muskets, 
 
 ^  It  has  not  been  proved  by  satisfactory  evidence  that  arrows  are  poisoned. 
 Dr.  Messer,  formerly  of  H. M.S.  Pearl,  made  many  inquiries  and  experiments 
 without  getting  proof  of  poison. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  19 
 
 and  sometimes  even  double-barrelled  guns,  always  loaded 
 and  capped.  They  have  other  implements  of  warfare — 
 such  as  stones  half  an  arm's  length  and  two  inches  in 
 diameter,  thrown  with  deadly  force,  and  round  stones, 
 slung  with  great  precision.  They  are  all  skilful  marksmen, 
 but  they  aim  and  then  hide  behind  the  trees.  Tlie  skill  of 
 a  Tanna  man  was  tested  lately  by  an  officer  on  one  of  Her 
 Majesty's  ships.  He  sent  an  arrow  exactly  to  the  place 
 marked  in  tlie  mast,  at  a  distance  of  ninety  or  a  hundred 
 feet  from  the  quarter-deck,  and  he  cut  out  that  arrow  by 
 another  aimed  at  the  same  point.^ 
 
 The  M'omen  rapidly  lose  their  delicate  features,  and  as 
 wives  appear  positively  ugly.  In  the  five  southern  islands 
 they  wear  a  petticoat  made  of  grass  or  bark,  or  of  the  leaves 
 of  the  pandanus  tree.  These  leaves  are  prickly  at  their 
 centre  and  sides,  but  are  carefully  chewed  and  bleached  in 
 water.  They  then  form  a  soft  garment,  and  look  graceful. 
 They  are  worn  all  round,  and  made  to  fall  below  the  knee 
 on  Tanna  and  Aneityum.  On  Fotuna,  mothers  only  are 
 allowed  to  wear  them  all  round.  On  Eromanga,  they  are 
 worn  longer,  and  a  sort  of  dress  robe  of  the  same,  dyed  in 
 colours,  is  placed  above  and  trails  on  end  behind,  while  as 
 the  wearer  moves  it  gives  her  quite  a  Grecian  bend.  On 
 Fate,  women  now  wear  a  wrapper  of  calico,  but  have  their 
 bosoms  uncovered.  On  Espiritu  Santo,  the  wrapper  is  very 
 small,  about  a  liandbreadth,  and  is  made  of  native  matting, 
 with  a  tail  two  feet  long  hanging  behind.  On  most  of 
 these  northern  islands  they  wear  their  hair  very  short,  but 
 occasionally  have  a  tuft  like  a  cockscomb  left  from  the 
 brow  to  the  crown.  Women  are  tattooed  on  Eromanga  after 
 they  are  betrothed. 
 
 Polygamy  is  practised,  though  there  is  a  great  dispropor- 
 tion in  the  sexes.  Women  are  only  about  sixty  per  cent, 
 to  the  number  of  males.  In  a  few  cases  some  chiefs  have 
 as  many  as  ten  wives,  and  a  man  is  rich  in  proportion  to 
 '  JMarkham's  Cruise  of  the  Eosario,  p.  244. 
 
20  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  number  of  his  wives,  who  work  for  him.  On  the 
 island  of  Aniwa  one  polygamist  had  a  mother  and  lier 
 daughter  by  a  former  husband  as  his  wives.  On  Eromanga, 
 it  is  the  practice  to  take  a  dead  brother's  wives,  and  to 
 adopt  the  children.  Many  children  are  betrothed  as  soon 
 as  they  are  born,  and  are  married  when  they  come  of  age, 
 which  is  very  early  in  these  tropical  climes.  The  women 
 and  children  eat  and  live  together.  When  the  boys  are 
 about  eight  years  of  age  they  are  circumcised,  and  removed 
 among  the  men.  It  is  not  known  whence  this  custom  was 
 derived,  but  it  is  universal  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
 southern  New  Hebrides,^  though  it  is  said  not  to  prevail  in 
 the  north.  Women  do  not  wear  so  many  ornaments  as  the 
 men,  but  they  are  fond  of  them,  as  is  natural.  The  cartilage 
 of  their  nose  is  pierced,  and  a  piece  of  white  shell  inserted. 
 They  wear  beads  and  earrings.  On  Tanna,  they  have  many 
 tortoiseshell  rings  hanging  from  their  ears. 
 
 The  inhabitants  of  the  New  Hebrides  are  Papuan,  with 
 woolly  and  curly  hair,  and  a  coffee-coloured  skin.  They 
 are  sometimes  called  Negrillos,  to  distinguish  them  from 
 the  negroes,  to  whom  they  have  some  affinity.  The 
 Eromangans  are  lowest  in  the  scale,  and  are  more  allied  to 
 the  negro.  The  Eatese  are  much  more  highly  developed 
 physically,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Eotuna,  Aniwa,  and  Fila 
 have  a  Malay  relationship.  Towards  the  north  there  is  an 
 evident  improvement  in  the  physical  character  of  the 
 islanders.  It  is  difficult  to  say  whence  they  have  come,  or 
 whether  they  are  aboriginal  or  mixed. 
 
 There  is  no  part  of  the  world  where  there  are  so  many 
 languages  in  the  same  area  or  among  so  few  people.  There 
 are  at  least  twenty  distinct  languages  on  the  thirty  islands 
 of  the  New  Hebrides,  and  on  some  of  the  larger  islands 
 there  are  two  or  three  languages,  while  on  these,  and  on 
 
 1  Mr.  AVyatt  Gill  says  that  in  the  eastern  islands  circumcision  takes  place 
 at  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  that  it  is  held  indispensable  to  marriage.  See 
 Sunday  Magazine  for  1874,  p.  376. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  21 
 
 all,  there  are  different  dialects  of  the  one  language  used. 
 Different  words  are  used  for  the  same  objects,  and  a 
 different  construction  prevails  in  the  separate  tongues.  The 
 liev.  Joseph  Copeland,  an  accomplished  linguist  in  the  New 
 Hebrides,  says  that  '  the  words  are  hard,  long,  and  full  of 
 consonants.  Every  syllable  does  not  end  in  a  vowel,  as  in 
 the  Maori.  There  are  four  numbers — singular,  dual,  trial, 
 and  plural ;  and  a  double  we,  called  by  grammarians  wc 
 inclusive  and  vjc  exclusive.  In  the  Aneityumese  language 
 all  the  nouns,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  begin  with  m 
 or  n.  The  verb  to  he,  as  in  English,  conjugates  the  verbs 
 through  all  their  moods  and  tenses,  and  the  nominative  is 
 the  last  word  in  the  sentence.'  ^ 
 
 On  the  island  of  Fate  there  is  a  language  used  which, 
 with  dialectical  differences  only,  is  spoken  on  at  least  ten  or 
 twelve  islands.  The  language  used  on  Eotuna  is  akin  to 
 that  on  Aniwa,  and,  strange  to  say,  akin  to  that  used  on  the 
 two  islands  of  Fila  and  Mel  in  Pango  Bay,  Fate.  Towards 
 the  north,  again,  there  are  separate  languages  on  each 
 island,  and  even  more  on  some. 
 
 The  Eev.  John  Inglis,  long  resident  on  the  group,  gives 
 the  following  interesting  details  of  the  languages : — 
 
 '  The  natives  of  the  South  Sea  Islands  were  composed 
 chiefly  of  two  races — the  Malay  and  the  Papuan.  The 
 Malay  were  recognised  as  of  Asiatic  origin,  and  the  Papuan 
 of  African.  The  Malay  occupy  all  the  groups  of  islands  in 
 the  Eastern  Pacific,  the  Papuan  all  the  groups  in  the  Western 
 Pacific  south  of  the  line.  The  Malays  have  evidently  been 
 a  much  later  migration  than  the  Papuans.  They  must  have 
 brought  a  much  higher  civilisation  with  them,  and  they 
 have  lost  less  of  what  they  brought  than  the  Papuans  have 
 done.  In  personal  appearance  the  two  races  are  very  unlike, 
 while  the  languages  have  nothing  apparently  in  common. 
 
 '  Rev.  Jos.  Copeland's  Lecture  on  the  New  Hebrides  Islands,  the.  Natives, 
 and  the  Mission,  p.  4.     See  specimens  of  language  in  the  Appendix  of  this 
 
 work. 
 
2  2  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES.     ■ 
 
 '  The  Malays  speak  essentially  one  language,  with  simply 
 dialectical  differences.  Among  the  Papuans,  not  only  is 
 there  a  totally  different  language  in  every  group,  but  a 
 different  language  is  spoken  on  nearly  every  island,  although, 
 so  far  as  the  languages  have  been  examined,  there  are 
 underlying  resemblances,  especially  in  grammar,  indicating 
 a  common  source  or  origin. 
 
 '  There  are  several  striking  peculiarities  in  the  language. 
 In  all  the  islands  the  natives  count,  not  as  we  do,  by  tens, 
 but  by  fives.  They  count  the  fingers  of  the  one  hand  up 
 to  five,  which  on  Aneityum  they  call  kikmak — my  hand ; 
 then  they  proceed  with  tJie  other  hand  and  say.  My  hand 
 and  one  for  six,  and  so  on  till  they  reach  ten,  wliich  they 
 express  by  saying.  My  two  hands.  They  repeat  the  same 
 process  with  their  toes,  and  for  twenty  they  say.  My  two 
 hands  and  my  two  feet.  All  beyond  this  is — many,  a  great 
 many,  a  great  great  many,  according  to  the  apparent  number. 
 On  account  of  this  defective  and  curious  mode  of  counting, 
 the  missionaries,  so  far  as  their  operations  have  extended, 
 have  introduced  the  English  numerals,  and  so  far  as  numera- 
 tion is  concerned,  they  have  taught  the  natives  to  speak 
 English. 
 
 '  Another  peculiarity  in  these  languages  is,  that  they  are 
 singularly  defective  in  words  that  express  abstract  ideas ; 
 everything  is  expressed  in  the  concrete — every  part  of  the 
 body,  everything  in  life,  is  expressed  in  the  concrete.  There 
 is  no  such  form  of  word  as  a  hand  ;  it  is  nikmak — my  hand ; 
 nikmam — thy  hand ;  nikman — his  hand  (^■  m  n,  the  ter- 
 minations of  the  personal  pronouns,  being  invariably  post- 
 fixed).  There  is  no  such  form  of  word  as  a  father ;  it  is 
 etmak — my  father ;  etmam — thy  father ;  etm.an — his  father. 
 There  is  a  word  for  a  tree,  it  is  looked  upon  as  an  abstract ; 
 but  branch,  leaf,  etc.,  are  all  concrete.  It  is  inran — its 
 branch  ;  nerin — its  leaf ;  intisian — its  flower ;  nohwan — its 
 fruit,  etc.,  n  standing  for  his,  hers,  and  its.  The  personal 
 pronouns   have   four  numbers ;  not  only  a   singular  and  a 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  23 
 
 plural,  as  with  us,  but  a  singular,  a  dual,  a  trial,  and  a 
 plural — I,  we  two,  we  three,  we  four,  or  more.  This  nicety- 
 renders  it  especially  necessary  for  the  translator  of  Scripture 
 to  examine  carefully  the  context,  that  he  may  see  how 
 many  are  included  iu  the  plural  form  in  the  original.  When 
 translating  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis  into  the  language  of 
 Aneityum,  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  had  to  be  at  once 
 recognised,  and  the  26  th  verse  had  to  be  rendered  thus  : — 
 "  And  God  said,  Let  us  make  man  in  the  image  of  us 
 three,  after  the  likeness  of  us  three."  To  have  used  the 
 plural,  and  not  the  trial  number, — to  have  said  our,  and  not 
 of  us  three, — would  have  conveyed  the  idea  that  there  were 
 at  least  four  persons  consulting  about  the  creation  of  man.' 
 
 They  live  in  huts,  which  are  almost  always  placed  amidst 
 the  trees,  and  scarcely  visible  till  they  are  reached.  They 
 are  simply  like  a  bridge,  or  the  roof  of  a  house  without 
 any  upright  posts.  There  is  a  ridge-pole  along  the  top,  and 
 beams  from  it  to  the  ground.  They  are  thatched  from  the 
 ground  with  the  leaves  of  the  sugar-cane  tied  firmly  with  a 
 cord  called  sinnet,  made  from  the  fibres  of  the  cocoa-nut. 
 In  the  southern  islands  these  huts  are  open  at  one  end, 
 on  the  northern  at  the  side,  or  a  part  of  it,  with  a  very 
 low  entrance.  Inside  there  is  nothing  but  a  few  mats  and 
 bags.  They  are  much  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  when 
 it  is  warm  the  air  within  them  is  stifling.  But  notwith- 
 standing this,  they  kindle  fires  at  night,  for  the  smoke  to 
 drive  away  mosquitoes  and  other  insects.  In  the  northern 
 islands,  however,  the  huts  are  larger  and  more  comfort- 
 able. In  some  of  the  latter  two  or  three  wives,  sometimes 
 two  or  three  families,  reside  in  one.  Taking  a  look  inside, 
 the  posts,  hung  with  different  bones  of  fowls  or  pigs,  and 
 perhaps  also  of  human  beings,  present  a  very  strange 
 appearance.  Some  who  have  been  to  Fiji  or  Queensland 
 have  chests  and  muskets. 
 
 Seasons  on  the  islands  may  be  divided  into  wet  and  dry. 
 Mr.  Copelaud,  who  has  been  a  long  and  accurate  observer 
 
24  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 of  the  meteorology  on  the  islands,  says  that  in  the  wet 
 season,  '  which  lasts  from  December  till  April,  the  sun  is 
 vertical,  and  the  rains,  accompanied  with  thunder  and 
 lightning,  are  heavy  and  continuous.  During  these  months 
 the  hygrometer  often  indicates  an  atmosphere  perfectly 
 saturated.  In  the  dry  season,  which  lasts  from  April  to 
 December,  we  have  rain  less  frequently ;  and  when  the 
 wind  is  well  from  the  south,  there  may  be  a  difference  of 
 six  or  seven  degrees  between  the  two  bulbs  of  that  instru- 
 ment. The  thermometer,  in  the  south  of  the  group,  has  a 
 range  of  about  thirty  degrees  all  the  year  round, — namely, 
 from  sixty  to  ninety  within  doors, — about  half  the  range  in 
 
 the  Australian  Colonies The  harometer  has  a  range 
 
 of  a  third  of  an  inch.  It  stands,  as  a  whole,  lower  in 
 summer  tlian  in  winter.  During  cyclones,  i.e.  storms  of 
 wind  having  two  motions,  one  on  their  own  axis  and 
 another  in  a  direction  forward,  the  barometer  falls  as  much 
 as  one  and  a  half  inches,  more  especially  at  the  centre, 
 where  a  perfect  calm  prevails.  There  are  whirlwinds  also, 
 which  mow  down  everything  in  their  path.  These  storms 
 occur  from  December  to  April.  Slight  earthquakes  are 
 also  experienced.'^ 
 
 The  natives  of  these  islands  are  very  superstitious. 
 They  are  at  a  very  low  stage  of  worshippers.  The  spirits 
 of  their  departed  ancestors  are  the  chief  objects  of  reverence 
 — a  worship  the  most  universal  among  men.  They  desire 
 to  keep  these  spirits  on  good  terms  with  them.  To  pro- 
 pitiate them  they  kill  a  pig  occasionally,  and  make  offerings 
 of  food.  They  erect  curious  wooden  drums  in  sacred  places 
 on  some  islands  in  honour  of  them,  and  beat  on  these,  dance 
 around  them,  and  call  upon  the  spirits  of  the  dead  by 
 conches  made  of  large  shells.  They  observe  these  customs 
 chiefly  at  night  and  when  the  moon  is  full.  There  are 
 sacred  men  amonij  them  who  direct  their  forms,  who  stand 
 between  the  living  and  the  dead,  and  present  offerings  and 
 1  Lecture,  ut  sujira,  p.  2. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  25 
 
 praj'ers.  These  men,  or  others  specially  devoted  to  it, 
 profess  to  bring  rain,  wind,  disease,  and  death,  and,  when 
 propitiated  by  offerings,  have  power  to  arrest  these  influ- 
 ences. They  lay  tabus  upon  certain  places,  trees,  and  food, 
 when  it  is  a  forbidden  thing  to  go  to  these  places,  touch  or 
 eat  of  these  fruits,  for  so  many  moons.  These  tahus  are 
 very  oppressive,  for  it  is  believed  that  if  they  are  broken, 
 disease  or  death  will  follow.  Often  has  a  missionary  or  his 
 children  been  expected  to  die  because  they  have  eaten  of 
 an  interdicted  tree ;  but  when  no  disaster  happens  they 
 allege  that  the  evil  belongs  to  their  own  people.  They 
 have  a  great  fear  of  the  stranger,  as  well  as  of  their  enemy, 
 lest  he  bewitch  them  and  cause  disease  or  death.  A 
 heathen  native  picks  up  any  refuse  lying  about,  such  as  a 
 banana  skin,  a  scrap  of  yam,  a  few  haii's,  lest  a  disease- 
 maker  should  get  them  and  burn  them,  when  some  one  is 
 sure  to  be  taken  ill,  or  to  suffer  in  some  way,  and  perhaps 
 to  die.  The  life  of  the  supposed  bewitching  person  is  often 
 taken  in  revenge. 
 
 They  recognise  a  spirit  world,  and  believe  in  a  place  of 
 happiness  and  in  one  of  punishment.  Stinginess  is  the 
 greatest  crime,  and  that  on  which  the  heaviest  penalty  falls. 
 It  was  customary  when  a  chief  died  to  bury  his  most  valu- 
 able things  with  him,  and  on  some  islands  they  strangled 
 his  widows  to  accompany  him  to  the  other  world.  Most 
 of  the  common  people,  when  dead,  were  cast  into  the  sea, 
 a  stone  being  attached  to  the  body  to  make  it  sink.  The 
 wailing  for  the  dead  is  loud  and  long,  and  they  sometimes 
 disfigure  their  bodies  with  a  black  paint  as  a  sign  of 
 mourning.  They  generally  hold  a  feast  after  the  dead  are 
 put  away,  when  many  pigs  are  killed  and  baked. 
 
 The  natives  of  this  group  are  noted  cannibals.  They 
 generally  devour  the  bodies  of  those  slain  in  battle. 
 Sometimes  they  capture  people  thrown  in  their  way,  for 
 the  very  purpose  of  gratifying  this  horrid  appetite.  Many 
 white  men  have  fallen  victims  to  it.      This  has  often  been 
 
2  6  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 occasioned  by  wrongs  inflicted  on  them  by  white  men,  who 
 for  many  years  have  committed  atrocities  upon  the  natives. 
 For  a  long  period  this  was  done  in  the  sandal-wood  trade, 
 in  which  natives  were  often  shot.  They  again  retaliated 
 by  murdering  whole  ships'  crews.  In  the  labour  traffic,  as 
 it  is  called,  of  late  years  similar  mischief  has  been  done, 
 which  has  led  to  the  loss  of  many  lives.  In  the  sandal- 
 wood trade  many  white  men  were  reckless,  and  there  were 
 frequent  broils  and  encounters  between  them  and  the 
 natives.  'In  1842,  on  Sandwich  Island  or  Fate,  the 
 crews  of  two  British  vessels,  because  the  islanders  objected 
 to  their  cutting  wood,  shot  down  twenty,  and  having  forced 
 several  others  to  take  shelter  in  a  large  cave,  they  set  fire 
 to  a  pile  of  brushwood  and  rubbish  at  its  mouth,  and 
 suffocated  them  all.  This  is  merely  one  instance  of  the 
 barbarities  practised  by,  I  am  ashamed  to  write  it,  English- 
 men. These  lawless  adventurers  were  guilty  of  all  kinds 
 of  excesses,  and  naturally  numerous  murders  were  committed 
 in  retaliation  by  the  islanders.  The  enormities  perpetrated 
 by  those  employed  in  the  sandal-wood  trade  have  of  late 
 years,  if  possible,  been  exceeded  by  men  engaged  in  the 
 labour  traffic'  ^ 
 
 This  is  only  one  of  hundreds  of  cases  that  might  be 
 cited.  It  is  the  testimony  of  a  commander  of  one  of  Her 
 Majesty's  ships  sent  specially  to  inquire  into  the  labour 
 traffic.  The  Eev.  Dr.  Turner  reckoned  no  fewer  than  three 
 hundred  and  twenty- two  who  had  perished  in  the  sandal- 
 wood trade  in  a  dozen  years.'^  From  the  island  of  Eromanga 
 some  £75,000  wortli  of  this  wood  is  said  to  have  enriched 
 one  trader.  Though  it  would  be  wrong  to  say  that  all 
 engaged  in  the  trade  were  guilty  of  blood,  it  is  not  too 
 much  to  state  that  the  trade  was  largely  stained  with  it. 
 Exceptions  of  honourable  men  there  were. 
 
 These  and  other  evils  made  the  New  Hebrides  a  dangerous 
 
 '  Cruise  of  the  JRosario,  pp.  45,  46. 
 ^  Nineteen  Years  in  Polynesia,  p.  440. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  27 
 
 sphere  for  European  life.  The  natives  were  cruel  and 
 treaclierous.  They  were  constantly  engaged  in  fighting 
 amongst  themselves,  and  trading  vessels  have  aided  this  by 
 giving  them  muskets  and  ammunition  for  barter,  which 
 greatly  increased  the  slaughter  among  the  tribes. 
 
 They  are  rapidly  decreasing  in  population.  Internecine 
 wars  destroy  many.  Intermarriages  in  the  same  tribe 
 prevent  fecundity.  The  horrid  practice  of  infanticide,  even 
 before  birth,  has  been  long  practised  by  the  women.  On 
 some  islands  widows  were  strangled  on  the  death  of  their 
 husbands.  Elephantiasis  and  otlier  skin  diseases  prey  upon 
 them.  Erom  their  grossly  immoral  intercourse,  the  races 
 have  been  greatly  deteriorated.  Diseases,  too,  have  been 
 imported  by  vessels,  which  have  sometimes  swept  them 
 away  by  hundreds.  The  huts  in  which  they  live  are  low 
 and  in  thick  groves,  and  consequently  unfavourable  to 
 health.  Their  indolence  does  not  promote  longevity. 
 Nature  is  so  prodigal  that  they  do  not  need  to  work,  and 
 they  are  ever  ready  to  ask  why  should  they  work. 
 
 '  They  knew  no  higher,  sought  no  happier  state, 
 Had  no  fine  instinct  of  superior  joys. 
 "Why  should  they  toil  to  make  the  earth  bring  forth, 
 "When  without  toil  she  gave  them  all  they  wanted  ? 
 The  bread-fruit  ripened  while  they  lay  beneath 
 Its  shadows  in  luxurious  indolence  ; 
 The  cocoa  filled  its  nuts  with  milk  and  kernels  ; 
 And  while  they  slumbered  from  their  heavy  meals, 
 In  dead  forgetfulness  of  life  itself, 
 The  fish  were  spawning  in  unsounded  depths  ; 
 Unplanted  roots  were  thriving  underground, 
 To  spread  the  tables  of  their  future  banquets. ' 
 
 The  constitutional  idleness  of  the  men  can  scarcely  be 
 said  to  apply  to  the  women.  The  slaves,  for  the  most 
 part,  of  their  husbands,  they  are  always  occupied.  They 
 carry  most  of  the  burdens  of  food  from  the  plantations,  and 
 prepare  it  for  use.  They  make  their  own  frail  dresses, 
 which  require  a  considerable  amount  of  care  and  attention. 
 
2  8  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Leaves  of  pandaniis  or  of  banana  have  to  be  chewed  and 
 softened,  dried,  and  then  tied  up.  The  bark  of  plants  has 
 to  be  separated  from  the  twigs,  moistened  in  water,  bleached 
 and  dried  before  being  done  up.  Other  leaves  are  prepared 
 for  wearing  above  the  rest  as  ornaments  when  in  full  dress. 
 The  women  plait  bags  and  mats,  of  which  there  is  a  good 
 supply  in  every  hut,  and  some  are  very  neat-handed  in  this 
 work.  They  also  assist  actively  in  the  planting  season. 
 Besides  all  this,  they  have  to  nurse  their  children,  and  to 
 carry  them  while  bearing  other  burdens.  It  is  supposed 
 that  this  has  induced  the  cruel  habit  of  destroying  the  lives 
 of  their  offspring,  both  before  and  after  birth,  in  so  many 
 cases  throughout  the  New  Hebrides. 
 
 The  men  have  also  their  seasons  of  active  labour.  The 
 planting  of  yams  and  taro  requires  considerable  toil.  The 
 fencing  of  their  plantations  is  itself  an  arduous  work. 
 These  fences  are  made  of  reeds  or  canes,  plaited  neatly  and 
 fastened  so  firmly  as  to  prevent  pigs  from  entering.  When 
 the  fences  show  signs  of  decay,  which  is  frequent,  they  have 
 to  be  repaired,  and  they  require  renewal  almost  every  second 
 year.  Occasionally  a  strong  fence  of  sticks  is  added  for 
 two  feet  at  the  bottom,  to  afford  greater  security  against 
 the  pigs,  wliich  are  ever  seeking  opportunities  to  break  into 
 the  plantations,  and  destroy  the  food  that  is  growing. 
 When  men  are  taken  away  these  fences  speedily  waste, 
 and  the  plantation  is  ruined.  Food  then  becomes  more 
 scarce. 
 
 Canoes  have  also  to  be  built,  and  as  these  are  hollowed 
 out  of  single  trees,  and  all  fastened  with  sinnet  made  out 
 of  the  fibre  of  cocoa-nuts,  a  great  amount  of  time  is 
 required  in  their  construction.  Paddles  are  made  of  tough 
 and  durable  wood.  Since  axes  have  been  introduced  this 
 work  is  lighter;  but  when  stone  axes  had  to  do  all  their 
 cutting,  the  time  required  must  have  been  great,  and  the 
 labour  heavy. 
 
 With  so  few  arts,  there  must  be  the  greater  labour,  and 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  29 
 
 for  this  the  men  must  work.  Xature  is  no  doubt  very  pro- 
 digal, and  the  tropical  climate  does  not  encourage  heavy  toil ; 
 but  still,  there  is  an  amount  of  work  to  be  done,  and  they  do 
 it.  The  men  have  strength,  but  not  endurance.  They  can 
 paddle  their  canoes  a  long  way,  but  they  do  not  care  to  do 
 this  often.  They  do  not  like  regular  work  day  after  day, 
 but  love  to  lie  about  in  the  shade  of  their  spreading  banyans 
 a  great  part  of  their  time. 
 
 There  is  a  graduated  scale  marked  in  their  barbaric  art,  as 
 in  their  physical  structure.  Aneityum  is  low,  though  it  has 
 received  by  the  change  of  religion  a  marked  improvement. 
 Tanna  has  a  population  of  good  physical  structure  and 
 capabilities — much  higher  than  any  of  the  southern  islands. 
 But  in  the  north  there  is  a  higher  development  of  physical 
 power.  The  arts,  too,  are  more  advanced.  Huts  are  better, 
 larger,  and  more  comfortable.  Mats  are  finer,  and  canoes 
 larger,  stronger,  and  capable  of  carrying  sails.  In  the 
 island  of  Espiritu  Santo,  pots  are  made  of  clay,  burnt  but 
 unglazed,  and  used  for  boiling  food.  In  other  islands  to 
 the  southward,  boiling  seems  scarcely  known.  In  Tanna 
 there  is  an  exception,  for  the  boiling  sulphur  springs  are 
 utilized  in  this  way;  but  even  there  the  yam  or  other  product 
 is  wrapped  in  banana  leaves,  and  not  put  into  any  vessel 
 for  the  purpose  of  being  boiled.  In  Espiritu  Santo,  natives 
 say  that  their  fathers  could  make  far  larger  and  more 
 ornamental  pots  than  can  now  be  made,  so  that  evidence  is 
 afforded  there,  as  in  other  islands,  of  a  long  and  gradual 
 process  of  degradation.  They  make  many  ornaments  from 
 cocoa-nuts,  tortoiseshell,  bone,- and  hard- wood. 
 
 These  islands,  being  all  more  or  less  volcanic,  are  unhealthy. 
 Fever  and  ague  abound,  and  seize  the  natives,  in  a  less 
 degree,  however,  tlian  those  who  come  from  other  islands. 
 Diarrhcea  and  dysentery  are  almost  periodic,  and  consump- 
 tion seems  increasing.  Diseases  of  the  skin  are  very 
 common,  and  render  the  sufferers  most  loathsome  objects. 
 The  natives  suffer  greatly  from  rheumatism.      The  winter, 
 
30  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 even  in  a  tropical  climate,  tells  hard  upon  a  people  who  go 
 without  clothes,  and  who  make  no  provision  for  a  change 
 of  temperature,  except  by  fires  inside  their  huts,  almost 
 enough  to  suffocate  them. 
 
 Europeans  and  natives  of  the  eastern  islands  are  all  subject 
 to  fever  and  ague  and  rheumatic  attacks  in  the  New  Hebrides. 
 Very  many  fall  victims  to  these.  Great  care  is  required  in 
 the  regulation  of  life  and  labour  in  order  to  avoid  these 
 influences,  and  it  is  not  advisable  that  many  years  should 
 be  spent  upon  islands  so  unhealthy.  Elevated  spots  open 
 to  the  trade  winds  are  the  most  free  from  fever  and  ague. 
 The  island  of  Eotuna  is  not  subject  to  it,  but  consumption  and 
 colds  are  frequent  there,  and  the  mortality  exceeds  the  births. 
 
 The  moral  condition  of  the  natives  of  the  New  Hebrides 
 is  very  low, — as  low  as  that  of  any  of  the  groups  in  the 
 Pacific.  Cruel  and  revolting  customs  prevail,  and  it  would 
 be  '  a  shame  even  to  speak  of  the  things  which  are  done 
 of  them  in  secret.'  The  description  given  by  the  apostle, 
 in  the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans,  of  the  heathen  world  applies 
 in  all  its  force  to  the  degraded  natives  of  the  New  Hebrides. 
 Sin  in  all  its  horrid  and  debasinu;  forms  is  there.  *  Man 
 indeed  is  vile '  where  '  every  prospect  pleases.'  But  in 
 these  islands,  as  in  so  many  other  places  of  the  world,  there 
 is  a  sphere  for  Christian  philanthropy,  and  there  already 
 the  gospel  of  Christ  has  won  its  trophies. 
 
 '  Calm  on  the  bosom  of  tlie  deep 
 
 A  thousand  beauteous  ishmds  lie  ; 
 While  glassy  seas  that  round  them  sleep 
 Reflect  the  glories  of  the  skj'. 
 
 '  How  radiant  'mid  the  watery  waste 
 
 Their  groves  of  emerald  verdure  smile,  — 
 Like  Eden-spots,  in  ocean  placed, 
 The  weary  pilgrim  to  beguile  ! 
 
 '  Graceful  through  forest  vistas  bright 
 The  fair  Mimosa's  shadows  spread  ; 
 And  'gainst  those  skies  of  amber  light 
 The  palm-tree  lifts  its  towering  head. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  ISLANDS.  31 
 
 '  Alas  !  that  in  those  happy  vales, 
 
 Meet  homes  for  pure  and  heaven -born  love, 
 Unholy  discord  still  prevails, 
 
 And  weeping  peace  forsakes  the  grove. 
 
 '  Alas  !  that  on  those  lovely  shores, 
 
 "Where  earth  and  sky  in  beauty  shine, 
 And  heaven  profusely  sheds  its  stores, 
 Man  should  in  heathen  bondage  pine. 
 
 '  Oh,  haste  !  ye  messengers  of  God, 
 
 With  hearts  of  zeal  and  tongues  of  flame  ; 
 Go  !  spread  the  welcome  sound  abroad, 
 That  all  may  bless  Messiah's  name. ' 
 
 M.  L.  Duncan. 
 
CHAPTEE    II. 
 
 THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION. 
 
 '  Who  is  my  brother  ?     'Tis  not  merely  he 
 
 Who  hung  upon  the  same  loved  mother's  breast ; 
 But  every  one,  whoever  he  may  be, 
 
 On  whom  the  image  of  a  man 's  impressed. 
 True  Christian  sympathy  was  ne'er  designed 
 
 To  be  shut  up  within  a  narrow  bound  ; 
 But  sweeps  abroad,  and  in  its  search  to  find 
 
 Objects  of  mercy,  goes  the  whole  world  round. 
 'Tis  like  the  sun,  rejoicing  east  and  west; 
 
 Or  beautiful  rainbow,  bright  from  south  to  north ; 
 
 It  has  an  angel's  pinion,  mounting  forth 
 O'er  rocks  and  hills  and  seas  to  make  men  bless'd. 
 
 No  matter  what  their  colour,  name,  or  place. 
 
 It  blesses  all  alike,  the  universal  race.' — T.  C.  Upham. 
 
 Missions  in  Polynesia  date  from  the  year  1774,  the  very 
 period  M'hich  marked  the  discovery  of  the  New  Hebrides, 
 The  viceroy  of  Peru,  in  1772,  sent  two  ships  to  Tahiti, 
 which  brought  two  natives  on  their  return.  Tliese  were 
 baptized  and  sent  back  in  1774,  along  with  two  Ptoman 
 Catholic  missionaries,  who  fixed  their  residence  in  Vailapeha 
 Bay,  in  Taiarapu,  Tahiti.  A  house  of  wood  was  erected 
 for  them  ;  but  they  only  remained  ten  months,  and  returned 
 in  the  very  vessels  that  had  brought  them  !  Captain  Cook, 
 when  on  his  third  voyage  in  1777,  saw  the  house  still 
 standing.  In  front  of  it  stood  a  wooden  cross,  with  this 
 inscription,  '  Christus  vincit,  et  Carolus  III.  imperat,  1774.' 
 Captain  Cook,  referring  in  his  narrative  to  tliis,  and  to  the 
 prospect    of   missionary   efforts   being    made   to   introduce 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  33 
 
 Christianity  in  the  islands,  remarks :  'It  is  very  nnlikely 
 that  any  measure  of  this  kind  should  ever  be  seriously 
 thought  of,  as  it  can  neither  serve  the  purpose  of  public 
 ambition  nor  private  avarice  ;  and  without  such  inducements, 
 I  may  pronounce  that  it  will  never  be  undertaken.'^  How 
 nnich  he  was  mistaken  !  How  greatly  he  miscalculated ! 
 There  was  a  stronger  motive  than  either  '  public  ambition ' 
 or  '  private  avarice '  to  induce  Christian  men  to  send  the 
 gospel  to  the  heathen.  The  love  of  Christ  inspired  philan- 
 thropy, and  missionary  effort  began  where  the  geographical 
 enterprise  had  ended.  The  Spanish  and  Portuguese  dis- 
 coverers always  connected  the  extension  of  religion  with 
 their  geographical  success.  This  fired  the  souls  of  Columbus 
 and  of  Vasco  de  Gam  a.  It  mingled  with  the  ambitious 
 adventures  of  Cortes  and  Pizarko.  And  when  the  Pacific 
 Ocean  spread  its  vastness  before  the  Spaniards  in  Peru,  this 
 was  bound  up  with  the  desire  of  the  bold  navigators  who 
 first  sailed  over  the  wide  waste  of  waters.  Mendana  had 
 friars  with  him  in  his  voyage  to  the  Solomon  Islands,  and 
 when  QuiEOS  first  discovered  the  northern  part  of  the  New 
 Hebrides,  he  linked  religious  associations  with  his  supposed 
 new  continent.  He  called  it  Ticrra  Australia  del  Esinritu 
 Santo — the  southern  land  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  where  a  new 
 Pentecost  might  bless  its  dusky  tribes.  He  named  a  port 
 the  True  Cross — Vera  Cruz,  emblematic  of  the  salvation  to 
 be  brought  to  men.  He  called  the  stream  that  flowed  into 
 the  bay  the  Paver  Jordan,  where  a  new  baptism  might  be 
 bestowed  upon  the  people  ;  and  he  marked  out  a  site  for  a 
 New  Jerusalem,  where  a  ransomed  people  might  have  their 
 abiding  home  in  a  city  of  God. 
 
 It  was  not  so  with  the  Protestant  discoverer  Captain 
 Cook  ;  but,  in  the  providence  of  God,  it  was  the  publication 
 of  Cook's  voyages  that  occasioned  the  missionary  enterprise 
 to  the  South  Seas.  William  Carey  read  the  volume,  and 
 made  a  map  of  the  dark  places  of  tlie  earth,  which  he  hung 
 ^  Cook's  Third  Voyarje. 
 C 
 
34  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 upon  tlie  wall  of  his  shop.  He  often  gazed  upon  it  as  he 
 mended  shoes,  and  his  soul  was  filled  with  a  desire  to  bear 
 the  gospel  to  the  islanders  of  Polynesia.  It  was  apparently 
 an  accident  that  prevented  him  from  going.  He  met  with 
 Mr.  Thomas,  who  had  been  in  Bengal  as  surgeon  of  an  East 
 Indiaman,  and  this  turned  his  attention  to  India.  It  was 
 the  hand  of  God.  Dr.  Carey  was  as  exactly  fitted  for  work 
 in  India  as  John  Williams  was  in  Polynesia.  The  Countess 
 OF  Huntingdon  was  also  stirred  up  by  Cook's  voyages  to 
 think  of  a  mission  to  the  isles  of  the  Pacific,  and  the  Eev. 
 Dr.  Haweis,  her  chaplain,  was  the  legatee  of  her  pious 
 desire.  Even  before  her  death  two  missionaries  had  been 
 engaged  to  go  to  Tahiti,  and  a  free  passage  had  been  obtained 
 for  them  in  H.M.S.  Bounty,  commanded  by  Captain  Bligh ; 
 Ijut  as  they  could  not  get  episcopal  ordination  they  refused 
 to  go.  The  Countess  said,  '  We  shall  find  others ; '  but  she 
 died  before  her  wishes  could  be  carried  out.  At  length, 
 in  1795,  and  largely  owing  to  Dr.  Haweis,  a  Missionary 
 Society  was  established  for  the  very  object  which  Captain 
 Cook  considered  so  unlikely  ever  to  be  seriously  thought  of, 
 and  which  he  said  would  '  never  be  undertaken.'  Dr. 
 Haweis  was  a  very  liberal  contributor  to  the  mission. 
 
 It  was  long  ere  the  New  Hebrides  shared  in  the  benefit 
 
 of  missionary  enterprise.      But  as  the  large  heart  of  John 
 
 Williams  heard  of  the  deeds  of  blood  committed  in  the 
 
 sandal-wood  trade  at  Eromanga  and  other  islands  of  the 
 
 group,  he  longed  to  introduce  the  gospel  to  the  dark  and 
 
 e^^^J,^ degraded  people.     As  early  as  1824  he  expressed  this  wish 
 
 >v<>^       to  the  directors,  and  when  at  length  he  got  a  vessel  for  the 
 
 -vi<.tvj  service  of  the  mission  among  the  isles  of  the  Pacific,  he 
 
 "^         ..made  his  first  voyage  to  the  New  Hebrides.      He  was  full 
 
 Lri    *fi  ^^  anxiety  about  his  mission.      He  had  ten  native  teachers 
 
 to  locate  on  the  group,  if  his  way  could  be  opened  up,  and 
 
 he  felt  as  if  the  most  important  ])art  of  his  life  had  arrived. 
 
 In  the  last  letter  he  ever  wrote  occurs  this  passage :  '  I  have 
 
 just  heard  dear  Captain  Morgan  say  that  we  are  60  miles 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  35 
 
 off  the  Hebrides,  so  that  we  shall  be  there  early  to-morrow 
 morning.  This  evening  we  are  to  have  a  sjDecial  prayer- 
 meeting.  Oh,  how  much  depends  upon  the  efforts  of 
 to-morrow !  Will  the  savar/es  receive  us  or  not  ?  Perhaps 
 at  this  moment  you  or  some  kind  friend  may  be  wrestling 
 with  God  for  us.  I  am  all  anxiety ;  but  desire  prudence 
 and  faithfulness  in  the  management  of  the  attempt  to  im- 
 part tlie  gospel  to  these  benighted  people,  and  leave  the 
 event  wdth  God.  I  brought  twelve  missionaries ;  two  have 
 settled  at  a  beautiful  island  called  Kotumah,  the  ten  I 
 have  are  for  the  New  Hebrides  and  New  Caledonia.  The 
 approaching  iveck  is  to  me  the  most  imjjortant  of  my  life!  ^ 
 
 The  vessel  called  at  Fotuna,  the  most  easterly  island  of 
 the  group,  and  efforts  were  made  to  conciliate  some  of  its 
 fierce  -  looking  people  ;  but  no  teacher  was  left.  The 
 island  of  Tanna  was  readied  next  day,  and  so  favourable 
 was  the  reception  given  them  by  its  people,  that  three 
 Samoan  teachers  were  left  to  pioneer  the  gospel  there. 
 That  evening  Eromanga  was  in  view,  and  next  morning, 
 80th  November  1839,  Mr.  Williams  fell  a  martyr  upon 
 its  shore  !  Mr.  James  Harris,  who  had  landed  with  him, 
 was  also  killed.  It  was  a  melancholy  and  tragical  issue  of 
 the  attempt  to  introduce  the  gospel  to  the  New  Hebrides  ; 
 but  it  did  not  damp  the  zeal  either  of  the  Samoan  mis- 
 sionaries, or  of  the  supporters  of  missions  in  Britain.  The 
 murder  of  John  Williams  took  place  on  the  30  th  November 
 1839.  In  May  1840,  the  Eev.  T.  Heath  obeyed  the  call 
 of  his  brethren  at  Samoa  to  follow  the  track  of  Mr.  Williams, 
 and  to  endeavour  to  locate  teachers.  He  did  this  on  the 
 distinct  understanding  that,  if  he  perished  in  the  attempt, 
 another  would  renew  the  effort.  He  succeeded  in  settling 
 two  teachers  on  the  low  coral  island  of  Aniwa.  He  then 
 proceeded  to  Eromanga,  and  had  the  happiness  of  introducing 
 two  teachers  there  also.  They  had  to  be  removed,  how- 
 ever, in  1841,  after  suffering  great  hardships.      In  England 
 
 *  Life  of  John  Williams,  p.  566. 
 
36  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 there  was  ;in  earnest  desire  to  evangelize  the  New  Hebrides, 
 as  the  Christian  means  of  avenging  tlie  martyrs'  death. 
 On  the  11th  of  August  1841,  Messrs.  Turner  and  Nisbet 
 sailed  from  Gravesend  with  a  commission  to  settle  on  the 
 island  of  Tanna.  This  was  immediately  after  the  tidings 
 of  the  death  of  Williams  had  reached  tlie  directors  of  the 
 London  ^lissionary  Society.  It  was  felt  to  be  desirable  that 
 the  standard  of  the  gospel  should  be  taken  up  as  near  as 
 possible  to  the  spot  where  John  "Williams  laid  it  down. 
 It  was  June  1842  before  these  brethren  reached  Tanna. 
 All  who  knew  anything  of  the  New  Hebrides  felt  that  the 
 undertaking  was  very  hazardous ;  but  the  missionaries  took 
 their  lives  in  their  hands,  and  settled  among  the  savajjjes. 
 They  found  the  Samoan  pioneers  safe,  but  they  received 
 dark  accounts  of  the  people  and  of  the  prospects  of  the 
 mission.  '  We  had  not  been  twenty-four  hours  on  shore,' 
 says  Dr.  Turner,  '  until  we  found  that  we  were  among  a  set 
 of  notorious  thieves,  perfect  Spartans  in  the  trade,  and,  like 
 the  ancient  code  of  Lycurgus,  the  crime  seemed  to  be  not 
 the  stealing,  but  the  being  found  out.'  ^ 
 
 During  seven  months  the  missionaries  resided  there  with 
 their  brave  young  wives,  doing  all  they  could  to  conciliate  the 
 natives.  But  it  was  in  vain.  Difficulties  increased,  and  their 
 lives  were  in  danger.  At  last  they  tied  in  two  boats  at  dead 
 of  night,  but  had  to  return  next  day.  A  vessel  then  called 
 in  their  greatest  extremity,  and  took  them  away  to  Samoa. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  were  for  twenty  years  longer  the 
 object  of  tlie  solicitude  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
 Their  vessel  called  at  several  of  them  from  period  to  period, 
 and  endeavoured  to  introduce  teacliers,  and  to  visit  such 
 as  had  been  located  there.  Much  care  and  effort  were 
 expended  by  their  agents  in  the  attempt  to  cany  the  gospel 
 of  Christ  to  the  benighted  people ;  nor  were  the  efforts 
 relaxed  until  there  appeared  a  likelihood  that  rresl)yterian 
 missionaries  would  occupy  the  group. 
 
 '  Nineteen  Years  in  Polynesia,  p.  6. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  37 
 
 The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  the  apostolic  Dr.  Selwyn/ 
 also  cast  a  longing  eye  over  the  dark  islands  of  Melanesia, 
 mentioned  in  his  letters  patent.  This  included  the  groups 
 from  New  Caledonia  to  the  Santa  Cruz  Archipelago.  He 
 made  voyages  in  a  small  schooner,  and  pioneered  a  way  for 
 those  who  followed.  He  was  like  Livingstone  in  Africa, 
 and  by  his  manner,  won  a  way  to  the  confidence  of  the 
 natives.  He  got  numbers  of  young  men  to  go  with  him  to 
 Auckland  to  be  instructed  in  reading  and  in  Christian 
 truth.  These  he  returned  again  to  their  homes.  When  the 
 liev.  John  Coleridgk  Pattesox  joined  him  in  the  mis- 
 sionary work  in  1854,  and  a  more  suitable  vessel  was 
 secured,  many  of  the  islands  in  the  New  Hebrides  were 
 regularly  visited.  The  bishop  knew  a  little  of  Eromangan, 
 and  collected  words  from  many  other  languages.  He  handed 
 over  all  the  mission  work  among  the  islands  to  Mr.  Patte- 
 son,  who  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Melanesia  in  1861. 
 Bishop  Patteson  looked  upon  the  New  Hebrides  north  of 
 Tanna  as  open  to  his  efforts,  though  he  had  always  an 
 unwillingness  to  enter  on  ground  occupied  by  others. 
 Latterly,  as  the  southern  islands  were  occupied  by  Presby- 
 terian missionaries,  he  confined  his  attention  to  the  most 
 northern.  He  had  youths  from  Mai  and  Ambry m  and 
 Leper's  Isle  in  his  Institution,  and  he  collected  many  words 
 in  the  languages  of  tl;e  different  islands.  Sir  William 
 Martin,  the  late  Chief  Justice  of  New  Zealand,  states  that 
 Bishop  Patteson  reduced  to  pi-int  as  many  as  six  languages 
 of  the  northern  New  Hebrides." 
 
 He  was  particularly  attracted  to  these  natives,  and  longed 
 much  to  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ.      However, 
 
 ^  Afterwards  tlie  Bishop  of  Licliilold  ;  see  his  Life  by  the  Kev.  H.  W. 
 Tucker,  M.A. 
 
 *  Life  of  J.  C.  Patteson,  D.D.,  vol.  ii.,  Appendi.\.  These  hiiiguages  were 
 of  the  islands  Jlai,  Api  (two  dialects),  Aiiibrvin,  Paama,  Leper's  Isle,  and 
 Vuu  Marana, — the  north  end  of  the  isle  of  Whitsuntide  or  Pentecost.  Of 
 these,  some  specimens  are  given  in  the  Appendix.  They  were  sent  to  me 
 from  Norfolk  Island  by  the  kindness  of  the  Melanesian  niissionaiies. 
 
38  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 as  the  resident  Presbyterian  missionaries  were  pushing  their 
 stations  to  the  north,  the  bishop  directed  his  chief  efforts 
 among  the  Banks'  group  (where  he  won  liis  greatest  suc- 
 cesses), the  Solomon,  the  Santa  Cruz,  and  the  Swallow 
 groups,  in  the  latter  of  which,  in  1871,  he  met  a  martyr's 
 death.  The  north-eastern  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides 
 were,  however,  regularly  visited,  and  still  continue  to  be 
 the  care  of  the  Melanesian  mission. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  became  the  sphere  of  Presbyterian 
 missions  in  1848.  The  London  Missionary  Society's 
 vessel  conveyed  the  Rev.  John  Geddie  to  the  island  of 
 Aneityum,  and  one  of  the  Samoan  brethren  laboured  witli 
 him  a  year  in  commencing  his  work.  The  Bishop  of  New 
 Zealand  conveyed  the  Eev.  John  Inglis  to  the  same  island 
 in  his  mission  vessel  in  1852.  Thus  these  two  representa- 
 tives of  other  societies  introduced  the  missionaries  who  were 
 to  endeavour  to  occupy  the  islands.  It  was  to  one  of  the 
 most  difficult  of  all  spheres  in  the  many  groups  of  the 
 vast  Pacific  ;  but  it  has  not  been  beyond  the  influence  of 
 the  gospel  of  Christ. 
 
 The  Rev.  John  Geddie,  the  father  and  founder  of  the 
 mission,  had  been  a  minister  in  Prince  Edward  Island,  in 
 British  North  America.  He  was  born  in  Banff,  Scotland, 
 in  1816,  but  while  a  child  was  taken  to  Nova  Scotia.  His 
 mother  early  dedicated  him  to  the  work  of  Christ.  Without 
 knowing  this,  his  own  mind  was  drawn  out  towards  the 
 heathen,  and  he  endeavoured  to  arouse  the  Church  to  which 
 he  belonged — the  Secession  Church — to  take  a  part  in  the 
 evangelization  of  the  world.  Having  succeeded  in  this,  he 
 offered  himself  as  their  missionary.  His  offer  was  accej^ted, 
 and  he  left  his  attached  flock,  his  relatives  and  friends,  and 
 went  away  with  his  young  wife  to  seek  a  sphere  among  the 
 South  Sea  Islands,  where  lie  might  teach  the  heathen  the 
 gospel  of  Christ.  It  was  literally  a  pilgrimage  of  faith. 
 He  went,  not  knowing  whither  he  went.  He  rounded 
 Cape   Horn,  called  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  reached 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  39 
 
 Samoa.  He  there  sought  advice  of  the  brethren  as  to  his 
 future  movements.  They  suggested  the  New  Hebrides, 
 and  the  island  of  Aneityum,  as  affording  a  gleam  of  hope. 
 He  was  taken  there,  as  has  been  mentioned,  in  1848. 
 
 The  Eev.  John  Inglis  belonged  to  the  Reformed  Presby- 
 terian Church  in  Scotland.  He  was  a  native  of  Moniaive, 
 Dumfriesshire,  and  after  learning  a  trade  went  to  the 
 University  of  Glasgow,  and  the  Theological  Hall  of  his 
 Church,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel.  He  was 
 appointed  the  first  foreign  missionary  sent  by  the  Synod, 
 and  was  commissioned  to  labour  among  the  Maories  in  New 
 Zealand.  He  spent  eight  years  there,  and  won  much 
 respect  from  all  with  whom  he  came  into  contact.  He  had 
 a  colleague  in  his  work,  the  Eev.  James  Duncan  ;  but  Mr. 
 Inglis  saw  that  the  Church  of  England  and  the  Wesleyan 
 missions  occupied  the  ground,  and  that  it  would  be  better 
 to  seek  another  sphere  among  the  heathen.  The  Presby- 
 terian settlers  were  very  anxious  to  retain  him,  but  his 
 mind  was  made  up  to  go  to  the  isles  of  the  sea.  Sir  George 
 Grey,  then  Governor  of  New  Zealand,  used  his  influence  to 
 get  a  passage  for  him  in  H.M.S.  Havannali,  and  Captain 
 Erskine,  the  commander,  most  cheerfully  granted  it.  Cap- 
 tain, now  Admiral  Erskine,  is  a  grand-nephew  of  the  Eev. 
 Dr.  John  Erskine  of  Edinburgh,  who  took  so  high  a  place 
 in  the  evangelical  party  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  during 
 the  last  century,  and  who  was  the  President  of  the  first 
 Missionary  Society  in  Edinburgh  in  1796. 
 
 The  Havannali  left  Auckland  on  8th  August  1850,  and 
 visited  the  New  Hebrides,  Queen  Charlotte's  Islands,  the 
 Solomon  Islands,  and  New  Caledonia.  Three  months  were 
 spent  on  the  cruise,  and  Mr.  Inglis  had  ample  opportunity 
 of  observing  the  islands.  He  met  the  Eev.  John  Geddie 
 at  Aneityum,  and  learned  that  he  would  be  welcomed  to 
 assist  the  work  there.  On  returning  by  way  of  Sydney  to 
 Auckland,  he  made  proposals  to  the  Committee  in  Scotland 
 to  transfer  him  to  Aneityum,  and  after  some  delay  got  their 
 
40  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 consent.  Tlie  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  Dr.  Selwyn,  kindly 
 and  cheerfully  gave  him  and  Mrs.  Inglis  a  free  passage  in 
 his  vessel  the  Border  Maid.  '  Had  we  been  his  own  mis- 
 sionaries,' said  Mr.  Inglis,  '  he  could  not  have  done  more  to 
 accommodate  us,  and  to  furnish  us  with  facilities  for  bring- 
 ing with  us  whatever  we  considered  necessary  for  the 
 mission.'  They  left  Auckland  on  the  19th  June,  and 
 reached  Aneityum  on  the  1st  July  1852.  They  were 
 warmly  welcomed  by  the  Eev.  John  Geddie  and  his  wife, 
 and  were  soon  settled  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  at  a 
 place  called  Aname,  where  he  spent  twenty-three  years 
 with  great  success. 
 
 In  1857,  the  Eev.  George  N.  Gordon  and  his  wife 
 settled  on  Eromanga.  It  was  eighteen  years  after  the 
 martyr  death  of  Williams  and  Harris.  In  1858,  sixteen 
 years  after  the  flight  of  Messrs.  Turner  and  Nisbet,  Tanna 
 was  again  occupied  by  missionaries.  Messrs.  Copeland  and 
 Paton,  and  Mrs.  Patou,  were  settled  at  Port  Eesolution. 
 Mr.  Copeland  had  to  leave  soon  after  to  supply  the  place  of 
 Mr.  Inglis  on  Aneityum ;  but  Mr.  Matheson  and  his  wile 
 were  settled  at  Kwamera,  on  the  south-east  side,  and  Mr. 
 Johnston  and  his  wife  joined  Mr.  Paton  in  1859.  Disasters 
 again  fell  upon  the  mission,  as  will  be  specially  related,^ 
 but  the  work  extended.  In  1864  a  band  of  four  mis- 
 sionaries arrived,  one  of  whom,  the  Eev.  J.  D.  Gordon, 
 succeeded  his  brother  on  Eromanga,  and  the  Eev.  D. 
 Morrison  settled  at  Erakor  in  the  island  of  Fatu.  In 
 1866,  the  Eev.  J.  Copeland  was  located  at  Fotuna,  Eev.  J. 
 G.  Paton  on  Aniwa,  Eev.  Jaimes  Cosh,  M.A.,  at  Pango, 
 near  Mr.  Morrison.  The  Eev.  JaxMES  MacNair  reinforced 
 the  mission  on  Eromanga.  In  1868,  Tanna  was  reoccupied 
 by  the  Eev.  Thomas  ISTeilson  at  Port  Eesolution,  and  in 
 1869,  by  the  Eev.  William  Watt  at  Kwamera  to  the 
 south.  The  Eev.  P.  Milne  settled  at  Nguua,  north  of  Fate, 
 in  1870  ;  and  in  the  same  year,  the  most  northerly  island  of 
 1  In  chapters  on  Tanna  and  Eromanga. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  41 
 
 Espiritu  Santo  was  occupied  by  the  Eev.  John  Goodvv'Ill. 
 A  pioneer  visit  of  four  months  had  been  made  to  Espiritu 
 Santo  by  the  Eev.  James  D.  Gordon  in  1868.  He  had 
 learned  the  language  from  two  youths  who  had  been  left 
 on  Eromanga,  and  he  prepared  a  primer,  and  got  it  printed 
 at  Sydney  before  he  left.  The  Eev.  J.  W.  Mackenzie,  the 
 Eev.  J.  D.  Murray,  the  Eev.  Hugh  A.  Eobertson,  and  the 
 Eev.  D.  Macdonald  joined  the  mission  in  1872  ;  the  Eev. 
 Joseph  Annand  in  1873,  Mr.  Oscar  Michelsen  in  1878, 
 and  Mr,  J.  H.  Laurie  in  1879,  The  ranks  have  been 
 thinned  by  the  retirement  of  some;  but  in  1879  there  are 
 eleven  missionaries  attached  to  the  active  staff,  of  whom 
 two  were  on  furlough  in  Europe.^ 
 
 At  present  there  are  organized  congregations  at  the  two 
 stations  on  Aneityum,  on  Aniwa,  Eromanga,  and  Erakor, 
 and  at  Havannah  Harbour  on  the  island  of  Eate.  On  the 
 other  islands,  the  preliminary  work  is  being  carried  on  by 
 the  missionaries  and  native  teachers.  The  missionary 
 brethren  employed  are  all  respectable  and  well-educated 
 men.  They  have  all  passed  through  the  usual  course  of 
 study  required  for  ministers  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
 that  is,  an  undergi-aduate  course  at  one  of  the  universities, 
 and  a  theological  course  at  the  divinity  halls.  Most  of 
 them  have  had  the  additional  advantage  of  attendance  at 
 some  of  the  medical  classes.  Taken  all  together,  they  are 
 equal  to  the  average  of  the  clergy  of  the  Presbyterian 
 Church  anywhere,  while  there  are  among  them  some  who 
 are  distinguished  for  their  attainments  in  one  department 
 or  another,  or  for  their  zeal  and  devotion  to  their  work. 
 Having  made  their  personal  acquaintance,  visited  their 
 well-regulated  homes  and  families  on  the  islands,  and  seen 
 
 1  The  history  and  progress  of  the  Kew  Hebrides  mission  seem  very  little 
 known,  for  in  a  work  published  in  1875  by  James  Hutton,  entitled  Mis- 
 sionary Life  ill  the  South  Seas,  the  Wesleyan  missionaries  get  the  credit  of 
 sailing  among  the  New  Hebrides  group,  men  who  never  sailed  there.  There 
 is  no  record  of  any  success  by  the  Presbyterian  mission.  The  whole  volume 
 is  inaccurate  and  defective. 
 
4  2  THE  XEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  spheres  of  their  Lihour,  and  in  most  cases  also  the  posi- 
 tion which  they  hold  among  the  natives,  and  the  result  of 
 their  work,  I  can  bear  an  honest  and  intelligent  testimony. 
 They  are  Init  men,  and  in  their  peculiar  dithculties  may  make 
 mistakes,  may  occasionally  err  from  want  of  prudence,  or 
 from  over-caution.  Some  may  have  been  sent  who  were  un- 
 suitable in  physical  health  or  in  powers  of  adaptation ;  but, 
 taken  all  in  all,  especially  those  who  have  continued  in  the 
 field,  they  are  a  credit  to  the  churches  which  commissioned 
 them,  and  a  great  blessing  to  the  natives  of  the  islands 
 among  whom  they  labour.  They  have  maintained  a  good 
 reputation,  have  refrained  from  all  traffic  in  land,  and  have 
 exercised  a  watchful  and  beneficial  oversight  over  the 
 natives  in  all  their  relations. 
 
 The  captains  of  Her  ^Majesty's  vessels  have  again  and 
 again  borne  witness  to  their  worth.  Admiral  Erskine,  so 
 long  ago  as  1842,  said  of  the  Loudon  Missionary  Society's 
 agents,  '  that  in  acquirements,  general  ability,  and  active 
 energy,  they  would  hold  no  undistinguished  place  among 
 their  brethren,  the  Scottish  Presbyterian  clergy,  to  which 
 denomination  the  majority  of  them  belong.'  ^  He  also  adds, 
 *  Xor  can  the  greatest  scoffer  at  their  exertions  deny  to  them 
 the  possession  of  a  virtue  which  every  class  of  Englishmen 
 esteem  above  all  others,  the  highest  order  of  personal 
 courage.'  The  same  may  be  said  of  those  in  the  Xew 
 Hebrides,  who  are  more  truly  Presbyterian. 
 
 Captain  Palmer  of  H.M.S.  Bosario  bore  the  following 
 testimony  in  1870  : — 
 
 '  When  I  hear  all  the  wicked  nonsense  that  is  talked  abont  missionaries, 
 and  the  sneers  tliat  often  accompany  it,  I  wax  angry.  Doubtless  the 
 sketches  of  the  missionary  settlement  look  very  pretty  on  paper,  but 
 unfortunately  there  are  some  things  you  cannot  portray,  such  as  insufficient 
 food,  brackish  water,  together  with  swarms  of  mosquitoes  and  other  insects, 
 
 1  Journal  of  a  Cruise  amon<j  the  hlamh  of  the  Western  Pacific,  p.  100. 
 See  also  the  late  Dr.  Jlullens'  able  and  eloquent  paper  on  Mmsions  in  Ecclesia 
 for  a  noble  defence  with  adequate  witnesses. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  43 
 
 and  often,  as  at  Dillon's  Bay,  a  sweltering  poisonous  atmosphere,  accom- 
 panied by  fever  and  ague. 
 
 '  The  missionary  schooner  is  often  delayed  on  her  annual  trip  ;  then  the 
 stores  of  flour,  etc.,  are  at  a  very  low  ebb,  and  frefjuently  injured  by  the 
 damp,  and  the  sugar  swarming  with  ants.  An  English  labourer  would  often 
 turn  up  his  nose  at  their  daily  fare. 
 
 'All  these  things  cannot  be  put  into  a  sketch  of  a  two-roomed  cottage 
 under  the  shade  of  a  cocoa-nut  grove,  with  beautifully  wooded  hills  as  a 
 background,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Missionary  in  American  rocking-chairs  in  front, 
 srtrmingly  with  nothing  on  earth  to  trouble  them. 
 
 '  But  look  at  the  real  side  of  the  picture,  and  see  these  noble  men  and 
 women,  who  have  in  ever}-  age  gone  forth  from  their  country  and  friends, 
 often  liearing  their  lives  in  their  hands,  to  do  their  Master's  bidding,  and 
 preach  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ  to  the  heathen,  living  alone,  to  all 
 intents  and  purposes,  in  a  strange  land,  often  in  an  unhealthy  climate,  and 
 frequently  surrounded  by  savages  who  have  murdered  their  predecessors,  and 
 may  perhaps  kill  themselves.  But  these  things  they  think  little  of ;  they 
 count  not  their  lives  dear  unto  them  ;  what  concerns  them  most  Is  to  see  the 
 little  work  they  have  been  j>ermitted  to  do  among  these  savages,  after  weeLs 
 and  months  of  prayer  and  patience,  dashed  to  the  ground  and  indefinitely 
 thrown  back  by  the  shameful  acts  of  their  own  countrymen.  Whether  in  the 
 Sandwich  Islands  or  New  Zealand,  amongst  the  Society,  Fiji,  or  New  Hebrides 
 groups,  I  have  ever  found  them  the  same  earnest,  God-fearing  men,  stri\-ing 
 to  their  utmost  to  win  souls  amongst  those  who  but  for  them  would  never 
 hear  of  the  "glad  tidings  of  great  joy."  They  require  no  advocacy  from  me, 
 however  ;  I  only  ask  those  who  are  so  fond  of  ronning  down  missionaries  to 
 think  a  little,  and  not  talk  ignorantly  and  wickedly  about  men  and  women 
 whose  lives  adorn  some  of  the  brightest  pages  of  British  history. '  * 
 
 Commander  Maekham  also  bears  favourable  testimony 
 to  the  missionaries,  most  of  whom  he  visited  while  in  the 
 Fiosario  in  1871.  He  never  fails  to  notice  their  attention 
 to  him. 
 
 The  late  Mr.  Julius  Brenxhley,  a  most  accomplished 
 naturalist  and  traveller,  who  accompanied  Sir  "William 
 Wiseman  in  the  cruise  of  the  Curacoa  among  the  South 
 Sea  Islands  in  1865,  did  not  form  so  high  an  opinion  of 
 the  missionaries.     He  said — 
 
 '  That  the  missionaries  are  doing  much,  though  not  unmixed,  good  seems 
 to  be  the  general  testimony ;  but  how  much  more  beneficial  would  be  their 
 action  if  with  their  zeal  they  combined  knowledge,  if  they  were  men  of  more 
 cultivated  intellects  and  of  a  greater  social  refinement,  in  one  category  of 
 
 '  Kidnapping  in  the  South  Seas,  p.  58. 
 
44  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 which,  that  is  manners,  they  are  often  much  inferior  to  those  they  teach, 
 and  thereby,  as  we  have  seen,  abridge  their  influence.  Hence  it  is  much  to 
 be  regretted  that  the  standard  of  native  refinement  will  be  lowered  instead 
 of  raised  by  those  who  will  have  the  power  of  moulding  it.  But  it  is  useless 
 to  complain.  The  rough  work  of  a  higher  but  imp<'rfectly  imparted  civilisa- 
 tion will  go  on  as  it  has  begun,  and  it  will  be  a  matter  of  interest  hereafter 
 to  know  the  character  of  the  materials  out  of  which  its  results  have  been 
 wrought.'  ' 
 
 This  complaint  is  not  well  founded.  Mr.  Brencliley 
 may  have  met  with  one  here  and  another  there  who  was 
 rough  and  unmannerly  ;  but  all  missionaries  in  the  New 
 Hebrides  have,  as  I  have  said,  had  the  benefit  of  a  thorough 
 university  education,  and  they  liave  at  least  good  manners, 
 and,  as  admitted  by  competent  witnesses,  an  average 
 cultivation ;  and  whatever  advances  the  n-atives  have  made 
 in  civilisation,  they  owe  all  to  the  men  who  denied  them- 
 selves the  constant  advantages  of  civilised  society  to  impart 
 it  to  them.  Mr.  Brencliley 's  criticism,  however,  professes 
 to  be  that  of  one  who  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  work  of 
 civilising  the  Soutli  Sea  islanders.  He  recorded  in  the 
 preface  to  his  valuable  work  his  thanks  to  the  various 
 missionaries  with  whom  he  came  into  contact,  for  their 
 personal  civilities,  and  for  the  notes  which  they  furnished 
 him  respecting  the  islands  on  which  they  resided.  '  If,'  he 
 said,  '  I  have  had  occasion  to  criticise  some  of  them,  it  is 
 ])ecause,  while  believing  them  to  be  honestly  devoted  to 
 the  great  task  of  civilising  the  natives  of  these  regions,  I 
 have  thought  it  my  duty  to  record  my  impressions  as  to 
 why  they  mar  their  own  purpose,  and  expend  their 
 energies  sometimes  in  an  unprofitable  way.      This  is  the 
 
 *  Jottings  during  the  Cruise  of  H.M.S.  Curuf^oa  among  the  South  Sea 
 hlands  in  1865,  by  Julius  L.  Brenchley,  M.  A.,  F.R.G.S.,  p.  349.  This  work 
 is  the  result  of  the  author's  observations  as  a  naturalist.  It  is  a  magnificent 
 book,  and  illustrated  with  many  engravings.  The  birds,  insects,  and  shells 
 new  to  science  are  presented  in  most  beautiful  coloured  plates.  Mr.  Brenchley 
 died  before  the  work  was  published.  He  was  a  most  enterprising  naturalist, 
 and  travelled  far  and  wide,  but  was  cut  off  in  his  prime  before  his  book  was 
 published. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  45 
 
 more  necessary  as  the  time  is  rapidly  approaching  when 
 the  process  of  missionary  enterprise  must  be  carried  on  in 
 modes  and  on  principles  very  different  from  those  which 
 were  recognised  when  they  devoted  themselves  to  their 
 task.'  He  seemed  to  imagine  that  there  must  be  less 
 dogmatic  teaching,  and  that  such  teaching  must  not  be 
 '  the  sole  or  principal  lever  by  which  the  civilisation  of  the 
 natives  is  to  be  upraised.'  Such  was  the  view  of  the  Dean 
 of  Westminster,  of  which  he,  Mr.  Brenchley,  approved.  But 
 these  very  missionaries  teach  the  arts  of  reading,  writing,  and 
 also  different  mechanical  arts.  Mr.  Brenchley  Avas  fully 
 aware  of  some  of  the  missionaries'  difficulties,  especially 
 from  unprincipled  white  men  in  the  South  Seas.  He  thus 
 wrote,  in  language  as  strong  as  any  missionary  could  use: — 
 
 '  But  of  what  avail  can  be  the  fittest  missionary,  though  using  the  fittest 
 means  of  civilising,  when  the  ground  he  has  to  till  is  bristling  with  passionate 
 recollections  and  fierce  resentments,  that  thwart  him  at  every  step  ?  In  the 
 "Western  Pacific  Ocean  there  is  hardly  an  island  the  traditions  of  which  do 
 not  record,  or  the  existing  generations  of  which  have  not  experienced,  out- 
 rages that  cause  their  inhabitants  to  distrust,  fear,  or  resent  the  approach  of 
 the  stranger  race.  How  is  he  to  face  those  carriers  of  demoralization  who, 
 to  use  the  apposite  language  of  the  Times  when  commenting  on  the  sul.iject, 
 "  spread  themselves  over  the  world,  following  everywhere  the  bent  of  their 
 own  nature,  doing  their  own  will,  following  their  own  gain — too  generally 
 doing  and  being  nothing  that  a  heathen  will  recognise  as  better  than  him- 
 self," or  by  many  degrees  as  good  ?  Even  a  missionary  of  the  highest  quali- 
 fications, such  as  we  now  aspire  to  have,  but  rarely  possess,  might  be  baffled 
 by  such  foes  ;  how  then,  we  ask  with  the  same  journal,  "  can  a  feeble  mis- 
 sionary, who  would  too  often  be  thought  but  a  poor  creature  at  home,  with 
 every  advantage  in  his  favour,  hope  to  stem  with  a  few  phrases  the  torrent 
 of  profligacy  he  finds  already  in  possession  of  the  ground  ? "  The  remedy 
 proposed  is  "to  convert  our  masses  at  home."  Unfortunately,  this  sugges- 
 tion, besides  being  too  commonplace,  too  rational,  and  too  little  ostentatious, 
 indicates  a  process  too  slow  to  meet  the  urgency  of  the  case.  But  what 
 could  be  done,  if  the  country  were  in  earnest,  would  be  to  take  care  that  at 
 least  the  most  prominent  offences  of  these  destroyers  and  corrupters  should 
 inevitably  meet  the  punishment  which  thej-  deserve. 
 
 '  It  is  time.  In  various  parts  of  this  book  will  be  found  evidence  enough 
 of  the  pressing  need  of  such  a  policy.  But  if  more  were  required,  the  fright- 
 ful incidents  brought  to  our  notice  recently  in  connection  with  the  Carl,  a 
 slave  trader,  pretending  to  be  an  emigrant  ship,  supply  a  horrible  sujiplement. 
 What  a  hideous  emblem  of  our  civilisation  is  that  blood-stained  vessel,  throwing 
 
46  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 out  like  the  fangs  of  a  grim  monster  its  grappling  irons  to  clutcli  and  upset  the 
 canoes  of  the  unsuspecting  natives,  then  sending  its  boats  to  pick  up  such 
 of  them  as  had  not  made  for  land  or  were  not  drowned  ;  hustling  and  closely 
 packing  them  in  its  hold,  and  when  its  captives,  driven  mad  by  excitement 
 and  suffering,  (piarrelled  among  themselves,  firing  shot  upon  shot  at  them 
 through  the  hatches  during  the  night,  killing  and  wounding  seventy  ;  and 
 finally,  when  morning  broke,  throwing  the  dead  and  the  wounded,  fastened 
 to  one  another,  into  the  sea  !  Surely  if  there  were  felt  but  a  hundredth  part 
 of  tlie  interest  in  the  fate  of  the  Polynesian  that  was  once,  and  is  still,  taken 
 in  the  fate  of  the  African,  there  would  have  been  a  shout  of  indignant 
 remonstrance  from  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other.  But  where  is  now  the 
 Anti-Slavery  Society  ?  Where  is  the  really  benevolent  Society  of  Friends  ? 
 Where  is  there  the  slightest  Hush  of  that  frenzy  of  indignation  not  long 
 since  exhibited  in  the  case  of  the  Jamaica  black  ?  But  philanthropy  has 
 often  its  pet  victims,  on  whom  it  lavishes  all  its  aflfection,  and  hence  it  is  to  be 
 seen  fervid  and  flaming  in  one  direction,  while  it  is  cold  to  rigidity  in  another, 
 where  the  claims  upon  its  sympathy  are  very  similar,  if  not  the  same.  It  is 
 to  be  hoped  that  some  member  of  Parliament  will  endeavour  to  divert  his 
 colleagues  for  a  moment  from  matters  more  interesting  to  themselves, 
 perhaps,  and  fix  their  attention  on  one  than  which  none  more  concerns 
 the  honour  of  the  nation,  and  that  is,  the  necessity  of  pressing  the  Govern- 
 ment to  make  itself  a  vigilant  and  efficient  representative  of  justice  and 
 humanity  in  these  seas. '  ^ 
 
 It  is  a  pity  that,  while  uttering  these  sentiments,  he 
 should  so  sharply  blame  the  missionaries  of  the  New 
 Hebrides  for  urging  the  British  Government  and  the  Com- 
 modore on  the  Australian  station  to  do  the  very  same  thing. 
 He  supposed  that  their  appeals  and  complaints  were  only 
 in  reference  to  personal  injuries  at  the  hands  of  the 
 savage  heathen.  These  will  be  seen  in  future  chapters  to 
 have  had  a  far  wider  reference.  The  late  Sir  William 
 AViseman  himself,  then  Commodore,  assured  me,  after  liis 
 cruise  in  the  Carapa,  that  his  visit  to  these  islands  did 
 not  originate  with  the  missionaries,  and  that  his  conduct 
 was  not  in  consequence  of  the  request  of  missionaries. 
 He  had  reports  and  despatches  from  the  Home  and  Colonial 
 Governments  that  required  him  to  visit  the  islands.^  If 
 Mr.  Brenchley  had  known  the  missionaries  better,  he  would 
 have  estimated  them  more  highly. 
 
 But  to  return  to  the  mission,  and  what  it  has  accom- 
 
 '  Preface,  p.  viii.  -  See  chapter  on  Tanna. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  47 
 
 plished  in  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen  in  the 
 New  Hebrides,  In  the  congregations  of  the  Christian 
 natives,  the  mode  of  conducting  public  worship  in  the 
 mission  presents  some  peculiarities.  The  missionaries  take 
 many  opportunities  to  draw  out  the  native  Christians,  and 
 even  inquirers,  in  the  public  exercises  of  devotion  in  the 
 church.  In  all  places  which  I  visited  I  found  this.  The  mis- 
 sionary asked  some  of  his  native  teachers,  if  present,  or  other 
 member  of  the  church,  to  offer  prayer.  This  was  invariably 
 done  with  promptitude  and  reverence.  Scarcely  any  of  the 
 elders,  deacons,  or  teachers  on  Aneityum  is  incapable  of 
 affording  this  help  to  the  missionary.  On  Aniwa,  Mr. 
 Paton  states  that  almost  all  the  male  communicants  can  do 
 the  sanre.  Some,  yet  unbaptized,  I  found  called  upon  to 
 offer  prayer  in  the  congregation.  Occasionally  one  is  called 
 upon  to  give  an  address.  As  there  are  many  places  of 
 meeting,  there  is  a  large  proportion  able  to  conduct  devo- 
 tional exercises.  The  reasons  why  this  practice  is  so  common 
 are  these :  missionaries  thus  learn  the  extent  and  the  accuracy 
 of  the  Christian  knowledge  of  their  converts  and  assistants, 
 and  are  able  to  detect  any  error  and  to  correct  it.  It  aids 
 the  decision  and  consistency  of  the  native  Christians,  to  be 
 thus  committed  among  their  fellow-islanders.  It  gives  them 
 a  facility  in  expressing  Christian  truth,  and  makes  them 
 more  efficient  helpers  in  the  work. 
 
 There  is  a  wonderful  disposition  to  talk  among  these 
 people.  They  do  not  ajDpear  ever  to  be  bashful,  or  to  feel 
 that  tremor  in  speaking  in  presence  of  others  which  is  often 
 felt  in  civilised  circles.  The  exercise  of  their  powers  in 
 this  way  gives  scope  to  their  energies  in  connection  with 
 the  gospel,  and  converts  them  all  into  active  agents.  Thus 
 it  has  been,  that  out  of  so  small  a  body  of  communicants 
 on  Eromanga  and  Pate  so  many  are  actively  engaged  as 
 native  teachers ;  and  thus  has  such  a  band  been  prepared 
 on  Aneityum  for  pioneering  the  gospel  to  other  islands. 
 Tiius  teachers  are  prepared  on  all  the  islands. 
 
48  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 At  first  it  appeared  somewhat  strange  to  me  to  see  a 
 man  clad,  it  might  be,  in  some  grotesque  dress,  as  the  old 
 coat  of  a  soldier  or  marine,  or  clad  in  nothing  but  a  cotton 
 wrapper  round  the  loins,  stand  up  and  lead  the  devotions 
 of  the  people  ;  but  the  strangeness  was  all  on  my  side.  The 
 men  occupied  a  good  position  in  the  estimation  of  their 
 fellow-worshippers,  and  expressed  themselves  in  a  way  tliat 
 was  true  to  the  feelings  and  wants  of  all.  I  have  given  a 
 specimen  of  some  of  these  prayers  in  the  Appendix. 
 
 The  wives  of  missionaries  informed  me  that  they  have 
 encouraged  the  same  thing  in  meetings  of  the  native  women, 
 and  that  numbers  of  these  can  take  part  in  exercises  of 
 social  devotion  or  at  home.  Even  youths  do  the  same,  and 
 on  the  island  of  Pele,  near  Fate,  one  of  the  natives,  almost 
 a  boy,  after  the  death  of  the  teacher  settled  there,  conducted 
 worship  on  the  Sabbath  days.  Young  lads  did  the  same 
 on  Eromanga  after  the  murder  of  the  Kev.  G.  N.  Gordon  in 
 1861. 
 
 Presbyterians  have  been  slow  to  develop  this  power ; 
 and  it  hiay  be  that,  from  the  islands  of  the  sea,  lessons  may 
 be  learned  in  utilizing,  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  congrega- 
 tion, the  gifts  and  graces  which  belong  to  each  member. 
 
 It  is  very  interesting  to  mark  the  influence  of  the  mis- 
 sionary on  the  islands.  On  those  that  are  still  heathen  he 
 is  respected  and  trusted.  When  difficulties  arise  with 
 traders  or  white  settlers  regarding  land,  when  cases  require 
 to  be  brought  under  the  notice  of  commanders  of  sliips  of 
 war,  the  missionary  is  felt  to  be  the  faithful  exponent  of 
 the  wants  or  grievances  of  the  natives.  They  know  that 
 the  missionaries  are  not  seeking  personal  advantage,  and 
 hence  they  are  implicitly  relied  on  in  matters  of  peculiar 
 difficulty. 
 
 On  the  Christian  islands,  the  missionary  endeavours  to 
 lay  upon  chiefs  the  importance  of  exercising  a  rightful 
 authority ;  but  where  the  power  of  a  chief  is  limited,  as  it 
 is  on  all  the  New  Hebrides,  to  a  village  or  two,  the  advice 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  49 
 
 of  the  missionary  is  of  highest  consequence.  Some  have 
 called  this  an  usurpation  of  power  and  a  meddling  with 
 politics  and  trade.  Those  especially  complain  of  it,  who 
 want  to  take  advantage  of  native  ignorance ;  but  it  is  the 
 conviction  of  moral  rectitude,  and  the  exercise  of  a  con- 
 siderate philanthropy,  that  lead  the  missionaries  to  give 
 information  and  counsel  where  the  welfare  and  the  morals 
 of  their  people  are  concerned. 
 
 To  have  gained  that  influence  by  doing  good,  and  to  use 
 it  for  good,  is  a  noble  work.  Whether  among  the  inhabit- 
 ants of  England  in  days  long  past,  or  among  the  islanders 
 of  the  New  Hebrides  now,  what  Wordsworth  says  of  such 
 missionaries  is  true  : — 
 
 '  Eich  conquest  wins  them  :  the  tempestuous  sea 
 Of  ignorance,  that  ran  so  rough  and  high, 
 And  heeded  not  the  voice  of  clashing  swords, 
 Tliese  good  men  humble  by  a  few  bare  words. 
 And  calm  with  fear  of  God's  divinity. ' 
 
 Civilisation  has  not  made  such  rapid  progress  in  the 
 Christian  islands  as  one  Avould  be  led  to  expect,  and  as 
 some  islanders  have  illustrated  in  other  groups.  It  must 
 be  remembered  that  the  New  Hebrides  are  inhabited  by  a 
 much  lower  type  of  men,  and  that  civilisation  is  of  slow 
 progress.  When  a  person  lands  in  Aneityum  from  Europe 
 or  from  the  Colonies,  and  sees  the  native  life  and  manners, 
 he  feels  a  shock,  and  is  led  to  ask,  Is  this  all  that  Chris- 
 tianity has  accomplished  ?  The  natives  live  in  the  same 
 kind  of  huts  as  tliey  occupied  before.  They  have  appa- 
 rently the  same  indolence,  and  evidence  small  desire  to 
 imitate  the  higher  style  of  life  and  manners  set  before  them 
 by  the  missionaries.  What  improvement  they  have  acquired 
 they  owe  under  God  to  the  missionaries.  What  is  the 
 amount  of  that  improvement  ?  Tliey  have  abandoned  all 
 the  abominations  and  superstitions  of  their  heathen  life. 
 They  respect  the  moral  law  as  summarised  in  the  ten 
 commandments.    They  fear  and  serve  one  God,  and  worship 
 
 D 
 
50  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 His  name  without  any  idolatry  or  fetishism,  Tliey  rever- 
 ence His  name.  They  keep  holy  the  Sabbath-day,  and  for 
 this  purpose  cook  all  their  food  on  the  previous  day,  so  as 
 to  spend  the  day  in  the  pubKc  and  private  exercises  of 
 God's  service.  Not  that  they  make  it  a  day  of  gloom. 
 They  sing  too  much  and  too  heartily  for  that,  but  that  they 
 refrain  from  what  on  other  days  takes  up  so  much  time, 
 Tlie  second  table  of  the  law  has  received  as  striking  illus- 
 trations. Family  life  has  become  purer  by  the  abolition  of 
 polygamy,  and  more  happy  by  the  residence  of  man  and 
 wife  together,  which  did  not  characterise  their  heathen 
 state.  Parental  responsibility  is  more  fully  realized  and 
 discharged,  and  filial  piety  is  encouraged  by  their  domestic 
 worship  and  by  a  better  training.  Life  is  safe  in  Aneityum 
 and  Aniwa  from  one  end  of  the  islands  to  tlie  other,  both  for 
 white  men,  natives  of  other  islands,  and  members  of  different 
 tribes — a  safety  quite  unknown,  on  heathen  islands.  The 
 seventh  commandment  is  respected,  and  to  a  great  extent 
 kept.  Mr.  Inglis  has  observed  this  for  a  long  period  of 
 years,  and  marked  what  might  be  called  the  besetting  sin 
 of  these  races  in  sunny  climes.  In  three,  hundred  births 
 during  four  years,  there  were  only  hvo  illegitimate.  Such 
 births  are  rare  on  Aneityum.  This  is  very  remarkable,  and 
 speaks  volumes  for  the  moral  influence  of  Christianity  over 
 the  people,  tempted  as  they  are  by  the  disproportion  of 
 sexes  and  the  vices  of  white  traders. 
 
 Property  is  more  highly  valued,  yet  thefts  are  rare.^  A 
 prevalent  custom  throughout  all  the  islands  was  that  each 
 man  should  share  the  wealth  of  another,  yet  Christianity 
 has  taught  the  Aneityumese  to  respect  each  other's  rights 
 in  the  possession  of  property.     Truth  is  spoken,  and  though 
 
 '  Captain  Moresby,  the  distinguished  commander  of  H.M.S.  Basilisk, 
 informed  me  that  some  of  his  seamen's  clothes  were  stolen  at  Aneityum  while 
 they  were  exposed  to  dry  on  the  shore.  The  chiefs,  however,  at  once  paid 
 the  loss,  and  afterwards  punished  the  thieves.  On  no  other  island  would 
 clothes  have  been  left  on  the  shore  to  dry.  Even  in  England  there  are  some 
 thieves. 
 
THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  5 1 
 
 there  is  everywhere  a  desire  to  get  as  much  for  notliing  as 
 possible,  a  proper  training  has  taught  the  Christians  not  to 
 covet  anything  that  is  their  neighbour's.  When  any  theft 
 takes  place,  it  is  promptly  sought  out  and  punished.  They 
 can  all  read ;  many  of  them  can  also  write.  They  can 
 take  a  part  in  whaling  enterprise,  in  the  preparation  of 
 arrowroot,  and  in  some  of  the  practical  arts  of  house-build- 
 ing. j\Ir.  Inglis  tried  to  introduce  cotton -growing  by  means 
 of  a  company  formed  for  the  purpose  in  Glasgow.  An 
 intelligent  and  respectable  man  was  sent  to  superintend  the 
 machinery  and  the  cleaning  process,  and  to  give  full  value 
 for  native  produce.  The  people  were  encouraged  to  culti- 
 vate small  patches  of  their  own  lands.  For  a  time  all 
 went  well,  but  the  native  indolence  was  too  much  for  it, 
 and  the  enterprise  was  abandoned  without  much  loss.  It 
 was  premature.  But  the  people  produce  and  dispose  of 
 taro,  bananas,  and  pigs.  They  have  not  many  cocoa-nuts 
 there  to  spare.  On  Aniwa  the  latter  are  abundant,  and  are 
 freely  sold.  British  manufactures  are  sought  in  return. 
 Tobacco,  though  used,  is  not  there  the  only  or  the  chief 
 object  of  barter.  They  want,  because  they  wear  clothing. 
 Manchester  goods  are  eagerly  sought  for  wrappers.  Shirts 
 and  trousers  are  wanted.  Handkerchiefs  and  coats,  caps, 
 straw  hats,  and  bonnets  are  purchased.  Indeed,  a  trade  in 
 useful  articles  marks  the  Christian  islands,  whereas  in  the 
 heathen,  tobacco,  muskets,  powder  and  shot,  hatchets  and 
 knives  are  almost  the  only  things  saleable.  More  manu- 
 factured goods  are  sold  on  islands  where  there  are  mis- 
 sionaries, than  on  all  the  others  put  together  in  this  group. 
 All  this  is  a  great  change  from  former  habits  of  life,  and 
 it  is  due  entirely  to  missionary  enterprise.  Traders  who 
 have  resided  on  the  islands,  or  who  have  visited  in  vessels, 
 have  not  produced  a  similar  result.  What  have  they  pro- 
 duced for  good  in  native  civilisation  ?  There  have  been 
 some  traders  honourably  distinguished  for  rectitude  of  con- 
 duct and  purity  of   life,   who    have    received    honourable 
 
52  THE  NFAV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 mention  from  the  late  Bishop  of  New  Zealand^  and  from 
 other  missionaries,  and  whose  names  have  invariably  been 
 mentioned  with  respect  by  the  natives.  The  greater  pro- 
 portion have  entered  into  impure  relations  with  native 
 women,  and  some  have  abandoned  their  illegitimate  ojff- 
 spring  to  heathen  reproach,  or  to  the  charity  of  missionary 
 orphanages.  They  have  been  often  known  to  keep  women 
 on  board  their  vessels  for  immoral  purposes,  and  to  encourage 
 prostitution.  They  have  spread  by  means  of  this  loathsome 
 vice  diseases  which  are  destroying  many ;  and  have  intro- 
 duced and  fostered  tobacco  -  smoking  on  almost  all  the 
 islands  of  the  Pacific.  Bishop  Patteson  stated  that,  amidst 
 the  sixty  to  eighty  islands  which  he  visited,  he  only  found 
 one  which  did  not  know  '  tobacco,'  and  the  same  island  did 
 not  know  the  word  '  missionary.'  Traders  have  supplied, 
 in  too  many  instances,  the  muskets  and  ammunition  with 
 which  native  fights  were  made  more  bloody,  and  European 
 life  less  safe.  They  have  created  in  many  cases  a  love 
 for  the  intoxicating  cup,  and  have  sometimes  given  it  for 
 the  basest  purposes.  They  have  brought  foreign  islanders 
 to  cultivate  land  and  perform  work  in  sandal-wood  or 
 other  trades,  and  by  arming  such  for  their  own  defence, 
 have  kept  up  a  chronic  irritation  among  the  islanders  near 
 them.  They  have  sought  personal  advantage  without 
 benefiting  the  natives,  and  have  left  no  trace  of  civilisation 
 among  the  people  ;  while  the  atrocities,  cruelties,  and  blood- 
 shed connected  with  the  sandal-wood  trade  and  the  recent 
 labour  traffic  have  inflicted  many  injuries  on  the  lives  and 
 families  of  the  natives,  and  led  to .  retaliation,  which  has 
 forfeited  the  lives  of  many  who  were  not  guilty  of  the 
 crimes  that  provoked  revenge.  The  labour  traffic  has  taken 
 away  a  large  proportion  of  the  male  inhabitants  of  many 
 islands,  and  disorganized  their  entire  life,  while,  as  Bishop 
 Patteson  testified,  some  islands  have  been  almost  depopu- 
 
 '  Life  of  George  Augustus  Selvv/n,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  and 
 afterwards  of  Lichfield,  vol.  i.  p.  308. 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  53 
 
 lated.  The  lives  aud  example  of  many  M'hite  men  in  these 
 trades  have  been  antagonistic  to  missionary  work,  and 
 often  have  natives  been  inflamed  by  them  against  the 
 missionary.  There  have  been,  I  repeat  it,  honourable 
 exceptions,  and  there  have  been  owners  in  the  colonies 
 who  have  made  it  a  principle  to  do  a  service  to  the 
 missionaries,  and  to  convey  goods  to  them  free  of  expense, 
 and  who  have  charged  their  captains  of  vessels  to  show  the 
 same  respect,  and  afford  the  same  service  to  the  men  of 
 God,  who  were  making  trade  more  plentiful,  and  traders 
 more  safe  among  the  savage  races.  All  honour  to  these ! 
 But  there  has  been,  nevertheless,  a  brand  ujDon  the  conduct 
 of  many  who  have  followed  trade  only  in  the  islands. 
 They  have  lost  moral  tone  and  character,  and  if  they  took 
 their  wives  with  them,  and  maintained  purity  of  life,  they 
 were  associating  with  men,  and  even  introducing  them  into 
 their  houses  and  to  their  wives,  whose  lives  were  a  scandal 
 to  morality  and  religion.  He  makes  a  tremendous  risk 
 who  enters  such  a  trade.  Happy  is  the  man  who,  in  his 
 efforts  to  be  upright,  virtuous,  and  pious,  resides  near  a 
 missionary  station,  and  who,  under  its  influence,  abstains 
 from  the  temptations  to  evil  which  abound  in  the  trade. 
 The  degeneracy  of  men,  the  loss  of  moral  character,  and 
 even  of  life,  in  the  trade  have  been  fearful.  Few  only  have 
 made  money ;  and  where  most  money  has  been  made,  as 
 in  Eromanga,  the  result  to  the  natives  has  been  evil  and 
 destructive. 
 
 '  So  far  from  commerce  exerting  a  beneficial  influence 
 and  proving  a  handmaid  to  the  gospel  in  tlie  New  Hebrides,' 
 said  one  of  the  missionaries,  '  it  has  proved  a  hindrance, 
 and  has  degi-aded,  if  that  be  possible,  the  already  debased 
 inhabitants  of  these  islands.  It  is  with  no  pleasure  that  I 
 refer  to  the  conduct  of  these  pioneers  of  commerce,  and  I 
 do  not  say  that  all  are  equally  bad,  yet  when  I  hear  so 
 much  of  them  as  civilising  agents,  it  is  but  justice  that  the 
 state  of  matters  should  be  known.     If  chastity  be  not  a 
 
5  4  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 heathen  virtue,  neither  is  it  a  trait  in  the  character  of  these 
 men,  I  have  known  on  Tanna  of  actions  committed  by 
 white  men,  more  grossly  immoral  than  anything  I  ever 
 heard  of  among  the  heathen. 
 
 '  During  the  past  five  years,  many  traders  have  lost  their 
 lives  through  drink  on  the  island  of  Tanna.  More  than 
 one  white  man  has,  in  a  drunken  frolic,  shot  his  neighbour. 
 At  the  station  of  the  late  Eoss  Lewin,  a  man  named  Jones 
 shot  another  of  the  same  name.  On  board  a  ketch  near 
 the  same  place  a  similar  tragedy  occurred.  At  Port  Eesolu- 
 tion  a  white  man,  under  the  influence  of  drink,  shot  a  native 
 in  his  employment.  Another,  under  the  same  kind  of 
 influence,  was  handling  his  rifle  foolishly  when  it  went  off 
 and  wounded  him  in  the  leg.  After  a  few  days,  tetanus 
 set  in,  wliich  soon  terminated  his  life.  Yet  another,  stupefied 
 by  native  kava,  lay  down  on  his  bed  to  smoke,  and  his  body 
 was  speedily  scattered  in  all  directions  by  a  light  from  his 
 pipe  setting  fire  to  a  cask  of  gunpowder.  Two  traders  lately 
 were  in  the  habit  of  shooting  at  each  other ;  one  was  killed 
 in  the  play,  and  the  other  committed  suicide. 
 
 '  If  the  traders  have  not  been  careful  of  their  own  or  of 
 each  other's  lives,  neither  have  they  shown  much  regard 
 for  the  lives  of  the  natives.  The  articles  they  supply  in 
 return  for  labour  are  not  of  a  very  elevating  kind.  Muskets, 
 powder,  balls,  bullet-moulds,  and  tobacco,  are  their  chief 
 exchange.  These  do  not  possess  a  peculiarly  civilising 
 influence,  except  it  be  that  of  civilising  men  from  off  the 
 face  of  the  earth. 
 
 '  With  such  examples  before  them,  you  will  not  wonder 
 if  I  tell  you  that,  as  a  rule,  the  natives  living  round  the 
 trading  establishments  are  the  most  debased  and  the  most 
 savage  among  their  people.  Instead  of  the  trading  estab- 
 lishments being  centres  of  civilisation,  instead  of  proving 
 like  centres  from  which  light  was  radiating  to  all  the  sur- 
 rounding darkness,  they  are  centres  of  darkness,  around 
 which  are  gathered  the  lowest  of  the  people.     Can  men 
 
THE  NEW  HEBRIDES  MISSION.  55 
 
 who  live  unchastely  be  expected  to  advance  morality 
 among  the  natives  ?  Can  men  who  pander  to  native  vices, 
 who  use  firearms  very  freely,  and  on  little  provocation,  be 
 expected  to  do  anything  to  elevate  the  people  ?  I  have 
 known  some  join  in  the  obscene  dances  of  the  natives.'  ^ 
 
 On  the  other  hand,  the  missionary  has  maintained,  tlirough 
 a  residence  of  years  among  the  same  people,  a  consistent 
 character  for  piety  and  virtue.  Very  rarely  have  instances 
 of  immorality  been  found  among  hundreds  who  have 
 laboured  for  many  years  in  Polynesia.  As  a  general  rule, 
 the  missionary  has  abstained  from  purchasing  land  for  the 
 purpose  of  enriching  himself.  Few  societies  would  retain  a 
 missionary  in  their  service  who  speculated  in  land.  They 
 have  spent  time,  talents,  health,  and  strength,  endured 
 hardships  and  sufferings,  and  exiled  themselves  from  civilised 
 society,  for  the  purpose  of  learning  and  reducing  to  writing 
 the  tongues  of  savages,  of  teaching  these  people  the  word 
 of  God,  of  directing  them  to  the  Saviour,  of  elevating  their 
 life  to  a  higher  morality  on  earth,  and  of  fitting  them  for 
 the  kingdom  of  God.  And  they  have  had  their  reward. 
 They  went  forth  in  the  name  of  God,  and  were  moved  by 
 His  infinite  love.  They  relied  upon  His  promised  blessing. 
 They  prayed,  and  taught  their  barbarous  hearers  to  pray, 
 for  that  blessing.  They  confessed  their  weakness  without 
 it,  and  their  entire  dependence  on  it.  But  they  spoke  and 
 acted  in  the  faith  of  God's  promise.  Nor  did  they  speak 
 and  act  in  vain. 
 
 *  The  still  small  voice  is  wanted.     He  must  speak 
 Whose  word  leaps  forth  at  once  to  its  effect ; 
 Who  calls  for  things  that  are  not,  and  they  come. 
 Grace  makes  the  slave  a  freeman.     'Tis  a  change 
 That  turns  to  ridicule  the  turgid  speech 
 And  stately  tone  of  moralists,  who  boast 
 As  if,  like  him  of  fabulous  renoAvn, 
 They  had  indeed  ability  to  smooth 
 The  shag  of  savage  nature,  and  were  each 
 
 1  The  Rev.  William  Watt's  address  in  Sydney,  1874. 
 
56  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 An  Orpheus  and  omnipotent  in  song. 
 The  transformation  of  apostate  man 
 From  fool  to  wise,  from  earthly  to  divine, 
 Is  work  for  Him  that  made  him.     He  alone, 
 And  He  by  means,  in  philosophic  eyes, 
 Trivial  and  worthy  of  disdain,  achieves 
 The  wonder  ;  humanizing  what  is  brute 
 In  the  lost  kind,  extracting  from  the  lips 
 Of  asps  their  venom,  overpowering  strength 
 By  weakness,  and  hostility  by  love.'— Cowpee. 
 
CHAPTER    III. 
 
 THE     MISSION     VESSEL. 
 
 '  Heaven  speed  the  canvas  gallantly  nnfurled 
 To  inrnish  and  accommodate  a  world, 
 To  give  the  pole  the  produce  of  the  sun, 
 And  knit  th' unsocial  climates  into  one. 
 Soft  airs  and  gentle  hearings  of  the  wave 
 Impel  the  fleet  whose  errand  is  to  save, 
 To  succour  wasted  regions,  and  replace 
 The  smile  of  Opulence  in  Sorrow's  face. 
 Let  nothing  adverse,  nothing  unforeseen, 
 Impede  the  bark  that  ploughs  the  deep  serene, 
 Charged  with  a  freight  transcending  in  its  worth 
 The  gems  of  India,  Nature's  rarest  birth, 
 That  flies,  like  Gabriel  on  his  Lord's  commands, 
 A  herald  of  God's  love  to  pagan  lands. ' — Cowper. 
 
 Missions  have  been  miicli  indebted  during  acjes  to  the 
 mercantile  marine  for  conveying,  on  errands  of  mercy,  the 
 herakls  of  the  cross.  Some  firms  have  given  a  free  passage 
 to  missionaries  to  India  and  to  China,  and  also  greatly 
 diminished  the  expense  of  transit  to  the  hundreds  who  have 
 borne  the  ordinances  of  religion  to  far  distant  colonies. 
 Even  ships  of  war  have  aided  in  this  enterprise,  and  have 
 afforded  passages  to  bishop  and  to  presbyter  on  voyages  of 
 evangelization.  But  the  advancement  of  Christianity  has 
 necessitated  the  creation  of  a  missionary  marine.  The  fleet 
 of  vessels  now  employed  entirely  in  the  service  of  the 
 gospel  is  no  mean  flotilla.  There  are  some  fourteen  or 
 fifteen  vessels  dedicated  to  the  service.  In  the  far  north,  a 
 vessel  serves  Moravian  missions  to  Greenland  and  Labrador. 
 
5  S  THE  NE  J  V  HEBRIDES. 
 
 A  steam  screw  waits  upon  Church  of  England  missions  at 
 Sierra  Leone.  The  Dove  schooner  serves  the  Baptist  mission 
 near  the  equator  in  Western  Africa ;  and,  near  the  same 
 quarter,  a  vessel  was  for  a  time  at  the  disposal  of  the  United 
 Presbyterian  mission  in  Calabar. 
 
 The  Hermannsburg  missions  have  the  Candace  to  aid 
 their  enterprise  in  Eastern  Africa.  Norwegian  missionaries 
 have  the  old  Viking  spirit  sanctified  to  win  conquests  for 
 Christ,  as  their  vessel  visits  their  stations  in  Madagascar. 
 A  yacht  was  given  by  its  owner  to  coast  missions  of  the 
 Church  of  England  in  the  North  American  colonies,  and  he 
 afterwards  gave  himself  as  its  commander. 
 
 In  the  Pacific  Ocean,  among  so  many  islands,  there  is 
 greater  need  for  a  fleet  of  mission  ships.  The  Morning  Star 
 is  at  the  disposal  of  American  missionaries  from  Hawaii  to 
 the  Marquesas.  The  John  Williams  visits  all  the  stations 
 of  the  London  Missionary  Society  in  the  various  groups  of 
 the  South  Sea  Islands  where  their  agents  are  located.^  A 
 steam-tender  to  the  same  Society  has  been  recently  placed, 
 by  private  liberality,  on  the  new  and  difficult  enterprise  of 
 evangelizing  New  Guinea.  The  John  Wesley  succours  the  mis- 
 sionaries of  the  Wesleyan  ]\Iethodists  in  Fiji  and  the  Friendly 
 Islands ;  and  a  small  schooner,  the  Jubilee,  is  an  auxiliary 
 vessel  in  the  same  mission.  In  the  Falkland  Islands  and 
 Tierra  del  Fuegia,  the  Allen  Gardiner  waits  upon  those  who 
 have  braved  cold  and  inhospitable  climes  to  carry  the  gospel 
 to  a  benighted  people.  The  Southern  Cross,  now  a  screw 
 steamer,  is  in  the  service  of  the  Church  of  England  mission 
 among  the  many  islands  of  its  solicitude  in  the  Banks', 
 Solomon,  Santa  Cruz,  and  Swallow  group  of  islands.'  And 
 last  of  all  in  the  goodly  array,  the  New  Hebrides  has  its 
 beautiful  schooner  to  assist  its  work  among  the  islands. 
 
 •  In  one  year  (1873)  the  John  Williams  visited  forty-two  islands,  of  which 
 only  seven  remained  heathen. 
 
 ^  In  one  season  Bishop  Selwyn  visited  sixty-live  islands,  and  landed  on 
 sixty-two,  of  which  not  seven  were  Christian. 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  59 
 
 "With  every  respect  to  a  mercantile  and  naval  marine, 
 that  has  done  and  is  doing  so  much  to  benefit  mankind, 
 this  fleet  of  mission  ships  will  command  the  sympathy  and 
 the  prayers  of  Protestant  Christians  throughout  the  world. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  mission  was  long  and  greatly  indebted 
 to  the  vessels  of  the  London  Missionary  Society.  It  was 
 in  the  vessel  which  his  zeal  and  pleading  had  secured  in 
 England  for  missionary  voyaging  that  Mr.  Williams  visited 
 the  New  Hebrides,  where  he  fell  a  martyr.  That  vessel 
 and  its  successors — three  of  which  have  borne  the  honoured 
 name  of  John  Williams — have  often  visited  the  same  group. 
 Teachers  were  thus  conveyed  to  pioneer  the  gospel  amidst 
 the  savage  races  of  the  New  Hebrides.  Missionaries  thus 
 came  as  deputies  to  visit  the  teachers  and  to  take  advantage 
 of  new  openings  for  the  settlement  of  others.  The  Eev. 
 Jolni  Geddie  was  thus  brought  to  Aneityum ;  and  from 
 period  to  period  the  vessel  visited  him  and  his  fellow- 
 labourers,  taking  supplies,  and  mails,  and  the  cheerful  visits 
 of  like-minded  brethren.  After  twenty  years  of  direct  ser- 
 vice, the  crowning  work  of  the  John  Williams  was  performed 
 to  the  New  Hebrides  mission,  by  conveying  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
 Inglis  from  their  own  shores  to  London  with  the  Anei- 
 tyumese  New  Testament  for  printing,  and  also  by  affording, 
 at  the  same  time,  a  passage  to  the  two  daughters  of  Dr. 
 Geddie  to  London,  on  their  way  to  Nova  Scotia.  So  fully 
 were  these  services  prized,  that  a  special  gift  of  X300  was 
 presented  by  the  children  of  the  Church  to  which  Mr. 
 Inglis  belonged  in  Scotland,  as  a  thank-offering  to  aid  in 
 the  repairs  of  the  John  Williams. 
 
 The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  in  his  mission  schooner, 
 did  also  very  much  to  aid  brethren  in  the  New  Hebrides. 
 He  conveyed,  as  we  have  seen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis  to  the 
 island  of  Aneityum  from  Auckland  in  1852.  He  took 
 their  stores  and  mails  as  often  as  he  was  able ;  and  on  one 
 occasion,  when  Mr.  Inglis  had  left  his  watch  at  Anelgauhat 
 harbour  for  him  to  take  to  Auckland  for  repairs,  the  bishop 
 
6o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 left  his  own  for  his  use,  till  he  returned  the  following  year. 
 On  another  occasion,  at  Dunedin,  Bishop  Selwyn  related 
 in  a  public  meeting  what  he  had  seen  at  Aneityum,  and 
 offered  to  take  any  contributions  which  Presbyterians  might 
 send  by  him  to  their  brethren  there.  Next  morning,  as  he 
 was  stepping  on  board  his  vessel,  a  purse  of  £31  was 
 placed  in  his  hands  for  the  purpose.  This  sum  was 
 increased  by  contributions  from  other  places  in  New 
 Zealand,  as  he  cruised  and  told  the  same  story ;  and  when 
 he  landed  in  Aneityum  he  was  able  to  hand  to  the 
 missionaries  £103,  16s.  4d,  And  as  early  as  1850,  when 
 in  the  harbour  of  Aneityum,  he  went,  at  the  request  of  j\lr, 
 Geddie  and  the  chiefs,  to  bring  back  several  natives  of  tlie 
 island  who  had  gone  to  Tanna  in  a  trading  vessel,  and  had 
 not  returned.  Mr.  Geddie  accompanied  the  bishop  in  his 
 schooner.  They  ran  down  quickly  with  the  trade  wind, 
 and  took  on  board  fifteen  Aneityumese,  and  an  invalided 
 teacher  and  his  wife  and  child,  and  the  widow  of  a  deceased 
 teaclier.  The  little  vessel  was  only  twenty-one  tons,  but 
 there  were  thirty-four  persons  on  board,  and  it  took  forty- 
 eight  hours  to  beat  back  to  Aneityum.  This  act  of  kind- 
 ness was  highly  appreciated.^  The  bishop  also  offered  to 
 take  the  Eev,  G.  N.  Gordon  and  his  wife  to  Eromanga,  if 
 they  came  by  Auckland.  They  went  by  Sydney ;  but 
 when  the  bishop  met  them  afterwards  at  Eromanga,  from 
 which  he  had  taken  young  lads  to  be  taught  in  Auckland, 
 he  volunteered  any  service  he  could  afford,  and  urged  the 
 young  men  to  wait  henceforth  upon  Mr.  Gordon's  teaching. 
 A  gift  of  £50  was  sent  from  Scotland  in  aid  of  the  funds 
 for  the  support  of  his  schooner,  which  he  acknowledged 
 with  renewed  offers  of  any  assistance  he  could  render  in 
 future.  It  is  very  pleasing  to  record  these  services  of  a 
 high  Anglican  j)relate  to  a  Scottish  Covenanter.  With  all 
 his    High    Church  leanings,  the  Bishop  of    New  Zealand 
 
 '  i//e  of  G.  A.  Sehnjn,  D.D.,  Binliop  of  Neio  Zealand,  etc.,  vol.  i. 
 p.  347. 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  6i 
 
 addressed  the  Presbyterian  missionary  the  Rev.  John 
 Inglis,  but  his  biograplier  refers  to  him  as  Mr.  Inglis,  the 
 Presbyterian  teacher. 
 
 It  was  felt,  liowever,  that  the  N'ew  Hebrides  mission 
 required  a  vessel  for  itself.  The  other  missionary  ships  came 
 seldom,  and  could  not  sufficiently  work  among  the  islands. 
 There  was  great  danger  in  sailing  in  small  boats.  In  one 
 year  between  twenty  and  thirty  lives  were  lost  in  voyages 
 in  small  craft  between  Aneityum,  Tanna,  and  Fotuna.  It 
 was  resolved,  therefore,  in  1855  to  appeal  for  a  little  vessel 
 to  aid  the  mission.  The  proposal  was  singularly  modest — 
 a  small  schooner  to  cost  only  <£300.  In  February  1866, 
 the  Committee  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Keformed 
 Presbyterian  Church  approved  of  it,  as  also  did  the  Com- 
 mittee of  the  Church  in  Nova  Scotia.  While  this  was 
 getting  ready,  the  brethren  secured  a  boat  of  five  tons, 
 which  they  called  the  Columha,  after  the  early  apostle  of 
 Christianity  in  the  Scottish  Hebrides.  This  was  very 
 serviceable  in  sailing  between  Fotuna  and  Aneityum,  and 
 also  Tanna.  The  new  vessel  was  called  the  John  Knox, 
 and  was  built  at  Glasgow.  She  was  only  thirty-five  feet 
 from  bow  to  stern,  and  ten  feet  ten  inches  in  breadth  of 
 beam.  The  depth  of  her  hold  was  six  feet.  She  had  a 
 little  cabin  six  feet  high,  in  which  ten  persons  could  sit, 
 and  her  hold  had  a  platform  that  could  accommodate  from 
 twenty  to  thirty.  She  had  two  masts,  and  was  built  of 
 British  and  American  oak.  The  cost  was  £320.  She  was 
 put  on  board  the  Mooltan  at  Glasgow  and  conveyed  to 
 Sydney.  There  was  some  difficulty  in  getting  sailors  to 
 take  the  little  schooner  to  the  islands,  and  the  cost  was 
 considerable.  However,  after  a  passage  of  twenty-six  days, 
 she  arrived  safely  at  Aneityum.  Great  was  the  excitement 
 of  the  natives  when  the  cry  arose,  'John  Knox^  is  come  !' 
 It  was  almost  as  hopeful  as  that  which  of  old  rang  through 
 
 ^  Pronounced  John  Knokls.     See  letter  of  Rev.  John  Inglis  in  Reformed 
 Presbyterian  Magazine,  1857. 
 
62  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Scotland  at  the  period  of  the  Reformation.  The  money 
 brought  by  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand  was  made  a  fund 
 for  sailing  expenses,  and  proved  very  serviceable.  Tlie 
 Jolm  Knox  was  at  once  put  to  use.  Her  first  trip  to 
 Fotuna  and  Tanna  was  in  company  with  the  John 
 Williams,  in  June  1857.  Dr.  Geddie  was  on  board  as 
 master.  She  more  than  realized  expectations.  Her 
 voyages  embraced  the  five  southern  islands,  and  were 
 made  very  frequently.  After  four  years,  however,  the 
 wants  of  the  mission  made  her  too  small.  The  peculiar 
 perils  of  the  work  at  Tanna  and  Eromanga  demonstrated 
 the  necessity  of  a  larger  vessel,  which  could  brave  heavier 
 seas.  At  a  meeting  held  at  Aneityum  in  1861,  it  was 
 resolved  to  appeal  to  the  supporters  of  the  mission  and  to 
 friends  in  Australia  to  get  a  vessel  of  not  less  than  sixty 
 tons.  The  missionaries  on  the  Loyalty  Islands  joined 
 heartily  in  the  movement,  in  the  hope  that  she  might  be 
 available  for  their  wants  also. 
 
 When  the  missionaries  had  to  flee  from  Tanna,  the  Eev, 
 John  G.  Paton  was  deputed  to  visit  Australia  and  solicit 
 aid  for  the  new  vessel.  His  story  of  personal  suffering, 
 and  of  the  murder  and  deaths  of  other  members  of  the 
 mission,  and  his  fervent  appeals,  made  a  deep  impression 
 upon  all  who  heard  him.  Some  £700  were  raised  in 
 Sydney  from  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians.  When 
 he  went  to  Victoria,  he  was  the  means  of  creating  a  new 
 era  in  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  of 
 infusing  a  missionary  spirit  into  its  new  life,  resulting  from 
 the  union  which  had  recently  been  formed  there.  He  was 
 received  with  enthusiasm  everywhere,  and  raised  a  larger 
 sum  of  money  than  was  needed  for  the  new  vessel.  A 
 proportion  of  it  was  set  apart  to  bring  additional  mission- 
 aries from  Scotland,  and  to  provide  native  teachers  for  the 
 islands.  Mr.  Paton  also  visited  South  Australia  and 
 Tasmania  in  the  same  cause.  Altogether  he  was  the  means 
 of  raising  £5000,  of  which  Victoria  alone  gave  £2600. 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  63 
 
 He  was  then  deputed  to  visit  Scotland  to  endeavour 
 to  get  additional  missionaries.  Just  as  he  was  going,  the 
 Eev.  John  Inglis  arrived  in  Sydney  with  the  New 
 "  Testament  in  Aneityumese.  A  public  meeting  was  held — 
 the  governor,  the  late  Sir  Johu  Young,  Bart.,  afterwards 
 Lord  Lisgar,  in  the  chair — to  welcome  the  one  and  bid 
 farewell  to  the  other. 
 
 Meanwhile,  contributions  for  the  new  vessel  were  beinir 
 raised  in  the  lower  provinces  of  British  North  America, 
 and  throughout  the  congregations  of  the  Eeformed  Presby- 
 terian Church  in  Scotland.  The  response  everywhere  was 
 hearty  and  liberal.  The  vessel  was  built  in  New  Glasgow, 
 Nova  Scotia.  The  cost  was  £3432.  A  new  deck-house, 
 added  afterwards  in  Sydney,  cost  £344.  The  total  cost 
 was,  therefore,  nearly  £3800.  She  was  a  brigantine, 
 rigged  as  a  brig  on  one  mast,  and  as  a  schooner  on  the 
 other,  and  was  registered  under  the  name  of  The  l)ay- 
 qoring,  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  tons.  Captain  W.  A. 
 Fraser,  a  skilful  navigator,  was  appointed  master.  She 
 sailed  from  Halifax  in  October  1863.  A  company  of  new 
 missionaries  took  their  passage  in  her.  They  consisted  of 
 the  Eev.  J.  D.  Gordon,  brother  of  tlie  recent  martyr  at 
 Eromanga,  the  Eev.  Messrs.  Morrison  and  M'Cullao'h  and 
 their  wives.  Mrs.  Fraser  also  accompanied  her  husband. 
 After  calling  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  in  January,  she 
 reached  Melbourne  safely  in  March  1864.  The  Presby- 
 terian mission  vessel  was  hailed  with  enthusiasm,  and 
 many  thousands  of  Sabbath  scholars,  who  had  been  the 
 chief  agents  in  collecting  funds  for  her  purchase,  paid  a 
 visit  on  board.  This  was  also  done  at  Sydney,  where  some 
 delay  was  occasioned  by  the  building  of  the  new  deck- 
 house. The  Eev.  John  Geddie  met  the  vessel  at  Melbourne, 
 and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  new  auxiliary  and  the 
 reinforcement  as  he  was  about  to  pay  a  visit  to  Nova  Scotia, 
 after  sixteen  years'  labour  in  the  New  Hebrides. 
 
 The  Daijspring  was  much  admired  by  all  who  examined 
 
6.4  THE  NE IV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 her.  She  sailed  from  Sydney  with  the  missionaries,  in- 
 creased by  the  Eev.  S.  Ella  for  the  island  of  Uea  in  the 
 Loyalty  group,  and  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Anelgauhat, 
 Aiieityum,  on  the  5th  June,  after  a  stormy  passage,  and 
 was  warmly  welcomed. 
 
 The  Daijs'pring  sailed  from  Aneityum  on  the  28th  June, 
 with  five  missionaries  on  board,  to  visit  all  the  stations  ou 
 the  Loyalty  Islands.  On  arriving  at  Lifu,  it  was  found 
 that  the  French  had  taken  possession  of  the  group,  and 
 had  put  them  under  military  law.  No  one  was  allowed  to 
 land,  and  the  Dayspring  returned  to  Aneityum.  The 
 Loyalty  Islands  were  visited  for  three  years,  but  it  was 
 found  that  the  directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society 
 desired  their  own  vessel  to  visit  there,  so  the  Dayspring 
 was  contined  to  the  work  of  the  Presbyterian  mission  in 
 the  New  Hebrides. 
 
 The  support  of  the  vessel  now  became  a  serious  question. 
 Efforts  were  made  by  Mr.  Paton,  who  had  returned  with 
 Mrs.  Paton — a  like-minded  partner — from  Scotland,  to  get 
 sufficient  funds,  and  to  secure  some  permanent  means  of 
 adequate  support.  A  visit  was  paid  by  the  vessel  to 
 Hobart  Town,  Launceston,  and  Adelaide,  and  new 
 enthusiasm  created  in  her  behalf.  Sufficient  money  was 
 secured,  and  an  arrangement  was  gradually  made  to  pro- 
 vide for  the  annual  outlay.  The  General  Assembly  of  the 
 Victorian  Church  offered  £500  a  year,  to  be  raised  chiefly 
 by  the  Sabbath  scholars ;  and  so  great  was  the  enthusiasm 
 that  much  more  was  got  for  several  years.  The  Church 
 in  New  South  Wales  offered  £200,  in  Otago  £200,  in 
 Auckland  £100,  while  from  South  Australia,  Tasmania, 
 and  Queensland  sums  were  also  got.  The  children  of 
 the  Church  in  Nova  Scotia  provided  £250,  and  those  of 
 
 ^  Mr.  Ella  rendered  a  great  service  during  liis  enforced  stay  on  Aneityum 
 by  printing  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke  in  Eromangan,  a  primer  and  catechism 
 in  the  same  language,  and  a  hymn-book  in  Fatese.  He  afterwards  reached 
 Uea,  where,  amidst  many  trials  from  lionianists,  he  laboured. 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  65 
 
 the  Keformed  Presbyterian  Church  in  Scotland  a  similar 
 sum.  Thus  £1500  as  a  minimum  were  secured,  but  as 
 much  as  that  was  raised  in  Victoria  alone  for  some  years. 
 
 In  1866  the  fruits  of  Mr.  Paton's  appeal  arrived  in  three 
 new  missionaries ;  and  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Copeland,  and  ]\Ir. 
 and  Mrs.  Paton,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Geddie  were  all  waiting 
 to  be  conveyed,  tliere  was  a  large  party.  At  the  same  time 
 the  John  Williams  was  in  the  port  of  Sydney,  and  a  new 
 band  of  missionaries  were  about  to  proceed  by  her  to  other 
 groups.  It  was  resolved,  therefore,  that  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
 Geddie,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neilson,  their  son  -  in  -  law  and 
 daughter,  should  go  by  the  John  Williams.  Before  the 
 mission  party  left,  there  were  several  meetings.  One  of 
 them  may  be  referred  to  here.  The  Dayspring  had  been 
 lying  up  the  Paramatta  river  for  three  months  near  the 
 residence  of  William  Wright,  Esq.  of  Drummoyne,  who, 
 along  with  his  excellent  wife,  had  given  apartments  in  his 
 house  to  Captain  and  Mrs.  Fraser  and  their  family  during 
 the  three  months.  Mr.  Wright,  a  Scotchman,  and  by  birth 
 and  training  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  wished  to 
 show  a  further  act  of  kindness — to  invite  all  the  mis- 
 sionary party  in  Sydney,  along  with  the  officials  of  the 
 societies  connected  with  the  two  vessels,  to  spend  a  day  at 
 his  mansion.  He  put  into  the  hands  of  the  writer  a  carte 
 blanche  for  thirty  persons,  and  provided  a  small  steamer  to 
 take  the  company  to  and  from  his  house,  where  he  had 
 some  of  the  mission  families  resident.  Mr.  Wright  visited 
 the  islands  the  year  after,  and  saw  the  sphere  of  missionary 
 enterprise. 
 
 The  Eev.  Joseph  Copeland  visited  New  Zealand,  and 
 there  inaugurated  a  fund  for  the  insurance  of  the  Dayspring. 
 Many  subscriptions  were  promised  to  be  paid  by  instalments 
 over  five  years.  It  was  a  happy  idea,  and  promised  well. 
 Mr.  Paton  had  left  a  sum  of  £1300  in  the  hands  of  the 
 treasurer  of  the  Church  in  Victoria  for  the  benefit  of  the 
 vessel.      And  as  contributions  in  excess  had  been  given, 
 
 E 
 
66  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  Mission  Synod  recommended,  and  the  General  Assembly 
 sanctioned,  the  appropriation  of  the  Contingent  Fund  of 
 .£1500  to  the  Insurance  Fund,  provided  an  equal  amount 
 could  be  raised  elsewhere.  The  vessel  was  appointed  to 
 visit  New  Zealand,  and  an  opportunity  was  taken  to  appeal 
 for  further  donations  to  the  Insurance  Fund.  As  that 
 colony  had  not  shared  in  the  purchase,  there  was  reason  to 
 hope,  from  Mr.  Copelaud's  previous  experience,  that  there 
 would  be  a  liberal  response.  The  Eev.  Dr.  Macdonald  of 
 Emerald  Hill,  Melbourne,  went  in  aid  of  the  object,  and 
 so  did  the  Eev.  John  Inglis.  A  new  missionary,  the  Rev. 
 William  Watt,  was  there  also,  to  become  the  agent  of  the 
 General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  New 
 Zealand  in  the  mission  field.  The  Synod  of  Otago  was 
 sitting  at  Dunedin  when  the  Day  spring  arrived,  and  warmly 
 welcomed  the  deputies  and  visited  the  vessel.  Very  many 
 of  the  people,  and  especially  the  Sabbath  scholars,  went  on 
 board.  Wellington  and  Auckland  were  called  at  on  the 
 way  north.  The  result  of  the  appeal  was  the  sum  of 
 nearly  £1500,  of  which  about  £1000  were  raised  by  Mr. 
 Inglis'  advocacy.  Otago  alone  gave  over  £500.  The  sum 
 of  £250  was  sent  from  Nova  Scotia  to  this  fund,  so  that  it 
 amounted  to  £3200.  This  was  originally  intended  to  save 
 the  expense  of  insurance,^  which  is  always  heavy  for  vessels 
 sailing  among  coral  islands ;  but  it  was  still  judged  advis- 
 able to  insure  for  the  sum  of  £2000,  and  employ  the 
 interest  of  the  invested  sum  to  pay  the  premium. 
 
 Melbourne  was  made  the  headquarters  of  tlie  Daysiyring 
 in  1867,  and  the  Eev.  Dr.  Macdonald  was  appointed  some 
 time  after  to  act  as  agent,  with  the  assistance  of  a  board  of 
 
 '  The  following  minute  was  passed  by  the  mission  on  the  subject :  '  That 
 this  meeting  recommends  the  formation  of  a  fund  of  £3000,  to  be  invested 
 by  the  treasurer  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Victoria  for  the  benefit  of 
 the  Daysprinrj ;  the  principal  to  be  drawn  upon  in  case  of  accident  or  loss 
 of  the  vessel,  the  interest  to  be  expended  in  meeting  her  current  expenses-; 
 that  the  nucleus  of  this  fund  be  formed  of  the  Contingent  Ship  Fund,'  etc. 
 — Christian  Review,  July  1868. 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  67 
 
 ministers  and  laymen,  the  latter  selected  from  gentlemen 
 having  a  good  knowledge  of  shipping.  Dr.  Macdonald 
 devoted  much  attention  to  his  trust,  and  interested  the 
 young  people  of  the  Church  still  more  deeply  in  the  mission 
 vessel.  She  was  taken  to  Geelong,  where  large  parties 
 from  neighbouring  places,  as  far  as  Ballarat,  came  to  visit 
 her.  On  another  occasion,  the  western  ports  of  the  colony 
 were  visited  with  similar  results.  As  it  was  always  neces- 
 sary that  she  should  leave  the  tropics  before  the  hurricane 
 season  in  January,  and  remain  in  the  colonies  till  that  was 
 over,  there  was  time  for  these  pleasant  trips  to  interest  so 
 many  in  her  mission.  It  was  found,  however,  that  they 
 encroached  upon  the  period  when  she  sliould  sail  to  the 
 islands,  wdiich-  ought  always  to  be  about  the  end  of  March, 
 and  they  were  besides  very  expensive.  While  in  the  New 
 Hebrides,  the  usual  course  is  first  to  call  at  all  the  stations, 
 and  land  the  stores  on  which  the  mission  families  have  to 
 subsist  during  the  year,  and  take  what  may  be  waiting  for 
 shipment  from  one  station  to  another.  This  involved  a 
 call  at  twelve  different  stations,  situated  on  ten  islands, 
 lying  over  a  distance  of  400  miles  in  a  direct  line.  A 
 fortnight,  and  sometimes  longer,  is  occupied  in  this  work, 
 as  baffling  winds  often  drive  the  vessel  out  of  her  course. 
 The  missionaries  join  her  on  her  return  voyage,  in  order  to 
 be  able  to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Mission  Synod. 
 Their  wives  and  families  have,  for  the  most  part,  to  be 
 taken  to  some  of  the  southern  stations  for  safety.  The 
 return  voyage  is  longer,  as  the  south-east  trade  winds  are 
 right  ahead.  Thus,  from  Aneityum  to  Espiritii  Santo  and 
 back  again,  about  a  month  or  six  weeks  are  occupied.  The 
 Synod  sits  ten  days  or  a  fortnight,  after  which  the  vessel 
 sails  again,  taking  the  missionaries  and  their  families  to 
 their  respective  homes.  The  stations  where  native  teachers 
 are  located  have  also  to  be  visited,  and  efforts  are  made  to 
 pioneer  the  way  for  new  openings  by  friendly  calls  at 
 heathen  islands.      Occasionally,  also,  trips  have  been  made 
 
68  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 to  the  more  easterly  islands  occupied  by  the  London  Mis- 
 sionary Society,  for  reinforcements  of  native  teachers  to 
 labour  in  the  New  Hebrides,  and  for  the  return  of  these  to 
 their  own  lands.  This  makes  a  lengthy  voyage  for  the 
 year.  Frequently  a  second  voyage  has  been  made  to  the 
 colonies,  to  Melbourne,  Sydney,  or  Auckland,  to  take  or 
 bring  mission  families. 
 
 It  is  now  apparent  that  this  must  be  a  regular  part  of 
 the  work  of  the  vessel.  Thus  mission  stores  can  be  re- 
 newed before  flour  gets  sour,  or  in  case  any  has  been 
 rendered  unfit  for  use.  AVhere  all  supplies  had  to  be  got 
 at  once,  it  required  very  careful  packing  in  the  colonies, 
 very  careful  landing  at  the  stations,  and  as  careful  storing 
 at  the  mission  premises,  to  prevent  articles  so  perishable 
 from  being  spoiled  before  they  were  used,  during  a  period 
 of  twelve  months. 
 
 The  vessel  was  much  esteemed  by  the  missionaries,  and 
 proved  a  great  source  of  comfort  to  them.  It  was  of 
 eminent  service  in  the  mission.  It  gave  moral  backing  to 
 the  solitary  missionary  among  heathen  savages,  and  let  the 
 latter  understand  what  kind  and  powerful  friends  the 
 missionary  had.  It  did  the  same  to  the  native  teachers. 
 It  exercised  a  vigilance  in  the  interests  of  humanity  over 
 the  doings  of  all  other  vessels  trading  in  the  group,  and 
 enabled  white  settlers  to  know  that  philanthropy  and 
 religion  were  observant  of  their  transactions  among  the 
 natives.  It  was  deemed  necessary  to  decline  taking 
 freight,  as  it  interfered  with  the  regular  service  of  trading 
 vessels.  It  was  as  necessary  to  forbid  even  the  gratuitous 
 conveyance  of  stores  to  settlers,  or  of  their  produce  from 
 the  islands.  Any  case  of  this  arising,  exposed  the  officers  of 
 the  vessel  to  censure.  Accusations  on  both  heads  were  made 
 from  time  to  time.  The  French  governor  at  New  Cale- 
 donia made  complaint  to  one  of  Her  Majesty's  naval  com- 
 manders on  the  subject,  which  was  found  to  be  groundless.^ 
 '  See  Captain  Palmer's  Kkbw2'>pi>ig  in  the  South  Seas. 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  69 
 
 Competing  firms  were  also  always  ready  to  mark  any 
 favour  shown  to  one  in  preference  to  anotlier.  Even  a 
 return  for  an  obligation  was  liable  to  be  construed  into  an 
 attempt  to  undersell  the  fair  market  value  of  goods.  The 
 utmost  vigilance,  therefore,  required  to  be  exercised,  and 
 this,  as  experience  has  grown,  has  been  developed  into 
 rules  of  the  service. 
 
 Captain  Fraser,  on  account  of  the  increase  of  his  family, 
 resimed  command  of  the  vessel  in  the  be"inninfj  of  1872. 
 His  successor  only  commanded  for  a  single  voyage  ;  but  it 
 was  rendered  important  by  a  great  reinforcement  of  the 
 mission.  Three  new  missionaries  and  their  wives  accom- 
 panied the  vessel,  as  also  did  Dr.  Geddie  and  his  daughter, 
 and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis  ;  and  ]\Ir.  F.  A.  Campbell,  from 
 Geelong,  went  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  The  Dayspring 
 returned  to  Melbourne  in  October,  with  the  Eev.  Dr.  Geddie 
 as  an  invalid.  He  had  been  seized  with  paralysis  at  the 
 annual  meeting  of  the  mission.  His  son-in-law,  Mr.  iSTeil- 
 son,  accompanied  him.  It  was  hoped  that  he  might  be 
 spared  to  superintend  the  printing  of  the  first  half  of  the 
 Old  Testament,  but  it  was  ordered  otherwise. 
 
 It  was  late  in  the  season  for  a  second  voyage,  as  the 
 vessel  did  not  leave  Melbourne  till  November.  Captain 
 Benjamin  Jenkins  was  appointed  master,  and  Mr.  James 
 M'Arthur  first  officer.  Both  had  sailed  in  her  before,  and 
 were  thoroughly  trusted  by  the  mission.  They  were  also 
 both  men  of  Christian  character. 
 
 The  Mission  Synod  in  1872  changed  the  headquarters 
 of  the  vessel  to  Sydney,  chiefly  because  of  the  shorter  dis- 
 tance and  less  exposure  to  storms.  But  the  islands  had 
 the  first  disaster.  The  vessel  could  not  get  away  so  early 
 as  usaal,  though  her  voyages  were  rapid  ;  and  she  was  in  the 
 harbour  of  Anelgauhat,  Aneityum,  on  January  6,  1873, 
 when  a  fearful  hurricane  occurred,  and  cast  her  on  the  reef. 
 This  is  described  in  the  following  extracts  from  a  letter 
 addressed  to  me  by  the  Eev.  John  Inglis  : — 
 
70  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  AxEiTYUM,  New  Hebrides,  January  29,  1873. 
 
 '  My  dear  Sri;, — I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  the  Daysj)r'mg  is  lying  a 
 total  wreck  at  the  mouth  of  Aneityum  harbour,  having  been  driven  ashore 
 on  the  6th  instant  during  one  of  the  most  terrific  hurricanes  that  ever  passed 
 over  this  island — at  least  since  any  white  man  lived  on  it.  No  lives  were 
 lost ;  but  for  several  hours  those  on  board,  about  thirty  souls  in  all, — there 
 being  a  number  of  native  passengers  in  the  vessel, — were  in  imminent  peril. 
 For  the  last  twenty-five  years — that  is,  since  missionaries  were  settled  on 
 this  island — the  only  other  hurricane  equal  to  this,  or  at  all  approaching  to 
 it,  was  that  of  the  14th  and  15th  of  March  1861,  when  Mr.  Copeland  had 
 charge  of  this  station,  and  Mrs.  Inglis  and  I  were  home  on  a  visit.  Mr. 
 Copeland  published  a  full  and  carefully  prepared  account  of  that  hurricane, 
 a  copy  of  which  is  lying  before  me.  I  am  thus  enabled  to  compare  the  two. 
 The  hurricane  of  1861  was  of  longer  duration  than  this  one.  On  that  occa- 
 sion the  sea  rose  higher  on  this  side  of  the  island  than  during  this  hurricane. 
 At  that  time  it  rose  nine  feet  above  high-water  mark,  and  this  time  it  only 
 rose  seven.  The  destruction  of  food  and  houses  was  greater  on  that  occasion 
 than  on  this,  owing  to  the  sea  rising  so  much  and  inundating  all  the  low  lands. 
 Two  vessels  went  ashore  in  that  hurricane,  and  one  went  to  pieces.  But 
 both  the  natives  and  white  men  residing  then  on  the  island,  say  that  the 
 wind  was  considerably  stronger  on  this  occasion.  During  this  hurricane,  the 
 aneroid  barometer  fell  twenty  points,  or  one-fifth  of  an  inch  lower  than  in 
 1861.  On  that  occasion  it  fell  1"40,  or  one  inch  and  two-fiftlis  of  an 
 inch.  At  this  time  it  fell  1'60,  or  one  inch  and  three-fifths  of  an  inch. 
 This  is  more  than  an  inch  lower  than  I  have  ever  known  it  to  fall.  The 
 strength  of  the  hurricane  came  from  N.N.E. ;  when  the  hurricane  was 
 approaching  its  height  the  wind  veered  round  to  the  N. ,  then  to  the  N.W., 
 and  finally,  when  it  began  to  abate,  to  the  W.  It  was  but  of  short  duration 
 — not  more  than  three  or  four  hours  ;  indeed  it  was  during  one  short 
 hour  that  almost  all  the  damage  was  done.  It  was  at  the  height  about  five 
 in  the  morning.  The  glass  then  began  to  rise,  and  rose  as  rapidly  as  it  had 
 fallen. 
 
 '  The  Dayspring  had  come  to  anchor  in  Aneityum  harbour  at  noon  on 
 Friday  the  3d  instant,  and  all  arrangements  were  made  for  her  sailing  on  the 
 Tuesday  morning  following.  She  had  called  at  every  mission  station  for  the 
 last  time  this  season,  except  Fotuna,  the  wind  not  permitting  her  to  make 
 that  island  on  her  way  south.  .   .  . 
 
 *  On  Sabbath  the  weather  was  squally,  and  the  glass  fell  a  little  ;  but 
 there  was  nothing  to  excite  alarm.  It  was  just  sucli  weather  as  we  frequently 
 have  at  that  season  of  the  year  ;  moreover,  no  hurricane  had  ever  been  seen 
 by  any  one  connected  with  the  mission  till  nearly  a  month  after  that  date. 
 The  first  mate,  Mr.  M 'Arthur,  however,  had  taken  every  precaution  on 
 Sabbath  ;  both  anchors  were  down,  every  inch  of  chain  was  paid  out,  the 
 top-masts  and  yards  were  sent  down,  and  everything  was  done  to  secure  a  firm 
 holding  and  lessen  the  strain  upon  the  ship.  The  wind,  too,  was  blowing 
 from  the  land  and  out  of  the  harbour.  The  harbour  is  open  to  the  S.W., 
 and  it  is  when  the  wind  blows  from  that  point,  and  brings  in  a  heavy  sea, 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  71 
 
 that  danger  to  vessels  arises.  I  have  known  six  vessels  driven  ashore  in  this 
 way  here  ;  but  I  have  not  known  of  any  one  being  injured  while  the  wind 
 blew  from  the  land.  About  four  o'clock  on  Jlonday  morning,  however,  the 
 wind  blew  with  such  irresistible  violence  that  both  anchors  were  started, 
 and  the  vessel,  dragging  her  chains  and  anchors,  ran  out  of  the  harbour  as  if 
 she  had  been  a  mail  steamer  going  at  full  speed.  She  was  all  but  clear  of 
 the  harbour,  and  out  to  the  open  sea,  where  she  would  have  been  safe,  when 
 the  wind  suddenly  veering,  or  a  cross  sea  coming  up,  or  both,  she  was  struck 
 with  such  force  on  the  broadside  as,  notwithstanding  tlie  breadth  of  her 
 beam,  all  but  capsized  her ;  a  tremendous  sea  at  the  same  time  bearing  her 
 along,  pitched  her  right  up  on  the  edge  of  the  reef.  Here  she  was  exposed 
 to  the  full  force  of  tlie  breakers  ;  and  had  she  remained  in  that  situation  the 
 probability  is  that  she  would  soon  have  gone  to  pieces,  and  every  one  on 
 board  have  perished.  But  a  second  tremendous  sea  came  on,  lifted  her  up, 
 and  carried  her  a  considerable  way  on  to  the  reef — as  far,  indeed,  as  the 
 chains  would  permit,  the  anchors  being  caught  by  the  coral.  As  soon  as 
 daylight  enabled  the  sailors  to  see,  they  cut  down  the  foremast,  fearing  lest 
 the  working  of  the  mast  would  have  split  up  the  vessel.  When  the  rain, 
 mist,  and  spray  had  so  far  cleared  off  that  the  vessel  could  be  seen  from  the 
 mission  house,  flags  of  distress  were  observed  flying,  and  men  were  noticed 
 perclied  on  the  rigging.  The  ship's  boats  were  smashed,  and  the  people  on 
 board  had  no  means  of  escape.  But  the  storm  rapidly  subsided,  and  as  soon 
 as  it  was  at  all  safe  to  go  out  to  the  vessel,  Mr.  Joseph  Underwood,  of  the 
 whaling  establishment  on  leyeny,  went  out  with  his  boat  to  render  what 
 assistance  he  could.  Manura,  a  Tahitian  belonging  to  the  other  whaling 
 establishment,  also  went  out  in  his  boat  ;  and  Mr.  F.  A.  Campbell  of  Geelong 
 — who  was  a  passenger  in  the  Dayspring,  but  who  had  gone  ashore  when  the 
 vessel  came  into  harbour — went  out  with  Mr.  Murray's  boat.  All  on  board 
 — men,  women,  and  children — were  got  safely  on  shore.   .   .  . 
 
 '  Our  arrangements  hitherto  have  always  been  to  have  the  Dayspring 
 away  from  these  islands  before  the  end  of  December,  although  for  several 
 years  past  some  leading  members  of  this  mission  considered  it  quite  unneces- 
 sary to  hurry  her  away  so  soon.  "  Ko  hurricane,"  said  they,  "  has  ever  been 
 seen  in  Januarj''  ;  trading  vessels  almost  always  remain  down  till  January, 
 some  of  them  all  the  year  through  ;  the  Dayspring  is  a  stronger  vessel, 
 better  manned,  and  better  found  than  any  of  these.  Why,  then,  should  she 
 hurry  away  before  any  other  vessel  ?  "  I  never  concurred  with  these  views, 
 although  it  was  difficult  to  meet  them  with  any  argument  much  stronger 
 than  such  commonplaces  as,  "That  it  is  wise  to  err  on  the  safe  side, "  and 
 "  There  may  be  danger  in  staying,  but  there  can  be  none  in  leaving."  So 
 little  danger  was  apprehended  in  this  group,  that  one  or  two  members  of  the 
 mission  proposed  doing  away  with  the  insurance.  This  was  the  first  year 
 she  was  not  out  of  the  group  before  the  end  of  December,  but  it  was  the 
 force  of  circumstances,  not  any  change  of  plan,  that  kept  her  so  long  this 
 year  ;  and  yet,  but  for  the  hurricane  of  the  6th,  her  anclior  would  have  been 
 weighed  for  the  last  time  on  the  7th  of  January. 
 
 '  But  no  blame  can  be  attached  to  Captain  Jenkins  for  this  delay.     The 
 
7  2  THE  NE  /  V  HEBRIDES. 
 
 second  voyage  to  Melbourne  in  September  last,  added  to  the  unusual  amount 
 of  labour  which  the  vessel  had  to  perform  in  the  early  part  of  the  season, 
 threw  her  more  than  a  month  behind  her  time  for  her  last  voyage  among 
 the  islands.  It  was  the  first  voyage  Captain  Jenkins  had  had  command  of 
 the  Daijiiprlng,  and  he  did  his  verj'  utmost  to  economise  time.  The  voyage 
 from  lltdbourne  to  Aneityum  was,  perhaps,  the  shortest  on  record  ;  and  the 
 Dayspring  remained  only  one  day  in  Aneityum  harbour  ;  and  notwithstand- 
 ing there  was  more  than  the  average  amount  of  calms,  currents,  and  unsettled 
 weather,  the  voyage  round  the  islands  was  performed  in  less  than  the  average 
 length  of  time,  and  the  vessel  was  brouglit  back  to  Aneityum  without  the 
 slightest  mishap. 
 
 '  "When  daylight  opened  on  us  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  instant,  every- 
 thing on  and  around  my  station  bore  the  aspect  of  utter  desolation.  I  had 
 ten  houses  blown  down,  and  every  building  more  or  less  injured.  Two 
 whaleboats — the  one  borrowed  by  Captain  Jenkins,  the  other  borrowed  by 
 myself — were  each  dashed  into  a  hundred  pieces.  At  both  the  whaling  estab- 
 lishments, boat-houses  were  carried  away,  and  boats  smashed  in  the  same 
 manner.  The  natives  have  lost  fully  three  months'  provisions,  but  I  cannot 
 at  present  enter  into  details. ' 
 
 It  was  three  months  before  the  wrecked  company  arrived 
 in  Sydney.  They  had  to  wait  a  long  time  on  Aneityum 
 before  any  vessel  called.  At  length  the  Sea  Witch  schooner 
 was  hailed,  and  engaged  to  take  them  to  Noumea,  New 
 Caledonia,  where  a  passage  was  got  in  the  French  mail 
 steamer.  In  continuing  her  voyage  to  Fiji,  the  Sea  Witch 
 was  also  wrecked. 
 
 There  was  very  great  sorrow  throughout  the  colonies  on 
 account  of  the  loss  of  the  Dayspring.  This  was  intensi- 
 fied by  the  fact  that  on  the  very  day  of  the  arrival  of  the 
 shipwrecked  company  in  Sydney,  the  Eev.  Joseph  Annand, 
 M.A.,  and  his  devoted  wife,  had  arrived  from  Nova  Scotia 
 to  join  the  mission  on  the  islands.  The  Marine  Board  at 
 Sydney,  after  full  inquiry,  acquitted  Captain  Jenkins  and 
 and  Mr,  M'Arthur,  the  chief  otticer,  of  all  blame. 
 
 A  board  of  ministers  and  laymen  was  immediately  con- 
 stituted in  Sydney,  in  accordance  with  the  advice  of  the 
 Mission  Synod,  Every  effort  was  made  to  get  a  vessel 
 chartered.  The  lay  members  of  the  board  were  very  active 
 and  vigilant,  and  to  their  zeal  and  wisdom  it  was  due  that 
 the  Paragon,  a  three-masted  schooner    of  IGO  tons,  and 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  73 
 
 just  off  the  stocks,  was  chartered.  She  was  admirably  built, 
 of  colonial  hardwood,  by  two  Aberdeen  shipbuilders  settled 
 in  Sydney,  and,  though  not  adapted  in  cabin  accommodation, 
 was  otherwise  fitted  for  the  work.  The  charter  was  for  five 
 months,  or  more  if  required,  at  £80  a  month,  and  insurance 
 for  .£3000.  The  board  was  to  provide  all  officers,  crew, 
 and  stores.  A  clause  was  inserted  in  the  charter  giving 
 option  of  purchase  for  £3000  on  her  return. 
 
 The  Pararjon  left  Sydney  on  the  24th  May  1873,  and 
 arrived  at  Aneityum  after  a  passage  of  nine  days.  The 
 vessel  proved  to  be  a  splendid  sea-boat,  and  pleased  all. 
 The  Mission  Synod  recommended  her  purchase,  if  parties 
 interested  in  the  mission  were  found  agreeable.  On  her 
 return  to  Sydney,  the  board  made  inquiries  relative  to  the 
 building  of  a  vessel  before  taking  any  steps  to  purchase. 
 It  was  found  that  ship  property  had  risen  rapidly  during 
 the  six  months,  and  that  £1000  more  would  be  required 
 to  build  a  new  vessel.  The  owners  of  the  Paragon  had  an 
 offer  of  £700  more  than  they  had  agreed  to  take  in  the 
 charter  bond.  As  three  of  the  missionaries  had  come  to 
 the  colonies  in  the  vessel,  and  were  taken  into  counsel ;  as 
 the  committee  in  Scotland  had  urged  the  propriety  of  getting 
 a  vessel  in  the  colonies;  and  as  prices  were  rising,  the  Board 
 decided  to  purchase  the  Paragon.  This  was  accordingly 
 done.  After  considerable  delay,  £2000  were  recovered 
 from  the  offices  in  which  the  Dayspriiig  had  been  insured. 
 But  as  the  £1000  recommended  by  the  Synod  to  be  ad- 
 vanced meantime  from  the  Insurance  Reserve  Fund  could 
 not  be  got,  two  of  the  lay  members  of  the  Board  secured  the 
 advance  of  the  sum,  and  the  vessel  was  paid  for.  An 
 application  was  made  to  the  Board  of  Trade  in  London  for 
 the  change  of  her  name,  as  the  Mission  Synod  requested  the 
 Dayspring  to  be  continued  if  possible. 
 
 Tenders  were  called  for  the  necessary  alterations,  and  a 
 contract  entered  into  to  provide  a  saloon  with  cabins  for 
 missionary  passengers.     All  was  to  be  ready  by  the   25tli 
 
74  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 March,  when  she  was   appointed  to   sail  for   the  islands. 
 The  cost  was  to  be  £420,  exclusive  of  furnishings. 
 
 It  was  at  once  necessary  to  take  steps  to  get  the  sum  of 
 £1500  required  to  meet  the  outlay.  A  public  meeting 
 was  held  in  St.  Stephen's  Church,  Sydney,  in  October,  when 
 the  Eev.  Messrs.  Copeland,  Goodwill,  and  Paton  gave  ad- 
 dresses. It  was  resolved  to  open  a  subscription,  and  to 
 solicit  the  services  of  the  Sabbath  scholars,  as  before,  in 
 providing  the  funds  for  their  missionary  vessel.  The  mis- 
 sionaries met  with  the  Sunday-school  teachers  of  the  Pres- 
 byterian Church  in  Sydney  in  St.  Andrew's  Church  shortly 
 after,  and  made  an  appeal  for  a  hearty  and  early  effort  to 
 get  funds.  Cards  were  ready  and  were  distributed.  A 
 fortnight  was  allowed  for  their  return.  The  response  was 
 prompt  and  liberal.  One  school  sent  £80,  a  second  £60, 
 several  from  £30  to  £50.  The  missionaries  addressed  the 
 General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  New 
 South  Wales  in  the  end  of  October,  and  were  warmly 
 received.  The  Rev.  Joseph  Copeland  remained  in  that 
 colony,  and  undertook  to  visit  as  many  districts  as  his 
 health  would  allow.  The  Kev.  Messrs.  Goodwill  and  Paton 
 left  for  Victoria,  to  attend  the  General  Assembly  in  Mel- 
 bourne the  following  week,  and  inaugurated  the  movement 
 there.  Mr.  Goodwill  spent  three  months  in  that  colony. 
 The  Kev.  J.  G.  Paton  proceeded  to  New  Zealand,  and 
 arrived  in  Auckland  in  time  to  address  the  General  As- 
 sembly of  the  Cluirch,  and  bring  the  claims  of  the  vessel 
 before  them.  He  then  went  through  part  of  the  colony 
 to  Dunedin,  where  he  addressed  the  Synod  of  Otago  and 
 Southland.  He  visited  many  of  the  congregations,  and 
 was  greatly  encouraged  and  helped.  Otago  responded  most 
 liberally  to  the  appeal,  and  gave  £1000.  The  other  pro- 
 vinces made  up  the  sum  to  nearly  £1500.  New  South 
 Wales  gave  £600.  Victoria  sent  the  sum  of  £400. 
 Hobart-town  also  sent  over  £30.  The  Foundry  Boys' 
 Society  in  Glasgow  contributed  £25  for  the  new  vessel. 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL.  75 
 
 Upwards  of  £2500  were  raised,  and  after  the  payment  of 
 all  expenses  incurred,  it  was  found,  when  the  missionaries 
 reassembled  at  Sydney,  that  the  vessel  was  fully  paid,  with 
 a  balance  to  her  credit.  It  was  certainly  a  great  success, 
 and  in  so  short  a  time.  It  made  the  hearts  of  the  mission- 
 aries thank  God  and  take  courage. 
 
 It  was  difficult  to  complete  the  alterations  by  the  time 
 appointed,  but  at  length  the  day  of  sailing  was  fixed  for  the 
 4th  of  April  1874.  The  missionaries,  their  wives,  and  the 
 ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Sydney,  w^ere  enter- 
 tained by  the  ladies  of  two  societies  in  the  city  interested 
 in  the  work  of  the  mission,  on  the  evening  of  the  3 1st  March, 
 which  proved  a  very  pleasant  gathering.  A  valedictory 
 meeting  was  held  in  St.  Stephen's  Church  on  the  3d 
 April,  and  on  the  4th,  according  to  appointment,  the  new 
 mission  vessel  left  Sydney  for  the  islands.  Her  total  cost, 
 with  fittings,  was  £3800. 
 
 The  master.  Captain  Jenkins,  and  Mr.  M' Arthur,  first  officer, 
 were  appointed  to  the  new  vessel.  After  Captain  Jenkins 
 left,  Captain  Braithwaite,  who  had  sailed  as  mate,  received 
 the  appointment,  and  has  given  much  satisfaction.  The 
 Board  in  Sydney  direct  all  affairs  connected  with  her  when 
 in  port,  pay  all  her  charges,  and  attend  to  all  her  stores. 
 The  Mission  Synod  direct  all  her  movements  in  the  islands. 
 Instructions  are  given  to  the  master  in  writing.  The  vessel 
 is  sailed  on  temperance  principles,  and  officers  and  crew  are 
 strictly  enjoined  to  maintain  good  conduct  on  all  occasions 
 towards  the  natives  of  the  islands,  and  to  add,  as  far  as  it  is 
 in  their  power,  to  the  influence  for  good  which  the  mission 
 is  designed  to  effect  among  the  islanders.  Having  accom- 
 panied the  vessel  on  this  trip,  along  with  the  three  mis- 
 sionaries who  were  returning  to  the  islands,  and  having 
 gone  the  whole  round,  I  am  gratified  to  be  able  to  testify 
 how  fully  the  vessel  is  adapted  to  her  work,  and  how  well 
 conducted  were  all  on  board.  There  w^re  prayers  twice 
 a  day,  a  special  service  on  Wednesday  evenings,  and  public 
 
76  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES, 
 
 worship  on  the  Sabbaths,  Several  of  the  officers  and  seamen 
 could  take  a  part  in  the  devotional  exercises.  If  the  vessel 
 be  always  as  well  manned,  she  will  be  a  credit  to  her 
 supporters,  as  she  is  so  important  an  auxiliary  to  the  work 
 of  the  mission.  The  Board  of  Trade  have,  on  application 
 made  from  Sydney,  agreed  to  the  alteration  of  the  vessel's 
 name  from  Paragon  to  the  one  in  former  use,  and  so 
 familiar  to  friends  of  the  mission,  the  Dayspring. 
 
 The  vessel  and  the  Insurance  Fund  are  invested  in  the 
 names  of  three  trustees.  All  her  financial  affairs  are  regu- 
 lated by  the  board,  which  consists  of  three  ministers  and 
 three  laymen, — the  latter  approved  friends  of  the  mission, 
 and  thoroughly  acquainted  with  shipping, — and  the  agent 
 of  the  vessel,  the  Eev.  James  Cosh,  M.A.,  who,  having  been 
 a  missionary  on  the  group  for  some  years,  is  thoroughly 
 acquainted  with  its  business.  The  master  is  under  strict 
 injunctions  to  leave  the  islands  annually  not  later  than  the 
 middle  of  December,  to  keep  clear  of  the  hurricane  season. 
 
 Before  the  Dayspring  left  Sydney  in  April  1875,  some 
 ladies,  long  interested  in  the  mission,  presented  a  large 
 and  beautiful  ensign  to  the  vessel.  It  has  the  Union  Jack, 
 along  with  a  figure  of  the  rising  sun,  with  the  word  '  Day- 
 spring  '  in  white  letters  on  a  red  ground  below.  As  such 
 an  ensign  could  not  be  used  without  the  sanction  of  the 
 commodore,  I  was  commissioned  to  ask  his  permission. 
 Commodore  Goodenough,  in  the  kindest  manner,  granted 
 leave  to  fly  the  flag,  which  is  emblematic  of  the  vessel's 
 name  and  mission.  As  she  left  the  harbour  this  new  ensign 
 was  at  her  stern.  The  vessel  makes  two  trips  to  the 
 colonies  each  year.  Since  the  trading  vessels  to  the 
 islands  are  fewer  than  they  were  wont  to  be,  there  is  no 
 regular  opportunity  of  getting  mails,  or  supplies  in  case  of 
 special  need ;  as  the  missionary  band  embraces  eleven  at 
 present,  besides  the  stations  of  native  teachers ;  and  as  it  is 
 hoped  that  the  mission-staff  will  soon  be  increased,  more 
 frequent   communication   is    necessary,     A   report   of  her 
 
THE  MISSION  VESSEL  77 
 
 voyages  is  annually  printed,  together  with  a  statement  of 
 accounts,  which  is  circulated  largely  among  the  Sabbath 
 schools  contributing  to  her  support. 
 
 The  mission  vessel  has  been  a  great  bond  of  union 
 throughout  the  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  inter- 
 ested in  the  mission,  and  has  had,  as  the  Eev.  Dr.  Mac- 
 donald  well  remarked,  '  two  mission  fields — one  in  the  New 
 Hebrides  and  another  in  the  colonies ;  and  I  think  I  am 
 justified  in  saying  that  her  influence  for  good  in  Melbourne 
 and  other  colonial  seaports  was  as  important  in  its  place  as 
 her  work  among  the  islands  from  Aneitynm  to  Santo.' ^  She 
 is  the  agent  of  the  churches,  and  gathers  around  her  many 
 prayers  as  she  sails  among  the  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides, 
 beneath  the  bright  constellation  of  the  Southern  Cross. 
 
 '  Oft  shall  the  shadow  of  the  palm-tree  lie 
 
 O'er  glassy  bays  wherein  thy  sails  are  furled  ; 
 And  its  leaves  whisper,  as  the  winds  sweep  by. 
 Tales  of  the  elder  world. 
 
 *  Oft  shall  the  burning  stars  of  Southern  skies 
 On  the  mid-ocean  see  thee  charmed  in  sleep — 
 A  lonely  home  for  human  thoughts  and  ties, 
 Between  the  heavens  and  deep. 
 
 '  Blue  seas  that  roll  on  gorgeous  coasts  renowned. 
 
 By  night  shall  sparkle  where  thy  prow  makes  way  ; 
 Strange  creatures  of  the  abyss  that  none  may  sound, 
 In  thy  broad  wake  shall  play. 
 
 '  From  hills  unknown,  in  mingled  joy  and  fear, 
 
 Free  dusky  tribes  shall  pour  thy  flag  to  mark  ; — 
 Blessings  go  with  thee  on  thy  lone  career  ! 
 
 Hush,  and  farewell,  thou  bark  ! ' — Mrs.  Hemanp. 
 
 ^  History  of  the  Daysprhifj  in  Campbell's    Year  In  the  Neic  Hebrides, 
 p.  65. 
 
CHAPTEE    IV. 
 
 THE  SUPPOETERS  OF  THE  MISSION. 
 
 '  Even  the  favoured  isles 
 So  lately  found,  although  the  constant  sun 
 Cheer  all  their  seasons  with  a  grateful  smile, 
 Can  boast  but  little  virtue,  and,  inert 
 Through  plenty,  lose  in  morals  what  they  gain 
 In  climate  :  victims  of  luxurious  ease. 
 These,  therefore,  I  can  pity ;  placed  remote 
 From  all  that  science  traces,  art  invents, 
 Or  inspiration  teaches  ;  and  enclosed 
 In  boundless  oceans  never,  to  be  passed 
 By  navigators  uninformed  as  they. '—  Cowper. 
 
 The  discovery  of  Polynesian  islands  with  savage  inhabitants 
 drew  forth,  as  we  have  seen,  the  pity  of  the  Christian 
 Church.  There  have  been,  and  there  are  still,  disputes  as 
 to  the  proper  way  in  which  the  Church  of  Christ  should 
 put  forth  its  efforts  ibr  evangelizing  savage  people.  All  are 
 agreed  that  it  is  by  missionary  efibrt,  and  that  Christians 
 should  combine  to  suj>port  the  work.  A  solitary  effort  may 
 begin  the  movement,  like  the  stone  cast  into  the  pool,  but 
 many  circles  of  influence  will  be  embraced  before  all  is 
 over.  The  New  Hebrides  mission  was  begun  by  a  solitary 
 missionary  settled  on  the  island  of  Aneityum.  He  was 
 supported  by  a  small  section  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
 in  a  very  remote  part  of  the  world — the  Secession  Church 
 in  Nova  Scotia.  The  salary  aff'orded  him  at  the  outset  was 
 barely  £100,  and  it  was  with  much  hesitation,  and  by  the 
 narrow  majority  of  one,  that  the  Synod  ventured  on  the 
 
THE  SUPPORTERS  OF  THE  MISSION.  79 
 
 responsibility.  The  undertaking  was  of  God,  and  supporters 
 rallied  around  the  cause  which  had  drawn  forth  such  a 
 gallant  volunteer.  Three  years  after  the  settlement  of  Mr. 
 Geddie,  the  same  Church  sought  a  second  missionary,  but 
 two  years  elapsed  ere  one  offered  his  services,  and  four  years 
 more  ere  he  reached  Eromanga,  where  he  was  to  labour. 
 Two  more  offered  themselves,  and  were  sent  to  the  New 
 Hebrides.  The  Church's  ability  expanded  as  the  wants  of 
 the  heathen  became  more  fully  recognised.  In  1861,  the 
 Secession  Church  united  with  the  Free  Church  there,  and 
 formed  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Lower  Provinces  of 
 British  North  America,  A  missionary  spirit  pervaded  it 
 from  that  happy  event,  and  though  struggling  to  overtake 
 the  w^ants  of  the  different  colonies  at  home,  and  compara- 
 tively poor  in  M'orldly  substance,  there  were  sent  out,  up  to 
 1879,  six  additional  missionaries.  Sickness,  death,  and 
 martyrdom  removed  several  of  the  agents,  so  that  there 
 have  never  been  above  three  dependent  upon  the  Synod  for 
 support  at  the  same  time.  That  support  has,  however,  con- 
 siderably increased  in  its  sum,  and  it  has  been  supplemented 
 by  an  annual  contribution  of  £250  for  the  expanses  of  the 
 mission  vessel,  besides  extra  outlay  in  connection  with  the 
 outfit  and  passage  of  missionaries,  and  the  building  and 
 repairs  of  the  vessel.  Besides  this,  the  Church  has  two 
 missionaries  in  the  West  Indies. 
 
 The  Synod  of  the  Maritime  Provinces  of  British  North 
 America  in  connection  with  the  Established  Church  of 
 Scotland  joined  in  the  w^ork,  and  sent  two  missionaries.  It 
 was  hoped  that  when  the  union  of  Presbyterian  Churches 
 in  the  Dominion  of  Canada  took  place  in  1876,  there  would 
 be  an  increase  of  missionaries.  This  has  not  yet  been 
 brought  about ;  for  the  support  of  the  mission  devolves 
 upon  the  Synod  of  the  Maritime  Provinces — a  branch  of  the 
 united  Church.  Indeed,  there  are  fewer  now  than  there 
 were  before  the  union,  for  one  of  the  missionaries  resigned 
 in  1874  and  returned  to  Prince  Edward's  Isle,  the  health  of 
 
So  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 his  wife  necessitating  this  step.  At  present  three  mission- 
 aries are  supported  at  an  expense  very  largely  above  what 
 was  given  for  three  fifteen  years  ago.  Several  contributions 
 for  native  teachers  are  regularly  sent  by  congregations  in 
 these  Provinces,  and  boxes  are  frequently  transmitted  full 
 of  useful  articles  for  the  mission. 
 
 The  Eeformed  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland  was 
 next  in  the  field.  It  had  supported  two  missionaries  in 
 New  Zealand,  and  one  to  the  Jews  in  London.  It  con- 
 tained altogether  some  forty  congregations  in  Scotland, 
 many  of  which  were  very  small,  and  unable,  without  ex- 
 ternal aid,  to  support  ordinances  among  themselves.  Yet 
 it  may  be  said  of  them,  as  of  the  churches  of  Macedonia, 
 that  '  their  deep  poverty  abounded  unto  the  riches  of  their 
 liberality.'  In  1857,  they  appointed  two  additional  mis- 
 sionaries to  the  New  Hebrides,  the  Eev.  Joseph  Copeland 
 and  the  Ptev.  John  G,  Paton.  Since  that  period  there  have 
 been  sent  from  the  same  Church  three  more,  chiefly,  how- 
 ever, by  means  of  the  fund  raised  for  obtaining  additional 
 missionaries  by  the  zealous  advocacy  of  Mr.  Paton  in 
 Victoria,  aiid  by  his  appeals  for  men  in  Scotland.  Other 
 two  were  brought  out  by  the  same  means.  Two  of  these 
 were  students  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  and  one  of 
 the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  The  Eeformed  Presby- 
 terian Church,  since  1858,  had  three  missionaries  constantly 
 dependent  on  its  liberality.  The  children  of  the  same 
 Church  also  regularly  contributed  the  annual  sum  of  £258 
 for  the  sailiug  expenses  of  the  mission  vessel.  That  Church 
 united  with  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  in  1876,  and  one 
 lay  missionary  has  been  sent  to  the  New  Hebrides  in  1879, 
 to  take  charge  of  the  station  rendered  vacant  by  the  re- 
 tirement of  the  Eev.  John  Inglis.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
 greater  interest  may  now  be  taken  in  the  mission  by  the 
 Free  Church  of  Scotland,  as  it  connects  the  South  Sea 
 Islands  for  the  first  time  with  its  active  missionary  enter- 
 prise, occupied   hitherto   with  India  and  Africa.      In   the 
 
THE  SUPPORTERS  OF  THE  MISSION.  8i 
 
 prospect  of  union  among  Scottish  Churches,  there  may  he 
 also  some  proposal  to  hand  over  the  New  Hebrides  mission 
 to  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Australia  and  New  Zealand  ; 
 but  there  is  ample  room  for  more  labourers  from  the  latter, 
 without  the  loss  of  the  older  supporters  of  the  mission, 
 endeared  to  so  many  by  the  successful  labours  of  Mr. 
 Ingiis.  The  spirit  of  union  has  already  organized  a  new 
 mission  to  Africa,  and  will  not  likely  abandon  those  kept 
 up  alone. 
 
 The  calamities  of  the  New  Hebrides  mission  deeply 
 interested  the  rising  churches  of  Australia  by  the  visits  of 
 missionaries.  These  visits  proved  a  great  blessing  to  the 
 colonial  Churches,  and  awakened  a  missionary  spirit.  The 
 liberality  manifested  in  response  to  Mr.  Paton's  appeals  was 
 so  ample  that  additional  missionaries  were  provided  for. 
 Victoria  led  this  generous  and  Christian  movement.  It 
 was  natural  that,  when  so  much  was  raised  for  the  pre- 
 paration and  passage  of  missionaries,  there  would  be  both 
 willingness  and  ability  to  maintain  them.  As  the  churches 
 already  supporting  the  mission  were  taxed  to  the  utmost,  it 
 was  not  to  be  expected  that  the  increase  of  labourers  could 
 be  at  their  expense.  When  therefore  Mr.  Paton  returned 
 with  his  first  reinforcement  of  missionaries,  the  Presbyterian 
 Church  of  Victoria  undertook  to  support  two.  But  a  request 
 was  made  to  Mr.  Paton  himself  to  become  one  of  these. 
 The  call  was  accepted  by  him,  and  thus  a  new  link  was 
 made  between  that  Church  and  the  mission.  It  is  always 
 important,  at  least  in  small  bodies  of  Christians,  that  the 
 missionary  employed  should  be  known  by  the  people  sup- 
 porting him,  and  in  this  case,  as  Mr.  Paton  had  visited 
 almost  every  congregation,  he  was  well  known.  The  Eev. 
 James  Cosh,  M.A.,  was  also  adopted  by  the  Victorian 
 Church.  He  had  the  opportunity  of  making  acquaintance 
 with  many  during  his  short  stay  in  the  colony.  Mr.  Cosh 
 laboured  zealously  at  Fate  for  four  years,  but  was  obliged 
 to  retire  on  account  of  the  health  of  his  wife.     He  has  not 
 
 F 
 
82  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 been  lost  to  the  cause,  for  as  minister  at  Balmain,  near 
 Sydney,  he  serves  the  mission  very  efficiently  as  agent  for 
 the  vessel.  The  Victorian  Church  then  sent  a  young  man 
 belonging  to  that  colony,  the  Eev.  Daniel  Macdonald,  who 
 has  been  settled  in  Havannah  Harbour,  Fat^.  The  Sabbath 
 schools  of  the  Church  undertook  a  large  share  in  the  sup- 
 port of  the  mission  vessel  the  Dayspring.  The  sum  was 
 not  to  be  less  than  £500  a  year,  but  it  was  often  twice  as 
 much,  so  great  was  the  interest  taken  in  the  mission.  And 
 the  interest  will  certainly  be  kept  up  by  the  missionaries 
 employed. 
 
 The  Eev.  J.  D.  Gordon  of  Eromanga,  having  paid  a  visit 
 to  the  colony  of  New  South  Wales  for  the  benefit  of  his 
 health,  and  having  won  the  esteem  of  many  by  his  ardent 
 piety  and  evangelistic  spirit,  was  asked  to  become  the 
 missionary  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
 Church.  He  agreed  to  this,  but  only  continued  two  years 
 in  the  connection,  when  from  a  difference  with  his  brethren 
 about  the  conduct  of  the  mission,  he  resigned  and  wrought 
 alone  till  his  martyr  death.  No  successor  has  yet  been 
 found  by  the  Church  in  New  South  Wales,  but  efforts  are 
 renewed  to  get  one. 
 
 The  Eev.  Joseph  Copeland  visited  New  Zealand  and 
 advocated  the  cause  of  the  mission.  This  led  the  Synod 
 of  Otago  and  Southland  to  request  him  to  become  their 
 missionary,  but  Mr.  Copeland  declined  to  sever  himself 
 from  the  Church  that  had  sent  him  out.  One  of  the  new 
 missionaries,  the  Eev.  Peter  Milne,  became  the  agent  of 
 that  Church,  and  another,  Mr.  Oscar  Michelsen,  has  been 
 sent.  Mr.  Copeland,  during  a  visit  in  1878,  collected 
 funds  in  Otago  for  founding  a  scholarship  for  the  education 
 of  a  missionary. 
 
 The  northern  Church  in  New  Zealand  had  joined  the 
 enterprise,  even  before  the  southern,  by  appointing  the 
 Eev.  William  Watt  as  their  missionary.  These  three 
 brethren   visited   New   Zealand,  and  interested  their   con- 
 
THE  SUPPORTERS  OF  THE  MISSION.         83 
 
 stituents  moi-e  deeply  iu  their  work  by  personal  acquaint- 
 ance. The  Sabbath  schools  in  New  Zealand  became 
 contributors  to  the  fund  for  the  maintenance  of  the  mission 
 vessel,  and  about  £200  a  year  were  sent  from  Otago,  and 
 £100  from  the  General  Assembly,  for  this  purpose. 
 
 South  Australia  had  taken  a  warm  interest  in  the  mis- 
 sion, and  contributed  liberally  towards  the  funds  for  the 
 purchase  of  the  mission  ship,  and  for  other  objects.  The 
 Presbyterian  Church  in  that  colony  is  as  yet  small,  and 
 has  not  ventured  on  the  appointment  of  a  missionary.  It 
 is  hoped,  however,  that  an  effort  will  be  made  to  do  this, 
 as  well  as  to  continue  the  liberal  help  to  the  vessel.  The 
 colony,  and  consequently  the  Presbyterian  Church  there, 
 may  rapidly  advance. 
 
 In  Tasmania,  a  corresponding  interest  has  been  felt,  and 
 an  auxiliary  to  the  mission  has  been  maintained  there. 
 From  most  of  the  congregations  and  Sunday  schools,  con- 
 tributions for  the  purchase  of  the  first  and  second  missionary 
 ships,  and  for  the  annual  expenses,  have  been  given.  There 
 is  a  strong  desire  to  support  a  missionary,  if  one  can  be  got. 
 Funds  sufficient  to  equip  and  start  one  are  already  in  hand. 
 
 The  colony  of  Queensland  was  visited  by  the  Eev. 
 Joseph  Copeland,  and  as  the  issue  of  his  advocacy  of  the 
 cause,  collections  were  made  on  behalf  of  the  Bays'pring. 
 This  was  not  repeated  generally,  though  occasional  con- 
 tributions have  been  sent  to  prove  that  the  interest  still 
 continues.  The  Church  has  had  its  struggles  to  provide 
 ordinances  for  its  scattered  people,  but  as  the  colony  and 
 the  Church  prosper,  a  missionary  may  be  expected.  This 
 is  all  the  more  to  be  desired,  since  so  many  of  the  natives 
 of  the  New  Hebrides  have  been  taken  to  labour  in  the 
 plantations  of  Queensland.  The  hearts  of  Christian  people 
 there  are  open  to  the  wrongs  inflicted  on  the  islanders,  by 
 the  deceit  or  force  used  to  remove  them  from  their  homes, 
 cases  of  which  have  been  proved  and  punished  by  the 
 Queensland  courts  of  justice.     They  will  surely  make  this 
 
84  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 reparation  by  supporting  a  missionary.  It  has  sometimes 
 been  said,  Why  have  not  missionaries  been  sent  among  the 
 islanders  while  working  on  the  plantations  ?  The  answer  is, 
 the  languages  spoken  by  them  are  so  many  that  it  is  quite 
 impossible.  Unless  some  common  language  were  spoken 
 by  a  company  of  natives,  they  cannot  be  taught  much  while 
 labouring  on  cotton  or  sugar  plantations.  It  is  in  their 
 own  homes  that  tliis  work  is  to  be  done.  Besides,  the 
 numbers  on  separate  plantations  are  few,  and  it  is  to  be 
 feared  that  those  who  have  imported  and  hired  them  are 
 not  so  deeply  interested  in  the  enlightenment  of  their 
 savage  labourers  as  to  employ  missionaries  to  instruct 
 them.  It  is  not  likely  that  the  importation  of  islanders 
 from  the  New  Hebrides  w^ll  continue  much  longer  to 
 Queensland. 
 
 The  colony  of  Western  Australia  is  not  yet  embraced 
 in  this  missionary  work.  The  Presbyterian  Church  there 
 has  been  confined  to  a  single  struggling  congregation,  the 
 minister  of  which  lately  left  for  a  sphere  of  labour  in  New 
 South  Wales,  which  he  now  ably  fills.  The  church  must 
 first  arise  ere  missionary  zeal  can  be  developed. 
 
 With  this  exception,  all  the  colonial  Churches  in  the 
 southern  hemisphere  are  taking  a  part,  more  or  less,  in  the 
 New  Hebrides  mission.  Some  have  no  missionaries  at 
 present,  but  it  is  earnestly  hoped  that  all  will  soon  have 
 representatives.  It  is  thus  only  that  the  islands  can  be 
 fully  evangelized.  The  work  is  now  laid  upon  these 
 Churches  to  aid  those  who  began  the  mission.  Thirty  more 
 missionaries  are  required  to  occupy  the  field.  It  will  take, 
 therefore,  all  the  zeal  and  liberality  of  Australian  and  New 
 Zealand  Presbyterians  to  do  their  part  in  this  great  work. 
 They  have  other  work,  we  admit.  They  have  to  provide 
 for  their  immigrant  people,  scattered  over  a  wide  territory. 
 They  have  to  do  something,  even  more  than  is  being  done, 
 for  the  thousands  of  Chinese  resident  among  them,  a  people 
 rapidly  being  increased  in  Queensland.     An  effort  is  being 
 
THE  SUPPORTERS  OF  THE  MISSION,         85 
 
 made,  though  late,  to  cany  the  gospel  to  the  aborigines, 
 chiefly  to  the  west  and  north,  where  they  have  not  come 
 under  the  desolating  influence  of  the  rifle  and  the  bottle. 
 But  the  New  Hebrides  mission  has  its  strong  claim.  There 
 are  many  who  sympathise  with  it.  And  as  its  wants  are 
 made  kno^^'n,  there  will  surely  be  an  additional  effort  to 
 provide  men  to  enter  on  this  evangelistic  enterprise.  The 
 Episcopal  Church  in  the  Australasian  colonies  helps  to 
 support  the  Melanesian  mission ;  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
 Church,  their  mission  in  Fiji,  Tonga,  and  New  Britain ; 
 and  the  Congregationalists,  the  Polynesian  missions  of  the 
 London  IMissionary  Society. 
 
 The  great  difficulty  felt  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand  is 
 to  get  a  sufficient  supply  of  men.  The  colonial  ministry 
 has  required  its  own  supply  chiefly  from  the  mother 
 country.  Missionaries  are  wanted  from  the  same  source ; 
 but,  as  there  is  so  great  a  drain  upon  the  United  Kingdom 
 for  all  the  colonies,  it  is  difficult  to  get  missionary  agents. 
 The  colonial  Churches  are,  however,  setting  up  their  colleges 
 and  providing  scholarships  for  young  men ;  and  it  is  to 
 be  hoped  that  some  ardent  youth,  fired  with  the  love  of 
 Christ,  will  be  ready  to  offer  their  services  for  the  high 
 places  of  the  field.  From  the  great  revival  in  Scotland 
 some  may  be  expected  shortly. 
 
 The  interest  taken  in  the  vessel  is  a  sufficient  augury  for 
 the  future.  If  Victorian  Sabbath  scholars  give  £500  a 
 year ;  those  of  New  South  Wales,  £200  ;  of  South  Australia, 
 £100;  of  Tasmania,  £100;  of  Queensland,  as  we  hope, 
 £100  ;  of  Otago  and  Southland,  £200  ;  and  of  the  General 
 Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  north,  £100, 
 the  congregations  of  all  these  Churches  will  not,  when  the 
 cause  is  fairly  put  before  them,  fail  in  doing  their  part. 
 They  will  come  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty. 
 And  such  as  aid  the  mission  now  will  also  join  in  support- 
 ing the  vessel. 
 
 The  vessel  could  serve  other  islands  without  much  addi- 
 
86  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 tional  expense.  They  all  lie  contiguous  to  each  other,  and 
 could  easily  be  visited.  Several  are  visited  where  there  are 
 no  missionaries  at  present,  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  settle- 
 ment of  teachers.  It  is  a  very  important  part  of  the  vessel's 
 work  in  pioneering. 
 
 As  so  many  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  have 
 united  in  missionary  work  on  the  New  Hebrides,  it  occurred  to 
 the  late  Eev.  Dr.  Duff,  the  very  'prince  of  missionaries,'  that 
 Churches  joining  in  the  Presbj'terian  General  Council  might 
 be  induced  to  take  an  interest  in  this  group,  as  a  means  of 
 union  among  themselves.  He  brought  the  proposal  before 
 the  first  Presbyterian  General  Council  at  Edinburgh  in 
 1877.  In  his  communication  he  stated  that  the  New 
 Hebrides  afforded  a  suitable  field  for  such  a  combined 
 experiment,  and  for  the  solution  of  many  of  the  problems 
 which  have  vexed  and  retarded  the  work  in  many  lands. 
 He  added : — 
 
 '  It  only  enhances  the  recommendation  of  such  a  field, 
 that  already  five  or  six  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  have 
 joint  missions  in  about  half  a  dozen  of  the  more  southerly 
 islands — the  majority  of  them,  and  especially  the  largest 
 towards  the  north,  being  as  yet  wholly  unoccupied.  The 
 Presbyterian  missionaries  of  different  Churches  now  labour- 
 ing there  (and  it  is  important  to  note  that  there  are  none  there 
 belonging  to  any  other  denomination) — Scotch,  Canadian, 
 and  Australian — mutually  co-operate,  as  if  they  were  all 
 members  of  the  same  Church,  with  a  unity,  harmony,  and 
 plenitude  of  brotherly  love  which  remind  us  of  primitive 
 apostolic  times. 
 
 '  If,  then,  all  the  Presbyterian  Churches  represented  in 
 the  Council  were  to  supply  their  proportionate  quota  of 
 help,  either  in  men  or  money,  or  both,  the  wliole  group  of 
 islands  might  be  simultaneously  and  effectively  occupied. 
 And  if  so,  the  whole,  by  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
 on  such  loving  apostolic  labours,  might,  in  little  more  than 
 a    generation,    be    turned    into    a   garden  of  the   Lord — 
 
THE  SUPPORTERS  OF  THE  MISSION.         87 
 
 replenislied  witli  "  plants  of  renown,"  and  "  trees  of  right- 
 eousness," to  the  praise  of  the  "  unsearchable  riches  "  of 
 divine  grace.  Then  might  the  Presbyterian  Churches 
 throughout  the  world  unitedly  betake  themselves  to  some 
 other  well-defined  field,  to  break  up  the  fallow  ground,  to 
 sow  and  plant,  and  reap  in  the  end  a  similar  harvest  of 
 souls  for  a  glorious  immortality.  And  not  only  so,  but 
 other  evangelical  bodies,  or  outstanding  members  thereof, 
 attracted  and  stimulated  by  such  a  model  of  harmony  and 
 example  of  success,  might  be  induced  to  join  the  evan- 
 gelistic confederation,  and  thus  help  to  confer  a  visible 
 verification  on  the  solemn  words  of  our  blessed  Saviour's 
 marvellous  prayer — "  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but 
 for  them  also  who  shall  believe  on  Me  through  their  word ; 
 that  they  all  may  he  one;  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me,  and 
 I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  Us ;  that  the  world 
 may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me." 
 
 '  If  this  or  any  similar  proposal  were  thought  well  of  by 
 the  Council,  it  would  not  be  necessary  now  to  adopt  any 
 definite  measures  of  any  kind.  It  would  be  enough  for 
 the  Council  to  nominate  a  strong  central  committee  for 
 Scotland,  to  meet  in  Edinburgh,  with  branch  committees 
 in  London,  Belfast,  the  Continent,  Australia,  New  Zealand, 
 the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Canada,  and  the  United  States, 
 These,  by  mutual  conference  or  correspondence,  might  come 
 to  an  agreement  as  to  the  most  suitable  field  to  be,  in  the 
 first  instance,  selected,  as  well  as  all  the  details  connected 
 with  the  most  approved  and  effective  organization  for  hope- 
 fully and  successfully  overtaking  it.  And  thus,  before 
 another  Council  could  meet  in  New  York,  Philadelphia, 
 Geneva,  or  elsewhere,  the  whole  scheme  miglit  be  in 
 energetic  operation.' 
 
 Nothing  has  been  yet  done  to  carry  out  the  last  wish  of 
 Dr.  Duff;  and  the  mission  is  very  much  in  want  of  a 
 reinforcement  of  men,  if  it  is  to  be  maintained  efficiently 
 and  extended. 
 
88  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Among  the  supporters  of  the  New  Hehrides  mission  are 
 many  Ladies,  who,  in  some  cases  by  associated  and  in 
 others  by  individual  effort,  have  from  year  to  year  prepared 
 boxes  containing  articles  of  dress  suited  to  the  natives. 
 Calico  in  considerable  quantity  is  generally  sent.  These 
 contributions  are  highly  valued  by  the  missionaries,  and 
 prove  extremely  useful.  As  needlework  is  taught  to  the 
 native  women,  it  is  not  necessary  that  clothes  be  all  made 
 before  they  are  sent.  The  material  is  in  such  cases  most 
 acceptable.  Some  articles,  such  as  shirts  for  men,  require 
 to  be  ready-made.  Alpaca  coats  are  also  much  appreciated. 
 Indeed,  heavier  dress  is  valued  in  the  winter  season.  There 
 is  thus  a  way  in  which  ladies  interested  in  the  mission 
 can  be  very  useful,  by  contributing  boxes  of  blankets, 
 flannel,  calico,  and  articles  of  dress.  Trinkets  and  play- 
 things are  of  no  value  whatever.  The  best  course  to  follow 
 is  to  send  such  things  as  the  missionary  ladies  desire, 
 for  thus  they  will  most  readily  serve  the  purposes  of  the 
 mission. 
 
 Native  teachers  generally  receive  payment  for  their 
 services  in  clothing.  It  is  felt  to  be  desirable  that  they 
 and  their  wives  should  be  attired  somewhat  better  than 
 the  people  generally,  as  an  example  to  the  rest.  Women 
 need,  in  most  cases,  only  one  garment,  and  when  that  is 
 neat  and  loose,  it  is  graceful  When  they  wear  the 
 petticoat  of  pandanus  leaves,  a  short-gown  and  hat  are 
 all  that  are  wanted,  with  perhaps  a  coloured  handkerchief. 
 Sometimes  a  light  skirt  is  thrown  gracefully  over  the 
 native  petticoat.  Tlie  teachers  wear  Crimean  shirts,  with 
 fustian  or  serge  trousers,  and  have  alpaca  or  cloth  coats  for 
 special  occasions.  All  like  coloured  handkerchiefs,  and 
 pieces  of  Turkey  red,  and  ribbons  of  bright  colours. 
 Unbleached  or  blue  calico  is  also  generally  admired  for 
 the  ordinary  dress  of  men  round  the  loins.  Whenever 
 natives  begin  to  attend  church,  they  like  some  article  of 
 clothing,  and  they  are  more  desirous  to  have  some  comforts 
 
THE  SUPPORTERS  OF  THE  MISSION.  89 
 
 in  their  homes.  The  winter,  as  we  have  already  had 
 occasion  to  state,  is  even  in  the  tropics  very  hard  npon  the 
 natives,  and  many  cases  of  coughs  and  consumption  appear. 
 Blankets,  therefore,  prove  very  valuable,  and  are  always 
 welcomed,  as  the  mats  of  the  natives  afford  little  warmth, 
 and  do  not  wrap  closely. 
 
 The  missionaries  do  not,  in  general,  find  it  to  be  prudent 
 to  give  these  things  to  the  people  for  nothing.  It  en- 
 courages a  propensity  which  they  have  well  developed 
 already.  Some  service  in  return  is  required,  which  en- 
 courages an  industrious  habit,  and  represses  the  begging 
 disposition. 
 
 These  remarks  may  aid  ladies  who  desire  to  be  supporters 
 of  the  mission,  in  the  selection  of  articles  for  their  boxes. 
 The  cases  containing  goods  should  never  be  large,  as  they 
 have  all  to  be  landed  in  small  boats,  and  sometimes  in 
 heavy  seas.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  landing- 
 places  are  always  on  the  beach,  and  sometimes  on  very 
 unprotected  shores,  which  the  vessel  cannot  very  closely 
 approach,  or  get  anchorage  at  all.  It  is  very  mortifying, 
 as  has  sometimes  happened,  to  see  a  large  case,  containing 
 say  a  washing-machine,  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  when 
 an  effort  is  being  made  to  lower  it  into  a  smaU  boat. 
 
 More  missionaries  are  urgently  required,  if  the  mission 
 is  to  OATrtake  the  heathen  population.  There  o\ight  to  be 
 three  or  four  more  upon  Tanna,  and  as  many  additional  on 
 Fate,  while  on  the  islands  speaking  the  Fatese  language 
 there  is  room  for  three.  The  large  island  of  Espiritu 
 Santo,  which  has  been  already  occupied,  but  is  now 
 destitute  of  any  teacher  or  missionary,  should  have  six, 
 stationed  two  and  two  not  far  apart.  Mallicollo,  on  the 
 same  western  side,  is  without  a  missionary,  not  to  say 
 anything  of  the  islands  visited  by  the  members  of  the 
 Melanesian  mission  on  the  north-east. 
 
 The  Synod  issued  an  appeal  in  1874  for  additional 
 missionaries.     '  These  men,'  they  say,  '  must  be  free  from 
 
90  THE  NE  \V  HEBRIDES. 
 
 organic  disease,  not  too  old,  possessed  of  good  common 
 sense,  patient,  pliable,  of  a  cheerful  disposition,  of  physical 
 courage,  of  faith  and  love  to  souls ;  men  known  to  the 
 Churches,  and  in  whom  the  Churches  have  full  confidence.' 
 
 '  For  such  men  there  are  at  present  several  openings  on  the  group.  At 
 some  of  these,  sites  have  been  purchased  for  mission  stations,  and  a  few  of 
 the  natives  may  desire  the  pi'esence  of  a  missionary  among  them.  We  do 
 not  say  that  at  any  of  these  openings,  a  young  missionary  coming  down 
 will  find  a  manse  and  church  ready  built,  or  a  people  able  to  read,  having 
 abandoned  heathen  practices  and  thirsting  for  the  gospel.  He  may  not 
 even  find  at  these  places  any  of  these  pioneers  we  call  native  teachers. 
 These  openings  are,  for  the  most  part,  places  where  a  missionary  will  be 
 allowed  to  land,  where  he  can  build  his  house,  proceed  to  acquire  the 
 language,  and  gradually  draw  the  natives  around  him.  In  some  cases,  how- 
 ever, there  are  places  vacant  where  missionaries  have  already  laboured,  and 
 others  where  teachers  have  been  settled.  Assistance  is  always  provided  for 
 the  erection  of  houses  by  the  men  of  the  vessel,  by  natives  brought  from 
 other  islands,  and  by  missionary  brethren. 
 
 '  To  all  possessed  of  qualifications  for  this  field,  we  can  safely  say  that 
 well-directed  effoi'ts  will  not  be  in  vain.  Those  who  may  join  us  will  doubt- 
 less have  trials, — for  what  field  is  without  them? — especially  at  first;  but 
 they  will  have  pleasure  as  well :  they  will  have  the  respect  and  sympathy  of 
 the  Churches  supporting  them,  they  will  see  in  time,  more  or  fewer  of  the 
 natives  giving  up  their  heathen  practices,  becoming  more  industrious  and 
 more  respectful,  learning  to  read,  in  due  time  to  be  baptized  and  admitted 
 to  the  church,  and  leading  lives,  as  far  as  can  be  expected,  in  accordance  with 
 tlie  gospel.  They  cannot  reasonably  expect  among  natives  like  these  to  see 
 a  European  type  of  civilisation  and  Christianity,  or  that  they  can  be  raised 
 to  an  equality  with  the  higher  races  ;  but  when  they  compare  their  New 
 Hebrides  converts  with  the  New  Hebrides  heathen,  they  will  allow  they  have 
 been  far  from  labouring  in  vain. 
 
 'As  we  would  not  have  any  to  join  us  under  wrong  impressions,  we  con- 
 sider it  but  fair  to  those  who  may  think  of  this  field  to  mention  the  more 
 prominent  trials  and  difficulties. 
 
 'As  elsewhere,  some  of  the  heathen  are  bitterly  opposed  to  the  gospel, 
 but  generallj'  we  find  that  they  do  not  embrace  it,  because  the}^  greatly  prefer 
 their  heathenism.  The  supply  of  native  teachers  and  servants  is  very 
 limited,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  climate  does  not  allow  of  our  emijloying 
 natives  of  the  Christianized  group  to  the  eastward.  We  are  largely 
 dependent  for  these  helps  on  Aneityum,  the  population  of  which  during  the 
 last  fourteen  years  has  greatly  decreased.  The  missionary  and  his  wife  must 
 be  willing  at  times  to  do  all  sorts  of  work,  even  the  menial,  especially 
 during  the  first  years.  They  will  have  to  create  and  keep  in  existence  all 
 the  necessaries  of  civilised  life ;  they  may  have  to  acquire  a  new  language 
 
THE  SUPPORTERS  OF  THE  MISSION.  91 
 
 without  any  help  from  books ;  they  may  be  the  only  white  people  on  their 
 island,  and  they  may  be  able  to  communicate  but  seldom  with  the  civilised 
 world.  They  will  feel,  too,  that  their  work  is  comparatively  isolated,  owing 
 to  the  diversity  of  language  and  the  distance  between  the  islands.  They 
 will  doubtless,  for  a  time,  have  to  bear  with  the  frowardness,  the  troublesome- 
 ness,  and  the  positive  unkindness  of  the  natives  they  seek  to  benefit.  They 
 will,  in  all  probability,  have  to  sow  the  seed  of  God's  word  with  tears,  and 
 wait  some  time  for  the  fruit.  The  climate  is  tropical,  and  more  sickness 
 may  be  expected  than  in  a  more  temperate  and  healthy  region. 
 
 '  The  missionaries  now  in  the  field  have  encountered  these  and  other 
 difficulties,  and  have  not  found  them  insurmountable  ;  and  we  feel  sure  that 
 there  are  many  young  men,  and  young  women  as  their  wives  (for  all  ought 
 to  be  married),  in  Christian  congregations  who  are  willing  to  endure  far  more 
 than  we  have  mentioned  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  Our  trials  are  not  greater, 
 on  the  whole,  than  those  of  many  ministers  in  the  Australasian  colonies, 
 especially  of  those  in  the  country  distiicts. 
 
 '  From  various  causes,  such  as  the  introduction  of  foreign  diseases,  the 
 labour  traffic,  the  introduction  of  intoxicating  drinks,  the  population  is 
 decreasing  on  all  the  islands.  If  anything  will  stay  this  depopulation,  it  is 
 the  gospel.  Send  us  men,  therefore,  and  send  them  quickly,  as  every  year 
 is  reducing  the  number  of  the  natives  and  increasing  the  difficulties  in  the 
 way  of  their  evangelization. 
 
 '  We  have  prayed  over  this  appeal,  and  may  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  take 
 it,  and  make  it  the  means  of  thi'ustiug  forth  more  labourers  into  this  corner 
 of  His  Church. 
 
 '  Signed  on  behalf  of  the  following  sub-committee  of  the  New  Hebrides 
 Mission  Synod,  viz.  Messrs.  Paton,  Milne,  Annand,  and  Copeland. 
 
 '  (Signed)        J.  Copelaxd. 
 ToTUXA,  July  1874.' 
 
 Let  tlie  supporters  of  the  mission,  thea,  arise  and 
 occupy  the  field  on  which  they  have  entered,  and  become 
 the  instruments  in  the  hand  of  God  of  sending  the  gospel 
 to  the  benighted  inhabitants  of  the  thirty  islands  of  the 
 New  Hebrides. 
 
 '  Wake,  isles  of  the  south  !  your  redemption  is  near, 
 
 No  longer  repose  in  the  borders  of  gloom  ; 
 The  strength  of  His  chosen  in  love  will  appear, 
 And  light  shall  arise  on  the  verge  of  the  tomb. 
 
 '  The  billows  that  gird  you,  the  wild  waves  that  roar. 
 
 The  zephyrs  that  play  where  the  ocean  storms  cease. 
 Shall  bear  the  rich  freight  to  your  desolate  shore — 
 Shall  waft  the  glad  tidings  of  pardon  and  peace. 
 
92  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  On  the  islands  that  sit  in  the  regions  of  night, 
 The  lands  of  despair,  to  oblivion  a  prej^, 
 The  morning  will  open  with  healing  and  light, 
 
 And  the  young  Star  of  Bethlehem  will  brighten  to-day. 
 
 '  The  heathen  will  hasten  to  welcome  the  time, 
 
 The  daysprlng  the  prophet  in  vision  once  saw, 
 When  the  beams  of  Messiah  will  illumine  each  clime. 
 And  the  isles  of  the  ocean  shall  wait  for  His  law. ' 
 
 .  — ^y.  B.  Tappan. 
 
CHAPTER  V. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM. 
 
 '  In  placid  indolence  supinely  bless'd, 
 A  feeble  race  this  beauteous  isle  possess'd  : 
 Untamed,  untiught,  in  arts  and  arms  unskill'd, 
 Tlieir  patrimonial  soil  they  rudely  till'd, 
 Chased  the  free  rovers  of  the  savage  wood, 
 Ensnared  the  wild  bird,  swam  the  scaly  flood  ; 
 Or  when  the  halcyon  sported  on  the  breeze, 
 In  light  canoes  they  skimmed  the  rippling  seas. 
 The  passing  moment  all  their  bliss  and  care  ; 
 Such  as  their  sires  had  been,  the  children  were  : 
 From  age  to  age,  as  waves  upon  the  tide 
 Of  stormless  time,  they  calmly  lived  and  died.' 
 
 — James  Montgomery. 
 
 Aneityum,  the  most  southerly  island  of  the  group,  is 
 situated  between  20°  9'  and  20°  16'  south  latitude,  and 
 between  169°  41'  and  169°  47'  east  longitude.  It  was 
 not  visited  by  Captain  Cook  in  1774,  but  he  saw  it  from 
 Tanna,  and  learned  its  name  as  pronounced  by  the  Tannese. 
 The  correct  pronunciation  is  as  it  is  now  written — Aneit- 
 yum. It  is  very  picturesque  on  the  southern  side,  and 
 has  a  good  harbour.  The  mountains  in  the  centre  rise  to 
 the  height  of  2800  feet ;  and  in  the  wooded  ravines  there 
 are  many  spots  of  verdure  and  beauty.  Some  streams 
 murmur  amidst  the  stones  of  their  beds,  and  awaken 
 memories  of  European  rather  than  of  Australian  waters. 
 There  are,  however,  on  the  spurs  of  the  mountains  near  the 
 sea,  barren  spots,  where  the  red  earth  appears  through  the 
 scanty  herbage ;  but  on  the  lower  and  more  level  grounds 
 
94  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 are  cultivated  patches,  where  taro,  sugar-cane,  banana,  and 
 other  tropical  fruits  grow  luxuriantly.  Kauri  pine,  and 
 other  heavy  timber,  are  in  the  interior,  and  sandal-wood  at 
 one  time  was  plentiful.  A  coral  reef  fringes  the  coast,  but 
 it  is  not  very  large.  As  the  island  has  striking  marks  of 
 volcanic  action,  the  existence  of  the  reef  shows  how  many 
 ages  ago  the  fires  were  burnt  out,  for  then  only  did  the 
 coral  insects  begin  their  work. 
 
 The  people  forty  years  ago  were  fierce  cannibals,  con- 
 stantly engaged  in  figliting,  and  savage  to  foreigners.  They 
 plaited  their  hair  in  long  cords,  as  the  Tannese  do  now,  and 
 wore  very  little  clothing.  Polygamy  was  practised,  and 
 widows  were  invariably  strangled  on  the  death  of  their 
 husbands,  to  accompany  the  departed  to  the  world  of 
 spirits.  Tliey  believed  in  another  world,  and  worshipped 
 a  sort  of  supreme  divinity,  as  well  as  many  others,  whom 
 they  propitiated  by  offerings  and  sacrifices  of  pigs,  and 
 occasionally,  it  is  thought,  even  of  human  beings.  Their 
 objects  of  worship — natmases — were  more  dreaded  than 
 revered.  Cruelties  the  most  revolting  were  practised.  As 
 a  people  they  ranked  very  low.  Their  arts  were  few  and 
 rude ;  their  canoes,  houses,  and  implements  of  war  and  of 
 peace  were  all  very  inferior.  They  painted  their  bodies, 
 and  wore  ornaments  of  shells.  The  women  wore  their  hair 
 short,  and  clad  themselves  in  a  lower  garment,  made  of  the 
 leaves  of  the  pandanus  tree. 
 
 '  The  climate,'  says  Mr.  Brenchley,  '  is  somewhat  humid, 
 in  general  agreeable,  and  to  those  who  are  careful,  not 
 unhealthy.  The  thermometer  has  never  fallen  below  58°, 
 and  seldom  below  62°;  it  has  never  risen  above  94°,  and 
 seldom  exceeds  89°  in  the  shade.' ^  The  same  careful 
 observer  remarks :  '  A  small  dun-coloured  rat  is  the  only 
 indigenous  quadruped,'  though  he  immediately  adds  that 
 '  pigs  abounded  when  the  island  was  discovered.'  '  Birds 
 are  not  numerous :  four  species  of  pigeons,  two  of  hawks, 
 
 '  Cruise  of  the  Cura^oa,  p.  195. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM. 
 
 95 
 
 one  owl,  one  species  of  swallow  (which  is  like  the  sand- 
 martin,  and  builds  its  nest  in  caves  and  rocks),  one  species 
 of  wild  duck.  The  common  fowl,  but  small  in  size,  was 
 plentiful  when  the  island  was  discovered.' 
 
 '  There  are  no  venomous  reptiles  on  the  island.  There 
 is  a  large  serpent,  about  four  feet  long,  the  back  dun- 
 coloured,  the  belly  of  a  dirty  yellow.  One  other  snake  is 
 found  on  tlie  shore,  about  four  feet  long,  with  alternate 
 bands  of  black  and  white  across  the  body.  There  are 
 three  or  four  species  of  small  lizards,  and  two  kinds  of 
 turtle.  More  than  a  hundred  species  of  fish  are  found. 
 They  are  nearly  all  different  from  those  found  in  the 
 northern  hemisphere,  and  are  not  at  all  equal  to  them  as 
 food,  being,  with  few  exceptions,  hard  and  dry.  Sharks 
 are  numerous,  and  shell-fish  too.  Butterflies  abound,  some 
 very  beautiful.'^  There  are  many  whales  in  the  winter  in 
 the  neighbourhood.  Captain  Erskine  says  that  a  man  at 
 the  mast-head  of  the  Havannah  counted  twenty  in  a  few 
 minutes  w^hen  off  the  island. 
 
 AVhen  the  first  vessel  appeared  in  sight  of  the  natives, 
 about  fifty  years  ago,  they  thought  that  it  must  be  one  of 
 their  natmases  from  the  spirit-world.  They  held  a  palaver 
 together  to  determine  what  was  to  be  done.  The  bravest 
 were  sent  in  a  canoe  wdth  an  offering  of  cocoa-nuts,  bananas, 
 and  taro.  As  they  paddled  alongside  they  saw  the  seamen 
 smoking  tobacco — a  sight  quite  new  to  them,  and  they  said 
 to  one  another,  '  These  are  the  natmases  of  the  sun ;  they 
 are  all  eating  fire  ! '  From  some  cause  unknown,  one  of 
 the  white  men  was  left  on  the  island  when  the  vessel 
 sailed.  He  was  seized  by  the  people,  and  carefully 
 examined.  They  then  conferred  together,  and  killed, 
 cooked,  and  devoured  him. 
 
 The   natives  soon    became    more    familiar  with    foreign 
 vessels,  for  the  report  spread  that  sandal- wood  abounded ; 
 and  as  a  very  safe  harbour  existed  at  Anelgauhat,  on  the 
 ^  Cruise  of  the  Curaroa,  p.  199. 
 
96  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 south  side  of  tlie  island,  it  was  favourably  situated  for  tlieir 
 anchorage.  A  trader  set  up  an  establishment  there.  A 
 small  island  called  Inyung,  on  the  south  of  the  harbour,  was 
 purchased  as  the  station,  for  a  few  hatchets,  fish-hooks,  and 
 other  things.  Por  some  time  the  average  number  of  vessels 
 anchoring,  often  of  course  the  same  ones,  was  forty  per  annum. 
 
 Scenes  of  bloodshed  characterised  the  experience  of  this 
 trade,  of  which  one  example  is  enough.  In  1830,  some  men 
 from  Tahiti  and  Eotumah,  engaged  in  cutting,  were  attacked 
 by  the  natives,  and  some  were  killed,  while  five  of  the 
 natives  were  fatally  wounded. 
 
 The  missionary  vessel  Camden  visited  the  harbour 
 shortly  after  this  occurrence,  but  was  received  with  suspi- 
 cion. However,  kindness  and  presents  pacified  the  people, 
 and  they  expressed  a  willingness  to  receive  teachers,  of 
 whom  two,  named  Tavita  and  Fuataiese,  natives  of  Samoa, 
 were  left.  One  of  these  died  shortlj/  after,  and  the  other 
 returned  to  Samoa.  Other  two  were  settled,  named  Apolo 
 and    Simeona,  to   whom   were   added   Poti  and  Apaisa,  in 
 
 1845.  They  had  a  trying  experience,  and  were  in  frequent 
 danger.  They  were  joined  by  the  teachers  on  Tanna,  who 
 had  to  flee  for  their  lives ;  but  this  increased  the  peril  of 
 those  on  Aneityum,  and  when  the  mission  vessel  called  in 
 
 1846,  they  presented  a  united  request  to  be  removed. 
 Two,  however,  on  a  strong  appeal  being  made,  resolved  to 
 remain,  and  they  pioneered  the  way  for  missionaries. 
 
 '  Having  gained  a  favourable  entrance,  the  first  duty 
 that  devolved  on  the  teachers  was  the  acquisition  of  a  new 
 and  difficult  language — a  language  for  which  the  people 
 had  no  letter  or  symbol  whatever;  and,  to  men  themselves 
 not  ten  years  old  in  instruction,  it  was  no  easy  work.  In 
 no  case  have  we  found  teachers  going  from  Samoa  and 
 Rarotonga  able  to  speak  to  the  people  of  Western  Polynesia 
 in  their  own  language  in  less  than  twelve  months,  and 
 even  a  longer  time  is  necessary  before  they  so  know  it  as 
 efficiently  to  teach  and  preach.     Sufficient  knowledge,  how- 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  97 
 
 ever,  is  soou  acquired  to  make  themselves  fairly  understood, 
 and  tliey  are,  in  every  instance,  the  first  to  reduce  the 
 language  to  a  written  form. 
 
 '  Situated  as  the  teachers  were  on  this  island,  it  would 
 have  been  well  if  they  could  have  received  frequent  visits 
 from  the  missionaries ;  but  twelve  months  elapsed  before 
 they  were  again  visited.  Considering  the  many  difficulties 
 of  their  position,  they  were  progressing  favourably,  and  we 
 were  then  permitted  to  rejoice  over  the  first-fruits  of  success. 
 Many  of  the  adults,  aud  more  of  the  young  people,  were 
 receiving  daily  instruction ;  a  few  had  given  up  their 
 heathen  customs,  and  the  chief  had  kept  his  promise,  by 
 protecting  the  lives  of  the  teachers. 
 
 '  Days  passed  on,  and  the  endurance  of  the  "  servants  of 
 Jehovah "  continued :  a  part  of  their  own  house  was  con- 
 stantly occupied  for  daily  instruction,  both  by  the  young  and 
 the  old ;  and  services  were  conducted  for  prayer  and  praise 
 and  preaching.  The  instruction  given  on  those  occasions 
 was  blessed.  Eays  of  gospel  light  entered  the  hearts  of 
 many,  producing  fears  and  convictions,  which  led  to  anxious 
 inquiries, — "  Who  is  God  ?  "  "  What  is  truth  ?  "  and  "  What 
 shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  " 
 
 '  About  this  time,  one  of  the  teachers  was  walking  at  some 
 distance  from  the  settlement,  and  was  suddenly  surprised 
 by  hearing  a  sound  of  weeping,  and  language  in  the  tone 
 of  distress  and  supplication.  Turning  aside,  and  going 
 towards  the  spot  whence  the  sound  came,  he  saw,  through 
 the  bushes,  a  heathen  place  of  worship.  An  oblation  of 
 food  was  lying  near  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  and  a  young  man, 
 kneeling  on  the  ground  with  uplifted  eyes  towards  heaven, 
 was  praying  to  his  god.  "  Alas  ! "  exclaims  the  teacher, 
 "  the  compassion  of  my  heart  was  very  great  when  I  saw 
 this ;  and,  waiting  until  he  had  finished  his  prayers,  I 
 went  to  him.  He  knew  me,  but  was  surprised  to  see  me 
 there.  I  asked  him  whom  he  had  been  worshipping.  He 
 said  the  name  of  his  god  was  '  Natmase  ' ;  and,  pointing  to 
 
 G 
 
98  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 heaven,  he  said,  '  He  is  there.'  I  tlien  mquired  if  his  god 
 heard  and  was  able  to  answer  his  prayer,  to  which  he 
 sorrowfully  replied  that  he  did  not  know." ' 
 
 In  1848,  the  Eev.  John  Geddie  and  his  wife,  accom- 
 panied by  Mr.  Archibald  and  his  wife, — Mr.  Archibald 
 being  a  catechist, — arrived  by  way  of  Samoa.  The  Eev. 
 Thomas  Powell,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  was 
 appointed  by  his  brethren  at  Samoa  to  go  with  Mr,  Geddie 
 for  a  year,  and  he  rendered  very  valuable  service.  Mr. 
 Archibald  left  after  a  few  months,  and  went  to  Australia. 
 Mr.  and  Mrs.  Geddie  had  to  pass  through  a  very  hard  and 
 trying  experience  in  dealing  with  a  low  and  savage  people. 
 Their  property  was  stolen,  and  the  natives  threatened  to  burn 
 their  houses,  and  to  take  their  lives.  Hurricanes,  diseases, 
 and  deaths,  were  all  traced  to  the  missionary,  and  efforts 
 were  more  than  once  made  to  destroy  him  and  his  family. 
 Nevertheless  they  persevered,  and  hoped  to  gain  a  place  in 
 the  affections  of  the  people.  During  their  first  year's 
 residence  eleven  cases  of  strangling  widows  occurred.  The 
 missionary  used  every  effort  to  dissuade  the  people  from  so 
 revolting  and  cruel  a  custom,  and  it  is  marvellous  how  be 
 succeeded.  Gradually  a  number  attended  their  instructioiis, 
 and  in  two  years  Mr.  Geddie  could  report  that  forty-five 
 assembled  on  Sabbaths  to  listen  to  his  words  and  to 
 worship  God. 
 
 One  circumstance  seemed  to  try  the  mission  party  when 
 they  landed.  They  found  that  eight  Eoman  Catholic 
 priests,  with  eight  lay  assistants,  had  just  settled  on  the 
 opposite  side  of  the  harbour,  with  the  intention  of  forming 
 a  mission.  Fortunately  the  pioneers  of  the  evangelical 
 mission  were  men  instructed  in  the  Scriptures,  who  would 
 have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Eomanists.  The  priests  got 
 no  encouragement,  and  left  the  island  to  the  Protestant 
 missionaries.  This  was  a  great  relief,  and  no  effort  has 
 since  been  made  to  establish  a  similar  mission  on  Aneityum. 
 
 In  1850,  some  attached  themselves  to  Mr.  Geddie,  and 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  99 
 
 guarded  him  in  danger.  Some  of  the  chiefs,  and  even 
 sacred  men,  joined  him ;  but  opposition  became  organized 
 and  strong.  One  of  those  who  joined  the  missionary  was 
 Waihit,  a  chief  and  a  sacred  man.  He  was  supposed  to 
 have  power  over  the  sea,  and  as  he  was  a  man  of  fierce 
 and  cruel  disposition,  he  was  more  dreaded  than  any  chief 
 on  the  island.  His  mind  at  length  opened  to  the  truth, 
 and  he  attached  himself  to  the  mission.  His  disposition 
 changed,  and  he  showed  great  eagerness  to  communicate 
 to  others,  the  truth  which  he  had  himself  discovered. 
 When  his  child  died,  a  boy,  to  whom,  as  he  was  an  only 
 son,  he  was  very  strongly  attached,  his  affliction  was  great, 
 and  he  went  to  Mr.  Geddie  for  consolation.  The  story  of 
 David's  bereavement  was  read  and  explained  to  him.  The 
 idea  of  a  happy  meeting  after  death  had  a  marvellous 
 effect  upon  his  mind,  and  he  repeated  again  and  again,  '  I 
 shall  go  to  him,  but  he  shall  not  return  to  me.'  Waihit 
 continued  faithful,  and  was  one  of  the  first  men  baptized. 
 He  exercised  a  great  influence  for  good,  and  he  afterwards 
 became  a  missionary  pioneer  to  the  savage  island  of  Fotuna. 
 Another  chief,  named  Jukai,  was  favourable  to  the  gospel, 
 but  died  ere  any  baptisms  had  taken  place.  In  reply  to  the 
 question  of  Waihit  respecting  his  hope,  he  said,  '  I  rest  on 
 Jesus  only.'  One  day,  a  man  came  to  see  the  missionary, 
 apparently  in  distress.  He  stated  that,  after  hearing  a 
 discourse  on  the  previous  Sabbath  on  the  parable  of  the 
 sower,  he  felt  that  he  was  one  of  the  unprofitable  hearers. 
 He  wished  more  instruction,  and  was  helped.  The  men 
 of  his  village  were  much  opposed  to  the  gospel,  and 
 threatened  his  life ;  but  he  persevered,  and  regularly  went 
 away  on  the  Saturdays  in  his  canoe  to  the  mission  station, 
 where  he  remained  over  the  Sabbath,  and  returned  home 
 on  the  Monday. 
 
 INIr.  Geddie,  by  his  exposure  and  labours,  and  want  of 
 sufficient  European  food,  was  seized  with  fever  in  1852, 
 and    was    reduced    to    verv    trreat    weakness.       A    sailor 
 
I  oo  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 belonging  to  a  crew  who  had  been  shipwrecked  on  the 
 island,  sent  him  some  biscuit  out  of  his  weekly  allowance  ; 
 and  this,  with  a  bit  of  toasted  musty  bread,  was  the  most 
 of  Mr.  Geddie's  nourishment  during  his  sickness.  He 
 never  saw,  or  had  opportunity  to  thank,  his  benefactor,  but 
 in  writing  of  the  circumstance  he  said,  '  May  God  repay 
 him !  His  kindness  was  invaluable  to  nie.'  During  that 
 trying  period,  the  shipwrecked  party,  who  were  on  allow- 
 ance, offered  a  share  of  anything  they  had.  The  Jolin 
 Williams  brought  relief  and  supplies  in  J\Iay.  Kind 
 Drethren  also  were  on  board  to  sympathise  and  console, 
 and  Mr.  Geddie  took  a  voyage  for  a  month  in  the  Jolin 
 Williams,  by  which  his  health  was  restored. 
 
 Another  chief  who  rendered  invaluable  aid  to  the  mission 
 was  Nohoat,  who  exercised  authority  in  the  very  district 
 where  the  missionary  resided.  For  a  time  he  was  hostile, 
 and  many  doubted  his  sincerity  when  he  joined  the 
 worshippers.  He  soon,  however,  gave  evidence  of  his 
 change.  He  cut  off  his  long  hair,  abandoned  polygamy, 
 and  became  a  true  disciple.  Though  sixty  years  old,  lie 
 attended  the  school  every  morning,  and  was  regularly  at 
 the  worship  on  the  Sabbath.  He  too  was  a  sacred  man 
 among  his  people,  but  he  surrendered  all  influence  that 
 did  not  rest  upon  truth  and  right.  When  the  mission 
 premises  were  set  on  fire,  at  midnight  of  24th  November 
 1851,  and  from  which  Mrs.  Geddie  and  her  two  daughters 
 escaped  just  in  time,  the  missionary  sent  for  Nohoat,  who 
 when  he  saw  the  smouldering  roof  burst  into  tears.  He 
 at  once  set  to  work,  discovered  the  guilty  parties,  and 
 found  out  a  plot.  He  determined  to  protect  the  missionary, 
 and  for  two  months  slept  every  night  on  the  premises,  to 
 share  the  danger  and  be  ready  to  save  the  endangered. 
 As  he  knew  the  Tannese  language,  from  having  resided  on 
 that  island  during  several  years  in  his  early  life,  he  frequently 
 visited  Tanna  to  endeavour  to  open  a  way  for  the  gospel. 
 '  ISTo  man,'  said  ]\Ir.  Geddie,  '  did  more  for  Christianity  on 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  ici 
 
 Aneityum  than  Nolioat.'  Though  suspended  on  a  subsequent 
 occasion  for  some  misconduct,  he  showed  sincere  penitence, 
 and  died,  in  1859,  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  leaving  a  son, 
 the  chief  Lathella,  a  young  Christian  of  good  character,  and 
 who  has  for  years  been  an  elder  in  the  church  and  an 
 exemplary  Christian. 
 
 The  attempt  to  set  the  mission-house  on  fire  rallied  the 
 friends  of  Mr.  Geddie,  and  from  that  day  the  Christian 
 cause  triumphed.  In  1852,  the  leading  white  man  who 
 had  opposed  the  mission  left;  and  on  the  18tli  of  May  of 
 that  year,  when  the  John  Williams  was  in  the  harbour,  and 
 the  Eev.  Messrs.  Murray  and  Sunderland  were  present  as  a 
 deputation,  the  first  converts,  thirteen  in  number,  w^ere 
 baptized,  a  Christian  church  was  formed  on  Aneityum,  and  the 
 Lord's  Supper  observed.  On  the  1st  of  July,  the  Eev.  John 
 Inglis  and  his  wife  arrived,  as  has  been  already  described,  to 
 join  the  mission.  He  was  settled  in  a  hopeful  spot  on  the 
 other  side  of  the  island,  where  his  way  had  been  prepared 
 by  native  teachers,  It  was  singularly  opportune,  and  was  a 
 leading  of  the  Lord.  In  1854,  Mr.  Inglis  baptized  nine, 
 and  observed  the  communion  with  them.  By  that  time 
 there  were  thirty  schools  established,  and  two  thousand  six 
 hundred  of  the  people  attended  the  public  worship  of  God. 
 The  whole  population  soon  afterwards  abandoned  heathenism. 
 In  the  year  1857,  the  last  case  of  strangling  a  widow 
 occurred,  but  it  was  promptly  punished  by  the  chiefs,  who 
 had  previously  prohibited  the  cruel  usage.  Woman  was 
 restored  in  some  degree  to  her  place.  She  no  more  wore 
 around  her  neck  the  cord  by  which  she  was  to  be  strangled, 
 if  her  husband  died  before  her.  Formerly  all  had  to  wear 
 this  from  their  marriage-day. 
 
 Shortly  after  his  successful  settlement,  Mr.  Inglis  went 
 to  visit  Mr.  Geddie,  and  took  with  him  the  principal  chief 
 of  his  side  of  the  island.  This  man,  named  lata,  had  been 
 a  great  warrior  and  a  notorious  cannibal.  He  had  not 
 been  on  that  side  of  the  island  for  years,  and  when  he 
 
102  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 entered  the  church  he  met  a  chief,  named  Nimtievan,  whom 
 he  had  been  wont  to  meet  on  the  field  of  battle.  Mr. 
 Geddie  says,  '  I  wondered  how  they  would  act  now,  and 
 oh  how  delighted  I  was,  to  see  these  two  men  come  out  of 
 the  house  of  God  with  their  arms  round  eacli  other !  I 
 could  not  help  calling  the  attention  of  brother  Inglis  to  the 
 scene,  and  saying,  "  See  what  the  gospel  hath  wrought ! "  ' 
 
 Mr.  Geddie  got  a  very  large  and  substantial  church 
 erected  at  his  station.  He  had  a  wonderful  art  in  getting 
 the  people  to  assist  in  his  various  operations  devised  for 
 their  benefit,  and  he  organized  them  well.  They  cut  down 
 large  trees  in  the  interior,  and  carried  them  for  miles. 
 Most  of  these  are  beams  fifty  feet  long,  which  stretch  now 
 from  wall  to  wall  in  the  church — the  largest  and  most 
 substantial  building  in  the  New  Hebrides.  It  was  capable 
 of  holding  nine  hundred  persons.  Great  was  the  excite- 
 ment as  these  heavy  beams  were  borne  along.  Hundreds 
 of  people  assisted  by  poles  put  under  the  beam  and  borne 
 on  their  shoulders.  The  chief  Nohoat  stood  on  the  log, 
 with  his  plumes  in  his  hair,  and  his  best  ornaments  on  his 
 arms.  Natives  headed  the  procession  blowing  conches. 
 A  bell  was  presented  to  Dr.  Geddie  by  his  former  congre- 
 gation in  Prince  Edward  Island  for  this  church,  bat  it  was 
 broken  on  the  passage. 
 
 The  last  heathen  district  yielded  in  1854.  The  chief, 
 Yakaiina,  had  been  a  most  determined  enemy.  He  was  a 
 sacred  man — a  disease-maker,  and  a  horrid  cannibal.  The 
 people  generally  were  afraid  of  him,  lest  they  should  become 
 his  victims,  for  he  was  in  the  habit  of  waylaying  the  un- 
 wary and  killing  them.  Many  children,  it  was  believed, 
 had  been  killed  and  eaten  by  him.  When  he  became  a 
 Christian,  the  people  said  that  now  they  could  sleep  in 
 peace.  Thus  the  gospel  made  progress,  and  won  the  people 
 of  Aneityum.  The  missionaries  derived  great  assistance 
 from  zealous  natives,  and  they  did  all  they  could  to  fit 
 them  for  teaching  and  conducting  religious  service.      War, 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  103 
 
 cannibalism,  and  heathen  feasts  passed  away,  and  the 
 dreaded  Natmascs  were  given  to  the  missionaries  as 
 curiosities. 
 
 These  natmases  were  pieces  of  wood  or  stone.  They 
 represented  the  spirits  which  ruled  the  air,  the  earth,  the  sea, 
 trees  and  plants.  They  were  all  the  children  of  Nagerain, 
 the  chief  deity.  The  sacred  men  exercised  great  influence, 
 on  account  of  their  supposed  power  with  these  gods.  The 
 disease-makers  and  rain-makers  were  even  more  dreaded, 
 and  many  presents  were  offered  to  propitiate  them.  These 
 influences,  to  a  great  extent,  passed  away  when  the  people 
 learned  to  fear  God  and  to  believe  His  word.  With  the 
 Scriptures  they  were  early  made  familiar.  Portions,  as 
 translated,  were  read  and  explained  by  the  missionaries 
 regularly  every  Sabbath. 
 
 The  Gospel  of  St.  Mark  was  printed  in  1 8  5  3  at  Sydney  ; 
 but  Mr.  Geddie,  by  means  of  a  small  press  of  his  own, 
 printed  hymns,  a  catechism,  and  other  portions  of  Scripture. 
 ^Meanwhile,  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament  was 
 earnestly  prosecuted,  as  many  who  had  learned  to  read  were 
 eagerly  waiting  for  it.  Mr.  Geddie  translated  the  Gospel 
 of  Matthew  three  times  before  he  was  satisfied  with  it.  He 
 then  printed  it  himself.  Mr,  Inglis  translated  St.  Luke, 
 and  sent  it  to  London  to  be  printed  by  the  British  and 
 Foreign  Bible  Society.  When  Mr.  Geddie  translated  St. 
 John's  Gospel,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  St.  Paul's 
 Epistles  from  that  to  the  Galatians  to  Philemon  inclusive, 
 he  also  printed  them  at  his  humble  press.  He  thus  put 
 new  matter  from  the  word  of  God  into  the  hands  of  an 
 awakened  and  incpiiring  people,  and  did  an  immense  service 
 to  the  faith  of  Christ.  Mr.  Inglis  revised  these  translations 
 before  they  were  printed.  He  tried  his  own  hand  upon  the 
 Epistles  to  the  Corinthians  and  the  Hebrews,  and  the  Book 
 of  Eevelation.  Mr.  Geddie  added  the  Epistle  to  the 
 Eomans.  It  was  intended  to  revise  the  whole  together 
 again,  and  that  Mr.  Geddie,  as  having  longest  had  know- 
 
I04  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 ledge  of  the  language,  sliould  proceed  to  Loudon  to  get  the 
 New  Testament  printed.  Mrs.  Geddie,  however,  did  not  find 
 it  convenient  to  go  on  account  of  her  young  infant,  and  it  was 
 resolved  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis  should  go,  and  take  with 
 them  an  intelligent  native  to  aid  in  the  completion  of  the 
 translation  according  to  the  idiom  of  the  language  of  Aneit- 
 yum.  The  mission  vessel  John  Williams  called  on  the  way 
 to  London,  and  took  them  on  board.  This  was  earlier  than 
 had  been  expected,  but  it  was  a  rare  opportunity,  and  was 
 thankfully  embraced.  It  afforded  a  direct  passage,  without 
 charge,  from  Aneityum  to  London,  and  gave,  besides,  an 
 opportunity  of  visiting  many  mission  stations  in  the  South 
 Seas.  The  contemplated  revision  of  the  two  brethren 
 together  had  to  be  given  up  ;  but  Mr.  Inglis,  with  the 
 assistance  of  the  native,  revised  it  during  the  long  voyage 
 of  seven  months.  When  he  reached  London,  he  imme- 
 diately conferred  with  the  Eev.  T.  W.  Meller,  M.A.,  the 
 Editorial  Superintendent  of  the  Bible  Society,  and  set  to 
 work  to  prepare  the  copy  for  the  press.  While  doing  so, 
 he  read  all  recent  critical  works  on  the  Greek  text,  such 
 as  Bloomfield,  Alford,  Ellicott,  Stanley,  Eadie,  Brown,  and 
 Conybeare  and  Howson.  He  studied  also  various  versions. 
 Mr..  Meller  rendered  very  valuable  assistance  in  making  the 
 translation  more  exact  to  the  Greek  on  the  one  hand,  and 
 more  uniform  in  its  renderings  of  the  same  words  in 
 different  places  on  the  other.  So  careful  was  this  scholarly 
 man,  IMr.  Inglis  informed  me,  that  he  sent  from  his  rectory 
 at  Woolridge,  Suffolk,  as  many  as  one  thousand  pages  of 
 note-paper  filled  with  remarks,  suggestions,  and  queries. 
 I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  this  monument  of  editorial 
 fidelity  and  care  in  Mr.  Inglis'  library  on  Aneityum.  Mr. 
 ]\Ieller  actually  mastered  the  Aneityum  language  during  the 
 three  years  over  which  the  correspondence  extended.  It  is 
 astonishing  what  scholarship  can  efiect.  Mr.  ]\Ieller  sent  to 
 Mr.  Inglis  a  letter  in  Aneityumese  written  by  a  German 
 scholar  in  Hanover,  who  had  seen  only  the  Gospel  of  Luke 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  105 
 
 ill  that  language.  Mr.  Inglis  found  it  to  be  expressed 
 grammatically.  Fifteen  months  were  spent  by  Mr.  Inglis 
 in  revising,  and  a  long  time  was  occupied  in  the  printing. 
 Every  proof  was  read  three,  sometimes  four  times,  occasion- 
 ally five  or  six  times.  IMr.  Meller  read  them  all  carefully, 
 and  after  that  Mr.  Inglis,  with  the  assistance  of  the  native, 
 went  over  them,  and  the  missionary  and  his  wife  checked 
 every  verse  by  the  English  version.  Thus  the  translation 
 was  well  done ;  and  this  can  be  said  of  it,  that  during  the 
 twelve  years  which  have  elapsed  since  it  was  printed,  no 
 serious  errors  have  been  detected,  and  no  important  im- 
 provements have  been  suggested,  even  l)y  those  competent 
 to  do  either  the  one  or  the  other.  Of  how  few  printed 
 translations  of  the  New  Testament  could  this  be  said ! 
 Four  thousand  copies  were  printed.  Mr.  Inglis  preceded 
 them  a  few  months  with  an  instalment.  Fourteen  years 
 before,  there  M^as  not  a  letter  of  the  language  written.  The 
 words  had  been  gathered  from  the  lips  of  a  savage  people, 
 reduced  to  writing,  and  made  the  vehicle  of  the  oracles 
 of  God.  Many  words  had  no  synonyms  in  the  language 
 of  Aneityum.  It  required,  therefore,  no  ordinary  skill  to 
 convey  the  meaning  of  the  original  to  a  native. 
 
 The  cost  of  printing  the  New  Testament  was  met  by 
 the  contributions  of  the  people  in  the  shape  of  an-owroot. 
 This  was  prepared  under  the  superintendence  of  the  mis- 
 sionaries, and  was  found  to  be  superior  to  the  best  West 
 Indian,  and  it  was  perfectly  free  from  adulteration.  Dr. 
 Seamann,  in  his  book  on  Fiji,^  states  that  South  Sea  arrow- 
 root, which  is  always  unadulterated,  is  one  of  the  best 
 remedies  for  dysentery.  The  sum  required  for  the  New 
 Testament  was  £400,  which  was  all  raised  by  the  sales 
 effected.  The  books  were  firmly  bound  in  leather,  which  was 
 a  great  advantage  for  a  tropical  climate.  Cockroaches  and 
 other  insects  make  terrible  ravages  in  missionary  libraries, 
 and  as  natives  had  less  to  protect  their  few  books,  and  as 
 
 •  A  Mhs'.on  to  Viti,  by  Bartliold  Seamann. 
 
io6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  moist  heat  soon  loosens  cloth  covers,  it  was  of  great 
 consequence  to  have  the  volumes  bound  in  leather.  These 
 Testaments  have  been  well  used.  They  are  literally 
 thumbed.  Those  in  the  hands  of  native  teachers  give 
 abundant  evidence  of  being  frequently  read,  while  their 
 apt  quotations  and  references  indicate  their  familiarity  with 
 the  word  of  God. 
 
 In  1864,  the  Eev.  John  Geddie  visited  Nova  Scotia, 
 after  sixteen  years'  absence.  He  took  with  him  the  MSS.  of 
 the  Book  of  Psalms,  translated  by  himself,  and  revised  by 
 Mr.  Inglis.  It  was  printed  at  Halifax,  at  the  expense  of  the 
 British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  Eepayment  was  made 
 as  in  the  former  case.  Mr.  Geddie's  visit  did  much  for  the 
 New  Hebrides  mission  in  British  North  America.  He  had 
 much  to  relate  of  what  he  found  in  Aneityum,  and  of  what 
 he  left ;  many  personal  incidents  full  of  pathos ;  amusing 
 anecdotes  of  the  natives,  and  striking  instances  of  their  zeal 
 and  devotion.  He  had  gone  forth  among  a  cannibal  people, 
 he  left  them  a  Christian  Church.  He  was  received  every- 
 where with  enthusiasm,  and  a  grateful  people  placed  a 
 handsome  sum  in  tlie  hands  of  Mrs.  Geddie,  as  a  slight 
 expression  of  their  appreciation  of  the  sacrifices  made  by 
 her  and  her  husband  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  The  Queen's 
 University  at  Kingston  conferred  on  j\Ir.  Geddie  the  degree 
 of  Doctor  of  Divinity — the  first  given  to  a  missionary  in 
 the  South  Seas,  except  to  Bishop  Patteson. 
 
 The  Ptev.  Dr.  Geddie  returned  to  the  island  in  1866, 
 and  resumed  his  work  with  his  wonted  interest,  and  some- 
 thing of  his  former  elasticity;  but  he  soon  felt  the  effect  of 
 his  arduous  labours  in  former  years.  In  1871,  he  left  for 
 Melbourne,  to  carry  a  part  of  the  Old  Testament  through 
 the  press.  He  did  not  accomplish  much  of  this  before  the 
 vessel  sailed  again,  and  as  there  were  four  new  missionaries 
 iioinfj,  he  felt  anxious  to  aid  in  their  settlement.  At  the 
 meeting  of  the  Mission  Synod  he  was  seized  with  paralysis, 
 but  rallied  so  far  as  to  be  removed  to  his  wife  and  family, 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  A  NE  IT  YUM.  107 
 
 whom  lie  had  left  at  Geelong,  in  Victoria.  A  second  stroke 
 of  paralysis  bore  him  away  to  the  rest  that  remaineth  for 
 the  people  of  God,  on  the  loth  December  1872.  He  Avas 
 buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Geelong,  where  a  monument  has 
 been  erected  to  his  memory. 
 
 He  was  the  father  of  the  mission,  and  amidst  many  hard- 
 ships and  obstacles,  sustained  and  advanced  the  work  of  the 
 Lord.  He  never  wearied  in  the  service.  He  loved  it  with 
 all  the  force  of  a  passion ;  and  though  it  made  him  early 
 old,  and  bore  him  away  before  he  had  reached  his  sixtieth 
 year,  his  quarter  of  a  century  spent  in  Aneityum  had  been 
 productive  of  rich  fruit,  and  he  had  seen  an  island  of  degraded 
 and  savage  cannibals  transformed  into  a  Christian  people. 
 
 At  a  meeting  of  the  New  Hebrides  Mission  Synod  in 
 1873,  a  minute  was  passed  recording  their  estimate  of  the 
 father  of  the  mission,  of  which  the  following  are  extracts  : — 
 
 'This  Synod  having  heard  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Geddie, 
 would  take  the  present  opportunity  of  putting  on  record 
 some  expression  of  the  loss  they  have  sustained  by  the 
 removal  of  him  who  was  the  father  of  this  mission,  and 
 the  first  to  make  good  a  footing  for  the  gospel  on  the  New 
 Hebrides. 
 
 '  Considering  that  we  are  met  in  this  church,  the  work 
 of  Dr.  Geddie's  hands,  the  largest  building  by  far  in  this 
 group,  at  his  old  station  among  the  Aneityumese,  and  as 
 the  New  Hebrides  Mission  Synod,  consisting  of  twelve 
 ordained  European  missionaries, — to  us  who  see  the  work 
 he  did,  and  know  the  place  he  held  in  the  mission,  and 
 those  he  has  left  behind  him  here  to  help  in  carrying  on 
 the  cause  of  God,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  say,  in  view  of 
 all  these  things,  as  a  tribute  to  his  memory  and  \\ork, — 
 Circu'nis'pice,. 
 
 '  Dr.  Geddie  was  possessed  of  many  excellences,  especi- 
 ally qualifying  him  for  the  early  years  of  a  heathen  mission, 
 — such  were  his  energy  and  zeal,  his  ingenuity  and  power  of 
 surmounting  difficulties,  his  tact   in  enlisting   the  help  of 
 
io8  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  natives  in  all  his  undertakings,  his  willingness  to  sacri- 
 fice and  to  endure  hardships  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel,  his 
 faith  in  God,  his  habit  of  looking  at  the  bright  side  of  his 
 work,  and  his  strong,  all-prevailing  missionary  spirit. 
 
 '  He  thought  much  about  the  other  islands  of  the  group, 
 gathered  information  about  them  from  all  quarters,  sent  out 
 teachers  to  them,  and  visited  these  teachers.  He  was  kind 
 to  strange  natives  who  might  happen  to  touch  at  Aneityum, 
 and  his  name  is  known  by  many  on  the  group  who  never 
 saw  the  immediate  sphere  of  his  labours.' 
 
 Mr.  Inglis,  so  long  associated  with  him,  and  who  knew 
 him  thoroughly,  bore  testimony  to  his  qualities  as  a  pioneer 
 of  missions,  to  his  intuitive  sagacity  in  gaining  the  con- 
 fidence of  natives,  his  readiness  in  picking  up  the  language 
 and  retaining  words  in  his  memory,  his  excellency  as  a 
 translator,  his  great  mechanical  genius,  his  economical 
 management,  his  conscientious  fidelity,  and  his  unosten- 
 tatious piety. 
 
 A  wooden  tablet,  prepared  in  Sydney  by  means  of  a  few 
 friends,  has  been  placed  behind  the  pulpit  in  the  church  at 
 Anelgauhat,  on  which  is  the  following  inscription  in  the 
 native  language  : — '  In  memory  of  John  Geddie,  D.D.,  born 
 in  Scotland  1817,  minister  in  Prince  Edward  Island  seven 
 years,  missionary  sent  from  Nova  Scotia  at  Anelgauhat, 
 Aneityum,  for  twenty-four  years.  He  laboured  amidst  many 
 trials  for  the  good  of  the  people  ;  taught  many  to  read, 
 many  to  work,  and  some  to  be  teachers.  He  led  many 
 here  to  the  Saviour,  and  visited  other  islands  to  introduce 
 the  gospel.  He  was  esteemed  by  the  natives,  beloved  by 
 his  fellow-labourer,  the  Ilev.  John  Inglis,  and  honoured  by 
 the  missionaries  in  the  New  Hebrides  and  by  the  churches. 
 When   he  landed  in  18-48  there  were   no   Christians 
 
 HERE,      and     when     HE     LEFT     IN     1872     THERE      WERE     NO 
 
 HEATHENS.  He  died  in  the  Lord  in  Australia,  1872. 
 1  Thess.  i.  5.' 
 
 This    inscription    is    unique.       Its    final    sentence    was 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  .09 
 
 suggested  to  me  by  what  was  recorded  of  Gregory  of 
 Ctesarea, — that  when  he  went  to  that  city  there  were  only 
 seventeen  Christians,  and  when  he  died  there  were  only 
 seventeen  heathens. 
 
 Mrs.  Geddie  did  mnch  to  second  the  efforts  of  her 
 husband.  She  shared  his  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  and  had 
 equal  courage  in  facing  danger  and  difficulty.  Alone,  she 
 prevailed  on  a  chief  to  prevent  the  strangling  of  widows 
 in  the  early  history  of  the  mission,  and  when  her  husband 
 was  absent.  She  paid  great  attention  to  native  girls,  and 
 trained  many  of  them  to  house-work,  for  which  other 
 missionaries,  who  have  had  their  services,  have  reason  to 
 be  grateful.  She  took  care  of  all  orphans  within  her  reach, 
 and  taught  them.  When  she  left  the  mission,  the  native 
 Christians  felt  the  loss,  but  her  sorrow  was  as  great  as 
 theirs,  for  she  loved  to  do  them  good. 
 
 Mr.  Inglis  remarks  that  she  'acquired  an  extraordinary 
 command  of  the  language,  especially  for  conversational 
 purposes.  The  natives  used  to  say  of  her  that  she  spoke 
 their  language  just  like  a  person  of  Aneityum,  and  that  her 
 words  were  all  the  same  as  theirs,  which  was  the  highest 
 encomium  on  her  that  they  could  pronounce.'  After  the 
 death  of  her  husband,  she  continued  to  reside  in  Geelong 
 for  a  year;  but  on  the  arrival  of  her  son,  who  had  been  sent 
 to  Nova  Scotia  for  his  education,  she  removed  to  Melbourne. 
 Her  brother  is  in  the  same  colony,  and  follows  the  pro- 
 fession of  medicine,  as  did  his  respected  father.  Dr.  Mac- 
 donald,  in  British  North  America.  Mrs.  Geddie  has  two 
 daughters  married  to  missionaries  in  the  Xew  Hebrides, 
 and  who,  being  familiar  with  the  habits  of  natives,  are  able 
 to  be  of  great  assistance  in  the  work  of  the  mission.  Mrs. 
 Geddie  translated  an  abridgment  of  the  first  part  of  the 
 Pihjvims  Progress,  which  was  printed  for  the  people,  and  is 
 now  in  their  hands. 
 
 Mrs.  Geddie  thus  describes  the  spiritual  change  wrought 
 on  one  of  the  crirls  of  her  school :  '  When  we  commenced 
 
1 1  o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 our  labours  among  this  people,  Mary  Ann  was  a  young 
 thoughtless  heathen.  She  was  a  very  interesting-looking  girl, 
 and  being  of  high  rank, — she  was  the  only  female  of  the  same 
 rank  on  the  island, — I  was  anxious  to  have  her  with  me 
 when  I  commenced  my  boarding-school.  Several  times 
 she  came,  and  promised  to  remain  with  me  ;  but  after  con- 
 tinuing a  day  or  two,  I  would  see  no  more  of  her  for  some 
 time.  One  morning  her  parents  came  to  our  house,  bring- 
 ing as  a  present  a  large  basket  of  bread-fruit,  and  asked  us 
 if  we  would  take  their  daughter,  and  take  charge  of  her ; 
 urging  as  their  reason  for  this  application  that  they  were 
 afraid  the  foreigners  would  take  her  to  live  with  them.' 
 '  For  some  months  after  Mary  Ann  came  to  live  with  us, 
 she  continued  to  be  very  thoughtless  and  unsteady,  often 
 going  away  and  staying  several  days.  One  evening  I  called 
 her  and  Mary  her  companion,  who  also  lived  with  us,  into 
 my  bedroom,  and  had  a  long  conversation  with  them.  I 
 told  them  that  I  was  grieved  to  see  them  so  thoughtless, 
 especially  Mary  Ann,  and  added  that  I  had  left  my  own 
 home  that  I  might  teach  them  the  word  of  God,  and  that 
 I  had  parted  from  my  own  child,  who  was  very  dear  to 
 me,  that  I  mi^iit  remain  amoncr  them.  I  said  that  I  would 
 never  regret  leaving  my  home  and  friends,  and  parting  with 
 my  child,  if  I  should  have  the  happiness  of  seeing  them 
 seeking  the  Saviour,  and  that  now,  as  my  dear  Charlotte 
 had  left  me,  they  should  try  as  much  as  possible  to  fill  her 
 place  to  me.  They  both  cried  very  much,  and  said  that 
 what  I  told  them  was  true,  and  that  they  were  very  bad 
 and  dark-hearted.  From  this  time  I  could  see  an  evident 
 change  in  them  both.  Dear  Mary  Ann  became  quite  a 
 changed  girl,  and,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  a 
 decided  Christian.'  She  remained  firm  amidst  many 
 temptations  and  even  dangers,  and  afterwards  married  a 
 young  man  who  became  a  teacher  under  Mr.  Inglis.  She 
 often  used  to  write  Mrs.  Geddie,  and  quite  like  an  educated 
 Christian.      Mr.    Inglis   had    a   very   high   opinion   of   her 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  1 1  r 
 
 character  and  usefulness.  But  her  life  was  short.  After 
 becoming  seriously  ill,  she  removed  to  her  father's,  where 
 Mrs.  Geddie  saw  her  often.  She  was  very  happy  in  the 
 faith  and  love  of  Christ,  and  in  the  prospect  of  being  with 
 Him  in  heaven.  She  urged  her  friends  to  seek  His  grace, 
 and  on  the  25th  October  1854  went  away  to  glory,  one 
 of  the  first-fruits  of  Aneityum  to  God. 
 
 Mary,  her  companion,  became  a  decided  Christian  also, 
 and  was  married  to  the  young  chief  Lathella,  the  son  of 
 !N"ohoat.  She  was  seized  with  consumption  after  an  attaclc 
 of  measles,  and  was  removed  by  death  in  May  1861,  aged 
 twenty-five  years. 
 
 TiiiGANUA  was  an  orphan  who  lived  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
 Ingiis,  and  '  proved  a  very  active,  well-conducted  girl ; 
 learned  to  read,  write,  cypher,  sing,  sew,  wash  and  dress 
 clothes,  and  do  all  kinds  of  household  work.  She  had  an 
 excellent  memory,  and,  along  with  some  others,  learned  by 
 heart  gospel  after  gospel,  and  book  after  book,  at  the  rate 
 of  a  chapter  or  half  a  cliapter  a  week,  according  to  their 
 length,  as  fast  as  they  were  translated  and  printed,  about 
 one  in  the  year.'  After  she  was  married,  she  continued  to 
 reside  with  the  missionary  till  appointed,  along  with  her 
 husband,  to  be  teachers  in  an  inland  district  of  the  island. 
 There  she  became  singularly  useful  among  the  women,  and 
 the  district  was  greatly  improved.  She  was  much  attached 
 to  Mrs.  Ingiis,  and  was  ready  to  help  her  in  any  emergenc}^ 
 She  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  died  before  her,  which 
 proved  a  great  trial ;  but  when  consumption  settled  down 
 upon  herself,  the  thought  of  meeting  her  children  reconciled 
 her  to  her  heavy  loss.  Her  delight  in  the  Scriptures  was 
 very  great,  and  she  greatly  enjoyed  passages  read  by  others, 
 when  no  longer  able  to  read  herself.  Naturally  timid,  she 
 feared  as  she  entered  the  dark  valley,  but  encouraged  by 
 the  word  of  God  and  the  experience  of  the  saints,  as  brought 
 before  her  by  her  kind  friend  and  missionary,  she  was  con- 
 tent to  die,  and  expressed  a  hope  that  angels  might  bear 
 
1 1 2  THE  NE  IF  HEBRIDES. 
 
 her,  as  Lazarus  of  old,  to  lier  Heavenly  Father  and  Saviour, 
 and  her  children  in  heaven.     Her  death  occurred  in  1872. 
 
 Lazarus  was  one  of  Mr.  Inglis'  teachers,  sent  to  Tanna 
 in  1858,  but  brought  back  to  Aneityum  in  the  next  year. 
 He  was  attached  to  Mr.  Inglis,  and  became  his  chief  helper 
 in  translating.  He  had  a  deep  interest  in  the  word  of  God, 
 and  helped  to  make  it  known  and  to  illustrate  its  influence. 
 He  ruled  his  own  house  well,  and  for  over  twenty  years, 
 gave  evidence  of  Christian  faith  in  an  unblemished  life, 
 useful  labour,  and  domestic  piety.  The  Aneityumese 
 Christians,  like  their  Presbyterian  teachers,  are  not  demon- 
 strative in  their  personal  piety ;  but  these  are  specimens  of 
 how  they  lived  and  died.  Lazarus  passed  away  on  the  7th 
 May  1873,  amidst  the  sincere  grief  of  all  around. 
 
 WiLLiAMU  was  another  of  the  native  Christians  on 
 Aneityum.  Mr.  Inglis  has  given  the  following  sketch  of 
 him,  written  after  the  death  of  Williamu,  which  took  place 
 in  August  1878  : — 
 
 *  Perhaps  more  than  any  other  native,  he  was  identified 
 with  the  history  of  Christianity  in  Aneityum  from  its  com- 
 mencement till  the  present  time.  The  first  attempt  to 
 introduce  the  gospel  into  Aneityum  was  made  in  1841. 
 Oq  the  30th  of  March  of  that  year  the  Eev.  A.  W.  Murray 
 of  Samoa  settled  two  teachers  near  to  Aname,  afterwards 
 my  station.  Williamu,  then  a  lad  of  fourteen  or  so,  attached 
 himself  to  the  teachers,  along  with  some  other  lads  of  his 
 own  age,  or  a  little  older.  Persecution  soon  began,  for 
 these  lads  were  often  scolded  and  beaten  by  some  of  the 
 old  chiefs  and  priests  for  their  countenancing  the  new 
 religion ;  but  Williamu's  heart  was  drawn  towards  the 
 teachers,  and  in  spite  of  threats  and  blows  he  still  clave  to 
 Christianity. 
 
 'In  1848,  the  Eev.  John  Geddie  and  his  wife,  and  a 
 catechist  and  his  wife,  arrived  at  Aneityum  from  Nova 
 Scotia,  accompanied  by  the  Kev.  T.  Powell,  of  Samoa,  and 
 his  wife,  who  remained  with  them  a  year  to  assist  in  estab- 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  113 
 
 lisliing  a  mission.  Mr.  Geddie  was  settled  at  Anelgauliat, 
 on  the  other  side  of  the  isLand ;  the  catechist  occupied  my 
 station,  but  did  not  remain  long  in  the  mission.  Williamu 
 attached  himself  to  the  missionaries  as  firmly  as  he  had 
 done  to  the  teachers ;  and  when  help  at  boating  or  house- 
 building was  needed,  his  assistance  was  always  forthcoming. 
 At  times,  when  Mr.  Geddie  could  not  obtain  the  requisite 
 native  help  at  his  own  station,  Williamu  and  a  few  other 
 young  men  went  round  to  his  assistance,  and  tided  him 
 over  those  early  difficulties. 
 
 'In  1852,  when  my  wife  and  I  joined  the  mission,  after 
 having  been  eight  years  in  New  Zealand,  Williamu,  among 
 others,  gave  us  a  cordial  welcome ;  and  when  we  entered 
 our  new  house, — a  half-finished  building  of  two  apartments, 
 the  materials  for  which  I  had  brought  from  New  Zealand, 
 and  which  Mr.  Geddie  and  I,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
 natives,  had  erected, — Williamu,  to  show  his  interest  in  us, 
 brought  us  a  present  of  a  fine  large  pig,  weighing  ten  or 
 twelve  stones. 
 
 '  Three  weeks  before  our  arrival,  during  a  visit  of  the 
 John  Williams,  Mr.  Geddie,  assisted  by  the  missionary 
 deputation,  had  formed  a  church,  and  admitted  thirteen 
 members.  Some  time  after  our  arrival  he  saw  his  way 
 clear  to  baptize  Williamu,  and  another  young  man  of 
 kindred  character,  named  Seremona,  the  first-fruits  of  the 
 mission  on  my  side  of  the  island.  No  more  were  baptized 
 for  eighteen  months. 
 
 '  As  Williamu  lived  near  the  mission  station,  he  availed 
 himself  to  the  utmost  of  the  means  of  grace  and  the  oppor- 
 tunities for  education.  At  the  Sabbath  services,  the  week- 
 day prayer-meeting,  the  morning  school,  the  Bible  class,  and 
 the  teachers'  institution,  he  was  in  regular  attendance  ;  and 
 his  profiting  was  in  accordance  with  his  diligence.  He 
 was  among  the  first  that  I  placed  out  as  teachers.  He  was 
 a  good  singer,  and  acted  for  a  long  time  as  our  chief  pre- 
 centor.     He  was  one  oi"  the  first  band  of  deacons  that  we 
 
 H 
 
1 14  THE  NR  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 elected,  and  he  subsequently  became  an  elder.  When  we 
 were  building  our  church,  which  is  still  standing,  at  Aname, 
 — though  bearing  the  scars  not  only  of  time,  but  of  hurri- 
 canes, earthquakes,  and  tidal  waves, — Williamu  was  located 
 as  a  teacher  at  the  extremity  of  my  district,  nearly  ten 
 miles  distant.  But  one  day,  when  the  building  was  roofed 
 and  nearly  furnished,  and  beginning  to  stand  out  in  its 
 proper  dimensions,  he  paid  us  a  visit.  On  going  into  the 
 church  he  was  so  astonished  and  delighted  that  he  ran  up 
 and  down  the  building,  and,  leaping  every  now  and  again 
 in  an  ecstasy  of  joy,  cried,  "  Woho !  how  you  are  working 
 here  !  We  at  the  end  of  the  island,  have  been  doing 
 nothing."  Williamu  had  wrought  very  well  at  the  church 
 in  the  first  stage  of  its  erection  ;  but  foundation-work  did 
 not  show  like  the  finishing  processes,  and  hence  he  prized 
 the  work  of  others  more  than  his  own. 
 
 '  When  he  arrived  in  this  country,  he  was  amazed  at  what 
 he  saw.  As  we  sailed  up  the  Thames,  he  tried  to  count  all 
 the  ships,  and  counted  to  the  extent  of  some  three  hundred, 
 but  he  abandoned  the  task  as  hopeless  ;  a  fleet  of  the  New- 
 castle coal  craft  had  just  entered  the  river.  When  address-, 
 ing  the  Eeformed  Presbyterian  Synod  in  1860,  he  said, 
 "  This  is  an  extraordinary  country  of  yours.  I  have  seen 
 so  much  since  I  came  here  that  I  am  weak  with  wonder." 
 We  had  "reat  comfort  in  him  during  all  the  time  we  were 
 at  home.  The  majority  of  natives  who  accompany  mis- 
 sionaries to  this  country  are  spoiled  through  the  well-meant 
 but  injudicious  kindness  of  friends  ;  they  become  lifted  up 
 with  these  attentions,  and  forget  themselves.  Williamu 
 entirely  escaped  that  danger ;  but  another  trial  awaited  us. 
 Just  as  the  work  was  being  brought  to  a  close,  his  brain 
 became  affected,  his  mind  gave  way,  and  he  became  to  a 
 considerable  extent  insane.  Most  providentially,  it  was  not 
 till  the  last  sheet  of  the  New  Testament  was  passing 
 through  the  press  that  he  entirely  broke  down.  Acting 
 under  medical  advice,  we  had  to  hurry  off  to  the  islands, 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  115 
 
 as  the  most  likely  means  for  securing  liis  recovery ;  and 
 this  course  was  to  a  great  extent  successful.  We  had  some 
 trouble  with  him  after  his  return ;  but  after  a  time  he 
 settled  down  comparatively  well.  A  stranger  could  have 
 observed  nothing  wrong  w^tli  him  ;  but  we  who  knew  him 
 formerly,  saw  that  he  was  much  altered.  Our  friends  at 
 home  thought  that,  after  what  he  had  seen  and  learned  in 
 this  country,  he  would  on  his  return  be  a  great  help  to  the 
 mission  ;  and  they  were  prepared  to  have  allowed  him  a 
 salary,  that  he  might  be  fully  employed  as  a  native  mis- 
 sionary. But  God  had  willed  otherwise,  and  these  hopes 
 w^ere  never  realized.  We  felt  thankful,  however,  that  he 
 remained  quiet,  and  continued  to  conduct  himself  with 
 exemplary  propriety.  He  frequently  led  the  singing,  now 
 and  again  prayed  in  public,  and  sometimes  gave  an  address  ; 
 but  I  durst  never  employ  him  as  my  inmdit  whilst  trans- 
 lating or  revising,  lest  his  brain  might  be  affected.  He 
 inclined  to  live  more  secluded  than  he  had  formerly  done  ; 
 but  there  w^as  one  idea  which  he  caught  up  strong  in  this 
 country,  and  to  which  he  gave  practical  effect  all  his  life 
 afterwards,  and  that  was  the  duty  of  being  industrious. 
 "  There  is  no  idleness,"  he  said,  "  in  Britain ;  every  man 
 and  every  woman  works,  and  that  every  day.  And  why 
 should  we  be  idle  heie  on  Aneityum  ? "  And  he  practised 
 as  he  preached.  In  this  w^ay,  he  eschewed  the  temptations 
 of  an  idle  man,  promoted  health  of  body  and  serenity  of 
 mind,  had  always  abundance  of  food,  was  always  able  to 
 help  those  in  want,  and  never  needed  any  help  himself. 
 
 '  He  was  upwards  of  fifty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
 his  death.  He  died  on  the  15th  of  August  1878.  His  last 
 illness  M'as  very  short,  only  twenty-four  hours.  He  was 
 attacked  with  severe  cramps  in  his  feet  and  legs.  These 
 became  dead,  and  this  deadness  gradually  crept  up  over  his 
 whole  body  till  he  expired.  He  was  in  church  the  Sabbath 
 before  his  death.  Mr.  Annand  was  round  at  Aname  at 
 that  time  for  three  Sabbaths.     After  the  sermon,  he  asked 
 
1 1 6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Williamu  to  pray,  which  he  did.  He  also  led  one  of  the 
 hymns  ;  Loth  of  which  exercises  he  performed  well.  He 
 was  not  at  the  prayer-meeting  on  the  Wednesday  afternoon, 
 but  came  to  the  mission  premises  in  the  evening  to  see  how 
 the  arrowroot,  which  they  were  preparing  for  the  payment 
 of  the  Bible,  was  being  attended  to.  He  always  took  a  deep 
 interest  in  everything  connected  with  the  Bible.  He 
 became  ill  in  the  night.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Annand  were  not 
 made  aware  that  he  was  so  ill  till  they  heard  the  death- 
 wail  in  the  night.  On  the  Thursday,  he  sent  one  of  his 
 friends  to  Mr.  Annand  for  medicine,  but  he  charged  him 
 not  to  say  that  he  was  so  ill — his  native  modesty  evidently 
 rendering  him  unwilling  to  trouble  the  missionary.  Though 
 no  reports  of  his  last  words,  if  any,  have  reached  us,  I  know, 
 from  the  character  of  those  around  him,  that  the  last  words 
 he  heard  on  earth  w^ould  be  those  of  prayer  and  praise :  a 
 prayer  for  grace,  mercy,  and  truth  from  God  our  Father  and 
 the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  the  last  song,  before  he  heard 
 the  song  of  the  redeemed  in  glory,  would  be,  "  I  to  tlie  hills 
 will  lift  mine  eyes,"  or  "  Eock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me,"  or 
 "  How  bright  these  glorious  spirits  shine,"  or  something 
 similar. 
 
 '  Williamu  was  a  striking  example  of  the  transforming 
 power  of  the  gospel,  and  of  what  the  word  and  Spirit  of  God 
 can  effect  in  the  heart  and  in  the  life  of  the  lowest  savage. 
 He  was  an  intelligent  Christian ;  he  had  clear  conceptions 
 of  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  gospel.  He  was  a  con- 
 sistent Christian,  and  had  enlarged  views  of  Christian  duty. 
 He  had  an  intelligent  understanding  both  of  "  what  man 
 is  to  believe  concerning  God,  and  what  duty  God  requires 
 of  man."  He  was  kind,  unselfish,  and  generous.  The  first 
 money  he  ever  owned  —  namely  four  dollars,  which  he 
 received  from  a  trader  for  four  rare  shells,  highly  prized  by 
 the  natives  of  Eromanga,  and  with  one  of  which  a  trader 
 could  purchase  a  boat-load  of  sandal- wood — he  gave  as  his 
 contribution  to  the  Bible  Society. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  117 
 
 '  In  prayer  he  was  reverent,  fervent,  flvient,  copious,  and 
 scriptural;  and  he  was  a  good  public  speaker.  It  was, 
 however,  as  a  pundit,  in  assisting  me  in  revising  and  editing 
 the  Aneityumese  New  Testament,  that  Williamu  rendered 
 the  most  invaluable  and  abiding  services  to  the  mission. 
 Many  natives,  otherwise  active  and  intelligent,  can  render 
 very  little  help  to  a  translator ;  they  fail  to  see  what  you 
 Avant,  or  if  they  see  your  difficulty,  they  are  unable  to  tell 
 you  how  it  can  be  met.  But  Williamu  was  quick  to  per- 
 ceive the  idea  you  wished  to  express,  and  equally  ready  to 
 supply  the  word  or  the  idiom  that  was  wanted.  In  this 
 department  of  mission  work  his  services  were  invaluable. 
 
 '  The  power  of  Christianity  to  civilise  and  refine,  as  well 
 as  to  sanctify  and  make  men  good,  was  notably  exemplified 
 in  his  case.  For  politeness,  he  was  a  perfect  gentleman  ; 
 he  was  never  vulgar  or  rude,  or  even  awkward,  either  in 
 company  or  at  table.  If  a  lady  entered  a  room  where  he  was 
 sittincf,  he  would  be  the  first  to  offer  her  a  chair. 
 
 '  He  was  a  good  scholar,  as  scholarship  goes  in  Aneityum. 
 He  was  a  correct,  fluent,  and  tasteful  reader.  He  wrote  a 
 fair  hand,  and  had  a  special  faculty  for  waiting  letters. 
 When  in  this  country  he  wrote  a  series  of  letters  to  his 
 friends  in  Aneityum,  .  .  .  affording  a  vivid  picture  of  the 
 First  Impressions  of  Britain  and  its  People  on  the  mind  of 
 a  South  Sea  islander. 
 
 '  Though  only  a  secondary  chief,  yet  from  his  intelligence, 
 sobriety  of  judgment,  and  general  Christian  character,  his 
 influence  in  the  community  was  far  higher  than  his  social 
 position. 
 
 '  He  was  a  widower  at  tlie  time  of  his  death  ;  but  he  left 
 one  fine  little  boy,  about  ten  years  of  age.  His  name  is 
 Simetone  (Symington),  so  called  after  the  leading  ministerial 
 family  in  the  Eeformed  Presbyterian  Church.  He  enter- 
 tained always  a  grateful  remembrance  of  the  kindness  he 
 had  received  in  BritaiiL' 
 
 It    has    been    stated    that    the    Bishop    of    New  Zea- 
 
n8  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 land  visited  Aneityum  on  several  occasions,  and  did 
 good  service  to  the  missionaries  there,  and  publicly  ex- 
 pressed his  estimate  of  the  men  and  of  their  work.  He 
 also  introduced  Mr.  Patteson,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Melan- 
 esia, to  the  Presbyterian  brethren  on  this  island.  Mr. 
 Patteson  was  landed  in  a  boat  at  the  station  of  Aname 
 in  1856;  and  as  there  was  no  anchorage  there  for  a 
 vessel,  the  bishop  took  the  Southern  Cross  round  to  the 
 harbour  at  Anelgauhat.  Mr.  Patteson  described  at  some 
 length,  in  a  letter  to  his  relatives,  what  he  saw.  He  was 
 specially  pleased  with  the  order  and  cleanliness  of  the 
 rooms  where  the  natives  resided  under  Mrs.  Inglis'  care,  and 
 with  the  material  and  arrangement  of  the  buildings.  The 
 education,  both  in  letters  and  in  industrial  arts,  interested 
 him  greatly  ;  and  he  was  charmed  with  the  marked  decorum 
 and  piety  of  the  converts.  Along  with  Mr.  Inglis,  he  visited 
 the  schools  taught  by  the  natives,  and  walked  across  the 
 island  to  Mr.  Geddie's  station.  '  All  looked,'  he  wrote,  '  as 
 comfortable  as  if  this  island  had  for  centuries  been  the 
 rendezvous  of  traders  and  missionaries.  Scarcely  could 
 one  credit  the  fact  that  eight  years  ago  there  was  not  one 
 Christian  upon  it.'  As  often  as  he  visited  this  island,  he 
 expressed  how  much  he  was  interested ;  and  when  he  saw 
 Mr.  Paton  on  Tanna,  amidst  his  many  trials,  yet  full  of  zeal, 
 he  remarked  that  it  made  him  feel  '  ashamed  of  himself.' 
 Bishop  Patteson  thus  estimated  the  men  whom  some  recent 
 writers  affect  to  regard  as  neither  educated  nor  refined. 
 Our  readers  will  prefer  the  testimony  of  the  bishops. 
 
 The  population  of  the  island  once  was  large.  Mr. 
 Inglis  calculated  that  there  must  have  been  ten  or  twelve 
 thousand ;  but  it  rapidly  decreased  after  white  traders 
 visited  it,  and  introduced  diseases  which  swept  hundreds 
 away.  In  twenty  years  they  have  been  reduced  from  three 
 thousand  five  hundred  to  twelve  hundred.  The  deaths  are 
 in  excess  of  the  births.  Clnistianity  did  not  come  too 
 soon.     It  came  to  save  them  ere  they  passed  away,  and  to 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  119 
 
 give  some  of  them  a  place  among  the  myriad-peopled  choir 
 of  the  ransomed  who  sing  the  praises  of  the  Lamb. 
 
 The  Eev.  John  Inglis,  the  father  of  the  mission  since 
 the  death  of  Dr.  Geddie,  reported,  during  my  visit,  at  the 
 annual  meeting  of  the  Synod  in  June  1874,  that  the  popu- 
 lation on  his  side  of  the  island  was  755,  of  whom  466  were 
 males  and  289  females, — that  is,  100  males  for  6  2  females. 
 The  deaths  had  exceeded  the  births  during  the  year. 
 During  his  missionary  career  he  had  baptized  1190,  and 
 admitted  679  to  the  communion,  of  whom  330  were  then 
 on  the  roll.  He  had  11  elders  and  7  deacons,  28  teachers 
 of  as  many  schools,  and  four  churches,  in  which  divine 
 ordinances  are  regularly  dispensed  on  Sabbaths,  and  once 
 during  the  week.  He  celebrated  480  marriages.  The 
 native  Christians  have  long  been  in  the  habit  of  engaafin^ 
 in  family  prayer  on  Sabbaths  after  they  return  from  church. 
 They  keep  up  morning  and  evening  worship  daily  in  their 
 huts.  To  prepare  for  the  printing  of  the  Old  Testament, 
 Mr.  Inglis  has  received  about  £1200,  contributed  by  the 
 people  in  arrowroot,  during  a  few  years  past.  They  had  in 
 1874  prepared  1700  lbs.,  but  the  crop  of  1873  was  de- 
 stroyed. They  also  contributed  a  considerable  amount  of 
 work,  in  connection  with  the  church  and  mission  buildings 
 during  the  year.  The  island  has  sent  forth  native  teachers 
 to  the  other  islands  in  the  group  as  far  north  as  Fate.  Tens 
 and  twenties  have  devoted  themselves  to  this  good  work 
 after  some  preparatory  instruction.  No  island  in  the  South 
 Seas  has  sent  more  evangelists  to  the  heathen  in  propor- 
 tion to  its  numbers.  The  graves  of  these  devoted  men  and 
 their  wives  are  in  many  stations  on  the  different  islands. 
 In  1872,  twenty  were  sent  to  other  islands.  All  the  Old 
 Testament  is  now  translated.  The  first  half  was  ready  for 
 the  press  a  few  years  ago,  and  was  in  progress  of  printing 
 when  arrested  by  the  illness  and  death  of  Dr.  Geddie. 
 Dr.  Geddie  translated  most  of  that  half,  with  the  exception 
 of  Genesis,  rendered  by  Mr.  Inglis,  and  Euth  and  Esther, 
 
1 2  o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 by  Mr.  Copeland,  Mr.  Inglis  has  been  the  chief  trans- 
 lator of  the  second  half,  with  the  exception  of  Psalms, 
 the  half  of  Daniel  and  Jonah,  translated  by  Dr.  Geddie, 
 and  the  other  half  of  Daniel  and  the  minor  pro- 
 phets, by  Mr.  Copeland.  The  whole  has  had  the  benefit 
 of  a  revision  by  these  three  brethren,  with  the  excep- 
 tion of  the  last  part  of  Mr.  Inglis'  labours ;  but  Messrs. 
 Copeland  and  Murray  have  aided  the  last  revision.  Mr. 
 Inglis,  in  1877,  came  to  England  to  get  the  Old  Testament 
 printed ;  and  by  this  crowning  work  ends  his  labours  in  the 
 mission,  where  God  has  blessed  him  with  length  of  days 
 and  much  success.  Throughout  his  missionary  career  of 
 twenty-five  years  on  the  island,  he  has  gathered  almost 
 all  words  used  among  the  natives,  though  still,  he  says,  he 
 makes  discoveries.  He  has  prepared  an  Aneityumese- 
 English  and  an  English-Aneityumese  dictionary,  which  is 
 nearly  fit  for  publication,  if  there  were  sufficient  encourage- 
 ment to  do  so.  On  comparing  the  first  part,  and  summing 
 up  the  number  of  lines  and  pages,  we  made  a  rough  cal- 
 culation of  4000  separate  words  in  the  language.  There 
 may  not  be  quite  so  many,  and  a  large  number  of  these 
 must  be  of  infrequent  use.  The  Rev.  J.  D.  Murray,  after 
 two  years'  study  of  the  language,  had  in  his  vocabulary  only 
 1150  words.  Yet  these  served  for  his  public  preaching. 
 Mr.  Inglis  must  therefore  have  acquired  nearly  all  the 
 vocables  used.  He  says  that  there  are  separate  names  for 
 every  variety  of  plant,  and  of  different  kinds  of  fruits,  which 
 of  course  increase  the  vocabulary  very  much.  Mr.  Inglis 
 has  also  translated  the  Shorter  Catechism  of  the  Westminster 
 Assembly  of  Divines,  and  has  it  ready  for  the  press.  At 
 Aname,  where  Mr.  Inglis  resided  for  twenty-five  years,  the 
 buildings  are  all  creditable,  except  the  church,  which  is  not 
 so  substantial  as  that  at  Anelgauhat.  Indeed,  a  few  years 
 ago  it  was  in  danger  of  falling  before  one  of  the  tropical 
 hurricanes,  and  had  to  be  propped  up  by  large  posts  of 
 timber.     This  detracts  from  the  look  of  the  building  inside. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  121 
 
 but  it  has  doubtless  added  to  its  strength.  There  is  a  good 
 bell  in  front.  The  mission  premises  are  large  and  commo- 
 dious. There  is  also  a  good  schoolhouse.  The  grounds 
 around  Mr.  Inglis'  residence  are  kept  in  admirable  order. 
 There  is  an  orangery,  now  the  growth  of  twenty-five  years. 
 The  trees  are  of  the  best  kind,  and  carefully  cultivated. 
 
 Mr.  Inglis  taught  many  of  his  young  men  useful  handi- 
 crafts, and  these  have  gone  to  other  islands  on  the  settlement 
 of  new  missionaries  to  erect  their  houses.  Mr.  Inglis  had 
 quite  a  model  establishment  for  a  missionary.  Everything 
 was  in  its  proper  place,  and  all  work  is  done  in  an  orderly 
 manner.  Mr.  Inglis  was  greatly  missed  by  the  mission 
 brethren  when  he  left  the  field.  He  had  ever  been  so  wise 
 in  counsel,  so  generous  in  friendship,  so  liberal  in  help,  so 
 pacific  in  manner,  so  trusted  by  all,  so  ready  to  vindicate 
 Mdth  his  pen  their  common  or  even  individual  causes,  so 
 systematic  in  the  arrangement  of  mission  business,  so  charit- 
 able in  his  dealings  with  other  missions,  that  his  removal 
 left  a  blank  not  readily  filled.  But  he  will  long  live  in  the 
 memory  of  his  brethren ;  and  we  trust,  by  the  publication 
 of  his  missionary  experience,  will  also  live  in  the  grateful 
 memory  of  the  Christian  Church,  No  man  knows  the 
 New  Hebrides  and  the  mission  better  than  he,  and  few 
 possess  such  literary  ability  to  make  the  record  of  his 
 experience  at  once  instructive  and  attractive.  If  he  pre- 
 pared such  a  work,  he  would  add  a  double  crown  to  his 
 long  and  able,  honourable  and  useful,  missionary  career  of 
 over  thirty  years  among  aboriginal  tribes  of  the  South  Seas. 
 
 It  would  be  unfair  to  omit  mention  of  his  like-minded 
 partner,  Mrs.  Inglis,  who  entered  into  all  his  plans,  seconded 
 all  his  efforts,  and  though  without  children  of  her  own,  has 
 been  both  to  native  and  to  mission  families,  a  mother  in  the 
 Israel  of  the  New  Hebrides. 
 
 Their  mode  of  life  was  a  noble  example  to  all  in  the 
 field.  In  a  situation  far  from  healthy,  they,  by  rigid  ad- 
 herence to  rule,  maintained  their  health  very  wonderfuUy, 
 
1 2  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  illustrated  how  many  difficulties  of  an  unhealthy 
 climate  may  be  overcome  ;  while  by  the  beauty,  consist- 
 ency, and  fidelity  of  their  Christian  life  they  were  an 
 evidence  of  the  gospel,  and  won  the  respect  of  all  that 
 knew  them. 
 
 Many  a  striking  case  of  the  power  of  the  gospel  has 
 come  under  their  notice  as  native  converts  were  brought 
 to  Christ.  Some  of  these  were  detailed  in  letters  to  the 
 Committee  in  Scotland,  and  published  in  the  Reformed 
 Presbyterian  Magazine.  Mr.  Ingiis  had  rare  opportunity 
 of  knowing  their  thoughts  and  feelings,  and  rare  tact  in 
 directing  their  minds.  By  means  of  the  institution  for 
 preparing  teachers,  he  had  close  intercourse  with  them  for 
 years,  ere  they  went  forth  to  the  neighbouring  islands,  or 
 became  instructors  in  the  schools  of  their  own  island. 
 Their  attachment  to  their  teacher  was  marked,  and  often 
 were  the  hearts  of  the  missionary  and  his  wife  cheered  as 
 they  listened  to  the  sympathetic  prayers  offered  for  them 
 by  the  native  converts.  What  rich  reward  must  such 
 evidences  of  piety  and  grateful  love  have  afforded  them ! 
 They  had  their  trials,  as  all  have  had  in  such  spheres. 
 Orphans  trained  under  their  eye  were  sometimes  suddenly 
 taken  away,  in  consequence  of  betrothment  made  at  their 
 birth  ;  but  in  the  disproportion  of  the  sexes  this  could  be 
 accounted  for.  Some  married  and  settled  beside  the  mission- 
 aries, and  waited  upon  them  during  many  years,  until  their 
 children  became  able  to  join  in  the  ministry  at  the  mission- 
 house.  Mr.  Ingiis  always  kept  up  the  authority  of  the 
 chiefs — petty  though  that  authority  was.  He  urged  them 
 to  exercise  a  liealthful  influence  in  maintaining  honesty, 
 truth,  and  purity,  and  found  them  ready  to  promote  his 
 wishes.  Efforts  were  always  regularly  made  to  encourage 
 industry,  and  work  was  properly  rewarded.  Thus  the  cloth- 
 ing of  the  people  was  met  by  their  own  payments  in  kind. 
 Work  done  to  the  church  or  mission  buildings  was  accepted 
 as  a  gift,  for  this  was  for  their  own  benefit ;  but  every- 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  123 
 
 tiling  else  was  paid  for.  Thus  a  proper  feeling  was  kept 
 up,  and  the  general  prosperity  advanced.  Two  whaling 
 establishments  are  manned  by  natives  on  the  island,  and 
 vessels  have  often  got  crews  for  boating  on  the  group. 
 
 It  has  not  been  an  easy  thing  to  create  a  psalmody  for 
 the  church  of  the  island.  Fifty  hymns  have  indeed  been 
 composed  and  set  to  tunes,  but  the  mode  of  arrangement 
 in  the  verses,  and  the  very  tunes,  were  foreign.  '  The 
 natives,'  says  Mr.  Inglis,  '  possess  a  fair  amount  of  musical 
 talent ;  they  are  capable  of  attaining  an  average  degree  of 
 proficiency  wherever  the  requisite  instruction  is  bestowed. 
 They  learn  music  fully  as  fast  as  anything  else.  But  here, 
 as  in  all  other  things,  in  the  case  of  a  people  sunk  so  low, 
 very  moderate  attainments  must  satisfy  us.  One  of  our 
 missionary  sisters,  who  handles  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer, 
 when  she  first  came  to  this  island  evidently  thought  that 
 their  attainments  in  music  were  very  limited.  In  describing 
 a  service  at  this  station,  she  said  they  sang  vigorously,  but 
 they  kept  a  much  firmer  hold  of  their  books  than  they  did 
 of  the  tunes.  But  after  passing  on  and  seeing  the  genuine 
 heathen, — the  pits  out  of  which  tliese  singers  had  been  dug, 
 and  the  rocks  out  of  which  they  had  been  hewn, — her 
 views  became  greatly  modified,  and  the  "  fair  penitent," 
 regretting  her  hastily  formed  opinions,  listened  afterwards 
 with  a  much  more  charitable  ear  to  these  sable  children  of 
 Ethiopia  lifting  up  their  voices  unto  God,  and  showing  forth 
 His  praise. 
 
 '  But  while  our  psalms  and  hymns,  and  all  the  psalms 
 and  hymns  in  Polynesia,  are  written  in  English  metres,  and 
 many  of  the  natives  in  all  the  groups  have  learned  to  sing 
 well,  nevertheless,  I  have  long  thought  that  a  false  principle 
 runs  through  the  whole  system, — that  both  their  sacred 
 songs  and  their  sacred  music  should  be  framed  on  the  same 
 principles  as  their  secular  songs  and  their  secular  music. 
 I  have  only  heard  of  one  missionary  in  these  seas  adopting 
 something  like  these  principles;   but  he,  as  I  understood, 
 
124  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 took  simply  the  old  tunes  aud  set  them  to  his  new  hymns, 
 and  as  the  associations  connected  with  the  old  tunes  were 
 almost  all  had, — saturated  with  the  abominations  of  heathen- 
 ism,— his  brethren  disapproved  of  the  plan,  and  his  hymns 
 were  suppressed.  I  think  he  was  so  far  on  the  right  path, 
 but  had  not  fully  wrouglit  out  the  right  plan. 
 
 '  At  the  Eeformation,  when  the  emancipated  souls  of  whole 
 nations  sought  full  expression  in  songs  of  joy,  like  the  birds 
 in  early  spring,  mediaeval  Latin  hymns  and  Gregorian  chants 
 were  vehicles  far  too  confined  to  afford  utterance  for  such 
 exuberant  feelings.  No  doubt  the  old  church  music  was 
 far  finer,  of  a  greatly  higher  order,  than  the  music  adopted 
 by  the  reformers, — ^just  as  the  old  cathedrals  were  a  far 
 higher  order  of  architecture  than  the  humble  unassuming 
 parish  kirks, — far  better  adapted  for  the  display  of  grand 
 processions  and  the  performance  of  high  mass ;  but  not  for 
 leavening  the  masses  of  the  people  with  the  knowledge  of 
 God's  word,  and  the  felt  power  of  a  preached  gospel.  The 
 minstrels  of  the  Eeformation — Luther  and  his  compeers — 
 seized  and  sanctified  the  national  or  popular  music,  and 
 translated  psalms  and  composed  hymns  in  the  common 
 ballad  metres.  In  this  way,  both  the  music  and  the  metres 
 were  such  as  everybody  could  understand  and  learn,  and  the 
 voice  of  the  whole  people  rose  unanimous,  like  that  of  one 
 man, — it  was  loud,  like  the  voice  of  many  waters, — and  the 
 effects  were  marvellous.  Wherever  the  Eeformation  spread, 
 the  same  course  was  pursued.  In  England,  in  the  days  of 
 Edward  vi.,  Sternholds,  Hopkins,  and  Whyttingham,  rendered 
 the  psalms  into  the  common  ballad  metres 
 
 '  The  songs  and  the  music  of  this  people  have  nothing 
 in  common  with  European  poetry  or  music.  Their  poetry 
 seems  more  akin  to  Hebrew  than  either  English,  Greek,  or 
 Latin.  It  is  measured  by  no  feet.  It  is  neither  rhyme  nor 
 blank  verse ;  nor  does  it  correspond  in  structure  to  the 
 Hebrew  parallelisms.  It  seems  little  else  than  prose,  but 
 cut  up  into  divisions  like  verses ;  and  these  are  followed  by 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  125 
 
 clioruses,  chiefly  single  syllables,  with  apparently  no  mean- 
 ing. It  seems  to  afford  facilities  lor  improvising.  The 
 music  is  a  kind  of  chanting ;  it  runs  along  on  the  principle 
 of  a  short  note  and  a  long  one,  within  a  narrow  scale.  It 
 is  evidently  from  its  resemblance  in  this  point  to  their  own 
 music  that  they  sing  the  tune  "  Ortonville  "  with  more  life 
 and  spirit  than  almost  any  of  our  tunes,  it  being  composed 
 throughout  of  a  short  and  a  long  note  alternately.  They 
 are  very  fond  of  singing  their  native  songs :  they  will  sing 
 away  at  these  syllabic  choruses  for  any  length  of  time, 
 apparently  more  for  the  love  of  the  noise  than  the  love  of 
 the  music.  I  never,  till  I  came  here,  saw  the  full  force  of 
 those  expressions  in  the  psalms  where  men  are  exhorted  to 
 sing  and  play  with  a  loud  noise.  We  are  disposed,  with 
 our  ideas  of  music,  to  look  upon  these  expressions  as  figura- 
 tive ;  but  if  the  Jewish  music  and  the  Jewish  mind  were 
 in  any  way  akin  to  the  Aneityumese,  such  expressions  must 
 be  understood  quite  literally,  for  a  prominent  characteristic 
 of  their  singing,  as  regards  their  own  native  songs,  is  the 
 "  loud  noise  joyfully."  In  lamenting  for  the  dead,  the 
 counterpart  of  Jeremiah's  mourning  women  could  easily  be 
 found  here ;  and  the  utterances  of  parental  anguish  are  ex- 
 pressed in  the  very  spirit,  often  in  the  very  words,  of  David, 
 "  0  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  !  " 
 
 'Missionaries  have  so  much  to  do,  their  duties  are  so 
 heavy  and  multifarious,  that  they  cannot  overtake  much 
 that  they  wish  to  do.  I  have  never  had  time  to  examine 
 tlie  poetry  of  this  people  to  any  extent,  and  analyze  its 
 structure,  so  as  to  discover  fully  the  principles  on  which  it 
 is  composed  and  the  laws  by  which  it  is  regulated.  Besides 
 this,  we  all  come  out  here  with  strong  prepossessions  in 
 favour  of  home  excellences,  and  it  is  a  long  time  before  we 
 can  tolerate,  far  less  appreciate,  much  that  is  good  in  things 
 purely  native.  A  German  professor,  delivering  a  charge  to 
 a  young  missionary  appointed  to  the  East  Indies,  spoke  to 
 this  effect :  "  Our  wish  is  that  you  may  make  the  natives 
 
126  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Christians,  but  we  do  not  wish  you  to  make  them  German 
 Christians ;  our  simple  wish  is  that  you  make  them  Tamil 
 Christians."      There  was  great  wisdom  in  the  distinction. 
 
 '  My  hope  is  that  some  of  our  younger  brethren  may 
 possess  the  requisite  poetical  and  musical  powers,  and  find 
 sufficient  time  to  enable  them  to  investigate  this  important 
 subject,  and  compose  sacred  songs  and  sacred  melodies  so 
 nearly  akin  in  principle  to  their  own  songs  and  their  own 
 nmsic,  that  the  natives  will  learn  them  with  ease,  and  sing 
 them  with  the  heart,  the  spirit,  and  the  understanding.' 
 
 This  has  been  felt  by  missionaries  on  other  islands ;  but 
 still  the  practice  prevails  to  adapt  words  to  the  tunes  of 
 English  psalms  and  hymns,  instead  of  the  music  of  native 
 songs.  Where  language  is  so  poop  and  inadequately  under- 
 stood, it  is  very  difficult  to  cultivate  poetry  or  native  music. 
 In  fact,  it  is  more  likely  to  be  done  by  the  sanctified 
 intellect  and  genius  of  native  Christians  than  by  European 
 efforts.  It  will  be  long,  however,  before  this  be  realized. 
 And  meantime  the  hymns  are  '  familiar  in  their  mouths  as 
 household  words.'  The  singing  is  generally  weak  through- 
 out the  island  of  Aneityura.  Musical  ability  is  much  more 
 marked  in  the  Tannese, 
 
 The  Eev.  J.  D.  Murray,  a  young  minister  in  Nova  Scotia, 
 became  successor  to  Dr.  Geddie  in  1872,  and  set  himself 
 heartily  to  the  work.  He  OiCquired  the  language,  and  could 
 preach  to  the  people  and  take  a  share  in  translation.  He 
 was  obliged  to  resign  in  1876  on  account  of  the  health  of 
 his  wife,  whose  eyesight  has  since  been  partially  lost.  He 
 settled  as  minister  at  Paramatta,  New  South  Wales.  The 
 Eev.  Joseph  Annand,  M.A.,  was  appointed  to  the  station  in 
 1877.  The  Rev.  John  Inglis  left  in  the  end  of  that  year, 
 and  has  carried  the  Old  Testament  in  Aneityumese  through 
 the  press  in  London.  He  has  been  succeeded  by  Mr.  J.  H. 
 Lawrie,  who  joined  the  mission  from  Scotland  in  1879. 
 Since  the  beginnincj  of  the  mission  there  have  been  over 
 2100  baptisms,  and  about  1300  admitted  to  the  communion. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANEITYUM.  127 
 
 There  are  at  present  about  600  communicants,  50  schools, 
 20  elders,  and  16  deacons.  The  total  population  in  1878 
 was  1279,  of  whom  792  were  males,  and  487  females. 
 There  were  then  300  married  couples.  The  population  is 
 diminishing  rapidly,  and  in  1879  there  were  twenty  deaths 
 of  young  persons  from  whooping-cough. 
 
 After  the  departure  of  the  missionaries  who  had  resided 
 so  long  among  the  people,  some  became  more  lax  in  conduct ; 
 but  the  new  missionaries,  sustained  by  the  elders,  have 
 exercised  a  wholesome  influence,  by  means  of  discipline  and 
 Christian  instruction,  and  it  is  believed  will  lead  them 
 further  into  Christian  life.  The  arrival  of  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment will  supply  a  great  want  in  reading  matter,  and  by 
 the  divine  blessing  may  revive  the  church.  On  a  review 
 of  what  has  occurred  on  Aneityum,  may  we  not  say,  '  What 
 hath  God  wrought ! ' 
 
 The  buildings  erected  at  Anelgauhat  consist  of  a  large 
 stone  church — too  large,  indeed,  now  for  the  people.  It 
 would  hold  all  the  church-going  population  ;  but  it  must  be 
 remembered  that  the  island  during  the  last  twenty  years 
 has  lost  by  death  the  half  of  its  population.  Diseases  have 
 been  at  times  very  fatal,  and  swept  away  large  numbers. 
 The  church  has  long  and  heavy  beams  laid  across  from  wall 
 to  wall,  and  is  very  securely  built.  When  Dr.  Geddie 
 returned  from  Nova  Scotia  in  1866,  he  took  off  a  consider- 
 able part  by  erecting  a  limed  wall.  The  roof,  which  is 
 thatched,  requires  to  be  renewed  every  three  or  four  years. 
 This  of  itself  is  a  great  work,  and  as  it  is  done  by  the 
 people,  indicates  an  amount  of  liberality  which  does  them 
 credit.  There  is  a  good  schoolhouse  also,  in  which  the 
 afternoon  school  is  held.  It  is  tolerably  well  furnished, 
 has  a  set  of  globes,  maps,  and  a  magic  lantern.  Dr.  Geddie 
 had  a  printing  press,  which  for  many  years  proved  a  very 
 great  auxiliary  to  the  mission.  As  the  people  learned  to 
 read,  there  was  something  new  provided  tor  them,  which 
 served  greatly  to  stimulate  their  desire  to  read  well.     Mr. 
 
1 2  8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Iiiglis  testifies  to  the  value  of  this,  and  laments  that,  for 
 some  time,  nothing  has  been  added  to  their  current  literature. 
 This  is  no  doubt  a  very  great  want,  but  steps  have  been 
 taken  to  set  the  press  a-working.  If  a  small  tract  of  four 
 pages  could  be  printed  occasionally  throughout  the  year,  it 
 AYould  be  of  great  benefit.  There  is  a  substantial  mission- 
 house  of  stone  work,  well  limed.  Outhouses  for  cows,  goats, 
 and  stores  are  also  provided,  and  there  is  a  storehouse  for 
 the  mission  vessel.  The  chief  Lathella  got  a  cottage  of 
 lime  erected,  but  he  does  not  prefer  it  as  a  residence. 
 As  it  is  situated  on  an  elevated  spot  above  the  bay,  it  is 
 a  very  suitable  retreat  for  the  mission  family,  whose  resi- 
 dence is  near  the  shore.  The  natives  still  cling  to  their 
 former  huts,  which  are  thatched  from  the  ground  to  the 
 ridge,  and  are  open  at  one  or  both  ends.  Their  morals  have 
 undergone  a  great  change.  From  the  fierce  cannibals  of 
 fifty  years  ago,  to  whose  coast  it  was  dangerous  for  strangers 
 to  approach,  they  have  been  transformed  into  a  quiet,  in- 
 offensive people,  living  in  the  fear  of  God,  at  unity  with 
 each  other,  and,  amidst  the  usual  temptations  to  fall,  keep- 
 ing up  a  consistent  profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ. 
 
 '  Inland  now  rests  the  green  warm  dell, 
 
 The  brook  comes  tinkling  down  its  side  ; 
 From  out  the  trees  the  Sabbath  bell 
 Rings  cheerful  far  and  wide. 
 
 '  But  calm  low  voices,  words  of  grace, 
 
 Now  slowly  fall  upon  the  ear  ; 
 A  quiet  look  is  in  each  face, 
 
 Subdued  with  holy  fear. 
 Each  motion  gentle,  all  is  kindly  done, 
 Come  listen  how  from  crime  this  isle  was  won. '—Dana. 
 
CHAP  TEE    VI. 
 
 THE    ISLAND    OF    FOTUNA. 
 
 '  Turrets  of  stone,  though  huge  and  gray, 
 Have  crumbled  and  passed  in  dust  away ; 
 Cities  that  sank  in  the  sea  of  j'ore 
 Have  turned  to  slime  by  the  fetid  shore  : 
 But  when  shall  crumble  the  coral  wall 
 That  parts  the  billows  so  bright  and  tall  ? 
 Ho  !  who  can  fashion  a  work  like  me, 
 The  mason  of  God  in  the  boundless  sea  ? ' 
 
 The  island  of  Fotuna  is  a  huge  rock,  upheaved  from  the 
 ocean,  where  coral  insects  built  it  during  many  bygone 
 ages.  There  are  traces  of  four  or  five  different  upheavals. 
 The  first  is  distinctly  marked,  and  the  others  become 
 apparent  as  they  are  carefully  examined.  The  volcanic 
 rock  crops  out  in  various  places  on  the  heights.  It  is  a 
 most  singular  island,  with  a  bold  rocky  coast  and  a  broad 
 tableland  on  its  summit,  about  2000  feet  high.  It  is 
 situated  in  19°  30'  south  latitude  and  170°  13'  east 
 longitude.  It  is  thus  the  most  easterly  of  the  New 
 Hebrides.  Though  rocky,  it  is  not  without  fertile  spots, 
 where  fruits  are  grown.  Cocoa-nuts  skirt  the  steep  sides 
 of  the  shore,  and  in  level  places  bananas  and  other  plants 
 nourish.  The  natives  plant  yams,  which  appear  to  grow 
 well.  The  island  is  capable  of  sustaining  a  considerable 
 population,  though  the  limited  and  decreasing  number  at 
 present  inhabiting  it  have  had  scarcity  of  food  occasionally. 
 This  has,  however,  been  owing  to  hurricanes  and  the  perish- 
 able nature    of  the  food  used.      The   climate   is  healthier 
 
 I 
 
I30  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 than  on  any  of  the  other  islands  in  the  group.  The  great 
 disease — fever  and  ague — is  not  so  prevalent,  and  on  this 
 account  some  of  the  missionaries  here  called  it  '  the  Madeira 
 of  the  New  Hebrides,'  and  have  advocated  its  claims  as  a 
 sanitorium  for  those  resident  on  the  other  islands. 
 
 It  is  open  to  the  trade  winds,  which  are  beneficial  to 
 health  in  the  South  Seas.  Diseases  of  other  kinds  are 
 prevalent,  and  the  natives  are  subject  to  dysentery,  coughs, 
 and  consumption,  as  well  as  to  the  skin  diseases  so  common 
 throughout  the  Pacific. 
 
 The  natives  are  Papuan,  with  affinities  to  the  Malay. 
 Their  language  is  more  related  to  Eastern  tongues  than  the 
 usual  forms  of  speech  in  the  New  Hebrides.  It  is  possible 
 that  the  race  is  mongrel,  formed  of  the  Melanesian  and  the 
 Malayan.  As  the  island  lies  on  the  track  from  Home's 
 Island,  or  Fotuna,  which  is  the  most  westerly  of  the  eastern 
 group,  it  is  quite  possible  that  this  most  easterly  of  the 
 western  group  may  have  been  the  meeting-place  of  the  two 
 races.  The  language  is  similar  to  that  spoken  on  the  small 
 island  of  Aniwa,  fifty  miles  distant,  and  also  to  that  used 
 by  tlie  natives  of  the  islands  of  Fila  and  Mel,  in  the  bay 
 of  Pango  in  rat(5,  200  miles  to  the  north-west.  But  Bishop 
 Patteson  found  Maori  at  Nukapu,  in  the  Swallow  group, 
 where  he  perished,  far  from  New  Zealand. 
 
 The  natives  of  Fotuna  are  fierce  and  savage-looking. 
 They  wear  scarcely  any  clothing,  but  often  paint  their 
 bodies.  Their  hair  is  elaborately  worked  in  small  cords, 
 each  of  which  is  wound  by  the  delicate  fibre  of  a  plant. 
 The  curls  are  all  displayed  at  the  back  of  the  head  and  on 
 the  neck.  Their  ears  are  loaded  with  rings  of  tortoiseshell, 
 and  men  wear  shells  on  their  arms.  The  women  wear 
 short  skirts,  made  of  the  pandanus  leaf,  or  more  frequently 
 of  the  bark  of  a  plant.  But  mothers  only  are  allowed  to 
 wear  these  skirts  all  round  the  loins.  The  unmarried  and 
 the  childless  women  wear  them  only  before  and  behind, 
 leaving  the  hips  quite  bare. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FOTUNA.  131 
 
 The  arts  of  the  people  are  few,  but  they  excel  in  making- 
 bags,  which  they  dispose  of  in  barter,  chiefly  for  tobacco, 
 to  the  few  vessels  calling  at  their  shores.  There  is  no 
 anchorage,  and  landing-places  are  few  and  dangerous,  so 
 that  vessels  rarely  call.  Like  all  natives  of  the  Pacific 
 Ocean,  the  people  are  very  superstitious.  They  fear  the 
 spirits  of  the  dead,  and  offer  them  a  kind  of  worship.  They 
 have  their  sacred  men,  and  present  offerings  to  propitiate 
 the  favour  of  their  gods.  They  have  a  rude  hut  as  a 
 temple,  into  which  these  sacred  men  go  on  certain  occa- 
 sions, and  where  are  deposited  the  offerings  of  food  and 
 pigs  which  the  people  make. 
 
 Captain  Cook  did  not  visit  the  island  in  1774,  but  he 
 saw  it  from  Tanna  and  learned  its  name,  the  most  familiar 
 one  to  the  Tannese  being  Erronan,  though  they  gave  him 
 also  Fotuna,  which  is  the  native  name.  Cook  placed  the 
 Tannese  name  upon  the  map,  where,  like  most  of  his  names, 
 it  has  since  remained.  He  estimated  the  island  to  be  about 
 fifteen  miles  in  circumference.    It  is,  perhaps,  a  little  more. 
 
 When  the  Eev.  John  Williams  went  on  his  last  expedi- 
 tion to  place  teachers  on  the  New  Hebrides,  as  we  have 
 seen,  Fotuna  was  the  first  of  the  group  to  which  he  came. 
 An  attempt  was  made  to  conciliate  the  natives.  The 
 following  entry  was  made  in  Mr.  WilKams'  journal,  the 
 last  that  ever  came  from  his  pen  : — '  Saturday,  November 
 16  (1839).  —  As  we  expected  to  make  Fotuna  on  the 
 following  morning,  we  set  apart  this  evening  as  a  special 
 prayer-meeting,  that  God  would  graciously  protect  our 
 persons,  and  open  a  way  for  the  introduction  of  His  word 
 among  the  barbarous  tribes  we  were  about  to  visit. 
 
 '  On  Sabbath-day,  early  in  the  morning,  we  were  close 
 in  with  the  island.  It  appeared  to  be  one  large,  high, 
 rugged  mountain,  with  in  many  places  perpendicular  cliffs 
 reaching  to  the  sea.  No  lowland  presented  itself  in  any 
 direction,  so  that  we  began  to  doubt  whether  or  not  the 
 island  was  inhabited.     On  nearing  the  coast,  however,  we 
 
132  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 discovered  cultivated  patches  on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  and 
 little  low  huts  were  discerned.  At  length  we  perceived 
 two  canoes  approaching  us,  in  one  of  which  were  four  men. 
 They  were  tolerably  well  made  and  good-looking.  Their 
 complexion  is  not  black  like  that  of  the  negro,  neither 
 brown  like  that  of  the  other  South  Sea  islanders,  but  of  a 
 sooty  colour.  Their  faces  were  thickly  smeared  with  a  red 
 pigment,  and  a  long  white  feather  was  stuck  in  the  back 
 of  the  head.  The  lobe  of  the  ear  was  pierced  and  rendered 
 large  by  the  repeated  introduction  of  a  piece  of  wood,  until 
 it  was  sufficiently  extended  to  receive  a  piece  of  an  inch  in 
 diameter.  Into  this  hole  a  number  of  tortoiseshell  rings 
 were  introduced  by  way  of  ornament.  The  cartilage  of 
 the  nose  is  also  pierced,  and  many,  we  perceived,  by  being 
 stretched  too  much,  were  broken.  We  could  not  induce  any 
 of  them  to  leave  the  canoe  and  trust  themselves  on  board 
 our  vessel,  although  we  enticed  them  by  presents  of  looking- 
 glasses,  scissors,  fish-hooks,  and  other  trifling  articles.  They 
 not  being  inclined  to  visit  us,  we  determined  to  visit  them. 
 Accordingly  our  boat  was  lowered,  and  they  shouted  for  us 
 to  come  on  shore,  saying  that  there  were  yams,  taro,  and 
 other  vegetables.  On  approaching  the  shore,  a  man  sprang 
 from  his  canoe  into  our  boat,  and  stated  that  he  was  an 
 arilii  or  chief,  and  wished  to  go  on  board.  At  first  we 
 understood  that  he  was  a  chief  at  Tauna,  and  wished  us 
 to  convey  him  home ;  but  this  arose  from  our  inquiries 
 about  Tanna,  and  they  have  a  method  of  repeating  almost 
 every  word  you  utter,  if  they  do  not  understand  you,  and 
 yielding  assent  to  it.  We  accordingly  returned  to  the 
 vessel,  rejoicing  that  we  had  succeeded  in  getting  such  a 
 person  to  accompany  us.  On  reaching  the  vessel  we  put 
 on  him  a  red  shirt,  and  fastened  a  piece  of  cloth  round 
 him,  in  which  new  and  gay  apparel  he  strutted  about  the 
 decks,  and  shouted  most  lustily  in  admiration  of  himself. 
 At  length  sea-sickness,  that  annihilator  of  human  dis- 
 tinctions, brought  him  to  sit  down  as  tamely  and  quietly  as 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FOTUNA.  133 
 
 a  helpless  infant.  When  we  spoke  to  him,  he  looked  up 
 piteously  and  exclaimed,  "  I'm  helpless  I  I'm  dead  ! "  We 
 obtained  a  considerable  deal  of  information  from  him,  and 
 were  truly  thankful  to  find  that  by  a  mixture  of  the 
 Samoan  and  Raroton^an  dialects  we  could  interchanfre  our 
 ideas  tolerably  well.^  Towards  evening  he  began  to  be 
 restless,  and  begged  hard  to  be  put  on  shore.  We  therefore 
 stood  in  again  with  the  ship,  and  getting  into  smooth 
 water,  he  recovered,  and  we  found  him  an  intelligent,  com- 
 municative man.  We  endeavoured  to  explain  to  him  the 
 object  of  our  visit,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  have 
 any  person  placed  on  his  island,  to  which  he  replied  that 
 they  would  give  him  yams,  taro,  and  sugar-cane.  On  pre- 
 paring to  return,  \ve  gave  him  a  looking-glass,  a  knife,  some 
 fish-hooks,  and  other  articles.  The  glass  delighted  him 
 exceedingly.  As  soon  as  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  own 
 countenance,  he  danced  with  surprise,  and  shouted  a  song 
 similar  to  that  of  sailors  when  heaving  anchor  or  hauling  a 
 rope.  On  reaching  the  shore,  we  were  entirely  surrounded 
 with  natives,  who  behaved  with  great  civility  towards  us, 
 and  appeared  entirely  without  arms.  They  chatted  away 
 at  a  great  rate  to  our  friend,  who  was  decorated  in  the  red 
 shirt ;  and  who,  in  return,  spoke  highly  to  them  of  the 
 kindness  his  wealthy  friends  had  shown  him,  and,  among 
 other  trifles,  he  took  up  a  little  pig  we  had  given  him  and 
 exhibited  it  to  public  view.  Being  about  to  take  our 
 leave,  we  renewed  our  efforts  to  induce  some  persons  to 
 accompany  us  on  board,  but  without  success.  Although 
 we  were  not  rich  enough  in  teachers  to  spare  two  for  this 
 island,  it  will  be  occupied  as  soon  as  possible,  and  indeed 
 we  gave  them  to  understand  that  we  should  visit  them 
 again  shortly  ;  and  the  result  of  this  day's  labour  is  such 
 as  to  induce  the  conviction  that  such  a  friendly  feeling  has 
 been  excited  as  will  enable  us  to  settle  teachers  as  soon  as 
 we  can  possibly  spare  them.' 
 
 '  This  illustrates  the  affiuity  in  hinguage  to  the  Eastern  tongues. 
 
1 34  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 This  is  inserted  as  tlie  first  attempt  to  introduce  the 
 gospel  to  Fotnna.  The  death  of  Mr.  Williams  so  soon  after, 
 prevented  immediate  efforts  to  settle  teachers  on  the  island. 
 In  1841,  the  mission  vessel  Camden  approached  the  island, 
 and  the  Rev.  A.  W.  Murray,  the  missionary  on  board, 
 settled  two  teachers  from  Samoa  there.  These  were  Apolo, 
 from  Tutuila,  and  Samuela,  from  Upolu.  They  had  not 
 any  wives  or  children  with  them,  hut  Samuela  was  married. 
 It  had  been  judged  prudent,  in  the  first  instance,  to  leave 
 his  family  at  home  for  a  time.  These  teachers  were  left 
 till  the  vessel  returned  from  Aneityum,  a  very  few  days 
 after  their  settlement,  that  opportunity  might  be  afforded 
 to  remove  them  if  the  natives  gave  them  no  encouragement. 
 They  gave  a  good  report  when  the  vessel  touched  again,  and 
 were  left  among  the  people.  Next  year,  Samuela's  wife  was 
 taken  to  him  in  the  mission  vessel.  The  teachers  were 
 still  encouraged,  and  were  willing  to  continue.  But  trials 
 soon  began.  In  the  beginning  of  1843,  an  epidemic  was 
 raging  among  the  natives.  The  superstitious  people  blamed 
 the  teachers  for  causing  it,  and  resolved  to  take  their  lives. 
 Apolo  and  Samuela,  with  his  daughter,  went  one  morning 
 to  visit  their  plantation,  at  a  little  distance  from  their 
 home.  They  were  waylaid  and  murdered  by  the  savage 
 people.  After  this  deed  of  cruelty  and  blood  had  been 
 accomplished,  the  murderers  went  to  the  mission-house. 
 One  of  them,  named  Nasana,  went  to  the  mission-house 
 and  asked  the  newly-made  widow — all  unconscious  of  her 
 sorrow — to  become  his  wife  !  She  declined  his  proposal 
 with  horror,  and  offered  him  a  present  to  be  gone.  He 
 immediately  raised  a  shout ;  his  followers  entered  and 
 massacred  the  faithful  wife.  The  hut  was  then  plundered, 
 and  a  cannibal  feast  held  on  the  bodies  of  one  of  the 
 teachers  and  of  the  woman.  The  other  two  were  thrown 
 into  the  sea. 
 
 It  was  not  till  a  full  year  after  this  melancholy  event, 
 that    the    mission    vessel    John    Williams    called    at    the 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FOTUNA.  135 
 
 island,  in  April  1845.  Mr.  Murray,  who  had  settled  the 
 teachers,  was  on  board,  along  with  the  Eev.  G-.  Turner. 
 The  news  that  met  them  was  very  saddening — intensified 
 by  the  thought  that  so  long  time  had  elapsed  before  it  was 
 known.  The  vessel  sailed  away  from  Fotuna  without  being 
 able  to  leave  any  Christian  teacher  to  take  up  the  standard 
 of  the  gospel  wliere  it  had  fallen  in  blood. 
 
 Nothing  could  be  done  to  introduce  the  gospel  till  1853, 
 when  success  was  rewarding  the  missionaries  on  Aneityum. 
 Natives  of  that  island  volunteered  to  be  teachers  on  Fotuna. 
 A  chief,  with  a  number  of  his  people  from  the  latter  island, 
 had  been  residing  on  Aneityum  for  several  months,  had 
 seen  the  progress  of  the  gospel,  and  was  favourably  disposed 
 to  the  new  religion.  The  two  teachers  selected  by  Messrs. 
 Inglis  and  Geddie  were  Waihit  and  Josefa.  The  Fotunese 
 and  these  teachers  were  all  taken  by  the  John  Williams, 
 and  landed  on  Fotuna  on  the  26th  October  1853.  These 
 two  men  were  the  first-fruits  of  the  New  Hebrides  in  the 
 work  of  evangelizing  other  islands.  They  had  frequent 
 perils  and  many  difficulties  in  their  work.  When  disease 
 spread  and  any  death  ensued,  the  teachers  were  blamed, 
 and  plots  laid  to  take  revenge.  The  teacher's  house  at 
 one  place  was  burned.  A  third  Aneityumese  teacher  was 
 added  in  1850,  and  one  from  Aitutaki,  an  eastern  isle.  A 
 second  teacher,  named  Kakita,  from  Karotonga,  joined  the 
 band.  These  endeavoured  to  pioneer  the  way  for  a  mis- 
 sionary, but  their  success  was  not  equal  to  their  efforts. 
 However,  the  footing  gained  was  kept,  and  in  1866  the 
 Eev.  Joseph  Copeland  and  his  wife  settled  on  Fotuna.  A 
 site  was  secured  for  the  mission  station  on  the  north-west 
 side  of  the  island,  and  near  the  best  available  boat-landing. 
 Mr.  and  IVIrs.  Copeland  lived  in  temporary  premises  for  a 
 time,  but  gradually  got  a  suitable  dwelling-house  erected.  It 
 is  a  substantial  building,  well  plastered  with  coral  lime,  and 
 on  a  convenient  spot  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
 The  garden   and  paddock  for  cows  are  well  fenced  with 
 
1 36  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 stone  walls  built  of  loose  coral.  The  path  from  the  shore 
 to  the  mission-house  is  very  steep,  though  zigzagged.  Mr. 
 Copeland  applied  himself  with  great  assiduity  to  acquire 
 the  language,  and  to  teach  the  people.  He  got  a  native 
 building  erected  for  worship,  but  after  a  few  years  it  was 
 burned  to  the  ground  by  the  fury  of  the  heathen.  They 
 were,  however,  induced  to  erect  another,  as  a  certain 
 number  had  rallied  round  the  missionary,  and  would  not 
 allow  this  injury  to  be  inflicted  with  impunity.  The 
 building  is  of  posts,  interlaced  with  cane-work,  and  neatly 
 thatched  with  sugar-cane  leaves.  The  Hoor  is  covered  with 
 coral  gravel.  The  church  is  very  small,  but  quite  sufficient 
 to  hold  all  who  attend  at  present. 
 
 Mr.  Copeland  has  been  assisted  by  several  teachers  from 
 Aneityura,  and  latterly  by  three  natives  of  Fotuna  and  one 
 from  Savage  Island.  There  is  a  station  at  each  end  of  the 
 island,  where  services  are  regularly  held.  Notwithstanding  Mr. 
 Copeland's  labours  throughout  twelve  years,  his  familiarity 
 with  the  language,  and  his  willingness  to  instruct,  not  more 
 than  one  hundred  and  fifty  altogether  attend  worship,  and 
 none  of  these  have  yet  been  baptized.  The  Lord's  Supper 
 was  observed  on  the  island  for  the  first  time  in  June  1871. 
 The  Rev.  John  Inglis  and  his  wife  were  on  a  visit  at  the  time, 
 and  he  administered  the  ordinance  of  baptism  to  Mr.  Cope- 
 land's  child  in  the  forenoon,  and  Mr.  Copeland  administered 
 the  Communion  in  the  afternoon  to  the  mission  families  and 
 the  native  teachers. 
 
 Mr.  Inglis  wrote  an  account  of  this  visit  shortly  after  its 
 occurrence,  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  made  : — 
 
 '  At  Fotuna,  the  afternoon  service  took  place  during  the 
 eclipse  of  the  sun.  Mr.  Copeland  met  with  the  Fotunese 
 in  the  church,  and  I  held  a  short  service  in  the  schoolroom 
 with  the  Aneityumese  teachers,  and  some  other  Aneityumese 
 who  were  there  at  the  time,  and  the  drift  of  our  remarks 
 was  somewhat  as  follows  : — "  Your  wise  men  formerly  pro- 
 fessed, and  the  wise  men  among  the  heathen  in  all  these 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FO  TUN  A.  137 
 
 islands  still  profess,  to  make  rain  and  wind,  good  weather 
 and  bad  weather,  health  and  sickness,  to  kill  and  to  cure,  at 
 their  pleasure.  Our  wise  men  never  profess  to  do  any  such 
 things,  because  they  know  that  God  only  can  make  rain 
 and  wind,  send  sickness  and  death,  give  life  and  health, 
 make  food  plentiful  or  cause  famine  ;  but  they  can  do  what 
 the  wise  men  among  the  heathen  never  attempted  to  do : 
 they  tell  long  beforehand  when  the  sun  or  moon  will  die 
 (the  native  phrase  for  an  eclipse),  and  why.  How  do 
 they  know  this  ?  They  know  it  because  they  study  the 
 works  of  God,  and  they  find  that  all  the  works  of  God  are 
 true.  Everything  that  God  does,  and  everything  that  God 
 says,  is  true.  He  has  spoken  a  law  to  the  sun  and  to  the 
 moon,  and  they  hear  His  word  and  obey  His  law.  He  has 
 made  the  paths  of  the  sun  and  of  the  moon  so  true  and 
 exact,  and  He  has  made  the  rate  of  their  travelling  along 
 these  paths  so  true  and  exact,  that  our  wise  men,  who 
 search  out  these  things,  can,  by  counting,  tell  long  before- 
 hand the  very  month  and  day  and  hour  when  we  may  see 
 them  pass  one  another.  Everything  that  God  does  is  true ; 
 there  is  nothing  deceitful  in  it :  and  everything  that  God 
 says  is  true ;  His  word  is  as  true  as  His  works.  In  the 
 Bible  He  says  that  every  one  who  believes  in  Christ,  and 
 repents  of  his  sins,  shall  be  saved,  and  go  to  heaven ;  but 
 that  every  one  who  refuses  to  believe  in  Christ,  and  to 
 repent  of  his  sins,  shall  be  condemned,  and  go  to  hell. 
 And  as  certainly  as  the  predicted  eclipse  has  been  seen 
 to-day,  so  certainly  will  God's  word  about  our  souls  be 
 found  true  at  the  day  of  death  and  the  day  of  judgment." 
 
 '  During  our  stay  at  Fotuna  the  natives  of  that  island 
 had  another  lecture  read  to  them  on  the  evidences  of 
 Qhristianity,  more  convincing  to  their  minds  than  the 
 whole  of  Butler's  Analogy,  with  the  volumes  of  Paley  and 
 Chalmers  on  the  evidences  superadded.  "  Ye  men  of 
 Athens,"  said  Paul,  "  I  perceive  that  in  all  things  ye  are 
 too   superstitious  ;"    or,  as   most   critics   render   it,  "  very 
 
1 3  8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 relifijioiis."  The  Fotiinese,  like  the  Athenians,  are  "  very 
 religious  "  in  their  own  way.  Till  certain  religious  cere- 
 monies and  observances  have  been  attended  to,  they  will 
 not  plant  a  single  yam,  otherwise,  it  is  believed,  the  yams 
 would  not  grow,  or  some  calamity,  such  as  sickness  or 
 death,  would  befall  the  man  who  planted  them.  Last  year 
 Mr.  Copeland  had  some  yams  planted  in  his  garden  before 
 any  of  these  ceremonies  had  been  performed  by  the  sacred 
 man,  and  they  were  now  ripe.  A  day  was  appointed  for 
 their  being  dug ;  and  a  number  of  natives,  heathen  and 
 Christian,  were  invited,  and  came  to  see  the  produce  taken 
 up.  The  mounds  were  opened  by  the  Aneityumese  teachers, 
 and  out  came  such  yams  as  had  scarcely  ever  been  seen  on 
 Fotuna,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  Christian  natives,  but 
 to  the  manifest  surprise  and  confusion  of  the  heathen. 
 But,  alas  !  it  is  here  as  well  as  elsewhere, 
 
 "  Convince  a  man  against  his  will, 
 He's  of  the  same  opinion  still." 
 
 '  The  following  Sabbath  came,  but  there  was  no  acces- 
 sion to  the  number  of  worshippers.  Many  an  infidel  has 
 read  Butler,  or  Paley,  or  Chalmers,  and  remained  as  much 
 an  infidel  as  before.  The  Pharisees  saw  our  Saviour's 
 miracles,  and  yet  rejected  His  mission.  No  doubt  the 
 heathen  on  Fotuna  "would  say,  as  other  heathen  have 
 repeatedly  said,  that  it  might  do  very  well  for  Mr.  Cope- 
 land  or  the  Aneityumese  to  plant  their  yams  without 
 propitiating  the  gods  of  Fotuna,  because  they  were  foreigners, 
 but  it  would  be  perilous  for  them  ;  the  gods  would  certainly 
 be  angry,  and  punish  them.  No  one  who  has  not  grappled 
 with  the  superstitions  of  heathenism  can  have  any  idea  of 
 the  darkness,  and  hardness,  and  obstinacy  of  the  heathen 
 heart.  Nothing  can  change  it  but  divine  power.  Still, 
 the  more  suitable  the  means,  and  the  more  diligently  these 
 are  employed,  the  more  confidently  may  we  expect  the 
 Spirit's  influences  from  on  high.  Exhibitions  such  as  these 
 serve   very  much   the  same  purposes  among  the  heathen 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FOTUNA.  139 
 
 that  lectures  and  essays  on  the  evidences  do  among 
 ourselves.' 
 
 Efforts  have  been  made  to  familiarize  the  natives  with 
 Christian  life  by  taking  parties  of  Fotunese  to  Aniwa, 
 and  of  Aniwans  to  Fotuna.  The  Aniwans  try  to  ^^ersuade 
 the  Fotunese  to  embrace  Christianity.  Some  join  the 
 Vv'orship  in  prospect  of  getting  the  trip  in  the  mission  vessel, 
 but  most  act  from  better  motives.  This  practice  is  relished 
 by  the  people,  and  may  be  productive  of  good.  I  observed 
 numbers  eager  to  go  when  I  visited  the  island,  as  I  have 
 described  in  the  notes  of  my  cruise.  They  all  took  articles 
 of  barter  with  them.  The  Fotunese,  who  grow  the  kava, 
 took  a  good  supply  to  Aniwa,  where  the  plant  does  not 
 grow. 
 
 On  that  island  they  see  the  change  which  the  new 
 religion  has  made.  Still  they  are  very  slow  to  believe  and 
 to  change  from  their  old  way.  In  1871,  as  many  as  sixty- 
 six  Aniwans,  with  Mr.  Paton,  visited  Fotuna,  and  between 
 thirty  and  forty  Fotunese,  along  with  Mr.  Copeland,  returned 
 the  visit. 
 
 Mr.  Copeland  in  the  same  year  as  Mr.  Inglis  visited  the 
 island,  and  thus  wrote  of  his  work : — '  I  have  not  formed 
 a  church  yet.  There  are  a  few  who  might  be  eligible  for 
 church  membership,  when  tried  by  the  island  standard,  but 
 some  delay  may  not  be  a  disadvantage,  as  we  have  seen 
 those  making  a  profession  of  Christianity  fall  so  often.  So 
 far  as  I  can  see,  it  is  not  so  much  the  administration  of  the 
 sacraments,  and  the  reading  of  the  word  of  God,  that  is 
 needed  for  the  conviction  and  growth  in  grace  of  these 
 tribes,  as  the  preaching  of  the  word  and  the  driving  of  it 
 home — that  is  to  say,  making  them  understand  it  by  cate- 
 chising. Natives  don't  take  easily  to  thinking.  Their 
 reading  and  hearing  partake  largely  of  the  mechanical. 
 They  greatly  prefer  reading  and  hearing  to  being  questioned 
 as  to  what  they  have  read  and  heard,  unless  the  questions 
 are  such  as   stand  on  the  very  surface,  and  are  known  to 
 
I40  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 every  one.  Nor  have  I  any  weekly  prayer-meeting.  Every 
 Friday  I  meet  with  the  teachers  for  the  purpose  of  instruct- 
 ing them,  and  of  giving  them  hints  how  to  perform  their 
 duties,  and  how  to  meet  the  objections  to  Christianity  that 
 are  being  constantly  reiterated  by  the  heathen.  The  morn- 
 ing school  and  evening  worship  afford  me  an  opportunity 
 of  instructing  all  we  would  likely  see  at  a  week-day  after- 
 noon service.  Our  work  among  the  natives  goes  on  slowly. 
 Progress  is  perceptible,  but  not  great.  The  use  of  clothing 
 is  becoming  more  general,  and  we  see  very  seldom  a  painted 
 face  at  the  principal  station  on  Sabbaths.  Knowledge, 
 secular  and  religious,  is  spreading ;  and,  through  the 
 worshipping  people,  ideas  sometimes  find  their  way  to  the 
 ears  of  the  heathen.  Information  about  countries  and 
 places,  and  the  manners  and  customs  of  other  lands,  will 
 find  listeners  who  care  nothing  about  the  good  news. 
 Superstition,  while  still  possessing  great  influence,  is,  I 
 think,  losing  its  power,  not  so  much  directly  as  indirectly. 
 Old  ideas  are  being  undermined,  as  is  the  case  in  India,  to 
 compare  the  small  with  the  great.  There  is  less  tendency 
 on  the  part  of  those  most  advanced  to  be  carried  away  by 
 every  wild  story  that  goes  abroad.  Some  natives  have  this 
 year  planted  yams  when  it  was  taim  to  do  so,  notwith- 
 standing that  the  penalty,  according  to  the  old  belief,  is 
 death  to  the  aggressor.  A  few  have  also  not  abstained 
 from  eating  fish  and  pork  during  the  planting  season.  The 
 man  who  eats  fish  or  pork,  and  goes  at  once  to  plant,  will 
 have  no  crop,  according  to  the  old  dictum.  He  must  wait 
 for  five  days  before  digging,  if  he  would  ensure  a  crop.  The 
 heathen  ceremonies  previous  to  the  planting  of  the  yams 
 occupied,  to  our  great  comfort  and  undisturbed  sleep,  only 
 four  nights,  instead  of  five  weeks,  as  last  year.  The  fact 
 that  some  of  the  Christian  party  would  not  wait  till  they 
 were  over  may  have  helped,  with  other  things,  to  cause 
 expedition.  Our  plans  for  the  instruction  and  civilisation 
 of  the  natives  are  much  what  they  were  in  former  years. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FOTUNA.  141 
 
 About  120  attend  service  on  Sabbath,      The  heathen  show 
 no  particular  hostility  at  present.' 
 
 Thirty  of  the  natives  are  able  to  read,  but  not  over  half 
 a  dozen  have  yet  regularly  worn  clothing  or  cut  their  hair. 
 There  are  five  schools  conducted  among  the  people. 
 
 Mr.  Copeland,  being  a  superior  linguist,  has  readily 
 mastered  the  language  of  Fotuna.  He  has  printed  a  cate- 
 chism, and  a  few  Scripture  extracts,  and  a  small  collection 
 of  hymns.  He  has  translated  the  Gospel  of  St.  Mark,  and  it 
 was  printed  at  Sydney  in  1875,  along  with  a  new  addition 
 of  the  catechism  and  hymns.  St.  Luke's  Gospel  and  several 
 other  portions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  have  been  translated  ; 
 but  as  so  few  have  learned  to  read,  printing  has  not  been 
 pushed  forward.  The  first-named  Gospel  will  be  speedily 
 put  into  the  hands  of  the  people,  and  it  may  be  that  the 
 seed  sown  during  the  past  eight  years — the  '  night  of  weep- 
 ing ' — will  spring  up  and  bear  fruit,  and  yield  from  the  dusky 
 people  of  Fotuna  a  rich  harvest  of  souls  to  Christ.  Mr. 
 Copeland  felt  his  position  among  the  people  to  be  safe,  and 
 that  he  has  their  respect  and  confidence. 
 
 The  system  of  heathen  worship  on  Fotuna  is  so  elaborated 
 as  to  comprehend  most  of  the  people.  '  It  is  like  a  chain,' 
 says  Mrs.  Copeland,  '  of  which  every  native  forms  a  link. 
 Nearly  all  the  men  and  women  have  some  office  to  perform.' 
 The  first  start  in  favour  of  the  gospel  was  produced  by  the 
 alarming  illness  of  a  young  man,  son  of  the  chief  priest  of 
 the  island.  He  was  lying  on  his  mat  cold  and  apparently 
 lifeless.  Mr.  Copeland  went  to  him,  got  his  mouth  opened, 
 and  poured  in  a  little  brandy.  The  patient  immediately 
 began  to  struggle,  and  after  a  time  opened  his  eyes  and 
 recovered.  Nothing  so  wonderful  had  ever  occurred.  The 
 people  shouted,  '  Missi !  What  can  Missi  not  do  ? '  '  As 
 soon  as  the  young  man  was  able  to  go  about,'  says  Mrs. 
 Copeland,  '  he  went  to  his  plantation,  cut  a  large  bunch  of 
 iDananas,  and  laid  it  at  our  door.  We  asked,  "  What  is  this 
 for  ?     What  shall  we  give  you  in  return  ?  "      "  Give  me  '. " 
 
142  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 he  exclaimed ;  "  it  is  the  price  of  my  life."  From  that 
 time  he  began  to  favour  the  gospel.  His  first  feelings 
 were  to  please  ns,  and  he  came  in  the  evenings  to  learn  to 
 read ;  and  as  he  learned,  got  a  little  light,  and  saw  the  folly 
 of  the  heathen  practices.  He  then  wished  to  enlighten  his 
 father,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  heathen  worship,  that 
 he  might  get  the  people  drawn  to  the  gospel.  He  talked 
 to  his  father  night  and  day.  The  poor  old  man  felt  the 
 new  views  troublesome.  He  had  lived  with  all  the  honours 
 of  his  sacred  office ;  he  wished  to  die  as  he  had  lived ;  and 
 he  had  looked  forward  with  no  little  pride  to  his  only  sou 
 inheriting  his  office.  We  therefore  advised  the  son  not  to 
 be  too  hasty,  lest  he  should  defeat  his  object.  "  No,  Missi," 
 he  said,  "  the  heathen  will  gain  an  influence  over  my  father, 
 and  it  will  be  more  difficult  by  and  by."  It  was,  indeed,  a 
 critical  time ;  but  the  young  man  kept  firm,  and  at  length 
 got  his  father  to  come  to  our  worship.  The  testing  time 
 was  yet  to  come.  The  heathen  became  alarmed,  and  they 
 tried  every  means,  fair  and  unfair,  to  draw  back  tlie  old 
 priest.  But  the  young  man  was  on  the  alert  lest  they 
 should  even  take  his  father  away  by  force.  Then  sprang 
 up  two  parties  among  the  people — one  taking  to  themselves 
 the  name  of  Christians,  and  the  other  satisfied  to  be  called 
 heathens.  It  became  an  understanding  that  no  persons 
 worshipping  with  the  missionary  could  in  honour  join  the 
 heathen  ceremonies.  The  attendance  at  church  increased, 
 and  Mr.  Copeland  commenced  a  morning  scliool,  with 
 worship  in  the  evening.  There  were  about  twenty  who 
 attended,  and  they  soon  gathered  as  much  knowledge  of 
 divine  truth  as  to  enable  them  to  defend  themselves  witli 
 some  cleverness  against  the  taunts  of  the  heathen.  Chris- 
 tianity was  evidently  gaining  ground,  but  persecutions  also 
 increased.  The  worshipping  people  in  their  turn  taunted 
 the  heathen  that  their  gods  were  no  gods,  and  that  the 
 offerings  presented  in  their  temple  %vere  eaten  by  the  rats  I ' 
 They  even  requested  Mr.  Copeland  to  enter  the  temple  and 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FOTUNA.  143 
 
 preach  to  the  people,  while  they  sat  around.  He  did  so, 
 and  thrust  his  head  through  the  thatch  as  if  to  defy  the 
 gods.  The  heathen  observed  this  with  much  displeasure, 
 and  came  armed.  They  made  a  rush  at  the  missionary, 
 but  the  Christian  party  rose  to  defend,  and  eventually 
 prevailed.  There  was  great  excitement.  Mrs.  Copeland 
 herself  was  in  the  midst  of  it,  and  by  great  presence  of 
 mind  prevailed  upon  a  fierce  chief  to  give  her  his  club.  It 
 might  have  been  otherwise.  Indeed,  had  it  been  done 
 earlier  in  Mr.  Copeland's  residence,  it  would  have  cost  him 
 his  life.  As  it  was,  it  showed  that  the  Cliristian  party 
 were  gaining  strength.  From  that  time  it  has  been  slowly 
 advancing. 
 
 In  1871,  Mrs.  Copeland  lost  her  infant  baby,  and  made 
 a  very  precarious  recovery.  It  was  proposed  that  she 
 should  visit  Sydney  in  the  mission  vessel,  but  the  wreck  of 
 the  Days])ring,  on  6th  January  1873,  cut  off  that  hope. 
 But  in  September  1873  the  missionary  came  with  all  his 
 family  to  Sydney.  They  were  all  needing  a  change,  after 
 seven  years'  residence  and  isolation  among  a  savage  people. 
 Mr.  Copeland  was  for  a  time  invalided,  by  an  attack  of 
 scarlet  fever,  after  he  arrived  in  New  South  Wales,  but 
 he  was  able  to  address  some  congregations  on  the  mission 
 and  on  behalf  of  the  new  vessel.  He  left  his  wife  and 
 three  children  in  Sydney,  and  returned  to  his  post  in  April 
 1874.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  accompanying  him  when  he 
 landed.  He  was  welcomed,  though  without  much  demon- 
 stration, by  the  naked  islanders  on  the  beach.  He  found 
 that  they  had  all  been  living  quietly  during  his  absence  of 
 nine  months.  His  house  and  premises,  left  in  charge  of 
 an  Aneityumese  Christian  and  his  wife,  were  undisturbed. 
 Divine  service  had  been  regularly  kept  up  at  all  the  stations 
 by  the  teachers,  but  the  attendance  had  rather  diminished. 
 The  mortality  of  the  period  had  been  greater  than  during 
 any  former  year  since  his  settlement.  Twenty-five  deaths 
 had  taken  place  in  a  population  of  less  than  eight  hundred. 
 
144  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Consumption  seemed  to  be  on  the  increase.  The  natives 
 generally  were  more  friendly  to  the  mission,  and  there  was 
 less  bad  talk  than  usual.  There  had  been  only  eighteen 
 births,  and  there  were  thirty  deaths  in  twelve  months. 
 The  population  is  reduced  to  seven  hundred  and  seventy, 
 and  has  been  rapidly  decreasing. 
 
 Mr.  Copeland  revisited  Sydney  in  the  Dayspring  in 
 December  1874,  and  returned  in  April  1875  with  his  wife 
 and  youngest  children,  who  had  been  much  recruited  by 
 their  residence  in  the  colony. 
 
 Mrs.  Copeland,  however,  was  removed  by  death  on 
 20th  January  1876.  Mr.  Copeland's  own  health  was 
 much  impaired,  and  he  returned  to  the  colonies,  where  he 
 spent  two  years.  In  April  1879,  he  went  again  to  the 
 islands  to  assist  in  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Lawrie,  and  to 
 visit  his  station. 
 
 Even  from  this  island,  so  difficult  of  access,  and  with  a 
 small  population,  one  hundred  and  nine  natives  were  taken 
 away  in  three  years  by  the  labour  vessels  from  Fiji  and 
 Queensland.  Of  these,  fourteen  died,  and  twelve  were 
 killed  during  their  absence  from  the  island.  There  were 
 twenty-eight  away  in  1874,  and  of  these  two  had  been 
 absent  for  seven  years ;  and  eight  had  been  taken  away, 
 and  six  returned,  during  the  same  year. 
 
 Mr.  Copeland  was  unwilling  to  leave  the  island  where 
 he  has  laboured,  and  refused  to  go  to  a  station  on  Aneityum 
 where  the  people  are  all  professedly  Christians,  and  with 
 whose  language  he  is  familiar.  May  he  be  spared  to  see 
 the  fruit,  and  the  people  all  Christian  on  Fotuna  1 
 
 '  "The  livelong  night  we've  toiled  in  vain, 
 But  at  Thy  gracious  word 
 I  will  let  down  the  net  again  ; 
 Do  Thou  Thy  will,  0  Lord." 
 
 '  So  spake  the  weary  fisher,  spent 
 AVith  bootless  darkling  toil, 
 Yet  on  his  Master's  bidding  bent, 
 For  love  and  not  for  spoil. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FOTUNA.  145 
 
 '  So  day  by  day,  and  week  by  week, 
 
 In  sad  and  weary  thought, 
 They  muse  whom  God  hath  set  to  seek 
 The  souls  His  Christ  liath  bought. 
 
 '  Full  many  a  dreary,  anxious  liour. 
 
 We  watch  our  nets  alone, 
 In  drenching  spray  and  driving  shower, 
 And  hear  the  night-bird's  moan. 
 
 '  At  morn  we  look,  and  nought  is  there  ; 
 
 Sad  dawn  of  cheerless  day  ! 
 Who  then  from  pining  and  despair 
 The  sickening  heart  can  stay  ? 
 
 '  There  is  a  stay,  and  we  are  strong  ; 
 Our  Master  is  at  hand, 
 To  cheer  our  solitary  song, 
 And  guide  us  to  the  strand 
 
 '  In  his  own  time  :  but  yet  awhile 
 
 Our  bark  at  sea  must  ride  ; 
 Cast  after  cast,  by  force  or  guile. 
 All  waters  must  be  tried. ' — Keble. 
 
 K 
 
CHAPTEE    VI  T. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  ANIWA A  BRIEF  SOJOURN  AT  THE 
 
 MISSION-HOUSE. 
 
 '  Kind  friends,  so  pleasant  did  ye  make  these  days, 
 That  in  my  heart,  long  as  my  heart  shall  beat, 
 Minutest  recollections  still  shall  live. 
 Still  be  the  source  of  joy. ' 
 
 After  cruising  for  ten  AA^eeks  in  the  mission  vessel  among 
 the  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides,  and  residing  on  board  for 
 the  most  part,  even  when  in  port,  I  paid  a  promised  visit 
 to  the  mission-house  of  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Paton  and  his 
 amiable  and  accomplished  wife  at  Aniwa.  The  vessel 
 meanwhile  went  away  to  the  north  to  convey  the  mission- 
 aries home. 
 
 Aniwa,  marked  '  Immer,'  the  Tannese  name,  by  Captain 
 Cook  on  the  map,  is  the  lowest  island  in  the  New  Hebrides, 
 and  formed  of  coral.  Near  the  shore  there  is  a  level  space, 
 entirely  of  coral  rock,  honeycombed  by  the  action  of  the 
 waves.  The  rock  then  rises  abruptly  about  fifty  feet,  and 
 forms  the  table-land  of  tlie  island.  There  is  very  little 
 soil  except  in  a  few  sequestered  spots,  where  there  is  as 
 much  as  forms  the  plantations  for  yams,  bananas,  and  sugar- 
 cane for  the  people.  Cocoa-nut  trees  are  very  numerous 
 all  along  the  shore,  but  as  the  soil  is  very  scanty,  they  are 
 small.  Bread-fruit  trees,  and  others  with  edible  fruits,  grow 
 freely. 
 
 '  Birds  are  not  numerous  on  Aniwa.  There  are  two 
 kinds  of  pigeons,  some  shore  birds,  a  kind  of  thrush,  and 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANIWA.  147 
 
 a  small  blackbird,  with  red  head  and  hooked  bill,  which 
 sucks  the  honey  from  the  cocoa-nut  flowers.  Flying  foxes, 
 however,  abound.  These  strange  creatures  come  over  from 
 the  neighbouring  islands  in  flocks  about  sundown,  for  the 
 purpose  of  feeding  on  some  favourite  plant  which  grows  on 
 this  island.  They  are  not  left  in  peace,  however,  for  the 
 natives  are  fond  of  them  as  food,  and  it  is  a  favourite 
 sport  of  theirs,  on  a  moonlight  night,  to  go  out  shooting 
 flying  foxes.  They  are  covered  wdth  a  soft  brown  fur,  and 
 measure  from  wing  to  wing  about  two  feet.'  ^ 
 
 Aniwa  is  only  ten  miles  in  circumference.  It  is  fifty  miles 
 to  the  north  of  Aneityum,  and  only  about  ten  miles  from 
 the  nearest  point  of  Tanna.  It  lies  19°  15^  south  latitude, 
 and  1G9°  40'  east  longitude.  The  people  are  very  few  in 
 number,  and  are  rapidly  decreasing.  They  were  formerly 
 very  fierce,  and  always  fighting  with  each  other.  Their 
 language  is  closely  allied  to  that  of  Fotuna,  with  only 
 dialectal  differences.  "  The  natives  of  the  two  islands  can 
 understand  each  other.  Many  of  tlie  natives  of  Aniwa  are 
 bilingual,  as  the  island  is  so  near  Tanna  on  the  one  side 
 and  Eromanga  on  the  other. 
 
 Christian  teachers  w^ere  first  settled  on  this  island  by  the 
 Ilev.  T.  Heath,  of  Samoa,  in  1840.  These  were  from  the 
 eastern  islands.  They  were  on  sufferance,  and  made  very 
 little  impression.  When  a  reinforcement  was  sent  from  the 
 Christian  island  of  Aneityum,  opposition  broke  out  with 
 fatal  force.  Many  years  before,  a  party,  who  went  in  their 
 frail  canoes  to  Aneityum  to  visit  some  friends,  were  driven 
 by  stress  of  weather  to  another  part  of  that  island,  and  were 
 all,  except  two,  unceremoniously  killed  and  eaten.  The 
 two  who  escaped  hid  themselves  till  the  darkness  fell,  when 
 they  went  to  the  shore,  and  taking  possession  of  a  canoe, 
 with  a  cocoa  branch  for  a  sail,  set  out  for  their  own  land, 
 wliich  they  reached  in  safety.  Their  story  aroused  strong 
 feelings  of  revenge,  and  sticks  were  set  up  as  a  memorial 
 ^  Campbell's  Year  in  the  New  Hebrides,  p.  151. 
 
148  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 of  the  bloody  purpose  whenever  any  Aneityuraese  came 
 within  reach.  The  two  teachers,  Nemeian  and  ISTavalak, 
 afforded  the  long-wished-for  opportunity.  Nemeian  was 
 from  the  very  place  where  the  Aniwan  people  had  been 
 cruelly  murdered.  A  plot  was  laid  to  take  their  lives,  and 
 two  men  from  Tanna  were  hired  to  be  the  avengers  of 
 blood.  They  waylaid  the  teachers  on  the  Lord's-day  as 
 they  returned  from  the  village  where  they  had  been  holding 
 divine  service.  Nemeian  fell  dead  under  the  heavy  club 
 of  the  Tannese  savage.  Navalak  also  fell,  but  was  not 
 mortally  wounded.  The  people  were  propitiated,  and  then 
 pulled  up  the  sticks  and  entreated  Navalak  to  remain.  He 
 did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  do  this  long,  though  another 
 Aneityumese,  named  Nalmai,  was  ready  to  take  the  fallen 
 colours  of  Nemeian.  Navalak  returned  to  Aneityum,  where 
 he  became  a  chief  among  his  people.  But  almost  every 
 year  of  late  he  has  paid  a  visit  to  the  island  of  Aniwa,  and 
 since  it  became  Christian  he  has  been  treated  with  respect. 
 He  landed  along  with  me  and  left  with  me,  so  that  I  had 
 an  opportunity  of  observing  the  reception  he  got  from  the 
 people.  I  visited  the  scene  of  ISTemeian's  martyrdom, 
 which  is  pointed  out  by  the  people,  who  now  revere  his 
 memory.  His  murderers  were  shot  in  a  fight  in  their  own 
 island  of  Tanna.  On  several  occasions  teachers  who  fled 
 for  their  lives  from  Tanna  found  a  refuge  on  Aniwa.  The 
 Aneityumese  teachers  continued  to  occupy  the  island,  and 
 were  visited  from  time  to  time  by  missionaries  in  the  John 
 Knox.  The  Jolin  Williams  called  in  1861,  and  found  that 
 measles  were  prevailing.  No  one  landed  save  native 
 passengers,  but  the  teachers  went  on  board  and  gave  an 
 account  of  what  was  transpiring.  Though  the  people  still 
 continued  shy,  the  teachers  were  safe,  and  no  serious 
 danger  had  arisen  because  of  the  introduction  of  the 
 disease,  which  unfortunately  had  been  spread  by  persons 
 conveyed  by  the  John  Knox. 
 
 Once  the  Eev.   Joseph   Coj)eland's   life   was  in  danger 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANIWA.  149 
 
 while  on  the  island  for  a  short  time.  Some  Eromangans 
 were  plotting  the  deed  of  blood ;  but  he  surprised  them  by 
 addressing  them  in  their  own  tongue,  a  knowledge  of  which 
 he  had  acquired,  and  their  courage  failed  when  they  learned 
 that  they  were  found  out. 
 
 In  1866,  the  Eev.  J.  G.  Paton  was  appointed  resident 
 missionary,  and  he  landed  with  Mrs.  Paton  and  child  to 
 take  possession  of  a  people  more  prepared  for  the  Lord  than 
 any  anticipated.  They  gained  rapidly  upon  the  natives, 
 though  they  had  the  usual  fluctuations  of  hope  and  dis- 
 appointment. For  a  time  a  number  attended  the  services, 
 then  only  a  few  came,  then  if  any  came  at  all  they  sat  and 
 smoked  their  pipes  with  the  greatest  indifference  to  the 
 teaching  of  the  missionary.  At  length  they  yielded  to  the 
 persevering  efforts  of  those  whose  only  object  was  to  do 
 them  good.  God's  Spirit  seemed  to  breathe  upon  the  dry 
 bones.  Some  began  to  listen  with  interest,  then  to  inquire, 
 to  pray,  and  to  wish  to  learn  the  art  of  reading.  In  two 
 years  almost  all  were  in  attendance  upon  Christian  instruc- 
 tion, in  a  church  built  upon  ground  sacred  for  a  long  period 
 to  their  heathen  superstitions.  Danger,  which  was  lurking 
 in  the  continued  opposition  of  a  few,  at  length  passed  away, 
 and  many  applied  for  admission  into  the  church,  and  cast 
 off  the  badges  of  their  heathenism.  Thirty-eight  have  been 
 baptized,  all  of  whom,  according  to  a  practice  in  the  mission, 
 have  been  admitted  to  the  Lord's  table.  Of  these,  thirty- 
 three  were  surviving  during  my  visit.  Strange  to  relate, 
 and  as  an  evidence  of  depopulation,  only  nine  children  have 
 been  baptized.  Children  are  very  few  in  number,  and  not 
 very  healthy.  Most  of  them  die  in  infancy.  There  were 
 two  such  deaths  during  my  visit. 
 
 Mr.  Paton  is  assisted  by  four  teachers,  of  whom  one 
 is  a  native,  a  very  hopeful  young  man.  Two  are  from 
 Aneityum,  and  one  from  Savage  Island.  I  had  the  pleasure 
 of  baptizing  a  child  of  the  last-mentioned,  who  honoured 
 my   surname  by  giving  it  as  the   sole  name  of  his  little 
 
1 50  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 son.^  He  has  a  large  family,  a  contrast  to  the  native 
 experience. 
 
 Mr.  Paton  has  built  a  large  and  commodious  residence 
 for  his  family.  It  has  been  enlarged  by  degrees  until  it  is 
 now  one  hundred  feet  long,  of  one  room  only  in  breadth. 
 There  are  verandahs  at  both  sides.  This,  as  well  as  two 
 additional  rooms,  are  strongly  built,  wattled  and  plastered 
 with  coral  lime.  His  store  is  underneath  one,  and  is  thus 
 both  secure  and  cool.  Premises  for  kitchen,  smithy, 
 printing  office,  and  sheds  for  cattle  and  goats,  liave  been 
 erected  at  convenient  distances.  The  mission-house  stands 
 on  a  spot  long  used  for  cannibal  feasts,  for  the  Aniwans 
 shared  this  universal  characteristic  of  the  islands.  Formerly 
 a  high  mound  had  been  formed  almost  entirely  of  ashes  and 
 human  bones.  None  ate  of  any  fruit-trees  that  grew  there, 
 and  the  superstitious  people  expected  that  the  missionary 
 would  soon  die  by  the  malign  influence  of  the  spirits  to 
 whom  the  land  was  sacred.  However,  when  they  saw  no 
 evil  effects  following  either  upon  residence  or  upon  eating  the 
 fruits,  it  made  them  more  favourable  to  the  new  religion. 
 The  mound  has  been  entirely  removed,  and  a  neat  lawn, 
 intersected  by  coral  walks,  now  adorns  the  spot.  Mr. 
 Paton  found  fresh  water  scarce  and  not  good,  so  he  deter- 
 mined to  sink  a  well.  At  the  depth  of  thirty  feet  he 
 found  a  fine  spring,  capable  of  yielding  enough  for  all  the 
 inhabitants.  This  greatly  astonished  the  natives,  who  soon 
 deserted  the  place  where  fresh  water  had  been  collected,  as 
 was  supposed  by  the  influence  of  their  sacred  men.  The 
 water  in  the  well  sinks  as  the  tide  ebbs,  and  rises  when  it 
 flows,  yet  receives  no  brackish  taste. 
 
 The  church  is  built  of  wooden  posts,  interlaced  with 
 cane,  and  thatched  both  on  the  sides  and  roof.  On  one 
 side  is  a  raised  platform,  with  a  neat  reading-desk  for  the 
 
 '  The  baptismal  formula  was  tlius  expressed  :  '  Avow  baptizo  akoi  Steel 
 ia  neigo  0  Tamana  Jehova,  ia  Jesu,  ma  Nokaiia  Tapu,  acratou  tishana  Atua 
 tsboti  Atua.     Emen.' 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANIWA.  151 
 
 nnnister ;  and  exactly  opposite  is  the  family  pew,  with  a 
 small  harmonium,  which  ]\Irs.  Paton  uses  in  leading  the 
 service  of  song  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  There  is  a 
 schoolhouse  near  the  church.  Between  the  two,  is  a  public 
 square  under  a  spreading  banyan  tree,  on  whose  branches 
 the  people  deposit  their  pipes,  muskets,  hows  and  arrows, 
 invariably  carried  when  they  attend  church  on  week-days. 
 There,  too,  they  talk  before  and  after  service. 
 
 I  had  the  pleasure  of  spending  three  Sabbaths  on  this 
 island,  of  which  two  were  particularly  interesting.  The 
 mission  vessel  arrived  on  a  Saturday  evening,  when  four 
 missionaries  on  their  way  from  the  Synod  landed  along 
 with  Mr.  Paton.  Mrs.  Inglis  as  well  as  myself  also  landed. 
 There  were  three  wives  of  missionaries  resident  with  Mrs. 
 Paton  while  their  husbands  were  away  at  the  Synod.  We 
 M'ere  all  accommodated  and  entertained  by  Llrs,  Paton. 
 The  Sabbath  dawned  with  a  warmth  like  summer,  though 
 it  was  the  shortest  day.  After  family  prayer  we  went  to 
 church,  where  sixty  men  and  forty  women  were  assembled 
 at  half-past  nine  o'clock.  They  were  seated  on  opposite 
 ends  of  the  building.  All  reverently  bent  their  heads  and 
 offered  a  short  prayer  ere  the  service  began.  The  Eev,  J. 
 G.  Paton  opened  the  devotional  exercises  by  giving  out  a 
 hymn  from  a  small  collection  which  he  had  printed  for  the 
 people  with  his  own  hand.  It  was  sung  with  spirit.  He 
 then  called  upon  a  venerable  native  chief  to  offer  prayer. 
 After  a  second  hymn,  the  Eev.  John  Inghs  preached  in 
 English  from  Mark  i.  1,  Mr.  Paton  interpreting  each  para- 
 graph. From  the  animation  and  feeling  manifested  by  the 
 interpreter,  and  the  apparent  interest  of  the  people,  I 
 gathered  that  the  discourse  was  at  once  solemnizing  and 
 intelligible.  Mr,  Inglis  has  been  so  long  familiar  with 
 native  modes  of  thought,  and  with  illustrations  familiar 
 to  them,  that  his  remarks  are  well  adapted  to  the  people, 
 and  easily  interpreted.  After  his  discourse  a  third  hymn 
 was  sung  with  unusual  spirit,  as  the  cultivated  voices  of 
 
1 5  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  missionary  ladies  blended  with  the  harmonium  in 
 leading  the  native  song.  A  native  of  Aneityum  then 
 offered  prayer,  a  translation  of  which  was  written  out  for 
 me  by  the  Eev.  John  Inglis.  It  is  given,  along  with  others, 
 in  the  Appendix.  After  another  hymn  the  service  closed. 
 The  congregation  then  retired  for  half  an  hour.  On  re- 
 assembling, the  same  order  was  observed.  The  native 
 teacher,  lona,  an  intelligent  man  from  Savage  Island, 
 prayed,  and  the  Eev.  Joseph  Annand,  M.A.,  from  Fila, 
 preached  by  means  of  Mr.  Paton's  interpretation.  His 
 text  was  Matt.  v.  43-45,  and  the  sermon  was  very 
 appropriate  to  a  people  long  accustomed  to  the  Ux  talionis. 
 A  venerable  cliief  from  Aneityum  then  offered  prayer.  He 
 did  this  with  much  apparent  earnestness  and  energy. 
 Almost  all  the  congregation  were  decently  clothed  with 
 wrappers  of  calico.  Only  two  men  had  their  shoulders 
 uncovered.  Five  had  their  hair  plaited  like  the  Tannese 
 and  Fotunese.  The  women  all  wore  petticoats,  made  of 
 the  bark  of  a  plant  carefully  prepared  and  made  soft  and 
 pliable,  A  few  had  these  garments  made  of  pandanus 
 leaves,  some  of  which  had  been  brought  from  Aneityum. 
 They  wore  a  short-gown  as  their  upper  garment,  and 
 coloured  handkerchief  on  their  heads,  though  a  few  had 
 banana  leaves.  Many  of  the  adults  could  read  and  had 
 their  hymn-books. 
 
 In  the  afternoon  a  Sabbath  school  is  held.  Several  of 
 the  scholars  were  so  old  as  to  need  spectacles  ;  but  they 
 were  spelling  their  way  with  conscientious  care.  All  were 
 learning  a  catechism  prepared  and  printed  by  Mr.  Paton. 
 There  are  seven  day  schools,  which  are  attended  by  most  of 
 the  people.  Five  of  the  teachers  are  natives  of  the  island. 
 In  the  district  schools,  there  are  afternoon  services  on  the 
 Sabbath. 
 
 All  this  is  the  result  of  eight  years'  labour,  and  is 
 certainly  very  encouraging  in  the  midst  of  difficulties 
 connected  with  the  New  Hebrides  mission.      I  witnessed 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANIWA.  153 
 
 tLe  warm  welcome  given  to  Mr.  Paton  and  his  family  by 
 the  people  after  an  absence  of  nine  months.  When  he 
 left  he  had  to  be  carried  on  board,  but  on  his  return, 
 though  far  from  being  well,  he  was  able  to  walk  among 
 the  people  and  receive  their  congratulations.  Mission- 
 houses  liad  been  well  cared  for,  and  two  new  mats  had 
 been  made  and  spread  on  the  floor.  The  walks  had  been 
 laid  with  coral  gravel.  Goats  and  cattle  had  been  tended 
 with  fidelity,  and  were  all  brought  to  the  landing-place  to 
 show  their  increase.  Two  school-houses  had  been  erected 
 in  villages,  and  a  third  was  contemplated.  Shortly  after 
 the  return  of  the  missionary,  numbers  of  the  people  brought 
 bunches  of  cocoa-nuts  in  payment  for  school-books  which 
 they  wished  to  get.  Labour  vessels  had  visited  the  island 
 and  induced  thirteen  men  to  go  away.  Where  the  popula- 
 tion is  so  small  this  is  trying  to  the  missionary,  as  it  takes 
 the  most  hopeful  men  from  their  homes  and  from  the 
 means  of  grace. 
 
 I  had  the  pleasure  and  privilege  of  attending  the  com- 
 munion services  on  Aniwa,  which  took  place  on  the  second 
 week  of  my  visit.  In  addition  to  the  usual  week-day 
 service  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  there  was  a  special 
 preparatory  service  on  the  Friday.  It  was  well  attended 
 by  the  people.  After  his  own  address,  Mr.  Paton  called 
 upon  the  principal  chief  of  the  island  to  speak  to  the 
 people,  which  he  did  with  much  meekness  and  wisdom.^ 
 ]\Ir.  Paton  kindly  wrote  out  a  translation  of  it  for  me,  and 
 also  a  prayer  by  a  native  Christian.  On  the  Sabbath, 
 there  were  over  one  hundred  persons  present — a  good  pro- 
 portion of  a  population  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-four. 
 At  the  request  of  the  missionary,  I  preached,  while  he 
 interpreted.  The  subject  was'  the  'Plant  of  renown,' 
 Ezek.  xxxiv.  29,  illustrated  as  I  best  could  from  the  trees 
 and  fruits  of  the  island.  The  communicants,  with  one  ex- 
 ception, an  invalid,  were  all  present,  and  were  placed  in  a 
 
 ^  See  Appendix. 
 
154  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 square  before  tlie  pulpit.  Three  native  teachers  and  Navalak, 
 the  elder  and  chief  from  Aneityum,  formerly  a  teacher  on 
 Aniwa,  bore  the  sacred  elements  among  the  communicants. 
 Great  decorum  and  reverence  characterised  all  as  they  partook 
 of  the  memorials  of  the  Saviour's  body  and  blood. 
 
 In  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Paton  took  me  on  a  circuit  of  four 
 villages.  We  were  accompanied  by  a  native  teacher  and  a 
 few  young  girls,  who  were  very  useful  in  the  singing.  In 
 each  village,  the  people  were  summoned  together  by  beating 
 the  native  drum.  Praise  and  prayer  were  offered  in  the 
 little  companies.  Sometimes  Mr.  Paton  prayed,  sometimes 
 the  native  teacher,  and  at  one  place  an  Eromangau  Cliris- 
 tian,  married  to  an  Aniwan  woman,  offered  prayer,  I  was 
 much  struck  with  his  earnest  and  energetic  utterance.  In 
 the  evening,  a  prayer-meeting  was  held  under  the  banyan 
 tree  near  the  church,  where  the  people  of  two  small  villages 
 assembled.  It  was  quite  dark,  yet  some  five  hymns  were 
 sung,  which  showed  that  the  people  had  the  sacred  songs 
 on  their  memory.  Several  prayers  were  offered  by  the 
 native  Christians  for  a  blessing  on  the  services  of  the  da^^ 
 
 The  young  people  about  the  mission-house  were  then 
 gathered  in  the  dining-room  and  catechised  from  a  small 
 work,  containing  about  one  hundred  short  questions  and 
 answers  on  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  Christianity,  pre- 
 pared and  printed  by  Mr.  Paton.  Family  prayer  followed, 
 and  the  young  people  retired  to  sing  and  pray  also. 
 Throughout  the  various  services  at  which  I  had  been 
 present  that  day,  hymns  had  been  sung  twenty-five  times. 
 The  collection  contains  only  seventeen,  but  the  people  have 
 learned  to  sing  them  all,  and  appeared  to  delight  in  the 
 exercise.  I  could  not  help  repeating  to  myself  the  sublime 
 words  of  Milton  : 
 
 *  Oh,  may  they  keep  in  tune  with  heaven  till  God 
 Ere  long  to  His  celestial  concert  them  invite 
 To  live  with  Him,  and  sing  in  everlasting 
 JMorn  of  Li^rht ! ' 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ANIWA,  155 
 
 On  tlie  Monday  morning,  nearly  seventy  persons  assembled 
 at  a  thanksgiving  service  in  the  church.  Five  hymns  were 
 sung,  and  as  many  prayers  offered  by  native  Christians,  and 
 an  address  and  benediction  from  the  missionary.  A  few 
 days  after,  the  communicants  held  a  feast  for  the  purpose 
 of  entertaining  the  other  worshippers.  The  missionary  and 
 native  teachers  had  each  a  pig  and  a  lot  of  yams  set  apart 
 for  them,  which  were  formally  delivered  with  a  set  speech. 
 One  of  the  native  teachers,  I  observed,  at  once  killed  his 
 pig  and  baked  it  whole,  as  is  the  general  custom. 
 
 I  visited  the  other  small  villages  in  the  island  during  my 
 sojourn.  In  one  of  them — now  much  reduced  in  people — 
 resides  the  principal  chief,  Nisway.  He  is  highly  respected 
 by  all  the  chiefs,  but  has  no  more  authority  than  any  of 
 the  others,  and  that  is  very  little.  However,  he  has  much 
 influence  over  all  the  chiefs  and  people. 
 
 In  one  village,  I  met  the  only  polygamists  that  now 
 remain.  One  has  two,  and  the  other,  three  wives.  Among 
 the  latter  were  a  mother  and  her  daughter  by  a  former 
 husband.  The  daughter  had  two  husbands  before  her  present 
 lord  and  master.  These  people  attend  church,  and  will  likely 
 soon  give  up  their  polygamy — now  so  nearly  a  thing  of  the 
 past  on  Aniwa.  A  change  has  passed  over  social  life,  and 
 now  when  any  breach  of  the  mari^iage  vow  takes  place, 
 there  is  instant  inquisition,  and  punishment  is  inflicted  by 
 common  consent. 
 
 Many  of  the  people  attend  school  at  the  dawn  of  day, 
 and  have  learned  to  read.  A  few  can  also  write.  The 
 majority  of  young  men  and  women  are  eagerly  learning 
 since  the  missionary's  return.  Only  a  portion  of  a  Gospel 
 has  yet  been  printed ;  but  the  whole  of  St.  Mark  is  ready 
 for  the  press,  and  is  to  be  printed  at  Melbourne.  The 
 people  need  it,  as  well  as  a  few  new  hymns,  to  increase 
 their  Christian  knowledge  and  fix  the  truth  of  God  more 
 upon  their  hearts.  Mr.  Paton  prepared  additional  hymns, 
 which  were  printed  in  Melbourne. 
 
1 5  6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Fighting  has  ceased,  and  the  people  exhibit  the  milder 
 virtues  of  Christian  character.  They  consult  their  mission- 
 ary in  every  difficulty,  and  abide  by  his  judgment,  which 
 he  always  gives  through  the  chief,  as  the  proper  adminis- 
 trator of  law  and  justice.  Almost  every  family  has  prayer 
 at  home,  and  every  male  communicant  can  pray  in  the 
 church.  Their  Christian  lives  have  been  marked  by  few 
 inconsistencies,  though  they  have  the  simplicity  of  children 
 in  Christ  Jesus.  They  love  Christ  and  His  word,  and  have 
 a  love  for  His  servants.  They  endeavour  to  practise  what 
 they  learn,  and  thus  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  their 
 Saviour  in  all  things.  May  every  island  of  the  New 
 Hebrides  group  speedily  enjoy  and  evidence  the  blessings 
 of  Christianity  as  this  little  isle  of  Aniwa  1  My  visit  there 
 was  made  very  pleasant  by  the  unbounded  kindness  of  the 
 missionary  and  his  excellent  wife,  and  by  the  attention  of 
 the  natives  around  their  house. 
 
 '  From  that  lovely  retreat  though  for  ever  I  part, 
 Where  smile  answers  smile,  and  where  heart  beats  to  heart, 
 Yet  how  often  and  fondly,  when  far  we  may  be, 
 Will  we  think,  thou  blest  isle,  of  each  other  and  thee  ! 
 I  go  from  the  haunts  where  thy  blue  billows  roll, 
 But  that  isle  and  those  waters  shall  live  in  my  soul. ' 
 
CHAPTEE    VII  I. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA 
 
 '  The  soil  untilled 
 Poured  forth  spontaneous  and  abundant  harvests  ; 
 The  forests  cast  their  fruits  in  husk  or  rind, 
 Yickling  sweet  kernels  or  delicious  pulp, 
 Smooth  oil,  cool  milk,  and  unfermented  wine, 
 In  rich  and  exquisite  variety. 
 On  these  the  indolent  inhabitants 
 Fed  without  care  or  forethought. ' 
 
 This  island  is  about  fifty  miles  from  Aneityum  in  a  north- 
 westerly direction,  and  lies  between  19°  21'  and  19° 
 38'  south  latitude,  and  between  169°  15'  and  169° 
 30'  east  longitude.  It  is  one  of  the  most  fertile  of  the 
 New  Hebrides.  It  is  about  thirty  miles  in  length  and 
 from  nine  to  twelve  in  breadth.  The  south  end  of  the 
 island  is  high,  and  the  mountains  are  wooded  to  their 
 summits ;  but  in  the  north,  which  is  mostly  table-land,  the 
 hills  are  covered  with  grass.  The  whole  is  agreeably 
 diversified  with  hill  and  dale.  The  most  striking  object, 
 however,  is  the  volcano,  which  has  been  active  since  the 
 days  of  Captain  Cook,  who  discovered  the  island  on  the 
 5th  August  1774.  It  emits  great  light,  and  discharges 
 at  times  large  stones,  with  a'  noise  that  may  be  heard  at  a 
 distance  of  forty  miles.  Sulphur  abounds  in  the  neighbour- 
 hood, and  is  occasionally  a  valuable  article  of  export,  and 
 it  would  be  more  sought  by  traders  if  the  natives  gave 
 
 ^  The  correct  native  name  of  the  island  is  Ipare.  The  word  Tanna,  by 
 which  the  island  is  generally,  but  incorrectly  called,  simply  signifies  'land,' 
 any  'land.' 
 
1 5  S  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 facilities  to  get  it.  A  vessel  in  1859  obtained  about  fifty 
 tons  in  three  weeks ;  but  the  tribes  around  the  mountain 
 are  averse  to  its  exportation.  The  volcano  must  have 
 existed  for  a  long  period.  There  are  several  craters  extinct, 
 but  there  is  great  activity  in  the  one  which  remains  in 
 operation.  The  mountain  is  not  high — only  about  six 
 hundred  feet,  but  for  the  most  part  it  is  covered  with  ashes 
 and  hardened  scorise.  Jets  of  steam  issue  from  the  crater 
 amidst  noise  and  smoke,  and  streams  of  liquid  lava  flow. 
 Large  red-hot  stones  are  thrown  up  into  the  air  to  a  height, 
 Commander  Markham  says,  of  over  a  thousand  feet,  looking 
 like  particles  in  the  sky  though  tons  in  weight.  These  fall 
 back  again  into  the  crater,  whose  mouth  is  about  seven 
 hundred  feet  by  five  hundred  feet.  The  depth  to  the  red- 
 hot  lava  is  about  two  hundred  feet.^  The  soil  around  the 
 mountain  is  very  hot,  and  springs  of  boiling  water  rise  in 
 several  places  for  miles  along  the  shore.  These  are  strongly 
 impregnated  with  sulphur.  The  volcano  is  always  most 
 active  after  heavy  rains,  which,  as  they  send  their  streams 
 through  the  crevices  into  the  fiery  crater,  are  changed  into 
 steam,  and  then  act  with  great  force  and  noise.  Volcanic 
 dust  is  blown  by  the  wind  for  miles.  Even  this  yields  a 
 large  proportion  of  sulphur.  Obsidian  is  found  near  the 
 volcano,  and  a  stone  like  the  nephrite  of  New  Zealand. 
 
 The  rich  soil  is  abundant,  and  has  great  power  of  pro- 
 duction. The  large  yams  of  Tanna  are  the  best  known  in 
 the  Pacific.  Captain  Cook  mentions  that  he  got  one  which 
 weighed  fifty-five  pounds.  The  natives  cultivate  them  in 
 plantations  with  great  care  and  success.  All  work  hard 
 during  the  season,  and  after  the  plant  appears  in  the 
 mounds  of  earth  they  make  trellis- work  for  supporting  the 
 yam-vine,  which  runs  along  for  a  considerable  distance. 
 
 '  The  average  annual  temperature,'  says  Mr.  Brenchley, 
 'is  86°.  Thunder  is  frequent,  and  there  are  often  heavy 
 downfalls  of  rain,  which  are  soon  over.  The  climate  for 
 1  Maikham's  Cruise  of  the  Bosario,  p.  232. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA. 
 
 159 
 
 four  months  of  the  year  is  damp,  giving  rise  to  fever  and 
 ague  ;  but  it  is  agreeable  during  the  other  months,  which 
 are  not  unhealthy,  provided  proper  precautions  are  taken. 
 Since  European  weapons  have  been  introduced  there  has 
 been  a  sensible  decrease  of  the  population.  Infant  mor- 
 tality is  considerable.  Deaths,  too,  occur  from  sunstrokes 
 and  poisonings  attributed  to  the  flesh  of  certain  fish.'^ 
 
 The  productions  of  the  island  are  the  same  as  in  the  others, 
 only  richer  from  the  finer  soil.  '  Barn-door  fowls  thrive 
 well.  Parrots,  parroquets,  and  pigeons  are  seen  in  great 
 nuinbers,  and  of  beautiful  plumage.  Swallows  are  plentiful, 
 and  varieties  of  small  birds  are  seen  in  twos  and  threes.  In 
 the  vicinity  of  the  volcano  is  found  a  large  bird  that  lays 
 its  eggs  in  a  mound  of  earth  which  it  has  made  for  the 
 purpose ;  it  does  not  fly,  but  runs  so  swiftly  that  it  is 
 seldom  caught.  As  to  serpents,  it  is  questionable  whether 
 any  exist.  There  are  four  kinds  of  lizards,  and,  moreover, 
 a  large  black  species  of  which  the  natives  are  mucli  afraid ; 
 they  say  its  bite  is  deadly,  and  connected  with  it  they  have 
 a  tradition  of  the  fall.  Two  species  of  turtles  are  often 
 speared  in  the  bays  round  the  island.  Many  species  of 
 beautiful  fish  are  taken,  but  they  are  dry  and  inferior  as  an 
 article  of  food.  Sharks  are  numerous.'  ^  Many  of  the  fish 
 are  poisonous.  There  is  a  variety  of  shell-fish  ;  one  when 
 touched  ejects  a  fluid  which  is  poisonous,  and  generally 
 proves  fatal  in  a  short  time.  Butterflies  and  beetles 
 abound.  Pigs  are  very  abundant.  It  is  said  that  as 
 many  as  five  thousand  have  been  taken  from  the  island 
 in  one  year  by  two  traders.^ 
 
 The  natives  of  the  island  are  of  a  dark  coffee-colour. 
 The  description  given  of  them  by  Captain  Cook,  a  century 
 ago,  is  true  to  the  life.  '  These  people,'  he  said,  '  are  rather 
 slender  made,  and  of  the  middle  size.  They  have  agree- 
 able countenances,  good  features,  and  are  very  active  and 
 nimble,  like  the  other  tropical  inhabitants.  The  females 
 ^  Cruise  of  the  Cura(^oa,  p.  205.  ^  lUd.  p.  213.  ^  Ibid.  p.  214. 
 
i6o  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 are  put  to  all  laborious  works,  and  the  men  walk  uncon- 
 cerned by  their  side,  when  they  are  loaded  with  heavy 
 burdens,  besides  a  child  at  the  back.  Perhaps  the  men 
 think  that  their  carrying  their  arms  and  defending  them 
 are  sufficient.  We  often  saw  large  parties  of  women 
 carrying  various  kinds  of  articles,  and  a  party  of  men 
 armed  with  clubs  and  spears  to  defend  them,  though  now 
 and  then  we  have  seen  a  man  carrying  a  burden  at  the 
 same  time,  but  not  often.  The  women  of  Tanna  are  not 
 very  beautiful,  yet  they  are  certainly  handsome  enough  for 
 the  men  who  put  them  to  all  manner  of  drudgery.  Though 
 both  men  and  women  are  dark-coloured,  they  are  not  black, 
 nor  do  they  bear  any  resemblance  to  negroes.  They  make 
 themselves  blacker  than  they  really  are  by  painting  their 
 faces  the  colour  of  blacklead.  They  use  a  sort  of  pigment 
 which  is  red,  and  a  third  sort  which  is  brown ;  all  these, 
 especially  the  first,  they  lay  on  with  liberal  hand,  not  only 
 on  the  face,  but  on  the  neck,  shoulders,  and  breast.  The 
 women  wear  a  petticoat  made  of  leaves,  and  the  men 
 nothing  but  a  belt  and  a  wrapper.'  So  far  as  I  observed, 
 none  of  the  heathen  Tannese  had  any  wrapper  round  the 
 loins.  They  wore  simply  a  tuft  of  rags  or  grass  in  front, 
 held  by  a  belt  or  cord  round  the  loins.  Both  sexes  wear 
 tortoiseshell  ornaments  in  their  ears,  the  holes  of  the  ears 
 being  very  large.  They  wear  ornaments  also  on  their  arms 
 and  necks.  The  men  pay  extraordinary  attention  to  their 
 hair,  which  is  allowed  to  grow  long.  It  is  plaited  in  a 
 most  delicate  way  by  a  fibre  of  a  small  plant  wound  round 
 a  few  hairs.  These  are  taken  from  the  brow  to  the  back 
 of  the  head,  as  already  described.  The  people  are  fierce 
 and  savage,  constantly  fighting  with  each  other,  and 
 practising  cannibalism.  They  are  polygamists.  They  have 
 the  common  superstitions  and  vices  of  the  other  islands. 
 They  are  very  musical,  and  sing  with  considerable  skill. 
 They  play  upon  Pan's  pipes,  which  are  carried  in  their 
 belts,  and  dance  to  their  wild  music.     Wooden  drums  are 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  i6i 
 
 beaten  besides  on  these  occasions.  Their  feasts  are  almost 
 always  accompanied  with  song  and  dance,  the  latter  often 
 very  obscene.  These  take  place  at  night,  usually  when  the 
 moon  is  full.  Many  get  chilled  after  the  great  heats 
 caused  by  their  violent  gesticulations,  and  their  health 
 suffers  severely  in  consequence. 
 
 The  Tannese  have  a  peculiar  custom  in  burial  of  the 
 dead.  They  do  not  cast  the  body  of  a  chief  into  the  sea, 
 but  lay  it  in  a  grave.  Those  resident  near  the  shore  make 
 one  end  of  the  chief's  canoe  the  coffin  to  hold  the  dead. 
 The  women  make  a  great  lamentation  over  the  dead  before 
 the  interment.  Mr.  Neilson  says :  '  The  corpse  is  always 
 dressed  in  the  best  costume  of  the  deceased,  a  large  feather 
 stuck  on  the  head,  the  hair  tied  up  with  a  broad  red  ribbon, 
 the  face  painted,  a  large  bunch  of  beautiful  shells  on  the 
 arm,  the  spear,  club,  and  sometimes  the  musket  of  the 
 deceased  laid  at  the  side,  the  whole  wrapped  in  mats, 
 deposited  in  a  canoe,  and  buried  about  four  feet  deep.  The 
 wailing  is  performed  mostly  by  the  women.  It  is  mournful 
 and  monotonous,  consisting  of  nothing  more  than  the  repeti- 
 tion of  two  words,  "  Pomanik  keikei " — "  My  brother  dear, 
 my  Ijrother  dear ; "  sometimes  rising  into  a  perfect  storm 
 of  melancholy  music,  at  others  sinking  into  a  gentle  breeze  ; 
 sometimes  joined  in  by  the  whole  assembled  company, 
 at  others,  kept  up  by  but  one  or  two,  but  usually  never 
 ceasing  from  the  time  the  death  occurs,  until  the  grave  is 
 closed.  The  weeping  of  the  men  is  shorter,  but  not  less 
 impressive.  As  they  arrive  at  the  place  where  the  dead 
 man  lies,  they  go  up  one  by  one  and  embrace  him,  shedding 
 many  tears ;  and  again,  as  the  body  is  being  laid  in  the 
 ground,  there  is  one  wild  burst  of  wailing,  and  then  all  is 
 still.' 
 
 They  sometimes  strangle  women  after  the  death  of  their 
 husbands.  The  practice  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
 from  Aneityum ;  but  it  is  not  so  general  on  Tanna  as  it 
 was  on  the  other  island.     The  way  in  which  it  is  done  is 
 
 L 
 
1 6  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 this :  '  Two  young  men  go  while  the  woman  is  asleep,  and 
 fix  two  pieces  of  wood  in  the  ground  on  each  side  of  her 
 neck,  and  squeeze  them  together  until  she  is  dead.'  The 
 reason  why  this  is  done  in  the  case  of  the  wife  of  a  high 
 chief  is,  that  it  would  be  a  degradation  to  her,  and  an 
 indignity  to  her  former  husband,  if  she  married  a  man  of 
 lower  rank.  But  sometimes  widows  of  persons  of  lower 
 ranks  are  deliberately  killed  if  they  refuse  to  marry  again. 
 
 The  superstitions  of  the  people  are  very  powerful  in 
 their  influence,  and  in  many  ways.  They  live  always  in 
 dread  of  the  evil  eye,  of  witchcraft,  and  of  disease-makers, 
 and  are  liberal  in  their  gifts  to  propitiate  those  who  have 
 supposed  power  over  disease  or  disaster.  They  have  con- 
 tinued firm  in  their  attachment  to  these  degrading  rites, 
 notwithstanding  the  efforts  made  to  enlighten  them  during 
 the  last  thirty  years  by  Christian  missionaries. 
 
 Missionary  work  on  Tanna  has  been  very  hard  and  try- 
 ing, and  accompanied  with  unusual  disaster  and  deatli. 
 The  first  native  teachers  were  placed  on  the  island  by  John 
 Williams  on  the  18th  November  1839.  They  were  three 
 in  number.  One  of  these  died ;  the  other  two  had  to 
 return  to  Samoa.  Messrs.  Nisbet  and  Turner  were  the  first 
 European  missionaries  who  were  located  on  the  island,  but, 
 as  already  stated,  they  had  to  escape  for  their  lives  in  an 
 open  boat  in  January  1843.  They  were  long  spared,  and 
 enabled  to  perform  eminent  services  to  the  cause  of  the 
 missions  in  Samoa ;  and  during  recent  years  trained  many 
 native  teachers  and  ministers,  and  prepared  editions  of  the 
 Samoan  Bible  with  references,  the  printing  of  which  they 
 personally  superintended  in  London. 
 
 From  1843  to  1858,  it  was  not  considered  safe  for  an 
 European  missionary  to  settle  on  Tanna,  though  native 
 teachers  made  repeated  efforts  to  introduce  the  gospel. 
 Small-pox,  recklessly  introduced  by  a  vessel  from  California 
 in  1853,  made  awful  havoc.  Most  of  the  teachers'  families 
 were   carried  away  by  it,  and  the   disease   spread  rapidly 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  163 
 
 among  the  natives,  who,  exasperated  against  the  surviving 
 Christian  teacher  and  his  few  faithful  followers,  resolved 
 to  take  their  lives.  The  teacher  with  his  wife  and  child 
 escaped  in  an  open  boat  to  Aneityum,  but  several  of  his 
 adherents  were  murdered  by  the  savage  people.  In  1854, 
 a  favourable  turn  towards  missions  occurred  by  means  of 
 a  visit  of  a  party  of  Tannese  to  Aneityum.  They  were 
 greatly  astonished  at  the  effects  of  Christianity  there,  and 
 the  most  wonderful  of  all  was,  there  was  no  fighting. 
 '  They  never  imagined  that  a  people  could  live  together  on 
 an  island  without  fighting  ! '  They  recjuested  teacliers  for 
 themselves.  Two  were  sent,  and  were  well  received.  Many 
 listened  to  their  instructions,  and  abandoned  their  heathen- 
 ism for  a  time ;  but  the  recurrence  of  an  epidemic  made 
 most  of  them  return  to  their  old  superstitions,  and  even 
 threaten  the  teachers.  The  good  men  were,  however,  spared 
 to  continue  their  work.  The  way  was  so  far  prepared 
 again  for  the  settlement  of  European  missionaries,  and  in 
 1858,  the  Eev.  J.  G.  Paton  and  the  Eev.  J.  Copeland, 
 from  the  Eeformed  Presbyterian  Church  in  Scotland,  arrived. 
 They  were  joined  by  the  Eev.  J.  W,  Matheson,  from  Nova 
 Scotia.  Mr.  Copeland  had  to  leave  in  1859  to  take  charge 
 of  Mr.  Inglis's  station  on  Aneityum,  during  the  absence  of 
 that  missionary  in  Britain  for  the  printing  of  the  New 
 Testament  in  the  language  of  his  people.  The  Eev.  S.  F. 
 Johnston  and  his  wife,  from  Nova  Scotia,  shortly  after 
 joined  the  party  of  evangelists  on  Tanna.  The  mission  thus 
 re-established  in  such  force  was  not  long  to  survive.  In 
 three  years,  Messrs.  Johnston  and  Matheson,  Mrs.  Paton 
 and  child,  and  Mrs.  Matheson  and  child,  were  dead;  and  Mr. 
 Paton,  who  had  fourteen  attacks  of  fever  and  ague  during 
 his  first  year's  residence,  the  harrowing  scenes  of  death  in 
 his  own  home  and  in  those  of  his  fellow-labourers,  besides 
 many  perils  among  the  heathen,  had  at  length  to  flee  for 
 his  life. 
 
 Mr.  Paton  had  gone  through  a  hard  experience.     His 
 
1 64  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 amiable  young  wife  died  suddenly  on  the  5th  March  1859, 
 from  the  rupture  of  a  blood-vessel.  On  the  21st  of  the 
 same  month  her  infant  son  and  only  child  followed  her  to 
 the  grave.  She  was  full  of  zeal  for  missions,  and  showed 
 remarkable  courage  among  the  savages  of  Tanua.  Her 
 brother-in-law,  the  Eev.  James  Paton,  B.A.,  late  of  Airdrie, 
 and  now  of  St.  George's,  Paisley,  in  a  poem  on  her  career 
 in  the  New  Hebrides,  imagines  her  appearing  before  the  in- 
 furiated natives,  and  appealing  to  them,  declaring  that  she 
 had  left  her  land  and  people  to  dwell  among  them  for  their 
 good.  She  was  the  descendant  of  those  who  had  been 
 martyrs  for  Christ,  and  she  would  be  worthy  of  her  race. 
 
 '  "  They  were  my  sires,  and  ne'er  shall  I 
 Disgrace  my  lineage,  proud  and  high  ; 
 Their  blood  is  mine,  on  the  same  shore 
 
 The  breath  of  freedom  first  I  drew  ; 
 And  what  her  sons  have  done  of  yore, 
 
 I,  Scotland's  daughter,  still  can  do  ! 
 For  Christ  and  liberty  they  died, 
 And  now  with  Him  in  bliss  they  bide  ; 
 And  while  God  is  my  shield,  my  trust, 
 Ye  cowards  !  make  your  deadliest  thrust 
 At  this  bare  breast.  Oh,  what  a  goal ! 
 Strike  !  he  who  bears  the  basest  soul," 
 
 She  said,  and  tore  tlie  robe  aside 
 
 AVhich  did  her  snowy  bosom  hide. 
 It  was  enough  ;  a  young  chief  took  her  part : 
 Forth  leapt  Ferallam,  brave  and  young, 
 With  stride  elastic,  bounding,  sprang. 
 And  stood  beside  the  dauntless  fair  ; 
 Then,  turning,  shook  his  spear  in  air. 
 And  cried,  "  Who  lifts  a  hostile  dart, 
 Or  aims  one  blow  at  Leila's  heart, 
 This  arm  shall  'venge  the  ruthless  deed, 
 By  me  the  coward  slave  shall  bleed. 
 Henceforth  I  am  the  Christian's  friend, 
 And  shall  Jehoavah's  Name  defend."  ' 
 
 The  savages  for  the  time  retired.  But  it  was  not  long 
 that  the  brave  young  wife  was  permitted  to  sustain  the 
 faith  and  courage  of  her  husband.  She  was  called  away, 
 and  followed  shortly  after  by  her  child.     In  such  scenes. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  165 
 
 the  agonized  and  bereaved  husband  had  everything  to  do  in 
 preparing  for  the  funeral. 
 
 '  His  trembling  hand 
 
 Brought  forth  the  linen  sheet, 
 Bound  on  the  gently  folding  band, 
 
 And  veiled  that  face  so  sweet ; 
 The  coffin  made,  and  dug  the  grave, 
 
 And  ere  that  evening  fell 
 Consigned  thereto  the  young,  the  brave. 
 
 And  weeping,  sighed  "  Farewell !  " 
 
 '  There  lovely  Leila's  ashes  rest, 
 
 And  there,  close  as  before. 
 Her  infant  boy  clings  to  her  breast, 
 
 The  first,  the  last,  she  bore. 
 A  few  short  hours,  the  mother  lost, 
 
 With  fruitless  tears  he  wept. 
 Then,  like  a  blossom  nipt  by  frost, 
 
 Swiftly  withering,  slept. ' 
 
 The  following  testimony  to  Mrs.  Paton  from  the  pen  of 
 the  Eev.  John  Inglis  will  be  read  with  interest : — '  She  did 
 not,  like  Williams  and  Harris  on  Eromanga,  lose  her  life 
 by  the  hand  of  violence,  yet  from  her  youth,  her  devoted 
 spirit,  her  short  career,  and  her  sudden  and  unexpected 
 death,  the  grave  of  Mary  Ann  Eobson  Paton,  as  it  rises  up 
 to  view  near  the  sea-shore,  and  under  the  shade  of  the  palm 
 trees  of  Tanna,  will  in  future  times  be  an  object  of  interest 
 and  a  source  of  influence,  second  only  to  the  graves  of  the 
 female  martyrs  of  our  native  land,  who  "  loved  not  their 
 lives  unto  the  death."  In  other  days,  the  sable  daughters 
 of  Tanna,  when  enlightened  by  the  gospel,  will  lead  their 
 children  to  the  grave  of  her  who  left  home  and  kindred, 
 and  traversed  the  mighty  ocean,  and  sat  down  among  these 
 savage  cannibals  for  their  sakes,  that  she  might  speak  to 
 them  of  Jesus,  and  teach  them  the  way  of  salvation.' 
 
 Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matheson  were  singularly  lovely  and 
 pleasant  in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death  were  not  divided. 
 They  were  full  of  zeal  for  the  cause  of  missions  ;  but  being 
 both  feeble  in  health,  soon  succumbed  under  the  hardships 
 of  their  missionary  work. 
 
1 66  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 The  Rev.  John  William  Mathesox  was  a  native  of 
 Nova  Scotia,  and  born  14th  April  1832.  He  had  a  pious 
 ancestry,  and  was  nurtured  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  When 
 he  gave  decided  evidence  of  personal  piety,  he  directed  his 
 thoughts  to  the  missionary  work.  After  passing  through 
 the  studies  required  by  the  Church,  he  was  licensed  to 
 preach,  and  was  ordained  as  a  missionary  on  the  12th 
 November  1856.  During  1857  he  studied  medicine  in 
 Philadelphia,  where  free  tickets  to  all  the  classes  were 
 presented  to  him,  as  have  generously  been  given  to  all 
 Presbyterian  missionary  students  from  Nova  Scotia. 
 Symptoms  of  pulmonary  disease  had  made  their  appear- 
 ance in  Mr.  Matheson,  but  it  was  hoped  tliat  the  long 
 voyage  to  the  New  Hebrides,  and  a  residence  there,  might 
 restore  him.  It  was  a  mistaken  idea.  Most  of  those  who 
 have  brought  disease  with  them  to  those  islands  have 
 died,  and  few,  except  those  who  have  died  by  violence, 
 have  been  removed  by  disease  caught  on  the  islands. 
 Missionary  labour  there  requires  physical  health  and 
 strength. 
 
 Mrs.  Matheson  was  a  niece  of  the  Ptev.  Dr.  Geddie, 
 brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  missions,  and  early  a 
 disciple  of  Christ,  doing  what  she  could.  In  her  there  also 
 appeared  symptoms  of  pulmonary  disease.  It  was  also 
 thought  in  her  case  that  a  change  to  a  warmer  climate 
 would  be  a  benefit. 
 
 Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matheson  were  settled  on  Tanna  in  1858, 
 and  had  early  to  undergo  the  manual  labour  which  has 
 been  incident  to  the  commencement  of  missionary  life  in 
 the  New  Hebrides.  Instead  of  having  a  few  Christian 
 mechanics — '  jacks  of  all  trades  ' — attached  to  the  mission, 
 as  the  Germans  have,  house-building  and  church-build- 
 ing have  been  the  work  of  the  missionary,  hitherto  unused 
 to  such  toil.  Mr.  Matheson  having  got  this  over,  applied 
 himself  witli  zeal  to  the  acquisition  of  the  language.  He 
 soon   got  a  building  erected  for  worship,  and  liad  over  a 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  167 
 
 hundred  in  attendance.  His  wife  had  a  class  for  sewing. 
 Mr.  Matheson's  health  suffered  much,  and  he  had  to  go 
 to  Aneityum  and  Eromanga  for  a  change  in  1859-60. 
 
 New  calamities  overtook  them  in  their  Christian  enter- 
 prise when  they  returned  to  their  station.  ]\Ieasles  were 
 introduced  by  a  vessel,  and  as  the  disease  spread  it  was 
 attributed  to  the  new  religion.  Terrific  storms  occurred. 
 The  volcano  was  unusually  active.  There  was  a  scarcity 
 of  food.  In  the  beginning  of  1861,  the  Eev.  S.  F.  Johnston 
 died  suddenly.  Tidings  came  of  the  massacre  of  the  Gordons 
 at  Eromanga,  and  the  Tannese  were  advised  to  kill  their 
 missionaries.  There  was  great  excitement  among  the 
 natives,  but  the  timely  arrival  of  Commodore  Seymour  and 
 the  Eev.  John  Geddie  made  the  missionaries  safe.  It  was 
 only  temporary,  for  on  the  16th  January  1862,  another 
 fearful  hurricane  visited  the  island,  and  destroyed  nearly 
 everything  in  the  shape  of  native  food,  and  it  occasioned  a 
 great  outburst  of  rage  against  the  missionaries.  On  the 
 l7th,  Mrs.  Matheson's  infant  died,  and  the  station  of  jSIr. 
 Paton  at  Port  Eesolution  was  broken  up.  The  circum- 
 stances of  the  latter  were  very  trying.  On  the  day  before, 
 which  was  a  Sabbath,  thousands  of  natives  surrounded  his 
 house  at  daylight,  yelling  furiously.  They  discharged 
 muskets,  which  they  had  got  from  traders,  beat  in  the 
 windows  and  door  of  the  mission-store,  broke  open  the 
 boxes  and  helped  themselves  to  the  year's  supplies.  They 
 then  threatened  to  take  Mr.  Paton's  life,  but  as  they  saw 
 he  had  arms  they  retired  for  a  time.  His  faithful  dogs  on 
 another  occasion  saved  his  life  by  facing  the  natives.  Mr. 
 Paton,  as  soon  as  he  had  opportunity,  took  refuge  in  the 
 hut  of  a  friendly  chief,  named  Nowhar.  He  could  not  long 
 be  protected  there,  though  Nowhar  risked  much  in  his 
 behalf  It  was  impossible  to  get  a  boat  launched ;  Mr. 
 Paton  therefore  fled  on  foot  by  night  to  Mr.  Mathe- 
 son's station — twelve  miles  distant.  He  was  accompanied 
 by   three  natives.     The    effort  was  very  exhausting,    but 
 
t68  the  new  HEBRIDES. 
 
 he  reached  Kwamera  in  safety,  and  rallied  after  rest 
 and  refreshment.  All  his  personal  property,  and  the 
 mission  premises  and  goods  at  Port  Resolution,  were  entirely 
 destroyed  by  the  infuriated  people. 
 
 It  soon  became  evident  that  there  would  be  no  safety  at 
 Mr.  Matheson's,  While  the  two  brethren  conducted  service 
 on  the  2d  of  February  1862,  they  were  told  of  their 
 danger,  and  were  even  surrounded  by  the  hostile  natives. 
 On  the  3d,  a  sail  appeared  off  the  island,  and  it  was 
 resolved  to  abandon  the  station,  if  the  vessel  could  take 
 them  aw\ay.  They  hoisted  flags  of  distress,  and  kindled 
 fires  on  the  shore  to  attract  attention.  Shortly  after  an 
 armed  boat  approached  the  shore.  Letters  were  brought  to 
 them  from  Mr.  Geddie,  who  had  heard  of  their  danger, 
 and  had  asked  Captain  Hastings  and  Mr.  Eoss  Lewin,  who 
 was  on  board,  to  afford  any  aid  that  might  be  required  by 
 the  missionaries.  The  arrival  of  the  vessel  was  a  providence 
 for  which  they  were  thankful.  Two  boats  were  laden,  after 
 some  delay,  with  the  movable  property  of  the  Mathesons ; 
 but  when  they  got  out  to  sea  the  vessel  was  out  of  sight. 
 There  was  no  help  for  the  misadventure,  and  as  the  coast 
 is  much  exposed,  it  was  supposed  that  the  vessel  had  gone 
 on  to  Port  Eesolution.  Thither  the  boats  were  also  taken 
 — a  distance  of  fourteen  miles.  One  of  them  remained  at 
 a  gun-shot  distance  from  the  shore,  while  the  other  kept 
 more  out  to  sea  looking  for  the  vessel.  She  at  last 
 appeared,  and  took  them  on  board.  It  was  fourteen  days 
 before  they  reached  Aneityum,  though  the  distance  was 
 only  fifty  miles.  But  Captain  Hastings  did  all  in  his 
 power  to  make  them  comfortable.  He  was  proverbial  for 
 his  kindness  to  the  missionaries,  and  years  afterwards  I 
 had  the  pleasure  of  presenting  him  with  a  token  of 
 sratitude  on  behalf  of  some  of  those  whom  he  had,  after 
 this  period,  generously  assisted.  He  was  popular  among 
 the  natives  too,  and  some  in  the  labour  traffic  used  his 
 name  to  set  men  on  board. 
 
 1 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  169 
 
 A  warm  welcome  met  the  refugees  at  Mr.  Geddie's, 
 where  their  arrival  had  been  anxiously  waited. 
 
 After  consultation  with  brethren,  Mr.  Paton  was  appointed 
 to  visit  Australia  to  make  an  appeal  on  behalf  of  a  new 
 missionary  vessel,  Mrs.  Matheson  rapidly  sank,  and  died 
 of  pulmonary  consumption  at  the  house  of  her  uncle,  Mr. 
 Geddie,  on  the  11th  March  1862.  She  was  buried  in  the 
 cemetery  of  the  mission,  where  a  neat  stone  was  afterwards 
 erected  to  her  memory.  I  visited  it  in  1874,  and  found  it 
 overgrown  with  creepers.  Mr.  Matheson  felt  his  loss,  and 
 it  told  severely  upon  his  own  delicate  health.  He  went  for 
 a  voyage  to  the  island  of  Mare  in  June,  hoping  that  a 
 change  might  benefit  him ;  but  he  grew  weaker.  He  was 
 tended  with  great  care  by  the  Eev.  S.  Creagh  and  his  wife^ 
 at  the  mission  station.  Even  in  his  weakness,  he  endeavoured 
 to  prepare  a  small  book  in  the  Tannese  language,  and  induced 
 Mr.  Creagh  to  begin  to  print  it.  He  translated  also  a  few 
 psalms  for  use  in  public  worship.  He  cherished  the  ex- 
 pectation of  recovery,  and  hoped  that  when  Mr.  Paton  re- 
 turned they  would  be  able  to  resume  their  work  on  Tanna. 
 It  was  not  to  be.  The  Master  called  him,  and  he  went  home 
 to  God  on  the  14th  June  1862.      He  was  buried  at  Mare. 
 
 The  Kev.  Samuel  Pulton  Johnston,  to  whom  I  have 
 referred,  was  also  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  was  born  on 
 the  15th  June  1830,  at  Middle  Stewiacke,  a  farm  on  tlie 
 river  Stewiacke.  His  parents  were  strict  Presbyterians, 
 descended  from  those  \vho  had  emigrated  from  the  north  of 
 Ireland.  Prom  a  child  Samuel  '  knew  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
 which  were  able  to  make  him  wise  unto  salvation.'  He 
 was,  like  James  Eenwick,  '  one  of  those  who  might  have 
 thanked  God  that  he  had  been  saved  from  the  pollutions 
 of  childhood.'  He  had,  as  he  grew  up,  a  great  thirst 
 for  knowledge ;  and  a  desire  to  become  a  minister  of  the 
 
 '  Mrs.  Creagh  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  A.  Buzacott,  an  associate  of 
 Williams,  aud  a  model  missionary.  See  his  biography,  MUsion  Life  in  the 
 Pacific. 
 
1 7  o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 gospel  filled  his  soul  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and 
 was  ardently  cherished.  His  means  were  small,  but  that 
 did  not  prevent  him  from  getting  a  good  education.  He 
 used  all  opportunities  till  he  got  as  much  knowledge  as 
 enabled  him  to  teach  a  school,  and  then  he  saved  all  he 
 could  to  assist  his  further  studies,  which  he  prosecuted 
 with  great  zeal.  By  degrees  he  advanced,  till  he  entered 
 upon  the  study  of  theology.  The  Synod  of  the  Church 
 had  instituted  a  class  for  students  of  divinity,  which  he 
 attended  for  several  sessions,  consisting  of  only  six  weeks 
 in  the  year.  He  afterwards  attended  Princeton  College,  so 
 famous  in  America.  Meantime  his  funds  were  getting  low. 
 He  therefore  accepted  an  appointment  as  a  colporteur  in 
 the  wild  regions  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  where  he  laboured 
 with  uncommon  zeal.  It  was  at  a  time  of  great  agitation 
 between  slavery  and  freedom,  when  the  utterance  of  right 
 sentiments  was  fraught  with  peril.  After  this  tour  he 
 returned  to  Nova  Scotia  to  finisli  his  theological  studies ; 
 and  as  he  had  offered  himself  for  foreign  missionary 
 service,  he  proceeded  to  Philadelphia  to  attend  the  medical 
 classes.  He  was  duly  licensed  and  ordained,  and  sailed  for 
 Melbourne  by  Boston.  He  got  a  passage  by  way  of  Fiji  to 
 the  New  Hebrides.  He  reached  Tanna  as  his  sphere  of 
 labour  on  the  6th  July  1860,  and  with  his  excellent  and 
 like-minded  wife  entered  upon  his  work.  He  had  been 
 only  six  months  there,  and  most  of  the  time  amidst  the 
 dreadful  mortality  and  danger  referred  to  already,  when  he 
 was  suddenly  seized  with  an  illness  which  terminated 
 fatally.  Mr.  Paton  was  then  lying  ill  with  fever,  but 
 made  most  resolute  efforts  to  attend  his  dying  fellow- 
 labourer,  and  to  bury  him  when  dead. 
 
 Mrs.  Johnston  was  for  a  time  also  very  poorly,  but  she 
 rallied,  and  became  so  attached  to  the  work  on  the  islands 
 that  she  remained.  For  a  time  she  resided  with  Mr. 
 Geddie  at  Aneityum,  and  taught  the  girls  in  the  school. 
 Mrs.    Geddie   had   adopted   a   number    of    orphans    whose 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA. 
 
 171 
 
 j^arents  had  been  taken  away  by  the  measles.  Mrs. 
 Johnston  took  the  superintendence  of  tlie  institution,  and 
 rendered  very  great  service  to  the  girls.  In  1863,  she 
 became  the  wife  of  the  Eev.  Joseph  Copeland,  then  in 
 charge  of  the  mission  on  Aneityum  during  Dr.  Geddie's 
 absence.  In  1864,  they  visited  Australia  and  New 
 Zealand,  where  Mr.  Copeland  aided  to  interest  many  in 
 the  mission.  In  1866,  they  were,  as  I  have  already  stated, 
 settled  on  Fotuna. 
 
 In  1865,  the  Commodore  on  the  Australian  station,  Sir 
 "William  Wiseman,  Bart.,  visited  Tanna  in  H.M.S.  Citragoa, 
 to  consider  and  settle  many  grievances  brought  under  his 
 notice  by  memorials  from  missionaries  and  others,  addressed 
 to  Sir  John  Young  at  Sydney  in  1862.  He  requested  the 
 missionaries  whom  he  met  at  Aneityum,  while  in  conference 
 together,  to  afford  him  their  aid  as  interpreters.  They 
 accompanied  the  Cura^oa  in  the  Dayspring.  When  in  Port 
 Eesolution  he  sought  an  interview  Math  the  tribes,  but  they 
 treated  him  with  defiance.  He  was  obliged  to  open  fire  as 
 a  warning,  and  as  a  means  of  securing  the  safety  of  British 
 vessels  which  might  visit  the  harbour.  Little  damage  was 
 done,  and  no  life  taken ;  but  a  few  days  afterw^ards,  one 
 of  the  shells  which  had  not  exploded  was  found  by  the 
 natives.  They  commenced  striking  it,  to  get  off  the  lead 
 on  it  for  making  bullets,  when  it  suddenly  burst  and  killed 
 several  of  them.  Sir  William's  visit  did  a  service  for  good, 
 the  influence  of  which  is  felt  to  this  day.  But  his  conduct 
 was  severely  criticised  in  the  colonies,  and  missionaries  were 
 blamed  for  calling  in  the  man-of-war.  Sir  William  distinctly 
 repudiated  the  assumption  that  his  movements  were  directed 
 by  the  missionaries.  He  stated  that  reports  and  despatches 
 had  reached  him  both  from  the  home  and  colonial  Govern- 
 ments in  relation  to  Tanna.  The  wreck  of  H.M.S.  Oiylieus 
 in  1862,  off  the  coast  of  New  Zealand,  had  caused  the  loss 
 of  all  the  papers,  and  had  prevented  any  of  Her  Majesty's 
 ships  from  visiting  the  New  Hebrides.     The  Admiralty  had 
 
1 7  2  THE  NE  JV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 directed  liim  to  proceed  to  Tanna  and  Eromanga  and  other 
 islands.  He  asked  the  missionaries  to  interpret  for  him, 
 and  Mr.  Paton  went  four  times  to  the  natives  at  Port 
 Eesolution  to  urge  them  to  meet  the  Commodore.  He 
 entreated  Sir  William  to  delay  firing  to  give  them  time ; 
 but  after  waiting  two  days  and  a  half,  and  after  witnessing 
 their  defiant  behaviour,  Sir  William  ordered  the  guns  to 
 fire,  without  aiming  at  the  natives.  Not  one  was  shot,  but 
 the  ground  on  which  one  of  the  boldest  was  standing  was 
 pierced  by  the  cannon  ball,  making  the  native  dance  in  the 
 air.  A  party  under  Commander  Dent  was  also  landed,  but 
 they  killed  one  only.  Some  on  board  the  Curagoa,  and 
 among  others  Mr.  Julius  Brenchley,  a  naturalist,  travelling 
 as  the  guest  of  the  Commodore,  misunderstood  the  action, 
 because  the  missionary  vessel  JDaysfring  was  then  in  com- 
 pany with  the  man-of-war.  Some  one  on  board  sent  a 
 lively  sketch  of  the  scene  to  an  illustrated  paper  in  Sydney, 
 which  created  a  prejudice  against  the  missionaries.  Mr. 
 Brenchley  blames  the  missionaries,  especially  Messrs.  Inglis, 
 Paton,  and  Gordon.  I  have  already  stated  that  Sir  William 
 Wiseman  did  not  blame  them.  I  had  an  interview  with 
 him  on  the  subject,  along  with  the  late  Eev.  Dr.  Lang,  who 
 had  taken  a  warm  interest  in  the  New  Hebrides  mission. 
 I  took  down  in  writing  the  following  report  of  Sir  William's 
 remarks,  which  I  afterwards  read  to  him,  and  he  expressed 
 himself  satisfied  with  its  correctness:  '1.  He  stated  that  there 
 had  been  considerable  delay  in  prosecuting  the  matter,  as 
 the  New  Zealand  war,  and  the  wreck  of  H.M.S.  Orpheus,  had 
 prevented  the  ships  of  war  from  visiting  the  islands.  All  the 
 documents  had  been  lost  in  the  Orpheus.  The  visit  of  the 
 Curagoa  in  1865  was  the  first  opportunity  since  the  visit 
 of  H.M.S.  Pelorus  in  1861.  The  last-named  vessel  made  a 
 very  hurried  visit,  and  there  was  not  sufficient  time  to 
 enter  into  the  matters  requiring  attention.  The  report  sent 
 to  the  Admiralty  directed  special  attention  to  Tanna  and 
 Eromanga,       Since    that    period    other    outrages  had  been 
 
■     THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  173 
 
 committed  on  British  subjects.  It  was,  therefore,  the 
 intention  of  the  Commodore  to  visit  Tanna,  Fate,  Ero- 
 manga,  and  other  islands,  and  to  deal  with  them  according 
 to  the  reports  he  had  received.  2.  The  Commodore  stated 
 tliat  he  went  to  the  island  of  Aneityum  for  interpreters. 
 There  he  found  the  missionaries  assembled  at  their  annual 
 meeting.  They  had  been  apprised  by  the  commander  of 
 H.]M.S.  Esli,  tlien  in  the  harbour,  of  his  projected  arrival, 
 and  they  had,  after  conference  with  Captain  Luce,  prepared 
 memoranda  of  the  outrages  committed  by  the  natives  of 
 these  islands.  They  presented  these  to  the  Commodore, 
 believing  that  in  so  doing  they  were  carrying  out  the 
 original  memorial  sent  to  Sir  John  Young.  3.  The  Com- 
 modore stated,  that  his  intention  was  to  seek  a  meeting 
 with  the  native  chiefs,  in  order  to  get  their  promise  to 
 refrain  from  acts  of  violence  and  wrong  on  British  subjects. 
 He  asked  them  to  come  on  board,  and  guaranteed  tlieir 
 safe  return.  Mr.  Baton,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  went  four 
 times  to  treat  with  the  natives,  and  to  induce  them  to 
 visit  the  Commodore.  Twice,  with  tears,  he  entreated  the 
 Commodore  to  delay  any  firing,  that  the  chiefs  might  have 
 longer  time.  When  at  length,  after  two  days  and  a  half 
 waiting,  and  after  their  threats  to  fight  the  big  sliip.  Sir 
 William  Wiseman  judged  it  to  be  necessary,  on  account  of 
 the  insulting  challenge  of  the  Tannese,  to  take  strong 
 measures.  He  purposely  abstained  from  endangering  life. 
 Nor  was  there  any  one  killed  by  the  guns  of  the  Cura^oa. 
 One  seaman  was  killed  by  a  Tannese  chief,  who  was  cut 
 down  immediately  by  a  naval  officer;  but  this  chief  is  now 
 alive  and  well.  He  had  heard  it  reported,  that  three 
 individuals  were  killed  accidentally  on  the  following  day 
 by  the  bursting  of  an  unexploded  shell,  against  which  they 
 had  been  duly  warned.  Sir  William  stated  that  it  was  in 
 the  interests  of  humanity  that  he  took  the  course  he  did — 
 a  course  that  would  have  been  taken  had  none  of  the 
 missionaries  been  present.      4.   In  answer  to  inquiry.  Sir 
 
174  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 William  stated  that  the  account  of  the  Curapa  published 
 in  the  Sydney  Morning  Herald  in  October  last  was  neither 
 correct  nor  authorized,  and  was  simply  a  narrative  obtained 
 by  a  reporter  from  some  one  on  board.  Sir  William 
 Wiseman  had  sent  his  report  of  the  whole  affair  to  the 
 Admiralty,  and  had  received  the  approbation  both  of  the 
 Admiralty  and  of  the  Foreign  OlHce.  5.  Sir  William 
 stated,  that  the  missionaries  were  present  only  as  inter- 
 preters, and  had  no  responsibility  whatever  for  his  conduct. 
 His  conduct  was  according  to  the  regulations  of  the  Navy, 
 and  as  the  representative  of  the  British  Government.  The 
 principle  on  which  he  proceeded  was  this,  that  the  natives 
 were  quite  at  liberty  to  keep  Europeans  out  of  their  island, 
 and  to  forbid  missionaries  to  reside ;  but  that  if  they 
 granted  or  sold  land  to  British  subjects,  they  were  bound 
 to  protect  those  residents,  and  in  case  of  injury,  the  British 
 Government  was  bound  to  interfere.  They  had  violated 
 the  pledges  which  they  gave  to  Commodore  Seymour  and 
 the  captain  of  the  Cordelia  to  protect  the  missionaries.  6. 
 The  Commodore  also  informed  us  that  he  had  orders  with 
 respect  to  Eromanga,  and  that  others  besides  the  mis- 
 sionaries had  requested  his  intervention  there.  Mrs.  Henry, 
 wife  of  a  trader  there,  one  of  whose  European  servants — 
 besides  thirty  others,  natives  of  neighbouring  islands — had 
 been  barbarously  murdered,  had  sent  a  complaint  to  the 
 governor  of  this  colony.  With  regard  to  Eangi,  against 
 whom  a  complaint  had  been  made  to  Sir  John  Young  by 
 the  missionaries  in  1862,  he  could  not  find  evidence  to 
 convict  this  man  of  the  murder  of  the  Gordons.  He  found 
 that  at  that  period  Ptangi's  own  life  was  in  great  peril  in 
 that  part  of  the  island.  He  could  not  pursue  the  murderers 
 of  the  Gordons,  as  he  had  no  means  of  land  warfare ;  but 
 he  did  not  consider  the  case  yet  closed  or  beyond  punish- 
 ment. He  stated  to  the  chiefs  who  met  him  on  Eromanga, 
 that  the  vessel  would  return  next  year  for  this  purpose. 
 He   did  not  think  that   Eangi  could  be  removed  without 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  175 
 
 force,  and  perhaps  much  bloodshed,  as  he  was  allied  to 
 several  chiefs.  7.  The  Commodore  was  asked  whether  his 
 conduct  in  receiving  the  written  document  from  the  mis- 
 sionaries was  affected  by  their  unanimity,  and  whether  he 
 had  stated  that  he  would  not  act  if  they  were  not  unani- 
 mous. He  replied  that  such  was  never  before  his  mind  at 
 all,  and  tliat  he  made  no  statement  with  respect  to  their 
 unanimity — he  knew  nothing  of  it.  Sir  William  stated 
 that  the  chiefs  on  Tanna  had  pledged  themselves  to  protect 
 Mr.  Paton  in  the  presence  of  Commodore  Seymour  and  the 
 captain  of  the  Cordelia  ;  that  there  they  had  entreated  Mr. 
 Paton  to  remain,  and  promised  protection.  But  they  had 
 violated  those  pledges.  Besides,  their  conduct  on  the 
 occasion  of  his  visit  was  such  as  to  leave  no  alternative 
 but  to  act  as  he  did.  8.  Sir  William  stated  that  he  was 
 in  possession  of  all  the  information  which  the  missionaries 
 gave  him  previous  to  his  interview  with  them  and  to  the 
 presentation  of  their  document.  His  visit  to  Tanna  was 
 occasioned  by  the  information  which  he  had  received  before 
 he  had  proceeded  on  his  cruise.  But  as  the  documents 
 had  been  lost,  he  was  glad  to  receive  the  memoranda 
 supplied.-^  He  felt  sorry  to  think  that  the  missionaries 
 should  be  blamed  for  a  matter  which  was  entirely  in  his 
 hands.  So  far  as  he  had  heard,  the  result  on  Tanna  had 
 been  to  render  the  life  and  property  of  British  subjects 
 more  safe.' 
 
 Lieutenant  the  Hon.  Herbert  Meade,  R.iSr.,  who  was  on 
 board  the  Curagoct  as  an  officer  on  the  occasion  referred  to, 
 made  notes  of  the  same  occurrence,  which,  after  his  early 
 death,  were  published  by  his  brother.  He  wrote :  '  The 
 impression  left  on  our  minds  by  the  missionaries  of  this 
 society  was  not  altogether  favourable.' '      He  thought  that 
 
 '  Mr.  Brenchley  sajf^s  that  he  saw  the  letters  of  missionaries  in  Sir  Wil- 
 liam's hands,  and  did  not  like  their  appeal ;  but  he  did  not  know  so  fully  as 
 the  Commodore  the  facts  of  the  case. 
 
 ^  A  Ride  throuyh  the  disturbed  districts  of  New  Zealand,  tO(/ether  loiJi 
 some  account  of  the  South  Seas,  p.  231. 
 
1 76  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  missionaries  laid  too  much  stress  on  the  loss  of  their 
 personal  property  on  Tanna.  He  added  :  '  That  these  men 
 are  not  the  huckstering  humbugs  that  their  opponents 
 represent  them  to  be,  is  well  attested  by  the  blood  of  their 
 comrades  shed  in  the  New  Hebrides,  and  by  the  readiness 
 with  which  they  constantly  expose  themselves  to  such  risks. 
 But  they  have  courted  harsh  criticisms  by  the  unctuous 
 language  of  cant  which  makes  their  conversation  and 
 writings  so  often  offensive  to  all  sensible  men ;  by  their 
 exaggerated  accounts  of  sundry  attempts  on  their  lives, 
 when,  according  to  their  own  evidence,  they  were  so  help- 
 less and  unresisting  that  it  seems  hard  to  believe  that  a 
 really  serious  attempt  could  have  failed  ;  and,  lastly,  by 
 calling  in  the  sword  of  the  naval  power  for  the  punishment 
 of  their  persecutors,  thereby  causing  great  scandal  to  the 
 South  Sea  missions  in  general.  I  believe  these  men  to  be 
 in  the  main  honest  and  well-meaning,  and  the  present 
 condition  of  Amiteum^  shows  that  in  the  long  run  they 
 are  successful,  though  they  may  not  necessarily  be  men  of 
 education  and  refinement. 
 
 '  Whatever  opinions  may  be  held  as  to  the  propriety,  in  a 
 religious  point  of  view,  of  missionaries  applying  for  armed 
 protection,  the  duty  of  the  naval  officer  is  simply  to  assure 
 himself  that  the  applicants  are  British  subjects,  and  that 
 their  complaints  of  outrage  to  life  and  property  are  well 
 founded,  and  then  to  afford  them  the  protection  which  is 
 their  right,  without  regard  to  the  colour  of  their  neck- 
 cloth.' ' 
 
 There  are  few  missionaries  who  would  not  write  more 
 like  educated  and  refined  gentlemen  than  the  author  of 
 these  extracts.  If  they  are  not  men  of  education  and  re- 
 finement, it  is  not  for  the  want  of  facilities  for  acquiring 
 both.      They  had  all  been  bred  at  the  universities  of  their 
 
 ^  §0  it  is  spelled  in  the  volume,  no  doubt  caused  by  the  untimely  death 
 of  the  writer,  and  the  editor's  want  of  familiarity  with  Polynesian  names. 
 ^  Meade's  i?(We,  etc.,  p.  232. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  177 
 
 country,  and  had  gone  through  the  course  of  study  required 
 by  the  Church.  I  have  already  expressed  my  opinion  on 
 these.  The  missionaries  of  the  New  Hebrides  need  only  to 
 be  met  to  evidence  their  culture.  Mr.  Meade's  unfavourable 
 opinion  was  founded  upon  very  slight  acquaintance,  and 
 under  a  prepossession  against  them.  Had  he  visited  Mr. 
 Inglis  at  his  settled  station,  he  would  have  found  cultivated 
 and  refined  society  to  astonish  him. 
 
 There  may  be  difference  of  opinion  about  applying  for 
 the  aid  of  the  Navy  in  protecting  missionaries,  or  in  punish- 
 ing those  who  wantonly  destroy  their  property.  It  must, 
 however,  be  remembered  that  missionaries  never  settle  on 
 any  station  in  the  South  Seas  without  getting  permission 
 from  the  resident  chief,  never  occupy  land  on  which 
 their  premises  are  erected,  without  formal  purchase  and 
 payment  for  it,  and  never  employ  natives  to  work  for  them 
 without  payment.  The  attacks  upon  their  persons  and 
 property  have  invariably  been  made  by  tribes  hostile  to 
 those  under  whose  protection  they  were.  Had  the  chief 
 and  people,  who  had  given  them  permission  to  remain, 
 assumed  hostility,  the  case  would  be  different  with  respect 
 to  their  remaining,  though  the  mission  title  to  property 
 would  be  the  same.  When  the  Presbyterian  missionary  at 
 Damascus  was  murdered  in  the  massacre  of  Christians  in 
 1861,  the  British  Government  required  the  Sublime  Porte 
 to  give  a  pension  to  the  relatives  dependent  on  him.  When 
 the  Church  of  England  missionaries  were  imprisoned  in 
 Abyssinia,  the  British  Government  took  up  their  cause. 
 The  object  aimed  at  was  to  secure  protection  where  it  had 
 been  voluntarily  and  legally  given,  and  to  secure  the  pro- 
 perty that  belonged  to  the  mission.  The  chief  of  the 
 district  only  can  give  the  missionary  liberty  to  reside.  At 
 the  same  time,  it  is  a  fair  question  to  what  extent  redress 
 should  be  sought  at  the  hands  of  the  Commodore.  The 
 acts  of  the  united  body  of  missionaries  are  those  M'hich  are 
 to  be  taken  into  judgment.     Individual  missionaries  there, 
 
 M 
 
1 7  8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 as  anywhere  else,  may  make  unwise  statements  while 
 under  strong  feelings,  and  I  have  seen  remarks  which  I 
 considered  very  injudicious.  But  these  were  private 
 documents,  which  ought  never  to  have  been  published. 
 Similar  letters  may  have  been  sent  to  the  Commodore  also. 
 Sir  William  Wiseman  would  exercise  his  own  judgment 
 with  reference  to  such  as  these.  The  lesson  designed  to 
 be  taught  by  the  action  of  the  Commodore,  and  which  was 
 effectually  taught,  was  that  British  subjects,  having  acquired 
 residence  from  chiefs  and  people  in  any  given  place,  were 
 under  the  protection  not  only  of  these,  but  of  the  British 
 Government,  so  long  as  they  conducted  themselves  properly. 
 Sir  William  Wiseman  understood  the  matter,  as  will  be 
 seen  by  the  statement  already  quoted.  That  document  was 
 sent  to  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Church 
 in  Scotland  which  had  missionaries  on  the  New  Hebrides, 
 and,  after  full  consideration,  they  adopted  the  following 
 resolution : — 
 
 '  Eesolved,  that  the  Committee  express  their  regret  that 
 opinions  injurious  to  the  missionaries  and  to  the  missions 
 should  have  been  formed  and  spread  abroad,  both  in  this 
 country  and  in  the  colonies.  These  opinions  they  believe 
 to  have  rested  upon  reports  destitute  of  foundation — reports 
 in  which  the  missionaries  were  represented  as  the  instiga- 
 tors of  the  attack,  as  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  revenge,  and 
 as  desiring  to  coerce  the  natives  by  physical  force  into 
 receiving  the  gospel. 
 
 '  The  Committee  are  unanimously  of  opinion  that  the 
 interference  of  the  missionaries  was  altogether  in  the  interest 
 of  the  natives ;  and  that  by  their  accompanying  Sir  William 
 Wiseman  they  facilitated  intercourse  between  the  inhabitants 
 of  the  islands  and  H.M.  officers  ;  that  their  presence  was 
 a  means  of  preventing  much  bloodshed,  which  might  other- 
 wise have  taken  place,  through  the  recklessness  and  violence 
 of  the  natives ;  and  that,  so  far  from  meriting  censure,  the 
 missionaries  deserve  the  approbation  of  this  Committee. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  x-jc) 
 
 '  Upon  the  general  question  of  missionaries  requesting 
 the  interference  of  the  civil  power,  the  Committee  believe, 
 that  where  property  or  life  is  endangered,  but  more  especially 
 the  latter,  it  is  the  duty  of  their  missionaries  to  invoke  the 
 protection  to  which,  as  British  subjects,  they  are  entitled. 
 They  have  confidence  that  in  all  cases  where  such  a  neces- 
 sity may  arise,  their  missionaries  will  act  with  that  prudence 
 and  respect  for  tlie  highest  interest  of  the  natives  which 
 have  hitherto  characterised  their  conduct. 
 (Signed)  '  John  Kay, 
 
 '  Convener  and  Secretary  of  Foreign  Mission 
 Committee  of  the  Reformed  Presbyerian 
 Church! 
 
 Mr.  Inglis  published  an  elaborate  defence  of  the  action 
 which  the  missionaries  had  taken.  It  did  not  convince  Mr. 
 Brenchley,  and  it  may  not  convince  others ;  but  it  showed 
 the  principle  on  which  those  acted  who  were  seeking  the 
 best  interest  of  the  natives,  and  also  lived  imarmed  among 
 them.  Complaints  had  been  made  in  reference  to  several 
 murders  on  Eromanga  by  white  settlers  there.  The  man 
 Eangi  referred  to  was  guilty  of  many  acts  of  cruelty  and 
 blood.  He  was  a  native  of  Singapore,  and  a  British  sub- 
 ject.    He  afterwards  perished  by  violence  on  Fate. 
 
 It  Avas  not  thought  advisable  that  Mr.  Paton  should 
 resume  his  work  at  Tanna,  though  he  had  the  courage  of  a 
 martyr  to  wish  it.  He  did  good,  service  in  the  colonies  by 
 raising  funds  for  the  vessel  to  aid  the  mission,  and  for 
 native  teachers  ;  and  he  developed  a  missionary  spirit  among 
 the  Presbyterian  people  in  ISTew  South  Wales,  and  especially 
 in  Victoria.  Since  his  return,  he  has  laboured  on  Aniwa,  a 
 small  island,  where  all  the  people  attend  his  instructions, 
 and  of  whom  numbers  have  been  baptized  and  admitted  to 
 the  fellow^ship  of  the  church. 
 
 The  work  on  Tanna  was  resumed  by  the  Kev.  Thomas 
 Neilson  in  1868.  Possessing  Scotch  caution  and  good 
 sense,  he  has  been  able  to  keep  his  position ;  and  having,  by 
 
I  So  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 his  medical  skill,  been  of  service  to  the  belligerent  tribes, 
 he  has  gained  considerable  favour.  He  has  cultivated  the 
 language  most  assiduously,  and  has  prepared  a  version  of 
 the  Gospels  in  the  language  of  the  people.  He  has  had 
 the  assistance  and  fellowship  of  the  Eev.  William  Watt. 
 These  missionaries  have  been  fully  occupied  in  teaching  the 
 people. 
 
 Mr.  Neilson  commenced  regular  preaching  to  the  Tannese 
 in  the  beginning  of  1870.  'We  have  worship,'  he  said, 
 '  in  six  different  villages  every  Sabbath-day  :  in  the  first 
 place,  in  the  little  church  ;  then  I  send  two  teachers  to 
 conduct  worship  on  one  Sabbath  in  two  villages  at  a  dis- 
 tance ;  and  I  myself,  with  two  other  teachers,  go  to  those 
 near  at  hand.  In  each  of  these  villages  there  is  an  average 
 of  from  twenty  to  thirty  persons  every  Sabbath-day,  so  that 
 the  gospel  is  preached  to  from  one  hundred  and  twenty  to 
 one  hundred  and  eighty  persons  around  Port  Eesolution 
 every  Sabbath.'  Mrs.  ISTeilson  has  taught  several  of  the 
 women  to  read,  and  to  sing  hymns. 
 
 She  is  the  daughter  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Geddie,  and  is  well 
 acquainted  with  the  manners  and  customs  of  natives  of  the 
 islands.  Mr.  Neilson  is  also  a  minister's  son.^  He  has  felt 
 considerable  difficulty  from  the  influence  of  traders  who 
 entered  Port  Eesolution.  Some  of  them  have  supplied  fire- 
 arms to  the  people,  and  this  has  helped  to  keep  up  a 
 chronic  warfare  among  the  tribes.  Many  white  settlers  in 
 Tanna  have  been  killed  by  the  natives,  in  disputes  about 
 land,  or  for  other  reasons.  Natives  kill  one  another  too, 
 in  circumstances  of  revolting  cruelty.  In  1873,  four  men 
 were  passing  Port  Eesolution  in  a  canoe,  when  five  of  the 
 resident  tribe  went  out,  and,  without  provocation,  shot  them. 
 They  belonged  to  a  different  part  of  the  island,  against  which 
 there  was  no  enmity  at  the  time ;  but  they  were  friends  of 
 some  of  their  enemies.     Mr.  Neilson  deemed  it  his  duty  to 
 
 ^  His  father  was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Neilson,  M.A.,  of  Rothesay,  long  and 
 favourably  known  and  much  respected. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  t8i 
 
 denounce  tins  murder  publicly.  It  affected  the  attendance 
 at  his  service.  Fighting  broke  out  in  1874  in  his  neigh- 
 bourhood. Notwithstanding  all  this,  he  kept  his  ground, 
 and  steadily  gained  influence.  '  I  shall  not  consider,'  he 
 said  in  a  letter,  '  that  I  have  lived  in  vain,  should  I  see 
 before  I  die  the  eight  or  ten  thousand  natives  of  Tanna  con- 
 verted to  the  faith  of  the  gospel.'  As  an  evidence  of  his 
 influence,  let  the  following  speak. 
 
 Captain  Palmer,  RN".,  who  visited  the  New  Hebrides  in 
 Yi.M.^.  Rosario,  in  the  early  part  of  1869,  thus  writes  at 
 Tanna  : — *  Sunday  intervening,  I  was  curious  to  see  if  the 
 natives  had  as  yet  any  respect  for  the  Lord's-day.  I  had 
 given  strict  orders  at  every  island  we  had  visited,  that  no 
 canoes  should  be  allowed  alongside,  supposing  they  came 
 to  barter  ;  but  to  my  surprise  and  satisfaction,  not  one  made 
 its  appearance,  although  on  other  days  numbers  came ;  and 
 although  Mr.  Neilson  told  me  he  could  only  reckon  three 
 real  converts  at  present,  still  I  could  see  his  influence  was 
 already  considerable  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  Eesolu- 
 tion.  Another  circumstance  showed  this  :  two  of  the  dingy 
 boys  had  landed  some  of  the  officers  for  a  walk  on  Sunday 
 afternoon,  and  before  they  shoved  off  from  the  shore  wanted 
 the  natives  to  get  them  some  cocoa-nuts,  to  which  they 
 pointed ;  the  people,  however,  shook  their  heads,  and  one 
 called  out  "  To-morrow  ! "  All  this  is  the  more  satisfac- 
 tory when  it  is  remembered,  that  a  missionary  dared  not 
 reside  in  Tanna  until  a  year  ago,  and  previous  to  this  seven 
 years  had  elapsed  since  one  had  been  there.'  ^ 
 
 The  same  naval  officer  mentions  that  when  on  a  visit  to 
 the  volcano,  Mr.  Neilson  being  behind,  the  natives  looked 
 fierce,  as  if  they  would  prevent  the  party  from  advancing ; 
 but  whenever  Mr.  Neilson  appeared  they  were  remarkably 
 friendly. 
 
 There  is   a  different  language   on  the  northern  side   of 
 
 '  Kidnapping  in  the  South  Seas;  hmifr  a  narrative  of  a  three  months'  cruise 
 ill  H.M.S.  Rosario,  by  Captain  George  Palmer,  R.K,  F.R.G.S.,  p.  40. 
 
1 8  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Tanna  ;  but  the  Dmjspring  has  paid  visits  there  to  endeavour 
 to  secure  an  opening  for  a  missionary  or  a  native  teacher. 
 Mr.  Neilson  thus  describes  a  visit  paid  to  that  side : — 
 
 '  We  first  came  to  anchor  in  a  beautiful  bay,  about  six 
 miles  to  the  north  of  this,  and  called  Weasisi,  where  we 
 went  ashore.  Though  so  near,  the  language  is  quite  dif- 
 ferent, and  we  wandered  about  a  good  while  before  we  could 
 find  any  one  who  could  understand  us.  At  last  we  found  one 
 of  the  chiefs  who  is  on  visiting  terms  with  the  Port  Eesolu- 
 tion  natives,  and  who  knows  the  language.  He  said  there 
 was  fio-htinQ;  troing  on  between  them  and  the  inland  tribes, 
 and  that  they  were  all  tired  of  it ;  for  since  the  introduc- 
 tion of  white  men's  guns  they  were  killing  so  many  people 
 that  soon  none  would  be  left.  He  and  his  people  were 
 willing  to  take  an  Aneityumese  teacher  as  soon  as  the  yams 
 were  ripe  to  give  him  food,  and  to  help  him  to  build  a  house. 
 The  yams  will  be  ripe  in  the  month  of  April ;  and  we 
 must  try  and  get  them  a  teacher,  for  this  is  an  important 
 place.  The  population  is  numerous,  the  ground  exceed- 
 ingly fertile,  and  the  anchorage  safe.  It  will  not  be 
 possible  to  do  much  for  them  from  here,  as  the  language 
 is  so  different ;  but  a  missionary  settled  there  would  have, 
 I  should  think,  a  population  of  2000  souls  within  a 
 radius  of  five  miles  of  him.  We  visited  at  two  other  places 
 in  the  bay,  and  found  a  great  many  people  anxious  to  trade, 
 especially  for  tobacco.  We  told  them  what  we  had  come 
 for,  and  found  that  they  were  in  a  state  of  chronic  warfare 
 with  their  inland  neighbours,  and  were  also  heartily  tired 
 of  it.  We  went  off  to  the  vessel  in  the  evening,  leaving 
 some  Tanna  men,  who  had  accompanied  us  on  our  trip, 
 to  pay  their  friends  on  shore  a  visit.  In  the  moi'ning, 
 the  boats  went  for  our  Tanna  men,  and  they  came  on 
 board  with  a  cargo  of  pigs,  which  they  had  received  as 
 presents. 
 
 '  Black  Beach  is  the  next  most  important  place  to  Port 
 Eesolution  on  Tanna.     It  is  so  called  from  a  beach  of  black 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  183 
 
 volcanic  sand,  of  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  extent, 
 off  which,  at  a  depth  of  from  5  to  30  fathoms,  there  is 
 first-rate  anchorage  for  vessels  of  any  size.  It  is  on  the 
 north-west  side  of  the  island,  and  so,  completely  under  the  lee 
 from  the  south-east  trade  wind.  The  sea  is  perfectly  smooth, 
 but  being  an  open  roadstead,  vessels  lying  there  have 
 always  to  keep  a  good  look-out,  and  be  ready  to  heave 
 their  anchors  or  slip  their  cables  should  the  wind  suddenly 
 come  round  to  the  west.  It  was  Friday  evening  when  we 
 arrived,  and  we  expected  that  some  canoes  would  board  the 
 vessel  as  usual ;  but  there  was  no  sign  of  any  life  or  motion 
 on  shore.  On  Saturday  morning,  we  still  saw  no  one  on 
 the  beach,  and  some  native  houses  built  by  the  traders, 
 which  I  had  seen  the  year  before,  were  in  ashes.  It  soon 
 transpired  that  there  had  been  fighting,  the  traders  had  left, 
 and  their  places  were  destroyed.  A  tribe  of  inland  natives 
 had  come  down,  and  driven  our  old  friends  away  from  the 
 beach.  We  could  get  no  one  from  tlie  vessel  to  take  us 
 ashore  in  the  boat.  Captain  Fraser  did  not  wish  to  risk 
 his  white  sailors,  and  all  the  natives  on  board  were  afraid. 
 At  last  three  or  four  lads  from  Port  Eesolution  volunteered 
 to  go,  if  we  would  coast  along  about  a  mile  northwards, 
 where  there  was  a  village  where  they  knew  the  people, 
 whom  they  would  hail  from  the  boat,  and  if  they  were  dis- 
 posed to  be  friendly,  would  land.  Mr.  Watt  and  I  stepped 
 into  the  boat,  secretly  commending  ourselves  to  the  keeping 
 of  Him  who  has  the  hearts  of  all  men  in  His  hand,  and 
 were  pulled  off  towards  the  shore.  When  we  were  within 
 hearing  distance,  our  men  stood  up  and  hailed  the  land. 
 A  few  men,  armed  with  muskets  and  clubs,  came  running 
 out  upon  the  rocks  to  know  who  we  were,  and  what  we 
 wanted.  When  they  recognised  their  old  friends  in  the 
 boat,  they  soon  put  down  their  arms,  and  we  pulled 
 towards  the  shore,  dragged  up  the  boat,  and  sat  down  to 
 talk.  They  told  us  there  had  been  great  fighting ;  the 
 Black  Beach  people  had  been  driven  inland,  and  that  it  was 
 
1 84  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 not  safe  to  go  and  see  them,  as  their  enemies  were  always 
 lurking  among  the  trees,  and  waiting  their  chance  to  shoot 
 some  one.  But,  says  one,  we  have  a  missionary  already 
 living  in  the  next  village.  I  immediately  supposed  this 
 to  be  a  Tannaman  of  whom  I  had  heard,  who  had  become 
 a  Christian  in  Fiji,  and  had  returned  home  a  few  months 
 previously.  We  asked  our  informant  if  he  would  intro- 
 duce us  to  this  missionary ;  he  said  he  would.  So  we 
 launclied  the  boat,  and  pulled  a  mile  farther  along  the 
 shore,  until  we  came  to  another  village.  Here  a  few  men 
 came  out  upon  the  reef,  and  among  them  one  who  had  on 
 a  European  garment,  and  who  was  pointed  out  to  us  as  the 
 missionary.  He  carried  us  on  shore, — an  honour  which 
 we  rarely  receive  from  a  heathen, — and  gave  us  a  cordial 
 welcome ;  in  fact,  he  seemed  overjoyed  that  he  had  lived 
 to  receive  a  visit  in  his  own  land  from  real  missionaries. 
 He  took  us  to  his  house,  and  wished  us  to  go  in,  but  we 
 preferred  sitting  under  tlie  shade  of  a  tree  at  the  door. 
 He  then  went  in,  unlocked  his  box,  and  brought  out  three 
 books, — one  the  Old  Testament,  the  other  the  New,  and 
 the  third  a  book  of  Scripture  extracts,  all  in  the  language 
 of  Tonga.  We  opened  them  at  several  places,  where  he 
 read  quite  fluently.  We  asked  his  name,  and  he  pointed 
 to  the  fly-leaf  of  his  book,  on  which  was  written  "  Joni 
 Pata."  He  said  "  Pata "  was  his  original  name,  but  on 
 being  baptized  in  Tonga  he  had  taken  in  addition  the 
 name  of  "  Jom."  We  asked  his  history,  and  he  told  it  to 
 us  in  broken  English.  Fourteen  years  ago,  when  a  young 
 lad,  a  whaling  vessel  had  called  at  Black  Beach ;  he 
 and  some  other  boys  had  gone  off  to  see  her,  and  in  her 
 they  were  stolen  from  their  homes.  There  he  had  lived 
 for  a  year,  and  got  plenty  of  work,  and  very  little  food 
 (as  he  expressed  it,  "  Plenty  work,  plenty  kicks,  no  plenty 
 kyky").  Then  the  vessel  called  at  Tonga,  where  he  ran  away, 
 and  hid  in  the  bush  until  she  had  sailed.  He  then  came 
 out,  and  gave  himself  up  to  King  George  of  that  group  of 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  185 
 
 islands.'  He  was  instructed  in  the  Cliristian  faitli,  and 
 admitted  to  the  church. 
 
 This  man  had  been  meeting  with  the  natives  on  the 
 Lord's-day  and  instructing  them.  If  a  missionary  had 
 been  available  at  that  time,  his  way  would  have  been 
 opened. 
 
 The  Eev.  William  Watt  reoccupied,  in  1869,  the 
 station  on  the  south-eastern  side  of  Tanna,  where  the 
 Mathesons  had  been.  He  chose  a  different  site  for  his 
 residence,  with  a  better  boat-landing,  though  it  also  is  very 
 much  exposed.  He  and  his  amiable  and  devoted  wife  have 
 laboured  there  with  great  zeal,  and  have  secured  a  good 
 footing  among  the  people.  He  has  been  assisted  by  four 
 native  teachers  from  Aneityum.  For  a  while,  an  average 
 of  one  hundred  persons  attended  the  service  at  the  church 
 near  the  mission  station,  but  a  number  ceased  to  come  after 
 some  deaths  for  which  the  new  religion  was  blamed. 
 Altogether  there  are  over  two  hundred  regularly  attending  at 
 the  different  stations.    Several  are  beginning  to  learn  to  read. 
 
 ]\Ir.  Watt  and  his  wife  have  acquired  a  ready  command 
 of  the  language.  By  means  of  a  printing  press  and  type, 
 sent  by  the  Foundry  Boys'  Society  in  Glasgow,  Mr.  Watt 
 printed  some  Scripture  extracts,  a  hymn-book,  and  the  Ten 
 Commandments  and  the  Lord's  prayer,  in  a  fine  bold  type. 
 He  has  done  a  similar  service  for  a  brother  missionary  at 
 Eromanga,  and  has  assisted  others. 
 
 No  baptisms  have  yet  taken  place  on  Tanna,  which  is,  I 
 think,  to  be  regretted,  as  it  appears  that  there  are  inquirers, 
 and  that  a  number  pray  to  the  true  God  even  in  the  jiublic 
 services.  Nowhar,  at  Port  Kesolution,  for  many  years  did 
 this,  and  at  the  age  of  seventy  was  married  again  with  a 
 Christian  ceremony;  but  he  was  not  judged  to  be  sufficiently 
 decided  to  be  admitted  to  baptism.  Some  may  be  induced 
 to  make  a  profession  of  faith,  as  it  would  aid  in  their  con- 
 firmation, and  make  them,  as  a  church,  a  more  emphatic 
 witness  for  Christ, 
 
1 8  6  THE  NE IV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 The  four  Gospels  have  been  translated  by  the  two  mis- 
 sionaries, and  when  these  are  compared,  and  a  revised 
 version  made  as  the  result,  they  will  be  printed.  Several 
 epistles  and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  have  also  been  trans- 
 lated. The  way  is  opening  for  a  great  extension  of  the 
 mission  on  the  island.  It  ought,  indeed,  to  be  covered  by 
 a  network  of  mission  stations, — say  at  least  four, — with  a 
 number  of  native  teachers  settled  between  them.  Thus  the 
 whole  people  would  be  regularly  reached.  As  this  island 
 is  so  fertile,  it  is  likely  to  be  colonised  ;  and  when  the  life  of 
 white  men  becomes  safe,  more  will  adventure  into  settle- 
 ments where  many  fruits  can  be  produced. 
 
 It  is  therefore  of  very  great  importance  that  it  be  fully 
 occupied,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  by  an  increased 
 band  of  missionaries.  A  population  of  seven  or  eight 
 thousand  presents  a  strong  claim.  It  is  supposed  that 
 nearly  fifteen  hundred  males  were  at  one  time  away  at 
 Fiji  and  Queensland,  whose  influence  has  been  unfriendly 
 to  the  gospel  when  they  returned.  But  missionary  life  is 
 now,  apparently,  more  secure  than  ever,  and  notwithstand- 
 ing adverse  influences,  the  cause  of  the  gospel  has  greater 
 promise  on  Tanna  than  at  any  previous  time.  The  natives 
 have  many  good  qualities,  and  if  won  to  Christ  would  be 
 of  great  service  in  advancing  the  faith.  From  so  large  a 
 population,  youth  might  be  gathered  into  schools,  and  after 
 instruction,  some  of  the  most  promising  inquirers  among  the 
 young  may  become  decided  Christians,  and  be  trained  as 
 native  teachers.  On  the  heathen  they  would  be  influential 
 for  much  good.  They  would  understand  all  native  modes 
 of  thought,  habits,  and  difficulties,  and  by  holding  up  the 
 light  of  the  gospel  become  useful  in  the  enlightenment  of 
 their  people. 
 
 The  Glasgow  Foundry  Boys'  Society  has  undertaken  to 
 support  native  teachers  on  tliis  island.  They  sent  out 
 supplies  for  this  purpose  in  1874,  and  have  continued 
 tlieir  interest  in  a  way  likely  to  be  so  beneficial.      When 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  187 
 
 the  printing  press  was  to  be  sent,  an  exhibition  of  its  work 
 was  held  in  Glasgow,  and  many  dresses,  weapons,  and  other 
 curiosities  from  Tanna  were  exposed  to  view.  Mrs.  Watt 
 had,  when  in  Glasgow,  been  a  ready  worker  in  connection 
 with  the  Society,  and  now  she  has  found  sympathy  and 
 support  in  the  Society  for  her  work  on  Tanna.  Friends  in 
 liothesay  have  also  sent  means  for  the  support  of  a  native 
 teacher  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Neilson. 
 
 in  the  end  of  1874,  much  fighting  prevailed  near  the 
 mission  premises  in  Port  Eesolution,  and  a  hundred  of  the 
 people  fled,  by  means  of  a  vessel  lying  in  the  harbour  at 
 the  time,  to  the  neighbouring  island  of  Aniwa.  These  were 
 for  the  most  part  the  worsliipping  people,  but  were  over- 
 come by  another  tribe.  Fighting  was  also  going  on  at  Mr. 
 Watt's  station.  The  missionaries  were  both  safe,  which 
 shows  the  position  which  they  have  now  secured.  Their 
 teaching  has  not  been  all  in  vain.  A  greater  effect  may 
 yet  be  seen  in  the  natives  themselves. 
 
 An  affair  occurred  at  Tanna  in  1877  which  caused  con- 
 siderable interest,  even  in  the  Englisli  Parliament.  A  white 
 man  named  Easterbrook  was  murdered  by  some  of  the 
 natives.  He  bad  sold  gunpowder  to  them,  and  lived  with 
 one  of  their  women.  Some  quarrel  had  arisen  about  this 
 w^oman,  and  it  led,  it  is  believed,  to  his  death  in  this 
 violent  manner.  H.M.S.  Conflict  called  a  short  time  after, 
 and  the  lieutenant  commanding  required  the  natives  to 
 deliver  up  the  murderer  within  three  days.  As  they  did 
 not  do  this,  despatches  were  sent  to  the  Commodore  at 
 Sydney  on  the  subject.  The  Commodore  sent  H.M.  ships 
 Beagle  and  Renani  to  make  the  necessary  inquiries,  and 
 to  punish  the  murderer.  They  arrived  at  Port  liesolution 
 on  the  16  th  September.  Lieutenant  Caffin  of  the  Beagle 
 immediately  requested  the  Ptev.  Thomas  Neilson  to  act  as 
 interpreter.  A  reward  of  £5  was  offered  for  the  apprehen- 
 sion of  the  murderer.  As  no  efforts  seemed  to  be  making 
 for  his  seizure,  Lieutenant  Calfin  detained  seventeen  natives 
 
iS8  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 on  board  as  hostages.  Three  of  them  were  chiefs,  and  they 
 were  required  to  select  each  a  man  to  announce  to  their 
 people  that  the  chiefs  and  party  would  be  detained  till  the 
 murderer  was  delivered.  On  the  20  th  a  great  shout  was 
 heard,  and  it  was  announced  that  the  murderer  was  on  the 
 beach.  Mr.  Neilson  was  sent  for  to  identify  the  man  and 
 interpret.  Yuhmangha  admitted  the  murder,  and  sur- 
 rendered the  musket  with  which  he  did  it.  But  he  refused 
 to  go  on  board  to  be  tried.  Three  seamen  were  then 
 ordered  to  seize  him,  but  he  eluded  them  and  decamped 
 into  the  bush.  On  the  2  2d,  ten  of  the  hostages  were 
 released  to  quicken  the  search,  and  they  were  charged  to 
 assure  the  people  that  if  the  murderer  was  delivered,  all 
 would  be  set  at  liberty,  and  if  not,  that  the  chiefs  and  the 
 others  would  be  carried  away  to  the  Commodore.  Eight  of 
 the  Tannese  were  killed  in  this  enterprise,  four  in  defending 
 him  and  four  in  attempting  to  take  him.  At  length  a 
 shout  was  raised,  and  a  man  was  brought  on  board  the 
 Bcacjlc.  Mr.  Neilson  was  sent  for,  and  when  he  saw  him 
 he  said  that  he  was  not  Yuhmangha  the  murderer.  The  man 
 admitted  that  he  was  his  brother.  As  this  man  had  been 
 an  accomplice  present  at  the  murder,  and  ready  if  his 
 brother's  nmsket  missed  fire  to  shoot  Easterbrook,  he  was 
 put  upon  his  trial,  found  guilty,  and  hanged  at  the  yard-arm. 
 Mr.  Neilson  then  appealed  to  the  lieutenant  that  as  nine 
 lives  had  been  lost  in  the  affair,  of  whom  one  was  the 
 accomplice,  and  another  the  instigator  of  tlie  murder,  and 
 as  the  life  of  the  guilty  man  was  not  worth  much  among 
 the  Tannese,  it  might  serve  the  ends  of  justice  to  release  all 
 the  hostages  with  a  warning.  This  was  done,  and  at  the 
 burial  of  the  accomplice.  Lieutenant  Caffin  made  an  address 
 to  the  natives,  stating  that  Her  Majesty's  ships  would 
 punish  murder  and  other  offences  on  white  and  black 
 equally.  This  affair  exercised  a  wholesome  influence  on 
 the  Tannese,  who  admitted  its  justice.  It  made,  however, 
 a  great  noise  in  England,  and  complaints  were  made  of  the 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TANNA.  189 
 
 authority  exercised  by  naval  officers,  and  even  against  the 
 missionary,  who  was  only  acting  as  interpreter.  The 
 Admiralty  and  the  Government  approved  the  course  taken 
 by  the  naval  officer.  Some  said  that  the  Lord  High 
 Commissioner,  lately  appointed  for  Polynesia,  should  ad- 
 judicate such  cases,  but  the  Commodore  had  been  entrusted 
 with  this  power,  and  his  officers  have  always  acted  in  the 
 interests  of  justice. 
 
 On  the  10th  January  1878,  a  great  earthquake  took 
 place  at  Port  liesolution,  where  the  Piev.  Thomas  Neilson 
 resided.  It  caused  a  surge  of  the  water  to  rise  forty  feet, 
 and  to  sweep  everything  before  it,  destroying  all  the 
 canoes  of  the  natives.  Two  minutes  after  the  earthquake, 
 a  rise  of  the  land  on  the  whole  west  side  of  the  harbour  took 
 place  to  the  extent  of  about  twenty  feet.  This  narrowed 
 considerably  the  effective  anchorage  in  the  harbour.  On 
 the  14th  February  of  the  same  year,  another  earthquake 
 occurred,  and  caused  a  further  elevation  of  the  western  side 
 of  about  twelve  feet.  Piocks  which  were  formerly  covered 
 with  seven  or  eight  fathoms  of  water  are  now  above  high- 
 water  mark.  The  volcano,  which  threw  up  red-hot  stones, 
 dust,  and  clouds  of  smoke,  was  also  very  active  at  the  same 
 time,  and  a  fire  broke  out  at  Sulphur  Bay.  The  missionary's 
 house  at  Port  Eesolution  was  not  injured. 
 
 In  December  1878,  Messrs.  Xeilson  and  "Watt,  with 
 their  wives  and  Mr.  Neilson's  children,  came  to  Sydney  in 
 the  Dayspring,  having  been  allowed  a  long  furlough  to  visit 
 Scotland,  The  Watts  reached  Glasgow  in  the  end  of 
 Pebruary,  and  the  !N"eilsons  in  May.  They  have  left  their 
 stations  under  the  care  of  native  teachers,  who  are  visited 
 occasionally  by  one  of  the  missionaries. 
 
 The  missionary  work  on  Tanna  yet  awaits  its  harvest, 
 after  a  long  and  trying  spring-time.  Many  would  have 
 abandoned  the  island  long  ere  this ;  but  as  so  much 
 iniluence  for  good  has  been  gained,  the  reaping-time  will 
 come. 
 
I90  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  Despair  not,  faithful  little  band, 
 A  glorious  time  awaits  this  land  ! 
 'Tis  coming  yet,  when  Mercy's  smile 
 Shall  fall  on  thee,  fair  emerald  isle  ; 
 And  Salem's  Sun  of  Truth  dispel 
 The  thickening  glooms  which  rise  from  hell. 
 
 And  overshadow  thee. 
 'Tis  coming  yet,  when  holy  love. 
 Like  dew  descending  from  above, 
 Shall  make  this  isle,  where  ocean  raves, 
 A  little  Zion,  rocked  by  waves. 
 
 Lulled  on  the  liquid  sea. 
 'Tis  coming  yet, — oh,  haste  the  time ! — 
 When  Virtue  shall  be  throned  sublime, 
 And  her  white  flag  shall  kiss  the  breeze 
 That  floats  around  the  Hebrides. ' 
 
 —Rev.  J.  Paton,  B.A. 
 
CHAPTEE    IX. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA. 
 
 '  Eromanga's  blood-stained  isle 
 
 Has  now  a  martyr-roll— 
 Names  honoured  by  the  Churches, 
 
 And  known  from  pole  to  pole. 
 By  grace  of  Christ  they  perilled 
 
 Their  lives  for  more  than  fame — 
 To  spread  among  the  heathen 
 
 The  Saviour's  blessed  name.' 
 
 Tins  island  lies  about  eighteen  miles  to  the  north-west 
 of  the  extreme  point  of  Tanna,  in  south  latitude  between 
 18°  35'  and  19°,  and  between  168°  55'  and  169°  15' 
 east  longitude.  It  is  about  seventy-five  miles  in  circum- 
 ference, and  has  high  table-lands  about  a  thousand  feet  above 
 the  level  of  the  sea,  while  mountains  rise  to  a  considerable 
 elevation  in  the  interior.  Streams  flow  down  deep  defiles 
 to  the  sea.  On  the  low  ground  are  swamps,  which  send 
 forth  noxious  exhalations.  There  is  excellent  pasturage  on 
 the  elevated  tracts,  but  entirely  unused.  The  coast  is 
 generally  rugged,  and  much  indented  with  caves.  There 
 are  several  bays,  the  best  of  which  is  Dillon's  Bay,  lying  to 
 the  north-west.  In  the  latter  is  safe  anchorage  for  ships, 
 and  ready  access  to  an  abundant  supply  of  fresh  water, 
 which  flows  in  the  river.  The  tide  goes  up  about  a  mile, 
 to  a  spot  where  the  water  of  the  river  rushes  over  large 
 volcanic  rocks  with  a  noise  that  breaks  the  silence  of  the 
 hills.  There  is  a  very  narrow  strip  of  ground  on  each  side 
 of  the  stream,  covered  with  dense  vegetation,  and  the  land 
 
192  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 rises  rapidly  to  tlie  height  of  a  thousand  feet.  A  river  also 
 flows  into  Cook's  Bay,  on  the  eastern  side ;  but  there  is  not 
 safe  anchorage,  and  there  is  greater  exposure  to  the  trade 
 winds. 
 
 The  natives  are  the  lowest  of  the  tribes  inhabiting  the 
 New  Hebrides.  Their  colour  is  darker,  and  their  physical 
 structure  inferior.  The  men  wear  scarcely  any  clothing,  as 
 I  have  stated.  Their  appearance  is  even  more  disgusting 
 than  that  of  the  Tannese.  The  women  are  tattooed  over  all 
 their  bodies,  and  on  each  cheek  have  a  mark  something  like 
 a  leaf.  Their  customs  are  much  akin  to  those  of  the  other 
 islands  ;  but  from  circumstances,  and  frequent  collision  with 
 white  traders,  they  are  more  treacherous  and  cruel. 
 
 Their  first  intercourse  with  white  men  was  inauspicious, 
 and  ever  since,  a  fatality  has  attached  to  it.  Captain  Cook, 
 in  1774,  sighted  the  island  on  the  north-eastern  side.  He 
 wanted  wood  and  water,  and  tried  to  effect  a  landing.  He 
 w^as  charmed  with  their  friendly  overtures,  and  anticipated 
 happy  intercourse.  '  The  only  thing,'  he  says,  '  that  could 
 give  the  least  suspicion  was  that  most  of  them  were  armed 
 with  clubs,  spears,  and  bows  and  arrows.  For  this  reason 
 I  kept  my  eye  continually  upon  the  chief,  and  watched  his 
 looks  as  well  as  his  actions.  He  made  many  signs  to  me 
 to  haul  the  boat  up  upon  the  shore,  and  at  last  slipped  into 
 the  crowd,  where  I  observed  him  speak  to  several  people, 
 and  then  return  to  me,  repeating  signs  to  haul  the  boat  up, 
 and  hesitating  a  good  deal  before  he  would  receive  the  spike 
 nails  which  I  offered  him.  This  made  me  suspect  that 
 something  was  intended,  and  immediately  I  stepped  into 
 the  boat,  telling  them  by  signs  that  I  would  soon  return. 
 But  they  were  not  for  parting  so  soon,  and  now  attempted 
 by  force  what  they  could  not  obtain  by  gentler  means.  The 
 gang-board  happened  unluckily  to  be  laid  out  for  me  to 
 come  into  the  boat.  I  say  unluckily,  for  if  the  board  had 
 not  been  out,  and  if  the  crew  had  been  a  little  quicker  in 
 getting  the  boat  off,  the  natives  might  not  have  had  time  to 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  193 
 
 put  their  design  into  execution,  nor  would  the  following 
 disagreeable  scenes  have  happened.  As  we  were  putting 
 off  the  boat,  they  laid  hold  of  the  gang-board,  and  unhooked 
 it  off  the  boat's  stern ;  but  as  they  did  not  take  it  away,  I 
 thought  this  had  been  done  by  accident,  and  ordered  the 
 men  again  to  take  it  up.  Then  they  themselves  hooked  it 
 over  the  boat's  stern,  and  attempted  to  haul  her  ashore  ; 
 others  at  the  same  time  snatched  the  oars  out  of  the  people's 
 hands.  On  my  pointing  a  musket  at  them  they  in  some 
 measure  desisted,  but  returned  in  an  instant,  seemingly  de- 
 termined to  haul  the  boat  ashore.  At  the  head  of  this 
 party  was  the  chief;  the  others,  who  could  not  come  at  the 
 boat,  stood  behind  with  darts,  stones,  bows  and  arrows  in 
 hand,  ready  to  support  them.  Signs  and  threats  having  no 
 effect,  our  own  safety  became  the  only  consideration,  and 
 yet  I  was  unwilling  to  fire  upon  the  multitude,  and  resolved 
 to  make  the  chief  fall  a  victim  to  his  own  treachery ;  but 
 my  musket  at  this  critical  moment  missed  fire.  Whatever 
 idea  they  might  have  formed  of  the  arms  we  held  in  our 
 hands,  they  must  now  have  looked  upon  them  as  childish 
 weapons,  and  began  to  let  us  see  how  much  better  theirs 
 were,  by  throwing  stones  and  darts,  and  by  shooting  arrows. 
 This  made  it  absolutely  necessary  for  me  to  give  orders  to 
 fire.  The  first  discharge  threw  them  into  confusion,  but  a 
 second  Avas  hardly  sufficient  to  drive  them  off  the  beach ; 
 and,  after  all,  they  continued  to  throw  stones  from  behind 
 the  trees  and  bushes,  and  every  now  and  then  to  pop  out 
 and  throw  a  dart.  Four  lay,  to  all  appearance,  dead  on  the 
 shore  ;  but  two  of  them  afterwards  crawled  into  the  bush.'^ 
 
 One  of  Captain  Cook's  crew  was  wounded  with  a  dart, 
 and  an  arrow  struck  the  breast  of  Mr.  Gilbert.  The  captain, 
 on  reaching  the  deck,  ordered  a  four-pound  shot  to  be  fired, 
 which  frightened  them  very  much.  Captain  Cook  called 
 the  cape  near  which  this  affray  took  place  Traitor's  Head, 
 a  name  it  still  bears. 
 
 '  Cook's  Second  Voijcuje. 
 
 N 
 
194  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Sandal-wood  was  found  on  this  island,  and  white  traders 
 came  for  it ;  but  many  skirmishes  and  much  bloodshed 
 ensued.  Natives  of  other  islands  were  brought  to  the 
 establishments  set  up,  and  between  these  and  the  natives 
 were  frequent  scenes  of  blood.  A  chronic  irritation  was 
 kept  up  all  through  the  period  of  the  trade,  which  lasted 
 for  at  least  fifty  years.  Many  white  men  lost  their  lives 
 in  this  trade,  and  it  was  the  occasion  of  the  slaughter  of 
 hundreds  of  natives.  The  population  of  this  comparatively 
 large  island  has,  by  this  and  other  means,  dwindled  down  to 
 about  2000. 
 
 The  effort  made  to  introduce  the  gospel  by  the  Eev. 
 John  Williams,  and  which  ended  in  his  tragic  death,  has 
 been  already  narrated.  It  took  place  on  the  30th  Novem- 
 ber 1839,  when  Messrs.  Williams  and  Harris  were  killed. 
 
 Native  teachers  were  landed  in  May  1840,  by  the  Eev, 
 T.  Heath,  from  Samoa.  These  brave  Christian  evangelists 
 were  in  great  peril ;  and  when  the  mission  vessel  called  in 
 April  1841,  it  was  with  considerable  difficulty  that  the 
 teachers  could  be  got.  They  had  been  badly  treated,  and 
 left  in  a  state  of  destitution.  One  native,  named  Vorevore, 
 supplied  their  wants  for  five  months  by  stealth.  The 
 teachers  were  then  taken  away  in  the  mission  vessel. 
 Eight  years  elapsed  before  another  successful  effort  could 
 be  made  to  introduce  the  gospel.  On  this  occasion  four 
 young  men  were  induced  to  go  on  board  the  vessel  and  to 
 spend  some  time  at  Samoa.  Tliey  were  taught  for  three 
 years,  and  were  taken  back  in  1852.  One  of  the  lads  died 
 on  the  voyage ;  the  other  three  were  landed  at  Dillon's  Bay. 
 The  tribes  in  the  neighbourhood  were  fighting  at  the  time ; 
 but  a  few  days  afterwards  an  interview  was  held  with  the 
 victorious  chiefs,  among  whom  was  Kowiowi,  the  murderer 
 of  Williams.  The  way  was  now  again  opened  for  the 
 settlement  of  teachers,  and  two  chiefs  gave,  one  a  son,  and 
 the  other  a  nephew,  to  be  educated  at  Samoa.  One  of  the 
 vounfT    men   who    returned    at    this    time    went    back    to 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  195 
 
 heatlienism,  but  two — Joe  and  Mana — continued  faithful 
 to  their  deatli,  and  acted  as  Christian  teachers  among  their 
 countrymen. 
 
 Dr.  Geddie  printed  a  small  primer  in  the  Eromangan 
 language  to  aid  the  teachers,  and  it  was  hoped  tliat  some 
 progress  would  be  made  in  missionary  work.  The  Bishop 
 of  New  Zealand  secured  several  young  men  from  the  island 
 for  his  institution  at  Auckland,  whom  he  brought  back  after 
 a  period.  He  spoke  the  language,  and  felt  deeply  interested 
 in  the  mission.  The  Jolm  Williams  regularly  visited  the 
 native  teachers,  and  efforts  were  made  on  every  occasion  to 
 open  up  tlie  way  for  a  resident  missionary.  When  the 
 island  of  Aneityum  was  becoming  Christian,  it  was  hoped 
 that  a  new  influence  would  be  felt  on  Eromanga.  At 
 length  the  Eev.  G.  N.  Gordon  joined  the  mission  from 
 Nova  Scotia,  and  was  appointed  to  the  island  of  Eromanga. 
 Mr.  Gordon  was  a  native  of  Prince  Edward  Island,  and  was 
 born  on  21st  April  1822.  When  he  came  under  serious 
 convictions  and  embraced  the  gospel,  he  felt  a  great  desire 
 to  become  a  missionary.  His  education  was  backward, 
 owing  to  the  difficulty  of  getting  to  school  in  that  period 
 of  the  history  of  the  colony ;  but  he  determined  to  improve 
 it.  He  gave  up  and  sold  a  farm  which  he  rented,  and 
 entered  the  service  of  the  Prince  Edward  Island  Auxiliary 
 Bible  Society.  In  1850,  he  went  to  Nova  Scotia,  and 
 entered  the  Free  Church  College  at  Halifax.  He  was  the 
 means  of  establishing  the  city  mission,  and  became  its  first 
 agent.  He  visited  the  neglected  parts  of  the  city,  and  in 
 six  months  entered  1000  homes  of  the  most  degraded.  His 
 efforts  were  not  in  vain.  In  1853,  he  offered  his  services 
 as  a  missionary  to  the  New  Hebrides,  and  was  accepted. 
 He  was  tlien  in  the  last  year  of  his  college  course,  and  he 
 added  other  pursuits  likely  to  be  of  use  to  him  in  the 
 mission-field.  He  had  gone  through  an  experience  which 
 gave  him  great  adaptation  to  work  among  a  savage  people. 
 '  He  could  hew  timber,  frame  a  house,  tan  and  dress  leather. 
 
1 96  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 drive  the  shoemaker's  awl,  wield  the  blacksmith's  hammer, 
 and  thread  the  tailor's  needle.'  He  was  just  such  a  man 
 as  would  have  delighted  the  soul  of  the  first  martyr  of 
 Eromanga,  who  knew  so  well  the  advantage  of  mechanical 
 arts  to  a  missionary,  and  who  made  such  noble  efforts  to 
 acquire  them  himself  when  he  had  no  one  to  teach  him. 
 
 Before  Mr.  Gordon  left  Nova  Scotia,  he  visited  and 
 addressed  most  of  the  congregations  of  the  Church  on  behalf 
 of  the  cause  of  missions,  and  was  ordained  in  September 
 1856.  On  his  way  to  the  distant  sphere  of  his  labours,  he 
 visited  England,  Scotland,  and  France.  While  in  London,  he 
 availed  himself  of  opportunities  for  increasing  his  medical 
 knowledge,  and  in  a  romantic  way  found  a  wife,  full  of 
 missionary  zeal,  to  accompany  him  to  the  South  Seas.  He 
 reached  Eromanga  on  the  l7th  June  1857,  and  commenced 
 the  work  which,  for  four  years,  he  continued  to  prosecute 
 with  untiring  zeal  and  energy,  and  with  some  encouragement. 
 He  found  an  extensive  sandal-wood  establishment  on  the 
 island,  where  many  heathen  from  other  islands  were 
 employed. 
 
 Fever  and  ague  often  prostrated  Mrs.  Gordon,  and  trials 
 thickened  around  them  both.  However,  several  young  men 
 received  instruction,  and  schools  were  established.  Mr. 
 Gordon  soon  acquired  the  language,  and  translated  the  Book 
 of  Jonah,  the  Gospel  of  St,  Luke,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
 a  catechism,  and  some  school-books.  Some  of  these  were  in 
 use  before  they  were  printed,  and  corrections  were  made  as 
 the  language  was  better  known.  Tlie  missionary  was  hope- 
 ful in  labour,  and  was  making  preparations  for  the  removal 
 of  his  house  to  a  healthier  locality,  when  circumstances 
 occurred  which  led  to  a  tragic  issue.  In  the  beginning  of 
 18G1,  a  hurricane  swept  over  the  island  with  great  destruc- 
 tion. It  was  followed  by  the  spread  of  measles,  brought 
 by  a  trading  vessel,  among  the  people,  who  died  by 
 hundreds.  'It  is  a  fixed  article  of  belief  tliroughout  all 
 these  islands,'  says  Mr.  Inglis,  '  that  neither  death,  disease. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ERO MANGA.  197 
 
 nor  any  calamity,  is  occasioned  by  natural  causes ;  tliey  are 
 all  produced  by  sorcery  and  witchcraft.  Their  sacred  men 
 are  all  disease  -  makers.  The  missionaries  are  all  sacred 
 men  —  they  administer  medicines,  and  profess  to  cure 
 diseases  ;  and  the  natural  inference  is,  that  if  they  can  cure, 
 they  can  also  cause  disease.  Working  on  this  feeling, 
 during  this  awfully  exciting  time,  an  enemy  to  the  mission, 
 it  is  confidently  said,  instigated  the  natives  against  the 
 missionary  and  his  wife,  as  causing  the  epidemic'  On  the 
 20th  May  1861,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordon  were  brutally 
 murdered  by  a  treacherous  band  of  heathen.  Thus  the 
 second  martyrdom  occurred  on  Eromanga. 
 
 The  circumstances  connected  with  their  tragic  death  have 
 been  thus  summarized  by  the  Rev.  P.  Macpherson,  M.A., 
 from  details  supplied  on  the  spot,  during  his  '  flying  visit  to 
 the  New  Hebrides'  in  1877.  'Far  up  on  the  heights  the 
 missionary  was  engaged  in  building  arrangements.  Some 
 eight  or  ten  assassins  came  to  him ;  and,  seizing  his  oppor- 
 tunity, one  of  them  aimed  a  blow  at  Mr.  Gordon  with  his 
 tomahawk.  The  attempt  was  observed  soon  enough  to 
 enable  the  missionary  to  raise  his  hand  and  break  the  blow 
 by  catching  the  blade  of  the  weapon.  Immediately  a 
 second  assassin  aimed  his  blow,  but  the  doomed  man 
 intercepted  this  by  firmly  catching  the  handle  in  his  other 
 hand.  Here,  for  a  moment,  was  a  terrible  picture  !  Mr. 
 Gordon  was  a  very  tall  man,  his  height  being  much  beyond 
 six  feet.  Here  he  was  with  both  hands  occupied  in  averting 
 the  death-stroke.  The  scene  lasted  only  for  moments.  The 
 first  assassin  tore  his  weapon  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
 missionary,  inflicting  a  terrible  gash  across  the  hand  as  he 
 did  so.  Soon  the  good  man  w^as  laid  low  in  blood.'  We 
 add  to  this  that  the  native  Narabuleet  came  to  ]\Ir.  Gordon 
 when  alone,  and  shortly  after  he  had  sent  his  assistants  av/ay 
 to  gatlier  grass  for  the  roof  of  the  new  building,  and  decoyed 
 him  away  on  the  pretence  of  getting  some  medicine.  In  a 
 deep  part  of  the  wood  eight  men  lay  in  ambush.     Xara- 
 
1 9  8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 buleet  followed  close  behind  Mr.  Gordon  in  the  narrow 
 footpath,  and  at  the  spot  agreed  upon,  struck  him,  while  the 
 others  rose  up  to  assist  in  the  bloody  work.  We  also  stood 
 with  strange  feelings  on  that  spot.  Not  far  from  the  place 
 was  the  temporary  residence  of  the  missionary,  where  Mrs. 
 Gordon  was.  She  heard  the  savages  yell,  and  rushed 
 immediately  to  the  door.  She  saw  a  man  named  Ouben 
 coming  up,  and  asked  him,  '  What  is  the  matter  ?  What  is 
 all  this  noise  about  ? '  '  Nothing,'  he  said  ;  '  it  is  only  the 
 boys  playing.'  '  Where  are  the  boys  ? '  she  asked,  and 
 instantly  turned  round  to  look,  M'hen  Ouben  struck  her  on 
 the  shoulder-blade  with  his  tomahawk.  She  fell  upon  a 
 heap  of  grass,  and  one  more  blow  nearly  severed  her  head 
 from  her  body.  Thus  fell  man  and  wife,  martyrs  for  Jesus 
 Christ.  '  They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives,  and 
 in  death  they  were  not  divided.' 
 
 The  murderers  did  not  remain  to  remove  the  bodies  of 
 their  victims ;  but  a  faithful  band  gathered  the  mangled 
 remains  of  their  revered  teachers,  and  laid  them  in  a  grave 
 on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Shortly  afterwards,  seventeen  of 
 those  who  had  attached  themselves  to  the  missionary,  fled 
 in  a  vessel  to  Aneityum  to  tell  the  tragic  story,  and  secure 
 their  safety.  A  few,  however,  remained,  and  were  bold 
 enough  to  ring  the  bell  on  Sabbath  morning,  and  meet 
 together  for  worship.  Bishop  Patteson  was  the  first  to 
 visit  the  island  after  the  sad  event.  He  felt  the  bereave- 
 ment keenly,  for  he  loved  the  Gordons,  and  every  year 
 called  on  them  as  he  sailed  past.  He  climbed  the  steep 
 rocks  to  their  house,  and  spent  a  few  hours  in  pleasant 
 intercourse.  On  this  occasion,  he  landed  and  read  the 
 burial  service  over  the  graves  of  the  martyrs.^  The  Jolm 
 Williams  mission  vessel  called  soon  after,  with  some  mis- 
 sionaries on  board,  who  visited  the  spot  replete  with  such 
 tearful  memories.^ 
 
 '  Life  o/Llffiop  Paitesov,  vol.  i.  p.  522. 
 
 -  Murray's  Missions  in  Western  Polynesia,  pp.  412-425. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  199 
 
 The  sad  intelligence  caused  much  grief  on  Aneityum  and 
 Tanna ;  but  though  great  troubles  afflicted  the  mission  on 
 the  latter  island,  brethren  did  not  despair.  The  cause  was 
 Christ's,  and  He  would  make  the  blood  of  martyrs  the  seed 
 of  the  Church.  Mr.  Copeland  learned  much  of  the  language 
 of  Ero manga  from  the  refugees  on  Aneityum,  and  was 
 appointed  by  his  brethren,  with  his  own  consent,  to  lead  a 
 forlorn  hope,  again  to  plant  the  standard  of  Christ  on  the 
 blood-stained  isle,  if  the  way  was  open.  This  did  not  occur 
 at  the  time,  and  Mr.  Copeland  did  not  afterwards  see  his 
 way  to  settle  there. 
 
 When  the  mournful  news  reached  Sydney  shortly  after,  a 
 new  thrill  of  sorrow  vibrated  through  Christendom.  But 
 w^hen  the  tidings  reached  Prince  Edward  Island,  a  mother 
 wept  for  the  loss  of  a  son,  and  a  brother  was  led  to  succeed 
 him  in  the  work  for  which  he  had  been  studying.  But  he 
 went  at  once  to  comfort  his  mother  before  he  left  for  the 
 mission-field.  Like  the  mothers  of  Lyman,  of  Knibb,  and  of 
 other  departed  missionaries,  who  did  not  spare  second  sons  to 
 take  up  the  work  of  those  that  had  died,  it  was  the  experi- 
 ence of  Mrs.  Gordon  to  give  another  son  to  serve  the  Saviour 
 on  Eromanga  in  place  of  the  dead. 
 
 The  Eev,  J.  D.  Gordon  was  a  native  of  Alberton,  Prince 
 Edward  Island,  and  one  of  a  large  family  trained  in  the 
 fear  of  God.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  ministry,  and 
 studied  under  Professors  Eoss,  M'CuUoch,  and  Lyall  at 
 Truro,  and  theology  under  Dr.  King,  Dr.  Smith,  and  Pro- 
 fessor M'Knight,  He  was  studying  the  latter  branch 
 when  the  tidings  arrived  of  his  brother's  death.  It  did  not 
 change  his  purpose.  He  reached  the  island  in  1864,  and 
 at  once  took  up  the  work  where  his  brother  left  it.  He 
 taught  the  way  of  the  Lord  to  the  little  flock,  some  of  whom 
 died  in  the  faith  of  Jesus.  He  carried  on  the  work  of 
 translation,  and  got  the  Book  of  Genesis  printed  in  Sydney, 
 and  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  printed  in  London,  for  the 
 use  of  the  people.     Besides  these,  a  primer,  two  catechisms, 
 
2  00  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  a  psalter  were  prepared  and  printed.  When  he  landed 
 on  Eromanga,  he  found  three  persons  who  had  been  admitted 
 to  the  Christian  church  by  baptism.  He  baptized  sixteen 
 more. 
 
 The  Eev.  James  M'Nair,  from  Scotland,  joined  the 
 mission  on  that  island  in  1867.  '  He  was  a  man  of  as 
 decided  piety  and  devotion  as  the  others  who  had  preceded 
 hira,  and  had  dedicated  himself  to  the  work  of  the  Lord 
 while  in  secular  employment  at  Dunoon  post-office,  in  his 
 native  land.  While  on  a  visit  to  that  favourite  watering- 
 place,  the  late  Sir  Rowland  Hill,  to  whom  the  penny  postage 
 of  Great  Britain  owes  its  origin,  called  at  the  office.  He 
 found  the  young  man  in  charge  reading  a  very  small  book, 
 and  asked  him  what  it  was.  He  was  told  that  it  was  the 
 Greek  Testament.  He  learned  to  his  surprise,  that  Mr. 
 M'Nair  was  pursuing  his  study  of  this  language  with  a  view 
 to  the  ministry.  He  was  so  much  interested  in  him,  it  is 
 stated,  that  he  secured  a  period  of  absence,  by  the  employ- 
 ment of  a  substitute,  for  Mr.  M'Nair  to  attend  the  college 
 classes  during  the  winter,  without  losing  his  situation. 
 Even  after  he  became  a  missionary,  Mr.  M'lSTair  corre- 
 sponded regularly  with  Sir  Eowland  Hill.  Mr.  M'lSTair 
 had  a  delicate  frame,  but  he  pursued  his  studies  with 
 Scottish  pertinacity,  and  amidst  \vonted  difficulties.  He 
 offered  himself  to  the  mission.  He  was  employed  by  the 
 Nova  Scotian  Church.  He  was  not  permitted  to  labour 
 long  on  Eromanga.  He  died  on  the  island  16th  July  1870, 
 leaving  a  widow  and  child.  '  Beside  the  grave  of  the 
 murdered  Gordons,  by  the  bank  of  the  stream  that  was 
 reddened  by  the  blood  of  Harris  and  Williams,  under  the 
 waving  plumes  of  the  cocoa-nut  palms,  the  broad  Pacific 
 gleaming  in  the  sunshine,  lies,  awaiting  a  glorious  resurrec- 
 tion, the  body  of  James  M'Nair,  as  devoted  a  missionary, 
 as  prayerful  a  Christian,  as  sincere  a  man,  as  the  Church 
 has  ever  sent  into  these  Southern  Seas.'  ^     Thus  four  mis- 
 
 1  Letter  of  Rev.  T.  Neilson. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ERO MANGA.  201 
 
 sionaries,  and  the  wife  of  one  of  them, — as  true  a  inissionaiy 
 as  t]ie  others, — live  in  all,  have  met  with  death  while  seek- 
 ing the  salvation  of  the  natives. 
 
 Ere  he  died,  the  natives  of  the  tribe  that  had  killed  the 
 Eev.  G.  N.  Gordon  threatened  Mr.  M'Nair,  and  his  house 
 had  to  be  barricaded  and  guarded  for  some  time.  When 
 he  died,  two  brethren  from  Aniwa  and  Tanna  came  to  look 
 after  his  affairs,  and  they  took  away  his  widow  and  daughter. 
 They  went  home,  and  in  187  3  Mrs.  M'Nair  returned  to 
 missionary  work,  as  the  second  wife  of  the  veteran  Eev.  Dr. 
 George  Turner,  of  Samoa,  himself  at  one  time  a  missionary 
 on  Tanna,  and  almost  a  martyr  to  Christ  in  the  Kew 
 Hebrides.  Since  his  flight  in  1842,  he  has  spent  a  long, 
 honourable,  and  useful  career  in  Samoa,  and  has  trained 
 many  native  teachers  to  go  forth  to  the  work  of  the  Lord 
 among  the  islands  of  the  Southern  Seas. 
 
 Mr,  Gordon  acquired  a  knowledge  of  one  of  the  dialects 
 of  the  island  of  Espiritu  Santo  by  means  of  two  young 
 natives  who  were  for  a  time  with  him.  He  therefore 
 resolved  to  pioneer  the  gospel  to  that  large  island.  For 
 this  purpose  he  prepared  a  primer  in  the  language,  which 
 was  printed  in  Sydney.  He  had  by  this  time  become  the 
 missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  New  South  Wales, 
 and  it  was  at  their  expense  that  the  little  book  was  printed. 
 The  ladies  of  the  New  Hebrides  Missionary  Association  in 
 Sydney,  presented  him  with  a  tent  and  furniture  for  his 
 temporary  residence.  Thus  equipped,  he  went  in  the  Dmj- 
 sfring  in  1869,  and  was  well  received  by  the  people,  wdio 
 had  been  expecting  him  for  two  years,  ever  since  the  young 
 men  had  been  taken  home. 
 
 He  returned  to  Eromanga  in  the  end  of  the  year,  and 
 continued  to  reside  at  Portinia  Bay.  A  stone  church  was 
 erected  there,  and  numbers  of  the  people  waited  on  his 
 services.  In  1870,  he  resigned  his  appointment  as  mis- 
 sionary of  the  Church  of  New  South  Wales,  and  also  his 
 connection  with  the  brethren  in  the  New  Plebrides ;  but 
 
20  2  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 still  continued  to  labour  on  Evomanga.  He  had  great 
 longings  to  carry  the  gospel  to  regions  beyond,  and  he 
 hinted  at  the  probability  of  laying  his  bones  in  New  Guinea. 
 It  was  not  to  be.  In  March  1872,  his  end  came 
 suddenly.  The  summer  had  been  unusually  wet  and 
 unhealthy,  and  much  sickness  and  death  had  been  among 
 the  natives.  Mr.  Gordon  was  blamed  by  the  heathen  party 
 as  the  cause  of  the  sickness.  A  man  named  Nerimpow 
 had  lost  two  children,  to  both  of  whom,  it  is  said,  Mr. 
 Gordon  had  given  medicine,  and  the  medicine,  it  was 
 assumed,  had  killed  them.  Nerimpow  and  another  man 
 came  to  Mr.  Gordon's  residence  on  a  professedly  friendly 
 errand.  He  had  just  finished  revising  along  with  Soso,  a 
 native  assistant,  the  seventh  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 
 Apostles,  where  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen  is  recorded.^ 
 He  gave  it  to  Soso  to  read,  and  went  into  the  store-room  to 
 get  some  rice  for  his  cook  to  prepare  for  dinner.  Having 
 done  this,  he  went  into  the  front  verandah,  where  Nerimpow 
 and  his  companion  were  standing.  Mr.  Gordon  spoke  to 
 them,  and  then  went  for  two  empty  bottles,  which  he  gave 
 them.  They  accepted  these  with  apparent  gratitude.  Mr. 
 Gordon  then  sat  down,  and  began  to  talk  with  them. 
 Nerimpow  watched  his  opportunity,  and  struck  him  a  heavy 
 blow  with  his  tomahawk  on  the  right  side  of  his  head,  the 
 wound  extending  from  the  eye  to  the  ear.  He  struck  him 
 once  only,  but  the  blow  was  fatal.  The  tomahawk  sank 
 deep,  so  that  when  Mr.  Gordon  spasmodically  dashed  away 
 through  a  French  window  into  his  room,  he  actually  carried 
 the  weapon  sticking  in  his  skull !  Of  course  the  wound 
 was  mortal;  and  the  native,  apprehending  no  more  trouble 
 from  the  missionary,  followed  him,  and  pulled  out  the 
 tomahawk,  which  he  carried  away  with  him.  The  native 
 was  too  shrewd  to  lose  his  tomahawk.^     The  sound  of  Mr. 
 
 1  The  same  passage  occupied  Bishop  Pattcson  on  the  moruing  of  the  day 
 on  which  he  fell  a  martyr  at  Nnkapu  in  the  Swallow  group. 
 ^  Letter  of  Ilev.  Peter  Macpherson,  il.A. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  203 
 
 Gordon's  heavy  fall  drew  Soso  to  the  spot.  He  found  him 
 lying  with  his  face  on  the  floor.  He  heard  him  breathe 
 twice  through  his  nose,  and  observed  his  mouth  fill  with 
 blood,  and  then  all  was  over.  The  murderer  and  his  com- 
 panion fled.  Soso  made  a  rude  coffin,  and  buried  him  that 
 evening  in  a  spot  which  the  missionary  had  marked  out,  in 
 case  such  an  event  as  this  should  occur.  Soso  wrote  the 
 following  letter  to  Mr.  Paton  : — 
 
 '  I  am  Soso.  Love  to  you,  Misi  Paton.  Why  this  word 
 of  mine  to  you  ?  Because  the  Eromangans  have  killed  Misi 
 Gordon,  and  he  is  not  here  now.  A  man  named  Nerimpow 
 struck  Misi  in  the  month  of  March,  the  7th  day,  Thursday. 
 There  was  one  servant  with  Nerimpow,  named  Nare.  He 
 (Nerimpow)  cut  his  forehead  with  a  tomahawk  one  time 
 only,  and  I  buried  him  tiiere  at  Potuuma  (Portinia  Bay), 
 according  to  the  word  which  he  had  spoken,  namely,  "  If  I 
 die,  bury  ye  me  here,  afterwards  send  word  to  the  mis- 
 sionaries," and  I  do  so.  And  I  assembled  the  young  men, 
 and  the  children,  and  the  women,  and  remained  there  on 
 Friday,  and  Saturday,  and  Sunday.  I  saw  Naling  and 
 part  of  the  young  men  from  Dillon's  Bay.  The  carpenter 
 sent  them  to  bring  us  from  Potuuma.  And  I  asked  them 
 about  the  goods  and  the  house,  and  they  thought  that  we 
 should  leave  them.  Accordingly,  on  Monday  we  made 
 ready.  I  took  the  money,  and  the  books  which  he  made 
 with  his  hand  (mss.)  in  the  English,  Eromangan,  and 
 Espiritu  Santo  languages,  and  part  of  the  clothes  and  the 
 knives ;  I  have  them  here,  and  the  portraits  are  in  my 
 house  at  Unbotudi  (Cook's  Bay) ;  the  chiefs  there  keep 
 them.  And  on  Tuesday  I  took  the  young  men,  and  the 
 children,  and  the  women,  forty-three  in  all,  from  that 
 village,  and  lay  in  the  bush ;  and  on  Wednesday  we  went 
 in  haste  to  Unbumkoi  (Dillon's  Bay),  and  remained  there 
 on  Thursday.  On  Friday  nine  young  men  returned  to 
 Piouvilyar,  and  killed  three  men  and  one  woman — these 
 were  four ;  they  M^ere  able  to  smite  more,  but  the  carpenter 
 
2  04  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 forbade  it.  The  heathen  took  all  the  goods  from  the  house, 
 and  burned  the  holy  books,  and  broke  down  the  house. 
 Thus  do  the  wicked  Eromangans  treat  the  children  of  God ; 
 and  this  is  the  only  thought  of  the  men  here — they  burn 
 the  word  of  Jehovah,  and  think  it  dead.  This  man 
 Nerimpow,  his  child  died  ;  he  hated  and  killed  Misi.'  ^ 
 
 Mr.  Gordon  had  a  great  aptitude  in  acquiring  languages, 
 and  applied  himself  with  uncommon  diligence  to  this  work 
 and  that  of  translating.  He  did  everything  thoroughly  ; 
 and  the  native  teachers  who  were  taught  by  him  evidence 
 this  in  their  knowledge  and  usefulness.  So  also  do  the 
 converts  both  at  Dillon's  Bay  and  at  Portinia  Bay.  They 
 were  well  instructed  in  the  principles  of  the  Christian 
 faith,  and  they  have  adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  their 
 Saviour.  They  cherish  a  peculiar  affection  for  the  memory 
 of  their  teacher,  who  had  a  happy  way  of  attaching  to 
 himself  those  who  placed  themselves  under  his  instruction 
 in  the  gospel. 
 
 Mr.  Gordon  was  singularly  'devoted  to  the  Lord  his 
 Saviour.  He  had  one  passion  of  living,  for  Him  in  doing 
 good.  His  mode  of  work  was,  however,  very  eccentric  and 
 self-willed.  It  was  very  difficult  to  get  him  to  work  in 
 harness.  But  he  spared  not  himself  in  his  missionary  zeal. 
 He  was  self-denying  to  an  extreme,  and  was  ready,  with 
 some  conscious  foreboding,  to  be  offered  up  as  a  martyr  for 
 the  cause  which  he  had  espoused.  He  was  unmarried,  and 
 laboured,  as  he  lived,  alone.  His  solitude  was  not  of 
 advantage  to  himself  or  to  the  mission,  and  aided  to  excite 
 his  mind,  and  made  him  suspicious  of  his  brethren,  who  all 
 esteemed  him  for  singleness  of  aim,  though  they  deplored 
 his  want  of  co-operation  in  the  missionary  work.  He  felt 
 his  solitude,  and  the  want  of  some  one  to  cliarm  the  savage 
 islanders  with  music,  as  the  missionary's  Avife  lias  often 
 done.  To  make  up  for  this,  he  commissioned  me  to  get  in 
 Sydney  a  barrel   organ,   on  which   he    could   play   to  the 
 
 ^  Translated  by  Rev.  Peter  Milne. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ERO MANGA.  205 
 
 natives.  One  M'as  procured  capable  of  playing  thirty  tunes, 
 and  which  had,  besides  the  organ,  two  French  horns  and  a 
 tambourine. 
 
 Mr.  Gordon  was  fond  of  study,  and  indulged  largely  in 
 the  investigation  of  nnfullilled  prophecy.  He  was  a  pre- 
 millennialist,  and  looked  for  the  Lord's  speedy  advent.  He 
 adopted  at  last  many  of  the  views  of  the  riymouth  brethren, 
 and  was  dissatisfied  with  the  ordinary  way  of  working 
 missions.  Though  he  had  no  salary  during  the  last  year, 
 he  laboured  as  devotedly  as  ever,  and  had  sent  for  a  very 
 slender  supply  of  stores  from  Sydney.  He  could  scarcely 
 be  got  to  take  the  salary  assigned  to  him  by  the  committee 
 in  the  colonv,  and  again  and  again  declared  he  wished  no 
 more  than  £100  a  year. 
 
 Negotiations  regarding  this  were  still  being  carried  on 
 with  him  when  the  tidings  of  his  death  came.  The  balance 
 was  therefore  remitted  to  his  relatives  in  Prince  Edward 
 Island.  His  mother  had  been  blind  for  several  years,  indeed 
 before  she  heard  of  George  Gordon's  death.  She  was 
 getting  frail,  and  was  waiting  for  the  sight  promised  to  the 
 pure  in  heart.  Her  son  James  requested  his  brother 
 Ptobert  to  buy  at  his  expense  an  easy-chair  for  his  venerable 
 mother,  and  to  take  her  old  one  to  pieces,  and  send  it  to 
 him.  The  first  part  of  his  wish  was  fulfilled ;  and  while 
 sitting  in  the  chair  given  by  her  son,  she  heard  the  heavy 
 tidings  that  he  too  had  fallen  for  Christ  on  the  blood- 
 stained isle  of  Eromanga.  She  did  not  long  survive  him, 
 and  passed  away  to  join  those  gone  before. 
 
 Like  all  the  missionaries  in  the  group,  and  like  all 
 missionaries  in  the  Pacific,  Mr,  Gordon  had  strong  feelings 
 against  the  removal  of  the  natives  to  Fiji  and  Queensland, 
 and  frequently  sent  lists  of  men  that  had  been  induced,  as 
 he  believed,  by  fraud  or  force,  to  leave.  He  spoke  at 
 length,  and  entered  into  many  particulars,  respecting  the 
 traffic,  when  he  addressed  a  meeting  in  Sydney  in  March 
 1868,   before  he  last  left  for    the    New   Hebrides.     His 
 
2o6  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 worst  anticipations  have  been  fulfilled,  and  many  atrocities 
 and  many  deaths,  both  of  Polynesians  and  wliite  men,  have 
 been  occasioned  by  that  traffic. 
 
 He  was  anxious  to  get  a  large  accession  of  unordained 
 labourers  into  the  mission  -  field.  He  said  :  '  Until  the 
 Church  employs  such  an  agency,  she  cannot  say  that  she 
 has  put  forth  all  the  efforts  in  her  power  for  the  evan- 
 gelization of  those  perishing  races.  If  she  refuse  to  call  it 
 into  being  and  exercise,  the  charge  of  indifference  to  the 
 claims  of  the  perishing  heathen  may  be  urged  against  her. 
 If  the  Spirit  were  poured  out  from  on  high,  the  Church 
 might  say.  Come,  young  men,  with  a  good  English  educa- 
 tion, and  compassion  for  poor  perishing  souls ;  come  ye, 
 and  we  will  send  you  to  show  them  the  way  of  life.  If 
 the  Church  wait  till  ordained  ministers  offer  for  a  repulsive 
 heathen  mission-field,  when  vacancies  at  home  cannot  be 
 filled  up,  and  receive  none  but  such,  then  is  she  not  laying 
 herself  open  to  the  charge  of  putting  a  fictitious  value  upon 
 a  classical  education,  or  adopting  a  false  standard  of  qualifi- 
 cations ?  What  were  the  educational  qualifications  of  the 
 seventy  disciples  ?' 
 
 There  is  much  force  in  these  words.  Too  little  use  has 
 been  made  by  the  English-speaking  Christians  of  other 
 agents  than  ordained  missionaries.  The  German  missionary 
 societies  act  differently,  and  with  much  success. 
 
 The  chief  difficulty  in  introducing  lay  assistants  is  the 
 question  of  salary.  An  artisan  would  require  as  much  as 
 an  ordained  missionary.  Dependent,  as  Europeans  are, 
 upon  imported  food,  the  cost  of  bare  provisions  and  cloth- 
 ing would  be  as  great  to  the  lay  as  to  the  clerical  agent. 
 Again,  where  the  labourers  are  so  few,  the  uneducated 
 would  seek  equal  position  and  authority  with  the  educated. 
 Perhaps  in  some  respects  he  might  be  more  popular  among 
 the  natives  by  his  handicraft ;  but  he  would  not  be  capable 
 of  advancing  the  spiritual  work,  or  of  translating  as  the 
 educated  missionary.      Bishop  Patteson  had  lay  assistants 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  207 
 
 in  his  staff;  but  these  were  almost  all  candidates  for  the 
 sacred  othce.  Students  for  the  ministry  can,  however, 
 prosecute  their  preparatory  work  much  more  efficiently  at 
 the  seats  of  learning.  The  best  lay  assistants  are  the  native 
 teachers,  and,  as  has  been  narrated,  Eromanga  has  a  good 
 staff  of  these.  Their  education  was  comparatively  thorough, 
 though  not  advanced.  The  higher  education  will  develop 
 native  agency.  These  men  know  the  superstitions  of  their 
 own  people,  and  are  able  to  deal  with  them. 
 
 The  superstitions  of  the  Eromangans  are  like  those  of  the 
 southern  islands.  They  worship  the  natemas — departed  spirits 
 of  their  ancestors.  They  have  sacred  places,  where  offerings 
 are  presented.  They  believe  in  a  hell,  but  have  no  idea  of 
 a  paradise.  They  have  a  tradition  of  a  story  very  like  that 
 of  Jonah.  One  of  their  people  fell  into  the  sea  and  was 
 swallowed  by  a  big  fish.  The  pieces  of  wood  in  his  ears 
 pricked  the  sides  of  the  fish  and  made  it  vomit  him  up. 
 He  was  alive,  but  as  he  walked  up  from  the  shore  he  was 
 thin  and  weak.  This  led  Mr,  G.  N.  Gordon  to  translate 
 the  Book  of  Jonah  into  the  Eromangan  language. 
 
 Polygamy  is  practised,  and  I  heard  of  one  chief  wdio  had 
 ten  wives.  They  bury  the  dead,  but  do  not  raise  the  earth 
 over  the  grave.  They  mark  the  place  by  a  depression  in 
 the  ground,  and  by  a  stick  at  each  end.  They  never  eat 
 any  fruits  which  grow  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  spot 
 where  their  own  relatives  are  buried,  but  strangers  may 
 freely,  and  without  any  danger,  eat  of  them.  Sometimes 
 they  lay  the  dead  bodies,  without  any  covering,  in  the  caves 
 on  the  coast. 
 
 The  men  are  almost  always  fighting,  and  the  women,  as 
 on  other  islands,  have  all  the  work  to  do. 
 
 '  Indigenous  to  the  island,'  says  Mr.  Breuchley,  '  are 
 the  cocoa-nut  tree,  the  bread-fruit  tree,  banana,  plantain, 
 the  chestnut  of  the  Pacific,  arrowroot  and  taro  in  small 
 quantities ;  these  three  last  plants  are,  together  with  an 
 edible   root  resembling  taro,  only   very  much   larger,  and 
 
2oS  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 called  nevya,  the  stand-by  in  times  of  scarcity  and  famine. 
 There  are  four  species  of  indigenous  palms.  The  papan  has 
 been  introduced,'  and,  he  might  have  added,  the  orange. 
 '  The  natives  give  distinct  names  to  sixty  birds.  Among 
 them  are  pigeons  and  several  small  birds,  some  of  gay, 
 others  of  gorgeous  plumage.  There  are  two  species  of 
 snakes.  There  are  native  names  for  ninety-five  salt-water, 
 and  for  sixteen  fresh-water  fish ;  a  few  are  edible.'  ^ 
 
 Mr.  Brenchley,  in  the  work  referred  to  already,  wrote 
 very  disparagingly  of  Mr.  James  D.  Gordon,  and  of  the 
 satisfaction  with  which  that  missionary  seemed  to  view  the 
 proceedings  of  the  ships  of  war  against  the  natives.  Mr. 
 Gordon  was  somewhat  strange  in  manner,  it  must  be 
 admitted,  but  he  was  too  deeply  attached  to  the  people  of  the 
 island  to  wish  any  wanton  attack  to  be  made  upon  them."^ 
 
 The  murderer  of  John  "Williams,  Kowiowi,  sliowed  a 
 disposition  to  favour  Mr.  G.  N.  Gordon.  He  sold  him  a 
 piece  of  land,  the  conveyance  of  which  lies  before  me  as 
 I  write.  He  also  brought  the  missionary  an  occasional 
 present  for  using  influence  on  behalf  of  the  natives  with 
 white  traders.      He  and  Oviallo,  who  clubbed  Mr.  Harris, 
 
 1  Cruise,  of  the  Cura(;oa,  p.  322. 
 
 ^  Mr.  Brenchley  devoted  many  pages  to  the  Cura^oa  affair  in  his  notes 
 on  Eromanga,  even  more  than  on  Taniia.  To  depreciate  Mr.  Gordon, 
 he  says  that  he  was  originally  '  a  fisherman,'  and  that  he  'was  reported 
 to  have  never  laughed.'  I  never  heard  these  things,  though  I  knew 
 him  well.  As  to  the  first,  suppose  he  had  heen  a  fisherman,  so  were 
 Christ's  apostles.  It  would  have  been  no  disgrace.  But  he  was  not 
 originally  a  fisherman.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  But  whatever  was 
 his  original  calling,  he  received  a  college  education,  and  had  written  a  book 
 before  he  became  '  a  fisher  of  men  '  at  Eromanga.  One  of  his  fellow-students 
 has  assured  me  that  he  was  a  hearty  and  genial  companion.  The  late  Hon. 
 H.  Meade,  R.N.,  in  his  notes  wrote  of  Mr.  Gordon  that  he  was  'anti- 
 tobacco,  anti-dancing,  anti-everything  that  delights  the  heart  of  man. '  Mr. 
 Gordon  had  higher  enjoyments  in  life  than  those  that  pertain  to  the  senses, 
 and  a  man  who  gave  his  life  for  the  cause  of  Christ  is  to  be  spoken  of 
 with  more  respect.  When  he  visited  New  South  Wales  in  1868,  he  was 
 very  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  made  his  acquaintance.  The  Christian 
 natives  of  Eromanga  were  warmly  attached  to  him. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  209 
 
 showed  Mr.  Gordon  the  oven  where  the  bodies  of  these 
 first  martyrs  on  Eromanga  were  cooked.  They  acted  the 
 scene  of  the  mnrder,  and  indicated  that  it  was  committed 
 in  retaliation  for  injuries  inflicted  by  white  men.  Mr. 
 Gordon  was  satisfied,  from  intercourse  with  these  men, 
 that  the  skulls  and  bones  which  Captain  Croker  of  H.]\I.S. 
 Favourite  got  from  the  natives  in  1840,  and  which  were 
 buried  with  great  honour  at  Samoa  as  the  relics  of  Williams 
 and  Harris,  were  not  genuine.  Captain  Croker,  as  Dr. 
 Turner  has  stated,  had  no  interpreter,  and  when  he  gave 
 signs  that  he  wanted  skulls  and  bones,  the  natives  took 
 some  out  of  the  surrounding  caves  and  gave  them  to  him. 
 ]\Ir.  Gordon  could  scarcely  learn  whether  it  was  the  body  of 
 Williams  or  of  Harris  that  had  been  sent  to  a  neighbouring 
 tribe  for  cannibal  purposes ;  but  there  was  no  doubt  that 
 one  of  the  bodies  had  been  sent.^ 
 
 When  Kowiowi  was  killed  in  a  fight,  during  the  time 
 of  ]\Ir.  J.  D.  Gordon,  at  Dillon's  Bay,  though  he  died  a 
 heathen,  his  relatives  requested  that  he  might  be  buried  in 
 the  Christian  graveyard.  This  was  granted,  and  he  was 
 laid  in  a  grave  not  far  from  the  spot  where  the  martyred 
 Gordons  await  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 
 
 It  has  been  stated  that  the  population  of  the  island  has 
 been  very  much  reduced  since  the  days  of  Captain  Cook. 
 Many  were  formerly  located  at  Dillon's  Bay,  where  there  is 
 a  fertile  valley  on  the  banks  of  the  river ;  but  the  influx  of 
 foreigners,  and  the  deadly  eftect  of  firearms,  made  them  flee 
 to  the  inland  valleys  and  the  mountains.  Mr.  G.  N. 
 Gordon  was  several  days  at  Dillon's  Bay  before  he  saw  ten 
 natives.  When  he  went  inland  he  found  large  tribes  of 
 good  physical  development,  some  individuals  being  six 
 feet  liigh.  They  bore  a  bad  name,  on  account  of  the  deeds 
 of  treachery  and  cruelty  which  they  had  committed  on 
 Europeans ;  but  as  these  deeds  were  invariably  in  retalia- 
 tion for  injuries  they  had  received  from  white  men,  it 
 '  Xineteen  Years  in  Polynesia,  p.  4S6. 
 O 
 
2IO  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 is  hard  to  judge  tliem  by  this.  Captain  (now  Admiral) 
 Erskine  expressed  his  astonishment  that  the  Bishop  of  New 
 Zealand,  in  1849,  went  among  them  unarmed,  and  that  he 
 permitted  no  arms  of  any  description  to  be  on  his  vessel. 
 He  thought  the  enterprise  full  of  risk,  but  he  adds :  '  When 
 informed  by  him  that  he  had  permitted  several  of  the 
 Eromangans,  whose  hostility  to  white  men  is  notorious,  to 
 come  on  board  in  Dillon's  Bay,  I  was  ready  to  allow  that  it 
 required  the  perfect  presence  of  mind,  and  dignitied  bearing 
 of  Bishop  Selwyn,  which  seemed  never  to  fail  in  impressing 
 these  savages  with  a  feeling  of  his  superiority,  to  render 
 such  an  act  one  of  safety  or  prudence.'^ 
 
 Mr.  Gordon  and  the  missionaries  who  succeeded  him 
 acted  in  the  spirit  of  Bishop  Selwyn,  and  treated  the  natives 
 wdth  kindness.  The  chief  danger  lies  in  the  existence  of 
 unavenged  injuries  on  the  part  of  white  men,  and  in  the 
 jealousy  of  sacred  men  against  the  teachers  of  the  new 
 religion.  But  Mr.  George  Gordon  went  about  among  them 
 without  fear  when  once  he  could  speak  the  language,  and 
 was  enabled,  he  said,  '  to  spend  nights  among  them,  in 
 j^laces  too  where  they  were  actually  killing  and  eating 
 each  other,  and  even  where  foreigners  have  been  killed 
 since  we  came  to  Eromanga.'  Mr.  James  Gordon  was 
 attached  to  them,  and  lived  for  eight  years  alone  in  their 
 midst.  But  it  requires  a  long  time  to  eradicate  the  sus- 
 picion, and  even  hatred  of  foreigners  which  exists  among 
 them.  After  so  many  deaths,  it  would  not  seem  strange  if 
 a  missionary  could  not  be  found  to  venture  among  them. 
 One  hope,  however,  remained.  The  sandal-wood  trade  had 
 become  exhausted,  and  the  station  was  abandoned.  The 
 premises  and  the  land  belonging  to  the  company,  which 
 extended  two  or  three  miles  on  both  sides  of  the  river  to 
 the  sea,  and  which  had  been  purchased  at  various  times 
 from  tlie  chiefs,  with  consent  of  the  tribes,  was  sold  to  the 
 mission   for   £150.      Almost   all   the    Christians  came   to 
 
 '  Journal  of  a  C'rui{>e  in  (he  Islands  of  the  Western  Pacific. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  211 
 
 reside  on  this  land,  where  there  is  abundance  of  food. 
 They  were  strong  as  a  party,  and  not  likely  to  be  wantonly 
 attacked.  It  was  important,  therefore,  that  this  advantage 
 should  be  kept  up.  Every  missionary  on  the  group  con- 
 sidered that  the  opening  ought  to  be  occupied.  And  in 
 the  good  providence  of  God  a  missionary  was  found.  The 
 Eev.  Hugh  A.  Eobertson  and  his  brave  young  wife  arrived 
 from  Nova  Scotia  in  1872,  and  deliberately  preferred  Ero- 
 manga  as  a  sphere.  The  choice  was  not  made  in  ignorance. 
 Mr.  Eobertson  had  resided  on  the  island  of  Aneityum  for 
 several  years  in  a  civil  capacity,  as  agent  for  a  cotton 
 company.  He  became  so  deeply  interested  in  the  mission 
 that  he  determined,  as  Mr.  Sibree,  the  architect,  did  in 
 Madagascar,  to  offer  his  services  to  the  mission.  For  this 
 purpose  he  returned  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  passed  through  a 
 course  of  study,  and  was  ordained  as  a  missionary.  He 
 knew  the  history  of  the  island  and  of  the  mission,  and  had 
 practically  learned  the  proper  way  of  dealing  with  the 
 natives ;  he  therefore  chose  this  blood-stained  isle  as  the 
 sphere  of  his  labours,  and  obeyed  the  call,  '  Whom  shall  I 
 send,  and  who  will  go  for  us  ? '  He  was  conniiissioned  by 
 the  Synod  of  the;  Maritime  Provinces  of  British  North 
 America,  a  negotiating  party  to  the  union  of  Presbyterians 
 in  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and  now  absorbed  by  that  union 
 into  the  large  and  influential  Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada. 
 
 They  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the  Christian  people, 
 and  took  up  their  abode  in  the  house  which  Mr.  M'Nair 
 had  occupied,  and-  which  had  formerly  belonged  to  the 
 sandal-wood  trader.  It  was  a  very  unhealthy  situation, 
 near  the  river,  surrounded  by  a  miasma  which  is  deadly 
 poison  to  Europeans,  besides  being  too  much  sheltered  from 
 the  beneficial  effects  of  the  trade  winds.  They  soon  found 
 it  to  be  necessary  to  erect  a  new  and  more  commodious 
 house  nearer  the  sea.     This  has  been  happily  accomplished. 
 
 A  tablet  of  wood  was  erected,  by  efforts  made  by  me  in 
 Sydney,  to  the  memory  of  the  martyrs  of  Eromanga,  with 
 
2 1 2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 an  inscription  in  tlie  native  language,  and  placed  in  the 
 church  at  Dillon's  Bay.^  Thus  every  Sabbath  it  could  be 
 read  by  the  congregation.  The  church  was  blown  down 
 by  a  hurricane  in  1877,  but  the  tablet  was  preserved.  On 
 the  arrival  of  the  Eev.  H.  A.  Kobertson  and  his  family 
 in  Sydney,  in  the  end  of  that  year,  it  was  resolved  to  erect 
 a  Martyrs'  Memorial  Church,  of  modest  pretensions,  at 
 Dillon's  Bay.  It  was  judged  advisable  to  build  it  of  wood, 
 on  account  of  the  occasional  earthquakes.  A  small  sum 
 had  been  collected,  chiefly  by  the  efforts  of  the  Piev.  W, 
 Wyatt  Gill,  B.A.,  of  Mangaia,  Harvey  Isles,  while  on  a 
 visit  to  Sydney  in  1862,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a 
 monument  at  Dillon's  Bay  to  the  memory  of  Williams  and 
 Harris.  It  could  not,  however,  be  applied  to  its  object  at 
 the  time,  on  account  of  the  troubles  at  Eromanga,  and  was 
 placed  in  the  savings'  bank.  It  had  accumulated  to  £46 
 in  1878;  so,  with  consent  of  Mr.  Wyatt  Gill  and  others 
 concerned,  it  was  applied  to  the  new  fund  for  a  Martyrs' 
 Memorial  Church.  HaAdng  taken  the  matter  in  hand,  I 
 received  as  much  as  made  the  sum  up  to  £200,  for  a  plain 
 and  substantial  church,  to  be  prepared  in  Sydney,  and  sent 
 by  the  missionary  vessel  Bay  sirring  in  1879.     In  this  the 
 
 '  The  following  is  the  inscription  in  English  : — 
 Sacred  to  tlie  ileniory 
 of  Christian  Missionaries  who  died  on  this  island. 
 John  Williams, 
 James  Harris, 
 Killed  at  Dillon's  Bay  by  the  Natives, 
 30th  November  1839  ; 
 George  N.  Gordon, 
 Ellen  C.  Gordon, 
 Killed  on  20th  May  1861  ; 
 James  M'Nair, 
 Who  died  at  Dillon's  Bay,  IGth  July  1870  ;  and 
 James  D.  Gordon, 
 Killed  at  Portinia  Bay,  7th  March  1872. 
 '  They  hazarded  their  lives  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.' — Acts  xv.  26. 
 '  It  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus 
 came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners.' — 1  Tim.  i.  15. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  EROMANGA.  213 
 
 tablet  has  its  appropriate  place.  The  sum  of  £100,  left 
 by  one  of  my  Sunday  scholars,  was  given  me  by  her  parents 
 to  be  funded  to  pay  a  native  teacher  on  Eromanga. 
 
 There  are  now  on  Eromanga  twenty-one  native  teachers, 
 all  Christian  natives  of  the  island,  employed  in  instructing 
 the  people.  They  form,  by  their  stations,  a  network  over 
 the  island.  There  is  a  church  built  of  stone  at  Portinia 
 Bay,  and  a  grass  church  at  Cook's  Bay.  At  the  latter 
 place,  a  cottage  has  been  erected  for  the  missionary  when 
 he  visits  the  district.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  administered 
 in  Cook's  Bay  in  September  1878.  Previous  to  its  cele- 
 bration Mr.  Eobertson  baptized  thirteen  adult  converts  and 
 three  children.  There  were  four  hundred  natives  present,  in 
 addition  to  the  communicants.  There  were  on  this  island 
 in  1878,  forty-three  communicants  and  ten  candidates. 
 Six  hundred  of  the  people  attend  Christian  ordinances 
 more  or  less  regularly  at  the  different  stations.  The  chief 
 of  Dillon's  Bay,  a  true  friend  of  the  mission,  visited  Sydney 
 in  December  1878,  but  died  suddenly  in  the  infirmary 
 there.  His  cousin  Atuelo,  a  Christian  teacher,  was  with 
 him,  and  returned  to  his  native  island  in  April  1879. 
 '  My  land,'  said  he,  '  is  dark,  I  go  to  teach  them.' 
 
 Mr.  Eobertson  is  very  anxious  that  another  missionary 
 may  be  stationed  on  Eromanga.  With  so  many  teachers 
 and  stations,  such  a  division  of  work  would  enable  the 
 missionary  more  frequently  to  reach  the  heathen,  and  to 
 make  known  to  them  the  gospel  of  Christ.  It  is  remark- 
 able how,  after  so  many  disasters  and  martyrdoms,  the 
 banner  of  the  gospel  has  been  upheld.  Another  man  has 
 come  to  take  the  colours.  Who,  then,  will  now  come  to 
 the  help  of  the  Lord  on  the  blood-stained  isle  of  Eromanga  ? 
 
 '  To  live  and  work  for  Thee, 
 Me  Thou  didst  send 
 Amidst  earth's  ruins.     May  I  be 
 
 Unto  tire  end 
 A  living  sacrifice.     My  store 
 Is  Thine,  not  mine — for  evermore. 
 
2 1 4  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  Thy  work,  0  God,  is  mine, 
 
 Daily  to  do  ; 
 My  work,  0  God,  is  Thine, 
 
 While  I  pursue 
 The  path  in  which  my  Saviour  trod. 
 In  sunshine,  or  beneath  Thy  rod. 
 
 '  With  Thee  to  guide  aright, 
 
 I  fear  no  foe  ; 
 Nor  in  the  darkest  night 
 
 Refrain  to  go 
 Where'er  Thy  voice  is  heard  to  call, 
 For  Thou  encirclest,  rulest  all. 
 
 '  What  though  my  passions  rage, 
 And  urge  retreat, 
 The  warfare  which  I  wage 
 
 Knows  no  defeat ; 
 The  conquering  power  is  on  my  side, 
 While  I  in  Jesu's  love  abide. 
 
 '  If,  till  I  reach  the  end 
 
 Of  life's  short  day, 
 I  must  the  truth  defend 
 
 'Gainst  error's  sway, 
 Oh  let  Thy  Spirit  on  my  sight 
 Pour  forth  the  beams  of  heavenly  light ! 
 
 '  Then,  when  death's  icy  hand 
 
 Shall  touch  my  heart, 
 
 And  from  life's  weary  strand 
 
 I  must  depart. 
 Let  the  dismissal.  Lord,  to  me 
 Be  but  the  entrance  hour  with  Thee. ' 
 
CHAPTEE    X. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH,  WITH  ITS  ISLETS. 
 
 '  But  here  it  was  a  sailof's  thought 
 
 That  named  the  island  from  tlie  Earl, 
 
 That  dreams  of  England  might  be  brought 
 
 To  these  soft  shores  and  seas  of  pearl. 
 
 '  How  very  fair  they  must  have  seemed. 
 
 When  first  they  darkened  on  the  deep  !  — 
 Like  all  the  wandering  seaman  dreamed 
 When  land  rose  lovely  on  his  sleep. 
 
 •  How  many  dreams  they  turned  to  truth, 
 When  first  they  met  the  sailor's  eyes  ! — 
 Green  with  the  sweet  earth's  southern  youth, 
 And  azure  with  her  southern  skies. 
 
 '  And  yet  our  English  thought  beguiles 
 
 The  mariner  where'er  he  roam  ; 
 
 He  looks  upon  the  new-found  isles. 
 
 And  calls  them  by  some  name  of  Home. ' 
 
 — L.  E.  Lakdon*. 
 
 Captain  Cook  discovered  this  island  in  1774,  and  named 
 it  after  his  patron,  the  Earl  of  Sandwich,  then  First  Lord  of 
 the  Admiralty.  He  had  already  attached  the  name  to  the 
 Hawaian  gronp,  north  of  the  equator,  and  to  a  port  in  the 
 island  of  Mallicollo  which  he  had  just  visited.  No  navi- 
 gator was  ever  more  anxious  to  ascertain  and  to  perpetuate 
 native  names  of  islands  than  he,  and  it  is  astonishing 
 how  correctly  he  gathered  these  from  people  of  so  many 
 different  languages.  Occasionally,  however,  he  either  had 
 no  opportunity  of  learning  the  name,  or  failed  to  get  it 
 
2i6  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 from  the  natives.  The  native  name  of  this  beautiful 
 island  is  Fate  or  Vate ;  though  missionaries  longest  con- 
 versant with  the  language  say,  that  the  proper  spelling  is 
 Efate  or  Ifate. 
 
 It  is  situated  about  sixty  miles  to  the  north-west  of 
 Eromanoa,  and  lies  between  168°  10'  and  168°  30'  east 
 longitude,  and  between  17°  29'  and  17°  43'  south  latitude. 
 Its  circumference  is  seventy-five  miles.  It  is  richly 
 diversified  with  scenery.  A  belt  of  vegetation  extends 
 '  on  all  sides  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
 sea,'  says  Captain  Erskine,  '  a  white  sandy  beach  running 
 along  the  shores.  Above  the  first  range,  especially  on  the 
 mainland  which  forms  the  south  side  of  the  harbour,  the 
 surrounding  hills  are  of  varied  and  picturesque  forms,  being 
 in  general  bare  of  trees,  but  covered  with  apparently  rich 
 pasture,  in  some  places  brown,  as  if  burnt  for  the  purposes 
 of  cultivation.  The  rainbow-tints  caused  by  the  setting 
 sun,  gave  a  peculiar  beauty  to  the  landscape,  and  many  of 
 the  officers  considered  that  none  of  the  islands  we  had  yet 
 visited,  offered  so  beautiful  a  scene  as  that  which  lay  before 
 us.'  Captain  Cook,  as  indeed  is  every  voyager,  was  struck 
 with  the  terraced  lawns  which  meet  the  eye  on  approaching 
 the  island  from  the  north.  The  coast  on  the  north-west 
 side  is  indented  with  magnificent  bays  and  harbours,  but 
 on  the  east  there  is  a  dangerous  reef  The  Bay  of  Pango, 
 w^hich  runs  up  into  what  is  called  Eil  Harbour,  is  a  large 
 and  safe  refuge  for  a  fleet  of  vessels.  There  are  three 
 islands,  two  of  which  contain  a  considerable  population, 
 within  the  bay.  Farther  towards  the  north,  about  twelve 
 or  fourteen  miles,  is  Havannah  Harbour,  discovered  by  Capt. 
 (now  Admiral)  Erskine  in  H.M.S.  Havannah  in  1849. 
 It  is  almost  entirely  land-locked,  being  bounded  on  the 
 east  and  south  by  the  mainland,  and  on  the  north  and 
 west  by  two  small  islands.  There  is  a  good  entrance  from 
 the  south-west;  a  safe  passage  for  vessels  of  any  size 
 between  the  two  islands,  and  a  2:)assage  open  only  to  boats 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     217 
 
 to  the  north.  The  length  of  the  harbour  is  seven  miles, 
 by  two  or  three  in  breadth.  Its  only  fault  is  its  depth, 
 which  is  so  great  that  in  some  places  vessels  might  lie 
 almost  at  the  very  shore  without  grazing  the  bottom. 
 Anchorage  can  be  secured  in  a  few  places,  now  well  known, 
 as  this  harbour  and  also  Pango  Bay  have  been  surveyed, 
 and  plans  published  by  the  Admiralty.  The  land  is  rich 
 and  fertile,  and  yields  abundance  of  native  fruits,  and  has 
 capabilities  for  cotton  cultivation.  It  is  highly  valued  by 
 European  settlers,  and  will  soon  attract  more.  It  is  subject 
 to  earthquakes.  In  the  year  1864  there  were  six  sharp 
 ones. 
 
 The  inhabitants  of  Fate  exhibit  a  higher  physique  than 
 .those  of  the  southern  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides.  Capt. 
 Erskine's  description  of  them  appears,  after  the  personal 
 inspection  of  the  present  writer,  to  be  very  accurate.  He 
 says  :  '  These  people,  though  differing  a  good  deal  among 
 themselves,  had,  except  the  black  colour  of  their  skins,  few 
 points  of  resemblance  to  the  Tannese.  They  were  of  larger 
 stature  and  more  regular  features,  some  having  straight  or 
 almost  aquiline  noses,  good  foreheads,  and  beards  of  a 
 moderate  size.  As  their  manners  were  more  composed,  so 
 their  dress  was  more  decent,  consisting  of  a  broad  belt  of 
 matting,  seven  or  eight  inches  wide,  very  neatly  worked  in 
 a  diamond  pattern,  of  red,  white,  and  black  colours,  with  a 
 species  of  maro  presented  in  front.  Many  of  them  had 
 their  skins  tattooed,  or  rather  covered  with  raised  figures, 
 the  arms  and  chest  being  the  parts  chiefly  operated  upon ; 
 the  cartilage  of  the  nose  was  frequently  pierced,  and  filled 
 with  a  circular  piece  of  stone ;  and  the  lobes  of  the  ears 
 always  so,  large  ornaments  of  white  shell  being  hung 
 from  them,  so  as  often  to  extend  the  orifice  to  a  large  size. 
 Eound  their  arms,  and  in  some  cases  round  their  ankles, 
 they  wore  handsome  bracelets,  made  of  small  rings  ground 
 out  of  shells,  exactly  resembling  chain-armour,  and  so 
 neatly  strung  together  in  black  and  white  rows  or  figures, 
 
2 1 8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 that  the  inside  resembled  a  coarse  woven  cloth.  Garters 
 of  a  green  leaf  were  often  tied  tight  round  the  leg  under 
 the  knee ;  and  in  one  or  two  instances  the  crisp  hair,  which 
 was  in  general  of  a  moderate  length,  was  gathered  up  into 
 a  large  top- knot,  coloured  yellow  by  lime,  and  a  neat  plume 
 of  cock's  feathers  attached  to  the  scratching  pin  inserted  in 
 it.'  Since  Captain  Erskine's  day  the  matting  has  given  way 
 to  calico  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  beads,  beautifully 
 variegated  in  colour,  are  used  for  armlets.  Tobacco  was 
 ta'pu  in  1849,  but  it  had  become  a  chief  article  of  barter  in 
 1874.  'The  women,'  says  Captain  Erskine,  'are  generally 
 tall  and  thin,  their  hair  cropped  close  to  the  head,  and  the 
 skin  occasionally  marked  with  figures,  as  was  remarked  on 
 the  men's  bodies.  Their  dress  did  not  differ  much  from 
 that  of  the  males,  consisting  of  a  somewhat  broader  waist- 
 belt,  and  a  square  mat  in  front  resembling  an  enlarged 
 maro.  To  this  must  be  added,  the  singular  appendage  of  a 
 tail,  made  of  grass  or  matting,  the  ends  being  of  a  loose 
 fringe  of  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  and  the  whole  suspended 
 from  the  waist-belt,  and  reaching  nearly  to  the  calf  of  the 
 leg.'  Again  it  may  be  remarked  that  calico  has  changed 
 this  all  along  the  coast.  The  tail  has  given  way,  and  I  did 
 not  observe  it  on  the  women  till  I  reached  Espiritu  Santo. 
 Tlie  women  of  Fate  are  much  more  bold  and  strong  than  those 
 of  the  southern  islands.  They  wear  no  petticoat  of  leaves. 
 Their  bosoms  are  entirely  uncovered.  They  paddle  canoes, 
 and  climb  up  the  sides  of  a  vessel  without  any  of  the 
 timidity  generally  characteristic  of  native  women.  They 
 seldom  wear  ornaments  except  in  the  cartilage  of  the  nose, 
 these  things  being  almost  exclusively  the  privilege  of  the 
 men.  They  have  here,  as  on  the  otlier  islands,  much  work 
 to  do. 
 
 Polygamy  abounds,  but  there  is  an  extraordinary  dis- 
 position to  destroy  infant  life,  sometimes  even  before  birth. 
 This  probably  arises  from  the  amount  of  work  imposed 
 upon   the   females;   and   as   nursing   interferes   with  their 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     219 
 
 labour  on  their  plantations,  and  with  carrying  burdens  of 
 food,  they  sacrifice  their  parental  feelings,  and  kill  their 
 children.  In  few  families  are  there  more  than  two  or 
 three  growing  children.  Some  women  are  not  allowed  to 
 keep  alive  more  than  one  child.  They  bury  their  infants 
 alive,  as  they  also  do  the  very  aged  and  feeble  or  the 
 delirious.  The  population  is,  from  these,  as  well  as  other 
 causes,  rapidly  diminishing. 
 
 The  Fatese  are  inveterate  cannibals,  and  many  tales  of 
 the  most  revolting  cruelty  are  told  of  them  in  their  efforts 
 to  get  human  flesh.  Shipwrecked  mariners  from  English 
 vessels  have  met  with  death  at  their  hands  after  having 
 escaped  the  sea.  The  vengeance  on  white  men  may  have 
 been  provoked,  but  the  Fatese  propensity  for  cannibalism 
 has  led  the  natives  farther  than  revenge.  In  1847,  two 
 white  men  arrived  in  a  boat ;  the  natives  resolved  upon 
 their  death.  One  escaped  by  the  effort  of  a  native  Christian 
 from  Samoa,  but  the  other  was  killed  and  cooked.  The 
 captain  and  the  remainder  of  the  crew  arrived  two  days 
 after.  The  same  purpose  was  cherished  with  regard  to 
 them.  They  were,  however,  treated  with  apparent  kindness 
 when  they  landed,  and  provided  with  cocoa-nuts  and  sugar- 
 cane. While  this  was  being  done,  others  mustered  the 
 people,  who  came  rapidly,  fully  armed.  The  native  teachers 
 discovered  the  plot,  and,  along  with  the  rescued  man,  did 
 all  they  could  to  prevent  its  execution.  It  was  in  vain. 
 The  awful  purpose  was  carried  out.  The  chief  took  the 
 lead,  and  a  white  man  was  placed  immediately  before  a 
 native  as  they  marched  in  single  file.  At  a  preconcerted 
 place,  the  chief  gave  the  signal,  when  every  white  man  was 
 struck.  A  few  natives  of  Tanna  who  had  been  in  the 
 vessel  escaped,  but  were  pursued  and  killed.  Ten  bodies 
 were  cooked  on  the  spot  and  eaten.  It  is  not  exactly 
 known  how  many  were  killed.  The  other  bodies  were 
 distributed  among  the  villages. 
 
 Even  natives  from  different  parts  of  the  island  have  been 
 
2  20  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 massacred  in  a  similar  way  for  the  same  purposes.  The 
 tribe  living  on  the  peninsula  of  Pango  on  one  occasion  fell 
 upon  a  party  of  twenty-nine  from  Sema,  in  Havannah 
 Harbour,  who  had  come  for  trade,  and  murdered  twenty- 
 two.  Only  seven  escaped.  These  bodies  were  also  dis- 
 tributed among  the  villages,  and  were  all  eaten  except  one. 
 In  the  interior  of  the  island  cannibalism  still  prevails. 
 
 The  Fatese  have  higher  arts  than  the  southern  islanders. 
 Their  huts  are  larger  and  of  better  construction.  Their 
 canoes  are  much  larger,  and  some  of  them  carry  sails. 
 They  make  much  superior  mats  and  finer  ornaments.  The 
 houses  are  better  furnished.  What  Captain  Erskine  observed 
 is  still  a  striking  sight  to  a  visitor.  '  The  interior  of  the 
 roof  was  entirely  concealed  by  the  bundles  which  were 
 suspended  from  the  rafters.  Here  hung  strings  of  the  ver- 
 tebrae of  pigs,  there  the  joints  of  their  tails ;  while  dozens 
 of  merry- thoughts  of  fowls,  and  every  conceivable  bone  of 
 birds  and  fishes,  mingled  with  lobster  shells  and  sharks' 
 fins.  Whether  human  bones  formed  any  part  of  the 
 collection  I  cannot  say,  but  none  came  under  my  observa- 
 tion. ...  As  to  the  object  or  origin  of  this  curious  custom, 
 we  could  get  no  information  ;  but  were  told  that  the  passion 
 for  collecting  these  bones  is  so  great,  that  a  traffic  in  them 
 is  carried  on,  not  only  among  the  tribes,  but  with  the 
 neighbouring  islands.' 
 
 The  language  of  Fat^  is  one,  with  dialectal  differences, 
 and  it  is  spread  over  at  least  ten  other  islands  towards  the 
 north,  which  is  quite  an  exception  in  the  New  Hebrides, 
 and  invests  the  island  with  special  interest  both  in  a  trading 
 and  a  missionary  point  of  view.  The  islands  of  Fila  and 
 Mel,  in  the  bay  of  Pango,  have,  however,  a  different  tongue, 
 closely  allied,  as  has  been  already  stated,  to  that  on  Aniwa 
 and  Fotuna.  The  people  on  these  islands  are  different,  and 
 do  not,  as  a  rule,  intermarry  with  the  Fatese.  Though  they 
 reside  on  these  two  islands,  they  have  their  plantations  on 
 the  mainland.     They  are  even  more  stately  and  better  propor- 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     221 
 
 tioned  than  the  Fatese,  but  their  women  are  more  shame- 
 less and  impudent.  Most  of  the  men  have  been  in  Queens- 
 Land  or  Fiji,  and  in  every  hut  ma}^  be  seen  chests  and 
 muskets.  Many  of  the  Fatese  in  the  harbours  have  also 
 been  away,  and  have  similar  fruits  of  their  travels.  All 
 such  have  an  amount  of  cunning  and  bravado,  learned 
 abroad. 
 
 The  superstitions  on  Fate  are  more  elaborate  than  those 
 on  the  southern  islands.  They  have  a  more  fully  developed 
 mythology.  They  worship,  as  all  do,  the  spirits  of  the 
 dead,  but  recognise  two  supreme  divinities,  to  whom  they 
 ascribe  all  things.  They  believe  in  a  hades  and  a  place  of 
 retribution.  They  have  their  sacred  men  and  disease- 
 makers.  One  peculiarity  of  their  worship  is,  that  they 
 erect  hollow  trees  in  a  sacred  square,  and  carve  rude  devices 
 on  them.  These  are  chiefly  dedicated  to  the  spirits  of  the 
 dead,  and  after  deaths  have  occurred,  on  certain  seasons  at 
 moonlight,  the  people  beat  these  drums  and  dance  around 
 them.  They  are  as  much  under  the  influence  of  their 
 superstitions  as  any  of  their  neighbours,  and  are  as  little 
 disposed  to  abandon  them  for  the  gospel. 
 
 Vessels  engaged  in  the  sandal-wood  trade  visited  Fate, 
 and  deeds  of  blood  on  the  part  of  white  men  and  the 
 natives  were  perpetrated  which  will  be  long  remembered. 
 A  specimen  has  already  been  given,  quoted  from  Commander 
 Markham's  work,  of  the  cruelties  of  traders.  These  men, 
 after  destroying  so  many  of  the  natives,  cut  down  sandal- 
 w^ood  and  sailed  away.  The  crews  of  two  English  vessels 
 were  massacred  by  the  natives  in  retaliation.  What  a  pre- 
 judice against  the  philanthropic  eflbrts  of  white  men  such 
 outrages  must  have  created  in  the  minds  of  the  savages  I 
 Yet  these  very  circumstances,  as  they  became  known,  in- 
 fluenced those  who  were  connected  with  missionary  enter- 
 prise to  make  an  effort  to  introduce  the  gospel  to  Fate, 
 and  particularly  in  the  bay  of  Pango. 
 
 Fate  w^as  visited  by  the   mission   vessel  John   Williams 
 
2  2  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 for  the  first  tiiue  in  1845.  While  Messrs.  Murray  and 
 Turner,  the  missionaries  on  board,  were  at  Dillon's  Bay, 
 Eromanga,  they  learned  that  some  Tongans  and  Saraoans 
 who  had  lost  their  way  at  sea  had  landed  on  Fate,  and  were 
 introducing  Christianity.  The  captain  who  gave  this  in- 
 formation, offered  the  missionaries  the  assistance  of  a  New 
 Zealander  to  find  out  the  few  who  yet  survived.  The  offer 
 was  eagerly  embraced,  and  the  vessel  reached  the  island  on 
 the  1st  of  May.^  After  some  trouble,  they  discovered  the 
 Samoan  Saulo,  who  had  married  the  daughter  of  the  chief  at 
 Erakor.  With  consent  of  the  chief,  four  teachers  were  left 
 to  instruct  the  people  in  Christianity.  In  1846,  they  were 
 visited  by  the  vessel,  and  found  to  be  in  good  health  and 
 encouraged  in  their  work.  They  had  five  stations  where 
 they  held  religious  services.  But  disaster  speedily  followed, 
 occasioned,  it  is  believed,  by  the  massacre  of  the  crew  of  a 
 vessel,  the  Caipt  Packet.  The  native  teachers  were  exposed 
 to  many  trials.  One  died,  and  the  chief  wished  to  take 
 possession  of  his  wife.  She  resisted,  and  was  so  excited 
 that  she  rushed  into  the  sea  and  was  drowned.  Two  more 
 teachers  were  taken  ill ;  one  died,  and  the  other  being 
 delirious,  was,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  island,  killed 
 by  the  natives.  Meanwhile  some  of  tlie  revolting  massacres 
 already  referred  to  had  occurred,  and  when  the  mission  vessel 
 came  in  1849  everything  was  discouraging.  The  people  of 
 tlie  island  of  ]\Iel  had  conspired  to  murder  the  teachers,  and 
 had  almost  succeeded.  However,  the  mission  at  Erakor 
 was  recruited,  and  in  three  years  produced  remarkable 
 results.  The  visit  of  H.M.S.  Havannah  that  year,  made  a 
 good  impression,  and  the  teachers  were  enabled  to  pursue 
 their  w^ork  in  peace.  The  number  attending  worship  was 
 between  one  and  two  hundred ;  the  Sabbath  was  observed, 
 many  heathen  practices  abandoned,  and  a  place  of  worship 
 erected.      At  Pango  there  was  a  similar  result.     In   1853, 
 
 ^  Jlr.   JIurray  gives  a  full  account  of  this  visit   in   Missions  in   Western 
 PoJijncsia. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     223 
 
 the  mission  vessel  called,  and  missionaries  on  board  found 
 nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  people  in  church,  and  eager 
 for  a  resident  European  missionary. 
 
 Several  young  men  had  been  taken  to  Samoa  in  the 
 vessel,  and  were  brought  back.  New  teachers  were  located, 
 with  every  hope  of  success.  But  only  nineteen  days 
 elapsed  after  the  landing  of  these  teachers  and  their  wives 
 when  they  were  murdered  by  the  natives.  Subsequent  to 
 this  sad  event  an  epidemic  broke  out,  and  carried  off  one 
 hundred  and  fifty  natives  of  Erakor.  Two  other  teachers 
 died,  and  when  the  mission  vessel  arrived  in  October  1850, 
 all  the  surviving  Samoan  evangelists  had  to  be  removed. 
 
 In  1857,  the  Jolm  Williams  called  again,  and  brethren 
 on  board  found  a  good  many  of  the  people  keeping  up  the 
 forms  of  Christian  worship,  and  anxious  to  get  teachers. 
 In  1858,  three  Earotongan  teachers  were  settled,  and  two 
 natives  who  had  been  at  Samoa  for  instruction  were  re- 
 stored to  their  friends.  Two  more  were  taken  on  board  for 
 a  visit  to  Samoa.  In  1860,  Mr.  Turner  was  the  deputy  in 
 the  mission  vessel,  and  he  reported  that  the  whole  settle- 
 ment of  Erakor  is  nominally  Christian,  that  the  teachers 
 were  kindly  treated,  and  that  eight  natives  of  the  island 
 had  been  assisting  them.  Two  teachers  from  the  Christian 
 island  of  Aneityum  were  next  landed,  along  with  their  wives, 
 to  assist  the  mission.  The  two  Fatese  youths  who  went 
 to  Samoa  were  returned.  Everything  promised  well,  and 
 it  was  the  conviction  of  Mr.  Turner  that  several  were  ready 
 for  baptism. 
 
 In  1861,  Messrs.  Murray  and  Geddie  were  the  deputies, 
 and  on  Sabbath  the  loth  September  service  was  held  in 
 the  church  at  Erakor.  Ten  persons— eight  men  and  two 
 w^omen — were  publicly  baptized  by  ]\Ir.  Geddie,  and  the 
 Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated  on  the  cannibal  island  of  Fate. 
 It  was  a  day  to  be  much  remembered.  The  Church  of  Christ 
 had  at  length  been  extended  to  an  island  so  long  noted  for  all 
 the  evils  of  heathenism,  and  a  way  was  opened  for  the  settle- 
 
2  2  4  THE  NE I V  HEBRIDES. 
 
 ment  of  a  European  missionary.  It  is  very  interesting  to 
 observe  that  all  this  had  been  accomplished  by  native 
 agency,  and  by  men  who  had  to  acquire  the  language  ere 
 they  could  communicate  a  knowledge  of  the  gospel  to  the 
 people.  Very  many  trials  and  much  bloodshed  had  to  be 
 gone  through;  but  these  experiences  proved  the  strength 
 and  the  propagating  power  of  Polynesian  Christianity. 
 
 These  men  exhibited  virtues  that  had  been  unknown  on 
 Fatt^.  Justice  there  was  might,  not  right ;  and  revenge,  not 
 forgiveness,  was  the  universal  practice.  The  passive  virtues 
 were  new  to  a  people  brought  up  in  the  practice  of  cruelty. 
 A  man  in  Erakor  considered  himself  aggrieved  by  a  native 
 of  Eratap,  and  resolved  to  be  revenged,  but  all  the  people 
 of  the  latter  village  kept  out  of  the  way.  The  man,  how- 
 ever, laid  his  plan  for  vengeance.  He  went  to  the  neigh- 
 bouring village  of  Pango,  then  at  peace  with  Erakor  and 
 Eratap,  and  frequented  by  persons  from  both  places.  He 
 left  his  club  in  the  house  of  Sakali,  one  of  the  Pango  men. 
 Sakali  had  no  grudge  against  the  intended  victim,  but  as 
 a  marlv  of  friendship  accepted  the  club  to  execute  revenge. 
 Shortly  after  this,  the  man  from  Eratap  came  to  Pango, 
 along  with  two  others.  Sakali  entertained  them  hospitably. 
 In  the  evening  he  gave  them  hava  to  drink  until  they 
 were  stupefied.  They  fell  asleep  in  his  hut  ;  and  while 
 unsuspecting  and  asleep,  the  fatal  club  was  brought  forth, 
 and  the  three  men  were  brutally  murdered  by  the  hand 
 of  the  man  who  had  entertained  them !  Their  bodies 
 were  carried  to  Erakor,  to  the  owner  of  the  club,  who 
 rewarded  this  treachery  and  murder  by  presents  of  pigs 
 and  mats  ! 
 
 Ptevenge  is  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  increases 
 in  intensity  as  time  passes.  It  is  thus  that  tragedies  occur 
 so  often  which  cannot  be  fully  explained  by  any  except  the 
 natives  themselves.  The  new  virtues  of  Christianity  thus 
 made  a  great  impression  at  Erakor  and  Pango,  and  all  the 
 people  were  anxious  for  a  missionary.      They  had  experi- 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     225 
 
 enced  great  trials  from  the  heathen  around,  and  felt  that  a 
 resident  white  missionary  would  be  of  the  greatest  import- 
 ance, as  it  undoubtedly  is.  They  waited  long,  and  were 
 often  disappointed,  but  in  1864  the  missionary  vessel 
 Dayspring,  on  its  first  voyage  to  the  New  Hebrides,  brought 
 the  Kev.  Donald  Morrison,  who  was  appointed  to  reside 
 at  Erakor,  as  the  first  missionary  on  Eate.  He  was  a  noble 
 s})ecimen  of  a  man,  tall  and  strong,  and  well  disciplined  by 
 life  and  work  in  a  rigorous  climate.  Mr.  Morrison  had 
 been  settled  as  a  minister  in  Prince  Edward  Island  over 
 tlie  congTegation  of  Strathalbyn.  His  parents  were  from 
 the  island  of  Lewis  in  the  Hebrides  of  Scotland,  and  had 
 emigrated  to  Cape  Breton.  They  were  persons  of  devoted 
 piety.  His  father  died  in  1843.  Donald  was  then  about 
 fifteen  years  of  age,  and  soon  displayed  a  seriousness  of 
 character  which  commanded  respect,  and  gave  him  great 
 influence  over  young  men.  For  a  short  time  he  tauglit  a 
 school  in  his  native  settlement,  but  when  about  twenty 
 years  of  age,  he  went  with  an  elder  brother  to  the  United 
 States,  where  they  got  higher  wages  than  their  own  colony 
 afforded.  They  generally  went  in  the  spring  and  returned 
 in  the  fall  of  the  year.  In  1853,  Mr.  Donald  Morrison 
 called  on  the  Eev.  Murdoch  Stewart,  then  of  West  Bay, 
 Cape  Breton,  and  who  was  his  minister,  to  inform  him  that 
 he  had  a  strong  desire,  if  it  were  the  will  of  God,  to  become 
 a  minister  of  the  gospel.  Mr.  Stewart,  after  conference 
 with  him,  invited  him  to  reside  in  his  house  to  give  lessons 
 to  his  boy,  and  to  receive  instruction  in  his  own  studies. 
 He  was  also  assisted  by  a  neighbouring  teacher,  and  was 
 thus  prepared  to  enter  the  Free  Church  Academy  in 
 Halifax,  where,  by  resolute  and  indomitable  perseverance, 
 he  got  over  the  difficulties  which  his  previous  defective 
 education  had  occasioned.  He  taught  privately  also  in 
 order  to  maintain  himself.  He  continued  in  Halifax  with- 
 out interruption  till  the  removal  of  the  family  in  which  he 
 was  tutor,  which  occurred  at  the  close  of  his  second  session 
 
 p 
 
2  26.  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 at  tlie  Divinity  Hall.  He  then  spent  six  months  in  teach- 
 ing near  his  native  place,  and  resided  again  with  Mr. 
 Stewart.  After  finishing  his  theological  studies  he  was 
 licensed  to  preach,  and  was  sent  to  Prince  Edward  Island. 
 He  had  for  some  time  cherished  a  desire  to  devote  himself 
 to  missionary  work  among  the  heathen,  and  often  spoke  of 
 it  as  '  the  noblest  work  in  which  a  liuman  being  could  be 
 engaged.'  And  when  tidings  came  of  the  tragic  disasters 
 in  the  New  Hebrides,  he  offered  to  go  to  take  up  the  fallen 
 colours.  It  is  said  that  in  this  matter  '  he  counselled  not 
 with  flesh  and  blood.'  He  was  heartily  welcomed  by  the 
 mission  board,  and  commissioned.  On  the  morning  of  the 
 day  on  which  a  prayer-meeting  was  held  in  Halifax,  to 
 commend  him  and  other  missionaries  about  to  sail  in  the 
 new  vessel  Bays'prhKj  to  the  care  of  God,  his  brother  John 
 '  fell  asleep  in  Jesus '  at  West  Bay,  Cape  Breton.  They 
 had  been  very  fondly  attached  to  each  other,  '  by  the  ties  of 
 a  double  brotherhood  ' — in  nature  and  in  grace. 
 
 Mr.  Morrison  was  highly  esteemed  by  those  who  came 
 in  contact  with  him  in  Australia,  where  he  spent  some 
 time,  and  preached  to  congregations.  He  left  Sydney  in 
 the  mission  vessel  in  May  1864.  He  was  appointed  by 
 his  brethren  on  the  New  Hebrides  to  Erakor,  the  sphere  of 
 his  choice,  and  settled  there  in  August.  The  people  at 
 Pango  felt  disappointed  that  they  did  not  also  get  a  mis- 
 sionary ;  but  they  were  supplied  by  Simeona,  an  excellent 
 evangelist  from  Aitutaki.  He  had  visited  England  in  1860, 
 and  was  a  man  of  much  intelligence,  and  very  useful  to 
 the  mission. 
 
 Mr.  Morrison  was  accompanied  by  a  young  wife,  who 
 had  been  well  trained  as  a  teacher  under  the  accomplished 
 Dr.  Forrester  of  Halifax.  They  entered  upon  their  work 
 with  zeal,  and  applied  themselves  to  acquire  the  language, 
 in  which  they  were  aided  by  the  native  teachers.  They 
 had  to  live  in  a  grass  house,  which  was  very  unhealthy,  and 
 had  an  injurious  effect  upon  tlie  health  of  Mr.  Morrison. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     227 
 
 The  native  Christians  warmly  welcomed  their  missionary 
 and  his  wife,  and  did  much  to  make  their  labour  pleasant. 
 It  was  cheering  on  the  first  settlement  of  a  European  mis- 
 sionary to  find  a  native  church,  though  much  had  to  be 
 done  in  putting  that  church  in  order.  Mr.  Morrison 
 attended  to  these  things,  and  as  soon  as  he  could,  endea- 
 voured to  provide  translations  from  the  Scripture,  and  a 
 psalmody  for  the  Christian  people.  The  Gospel  of  St. 
 Mark  was  printed  in  Sydney  in  1867,  and  a  hymn-book  at 
 Melbourne,  as  the  result  of  his  labours  in  the  language. 
 
 In  1865,  Mr.  Morrison  received  a  message  from  one  of 
 the  most  powerful  inland  chiefs.  This  man,  though  brave 
 in  war,  and  noted  for  cruelty,  was  afraid  to  visit  him,  lest 
 the  new  religion  should  hurt  him ;  but  he  sent  one  of  his 
 principal  men  to  visit  the  missionary,  and  promised  to  come 
 some  time  after.  This  chief  was  reported  to  be  one  of  the 
 greatest  cannibals  in  the  island  of  Fate.  On  one  occasion, 
 in  the  year  1863,  he  had  thirteen  human  bodies  cooked  at 
 a  feast.  So  revolting  had  his  cannibalism  become,  that  his 
 own  wives  and  their  children,  if  they  offended  him,  were 
 ruthlessly  killed  and  eaten.  It  was  said  that  his  wives 
 past  and  present  amounted  to  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
 and  so  jealous  was  he  of  them,  that  if  any  man  were  seen 
 looking  at  one  of  them,  he  was  at  once  killed  and  cooked  ! 
 A  man  marked  as  a  victim  of  his  jealousy  escaped,  and  was 
 resident  in  the  village  where  Mr.  Morrison  lived,  and  gave 
 him  these  details  of  iiis  cannibal  propensities. 
 
 The  name  of  this  formidable  chief  was  Marik  Tikaikow, 
 or  the  grey  Tikaikow.  Mr.  Morrison  had  the  courage  to 
 visit  him  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  and  was  well  received. 
 He  hoped  to  gain  some  opening  for  the  gospel  in  the  dis- 
 trict, and  intended  to  revisit  the  chief,  but  his  liealth  failed, 
 and  he  was  obliged  to  leave  for  the  colonies  in  1867. 
 Symptoms  of  pidmouary  disease  appeared,  and  though  he 
 tried  various  means  and  changes  of  climate,  the  symptoms 
 grew  worse.     He  resided  for  a  short  time  in  Queensland 
 
2  28  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  New  South  Wales,  and  in  1869  he  went  m  the  mission 
 vessel  to  the  islands,  but  it  was  only  to  say  farewell. 
 He  accompanied  the  vessel  to  Auckland,  and  spent  the 
 remainder  of  his  days  at  Onehunga,  where  he  died  in  the 
 Lord  on  the  23d  October  1869.  The  Rev.  G.  Brown, 
 minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  there,  said  that  he  had 
 never  witnessed  so  affecting  and  yet  so  noble  a  death-bed. 
 The  Eev.  D.  Bruce  of  Auckland,  in  a  letter  to  the  author, 
 said  :  '  His  end  was  very  rapid.  For  a  few  weeks  imme- 
 diately before,  he  felt  stronger,  and  was  very  cheerful  under 
 the  influence  of  reviving  hope;  but  on  the  21st  October 
 there  burst  an  abscess  in  his  right  lung,  and  his  constitution 
 was  too  weak  to  stand  the  demand  thus  made  upon  it.  .  .  . 
 The  Lord's  time  had  come,  and  He  took  His  servant  up  to 
 Himself  into  the  interior  departments  of  His  house.  I  was 
 with  him  during  a  considerable  part  of  the  2 2d ;  and  in  his 
 conversation  he  said,  that  now  he  was  laid  aside  from  the 
 work  to  which  he  had  given  himself,  he  would  hardly  say 
 that  he  was  "  in  a  strait  between  two,"  but  was  ready  "  to 
 depart  and  to  be  with  Christ."  He  was  buried  in  a  portion 
 of  the  cemetery  where  several  Nova  Scotians  had  been  laid, 
 and  a  few  from  that  colony  near  Auckland  raised  a  hand- 
 some monument  to  his  memory  on  his  grave.' 
 
 Mr.  Morrison  had  all  the  elements  of  an  excellent  mis- 
 sionary. He  had  courage,  and  he  tested  it  by  undertaking, 
 as  we  have  related,  a  journey  to  the  fiercest  cannibal  chief 
 in  the  interior  of  Fate,  an  adventure  which  has  been  only 
 once  repeated  by  a  missionary  since.  His  work  was  brief, 
 but  he  has  left  his  mark  in  the  Gospel  which  he  translated, 
 and  in  the  Fatese  hymn-book,  which  have  been  used  by  the 
 native  Christians  since  his  death.  There  are  not  wanting 
 some  of  the  swarthy  Fatese  to  be  his  'joy  and  crown  of 
 rejoicing  in  the  day  of  the  Lord.'  He  left  a  widow  and 
 one  child.  Mrs.  Morrison  preferred  to  remain  at  Onehunga, 
 where  she  became  very  useful  in  promoting  the  education 
 of  youth. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     229 
 
 Mr.  Morrison  thus  described  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's 
 Supper  at  Erakor  in  1865  :  'The  Lord's  Supper  is  dis- 
 pensed quarterly  among  us  now.  Before  we  came  it  was 
 dispensed  monthly.  Then  they  used  cocoa-nut  water  for 
 wine,  and  a  pudding  of  arrow-root  and  cocoa-nut  for  bread, 
 as  the  symbols  of  our  Saviour's  broken  body  and  shed 
 blood.  Now  we  have  the  ordinary  elements  of  bread  and 
 wine.  If  you  were  to  see  our  assembly,  you  would  find  us 
 in  a  long  narrow  building,  supported  by  posts  sunk  into  the 
 ground,  and  covered  with  long  grass  for  roofing.  The  walls 
 between  the  posts  are  made  of  bamboo,  standing  erect,  and 
 placed  side  by  side  all  round  the  building,  with  here  and 
 there  a  space  for  windows,  but  unenclosed  with  glass.  At 
 these  apertures,  and  between  the  bamboos,  the  grateful 
 atmosphere  has  free  access  and  egress.  At  one  end  of  the 
 building  is  a  low  stone  pulpit,  with  a  homely  native  board 
 for  a  book-desk.  At  each  side  of  the  house  is  a  long  seat 
 against  the  wall,  and  centre  seats  opposite  the  pulpit. 
 
 '  On  a  Counn  union  Sabbath  you  find  all  the  non-church 
 members  seated  in  the  farther  end  of  the  building,  while 
 nearer  the  pulpit  are  seated  men  and  women,  decently  clad 
 in  well-washed  clothes,  to  the  number  of  fifty-five.  These 
 are  the  communicants.  Their  countenances  are  dark,  but 
 they  have  an  air  of  gladness  and  solemnity,  indicating  a 
 feeling  such  as  was  expressed  by  the  psalmist  when  he  said, 
 "  I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  Let  us  go  into  the 
 house  of  the  Lord." 
 
 '  The  ordinary  services  being  ended,  the  missionary  takes 
 his  place  at  the  head  of  the  table,  while  six  humble  and 
 tried  natives  stand  near,  tlu'ee  on  each  hand,  to  pass  round 
 the  sacred  elements.  The  table  is  spread  with  a  white 
 cloth.  In  the  absence  of  better,  two  ordinary  plates,  two 
 crystal  tumblers,  and  two  crystal  bottles  constitute  the 
 service.  Prayer  being  offered,  the  bread  is  broken  and 
 passed  round,  and  the  wine  likewise.  After  a  short  interval 
 of  silence,  attention  is  directed  to  Him  whose  love  is  thus 
 
230  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 commemorated.  The  twenty-third  psalm,  rendered  into  the 
 Eatean  language,  is  then  sung,  and  these  lines  thrill  all 
 hearts — 
 
 "  My  table  Thou  host  furnislied 
 In  jiresence  of  mj'  foes." 
 
 Then  the  benediction  is  pronounced.  When  one  thinks 
 what  these  communicants  had  been,  how  they  had  sat  down 
 to  feast  on  liuman  flesh  as  hideous  painted  savages,  chant- 
 ing the  obscene  songs  of  heathenism,  a  Christian  cannot 
 help  saying,  "  What  hath  God  wrought ! "  These  are  the 
 first-fruits  of  Fate  to  Christ.  And  no  doubt,  whoever  will 
 live  to  see  it,  this  is  the  pledge  of  the  whole  island  for  the 
 Saviour.' 
 
 In  1866,  the  Eev.  James  Cosh,  M.A.,  then  newly  arrived 
 from  Scotland,  was  stationed  along  with  his  wife  at  Pango, 
 as  a  colleague  to  Mr.  Morrison.  Mr.  Cosh  had  a  good 
 constitution,  and  had  equipped  himself  fully  for  the 
 missionary  work  by  a  thorough  education,  and  by  attend- 
 ance upon  the  medical  classes.  He  entered  heartily  into 
 the  duties  of  his  sphere,  acquired  the  language,  and  mini- 
 stered to  the  people.  When  Mr,  Morrison's  health  failed, 
 he  took  superintendence  of  the  station  at  Erakor.  He 
 translated  the  Book  of  Genesis  and  the  Gospel  of  John. 
 He  prepared  a  primer  of  Scripture  history.  The  latter  was 
 at  once  printed,  and  the  portions  of  Scripture  have  been  since 
 revised  and  published  in  Sydney,  by  the  aid  of  the  Auxiliary 
 to  the  Bible  Society,  Mr,  Cosh  gathered  around  him  the 
 affection  of  the  people,  and  promised  to  be  a  most  efficient 
 missionary.  But  this  bright  prospect  was  clouded.  The 
 health  of  Mrs.  Cosh  failed,  from  the  same  cause  as  invalided 
 Mr,  Morrison, — residing  in  a  close  grass  house, — and  this 
 necessitated  the  very  reluctant  retirement  of  her  husband 
 from  the  mission  in  1870.  He  had  hoped  that  a  temporary 
 change  might  have  sufficed  ;  and  he  undertook  to  supply  the 
 pulpit  of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  Auckland,  during  the  absence 
 of  the   Eev.  David  Bruce   in   Scotland,     Medical    advice, 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     231 
 
 however,  was  against  Mrs.  Cosh's  return  to  the  islands. 
 There  was  a  desire  to  retain  Mr.  Cosh  in  Auckland,  and  an 
 effort  was  made  for  this  purpose ;  but  after  a  visit  to  Otago, 
 he  accepted  an  invitation  to  preach  at  Balraain,  one  of  the 
 most  populous  suburbs  of  Sydney,  where  he  was  soon  after 
 happily  settled.  He  has  done  much  to  build  up  the  Church 
 and  to  extend  it  there  ;  and  he  has  gained  the  respect  of 
 the  whole  Church.  An  Aneityumese  teacher,  named  Natonga, 
 was  put  in  charge  of  the  mission  at  Pango,  but  he  died  soon 
 afterwards.  Dr.  Geddie  left  another  Aneityumese  teacher, 
 named  Tupatai,  to  succeed  him,  and  this  good  man  wrought 
 harmoniously  with  the  elders,  and  was  supported  by  the 
 people. 
 
 It  was  a  serious  hindrance  to  the  mission  that  the  two 
 first  missionaries  on  Fate  should  have  been  removed  after  a 
 few  years'  residence.  They  could  do  nothing  more  in  the 
 time  than  acquire  the  language  and  commence  their  work. 
 Extension  could  not  be  attempted  by  themselves.  All  they 
 could  do  was  to  endeavour  to  consolidate  the  Christian 
 cause,  to  instruct  the  catechumens  and  admit  them  into  the 
 church,  and  to  infuse  a  missionary  spirit  among  the  converts, 
 that  some  of  them  might  become  native  evangelists.  Where 
 the  field  was  large,  and  the  same  language  prevailed,  a  great 
 opening  was  before  the  Christians  on  Fate,  if  stations  were 
 placed  under  the  care  of  native  teachers. 
 
 It  was  not  till  1872  that  a  successor  was  found  to  the 
 vacant  place,  when  the  Eev.  J.  W.  Mackenzie,  who  had  just 
 come  from  Nova  Scotia,  was  appointed  to  the  two  stations. 
 He  and  his  wife  were  young  and  full  of  zeal,  and  were 
 heartily  welcomed.  They  took  up  their  abode  at  first  in 
 Mr.  Cosh's  former  residence  at  Pango,  but  they  removed  to 
 Erakor,  as  the  healthier  of  the  two.  Erakor  is  an  island 
 very  close  to  the  shore,  and  being  surrounded  entirely  by 
 water  it  is  cooler.  About  one  hundred  of  the  Christian 
 population  reside  there  ;  and  there  are  as  many  at  Pango, 
 jj'hich  is  a  narrow  peninsula.     There  is  a  heathen  popula- 
 
2  3  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 tion  inland,  though  diminishing  in  numbers,  and  Mr. 
 Mackenzie  has  extended  his  work  among  them.  He  has 
 already  penetrated  into  the  interior,  and  visited  the  cannibal 
 chief  whom  Mr.  Morrison  visited.  He  was  kindly  received, 
 and  invited  to  come  again,  wdiich  he  resolved  to  do,  in  order 
 to  open  the  way  for  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
 
 There  are  seventy-six  communicants  under  Mr.  Mackenzie's 
 care,  and  sixteen  candidates.  There  are  three  hundred  of  a 
 Christian  population  at  Erakor  and  Pango.  Eratap  is  now 
 also  a  Christian  village.  There  are  two  churches,  well  built 
 and  limed,  which  have  been  erected  since  Mr.  Mackenzie's 
 settlement,  in  place  of  the  reed  ones.  The  churches  have 
 seats  for  the  people — a  thing  unknown  among  the  islands 
 anywhere  else.  Usually  Polynesians  prefer  to  squat  on  the 
 floor,  but  in  this  place  the  seats  are  regularly  placed  in  the 
 church.  Each  consists  of  one  piece  of  wood,  carefully 
 smoothed  with  the  axe.  The  population  is  decreasing,  and 
 the  deaths  exceed  the  births.  In  1877,  there  were  nineteen 
 deaths  and  thirteen  births  in  the  Christian  villages.  Most 
 of  the  young  men  go  away  in  vessels,  and  as  they  had  been 
 attending  school  regularly,  and  some  of  them  the  class  for 
 catechumens,  the  loss  was  felt  by  the  missionary.  These 
 intelligent  young  men,  so  different  from  their  heathen  con- 
 temporaries on  the  island,  are  specially  attractive  to  masters 
 of  vessels,  while  they  on  their  own  part  have  also  learned 
 the  value  of  money.  It  is  much  to  be  desired  that  some  of 
 these  young  men  were  willing  to  be  trained  as  teachers,  as 
 they  would  be  of  great  service  in  extending  the  mission, 
 both  on  the  heathen  part  of  Fat^  and  on  the  northern 
 islands.  A  few  have  so  devoted  themselves,  and  are  much 
 appreciated  by  the  missionaries. 
 
 Mr.  Mackenzie  has  a  school  daily  for  adults,  and  on  their 
 dismissal  he  has  one  for  children.  A  weekly  religious 
 service  is  held  on  Wednesdays,  which  is  well  attended. 
 After  this  service  a  catechumen's  class  is  kept,  and  also  a 
 Bible  class  for  members  of  the  church.     The  sacrament  of 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     233 
 
 the  Lord's  Supper  is  dispensed  quarterly.  There  have  been, 
 as  in  all  other  places,  some  who  have  disappointed  the  hopes 
 of  their  teachers,  who  have  yielded  to  temptations  from 
 traders  and  others ;  hut  there  have  been  also  those  who 
 have  adorned  the  profession  of  God  their  Saviour.  One  of 
 these  was  a  blind  man,  named  David.  Mr.  Mackenzie  says  : 
 '  If  he  were  the  only  soul  saved  by  all  the  efforts  that  our 
 Church  has  put  forth,  it  would  be  ample  reward.  Who  can 
 tell  the  value  of  each  jewel  that  adorns  the  Saviour's  crown  ? 
 Blind  David  is  one  of  the  eight  men  baptized  by  Dr.  Geddie 
 some  time  before  Mr.  Morrison  came,  as  described  in 
 Murray's  Western  Polynesia.  He  is  the  only  native  I  have 
 yet  met  with,  who  is  fully  devoted  to  the  Saviour.  Many 
 more  of  them  are,  I  believe,  sincere  Christians,  but  they  are 
 only  babes  in  Christ.  David  seems  more  like  an  aged  Chris- 
 tian at  home.  Frequently,  when  he  was  engaging  in  prayer, 
 I  have  seen  him  so  deeply  impressed  that  he  almost  broke 
 down.  The  other  day  I  was  explaining  to  him  the  parable 
 of  the  rich  fool,  and  I  noticed  a  glow  come  over  his  coun- 
 tenance, and  immediately  tears  burst  from  his  eyes.  I 
 never  saw  any  person  more  happy  and  contented  than  he 
 seems  to  be.'  Mr.  Mackenzie  has  tried  to  conciliate  the 
 chiefs  and  people  of  neighbouring  tribes  who  are  still 
 heathens,  and  these  efforts  have  been  well  received.  He 
 settled  a  teacher  at  a  station  formerly  occupied — Eratap. 
 Mr.  Morrison  placed  one  there,  but  he  was  murdered  the 
 very  first  night  by  the  cruel  people.  Some  of  the  chiefs 
 visited  Mr.  Mackenzie  in  a  friendly  spirit,  and  the  work  got 
 encouragement,  till  four  were  admitted  to  the  communion 
 from  that  place,  and  eleven  to  the  candidates'  class. 
 
 At  his  station,  Erakor,  Mr.  Mackenzie  says  :  '  We  have  a 
 fence  around  our  church  of  what  was  once  their  heathen 
 gods.  These  gods  were  made  from  a  very  hard  kind  of  a 
 tree,  and  they  stand  a  long  time.  They  are  about  ten  feet 
 long,  and  are  carved  and  hollowed  out.  They  had  set  them 
 up,  a  great  many  of  them  together,  in  their  dancing-ground, 
 
234  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  when  struck  with  the  fist  they  give  a  hollow  sound, 
 which  is  heard  at  a  distance.'  These  are  the  wooden  drums 
 to  which  reference  has  ah^eady  been  made.  They  are  generally 
 regarded  with  great  veneration,  and  it  is  a  striking  indication 
 of  the  strong  and  sincere  conviction  of  the  Christians  that 
 they  have  abandoned  their  old  practices  when  they  have  made 
 these  dnmis  the  fence.  I  was  struck  with  the  sight  when 
 "visiting  Mr.  Mackenzie's  church  at  Erakor.  Two  substantial 
 lime  churches  have  been  built  since.  The  Scripture  know- 
 ledge evinced  by  many  of  the  converts  has  been  very 
 gratifying,  and  the  desire  to  attend  school  to  learn  more  has 
 been  marked.  The  native  teachers  from  Aneityum  have 
 borne  strong  testimony  to  this  feature  in  the  character  of 
 the  Fatese  Christians.  There  were  nine  elders  in  the  con- 
 gregations at  the  time  of  my  visit,  and  these  could  all  assist 
 in  public  worship.  Mr.  Mackenzie  has  baptized  upwards 
 of  thirty,  the  half  of  whom  have  been  adults,  and  admitted 
 about  twenty-five  to  full  communion.  This  church  has 
 been  shining  on  the  darkness  around,  but  the  darkness  has 
 not  yet  comprehended  it.  The  influence  has  nevertheless 
 been  felt,  and  the  way  has  been  opened  for  other  missionaries 
 by  the  success  at  Erakor  and  Pango.  It  is  a  marvellous 
 contrast  to  see  the  decently-clothed,  well-conducted  people 
 there,  compared  with  the  naked  savages  all  around.  As 
 teachers  are  settled  among  the  other  tribes,  the  circle  of 
 lio-ht  will  widen,  and  Fate  at  lem^th  be  added  to  the  number 
 of  Christian  islands.  Meanwhile  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackenzie, 
 whose  health  has  hitherto  kept  up  well,  and  who  are  both 
 devoted  to  their  work,  have  a  wide  sphere  opening  up  before 
 them.  They  have  not  only  the  heathenism  of  the  neigh- 
 bouring people  to  combat,  they  have  also  the  godlessness  of 
 white  men,  who  as  settlers  or  traders  frequent  this  fertile 
 island.  But  most  missions  have  had  both,  and  have  over- 
 come '  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their 
 testimony.' 
 
 The    following    incident,    related    by    the    Kev.    J.    W. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     235 
 
 ]\Iackeuzie,  speaks  of  the  power  of  the  gospel  over  heathens 
 on  this  island : — 
 
 '  I  must  tell  you  an  interesting  circumstance  about  the 
 village  of  Eratap,  to  show  you  what  a  change  the  gospel  has 
 wrought  on  the  hearts  of  that  people,  who  once  were  notorious 
 cannibals.  Some  thirty  years  ago,  a  vessel  called  the  British 
 Sovereign  was  wrecked  near  the  village,  when  nearly  the 
 whole  company  were  murdered,  and  their  bodies  distributed 
 amongst  the  surrounding  villages  to  grace  their  feast.  In 
 1876,  a  labour  vessel  called  the  Bobtail  Nag  was  driven  on 
 the  rocks  in  a  hurricane  some  three  or  four  miles  distant 
 from  that  same  village.  There  were  a  hundred  and  fifty  or 
 sixty  natives  on  board  at  the  time,  belonging  to  some  of  the 
 northern  islands,  and  who  had  shipped  for  Fiji.  They  all 
 got  safe  on  shore,  but  only  to  be  in  danger  of  a  more  horrible 
 death  than  that  of  drowning.  Very  little  food  was  saved 
 from  the  wreck,  and  scarcely  a  morsel  could  be  purchased 
 from  the  surrounding  villages  to  fill  the  hungry  mouths  of 
 those  poor  creatures,  until  another  vessel  should  come  and 
 take  them  away.  I  assembled  the  three  villages,  Eratap, 
 Erakor,  and  Paugo,  and  explained  to  them  the  condition  of 
 these  strangers  who  were  cast  upon  their  shores.  The  result 
 was  that  ninety  of  them  were  distributed  among  these  three 
 villages,  thirty  to  each,  and  fed  there  for  four  weeks.  Eor  the 
 rest,  the  captain  of  the  vessel  was  able  to  procure  a  little 
 food  from  some  island  villages.  Now,  here  were  the  natives 
 of  Eratap,  some  of  whom  were  the  same  individuals  who  had 
 picked  the  bones  of  the  former  shipwrecked  company,  leading 
 home  to  their  village  thirty  strangers,  not  to  feed  on  them,  but 
 to  feed  them,  and  without  any  promise  of  being  paid  for  so 
 doing.  What  will  those  who  speak  so  slightly  of  missions 
 to  the  heathen  say  to  that  ? ' 
 
 The  Eev.  Daniel  Macdonald  was  appointed  resident 
 missionary  at  Havannah  Harbour  in  1872.  The  station 
 had  been  prepared  by  the  labours  of  pioneers,  chiefly 
 from  the  eastern  islands.      It  is  an  important  yet  difficult 
 
236  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 position,  as  the  natives  are  brought  into  contact  with 
 traders  and  settlers.  Several  Europeans  had  taken  up  land 
 around  this  beautiful  harbour  for  the  planting  of  cotton, 
 and  had  set  up  on  one  of  the  estates  machinery,  worked  by 
 steam,  for  cleaning  cotton,  making  cocoa-nut  fibre,  and  other 
 branches  of  industry.  A  store  had  also  been  opened  for 
 the  sale  of  foreign  goods,  and,  it  is  much  to  be  regretted, 
 for  the  sale  of  intoxicating  drinks.  The  plantations  were 
 worked  by  labourers  imported  from  other  islands  ;  but  as 
 there  was  no  settled  law  at  either  end  of  the  contract,  the 
 engagements  made  are  subject  to  the  inspection  and  judg- 
 ment of  the  commanders  of  Her  Majesty's  ships  of  war. 
 Mr.  Macdonald  held,  as  often  as  he  has  had  encouraging 
 opportunity,  services  for  the  benefit  of  the  settlers,  and  it 
 was  hoped  that  his  influence  for  good  might  be  beneficial. 
 There  has  always  been  a  difficulty  in  dealing  with  white 
 settlers  in  the  early  history  of  a  mission.  Some  look  upon 
 the  missionary  as  a  hindrance  in  their  way,  or  as  a  spy 
 upon  their  dealings  with  the  natives,  while  those  who  form 
 immoral  relations  with  native  women  resent  his  friendly 
 counsels  as  interference  and  insult.  Several  of  the  settlers 
 attended  the  services,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  have  a 
 church  erected  for  their  own  use.  As  the  harbour  has  been 
 frequently  visited  by  vessels,  the  opportunity  is  all  the 
 greater  for  doing  good  by  these  services. 
 
 Mr.  Macdonald's  chief  labour  is  among  the  native  popu- 
 lation, by  whom  he  has  been  well  received.  He  had  his 
 difficulties  there  also  during  the  first  years,  but  neverthe- 
 less persevered  in  the  acquisition  of  the  language,  and  in 
 itinerating  among  the  tribes.  His  station  is  on  a  healthy 
 spot,  called  Missionary  Point,  mid-way  up  the  harbour,  and 
 nearly  opposite  the  passage  between  Protection  and  Decep- 
 tion islands.  He  had  some  trouble  with  the  native 
 teachers  who  were  in  the  field  on  his  arrival,  but  since  their 
 removal  he  has  had  congenial  assistance  from  a  teacher 
 sent  from  Erakor.     There  is  a  good  church  erected  by  the 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     237 
 
 people,  all  of  whom  attend  the  worship,  and  twenty  have 
 been  baptized.  Many  other  tribes  are  waiting  to  see  the 
 effect  upon  those  around  the  mission  station.  Mr.  Mac- 
 donald  has  gone  along  the  east  coast  for  about  twenty-five 
 miles  to  pioneer  the  gospel.  The  people  on  that  side  are 
 seldom  visited  by  Europeans,  on  account  of  the  dangerous 
 reef  on  their  coast.  The  chiefs  in  some  villages  declined  to 
 entertain  the  missionary,  but  he  afterwards  learned  that  it 
 was  on  account  of  their  feasts.  He  remained  two  nights 
 in  one  of  the  friendly  villages,  and  the  chief  returned  his 
 visit  some  time  after,  which  indicated  a  desire  to  keep  up 
 acquaintance.  Mr.  ^lacdonald  has  opportunity  of  reaching 
 a  large  population,  both  on  the  mainland  and  on  the  two 
 islands  in  front  of  his  residence,  and  if  he  had  a  band  of 
 native  teachers  he  could  establish  several  stations.  Indeed, 
 there  is  room  for  another  missionary  at  the  northern  end 
 of  the  harbour.  If  a  medical  missionary  were  settled 
 there,  he  would  be  a  great  boon  to  all  the  mission 
 families,  as  well  as  to  white  settlers,  and  could  set  up 
 with  great  advantage  and  opportunity  of  usefulness  a 
 hospital  for  natives  of  several  islands  speaking  the  same 
 language. 
 
 Mr.  Macdonald  exercised  himself  in  translation  very  fully 
 during  the  brief  period  of  his  residence.  He  has  prepared 
 and  printed  a  version  of  St.  Luke's  Gospel.  He  has  also 
 translated  the  Book  of  Exodus.  These,  added  to  Genesis, 
 Mark,  and  John,  printed  for  the  other  side,  would  prove  a 
 good  Christian  library.  But  revision  can  now  be  made 
 more  carefully,  as  several  missionaries  are  resident  on  the 
 island.  Mr.  Macdonald  has  put  to  the  press  a  small  primer, 
 which  is  useful  in  the  school.  He  has  added  a  few  hymns 
 to  the  collection  made  by  Mr.  Morrison.  In  the  previous 
 teaching,  and  in  the  printed  books,  the  word  for  God  was 
 Lcatu,  a  modification  of  the  term  Ahia,  which  is  so  ex- 
 tensively used  throughout  the  Pacific.  Eecent  investiga- 
 tions have  convinced  several  that  Leatu  has  the  feminine 
 
2  3  8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 prefix,  and  is  unsuitable.  It  had  been  adopted  first  by  the 
 Samoan  evangelists  in  their  efforts  to  adapt  their  Christian 
 knowledge  to  Fateau  idiom.  It  was  therefore  excusable. 
 Mr.  Macdonald  has  adopted  Atua  in  the  primer  referred  to, 
 and  it  is  possible  that  it  may  supplant  the  more  doubtful 
 phrase.  He  has  also  got  a  catechism,  printed  in  Sydney  in 
 1875.  It  is  founded  upon  one  prepared  by  the  late  Dr. 
 Geddie. 
 
 Mr.  Macdonald  is  one  of  the  first-fruits  of  the  Presby- 
 terian Church  of  Victoria  to  the  New  Hebrides  mission, 
 having  been  trained  and  sent  forth  by  that  active  and 
 enterprising  branch  of  the  Colonial  Church.  He  is  filled 
 with  enthusiasm  for  his  work,  and  if  his  health  and  strength 
 are  spared,  may  be  able  to  accomplish  much  in  Havanuah 
 Harbour  for  the  enlightenment  of  the  Fatese  people. 
 
 ]\Ir.  Macdonald  visited  the  colonies  with  his  family  in  the 
 end  of  1877,  and  gave  addresses  throughout  the  Presbyterian 
 Church  of  Victoria.  He  also  published  a  pamphlet  on  the 
 deportation  of  natives,  the  iniquities  of  which  he  exposed. 
 He  returned  in  April  1878,  but  lost  one  of  his  children 
 shortly  after  by  death.  A  hurricane  had,  during  his 
 absence,  greatly  injured  his  house,  but  it  has  been  repaired, 
 and  he  is  going  on  Mdth  his  work  successfully.  In  No- 
 vember 1878,  he  baptized  five  converts  and  administered 
 the  Lord's  Supper  to  twenty.  He  has  a  Christian  village 
 near  him,  and  the  people  are  growing  in  knowledge  of  the 
 truth.  Mr.  Macdonald  is  also  gaining  influence  over  the 
 neighbouring  heathen. 
 
 The  Pev.  Joseph  Anxand,  M.A.,  from  Nova  Scotia,  was 
 settled  on  the  island  of  Iririki,  in  Fila  Harbour,  in  1873, 
 as  missionary  to  the  natives  speaking  the  eastern  dialect 
 there.  The  small  island  on  which  he  resided  had  been 
 purchased  for  the  mission  by  Captain  Fraser,  when  master 
 of  the  Dayspring.  It  was  a  healthy  situation,  but  none  of 
 the  natives  reside  on  it.  Hence  Mr.  Annand  had  difficulty 
 in  acquiring  the  language.      The   chiefs   were  friendly  at 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FATE  OR  SANDWICH.     239 
 
 first,  and  had  been  understood  to  wish  a  missionary,  but  he 
 was  no  sooner  settled  with  his  young  and  devoted  wife  than 
 they  were  left  very  much  to  themselves.  The  natives  were 
 extremely  shy  of  approach  to  them,  and  not  one  of  them 
 would  reside  with  them,  or  assist  in  the  house-work.  The 
 first  year  M-as  one  of  great  trial  to  faith  and  hope,  and  it 
 was  felt  all  the  more,  while  houses  had  to  be  built  and  land 
 cleared.  Mrs.  Annand  had  an  attack  of  fever  and  ague  in 
 May  1874,  but  rallied  a  little  after  a  voyage  to  the  south. 
 ]\Ir.  Annand,  notwithstanding  so  much  manual  work  and 
 trial  to  his  ardour,  kept  his  health  and  exercised  patience. 
 The  natives  of  Fila  were  showing  a  greater  friendliness 
 when  the  mission  vessel  arrived  in  May  1874,  and,  on  Mr. 
 Anuand's  return  from  the  Synod,  he  had  assistants  from  the 
 islands  of  Aneityum  and  Eromanga.  The  natives  of  Fila 
 and  Mel,  the  two  islands,  are  said  to  have  the  key  to  Fate, 
 and  hence  the  importance  of  this  mission.  Most  of  the 
 men  have  been  away  at  Queensland  or  Fiji,  but  they  are 
 none  the  better  for  it.  They  have  been  guilty  of  outrages 
 in  past  years,  but  in  1867  Captain  Blake  of  H.M.S.  Falcon 
 visited  them  to  make  inquiry  into  the  conduct  of  the  chief 
 of  Mel,  The  chief  asserted  that  several  of  his  people  had 
 been  killed  by  white  men,  and  that  he  and  his  men  had 
 seized  a  vessel  and  killed  four  men  in  retaliation.  Captain 
 Blake  took  down  all  the  evidence,  and  said  that  he  would 
 report  to  his  superior  officer ;  but  as  the  natives  were  very 
 menacing,  he  was  obliged  to  fire  some  shells  to  make  a 
 demonstration  of  power.  Notwithstanding  this,  when  a 
 French  man-of-war  visited  these  two  islets,  and  wished  to  take 
 them  under  the  French  flag,  they  declined.  It  is  believed 
 that  the  French  at  New  Caledonia  have  their  eye  on  this 
 splendid  harbour,  which  could  afford  shelter  to  their  vessels 
 during  the  hurricane  season.  Many  of  the  labour  vessels 
 have  called  in  this  harbour,  and  the  influence  upon  the 
 natives  has  not  been  good.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Annand  were 
 happily  located  within  a  short  distance   by  water  of  the 
 
2  40  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 station  of  ]\Ir.  ]\Iackenzie,  and,  as  the  two  brethren  were 
 friends  in  their  academic  career,  they  were  a  comfort  to  eacli 
 other  in  their  missionary  labours.  The  chief  drawback  is 
 the  different  Languages  of  the  people  among  whom  they 
 labour.  Soon,  however,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  mission- 
 aries on  and  around  Fatci  will  form  a  Presbytery,  and  will 
 meet  frequently  for  mutual  encouragement  and  counsel. 
 The  island,  though  so  long  sealed  to  the  gospel,  presents 
 one  of  the  most  important  spheres  in  the  New  Hebrides, 
 and  is  likely  to  exercise  a  great  influence  over  the  evangeli- 
 zation of  at  least  ten  islands  to  the  north,  where  dialects  of 
 the  same  language  prevail.  In  1876,  I\Ir.  Aunand  was  re- 
 moved to  Aneityum,  and  the  mission  in  Fila  was  put  under 
 the  care  of  the  Eev.  J.  AV.  Mackenzie.  On  the  southern 
 side  of  Fate  there  are  six  villages,  containing  an  aggregate 
 population  of  live  hundred ;  and  in  Havannah  Harbour, 
 and  the  islands  which  enclose  it,  the  gospel  is  now  regularly 
 proclaimed,  Christian  schools  are  taught,  and  hallowed 
 influences  are  at  work  to  bring  the  dusky  people  to  the 
 Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Missionaries  from  far  -  distant  lands 
 have  made  their  homes  among  them,  and  are  now  sur- 
 rounded by  Christian  villagers,  gathered  from  savage 
 cannibals. 
 
 '  The  isles  wait  for  the  Lord.     Awake, 
 Arise,  with  generous  zeal,  and  break 
 The  fallow  gronnd,  and  sow  the  seed, 
 And  thine  shall  be  a  glorious  meed. 
 The  task  is  hopeful  ;  short  the  while 
 Since  gospel  stars  began  to  smile 
 On  Hebridean  isles,  and  now 
 Christ's  flag  is  floating  round  their  brow.' — JamEo  Paton. 
 
CHAPTER    XL 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA,  WITH  PELE,  MAU,  METASO, 
 AND  MAKURU. 
 
 '  How  leapt  my  heart  with  wildering  fears, 
 Gazing  on  savage  islanders 
 Eanged  round  in  long  canoe  ; 
 Their  poisoned  sfiears,  their  war  attire, 
 And  plumes  twined  bright,  like  wreaths  of  fire, 
 Kound  brows  of  dusky  hue  ! 
 What  tears  would  fill  my  wakeful  eyes 
 AVhen  some  delicious  paradise, 
 Freshening  the  ocean  where  it  shone, 
 Flung  wide  its  groves  of  gold. 
 
 Serene  in  silent  loveliness 
 
 Amid  the  dash  of  waves  ! ' — Professor  Wilson. 
 
 Nguna  is  an  almost  unpronounceable  name  to  strangers 
 unfamiliar  with  the  nasal  sounds  of  Polynesians.  The  two 
 first  letters  are  meant  to  ring  into  each  other  like  the  ter- 
 minal ng  in  English.  The  New  Hebrides  mission  has  taken 
 the  letter  g  uniformly  to  express  this  ringing  sound,  but 
 to  make  it  more  patent  to  Europeans  have  generally  put 
 the  n  before  it  when  writing  or  printing  for  their  use.  They 
 omit  this  in  all  the  iiatiA^e  books.  Bishop  Patteson  and  the 
 members  of  the  Melanesian  mission,  who  have  dealt  with 
 several  languages  of  the  Xew  Hebrides  and  other  islands 
 where  this  nasal  sound  is  prevalent,  have  made  n  equal  to 
 ng.  In  the  New  Hebrides  Presbyterian  mission  the  g  is 
 always  associated  with  this  sound,  and  c  is  used  in  ths  hard 
 sound,  while  s  is  found  sufficient  for  the  soft. 
 
242  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 No-una  is  ten  miles  to  the  north  of  Fate,  18°  34'  south 
 latitude  and  168°  20'  east  longitude.  It  was  discovered 
 by  Captain  Cook,  who  called  it  Montague  Island,  and  with 
 which  it  has  since  been  associated  on  the  maps.  The  island 
 is  six  miles  long  by  four  broad.  It  rises  to  the  height  of 
 fifteen  hundred  feet  in  a  steep  hill,  whose  sunnnit  is  evi- 
 dently an  extinct  volcano.  The  sides  are  green,  though 
 without  wood  for  a  considerable  part;  but  nearer  the  shore 
 there  is  abundance  of  wood.  On  many  parts  it  is  quite 
 precipitous  from  the  sea.  An  ancliorage  is  rather  difficult 
 to  set,  from  the  existence  of  reefs. 
 
 The  natives  are  nearly  a  thousand  in  number,  and  are 
 well  built  and  strong,  but  fierce  and  painted  savages.  The 
 women  are  much  more  timid  than  those  on  Fate,  and  run 
 out  of  sight  when  a  stranger  looks  at  them.  They  wear  very 
 little  clothing.  The  men  are  almost  naked,  but  wear  many 
 ornaments  of  shells  and  beads,  and  frequently  have  cock's 
 tail  feathers  stuck  in  their  hair. 
 
 They  are  cannibals,  and  have  committed  some  great 
 atrocities  upon  white  men,  chiefly,  it  has  been  alleged,  for 
 cruelties  practised  upon  them.  The  way  was  long  in 
 opening  for  the  settlement  of  a  missionary  on  this  island ; 
 but  in  1870  the  Eev.  Peter  Milne,  with  his  brave  young 
 wife,  were  located  there.  The  natives  allowed  them  to  land, 
 and  helped  to  put  up  their  house.  A  few  teachers  were 
 associated  with  them.  Mr.  Milne  set  himself  at  once  to 
 acquire  the  language,  which  he  found  to  be  a  dialect  of 
 that  spoken  on  the  larger  island  of  Fate.  He  had  acquired 
 the  language  of  Eromanga  while  resident  there  for  several 
 months,  and  he  thus  knew  something  of  the  character  of 
 the  Polynesian  tongues.  He  soon  found  peculiar  difficulties 
 from  the  labour  traffic,  which  had  carried  off  several  of  the 
 islanders  in  a  way  that  led  to  cruel  retaliations  from  the 
 natives  themselves.  During  his  first  absence  at  the  Mission 
 Synod,  in  1871,  a  shocking  tragedy  occurred.  From  a  letter 
 of  the  Eev.  John  Inglis  and  the  Piev.  J.  G.  Paton,  addressed 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA.  243 
 
 to  me,  and  which  was  published  at  the  time,  the  following 
 
 extracts  are  made.     It  must,  however,  be  stated  that  the 
 
 first  officer  of  a  British  vessel  had  made  an  affidavit  in 
 
 Queensland,  affirming  that  the  missionary  had  ordered  the 
 
 natives  at  Nguna  to  fire  upon  his  boat's  crew,  and  that  the 
 
 Commodore  had  been  informed  of  this  accusation. 
 
 '  On  the  9th  of  July  1871,  the  schooner  Fanny,  from  Fiji,  Mr.  Bartlett, 
 master,  came  to  anchor  in  this  bay.'  Besides  the  master,  there  were  ou 
 board  two  white  men  and  four  natives  as  crew.  They  brought  back  from 
 Fiji  some  ve  or  six  natives  of  Nguiia,  who  had  been  for  several  years  in 
 Fiji  as  labourers.  On  the  10th,  these  were  landed  with  their  payments,  and 
 the  captain  announced  that  he  wanted  a  number  of  other  men  to  go  to  Fiji. 
 On  the  11th,  a  number  of  men  professed  that  they  wished  to  go  in  the 
 vessel,  and  seven  went  off  in  a  canoe.  When  they  reached  the  vessel,  they 
 told  the  captain  to  send  off  the  boat,  as  a  number  more  wished  to  go.  The 
 boat  was  sent  off  in  charge  of  a  white  man  with  two  natives.  The  natives 
 who  went  on  board  had  their  tomahawks  with  them  ;  the  captain  wished 
 them  to  give  them  up  to  him,  but  they  refused,  and  were  becoming  angry. 
 "When  the  boat  reached  the  shore  a  yell  was  set  up,  and  the  natives  who 
 had  gone  on  board  attacked  the  men  belonging  to  the  vessel,  saying,  "  You 
 come  here  to  steal  men,  do  you?"  while  the  natives  on  shore  attacked 
 the  men  belonging  to  the  boat.  Two  natives  were  killed  on  board,  and  one 
 on  shore  ;  the  other  native  belonging  to  the  boat  would  have  been  killed,  but 
 as  he  belonged  to  the  neighbouring  island  of  Jilau,  he  was  known  to  some  of 
 the  natives  here,  who  saved  him.  By  a  desperate  effort  the  white  man  got 
 the  boat  into  deep  water,  and  it  was  supposed  by  the  natives  that,  as  he  did  not 
 go  to  the  vessel,  he  must  have  gone  over  to  Havannah  Harbour,  one  of  the 
 entrances  to  which  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  this  bay.  But  as  neither  man 
 nor  boat  has  been  since  heard  of,  and  as  the  man  was  severely  wounded,  the 
 likelihood  is  that  he  drifted  out  to  sea  before  the  trade  winds  and  has  per- 
 ished. "When  the  captain  saw  what  was  being  attempted,  he  ran  down 
 below  to  load  his  revolvers  ;  the  mate  was  coming  up  from  below,  and  as 
 soon  as  his  head  appeared  a  native  struck  him  with  a  tomahawk,  and  cut  off 
 his  chin,  and  also  wounded  him  in  the  breast  or  the  forepart  of  the  shoulder. 
 The  captain  was  rushing  up  with  his  revolvers  to  clear  the  deck,  but  the 
 mate  caught  him  and  said,  "  Don't  fire  on  them  ;  "  and  before  he  could  free 
 himself  from  the  mate,  the  natives  had  closed  the  scuttle  over  them,  and 
 fastened  it  down,  so  that  the  captain  could  not  get  up  on  deck.  He  tried  to 
 fire  from  below,  but  without  effect.  The  natives  then  cut  the  chain  with  an 
 axe,  and  the  vessel  drifted  on  shore.  The  captain  and  the  mate  held  the 
 vessel  for  two  days  against  the  natives  ;  but  on  the  second  night  they  left 
 the  vessel  and  went  ashore,  having  first  thrown  all  the  ammunition  over- 
 board, lest  it  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  natives. 
 
 ^  Havannah  Harbour,  Fate. 
 
244  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  They  first  tlioiiglit  of  the  mission-house,  but  when  they  came  to  it  they 
 found  it  shut  up,  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milne  were  away  in  the  Dayspring,  They 
 next  went  to  the  teachers'  house,  but  the  teachers  durst  not  assist  tlieni 
 openly,  lest  they  should  be  killed  themselves  for  doing  so.  However,  the 
 poor  men  did  their  best  ;  and  for  seven  days  tiiey  concealed  and  fed  the  cap- 
 tain, sometimes  in  their  own  house,  sometimes  in  the  cellar  of  the  mission- 
 house,  and  sometimes  in  the  bush.  They  did  the  same  thing  for  the  mate 
 for  six  days,  feeding  him  like  a  child,  and  pouring  water  into  his  mouth, 
 when,  from  the  frightful  wound  on  his  chin,  he  was  unable  to  eat  or  drink 
 without  help.  But  finally  it  appears  that  he  had  become  delirious,  for  he 
 would  not  remain  in  his  place  of  concealment,  and  he  was  found  by  the 
 hostile  natives  and  tomahawked.  The  natives  plundered  the  schooner 
 of  all  her  stores  and  trade,  but  did  no  injury  to  any  part  of  the  vessel 
 lierself. 
 
 'On  the  19th  of  July,  the  Strathnaver,  from  Fiji,  came  to  anchor  in  the 
 bay,  having  on  board  Mr.  Thurston,  ex-acting  British  consul  in  Fiji.  He 
 and  those  on  board  rescued  the  captain,  got  the  Fanny  afloat,  and  dis- 
 covered the  dead  body  of  the  mate  ;  but  as  it  was  too  late  to  bury  it,  they 
 covered  it  Avith  a  cloth,  and  left  it  on  the  beach  till  the  morning. 
 
 '  Meanwhile,  reports  had  reached  the  white  men  in  Havannah  Harbour 
 that  a  vessel  had  been  attacked  at  Nguna,  and  that  the  captain  was  holding 
 the  vessel  with  his  firearms  against  the  natives.  They  therefore  fitted  out 
 an  expedition,  set  off  in  their  boats,  and  arrived  at  Nguna  on  the  morning 
 of  the  20th.  This  party  placed  themselves  under  Mr.  Thurston's 
 command.  Their  first  object  was  to  go  ashore  and  bury  the  mate,  but 
 when  they  came  to  the  spot  where  the  body  had  been  left  the  night 
 belore,  they  found  that  it  was  gone.  By  this  time  the  natives  were  appear- 
 ing in  numbers,  and  all  armed.  They  told  the  natives  that  they  did  not 
 wish  to  fight  with  them,  they  wished  only  to  talk  to  them.  They  then 
 demanded  the  body ;  a  small  party  of  natives  off'ered  to  show  tliem  the 
 place  where  it  was,  but  as  these  appeared  to  be  leading  them  astray,  they 
 .stopped,  and  threatened  to  shoot  them  if  they  did  not  show  them  the  body 
 at  once.  This  the  natives  soon  did.  They  found  the  body  lashed  to  an 
 upright  pole,  with  head  downwards.  They  caused  the  natives  to  carry  it 
 back  to  the  beach,  where  they  dug  a  grave  and  buried  it  with  Christian  rites, 
 Mr.  Thurston  reading  over  it  the  English  "Service  for  the  Burial  of  the 
 Dead."  They  next  set  about  recovering  all  that  they  could  of  what  had 
 belonged  to  the  schooner.  They  then  got  the  Fanny  out  to  sea,  and  brought 
 her  round  to  Havannah  Harbour.  The  Strathnaver  sailed  for  Fiji,  Mr. 
 Thurston  having  first  explained  to  the  natives  that  they  would  not  punish 
 them,  but  that  a  man-of-war  would  come  and  inquire  into  the  whole  matter. 
 He  also  took  back  with  him  to  Fiji  one  of  the  natives  who  had  been  brought 
 home  here  in  the  Fanny,  to  obtain  his  evidence  in  the  case.  From  what  we 
 can  learn,  Mr.  Thurston  and  his  })arty  acted  with  much  prudence,  justice, 
 moderation,  and  humanity  in  the  whole  of  their  proceedings. 
 
 '  But  on  the  following  Sabbath,  the  23d  July,  another  expedition  from 
 Havannah  Harbour  arrived  here  in  the  boats  of  the  Daphne,  tlie  Llsmore, 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA.  245 
 
 and  the  Marion  Rennle.  The  more  judicious  and  thoughtful  of  the  -white 
 men  dissuaded  the  others  from  taking  part  in  this  expedition,  and  refused  to 
 take  any  part  in  it  themselves.  The  proceedings  of  this  party  were  of  a  very 
 questionable  character.  They  found  the  three  Ilarotongan  teachers  and  tlu-ir 
 wives,  and  a  few  of  the  natives,  met  for  worship  under  a  tree  on  the  mission 
 pi'emises.  They  took  the  whole  party  prisoners,  and  marched  them  into  the 
 teachers'  house  ;  they  placed  two  men,  armed  with  muskets,  at  each  door  ; 
 the}''  then  took  away  their  tomahawks  from  the  natives.  The  natives,  hear- 
 ing or  fearing  that  they  were  to  be  shot,  rushed  out  at  the  doors  and  passed 
 the  sentries,  who  fired  after  them  and  shot  one  young  man  dead  througli  the 
 head.  They  then  broke  open  the  boxes  of  the  teachers,  and  searched  them 
 for  the  plunder  of  the  vessel,  but  found  nothing.  They  next  put  lona  and 
 Ta,  two  of  the  Rarotongan  teachers,  in  irons,  and  took  them  on  to  Havaunah 
 Harbour  as  prisoners  ;  Bartlett,  the  master  of  the  Fanny,  who  accompanied 
 this  expedition,  assuring  the  white  men  that  he  was  certain  these  two  men 
 were  connected  with  the  attack  on  the  vessel.  They  also  ransacked  the 
 chief's  house,  and  took  away  a  number  of  articles  which  they  said  had 
 belonged  to  the  vessel,  but  which  the  chief  says  were  his  own.  lona  and  Ta 
 were  ke^it  prisoners  for  a  day  or  two  on  board  one  of  those  vessels,  and  in 
 the  presence  of  some  twenty  white  men  were  examined  as  to  the  attack  and 
 the  causes  that  led  to  it.  Vainianga,  the  principal  Rarotongan  teacher  in 
 Havannah  Harbour,  was  pressed  in  to  assist  in  interpreting  lona  and  Ta's 
 evidence,  which  was — as  the  white  men  believe  them  to  have  said — that  Mr. 
 Milne  told  them,  and  told  tlie  natives  also,  that  if  any  white  men  came  to 
 steal  men  or  women,  or  his  boat,  they  were  to  fire  on  them.  Hence  the 
 universal  belief  among  the  Mhite  men  in  these  seas,  so  far  as  we  can  ascertain, 
 is  that  this  outrage  is  traceable  to  direct  missionary  influence.  And  as  this 
 view  of  the  case  is  almost  certain  to  be  brought  before  the  public  (but  whether 
 or  not),  we  consider  it  but  justice  to  the  parties  criminated,  to  place  in  your 
 hands  our  views  of  the  case,  and  our  reasons  for  holding  these  views,  that 
 you  may  make  what  use  of  them  you  may  think  proper  for  the  vindication  of 
 the  innocent. 
 
 'That  the  white  men — who  all  believe  Irving's  affidavit  to  be  the  verj'- 
 truth  most  sure,  although  one  of  the  most  unfounded  statements  that  ever 
 appeared  in  print — should  affect  to  believe  that  they  heard  Ta  and  lona  say 
 these  things  about  ilr.  Milne,  or  even  that  they  should  really  believe  it,  we 
 are  not  disposed  to  doubt ;  but  that  the  Rarotongans  really  said  so,  we  do 
 not  believe.  That  the  white  men  should  find  ground  for  believing  what 
 they  wished  to  believe  is  easily  accounted  for.  Every  one  knows  that  the 
 Rarotongans,  and  all  the  Malay  Polynesians,  pronounce  English  with  great 
 difficulty,  and  that  their  words  may  very  easily  be  misunderstood,  and  no 
 doubt  were  misunderstood  in  this  case.  In  the  exciting  circumstances  in 
 which  the  examination  took  place, — Ta  and  lona  in  irons,  and  all  kinds  of 
 weapons  bristling  around  them,  the  examinators  themselves  exhibiting  any- 
 thing but  a  state  of  judicial  calmness, — the  English  of  the  poor  Rarotongans 
 would  neither  be  very  copious  nor  very  correct,  and  their  pronunciation 
 would  be  anything  but  plain  and  easily  understood.     We  oui'selves  examined 
 
246  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  same  men  very  carefully  and  very  full}',  wlien  they  were  quite  calm  and 
 quite  collected,  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  difhculty  we  could  make  out 
 their  meaning  on  many  points.  We  were  fully  satisfied,  however,  on  two 
 points :  they  distinctly  and  emphatically  denied  that  any  one  of  them  had 
 anything  to  do  with  the  attack  on  the  Fanny,  and  they  as  distinctly  and 
 emphatically  denied  that  Mr.  Milne  ever  told  them  or  the  natives  to  fire  on 
 any  white  man. 
 
 '  But  to  us,  far  stronger  evidences  than  any  denial  they  could  make  are  the 
 antecedents  of  the  men.  To  us  who  know  the  history  of  Christianity  at 
 Earotonga,  and  the  education  and  training  under  which  these  men  were 
 brought  up,  and  the  characters  with  which  they  left  their  own  island,  only 
 ten  short  months  ago — to  us  it  appears  a  moral  impossibility  that  any  of 
 them  could  have  had  anything  to  do  with  the  attack  on  the  Fanny. 
 
 '  We  can  speak  all  the  more  freely  about  the  Rarotongan  teachers,  as  they 
 were  not  brought  up  or  trained  in  any  way  in  connection  with  this  mission. 
 We  obtained  their  services  for  a  limited  period,  and  as  a  favour,  from  the 
 agents  of  the  London  Missionary  Society.  They  were  brought  direct  from 
 Earotonga  in  the  Dayspring  last  year,  and  settled  on  Nguna  in  November 
 last.  Mr.  Milne  had  been  settled  on  Nguna  only  three  mouths  when  they 
 joined  him.  Neither  Mr.  Milne  nor  the  Earotongans  knew  anything  of  the 
 Nguna  language  when  they  came  here.  Mr.  Milne  was  ignorant  of  the 
 Earotongan  language.  It  was,  therefore,  only  by  means  of  a  little  broken 
 English  that  he  and  they  could  communicate  at  first,  and  to  a  great  extent 
 even  yet,  such  are  the  difficulties  under  which  missionary  work  is  undertaken 
 on  this  group.  Whatever,  therefore,  were  the  principles  or  character  of  the 
 men  in  November  last,  they  must  be  much  the  same  still,  for  any  iufluence 
 Mr.  Milne's  teaching  could  have  had  on  them,  whatever  that  teaching  may 
 have  been. 
 
 '  It  would  be  impertinence  in  us  to  undertake  any  defence  of  the  London 
 Missionary  Society,  or  of  their  agents  in  the  South  Seas.  But  every  one  who 
 knows  anything  of  that  mission  in  these  seas,  knows  that  if  there  is  any  one 
 l^rinciple  more  than  another  which  the  missionaries  of  that  Society  have 
 thoroughly  instilled  into  the  minds  of  the  teachers  whom  they  have  sent 
 forth  among  the  heathen,  it  has  been  to  abstain  from  taking  any  part  in 
 fighting  or  quarrels,  whether  between  natives  and  natives,  or  between  natives 
 and  white  men  ;  they  have  been  taught  to  observe  a  strict  neutrality  in  all 
 cases.  For  fifty  years,  their  teachers  have  been  sent  forth  over  all  these 
 groups  of  islands,  to  the  number  of  several  hundreds,  and  every  one  who 
 knows  anything  of  the  history  of  these  teachers  knows,  that  their  conduct  has 
 been  a  faithful  transcript  of  the  teaching  they  have  received. 
 
 '  Now,  be  it  remembered  that  these  men  are  Earotongans.  Earotonga  has 
 been  christianized  for  more  than  forty  years.  These  men  were  all  born 
 Christians,  and  never  knew  what  the  cruelties  of  heathenism  were.  For  the 
 first  twenty  or  thirty  years  of  their  life  they  were  under  the  teaching  of  Mr. 
 Buzacott,  or  Mr.  Pitman,  or  Mr.  William  Gill,  or  Mr.  George  Gill,  men  whose 
 names  are  household  words  wherever  the  history  of  the  South  Sea  missions 
 is  known.      For  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years,  they  have  been  under  the 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA.  247 
 
 teaching  of  I\rr.  Krause  or  Mr.  Chalmers,  men  whose  teaching  has  been  pre- 
 cisely that  of  their  predecessors. 
 
 '  Be  it  fiu'ther  remembered,  that  these  men  are  not  ordinary  average  Raro- 
 tongan  Christians.  They  are  select  men— men  chosen  for  the  excellence  of 
 their  Christian  character,  and  their  aptitude  for  learning,  and  placed  for  a 
 series  of  years  at  the  Teachers'  Institution,  to  receive  from  the  missionary 
 himself  a  special  teaching  and  training  to  fit  them  for  the  work  of  an  evan- 
 gelist among  the  heathen. 
 
 '  It  is  admitted  by  all  the  white  men  that  William,  alias  Munakoa,  had 
 nothing  to  do  with  the  attack.  Bartlett,  the  master  of  the  Fanny,  even 
 admits  that  he  owes  his  life  to  William  ;  but  then  he  holds  that  Ta  and  lona 
 were  in  the  plot,  especially  Ta.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Rarotongau 
 teachers  were  placed  in  circumstances  of  very  great  danger ;  it  was  at  the 
 peril  of  their  own  lives  that  they  gave  any  protection  or  assistance  to  the 
 captain  or  the  mate,  and  whatever  they  did,  had  to  be  done  with  extreme 
 caution.  No  one  who  knows  anything  of  these  men,  living  as  they  were, 
 for  the  time  being,  in  one  house,  and  as  one  family,  could  for  a  moment 
 believe  that  one  part  of  them  would  side  with  the  captain  and  mate  to  save 
 them,  and  another  part  of  them  would  side  with  the  natives  to  destroy 
 them.  Bartlett's  statement  to  the  white  men,  and  the  teachers'  statement  to 
 us,  are  substantially  the  same.  Bartlett  said  that  William  hid  and  fed  him. 
 The  teachers  say  William  and  lona  did  so.  William  is  the  most  forward 
 and  energetic  of  the  two,  and  Bartlett  might  not  know  to  what  extent  lona 
 assisted  William.  Both  parties  agree  in  leaving  out  Ta  in  connection  with 
 the  captain.  But  Ta,  the  others  say,  attended  specially  to  the  mate  ;  and 
 when  out  professedly  looking  after  the  missionary's  goats,  he,  unseen  and 
 unknown  to  the  natives,  supplied  him  with  food,  and  otherwise  did  what  he 
 could  for  him.  Bartlett  is  alive,  and  testifies  to  William's  conduct;  the 
 mate  is  dead,  and  cannot  bear  testimony  to  Ta's  good  deeds. 
 
 '  Moreover,  poor  Ta,  notwithstanding  his  many  excellences,  has  the  mis- 
 fortune to  have  a  twist  in  his  mouth,  and  a  kind  of  cast  in  his  eye,  by  some 
 accident  had  lost  the  greater  part  of  his  right  ear,  and  hence  his  appearance 
 is  not  prepossessing  ;  and  owing  to  the  highly  excited  feelings  of  the  white 
 men,  when  they  first  saw  Ta  they  pronounced  him  guilty  from  his  looks. 
 Some  of  them  readily  admit  that  his  face  was  the  strongest  evidence  against 
 him  !  "  That  fellow  with  the  crooked  mouth,"  they  said,  "must  have  had 
 something  to  do  with  this  diabolical  work  !  "  People  who  know  nothing 
 of  these  teachers  may  be  led  to  believe  anything  against  them  ;  but  after 
 their  history  and  character,  and  the  circumstances  in  which  they  were 
 placed,  are  known,  those  who  can  believe  that  either  lona  or  Ta  was  morally 
 capable  of  aiding,  or  assisting,  or  taking  part  in  any  way  in  a  plot  of  this 
 kind,  must  be  the  victims  of  some  morbid  prejudice,  and  must  be  singularly 
 unable  to  estimate  the  value  and  the  weight  of  evidence. 
 
 '  It  is  so  like  a  work  of  supererogation  to  undertake  a  vindication  of  Mr. 
 Milne,  that  we  feel  as  if  we  ought  to  make  an  apology  for  doing  so.  That 
 Mr.  Milne  ever  gave  any  such  instructions  as  those  he  is  accused  of,  either 
 to  the  teachers  or  to  the  natives,  as  might  have  been  expected,  he  most 
 
24S  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 distinctly  ami  most  emphatically  denies.  Nor  is  this  all,  he  also  has  ante- 
 cedents ;  he  is  a  Scotchman.  Now,  every  one  knows  that  although  Scotch- 
 men, both  at  home  and  abroad,  may  fall  too  easily,  yet  perhaps  not  more 
 easily  than  others,  under  the  power  of  the  "pleasant  vices,"  as  they  have 
 sometimes  been  called,  yet  it  is  equally  well  known  that,  as  a  people,  they 
 are  singularly  free  from  the  ctmI  vices.  One  prominent  feature  in  the 
 teaching  of  Presbyterianism  in  Scotland,  for  more  than  three  hundred  years, 
 from  the  days  of  Knox  and  downwards,  has  been  to  impress  on  the  minds 
 of  the  people  the  sacredness  of  human  life,  man  being  made  in  the  image 
 of  God  ;  and  that  teaching  has  borne  appropriate  fruit.  Let  us  give  one 
 example.  About  twenty-one  or  twenty-two  years  ago,  a  sermon,  preached 
 before  the  Presbyterian  Synod  of  New  South  Wales  by  the  moderator,  was 
 published  in  Sydney.  In  the  preface  to  that  sermon  the  author  states  that, 
 as  far  as  the  members  of  that  Synod  could  ascertain,  from  the  commence- 
 ment of  the  colony  up  to  that  date,  only  one  Presbyterian  had  suffered  the 
 extreme  penalty  of  the  law,  while  executions  were  taking  place  in  great 
 numbers. 
 
 '  Moreover,  Mr.  Milne  is  a  minister  of  the  gospel — a  Presbyterian  ministers 
 He  has  received  the  full  literary,  scientific,  and  theological  education  required 
 for  ordination  to  the  ministry  in  the  Free  Presbyterian  Church  of  Scotland, 
 and  was  chosen  for  this  mission  as  a  man  of  exemplary  Christian  character. 
 Now,  for  any  one  to  believe  that,  before  he  is  three  years  out  of  Scotland,  he 
 should  set  himself  systematically  to  excite  the  natives  to  shoot  or  tomahawk 
 his  fellow-countrymen,  as  if  that  were  a  special  part  of  the  work  for  which 
 he  was  sent  to  the  New  Hebrides,  seems  very  surprising.  But  yet,  strange 
 to  say,  this  seems  to  be  universally  the  belief  among  the  white  men  on  these 
 islands.     Wonderful  credulity  !  marvellous  gullibility  ! 
 
 '  It  will  be  obvious  to  all,  that  it  would  be  highly  inexpedient  in  us  to  in- 
 dicate either  the  individuals  or  the  tribe  whom  we  might  consider  the  guilty 
 parties  in  this  case,  as  by  doing  so  we  might  endanger  both  the  mission 
 family  and  the  Rarotongau  teachers  ;  all  the  more  as  there  is  no  reason  to 
 doubt  but  that  a  man-of-war  will  soon  be  here,  and  the  whole  case  will  be 
 thoroughly  investigated.  It  is  become  absolutely  necessary  that  these  out- 
 rages, now  of  such  frequent  occurrence,  should  be  fully  inquired  into,  and 
 let  the  guilty  everywhere  be  punished.  Only  we  would  say,  in  the  words  of 
 Bishop  Patteson,  we  desire  "to  protest  by  anticipation  against  any  punish- 
 ment being  inflicted  upon  natives  of  these  islands  who  may  cut  otf  vessels,  or 
 kill  boats'  crews,  until  it  is  clearly  shown  that  these  acts  are  not  done  in  the 
 ■way  of  retribution  for  outrages  first  committed  by  white  men." 
 
 'There  are  no  effects  without  causes,  and  the  causes  must  always  be  equal 
 to  the  effects.  The  effects  at  present  are  of  a  very  startling  character,  and 
 indicate  the  operation  of  causes  that  demand  a  careful  examination.  In  the 
 last  voyage  north  of  the  Dayspring,  certain  information  was  obtained  of  men 
 belonging  to  vessels  being  killed  by  natives.  The  Dayspring  was  only  six 
 weeks  away  from  Nguna ;  when  she  returned  we  found  not  only  these  five 
 men  killed  here,  but  that  two  others  had  died  of  their  wounds  in  Havannah 
 Harbour.     On  the  23d  July,  Captain  J.  Walsh  of  the  Maria  Douglas  was 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA.  249 
 
 imt  ashore  at  Mr.  Hebblewhite's  station,  suffering  from  the  effects  of  eleven 
 arrow  wounds,  received  at  an  island  in  Banks'  group  called  Baubau.  He 
 suffered  terrible  agonj',  and  died  of  lockjaw  on  the  25th,  about  fifteen  days 
 after  he  was  wounded.  On  the  28th  July,  Captain  Robinson  of  the  Marion 
 Rennie  went  ashore  at  the  same  station,  suffering  from  a  spear-wound  received 
 on  Santo,  and,  after  suffering  great  pain,  died  also  of  lockjaw  on  the  30th, 
 about  five  weeks  after  he  had  received  the  wound.  "What  is  most  lamentable 
 in  these  cases  is  this,  that  in  most  instances  it  is  the  innocent  who  suffer, 
 while  the  guilty  escape.  One  sows,  but  another  reaps  ;  one  sows  the  wind, 
 and  another  reaps  the  whirlwind. 
 
 '  The  natives  of  Nguna,  the  white  men  themselves  being  witnesses,  have 
 long  been  specially  noted  lor  their  quiet  and  peaceable  conduct  towards  white 
 men  in  boats  and  vessels.  It  is  reasonable;  therefore,  to  suppose  that  there 
 has  been  some  cause  for  this  outrage  ;  that  cause  may  or  may  not  appear  to 
 be  sufficient,  according  to  our  ideas,  for  such  a  terrible  act  of  retribution,  but 
 from  the  native  standpoint  it  may  be  quite  sufficient ;  and  in  our  intercourse 
 with  them  we  must  make  our  calculation  of  consequences  according  to  their 
 ideas  of  right  and  wrong,  not  according  to  ours.  The  Jason  s  boat  was  fired 
 on  at  Nguna  in  January  last,  and  wlw  ?  because  Irving,  the  mate  of  the 
 Jason,  was  taking  away  two  women,  one  of  them  at  least  against  her  hus- 
 band's will.  Within  the  last  two  mouths  the  favourite  wife  of  one  of  the 
 chiefs  has  been  taken  away  in  similar  circumstances.  The  case  of  two  women 
 belonging  to  another  chief  taken  to  Fiji  at  some  former  time,  and  expected 
 back  along  with  the  men  brought  home  by  the  Fanny,  has  been  repeatedly 
 referred  to  in  our  hearing  by  the  natives  as  being  the  primaiy  cause  of  this 
 outrage.  We  have  the  names  of  parties  connected  with  both  these  cases, 
 but  we  deem  it  inexpedient  to  give  publicity  to  them  at  present.  We  are 
 writing  at  this  time  chiefly  to  vindicate  members  of  this  mission,  not  to 
 criminate  others. 
 
 '  These  are  poor  ignorant  native  savages,  and  their  ideas  of  retribution  are 
 very  different  from  ours  ;  but  while  they  are  ignorant  savages,  we  must,  in 
 all  our  dealings  with  them,  remember  that  they  are  such,  otherwise  serious 
 consequences  may  follow  our  overlooking  this  fact.  Our  princi[)les  are  to 
 inflict  punishment  only  on  the  guilty  individual :  they  think  only  of  the 
 guilty  tribe.  They  look  upon  all  white  men  as  belonging  to  one  tribe  ; 
 hence,  if  white  men  belonging  to  one  vessel  commit  any  outrage  on  natives, 
 these  natives  will,  if  they  can,  have  their  vengeance  on  the  men  belonging  to 
 the  next  vessel  that  comes  within  their  reach. 
 
 '  But  with  such  fearful  effects,  and  these  of  such  frequent  occurrence,  it  is 
 certainly  high  time  that  the  British  Government  should  step  in  and  inquire — 
 and  that  thoroughly — into  the  causes  of  these  eflects ;  and  if  this  traffic  in 
 labour,  as  it  is  called,  cannot  be  carried  on — as  we  feel  certain  it  never  will 
 be— without  more  or  less  of  these  fearful  results  to  those  engaged  in  it,  as 
 well  as  its  ruinous  effects  to  the  natives,  by  all  means  let  it  be  wholly  inter- 
 dicted. The  trade  has  nearly  exhausted  itself  in  the  New  Hebrides,  and  is 
 now  extending  itself  to  the  Solomon  group.  Most  devoutly  do  we  pray  with 
 the  psalmist,   "Oh,  let  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  come  to  an  end;  but 
 
250  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 establish  the  just ! " — We  remain,  rev.  and  dear  sir,  yours  very  truly,  John 
 Inglis,  John  G.  Paton. — Nguna,  New  Hebrides,  August  10,  1871.' 
 
 As  the  Queensland  Government  sent  Irving's  affidavit 
 to  the  Commodore  on  the  Australian  station,  that  officer 
 instructed  Commander  Markham,  in  temporary  command 
 of  H.M.S.  Rosario,  to  make  inquiry  into  the  allegation.  He 
 did  so,  and  reported  that  it  was  utterly  devoid  of  truth.^ 
 Indeed,  Irving  himself,  when  landing  that  year  upon  the 
 island,  met  Mr.  Milne,  and  voluntarily  said  to  him,  '  Oh, 
 you  are  not  the  man  that  ordered  the  natives  to  fire  on  our 
 boat.'  Yet,  without  having  seen  him,  he  made  the  affidavit 
 which  occasioned  so  much  trouble,  and  which  had  held  up 
 a  missionary  to  reproach.  Mr.  Milne  and  all  his  brethren 
 were  incapable  of  such  conduct. 
 
 Commander  Markham  was  obliged  to  punish  the  natives 
 of  Nguna  for  their  acts  of  violence,  as  they  refused  to  treat 
 with  him.  But  as  he  learned  that  an  albino  woman  had 
 been  stolen  from  the  chief,  as  referred  to  in  the  letter  just 
 quoted,  he  promised  to  bring  her  back  if  he  found  her. 
 Shortly  after,  he  discovered  this  very  woman  at  Tanna,  and 
 took  her  all  the  way  back  to  Nguna,  and  restored  her  to 
 
 *  The  following  is  a  copy  of  Commander  Markham's  official  letter  to  the 
 Commodore  : — 
 
 '  H.M.S.  "  Rosario,"  Havannah  Harbour, 
 Sandwich  Island,  New  Hebrides,  lUh  Nov.  1871. 
 « SiR^ — With  reference  to  Paragraph  4  of  my  sailing  orders,  dated  19th 
 October,  T  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  I  have,  as  far  as  I  have  been 
 able,  instituted  inquiries  with  regard  to  the  accusations  brought  forward 
 against  the  Piev.  Peter  Milne,  missionary,  residing  at  Nguna  (marked  on 
 our  charts  as  Muna,  or  Montagu  Island),  by  Mr.  Irving,  chief  officer  of  the 
 Jason,  all  of  which  charges  I  firmly  believe  to  be  devoid  of  truth,  and 
 ntterly  without  foundation  ;  which  facts  I  have  arrived  at  not  only  from 
 my  conversation  with  Mr.  Milne,  and  his  indignant  denial  of  such  a  charge, 
 but  from  conversation  with  various  other  people  belonging  to  this  island, 
 and  from  my  own  personal  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Milne,  whom  I  believe 
 to  be  a  most  humane  and  inoffensive  man.  I  believe  the  charge  to  be  most 
 frivolous,  and  totally  devoid  of  truth. — I  have,  etc., 
 
 (Signed)         'A.  H.  Markham,  Commander. 
 '  Commodore  F.  H.  Stirling, 
 Senior  Officer  H.M.S.  Clio,  Australia.' 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA.  251 
 
 the  chief.  Thus  the  natives  learned  that  Her  Majesty's 
 ships  of  war  would  punish  white  men  as  well  as  natives, 
 and  they  have  been  greatly  more  pacific  ever  since. 
 
 This  case  is  inserted  to  illustrate  some  of  the  trials  which 
 missionaries  have  had  in  the  New  Hebrides  in  connection 
 with  the  labour  traffic.  A  young  missionary  like  Mr. 
 Milne,  living,  along  with  his  wife,  alone  among  such  savages, 
 could  not  but  feel  the  trial  as  a  reproach  on  his  character ; 
 but  in  the  good  providence  of  God  no  danger  has  occurred 
 to  his  life,  and  his  wife  could  remain  in  safety  alone  among 
 the  thousand  heathen  while  her  husband  was  with  me  for  a 
 week  among  the  northern  islands.  His  character  has  been 
 amply  vindicated  before  the  world,  both  in  official  docu- 
 ments and  in  the  interesting  Cruise  of  the,  Bosario,  by 
 Commander  Markham ;  for  which  the  mission  and  all  its 
 friends  are  indebted  to  this  gallant  officer. 
 
 Since  that  period  of  trial,  Mr.  Milne  has  had  fuller 
 opportunity  of  studying  the  natives  and  learning  their 
 habits  and  beliefs.  They  are  very  unwilling  to  tell  much 
 of  the  latter.  Mr.  Milne  found  that  they  worshipped  the 
 spirits  of  the  dead,  which  they  call  natcmate,  and  also 
 stones  and  trees,  which  represent  these,  or  spirits  presiding 
 over  plants,  etc. 
 
 '  Tliey  seem  to  have  two  classes  of  priests  or  sacred  men,  one  class  called 
 narifona,  who  make  rain  or  sunshine,  and  another  namunuai,  who  can  cure, 
 cause,  and  prevent  sickness,  cause  death,  cast  out  devils,  cause  hurricanes, 
 etc.  ;  so  that,  I  fear,  the  mii'acles  of  Jesus  and  His  apostles,  which  I  some- 
 times read  in  their  hearing,  seem  to  them  but  little  evidence  of  the  truth  of 
 Christianity,  seeing  that  their  own  magicians  do  so  also  with  their  enchant- 
 ments. They  seem  to  believe  that  when  a  man  dies  his  spirit  goes  to  a 
 place  somewhere  underground,  called  Bokas,  a  place  much  the  same  as  here, 
 and  where  one's  condition  will  be  much  the  same  as  it  was  in  this  world — 
 those  who  are  chiefs  here  will  be  chiefs  there,  etc.  ;  but  this  is  not  their 
 eternal  state,  for  in  course  of  time  they  die  again,  and  go  to  Mangalulululu, 
 a  worse  place  and  farther  down,  I  understand,  and  where  they  remain  for 
 some  time  longer,  and  then  die  a  third  time,  and  go  to  Mangasedsea,  where 
 they  disappear  altogether,  and  are  no  more  seen.  Not  very  long  ago, 
 Munuaifu,  a  sacred  man  of  Farelapa,  a  village  of  this  island,  made  a  journey, 
 I  am  told,  to  the  infernal  regions  and  back.     He  sti'uck  the  earth  six  times, 
 
2  5  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  at  the  sixth  stroke  it  parted  asunder,  and  he  ■\veut  down  to  Bokas,  and 
 there  saw  many  natemates.  He  travelled  till  he  came  below  Tiklasoa, 
 another  village,  and  thought  to  ascend  at  our  well,  but  found  that  it  did  not 
 quite  reach  to  Bukas  ;  and  as  there  was  no  namunuai  at  Tiklasoa  to  dig  it 
 through,  he  was  obliged  to  make  his  way  underground  back  to  Farelapa,  the 
 place  at  which  he  went  down.  He  brought  up  with  him  a  piece  of  pork,  a 
 fowl,  a  yam,  and  some  bananas,  given  him  by  the  spirits  in  Bokas,  a  present 
 of  their  own  food.  He  and  several  others  can  do  everything  that  ever  a 
 sacred  man  could  do  ;  they  can  make  thunderbolts,  or  things  like  rockets, 
 not  with  powder,  but  by  magic,  to  kill  men  with.  At  night,  when  men  are 
 asleep,  they  sometimes  make  their  tongues  project  from  their  mouths,  and 
 elongate  till  they  reach  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  then  pull  them  out 
 altogether,  and  eat  the  spirits  of  the  sleepers.  They  can  kill  both  men  and 
 devils.  Although  the  s[)irits  of  the  dead  go  down  to  Bokas,  they  have 
 access  to  this  world,  and  power  to  injure  men,  by  causing  sickness,  etc. 
 They  often  enter  into  men,  and  make  their  abode  in  them  ;  it  is  then  the 
 business  of  the  namunuai  to  dispossess  them.  These  men  have  got  eyes  like 
 telescopes,  and  can  see  at  a  glance  whether  there  is  a  devil  in  a  man  or 
 not.  They  come  to  the  man  possessed,  with  a  few  leaves  in  their  hand, 
 and  pretend  to  catch  the  evil  spirit  that  is  in  liim,  and  pull  it  out ;  they 
 then  show  it  to  the  person  himself,  and  to  any  others  present,  in  the  shape 
 of  a  small  snake  or  stone  among  the  leaves,  and  the  poor  deluded,  willingly 
 blinded  creatures  have  not  the  slightest  suspicion  that  the  old  scoundrel 
 found  the  snake  or  stone  elsewhere,  and  that  it  was  in  his  hand  among  the 
 leaves  when  he  came.  Every  native  wears  a  twig  of  a  kind  of  tree,  with 
 variegated  leaves,  either  in  his  armlet  or  belt,  and  frequently  in  both, 
 given  him  by  the  priest  to  prevent  sickness.  There  are  sacred  stones, 
 called  natatapu,  kept  by  the  priests,  to  which  they  (the  priests)  pray. 
 These  natatapu  are  a  sort  of  images,  whether  artificial  or  natural  I  do  not 
 know.  I  have  not  seen  them,  but  they  have,  I  am  tohl,  a  sort  of  likeness 
 to  the  thing  which  they  represent — e.g.  the  natatapu  of  pigs  resembles 
 a  pig  somewhat  about  the  snout,  and  has  three  young  ones  sucking  her  ; 
 the  natatapu  of  yams  has  the  shape  of  a  yam.  There  are  natatapu  of  the  sun, 
 the  wind,  and  rain,  etc.  There  are  also  sacred  trees  which  they  worship  ; 
 but  the  spirits  of  the  dead  seem  to  be  their  chief  objects  of  worsh  p  ;  they 
 pray  to  them,  and  make  them  offerings  of  food,  which  they  lay  on  their 
 graves,  and  which  they  believe  to  be  eaten  by  the  spirits,  in  the  shape  of 
 fowls  or  rats,  etc.  You  will  thus  see  how  grossly  supeistitious,  and  how 
 completely  under  the  power  of  their  priests,  this  people  are,  and  what  a 
 powerful  enemy  these  men  must  be  to  the  gospel  when  they  oppose  it,  as 
 they  almost  invariably  do.  Nothing  of  any  importance,  even  of  a  political 
 nature,  can  be  done,  I  understand,  without  their  sanction.  At  present  I 
 can  get  no  communication  with  them,  as  they  always  avoid  me  ;  but  I 
 believe  that  they,  like  Elymas  the  sorcerer  of  old,  witlistand  us,  thougli 
 not  to  our  face,  and  use  all  their  influence  to  turn  away  the  chiefs  and  the 
 people  from  the  faith. 
 
 '  Polygamy  is  another  stronghold  of  Satan,  particularly  on  the  part  of  the 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  NGUNA.  253 
 
 cliiefs.  The  cliiofs  must  have  wives  to  till  their  grouml,  plant  their  yams, 
 make  their  mats,  etc.,  else  they  would  be  no  chiefs  at  all,  or,  at  any  rate,  in 
 little  better  circumstances  than  the  common  people.  In  fact,  the  greatness 
 of  a  chief  may  be  estimated  by  the  number  of  his  wives  ;  ten  or  twelve  seems 
 to  be  the  maximum  here,  and  the  minimum  three  or  four.  So  that  the 
 giving  up  of  polygamy,  which  they  know  they  must  do  when  they  embrace 
 Christianity,  must  seem  to  them  like  the  giving  up  of  their  chieftainship  ; 
 and  worse,  because  a  man,  without  being  a  chief,  may  have  a  plurality  of 
 wives,  and  be  rich,  but  without  wives  he  cannot  be  rich,  even  supposing  he 
 should  be  a  chief.  The  common  people  do  not  woik  for  their  chiefs.  In  the 
 course  of  a  conversation  which  I  recently  had  with  the  chief  of  Tiklasoa,  he 
 objected  to  his  taking  the  worship  on  the  ground  that  if  he  did  so,  and  conse- 
 quently lost  his  wives,  he  would  get  no  work  done  for  him.  I  said  that  when 
 they  took  the  worship  his  people  would  all  work  for  him.  He  did  not 
 think  so,  and  one  of  the  young  men  has  since  told  me  that  they  would  not ; 
 and  urged  it  as  an  objection  to  the  worship,  that  they  would  have  to  work 
 fur  their  chiefs.  In  these  circumstances,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  though 
 the  chiefs  do  not  readily  embrace  Christianity ;  and  I  have  no  hope  of  any 
 of  them  ever  doing  so  until  their  consciences  are  touched  by  the  Spirit  of 
 God,  so  as  really  to  feel  the  guilt  of  their  present  course  ;  and  until  the 
 chiefs  take  the  lead,  there  is  little  probability  of  any  of  the  common  people 
 doing  so,  for  although  they  have  so  little  regard  for  their  chiefs  as  to  grudge 
 to  do  as  much  work  for  them  in  the  course  of  the  year  as  their  wives  at 
 present  do,  their  common  excuse  for  not  taking  the  worship  is,  that  they 
 cannot  so  long  as  the  chiefs  do  not.  But  they  are  not  sincere  ;  for  in  the 
 meantime  the  young  men  seem  more  opposed  to  it  than  the  chiefs  are,  and 
 for  another  reason  than  polygamy,  viz.  their  periodical  feasts  or  dancings, 
 which,  being  connected  with  the  worship  of  natemate,  must  also  be  given 
 up  by  those  who  would  worship  Jehovah.  But  these  feasts  are  regarded  by 
 them  as  the  source  of  their  highest  enjoyment ;  and  it  is  since  they  have 
 found  out  that  the  worship  of  God  cannot  be  reconciled  with  the  worship  of 
 the  dead  in  any  form,  and  that  it  does  not  spare  them  even  that,  which  they 
 regard  as  the  perfection  of  bliss,  that  they  have  become  so  much  opposed  to, 
 and  even  enraged  against  it. 
 
 '  These  are  some  of  the  strongholds  of  Satan  which  must  be  pulled  down 
 before  this  people  can  be  won  for  Christ.  At  present  they  seem  impreg- 
 nable ;  the  whole  community,  chiefs,  priests,  and  people,  are  in  league  with 
 the  powers  of  darkness,  for  motives  of  personal  interest,  as  it  seems  to  them. 
 The  kingdom  of  God  has  come  nigh  unto  them,  but  they  will  not  enter  in  ; 
 they  love  the  darkness  rather  than  the  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil, 
 and  even  close  their  eyes  and  stop  their  ears  lest  at  any  time  they  should 
 see  with  their  eyes  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  understand  with  their  heart, 
 and  be  converted.  The  only  exceptions,  so  far  as  I  see  in  the  meantime, 
 at  this  village,  are  two  or  three  old  people  not  polygamists.  The  young 
 men  most  opposed  to  the  worship  are  those  who  have  been  away  at  Sydney  and 
 other  places  for  some  five  years  with  white  men.  It  is  very  evident  that  few, 
 if  any,  want  us  to  stay  here  ;  and  if  it  were  not  for  their  fear  of  the  man-of- 
 
2  54  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 war,  I  doubt  if  we  could  in  the  meantime  hold  our  own.  But  I  trust  that, 
 "  through  your  prayers,  and  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,"  there 
 may  be  a  change  for  the  better  soon. ' 
 
 Mr.  Milne  has  had  greater  success  on  Nguua  of  late,  and 
 the  hostility  of  the  chief  has  given  way.  Some  baptisms 
 have  occurred.  Mr.  Milne  received  in  1878  a  fellow- 
 labourer  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Oscar  Michelsen,  a  native  of 
 Norway,  sent  by  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Otago.  Mr. 
 Michelsen  has  acquired  the  language,  and  has  been  gaining 
 much  favour  among  the  people  by  his  powers  of  song. 
 There  are  forty  in  attendance  on  Sabbath  at  Nguna.  A 
 book  containing  a  version  of  the  parables  of  our  Lord  was 
 printed  in  the  dialect  for  the  use  of  the  natives  in  1877, 
 and  a  hymn-book  in  1878. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  PELE. 
 
 This  small  island  is  separated  from  Nguna  by  a  very 
 narrow  channel.  The  same  language  is  spoken  by  the 
 people,  who  are  not  above  one  hundred  and  fifty.  ISTative 
 teachers  were  settled  among  them,  but  one  died  in  1873, 
 and  the  other  was  removed.  At  the  two  stations  several 
 attended  the  worship,  some  began  to  learn  to  read,  one 
 man  prayed  at  the  public  service,  and  even  set  up  family 
 worship  in  his  hut.  A  young  man,  after  the  death  of  the 
 teacher,  conducted  the  service  among  his  peojDle.  The 
 chief  at  one  of  the  stations  was  much  opposed  to  the  new 
 religion,  and  forbade  his  people  to  attend  or  to  learn  to 
 read.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milne  frequently  cross  to  this  island 
 in  their  double  canoe  on  the  Sabbath  afternoons  and  hold 
 a  service.  A  church  and  teacher's  house  have  been  erected, 
 several  are  learning  to  read,  and  there  was  a  candidate  for 
 baptism  in  the  end  of  1874.  They  are  thus  gaining  some 
 access  to  the  natives.  Mr.  Milne  in  1875  got  an  admir- 
 able boat  from  Sydney  for  this  work,  in  addition  to  his 
 larger  one. 
 
THE  ISLANDS  OF  MAU  AND  METASO.        255 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  MAU  OR  HITCHINBROOK. 
 
 This  is  a  larger  island,  lying  about  six  miles  farther 
 east,  and  about  twelve  miles  from  ISTguna.  There  is  a  con- 
 siderable population,  and  they  speak  a  dialect  of  the  same 
 language.  They  are  very  fierce  and  treacherous,  and  have 
 also  committed  outrages  upon  British  vessels.  Several  of 
 them  have  gone  away  in  labour  vessels,  and  they  do  not 
 seem  to  be  improved  by  it.  They  have  long  been  un- 
 willino-  to  receive  a  teacher.  The  mission  vessel  calls 
 occasionally  and  tries  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the  people. 
 The  island  is  mountainous,  and  about  eight  miles  long. 
 The  influence  of  the  neighbouring  isles  must  tell  upon  this 
 one  before  the  way  is  opened  for  a  native  teacher.  The 
 hills  of  the  island  rise  800  feet  high. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  METASO  OR  TWO  HILLS. 
 
 This  singular  island  lies  about  twelve  or  fourteen  miles 
 north  of  Nguna.  One  of  the  hills  is  1500  feet  high, 
 and  very  precipitous  ;  the  other  is  much  lower.  They  are 
 connected  by  a  narrow  isthmus,  part  of  which  is  sometimes 
 covered  by  the  sea  in  spring  tides  or  in  hurricanes.  There 
 is  great  fertility  in  the  narrow  neck  of  land,  and  even  on 
 the  sides  of  the  hills.  There  are  only  eighty  inhabitants 
 resident,  who  live  on  the  low  land  between  the  hills.  A 
 native  teacher,  the  Earotongan  named  Ta  already  men- 
 tioned, has  been  located  there  with  his  wife.  He  is  a 
 superior  man  in  physique  and  mental  power.  He  has  the 
 majority  of  the  people  under  instruction,  and  has  built, 
 with  their  assistance,  a  good  house  for  himself,  one  of  two 
 rooms  for  the  missionary  when  he  visits  the  island,  and  a 
 very  neat  church.  These  are  all  of  posts,  with  cane-work 
 between,  and  thatched  with  sugar-cane  leaves.  He  hohls 
 school  under  a  spreading  banyan  tree.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs. 
 Milne  spend  a  month  there  occasionally,  crossing  in  their 
 
256  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 boat  from  iSTguna  with  a  native  crew.  Very  satisfactory 
 progress  Las  been  made,  and  over  thirty  of  the  people  can 
 read.  Two  primers  have  been  placed  in  their  hands,  one 
 of  which  is  a  short  compendium  of  Scripture  history. 
 They  have  a  few  hymns  also  in  their  own  tongue,  which 
 is  the  same  as  that  of  Nguna.  It  was  very  interesting  to 
 see  this  station  and  to  join  with  the  people  in  their  simple 
 service  of  worship. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  MAKUIIU, 
 
 This  island  lies  about  ten  miles  farther  north.  It  is 
 about  600  feet  high,  and  has  a  population  of  nearly  one 
 thousand.  ]Mr.  Milue  got  a  site  for  mission  premises,  and 
 erected  a  grass  house  for  liimself.  He  and  his  wife  have 
 spent  three  weeks  there  at  a  time  since  March  1873. 
 They  held  meetings  every  day,  and  at  the  Sabbath  worship 
 there  were  about  fifty  present.  Tliey  are  anxious  to  have 
 a  settled  missionary.  The  chief  at  the  shore  village  is  none 
 the  better  for  his  frequent  voyages  with  white  men ;  but 
 he  is  favourable  to  the  establishment  of  a  mission,  as  lie 
 thinks  it  would  be  greatly  to  his  worldly  advantage. 
 
 The  heathen  people  on  this  island  got  into  trouble  in 
 1878.      Old  propensities  are  as  strong  as  ever. 
 
 The  following  account  of  the  sad  affair  connected  with 
 natives  of  Makuru  was  ^^'ritten  by  the  Eev.  Peter  Macpher- 
 son,  M.A.,  who  visited  the  New  Hebrides  in  the  end  of 
 1878:— 
 
 '  Two  massacres  liad  taken  place  during  the  year  1878  for  cannibal  pur- 
 poses— one  on  the  little  island  of  Makuru,  a  few  miles  to  the  north,  and  the 
 other  on  the  island  of  Fate.  The  earlier  tragedy  occurred  on  the  24th  of 
 January,  the  second  on  the  15th  of  October.  Before  proceeding  to  relate  the 
 salient  points  of  these  massacres,  it  is  desirable  that  the  reader  should  have 
 some  idea  of  the  principle  according  to  which  they  are  regulated,  else  souje 
 parts  of  our  narrative  will  be  perplexing.  After  some  thought  bestowed  on 
 the  subject,  the  writer  would  venture  to  advance  the  following  as  the  great 
 international  principle  which,  by  long-continued  practice,  has  acquired  all 
 the  force  of  a  law  among  the  islanders.     The  principle  may  be  thus  briefly 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAKURU.  257 
 
 stated  :  Somebody  kills  sonae'body,  somewhere,  some  time  ;  therefore  some- 
 body else  must  kill  somebody  else,  somewhere  (that  is,  practically,  any- 
 where), some  time  (that  is,  practically,  any  time).  This,  after  its  kind,  is 
 intelligible,  and  widely  comprehensive  in  its  scope.  It  will  explain  such 
 declarations  as  the  following  statement  contains,  viz.  that  as  some  Api 
 men  were  barbarously  murdered  and  eaten  by  some  Makuru  men,  therefore 
 some  ]\Iakuru  men  were  barbarously  murdered  and  eaten  by  some  Fate  men. 
 After  these  legal  and  logical  preliminaries,  we  may  glance  at  the  leading 
 facts  regarding  the  two  massacres  already  referred  to. 
 
 '  Mr.  Proctor,  who  has  plantations  on  the  islands  of  Mallicollo  and  Api, 
 brought  a  number  of  natives  from  Api  to  work  on  the  plantation  of  Mr. 
 Glissan,  on  Fate.  On  a  subsequent  occasion,  Mr.  Proctor  was  on  a  visit  to 
 Mr.  Glissan,  his  boat  being  left  on  the  shore.  Now,  some  misunderstanding 
 had  arisen,  and  eleven  of  the  Api  men  took  advantage  of  the  boat  and  put 
 to  sea.  They  were  led  by  the  man  who  had  been  made  foreman  by  Mr. 
 Glissan.  But  though  they  got  the  boat,  they  had  no  rowing-})ins  and  no 
 sail.  Also,  their  provisions  consisted  of  only  five  or  six  cocoa-nuts.  In 
 these  circumstances  they  made  slow  progress,  and  were  soon  starving.  The 
 first  day's  voyage  saw  them  beyond  jSTguna  ;  the  second  brought  them  near 
 the  little  island  of  Metaso  ;  and  the  third  left  them  near  the  fatal  island  of 
 Makuru.  By  this  time  some  of  them  were  nearly  dead  with  hunger.  The 
 Makuru  men  saw  the  unfortunate  adventurers,  went  out  to  them,  brought 
 their  boat  ashore,  killed  eight  of  the  men,  and  spared  the  other  three. 
 These  three  were  saved  through  the  intervention  of  Maserangi,  chief  of 
 Makuru.  He  gave  a  big  pig  as  a  ransom  for  one,  and  gave  a  musket  to  the 
 second,  also  a  tomahawk  to  the  third,  and  told  them  to  defend  themselves  if 
 any  attempt  were  made  to  injure  them.  Moreover,  it  so  happened  at  this 
 time  that  Timakura,  a  chief  in  the  neighbouring  island  of  Mai,  was  at 
 Makuru.  This  chief  returned  to  his  village,  Sangava,  in  Mai,  taking  with 
 him  one  of  the  survivors  and  two  of  the  dead  bodies.  When  Mr.  Milne 
 visited  Mai,  the  people  of  the  place  claimed  the  credit  of  saving  the  living 
 man.  What  they  were  doing  with  the  two  dead  bodies  is  not  recorded  in 
 the  ^\Titer's  notes.  Moreover,  still  further  to  spread  the  complications  of 
 the  massacre,  the  Makuru  men  were  generous  enough  to  take  over  two  more 
 of  the  bodies  as  a  present  to  the  people  on  the  island  of  Tongoa.  One  of  the 
 bodies  fell  to  the  share  of  Ti  Tongoa,  chief  of  the  east  side  of  the  island,  and 
 the  other  body  to  Ti  Nabua,  chief  of  the  west,  the  two  chiefs  being  brothers. 
 Still  further  to  complicate  matters,  a  canoe  from  another  island,  called 
 Tongariki,  had  been  at  Pele,  and  v.hen  returning  received  part  of  the  body 
 of  a  boy  as  a  share  of  the  spoils.  Thus  the  Makuru  men  were  very  generous  ; 
 they  gave  away  four  bodies  (involving  three  other  islands  in  the  massacre), 
 and  kept  the  remaining  four.  Of  these  four,  it  appeared  that  two  were  eaten 
 at  Jlakiu'u,  the  other  two  at  some  of  the  other  villages  of  the  island. 
 
 '  When  Mr.  Milne  heard  of  the  massacre,  and  that  three  had  escaped  it, 
 he  proceeded  to  Makuru  to  ensure  the  safety  of  these  three  (if  indeed  they 
 were  alive),  as  they  might  be  only  kept  in  reserve  for  a  future  occasion.  At 
 first  the  Makunr  men  put  the  blame  of  the  massacre  upon  the  Mai  people. 
 
 R 
 
258  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 We  have  already  seen  that  a  Mai  chief  was  at  Makuru  at  the  time  of  the 
 massacre.  Moreover,  tlieir  account  was  that  the  Mai  people  had  killed  all 
 but  one.  After  a  time,  however,  they  confessed  that  three  were  still  surviv- 
 ing. One  was  retained  by  the  Makuru  chief,  Maserangi  himself  ;  one  of  his 
 jirincipal  men  had  a  second  ;  and  the  third  was  at  Mai.  Moreover,  the  man 
 who  had  the  second  captive  was  not  at  home,  as  he  had  gone  to  Tongoa. 
 There  was  then  admittedly  the  one  survivor  retained  by  the  chief,  and  Mr. 
 Milne  made  arrangements  to  liberate  him.  The  ransom  was  a  musket, 
 including  caps,  powder,  and  shot.  It  was  also  understood  that,  upon  the 
 return  of  the  man  who  had  gone  to  Tongoa,  the  second  captive  could  be 
 liberated  upon  payment  of  a  ransom  the  same  as  that  for  the  first.  Accord- 
 ingly, in  three  or  four  days  Mr.  Milne  returned  with  the  two  muskets,  etc. , 
 and  got  the  two  men.  Mr.  Glissan  was  now  anxious  to  get  the  third  sur- 
 vivor, who  had  been  taken  to  Mai,  but  Mr.  Milne's  men  were  unwilling  to 
 go  with  him.  Three  months  afterwards,  however  (April  24),  Mr.  Milne, 
 accompanied  by  Mr.  Glissan,  succeeded  in  visiting  Mai. 
 
 '  Such  is  the  narrative  of  the  first  tragedy.  We  have  yet  the  second. 
 That  Maserangi  should  get  a  bad  name,  and  be  blamed  for  more  than  he  did, 
 was  perhaps  not  wonderfiil.  A  great  drought  had  prevailed  for  a  long  time 
 on  the  islands  around,  and  Maserangi  was  accused  of  being  the  cause  of  it. 
 Though  not  a  sacred  man,  it  appears  there  was  no  impassable  barrier  in  the 
 way  of  his  accomplishing  such  a  result.  The  monopoly  of  these  perform- 
 ances is  not  in  the  hands  of  the  saered  men.  It  appears  that  on  his  voyages 
 the  Makuru  chief  Maserangi  had  been  round  by  Nguna  and  Fate,  that  he 
 had  taken  some  eartli  and  some  yams,  had  tied  them  together,  and  cooked 
 them.  That  caused  the  drought.  It  made  the  ground  "all  the  same  as 
 fire."  The  people  of  Metaso  quite  believed  it.  But  the  end  of  these  per- 
 formances was  to  come,  and  Maserangi's  last  voyage  was  at  hand.  On  Sab- 
 bath, October  13,  1878,  the  voyager  in  his  canoe  was  seen  by  Mr.  Milne 
 when  crossing  to  Pele  to  hold  service.  He  spoke  to  Maserangi  on  the  occa- 
 sion. That  night  the  doomed  chief  went  to  Saki,  opposite  Pele.  On 
 Monday  he  went  to  Fate,  a  Saki  man  going  with  him.  This  Saki  man  knew 
 that  the  Sevari  people  to  whom  Maserangi  was  going  were  only  awaiting 
 their  opportunity  to  kill  him.  The  Saki  man  thus  treacherously  led  him 
 into  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  On  Monday  night  the  voyagers  slept  on  Fate 
 in  caves.  On  Tuesday  morning  the  massacre  took  place.  The  chief  of 
 Makuru  and  one  of  his  wives  had  slept  at  a  cave,  and  on  the  Tuesday  he 
 got  a  present  of  a  land  crab  for  food.  He  was  bending  over  the  oven  to  cook 
 the  crab  when  his  enemies,  Malawotto  and  some  Nguna  men,  struck  him  on 
 the  upper  part  of  the  shoulder  and  neck.  The  victim  of  this  treachery  fell 
 into  the  fire,  and  was  dragged  out  by  his  wife  ;  but  though  spared  herself, 
 she  could  not  save  her  husband  from  the  vengeance  of  the  assassins.  Having 
 despatched  the  chief,  the  next  thing  was  to  massacre  those  who  had  come 
 with  him.  They  attacked  and  killed  two  old  grey-headed  men  of  Makuru, 
 and  also  a  boy.  One  of  the  old  men  was  speared,  and  two  Nguna  men  shot 
 down  the  other.  Malawotto's  men  speared  the  boy,  and  Malawotto  himself 
 battered  the  boy's  head  with  the  butt  end  of  liis  musket.     The  other  men 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAKURU.  259 
 
 ran  away.  A  woman  and  a  girl  took  to  the  sea.  All  tins  was  so  near  Mr. 
 Glissan's  house  that  he  heard  the  firing  of  the  shots.  The  chief  of  Sevari 
 gave  order  for  the  massacre,  but  men  of  other  places  helped  to  execute  thei 
 order,  the  Nguna  men  being  conspicuous  in  the  matter.  They  are  reported 
 to  have  shot  at  the  woman  who  was  trying  to  escape  by  swimming.  It  was 
 understood  she  was  killed,  while  the  girl,  it  was  thought,  had  escaped  to 
 Mai.  There  were  eighteen  people  in  the  canoe  from  Makuru,  including  four 
 women.  Five  were  supposed  to  have  been  killed — three  men,  one  woman, 
 and  a  boy.  The  rest  ran  into  the  bush.  Some  remained  hid  till  night,  and 
 then,  to  the  number  of  ten  or  eleven,  found  their  way  to  the  head  of  Havannali 
 Harbour.  Others  swam  across  the  Boat  Passage  to  Mosa  Island,  took  three 
 small  canoes,  and  tried  to  get  across  to  Nguna.  They  had  not  gone  far  when 
 one  of  the  canoes  filled,  and  one  of  the  men  tried  to  swim  back  to  IMosa. 
 The  Mosa  people  acknowledged  having  found  the  body  of  this  man,  which 
 they  said  they  burned.  Tlie  other  canoes  continued  their  course  till  near 
 Nguna,  when  they  also  filled,  leaving  the  voyagers  to  swim  to  land  or  sink 
 in  the  sea.  Next  morning  three  of  them  came,  at  an  early  hour,  to  the 
 mission  station  at  Nguna  (Mr.  Milne's).  One  of  these  was  Maraki,  a  Makuru 
 chief  of  a  village  on  the  high  portion  of  the  island.  A  young  man  and  a 
 young  woman  made  up  the  number  to  three.  As  to  the  others  who  had 
 tried  to  cross  in  the  canoes,  these  three  thought  they  were  either  drowned 
 or  had  gone  to  Utanilangi,  a  village  at  the  other  extremity  of  Nguna.  The 
 chief  man  among  them  was  Terrapolin.  He  wished  to  go  to  Utanilangi, 
 while  Maraki  did  not  wish  to  come  to  the  mission  station.  It  was  discovered 
 that  the  chief  of  Utanilangi  had  urged  the  chief  of  Sevari  (on  Fate)  to  kill 
 Maserangi,  chief  of  Makuru.  Thus  the  miserable  Makuru  men  who  had 
 escaped  the  perils  of  the  sea  were  going  to  their  most  deadly  enemies  at 
 Utanilangi,  while  they  thought  they  were  going  to  their  best  friends.  The 
 report  arose  the  next  day  that  the  Utanilangi  people  had  killed  Terrapolin 
 and  thirty  others. 
 
 *  When  Mr.  Milne  heard  of  these  things  he  went  to  Fate,  where  the  massacre 
 had  taken  place,  to  secure  the  safety  of  any  who  might  have  escaped.  He 
 had  been  told  that  all  were  killed.  In  that  case  he  tried  to  find  the  bodies. 
 Tlie  men  were  unwilling  to  land,  as  they  saw  natives  running  along  the 
 shore.  He  went  to  Sevari,  and  here  was  the  Makuru  canoe  on  the  beach, 
 and  a  small  canoe  beside  it  full  of  sea-water  and  blood.  The  body  of  the 
 murdered  chief  Maserangi  had  been  brought  in  this  canoe.  Beside  the 
 canoe  the  trunk  of  the  chief's  body  was  lying  just  at  the  edge  of  the  water. 
 The  head,  arms,  and  legs  had  been  cut  off.  It  was  ascertained  that  at  this 
 very  time  the  arms  and  legs  were  steaming  on  a  cooking  oven  a  little  distance 
 in  the  bush.  Many  people  were  on  the  beach  with  muskets,  spears,  and 
 jioisoned  arrows.  Among  the  crowd  was  the  chief  ^lasetalo,  a  man  of  superior 
 intelligence,  who  had  been  much  among  white  men.  From  him  it  was  ascer- 
 tained that  there  were  three  reasons  for  killing  Maserangi,  the  ilakuru  chief : 
 '  \st.  The  old  chief  of  Utanilangi  urged  him  to  do  so. 
 '  Id.  Some  Tongoa  men  had  killed  six  Sevari  men  some  years  ago.  (This 
 was  not  true. ) 
 
26o  THE  NE  IF  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  Zd.  Maserangi  was  the  cause  of  the  drought. 
 
 '  Now  comes  a  very  singular  coiucidence.  When  exemplary  vengeance 
 had  been  executed  upon  the  sorcerer  Maserangi,  the  Sevari  men  said,  "  You 
 see  rain  soon  come  now  ; "  and  surely  enough  it  came  on  a  day  or  two,  and 
 broke  up  the  drought ! 
 
 '  As  to  the  murdered  chief  whose  limbs  were  placed  in  the  cooking  oven 
 on  Fate,  the  trunk  of  his  body  and  his  head,  as  also  the  whole  body  of  one 
 of  the  two  old  men  who  had  been  murdered,  were  taken  over  to  Nguna.  In 
 carrying  dead  bodies  on  land,  the  natives  treat  them  exactly  as  pigs.  The 
 arms  are  lashed  to  a  pole  towards  one  end,  and  the  feet  towards  the  other 
 end.  Then  the  corpse  is  raised  above  the  ground  by  an  end  of  each  pole 
 resting  upon  the  shoulder  of  a  native.  The  bodies,  it  was  reported,  had 
 been  landed  at  a  village  below  the  mission  station.  Mr.  Milne  went  ashore 
 at  the  village,  desiring  to  see  the  bodies,  but  they  had  been  hidden  in  the 
 bush.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  daj^  he  went  across  to  Sevari,  and  spoke 
 to  the  chief  there.  Thence  he  went  to  Utanilangi,  intending  to  dissuade  the 
 chief  of  that  village  from  receiving  the  dead  bodies,  should  they  be  brought 
 to  him.  This  journey  was  performed  by  torchlight.  He  had  the  chief  of 
 Tamoropo  with  him.  The  chief  of  Utanilangi  was  found  in  his/aria  (where 
 the  men  assemble  by  themselves).  The  chief  promised  not  to  receive  the 
 bodies.  The  barbarian  not  only  received  them,  but  he  treacherously  mur- 
 dered some  of  the  refugees  who  came  to  him  for  protection.  Before  the 
 Sevari  men  had  brought  the  bodies,  the  Utanilangi  men  were  out  in  the 
 bush  cutting  up  the  bodies  of  those  whom  they  had  newly  killed.  This 
 ■  accession  to  the  stock  of  provision  was  more  than  the  Utanilangi  men 
 required  for  the  present,  so  they  kept  the  head  and  trunk  of  the  chief,  and 
 sent  the  rest  to  another  village.  Returning  home,  Mr.  Milne  learned  that 
 his  boat,  and  the  canoe  with  the  bodies  from  Sevari,  must  have  been  near 
 each  other.  Of  the  eighteen  who  had  come  from  Makuru,  it  was  understood, 
 according  to  the  most  recent  information  obtained  when  the  writer  jotted 
 down  his  notes,  that  eleven  had  been  killed  and  eaten.  This  was  signal 
 vengeance  ou  the  Makuru  men.  These  latter  had  treacherously  killed  eight, 
 whose  limbs  were  consigned  to  the  cooking  ovens  ;  and  now,  in  retaliation, 
 eleven  of  the  Makuru  people  are  killed,  and  their  bodies  are  consigned  to  the 
 cooking  ovens.  This  would  seem  to  be  exclusive  of  such  as  had  been 
 drowned.  We  have  seen  already  that  the  Mosa  men  acknowledged  to  have 
 found  the  body  of  one  who  had.  perished  by  the  swamping  of  a  canoe,  and 
 stated  that  they  had  burned  the  body.  It  would  appear,  too,  that  with 
 singular  self-restraint,  the  avengers  of  blood  had  awaited  their  opportunity. 
 It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  they  refrained  from  executing  vengeance 
 on  a  few  of  the  common  people  when  they  had  the  opportunity.  They  aimed 
 at  clubbing  the  chief  and  cooking  his  limbs,  and  their  scheme  of  deception 
 was  so  complete,  that  the;  doomed  chief  was  thrown  off  his  guard,  and  came 
 of  his  own  accord  into  the  jaws  of  danger  and  death. ' 
 
 Mr.  Milne  was  unable  to  visit  the  island  of  Makuru, 
 for  his  native  crew  on  whom  he  depended  would  certainly 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAKURU.  261 
 
 have  been  killed.  He  went,  however,  in  the  Dayspriiig  on 
 her  next  voyage,  and  conferred  with  the  chiefs  about  the 
 shocking  and  cruel  business  which  had  occurred. 
 
 ]\Ir.  Milne's  position  on  Kguna  has  increased  alike  in 
 safety  and  in  influence,  and  the  accession  of  Mr.  Michelseu 
 may  enable  him  to  leave  the  field  for  a  time  to  recruit,  as 
 he  has  been  requested  by  the  committee  in  Dunedin.  He 
 has  done  much  to  pioneer  the  way  for  Mr.  Michelsen's 
 settlement  on  the  Shepherd  Isles,  where  we  hope  teachers 
 may  be  got  to  carry  forward  the  work.  He  and  Mrs. 
 Milne  braved  many  dangers,  with  the  single  purpose  of 
 carrying  the  gospel  to  these  benighted  and  savage  people. 
 They  literally  counted  not  their  lives  dear  unto  them,  that 
 they  might  finish  their  course  with  joy  and  the  ministry 
 which  they  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  They  occupy 
 a  station  comparatively  healthy,  and  they  have  made  it 
 very  comfortable  as  a  home.  May  they  be  long  spared  to 
 be  a  blessing  to  the  islands,  and  to  win  many  souls  to 
 Christ,  to  be  their  joy  and  crown  of  rejoicing  in  the  day  of 
 the  Lord  Jesus  ! 
 
 '  And  as  of  old  by  two  and  two 
 
 His  herald  saints  the  Saviour  sent 
 To  soften  hearts  like  morning  dew, 
 Where  He  to  shine  iu  mercy  meant  ; 
 
 'So  evermore  He  deems  His  name 
 
 Best  honoured,  and  His  way  prepared, 
 When,  watching  by  His  altar  Hame, 
 
 He  sees  His  serv'ants  duly  paired. ' — Keele. 
 
CHAPTEE    XII. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  MAI  OR  THREE  HILLS, 
 
 '  The  gusliing  fruits  that  natiii-e  gave  untilled  ; 
 The  wood  without  a  path  but  where  they  willed  ; 
 The  field  o'er  which  promiscuous  plenty  poured 
 Her  horn  ;  the  equal  land  without  a  lord  ; 
 The  wish — which  ages  have  not  yet  subdued 
 In  man — to  have  no  master  save  his  mood  ; 
 The  earth,  whose  mine  was  on  its  face,  unsold  ; 
 The  glowing  sun  and  produce  all  its  gold  ; 
 The  freedom  which  can  call  each  grot  a  home  ; 
 The  general  garden  where  all  steps  may  roam, 
 Where  nature  owns  a  nation  as  her  child, 
 Exulting  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  wild  ; 
 Their  shells,  their  fruits,  the  only  wealth  they  know  ; 
 Their  unexploring  navy,  the  canoe  ; 
 Their  sport,  the  dashing  breakers  and  the  chase  ; 
 Their  strangest  sight,  a  European  face  ; — 
 Such  was  the  country  which  these  strangers  yearned 
 To  see  again  ;  a  sight  they  dearly  earned. '— Byi;on. 
 
 It  has  been  filreacly  shown  that  out  of  thirty  islands  com- 
 posing tlie  New  Hebrides  group,  there  are  two  only  that 
 are  entirely  Christian,  though  on  several  of  the  others 
 Christian,  converts  have  been  baptized,  and  admitted  to  the 
 privileges  of  the  chnrch,  and  that  on  the  remainder,  where 
 missionaries  are  resident,  a  beginning  only  has  been  made, 
 the  language  acquired,  a  few  instnicted  in  the  art  of  reading 
 and  writing,  and  the  gospel  regularly  preached.  In  these 
 it  would  be  wrong  to  state  that  there  are  no  converts. 
 Numbers  regularly  wait  upon  Christian  instruction,  some 
 have  abandoned  heathenism  and  worship  the  one  God,  and 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAI  OR  THREE  HILLS.     263 
 
 a  few  have  become  teachers  among  their  fellow-islanders. 
 The  mission  stations  occupy  only  a  fourth  of  the  entire 
 group,  and  with  the  exceptions  noted  above,  the  greater 
 part  of  the  population  is  still  heathen. 
 
 The  mission  station  on  Espiritu  Santo  has  been  in  the 
 meantime  abandoned,  without  even  a  native  teacher  to  keep 
 up  Christian  teaching.  All  the  twenty  islands  in  the 
 northern  part  of  the  group  are  without  resident  missionaries, 
 except  for  some  of  the  winter  months  in  the  case  of  mem- 
 bers of  the  Melanesian  mission,  as  will  be  more  fully  shown. 
 Several  of  these  islands  are  large  and  populous,  much  more 
 so  than  the  southern  islands.  The  people  appear  stouter, 
 healthier,  and  more  active ;  but  they  are  fierce,  warlike, 
 and  cannibal.  Since  the  labour  trathc  began  they  have 
 been  more  frequently  visited  by  vessels,  and  sometimes 
 with  very  fatal  results.  Scarcely  a  year  has  passed  without 
 some  scene  of  bloodthirsty  revenge  being  enacted  by  the 
 natives  on  boats'  crews  of  European  vessels.  The  strangers 
 are  attracted  by  their  traffic  to  the  islands  again,  and  '  dearly 
 earn '  the  coveted  experience.  It  has  been  found  that  those 
 islands  are  most  safe  to  traders  that  are  occupied  by 
 missionaries.  Missions  are  the  pioneers  to  permanent  com- 
 merce among  savage  tribes. 
 
 ]\Iore  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  northern  islands  of 
 the  ISTew  Hebrides  group  by  the  members  of  the  Melanesian 
 mission  than  by  any  other.  The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand 
 pioneered  the  way  with  a  courage  and  enterprise  never 
 surpassed.  Bishop  Patteson  followed  up  the  work,  and 
 acquired  more  or  less  of  at  least  six  languages  of  these 
 islands,  including  those  of  Mai,  Api,  Paama,  Whitsuntide, 
 Leper's  Isle,  and  Aml)rym.  Some  of  the  clerical  staff  of 
 the  mission  became  versed  in  one  or  more  of  these 
 languages,  and  able  to  teach  youths  taken  to  Xorfolk 
 Island,  and  able  also  to  spend  a  short  time  on  the  islands  to 
 prepare  the  way  for  permanent  occupation.  The  Southern 
 Cross  continues  to  call  regularly,  and  efforts  are  made  to  get 
 
2  64  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 youths  instructed  in  the  institution  at  Norfolk  Island. 
 Bishop  Selwyn  is  showing  an  earnest  desire  to  extend  the 
 benefits  of  the  mission  as  far  as  possible  over  these  northern 
 islands  of  the  New  Hebrides  group. 
 
 Mai  or  Three  Hills  lies  in  17°  .5'  south  latitude,  and 
 168°  15'  east  longitude.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  long 
 from  south-west  to  north-east.  The  hills  of  which  it  is 
 composed  rise  to  the  height  of  1850  feet.  There  is 
 good  anchorage  in  a  bay  towards  the  north.  The  people 
 are  a  strong  and  active  race,  and  appear  to  be  numerous 
 for  the  size  of  the  island.  Two  languages  are  spoken,  both 
 of  which  were  known  to  the  late  Bishop  Patteson,  who 
 took  a  deep  interest  in  the  natives,  and  frequently  visited 
 them.  He  reduced  one  of  the  languages  to  alphabetic 
 form,  and  printed  a  vocabulary,  which  contained  many 
 words  and  phrases.  This  dialect  was  spoken  at  Sesake, 
 the  north-east  part  of  the  island,  a  good  place  of  anchorage. 
 Several  young  men  accompanied  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand 
 to  Auckland.  Two  of  these,  Laure  and  Petere,  were 
 instructed  in  the  first  principles  of  Christianity,  and  when 
 they  were  taken  back  to  their  home  in  1858,  the  bishop  was 
 anxious  to  see  the  result  among  their  people,  Avho  appeared 
 to  him  to  be  the  most  promising  of  all  the  northern 
 islanders.  Petere  spoke  to  his  friends  of  the  truths  he  had 
 learned,  and  Mr.  Patteson  preached  to  the  people  in  their 
 language.  Laure  died  shortly  after  his  return,  and  Petere 
 was  unfortunately  killed  in  1862.  A  white  man  shot  him 
 in  the  forehead  from  his  vessel.  This  is  another  instance 
 of  the  mischief  done  to  missionary  enterprise  by  reckless 
 and  unprincipled  men  in  the  South  Seas.  When  on  his 
 next  voyage,  Bishop  Patteson  learned  the  sad  fate  of  his 
 hopeful  scholar;  he  went  to  the  village  where  he  had 
 resided,  and  slept  in  one  of  the  native  huts,  in  order  to 
 show  his  sympathy  with  the  tribe,  and  by  this  act  of 
 confidence  on  his  part  to  secure  their  confidence  in  him. 
 Other  scliolars  were  obtained,  and  one  of  the  mission  staff. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAI  OR  THREE  HILLS.      265 
 
 the  Eev.  ]\Ir.  Dudley,  acquired  the  language,  and  could 
 speak  it  with  considerable  ease.  The  health  of  this 
 excellent  missionary  gave  way,  so  that  he  was  not  able  to 
 break  ground  by  residing  for  a  time  on  the  island,  which 
 is  very  necessary  in  evangelizing  a  people. 
 
 One  of  the  dialects  spoken  is  akin  to  the  language  of 
 Fate,  and  a  way  is  thus  open  to  missionary  operations  by 
 the  brethren  stationed  on  the  larger  island.  The  New 
 Hebrides  mission  has  not  overlooked  this  matter,  and  the 
 vessel  has  frequently  visited  Mai.  Dr.  Geddie  was  on 
 board,  in  1868,  when  one  of  these  visits  was  made.  He 
 was  always  ready  to  embrace  every  opportunity  of  going 
 ashore  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  strange  people,  and 
 he  was  desirous  to  do  so  on  this  occasion,  as  he  was  aware 
 that  the  people  were  friendly  by  report.  So  many  of  tlie 
 men  had  been  taken  away  by  labour  vessels.  Dr.  Geddie 
 says,  '  that  the  people  are  now  exasperated  against  w^hite 
 men.  A  captain  whom  I  met  at  Fate  warned  me  against 
 landing  here.  I  knew,  however,  that  the  excellent  Bishops 
 Selwyn  and  Patteson  had  often  been  on  this  island,  and 
 that  some  natives  had  been  at  the  mission  school  in  New 
 Zealand,  and  I  felt  assured  that  if  we  were  known  all 
 would  be  right.  A  boat  was  lowered,  and  we  pulled 
 cautiously  towards  the  shore.  We  saw  a  number  of 
 natives,  some  of  whom  made  hostile  demonstrations,  and 
 we  were  in  some  danger  from  the  arrows  of  one  man.  As 
 nothing  could  be  done  where  we  first  attempted  to  land,  we 
 sailed  along  the  coast  for  some  miles  and  tried  another  place. 
 Some  four  or  five  natives,  after  exhibitions  of  mutual 
 distrust,  met  us  on  the  reef.  Their  language  differed 
 widely  from  that  of  Fate,  and  it  was  difficult  to  communicate 
 with  them.  I  made  them  some  presents  to  conciliate  their 
 favour.  As  the  vessel  was  now  near  us,  I  invited  them  on 
 board,  but  the  proposal  was  no  sooner  made  than  they  left  us 
 for  the  shore.  The  people  of  Three  Hills  evidently  mistook 
 our  character,  and  this  will  account  for  our  repulse.'     This 
 
2  66  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 was  in  the  early  period  of  the  labour  traffic,  and  it  shows 
 that  more  influence  than  fair  trading,  or  an  understood 
 engagement,  was  then  in  use  to  get  natives  on  board. 
 Matters  grew  worse,  instead  of  better,  as  the  difficulty  of 
 getting  labourers  increased. 
 
 In  1869  the  Dayspriny  again  visited  Mai.  The  Rev. 
 J,  D.  Gordon,  who  was  on  board,  wTote  the  following 
 account  of  the  visit :  '  We  sailed  to  Mai  next,  which  was 
 soon  reached ;  and  I  was  charmed  by  the  appearance  of 
 the  beautiful  island  called  Three  Hills.  We  were  informed 
 that  Bishop  Patteson  had  called  a  few  weeks  before,  and 
 lauded  four  of  the  inhabitants  whom  he  had  at  Norfolk 
 Island.  We  did  not  see  them,  as  they  did  not  belong  to 
 the  place  at  which  we  touched.  The  bishop  has  been  at 
 Mai  frequently,  and  that  may  account  for  our  good  recep- 
 tion. Our  boat  could  not  go  near  the  beach  on  account  of 
 a  reef.  Dr.  Geddie  waded  on  shore,  but,  as  I  found  a  man 
 willing  to  carry  me,  I  was  carried.  It  was  doubtful,  how- 
 ever, if  I  gained  anything  by  it,  for  while  the  one  of  us 
 got  a  wetting,  the  other  got  painted  yellow,  and  I  did  not 
 fancy  the  look  of  my  shepherd's-plaid  trousers  after  getting 
 the  colour  of  yellow  in  addition  to  white  and  black. 
 Some  of  the  ochre  got  upon  my  pocket-handkerchief,  and  it 
 must  be  of  good  quality,  for  it  will  not  wash  out.  The 
 cloth  which  the  people  wore  around  them  was  dyed  yellow. 
 Some  little  boys  met  us  in  the  water  before  we  reached  the 
 shore,  to  shake  hands  with  us,  which  they  did  in  a  very 
 friendly  manner.  Some  others,  however,  seemed  timid. 
 We  met  a  crowd  of  very  clamorous  people,  whose  noise 
 and  jabbering  were  confusing.  Three  or  four  at  a  time 
 would  take  me  by  the  beard,  and  give  free  expression 
 to  their  feelings  either  of  surprise  or  admiration.  They 
 had  many  weapons  of  war  and  yams  to  sell,  besides  mats 
 and  other  thinffs.  The  man  who  carried  me  irom  the  boat 
 said,  "  You  give  a  me  kaliko  fur  tis."  "  Yes,"  said  I ;  "  you 
 carry  me  to  the  boat  again,  come  off  with  us  to  the  vessel, 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAI  OR  THREE  HILLS.      267 
 
 and  I  ^vill  do  so."  He  was  in  attendance  on  our  leaving 
 to  render  his  services.  We  had  no  reason  to  be  dissatisfied 
 with  their  conduct  in  any  respect,  and  we  gave  them  some 
 reason,  I  hope,  to  think  well  of  us. 
 
 '  Before  leaving  the  vessel  I  had  picked  up  a  few  words 
 of  their  language;  and,  getting  the  names  of  sky,  earth, 
 sea,  and  man,  I  attempted  to  tell  them  that  Jehovah  on 
 high  made  all.  On  shore  I  got  the  words  for  "  laugh  "  and 
 "  children,"  and  putting  them  together,  they  laughed  at  their 
 repetition  by  a  stranger.  One  man  wished  me  to  pay  him 
 for  filling  up  my  short  vocabulary,  saying,  "  By  and  by  you 
 savi  too  much  talk  man  Mai."  But  he  would  insist  upon 
 my  getting  too  much  of  their  tongue,  and  too  cheaply.  It 
 occurred  to  me  that  he  must  have  been  thinking  of  Bishop 
 Patteson  when  speaking  to  me  in  that  manner.' 
 
 By  that  time  the  natives  had  learned  to  distinguish 
 between  mission  vessels  and  those  recruiting  for  labourers. 
 Several  had  been  decoyed  on  board  one  of  the  latter  on 
 false  pretences  by  a  notorious  character  named  Shongvon, 
 a  native  of  Ilea,  in  the  Loyalty  Islands,  and  who  had  been 
 frequently  employed  in  getting  men.  This  man  recently 
 joined  the  Kev.  D.  Macdonald  in  Havannah  Harbour  as  a 
 convert  to  Christianity. 
 
 Many  opportunities  have  thus  been  used  to  keep  up  the 
 acquaintance  of  the  natives  on  ]\Iai,  especially  by  the  mis- 
 sionaries on  board  the  Southern  Cross. 
 
 In  1874,  the  Southern  Cross  called.  The  report  states: 
 'Here  we  cast  anchor  on  Sunday  the  14th  June,  and  on 
 the  following  day  we  bought  a  supply  of  yams.  The 
 curious  kaleidoscopic  English  aired  by  the  natives  was  a 
 sufficient  evidence  of  the  visits  here  of  the  usual  introducers 
 of  that  strange  amalgam  of  Paris  and  Birmingham  called 
 civilisation.  We  desire  soon  to  place  a  teacher  on  this, 
 for  some  time,  neglected  island.'  Bishop  Selwyn  anchored 
 there  on  18th  April  1878.  The  next  day  he  and  the  Eev. 
 Mr.  Still   and   ]Mr.  Comius  landed.     Mr.   Comius  found  a 
 
2  6  8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 house  built  for  him,  and  met  with  a  very  kind  reception. 
 The  Southern  Cross  left  him  there  for  the  winter  months. 
 The  influence  of  a  resident  missionary  is  already  producing 
 good  effects,  and  the  people  of  Mai  are  more  disposed  to 
 listen  to  Christian  instruction.  The  day  is  breaking  on 
 Three  Hills. 
 
 '  Yes,  I  hope  the  day  is  breaking, 
 Joyful  times  are  near  at  hand  ; 
 God,  the  mighty  God,  is  speaking 
 By  His  word  in  every  land. 
 
 Mark  His  progress  ! 
 Darkness  flies  at  His  command. 
 
 '  While  the  foe  becomes  more  daring, 
 
 "While  he  enters  like  a  flood, 
 God  the  Saviour  is  preparing 
 
 Means  to  spread  His  truth  abroad. 
 
 Every  language 
 Soon  shall  tell  tlie  love  of  God.' 
 
CHAPTEE    XIII. 
 
 THE  SHEPHERD  ISLES. 
 
 '  The  chase,  the  race,  the  liberty  to  roam, 
 The  soil  where  every  cottage  showed  a  home  ; 
 The  sea-spread  net,  the  lightly  launched  canoe, 
 Which  stemmed  the  studded  archipelago, 
 O'er  whose  blue  bosom  rose  the  starry  isles  ; 
 The  healthy  slumber,  earned  by  sportive  toils  ; 
 
 The  kava  feast,  the  yam,  the  cocoa's  nut, 
 "Which  bears  at  once  the  cup,  and  milk,  and  fruit ; 
 The  bread-tree,  which,  without  ploughshare,  yields 
 The  unreaped  harvest  of  unf arrowed  fields.' 
 
 — Byron. 
 
 These  are  the  treasures  of  the  Shepherd  Isles.  Captain 
 Cook  gave  the  small  group  this  name  in  1774,  as  has  been 
 stated,  in  honour  of  his  distinguished  friend  Dr.  Thomas 
 Shepherd,  then  Plumian  Professor  of  Astronomy  at  Cam- 
 bridge University.  They  lie  to  the  north-east  of  Mai,  nearly 
 17°  south  latitude,  and  between  168°  30'  and  169°  east 
 longitude.  Captain  Cook's  vessels  were  in  some  danger  on 
 the  day  of  their  discovery.  It  had  suddenly  fallen  calm,  and 
 as  the  current  was  very  strong  the  ships  were  at  its  mercy. 
 No  sounding  could  be  got  with  a  line  of  180  fathoms 
 close  by  the  isles,  which  seemed  innumerable  at  first  sight. 
 However,  before  the  danger  was  real  a  breeze  sprang  up, 
 and  happily  relieved  the  discoverers.  In  the  chart  pub- 
 lished by  the  Admiralty  a  warning  is  still  afforded  to 
 mariners  thus  :  '  Coming   from  the   southward,  give  these 
 
268 
 
 THE  NE IV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 house  built  for  him,  and  met  with  a  very  kind  reception. 
 The  Southern  Cross  left  him  there  for  the  winter  months. 
 The  influence  of  a  resident  missionary  is  already  producing 
 good  effects,  and  the  people  of  Mai  are  more  disposed  to 
 listen  to  Christian  instruction.  The  day  is  breaking  on 
 Three  Hills. 
 
 '  Yes,  T  hope  the  day  is  breaking, 
 Joyful  times  are  near  at  hand  ; 
 God,  the  mighty  God,  is  speaking 
 By  His  word  in  every  land. 
 
 Mark  His  progress  ! 
 Darkness  flies  at  His  command. 
 
 '  While  the  foe  becomes  more  daring, 
 
 While  he  enters  like  a  flood, 
 God  the  Saviour  is  preparing 
 
 Means  to  spread  His  truth  abroad. 
 
 Every  language 
 Soon  shall  tell  the  love  of  God.' 
 
 te  are  Ik 
 
 "■■A.  in  liCQi;< 
 
 '■'*'.' riiv-rv: 
 
 loEjitode.  Cu 
 tteilayoltlia, 
 
 feliytieis 
 
 lisWl 
 
 lie 
 
THE  SHEPHERD  ISLES.  271 
 
 "What  a  pity  that  there  was  none  ready  to  take  posses- 
 sion of  the  station,  and  that  to  the  present  day  there  is 
 no  Christian  teacher  in  that  promising  opening ! 
 
 There  was  a  chief  from  the  neighbouring  island  of 
 Iwose  present,  to  wliom  a  passage  was  given  in  the  mission 
 vessel  to  his  own  land,  which  he  appreciated  much.  All 
 asked  when  the  ship  would  come  again,  and  they  said  that 
 they  Avould  count  tlie  moons  till  her  return. 
 
 In  iSTovember  1869,  the  Dayspring  called,  when  Dr. 
 Geddie  and  the  Eev.  J.  D.  Gordon  were  on  board.  Mr. 
 Gordon  says  :  '  We  landed  at  Tongoa,  and  were  well  received. 
 They  were  the  largest  and  most  healthy-looking  men  and 
 women  I  had  seen  on  the  group,  and  the  best  dressed. 
 But  we  did  not  see  many  children,  and  were  sorry  to  learn 
 that  they  were  fighting  among  themselves.  They  expressed 
 their  willingness  to  receive  a  missionary  or  a  Earotongan 
 teacher.'  A  labour  vessel  was  lying  near  the  island  at 
 the  time  of  this  visit  in  1869,  and  painted  exactly  like 
 the  missionary  schooner.  There  were  several  natives 
 of  Mai  on  board.  Some  of  the  Tongoa  people  bad  also 
 gone  on  board,  but  wished  to  get  ashore  again.  They 
 were  afraid  of  being  shot  if  they  attempted  to  leave  the 
 vessel. 
 
 Bishop  Patteson  also  frequently  called  at  these  islands, 
 and  some  young  lads  accompanied  him  to  his  institution. 
 On  their  return,  though  they  did  not  teach  their  own  country- 
 men, they  produced  a  favourable  impression  towards  mis- 
 sionaries. The  labour  traffic  counteracted  these  influences 
 for  a  time,  for  in  1870  they  declined  to  have  any  teacher 
 or  missionary. 
 
 The  Eev.  P.  Milne  of  Nguna  has,  during  the  past  few 
 years,  visited  these  islands  on  several  occasions,  and  held 
 meetings  with  the  people.  In  1878,  Mr.  Michelsen  accom- 
 panied Mr.  Milne,  and  they  were  so  well  received  that 
 in  1879   the  Mission  Synod  appointed  Mr.  Michelsen,  in 
 
272  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 accordance  with  liis  own  wishes,  resident  missionary  on 
 Tongoa.  He  was  settled  in  August  1879.  He  already 
 knows  the  language,  and  by  him  many  natives  of  the 
 Shepherd  Isles  may  be  brouglit  to  the  fold. 
 
 '  Amen  !  Amen  ! 
 Good  Shepherd,  hasten  Thou  that  glorious  day 
 
 When  they  shall  all 
 In  the  one  fold  abide  with  Thee  for  aye. ' — Dii.  H.  Bonar. 
 
CHAPTEE    XIV. 
 
 THE  ISLANDS  OF  API  OR  TASIKO,  LOPEVI,  AND  PAAMA. 
 
 '  Away,  away  ! 
 They  clear  tlie  breakers,  dart  along  the  bay, 
 And  towards  a  group  of  islets. ' 
 
 The  island  of  Api  was  estimated  by  Captain  Cook  to  l3e 
 between  fifty  and  sixty  miles  in  circumference.  It  is  of  a 
 triangular  shape,  with  the  base  towards  the  north-east. 
 At  the  south-east  point,  mountains  rise  to  the  height  of 
 1800  feet;  in  the  centre,  they  reach  2800  feet;  and  to  the 
 north,  about  2500  feet.  It  lies  between  168°  1'  and 
 168°  26'  east  longitude,  and  between  16°  35'  and  16°  50' 
 south  latitude.  It  is  singularly  rich  and  fertile,  and  one 
 of  the  finest  islands  in  the  group.  It  has  received  the 
 praise  of  all  who  have  seen  it.  The  people,  however,  are 
 fierce  and  cannibal. 
 
 Mission  vessels  have  frequently  visited  Api.  The  John 
 Williams,  the  Baysjyring,  and  the  Southern  Cross  have  called 
 for  the  purpose  of  opening  the  way  for  missions.  In  1861, 
 some  native  teachers  were  landed  there  from  the  eastern 
 islands  by  the  John  Williams.  While  at  Fate,  a  young 
 man  named  Atau,  a  native  of  Api,  was  found.  He  had 
 been  taken  away  in  a  sandal-wood  vessel,  along  with 
 another,  and,  having  been  sick,  they  were  both  cruelly  left 
 at  Fate.  One  was  immediately  killed,  according  to  the 
 savage  custom  of  the  place.  'The  other  was  preserved,' 
 says  Mr.  Murray,  '  and  now  became  our  guide  and  inter- 
 preter.     To  make  his  services  fully  available,  another  link 
 
 s 
 
2  74  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Avas  wanting,  as  we  were  ignorant  of  his  language.  Tliis 
 was  found  in  Taniela,  a  member  of  the  newly -formed 
 church  at  Fate,  who,  having  been  attached  to  the  teachers 
 on  that  island  from  the  commencement  of  the  mission, 
 had  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  the  Samoan  language, 
 and  was  able  to  converse  with  the  lad  from  Api.  This 
 man  and  his  wife  were  willing  to  go  with  us,  and  as  they 
 were  likely  to  be  of  great  service  to  teachers  who  might 
 be  located  on  the  new  and  untried  islands  to  which  we 
 were  bound,  we  thought  it  well  to  take  them.  We  found 
 our  way  to  a  part  of  the  island  named  Puluvale,  where  our 
 guide  was  known,  and  through  him  succeeded,  after  a  good 
 deal  of  difficulty,  in  getting  an  interview  with  the  chiefs  of 
 the  district,  and  in  making  our  object  understood  to  them 
 and  others.  We  got  the  chiefs  on  board,  and  sent  some 
 of  our  people,  including  the  teachers  who  were  designed 
 for  the  island,  in  case  an  opening  should  present  itself,  on 
 shore  to  spy  out  the  land.  They  were  in  no  danger  while 
 the  chiefs  and  others  were  with  us  on  board.  Our  people 
 slept  on  shore,  and  some  of  the  chiefs  and  some  of  the 
 natives  slept  on  board.  On  the  following  morning  our 
 party  returned  to  the  ship,  bringing  a  very  favourable  report. 
 They  were  quite  satisfied  that  there  was  before  us  an 
 open  door,  and  so  were  we.  Arrangements  were  forth- 
 with made  for  commencing  a  station  on  this  important 
 island. 
 
 '  All  being  completed,  nothing  remained  but  formally 
 to  introduce  the  teachers  to  their  sphere  of  labour. 
 Captain  and  Mrs.  Williams  accompanied  us.  All  was  ex- 
 citement on  shore.  Hundreds  of  people  were  assembled, 
 and  were  anxiously  awaiting  our  arrival.  It  was  a  high 
 day  on  the  island  of  Api.  Very  obscurely,  of  course,  was 
 our  object  understood  by  the  people,  so  that  they  could 
 not  enter  •  into  the  importance  of  the  occasion.  But  the 
 visit  of  a  ship  like  the  John  Williams  to  their  island,  and 
 the  strange  proceedings  of  those  connected  with  her, — so 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  API  OR  TASIKO.  275 
 
 different  from  those  of  former  visitors, — had  awakened  a 
 deep  interest. 
 
 '  We  were  much  surprised  and  pleased  with  the  orderly 
 conduct  of  the  people.  The  chiefs  have  evidently  con- 
 siderable authority,  and  this  was  exerted  to  good  purpose 
 in  keeping  order.  The  people  carried  the  property  of  the 
 teachers  to  a  convenient  distance  from  the  sea.  We  saw 
 no  houses,  the  villages  being  at  a  distance  from  the  shore. 
 After  the  landing  of  the  goods,  a  supply  of  yams  was 
 purchased.  While  the  bartering  was  going  on  I  took  a 
 stroll  inland  a  little  way.  The  appearance  of  all  I  saw 
 was  very  similar  to  what  is  met  with  in  Samoa  and  other 
 islands  of  Eastern  Polynesia.  The  soil  is  equally  fertile, 
 and  the  productions  substantially  the  same. 
 
 '  When  the  bartering  was  finished,  our  little  party  was 
 collected  on  the  beach,  and  seated  on  the  boxes  and 
 packages  belonging  to  the  teachers.  Our  sable  friends 
 crowded  round  us  in  large  numbers,  gazing  in  mute  aston- 
 ishment at  all  our  movements.  A  hymn  was  sung  in  the 
 Earotongan  language,  beginning,  "  Our  home  is  in  heaven, 
 our  home  is  not  here ;"  after  which  prayer  was  offered  in 
 Samoan.  The  teachers  and  their  w^ork  were  commended 
 to  the  protection  of  Him  to  whom  their  work  belongs.  So 
 we  parted,  some  of  us  doubtless  to  meet  no  more  till  we 
 reach  the  abiding  home  of  the  redeemed  family.  The  names 
 of  the  teachers  left  on  Api  are  Iro  and  Pipo ;  they  are 
 both  married.  The  chiefs  in  whose  care  we  left  them  are 
 Malanga  and  Foaria. 
 
 '  We  were  not  able  to  see  much  either  of  the  island  or 
 of  the  natives.  The  people  differ  considerably  from  their 
 southern  neighbours.  They  are  much  milder  -  looking. 
 Those  we  saw  were  generally  unarmed.  They  are  smaller 
 in  stature  than  the  Fatese.  They  use  paint  more  sparingly. 
 The  men  wear  the  maro,  and  the  women  a  girdle  of  matting, 
 about  ten  or  twelve  inches  broad,  about  the  loins.  They 
 wear  ornaments  consisting  of  ear-rings,  necklaces,  armlets, 
 
276  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 etc.     Both  sexes  have  short  hair.     The  women  are  very 
 shy  and  timid.' ^ 
 
 This  was  in  1861,  Mr.  Murray  has  informed  me  that 
 the  teachers  left  on  the  island  both  died,  and  thus  the  work 
 of  the  mission  was  arrested.  But  other  agencies  were 
 operating  on  Api. 
 
 Bishop  Patteson  called  frequently  at  this  island,  and 
 acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  language,  in  several  dialects, 
 used  both  on  the  north-west  and  south  sides,  and  at  Tasiwo 
 on  the  east  of  the  island.  He  printed  two  sheets  of  the 
 words  acquired.  These  contained  numerals,  possessive 
 pronouns,  words  used  as  prepositions,  names  of  objects,  and 
 several  complete  sentences.  He  says  '  there  can  be  no 
 doubt  that  the  dual,  trial,  and  plural  forms  follow  the  usual 
 analogy  of  the  cognate  dialects.'  The  numerals  of  these 
 dialects  differ  considerably  from  each  other,  as  may  be  seen 
 in  the  Appendix. 
 
 .  In  1864,  the  bishop  landed  on  a  place  that  was  neutral 
 ground  between  two  tribes  then  hostile.  This  is  never  a 
 desirable  circumstance,  as  both  tribes  come  to  see  the 
 strangers  and  to  trade,  and  when  the  foreigners  are  on  the 
 neutral  ground  they  are  between  two  fires.  Thus  it  was 
 with  the  bishop.  While  he  was  buying  yams  from  one 
 party  of  natives,  the  hostile  tribe  commenced  to  quarrel, 
 and  both  rushed  off  for  their  arms,  shouting  angrily  at  each 
 .  other.  The  bishop  escaped  the  danger  on  that  occasion,  but 
 it  might  have  been  otherwise. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  mission  has  not  been  able  to  do 
 anything  for  Api,  and  it  is  yet  without  a  resident  missionary. 
 Events  have  not  improved  the  condition  of  things  there, 
 or  made  the  people  more  disposed  to  receive  the  overtures 
 of  wdjite  men.  That  they  were  at  one  time  favourably 
 disposed  is  manifest.  Dr.  Murray  of  the  Carl,  so  notorious 
 for  kidnapping,  was  left  on  this  island  with  twelve  wounded 
 labourers,  and  was  safe  for  several  months.  He  purchased 
 ^  Murray's  Missions  in  Western  Polynesia,  p.  J31. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  API  OR  TASIKO.  277 
 
 some  land  from  the  natives.  The  Government  agent  of  a 
 Queensland  labour  vessel,  and  who  had  spent  upwards  of 
 twenty  years  in  the  New  Hebrides,  informed  me,  when  I 
 met  him  in  the  group  in  1874,  that  the  island  of  Api  was 
 most  eligible  for  a  settlement,  as  the  soil  was  rich  and  the 
 natives  friendly.  But  in  July  a  massacre  occurred  on  that 
 very  island.  A  Captain  Dawson  sent  his  son,  a  lad  of 
 seventeen,  along  witii  the  mate  and  a  native  of  Tanna,  on 
 shore  for  the  purpose  of  buying  yams.  They  were  induced 
 to  go  towards  the  village  by  a  native  calling  himself  Tom, 
 who  by  his  own  account  had  recently  returned  from  Llary- 
 borough,  Queensland.  Nothing  further  was  heard  of  them 
 till  noon,  when  the  master  of  another  vessel,  having  gone 
 ashore,  learned  from  the  natives  that  some  white  men  had 
 just  been  killed.  Information  was  at  once  taken  on  board 
 the  vessel,  and  boats  were  manned  to  search  for  the  missing 
 party.  They  found  the  boat  of  the  unfortunate  men  sunk 
 close  on  shore,  but  they  could  not  get  near  enough  to  seize 
 it,  as  natives,  concealed  in  the  bush,  opened  fire  with 
 muskets.  During  the  next  night  large  companies  of  natives 
 assembled  on  the  beach,  making  great  noise  by  their  cries 
 and  by  beating  their  wooden  drums.  It  was  supposed  that 
 they  were  holding  a  cannibal  feast.  It  was  then  determined 
 on  board  to  take  further  steps  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  the 
 missing  men.  Four  boats,  fully  armed,  proceeded  towards 
 the  shore  near  the  place  where  the  boat  had  been  seized ; 
 but  as  they  approached,  hundreds  of  natives  presented 
 themselves,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  preventing  a 
 landing.  The  leading  boat,  mistaking  the  passage,  got 
 fixed  on  the  reef,  and  the  men  in  her  were  in  considerable 
 danger  from  the  natives,  who  began  to  fire  on  them  from 
 muskets,  and  to  shoot  arrows.  The  boats'  crews  at  length 
 landed,  and  after  sharp  firing  drove  the  natives  to  the  bush. 
 They  found  portions  of  the  ship's  boat,  but  could  make  no 
 discovery  of  the  men.  The  natives  still  continued  to  attack 
 them,  so  they  set  fire  to  the  village,  and  returned  to  the 
 
2  78  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 vessels.  There  was  no  doubt  of  the  massacre  of  tlie 
 unfortunate  men.  There  can  be  as  little  doubt  that  some 
 grievance  was  rankling  in  the  minds  of  the  natives,  and  that 
 this  was  a  retaliation  for  it.  Whether  it  arose  from  some 
 deceit  or  injury  practised  upon  those  who  had  been  labourers 
 in  Fiji  or  not,  cannot  yet  be  said.  The  native  '  styling 
 himself  Tom'  had  been  in  Queensland,  others  had  been  in 
 Fiji ;  perhaps  comparisons  had  been  made,  and  a  grudge 
 against  white  men  had  arisen  in  consequence.  It  is  well 
 enough  known  that  men  from  Api  had  to  be  taken  home 
 from  Fiji  by  one  of  Her  Majesty's  vessels,  A  waiter  who 
 was  on  board  H.M.S.  Challenger,  in  the  scientific  expedition 
 round  the  world,  states  that  several  natives  of  Api  were  put 
 on  board  that  vessel  at  Fiji  to  be  landed  at  their  own 
 island.  Though  the  island  was  reported  to  be  one  of  the 
 most  savage  of  the  New  Hebrides,  '  they  were  quiet  and 
 tractable,  and  relished  their  allowance  of  provisions  greatly. 
 On  landing  them,  we  met  one  of  their  friends  who  had  lately 
 come  from  Queensland.  On  the  two  comparing  notes,  Fiji 
 must  suffer  considerably,  as,  in  consequence  of  the  more 
 effectual  control,  the  treatment  and  pay  are  greatly  in  favour 
 of  Queensland.  That  is  in  the  southern  settled  parts ;  and 
 stories  are  told  of  the  outlying  stations  elsewhere  as  to  the 
 treatment  both  of  labour  men  and  the  aborigines.  How 
 much  the  Queensland  man  actually  carried  home  with  him 
 we  cannot  say,  but  he  declared  himself  well  satisfied,  and 
 stated  his  intention  of  returning  shortly.'  Probably  this 
 was  the  '  man  styling  himself  Tom,'  Avho  was  involved  in 
 the  massacre  in  the  month  of  July,  a  short  time  before. 
 
 The  writer  goes  on  to  say :  '  While  they  were  on  board, 
 we  inspected  the  goods  belonging  to  one  of  the  Fiji  labourers 
 which  he  had  received  as  payment  for  four  years'  work. 
 They  were  worth  less  than  £5  at  the  Australian  prices ; 
 allowing  for  freight  and  duty,  they  may  have  been  worth 
 between  £7  and  £8  at  Fiji.  Besides  other  articles,  such 
 as  calico,  a  looking-glass,  and  small  trifles,  were  two  Tower 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  API  OR  TASIKO.  279 
 
 muskets,  powder,  shot,  bullets,  caps,  and  a  bullet  mould. 
 The  hatchets  and  knives  were  the  usual  useless  trade  goods 
 manufactured  expressly  for  the  South  Sea  island  trade, 
 which  turn  at  the  edge  at  the  first  blow. 
 
 '  On  arriving  at  Api  we  were  astonished  to  find  the  south- 
 west side  of  the  island  perfectly  destitute  of  canoes.  Our 
 passengers  were  much  alarmed  at  the  idea  of  not  being 
 landed  exactly  at  their  own  part  of  the  island,  and  it  was 
 not  without  trouble  that  the  boats  could  find  a  convenient 
 place.  At  the  first  landing-place,  which  was  only  half  a 
 mile  distant  from  where  they  were  ultimately  put  ashore, 
 they  said  the  natives  were  unfriendly  to  them. 
 
 '  The  influence  of  the  labour  men  in  civilising  their 
 friends  must  be  considerable.  Men  who  have  worked  side 
 by  side  on  the  same  plantations  are,  on  their  return  home, 
 unlikely  to  continue  the  hereditary  vendettas,  which  they 
 must  recognise  as  the  cause  of  the  desolation  of  their 
 island.  They  remain  at  home  a  very  short  time ;  life  witli 
 plenty  of  good  food,  even  when  accompanied  with  compulsory 
 labour,  being  preferable  to  the  nearly  destitute  state  of 
 existence  to  which  they  have  been  reduced,  in  consequence 
 of  their  family  feuds  having  destroyed  most  of  the  planta- 
 tions. But  some  good  seed  is  left  behind,  and  the  time 
 cannot  be  far  distant  when  a  white  man's  life  will  be 
 perfectly  safe  at  each  of  these  beautiful  islands. 
 
 '  The  muskets  and  ammunition  with  which  they  return 
 home  might  be  expected  to  intensify  the  squabbles,  and 
 render  them  more  serious,  but  in  reality  the  usual  mode  of 
 warfare  with  poisoned  arrows  is  much  more  dangerous  ;  once 
 wounded,  death  is  invariably  the  result.  As  the  natives 
 know  little  or  nothing  of  firearms,  the  muskets  are  at  present 
 more  dangerous  to  friends  than  foes,  and,  receiving  no  care, 
 they  are  soon  useless. 
 
 '  On  leaving  their  employer  at  Fiji,  they  petitioned  for  a 
 parting  present  of  a  bottle  of  gin  each,  which  they  obtained, 
 and  religiously  saved  until    they  landed,  when  doubtless 
 
2  8o  THE  ^EW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 tliey  treated  their  friends  to  a  taste  of  the  white  man's  grog, 
 which  must  have  burned  their  imprepared  palates  pretty 
 considerable.' 
 
 These  men  were  landed  only  one  month  after  the  outrage 
 which  we  have  narrated  took  place.  They  were  not  sent 
 home  by  the  parties  who  engaged  them,  but  by  one  of  Her 
 Majesty's  ships.  They  may  have  had  insufficient  pay,  or 
 grudges  against  wdiite  men  for  their  treatment  in  Fiji.  The 
 writer  on  board  the  Challenger  supposes  that  much  good 
 would  result  to  the  natives  by  means  of  returned  labourers, 
 and  that  muskets  would  be  better  than  poisoned  arrows. 
 He  was  probably  ignorant  of  the  fact,  that  all  who  have 
 watched  returned  labourers  have  testified  that  they  are  the 
 most  troublesome,  and  that  hereditary  feuds  have  been 
 intensified  by  absence  in  Fiji.  Muskets  have  led  to  greater 
 fatality  in  their  intertribal  fighting  than  the  so-called  poisoned 
 arrows. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  mission  vessel  Daysiwing  has  occa- 
 sionally called  at  Api.  The  latest  record  is  that  described 
 by  the  Eev.  Thomas  Neilson : — 
 
 'On  board  the  Dayspring,  9th  August  1878.  Landed 
 this  morning  on  Api,  a  most  beautiful  and  rich  island,  at  a 
 place  called  Mburimba ;  found  a  little  entrance  through  the 
 reef,  into  which  we  thrust  the  boat.  The  natives  met  us 
 in  a  very  friendly  manner,  taking  us  ashore  in  a  small 
 canoe,  and  then  carrying  us  through  the  shallow  water  to 
 the  beach.  Two  cliiefs,  Berima  and  Beribol,  gave  us  a  good 
 reception.  They  knew  the  mission  vessel,  and  expressed  a 
 decided  wish  to  have  a  missionary.  Several  times  they 
 expressed  a  fear  that  we  might  be  gammoning  them  (as 
 they  expressed  it),  and  not  intending  to  bring  them  a 
 missionary  at  all.  They  showed  us  a  piece  of  ground  where 
 a  house  might  be  built,  and  were  altogether  as  cordial  as 
 could  be  wished.  Mr.  Mackenzie  got  a  number  of  words  of 
 their  language  for  our  lists  ;  and  we  bought  a  few  curiosities, 
 bows  and  arrows,  and  immense  pig  tusks  used  as  bracelets. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  API  OR  TASIKO.  28 1 
 
 A  good  many  know  English,  having  been  away  in  Fiji  and 
 Queensland.  While  we  were  at  the  village,  one  of  our 
 native  crew  bought  an  excellent  Crimean  shirt  for  three 
 figs  of  tobacco,  and  a  pair  of  trousers,  little  the  worse  for 
 wear,  for  two,  so  that  European  clothes  do  not  seem  to  be 
 highly  valued.  The  men  wear  a  belt  and  a  small  wrapper, 
 the  women  a  short  mat  wound  round  the  middle.  A  good 
 number  of  the  men  had  firearms.  In  the  afternoon,  we  went 
 a  little  farther  down  the  coast,  to  a  place  called  Pane,  where 
 there  is  anchorage.  Before  we  got  ashore,  we  saw  a  man 
 standing  on  the  bank  like  a  white  man,  who  on  approaching 
 nearer  turned  out  to  be  an  albino.  The  boat  went  right 
 up  on  to  a  fine  sandy  beach.  All  went  ashore,  Mr.  and 
 Mrs.  Mackenzie  and  their  little  girl,  Mrs,  Braithwaite,  and 
 myself.  We  found  several  natives  who  knew  a  little 
 English.  They  took  us  inland  to  a  large  village,  about  a 
 mile  distant,  to  see  a  great  chief  called  Bano.  I  was  some- 
 what astonished  and  gratified  that  as  we  came  near  the 
 village,  the  natives  who  were  with  us  laid  aside  their 
 weapons  in  the  bush,  as  it  is  contrary  to  their  custom  to 
 carry  them  into  the  presence  of  a  high  chief.  We  found  the 
 chief  a  young,  strong,  active,  and  somewhat  severe-looking 
 man.  They  were  just  going  to  have  a  feast,  and  about 
 two  hundred  were  collected  in  the  village  square,  which  was 
 large  and  clean.  The  chief,  learning  who  we  were,  came 
 forth  to  receive  us  in  the  frankest  manner.  He  knew  no 
 English,  so  we  spoke  to  him  through  an  interpreter.  He 
 went  off,  and  plucking  a  branch  of  a  croton  that  grew  near, 
 he  returned  with  it,  and  made  a  little  speech  to  me,  "  That 
 I  was  to  go  round  in  the  vessel  and  visit  the  other  islands, 
 and  then  return  and  make  my  house  beside  his,  and  be  his 
 missionary."  He  then  placed  the  little  branch  in  my  hand 
 as  a  token  of  his  sincerity.  I  told  him  that  I  could  not 
 come,  as  I  already  had  a  station,  but  that  I  intended 
 shortly  going  to  Britain,  and  would  try  to  get  a  missionary 
 for  him.     He  was  pleased  at  this,  and  promised  to  be  on 
 
282  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  look-out  for  the  return  of  the  vessel.  The  company 
 were  gathering  for  the  feast.  There  were  seven  drums, 
 made  of  logs  hollowed  out  and  stuck  up  on  end,  and  these 
 began  to  strike  up,  so  he  ran  off  to  adorn  himself,  and 
 immediately  came  back  with  a  large  hibiscus  flower  in  each 
 ear,  a  feather  in  his  hair,  a  bunch  of  croton  leaf  in  his  belt, 
 and  a  splatch  of  paint  on  each  cheek  and  on  the  tip  of  his 
 nose.  He  then  grasped  several  spears  in  his  left  hand,  and 
 one  in  his  right,  which  he  brandished ;  and  round  the 
 drums  he  went,  he  danced,  he  pranced,  he  trotted,  he 
 strutted,  he  galloped,  and  he  walked,  while  the  drummers, 
 each  with  two  sticks,  kept  up  an  incessant  din.  The 
 women  gathered  round  us  in  great  numbers,  wondering  at 
 the  ladies,  and  especially  at  the  child,  whom  nearly  every 
 one  of  them  insisted  upon  touching.  They  were  all  cleanly 
 shaven,  and  had  their  heads  covered,  and  their  faces  streaked 
 with  chalk,  and  were  very  much  worse-looking  on  tlie 
 whole  than  the  men.  Some  of  the  men  seemed  to  have 
 their  belts  drawn  much  too  tight,  and  looked  almost  like 
 insects  through  the  constriction.  Towards  evening  we  said 
 we  must  go,  and  the  chief  ran  off  to  get  us  a  present.  He 
 returned  with  a  little  rat  of  a  pig,  and  with  this  he  mounted 
 a  huge  platform,  and  delivered  a  harangue  in  praise,  as  I 
 was  given  to  understand,  of  his  own  magnanimity  and 
 generosity.  Several  of  the  people  brought  forward  a  small 
 heap  of  yams.  These  were  presented  to  us.  The  chief 
 lowered  the  pig  by  a  cord  tied  to  its  leg  into  Mr.  Mackenzie's 
 hands,  who  gave  him  a  small  present  in  return,  and  so  we 
 came  away  very  well  pleased  with  our  visit.' 
 
 LOPEVI. 
 
 This  singular  island  is  a  cone  5000  feet  in  height, 
 situated  in  168°  20'  east  longitude,  and  16°  30'  south 
 latitude.  It  is  one  of  the  active  volcanoes  of  the  New 
 Hebrides,  and  sends  up  a  cloud  of  black  smoke  high  into 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  FAAMA.  283 
 
 the  heavens.  Mr,  F.  A.  Campbell,  who  saw  it  in  1872, 
 says  :  '  We  passed  a  long  way  off,  but  still  could  observe 
 the  smoky  appearance  to  the  leeward  of  tlie  island.  It  is 
 like  a  sugar-loaf  rising  out  of  the  sea.'  ^  Commander 
 Markham  sailed  between  this  island  and  Api  in  1871, 
 when  in  H.M.S.  Eosario.  He  says  it  '  is  a  perfect  cone, 
 rising  straight  out  of  the  sea  to  a  height  of  5000  feet.  It 
 is  generally  believed  to  be  an  active  volcano,  but  though 
 we  watched  for  hours  we  could  not  discern  any  smoke 
 rising  from  the  summit.'  ^  Mr.  M' Arthur,  for  some  time 
 chief  officer  of  the  Dayspring,  assured  me  that  he  had  seen 
 it  smoking.  Though  I  saw  it  at  a  distance  on  my  voyage 
 in  1874,  I  could  not  discern  the  smoke.  The  island  is 
 not  inhabited. 
 
 PAAMA. 
 
 This  island  rises  to  the  height  of  1800  feet  above  the 
 level  of  the  sea,  and  was  one  of  the  striking  objects  which 
 burst  upon  the  eye  of  the  great  navigator.  Captain  Cook, 
 in  1774.  It  is  about  seven  miles  long  by  three  or  four 
 miles  wide.  It  is  situated  in  168°  14'  east  longitude,  and 
 16°  25'  south  latitude.  Its  inhabitants  are  much  like 
 those  of  Api.  Bishop  Patteson  acquired  some  knowledge 
 of  their  language  by  his  frequent  visits,  and  he  prepared 
 and  printed  a  small  vocabulary  of  it  at  Norfolk  Island. 
 From  this  it  is  evident,  that  it  is  a  dialect  akin  to  one  of 
 the  languages  spoken  on  Api  towards  the  north.  Tamat 
 and  Titamat  he  found  prefixed  to  the  names  of  some  men, 
 being  probably  the  sign  of  the  rank  held  by  each  man  in 
 his  village. 
 
 Natives  of  this  island  have  been  taken  away  in  labour 
 vessels,  and  not  always  willingly.  A  case  of  singular 
 atrocity  came  before  the  courts  in  Sydney  in  1869,  when 
 
 '  A  Year  in  the  New  Hebrides,  p.  131. 
 "  The  Cruise  of  the  Rosario,  p.  122. 
 
284  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 a  trial  took  place  for  murder  on  tlie  high  seas.  Some 
 natives  of  Paama,  among  others,  were  deliberately  shot  in 
 the  hold  of  the  vessel,  one  party  holding  lights  while  others 
 fired  among  the  hapless  captives.  '  They  were  shot  like 
 rats,'  said  the  Hon.  Sir  William  Manning,  the  Attorney- 
 General  of  New  South  Wales,  who  conducted  the  prose- 
 cution. The  men  were  endeavouring  to  regain  their  liberty, 
 and  thus  they  were  treated  by  British  subjects.  The  court 
 found  the  parties  guilty,  and  sentenced  them  to  the  extreme 
 penalty  of  the  law,  but  the  sentence  was  commuted  into 
 imprisonment  for  life,  and  then  for  a  shorter  period,  and 
 not  long  after  they  were  released  altogether.  The  Colonial 
 Government  was  sharply  rebuked  for  this  clemency  in  a 
 despatch  written  by  the  Secretary  of  State,  for  the  time 
 being,  in  London. 
 
 Can  we  say  too  often,  that  an  embassy  of  mercy  is 
 wanted  for  such  islands,  to  show  to  the  people  so  cruelly 
 wronged  that  other  men  live  than  those  in  the  labour 
 traffic — that  there  are  those  who  are  willing  to  deny  them- 
 selves to  raise  the  natives  of  the  South  Seas  to  a  higher 
 state  of  being  and  of  bliss  ? 
 
 '  The  man  of  lofty  nature  looks  up 
 To  heaven,  so  calm  and  pure  and  beautiful. 
 He  looks  below,  but  not  contemptuously  ; 
 For  there  he  sees  reflections  of  himself 
 As  a  poor  cliild  of  nature,  and  he  feels 
 A  touch  of  kindred  brotherhood,  and  pants 
 To  lead  the  weak  and  erring  unto  heights 
 Which  he  so  joyous  treads  ;  nay  more,  descends 
 Into  the  smoky  turmoil  and  the  roar 
 Of  the  rude  world, — his  hands  at  work  on  earth. 
 His  soul  beyond  the  clouds,  dwelling  with  God 
 And  drinking  of  His  spirit. ' 
 
CHAPTER    X  Y. 
 
 THE    ISLAND    OF    MALLICOLLO. 
 
 '  Thou  saw'st,  indeed,  the  seeming  innocence 
 Of  man  the  savage  ;  but  thou  saw'st  not  alh 
 Behold  the  scene  more  near !     Hear  the  shrill  whoop 
 Of  murderous  war  !     See  tribes  on  neighbour  tribes 
 Rush  howling,  their  red  hatchets  wielding  high. 
 And  shouting  to  their  barbarous  gods  ! ' — W.  L.  Boavles. 
 
 Mallicollo   is   one   of    the   largest    islands   of   the   New 
 Hebrides  group,  nearly  sixty  miles  long  and  one  hundred 
 and  fifty  miles  in  circvimference.      It  lies  to  the  north-west 
 of  Api,  between  15°  45'  and   16°   35'  south  latitude,  and 
 between    167°    7'   and    167°    45'   east    longitude.      It   is 
 generally   lower   than   most   of  the    other   islands,  though 
 there  are  some  higher  ridges  running  north  and  south,  and 
 thickly  covered  with  timber.      Captain  Cook  discovered  it 
 in  July  1774,  though  it  must  have  appeared  to  Bougain- 
 ville as  he  passed  through  the  strait  which  still  bears  his 
 name.      It  was  the  first  place  where  Cook  anchored  in  the 
 New  Hebrides.     The  spot  he  chose  was  a  land-locked  bay 
 in  the  south-east  of  the  island,  and  which  he  called  Port 
 Sandwich.      It  was  always  his  desire  to  seek  friendly  inter- 
 course  with  the  natives  of  newly-discovered  lands ;   and 
 while  he  was  promoting  this   at   Mallicollo,  an  untoward 
 incident  occurred,  which  was  likely  to  prevent   any  inter- 
 course.    A  native  in  a  canoe  was   desirous   of  going   into 
 the  boat  of  the  white  men,  but  was  refused,  whereupon  he 
 bent  his  bow  to  shoot  a  poisoned  arrow  at  the  sailor.      One 
 of  his  native  countrymen  held  him  back,  and  Captain  Cook 
 
286  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 was  informed  of  what  had  happened.  He  immediately 
 went  forward,  and  saw  the  bow  again  directed  to  the  boat- 
 keeper,  and  called  to  the  native,  who  at  once  aimed  it  at 
 him.  The  captain  had  a  musket  in  his  hand  loaded  with 
 small  shot,  and  he  at  once  discharged  it  at  the  man.  This 
 only  staggered  him,  and  he  still  retained  his  bow  in  the 
 attitude  of  shooting.  A  second  discharge  made  him  drop 
 it,  and  retire  along  with  the  others  in  the  canoe  with  all 
 possible  speed.  Arrows  now  began  to  fly  from  another 
 quarter.  A  musket  was  then  fired  in  the  air,  but  being  new 
 to  them  it  produced  no  effect.  Captain  Cook  then  ordered 
 a  four-pound  ball  to  be  shot  over  their  heads,  which  made 
 them  fly  in  great  confusion. 
 
 Notwithstanding  all  this.  Captain  Cook  put  off  in  two 
 boats,  and  landed  in  the  presence  of  four  or  five  hundred 
 people,  all  armed  with  bows  and  poisoned  arrows,  and  with 
 clubs  and  spears.  The  captain  went  forward  with  nothing 
 but  a  green  branch  in  his  hand,  whereupon  one,  who 
 appeared  to  be  a  chief,  gave  his  bow  and  arrows  to  another, 
 and,  taking  a  green  branch  in  his  hand,  went  to  meet  the 
 captain  in  the  water.  These  they  exchanged  whenever 
 they  met,  and  the  chief  led  Captain  Cook  to  the  people, 
 among  whom  he  distributed  presents.  The  marines  were 
 meanwhile  drawn  up  on  the  beach  ready  for  action  if 
 required.  They  were  not  needed,  however,  for  when  the 
 captain  gave  the  chief  to  understand  that  he  wanted  wood, 
 permission  was  at  once  granted  to  cut  down  trees. 
 
 The  natives  of  Mallicollo  set  no  value  then  upon  iron 
 tools  or  nails,  or  almost  any  article  which  Captain  Cook 
 could  offer  in  exchange.  They  oftered  some  arrows  for 
 pieces  of  cloth,  and  were  remarkably  honest — a  virtue  that 
 did  not  characterise  the  Tannese.  They  were  particularly 
 anxious  to  discharge  all  their  obligations.  One  man 
 followed  the  Resolution  for  a  considerable  distance  to 
 deliver  an  article  which  had  been  purchased,  as  he  thought, 
 and  would  give  it  to  no  one  but  the  person  to  whom  it  had 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MALLICOLLO.  287 
 
 been  sold.  When  he  found  liim  he  gave  it  up,  and  though 
 offered  something  in  return,  he  refused,  holding  up  what 
 he  ]iad  previously  received. 
 
 Captain  Cook  was  not  prepossessed  with  the  appearance 
 of  the  natives,  but  thought  them  the  most  ugly  and  ill- 
 proportioned  he  had  yet  met,  and  altogether  different  from 
 the  other  oceanic  tribes.  They  were  dark,  diminutive,  with 
 long  heads,  flat  faces,  and  countenances  something  like 
 monkeys.  Their  hair  was  short  and  curly,  but  not  woolly 
 like  that  of  negroes.  Its  colour  was  for  the  most  part 
 brown  or  black.  Cook  had  not  then  seen  the  southern 
 islands  of  the  group,  whose  natives  are  much  lower  than 
 those  of  MallicoUo, 
 
 The  language  struck  the  navigators  as  remarkably  dif- 
 ferent from  any  they  had  met  in  Polynesia.  Mr.  Forster, 
 the  naturalist,  who  accompanied  the  expedition,  collected  as 
 many  as  eighty  words,  scarcely  one  of  which  had  affinity 
 to  other  tongues  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Captain  Cook 
 observed  that  the  natives  pronounced  English  words  with 
 great  ease,  which  natives  of  Tahiti  could  not  do.  They 
 had  never  seen  a  dog  before,  and  the  commander  left  two, 
 with  which  they  were  greatly  delighted. 
 
 The  Bishop  of  Is^ew  Zealand  visited  this  island  in  1851, 
 in  his  little  vessel,  having  on  that  voyage  the  company 
 of  the  late  Dr.  Tyrrell,  the  Bishop  of  Newcastle  in  New 
 South  Wales.  As  a  proof  that  little  intercourse  had  been 
 held  with  white  men  since  the  days  of  Cook,  Bishop  Selwyn 
 found  that  the  natives  of  MallicoUo  did  not  know  the 
 words  '  tobacco '  and  '  missionary,'  usually  the  two  first 
 English  words  known  in  the  South  Seas.  Leaving  the 
 Bishop  of  Newcastle  on  board,  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand 
 landed,  as  he  almost  always  did  when  near  any  island. 
 He  '  and  his  party  walked  about  the  island,  and  made 
 special  acquaintance  with  a  very  pleasing  elderly  man  and 
 his  son,  a  very  fine  intelligent  youth,  whom  the  bishop 
 wished  to  bring  away.      They  found  a  well  of  good  water, 
 
288  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  next  morning  the  bishop  returned  with  a  party  to 
 replenish  their  water-casks  at  this  well.'  ^  It  was  fraught 
 with  some  danger,  however,  and  the  party  got  back  to  the 
 boat  with  difficulty.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  extraordinary 
 presence  of  mind,  wliich  never  seemed  to  be  absent  from 
 the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  they  might  never  have 
 returned.  The  people  were  bent  on  miscliief ;  but  the 
 bishop  kept  his  eye  fixed  on  the  chief,  and  told  his  men 
 to  go  on  with  the  water,  and  thus  got  safe  to  the  boats. 
 The  Bishop  of  Newcastle  was  in  great  perplexity  on  board. 
 He  had  seen  the  state  of  affiiirs  with  his  glass,  and  mean- 
 time many  canoes  were  around  the  vessel.  When  the 
 party  arrived  all  safe,  those  around  the  ship  were  got  away, 
 and  no  harm  was  done. 
 
 The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand  visited  the  island  again  in 
 1853,  and  after  that  period  Bishop  Patteson  often  called; 
 but  an  opening  for  the  gospel  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be 
 yet  secured.  The  natives  now  know  and  use  '  tobacco,' 
 which  they  have  purchased  from  trading  vessels  sailing  in 
 these  waters. 
 
 The  mission  vessel  Jolm  Williams  visited  Mallicollo  in 
 1861,  and  the  Eev.  A.  W.  Murray,  who  was  the  deputy 
 on  board,  informs  us  that  he  called  at  two  places  on  the 
 west  coast  of  the  island.  'They  came  off,'  he  says,  'in 
 great  numbers,  and  were  induced  without  difficulty  to 
 come  on  board.  At  the  first,  over  thirty  canoes  came  out 
 and  surrounded  the  vessel,  containing  from  four  to  seven 
 or  eight  persons  in  each.  In  some  were  women,  and  in 
 one  we  noticed  a  woman  wdth  an  infant  in  her  arms.  We 
 traded  with  the  people,  purchasing  their  weapons  of  war 
 and  other  things  which  they  offered  for  sale.  To  a  few, 
 presents  were  given.  When  they  saw  that  they  could  not 
 induce  us  to  go  on  shore,  and  that  the  vessel  was  moving 
 towards  another  district,  with  which,  perhaps,  they  were 
 not  on  friendly  terms,  they  dispersed.  Our  interview  at 
 ^  The  Idland  Mission. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MALLICOLLO.  289 
 
 the  second  place  at  which  we  called  was  similar  to  what  it 
 was  at  the  first.  We  tried  our  utmost  to  induce  two  or  three 
 natives  to  go  with  us,  but  all  our  efforts  were  unsuccessful'  ^ 
 Mr.  Murray  thought  the  people  a  '  noble-looking  race,  much 
 superior  and  much  less  savage  in  appearance  than  the  na- 
 tives of  the  southern  group ;'  but  he  did  not  think  tlie 
 island  equal  in  beauty  to  the  smaller  ones.  Nothing  was 
 accomplished  by  the  visit  to  open  the  island  to  the  gospel, 
 nor  has  anything  been  done  by  the  New  Hebrides  mission 
 for  this  end. 
 
 When  Commander  Markham  visited  this  island  in  1871 
 in  H.M.S.  Eosario,  he  found  the  natives  very  fierce  and  war- 
 like, but  wary  in  dealing  with  strangers.  They  became  more 
 friendly  when  they  perceived  that  he  wished  to  trade,  and 
 showed  great  anxiety  to  get  red  paint  for  their  bodies. 
 The  sailors  painted  the  faces  of  some  in  all  manner  of 
 designs."^  The  gallant  commander  expressed  his  opinion 
 that  the  island  had  not  been  largely  patronised  by  the 
 vessels  engaged  in  the  labour  trade.  But  a  report  of  a 
 cruise  by  the  Syren,  given  in  one  of  the  Sydney  papers, 
 dispelled  this  view.  It  says :  '  The  Syren  then  went  to 
 Tanna,  and  bought  six  men  from  a  chief  for  a  musket  and 
 a  piece  of  red  calico.  At  IMallicollo  they  managed  to 
 entrap  twenty-one  poor  creatures,  and  fastened  them  down 
 in  the  hold  with  the  rest.  The  wives  of  some  of  these 
 men  sivani  after  the  ship  for  more  than  three  miles,  crying 
 loudly  for  the  restoration  of  their  husbands  !  At  Bur-bur  nine 
 men  were  stolen  and  put  into  the  hold,  having  been  seduced 
 by  Jew's-harps  and  red  pocket-handkerchiefs.'  '  The  Sydney 
 Punch  thus  moralized  on  the  vessel  and  the  deed : — 
 
 '  Still  the  Syren  singeth 
 'Mid  the  happy  isles. 
 Luring  men  to  ruin 
 With  her  wicked  wiles, — 
 
 '  Missions  in  Western  Polynesia,  p.  43. 
 
 2  ilarkham's  Cruise  of  the  Eosario,  \).  196. 
 
 3  Sydney  Empire,  12th  Sept.  1868. 
 
 T 
 
290  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 "  Leave  j'our  laughing  children, 
 
 Leave  your  loving  wives, 
 Little  -will  it  cost  you, 
 
 Little  but — your  lives. " 
 
 '  Sink  the  wicked  Syren 
 
 Fathoms  in  the  sea, 
 Thus  the  flag  degrading 
 
 Floats  but  o'er  the  free  ; 
 Sink,  and  at  each  yard-arm. 
 
 More  than  leaden  weight. 
 Coward  crew  and  captain 
 
 Dangling,  share  her  fate  ! ' ' 
 
 The  Carl  in  1871  was  attacked  by  the  natives  of  Malli- 
 collo.  Fire  was  opened  on  canoes  full  of  people  who  were 
 trading  with  the  vessel.  Nearly  all  jumped  overboard,  but 
 the  boats  picked  up  twelve  or  thirteen  of  them,  who  were 
 put  into  the  hold  and  taken  away. 
 
 Such  conduct  at  the  hands  of  white  men  might  make 
 the  natives  of  MallicoUo  fiercely  vindictive  and  very  wary 
 of  any  vessel.  It  is  enough  to  warn  missionaries  away  for 
 a  generation,  while  the  memory  of  such  cruel  wrongs  remains 
 in  the  minds  of  the  people.  This  is  only  another  instance 
 of  the  evils  which  the  labour  traffic  has  produced  in  the 
 New  Hebrides  and  other  islands  of  Melanesia. 
 
 Notwithstanding  all  this,  the  people  learn  to  distinguish 
 between  kiduappers  and  missionaries,  and  between  dis- 
 honest and  honest  traders.  Even  on  MallicoUo  a  station 
 was  established  by  Captain  Macleod  in  1874,  for  the 
 pul-pose  of  collecting  heche  de  oner ;  and  the  natives  were 
 employed  for  the  purpose  of  gathering,  boiling,  and  drying 
 the  liolothurice,  which  abound  along  their  shores,  and  which 
 are  sold  at  £150  a  ton  in  the  Chinese  market.  When  a 
 trade  like  this  is  properly  conducted,  and  made  the  means 
 of  promoting  industry  among  the  natives,  it  accomplishes 
 much  good.  But  when  foreign  labour  is  largely  introduced, 
 and  a  chronic  irritation  of  the  natives  kept  up  ;  when  ardent 
 
 1  Sydney  Punch,  19th  Sept.  1868, 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MALLICOLLO.  291 
 
 spirits  are  given  at  one  time,  and  tlie  lash  administered  at 
 another  ;  whenever,  in  short,  unworthy  practices  are  resorted 
 to,  mischief  is  always  the  result,  and  missionary  enterprise 
 and  healthy  civilisation  greatly  retarded. 
 
 There  is  no  doubt  that  commercial  enterprise  will  turn 
 these  islands  to  account.  Mr.  F,  A.  Campbell  thus  writes 
 of  the  islands  in  a  commercial  point  of  view : — 
 
 '  Although  at  present,  the  exports  from  the  New  Hebrides 
 are  extremely  limited,  I  have  not  the  slightest  hesitation 
 in  asserting  that  some  day  these  islands  will  occupy  a  very 
 important  commercial  position  in  the  southern  hemisphere  ; 
 their  immense  natural  resources,  and  their  proximity  to 
 Australia,  with  its  rapidly  increasing  population,  put  the 
 matter  almost  beyond  a  doubt. 
 
 '  Cotton-growing  is  now  the  principal  industry,  and  is 
 the  chief  export ;  although  as  yet  the  plantations  are  new, 
 and  mostly  small  in  size. 
 
 '  It  is  found  that  the  sea  island  cotton — the  very  best 
 and  most  valuable  kind — grows  admirably  upon  many  of 
 the  islands,  the  climate  and  soil  being  suitable.  A  light 
 sandy  soil  is  the  best,  and  the  sea  air  seems  indispensable. 
 The  closer  to  the  beach  the  plantation  is,  the  better  will  be 
 the  crop. 
 
 '  One  acre  of  land  should  yield  one  ton  of  rough  cotton, 
 which  when  ginned  will  give  500  lbs.  net. 
 
 '  If  2s.  per  lb.  be  obtained  for  it, — and  this  is  not  a  high 
 price  for  sea  island, — £50  per  acre  will  equal  the  gross 
 proceeds. 
 
 '  The  expenses  consist  of  wages,  supply  of  food,  machinery, 
 freight,  etc.  Natives  are  paid  at  the  rate  of  £2  to  £3  per 
 annum,  besides  the  sum  per  head  paid  to  the  vessel  engaged 
 in  fetching  them.  Their  food  consists  of  native  vegetables, 
 pork,  rice,  etc.,  and  costs  about  £2  per  man  a  year.  One 
 man,  or  one  and  a  half,  is  allowed  to  each  acre. 
 
 '  The  machinery  may  be  a  very  expensive  item  or  may 
 not, — that  of  course    depends  entirely  upon  the  style  of 
 
92  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 business  that  is  adopted ;  some  planters  have  none  at  all, 
 sending  their  cotton  to  be  ginned  elsewhere,  or  selling  it  in 
 the  rough  ;  whereas  others,  such  as  Mr.  Hebblewhite  on 
 Efate,  have  several  gins,  and  a  steam-engine  to  drive  them, 
 A  small  hand  gin  that  would  turn  out  100  lbs.  per  day 
 costs  about  £15  to  £20.  The  freight  to  the  colonies  is 
 Id.  per  lb. 
 
 '  A  second  industry  and  export  is  cobra.  Some  time  ago 
 the  traders  down  here  used  to  manufacture  cocoa-nut  oil 
 from  the  kernel  of  the  cocoa-nut,  and  export  it ;  but  they 
 have  since  found  it  pay  better  to  send  the  kernels  home  as 
 cobra,  and  let  the  British  manufacturers  express  the  oil 
 with  their  more  perfect  machinery. 
 
 '  The  process  of  making  cobra  is  very  simple.  The  nut 
 is  first  broken  into  halves,  and  laid  in  the  sun  until  the 
 kernel  is  so  loose  that  it  can  easily  be  cut  out.  This  is 
 next  done,  and  the  dried  kernel  having  been  cut  into 
 several  pieces,  is  bagged  and  exported.  The  price  paid  the 
 natives  for  the  nuts  varies  exceedingly,  but  Is.  8d.  per 
 hundred  will  be  about  the  average.  Ten  men  will  turn  out 
 about  one  ton  per  week ;  and  the  price  obtained  is  from 
 £8  to  £10  per  ton. 
 
 '  The  trade  has  been  for  some  time  on  the  decline,  as  the 
 price  obtainable  has  sunk  so  low  as  to  render  it  almost  a 
 matter  of  impossibility  to  make  any  profit  out  of  it,  after 
 paying  expenses. 
 
 *  Arrowroot  is  another  export.  The  manufacture  of  this 
 article  is,  however,  principally  confined  to  the  mission 
 stations,  where  it  is  made  by  the  natives  for  the  benefit  of 
 the  Bible  Society  or  other  kindred  institutions.  This  pro- 
 cess is  also  simple,  and  the  results  are  highly  satisfactory, 
 inasnnich  as  this  arrowroot  fetches  the  highest  prices 
 ruling. 
 
 '  When  the  root  is  obtained,  it  is  grated  down,  generally 
 upon  common  nutmeg  graters,  and  put  in  a  tub  of  clear 
 water.      After  standing  some  time,  the  water  is  poured  off 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MALLICOLLO.  293 
 
 and  a  fresh  quantity  poured  in.  This  is  repeated  until  all 
 the  poisonous  juices  of  the  plant  are  carried  off,  when  it  is 
 spread  out  in  the  sun  to  dry.  When  thoroughly  dried  it 
 is  ready  for  use. 
 
 '  Whaling  and  hcche  de  mcr  close  the  list.  The  latter 
 is  carried  on  to  a  very  limited  extent,  but  the  former  with 
 more  vigour.  There  are  three  whaling  stations  on  the 
 group — one  at  Eromanga  and  two  at  Aneityum.  I  don't 
 think  that  any  of  these  fishers  are  making  their  fortunes  ; 
 for  although  whales  are  not  scarce,  they  seldom  get  more 
 than  two  or  three  a-piece  in  one  season,  and  these  are  not 
 worth  more  than  £250  or  £300.   .  .   . 
 
 '  Everything  which  grows  in  the  West  Indies,  does  grow, 
 or  1  believe  would  grow,  on  the  New  Hebrides.'  ^ 
 
 The  whalino-  station  at  Eromani^a  has  since  been  aban- 
 doned.  The  Kidnapping  Act  affected  the  settlers,  owing  to 
 the  difficulty  of  getting  a  licence,  which  in  such  hands  is 
 not  always  safe. 
 
 The  Dayspring  has  not  often  called  at  Mallicollo ;  but  in 
 1878,  when  the  Eev.  Messrs.  Mackenzie  and  Neilson  were 
 on  board,  a  visit  was  made.  Mr.  Neilson  thus  describes  it : 
 '  IQtK  August. — Came  along  in  the  night  towards  Male- 
 kula  (so  the  natives  call  it,  and  not  Mallicollo).  The  wind 
 fell  light  all  the  forenoon,  in  the  afternoon  a  breeze  sprung 
 up,  and  we  came  to  anchor  in  an  open  bay  called  Sasun, 
 about  five  miles  to  the  north  of  Port  Sandwich.  We  went 
 ashore,  and  found  a  good  many  natives,  some  of  whom 
 could  speak  a  little  English.  An  American  named  Proctor 
 had  been  here,  but  had  left.  There  had  been  a  hurricane, 
 which  had  destroyed  most  of  the  native  food,  and  sixteen 
 men  out  of  twenty-eight  belonging  to  other  islands,  who 
 had  been  working  for  him,  had  died  of  starvation.  Besides 
 this,  he  had  been  fisfhting  with  the  natives,  and  had  killed 
 three  of  them.  They  all  expressed  great  dislike  of  him. 
 If  there  is  a  difference  among  the  white  men  who  frequent 
 ^  Year  in  the  Ntiv  Hebrides,  p.  180. 
 
294  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 these  islands,  the  worst  are,  or  profess  to  be,  Americans. 
 This  man  said  he  was  a  nephew  of  General  Beauregard,  and 
 had  been  severely  wounded  fighting  on  the  Confederate 
 side.  He  had  the  spirit  of  a  slave-driver,  and  was  a  curse 
 wherever  he  went.  He  has  left  now  for  America,  The 
 natives  here  are  a  very  poor-looking  race  of  people.  The 
 men  wear  the  usual  belt  and  small  wrapper,  and  the  women 
 a  very  small  mat,  and  have  the  curious  custom  of  knocking 
 out  the  two  upper  front  teeth, 
 
 'llff/i  August. — Sabbath  morning;  spent  the  forenoon 
 and  had  worship  on  board  ship.  A  good  many  natives  came 
 off  to  the  vessel  on  small  rafts  of  two  or  three  sticks  tied 
 together,  and  some  swam,  as  most  of  their  canoes  had  been 
 spoiled  by  the  hurricane.  In  the  afternoon  we  went  ashore 
 and  walked  through  several  villages,  but  saw  few  people. 
 The  men  are  all  armed  with  bows  and  arrows.  Some  of 
 these  they  hold  loose ;  but  others,  the  poisoned  ones,  are 
 always  very  closely  wrapped  up.  They  all  wear  a  small 
 disc  of  wood  on  the  left  arm  as  a  guard  for  the  bowstring. 
 The  houses  are  very  small,  just  like  a  little  roof  placed  on 
 the  ground,  and  the  door  a  little  hole  just  sufticient  to  admit 
 the  body  of  a  man  going  in  head  first.  We  saw  few 
 children,  and  the  women  were  on  the  whole  the  most  un- 
 prepossessing I  have  ever  seen.  The  island,  however,  is 
 fertile,  and  not  very  mountainous,  and  the  population  must, 
 I  think,  be  large.  Cocoa-nut  palms  are  very  abundant,  and 
 these,  I  think,  have  some  connection  with  the  name  of  the 
 island,  the  cocoa-nut  here  being  called  nahula.  The  number 
 of  dialects,  however,  must  be  very  great,  as  we  found  the 
 names  of  the  numerals  even  different  on  the  opposite  sides 
 of  the  bay  in  which  we  were  anchored.  In  the  evening,  as 
 we  came  off  to  the  ship,  we  saw  a  small  steamer  beating  up 
 to  windward,  and  about  seven  o'clock,  by  moonlight,  she 
 came  to  anchor  alongside  of  us.  A  boat  was  lowered  from 
 her  immediately,  and  Bishop  Selwyn  stepped  on  our  deck. 
 He  had  just  heard  of  his  father's  death,  and  was  making 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MALLICOLLO.  295 
 
 his  way  to  New  Caledonia  in  this  wretched  craft,  as  he  had 
 to  hurry  home  to  England.  He  came  down  into  the  cabin, 
 had  worship  with  us,  and  gave  an  address  very  friendly  and 
 appropriate.  We  were  able  to  give  him  the  latest  news, 
 and  offered  him  a  passage,  but  he  thought  he  could  make 
 his  way  quicker  in  the  little  schooner  than  by  coming  round 
 with  us.  He  is  a  young,  broad-shouldered,  strong-built, 
 little  man,  and  looks  well  adapted  for  his  work.  We  had 
 some  conversation  with  him  about  the  mission  work.  He 
 is  in  good  hope  about  it,  but  needs  more  men,  as  we  do. 
 Their  system  has  certainly  hitherto  been  a  failure,  and  will 
 continue  to  be  so  until  they  settle  more  European  mission- 
 aries among  the  islands.  He  intends  being  back  in  Sydney 
 next  ]\Iay,  to  come  down  again  to  his  work.  Poor  fellow, 
 he  has  lost  both  his  wife  and  his  father  within  the  last  few 
 months. 
 
 '  Vltli  August. — The  bishop  came  on  board  again  this 
 morning.  We  gave  him  some  newspapers,  and  a  bag  of 
 biscuit,  of  which  he  was  much  in  need.  After  taking  in 
 some  water,  he  started  on  his  voyage.  We  spent  the  whole 
 day  going  about  among  the  villages.  The  people  here  make 
 a  curious  kind  of  idol  of  the  stem  of  the  tree-fern,  to 
 represent  those  who  have  died,  which  they  stick  up  beside 
 their  houses.  They  have  also  the  hollow  wooden  drums  in 
 the  village  square,  and  curious  kinds  of  masks  of  the  human 
 countenance  modelled  in  red  clay.  They  practise  circum- 
 cision, but  do  not  seem  even  to  drink  kava  or  to  chew  the 
 betel-nut.  We  found  no  fewer  than  six  varieties  of  hibiscus, 
 wdiich  were  growing  in  rich  profusion  all  along  the  paths. 
 Captain  Braithwaite  is  quite  a  botanist,  and  is  always  on 
 the  look-out  for  sometlnng  new,  and  there  is  an  admirable 
 opportunity  here  of  adding  to  the  known  species  of  plants. 
 We  found  what  we  thought  would  be  an  excellent  place  for 
 a  mission  station,  on  the  flat  top  of  a  hill,  about  150  feet 
 above  the  sea,  and  near  a  large  village.  The  natives  said 
 they  would  be  willing  to  sell  it  to  us ;  so,  after  purchasing 
 
296  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 a  few  curiosities  and  bidding  tliem  farewell,  we  started  for 
 the  ship,  promising  to  come  and  see  them  again  next  year.' 
 
 Bishop  Selwyn,  in  his  notes  published  in  England  in 
 1879,  thus  refers  to  Mallicollo  : — '  We  ran  into  the  harbour 
 — a  nest  of  islands  surrounded  by  reefs — ^just  at  sunset, 
 and  were  suddenly  brought  up  by  a  reef  lying  in  the  way 
 to  our  anchoring  ground,  which  our  captain,  who  had  been 
 there  before,  declared  to  be  non-existent.  It  was  the  top  of 
 high  water  and  spring  tides,  so  we  did  not  seem  likely  to 
 get  off  for  some  time,  and  the  natives  thereabouts  had  not 
 a  very  good  name.  However,  those  who  came  were  very 
 friendly,  and  helped  us  to  unload  the  ship.  We  got  an 
 anchor  out,  and  about  four  A.M.,  to  our  great  delight,  she 
 came  off  unhurt.  Then  we  had  to  put  all  tlie  cargo  back 
 again,  and  at  twelve  left  Mr.  Johnson  ashore  and  sailed, 
 very  glad  to  get  away  so  easily.  Just  before  this  we  fell 
 in  with  the  Presbyterian  mission  vessel  Dayspring,  and  I 
 spent  Sunday  evening  on  board  her.  Here  I  heard  a  few 
 more  particulars  of  my  father's  death,  and  only  then,  from 
 the  lines  in  PttncJi,  learned  the  date  of  it.' 
 
 Thirty  years  have  elapsed  since  his  father,  the  Bishop  of 
 New  Zealand,  pioneered  his  missionary  enterprise  to  Malli- 
 collo, and  it  is  melancholy  to  think  that  the  charity  of  the 
 Christian  Church  has  not  yet  evangelized  its  people. 
 
 '  Hasten,  0  Love  and  Charity,  your  work, 
 Ev'n  now  wliile  it  is  day  ;  far  as  the  world 
 Extends  may  yonr  divinest  influence 
 Be  felt,  and  more  than  felt,  to  teach  mankind 
 They  all  are  brothers,  and  to  drown  the  cries 
 Of  superstition,  anarchy,  and  blood. ' — W.  L.  Bowles. 
 
CHAPTEE    XVI. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  AMBRYM. 
 
 *  Tliese  leafy  isles  iipon  the  ocean  tlirown, 
 Like  studs  of  emerald  o'er  a  silver  iione. ' — I\Ioore. 
 
 AjNIBEYM  is  an  island  of  considerable  size,  being  about  sixty 
 miles  in  circumference.  It  is  sixteen  miles  to  the  north 
 of  Api,  and  about  the  same  distance  to  the  east  of 
 Mallicollo.  It  lies  between  167°  50' and  168°  17' east 
 longitude,  and  between  16°  5'  and  16°  20'  south  latitude. 
 It  is  nearly  square,  the  sides  being  about  fifteen  miles 
 each,  though  the  two  farthest  points  are  twenty-two  miles 
 apart.  Its  central  elevation  is  3500  feet,  Avhich  is  the 
 height  of  the  active  crater  of  its  volcano.  The  cloud  of 
 dust  which  is  emitted  is  so  great  that  for  many  miles  at 
 sea  the  decks  of  vessels  are  covered  by  it.  The  mountains 
 are  grand  and  picturesque.  The  soil  is  extremely  rich,  as 
 is  the  case  on  Tanna,  where  there  is  an  active  volcano,  and 
 produces  great  variety  of  fruits.  Cocoa-nut  trees  grow  even 
 on  the  sides  of  the  hills  and  in  the  inland  valleys,  while  the 
 undergrowth  of  graceful  ferns  and  flowering  shrubs  is  very 
 dense.^  Mr.  Murray  calls  it  a  '  perfect  gem,'  and  says  that 
 he  '  has  seen  many  beautiful  islands  both  in  Eastern  and 
 "Western  Polynesia,  but  one  more  lovely  than  the  island  just 
 named  he  has  never  beheld.'  ^  Again  he  says :  '  It  is  a 
 magnificent  island,  and  looks  more  grand  even  than  Eate. 
 
 ^  Markham's  Cruise  of  the  Roaario,  p.  20G. 
 
 ^  MuiTay's  Missions  in  Western  Polynesia,  p.  6. 
 
298  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 The  mountains  are  loftier  and  bolder,  and  the  whole 
 appearance  is  more  striking  and  picturesque.  We  sailed 
 along  the  south  side  of  the  island,  charmed  with  its 
 beauty.'  ^ 
 
 The  natives  are  stalwart,  healthy,  and  dark-skinned. 
 '  They  wear  their  hair  cut  short,'  says  Mr.  Campbell,  who 
 visited  the  island  in  1872,  'and  have  a  curious  custom  of 
 powdering  it  white,  and  I  cannot  say  that  it  has  an  un- 
 pleasant appearance.'  ^  They  seem  very  easily  excited,  and 
 require  to  be  approached  with  caution. 
 
 The  vessels  belonging  to  the  Melanesian  mission,  the 
 London  Missionary  Society,  and  the  Presbyterian  mission 
 in  the  ISTew  Hebrides,  have  visited  the  island,  and  tried  to 
 open  intercourse  for  the  instruction  of  the  natives.  Bishop 
 Selwyn  pioneered  the  way,  and  Bishop  Patteson  and  his 
 coadjutors  often  visited  it.  Bishop  Patteson  acquired  the 
 language,  and  he  published  an  elementary  grammar  of  it  at 
 the  press  which  he  had  at  Norfolk  Island.  This  acquisition 
 was  made  more  by  the  intercourse  with  young  men  of  the 
 island  whom  he  persuaded  to  accompany  him  for  a  season, 
 than  from  efforts  on  the  island.  His  visits  there  being 
 referred  to  in  his  letters  led  one  of  the  artists  of  a  periodical 
 to  represent  him  landing  among  the  people.  To  his  mind 
 it  was  a  caricature,  illustrating  what  might  be,  long  after 
 Christianity  had  been  introduced,  as  it  represented  him  in 
 his  clerical  attire.  During  a  series  of  years  the  intercourse 
 has  been  kept  up  with  more  or  less  hope. 
 
 The  John  Williams,  with  Dr.  Geddie  and  Mr.  Murray 
 on  board,  called  in  1861,  but  great  difficulty  was  experi- 
 enced in  getting  any  intercourse  with  the  people,  and  the 
 vessel  bore  away.  Dr.  Geddie  revisited  it  in  the  Dayspring 
 in  1868,  and  though  the  vessel  had  called  there  in  1865, 
 the  natives  did  not  recognise  her.  Labour  ships  had  mean- 
 while been  there,  and  several  of  the  natives  had  been  taken 
 
 '  Murray's  Missions  in  Western  Polynesia,  p.  435. 
 ^  Year  in  the  Neto  Hebrides,  p.  132. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  AMBRYM.  299 
 
 away  by  fraud ;  the  people  were  therefore  shy,  aud  afraid 
 of  approaching  the  ship's  boat.  At  length,  a  chief  who  had 
 been  as  far  south  as  Aneityum,  and  had  met  with  Dr. 
 Geddie,  approached.  He  soon  recognised  his  old  friend, 
 and  ordered  the  people  to  fall  back.  Dr.  Geddie,  however, 
 asked  him  to  allow  them  to  come,  and  this  being  granted, 
 they  were  soon  all  about  him.  The  highest  chief  had 
 hitherto  been  opposed  to  missionaries,  but  on  this  occasion 
 he  came  and  was  very  friendly.  Dr.  Geddie's  acquaintance 
 was  quite  affectionate,  and  walked  about  with  his  arm 
 around  the  missionary  who  had  come  to  see  him.  This 
 show^s  how  susceptible  even  a  fierce  people  are  to  kindness. 
 Men,  women,  and  children  seemed  glad  to  see  the  man  who 
 had  been  kind  to  the  chief — Biantur.  Dr.  Geddie  wrote  : 
 '  I  shall  not  soon  forget  Biantur's  kindness  to  me.  All  the 
 time  I  was  on  shore  he  remained  by  my  side,  and  his  arm 
 was  almost  constantly  round  me.  He  was  much  troubled 
 because  we  could  not  remain  until  they  could  cook  food 
 for  us,  but  the  sun  was  down,  and  the  vessel  was  drifting 
 out  from  the  land,  so  I  was  obliged  to  leave.  I  was  much 
 pleased  witli  my  brief  visit  to  this  fertile  and  lovely  island, 
 but  this  pleasure  was  marred  by  the  thought  that  the  people 
 are  still  living  in  the  unbroken  darkness  of  heathenism,  and 
 none  among  them  to  tell  them  of  a  Saviour,'  When  he  left, 
 the  high  chief  waded  with  him  to  the  boat,  though  the  water 
 was  four  or  five  feet  deep. 
 
 The  Dayspring  again  called  at  this  island  in  1872,  for 
 the  purpose  of  landing  five  men  who  had  been  abandoned 
 by  a  trader  for  whom  they  had  been  working.  This  trader's 
 affairs  had  gone  wrong,  and  the  men  were  left  witliout  pay- 
 ment or  any  means  of  livelihood  on  one  of  the  southern 
 islands.  '  Through  the  kind  and  humane  exertions  of 
 the  Eev.  Mr.  Watt,  missionary  on  the  south-east  side  of 
 Tanna,'  says  Commander  Markham,  '  these  unfortunate  and 
 ill-used  men  had  been  brought  across  to  the  island  of  Tanna, 
 and  when  I  saw  them  (in  1871)  had  been  living  there  for 
 
300  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 some  weeks,  waiting  an  opportunity  to  be  conveyed  back  to 
 their  native  island.  As  a  good  trait  in  the  character  of 
 the  Tannese,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  these  poor  half- 
 starved  Ambrym  men  were  being  housed  and  fed  by  the 
 Kwamera  men,  who  would  not  allow  them  to  do  any  kind 
 of  work,  saying  that  they  were  their  guests  until  they  could 
 take  ship  for  their  own  homes.  Under  any  other  circum- 
 stances, that  is  to  say  away  from  missionary  influence,  one 
 would  natural!}'-  imagine,  from  the  general  disposition  of 
 these  islanders,  that  the  strangers  were  being  kept  and 
 fattened  for  the  purpose  of  forming  the  principal  part  at  a 
 native  cannibal  feast,  and  that  in  due  time  they  would  be 
 killed,  cooked,  and  devoured;  but  in  this  case  it  was 
 genuine  hospitality  that  influenced  their  conduct.'^  They 
 did  not  escape  danger,  and  one  was  killed  and  two  others 
 crippled  for  life  by  one  of  the  neighbouring  tribes  during 
 an  attack  on  the  village  where  they  resided. 
 
 1^0  opportunity  offered  to  send  these  men  home,  till  the 
 missionary  vessel  Dayspring  took  them  in  July  1872,  when 
 Mr.  Watt  accompanied  them.  They  had  regularly  attended 
 liis  services  while  on  Tanna,  and  had  expressed  a  wish  that 
 a  missionary  might  be  settled  on  Ambrym.  When  they  were 
 landed,  it  was  expected  that  a  friendly  meeting  would  take 
 place  with  the  natives  of  the  district.  There  was  great 
 excitement  when  they  appeared,  and  all  the  people  seemed 
 glad;  but  immediately  after,  two  of  those  just  landed 
 whispered  to  Mr.  Watt  to  get  into  the  boat  and  leave  as 
 soon  as  possible.  They  gave  no  reason,  but  it  was  sup- 
 posed that  the  friends  of  the  missing  man  were  resolved  to 
 revenge  his  death.  As  it  was,  there  was  no  help  for  it, 
 and  the  ship's  boat  went  'bumping  over  the  reef  to  reach 
 the  vessel  again. 
 
 The  year  before.  Commander  Markham  had  called  in  the 
 Eosario,  and  sent  a  boat  to  communicate  with  the  natives, 
 but  they  collected  in  a  number  between  two  and  three 
 1  Cruise  of  the  Bosario,  p.  251. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  AMBRYM.  301 
 
 liundrtd,  ami  showed  a  liostile  attitude,  so  that  the  boat 
 had  to  leave  abruptly.  The  labour  vessels  had  not  left  a 
 good  name  among  the  savage  people  of  Ambrym,  and,  as  a 
 consequence,  innocent  men  calling  were  in  danger  of  their 
 lives. 
 
 The  Melanesian  mission,  which  first  opened  up  inter- 
 course with  them,  has  continued  the  attempt  to  introduce 
 the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  one  of  the  European  agents 
 resided  for  a  short  time  on  the  island.  In  1874,  the 
 Southern  Cross  called  in  June,  and  landed  a  little  boy,  who 
 cried  on  leaving  his  missionary  friends,  as  if  he  had  been 
 going  to  school.  In  September,  Mr.  Kenny  was  left  for  a 
 month  to  labour  among  the  people.  The  vessel  called  for 
 him  on  the  16th  October. 
 
 The  following  extract  from  the  report,  published  in 
 December  1874,  illustrates  the  position  and  the  peril  of  a 
 missionary  there  : — '  We  landed  before  breakfast  at  Ambrym, 
 where  a  labourer,  the  Jason,  lay  at  anchor.  Sixteen  of  her 
 new  recruits  having  escaped  during  the  night,  later  in  the 
 day  two  armed  boats  were  sent  off  to  recapture  them.  They 
 had  probably  gone  through  the  farce  of  subscribing  their 
 marks  at  the  bottom  of  some  agreement,  which  means 
 nothing  to  them,  but  which  in  the  most  unfair  manner 
 legalises  their  detention  as  willing  recruits.  We  had 
 heard  of  various  collisions  and  murders,  and  are  surprised 
 that  there  are  not  more,  for  the  captain  vnll  have  his  full 
 cargo,  and  the  natives  on  their  side  vnll  be  refractory  from 
 time  to  time.  There  is  a  horrid  system  of  paying  natives 
 to  decoy  their  fellow-countrymen  into  the  trap.  But  above 
 the  whited  sepulchre  sits  a  government  agent  with  an  agree- 
 ment in  his  hand,  and  then  all  is  well.  Mr.  Kenny  was 
 looking  none  the  worse,  and  had  had  a  rather  romantic  time 
 on  shore.  There  had  been  fighting  between  his  and  the 
 neighbouring  village,  and  the  place  of  encounter  was  unfor- 
 tunately the  water-course,  so  that  he  could  get  but  a  very 
 limited  supply  of  that  most  desirable  element.      An  attempt 
 
302  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 had  been  also  made  to  poison  him.  His  fare  was  of  tlie 
 simplest  and  scantiest, — a  yam  morning  and  evening, — but  he 
 looked  very  well,  and  appeared  quite  satisfied  with  his  visit, 
 which  had  lasted  about  a  month,  and  is  the  first  of  any 
 importance  which  has  been  paid  to  this  island.  We  walked 
 across  from  village  to  village,  and  at  a  certain  boundary  line 
 our  escort  withdrew,  and  a  new  one  came  upon  us  with 
 loud  cries  and  much  excitement.  These  were  the  enemy, 
 to  whose  village  we  were  conducted,  where  we  saw  some 
 wonders  in  the  way  of  drums  ten  feet  high,  slightly  leaning, 
 and  carved  in  human  form,  with  large  cocked-hat-like  things 
 on  their  heads,  beneath  which  appeared  two  enormous  and 
 body-like  eyes.  There  is  a  slit  in  their  stomachs  where 
 they  are  beaten.  They  look  just  like  effigies  of  gendarmes, 
 enveloped  in  long  cloaks,  and  leaning  upon  their  swords.'  ^ 
 
 From  the  footing  secured,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  mis- 
 sionary work  will  advance  on  this  island.  In  1872,  the 
 natives  had  not  learned  to  smoke  tobacco,  which  is  a  rare 
 circumstance  now  among  the  isles  of  the  Southern  Sea  ; 
 but  they  soon  acquire  the  habit  when  traders  are  much 
 among  them.  The  influence  of  the  labour  traffic,  as  indi- 
 cated by  this  extract,  is  far  from  humanizing.  The  mis- 
 sionary living  among  the  people,  and  trying  to  do  them 
 good,  is  the  agent  most  likely  to  elevate  and  bless  them. 
 
 '  The  ties  of  Nature  do  but  feebly  bind, 
 And  Commerce  partially  reclaims  mankind  ; 
 Philosophy,  without  his  heavenly  guide. 
 May  blow  up  self-conceit,  and  nourish  pride  ; 
 But  while  his  province  is  the  reasoning  part, 
 Has  still  a  veil  of  midnight  on  his  heart : 
 'Tis  Truth  divine  exhibited  on  earth 
 Gives  Charity  her  being  and  her  birth. 
 
 Here  see,  acquitted  of  all  vain  pretence. 
 
 The  reign  of  genuine  Charity  commence  ; 
 
 Though  scorn  repay  her  sympathetic  tears, 
 
 She  still  is  kind,  and  still  she  perseveres.' — Cowper. 
 
 •  Australian  Churchman,  December  12,  1874. 
 
CHAPTEEXVII. 
 
 THE  ISLANDS  OF  ARAGHA,  PENTECOST,  OE  WHITSUNTIDE,  AND 
 ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 
 
 '  Thou,  as  the  seas  expand, 
 Paiisest  a  moment,  when  beneath  thine  eye, 
 Blue,  vast,  and  rocking,  through  its  boundless  rule, 
 The  long  Pacific  stretches.     Nor  here  cease 
 Thy  search,  but  with  De  Quiros  to  the  south 
 Still  urge  thy  way,  if  yet  some  continent 
 Stretch  to  its  dusky  pole,  with  nations  spread, 
 Forests,  and  hills,  and  streams. 
 
 So  be  thy  search 
 With  ampler  views  rewarded,  till  at  length, 
 Lo  !  the  round  world  is  compassed.' — W.  L.  Bowles. 
 
 On  the  2 2d  May  1768,  being  Whitsunday,  Bougainville 
 sighted  the  island  of  Aragha,  which  in  honour  of  the  day 
 he  named  He  de  Pentecote.  He  had  already  won  his  laurels 
 both  in  military  and  naval  service,  and  in  Canada,  under 
 ]\Iontcalm,  had  displayed  great  bravery,  and  obtained  the 
 rank  of  colonel.  He  afterwards  became  general,  and  a 
 member  of  the  Institute,  and  a  senator.  He  then  went 
 upon  a  voyage  of  discovery,  and  was  the  first,  after  a 
 century  and  a  half,  who  attempted  to  follow  the  track  of 
 Quiros  in  search  of  a  southern  continent.  He  dispelled  the 
 long-cherished  idea,  and  proved  the  existence  of  an  archi- 
 pelago studded  with  islands,  a  few  of  which  he  saw.  He 
 did  not  land  on  He  de  Pentecote.  Little  was  therefore 
 known  of  it,  even  after  Cook's  voyage  twice  through  the 
 group,  till  the  days  of  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand.      In 
 
304  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 1857,  lie  landed  here  along  with  Mr.  Patteson,  who  had 
 joined  him  three  years  before.  This  was  the  second  voyage 
 of  Mr.  Patteson  to  these  northern  islands.  In  the  previous 
 year  they  had  sailed  on  the  west  side  from  Mallicollo  to 
 the  Solomon  group.     On  this  occasion  they  called  at  Aragha. 
 
 The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand  wrote  regarding  this  visit : 
 '  We  rowed  to  the  shore,  to  the  mouth  of  a  fine  stream 
 running  into  the  sea,  over  sand  and  rocks,  with  deep  water 
 close  to  the  mouth.  Here  we  found  a  most  friendly  party, 
 sixty  in  number,  with  a  chief  named  Mankau  at  their  head. 
 It  may  be  remarked  generally,  that  we  do  not  find  that 
 aristocracy  has  that  withering  and  blighting  effect  which 
 journalists  in  England  impute  to  it.  We  were  glad  to  find 
 out  a  chief,  because  we  can  then  conduct  our  intercourse 
 with  the  tribe  with  much  more  safety  to  ourselves  and 
 benefit  to  them.  Several  times,  at  other  places,  we  have 
 been  obliged  to  retire  altogether,  not  from  any  fear  of  the 
 people,  or  suspicion  of  unfriendliness,  but  because  they  all 
 rushed  to  our  boat  and  crowded  round  us,  each  trying  to 
 be  the  first  to  exchange  his  yam  or  his  club.  The  present 
 instance  was  an  example  of  a  really  gentlemanlike  interview, 
 ending  in  a  traffic  conducted  with  all  the  regularity  of  a 
 civilised  people.  Mfinkau  first  met  us  in  the  water  up  to 
 his  knees,  and  presented  me  with  his  bunch  of  bright 
 colours,  a  compliment  which  I  acknowledged  by  the  gift  of 
 a  hatchet.  Mr.  Patteson  and  I  then  stepped  into  the  water 
 and  walked  with  him  to  the  mouth  of  the  stream.'  ^ 
 
 The  bishop  had  already  acquired  the  use  of  a  few  words 
 of  the  Ambrym  language,  and  by  repeating  the  word  for 
 water  got  the  chief  to  understand  that  he  wanted  some 
 water  for  the  vessel.  A  supply  was  at  once  obtained. 
 Thus  the  first  visit  passed  off  very  satisfactorily. 
 
 The  island  is  thirty-six  miles  long,  but  not  quite  ten 
 miles  wide  at  its  broadest  part.  It  is  situated  between 
 15"  23'  and  1G°  south  latitude,  and  between   168°  -l'  and 
 
 '  The.  Island  Mission,  p.  1 40. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ARAGHA.  305 
 
 168°  14'  east  longitude.  It  is  elevated  about  2000 
 feet.  The  west  side  has  been  most  frequently  approached. 
 At  the  middle  of  the  island  there  is  a  waterfall,  and  then 
 towards  the  north  the  cliffs  are  very  steep,  but  at  the 
 extreme  north-west  there  is  a  landing-place  called  Van 
 Marana.  At  this  point  Bishop  Patteson  frequently  called, 
 and  he  acquired  the  language  in  use  there.  He  printed  a 
 vocabulary  consisting  of  many  words,  and  arranged  gram- 
 matically, with  many  illustrative  sentences.  The  second 
 person  singular  of  the  personal  pronoun  he  observed  was 
 sometimes  aspirated,  and  the  letter  m  was  introduced  in 
 the  first  and  second  persons  singular,  and  in  the  first  and 
 third  persons  plural,  before  the  verb.  Frequently  the  third 
 person  singular  had  the  same ;  but  he  could  not  then 
 decide  whether  this  m  was  to  be  part  of  the  pronoun  or 
 of  the  verb. 
 
 The  bishop  soon  became  well  known  to  the  natives.  In 
 1862,  he  sat  for  two  hours  alone  among  a  crowd  of  people 
 assembled  at  Van  Marana,  and  a  young  man  went  with 
 him  for  a  year.  When  he  called  in  1865,  he  was  anxious 
 to  get  this  youth  to  go  with  him  again,  but  he  would  not 
 consent.  Parents  there  were  unwilling  to  part  with  such 
 as  were  young  enough  to  become  satisfactory  pupils.  The 
 natives  continued  to  be  friendly,  and  occasionally  lads  went 
 in  the  schooner. 
 
 When  Commander  Markham  was  there  in  1871,  a  very 
 different  feeling  was  manifested.  At  Van  Marana^  when 
 the  boat  of  the  Rosario  approached  the  shore,  the  people 
 were  assembled  in  a  warlike  attitude,  '  dancing  and  gesticu- 
 lating in  a  wild  manner,  yelling  and  brandishing  their 
 weapons.'  The  boat  was  immediately  recalled,  and  it  was 
 feared  that  the  people  had  recently  received  some  provoca- 
 tion at  the  hands  of  white  men.  There  is  a  considerable 
 population  on  this  large  island,  affording  great  room  for 
 missionary  operations. 
 
 Bishop  Selwyn  has  followed  up  the  work  of  his  prede- 
 
 u 
 
3o6  THE  NE IV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 cessor  here  as  elsewhere.  His  visit  there  in  1878  was  on 
 21st  Aprih  He  thus  refers  to  it  in  his  journal:  'Easter 
 Bay. — Opened  wdth  Holy  Communion  at  7,  a  most  beauti- 
 ful and  helpful  service.  Our  after-cabin  was  full  with 
 twenty  Melanesians,  ourselves,  and  the  captain.  There 
 were  some  eight  first  communicants,  and  though  we  were 
 very  crowded,  I  do  not  think  they  lost  any  of  the  impressive- 
 ness  of  the  first  celebration,  as  it  was  a  very  solemn  service 
 indeed.  Then  we  rolled  quietly  down  to  the  anchorage  at 
 Aragha,  in  glorious  weather  and  quite  smooth  water.  It 
 was  quite  a  perfect  sea  Sunday.  I  was  able  to  go  ashore 
 in  the  evening,  and  sleep  at  our  teacher's  headquarters 
 there,  and  talk  to  the  boys  I  was  going  to  leave,  about  our 
 Lord's  greeting  and  commission,  "  Peace  be  unto  you ;  as 
 my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you."  There  was 
 a  touching  meeting  between  one  of  our  boys  and  his  mother, 
 which  took  the  form  of  her  embracing  his  legs.  It  meant 
 a  good  deal,  I  suppose.  Easter  Monday,  2 2d  April. — ■ 
 Landed  Thomas  Ulgan  and  his  staff,  and  bought  all  that 
 was  offered,  and  so  away.' 
 
 This  baptized  young  man,  who  has  been  instructed  in 
 Christian  truth,  is  thus  working  among  his  fellow- 
 islanders. 
 
 The  Eev.  C.  Bice  expected  to  have  spent  some  time  on 
 this  island  in  1878,  but  was  not  able  to  do  it.  He  says, 
 '  My  one  and  only  comfort  is  the  fact  that  Thomas  Ulgan 
 is  going  there  to  stay.'  May  a  new  Pentecost  gladden  this 
 isle  of  the  sea,  by  means  of  that  gospel  which  was  in- 
 augurated by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of 
 Pentecost  at  Jerusalem  ! 
 
 '  Her  report  has  travelled  forth 
 Into  all  lands.     From  every  clime  they  come 
 To  see  thy  beauty,  and  to  share  thy  joy, 
 0  Zion  !     An  assembly  such  as  earth 
 Saw  never,  such  as  Heaven  stoops  down  to  see.' — Cowpek. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MALO.  307 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  MALO  OR  ST.  BARTHOLOMEW, 
 
 This  island  was  passed  by  Bougainville  when  he  sailed 
 between  it  and  MallicoUo,  but  possibly  he  did  not  observe 
 that  it  was  insular.  Captain  Cook  gave  it  the  name  it 
 bears.  It  is  eleven  miles  long  from  east  to  west,  and  lies 
 between  167°  4'  and  167°  15'  east  longitude,  and  15°  40' 
 south  latitude.  Very  little  is  known  of  the  inhabitants. 
 They  have  had  visits  from  passing  vessels.  Commander 
 ]\Iarkham,  in  his  Cruise  of  the  Eosario,  says  that  he  was 
 told  at  Espiritu  Santo,  that  the  master  of  a  labour  vessel 
 had  shot  a  woman  and  child  on  St.  Bartholomew.  When 
 this  captain  was  met  by  the  Rosario  at  Havannah 
 Harbour  shortly  afterwards,  Commander  Markham  ordered 
 him  on  board  to  give  an  account  of  his  conduct.  He 
 did  not  deny  that  he  had  fired  upon  the  natives,  but 
 pleaded  that  it  was  done  in  self  -  defence,  as  they  had 
 attacked  him.  Commander  Markham  did  not  find  sufficient 
 evidence  to  convict  the  master,  but  he  thought  it  very 
 questionable  that  the  natives  had  been  the  aggressors,  for 
 in  such  cases  they  generally  send  their  women  away. 
 
 The  mission  vessel  Dayqiring  called  at  St.  Bartholomew 
 in  August  1878.  The  following  are  the  notes  of  the  Eev. 
 Thomas  ISTeilson,  as  published  in  the  annual  report  of  the 
 New  Hebrides  mission  vessel,  and  from  which  it  appears 
 that  the  missionary  schooner  was  recognised  as  friendly  to 
 the  people : — 
 
 '  VMh  August. — Before  daylight  we  were  hove  to  off  St. 
 Bartholomew  Island,  the  name  of  which  was  got  from  the 
 natives  as  Malo.  It  is  a  somewhat  flat,  uninteresting- 
 looking  piece  of  coral  formation.  We  saw  a  large  schooner 
 lying  off  and  on,  which  proved  to  be  the  Storm  Bird  of 
 j\Iaryboro',  a  labour  vessel.  After  breakfast,  Mr.  Mackenzie 
 and  I  went  ashore.  Some  of  the  natives  recognised  the 
 Day  spring,  and  a  lad  jumped  from  his  canoe  into  the 
 boat,  and  piloted  us  in.     The  people  were  all  very  friendly, 
 
3o8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  we  observed  that  none  of  them  carried  weapons.  They 
 are  rather  a  good-looking  race  of  people,  the  men  wearing 
 a  very  elaborate  belting  of  small  cord  and  the  usual  wrapper. 
 The  clothing  of  the  women  is  so  scanty  as  scarcely  to  admit 
 of  description.  They  make  very  large  cooking-houses,  in 
 the  shape  of  a  roof  open  at  both  ends.  In  one  of  these, 
 which  was  about  fifty  feet  long,  I  counted  nine  fire-places, 
 and  the  chief  was  sitting  on  one  side  making  his  kava,  a 
 thing  that  is  never  done  on  Tanna  except  at  sundown. 
 None  of  them  knew  more  than  a  few  words  of  English, 
 and  we  knew  nothing  of  their  language,  so  that  we  could 
 not  hold  much  intercourse  with  them.  We  went  through 
 several  villages,  and  saw  a  good  many  people,  and  a  great 
 many  young  children.  They  were  all  very  friendly,  and 
 knew  that  we  were  missionaries,  and  were  evidently  glad  to 
 see  us.  We  saw  one  young  woman  all  whitewashed  from 
 top  to  toe.  She  was  the  nicest-looking  woman  we  saw  on 
 the  island,  and  had  a  pretty  baby  in  her  arms.  They  said 
 that  she  was  a  widow,  and  that  this  was  their  custom.' 
 There  is  need  for  special  effort  on  this  island. 
 
 '  Charity  should  bind 
 Where'er  they  roain  the  brothers  of  mankind. 
 The  time  shall  come  when  wildest  tribes  shall  hear 
 Thy  voice,  0  Christ !  and  drop  the  glittering  spear.' 
 
 — W.  L.  Bowles. 
 
CHArTER   XVIII. 
 
 AOBA  OR  OPA,  OR  LEPER'S  ISLE. 
 
 '  No,  ne'er  did  the  wave  in  its  element  steep 
 
 An  island  of  lovelier  charms  ; 
 It  blooms  in  the  giant  embrace  of  the  deep, 
 Like  Hebe  in  Hercules'  arms  ! ' — Moore. 
 
 BouGAi^iviLLE  observed  an  island  on  the  morning  after 
 discovering  Pentecost,  and  resolved  to  send  boats  to  get 
 some  intelligence  about  the  country,  and  if  possible  to 
 obtain  refreshments  for  his  sick  crew,  who  were  increasing 
 upon  his  hand  daily.  The  vessel  kept  near  the  boat  in 
 order  to  cover  them  in  case  of  attack.  He  saw  them  land 
 safely,  and  in  the  afternoon  went  himself  on  shore  to  join 
 them.  He  found  his  men  busy  cutting  timber,  and  the 
 natives  of  the  place  assisting  them  to  carry  it  to  the  beach. 
 There  was  a  party  of  armed  natives  who  threatened  to 
 hinder  his  landing,  but  in  a  little  while  permitted  him  to 
 come.  He  felt,  however,  apprehensive  of  an  attack.  He 
 took  possession  of  the  isles  in  name  of  his  most  Christian 
 Majesty,  and  buried  under  ground  a  plank  of  oak,  with  an 
 inscription  of  what  he  had  done.  As  he  went  off,  the 
 natives  sent  a  shower  of  arrows  and  stones,  which  he 
 returned  by  firing  upon  them.  One  of  his  sailors  was 
 slightly  wounded  by  a  stone.  This  was  the  only  island  of 
 the  group  on  which  Bougainville  lauded. 
 
 '  Tlie  islanders,'  he  says,  '  are  of  two  colours,  black  and 
 mulatto.  Their  lips  are  thick,  their  hair  woolly,  and  some- 
 times  of  a   yellowish   colour.      They   are   short,  ugly,  ill- 
 
3  i  o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 pioportionecl,  and  most  of  them  infected  with  leprosy,  a 
 circumstance  from  which  we  called  the  island  they  inhabit 
 Isle  of  Lepers.'  ^     He  saw  few  huts,  but  many  people. 
 
 Captain  Cook  in  1774  was  visited  by  two  canoes  from 
 this  island,  but  they  did  not  remain  long.  Many  beautiful 
 cascades  were  seen  from  the  ships  pouring  down  from 
 the  neighbouring  hills.  The  mountains  are  3000  feet 
 high.  This  island  is  situated  between  167°  40'  and  167° 
 46'  east  longitude,  and  between  15°  13'  and  15°  24'  south 
 latitude.  It  lies  north-west  of  Pentecost,  and  is  fifteen 
 miles  long.  It  is  eight  miles  from  Aurora,  twenty-five 
 from  Espiritu  Santo,  and  ten  miles  from  Pentecost. 
 
 Bishop  Patteson  formed  quite  a  different  opinion  of  the 
 island  from  that  of  Bougainville.  He  said  :  '  This  magnifi- 
 cent island  is  inhabited  by  a  singularly  fine  race  of  people. 
 Never  was  a  place  more  completely  misnamed.'  Again  and 
 again  he  wrote  in  praise  of  its  beautiful  scenery  and 
 interesting  people,  and  he  regretted  that  it  should  have 
 been  called  Isle  of  Lepers.  Skin  diseases  common  to  the 
 South  Sea  islands  are  there,  but  not  such  as  to  have 
 warranted  the  opprobrious  epithet  the  French  discoverer 
 gave  it.     The  native  name  is  Opa. 
 
 In  1857,  Mr.  Patteson  was  there  for  the  first  time,  and 
 he  landed  at  three  different  places  in  his  boat.  At  a  fourth 
 place  he  waded  ashore  to  meet  the  people.  On  this  last 
 occasion  matters  did  not  look  very  favourable  to  him  or  his 
 cause.  But  he  did  not  show  fear.  The  alarm  seemed  to 
 be  all  on  the  other  side,  but  it  might  have  led  to  serious 
 consequences. 
 
 He  soon  calmed  the  fears  of  the  natives,  who  were 
 fingering  their  bows  and  arrows,  from  a  suspicion  that  their 
 food  might  be  the  object  sought  by  the  visitor.  In  1864, 
 he   succeeded   in  getting  two  boys  to  go  wdth  him,  but  he 
 
 ^  A  Voyage  Round  the  World,  performed  by  Order  of  His  Most  Christian 
 Majesty,  in  the  Years  1766-69.  Translated  from  the  French  by  J.  E.  Forster, 
 F.A.S.,  p.  29. 
 
A  OB  A  OR  OFA,   OR  LEPER'S  ISLE.  311 
 
 was  in  very  great  peril  from  the  club  of  an  enraged  man 
 lifted  up  to  strike  him.  He  held  out  a  few  fish-hooks  to 
 this  man,  and  at  the  moment  two  of  the  natives,  among 
 whom  the  bishop  was  sitting,  seized  the  man  by  the  waist. 
 The  reason  of  the  disturbance  was  this  :  a  young  man  had 
 Ijeen  shot  dead  by  a  trader  two  months  before  for  stealing 
 a  bit  of  calico.  '  The  wonder  was,'  said  the  bishop,  '  not 
 that  they  wanted  to  avenge  the  death  of  their  kinsman,  but 
 that  the  others  should  have  prevented  it.  How  could  they 
 possibly  know  that  I  was  not  one  of  the  wicked  set  ?  Yet 
 they  did  discriminate ;  and  here  again,  always  by  the 
 merciful  providence  of  God,  the  plan  of  going  among  the 
 people  unarmed  and  unsuspiciously  has  been  seen  to  disarm 
 their  mistrust,  and  to  make  them  regard  me  as  a  friend.' 
 
 Some  scholars  were  got  from  this  island,  and  were  taken 
 to  their  home  again.  '  The  natives  live  in  a  very  sad  way 
 among  themselves,'  it  is  said  in  another  record  of  a  visit  in 
 1868,  '  but  they  know  us  now  in  many  parts  of  the  island, 
 and  a  visit  to  them  has  become  far  less  anxious  work  than 
 it  once  was.  Yet,  to-day  we  saw  a  very  good  illustration 
 of  the  character  and  habits  of  the  people,  their  friendship 
 to  us,  and  their  suspicious,  uncertain  behaviour  to  each 
 other.  We  took  our  two  scholars  ashore,  and  on  the  way, 
 the  father  of  one  of  them  met  us  and  got  into  the  boat. 
 He  had,  of  course,  some  information  to  give  of  fighting 
 among  themselves  and  the  neighbouring  villages.  One  of 
 the  lads  begged  the  bishop  to  steer  a  little  more  to  the 
 eastward,  as  it  would  be  unsafe  for  him  to  land  two 
 hundred  yards  from  the  spot  to  which  he  directed  us.  A 
 crowd  of  people  met  the  boat,  bringing  presents  of  yams, 
 taro,  cocoa-nuts,  native  mats,  etc.  The  bishop  was  laid 
 hold  of,  as  usual,  as  he  went  ashore ;  pigs'  tusks  (a  great 
 ornament  on  this  island)  were  thrust  on  his  wrists,  a  bow 
 and  arrows,  among  other  presents,  put  into  his  hands.  Men, 
 women,  and  children,  were  all  thronging  to  touch  his  hand, 
 and  exhibiting  every  mark  of  welcome.     They  begged  him 
 
3 1 2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 to  go  on  shore  and  eat  some  food,  to  sleep  there,  to  stop 
 among  them ;  but  he  was  obliged  to  tell  them  that  he  had 
 many  scholars  on  board,  whom  he  wished  to  take  without 
 delay  to  their  homes,  and  that  he  could  not  stay  now,  but 
 would  do  so  {p.  V.)  on  his  return.  Then  he  waded  back  to 
 the  boat,  calling  out  for  some  hatchets  to  give  to  these 
 friendly  islanders,  when  one  of  the  lads  whom  he  had  just 
 taken  on  shore  hastily  ran  up  to  him  with  a  frightened 
 look,  and  said :  "  Get  into  the  boat,  quick,  quick !  pull 
 away  directly  ;  they  are  shooting  here  !  "  No  one  thought 
 of  shooting  an  arrow  at  us,  but  some  quarrel  had  arisen 
 among  them ;  in  a  moment  the  women  ran  off,  and  so  this 
 pleasant  visit  broke  off  abruptly.  This  is  a  fair  specimen 
 of  the  reckless,  lawless  way  of  living  throughout  these 
 islands.  Any  one  mischievous  person  has  it  in  his  power 
 to  bring  on  at  any  moment  a  serious  quarrel ;  the  men  join 
 in  on  one  side  or  the  other  from  impulse,  from  mere  excite- 
 ment, or  from  some  feeling  that,  right  or  wrong,  they  must 
 take  the  part  of  a  kinsman  or  member  of  their  village. 
 Then  some  one  is  killed  in  the  heat  of  the  quarrel,  and  so 
 the  beginning  is  made  of  a  series  of  retaliatory  acts,  whicli 
 may  prolong  the  quarrel  for  years.  A  hundred  yards  from 
 the  shore,  we  were  again  talking  and  exchanging  articles  of 
 trade  with  the  natives  in  their  canoes,  as  if  nothing  had 
 happened.  What  a  grand  island  this  is  !  The  long  slopes 
 of  the  lofty  hills  are  literally  covered  with  forests  of  cocoa- 
 nut  trees  and  bananas.'  ^ 
 
 In  December  1869,  Bishop  Patteson  was  able  to  write: 
 '  I  have  learned  enough  of  the  Leper  Island  tongue  to  talk 
 on  common  matters  with  some  approach  to  fluency.  It  is 
 all  right,  and  fits  into  its  place  as  a  very  friendly  neighbour 
 of  Aurora,  and  still  more  Whitsuntide  and  Espiritu  Santo, 
 and  all  these  go  along  with  the  Banks'  Islands.'  This 
 shows  that  comparative  philology  may  yet  do  something  to 
 reduce  the  babel  of  these  island  languages  into  unity.      But 
 
 ^  The  Island  Mission,  under  date. 
 
A  OB  A  OR  OF  A,  OR  LEPER'S  ISLE.  313 
 
 where  is  the  universal  scholar  to  come  from  to  work  it 
 out  ? 
 
 The  bishop  felt  that  if  a  missionary  were  resident  among 
 the  natives  of  Opa  much  good  might  result.  Accordingly, 
 by  way  of  experiment,  tlie  Eev.  C.  Bice  was  left  there  for 
 a  fortnight  in  1871,  and'  he  was  taken  up  again  without 
 liaving  received  any  molestation.  Seven  boys  were  left,  after 
 havinfr  been  for  some  time  under  instruction  at  Norfolk 
 Island.  The  bishop  had  a  longing  to  stay  for  a  time  among 
 the  people,  who  had  greatly  interested  him.  He  said :  '  All 
 the  people  were  wanting  to  come  with  us,  and  already  dis- 
 criminating between  us  and  the  other  wdiite  visitors,  who 
 seem  to  have  little  or  no  success  there.'  Mr.  Bice  was 
 quite  feted  by  the  simple  people.  He  brought  off  three  old 
 and  twelve  new  scholars,  and  believed  that  there  was  a 
 sufficient  opening  for  assigning  a  resident  missionary  to  the 
 island. 
 
 Mr.  Aitken,  who  perished  at  Nakapu,  where  the  bishop 
 fell,  wrote  in  his  journal  of  a  visit  to  this  island  in  18 G 6, 
 that  no  sooner  had  the  boat  grounded  tlian  the  whole 
 population  rushed  down  and  '  nearly  suffocated  us  with 
 cocoa-nuts,  taro,  yams,  pigs,  ornaments,  and  a  bow  and 
 arrows,  all  which  they  declared  were  not  to  be  sold,  but 
 were  presents.'  They  were  at  that  time,  as  usual,  fighting 
 among  themselves,  but  they  were  ready  to  receive  their 
 trusted  friends  from  the  SoiUlicm  Cross. 
 
 The  good  position  has  been  kept  up  by  Mr.  Bice  with 
 much  advantage  and  some  success.  He  has  resided  a 
 month  at  a  time,  teaching  the  people  and  holding  services, 
 and  winning  some  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  He  was  left 
 again  in  September  1874  by  the  Southern  Cross,  and  in 
 October  was  revisited  for  his  removal.  This  is  the  record 
 of  the  visit  and  of  his  work  : — 
 
 '  Opa  was  reached  on  Sunday,  where  we  found  j\Ir.  Bice 
 quite  well  after  his  month's  stay,  which  had  been  very 
 satisfactory.      School  had  been  regularly  attended,  and  the 
 
3 1 4  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 people  most  friendly,  Tliey  liad  built  him  a  new  house, 
 which  he  sadly  needed,  and  he  had  bought  a  small  parcel  of 
 land  whereon  to  assemble  a  Christian  society.  We  had  a 
 pleasant  walk  to  ]\Ir.  Bice's  old  quarters,  and  there  we 
 beheld  the  curious  process  by  which  the  pretty  pattern- 
 stained  mats  of  the  place  are  produced.  An  old  woman 
 presided,  somewhat  witch-like,  at  the  caldron  containing  the 
 dye,  which  was  a  bark  trough,  in  which  was  boiled  a  tightly 
 tied  roll,  which  the  old  lady  kindly  undid  for  us,  and  we 
 saw  the  future  mat  covered  with  little  strips  of  plantain 
 leaf  like  bits  of  a  Chinese  puzzle,  which  produced  the 
 desired  pattern  by  leaving  white  patches  according  to  the 
 design.  The  mat,  though  a  little  underdone,  was  presented 
 to  me  by  the  old  woman,  and  having  nothing  else  with  me, 
 I  bequeathed  her  my  pocket-handkerchief. 
 
 '  Mr.  Bice  has  evidently  won  the  affection  of  these  gentle, 
 good-looking  people.  One  of  the  party,  a  baptized  lad, 
 deserted  us  after  having  occasioned  Mr.  Bice  a  plunge  into 
 the  surf,  upon  which  floated,  for  a  distressing  moment,  his 
 headless  hat.  The  drawback  was  strong,  and  it  was  with 
 some  difficulty  that  he  held  on  to  the  beach  and  finally  got 
 ashore — only  to  be  disappointed  by  the  intelligence  that 
 Bainevire  was  not  coming;.' 
 
 The  language  of  Mota,  which  is  the  common  tongue  at 
 the  institution  at  Norfolk  Island,  is  now  pretty  well 
 understood  at  this  island,  and  Mr.  Codrington  thinks  it  may 
 yet  become  the  vernacular. 
 
 The  Eev.  C.  Bice  has  for  many  years  had  charge  of  the 
 mission  on  this  island,  and  has  resided  there  during  the 
 winter  months.  In  his  report  to  Bishop  Selwyn,  dated 
 September  3,  1878,  he  says: — 
 
 '  I  really  think  at  last  I  have  got  hold  of  the  right  place 
 for  a  centre,  and  it  is  one  I  have  long  wished  to  occupy. 
 The  people  are  very  pleased  to  have  me  here ;  and,  as  they 
 are  numerous  and  express  the  utmost  readiness  to  come  to 
 school  and  church,  I  see  no  reason  but  that  by  the  blessing 
 
A  OB  A  OR  OPA,  OR  LEPER'S  ISLE.  315 
 
 of  God  we  may  hope  to  gather  many  into  the  true  fold.  .  .  . 
 I  have  had  a  very  regular  and  excellent  school,  and  several 
 of  the  boys  are  ripe  for  baptism,  and,  except  that  I  have  no 
 permanent  teacher  to  leave  behind  with  them,  I  should  not 
 have  the  least  hesitation  in  baptizing  several  of  them.  We 
 have  had  regular  morning  and  evening  prayers  with  scarcely 
 any  intermission  ;  and  the  services,  I  really  think,  are  be- 
 ginning to  be  much  appreciated.  We  have  almost  full 
 matins  and  evensong,  with  a  hymn  which  they  sing  very 
 nicely  indeed.  The  canticles  are  a  great  success,  and  they 
 manage  them  famously.  Several  adults  have  spent  most  of 
 their  spare  time  with  me,  and  have  been  regular  at  prayers. 
 Some  of  these  I  shall  much  wish  to  baptize.  The  greatest 
 triumph  of  all  is,  that  at  last  I  have  got  the  women  to  come 
 to  be  taught  and  attend  prayers.' 
 
 Mr.  Bice  is  much  encouraged,  and  radiates  outwards  to 
 various  districts  of  the  island  among  the  villages.  He  finds 
 polygamy  a  very  serious  difficulty.  The  chief  is  said  to 
 have  seventy  wives,  and  also  boasts  that  he  will  have  a 
 hundred  before  he  leaves  this  world.  His  children  are  very 
 numerous,  so  that  he  scarcely  knows  them ;  and  he  can 
 hardly  tell  the  names  of  his  wives.  IMr.  Bice  paid  a  visit 
 to  this  old  chief,  and  found  him  amiable.  The  people 
 around,  however,  stand  in  awe  of  him.  He  is  the  greatest 
 man  in  tlie  place,  and  has  quite  a  large  establishment.  He 
 offered  to  build  a  house  for  Mr.  Bice  in  his  village,  which 
 is  most  central.  On  this  visit,  Mr.  Bice  says,  there  must 
 have  been  between  five  hundred  and  a  thousand  persons 
 present. 
 
 Bishop  Selwyn  spent  a  few  days  here  before  leaving  for 
 England  in  1878.  Altogether,  prospects  were  very  cheering 
 at  this  interesting  island.  It  is  wonderful  that  it  is  so,  for 
 many  tragedies  have  taken  place  there  in  connection  with 
 the  labour  traffic.  The  Government  agent,  named  Renton, 
 on  board  the  Queensland  vessel  Mystery,  and  a  man  named 
 Muir,  were  murdered  in  1878  by  the  natives,  who  also  stole 
 
3 1 6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  boat  in  which  these  unfortunate  men  went  ashore.  On 
 l7th  April  1879,  the  Mystery  again  anchored  near  the  same 
 place,  and  on  the  21st,  two  boats  went  ashore  for  the 
 purpose  of  recruiting.  The  only  white  men  in  the  boats 
 were  Captain  Kilgour  and  Mr.  C.  L.  Eastlake,  a  passenger, 
 and  formerly  Government  agent  on  board  the  labour 
 schooner  Stanley.  Each  of  these  white  men  had  revolvers, 
 and  there  were  six  Snider  rifles  to  arm  the  crew,  composed 
 of  Polynesians.  The  following  account  of  this  tragical 
 affair  is  taken  from  a  Queensland  newsjDaper  : — 
 
 *  On  approaching  the  shore,  a  boat  was  seen  lying  up  on 
 the  beach,  when  the  captain  remarked  that  it  was  probably 
 the  one  stolen  from  the  Mystery.  One  of  the  two  boats 
 was  sent  back  to  the  brigantine  to  fetch  one  of  the  crew 
 named  Buckley,  who  had  been  in  the  vessel  at  the  time  of 
 her  last  visit,  and  who  could  identify  the  boat.  During 
 the  absence  of  this  boat,  a  good  deal  of  conversation  ensued 
 between  the  captain  and  the  natives,  and  one  of  them  was 
 persuaded  to  get  into  the  boat ;  whereupon  the  natives 
 on  shore,  who  were  nearly  all  armed  with  muskets,  bovrs 
 and  poisoned  arrows,  proceeded  to  take  up  positions  behind 
 trees  and  rocks,  apparently  in  readiness  to  fire  on  the  boat's 
 crew.  Tlie  captain  told  the  native  who  had  come  on  board 
 his  boat,  to  call  to  those  on  shore  to  bring  along  the  boat 
 lying  on  the  beach,  which  he  claimed  as  belonging  to  the 
 Mystery.  The  boy  called  out  in  liis  own  language,  and 
 some  of  the  natives  came  down  to  the  beach  and  conniienced 
 moving  the  boat  seawards.  The  captain  then  took  his  boat 
 within  thirty  yards  of  the  shore,  when  the  natives  opened 
 fire  with  •  their  bows  and  arrows.  None  of  the  arrows 
 touched  those  in  the  boat,  which  was  at  once  backed  out, 
 the  crew  firing  four  shots  at  their  assailants  in  order  to 
 drive  them  away.  At  this  time  the  second  boat  arrived 
 from  the  ship  with  Buckley  on  board.  This  man  at  once 
 recognised  the  boat  on  the  beach  as  tliat  lost  by  the  Mystery. 
 The  natives  beuan  firincr  with  muskets  as  well  as  bows  and 
 
A  OB  A  OR  OPA,  OR  LEPER'S  ISLE.  317 
 
 arrows,  no  one,  however,  being  hurt  on  either  side.  The 
 boats  then  went  back  to  the  Mystery,  which  lay  about  800 
 yards  off;  and  the  captain  called  for  volunteers  to  recover 
 the  boat,  and  reported  to  Mr.  MuUins,  the  Government 
 agent,  what  had  occurred.  Two  whites  and  ten  kanakas,  in 
 addition  to  the  original  boats'  crews,  volunteered  to  go 
 ashore,  one  of  the  boys  being  taken  to  act  as  interpreter. 
 On  nearing  the  shore,  at  a  spot  about  a  hundred  yards  from 
 where  the  stolen  boat  was  lying,  the  men  were  fired  at  by 
 natives  concealed  in  huts  and  in  the  scrub.  These  shots 
 were  returned.  None  of  the  natives  were  visible,  and  the 
 boats'  company  could  only  fire  at  the  spots  whence  smoke 
 issued.  When  the  boats  were  close  in,  two  or  three  of  the 
 volunteers  swam  ashore  and  brought  off  the  stolen  boat. 
 The  party  then  landed,  set  fire  to  the  houses  whence  shots ' 
 had  been  fired,  and  shot  some  pigs  which  were  in  danger  of 
 being  burned,  two  of  these  being  subsequently  taken  on 
 board  the  Mystery.  A  few  mats  were  also  taken,  and  three 
 or  four  canoes  broken  up.  The  party  who  burned  the 
 village  consisted  of  seventeen  men.  Eastlake  states  that  at 
 this  place  no  shots  were  fired  at  the  natives,  but  only  at  the 
 pigs ;  also,  that  the  village  was  burned  by  the  captain's 
 orders.  Immediately  after  firing  the  village,  a  return  was 
 made  to  the  ship,  and  the  matter  reported  to  the  Govern- 
 ment agent.  On  the  24th,  it  was  reported  by  a  native  of 
 Aoba  that  two  natives  had  been  shot  during  the  affray.  The 
 captain  a23pears  to  have  cautioned  the  men  not  to  fire  at 
 women  or  children.  The  Aoba  native  on  board  the  captain's 
 boat  told  the  islanders,  before  the  affray  commenced,  that 
 they  would  be  paid  for  their  trouble  if  they  brought  the 
 stolen  boat  off,  and  also  that  the  captain  would,  if  they  felt 
 any  fear,  take  his  two  boats  well  off  from  the  shore  while 
 they  launched  the  other  boat.  Eastlake  expressed  an 
 opinion  that,  had  the  boats'  crews  gone  ashore  to  bring  off 
 the  boat,  as  they  were  at  first  requested  to  do  by  the 
 natives,  they  would  all  have  been  killed  and  eaten.     Blood- 
 
3 1 8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 stains  were  found  on  the  recovered  boat,  no  doubt  made  at 
 the  time  of  the  murder  of  Renton  and  Muir.' 
 
 Commodore  Wilson  visited  the  scene  of  this  tragedy  in 
 H.M.S,  Wolverene  on  25th  May,  and  investigated  the 
 matter.  He  learned  that  '  when  the  Government  agent 
 was  on  shore  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting,  he  was  met  by 
 a  native  named  Artuga,  who  had  worked  for  five  years  at 
 Levuka  previously,  and  was  lured  away  to  another  beach, 
 out  of  sight  of  the  schooner,  and  murdered  with  his  own 
 trade  tomahawk.  Artuga  was  assisted  in  the  crime  by  two 
 chiefs  belonging  to  his  tribe,  after  which  the  murderers 
 went  back  to  the  boat  and  murdered  the  boat's  crew  of 
 four  black  men.  The  Mystery  was  unable  to  afford  any 
 assistance,  and  sailed  away.  The  corpses  were  then  cut  up, 
 and  joints  of  the  same  sent  to  all  the  neighbouring  tribes 
 and  chiefs,  and  were  accepted  by  all  save  one  chief  of  the 
 south  tribe,  named  Loo.  Then  came  a  high  feast  of  human 
 flesh,  and  the  boat  was  sold  to  a  tribe  on  the  north  side  of 
 Aoba.  The  reason  given  for  the  attack  is,  that  the  two 
 chiefs  before  mentioned  wanted  to  plant  a  turo  bed,  and,  in 
 order  that  this  vegetable  should  flourish,  it  was  necessary, 
 according  to  their  customs,  to  inaugurate  the  ceremony  by 
 a  banquet  of  human  flesh ;  and,  they  taking  Artuga  into 
 their  confidence,  as  being  able  to  talk  English,  the  three 
 concerted  and  carried  out  these  atrocious  murders,  without 
 any  provocation.  The  Mystery  afterwards  again  reappeared 
 off  Aoba  in  search  of  her  missing  boat,  and  not  finding  it 
 where  it  was  lost,  proceeded  to  the  north  side  of  the  island, 
 and  discovered  it  on  the  beach.  They  at  once  landed,  re- 
 captured the  boat,  and  (as  the  captain  states,  but  not  the 
 natives)  that  tribe  having  opened  fire,  the  white  men 
 destroyed  the  canoes,  crops,  huts,  and  pigs,  and  then  left. 
 The  Commodore,  after  thoroughly  investigating  the  case, 
 caused  Artuga  to  be  brought  off  as  a  prisoner  of  war  to  the 
 Wolverene,  and  fined  the  two  chiefs  eleven  pigs  each  as  a 
 punishment.     Artuga  was  then  put  on  board  H.M.S.  Con- 
 
A  OB  A  OR  OF  A,  OR  LEPER'S  ISLE.  319 
 
 fiid,  wliich  had  joined  the  Wolverene  at  Aoba,  and  he  is 
 now  being  conveyed  by  the  Confiict  to  Fiji,  to  be  tried 
 before  the  Eoyal  Commissioners  there.' 
 
 The  Commodore  found  that  Mr.  Bice  was  greatly 
 respected  by  the  natives  of  Aoba ;  had  it  not  been  so,  how 
 could  he  have  escaped  amidst  such  cannibal  propensities  ? 
 But  it  shows  the  influence  of  the  gospel  of  peace. 
 
 After  so  much  labour  and  suffering  spent  upon  this 
 island,  there  are  some  converts  to  the  faith  of  Christ,  and 
 there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  good  work  will  continue. 
 The  Melanesian  mission  has  been  blessed  at  Aoba ;  and  the 
 missionaries  on  the  southern  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides 
 may  have  cause  to  rejoice  in  meeting,  as  they  advance 
 northwards,  evidences  of  an  evangelizing  work  proceeding 
 southward  to  meet  them. 
 
 '  So,  when  a  ship  well  freighted  with  the  stores 
 The  sun  matures  on  India's  spicy  shores, 
 Has  dropped  her  anchor,  and  her  canvas  furled, 
 In  some  safe  haven  of  our  western  world, 
 'Twere  vain  inquiry  to  what  port  she  went, 
 The  gale  informs  us,  laden  with  the  scent. ' — Cowper. 
 
CHAPTEE    XIX. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  MAI  WO  OE  AUROEA. 
 
 '  In  that  thin  air  the  birds  are  still, 
 No  ringdove  murmurs  on  the  hill, 
 
 Nor  mating  cushat  calls  ; 
 But  gay  cicolas  singing  sprang. 
 And  waters  from  the  forest  sang 
 
 'J  he  song  of  waterfalls. ' — F.  W.  H.  Myers. 
 
 This  island  is  situated  directly  to  the  north  of  Aragha  or 
 Whitsuntide,  between  168°  3'  and  168°  15'  east  longitude, 
 and  between  14°  51'  and  15°  21'  south  latitude.  It  is 
 about  thirty  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  about 
 seven  miles  broad.  It  is  mountainous,  and  richly  wooded. 
 There  are  some  picturesque  waterfalls  in  the  mountain 
 streams.  It  was  at  daybreak  of  the  22d  May  1768  that 
 Bougainville  descried  land,  and  he  records  that  '  the  time 
 when  it  first  appeared  to  us  was  the  occasion  of  our  giving 
 it  the  name  of  Aurora.'^  Captain  Cook,  in  1774,  made  an 
 effort  to  get  an  anchorage  near  the  island,  but  found  it  very 
 deep.  He  observed  that  every  valley  between  its  mountains 
 had  a  stream. 
 
 While  Bougainville  was  in  this  neighbourhood  he  made 
 a  singular  discovery.  A  report  had  arisen  that  the  servant 
 of  M.  de  Commergon,  the  naturalist  on  board  the  L'EtoUe, 
 was  a  ivoman.     This   person,  named   Bare,   had    followed 
 
 1  A  Voyage  Round  the  World,  performed  by  Order  of  His  Most  Christian 
 Majesty,  in  the  Years  1766-69.  Translated  from  the  French  by  J.  R.  Forster, 
 p.  2b9. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAIWO  OR  AURORA.      321 
 
 the  naturalist  all  through  his  walks  in  places  where  the 
 ships  called,  had  ascended  the  mountains  in  the  sti-aits  of 
 Magellan,  and  carried  such  burdens  amidst  the  snows  and 
 frost  that  his  master  had  called  him  a  beast  of  burden.  At 
 Tahiti  the  natives  declared  that  this  beardless  person  was 
 a  woman.  None  had  suspected  it  before.  Bougainville 
 therefore  called  Bare  and  put  the  question.  With  tears 
 she  owned  that  she  was  a  woman,  and  said  that  she  had 
 never  owned  it  before.  She  was  a  native  of  Burgundy, 
 and  having  been  disappointed  by  the  loss  of  a  lawsuit,  had 
 adopted  man's  clothing  and  engaged  herself  as  a  valet. 
 Hearing  of  the  expedition,  she  offered  to  become  servant  to 
 M.  de  Commercjon.  She  behaved  throughout  with  the 
 most  scrupulous  modesty.  Bougainville  awards  her  the 
 praise  of  being  the  first  woman  that  sailed  round  the  world,^ 
 He  had  forgotten  that  Dona  Isabella,  the  wife  of  Mendana, 
 had  accompanied  the  fleet  in  1595  ;  but  as  she  married 
 again  at  Manilla,  and  remained  there,  she  might  not  be 
 deemed  worthy  of  the  credit  of  circumnavigating  the 
 globe. 
 
 Bishop  Patteson,  after  the  visit  to  Leper's  Isle  already 
 noticed,  went  ashore  here.  '  We  filled  up  our  water-tanks 
 the  next  day  at  a  beautiful  waterfall  on  Aurora  Island, 
 where  the  people  sitting  about  us  watched  the  bush 
 anxiously,  with  arrows  fitted  to  their  bowstrings,  expecting 
 at  any  moment  an  attack  from  the  neighbouring  village, 
 with  which  they  were,  of  course,  at  war.  The  bishop 
 several  times  begged  them  to  go  away,  saying,  "  If  you 
 choose  to  quarrel,  I  don't  want  to  have  anytliing  to  do  with 
 it,  and  I  feel  pretty  sure  that  there  are  faults  on  both  sides. 
 If  the  other  people,  who  are  stronger  than  you,  come  up  and 
 find  me  alone,  it  will  be  all  rio-ht,  because  I  am  a  friend  of 
 both.  But  I  have  no  desire  to  be  shot  by  either  party  in 
 the  quarrel  with  an  arrow  not  intended  for  me."  However, 
 our  friends,  though  they  left  us  for  a  while,  could  not  be 
 
 '  Voyage,  ut  supra. 
 X. 
 
322  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 restrained  from  coming  back  to  get  a  few  fish-hooks  and 
 presents  from  us.  We  had  a  delicious  hatlie  in  the  clear 
 foaminfi  stream.'  ^  To  the  latter  he  referred  on  another 
 occasion  thus :  '  standing  up  to  our  necks  in  the  clear  cool 
 stream  rushins:  down  from  a  cataract  above.' 
 
 A  few  young  men  were  obtained  for  the  institution  at 
 New  Zealand  and  afterwards  at  Norfolk  Island,  and  they 
 were  regularly  returned  to  their  friends.  Thus  friendly 
 relations  were  established,  and  the  vessel  called  from  year 
 to  year.  The  bishop  landed  at  two  places  in  1871,  when 
 he  was  on  his  last  cruise.  In  the  end  of  the  same  year, 
 H.M.S.  BosciHo  sailed  near  the  island,  and  Commander 
 Markham  sent  off  a  boat,  under  charge  of  the  paymaster, 
 Mr.  Shuldam  S.  C.  Hill,  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  pur- 
 chase some  yams  or  vegetables  for  the  ship's  company,  who 
 had  been  long  on  salt  provisions,  and  were  getting  sickly  in 
 the  heat  of  the  season.  Natives  were  seen  on  the  beach 
 on  the  south-west  side  of  the  island.  '  The  ship  was  hove 
 to  rather  less  than  half  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  we  could 
 thus  plainly  distinguish,'  says  Commander  Markham, '  every- 
 thing that  was  going  on.  On  the  approach  of  the  boat 
 the  natives  seemed  at  first  a  little  timid,  and  remained  aloof, 
 -their  women  and  children  being  with  them,  which  as  a  rule 
 may  be  accepted  as  a  sign  of  amity ;  but  in  this  case  their 
 presence  may  only  have  been  for  the  object  of  deceiving  us. 
 As  they  did  not  seem  inclined  to  come  down,  the  boat  was 
 beached,  and  the  paymaster,  stepping  out,  sat  down,  not 
 more  than  three  or  four  yards  off,  and  held  up  some  articles 
 of  trade  to  induce  them  to  venture  down,  whereby  he  might 
 be  able  to  obtain  what  he  was  in  quest  of.  In  a  little 
 while,  six  or  seven  came  down  to  where  he  was  sitting, 
 apparently  inclined  to  trade,  and  the  paymaster  was  just 
 in  the  act  of  offering  some  beads  to  a  native  in  exchange 
 for  some  cocoa-nuts,  when,  without  the  slightest  cause  or 
 warning,  another,  with  most  deliberate  treachery,  struck  him 
 
 1  The  Island  Mission. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAIWO  OR  AURORA.      323 
 
 from  behind  with  a  club,  stretching  him  senseless  on  the 
 beach,  and  before  the  boat's  crew  could  get  their  rifles  ready, 
 repeated  the  blow,  and  instantly  disappeared  with  his  com- 
 panions into  the  bush.  This  occurrence,  which  took  place 
 in  a  much  shorter  time  than  it  has  here  taken  to  relate, 
 was  plainly  witnessed  by  me  from  the  ship,  and  the  feelings 
 of  myself  and  all  on  board  may  be  better  imagined  than 
 described  when  we  observed  the  paymaster,  as  we  thouglit, 
 clubbed  and  murdered  on  the  beach.  A  shell  was  instantly 
 fired  in  the  direction  the  natives  were  supposed  to  have 
 taken,  the  boats  manned,  and  a  party  of  seamen  and 
 marines  landed  for  the  purpose  of  punishing  these 
 treacherous  and  cold-blooded  miscreants,  who  could  have 
 had  no  other  object  than  that  of  gratifying  their  own 
 bloodthirsty  passions,  and  killing  for  killing's  sake,  in  the 
 murderous  attack  made  upon  the  paymaster  ;  for,  directly 
 the  deed  was  perpetrated,  with  the  exception  of  taking  his 
 little  bag,  they  made  off  without  attempting  to  steal  any- 
 thing from  his  person.' 
 
 The  party  landed  could  not  make  up  with  the  natives, 
 but  they  burned  four  villages  and  destroyed  some  of  their 
 canoes.  'Numerous  fires,  which,'  Commander  Markham 
 says,  'we  imagined  to  be  signals,  were  kindled  along  the 
 hills,  and  also  on  the  neighbouring  islands  of  Leper's  and 
 Pentecost.'  The  paymaster  did  not  recover  consciousness 
 for  some  time,  and  had  two  ugly  gashes  on  his  forehead 
 and  above  his  ear ;  but  he  ultimately  recovered.  '  It  is 
 just  possible,'  adds  Commander  Markham, '  that  this  piece  of 
 treachery  may  have  been  perpetrated  in  retaliation  for  some 
 previous  wrong  inflicted  on  these  islanders  by  our  own 
 countrymen.'  '  The  attack  may  have  been  made  in  requital 
 for  the  kidnapping  of  some  of  their  tribe.'  ^ 
 
 In  November  1874,  at  the  same  south  end  of  Aurora, 
 while  Captain  King  of  the  Fiji  cutter  Loclia  was  trading 
 with  the  natives,  and  while  in  the  act  of  stooping  to  take 
 '  Cruise  of  the  Rosarlo,  pp.  200-20i. 
 
324  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 trade  out  of  the  chest,  the  boat  was  rushed  upon  by  the 
 natives,  and  Captain  King  was  clubbed.  The  Ijoat's  crew  took 
 to  the  water,  and  made  for  the  second  boat,  which  was  some 
 thirty  yards  off.  A  man  named  Patrick  Joy,  who  was  in 
 the  next  boat,  then  ordered  his  crew  to  pull  in  to  the  shore, 
 but  they  refused  to  pull  in  or  out,  and  seemed  paralysed. 
 Joy  then  opened  fire  on  the  shore  natives ;  but  after  his 
 ammunition  was  expended,  the  murderers  made  a  fresh  raid 
 npon  the  boat,  mutilated  the  captain,  smashed  the  boat, 
 dragged  the  dead  body  into  the  bush,  and  stole  all  the 
 trade.  Joy  then  directed  his  boat  to  the  Loclia,  which  was 
 about  two  miles  distant.  A  consultation  then  took  place 
 among  the  crew,  and  it  was  decided  that  as  Captain  King 
 was  dead  they  were  too  few  to  avenge  his  death,  and  they 
 therefore  made  sail  for  Fiji.  They  nearly  reached  their 
 port  when  they  encountered  a  very  severe  gale,  and  sus- 
 tained considerable  damage.  The  mate  stated  that  he 
 knew  of  no  provocation  for  this  murder,  and  he  attributed 
 it  to  the  savage  greed.  This  vessel  was  in  the  labour 
 trade,  and  had  sixty  Polynesians  on  board. 
 
 These  cases  indicate  what  sort  of  inhabitants  are  on 
 Maiwo.  Yet  even  here  the  Southern  Cross  watered  without 
 any  danger  in  1874.  The  natives  evidently  distinguish 
 between  a  mission  vessel  and  other  vessels.  The  visits  of 
 the  Southern  Cross  have  greatly  conciliated  them,  and  the 
 young  men  taken  to'  Norfolk  Island  and  returned,  prepared 
 the  way  for  the  residence  of  a  missionary  during  the  winter 
 months.  In  June  1878,  Bishop  Selwyn  resolved  to  spend 
 some  time  there.  He  got  a  house  erected  of  closely-laced 
 reeds,  for  which  he  p;iid  three  axes,  seven  knives,  and 
 fourteen  pipes  and  tobacco.  He  had  two  boys  with  him. 
 The  people  were  friendly  to  his  residence  among  them. 
 The  little  shanty,  which  he  jocosely  called  his  'palace,  was 
 only  two  feet  off  the  ground  at  the  sides,  so  that  he  could 
 ctand  erect  nowhere  except  under  the  ridge  pole.  However, 
 he  made  it  somewhat  comfortable  by  placing  shelves  for 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAIWO  OR  AURORA.     325 
 
 storing  his  goods  out  of  the  way  of  the  rats.  He  found 
 the  niosqiiitoes  even  in  winter  very  troublesome.  Bishop 
 Selwyn  found  the  custom  there,  wliich  is  also  on  Espiritu 
 Santo,  of  keeping  a  feast  on  the  hundredth  day  after  a 
 burial.  '  Pigs  were  killed,  and  yams  mashed  and  distributed, 
 and  then  the  men  began  to  go  into  the  bush  and  get 
 long  rods  of  a  sort  of  ginger,  which  tapered  to  a  point. 
 These  tliey  brandished  with  both  hands,  and  looked 
 anxiously  down  the  path  leading  to  the  village.  Then  the 
 cry  arose,  "  They  are  coming ! "  and  down  came  some  ten  or 
 twelve  men,  mostly  young,  carrying  baskets  on  their  heads, 
 which  they  held  in  both  hands,  leaving  their  bodies 
 completely  exposed.  Long  before  they  came  in  sight  one 
 heard  cracks  like  a  whip,  and  soon  saw  the  cause.  If  a 
 smiter  was  ready,  he  threw  his  rod  back,  and  the  sufferer 
 instantly  stood  still  and  received  an  unmerciful  thwack, 
 delivered  with  both  hands,  which  shivered  the  reed  to 
 atoms.  The  point  came  right  round  the  man's  body,  and 
 I  could  see  the  long  wheals  afterwards,  though  the  back 
 was  somewhat  protected  by  the  strong  girdle  they  wear.  I 
 believe  they  do  this  to  show  their  manhood  ;  and  it  certainly 
 does,  as  I  did  not  see  one  of  them  wince.'  This  is  practised 
 also  in  Espiritu  Santo. 
 
 Bishop  Selwyn  kept  up  daily  service  while  he  resided  at 
 Maiwo,  and  taught  the  people.  He  kept  school  in  the 
 mornings  and  evenings.  In  the  afternoons  he  visited  the 
 villages.  The  language  of  the  island  is  akin  to  that  of 
 Mota,  and  as  the  bishop  knew  the  latter  he  could  follow 
 his  interpreter  for  the  most  part.  He  had  some  twenty-five 
 children  at  the  village  near  his  '  palace.'  While  he  was 
 there  he  was  told  that  a  woman  had  been  trampled  to 
 death.  It  was  a  custom  in  the  southern  parts  of  the  island 
 that  when  a  person  died  another  was  killed  for  compan}'. 
 In  the  case  referred  to  a  uirl  had  died,  and  the  mother 
 besought  her  sons  to  kill  her  that  she  might  accompany 
 her   daughter.     The  bishop  remonstrated  with  the  people 
 
326  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 against  this  barbarous  custom,  and  they  promised  that  it 
 should  be  the  last.  Another  very  curious  custom  he 
 observed, — smoking  mats  to  increase  their  value.  He  also 
 saw  '  a  stone  under  a  tree  on  which  the  people  place  leaves 
 and  pray  that  their  pigs  may  be  fruitful.'  On  this  island 
 he  also  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  how  they  make 
 their  so-called  poisoned  arrows.  '  The  arrow  point,'  he 
 says,  '  is  a  human  bone,  and  in  this  the  real  danger  lies, — 
 not  from  its  causing  tetanus  in  itself,  but  because  of  its 
 extreme  fineness  and  liability  to  break  in  the  wound.  The 
 bone  is  then  anointed  with  a  compound  made  by  scraping 
 the  root  of  a  creeper, — which  is,  I  believe,  a  species  of 
 strychnine, — roasting  this  over  a  fire,  and  then  by  squeezing 
 it  with  the  juice  of  the  Jew-palm  to  give  it  consistency. 
 The  arrow  has  two  coats  of  this  compound,  then  dries  for 
 ten  days,  and  then  receives  a  second  coat  of  the  juice  of 
 what  they  call  toto.  This  merely  runs  out  of  the  tree, 
 and  is  collected  in  a  bfimboo,  where  it  hardens,  and  is 
 warmed  by  the  fire  when  ready  for  use.  The  arrow  waits 
 a  month,  during  which  time  the  toto  cracks,  and  the  laJco 
 (strychnine)  underneath  comes  through.' 
 
 Dr.  Messer,  late  surgeon  on  board  H.M.S.  Pearl,  made 
 some  very  interesting  experiments  with  the  alleged  poisoned 
 arrows  and  spears,  and  analysed  the  plant ;  but  he  came  to 
 the  conviction  that  there  was  not  poison  in  the  weapons. 
 The  late  Commodore  Goodenough's  death  was  the  occasion 
 of  this  inquiry.  He  was  shot  by  arrows  said  to  be  poisoned 
 at  Santa  Cruz,  but  his  wound  never  showed  signs  of  poison- 
 ing, nor  did  his  pulse.  Both  Dr.  Messer  and  Dr.  Corrie 
 did  not  detect  any  evidence  of  blood-poisoning.  Dr.  ]\Iesser 
 conducted  various  other  experiments,  of  which  he  published 
 an  account  by  authority  of  the  Right  Honourable  the  Lords 
 Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty.  Bishop  Selwyn  procured 
 for  him  the  toto  used  at  Maiwo.  The  Rev.  D.  Macdonald, 
 missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Havannah  Harbour, 
 rat(^,  also  sent  him  the  poison  used  by  the  natives.     Several 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAIIVO  OR  AURORA.      327 
 
 arrows  alleged  to  be  poisoned  were  procured  and  tested. 
 Captain  Braitliwaite  of  the  Dayspring  sent  contributions. 
 Dr.  Messer  tested  the  poisonous  substances  and  the  arrows 
 on  dogs  without  fatal  results.  Professor  George  Busk, 
 r.R.S.,  London,  Professor  Leversidge  of  the  University  of 
 Sydney,  and  Professor  Halford  of  the  University  of 
 Melbourne,  made  similar  investigations,  and  agreed  with 
 Dr.  Messer  that  the  tetanus  after  wounds  by  such  arrows 
 was  not  the  result  of  poison.  This  inquiry  is  of  great 
 interest,  for  it  has  been  alleged  for  centuries  that  the  arrow^s 
 are  poisoned.  Bishop  Selwyn,  in  1878,  said  that  he  was 
 inclined  to  agree  with  Dr.  Messer. 
 
 While  Bishop  Selwyn  was  resident  at  Aurora,  and 
 pursuing  his  missionary  work  in  July  1878,  a  labour  vessel 
 called.  He  went  down  with  some  letters,  and  little  thought 
 that  almost  the  first  words  the  Government  agent  should 
 utter  to  him  when  he  went  below  would  be,  '  Who  is  that 
 Bishop  Selwyn  who  died  in  England  the  other  day  ? '  This 
 was  the  vague  rumour  of  his  father's  death  at  Lichfield.  The 
 papers  on  board  gave  no  account  of  it,  but  they  mentioned 
 the  appointment  of  the  Piev.  W.  D.  Maclagan  as  the  new 
 Bishop  of  Lichfield.  It  was  therefore  likely  to  be  true. 
 Meanwhile  it  sent  him  to  his  lonely  work  among  the 
 savages  of  Maiwo  with  solemn  thoughts.  It  was  in  the 
 same  way  he  had  heard  of  Bishop  Patteson's  melancholy 
 end.  The  next  day  a  Fiji  vessel  w^as  reported  to  have 
 landed  fifteen  labourers  at  least  ten  miles  from  their 
 ,  homes.  Bishop  Selwyn  says,  '  It  is  too  bad  to  put  these 
 poor  fellows  down  like  this,  as  even  if  they  land  among 
 tolerable  friends  they  have  to  pay  a  certain  amount  of 
 blackmail,  and  if  enemies  they  stand  a  very  fair  chance 
 of  being  killed.'  Getting  no  information,  he  started 
 inland  to  inspect  the  country  and  the  people.  They  gave 
 him  '  a  tumultuous  greeting,'  he  says.  '  Most  of  the  people 
 had  never  seen  a  white  man  before,  and  they  came  tumbling 
 out  to  see  me  from  all  their  houses  and  r/amals  {i.e.  public 
 
32S  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 gathering  places).  Certainly,  if  giving  pleasure  is  one  of 
 the  chief  things  to  be  aimed  at,  I  did  it  easily  there,  as  I 
 had  only  to  stand  still  and  be  looked  at,  and  that  was  quite 
 enough.  Again  and  again  they  asked  me  to  stop  till  some 
 one  else  who  had  been  sent  for  should  come.  However,  I 
 am  glad  to  say  they  were  not  the  least  afraid,  and  fathers 
 brought  their  children  for  me  to  pat,  and  the  little  fellows 
 struggled  up  and  got  hold  of  my  hands,  and  we  made  great 
 friends  by  giving  a  few  hooks.  The  nails  in  my  boots  were 
 a  source  of  great  awe,  as  was  my  watch,  which  greyheaded 
 men  blew  open  with  great  gravity.  I  told  them  that  I 
 should  come  again  for  some  boys  soon,  and  I  do  not  think 
 I  shall  have  any  difficulty  in  getting  them.  It  is  the,  most 
 populous  place  I  have  seen,  and  we  must  certainly  have  a 
 school  there  soon.  But  fancy  these  languages  !  I  could  not 
 catch  a  single  word,  the  same  as  at  Tangrig ;  and  I  noticed 
 my  boys  spoke  with  thought  and  difficulty,  and  yet  they 
 are  not  ten  miles  apart.' 
 
 Bishop  Selwyn  made  a  tour  of  most  of  the  villages,  and 
 was  everywhere  well  received.  By  the  establishment  of 
 schools  under  native  teachers  all  the  year  round,  and  the 
 regular  visit  of  a  missionary,  this  fine  island  may  yet  be 
 won  to  Christ.  On  account  of  the  sudden  and  unexpected 
 tidings  of  the  death  of  his  father,  the  Bishop  of  Lichfield, 
 Bishop  Selwyn  was  anxious  to  visit  England.  There  was 
 great  diificulty,  however,  in  getting  away.  He  got  across 
 to  Aoba,  or  Opa,  or  Leper's  Isle,  where  a  vessel  was  lying, 
 by  which  he  got  a  passage  to  New  Caledonia.  The  Eev. 
 C.  Bice  was  resident  there,  as  we  have  already  noticed. 
 The  Southern  Cross  called  on  its  voyage  north,  and  brought 
 more  heavy  tidings  to  the  bishop  of  the  death  of  his  infant 
 daughter.  Thus  in  a  short  time  he  was  bereaved  of  wife, 
 father,  and  child.  But  he  has  not  been  weaned  from  his 
 self  -  denying  work  among  the  isles  of  Melanesia.  '  The 
 severance  of  family  ties  has,  in  God's  providence,  set  the 
 bishop  free   for  such  work,'  in  his  own  view.     He  is  very 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  MAI  WO  OR  AURORA.     329 
 
 anxious  to  get  more  men,  one  of  whom  would  be  specially 
 for  these  northern  isles  of  the  New  Hebrides  group.  When 
 in  England  he  printed  his  journal,  and  made  an  earnest 
 appeal  for  four  missionaries — men  '  who  will  go  anywhere 
 and  do  anything ' — to  accompany  him  back  to  Melanesia. 
 Aurora  shall  yet  be  a  land  of  the  morning. 
 
 '  Joy  to  the  patient  and  brave  ! 
 The  dawn  is  breaking  now  ! 
 It  crisps  the  crest  of  the  purple  wave, 
 It  crimsons  the  mountain's  brow. 
 
 Joy  !  joy  !  it  cometh  up, 
 
 Wider  and  brighter  and  higher, 
 It  poureth  life  in  the  meek  flame's  cup, 
 
 It  tippeth  the  peaks  with  tire.' 
 
CHAPTER    XX. 
 
 THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO. 
 
 '  The  mountains  wooded  to  the  peak,  the  lawns 
 And  winding  glades  high  up,  like  ways  to  heaven, 
 The  slender  coco's  drooping  crown  of  plumes, 
 The  lightning  flash  of  insect  and  of  bird, 
 The  lustre  of  the  long  convolvuluses 
 That  coiled  around  the  stately  stems. ' — Tennyson. 
 
 This  is  the  largest  island  of  the  New  Hebrides  group,  and 
 was  the  first  discovered.  It  lies  between  the  parallels 
 14°  35'  and  15°  40'  south  latitude,  and  between  the  meri- 
 dians 166°  28'  and  167°  16'  east  longitude.  It  is  seventy 
 miles  long  by  forty  in  breadth.  '  The  mountain  ranges 
 are  magnificent ;  some  of  them  cannot  be  far  short  of  5000 
 feet  high.  This  island  possesses  the  beauties  of  the  other 
 islands,  but  upon  a  larger  scale.  It  is  exceedingly  fertile, 
 so  much  so,  that  not  a  bare  spot  could  be  seen  anywhere, 
 the  very  precipices  being  covered  with  masses  of  thick 
 green  creepers,  and  everywhere  the  trees  and  shrubs 
 appeared  packed  so  closely  together  as  to  make  one  wonder 
 how  they  could  find  room  to  grow.'^  The  mountain  ranges 
 are  in  a  line  from  the  interior  to  the  coast  on  the  western 
 side.  On  the  north-east,  is  the  large  bay  discovered  by 
 Quiros  in  1606,  and  into  which  a  considerable  river  flows. 
 The  rank  vegetation  and  the  intense  heat  make  the  climate 
 unhealthy  for  Europeans,  and  indeed  for  Polynesians  from 
 the  eastern  or  even  from  the  southern  islands ;  but  on  the 
 
 1  Year  in  the  Nen:  Hebrides,  by  F.  A.  Campbell,  p.  121. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.  331 
 
 elevated  spots  there  is  greater  safety.  Captain  Cook  sailed 
 round  the  island,  and  gave  names  to  several  of  the  points — 
 Cape  Qiiiros  after  the  discoverer,  Cape  Cumberland  after 
 the  English  duke,  and  Cape  Lishurn. 
 
 The  fullest  description  of  the  j^eople  and  their  customs 
 yet  given  is  that  by  the  Eev.  James  D.  Gordon,  who  spent 
 four  months  on  the  island  in  1869.  He  says  :  'The  native 
 name  of  the  island  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  after 
 repeated  attempts.  It  does  not  appear  to  have  any  one 
 general  name.  This,  if  so,  may  be  owing  to  its  great  size, 
 it  being  capable  of  sustaining  the  entire  population  of  the 
 group.'  The  Eev.  Dr.  Geddie,  who  visited  the  island  on 
 several  occasions,  stated  that  the  native  name  given  to  him 
 was  IMinaru ;  but  the  Eev,  John  Goodwill,  who  was  located 
 at  Cape  Lisburn,  on  the  south-east,  for  nearly  three  years, 
 learned  that  the  name  for  the  whole  was  Nouwin.  There 
 is,  however,  considerable  doubt  whether  after  all  there  is 
 any  one  name  for  the  island.  The  people,  on  account  of 
 constant  fighting,  see  very  little  of  it,  except  near  their  own 
 villages,  and  have  no  conception  of  its  extent. 
 
 Mr.  Gordon  says  :  '  It  is  composed  of  ranges  of  mountains 
 of  various  heights  and  forms, — those  in  the  interior  being 
 sufficiently  high  to  intercept  the  ordinary  trade  winds, 
 which  do  not  blow  on  the  western  coast.  During  the 
 months  of  June  and  July  every  other  day  a  strong  cool 
 breeze  from  the  south  used  to  blow  along  the  coast,  Avhich 
 may  have  been  the  south-east  trade  wind  diverted  from  its 
 regular  course ;  but  this  suj)position  would  not  of  itself 
 account  for  its  irregularity.  To  discuss  this  point,  however, 
 is  beyond  my  province  and  ability,  and  I  merely  refer  to  it 
 here  because,  viewed  from  a  missionary  point  of  observa- 
 tion, air  supply  as  well  as  water  supply  is  an  important 
 matter.' 
 
 '  The  island  being  very  large,  there  are  many  tribes,  and 
 these  speak  different  dialects.  One  tribe,  for  example, 
 gives   to  a  woman  the  name  (jd  (gayeye),  while  another 
 
332  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 says  Icvuia.  The  women  are  nearly  all  tattooed,  and  wear 
 less  clothing  than  any  of  their  sex  in  the  more  southern 
 islands.  They  have  a  few  leaves  in  front,  or  a  very  narrow 
 band  of  grass  matting,  with  a  pendant  behind  about  two 
 feet  long.  Their  hair  is  cut  very  short,  except  a  small 
 part  from  the  brow  to  the  crown,  which  is  about  an  inch 
 long,  like  a  cock's  comb.  The  men  wear  a  little  more 
 clothing  than  the  women,  and  are  more  decorated  with 
 shells,  bones,  boars'  tusks,  and  with  large  plumes  of  the 
 whole  tail  feathers  of  cocks  in  their  hair.  They  are  well 
 made,  but  differ  a  little  in  colour,  some  being  more  red  and 
 others  more  black.  Both  sexes  paint  their  bodies  ;  but  the 
 men  wear  paint  always,  the  women  chiefly  on  feast  days. 
 Sometimes  the  men  are  red  all  over,  hair  and  beard  not 
 excejDted.  They  do  this  by  means  of  an  ochre  found  in  the 
 island.  When  they  are  clearing  land  they  paint  themselves 
 black,' 
 
 The  natives  of  this  island  are  somewhat  more  advanced 
 than  other  natives  in  the  group  in  arts  and  in  the  comforts 
 of  life.  They  make  a  kind  of  unglazed  pottery,  which  they 
 use  for  culinary  purposes ;  but  they  all  say  that  their 
 fathers  made  a  far  superior  kind.  They  eat  their  food  with 
 pins  like  forks.  Their  villages  are  kept  much  more  cleanly 
 than  natives  of  other  islands  keep  theirs,  and  their  houses 
 or  huts  are  better.  They  make  a  pavement,  which  adds  to 
 the  tidiness  of  their  homes.  They  convey  water  in  aque- 
 ducts of  bamboos  for  a  considerable  distance  to  their  villages. 
 They  carry  water  in  bottles  of  cocoa-nut  shells,  four  or  five 
 of  them  being  suspended  from  each  end  of  a  stick  laid 
 across  the  shoulder,  '  The  contrivance,'  says  Mr.  Gordon, 
 '  is  very  simple.  A  small  stone  of  unequal  shape  is  tied 
 with  a  string,  the  stone  is  then  inserted  in  a  small  hole  in 
 the  shell,  and  when  it  turns  does  not  come  out,  and  the 
 other  end  of  the  string  is  fastened  to  the  stick  by  which 
 they  are  carried.'  They  also  carry  water  in  buckets  eight 
 feet  long,  made  of  the  bamboo.      This  is  also  done  on  Ero- 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.  m 
 
 iDanga.  '  It  is  funny  to  see  them  drinldng  out  of  buckets 
 eight  feet  long.  If  unassisted  they  put  the  end  of  the 
 bamboo  up  a  convenient  height,  and  hold  the  other  end  in 
 their  hands.  Knowing  by  experience  the  force  with  which 
 water  rushes  from  one  end  of  their  buckets  to  the  other, 
 they  have  the  open  end  plugged  with  leaves,  so  as  to  admit 
 of  a  small  stream  being  poured  into  the  side  of  their  mouths, 
 while  their  heads  are  turned  down  sidew^ays  to  receive  it. 
 If  one  holds  the  bamboo  for  another,  he  can  easily  play  a 
 trick  on  him.'  Men  as  well  as  women  carry  water,  but  the 
 women  have  to  carry  the  food  from  the  plantations,  and  also 
 wood  for  fuel.  They  carry  the  yams  in  large  baskets,  with 
 many  long  strings,  which  are  tied  in  a  large  knot.  The 
 basket  lies  on  the  back,  while  the  bunch  of  strings  by 
 which  it  is  supported  is  placed  across  the  head  on  the 
 upper  part  of  the  forehead.  Bending  forward,  they  then 
 go  along  at  a  smart  pace,  the  strain  coming  mostly  on  the 
 neck.  '  They  carry  their  children  in  a  strip  of  a  mat  which 
 is  fastened  over  one  of  their  shoulders.  The  children  have 
 no  clothing  whatever.' 
 
 '  Their  cooking  is  also  in  advance  of  the  southern  islanders. 
 "When  they  make  their  food  of  grated  yams  and  cocoa-nut, 
 they  first  bake  it  in  the  usual  manner  between  layers  of 
 leaves.  When  they  take  it  out  of  the  oven  they  open  it, 
 turn  the  leaves  all  down,  leaving  one  side  bare ;  they  then 
 raise  it  on  one  hand  and  slap  it  down  on  a  large  wooden 
 platter,  to  which  it  sticks,  and  then  they  take  off  all  the 
 leaves.  When  this  is  done,  a  man  puts  the  platter  between 
 his  legs,  and  holds  it  firmly  with  his  feet  by  handles  on 
 the  dish,  and  reduces  it  to  a  gelatinous  mass  by  means  of  a 
 pounder  about  two  feet  long.  Into  another  dish  the  inilk 
 of  cocoa-nuts  is  poured.  The  men  to  whom  the  food  belongs 
 then  gather  round  the  dish,  and  with  their  fingers  take  ofi* 
 a  lump  of  the  mass,  which  they  roll  into  balls  about  the 
 size  of  hens'  eggs ;  they  dip  these  smoking  hot  into  the 
 milk,  and  swallow  them  apparently  without  chewing.' 
 
334  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 They  wash  their  infants  veiy  frequently  in  the  springs 
 of  cold  water,  which  is  conducive  to  liealth.  There  seems 
 to  be  a  great  proportion  of  children  and  of  women,  Mr. 
 Gordon  says  that  within  a  mile  of  his  temporary  residence 
 there  were  about  eighty  little  girls  and  as  many  boys. 
 Mr.  Paton,  who  was  with  Mr.  Gordon  on  his  landing,  says : 
 '  We  observed  several  evidences  of  affection  between  men 
 and  their  wives,  which  we  liad  never  seen  on  any  of  our 
 southern  groups.  A  man  who  was  walking  with  us  was 
 joined  by  a  woman  who  was  his  wife,  as  he  informed  us. 
 She  put  her  hand  in  his,  and  they  walked  a  long  way  hand 
 in  hand,  he  explaining  all  to  her  in  a  kindly  manner.  We 
 saw  also  a  chief's  wife  run  up  to  him,  and  they  walked 
 along  with  a  hold  of  each  other's  hands  most  affectionately, 
 with  four  fine  children  following  them.  And  we  often  saw 
 the  men  nursing  little  children,  and  carrying  them  in  their 
 arms  most  tenderly.'  Mr.  Paton  says  further :  '  We  saw 
 through  the  chief's  house.  The  roof-tree  was  some  twelve 
 or  fourteen  feet  high,  and  supported  by  five  pillars  of  wood. 
 The  roof,  which  ran  down  to  the  ground,  was  supported 
 mid-way  by  a  row  of  nine  beautifully  carved  pillars  on 
 each  side — t\venty-three  in  all.  It  might  be  forty  feet 
 long  and  sixteen  or  twenty  in  v/idtli.  I  counted  above 
 sixty  earthenware  pots  inside,  and  some  tastefully  carved 
 and  polished  dishes  of  wood,  a  quantity  of  firewood  and 
 sandal-wood,  many  mats,  baskets,  and  weapons.'  '  The 
 chief  was  a  large  powerful  man,  loaded  on  his  arms,  legs, 
 and  person  with  beautifully  wrought  ornaments  of  shell, 
 and  a  shell,  about  the  size  of  a  coffee-cup,  of  pure  white 
 colour,  was  fastened  upon  his  head,  right  above  his  brow, 
 like  a  crown.  He  was  seated  on  a  large  stone  raised  on 
 other  stones  two  or  three  feet  high.  He  had  a  large  piece 
 of  iron-wood  in  his  hand,  which  he  laid  down  on  giving  us 
 his  hand.  He  placed  us  on  his  right,  while  about  one 
 hundred  men  were  on  his  left,  and  a  crowd  of  women  and 
 childrsn  behind.' 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  E  SPIRIT  CI  SANTO.  335 
 
 All  the  men  are  armed  with  spears  and  arrows  tipped 
 with  human  bone,  and  in  many  cases  skilfully  polished. 
 Many  get  muskets  from  traders,  and  I  myself  observed  that 
 some  had  double-barrelled  guns.  They  allow  the  dead  to  lie 
 in  their  huts  for  one  hundred  days  unburied,  after  which 
 they  take  such  bones  as  they  desire,  and  then  either  bury 
 or  cast  away  what  remains. 
 
 They  practise  many  ceremonies,  and  hold  great  feasts  in 
 honour  of  their  objects  of  worship.  Mr.  Gordon  gives  a 
 description  of  one  at  which  he  was  present,  and  where  he 
 saw  at  least  a  thousand  natives.  The  actors  were  few,  but 
 they  kept  their  bodies  always  swaying  backwards  and  for- 
 wards. The  proceedings  commenced  with  a  sort  of  dance, 
 then  an  eminent  personage  struck  the  large  wooden  drum — 
 about  five  feet  long,  two  feet  deep,  and  shaped  like  a  pear. 
 '  The  lips  are  on  the  narrow  side,  one  lower  than  the  other, 
 and  three  or  four  inches  apart.  Each  lip  gives  out  a 
 different  sound,  and  they  are  not  struck  at  random.  Long 
 tunes  are  beaten  upon  them  with  much  skill,  and  with  both 
 hands  with  amazing  dexterity.  The  officiating  priest  on 
 that  occasion  then  brought  his  bag  of  mysteries,  and  set 
 it  upon  a  stone  altar.  These  altars  are  numerous.  One 
 appears  to  be  reared  annually.  Some  are  made  of  stones 
 about  five  feet  long  by  three  in  width  and  a  foot  in  depth, 
 resting  on  four  strong  pillars  about  a  foot  high.  Soon  after, 
 I  saw  the  second  and  third  chiefs,  each  holding  above  his 
 head  at  arm's  length  a  green  vine  with  leaves,  about  six 
 feet  long,  running  hither  and  tliither,  capering  over  the 
 ground,  and  the  priest  running  after  them  with  his  bag  of 
 mysteries.  The  three  were  painted  red  from  head  to  foot, 
 and  fantastically  decorated  with  the  branches  of  certain  kinds 
 of  plants.  After  thus  playing  the  fool  they  approached  the 
 altar,  upon  which  the  priest  hopped  and  commenced  to 
 dance.  In  one  hand  he  held  his  bag,  and  in  the  other  a 
 stick  about  fifteen  inches  long,  for  which  he  soon  had  use. 
 Lleanwhile  others  were  busy  bagging  young  pigs,  putting 
 
336  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 about  twenty  in  one  large  bag,  and  fewer  in  small  baskets. 
 Soon  I  heard  something  like  rockets  being  let  off  in  rapid 
 succession,  or  rather  like  the  cracking  of  whips,  which  in 
 reality  it  was.  This  part  of  the  proceedings  was  called 
 apromos,  and  was  performed  by  young  men.  A  number  of 
 these  were  stationed  on  the  feasting  ground,  about  two  or 
 three  yards  apart,  in  two  lines.  Between  these  two  men 
 ran,  one  from  each  end,  halting  an  instant  before  the 
 stationed  men  to  receive  a  lash  from  a  long,  stout,  tapering 
 fibre,  resembling  the  mid- rib  of  a  small  cocoa-nut  leaf. 
 These  switches  were  about  two  yards  long,  and  it  was  the 
 lash  given  to  the  two  men  around  their  bare  chests,  their 
 arms  being  held  above  their  heads,  which  produced  the 
 cracking  sounds.  Before  rushing  from  one  end  to  the  other 
 they  rubbed  grated  taro  over  the  upper  part  of  their  bodies, 
 to  protect  them  somewhat  from  the  lash.  A  whip  was  only 
 once  used,  then  a  fresh  one  was  taken,  so  that  the  ground 
 was  strewn  with  tliem.  The  victims  seemed  wild  with 
 excitement  or  pain. 
 
 '  There  being  many  parts  in  the  play,  and  all  going  on 
 simultaneously,  one  needed  to  have  his  eyes,  about  him  to 
 get  a  conjunct  view  of  the  whole ;  and  I  may  say  that  I 
 felt  bewildered,  for  I  had  no  knowledge  of  what  was  coming. 
 I  have  heard  of  a  shower  of  meteoric  stones,  and  even  of  a 
 shower  of  fishes,  but  not  until  that  day  did  I  know  of  a 
 shower  of  pigs.  The  sucking  pigs  which  had  been  previ- 
 ously bagged,  were  taken  out  one  by  one,  and  were  thrown 
 as  high  in  the  air  and  as  far  as  a  man  could  chuck  them. 
 They  were  thrown  to  fall  on  the  heads  of  four  or  five 
 dancing  men,  who  tried  to  catch  them  as  they  fell.  More 
 ugly  or  awkward  balls  could  scarcely  be,  as  some  of  them 
 found  them  when  a  little  pig's  foot  would  graze  their  ears 
 or  brush  past  their  eyes.  These  when  caught  in  the  air,  or 
 (much  oftener)  as  they  fell  with  their  whole  weiglit  on  the 
 ground,  were  immediately  carried  rapidly  to  the  priest,  still 
 dancing  on  the  altar  to  the  music  of  the  drum  beaten  by 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.        337 
 
 cliildren  with  splinters  of  bamboo.  The  priest  despatched 
 the  pigs  with  the  stick  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  by  giving 
 each  one  blow  on  the  forehead.  They  were  then  thrown 
 into  heaps.  As  many  as  two  hundred  were  killed  in  this 
 manner,  and  towards  the  evening  several  larger  ones — all 
 to  be  baked  and  eaten. 
 
 '  While  busily  occupied  in  viewing  sometimes  this  and 
 sometimes  that  of  the  multifarious  performance,  I  heard, 
 and  immediately  after  saw,  a  company  of  dancing  women 
 issuing  from  the  bush  by  a  path.  There  were  about  one 
 hundred,  coming  four  abreast.  Their  faces  were  elaborately 
 painted  in  angular  stripes,  in  different  colours,  all  over. 
 Nothing  more  hideous  can  well  be  imagined.  Some  carried 
 spears  or  rods,  which  they  held  pointing  outward  on  each 
 side  of  the  rank.  Others  held  short  bent  staves  or  clubs 
 in  their  hands,  upon  which  they  leaned,  bending  forward, 
 as  they  proceeded.  Each  woman  had  tied  round  her  ankles 
 several  strings  of  dried  nut  shells,  about  the  size  of  horse- 
 chestnuts,  a  score  or  two  of  these  being  on  each  string. 
 The  four  women  who  held  the  band  went  backward,  and 
 held  in  their  hands  each  a  bamboo  drum,  about  fifteen 
 inches  long,  which  they  struck  with  precision,  the  other 
 women  stamping  simultaneously  on  the  ground,  producing 
 a  sound  like  that  of  dumb-bells.  They  stamped  forward 
 about  three  feet,  then,  without  changing  position,  moved 
 backward  about  two  feet,  and  thus  continuing  onward  at 
 the  rate  say  of  one  hundred  yards  in  an  hour.' 
 
 The  natives  of  Espiritu  Santo  are  cannibals,  and  many 
 are  exceedingly  fierce.  Those  on  the  west  coast  have 
 frequently  been  visited,  and  are  more  pacific  and  disposed 
 to  trade ;  but  on  the  east  and  inland,  where  they  have  seldom 
 met  strangers,  they  are  not  so  friendly. 
 
 When  Quiros  visited  the  island  he  contemplated  a  mission, 
 but  nothing  was  attempted  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years. 
 The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand  visited  the  island,  and  got 
 some  young  men  away  to  be  instructed.     Bishop  Patteson 
 
 Y 
 
338  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 landed  in  1862  in  a  canoe,  which  a  native  offered,  when 
 he  was  about  to  swim  ashore.  The  London  missionary 
 vessel  landed  native  teachers  at  Cape  Lisburn,  the  south- 
 west extremity,  in  1861.  Two  belonged  to  the  Hervey 
 Islands,  and  were  named  Lameka  and  Vaitali,  one  named 
 Taniela  was  from  Fate.  They  had  their  wives  with  them, 
 and  were  placed  under  the  protection  of  Meli,  the  principal 
 chief.  They  all  took  fever  and  died  a  few  months  after. 
 In  1868,  the  Dayspring  visited  the  island  wath  Dr.  Geddie 
 on  board,  who  had  been  there  in  the  John  Williams  seven 
 years  before.  He  landed  along  with  Captain  Fraser  on  the 
 13th  October.  The  heat  was  very  oppressive,  the  ther- 
 mometer standing  at  98°  in  the  shade.  He  learned  that 
 several  had  been  taken  away  by  labour  ships.  Two  young 
 men  thus  taken  away  had  escaped  in  a  boat,  and  had  been 
 picked  up  by  the  missionary  vessel.  After  being  on  board 
 for  a  year,  opportunity  was  taken  on  this  trip  to  land  them. 
 The  people  were  all  shy,  probably  lest  more  might  be  taken 
 away.  Dr.  Geddie  landed  at  various  places  to  try  to  open 
 up  the  way  for  a  missionary.  In  Puloa  Bay  he  found 
 two  natives  who  had  been  at  Mare,  and  had  spent  a 
 year  with  the  missionaries  there.  One  of  these,  when 
 offered  food,  reverently  asked  a  blessing  before  he  par- 
 took of  it.  There  seemed  to  be  a  disposition  favourable 
 to  the  settlement  of  missionaries  both  there  and  at  Cape 
 Lisburn. 
 
 Two  young  men  from  the  island  were  for  a  year  with  the 
 Eev.  J.  D.  Gordon  at  Eromanga.  From  them  he  learned 
 their  language,  and  he  imparted  to  them  some  knowledge 
 of  Christianity.  Captain  Hastings  kindly  took  them  home 
 again.  Mr.  Gordon,  on  visiting  Sydney  in  1868,  agreed  to 
 become  the  missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  New 
 South  Wales,  and  offered  to  commence  a  mission  on  the 
 island  of  Espiritu  Santo,  and  to  spend  the  winter  months 
 there.  This  was  approved  by  the  committee,  and  they 
 printed  a  small  primer  whicli  Mr.  Gordon  had  prepared  in 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.         339 
 
 the  language.^  The  ladies  of  the  New  Hebrides  Missionary 
 Association  in  Sydney,  who  annually  sent  clothing  and 
 useful  materials  to  the  missionaries,  provided  Mr.  Gordon 
 with  a  tent  and  furniture,  as  he  had  wished,  for  his  new 
 enterprise.  The  mission  vessel  took  him  there  in  June 
 1869.  The  Eev.  J.  G.  Paton  was  appointed  to  accompany 
 him  to  aid  in  his  settlement.  Mr.  Gordon  had  the  advantage 
 of  being  able  to  talk  to  the  people  in  their  own  language. 
 He  found  one  of  the  boys  who  had  been  with  him  ;  the  other, 
 he  was  grieved  to  learn,  had  been  taken  away  in  one  of  the 
 labour  vessels.  The  locality  was  at  the  north  end  of  the 
 west  side  of  the  island,  and  was  called  Nogogu.  The  chief 
 received  him  kindly,  and  readily  sold  him  a  piece  of  ground 
 for  a  mission  station.  The  site  was  fixed  upon  a  projecting 
 point  of  land  and  rock,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
 above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  natives  aided  to  clear  the 
 ground,  and  the  carpenter,  mate,  and  seamen  from  the 
 vessel  soon  made  a  platform  for  the  tent.  While  this  was 
 being  done,  Mr.  Gordon  was  giving  the  first  lesson  in  the 
 alphabet  to  the  chief.  The  vessel  soon  sailed  away,  and 
 left  Mr.  Gordon  for  four  months.  He  commenced  to 
 gather  the  young  people  daily  for  instruction.  He  had 
 above  a  hundred,  but  they  were  very  irregular  in  their 
 attendance.  He  gave  them  a  short  oral  lesson  from  the 
 Pecfp  of  Bay,  simplified  still  more,  and  translated  into 
 their  language.  He  taught  a  few  to  read,  and  many  more 
 to  sing  the  '  Happy  land,'  '  Hark,  the  herald  angels,'  etc. 
 He  addressed  the  grown  people  as-  often  as  he  could  get 
 opportunities.  He  travelled  about,  and  was  generally  well 
 received.  They  examined  his  white  skin  with  great  interest. 
 '  Many  a  time,'  he  said,  '  while  sitting  out  on  my  little 
 verandah,  which  was  nearly  as  high  as  the  people's  heads, 
 they  would  turn  up  the  legs  of  my  trousers  to  the  knees, 
 
 '  Mr.  Gordon  believed  this  language  to  be  the  most  important  on  the  west 
 side  of  the  island,  and  to  be  in  some  degree  understood  both  north  and  south. 
 The  language  at  Cape  Lisburn  is  more  local. 
 
340  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  turn  down  my  socks,  and  utter  great  exclamations  as 
 tliey  handled  the  fair  skin.  Wherever  I  went,  the  men 
 always  asked  me,  on  behalf  of  the  women,  to  unbutton  my 
 shirt  that  they  might  see  the  colour  of  my  breast.' 
 
 When  the  vessel  came  for  him  in  November,  they  were 
 sorry  to  part  with  him.  The  women  wept  as  if  for  the 
 dead.  They  told  him  they  would  make  a  plantation  for  him, 
 to  be  ready  for  his  next  year's  visit.  The  Eev.  P.  Milne 
 and  his  wife  were  on  board  the  mission  vessel,  and  as  the 
 people  had  never  seen  a  white  woman,  Mrs.  Milne  was 
 regarded  with  extraordinary  curiosity. 
 
 The  next  year,  unhappily,  Mr.  Gordon  did  not  go  back 
 to  Espiritu  Santo;  but  in  1871,  the  Eev.  John  Goodwill 
 settled  as  missionary  at  Cape  Lisburn  to  the  south-west. 
 The  language  at  this  place  was  quite  different  from  that 
 used  at  Nogogu  to  the  north,  where  Mr.  Gordon  had  been, 
 and  thus  no  benefit  was  derived  from  Mr.  Gordon's  publica- 
 tions. It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Gordon's  station 
 was  not  resumed.  Mr.  Goodwill,  however,  and  his  brave 
 young  wife,  with  a  little  baby,  took  up  their  abode  in  a 
 weather-board  cottage  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  which 
 was  erected  by  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Dayspring. 
 They  were  left  there  in  July. 
 
 The  site  chosen  was  supposed  to  be  healthy,  as  it  was 
 elevated,  and  Mr.  Goodwill,  at  a  great  sacrifice  of  personal 
 strength,  made  a  pathway  along  the  edge  of  the  rock ;  but 
 there  seemed  to  be  a  miasmatic  influence  from  the  lowland 
 near.  He  and  his  wife  suffered  from  fever  and  ague. 
 However,  he  was  fully  occupied  learning  the  language  and 
 conciliating  the  natives  till  the  vessel  returned  in  December, 
 with  Dr.  Geddie  and  Mr.  Paton  on  board.  The  day  before 
 the  Dayspring  arrived,  a  boat  belonging  to  the  Wild  Duck  had 
 been  seized  by  the  natives  about  thirty  miles  to  the  north, 
 and  the  whole  crew  murdered  and  eaten.  H.M.S.  Rosario, 
 commanded  by  Commander  Markham,  visited  the  scene, 
 to  make  inquiry  and  punish  the  guilty,  in  the  end  of  1871. 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.        341 
 
 Mr.  Goodwill  continued  at  liis  post  all  the  year  1871,^ 
 not  even  going  to  the  Mission  Synod.  In  the  end  of  1872, 
 lie  had  to  send  away  his  wife  and  her  youngest  child  to 
 the  colonies.  They  had  all  the  trial  and  delay  of  the  wreck 
 of  the  Day  spring  on  the  6  th  January  1873,  and  by  the 
 passage  via  New  Caledonia  to  Sydney.  They  were  im- 
 proved by  the  change,  and  returned  in  the  chartered  vessel 
 in  June  1873.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Goodwill  had  been  passing 
 through  many  trials  while  alone  with  his  little  girl.  They 
 both  suffered  very  much  from  dysentery,  and  Mr.  Goodwill 
 from  fever  and  ague.  He  was  without  any  servant,  and 
 had  a  cow  to  look  after  to  provide  milk  for  the  child.  In. 
 his  efforts  he  broke  some  of  his  ribs,  and  was  reduced  to 
 great  weakness.  It  was  the  rainy  season,  and  peculiarly 
 unhealthy.  Meantime  a  party  of  natives  from  the  interior 
 came  down  with  the  intention  of  robbing  him,  and  actually 
 broke  some  of  his  windows,  furniture,  crockery,  etc.  He 
 had  a  very  narrow  escape  from  their  arrows,  which  they 
 showered  upon  the  house,  along  with  stones.  Mr.  Goodwill 
 was  obliged  to  get  his  revolver  and  open  fire.  There  were 
 thirty-two  of  them,  led  by  a  wretch  known  as  one  of  the 
 
 1  The  following,  cut  from  a  Brisbane  newspaper,  shows  other  trials  of  the 
 missionary  in  1871  : — 
 
 'Arrival,  Nov.  li—Lyitona,  from  South  Sea  Islands,  with  sixty-six 
 natives. 
 
 '  The  schooner  Lyttona,  just  returned  from  a  cruise  among  the  South  Sea 
 Islands,  brings  sixty-six  natives.  She  reports  that  on  the  14tli  October  went 
 ashore  on  Cape  Lisburn,  and  visited  a  missionary  named  Goodwill.  This 
 gentleman  stated  that,  two  months  previous,  a  boat's  crew,  consisting  of  two 
 white  men  and  four  Chinamen,  were  murdered  ;  also  that  a  Fiji  cutter  had 
 lately  visited  the  place,  the  name  of  which  he,  unfortunately,  could  not 
 remember,  and,  being  short  of  provisions,  he  supplied  them  with  what  he 
 could  spare,  in  return  for  which  kindness  the  crew  stole  four  men,  the  result 
 being  that  the  natives  came  to  him  demanding  reparation.  The  inhabitants 
 of  this  island  were  very  ferocious,  and  no  wonder,  too  ;  and  it  was  afterwards 
 ascertained  that  some  of  them  were  in  waiting,  close  to  where  the  Lyttona' s 
 boat  had  landed,  with  the  intention  of  seizing  any  boat  they  could,  in 
 revenge  for  the  outrages  that  had  been  committed  on  them.  Mr.  Good\vin 
 stated  that  about  260  men  had  been  recruited  from  this  island  during  the 
 course  of  the  last  twelve  months.' — Brisbane  Courier,  Nov.  15,  1871. 
 
342  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 most  active  in  stealing  men  for  labour  vessels.  When  the 
 revolver  was  fired  they  fled.  The  friendly  natives  then  rose 
 for  the  missionary's  defence  and  also  for  their  own,  as  these 
 wild  men  from  the  bush  massacred  all  the  people  in  two 
 villages  two  days  after  the  attack  upon  Mr,  Goodwill.  The 
 chief  and  his  people  killed  five  of  them,  and  divided  their 
 bodies  among  their  own  villages  to  grace  their  feasts. 
 When  Mr.  Goodwill  heard  of  this  he  remonstrated,  but  they 
 said,  '  They  were  your  enemies,  and  tried  to  kill  you  and 
 plunder  your  stores ;  they  stole  your  turkeys,  broke  your 
 windows,  furniture,  crockery,  etc.;  and  this  is  cause  enough 
 for  killing  them  and  eating  them  up.' 
 
 Mr.  Goodwill  also  suffered  much  from  the  loss  of  some 
 of  his  stores  by  a  hurricane.  The  thatch  was  twice  blown 
 off  his  house.  He  got  relief  by  the  kindness  of  Captain 
 Macdonald  of  the  Success  and  his  brother  of  the  Bci.'plinc 
 and  Captain  Mackay  of  the  Satellite,  who  happened  to  call 
 in  the  bay  in  his  time  of  need.  When  the  mission  vessel 
 came  on  the  24th  June,  and  brought  Mrs.  Goodwill  and 
 child,  it  was  a  great  comfort  to  the  missionary.  He  con- 
 tinued to  labour  on  till  the  vessel  returned  in  August, 
 when  he  and  his  family  embarked,  with  very  great  regret, 
 to  seek  restoration  of  health  by  a  sojourn  in  the  colonies. 
 Still  hoping  to  be  able  for  work,  though  against  the  advice 
 of  medical  men,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodwill  sailed  again  in 
 April  1874,  but  the  illness  of  his  child  at  Aneityum  pre- 
 vented Mr.  Goodwill  from  visiting  his  station  in  Espiritu 
 Santo.  With  very  great  reluctance  he  felt  shut  up  to  retire 
 from  the  field,  and  from  a  people  among  whom  he  was 
 willing  to  live  and  die.  Indeed,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
 sake  of  his  wife  and  family,  Mr.  Goodwill  would  have 
 returned.  He  had  all  the  courage  of  a  martyr,  and  would 
 have  died  for  the  evangelization  of  Espiritu  Santo.  The 
 vessel  went  on  to  Espiritu  Santo,  and  the  natives  expressed 
 to  the  Eev.  P.  Milne,  Captain  Jenkins,  and  myself,  a  great 
 desire  to  have  a  missionary.     The  mission  premises  were 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.         343 
 
 left  in  the  care  of  the  chief,  who  agreed,  for  a  consideration, 
 to  keep  them  thatched  and  in  repair.  The  vessel  paid 
 another  visit  in  October,  and  found  the  people  still  anxious 
 to  get  a  missionary,  but  on  account  of  fighting  had  not 
 been  able  to  re-thatch  the  house ;  nor  would  they  promise 
 to  do  so  till  the  fighting  was  ended. 
 
 Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodwill  went  to  Victoria,  where  their 
 health  was  much  invigorated.  If  he  had  put  in  print  what 
 knowledge  he  had  acquired  of  the  language,  he  would  have 
 'aided  the  work  of  the  missionary  who  might  be  appointed 
 to  succeed  him.  It  is  a  great  loss  to  the  mission  when  a 
 labourer  who  has  learned  the  language  and  is  devoted  to 
 his  work  is  obliged  to  withdraw.  The  large  population  and 
 open  door  at  Espiritu  Santo  present  a  pressing  claim  on  the 
 Christian  Church  to  send  forth  labourers  to  win  this  land 
 for  Christ  by  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
 
 ]\Ir.  Goodwill  ultimately  returned  to  his  native  land, 
 where  he  found  a  people  waiting  to  accept  him  as  their 
 minister.  They  had  sent  him  a  call  while  he  was  in  the 
 New  Hebrides,  and  expressed  their  willingness  to  wait  Uii 
 years  for  him,  if  he  would  only  promise  to  accept.  Sooner, 
 perhaps,  than  they  anticipated  the  settlement  took  place, 
 and  Mr.  Goodwill  continues  to  minister  to  an  attached 
 people  in  Cape  Breton. 
 
 The  mission  has  not  been  able  to  appoint  a  teacher  or  a 
 European  missionary  to  this  large  and  populous  island.  In 
 1875,  the  Ba/i/spring  \'isited  the  stations  formerly  occupied, 
 and  found  them  still  open  to  missionaries.  In  1878,  the 
 Bayspring  paid  a  visit,  when  the  Eev.  T.  Neilson  of  Tanna 
 and  the  Eev.  J.  W.  Mackenzie  of  Erakor  were  on  board  as 
 a  deputation.  The  following  narrative  of  the  visit  is  the 
 latest  intelligence  from  the  island  of  Espiritu  Santo.  It 
 was  written  by  the  Eev.  T.  Neilson  : — 
 
 '  IMh  August. — We  next  steered  in  the  direction  of  Santo,  and,  after  a 
 rapid  run  of  three  and  a  half  hours,  came  to  anchor  under  Cape  Lisburn. 
 Going  ashore  we  were  met  by  Mulgav,  tlie  chief  who  was  so  friendly  to  Mr. 
 
344  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Goodwill.  There  is  no  village  near  the  anchorage,  and  as  it  was  late  we 
 went  up  to  where  Mr.  Goodwill's  house  had  been.  Only  the  foundations  were 
 standing.  The  house  had  been  destroyed  by  the  hurricane  last  year,  and  what 
 was  left  had  been  consumed  by  fire.  Mulgav  and  two  men  came  off  to  stay 
 in  the  ship  all  night,  but  only  one  of  them  took  any  supper,  as  it  appears  to 
 be  contrary  to  their  superstition  that  more  than  one  should  eat  meat  that  has 
 been  cooked  at  the  same  fire.  This  is  a  very  mountainous  island.  Indeed, 
 I  have  never  seen  one  more  so.  Our  highest  mountain  on  Tanna  is  about 
 5000  feet,  but  is  small  in  comparison  with  those  we  see  here.  1  should 
 think  they  cannot  be  less  than  8000  or  9000  feet  high,  and  the  whole  country 
 seems  very  rugged.  The  native  name  seems  to  be  ileriu.  Much  of  it  has 
 never  yet  been  explored. 
 
 '  \Uh  August. — Went  to  visit  Mulgav's  village,  which  is  about  three  miles 
 south  of  the  anchorage.  We  walked  along  the  beach  most  of  the  way. 
 The  country  gave  evidence  of  the  terrific  nature  of  the  hurricane  that  had 
 taken  place  about  eighteen  months  ago.  The  sea  seems  to  have  been  driven 
 a  long  way  inland,  and  most  of  the  trees  torn  up  by  the  wind.  The  public 
 house  in  this  village  is  the  finest  native  house  that  I  have  seen  in  the  New 
 Hebrides.  It  is  quite  new,  in  shape  like  the  roof  of  a  house,  with  the  two 
 ends  open,  but  each  protected  by  a  projection  in  shape  like  half  an  um- 
 brella. A  door  also,  with  a  shade  to  it,  was  pierced  in  the  side.  The  whole 
 was  supported  on  curved  pillars.  The  wood  of  the  roof  is  of  bamboo,  and 
 the  thatching  of  sago  palm  leaf.  It  is  almost  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  is  a 
 light,  airy,  and  pleasant  house  for  such  a  climate  as  this,  and  seems  to  be 
 used  as  a  kind  of  club-house  for  the  men.  There  were  some  very  nicely- 
 carved  wooden  dishes  and  platters  hanging  to  the  pillars.  These  they  would 
 not  part  with,  so  we  purchased  some  arrows  tipped  with  human  bone.  In 
 the  afternoon  we  went  away  to  visit  another  village.  After  rowing  a  mile 
 or  two  we  went  ashore,  and  began  to  ascend  a  hill  by  a  very  steep  path. 
 We  toiled  up  to  a  height  of  about  600  feet,  and  after  walking  a  good  way 
 found  we  had  to  go  down  again  and  up  on  the  other  side.  This  was  rather 
 too  much,  so  Mr.  Mackenzie,  who  is  light  of  foot,  left  the  rest  of  us  to 
 wait  for  him,  and  pressed  on  along  with  the  guide.  They  reached  the 
 village,  and  had  a  talk  with  the  people,  who  received  them  very  favourably. 
 Some  of  the  women,  hearing  that  there  were  ladies  in  our  party,  set  out 
 to  meet  us.  They  were  merry,  blithe-looking  lassies,  and  though  sorely 
 deficient  in  costume,  seemed  not  to  feel  the  want  of  it,  and  saluted  us  very 
 cordially. 
 
 '  15f/t  August. — Weighed  anchor,  and  started  with  a  fine  breeze  for  the 
 north.  This  died  away  towards  the  afternoon,  and  left  us  becalmed  all 
 night. 
 
 '16^^  August. — After  breakfast,  Mr.  Mackenzie  and  I  went  ashore,  a  long 
 way,  as  the  calm  continued,  and  landed  at  a  place  called  Taslemon.  The 
 people  here  were  very  wretched-looking,  a  good  many  had  elephantiasis,  and 
 we  saw  a  wretched-looking  albino.  Some  of  them  knew  a  little  English,  and 
 wanted  to  go  away  in  the  Dayspring,  thinking  she  was  a  labour  vessel.  Ex- 
 plained to  them  what  we  were,  and  were  kindly  received.     Found  that  they 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.         345 
 
 manufactured  a  kind  of  rude  pottery.  In  coming  off  to  the  boat,  tlie  canoe 
 in  which  I  was,  turned  completely  over,  and  the  natives  laughed  most  heartily 
 at  seeing  me  floundering  in  the  sea. 
 
 '  Viih  Aucjust. — No  wind ;  had  been  drifting  with  the  current  all  night,  and 
 were  only  a  few  miles  from  our  position  of  yesterday.  In  the  afternoon  we 
 were  opposite  a  large  bay  named  Pelea,  near  which  Mr.  Gordon  had  been 
 settled  for  a  few  months.  Pulled  ashore,  and  were  met  by  a  large  number 
 of  people  on  the  beach,  who  were  very  friendly.  A  number  of  them  were 
 fine  stalwart-looking  men,  and  a  few  could  speak  English,  having  been  away 
 in  Queensland  and  Fiji.  The  women  are  mostly  much  smaller  than  the 
 men.  We  told  them  who  we  were.  They  said  that  they  remembered  Sir. 
 Gordon,  but  did  not  know  him  well,  as  he  had  not  been  long  enough  among 
 them.  They  expressed  themselves  very  favourable  to  having  a  missionary, 
 and  we  promised  to  visit  them  again.  The  population  is  large.  I  asked  if 
 there  was  any  fighting  among  them,  and  they  said  no,  that  the  inland 
 people  were  afraid  of  their  muskets  now,  and  did  not  molest  them.  One 
 young  man  told  me  that  he  had  two  rifles  and  a  Snider.  We  did  not  see  the 
 chief,  who  was  away  inland.  We  had  a  long  talk  with  the  people  on  the 
 shore,  and  went  through  two  or  three  of  their  villages.  These  seemed  dirty, 
 and  the  houses  rather  poor.  The  best  houses  we  could  see  seemed  to  be 
 small  houses  for  food,  raised  upon  bamboo  posts  several  feet  from  the 
 ground.  We  wished  to  purchase  some  of  their  baskets,  which  were  rather 
 neat,  but  they  asked  too  high  a  price  for  them.  AVe  left  ashore  here  two 
 lads  whom  we  had  brought  with  us  from  Taslemon. ' 
 
 The  next  extract  introduces  iis  to  that  part  of  the  ishmd 
 of  Espiritu  Santo  which  was  discovered  by  Quiros  in  1606, 
 two  hundred  and  seventy-two  years  before.  Bishop  Patteson 
 had  called  there  on  one  of  his  voyages.  The  Daysyriwj, 
 however,  had  never  gone  round  that  side. 
 
 '  20th  August. — Working  up  all  day  into  St.  Philip's  Bay,  which  we  entered 
 just  before  sundown,  not  in  time,  however,  to  get  to  anchor,  and  we  hove 
 to  in  the  middle  of  it.  A  magnificent,  wide  bay  ;  the  finest  in  the  group, 
 and  not  equalled  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  This  is  the  first  time  that  it  has 
 been  visited  by  the  Dayspring.  The  contrast  between  the  two  sides  of  the 
 bay  is  very  striking — the  western  being  formed  of  towering,  serrated,  volcanic 
 ridges ;  the  eastern  of  flat  table-lands,  rising  to  a  considerable  elevation  by 
 successive  steps,  and  evidently  of  coral  formation.  In  the  centre  is  the  river 
 Jordan,  so  called  by  the  Spanish  navigator  Quiros,  beside  which  he  intended 
 to  found  the  New  Jerusalem. 
 
 "2.\st  August. — Wind  very  light  this  morning.  The  captain  attempted  to 
 come  to  anchor  about  the  centre  of  the  bay,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
 but  found  that  the  bottom  was  too  deep  ;  so  we  came  over  to  the  south-east 
 corner,  and  dropped  anchor  in  twelve  fathoms,  a  good  way  from  the  land. 
 A  man  came  ofl'  in  a  canoe  who  had  been  away  in  Fiji,  and  knew  a  little 
 
346  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 English.  We  took  him  ashore  with  us,  and  saw  his  phxce,  and  also  visited 
 another  village,  where  we  were  very  well  received.  Only  one  man  knew  a 
 little  English,  and  through  him  we  explained  who  we  were.  The  people 
 said  they  would  be  very  glad  to  have  a  missionary  settled  among  them. 
 The  men  here  dress  differently  from  those  in  other  parts  of  the  island. 
 They  wear,  just  a  little  above  the  hips,  a  billet  of  wood,  in  shaj^je  like  a  little 
 boat  sharpened  at  both  ends,  to  which  is  attached  a  small  netting  coming 
 round  the  front  of  the  body,  and  this  again  supporting  a  small  mat. 
 liound  the  waist  thej'  wear  a  curious  kind  of  girdle,  which  looks  like  a 
 narrow  hoop,  two  or  three  inches  in  thickness.  Until  one  sees  how  it  is 
 made  he  wonders  how  the  man  has  ever  got  into  it.  It  seems  to  be  formed 
 of  a  creeper,  like  a  narrow  strip  of  thick  leather,  and  this  is  wound  round 
 and  round  the  body  until  it  is  like  a  narrow  wheel.  The  women  are  almost 
 in  a  state  of  nuditj' ;  and  here,  as  at  Malekula  Baj',  they  have  the  two  upper 
 front  teeth  knocked  out,  and  this  gives  them  a  very  childish  appearance. 
 Men  and  women  mostly  have  the  nose  painted  red,  and  a  great  many  of  them 
 have  the  septum  pierced,  and  a  piece  of  felspar  or  rock  crystal  passed 
 through  it  as  a  nose  jewel.  The  people  are  rather  good-looking  and 
 numerous. 
 
 '  list  August. — Went  ashore  and  entered  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The 
 stream  was  low,  owing  to  the  drought,  and  we  ascended  only  about  half  a 
 mile.  It  seems  to  overflow  its  banks  to  a  very  large  extent  during  flood. 
 We  saw  a  good  many  wild  duck,  and  plenty  of  fish  in  the  river,  but  no 
 village  close  to  its  banks.  We  came  down  again,  and  rowed  along  the  beach 
 a  little  way  to  where  some  natives  were  sitting,  where  we  went  ashore.  As 
 we  touched  the  land  a  big  savage-looking  man  dragged  a  young  woman 
 down,  and  lifted  her  into  the  boat,  she  being  in  a  state  of  great  distress. 
 He  wanted  to  sell  her  to  us,  and  as  we  knew  nothing  of  his  language,  and  he 
 nothing  of  ours,  it  was  a  long  time  before  we  could  get  him  to  understand 
 that  we  did  not  want  to  buy  people.  We  walked  inland,  and  visited  two 
 villages,  the  people  mostly  big  strapping  men  and  women,  some  of  them 
 tattooed,  and  some  with  hair  of  a  brilliant  yellow  colour.  Here  we  came  to 
 the  bank  of  another  considerable  stream.  I  noticed  that  the  head  of  this  bay 
 is  full  of  streams.  We  counted  no  fewer  than  seven,  all  of  them  with  a  good 
 flow  of  water,  even  in  this  extremely  dry  weather.  The  head  of  the  bay  is 
 about  eight  miles  in  length  almost  in  a  straight  line,  and  is  all  level  land, 
 which  extends  away  inland  for  a  long  distance,  and  into  it  the  drainage 
 from  the  hills  is  poured.  After  dining  in  the  boat,  we  rowed  along  to  the 
 south-west  corner  of  the  bay,  accompanied  by  a  large  party  of  natives 
 walking  on  the  beach,  the  women  cairying  great  bundles  of  taro  on  their 
 heads.  Went  ashore  and  visited  another  village,  also  on  the  bank  of  a 
 stream,  in  which  there  was  a  very  large  cook-house,  steaming  with  savoury 
 food.  We  addressed  the  people,  and  were  received  most  kindly  indeed. 
 Both  \i])on  this  island  and  the  neighbouring  one  of  Malo  we  have  seen  no 
 weapons  in  the  hands  of  the  natives,  except  when  we  wished  to  see  their  bows 
 and  spears.  We  saw  here  a  very  curious-looking  woman,  with  elephantiasis 
 in  both  her  legs,  and  carrying  attached  to  a  bag  on  her  shoulder  an  immense 
 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ESPIRITU  SANTO.        347 
 
 number  of  cowrie  shells,  which  joggled  together  in  a  very  curious  way  at 
 every  step  she  took.  She  seemed  to  be  a  person  of  some  rank.  This  whole 
 bay  contains  a  large  population,  who  seem  quite  tractable  and  friendly,  and 
 anxious  to  have  missionaries.  This  is  the  true  key  to  Santo,  and  should  be 
 occupied  as  soon  as  possible  by  two  missionaries,  one  on  each  side  of  the  bu}', 
 which  is  very  spacious  and  well  protected.  With  good  boats,  a  very  large 
 district  could  be  worked  in  perfectly  smooth  water. 
 
 'On  the  30th  of  April  1606,  Quiros  and  Torres,  the  Spanish  navigators, 
 entered  this  bay,  and  called  the  port  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  river  Jordan, 
 beside  which  they  designed  to  have  built  the  New  Jerusalem  on  the  island 
 of  Espiritu  Santo.  They  were  compelled,  however,  to  leave,  without  accom- 
 plishing anything,  on  account  of  a  mutiny  in  one  of  the  ships.  We  also  come 
 to  plant  the  standard  of  the  True  Cross,  but  in  a  different  way,  and  to  lay 
 the  foundation  of  a  New  Jerusalem,  and  to  take  possession  of  the  land  in  the 
 name  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  want  men  whose  hearts  God  hath  touched  to 
 step  in  and  occupy  this  and  the  other  islands  that  we  have  visited.  The 
 people  were  friendly,  the  door  is  open,  and  the  means  are  provided.  The 
 isles  are  waiting  for  His  law.     How  long  shall  they  have  to  wait  ? ' 
 
 '  Spirit  of  power  and  might,  behold 
 
 A  world  by  sin  destroyed  ! 
 Creator  Spirit,  as  of  old 
 Move  on  the  formless  void. 
 
 '  Give  Thou  the  word  :  that  healing  sound 
 
 Shall  quell  the  deadly  strife  ; 
 And  earth  again,  like  Eden  crowned, 
 Produce  the  tree  of  life. 
 
 '  If  sang  the  heavenly  stars  for  joy 
 
 When  nature  rose  to  view, 
 What  strains  will  angel-harps  employ 
 
 When  Thou  shalt  all  renew? ' — Montgomery. 
 
CHAPTER    XXL 
 
 NATIVE   TEACHERS, 
 
 '  Rouse  to  this  work  of  high  and  holy  love, 
 
 And  thou  an  angel's  happiness  shalt  know, 
 Shalt  bless  the  earth  while  in  the  world  above. 
 
 The  good  begun  by  thee  shall  onward  flow 
 
 In  many  a  branching  stream,  and  wider  grow  ; 
 The  seed  that  in  these  few  and  fleeting  hours 
 
 Thy  hands  unsparing  and  unwearied  sow. 
 Shall  deck  thy  grave  with  amaranthine  flowers, 
 And  yield  thee  fruits  divine  in  heaven's  immortal  bowers.' 
 
 One  of  the  most  important  results  of  missionary  labour  in 
 Polynesia  has  been  the  creation  of  a  class  of  native  agents. 
 These  are  inured  to  the  climate,  know  the  thoughts  and 
 habits  of  the  people,  and  can  get  more  closely  into  their 
 feelings  and  views  than  the  missionary  can  possibly  do. 
 In  all  the  missions  this  has  been  attended  to  with  care, 
 and  with  much  success.  Missionaries  have  by  this  means 
 extended  their  influence  vastly,  and  have  perpetuated  it 
 when  they  have  passed  away.  It  has  not  been  neglected 
 in  the  New  Hebrides,  though  with  so  small  a  Christian 
 population  in  so  large  a  heathen  field  many  teachers  have 
 been  required  from  the  Christian  islands  to  the  eastward 
 to  pioneer  the  gospel  and  to  aid  the  settled  missionary. 
 As  the  people  live  in  small  villages,  it  is  almost  necessary 
 to  place  a  native  teacher  in  each  of  them.  At  least  one 
 hundred  of  these  agents  have  been  obtained  from  the 
 eastern  groups,  where  the  London  Missionary  Society  had 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  349 
 
 an  efficient  institution  for  their  training,  under  the  care  of 
 the  Eev,  Drs.  Nisbet  and  Turner.  Up  to  1856,  Mr.  Inglis 
 reckoned  that  between  fifty  and  sixty  of  these  men  had 
 died  or  had  been  murdered  at  their  posts  in  different 
 islands  of  the  New  Hebrides.  Many  more  have  died  since 
 that  date.  They  nobly  devoted  themselves  to  their  work, 
 braved  the  influences  of  an  unhealthy  climate  on  these 
 volcanic  islands,  where  many  of  them  succumbed  to  the 
 deadly  fever  and  ague  that  attacked  them.  They  faced 
 the  perils  of  a  residence  among  cannibals  for  the  sake  of 
 pioneering  the  gospel.  They  had  to  acquire  new  languages, 
 and  while  doing  this  had  to  cultivate  plantations  for  the 
 support  of  themselves  and  their  families.  All  the  salary 
 they  received  was  from  live  to  ten  pounds  a  year — a  sum 
 required  to  purchase  their  small  stock  of  clothing. 
 
 The  missionaries  on  Aneityum  soon  perceived  the  import- 
 ance of  providing  this  kind  of  agency,  and  established  schools 
 at  their  respective  stations  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  those 
 that  might  offer  themselves.  The  school  was  kept  in  the 
 afternoons,  and  aimed  at  giving  a  higher  kind  of  instruction 
 than  was  afforded  in  the  common  schools,  which  were  taught 
 by  the  native  teachers  at  the  dawn  of  day.  Arithmetic, 
 \mting,  geography.  Scripture  history  and  doctrine,  were 
 introduced,  and  the  young  men  were  trained  to  express 
 their  views  from  time  to  time.  This  added  greatly  to  the 
 labour  of  the  missionaries ;  but  it  was  most  profitable  to 
 their  mission  work,  and  it  multiplied  their  influence. 
 There  are  about  one  hundred  native  teachers  on  the  group, 
 the  half  of  whom  are  on  Aneityum. 
 
 On  the  island  of  Aneityum  many  were  wanted  for  the 
 common  school  education  of  the  inhabitants.  Fifty  small 
 schools  in  as  many  districts  have  arisen,  and  have  been 
 supplied  from  the  institutions.  Teachers  have  been  sent 
 forth  during  the  past  twenty  years,  in  as  large  a  proportion 
 as  from  any  Christian  island  in  Polynesia,  to  other  islands 
 in  the  group,  as  far  north  as  Fate. 
 
350  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Regarding  these,  Mr.  Inglis  makes  the  following  remarks 
 in  a  paper  on  the  subject  in  1870  : — 
 
 '  At  first  we  liad  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  teachers,  especially  for  Tanna  ; 
 but  after  the  disasters  of  1861-2, — after  the  murder  of  the  missionaries  on 
 Eromanga,  the  expulsion  of  the  missionaries  from  Tanna,  and  the  breaking 
 up  of  the  mission  on  these  two  islands, — and  after  that,  as  the  effects  of 
 successive  epidemics,  measles,  diphtheria,  hooping-cough,  etc.,  the  popula- 
 tion of  An  eityum  had  been  reduced  more  than  one-half,  and  our  teachers  bad 
 borne  their  full  share  of  all  these  calamities  ; — after  these  things,  there  was 
 for  several  years,  as  might  naturally  have  been  expected,  a  great  reluctance 
 on  the  part  of  the  Aneityumese  to  go  forth  as  teachers  to  the  surrounding 
 islands.  Happily  that  feeling  is  now  overcome,  and  for  several  years  no 
 special  difficulty  has  been  felt  on  this  ground.  But  there  are  other  diffi- 
 culties, which  our  diminished  population  greatly  intensifies.  It  is  not  every 
 man,  however  well  <j^ualified  in  other  respects,  that  is  eligible  to  be  a  teacher 
 that  will  be  accepted,  or  at  least  be  of  any  service  on  these  heathen  islands. 
 Strange  as  it  may  appear,  it  is  only  members  of  aristocratic  families,  chiefs, 
 or  near  relatives  of  chiefs,  that  carry  any  influence  on  heathen  islands.  To 
 give  an  example.  One  of  our  best  teachers  at  present  on  Fotuna,  a  man 
 who  occupied  a  first  place  on  Aneityum  for  his  Christian  character,  his 
 scholarship,  and  his  mechanical  acquirements,  and  who  has  been  about  three 
 years  on  Fotuna — this  man  came  this  year  and  begged  to  be  taken  home  ; 
 and  why?  The  natives  would  not  hear  him  :  he  ^vas  not  a  chief.  "  Who," 
 they  said,  "had  ever  heard  anything  of  his  father,  his  grandfather,  or  any 
 of  his  relations  ?  He  had  come  to  them  like  a  piece  of  sea-weed  floating  on 
 the  waters,  and  why  should  they  hear  his  words  ? "  He  has  subsequently 
 agreed  to  stay  another  year,  as  he  is  useful  to  the  missionary  in  other  ways. 
 Another  teacher  on  Fotuna,  from  the  very  same  district  as  the  former, — a 
 good  Christian  man,  but  not  at  all  equal  to  his  companion  as  a  scholar  or  a 
 mechanic,  but  who  is  a  chief  of  considerable  standing, — possesses  great  in- 
 fluence among  them,  because  his  fnmily  and  his  forefathers  were  well  known 
 in  the  land. 
 
 '  Some  time  ago,  at  a  meeting  of  the  London  City  Mission,  Lord  Shaftes- 
 Imry  said  that  in  the  most  radical  districts  of  the  metropolis  the  people 
 would  rather  receive  a  visit  from  a  lord  than  a  labourer,  because  they 
 thought  the  former  had  more  in  his  power  than  the  latter  to  benefit  their 
 temporal  interests.  Human  nature  is  essentially  the  same  in  all  ages  and 
 in  all  parts  of  the  world.  "Ye  seek  me,"  said  our  Saviour,  "not  because 
 ye  saw  the  miracles,  but  because  ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves  and  were  filled." 
 The  argument  of  the  loaves  and  the  fishes,  or  the  temporal  blessings  that 
 "accompany  or  flow  from"  Christianity,  the  rudest  savage  can,  in  some 
 measure,  soon  understand.  Hence,  in  addition  to  some  intuitive  notions  on 
 the  subject,  the  heathen  soon  observe  that  as  often  as  the  Dayspring  visits 
 their  island  it  is  their  teachers,  who  are  chiefs,  that  always  receive  the 
 largest  presents  of  food  and  property  from  their  friends  on  Aneityum  ;  and  on 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  351 
 
 account  of  tliat,  in  addition  to  their  liigh  ancestry,  they  are  disposed  to  treat 
 them  with  respect.  The  value  of  the  spiritual  blessings  of  the  gospel  is  the 
 very  last  idea  connected  with  Christianity  which  the  heathen — may  we  not 
 add  the  human  mind — wakens  up  to  comprehend. 
 
 '  "We  are  further  restricted  in  our  choice  on  another  point.  In  the  times  of 
 heathenism  it  was  only  with  Tanna,  Aniwa,  and  Fotuna  that  the  natives  of 
 Aneityum  had  any  intercourse.  Their  intercourse  with  Eromanga  and  Fate 
 or  Sandwich  Island  dates  only  from  the  introduction  of  Christianity.  But 
 even  with  these  three  first-named  islands  there  was  not  unrestricted  inter- 
 course. Certain  districts  on  Aneityum  had  formed  something  like  the 
 ancient  leagues  of  hospitality  with  certain  districts  of  these  three  islands  ; 
 between  these  districts  intercourse  was  always  safe,  but  if  their  canoes 
 drifted  to  other  parts  of  the  islands,  woe  to  the  hapless  visitors  !  a  cannibal 
 feast  was  the  termination  of  their  unhappy  voyage.  In  sending  teachers  to 
 these  islands,  unless  we  can  send  them  from  districts  with  which  old  friendly 
 relations  have  existed,  they  cany  little  weight  with  them.  In  the  early  part 
 of  the  mission  we  had  one  teacher  killed,  and  another  left  on  the  ground  for 
 dead  on  Aniwa,  because  the  man  who  was  killed  belonged  to  a  tribe  with 
 which  an  old  quarrel  of  some  thirty  years'  standing  remained  unavenged,  but 
 of  which  we  had  previously  heard  nothing.  ^ 
 
 '  Moreover,  we  do  not  find  it  advisable  to  send  young  people  as  teachers  ; 
 men  in  middle  life  carry  most  influence,  and  prove  most  efficient.  Besides 
 this,  some  very  suitable  men  have  unsuitable  wives,  or  large  families,  whom 
 they  can  neither  leave  nor  take  with  them  ;  and  some  men  have  no  wives, 
 and  cannot  get  them,  because  every  marriageable  woman  is  married  ;  and  we 
 find  it  inexpedient  to  send  unmarried  men. 
 
 '  It  will  be  seen  that  in  these  circumstances  our  choice  of  native  agency  is 
 very  limited,  and  that  from  one  cause  or  another  a  large  proportion  of  our 
 best  men  are  necessaril}'^  shut  out  from  this  department  of  missionary  labour ; 
 and  hence  our  teachers  on  the  heathen  islands,  though  in  general  among 
 our  best  men,  are  by  no  means,  as  a  whole,  among  our  best  scholars.  They 
 can  all  read  the  Scriptures  with  tolerable  fluency,  and  conduct  religious 
 services  in  an  edifying  manner ;  but  some  of  them  cannot  ^vl■ite  at  all,  and 
 others  only  very  imperfectly ;  and  to  test  their  efficiency  by  the  reports  of 
 their  labours  which  they  would  draw  up,  or  by  the  letters  which  they  would 
 write  to  their  supporters,  would  be  to  test  them  on  the  very  weakest  point  on 
 which  they  could  be  tried. 
 
 '  On  both  Eromanga  and  Fate  our  Aneityum  teachers  have  effected  much 
 good  ;  but  on  Fate  especially,  they  labour  under  considerable  disadvantages 
 in  addition  to  those  already  adverted  to.  The  natives  of  Fate  are  for  the 
 most  part  physically  superior  to  the  natives  of  Aneityum,  and  from  their 
 having  had  a  great  deal  of  intercourse  with  vessels,  they  have  become  more, 
 and  not  less,  noted  for  impudence  and  bouncing,  and  are  disposed  to 
 undervalue  and  tyrannize  over  the  Aneityum  teachers. 
 
 '  Christianity  is  now  so  far  advanced  at  one  or  two  places  on  each  of  those 
 
 1  See  cha^pter  on  Aniwa  for  an  account  of  this  tragedy,  p.  Ii8. 
 
3  5  2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 islands,  tliat  a  limited  amount  of  native  agency  might  be  supjilied  for  other 
 parts  of  those  two  islands  respectively ;  but  as  every  district  has  some  out- 
 standing quarrel,  or  some  death  unavenged,  with  almost  every  other  district, 
 it  is  at  the  special  risk  of  their  lives  that  these  men  go  forth  to  instruct  their 
 fellow-countrymen,  and  some  of  them  have  already  fallen  victims  to  their 
 earnestness  and  zeal. 
 
 '  It  may  be  asked  bj'^  some,  What  is  the  special  work  which  our  teachers  on 
 these  heathen  islands  do  ?  From  the  name  teachers  being  given  to  them,  it 
 might  naturally  be  inferred  by  most  people  that  teaching  was  their  principal 
 work,  and  that  each  one  had  cliarge  of  a  school.  This  is  the  case  on 
 Aneityum,  where  nearly  the  whole  education  of  the  island  is  carried  on  by 
 native  teachers,  under  the  direction  of  the  missionaries.  But  these  teachers 
 receive  nothing  from  the  Teachers'  Fund  ;  it  is  appropriated  solely  for  those 
 teachers  who  leave  their  own  islands  and  go  forth  to  other  islands.  The 
 Aneityum  teachers  who  labour  on  their  own  island  receive  only  a  small 
 remuneration,  given  to  them  by  their  own  missionaries,  from  boxes  of  clothing, 
 etc.,  supplied  to  the  missionaries  by  their  friends,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the 
 teachers  will  soon  be  wholly  supported  by  their  own  people. 
 
 '  The  same  men,  however,  who  have  been  teachers  on  Aneitj'um  or  else- 
 where, still  retain  the  name  of  teachers  when  they  go  to  the  heathen  islands, 
 althouo'h  pioneer,  or  some  kindred  word,  would  better  indicate  their  position. 
 The  first  thing  they  have  to  do  is  to  live  among  the  people  and  acquire  a 
 knowledge  of  their  language.  Nearly  every  island  has  a  difl'erent  language  ; 
 some  islands  have  two.  For  a  considerable  time  it  is  by  their  life,  rather 
 than  by  any  direct  teaching,  that  they  exhibit  Christianity  to  the  heathen. 
 As  soon  as  they  land  among  them  they  keep  the  Sabbath  ;  they  worsliip  God 
 morning  and  evening ;  they  are  peaceable,  industrious,  well-behaved  men 
 and  women.  A  few  of  the  heathen  are  generally  more  or  less  favourable  to 
 them  ;  and  as  a  general  rule  they  sooner  or  later  work  their  way  to  positions 
 of  some  influence. 
 
 '  The  teachers,  as  they  best  can,  conduct  services  at  their  respective  stations, 
 and  as  soon  as  the  missionary  can  supply  them  with  books,  education  begins. 
 They  are  like  a  bodyguard  to  the  missionary  ;  in  times  of  danger  they  pro- 
 tect him  and  his  family  and  his  all.  They  are  his  eyes,  his  ears,  his  feet, 
 and  his  hands  :  they  inform  him  of  what  is  going  on  ;  they  carry  out  his  sug- 
 gestions and  his  plans  ;  they  supply  him  with  the  only  skilled  labour,  beyond 
 his  own,  that  can  be  obtained  ;  they  build  his  house  and  man  his  boat ;  and 
 without  them,  in  the  midst  of  heathenism,  he  would  often  be  very  helpless 
 indeed. 
 
 '  The  teachers  are  a  humble  and  only  a  subsidiary  agency,  and  although, 
 chiefly  owing  to  the  diversity  of  languages,  they  can  do  little  direct  evan- 
 gelistic work,  especially  in  the  first  stages  of  any  mission,  yet  in  their  own 
 place  they  are  often  very  valuable  assistants  to  the  missionary.  As  a  whole, 
 they  are  an  active,  diligent,  reliable,  courageous,  consistent,  and  workable 
 body  of  men  ;  and  while  so  liuuted  in  their  attainments,  removed  in  most 
 cases  from  the  public  means  of  grace,  and  from  the  support  of  Christian  in- 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  353 
 
 fliiences,  and  exposed  to  all  the  temptations  of  heathenism,— the  very  tempta- 
 tions before  which  they  are  most  prone  to  fall, — it  is  matter  of  thankfulness 
 to  God  that  only  a  small  proportion  have  actually  fallen.  If  they  have  not 
 been  able  to  do  much  by  direct  teaching  and  speaking,  they  have  exhibited 
 a  considerable  amount  of  Christianity  in  their  lives— a  mode  of  teaching 
 which  can  never  be  mistaken.' 
 
 A  few  years  ago  eight  additional  teachers  were  got  from 
 the  eastern  islands.  These  are  Malays  ;  and  the  natives  of 
 the  New  Hebrides,  who  are  Papuan,  were  disposed  to  look 
 up  to  them  as  belonging  to  a  superior  race.  Bat  it  has 
 been  found  that  the  natives  of  the  Samoan  or  Hervey  group 
 suffered  much  in  health  when  they  resided  on  the  volcanic 
 islands  of  the  New  Hebrides,  and  in  1875  most  of  these 
 were  to  return  to  their  homes.  Hence  the  necessity  for  a 
 greater  supply  from  the  group  itself.  The  death  of  Dr. 
 Geddie,  and  the  removal  of  the  Eev.  John  Ingiis,  call  for  a 
 reconsideration  of  the  whole  subject.  The  rapid  decrease 
 of  population  on  Aneityum,  and  the  very  few  on  Aniwa, 
 make  it  almost  impossible  to  get  a  sufficient  supply  from 
 these  two  islands.  And  for  the  work  of  training  teachers, 
 men  of  superior  ability  and  considerable  experience  in  the 
 languages  of  the  group  are  required.  As  the  mission  is 
 now  extending  towards  the  north,  it  is  evident  also  that 
 another  class  of  teachers  is  required.  The  Aneityumese 
 are,  as  Mr.  Ingiis  states,  much  lower  as  a  race  than  the 
 natives  of  Fate  and  the  north,  and  are  therefore  not  so  well 
 adapted  for  the  work  among  a  sharper  and  more  active 
 people,  though  even  there  they  are  useful  and  most  reliable. 
 It  seems  desirable  that  provision  should  be  made  for  the 
 collection  of  a  number  of  hopeful  youths  from  different 
 islands  in  an  institution  devoted  entirely  to  their  training. 
 Two  brethren,  at  least,  should  be  set  apart  to  this  work, 
 who  might  also  superintend  the  mission  on  the  island  of 
 their  residence,  while  attending  to  the  young  men  receiving 
 their  instructions.  The  island  of  Fotuna  is  one  of  the 
 healthiest  on  the  group,  and  there  fever  and  ague  rarely 
 come.     It  is  weU  fitted  for  an  institution,  if  land  for  houses 
 
 z 
 
354  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 and  plantations  can  be  purchased.  The  missionary  there  is 
 avowedly  regarded  by  his  brethren  as  the  most  accomplished 
 of  their  linguists,  and  he  is,  besides,  a  man  of  broad  and 
 general  culture,  both  scientific  and  theological,  and  endowed 
 with  great  caution  and  good  sense.  The  Eev.  Joseph  Cope- 
 land  was  first  settled  upon  Tanna  in  1858,  and  though 
 he  was  removed  to  Aneityum  before  he  was  familiar  with 
 that  language,  yet  he  had  broken  ground,  and  from  his 
 general  knowledge  of  Polynesian  tongues,  could  readily 
 gain  sufficient  knowledge  of  it  for  this  purpose.  He  is  well 
 acquainted  with  Aneityumese,  and  not  only  preaches  fluently 
 in  it,  but  has  borne  a  part  in  the  translation  of  the  Scrip- 
 tures into  it,  while  he  has  revised  the  whole  of  the  transla- 
 tion. He  could  thus  take  charge  of  candidates  from  that 
 island.  He  is,  of  course,  at  home  in  Fotunese  after  twelve 
 years'  residence  there.  That  language,  as  I  have  frequently 
 had  occasion  to  observe,  has  close  affinities  with  Aniwan 
 and  the  language  used  by  the  natives  of  the  two  islands 
 of  Fila  and  Mel,  in  Pango  Bay,  Fate.  Indeed,  the  difference 
 is  only  in  dialect.  It  is  likely  that  one  version  of  Scripture 
 may  permanently  suffice  for  the  four  islands.  The  Wesleyan 
 missionaries  in  Fiji  printed  at  first  in  some  fifteen  dialects 
 of  that  group,  and,  after  all,  preferred  to  make  the  permanent 
 translation  of  Scripture  in  one.  So  may  it  be  in  these  four 
 islands  of  the  New  Hebrides.  Mr.  Copeland,  knowing  the 
 basis  of  the  language,  would  be  able  to  communicate  with 
 all  the  candidates  put  under  his  care  from  these  islands. 
 Again,  as  many  of  the  natives  of  Aniwa  know  the  Tannese 
 colloquially,  and  a  few  from  the  larger  island  of  Tanna 
 know  the  language  of  Aniwa,  another  avenue  is  thus  pre- 
 sented. Further,  Mr.  Copeland  was  at  one  time  appointed 
 to  Eromanga,  and  in  prospect  of  going  there  had  made  some 
 acquaintance  with  that  language.  It  has  been  already 
 stated  that,  on  one  occasion  when  his  life  was  in  danger  on 
 Aniwa,  it  was  his  knowledge  of  Eromangan  that  was  the 
 means  of  his  preservation.     Aniwa  being  near  Eromanga, 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  355 
 
 there  have  been  intercommunings  between  the  people,  and 
 several  natives  of  the  one  island  have  intermarried  and 
 resided  with  those  of  the  other.  Mr.  Copeland  is  possessed 
 of  linguistic  ability  to  be  of  eminent  service  to  the  mission, 
 if  he  were  put  in  charge  of  an  institution  for  the  training 
 of  native  teachers  for  the  work  of  the  gospel.  He  has  some 
 knowledge  of  eastern  tongues  that  have  affinities  with 
 Fotunese.  He  is  also  a  respectable  classical  scholar,  and 
 has  an  apparatus  criticus  worthy  of  a  translator  of  holy 
 writ.  He  is  no  mean  proficient  in  natural  science,  and  has 
 made  as  exact  observations  in  meteorology  over  a  series  of 
 years  as  most  scientific  observers.  The  state  of  his  health 
 is  the  only  obstacle ;  but  that  has  somewhat  improved. 
 
 Having  taken  the  liberty  of  mentioning  these  things  to 
 the  Synod  of  the  New  Hebrides  mission,  I  do  not  feel  that 
 I  am  violating  any  confidence  by  making  them  public ;  and 
 in  pointing  to  the  ability  of  one  of  the  most  retiring  and 
 modest  of  men,  I  feel  anxious  to  see  the  powers  which  he 
 possesses,  fully  utilized  by  the  mission  to  which  he  has 
 consecrated  all  his  talents  and  his  life.  I  therefore  make 
 this  proposition  to  all  the  Churches  interested. 
 
 The  language  of  the  island  of  Fate,  with  a  few  dialectal 
 differences,  extends  over  at  least  ten  islands  largely  in- 
 habited. This  points  to  the  importance  of  making  Fatese 
 the  vehicle  for  trainimj  teachers  from  the  north.  And  were 
 the  Eev.  P.  Milne,  who  knows  Eromangan  also,  or  any  other 
 of  the  ablest  of  the  missionaries  on  or  near  that  island, 
 associated  with  Mr.  Copeland,  an  institution  could  be 
 established  for  reaching  at  least  fifteen  islands  of  the  New 
 Hebrides.  The  native  church  at  Erakor  and  Pango,  on  the 
 island  of  Fate,  has  already  supplied  a  number  of  teachers 
 for  other  parts  on  the  same  island,  and  would  have  supplied 
 more  had  not  the  labour  traffic  taken  away  many.  The 
 Eromangan  church,  small  as  it  is,  supplies  at  present  ten 
 teachers  for  its  own  island.  By  a  rule  of  the  mission, 
 native  teachers  labouring  upon  their  own  islands  were  not 
 
356  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 paid  out  of  the  Teachers'  Eimd.  But  this  operated  against 
 getting  such  a  supply  as  was  wanted  for  the  heathen  parts 
 of  the  islands.  It  seemed  equitable  that  when  native 
 teachers  went  to  the  heathen  on  their  own  islands  they 
 should  stand  on  the  same  footing  as  those  who  go  to  the 
 heathen  on  other  islands.  It  is  different  on  Aneityum, 
 where  the  people  are  all  Christians.  The  Synod  changed 
 this  rule  in  1874,  and  allows  payment  to  teachers  in 
 heathen  districts  of  their  own  island.  Tor  the  institution 
 referred  to  the  expense  seems  the  least  difficulty.  With 
 the  exception  of  the  salaries  of  the  tutors,  the  institution 
 of  the  London  Missionary  Society  at  Samoa  is  self-support- 
 ing. Students  build  their  houses,  and  cultivate  a  plantation 
 for  themselves  and  their  families,  as  almost  all  are  married, 
 which  is  a  greater  advantage.  Land  would  require  to  be 
 purchased  for  this.  The  Native  Teachers'  Fund  has  always 
 been  popular  in  Australia,  and  has  always  been  more  fully 
 supplied  than  has  been  required.  A  large  sum  was  raised, 
 chiefly  in  Victoria,  by  the  earnest  appeals  of  the  Eev.  J.  G. 
 Paton.  The  balance  in  hand  is  now  small,  and  would  be 
 entirely  expended  in  the  preliminary  outlay  of  establishing 
 the  institution.  At  present  about  £100  are  required 
 annually  to  pay  the  teachers  employed.  The  Glasgow 
 Foundry  Boys'  Society  have  given  largely  of  late  years 
 for  the  island  of  Tanna,  and  the  committee  are  willing  to 
 employ  more  native  teachers  there  if  they  can  be  found. 
 The  fund  for  native  teachers  connected  with  the  mission  is 
 supplied  by  sums  given  by  congregations  and  Sabbath 
 schools  in  Nova  Scotia,  Australia,  and  New  Zealand,  out  of 
 respect  to  certain  missionaries,  and  also  by  contributions 
 from  private  individuals  interested  in  the  work.  Some  of 
 these  friends  have  regularly,  for  a  series  of  years,  given  £5 
 each  for  the  support  of  a  teacher.  A  sum  of  £100  was 
 given  in  1874  by  the  parents  of  a  young  lady  in  my  con- 
 gregation who  died  in  December  1873,  and,  as  already  stated, 
 funded  for  the  payment  of  a  teacher  in  connection  with  the 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  357 
 
 Xew  Hebrides  mission  on  Eromanga,  in  which  she  felt  an 
 interest.  She  was  a  scholar  in  the  Sabbath  school  of  St. 
 Stephen's  Church,  Sydney.  This  money  has  been  invested 
 at  five  per  cent,  interest.  If  this  were  imitated,  what  a 
 happy  memorial  it  would  be  to  the  departed,  and  what  a 
 valuable  aid  to  the  mission ! 
 
 If  the  institution  were  established,  and  more  teachers 
 employed,  more  money  would  every  year  be  given  when  so 
 important  an  object  was  presented.  From  personal  obser- 
 vation, I  am  convinced  that  the  greatest  want  in  the  New 
 Hebrides  is  native  teachers.  The  present  is  a  critical  time, 
 and  the  best  way  of  meeting  it  I  consider  to  be  as  I  have 
 taken  the  liberty  to  indicate.  A  higher  class  of  culture  is 
 also  imperatively  required,  to  render  the  teachers  more  en- 
 lightened and  more  effective.  The  native  teacher  is  some- 
 times a  difficult  subject  to  deal  with,  especially  by  a  new 
 missionary.  He  feels  himself  somebody,  and  set  apart  to 
 spiritual  work,  and  is  indisposed  to  assist  the  missionary  in 
 the  physical  labour  incident  to  the  establishment  of  his 
 mission.  The  native  indolence  is  not  all  at  once  cured  by 
 Christianity  or  even  by  office.  Much  tact,  therefore,  is 
 required  by  a  new  missionary  in  order  to  keep  the  good 
 opinion  of  the  teacher,  and  to  get  as  much  assistance  from 
 him  as  possible.  The  higher  cultivation  will,  I  humbly 
 think,  aid  this.  It  will  be  set  before  the  candidate  as  one 
 of  his  prospective  duties,  and  some  training  in  the  useful 
 arts  ought  to  be  imparted. 
 
 The  great  question  is.  Where  are  the  candidates  to  be 
 obtained  ?  There  are  two  sources :  first,  the  Christian 
 islands,  and  those  where  missionaries  have  laboured  for 
 some  time  ;  and,  secondly,  other  islands  whence — after  the 
 striking  example  of  Bishop  Patteson  and  his  successor. 
 Bishop  Selwyn — young  men  may  be  brought  to  be  instructed, 
 some  of  whom,  it  may  be  hoped,  will  become  first  Christians 
 and  then  teachers. 
 
 There  is  no  doubt  great  difficulty  in  getting  a  sufficient 
 
358  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 supply ;  but  when  inducements  offered  are  greater,  and  the 
 missionaries  in  the  field  get  greater  success  in  their  spiritual 
 work,  a  greater  number  of  candidates  may  offer  themselves. 
 And  as  good  readers  increase  at  every  station  among  the 
 native  male  converts,  some  of  the  most  promising  may  be 
 secured  for  the  institution.  In  the  minutes  of  the  Synod 
 of  the  New  Hebrides  mission  held  at  Havannah  Harbour  in 
 June  1879,  the  following  indicates  how  the  feeling  I  have 
 just  indicated  is  growing : — '  The  great  need  of  specially 
 trained  teachers  having  been  considered,  it  was  resolved 
 that  each  missionary  should,  as  far  as  practicable,  conduct  a 
 class  for  the  training  of  such  teachers.  To  induce  natives 
 to  attend,  it  might  be  intimated  to  them  that  attendance, 
 with  good  conduct,  on  such  school  for  a  sufficient  time 
 would  render  a  man  eligible  for  the  position  of  a  fully 
 recognised  teacher  with  a  salary,  which  would  be  raised  by 
 the  people  of  his  district  should  it  be  Christian,  but  paid 
 out  of  the  Teachers'  Fund  should  his  district  be  heathen.' 
 
 The  Foreign  Mission  Committee  of  the  Free  Church  of 
 Scotland  will  favour  this  from  proofs  of  the  efficiency  of 
 native  preachers  and  teachers  in  India  and  Africa  in  their 
 missions. 
 
 The  Eev.  Dr.  Mullens,  Foreign  Secretary  of  the  London 
 Missionary  Society,  reviewing  the  work  of  these  agents  in 
 1872,  wrote  thus: — 
 
 '  Recent  events  have  again  thrown  prominently  into  view  the  work  done 
 by  our  native  evangelists  in  the  South  Sea  mission.  That  work  has  been 
 carried  on  with  zeal,  self-sacrifice,  and  with  the  single  motive  of  serving 
 Christ  and  seeking  the  salvation  of  men.  Those  who  have  undertaken  it 
 have  offered  themselves  from  a  truly  missionary  spirit.  They  have  offered 
 themselves  in  considerable  numbers.  Their  service  has  been  most  highly 
 esteemed  by  the  English  missionaries,  and  again  and  again  it  has  received  an 
 eminent  blessing  from  above.  The  plan  of  employing  native  brethren  was 
 very  early  adopted  in  the  history  of  the  mission,  and  it  at  once  established 
 the  healthy  principle  that  native  churches  and  Christian  converts,  even 
 though  young  and  inexperienced,  ought  not  to  leave  the  conversion  of  their 
 neighbours  to  foreigners,  but  are  bound  to  undertake  the  duty  for  themselves. 
 From  the  outset  the  system  was  kept  free  from  the  influence  of  injurious 
 motives.     In  that  day  the  allowances  paid  to  the  English  missionaries  were 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  359 
 
 ou  a  scale  of  the  most  primitive  simplicity  ;  a  few  clothes  and  books  alone 
 were  given  to  their  native  assistants  ;  and  those  who  landed  on  the  heathen 
 islands  carried  with  them  a  few  books,  instruments,  and  tools,  which  were 
 often  stolen  without  a  day's  delay.  The  simplicity  of  the  system  was  one 
 of  its  brightest  ornaments.  The  faith,  the  consecration,  the  zeal  on  which 
 it  rested,  gave  honour  to  the  Saviour  ;  and  He  in  return  honoured  these 
 Christian  virtues  by  drawing  from  them  the  most  marvellous  results.  A 
 most  instructive  book  might  be  written  in  illustration  of  the  work  of 
 these  useful  men.  We  can,  however,  recall  only  a  few  of  its  incidents. 
 That  work  continues  to  the  present  day,  and  a  few  examples  of  its  power 
 within  the  sphere  of  this  society  will  not  only  indicate  the  true  course  which 
 our  system  of  evangelizing  should  follow,  but  must  call  forth  our  gratitude 
 and  praise. 
 
 'Between  1821  and  1830,  Mr.  AVilliams  and  his  colleagues  had  solved  a 
 great  problem.  They  had  shown  that,  stirred  by  the  gi-ace  of  God,  the 
 members  of  their  native  churches,  women  as  well  as  men,  were  willing  to 
 offer  themselves,  with  truest  faith  and  self-sacrifice,  as  missionaries  to  their 
 own  heathen  people  ;  and  that,  guided  by  His  promised  wisdom,  and  guarded 
 by  His  watchful  care,  they  had  proved  to  be  most  efficient  in  accomplishing 
 that  great  end.  They  possessed  the  necessary  spiritual  endowments  ;  they 
 had  offered  themselves  willingly  ;  they  had  worked  wisely,  patiently,  with 
 true  self-denial,  away  from  the  missionary's  eye  ;  they  had  cast  themselves 
 and  their  work  upon  the  Lord  and  His  Spirit ;  they  had  received  a  divine 
 blessing  ;  and  thousands  of  people,  barbarous,  cannibal,  and  vile  for  centu- 
 ries, had,  under  the  teaching  of  native  evangelists,  become  transformed  into 
 true  Christians.  That  great  experiment  had  been  worked  on  a  whole 
 group  of  most  important  islands  —  the  Hervey  Islands,  which  stood  in 
 position  next  west  to  their  own.  It  had  succeeded  in  the  little  Austral 
 group  also,  lying  to  the  south-west.  And  what  should  hinder  it  from  being 
 tried  on  group  after  group  to  the  great  west,  as  fast  as  the  various  islands 
 and  their  peoples  should  be  won  to  Christ  ? ' 
 
 The  missions  on  Samoa  were  for  five  years  in  the  hands 
 of  native  missionaries,  before  Europeans  arrived  to  consoli- 
 date it.     By  them  a  very  great  work  had  been  accomplished. 
 
 '  A  few  English  missionaries,'  says  Dr.  Mullens  again, 
 '  proceed  to  isolated  barbarous  tribes  on  the  other  side  of 
 the  globe.  For  ages  they  have  known  nothing  of  their 
 fellows ;  nothing  of  the  great  doings  in  the  old  empires 
 and  kingdoms  of  the  earth;  nothing  of  the  wonderful  re- 
 ligion revealed  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  These  foreigners 
 preach,  and  live,  and  teach :  believing  in  Christ,  His  gifts. 
 His  Spirit,  His  promises.  After  a  while  the  outcast  races 
 understand,  believe,  are  transformed.     They  become  teachers 
 
36o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 themselves.  Even  while  children  in  knowledge,  they  are 
 sincere,  devoted,  self-sacrificing.  They  exhibit  a  rare 
 heroism,  they  exercise  high  spiritual  power.  Other  bar- 
 barians are  transformed  likewise ;  they  too  in  tiirn  manifest 
 the  same  grace,  do  the  same  work,  are  followed  by  the  same 
 blessing.  Nothing  more  real,  more  wonderful  in  illustra- 
 tion of  the  divine  origin  of  the  gospel,  and  of  its  present 
 divine  influence,  has  ever  been  seen  in  any  land.  And  it 
 is  going  on  still  before  our  eyes.  The  changes  in  the 
 Lagoon  and  Gilbert  Islands,  wrought  within  the  last  ten 
 years,  .  .  .  are  as  real  and  as  striking.  We  can  only  say, 
 '^  What  hath  God  wrought ! "  "  This  is  the  Lord's  doing ; 
 and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes." ' 
 
 The  Eev.  S.  Macfarlane,  who  laboured  with  much  success 
 in  Lifu,  and  who  told  the  '  story '  of  the  mission  ^  ere  he 
 proceeded  to  New  Guinea  in  1874,  pays  a  high  tribute  to 
 this  agency.  He  considers  them  the  best  fitted  to  be 
 pioneers ;  but  he  too  argues  in  favour  of  a  higher  culture. 
 He  proposes  the  establishment  of  a  college  in  Queensland 
 for  training  native  evangelists  for  New  Guinea,  and  obtained 
 chiefly  from  the  natives  there,  as  best  able  to  bear  the  climate 
 of  that  island.  He  thinks  that,  if  better  educated,  they  will 
 be  more  serviceable  in  the  humbler  as  well  as  in  the  higher 
 work  of  missions.  He  would  have  no  European  to  do 
 anything  that  a  native  can  do.  The  European  should  be 
 the  director,  and,  if  furnished  with  means  of  conveyance, 
 could  take  a  large  district  under  his  care.  This  would  also 
 economize  the  work. 
 
 The  late  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  in  his  early  voyages  in 
 the  South  Seas,  was  much  attracted  by  these  native  teachers 
 — '  men,'  he  wrote,  '  who  even  in  the  infancy  of  their  faith 
 have  left  home  and  friends  to  live  amongst  men  of  another 
 speech,  and  in  the  lowest  depths  of  barbarism,  as  the 
 pioneers  of  the  gospel,  to  prepare  a  way  by  which  the 
 English  missionary  may  enter  and  take  possession.     Forty 
 
 *  The,  Story  of  the  Lifu  Mission. 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  361 
 
 martyrs,  men,  women,  and  children,  from  Samoa  and  Earo- 
 tonga,  have  (up  to  1850)  lost  their  lives  by  disease  and 
 violence  in  the  New  Hebrides  and  in  the  New  Caledonia 
 group,  every  one  of  whom  was  as  worthy  of  the  name  as 
 the  martyr  of  Eromanga,  or  the  French  bishop  who  died  at 
 Ysabel.'-^  And  when  in  1853  he  preached  his  remarkable 
 sermons  before  the  University  of  Cambridge,  he  publicly 
 referred  to  them  in  these  words  of  unqualiiied  praise :  '  It 
 is  my  happy  lot  to  visit  these  island  missions,  some  occupied 
 by  missionaries  of  our  own  race,  and  some  by  native 
 teachers,  and  to  see  the  work  of  the  gospel  in  every  stage 
 of  progress,  from  the  simple  teacher,  fresh  landed  from  his 
 mission  ship,  among  a  people  of  unknown  and  savage 
 manners,  to  the  same  teacher,  after  a  few  years,  surrounded 
 by  his  scholars  and  ministering  in  his  congregation,  his 
 chapel,  and  dwelling-house,  built  by  their  hands,  and  him- 
 self supported  by  their  offerings.  Many  of  these  islands  I 
 visited  in  their  days  of  darkness,  and  therefore  I  can  rejoice 
 in  the  light  that  now  bursts  upon  them,  from  whatever 
 quarter  it  may  come.  I  feel  that  there  is  an  episcopate  of 
 love  as  well  as  of  authority,  and  that  these  simple  teachers, 
 scattered  over  the  wide  ocean,  are  of  the  same  interest  to 
 me  that  Apollos  was  to  Aquila.  I  find  them  instructed  in 
 the  way  of  the  Lord,  fervent  in  spirit,  speaking  and  teaching 
 diligently  the  things  of  the  Lord.'  ^ 
 
 To  get  natives  qualified  for  such  work,  the  bishop  re- 
 solved to  take  such  as  would  go  with  him  to  be  instructed. 
 Many  went  with  him  and  with  Bishop  Patteson,  and  the 
 latter,  after  years  of  training,  actually  ordained  some  to  the 
 holy  ministry.  Several  more  have  been  ordained  since  his 
 decease.  The  report  of  the  mission  vessel  Southern  Cross 
 for  1874,  bears  testimony  to  the  efficiency  of  the  missionary 
 labours  of  these  men.  The  report  says,  respecting  islands 
 in  the  Banks'  group :  '  Ava  is  now  a  Christian  island,  and 
 
 ^  Life  of  George  Aufjustus  Selioyn,  D.D.,  vol.  i.  p.  346. 
 2  Selwyn's  Work  of  Christ  in  the  World. 
 
362  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Saddle  Island  nearly  so.  The  deacon,  Henry  Tangalana,  is 
 our  teacher  here,  supported  by  several  able  assistants,  whom 
 to  meet  again — most  of  them  having  been  at  Kohimaramara 
 — is  almost  like  meeting  Bishop  Patteson  himself;  he  so 
 dearly  loved  them,  and  was  so  intimately  associated  with 
 them,  that  he  seems  to  survive  in  them.'  Similar  testimony 
 is  borne  regarding  the  Eev.  George  Sarawia  and  the  Kev. 
 Edward  Wogale,  both  ordained  Melanesians,  and  regarding 
 many  other  teachers  settled  on  islands  as  missionaries.  It 
 was  in  his  classes  of  these  young  men  that  Bishop  Patteson 
 '  exercised  such  wonderful  influence '  for  good.^ 
 
 It  is  well  known  that  the  greater  part  of  the  fifty  congre- 
 gations on  the  Hawaian  group  are  now  under  the  pastoral 
 care  of  well-educated  native  clergymen — men  who  have 
 been  long  tried  in  the  work.  Several  of  those  who  have 
 been  ordained  have  also  conducted  missionary  enterprises 
 among  heathen  islands  in  groups  lying  to  the  south-east,  as 
 far  as  the  equator.  To  prepare  such  native  preachers  was 
 the  masterpiece  in  the  work  of  the  American  missionaries 
 in  Hawaii,  though  they  were  late  in  doing  it.^ 
 
 In  the  Tongan  mission  many  native  agents  have  been 
 developed  by  the  plan  so  characteristic  of  the  Wesleyan 
 Methodists.  '  Missionary  success,'  says  the  Eev.  Lorimer 
 Fison,  late  of  Fiji,  'may  be  justly  considered  the  greatest 
 when  it  has  in  its  results  the  greatest  reproducing  and 
 multiplying  power,  when  the  converts  themselves  become 
 agents  of  conversion,  and  out  of  the  midst  of  a  people 
 hitherto  pagan  or  savage,  men  are  raised  up  to  spend  their 
 lives  in  the  successful  preaching  of  Christ.  The  fact  that 
 there  are  such  men,  and  that  their  labours  are  fruitful  in 
 the  turning  of  many  to  righteousness,  affords  the  highest  of 
 all  encouragement,  just  because  it  manifests  the  presence  of 
 
 *  Life  of  Bisliop  Patteson,  vol.  i.  p.  395. 
 
 2  Anderson's  History  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  Mission,  p.  280.  Miss  Bird, 
 in  her  interesting  work  on  the  Sandwich  Islands,  thinks  that  American 
 missionaries  should  have  been  sent  longer  ;  but  the  Board  acted  wisely. 
 
NATIVE  TEACHERS.  363 
 
 the  Lord,  giving  His  own  express  sanction  to  the  enterprise, 
 by  not  only  making  the  first  announcement  of  the  gospel 
 effectual  in  the  salvation  of  some  who  have  heard  it,  but  by 
 causing  the  first  messengers  to  see  the  work  spreading  of 
 itself  beyond  their  power,  and  by  other  agency  called  into 
 being  before  their  eyes. 
 
 '  In  no  scenes  of  missionary  work  have  these  cheering 
 tokens  been  more  largely  given  than  in  some  of  the  groups 
 and  single  islands  of  the  South  Pacific.  Very  early  in  the 
 history  of  the  Friendly  Islands  mission,  natives  were  em- 
 ployed in  the  simplest  duties  of  teaching ;  and  soon  there 
 grew  up  well-instructed  men,  having  the  best  of  all  qualifi- 
 cations for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel — the  triumphant 
 consciousness  that  it  was  "  the  power  of  God  "  to  their  own 
 souls.  From  amongst  these,  some  have  always  been  ready 
 to  go  forth  to  other  lands  to  fulfil  their  ministry.  Thus 
 Joel  Bulu  went  to  Fiji ;  and  since  then  many  more  have 
 gone  there  from  the  Tongan  Isles  on  the  same  holy  errand. 
 .  .  .  There  are  now  at  work  (1871)  in  Fiji  more  than  eight 
 hundred  catechists,  six  hundred  local  preachers,  and  forty- 
 eight  assistant  missionaries,  besides  an  army  of  teachers  in 
 day  schools  and  Sunday  schools  numbering  thousands.  All 
 these  have  a  recognised  and  ofiicial  position  in  the  Church, 
 wliile  the  assistant  missionaries  have  been  solemnly  set 
 apart  to  the  full  service  of  the  Christian  ministry.  There 
 are  training  institutions  under  some  of  these  men,  and 
 higher  ones  under  missionaries,  the  cost  being  little  more 
 than  the  salary  of  the  principal.'^  This  good  work  still 
 continues. 
 
 Though  the  natives  of  the  New  Hebrides  are  low  as  a 
 race,  education  can  do  much  for  them,  as  has  already  been 
 proved.      A  higher    class   education   will,   by  the    divine 
 
 ^  See  Jod  Bulu,  a  very  interesting  autobiography  of  a  native  teacher  from 
 Tonga,  long  settled  on  Fiji,  translated  by  the  Eev.  Lorimer  Fison,  a  very 
 intelligent  and  able  missionary  in  Fiji.  The  Hon.  Sir  Arthur  Gordon, 
 Governor  of  Fiji,  paid  a  noble  tribute  to  this  native  preacher,  whom  he  had 
 heard  in  Fiji.     Bulu  died  in  1878. 
 
364  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Ijlessing,  raise  them  farther,  and  enable  them  to  be  of 
 greater  efficiency.  The  race  evidently  improves  on  the 
 islands  to  the  north,  and  from  these  may  yet  be  obtained 
 men  with  greater  natural  powers,  and  capable  of  being  more 
 highly  developed  by  training.  The  Eev.  Joseph  Copeland 
 has,  perhaps,  as  low  an  estimate  of  the  present  qualifications 
 and  ability  of  the  native  teachers  on  the  group  as  any  of 
 his  brethren,  but  he  would  on  this  account  be  more  anxious 
 to  see  greater  knowledge  imparted,  and  also  to  discipline 
 by  stricter  training  such  as  may  be  committed  to  the  care 
 of  those  appointed  to  the  work.  The  day  may  thereby  be 
 hastened,  when  more  and  abler  teachers  may  be  produced 
 by  the  New  Hebrides  mission,  and  when  larger  spheres  may 
 be  placed  under  their  care,  and  white  missionaries  be  more 
 widely  scattered,  have  less  manual  work,  and  be  enabled  to 
 embrace  in  their  expansive  philanthropy  other  islands  that 
 may  then  remain  open  to  their  zeal.  The  prosperity  of  the 
 mission  I  conceive  to  depend  upon  the  provision  for  pre- 
 paring native  teachers.  May  wisdom  and  prudence  be 
 given  to  the  brethren  to  undertake  so  good  a  work,  in  which 
 they  may  reckon  on  the  sympathy  and  help  of  the  Churches, 
 and  the  blessing  of  their  Master,  and  by  which  they  will 
 extend  and  multiply  their  influence  on  the  islands  of  the 
 New  Hebrides ! 
 
 *  Angels  unseen  as  ministering  spirits  went, 
 When  forth  the  chosen  ministers  were  sent, 
 With  power  from  high,  to  preach,  wliere'er  they  trod, 
 The  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God. 
 Good  angels  still  conduct,  from  age  to  age, 
 Salvation's  heirs  on  heavenly  pilgrimage  ; 
 Bright  angels  through  mid-heaven  shall  hold  their  flight. 
 Till  all  that  sit  in  darkness  see  the  light. 
 Still  the  good  tidings  of  great  joy  proclaim. 
 Till  every  tongue  confess  a  Saviour's  name. ' — J.  Montgomeky. 
 
CHAPTER    XXII. 
 
 THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  NEW  HEBEIDES  MISSION. 
 
 '  Servants  of  God  !  or  sons 
 Shall  I  not  call  you  ?  because 
 Not  as  servants  ye  knew 
 Your  Father's  innermost  mind, 
 His,  who  unwillingly  sees 
 One  of  his  little  ones  lost — 
 Yours  is  the  praise,  if  mankind 
 Hath  not  as  yet  in  its  march 
 Fainted,  and  fallen,  and  died ! 
 
 '  Then  in  such  hour  of  need 
 Of  your  fainting,  dispirited  race. 
 Ye,  like  angels,  appear, 
 Radiant  with  ardour  diWne. 
 Beacons  of  hope,  ye  appear  ! 
 Languor  is  not  in  your  heart, 
 Weakness  is  not  in  your  word, 
 Weariness  not  on  your  brow.' — Matthew  Arnold. 
 
 The  mission,  as  we  have  seen,  was  originated  by  the  Eev, 
 Dr.  Geddie,  then  a  minister  of  the  Secession  Church  in 
 Nova  Scotia.  The  Rev.  John  Inglis  joined  from  the  Re- 
 formed Presbyterian  Church  in  Scotland.  The  latter  Church 
 continued  its  interest,  and  sent  out  five  additional  mission- 
 aries. The  former  joined  the  Free  Church  in  the  colony, 
 and  became  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  Lower  Provinces 
 of  British  North  America,  which  continued  the  mission,  and 
 reinforced  it  by  sending  out  nine  ;  of  whom,  however,  three 
 had  died  before  the  union  had  been  consummated.  All  of 
 these  nine,  with  two  exceptions,  brought  wives  with  them. 
 
366  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES, 
 
 After  the  sad  disasters  whicli  swept  away  Messrs.  Gordon, 
 Johnston,  and  Matheson,  and  which  led  Mr.  Paton  to 
 abandon  his  sphere,  the  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Austraha 
 and  New  Zealand  were  interested  in  the  mission  among 
 islands  contiguous  to  their  own  shores.  Funds  were  pro- 
 cured for  new  missionaries.  Of  these,  Messrs.  J.  M'Nair 
 and  P.  Milne  were  obtained  from  Free  Church  students,  the 
 Eev.  James  Niven  from  the  United  Presbyterian,  and  the 
 Rev.  Messrs.  Cosh  and  Watt  from  the  Reformed  Presbyterian. 
 A  new  distribution  then  took  place.  The  Presbyterian 
 Church  of  Victoria  secured  as  their  agents  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
 Paton  and  Cosh ;  that  of  New  South  Wales,  the  Rev.  J.  D. 
 Gordon ;  that  of  New  Zealand  in  the  north,  the  Rev.  W. 
 Watt ;  that  of  Otago  in  the  south,  the  Rev.  P.  Milne ; 
 while  the  Rev.  James  M'Nair  was  adopted  by  the  Church 
 of  the  Lower  Provinces.  Messrs.  MacCuUagh  and  Niven 
 retired  from  the  mission — the  latter  without  settling  at  all, 
 and  the  former  after  occupying  Dr.  Geddie's  station  for  a 
 short  time.  The  Rev.  John  Goodwill  and  the  Rev.  Hugh 
 A.  Robertson  joined  the  mission  from  the  Church  of  the 
 Maritime  Provinces  of  British  North  America  in  connection 
 with  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland.  The  Presbyterian 
 Churches  of  South  Australia,  Tasmania,  and  Queensland, 
 have  also  assisted  the  mission  by  contributions  for  the 
 support  of  the  vessel.  When  the  Rev.  James  Cosh  had  to 
 retire  on  account  of  his  wife's  health,  the  Presbyterian 
 Church  of  Victoria  sent  one  of  its  own  young  men — its 
 lirst  offering  to  the  mission — in  the  person  of  the  Rev. 
 Daniel  Macdonald.  Thus  twenty-three  ministers  in  all 
 have  been  connected  with  the  mission.  Of  these,  two  died 
 by  violence,  as  well  as  the  wife  of  one,  as  martyrs  of  Jesus 
 Christ  on  Eromanga.  Five  died  in  the  service  of  the 
 mission — four  after  short  connection  with  it.  The  wife  of 
 one  of  these,  and  the  wife  of  a  living  missionary,  also  died. 
 Only  two  deaths  have  occurred  from  disease  or  toil  on  the 
 islands.     The   others   brought    their    diseases  with   them. 
 
THE  MISSION  SYNOD.  367 
 
 Those  who  died  by  violence  had  stood  the  climate  well. 
 It  is  interesting  to  observe  that,  with  the  exception  of  Mrs. 
 G.  N.  Gordon,  who  was  so  barbarously  killed,  only  three 
 missionaries'  wives  have  died,  of  whom  one  was  consump- 
 tive before  she  went  to  the  islands.  Another  died  shortly 
 after  her  confinement,  in  circumstances  of  peculiar  danger 
 and  trial  at  Tanna.  It  thus  appears  that,  in  islands  where 
 fever  and  ague  attack  so  many,  the  lives  of  missionaries' 
 wives  have  been  wonderfully  preserved.  And,  excepting 
 the  cases  of  disease  brought  to  the  islands,  those  who  have 
 had  good  constitutions  have  stood  the  climate  well.  Dr. 
 Geddie  and  Mr.  Inglis  spent  each  a  quarter  of  a  century  at 
 their  stations,  with  only  one  period  of  prolonged  absence 
 during  a  visit  to  their  fatherland.  At  present,  however, 
 out  of  the  twenty-three  who  joined  the  mission,  only  nine 
 remain.  Eight  are  dead,  and  four  have  retired,  chiefly 
 because  of  their  wives'  health.  There  are  eleven  now  in  the 
 field.  Two  of  them  have  been  twenty  years  ;  one,  thirteen  ; 
 one,  twelve ;  one,  ten.  By  great  care  and  orderly  manner 
 of  living,  by  occasional  voyages  and  periods  of  change  to 
 the  colonies,  life  may  be  preserved  in  the  mission  for  a 
 sufficient  number  of  years  to  reap,  as  is  the  case  of  the 
 senior  members,  the  fruit  of  their  labours.  It  is  worthy  of 
 note  that  none  of  the  Eeformed  Presbyterian  missionaries 
 have  died  throughout  twenty  years.  Since  the  union  of 
 that  Church  with  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  one  mission- 
 ary has  been  sent. 
 
 Coming  from  so  many  branches  of  the  Church,  and  from 
 the  mother  country  and  so  many  colonies,  it  might  be 
 thought  there  would  be  elements  of  discord  arising  from 
 former  relations.  This  has  not  been  felt.  They  have 
 formed  themselves  into  one  Synod,  which  meets  annually. 
 Any  discords  and  discussions  that  have  been  among  the 
 members — and  they  appeared  to  be  as  keen  as  in  other 
 ecclesiastical  assemblies — have  arisen  from  freedom  of  de- 
 bate, criticism — often,  I  am  persuaded,  too  sharp,  but  not 
 
368  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 without  provocation — upon  each  other's  plans  of  procedure 
 on  the  islands,  and  especially  while  in  the  colonies ;  but 
 never  from  old  associations.  Establishment  men  can  work 
 with  Voluntaries,  men  from  the  mother  Churches  with 
 men  from  the  colonies,  and  those  from  one  colony  with 
 those  from  another.  Presbyterian  union  has  received  a 
 happy  illustration  on  the  high  places  of  the  field,  and  one 
 Synod  in  the  New  Hebrides  can  embrace  all.  It  is  doing 
 this  in  the  colonies  and  in  America,  and  may  soon  do  so  in 
 Scotland  itself.  Even  the  little  Synod  in  New  South 
 Wales,  which  objects  to  these  unions  on  alleged  principle, 
 supports  a  mission  in  China  conducted  on  similar  arrange- 
 ments of  union. 
 
 The  Mission  Synod  is  composed  of  missionaries  only. 
 This  is  inevitable  in  the  early  history  of  a  mission  among  the 
 heathen.  The  meetings  were  at  first  held  at  Anelgauhat, 
 Aneityum  ;  some  have  been  held  at  Aname  and  at  Aniwa, 
 at  Havannah  Harbour,  Nguna,  and  Eromanga.  On  these 
 interesting  occasions  all  the  burden  of  accommodating  and 
 entertaining  the  missionaries  was  thrown  at  first  upon  the 
 missionary's  wife  at  the  place  of  meeting.  Now  the  mis- 
 sionaries get  their  meals  and  sleep  on  board  the  vessel, 
 which  lies  at  anchor  near  the  place.  The  boats  wait  on 
 them  to  take  them  to  and  from  the  church  where  the  meeting 
 is  held.  It  is  a  happy  way  to  provide  for  all,  and  thus 
 living  and  eating  together,  the  discussions  of  the  Synod  are 
 tempered  by  the  amenities  of  social  intercourse.  It  is  good 
 to  hold  the  meetings  at  different  parts  where  the  vessel  can 
 get  anchorage — say  Havannah  Harbour,  Fat^ ;  near  the 
 island  of  Nguna,  and  at  Eromanga.  By  and  by  this  could 
 be  done  at  each  island  in  rotation. 
 
 The  moral  effect  of  so  many  brethren  meeting  together 
 is  great  upon  the  natives,  and  even  upon  white  settlers. 
 This  would  also  save  some  from  so  long  voyaging  and 
 absence  from  home  every  year,  for  it  takes  a  month  before 
 most  get  home  again;  and  it  would  give  others  the  benefit 
 
THE  MISSION  SYAron.  369 
 
 of  a  longer  voyage  occasionally.  Indeed,  it  is  almost  time 
 for  the  erection  of  presbyteries.  One  at  least  is  required 
 at  the  island  of  Fate.  There,  or  contiguous  to  it,  are  four 
 missionaries  who  would  be  much  the  better  of  meeting 
 regularly.  As  white  settlers  are  increasing  there,  and 
 difficulties  arise  from  these,  it  would  add  much  to  the 
 weight  of  decisions  if  they  were  given  in  the  name  of  all ; 
 and  the  benefit  of  brotherly  counsel  would  be  enjoyed  by 
 any  one  in  difficulty.  It  is  earnestly  wished  that  one  or 
 more  additional  missionaries  may  be  settled  there.  It 
 would  be  of  immense  value,  as  has  been  already  suggested, 
 if  one  of  them  was  a  medical  missionary.  He  could  reach 
 four  or  five  of  his  brethren,  he  would  be  accessible  to  white 
 settlers,  and  he  could  set  up  an  hospital  for  the  treatment 
 of  native  diseases.  All  the  present  missionaries  have  more 
 or  less  studied  medicine,  and  all  are  obliged  to  practise  it ; 
 but  if  one  thoroughly  qualified  medical  graduate  were 
 attached  to  the  mission,  it  would  tend  much  to  conserve 
 the  health  of  the  mission  families,  benefit  white  settlers, 
 and  gain  the  natives.  This  has  been  thought  of  before, 
 but  never  yet  pressed  upon  the  Churches  with  the  force 
 required. 
 
 Application  will  surely  be  made  to  the  Edinburgh 
 Medical  Missionary  Society  to  send  one  of  its  agents  to 
 the  Kew  Hebrides.  Those  already  sent  to  other  missions 
 have  been  men  of  high  character  as  doctors  and  as  mission- 
 aries, and  have  aided  the  Lord's  work  in  a  most  remarkable 
 way.  One  such  has  been  joined  to  the  Samoan  mission, 
 and  a  missionary's  son — worthy  son  of  a  worthy  sire.  Dr. 
 Turner  has  introduced  a  new  and  most  important  feature 
 into  the  island  mission  there.  Another  son  has  been 
 appointed  to  the  mission  on  New  Guinea,  but  his  wife  died, 
 and  he  was  obliged  to  leave  for  England  with  his  infant 
 child. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  Mission  Synod  has  authority  over 
 the  brethren  in  all  matters  connected  with  them  and  their 
 
 2  a 
 
3  7  o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 work  on  tlie  islands ;  but  it  does  not  interfere  with  the 
 relation  in  which  the  brethren  separately  stand  to  the 
 Churches  which  have  commissioned  them,  and  which  bear 
 the  expense  of  their  support.  The  same  union  has  been  formed 
 in  the  Amoy  district  in  China  between  Presbyterian  mission- 
 aries from  England  and  from  America,  and  has  wrought  well. 
 
 Many  things  connected  with  the  mission  of  greatest  inte- 
 rest are  discussed  that  could  not  be  satisfactorily  settled  else- 
 where, and  in  the  multitude  of  counsellors  there  is  wisdom. 
 May  there  be  always  that  brotherly  love,  that  '  charity 
 which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness ' !  It  could  scarcely  fail 
 that  differences  of  opinion  should  be  manifest,  and  that 
 among  Presbyterian  divines  this  should  sometimes  run  into 
 high  debate  and  war  of  words.  Perhaps  it  is  too  much  so, 
 and  hard  things  are  said  that  had  better  been  unsaid. 
 However,  as  storms  purify  the  physical  atmosphere,  so  they 
 have  a  sanitary  value  in  the  ecclesiastical,  and  even  in  the 
 missionary  spheres.  At  the  meeting  in  June  1874,  which 
 I  attended,  reports  were  presented  to  the  Synod  by  each 
 missionary,  and  matters  common  to  all  discussed. 
 
 The  session  lasted  nine  days,  two  meetings  being  held, 
 one  in  the  forenoon  and  another  in  the  afternoon.  Com- 
 mittees met  on  board  in  the  evening,  and  then  papers  were 
 written  out  for  the  Synod  or  for  the  press. 
 
 On  some  of  the  stations  it  is  scarcely  prudent,  perhaps 
 not  even  safe,  for  the  missionaries'  wives  to  remain  alone 
 during  the  month's  absence  of  their  husbands.  These, 
 therefore,  assemble  in  the  mission  families  on  the  Christian 
 islands.  This  gives  a  very  precious  opportunity  to  ladies, 
 so  much  isolated  all  the  year,  to  confer  together  and  get 
 refreshment  from  each  other's  fellowship  and  mutual  prayer. 
 The  change  is  almost  always  beneficial  to  health,  as  well  as 
 to  the  spirits,  and  thus  fits  all  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  on 
 their  return.  On  the  occasion  of  my  visit  in  1874,  three 
 remained  with  Mrs.  Paton  on  Aniwa,  and  two  with  Mrs. 
 Inglis  at  Aname,  while   those   with   Mrs.    Ingiis  came  to 
 
THE  MISSION  S  YNOD.  3  7 1 
 
 Anelgauhat  to  Mrs.  Murray  for  a  few  days,  to  enjoy  the 
 privilege  of  the  Lord's  Supper  there.  The  cultivation  of 
 the  Christian  social  virtues  is  of  high  importance  among 
 those  who  can  only  see  each  other,  or  meet  together,  when 
 the  mission  vessel  takes  them.  The  courage  and  devotion 
 of  the  missionaries'  wives  seemed  to  me  to  he  very  strikingly 
 developed,  and  hence  the  happy  influence  which  they  have 
 exercised  on  the  natives  generally,  perhaps  as  much  upon 
 the  men  as  upon  the  women,  on  whom  it  is  very  marked. 
 It  is  not  well  that  a  man  should  be  alone  in  these  solitary 
 spheres,  and  among  a  savage  people.  Indeed,  I  have  wished 
 that  female  assistants  could  have  been  added,  but  in  islands 
 where  polygamy  prevails  this  cannot  be,  for  the  natives 
 misunderstand  the  relation. 
 
 The  Synod  publishes  the  minutes  of  its  proceedings 
 annually,  so  that  all  the  Churches  concerned  receive  full 
 information  of  what  has  been  done.  Some  time  ago,  one 
 of  Her  Majesty's  naval  officers,  writing  in  a  magazine, 
 regretted  the  want  of  supervision  among  the  missionaries 
 on  the  New  Hebrides.  This  want  is  fully  met  by  the 
 Synod,  where  all  meet  together,  and  the  action  of  all  through- 
 out the  year  is  review^ed  by  those  most  conversant  with  the 
 condition  of  the  islands,  with  the  work  which  ought  to 
 be  done,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  should  be  discharged. 
 It  is,  besides,  a  permanent  body,  and  from  its  records  much 
 can  be  learned  to  guide  the  judgment  of  those  who  follow. 
 The  records  remain,  though  the  members  of  Synod  change. 
 
 '  Still  glides  the  stream,  and  shall  not  cease  to  glide  ; 
 The  form  remains,  the  function  never  dies  : 
 While  we,  the  brave,  the  mighty,  and  the  wise, 
 "We  men,  who  in  our  morn  of  youth  defied 
 The  elements,  must  vanish  ; — be  it  so  ! 
 Enough,  if  something  from  our  hands  have  power 
 To  live,  and  act,  and  serve  the  future  hour  ; 
 And  if,  as  towards  the  silent  tomb  we  go. 
 Through  love,  through  hope,  and  faith's  transcendent  dower. 
 We  feel  that  we  are  greater  than  we  know. ' 
 
 — WOKDSWOr.TH. 
 
CHAP  TEE    XXIII. 
 
 A  COMMUNION  SEASON  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 'Oh,  'twas  not  thus  in  ages  gone  ! 
 
 These  isles  in  error's  night  lay  dim, 
 God's  jewels,  they  in  silence  shone 
 Most  beautiful,  yet  not  for  Him.' 
 
 DuiilNG  the  session  of  the  Mission  Synod  it  is  frequently 
 the  practice  to  hold  a  communion  season  at  Anelgauhat,  in 
 the  island  of  Aneityum,  This  was  then  the  station  of  the 
 Eev.  J.  D.  Murray,  the  successor  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Geddie. 
 In  1874,  the  services  began  on  Friday  the  12th  June, 
 when,  at  the  request  of  the  brethren,  I  was  asked  to  preach 
 by  the  interpretation  of  Mr.  Copeland.  The  subject  of 
 discourse  was,  '  Eemembering  Jesus,'  from  2  Tim.  ii.  8. 
 Each  paragraph  of  the  discourse  was  delivered  and  then 
 interpreted,  to  keep  up  a  more  animated  address  to  the 
 natives.  Mr.  Copeland,  being  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
 language,  did  his  part  so  efficiently  as  to  keep  up  the 
 attention  of  the  congregation.  But  the  very  first  word 
 which  I  uttered  has  no  synonym  in  the  language  of  Aneit- 
 yum. It  was  '  memory.'  After  the  sermon  was  over,  the 
 Eev.  John  Inglis  administered  baptism  to  five  children. 
 Then  the  Eev.  J.  D.  jMurray,  the  resident  missionary  and 
 minister,  having  called  his  thirteen  elders  round  him, 
 constituted  the  session,  and  distributed  tokens  to  intending 
 communicants.  The  men  came  up  for  their  tokens  in  order, 
 and  then  the  women  for  theirs.  It  was  a  very  pleasing 
 sight  as  the  dusky  line  passed  reverently  before  the  session. 
 
A  COMMUNION  SEASON  373 
 
 The  women  showed  a  timidity  as  they  approached  the 
 missionary ;  but  it  is  characteristic  of  them  on  all  other 
 occasions  —  a  fear  lest  they  do  wrong.  It  was  ratlier 
 striking  to  see  the  old  Scottish  custom  of  pewter  tokens  at 
 a  communion  season  in  the  South  Sea  Islands.  Even  in 
 Australia  there  are  few  congresjations  that  use  them.  But 
 the  missionaries  on  Aneityum  are  Presbyterians,  and  though 
 the  people  know  nothing  of  the  name,  and  are  Christians 
 only,  their  spiritual  guides  have  led  them  into  the  practices 
 that  are  quite  characteristic  of  Scotland.  The  people 
 entered  into  the  preparatory  services  for  the  communion 
 with  great  solemnity,  and  seemed  to  understand  the  nature 
 of  the  ordinance  and  the  need  for  special  self-examination. 
 
 On  Saturday  evening,  the  missionaries  and  others  on 
 board  the  vessel  held  a  special  prayer-meeting.  Five  of 
 the  company  offered  prayer.  Appropriate  hymns  and 
 passages  of  Scripture  came  in  between  the  prayers.  I  had 
 the  pleasure  of  presiding  on  this  interesting  occasion,  and 
 felt  it  was  good  to  be  there.  There  were  nine  "missionaries 
 present,  being  resident  on  board  during  the  meeting  of 
 Synod. 
 
 On  the  Sabbath  morning,  at  breakfast  on  board  ship,  a 
 large  native  pudding  was  on  the  table.  It  had  been  sent 
 by  Lathella,  the  Christian  chief  at  the  harbour,  as  a  present 
 to  the  missionaries.  It  was  made  of  taro  and  cocoa-nut, 
 and  baked  in  one  of  the  native  ovens.  It  was  not  patron- 
 ized largely,  but  I  felt  called  upon  to  honour  the  liberality 
 of  the  chief  by  taking  a  portion.  The  taste  was  not  agree- 
 able, but  the  material  elements  were  nutritious.  The  gift 
 reminded  me  of  what  I  had  seen  in  days  gone  by  in  Scot- 
 land, when  at  communion  seasons,  as  there  were  stranger 
 ministers  at  the  manse,  there  were  tokens  of  the  considerate 
 kindness  of  some  of  the  people  in  providing  for  the 
 table.  Lathella  is  an  exemplary  Christian,  and  was  much 
 esteemed  by  Dr.  Geddie,  who  was  anxious  to  take  him  to 
 Enoland   and  Nova  Scotia  along  with  himself  in    1864. 
 
374  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 The  health  of  the  chiefs  wife  failed  so  much  at  Melbourne, 
 that  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  send  them  both  back  to 
 the  islands. 
 
 On  Sabbath  morning  a  large  congregation  of  natives 
 assembled.  They  were  all  decently  clad,  and  all  provided 
 with  their  Testaments  and  hymn-books  in  little  bags.  The 
 men  sat  on  one  side,  and  the  women  on  the  other.  There 
 are  seats  round  the  sides  only ;  but  most  prefer  the  floor, 
 which  is  covered  with  mats,  prepared  by  the  people  them- 
 selves. Two  strings  were  fixed  in  the  centre  of  the  floor 
 along  the  whole  length  of  the  church  for  four  rows  of 
 communicants,  two  rows  being  back  to  back.  There  were 
 about  thirty-five  in  each  row,  while  fifty  were  seated  at  the 
 end  of  the  building.  The  Eev.  John  Inglis  preached  the 
 action  sermon  from  Matt.  xxvi.  26,  27.  At  the  same  time 
 I  preached  in  English,  at  the  request  of  the  brethren,  to  the 
 missionaries,  some  of  their  wives,  and  the  ship's  company, 
 amounting  to  twenty,  of  whom  ten  were  missionaries.  The 
 service  was  held  in  the  mission-house.  The  discourse  was 
 from  John  xvii.  1,  '  These  words  spake  Jesus,  and  lifted  up 
 His  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said.  Father,  the  hour  is  come.'  At 
 the  conclusion  we  all  adjourned  to  the  church  to  partake  of 
 the  communion.  The  Eev.  J.  D.  Murray  presided,  and 
 delivered  the  address.  Two  of  the  elders  collected  the 
 tokens,  and  the  others  served  the  tables.  These  men — 
 some  clad  in  blue  or  red  shirts,  some  in  black,  some  in 
 white  coats — all  looked  respectable  and  grave.  One  carried 
 the  bread,  and  another  distributed  it.  Two  carried  cups, 
 and  one  the  flagon  between  two  lines,  and  a  similar  number 
 on  the  other  line.  There  was  something  peculiarly  touching 
 in  receiving  the  sacred  symbols  of  divine  love  from  men 
 some  of  whom  had,  twenty-five  years  before,  participated  in 
 cannibal  feasts,  when  they  knew  not  God.  There  were  about 
 two  hundred  communicants — a  good  proportion  out  of  a  roll 
 of  three  hundred  and  six.  The  Eev.  Joseph  Copeland  gave 
 the  concluding  address.     It  was  very  evident  they  were  not 
 
A  COMMUNION  SEASON.  375 
 
 wearied,  for  they  listened  with  marked  attention  to  his 
 animated  discourse.  They  then  sang  one  of  their  familiar 
 hymns  with  more  spirit  than  the  former  ones.  In  singing 
 they  are  rather  deficient.  They  are  evidently  not  a  musical 
 people,  and  the  English  metres  are  foreign  to  their  native 
 style.  Their  hymn-book,  however,  is  well  known,  and 
 thoroughly  appreciated. 
 
 The  bread  used  on  this  occasion  was  made  of  wheaten 
 flour  as  used  at  the    mission-house,    and    the    wine    was 
 diluted  Australian  wine.      In  many  Christian  islands  of  the 
 South  Seas,  the  native  food  is  used,  and  the  juice  of  the 
 cocoa-nut  takes  the  place  of  wine.     One  of  the  missionaries 
 proposed  to  the  Synod  that  this  substitute  for  wine  should 
 be  permitted  in  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  New  Hebrides ; 
 but  the  Synod  delayed  the  consideration  of  the  question. 
 Some    felt    a    difficulty    in    sanctioning    what    seemed    a 
 departure  from  the  letter  of  Scripture,  where  the  fruit  of 
 the  vine  is  distinctly  mentioned.      It  is  not  said  what  the 
 bread  was,  but  it  is  inferred  that  it  was  that  in  ordinary 
 use  at  the  paschal  season.      Some  have  on    this    account 
 used    unleavened    bread.     In    the    Sandwich    Islands  the 
 native  poi  and  water  are  used  in  the  Lord's  Supper.     In 
 the  London  Missionary  Society's  stations,  cocoa-nut  kernel 
 and  juice  are  sometimes  used  for  both  elements.     As  it 
 was  with  us,  there  was  scarcely  any  chemical  element  of 
 wine  in  the  cup  except  coloured  w^ater. 
 
 In  the  afternoon,  the  Eev.  H.  A.  Eobertson  of  Eromanga 
 preached  from  John  xiv.  31,  'Arise,  let  us  go  hence.'  Mr. 
 Eobertson  resided  on  Aneityum  for  several  years,  and  knew 
 the  language.  It  is  almost  enough  to  say  that  on  a  sultry 
 afternoon  he  succeeded  in  keeping  the  people  awake.  It  is 
 not  usual  to  hold  service  in  the  afternoon.  He  called  upon 
 one  of  the  elders  to  pray  during  the  service.  This  was  done 
 with  an  intonation  sufficient  to  be  well  heard  throughout 
 the  large  building.  At  the  conclusion  the  people  all  bowed 
 their  heads  in  silent  prayer,  as  they  did  also  on  entering. 
 
376  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 During  the  whole  service  they  continued  seated  on  the 
 floor.  Kneeling  and  standing  seemed  quite  foreign  to 
 them  ;  hut  they  maintained  a  very  devout  and  decorous 
 manner  throughout.  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  state 
 that  the  men  had  all  clothing,  not  only  round  the  loins  but 
 on  the  shoulders.  Only  two  appeared  without  shirts. 
 Many  had  trousers,  and  even  vests.  The  women  had  all 
 petticoats  of  pandanus  leaves,  some  with  cotton  skirts  about 
 them ;  all  had  short-gowns,  and  nearly  all  had  bonnets  on 
 their  heads.  Some  of  the  latter  were  made  of  native 
 matting,  a  few  wore  imported  hats,  and  some  had  coloured 
 handkerchiefs.  Many  had  fans,  which  are  common  amongst 
 the  women.  A  few  had  their  children  with  them  ;  but 
 always  took  them  out  when  they  began  to  cry.  Many  as 
 they  retired  shook  hands  with  all  the  missionaries,  and 
 seemed  to  be  specially  pleased  to  meet  Mrs.  Neilson  from 
 Tanna,  and  Mrs.  Macdonald  from  Havannah  Harbour,  both 
 daughters  of  their  father  in  the  gospel,  the  late  Dr.  Geddie, 
 and  natives  of  their  island.  These  ladies  could  converse 
 with  the  people  in  their  own  language,  and  refer  to  common 
 associations  in  the  history  of  the  mission,  which  called  forth 
 hearty  exclamations  from  the  Aneityumese. 
 
 If  those  Mdio  support  missions  had  seen  this  congregation 
 on  that  communion-day,  they  would  have  felt  how  rich  was 
 their  reward,  and  how  great  a  work  had  been  accomplished. 
 But  it  requires  one  to  see  the  heathen  of  the  surrounding 
 islands  to  appreciate  the  mighty  change  which  has  been 
 wrought  on  the  island  of  Aneityum,  where  so  many  converts 
 have  gladdened  the  hearts  of  Dr.  Geddie  and  Mr.  Inglis,  the 
 venerable  missionaries  who  each  laboured  among  them  for 
 over  twenty  years.  The  people  had  been  long  degraded  by 
 their  dark  and  debasing  superstitions  and  abominable  cruel- 
 ties, but  by  the  transforming  influence  of  the  grace  of  God 
 they  had  become  what  now  they  are.  They  read  the  Scrip- 
 tures, worship  God,  and  nearly  one-half  of  them  are  com- 
 municants in  the  church.     They  have  had  their  temptations. 
 
A  COMMUNION  SEASON  377 
 
 and  some  have  fallen  before  such  as  were  offered  them  Ijy 
 the  white  trader,  and  there  have  been  lingering  fruits  of  the 
 tiesh  in  immorality.  There  have  been  petty  thefts.  But 
 owing  to  the  constant  teaching  and  vigilance  of  faithful 
 missionaries,  they  have  adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  their 
 Saviour  during  many  years  by  a  marked  consistency  of  life. 
 The  communion  services  were  closed  on  board  the  mission 
 vessel  by  an  able  and  appropriate  sermon  in  English,  on  the 
 Sabbath  evening,  by  the  Eev.  Thomas  Neilson  of  Tanna, 
 from  2  Cor.  viii.  6, '  For  ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  and 
 Sa^'iour  Jesus  Christ,  who,  though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  your 
 sakes  became  poor,  that  ye  through  His  poverty  might  be 
 rich.'  The  ship's  company,  with  the  captain  and  the 
 officers,  were  fully  out,  as  they  were  on  most  occasions  of 
 divine  service.  They  showed  by  their  conduct  their  interest 
 in  the  work  of  God.  And  it  is  pleasing  to  record  that  at  a 
 prayer-meeting  on  one  evening  five  of  them  engaged  in 
 prayer.  Some  of  them  were  communicants,  and  joined 
 with  the  native  converts. 
 
 Some  of  the  communicants,  on  the  occasion  just  described, 
 were  natives  of  the  island  who  had  gone  as  teachers  to 
 pioneer  the  gospel  in  the  neighbouring  islands.  The  mission 
 vessel  had  brought  them  to  visit  their  relatives  on  Aneityum, 
 and  to  be  refreshed  by  the  communion  services  in  their 
 own  language.  To  these  it  was  a  season  of  happy  and 
 refreshing  experience,  and  of  the  greatest  benefit  to  them 
 in  returning  among  a  heathen  people.  A  Christian  chief 
 from  Eromanga  was  also  present.  He  was  a  fine  specimen 
 of  the  pacific  influence  of  the  gospel,  being  very  gentle, 
 mild,  obliging,  and  happy.  Perhaps  he  lacked  force  of 
 character  for  a  chief,  but  'his  failings  leaned  to  virtue's 
 side.'  He  was  much  attached  to  his  missionary,  Mr. 
 Piobertson,  who  was  under  his  protection.  He  afterwards 
 died  at  Sydney,  in  1879,  when  on  a  voyage  to  see 
 Australia. 
 
 The  native  consrecration  met  for  a  thanksgiving  service 
 
378  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 early  on  the  Monday  morning  ere  they  departed  to  their 
 homes.  Numbers  had  come  from  the  inland  parts  of  the 
 island.  These  have  service  every  Sabbath  in  chnrches 
 nearer  their  residence,  and  they  come  to  this  central  church 
 on  communion  seasons  only.  Were  all  the  thirty  islands  of 
 the  New  Hebrides  group  presenting  such  an  evidence  of 
 the  effect  of  the  gospel,  what  happiness  would  bless  the 
 natives,  and  what  a  return  for  the  zeal  and  liberality  spent 
 in  the  missionary  cause  would  be  afforded  !  Here  at  least 
 one  can  say  of  the  place — 
 
 '  I  love  thee  when  thy  Sabbath  dawns 
 O'er  woods  and  mountains,  dales  and  lawns, 
 And  streams  that  sparkle  where  they  rnn, 
 As  if  their  foiintain  were  the  sun  ; 
 When  hand  in  hand  the  tribes  repair, 
 Each  to  their  chosen  house  of  prayer, 
 And  all  in  peace  and  pardon  call 
 On  Him  who  is  the  Lord  of  all. 
 Can  words,  can  numbers  count  the  price 
 Paid  for  this  little  paradise  ? 
 Never,  oh  never,  be  it  lost ! 
 The  land  is  Avorth  the  price  it  cost ! ' 
 
CHAPTEE  XXIV. 
 
 A  FUNEKAL  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES, 
 
 '  Like  the  shadows  in  the  stream, 
 Like  the  evanescent  gleam 
 Of  the  twilight's  fading  blaze, 
 Like  the  fleeting  years  and  days, 
 Like  all  things  that  soon  decay — 
 Pass  the  Indian  tribes  away. 
 Ah  !  the  Indians'  heart  is  ailing, 
 And  the  Indians'  blood  is  failing, 
 Dark  men  and  their  realms  must  sever, 
 They  forsake  them — and  for  ever.' — J.  M'Clellax. 
 
 While  I  was  resident  for  a  short  time  on  the  island  of 
 Aniwa,  a  young  chief,  the  last  of  his  race,  died  in  a  village 
 near  the  mission-honse  of  the  Eev.  J.  G.  Paton.  A  loud 
 and  long  wailing  rose  when  he  breathed  his  last.  His 
 widow  and  all  his  people  joined  in  the  cries  of  sorrow. 
 He  had  become  a  victim  to  consumption,  and  sank  very 
 rapidly.  Preparations  were  immediately  made  for  his 
 burial,  and  as  I  had  not  seen  any  funeral  in  the  islands,  I 
 was  anxious  to  observe  the  practice  on  this  Christian  island. 
 It  was  formerly  the  custom  to  throw  the  dead  into  the  sea ; 
 but  since  Christianity  has  been  professed,  the  dead  have 
 been  buried  in  graves.  A  portion  of  ground  has  been  set 
 apart  as  a  cemetery.  Under  the  shade  of  cocoa-palms  and 
 the  overhanging  coral  rock,  a  grave  was  digged  about  five 
 feet  deep.  We  met  the  company  at  the  village.  The  body 
 was  wrapped  neatly  in  the  mat  on  which  he  had  died.  It 
 was  taken  upon  the   shoulders  of  two  men,  who  bore  it 
 
38o  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 before  us.  Mr.  Paton  aud  I  followed.  Then  came  twenty 
 men,  aud  nearly  as  many  women.  When  we  reached  the 
 grave  the  body  was  laid  upon  the  ground.  The  widow  and 
 other  women  squatted  down  beside  it,  and  uttered  their 
 wailings,  while  their  eyes  streamed  with  tears.  Meanwhile, 
 the  men  were  preparing  the  grave  for  the  reception  of  the 
 corpse.  It  had  been  already  digged.  Large  fronds  of  the 
 cocoa-nut  palm  had  been  cut  through  the  whole  length  of 
 the  mid-rib,  and  the  leaves  plaited  very  neatly.  Two  of 
 these  were  laid  on  the  bottom  of  the  grave.  The  body  was 
 then  placed  in  its  last  resting-place.  When  the  missionary 
 was  putting  on  his  spectacles,  which  intimated  that  the 
 service  would  begin,  all  were  hushed.  He  read  a  portion 
 of  Scripture,  and  gave  an  address  suitable  to  the  occasion. 
 A  hymn  was  then  sung,  and  a  prayer  offered.  The  men 
 immediately  covered  the  body  with  a  few  more  of  these 
 beautiful  plaited  green  palm  leaves.  On  the  top  of  them 
 they  laid  a  withered  leaf,  thus  mingling  the  green  with  the 
 sere  and  yellow  leaf — spring  with  autumn,  life  with  death. 
 They  filled  in  the  earth  with  their  hands,  treading  it 
 carefully  down.  One  tlien  rooted  out  a  young  tree  with  a 
 pendent  leaf,  emitting  a  strong  odour,  and  planted  it  at  the 
 head  of  the  grave.  Others  brought  coral  stones,  and  laid 
 them  round  the  side  —  leaving  the  top  to  be  covered 
 with  coral  gravel.  After  the  funeral,' most  of  the  people 
 went  to  bathe  in  the  sea,  and  then  to  a  larije  feast,  which 
 had  been  prepared  for  all  in  the  village,  as  is  their 
 custom. 
 
 Formerly  they  were  in  the  habit  of  painting  their  faces 
 black  after  a  death,  as  a  sign  of  mourning ;  but  on  this 
 occasion  they  came  to  tlie  missionary  for  something  black 
 to  wear  when  they  came  to  the  house  of  God.  The 
 missionary's  wife  trimmed  many  bonnets  for  the  women 
 with  black  ribbon,  and  the  men  got  black  alpaca  coats  or 
 vests.  On  the  next  Sabbatli,  the  widow  was  clothed  in  a 
 dress  coat  that  had  belonged  to  her  late  husband,  which  was 
 
A  FUNERAL  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES.      38 1 
 
 iKithing  outr6  to  the  people  there.     Twenty  others  had  on 
 mourning. 
 
 It  is  on  the  occasion  of  a  chief's  death  that  tlie  power  of 
 the  new  religion  is  felt.  So  many  customs  had  so  lon^ 
 been  observed  at  such  times,  that  temptations  must  have 
 been  strong  to  revert  to  these.  Here  now  it  is  entirely 
 overcome,  and  the  faith  of  Christ  has  changed  immemorial 
 forms. 
 
 The  young  chief  was  a  Christian,  and  a  communicant  in 
 the  church.  He  continued  to  oppose  the  gospel  for  two 
 years  after  the  settlement  of  the  missionary,  eight  years 
 ago.  He  would  not  attend  church  or  learn  to  read.  He 
 forbade  the  missionary  to  remove  trees  or  anything  on  the 
 premises,  which  once  were  sacred,  though  purchased  mission 
 property.  He  broke  down  fences,  stopped  up  paths,  and 
 even  threatened  the  missionary's  life.  He  became  the  head 
 of  the  heathen  party,  and  inflamed  the  animosity  of  others, 
 who  also  threatened  violence.  At  length  it  was  intimated 
 that  if  this  was  to  continue  the  station  w^ould  have  to  be 
 abandoned.  Those  favourable  to  the  missionary,  and  those 
 who  liked  to  trade  with  him,  met  and  resolved  to  do  all 
 they  could  to  retain  the  missionary.  They  intimated  to 
 this  young  chief,  Youwilli,  that  they  would  no  longer  suffer 
 this  opposition,  and  that  if  he  wished  peace  with  them  he 
 must  with  his  own  hands  repair  the  fences  which  he  had 
 broken  down.  He  was  obliged  to  agree  to  this,  and  finished 
 his  work  on  a  hot  day,  amidst  the  reproaches  of  many.  For 
 some  time  there  w^as  no  intercourse  between  him  and  the 
 missionary ;  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paton  had  agreed  together  to 
 pray  for  him.  Some  time  after,  when  Mr.  Paton  and  a  few 
 others  were  hauling  a  load  of  coral  stones  for  house-building, 
 the  young  chief  joined  them  with  an  offer  to  help,  saying 
 that  he  was  strong.  This  he  repeated  from  time  to  time, 
 until  it  seemed  as  if  prayer  had  been  answered,  and  his 
 enmity  broken.  His  wife  then  applied  for  a  book  that  she 
 might  learn  to  read.     She  joined  the  class.     Youwilli  next 
 
382  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 applied  for  a  book,  and  soon  learned  to  read.  He  waited 
 on  the  means  of  grace,  and  gave  evidence  of  interest  in  the 
 word  of  God.  He  applied  for  leave  to  join  the  catechu- 
 men's class,  and  then  for  baptism.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
 fellowship  of  the  church  on  his  profession  of  faith  in  1872, 
 and  from  that  time  continued  to  maintain  a  Christian  con- 
 sistency. It  was  a  great  triumph  of  the  gospel,  and  it 
 prodviced  the  happy  fruits  in  his  life.  The  hearts  of  the 
 missionary  and  his  wife  were  gladdened,  and  new  evidence 
 afforded  that '  the  gospel  was  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
 tion to  every  one  that  believeth.' 
 
 In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1874,  symptoms  of  con- 
 sumption appeared,  and  he  rapidly  sank  under  it.  He  was 
 able  to  meet  and  to  welcome  the  mission  family  on  their 
 return  home  in  the  end  of  April,  and  they  had  the  satisfac- 
 tion of  ministering  Christian  consolation  to  his  last  days. 
 He  was  as  quiet  in  his  Christian  life  as  he  had  been  noisy 
 when  a  heathen.  He  bore  his  trouble  with  a  meek  and 
 resigned  spirit,  and,  in  faith  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  passed 
 away  on  the  23rd  June  to  join  the  multitude  from  all 
 nations  and  kindreds  and  tongues  who  praise  the  Lamb 
 that  was  slain  to  redeem  them. 
 
 He  was  the  last  of  his  race.  Not  a  male  representative 
 of  his  ancestors  remains.  It  is  a  melancholy  aspect  on  this 
 island  that  the  people  are  fading  away  so  very  rapidly. 
 One-third  have  died  within  eight  years.  Whole  villages 
 have  become  extinct.  The  gospel  has  come  at  the  latest 
 hour.  It  is  now  or  never  with  them.  And  it  is  consoling 
 to  know  that  the  whole  island  is  under  Christian  instruction, 
 and  that  a  dying  people  remember  the  death  of  the  Saviour 
 as  their  hope  of  life  everlasting. 
 
 '  Thougli  the  frail  bark  on  which  tliine  offspring  sail, 
 Their  day,  their  hour,  their  moment  m  the  gale, 
 Must  perish  ;  shipwreclc  only  sets  them  free, 
 With  joys  unmeasured  as  eternity. 
 They  ply  on  seas  of  glass  their  golden  oars, 
 And  pluck  immortal  fruits  along  their  shores  ; 
 
A  FUNERAL  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES.      383 
 
 Nor  shall  their  Ccables  fail,  their  anchors  rust, 
 
 Wlio  wait  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 
 
 Moored  on  the  Rock  of  Ages,  though  decay 
 
 Moulder  the  weak  terrestrial  frame  away, 
 
 The  trumpet  sounds,  and,  lo  !  wherever  spread, 
 
 Earth,  air,  and  ocean  render  up  their  dead  ; 
 
 And  souls,  with  bodies  spiritual  and  divine, 
 
 In  the  new  heavens  like  stars  for  ever  shine  : 
 
 Tawny  Aniwans  then  the  image  wear 
 
 Of  Him  who  all  their  sins  on  His  own  cross  did  bear. ' 
 
CHAPTER    XXV. 
 
 THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING. 
 
 '  When  Cook — lamented,  and  with  tears  as  just 
 As  ever  mingled  with  heroic  dust — 
 Steered  Britain's  oak  into  a  world  unknown, 
 And  in  his  country's  glory  sought  his  own  ; 
 Wherever  he  found  man  to  nature  true, 
 The  rights  of  man  were  sacred  in  his  view  ; 
 He  soothed  with  gifts,  and  greeted  with  a  smile, 
 The  simple  native  of  the  new-found  isle  ; 
 He  spurned  the  wretch  that  slighted  or  withstood 
 The  tender  argument  of  kindred  blood  ; 
 Nor  would  endure  that  any  should  control 
 His  free-born  brethren  of  the  southern  pole. 
 
 But  though  some  noliler  minds  a  law  respect. 
 That  none  shall  with  impunity  neglect, 
 In  baser  souls  unnumbered  evils  meet 
 To  thwart  its  influence  and  its  end  defeat. ' — Cowi'ER. 
 
 The  inferior  races  have,  throughout  the  history  of  the  world, 
 been  oppressed  by  the  superior.  Servants  of  servants  have 
 they  been  made  unto  their  brethren.  Nor,  though  the 
 discovery  of  the  South  Sea  islanders  was  made  after  more 
 benevolent  sentiments  were  prevailing  among  Christian  and 
 enlightened  nations,  have  they  escaped  opiDression.  Captain 
 Cook,  imlike  some  of  his  precursors  in  the  waters  of  the 
 Pacific,  respected  the  rights  even  of  the  savage  inhabitants 
 of  the  coral  islands.  P>ut  as  time  wore  on,  and  the  white 
 trader  set  up  stations,  there  was  a  tendency  to  introduce 
 natives  of  other  islands  to  perform  the  work  necessary  to  be 
 done  in  the  sandal-wood  trade.  It  has  seldom  been  inquired 
 liow  these  men  were  got,  but  there  can  be  little  doubt  tliat 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     3S5 
 
 the  system  which  so  largely  prevailed  in  recent  years  was 
 then  inaugurated.  It  was  early  discovered  that  the  v/ild 
 natives  did  not  care  to  work  for  the  white  man  on  the  islands 
 where  they  had  their  plantations  yielding  them  sufficient 
 food  for  their  maintenance.  But  other  islanders,  induced 
 to  leave  their  homes,  and  to  reside  on  the  station  of  the 
 trader,  could  only  get  food  when  they  worked ;  and  the 
 craving  of  hunger,  if  not  the  crack  of  the  whip,  impelled 
 them  to  industry.  On  the  island  of  Eromanga  there  were 
 at  one  time,  it  has  been  said,  three  or  four  hundred  imported 
 labourers ;  but  as  similar  stations  were  few  it  excited  little 
 remark,  except  in  relation  to  the  chronic  irritation  which 
 the  presence  of  these  foreigners  kept  up  in  the  minds  of  the 
 Eromangan  people.  The  settler,  too,  felt  safer  when  sur- 
 rounded by  these  imported  natives,  whose  feelings  to  the 
 Eromangans  were  not  kindly.  They  acted  as  his  guards, 
 and  were  often  armed  for  this  purpose. 
 
 In  the  year  1863,  a  raid  was  made  upon  the  South  Sea 
 Islands  to  procure  labourers  for  Peruvian  mines.  It  was 
 reported  that  some  twenty-five  vessels  had  been  fitted  out 
 at  Callao,  under  the  pretext  of  hiring  labourers  from  the 
 islands.  A  depot  was  established  at  Easter  Island,  in  109° 
 west  longitude  and  in  27°  south  latitude.  Seven  vessels 
 assembled  there  ;  their  crews  were  sent  armed  on  shore,  and 
 having  captured  the  natives,  carried  them  off.  They  then 
 supplied  the  ships  with  pigs,  poultry,  and  whatever  else 
 they  could  seize,  and  set  fire  to  the  houses.  To  this  island, 
 hapless  natives  of  other  islands  w^ere  brought,  and  a  schooner 
 conveyed  them  to  the  Peruvian  coast.  Upwards  of  fifteen 
 hundred  human  beings  were  captured  in  1863  by  these 
 vessels,  and  it  was  intended  to  get  as  many  as  ten  thousand, 
 if  possible.  They  were  chiefly  taken  from  islands  lying 
 between  the  equator  and  the  nineteenth  parallel  of  south 
 latitude,  and  between  150°  and  172°  west  longitude.  De- 
 ception, force,  and  murder  were  resorted  to  in  order  to 
 secure   natives.     One  vessel   called  off  Samoa  with  three 
 
 2b 
 
386  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 hundred  on  board,  and  it  was  intimated  that  as  many  more 
 were  wanted  to  make  up  the  vital  cargo.  On  most  of  the 
 islands  from  which  natives  were  taken  Christian  missions 
 had  been  estabhshed.  It  was  well  that  it  was  so,  for  the 
 friends  of  humanity  were  at  once  aroused  to  defend  the 
 right.  Memorials  were  sent  to  the  British  Government.  A 
 public  meeting  was  held  in  Sydney  on  the  subject,  in  which 
 the  writer  took  a  part,  and  resolutions  passed  condemnatory 
 of  this  invasion  of  the  rights  of  man.  Petitions  to  both 
 Houses  of  the  Imperial  Parliament  were  adopted.  The 
 remonstrance  had  its  effect  in  stopping  the  trade;  but  very 
 few  of  the  hapless  natives  ever  reached  their  homes  again. 
 
 In  the  same  year,  a  proposal  of  a  milder  nature  was 
 made  to  introduce  South  Sea  islanders  into  Queensland  to 
 work  on  cotton  plantations  as  hired  labourers.  A  cotton 
 plantation  had  been  commenced  near  Brisbane  by  the 
 Honourable  Eobert  Towns,  a  highly  respectable  and  influ- 
 ential merchant  and  shipowner  of  Sydney,  and  a  member 
 of  the  Legislative  Council  of  the  colony.  He  proposed  to 
 import  in  his  own  vessels  any  able  adult  natives  of  the 
 South  Sea  Islands  that  might  be  hired  for  service,  at  and 
 after  the  rate  of  ten  shillings  per  month,  and  to  return 
 them  to  their  homes  at  the  end  of  twelve  months,  if  they 
 desired  it. 
 
 Captain  Towns  addressed  a  letter  to  the  missionaries, 
 chiefly  in  the  Loyalty  Islands  and  New  Hebrides,  where 
 his  name  was  well  known  as  owner  of  vessels  trading 
 there.  As  this  letter  is  somewhat  of  a  curiosity,  I  produce 
 it  here : — 
 
 '   To  any  Missionary  into  whose  hands  this  may  come. 
 
 'Sydney,  l^th  May  1863. 
 
 *  Rev.  Sii!, — Should  this  meet  the  eye  of  any  gentleman  in  that  sacred 
 calling,  I  beg  to  explain  the  nature  of  the  voyage  on  which  I  am  about  to 
 despatch  the  bearer,  Captain  Grueber,  with  the  schooner  Don  Juan. 
 
 '  If  I  now  address  an  old  resident  among  the  islands,  my  name  will  be 
 familiar,  and  justify  a  belief  in  the  sincerit}''  of  my  mission,  to  which  I  am 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     zZi 
 
 about  to  explain  and  solicit  your  friendly  aid  ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
 reader  has  not  heard  of  the  writer,  I  may  refer  him  to  Captain  Grueber,  or 
 any  man  connected  with  these  islands  for  the  last  twenty  years. 
 
 '  Suffice  to  say,  I  have  embarked  considerable  capital  in  Queensland  in  the 
 cultivation  of  cotton  ;  and  as  so  much  depends  on  the  rate  of  labour  in  the 
 ultimate  success  of  this  important  enterprise,  I  am  endeavouring  to  try  our 
 natives  from  the  immediate  adjacent  islands,  whose  habits,  although  not 
 strictly  industrious,  may  be  rendered  most  serviceable  in  the  light  work  of 
 the  field  labour,  in  weeding  and  picking  cotton,  as  the  seasons  may  require. 
 Such  being  my  views  on  the  subject,  I  have  sent  this  my  pioneer  vessel  to 
 enlist  a  supply,  and  wA\  be  much  obliged  if  you  will  kindly  assist  us  in  this 
 our  worldly  mission,  and,  as  I  have  told  your  worthy  brotherhood,  Messrs. 
 Inglis  and  Geddes,  that  I  with  my  cotton  emigration  (returning  them  every 
 six  or  twelve  months)  will  do  more  towards  civilising  the  natives  in  one  year 
 than  you  can  possibly  in  ten, — they  will  see  what  civilisation  is,  and  aim  to 
 follow  it ;  and  if  you  can  supply  me  with  a  native  teacher  or  reader,  as  they 
 may  be  termed,  it  will  very  much  hasten  the  object ;  at  all  events,  if  you 
 cannot  assist  me  in  this  particular,  you  may  be  able  to  point  out  to  the  poor 
 unsuspecting  natives  that  they  have  nothing  to  fear,  as  I  will  bind  myself  to 
 return  them  within  twelve  months  from  the  time  they  may  leave,  and  more 
 likely  in  six  months. 
 
 '  If  my  scheme  prospers,  it  is  my  intention  to  bring  over  the  wives  and 
 families  of  these  poor  fellows,  as  a  superior  race  to  the  ordinary  coolie  from 
 India,  about  whom  we  hear  so  much  ;  and  for  the  light  work  of  cotton- 
 picking  they  are  well  calculated. 
 
 '  I  send  an  interpreter,  a  man  who  says  he  can  speak  the  language  ;  this 
 is  very  important  to  make  the  poor  fellows  understand. 
 
 '  Trusting  to  your  kind  assistance, — I  remain,  etc.,  R.  Towxs.' 
 
 It  must  be  stated  that  very  few  islands  of  the  New 
 Hebrides  or  the  Loyalty  groups  speak  the  same  language, 
 and  that  the  interpreter  referred  to  was  Eoss  Lewin,  shipped 
 as  mate  of  the  Don  Juan.  He  was  well  acquainted  with 
 the  islands  referred  to,  and  became  an  expert  in  the  art  of 
 getting  natives/ 
 
 About  sixty  islanders  embraced  the  proposal  and  were 
 conveyed  to  Queensland.  They  w^ere  anxious  to  get  a  sail. 
 Some  had  been  to  Sydney  in  trading  vessels,  and  had  seen 
 wonders  there.  Hence  at  the  first  there  was  great  eager- 
 ness to  go,  especially  on  the  part  of  young  men.      Mission- 
 
 ^  Lewin  afterwards,  on  his  own  account,  got  a  licence  from  the  Queensland 
 Government,  but  it  was  cancelled  after  the  case  of  the  Daphne,  captured  by 
 Captain  Palmer,  was  made  public. 
 
388  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 iiries,  however,  were  not  consulted  in  the  matter.  By  the 
 year  1867,  three  hundred  and  eighty-two  islanders  had  been 
 landed  in  Queensland,  and  it  was  remarked  that  they  looked 
 contented  at  their  work.  The  first  importations  were  chiefly 
 from  the  Loyalty  Islands,  over  which  the  French  had  just 
 assumed  authority.  These  were  Christian  converts.  They 
 preferred  to  work  for  pay  to  Englishmen  to  working  for 
 nothing,  and  by  compulsion,  in  making  roads  for  the  French 
 Government.  The  conduct  of  these  men  excited  much- 
 interest  and  admiration  in  Queensland.  They  kept  the 
 Sabbath  holy,  and  met  together  for  worship.  They  could 
 read  and  write  in  their  own  language.  I  had  myself  the 
 pleasure  of  receiving  as  many  as  thirty  letters  at  one  time, 
 written  by  some  of  these  men  to  their  friends  on  Mare  and 
 Lifu,  to  he  forwarded  by  the  mission  vessel.^  The  French 
 Colonial  Government  soon  objected  to  natives  leaving  their 
 islands,  and  complained  to  the  British  Government  on  the 
 subject. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  were  next  tried,  and  as  none  could 
 be  got  from  the  Christian  island  of  Aneityum,  the  savages 
 from  other  islands  were  induced  to  embark  for  Queensland. 
 Settlers  were  by  this  time  crowding  to  Fiji ;  and  as  the 
 natives  there  were  disinclined  to  work  for  them,  they  also 
 recruited  labourers  from  the  New  Hebrides.  It  was  not 
 long  before  evil  influences  were  at  work  in  the  traffic, 
 and  they  were  exposed  both  by  missionaries  on  the  islands 
 and  by  philanthropic  Christians  in  the  colonies.  There 
 was  no  legislation  regulating  the  traffic ;  and  though  British 
 authority  was  at  one  end  of  it  in  Queensland,  there  was  no 
 civilised  or  even  common  authority  at  the  other  end  in  tlie 
 islands ;  and  in  reference  to  Fiji,  it  was  lawless  at  both 
 ends.  With  so  many  languages  and  savage  races  to  deal 
 with,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  desire  to  get  labourers  for  as 
 little  cost  as  possible,  on  the  other,  it  was  scarcely  to  be 
 
 '  When  would  Roman  Catholic  converts  from  among  the  heathen  exhibit 
 such  proofs  of  intelligence  and  civilisation  '? 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     3S9 
 
 expected  that  the  traffic  could  be  long  conducted  properly. 
 Even  the  coolie  trade  in  China  and  India  has  many  evils 
 recently  exposed/  though  under  regulations. 
 
 In  September  1867,  the  missionaries  on  the  New  Heb- 
 rides felt  bound  to  lay  before  the  Governor  of  New  South 
 Wales  a  statement  concerning  the  traffic,  and  to  plead  for 
 an  investigation  into  its  working.  This  petition  was  signed 
 by  eight  missionaries,  and  I  had  the  honour  of  presenting 
 it  to  His  Excellency  the  Earl  of  Belmore,  just  entered  on 
 his  office  as  Governor  of  New  South  Wales.  This  was  in 
 February  1868. 
 
 This  is  given  as  one  of  the  earliest  warnings  on  the 
 subject. 
 
 ' Statements 
 '  By  the  New  Hebrides  mission  regarding  the  traffic  in  natives  as  at  present 
 conducted  among  the  islands  of  that  group. 
 
 'For  some  time  back,  and  more  especially  within  the  last  few  years,  this 
 mission  has  had  its  attention  directed  to  the  fact  that  a  large  number  of  the 
 natives  of  this  group  are  being  carried  away  in  vessels,  ostensibly  as  hired 
 labourers  to  Queensland,  Fiji,  ISTew  Caledonia,  Taheite,  Torres  Straits,  and 
 other  parts.  With  reference  to  the/w/?  extent  to  which  this  system  is  carried 
 on,  this  mission  is  not  at  present  in  a  position  to  furnish  accurate  statistics  ; 
 but  we  are  fully  aware  that  a  large  number  of  vessels  are  engaged  in  it. 
 Within  the  course  of  the  last  eighteen  months,  vessels  directly  and  avowedly 
 engaged  in  this  traffic  have  called  at  the  one  island  Fate  no  fewer  than 
 eighteen  times ;  and  we  are  aware  that  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  fifty 
 natives  at  least,  out  of  seven  villages  of  that  island,  are  at  present  absent  from 
 their  homes  engaged  in  the  service  of  white  men.  We  are  further  credibly 
 informed  that  several  of  the  smaller  islands  in  the  northern  part  of  this  group 
 have  been  almost  entirel}^  stripped  of  their  male  population. 
 
 '  The  vessels  engaged  in  this  traffic,  so  far  as  known  to  us,  sail  under  one 
 or  other  of  the  three  flags— the  British,  the  American,  and  the  French. 
 They  vary  in  size  from  ships  of  seven  or  eight  hundred  tons,  down  to  small 
 schooners  of  eight  or  ten  tons. 
 
 '  There  are  various  circumstances  connected  with  this  system,  as  at  present 
 conducted  among  the  islands  of  that  group,  to  which  we  deem  it  our  duty  to 
 direct  public  attention. 
 
 '  1.  Many  of  these  natives  are  taken  away  fraudulently  and  by  force  from 
 their  native  lands. 
 
 See  Jenkins's  TM  Coolie :  His  Rights  and  Wrongs. 
 
390  THE  NE  JV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  Instance.  Towards  the  close  of  last  year,  a  vessel  sailing  under  the  British 
 flag,  bound  for  the  Fijis,  having  on  board  one  hundred  and  ten  natives  from 
 northern  islands  of  this  group,  lay  to  off  Fil  Harbour,  Fat^.  Some  of  the 
 natives  of  Pango  put  off  to  her  in  a  canoe.  They  were  able  to  converse  with 
 the  natives  on  board,  as  some  of  them  had  resided  on  the  islands  whence 
 they  came.  As  they  neared  the  vessel  some  of  the  natives  on  board  warned 
 them  not  to  leave  their  canop,  adding,  "  We  came  off  to  her  in  our  canoes  to 
 trade  as  she  lay  to  off  our  shores.  While  we  were  thus  engaged  she  bore 
 away  ;  and  when  we  attempted  to  leave,  the  crew  prevented  us  and  cut  our 
 canoes  adrift.  Thus  they  stole  us  from  our  land,  and  if  you  board  her  yoti 
 will  share  the  same  fate.  Nor  does  she  come  to  anchor  anywhere  lest  we 
 escape  by  swimming  ashore." 
 
 '  Other  instances  of  the  same  kind  can  be  given. 
 
 '  2.  Many  of  these  natives  suffer  great  hardship  and  privation  on  the 
 voyage. 
 
 '  Instance.  In  the  beginning  of  this  year  (1867),  a  small  schooner,  bound 
 for  the  Fijis,  having  on  board  thirty-five  natives  from  different  islands  of 
 this  group,  came  to  anchor  in  the  harbour  of  Aneityum.  She  then  stai'ted  on 
 her  voyage,  and  after  having  been  out  a  fortnight  returned,  reporting  that 
 she  had  met  with  unfavourable  w^eather,  and  that  her  provisions  were  ex- 
 hausted. In  fact,  the  captain  acknowledged  that  a  number  of  the  natives 
 were  so  reduced  by  famine  that  they  could  not  come  out  of  the  hold ;  and 
 his  statement  was  fully  borne  out  by  their  wretched  appearance. 
 
 '  Other  instances  of  the  same  kind  can  be  given. 
 
 '  3.  Some  of  these  natives  suffer  severe  bodily  injury,  and  even  death,  at 
 the  hands  of  those  wlio  carry  them  away,  without  any  redress,  or  any 
 inquiry  being  made  after  their  blood.     This  naturally  leads  to  their 
 cherishing  feelings  of  revenge,  and  taking  opportunities  of  retaliation 
 against  white  men  generally. 
 '  Instance.     Towards  the  close  of  last  year,  the  people  of  Emel,  Fate, 
 jiirated  a  small  vessel  and  murdered  the  crew,  consisting  of  three  white  men. 
 When  visited  this  year  by  H.M.S.  Falcon  for  the  purpose  of  investigating 
 this  outrage,  they  stated  in  self-defence  that  no  fewer  than  four  of  their  men 
 had  been  barbarously  murdered  by  persons  who  had  carried  them  away  from 
 their  native  island — giving  names,  dates,  and  circumstances. 
 '  Other  instances  of  a  similar  kind  can  be  given. 
 
 '  4.  In  the  case  of  those  who  go  of  their  own  accord,  the  nature  of  the 
 
 agreements  entered  into  with  them  is  very  imperfectly,  and  in  most 
 
 cases  not  at  all,  understood  by  them  ;  and  there  is  no  real  security, 
 
 that  we  know  of,  that  these  agreements  shall  be  faithfully  fulfilled  by 
 
 those  who  carry  them  away. 
 
 '  This  has  been  acknowledged  by  those  who  carry  them  away,  and  has  been 
 
 stated  to  us  by  persons  in  the  Fijis  who  have  access  to  natives  imported 
 
 there.     It  ought  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  almost  every  island  in  Western 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     391 
 
 Polynesia  has  a  distinct  language  of  its  own.  The  only  medium  of  com- 
 munication between  the  natives  and  the  traders  is  the  English  language  ; 
 and  this  is  understood  only  by  a  few,  and  by  them  very  imperfectly.  On 
 most  islands  it  is  not  understood  at  all. 
 
 '  5.  Most  of  these  natives,  as  is  well  known  to  us,  are  kept  away  from  their 
 native  islands  for  longer  periods  than  they  were  engaged  for. 
 
 'This  statement  is  fully  borne  out  by  individual  instances  which  have 
 come  under  our  own  observation,  and  by  the  fact  that  it  is  the  universal 
 complaint  of  the  natives  wherever  we  come  in  contact  with  them.  One  case 
 out  of  many  we  may  mention. 
 
 '  In  August  1866,  a  small  schooner  of  about  ten  tons  burden,  took  twenty- 
 six  natives  from  the  islands  of  Mau  and  Fate  to  Fiji,  for  a  term  of  six  months. 
 Up  to  this  date  (August  1877),  not  one  of  those  taken  from  Fate  at  least 
 has  been  returned. 
 
 '  6.  Many  of  these  natives  are  veiy  poorl}'  paid. 
 
 '  Instance.  For  five  months'  service  on  board  a  vessel  trading  in  these 
 seas,  a  native  Fate  received  four  handkerchiefs,  a  few  pipes,  and  a  few  figs  of 
 tobacco. 
 
 *  Other  instances  of  a  similar  kind  can  be  given. 
 
 '  7.  The  wives  of  many  of  those  carried  away,  despairing  of  their  return, 
 enter  into  relations  with,  and  become  the  wives  of,  other  men.  This 
 dissolution  of  social  ties  is  a  fruitful  source  of  distiirbance,  of  destruc- 
 tion of  property,  and  of  war. 
 
 '  Instance.  In  July  of  this  year,  a  native  of  Pango,  on  the  island  of  Fate, 
 returned  from  Queensland.  He  had  been  away  for  about  three  years.  During 
 his  absence  the  wife  he  had  left  behind  him  had  become  the  wife  of  another 
 man,  on  account  of  which  the  village  had  at  the  time  been  brought  to  the 
 verge  of  a  civil  war.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  in  July  last,  hostilities 
 began  between  the  two  parts  of  the  village  inhabited  by  the  friends  of  the 
 respective  parties.  A  great  deal  of  angry  talk  passed  between  them,  threats 
 were  made  of  setting  houses  on  fire,  several  plantations  were'  destroyed,  and 
 the  utmost  confusion  and  alarm  prevailed  for  some  days ;  when  at  length  the 
 matter  was  settled  by  the  first  husband  consenting  to  give  up  his  claim  to 
 the  woman  on  condition  of  receiving  twenty  pigs  as  a  solatium.  But  the 
 matter  did  not  end  there.  A  month  or  so  after  these  occurrences,  the  woman 
 whose  second  marriage  had  been  the  occasion  of  all  these  disturbances  lied 
 to  the  house  of  her  former  husband,  and  was  received  by  him  as  his  wife. 
 This  natin-ally  led  to  the  renewal  of  hostilities  between  the  two  ends  of  the 
 village.  And  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that,  but  for  the  jiresence  of 
 the  missionary  and  the  intercession  of  the  Christian  party,  the  matter  would 
 not  have  been  settled  without  bloodshed. 
 
 '  Other  instances  of  a  similar  kind  can  be  given. 
 
 '  8.  In  almost  all  cases  the  men  who  are  taken  away  are  the  strongest  and 
 
392  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 most  active  in  their  villages  ;  and  by  the  removal  of  such  men  a  more 
 tlian  ordinary  proportion  of  old  and  infirm  people,  with  women  and 
 children,  remain,  wdiich  materially  interferes  with  the  raising  of  food, 
 the  procuring  of  fish,  and  other  work  necessary  to  the  wellbeing  of 
 the  natives. 
 
 '  9.  With  reference  to  those  who  return,  we  find  that  those  who  have  been 
 oftenest  and  longest  away  are  generally  the  worst  and  most  dangerous 
 characters. 
 
 '10.  The  whole  system  is,  so  far  as  we  know,  under  no  adequate  super- 
 vision or  control ;  so  that  the  natives  of  these  islands  are  at  the  mercy 
 of  any  man  who  can  induce  or  cajole  or  force  them  to  take  a  passage 
 on  board  his  vessel. 
 
 '  In  these  circumstances,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  denouncing  the  trade  in 
 human  beings,  as  at  present  carried  on  among  these  islands,  as  in  violation 
 of  the  natural  rights  of  man  ;  as  calculated  to  be  injurious  to  the  social, 
 moral,  and  spiritual  interests  of  the  natives  ;  as  demoralizing  and  degrading 
 to  the  white  men  engaged  in  it ;  as,  in  short,  a  revival  of  the  slave  trade, 
 without  that  security  for  the  temporal  wellbeing  of  those  who  are  the  subjects 
 of  it,  which  would  be  derived  from  the  fact  of  their  being  the  propertj^  of  a 
 man  who  had  invested  a  large  sum  of  money  in  their  purchase. 
 '  Signed  in  behalf  of  the  New  Hebrides  mission, 
 
 'J.  G.  Paton,  Chairman. 
 'Jos.  COPELAND,  Ckrk. 
 
 'Aneittum,  New  Hebkides, 
 1th  September  l^Ql.' 
 
 This  matter  was  brought  before  the  Commodore  on  the 
 Australian  station,  the  Government  of  Queensland,  and  the 
 Colonial  OSice  in  London,  and  led  to  important  correspond- 
 ence. In  January  of  the  same  year,  a  number  of  the  in- 
 habitants of  Brisbane  petitioned  the  Queen  to  take  steps  to 
 prohibit  the  traffic,  as  likely  to  lead  to  a  slave  trade.  A 
 public  meeting  in  Sydney  also  remonstrated  with  the 
 Queensland  Government, 
 
 The  Admiralty — whose  officers  are  proverbial  for  their 
 just  conception  of  the  rights  of  men,  and  their  desire  to 
 execute  justice — communicated  with  His  Grace  the  Duke  of 
 Buckingham,  then  Secretary  for  the  Colonies,  in  December 
 1867.  From  this  I  make  the  following  extracts,  premising 
 that  reference  is  made  to  the  Peruvian  raid  for  labour  and 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.    393 
 
 to  retaliation  of  natives  of  the  New  Hebrides  for  alleged 
 kidnapping  by  British  vessels : — 
 
 '  From  the  perusal  of  these  papers,  his  Grace  will  perceive  how  rapidly  tlie 
 trade  of  procuring  labourers  degenerated  into  slave-hunting  and  slave-trading. 
 The  collection  of  these  savages  brought  on  a  system  of  kidnapping  and 
 piracy  ;  and  this  in  turn  led,  by  a  natural  process,  to  the  murder  of  innocent 
 white  men  visiting  the  islands  for  the  purposes  of  lawful  trade. 
 
 '  My  Lords  believe,  from  the  reports  of  their  officers,  that  these  islanders 
 are  incapable  of  understanding  the  nature  of  a  written  contract  with  an 
 employer,  or  that  any  of  them  would  knowingly  and  willingly  engage  them- 
 selves to  work  far  from  their  own  country  at  all,  or  at  any  place,  even  near 
 their  own  home,  for  more  than  a  few  months. 
 
 '  My  Lords  are  also  strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  whatever  regu- 
 lations may  be  made  for  the  wellbeing  and  liberty  of  these  people  on  their 
 being  brought  nominally  within  reach  of  the  laws  and  tribunals  of  Queens- 
 land, yet  that  no  proper  and  efficient  control  can  ever  be  exercised  over  the 
 manner  in  which  these  people  are  obtained  and  placed  on  board  ship.  The 
 task  of  their  collection  and  shipment  is,  from  the  nature  of  the  work,  likelj^ 
 to  fall  into  the  hands  of  an  unscrupulous  and  mercenary  set,  who,  under 
 [iretence  of  persuading  the  natives  into  making  engagements  as  labourers  for 
 a  term  of  years,  would  not  hesitate  to  commit  acts  of  kidnapping,  piracy, 
 and  murder. 
 
 '  It  may  be  added  that  of  the  wretched  islanders  imported  into  Peru 
 nearly  all  perished  from  the  nature  of  the  work  and  the  change  of  living  and 
 climate.  The  Government  of  Peru  was  compelled,  by  the  strong  remon- 
 strances of  England  and  France,  to  put  a  summary  end  to  the  traffic. 
 
 '  Entertaining  these  views,  my  lords  are  unable  to  concur  in  any  recom- 
 mendation with  regard  to  framing  an  Act  of  the  Colonial  Legislature  for  the 
 regulation  of  the  introduction  of  these  people  into  the  colony. ' 
 
 This  document  was  worthy  of  the  naval  authorities  of 
 the  British  empire. 
 
 The  Queensland  Parliament  passed  an  '  Act  to  regulate 
 and  control  the  introduction  and  treatment  of  Polynesian 
 labourers'  in  1868,  and  many  vessels  were  duly  licensed 
 in  terms  of  it  to  procure  labourers.  Ofiicers  were  also 
 appointed  at  Brisbane  to  see  that  the  labourers  understood 
 their  agreements.  Thousands  were  introduced,  and  two 
 inimiaration  agents  declared  that  out  of  a  thousand  whom 
 they  had  examined  '  not  a  single  complaint  had  ever  been 
 made  by  any  of  the  islanders  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
 
"tt     L"  riTf?v. 
 
 iiiimi>n>*^ 
 
 at 
 
 :ui5 
 
 •■:e  *t   SII- 
 
 r!fc 
 
 IB^  X3!S3e2ZZ^^  if  SKE.       TTift 
 
 m.:sat  > 
 
 JW~    mi  'W 
 
 ^te;  Jtar 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     395 
 
 colonies.     Altogether  some  10,000  copies  were  circulated. 
 A  few  extracts  only  need  now  be  given. 
 
 '  That  thousands  of  natives  have  been  removed  from  these  islands  to 
 Queensland  and  Fiji  no  one  denies  ;  that  a  fleet  of  vessels  is  employed  in  this 
 trade  at  the  present  time  is  equally  certain, — we  see  them  passing  some  of  our 
 islands  at  an  average  of  one  every  week.  The  point  at  issue  is,  Do  all  these 
 natives  leave  their  islands  willingly  ?  Is  this  traffic  in  the  main  carried  on 
 with  honesty  and  fairness  ?  I  have  already  shown  that  the  contracts,  of 
 which  so  much  has  been  made,  are  nothing  more  than  the  baseless  fabric  of  a 
 vision  ;  they  never  could  have  been  made. 
 
 'The  e\'idence  on  which  we  rest  is  obtained  in  this  way  : — We  come  in 
 contact  with  a  number  of  these  vessels  ;  we  have  conversations  with  captains, 
 agents,  passengers,  seamen,  natives,  and  others  connected  with  these  vessels ; 
 we  have  opportunities,  now  and  again,  of  seeing  how  the  trade  is  carried  on. 
 We  know  something  of  the  character  and  antecedents  of  some  of  those  engaged 
 in  the  traffic  ;  we  meet  with  captains  and  others  connected  with  other  vessels 
 sailing  in  these  seas.  When  the  Dayspring  goes  north,  our  sphere  of  observa- 
 tion is  enlarged ;  we  see  and  hear  the  statements  made  by  missionaries  of 
 other  denominations  ;  and  we  read  from  time  to  time  accounts  of  the  traffic, 
 generally  of  a  defensive  character,  in  the  Queensland,  Fiji,  and  other  papers. 
 Although,  with  the  exception  of  those  carrj-ing  on  the  traffic,  as  far  as  this 
 group  is  concerned,  we  have  better  means  of  knowing  its  true  character  than 
 any  others,  still  from  such  evidence  it  is  difficult  to  draw  up  a  full  and 
 accurate  indictment.  But  the  impression  left  upon  our  mind,  our  deliber- 
 ately formed  opinion,  is,  that,  to  a  large  extent,  it  is  neither  more  nor  less 
 than  a  system  of  kidnapping, — the  slave  trade  revived  in  a  modified  form  ; 
 that  is,  as  far  as  the  obtaining  of  the  natives  is  concerned. 
 
 •  Some  are  forcibly  taken  away.     .     .     . 
 
 '  But  we  have  no  reason  to  think  that  force  is  employed  to  any  great 
 extent.  Other  less  objectionable  modes  of  procedure  are  found  to  answer 
 fully  as  well.  In  the  first  years  of  the  traffic,  a  more  common  and  a  much 
 more  simple  way  was  to  induce  the  natives  to  go  on  board,  get  them  into  the 
 hold,  shut  down  the  hatches,  and  sail  away.  The  natives  are  now  becoming 
 more  chary,  more  afraid  of  going  on  board  of  unknown  vessels,  and  hence 
 other  means  are  employed.  Natives  of  the  Loyalty  Islands,  of  Tanna,  and 
 of  Fate,  and  others,  are  employed  to  procure  them  ;  these  are  sent  ashore,  and 
 paid  so  much  a  head  for  every  native  they  can  bring  on  board.  Latterly, 
 buying  them  from  the  chiefs  and  from  their  relations  is  become  a  favourite 
 practice.  Muskets  and  other  tempting  property  are  offered  for  men.  The 
 temptation  is  too  strong.  In  some  places  a  man  will  do  anything  for  a 
 musket.  Without  any  definite  idea  of  when  they  will  return,  or  where  they 
 are  going,  but  under  the  strong  excitement  of  present  advantage,  the  natives 
 are  forthcoming,  and  the  transaction  is  closed.  It  is  pleaded  in  defence  of 
 this  practice, — the  practice  itself  is  not  denied, — that  this  is  not  buying 
 men.  The  property  is  given  to  the  chief  simply  to  obtain  his  consent,  the 
 natives  themselves  having  previously  consented  to  go.     Whatever  the  traders 
 
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THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     397 
 
 condition  ?  Each  man  has  a  musket,  a  quantity  of  ammunition,  pipes  and 
 tobacco,  a  chest,  and  a  quantit}'  of  clothes.  They  are  wealthy  men  as  they 
 stand  on  the  deck  of  the  vessel.  But  when  they  come  on  shore,  how  the 
 vision  changes !  The  first  things  they  see  are  their  canoes  lying  rotten  on 
 the  beach  ;  and  as  they  advance  inland,  everything  else  is  in  keeping  :  their 
 jiigs  and  fowls  are  no  longer  visible,  their  houses  and  fences  are  in  a  state  of 
 decay,  and  their  plantations  are  all  lying  waste.  They  have  no  food,  no 
 liouses,  no  fishing-tackle,  no  canoes  ;  theif  wives,  it  may  be,  are  become  the 
 wives  of  other  men.  In  islands  where  food  is  wealth,  where  the  richest  man 
 — the  man  of  most  influence — is  the  man  who  has  most  food,  who  can  make 
 the  largest  contribution  to  a  feast,  the  poor  man — the  man  of  no  influence — 
 is  the  man  who  has  no  food ;  and  such  these  returned  labourers  find  them- 
 selves to  be, — they  find  themselves  living  upon  the  charity  of  their  friends. 
 In  these  islands,  where  nothing  is  got  for  nothing,  every  present  has  to  be 
 paid  for  ;  and  in  this  way,  l^efore  three  months  are  over,  nothing  remains  to 
 each  of  these  natives  of  their  foreign  property  but  a  musket  and  an  empty 
 box.  And  though  they  should  commence  the  day  they  land  to  repair  the 
 ruined  wastes,  and  work  as  hard  as  ever  they  had  done  on  their  own  islands, 
 it  would  be  a  couple  of  years  at  least  before,  poor  as  they  seemed  to  be  when 
 they  went  on  board,  they  will  be  again  surrounded  by  the  same  comforts,  and 
 occuj^y  the  same  position  in  native  society,  as  when  they  left  their  homes. 
 This  is  no  fancy  picture  ;  it  is  within  the  truth. 
 
 '  But  then,  it  will  be  said,  even  admitting  this,  they  must  return  with  so 
 much  more  knowledge,  with  their  minds  so  much  expanded,  and  with  habits 
 of  industry  thoroughly  established.  On  the  first  blush  of  such  statements, 
 and  on  asupei'flcial  view  of  the  case,  this  seems  higlilj^  probable.  It  has  been 
 so  often  and  so  confidently  asserted,  that  the  belief  is  fast  gaining  ground 
 tliat  it  must  be  so.  In  actual  experience,  nothing  can  be  more  untrue,  no 
 experiment  was  ever  more  unsuccessful.  In  no  case  has  any  improvement 
 been  witnessed,  in  no  case  has  any  native  commenced  to  plant  and  cultivate 
 cotton,  nor  has  he  introduced  any  improvement.  Instead  of  being  more 
 industrious,  they  are  greatly  less  so.  They  return  with  muskets,  ammunition, 
 and  tobacco  ;  they  have  had  plenty  of  work  for  the  last  three  years,  and  they 
 think  they  may  now  keep  holiday,  and  for  a  time  smoking  and  shooting 
 become  the  chief  objects  of  their  existence.  By  and  by  they  awake  to  a  true 
 sense  of  their  position  ;  they  find  they  have  no  food,  their  island  habits  of 
 industry  have  been  destroyed,  their  new  habits  are  all  foreign  to  island  life, 
 they  are  not  a  natural  development  and  an  additional  source  of  strength. 
 No  ;  this  mode  of  life  is  something  like  a  punishment  that  has  been  submitted 
 to,  and  once  over,  not  to  be  repeated.  They  feel  reluctant  to  begin  the 
 world  anew,  and  generally  sink  into  a  lower  position  than  they  would  have 
 occupied  had  they  remained  at  home.  Some  get  dissatisfied  with  their  posi- 
 tion, or  tired  of  island  life,  perhaps  have  a  quarrel  with  their  friends ;  and 
 .should  a  labour-seeking  vessel  appear  at  this  juncture,  to  sliow  their  anger 
 and  vex  their  friends,  they  will  go  off"  again  to  Queensland  or  Fiji.  But  it  is 
 not  their  love  of  labour  which  takes  them  away  ;  this  we  know  well.  Neither 
 is  it  affection  for  their  former  employers,  neither  is  it  the  desire  for  property. 
 
398  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 In  most  cases  tliey  leave  their  islands  a  second  time  under  the  influence  of 
 discontent,  anger,  and  revenge  ;  ver}^  much  the  same  kind  of  influences  as 
 those  under  which  men  commit  suicide. 
 
 '  As  regards  Christianity,  the  results  are  still  worse.  It  is  pleaded  that 
 their  coming  in  contact  with  the  Christianity  of  white  men  in  Queensland, 
 and  with  the  Christianity  of  natives  in  Fiji,  must  produce  a  favourable  im- 
 pression on  their  minds,  and  render  them  more  accessible  to  Christian  teach- 
 ing. All  our  experience  is  the  very  reverse.  As  a  general  rule,  they  return 
 far  more  inveterate  heathens  than  when  they  went  away — the  worst  opponents 
 the  missionary  has  to  contend  with.  They  will  neither  become  Christians 
 themselves,  nor  suff"er  others  to  do  so.  In  several  cases  the  wives  of  those 
 who  were  away  in  Queensland  had  professed  Christianity,  and  were  attending 
 church  and  school.  When  their  husbands  returned,  they  ordered  them  at 
 once  to  cease  attending,  and  they  were  obliged  to  do  so.  On  Fotuna,  the 
 proportion  of  returned  labourers  who  have  professed  Christianity  is  one  in 
 tioenty-six.  The  proportion  for  the  entire  population,  who  have  been  for  about 
 the  same  length  of  time  under  missionary  teaching,  is  owe  in  Jive.  This  I 
 believe  to  be  a  fair  specimen  of  the  results  in  this  group. 
 
 '  People  unacquainted  with  native  cliaracter  will  hardly  credit  the  above 
 statements.  To  us,  who  have  lived  among  natives,  and  Icnow  them,  anything 
 else  would  be  surprising.  What  can  natives  learn  of  Christianity  in  Queens- 
 land or  Fiji,  when  there  is  not  a  person  in  either  land  who  would  or  could 
 impart  to  them  any  religious  instruction  that  can  speak  a  single  word  to  them 
 in  their  own  tongue  ?  The  same  holds  good  of  civilisation.  You  do  not 
 civilise  a  native  by  teaching  him  to  smoke  tobacco  ;  you  cannot  civilise  a 
 native  by  feeding  him  on  rice  ;  you  cannot  civilise  a  native  by  clothing  him 
 in  tweeds  or  doeskin.  If  you  wish  to  civilise  a  savage,  you  must  begin  within. 
 Some  eighty  years'  experience  in  these  seas  has  fully  and  clearly  proved  that, 
 if  you  wish  to  civilise  savages,  you  must  first  Christianize  them.  And  what 
 is  more  remarkable,  while  it  is  impossible  to  civilise  them  till  you  Christianize 
 them,  it  is  easier  to  Christianize  them  than  it  is  to  civilise  them  after  they 
 are  Christianized.  It  is  easier  to  get  them  to  give  up  the  superstitions,  the 
 cruelties,  and  the  abominations  of  heathenism,  to  worship  the  one  true  God, 
 to  learn  to  read  the  Bible,  and  walk  in  some  goodly  measure  according  to 
 God's  laws,  than  it  is  to  make  anything  like  similar  advances  in  European 
 civilisation.  But  this  has  been  most  certainly  proved,  that  whenever  you 
 Christianize  a  savage  you  implant  within  him  the  germs  of  civilisation,  a 
 civilisation  which  grows,  and  which  he  never  casts  oil".  In  these  islands,  as 
 a  f-eneral  rule,  no  heathen  man,  however  long  he  may  have  been  in  Queens- 
 land, will  ever  wear  European  clothing  when  he  returns  to  his  own  island  ; 
 whereas,  as  a  general  rule,  no  Christian  man  will  go  without  some  portion  of 
 European  clothing,  and  his  progress  in  Christianity  is  always  followed  by  a 
 corresponding  advance  in  his  civilisation. 
 
 '  This  trafflc  is  seriously  retarding  our  missionary  operations  in  many  waj^s. 
 I  have  already  shown  how  the  needful  labour,  small  in  amount  as  that  is,  is 
 unceremoniously  abstracted.  This,  it  is  true,  is  not  a  formidable  grievance  ; 
 it  might  at  times  be  more  a  matter  of  annoyance  than  anything  else  ;  still, 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     399 
 
 where  the  missionary  and  his  wife  must  attend  to  everything, — and  if  there 
 is  no  one  else  to  do  the  work,  it  must  be  done  by  them, — the  loss  of  a  couple 
 of  natives  may  retard  the  labours  of  the  missionary  greatly  more  than  many 
 might  suppose.  But  the  injur}'  is  frequently  more  direct.  Not  one  of  our 
 newly-opened  stations  but  has  suffered  by  having  some  hopeful  natives  lured 
 away  ;  by  having  some  others  brought  back  greatly  more  unmanageable  than 
 when  they  went  away,  and  through  their  influence  the  whole  community 
 around  them  rendered  more  averse  to  Christianity.  Take  one  example  by 
 way  of  illustration.  On  the  island  of  Fotuna,  the  missionary,  after  two  or 
 three  years  of  hard  labour,  had  got  his  house  erected,  had  acquired  some 
 knowledge  of  the  language,  had  prepared  some  elementary  books,  had  got  a 
 number  of  natives  to  attend  church,  and  a  small  number  to  attend  school,  and 
 was  looking  forward  to  brighter  prospects.  One  morning,  however,  when 
 the  sun  rose  bright  as  usual,  a  cloud  suddenly  obscured,  not  the  disc  of  the 
 sun,  but  the  prospects  of  the  mission.  A  small  craft  of  a  rather  suspicious- 
 looking  character,  as  seen  from  the  missionary's  point  of  view,  entered  the 
 bay  and  dropped  her  anchor.  She  hailed  from  Fiji.  She  was  soon  exhibiting 
 muskets,  tobacco,  axes,  and  everything  that  could  be  thought  attractive  to 
 the  natives.  All  who  would  go  to  Fiji  would  return  rich  with  all  this  kind 
 of  property.  Most  opjiortunely  for  the  trader,  one  of  the  chiefs  had  been 
 thwarted  in  seeking  to  obtain  a  third  wife — his  heart  was  thorouglily  broken 
 by  the  disappointment,  and  here  was  the  very  best  opportunity  to  show  his 
 anger  and  take  his  revenge.  He  would  leave  the  island  and  go  to  Fiji. 
 This  would  annoy  and  grieve  his  friends  above  anything  else  ;  and  that  was 
 the  very  thing  he  wished.  He  had  once  sailed  for  Fiji  before  with  some  half 
 dozen  of  his  people,  but  owing  to  stress  of  weather  the  vessel  had  to  put  in 
 to  Aneityum.  While  the  vessel  lay  in  the  harbour  there,  the  whole  party 
 made  their  escape  ashore  ;  and  after  some  months'  sojourn  on  that  island, 
 got  a  passage  home  in  the  Dayspring.  Possibly  he  thought  he  might  be 
 equally  fortunate  a  second  time.  If  so,  his  luck  failed  him.  He  engaged  to 
 go  to  Fiji,  and  induced  some  others  to  accompany  him.  The  excitement 
 spread,  and  one  went  because  some  other  one  had  gone,  till  twenty-eight 
 went  all  off  in  this  one  vessel,  nearly  all  from  the  vicinity  of  the  mission 
 station.  Many  and  large  were  the  payments  received  by  their  friends. 
 Among  these  were  nearly  twenty  of  the  professedly  Christian  natives,  the 
 most  advanced  scholars  on  the  island,  although  their  attainments  were  not 
 great,  to  whom  the  missionary  was  looking  forward  to  be  a  band  of  assistants 
 when  the  natives  generally  should  embrace  Christianity.  But  his  hopes 
 were  suddenly  blasted.  The  labour  of  years  was  ruthlessly  destroyed  in  a 
 day ;  his  school  was  broken  up,  he  had  to  commence  his  labours  in  a  great 
 measure  anew,  and  with  the  disheartening  prospect  that  it  might  terminate 
 with  a  similar  disaster  some  other  day. 
 
 '  They  are  fast  depopulating  the  islands,  and  destroying  our  work  by 
 anticipation.  Of  the  thousands  carried  away,  it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  the 
 half  of  them  will  ever  return ;  a  large  percentage  will  die  in  the  lands  of  their 
 servitude,  a  number  will  be  induced  to  remain,  and  a  number  will  be  forced 
 to  remain,  because  there  will  be  no  power  present  to  compel  their  return. 
 
400  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Nearly  all  that  are  carried  away  may  be  regarded  as  withdrawn  ft-om 
 Christian  iniiuence  for  ever,  doomed  to  a  life  of  dark,  hopeless  heathenism. 
 In  the  land  of  their  exile,  nobody,  however  willing,  can  speak  a  word  to 
 them  in  their  own  tongue.  They  may  pick  up  a  few  words  of  English, 
 amply  sufficient  for  the  purposes  of  their  daily  toil,  but  of  no  value  for 
 imparting  to  them  any  religious  instruction  ;  while  those  who  return,  return 
 more  inveterately  opposed  to  Christianity  than  ever ;  the  white  man's  religion 
 has  had  no  attractions  for  them.' 
 
 Appended  to  the  pamphlet  of  which  these  are  extracts, 
 were  answers  to  questions  sent  by  the  Anti-slavery  Society. 
 The  late  Bishop  Patteson  held  similar  views  of  this  traffic. 
 The  following  are  extracts  from  his  memorial  on  the  subject 
 to  the  Synod  of  the  New  Zealand  Church  in  1870  : — 
 
 '  Whatever  measures  may  be  proposed  or  adopted  to  obtain  humane  and 
 just  treatment  for  those  islanders  while  in  Queensland  or  in  Fiji,  there  is 
 absolutely  no  check  whatever  upon  the  proceedings  of  the  men  engaged  in 
 procuring  these  islanders  for  the  labour  markets  of  Queensland  and  Fiji.  No 
 re'^^ulation  can  prevent  men  who  are  bound  by  no  religious  or  moral  restraint 
 from  practising  deception  and  violence  to  entice  or  convey  natives  on  board 
 their  vessels,  or  from  detaining  them  forcibly  when  on  board. 
 
 'Much  is  said  about  engagements  and  contracts  being  made  with  these 
 islanders.  I  do  not  believe  that  it  is  possible  for  any  of  these  traders  to 
 make  a  hona  fide  contract  with  any  natives  of  the  Northern  New  Hebrides, 
 and  Banks'  and  Solomon  Islands.  I  doubt  if  any  one  of  these  traders  can 
 speak  half-a-dozen  words  in  any  of  the  dialects  of  those  islands ;  and  I  am 
 sure  that  the  veiy  idea  of  a  contract  cannot  be  made  intelligible  to  a  native 
 of  those  islands  without  a  very  full  power  of  communicating  readily  with 
 him.  More  than  ten  natives  of  Mota  Island  have  been  absent  now  nearly 
 three  years.  The  trader  made  a  contract  with  them  by  holding  up  three 
 finders.  They  thought  that  three  suns  or  three  moons  were  signified. 
 Probably  he  was  very  willing  that  they  should  think  so,  but  he  thought  of 
 at  least  three  years. 
 
 '  Something  has  been  said  about  the  benefit  to  the  islanders  by  bringing 
 them  into  contact  with  civilisation.  What  kind  of  civilisation  they  may  see 
 on  the  plantations  I  do  not  know,  for  I  have  not  visited  them  ;  neither  can 
 I  say  that  I  have  seen  many  natives  who  have  been  returned  to  their  homes, 
 from  whose  conduct  I  might  judge  of  the  effects  of  their  "contact  with  civili- 
 sation." The  reason  is  simple.  Out  of  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  Banks' 
 islanders  who  have  been  taken  away,  I  have  not  heard  of,  much  less  seen, 
 one-tenth  of  that  number  Ijrought  back. 
 
 '  But  there  is  no  instance  that  I  can  remember  of  any  one  of  these  natives 
 exhibiting  on  his  island  any  proof  of  his  having  received  any  benefit  from  his 
 "contact  with  civilisation,"  much  less  of  his  conferring  any  benefit  on  his 
 people.  The  few  that  have  been  brought  back  to  the  Banks'  Islands  bear  a 
 bad  character  among  their  own  people. 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPIXG.     401 
 
 '  But  I  am  not  now  concerned  with  the  treatment  of  these  islanders  on  the 
 plantation,  nor  Avith  the  effect  of  their  intercourse  with  white  men,  or  upon 
 themselves  or  their  people. 
 
 '  The  African  slave  trade  was  put  down  as  a  thing  evil  in  itself,  a  disgrace 
 to  humanity,  and  a  practical  repudiation  of  Christianity.  People  did  not 
 stop  to  inquire  further.  It  was  enough  that  men  were  stolen  from  their 
 homes,  and  taken  away  by  force. 
 
 '  There  is  no  check  at  present  upon  the  traders  engaged  in  procuring 
 "labourers"  for  Queensland  and  Fiji.  Many  of  these  men,  whether  they 
 are  technically  and  legally  slavers  or  not,  are  acting  in  the  spirit  of  slavers. 
 Sir  William  Manning  admitted,  in  the -Da2>/i«e  case,  that  "this  system  of 
 so-called  emigration  is  likely  to  degenerate,  and  probably  sometimes  has 
 degenerated,  into  a  practice  approaching  a  slave  trade,  and  perhaps  actually 
 amounting  to  it."  It  is  indeed  a  mockery  to  speak  of  it  as  a  system  of 
 emigration. 
 
 '  A  most  impartial  and  dispassionate  writer  in  Blacl-icood's  Magazine,  who 
 had  spent  some  time  in  sailing  among  these  islands,  and  had  twice  visited 
 Fiji,  speaks  of  the  "nefarious  nature  of  many  of  the  transactions  (of  the 
 masters  of  vessels  sent  to  procure  labourers  for  the  Queensland  and  Fiji 
 plantations),  which  have  undoubtedly,  in  not  a  few  instances,  been  nothing 
 1  ss  than  kidnapping. "  I  leave  the  statements  of  some  of  our  scholars  to 
 speak  for  themselves.  But  I  know  that  throughout  the  Northern  New 
 Hebrides  and  the  Banks'  Islands  deception  and  violence  are  frequently 
 practised.  I  know  the  lawless  character  and  the  lawless  conduct  of  persons 
 now  engaged  in  the  trade,  whose  names  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  divulge.  One 
 person  WTites  to  me  mentioning  by  name  four  vessels  concerned  in  carrying 
 on  "rough  work"  with  the  New  Hebrides  natives.  "You  know,"  he  says, 
 "  that  these  men  have  no  scruples  of  conscience,  and  so  long  as  they  make 
 money,  are  perfectly  dead  to  anj'  code  of  laws,  human  or  divine.  I  tell  you 
 of  this,"  he  adds,  "  confidi ntially,  as  I  have  only  had  the  information  as  a 
 friend,  and  inform  you  for  your  own  protection  when  amongst  the  islands." 
 
 '  A  captain  of  a  whale  ship  writes  to  me  :  "  The  natives  of  these  islands 
 would  come  otf  in  former  years,  bringing  such  articles  of  trade  as  their  islands 
 allbrd,  for  which  we  paid  tliem  with  hatchets,  tobacco,  fish-hooks,  etc.  They 
 trusted  us,  and  we  trusted  them.  At  times  our  decks  were  crowded.  This, 
 when  slaving  commenced,  was  all  to  the  slavers'  advantage,  for  the  natives 
 were  easily  enticed  below,  the  hatches  put  on,  and  the  vessel'  was  off.  Now 
 no  natives  come  on  board  the  whale  ship,  and  we,  in  our  turn,  dare  not  land. 
 Again,  we  used  to  carry  people  from  one  island  to  another  when  they  wished 
 it,  and  they  would  give  us  hogs  and  other  articles.  This  also  has  been  taken 
 advantage  of,  and  the  natives  carried  into  slavery  instead  of  home.  Should 
 we  be  wrecked,  our  lives  must  go  for  those  that  have  been  stolen,  and  the 
 natives  will  be  condemned  and  called  bloodthirsty,  etc.  ;  and  yet  what  will 
 the  natives  have  done  ?  Not  certainly  right,  but  no  more  than  what  civilised 
 people  have  done  in  many  cases.  I  hear  that  they  use  your  name  to  decoy 
 natives  from  their  islands,  and  I  also  heard  from  good  authority  that  they 
 inquire  very  particularly  of  the  whereabouts  of  the  Southern  Cross.'^ ' 
 
 2C 
 
402  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 The  bishop's  first  record  of  his  work  in  1871,  was  in 
 these  terms :  '  Our  great  hindrance  is  the  kidnapping  of 
 natives  from  the  islands,  which  has  so  exasperated  the 
 inhabitants,  that  we  cannot  now  land  without  risk  at  places 
 where  we  used  formerly  to  go  ashore  withont  thought  of 
 danger.'  '  "Who  can  say  what  may  befall  me  during  the 
 next  three  weeks  in  the  New  Hebrides  ? '  He  wrote  in 
 1870:  *  The  exasperation  of  the  natives  is  very  great. 
 Kidnapping  is  going  on  fast;  natives  are  retaliating;  boats' 
 crews  are  being  attacked ;  and  they  cannot  always  discrimi- 
 nate between  a  friendly  and  an  unfriendly  white  man.' 
 
 He  wrote  in  July  1871  from  Mota  thus:  'In  all  the 
 other  islands  the  population  is  reduced  to  a  remnant  by 
 the  crowds  taken  away  to  Brisbane  and  Fiji  ;  so  that 
 whereas  this  teaching  might  have  been  influencing  tens,  it 
 can  now  only  reach  units.     This  is  very  sad.'  ^ 
 
 The  Eev.  Mr.  Brooke,  one  of  his  clergymen,  who  spent 
 two  or  three  months  on  the  island  of  Florida,  saw  eighteen 
 jiersons  murdered  in  cold  blood,  and  fifty  taken  away, 
 either  by  force  or  under  false  pretences.  More  would 
 have  been  taken  had  he  not  been  there.  The  Scotch 
 captain,  to  whom  he  paid  a  visit,  openly  lamented  his 
 presence,  and  called  out  to  some  men  in  a  canoe,  '  Ah  !  my 
 fine  fellows,  if  your  friend  wasn't  here,  I'd  have  the  whole 
 lot  o'  ye  !     Just  a  nice  day's  haul ! ' 
 
 The  tragical  end  of  the  bishop  was  regarded  by  many 
 well  acquainted  with  the  South  Seas,  as  retaliation  for  the 
 capture  of  five  of  the  natives  of  Nakapu,  who  were  taken 
 to  Fiji,  as  may  be  seen  from  statements  in  his  Life? 
 
 On  the  day  before  the  lamented  bishop  embarked  on  his 
 last  voyage,  he  wrote  a  letter  on  the  subject,  dwelling 
 specially  upon  the  mode  of  procuring  labourers,  which 
 indeed  is  the  chief  cause  of  offence.  Wherever  there  is 
 British  law,  labourers  will  have  a  certain  protection ;  but 
 where   there  is   no  law,  as   among  savage   islands,   these 
 
 '  Sketches  of  the  Life  of  Binhop  Patleson,  p.  181.  ^  Life,  vol.  ii. 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     403 
 
 natives  are  at  the  mercy  of  tlieir  captors.     The  bishop's  words 
 had  all  the  solemnity  and  weight  of  a  dying  testimony : — 
 
 '  I  am  glad  to  see  that  so  much  is  being  said,  Loth  here  and  in  England, 
 about  the  removal  of  South  Sea  islanders  to  Fiji  Islands  and  Queensland. 
 
 '  I  have  applications  from  societies  for  information,  and  I  am  sure  that 
 there  is  a  great  desire  on  the  part  of  many  persons  to  do  what  can  be  done  to 
 protect  these  islanders  from  injustice  and  cruelty. 
 
 '  But  this  is  the  real  difficulty.  "We  cannot  supply  such  information  ;  we 
 cannot  produce  such  evidence  as  will  lead  to  a  criminal  prosecution,  with 
 any  hope  of  obtaining  a  verdict  against  the  persons  accused  of  deceitful  or 
 violent  conduct  towards  the  islanders. 
 
 '  Very  many  of  the  South  Sea  dialects  are  still  unknown  to  us.  How  can 
 we  ascertain  what  has  really  taken  place  when  the  master  and  crew  of  a 
 vessel  swear  positively  that  the  natives  came  on  board  with  the  wish  and 
 deliberate  intention  of  going  to  work  for  some  years  in  a  cotton  or  sugar 
 plantation  in  Fiji  or  Queensland  ?  We  know  that  few  islanders  have  any 
 conception  of  what  the  place  may  be  which  they  hear  spoken  of  by  the 
 name  of  Fiji  or  Queensland,  and  that  they  have  no  more  notion  of  the  work 
 they  have  to  do  than  of  the  place  they  are  going  to.  But  if  we  can't  talk, 
 and  talk  freely  and  easily  with  the  islanders  on  board  such  vessels,  how  can 
 we  disprove  the  statements  of  the  trader  ?  We  know  full  well  that  the  idea 
 of  a  contract,  of  the  meaning  in  our  eyes  of  a  bit  of  paper  with  some  marks 
 on  it,  is  simply  unknown  to  the  islander  who  has  not  been  regularly  trained 
 and  taught  by  missionaries.  But  the  trader  produces  his  "  contract, "  and 
 swears  positively  that  it  is  a  bond  fide  agreement,  not  obtained  by  compul- 
 sion, perfectly  understood  by  the  natives,  etc.  How  can  we  disprove  his 
 statement  ?  To  appeal  to  men's  common  sense,  to  show  them  the  a  priori 
 improbability,  nay,  impossibility,  of  the  assertion,  is  of  no  use  in  a  court 
 of  law. 
 
 '  We  know  what  the  natives  think  of  all  these  proceedings  wherever  we 
 are  able  to  talk  with  them.  We  have  statements  (perfectly  conclusive  to  lis) 
 of  direct  violence  used  towards  the  relatives  of  islanders  now  with  us  ;  but 
 what  can  we  make  of  these  statements  in  a  court  of  law  ?  The  name  of  the 
 vessel  is  not  known  ;  in  two  cases  that  we  know  of,  it  was  painted  over. 
 The  name  of  the  master  is  not  known.  Unless  we  see  with  our  own  eyes, 
 and  hear  with  our  own  ears,  the  deeds  of  violence  and  words  of  falsehood, 
 how  can  we  procure  a  conviction  ?  I  doubt  if  the  evidence  of  a  perfectly 
 honest  Melanesian  would  procure  a  conviction.  A  sharp  cross-examination 
 would  probably  so  perplex  and  puzzle  a  lad  or  man,  whose  stoiy  has  been 
 given  quietly  to  us  with  every  mark  of  absolute  truthfulness,  that  I  should 
 hardly  be  surprised  to  find  a  jury  acquit  a  man  who  was  nevertheless  as  truly 
 guilty  of  a  crime  as  any  one  who  ever  stood  in  the  dock  for  trial. 
 
 '  I  am  thankful  when  I  hear  of  persons  deputed  to  sail  among  the  islands, 
 and  investigate  the  whole  matter,  because  it  shows  that  people  feel  strongly, 
 and  wish  to  act  promptly.     But  how  can  they  find  out  anything  ?     Even  we 
 
404  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 find  distrust  and  suspicion  where  all  was  friendly.  Even  we  have  to  use 
 great  caution  now  in  going  ashore  where  we  have  long  known  something  of 
 the  people. 
 
 '  And  if  we  can't  procure  evidences  of  outrages  that  may  be  producible  in 
 a  court  of  law,  how  can  strangers,  quite  ignorant  of  the  dialects,  and  wholly 
 unknown  to  the  natives,  obtain  any  information  ? 
 
 '  It  is  simply  impossible  in  many,  perhaps  in  most  cases,  to  ascertain 
 exactly  the  fact  whether  such  and  such  natives  came  away  from  their  islands 
 willingly  or  not.  Many  come,  on  board  willingly,  no  doubt,  but  they  do  so 
 under  the  impression  that  they  may  have  a  look  at  the  vessel,  do  some 
 trading,  perhaps  take  a  three  or  four  days'  trip.  They  don't  come  on  board 
 to  be  passed  below  and  have  the  hatches  fastened  down  upon  them.  But 
 how  can  we  ascertain,  to  the  satisfaction  of  a  court  of  law,  the  real  facts  ? 
 
 '  I  am  assured  that  care  is  taken  by  H.  M.  consul  at  Levuka  to  see  that 
 the  islanders  employed  on  the  plantations  are  properly  treated,  etc. 
 
 '  Assuming  all  this  to  be  quite  true,  it  does  not  touch  the  point  with 
 which  I  am  mainly  concerned,  viz.  the  7node  of  procuring  these  islanders  for 
 Fiji  and  Queensland.  The  consul  can  know  nothing  but  what  the  sailing- 
 master  asserts  Avlien  he  brings  his  cargo  of  islanders  into  port.  How  can  he 
 check  his  story  ?  He  can't  speak  a  word  to  one  out  of  a  hundred  of  the 
 islanders  ;  and  unless  he  can  talk  quite  freely  with  them,  how  can  he  really 
 investigate  a  difficult  question,  where  he  is  dealing  with  persons  wholly 
 unaccustomed  to  the  very  idea  of  contract,  hired  labour,  etc.  ?  Why,  if  all 
 these  transactions  are  friendly  and  honest,  why  do  we  find  the  islanders 
 suspicious  and  timid,  unwilling  to  paddle  oil  even  to  our  vessel,  unwilling  to 
 meet  us,  as  they  used  to  do,  on  the  beach  with  friendly,  happy  faces  ?  And 
 Avhy  do  we  always  now  hear,  whenever  we  can  talk  to  the  people,  tales  of 
 kidnapping,  treachery,  violence,  names  given  of  those  who  have  been  taken 
 away,  all  the  circumstances  of  the  traders'  conduct  most  minutely  reported  ? 
 
 '  Has  all  this  come  to  pass  without  some  assignable  cause  ?  Why  do  these 
 vessels,  when  we  come  across  them,  sail  away  from  us  ?  Why  do  some  of 
 them  paint  out  their  names  ?  and  why  do  those  on  board  refuse  to  give  the 
 name  of  their  master  ? 
 
 '  The  simple  reason  is,  that  so  long  as  these  traders  can  sell  natives  of  the 
 South  Sea  Islands  for  from  £6  to  £12  in  the  Fiji  Islands,  so  long  they  will 
 engage  in  such  a  profitable  trade,  and  by  force,  or  lying,^or  any  means,  bring 
 these  people  to  such  a  market. 
 
 '  The  planter  in  Fiji  wants  labourers,  and  he  pays  a  high  price  for  them, 
 and  creates  a  demand,  which  these  traders  supply  somehow  or  other.  I  do 
 not  wonder  at  the  planter's  determination  to  obtain  labourers,  much  as  I 
 regret  that  he  indirectly  (it  may  be)  sanctions  such  means  as  are  emploj^ed 
 to  satisfy  his  want,  and  wholly  unable  as  I  am  to  reconcile  it  with  the 
 primary  Christian  law  of  doing  to  others  as  we  would  have  them  do  to  us. 
 
 '  And  I  think  that  some  such  scheme  as  that  submitted  to  the  General 
 Synod  of  Queensland  may  at  all  events  modify  the  evils  of  the  present  state 
 of  things.  The  employment  of  a  limited  number  of  licensed  vessels,  under 
 the  management  of  certified  masters,  and  under  the  watchful  control  of  a 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     405 
 
 man-of-war,  with  stringent  regulations  summarily  enforced  against  offenders, 
 ofi'ers  some  security  for  the  protection  of  these  islanders  from  the  outrages 
 committed  now  by  lawless  and  unscrupulous  men.  The  regulations  should 
 be  made  by  the  Imperial  Parliament. 
 
 '  In  the  existing  state  of  things,  it  is  clearly  our  bounden  duty  to  dissuade 
 to  the  utmost  of  our  power  all  these  islanders  from  ever  stepping  on  board 
 any  one  of  these  vessels,  and  to  watch  the  proceedings  of  such  vessels  as 
 carefully  as  possible,  and  to  spare  no  pains  to  expose  any  unjust  treatment 
 of  the  islanders  ;  and  if  we  can  procure  such  evidence  as  may  probably  lead 
 to  the  conviction  of  offenders,  to  prosecute  them  in  the  courts  of  law. 
 
 '  I  make  no  assertions  whatever  about  the  treatment  of  the  islanders  on 
 iliz  plantations.  I  confine  myself  to  the  one  point  of  the  mode  of  iwocuring 
 the  islanders  for  the  plantations. ' 
 
 Wesleyan  missionaries  in  Fiji  also  condemned  the 
 system.  One  of  tliem,  the  Eev.  Lorimer  Fison,  dm^ing  a 
 temporary  residence  in  the  colonies,  boldly  expressed  his 
 views,  and  gave  some  harrowing  details  of  kidnapping 
 which  he  had  learned  from  imported  labourers.  Mr. 
 Fison  had  to  endure  much  obloquy  from  some  colonial 
 statesmen  and  newspapers  for  certain  of  his  statements ; 
 but  he  was  prepared  with  proof  of  all  that  he  asserted. 
 He  did  the  cause  of  humanity  a  great  service  by  his  un- 
 flinching courage  in  exposing  these  evils. 
 
 The  missionaries  of  the  London  Society  in  the  Pacific 
 were  unanimous  in  condemning  this  traffic.  They  had  ex- 
 perienced the  evil  in  the  case  of  the  Peruvian  vessels.  The 
 Eev.  J.  P.  Sunderland,  agent  of  the  society  in  Sydney,  bore 
 frequent  testimony  against  it,  and  had  his  share  of  the  slander 
 flung  by  certain  interested  parties  against  missionaries. 
 
 The  case  of  the  Ca?'/  at  length  convinced  the  most 
 apathetic  that  the  South  Seas  were  scenes  of  the  most 
 rascally  and  cruel  deeds.  Dr.  Murray's  evidence  has  been 
 circulated  over  the  world.  He  was  the  chief  of  the  expe- 
 dition.    He  left  Melbourne 
 
 '  in  the  Carl,  shipping  as  surgeon  ;  and  on  arriving  at  Levuka,  the  captain 
 who  brought  her  there  from  Melbourne  having  left,  he  appointed  Armstrong, 
 who  had  shipped  as  mate,  in  his  stead.  Armstrong,  as  master  of  the  brig, 
 obtained  authority  to  go  on  a  "  labour  cruise  "  from  Mr.  March,  the  British 
 consul  at  Levuka,  an  el  the  brig  then  left,  Dr.  Murray  going  with  her. 
 They  proceeded  on  a  kidnapping  cruise  among  the  islands  scattered  about  in 
 
4o6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 that  part  of  the  Southern  Seas.  After  visiting  a  few  without  obtaining  any 
 "  hibour,"  tliey  anchored  off  the  island  of  Malakolo.  A  boat  was  despatched 
 there  to  look  for  better  anchorage,  whereupon  some  of  the  natives  discharged 
 arrows  at  the  men  in  it.  Some  canoes  with  natives  who  were  trading  with 
 the  Carl  were  round  about,  and  on  these  that  vessel  opened  fire,  "  partly  in 
 retaliation  "  for  the  arrows.  Nearly  all  the  natives  jumped  overboard,  and 
 one  of  the  brig's  boats  picked  up  twelve  or  thirteen  of  them,  who  were  put  in 
 the  hold.  The  natives  who  were  not  picked  up  escaped  to  the  shore,  some 
 of  them  wounded.  The  brig  then  sailed  to  the  Solomon  group,  and  off 
 Santa  Anna  some  natives  came  out  to  trade  in  their  canoes.  When  these 
 canoes  were  alongside,  heavy  pieces  of  iron  were  thrown  into  some  of  them  by 
 the  captain  and  crew.  Of  course  the  canoes  were  thus  upset,  and  the  brig's 
 boat  being  again  lowered,  twelve  or  thirteen  more  natives  were  captured  and 
 put  in  the  hold.  The  pieces  of  iron  were  not  wasted,  as  they  were  fastened 
 to  the  brig  by  long  ropes.  This  occurred  about  half  or  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
 from  shore,  to  which  the  natives  and  canoes,  not  destroyed  or  taken,  returned. 
 Off  the  island  of  Ysabel  other  canoes  came  out  trading,  and  were  upset  in  the 
 same  way,  and  about  ten  more  natives  were  caught.  "  They  came  on  board 
 almost  voluntarily,"  says  the  doctor  ;  and  "in  throwing  the  iron,  care  was 
 taken  that  none  of  them  were  injured."  All  these  natives  were  put  into  the 
 hold  ;  and  if  they  showed  no  disposition  to  fight,  they  were  allowed  on  deck 
 in  a  day  or  two.  At  the  Florida  gi'oup,  four  or  five  more  men  were  captured 
 in  the  same  way,  and  then  the  brig  sailed  for  Bougainville,  an  island 
 densely  inhabited  by  M'arlike  natives.  There  eighty  men  were  caught, 
 but,  unlike  the  others,  they  resisted  very  much.  The  whole  of  the  natives 
 were  then  put  into  the  brig's  hold,  and  some  forty-eight  hours  after  the 
 capture  of  the  Bougainvilleans  they  all  commenced  fighting  about  seven 
 o'clock  in  the  evening.  Some  of  them  endeavoured  to  set  fire  to  the  ship, 
 the  others  tried  to  prevent  them,  and  that  appears  to  have  caused  the  fight- 
 ing. "  Every  attempt  was  made  to  pacify  the  natives,  but  no  white  man  on 
 board  knew  their  language."  In  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  were  fired 
 on  with  guns  and  revolvers  by  the  whites,  who  had  behaved  inhumanly 
 enough  before,  but  who  now  thirsted  for  blood  like  wild  beasts.  "The 
 firing,"  says  Dr.  Mui'ray,  "was  directed  to  the  natives  under  the  main 
 hatchway.  Guns  and  revolvers  were  used.  Everybody  fired.  I  am  not 
 sure  whether  Captain  Armstrong  fired.  I  think  he  was  at  the  wheel.  I  do 
 not  think  he  fired.  The  firing  and  fighting  lasted  all  night.  When  the 
 natives  stopped  in  the  least,  every  effort  was  made  to  pacify  them.  The 
 natives  succeeded  in  loosening  some  of  the  bars  of  the  hatchway.  The  fighting 
 was  kept  up  at  intervals  all  night.  The  firing  could  not  be  said  to  have 
 ceased  until  the  morning.  The  firing  was  carried  on  voluntarily  by  the 
 white  men.  No  positive  orders  were  given  by  any  one.  The  general  alarm 
 being  given,  every  one  took  his  firearms  and  proceeded  towards  the  main 
 hatch.  Some  of  us  carried  arms  with  us,  but  most  often  arms  were  kept  in 
 the  cabin.  During  the  night  the  friendly  natives  had  been  admitted  on 
 deck  through  the  fore  and  aft  hatches.  Some  few  of  them  that  could  not  be 
 got  up  remained  below.     In  the  morning  the  hatches  were  taken  off,  and  the 
 
TFIE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     407 
 
 killed  and  wounded  were  taken  out  of  the  hold  and  put  on  deck.  The  cap- 
 tain was  giving  directions.  About  seventy  dead  and  wounded  natives  were 
 brought  on  deck.  All  the  Bougainville  natives,  with  the  exception  of  tea 
 or  twelve,  were  either  killed  or  wounded.  The  dead  natives  were  thrown 
 overboard.  I  could  not  say  definitely  who  gave  the  directions.  The 
 wounded  natives  were  also  thrown  overboard.  I  never  could  ascertain 
 whether  positive  orders  were  given  for  them  to  be  thrown  overboard.  I 
 think  it  was  done  with  the  general  will  of  the  whites.  I  endeavoured  to  get 
 their  lives  spared,  and  suggested  that  they  should  be  put  on  an  island,  but 
 the  general  feeling  was  against  doing  that.  There  were  about  fifty  killed, 
 and  about  twenty  wounded  were  thrown  overboard  while  still  alive." ' 
 
 Mr.  F.  A.  Campbell,  C.E.,  son  of  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Camp- 
 bell of  Geelong,  Victoria,  who  was  the  greater  part  of  the 
 year  1872  in  the  New  Hebrides,  thus  recorded  his  convic- 
 tions of  the  traffic  : — • 
 
 '  You  may  ask,  then,  why  do  the  natives  leave  their  own  islands  ?  why 
 do  they  go  away  if  they  do  not  know  what  they  are  going  for  ?     The  fol- 
 lowing statement  represents  the  matter,  I  believe,  with  tolerable  accuracy. 
 I  give  it  in  a  tabulated  form  for  the  sake  of  clearness  : 
 10  per  cent,  are  taken  by  force. 
 20        ,,        are  obtained  by  deceit  practised  on  the  natives  by  masters  of 
 
 labour  vessels  or  native  agents. 
 20         ,,         are  obliged  to  go  by  chiefs  or  relatives  from  whom  they  have 
 
 been  bought. 
 10        ,,        go  because  they  are  defeated  in  war  and  driven  off  their  own 
 
 lands. 
 15         ,,         are  returned  labourers,   who,  finding  their  own  plantations 
 destroyed,  wives  gone,  etc. ,  ship  off  again  in  disgust. 
 5         ,,         accom^iany  their  chiefs  when  they  go  or  are  taken  away. 
 20        ,,         go  from  curiosity,  or  from  a  desire  to  get  muskets  and  other 
 
 goods. 
 
 100 
 
 '  From  this  statement  it  will  be  observed  that  I  consider  that  about  one- 
 half  of  the  labourers  are  obtained  by  what  might  be  termed  unfair  means. 
 The  various  ways  of  obtaining  them  unfairly  are — 1st,  forcible  abduction  ; 
 2d,  buying  them  from  chiefs  and  relatives  ;  and  3d,  deceiving  them. 
 
 '  With  regard  to  the  second  method,  whatever  name  the  recruiters  may 
 call  it  by,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  natives  look  upon  it  as  buying  and 
 selling,  inasmuch  as  the  chiefs  or  relatives  receive  goods  for  the  natives 
 shipped. '  ^ 
 
 ^  A  Year  in  the  New  Hebrides,  p.  207.  A  very  interesting  series  of 
 letters  on  the  islands,  illustrated  by  the  author's  pencil.  The  chapter  on 
 the  '  History  of  the  Mission '  presents  the  missionary  argument  very  clearly, 
 
4o8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Petitions  from  many  quarters  at  length  reached  the 
 English  Parliament,  complaining  of  tlie  traffic,  and  praying 
 that  it  might  be  repressed.  And  after  the  death  of  Bishop 
 Patteson,  the  Queen  brought  the  matter  before  the  Legis- 
 lature and  the  country  in  her  speech  at  the  opening  of 
 Parliament  in  1872.  An  Act  against  kidnapping  was 
 speedily  passed,  and  a  sum  of  £18,000  was  voted  to  pro- 
 vide iiunboats  to  assist  the  Commodore  on  the  Australian 
 station  to  exercise  a  constant  watch  on  labour  vessels  in 
 Western  Polynesia.  It  was  not  an  easy  task  to  cure  so 
 formidable  an  evil.  It  took  some  time  to  get  the  gunboats 
 ready,  though  several  were  built  at  Sydney  with  great 
 celerity.  It  takes  time  for  officers  in  command,  some  of 
 whom  were  newly  arrived  from  England,  to  become  ac- 
 quainted with  the  sphere  of  their  operations.  A  check 
 was  given ;  but  as  their  time  seemed  likely  to  be  short, 
 many  evils  were  crowded  into  the  latter  period. 
 
 It  deserves  to  be  mentioned  that  two  of  Her  Majesty's 
 officers  who  cruised  through  these  seas  in  H.M.S.  Bosario, 
 published  works  in  which  they  bore  evidence  of  the  kid- 
 napping— Captain  Palmer  and  Captain  A.  H.  Markham. 
 
 I  was  in  1874  on  a  cruise  through  the  New  Hebrides, 
 and  gathered  some  information.  I  attended  the  Synod  of 
 the  mission,  at  which  were  representatives,  from  Espiritu 
 Santo,  the  most  northerly,  to  Aneityum,  the  most  southerly 
 island  of  the  group.  At  the  Synod  there  was  scarcely  a 
 missionary  who  had  not  a  story  to  tell  in  connection  with 
 this  traffic,  and  a  formal  report  was  given  in  upon  the  sub- 
 ject. The  following  is  the  minute  passed  by  the  Synod  : 
 '  Eeports  being  given  in  on  the  so-called  "  labour  question," 
 it  was  unanimously  agreed  that  these  reports  be  condensed 
 into  one  general  report,  and  brought  before  the  public;  that 
 the  Commodore  on  the  station  be  supplied  with  full,  accu- 
 
 and  is  by  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Campbell  of  Geelong.  '  The  History  of  the  Day- 
 spring  '  is  forcibly  written  by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Macdouald  of  Melbourne.  The 
 book  is  well  worth  perusal. 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     4^9 
 
 rate,  and  definite  information ;  tliat  tlie  colonial  governors, 
 the  French  governor  in  Xew  Caledonia,  the  secretary  for 
 the  colonies,  and  both  Houses  of  the  British  Parliament,  be 
 memorialized  on  the  subject,  showing  that  there  is  little  if 
 any  diminution  of  the  evils  connected  with  the  traffic ; 
 praying  for  its  total  suppression  among  the  islands,  and  its 
 total  abolition  in  all  British  colonies ;  and  that  the  British 
 Government  be  petitioned  to  communicate  with  the  French 
 Government,  and  to  urge  its  suppression  in  New  Caledonia.' 
 
 A  body  of  intelligent  men,  who  have  no  other  interests 
 than  those  of  humanity,  would  not  be  likely  to  come  to 
 such  a  resolution,  or  to  take  such  trouble,  if  they  were  not 
 warranted  by  facts  within  their  knowledge  to  do  so.  A 
 deputation  waited  upon  the  Governor  of  New  South  Wales, 
 and  upon  Commodore  Goodenough,  and  laid  before  them 
 the  petition.  The  Commodore  was  fully  alive  to  the  im- 
 portance of  the  matter,  and  arranged  to  visit  the  New 
 Hebrides  in  1875.  He  had  his  small  vessels  cruising 
 through  these  seas.  After  my  return,  I  published  the  facts 
 made  known  to  me  while  in  the  New  Hebrides. 
 
 Since  the  passing  of  the  Kidnapping  Act,  twenty-five 
 natives,  instead  of  being  landed  at  their  own  island,  were  left 
 at  another  forty  miles  away,  wdiere  they  remained  for  nearly 
 three  months,  till  the  mission  vessel,  as  an  act  of  humanity, 
 took  home  those  ill-treated  men.  This  has  been  duly  re- 
 ported to  the  Commodore.  The  plea  set  up  was,  that  the 
 missionary  had  taken  the  men  into  his  employment.  This 
 Avould  not  have  acquitted  any  emploj'er  of  his  duty  had  it 
 been  true  ;  but  it  was  emphatically  denied.  The  poor  men 
 were  so  enraged  at  being  left,  that  they  were  plotting  to 
 take  the  life  of  their  deceiver  had  he  ventured  near  them. 
 
 Eighty-two  natives  were  taken  to  New  Caledonia  in  the 
 early  part  of  1 8  74  without  any  licence.  In  fact,  a  brisk  trade 
 had  sprung  up  to  that  French  colony  since  the  Kidnapping  Act 
 was  passed,  T]iere  were  upwards  of  three  hundred  natives 
 reported  to  have  been  taken  into  the  port  of  Noumea  in  one 
 
410  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 week.  The  effect  was  soon  felt  on  the  market,  and  prices 
 fell  from  £12  and  £14  to  £6  per  head  as  passage  money. 
 No  Government  agent  is  needed  on  such  vessels.  The 
 health-officer  is  the  only  inspector  at  Noumea. 
 
 Vessels  flying  the  French  flag,  and  in  several  cases  com- 
 manded by  Englishmen,  are  now  the  chief  cruisers  through 
 the  New  Hebrides.  These  vessels  have  no  licence,  and  they 
 have  no  fear  of  the  English  men-of-war.  In  February 
 1875,  two  schooners,  called  French  vessels,  but  under  com- 
 manders bearing  Scotch  and  English  names,  took,  the  one 
 seventy-five  islanders,  and  the  other  thirty-eight  and  three 
 women,  into  the  port  of  Noumea,  New  Caledonia.  This 
 shows  that  the  trafific  is  still  brisk  there.  How  far  it  was 
 lawful  for  British  subjects  to  be  in  command  of  vessels 
 flying  the  French  flag,  and  engaging  in  a  traffic  condemned 
 by  the  Kidnapping  Act,  it  is  not  for  me  to  determine ;  but 
 I  well  recollect  the  late  Commodore  Goodenough  remarking 
 to  me  that  he  would  like  to  get  hold  of  one  of  such  British 
 subjects.  The  matter  has  a  national  importance,  as  cases 
 have  occurred  in  other  parts.  Dr.  Livingstone,  in  his 
 Last  Journals,  says  of  the  French  on  the  east  coast  of 
 Africa:^  'The  greatest  power  they  exercise  is  by  lending 
 their  flag  to  slaving  dhows,  so  that  it  covers  that  nefarious 
 traffic'  Happily  it  did  not  continue  long  in  the  New 
 Hebrides.  The  American  flag  was  also  used  to  cover  the 
 kidnapping  of  natives  without  a  licence.  Vessels  from 
 Tahiti  have  ventured  among  the  islands  of  Western  Poly- 
 nesia to  recruit  labourers,  and  some  harrowing  details  have 
 been  published  regarding  their  deeds. 
 
 Intoxicating  liquors  have  been  given  to  stupefy  natives, 
 and  when  under  its  influence  they  have  been  carried  on 
 board  the  labour  vessels.  I  was  assured,  on  unquestionable 
 authority,  when  on  a  visit  to  an  island  of  the  New  Hebrides, 
 — infamous  throughout  the  civilised  world  for  the  blood  shed 
 on  it, — that  a  man  collecting  natives,  not  indeed  a  Queens- 
 '  Last  Journah  of  David  Livingstone,  vol.  i.  p.  6. 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     411 
 
 land  Government  agent,  gave  intoxicating  drink  to  twenty- 
 five  men,  placed  them  on  board  his  vessel,  and  was  well  out 
 at  sea  before  they  were  aroused  from  tlieir  stupor.  Two  men 
 well  known  in  this  traffic  went  to  another  village  in  the  same 
 island  and  gave  drink  to  a  number  of  men,  and  while  these 
 were  under  the  stupefying  effects  of  it,  seven  of  their  women 
 were  taken  on  board  the  vessel.  The  same  two,  while 
 going  off  with  their  spoil,  met  a  canoe  with  two  men  in  it ; 
 they  broke  the  canoe,  captured  the  men,  and  sailed  away. 
 Will  it  be  thought  strange  if  white  men  or  missionaries  pay 
 the  forfeit,  and  that  island  again  be  stained  with  blood  ? 
 
 I  have  already  referred  to  the  cruel  murder  perpetrated 
 on  the  island  of  Api  in  August  1874,  when  the  son  of  the 
 captain,  the  mate,  and  a  native  of  Tanna  were  killed  with- 
 out provocation  on  their  part.  The  natives  of  that  island 
 suffered  Dr.  IMurray  to  live  among  them  for  several  months. 
 In  most  of  these  massacres,  we  have  to  look  for  the  occa- 
 sion in  some  previous  occurrence.  The  law  of  retaliation, 
 so  prevalent  among  the  natives,  does  not  require  the  guilty 
 to  suffer.  It  is  satisfied  if  one  or  more  of  his  tribe  pay  the 
 penalty.  Among  the  northern  islands  of  the  New  Hebrides 
 many  cruelties  have  been  perpetrated  by  white  men,  and 
 retaliated  with  equal  or  greater  cruelty  by  the  black  upon 
 innocent  parties.  Tliat  may  have  been  so  in  this  case. 
 But  as  '  return  labourers '  are  mentioned,  we  may  do  well 
 to  recall  the  statement  recently  made  by  Mr.  Consul  Layard 
 of  Fiji,  that  employers  there  are  sometimes  bankrupt  before 
 the  labourers'  third  year  is  finished,  and  that  in  such  cases 
 there  is  no  chance  of  payment  or  of  being  sent  home.  He 
 says  further,  in  recommending  the  employment  of  these 
 men  for  a  fourth  year,  under  his  own  supervision,  that  it 
 would  'prevent  the  lives  of  white  men  landing  on  the 
 islands  being  sacrificed  to  the  ignorant  revenge  of  unpaid 
 savages  smarting  under  their  wrongs.' 
 
 These  two  admissions  thus  authoritatively  made  are  very 
 important.     Men  are  thrown  upon  the  consul's  hands  with- 
 
4 1 2  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 out  a  sixpence  for  three  years'  work.  Unpaid  savages 
 smarting  under  their  wrongs  endanger  the  lives  of  white 
 men  afterwards  landing  on  their  islands.  Need  we  wonder 
 at  outrages  after  treatment  of  this  kind  ?  This  island  of 
 Api  has  no  resident  missionary,  and  natives  are  always 
 fiercest  where  they  have  had  no  other  experience  of  men 
 than  those  in  the  labour  traffic. 
 
 The  returned  labourers  are  said  to  have  been  armed  with 
 muskets,  which  they  used  against  tlie  boats'  crews  at  Api. 
 This  brings  up  another  matter  about  which  I  have  published 
 protests  from  missionaries  for  several  years.  It  is  one  of  the 
 mischievous  effects  of  the  labour  traffic  that  most  natives 
 who  return  from  Queensland  or  Fiji  take  muskets  and 
 ammunition  to  their  homes.  The  money  they  receive  as 
 wages  is  partially  invested  in  these  weapons  of  war. 
 
 I  boarded  one  of  the  vessels  in  Havannah  Harbour,  Fate, 
 in  which  were  seventy  labourers  homeward-bound  from 
 Queensland  to  the  Banks'  group.  Every  one  had  a  musket 
 in  his  bunk.  Had  these  men  been  troublesome,  and  at- 
 tempted to  rise  against  the  officers  of  the  vessel,  what  an 
 armed  force !  The  Government  agent  of  another  vessel, 
 whom  I  met  during  my  cruise,  told  me  that  he  felt  very 
 uneasy  in  a  vessel  filled  with  similar  armed  natives,  because 
 the  captain  made  himself  rather  disagreeable,  and  at  any 
 hour  the  natives  might  be  provoked  to  mutiny.  This,  how- 
 ever, is  only  one  of  the  dangers.  When  these  men  get  to 
 their  own  islands,  they  invariably  display  their  warlike 
 power  with  their  muskets.  If,  as  is  very  often  the  case,  their 
 wives  have  been  taken  away  by  other  men,  blood  is  shed  in 
 recovering  them.  Bishop  Patteson,  shortly  before  his  end, 
 wrote  respecting  this :  '  These  poor  fellows  come  back  to 
 run  riot,  steal  men's  wives,  shoot,  fight,  and  use  their  newly- 
 acquired  possessions  to  carry  out  more  vigorously  all  heathen 
 practices.'  He  also  said  they  use  their  guns  and  ammuni- 
 tion 'to  carry  out  with  impunity  all  kinds  of  rascality.' 
 
 The  Eev.  E.  H,  Codrington,  M.A.,  who  for  several  years 
 
 I 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     413 
 
 was  at  the  head  of  the  Melanesian  mission,  stated  in  a 
 memorial  addressed  to  the  Marquis  of  Normanby,  Governor 
 of  Queensland,  that  '  it  requires  no  argument  and  no  evi- 
 dence to  make  it  clear  that  the  introduction  of  firearms 
 among  savage  people,  whose  native  habits  are  those  of 
 perpetual  warfare,  must  be  attended  by  the  destruction  of 
 human  life.'  He  added :  '  I  venture,  therefore,  to  propose 
 to  your  Excellency,  as  a  practical  measure  which  interest 
 and  humanity  alike  require,  the  prohibition  of  the  sale  of 
 firearms  to  the  Melanesians  imported  under  the  Labour 
 Act.'  That  is  the  conviction  of  all  missionaries  of  the 
 different  religious  bodies  who  labour  in  the  South  Sea 
 Islands.  It  is  one  of  the  points  urged  in  the  petition  of 
 the  New  Hebrides  mission.  There  was  a  time  when  it 
 was  prohibited  by  law  in  New  Zealand  to  supply  the  Maories 
 with  firearms.  In  an  evil  hour  that  law  was  repealed,  and 
 large  importations  of  firearms  were  made  by  the  trade  in 
 Auckland.  As  large  purchases  were  made  by  the  Maories, 
 these  weapons  were  used  with  skill  and  deadly  power  against 
 the  colonists  when  the  war  broke  out.  A  similar  use  is 
 being  made  of  the  muskets  supplied  to  the  islanders  who 
 have  been  taken — let  it  be  supposed,  fairly  enough — to  Fiji, 
 but  returned  with  only  part  of  their  wages.  I  observed 
 that  some  of  the  chiefs  on  the  island  of  Espiritu  Santo  had 
 double-barrelled  guns.  In  the  hands  of  such  skilful  marks- 
 men, what  deadly  power  is  this  !  Their  own  internecine 
 warfare  is  also  rendered  far  more  fatal.  It  is  quite  melan- 
 choly to  see  the  ravages  which  firearms  have  occasioned 
 among  the  people,  and  how  many  have  scars  of  wounds. 
 
 Natives,  who  have  of  late  been  engaged  or  secured  for 
 tlie  labour  on  the  plantations,  are  from  the  Northern  New 
 Hebrides,  the  Banks'  and  Solomon  groups — the  fiercest  and 
 most  savage  of  all.  I  heard  of  several  affairs  this  very  ■ 
 year  in  connection  with  the  trade,  and  bloodshed  had  taken 
 place.     AVhite  men  and  agents  had  been  killed  or  wounded. 
 
 It  has  been  stated  again  and  acrain  that  this  labour  traffic 
 
414  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 is  depopulating  some  of  the  islands.  There  are  nearly  1500 
 away  from  the  island  of  Tanna.  From  Vanua  Lava,  in  the 
 Banks'  group,  so  many  have  been  taken  that  few  remain. 
 Bishop  Patteson  stated  strongly  in-  his  last  voyage,  '  Star 
 Island  was  found  nearly  depopulated.'  At  Florida  Island, 
 '  the  snatch-snatch  ships,'  he  was  told,  '  had  carried  off  fifty 
 men  by  upsetting  canoes,  firing  guns,  and  using  violence.' 
 This  was  before  the  passing  of  the  Kidnapping  Act.  What 
 was  the  condition  of  things  there  afterwards  ?  Let  the 
 following  testimony  of  the  Eev.  E.  H.  Codrington  answer 
 respecting  1873.  '  At  Vanua  Lava,'  he  says,  'there  is  a 
 cutter  from  Fiji  buying  labourers.  This  is  the  regular 
 practice  now  with  Queensland  and  Fiji  vessels.     They  buy 
 
 young  people  of  their  relations They  use  the  same 
 
 word  both  in  English  and  native  tongues,  and  the  natives 
 look  upon  it  as  nothing  else  than  buying  and  selling.  The 
 traders  say  it  is  not  buying,  but  that  they  give  presents  or 
 wages  in  advance.  I  do  not  say  that  this  is  as  bad  as 
 downright  kidnapping  morally,  but  it  is  worse  for  the  islands, 
 because  they  get  more  recruits  than  they  could  by  force. 
 And,  morally,  what  is  buying  and  selling  men  ?  The  notion 
 is  quite  new  here ;  it  is  entirely  imported  by  the  trade. 
 .  .  .  The  question  is,  Will  England  allow  a  trade  of  men  or 
 not  ?  The  thing  that  is  most  scandalous  is  the  buying  and 
 selling  of  boys.  The  Fiji  traders  want  boys,  and  buy  them, 
 from  ten  to  eleven  years  of  age,  for  an  axe  or  a  knife,  from 
 some  relative  who  sees  those  things  and  cannot  resist  it. 
 This  is  only  the  second  year  in  these  islands  when  this  open 
 way  has  been  practised.  The  traders  call  it  so  in  English, 
 and  the  natives  call  it  so  in  their  own  tongues,  and  take  it 
 to  be  so.  They  are  disgusted  at  it,  and  many  complaints 
 are  made.  You  may  imagine  how  degrading  and  demoral- 
 izing it  is.  The  traders  and  the  officials  say  it  is  only  an 
 advance  of  wages,  or  a  present  to  relatives  ;  but  they  openly 
 call  it  buying.  The  moral  character  of  the  transaction  does 
 not  depend  upon  what  traders  choose  to  call  it,  but  what  it 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     415 
 
 is  in  itself;  and  it  is,  in  the  eyes  of  the  natives,  as  much 
 buying  of  men  as  it  is  the  buying  of  pigs.' 
 
 This  is  the  most  recent  testimony  of  Mx.  Codrington, 
 made  after  his  voyage  in  1873,  and  it  reveals  the  downward 
 progress  of  the  labour  traffic. 
 
 Mr.  Codrington  says  further :  '  The  trader  who  wislies  to 
 be  honest,  or  the  officer  who  wishes  to  inquire,  can  find 
 natives  who  have  been  to  Fiji  or  Queensland,  and  can  talk 
 some  English,  and,  of  course,  use  them  as  interpreters ;  but 
 they  can  have  no  knowledge  of  what  these  men  say  to  the 
 people.  We  are  the  only  means  of  finding  this  out ;  and 
 we  do  find  that  these  interpreters,  through  imperfect  under- 
 standing of  English,  and  a  desire  to  please  their  employers, 
 do  not  convey  to  the  natives  what  they  are  supposed  to  tell 
 them.' 
 
 Mr.  Codrington  found,  in  1874,  that  natives  of  Saddle 
 Island,  in  the  Banks'  group,  had  been  decoyed  on  board  a 
 vessel,  but  the  captain  refused  to  give  them  up.  Attempts 
 were  made,  as  is  well  known,  to  personate  Bishop  Patteson 
 in  order  to  seduce  men  on  board.  A  witness  declared  that 
 he  saw  the  captain  of  a  labour  vessel  dressed  up  as  a 
 missionary  in  a  long  white  macintosh  and  a  white  bell- 
 topper,  as  he  called  the  hat,  giving  out  pages  of  an  old 
 nautical  almanack  as  tracts.  Captain  Jacobs,  of  the 
 Southern  Cross,  says  that  attempts  were  made,  in  1874, 
 to  personate  Mr.  Codrington.  The  impersonator  wears 
 spectacles,  and  speaks  the  Mota  language,  and  says  he  is 
 Codrington.  A  native  discovered  him  at  one  place,  and  he 
 had  to  be  off.  Captain  Jacobs  added  that  the  labour  traffic 
 was  then  '  active,  and  is  likely  to  give  trouble  and  cost 
 money.'  A  letter  appeared  in  the  Edinburgh  Scotsman, 
 July  21,  1874,  in  which  complaint  was  made  of  deception 
 practised  upon  South  Sea  islanders  at  Port  Mackay,  Queens- 
 land, with  regard  to  work,  food,  and  wages.  It  said : 
 '  When  their  time  is  expired,  instead  of  getting  their  money, 
 they  get  a  box  with  a  few  articles,  viz.  two  or  three  toma- 
 
4 1 6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 hawks,  an  old  musket,  a  piece  of  calico,  a  Jew's-harp,  and 
 a  few  other  things,  worth  altogether  about  £2.' 
 
 Complaints  have  also  been  made  that  men  taken  to  Fiji 
 were  neither  paid  properly  nor  returned  home  at  the 
 appointed  time.  As  many  as  three  tliousand  should  have 
 been  sent  home  between  May  and  December  1874,  but 
 the  planters  who  had  their  services  had  not  money  to  pay 
 wages  or  passages.  Tioo  niousand  more  should  have  been 
 sent  home  in  1875  ;  but  when  masters  were  in  financial 
 difficulties,  v\"liat  was  to  become  of  the  native  labourers  ? 
 Her  Majesty's  ships  had  to  take  some  home,  especially  when 
 kidnapped. 
 
 Fiji  became  a  British  colony  in  October  1874,  and  his 
 Excellency  Sir  Hercules  Eobinson,  K.C.M.G.,  the  Governor 
 of  New  South  Wales,  who  had  been  commissioned  to  annex 
 the  group  to  the  British  crown,  at  once  proclaimed  the 
 Queensland  Act  on  the  introduction  of  South  Sea  islanders 
 as  labourers,  in  so  far  as  it  could  be  aj)plied.  This  put '  a 
 clieck  upon  the  traffic,  and  removed  some  of  the  greatest 
 evils.  The  vigilance  of  H.M.  ships,  cruising  in  tlie  waters 
 of  Western  Polynesia,  greatly  helped  to  prevent  kidnapping. 
 
 When  his  Excellency  Sir  Arthur  Gordon  assumed  the 
 government  of  Fiji,  there  was  every  reason  to  believe  that 
 efforts  would  be  made  to  conduct  the  labour  traffic  properly. 
 His  high  official  experience,  his  humane  disposition,  and  his 
 desire  to  administer  justice  to  all,  secured  for  him  general 
 confidence  and  respect.  The  greatest  evil  connected  with 
 this  traffic  has,  however,  always  been  among  the  savage 
 islands,  and  in  the  mode  of  getting  the  labourers.  And  so 
 long  as  the  traffic  continues,  very  great  vigilance  Mdll  need 
 to  be  exercised  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  Kid- 
 napping Act  in  the  South  Seas.  There  are  still  vessels  re- 
 cruiting labourers  in  the  northern  isles  of  the  New  Hebrides, 
 and  bloodshed  is  still  occasioned  in  connection  with  it.  A 
 sad  case  occurred  at  Aoba,  or  Leper's  Isle,  in  1879,  and 
 to  it  we  have  already  referred.      The  interposition   of  the 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     417 
 
 Commodore  was  required  there,  as  has  been  narrated.  But 
 he  had  other  work  also  on  hand.  He  proceeded  to  Brooker 
 Island  to  investigate  the  murders  perpetrated  by  tlie 
 natives  there,  and  to  punish  the  murderers. 
 
 There  is  still  a  demand  for  cheap  labour  in  Queensland 
 and  Fiji,  and  vessels  continue  to  recruit  among  the  northern 
 islands  of  the  New  Hebrides,  the  Banks'  and  Solomon 
 groups.  The  feeling  has  been  growing  among  planters  and 
 others  that  Polynesian  labourers  are  not  satisfactory,  and 
 the  Governments  in  both  colonies  are  becoming  more  strict 
 in  their  dealings  with  those  who  hire.  A  colonist  in  Fiji 
 has  been  animadverting  severely  upon  Sir  Arthur  Gordon, 
 for,  among  many  other  things,  depreciating  Polynesian 
 labour,  and  encouraging  the  importation  of  coolies  from 
 India.  But  Sir  Arthur  Gordon  has  been  carrying  out  a 
 policy  more  consonant  with  British  justice,  and  more 
 humane,  by  discouraging  practices  so  fraught  with  evils,  and 
 encouraging  a  mode  of  tropical  labour  more  likely  to  be 
 successful  in  every  way,  and  which  can  be  carried  out  more 
 justly  under  the  eyes  of  an  enlightened  Government.  In 
 the  case  of  coolies,  there  is  a  British  Government  at  both 
 ends,  and  the  men  are  not  savage  cannibals.  There  is  fuller 
 intelligence  in  making  a  contract,  more  respect  for  law,  and 
 greater  habits  of  industry  among  coolies ;  and  it  is  to  be 
 hoped  that  the  evils  of  the  labour  traffic  in  the  South  Seas 
 will  soon  be  ended.  Many  natives,  however,  have  lost  their 
 lives  in  it,  and  not  a  few  Europeans.  Some  of  the  islands 
 have  been  almost  depopulated  by  it.  Missionary  work  was 
 largely  hindered  by  it,  and  the  British  name  has  been  dis- 
 honoured by  the  evil  deeds  perpetrated  by  it. 
 
 There  has  been  a  great  desire  on  the  part  of  many 
 colonists  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand  that  the  British 
 Government  should  annex  the  New  Hebrides  to  the  British 
 crown.  Several  petitions  were  sent  to  Her  Majesty  on 
 this  subject,  but  the  British  Government  decline  to  do  it. 
 Again  and  again  there  have  been  rumours  that  the  French 
 
 2d 
 
4 1 8  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Government  at  New  Caledonia  had  thouglits  of  annexing 
 them.  It  has  been  advocated  in  newspapers  and  periodi- 
 cals both  in  New  Caledonia  and  in  France,  The  reasons 
 alleged  for  this  are,  that  the  group  is  contiguous  to  the 
 French  colony,  and  possesses  excellent  soil  for  the  growth  of 
 food  for  prisoners,  and  safe  harbours  for  vessels,  both  of 
 which  New  Caledonia  wants.  But,  from  what  we  have  seen 
 of  the  effect  of  French  annexation  of  islands  in  the  South 
 Seas,  where  Protestant  missions  had  been  in  operation,  we 
 would  dejDlore  any  more  of  our  mission  spheres  falling  into 
 their  hands.  Their  seizure  of  the  Society  Islands  and  of 
 the  Loyalty  Islands  inflicted  great  injury  on  the  missions 
 wliich  had  been  established  and  sustained  by  British 
 subjects. 
 
 The  New  Hebrides  were  discovered,  for  the  most  part, 
 by  a  British  of&cer ;  several  of  them  have  been  carefully 
 surveyed  by  British  ships ;  justice  has,  for  a  long  series  of 
 years,  been  solely  administered  by  British  ships  of  war ;  the 
 missionaries  have  all  been  British  subjects  ;  the  settlers  have 
 almost  all  been  British  subjects  ;  and  even  the  very  natives 
 themselves  prefer  the  British  to  the  French.  Surely  these 
 are  claims  on  the  British  Government  to  prevent  the  islands 
 being  seized  by  France ;  to  afford  them  some  regular  pro- 
 tection; and  even  to  annex  them  to  Fiji.  They  could  be 
 governed  by  an  officer  of  the  Fiji  Government  sailing  from 
 island  to  island  in  a  gunboat. 
 
 The  case  with  these  islands  is  entirely  different  from 
 Fiji.  In  the  latter,  one  chief  had  gained  paramount  sway, 
 and  the  sovereignty  was  offered  by  him  and  his  subordinate 
 chiefs  to  the  British  crown.  The  chiefs  on  the  New 
 Hebrides  have  no  more  authority  than  over  a  village  or 
 two.  No  island  has  a  single  high  chief.  There  are 
 some  thirty  different  languages.  Concerted  action  is  im- 
 possible ;  but  a  friendly  power,  as  the  British  Government 
 has  always  been,  would  meet  with  more  sympathy  and 
 support  than  any  other  in  taking  possession.      The  popula- 
 
THE  LABOUR  TRAFFIC  AND  KIDNAPPING.     419 
 
 tion  is  decreasing  rapidly,  and  will  speedily  die  out. 
 Settlers  from  Fiji  and  the  other  colonies  are  going  to  the 
 New  Hebrides ;  and,  attracted  by  its  rich  soil,  many  more 
 will  go.  Every  tropical  fruit  may  be  cultivated  there. 
 The  way  has  been  pioneered  by  missionaries  on  several  of 
 the  islands ;  and  the  annexation  of  the  group  would  be  a 
 great  boon  to  philanthropy,  commerce,  and  religion. 
 
 At  any  rate,  we  have  no  doubt  that  the  British  Govern- 
 ment will  not  fail  to  carry  out  the  expressed  wish  of  the 
 British  people,  that  these  weak  and  fading  races  shall  be 
 protected,  that  legitimate  commerce  shall  be  encouraged, 
 and  that  full  opportunity  shall  be  secured  to  those  who  go 
 among  the  savage  cannibals  of  the  South  Seas  to  enlighten 
 them  in  the  religion  of  Christ.  As  the  voice  of  Livingstone 
 pleads  for  the  oppressed  African, — so  many  of  whom  have 
 been  kidnapped  from  their  homes, — so  the  voice  of  the 
 martyr-Bishop  Patteson  pleads  to  Britain  for  the  mauy- 
 tongued  and  long  ill-used  islanders  of  Polynesia. 
 
 '  Yes,  thou  hast  visited  the  caves,  and  cheered 
 The  gloomy  haunts  of  sorrow  ;  thou  hast  shed 
 A  beam  of  comfort  and  of  righteousness 
 On  isles  remote  ;  thou  hast  bid  the  bread-fruit  shade 
 The  hesperian  regions  ;  and  hast  softened  much, 
 With  bland  amelioration,  and  with  charms 
 Of  social  sweetness,  the  hard  lot  of  man. '—  W.  L.  Bowles. 
 
CHAPTER    XXVI. 
 
 THE    MELANESIAN    MISSION. 
 
 '  The  immense  Pacific  smiles 
 Round  a  thousand  little  isles — 
 Haunts  of  violence  and  ^viles. 
 But  the  powers  of  darkness  yield, 
 For  The  Cross  is  in  the  field, 
 And  The  Light  of  Life  revealed. ' 
 
 —James  Montgomery. 
 
 The  diocese  of  the  first  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  the 
 apostolic  Dr.  G.  A.  Selvvyn,  embraced  eighty-four  degrees 
 of  latitude,  from  50°  south  to  34°  north,  by  a  mistake  of 
 geography  in  his  letters  patent  issued  by  the  British 
 Colonial  Office.  The  diocese  was  also  made  to  extend  over 
 twenty  degrees  of  longitude,  and  this  covered  an  area  of 
 4800  miles  by  1200.  It  was,  perhaps,  the  largest  diocese 
 ever  marked  out  for  one  bishop,  and  may  truly  be  said  to 
 have  embraced  '  a  thousand  little  isles.'  They  were  almost 
 all  '  haunts  of  violence  and  wiles.'  Occupied  as  the  Bishop 
 of  New  Zealand  was  with  the  duties  of  his  wide  colonial 
 diocese,  itself  now  divided  into  six,  he  frequently  sailed 
 along  the  coast,  and  became  quite  as  expert  in  managing 
 small  craft  at  sea,  as  the  Cambridge  boat  in  his  university 
 days.  For  several  years,  however,  he  was  not  able  to  do 
 anything  for  the  heathen  islands  stretching  over  the  South 
 Seas.  Still  their  case  lay  near  his  heart,  and  in  1847  he 
 set  sail  in  H.M.S.  Dido  on  a  voyage  of  inspection,  as  we 
 have  already  stated.     In  1849,  he  took  a  voyage  in  his 
 
THE  MELANESIAN  MISSION.  421 
 
 small  schooner,  the  Undine,  of  twenty-one  tons,  with  a 
 crew  of  four  men.  He  reached  Aneityum,  the  most  south- 
 erly island  of  the  New  Hebrides,  in  ten  days,  having  sailed 
 1000  miles  from  Auckland.  There  he  met  Captain  (now 
 Admiral)  Erskine  of  H.M.S.  Havannah,  in  whose  company 
 he  proposed  making  his  trial  voyage.  The  object  the 
 bishop  had  was  to  get  young  lads  from  the  New  Hebrides, 
 the  Loyalty  Islands,  and  Xew  Caledonia,  to  be  taken  to 
 Auckland  and  instructed  during  the  summer  months,  and 
 then  to  return  them  to  their  own  homes  in  the  winter. 
 For  this  purpose  he  founded  at  Auckland  a  college  in 
 which  these  young  men  could  be  trained  in  reading,  writing, 
 and  in  the  elementary  truths  of  the  Scriptures.  In  this  he 
 was  assisted  by  Archdeacon  (afterwards  Bishop)  Abraham, 
 a  lifelong  friend,  and  others.  The  Bishop  of  New  Zealand 
 liad  a  wonderful  art  in  gaining  the  confidence  of  the  savage 
 islanders  of  the  Southern  Seas.  Though  the  languages  of 
 the  islands  were  in  most  cases  different  from  each  other, 
 he  picked  up  a  few  words  in  them,  and  he  carefully  noted 
 down  the  names  of  chiefs  whom  he  met  on  one  voyage, 
 and  as  carefully  inquired  for  them  by  name  when  he  next 
 visited  their  island.  Human  nature  is  the  same  all  the 
 world  over;  people  like  to  be  remembered  by  name.  And 
 in  this  way  Dr.  Selwyn  gained  a  place  in  the  affections  of 
 cannibal  peoples.  He  extended  his  voyages  from  year  to 
 year  towards  the  north,  as  his  acquaintance  with  the  seas 
 and  the  people  increased,  and  as  he  got  a  larger  vessel. 
 Most  of  the  islands  between  New  Zealand  and  the  Santa 
 Cruz  group  were  visited  by  him  ;  and,  with  the  exception  of 
 the  Loyalty  Islands  and  the  southern  portion  of  the  New 
 Hebrides,  most  were  without  European  missionaries  or  even 
 native  teachers.  He  had  zeal,  wisdom,  and  courage  equal 
 to  his  peculiar  trials  and  difficulties.  Few  men  have  braved 
 so  many  dangers,  with  less  means  of  defence,  in  the  service 
 of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  In  his  first  voyages  he  had  no 
 charts,  and   had  for  several  voyages  to   rely  on  his  own 
 
42  2  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 drawings  and  on  some  old  Spanish  and  Eussian  charts. 
 He  had  to  command  his  vessel,  take  observations,  calculate 
 distances,  pull  a  rope,  and  manage  people  on  board  speak- 
 ing perhaps  ten  languages.  When  he  had  these  natives  on 
 board,  sometimes  they  brought  their  wives  with  them,  and 
 the  bishop  made  dresses  for  the  women,  and  when  they 
 were  sick  he  even  washed  their  babies.^ 
 
 It  was  thus  the  Melanesian  mission  was  founded.  In 
 1850,  he  attended  a  meeting  of  bishops  of  Australia  in 
 Sydney,  and  got  an  Australasian  Board  of  Missions  estab- 
 lished, which  had  for  its  objects  the  conversion  and  civi- 
 lisation of  the  aborigines  of  Australia  and  the  natives  of 
 Western  Polynesia.  A  branch  of  this  was  formed  at  Auck- 
 land in  1851.  By  contributions  from  Australia,  the  Border 
 Maid,  a  schooner  of  one  hundred  tons,  was  furnished ;  and 
 in  1851,  the  Bishop  of  Newcastle,  New  South  Wales,  who 
 had  been  Bishop  Selwyn's  comrade  in  the  Cambridge  Uni- 
 versity boat,  accompanied  him  on  a  voyage.  In  1855,  the 
 Ptcv.  John  Coleridge  Patteson,  M.A.,  joined  him  expressly  for 
 missionary  work,  and  Dr.  Selwyn  trained  him  to  take  the 
 complete  charge  of  the  Melanesian  mission.  The  Bishop  of 
 New  Zealand  raised  .£10,000  as  an  endowment  for  an  epis- 
 copal see  among  the  isles,  and  Mr.  Patteson  was  consecrated 
 Bishop  of  Melanesia  in  1861.  Bishop  Patteson  had  a  pro- 
 found respect  for  the  Bishop  of  New  Zealand,  and  ever  set 
 before  him  the  self-denying  example  of  his  pioneer  chief. 
 Bishop  Patteson  carried  out  the  mode  of  work  as  the  Bishop 
 of  New  Zealand  had  planned  it,  and  collected  bands  of 
 young  men,  who  were  trained  first  at  Auckland,  and  after- 
 wards in  Norfolk  Island,  to  which  the  headquarters  of  the 
 mission  were  removed.  He  was  joined  by  the  Eev.  E.  H. 
 Codrington,  M.A.,  of  Wadham  College,  Oxford,  who,  like 
 himself,  laboured  gratuitously.  They  together  trained  young 
 men  as  missionaries  to  their  fellow-countrymen.  The 
 chief   sphere    of   Bishop    Patteson's    labours    was    in    the 
 
 ^  See  Life,  of  Bishop  Patteson,  vol.  i. 
 
THE  AIELANESIAN  MISSION.  423 
 
 Northern  Xew  Hebrides,  the  Banks'  and  Solomon  groups. 
 Between  the  latter  lay  the  Santa  Cruz  and  Swallow  Isles, 
 where  he  eagerly  sought  openings.  The  islanders  generally 
 were  much  attached  to  him ;  and  when  he  fell  a  martyr 
 at  Nakapu,  in  the  Swallow  group,  he  left  his  mantle  on  the 
 members  of  the  Melanesian  mission  to  pursue  his  work. 
 They  have  done  this  in  sorrow,  but  not  without  hope  that 
 in  the  great  day  he  and  they  may  rejoice  together  over 
 ransomed  Melanesians. 
 
 '  0  saintly  dead,  thou  art  not  dead,  translated  ; 
 
 'Tis  o'er  the  rapt  Elijah  that  we  weep. 
 "What  matter  by  the  fire  and  steeds  elated, 
 Or  rude  boat  rocking  ou  the  sunlit  deep  ? 
 
 '  He  comes  again  transfigured  in  the  glory  ; 
 His  fallen  mantle  leaves  us  not  the  while  ; 
 His  spirit  wafts  through  other  lips  the  story 
 Of  Christ,  of  heaven,  to  each  heathen  isle. 
 
 '  Alone  he  died,  but  not  alone  returneth ; 
 Amid  the  dazzling  ranks  of  Christ's  array. 
 No  starry  banner  with  more  lustre  burnetii 
 Than  this  pure  cross  of  stars  in  that  great  day. 
 
 '  The  island  tribes  shall  swell  the  grand  procession. 
 The  island  martyrs  crowned  and  leading  these  ; 
 They  still  shall  hail  him,  in  their  blest  possession, 
 Their  own  apostle  of  the  Southern  Seas.'  ^ 
 
 The  work  was  carried  on.  The  Eev.  E.  H.  Codrington, 
 M.A.,  while  declining  the  bishopric,  continued  the  mission, 
 and  the  Eev.  J.  E.  Selwyn,  M.A.,  a  son  of  the  pioneer 
 bishop,  was  found  willing  to  take  the  fallen  colours,  and 
 was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Melanesia  in  1877.  He  had 
 been  a  crack  oarsman  at  Cambridge,  and  has  proved  a  good 
 oceanic  missionary. 
 
 The  Synod  of  the  New  Hebrides  mission  felt  deeply  the 
 loss  of  Bishop  Patteson,  and  passed  the  following  resolution : 
 '  In  common  with  the  whole  Christian  world,  the  members 
 of  this  mission  have  been  deeply  moved  by  this  lamentable 
 
 ^  The  Rev.  Zachary  Barry,  LL.D.,  Sydney. 
 
424  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 event.  In  every  organ  of  public  opinion,  from  the  Queen's 
 speech  at  the  opening  of  Parliament  down  to  the  humblest 
 colonial  newspaper,  this  murder  has  been  traced  to  the 
 slave  trade  in  these  seas,  against  which  this  mission  has 
 so  earnestly  testified  and  so  strongly  protested.  Bishop 
 Patteson  took  always  a  deep  and  friendly  interest  in  this 
 mission,  and  was  ever  ready  to  render  any  assistance  to  it 
 that  lay  in  his  power,  and  these  feelings  were  warmly 
 reciprocated  by  every  member  of  this  mission. 
 
 '  Bishop  Patteson's  talents,  acquirements,  social  position, 
 and  earnest  piety,  with  his  abundant  and  wisely-directed 
 labours,  have  greatly  elevated  the  character  of  missions  in 
 the  estimation  of  all  classes,  both  in  the  colonies  and 
 throughout  the  British  empire,  and  have  conveyed  unspeak- 
 able benefits  to  the  degraded  natives  in  Western  Polynesia. 
 
 '  The  mission  herewith  records  its  sincere  sympathy  with 
 the  members  of  the  Melanesian  mission,  also  with  the 
 relatives  of  Bishop  Patteson,  the  Pev.  Mr.  Atkin,  and  the 
 native  assistant  Stephen,  on  the  irreparable  loss  which  they 
 have  sustained  by  these  lamented  deaths.  All  three  were 
 cut  down  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  in  the  midst  of  extensive 
 usefulness. 
 
 '  The  prayer  of  this  mission  is  that  He  who  brings  good 
 out  of  evil  and  light  out  of  darkness,  who  makes  the  very 
 wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  may  overrule  this  tragical  and 
 mournful  event  for  the  advancement  of  His  own  glory  and 
 the  more  speedy  evangelization  of  these  islands.' 
 
 Tlie  mission  schooner  the  Southern  Cross  has  an  auxiliary 
 screw,  and  can  thus  use  steam-power.  The  working  of  her 
 machinery  has,  however,  been  expensive ;  but  the  Melane- 
 sian mission  could  not  carry  on  its  work  without  it.  Bishop 
 Selwyn,  in  his  publication  when  in  England  in  1879,  ex- 
 presses a  wish  to  get  a  smaller  vessel  of  thirty  tons  as  a 
 tender,  to  cruise  among  the  islands  when  the  Southern  Cross 
 is  on  longer  voyages  or  away  at  New  Zealand. 
 
 The   mission  estate  on   Norfolk   Island   contains    1000 
 
THE  MELANESIAN  MISSION.  425 
 
 acres,  about  one-ninth  of  the  whole  land.  £2000  were 
 paid  for  it  to  the  Government.  Bishop  Patteson  contributed 
 £1000  from  his  private  funds  for  the  expense  of  removal 
 and  rebuilding.  Miss  Yonge,  the  talented  authoress,  and 
 afterwards  biographer  of  the  bishop,  gave  the  profits  of  her 
 Daisy  Chain,  and  other  sums,  amounting  to  about  £1000. 
 There  are  several  blocks  of  buildings  for  the  bishop,  clergy, 
 and  scholars,  chapel,  schools,  and  workshops.  Farm  work 
 and  mechanical  operations  are  carried  on,  whereby  the 
 island  youths  and  their  wives  (for  many  have  wives)  are 
 instructed  and  civilised. 
 
 Lessons  in  different  languages  alternate  with  work,  and 
 religious  exercises  are  daily  observed.  Altogether,  the 
 institution  and  its  ramifications  are  an  experiment  of  the 
 most  interesting  nature  in  modern  missions. 
 
 It  would  not  become  me  to  attempt  to  describe  matters 
 with  which  I  am  not  so  familiar,  the  ordinary  working  of 
 this  mission ;  but  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  attach  this  record 
 to  my  account  of  the  New  Hebrides  mission,  and  to  bid 
 God-speed  to  a  work  which  has  already  been  honoured  by 
 the  divine  blessinq; ;  and  to  recommend  an  effort  in  the 
 same  direction  to  the  missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian 
 Church  in  the  New  Hebrides,  in  addition  to  all  they  have 
 in  operation.  What  a  happy  issue  it  would  be  to  have 
 trained  teachers,  and  ordained  native  ministers  in  charge  of 
 spheres  of  labour  !  It  was  the  happiness  of  Bishop  Patteson 
 to  ordain  some;  and  Bishop  Selwyn  in  1878  held  his  first 
 ordination  in  the  South  Seas,  and  set  apart  Edwin  Sakelrau 
 at  Ara. 
 
 The  following  nari'ative,  published  in  the  Melbourne  Argus 
 in  1874,  gives  a  very  pleasing  account  of  St.  Barnabas  at 
 Norfolk  Island : — 
 
 '  It  was  on  Sunday  the  22d  November  last  that  I  visited  the  Melanesian 
 mission  station.  There  is  a  good  road  to  the  station  from  Sydney  Bay,  and 
 along  its  course  may  be  seen  some  of  the  most  picturesque  views  to  be  obtained 
 in  this  beautiful  island.     The  journey  was  over  undulating  country,  some- 
 
4  2  6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 times  tlirougli  groves  of  magnificent  Norfolk  Island  pine,  past  clusters  of 
 white  oak  on  the  gentle  acclivities,  and  frequent  bushes  of  wild  lemon.  The 
 thick  carpet  of  grass  was  frequently  covered  with  flocks  of  wild  pigeons,  and 
 occasionally  a  few  jAeasants  were  startled  from  the  covert.  Approacliing  the 
 station,  some  of  the  cultivated  farm  lands  of  the  mission  attract  attention, 
 and  the  fenced  gi'ounds  give  an  air  of  settled  comfort  to  the  neighbourhood. 
 The  mission-houses  are  pleasant-looking  wooden  buildings,  some  of  them 
 prettily  decorated  with  flowering  creepers  ;  and  the  church  is  quite  an  impos- 
 ing building  for  so  small  a  community.  A  conspicuous  object  in  the  church 
 is  a  tablet  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Bishop  Patteson.  The  rooms  of 
 the  martyred  bishop  are  preserved  with  reverent  care  in  the  precise  condition 
 in  which  they  were  left  by  him  when  he  started  on  his  fatal  cruise.  There  is 
 the  old  chair  given  him  by  his  father,  his  favourite  books  and  pictures,  and 
 many  little  objects  he  liked  to  have  near  him  in  his  plainly- furnished  dwell- 
 ing. There  is  also  a  photograph  of  the  late  bishop,  taken  a  year  or  so  before 
 his  death.  No  one  who  had  not  seen  him  since  his  visit  to  Melbourne,  some 
 ten  years  ago,  would  have  recognised  him  in  the  picture.  Instead  of  the 
 youthful  bright  look  of  health  and  strength,  and  the  calm  confidence  of 
 manner  which  pervaded  him  at  the  time  referred  to,  the  portrait  is  that  of  a 
 man  much  older  than  his  years  should  make  him,  and  having  an  inexpressibly 
 sad  and  wearied  expression. 
 
 '  A  few  of  them  are  married,  and  there  are  some  unmarried  girls  among  them, 
 of  whom  Mrs.  Sehvyn  takes  charge.  The  dress  of  the  boys  is  a  flannel  shirt 
 and  trousers,  both  garments  being  of  divers  hues.  In  addition  to  this  they 
 ornament  their  hair  with  bright-coloured  flowers.  I  first  saw  the  students  at 
 dinner  in  the  large  schoolroom,  where  they  have  their  meals  with  the  mission 
 staff".  Silence  is  not  enforced  on  these  occasions,  but  perfect  order  was  pre- 
 served, and  the  islanders  conducted  themselves  fully  as  well  as  the  boys  of 
 any  ordinary  public  school  would  on  such  an  occasion.  Those  only  who  have 
 seen  these  people  in  their  savage  state  can  appreciate  the  labour  which  must 
 have  been  employed  in  instilling  order  and  docility  into  them.  They  had  all 
 lost  the  wild  look  that  a  savage  in  his  own  home  has,  and  they  all  appeared 
 to  be  aff"ectionate  and  docile  in  their  demeanour.  Bishop  Patteson  wrote  of 
 them  :  "  They  are  most  lovable  fellows;  we  all  become  very  much  attached 
 to  them  ;  but  they  were  rather  difl'erent  when  first  we  made  their  acc^uaint- 
 ance."  Instruction  is  carried  on  in  an  endless  variety  of  dialects  and  lan- 
 guages, but  the  common  tongue  agi-eed  upon,  and  that  in  which  the  books 
 are  printed,  is  Mota.  The  young  men  are  not  allowed  to  become  ministers, 
 or  even  church  members,  until  after  long  trial  ;  but  even  then  disappoint- 
 ment is  often  met  with.  The  most  promising  trainee  will  sometimes  suffer 
 a  startling  moral  lapse,  and  the  work  is  conducted  under  circumstances  of 
 trying  discouragement.  No  servants  are  allowed  in  the  institution,  but  those 
 who  volunteer  little  services  receive  a  small  payment.  The  school  is  looked 
 to  as  the  gi-eat  work  of  the  mission,  and  it  is  sought  to  form  the  characters 
 of  the  boys  by  close  and  personal  instruction.  Each  member  of  the  European 
 staff'  has  a  separate  house,  and  the  boys  are  lodged  with  the  individual  mem- 
 bers in  difl'erent  lots.     The  students  are  encouraged  to  be  friendly,  and  speak 
 
THE  MELANESIAN  MISSION.  427 
 
 opeuh^  with  tlieir  teachers,  and  the  discipline  seems  to  be  tlaat  of  a  well- 
 ordered  family.  The  lads  appeared  to  be  gentle  and  good-humoured,  some 
 of  them  engaging  in  manner,  and  they  are  said  to  take  great  care  of  their 
 lesson  books. 
 
 '  In  the  evening  I  saw  the  students  in  church.  They  sat  in  rows  upon 
 forms,  and  no  congregation  could  have  been  more  reverent  or  attentive.  The 
 devotional  exercises  consisted  of  the  evening  service  of  the  Church  of  England 
 translated  into  Mota,  followed  by  a  brief  sermon  from  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Cod- 
 rington,  M.A.,  the  present  head  of  the  mission.  The  Rev.  J.  R.  Selwyn  and 
 the  Rev.  J.  Still  also  took  part  in  the  services.  Mota  in  print  looks  as  un- 
 promising as  English  spelt  backwards,  but  when  s])oken  it  is  a  singularly 
 musical  language.  The  congregation,  led  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brook  at  the 
 harmonium,  chanted  the  Magnificat,  the  Nunc  Dimittis,  and  the  Psalms,  in 
 excellent  style.  One  of  the  Melanesians  read  a  lesson  from  the  New  Testa- 
 ment fluently,  and  the  behaviour  of  the  students  throughout  Mr.  Codring- 
 ton's  address  was  marked  by  an  unwavering  attention,  which  seemed  to  show 
 that  they  followed  all  that  was  said.  The  boys,  however,  are  not  deficient 
 in  life  and  spirits,  as  was  apparent  the  following  morning,  when  I  saw  them 
 engaged  in  the  game  of ' '  French  and  English. "  Their  shouting  and  laughing 
 could  have  been  heard  a  mile  off.  The  clergy  of  the  mission  diocese  are  now 
 seven  Europeans,  and  one  native  in  priest's  orders,  and  three  native  deacons  ; 
 the  native  priest  and  two  deacons  being  settled  in  the  Banks'  Islands.  There 
 are  nine  native  schools  established  in  the  Solomon  and  Banks'  Islands  under 
 native  clergy  and  teachers  trained  in  the  mission.  The  winter  voyages  among 
 the  islands  extend  over  more  than  seven  months  of  time  and  18,000  miles  of  sea. 
 This  is  the  most  arduous  part  of  the  work  connected  with  the  mission.  The 
 voyages  are  prosecuted  under  circumstances  of  continual  hardship  and  danger. 
 '  To  feed  and  clothe  184  students  is  no  slight  undertaking.  The  mission  is 
 much  indebted  to  friends  in  New  Zealand  and  South  Australia  for  welcome 
 gifts  of  clothing  ;  but  there  still  remains  a  great  deal  of  work  in  the  hands  of 
 the  ladies  of  the  mission  and  the  female  scholars.  The  food  for  so  many 
 mouths  is  more  than  the  farm  can  supply,  and  even  under  favourable  circum- 
 stances of  weather  and  crops,  large  quantities  of  biscuit,  rice,  and  sugar  have 
 to  be  imported.  The  staple  food,  however, — sweet  potatoes  and  maize,  with 
 very  much  of  the  meat, — is  produced  on  the  place,  and  the  industry  employed 
 in  the  production  of  it  is  looked  upon  as  a  large  part  of  the  training  of  the 
 Melanesians.  The  islanders  soon  learn  to  read  and  to  write  a  fair  hand. 
 What  seems  most  remarkable  is  the  existence  of  a  printing  office,  and  South 
 Sea  Island  compositors  as  leading  instruments  in  the  mission  work.  When 
 a  savage  has  been  taught  an  art,  it  seems  a  wide  step  in  the  direction  of 
 civilisation.  The  Pitcairners  had  never  seen  a  printing-press  untU  the  one 
 in  use  at  the  mission  arrived  on  the  island,  and  many  of  them  felt  impelled 
 to  visit  it. 
 
 '  The  impression  one  gains  altogether  by  a  visit  to  the  Melanesian  mission 
 station  is  that  a  great  deal  of  unceasing  hard  work  is  gone  through  every  day, 
 and  that  what  is  done  is  understated  in  the  modestly-worded  reports  which 
 are  issued  by  the  principal.' 
 
428  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 The  field  of  the  Melanesian  mission  embraces  groups  of 
 islands  from  the  northern  part  of  the  New  Hebrides  to  the 
 Solomon  group,  and  extends  from  17°  to  7°  south  latitude, 
 and  from  168°  to  158°  east  longitude.  There  are  very 
 many  islands  in  the  diocese  of  Bishop  Selwyn,  some  of 
 which,  especially  in  the  Solomon  group,  are  very  large. 
 There  is  a  great  work  yet  to  be  done  to  bring  the  dusky 
 tribes  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  Bishop  Selwyn  is  well 
 adapted  to  the  work,  and  takes  w^ell  to  the  sea  and  the 
 rough  life  among  the  islands.  He  is  more  careful  than 
 Bishop  Patteson  was,  both  in  his  manner  of  life  and 
 exposure.  Bishop  Patteson  injured  his  health  by  living 
 too  much  upon  native  food.  ]\Iissionaries  in  Polynesia  do 
 not  generally  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  do  so,  and  as 
 Bishop  Selwyn  says,  '  I  do  not  think  other  people  are 
 gifted  with  his  taste  for  liking  native  food.' 
 
 If  the  mission  be  adequately  sustained,  and  well  sup- 
 plied with  European  clergy,  much  progress  may  be  made, 
 especially  as  after  so  many  years  native  youth  are  being 
 well  instructed  in  the  gospel.  Dr.  Selwyn  ordained  Edwin 
 Sakelrau  in  April  1878,  to  be  missionary  at  Ara  in 
 the  Banks'  group.  Among  these  islands  the  Melanesian 
 mission  has  won  its  greatest  success.  But  it  is  pushing  on 
 to  the  Santa  Cruz  Islands,  and  has  got  a  good  footing  on 
 Nakapu,  where  Bishop  Patteson  perished.  The  Eev.  John 
 Still  had  taken  charge  of  the  work  in  the  island  of  San 
 Cristoval,  but  his  place  now  requires  to  be  filled  up.  The 
 Eev.  Alfred  Penny  has  charge  of  Florida,  and  a  colleague 
 is  wanted  for  him  at  Savo.  The  Eev.  John  Palmer  has 
 laboured  at  Mota.  '  The  islands  of  the  Santa  Cruz  group,' 
 says  Bishop  Selwyn,  '  offer  a  glorious  work  to  any  one  who 
 will  try  to  "  avenge  "  Bishop  Patteson's  death.' 
 
 It  is  not  his  death  alone  that  thus  needs  to  be  avenged 
 in  love.  Around  these  islands  martys  of  discovery  and 
 humanity  as  well  as  of  religion  met  their  death.  The  bold 
 Spanish    adventurer   Mendana   died   near   Santa    Cruz   in 
 
 J 
 
THE  MELANESIAN  MISSION.  429 
 
 1595.  Captain  Cartaret's  expedition  in  H.M.S.  Sivcdlow 
 had  experience  of  sorrow  there  in  1767.  He  was  himself 
 ill,  his  master  was  mortally  wounded,  the  lieutenant,  gunner, 
 and  thirty  men  were  rendered  incapable  of  duty.  Several  of 
 them  died  there.  The  great  French  navigator  La  Perouse, 
 who  surveyed  so  much  of  the  Pacific  coast,  perished,  with 
 all  his  company,  at  Vanikoro,  the  southern  island  of  the 
 group,  in  1788.  D'Entrecasteaux,  sent  to  search  for  La 
 Perouse  in  1793,  died  as  he  sailed  from  Santa  Cruz  to  the 
 Solomon  Islands.  In  1864,  Bishop  Patteson's  boat  was 
 attacked,  and  two  of  his  faithful  assistants  in  the  mission, 
 sons  of  Norfolk  islanders,  EDwaN  jSTobbs  and  Fisher  Youxg, 
 died  from  the  wounds  inflicted  by  the  savage  natives, 
 suffering  severely  from  the  agonies  of  tetanus,  but  in 
 peace  with  God  their  Saviour.  In  September  1871,  Bishop 
 Pattesox  fell  under  the  clubs  of  the  heathen  a  short 
 distance  off,  in  the  Swallow  group,  while  his  thoughts  v^'ere 
 full  of  Santa  Cruz  and  its  people.  And  lastly,  when  on  a 
 mission  of  humanity  to  the  natives  of  the  same  island,  the 
 excellent  Commodore  Goodenough  died  from  their  hostile 
 arrows.  Thus  for  nearly  three  centuries  has  the  history  of 
 the  Santa  Cruz  Islands  been  tragic  in  relation  to  European 
 life.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is  the  only  means  of  changing 
 such  savage  people.  The  Hawaian  Islands,  where  Cook 
 perished,  have  been  Christianized.  The  Samoan  islanders, 
 where  La  Perouse  and  others  were  in  danger,  have  been 
 Christianized.  Fiji,  where  many  deeds  of  blood  were 
 perpetrated  by  a  cannibal  people,  has  been  Christianized. 
 The  New  Hebrides,  w^here  Williams  and  Harris,  and  the 
 Gordons,  and  many  native  teachers,  suffered  violent  deaths, 
 are  yielding  to  the  gospel  of  Christ.  In  the  Banks'  group, 
 ]\Iota  is  Christian,  and  the  others  are  receiving  teachers. 
 The  blood  of  the  martyrs  in  the  Santa  Cruz  archipelago  and 
 in  the  Solomon  Islands  will  also  be  the  seed  of  the  Church, 
 and  the  Melanesian  mission  will  reap  the  harvest  from  the 
 seed  of  blood. 
 
430  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  Then  let  us  brace  the  languid  arm, 
 
 And  nerve  the  feeble  knee  : 
 Deem  not  those  lives,  those  toils,  those  deatlis, 
 
 Unfruitful ;  faith  can  see 
 In  each  a  germ  of  gospel  growth 
 
 Of  blessings  yet  to  be. 
 The  islands  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
 
 Misnamed  by  vaunting  Spain, 
 What  time  she  swept  the  tropic  seas 
 
 For  glory  or  for  gain, 
 Shall  win  and  hold  that  blessed  name 
 
 Through  bishop,  sailors  slain.' 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTES  OF  A  CRUISE  THROUGH  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES 
 IN  THE  MISSION  VESSEL  IN  1874. 
 
 '  EoU  on,  thou  mighty  ocean, 
 
 And  as  thy  billows  flow, 
 Bear  messengers  of  mercy 
 
 To  every  land  below. 
 Arise,  ye  gales,  and  waft  them 
 
 Safe  to  the  destined  shore, 
 That  man  may  sit  in  darkness, 
 
 And  death's  sleep  sleep  no  more. 
 
 '  0  Thou  Eternal  Ruler, 
 
 Who  rulest  with  Thine  arm 
 The  tempest  of  the  ocean, 
 
 Protect  them  from  all  harm. 
 Thy  presence  still  be  with  them, 
 
 Wherever  they  may  be  ; 
 Though  far  from  those  that  love  them. 
 
 Still  let  them  be  with  Thee. ' 
 
 Having  received  a  furlough,  through  the  kindness  of  my  con- 
 gregation, after  twelve  years'  continual  labour  in  the  city  of 
 Sydney,  I  resolved  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  islands  of  the  New 
 Hebrides.  I  had  for  several  years  been  deeply  interested  in  the 
 work  of  missions  there,  and  I  had,  on  behalf  of  Churches  support- 
 ing missionaries,  been  in  constant  correspondence  with  brethren 
 labouring  to  promote  Christianity  among  them.  The  new 
 mission  vessel  was  about  to  sail,  and  I  was  favoured  with  a 
 passage.  It  was  not  easy  to  get  away  from  the  many  duties  of  a 
 city  pastorate,  and  there  was  quite  a  bustle  at  the  last.  This 
 was  intensified  by  the  work  on  board ;  for  the  vessel,  since  her 
 purchase,  had  to  be  fitted  Avith  cabins,  and  otherwise  made 
 suitable  for  conveying  missionaries,  native  teachers,  and  others. 
 The  carpenters  were  busy  till  the  very  day  fixed  for  sailing. 
 There  was  therefore  no  time  to  get  cabins  arranged  till  we  sailed. 
 
432  APPENDIX. 
 
 Punctually  at  the  time  appointed,  on  the  afternoon  of  Satur- 
 day the  5th  April  1874,  the  steam-tug  bore  the  Paragon  from 
 the  wharf.  There  were  on  board  three  missionaries — the  Eev. 
 Joseph  Copeland,  Avhose  wife  and  family  remained  for  the  year 
 in  the  colony ;  the  Eev.  John  Goodwill,  his  wife  and  two 
 children,  with  a  native  nurse  ;  the  Eev.  John  G.  Paton,  his  wife 
 and  two  children,  with  a  native  nurse.  This  pleasant  company 
 T  joined.  The  brethren  had  all  been  actively  engaged  during 
 the  six  months  of  their  residence  in  the  colonies,  but  were  con- 
 siderably recruited  for  their  work  on  the  islands.  Of  one  only 
 was  there  doubt  regarding  his  continuance  in  the  mission.  The 
 Rev.  John  Goodwill  had  been  warned  by  medical  men  that  his 
 family  could  not  stand  the  tropical  climate.  However,  he  was 
 anxious  to  revisit  the  field,  and  see  what  he  might  be  able  to  do, 
 and  how  his  wife  and  children  stood  the  voyage. 
 
 As  we  were  leaving  the  M'harf,  there  were  many  kind  friends 
 assembled  to  bid  us  farewell,  some  of  whom  accompanied  us 
 down  the  harbour  in  the  steam-tug,  '  Farewell '  is  ever  a  hard 
 word  to  utter,  and  it  is  often  said  with  tears.  We  were  sus- 
 ceptible of  all  tender  emotion,  and  felt  as  we  left  those  we  loved. 
 On  passing  the  Nautical  School  ship  Vernon,  we  were  surprised 
 by  the  sight  of  the  boys  on  the  yards  to  give  us  a  salute.  It  was 
 very  kind  of  them  and  of  their  commander.  Captain  Mein.  Some 
 of  these  boys,  as  well  as  their  captain,  attended  my  church,  and 
 they  had  been  often  visited  on  board. 
 
 The  tug  took  us  out  of  the  heads,  and  left  us  in  the  open  sea 
 about  five  o'clock.  The  evening  was  fair  and  the  sea  calm,  yet  to 
 me  the  swell  of  the  ship  was  enough  to  upset  me.  All  through 
 the  next  day  I  lay  on  deck,  among  others,  aff'ected  by  the  mal  de 
 mer.  Messrs.  Goodwill  and  Copeland,  not  aff'ected  thus,  were 
 '  ministering  angels '  to  me  as  well  as  to  other  fellow-passengers. 
 
 On  Monday  the  6th,  I  was  able  to  take  my  place  at  the  dinner 
 table,  and  though  occasionally  visited  Avith  sickness,  continued 
 to  keep  up  well  during  the  voyage.  On  Wednesday  we  were 
 three  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  Sydney,  and  nine  hundred 
 from  Aneityum.  A  good  breeze  sprang  up  on  Thursday,  and  the 
 vessel  lay  over  considerably.  She  does  this  when  the  wind  is 
 strong,  as  she  is  long  and  narrow ;  but  she  is  an  admirable  sea- 
 boat.  Her  decks  are  rarely  wet,  even  in  stormy  weather. 
 Indeed,  one  of  the  men  on  board  declared  that,  after  thirty-five 
 years  before  the  mast,  he  had  never  been  in  a  vessel  that  kei)t 
 so  dry  in  bad  weather.  On  this  day  we  passed  Ball's  Pyramid, 
 a  high  conical  rock  rising  eighteen  hundred  feet  out  of  the  sea. 
 It  was  a  striking  sight  as  it  stood  alone  in  the  '  wide  and  melan- 
 choly main.' 
 
APPENDIX.  433 
 
 At  the  end  of  our  first  week  we  were  in  south  latitude  28°  2G' 
 and  163°  50'  east  longitude,  seven  hundred  miles  from  Sydney. 
 We  had  made  only  one  hundred  miles  a  day,  and  were  still 
 about  five  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Aneityum. 
 
 On  Sunday  the  12th,  I  preached  to  the  ship's  company  in  the 
 forenoon  from  1  Cor.  ii.  9,  10  ;  the  Rev.  John  Goodwill  officiated 
 in  the  evening  from  Isaiah  xxvii.  4.  We  had  prayers  regularly 
 every  morning  and  evening,  each  taking  the  service  alternately 
 M'hen  able.  On  the  Wednesday  evenings  there  was  a  special 
 prayer-meeting,  accompanied  with  an  address. 
 
 The  Avind  fell  on  Monday  the  13th,  and  continued  calm  for 
 two  days.  W"e  passed  Walpole  Island  on  Tuesday  evening 
 aliout  nine  o'clock.  It  was  dark,  so  we  did  not  see  much.  It  is 
 a  low  rocky  island,  about  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  high  and 
 three  milfs  in  length.  It  is  situated  at  a  distance  of  one 
 hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  nearest  island  of  the  New 
 Hebrides. 
 
 ANEITYUM. 
 
 We  sighted  Aneityum  on  the  15  th,  but  the  sun  set  ere  we 
 were  near  enough  to  enter  within  the  reef.  AVe  lay  off  and  on 
 till  morning,  when  we  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Anelgauhat 
 al)out  seven  o'clock.  The  passage  was  thus  eleven  days.  We 
 were  all  glad  to  see  the  island,  especially  those  who  had  suf- 
 fered more  or  less  the  whole  voyage,  as  was  the  case  with  Mrs. 
 Paton. 
 
 The  island  of  Aneityum  is  hilly,  and  the  ridges  come  close 
 down  to  the  shore.  The  sides  of  the  hills  towards  the  sea  were 
 not  wooded,  though  inland  the  timber  is  large  and  abundant. 
 Cocoa-nut  trees  encircle  the  shore,  and  looked  very  pleasing  to  one 
 who  had  never  seen  them  befoi'e.  Their  long,  though  not  always 
 straiglit,  stems  and  the  feathery  crown  of  leaves  were  very 
 graceful.  The  mission  church  at  once  met  the  eye.  It  is  a  large 
 white  building.  The  mission-house  nestles  among  trees.  I  was 
 rather  disappointed  at  seeing  so  few  people.  I  had  imagined 
 that  a  crowd  would  be  gathered  to  hail  the  mission  vessel ;  but 
 its  arrival  in  this  harbour  is  too  common  an  occurrence  for  that 
 now.  As  it  Avas,  however,  there  was,  to  use  a  remark  of  Mr. 
 Copeland,  '  much  of  nature,  but  little  of  man.' 
 
 I  enjoyed  the  voj^age  much.  The  company  was  pleasant,  and 
 the  provisions  good.  The  captain  and  officers  were  attentive,  and 
 so  Avas  the  steward.  The  latter  had  been  in  a  similar  capacity 
 on  board  the  Jnhi  Williams^  and  Avas  quite  adapted  to  his  Avork. 
 He  could  put  his  hand  to  everything  necessary  to  make  the 
 
 2  E 
 
434  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 cabin  comfortable.  He  killed  sheep,  fowls,  pigs  ;  superintended 
 the  pantry,  and  attended  to  all  the  berths,  besides  waiting  at 
 table.  He  was  an  earnest  Christian  and  a  temperance  man.  He 
 did  everything  to  make  me  comfortable. 
 
 The  library  of  the  vessel  had  been  well  furnished  with  books, 
 and  I  had  much  pleasure  in  perusing  them.  1  took  none  of  my 
 own  except  Bible  and  hymn-book. 
 
 On  the  17th,  I  landed  along  with  Captain  Jenkins  and  the 
 mission  brethren.  We  called  on  the  Rev.  J.  D.  Murray  and  his 
 wife.  They  reside  in  the  house  formerly  occupied  by  the  Eev. 
 Dr.  Geddie,  who  founded  the  mission  in  the  island.  It  is  a 
 good  and  commodious  manse,  and  has  ample  out-houses.  Mr. 
 Murray  was  settled  here  in  1872,  and  has  just  acquired  the 
 language  and  got  fairly  into  his  regular  work.  He  is  a  scholarly 
 man,  and  of  remarkably  gentle  manner.  He  is  tall  and  well 
 built — exactly  the  opposite  of  the  small  and  wiry  form  of  his  pre- 
 decessor. His  people  are  all  professedly  Christian,  so  that  he 
 labours  more  as  a  pastor  than  as  a  missionary.  . 
 
 On  the  1 7th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paton  and  their  ffimily  went  with 
 the  captain  to  the  station  of  Anarae,  where  the  Rev.  John  Inglis 
 resides.  There  is  no  anchorage  on  that  side  for  the  vessel,  which 
 has  to  lie  oif  and  on  while  landing  his  stores. 
 
 Saturday  the  18th  being  wet,  we  were  confined  to  the  cabin  ; 
 but  on  the  Sabbath,  as  it  was  fair,  I  went  with  the  brethren  to 
 the  native  service  at  half-past  nine.  Owing  to  the  bad  weather  the 
 <lay  before,  the  attendance  was  small.  There  were  only  about 
 fifty  men  and  thirty  women,  who  looked  few  in  a  church  that 
 could  accommodate  six  hundred.  There  were  forms  around  the 
 sides  of  the  church,  but  the  majority  sat  or  rather  squatted  on 
 the  floor — the  men  on  one  side  and  the  women  on  the  other. 
 All  had  on  some  clothing.  The  men  had  shirts  and  Avrappers 
 round  their  loins.  I  saw  only  three  without  shirts,  and  one 
 of  them  had  on  a  vest.  The  women  wore  skirts  or  petti- 
 coats made  of  the  leaves  of  the  pandanus,  with  short-gowns  and 
 bonnets  of  native  manufacture.  All  had  small  bags  containing 
 their  copies  of  the  New  Testament,  some  books  of  the  Old,  and 
 hymn-book.  The  Rev.  Joseph  Copeland,  who  knows  the 
 language,  preached.  The  singing  was  very  low.  After  this 
 service  was  over,  I  preached  in  the  manse  to  the  mission  party 
 and  the  ship's  company.  In  the  evening  Mr.  Murray  preached 
 on  board,  when  the  saloon  was  filled. 
 
 On  Monday  the  20th,  I  took  a  walk  with  Mr.  Copeland,  and 
 visited  the  grave  of  a  missionary's  wife — Mrs.  Matheson,  who 
 died  in  the  house  of  her  uncle,  Dr.  Geddie,  after  she  and  her 
 husband,  and  Mr.  Paton  had  Hed  from  Tanna,  in  1862.     She  had 
 
APPENDIX.  435 
 
 Ijeeii  delicate  before  coming  to  the  islands,  and  so  had  her 
 husband,  but  in  the  trying  circumstances  her  death  was  a  sad 
 bereavement.  Mr.  Matheson  did  not  long  survive  her.  He  went 
 for  a  change  of  scene  to  the  island  of  Mare,  and  died  there.  A 
 date-palm  grows  on  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Matheson,  but  the  thick 
 growth  of  the  tropics  has  almost  covered  the  simple  tombstone 
 from  view. 
 
 It  was  interesting  to  walk  amidst  the  tropical  plants,  and  to 
 enter  a  native  house  and  see  its  bare  simplicity.  It  was  a  hut, 
 with  very  scanty  furniture,  and  thatched  from  ground  to  ridge.  A 
 few  bags  contained  all  the  wardrobe,  a  few  mats  the  bedding, 
 while  a  narrow  stick,  an  inch  thick,  elevated  about  six  inches  at 
 the  one  end,  was  all  the  pillow.  Passing  under  the  shade  of 
 bread-fruit  trees,  pandanus,  cocoa-nuts,  and  bananas,  we  came 
 to  a  stream  rushing  over  its  rocky  bed,  and  making  a  murmuring 
 noise,  never  heard  in  Australian  streams,  and  reminding  one 
 of  those  in  the  '  land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood.'  How  safe 
 to  walk  in  this  island  now  !  Thirty  years  ago  the  i^eople  were 
 tierce  and  cannibal ;  it  was  very  dangerous  to  land  on  their  shores. 
 The  gospel  has  produced  the  change. 
 
 We  left  Anelgauhat  harbour  on  the  evening  of  Monday  the 
 •20th.  Mrs.  Goodwill  and  her  children  remained  with  Mrs. 
 Murray ;  but  Mr.  Goodwill  was  anxious  to  revisit  his  station 
 on  the  island  of  Espiiitu  Santo.  When  we  got  out  to  sea  we 
 encountered  heavy  weather.  We  were  abreast  of  Aname,  Mr. 
 Inglis'  station,  in  the  morning.  It  was  too  rough  to  land  all 
 his  stores,  but  the  party  on  board  went  ashore.  I  had  never 
 been  in  a  small  boat  amidst  such  billows ;  but  under  the  guid- 
 ance of  Mr.  MArthur,  the  first  officer,  Avell  skilled  in  boating, 
 we  were  soon  borne  over  the  reef  which  fringes  this  island  for 
 the  most  part.  We  received  a  very  warm  welcome  from  Mr. 
 and  Mrs.  Inglis,  whom  I  had  met  in  Sydney  in  1863.  As  we 
 did  not  expect  to  stay  many  hours,  we  walked  over  all  the 
 premises,  including  church,  school,  dispensary,  mission-house, 
 and  garden.  The  orange  trees,  of  twenty  years'  growth,  looked 
 fine,  and  were  richly  laden.  Last  year  as  many  as  twenty  thousand 
 oranges  were  taken  from  them.  Bananas,  especially  the  China 
 sort,  were  equally  fruitful.  Everything  was  in  admirable  order 
 without,  while  within  Mrs.  Inglis  had  a  liand  of  well-trained 
 attendants.  Here,  as  in  India,  numbers  are  required  if  there 
 are  many  things  to  do.  Each  one  takes  a  little,  and  does  it  all 
 the  more  pleasantly  that  it  is  not  heavy.  On  visiting  a  summer- 
 house  higher  up  on  the  hill,  we  had  an  adventure.  Mr.  Inglis' 
 bull  seemed  annoyed  at  the  sight  of  so  many  black  coats,  and 
 set  out  after  Mr.  Copeland.     Happily,  he  was  not  hurt.     The 
 
436  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 animal  had  not  been  known  to  gore ;  though  in  so  •warm  a 
 climate  this  tendency  is  often  manifested  in  bulls,  and  they  have 
 to  be  killed  after  a  few  years  of  life. 
 
 The  rain  now  poured  in  torrents,  and  we  had  to  abandon  the 
 hoi^e  of  returning  to  the  vessel.  Mrs.  Inglis  found  ways  of 
 accommodating  us  all  with  apparent  ease,  and  certainly  with 
 much  comfort  to  us.  The  next  day  was  as  bad,  and  on  Thurs- 
 day the  vessel  did  not  appear  at  all.  Meanwhile  a  letter  was 
 brought  across  the  island  informing  Mrs.  Inglis  of  the  very 
 serious  illness  of  Mr.  Goodwill's  youngest  child,  and  that  his 
 life  was  despaired  of.  Mr.  Goodwill  resolved  to  return,  and  he 
 and  Mr.  Murray,  who  had  accompanied  us  thus  far,  went  back 
 in  Mr.  Inglis'  Ijoat.  This  could  be  done  within  the  reef,  though 
 •  it  was  so  stormy  without. 
 
 Our  visit  was  very  pleasant  at  Mr.  Inglis'  hospitable  house. 
 He  had  so  much  to  tell  of  his  work,  and  so  much  to  show.  It 
 was  with  peculiar  feelings  that  I  looked  upon  the  completed 
 translation  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  which  he  had  been  assisted 
 by  others ;  and  at  his  vocabulary,  made  into  a  dictionary, — 
 Aneityumese-English  and  English-Aneityumese, — the  result  of 
 twenty-two  years'  collection.  Even  now,  he  said,  he  was  dis- 
 covering words  not  met  with  before. 
 
 We  got  off  to  the  vessel  on  Friday  the  24th,  amidst  much 
 rain  and  a  heavy  swell.  When  we  got  on  deck  we  learned  that 
 the  boy  Alfred  Thomas  had  fallen  overboard.  He  was  a  good 
 swimmer,  and  kept  afloat  till  a  boat,  which  was  rapidly  lowered, 
 reached  him.  Those  in  the  boat  did  not  see  him ;  but  he  saw 
 them,  and  persevered.  When  the  boat  reached  him  the  vessel 
 was  three  miles  away.  He  was  safely  brought  on  board,  for 
 which  we  were  all  thankful,  and  did  not  fail  to  remember  it  in 
 our  prayer  together.  His  parents  resided  in  New  South  Wales, 
 and  his  mother  had  been  on  boai'd  ere  we  left,  in  her  anxiety 
 about  her  boy.  Who  can  tell  at  what  point  a  mother's  prayers 
 benefit  her  sailor  son  %  Happily,  he  was  none  the  worse  of  his 
 wetting. 
 
 We  reached  the  south  end  of  Tanna  on  the  morning  of  Satur- 
 day the  25th,  and  landed  at  a  very  awkward  place,  where  there 
 is  often  a  heavy  swell,  and  where  the  entrance  through  the  reef 
 is  only  twenty  feet.  It  is  exposed  to  the  south-east,  and  though 
 healthier  for  this,  is  all  the  more  unpleasant ;  but  it  is  the  only 
 good  landing  along  that  coast.  We  met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watt,  who 
 reside  at  this  station,  called  Kwamera.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eobertson 
 from  Eromanga  were  there  waiting  for  the  vessel.  They  had 
 been  there  for  five  months,  and  Mrs.  Robertson  had  a  little  baby 
 to  take  home  with  her.     The  sight  of  naked  savages  on  the 
 
APPENDIX.  437 
 
 shore  met  my  eye  for  the  first  time  here.  The  hair  of  the  men 
 Avas  singuharly  plaited  in  hundreds  of  locks  over  the  back  of  the 
 head,  where  a  few  curly  ends  were  tied.  They  wore  no  wrapper, 
 and  had  only  a  belt  and  a  tuft  of  rags  or  grass  in  front.  The 
 women  had  skirts  of  the  pandanus.  The  ears  of  both  sexes  con- 
 tained many  ornaments  or  rings  of  tortoiseshell.  No  baptisms 
 have  taken  place  at  this  station,  and  the  attendance  of  the 
 people  at  public  worship  has  rather  diminished  of  late,  owing  to 
 sickness,  and  the  superstitious  fear  that  it  Avas  cavised  by  the  new 
 religion.  Mr.  Watt  is  ably  sustained  by  his  courageous  wife. 
 He  had  also  native  teachers  that  occupy  stations  in  connection 
 with  him. 
 
 FOTUNA. 
 
 After  dinner,  and  the  landing  of  Mr.  Watt's  stores,  we  got 
 aAvay,  hoping  to  reacli  Port  Resolution,  fourteen  miles  to  the 
 north ;  but  the  wind  was  unfavourable,  so  we  sailed  north-east 
 to  Fotuna,  fifty  miles  away,  and  Ave  reached  it  on  Sabbath 
 evening.  I  landed  along  Avith  Mr.  Copeland,  at  a  place  almost 
 as  aAvkward  as  the  one  at  Mr.  Watt's.  Quite  a  crowd  were 
 waiting  on  the  steep  and  rocky  shore.  They  Avere  all  as  naked 
 and  fierce-looking  as  those  at  KAvamera.  Mr.  Copeland  had 
 been  absent  nearly  nine  months.  I  did  not  knoAv  Avhat  sort  of 
 reception  he  might  get,  yet,  as  he  had  maintained  his  ground 
 there  for  eight  years,  I  believed  that  he  Avas  safe.  They  seemed 
 to  Avelcome  his  return,  though  they  Avere  by  no  means  demon- 
 strative in  their  joy.  The  premises  had  been  left  in  charge  of 
 an  Aneityumese  couple  Avho  Avait  upon  Mr.  Copeland.  All  was 
 safe,  but  the  rooms,  after  being  shut  up  so  long,  Avere  very  close. 
 When  I  retired,  the  new  circumstances  rushed  upon  my  mind  ; 
 the  islanders  so  fierce  seemed  to  appear  before  me,  and  I  Avas 
 restless.  I  felt  how  much  physical  courage,  as  Avell  as  faith, 
 missionaries  require. 
 
 Next  morning  I  visited  the  premises,  Avhich  revealed  Avhat  an 
 amount  of  physical  Avork  had  been  gone  through  by  the  mission- 
 ary. A  temj^orary  house  had  been  put  up  by  some  Aneityumese 
 at  the  first;  but  all  the  permanent  buildings  had  been  erected 
 chiefly  by  the  missionary  himself  The  house  is  a  frame  of  Avood, 
 lathed  and  plastered  Avith  coral  lime.  It  is  raised  several  feet 
 from  the  ground ;  the  rooms  are  large  and  airy.  The  garden  is 
 surrounded  by  a  coral  Avail,  and  so  is  a  paddock  for  cows.  The 
 natives  did  not  care  to  assist  much,  and  only  for  payment.  The 
 first  church  they  burned  ;  but  they  had  erected  another  of  posts, 
 interlaced  with  cane  and  thatched. 
 
 The  house  is  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
 
438  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 sea,  and  the  situation  is  healthy.  The  island  is  a  very  lofty 
 rock,  with  a  table  at  the  top,  and  is  2000  feet  high.  We 
 ascended  a  part  of  the  height,  many  natives  accompanying  us. 
 The  vessel  did  not  come  near  all  day;  hut  at  night  the  first 
 officer,  Mr.  M'Arthur,  came,  fearing  that  we  had  not  food,  as 
 Mr.  Copeland's  stores  had  not  been  landed.  But  we  had  no 
 lack,  as  there  was  sufficient  left  in  Mr.  Copeland's  storehouse. 
 The  next  morning,  the  vessel  appeared  at  breakfast-time,  and 
 sent  the  boat  with  Mr,  Copeland's  things.  The  scene  at  the 
 landing  was  most  animated.  A  crowd  of  natives  had  brought 
 fowls,  bunches  of  bananas,  sugar-cane,  bags  of  their  own  manu- 
 facture, and  shells  for  barter.  Mr.  M'Arthur  seemed  to  manage 
 the  business  well,  and  laid  in  a  stock  of  fowls,  etc.,  for  the 
 vessel.  A  party  wished  to  be  taken  on  a  visit  to  the  island  of 
 Aniwa,  whose  language  is  akin  to  theirs  ;  they  had  bundles  of 
 luggage  rolled  up  in  native  mats  and  bags.  The  Fotunese  dress 
 their  hair  like  the  Tannese,  in  long  plaited  cords,  with  tufts 
 hanging  behind.  When  long  feathers  are  stuck  in  it,  the  effect 
 is  quite  imposing,  and  adds  to  the  fierceness  of  their  looks. 
 This  is  intensified  by  the  paint  on  their  faces.  The  island  is 
 peopled  by  a  race  having  some  affinities  to  the  Malays;  but  the 
 teacher  and  his  wife  from  Savage  Island  seemed  of  a  much 
 superior  physical  type.  Circumcision  is  practised  upon  males  at 
 eight  years  of  age.  Unmarried  girls,  and  even  childless  women, 
 are  not  allowed  to  wear  skirts  all  round,  but  only  before  and 
 behind. 
 
 ANIWA. 
 
 The  wind  was  very  light  when  we  left  Fotuna,  but  we  reached 
 Aniwa  on  Wednesday  morning  the  28th.  It  is  a  low  coral 
 island,  not  above  fifty  feet  higher  than  the  sea,  but  covered  with 
 vegetation.  All  the  passengers  landed  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paton. 
 Most  of  the  natives  were  waiting  to  welcome  their  missionary 
 back.  Some  who  had  lost  their  husbands  by  death  in  the 
 interval,  mingled  their  tears  with  their  congratulations.  The 
 effect  of  Christianity  was  at  once  seen  in  the  clothing  of  the 
 people.  Though  scanty,  it  was  in  every  way  superior  to  the 
 naked  appearance  of  those  I  had  seen  in  Tanna  and  Fotuna. 
 Eight  years  ago,  the  natives  of  Aniwa  were  as  they,  and  would 
 barely  tolerate  a  missionary.  Now  they  all  attend  his  instruc- 
 tions, and  nearly  forty  have  been  baptized.  One  man  sitting,  or 
 rather  squatting,  on  the  rock  when  we  landed,  took  my  attention. 
 His  hair  was  whitened  as  if  Avith  powder.  He  looked  like  the 
 chief  justice  of  the  island  on  his  seat  of  office.     I  learned  that 
 
APPENDIX.  439 
 
 he  was  a  resident  Eromangan,  and  that  he  had  put  lime,  on  his 
 curly  hair.  Mr.  Paton's  flock  of  goats,  numbering  nearly  two 
 hundred,  and  his  herd  of  cattle,  about  a  dozen,  now  appeared, 
 to  show  the  great  increase  in  his  absence.  Everything  about 
 the  pi'emises  had  been  very  carefully  kept. 
 
 We  left  after  dinner.  Quite  a  trade  in  cocoa-nuts  went  on 
 at  the  boat  landing.  Tobacco  was  in  demand,  though  on  this 
 island  Manchester  goods  are  Avanted  now  for  clothing. 
 
 We  reached  Port  Resolution,  Tanna,  a  distance  of  fourteen 
 miles,  and  anchored  in  the  evening  in  the  beautiful  bay. 
 The  Rev.  Thomas  Neilson,  whose  house  was  quite  near,  on  an 
 elevated  spot,  came  off  in  a  canoe  to  welcome  us.  His  youngest 
 child,  named  after  his  respected  grandfather,  John  Geddie,  had 
 died  three  weeks  before.  Mr.  Neilson's  father,  the  Rev.  T. 
 Neilson,  M.A.,  of  Rothesay ;  his  brother-in-law,  the  Rev.  J. 
 Guy  of  Valparaiso ;  Mrs.  Neilson's  father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Geddie, 
 had  all  been  removed  by  death  Avithin  the  past  two  years.  Mr. 
 Neilson  had  not  been  in  good  health  during  the  past  year,  but 
 had  kept  at  his  post.  Calamities  had  occurred  on  the  island 
 recently.  Mr.  Ross  Lewin,  well  known  in  connection  Avith  the 
 labour  traffic  and  the  deportation  of  natives  from  the  New 
 Hebrides  to  Queensland  and  Fiji,  had  been  shot  by  a  native  of 
 Tanna,  at  his  OAvn  plantation.  There  had  been  some  dispute 
 about  land,  and  threats  had  been  exchanged.  Indeed,  some 
 lives  had  been  taken,  and  at  last  LeAvin  was  killed.  His  Avife 
 took  the  body  and  put  to  sea  in  a  boat,  along  with  tAvo  of  her 
 brothers.  They  were  taken  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for  Havan- 
 nah  Harbour.  The  body  was  buried  at  sea,  and  Avhile  on  board 
 Mrs.  Lewin  was  prematurely  confined  of  a  still-born  child.  One 
 of  her  brothers  died  shortly  after  arriving  at  Havannah  Harbour. 
 What  a  tragic  succession  of  sorrows  ! 
 
 TANNA. 
 
 On  arriving  at  Port  Resolution  in  the  island  of  Tanna,  the  Rev, 
 Mr.  Robertson,  his  Avife  and  chihl,  went  ashore  to  the  mission- 
 house  of  the  Rev,  Thomas  Neilson,  but  I  remained  on  board, 
 which  I  did  for  the  most  part  all  through  the  voyage.  This 
 accustomed  me  more  to  the  vessel,  and  prevented  the  recurrence 
 of  the  mal  cle  mer.  Next  day  I  found  Mr.  Robertson  laid  up 
 Avith  fever  and  ague,  to  which  missionaries  are  subject  on  these 
 hot  volcanic  islands,  I  had  a  Avalk  Avith  Mr.  Neilson,  who 
 shoAved  me  kind  attention,  along  the  peninsula  Avhich  encloses 
 Port  Resolution,  and  from  one  spot  saAvthe  islands  of  Aneityum, 
 Fotuna,  AniAva,  and  Eromanga — all  the  southern  islands  of  the 
 
440  THE  NE IV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 group.  I  visited  a  sacred  spot  under  a  wide-spreading  banyan 
 tree — a  natural  cathedral.  The  people  connect  all  the  events  of 
 their  lives  with  sacred  observances,  and  make  offerings  on  their 
 rude  altars.  We  saw  a  company  making  their  favourite  drink, 
 kava.  This  is  made  in  a  very  disgusting  way  by  chewing  the 
 roots  of  the  pepper  plant — livper  mcthysticum.  After  being  well 
 mixed  with  saliva,  it  is  placed  in  a  wooden  dish,  mixed  with 
 water,  and  very  carefully  strained  with  a  piece  of  the  cloth-like 
 bark  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree.  A  portion  was  placed  in  a  cup  and 
 presented  to  the  chief  first,  who  sucked  it  through  a  reed.  The 
 chewing  process  is  performed  by  boys  ;  but  the  drinking  is  con- 
 fined to  men.  This  drink  is  very  popular  all  over  the  Pacific. 
 There  is  an  intoxicating  element  in  it,  but  of  a  stupefying,  not 
 exciting  kind,  Avhen  taken  to  excess,  which  is  not  often  done. 
 This  plant  grows  abundantly  in  Tanna,  and  the  drink  is  daily 
 made.  The  same  men  had  a  fowl  baked  in  a  paste  made  of 
 bananas,  carefully  covered  with  leaves  of  the  same.  It  looked 
 very  juicy  and  well  cooked.  ■  The  Tannese  go  as  naked  now  as 
 when  Captain  Cook  was  in  this  part,  exactly  one  hundred  years 
 ago.  His  description  of  them  then  applies  to  them  still.  Mr. 
 Neilson  is  now  quite  safe  among  them,  and  is  respected ;  but  few 
 come  to  the  worship.  Much  mischief  has  been  done  in  this  port, 
 as  in  so  many  other  places,  by  white  traders. 
 
 Contrary  winds  detained  us  several  days,  and  it  rained,  so  that 
 we  could  not  walk  about;  but  on  Saturday  afternoon,  the  2d  of 
 May,  it  cleared.  I  landed  with  the  captain,  and  Mr.  Neilson 
 took  us  a  very  interesting  walk  through  the  trees,  to  a  spot  on  the 
 shore  where  the  evidences  of  great  volcanic  action  were  apparent. 
 The  rocks  looked  as  if  they  had  been  melted,  and  had  run  like 
 water.     The  ripples  were  marked  on  the  surface. 
 
 On  Sabbath  morning,  at  half-past  nine,  I  attended  the  native 
 service.  There  were  about  fifty  present — thirty  men  and  twenty 
 women.  They  sang  well,  much  better  than  the  Aneityumese  at 
 Mr.  Murray's.  Mr.  Neilson  called  upon  a  chief  to  ofter  prayer. 
 This  man  was  clad  in  a  soldier's  red  coat.  He  had  once  been  a 
 great  cannibal,  but  had  been  interested  in  the  gospel  and 
 friendly  to  missionaries  for  many  years.  He  saved  Mr.  Paton's 
 life  in  1862.  He  is  not,  however,  yet  baptized.  Mr.  Neilson 
 preached  very  fluently,  and  called  upon  me  to  say  a  few  words, 
 which  I  did.  I  was  deeply  moved  to  see  such  a  company  engage 
 in  the  service  of  God.  The  men  were  mostly  naked,  but  a  fcAV 
 had  shirts.  The  women  had  all  grass  skirts.  One  of  them  had 
 a  bonnet.  Others  had  coverings  on  the  head  made  of  the  green 
 leaves  of  the  banana,  and  one  had  these  bound  by  a  piece  of 
 fishing-net. 
 
APPENDIX.  441 
 
 An  English  service  was  held  in  iMr.  Neilson's  at  eleven 
 o'clock,  when  the  mission  party,  the  ship's  company,  and  a 
 resident  white  man  assembled.  I  preached  a  discourse  of  con- 
 solation to  the  bereaved  from  John  xi.  35 — 'Jesus  wept.'  Mr. 
 Neilson  was  to  preach  on  board  in  the  evening,  but  as  Mrs. 
 Neilson  had  an  attack  of  fever  he  could  not  come.  I  therefore 
 again  officiated,  Mr.  Robertson  taking  the  preliminary  devotional 
 exercises. 
 
 I  learned  that  Tanna  is  not  the  native  name  of  the  island.  It 
 signifies  '  land.'  When,  in  1774,  Mr.  Forster,  who  was  naturalist 
 to  Captain  Cook's  expedition,  inquired  the  name  of  the  island, 
 perhaps  by  pointing  to  the  ground,  the  natives  said  'Tanna.' 
 They  say  '  Tanna  Ipara '  for  their  own  land  ;  '  Tanna  Aneityum  ' 
 for  the  island  of  Aneityum;  'Tanna  Immer,'  for  Aniwa;  and 
 '  Tanna  Erronan,'  for  Fotuna. 
 
 On  Monday  the  4th  May,  we  sailed  from  Tanna.  It  was  a 
 beautiful  day,  and  as  the  wind  was  light  we  went  slowly  along, 
 and  had  a  very  good  view  of  Mount  Yasur,  the  volcano. 
 
 '  By  noon  a  dusky  cloud  appeared  to  rise, 
 But  blazed  a  beacon  tlirouyh  nocturnal  .skies. ' 
 
 The  sides  are  covered  with  lava.  A  considerable  quantity  of 
 sulphur  is  deposited,  and  is  sometimes  exported.  The  springs 
 are  hot  and  sulphuric.  The  Avet  weather  prev(;nted  me  from 
 visiting  it  more  closely,  and  seeing  into  the  crater,  which  is  the 
 largest  in  the  group. 
 
 EROMANGA. 
 
 We  reached  Eromanga  on  Tuesday  the  5th,  and  anchored  in 
 Dillon's  Bay.  It  was  with  solemn  feelings  that  I  landed  and 
 gazed  upon  the  spots  where  Williams  and  Harris  were  killed  in 
 1839,  and  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  N.  Gordon  Avere  killed  in 
 1861,  and  where  Mr.  M'Nair  died  in  1871.  The  graves  of  the 
 Gordons  and  M'Nair  are  visible  as  the  mouth  of  the  river  is 
 entered.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson,  Avho  now  occupy  this  station, 
 had  been  absent  five  montlis.  It  was  very  pleasing  to  see  the 
 welcome  they  received  from  their  people,  and  the  joy  which 
 greeted  the  baby,  whom  they  had  not  seen  before.  Most  of  the 
 natives  around  Dillon's  Bay  are  Christian.  They  had  taken 
 great  care  of  Mr.  Robertson's  house  and  grounds,  and  had  even 
 improved  their  appearance.  Service  had  been  regularly  kept  up 
 by  the  Christian  teachers,  of  Avhom  there  are  ten  in  different 
 stations.  The  attendance  at  Dillon's  Bay  averages  fifty.  Mr. 
 Robertson  assembled  about  that  number  to  hear  an  address 
 from  me.     It  was  very  touching  to  hear  them  singing  '  Navos 
 
442  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Dan ' — '  Happy  day.'  He  took  me  a  walk  up  the  river.  The 
 natives  around  us  were  mostly  naked,  except  the  women,  who 
 wore  longer  skirts  than  those  on  Tanna.  The  Christian  portion 
 are  better  clothed.  The  tide  goes  up  only  about  a  mile,  when 
 the  river  rushes  over  volcanic  rocks.  There  ships  can  get  fresh 
 water,  and  the  natives  have  a  bathing-place.  The  banks  on  each 
 side  are  very  high  and  precipitous.  As  we  went  we  met  a 
 native  with  a  musket.  Mr.  Robertson  asked  him  to  accompany 
 us,  which  he  did,  so  that  we  were  well  guarded.  Mr.  Eobertson 
 has  got  a  new  house,  nearer  to  the  sea,  and  less  exposed  to  the 
 malaria.  He  is  not  strong,  but  wiry ;  and  his  wife  and  he  feel 
 quite  attached  to  their  people.  When  they  lost  their  first  babj^ 
 last  year,  and  Mrs.  Robertson's  life  was  in  danger,  the  natives 
 showed  great  sympathy  and  kindness.  Mr.  Robertson's  position 
 seems  more  secure  than  any  of  his  predecessors. 
 
 FATE. 
 
 We  left  Eromanga  at  nightfall,  so  that  I  did  not  see  much  more 
 of  the  island.  We  reached  Pango  Bay,  in  the  island  of  Fate,  on 
 the  afternoon  of  the  6th.  As  the  ship's  flag  Avas  flying,  Mr. 
 Annand  was  soon  seen  coming  in  his  boat,  and  shortly  after  Mr. 
 Mackenzie.  These  brethren  live  not  very  far  from  each  other, 
 though  they  labour  among  diff'erent  languages.  Mr.  Annand 
 is  the  first  who  has  settled  among  the  people  of  the  islands  of 
 Fila  and  Mel — a  people  who  have  Malay  affinities,  and  speak  a 
 language  somewhat  akin  to  those  of  Fotuna  and  Aniwa.  The 
 mission-house  is  on  the  small  island  of  Iririki,  where  there  are 
 no  native  inhabitants.  Mr.  Annand  and  his  devoted  wife  have 
 been  quite  alone  on  this  island  all  the  year.  The  natives  have 
 seldom  come  near  them.  None  would  live  with  them  to  help  in 
 the  house.  Occasionally  some  had  been  willing  to  be  hired  for 
 thatching,  but  for  the  most  part  this  young  couple  had  all  their 
 work  to  do  themselves.  When  I  saw  them,  Mrs.  Annand  was 
 recovering  from  an  attack  of  fever,  and  her  husband  had  to  be 
 nurse  and  cook.  The  chief  of  Fila  was,  however,  beginning  to 
 show  more  friendly  relations,  but  not  caring  for  the  gospel. 
 Being  so  much  apart  from  the  people  has  hindered  Mr.  Annand's 
 acquisition  of  the  language,  which  is  felt  to  be  a  great  drawback. 
 
 The  natives  of  Fila  are  a  bold  and  stalwart  race.  They  are 
 very  greedy,  and  difficult  to  satisfy.  The  women  are  the  most 
 shameless  of  any  I  have  met.  They  wear  their  hair  very  short, 
 have  no  covering  on  their  bosoms,  and  no  grass  petticoats.  All 
 they  had  on  was  a  calico  wrapper.  The  men  wear  ornaments. 
 The    women  paddle  canoes  and  climb  up  the  ship  with  yams 
 
APPENDIX.  443 
 
 and  bananas  for  sale.  Polygamy  is  practised,  as  at  the  other 
 islands. 
 
 We  met  some  of  the  natives  of  Pango  and  Erakor,  the  whole 
 population  of  which  has  embraced  the  gospel.  ]\Ir.  Mackenzie 
 had  removed  his  residence  to  Erakor,  where  the  late  Kev.  D. 
 Morrison  resided  ;  and,  as  it  is  an  island,  it  is  healthier.  The 
 village  there  is  Christian.  I  did  not  get  to  his  house  on  this 
 visit,  as  the  ship  was  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  peninsula.  The 
 captain  and  I  walked  over  the  island  of  Fila.  The  villages  were 
 larger  than  those  in  southern  islands.  They  are  also  better  fur- 
 nished. Indeed,  the  people  are  of  a  higher  type,  and  if  brought 
 under  the  gospel  would  also  take  a  higher  place.  Their  huts 
 enter  at  the  sides,  while  those  in  the  southern  islands  are  open 
 at  the  end.  They  have  curious  wooden  drums  set  up  in  sacred 
 places  in  honour  of  the  dead.  These  they  beat  in  a  most  dis- 
 cordant way  at  stated  times,  while  they  call  upon  the  spirits  of 
 the  departed.  They  dance  around  them  in  the  same  superstitious 
 interest.  We  observed  more  children  here  than  in  other  places. 
 The  natives  reside  on  the  island,  but  have  their  plantations  on  the 
 mainland  of  Fate.  Crowds  were  around  our  vessel  all  the  time 
 of  our  stay. 
 
 We  left  on  Friday  the  8th,  and  passed  quickly  round  to 
 Havannah  Harbour — a  fine  sheet  of  water. 
 
 HAVANNAH  HARBOUR,  FATE. 
 
 Havannah  Harbour,  in  the  island  of  Fat6,  is  almost  land-locked, 
 being  enclosed  by  Protection  Island  and  Deception  Island. 
 There  are  three  channels,  two  of  which  are  large  enough  for 
 A'essels,  while  the  third,  towards  the  north,  is  only  a  passage  for 
 boats.  The  harbour  is  about  two  miles  broad.  The  water  is 
 very  deep,  and  anchorage  somewhat  difiicult.  Where  the  bottom 
 is  seen  as  a  boat  skims  over  its  surface,  one  of  the  fijiest  scenes 
 on  which  the  eye  can  rest  appears. 
 
 '  Deep  in  the  wave  is  a  coral  grove, 
 Where  the  purple  mullet  and  the  gold-fish  rove, 
 Where  the  sea-flower  spreads  its  leaves  of  blue, 
 That  never  are  wet  with  the  falling  dew, 
 But  in  bright  and  changeful  beauty  shine 
 Far  down  in  the  green  and  glassy  brine. 
 
 '  The  floor  is  of  sand  like  the  mountain  drift, 
 
 And  the  pearl  shells  spangle  tlie  flinty  snow  ; 
 From  coral-rocks  the  sea-plants  lift 
 
 The  boughs  where  the  tide  and  billows  flow. 
 
444  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 '  The  water  is  calm  and  still  below, 
 
 For  the  wind  and  waves  are  absent  there  ; 
 And  the  sands  are  bright  as  the  stars  that  glow 
 In  the  motionh.'ss  held  of  upper  air. 
 
 '  There,  with  its  wavy  blade  of  green. 
 
 The  sea-flag  streams  the  silent  water  ; 
 And  the  crimson  leaf  of  the  dulse  is  seen 
 To  blush  like  a  banner  bathed  in  slaughter. 
 
 '  There,  with  a  light  and  wavy  motion. 
 
 The  fan-coral  sweeps  through  the  clear  deep  sea  ; 
 And  the  yellow  and  scarlet  tufts  of  ocean 
 Are  bending  like  corn  on  the  upland  lea. 
 
 '  And  life,  in  rare  and  beautiful  forms, 
 Is  sporting  amid  these  bowers  of  stone, 
 And  is  safe  when  the  wrathful  spirit  of  storms 
 Has  made  the  top  of  the  wave  his  own. 
 
 '  There,  far  below  in  the  deep  blue  sea, 
 The  purple  mullet  and  gold-fish  rove  ; 
 Where  the  waters  murmur  tranquilly 
 
 Through  the  bending  twigs  of  the  coral  grove. ' ' 
 
 The  poet's  description  is  not  literally  true  of  the  coral  in 
 Havannah  Harbour ;  it  fails  to  express  all  the  diversified  forms 
 of  beauty  which  the  coral  there  assumes. 
 
 In  and  around  Havannah  Harbour  are  fifteen  villages,  so  that 
 there  is  a  great  field  for  a  missionary.  A  vessel  was  entering 
 before  us.  !She  proved  to  be  the  Lad//  Barling,  from  Port  Mackay 
 in  Queensland,  and  was  conveying  labourers  to  their  homes  in 
 the  Banks'  group.  She  had  put  in  for  water.  We  anchored 
 near  her,  but  had  some  difficulty  in  getting  a  good  anchorage, 
 the  water  being  so  ver}''  deep. 
 
 Several  white  settlers  are  in  this  harbour,  as  the  land  of  the 
 island  is  very  rich  and  fertile.  They  grow  cotton,  which  they 
 cultivate  by  means  of  native  labourers  brought  from  other 
 islands.  I  was  shown  over  the  plantation  under  the  care  of  Mr. 
 B.  B.  Hebble white,  whom  I  had  known  in  Sydney.  He  has 
 cleared  a  considerable  portion  of  land,  which  is  planted  Avith 
 cotton.  He  has  introduced  machinery,  with  a  steam-engine  for 
 cleaning  the  cotton,  and  for  making  fibre  from  cocoa-nuts.  A 
 very  splendid  plantation  of  bananas  is  on  the  estate.  In  his 
 house  I  met  Mrs.  Lewin  from  Tanna,  Avhose  trials  had  been  so 
 heavy  of  late.  I  also  visited  a  man  on  his  premises  who  was 
 lying  very  poorly.     He  had  often  heard  me  preach  in  Sydney, 
 
 ^  Percival. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 445 
 
 and  was  anxious  that  I  should  speak  and  praj^  with  him.i  I  spent 
 Saturday  the  9th  with  the  Rev.  D.  Macdonakl,  whose  station  is  in 
 this  bay.  He  has  been  here  for  two  years.  He  is  married  to  a 
 daughter  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Geddie.  He  has  made  acquaintance 
 with  the  language,  and  secured  the  confidence  of  the  people,  who, 
 though  friendly  to  himself,  are  shy  of  the  worship.  I  accom- 
 panied him  to  one  of  the  villages.  These,  like  those  in  Fila,  are 
 superior ;  and  as  several  of  the  men  had  been  away  to  Fiji  or 
 Queensland,  they  had  muskets  and  chests.  They  had  great 
 c^uantities  of  food  gathered — bananas,  yams,  etc.,  and  were  busy 
 ])reparing  these  for  the  oven.  Pigs  and  fowls  were  abundant. 
 The  men  wear  ornaments  of  beads  on  their  necks,  arms,  and 
 wrists.  The  women  wear  scarcely  any,  except  in  the  pierced 
 cartilage  of  the  nose,  where  a  piece  of  shell  is  usually  inserted. 
 The  dress  of  both  is  alike — a  piece  of  calico  around  the  loins. 
 The  canoes  are  much  larger  than  in  the  southern  islands.  I  saw 
 ten  men  in  one  canoe,  with  a  stock  of  yams  and  bananas.  They 
 have  plantations  on  the  opposite  islands,  and  thus  are  constantly 
 crossing.  I  saw  some  canoes  with  sails.  A  death  occurred  in 
 the  village  which  we  visited,  and  the  loud  cries  of  the  people 
 resounded  through  the  woods.  It  is  after  the  decease  of  a  man 
 that  they  erect  the  wooden  drums  and  make  their  feasts. 
 
 Mr.  Macdonakl  had  many  trials  with  his  native  teachers,  and 
 was  in  want  of  help.  We  brought  him  a  teacher  from  Erakor. 
 The  mission-house  is  quite  insufficient  for  a  family  in  a  hot 
 climate,  and  should  be  immediately  enlarged. 
 
 On  Sabbath'  the  10th,  I  went  along  with  Mr.  M'Arthur,  the 
 first  officer,  to  the  native  service.  Mr.  Macdonald  was  laid  up 
 Avith  fever  and  ague,  so  the  native  teacher  from  Erakor  con- 
 ducted worship.  He  did  this  with  much  a])parent  reverence  and 
 decorum.  His  address  was  animated.  The  people  numbered 
 twenty-eight  men  and  eight  women.  At  eleven  o'clock,  I  held  a 
 service  on  board  the  vessel,  to  which  I  had  invited  the  settlers 
 and  the  captain  and  crew  of  the  Ladij  Darling.  There  was  a  good 
 attendance.  I  preached  from  Acts  xvi,  30,  31.  1  trust  the  words 
 were  not  spoken  in  vain.  Several  natives,  even  women,  came 
 on  board  in  the  afternoon,  but  as  it  was  not  a  trading  day  there 
 was  not  much  to  interest  them.  I  showed  them  some  pictures 
 in  the  volume  of  the  Daij  of  liest,  but  they  soon  tired  of  it. 
 
 At  the  evening  service  on  board,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Macdonald  were 
 present  with  their  first-born  for  baj^tism.  This  would  have  been 
 performed  at  the  native   church   in  the  morning  if  Mr.  Mac- 
 
 '  I  met  this  man  afterwards  in  Sydney,  when  he  £;ave  me  some  revela- 
 tions about  the  imported  labourers,  which  justifies  all  that  is  said  against 
 this  traffic. 
 
446  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 donald  had  been  present.  After  a  discourse  from  2  Cor.  vi.  18, 
 the  holy  ordinance  of  baptism  was  administered  to  this  child  of 
 the  church  in  Fat6.  It  was  an  interesting  sight  to  our  ship's 
 company,  when  a  young  '  Macdonald  of  the  Isles '  was  dedicated 
 to  God  on  board  their  vessel.  On  Monday,  while  the  ship  was 
 getting  a  supply  of  water,  the  captain  and  I  paid  a  visit  on  board 
 the  Lady  Darling.  There  were  seventy  natives  of  the  Banks' 
 group,  Avho  had  been  three  years  in  Queensland.  I  found  four 
 from  Mota,  where  Bishop  Patteson  had  such  success,  and  where 
 there  is  now  a  native  ordained  to  the  holy  ministry.  These 
 recognised  his  name — George  Sarawia.  '  They  all  look  con- 
 tented,' a  gentleman  connected  with  the  harbour  remarked.  '  It 
 was  natural,'  I  said,  '  that  all  should  do  so  when  they  were  going 
 home.'  There  was  a  Government  agent  on  board.  Everything 
 seemed  in  good  order,  so  far  as  comfort  was  concerned.  I 
 observed  that  almost  every  man  had  a  chest  and  a  musket,  with 
 i:)o\vder  and  shot.  This  is  the  very  thing  of  which  Bishop 
 Patteson  complained,  and  which  many  others  thought  should  be 
 prohibited  by  law,  as  it  was  in  New  Zealand.  So  many  with  muskets 
 might  be  dangerous  on  board  a  vessel,  and  they  are  instruments 
 of  much  cruelty  among  the  islands.  I  passed  the  remainder  of 
 the  day  with  Mr.  Macdonald,  and  got  much  information  regard- 
 ing his  work  and  his  difficulties  from  natives  and  from  settlers. 
 His  position  is  a  very  trying  one,  and  requires  very  great  wisdom 
 and  prudence.  However,  as  he  has  now  mastered  the  language, 
 he  will  find  his  position  more  comfortable  among  the  natives, 
 who  are  extending  their  confidence  towards  him.  The  settlers 
 are  always  very  difficult  to  deal  with,  for  their  interests  are  often 
 antagonistic  to  those  of  the  natives.  They  are  apt  to  get  into 
 trouble  with  them  about  land  ;  and  as  they  bring  foreign  labourers 
 from  neighbouring  islands  other  irritations  arise.  The  immoral 
 relation  which  some  of  them  have  with  native  women  is  not 
 favourable  to  their  religious  interests.  It  is  a  melancholy  aspect 
 of  the  life  of  white  settlers  among  heathens,  and  does  much  to 
 prejudice  the  people  against  the  missionaries. 
 
 The  island  of  Fate  is  large  and  picturesque,  very  fertile,  and 
 capable  of  great  production.  It  is  rumoured  that  the  French 
 have  their  eyes  on  it.  The  settlers  are  understood  to  be  favour- 
 able to  this,  as  the  British  Kidnapping  Act  has  operated  against 
 their  procuring  native  labourers  from  other  islands.  The  French 
 once  tried  to  get  the  island  of  Fila,  but  the  chief  would  not 
 permit  it.  They  do  not  like  the  Wee- Wees  (Oui,  Oui's).  If  the 
 French  take  any  now,  it  will  be  all  the  group  from  Aneityum  to 
 Fate.  They  are  reported  to  be  in  want  of  plantations  for  yams 
 and  taro,  and  of  safe  harbours  for  vessels. 
 
AFPEXDIX.  447 
 
 XGUXA. 
 
 We  left  Havannali  Harbour  on  Tuesday  the  12th  May,  and 
 passed  out  at  the  narrow  passage  between  Deception  and  Pro- 
 tection Islands.  We  were  soon  near  the  island  of  Xguna,  but 
 baffling  winds  prevented  our  getting  to  anchorage  till  the  evening, 
 when,  though  a  seaman  was  constantly  sounding,  and  the  first 
 officer  was  watching  eagerly  on  the  prow,  the  vessel  struck  a 
 reef.  The  shock  was  slight,  as  there  was  little  wind,  but  it  Avas 
 enough  to  cause  alarm.  We  all  rushed  to  the  forecastle,  and  saw 
 that  the  keel  had  just  touched  a  rock.  All  around,  the  Avater  Avas 
 deep.  The  tide  was  going  out,  so  there  was  not  much  likelihood 
 of  getting  the  ship  off  till  the  tide  should  rise.  The  Eev.  P. 
 Milne  came  alongside  in  his  double  canoe,  and  I  Avent  ashore  Avith 
 him.  I  spent  the  night  in  his  neat  residence  ;  but  as  the  vessel 
 Avas  left  in  a  critical  position  I  did  not  sleep  Avell.  Next  morning 
 early,  I  Avent  to  the  shore,  and  Avas  relieved  to  mark  that  the 
 vessel  Avas  safely  anchored  in  another  place.  Great  danger  is 
 incurred  in  anchoring  amidst  coral  rocks,  and  a  mission  vessel 
 requires  officers,  as  the  Brnpinhig  happily  possesses,  Avho  know 
 these  seas  and  the  safe  places  for  anchoring. 
 
 j\Ir.  I\Iilne's  premises  are  A'ery  neat  and  orderly.  The  church 
 is  built  of  posts,  lined  AA'ith  cane  and  thatched.  He  has  tAvo 
 native  teachers  near  him,  one  of  whom  is  from  Earotonga.  The 
 natives  of  Xguna  are  about  a  thousand  in  number,  but  are  very 
 averse  to  the  Avorship.  FeAv  attend,  or  care  to  learn  to  read. 
 Mr.  Milne,  hoAvever,  has  secured  their  respect.  He  continues 
 patiently  to  Avork  among  them.  He  operates  also  on  other 
 islands  Avhere  the  language  is  nearly  the  same,  and  he  has  had 
 considerable  encouragement. 
 
 The  natives  of  Xguna  are  bold  and  fierce,  painted  and  naked. 
 Many  gathered  round  to  give  their  help  in  carrying  the  stores 
 of  Mr.  Milne  from  the  shore,  and  to  trade  Avith  the  A'essel. 
 When  I  shoAved  them  mj^  pencil-case,  and  opened  its  little  screAA's, 
 they  startled  me  by  raising  a  Avild,  loud,  and  general  yell.  They 
 are  cannibals,  and  murdered  a  ship's  creAv  a  feAv  years  ago  in  a 
 spirit  of  revenge  for  cruelties  practised  on  them  in  reference  to 
 the  removal  of  some  of  their  people  to  Fiji.  EveryAvhere  I 
 found  tales  of  horror  resulting  fi^om  this  labour  traffic.  The 
 Avomen  on  Xguna  Avere  shy,  and  ran  out  of  sight  Avhen  they  saAv 
 us  looking  at  them. 
 
 We  started  from  Xguna  at  tAvo  in  the  afternoon,  hoping  to 
 reach  the  island  of  Metaso,  or  Two  Hills,  before  sundoAvn,  as  Mr. 
 Milne  Avished  to  leave  some  neAV  books  Avhich  Ave  brought  from 
 Sydney.      The  Avind  Avas   against  us,   so  Ave  bore  away  to  the 
 
448  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 north,  intending  to  call  on  our  return.  Mr.  Milne  accompanied 
 me  to  Espiritu  Santo  in  place  of  Mr.  Goodwill. 
 
 It  was  a  splendid  sight  to  behold,  so  many  islands  as  now 
 burst  upon  our  view.  The  whole  of  the  Shepherd  Isles  and 
 others  to  the  north,  and  the  large  island  of  Fate,  Nguna,  and 
 others  to  the  south,  were  visible.  The  sea  was  a  scene  of  sur- 
 passing beauty.  In  a  former  age  these  islands  had  all  been  active 
 volcanoes.  Nguna  is  evidently  an  extinct  volcano.  The  summit 
 has  the  appearance  of  a  crater. 
 
 Next  morning  we  were  abreast  of  Mallicollo,  a  large  island, 
 fifty  miles  miles  long.  We  had  a  strong  wind,  and  went  along 
 swiftly,  like  an  Aberdeen  clipper,  xit  the  rate  of  eleven  knots  an 
 hour.  We  sighted  Bartholomew  Island  on  the  east,  and  Espiritu 
 Santo  on  the  north-west. 
 
 P:SPIRITU  SANTO. 
 
 We  reached  Cape  Lisburn,  the  southern  point  of  the  latter,  at 
 two  o'clock,  having  sailed  sixty  miles  in  five  hours  and  a  half. 
 We  landed  after  anchoring  in  this  safe  bay.  We  had  seen  some 
 natives  on  the  shore,  and  expected  them  to  be  at  the  landing' 
 place,  but  we  got  there  before  them.  We  went  up  to  the 
 mission-house  which  had  been  inhabited  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Good- 
 will. The  way  was  steep,  and  much  overgroAvn  with  creepers. 
 The  day  was  very  hot,  and  the  atinosphere  stifling.  The  growth 
 everywhere  was  rank.  We  found  the  house  standing,  and 
 apparently  unmolested.  A  little  of  the  thatch  had  fallen  off"  the 
 verandah.  In  the  sides  of  the  house  were  the  holes  which  Mr. 
 Goodwill  had  made  for  self-defence  when  he  was  attacked  by 
 the  savage  bushmen  who  had  intended  to  rob  his  stores.  The 
 friendly  tribe  were  his  defenders,  and  killed  and  ate  the  robbers. 
 They  said  it  was  right  for  them  to  do  so,  when  he  remonstrated 
 with  them.  '  They  were  your  enemies,'  said  they,  '  therefore  we 
 killed  and  ate  them  !' 
 
 When  we  came  down  to  the  shore  we  found  the  very  chief 
 that  Mr.  Goodwill  had  wished  us  to  see.  His  name  was  MulgaA'. 
 It  had  been  Tam-u-walat  when  Commander  Markham  was  here 
 in  1871 ;  but  they  frequently  change  their  names,  especially  when 
 rising  a  grade  higher  in  chieftainship,  as  had  been  the  case  in  this 
 instance.  The  women  with  them  had  the  smallest  amount  of 
 clothing  I  had  yet  seen ;  it  was  a  piece  of  native  matting  just 
 sufficient  to  cover  their  nakedness,  not  broader  than  one's  hand, 
 with  a  tail-piece  hanging  two  feet  behind.  The  hair  of  the 
 Avomen  was  short,  except  a  tuft  like  a  cock's  comb  over  the  crown 
 of  the  head.     The  men  had  a  broad  girdle  neatly  worked  round 
 
APPENDIX.  449 
 
 the  loins,  and  ornaments  on  their  arms  of  boar's  tusks,  shells,  and 
 beads.  In  their  hair,  the  chiefs  had  splendid  plumes,  consisting 
 of  the  whole  tail  feathers  of  cocks.  They  had  muskets  and 
 spears.  Mulgav  had  a  double-barrelled  musket,  and  the  spears 
 were  headed  with  human  bone.     They  are  a  well-made  people. 
 
 The  island  is  very  mountainous,  and  wooded  to  the  summits 
 of  the  ranges,  which  come  down  to  the  sea.  The  people  are 
 higher  in  their  arts  than  those  even  of  Fat6.  The  soil  is  rich, 
 but  there  appears  to  be  an  unhealthy  miasma  from  the  rank 
 vegetation.  The  mission  -  house  is  on  an  elevated  spot,  but 
 residents  must  exercise  very  great  care  to  keep  clear  from  fever 
 and  ague  in  such  a  climate.  Mr.  Milne  talked  with  the  natives 
 in  a  broken  English,  which  Mulgav  understood.  They  engaged 
 to  keep  thatch  on  the  mission-house,  and  expressed  their  desire 
 to  have  a  missionary.  They  even  entreated  me  to  stay  with 
 them.  There  is  ample  field  for  mission  work  in  an  island 
 seventy-five  miles  long  and  forty  broad,  with  a  large  population. 
 
 The  two  chiefs,  Mulgav  and  Mulwud,  came  on  board  to  get 
 payment  in  advance  for  the  promised  thatching.  They  admired 
 the  cabin  of  the  vessel,  and  themselves  when  they  looked  into 
 the  mirror,  where  their  faces  and  nodding  plumes  were  brightly 
 reflected.  When  they  received  their  hatchets  and  knives  the 
 ship's  boat  took  them  ashore.  This  chief  Mulgav  was  friendly 
 to  Mr.  Goodwill,  and  he  rendered  great  service  to  Commander 
 Markham  of  the  Rosar'w,  Avho  had  to  deal  with  a  tribe  farther 
 north  for  seizing  a  vessel  and  murdering  and  eating  the  crew. 
 The  captain  of  the  man-of-war  inflicted  a  fine  of  twenty-five  pigs 
 upon  the  people,  but  they  ran  away  into  the  bush  after  agreeing 
 to  pay  it.  Commander  Markham  thereupon  fired  their  village. 
 One  of  his  officers  was  a  stout  man,  and  natives  of  Cape  Lisburn 
 frequently  felt  his  full  arms  and  legs,  and  said,  '  Very  good  kai- 
 kai,'  that  is,  '  Very  good  to  eat !'  The  tribes  on  the  east  and  north 
 are  said  to  be  ferocious  cannibals.  Very  few  vessels  have  called 
 there  ;  but  Bishop  Patteson  ventured  to  do  so  a  few  years  before 
 his  tragic  end.     He  was  a  brave  man. 
 
 METASO. 
 
 We  sailed  from  Espiritu  Santo  at  sunset  on  the  14th  May,  and 
 had  to  encounter  a  head-wind.  This  continued,  with  rain,  the 
 most  of  the  next  day,  and  it  prevented  me  from  seeing  anything. 
 Indeed,  I  had  the  raal  de  nier,  and  did  not  feel  very  comfortable 
 on  this  my  birthday.     But  we  soon  got  out  of  sight  of  land. 
 
 On  the  16th  we  were  considerably  to  the  south-west,  and  it 
 took  us  until  Sabbath  forenoon,  the   17th,  before  we  reached 
 
 2  F 
 
450  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Metaso,  or  Two  Hills,  where  we  wished  to  call.  About  eleven 
 o'clock,  the  Eev.  P.  Milne  and  the  chief  officer  landed  with  me 
 on  this  singular  island,  which  consists  of  two  hills,  one  very  steep, 
 and  sixteen  hundred  feet  high,  the  other  much  lower.  A  narrow 
 isthmus  connects  them,  though  it  is  apt  to  be  overflowed  by  the 
 great  tides.  The  people  are  few  in  number,  not  above  seventy, 
 and  they  reside  in  the  lowland,  which  is  productive.  The  native 
 service  was  over  before  we  arrived,  but  the  resident  teacher,  a 
 Rarotongan  named  Ta,  beat  the  wooden  drum  and  called  the 
 people  together.  The  greater  part  of  them  had  been  on  the 
 beach  to  meet  us.  This  intelligent  and  active  teacher  has  most 
 of  the  people  under  Christian  instruction.  They  were  pleased  to 
 get  the  new  book  which  we  had  brought  in  their  language  from 
 Sydney. 
 
 The  school  is  held  under  a  shady  banyan  tree.  The  large 
 lessons,  carefully  written  out,  were  hanging  on  sheets  on  the  side 
 of  the  tree.  A  neat  church  was  being  built,  but  was  not  quite 
 finished.  Mr.  Milne  has  a  small  cottage  on  the  island,  where  he 
 and  his  devoted  wife  reside  for  a  month  occasionally,  to  aid  the 
 good  work  going  on  among  this  interesting  people.  When  the 
 congregation  had  gathered  under  a  tree  near  the  missionary 
 cottage,  Mr.  Milne  commenced  the  religious  exercise  with  praise 
 and  prayer.  He  then  asked  me  to  address  them,  which  I  did  by 
 his  interpretation,  and  recommended  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
 to  them.  Mr.  Milne  has  a  station  on  the  island  of  Makuru,  nine 
 "miles  farther  north,  where  he  also  occasionally  resides  in  a  little 
 cottage  to  instruct  the  natives.  He  sails  in  an  open  boat  on  these 
 occasions,  with  a  native  crew.  It  is  a  great  matter  when  one 
 language  is  found  on  several  islands ;  and  Mr.  Milne  assured  me 
 that  the  Fatese,  of  which  the  Ngunese  is  a  dialect,  is  understood 
 over  at  least  ten  islands  to  the  north. 
 
 What  a  field  for  missionary  enterprise  !  There  are  now  four 
 missionaries  settled  comparatively  near  each  other  on  Fat6  and 
 neighbouring  islands.  One  of  these,  however,  has  to  deal  with 
 a  difterent  language.  There  is  room  for  ten  more,  if  they  could 
 be  obtained.  One  of  such  should  be  a  medical  missionary,  who 
 would  be  a  great  blessing  .to  the  mission  families,  the  settlers, 
 and  the  natives. 
 
 After  we  returned  to  the  vessel  I  got  the  finest  view  I  had 
 ever  yet  seen  in  the  group.  No  fewer  than  seventeen  islands 
 Avere  visible  from  the  deck.  W^hen  this  view  burst  upon  Captain 
 Cook,  what  a  pleasure  it  must  have  afforded  him,  who  first  of 
 civilised  navigators  looked  upon  the  scene  !  I  beheld  the  conical 
 volcano  of  Lopevi,  5000  feet  high,  aAvay  to  the  north,  an  island 
 which  has  no  inhabitants.     Then  nearer,  though  distant,  there 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 451 
 
 appeared  Mallicollo,  Api,  and  the  five  Shepherd  Islands,  so 
 named  by  Captain  Cook  after  Dr.  Shepherd,  professor  of  astro- 
 nomy at  Cambridge ;  Tongoa,  Buninga,  Tongariki,  Iwose,  and 
 Valea,  then  Mai  or  Three  Hills,  Makuru,  and  Metaso.  To  the 
 south  were  Nguna,  Man,  Pele,  the  large  island  of  Fat6,  with  the 
 two  smaller  ones  in  front,  Protection  and  Deception  Islands.  To 
 these  I  must  add  the  conical  rock  called  by  Captain  Cook  '  The 
 Monument.'  Such  a  scene  one  cannot  readily  forget,  when  viewed 
 only  once  in  a  lifetime.  There  are  few  Christians  on  all  these 
 islands,  and  a  great  work  lies  before  the  New  Hebrides  mission 
 to  win  all  the  people  to  Christ.  I  was  sorry  that  I  had  not  an 
 ojiportunity  of  seeing  the  islands  to  the  north-east. 
 
 We  neared  Nguna  in  the  evening,  but  had  to  keep  on  the 
 easterly  side.  Mr.  Milne  was  landed  by  the  boat,  but  I  remained 
 to  conduct  service  on  board  the  vessel.  "VVe  did  not  reach  the 
 other  side  until  Monday  evening,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milne 
 came  on  board.  The  vessel  now  began  to  collect  the  missionaries 
 on  her  return  voyage  for  the  Synod  to  be  held  on  Aneityum. 
 It  is  the  custom  to  take  the  missionaries'  wives  to  some  of  the 
 southern  islands,  especially  to  those  that  are  Christian.  Mrs. 
 Milne  had  bravely  remained  at  Xguna  alone,  among  a  thousand 
 savages,  during  the  week  we  were  at  Espiritu  Santo.  Surely 
 this  was  Christian  courage ;  but  it  is  not  often  safe  or  wise  to 
 exercise  it. 
 
 Next  morning  we  were  near  the  singular-looking  Hat  Island, 
 and  the  boat  was  sent  into  Havannah  Harbour  for  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
 Macdonald  and  their  little  boy.  They  arrived  about  half-past  ten 
 o'clock  ;  but  after  beating  about  all  day  we  only  reached  Pango 
 Bay  at  sunset,  and  could  not  venture  to  enter,  as  it  was  dark. 
 
 It  is  seldom  agreeable  to  be  beating  about  at  night,  and  this 
 was  no  exception.  We  found  in  the  morning  that  we  were  a 
 good  way  off.  It  took  us  till  noon  to  make  Pango  Bay.  On 
 landing  at  Iririki,  we  were  glad  to  find  Mrs.  Annand  better, 
 though  still  very  weak.  She  had  an  attack  of  fever  and  ague 
 after  we  left,  and  was  now  needing  a  change.  We  took  tea  in 
 their  house,  after  which  all  was  closed  up  and  left  in  charge  of  a 
 couple  from  Erakor.     We  reached  the  vessel  after  dark. 
 
 ERAKOR,  FATE. 
 
 Early  in  the  morning  of  the  21st,  we  started,  and  soon  rounded 
 the  point,  and  were  off  Erakor,  where  Mr.  Mackenzie  now  resides, 
 as  he  finds  it  more  healthy  than  on  the  peninsula.  He  settled 
 first  where  my  worthy  co-presbyter,  Mr.  Cosh,  lived  at  Pango ; 
 but,  guided  by  Mr.  Cosh's  testianony  and  his  own  experience,  he 
 
452  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 lias  removed  to  the  small  island  where  Mr.  Morrison  had  his 
 house.  We  found  Mr.  Cosh's  memory  fragrant,  as  also  that  of 
 the  deceased  Mr.  Morrison,  We  landed,  and  were  gratified  by 
 seeing  a  Christian  people  decently  clothed,  and  living  in  com- 
 parative comfort.  Some  of  the  houses  had  their  ground  in  front 
 neatly  gravelled  with  coral,  like  the  missionary's.  There  is  a 
 church  at  Erakor,  and  one  at  Pango.  Both  are  well  built  of 
 stone  and  lime.  Inside  I  observed  seats  regularly  fixed  like 
 pews.  Each  form  Avas  made  of  one  piece  of  wood.  There  are 
 seventy  communicants  in  these  congregations  and  nine  elders. 
 The  Christian  population  is  about  two  hundred.  Though 
 decreasing  in  numbers,  yet  I  was  struck  with  the  sight  of  many 
 children.  I  looked  upon  this  station  as  full  of  hope  for  the 
 future.  Already  several  native  teachers  have  gone  from  it  to 
 heathen  parts  of  the  island  ;  and  as  the  Christian  line  extends, 
 many  more  may  go  among  the  islands  where  the  same  language 
 is  spoken. 
 
 Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mackenzie  seemed  to  enjoy  good  health,  and  to 
 be  both  devoted  to  their  work.  When  missionaries  are  filled 
 with  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  likely  to  get  a  blessing.  I  was 
 sorry  that  they  were  not  going  to  the  meeting  this  year,  so  I  did 
 not  see  so  much  of  them  as  otherwise  I  would  have  done.  The 
 fertile  island  of  Fat^  is  a  resort  of  traders  and  white  settlers, 
 and  the  mission  has  special  difficulties  on  that  account. 
 
 I  got  some  very  beautiful  shells  at  Erakor  to  enlarge  my 
 stock.  I  had  not  sought  many  curiosities  in  other  directions, 
 but  as  I  was  not  likely  to  return  I  gathered  a  few  on  the  south- 
 ward voyage.  The  spelling  and  pronunciation  of  names  in  this 
 quarter  perplexed  me.  The  bay  is  written  sometimes  Bang, 
 Ebang,  then  Pango ;  Fil  harbour  is  Fila,  then  Efil,  Ifil,  and 
 sometimes  Fili ;  Mel  becomes  Mele ;  and  Fat6  is  Vat6,  then  Ef at, 
 Efat6,  and  Ifat6.  Each  place  cannot  be  them  all,  and  surely  one 
 name  for  each  ought  to  be  fixed.  I  choose  the  most  common, 
 and  for  the  island  prefer  Fat(§  to  Sandwich.  We  left  Fatt^  in 
 the  afternoon,  but  did  not  reach  Eromanga  till  Sabbath,  We 
 were  carried  away  to  the  south-west  and  then  becalmed.  But 
 with  three  missionaries  and  their  wives  on  board,  our  fellowship 
 was  very  pleasant  and  refreshing  to  the  spirit.  On  the  forenoon 
 of  Sunday,  the  Eev.  P.  Milne  preached  an  excellent  discourse 
 from  John  xv.  3.  It  was  arranged  that  we  should  hold  a  special 
 communion  service  at  Eromanga. 
 
APPENDIX.  453 
 
 EROMANGA. 
 
 '  Where  martyr-blood  was  thrice  shed, 
 
 On  shore  from  ship  we  hied, 
 At  Dillon's  Bay  to  show  forth 
 
 The  death  that  Jesus  died. 
 We  joined  with  native  converts, 
 
 Dispensed  the  bread  and  wine  ; 
 And,  Christ,  o'er  Thy  death's  symbols, 
 
 We  vow'd  this  island  Thine.' 
 
 I  had  the  pleasure  of  preaching  from  Rev.  vii.  1 3,  '  What  are 
 these  arrayed  in  white  robes,  and  whence  came  they?'  The 
 Rev.  D.  Macdonald  offered  prayer;  the  Rev.  H.  A.  Robertson 
 addressed  the  Eromangan  converts  in  their  own  language.  I 
 dispensed  the  elements  to  the  missionaries  and  their  wives, 
 several  of  the  ship's  company,  and  the  converts.  The  Rev. 
 Joseph  Annand  gave  the  address  after  the  communion.  We 
 then  sang  the  time-honoured  Avords  of  the  103d  Psalm,  after 
 Avhich  the  Eromangans  sang  one  of  their  hymns.  The  Rev.  H. 
 A.  Robertson  pronounced  the  benediction  in  the  native  language. 
 It  was  a  deeply  affecting  service,  and  a  night  to  be  long  remem- 
 bered. The  missionaries'  wives  on  islands  where  there  are  no 
 converts  have  few  opportunities  of  the  holy  communion.  We 
 were  quite  a  Catholic  Church,— Episcopalians,  Lutherans,  Presby- 
 terians of  various  branches,  and  Wesleyans,  all  one  in  Christ. 
 We  were  from  Europe,  America,  and  the  colonies,  yet  in  one 
 service  for  Christ. 
 
 Next  morning,  while  the  vessel  was  getting  some  ballast,  Mr. 
 Robertson  and  two  native  chiefs  conducted  a  party  of  us,  con- 
 sisting of  Messrs.  Annand  and  Macdonald,  Captain  Jenkins  and 
 myself,  over  the  martyr  spots.  We  crossed  the  stream,  and 
 stood  on  the  shore  Avhere  Williams  was  killed,  then  at  the  river- 
 side where  Harris  fell.  We  next  visited  the  graves  of  the 
 Gordons,  of  Mr.  M'Nair,  of  a  child  of  Mr.  Robertson,  and  of 
 several  others.  Strange  to  tell,  amongst  those  was  the  grave  of  the 
 chief  Kouioui  who  murdered  John  Williams.  He  had  died  from 
 wounds  received  in  a  fight ;  and  his  relatives  asked  the  Rev.  J. 
 D.  Gordon,  then  at  Dillon's  Bay,  if  they  might  bury  him  in  the 
 Christian  graveyai'd,  Avhich  was  readily  granted,  as  he  had 
 always  been  kind  to  his  martyr-brother.  It  was  like  the 
 Hebrew  seer  of  old  Avhose  guilt  had  caused  the  death  of  the 
 prophet,  and  when  he  came  to  die  said,  '  Lay  my  bones  besides 
 his  bones.'  We  next  visited  the  brother  of  Kouioui,  a  man 
 named  Nuumpunara,  almost  the  only  survivor  of  those  jiresent 
 at  the  death  of  Williams  and  Harris  in  1839.  He  was  lying  on 
 his  mat  in  a  dying  state.     We  then  ascended  a  very  steep  path, 
 
454  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 a  thousand  feet  liigli,  to  the  place  where  the  Eev.  G.  N. 
 Gordon  Avas  killed  in  1861. 
 
 There  is  no  vestige  of  the  house  remaining,  hut  there  are  a 
 few  lemon  trees.  We  got  refreshment  from  some  of  their  fruit 
 after  our  exhausting  walk  in  a  very  hot  day.  It  was  extremly 
 fatiguing,  but  there  was  an  exciting  interest  in  visiting  the 
 scene  where  a  conflict  had  been  fought  for  Christ.  After  descend- 
 ing the  precipitous  path  more  rapidly  than  we  ascended,  we 
 crossed  the  stream  in  a  canoe.  We  dined  at  the  mission-house, 
 and  went  on  board  at  three  o'clock.  Mr.  Robertson  accom- 
 panied us,  but  his  heroic  wife  preferred  to  remain,  as  she  had 
 been  so  long  absent  recently.  We  admired  this  Christian 
 courage,  and  prayed  that  the  good  hand  of  God  might  be  about 
 her  and  her  babe.  Mr.  Robertson  had  procured  for  me  very 
 interesting  memorials  of  Eromanga,  which  I  brought  to  Sydney. 
 Among  them  were  a  bow  and  arrows  presented  to  me  by  a  native. 
 
 This  being  Monday  the  25th  May,  set  apart  for  keeping  the 
 birthday  of  the  Queen,  the  mission  vessel  was  gaily  decked  with 
 flags,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  natives,  and  a  salute  was 
 fired  in  honour  of  the  Queen  whose  ships  have  done  so  much  in 
 these  seas  to  promote  science  and  humanity.  We  did  not  forget 
 to  pray  God  to  bless  her  and  her  reign. 
 
 PORT  RESOLUTION,  TANNxV. 
 
 The  small  and  low  coral  island  of  Aniwa  was  reached  early  on 
 26th  May,  and  a  party,  consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Annand,  Mr. 
 and  Mrs.  Milne,  Mr.  Robertson,  Captain  Jenkins,  and  myself, 
 landed.  We  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the  patriarchal-looking 
 missionary  at  the  head  of  almost  all  the  inhabitants.  It  was 
 very  pleasing  to  see  the  happiness  of  the  people  with  the 
 missionary,  and  his  wife  again  among  them.  We  spent  a  few 
 hours  and  dined  at  the  mission-house,  and  having  left  Messrs. 
 Annand  and  Milne,  with  their  wives,  till  our  return  from  the 
 island  of  Tanna,  sailed  away.  Next  morning  we  were  off" 
 Kwamera,  Mr,  Watt's  station ;  but  a  strong  wind  blowing  from 
 the  south-east  prevented  a  landing  by  the  boats,  so  we  had  to  go 
 round  to  Port  Resolution,  which  we  reached  by  noon.  Mr.  and 
 Mrs.  Macdonald  went  at  once  to  their  brother-in-law's,  and  Mr. 
 Robertson  kept  me  company  on  board.  We  were  wind-bound 
 in  this  harbour  for  four  days,  and  had  leisure  to  make  a  few 
 excursions,  and  to  write  up  notes.  The  Tannese  came  freely  on 
 board,  and  some  of  them  had  rude  musical  instruments,  like  Pan's 
 pipes,  on  which  they  played.  They  are  a  musical  people,  and 
 rapidly  pick  up  tunes.  One  of  them,  at  the  request  of  the  first 
 officer,  showed  us  how  they  danced  at  feasts. 
 
APPENDIX.  455 
 
 One  day  the  Captain,  Mr.  Robertson,  and  I,  visited  the  hot 
 sulphuric  springs  which  flow  into  Port  Resohxtion.  Though 
 eight  miles  from  the  volcano,  these  issue  out  of  the  rock  at  the 
 heat  of  boiling  water.  Indeed,  we  saw  Tannese  women  in  the 
 act  of  boiling  their  yams,  enclosed  in  banana  leaves,  in  some  of 
 the  pools.  The  water  has  a  strong  sulphuric  taste,  and  leaves  a 
 deposit  of  sulphur  upon  the  stones.  Where  it  was  bearable  we  en- 
 joyed a  hot  foot-bath.  On  the  beach,  which  is  of  black  sand,  there 
 is  a  place  where  the  hot  water  oozes  through  the  sand  into  the  sea. 
 
 We  then  visited  the  missionary  cemetery,  which  is  situated 
 near  the  shore,  below  the  station  formerly  occupied  by  Messrs. 
 Paton  and  Johnston.  The  Kev.  S.  Fulton  Johnston,  a  missionary 
 from  Nova  Scotia,  who  died  suddenly  in  1861,  is  buried  there; 
 and  so  are  the  first  Mrs.  Paton  and  her  infant,  who  died  in  1859. 
 A  child  of  the  Rev.  T.  Neilson  sleeps  beside  them  ;  and  there 
 are  graves  of  several  native  teachers  and  others  who  have  died 
 on  Tanna.  A  neat  enclosure,  with  an  inscribed  monument  of 
 wood,  marks  the  spot  where  Mr.  Underwood  is  buried.  He 
 was  unfortunately  killed  by  an  explosion  of  gunpowder  while 
 residing  on  the  island  as  a  trader.  A  stone  has  arrived  for  the 
 grave  of  Mr.  Johnston,  but  is  not  yet  erected.  The  best  place 
 for  missionary  monuments  is  inside  the  native  churches,  and  I 
 would  like  to  see  tablets  erected  there  to  their  memory,  with 
 suitable  inscriptions  in  the  native  language.  In  the  graveyards, 
 the  growth  is  so  rank  that  the  spots  become  speedily  covered, 
 and  the  inscriptions  there  are  in  English.  It  is  becoming  that 
 natives  who  worship  in  the  Christian  churches  should  be 
 familiar  with  the  names  of  those  who  planted  the  faith  among 
 them,  and  who  died  in  the  service  of  Christ.  At  Anelgauhat, 
 Aneit}'Tim,  I  suggested  this  publicly,  and  there  is,  I  understand, 
 a  desire  that  it  be  carried  out.  If  a  neat  wooden  tablet  were 
 erected  there  relating  the  services  of  Dr.  Geddie,  it  would  be 
 read  every  Sabbath  by  the  worshippers.  At  Port  Resolution, 
 Mr.  Johnston's  and  Mrs.  Paton's  memory  should  in  like  form  be 
 perpetuated ;  at  Kwamera,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matheson ;  at  Eromanga, 
 Williams  and  Harris,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  N.  Gordon,  Mr.  M'Nair, 
 and  Mr.  J.  D.  Gordon ;  and  at  Erakor,  rat6,  Mr.  Morrison.  I 
 trust  that  this  will  be  secured,  and  that  friends  of  the  mission 
 will  aid  in  providing  the  expense.  The  names  are  worthy  to  be 
 held  in  everlasting  remembrance,  for  they  '  counted  not  their 
 lives  dear  unto  them,  that  they  might  finish  their  course  with  joy, 
 and  the  ministry  which  they  had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus.' 
 
 On  Friday,  29th  May,  Captain  Jenkins  resolved  to  go  to 
 Kwamera  in  the  ship's  boat,  and  bring  up  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watt, 
 if  possible,  to  be  ready  for  sailing  at  the  first  good  wind.     Mr. 
 
456  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Robertson  and  I  accompanied  him.  It  was  a  lovely  day,  and  the 
 wind  was  favourable  for  the  most  part  of  the  distance,  fourteen 
 miles.  One  of  the  naked  Tanna  men  went  with  us.  His  name 
 is  Naufangan,  the  orator  of  the  chief  Yaukarubbi,  who  rules  a 
 village  near  Port  Eesolution.  Naufangan  was  the  man  who 
 defied  the  guns  of  Commodore  Sir  William  Wiseman,  iu 
 H.M.S.  Curaqoa,  in  1865,  and  provoked  a  discharge  from  the 
 guns.  He  figures  also  in  Captain  Palmer's  book,  as  he  had 
 seen  some  kidnapping,  and  gave  important  evidence  on  the  sub- 
 ject. He  is  commonly  known  among  English  sailors  by  the 
 name  '  Washerwoman,'  because  he  sometimes  gets  washing  done 
 for  ships  in  port.  He  had  a  very  lithe  figure,  and  his  hair  was 
 most  elaborately  dressed,  in  hundreds  of  cords,  with  beautiful 
 curls  hanging  at  the  l^ack.  He  had  pieces  of  wood  an  inch  thick 
 in  his  ears,  and  some  red  paint  on  his  face. 
 
 After  we  reached  Kwamera,  where  we  were  warmly  welcomed 
 by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watt,  it  blew  hard  and  began  to  rain.  We 
 therefore  had  to  stay  all  night,  and  Mrs.  Watt  did  her  utmost  to 
 accommodate  us  comfortably.  We  attended  their  evening 
 worship  with  the  natives  round  their  house.  The  singing,  led 
 by  the  skilful  voice  of  JMr.  Watt,  was  very  beautiful  and  melting. 
 The  hymn  sung  was  '  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee.'  Often  since,  I 
 fancy  that  I  hear  these  musical  Tannese  swelling  the  chorus  with 
 their  fine  voices  in  their  own  tongue — 
 
 '  Ipaka  tuge  ik,  Atua  seiou. ' 
 
 Next  day  it  was  wet  all  forenoon,  and  Mr.  Watt  was  laid  up 
 with  fever  and  ague.  When  it  cleared  in  the  afternoon,  Mrs. 
 Watt  went  with  us,  and  Mr.  Robertson  remained  with  Mr.  Watt 
 till  the  vessel  came  round.  The  wind  unhappily  soon  died  away, 
 and  our  crew  had  a  long  and  heavy  pull  of  twelve  miles.  Nau- 
 fangan, who  had  his  head  encased  in  a  helmet  of  banana  leaf, 
 gracefully  folded  over  his  locks  and  their  curls  behind,  rendered 
 good  help  at  the  oars,  and  so  did  a  native  teacher  on  board. 
 The  current  was  strong  against  us,  and  we  did  not  reach  the 
 harbour  till  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
 
 Next  morning  I  attended  the  native  service.  There  were  only 
 twenty  men  and  ten  women  present.  Mr.  Neilson  addressed 
 them,  and  then  Mr.  Macdonald  by  his  interpretation.  Mr. 
 Neilson  informed  me  that  a  great  amount  of  bad  talk  had  been 
 going  on  among  the  natives  around  on  account  of  prevailing 
 sickness,  and  several  had  blamed  a  resident  white  trader  for 
 causing  it.  They  had  even  gone  with  loaded  muskets  to  this 
 man's  house,  but  had  not  done  mischief.  He  thought  they 
 would  soon  be  fighting  among  themselves,  and  that  very  day  a 
 
APPENDIX.  457 
 
 party  had  come  to  the  neiglibourhood  to  talk  about  it.  They  are 
 great  talkers,  and  days,  and  even  weeks,  are  spent  in  preliminary 
 jialavers  before  anything  is  done.  They  are  very  superstitious, 
 and  nothing  but  the  gospel  will  eradicate  the  evil  influence. 
 
 The  Rev.  D,  Macdonald  conducted  service  \\\  English  in  the 
 mission-house  at  eleven  o'clock,  when  several  from  the  vessel 
 attended.  In  the  evening  I  preached  on  board  from  Rev.  xiv.  13, 
 The  ship's  company  were  very  attentive,  and  after  the  sermon 
 sang  with  much  feeling  the  well-known  hymn,  '  Jesus,  lover  of 
 my  soul.'  We  always  used  the  English  Presbyterian  Psalm  and 
 Hymn  Book  on  board,  and  had  the  great  enjoyment  of  singing 
 both  psalms  of  the  old  covenant  and  hymns  of  the  Christian  dis- 
 pensation. We  thus  felt  in  the  communion  of  saints  of  all  the 
 ages,  and  we  could  praise  the  Lord  Jesus  by  the  express  mention 
 of  His  name,  as  other  Christians  do  all  over  the  world. 
 
 On  Monday  the  1st  of  June,  our  captain  was  very  anxious  to 
 get  away,  and  set  the  men  to  pull  the  ship  out  of  port.  The 
 Neilsons  and  Macdonalds  and  Mrs.  Watt  came  on  board,  but  Ave 
 were  becalmed  again  till  next  morning.  Notwithstanding  this, 
 the  tide  made  our  vessel  a  well-rocked  cradle  all  that  night.  AVe 
 were  near  the  volcano,  and  saw  it  to  great  advantage.  At  night, 
 its  light  comes  up  brilliantly  every  four  or  five  minutes,  as  in 
 the  days  of  Captain  Cook  in  1774. 
 
 ANEITYUM. 
 
 We  reached  Aniwa  at  half-past  eleven  next  morning,  and 
 landed.  After  dinner,  the  gentlemen  came  on  board,  having  left 
 Mrs.  Watt,  Mrs.  Milne,  and  Mrs.  Annand.  Mrs.  Neilson  and 
 Mrs.  Macdonald  were  going  to  Mrs.  Inglis  at  Aneityum.  A  com- 
 pany of  people  whom  we  had  brought  from  Fotuna  now  wished 
 to  return.  They  had  a  great  amount  of  luggage.  The  captain 
 took  on  board  several  pigs,  goats,  and  a  young  calf.  We  got 
 away  with  a  good  wind,  and  reached  Kwamera  next  morning, 
 when  Messrs.  Watt  and  Robertson  and  a  native  teacher  joined 
 us.  We  had  a  rapid  passage  to  Fotuna,  fifty  miles ;  and  on 
 Thursday  morning  got  Mr.  Copeland  on  board,  and  all  the 
 natives  and  their  luggage  landed.  But  the  tine  young  calf  had 
 leapt  overboard,  and  was  lost.  We  sailed  again' after  breakfast, 
 and  had  a  rapid  run  to  Aname,  the  station  of  Mr.  Inglis.  A  few 
 of  us  landed,  and,  after  a  cup  of  tea,  returned  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
 Inglis,  hoping  to  reach  Anelgauhat,  the  other  side  of  the  island, 
 by  the  morning.  We  were  disappointed,  for  on  rounding  the 
 point  we  encountered  a  tremendous  gale  from  the  south-east, 
 and  were  carried  far  away  from  land.  It  lasted  all  day  on 
 Friday,  and  Avas  accompanied  with  heavy  rain.     The  helm  was 
 
45  8  THE  NE IV  HEBRIDES. 
 
 lashed,  and  A\^e  beat  against  the  storm ;  but  the  vessel  behaved 
 admhably  though  the  waves  of  the  sea  were  like  mountains. 
 She  rolled  fearfully,  and  it  was  quite  a  scene  at  meal-times,  as  we 
 could  scarcely  get  our  plates  to  keep  on  the  table.  We  could 
 with  difficulty  keep  in  our  berth  at  night.  I  was  thankful,  how- 
 ever, to  keep  free  from  sickness  during  this  time.  About  mid- 
 night on  Friday  the  storm  abated,  and  on  Saturday  morning  it 
 cleared.  We  were  then  about  fifty  miles  from  Aneityum,  which 
 we  reached  as  the  sun  Avas  setting.  After  anchoring,  Mr.  Inglis 
 went  ashore,  but  nine  of  us  made  the  ship  our  quarters. 
 
 On  Sabbath  the  17th  June  Mr.  Copeland  preached,  and  then 
 Mr.  Robertson  to  the  natives.  There  were  eighty  men  and 
 thirty  women  j)resent.  I  had  been  disappointed  when  I  saw 
 this  congregation  first  on  my  arrival  from  Sydney.  Their  poor 
 and  grotesque  dress,  their  low  civilisation,  seemed  to  indicate 
 little  eflect  of  Christianity.  But  now,  after  visiting  heathen 
 islands,  these  Aueityumese  Christians  rose  greatly  in  my  estima- 
 tion. To  see  them  clothed,  able  to  read  the  Scriptures,  to  sing 
 the  praises  of  God,  to  take  part  in  public  worship,  and  to  con- 
 duct themselves  Avith  decorum,  greatly  impressed  me  with  the 
 value  of  missionary  effort.  Oh  that  all  the  islanders  were  like 
 these  !  Yet,  thirty  years  ago,  the  natives  of  Aneityum  were  as 
 fierce,  saA^age,  and  cruel  as  the  Tannese.  Noav  tAvo  thousand 
 have  been  baptized,  all  can  read,  and,  notAvithstanding  the  loss  of 
 half  of  the  population  by  disease,  there  are  six  hundred  in  full 
 communion. 
 
 I  preached  in  English  to  a  goodly  company,  including  elcA^en 
 missionaries,  several  from  the  vessel,  and  tAvo  English  whalers. 
 The  EeA^  D.  Macdonald  preached  on  board  in  the  evening. 
 
 The  Synod  met  on  Monday  the  8th  June.  The  retiring 
 moderator,  the  Eev.  P.  Milne,  gave  an  excellent  address,  after 
 Avhich  the  Rev.  John  GoodAvill  Avas  elected  moderator  for  the 
 year.  We  Avere  all  glad  to  find  Mr.  Goodwill's  family  better. 
 The  Synod  invited  me  to  take  a  seat,  and  to  deliver  an  address, 
 Avhich  I  did  Avith  pleasure.  Most  of  the  members  resided  and 
 took  their  meals  on  board,  and  Avere  conveyed  to  and  fro  in  the 
 ship's  boat.  The  Synod  sat  in  the  forenoon  and  afternoon,  but 
 not  in  the  CA^ening.  Reports  Avere  given  by  each  missionary,  and 
 interesting  topics  discussed.  This  is  described  separately  in 
 another  place,  and  so  is  the  Communion  service. 
 
 A  meeting  of  the  New  Hebrides  Auxiliary  to  the  Bible  Society 
 Avas  held  on  board  the  missionary  vessel  one  evening  during  the 
 meeting  of  Synod.  The  Rev.  J.  Inglis,  the  president,  A\^as  in  the 
 chair.  The  report  shoAved  that  the  year  before  ,£34,  14s.  had 
 been  collected  and  sent  to  the  parent  sf  jiety.      I  Avas  asked  to 
 
APPENDIX.  459 
 
 address  the  meeting,  which  I  did  with  all  the  greater  pleasure 
 that  it  was  so  novel.  A  collection  was  then  made,  which 
 amounted  to  £30,  14s.,  a  large  sum  for  those  in  the  saloon,  con- 
 sisting only  of  missionaries  and  seamen.  Missionaries  were  there 
 from  eight  islands,  and  representing  about  as  many  languages. 
 
 The  Synod  ended  its  deliberations  on  the  evening  of  the  16th 
 June.  The  next  day  was  devoted  to  preparation  for  departure. 
 Mr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Eobertson,  went  by 
 boat  to  Aname.  A  deputation  went  to  Ana-unse,  a  whaling 
 station,  and  another  to  Inyung,  also  a  whaling  station,  to  urge 
 the  request  of  the  Synod  that  intoxicating  liquors  should  not 
 be  given  to  the  natives.  This  practice  has  been  prevailing,  and 
 had  been  leading  some  into  intemperance. 
 
 In  the  evening,  a  schooner  entered  the  harbour  flying  the 
 French  flag.  She  proved  to  be  the  Lulu  from  Noumea,  New 
 Caledonia.  She  brought  no  letters  ;  but  as  she  was  proceeding 
 to  Mare,  one  of  the  Loyalty  Islands,  the  captain  kindly  offered 
 to  take  letters  to  be  sent  by  the  French  steamer  to  Sydney. 
 We  availed  ourselves  of  this  opportunity,  the  only  one  since  we 
 left  Sydney  in  April,  though  it  was  possible  that  letters  might 
 not  reach  Sydney  sooner  than  the  mission  vessel.  I  had  often 
 prepared  letters,  but  had  not  met  any  vessels  going  to  the  ports 
 of  Noumea  or  Sydney. 
 
 We  sailed  on  the  morning  of  the  18th,  and  got  round  to  Aname 
 at  three  in  the  afternoon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis  and  Mr.  Robert- 
 sou  came  on  board ;  but  it  was  dark  before  all  things  for  the 
 vessel  could  be  brought  ofl".  We  had  therefore  to  wait  till  the 
 next  day.  A  number  of  natives  then  joined  us,  some  going  to 
 Aniwa,  and  others  to  Taima.  The  party  for  the  latter  had  a 
 very  large  turtle,  recently  caught,  to  take  as  a  present  to  the 
 chief  and  the  people  near  Kwamera,  whom  they  were  going  to 
 visit.  Mr.  Inglis  said  that  turtle  was  an  evidence  of  Christianity, 
 designed  to  meet  Tannese  objections  to  it,  and  was  in  eff'ect  as 
 important  there  as  the  treatises  of  Butler,  Paley,  and  Chalmers 
 had  been  in  Great  Britain.  It  was  alleged  by  the  heathen 
 Tannese  that  if  Christianity  were  embraced,  no  more  turtles 
 would  be  got  in  Tanna.  The  Aneityumese  had  become  Chris- 
 tians, and  they  still  caught  turtles  ;  the  plea,  therefore,  could  not 
 be  entertained.  I  trust  that  the  argument  would  have  its 
 weight  at  the  feast.  Mr.  Lee,  our  excellent  second  officer,  told 
 me  how  much  he  was  interested  in  seeing  the  religious  services 
 of  these  natives  in  the  forecastle.  They  sang,  read  the  Scrip- 
 tures, and  prayed  together,  Avhile  one  exhorted  the  others. 
 
 Mr.  Inglis  again  supplied  us  all  round  with  baskets  of  oranges 
 from  his  magnificent  trees.     I  think  there  could  be  no  less  than 
 
46o  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 a  hundred  in  each  horo-loro,  or  basket,  sent  on  board.  We  were 
 now  a  large  j^arty  in  the  vessel.  Every  place  in  the  cabin  was 
 utilized,  and  some  were  sleeping  on  the  floor. 
 
 At  Fotima,  next  morning,  there  was  a  further  increase,  though 
 ]\Ir.  Copeland's  departure  diminished  our  cabin  company  a  little. 
 The  number  on  board  was  upwards  of  sixty.  The  natives  from 
 Aniwa  were  returning  with  their  property.  There  was  the 
 usual  scene  on  shore,  and  many  pigs  and  fowls  were  brought  on 
 board.  One  of  the  pigs  was  wild  and  fierce,  and  oflfered  to  bite 
 the  legs  of  passengers.  Mr.  M'Arthur,  himself  in  danger,  soon 
 des])atched  him  with  a  blow  from  a  hammer. 
 
 We  reached  Aniwa  on  Saturday  evening,  and  I  landed,  accord- 
 ing to  promise  made  ere  I  left  Sydney,  to  spend  a  short  time 
 with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Inglis,  Messrs.  Annand, 
 Milne,  and  Watt  also  landed.  As  the  wives  of  the  three  last 
 were  there  awaiting  them,  we  presented  a  formidable  company 
 to  be  provided  for  till  Monday,  for  the  ship  had  to  wait  till 
 then.  But  Mrs.  Paton's  ingenuity  and  resources  were  equal  to 
 the  occasion,  and  we  were  all  accommodated.  It  would  have 
 taxed  the  powers  of  most  manses  and  ministers'  wives  in  civilised 
 life  to  have  done  as  much.  But  Mrs.  Paton  had  even  lodged  the 
 Avhole  Synod  in  1871.     The  premises  are  large  and  commodious. 
 
 On  Monday,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neilson,  with  their  two  children, 
 and  Mr.  Robertson  and  the  captain,  joined  us,  so  that  there  was 
 a  still  larger  party  to  dine,  which  they  all  did  very  comfortably, 
 though  eighteen. 
 
 Goats,  pigs,  young  cattle  were  to  be  taken  on  board  at  Aniwa, 
 and  this  required  a  very  great  eff"ort.  The  catching  of  them, 
 getting  of  them  to  the  shore,  then  on  board  the  boats,  were 
 laborious.  Indeed,  it  is  astonishing  what  an  amount  of  work  has 
 to  be  done  for  the  mission  by  the  vessel.  Some  missionaries 
 were  getting  goats  and  calves  from  Mr.  Paton's  stock,  which 
 had  been  increasing ;  and  the  vessel  was  making  provision  for 
 its  commissariat.  Natives  were  busy  bartering  cocoa-nuts  and 
 other  articles.  At  length  the  mission  party  were  safely  got  off 
 before  the  evening.  There  were  then  on  board  eight  mission- 
 aries, six  of  their  wives  with  four  children — making  eighteen  in 
 the  cabin.  It  was  thus  evident  that  all  the  room  in  the  vessel 
 was  needed.  This  intercourse  of  the  missionary  families  with 
 each  other  once  a  year  is  of  great  importance  to  the  health  and 
 spirits  of  all,  and  does  much  to  refresh  and  animate  both  mind  and 
 body  for  the  arduous  work  of  the  season  in  their  solitary  spheres. 
 
 The  vessel  proceeded  to  Tanna,  Eromanga,  Fate,  and  Nguna, 
 and  was  absent  nineteen  days,  when  she  again  appeared  off 
 Aniwa  in  the  forenoon  of  9tli  July.     She  did  not,  however,  get 
 
APPENDIX.  461 
 
 near  enough  to  call.  I  have  described  my  sojourn  on  Aniwa  in 
 a  separate  chapter.  Next  morning  the  boat  Avas  ready  hj 
 breakfast-time.  I  then  took  leave  of  my  kind  friends  at  the 
 mission-house,  and  of  the  Aniwan  people,  and  rejoined  the  vessel. 
 I  was  happy  to  find  all  on  board  well,  and  that  good  news  Avere 
 brought  from  the  difterent  stations.  I  was  also  much  gratified 
 to  get  letters  from  home,  containing  favourable  intelligence  of 
 my  family  and  my  flock  for  a  month  after  my  departure  from 
 them.  I  was  in  this  respect  more  favoured  than  they,  for  they 
 would  not  have  received  any  letters  from  me.  It  is  one  of  the 
 great  disadvantages  of  voyaging  in  these  seas,  that  communica- 
 tion is  so  infrequent  and  so  uncertain.  I  took  from  Aniwa 
 cocoa-nuts  for  my  Sabbath  scholars  in  Sydney.  These  and  some 
 for  the  vessel,  as  well  as  other  produce  of  the  island,  were  got 
 on  board  by  half-past  eleven  o'clock. 
 
 There  was  a  good  breeze,  and  we  were  at  Port  Eesolution, 
 Tanna,  by  two  o'clock.  As  a  landsman,  1  was  rather  out  of 
 sorts,  and  did  not  go  ashore  in  the  boat  that  Avent  for  Mr. 
 Neilson's  mail.  After  it  returned  the  wind  fell,  and  we  lay 
 becalmed  near  Sulphur  Bay,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
 volcano,  which  as  the  night  fell  assumed  its  fiery  glare,  and 
 became,  as  mariners  find  often  to  their  advantage,  the  great 
 light  of  the  New  Hebrides.  In  the  course  of  the  night  we  were 
 borne  southward,  and  at  dawn  we  were  at  Kwamera,  the  station 
 of  the  Rev.  William  Watt.  There  we  were  joined  by  Mr.  and 
 Mrs.  Inglis,  who  had  been  on  a  visit,  and  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watt, 
 who  were  to  accompany  us  to  Sydnej'.  The  first  boat-load  had 
 a  very  pleasant  sea,  but  the  second,  in  which  the  missionary 
 party  Avere,  had  rough  and  lieaA'ing  billows.  It  shoAved  some  of 
 the  difficulties  of  the  landing  at  IvAvamera.  When  a  breeze 
 from  the  southAvard  rises,  the  sea  breaks  heavily  near  the  shore. 
 
 On  Sabbath  morning,  the  12th,  Ave  Avere  off"  Fotuna,  and  after 
 breakfast  Messrs.  Inglis,  GoodAvill,  Watt,  and  myself  landed. 
 We  Avere  met  on  the  beach  by  Mr.  Copeland  and  a  croAvd  of 
 natives.  I  was  disappointed  by  hearing  that  the  morning  ser- 
 vice of  public  Avorship  was  over ;  but  there  was  to  be  another  in 
 the  afternoon.  We  had  time  for  conference  and  prayer  together, 
 and  at  half-past  tAvo  assembled  Avith  the  natives.  There  Avere 
 tAventy  men  and  fifteen  Avomen  present,  in  characteristic  garb, 
 the  former  having  on  very  little.  The  singing  Avas  both  loud 
 and  hearty,  as  much  so  as  on  any  of  the  islands.  Mr.  Coj^eland 
 addressed  them  shortly,  and  then  called  upon  me  to  do  so, 
 Avhich  I  did  A\dth  much  pleasure  by  means  of  his  interpreting. 
 This  AA^as  the  sixth  language  in  Avhich  my  Avords  had  been  trans- 
 lated during  the  voyage.     In  another  part  of  the  island,  one  of 
 
462  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 the  native  teachers  holds  public  services  for  the  people  resident 
 there. 
 
 Mr.  Copeland  had  prepared  for  me  a  copy  of  his  meteorologi- 
 cal observations  recorded  during  the  last  seven  years.  I  was 
 proud  to  receive  it,  as  the  facts  are  more  full  than  I  have  seen 
 in  any  similar  record,  and  will,  when  published,  be  of  value  to 
 science.  Mr.  Copeland  is  a  Fellow  of  the  Glasgow  Natural  His- 
 tory Society.  He  is  as  accurate  and  careful  in  scholarship  as  he 
 is  in  science,  and  it  was  a  treat  to  see  his  study.  The  sacred 
 texts  in  the  original ;  the  great  Bihlia  Polyglotta  in  eight  lan- 
 guages ;  the  Bible  of  Every  Land,  containing  specimens  of  all 
 languages  into  which  the  sacred  Scriptures,  in  whole  or  in  part, 
 had  been  rendered  at  the  time  of  its  publication ;  and  several 
 Polynesian  versions  of  the  Bible  were  within  reach  ;  while  piles 
 of  the  Aneityumese  translations  in  MSS.  v/ere  under  his  revision, 
 and  MSS.  of  Fotunese  in  progress. 
 
 How  much  have  learning  and  science  been  indebted  to  the 
 generous  services  of  missionaries  !  Sometimes  people  speak  as  if 
 missionaries  were  a  set  of  ignorant  men,  who  have  gone  to  the 
 ends  of  the  earth  because  they  could  not  succeed  among  the 
 civilised.  It  is  the  very  opposite.  Men  who  succeed  among 
 the  heathen  are  such  as  by  their  ability,  perseverance,  and 
 patience  would  succeed  anywhere,  and  adorn  their  profession  by 
 their  gifts  and  graces,  their  acquirements,  and  their  works. 
 Such  is  Mr.  Copeland,  and  besides,  though  urged  to  succeed  Mr. 
 Inglis  in  the  Christian  island  of  Aneityum,  he  resolved  to  remain 
 among  the  Fotunese,  to  whom  he  has  given  the  past  eight  years 
 of  labour. 
 
 We  had  to  leave  about  four  o'clock.  The  natives  were  evi- 
 dently disappointed  that  the  vessel  did  not  stay  till  Monday, 
 that  they  might  trade ;  but  as  there  is  no  anchorage  this  was 
 inconvenient,  and  there  was  no  necessity  for  waiting.  We  had 
 a  stiff  breeze,  yet  I  felt  able  to  preach  on  board  in  the  evening 
 from  1  John  i.  7,  '  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleanseth 
 us  from  all  sin.' 
 
 We  were  off  Aname  by  the  dawn  of  day,  and  there  Mr.  and 
 Mrs.  Inglis  left  us,  along  with  several  natives  who  had  been  at 
 Tanna.  On  going  round  the  island  we  saw  whales  spouting  in 
 the  deep  and  the  boats  out  after  them.  We  caught  a  shark, 
 which  was  given  to  the  natives,  much  to  their  joy. 
 
 RETURN  TO   SYDNEY, 
 
 We  reached  Anelgauhat  in  the  evening,  and  remained  there 
 three  days.  On  Wednesday  the  15th  July,  the  weather  at 
 Aneityum  was  very  hot.     Though  mid- winter,  it  had  the  warmth 
 
APPENDIX.  463 
 
 of  summer  in  more  temperate  climes.  The  evening  sky  was 
 magnificent.     As 
 
 '  The  golden  sun  went  home,  the  pale  moon  came, 
 A  slender  crescent,  wove  of  silver  flame  ; 
 And  one  by  one  at  first,  then  ten  by  ten. 
 The  stars  slipped  out  and  in  and  out  again. 
 Until  a  thousand  fraught  the  sapphire  flame. 
 Some  red,  some  blue,  and  others  like  the  moon, 
 And  also  some  like  little  suns  at  noon. ' 
 
 Wlien  in  these  tropical  seas  many  beautiful  sunsets  appeared  ; 
 and,  like  Alexander  Von  Humboldt,  the  author  of  Cosmos,  I 
 was  never  weary  of  gazing  on  the  brilliant  constellation  of  the 
 Southern  Cross.  It  was  singularly  interesting  to  see  the  stars 
 setting  one  after  another.  They  seemed  to  be  suspended  from  the 
 firmament,  and  one  saw  beyond  them  in  the  boundless  blue.  Their 
 course  appeared,  as  it  really  is,  between  us  and  the  azure  vault. 
 
 On  that  day  I  attended  the  native  service  which  is  held  on 
 the  Wednesday  afternoons.  There  were  present  about  sixty, 
 the  male  sex  rather  preponderating.  Mr.  Murray  presided,  and 
 one  of  the  elders  gave  a  most  animated  address.  He  was  one  of 
 those  that  remembered  the  past  heathenism,  and  Avho  shared  in 
 it.  He  could  speak  of  the  great  change  which  the  religion  of 
 Christ  had  wrought;  but  he  was  as  earnest  in  enforcing  the 
 practical  duties  of  religion.  "Wlien  I  saw  the  same  man  the  next 
 day  with  nothing  but  a  wrapper  of  calico,  and  a  pole  over  his 
 shoulder,  with  a  great  haul  of  fish  at  each  end,  I  could  not  help 
 thinking  of  the  early  apostles,  ere  they  girt  their  coats  about 
 them  as  they  toiled  in  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 
 
 I  had  some  walks  while  we  remained,  and  enjoyed  them. 
 
 '  I  wandered  where  the  di-eamy  palm 
 
 Murmured  above  the  sleepy  wave  ; 
 
 And  through  the  waters  clear  and  calm 
 
 Looked  down  into  the  coral  cave.' 
 
 I  also  went  inland,  where  the  majestic  trees  were  growing  on 
 the  sides  of  fertile  hills.  Around  the  shore  it  is  the  very  reverse. 
 The  hills  are  bare,  and  the  brown  soil  frequently  appears  without 
 even  herbage.  From  these  inland  woods  must  have  come  the 
 huge  beams,  fifty  feet  long,  which  stretch  over  the  large  church, 
 and  from  them  the  tall  mast  which  the  mission  vessel  got  a  few 
 years  ago.  A  picture  is  given  in  Mr.  Murray's  Western  Polynesia 
 of  a  crowd  of  natives  carrying  one  of  these  trees,  with  the  chief 
 standing  on  top  of  it,  made  higher  by  his  towering  plume.  It  is 
 a  custom  on  Aneityum,  when  a  chief  is  recognised,  to  place  him 
 upon  a  log  of  wood,  and  carry  him  shoulder  high  amidst  shouts 
 and  blowing  of  conches  by  the  people.  This  is  still  practised, 
 and  a  few  years  ago  it  astonished  the  officers  and  crew  of  a  shij) 
 
464  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 of  war  lying  in  the  harbour  at  the  time.  It  was  also  a  testimony 
 to  about  forty  natives  of  Tanna,  then  on  a  visit,  that  the  new 
 religion  had  not  deprived  the  people  of  their  national  customs  in 
 relation  to  their  civil  affairs. 
 
 While  we  were  at  Anelgauhat,  Mr.  Watt  was  very  busy 
 assisting  Mr,  Murray  in  getting  his  printing-press  in  order.  It 
 is  intended  to  prepare  and  issue  some  sheets  of  regular  Christian 
 reading  for  the  people.  How  much  work  devolves  upon  the 
 missionary  !  He  has  to  put  his  hand  to  everything,  and  to  be  a 
 'jack  of  all  trades.'  The  natives  are  slow  to  learn  these  arts  in 
 the  New  Hebrides  ;  but  Dr.  Geddie  had  some  sufficiently  taught 
 to  aid  him  in  the  manual  work  of  printing.  It  will  be  long 
 before  these  islanders  can  undertake  to  support  their  mission- 
 aries. Indeed,  it  is  folly  to  think  of  such  a  thing.  They  have 
 no  means.  They  could,  and  probably  will,  support  a  native 
 ministry,  where  their  payments  in  kind  Avould  meet  the  wants 
 of  one  of  themselves ;  but  they  cannot  be  expected  to  supply 
 funds  for  supporting  the  foreign  missionaries.  As  long,  therefore, 
 as  it  will  be  necessary  to  continue  a  foreign  missionary,  so  long 
 must  he  be  supported  by  the  Church  that  sends  him.  The 
 natives,  however,  this  year  have  provided  nearly  one  thousand 
 pounds  weight  of  arrowroot,  prepared  under  the  watchful  care 
 and  help  of  the  missionary.  This,  if  sold  at  a  shilling  per  pound, 
 would  produce  £50.  The  sum  is  to  be  added  to  that  gathered 
 in  former  years  at  this  station  and  at  Aname  to  repay  the 
 British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  for  printing  the  Old  Testa- 
 ment in  the  Aneityumese  language.  But  a  quantity  sent  to 
 Sydney  scarcely  realized  fourpence  per  pound.  It  sells  better  in 
 Melbourne. 
 
 English  money  in  silver  is  now  circulated  in  Aneityum,  and  as 
 there  is  opportunity  by  sale  of  bananas,  taro,  and  other  articles, 
 as  well  as  by  personal  service,  of  earning  these  coins,  they  have 
 a  little  money  to  pay  as  contributions  for  religious  and  other 
 objects.  It  was  interesting  to  see  the  list  of  such  for  the  purchase 
 of  a  harmonium  for  their  church.  They  ranged  from  one  pound, 
 a  solitary  native  chief's  subscription,  to  threepence,  the  most 
 frequent.  This  object  has  been  accomplished,  and  the  order 
 went  with  the  vessel  for  a  plain  and  useful  instrument,  which 
 in  Sydney  cost  about  £13.  It  will  be  a  great  help  to  the  singing 
 in  the  church,  which  is  remarkably  weak,  soft,  and  low. 
 
 The  vessel  weighed  anchor  after  dinner  on  Thursday  the  16th, 
 and  when  we  got  beyond  the  reef,  I  went  ashore  to  bid  good- 
 bye to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murray,  and  to  accompany  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
 W^att  to  the  vessel.  Mr.  ancl  Mrs.  Goodwill  and  their  children 
 had  come  on   board  in  the   forenoon.     As  Ave  sailed  near  the 
 
APPENDIX.  465 
 
 coral  rocks,  the  view  of  so  many  rich  and  varied  forms  of  beauty 
 was  magnificent. 
 
 I  gazed  my  last  on  the  island  of  Aneityum  and  the  New 
 Hebrides  as  the  sun  set.  Two  guns  were  fired  at  half-past  four, 
 and  we  stood  before  the  breeze.  The  visit  has  been  once  in  a 
 lifetime,  and  though  full  of  abiding  memories,  is  never  likely  to 
 be  repeated. 
 
 '  A  tlioiisancl  suns  may  shine  on  thee, 
 
 A  thousand  moonbeams  quiver, 
 But  ne'er  by  thee  my  steps  shall  \>q 
 For  ever  and  for  ever. ' 
 
 May  the  mission  be  ever  manned  by  faithful  and  courageous 
 labourers  !  May  the  blessing  of  God  rest  upon  their  work,  until 
 all  the  islands  be  blessed  in  Christ,  and  all  the  people  call  Him 
 blessed ! 
 
 In  thus  passing  away  from  the  group  it  may  be  well  to  give 
 a  few  distances.  Aneityum  is  tliirteen  hundred  miles  from 
 Sydney.  From  Anelgauhat  harbour,  Aneityum,  to  Fotuna,  is 
 about  fifty  miles  ;  thence  to  Aniwa,  thirty-five ;  and  from  Aniwa 
 to  Port  Resolution,  Tanna,  eighteen.  Kwamera  is  fourteen 
 miles  on  the  coast  to  the  south.  From  Port  Resolution  to 
 Dillon's  Bay,  Eromanga,  is  fifty  miles ;  and  from  that  north- 
 west to  Pango  Bay,  in  the  island  of  Fat6,  eighty  miles.  The 
 distance  round  to  Havannah  Harbour  is  seventeen  miles.  From 
 the  latter  to  the  island  of  Nguna  is  sixteen  miles ;  but  there  is  a 
 shorter  passage  for  boats,  about  twelve  miles.  Metaso  is  twelve 
 miles  north  of  Nguna,  and  Makuru  nine  miles  farther  in  the 
 same  direction.  From  Nguna  to  Espiritu  Santo  is  about  one 
 hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  north-west.  Many  islands — 
 nearly  twenty — intervene  to  the  east.  This  Avill  give  some  idea 
 of  the  voyages  among  the  islands  undertaken  three  or  four 
 times  each  j^ear  by  the  mission  vessel.  The  same  sailing  would 
 embrace  all  the  islands. 
 
 The  wind  drove  us  considerably  to  the  west,  and  on  Saturday 
 the  18th  July  Ave  sighted  the  low  coral  island  of  Mar6,  in  the 
 Loyalty  group.  This  island  was,  Avithin  present  memory,  in- 
 habited by  a  fierce  people,  Avhose  deeds  of  blood  frightened  the 
 bravest  mariners  from  their  coast.  Now  a  Christian  people 
 dwell  there,  at  peace  with  one  another,  and  exhibiting  the  graces  of 
 the  new  life.  There  are  two  missionaries  resident,  whose  labours 
 have  been  crowned  with  great  blessing.  They  belong  to  the 
 London  Missionary  Society.  French  occupation  tried  them,  but 
 the  character  of  their  work  has  stood  the  test.  Roman  Catholic 
 missions  have  not  attracted  a  people  whose  chief  characteristic  is 
 that  they  read  and  believe  the  word  of  God.     We  were  about 
 
 2  G 
 
466  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 twenty  miles  south  of  the  island,  but  did  not  call.  There  is  no 
 anchorage,  the  wind  was  against  the  attempt,  and  we  were 
 anxious  to  reach  the  port  of  Sydney. 
 
 We  made  little  progress  for  the  next  two  days.  On  Sabbath 
 the  19th,  the  vessel  rocked  verj^  much.  Mr.  Goodwill  preached 
 in  the  morning  from  Christ's  charge  to  Peter  in  John  xxi.  1 5  ; 
 and  Mr.  Watt  in  the  evening  from  Matthew  xiii.,  the  parable 
 of  the  sower.  On  Monday,  we  sighted  the  Isle  of  Pines,  to  the 
 south  of  New  Caledonia.  A  favourable  breeze  then  sprang  up, 
 and  by  Tuesday  at  noon  we  had  run  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles ; 
 on  Wednesday,  we  added  two  hundred  and  twenty  more,  and  on 
 Thursday,  one  hundred  and  eight.  This  brought  us  to  27°  9' 
 south  latitude  and  158°  47'  east  longitude.  We  were  about  three 
 hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  Queensland  coast.  In  the  evening 
 it  calmed,  and  we  made  very  little  way  for  the  next  twelve  hours. 
 The  vessel  leant  over  so  much  during  our  rapid  sailing  that  it 
 was  only  when  a  calm  came,  one  could  write.  Such  opportunity 
 was  then  eagerly  seized  to  fill  ii.p  journals  with  notes  of  the  voyage. 
 The  sunset  of  this  evening  was  magnificent,  even  richer  in  colour 
 than  the  glorious  sunsets  which  I  had  seen  in  the  tropics. 
 
 On  Sabbath  the  26th  July,  we  were  able  to  have  our  usual 
 services.  I  officiated  in  the  forenoon,  and  preached  from  Eev.  iii. 
 18.  Mr.  Goodwill  preached  in  the  evening  from  Rom.  xii.  21. 
 There  was  a  good  attendance  of  the  ship's  company  at  each 
 service.  The  Lord's-day  was  always  well  kept  on  board  ship. 
 Everything  that  could  be  done  on  Saturday  was  done.  Decks 
 were  cleaned  and  all  other  matters  put  in  order.  Throughout 
 all  the  fourteen  Sabbaths  that  I  was  on  board,  the  only  work 
 done  was  when  some  of  us  required  to  land  on  islands  at  which 
 we  had  arrived.  The  men  had  their  rest  as  much  as  possible, 
 and  had  opportunity  to  attend  the  religious  services,  which  all  of 
 them  more  or  less  did. 
 
 AVhen  I  went  on  deck  on  Monday  the  27th,  land  was  in  view 
 in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  Macquarie.  I  was  glad  to  see  the 
 coast  of  Australia  again,  and  hojied  for  a  safe  and  happy  landing 
 soon  in  Sydney. 
 
 On  Tuesday,  we  were  in  sight  of  Port  Stephens ;  and  on 
 Wednesday,  Newcastle  was  in  view.  The  wind  was  directly 
 ahead,  and  we  made  very  little  way.  On  Wednesday  evening, 
 we  had  our  regular  weekly  service,  which  was  well  attended  by 
 the  men.  I  addressed  to  them  a  few  parting  words,  and  Messrs. 
 Goodwill  and  Watt  offered  prayer.  The  wind,  which  had  been 
 blowing  very  strong  all  day,  calmed  at  that  time,  and  though  v.^e 
 Avere  still  tossed  about,  it  was  a  favourable  opportunity  for  the 
 men  to  be  present. 
 
APPENDIX.  467 
 
 On  Thursday  the  30th,  we  saw  the  heads  of  Port  Jackson  ;  but 
 the  wind  was  still  contrary.  It  then  died  away  amidst  heavy 
 rain,  while  we  were  near  the  shore  north  of  Manly  Beach,  and  as 
 the  darkness  was  rapidly  falling  over  us.  Fortunately  a  steam- 
 tug  appeared  and  was  hailed.  She  proved  to  be  from  Newcastle, 
 and  was  on  her  way  to  take  a  large  vessel  from  Syndey  for  coals. 
 We  were  soon  attached  and  taken  into  the  harbour,  and  were 
 safely  moored  near  Fort  Denison.  It  was  a  singular  providence, 
 for  which  Ave  all  felt  grateful,  as  a  tremendous  storm  burst  forth 
 that  night  and  continued  for  several  days. 
 
 The  mission  is  fortunate  in  the  vessel,  officers,  and  crew  ;  and 
 it  will  be  a  source  of  great  comfort  to  all  concerned  if  in  future 
 voyages  the  vessel  be  commanded  by  a  captain  and  officers  as  effi- 
 cient as  the  present,  and  manned  by  sailors  whose  conduct  in  all 
 respects  is  becoming  their  position  in  a  mission  vessel.  It  is  not 
 to  be  expected  that  seamen  are  perfect,  or  that  missionaries  are 
 so.  It  will  not  be  strange  if  troubles  occasionally  arise  from  keen 
 temper  or  from  intermeddling;  but  when  men  who  fear  God, 
 and  endeavour  to  do  their  duty,  are  in  the  vessel,  all  interested 
 in  the  mission,  as  well  as  missionaries,  will  have  much  cause  to 
 bless  God.  My  experience,  after  a  voyage  of  four  months,  leads 
 me  to  express  the  wish  that  all  vessels  were  as  the  Dayspivg. 
 It  is  said  that  when  the  first  mission  vessel  sent  to  the  Southern 
 Seas,  the  Duff,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Wilson,  visited 
 Canton  on  her  way  home,  the  conduct  of  the  officers  and  crew 
 secured  to  themselves  from  seamen  in  the  jDort  the  epithet  of  the 
 '  Ten  Commandments.'  It  was  an  honourable  character,  and  one 
 which  I  trust  may  belong  to  the  vessel  of  the  New  Hebrides 
 mission. 
 
 '  The  mission  ships  ride  on  thy  waves, 
 No  treasures  like  to  them  ; 
 Ocean,  within  thy  secret  caves, 
 Is  hidden  no  such  gem. 
 
 '  For  holy  footsteps  tread  that  deck, 
 Of  men  that  bear  away 
 Riches  that  shall  survive  the  v»reck 
 Of  the  last  dooming  da3^ 
 
 '  And  journej's  o'er  thy  mighty  tide 
 Embassage  vast  and  high, 
 From  the  world's  Monarch,  who  hath  died 
 That  man  may  never  die  ! ' — W.  B.  Tappax. 
 
468  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 SPECIMENS  OF  LANGUAGES  IN  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 THE  LORD'S  PRAYER. 
 
 Aneityum. 
 
 Ak  Etmama  an  nohatag,  Etmu  itaup  niclam.  Etmu  yetpam 
 iielcau  unyum.  Uhmu  imyiaiji  intas  unyum  an  nobolitan,  et 
 idivaig  an  nohatag.  Alaama  aiek  nitai  caig  incama  an  nadiat  ineig. 
 Um  jim  aru  tah  nedo  has  unyima  aiek,  et  idivaig  ecra  eti  aru  tah 
 nedo  has  o  atimi  vai  cama  aijama.  Um  jim  atau  irama  an  nedo 
 oop  aiek,  jam  imyiatamaig  cama  va  niji  itai  has.  Et  idim  unyum 
 aiek  nelcau,  im  nemda,  im  nimyiahas,  irai  iji  mesese.     Emen. 
 
 FOTUNA. 
 
 Taniori  0  Jcsn,. 
 
 Taman  omy  iragi.  Kitapu  tiau  igoa.  Kimai  tiau  avaka 
 tagata.  Kipenei  tiau  finagaro  i  takere  nei  feipei  iragi.  Tufa 
 mai  akai  tau  rufie  y  kimy  iranei.  Tauaki  iomy  kauligine  sa 
 feipe  akimy  natauaki  kaulagine  sa  o  faruki  y  kimy.  Koina  arafy 
 kimy  ki  kauligine  eresy.  Kapena  mauri  kimy  i  tasa.  Niau  tavaka 
 tagata  ma  tatamotau  ma  teatata  y  napugi  manapugi.     Emen. 
 
 Aniwa. 
 
 Tamanomi  tiragi.  Teigo  tapu.  Tshow  vaka  koniy.  Tshow 
 avere  komy  takere  wararoui  hepe  tiragi.  Tufvva  acime  takai 
 iranei.  Towaki  nori  maganisa  tshome ;  hepe  acima  sei  yoria 
 tshafaruke.  Natahicina  arafia  acime  maganisa  kapari  acime  ane 
 isa  otshi.  Tshow  tavaka  ma  tomatua  ma  ane  otshi  irifia.  Emen. 
 (Matt.  vi.  9-13). 
 
 Tanna. 
 
 Nafwalcien  Fei  Yerumanu. 
 Kemimaha  ya  neai,  nahgum  ikinan,  pa  intata  seim  ruvehe,  pa 
 liavahi  nokwam  ya  tuj)rana  rosi  ya  neai ;  tik  aveipehe  navegenien 
 sanimaha  ya  napin  ipet ;  tik  upa  naruponien  tafaga  reraha  saki- 
 maha  rosi  kimaha  yahapuk  arupon  uhma  tafaga  reraha  savei 
 nermama  tukumaha;  tik  upa  niripenien  kimaha  te  nefeifei  ien 
 mavahiraka  kimaha  te  nerahaien  ;  seim  intata,  nisikaiien  mene, 
 namasanien  ya  narimnarime  pam  mene,  ya  nuk  nukime  ;  Amen. 
 
 Eromanga. 
 
 Itemen-e-kam  unpokup  eti  tumpora  nin-e-kik.  Elum  lo  enng- 
 kik  :  Natekisah  en  taru  enugkik  eti  numpi  ra  nemap,  sugku  oti 
 nnmpi  pe  unpokup.      Ovug-kam  ire  nevag  aremi   nisekomam. 
 
APPENDIX.  469 
 
 Mefielintug-kam  sat  su  enugkara  sugkii  ka  kini  lafielintok-oiida 
 mori  umnnmpi  sat  iramam.  Metu  toro-kam  ran  tapmi,  ko  sim- 
 simpari  iramam  marugi  sat  su  :  it  enugkik  lo,  im  horog,  im 
 nilasilaswi  enugkik,  uvum  nevi  sii  indowi  indowi.     Amen. 
 
 Fate. 
 1.  Fanrjo. 
 Temman  0  nag  ku  ba  tok  elagsau  tok,  Euk  falkor  nigag  nagiem. 
 Nloun  nigag  ke  fakor  mai.  Euk  frig  te  nin  Ag  ku  mur  in 
 emeromin  ke  taosi  kin  ru  tok  brig  i  elagsau.  Ba  tu  mam  ki  tete 
 nafnag  ke  tilas  mam  mes  nin.  Ba  nrum  mam  nag  ba  tab  skar 
 takbar  nigmam  mou,  ke  taosi  kin  komam  u  tok  nrum  nugmer 
 nag  ru  tok  brig  sa  ki  mam,  nag  komam  u  tab  skar  takbar  nigar 
 mou.  Ba  tab  belak  mam  bak  nasursurwen  mou,  me  bar  fulu 
 mam  ki  te  nin  i  sa :  Nigag  kin  nloun,  go  naskeimiehven,  go 
 nanrirnrirwen,  ke  tu  tu  kai  tu  mou  tu.     Amen. 
 
 Fate. 
 2.  Havannah  Harbour. 
 Temagami  nag  imato  nabarou  o,  aginago  nagiema  iga  tabu, 
 aginago  nameramerana  iga  fanamai,  aginago  namarakarakana  iga 
 toko,  takanoana  itro  nabarou,  takanoanaga  iga  mera  tro  intano, 
 aginami  teafamiena  masoko  ba  tuagamiisa  mais,  ba  maginami 
 fatilu  nasigsigleoen  aginami,  kinami  te  u  mera  magi  natamol 
 fatilu  aginara  namerien  sa  nag  isakigami,  ba  tiba  belakigami  baki 
 nasursuruena  mou  me  ba  fuluagami  ki  te  isa,  aginago  nameramer- 
 ana ga  naskeimielana  ga  namatuana,  serali  ga  serali,  Amen. 
 
 Nguna. — A  Dialect  of  Fatese. 
 Natavasavasana  hi  Nawota. 
 Mamaginami  0,  wai  ku  matroko  nakoroatelagi  toko,  Uga 
 valigoro  nagisama  anigo.  Nalouna  anigo  iga  bakelina  umai. 
 Teawai  nigo  ku  masouna  uga  maria  maramana  wai  trakiusia  u 
 tro  maria  nakoroatelagi.  Ba  tuagami  te  nafenag  seara  iga 
 telasigami  masus.  Ba  perisilua  namarinaleosana  aginami,  tra- 
 kiusia kinami  ou  tro  perisilua  namarinaleosana  ki  natamuli  wai 
 u  tro  marisa  kinami.  Ba  ta  pragigame  bake  nasurusuruana 
 mou,  ma  ba  voluagami  ki  nasana.     Amen. 
 
 EspiRiTu  Santo. 
 
 I.   DISTRICT  OF  CAPE  LISBURN. 
 
 Brapelindrin  Mul  Talap  Jesu  Chrisiu. 
 
 Eunaunro    orosochro    lo    vanuyoi    Saurovon,    isam    mogolo, 
 vauuam  mosunOi,  oobui  se  6s  lo  ran  ne  na  er  siyen  vanuam 
 
470  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 atsaunol.  Overia  nauyisinri  chonro  chon  nali  noclire  lo  re 
 ruabui,  clau-ulenia  nauyisinri  naurfiurar  naunro,  siyen  dre-dau- 
 tilenia  yisiri  nauraurar  nauro,  daujin  'auyisinri  otsnia  nauyisinri 
 tdei,  lo  vanuam,  swicham  loloranicham  rOwi  lo  ruol  ruoi.    Amen. 
 
 EspiRiTU  Santo. 
 
 II.    DISTRICT  OF  NOGUGU. 
 
 Tt  ul  i  dcgia  me  MariJcu — Sopice  I.     (The  Gospel  according  to 
 Mark— Chapter  I.) 
 
 1.  Ne  moiga  te  ul  i  degia  no  Jesu  Kristu,  Notu  Sori : 
 
 2.  Sogona  ultoka  to  wi  me  ne  kanutu  no  ro  profet,  e  !  no  till 
 nx  ti  til  leli  me  ne  gisim,  mo  i  nigin  par  i  rie  mat  lava  me  ne 
 gisim  : 
 
 3.  Ne  lion  tuua  si  or  api  me  ne  urur  worogi, — Emi  par  i  rie 
 mat  lava  no  Jehova,  emi  par  tetagol  ginia  noan  no  rie  qap  ri 
 toko : 
 
 4.  Joane  sirai  paptis  api  me  ne  urur  worogi,  mo  i  nigin  zi 
 vet  lap  ap  toka  ne  paptis  amo  tenis  quanea,  te  le  am  korgoroa 
 am  me  ro  tapwetena  : 
 
 5.  Mo  i  rire  wunwunogi  me  ne  urur  jutia,  mo  i  rire  me  Jeru- 
 salem, i  rire  Ian  to  wi  api  me  nigina  me  ne  nopu  Jortan,  veti, 
 qanoi  ap  ginia  ro  tapAvetena  no  rire. 
 
 The  following  specimens  were  kindly  furnished  by  the  Eev. 
 E.  H.  Codririgton,  M.A.,  of  the  Melanesian  mission,  and  were 
 the  work  of  the  lamented  Bishop  Patteson  : 
 
 Apee — ( Western  side  of  Tasitvo). 
 Numerals. 
 
 1.  ta.  6.  ora. 
 
 2.  chua.  7.  olua. 
 
 3.  tolu.  8.  o  rolu. 
 
 4.  veri.  9.  o  veri. 
 
 5.  chima.  10.  lua  lima. 
 
 Apee — [North-Western  and  Northern piarts  of  TcLsiivo). 
 
 Numerals. 
 
 1. 
 
 2. 
 
 tai. 
 lua. 
 
 peni. 
 viago. 
 
 G. 
 
 oraga. 
 
 P^    Ira] 
 poa  J 
 
 3'. 
 
 selu. 
 
 pun  sulu. 
 
 7. 
 
 0  lua. 
 
 0  lua. 
 
 4. 
 
 vari. 
 
 puw  vire. 
 
 8. 
 
 0  relu. 
 
 0  rolu. 
 
 5. 
 
 lima. 
 
 pun  lima. 
 
 9. 
 
 a  vari. 
 
 ka  vari. 
 
 10. 
 
 lua  lima. 
 
 lua  lima 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 471 
 
 Paama. 
 
 Numerals. 
 
 1. 
 
 •2. 
 3. 
 4. 
 5. 
 
 tai. 
 elua. 
 e  tolu. 
 e  hati. 
 e  lime. 
 
 6. 
 7. 
 8. 
 9. 
 10. 
 
 a  hitai. 
 0  lu. 
 0  tolu. 
 0  hati. 
 ha  lua  lim 
 
 Mai. 
 
 Above 
 
 Across 
 
 Against 
 
 Alono; 
 
 ALLIED  TO  FATEAN. 
 
 sun 
 Re  inatara  i  rwna  i  a  ti  ki  tatou. 
 
 ridge-pole  without 
 
 Re  tafufu  re  fare  i  fafo  ki  nma. 
 
 steps  across 
 Re  ta?!ata  rakaia  re  vai. 
 
 go    along 
 Tatou  til  saere  usi  a  i  ru2ia  re 
 bridge  across 
 pae    rakai    re  rai. 
 
 Se  ua  lau  faka  totonu  na  rakaii, 
 crosswise. 
 lau  faka-takota-ina. 
 mast  yard 
 
 Re   tira  tu  faka  totonu,  m&n- 
 golejjgole  moe  faka  takoto. 
 
 club  wall 
 
 Tau  re  mbatu  ke  tu  ki  tafagi  re 
 fare. 
 
 strike  against 
 
 Re  ta?iata  tokorua  i  rerefe-papagi 
 
 path       night  _  not 
 
 re  ara  re    po,   raua  i  rere  se 
 
 see  ask 
 
 kutea  raua,  i  rere  siria  raim 
 'ko  ini?'  re  ta«ata  kese  ko  ia 
 penei  '  ko  ini  ? ' 
 
 plant  along 
 
 Ko  to  tokia  re  i-akau  tafagi  re 
 ara. 
 
 canoe 
 Ke  re  kute  a  re  vaka-aro  tau  re 
 side 
 tafagi  re  vaka  lasi. 
 
 NORTH-EAST  PART. 
 
 Elo  e  ndo  palo  a  ni  winda. 
 
 goes  across  water. 
 Nae  e  pa  ??galau  noai. 
 
 sits  with  legs  crossed. 
 Nae  e  nda  piliwakiui. 
 
 crossways 
 Pa  toro  na  kau  e  nga  wawapiviliu. 
 
 path  cross. 
 
 Matakisala  e  ndana. 
 
 men        two    they  two  run  againtt 
 Na  ta  e  rondua  e  ru  ndu  manda 
 
 each  other. 
 
 suwa  ira. 
 
 club    against 
 Pa  toro  na  mbwe  gaovi  ekopu. 
 
 plant  along 
 
 Pa  lauwo  na  kau  e  ?iga  vita  na 
 fence, 
 koro. 
 Boat  is    along    side 
 
 Rarua  giki   e  ovi   (na  vindina) 
 large, 
 rarua  gauwata. 
 
472  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 Whitsuntide  or  Aragha — {Vmmiarama,  Nortli  End). 
 Numerals. 
 
 I. 
 
 tea. 
 
 •2. 
 
 nia. 
 
 3. 
 
 tolu. 
 
 4. 
 
 fasi. 
 
 5. 
 
 lima. 
 
 C>. 
 
 7. 
 8. 
 
 ono. 
 vitu. 
 welu. 
 
 9. 
 0. 
 
 siwo. 
 ha;iwul, 
 
 Sun  rises  comes  hither  (on  its  course)     noon  declines 
 
 Matan   ial  man   dawaga   ma   ha  mai   man   do   bohaboha  ma   hivu,    ma 
 sets  night   we    sleep       daybreak  we    awake       we    are    up. 
 
 buhumi  mam  boni,  ta  maturu  ;  marane  ta  mamata  tarn  dro  mari. 
 
 SPECIMENS  OF  ADDRESSES  AND  PRAYERS  BY 
 NATIVE  CHRISTIANS. 
 
 ADDRESS  OF  NISWAY,  A  CHIEF  OF  ANIWA,  LITERALLY  TRANSLATED. 
 
 People  of  Aniwa, — Missi  has  asked  me  to  get  up  and  speak  to 
 you,  and  what  shall  I  say  1  for  I  have  no  word  of  my  own  for 
 you  this  day.  I  will  tell  you  a  little  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Son 
 of  God.  Who  is  Jesus  Christ?  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God. 
 Jesus  came  down  to  the  land  of  Judea.  He  taught  men,  and 
 gave  them  His  holy  word — the  word  from  heaven.  Jesus  did 
 good  to  all,  taught  all,  and  wrought  many  miracles,  proving  that 
 He  was  God.  But  the  wicked  men  of  Judea  hated  Jesus, 
 rejected  Him  and  His  teaching,  and  nailed  Jesus  to  the  cross, 
 where  He  hung.  He  prayed  to  His  Father  to  forgive  them,  died 
 for  man's  sin,  and  rose  again  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  to 
 give  to  His  people  eternal  life  in  heaven.  Jehovah  was  veiy 
 angry  with  the  people  of  Israel  for  this,  and  He  punished  them, 
 and  laid  their  land  waste  to  this  day.  Because  they  did  not 
 believe  in  Jesus,  and  rejected  Him  and  His  work.  Yet  God  has 
 been  very  good  to  all  men.  He  gave  His  Avord,  His  good  news 
 from  heaven,  to  all  men  in  Judea  ;  and  now  it  is  going  to  all  lands 
 to  give  men  heavenly  light  and  knowledge,  to  make  them  good 
 and  happy.  This  good  word  of  God  has  come  to  Aniwa.  It  has 
 come  to  this  land,  so  long  under  the  teaching  of  the  devil,  and  so 
 long  under  his  power,  in  his  service.  This  land  has  by  Christ's 
 word  been  enlightened  and  made  a  land  of  Jehovah.  Yes,  this 
 is  now  one  of  Jehovah's  lands.  He  has  been  very  good  to  us. 
 His  good  word  came  lirst  to  Aneityum,  and  enlightened  that 
 land,  and  now  it  is  beina;  carried  to  other  dark  lands.     Navalak 
 
APPENDIX,  473 
 
 and  Nimeian  came  here  as  teachers  from  Aneityum  to  us.  The 
 servants  of  Tiapolo,  the  dark-hearted  people,  were  opposed  to 
 the  good  word  of  God.  And  the  heathen  killed  Nimeian,  and 
 thought  they  had  killed  Navalak,  who  lay  like  dead  for  some 
 days  ;  but  he  got  better,  was  afraid,  went  away  to  Aneityum,  and 
 is  come  on  a  Adsit  to  see  us  this  day,  to  see  what  change  God's 
 word  has  wrought  on  Aniwa. 
 
 Navalak,  the  Aneityum  chief  and  teacher,  is  like  Jesus  Christ. 
 The  people  of  God  on  Aneityum  sent  Navalak  and  others  to 
 teach  us  His  word.  The  heathen  here  hated  it,  killed  Navalak, 
 and  thought  they  left  him  dead  ;  but  after  some  days  he  came  to 
 life  and  got  well  again,  but  being  weak  and  afraid  he  left  and 
 went  home,  but  has  come  to  us,  and  is  here  this  day.  So  in  some 
 things  I  see  that  Navalak  is  like  Jesus,  but  in  many  things  Jesus 
 is  not  like  Navalak. 
 
 It  is  not  easy  cutting  down,  clearing  away,  and  rooting  out 
 thick  bush,  like  that  which  grows  in  our  hearts.  "We  cannot  do 
 it.  No  man  can  do  it.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  can,  and  God  has 
 promised  to  give  His  Holy  Spirit  to  help  us.  No  ;  not  to  help 
 us,  but  to  cleanse  our  hearts  for  us.  Truly  God  is  very  good  to 
 us  and  to  all  men.  Jesus  is  not  like  Navalak ;  he  was  afraid, 
 and  left  God's  work  because  he  was  weak.  Jesus  never  was 
 afraid  of  the  people  of  Judea,  though  they  rejected  Him,  mocked 
 Him,  nailed  Him  to  the  cross,  and  took  His  life.  He  was  grieved 
 with  them,  and  prayed  for  them,  but  He  was  not  afraid  of  them, 
 for  He  made  them  all,  knew  their  hearts,  and  knew  all  things, 
 and  could  not  be  afraid  of  them,  nor  lessen  His  work  for  them. 
 Jesus  was  sent  by  Jehovah  to  preach  to  men  the  good  neAvs  of 
 salvation.  Jesus  died  for  man,  in  our  stead,  and  as  He  was  not 
 afraid.  He  did  not  go  aAvay  till  His  work  was  done.  He  did  all 
 that  God  required  to  pay  the  price  for  man's  sin,  and  He  purchased 
 happiness  and  eternal  life  for  His  people  in  heaven. 
 
 We  do  not  see  Jesus  as  Ave  see  Navalak  return  to  us,  but  Ave 
 see  His  Avord  and  read  it,  and  aa'o  see  His  Avork  in  our  church 
 this  day.  Truly  Jesus  has  come  here  and  taught  us  to  Avorship 
 Him,  and  He  Avill  come  again  at  last  AA'hen  all  our  eyes  Avill  see 
 Him  and  be  Avitli  Him,  if  we  love  and  serve  Him.  Navalak  could 
 not  clear  the  bush  aAvay  that  groAvs  in  our  hearts,  and  make  them 
 receive  God's  Avord  ;  but  Jesus  can  clear  it  all  aAvay,  and  change 
 our  hearts  so  as  to  plant  His  word  firmly  in  them,  for  His  power 
 is  great,  it  is  God's  poAver,  He  is  God.  And  it  is  our  duty  to 
 pray  to  Him  and  love  Him  as  His  children. 
 
 Now,  what  Avork  does  Jesus  require  of  us  as  His  children  Avhen 
 AA'-e  are  preparing  to  observe  the  Lord's  Supper  next  Sabbath, 
 the  feast  Jesus  left  for  His  Church  %     What  is  our  proper  Avork 
 
474  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 before  we  sit  clown  at  Christ's  table  to  eat  of  the  bread  and  wine 
 representing  His  body  and  blood  given  for  us  %  What  should 
 be  our  present  work  preparing  for  this  feast,  this  feast  Avith 
 Jesus  Christ  % 
 
 Our  work,  your  work  and  mine,  is  to  look  into  our  hearts,  to 
 search  our  hearts,  to  watch  our  hearts  and  see  what  they  are  like 
 before  God.  Our  Avork  is  to  cleanse  our  hearts  from  all  bad 
 things,  to  cut  down,  clear  away  all  bad  things  in  our  hearts,  to 
 mourn  over  and  hate  sin,  and  make  our  hearts  ready  to  meet 
 Jesus,  to  make  them  ready  for  Him  to  plant  His  word  there  so 
 that  it  may  grow  and  bear  plenty  of  fruit  in  our  good  conduct. 
 How  are  we  to  cleanse  our  hearts  %  On  Wednesday  last  Missi 
 gave  us  a  part  of  God's  word  in  this  house  of  God  which  told  us 
 what  we  are  to  do  so  that  we  may  be  the  children  of  God. 
 God's  children  must  live  like  their  Master,  Jesus  Christ — they 
 must  i^ray  like  Him,  love  Him,  and  serve  Him,  and  remember 
 Him  always.  And  they  must  speak  about  Him  they  love  and 
 serve. 
 
 But  where  are  Christ's  people  here  ?  I  look  round  and  see  you 
 all.  I  don't  know  your  hearts.  I  don't  know  who  are  Christ's 
 people.  No  man  knows.  We  don't  know  each  other's  hearts. 
 We  hear  each  other's  words,  and  see  each  other's  conduct. 
 Jehovah  knows  all  things.  He  knows  all  hearts.  He  knows 
 who  are  His,  and  who  pray  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  lean  on  Him 
 for  all  help.  He  knows  who  of  us  are  working,  and  watching, 
 and  praying  to  get  our  hearts  clean  and  freed  from  the  power  of 
 sin.  And  if  we  don't  watch  our  hearts,  thoughts,  words,  and 
 conduct,  the  Holy  Spirit  will  be  grieved  with  us,  and  leave  us  to 
 ourselves  ;  and  we  know  what  will  then  become  of  us.  But  if  we 
 love  Jesus,  Avatch  and  pray,  the  Holy  Spirit  will  dwell  in  our 
 hearts,  and  make  them  light  and  wise  to  hate  ill  and  do  good. 
 
 You  may  not  now  see  the  need  of  these  things,  of  this  watch- 
 ing and  praying  and  looking  to  God,  but  at  death  you  Avill.  We 
 are  all  afraid  of  death.  One  of  our  chiefs  (Youwilli)  is  dead  this 
 week.  He  is  now  in  the  grave.  We  don't  know  when  death  is 
 coming  to  us,  but  we  fear  death  because  our  hearts  are  bad. 
 Jesus  only  can  lift  us  above  being  afraid  of  death.  Just  now, 
 then,  let  us  all  take  fast  hold  of  Jesus,  and  lean  on  Him  for  all 
 our  need,  and  He  will  make  our  hearts  so  that  we  will  not 
 fear  death.  Look  at  our  hearts,  they  are  like  rotten  Avood. 
 Many  bad  things  groAV  on  Avood  Avhen  it  is  rotting,  and  nothing 
 good  grows  on  it,  nor  can  it  be  used  for  anything  good.  When 
 our  hearts  are  under  Satan's  poAver,  nothing  good  can  grow  in 
 them,  and  they  can  only  be  used  for  evil.  Let  us  all  go  to  Jesus 
 and  truly  give  Him  our  hearts,  and  He  will  free  them  from  the 
 
APPENDIX.  475 
 
 power  of  sin,  and  give  His  Spirit  to  put  good  things  into  them, 
 and  keep  us  from  evil.  Yes,  God  will  help  us,  or  do  it  for  Uf. 
 He  must  do  it  all,  if  it  is  to  do  us  any  good. 
 
 Our  work,  our  great  work  this  week  is  to  weep  over  our  sins 
 and  seek  God  to  cleanse  our  hearts,  and  help  us  to  love  Jesus, 
 as  we  prepare  to  sit  at  His  table  on  Sabbath.  His  work  is  the 
 same  in  all  lands,  for  all  men  are  alike  under  the  power  of  sin, 
 till  He  frees  them  from  it  by  His  word  and  Spirit.  Truly  God  is 
 very  good  to  us  all. 
 
 Our  Missi  is  here  now,  but  he  has  been  very  ill,  and  away 
 from  us,  and  Avhen  the  vessel  goes  back  to  Sydney,  his  trouble 
 causes  him  to  leave  us  again  for  a  time.  Will  we  all  see  him 
 again  1  Some  are  dead  now  who  saw  him  when  he  left  last. 
 Truly  our  hearts  are  hard  and  dark  like  thick  dark  bush,  or  we 
 would  seek  for  what  is  for  our  good,  or  we  would  learn  God's 
 good  word,  keep  it  in  our  hearts,  and  do  His  work  daily  while 
 He  gives  us  the  opportunity.  We  would  remember  God's  word 
 and  think  over  it,  till  we  loved  Jesus  very  much,  till  it  would 
 make  us  like  Jesus  our  King,  the  Son  of  God. 
 
 If  our  hearts  were  not  bad,  to  love  and  serve  Jesus  would  be 
 our  great  work,  and  our  rejoicing  every  day  we  live.  To  love 
 and  serve  Jesus  is  the  work  God  has  given  us  to  do.  Hold  fast 
 to  Jesus,  and  He  -will  come  to  us  at  His  table,  and  help  us  to 
 remember  Him  and  His  love,  and  to  love  Him  and  serve  Him  in 
 our  lives  ;  then  it  will  be  good  and  haj^py  for  us  to  meet  Him  at 
 death,  and  be  with  Him  in  heaven  for  ever.  This  is  the  end  of 
 my  Avord  to  you,  the  people  of  Aniwa. 
 
 PRAYER  OFFERED  BY  A  CHRISTIAN  NATIVE  OF  ANEITYUM  IN  THE 
 CHURCH  AT  ANIWA. 
 
 Translated  hy  the  Rev.  John  Inglis. 
 0  Lord,  our  Father  in  heaven,  Thy  name  is  firmly  established 
 in  the  heavens.  Thy  word  is  as  firmly  established.  0  Lord,  be 
 gracious  unto  us.  0  Lord,  be  merciful  unto  us.  We  are  all  here 
 met  this  day,  this  Sabbath-day,  on  this  island  of  Aniwa;  all  Thy 
 servants  and  their  wives,  the  two  chiefs  from  Aneityum — 
 Nowanpakan  and  Navalak,  and  the  rest  of  us  who  are  but  poor 
 men,  also  the  chiefs  and  people  of  Aniwa.  We  are  all  met  in 
 Thy  house,  to  worship  Thee,  and  to  praise  Thy  name.  0  Lord, 
 bless  us,  and  save  us.  0  Lord,  forgive  all  our  sins,  for  they  are 
 many,  and  they  are  great.  0  Lord,  our  hearts  are  obstinate, 
 and  dark,  and  wicked  ;  give  us  new  hearts,  give  us  good  hearts, 
 give  us  soft  hearts.  Plant  Thy  word  in  our  hearts.  Make  it  to 
 grow  and  bring  forth  much  fruit.     0  Lord,  great  was  Thy  love 
 
4  7  6  THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES. 
 
 for  us.  Thou  didst  give  Tliy  Sod,  Thine  only  Son,  that  He 
 might  be  our  Saviour;  that  He  might  suffer  and  die  in  our 
 stead  ;  that  He  might  save  us  from  sin  and  Satan  ;  and  that  He 
 might  bring  us  to  heaven.  O  Lord,  we  thank  Thee  for  sending 
 us  Thy  servants  to  teach  us,  and  for  sending  us  Thy  good  word 
 to  show  us  the  way  to  heaven. 
 
 0  Lord,  our  Father  in  heaven,  give  us  Thy  Holy  Spirit,  that 
 He  may  dwell  in  our  hearts,  that  He  may  make  our  hearts  good ; 
 that  He  may  take  away  all  our  evil  thoughts,  all  our  evil  desires, 
 all  our  evil  purposes  ;  that  our  thoughts  may  be  good,  that  our 
 words  may  be  good,  that  our  conduct  may  be  good ;  and  make 
 us  fit  for  heaven.  We  are  weak,  we  are  sinful,  and  Satan  is 
 ever  tempting  us.  Thy  servant  Paul  said,  '  So  run  that  ye  may 
 obtain.'  0  Lord,  make  us  strong,  that  we  may  run  with 
 patience ;  that  we  may  run  and  not  be  weary  ;  that  we  may 
 fight  the  good  fight  and  get  the  crown ;  that  we  may  endure 
 hardness  as  good  soldiers. 
 
 0  Lord,  we  are  all  here  this  day,  not  for  our  own  work,  but 
 for  Thy  work.  Thy  work  began  on  Aneityum.  Make  the 
 people  of  Aneityum  strong  to  hold  fast  Thy  words.  It  has 
 come  to  this  land,  and  the  people  of  Aniwa  are  now  worshipping 
 Thee.  O  Lord,  bless  Thy  two  servants  here,  and  their  children  ; 
 make  the  hearts  of  Thy  servants  strong  for  Thy  work,  and  make 
 the  people  of  Aniwa  strong  to  hold  fast  Thy  word.  Thy 
 worship  is  now  established  on  Fotuna,  and  Tanna,  and  Eromanga, 
 and  Efate,  and  Nguna,  and  Santo  ;  but  the  people  who  worship 
 Thee  in  these  lands  are  few,  and  their  hearts  are  weak,  and  the 
 heathen  are  many  and  strong.  0  Lord,  destroy  the  kingdom  of 
 the  devil,  and  set  uj:)  and  make  strong  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
 Christ  Thy  Son,  that  the  whole  earth  may  be  filled  with  Thy  glory. 
 
 0  Lord,  watch  over  the  mission  ship.  Bless  the  captain,  and 
 the  mates,  and  the  sailors.  Make  the  sea  smooth  and  the  winds 
 fair,  that  she  may  sail  fast,  and  go  into  every  harbour  where 
 Thy  servants  wish  to  go.  Bless  all  the  missionaries,  and  all  the 
 teachers,  and  all  who  worship  Thee.  Bless  the  people  of  every 
 island.  Open  the  hearts  of  the  heathen  to  hear  Thy  word,  and 
 listen  to  the  teaching  of  the  missionaries  and  the  teachers. 
 
 0  Lord,  forgive  all  our  sins,  make  our  hearts  good,  and  at 
 last  give  us  all  eternal  life  in  heaven,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus 
 Christ,  Thy  Son  and  our  Lord  and  Saviour.     Amen. 
 
 PRAYER  OF  NATIVE  CHRISTIAN  OF  ANIWA  ON  THE  MORNING 
 OF  THE  COMMUNION,  28TH  JUNE  1874. 
 
 Our  Father  in  heaven,  Thou  art  the  great  King  who  made 
 all  things,   and  who  keeps  all  things  right.     This  Sabbath  is 
 
APPENDIX.  '  477 
 
 Thy  day,  Thy  gift  to  man ;  we  meet  on  it  in  Tliy  house  to 
 worship  Thee,  and  hear  Thy  word  preached.  This  is  our  great 
 Sabbath.  We  are  this  day  to  eat  bread  representing  Thy  body 
 broken  for  us,  and  drink  wine  representing  Thy  blood  shed  for 
 us  ;  thus  we  are  to  remember  Thy  work,  Thy  sutFerings  and 
 death  for  us.  Prepare  our  hearts  to  meet  Thee  at  Thj^  table  this 
 day.     And,  0  Jesus  Christ,  meet  with  us  according  to  Thy  word. 
 
 Our  hearts  are  hard  and  dark  and  stained  with  sin,  but  we 
 come  to  Thee  for  new  hearts,  full  of  Thy  light  and  of  Thy  love. 
 Help  us  to  live  more  for  Thee.  Make  our  hearts  afraid  of  Thee 
 and  of  committing  sin.  Tiapolo  has  spoiled  our  hearts,  and 
 made  them  all  bad,  very  bad ;  but,  0  God,  Thou  art  able  to 
 cleanse  us  by  the  blood  of  Thy  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  by 
 Thy  Holy  Spirit.  Make  us  goocl,  and  keep  us  from  all  evil. 
 Let  our  thoughts  be  all  good,  and  keep  away  all  bad  thoughts 
 from  our  hearts. 
 
 Jehova,  you  gave  us  this  land,  but  the  land  is  dark.  Our 
 bodies  are  dark,  and  our  hearts  are  dark  and  bad ;  but  Thou  art 
 able  to  wash  us  and  make  us  clean,  and  fit  for  Thy  service. 
 Cleanse  us,  0  God,  through  the  blood  and  work  of  Jesus.  Our 
 fathers  were  dark-hearted  heathen,  they  knew  not  Thee  and 
 Thy  holy  word  ;  and  our  hearts  are  worse,  for  we  know  that  we 
 do  not  serve  Thee  as  Ave  ought,  yet  we  are  Thy  work,  and  come 
 to  Thee  for  help,  the  help  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit.  Thy  servants 
 who  teach  us  are  Avhite,  but  sin  exists  in  them  and  in  their 
 land  also  ;  it  exists  everyAvhere  on  this  earth  ;  but  all  can  come 
 to  Thee.  Oh  make  us  all  one.  and  give  us  all  one  heart  to  love 
 and  serve  Thee,  our  God  ! 
 
 Lord,  help  us  ever  to  feel  and  remember  that  our  hearts  are 
 bad,  very  bad  ;  and  help  us  to  come  to  Thee  for  all  we  need  to 
 make  them  Thine.  Thou  hast  everything  we  require.  Make  us 
 all  Thine.  The  land  we  live  in  is  all  Thine.  The  food  Ave  eat  is 
 all  Thine.  The  life  Ave  have  is  Thine.  Thou  didst  make  us  and 
 •  everything  we  see.  Our  Father  in  heaven,  make  us  all  Thine 
 now  and  for  ever,  and  keep  our  hearts  from  all  evil. 
 
 We  are  this  day  to  partake  of  Thy  feast,  given  to  Thy  Church 
 to  keep  in  remembrance  of  Thee.  Help  us  this -day  to  remember 
 Thee  aright,  and  to  love  and  serve  Thee  ahvays  as  Thy  children. 
 Help  us  to  serve  Thee  Avith  all  our  hearts,  and  Avash  aAvay  all 
 our  sins  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  give  us  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
 teach  us  and  to  lead  us  in  Thy  service  in  all  things.  Be  Avith 
 us  at  Thy  table  this  day,  and  help  us  to  feast  on  Thee  by  faith 
 and  love.  Forgive  our  sins,  and  give  us  all  eternal  life  through 
 Jesus  Christ.  Father,  help  us  and  bless  us  through  Jesus  Christ. 
 Amen. 
 
478 
 
 THE  NE  W  HEBRIDES, 
 
 STATISTICS  OF  THE  MISSION 
 
 at  the  close  of  the  year  1874,  with  some  corrections  to  1878, 
 one  hundred  years  after  the  discovery  of  the  islands. 
 
 1874.    1878.     , 
 2       ... 
 9       ... 
 .   1488     1279 
 .     899       792 
 .     589      487 
 .     310       305 
 
 65^  #  cent. 
 Whole  population. 
 .     684      600 
 .       27 
 .       23 
 .       50 
 .       81 
 .       48 
 
 69 
 
 21 
 
 and  New  Testaments. 
 The  Old  Testament 
 
 ANEITYUM. 
 
 European  missionaries, 
 Stations  and  out-stations,    . 
 Total  population, 
 
 Males, 
 
 Females,      ..... 
 Excess  of  males  over  females. 
 Proportion  of  females  to  males,    . 
 Professedly  Christian, 
 Church  members, 
 
 Elders, 
 
 Deacons,     ..... 
 
 Teachers, 
 
 Church  members  admitted  this  year 
 
 Births, 
 
 Deaths, 
 
 Marriages, 
 
 Books  put  into  the  hands  of  the  natives,  viz.  the  Old 
 New  Testament  and  Book  of  Psalms  in  use  for  years, 
 now  ready. 
 
 FOTUNA. 
 
 Births, 18  ... 
 
 Deaths, 30  ... 
 
 Stations,      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  5  ... 
 
 Ordained  European  missionaries,          .         .         .         .  1  v 
 
 Teachers,    .........  1  ... 
 
 Schools,      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  2  ... 
 
 Attendance  on  school,           .         .         .         .         .         .  25  . . . 
 
 Total  number  attending  on  Sabbaths,  .         .         .         .  90 
 
 Heathen  population, 769 
 
 Natives  absent  from  their  homes,         .         .         ,         .  24  ... 
 
 Gospel  of  Mark  and  catechism  printed. 
 
 ANIWA. 
 
 Ordained  European  missionaries,          .         .         .         .  1       . . . 
 
 Houses  of  worship,      .         .         .         .         .         .         .  5       ... 
 
 Schools,      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         ,  6       ... 
 
 Whole  population, 192 
 
 Christians,  ......  Whole  population. 
 
 Scholars, 128       ... 
 
 Church  members, 33       ... 
 
 Adults  baptized  from  commencement  of  the  mission,  .  39 
 
 Admissions  to  church  membership  during  the  year,      .  0 
 
 Suspended,           .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  1       ... 
 
 Hymn-book,  catechism,  primer,  and  small  portions  of  St.  Slark  printed. 
 Additional  part  of  Scripture  ready  for  press. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 479 
 
 TANNA. 
 
 Ordained  Eui'opean  missionaries. 
 
 Kative  teachers, 
 
 Schools,       .... 
 
 Principal  stations, 
 
 Out-stations, 
 
 Attendants  on  public  worshij), 
 
 1874.  1878. 
 2 
 11 
 3 
 2 
 8 
 120 
 
 Books  translated,  viz.  Genesis,  Matthew,  Mark,  John,  Acts,  Komans,  and 
 part  of  Luke.     Some  of  these  are  ready  for  the  press. 
 
 Books  printed,  viz.  a  hymn-book,  a  book  containing  the  Lord's  Prayer 
 and  Ten  Commandments,  and  extracts  from  the  Gospels. 
 
 EROMANGA, 
 
 Ordained  European  missionaries, 
 Principal  stations. 
 Out-stations, 
 Christian  population, 
 Heathen  population,  . 
 
 Church  members, 
 
 Native  teachers,  . 
 
 Deaths  among  Christians,    . 
 
 Births  at  Dillon's  Bay, 
 
 Books  in  use — Genesis,  St.  Matthew,  St, 
 primers.     Acts  of  Apostles  ready  for  the  pr 
 
 1       ... 
 1 
 
 21       ... 
 400       ... 
 Not  known. 
 \  Males,     21 
 \  Females,  9 
 .       21 
 5 
 1 
 
 Luke,  hymn-books,  catechism, 
 
 ■ess. 
 
 30 
 
 43 
 
 FATE, 
 
 Ordained  Eiu-opean  missionaries. 
 
 2       ... 
 
 Native  teachers, 
 
 8       ... 
 
 Stations  and  churches. 
 
 3       ... 
 
 Schools,      .... 
 
 3       ... 
 
 Christian  population,  . 
 
 500       ... 
 
 Heathen  population,    . 
 
 Not  known 
 
 Natives  gone  away  in  vessels. 
 
 20       ... 
 
 Births,        .... 
 
 13      13 
 
 Deaths,       .... 
 
 17      19 
 
 Church  members. 
 
 67      96 
 
 Elders, 
 
 8        9 
 
 Candidates'  class. 
 
 37       ... 
 
 Baptisms,  infants, 
 
 4       ... 
 
 Marriages,  .... 
 
 6       ... 
 
 Contributions  for  the  support  of  Christianity,  viz.  labour  valued  at  £6  stg. , 
 also  a  quantity  of  native  food. 
 
 The  station  at  Efil  harbour  is  of  recent  date.  It  is  only  two  years  since  it 
 was  first  occupied  by  a  missionary. 
 
 Books  in  use — Genesis,  Gospels  of  St.  Mark,  St.  Lirke,  and  St.  John,  hymu- 
 book,  catechisms  and  primers.     Acts  of  Apostles  ready  for  the  press. 
 
48o  THE  NEW  HEBRIDES. 
 
 NGUNA  AND  ADJACENT  ISLANDS. 
 
 European  missionaries,  two. 
 
 Islands  under  their  charge — Nguna,  Pelfe,  Metaso,  Makuru,  and  Tongoa. 
 
 Islands  on  which  the  Nguna  dialect  is  understood,  tliirteen — viz.  Nguna, 
 Fate,  Pele,  Mou,  Metaso,  Makuru,  Tongoa,  Tongariki,  Falea,  Buniga,  Ewosi, 
 Mai,  and  Epi. 
 
 Books  printed,  viz.  two  small  primers  comprising  a  Scripture  history,  the 
 parables  of  Christ,  a  hymn-book,  and  catechism. 
 
 Principal  stations, 
 
 Out- stations. 
 
 Average  number  of  worshippers, 
 
 Teachers,    .... 
 
 Scholars,     .... 
 
 Stations  opened  during  the  year, 
 
 1874.  1878. 
 
 2 
 
 5  '.'.. 
 
 100  ... 
 
 4  ... 
 
 38  ... 
 
 2  ... 
 
 1874. 
 
 1878 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 85 
 
 89 
 
 49 
 
 50 
 
 2644 
 
 814 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 The  following  comparison  of  statistics,  the  last  published  in  full,  may  be 
 interesting,  and  aid  us  in  estimating  the  visible  jirogress  which  the  cause  of 
 God  is  making  in  the  New  Hebrides  mission.     Of  course  they  are  approxi- 
 mate only. 
 
 1873. 
 European  missionaries,         .         .         .         .         .12 
 
 Native  teachers,  .        .        .         .         .         .         .94 
 
 Stations  and  out-stations,     .         .         .         .         .43 
 
 Church  attendants,      ....... 
 
 Communicants,    ........ 
 
 Schools,        .        .        .         .         .         .         .         .         .86 
 
 Scholars, 2433 
 
 Figures  do  not  always  represent  the  real  progress  of  the  Lord's  work  in  a 
 mission,  for  the  kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation,  and  the 
 i^uality  of  the  converts  is  of  more  importance  than  the  quantity.  But  if  the 
 state  of  the  work  here  is  to  be  judged  by  the  measure  of  statistical  facts,  the 
 foregoing  stateinent  mu.st  be  admitted,  we  think,  to  be  more  encouraging,  as 
 a  whole,  than  discouraging.  The  results  indicated,  however,  are  very  likely 
 far  below  the  expectations  pro.spectively  entertained  by  many.  But  let  us 
 not  forget  that  the  growth  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  likened  by  Himself  to 
 the  silent  gradual  working  of  '  leaven,  which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three 
 measures  of  meal  iintil  the  whole  was  leavened.'  In  thirty  years,  4500  con- 
 verts have  been  won  to  Christ  from  heathenism  in  the  New  Hebrides. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
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APPENDIX. 
 
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APPENDIX.  485 
 
 STATISTICS  OF  MISSIONS  IN  POLYNESIA. 
 
 American  Missionaries,      .     16.  Expenditure,  £5,000 
 
 London  Missionary  Society,  26.  Do.             13,000 
 
 Wesleyan,         .         .         .20.  Do.             15,000 
 
 Presbyterian,    .         .         .12.  Do.               4,000 
 
 Church  of  England,  .         .       7.  Do.               5,000 
 
 There  are  five  missionary  vessels  attached  to  the  work  of  these 
 missions,  and  included  in  the  expenditure. 
 
 The  total  expense  since  the  establishment,  in  1797,  of  missions 
 in  Polynesia  is  estimated  at  £1,500,000.  Native  Christians  in 
 Samoa  bear  one-fourth  of  the  expenditure.  In  Hawaii  they  raise 
 £6000  a-year,  in  Fiji  and  Tonga  £5000.  There  are  300  islands 
 evangelized  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  There  are  50,000  communicants, 
 and  a  Christian  population  of  300,000.  Converts  from  the 
 beginning  have  been  400,000.  The  Roman  Catholic  missions 
 in  Polynesia  cost  annually  about  £20,000.  There  are  bishops 
 at  NeAV  Caledonia,  Tahiti,  and  Honolulu. 
 
 '  From  every  kindred,  every  tongue, 
 Thou  brought'st  Thy  chosen  race  ; 
 And  distant  lands  and  isles  have  shared 
 The  riches  of  Thy  grace. ' 
 
MORRISON  AND  GIBB,   EDINBURGH, 
 PRI^fTERS  TO  HER  MAJESTY'S  STATIONERY  OFFICE. 
 
WORKS   ON   MISSIONS, 
 
 Published  by  JAMES  NISBET  &  CO. 
 
 THE  STORY  OF  MISSION  WOEK  AMONG  THE  FEENOH  IN 
 
 BELLEVILLE,  PAEIS.  An  Account  of  -what  I  saw  and  heard  during 
 a  Three  Weeks'  Visit  to  Miss  de  Broen  in  1877.  By  Louisa  Clayton. 
 With  a  Preface  by  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury.  Small  crown  8vo,  2s.  6d. 
 cloth. 
 
 MEMOIR  OF  THE  LATE  J.  J.  WEITBREOHT,  late  Missionary  of 
 
 the  C.M.S.  in  Bengal.  Compiled  by  his  Widow  from  his  Journal  and  his 
 Letters.  With  a  Preface  by  the  late  Kev.  H.  Venn,  M.A.  Crown  8vo, 
 3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 
 SEEDTIME   IN  KASHMIR.      A  Memoir  of  William  J.  Emslie, 
 
 M.D.,  F.R.C.S.E.,  late  Medical  Missionary  of  the  C.M.S.  in  Kashmir.  By 
 his  Widow  and  Dr.  W.  Burns  Thomson,  Medical  Missionary.  Crown  8vo, 
 4s.  6d.  cloth. 
 
 THE    STORY   OF    COMMANDER    ALLEN    GARDINER.      With 
 
 Sketches  of  Missionary  Work  in  South  America.  By  the  Eev.  J.  W.  Marsh, 
 M.A.,  and  the  Right  Rev.  the  Bishop  of  the  Falkland  Islands.  Crown 
 8vo,  2s.  cloth. 
 
 MISSIONS  TO  THE  WOMEN  OF  CHINA,  in  connection  with  the 
 
 Society  for  Promoting  Female  Education  in  the  East.  Crown  8vo,  2s. 
 cloth. 
 
 A  MISSIONARY  OF  THE  APOSTOLIC  SCHOOL.    Being  the  Life 
 
 of  Dr.  JuDSON,  Missionary  to  Burmah.  Revised  and  Edited  by  the  Rev. 
 HoRATics  BoNAR,  D.D.    Crown  8vo,  3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 
 FAITH  AND  VICTORY.     A  Story  of  the  Progress  of  Christianity 
 
 in  Bengal.  By  the  late  Mrs.  Mullens,  of  the  London  Mission  in  Calcutta. 
 Crown  8vo,  4s.  6d.  cloth. 
 
 TWELVE   MONTHS  IN  MADAGASCAR.     By  the  late  Rev.  J. 
 
 Mullens,  D.D.,  Foreign  Secretary  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 
 With  Illustrations.     Post  8vo,  7s.  6d.  cloth. 
 
 MEMOIR  OF  THE   LATE  REV.  WILLIAM   C.   BURNS,   M.A., 
 
 Missionary  to  China.  By  the  late  Professor  Islay  Burns,  D.D.,  Glasgow. 
 With  Portrait.     Crown  8vo,  6s.  cloth ;  Cheap  Edition,  3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 
 MEMORIALS  OF  JAMES  HENDERSON,  M.D.,  F.R.O.S.,  Edin- 
 burgh, Medical  Missionary  to  China.  With  Portrait.  Small  crown  8vo, 
 33.  6d.  cloth ;  Cheap  Abridged  Edition,  16mo,  Is.  cloth. 
 
 LONDON :  JAMES  NTSBET  &  CO.,  21  BERNERS  STREET. 
 
WORKS     ON     MlSSlOm-continued. 
 
 SEED-COEH  IN  BELGIUM,     A  Tour  among  the  Belgian  Ohurolies. 
 
 By  the  Kev.  R.  H.  Lundie,  M.A.,  Liverpool.     Small  crown  870,  Is.  cloth. 
 
 THE  WHITE  riELDS  OF  PKANOE.   An  Account  of  Mr.  M'All's 
 
 Mission  to  the  Working  Men  of  Paris.     By  the  Eev.  Horatius  Bonar,  D.D., 
 Author  of  '  Hymns  of  Faith  and  Hope,'  etc.  etc.     Crown  8vo,  3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 
 rOUE  TEAKS  IN  ASHANTEE.     By  the  Missionaries  Eamseyer 
 
 and  KuHNE.     Post  8vo,  6s.  cloth. 
 '  We  have  here  one  of  the  most  vividly  interesting  and  romantic  works  of 
 travel  and  Christian  missions.' — Nonconformist. 
 
 SOUTH  AFRICA    AND  ITS  MISSION-FIELDS.      By  the  Eev. 
 
 J.  E.  Caelyle,  late  Presbyterian  Minister  and  Chaplain,  Natal.     Post  8vo, 
 5s.  cloth. 
 '  Mr.  Carlyle  has  produced  what  wo  can  best  describe  in  one  word  as  a  states- 
 manlike volume.' — Daily  News. 
 
 SEEKING  THE  LOST.     Incidents  and  Sketches  of  Christian  Work 
 
 in  London.     By  the  Eev.  C.  J.  Whitmore,  Author  of  '  The  Bible  in  the 
 Workshop.'    Crown  8vo,  3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 '  Full  of  bright  narrative,  earnest  teaching,  and  solemn  warning,  and  will  be 
 welcomed  by  all  who  take  an  interest  in  missionary  efforts  among  our  lowest 
 classes.' — Christian  World. 
 
 AEEEST    THE   DESTEOYEE'S    MAECH.      By  Mrs.  Wightman, 
 
 Author  of  '  Haste  to  the  Eescue,'  etc.     Small  crown  8vo,  3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 '  This  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  noticeable  temperance  works  that  have 
 been  issued  from  the  press.' — Aberdeen  Journal. 
 
 OUE  COFFEE  EOOM.     By  Lady  Hope  of  Oarriden.     With  Preface 
 
 by  Lieut.-Gen.  Sir  Arthur  Cotton,  E.E.,   K.C.S.I.     Small   crown   8vo, 
 3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 '  A  story  of  Christian  effort,  .  .  .  told  in  simple  and  unostentatious  manner  that 
 is  exceedingly  pleasant.  .  .  .  Will  be  read  with  interest  of  no  ordinary  kind.' — 
 Rock. 
 
 MOEE  ABOUT  OUE  COFFEE  EOOM.     By  Lady  Hope  of  Carriden, 
 
 Authoress  of  '  Our  Coffee  Eoom,'  etc.     Small  crown  8vo,  3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 '  This  volume  is  even  more  interesting  than  the  last.' — English  Independent. 
 
 LINES  OF  LIGHT  ON  A  DAEK  BACEGEOUND.     By  Lady  Hope, 
 
 Authoress  of  '  Our  Coffee  Eoom,'  etc.    Small  crown  8vo,  3s.  6d. 
 
 EEMAEKABLE  OASES   OF   CONVEESION,  AND   OTHEE  EX- 
 
 PEKIENCES,  showing  the  value  of  Faith  in  the  Faithful  Promiser.      A 
 Study  for  the  Saved  and  the  Unsaved.     By  John  Eichardson  Phillips, 
 Author  of  'Eemarkable  Answers  to  Prayer,'  and  '  Eemarkable  Providences.' 
 Crown  8vo,  3s.  6d.  cloth. 
 '  A  book  which  is  calculated  to  be  a  great  blessing.     The  conversions  are  col- 
 lected from  every  quarter,  and  are  selected  with  great  judgment.' — Eev.  C.  H. 
 Spurgeon  in  Sioord  and  Trowel. 
 
 '  Should  be  allowed  to  be  on  the  table  in  the  family  where  all  can  dip  into  it.' — 
 Christian. 
 
 LONDON:  JAMES  NISBET  &  CO.,  21  BERNERS  STREET. 
 
Date  Due 
 
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