,,life ,,of ,,john ,,coleridge          
,,patteson3  ,,missionary ,,bishop ,,of 
,,the ,,melanesian ,,islands   ,by      
,charlotte ,mary ,yonge                 
,transcriber's note3 ,this ,etext of the
 ,life of ,john ,coleridge ,patteson3   
,missionary ,bishop of the ,melanesian  
,islands1 by ,charlotte ,mary ,yonge was
 prepared by ,sandra ,laythorpe and     
others4 ,more information about the     
history of the ,anglican ,church may be 
found at ,project ,canterbury ,a web    
page for ,charlotte ,m ,yonge may be    
found at www4menorot4com_/cmyonge4htm4  
,,preface4    ,there are of course      
peculiar advantages as well as          
disadvantages in endeavouring to write  
the life of one recently departed4 ,on  
the one hand1 the remembrances connected
 with him are far fresher2 his          
contemporaries can he consulted1 and    
much can be made matter of certainty1   
for which a few years would have made it
 necessary to trust to hearsay or       
probable conjecture4 ,on the other1     

there is necessarily much more reserve2 
nor are the results of the actions1 nor 
even their comparative importance1 so   
clearly discernible as when there has   
been time to ripen the fruit4  ,these   
latter drawbacks are doubled when the   
subject of the biography has passed away
 in comparatively early life3 when the  
persons with whom his life is chiefly   
interwoven are still in full activity2  
and when he has only lived to sow his   
seed in many waters1 and has barely     
gathered any portion of his harvest4    
,thus what ,i have written of ,bishop   
,patteson1 far more what ,i have copied 
of his letters1 is necessarily only     
partial1 although his nearest relations 
and closest friends have most kindly    
permitted the full use of all that could
 build up a complete idea of the man as 
he was4 ,many letters relate to home and
 family matters1 such as it would be    
useless and impertinent to divulge2 and 
yet it is necessary to mention that     
these exist1 because without them we    

might not know how deep was the lonely  
man's interest and sympathy in all that 
concerned his kindred and friends4      
,other letters only repeat the narrative
 or the reflections given elsewhere2 and
 of these1 it has seemed best only to   
print that which appeared to have the   
fullest or the clearest expression4 ,in 
general1 the story is best told in      
letters to the home party2 while        
thoughts are generally best expressed in
 the correspondence with ,sir ,john     
,taylor ,coleridge1 to whom the ,nephew 
seems to have written with a kind of    
unconscious carefulness of diction4     
,there is as voluminous a correspondence
 with the ,brother1 and letters to many 
,cousins2 but as these either repeat the
 same adventures or else are purely     
domestic1 they have been little brought 
forward1 except where any gap occurred  
in the correspondence which has formed  
the staple material4  ,letters upon the 
unhappy ,maori war have been purposely  
omitted2 and1 as far as possible1 such  

criticisms on living personages as it   
seemed fair towards the writer to omit4 
,criticisms upon their publications are 
of course a different thing4 ,my desire 
has been to give enough expression of   
,bishop ,patteson's opinions upon       
,church and ,state affairs1 to represent
 his manner of thinking1 without        
transcribing every detail of remarks1   
which were often made upon an imperfect 
report1 and were1 in fact1 only written 
down1 instead of spoken and forgotten1  
because correspondence served him       
instead of conversation4  ,i think ,i   
have represented fairly1 for ,i have    
done my best faithfully to select       
passages giving his mind even where it  
does not coincide completely with my own
 opinions2 being quite convinced that   
not only should a biographer never      
attempt either to twist or conceal the  
sentiments of the subject1 but that     
either to apologise for1 or as it were  
to argue with them1 is vain in both     
senses of the word4  ,the real          

disadvantage of the work is my own very 
slight personal acquaintance with the   
externals of the man1 and my ignorance  
of the scenes in which the chief part of
 his life was passed4 ,there are those  
who would have been far more qualified  
in these respects than myself1 and1     
above all1 in that full and sympathetic 
masculine grasp of a man's powerful     
mind1 which is necessarily denied to me4
 ,but these fittest of all being        
withheld by causes which are too well   
known to need mention1 ,i could only    
endeavour to fulfil the work as best ,i 
might2 trusting that these unavoidable  
deficiencies may be supplied1 partly by 
,coleridge ,patteson's own habit of     
writing unreservedly1 so that he speaks 
for himself1 and partly by the very full
 notes and records with which his       
friends have kindly supplied me1        
portraying him from their point of view2
 so that ,i could really trust that     
little more was needed than ordinary    
judgment in connecting and selecting4   

,nor until the work is less fresh from  
my hand will it be possible to judge    
whether ,i have in any way been allowed 
to succeed in my earnest hope and       
endeavour to bring the statue out of the
 block1 and as it were to carve the     
figure of the ,saint for his niche among
 those who have given themselves soul   
and body to ,god's ,work4  ,it has been 
an almost solemn work of anxiety1 as    
well as one of love4 ,may ,i only have  
succeeded in causing these letters and  
descriptions to leave a true and        
definite impression of the man and of   
his example6  ,let me here record my    
obligations for materials--,i need      
hardly say to the immediate family and  
relations--for1 in truth1 ,i act chiefly
 as their amanuensis2 but likewise to   
the ,bishop of ,lichfield1 ,bishop      
,abraham4  ,lady ,martin1 the ,rev4 ,b4 
,t4 ,dudley1 the ,rev4 ,e4 ,codrington1 
and ,captain ,tilly1 for their valuable 
aid--the two first mentioned by         
correction and revision1 the others by  

contributions such as could only be     
supplied by eye-witnesses and           
fellow-workers4 ,many others ,i must    
thank for kindly supplying me with      
letters4   ,,charlotte ,,mary ,,yonge4  
,,elderfield1 ,september #ai1 #ahgc4    
,,chapter ,i4 ,,childhood ,,at ,,home   
,,and ,,at ,,school1 #ahbg-ahch4    ,so 
much of a man's cast of character       
depends upon his home and parentage1    
that no biography can be complete which 
does not look back at least as far as   
the lives of the father and mother1 from
 whom the disposition is sure to be in  
part inherited1 and by whom it must     
often be formed4 ,indeed1 the happiest  
natures are generally those which have  
enjoyed the full benefit of parental    
training without dictation1 and have    
been led1 but not forced1 into the way  
in which they should go4  ,therefore it 
will not be irrelevant to dwell on the  
career of the father whose name1 though 
still of great weight in his own        
profession1 may not be equally known to 

the younger generation who have grown up
 since the words ',mr4 ,justice         
,patteson' were of frequent occurrence  
in law reports4  ,john ,patteson1 father
 of the subject of the present memoir1  
was son to a clergyman of a ,norfolk    
family1 and was born at ,coney ,weston1 
on ,february #aa1 #agij4 ,he was        
educated at ,eton1 and there formed more
 than one friendship1 which not only    
lasted throughout his life1 but extended
 beyond his own generation4 ,sport and  
study flourished alike among such lads  
as these2 and while they were taught by 
,dr4 ,groodall to delight in the        
peculiarly elegant and accurate         
scholarship which was the characteristic
 of the highest education of their day1 
their boyhood and youth were full of the
 unstained mirth that gives such        
radiance to recollections of the past1  
and often causes the loyalty of         
affectionate association to be handed on
 to succeeding generations4 ,the        
thorough ,etonian impress1 with all that

 it involved1 was of no small account in
 his life1 as well as in that of his    
son4  ,the elder ,john ,patteson was a  
colleger1 and passed on to ,king's      
,college1 ,cambridge1 whence1 in #ahac1 
he came to ,london to study law4 ,in    
#ahaf he opened his chambers as a       
special pleader1 and on ,february #bc1  
#ahah1 was married to his cousin1       
,elizabeth ,lee1 after a long           
engagement4 ,the next year1 #ahai1 he   
was called to the ,bar1 and began to go 
the ,northern circuit4 ,on ,april #c1   
#ahbj1 ,mrs4 ,patteson died1 leaving one
 daughter1 ,joanna ,elizabeth4 ,four    
years later1 on ,april #bb1 #ahbd1 ,mr4 
,patteson married ,frances ,duke        
,coleridge1 sister of his friend and    
fellow-barrister1 ,john ,taylor         
,coleridge4 ,this lady1 whose name to   
all who remember her calls up a fair and
 sweet memory of all that was good1     
bright1 and beloved1 was the daughter of
 ,james ,coleridge1 of ,heath's ,court1 
,ottery ,st4 ,mary1 ,devon1 ,colonel of 

the ,south ,devon ,volunteers4 ,he was  
the eldest of the numerous family of the
 ,rev4 ,john ,coleridge1 ,master of     
,ottery ,st4 ,mary ,school1 and the     
poet1 ,samuel ,taylor ,coleridge1 was   
the youngest4  ,the strong family       
affection that existed between all      
,colonel ,coleridge's children1 and     
concentrated itself upon the only sister
 among them1 made marriage with her an  
adoption into a group that could not    
fail to exercise a strong influence on  
all connected with it1 and the ties of  
kindred will be found throughout this   
memoir to have had peculiar force4      
,john ,coleridge ,patteson1 his mother's
 second child and eldest son1 was born  
at ,no4 #i1 ,grower ,street1 ,bedford   
,square1 on the #ast of ,april1 #ahbg1  
and baptized on the #hth4 ,besides the  
elder half-sister already mentioned1    
another sister1 ,frances ,sophia        
,coleridge1 a year older than1 and one  
brother1 ,james ,henry1 nearly two years
 younger than ,coleridge1 made up the   

family4  ,three years later1 in #ahcj1  
,mr4 ,patteson was raised to the ,bench1
 at the unusually early age of forty4   
,it is probable that there never was a  
period when the ,judicial ,bench could  
reckon a larger number of men           
distinguished not only for legal ability
 but for the highest culture and for the
 substantial qualities that command     
confidence and respect4 ,the middle of  
the nineteenth century was a time when  
,england might well be proud of her     
,judges4  ,there was much in the habits 
of the ,bench and ,bar to lead to close 
and friendly intimacy1 especially on the
 circuits4 ,when legal etiquette forbade
 the use of any public conveyance1 and  
junior barristers shared post-chaises1  
while the leaders travelled in their own
 carriages1 all spent a good deal of    
time together1 and it was not unusual   
for ladies to go a great part of the    
circuit with their husbands1 especially 
when it lay in the direction of their   
own neighbourhood4 ,the ,judges'        

families often accompanied them1        
especially at the summer assize1 and    
thus there grew up close associations   
between their children1 which made their
 intimacy almost like that of           
relationship4 ,almost all1 too1 lived in
 near neighbourhood in those parts of   
,london that now are comparatively      
deserted1 but which were then the       
especial abodes of lawyers1 namely1     
those adjacent to ,bedford ,square1     
where the gardens were the daily resort 
of their children1 all playing together 
and knowing one another with that       
familiarity that childhood only gives4  
',sir ,john ,patteson's contemporaries  
have nearly all1 one by one1 passed     
away1' writes one of them1 ,sir ,john   
,taylor ,coleridge4 ',he has left few1  
if any1 literary monuments to record    
what his intellectual powers were2 and  
even in our common profession the       
ordinary course and practice are so     
changed1 that ,i doubt whether many     
lawyers are now familiar with his       

masterly judgments2 but ,i feel that ,i 
speak the truth when ,i describe him as 
a man of singularly strong common sense1
 of great acuteness1 truthfulness1 and  
integrity of judgment4 ,these were great
 judicial qualities1 and to these he    
added much simplicity and geniality of  
temper and manners2 and all these were  
crowned by a firm1 unhesitating1 devout 
belief in the doctrines of our faith1   
which issued in strictness to himself   
and the warmest1 gentlest charity to his
 fellow-creatures4 ,the result was what 
you might expect4 ,altogether it would  
be hard to say whether you would        
characterise him as a man unusually     
popular or unusually respected4'  ,such 
was the character of ,mr4 ,justice      
,patteson1 a character built upon the   
deep1 solid groundwork of religion1 such
 as would now be called that of a sound 
,churchman of the old school1 thoroughly
 devout and scrupulous in observance1   
ruling his family and household on a    
principle felt throughout1 making a     

conscience of all his and their ways1   
though promoting to the utmost all      
innocent enjoyment of pleasure1 mirth1  
or gaiety4 ,indeed1 all who can look    
back on him or on his home remember an  
unusual amount of kindly genial         
cheerfulness1 fun1 merriment1 and       
freedom1 i4e4 that obedient freedom     
which is the most perfect kind of       
liberty4  ,though this was in great part
 the effect of having such a head of the
 family1 the details of management could
 not but chiefly depend upon the mother1
 and ,lady ,patteson was equally loved  
for her tenderness and respected for her
 firmness4 ',she was1 indeed1' writes   
her brother1 'a sweet and pious person1 
of the most affectionate1 loving        
disposition1 without a grain of         
selfishness1 and of the stoutest        
adherence to principle and duty4 ,her   
tendency was to deal with her children  
fondly1 but this never interfered with  
good training and discipline4 ,what she 
felt right1 she insisted on1 at whatever

 pain to herself4'  ,she had to deal    
with strong characters4 ,coleridge1 or  
,coley1 to give him the abbreviation by 
which he was known not only through     
childhood but through life1 was a fair  
little fellow1 with bright deep-blue    
eyes1 inheriting much of his nature from
 her and her family1 but not by any     
means a model boy4 ,he was1 indeed1     
deeply and warmly affectionate1 but     
troublesome through outbreaks of will   
and temper1 showing all the ordinary    
instinct of trying how far the          
authorities for the time being will     
endure resistance2 sufficiently indolent
 of mind to use his excellent abilities 
to save exertion of intellect2          
passionate to kicking and screaming     
pitch1 and at times showing the         
doggedness which is such a trial of     
patience to the parent4 ,to this ,lady  
,patteson 'never yielded2 the thing was 
to be done1 the point given up1 the     
temper subdued1 the mother to be obeyed1
 and all this upon a principle sooner   

understood than parents suppose4'       
,there were countless instances of the  
little boy's sharp1 stormy gusts of     
passion1 and his mother's steady refusal
 to listen to his ',i will be good'     
until she saw that he was really sorry  
for the scratch or pinch which he had   
given1 or the angry word he had spoken2 
and she never waited in vain1 for the   
sorrow was very real1 and generally     
ended in ',do you think ,god can forgive
 me8' ,when ,fanny's love of teasing had
 exasperated ,coley into stabbing her   
arm with a pencil1 their mother had     
resolution enough to decree that no     
provocation could excuse 'such          
unmanliness' in a boy1 and inflicted a  
whipping which cost the girl more tears 
than her brother1 who was full of the   
utmost grief a child could feel for the 
offence4 ,no fault was lightly passed   
over2 not that punishment was inflicted 
for every misdemeanour1 but it was      
always noticed1 and the children were   
shown with grave gentleness where they  

were wrong2 or when there was a squabble
 among them1 the mother's question1     
',who will give up8' generally produced 
a chorus of ',i6 ,i6 ,i6' ,withal       
'mamma' was the very life of all the    
fun1 and play1 and jokes1 enjoying all  
with spirits and merriment like the     
little ones' own1 and delighting in the 
exchange of caresses and tender         
epithets4 ,thus affection and generosity
 grew up almost spontaneously towards   
one another and all the world4  ,on this
 disposition was grafted that which was 
the one leading characteristic of       
,coley's life1 namely1 a reverent and   
religious spirit1 which seems from the  
first to have been at work1 slowly and  
surely subduing inherent defects1 and   
raising him1 step by step1 from grace to
 grace4  ,five years old is in many     
cases an age of a good deal of thought4 
,the intelligence is free from the      
misapprehensions and misty perceptions  
of infancy2 the first course of physical
 experiments is over1 freedom of speech 

and motion have been attained1 and yet  
there has not set in that burst of      
animal growth and spirits that often    
seems to swamp the deeper nature        
throughout boyhood4 ,by this age ,coley 
was able to read1 and on his birthday he
 received from his father the ,bible    
which was used at his consecration as   
,bishop twenty-seven years later4  ,he  
had an earnest wish to be a clergyman1  
because he thought saying the           
,absolution to people must make them so 
happy1 'a belief he must have gleaned   
from his ,prayer-book for himself1 since
 the doctrine was not in those days made
 prominent4' ,the purpose was fostered  
by his mother4 ',she delighted in it1   
and encouraged it in him4 ,no thought of
 a family being to be made1 and of      
,coley being the eldest son1 ever       
interfered for a moment4 ,that he should
 be a good servant at ,god's altar was  
to her above all price4'  ,of course1   
however1 this was without pressing the  
thought on him4 ,he grew on1 with the   

purpose accepted but not discussed1     
except from time to time a half-playful1
 half-grave reference to himself as a   
future clergyman4  ,reverence was       
strongly implanted in him4 ,his old     
nurse 7still his sister's valued        
servant7 remembers the little seven     
years old boy1 after saying his own     
prayers at her knee1 standing opposite  
to his little brother1 admonishing him  
to attention with ',think1 ,jemmy2      
think4' ,in fact1 devoutness seems to   
have been natural to him4 ,it appears to
 have been the first strongly traceable 
feature in him1 and to have gradually   
subdued his faults one by one4  ,who can
 tell how far this was fostered by those
 old-fashioned habits of strictness     
which it is the present habit to view as
 repellent8 ,every morning1 immediately 
after breakfast1 ,lady ,patteson read   
the ,psalms and ,lessons for the day    
with the four children1 and after these 
a portion of some book of religious     
instruction1 such as ',horne on the     

,psalms' or ',daubeny on the            
,catechism4' ,the ensuing studies were  
in charge of ,miss ,neill1 the          
governess1 and the life-long friend of  
her pupils2 but the mother made the     
religious instruction her individual    
care1 and thus upheld its pre-eminence4 
,sunday was likewise kept distinct in   
reading1 teaching1 employment1 and whole
 tone of conversation1 and the effect   
was assuredly not that weariness which  
such observance is often supposed to    
produce1 but rather lasting benefit and 
happy associations4 ,coley really       
enjoyed ,bible-reading1 and entered into
 explanations1 and even then often      
picked up a passage in the sermons he   
heard at ,st4 ,giles's-in-the-,fields   
from the ,rev4 ,j4 ,endell ,tyler1 and  
would give his home-oracles no peace    
till they had made it as clear to his   
comprehension as was possible4  ,the    
love of his home may be gathered from   
the fact that his letters have been     
preserved in an unbroken series1        

beginning from a country visit in #ahcd1
 after a slight attack of scarlet fever1
 written in the round-hand of a boy of  
seven years old1 and finished off with  
the big ,roman capitals ,,finis1 ,,amen1
 and ending with the uncompleted sheets1
 bearing as their last date ,september  
#ai1 #ahga4  ,the boy's first school was
 at ,ottery ,st4 ,mary1 in ,devonshire1 
of which his great-grandfather and      
great-uncle had both been head-masters4 
,there was much to make ,ottery homelike
 to ,coley1 for his grandparents lived  
at ,heath's ,court1 close to the church1
 and in the manor-house near at hand    
their third son1 ,francis ,george       
,coleridge1 a solicitor1 whose three    
boys were near contemporaries of ,coley1
 and two of them already in the school4 
,from first to last his letters to his  
parents show no symptom of carelessness2
 they are full of ease and confidence1  
outpourings of whatever interested him1 
whether small or great1 but always      
respectful as well as affectionate1 and 

written with care and pains1 being      
evidently his very best2 nor does the   
good old formula1 ',your affectionate   
and dutiful son1' ever fail or ever     
produce stiffness4  ,the shrinking from 
rough companions1 and the desire to be  
with the homelike relatives around1     
proved a temptation1 and the little boy 
was guilty of making false excuses to   
obtain leave of absence4 ,we cannot     
refrain from giving his letter of       
penitence1 chiefly for the sake of the  
good sense and kindness of his uncle's  
treatment3--   ',april #bf1 #ahcf4  ',my
 dear ,papa1--,i am very sorry for      
having told so many falsehoods1 which   
,uncle ,frank has told mamma of4 ,i am  
very sorry for having done so many bad  
things1 ,i mean falsehoods1 and ,i      
heartily beg your pardon2 and ,uncle    
,frank says that he thinks1 if ,i stay1 
in a month's time ,mr4 ,cornish will    
begin to trust me again4 ,uncle ,frank  
to-day had me into his house and told me
 to reflect upon what ,i had done4 ,he  

also lectured me in the ,bible1 and     
asked me different questions about it4  
,he told me that if ,i ever told another
 falsehood he should that instant march 
into the school and ask ,mr4 ,cornish to
 strip and birch me2 and if ,i followed 
the same course ,i did now and did not  
amend it1 if the birching did not do1 he
 should not let me go home for the      
holidays2 but ,i will not catch the     
birching444  ',so believe me your dear  
,son1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,on the  
flap of the letter ',uncle ,frank'      
writes to the mother3--   ',my dear     
,fanny1--,i had ,coley in my room       
to-day1 and talked to him seriously     
about his misdeeds1 and ,i hope good has
 been done4 ,but ,i could scarcely keep 
my countenance grave when he began to   
reduce by calculation the exact number  
of fibs he had told4 ,he did not think  
it was more than two or three at the    
utmost3 and when ,i brought him to book1
 ,i had much to do to prevent the       
feeling that the sin consisted in       

telling many lies4 ,however the dear    
boy's confession was as free as could be
 expected1 and ,i have impressed on his 
mind the meanness1 cowardice1 and       
wickedness of the habit1 and what it    
will end in here and hereafter4 ,he has 
promised that he will never offend in   
future in like manner1 and ,i really    
believe that his desire to be away from 
the school and at ease among his friends
 induced him to trump up the            
invitations1 c41 to ,mr4 ,cornish1 in   
which consisted his first fibs4 ,i shall
 watch him closely1 as ,i would my own  
child2 and ,cornish has done wisely1 ,i 
think1 by giving the proper punishment  
of confining him to the school-court1   
c41 and not letting him go to his       
friends for some time4 ,the dear boy is 
so affectionate1 and has so much to work
 on1 that there is no fear of him2 only 
these things must be looked after       
promptly1 and he must learn practically 
7before his reason and religion operate7
 that he gains nothing by a lie444 ,he  

is very well1 and wins one's heart in a 
moment444  ',ever your affectionate     
,brother1  ',f4 ,g4 ,c4'   ,the         
management was effectual1 and the       
penitence real1 for this fault never    
recurred1 nor is the boy's conduct ever 
again censured1 though the half-yearly  
reports often lament his want of zeal   
and exertion4 ,coley was sufficiently   
forward to begin ,greek on his first    
arrival at ,ottery1 and always held a   
fair place for his years1 but throughout
 his school career his character was not
 that of an idle but of an uninterested 
boy1 who preferred play to work1 needed 
all his conscience to make him          
industrious1 and then was easily        
satisfied with his performances2        
naturally comparing them with those of  
other boys1 instead of doing his own    
utmost1 and giving himself full credit  
for the diligence he thought he had     
used4 ,for it must be remembered that it
 was a real1 not an ideal nature2 not a 
perfect character1 but one full of the  

elements of growth4  ,a childish1       
childlike boy1 he was now1 and for many 
years longer1 intensely fond of all     
kinds of games and sports1 in which his 
light active form1 great agility1 and   
high spirit made him excel4 ,cricket1   
riding1 running-races1 all the school   
amusements were his delight2 fireworks  
for the #eth of ,november sparkle with  
ecstasy through his letters1 and he was 
a capital dancer in the ,christmas      
parties at his ,london home4 ,he had    
likewise the courage and patience sure  
to be needed by an active lad4 ,while at
 ,ottery he silently bore the pain of a 
broken collar-bone for three weeks1 and 
when the accident was brought to light  
by his mother's embrace1 he only said   
that 'he did not like to make a fuss4'  
,consideration for others1 kindness1 and
 sweetness of nature were always his    
leading characteristics1 making him much
 beloved by all his companions1 and an  
excellent guardian and example to his   
little brother1 who soon joined him at  

,ottery4 ,indeed1 the love between these
 two brothers was so deep1 quiet1 and   
fervid1 that it is hard to dwell on it  
while 'one is taken and the other left4'
 ,it was at this time a rough buffeting1
 boyish affection1 but it was also a    
love that made separation pain and      
grief1 and on the part of the elder1 it 
showed itself in careful protection from
 all harm or bullying1 and there was a  
strong underlying current of tenderness1
 most endearing to all concerned with   
the boys1 whether masters1 relations1   
friends1 or servants4     ,,chapter     
,,ii4 ,,boyhood ,,at ,,eton4            
#ahch--ahde4    ,after the ,christmas   
holidays of #ahcg-h1 when ,coley        
,patteson was nearly eleven years old1  
he was sent to ,eton1 that most         
beautifully situated of public schools1 
whose delightful playing fields1 noble  
trees1 broad river1 and exquisite view  
of ,windsor ,castle give it a peculiar  
charm1 joining the venerable grandeur of
 age to the freshness and life of youth1

 so as to rivet the affections in no    
common degree4  ,it was during the      
head-mastership of ,dr4 ,hawtrey that   
,patteson became1 in schoolboy phrase1  
an ,eton fellow1 being boarded in the   
house of his uncle1 the ,rev4 ,edward   
,coleridge1 one of the most popular and 
successful ,eton masters4 ,several of   
his cousins were also in this house1    
with other boys who became friends of   
his whole life1 and he was thoroughly   
happy there1 although in these early    
days he still felt each departure from  
home severely1 and seldom failed to     
write a mournful letter after the       
holidays4 ,there is one1 quite pathetic 
in its simplicity1 telling his mother   
how he could not say his prayers nor    
fall asleep on his first night till he  
had resolutely put away the handkerchief
 that seemed for some reason a special  
link with home4 ,it illustrates what all
 who remember him say1 how thoroughly a 
childlike being he still was1 though a  
well-grown1 manly1 high-spirited boy1   

quite able to take care of himself1 keep
 his place1 and hold his own4  ,he was  
placed in the lower remove of the fourth
 form1 which was then 'up to' the ,rev4 
,charles ,old ,goodford1 i4e4 that was  
he who taught the division so called in 
school4  ,the boy was evidently well    
prepared1 for he was often captain of   
his division1 and his letters frequently
 tell of successes of this kind1 while  
they anticipate ',montem4'  ,that of    
#ahch was a brilliant one1 for ,queen   
,victoria1 then only nineteen1 and her  
first year of sovereignty not yet       
accomplished1 came from the ,castle to  
be driven in an open carriage to ,salt  
,hill and bestow her ,royal             
contribution4  ,in the throng little    
,patteson was pressed up so close to the
 ,royal carriage that he became         
entangled in the wheel1 and was on the  
point of being dragged under it1 when   
the ,queen1 with ready presence of mind1
 held out her hand3 he grasped it1 and  
was able to regain his feet in safety1  

but did not recover his perceptions     
enough to make any sign of gratitude    
before the carriage passed on4 ,he had  
all a boy's shyness about the adventure2
 but perhaps it served to quicken the   
personal loyalty which is an unfailing  
characteristic of ',eton fellows4'  ,the
 ,royal custom of the ,sunday afternoon 
parade on the terrace of ,windsor       
,castle for the benefit of the gazing   
public afforded a fine opportunity for  
cultivating this sentiment1 and ,coley  
sends an amusingly minute description of
 her ,majesty's dress1 evidently studied
 for his mother's benefit1 even to the  
pink tips of her four long ostrich      
feathers1 and calling to mind ,chalon's 
water-colours of the ,queen in her early
 youth4 ,he finishes the description    
with a quaint little bit of moralising4 
',it certainly is very beautiful with   
two bands playing on a calm1 blessed    
,sunday evening1 with the ,queen of     
,england and all her retinue walking    
about4 ,it gives you an idea of the     

,majesty of ,god1 who could in one short
 second turn it all into confusion4     
,there is nothing to me more beautiful  
than the raising one's eyes to ,heaven1 
and thinking with adoration who made    
this scene1 and who could unmake it     
again4'  ,a few days later the record is
 of a very different scene1 namely1     
,windsor ,fair1 when the ,eton boys used
 to imagine they had a prescriptive     
right to make a riot and revel in the   
charms of misrule4  ',on the second day 
the ,eton fellows always make an immense
 row4 ,so at the signal1 when a thing   
was acting1 the boys rushed in and      
pulled down the curtain1 and commenced  
the row4 ,i am happy to say ,i was not  
there4 ,there were a great many soldiers
 there1 and they all took our part4 ,the
 alarm was given1 and the police came4  
,then there was such a rush at the      
police4 ,some of them tumbled over1 and 
the rest were half-knocked down4 ,at    
last they took in custody three of our  
boys1 upon which every boy that was     

there 7amounting to about #dej7 was     
summoned4 ,they burst open the door1    
knocked down the police1 and rescued our
 boys4 ,meantime the boys kept on shying
 rotten eggs and crackers1 and there was
 nothing but righting and rushing4'  ,a 
startling description6 ,but this was    
nothing to the wild pranks that lived in
 the traditions of the elder generation2
 and in a few years more the boys were  
debarred from the mischievous licence of
 the fair4  ,coley had now been nearly a
 year at ,eton1 and had proceeded       
through the lower and middle removes of 
the fourth form1 when1 on ,november #bc1
 he achieved the success of which he    
thus writes3--  ',rejoice6 ,i was sent  
up for good yesterday at eleven o'clock 
school4 ,i do not know what copy of     
verses for yet1 but directly ,i do1 ,i  
will send you a copy4444 ,goodford1 when
 ,i took my ticket to be signed 7for ,i 
was obliged to get ,goodford1 ,abraham1 
and my tutor to sign it71 said1 ,i will 
sign it most willingly1 and then kept on

 stroking my hand1 and said1 ,i         
congratulate you most heartily1 and am  
very glad of it4 ,i am the only one who 
is sent up2 which is a good thing for   
me1 as it will give me forty or fifty   
good marks in trials4 ,i am so splitting
 with joy you cannot think1 because now 
,i have given you some proof that ,i    
have been lately sapping and doing      
pretty well4 ,do not1 think that ,i am  
praising myself1 for ,i am pretty nearly
 beside myself1 you may suppose4'  ,one 
of his cousins adds1 on the same sheet3 
',i must tell you it is very difficult  
to be sent up in the upper fourth form1 
and still more so in the middle remove4'
  ,the subject of the ,latin verses     
which obtained this distinction was a   
wreath or garland1 and there must have  
been something remarkable in them1 for  
,mr4 ,abraham preserved a copy of them  
for many years4 ,there was something in 
the sweetness and docility of the boy1  
and in the expression of his calm1      
gentle face1 that always greatly        

interested the masters and made them    
rejoice in his success2 and among his   
comrades he was a universal favourite4  
,his brother joined him at ,eton during 
the ensuing year1 when the ,queen's     
wedding afforded the boys another       
glimpse of ,royal festivity4 ,their     
tumultuous loyalty and audacity appear  
in ,coley's letter3--  ',in college1    
stretching from ,hexter's to ,mother    
,spier's was a magnificent              
representation of the ,parthenon3 there 
were three pillars1 and a great thing   
like this 7a not over-successful sketch 
of a pediment71 with the ,eton and      
,royal arms in the middle1 and          
,gratulatur ,etona ,victoria et ,alberto
 ,it cost #aej1 and there were #e1jjj   
lamps hung on it4 ,throughout the whole 
day we all of us wore large white bridal
 favours and white gloves4 ,towards     
evening the clods got on ,long ,walk    
,wall2 and as gentle means would not do1
 we were under the necessity of knocking
 some over1 when the rest soon jumped   

off4 ,however1 ,f---- and myself        
declared we would go right into the     
quadrangle of the ,castle1 so we went   
into the middle of the road and formed a
 line4 ,soon a rocket 7the signal that  
the ,queen was at ,slough7 was let off1 
and then some ,life ,guards came        
galloping along1 and one of them ran    
almost over me1 and actually trod on    
,f---'s toe1 which put him into dreadful
 pain for some time4 ,then came the     
,queen's carriage1 and ,i thought       
college would have tumbled down with the
 row4 ,the cheering was really          
tremendous4 ,the whole #eej fellows all 
at once roared away4 ,the ,queen and    
,consort nodding and bowing1 smiling1 c4
 ,then ,f---- and ,i made a rush to get 
up behind the ,queen's carriage1 but a  
dragoon with his horse almost knocked us
 over4 ,so we ran by the side as well as
 we could1 but the crowd was so         
immensely thick1 we could not get on as 
quick as the ,queen4 ,we rushed along1  
knocking clean over all the clods we    

could1 and rushing against the rest1 and
 finally ,f---- and myself were the only
 ,eton fellows that got into the        
quadrangle4 ,as we got there1 the       
,queen's carriage was going away4 ,you  
may fancy that we were rather hot1      
running the whole way up to the ,castle1
 besides the exertion of knocking over  
the clods and knocking at doors as we   
passed2 but ,i was so happy4'  ,such is 
bliss at twelve years old6  ,the first  
half-year of #ahci had brought ,patteson
 into the ,remove1 that large division  
of the school intermediate between the  
fourth and fifth forms4 ,the work was   
harder1 and his diligence somewhat      
relaxed4 ,in fact1 the ,coley of this   
period and of a good while later had    
more heart for play than work4 ,cricket1
 bathing1 and boating were his delight2 
and though his school-work was          
conscientiously accomplished1 it did not
 interest him2 and when he imagined     
himself to have been working hard and   
well1 it was a thunderbolt to him to    

find1 at the end of the half-year1 that 
a great deal more had been expected of  
him by his tutor4 ,it shows how candid  
and sweet his nature was1 that1 just as 
when he was a little fellow at ,ottery1 
his penitent letter should contain the  
rebuke he had received1 without         
resentment against anyone but himself3--
  ',aunt has just called me down into   
the drawing-room and shown me my        
character4 ,i am stupefied at it2 it is 
so shocking just when ,i most wanted a  
good one on account of mamma's health4  
,i am ashamed to say that ,i can offer  
not the slightest excuse2 my conduct on 
this occasion has been very bad4 ,i     
expect a severe reproof from you1 and   
pray do not send me any money1 nor grant
 me the slightest favour84 ,whilst      
444441 who has very little ability      
7uncle says71 is1 by plodding on1       
getting credit1 ,i1 who 7my tutor says7 
have abilities1 am wickedly neglecting  
and offending both my heavenly and      
earthly ,father by my bad use of them4  

,aunt called me into the drawing-room1  
and very kindly showed me the excessive 
foolishness of my conduct2 but from this
 very moment ,i am determined that ,i   
will not lose a moment1 and we will see 
what the next three weeks will produce4'
  ,poor little fellow6 his language is  
so strong that it is almost a surprise  
to find that he was reproaching himself 
for no more heinous fault than not      
having worked up to the full extent of  
his powers6 ,he kept his promise of     
diligence1 and never again incurred     
reproof1 but was sent up for good again 
in ,november4 ,his career through the   
school was above the average1 though not
 attaining to what was expected from his
 capabilities2 but the development of   
his nature was slow1 and therefore      
perhaps ultimately the more complete1   
and as yet study for its own sake did   
not interest him2 indeed1 his mind was  
singularly devoid of pleasure in        
classical subjects1 though so alert in  
other directions4  ,he was growing into 

the regular tastes of the refined1      
fastidious ,eton boy2 wrote of the cut  
of his first tail-coat that 'this is    
really an important thing2' and had     
grown choice in the adorning of his room
 and the binding of his books1 though he
 never let these tastes bring him into  
debt or extravagance4 ,his turn for art 
and music began to show itself1 and the 
anthems at ,st4 ,george's ,chapel on the
 ,sunday afternoons gave him great      
delight2 and in ,eton ,chapel1 a        
contemporary says1 ',i well remember how
 he used to sing the ,psalms with the   
little turns at the end of the verses1  
which ,i envied his being able to do4'  
,nor was this mere love of music1 but   
devotion4 ,coley had daily regular      
readings of the ,bible in his room with 
his brother1 cousins1 and a friend or   
two2 but the boys were so shy about it  
that they kept an open ,shakespeare on  
the table1 with an open drawer below1 in
 which the ,bible was placed1 and which 
was shut at the sound of a hand on the  

door4  ,hitherto ,no4 #cc ,bedford      
,square had been the only home of the   
,patteson family4 ,the long vacations   
were spent sometimes with the ,judge's  
relations in the ,eastern counties1     
sometimes with ,lady ,patteson's in the 
,west4 ,landwith ,rectory1 in ,cornwall1
 was the home of her eldest brother1    
,dr4 ,james ,coleridge1 whose daughter  
,sophia was always like an elder sister 
to her children1 and the ,vicarage of   
,st4 ,mary ,church1 then a wild1        
beautiful seaside village1 though now   
almost a suburb of ,torquay1 was held by
 her cousin1 ,george ,may ,coleridge2   
and here the brothers and sisters       
climbed the rocks1 boated1 fished1 and  
ran exquisitely wild in the summer      
holidays4 ,christmas was spent with the 
,judge's mother at ,ipswich1 amongst    
numerous cousins1 with great merriment  
and enjoyment such as were never        
forgotten4  ,colonel ,coleridge had died
 in #ahcf1 his widow in her daughter's  
house in #ahch1 and ,heath's ,court had 

become the property of ,mr4 ,justice    
,coleridge1 who always came thither with
 his family as soon as the circuit was  
over4 ,in #ahda1 ,feniton ,court1 about 
two miles and a half from thence1 was   
purchased by ,judge ,patteson1 much to  
the delight of his children4 ,it was a  
roomy1 cheerful1 pleasantly-situated    
house1 with a piece of water in the     
grounds1 the right of shooting over a   
couple of farms1 and all that could     
render boy life happy4  ,feniton was a  
thorough home1 and already ,coley's     
vision was1 ',when ,i am vicar of       
,feniton1 which ,i look forward to1 but 
with a very distant hope1 ,i should of  
all things like ,fanny to keep house for
 me till ,i am married2' and again1 when
 relating some joke with his cousins    
about the law-papers1 of the ,squire of 
,feniton1 he adds3 ',but the ,squire of 
,feniton will be a clergyman4'  ,whether
 this were jest or earnest1 this year1  
#ahda1 brought the dawn of his future   
life4 ,it was in that year that the     

,rev4 ,george ,augustus ,selwyn was     
appointed to the diocese of ,new        
,zealand4 ,mrs4 ,selwyn's parents had   
always been intimate with the ,patteson 
family1 and the curacy which ,mr4       
,selwyn had held up to this time was at 
,windsor1 so that the old ,etonian tie  
of brotherhood was drawn closer by daily
 intercourse4 ,indeed1 it was from the  
first understood that ,eton1 with the   
wealth that her children enjoyed in such
 large measure1 should furnish 'nerves  
and sinews' to the war which her son was
 about to wage with the darkness of     
heathenism1 thus turning the minds of   
the boys to something beyond either     
their studies or their sports4  ,on     
,october #ca1 the ,rev4 ,samuel         
,wilberforce1 then ,archdeacon of       
,surrey1 and since ,bishop of ,oxford   
and of ,winchester1 preached in the     
morning at ,new ,windsor parish church1 
and the newly-made ,bishop of ,new      
,zealand in the afternoon4 ,coley was   
far more affected than he then had power

 to express4 ,he says3 ',i heard        
,archdeacon ,wilberforce in the morning1
 and the ,bishop in the evening1 though 
,i was forced to stand all the time4 ,it
 was beautiful when he talked of his    
going out to found a church1 and then to
 die neglected and forgotten4 ,all the  
people burst out crying1 he was so very 
much beloved by his parishioners4 ,he   
spoke of his perils1 and putting his    
trust in ,god2 and then1 when1 he had   
finished1 ,i think ,i never heard       
anything like the sensation1 a kind of  
feeling that if it had not been on so   
sacred a spot1 all would have exclaimed 
,god bless him6'  ,the text of this     
memorable sermon was1 ',thine heart     
shall be enlarged1 because the abundance
 of the sea shall be converted unto     
thee1 the forces also of the ,gentiles  
shall come unto thee4' 7,is4 lx4 #e47   
,many years later we shall find a       
reference to this1 the watchword of the 
young hearer's life4  ,the ,archdeacon's
 sermon was from ,john xvii4 #bj1 #ba3  

',neither pray ,i for these alone1 but  
for them also which shall believe on ,me
 through their word2 that they all may  
be ,one1 as ,thou1 ,father1 art in ,me1 
and ,i in ,thee1 that they also may be  
,one in ,us3 that the world may believe 
that ,thou hast sent ,me4' ,and here    
again we find one of the watchwords of  
,coley's life1 for nothing so dwelt with
 him and so sustained him as the sense  
of unity1 whether with these at home in 
,england1 or with those in the inner    
home of the ,saints4 ,when the sermon   
concluded with the words1 ',as we are   
giving of our best1 as our ,church is   
giving of her best1 in sending forth    
from her own bosom these cherished and  
chosen sons1 so let there go forth from 
every one of us a consenting offering2  
let us give this day largely1 in a      
spirit of self-sacrifice1 as ,christian 
men1 to ,christ our ,lord1 and ,he will 
graciously accept and bless the         
offerings that we make'--the preacher   
could little guess that among the lads  

who stood in the aisle was one in whom  
was forming the purpose of offering his 
very self also4  ,for at that time      
,coleridge ,patteson was receiving      
impressions that became the seed of his 
future purpose1 and the eyes of his     
spirit were seeing greater things than  
the ,vicarage of ,feniton4 ,indeed1 the 
subject was not entirely new to him1 for
 ,edward ,coleridge was always deeply   
interested in missions1 and had done his
 best to spread the like feeling1 often 
employing the willing services of his   
pupils in copying letters from          
,australia1 ,newfoundland1 c4  ,when the
 ,bishop of ,new ,zealand came to take  
leave1 he said1 half in earnest1 half in
 playfulness1 ',lady ,patteson1 will you
 give me ,coley8' ,she started1 but did 
not say no2 and when1 independently of  
this1 her son told her that it was his  
greatest wish to go with the ,bishop1   
she replied that if he kept that wish   
when he grew up he should have her      
blessing and consent4  ,but there was no

 further mention of the subject4 ,the   
sisters knew what had passed1 but it was
 not spoken of to his father till long  
after1 when the wish had become purpose4
 ,meantime the boy's natural development
 put these visions into the background4 
,he was going on with ordinary work and 
play1 enjoying the pageantry of the     
christening of the ,prince of ,wales1   
and cheering himself hoarse and         
half-frantic when the ,king of ,prussia 
came to see the school2 then on his     
father's birthday writing with a 'hand  
quite trembling with delight' to        
announce what he knew would be the most 
welcome of birthday presents1 namely1   
the news that he had been 'sent up' for 
a very good copy of seventy-nine verses1
 'all longs1 on ,napoleon e ,seylhia    
profugus1 passage of ,beresina1 and so  
forth4' ,his ,latin verses were his     
strong point1 and from this time forward
 he was frequently sent up1 in all      
twenty-five times1 an almost            
unprecedented number4  ,in fact he was  

entering on a fresh stage of life1 from 
the little boy to the lad1 and the      
period was marked by his ,confirmation  
on ,may #bf1 #ahdb4 ,here is his account
 both of it and of his first ,communion4
 ,the soberness and old-fashioned       
simplicity of expression are worth      
remarking as tokens of the quietly      
dutiful tone of mind1 full of reverence 
and sincere desire to do right1 and     
resting in the consciousness of that    
desire1 while steadily advancing towards
 higher things than he then understood4 
,it was a life and character where      
advancement with each fresh imparting of
 spiritual grace can be traced more     
easily than usual4  ,it is observable   
too that the boy's own earnestness and  
seriousness of mind seem to have to him 
supplied the apparent lack of external  
aids to devotional feeling1 though the  
,confirmation was conducted in the      
brief1 formal1 wholesale manner which   
some in after-life have confessed to    
have been a disappointment and a        

drawback after their preparation and    
anticipation3--  ',you will know that ,i
 have been confirmed to-day1 and ,i dare
 say you all thought of me4 ,the        
ceremony was performed by the ,bishop of
 ,lincoln1 and ,i hope that ,i have     
truly considered the great duty and     
responsibility ,i have taken upon       
myself1 and have prayed for strength to 
support me in the execution of all those
 duties4 ,i shall of course receive the 
,sacrament the first time ,i have an    
opportunity1 and ,i trust worthily4 ,i  
think there must have been #bjj         
confirmed4 ,the ,bishop gave us a very  
good charge afterwards1 recommending us 
all to take pattern by the self-denial  
and true devotion of the ,bishop of ,new
 ,zealand1 on whom he spoke for a       
long-while4 ,the whole ceremony was     
performed with the greatest decorum1 and
 in the retiring and coming up of the   
different sets there was very little    
noise1 and not the slightest confusion4 
,i went up with the first set1 and the  

,bishop came round and put his hands on 
the heads of the whole set 7about       
forty71 and then going into the middle  
pronounced the prayer4 ,the responses   
were all made very audibly1 and everyone
 seemed to be impressed with a proper   
feeling of the holiness and seriousness 
of the ceremony4 ,after all the boys had
 been confirmed about seven other people
 were confirmed1 of whom two were quite 
as much as thirty1 ,i should think4'    
',june #e4  ',i have just returned from 
receiving the ,holy ,sacrament in       
,chapel4 ,i received it from ,hawtrey   
and ,okes1 but there were three other   
ministers besides4 ,there was a large   
attendance1 seventy or eighty or more   
,eton boys alone4 ,i used the little    
book that mamma sent me1 and found the  
little directions and observations very 
useful4 ,i do truly hope and believe    
that ,i received it worthily444 ,it     
struck me more than ever 7although ,i   
had often read it before7 as being such 
a particularly impressive and beautiful 

service4 ,i never saw anything conducted
 with greater decorum4 ,not a single    
fellow spoke except at the responses1   
which were well and audibly made1 and   
really every fellow seemed to be really 
impressed with the awfulness of the     
ceremony1 and the great wickedness of   
not piously receiving it1 ,i do not know
 whether there will be another          
,sacrament here before the holidays1 or 
whether ,i shall receive it with you at 
,feniton next time4'   ,no doubt the    
whole family 7except the yet unconfirmed
 younger brother7 did so receive it in  
the summer holidays1 the last that were 
to be spent in the full joy of an       
unbroken household circle1 and1 as has  
been already said1 one of unusual warmth
 and kindliness1 binding closely into it
 all who were connected therewith4 ,each
 governess became a dear friend2 the    
servants were deeply attached1 and for  
the most part fixtures2 and one1 the    
nurse already mentioned1 says she never 
recollects a time when ,master ,coley   

had to leave ,feniton for ,london       
without his offering the servants to    
take charge of their messages or        
parcels4 ,all dependents and poor       
people1 in fact whatever came under     
,judge ,patteson's genial1 broad-hearted
 influence1 were treated with the like  
kindness1 and everything alive about the
 place seemed full of happiness and     
affection4  ,the centre of this bright  
home had always been the mother1        
fervently loved by all who came in      
contact with her1 fragile in health1 and
 only going through her duties and      
exertions so cheerily by the quiet      
fortitude of a brave woman4 ,in the     
course of this year1 #ahdb1 some severe 
spasmodic attacks made her family       
anxious2 and as the railway             
communication was still incomplete1 so  
that the journey to ,london was a great 
fatigue to an invalid1 her desire to    
spend ,christmas in ,devonshire led to  
her remaining there with her daughters1 
when her husband returned to ,london on 

the commencement of term4  ,he had been 
gone little more than a fortnight when1 
on ,november #ag1 a more severe attack  
came on2 and though she was soon        
relieved from it1 she never entirely    
rallied1 and was firmly convinced that  
this was 'the beginning of the end4'    
,her husband was summoned home1 ,judge  
,coleridge taking a double portion of   
his work to set him at liberty1 and the 
truth began to dawn on the poor boys at 
,eton4 ',do you really mean that there  
is anything so very1 very dreadful to   
fear8' is ,coley's cry in his note one  
day1 and the next1 ',oh1 ,papa1 you     
cannot mean that we may never1 unless we
 come down to ,feniton1 see mamma again4
 ,i cannot bear the thought of it4 ,i   
trust most earnestly that it is not the 
case4 ,do not hide anything from me1 it 
would make me more wretched afterwards4 
,if it shall 7which ,i trust in ,his    
infinite mercy it will not7 please      
,almighty ,god to take our dearest mamma
 unto ,himself1 may ,he give us grace to

 bear with fortitude and resolution the 
dreadful loss1 and may we learn to live 
with such holiness here that we may     
hereafter be united for ever in         
,heaven4' ,this letter is marked twice  
over ',only for ,papa1' but the         
precaution was needless1 for ,lady      
,patteson was accustoming all those     
about her to speak freely and naturally 
of what she felt to be approaching4 ,her
 eldest brother1 ,dr4 ,coleridge1 was   
greatly comforting her by his           
ministrations1 and her sons were sent   
for2 but as she did not ask for them1 it
 was thought best that they should      
remain at their ,uncle ,frank's1 at     
,ottery1 until1 on the evening of       
,sunday1 the #bgth1 a great change took 
place1 making it evident that the end   
was drawing near4  ,the sufferer was    
told that the boys were come1 and was   
asked if she would see them4 ,she was   
delighted1 and they came in1 restraining
 their grief while she kissed and       
blessed them1 and then1 throwing her    

arms round their father1 thanked him for
 having brought her darling boys for her
 to see once more4 ,it was not long     
before she became unconscious2 and      
though all the family were watching and 
praying round her1 she showed no further
 sign of recognition1 as she gradually  
and tranquilly fell asleep in the course
 of the night4  ,to his cousin1 ,mrs4   
,martyn1 ,coley wrote the following     
letter just after the funeral3--  ',we  
only came down from our rooms to go to  
church1 and directly the beautiful      
service was over we went upstairs again4
 ,i need not tell you what we then felt1
 and now do feel4 ,it is a very dreadful
 loss to us all2 but we have been taught
 by that dear mother1 who has been now  
taken from us1 that it is not fit to    
grieve for those who die in the ,lord1  
for they rest from their labours4 ,she  
is now1 we may safely trust1 a blessed  
saint in ,heaven1 far removed from all  
cares and anxieties2 and1 instead of    
spending our time in useless tears and  

wicked repinings1 we should rather learn
 to imitate her example and virtues1    
that1 when we die1 we may sleep in ,him 
as our hope is this our sister doth1 and
 may be finally united with her in      
,heaven4 ,yesterday was a day of great  
trial to us all3 ,i felt when ,i was    
standing by the grave as if ,i must have
 burst4  ',dear ,papa bears up          
beautifully1 and is a pattern of        
submission to us all4 ,we are much more 
happy than you could suppose1 for1 thank
 ,god1 we are certain she is happy1 far 
happier than she could be on earth4 ,she
 said once1 ,i wonder ,i wish to leave  
my dearest ,john and the children1 and  
this sweet place1 but yet ,i do wish it 
so lively was her faith and trust in the
 merits of her ,saviour4'  ,a deep and  
permanent impression was left upon the  
boy's mind1 as will be seen by his      
frequent references to what he had then 
witnessed2 but for the present he was   
thought to be less depressed than the   
others1 and recovered his natural tone  

of spirits sooner than his brother and  
sisters4 ,the whole family spent their  
mournful ,christmas at ,thorverton      
,rectory1 with ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,coleridge
 and their daughter ,fanny1 their chief 
comforters and fellow-sufferers2 and    
then returned to ,london4 ,the ,judge's 
eldest daughter1 ,joanna1 who had always
 been entirely one with the rest1 had to
 take her place at the head of the      
household4 ,in her own words1 ',it was  
trying for a lad of fifteen and a half1 
but he was very good1 and allowed me to 
take the command in a way that few boys 
would nave done4'  ',it has struck me as
 remarkable that friends and relations  
have again and again spoken of different
 incidents as 'turning-points' in       
,coley's life4 ,if he had literally     
turned at them all1 his would have been 
a most revolving career2 but ,i believe 
the fact to have been that he never     
turned at all1 for his face was always  
set the right way1 but that each of     
these was a point of impulse setting him

 more vigorously on his way1 and        
stirring up his faithful will4 ,such    
moments were those of admission to      
religious ordinances1 to him no dead    
letters but true receptions of grace2   
and he likewise found incitements in    
sorrows1 in failures1 in reproofs4      
,everything sank deeply1 and his mind   
was already assuming the introspective  
character that it had throughout the    
period of growth and formation4 ,one of 
his ,eton companions1 four years        
younger1 has since spoken of the        
remarkable impression of inwardness     
,patteson made on him even at this time1
 saying that whenever he was taken by   
surprise he seemed to be only ruminating
 till he spoke or was spoken to1 and    
then there was an instant return to the 
outer world and ready attention to      
whatever was in hand4  ,the spring found
 him of course in the full tide of ,eton
 interests4 ,the sixth and upper fifth  
forms1 to the latter of which he had by 
this time attained1 may contend in the  

public examination for the ,newcastle   
scholarship1 just before the ,easter    
holidays1 and it is a great testimony to
 a boy's ability and industry if his    
name appears among the nine select for  
their excellence4 ,this time1 #ahdc1    
,coley1 who was scarcely sixteen1 had of
 course but little chance1 but he had   
the pleasure of announcing that his     
great friend1 ,edmund ,bastard1 a young 
,devonshire squire1 was among the       
'select1' and he says of himself3 ',you 
will1 as ,i said before1 feel satisfied 
that ,i did my best1 but it was an      
unlucky examination for me4 ,it has done
 me a great deal of good in one way4 ,it
 has enabled me to see where ,i am      
particularly deficient1 viz4 general    
knowledge of history1 and a thorough    
acquaintance with ,greek and ,roman     
customs1 law courts and expressions1 and
 ,greek and ,roman writers4 ,i do not   
find myself wanting in making out a     
stiff bit of ,greek or ,latin if ,i have
 time1 but ,i must read ,history chiefly

 this year1 and then ,i hope to be      
selected next time4 ,my tutor is not at 
all disappointed in me4'  ,this spring1 
#ahdc1 ,patteson became one of the      
,eleven1 a perilously engrossing        
position for one who1 though never      
slurring nor neglecting his studies1 did
 not enjoy anything so much as the      
cricket-field4 ,however1 there the      
weight of his character1 backed by his  
popularity and proficiency in all games 
and exercises1 began to be a telling    
influence4  ,on ,november #b1 #ahdc1    
when the anniversary of his mother's    
death was coming round1 he writes to his
 eldest sister3--   ',i had not indeed  
forgotten this time twelvemonth1 and    
especially that awful ,sunday night when
 we stood round dear mamma's bed in such
 misery4 ,i never supposed at that time 
that we could ever be happy and merry   
again1 but yet it has been so with me2  
and though very often the recollection  
of that night has come upon me1 and the 
whole scene in its misery has passed    

before me1 ,i hope ,i have never        
forgotten1 that though a loss to us1 it 
was a gain to her1 and we ought rather  
to be thankful than sorrowful4444 ,by   
the bye1 ,i do not really want a        
book-case much1 and you gave me the     
,irish ,stories1 and ,i have not yet    
been sent up4 ,i would rather not have a
 present1 unless the ,doctor means to   
give me an exercise4 ,do not lay this   
down to pride2 but you know ,i was not  
sent up last half1 and if this passes1 a
 blank again1 ,i do not deserve any     
fresh presents4'   ,this piece of       
self-discipline was crowned by joyous   
notices of being 'sent up for good' and 
'for play' in the next half2 when also  
occurs a letter showing a spirit of     
submission to a restriction not fully   
understood3--   ',tuesday evening4  ',my
 dearest ,father1--,hearing that ,israel
 in ,egypt was to be performed at       
,exeter ,hall on ,friday night1 ,i went 
and asked my tutor whether he had any   
objection to my running up that night to

 hear it1 and coming back the next      
morning1 quite early at six4 ,my tutor  
said that1 without any absurd feelings  
on the matter1 he should not think      
himself of going to such a thing in     
,lent4 ,it was not1 he said1 certainly  
like going to the play1 or any of those 
sort of places1 but he did not like the 
idea of going at all4 ,do you think that
 there was any harm in the wish8  ',i do
 not ask because ,i wish you to write   
and say ,i may go1 but because ,i wish  
to learn whether my asking at all was   
wrong4 ,even if you have no objection1  
,i certainly shall not go1 because for  
such a trifling thing to act in         
opposition to my tutor1 even with your  
consent1 would be very foolish4         
'444,good-bye1 my dearest ,father4 ,god 
bless you1 says your affectionate and   
dutiful ,son1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,this    
year1 #ahdd1 the name of ,patteson      
appeared among the 'select4' ',i shall  
expect a jolly holiday for my reward1'  
he merrily says1 when announcing it to  

his sisters4 ,he had begun to join the  
,debating ,society at ,eton1 and for a  
while was the president4 ,one of the    
other members says1 ',his speeches were 
singularly free from the bombast and    
incongruous matter with which ,eton     
orators from fifteen to eighteen are apt
 to interlard their declamations4 ,he   
spoke concisely1 always to the point1   
and with great fluency and readiness4 ,a
 reputation for good sense and judgment 
made his authority of great weight in   
the school1 and his independent spirit  
led him to choose1 amongst his most     
intimate friends and associates1 two    
collegers1 who ultimately became        
,newcastle scholars and medallists4     
',that the most popular oppidan of his  
day should have utterly ignored the     
supposed inferiority of the less wealthy
 section of the school1 and looked on   
worth and high character as none the    
worse for being clothed in a coarse     
serge gown1 is a fact seemingly trivial 
to ordinary readers1 but very noticeable

 to ,eton men4 ,as a rank and file      
collegian myself1 and well remembering  
the ,jew and ,samaritan state that      
prevailed between oppidans and          
collegers1 ,i remember with pride that  
,patteson did so much to level the      
distinctions that worked so             
mischievously to the school4 ,his       
cheerfulness and goodness were the      
surest guarantee for good order amongst 
his schoolfellows4 ,there was no        
,puritanism in him1 he was up to any    
fun1 sung his song at a cricket or      
foot-ball dinner as joyfully as the     
youngest of the party2 but if mirth sank
 into coarseness and ribaldry1 that     
instant ,patteson's conduct was fearless
 and uncompromising4444'  ,here follows 
an account of an incident which occurred
 at the dinner annually given by the    
eleven of cricket and the eight of the  
boats at the hotel at ,slough4  ,a      
custom had arisen among some of the boys
 of singing offensive songs on these    
occasions1 and ,coley1 who1 as second of

 the eleven1 stood in the position of   
one of the entertainers1 gave notice    
beforehand that he was not going to     
tolerate anything of the sort4 ,one of  
the boys1 however1 began to sing        
something objectionable4 ,coley called  
out1 ',if that does not stop1 ,i shall  
leave the room2' and as no notice was   
taken1 he actually went away with a few 
other brave lads4 ,he afterwards found  
that1 as he said1 'fellows who could not
 understand such feelings thought him   
affected2' and he felt himself obliged  
to send word to the captain1 that unless
 an apology was made1 he should leave   
the eleven--no small sacrifice1         
considering what cricket was to him2 but
 the gentlemanlike and proper feeling of
 the better style of boys prevailed1 and
 the eleven knew their own interests too
 well to part with him1 so the apology  
was made1 and he retained his position4 
,the affair came to the knowledge of two
 of the masters1 ,mr4 ,dupuis and ,mr4  
,abraham1 and they gratified their warm 

sense of approbation by giving ,patteson
 a bat1 though he never knew the reason 
why1 as we shall see in one of his last 
letters to one of the donors4  ,his     
prowess at cricket must be described in 
the words of his cousin1 ,arthur ,duke  
,coleridge1 who was at this time in     
college3 ',he was by common consent one 
of the best1 if not the best1 of the    
cricketers of the school4 ,the second   
year of his appearance at ,lord's       
,cricket ,ground was the most memorable1
 as far as his actual services were     
concerned1 of all the matches he played 
against ,harrow and ,winchester4 ,he was
 sent in first in the ,harrow match2 the
 bowling was steady and straight1 but   
,patteson's defence was admirable4 ,he  
scored fifty runs1 in which there was   
but one four1 and by steady play        
completely broke the neck of the        
bowling4 ,eton won the match easily1    
,patteson making a brilliant catch at   
point1 when the last ,harrow man        
retired4 ,full of confidence1 ,eton     

began the ,winchester match4 ,victory   
for a long time seemed a certainty for  
,eton2 but ,kidding1 the ,winchester    
captain1 played an uphill game so       
fiercely that the bowling had to be     
repeatedly changed4 ,our eleven were    
disorganised1 and the captain had so    
plainly lost heart1 that ,patteson      
resolved on urging him to discontinue   
his change of bowling1 and begin afresh 
with the regular bowlers4 ,the captain  
allowed ,patteson to have his way1 and  
the game1 though closely contested1 was 
saved4 ,his powers of defence were      
indeed remarkable4 ,i saw the famous    
professional cricketer ,lillywhite play 
once at ,eton in his time1 and becoming 
almost irritated at the stubbornness and
 tenacity with which ,coley held his    
wicket4 ,after scoring twenty and odd   
times in the first1 and forty in the    
second innings1 7not out71 ,lillywhite  
said1 ',mr4 ,patteson1 ,i should like to
 bowl to you on ,lord's ,ground1 and it 
would be different4' ',oh1 of course1'  

modestly answered ,coley2 ',i know you  
would have me out directly there4'  ,the
 next cricket season this champion was  
disabled by a severe sprain of the      
wrist1 needing leeches1 splints1 and    
,london advice4 ,it was when fixing a   
day for coming up to town on this       
account that he mentioned the occurrence
 of the previous year in a letter to his
 father3--  ',i have a great object in  
shirking the oppidan dinner4 ,i not only
 hate the idea of paying a sovereign for
 a dinner1 but last year1 at the cricket
 dinner1 ,i had a great row1 which ,i   
might possibly incur another time1 and  
,i wish very much to avoid4'  ,then1    
after briefly stating what had passed1  
he adds3 ',at this dinner1 where the    
captain of the boats manages it1 ,i     
should be his guest1 and therefore any  
similar act of mine would make matters  
worse4 ,you can therefore see why ,i    
wish ,tuesday to be the day for my      
coming up4'  ,the sprain prevented his  
playing in the matches at ,lord's that  

summer1 though he was well enough to be 
reckoned on as a substitute in case any 
of the actual players had been disabled4
 ,possibly his accident was good for his
 studies1 for this was a year of much   
progress and success2 and though only   
seventeen1 he had two offers of         
tutorship for the holidays1 from ,mr4   
,dugdale and the ,marchioness of ,bath4 
,the question where his university life 
was to be spent began to come forward4  
,studentships at ,christchurch were then
 in the gift of the ,canons1 and a      
nomination would have been given him by 
,dr4 ,pusey if he had not been too young
 to begin to reside1 so that it was     
thought better that he should wait and  
go up for the ,balliol scholarship in   
the autumn4  ,in the ,october of #ahdd  
he describes to his eldest sister the   
reception of ,king ,louis ,philippe at  
,eton1 accompanied by the ,queen1       
,prince ,albert1 and the ,duke of       
,wellington3  ',the ,king wore a white  
great coat1 and looked a regular jolly  

old fellow4 ,he has white frizzle hair  
and large white whiskers4 ,the former1  
,i suspect1 is a wig4 ,the cheering was 
tremendous1 but behind the royal        
carriage the cheers were always         
redoubled where the old ,duke1 the      
especial favourite hero1 rode4 ,when    
they got off their horses in the        
schoolyard1 the ,duke being by some     
mistake behindhand1 was regularly       
hustled in the crowd1 with no attendant 
near him4  ',i was the first to perceive
 him1 and springing forward1 pushed back
 the fellows on each side1 who did not  
know whom they were tumbling against1   
and1 taking off my hat1 cheered with    
might and main4 ,the crowd hearing the  
cheer1 turned round1 and then there was 
the most glorious sight ,i ever saw4    
,the whole school encircled the ,duke1  
who stood entirely alone in the middle  
for a minute or two1 and ,i rather think
 we did cheer him4 ,at last1 giving     
about one touch to his hat1 he began to 
move on1 saying1 ,get on1 boys1 get on4 

,i never saw such enthusiasm here2 the  
masters rushed into the crowd round him1
 waving their caps1 and shouting like   
any of us4 ,as for myself1 ,i was       
half-mad and roared myself hoarse in    
about five minutes4 ,the ,king and      
,prince kept their hats off the whole   
time1 incessantly bowing1 and the ,king 
speaking4 ,he walked arm-in-arm with the
 ,queen1 who looked well and very much  
pleased4 ,the ,duke walked with that    
,grand ,duchess whose name you may see  
in the papers1 for ,i can't spell it4'  
,very characteristic this both of       
,eton's enthusiasm for the hero1 and of 
the hero's undemonstrative way of       
receiving it1 which must have somewhat  
surprised his foreign companions4  ,a   
week or two later1 in ,november #ahdd1  
came the competition for the ,balliol   
scholarship1 but ,coley was not         
successful4 ,on the ,saturday he        
writes3--  ',the scholarship was decided
 last night2 ,smith1 a ,rugby man1 got  
the first1 and ,grant1 a ,harrow man1   

the second4444 ,i saw the ,master       
afterwards2 he said1 ,i cannot          
congratulate you on success1 ,mr4       
,patteson1 but you have done yourself   
great credit1 and passed a very         
respectable examination4 ,i shall be    
happy to allow you to enter without a   
future examination1 as we are all quite 
satisfied of your competency4 ,he said  
that ,i had better come up to           
matriculate next term1 but should not   
have another examination4 ,we were in   
about nine hours a day1 three hours in  
the evening2 ,i thought the papers very 
hard2 we had no ,latin elegiacs or      
lyrics1 which was rather a bore for the 
,eton lot4 ,i am very glad ,i have been 
up now1 but ,i confess it was the       
longest week ,i ever recollect4 ,i feel 
quite seedy after a whole week without  
exercise4444 ,the very first paper1 the 
,latin ,essay 7for which we were in six 
hours71 was the worst of all my papers1 
and must have given the examiners an    
unfavourable impression to start with4  

,the rest of my papers1 with the        
exception of the ,greek prose and the   
critical paper1 ,i did very fairly1 ,i  
think4'  ,a greater disappointment than 
this was1 however1 in store for ,coley4 
,he failed in attaining a place among   
the 'select1' at his last examination   
for the ,newcastle1 in the spring of    
#ahde4 ,before the list was given out he
 had written to his father that the     
,divinity papers were far too easy1 with
 no opportunity for a pretty good       
scholar to show his knowledge1 'the     
ridicule of every one of the masters1'  
but the other papers very difficult4    
',altogether1' he adds1 'the scholarship
 has been to me unsatisfactory4 ,i had  
worked hard at ,greek prose1 had        
translated and re-translated a good deal
 of ,xenophon1 ,plato1 and some         
,demosthenes1 yet to my disappointment  
we had no paper of ,greek prose1 a thing
 that ,i believe never occurred before1 
and which is generally believed to test 
a boy's knowledge well4 ,my ,iambics    

were good1 ,i expect1 though not without
 two bad faults4 ,in fact1 ,i cannot    
look back upon a single paper1 except my
 ,latin prose1 without a multitude of   
oversights and faults presenting        
themselves to me444 ,i almost dread the 
giving out of the select4 ,think if my  
name was not there4 ,it is some         
consolation that ,hawtrey1 yesterday1 in
 giving me an exercise for good1 asked  
how ,i liked the examination4 ,upon my  
saying1 ,it was not such a one as ,i    
expected1 and that ,i had done badly1 he
 said ,that is not at all what ,i hear1 
but this cannot go for much444 ,i want  
exercise very badly1 and my head is very
 thick and stupid1 as ,i fear this last 
paper must show the examiners4'  ,the   
omission of ,patteson's name from among 
the select was a great mortification1   
not only to himself but his father1     
though the ,judge kindly wrote3--  ',do 
not distress yourself about this        
unfortunate failure as to the           
,newcastle4 ,we cannot always command   

our best exertions when we want to do   
so1 and you were not able on this       
occasion to bring forward all you knew4 
,it was not from idleness or want of    
attention to school business4 ,work on  
regularly1 and you will do well at      
,oxford4 ,i have a line from your tutor1
 who seems to think that it was in      
,juvenal1 ,cicero and ,livy1 and in     
,iambics1 that the faults principally   
were4 ,i cannot say that ,i am not      
disappointed2 but ,i know so well the   
uncertainty of examinations and how much
 depends on the sort of papers put1 and 
on the spirits and feeling one is in1   
that ,i am never surprised at such      
results1 and ,i do not blame you at     
all4' ,those who knew ,coley best agree 
in thinking that this reverse took great
 effect in rousing his energies4 ,this  
failure evidently made him take himself 
to task1 for in the summer he writes to 
his father3--  ,there are things which  
have occurred during my stay at ,eton   
which cannot but make me blame myself4  

,i mean principally a want of continuous
 industry4 ,i have perhaps for one half 
or two 7for instance1 last ,easter half7
 worked hard1 but ,i have not been      
continuously improving1 and adding      
knowledge to knowledge1 half by half4 ,i
 feel it now1 because ,i am sure that ,i
 know very little more than ,i did at   
,easter4 ,one thing ,i am improved in1  
which is writing themes2 and you will be
 pleased to know that ,hawtrey has again
 given me the ,school ,theme prize1     
worth #e,l41 which counts for another   
sent up exercise4'  ,in reply1 the      
,judge1 on ,july #bb1 wrote in the midst
 of the circuit1 from ,stafford1 a      
letter that might well do a son's heart 
good3--  ',i rejoice in your finale1 and
 shall be glad to see the exercise4 ,you
 have gone through ,eton with great     
credit and reputation as a scholar1 and 
what is of more consequence1 with       
perfect character as to truth and       
conduct in every way4 ,this can only be 
accounted for by the assistance of the  

good ,spirit of ,god first stirred up in
 you by the instructions of your clear  
mother1 than whom a more excellent human
 being never existed4 ,i pray ,god that 
this assistance may continue through    
life1 and keep you always in the same   
good course4'  ,a few days more and the 
boy's departure from the                
enthusiastically loved school had taken 
place1 together with his final exploits 
as captain in the cricket-field1 where  
too he formed an acquaintance with ,mr4 
,c4 ,s4 ,roundell1 the captain of the   
,harrow eleven1 which ripened into a    
lifelong friendship4  ',you may         
suppose1' writes ,coley1 'that ,i was   
really very miserable at leaving ,eton4 
,i did not1 ,i assure you1 without      
thanking ,god for the many advantages ,i
 have there enjoyed and praying for ,his
 forgiveness for my sin in neglecting so
 many4 ,we began our match with ,harrow 
yesterday1 by going in first2 we got    
#bfa runs by tremendous hitting1 ,harrow
 #cb1 and followed up and got #ee3 ,eton

 thus winning in one innings by #agf    
runs1 the most decided beating ever     
known at cricket4'  ,so ended ,coleridge
 ,patteson's school life1 not reaching  
to all he saw that it might have been2  
but unstained1 noble1 happy1 honourable1
 and full of excellent training for the 
future man4 ,no sting was left to poison
 the fail-memory of youth2 but many a   
friendship had been formed on           
foundations of esteem1 sympathy1 and    
kindness which endured through life1    
standing all tests of separation and    
difference4     ,,chapter ,,iii4        
,,undergraduate ,,life ,,at ,,balliol   
,,and ,,journeys ,,on ,,the ,,continent4
  #ahde--aheb4    ,university life is   
apt to exert a strong influence upon a  
man's career4 ,it comes at the age at   
which there is probably the most        
susceptibility to new impressions4 ,the 
physical growth is over1 and the almost 
exclusive craving for exercise and sport
 is lessening2 there is more voluntary  
inclination to intellectual application1

 and the mind begins to get fair play4  
,there is also a certain liberty of     
choice as to the course to be taken and 
the persons who shall become guides1 and
 this renders the pupilage a more       
willing and congenial connection than   
that of the schoolboy3 nor is there so  
wide a distance in age and habits       
between tutor and pupil as between      
master and scholar4  ,thus it is that   
there are few more influential persons  
in the country than leading ,university 
men1 for the impress they leave is on   
the flower of ,english youth1 at the    
very time of life when thought has come1
 but action is not yet required4 ,at the
 same time the whole genius loti1 the   
venerable buildings with their          
traditions1 the eminence secured by     
intellect and industry1 the pride that  
is taken in the past and its great men1 
first as belonging to the ,university1  
and next to the individual college1 all 
give the members thereof a sense of a   
dignity to keep up and of honour to     

maintain1 and a certainty of            
appreciation and fellow-feeling from the
 society with which they are connected4 
,the ,oxford of ,patteson's day was yet 
untouched by the hand of reformation4   
,the ,colleges were following or eluding
 the statutes of their founders1        
according to the use that had sprung up1
 but there had been a great quickening  
into activity of intellect1 and the     
religious influences were almost at     
their strongest4 ,it was true that the  
master mind had been lost to the ,church
 of ,england1 but the men whom he and   
his companions had helped to form were  
the leaders among the tutors1 and the   
youths who were growing up under them   
were forming plans of life1 which many  
have nobly carried out1 of unselfish    
duty and devotion in their several      
stations4  ,balliol had1 under the      
mastership of ,dr4 ,jenkyns1 attained   
preeminence for success in the schools1 
and for the high standard required of   
its members1 who formed 'the most       

delightful society1 the very focus of   
the most stimulating life of the        
,university1' within those unpretending 
walls1 not yet revivified and enlarged4 
,here ,coleridge ,patteson came to      
reside in the ,michaelmas term of #ahde2
 beginning with another attempt for the 
scholarship1 in which he was again      
unsuccessful1 being bracketed           
immediately after the fourth with       
another ,etonian1 namely1 ,mr4 ,hornby1 
the future head-master1 ,his friend1    
,edmund ,bastard1 several of his        
relations1 and numerous friends had     
preceded him2 and he wrote to his sister
 ,fanny3--  ',you cannot think what a   
nice set of acquaintance ,i am gradually
 slipping into4 ,palmer and myself take 
regular familiar walks2 and ,riddell1   
another fellow who is the pet of the    
,college1 came up the other evening and 
sat with me1 and ,i breakfast with them1
 and dine1 c4 ,the only inconvenience   
attaching itself to such a number of men
 is1 that ,i have to give several       

parties1 and as ,i meant to get them    
over before ,lent1 ,i have been coming  
out rather strong in that line lately1  
as the pastry-cook's bill for desserts  
will show in good time4  ',i have been  
asked to play cricket in the ,university
 eleven1 and have declined1 though not  
without a little struggle1 but cricket  
here1 especially to play in such matches
 as against ,cambridge1 c41 entails     
almost necessarily idleness and         
expense4'  ,the struggle was hardly a   
little one to a youth whose fame in the 
cricket field stood so high1 and who was
 never happy or healthy without strong  
bodily exercise4 ,nor had he outgrown   
his taste for this particular sport4    
,professor ,edwin ,palmer 7alluded to   
above7 describes him as at this time 'a 
thorough public schoolboy1 with a full  
capacity for enjoying undergraduate     
society and undergraduate amusements1   
though with so fond a recollection of   
,eton that to some of us he hardly      
seemed to appreciate ,oxford            

sufficiently4'  ,again1 ,mr4 ,roundell  
7his late adversary at ,lord's7 says3   
',he was a reluctant and half-interested
 sojourner was ever looking back to the 
playing-fields of ,eton1 or forward to  
the more congenial sphere of a country  
parish4' ,so it was his prime pleasure  
and glory that he thus denied himself1  
though not with total abstinence1 for he
 played occasionally4 ,i remember       
hearing of a match at ,ottery1 where he 
was one of an eleven of ,coleridge kith 
and kin against the rest of ,devon4 ,his
 reputation in the field was such that1 
many years later1 when he chanced to be 
at ,melbourne at the same time with the 
champion ,english eleven1 one of the    
most noted professional cricketers1     
meeting him in the street1 addressed him
 confidentially1 ',i know1 sir1 the     
,bishop of ,melbourne does not approve  
of cricket for clergymen in public1 but 
if you would meet me in private at five 
o'clock to-morrow morning1 and let me   
give you a few balls1 it would be a     

great satisfaction6'  ,some resolution  
thus was required to prevent cricket    
from becoming a tyrant1 as so often     
befalls those whose skill renders them  
valuable4 ,tennis became ,coley's chief 
recreation1 enabling him to work off his
 superfluous energy at the expense of   
far less time than cricket matches      
require1 and in this1 as in everything  
active1 he soon excelled4  ,as to the   
desserts upon which the young men in    
turn were spending a good deal out of   
mere custom1 harmlessly enough1 but     
unnecessarily2 as soon as the distress  
of the potato famine in ,ireland became 
known1 ,patteson said1 ',i am not at all
 for giving up these pleasant meetings1 
but why not give up the dessert8' ,so   
the agreement was made that the cost    
should for the present be made over to  
the ',irish fund4'  ,another friend of  
this period1 now well known as          
,principal ,shairp of ,st4 ,andrews'1   
was then in the last year of a five     
years' residence4 ,he has been kind     

enough to favour me with the following  
effective sketch of ,coley as an        
undergraduate3--  ',patteson as he was  
at ,oxford1 comes back to me1 as the    
representative of the very best kind of 
,etonian1 with much good that he had got
 from ,eton1 with something better1 not 
to be got at ,eton or any other school4 
,he had those pleasant manners and that 
perfect ease in dealing with men and    
with the world which are the inheritance
 of ,eton1 without the least tincture of
 worldliness4 ,i remember well the look 
he then had1 his countenance massive for
 one so young1 with good sense and good 
feeling1 in fact1 full of character4    
,for it was character more than special 
ability which marked him out from       
others1 and made him1 wherever he was1  
whether in cricket in which he excelled1
 or in graver things1 a centre round    
which others gathered4 ,the impression  
he left on me was of quiet1 gentle      
strength and entire purity1 a heart that
 loved all things true and honest and   

pure1 and that would always be found on 
the side of these4 ,we did not know1    
probably he did not know himself1 the   
fire of devotion that lay within him1   
but that was soon to kindle and make him
 what he afterwards became4'  ,in truth 
he was taking deep interest in the      
religious movement1 though in the quiet 
unexcited way of those to whom such     
doctrines were only the filling out of  
the teachings of their childhood4 ,he   
was present at that sermon on the       
',entire ,absolution of the ,penitent1' 
with which1 on the ,fourth ,sunday after
 ,epiphany1 #ahdf1 ,dr4 ,pusey broke his
 enforced silence of three years4  ,the 
same evening ,coley wrote to his sister 
,fanny3--  ',i have just returned from  
,university sermon1 where ,i have been  
listening with great delight to ,pusey's
 sermon on the ,keys for nearly two     
hours4 ,his immense benevolence beams   
through the extreme power of his        
arguments1 and the great research of his
 inquiry into all the primitive writings

 is a most extraordinary matter1 and as 
for the humility and prayerful spirit in
 which it was composed1 you fancied he  
must have been on his knees the whole   
time he was writing it4 ,i went early to
 ,christ ,church1 where it was preached1
 and1 after pushing through such a crowd
 as usually blocks up the entrance into 
,exeter ,hall1 ,i found on getting into 
the ,cathedral that every seat was      
occupied4 ,however1 standing to hear    
such a man was no great exertion1 and ,i
 never was so interested before4 ,it    
will probably be printed1 so that you   
will have no occasion for any remarks of
 mine4 ,it is sufficient that he        
preached the doctrine to my mind in an  
invincible manner4' ,the letter has a   
postscript--',easter vacation will be   
from three weeks to a month4 ,hurrah6   
say ,i2 now a precious deal more glad am
 ,i to leave ,oxford for the holidays   
than ,eton1 though ,feniton is better   
than either4'  ,even in the last        
undergraduate year1 the preference for  

,eton remained as strong as ever4 ,coley
 intended to remain at ,oxford to read  
for honours through great part of the   
,long vacation2 and after refreshing    
himself with a run to ,eton1 he wrote3--
  ',now for a very disagreeable         
contrast1 but still ,i shall find great 
interest in my work as ,i go on1 and    
reading books for the second or third   
time is light work compared to the first
 stodge at them4 ,i am1 however1        
behindhand with my work1 in spite of not
 having wasted much time here4444 ,i    
really don't see my way through the mass
 of work before me1 and half repent     
having to go up for class4  '444,i went 
to the opera on ,tuesday1 but was too   
much taken up by ,eton to rave about it1
 though ,grisi's singing and acting were
 out and out2 but1 in sober earnest1 ,i 
think if one was to look out simply for 
one's own selfish pleasure in this      
world1 staying at ,eton in the summer is
 paradise4 ,i certainly have not been   
more happy1 if so happy1 for years1 and 

they need no convincing there of my     
doting attachment to the place4 ,i go   
down to ,eton on ,election ,saturday and
 ,sunday for my last enjoyment of it    
this year2 but if ,i am well and        
nourishing in the summer of #ahdi1 and  
all goes right with me1 it is one of the
 jolliest prospects of my emancipation  
from the schools to think of a month at 
,eton4 ,oh6 it's hard work reading for  
it1 ,i can tell you4'  ,thus ,coley     
,patteson's work throughout his         
undergraduate three years was1 so to    
speak1 against the grain1 though it was 
more diligent and determined than it had
 been at ,eton4 ,he viewed this as the  
least satisfactory period of his life1  
and probably it was that in which he was
 doing the most violence to his likings4
 ,it struck those who had known him at  
,eton that he had 'shaken off the       
easy-going1 comfortable1 half-sluggish  
habit of mind' attributed to him there1 
and to be earnestly preparing for the   
future work of life4 ,his continued     

interest in ,missions was shown by his  
assisting to collect subscriptions for  
the ,society for the ,propagation of the
 ,gospel4 ,in fact1 his charm of manner1
 and his way of taking for granted that 
people meant to do what they ought1 made
 him a good collector1 and he had had a 
good deal of practice at ,eton in       
keeping up the boys to the subscription 
for the stained glass of the east window
 of the ,chapel which they had          
undertaken to give4  ,that ,long        
vacation of study was a great effort1   
and he felt it tedious and irksome1 all 
the more from a weakness that affected  
his eyelids1 and1 though it did not     
injure his sight1 often rendered reading
 and writing painful4 ,slight ailments  
concurred with other troubles and       
vexations to depress his spirits2 and   
besides these outward matters1 he seems 
to have had a sense of not coming up to 
his ideal4 ,his standard was pitched    
higher than that of most men3 his nature
 was prone to introspection1 and his    

constitutional inertness rendered it so 
difficult for him to live up to his own 
views1 that he was continually          
dissatisfied with himself2 and this1 in 
spite of his sweet unselfish temper1    
gave his manner at home an irritability1
 and among strangers a reserve--the very
 reverse of the joyous merry nature     
which used to delight in balls1 parties1
 and gaieties4  ,though an ardent       
friend1 he became disinclined to enter  
into general society2 nor was the       
distaste ever entirely overcome1 though 
he never failed to please by the charm  
alike of natural manner and of          
,christian courtesy2 the same spirit of 
gentleness and kindness very soon       
prevailed in subduing1 even in family   
life1 any manifestation of the tender   
points of a growing character4  ,in the 
autumn of #ahdi1 he obtained a second   
class in the school of ,literae         
humaniores1 a place that fairly         
represented his abilities as compared   
with those of others4 ,when the         

compulsory period of study was at an    
end1 his affection for ,oxford and      
enjoyment of all that it afforded       
increased considerably1 though he never 
seems to have loved the ,university     
quite as well as ,eton4  ,as he intended
 to take ,holy ,orders1 he did not give 
up his residence there2 but his first   
use of his leisure was to take a journey
 on the ,continent with his brother and 
,mr4 ,hornby4 ,it was then that1 as he  
afterwards wrote1 his real education    
began1 partly from the opening of his   
mind by the wonders of nature and art1  
and partly from the development of his  
genius for philology4 ,aptitude for     
language had already shown itself when  
his sister ,fanny had given him some    
,german lessons2 and even on his first  
halt at ,cologne1 he received the       
compliment1 ',sie sprechen ,deutsch     
wohl' and he found himself talking to a 
,german on one side and a ,frenchman on 
the other4  ,his letters throughout his 
foreign travels are more copious than   

ever1 but are chiefly minute            
descriptions of what he saw1 such as    
would weary the reader who does not want
 a guide-book even full of              
individuality4 ,yet they cannot be      
passed by without noticing how he       
fulfilled the duty of study and         
endeavour at appreciation which everyone
 owes to great works of art1 instead of 
turning aside with shallow conceit if he
 do not enter into them at first sight4 
,after the wonders of ,vienna and the   
mines of ,salzburg1 the mountain scenery
 of the ,tyrol was an unspeakable       
pleasure1 which tries to express itself 
in many closely written pages4 ,crossing
 into ,italy by the ,stelvio ,pass1 a   
sharp but passing fit of illness        
detained ,coley at ,como for a day1 and 
caused him to call in an ,italian       
doctor1 who treated him on the          
starvation system1 administered no      
medicines1 and would take no fee4 ,the  
next day ,coley was in condition to go  
on to ,milan1 where his first impression

 of the ,cathedral was1 as so often     
happens1 almost of bewilderment4 ,he did
 not at first like the ,lombardo-,gothic
 style1 but he studied it carefully1 and
 filled his letter with measurements and
 numbers1 though confessing that no part
 pleased him so much as the pinnacles   
terminating in statues1 'each one a very
 beautiful martyr's memorial4' ,two more
 visits of several hours1 however1      
brought the untutored eye to a sense of 
the harmony of proportion1 and the      
surpassing beauty of the carvings and   
sculpture4  ,it did not need so much    
study to enjoy ,lionardo da ,vinci's    
great fresco1 of which he wrote long and
 elaborately1 and1 altogether1 ,milan   
afforded him very great delight and was 
a new world to him4 ,it was the farthest
 limit of his travels on this occasion4 
,the party returned by way of ,geneva2  
and ,coley1 alone with four guides1     
attempted the ,col du ,geant4 ,then     
following is his account of the danger  
in which he found himself3--  ',on      

,monday at #d4ae ,a4,m4 we started from 
the ,montanvert1 with our alpenstocks1  
plenty of ropes1 and a hatchet to cut   
steps in the ice4 ,we walked quickly    
over the ,mer de ,glace1 and in about   
three hours came to the difficult part4 
,i had no conception of what it would   
be4 ,we had to ascend perpendicular     
walls of ice1 #cj1 #dj1 #ej feet high1  
by little holes which we cut with the   
hatchet1 and to climb over places not a 
foot broad1 with enormous crevasses on  
each side4 ,i was determined not to give
 in1 and said not a word1 but ,i thought
 that no one had a right to expose      
himself to such danger if known         
beforehand4 ,after about three hours    
spent in this way1 7during which ,i made
 but one slip1 when ,i slid about twelve
 feet down a crevasse1 but              
providentially did not lose my head1 and
 saved myself by catching at a broken   
ridge of ice1 rising up in the crevasse1
 round which ,i threw my leg and worked 
my way up it astride71 got to the region

 of snow1 and here the danger was of    
falling into hidden crevasses4 ,we all  
five fastened ourselves to one another  
with ropes4 ,i went in the middle1      
,couttet in front1 then ,payot4 ,most   
unluckily the weather began to cloud    
over1 and soon a sharp hailstorm began1 
with every indication of a fog4 ,we went
 very cautiously over the snow for about
 three hours1 sinking every now and then
 up to our middles1 but only once in a  
crevasse1 when ,couttet suddenly fell1  
singing out ,tirez6 tirez6 but he was   
pulled out instantly4 ,we had now       
reached the top1 but the fog was so     
dense that ,i could scarcely see #cj    
feet before me1 and the crevasses and   
mountains of snow looming close round us
 looked awful4 ,at this moment the      
guides asked me if ,i must make the     
passage4 ,i said instantly that ,i      
wanted to do so1 but that ,i would      
sooner return at once than endanger the 
lives of any of them4 ,they told me     
there was certainly great danger1 they  

had lost their way1 but were unwilling  
to give up4 ,for an hour and a half we  
beat about in the fog1 among the        
crevasses1 trying every way to find the 
pass1 which is very narrow1 wet to the  
skin1 and in constant peril2 but we knew
 that the descent on the ,chamouni side 
is far more difficult than that on the  
,courmayeur side4 ,at last all the      
guides agreed that it was impossible to 
find the way1 said the storm was        
increasing1 and that our only chance was
 to return at once4 ,so we did1 but the 
fearful difficulties of the descent ,i  
shall never forget4 ,even in the finest 
weather they reckon it very difficult1  
but yesterday we could not see the way1 
we were numbed with intense cold1 and   
dispirited from being forced to return4 
,in many places the hail and sleet had  
washed out the traces we trusted as     
guides4 ,after about four hours1 we had 
passed the most dangerous part1 and in  
another hour we were safely upon the    
,mer de ,glace1 which we hailed with    

delight3 ,couttet1 who reached the point
 of safety first1 jumping on the firm   
ice and shouting to me ,il n'y a plus de
 danger1 ,monsieur4 ,here we took off   
the ropes1 and drank some more brandy1  
and then went as hard as we could1      
jumping across crevasses1 which two days
 before ,i should have thought awkward1 
as if they were cart ruts4 ,we reached  
,chamouni at #h4cj ,p4,m41 having been  
sixteen and a quarter hours without     
resting4 ,i was not at all tired2 the   
guides thanked me for having given so   
little trouble1 and declared ,i had gone
 as well as themselves4 ,indeed ,i was  
providentially unusually clear-headed   
and cool1 and it was not till the danger
 was over that ,i felt my nerves give   
way4 ,there was a good deal of anxiety  
about us at ,chamouni1 as it was one of 
the worst days ever seen here4 ,hornby  
had taken all my clothes to ,geneva1 so 
,i put on a suit of the landlord's1 and 
had some tea1 and at #aa ,p4,m4 went to 
bed1 not forgetting1 you may be sure1 to

 thank ,god most fervently for this     
merciful protection1 as on the ice ,i   
did many times with all my heart4  ',on 
reviewing coolly1 to-day1 the places    
over which we passed1 and which ,i shall
 never forget1 ,i remember seven such as
 ,i trust never again to see a man      
attempt to climb4 ,the state of the ice 
and crevasses is always shifting1 so    
that the next person who makes the      
ascent may find a comparatively easy    
path4 ,we had other dangers too1 such as
 this3 twice the guides said to me1 ,ne 
parlez pas ici1 ,monsieur1 et allez     
vite1 the fear being of an ice avalanche
 falling on us1 and we heard the rocks  
and ice which are detached by the wet   
falling all about4 ,the view from the   
top1 if the day is fine1 is about the   
most magnificent in the ,alps2 and as in
 that case ,i should have descended     
easily on the other side1 the excursion 
would not have been so difficult4 ,i    
hope you will not think ,i have been    
very foolish2 ,i did not at all think it

 would be so dangerous1 nor was it      
possible to foresee the bad weather4 ,my
 curiosity to see some of the           
difficulties of an excursion in the     
,alps is fully satisfied4'  ,after this 
adventure1 the party broke up1 ,james   
,patteson returning home with ,mr4      
,hornby1 while ,coley1 who hoped to     
obtain a ,fellowship at ,merton1 and    
wished in the meantime to learn ,german 
thoroughly in order to study ,hebrew by 
the light of ,german scholarship1       
repaired to ,dresden for the purpose2   
revelling1 by the way1 on the pictures  
and glass at ,munich1 descriptions of   
which fill three or four letters4 ,he   
remained a month at ,dresden1 reading   
for an hour a day with a ,german master1
 and spending many hours besides in     
study1 recreating himself with ,german  
newspapers at the cafe where he dined1  
and going to the play in the evening to 
hear colloquialisms4 ,the picture       
galleries were his daily enjoyment1 and 
he declared the ,madonna di ,san ,sisto 

fully equal to his anticipations4 ,there
 is that about the head of the ,virgin  
which ,i believe one sees in no other   
picture1 a dignity and beauty with a    
mixture of timidity quite               
indescribable4'  ,returning home for    
,christmas1 ,coley started again in     
,january #ahea1 in charge of a pupil1   
the son of ,lord ,john ,thynne1 with    
whom he was to go through ,italy4 ,the  
journey was made by sea from ,marseilles
 to ,naples1 where the old regime was   
still in force4 ,shakespeare and        
,humboldt were seized2 and after several
 hours' detention on the score of the   
suspicious nature of his literature1    
,mr4 ,patteson was asked for a bribe4   
,the climate was in itself a great charm
 to one always painfully susceptible to 
cold2 and1 after duly dwelling on the   
marvels of ,vesuvius and ,pompeii1 the  
travellers went on to ,rome4 ,there the 
sculptures were ,coley's first delight1 
and he had the advantage of hints from  
,gibson on the theory of his admiration1

 such as suited his love of analysis4   
,he poured forth descriptions of statues
 and pictures in his letters3 sometimes 
apologising4--',you must put up with a  
very stupid and unintelligible sermon on
 art4 ,the genius loci would move the   
very stones to preach on such a theme4  
,again3 ,the worst is1 that ,i ought to 
have months instead of days to see ,rome
 in4 ,i economise my time pretty well2  
but yet ,i find every night that ,i can 
only do a little of what ,i propose in  
the morning2 and as for my ,italian1 an 
hour and a half a day is on an average  
more than ,i give to it4 ,i suffer a    
good deal from weakness in the eyes2 it 
prevents my working at night with       
comfort4 ,i have a master every other   
day4 ,i tried to draw1 but it hurt me so
 much after looking about all day that  
,i despair of doing anything1 though ,i 
don't abandon the idea altogether4'     
,there are many letters on the religious
 state of ,rome4 ,the apparently direct 
supplications to the ,saints1 the       

stories told in sermons of desperate    
sinners--saved through some lingering   
observance paid to the ,blessed ,virgin1
 and the alleged abuse of the           
,confessional1 shocked ,patteson        
greatly1 and therewith he connected the 
flagrant evils of the political         
condition of ,rome at that time1 and    
arrived at conclusions strongly adverse 
to ,roman ,catholicism as such1 though  
he retained uninjured the ,catholic tone
 of his mind4  ,it was art which was the
 special attraction to ,coley of all the
 many spells of old ,rome4 ,he spent    
much time in the galleries1 and studied 
'modern painters' with an earnestness   
that makes ,ruskinism pervade his       
letters4  ,at ,florence1 ,coley wrote as
 usual at much length of the galleries1 
where the ,madonna del ,cardellino seems
 to have been what delighted him most4  
,he did not greatly enter into ,michel  
,angelo's works1 and perhaps hardly did 
their religious spirit full justice     
under the somewhat exclusive influence  

of ,fra ,angelico and ,francia1 with the
 ,euskinese interpretation4 ,the delight
 was indescribable4 ,he says3-- ',but ,i
 have written again and again on this   
favourite theme1 and ,i forget that it  
is difficult for you to understand what 
,i write1 or the great change that has  
taken place in me1 without seeing the   
original works4 ,no one can see them and
 be unchanged4 ,i never had such        
enjoyment4' ,his birthday presents were 
spent on a copy of the beloved ,madonna 
del ,cardellino1 of which he            
says3--'though it does not reach        
anything like the intensity of feeling  
of the original1 is still a very        
excellent painting1 and will always help
 to excite in my imagination1 and ,i    
hope to convey to you1 some faint image 
of the exceeding beauty of this most    
beautiful of all paintings4'  ,readers  
chiefly interested in the subsequent    
career of the missionary would feel     
interrupted by the overflowing notes on 
painting1 sculpture and architecture    

which fill the correspondence1 yet      
without them1 it is scarcely possible to
 realise the young man's intense        
enthusiasm for the ,beautiful1          
especially for spiritual beauty1 and    
thus how great was the sacrifice of     
going to regions where all these        
delights were unknown and unattainable4 
,he went on to ,venice1 where he met a  
letter which gave a new course to his   
thoughts1 for it informed him that the  
deafness1 which had long been growing on
 his father had now become an obstacle  
to the performance of his duties as a   
,judge1 and announcing his intention of 
retiring4  ,in the fulness of his heart 
he wrote3--   ',venice1 ,hotel de la    
,villa3 ,may #b1 #ahea4  ',my dearest   
,father1--,i have not been in ,venice an
 hour yet1 but little did ,i expect to  
find such news waiting for me as is     
contained in ,jem's letter1 and ,i can  
lose no time in answering it4 ,it is    
indeed a heavy trial for you1 that1 in  
addition to many years of constant      

annoyance from your deafness1 you should
 be obliged now1 in the full vigour of  
your mind1 and with the advantage of    
your experience1 to give up a profession
 you so thoroughly delight in4 ,i don't 
deny that ,i have often contemplated the
 possibility of such a thing2 and ,i had
 some conversation with ,uncle ,john    
last winter in consequence of my        
fancying your deafness was on the       
increase1 though the girls did not      
perceive it2 ,i hope with all my heart  
,i was wrong4 ,i told him what ,i know  
you feel1 that1 painful as it will be to
 you to retire from the ,bench1 if any  
dissatisfaction was expressed at your   
not hearing sufficiently what passed1   
you would choose rather to give up your 
seat than to go on under such           
circumstances4 ,his answer1 ,i remember1
 was that it was most difficult to know 
what to do1 because it was no use       
concealing the fact that your infirmity 
did interfere with the working of the   
,court more or less1 on ,circuit        

especially1 and at other times when     
witnesses were examined1 but that your  
knowledge of law was so invaluable that 
it was difficult to see how this latter 
advantage could fail to outweigh the    
former defect2 and everybody knew that  
they can't find a lawyer to fill your   
place1 though another man might do the  
ordinary circuit work with greater      
comfort to the ,bar2 though therefore   
nobody is so painstaking and so little  
liable to make mistakes1 yet to people  
in general and in the whole1 another man
 would seem to do the work nearly as    
well1 and would do his work1 as far as  
his knowledge and conscientiousness     
went1 with more ease2--this was         
something like the substance of what    
passed then1 and you may suppose that   
since that time ,i have thought more    
about the possibility of your           
retirement2 but as ,i know how very much
 you will feel giving up an occupation  
in which you take a regular pride1 ,i do
 feel very sorry1 and wish ,i was at    

home to do anything that could be done  
now4 ,i know well enough that you are   
the last man in the world to make a     
display of your feelings1 and that you  
look upon this as a trial1 and bear it  
as one1 just as you have with such great
 patience and submission 7and dear ,joan
 too17 always quietly borne your        
deafness2 but ,i am sure you must1 and  
do feel this very much1 and1 added to   
,granny's illness1 you must be a sad    
party at home4 ,i feel as if it were    
very selfish to be in this beautiful    
city1 and to have been spending so much 
money at ,florence4 ,neither did ,joan1 
in her last letter1 nor has ,jem now1   
mentioned whether you received two      
letters from ,florence1 the first of    
which gave some description of my       
vetturino journey from ,rome to         
,florence4 ,i little thought when ,i was
 enjoying myself so very much there1    
that all this was passing at home4444   
,your influence in the ,privy ,council  
7where ,i conclude they will offer you a

 seat7 might be so good on very         
important questions1 and it would be an 
occupation for you2 and ,i have always  
hoped that1 if it should please ,god you
 should retire while still in the prime 
of life for work1 you would publish some
 great legal book1 which should for ever
 be a record of your knowledge on these 
subjects4 ,however it may be1 the       
retrospect of upwards of twenty years   
spent on the ,bench with the complete   
respect and admiration of all your      
friends1 is no slight thing to fall back
 upon3 and ,i trust that this fresh     
trial will turn to your good1 and even  
happiness here1 as we may trust with    
safety it will hereafter4  ',ever your  
very affectionate and dutiful ,son1     
',,john ,,coleridge ,,patteson4'   ,in  
this winter of #aheb1 ,mr4 ,justice     
,patteson's final decision to retire was
 made and acted upon4 ,the ,judge       
delighted in no occupation so much as   
the pursuit of law1 and therefore       
distrusted his own opinion as to the    

moment when his infirmity should        
absolutely unfit him for sitting in     
,court4 ,he had begged a friend to tell 
him the moment that the impediment      
became serious2 and this1 with some     
hesitation1 was done4 ,the intimation   
was thankfully received1 and1 after due 
consideration1 carried out4  ,on        
,january #bi1 #aheb1 after twenty-two   
years on the ,bench1 and at the age of  
sixty-two1 ,mr4 ,justice ,patteson wrote
 his letter of resignation to ,lord     
,truro1 then ,lord ,chancellor1         
petitioning for the usual pension4 ,it  
was replied to in terms of warm and     
sincere regret2 and on the #bnd of      
,february1 ,sir ,john ,patteson was     
nominated to the ,privy ,council1 as a  
member of the ,judicial ,committee2     
where the business was chiefly conducted
 in writing1 and he could act with      
comparatively little obstacle from his  
deafness4  ,on ,february #aj1 #aheb1 he 
took his leave of the ,bar4 ,the ,court 
of ,queen's ,bench was crowded with     

barristers1 who rose while the          
,attorney-,general1 ,sir ,alexander     
,cockburn1 made an address expressive of
 the universal heartfelt feeling of     
respect and admiration with which the   
retiring ,judge was regarded4  ,john    
,patteson's reply1 read with a voice    
broken by emotion1 is so touching in its
 manly simplicity and humility that a   
paragraph or two may well be quoted3--  
',mine1' he said1 'is one of the many   
instances which ,i know that a public   
man without pre-eminent abilities1 if he
 will but exert such as it has pleased  
,god to bestow on him honestly and      
industriously1 and without ostentation1 
is sure to receive public approbation   
fully commensurate with1 and generally  
much beyond1 his real merits2 and ,i    
thank ,god if ,i shall be found not to  
have fallen entirely short in the use of
 those talents which ,he has entrusted  
to me4' ,then1 after some words on the  
misfortune that necessitated his        
withdrawal1 he continued1 ',i am aware  

that on some1 and ,i fear too many1     
occasions ,i have given way to          
complaints and impatient expressions    
towards the ,bar and the witnesses in   
,court1 as if they were to blame when1  
in truth1 it was my own deficiency2 and 
heartily sorry have ,i been and am for  
such want of control over myself4 ,i    
have striven against its recurrence     
earnestly1 though not always            
successfully4 ,my brethren on the       
,bench1 and you1 and the public1 have   
been very kind and indulgent to me2 the 
recollection of which will remain with1 
and be a great solace to me for the rest
 of my life4  ',and now1 gentlemen1 ,i  
bid you farewell most affectionately4 ,i
 wish you many years of health and      
happiness1 of success and honour in your
 liberal profession2 the duties of which
 have been and are and ,i trust ever    
will be performed1 not only with the    
greatest zeal1 learning1 and ability1   
but with the highest honour and         
integrity1 and a deep sense of          

responsibility to ,god and to man1 and  
which being so performed1 are1 in my    
humble judgment1 eminently conducive1   
under the blessing of ,god1 to maintain 
the just prerogative of the ,crown1 and 
the true right1 liberties1 and happiness
 of the people4'  ,he then rose from the
 ,judges' seat1 and bowed his farewell  
to the assembly1 who stood respectful   
and silent1 except for some suppressed  
tokens of emotion1 for in truth to many 
the parting was from an old familiar and
 much trusted friend4  ,private letters 
poured in1 expressive of deep regret1   
esteem1 and affection1 and not only were
 gratefully read at the time1 but became
 to the family valuable memorials of the
 heartfelt appreciation gained by a     
high-minded and upright course of life1 
and evidences that their father had done
 that which is perhaps the best thing   
that it is permitted to man to do here  
below1 namely1 'served ,god in his      
generation4'     ,,chapter ,,iv4        
,,fellowship ,,of ,,merton4 #aheb--ahed4

    ,in the summer of #aheb ,coleridge  
,patteson stood for a fellowship of     
,merton1 obtained it1 and moved into    
rooms there4 ,every college has a       
distinctive character2 and ,merton1 if  
not actually the eldest1 is at least one
 of the oldest foundations at ,oxford1  
and is one of the most unchanged in     
outward aspect4 ,there is a peculiar    
charm in the beauty and seclusion of the
 quadrangle1 in the library1 still      
mediaeval even to the fittings2 and the 
church is above all impressive in the   
extraordinary loveliness of the early   
decorated architecture1 and the space   
and loftiness of the choir4 ,the whole1 
pre-eminently among the colleges1 gives 
the sense of having been unaltered for  
five hundred years1 yet still full of   
life and vigour4  ,coley attached       
himself to ,merton1 though he never     
looked to permanent residence there4    
,the ,curacy in the immediate           
neighbourhood of his home was awaiting  
him1 as soon as he should be ordained2  

but though his purpose was unchanged and
 he was of full age for ,holy ,orders1  
he wished for another year of           
preparation1 so as to be able to study  
both ,hebrew and theology more          
thoroughly than would be possible when  
pastoral labour should have begun4 ,what
 he had already seen of ,dresden        
convinced him that he could there learn 
,hebrew more thoroughly and more cheaply
 than at home1 and to this he intended  
to devote the ,long ,vacation of #aheb1 
without returning to ,feniton4 ,there   
the family were settling themselves1    
having given up the house in ,bedford   
,square1 since ,james ,patteson had     
chambers in ,king's ,bench ,walk1 where 
the ex-,judge could be with him when    
needed in ,london4 ,there had some      
notion of the whole family profiting by 
,sir ,john's emancipation to take a     
journey on the ,continent1 and the      
failure of the scheme elicited the      
following letter3--   ',merton3 ,june   
#ah4  ',my dearest ,fan1--,i can1 to a  

certain extent1 sympathise with you     
thoroughly upon this occasion2 the mere 
disappointment at not seeing so many    
interesting places and things is a sharp
 one1 but in your instance this is much 
increased by the real benefit you hoped 
to derive from a warmer climate2 and no 
wonder that the disappearance of your   
hopes coupled with bodily illness makes 
you low and uncomfortable4 ,the weather 
too is trying to mind and body1 and     
though you try as usual to shake off the
 sense of depression which affects you1 
your letter is certainly sad1 and       
written like the letter of one in weak  
health4 ,well1 we shall see each other1 
please ,,god1 at ,christmas now4 ,that  
is better than passing nearly or quite a
 year away from each other2 and some    
other time ,i hope you will be able to  
go to ,italy1 and enjoy all the wonders 
there1 though a tour for health's sake  
cannot be too soon4 ,it is never too    
soon to get rid of an ailment4444  ',i  
find that ,i am getting to know the     

undergraduates here1 which is what ,i   
wanted to do2 it is my only chance of   
being of any use4 ,true1 that ,i have to
 do it at the expense of two half-days' 
cricketing1 which ,i have quite ceased  
to care about1 but ,i know that when ,i 
went up to ,balliol1 ,i was glad when a 
,fellow played with us4 ,it was a       
guarantee for orderly conduct1 and as ,i
 say1 it gives me an opportunity of     
knowing men4 ,i hope to leave ,london   
for ,dresden on ,monday week2 ,arthur is
 gone thither1 as ,i find out from ,jem1
 and ,i hope the scheme will answer4 ,if
 ,i find ,i can't work1 from my eyes1 or
 anything else1 preventing me1 ,i shall 
come home1 but ,i have no reason to     
expect any such thing4 ,my best love to 
,joan and all friends4  ',your loving   
,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,the 
',arthur' here mentioned was the        
youngest son of ,mr4 ,frank ,coleridge1 
and became ,coley's companion at        
,dresden1 where he was studying ,german4
 ,he writes3--  ',patteson spoke ,german

 fluently1 and wrote ,german correctly4 
,he had studied the language assiduously
 for about two years previously1 and so 
successfully that whilst we were at     
,dresden1 he was enabled to dispense    
with a teacher and make his assistance  
little more than nominal4 ,occasionally 
he wrote a ,german exercise1 but rather 
as an amusement than a discipline1 and  
merely with the view of enlarging his   
,german vocabulary4 ,i remember his     
writing an elaborate description of     
,feniton ,court1 and imagining the place
 to be surrounded with trees belonging  
to all sorts of climates4 ,the result   
was very amusing to ourselves1 and added
 to the writer's stock of words on      
particular subjects4 ,when our master   
,schier appeared1 the conversation was  
led by a palpable ambuscade to the topic
 which had been made the subject of     
,patteson's exercise1 and conversation  
helped to strengthen memory4 ,after     
looking over a few of ,patteson's       
,german exercises1 ,mr4 ,schier found so

 little to correct1 in the way of       
grammatical errors1 that these studies  
were almost relinquished1 and gave way  
to ,arabic and ,hebrew4 ,before we left 
,dresden1 ,patteson had read large      
portions of the ,koran2 and1 with the   
aid of ,hurwitz's ,grammar and          
,bernhard's ,guide to ,hebrew ,students1
 books familiar to ,cambridge men1 he   
was soon able to read the ,psalms in the
 original4 ,i remember the admiration   
and despair ,i felt in witnessing       
,patteson's progress1 and the wonder    
expressed by his teacher in his pupil's 
gift of rapid acquirement4 ,we had some 
excellent introductions2 amongst others1
 to ,dr4 ----1 a famous theologian1 with
 whom ,patteson was fond of discussing  
the system and organisation of the      
,church in ,saxony4 ,up to the time of  
his leaving ,england he was constantly  
using ,olshausen's ,commentary on the   
,new ,testament1 a book he was as       
thoroughly versed in as ,archbishop     
,trench himself4 ,i think that he       

consulted no other books in his study of
 the ,gospels1 but ,olshausen and       
,bengel's ,gnomon4  ',in our pleasures  
at ,dresden there was a mixture of the  
utile with the dulce4 ,our constant     
visits to the theatre were strong       
incentives to a preparatory study of the
 plays of ,goethe1 ,schiller1 and       
,lessing4 ,what noble acting we saw in  
that ,dresden theatre6  ',with regard to
 the opera1 ,i have never seen ,weber or
 ,meyerbeer's works given so perfectly  
and conscientiously as at ,dresden4     
,patteson's chief delight was the       
,midsummer ,night's ,dream1 with        
,mendelssohn's music4 ,he had a tuneful 
baritone voice and a correct ear for    
music4 ,we hired a piano for our        
sitting-room2 and1 though ,i failed to  
induce him to cultivate his voice1 and  
join me in taking lessons1 he sang some 
of ,mendelssohn's ,lieder very          
pleasingly1 and knew most of the bass   
music from the ,messiah by heart4 ,he   
began to play a few scales on the piano1

 and hoped to surprise his sisters on   
his return to ,england by playing       
chants1 but the ,arabic and ,hebrew     
studies proved too absorbing2 he grudged
 the time1 and thought the result       
disproportioned to the sacrifice4  ',in 
our daily walks we talked constantly of 
,church matters4 ,some sharp and sad    
experiences in the loss of more than one
 of his ,eton and ,oxford friends1 who  
had abandoned the ,church of ,england1  
failed to shake his confidence in the   
,church he was to serve so faithfully   
and to die for so gloriously4 ,his faith
 and daily practice seem to me a protest
 and warning against the folly1 if not  
the falsehood1 of extremes4 ,moderation1
 quiet consistency of life1 and         
unswerving loyalty to a faith which had 
been the joy and comfort of his dear    
mother1 whose loveable nature he        
inherited and reflected1 a blameless    
life and unfailing charity enabled him  
when the time came to live a life of    
incessant toil1 and face a martyr's     

death4 ,i remember the present ,bishop  
of ,carlisle inciting ,cambridge        
undergraduates to become1 by virtue of  
earnestness1 gentleness1 and toleration1
 guides not judges1 lights not          
firebrands4 ,he drew a perfect          
description of ,patteson1 who came more 
completely up to that ideal than anyone 
,i ever knew4 ,here was a man capable of
 the purest and most tender friendship1 
with an exquisite appreciation of all   
that is noblest in life1 and he was     
ready to give up all1 and content to    
lead the forlorn hope of ,christianity1 
and perish in the front ranks of the    
noble army4 ,and having been a little   
tried he shall be greatly rewarded1 for 
,god proved him1 and found him worthy   
for ,himself4'  ,i have given this      
letter almost entire1 because it shows  
the impression ,coley made on one1      
little his junior1 in the intimate      
associations of cousin1 neighbour1 and  
schoolfellow1 as well as travelling     
companion4  ,this year seems to have    

been a marked stage of development4 ,he 
was now twenty-five1 and the boyish     
distaste for mental exertion which had  
so long rendered study an effort of duty
 had passed into full scholarly         
enjoyment4 ,the individuality and       
originality of his mind had begun to    
awaken1 and influenced probably by the  
,german atmosphere of thought in which  
he was working1 were giving him that    
strong metaphysical bent which          
characterised his tone through life1 and
 became apparent in his sermons when he 
addressed an educated audience4  ,here  
is a letter to his eldest sister3 ',the 
weather has been better suited for work1
 and ,i feel pretty well satisfied with 
my ,hebrew4 ,what makes it so difficult 
is principally this1 that as it is an   
,oriental language1 it is entirely      
different in structure1 and in its      
inflections1 c41 from any language ,i   
ever came across4 ,i can't fall back    
upon anything already learnt to help me2
 but ,i see my way pretty clear now1 and

 shall soon have little more than a     
knowledge of the meaning of the words to
 learn1 which is only a matter of       
patience1 and can be learnt with a good 
dictionary and practice4 ,a real        
complete knowledge of the grammar is of 
course the great thing4  ',the great    
,dresden fair1 called the               
,vogelschiesser1 is going on2 it began  
last ,sunday and ends next ,sunday4     
,about half a mile from the town there  
is a very large meadow by the river1    
where a small town of booths1 tents1 c41
 is erected1 and where shooting at      
targets with wooden darts1 sham         
railway-trains and riding-horses1       
confectionery of every kind1 beer of    
every name1 strength1 and colour1 pipes1
 cigars1 toys1 gambling1 organ-grinding1
 fiddling1 dancing1 c41 goes on         
incessantly4 ,the great attraction1     
however1 is the shooting at the bird1   
which occupies the attention of every   
,saxon1 and is looked upon as the       
consummation of human invention and     

physical science4 ,a great pole1 nearly 
#hj feet high1 is erected with a wooden 
bird1 about the size of a turkey1 at the
 top2 to hit this with a crossbow from a
 regular stand1 about #ej feet from the 
foot of the pole1 is the highest        
ambition of this great people4 ,the     
accompaniments are rich in the extreme3 
cannon firing1 drums rolling1 for a     
successful shot1 the shooting society1  
who exist only for the sole honour and  
glory of hacking this bird to pieces1   
the presence of the ,king1 ,i think     
to-day1 and the intense interest taken  
in the amusement by the whole           
population2 certainly the ,germans are  
satisfied with less than any people ,i  
ever saw 7barring two things1 smoke and 
beer1 in which they are insatiable74 ,i 
went out to see it all1 but it rather   
bored me after an hour or so4 ,tom      
,f---- and ,i threw some dice for a pair
 of braces for ,arthur1 which we        
presented in due form2 and we had some  
shots at the targets--mine were         

eminently unsuccessful4  ',last night we
 had a great treat4 ,emil ,devrient1 who
 has been acting in ,london1 you know1  
came back1 and acted ,marquis ,posa in  
,don ,carlos4 ,the play acts very much  
better than it reads4 ,schiller         
certainly has great dramatic genius2    
only ,i agree with ,goethe that there is
 always a longing for exhibiting cruelty
 in its most monstrous form1 and        
refinement of cruelty and depravity     
overstepping almost the natural         
conditions of humanity4 ,i always       
thought ,iago about the most awful      
character in ,shakspeare2 but           
,schiller's ,philip ,,ii4 is something  
beyond even this1 without perhaps so    
much necessity for the exhibition of    
this absolute delight in evil4 ,it is   
long since ,i have been so excited in a 
theatre4 ,i was three rows from the     
stage1 heard and understood everything1 
and was so completely carried away by   
the grandeur and intense feeling of     
,devrient 7who was well supported by the

 ,don ,carlos71 that ,i had some        
difficulty to keep quiet1 and feel      
to-day rather odd1 shaken1 as it were1  
from such a strain upon the feelings4'  
,here is a letter1 enclosed within one  
to his sister ,fanny on ,september #i1  
written on a scrap of paper4 ,the       
apologetic tone of confession is        
amusing3--  ',my dearest ,father1--,i   
have not before told you that ,i have   
been at work for just three weeks upon a
 new subject2 reading1 however1 ,hebrew 
every day almost for three hours as     
well4 ,schier is not a great ,hebraist2 
and ,i found the language in one sense  
easier than ,i expected1 so that with   
good grammar and dictionary ,i can quite
 get on by myself1 reading an easy part 
of the ,bible 7historical books1 e4g47  
at the rate of about twenty-five verses 
an hour4 ,well1 ,i began to think that  
,i ought to use the opportunities that  
,dresden affords4 ,i know that ,hebrew  
is not a rich language2 that many words 
occur only once1 and consequently have  

an arbitrary meaning attached to them1  
unless they can be illustrated from     
cognate languages4 ,now ,i have a taste 
for these things1 and have in three     
weeks progressed so far in my new study 
as to feel sure ,i shall make it useful2
 and so ,i tell you without fear ,i am  
working at ,arabic4 ,i hope you won't   
think it silly4 ,it is very hard1 and   
for ten days was as hard work as ,i ever
 had in my life4 ,i think ,i have learnt
 enough to see my way now1 and this     
morning read the first chapter of       
,genesis in three-quarters of an hour4  
,it is rich1 beyond all comparison1 in  
inflexions2 and the difficulty arises   
from the extreme multiplicity of all its
 forms3 e4g4 each verb having not only  
active1 middle1 and passive voices1 but 
the primitive active having not less    
than thirty-five derivative forms and   
the passive thirteen4 ,the noun of      
action1--infinitive with article 7to    
akonein7 of the ,greek--is again        
different for each voice or form2 and   

the primitive can take any of twenty-two
 forms1 which are not compounded        
according to any rule4 ,again1 there are
 twenty-eight sets of irregular plurals1
 which are quite arbitrary4 ,no         
grammarian has ever given any           
explanation about them4 ,all mere       
matters of memory4 ,the very alphabet   
shows the richness of the language4     
,there are twenty-nine letters1 besides 
vowel points2 and each letter is written
 in four different ways1 so that it is  
different when isolated1 when in the    
beginning1 middle1 or end of a word4 ,it
 took me some hours to learn them4 ,in  
very many respects1 it is closely allied
 to the ,hebrew1 so that everybody who  
writes ,hebrew grammars and lexicons    
necessarily has much to do with ,arabic2
 and a knowledge of it may be of great  
use in clearing up difficulties in the  
,bible4 ,my year in ,oxford will enable 
me to go on with it1 for in three weeks 
more ,i hope to be able to go on alone4 
,to-morrow ,i begin the ,koran4 ,my     

lessons will not in all exceed #ca2 and 
,i really should have gone on1 perhaps1 
not much faster with ,hebrew if ,i had  
worked it exclusively2 and it is hard to
 read so many hours at one thing3 and ,i
 may say1 now without doubt1 that ,i    
have laid the foundation for a study of 
,oriental languages1 if ,i have time and
 opportunity that may be fairly given to
 them4 ,think what one hour a day is1   
and the pleasure to me is very great1   
and ,i feel that ,i have a knack rather 
7if ,i may say so7 of laying hold of    
these things4 ,don't mention it to      
anyone4'  ,there the fragment breaks    
off2 and in a letter of ,august #bi     
there occurs this reply to a message    
from his eldest sister3--  ',thank dear 
,joan for her caution3 ,i know ,i need  
it sadly1 especially now when ,i am at  
work upon somewhat out-of-the-way       
subjects1 and feel the danger of        
forgetting that if ,i mistake the means 
for the end1 and feel gratified with the
 mere intellectual amusement1 ,i am     

doing very wrong1 even when ,i am       
working very hard at very difficult     
matters4 ,i like these things1 ,i must  
confess1 and the time is so well adapted
 to work here1 and now that the weather 
is cool ,i can secure every day a good  
long time to myself4' ,in the enclosed  
letter he announces that he shall leave 
,dresden in another three weeks4 ,he    
says3--  ',we have had a steady working 
time of it here2 and as ,i know some    
members of the family rather discourage 
these ,continental flights1 ,i just sum 
up the advantages thereof4 ,being       
naturally endowed with a love of music1 
the probability is1 that when you1      
,clara1 and ,miss ,horsley are together 
in the house1 as soon as a ,lied or     
,sonata began1 away would go my books1  
or at all events my thoughts4 ,you know 
well that the piano goes at all hours1  
and always in the morning at home4 ,then
 riding1 walking with ,father1 long     
sitting after dinner1 c4 do not improve 
the chances for reading4 ,in fact1 you  

know that what with visitors from       
without1 friends within1 parties1 c41 ,i
 should have had very little reading in 
the vacation1 and that not through my   
own fault--not a ,stilbehen in the house
 could protect me from music4 ,here ,i  
make my own time1 and last week my eyes 
were troublesome4 ,i walked twice every 
day1 exactly at the hour when ,i most   
wanted it2 and without nonsense1 ,i may 
say that ,i have in two months done     
really a great deal more than ,i could  
have done at home even with masters4    
,this all applies to ,arthur just as    
much4 ,he has read ,german exclusively  
most of the time1 and knows as well as  
,i do that it is not possible to work at
 home4 ,if ,i could go on just as well  
as with ,mendelssohn ringing in my ears1
 it would be different1 but ,i can't4   
,you remember how pleasant1 but how very
 idle1 last vacation was1 and especially
 the last six weeks of it6'  ,then1     
after much about family matters1        
commissions1 and little gifts which he  

was collecting for all at home--  ,i    
should like to get something for        
everybody1 but that is not possible4    
,luckily1 my lessons are less expensive 
than ,i expected1 and1 considering the  
work1 wonderfully cheap4 ,i make good   
progress1 ,i can say2 but the difficulty
 is great enough to discourage any but a
 real grinder at such work4 ,i have     
written a scrap for ,father1 and you    
will see that ,i am working away pretty 
well4 ,i have finished my introductory  
book1 consisting of forty-one fables2   
and though difficulties present         
themselves always to really good        
scholars from time to time1 the ,bible  
is not one of the hardest books1 not so 
hard1 e4g4 as the ,koran4 ,now ,i can at
 any future time1 if the opportunity    
comes1 go on with these things1 and ,i  
hope find them really useful4 ,i know   
you like to hear what ,i am doing2 but  
be sure to keep it all quiet1 let no one
 know but ,father and ,joan4 ,you might 
carelessly tell it to anyone in fun1 and

 ,i don't wish it to be known4          
,especially don't let any of the family 
know4 ,time enough if ,i live out my    
,oxford year1 and have really mastered  
the matter pretty well4 ,remember this  
is taken up with a view to elucidate and
 explain what is so very hard in        
,hebrew4 ,hebrew is to be the           
,hauptsache1 this the ,hulfsmittel1 or  
some day ,i hope one of several such    
helps4 ,it is very important to accustom
 one's mind to the ,denk and            
,anschauungswerk of the ,orientals1     
which is so different from that of      
,europeans or their language4 ,how hard 
are the metaphors of the ,bible for this
 reason6'  ,there is something in all   
these long apologies and strenuous      
desire for secrecy about these ,arabic  
studies that reminds one that the       
character was a self-conscious          
introspective one1 always striving for  
humility1 and dreading to be thought    
presumptuous4 ,a simpler nature1 if     
devoid of craving for home sympathy1    

would never have mentioned the new study
 at all2 or if equally open-hearted1    
would have let the mention of it among  
home friends take its chance1 without   
troubling himself as to their possible  
comments4 ,indeed1 it is curious to     
observe how elaborate he was at this    
period about all his concerns1          
meditating over the cause of whatever   
affected him4 ,it was a form of growth2 
and dropped off when the time of action 
arrived1 and his character had shaped   
itself4 ,it must be remembered1 too1    
that his habit of pouring out all his   
reflections and feelings to his sisters1
 and their preservation of his letters1 
have left much more on record of these  
personal speculations than is common4   
,his father made a much simpler matter  
of the ,arabic matter1 in the following 
characteristic letter3--   ',feniton    
,court3 ,september #ad1 #aheb1  ',my    
dearest ,coley1--,so far from thinking  
you wrong in learning ,arabic1 ,i feel  
sure that you are quite right4 ,however1

 we shall keep your secret1 and not say 
anything about it4 ,i am heartily glad  
that you should acquire languages1      
modern as well as ancient4 ,you know ,i 
have often pressed the former on your   
and ,jem's notice1 from myself feeling  
my deficiency and regret at it4 ,i can  
well understand that ,arabic1 and ,i    
should suppose ,syriac also1 must be of 
the greatest use towards a true         
understanding of much of the ,old       
,testament3 a great deal of which is    
doubtless not understood by those who   
understand only our translation1 or even
 the ,septuagint1 which ,i suspect to   
have many passages far from a faithful  
vehicle of the meaning of the original4 
,i was greatly delighted with your      
theological letter1 so to speak1 as well
 as with the first1 and look to have    
some jolly conversations with you on    
such subjects4  ',we have many more     
partridges than our neighbours1 and ,jem
 shoots uncommonly well4 ,three double  
shots yesterday4 ,i shoot worse than    

usual2 and cannot walk without much     
fatigue and frequent pain1 so that ,i   
shall not be able to work enough to get 
much sport4 ,i got through the ,mary    
,church affair very well--that is1 not  
making a fool of myself--and if ,i did  
not do much good1 ,i think ,i did no    
harm4 ,the ,bishop of ,exeter           
,phillpotts is mightily pleased1 and    
wrote me a letter to that effect4 ,of   
course ,i cannot tell you what ,i said1 
it would be too long1 nor are you likely
 to see it4 ,it was fully inserted in   
,woolmer1 and from him copied into the  
,guardian4  ',i live in hopes to see you
 well and hearty at ,oxford on the #adth
 of ,october1 till when1 adieu1 ,god    
bless you4  ',your affectionate ,father1
  ',j4 ,,patteson4'   ,the interview    
with the ,bishop of ,sydney never took  
place1 for the excellent ,bishop        
,broughton arrived with health shattered
 by his attendance on the sufferers from
 fever in the ship which brought him    
from ,st4 ,thomas1 and he did not long  

survive his landing4  ,the ',mary       
,church affair' here referred to was the
 laying the foundation-stone of the     
,church1 built or restored1 it is hard  
to say which1 on the lines of the former
 one1 and preserving the old tower1 at  
,st4 ,mary ,church1 near ,torquay4      
,though the death of the ,rev4 ,gr4 ,m4 
,coleridge had broken one tie with the  
place1 it continued to be much beloved  
by the ,patteson family1 and ,sir ,john 
had taken so much share in the          
church-building work as to be asked to  
be the layer of the corner-stone4 ,the  
speech he made at the ensuing luncheon  
excited much attention and the sisters  
took care that their brother should not 
miss reading it4 ,the stay at ,dresden  
was drawing to an end2 and he was       
preparing to return through ,berlin1    
intending to go direct to ,oxford and   
reside there till the summer1 when he   
meant to seek ordination and enter on   
the ,curacy at ,alfington4 ,he says to  
his sister ,joanna3--  ',it is a long   

time to pass without seeing you1 but ,i 
hope1 if it please ,god that we all live
 on together1 that it will be long      
before such another interval occurs4 ,i 
have not grown out of an occasional fit 
of home sickness yet2 and on these      
occasions ,arthur and ,i talk           
incessantly about domestic matters1 and 
indulge our fancies in conjecturing what
 you are all doing1 and so forth4 ,i    
followed ,joan and ,clara's trip1 step  
by step1 from the ,den at ,teignmouth to
 ,st4 ,mary ,church1 ,oddiscombe1       
,rabbicombe1 ,anstey's ,cave1 ,meadfoot1
 c4 ,how ,i remember every inch of the  
dear old places6 ,better than the mud   
banks at ,felixstowe1 are they not1     
,clara8 ,i shall keep always the scrap  
from the ,guardian with ,father's       
speech4 ,i don't think ,i remember any  
speech on a similar occasion so         
thoroughly good1 and so likely to do    
good4 ,plain1 sensible1 and manly1 no   
question of words and unimportant       
differences of opinion2 no cant1 high or

 low1 just like himself4 ,i pray ,i may 
have but a tenth part of his honesty and
 freedom from prejudice and party       
spirit4 ,it may come1 under ,god's      
blessing1 if a man's mind is earnestly  
set on the truth2 but the danger is of  
setting up your own exclusive standard  
of truth1 moral and intellectual4       
,father certainly is more free from it  
than any man we ever knew4 ,he tells me 
in his letter that the ,bishop of       
,sydney is coming home to consult people
 in ,england about ,synodical ,action1  
c41 and that he is going to meet him and
 explain to him certain difficulties and
 mistakes into which he has fallen with 
regard to administering the ,oath of    
,abjuration and the like matters4 ,how  
few people1 comparatively1 know the     
influence ,father exercises in this way 
behind the scenes1 as it were4 ,his     
intimacy with so many of the ,bishops1  
too1 makes his position really of very  
great importance4 ,i don't want to      
magnify1 but the more ,i think of him1  

and know how very few men they are that 
command such general respect1 and bear  
such a character with all men for       
uprightness and singleness of purpose1  
it is very difficult to know how his    
place could be supplied when we throw   
his legal knowledge over and above into 
the scale4 ,i hope he will write3 ,i am 
quite certain that his opinion will     
exercise a great influence on very many 
people4 ,such a speech as this at ,mary 
,church embodies exactly the sense of a 
considerable number of the most prudent 
and most able men of the country1 and   
his position and character give it extra
 weight1 and that would be so equally   
with his book as with his speech4 ,how  
delightful it will be to have him at    
,oxford4 ,he means to come in time for  
dinner on the #adth1 and go away on the 
#afth2 but if he likes it1 he will1 ,i  
daresay1 stop now and then on his way to
 town and back4 ,jem will not be back in
 town when he goes up for the ,judicial 
,committee work1 so he will be rather   

solitary there1 won't he4 ,i am not1    
however1 sure about the number of weeks 
,jem must reside to keep his term4444'  
,the enjoyment of the last few days at  
,dresden 'was much marred by a heavy    
cold1 caught by going to see an         
admirable representation of ',egmont1'  
the last of these theatrical treats so  
highly appreciated4 ,the journey to     
,berlin1 before the cold was shaken off1
 resulted in an attack of illness2 and  
he was so heavy and uncomfortable as to 
be unable to avail himself of his       
opportunities of interesting            
introductions4  ,he returned to his     
rooms at ,merton direct from ,germany4  
,like many men who have come back to    
,oxford at a riper age than that of     
undergraduate life1 he now entered into 
the higher privileges and enjoyments of 
the ,university1 the studies1           
friendships1 and influences1 as early   
youth sometimes fails to do4 ,he was    
felt by his ,oxford friends to have     
greatly developed since his ,balliol    

terms had been over and the ,eton boy   
left behind4 ,study was no longer a toil
 and conscientious effort4 ,it had      
become a prime pleasure2 and men        
wondered to find the plodding1 accurate1
 but unenthusiastic student of three    
years back1 a linguist and philologist  
of no common power and attainment4 ,mr4 
,roundell says1 ',he had become quite   
another person4 ,self-cultivation had   
done much for him4 ,literature and art  
had opened his mind and enlarged his    
interests and sympathies4 ,the moral and
 spiritual forces of the man were now   
vivified1 refined1 and strengthened by  
the awakening of his intellectual and   
esthetic nature4'  ,ever reaching       
forward1 however1 he was on his guard   
against1 as he said1 making the means   
the end4 ,languages were his pleasure1  
but a pleasure held in check as only    
subservient to his preparation for the  
ministry4 ,he did not mean to use them  
to the acquirement of academical honour 
nor promotion1 nor did he even rest in  

the intellectual delight of             
investigation2 he intended them only as 
keys to the better appreciation of the  
,scriptures and of the doctrines of the 
,church1 unaware as yet that the gift he
 was cultivating would be of inestimable
 value in far distant regions4  ,in     
,february1 while ,sir ,john ,patteson   
was in ,london1 his son ,james was the  
cause of much alarm1 owing to a mistake 
by which he swallowed an embrocation    
containing a large amount of laudanum4  
,prompt measures1 however1 prevented any
 ill effects2 and all danger was over   
before the letter was sent off which    
informed ,coley of what had happened2   
but the bare idea of the peril was a    
great shock to one of such warm         
affections1 and so deeply attached to   
his only brother4 ,he wrote the two     
following letters to his father and     
sisters on the first impulse on the     
receipt of the intelligence3--          
',shrove ,tuesday4  ',my dearest        
,father1--,i believe ,i speak truly when

 ,i say that ,i never in my life felt so
 thoroughly thankful and grateful to    
,god for ,his great mercy as ,i did this
 morning1 on reading of dear ,jem's     
danger and safety4 ,he is less          
accustomed to talk about his feelings   
than ,i am1 in which ,i see his         
superiority1 but partly because our     
tastes are in several respects          
different1 chiefly because of his       
exceeding amiability and unselfishness4 
,i am sure we love each other very      
dearly4 ,ever since his illness at      
,geneva1 ,i have from time to time      
contemplated the utter blank1 the real  
feeling of loss1 which anything         
happening to him would bring with it1   
and the having it brought home close to 
me in this way quite upset me1 as it    
well might4 ,i pray ,god that no ill    
effects may follow1 and from what you   
say ,i apprehend none4 ,i have often    
thought that it is much better when two 
brothers propose to themselves different
 objects in life1 and pursue them with  

tastes dissimilar on unimportant        
matters4 ,they act better upon one      
another2 just as ,i look to ,jem1 as ,i 
have more than once told him1 to give me
 a hint when he sees a want of common   
sense in anything ,i take up1 because ,i
 know ,i act a good deal from impulse1  
and take an interest in many things     
which are perhaps not worth the time ,i 
spend on them4 ,it is a mercy that ,i   
hope ,i shall never forget1 never cease 
to be thankful for4 ,many and many a    
time1 if it please ,god1 ,i shall look  
to him in difficulties1 and remember how
 nearly once he was lost to me4 ,i can  
get away with the greatest ease for a   
few days on ,thursday if desirable1 and 
perhaps old ,jem will feel low after    
this1 when you have left him4 ,i think  
this very likely1 from what ,i know of  
him1 and if you think it too1 without   
asking him if he would like it1 ,i will 
come up for some other reason4 ,you will
 not go1 ,i know1 unless he is perfectly
 well2 but he might1 and ,i think would1

 like to have some one with him just at 
first4 ,let me know what you think4     
',good-bye1 my dearest father4  ',ever  
your affectionate and dutiful son1  ',j4
 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ',merton1 ,shrove   
,tuesday4  ',my dearest ,joan and       
,fan1--,how we must all have united this
 morning in pouring out our thanks to   
,god for ,his great mercy6 ,you will not
 suspect me of being wanting in love to 
you1 if ,i say that the contemplation of
 what might have happened presented such
 a scene of desolation1 such a void1    
that it would have required all the     
strength ,i possess to turn to ,god in  
resignation and submission to ,his will4
 ,i have often1 very often1 thought of  
that illness at ,geneva1 but this       
brought it home to me1 perhaps closer   
still2 and ,i hope ,i shall never cease 
to be mindful of1 and thankful for1 this
 special providence4 ,father seems      
pretty confident that all mischief is   
prevented2 and ,jem wrote six hours     
after he took the laudanum1 and had then

 felt no drowsiness to speak of1 and    
,dr4 ,watson said there was no fear of  
anything happening after two hours had  
elapsed4  ',i should like to join with  
you in showing our gratitude by some    
deed of charity1 or whatever you think  
right4 ,something that without any show 
might be a thank-offering to ,god for   
,his signal act of mercy4  ',ever your  
loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4  
'#e4cj4 ,i wrote this quite early this  
morning4 ,i can hardly think yet what it
 all means4 ,now1 ,i feel only a sense  
of some very heavy affliction removed4  
,poor dear ,father1 and all of us6 what 
should we have been without him6'   ,a  
letter to the brother himself was       
written under the same impulse1 even    
more tenderly affectionate1 but so deep 
and intimate1 that it would almost be   
treason to give it to the world4 ,the   
next letter was written soon after the  
alarm had passed1 but is undated3--     
',my dear ,fan1--,yesterday ,i was      
unluckily too seedy with headache to go 

on the ice1 and this morning ,i have    
been skating for half an hour1 but the  
ice is spoilt4 ,very jolly it is to be  
twisting and turning about once more4 ,i
 thought of writing to old ,jem to come 
down for it1 as ,i should think the     
frost is not severe enough to freeze any
 but the shallow water of the floods1   
but it was not good enough to reward him
 for the trouble of coming so far4      
',the constant sense of his preservation
 from that great danger really prevents 
my feeling so acutely perhaps as ,i     
ought to do the distress of others4 ,i  
really think ,i ought to be less        
cheerful and happy than ,i feel myself  
to be4 ,i had a pleasant little talk    
with ,dr4 ,pusey on ,monday3 he was     
recommending me two or three books for  
,hebrew reading1 but they would be of no
 use to me yet2 the language is         
difficult to advance far into1 and you  
know my shallow way of catching a thing 
at first rather quickly perhaps1 but    
only superficially4 ,i find my interest 

increasing greatly in philological      
studies4 ,one language helps another    
very much2 and the beautiful way in     
which the words1 ideas1 and the whole   
structure indeed1 of language pervades  
whole families1 and even the different  
families1 7e4g41 the ,indo-,germanic and
 ,semitic races17 is not only           
interesting1 but very useful4 ,i wish ,i
 had made myself a better ,greek and    
,latin scholar1 but unfortunately ,i    
used to hate classics4 ,what desperate  
uphill work it was to read them1 a      
regular exercise of self-denial every   
morning6 ,now ,i like it beyond any     
study1 except ,divinity proper1 and ,i  
try to make up for lost time4 ,there are
 admirable books in my possession which 
facilitate the acquisition of critical  
scholarship very much1 and ,i work at   
these1 principally applying it to ,new  
,test4 ,greek1 ,,lxx1 c4 ,but my real   
education began1 ,i think1 with my first
 foreign trip4 ,it seems as if there was
 not time for all this1 for ,i have     

,hebrew1 ,arabic1 c41 to go on with     
7though this is a slow process71        
,pearson1 ,hooker1 ,blunt on the        
,reformation 7a mere sketch which ,i    
read in a day or two at odd times71     
,commentaries1 ,trench's ,books on      
,parables and ,miracles1 which are in my
 room at home1 and would in parts       
interest you2 he is a writer of good    
common sense1 and a well-read man4 ,but 
,i of course want to be reading history 
as well1 and that involves a good deal2 
physical geography1 geology1 c41 yet one
 things helps another very much4 ,i     
don't work quite as methodically as ,i  
ought2 and ,i much want some one to     
discuss matters with relating to what ,i
 read4 ,i don't say all this1 ,i am sure
 you know1 as if ,i wanted to make out  
that ,i am working at grand subjects4 ,i
 know exceeding little of any one of    
them1 so little history1 e4g41 that a   
school girl could expose my ignorance   
directly1 but ,i like to know what we   
are doing among ourselves1 and we all   

get to know each other better thereby4  
,i felt so much of late with regard to  
,jem1 that a natural reserve prevents so
 often members even of the same family  
from communicating freely to each other 
their opinions1 business1 habits of     
life1 experiences of sympathy1 approval1
 disapproval1 and the like2 and when one
 member is gone1 then it is felt how    
much more closely such a habit of       
dealing with each other would have      
taught us to know him4444 ,nothing tests
 one's knowledge so well as questions   
and answers upon what we have read1     
stating difficulties1 arguments which we
 can't understand1 c41 to each other4   
,ladies who have no profession to       
prepare for1 in spite of a very large   
correspondence and numerous household   
duties1 may 7in addition to their       
parochial work as curates67 take up a   
real course of reading and go into it   
thoroughly2 and this gives girls not    
only employment for the time1 but gives 
the mind power to seize every other     

subject presented to it4 ,if you are    
quite alone1 your reading is apt to     
become desultory4 ,i find it useful to  
take once or twice a week a walk with   
,riddell of ,balliol1 and go through a  
certain period of ,old ,testament       
history2 it makes me get it up1 and then
 between us we hammer out so many more  
explanations of difficult passages than1
 at all events1 ,i should do by myself4 
,he is1 moreover1 about the best ,greek 
scholar here1 which is a great help to  
me4 ,you have no idea of the light that 
such accurate scholarship as his throws 
upon many disputed passages in the      
,bible1 e4g41 ,wisdom is justified of   
her children1 where the ,greek          
preposition probably gives the key to   
the whole meaning1 and many such4 ,so   
you see1 dear old ,fan1 that the want of
 some one to pour out this to1 for it   
sounds fearfully pedantic1 ,i confess1  
has drawn upon you this grievous        
infliction4  ',my kindest love to       
,father and dear ,joan1  ',ever your    

loving  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,fanny ,patteson
 answered with arguments on the other   
duties which hindered her from entering 
on the course of deep study which he had
 been recommending4 ,he replies3--      
',feb4 #be1 #ahec4  ',my dearest        
,fan1--,i must answer your very sensible
 well-written letter at once1 because on
 our system of mutual explanation1 there
 are two or three things ,i wish to     
notice in it4 ,first1 ,i never meant    
that anything should supersede duties   
which ,i am well aware you practise with
 real use to yourself and those about   
you1 e4g41 the kindness and sympathy    
shown to friends1 and generally due     
observance of all social relations4     
,second1 ,i quite believe that the      
practical application of what is already
 known1 teaching1 going about among the 
poor1 is of far more consequence than   
the acquisition of knowledge1 which1 of 
course1 for its own sake is worth       
nothing4 ,third1 ,i think you perfectly 
right in keeping up music1 singing1 all 

the common amusements of a country life2
 of course ,i do1 for indeed what ,i    
said did not apply to ,joan or you1     
except so far as this1 that we all know 
probably a great deal of which each one 
is separately ignorant1 and the free    
communication of this to one another is 
desirable1 ,i think4  ',my own          
temptation consists perhaps chiefly in  
the love of reading for its own sake4 ,i
 do honestly think that for a           
considerable time past ,i have read1 ,i 
believe1 nothing which ,i do not expect 
to be of real use1 for ,i have no taste 
naturally for novels1 c4 7without1      
however1 wishing to deny that there may 
be novels which teach a real insight    
into character74 ,barring ,i ,promessi  
,sposi which ,i take up very seldom when
 tired1 ,i have not read one for ages3  
,i must except ,old ,mortality1 read    
last ,vacation at ,feniton2 but ,i can't
 deny that ,i like the study of         
languages for its own sake1 though ,i   
apply my little experience in it wholly 

to the interpretation of the ,bible4 ,i 
like improving my scholarship1 it is    
true1 but ,i can say honestly that it is
 used to read the ,greek ,testament with
 greater accuracy3 so of the ,hebrew1   
,syriac1 ,arabic4 ,i feel1 ,i confess1  
sometimes that it is nice1 c41 to know  
several languages1 but ,i try to drive  
away any such thoughts1 and it is quite 
astonishing how1 after a few weeks1 a   
study which would suggest ideas of an   
unusual course of reading becomes so    
familiar that ,i never think of myself  
when pursuing it1 e4g41 ,i don't think  
that after two hours' grind at ,arabic  
the stupid wrong feeling of its being an
 out-of-the-way study comes upon me now1
 it is getting quite natural4 ,it comes 
out though when ,i talk or write perhaps
 with another1 but ,i must try and get  
over it4  ',i believe it to be a good   
thing to break off any work once or     
twice a day in the middle of any        
reading1 for meditating a little while  
and for prayer4 ,this is more easily    

done at ,college than elsewhere2 and is1
 ,i hope1 a preventive against such     
thoughts4 ,then1 as ,i jog on ,i see how
 very little ,i know1 what an immense   
deal ,i have to learn to become         
ordinarily well acquainted with these   
things4 ,i am in that state of mind1    
perhaps1 when ,ecclesiastes 7which ,i am
 now reading7 puts my own case exactly  
before me4 ,i think1 ,what's the good of
 it all8 ,and the answer comes1 it may  
be very good properly used1 or very     
mischievous if abused4 ,i do indeed look
 forward to active parochial work3 ,i   
think ,i shall be very happy so         
employed1 and ,i often try to anticipate
 the time in thought1 and feel with     
perfect sincerity that nothing is so    
useful or so full of comfort as the     
consciousness of trying to fulfil the   
daily duties of my situation4 ,here of  
course ,i need do nothing2 ,i mean there
 is nothing to prevent my sitting all   
day in an arm-chair and reading         
,pickwick44444 ,one word about the way  

languages help me1 that you may not     
think what ,i am doing harder than it   
really is4 ,these three bear the same   
kind of relation to each other 7or      
rather say these five1 ,arabic1 ,syriac1
 ,hebrew1 ,chaldee1 ,ethiopia2 but of   
the last ,i know nothing whatever1 and  
of ,chaldee only so much as that it is a
 dialect of ,hebrew in the same         
character1 and consequently anyone who  
knows ,hebrew knows something about it71
 as ,german to ,english1 e4g41 ,bahlom  
7,arab471 ,beel 7,syr471 ,baal 7,heb471 
are the same word1 as you can see1 only 
written in different characters1 and all
 mean a lord1 so ,baal1 ,beelzebub1 or  
,baalzebeb4 ,baal ,peor1 which means1   
literally1 the ,lord of the ravine1     
viz41 the idol worshipped at the ,pass  
in the wilderness4 ,consequently1 in    
reading any one of these languages1 the 
same word keeps on occurring in all2 and
 the chief use is of course that often a
 word which occurs only once or twice in
 ,hebrew perhaps is in common use in the

 others1 and so its meaning is fixed4   
,add to all this1 that the ,syriac      
version of the ,new ,testament was made 
7as all agree7 early in the second      
century1 if not at the end of the first1
 and thus is the very best exponent of  
the ,new ,testament where the ,greek is 
doubtful2 and the additional fact1 that 
though a mixture of ,chaldee and ,syriac
 was the language of ,palestine in our  
,lord's time1 yet ,he certainly         
sometimes spoke what is now our ,syriac 
7e4g41 ,talitha cumi1 c471 and the      
importance of it is apparent4 ,surely to
 read the language that our ,blessed    
,lord himself used is no small profit as
 well as delight4  ',so ,i think we may 
each go on in our several pursuits1 each
 helping each1 and each trying to do so 
without a foolish affectation of        
learning4  ',my best love to dear       
,father and ,joan1  ',ever your         
affectionate ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   
,fenelon has said that in a certain     
stage of piety there is much of self1   

and ,coley was evidently in that stage4 
,his own figure was the primary object  
before his eyes1 neither indulged1 nor  
admired1 but criticised1 repressed1 and 
by his very best efforts thrust aside1  
whenever he was conscious that his      
self-contemplation was self-complacency4
 ,still it was in his nature to behold  
it1 and discuss it1 and thus to conquer 
and outgrow the study in time1 while    
leaving many observations upon          
self-culture and self-training1 that    
will no doubt become deeply valued as   
the result of the practical experience  
of one who so truly mastered that       
obtrusive self4  ,patteson was one of   
the most decided workers for the        
admission of improvements and reduction 
of abuses within his own college1 with  
which each ,oxford foundation was       
endeavouring to forestall compulsory    
reformation by a ,university            
,commission4 ,mr4 ,roundell says3--     
',his early years as ,fellow of ,merton 
coincided with the period of active     

reform at ,oxford which followed upon   
the ,report of the ,commission in #aheb4
 ,what part did the future ,missionary  
,bishop take in that great movement8    
,one who worked with him at that time--a
 time when ,university reform was as    
unfashionable as it is now              
fashionable--well remembers4 ,he threw  
himself into the work with hearty zeal2 
he supported every liberal proposal4 ,to
 his loyal fidelity and solid common    
sense is largely due the success with   
which the reform of ,merton was carried 
out4 ,and yet in those first days of    
college reform the only sure and        
constant nucleus of the                 
floating-,liberal majority consisted of 
,patteson and one other4 ,whatever      
others did1 those two were always on the
 same side4 ,and so1 somehow1 owing no  
doubt to the general enlightenment which
 distinguished the senior ,fellows of   
,merton under the old regime--an        
enlightenment unquestionably due to the 
predominance in that ,college of the lay

 non-resident element--the new reforming
 spirit found itself in the ascendency4 
,it is to the honour of ,patteson1 and  
equally to the honour of the older      
,fellows of the ,college at that time1  
that so great an inroad upon old        
traditions should have been made with   
such an entire absence of provocation on
 the one side1 or of irritation on the  
other4 ,but ,patteson1 with all his     
reforming zeal1 was also a high-bred    
gentleman4 ,he remembered what was due  
to others as well as to himself4 ,his   
bearing was one of respect for          
authority1 of deference towards those   
who were his superiors in age4 ,he knew 
how to differ4 ,he showed towards others
 the considerate courtesy which others  
in return so abundantly showed towards  
him4 ,and this generous forbearance of  
the seniors had its reward4 ,it entailed
 upon the juniors a reciprocity of      
respect4 ,it was felt by them at the    
time to be an additional incentive to   
moderation1 to sobriety1 to desistance  

from extreme views4 ,the result was that
 the work got done1 and what was done   
left no heartburnings behind4  ',yet it 
would be delusive to pretend to claim   
,bishop ,patteson as a ,liberal in the  
political sense of the word4 ,he was no 
such thing4 ,if anything1 his instincts1
 especially in ,church matters1 drew him
 the other way4 ,but those who knew the 
man1 like those who have seen the       
,ammergau ,play1 would as soon think of 
fastening upon that a sectarian         
character1 as of fixing him with party  
names4 ,his was a catholic mind4 ,what  
distinguished him was his               
open-mindedness1 his essential goodness1
 his singleness and simplicity of aim4  
,he was a just man1 and singularly free 
from perturbations of self1 of temper1  
or of nerves4 ,you did not care to ask  
what he would call himself4 ,you felt   
what he was1 that you were in the       
presence of a man too pure for party1 of
 one in whose presence ordinary party   
distinctions almost ceased to have a    

meaning4 ,such a man could scarcely be  
on the wrong side4 ,both the purity of  
his nature and the rectitude of his     
judgment would have kept him straight4' 
,coley remained at ,merton until the    
,long ,vacation of #ahec2 when his      
,oxford life terminated1 though not his 
connection with the ,university1 for he 
retained his ,fellowship until his      
death1 and the friendships he had formed
 both at ,balliol and ,merton remained  
unbroken4     ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the       
,,curacy ,,at ,,alfington4 #ahec-ahee4  
,preparation for ordination had become  
,patteson's immediate object4 ,as has   
been already said1 his work was marked  
out4 ,there was a hamlet of the parish  
of ,ottery ,st4 ,mary1 at a considerable
 distance from the church and town1 and 
named ,alfington4  ,some time           
previously1 the family of ,sir ,john    
,kennaway had provided the place with a 
school1 which afterwards passed into the
 hands of ,mr4 ,justice ,coleridge1 who1
 in #ahdi1 there built the small church 

of ,st4 ,james1 with parsonage1 school1 
and house1 on a rising ground           
overlooking the valley of ,honiton1     
almost immediately opposite to ,feniton2
 and1 at the same time1 took on himself 
the expenses of the curacy and school1  
for the vicar of the parish1 the ,rev4  
,dr4 ,cornish1 formerly master of       
,ottery ,school4  ,the first curate of  
,alfington was ,judge ,coleridge's son  
,henry1 the well-known author of the    
beautiful ,life of ,st4 ,francis        
,xavier4 ,on his leaving our communion1 
it was his father's wish that ,coleridge
 ,patteson should take the cure2 and1   
until his ordination1 it was committed  
temporarily to other hands1 in especial 
to the ,rev4 ,henry ,gardiner1 who was  
much beloved there4 ,in the spring of   
#ahec1 he had a long and dangerous      
illness1 when ,coley came to nurse him1 
and became so much attached to him1 that
 his influence and unconscious training 
became of great importance4 ,the church 
was served by such clerical friends as  

could give their assistance on ,sunday1 
and the pastoral care1 attention to the 
school1 cottage visiting1 c41 became the
 employment of the candidate for ,holy  
,orders1 who thus began his work under  
the direction of his disabled friend4   
,a letter to his sister shows how he    
plunged into the drudgery of the parish1
 doing that which always cost him most1 
namely1 administering rebukes2 so that  
it was no wonder that he wrote with a   
sort of elation at having lashed himself
 up to the point of giving a thorough   
warning3--   ',feniton3 ,july #ai1      
#ahec4  ',my dearest ,fan1--,i am going 
to ,thorverton to-day to stay till      
,thursday4 ,gardiner came downstairs on 
,sunday1 and again yesterday1 and is    
making very rapid strides towards       
perfect recovery4 ,he even went out     
yesterday for a few minutes4 ,so ,i     
don't mind leaving him in the least2 and
 indeed he is going to ,sidmouth        
himself1 probably at the end of the     
week4 ,i have seen him every day without

 one exception1 and have learnt a very  
great deal from him4 ,he has studied    
very closely school work1 condition of  
the labourer1 boys' homes1 best method  
of dispensing charity1 c41 and on all   
these points his advice has been really 
invaluable4 ,i feel now that ,i am quite
 to all intents working the district4   
,people ask me about their children     
coming to school4 ,i know almost all the
 people in the village1 and a good many 
out of it1 and begin to understand1 in a
 very small way1 what a clergyman's life
 is4 ,a mixture of sorrow and pleasure  
indeed6 ,there are many very sad cases  
of hypocrisy1 filthiness1 and wickedness
 7as ,i suppose there are in every      
district72 and yesterday ,i had a very  
hard-working and in one case most       
painful day4  ',some people had asked me
 to take their boy1 three years and a   
half old1 to school--a wretched pair1   
with a little savage for a son4 ,i said 
,i would speak to ,miss ,wilkins1 and   
put plainly before her the character of 

parents and child4 ,however1 she wished 
to have him1 and ,i knew it was so far  
well to get the boy away from home4 ,but
 such a scene ensued6 ,the boy was      
really like a little savage2 kicked1    
dashed his head against the wall1 and at
 length1 with his nose bleeding         
violently1 exhausted with his violence1 
fell asleep4 ,next day1 he is so bad1 he
 is sent home2 when the mother drives   
him back to school1 cursing and         
swearing1 telling ,miss ,wilkins she may
 kill him if she pleases6 ,unluckily1 ,i
 was not in school4  ',yesterday he was 
in school and more quiet1 but did not   
kneel down at prayers1 and seemed like a
 little beast beginning to be tamed4    
,so1 after school1 ,i called him to me1 
and putting him before my knees asked   
him some questions very kindly3 ,did he 
know who ,god was8 ,had he never been   
taught to kneel down and say his        
prayers8 ,of course he had not1 but it  
gave me the proper opportunity of       
speaking to his parents4 ,so having now 

considered the matter for two or three  
days previously1 having ascertained all 
the facts about the people1 after an    
hour among some others in the village1  
,i went right into their cottage1 and   
luckily found father and mother and     
grandmother at home1 besides one or two 
more 7who are lodgers7 in a room        
adjoining1 with the door open4 ',i am   
come to talk to you about ,william1' ,i 
began1 whereupon ,i saw the woman turn  
quite red4 ,however1 ,i spoke for about 
ten minutes slowly and very quietly1    
without any appearance 7as ,i believe7  
of anger or passion at all1 but yet     
speaking my mind quite plainly4 ,i had  
no idea any child could be so neglected4
 ,did they suppose the school was a     
place where any parent might send a     
child merely to get it out of the way   
7of course they do1 you know1 most of   
them78 ,was it possible that a child    
could be made good as if by magic there1
 when it learns nothing but wicked words
 at home8 ,do you think you can or ought

 to get rid of the duties you owe your  
child8 ,do you suppose that ,god will   
not require from you an account of the  
way you have behaved towards him1 you   
who have never taught him to know who   
,god is1 what ,god is1 what is prayer1  
what is the church1 who have taught that
 little mouth1 which ,god created for   
praise and blessings1 to curse and      
blaspheme8 ,i know that many children do
 and say wicked things1 but it is in    
most cases owing to the neglect of their
 parents1 who do not speak kindly to    
their children1 and do what they can to 
keep them out of temptation1 but this is
 a different case4 ,your boy is not fit 
to come into the company of little      
,christians6 ,awful as it is to think   
of1 he is already1 at his early age1 the
 very dread of the parents who live near
 you4  ',they had not a word to say1 not
 a syllable beyond the objection which  
,i had already met1 that other children 
were bad too4 ,i did not say what ,i    
might have said with truth1 because it  

is only from ,gardiner's report1 not    
from my own knowledge--viz41 that       
neither father nor mother ever come to  
church1 and that their house is the     
centre of evil to the young people of   
the village4  ',now1 ,i said1 in        
conclusion1 ,i fully meant to send back 
your boy1 and tell you ,i would examine 
him six months hence1 to see if he was  
fit to be brought into the school1 but  
as ,i do trust he may behave better1 and
 that this may be the means of          
recovering him from this sad state1 ,i  
shall take him still1 unless he behaves 
again very badly4 ,but remember         
this--this is the turning point in the  
boy's life1 and all1 humanly speaking1  
depends on the example you set him4     
,what an awful thing it would be1 if it 
pleased ,god to take him away from you  
now1 and a fit of measles1 scarlatina1  
or any such illness1 may do it any day6 
,remember that you are responsible to a 
very great extent for your child2 that  
unless it sees you watchful over your   

thoughts1 words1 and actions2 unless it 
sees you regular and devout in prayer at
 home 7,i don't believe they ever think 
of such a thing--,god forgive me1 if ,i 
am wrong72 unless it sees you habitually
 in your place in ,god's house1 you are 
not doing your duty to yourselves or    
your child1 you are not laying up any   
hope or comfort whatever for the day of 
your sickness and death4 ,now ,i hope   
you clearly understand me4 ,i have      
spoken plainly--exactly what ,i think1  
and what ,i mean to act upon4 ,you know 
now the sort of person you have to deal 
with4 ,good morning1--and thereupon ,i  
marched out1 amazed at my own pluck1 and
 heartily glad that ,i had said what ,i 
wished1 and felt ,i ought to say4  ',but
 ,i need hardly tell you that this left 
me in a state of no slight excitement1  
and that ,i should be much comforted by 
hearing what you and ,father and ,joan  
think of my behaviour4  ',meanwhile1    
there are some very nice people2 ,i     
dearly love some of the boys and girls2 

and ,i do pray that this plan of a boys'
 home may save some from contamination4 
,i1 seated with ,sanders last night1    
found him and his wife very hearty about
 it4 ,i have only mentioned it to three 
people1 but ,i rather wish it to be     
talked about a little now1 that they may
 be curious1 c41 to know exactly what ,i
 mean to do4 ,the two cottages1 with    
plenty of room for the ,fley's family   
and eight boys1 with half an acre of    
garden at #aa4 #es4 the year4 ,i shall  
of course begin with only one or two    
boys--the thing may not answer at all2  
but everyone1 ,gardiner1 several        
farmers1 and two or three others1 quite 
poor1 in different places1 all say it   
must work well1 with ,god's blessing4 ,i
 do not really wish to be scheming away1
 working a favourite hobby1 c41 but ,i  
do believe this to be absolutely        
essential4 ,the profligacy and impurity 
of the poor is beyond all belief4 ,every
 mother of a family answers 7,i mean    
every honest respectable mother of a    

family73 ,oh sir1 ,god will bless such a
 work1 and it is for want of this that  
so much misery and wretchedness abound4 
,i believe that for a year or so it will
 exhaust most of my money1 but then it  
is one of the best uses to which ,i can 
apply it2 for my theory is1 that help   
and assistance is wanted in this way1   
and ,i would wish to make most of these 
things self-supporting4 ,half an acre   
more of garden1 thoroughly well worked1 
will yield an astonishing return1 and ,i
 look to ,mary as a person of really    
economical habits4 ,it is a great relief
 to have poured all this out4 ,it is no 
easy task that ,i am preparing for      
myself4 ,i know that ,i fully expect to 
be very much disappointed1 but ,i am    
determined to try it4 ,i am determined  
to try and make the people see that ,i  
am not going to give way to everybody   
that asks2 but that ,i am going to set  
on foot and help on all useful          
industrial schemes of every kind1 for   
people of every age4 ,i am hard at work1

 studying spade husbandry1 inspectors'  
reports of industrial schools1 c4 ,i am 
glad you are all so happy4 ,i am so     
busy4 ,best love to all4  ',your loving 
',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,coley was thus already 
serving a vigorous apprenticeship in    
pastoral work1 while preparing himself  
for receiving deacon's orders4 ,it was a
 trying time both to his family and     
himself1 for1 as before said1 his       
standard was very high1 and his own     
strong habit of self-contemplation made 
his dissatisfaction with himself        
manifest in his manner to those nearest 
to him4 ,he was always gentle and       
unselfish2 not showing temper1 but      
unhappiness4  ,here are letters showing 
a good deal of his state of mind3 the   
first only dated ',saturday evening1'   
but evidently written about this time1  
in reply to the cautions with which his 
sister had replied to the above letter  
of eager plans of improvement4   ',my   
dearest ,fan1--,your letter has just    
reached me from ,honiton1 and ,i have   

read it with very great interest4 ,i    
liked it better on a second perusal of  
it1 which showed in itself that ,i      
wanted it1 for it is quite true that ,i 
require to be reminded of the only true 
principle upon which one ought to work2 
and ,i allow quite willingly that ,i    
trace interested motives--e4g41 love of 
self-approval or applause in actions    
where such feelings ought least of all  
to enter4 ,i certainly did feel pleased 
with myself for speaking plainly to     
those people1 and ,i often find myself  
indulging the notion that ,i am going to
 be a very hard-working clergyman1 with 
a remedy for all the evils of the age1  
c4 ,if ,i was to hunt about for an      
excuse1 ,i might perhaps find one1 by   
saying that ,i am in that state of mind 
which attends always1 ,i suppose1 the   
anticipation of any great crisis in a   
person's life2 sometimes hard work and  
hard thought1 sometimes 7though alas6   
very seldom7 a real sense of the very   
awful responsibility of ministering in  

the ,church1 sometimes a less natural   
urging of the mind to contemplate and   
realise this responsibility4 ,i was for 
some time reading ,wilberforce's new    
book1 and this involved an examination  
of the question in other writers2 but   
lately ,i have laid all controversial   
works aside almost entirely1 and have   
been reading ,pearson1 ,bull1 and the   
,apostolical ,fathers1 ,clement and     
,ignatius4 ,i shall probably read       
,justin ,martyr's ,apologies1 and some  
treatises of ,tertullian before next    
month is over4 ,i have read some part   
already4 ,there is such a very strong   
practical element in these very early   
writings that they ought to soothe and  
calm the mind2 but ,i cannot honestly   
conceal the fact that the theological   
interest for the most part outweighs the
 practical teaching4  ',my light reading
 is of a new and very amusing and       
interesting character--viz41 books on   
school economy1 management of school    
farms1 allotments1 the modern dairy1    

spade husbandry1 agricultural chemistry4
 ,k1 ,w1 ,f1 ,c1 and ,g1 and ,i have    
great talks2 and as they all agree with 
me1 ,i think them capital judges4  ',i  
don't think at all that my present state
 of mind is quite natural4 ,you quite   
repeat my own words when you say it is  
transitory4 ,a calm undisturbed spirit  
of prayer and peace and contentment is a
 great gift of ,god1 and to be waited   
for with patience4 ,the motto of ,the   
,christian ,year is very beautiful4 ,i  
sent the roses on ,tuesday4 ,my best    
love to dear ,father and ,joan4  ',ever 
your loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'    
,these words 'love of self-approval'    
perfectly analysed that snare of        
,coley's early life1 against which he so
 endeavoured to guard--not self-conceit1
 but love of self-approval4  ,so the    
,easter week drew on1 and during it he  
writes to his cousin3--   ',friday1     
,wallis ,lodgings1 ,exeter3 ,september1 
#ahec4  ',my dear ,sophy1--,we have had 
a good examination1 ,i think2 perhaps   

rather harder than ,i expected4         
,woolecombe and ,chancellor ,harrington 
spoke to me this morning1 thanking me   
for my papers1 and telling me to read   
the ,gospel at the ,ordination4  ',i did
 feel very nervous last ,sunday and     
,monday1 and the ,ember ,prayer in the  
morning 7when ,i was at ,ottery7 fairly 
upset me1 but ,i don't think anybody saw
 it2 now1 ,i am thankful to say1 ,i am  
very well1 and feel thoroughly happy4 ,i
 shall be nervous1 no doubt1 on ,sunday1
 and especially at reading the ,gospel1 
but not ,i think so nervous as to break 
down or do anything foolish2 so when you
 know ,i am reading--for you won't hear 
me1 if you are in the stalls1 don't     
distress yourself about me4  ',i can't  
tell what it was that upset me so on    
,sunday and ,monday--thinking of dear   
,mamma and how she had wished for this1 
the overwhelming kindness of everybody  
about me1 dear ,father's simple words of
 very affectionate comfort and advice4  
',but ,i walked into ,exeter1 and on the

 way got quite calm1 and so ,i have been
 ever since4 ,it is not strange that the
 realising the near approach of what ,i 
have for years wished for1 and looked   
forward to1 should at times come upon me
 with such force that ,i seem scarcely  
master of myself2 but it is only        
excitement of feeling1 and ought1 ,i    
know1 to be repressed1 not for a moment 
to be entertained as a test of one's    
religious state1 being by no means a    
desirable thing4 ,i am very glad the    
examination is over4 ,i did not worry   
myself about it1 but it was rather hard 
work1 and now ,i have my time to myself 
for quiet thought and meditation4       
',ever1 dear ,sophy1 your affectionate  
,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,the  
next evening he writes3--   ',saturday1 
#e4de ,p4,m4  ',my dearest ,father1--,i 
must write my last letter as a layman to
 you4 ,i can't tell you the hundredth   
part of the thoughts that have been     
passing through my mind this week4      
,there has been no return of the        

excitement that ,i experienced last     
,sunday and ,monday1 and ,i have been   
very happy and well4  ',to-day my eyes  
are not comfortable1 from ,i know not   
what cause1 but as all the work for them
 is over1 it does not matter so much4 ,i
 am glad to have had a quiet time for   
reflection4 ,indeed1 ,i do not enough   
realise my great unworthiness and       
sinfulness1 and the awful nature of the 
work ,i am undertaking4 ,i pray ,god    
very earnestly for the great grace of   
humility1 which ,i so sadly need3 and   
for a spirit of earnest prayer1 that ,i 
may be preserved from putting trust in  
myself1 and may know and forget myself  
in my office and work4 ,i never could be
 fit for such work1 ,i know that1 and   
yet ,i am very thankful that the time   
for it has come4 ,i do not feel excited1
 yet ,i am somewhat nervous because it  
requires an effort to meditate steadily4
 ,i have thought so much of my early    
life1 of dearest ,mamma4 ,what a snare  
it seems1 so full of transitory earthly 

plans and pursuits2 such a want of      
earnestness of purpose and steady       
performance of duty6 ,god grant my life 
as a clergyman may be more innocent to  
myself1 and more useful to others6 ,tell
 dear ,joan the gown came this morning4 
,my kind love to her1 ,fan1 and ,jem4   
',ever1 my dearest ,father1  ',your     
affectionate and dutiful ,son1  ',j4 ,c4
 ,,patteson4'   ,on the ensuing day1    
,sunday1 ,september #ad1 #ahec1 ,john   
,coleridge ,patteson received the       
,diaconate at the hands of the venerable
 ,bishop ,phillpotts1 in ,exeter        
,cathedral4 ,his being selected to read 
the ,gospel was the proof of his        
superiority in the examination--no      
wonder1 considering the two additional  
years that he had spent in preparation1 
and the deep study and searchings of    
heart of the last few months4  ,he was  
established in a small house at         
,alfington--the usual habitation of the 
,curate4 ,and of his first sermon there1
 his uncle1 ,sir ,john ,coleridge1 gives

 the following touching description from
 his diary3--  ',october #bc1           
#ahec4--,yesterday morning ,arthur and  
,i went to ,alfington ,church1 to be    
present at ,coley's first sermon4 ,i    
don't know when ,i have been so much    
delighted and affected4 ,his manner of  
saying the prayers was exceedingly good3
 his voice very sweet and musical2      
without seeming loud1 it was fully      
audible1 and gave assurance of more     
power if needed3 his manner quite       
unaffected1 but sweet and devout4 ,his  
sermon was a very sound and good one1   
beautifully delivered2 perhaps in the   
early parts1 from the very sweetness of 
his voice1 and the very rapid delivery  
of his words1 a little more variety of  
intonation would have helped in         
conveying his meaning more distinctly to
 those who formed the bulk of his       
congregation4 ,but when he came to      
personal parts this was not needed4 ,he 
made a kind allusion to me1 very        
affecting to me2 and when ,i was in this

 mood1 and he came to the personal      
parts1 touching himself and his new     
congregation1 what he knew he ought to  
be to them and to do for them1 what they
 should do for themselves1 and earnestly
 besought their prayers1 ,i was         
completely overcome1 and weeping        
profusely4  ,fanny ,patteson and ,arthur
 ,coleridge were sitting with the       
,judge1 and were equally overcome4 ,when
 the service was over1 and the          
congregation dispersed1 ,coley joined   
these three in the porch1 holding out   
his hands1 taking theirs and shedding   
tears1 and they with him--tears of warm 
emotion too deep for words4 ,he was     
evidently surprised at the effect       
produced4 ,in fact1 on looking at the   
sermon1 it does not seem to have been in
 itself remarkable1 but as his cousin   
,arthur says3 ',i suppose the deep      
spirituality of the man1 and the love we
 bore him for years1 touched the        
emotional part of us4' ,the text was    
significant3 ',we preach not ourselves1 

but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord2 and       
ourselves your servants for ,jesus'     
sake' 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #e74  ,the services 
that the newly-ordained ,deacon         
undertook were the ordinary ,sunday     
ones1 and ,wednesday and ,friday ,matins
 and ,litany1 ,saints'-day prayers and  
lecture1 and an ,advent and ,lent       
,evensong and lecture on ,wednesdays and
 ,fridays4 ,these last had that great   
popularity which attends late services4 
,dr4 ,cornish used to come on one       
,sunday in the month to celebrate the   
,holy ,communion 7which is given weekly 
in the mother ,church72 and when ,mr4   
,grardiner was able to be at ,sidmouth1 
recovering from his illness1 he used to 
come over on the second ,sunday in the  
month for the same purpose2 and the next
 ,lent1 the ,matins were daily1 and     
followed by a lecture4  ,at this time   
,patteson's constitutional shrinking    
from general society was in full force1 
and he also had that dislike to         
'speaking to' people in the way of      

censure1 which so often goes with tender
 and refined natures1 however strong2 so
 that if his housekeeper needed a       
reproof1 he would make his sister       
administer it1 and creep out of reach   
himself2 but this was one of the        
deficiencies with which he was          
struggling all his life1 and fortunately
 it is a fact that the most effective   
lectures usually come from those to whom
 they cost the most4  ,this was the     
hardest part of his ministry4 ,where    
kindness and attention were needed1     
nothing could be more spontaneous1      
sweet1 or winning than his ways4 ,one of
 his parishioners1 a farmer's daughter1 
writes3--  ',our personal knowledge of  
him began some months before his        
,ordination1 owing1 ,i suppose1 to ,mr4 
,gardiner's severe illness2 and as he   
was very much respected1 ,mr4           
,patteson's attentions won from the     
first our admiration and gratitude1     
which went on and on until it deepened  
into that love which ,i do not think    

could have been surpassed by the        
,galatians for their beloved ,st4 ,paul1
 which he records in his ,epistle to    
them 7chap4 iv4 #ae74 ,all were waiting 
for him at his ,ordination1 and a happy 
delusion seemed to have come over the   
minds of most1 if not all1 that he was  
as completely ours as if he had been    
ordained expressly for us4'  ,it was not
 his own feeling1 for he knew that when 
his apprenticeship should be past1 the  
place was too small1 and the work too   
easy1 for a man in full force and       
vigour1 though for the sake of his      
father he was glad to accept it for the 
present1 to train himself in the work1  
and to have full time for study2 but he 
at that time looked to remaining in     
,england during his father's lifetime1  
and perhaps transferring himself to     
,manchester1 ,liverpool1 ,london1 or    
some large city1 where there was need of
 mission work among the neglected4  ,his
 father was on the ,city of ,london     
,charter ,commission1 and was in ,london

 from ,november to ,february1 the       
daughters joining him there1 but there  
was no lack of friends around           
,alfington4 ,indeed it was in the midst 
of an absolute clan of ,coleridges1 and 
in ,buckerell parish1 at ,deerpark1 that
 great old soldier1 ,lord ,seaton1 was  
spending the few years that passed      
between his ,commissioner-ship in the   
,ionian ,isles and his ,commandership in
 ,ireland4  ,he was connected with the  
,coleridges through the ,yonge family1  
and the young people were all on        
familiar cousinly terms4 ,coley was much
 liked by him2 and often joined in the  
rides through the lanes and to the hills
 with him and his daughters1 when there 
were many conversations of much         
interest1 as there could not fail to be 
with a man who had never held a         
government without doing his utmost to  
promote ,god's work in the ,church and  
for education2 who had1 moreover1 strong
 opinions derived from experience of the
 ,red ,indians in ,upper                

,canada--namely1 that to reclaim the    
young1 and educate them was the only    
hope of making ,christianity take root  
in any fresh nation4  ,it was at        
,deerpark1 at a dinner in the late      
autumn of this year #ahec1 that ,i saw  
,coley ,patteson for the second and last
 time4 ,i had seen him before in a visit
 of three days that ,i made at ,feniton 
with my parents in the ,september of    
#ahdd1 when he was an ,eton boy1 full of
 high spirits and merriment4 ,i remember
 then1 on the ,sunday1 that he and ,i   
accompanied our two fathers on a walk to
 the afternoon service at ,ottery1 and  
that on the way he began to show        
something of his inner self1 and talked 
of his mother and her pleasure in       
,feniton2 but it began to rain1 and ,i  
stayed for the night at ,heaths ,court1 
so that our acquaintance ceased for that
 time4 ,it was not a formal party at    
,deerpark1 and the evening was chiefly  
spent in playing at games1 thread paper 
verses and the like1 in which ,coley    

took his part with spirit4 ,if ,i had   
guessed what he was to be1 ,i should    
have observed him more2 but though1 in  
after years1 our intercourse in letters 
makes us feel intimate with one another1
 these two brief meetings comprise the  
whole of my personal acquaintance with  
one in whom ,i then only saw a young    
clergyman with his heart in his work4   
,perhaps this is the best place to      
mention his personal appearance1 as the 
portrait at the beginning of this volume
 was taken not more than a year later4  
,he was tall and of a large powerful    
frame1 broad in the chest and shoulders1
 and with small neat hands and feet1    
with more of sheer muscular strength and
 power of endurance than of healthiness1
 so that though seldom breaking down and
 capable of undergoing a great deal of  
fatigue and exertion1 he was often      
slightly ailing1 and was very sensitive 
to cold4 ,his complexion was very dark1 
and there was a strongly marked line    
between the cheeks and mouth1 the       

corners of which drooped when at rest1  
so that it was a countenance peculiarly 
difficult to photograph successfully4   
,the most striking feature was his eyes1
 which were of a very dark clear blue1  
full of an unusually deep earnest1 and  
so to speak1 inward1 yet far away       
expression4 ,his smile was remarkably   
bright1 sweet and affectionate1 like a  
gleam of sunshine1 and was one element  
of his great attractiveness4 ,so was his
 voice1 which had the rich full         
sweetness inherited from his mother's   
family1 and which always excited a      
winning influence over the hearers4     
,thus1 though not a handsome man1 he was
 more than commonly engaging1 exciting  
the warmest affection in all who were   
concerned with him1 and giving in return
 an immense amount of interest and      
sympathy1 which only became intensified 
to old friends while it expanded towards
 new ones4 ,here is a letter to his     
father1 undated1 but written not long   
after his settling down at ,alfington4  

,after expressing his regret that his   
voice had been inaudible to his sister  
,joanna at a ,friday evening service1 he
 proceeds3--   ',i did not speak very   
loud1 because ,i don't think ,i could do
 so and at the same time keep my mind at
 work and thoughts collected4 ,anything 
which is so unnatural and unusual as to 
make me conscious of myself in a        
peculiar manner would prevent1 ,i fear1 
my getting on with my oration at all4   
',i am glad you think ,i could not have 
acted otherwise with ,e---4 ,i quite    
expect ere long to find something going 
on which may call for my interference1  
and ,i specially guarded myself on this 
point4 ,it is distinctly understood that
 ,i shall speak to him quite plainly    
whenever and wherever ,i think it       
necessary to do so4 ,i do not suppose it
 very likely that he can go on long     
without my being forced to take some    
step2 but ,i really feel so very unequal
 to expressing a decided opinion upon   
the great question of ,bible readers1   

that ,i am certainly glad ,i have not   
taken up a hostile position hastily4 ,as
 a matter of fact1 he reads in very few 
cottages in my district2 tracts he      
distributes almost everywhere4  ',now ,i
 see of course the distinction between a
 man making it his business to read the 
,bible and neighbours dropping in       
occasionally to read a chapter to one   
who is unable to read1 but where you are
 distinctly told that the wish is most  
decidedly to support the clergyman1 and 
answers not unsatisfactory are given    
upon main points1 what difference       
remains between the two cases ,i have   
put that can furnish matter for fair    
argument1 with a man from education1 c41
 disposed to take a different view of   
the whole question8 ,add to this1 that  
,i cannot appeal to the universal       
practice of the clergy4 ,why1 might it  
be said1 do you1 as a clergyman find a  
difficulty where ,mr4 ,h4 finds none8   
,you are1 after all1 acting on your own 
private opinion1 though you lay claim to

 authority for it4 ,i cannot            
successfully appeal to the distinctive  
teaching of our ,church1 clear and      
manifest as it is1 for the very words ,i
 think conclusive contain no such       
evidence for him1 and so on ad          
infinitum4 ,besides1 to speak quite what
 ,i feel at present1 though only so     
perhaps because my view is necessarily  
unformed1 the natural order of things in
 such a district as this seems to be3   
gain the affections of the people by    
gentleness and showing real interest in 
their welfare1 spiritual and temporal2  
show them in the ,bible such teaching as
 the ,church considers necessary 7but   
not as yet upon the authority of the    
,church1 or at least not so expressed to
 them72 lead them gradually to the      
acknowledgment of such truths as these3 
that ,christ did found a society called 
the ,church1 and appoint to certain     
persons whom he sent the ,ministry of   
reconciliation2 that if we have no guide
 but mere opinion1 there will be        

thousands of conflicting opinions in the
 world even among good men1 whereas     
,truth can be but one1 and that         
practically this is found to be so2 that
 it is no argument to say1 that the     
,spirit so operated as to enlighten the 
reason of each individual to this       
extent1 viz41 that it may compose a     
,creed for him or herself2 that the     
,spirit acts now in the ordinary1 though
 not less real and heavenly manner2 and 
that the infinite divisions among       
sectaries proves the fact to be as ,i   
state it4  ',thus ,i imagine the want of
 that external and visible ,church will 
be felt as necessary to fix the ,creeds 
pasa katadike4  ',but to reverse this   
process1 to cram positive teaching down 
their throats upon the authority of the 
,church before they know what the       
,church is1 or feel the need of any     
power outside 7so to speak7 their own   
minds to guide them1 does seem to me in 
a place like this 7humanly speaking7    
suicidal4 ,i cannot1 of course1 tell how

 much preparatory teaching they have    
received1 but ,i must judge from what ,i
 see and hear1 and deal accordingly in  
each cottage4 ,some few there are to    
whom ,i can speak1 as to ,church people 
in the real sense of the word1 but these
 are as two or three in a hundred4      
',one line to say whether you think me  
right or wrong1 would be a great comfort
 to me4 ,i feel no tendency to          
latitudinarianism1 but only to see much 
good in systems unrecognised by your    
very highflyers4 ,i believe that the    
,church teaching is represented in an   
unfavourable1 often offensive1 light to 
many of our poor1 because they hear     
words and see things which find no      
response in their hearts2 because they  
are told1 ordered almost1 to believe    
things the propriety of believing which 
they do not recognise2 because the      
existence of wants is implied when they 
have never been felt1 and a system for  
supplying them introduced which finds no
 room in the understanding or affections

 of the patient4  ',but you know1 dear  
,father1 what ,i mean1 without more     
dusky attempts at explaining myself4    
',do not many ,high ,churchmen want a   
little more experimental religion in    
,bishop ,jebb's sense of the terms3 not 
a religion of the feelings1 but a       
religion brought home to the heart1 and 
truly felt so as to prohibit any        
systematic criticism of the feelings8   
',i am late this week with my sermons1  
,i have not begun either of them1 and   
may have one to-morrow evening if my    
voice will do its part4 ,i write very   
long washy concerns1 and find it        
difficult to do otherwise1 for it is a  
good pull upon me week after week1 and  
latterly ,i have not been able to read  
very much4 ,i shall look out two or     
three that ,i think fair specimens1 and 
ask you by-and-by to run your eye over  
them1 that you may point out the        
defects4  ',my ignorance of the ,bible  
astonishes me1 though not so much as it 
ought to do4 ,i purpose1 ,d4,v41 to     

commence a thorough study of the        
original texts4 ,i must try to become   
something of a scholar1 at all events1  
to make any progress in the work4 ,i    
sometimes hope that1 in spite of my many
 backslidings and broken resolutions1   
some move is taking place within1 where 
most it is wanted2 but ,i live here so  
quietly1 that ,i have little            
7comparatively7 food for some special   
faults4 ,good-bye1 my dear ,father1     
',your affectionate and dutiful ,son1   
',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ',some move taking place
 within6' ,it is impossible not to pause
 and observe how as ,confirmation and   
,communion had almost palpably          
strengthened the boy's struggles with   
his inherent faults1 so the grace       
conferred with the ,deacon's orders is  
now felt to be lifting him higher1 and  
enabling him to see further than he has 
yet seen4  ,sermons were1 however1 never
 ,patteson's forte4 ,though his pen     
flowed so freely in letters1 and he     
could pour out his heart                

extemporaneously with great depth1      
fervour and simplicity1 his sermons were
 laboured and metaphysical1 as if he had
 taken too much pains with them as it   
were1 and he could not speak to the     
abstract1 as he could to the individual1
 or when he saw the effect of his words4
 ,it was perhaps owing to the defective 
system which threw two sermons a week   
upon a young deacon at a time when his  
mind was working through such an        
experimental course of study and        
thought4 ,yet his people1 who had learnt
 to believe in little but preaching1    
would not have come to prayers alone2   
and the extemporary addresses1 in which 
he would probably have been much more   
successful1 would have seemed to him at 
his age and at that period--twenty years
 back--too presumptuous to be attempted1
 at any rate till he had better learnt  
his ground4 ,how his system would have  
succeeded1 we cannot tell4 ,the nature  
of the peasantry of the county he had to
 deal with is1 to be quick-witted1      

argumentative1 and ready of retort2 open
 to religious impressions1 but with much
 of self-opinion and conceit1 and not   
much reverence1 and often less          
conscientious in matters of honesty and 
morality than denser rustics of less    
apparent piety4 ,the ,church had for a  
long-period been at a peculiarly low ebb
 in the county1 and there is not a      
neighbourhood which has not traditions  
of incredibly ignorant1 careless and    
underbred--if not dissipated--clergy2   
and though there were grand exceptions1 
they were only respected as men2 faith  
in the whole system1 as a system1 was   
destroyed4 ,bishop ,phillpotts1 coming  
down on such elements as these1 was1 in 
spite of his soundness of faith and     
grand trenchant force of character1     
better as a warrior than as a shepherd1 
and the controversial and political     
sides of his character1 though          
invaluable to the ,church1 did not      
recommend him to the affections of the  
people of his diocese1 who could not    

understand the points of the debate1 and
 wanted the direct evidence of          
spirituality which they could           
appreciate4  ,the cholera of #ahcb had  
been especially terrible in the         
unwholesome precincts of the ,devonshire
 seaports1 and the effect was a great   
craving for religion4 ,the ,church was  
in no condition to avail herself of it2 
in fact1 she would have viewed it with  
distrust as excitement4 ,primitive      
,methodism and ,plymouth ,brethrenism   
supplied the void1 gave opportunities of
 prayer1 and gratified the quickened    
longing for devotion2 and therewith     
arose that association of the ,church   
with deadness and of ,dissent with life1
 which infected even the most carefully 
tended villages1 and with which         
,patteson was doing his best to contend 
at ,alfington4 ,the stage of gaining the
 people's affection and confidence1 and 
of quickening their religious life1 he  
had attained2 and the further work of   
teaching them that the ,church alone    

gives security of saving union with     
,christ1 was yet to come when his inward
 call led him elsewhere4  ,on the #abth 
of ,december he says3--  ',yesterday was
 a very happy day2 ,gardiner came to    
help me and he administered the ,holy   
,communion to twenty-seven or           
twenty-eight of my own people4 ,this is 
nearly double the average before ,i     
came1 and two regular attendants are    
prevented by sickness from being at     
,church4 ,i trust ,i have not urged the 
necessity of communicating unwisely upon
 them4 ,i preach on it once a month1 as 
you know1 and in almost every sermon    
allude to it1 and where occasion offers1
 speak about it to individuals at home2 
but ,i try to put before them the great 
awfulness of it as well as the danger of
 neglecting it1 and ,i warn them against
 coming without feeling really satisfied
 from what ,i read to them1 and they    
read in the ,bible concerning it4 ,six  
came yesterday for the first time4444   
,old ,william 7seventy-five years of    

age71 who has never been a communicant1 
volunteered on ,thursday to come1 if ,i 
thought it right4 ,he is1 and always has
 been 7,i am told71 a thoroughly        
respectable1 sober1 industrious man1    
regular at ,church once a day2 and ,i   
went to his cottage with a ticket in my 
pocket to urge him to consider the      
danger of going on as if content with   
what he did and without striving to     
press onwards1 c4 ,but1 after a long    
conversation on other matters1 he said2 
,i should like1 ,sir1 to come to the    
,sacrament1 if you have no objection2   
and very happy and thankful ,i felt1 for
 ,i had prayed very earnestly that this 
old man might be led thither by ,god's  
grace1 and now it was done without any  
urging on my part1 beyond what he heard 
in ,church and what ,i had said to his  
daughter about him4'  ,the next of his  
letters is occupied with the pecuniary  
affairs of his lodging house for farm   
boys1 and the obtaining of ground where 
they might grow vegetables for their own

 use4  ,in ,february his family returned
 home1 and his sister ,fanny thus speaks
 of him to a friend3--  ',he does not   
look well2 and at first we were quite   
uneasy1 for his eyes were heavy and     
puffed1 but he is much better1 and      
confesses that dinners and evenings here
 do him good1 though he quite denies the
 starving1 and ,mrs4 ,knowles also4 ,she
 says he gets over anxious in mind1 and 
was completely chilled the week he sat  
in the hall4 ,no doubt his house is     
still both cold and damp1 and the       
,church the same1 and therefore the     
labour of reading and preaching is very 
great4 ,we are by degrees interesting   
him in our winter life1 having heard all
 his performances and plans2 and he is  
very glad to have us back1 though much  
too busy to have missed us when we were 
away4 ,now he has daily morning service1
 with a lecture2 and if it lasts1 the   
impression he has made is really        
extraordinary4 ,we may well pray that he
 should not be vain of his works4 ,there

 are men whose whole lives seem changed1
 if ,i am to believe what ,i hear4'     
,such was the young ,deacon's early     
success4 ,with an affectionate brother  
close at hand1 and friends within easy  
reach1 his ,fellowship preserving his   
connection with ,oxford1 his father's   
and brother's profession with ,london1  
in fact1 all ,england could offer2 and  
he would easily have it in his power to 
take fresh holidays on the ,continent   
and enjoy those delights of scenery1    
architecture1 art and music1 which he   
loved with an appreciation and          
enthusiasm that could easily have become
 an absorbing passion4 ,who could have a
 smoother1 easier1 pleasanter career    
open to him than the ,rev4 ,john        
,coleridge ,patteson at six and twenty8 
,yet even then1 the wish breathed to his
 mother1 at fourteen1 that he might     
devote himself to the cause of the      
heathen1 lay deep in his heart2 although
 for the present1 he was1 as it were1   
waiting to see what ,god would have him 

do1 whether his duty to his father      
required him to remain at hand1 or      
whether he might be called to minister  
in some great ,english manufacturing    
town4  ,early in #ahed1 it became known 
that the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand and   
,mrs4 ,selwyn were about to spend a year
 in ,england4 ,coley's aspirations to   
mission work were renewed4 ,the thoughts
 excited by the sermons he had heard at 
,eton twelve years previously grew in   
force4 ,he remembered his mother's      
promise of her blessing1 and seriously  
considered of offering himself to assist
 in the work in the ,southern           
,hemisphere4 ,he discussed the matter   
seriously with his friend1 ,mr4         
,gardiner1 who was strongly of opinion  
that the scheme ought not to be         
entertained during his father's         
lifetime4 ,he acquiesced2 but if his    
heart and mind were convinced1 his soul 
and spirit were not1 and the yearnings  
for the forefront of the battle were not
 quenched1 though there was no          

slackening of zeal over the present     
little flock1 to make them suspect that 
he had a thought beyond4  ,old ties of  
friendship already mentioned made the   
,bishop and ,mrs4 ,selwyn promise to    
spend a few days at ,feniton2 and on the
 #aith of ,august the ,new ,zealand     
guests arrived at ,feniton4 ,after      
joining in the family welcome1 ,coley   
went apart1 and gave way to a great     
burst of tears1 due1 perhaps1 not so    
mueh to disappointed ardour1 as to the  
fervent emotion excited by the actual   
presence of a hero of the ,church       
,militant1 who had so long been the     
object of deep silent enthusiasm4 ,the  
next morning1 ,coley walked from        
,alfington to breakfast at home1 and    
afterwards went into the garden with the
 ,bishop1 who led him to talk freely of 
his present work in all its details4    
,by-and-by the question arose1 ,did it  
satisfy him8  ,yes1 the being near his  
father satisfied him that it was right  
for the present1 but at some future     

time1 he hoped to do more1 go perhaps to
 some great manufacturing town1 or1 as  
he could not help going on to say1 what 
he should like would be to go out as a  
missionary1 only the thought of his     
father withheld him4  ',but1' replied   
the ,bishop1 'if you think about doing a
 thing of that sort1 it should not be   
put off till you are getting on in life4
 ,it should be done with your full      
strength and vigour4'  ,then followed an
 endeavour on both sides to ascertain   
whether the inclination was a real      
earnest desire1 or only fancy for the   
romance of mission work4 ,the test might
 be whether he were willing to go       
wherever he might be sent1 or only where
 he was most interested4 ,coley replied1
 that he was willing to work anywhere1  
adding that his sister ,fanny could     
testify whether his desire were a real  
one of long standing or the mere outcome
 of a fit of enthusiasm4  ,therewith    
they separated1 and ,coley1 going       
straight to ,fanny1 told her what had   

passed3 ',i could not help it1' he      
said3--',i told the ,bishop of my wish4'
  ',you ought to put it to my father1   
that he may decide it1' she answered2   
'he is so great a man that he ought not 
to be deprived of the crown of the      
sacrifice if he be willing to make it4' 
,so ,coley repaired to his father1 and  
confessed his long cherished wish1 and  
how it had come forth to the ,bishop4   
,sir ,john was manifestly startled2 but 
at once said3 ',you have done quite     
right to speak to me1 and not to wait4  
,it is my first impulse to say ,no1 but 
that would be very selfish4'  ,coley    
explained that he was 'driven to speak2'
 he declared himself not dissatisfied   
with his present position1 nor he hoped1
 impatient4 ,if his staying at home were
 decided upon1 he would cheerfully work 
on there without disappointment or      
imagining his wishes thwarted4 ,he would
 leave the decision entirely in the     
hands of his father and the ,bishop4    
,luncheon brought the whole family      

together2 and ,sir ,john1 making room   
for his younger daughter beside him1    
said1 ',fan1 did you know this about    
,coley8'  ,she answered that she had    
some idea1 but no more could pass till  
the meal was ended2 when her father went
 into another room1 and she followed    
him4 ,the great grief broke out in the  
exclamation3 ',i can't let him go2' but 
even as the words were uttered1 they    
were caught back1 as it were1           
with--',god forbid ,i should stop him4' 
,the subject could not be pursued1 for  
the ,bishop was public property among   
the friends and neighbours1 and the rest
 of the day was bestowed upon them4 ,he 
preached on the ,sunday at ,alfington1  
where the people thronged to hear him1  
little thinking of the consequences of  
his visit4  ,not till afterwards were   
the ,bishop and the father alone        
together1 when ,sir ,john brought the   
subject forward4 ,the ,bishop has since 
said that what struck him most was the  
calm balancing of arguments1 like a true

 ,christian ,judge4 ,sir ,john spoke of 
the great comfort he had in this son1   
cut off as he was by his infirmity from 
so much of society1 and enjoying the    
young man's coming in to talk about his 
work4 ,he dwelt on all with entire      
absence of excitement1 and added3 ',but 
there1 what right have ,i to stand in   
his way8 ,how do ,i know that ,i may    
live another year8'  ,and as the        
conversation ended1 ',mind6' he said2   
',i give him wholly1 not with any       
thought of seeing him again4 ,i will not
 have him thinking he must come home    
again to see me4'  ,that resolution was 
the cause of much peace of mind to both 
father and son4 ,after family prayers   
that ,sunday night1 when all the rest   
had gone upstairs1 the ,bishop detained 
the young man1 and told him the result  
of the conversation1 then added3 ',now1 
my dear ,coley1 having ascertained your 
own state of mind and having spoken at  
length to your father and your family1  
,i can no longer hesitate1 as far as you

 recognise any power to call on my part1
 to invite you most distinctly to the   
work4'  ,the reply was full acceptance4 
,then taking his hand1 the ,bishop said1
 ',god bless you1 my dear ,coley6 ,it is
 a great comfort to me to have you for a
 friend and companion4'  ,such was the  
outward and such the inward vocation to 
the ,deacon now within a month of the   
,priesthood4 ,was it not an evident call
 from ,him by whom the whole ,church is 
governed and sanctified8 ,and surely the
 noble old man1 who forced himself not  
to withhold 'his son1 his firstborn     
son1' received his crown from ,him who  
said3 ',with blessing ,i will bless     
thee4'  ,and he wrote to his brother3-- 
',august #ba4  ',my dear old ,jem1--,i  
have news for you of an unexpected and  
startling kind2 about myself3 and ,i am 
afraid that it will cause you some pain 
to hear what ,i am to tell you4 ,you    
must know that for years ,i have felt a 
strong leaning toward missionary work1  
and though my proceedings at ,alfington 

and even the fact of going thither might
 seem to militate against such a notion1
 yet the feeling has been continually   
present to me1 and constantly exercising
 an increasing influence over me4 ,i    
trust ,i have not taken an enthusiastic 
or romantic view of things2 my own firm 
hope and trust is that ,i have decided  
upon calm deliberate conviction1 and it 
is some proof of this1 that ,fanny and  
,joan have already guessed my state of  
mind1 and months ago anticipated what   
has now taken place4444 ,and so1 dear   
,jem1 you must help them all to bear    
what will of course be a great trial4   
,this is my trial also2 for it is hard  
to bear the thought that ,i may be      
giving unnecessary pain and causing     
distress without really having          
considered sufficiently the whole       
matter4 ,but then ,i think ,god does not
 call now by an open vision2 this       
thought has been for years working in my
 mind3 it was ,his providence that      
brought me into contact with the ,bishop

 in times past1 and has led me to speak 
now4 ,i cannot doubt this4 ,i feel sure 
that if ,i was alone in the world ,i    
should go2 the only question that       
remains is1 am ,i bound to stay for my  
dear ,father's sake1 or for the sake of 
you all8 and this has been answered for 
me by ,father and the ,bishop4 ,and now1
 my dear ,jem1 think well over my       
character1 sift it thoroughly1 and try  
to see what there is which may have     
induced me to act wrongly in a matter of
 so much consequence4 ,this is the      
kindest thing you can do2 for we ought  
to take every precaution not to make a  
mistake before it is too late4 ,speak   
out quite plainly2 do tell me distinctly
 as far as you can see them my          
prevailing faults1 what they were in    
boyhood at ,eton1 and at ,college4 ,it  
may help me to contemplate more clearly 
and truly the prospect before me4 ,we   
shall have many opportunities1 ,i trust1
 of discussing all this by-and-by4 ,i   
shall tell ,uncle ,john1 because some   

arrangements must be made about         
,alfington as soon as may be4 ,my tutor 
knows something about it already2 it    
will soon be known to more4 ,but do not 
suppose that ,i imagine myself better   
qualified for this work than hundreds of
 others more earnest1 and infinitely    
more unselfish1 and practically good2   
but ,i have received an invitation to a 
peculiar work1 which is not offered to  
many others4 ,we must all look onwards3 
we must try to think of this world as   
but a short moment in our existence2 our
 real life and home is beyond the grave4
 ,on ,september #bdth ,i hope to be     
ordained ,priest2 think of me and pray  
for me1 my dear old fellow1 that ,god   
will give me more of your own           
unselfishness and care and interest for 
others1 and teach me to act not         
according to my own will and pleasure1  
but solely with a view to ,his honour   
and glory4 ,god bless you1 my dear old  
,jem1 my dear1 dear brother4  ',your    
most loving brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4      

,from that moment the matter was treated
 as fixed2 and only three days later1   
the intention was announced to the      
relations at ,thorverton4  ,this is the 
letter to the little fatherless cousin1 
,paulina ,martyn1 who had always been   
devoted to ,coley1 and whom he loved    
with a triple portion of the affection  
children always gained from him4 ,she   
was only eight years old1 but had the   
precocity of solitary children much     
attended to by their elders3--          
',feniton3 ,august #bd1 #ahed4  ',my    
darling ,pena1--,i am going to tell you 
a secret1 and ,i am afraid it is one    
which will make you feel very sorry for 
a little while4 ,do you remember my     
talking to you one day after breakfast  
rather gravely1 and telling you         
afterwards it was my first sermon to    
you8 ,well1 my darling1 ,i was trying to
 hint to you that you must not expect to
 go on very long in this world without  
troubles and trials1 and that the use of
 them is to make us think more about    

,god and about ,heaven1 and to remember 
that our real and unchangeable happiness
 is not to be found in this world1 but  
in the next4 ,it was rather strange for 
me to say all this to a bright happy    
good child like you1 and ,i told you    
that you ought to be bright and happy1  
and to thank ,god for making you so4 ,it
 is never right for us to try to make   
ourselves sad and grieve4 ,good people  
and good children are cheerful and      
happy1 although they may have plenty of 
trials and troubles4 ,you see how       
quietly and patiently ,mamma and        
,grandpapa and ,grandmamma take all     
their trouble about dear ,aunty2 that is
 a good lesson for us all4 ,and now1 my 
darling1 ,i will tell you my secret4 ,i 
am going to sail at ,christmas1 if ,i   
live so long1 a great way from ,england1
 right to the other end of the world1   
with the good ,bishop of ,new ,zealand4 
,i dare say you know where to find it on
 the globe4 ,clergymen are wanted out   
there to make known the ,word of ,god to

 the poor ignorant people1 and for many 
reasons it is thought right that ,i     
should go4 ,so after ,christmas you will
 not see me again for a very long time1 
perhaps never in this world2 but ,i     
shall write to you very often1 and send 
you ferns and seeds1 and tell you about 
the ,norfolk ,island pines1 and you must
 write to me1 and tell me all about     
yourself1 and always think of me1 and   
pray for me1 as one who loves you dearly
 with all his heart1 and will never     
cease to pray ,god that the purity and  
innocence of your childhood may         
accompany you all through your life and 
make you a blessing 7as you are now1 my 
darling7 to your dear mother and all who
 know you4  ',ever your most            
affectionate1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'    
,to the child's mother the words are3-- 
',i pray ,god that ,i may have chosen   
aright1 and that if ,i have acted from  
sudden impulse too much1 from love of   
display1 or from desire to raise some   
interest about myself1 or from any other

 selfish and unholy motive1 it may be   
mercifully forgiven4  ',now1 at all     
events1 ,i must pray that with a single 
honest desire for ,god's glory1 ,i may  
look straight onwards towards the mark4 
,i must forget what is behind1 ,i must  
not lose time in analysing my state of  
mind to see how1 during years past1 this
 wish has worked itself out4 ,i trust   
the wish is from ,god1 and now ,i must  
forget myself1 and think only of the    
work whereunto ,i am called4 ,but it is 
hard to flesh and blood to think of the 
pain ,i am causing my dear dear ,father1
 and the pain ,i am causing to others   
outside my own circle here4 ,but they   
are all satisfied that ,i am doing what 
is right1 and it would surprise you1    
although you know them so well1 to hear 
the calmness with which we talk about   
outfits4'  ,a heavy grief was even now  
on the family4 ,the beloved1 ',uncle    
,frank1' so often affectionately        
mentioned1 had been failing for some    
time4 ,he had taken a journey abroad1   

with one of his daughters1 in hopes of  
refreshment and invigoration1 but the   
fatigue and excitement were more than he
 could bear2 he returned home1 and took 
to his bed4 ,he suffered no pain1 and   
was in a heavenly state of mind indeed1 
a most blessed death-bed1 most          
suggestive of comfort and peace to all  
who survive as a most evident proof of  
what the close of life may be1 if only  
'that life is spent faithfully in doing 
our duty to ,god'--as ,patteson wrote to
 his old friend1 ,miss ,neill4  ',and   
now one word about myself1 which at such
 a time ,i should not obtrude upon you1 
but that the visit of the ,bishop of    
,new ,zealand made it necessary for me  
to speak4  ',i am going with him to     
work1 if all is well1 at the ,antipodes1
 believing that the growing desire for  
missionary work1 which for years has    
been striving within me1 ought no longer
 to be resisted1 and trusting that ,i am
 not mistaken in supposing that this is 
the line of duty that ,god has marked   

out for me4  ',you may be sure that all 
this is done with the full consent and  
approbation of my dear ,father4 ,he and 
the ,bishop had a great deal of         
conversation about it1 and ,i left it   
entirely for them to determine4 ,that it
 will be a great trial to us all at     
,christmas when we sail1 ,i cannot      
conceal from myself2 it is so great a   
separation that ,i cannot expect ever to
 see my dear ,father1 perhaps not any of
 those ,i love best1 again in this      
world4 ,but if you all know that ,i am  
doing1 or trying to do1 what is right1  
you will all be happy about me2 and what
 has just been taking place at the      
,manor ,house teaches us to look1 on a  
little to a blessed meeting in a better 
place soon4 ,it is from no              
dissatisfaction at my present position1 
that ,i am induced to take this step4 ,i
 have been very happy at ,alfington2 and
 ,i hope to be ordained ,priest1 on the 
#bdth of ,september1 with a calm mind4  
,i trust ,i am not following any sudden 

hasty impulse1 but obeying a real call  
to a real work1 and 7in the midst of    
much self-seeking and other alloy7 not  
wholly without a sincere desire to      
labour for the honour and glory of      
,god4'  ,with this purpose full in view1
 ,coleridge ,patteson received          
,ordination as a ,priest in the ensuing 
,ember ,week1 again at the hands of     
,bishop ,phillpotts1 in ,exeter         
,cathedral2 where a beautiful marble    
pulpit is to commemorate the fact4  ,the
 wrench from home and friends could not 
but be terrible4 ,the sisters1 indeed1  
were so far prepared that they had been 
aware from the first of his wish and his
 mother's reception of it1 and when they
 told their ,father1 he was pleased and 
comforted2 for truly he was upheld by   
the strength of willing sacrifice4      
,those were likewise sustained who felt 
the spirit of missionary enterprise and 
sympathy1 which was at that time so     
strongly infused into the ,church2 but  
the shock was severe to many1 and       

especially to the brother who had been  
devoted to ,coley from their earliest   
infancy1 and among his relations the    
grief was great4  ,as to the district of
 ,alfington1 the distress was extreme4  
,the people had viewed ,mr4 ,patteson as
 their exclusive property1 and could not
 forgive the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand   
for1 as they imagined1 tempting him     
away4 ',ah6 ,sir1' was the              
schoolmistress's answer to some warm    
words from ,mr4 ,justice ,coleridge in  
praise of ,bishop ,selwyn1 'he may      
be--no doubt he is--a very good man4 ,i 
only wish he had kept his hands off     
,alfington4' ',it would not be easy1'   
says the parishioner from whom ,i have  
already quoted1 'to describe the intense
 sorrow in view of separation4 ,mr4     
,patteson did all he could to assure us 
that it was his own will and act1       
consequent upon the conviction that it  
was ,god's will that he should go1 and  
to exonerate the ,bishop1 but for some  
time he was regarded as the immediate   

cause of our loss2 and he never knew    
half the hard things said of him by the 
same people who1 when they heard he was 
coming1 and would preach on the ,sunday1
 did their utmost to make themselves and
 their children look their very best4'  
,indeed1 the affectionate writer seems  
to have shared the poor people's feeling
 that they had thus festally received a 
sort of traitor with designs upon their 
pastor4 ,she goes on to tell of his     
ministrations to her mother1 whose      
death-bed was the first he attended as a
 ,priest4  ,it would be impossible for  
me to say all he was to her4 ,not long  
before her death1 when he had just left 
the room1 she said1 ',i have not felt   
any pain or weakness whilst ,mr4        
,patteson has been here4' ,i was not    
always present during his visits to her1
 and ,i think their closer communings   
were only known to ,him above1 but their
 effects were discernible in that deep  
confidence in him on her part1 and that 
lasting impression on him1 for you will 

remember1 in his letter last ,april1 he 
goes back in memory to that time1 and   
calls it--'a solemn scene in my early   
ministry4' ,solemn1 indeed1 it was to us
 all that last night of her life upon   
earth4 ,he was with her from about the  
middle of the day on ,monday until about
 four o'clock on ,tuesday morning2 when1
 after commending her soul to ,god1 he  
closed her eyes with his own hands1 and 
taking out his watch1 told us the hour  
and moment of her departure4 ,he then   
went home and apprised ,miss ,wilkins of
 her death in these words3 ',my soul    
fleeth unto the ,,lord before the       
morning watch1 ,i say before the morning
 watch1' and at the earliest dawn of    
day1 the villagers were made aware that 
she had passed away by the tolling bell1
 and tolled by him4 ,this was not the   
only death during his ministry among us2
 but it was the first occasion where he 
gave the ,communion of the ,sick1 also  
when he read the ,burial ,service4      
,cases of rejoicing with those that     

rejoiced as well as of weeping with     
those that wept1 the child and the aged 
seemed alike to appreciate his goodness4
 ,in him were combined those qualities  
which could inspire with deep reverence 
and entire confidence4 ,many1 many are  
or will be the stars in the crown of his
 rejoicing1 and some owe to him under   
,god1 their deeper work of grace in the 
heart and their quickening in the divine
 life4'  ,a remarkable testimony is this
 to the impression remaining after the  
lapse of sixteen years from a ministry  
extending over no more than seventeen   
months4 ',our ,mr4 ,patteson' the people
 called him to the last4  ,yet1 in the  
face of all this grief1 the parting till
 death1 the work broken off1 the life   
cut short midway1 the profusion of needs
 at home for able ministers1 is it to be
 regretted that ,coleridge ,patteson    
devoted himself to the more remote      
fields abroad8 ,i think we shall find   
that his judgment was right4 ,alfington 
might love him dearly1 but the numbers  

were too small to afford full scope for 
his powers1 and he would have           
experienced the trials of cramped and   
unemployed energies had he remained     
there beyond his apprenticeship4 ,nor   
were his gifts1 so far as can be judged1
 exactly those most requisite for work  
in large towns4 ,he could deal with     
individuals better than with masses1 and
 his metaphysical mind1 coupled with the
 curious difficulty he had in writing to
 an unrealised public1 either in sermons
 or reports1 might have rendered him    
less effective than men of less ability4
 ,he avoided1 moreover1 the temptations1
 pain1 and sting of the intellectual    
warfare within the bosom of the ,church1
 and served her cause more effectually  
on her borders than he could in her home
 turmoils4 ,his great and peculiar gifts
 of languages1 seconded by his capacity 
for navigation1 enabled him to be the   
builder up of the ,melanesian ,church in
 so remarkable a manner that one can    
hardly suppose but that he was marked   

out for it1 and these endowments would  
have found no scope in an ordinary      
career4 ,above all1 no man can safely   
refuse the call to obey the higher      
leadings of grace4 ,if he deny them1 he 
will probably fall below that which he  
was before1 and lose 'even that which he
 seemeth to have4'  ,a few days later1  
he wrote to his cousin ,arthur          
,coleridge an expression of his feelings
 regarding the step he had taken in the 
midst of the pain it was costing to     
others3--   ',feniton3 ,november #aa1 #i
 ,a4,m4  ',my dear ,arthur1--,your      
letter was very acceptable because ,i   
am1 ,i confess1 in that state of mind   
occasionally when the assurance of my   
being right1 coming from another1 tends 
to strengthen my own conviction4  ',i do
 not really doubt as ,i believe2 and    
yet1 knowing my want of consideration   
for others1 and many other thoughts     
which naturally prevent my exercising a 
clear sound judgment on a matter        
affecting myself1 ,i sometimes 7when ,i 

have had a conversation1 it throws me   
back upon analysing my own conduct7 feel
 inclined to go over the whole process  
again1 and that is somewhat trying4     
',on the other hand1 ,i am almost       
strangely free from excitement4 ,i live 
on exactly as ,i did before3 and even   
when alone with ,father1 talk just as ,i
 used to talk1 have nothing more to tell
 him1 not knowing how to make a better  
use of these last quiet evenings4       
',by-and-by ,i shall wish ,i had done   
otherwise1 perhaps1 but ,i do not know  
now1 that ,i have anything specially    
requiring our consideration3 we talk    
about family matters1 the movements in  
the theological and political world1 c41
 very little about ourselves4  ',one of 
all others ,i delight to think of for   
the music's sake1 and far more for the  
glorious thought that it conveys4 ,then 
shall the righteous1 not indeed that ,i 
dare apply it to myself 7as you know71  
but it helps one on1 teaches what we may
 be1 what our two dear parents are1 and 

somehow the intervening1 space becomes  
smaller as the eye is fixed steadily on 
the glory beyond4  ',god bless you1 my  
dear fellow4  ',ever your affectionate  
',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,the ,mission party     
intended to sail immediately after      
,christmas in the ',southern ,cross1'   
the schooner which was being built at   
,blackwall for voyages among the        
,melanesian isles4 ,in expectation of   
this1 ,patteson went up to ,london in   
the beginning of ,december1 when the    
admirable crayon likeness was taken by  
,mr4 ,richmond1 an engraving from which 
is here given4 ,he then took his last   
leave of his uncle1 and of the cousins  
who had been so dear to him ever since  
the old days of daily meeting in        
childhood2 and ,miss ,neill1 then a     
permanent invalid1 notes down3 ',on     
,december #ac1 ,i had the happiness of  
receiving the ,holy ,communion from dear
 ,coley ,patteson1 and the following    
morning ,i parted from him1 as ,i fear1 
for ever4 ,god bless and prosper him1   

and guard him in all the dangers he will
 encounter6' ,he wrote thus soon after  
his return3--   ',feniton3 ,december    
#bb1 #ahed4  ',my dear ,miss ,neill1--,i
 began a note to you a day or two ago1  
but ,i could not go on with it1 for ,i  
have had so very much to do in church   
and out of it1 parochializing1 writing  
sermons1 c4 ,it makes some little       
difference in point of time whether ,i  
am living here or at ,alfington1 and so 
the walking about from one house to     
another is not so convenient for writing
 letters as for thinking over sermons4  
',i need not tell you what a real       
happiness and comfort it is to me to    
have been with you again and to have    
talked so long with you1 and most of all
 to have received the ,communion with   
you4 ,it is a blessed thought that no   
interval of space or time can interrupt 
that ,communion of the ,spirit1 and that
 we are one in ,him1 though working in  
different corners of the ,lord's field4 
',i want to look you out a little book  

or two2 and ,fanny has told you that if 
ever my picture is photographed1 ,i have
 particularly desired them to send you a
 copy with my love4 ,your cross ,i have 
now round my neck1 and ,i shall always  
wear it2 it will hang there with a      
locket containing locks of hair of my   
dear ,father and ,mother1 the girls1 and
 ,jem4  ',you will be glad to hear that 
they all seem cheerful and hearty4 ,fan 
is not well1 but ,i do not see that she 
is depressed or unhappy4 ,in fact1 the  
terrible events of the war prove a      
lesson to all1 and they feel1 ,i        
suppose1 that it might be far worse1 and
 that so long as ,i am doing my duty1   
there is no cause for sorrow4  ',still  
there will be seasons of loneliness and 
sadness1 and it seems to me as if it    
always was so in the case of all the    
people of whom we read in the ,bible4   
,our ,lord distinctly taught ,his       
disciples to expect it to be so1 and    
even experienced this sorrow of heart   
,himself1 filling up the full measure of

 ,his cup of bitterness4 ,so ,i don't   
learn that ,i ought exactly to wish it  
to be otherwise1 so much is said in the 
,bible about being made partaker of     
,his1 sufferings1 only ,i pray that it  
may please ,god to bear me up in the    
midst of it4 ,i must repeat that your   
example is constantly before me1 as a   
witness to the power that ,god gives of 
enduring pain and sickness4 ,it is      
indeed1 and great comfort it gives me4  
,he is not indeed keeping you still in  
the world without giving you a work to  
do1 and enabling you from your bed of   
sickness to influence strongly a circle 
of friends4  ',god bless you for all    
your kindness to me1 and watchfulness   
over me as a child1 for your daily      
thought of me and prayers for me1 and   
may ,he grant that ,i may wear your     
precious gift not only on but in my     
heart4  ',always your very affectionate 
',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4  ',p4,s4--,i do not
 expect to sail for three weeks2 this   
morning ,i had a line about the ship1   

and they say that she cannot be ready   
for a fortnight4'   ,on ,christmas-day1 
he was presented with a ,bible          
subscribed for by the whole ,alfington  
population4 ,here is a sentence from his
 letter of acknowledgment3--  ',if these
 poor needy souls can1 from love to a   
fellow creature whom they have known but
 a few months1 deny themselves their    
very crumb of bread to show their       
affection1 what should be our conduct to
 ,him from whom we have received all    
things1 and to whom we owe our life1    
strength1 and all that we possess8'     
,the farewell service was said by one of
 these poor old people to be like a     
great funeral4 ,sexagesima ,sunday was  
,sir ,john's sixty-sixth birthday1 and  
it was spent in expectation that it     
would be the last of the whole party at 
home1 for on the ,monday ,sir ,john was 
obliged to go to ,london for a meeting  
of the ,judicial ,committee4 ,the two   
notes his son wrote during his absence  
are1 perhaps to prove good spirits1 full

 of the delights of skating1 which were 
afforded by the exceptionally severe    
frost of ,february #ahee1 which came    
opportunely to regale with this         
favourite pastime one who would never   
tread on solid ice again4 ,he wrote with
 zest of the large merry party of       
cousins skating together1 of the dismay 
of the old housekeeper when he skimmed  
her in a chair over the ice1 sighing    
out1 in her terror1 ',my dear man1 don't
 ye go so fast1' with all manner of     
endearing expressions--of the little    
boys to whom he threw nuts to be        
scrambled for1 and of his own plunge    
through the thinner ice1 when1          
regardless of drenched garments1 he went
 on with the sport to the last1 and came
 home with clothes frozen as stiff as a 
board4  ,he was not gone when his father
 and brother came home on the           
twenty-sixth1 prepared to go with him to
 ,southampton4  ,the note to his cousin 
,arthur written at this time thus ends3 
',we worked together once at ,dresden4  

,whatever we have acquired in the way of
 accomplishments1 languages1 love of art
 and music1 everything brings us into   
contact with somebody1 and gives us the 
power of influencing them for good1 and 
all to the glory of ,god4'  ,many were  
touched when1 on the first ,sunday in   
,lent1 as ,sir ,john ,patteson was wont 
to assist in ,church by reading the     
,lessons1 it fell to him to pronounce   
the blessing of ,god upon the patriarch 
for his willing surrender of his son4   
,after all1 the ',southern ,cross' was  
detected in leaking again1 and as she   
was so small that the ,mission party    
would have been most inconveniently     
crowded for so long a voyage1 the       
,bishop was at length persuaded to      
relinquish his intention of sailing in  
her1 and passages were taken for        
himself1 ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 ,mr4 ,patteson1 
and another clergyman1 in the ',duke of 
,portland1' which did not sail till the 
end of ,march1 when ,patteson was to    
meet her at ,gravesend4  ,thus he did   

not depart till the #beth4 ',i leave    
home this morning ,i may say1 for it has
 struck midnight1' he wrote to ,miss    
,neill4 ',i bear with me to the world's 
end your cross1 and the memory of one   
who is bearing with great and long-tried
 patience the cross that ,god has laid  
upon her4'  ,he chose to walk to the    
coach that would take him to join the   
railway at ,cullompton4 ,the last kisses
 were exchanged at the door1 and the    
sisters watched him out of sight1 then  
saw that their father was not standing  
with them4 ,they consulted for a moment1
 and then one of them silently looked   
into his sitting room1 and saw him with 
his little ,bible1 and their hearts were
 comforted concerning him4 ,after that  
family prayers were never read without a
 clause for ,missionaries1 'especially  
the absent member of this family4'  ,he 
went up to his brother's chambers in    
,london1 whence a note was sent home the
 next day to his father3--  ',i write   
one line to-night to tell you that ,i   

am1 thank ,god1 calm and even cheerful4 
,i stayed a few minutes in the          
churchyard after ,i left you1 picked a  
few primrose buds from dear mamma's     
grave1 and then walked on4  ',at        
intervals ,i felt a return of strong    
violent emotion1 but ,i soon became     
calm2 ,i read most of the way up1 and   
felt surprised that ,i could master my  
own feelings so much4  ',how much ,i owe
 to the cheerful calm composure which   
you all showed this morning6 ,i know it 
must have cost you all a great effort4  
,it spared me a great one4'  ,on the    
#bgth the brothers went on board the    
',duke of ,portland1' and surveyed the  
cabins1 looking in at the wild scene of 
confusion sure to be presented by an    
emigrant ship on the last day in        
harbour4 ,a long letter1 with a minute  
description of the ship and the         
arrangements ends with3 ',i have every  
blessing and comfort4 ,not one is       
wanting4 ,i am not in any excitement1 ,i
 think1 certainly ,i do not believe     

myself to be in such a state as to      
involve a reaction of feeling4 ,of      
course if ,i am seedy at sea for a few  
days ,i shall feel low-spirited also    
most likely1 and miss you all more in   
consequence4 ,but that does not go below
 the surface4 ,beneath is calm tranquil 
peace of mind4'  ,on the #bhth the two  
brothers joined the large number of     
friends who went down with the ,mission 
party1 among them ,mr4 ,edward          
,coleridge4  ,parting notes were written
 from on board to all the most beloved2 
to little ,paulina1 of bright hopes1 to 
,miss ,neill of her cross2 to ,arthur   
the ,german greeting1 ',lebe wohl1 doch 
nicht auf ,ewigkeit1'--to ,mr4 ,justice 
,coleridge3--   ',march #bh1 #ahee4     
',my dear ,uncle1--,one line more to    
thank you for all your love and to pray 
for the blessing of ,god upon you and   
yours now and for ever4  ',we sail      
to-day4 ,such letters from home1 full of
 calm1 patient1 cheerful resignation to 
his will4 ,wonderfully has ,god         

supported us through this trial4 ,my    
kind love to ,arthur4 ,always1 my dear  
,uncle1 ,your affectionate1 grateful    
,nephew1  ',,john ,,coleridge           
,,patteson4'   ,perhaps the frame of    
mind in which ,coley left ,england can  
best be gathered from the following     
extract from a letter to his father from
 his uncle ,edward3--  ',while on board 
,i had a good deal of quiet talk with   
him1 and was fully confirmed by his     
manner and words1 of that which ,i did  
not doubt before1 that the surrender of 
self1 which he has made1 has been put   
into his heart by ,god's ,holy ,spirit1 
and that all his impulses for good are  
based on the firm foundation of trust in
 ,god1 and a due appreciation of his    
mortal1 as well as professional         
condition4 ,i never saw a hand set on   
the plough stead with more firmness1 yet
 entire modesty1 or with an eye and     
heart less turned backwards on the world
 behind4 ,i know you do not in any way  
repine at what you have allowed him to  

do2 and ,i feel sure that ere long you  
will see cause to bless ,god not only   
for having given you such a son1 but    
also for having put it into his heart so
 to devote himself to that particular   
work in the ,great ,vineyard4'  ,about  
#e ,p4,m4 the ',duke of ,portland' swung
 round with the tide1 strangers were    
ordered on shore1 ,coleridge and ,james 
,patteson said their last farewells1 and
 while the younger brother went home by 
the night-train to carry the final      
greetings to his father and sisters1 the
 ship weighed anchor and the voyage was 
begun4     ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the        
,,voyage ,,and ,,first ,,year4          
#ahee-ahef4    ,when the ,see of ,new   
,zealand was first formed1 ,archbishop  
,howley committed to the care of the    
first ,bishop the multitudinous islands 
scattered in the ,south ,pacific4 ,the  
technical bounds of the diocese were not
 defined2 but matters were to a certain 
degree simplified by ,bishop ,selwyn's  
resolution only to deal with totally    

heathen isles1 and whatever superiority 
the authorised chief pastor might       
rightfully claim1 not to confuse the    
minds of the heathen by the sight of    
variations among ,christians1 and thus  
never to preach in any place already    
occupied by ,missions1 a resolution from
 which he only once departed1 in the    
case of a group apparently relinquished 
by its first teachers4 ,this cut off all
 the properly called ,polynesian isles1 
whose inhabitants are of the ,malay     
type1 and had been the objects of care  
to the ,london ,mission1 ever since the 
time of ,john ,williams2 also the ,fiji 
,islands2 and a few which had been taken
 in hand by a ,scottish ,presbyterian   
,mission2 but the groups which seem to  
form the third fringe round the         
north-eastern curve of ,australia1 the  
,new ,hebrides1 ,banks ,islands1 and    
,solomon ,isles1 were almost entirely   
open ground1 with their population      
called ,melanesian or ,black ,islanders1
 from their having much of the ,negro in

 their composition and complexion4      
,these were regarded as less quick but  
more steady than the ,polynesian race1  
with somewhat the same difference of    
character as there is between the       
,teuton and the ,kelt4 ,the reputation  
of cannibalism hung about many of the   
islands1 and there was no doubt of      
boats' crews having been lost among     
them1 but in most cases there had been  
outrage to provoke reprisals4  ,these   
islands had as yet been little visited1 
except by ,captain ,cook1 their first   
discoverer1 and isolated ,spanish       
exploring expeditions2 but of late      
whalers and sandal wood traders1 both   
,english and ,american1 had been finding
 their way among them1 and too often    
acting as irresponsible adventurous men 
of a low class are apt to do towards    
those whom they regard as an inferior   
race4  ,mission work had hardly reached 
this region4 ,it was in attempting it   
that ,john ,williams had met his death  
at ,erromango1 one of the ,new          

,hebrides2 but one of his best          
institutions had been a school in one of
 the ,samoan or ,navigators' ,islands1  
in which were educated young men of the 
native races to be sent to the isles to 
prepare the way for white men4 ,very    
nobly had these ,samoan pupils carried  
out his intentions1 braving dislike1    
disease and death in the islands to     
which they were appointed1 and having   
the more to endure because they came    
without the prestige of a white man4    
,moreover1 the language was no easier to
 them than to him1 as their native      
speech is entirely different from the   
,melanesian2 which is besides broken    
into such an extraordinary number of    
different dialects1 varying from one    
village to another in an island not     
twenty miles long1 that a missionary    
declared that the people must have come 
straight from the ,tower of ,babel1 and 
gone on dividing their speech ever      
since4 ,just at the time of the         
formation of the ,see of ,new ,zealand1 

the excitement caused at home by        
,williams's death had subsided1 and the 
,london ,mission's funds were at so low 
an ebb that1 so far from extending their
 work1 they had been obliged to let some
 of it fall into abeyance4  ,all this   
came to the knowledge of the ,bishop of 
,new ,zealand while he was occupied with
 the cares of his first seven years in  
his more immediate diocese1 and in      
#ahdh1 he made a voyage of inspection in
 ,h4,m4,s4 ',dido4' ,he then perceived  
that to attempt the conversion of this  
host of isles of tropical climate       
through a resident ,english clergyman in
 each1 would be impossible1 besides     
which he knew that no ,church takes root
 without native clergy1 and he therefore
 intended bringing boys to ,new         
,zealand1 and there educating them to   
become teachers to their countrymen4 ,he
 had lately established1 near ,auckland1
 for the sons of the colonists1 ,st4    
,john's ,college1 which in #ahej was    
placed under the ,reverend ,charles     

,john ,abraham1 the former ,eton master1
 who had joined the ,bishop to act as   
,archdeacon and assist in the scheme of 
education2 and here it was planned that 
the young ,melanesians should be        
trained4  ,the ,bishop possessed a      
little schooner of twenty-two tons1 the 
',undine1' in which he was accustomed to
 make his expeditions along the coast2  
and in ,august #ahdi1 he set forth in   
her1 with a crew of four1 without a     
weapon of any sort1 to 'launch out into 
the deep1 and let down his nets for a   
draught4' ,captain ,erskine of ,h4,m4,s4
 ',havannah' readily undertook to afford
 him any assistance practicable1 and    
they were to cruise in company1 the     
',undine' serving as a pilot boat or    
tender on coasts where the only guide   
was 'a few rough sketches collected from
 small trading vessels4'  ,they met near
 ,tanna1 but not before the ,bishop had 
been in ,dillon's ,bay1 on the island of
 ,erromango1 the scene of ,williams's   
murder1 and had allowed some of the     

natives to come on board his vessel as a
 first step towards friendly            
intercourse4 ,the plan agreed on by the 
,bishop and the ,captain was to go as   
far north as ,vate1 and return by way of
 the ,loyalty ,isles1 which fringe the  
east coast of ,new ,caledonia1 to touch 
at that large island1 and then visit the
 ,island of ,pines1 at its extreme south
 point1 and there enquire into a        
massacre said to have taken place4 ,this
 was effected1 and in each place the    
natives showed themselves friendly4     
,from ,new ,caledonia the ,bishop       
brought away a pupil named ,dallup1 and 
at two of the ,loyalty ,islands1        
,nengone or ,mare1 and ,lifu1 where     
,samoan teachers had excited a great    
desire for farther instruction1 boys    
eagerly begged to go with him1 and two  
were taken from each1 in especial       
,siapo1 a young ,nengone chief eighteen 
or nineteen years old1 of very pleasing 
aspect1 and with those dignified        
princely manners which rank is almost   

sure to give4 ,the first thing done with
 such lads when they came on board was  
to make clothes for them1 and when they 
saw the needle employed in their        
service1 they were almost sure to beg to
 be taught the art1 and most of them    
soon became wonderfully dexterous in it4
  ,on the ,island of ,pines1 so called  
from the tower-like masses of the       
,norfolk pine on the shores1 was at that
 time the ,french ,bishop of ,new       
,caledonia1 the ,oul1 as the natives    
called him and his countrymen1 for whom 
they had little love4 ,after an         
interview between the two bishops1 the  
',undine' returned to ,new ,zealand1    
where the native boys were brought to   
,st4 ,john's ,college4 ,the system of   
education there combined agricultural   
labour and printing with study1 and the 
authorities and the boys shared         
according to their strength in both1 for
 there was nothing more prominent in the
 ,bishop's plan than that the coloured  
man was not to be treated as a mere     

hewer of wood and drawer of water1 but1 
as a ,maori once expressed the idea3    
',gentleman--gentleman thought nothing  
that ought to be done at all too mean   
for him2 pig-gentleman never worked4'   
,the whole community1 including the     
ladies and their guests1 dined together 
in hall4  ,the five boys behaved well1  
,siapo being a leader in all that was   
good1 and made advances in ,christian   
knowledge2 but it was one of the        
,bishop's principles that none of them  
should be baptized till he had proved   
whether his faith were strong enough to 
resist the trial of a return to his     
native home and heathen friends4 ,the   
climate of ,new ,zealand is far too     
chilly for these inhabitants of tropical
 regions1 and it was absolutely         
necessary to return them to their homes 
during the winter quarter from ,june to 
,august4 ,the scheme therefore was to   
touch at their islands1 drop them there1
 proceed then further on the voyage1 and
 then1 returning the same way1 resume   

them1 if they were willing to come under
 instruction for baptism and return to  
the college4 ,in the lack of a common   
language1 ,bishop ,selwyn hoped to make 
them all learn ,english1 and only       
communicate with one another in that4   
,the ',undine1' not being large enough  
for the purpose1 was exchanged for the  
',border ,maid2' and in the course of   
the next three years an annual voyage   
was made1 and boys to the number of from
 twelve to fourteen brought home4 ,siapo
 of ,nengone was by far the most        
promising scholar4 ,he was a strong     
influence1 when at home1 on behalf of   
the ,samoan teachers1 and assisted in   
the building of a round chapel1 smoothly
 floored1 and plastered with coral lime4
 ,in #aheb he was baptized1 together    
with three of his friends1 in this      
chapel1 in his own island1 by the       
,bishop1 in the presence of a thousand  
persons1 and received the name of       
,george4 ,when the ',border ,maid'      
returned1 though he was convalescent    

from a severe illness1 he not only      
begged that he might come back1 but that
 the young girl to whom he was betrothed
 might be taken to ,new ,zealand to be  
trained in ,christian ways4 ,ready      
consent was given1 and the little       
,wabisane1 and her companion ,wasitutru 
7,little ,chattering ,bird71 were       
brought on board1 and arrayed in        
petticoats fashioned by the ,bishop's   
own hands1 from his own counterpane1    
with white skirts above1 embellished    
with a bow of scarlet ribbon1 the only  
piece of finery to be found in the      
',border ,maid4' ,the ,rev4 ,william    
,nihill had spent the period of this    
trip at ,nengone1 and had become deeply 
interested in the people4 ,the island   
was then thought likely to become a     
centre whence to work on adjacent       
places2 but to the grief and            
disappointment of all1 ,george ,siapo   
did not live through the summer at ,st4 
,john's4 ,he had never recovered his    
illness at home1 and rapidly declined2  

but his faith burnt brighter as his     
frame became weaker1 and his heart was  
set on the conversion of his native     
country4 ,he warmly begged ,mr4 ,nihill 
to return thither1 and recommended him  
to the protection of his friends1 and he
 wished his own brother to become       
scholar at ,st4 ,john's4 ,his whole     
demeanour was that of a devoted         
,christian1 and when he died1 in the    
,january of the year #ahec1 he might be 
regarded as the firstfruits of the      
,melanesian ,church4 ,since ,mr4 ,nihill
 was about to return to ,nengone1 and   
there was a certain leaven of           
,christianity in the place1 the girls   
were not subjected to the probation of a
 return before baptism1 but were        
christened ,caroline and ,sarah1 after  
,mrs4 ,abraham and ,mrs4 ,selwyn4       
,another very satisfactory pupil was    
little ,umao4 ,an ,english sailor in a  
dreadful state of disease had been left 
behind by a whaler at ,erromango1 where 
the little ,umao1 a mere boy1 had       

attached himself to him1 and waited on  
him with the utmost care and patience1  
though meeting with no return but blows 
and rough words4 ,the man moved to      
,tanna1 where there are mineral springs 
highly esteemed by the natives1 and when
 the ',border ,maid' touched there1 in  
#ahea1 he was found in a terrible       
condition1 but with the little fellow   
faithfully attending him4 ,the          
,englishman was carried to ,sydney1 and 
left in the hospital there2 but ,umao   
begged not to be sent home1 for he said 
his parents cruelly ill-used him and his
 brothers1 and set them to watch the    
fire all night to keep off evil spirits2
 so1 when ,new ,zealand became too cold 
for him1 he was sent to winter at the   
,london ,society's station in ,anaiteum4
 ,his sweet friendly nature expanded    
under ,christian training1 but his      
health failed1 and in the course of the 
voyage of #ahec he became so ill that   
his baptism was hastened1 and he shortly
 after died in the ,bishop's arms4  ,two

 more boys1 cousins1 from ,lifu1 also   
died4 ,there never was any suspicion or 
displeasure shown among the relatives of
 these youths4 ,their own habits were   
frightfully unhealthy2 they were not a  
long-lived people1 and there was often  
great mortality among them1 and though  
they were grieved at the loss of their  
sons1 they never seemed distrustful or  
ungrateful4 ,but it was evident that1   
even in the summer months1 the climate  
of ,new ,zealand was trying to these    
tropical constitutions1 and as it was   
just then determined that ,norfolk      
,island should no longer be the penal   
abode of the doubly convicted felons of 
,botany ,bay1 but should instead become 
the home of the descendants of the      
mutineers of the ',bounty' who had      
outgrown ,pitcairn's ,island1 the       
,bishop cast his eyes upon it as the    
place most likely to agree alike with   
,english and ,melanesian constitutions1 
and therefore eminently fitted for the  
place of instruction4  ,the expenses of 

the voyages in the ',border ,maid' had  
been met partly by the ,eton            
,association1 and partly by another     
association at ,sydney1 where a warm    
interest in these attempts had been     
excited and maintained by the yearly    
visits of ,bishop ,selwyn1 who usually  
visited ,australia while the lads were  
wintering at their homes4 ,but the      
',border ,maid' was superannuated1 nor  
had she ever been perfectly fitted for  
the purpose2 and when1 in #ahec1 the    
,bishop was obliged to come to ,england 
to take measures for dividing his       
diocese1 he also hoped to obtain        
permission to establish a ,melanesian   
school on ,norfolk ,island1 and to      
obtain the means of building a schooner 
yacht1 small enough to be navigated in  
the narrow1 shallow creeks separating   
the clustered islets1 and yet capacious 
enough for the numerous passengers4 ,in 
the meantime ,mr4 ,nihill went to       
,nengone with his wife and child4 ,his  
lungs were much affected1 but he hoped  

that the climate would prolong his power
 of working among the ,christian        
community1 who heartily loved and       
trusted him4  ,other fellow-labourers   
the ,bishop hoped to obtain at home1    
though it was his principle never to    
solicit men to come with him1 only to   
take those who offered themselves2 but  
all the particulars of the above        
narration had been known to ,coley      
,patteson through the ,bishop's         
correspondence with ,mr4 ,edward        
,coleridge1 as well as by the yearly    
report put forth by the ,eton           
,association1 and this no doubt served  
to keep up in his heart the flame that  
had burnt unseen for so many years1 and 
to determine its direction1 though he   
put himself unreservedly at the         
,bishop's disposal1 to work wherever he 
might be sent4  ,the means for the      
mission ship ',southern ,cross' were    
raised4 ,she was built at ,blackwall by 
,messrs4 ,wigram1 and1 after all the    
delays1 sailed on the very same day as  

the ',duke of ,portland4'  ,meantime    
here are a few extracts from ,patteson's
 journal-letter during the voyage4      
,sea-sickness was very slightly         
disabling with him2 he was up and about 
in a short time1 and on the #hth of     
,april was writing3--  ',what a day this
 has been to me1 the twenty-eighth      
anniversary of my baptism to begin with1
 and then ,easter ,day spent at sea6    
',april #bjth1 lat1 #d ,n41 long4 #be   
,w4--,rather hot4 ,it is very fine to   
see all the stars of the heavens almost 
rise and pass overhead and set--,great  
,bear and ,southern ,cross shining as in
 rivalry of each other1 and both        
hemispheres showing forth all their     
glory4 ,only the ,polar ,star1 that     
shines straight above you1 is gone below
 our horizon2 and ,one alone knows how  
much toil1 and perhaps sorrow1 there may
 be in store for me before ,i see it    
again4 ,but there is and will be much   
happiness and comfort also1 for indeed  
,i have great peace of mind1 and a firm 

conviction that ,i am doing what is     
right2 a feeling that ,god is directing 
and ordering the course of my life1 and 
whenever ,i take the only true view of  
the business of life1 ,i am happy and   
cheerful4  ',may #aj4--;,it is1 ,i find1
 quite settled1 and was indeed always1  
that ,i am to go always with the        
,bishop1 roving about the ,melanesian   
department1 so that for some years1 if  
,i live1 ,i shall be generally six      
months at sea4 ,and not little to my    
delight1 ,i find that the six winter    
months 7i4e4 your summer months7 are the
 ones that we shall spend in sailing    
about the islands within or near the    
tropics1 so that ,i shall have little   
more shivering limbs or blue hands1     
though ,i may feel in the long run the  
effect of a migratory swallow-like life4
 ,but the sea itself is a perpetual     
tonic1 and when ,i am thoroughly        
accustomed to a sea life1 ,i think ,i   
shall be better almost on board ship4'  
,this seems the place for ,bishop       

,selwyn's impression1 as written to a   
friend at this very time4 ',coley       
,patteson is a treasure which ,i humbly 
set down as a ,divine recompense for our
 own boys994 ,he is a good fellow1 and  
the tone of his mind is one which ,i can
 thoroughly enjoy1 content with the 'to 
aei' present1 yet always aiming at a    
brighter and better future4'            
997,footnote3 ,left at home for         
education47  ',june #ah4--,you must     
think of us at #h ,p4,m4 on             
,sundays--just at #h4bj ,a4,m4 before   
you come down to prayers4 ,the ,bishop  
has a service in the ,college chapel2   
then1 after all the runners 7clergy who 
have district chapels7 have returned1   
chanting ,psalms1 and reading collects1 
which bear especially on the subject of 
unity1 introducing the special          
,communion thanksgiving for ,whitsunday1
 and the ,sanctus1 and the ,prayer for  
,unity in the ,accession ,service4 ,i   
feel that it must be an impressive and  
very happy way of ending the ,sunday1   

and you will be at ,sunday prayers at   
the other end of the world praying with 
us4  ',july #c4--,still at sea4 ,as soon
 as we rounded the ,north ,cape on      
,friday1 ,june #bi1 a contrary wind     
sprang up1 and we have been beating     
about1 tacking between ,north ,cape and 
,cape ,brett ever since4 ,fine sunny    
weather and light winds1 but always from
 the south4 ,to me it is a matter of    
entire indifference2 ,i am quite ready  
to go ashore1 but do not mind a few more
 days at sea4 ,the climate is           
delightful1 thermometer on deck #ee to  
#fj1 and such glorious sunsets6 ,there  
is really something peculiar in the     
delicacy of the colours here--faint pink
 and blue1 and such an idea of distance 
is given by the great transparency of   
the air4 ,it is full moon too now1 and  
,i walk the deck from eleven to twelve  
every night with no great-coat1 thinking
 about you all and my future work4 ,last
 night the ,bishop was with me1 and told
 me definitely about my occupation for  

the time to come4 ,all day we have been 
slowly1 very slowly1 passing along from 
the north headland of the ,bay of       
,islands to ,cape ,brett1 and along the 
land south of it4 ,a fine coast it is1  
full of fine harbours and creeks1 the   
bay itself like a large ,torbay1 only   
bolder4 ,due south of us is the ,bream  
headland1 then the ,barrier ,islands4   
,we are only about a mile from the      
shore1 and refreshing it is to look at  
it2 but as yet we have seen no beach2   
the rock runs right into the sea4 ,such 
bustle and excitement on board6         
emigrants getting their things ready1   
carpenters making the old ,duke look    
smart1 sailors scrubbing1 but no        
painting going on1 to our extreme       
delight4 ,it is so calm1 quite as smooth
 as a small lake2 indeed there is less  
perceptible motion than ,i have felt on 
the ,lake of ,como4 ,no backs1 no bones 
aching1 though here ,i speak for others 
more than for myself1 for the ,bishop   
began his talk last night by saying1    

,one great point is decided1 that you   
are a good sailor4 ,so far you are      
qualified for ,melanesia4'  ,to this may
 be added that ,patteson had been       
farther preparing for this work by a    
diligent study of the ,maori language1  
and likewise of navigation2 and what an 
instructor he had in the knowledge of   
the coasts may be gathered from the fact
 that an old sea captain living at      
,kohimarama sent a note to ,st4 ,john's 
,college stating that he was sure that  
the ,bishop had come1 for he knew every 
vessel that had ever come into ,auckland
 harbour1 and was sure this barque had  
never been there before2 yet she had    
come in the night through all the       
intricate passages1 and was rounding the
 heads without a pilot on board4 ,he    
therefore concluded that the ,bishop    
must be on board1 as there was no other 
man that could have taken command of her
 at such a time1 and brought her into   
that harbour4  ,the ,bishop and ,mrs4   
,selwyn went on shore as soon as        

possible2 ,patteson waited till the next
 day4 ,indeed he wrote on ,july #e that 
he was in no hurry to land1 since he    
knew no one in the whole neighbourhood  
but ,archdeacon ,abraham4 ,then he      
describes the aspect of ,auckland from  
the sea3--  ',it looks much like a small
 sea-side town1 but not so substantially
 built1 nor does it convey the same idea
 of comfort and wealth2 rude warehouses1
 c41 being mixed up with private houses 
on the beach4 ,the town already extends 
to a distance of perhaps half a mile on 
each side of this cove1 on which the    
principal part of it is built4 ,just in 
the centre of the cove stands the       
,wesleyan chapel4 ,on the rising ground 
on the east of the cove is the ,roman   
,catholic chapel1 and on the west side  
is ,st4 ,paul's ,church1 an ,early      
,english stone building1 looking really 
ecclesiastical and homelike4 ,the       
,college1 at a distance of about five   
miles from the town1 on some higher     
ground1 northwest of it1 is reached from

 the harbour by a boat ascending a creek
 to within a mile of the buildings1 so  
that we shall not go into the town at   
all when we land4 ,by water too will be 
our shortest1 at all events our quickest
 way from the college to the town4      
',july #i1 ,st4 ,john's                 
,college4--,though we reached harbour on
 ,july #e1 and landed the next day1 ,i  
have scarcely found a minute to write a 
line4 ,imagine my feelings as ,i touched
 land and jumped ashore at a creek under
 ,judge ,martin's house1 in the presence
 of ,rota ,waitoa1 the only native      
clergyman in the diocese2 ,levi1 who is 
perhaps to be ordained1 and four or five
 other natives4 ,tena ra fa koe e ho a8 
,how are you1 my friends8 7the common   
,new ,zealand greeting71 said ,i as ,i  
shook hands with them one by one4 ,we   
walked up from the beach to the house4  
,roses in full flower1 and mimosa with a
 delicate golden flower1 and various    
other shrubs and flowers in full bloom4 
,midwinter1 recollect4 ,the fragrance of

 the air1 the singing of the birds1 the 
fresh smell 7it was raining a little and
 the grass was steaming7 were delicious1
 as you may suppose4 ,here ,i was1 all  
at once1 carrying up baggage1 ,maoris   
before and behind1 and everything new   
and strange1 and yet ,i felt as if it   
were all right and natural4 ,the ,bishop
 and ,mrs4 ,selwyn had landed the day   
before1 and we were heartily welcomed4  
,mr4 ,martin took me into his study4 ,i 
am thankful to see you as a fresh       
labourer among us here2 a man of your   
name needs no introduction to a lawyer4 
,nothing could exceed his kindness4 ,he 
began talking of at once4  ',we dined at
 about #ab4cj4 ,clean mutton chops1     
potatoes and pumpkin 7very good indeed71
 jam pudding1 bread1 and plenty of water
 7beer ,i refused74 ,it did taste so    
good1 ,i am quite ashamed of thinking   
about it4 ,about two o'clock ,i started 
with the ,bishop for the ,college1      
nearly six miles from ,auckland4  ',the 
,bishop is at a kind of collegiate      

establishment on the outskirts of       
,auckland1 where ,mr4 ,kissling1 a      
clergyman1 is the resident1 and thither 
,i go on ,wednesday1 to live till       
,october #a1 when we start1 please ,god1
 in the ,southern ,cross for the cruise 
around ,new ,zealand4 ,here1 at ,mr4    
,kissling's1 ,i shall have work with    
,maoris1 learning each day1 ,i trust1 to
 speak more correctly and fluently4     
,young men for teachers1 and it may be  
for clergymen1 will form at once my     
companions and my pupils1 a good        
proportion of them being nearly or quite
 of my own age4 ,i am to be constantly  
at the ,judge's1 running in and out1    
working on ,sundays anywhere as ,i may  
be sent4 ,so much for myself4  ',the    
,college is really all that is necessary
 for a thoroughly good and complete     
place of education2 the hall all lined  
with kauri pine wood1 a large handsome  
room1 collegiate1 capable of holding two
 hundred persons2 the school-room1      
eighty feet long1 with admirable        

arrangements for holding classes        
separately4 ,there are two very cosy    
rooms1 which belong to the ,bishop and  
,mrs4 ,selwyn respectively1 in one of   
which ,i am now sitting4444 ,on the     
walls are hanging about certain tokens  
of ,melanesia in the shape of gourds1   
calabashes1 c41 such as ,i shall send   
you one day2 a spade on one side1 just  
as a common horse halter hanging from   
,abraham's bookshelf1 betokens colonial 
life4 ,our rooms are quite large enough1
 bigger than my room at ,feniton1 but no
 furniture1 of course1 beyond a         
bedstead1 a table for writing1 and an   
old bookcase2 but it is never cold      
enough to care about furniture444 ,i    
clean1 of course1 my room in part1 make 
my bed1 help to clear away things after 
meals1 c41 and am quite accustomed to do
 without servants for anything but      
cooking4 ,there is a weaving room1 which
 used to be well worked1 a printing     
press 7from ,c4 ,m4 ,s47 which has done 
some good work1 and is now at work      

again--,english1 ,maori1 ,greek and     
,hebrew types4 ,separate groups of      
buildings1 which once were filled with  
lads from different ,melanesian         
isles--farm buildings1 barns1 c4 ,last  
of all1 the little chapel of kauri wood1
 stained desk1 like the inside of a     
really good ecclesiastical building in  
,england1 porch ,s4,w4 angle1 a         
semicircular apse at the west1          
containing a large handsome stone font1 
open seats of course4 ,the east end very
 simple1 semicircular apse1 small       
windows all full of stained glass1      
raised one step1 no rails1 the ,bishop's
 chair on the north side1 bench on the  
south4 ,here my eye and my mind rested  
contentedly and peacefully4 ,the little 
chapel1 holding about seventy persons1  
is already dear to me4 ,i preached in it
 last night at the seven o'clock        
service4 ,we chanted the ,unity ,psalms 
,,cxxii1 ,,cxxiii1 ,,cxxiv1 and ,,cl1   
heartily1 all joining to a dear old     
double chant in parts4 ,i felt my heart 

very full as ,i spoke to them of the    
blessedness of prayer and spiritual     
communion4 ,i was at ,tamaki in the     
morning1 where ,i read prayers1 the     
,archdeacon preaching4 ,a little stone  
church1 very rude and simple1 but       
singing again good1 and congregation of 
fifty-one1 attentive4 ,at ,panmure1     
about three miles off1 in the afternoon1
 a tiny wooden church--where ,abraham   
took all the duty4 ,in the evening1 in  
the chapel1 he read prayers1 and ,i     
preached to about thirty-five or forty  
people4 ,we left the chapel just as you 
were getting ready for breakfast1 and so
 passed my first ,sunday in ,new        
,zealand4 ,to-day ,i have had hard work2
 ,i walked with ,abraham to             
,auckland--six miles of rough work1 ,i  
promise you1 except the two last4  ,i   
believe it was in the course of this    
walk that ,patteson experimented on his 
,maori1 a native whom they visited1 and 
who presently turned upon the           
,archdeacon1 and demanded1 ',why do you 

not speak like ,te ,pattihana8' ,such a 
compliment has seldom been paid on so   
early an attempt at colloquialism in a  
new language4 ,journal continues3--     
',lugged down boxes1 big empty ones1    
from the ,judge's house to the beach4   
,went with the ,bishop to the old ship1 
packed up books1 brought away all our   
things almost1 helped to pack them in a 
cart and drag1 and then walked back to  
the ,college1 which ,i reached in the   
dark at #g4cj4 ,it is delightful to see 
the delight of the natives when they see
 the ,bishop4 ,e--h te ,pikopa6 and then
 they all come round him like children1 
laughing and talking4 ,two common men we
 met on ,friday from ,rotoma1 #aej miles
 off1 who said that their tribe had     
heard that the ,queen of ,england had   
taken away his salary1 and they had been
 having subscriptions for him every     
,sunday4 ,they are of various shades of 
colour1 some light brown1 some nearly   
black1 and some so tattooed all over    
that you can't tell what colour they    

are4 ,i was talking to-day to the best  
of my power with a native teacher upon  
whose face ,i could not see one spot as 
big as a shilling that was not tattooed1
 beautifully done in a regular pattern1 
one side corresponding to the other4    
,each tribe1 as it is said 7,i know not 
how truly71 has a pattern of its own2 so
 they wear their coats-of-arms on their 
faces1 that is all4 ,the young          
,christian natives are not tattooed at  
all1 and ,i have been to-day with       
,sydney1 whose father was the great     
fighting man of ,honghi 7miscalled      
,shanghi7 who was presented to ,george  
,,iv4 ,this young man's father helped to
 exterminate a whole tribe who lived on 
a part of the ,college property 7as it  
is now71 and he is said to be perhaps   
the first ,new ,zealander who was       
baptized as an infant4 ,i find it hard  
to understand them2 they speak very     
indistinctly--not fast1 but their voices
 are thick in general4 ,i hope to learn 
a good deal before ,october4 ,my first  

letter from the ends of the world tells 
of my peace of mind1 of one sound and   
hearty in body1 and1 ,i thank ,god1     
happy1 calm1 and cheerful in spirit4'   
',july #aa1 #ahee2 ,st4 ,john's         
,college1 ,auckland4  ',my dear         
,fan1--,i do not doubt that ,i am where 
,i ought to be2 ,i do think and trust   
that ,god has given me this work to do2 
but ,i need earnest prayers for strength
 that ,i may do it4 ,it is no light work
 to be suddenly transplanted from a     
quiet little country district1 where    
every one knew me1 and the prestige of  
dear ,father's life and your active     
usefulness among the people made        
everything smooth for me1 to a work     
exceeding in magnitude anything that    
falls to the lot of an ordinary parish  
priest in ,england--in a strange land1  
among a strange race of men1 in a newly 
forming and worldly society1 with no old
 familiar notions and customs to keep   
the machine moving2 and then to be made 
acquainted with such a mass of          

information respecting ,church          
government and discipline1 educational  
schemes1 conduct of clergy and teachers1
 etc41 etc4 ,it is well that ,i am      
hearty and sound in health1 or ,i should
 be regularly overwhelmed with it4 ,two 
texts ,i think of constantly3           
,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do  
it with thy might4 ,sufficient for the  
day1 etc4 ,i hardly dare look forward to
 what my work may be on earth2 ,i cannot
 see my way2 but ,i feel sure that ,he  
is ordering it all1 and ,i try to look  
on beyond the earth1 when at length1 by 
,god's mercy1 we may all find rest4     
',that ,i have been so well in body and 
so cheerful in mind ever since ,i left  
home--,i mean cheerful on the whole1 not
 without seasons of sadness1 but so     
mercifully strengthened at all          
times--must1 ,i think1 without any      
foolish enthusiasm1 be remembered by me 
as a special act of ,god's goodness and 
mercy4 ,i was not the least weary of the
 sea4 ,another month or two would have  

made very little difference to me1 ,i   
think4 ,i am very fond of it1 and ,i    
think of my voyages to come without any 
degree of dread from that cause1 and ,i 
have no reason to expect any great      
discomfort from any other4 ,i have my   
whole stock of lemon syrup and lime     
juice1 so that the salt meat on the     
,southern ,cross will be counteracted in
 that way2 and going round those islands
 we shall be ashore every few days4 ,but
 what most surprises me is this3 that   
when ,i am alone1 as here at night in a 
great 7for it is large7 cheerless1      
lonely room1 as ,i should have thought  
it once2 though ,i can't help thinking  
of my own comforts at home1 and all dear
 faces around me1 though ,i feel my     
whole heart swelling with love to you   
all1 still ,i am not at all sad or      
gloomy1 or cast down4 ,this does        
surprise me3 ,i did not think it would  
or could be so4 ,i have indeed prayed   
for it1 but ,i had not faith to believe 
that my prayer would be so granted4 ,the

 fact itself is most certain4 ,i have at
 ,alfington1 when alone of an evening1  
experienced a greater sense of          
loneliness than ,i have once done out   
here4 ,of this hitherto ,i feel no      
doubt3 it may be otherwise any day of   
course2 and to what else can ,i         
attribute this fact1 in all soberness of
 mind1 but to the mercy of ,god in      
strengthening me for my work8 ,much of  
it may be the effect of a splendid      
climate upon my physique1 that is true2 
for indeed to find flowers in full      
blossom1 green meadows1 hot suns1 birds 
singing1 etc41 in midwinter1 with a     
cool1 steady breeze from the sea        
invigorating me all the while1 is no    
doubt just what ,i require2 but to-day  
we have a north-easter1 which answers to
 your south-west wind1 with pouring     
rain1 and yet my spirits are not going  
down with the barometer4 ,all the same1 
the said barometer will probably soon   
recover himself2 for ,i believe these   
heavy storms seldom last long4 ,there is

 no fire in the room where ,i sit1 which
 is the ,bishop's room when he is here2 
no fire-place indeed1 as it opens into  
,mrs4 ,selwyn's room4 ,the thermometer  
is #eh1 and it is midwinter4'   ,to     
,miss ,neill1 on the same day1 after    
repeating his conviction that he was in 
the right place1 he says3--   ',i have  
written to them at home what ,i ought   
not perhaps to have said of myself1 but 
that it will give them comfort--that    
from all sides my being here as the     
,bishop's companion is hailed as likely 
to produce very beneficial results4 ,but
 ,i must assure you that ,i fully know  
how your love for me and much too high  
opinion of me makes you fancy that ,i   
could be of use at home4 ,but we must   
not1 even taking this view1 send our    
refuse men to the colonies4 ,newly      
forming societies must be moulded by men
 of energy1 and power1 and high         
character2 in fact1 churches must be    
organised1 the ,gospel must be preached 
by men of earnest zeal for ,god's glory 

in the salvation of souls4 ,to lower the
 standard of ,christian life by         
exhibiting a feeble faint glimmering    
instead of a burning shining light is to
 stamp upon the native mind a false     
impression1 it may be for ever4         
',remember1 we have no ancient customs  
nor time-hallowed usages to make up for 
personal indifference and apathy2 we    
have no momentum to carry on the        
machine4 ,we have to start it1 and give 
it the first impulse1 under the guidance
 of the ,spirit of ,god2 and oh6 if it  
takes a wrong direction at first1 who   
can calculate the evil that must follow8
 ,it is easy to steer a vessel in smooth
 water1 with a fair breeze2 but how are 
you to keep her head straight in a      
rolling sea with no way on her8'   ,this
 letter1 with two or three more1 went by
 the first mail after his arrival4 ,from
 that time he generally kept a          
journal-letter1 and addressed it to one 
or other of his innermost home circle2  
while the arrival of each post from home

 produced a whole sheaf of answers1 and 
comments on what was told1 by each      
correspondent1 of family1 political or  
,church matters4 ,sometimes the letter  
is so full of the subject of immediate  
interest as absolutely to leave no room 
for personal details of his own actual  
life1 and this became more the case as  
the residence in ,new ,zealand or       
,norfolk ,island lost its novelty1 while
 it never absorbed him so as to narrow  
his interests4 ,he never missed a mail  
in writing to his father and sisters1   
and a letter to his brother was equally 
regular1 but these latter were generally
 too much concerned with ,james's own   
individual life to be as fully given as 
the other letters1 which were in fact a 
diary of facts1 thoughts1 and           
impressions4   ',july #ab1 ,st4         
,stephen's1 ,mr4 ,kissling's            
,school-house4--,you know ,i am to live 
here when not on the ,southern ,cross1  
or journeying in the ,bush2 so ,i must  
describe1 first1 the place itself1 then 

my room in it4 ,the house is a large    
one-storied building of wood1 no        
staircase in it1 but only a succession  
of rooms4444 ,there are at present      
fourteen or sixteen girls in the school1
 boarding here1 besides ,rota1 who is a 
native deacon1 spending a month here2   
,levi1 who is preparing for ordination1 
and three other men4 ,the house stands  
on table-land about four hundred yards  
from the sea1 commanding glorious views 
of the harbour1 sea1 and islands1 which 
form groups close round the coast4 ,it  
is ,church property all round1 and the  
site of a future cathedral is within a  
stone's throw of it4444 ,now for my     
room4 ,plenty large enough to begin     
with1 not less than sixteen feet long by
 twelve wide1 and at least eleven high1 
all wood1 not papered or painted1 which 
,i like much1 as the kauri is a darkish 
grained wood2 no carpet of course1 but  
,i am writing now at #aj ,p4,m41 with no
 fire1 and quite warm4 ,the east side of
 the room is one great window1 latticed1

 in a wooden frame2 outside it a        
verandah1 and such a beautiful view of  
the harbour and bay beyond4 ,i will tell
 you exactly what ,i have done to-day   
since two o'clock1 as a sample of my    
life4  '#b ,p4,m41 dinner1 roast mutton2
 my seat between the ,bishop and ,eota4 
,fancy the long table with its double   
row of ,maoris4 ,after dinner1 away with
 the ,bishop to the hospital1 a plain   
wooden building a mile off1 capable of  
taking in about forty patients in all4  
,i am to visit it regularly when here1  
taking that work off the parish         
clergyman's shoulders1 and a great      
comfort it will be4 ,i went through it  
to-day1 and had a long talk with the    
physician and surgeon1 and saw the male 
patients1 two of them natives4 ,one of  
them is dying1 and so ,i am to be now   
talking as well as ,i can1 but at all   
events reading and praying1 with this   
poor fellow1 and a great happiness it is
 to have such a privilege and so on4    
,came back to tea1 very pleasant4 ,after

 tea made ,eota1 and ,sydney1 a         
young-man who knows ,english pretty     
well1 sit in my room 7,n4,b41 there is  
but one chair1 in which ,i placed       
,eota71 and then ,i made them read      
,maori to me1 and read a good deal      
myself1 and then we talked as well as we
 could4 ,at #f4ae1 prayers1 the whole   
party of ,maoris assembled4 ,mr4        
,kissling read the first verse of the   
chapter 7,joshua vi471 and we each read 
one verse in turn1 and then he          
questioned them for perhaps fifteen     
minutes4 ,they were very intelligent and
 answered well1 and it was striking to  
see grown-up men and young women sitting
 so patiently to be taught4 ,then the   
evening service prayers2 and so ,i knelt
 with these good simple people and      
prayed with them for the first time4    
,very much ,i enjoyed all this4 ,soon   
after came supper1 a little talking1 and
 now here am ,i writing to you4  ',i    
wish you could see the tree-ferns2 some 
are quite twenty feet high in the trunk1

 for trunk it is1 and the great broad   
frond waves over it in a way that would 
make that child ,pena clap her hands    
with delight4 ,then the geraniums and   
roses in blossom1 the yellow mimosa     
flower1 the wild moncha1 with a white   
flower1 growing everywhere1 and the     
great variety of evergreen trees 7none  
that ,i have seen being deciduous7 make 
the country very pretty4 ,the great bare
 volcanic hills1 each with its          
well-defined crater1 stand up from among
 the woodlands1 and now from among      
pastures grazing hundreds of oxen2 and  
this1 with the grand sea views1 and     
shipping in the harbour1 make a very    
fine sight4  ',july #ad4--;,i write     
to-night because you will like a line   
from me on the day when first ,i have in
 any way ministered to a native of the  
country4 ,i was in the hospital to-day1 
talked a little1 and read ,st4 ,luke xv4
 to one1 and prayed with another ,maori4
 ,the latter is dying4 ,he was baptized 
by the ,wesleyans1 but is not visited by

 them1 so ,i do not scruple to go to    
him4 ,rota1 the native deacon1 was with 
me1 and he talked a long while with the 
poor fellow4 ,it is a great comfort to  
me to have made a beginning4 ,i did     
little more than read a few prayers from
 the ,visitation ,service1 but the man  
understood me well1 so ,i may be of use1
 ,i hope4 ,he has never received the    
,lord's ,supper2 but if there is time to
 prepare him1 the ,bishop wishes me to  
administer it to him4  ',july           
#bj4--,yesterday in sailed the ,southern
 ,cross with not a spar carried away or 
sail lost1 perfectly sound1 and in a fit
 state to be off again at once4 ,she    
left ,england on the same day that we   
did1 and arrived just a fortnight after 
us1 and this is attributable to her     
having kept in low latitudes1 not going 
higher than #ci2 whereas we were in #ea 
#cj'1 which diminished the distance and 
brought us in the way of more favourable
 winds4 ,i saw from my windows about #i 
,a4,m4 a schooner in the distance1 and  

told the ,bishop ,i thought it might be 
the ,southern ,cross 7she has no        
figure-head and a very straight bow74   
,through the day1 which was very rainy1 
we kept looking from time to time       
through our glasses4 ,at #c ,p4,m4 the  
,bishop came in3 ,come along1 ,coley2 ,i
 do believe it is the ',southern        
,cross4' ,so ,i hurried on waterproofs1 
knowing that we were in for some        
mudlarking4 ,off we went1 lugged down a 
borrowed boat to the water1 tide being  
out4 ,i took one oar1 a ,maori another1 
and off we went1 ,bishop steering4      
,after twenty minutes' pull1 or         
thereabouts1 we met her1 jumped on      
board1 and then such a broadside of     
questions and answers4 ,they had a      
capital passage4 ,two men who were      
invalided when they started died on the 
voyage--one of dysentery1 ,i think--all 
the rest flourishing1 the three women   
respectable and tidy-looking            
individuals1 and two children very well4
 ,after a while the ,bishop and ,i went 

off to shore1 in one of his boats1      
pulled by two of the crew1 ,lowestoft   
fishermen1 fine young fellows as you    
ever saw4 ,then we bought fresh meat1   
onions1 bread1 etc41 for them1 and so   
home by #g ,p4,m4 ,mudlarking very      
slight on this occasion1 only walking   
over the flat swamp of low-water marsh  
for a quarter of a mile2 but on ,tuesday
 we had a rich scene4 ,bishop and ,i    
went to the ,duke of ,portland and      
brought off the rest of our things2 but 
it was low-water1 so the boats could not
 come within a long way of the beach1   
and the custom is for carts to go over  
the muddy sand1 which is tolerably hard1
 as far into the water as they can1     
perhaps two and a half or three feet    
deep when it is quite calm1 as it was on
 ,tuesday4 ,well1 in went our cart1     
which had come from the ,college1 with  
three valuable horses1 while the ,bishop
 and ,i stood on the edge of the water4 
,presently one of the horses lost his   
footing1 and then all at once all three 

slipped up1 and the danger was of their 
struggling violently and hurting        
themselves4 ,one of those in the shafts 
had his head under water1 too1 for a    
time4 ,instanter ,bishop and ,i had our 
coats off1 my trousers were rolled over 
my knees1 and in we rushed to the       
horses4 ,such a plunging and splashing6 
but they were all got up safe4 ,this was
 about #d ,p4,m41 and ,i was busy about 
the packages and getting them into the  
carts1 unloading at ,mr4 ,kissling's    
till past #h2 but ,i did not catch cold4
 ,imagine an ,english ,bishop with      
attending parson cutting into the water 
up to their knees to disentangle their  
cart-horses from the harness in full    
view of every person on the beach4 ,this
 is your first lesson in mudlarking1    
,coley1 was the remark of the ,bishop as
 we laughed over our respective         
appearance4  ',july #ba4--;,i was       
finishing my sermon for the soldiers    
to-morrow at #aa4cj1 when ,mr4 ,kissling
 came in to say that the schooner just  

come into the harbour was the vessel    
which had been sent to bring ,mr4 and   
,mrs4 ,nihill from ,nengone or ,mare    
,island4 ,he was in very bad health when
 he went there1 and great doubts were   
entertained as to his coming back4 ,i   
was deputed to go and see4 ,i ran a good
 part of the way to the town on to the  
pier1 and there heard that ,mr4 ,nihill 
was dead4 ,an old acquaintance of ,mrs4 
,nihill was on the pier1 so ,i thought  
,i should be in the way1 and came back1 
told ,mrs4 ,kissling1 and went on to the
 ,judge's1 and told ,mrs4 ,martin and   
,mrs4 ,selwyn4 ,whilst there we saw a   
boat land a young lady and child on the 
beach just below the house1 and they    
sent me down4 ,pouring with rain here on
 the beach1 taking shelter in a         
boat-house with her brother1 ,i found   
this poor young widow2 and so1 leaning  
on my arm1 she walked up to the house4  
,i just waited to see ,mrs4 ,selwyn     
throw her arms round her neck1 and then 
walked straight off1 feeling that the   

furious rain and wind chimed in with a  
violent struggle which was just going on
 in my own mind4 ,i go through such     
scenes firmly enough at the time1 but   
when my part is over ,i feel just like a
 child1 and ,i found the tears in my    
eyes2 for the universal sympathy which  
has been expressed by everyone here for 
the lonely situation of the ,nihills at 
,nengone made me feel almost a personal 
interest in them4 ,he was a good        
linguist1 and his loss will be severely 
felt by the ,bishop4  ',august #ad4--;,i
 marked out to-day some pretty places   
for the two wooden houses for the       
,southern ,cross sailors at ,kohimarama 
7,focus of ,light71 a quiet retired     
spot1 with a beautiful sparkling beach1 
the schooner lying just outside the     
little bay a third of a mile off4 ,forty
 or fifty acres of flat pasturage1 but  
only sixteen properly cleared1 and then 
an amphitheatre of low hills1 covered   
with ,new ,zealand vegetation4 ,i passed
 fine ferns to-day quite thirty feet in 

the stem1 with great spreading-fronds1  
like branches of the ,norfolk ,island   
pine almost4  ',on the #agth of ,august 
came the welcome mail from home4 ,oh    
what a delight it is to see your dear   
handwriting again6 is the cry in the    
reply4 ,father's ,i opened first1 and   
read his letter1 stopping often with    
tears of thankfulness in my eyes to     
thank ,god for enabling him not to be   
over-anxious about me1 and for the      
blessing of knowing that he was as well 
as usual1 and also because his work1 so 
distasteful to him1 was drawing to a    
close4 ,then ,i read ,fan's1 for ,i had 
a secret feeling that ,i should hear    
most from her about ,alfington4'  ,on   
the evening of that day he wrote to     
,fanny4 ,in answer to the expression of 
the pain1 of separation1 he says3--     
',there is ,one above who knows what a  
trial it is to you4 ,for myself1 hard as
 it is1 and almost too hard sometimes1  
yet ,i have relief in the variety and   
unceasing-multiplicity of my            

occupations4 ,not a moment of any day   
can ,i be said to be idle4 ,literally1  
,i have not yet had a minute to untie my
 ,guardians2 but for you1 with more time
 for meditating1 with no change of      
scene1 with every object that meets you 
at home and in your daily walks         
reminding you of me1 it must indeed be  
such a trial as angels love to look upon
 when it is borne patiently1 and with a 
perfect assurance that ,god is ordering 
all things for our good2 and so let us  
struggle on to the end4 ,all good powers
 are on our side1 and we shall meet by  
the infinite mercy one day when there   
shall be no separation for ever4  ',i   
read on in your letter till ,i came to  
,dear ,coley1 it is very hard to live   
without you1--and ,i broke down and     
cried like a child4 ,i was quite alone  
out in the fields on a glorious bright  
day1 and it was the relief ,i had longed
 for4 ,the few simple words told me the 
whole story1 and ,i prayed with my whole
 heart that you might find strength in  

the hour of sadness4 ,do 7as you say you
 do7 let your natural feelings work2 do 
not force yourself to appear calm1 do   
not get excited if you can help it2 but 
if your mind is oppressed with the      
thought of my absence1 do not try to    
drive it away by talking about something
 else1 or taking up a book1 etc42 follow
 it out1 see what it ends in1 trace out 
the spiritual help and comfort which    
have already1 it may be1 resulted from  
it1 the growth of dependence upon ,god  
above2 meditate upon the real idea of   
separation1 and think of ,mamma and     
,uncle ,frank4'   ',august #bf1 #ahee1  
#aj4dj ,p4,m43 ,s4 ,stephen's1          
,auckland4 ',my dear ,arthur1--,i am    
tired with my ,sunday work1 which is    
heavy in a colony1 but ,i just begin my 
note on the anniversary of your dear1   
dear father's death4 ,how vividly ,i    
remember all the circumstances of the   
last ten days--the peaceful1 holy1 happy
 close of a pure and well-spent life6 ,i
 do so think of him1 not a day passing  

without my mind dwelling on him2 ,i love
 to find myself calling up the image of 
his dear face1 and my heart is very full
 when ,i recollect all his love for me1 
and the many1 many tokens of affection  
which he used to pour out from his warm1
 generous1 loving heart4 ,i can hardly  
tell you what an indescribable comfort  
it is to me now ,i think of these       
things1 cut off from the society and    
sympathy of friends and the associations
 of home2 the memory is very active in  
recalling such scenes1 and ,i almost    
live in them again4 ,i have very little 
time for indulging in fancies of any    
kind now2 ,i begin to get an idea of    
what work is2 but in my walks or at     
night 7if ,i am awake71 ,i think of dear
 ,mamma and your dear father1 and others
 who are gone before1 with unmixed joy  
and comfort4 ,you may be quite sure that
 ,i am not likely to forget anybody or  
anything connected with home4 ,how ,i do
 watch and follow them through the hours
 of the day or night when we are both   

awake and at our work6 ,i turn out at   
#f4de1 and think of them at dinner or   
tea2 at #aj1 ,i think of them at evening
 prayers2 and by my own bed-time they   
are in morning church or busied about   
their different occupations1 and ,i     
fancy ,i can almost see them4  ',so it  
goes on1 and still ,i am calm and happy 
and very well2 and ,i think ,i am in my 
place and hope to be made of some use   
some day4 ,i like the natives in this   
school very much4 ,the regular wild     
untamed fellow is not so pleasant at    
first--dirty1 unclothed1 always smoking1
 a mass of blankets1 his wigwam sort of 
place filthy2 his food ditto2 but then  
he is probably intelligent1 hospitable1 
and not insensible to the advantage of  
hearing about religion4 ,it only wants a
 little practice to overcome one's      
,english feelings about dress1          
civilisation1 etc41 and that will soon  
come4  ',but here the men are nice      
fellows1 and the women and girls make   
capital servants2 and so whereas many of

 the clergy and gentry do not keep a    
servant 7wages being enormous71 and     
ladies like your sisters and mine do the
 whole work of the housemaid1           
nursery-maid1 and cook 7which ,i have   
seen and chatted about with them71 ,i1  
on the contrary1 by ,miss ,maria 7a     
wondrous curly-headed1 black-eyed ,maori
 damsel1 arrayed in a smock1 weiter     
nichts71 have my room swept1 bed made1  
tub--yes1 even in ,new ,zealand--daily  
filled and emptied1 and indeed all the  
establishment will do anything for me4  
,i did not care about it1 as ,i did all 
for myself aboard ship2 but still ,i    
take it with a very good grace4  ',in   
about six weeks ,i expect we shall sail 
all round the ,english settlement of    
,new ,zealand1 and go to ,chatham       
,island4 ,this will occupy about three  
months1 and the voyage will be about    
#d1jjj miles4 ,then we start at once1   
upon our return1 for four months in the 
,bush1 among the native villages1 on    
foot4 ,then1 once again taking ship1    

away for ,melanesia4 ,so that1 once off1
 ,i shall be roving about for nearly a  
year1 and shall1 if all goes well1 begin
 the really missionary life4  ',it is   
late1 and the post goes to morrow4      
,good-bye1 my dear ,arthur2 write when  
you can4  ',ever your affectionate  ',j4
 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ',august #bg4--;,i  
have just been interrupted by ,mrs4     
,kissling1 who came to ask me to baptize
 privately the young son of poor ,eota1 
the native deacon1 and his wife ,terena4
 ,poor fellow6 ,this child was born two 
or three days after he left this place  
for ,taranaki with the ,bishop1 so he   
has not seen his son as yet4 ,he has one
 boy about four1 and has lost three or  
four others2 and now this little one1   
about three weeks old1 seems to be      
dying4 ,i was almost glad that the first
 time ,i baptized a native child1 using 
the native language1 should be on ,fan's
 birthday4 ,it was striking to see the  
unaffected sympathy of the natives here4
 ,the poor mother came with the child in

 her arms to the large room4 ,a table   
with a white cloth in the centre1 and   
nearly the whole establishment          
assembled4 ,i doubt if you would have   
seen in ,england grown-up men and women 
more thoroughly in earnest4 ,it was the 
most comforting private baptism ,i ever 
witnessed4  ',henri has been for an hour
 or more this morning asking me         
questions which you would seldom hear   
from farmers or tradesmen at home1      
showing a real acquaintance with the    
,bible1 and such a desire1 hunger and   
thirst1 for knowledge4 ,what was the    
manna in the wilderness8 he began4 ,he  
thought it was food that angels actually
 lived upon1 and quoted the verse in the
 ,psalm readily1 ,so man did eat angel's
 food4 ,so ,i took him into the whole   
question of the spiritual body2 the     
various passages1 meats for the belly1  
etc41 our ,lord's answer to the         
,sadducees1 and so on to #a ,cor4 xv4   
,very interesting to watch the          
earnestness of the man and his real     

pleasure in assenting to the general    
conclusion expressed in #a ,john iii4 #b
 concerning our ignorance of what we    
shall be1 not implying want of power on 
,god's part to explain1 but ,his divine 
will in not withdrawing the veil wholly 
from so great a mystery4 ,e marama ana1 
7,i see it clearly now73 ,he mea ngaro6 
7a mystery74 ,his mind had wholly passed
 from the carnal material view of life  
in heaven1 and the idea of food for the 
support of the spiritual body1 and the  
capacity for receiving the higher truths
 7as it were7 of ,christianity showed   
itself more clearly in the young ,new   
,zealander than you would find perhaps  
in the whole extent of a country parish4
 ,i think that when ,i know the language
 well enough to catechize freely1 it    
will be far more interesting1 and ,i    
shall have a far more intelligent set of
 catechumens1 than in ,england4 ,they   
seem especially fond of it1 ask         
questions constantly1 and will get to   
the bottom of the thing1 and when the   

catechist is up to the mark and quick   
and wily in both question and           
illustration1 they get so eager and     
animated1 all answering together1       
quoting texts1 etc4 ,i think that their 
knowledge of the ,bible is in some sense
 attributable to its being almost the   
only book printed that they care much   
about4'  ,the #aath of ,september       
produced another long letter full of    
home feeling1 drawn forth in response to
 his sister4 ,here are some extracts3-- 
',sometimes ,i cannot help wishing that 
,i could say all this1 but not often4   
,there is ,one who understands1 and in  
really great trials even1 it is well to 
lean only on ,him4 ,but ,i must write   
freely4 ,you will not think me moody and
 downhearted1 because ,i show you that  
,i do miss you1 and often feel lonely   
and shut up in myself4 ,this is exactly 
what ,i experience1 and ,i think if ,i  
was ill1 as you often are1 ,i should    
break down under it2 but ,god is very   
merciful to me in keeping me in very    

good health1 so that ,i am always       
actively engaged every day1 and when    
night comes ,i am weary in body1 and    
sleep sound almost always1 so that the  
time passes very rapidly indeed1 and ,i 
am living in a kind of dream1 hardly    
realizing the fact of my being at half  
the world's distance from you1 but borne
 on from day to day1 ,i scarcely know   
how4 ,indeed1 when ,i do look back upon 
the past six months1 ,i have abundant   
cause to be thankful4 ,i never perhaps  
shall know fully how it is1 but somehow1
 as a matter of fact1 ,i am on the whole
 cheerful1 and always busy and calm in  
mind4 ,i don't have tumultuous bursts of
 feeling and overwhelming floods of     
recollection that sweep right away all  
composure4 ,your first letters upset me 
more than once as ,i re-read them1 but  
,i think of you all habitually with real
 joy and peace of mind4 ,and ,i am      
really happy1 not in the sense that     
happiness presents itself always1 or    
exactly in the way that ,i used to feel 

it when with you all1 or as ,i should   
feel it if ,i were walking up to the    
lodge with my whole heart swelling      
within me4 ,it is much more quiet and   
subdued1 and does not perhaps come and  
go quite as much2 but yet in the midst  
of all1 ,i half doubt sometimes whether 
everything about and within me is real4 
,i just move on like a man in a dream1  
but this again does not make me idle4 ,i
 don't suppose ,i ever worked harder1 on
 the whole1 than ,i do now1 and ,i have 
much anxious work at the ,hospital4     
,such cases1 ,fan6 ,only two hours ago1 
,i left a poor sailor1 by whose side ,i 
had been kneeling near three-quarters of
 an hour1 holding his sinking head and  
moistening his mouth with wine1 the dews
 of death on his forehead1 and his poor 
emaciated frame heaving like one great  
pulse at each breath4 ,for four days    
that he has been there 7brought in a    
dying state from the ,merchantman7 ,i   
have been with him1 and yesterday ,i    
administered to him the ,holy           

,communion4 ,he had spoken earnestly of 
his real desire to testify the sincerity
 of his repentance and faith and love4  
,i have been there daily for nine days1 
but ,i cannot always manage it1 as it is
 nearly two miles off4 ,the             
responsibility is great of dealing with 
such cases1 but ,i trust that ,god will 
pardon all my sad mistakes4 ,i cannot   
withhold the ,bread of ,life when ,i see
 indications of real sorrow for sin1 and
 the simple readiness to obey the       
command of ,christ1 even though there is
 great ignorance and but little time to 
train a soul for heaven4 ,i cannot1 as  
you may suppose1 prepare for my ,sunday 
work as ,i ought to do1 from want of    
time4 ,last ,sunday ,i had three whole  
services1 besides reading the ,communion
 ,service and preaching at #aa ,a4,m41  
and reading ,prayers at #e ,p4,m4 ,i    
should have preached five times but that
 ,i left my sermon at ,mr4 ,t4's1       
thinking to go back for it4444 ,mrs4 ,k4
 gave me an old ,woolmer the other day1 

which gladdened my eyes4 ,little bits of
 comfort come in1 you see1 in these     
ways4 ,nothing can be kinder than the   
people here1 ,i mean in ,auckland and   
its neighbourhood--real1 simple1 hearty 
kindness4 ,perhaps the work at          
,kohimarama is most irksome to me4 ,it  
is no joke to keep sailors in good      
humour ashore1 and ,i fear that our     
presence on board was much needed during
 the passage out4'  ,with reference to  
his sister's reading1 he                
continues3--',take care of ,maurice1    
,fan2 ,i do not think it too much to say
 that he is simply and plainly unsound  
on the doctrine of the ,atonement2 ,i   
don't charge him with heresy from his   
stand-point1 but remember that you have 
not been brought into contact with      
,quakers1 ,socinians1 c41 and that he   
may conceive of a way of reconciling    
metaphysically difficulties which a far 
inferior but less inquisitive and       
vorsehender geist pronounces for itself 
simply contrary to the word of ,god4    

,there are two ,greek prepositions which
 contain the gist of the whole matter1  
huper1 in behalf of1 and anti1 instead  
of1 in the place of4 ,maurice's doctrine
 goes far to do away with the truth of  
the last1 as applied to the ,sacrifice  
of ,christ4 ,i have an exceedingly high 
regard for him1 and respect for his     
goodness no less than his ability4 ,his 
position has exposed him to very great  
difficulties1 and therefore1 if he is   
decidedly wrong1 it is not for us to    
judge him4 ,read his ,kingdom of        
,christ1 and his early books2 but he is 
on very slippery and dangerous ground   
now4 ,it is indeed a great and noble    
task to propose to oneself1 viz4--to    
teach that ,god is our ,father1 and to  
expose the false and most unhappy idea  
that has at times prevailed of          
representing ,god as actuated by strong 
indignation1 resentment1 c41 against the
 human race1 so that men turned from    
,him as from some fearful avenging      
power4 ,this is the worst form of       

,anthropomorphism1 but this is not the  
,scriptural idea of a just ,god4 ,we    
cannot1 perhaps1 conceive of absolute   
justice2 certainly we are no judges of  
,god's own revealed scheme of           
reconciling ,justice with ,law1 and so  
,i call ,maurice's1 to a certain extent1
 human teaching1 more philosophy than   
religion1 more metaphysics than         
revelation4'  ,on the #bbnd the         
,ordination took place1 and the second  
,maori deacon was ordained1 ,levi 7or   
according to ,maori pronunciation1      
,eivata7 ,ahea1 a man of about          
thirty-eight1 whose character had long  
been tested4 ,immediately after1 the    
,bishop1 ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 ,mr4 ,patteson1 
and the new deacon1 set forth on a      
coasting expedition in the new vessel4  
,the language of the journal becomes    
nautical1 and strong in praise of the   
conduct of the little ship1 which took  
the party first to ,nelson1 where       
,sunday1 the #gth of ,october1 was      
spent1 the ,bishop going ashore while   

,patteson held a service for the sailors
 on board1 first going round to the     
vessels anchored in the harbour to      
invite the men's attendance1 but without
 much success4 ,on the #ajth he wrote3--
  ',already ,i feel to a certain extent 
naturalized4 ,i do not think ,i should  
despair of qualifying myself in three   
months for the charge of a native       
parish4 ,i don't mean that ,i know the  
niceties of the language so as to speak 
it always correctly1 but ,i should be   
able to communicate with them on        
ordinary subjects1 and to preach and    
catechize4 ,but1 after all1 ,melanesia  
is becoming more and more a substantial 
reality4'  ,the history of ,bishop      
,selwyn's visitation hardly belongs to  
,patteson's life2 but after one ,sunday 
morning's ministration at ,queen        
,charlotte's ,sound1 ,patteson was thus 
entreated3 ',at #b4cj ,i was on shore   
again1 and soon surrounded by some      
thirty or forty natives1 with whom ,i   
talked a long while about the prospect  

of a clergyman being settled among them4
 ,we want you6 ,you speak so plainly1 we
 can understand you6  ',no1 ,i am going 
to the islands1 to the blacks there4    
7,n4,b4 ,the ,maoris speak of the       
,blacks with a little touch of          
contempt47  ',you are wanted here6      
,never mind the blacks6  ',ought not the
 ,gospel to be preached to them1 too8   
,they have no teacher4 ,is it not right 
they should be taught as you have been8 
',ke rae tika ana4 ,yes1 yes1 that is   
right6'  ,the settlements1 then new1 of 
,canterbury and ,dunedin were visited1  
and then1 the ,bishop remaining on shore
 on other work1 the ',southern ,cross'  
started for the ,chatham ,isles1 gaining
 high commendation for all the good     
qualities of which a schooner could be  
supposed capable4  ',it was pretty to   
see the little1 vessel running away from
 the great broad-backed rollers which   
rolled over the shore far above4 ,every 
now and then she shipped a sea1 and once
 her deck was quite full of water1 up to

 the gunwale nearly4' ,and as for her   
future skipper1 he says1 ',i had plenty 
of work at navigation4 ,it really is    
very puzzling at first2 so much to      
remember--currents1 compass1 variation1 
sun's declination1 equation of time1 lee
 way1 c4 ,but ,i think ,i have done my  
work pretty well up to now1 and of      
course it is a great pleasure as well as
 a considerable advantage to be able to 
give out the true and magnetic course of
 the ship1 and to be able from day to   
day to give out her position4'  ,the    
,chatham ,islands are dependencies of   
,new ,zealand1 inhabited by ,maoris1 and
 as it has fallen to the lot of few to  
visit them1 here is this extract        
concerning them3--  ',i buried a man    
there1 a retired sea captain who had    
spent some twenty years of his life in  
,china1 and his widow was a ,chinese    
woman1 a little dot of a thing1 rather  
nice-looking4 ,she spoke a little       
,english and more ,maori4 ,we walked    
through the ,pa to the burial-ground1   

some twenty natives all dressed in      
black1 i4e4 something black about them1 
and many in a good suit1 attending the  
funeral4 ,levi had spent the day before 
7,sunday7 with them and had told them   
about me4 ,as ,i approached the ,pa     
before the funeral they all raised the  
native cry of welcome1 the ,tangi4 ,i   
advanced1 speaking to them collectively1
 and then went through the ceremony of  
shaking hands with each one in order as 
they stood in a row1 saying something1  
if ,i could think of it1 to each4 ,after
 the funeral they all 7according to     
native custom7 sat down in the open air1
 round a large cloth on the ground1 on  
which were spread tins of potatoes1     
fish1 pork1 c4 ,the leader came to me   
and said1 ,this is the ,maori fashion4  
,come1 my friend1 and sit with us1 and  
deposited three bottles of beer at my   
feet1 while provisions enough for ,dan  
,lambert were stored around--a sort of  
,homeric way of honouring me1 and       
perhaps they made a ,benjamin of me4    

,however1 ,i had already eaten a mouldy 
biscuit and had a glass of beer at the  
house of the ,chinawoman1 so ,i only    
said grace for them1 and after talking a
 little while1 ,i shook hands all round 
and went off4 ,their hands1 being used  
as knives and forks1 were not a little  
greasy2 but of course one does not think
 of that4  ,as ,i passed the end of the 
,pa ,i heard a cry1 and saw a very old  
man with a perfectly white beard1 too   
old to come to the feast1 who had       
crawled out of his hut to see me4 ,he   
had nothing on but a blanket1 and ,i was
 sorry ,i had not known of his being    
there1 that ,i might have gone to the   
old gentleman1 so we talked and shook   
hands1 and ,i set off for my eight miles
 walk back4 ,the whole island is one    
vast peat field1 in many places below in
 a state of ignition2 then the earth    
crumbles away below and pits are formed1
 rank with vegetation1 splendid soil for
 potatoes4'  ,christmas-day was spent at
 ,wellington1 in services on shore1 the 

,christmas dinner eaten on board1 but   
the evening spent at the ,governor's in 
blind man's buff and other games with   
the children1 then evening prayers on   
board for the crew4 ,the stay at        
,wellington was altogether enjoyable1   
and it ended by ,mr4 ,patteson taking   
the command of the vessel1 and returning
 with ,mrs4 ,selwyn to ,auckland1 while 
the ,bishop pursued his journey by land1
 no small proof of the confidence       
inspired by so recent a mariner4 ,he was
 sorry to lose the sight of the further 
visitation1 and in his ,new ,year's     
letter of #ahef1 written soon after     
receiving a budget from home1 there is  
one little touch of home sickness3--    
',really it is a fine land1 with        
wonderful facilities for large          
manufacturing1 commercial1 and          
agricultural interests2 worth visiting1 
too1 merely for the scenery1 but somehow
 enjoying scenery depends a good deal   
upon having one's own friends to enjoy  
it with4 ,one thing ,i do enjoy         

thoroughly1 and that is the splendid    
sunsets4 ,i don't remember anywhere to  
have seen such fine soft golden sunsets2
 and they are not wanting in variety1   
for occasionally he goes to bed among   
red and crimson and purple clouds1 with 
wild scuds flying above1 which suggest  
to me the propriety of turning up my bed
 and looking out for a good roll in the 
night4 ,but there is certainly a        
peculiar transparency in the air which  
makes the distances look distant        
indeed4'  ,this trip1 so cheerfully     
described1 was rather a pull on the     
frame which had yet to become seasoned  
to the heat of the southern midsummer1  
and there was a languor about the       
outward man1 the last remnant of the    
original sluggishness1 which1 if ever a 
doubt arose of the fitness of the       
instrument for the work1 awoke it during
 the voyage4 ,there was depression      
likewise1 in part1 no doubt1 from the   
spending the first ,christmas away from 
home and friends1 and partly from a     

secret disappointment at the arrangement
 which made him for a time              
acting-master1 not to say steward1 of   
the ship1 so that he had to live on     
board of her1 and make himself useful on
 ,sundays1 according to need1 in the    
churches on shore1 a desultory life very
 trying to him1 but which he bore with  
his usual quiet determination to do     
obediently and faithfully the duty laid 
on him1 without picking or choosing4    
,the journal-letters continue on the    
#agth of ,january3 ',wrote a ,maori     
sermon this morning1 not feeling able   
yet to preach extempore in the native   
language1 though it is much better to do
 so as soon as ,i can4 ,now ,i must     
stick to the vessel again4 ,i have been 
quite frisky1 really1 for two days past1
 and have actually slept on shore1 the  
fourth time since ,september #bd4 ,the  
sensation is exceedingly pleasant of    
firm ground underneath and clean water1 
a basin1 c41 to wash in4 ,and yet ,i    
almost like coming back to my ship home3

 it is really very comfortable1 and you 
know ,i always liked being a good deal  
alone4 ,i am reading1 for lightish      
reading1 the first part of the third    
volume of ,neander's ,church ,history1  
which is all about ,missions4 ,it is the
 fifth volume in the way his works are  
usually bound up1 and came out in this  
box the other day4 ,it is very          
interesting1 especially to me now1 and  
it is curious to observe how much the   
great men insisted upon the necessity of
 attending to the more secular part of  
missionary work1--agriculture1 fishing1 
and other means of humanizing the social
 condition of the heathen among whom    
they lived4 ,columbanus and ,boniface1  
and his pupil ,gregory1 and others 7all 
the ,german ,missionaries1 almost7 just 
went on the plan the ,bishop wants to   
work out here4  '#b4 ,p4,m4 ,i am off to
 ,otaki to see my native parishioners4  
,what different work from calling in at 
,s4 ,w4's and other good ,alfingtonians6
 ,the walk will be pleasant1 especially 

as ,i have been grinding away at        
navigation all the morning4 ,my stupid  
head gets puzzled at that kind of work2 
and yet it is very good for me1 just    
because it requires accuracy4  '#bith4  
,just as ,i am beginning to get some    
hold of the ,maori1 so as to make real  
use of it1 the ,island languages are    
beginning to come into work4 ,i have a  
curious collection here now--some given 
by the ,judge1 who is a great           
philologist1 others belonging to the    
,bishop--a ,,ms4 grammar here1 one      
chapter of ,st4 ,mark in another        
language1 four ,gospels in a third1 a   
few chapters of ,kings with the ,lord's 
,prayer in a fourth1 besides ,marsden's 
,malay grammar and lexicon4 ,mrs4       
,nihill has given me some few sheets of 
the ,nengone language1 and also lent me 
her husband's ,,ms4 grammar4 ,one       
letter1 written 7--721 but pronounced a 
sort of rg in the throat1 yet not like  
an ordinary guttural1 she declares took 
two years to learn4 ,you may fancy ,i   

have enough to do1 and then all my      
housekeeping affairs take up a deal of  
time1 for ,i not only have to order     
things1 but to weigh them out1 help to  
cut out and weigh the meat1 c41 and am  
quite learned in the mysteries of the   
store-room1 which to be sure is a       
curious place on board ship4 ,i hope you
 are well suited with a housekeeper3 if 
,i were at home ,i could fearlessly     
advertise for such a situation4 ,i have 
passed through the preliminary steps of 
housemaid and scullerymaid1 and now1    
having taken to serving out stores1 am  
quite qualified for the post1 especially
 after my last performance of making    
bread1 and even a cake4'  ,this seems to
 be the right place for the description 
which the wife of ,chief ,justice       
,martin gives of ,mr4 ,patteson at this 
period4 ,the first meeting1 she says1   
'was the beginning of an intimate       
friendship1 which has been one of the   
great blessings of our lives4 ,after a  
short stay at ,st4 ,john's ,college1 he 

came into residence at ,st4 ,stephen's  
native institution1 of which ,archdeacon
 ,kissling was then the ,principal4 ,he 
learned rapidly to read and speak       
,maori1 and won all hearts there by his 
gentle unassuming manners4 ,my husband  
was at that time a great invalid1 and as
 our dear friend was living within five 
minutes' walk of our house he came in   
whenever he had a spare half-hour4 ,he  
used to bring ,archer ,butler's sermons 
to read with us1 and ,i well remember   
the pleasant talks that ensued4 ,the two
 minds were drawn together by common    
tasks and habits of thought4 ,both had  
great facility in acquiring languages1  
and interest in all questions of        
philology4 ,both were also readers of   
,german writers on ,church history and  
of critical interpretation of the ,new  
,testament1 and ,i think it was a help  
to the younger man to be able to discuss
 these and kindred subjects with an     
older and more trained mind4 ,i had     
heard much of our dear friend before he 

arrived1 and ,i remember feeling a      
little disappointed at first1 though    
much drawn to him by his gentle         
affectionate thoughtfulness and         
goodness4 ,he said little about his     
future work4 ,he had come obedient to   
the call and was quietly waiting to do  
whatever should be set him to do4 ,as my
 husband a few months later told ,sir   
,john ,patteson1 there was no sudden    
flame of enthusiasm which would die     
down1 but a steady fire which would go  
on burning4 ,to me he talked much of his
 home4 ,he used to walk beside my pony1 
and tell me about his dear father--how  
lovingly his voice used to linger over  
those words6--of the struggle it had    
been to leave him1 of the dreariness of 
the day of embarkation4 ,years after he 
could hardly bear to recall it to mind4 
,i remember his bright look the first   
day it became certain that we must visit
 ,england4 ,why1 then you will see my   
dear father1 and tell him all about me6 
,i knew all his people quite well       

before1 and when ,i went to visit his   
little parish of ,alfington ,i seemed to
 recognise each cottage and its humble  
inmates1 so faithfully had he described 
his old people and haunts4  ',one thing 
that specially impressed me was his     
reverent appreciation of the good he had
 gained from older friends4 ,he         
certainly had not imbibed any of the    
indifference to the opinion of elders   
ascribed to the youth of this           
generation4 ,dear old tutor1 his uncles1
 ,sir ,john ,coleridge and ,dr4         
,coleridge1 to whom he looked up with   
almost filial reverence1 the beloved    
,uncle ,frank1 whose holy life and death
 he dwelt on with a sort of awe1 how    
gratefully and humbly he spoke of the   
help he had got from them6 ,he was full 
of enthusiasm about music1 painting1 and
 art in general4 ,he would flow on to   
willing listeners of ,mendelssohn and   
other great composers1 and when he found
 that we hoped to visit ,italy he was   
just as eager about pictures4 ,he owned 

that both at ,dresden and at ,rome he   
had weakened his eyes by constant study 
of his favourite masters4  ',altogether 
he gave me the impression of having had 
a very happy youth and having enjoyed it
 thoroughly4 ,his ,eton and ,oxford     
life1 the society of men of thought at  
his father's house1 home interests1     
foreign travel1 art1 happy days with his
 brother ,jem in the ,tyrol1 were all   
entertained as pleasant memories1 and   
yet he was able without conscious effort
 or struggle to put them all aside for  
his work's sake4  ',the ,bishop kindly  
gave us a passage to ,wellington in the 
,southern ,cross1 and ,mr4 ,patteson    
went with us in charge of the vessel4   
,we were five days at sea4 ,i used to   
lie on the deck1 and watch with amused  
interest the struggle going on between  
his student habits and his practical    
duties1 which were peculiarly           
distasteful to him4 ,he was never quite 
well at sea1 but was headachy and       
uncomfortable4 ,he was scrupulously neat

 and clean1 and the dirt and stiffness  
displeased him--how much we never knew1 
till he spoke out one day when very ill 
at our house in #ahgj4 ,he was not apt  
at teaching1 but he used conscientiously
 to hear a young lad spell and read     
daily4 ,he would come up with some book 
of thought in his hand1 and seemed      
buried in it1 till he suddenly would    
remember he ought to be directing or    
overlooking in some way4 ,this would    
happen half a dozen times in an         
afternoon4  ',he shrank at this time    
from finding fault4 ,it was a positive  
distress to him4 ,at ,wellington we     
parted4 ,he seemed a little depressed1  
,i remember1 as to what use he would be4
 ,i said3 ,why1 you will be the son     
,timothy6 ,this was after some years of 
partially failing health1 when these    
feelings had become habitual4 ,i do not 
think they existed in his earlier       
voyages so long waited for4 ,his face   
brightened up at the thought4 ,yes1 if  
,i can release the ,bishop of some of   

his anxieties1 that will be enough4'    
,no doubt he was depressed at parting   
with the ,chief ,justice and ,mrs4      
,martin1 who were thoroughly home-like  
friends1 and whose return was then      
uncertain4 ,his success as a sea-captain
 however encouraged him1 and he wrote as
 follows on his return3--               
',kohimarama3 ,march #f1 #ahef4         
,southern ,cross4  ',my dear ,miss      
,neill1--,how kind of you to write to   
me1 and such a nice long letter4 ,it    
cost you a great effort1 ,i am sure1 and
 much pain1 ,i fear2 but ,i know it was 
a comfort to you that it was written1   
and indeed it was a great happiness to  
me to read it4 ,oh1 these letters6 ,the 
intense enjoyment of hearing about you  
all at home1 ,i know no pleasure like it
 now4 ,fond as ,i always was of reading 
letters and papers1 the real happiness  
of a mail from ,england now is quite    
beyond the conception of any but a      
wanderer in foreign parts4 ,our mail    
went out yesterday at #b ,p4,m41 rather 

unluckily for me1 as ,i only returned   
from a very rapid and prosperous voyage 
to ,wellington yesterday morning4  ',i  
took the ,chief ,justice and ,mrs4      
,martin 7such dear1 excellent people7 to
 ,wellington to meet the ,seringa-patam1
 homeward bound from that port2 and ,i  
brought back from ,wellington the       
,governor's sick wife and suite4 ,only  
absent a fortnight for a voyage of      
#a1ajj miles1 including three days' stay
 at ,wellington4 ,the coast of ,new     
,zealand is so uncertain1 and the       
corners so many in coasting from        
,auckland to ,wellington1 that the usual
 passage occupies seven or eight days2  
and when the ,southern ,cross appeared  
yesterday morning in harbour1 ,i was    
told by several of the officers and     
other residents that they feared we had 
put back from foul weather1 or because  
the ,judge could not bear the motion of 
the vessel4 ,they scarcely thought we   
could actually have been to ,wellington 
and returned4  ',most thankful am ,i for

 such a fine passage1 for ,i had two    
sets of invalids1 the ,judge being only 
now 7as we trust7 recovering from a     
severe illness1 and ,mrs4 ,martin very  
weakly2 and ,i felt the responsibility  
of having the charge of them very much4 
,this was my second trip as ,commodore1 
the ,bishop still being on his land     
journey2 but we expect him in ,auckland 
at the end of the month4 ,as you may    
suppose1 ,i am getting on with my       
navigation1 take sights1 of course1 and 
work out errors of watches1 place of    
ship1 c42 it is pretty and interesting  
work1 and though you know well enough   
that ,i have no turn for mathematics1   
yet this kind of thing is rendered so   
easy nowadays by the tables that are    
constructed for nautical purposes1 that 
,i do not think ,i should feel afraid of
 navigating a ship at all4 ,the         
seamanship is another thing1 and that   
the master of the ship is responsible   
for4444 ,you ask me1 dear ,miss ,neill1 
where ,i am settled4 ,why1 settled1 ,i  

suppose ,i am never to be3 ,i am a      
missionary1 you know1 not a stationary4 
,but1 however1 my home is the ,southern 
,cross1 where ,i live always in harbour 
as well as at sea1 highly compassionated
 by all my good friends here1 from the  
,governor downwards1 and highly         
contented myself with the sole          
possession of a cosy little cabin nicely
 furnished with table1 lots of books1   
and my dear father's photograph1 which  
is an invaluable treasure and comfort to
 me4 ,in harbour ,i live in the cabin4  
,it is hung round with barometers       
7aneroids71 sympie-someters1 fixed chest
 for chronometers1 charts1 c4 ,of       
course1 wherever the ,southern ,cross   
goes ,i go too1 and ,i am a most        
complete skipper4 ,i feel as natural    
with my quadrant in my hand as of old   
with a cricket bat4 ,then ,i do rather  
have good salt-water baths1 and see     
glorious sunsets and sunrises1 and      
star-light nights1 and the great        
many-voiced ocean1 the winds and waves  

chiming all night with a solemn sound1  
lapping against my ear as ,i lie in my  
canvas bed1 six feet by two and a half1 
and fall sound asleep and dream of home4
 ,oh6 there is much that is really      
enjoyable in this kind of life2 and if  
the cares of the vessel1 management of  
men1 c41 do harass me sometimes1 it is  
very good for me2 security from such    
troubles having been anxiously and      
selfishly pursued by me at home4  ',if  
it please ,god to give success to our   
mission work1 ,i may some day be settled
 7if ,i live7 on some one of the        
countless islands of the ,south         
,pacific1 looking after a kind of       
,protestant ,propaganda ,college for the
 education of teachers and missionaries 
from among the islanders1 but this is   
all uncertain4  ',now good-bye1 my dear 
,miss ,neill4 ,i never doubt that in all
 your sufferings ,god does administer   
abundant sources of consolation to you4 
,even my life1 so painless and easy1 is 
teaching me that we judge of these      

things by a relative standard only1 and 
,i can conceive of one duly trained and 
prepared for heaven that many most      
blessed anticipations of future rest may
 be vouchsafed in the midst of extreme  
bodily pain4 ,it is in fact a kind of   
martyrdom1 and truly so when borne      
patiently for the love of ,christ4      
',always1 my dear ,miss ,neill1  ',your 
very affectionate1  ',j4 ,c4            
,,patteson4'   ,the ,sundays were days  
of little rest4 ,clergy were too scarce 
for one with no fixed cure not to be    
made available to the utmost1 and the   
undeveloped state of the buildings and  
of all appliances of devotion fell      
heavily and coldly on one trained to    
beauty1 both of architecture and music1 
though perhaps the variety of employment
 was the chief trial4 ,his ,good ,friday
 and ,easter ,sunday's journal show the 
sort of work that came on him3--        
',taurarua1 ,good ,friday4--,i am tired1
 for walking about in a hot sun1 with a 
,melanesian kit1 as we call them1 slung 

round the neck1 with clothes and books1 
is really fatiguing4 ,yesterday and     
to-day are just samples of colonial     
work4 ,thursday1 #g4cj1 prayers in      
chapel2 #aj4cj1 ,communion service in   
chapel4 ,walked two miles to see a      
parishioner of the ,archdeacon's4 #a4cj1
 dinner2 #b4cj1 walked to ,taurarua1    
five and a half miles1 in a burning sun2
 walked on to ,mr4 ,t4's and back again1
 three miles and a half more4 #g1 tea1  
wrote a sermon and went to bed4 ,to-day1
 service and sermon1 for #fjj soldiers  
at #i2 ,communion service and preached  
at #aa4 ,back to ,taurarua after three  
miles' walk1 on to the ,college1 and    
read prayers at #g4 ,not much work1 it  
is true1 but disjointed1 and therefore  
more fatiguing4 ,i do sometimes long    
almost for the rest of ,english life1   
the quiet evening after the busy day2   
but ,i must look on to a peaceful rest  
by and by2 meanwhile work away1 and to  
be sure ,i have a grand example in the  
,bishop4  ',easter ,day4--,i was at     

,tamaki chapel1 a cold1 bare1 barn-like 
building of scoria1 all this country    
being of volcanic origin4 ,fifty persons
 present perhaps3 two or three faint    
female voices1 two or three rough most  
discordant male voices1 all the attempt 
at singing4 ,no instrument of any kind4 
,the burthen of trying to raise the tone
 of the whole service to a really       
rejoicing thankful character wholly1 ,i 
suppose1 upon myself1 and ,i so unequal 
to it4 ,but the happy blessed services  
themselves1 they gradually absorbed the 
mind1 and withdrew it from all relative 
and comparative ideas of externals of   
worship4 ,what a training it is here for
 the appreciation of the wondrous beauty
 of our ,church services1 calming all   
feeling of excitement and irreverent    
passionate zeal1 and enabling one to    
give full scope to the joy and glory of 
one's heart1 without1 ,i hope1          
forgetting to rejoice with reverence and
 moderation4 ,here1 at ,tamaki1 you have
 nothing but the help the services      

themselves give1 and ,i suppose that is 
very good for one in reality1 though at 
the time it makes one feel as if        
something was wanting in the hearty     
sympathy and support of earnest         
fellow-worshippers4 ,the ,college chapel
 nicely decorated4  '#ast ,sunday after 
,easter3 ,taurarua4--,i walked in from  
the ,college yesterday afternoon1 took  
the soldiers' service at #i4ae ,a4,m41  
,communion service and sermon at ,st4   
,matthew's at #aa1 ,hospital at #b4cj4  
,preached at ,st4 ,paul's at #f ,p4,m41 
reminding me of my ,sunday's work when  
,i was living at ,st4 ,stephen's4 ,it is
 a comfort to have a ,sunday in         
,auckland occasionally--more like a     
,sunday1 with a real church1 and people 
responding and singing4'  ,so passed    
that first year1 which many an intending
 missionary before ,patteson has found a
 crucial test which he has not taken    
into his calculations4 ,the soreness of 
the wrench from home is still fresh1 and
 there is no settled or regular work to 

occupy the mind1 while the hardships are
 exactly of the kind that have not been 
anticipated1 and are most harassing1    
though unsatisfying to the imagination1 
and all this when the health is adapting
 itself to a new climate1 and the       
spirits are least in time1 so that the  
temper is in the most likely condition  
to feel and resent any apparent slight  
or unexpected employment4 ,no one knows 
how many high hopes have sunk1 how many 
intended workers have been turned aside1
 by this ordeal of the first year4      
,patteson1 however1 was accepting       
whatever was distasteful as wholesome   
training in the endurance of hardships1 
and soon felt the benefit he reaped from
 it4 ,the fastidiousness of his nature  
was being conquered1 his reluctance to  
rebuke forced out of being a hindrance1 
and no doubt the long-sought grace of   
humility was rendered far more          
attainable by the obedient fulfilment of
 these lowly tasks4     ,,chapter ,,vii4
 ,,the ,,melanesian ,,isles4 #ahef-aheg4

    ,and now1 in his twenty-ninth year1 
after all the unconscious preparation of
 his education1 and the conscious       
preparation of two years1 ,coleridge    
,patteson began the definite work of his
 life4 ,bishop ,selwyn was to sail with 
him in the ,southern ,cross1 making the 
voyage that had been intermitted during 
the expedition to ,england1 introducing 
him to the ,islands1 and testing his    
adaptation to the work there4 ,the first
 point was1 however1 to be ,sydney1 with
 the hope of obtaining leave to use     
,norfolk ,island as the headquarters of 
the ,mission4 ,they meant to touch      
there1 weather permitting1 on their way 
northward4  ,ascension ,day was always  
,bishop ,selwyn's favourite time for    
starting1 so that the charge might be   
ringing freshly in his ears and those of
 his companions1 ',go ye and teach all  
nations1 baptizing them in the name of  
the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the
 ,holy ,ghost4'  ,there was morning     
service and ,holy ,communion at the     

little ,college chapel on the #ast of   
,may1 ,ascension ,day of #ahef2 then the
 party went on board1 but their first   
start was only to ,coromandel ,bay1 in  
order that the ,bishop might arrange a  
dispute with the ,maoris1 and they then 
returned to ,auckland to take up ,mrs4  
,selwyn4 ,the crew were five in number1 
and ,mr4 ,leonard ,harper1 son of the   
future ,bishop of ,lyttelton1 likewise  
accompanied them1 and relieved ,patteson
 of his onerous duties as steward4  ,the
 first adventure was such a storm as the
 little vessel had never yet            
encountered4 ,the journal-letter thus   
describes it3--',on ,saturday morning it
 began to blow from the north-east1 and 
for the first time ,i experienced a     
circular gale or hurricane4 ,mrs4       
,somerville1 ,i think1 somewhere        
describes the nature of them in her     
,physical ,geography4 ,the wind veered  
and hauled about a point or two1 but    
blew from the north-east with great     
force1 till about seven ,p4,m4 we could 

do no more with it and had to lie to4   
,ask old ,d4 what that means1 if you    
can't understand my description of it4  
,the principle of it is to set two small
 sails1 one fore and one aft1 lash the  
rudder 7wheel7 amidships1 make all snug1
 put on hatches1 batten everything down1
 and trust to ride out the storm4 ,as   
the vessel falls away from the wind by  
the action of one sail1 it is brought up
 to it again by the other-sail4 ,thus   
her head is always kept to the wind1 and
 she meets the seas1 which if they      
caught her on the beam or the quarter   
would very likely send her down at once4
 ,about midnight on ,saturday the wind  
suddenly chopped round to ,w4,s4,w41 so 
that we were near the focus of the gale2
 it blew harder and harder till we took 
down the one sail forward1 as the ropes 
and spars were enough for the wind to   
act upon4 ,from #a ,p4,m4 to #g ,p4,m4  
on ,sunday it blew furiously4 ,the whole
 sea was one drift of foam1 and the     
surface of the water beaten down almost 

flat by the excessive violence of the   
wind1 which cut off the head of every   
wave as it strove to raise itself1 and  
carried it in clouds of spray and great 
masses of water1 driving and hurling it 
against any obstacle1 such as our little
 vessel1 with inconceivable fury4 ,as ,i
 stood on deck1 gasping for breath1 my  
eyes literally unable to keep themselves
 open1 and only by glimpses getting a   
view of this most grand and terrible    
sight1 it seemed as if a furious        
snow-storm was raging over a swelling1  
heaving1 dark mass of waters4 ,when     
anything could be seen beyond the first 
or second line of waves1 the sky and sea
 appeared to meet in one cataract of    
rain and spray4 ,a few birds were       
driving about like spirits of the storm4
 ,it was1 as ,shakspeare calls it1 a    
regular hurly4 ,add to this the         
straining of the masts1 the creaking of 
the planks1 the shrill whistle of the   
wind in the ropes and cordage1 the      
occasional crash of a heavy sea as it   

struck us with a sharp sound1 and the   
rush of water over the decks1 down the  
companion and hatches1 that followed1   
and you have a notion of a gale of wind4
 ,and yet this was far from all the wind
 and sea can do1 and we were never in   
any danger1 ,i believe4 ,that is1 an    
unlucky sea at such a time may be fatal1
 and if anything about the schooner had 
been unsound it might have been awkward4
 ,at prayers1 the ,bishop read the      
prayer to be used in a storm1 but ,i    
never myself entertained the idea of our
 being really in peril1 nor did ,i      
suffer anything like the anxiety that ,i
 did when we were rounding ,cape        
,palliser on our way to ,wellington with
 the ,judge4 ,here we had sea room and  
no fear of driving upon rocks4 ,it is   
blowing a good deal now1 as you see by  
my writing4 ,i have a small ink-bottle  
of glass1 made like an eel-pot 7such as 
tax-gatherers use71 tied to my          
buttonhole1 and with this ,i can        
scribble away in almost any sea4 ,dear  

me6 you could not sit still a minute1   
even now4 ,i was qualmish on ,saturday1 
and for a minute sick1 but pretty       
comfortable on ,sunday1 though wearied  
by the constant pitching and rolling4'  
,the day after this1 namely ,may #ae1   
the ,bishop and ,mr4 ,patteson rowed    
into ,cascade ,bay1 ,norfolk ,island1   
amid a heavy surf1 but they saw no      
cascade1 as there had been no rain for a
 long time2 and there were only rocks   
surmounted by pine trees1 no living     
creature1 no landing-place1 as they     
coasted along4 ,at last they saw a      
smooth-looking rock with an iron staple1
 and concluding that it was the way of  
approach1 they watched their time1 and  
through the surf which broke over it    
they leapt on it1 and dashed ashore     
before the returning swell caught them4 
,they walked inland1 and met a man1 one 
of twelve convicts who had been left    
behind to receive the ,pitcairners1 who 
had not yet arrived1 but were on their  
way from their original island in       

,h4,m4,s4 ',juno4' ,the vegetation and  
climate struck them as beautiful2 there 
were oranges1 lemons1 sweet potatoes1   
and common potatoes1 and ,english       
vegetables1 and the ,norfolk ,island    
pine growing to a great height3 'but1'  
writes ,coley1 'it is coarser in the    
leaf and less symmetrical in shape than 
,i had expected4 ,i thought to have seen
 the tree of ,veitch's nursery garden on
 a scale three or four times as large1  
and so ,i might have done in any of the 
gardens2 but as they grow wild in the   
forest1 they are not so very different  
from the more common fir tribe4'  ,they 
saw one house1 but had little time1 and 
getting down to the smooth rock1 stood  
there1 barefooted1 till the boat could  
back in between the rollers2 the ,bishop
 leapt in at the first1 and the boat    
made off at once1 and till it could     
return1 ,patteson had to cling to the   
clamps to hinder himself from being     
washed off1 as six or seven waves broke 
over him before the boat could come near

 enough for another spring4 ,these      
difficulties in landing were one of the 
recommendations of the island1 by       
isolating the future inhabitants from   
the demoralising visits of chance       
vessels4  ,then followed some days of   
great enjoyment of the calm warmth of   
the semi-tropical winter1 chiefly varied
 by catching a young shark1 and         
contrasting him with his attendant      
pilot1 as the ugliest and prettiest of  
fish4 ,patteson used the calm to write  
7,may #cj7 one of his introspective     
letters1 owning that he felt physical   
discomfort1 and found it hard to banish 
'recollections of clean water1 dry      
clothes1 and drink not tasting like     
medicine2 but that he most of all missed
 the perfect unconstrained ease of home 
conversation4'  ,then he continues3--   
',but now1 don't you see1 ,fan1 how good
 this is for me8 ,if you think          
impartially of me1 as you recollect me1 
you will see how soft and indolent ,i   
was1 how easily ,i fell into            

self-indulgent habits1 how little ,i    
cared to exert myself and try and       
exercise the influence1 etc41 a         
clergyman may be supposed to possess2   
there was nothing about me to indicate  
energy1 to fit me for working out a     
scheme and stamping my own mind upon    
others who came in contact with me4     
,perhaps there is no one person who can 
trace any sensible influence to anything
 ,i ever did or said4  ',now ,i don't of
 course venture to say that this is     
otherwise now2 but ,i think that this is
 the best training to make it so4 ,i    
think that ,i ought to be gaining       
strength of purpose1 resolution1 energy 
of character1 under these circumstances4
 ,and observe1 what should ,i be without
 some such change pressing on me8 ,just 
imagine me1 such a one as ,i was at     
,alfington1 alone on an island with     
twenty-five ,melanesian boys1 from half 
as many different islands1 to be        
trained1 clothed1 brought into orderly  
habits1 c41 the report of our           

proceedings made in some sort the test  
of the working of the ,mission2 and all 
this to be arranged1 ordered1 and worked
 out by me1 who found ,h4 ,b---- and ,w4
 ,p---- a care too great for me4        
',don't you see that ,i must become very
 different from what ,i was--more of a  
man2 to say nothing of the higher and   
religious side of this question8 ,while 
then there is much that my carnal       
self-indulgent nature does not at all   
like1 and while it is always trying to  
rebel1 my better sense and the true     
voice within tells me that1             
independently of this particular work   
requiring such a discipline1 the        
discipline itself is good for the       
formation of my own character4444 ,oh6  
the month of ,june at ,feniton6 the     
rhododendrons1 azaleas1 and kalmias1 the
 burst of flowers and trees1 the song of
 thrush and blackbird 7both unknown to  
,new ,zealand74 ,the green meadows and  
cawing rooks1 and church towers and     
,sunday bells1 and the bright sparkling 

river and leaping trout3 and the hedges 
with primrose and violet 7,i should like
 to see a hedge again72 and ,i am afraid
 ,i must add the green peas and beans1  
and various other garden productions1   
which would make salt pork more         
palatable6 ,yes1 ,i should like to see  
it all again2 but it is of the earth    
after all1 and ,i have the              
many-twinkling smile of ,ocean1 though  
there is no soft woodland dell to make  
it more beautiful by its contrast4      
,well1 ,i have had a happy hour         
scribbling away1 and now to work4'  ',i 
am less distressed now1' he adds1 a few 
days later1 in the same strain1 'at the 
absence of all that is customary in     
,england on these occasions 7great      
festivals71 though ,i dare not say how  
far the loss of all these privileges    
produces a bad effect upon my heart and 
character4 ,one often loses the spirit  
when the form is withdrawn1 and ,i still
 sorely long for the worship of ,god in 
the beauty of holiness1 and my mind     

reverts to ,ottery ,church1 and college 
chapels and vast glorious cathedrals4'  
,on the #ajth of ,june the ',southern   
,cross' was in ,sydney harbour1 and     
remained there a fortnight1 ,bishop     
,barker gladly welcoming the new        
arrivals1 though in general ,bishop     
,selwyn and his ,chaplain announced     
themselves as like the man and woman in 
the weather-glass1 only coming-out by   
turns1 since one or other had to be in  
charge of the ship2 but later an        
arrangement was made which set them more
 at liberty4 ,and the churches at       
,sydney were a great delight to         
,patteson2 the architecture1 music1 and 
all the arrangements being like those   
among which he had been trained4  ',a   
,sunday worth a dozen gales of wind6' he
 exclaims1 'but you can hardly judge of 
the effect produced by all the good     
substantial concomitants of ,divine     
worship upon one who for fourteen months
 has scarcely seen anything but a small 
wooden church1 with almost all the      

warmth of devotion resting on himself4  
,i feel roused to the core4 444,i felt  
the blessing of worshipping the ,lord   
with a full heart in the beauty of      
holiness4 ,a very good organ well       
played1 and my joy was great when we    
sang the long #ghth ,psalm to an old    
chant of itself almost enough to upset  
me1 the congregation singing in parts   
with heart and voice4'  ,his            
exhilaration showed itself in a letter  
to his little cousin1 ,paulina          
,martin3--   ,southern ,cross1 ,sydney  
,harbour3 ,june #ah1 #ahef4  ',my       
darling ,pena1--,are you so anxious to  
have a letter from me1 and do you think 
,i am going to forget all about you8    
,however1 you have had long before this 
two or three letters from me1 ,i hope1  
and when ,i write to grandpapa or       
grandmamma or mamma1 you must always    
take it as if a good deal was meant for 
you1 for ,i have not quite so much time 
for writing as you have1 ,i dare say1 in
 spite of music and ,french and history 

and geography and all the rest of it4   
,but ,i do dearly love to write to you  
when ,i can1 and you must be quite      
certain that ,i shall always do so as ,i
 have opportunity4  ',don't you ever    
talk to me about any of your ,english   
watering-places and sea-port towns6 ,no 
one knows anything about what an harbour
 can be for perfect beauty of earth1    
air1 and sea1 for wooded banks and rocky
 heights1 and fine shipping and handsome
 buildings1 and all the bustle and stir 
of a town of #hj1jjj inhabitants somehow
 lost and hidden among gum trees and    
,norfolk ,island pines and parks and    
gravel walks2 and everywhere the        
magnificent sea view breaking in upon   
the eye4 ,don't be angry1 darling1 for  
,i love ,dawlish very much1 and would   
sooner go and sail the ,mary ,jane with 
you in some dear little basin among the 
rocks at low tide1 and watch all the    
little crabs and other creatures with   
long ,latin names1 than walk about      
,sydney arm-in-arm with the ,bishops of 

,new ,zealand and ,newcastle1 to call on
 the ,governor4 ,but ,i must say what ,i
 think about the natural scenery of     
places that ,i visit1 and nowhere1 even 
in ,new ,zealand--no1 not even in ,queen
 ,charlotte's ,sound1 nor in ,banks's   
,peninsula1 have ,i seen anything so    
completely beautiful as this            
harbour--'heoi ano that's enough4 ,the  
,governor told us yesterday that when he
 was at ,hobart ,town1 he made the      
convicts cut a path through one of the  
deep gullies running down from a        
mountain #d1ejj feet high to the sea4   
,the path was two miles long1 and all   
the way the tree-ferns1 between twenty  
and thirty feet high1 formed a natural  
roof arched and vaulted like the fretted
 roofs of our ,tudor churches and       
chapels4 ,there is a botanical garden   
here with a very good collection of all 
the ,australian trees and shrubs1 and   
with many ,new ,zealand and many        
semi-tropical plants besides4 ,all the  
,english flowers and fruits grow here as

 well1 so that in the warmer months it  
must look beautiful4 ,it is close to the
 sea1 which runs here in little creeks  
and bays close up among the public walks
 and buildings2 and as the shore is all 
rocky and steep at low water1 there is  
no mud or swamp or seaweed1 but only    
clear green water quite deep and always 
calm and tranquil1 because the harbour  
is so broken up and diversified by      
innumerable islets1 gulfs1 c41 that no  
wind can raise any sea of consequence in
 it4  ',just now it is winter           
time--slight frost at night1 but no     
appearance of it after the sun is up2   
bright hot days1 and bracing cold       
nights1 the very perfection of a climate
 in winter1 but in summer very hot4 ,it 
is so funny to me to see regular stone  
and brick houses1 and shops1 and        
carriages1 and cabs1 c41 all quite new  
to me4  ',to-night there is a great     
missionary meeting4 ,bishops of ,sydney1
 ,new ,zealand1 and ,newcastle present4 
,bishop of ,newcastle and a ,mr4 ,king  

advocate the cause of the ,australian   
blacks1 and the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand
 and unfortunate ,i have to speechify   
about ,melanesia4 ,what on earth to say 
,i don't know1 for of course the ,bishop
 will exhaust the subject before me4    
',however1 ,i must try and not be in a  
great fright2 but ,i would sooner by    
half be going to have a talk with a     
parcel of ,maoris4 ,now1 you must get   
,fanny ,patteson to tell you all about  
our voyage from ,new ,zealand1 our      
adventure at ,norfolk ,island1 c4  ',we 
sail on ,monday1 #bcrd1 for ,norfolk    
,island again1 as it is in our way to   
the ,solomon group1 because we shall get
 the ,s4,e4 trades just about there1 and
 so run away in style to the ,solomon   
,islands1 and perhaps farther north     
still1 but that is not probable this    
time4  ',always1 my darling1  ',your    
affectionate cousin1  ',j4 ,c4          
,,patteson4'   ,this meeting was called 
by the ,australian ,board of ,missions  
to receive information or propositions  

concerning the missions to the          
,australians and ,melanesians4 ,bishop  
,barker of ,sydney was in the chair1 and
 the ,bishop of ,newcastle1 who had made
 one ,melanesian cruise in the ',border 
,maid1' was likewise present4 ,the room 
was crowded to excess1 and from #ijj to 
#a1jjj were certainly present1 many more
 failing to get in4 ,afterwards         
,patteson writes to his father3--  ',the
 ,bishop of ,new ,zealand1 in           
introducing me to the meeting1 spoke    
before all these people of you and me in
 a way that almost unnerved me1 and ,i  
had to speak next4 ,what he said is not 
reported1 or very badly--calling me his 
dear friend1 with his voice             
quivering--,i never saw him more1 or so 
much affected--,i ought to be most      
thankful to ,god for giving me so dear a
 companion1 c4 ,but he spoke so of you1 
and people here seemed to know of you1  
coming up to me1 and asking about you1  
after the meeting4 ,the ,bishop of      
,newcastle spoke of you most kindly1 and

 really with very great feeling4 ,an    
evening ,i had dreaded ended happily4   
,before ,i dined with the three         
,bishops2 last night with ,chief        
,justice ,sir ,alfred ,stephen1 and met 
the trio again1 ,bishop everywhere      
speaking of me as one of his family4    
,no1 my boys are not with me2 but we    
have my dear friend ,mr4 ,patteson4 ,of 
course all this exhibition of feeling   
never comes out when we are alone1 we   
know each other too well4 ,and now the  
romance of ,mission work is over1 and   
the real labour is to begin4 ,there has 
been bad work among the islands lately1 
but you know in whose hands we are4'    
,the collections both at the door and on
 the following ,sunday were very large1 
and a strong warm feeling was excited in
 ,sydney which has never since died     
away4 ,mr4 ,patteson was much beloved   
there1 and always met with kind welcome 
and ready assistance from all classes4  
,but there was one great disappointment4
 ,the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand1 on      

formally setting before ,sir ,william   
,denison1 ,governor-,general of         
,australia1 his plan for making ,norfolk
 ,island the site of a school for       
training ,melanesian teachers1 and      
eventually the seat of a bishopric1     
received a refusal1 and was not         
permitted even to place a chaplain      
there4 ,sir ,william1 as he tells us in 
his published diary1 had heard from some
 quarter or other rumours respecting the
 ,melanesian scholars which made him    
suppose that their presence might have a
 bad effect upon the ,pitcairners2 and  
repeated that his instructions were that
 the islanders should be left as much as
 possible to themselves4 ,the request to
 be permitted to place ,mr4 ,patteson   
there was refused on the ground that    
,norfolk ,island belonged to the see of 
,tasmania1 and not to that of ,new      
,zealand4 ,but the ,bishop of ,tasmania 
could hardly visit it without great     
inconvenience1 and he had therefore     
placed it under the care of his brother 

of ,new ,zealand1 full in whose track it
 lay4 ,the matter was referred to the   
,colonial ,secretary1 and in the        
meantime ,bishop ,selwyn adhered to his 
purpose of visiting it on leaving       
,sydney1 and though he could not place  
his chaplain there1 leaving ,mrs4       
,selwyn to assist in the work of        
training the new comers to the novelties
 of a more temperate climate and a more 
genial soil than they had known on the  
torrid rock of ,pitcairn's ,island4     
,accordingly1 on the #dth of ,july1 the 
',southern ,cross' again approached the 
island1 and finding that the            
,pitcairners had come1 and that their   
magistrate and ,mr4 ,nobbs1 their       
clergyman1 would gladly welcome         
assistance1 the ,bishop brought ,mrs4   
,selwyn on shore1 and left her there to 
assist ,mr4 ,nobbs in preparing the     
entire population to be confirmed on his
 return4 ,but the ,pitcairners have been
 amply written about1 and as ,coleridge 
,patteson's connection with them was    

only incidental1 ,i shall not dwell on  
them or their history4  ,the ',southern 
,cross' reached ,anaiteum on the #adth  
of ,july4 ,this island was occupied by  
,mr4 ,inglis and ,mr4 ,greddie1 of the  
,scottish ,presbyterian ,mission1 who   
had done much towards improving the     
natives4 ,small canoes soon began to    
come off to the vessel1 little craft    
consisting of no more than the trunk of 
a tree hollowed out1 seldom more than a 
foot broad1 and perhaps eighteen inches 
deep1 all with outriggers--namely1 a    
slight wooden frame or raft to balance  
them1 and for the most part containing  
two men1 or sometimes three or four4    
,before long1 not less than fifteen or  
twenty had come on board1 with woolly   
hair and mahogany skins1 generally      
wearing a small strip of calico1 but    
some without even this4 ,they were small
 men1 but lithe and supple1 and walked  
about the deck quite at ease1 chattering
 in a language no one understood except 
the words ',missy ,inglis1' as they     

pointed to a house4 ,presently another  
canoe arrived with a ,samoan teacher    
with whom the ,bishop could converse1   
and who said that ,mr4 ,geddie was at   
,mare4 ,they were soon followed by a    
whale boat with a ,tahitian native      
teacher1 a ,futuma man1 and a crew of   
,anaiteans4  ',the ,futuma man had      
expended his energies upon his hair1    
which was elaborately dressed after a   
fashion that precluded the possibility  
of any attention being bestowed upon the
 rest of his person1 which was          
accordingly wholly unencumbered with any
 clothing4 ,the perfection of this art  
apparently consisted in gathering up    
about a dozen hairs and binding them    
firmly with grass or fine twine of      
cocoa-nut fibre plastered with coral    
lime4 ,as the hair grows1 the binding is
 lengthened also1 and only about four or
 five inches are suffered to escape from
 this confinement1 and are then frizzed 
and curled1 like a mop or a poodle's    
coat4 ,leonard ,harper and ,i returned  

in this boat1 ,tahitian steering1       
,samoan1 ,futuman1 and ,anaiteans making
 one motley crew4 ,the brisk trade soon 
carried us to the beach in front of ,mr4
 ,inglis's house1 and arrived at the    
reef ,i rode out pick-a-back on the     
,samoan1 ,leonard following on a        
half-naked ,anaitean4 ,we soon found    
ourselves in the midst of a number of   
men1 women and children1 standing round 
,mr4 ,inglis at the entrance of his     
garden4 ,i explained to him the reason  
of the ,bishop's being unable to land1  
that he alone knew the harbour on the   
other side of island1 and so could not  
leave the vessel4  ',then1 having       
delivered the boxes and letters we had  
brought for him from ,auckland1 we went 
into his house1 gazing with delight at  
cocoanut trees1 bananas1 breadfruit     
trees1 citrons1 lemons1 taro1 c41 with  
bright tropical colouring thrown over   
all1 lighting up the broad leaves and   
thick foliage of the trees around us4   
',the house itself is built1 after the  

fashion of these islands1 of wattle     
plastered with coral lime1 the roof     
thatched with the leaves of the         
cocoa-nut and pandana2 the fences of the
 garden were made of cane1 prettily     
worked together in a cross pattern2 the 
path neatly kept1 and everything looking
 clean and tidy4 ,we sat down in a      
small1 well-furnished room1 and looked  
out upon the garden1 verandah1 and      
groups of men and women standing        
outside4 ,presently ,mrs4 ,inglis came  
into the room1 and after some discussion
 ,i was persuaded to stay all night1    
since the schooner could not reach her  
anchorage before dark1 and the next day 
the water-casks were to be filled4  ',an
 excellent dinner was provided3 roast   
fowl with taro1 a nutritious root       
somewhat like potato1 rice and jam1     
bananas and delicious fruit1 bread and  
,scotch cheese1 with glasses of         
cocoa-nut milk4  ',afterwards he showed 
us the arrangements for boarding young  
men and women--twelve of the former1 and

 fourteen of the latter4 ,nothing could 
well exceed the cleanliness and order of
 their houses1 sleeping rooms1 and      
cooking rooms4 ,the houses1 wattled and 
plastered1 had floors covered with      
native mats1 beds laid upon a raised    
platform running round the inner room1  
mats and blankets for covering1 and     
bamboo cane for a pillow4 ,the boys     
were1 some writing1 some making twine1  
some summing1 when we went in2 the girls
 just putting on their bonnets1 of their
 own manufacture1 for school4  ',they   
learn all household work--cooking1      
hemming1 sewing1 c42 the boys tend the  
poultry1 cows1 cultivate taro1 make     
arrowroot1 c4 ,all of them could read   
fluently1 and all looked happy1 clean1  
and healthy4 ,the girls wear their      
native petticoats of cocoa-nut leaves1  
with a calico body4 ,boys wear trousers1
 and some had shirts1 some waistcoats1  
and a few jackets4  ',we walked about a 
small wood adjoining the house1 through 
which a small fresh-water stream runs4  

,in the wood we saw specimens of the    
various trees and shrubs1 and flowers of
 the island1 including those already    
noticed in ,mr4 ,inglis's garden1 and   
the breadfruit tree and sugar-cane1 and 
a beautiful bright flower of scarlet    
colour1 a convolvulus1 larger than any  
,i had ever seen elsewhere2 also a tree 
bearing a very beautiful yellow flower4 
',we then returned to the house1 and    
shortly afterwards went to the church1  
which is at present used also as the    
school-house1 though the uprights of a  
larger school-house are already fixed in
 the ground4  ',men1 women1 and children
 to the number of ninety-four had       
assembled in a large oblong building1   
wattled and plastered1 with open windows
 on all sides2 mats arranged on the     
floor1 and a raised platform or bench   
running round the building for persons  
who prefer to sit after the ,english1   
instead of the native fashion1  ',all   
that were called upon to read did so    
fluently2 the singing was harsh and     

nasal enough1 but in very good time2    
their counting very good1 and their     
writing on slates quite equal to the    
average performance1 ,i am satisfied1 of
 a good ,english parish school4 ,they   
listened attentively when ,mr4 ,inglis  
spoke to them1 and when at his request  
,i said a few words1 which he           
translated4 ,the most perfect order and 
quiet prevailed all the time we were in 
the school4 ,at the end of the lessons  
they came forward1 and each one shook   
hands with ,leonard ,harper and myself1 
smiling and laughing with their quick   
intelligent eyes1 and apparently pleased
 to see strangers among them4  ',by this
 time it was dusk1 and we went back to  
the ,mission ,house1 and spent a        
pleasant evening1 asking and answering  
questions about ,anaiteum and the world 
beyond it1 until #h ,p4,m41 when the    
boarders came to prayers1 with two or   
three persons who live about the place4 
,they read the third chapter of ,st4    
,matthew's ,gospel in turns1 verse by   

verse1 and then a prayer from ,mr4      
,inglis followed4 ,at #h4cj we had      
private family prayers1 and at #i went  
to bed4  ',july #af4--,we got up at     
four1 and were soon ready for our walk  
to the south side of the ,island2 ,mr4  
,inglis came with us1 and ten or twelve 
natives4 ,for the first half-mile we    
walked along the beach among cocoa-nut  
trees1 bananas and sugar-canes1 the sun1
 not yet above the horizon1 tingeing the
 light clouds with faint pink and purple
 lines1 the freshness of the early dawn1
 and the soft breeze playing about us1  
gladdening at once our eyes and our     
hearts4 ,soon we struck off to the      
south1 and passing through taro         
plantations1 began to ascend the slopes 
of the island4 ,as we walked along we   
heard the sound of the logs beaten      
together1 summoning the people to attend
 the various schools planted in every   
locality1 under the management of native
 teachers1 and we had a good opportunity
 of observing the careful system of     

irrigation adopted by the natives for   
the cultivation of the taro plant4      
,following the course of a small        
mountain stream1 we observed the labour 
with which the water was brought down   
from it upon causeways of earth1 carried
 in baskets from very considerable      
distances2 occasionally the water-course
 is led round the head of various small 
ravines2 at other times the trunk of a  
tree is hollowed out and converted into 
an aqueduct2 but no pains have been     
wanting to make provision for the growth
 of the staple food of the island4'     
,from this scene of hope and            
encouragement the ',southern ,cross'    
sailed on the sixteenth1 and passing    
,erromango1 came in sight of ,fate1 also
 called ,sandwich1 a wooded island      
beautiful beyond description1 but with a
 bad character for cannibalism1 and     
where the ,samoan teachers had been     
murdered4 ,so the approach was cautious1
 and the vessel kept a mile from the    
shore1 and was soon surrounded with     

canoes1 one of them containing a native 
who had been instructed in ,samoa1 and  
was now acting as teacher4  ',the first 
canoe that came had five men on board4  
,girdles of beautifully plaited         
cocoa-nut fibre round their waists were 
their only clothing1 but some had       
wreaths of flowers and green leaves     
round their heads1 and most of them wore
 mother-of-pearl shells1 beads1 c41     
round their necks and in their ears4    
,they do not tattoo1 but brand their    
skins4 ,all five came1 and presently    
three more1 and then another2 but seeing
 a large double canoe with perhaps      
twenty men in her coming close1 we stood
 away4 ,two of our visitors chose to    
stay1 and we have them on board now3    
,alsoff1 a man of perhaps forty-five1   
and ,mospa1 a very intelligent young man
 from whom ,i am picking up words as    
fast as ,i can4 ,f4 would have laughed  
to have seen me rigging them out in     
calico shirts1 buttoning them up4 ,mospa
 gave me his wooden comb1 which they    

push through their hair1 as you ladies  
do coral or gold pins at parties4       
,another fellow whose head was          
elaborately frizzled and plastered with 
coral lime1 departed with one of my     
common calico pocket-handkerchiefs with 
my name in ,joan's marking4 ,this is to 
adorn his head1 and for aught ,i know1  
is the first1 and certainly the best    
specimen of handwriting in the island4  
,we hope to call at all these islands on
 our way back from the north1 but at    
present we only dodge a few canoes1 c4  
',july #bj4--;,i suppose you like to    
know all little things1 so ,i tell you  
that our ,fate friends1 being presented 
each with a blanket1 just wound         
themselves up on the cabin floor1 one   
close to ,leonard and me1 and slept away
 in style2 that ,i soon taught them to  
eat with a knife and fork1 and to-day   
have almost succeeded in making them    
believe that plum pudding 7our ,sunday  
dish7 is a fine thing4  ',july          
#ba4--;,all day we have been very slowly

 drifting along the west side of        
,espiritu ,santo4 ,a grand mountainous  
chain runs along the whole island1 the  
peaks we estimate at #d1jjj feet high4  
,this alone is a fine sight--luxuriant  
vegetation to nearly the top of the     
peaks1 clouds resting upon the summit of
 the range1 from the evaporation caused 
by the vast amount of vegetable matter4 
',as we were lying to1 about half-way   
along the coast1 we espied a brig at    
anchor close on shore4 ,manned the boat 
and rowed about two miles to the brig1  
found it was under the command of a     
notorious man among the sandal-wood     
traders for many a dark deed of revenge 
and unscrupulous retaliation upon the   
natives4 ,at ,nengone he shot three in  
cold blood who swam off to his ship1    
because the people of the place were    
said to be about to attempt to take his 
vessel4 ,at ,mallicolo but lately ,i    
fear he killed not less than eight1     
though here there was some scuffling and
 provocation4 ,for the ,nengone affair  

he was tried for his life at ,sydney1   
,captain ,erskine and the ,bishop having
 much to do with his prosecution4 ,he is
 now dealing fairly 7apparently7 with   
these people1 and is certainly on very  
friendly terms with them4 ,the ,bishop  
has known him many years1 and baptized  
some years ago his only child1 a son4   
,we are glad to let these men see that  
we are about in these seas1 watching    
what they do2 and the ,bishop said1 ,mr4
 ,patteson is come from ,england on     
purpose to look after these islands1 as 
much as to say1 ,now there will be a    
regular visitation of them1 and outrages
 committed on the natives will probably 
be discovered4  ',well1 on we rowed1    
half a mile to shore--such a lovely     
scene4 ,a bend in the coral reef made a 
beautiful boat harbour1 and into it we  
rowed4 ,clear as crystal was the water1 
bright as tropical sun at #b4cj ,p4,m4  
could make it was the foliage on the    
shore4 ,numbers of children and boys    
were playing in the water or running    

about on the rocks and sands1 and there 
were several men about1 all of course   
naked1 and as they lead an amphibious   
life they find it very convenient4 ,they
 work little2 breadfruit trees1         
cocoa-nut trees1 and bananas grow       
naturally1 and the yam and taro         
cultivations are weeded and tended by   
the women4 ,they have nothing to do but 
eat1 drink1 and sleep1 and lie on the   
warm coral rock1 and bathe in the surf4 
',there was no shyness on the part of   
the children1 dear little fellows from  
six to ten clustering round me1 unable  
to understand my coat with pockets1 and 
what my socks could be--,i seemed to    
have two or three skins4 ,the men came  
up and soon shook hands1 but did not    
seem to know the custom4 ,a ,nengone man
 was ashore1 and with him ,i could talk 
a little4 ,soon ,i was walking on shore 
arm-in-arm with him1 stark naked1 and he
 was asking me about ,mrs4 ,nihill and  
her child4 ,a little boy of the island  
held the other hand1 and so1 leaving the

 boat1 we walked inland into the bush to
 see a native village4 ,ten minutes'    
walk brought us to it--cottages all of  
bamboos tied together with cocoa-nut    
fibre1 thatched with leaves1 a          
ridge-pole and sloping roof on either   
side reaching to the ground4 ,no upright
 poles or side-walls2 they were quite   
open at the two ends1 perhaps #bj1 #cj1 
or even #dj feet long2 the general      
appearance clean and healthy4 ,their    
food was kept on raised stages as in    
,new ,zealand1 and they had plenty of   
earthenware pots and basins1 some of    
good shape1 and all apparently strong   
and serviceable4 ,large wooden or       
earthenware platters are used for       
stirring up and pounding the yams with a
 heavy wooden pestle1 and they have a   
peculiar way of scraping the yam1 on a  
wooden board roughened like a grater1   
into a pulp1 and then boiling it into a 
fine dough4  ',they have plenty of pigs 
and dogs1 which they eat1 and some      
fowls4 ,spears ,i saw none1 but bows and

 arrows4 ,i took a bow out of a man's   
hand1 and then an arrow1 and fitted it  
to the string2 he made signs that he    
shot birds with it4 ,clubs they have1   
but as far as ,i saw only used for      
killing pigs4 ,there is a good deal of  
fighting on the island1 however4        
,recollect with reference to all these  
places1 that an island fifty or sixty   
miles long1 one mass of forest with no  
path1 is not like an ,english county4   
,it may take months to get an accurate  
knowledge of one of them2 we can only at
 present judge of the particular spots  
and bays we touch at4 ,but there is     
every indication here of friendliness1  
of a gentle1 soft disposition1 and ,i   
hope we shall take away some of the boys
 when we return4 ,i never saw children  
more thoroughly attractive in appearance
 and manner1--dear little fellows1 ,i   
longed to bring off some of them4 ,you  
would have liked to have seen them      
playing with me1 laughing and jumping   
about4 ,these people don't look half so 

well when they have any clothes on1 they
 look shabby and gentish2 but seeing    
them on shore1 or just coming out of a  
canoe1 all glistening with water1 and   
looking so lithe and free1 they look    
very pleasant to the eye4 ,the colour   
supplies the place of clothing4 ,the    
chief and most of the men were          
unfortunately absent at a great feast   
held a few miles off1 but there were    
several women and many children4  ',we  
went to their watering place1 about a   
quarter or half a mile from the beach1 a
 picturesque spot in a part of the wood 
to which the water from the hills is    
carried in canes of bamboo1 supported on
 cross sticks4 ,the water was very clear
 and sweet1 and one of our little guides
 soon had a good shower-bath1 standing  
under the shoot and then walking in the 
sun till in a few minutes his glistening
 skin was dry again4 ,coming back we met
 a man carrying water in cocoa-nut      
shells1 six or eight hanging by strings 
two feet long at each end of a bamboo   

cane slung across over his shoulder1    
nicely balanced and very pretty4 ,one of
 our party carried perhaps two and a    
half gallons of water in a bamboo       
stuffed at the end with grass4 ,about   
five ,p4,m4 we went back to the schooner
 and made sail for ,bauro 7,san         
,cristoval74'  ,at this place there was 
a great disappointment at first in the  
non-appearance of ,william ,diddimang1  
an old baptized scholar at ,st4 ,john's2
 and though he came at last1 and dined  
on board1 he had evidently so far fallen
 away as to be unwilling to meet the    
,bishop4 ,the canoes here were          
remarkably beautiful1 built of several  
pieces1 fastened with a kind of gum4    
,the shape was light and elegant1 the   
thwarts elaborately carved with figures 
of birds or fish1 and the high prow     
inlaid with mother-of-pearl let into    
black wood4  ,as a ,sunday at sea was   
preferable to one among curious visitors
 who must be entertained1 the schooner  
put out to sea to visit one to two other

 neighbouring islets1 and then to return
 again to ,bauro4  ,kennell ,island1    
where she touched on the #bgth1 proved  
to be inhabited by ,maoris4 ,one man1   
who swam alone to the vessel1 offered   
the salutation of rubbing noses1 ,new   
,zealand fashion1 and converse could be 
held in that language4 ,two more joined 
him1 and spent the night on board in    
singing a kaka or song of love for their
 visitors4 ,next day the island was     
visited4 ',oh the beauty of the deep    
clefts in the coral reef1 lined with    
coral1 purple1 blue1 scarlet1 green1 and
 white6 the little blue fishes1 the     
bright blue starfish1 the little        
land-crabs walking away with other      
people's shells4 ,but nothing of this   
can be seen by you2 the coral loses its 
colour1 and who can show you the bright 
line of surf breaking the clear blue of 
this truly ,pacific ,ocean1 and the     
tropical sun piercing through masses of 
foliage which nothing less dazzling     
could penetrate4 ,our three friends1    

with two more men1 their wives and      
children1 form the whole population of  
the south end of the island at all      
events1 perhaps twenty in all4 ,i trod  
upon and broke flowering-branches of    
coral that you would have wondered at4' 
,bellona likewise had a ,maori-speaking 
population4 ,there was no passage       
through the reef1 so the ,bishop and    
,patteson took off their coats1 one took
 two hatchets and the other two adzes1  
and with a good header1 swam ashore4    
,walking up the beach1 they found a     
place in the bush with nine beautiful   
canoes1 with nets1 and large wooden     
hooks in them1 but at first no people2  
and they were leaving their presents in 
the canoes when ,patteson spied two men1
 and advanced to them while the ,bishop 
went back to fetch the goods4 ,after a  
rubbing of noses and a ,maori greeting1 
the men were reassured1 and eleven more 
came up1 one a chief with a spear in his
 hand4 ',i had my straw hat fastened by 
a ribbon1 which my friend coveted1 so ,i

 let him take it1 which he did by       
putting his adze 7my gift7 against it1  
close to my ear1 and cutting it1        
off--not the least occasion to be afraid
 of them4' ,a characteristic comment1   
certainly6 ,but there was no            
foolhardiness4 ,the ,bishop was on the  
alert1 and when presently he saw his    
companion linger for a moment1 a quick  
',come along1' was a reminder that 'this
 was not the beach at ,sidmouth4' ,the  
peculiar quickness of eye--verily       
circumspect1 though without the least   
betrayal of alarm or want of confidence1
 which was learnt from the need of being
 always as it were on guard1 was soon   
learnt likewise by ,patteson1 while the 
air of suspicion or fear was most       
carefully avoided4 ,the swim back to the
 boat was in water 'too warm1 but       
refreshing1' and ended with a dive under
 the boat for the pure pleasure of the  
thing4  ,then1 as before arranged1      
,bauro was revisited on another part of 
the coast1 where ,iri was ready with a  

welcome1 but ,diddimang appeared no     
more4 ,he had returned to native habits1
 and had made no attempt at teaching1   
but the visits he had made to ,new      
,zealand were not lost1 for the ,bishop 
had acquired a knowledge of the         
language1 and it was moreover           
established in the ,bauro mind that a   
voyage in his ship was safe and         
desirable4 ',this part of ,bauro was    
exceedingly beautiful3--  ',here were   
coral crags1 the masses of forest trees1
 the creepers literally hundreds of feet
 long1 crawling along and hanging from  
the cliffs1 the cocoa-nut trees and     
bananas1 palms1 c41 the dark figures on 
the edge of the rocks looking down upon 
us from among the trees1 the people     
assembling on the bright beach--coral   
dust as it may be called1 for it was    
worn as fine as white sand--cottages    
among the trees1 and a pond of fresh    
water close by1 winding away among the  
cliffs4'  ,here a visit was paid to     
,iri's boathouse1 which contained three 

exquisite canoes1 beautifully inlaid2   
then to his house1 long1 low1 and open  
at the ends1 like those formerly        
described1 but with low wattled side    
walls4 ,along the ridge-pole were ranged
 twenty-seven skulls1 not yet blackened 
with smoke1 and bones were scattered    
outside1 for a fight had recently taken 
place near at hand4 ',in this           
,golgotha1' the ,bishop1 using his      
little book of ,bauro words1 talked to  
the people1 and plainly told them that  
the ,great ,god hated wars and cruelty1 
and such ornaments were horrible in his 
sight4 ,iri took it all in good part1   
and five boys willingly accepted the    
invitation to ,new ,zealand4 ,one little
 fellow about eight years old had       
attached himself to ,coley1 clinging    
about his waist with his arms1 but he   
was too young to be taken away4 ,iri    
came down to the beach1 and waded up to 
his waist in the water as the boat put  
off4  ,in the night ,gera1 or           
,guadalcanar1 was reached1 a fine       

mountainous island1 with a detached     
reef4 ,numerous canoes surrounded the   
vessel1 bringing yarns for barter4      
,fish-hooks were of no account2 it was  
small hatchets that were in request1 and
 the ,bauro boys could hold some sort of
 converse with the people1 though theirs
 was quite another dialect4 ,they were  
gaily decked out with armlets1          
frontlets1 bracelets1 and girdles of    
shell1 and almost all of them wore1 not 
only nose-rings1 but plugs of wood or   
mother-of-pearl in the tip of the nose4 
,one man in particular had a shell      
eyelet-hole let into his nose1 into     
which he inserted his unicorn           
decoration4 ,the ,bishop amused himself 
and ,coley by saying1 as he hung a      
fishhook on this man's nose-hook1 ',naso
 suspendis adunco4' ,others had six or  
eight pieces of wood sticking out from  
either side of the nose1 like a cat's   
whiskers4 ,two young men were taken from
 hence1 and more would have gone1 but it
 was not thought well to take married   

men4  ,the isle of ,mara or ,malanta had
 a very shy population1 who seemed to   
live inland1 having probably been       
molested by the warlike ,gera men4 ,it  
had been supposed that there was a      
second islet here1 but the ',southern   
,cross' boat's crew found that what had 
been taken for a strait was only the    
mouth of a large river1 where the casks 
were filled4  ,the wondrous beauty of   
the scene1 sea and river alike fringed  
with the richest foliage1 birds flying  
about 7,i saw a large blue bird1 a      
parrot1 ,i suppose71 fish jumping1 the  
perfectly still water1 the mysterious   
smoke of a fire or two1 the call of a   
man heard in the bush1 just enough of   
novelty to quicken me to the full       
enjoyment of such a lovely bay as no    
,english eyes save ours have ever seen4'
  ,no communication with the native     
inhabitants was here accomplished1 but  
at four little flat1 cocoanut-covered   
islets1 named after ,torres1 were the   
head-quarters of an ,english dealer in  

cocoa-nut oil4 ,the native race were    
,maori-speaking1 but their intercourse  
with sailors had given them a knowledge 
of the worst part of the ,english       
language1 and as usual it was mournfully
 plain how much harm our countrymen     
instil4  ,the next group1 sighted on the
 #agth of ,august1 had already a        
remarkable history1 to which ,patteson  
refers in his journal1 with no          
foreboding of the association those     
reefs and bays were to acquire for him1 
and far more through him4  ,alvaro de   
,mendana had1 in #aefg1 gone forth from 
,peru on a voyage of discovery in the   
,pacific1 and had then found1 and named1
 most of the ,solomon ,isles4 ,grera and
 ,bauro owed their names of ,guadalcanar
 and ,san ,cristoval to him4 ,in #aeid1 
he obtained permission to found a colony
 on ,san ,cristoval1 and set forth with 
his wife and four ships4 ,but the ,bauro
 people were spared that grievous       
misfortune of a ,spanish settlement2    
,mendana missed his way1 blundered into 

the ,marquesas first1 and then came upon
 a cluster of islands1 one large and    
beautiful1 two small1 and one a volcano 
in full action4  ,he called the large   
island ,santa ,cruz1 and fancied the    
natives of the same race he had seen in 
,bauro1 but they knew nothing of the    
language he had learnt there1 and though
 courteous at first1 presently          
discharged their arrows4 ,however1 he   
found a beautiful harbour on the other  
side of the island1 and a friendly and  
dignified old chief called ,malope1 who 
in ,south ,sea fashion exchanged names  
and presents with him4 ,mendana and his 
wife ,dona ,ysabel seem to have wished  
to be on good terms with the natives1   
and taught them to sign the cross1 and  
say amigos1 and they proceeded to found 
their intended city1 but neither        
,mendana nor ,malope could restrain     
their followers2 there were musket-shots
 on one side and arrow-shots on the     
other1 and at last1 the chief ,malope   
himself fell into the hands of some     

,spanish soldiers1 who murdered him4    
,mendana punished them with death2 but  
his own health was fast failing1 he died
 in a few weeks1 and his widow deserted 
the intended city1 and returned home    
with the colonists1 having probably     
bequeathed to the island a distrust of  
white men4  ,all this was in ,patteson's
 mind1 as he shows by his journal1 as   
the lovely scenery of ,santa ,cruz rose 
on him4 ,the people came out in canoes  
with quantities of yams and taro1 of    
which they knew the full value2 but the 
numbers were so large that no 'quiet    
work' could be done1 and there was      
little to be done but to admire their   
costume1 armlets1 necklaces1 plates of  
mother-of-pearl1 but no nose ornaments4 
,they had strips of a kind of cloth1    
woven of reed1 and elaborate varieties  
of head-gear1 some plastering their hair
 white with coral lime1 others yellow1  
others red2 others had shaved half the  
head with no better implement than a    
sharp shell1 and others had produced two

 lines of bristles1 like hogs' manes1 on
 a shaven crown4 ,their decorations made
 a great sensation among the ,solomon   
,islanders1 who made offers of exchange 
of necklaces1 c4  ,in the evening the   
schooner made for the volcano1 about    
three miles off4 ,it was a magnificent  
sight--a perfect cone1 the base of the  
mountain and all except the actual cone 
being under water4 ,the cone was        
apparently about #b1jjj feet high1      
clouds hanging about it near the top1   
lurid and fiery1 increasing the grandeur
 of the glow at the summit4 ,every      
minute streams of fire1 falling from the
 top or sides1 rushed down the mount1 so
 that for a space of perhaps half a mile
 in breadth the whole cone was always   
streaked1 and sometimes covered with    
burning-masses of stones1 cinders1 c4   
,bumbling noises were heard only a few  
times4  ',about #g to #i ,a4,m4 we      
sailed quite round the island1 and saw  
there that the fiery appearance at night
 is not actually fire or flame1 but     

caused by hot burning stones and masses 
of scoria1 c41 constantly falling down  
the sides of the cone1 which on the lee 
side are almost perpendicular4 ,on the  
weather side are cocoa-nut trees1 and   
one small house1 but we could see no    
people4 ,it was grand to see the great  
stones leaping and bounding down the    
sides of the cone1 clearing #cjj or #djj
 feet at a jump1 and springing up many  
yards into the air1 finally plunging    
into the sea with a roar1 and the splash
 of the foam and steam combined4  ,this 
was on the #abth of ,august1 and here is
 the ensuing note1 how full now of      
significance1 which it would be         
faithless to term melancholy3--',we then
 went on to ,nukapu1 an island          
completely encircled by a coral reef4   
,the natives soon came off in canoes1   
and brought breadfruit and cocoa-nuts4  
,they spoke a few words of ,maori1 but  
wore their hair like the people of      
,santa ,cruz1 and resembled them in the 
character of their ornaments and in     

their general appearance4 ,they had bows
 and clubs of the same kind1 tapa       
stained with turmeric1 armlets1         
ear-rings and nose-rings of bone and    
tortoiseshell4'  ,returning to ,santa   
,cruz1 a large supply of the produce was
 obtained by barter1 but the people were
 still in such noisy crowds that nothing
 could be effected beyond these         
commercial transactions4  ,tubua was the
 next ensuing island1 a lovely spot     
within its encircling ring1 over which  
the ,bishop and ,patteson waded1 and    
found thirteen men on the beach4        
,patteson went up to the first1 tied a  
bit of red tape round his head1 and made
 signs that he wanted a cocoa-nut in    
exchange for a fish-hook4 ,plenty were  
forthcoming2 but the ,bishop1 to his    
companion's surprise1 made a sudden sign
 to come away1 and when the boat was    
regained he said3 ',i saw some young men
 running through the bush with bows and 
arrows1 and these young gentry have not 
the sense to behave well like their     

parents4'  ,vanikoro was the next stage4
 ,this too had its history1 encircled as
 it is with a complete reef of coral1 in
 some parts double4 ,in the year #aghe1 
two ,french vessels1 which were         
commanded by ,count ,la ,perouse1 and   
named ',la ,boussole' and               
',l',astrolabe1' had set forth from     
,brest on a voyage of discovery in the  
,pacific4 ,they made a most discursive  
survey of that ocean1 from ,kamtschatka 
southwards1 and at the end of #aghg were
 at the ,samoan ,isles1 then            
unconverted1 and where their two boats' 
crews were massacred1 and the boats     
lost4 ,the ships came to ,port ,jackson1
 in ,australia1 to build fresh boats1   
left it in ,february #aghh1 and were    
never heard of more4 ,one or two        
attempts were made to ascertain their   
fate1 but none succeeded till1 in #ahbf1
 a sandal-wood trader named ,dillon     
found in the possession of a ,european1 
who had lived since #ahac in ,ticopia1  
the silver guard of a sword1 and        

ascertained from him that the natives   
had several articles1 such as china1    
glass1 and the handle of a silver fork1 
which evidently came from a ship4 ,he   
had been told that these articles had   
been procured from another isle called  
,vanikoro1 where two large ships had    
been wrecked4  ,his intelligence led to 
the fitting out of a vessel1 in which he
 was sent to ascertain the fate of the  
,frenchmen1 and by the help of the man  
who had been so long in ,ticopia1 he was
 able to examine a ,vanikoran chief4 ,it
 appeared that the two ships had run    
aground on the parallel reefs4 ,one had 
sunk at once1 and the crew while        
swimming out had been some of them eaten
 by the sharks1 and others killed by the
 natives2 indeed1 there were sixty      
,european skulls in a temple4 ,the other
 vessel had drifted over the reef1 and  
the crew entrenched themselves on shore1
 while building another vessel4 ,they   
went out and foraged for themselves in  
the taro fields1 but they made no       

friends2 they were ship-spirits1 with   
noses two hands long before their faces 
7their cocked hats74 ,articles were     
recovered that placed the fact beyond a 
doubt1 and which were recognised by one 
of the expedition who had left it in    
,kamtschatka1 the sole survivor4 ,of the
 fate of the two-masted vessel built by 
the shipwrecked crew1 nothing was ever  
discovered4  ,the ,mission party landed 
here1 but saw nobody4 ,they sent a black
 boy up a tree for cocoa-nuts1 and left 
a tomahawk beneath it as payment4 ,that 
there were inhabitants somewhere there  
was horrible proof1 for a frightful     
odour led to search being made1 and the 
,new ,zealander ,hoari turning up the   
ground1 found human bones with flesh    
hanging to them4 ,a little farther off  
was a native oven1 namely1 a pit lined  
with stones4  ,this was ,patteson's     
nearest contact with cannibalism1 and it
 left a deep impression of horror4  ,the
 ,banks group of islands came           
next--,great ,banks ,isle1 or in the    

native language ,vanua ,lava1 ,valua or 
,saddle ,isle1 a long narrow ridge of   
hills1 ,mota or ,sugarloaf ,island1 an  
equally descriptive name2 ,star ,island1
 and ,santa ,maria4 ,these places were  
to become of great importance to the    
,mission1 but little was seen of them at
 this time--the walls of coral round    
them were remarkably steep and difficult
 of access4  ,valua had no beach and no 
canoes1 and such swarms of natives      
clustering upon the cliffs that the     
,bishop did not think it prudent to     
land4 ,in ,mota1 though the coast for   
the most part rises up in sheer crags1  
forty or fifty feet above the sea1 with 
a great volcanic cone in the centre1 a  
little cove was found with a good beach1
 where a number of inhabitants had      
assembled4 ,they were entirely without  
clothing or ornament1 neither tattooed  
nor disfigured by betel-nut1 and their  
bright honest faces greatly attracted   
,patteson1 though not a word of their   
language could be then understood4 ,he  

wanted to swim ashore among them1 but   
the ,bishop would not allow it1 lest it 
should be difficult to escape from the  
embraces of so many without giving      
offence4 ,great numbers swam out to the 
boat1 and canoes brought fruits of all  
kinds1 and bamboos decked with leaves   
and flowers4 ',i crammed native combs in
 my hair1' says ,patteson1 'picked up   
what words ,i could1 and made up the    
rest by a grand display of              
gesticulation4'  ,at ,santa ,maria1 the 
next day1 there was the like scene      
around the boat1 only the sight of a bit
 of striped calico caused immense       
excitement4 ,at other islands it had    
been unheeded1 but here the people were 
mad to get it1 and offered their largest
 yams for strips of it1 and a pair of   
scarlet braces were purchased for two   
beautiful bows4  ,at ,vanua ,lava1 or   
,great ,banks ,island1 on the #bjth1 a  
large canoe with seven men came         
alongside1 three-quarters of a mile from
 shore4 ,they would not1 however1       

venture on board till ,patteson had gone
 into the water1 and placed himself in  
their canoe1 after which they were      
induced to come on deck1 were 'decorated
 with the order of the tape1' and       
received axes4 ,no weapon was seen among
 them1 and there was reason to think    
them the tractable and hopeful race they
 have since proved4  ,bligh ,island1 the
 next visited1 plainly revealed itself  
as the cone of an enormous submerged    
volcano1 the water forming a beautiful  
and extensive bay where numbers of      
people could be seen4 ,there was a      
landing and a little trading for yams1  
and then1 after the like intercourse    
with some of the inhabitants of the     
cluster of small islets named after     
,torres1 the vessel steered for         
,espiritu ,santo1 but wind and time     
forbade a return to the part previously 
visited1 nor was there time to do more  
than touch at ,aurora1 and exchange some
 fish-hooks for some bows4  ,at         
,malicolo1 in #ahea1 the ,bishop and his

 party1 while fetching water1 had been  
assailed with stones and arrows1 and had
 only escaped by showing the utmost     
coolness4 ,there was1 therefore1 much   
caution shown in approaching this bay1  
called ,port ,sandwich1 and the boat    
stopped outside its breakwater coral    
reef1 where numerous canoes flocked     
round1 the people with their bows and   
arrows1 not attempting to barter4 ,their
 faces were painted some red1 some      
black1 or yellow4 ,an old chief named   
,melanbico was recognised by the        
,bishop1 and called by name into the    
boat4 ,another old acquaintance named   
,nipati joined him1 and it was          
considered safe to row into the harbour4
 ,the ,bishop had learnt a little of the
 language1 and talked to these two1     
while ,patteson examined ,nipati's      
accoutrements--a club1 a bow1 arrows    
neatly made1 handsomely feathered1 and  
tipped with a deadly poison1            
tortoiseshell ear-rings1 and a very     
handsome shell armlet covering the arm  

from the elbow eight or nine inches     
upward1 his face painted red and black4 
,the ,bishop read out the list of names 
he had made on the former visit1 and to 
several the answer was 'dead1 or 'shot1'
 and it appeared that a great mortality 
had taken place4 ,large numbers1        
however1 were on the beach1 and the     
,bishop and ,patteson landed among them1
 and conversed with them2 but they      
showed no disposition to trade1 and     
though some of the lads seemed          
half-disposed to come away with the     
party1 they all changed their minds1 and
 went back again4 ,however1 all had     
behaved well1 and one little boy1 when  
offered a fish-hook1 at once showed that
 he had received one already4 ,it was   
plain that a beginning had been made1   
which might lead to further results4    
,two whales were seen while rowing back 
to the ship4 ,one--about a third of a   
mile off--leapt several times fairly out
 of the water1 and fell back on the sea 
'with a regular crack1' dashing up the  

spray in clouds4 ,there was now very    
little time to spare1 as the time of an 
ordination at ,auckland was fixed1 and  
two important visits had yet to be paid1
 so the two ,fate guests were sent      
ashore in the canoes of some of their   
friends1 and the ',southern ,cross'     
reached ,nengone on the #ast of         
,september4 ,the ,bishop had left a boat
 there some years before1 and the       
,samoan teacher1 ,mark1 who had been    
,mrs4 ,nihill's best friend and         
comforter1 came out in it with a joyful 
party full of welcome4 ,the ,bishop and 
,patteson went ashore1 taking with them 
their two ,bauro scholars1 to whom the  
most wonderful sight was a cow1 they    
never having seen any quadruped bigger  
than a pig4 ,all the native teachers and
 their wives were assembled1 and many of
 the people1 in front of the house where
 ,mr4 ,nihill had died4 ,they talked of 
him with touching affection1 as they    
told how diligently he had striven to   
bring young and old to a knowledge of   

his ,god2 and they eagerly assisted in  
planting at his grave a cross1 which the
 ,bishop had brought from ,auckland for 
the purpose1 and which bore the words3  
',i am the ,resurrection and the ,life4'
  ,the coral lime church and the houses 
of the teachers among the cocoa-nut     
trees gave the place a civilised look1  
and most of the people had some attempt 
at clothing4 ,here several passengers   
were taken in4 ,the two girls1 ,caroline
 ,wabisane and ,sarah ,wasitutru1 were  
both married--,caroline to a ,maori     
named ,simeona1 and ,sarah to a man from
 her own isle called ,nawiki4 ,all these
 and two more men wished to go to ,st4  
,john's for further instruction1 and    
were taken on board1 making up a party  
of fourteen ,melanesians1 besides       
,sarah's baby4 ',mrs4 ,nihill will be   
glad to have the women1' writes ,coley1 
'and ,i am glad to have the others--not 
the baby1 of course4'  ,close quarters  
indeed1 but not for very long1 for on   
the #crd of ,september the schooner     

again put into ,norfolk ,island1 and on 
the next ,sunday ,coley was present at  
the confirmation of the whole           
population1 excepting the younger       
children1 and at the subsequent         
,communion4 ,strong hopes were then     
entertained that the ,pitcairners1      
standing as it were between the ,english
 and the islanders1 would greatly assist
 in the work of the ,gospel1 but this   
plan was found only capable of being    
very partially carried out4  ,off       
,norfolk ,island1 he wrote to his       
brother an account of the way of life on
 the voyage1 and of the people3--       
',they are generally gentle1 and seem to
 cling to one1 not with the very        
independent goodwill of ,new            
,zealanders1 but with the soft yielding 
character of the child of the tropics4  
,they are fond1 that is the word for    
them4 ,i have had boys and men in a few 
minutes after landing1 follow me like a 
dog1 holding their hands in mine as a   
little child does with its nurse4  ',my 

manner of life on board is as ,i        
described it before4 ,i eschewed shoes  
and socks1 rather liking to be paddling 
about all day1 when not going on shore1 
or otherwise employed1 which of course  
made up eight or ten out of the thirteen
 hours of daylight4 ,when ,i went ashore
 7which ,i did whenever the boat went71 
then ,i put on my shoes1 and always swam
 in them1 for the coral would cut my    
feet to pieces4 ,usual swimming and     
wading attire--flannel shirt1 dark grey 
trousers1 cap or straw hat1 shoes1      
basket round my neck with fish-hooks1 or
 perhaps an adze or two in my hand4 ,i  
enjoyed the tropical climate very       
much--really warm always in the water or
 out of it4 ,on the reefs1 when ,i waded
 in shallow water1 the heat of it was   
literally unpleasant1 more than a tepid 
bath4'  ,on the #acth of ,september1 the
 little missionary vessel came safe into
 harbour at ,auckland1 and ,coley and   
his boys--they were considered          
especially as his--took up their        

quarters at ,st4 ,john's ,college4 ,all 
through the voyage he had written the   
journals here followed for the general  
benefit of his kindred1 and at other    
leisure moments he had written more     
personal letters4 ,on his sister        
,fanny's birthday1 when the visit to    
,malicolo was just over1 after his      
birthday wishes1 he goes on3--  ',and   
now1 how will you be when this reaches  
,feniton8 ,i think of all your daily    
occupations1--school1 garden1 driving1  
c4--your ,sunday reading1 visiting the  
cottages1 c41 and the very thought of it
 makes me feel like old times4 ,when    
occasionally ,i dream1 or fall into a   
kind of trance when awake1 and fancy    
myself walking up from the lodge to the 
house1 and old forms and faces rise up  
before me1 ,i can scarcely contain the  
burst of joy and happiness1 and then ,i 
give a shake and say1 ,well1 it would be
 very nice1 but look about the horizon1 
and see how many islands you can count6 
and then1 instead of thoughts of home   

for myself1 ,i am tempted to induce     
others to leave their homes1 though ,i  
don't really think many men have such a 
home to leave1 or remain so long as ,i  
did1 one of the home fire-side4  ',i    
have been reading one or two of the     
,german books you sent out4 ,friedrich  
der ,grosse is interesting1 but         
henceforth ,i don't think ,i shall have 
time for aught but a good ,german novel 
or two for wet days and jumping seas2 or
 such a theological book as ,i may send 
for4'  ,the effect of the voyage seems  
to have shown itself in an inflamed leg1
 which was painful1 but not disabled for
 some time4 ,there was a welcome budget 
of letters awaiting him1--one from his  
uncle ,dr4 ,coleridge1 to which this is 
the reply3--   ',september #ae1 #ahef3  
,st4 ,john's ,college4  ',your letter of
 ,march #bf was awaiting my arrival     
here4 ,how thankful ,i am that 7as ,fan 
says7 in little as in great things ,god 
is so good to us4 ,letters from me      
arriving on the anniversary of my       

departure6 and all at ,thorverton6      
',you are clearly right in what you say 
about my post in the ,s4 ,x4 ,i did not 
like it at first1 just as a schoolboy   
does not like going back to school2 but 
that it was good for me ,i have no      
doubt2 and now see6 here ,i am on shore 
for seven or eight months1 if ,i live so
 long--my occupations most interesting1 
working away with twelve ,melanesians at
 languages1 etc41 with the highest of   
all incentives to perseverance1 trying  
to form in them habits of cleanliness1  
order1 decency1 etc4  ',last night      
7,sunday--their first ,sunday in ,new   
,zealand71 after explaining to the      
,solomon ,islands boys1 seven in number1
 the nature of the ,lord's ,prayer as   
far as my knowledge of their language   
would carry me1 ,i thought myself       
justified in making them kneel down     
round me1 and they uttered with their   
lips after me 7i4e4 the five most       
intelligent7 the first words of prayer  
to their ,father in ,heaven4 ,i don't   

venture to say that they understood     
much--neither does the young child      
taught at his or her mother's           
knees--neither do many grown persons    
perhaps know much about the fulness of  
the ,prayer of ,prayers--7these scenes  
teach me my ignorance1 which is one     
great gain7--yet they knew1 ,i think1   
that they were praying to some great and
 mighty one--not an abstraction--a      
conscious loving ,being1 a ,father1 and 
they know at least the name of ,his     
,son1 ,jesus ,christ4  ',their first    
formula was3 ,god the ,father1 ,god the 
,son1 and ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 only   
,one ,god4 ,i can't yet explain that our
 ,blessed ,lord came from heaven and    
died for our sins2 neither 7as far as   
human thought may reach7 does the power 
of ,god's ,spirit as yet work in their  
hearts consciousness of sin1 and with   
that the sense of the need of a         
,redeemer and ,saviour4 ,i asked in my  
sermon yesterday the prayers of the     
people for the grace of ,god's ,holy    

,spirit to touch the hearts and         
enlighten the understandings of these   
heathen children of a common ,father1   
and ,i added that greatly did their     
teachers need their prayers that ,god   
would make them apt to teach1 and wise  
and simple in endeavouring to bring     
before their minds the things that      
belong unto their peace4 ,you too1 dear 
,uncle1 will think ,i know of these     
things1 for my trust is great4 ,in this 
cold climate1 #bf or #bg of latitude    
south of their own island1 ,i have much 
anxiety about their bodily health1 and  
more about their souls4  ',the four     
youngest1 sixteen to eighteen1 sleep in 
my room4 ,one is now on my bed1 wrapped 
up in a great opossum rug1 with cold and
 slight fever2 last night his pulse was 
high1 to-day he is better4 ,i have to   
watch over them like a cat4 ,think of   
living till now in a constant           
temperature of #hd1 and being suddenly  
brought to #ef4 ,new ,zealand is too    
cold for them1 and the ,college is a    

cold place1 wind howling round it now4  
',norfolk ,island is the place1 and the 
,pitcairners themselves are most        
co-operative and hearty2 ,i trust that  
in another year ,i may be there4        
',thank you for all your kind wishes on 
my birthday4 ,i ought to wish to live   
many years1 perhaps1 to try and be of   
use2 especially as ,i am so unfit to go 
now1 or rather ,i ought not to wish at  
all4 ,sometimes ,i feel almost          
fainthearted1 which is cowardly and     
forgetful of our calling to fight       
manfully under ,christ's banner4 ,ah6 my
 ,bishop is indeed a warrior of the     
,cross4 ,i can't bear the things ,sophy 
said in one of her letters about my     
having given up4  ,it seems mock        
humility to write it2 but1 dear ,uncle1 
if ,i am conscious of a life so utterly 
unlike what all you dear ones fancy it  
to be1 what must it be in the sight of  
,god and ,his holy angels8 ,what        
advantages ,i have always had1 and have 
now6 and not a day goes by and ,i can   

say ,i have done my duty4 ,good-bye1    
dear dear ,uncle4  ',always your        
affectionate and grateful nephew1  ',j4 
,c4 ,,patteson4  ',love to dear ,aunt4' 
,almost the first experience after      
settling in at ,st4 ,john's ,college was
 a sharp attack of fever that fell on   
,kerearua1 one of the ,bauro lads4 ,such
 illnesses1 it seemed1 were frequent at 
home and generally fatal4 ,his companion
 ,hirika remarked1 ',kerearua like this 
in ,bauro ah6 in a few days he would    
die2 by-and-by we go back to ,bauro4'   
,the sick boys were always lodged in    
,coley's own room to be more quiet and  
thoroughly nursed4 ,fastidiousness had  
been so entirely crushed that he really 
seemed to take pleasure in the          
arrangement1 speaking with enthusiasm of
 the patient's obedience and gratitude1 
and adding1 ',he looks quite nice in one
 of my night-shirts with my plaid       
counterpane1 and the plaid ,joan gave me
 over it1 a blanket next to him4'  ,the 
,melanesians readily fell into the      

regular habits of short school1 work out
 of doors1 meals in hall and bed-time1  
and they were allowed a good deal of the
 free use of their limbs1 needful to    
keep them happy and healthy4 ,now and   
then they would be taken into ,auckland1
 as a great treat1 to see the soldiers  
on parade1 and of course the mere living
 with civilization was an immense       
education to them1 besides the direct   
instruction they received4  ,the        
languages of ,nengone and ,bauro were   
becoming sufficiently familiar to ,mr4  
,patteson to enable him to understand   
much of what they said to him4 ,he      
writes to ,miss ,neill 7,october #ag73--
   ',i talk with them about common      
things1 and learn a great deal of their 
wild savage customs and habits1 but ,i  
can do but little as yet in the way of  
real instruction4 ,some ideas1 ,i trust1
 they are beginning to acquire          
concerning our ,blessed ,lord4 ,is it   
not a significant fact that the god     
worshiped in ,gfera1 and in one village 

of ,bauro1 is the ,serpent1 the very    
type of evil8 ,i need not say that these
 dear boys have won their way to my     
heart1 they are most docile and         
affectionate4 ,i think some will really1
 if they live1 leave their own island   
and live with me at ,norfolk ,island1 or
 here1 or wherever my dwelling may be   
whenever ,i am not in the ,southern     
,cross4  ',but of course ,i must not    
dwell on such notions4 ,if it come to   
pass that for some years ,i can retain a
 hold upon them1 they may be instructed 
sufficiently to make them teachers in   
their turn to their own people4 ,but all
 this is in the hands of ,god4 ,my home 
journal will tell you particulars of our
 voyage4 ,don't believe in the ferocity1
 c41 of the islanders4 ,when their      
passions are excited1 they do commit    
fearful deeds1 and they are almost      
universally cannibals1 i4e4 after a     
battle there will be always a cannibal  
feast1 not otherwise4 ,but treat them   
well and prudently1 and ,i apprehend    

that there is little danger in visiting 
them1 meaning by visiting merely landing
 on the beach the first time1 going     
perhaps to a native village the next    
time1 sleeping on shore the third1      
spending ten days the fourth1 c41 c4    
,the language once learnt from the      
pupils we bring away1 all is clear4 ,and
 now good-bye1 my dear ,miss ,neill4    
,that ,i think of you and pray for you1 
you know1 and ,i need not add that ,i   
value most highly your prayers for me4  
,when ,i think of my happiness and good 
spirits1 ,i must attribute much1 very   
much1 to ,god's goodness in accepting   
the prayers of my friends4'  ,after the 
old custom of telling the home party all
 his doings1 the journal-letter of the  
#bgth of ,november goes through the     
teaching to the ,bauro boys3--  ',i     
really think they comprehend thus much1 
that ,god1 who made all things1 made    
man1 ,adam and ,eve1 very good and holy2
 that ,adam and ,eve sinned1 that they  
did not listen to the word of ,god1 but 

to the ,bad ,spirit2 that ,god found    
them out1 though they were afraid and   
tried to hide 7for ,he sees and knows   
all things72 that ,he drove them out of 
the beautiful garden1 and said that they
 must die2 that they had two sons1 ,cain
 and ,abel2 that ,cain killed his       
brother1 and that all fighting and      
killing people1 and all other sins 7,i  
mention all for which ,i have names7    
came into the world because of sin2 that
 ,god and man were far apart1 not living
 near1 no peace between them because men
 were so evil4 ,that ,god was so good   
that ,he loved men all the time1 and    
that ,he promised to save all men who   
would believe in ,his ,son ,jesus       
,christ1 who was to die for them 7for ,i
 can't yet express1 was to die that men 
might not go down to the fire1 but live 
for ever with ,god 72 that by and by ,he
 sent a flood and drowned all men except
 ,noah and seven other people1 because  
men would not be good2 that afterwards  
there was a very good man1 named        

,abraham1 who believed all about ,jesus 
,christ1 and ,god chose him1 and his son
 ,isaac1 and his son ,jacob1 and his    
twelve sons1 to be the fathers of a     
people called ,jews2 that those people  
alone knew about ,god1 and had teachers 
and praying men3 and that they killed   
lambs and offered them 7gave them to    
,god as a sign of ,jesus ,christ being  
one day slain and offered to ,god on a  
cross7 but these very men became wicked 
too1 and at last1 when no man knew how  
to be happy and good1 ,jesus ,christ    
came down from heaven4 ,his mother was  
,mary1 but ,he had no father on earth1  
only ,god the ,father in heaven was ,his
 ,father3 the ,holy ,ghost made ,mary to
 be mother of ,jesus ,christ4  ',then ,i
 take two books1 or anything else1 and  
say1 ,this one is ,god1 and this is man4
 ,they are far apart1 because man is so 
bad and ,god is so good4 ,but ,jesus    
,christ came in the middle between them1
 and joins them together4 ,he is ,god   
and ,he is ,man too2 so in7side7 ,him1  

,god and ,man meet1 like the meeting of 
two men in one path2 and ,he says       
,himself ,he is the true ,way1 the only 
true ,path to ,god and heaven4 ,god was 
angry with us because we sinned2 but    
,jesus ,christ died on the cross1 and   
then ,god the ,father forgave us because
 ,jesus ,christ gave ,his life that we  
might always live1 and not die4 ,by and 
by ,he will come to judge us2 and ,he   
knows what we do1 whether we steal and  
lie1 or whether we pray and teach what  
is good4 ,men of ,bauro and ,gera and   
,santa ,cruz don't know that yet1 but   
you do1 and you must remember1 if you go
 on doing as they do after you know     
,god's will1 you will be sent down to   
the fire1 and not see ,jesus ,christ1   
who died that you might live4  ',i think
 that they know all this1 and much in   
the exactly equivalent words4 ,of course
 ,i find difficulty in rendering        
religious ideas in a language which     
contains scarcely any words adequate to 
express them1 but ,i am hopeful enough  

to believe that they do know so much at 
all events4 ,how far their hearts are   
affected1 ,one alone knows4 ,it is      
indeed but little after they have been  
with us four months2 but till ,i had    
them on shore1 ,i could get very little 
work done4 ,the constant boat work took 
me away1 and anywhere in sight of       
islands1 of course they were on deck in 
eagerness to see the strange country4   
,then ,i could not work with energy     
while my leg would not let me take      
exercise4 ,but it is now beginning to be
 a real pleasure as well as duty to     
teach both ,nengone and ,bauro people4  
,enough of the language to avoid most of
 the drudgery has been got over1 ,i     
hope1 though not near enough for        
purposes of 'exact and accurate         
translation4'  ,i have given at length  
this account of ,patteson's fundamental 
teaching1 though to some it may seem to 
savour of the infant school1 because in 
spite of being hampered by imperfect    
knowledge of the language1 he has thrown

 into it the great principle both of his
 action and teaching2 namely1 the       
restoration of the union of mankind with
 ,god through ,christ4 ,it never        
embraced that view of the heathen world 
which regards it as necessarily under   
,god's displeasure1 apart from actual   
evil1 committed in wilful knowledge that
 it is evil4 ,he held fast to the fact  
of man having been created in the image 
of ,god1 and held that whatever good    
impulses and higher qualities still     
remained in the heathen1 were the       
remnants of that ,image1 and to be      
hailed accordingly4 ,above all1 he      
realised in his whole life the words to 
,st4 ,peter3 ',what ,god hath cleansed  
that call not thou common1' and not     
undervaluing for a moment ,sacramental  
,grace1 viewed human nature1 while yet  
without the offer thereof1 as still the 
object of fatherly and redeeming love1  
and full of fitful tokens of good coming
 from the only ,giver of life and       
holiness1 and needing to be brought     

nearer and strengthened by full union   
and light1 instead of being left to be  
quenched in the surrounding flood of    
evil4 ',and were by nature the children 
of wrath1' he did not hold to mean that 
men were objects of ,god's anger1 lying 
under ,his deadly displeasure2 but      
rather1 children of wild impulse1       
creatures of passion1 swayed            
resistlessly by their own desires1 until
 made 'children of grace1' and thus     
obtaining the spiritual power needful to
 enable them to withstand these         
passions4 ,an extract from the sermon he
 had preached at ,sydney may perhaps    
best serve to illustrate his            
principle3--  ',and this love once      
generated in the heart of man1 must     
needs pass on to his brethren2 that     
principle of life must needs grow and   
expand with its own inherent energy2 the
 seed must be developed into the tree1  
and strike its roots deep and wide1 and 
stretch out its branches unto the sea   
and its boughs unto the rivers4 ,no     

artificial nor accidental circumstances 
can confine it1 it recognises no human  
ideas of nationality1 or place1 or time1
 but embraces like the dome of heaven   
all the works of ,god4 ,and love is the 
animating principle of all4 ,in every   
star of the sky1 in the sparkling1      
glittering waves of the sea1 in every   
flower of the field1 in every creature  
of ,god1 most of all in every living    
soul of man1 it adores and blesses the  
beauty and the love of the great        
,creator and ,preserver of all4         
',viewed indeed from that position which
 was occupied by ancient philosophers1  
the existing contrarieties between      
nations might well appear inexplicable1 
and intellectual powers might seem to be
 the exclusive heritage of particular   
nations4 ,but ,christianity leads us to 
distinguish between the nature of man as
 he came fresh from the hands of his    
,creator1 and that natural propensity to
 sin which he has inherited in          
consequence of his fall from original   

innocence4 ,it teaches that as ,god has 
made of one blood all nations to dwell  
together on the face of the whole earth1
 and has given in virtue of this common 
origin one common nature destined to be 
pure and holy and divine1 so1 by virtue 
of ,redemption and ,regeneration1 the   
image of ,god may be restored in all1   
and whatever is the result of his       
depravity therefore may be overcome4    
,and this seems to be the answer to all 
statements relating to the want of      
capacity in certain nations of the earth
 for the reception of ,divine ,truth1   
that every man1 because he is a man1    
because he is a partaker of that very   
nature which has been taken into the    
,person of the ,son of ,god1 may by the 
grace of ,god be awakened to the sense  
of his true life1 of his real dignity as
 a redeemed brother of ,christ4  ',the  
spark of heavenly fire may indeed have  
been all but quenched by the unbridled  
indulgence of his passions2 the natural 
wickedness of the heart of man may have 

exhibited itself with greater           
fearfulness where no laws and customs   
have introduced restraints against at   
least the outward expression of vice2   
but the capacity for the ,christian life
 is there2 though overlaid1 it may be1  
with monstrous forms of superstition or 
cruelty or ignorance1 the conscience can
 still respond to the voice of the      
,gospel of ,truth4'  ,and one who so    
entirely believed and acted upon these  
words found them true4 ,the man who     
verily treated the lads he had gathered 
round him with a perfectly genuine      
sympathy1 a love and a self-denial--nay 
more1 an identification of self with    
them--awoke all that was best in their  
characters1 and met with full response4 
,enthusiastic partiality of course there
 was in his estimate of them2 but is it 
not one of the absolute requisites of a 
good educator to feel that enthusiasm1  
like the parent for the child8 ,and is  
it always the blind admiration at which 
outsiders smile2 is it not rather       

indifference which is blind1 and love   
which sees the truth8  ',i would not    
exchange my position with these lads and
 young men for anything 7he wrote1 on   
,december #h1 to his uncle1 the ,eton   
master74 ,i wish you could see them and 
know them2 ,i don't think you ever had  
pupils that could win their way into    
your heart more effectually than these  
fellows have attached themselves to me4 
,it is no effort to love them heartily4 
,gariri1 a dear boy from ,san           
,cristoval1 is standing by me now1 at my
 desk1 in amazement at the pace that my 
pen is going1 not knowing that ,i could 
write to you1 my dear old tutor1 for    
hours together if ,i had nothing else to
 do4 ,he is1 ,i suppose1 about sixteen1 
a most loveable boy1 gentle1            
affectionate1 with all the tropical     
softness and kindliness4  ',we have     
seven ,solomon ,islanders--five from    
,mata1 a village at the north-west of   
,san ,cristoval1 and two from the       
south-east point of ,guadalcanar1 or    

,gera1 a magnificent island about       
twenty-five or twenty miles to the      
north-west of ,san ,cristoval4 ,from    
frequent intercourse they are almost    
bilingual1 a great lounge for me1 as one
 language does for both2 the structure  
of the two island tongues is the same1  
but scarcely any words much alike4      
,however1 that is not much odds4  ',then
 from ,nengone1 where you remember ,mr4 
,nihill died after eighteen months'     
residence on the island1 we have four   
men and two women1 both married4 ,of    
these1 two men and both the women have  
been baptized1 some time ago1 by the    
,bishop1 in #aheb1 and one by the       
,london ,mission1 who now occupy the    
island4 ,these four ,i have1 with full  
trust1 admitted to the ,holy ,communion4
 ,mr4 ,nihill had taught them well1 and 
,i am sure they could pass an           
examination in ,scriptural history1     
simple doctrinal statements1 c41 as well
 as most young ,english people of the   
middle class of life4 ,the other two are

 well taught1 and one of them knows a   
great deal1 but1 poor fellow1 he        
misconducted himself at ,nengone1 and   
hence ,i cannot recommend him to the    
,bishop for baptism without much talk   
about him4  ',but ,i think my love is   
more poured out upon my ,bauro and ,gera
 lads4 ,they are such dear fellows1 and 
,i trust that already they begin to know
 something about religion4 ,certain it  
is that they answer readily questions   
and say with their mouths what amounts  
almost to a statement of the most       
important ,christian truths4 ,of course 
,i cannot tell what effect this may have
 on their hearts4 ,they join in prayer  
morning and evening1 they behave        
admirably1 and really there is nothing  
in their conduct to find fault with4 ,if
 it please ,god that any of them were at
 some future time to stay again with us1
 ,i have great hopes that they may learn
 enough to become teachers in their own 
country4  ',the ,nengone lads are quite 
in a different position4 ,their language

 has been reduced to writing1 the       
,gospel of ,st4 ,mark translated1 and   
they can all read a little ,english1 so 
that at evening prayers we read a verse 
all round1 and then ,i catechise and    
expound to them in ,nengone4  ',i really
 trust that by ,god's blessing some real
 opening into the great ,solomon group  
has been effected4 ,there is every hope 
that many boys will join us this next   
voyage4 ,no one can say what may be the 
result4 ,as yet it is possible to get on
 without more help1 but ,i do not for a 
moment doubt that should ,god really    
grant not only a wide field of labour1  
but some such hope of cultivating it1   
,he will send forth plenty of men to    
share in this work4 ,men who have some  
means of their own--#ajj a year is      
enough1 or even less--or some aptitude  
for languages1 surely will feel drawn in
 this direction4 ,it is the happiest    
life a man can lead1 full of enjoyment1 
physical and mental1 exquisite scenery1 
famous warm climate1 lots of bathing1   

yams and taro and cocoa-nut enough to   
make an alderman's mouth water1 and such
 loving1 gentle people4 ,but of course  
something depends on the way in which a 
man looks at these things1 and a fine   
gentleman who can't get on without his  
servant1 and can't put his luggage for  
four months into a compass of six feet  
by one-and-a-half1 won't like it4444    
',you know the kind of incidents that   
occur1 so ,i need not repeat them to    
you4 ,i have quite learnt to believe    
that there are no savages anywhere1 at  
least among black or coloured people4   
,i'd like to see anyone call my ,bauro  
boys savages6 ,why1 the fellows on the  
reef that have never seen a white man   
will wade back to the boat and catch    
one's arms to prevent one falling into  
pits among the coral1 just like an old  
nurse looking after her child4 ,this    
they did at ,santa ,maria1 where we two 
swam ashore to a party of forty or fifty
 men1 and where our visit was evidently 
a very agreeable one on both sides1     

though we did not know one syllable of  
the language1 and then4444 ,but ,i      
almost tremble to think of the immense  
amount of work opening upon one4        
,whither will it lead8 ,but ,i seldom   
find any time for speculations2 and oh1 
my dear tutor1 ,i am as happy as the day
 is long1 though it never seems long to 
me64444 ,my dear father writes in great 
anxiety about the ,denison case4 ,oh    
dear6 what a cause of thankfulness it is
 to be out of the din of controversy1   
and to find hundreds of thousands       
longing for crumbs which are shaken     
about so roughly in these angry         
disputes6 ,it isn't ,high or ,low or    
,broad ,church1 or any other special    
name1 but the longing desire to forget  
all distinctions1 and to return to a    
simpler state of things1 that seems     
naturally to result from the very sight 
of heathen people4 ,who thinks of       
anything but this3 ,they have not heard 
the ,name of the ,saviour ,who died for 
them1 when he is standing with crowds of

 naked fellows round him8 ,i can't      
describe the intense happiness of this  
life4 ,i suppose trials will come some  
day1 and ,i almost dread the thought1   
for ,i surely shall not be prepared to  
bear them4 ,i have no trials at all1    
even of a small kind1 to teach me how to
 bear up under great ones4'  ,in truth  
,coleridge ,patteson had entered on the 
happiest period of his life4 ,he had    
found his vocation1 and his affections  
were fastening themselves upon his black
 flock1 so that1 without losing a       
particle of his home love1 the yearnings
 homewards were appeased1 and the fully 
employed time1 and sense of success and 
capability1 left no space for the       
self-contemplation and self-criticism of
 his earlier life4 ,he gives amusing    
sketches of the scenes3--  ',the donkey 
here1 a fatally stubborn brute1 is an   
unceasing amusement to my boys4 ,no one 
of them can retain his seat more than   
ten minutes1 but they all fall like cats
 on their legs amid cries of laughter4  

,the donkey steers straight for some    
small scrubby trees1 and then kicks and 
plunges1 or else rubs their legs against
 the sides of the house1 and all this   
time the boys are leaping about the     
unfortunate fellow who is mounted1 and  
the fun is great4  ',wadrokala1 one of  
the ,nengone lads1 who had recently made
 his first communion1 became the        
prominent scholar at this time4 ,he had 
thought a good deal4 ,one night he said3
 ,i have heard all kinds of words       
used--faith1 repentance1 praise1        
prayer--and ,i don't clearly understand 
what is the real great thing1 the chief 
thing of all4 ,they used these words    
confusedly1 and ,i feel puzzled4 ,then  
,i read that the ,pharisees knew a great
 deal of the law1 and so did the        
,scribes1 and yet they were not good4 ,i
 am not doing anything good4 ,now ,i    
know something of the ,bible1 and ,i can
 write2 and ,i fear very much1 ,i often 
feel very much afraid1 that ,i am not   
good1 ,i am not doing anything good4'   

,he was talked to1 and comforted with   
hopes of future work2 but a day or two  
later his feelings were unconsciously   
hurt by being told in joke that he was  
wearing a shabby pair of trousers to    
save the good ones to take home to      
,nengone4 ,his remonstrance was poured  
out upon a slate3--  ',mr4 ,patteson1   
this is my word3--,i am unhappy because 
of the word you said to me that ,i      
wished for clothes4 ,i have left my     
country4 ,i do not seek clothes for the 
body4 ,what is the use of clothes8 ,can 
my spirit be clothed with clothes for   
the body8 ,therefore my heart is greatly
 afraid2 but you said ,i greatly wished 
for clothes1 which ,i do not care for4  
,one thing only ,i care for1 that ,i may
 receive the life for my spirit4        
,therefore ,i fear1 ,i confess1 and say 
to you1 it is not the thing for the body
 ,i want1 but the one thing ,i want is  
the clothing for the soul1 for ,jesus   
,christ's sake1 our ,lord4'  ,soon after
 a very happy ,christmas1 ,wadrokala and

 ,kainwhat expressed a desire1 after a  
final visit to their native island1 to  
return with ,mr4 ,patteson1 and be      
prepared to be sent as native teachers  
to any dark land1 as the ,samoans had   
come to them4  ,wadrokala narrated      
something of the history of his island1 
a place with #f1jjj inhabitants1 with   
one tribe forming a priestly caste1 the 
head of which was firmly believed by    
even these ,christian ,nengonese to     
possess the power of striking men dead  
by his curse4 ,caroline1 ,kainwhat and  
,kowine were the children of a terrible 
old chief named ,bula1 who had          
fifty-five wives1 and whose power was   
almost absolute4 ,if anyone offended    
him1 he would send either a priest or   
one of his sons to kill the man1 and    
bring the corpse1 of which the thighs   
were always reserved for his special    
eating1 the trunk being given to his    
slaves4 ,if one of his wives offended   
him1 he sent for the high priest1 who   
cursed her--simply said1 ',she has      

died1' and die she did4 ,a young girl   
who refused to marry him was killed and 
eaten1 or if any person omitted to come 
into his presence crouching1 the penalty
 was to be devoured2 in fact1 he seems  
to have made excuses for executions in  
order to gratify his appetite for human 
flesh1 which was considered as          
particularly dainty fare4 ,everyone     
dreaded him1 and when at last he died a 
natural death1 his chief wife was       
strangled by her own brother1 as a      
matter of course4 ,such horrors as these
 had pretty well ceased by that time1   
though still many ,nengonese were       
heathen1 and the priests were firmly    
believed to have the power of producing 
death and disease at will by a curse4   
,wadrokala1 with entire conviction1     
declared that one of his father's wives 
had thus been made a cripple for life4  
,nengonese had become almost as familiar
 to ,coley as ,maori1 and his ,sundays  
at this time were decidedly polyglot2   
since1 besides a regular ,english       

service at ,taranaki1 he often took a   
,maori service1 and preached extempore  
in that tongue1 feeling that the        
people's understanding went along with  
him2 and there were also1 in early      
morning and late evening1 prayers1      
partly in ,nengonese1 partly in ,bauro1 
at the ,college chapel1 and a sermon1   
first in one language1 and then repeated
 in the other4 ,the ,nengone lads1 who  
had the question of adherence to the    
,london ,mission at home1 or the ,church
 in ,new ,zealand1 put to them1 came    
deliberately to entreat to remain always
 with ,mr4 ,patteson1 saying that they  
saw that this teaching of the ,church   
was right1 and they wished to work in   
it4 ,it was a difficult point1 as the   
,london ,mission was reasserting a claim
 to the ,loyalty ,isles1 and the hopes  
of making them a point d'appui were     
vanishing2 but these men and their wives
 could not but be accepted1 and ,simeona
 was preparing for baptism4 ,a long     
letter to ,professor ,max ,muller on the

 languages will be found in the         
,appendix4 ,the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand
 thus wrote to ,sir ,john ,patteson     
respecting ,coley and his work3--       
',taurarua1 ,auckland3 ,march #b1 #aheg4
  ',my dear ,judge1--,your letter of    
,december #e made me very happy1 by     
assuring me of the satisfaction which   
you feel in your son's duties and       
position4 ,i do indeed most thankfully  
acknowledge the goodness of ,god in thus
 giving me timely aid1 when ,i was      
pledged to a great work1 but without any
 steady force to carry it on4 ,coley is1
 as you say1 the right man in the right 
place1 mentally and physically3 the     
multiplicity of languages1 which would  
try most men1 is met by his peculiar    
gift2 the heat of the climate suits his 
constitution2 his mild and parental     
temper makes his black boys cling about 
him as their natural protector2 and his 
freedom from fastidiousness makes all   
parts of the work easy to him2 for when 
you have to teach boys how to wash      

themselves1 and to wear clothes for the 
first time1 the romance of missionary   
work disappears as completely as a great
 man's heroism before his valet de      
chambre4  ',on ,sunday1 ,february #bb1  
we had a native baptism1 an adult from  
,nengone and his infant child4 ,coley   
used the ,baptismal ,service1 which he  
had translated1 and preached fluently in
 the ,nengone tongue1 as he had done in 
the morning in ,new ,zealand4 ,the      
careful study which we had together of  
the latter on our voyage out will be of 
great use in many other dialects1 and   
,mrs4 ,nihill has given him her         
husband's ,nengone manuscripts4  ',you  
know in what direction my wishes tend1  
viz41 that ,coley1 when he has come to  
suitable age1 and has developed1 as ,i  
have no doubt he will1 a fitness for the
 work1 should be the first island       
,bishop1 upon the foundation1 of which  
you and your brother ,judge1 and ,sir   
,w4 ,farquhar1 are trustees2 that       
,norfolk ,island should be the see of   

the ,bishop1 because the character of   
its population1 the salubrity of its    
climate1 and its insular position1 make 
it the fittest place for the purpose4   
',your affectionate and grateful friend1
  ',g4 ,a4 ,,new ,,zealand4'   ,by the  
same mail ,patteson himself wrote to    
,miss ,neill3--  ',if it please ,god to 
give us some few native teachers from   
,bauro and ,grera1 not to be sent       
before1 but to go with or follow us     
7i4e4 ,bishop and me71 in a short time  
the word of ,god might be heard in many 
a grand wild island1 resplendent with   
everything that a tropical climate and  
primeval forests1 etc41 can bestow1 and 
thickly populated with an intelligent   
and1 as ,i imagine1 tolerably docile    
race1 of whom some are already          
stretching out their hands unto ,god4   
',all these ,solomon ,islanders here    
would answer questions about            
,christianity as well1 perhaps1 as      
children of nine or ten years old in    
,england4 ,some seem to feel that there 

is a real connection between themselves 
and what they are taught1 and speak of  
the love of ,god in giving ,jesus       
,christ to die for them1 and say that   
,god's ,holy ,spirit alone can enlighten
 their dark hearts4  ',that beautiful   
image of light and darkness seems common
 to all nations4 ,the regular word used 
by the ,nengone people1 who are far more
 advanced in ,christian knowledge and   
practice1 for all heathen places is the 
dark lands4  ',on ,sunday week1         
,february #bb1 we had a deeply          
interesting service in the ,college     
chapel at #g4ae ,p4,m41 just as the     
,english world was beginning its        
,sunday4 ,simeona and his infant boy of 
four weeks and three days old were      
baptized4 ,the ,college chapel was      
nicely lighted1 font decorated simply4  
,i read the service in ,nengone1 having 
had all hands at work setting the types 
and printing on ,friday and ,saturday4  
,the ,bishop took the part of the       
service which immediately precedes the  

actual baptism1 and baptized them       
both--first the father1 by the name of  
,george ,selwyn1 then the baby1 by the  
name of ,john ,patteson4 ,this was the  
special request of the parents1 and as  
it is my dear ,father's name1 how could 
,i object8 ,he is1 of course1 my godson1
 and a dear little fellow he is4 ,at the
 end of my sermon1 ,i added a few words 
to ,george1 and besought the prayers of 
the ,nengone people for him and his     
child4 ,we have now four regular        
communicants among them--,wadrokala1    
,mark 7,kainwhat71 ,carry and ,sarah4   
,george is baptized1 and baby2 and      
,sarah's child1 ,lizzy1 ,i baptized long
 ago4 ,in about two months 7,d4 ,v471 we
 are off for a good spell of four or    
five months among the islands1 taking   
back this party1 though some of them    
will1 by and by1 rejoin us again1 ,i    
hope4'  ,the plan of starting in ,april 
for a four or five months' cruise was   
disconcerted1 as regarded ,bishop       
,selwyn1 by the delay of ,bishop ,harper

 and the ,archdeacons in arriving for   
the intended ,synod1 which was thus put 
off till ,may1 too wintry a month for   
the ,melanesians to spend in ,new       
,zealand4 ,after some doubt1 it was     
decided that ,mr4 ,patteson should make 
a short voyage1 for the mere purpose of 
returning his scholars to their homes1  
come back to ,auckland1 and make a fresh
 start when the ,bishop was ready4  ,in 
prospect of the parting1 ,patteson      
writes to his beloved old governess     
7,march #ai1 #aheg73--  ',you will like 
a report of my pupils1 especially as ,i 
can give most of them a good ticket1    
little mark and all1 as we used to say  
of yours 7though not as often as we     
ought to have done7 to our dear mother4 
,you never had such willing pupils1     
though you turned out some1 ,i hope1    
eventually as good4 ,in your hands these
 lads would be something indeed4 ,really
 they have no faults that ,i can detect1
 and when their previous state is       
considered1 it is wonderful2 for all    

this time they have been with us1 the   
greatest fault has been a fit of        
sulkiness1 lasting about half a day1    
with three of them4 ,their affection1   
gentleness1 unselfishness1 cheerfulness1
 willingness to oblige1 in some of them 
a natural gentlemanly way of doing      
things1 and sometimes indications of    
what we should call high principle--all 
these things give one great hopes1 not  
for them only1 but for all these        
nations1 that1 refined by ,christianity1
 they may be bright examples of manly   
virtues and ,christian graces4'  ,to    
some1 no doubt1 these expressions will  
seem exaggerated1 but not to those who  
have had any experience of the peculiar 
suavity and grace that often is found in
 the highbred men of native races1      
before they are debased by the          
corruptions brought in by white men4    
,moreover1 in every case1 the personal  
influence of the teacher when in        
immediate contact with a sufficiently   
small number1 is quite enough to infuse 

good habits and obviate evil ones to an 
extent quite inconceivable to those who 
have not watched the unconscious        
exertion of this power4 ,patteson knew  
that too much reliance must not be      
placed on present appearance4  ',it is  
dangerous 7he says71 to have persons    
clinging to you too much4 ,i feel that2 
but then these fellows1 ,i take it1 are 
very impulsive1 and no doubt the        
cocoanuts in their own land will        
exercise a counter-influence to mine1   
and so ,i shall soon be undeceived if ,i
 learn to think too much of their       
personal affection2 but ,i never knew   
such dear lads1 ,i don't know how ,i    
shall get on without them4  ',you must  
be looking forward to your spring and   
summer4 ,how delicious some of those    
days are in ,england6 ,we miss the      
freshness of a deciduous foliage1 our   
evergreens look dull1 and we have no    
deciduous trees as yet4 ,a good scamper 
with ,joan on the ,east ,hill1 or a     
drive with ,fan in the pony carriage    

along a lane full of primroses and      
violets would be pleasant indeed1 and so
 would a stroll with old ,jem up the    
river be happy indeed1 and ,i could     
almost quit the ,southern ,cross for    
dear ,father's quarter-deck in the      
,hermitage1 but that ,i am1 ,i believe1 
sailing in the right vessel1 and1 as ,i 
trust1 on the right course to the haven 
where we may all meet and rest for      
ever4'  ,on ,good ,friday the three     
,nengone young men who had been baptized
 were confirmed1 and on the ,wednesday  
in ,easter ,week the ',southern ,cross' 
sailed1 this time with a responsible    
sailing master4 ,at ,nengone ,mr4       
,patteson had a friendly interview with 
,mr4 ,craig1 the ,london ,society's     
missionary1 and explained to him the    
state of things with regard to these    
individual pupils2 then1 after being    
overwhelmed with presents by the        
,christian population1 shaped his course
 for ,bauro4  ,on the way he had the    
experience of a tropical thunderstorm1  

after having been well warned by the    
sinking of the barometer through the    
whole of the day1 the #bgth of ,april4  
',at #g4cj the breeze came up1 and the  
big drops began1 when suddenly a bright 
forked flash so sustained that it held  
its place before our eyes like an       
immense white-hot crooked wire1 seemed  
to fall on the deck1 and be splintered  
there4 ,but one moment and the          
tremendous crack of the thunder was     
alive and around us1 making the masts   
tremble4 ,for more than an hour the     
flashes were so continuous that ,i think
 every three seconds we had a perfect   
view of the whole horizon4 ,i especially
 remember the firmament between the     
lurid thunder clouds looking quite blue1
 so intense was the light4 ,the thunder 
rolled on without cessation1 but the    
tremendous claps occurred only at       
intervals4 ,we have no lightning        
conductor1 and ,i felt somewhat anxious2
 went below and prayed ,god to preserve 
us from lightning and fire1 read the    

magnificent chapter at the end of ,job4 
,as the storm went on1 ,i thought that  
at that very hour you were praying ,from
 lightning and tempest1 good ,lord1     
deliver us4 ,we had no wind3 furious    
rain1 repeated again from midnight to   
three this morning4 ,about eleven the   
thunder had ceased1 but the broad       
flashes of lightning were still         
frequent4 ,the lightning was forked and 
jagged1 and one remarkable thing was the
 length of time that the line of intense
 light was kept up1 like a gigantic     
firework1 so that the shape of the flash
 could be drawn with entire accuracy by 
any one that could handle a pencil4 ,it 
was a grand and solemn sight and sound1 
and ,i am very thankful we were         
preserved from danger1 for the storm was
 right upon us1 and the danger must have
 been great4'  ,a ready welcome awaited 
the ',southern ,cross' at ,bauro1 in a  
lovely bay hitherto unvisited1 where a  
perfect flotilla of canoes came off to  
greet her1 and the two chiefs1 ,iri and 

,eimaniaka1 came on board1 and no less  
than fifty-five men with them4 ,the     
chiefs and about a dozen men were       
invited to spend the night on board4    
,the former lay on the floor of the     
inner cabin1 talking and listening while
 their host set before them some of the 
plain truths of ,christianity4 ,he      
landed next day1 and returned the visit 
by going to ,iri's hut1 where he pointed
 to the skulls1 discoursed on the       
hatefulness of such decorations1 and    
recommended their burial4 ,he also had  
an opportunity of showing a ,christian's
 horror of unfilial conduct1 when       
,rimaniaka struck his mother for being  
slow in handing yams2 and when a man    
begged for a passage to ,gera in direct 
opposition to his father's commands1 he 
was dismissed with the words1 ',i will  
have nothing to do with a man who does  
not obey his own father4'  ,at ,gera    
there was also a great assembly of      
canoes1 and as all hands were wanted on 
board1 ,patteson went ashore in a canoe 

with the brother of one of the scholars4
 ,he was told that he was the first     
white man who had ever landed there1 and
 the people showed a good deal of       
surprise1 but were quite peaceable1 and 
the presence of women and children was a
 sign that there was no danger4 ,when he
 tried to return to the ship1 a heavy   
sea came on1 and the canoes were forced 
to put back1 and he thus found himself  
obliged to spend the night on the       
island4 ,he was taken into a house with 
two rooms1 in each of which numbers of  
men were lying on the ground1 a small   
wood fire burning in the midst of each  
group of three or four4  ,a grass mat   
was brought him1 and a bit of wood for a
 pillow1 and as he was wet through1     
cold1 and very tired1 he lay down2 but  
sleep was impossible1 from tormenting   
vermin1 as well as because it seemed to 
be the custom of the people to be going 
backwards and forwards all night1       
sitting over the fire talking1 then     
dropping asleep and waking to talk      

again4 ,a yam was brought him after     
about an hour1 and long before dawn he  
escaped into the open air1 and sat over 
a tire there till at high tide1 at six  
o'clock in the morning1 he was able to  
put off again and reach the ship1 where 
forty-five natives had slept1 and       
behaved well4  ',the sense of cold and  
dirt and weariness was not pleasing1' he
 confesses1 and certainly the contrast  
to the ,eton and ,oxford habits was     
great4 ,there was a grand exchange of   
presents2 hatchets1 adzes1 hooks and    
empty bottles on one side1 and a pig and
 yams on the other4 ,immediately after  
follows a perilous adventure1 which1 as 
we shall find1 made a deep impression4  
,it is thus related in a letter for the 
benefit of ,thorverton ,rectory3--      
',at ,sea3 ,lat4 #ai #ej' ,s42 long4    
#afg #da' ,e4  ',my dearest             
,uncle1--,may is a month specially      
connected henceforward in my mind with a
 merciful deliverance from great peril1 
which ,god vouchsafed to us on ,may     

#bnd4 ,we touched on a reef at the ,isle
 of ,guadalcanar1 one of the ,solomon   
,islands1 in lat4 #i #ej'1 and but for  
,god's mercy in blessing our exertions1 
we might have incurred fearful danger of
 losing the ,mission vessel4 ,as it was1
 in a couple of minutes we were off the 
reef and in deep safe water--to ,him be 
the praise and the glory6 ,i have       
written all particulars as usual to my  
father1 and now that the danger has been
 averted1 you will rejoice to hear how  
great a door is opened to us in that    
part of the world4 ,personal safety     
ensured1 and1 so far as can be judged   
of1 no apparent obstacle in the way of  
the ,mission in that quarter4 ,had this 
great peril not occurred--and it was to 
human eyes and in human language the    
mere chance of a minute--,i might have  
dwelt with too much satisfaction on the 
bright side of the picture4 ,as it is1  
it is a lesson to me to think soberly4  
,i can hardly trust myself to write yet 
with my usual freedom of the scenery1   

natives1 c4 ,one great thought is before
 me--,is it all real that we touched on 
that reef in the sight of hundreds of   
natives8 ,it was not a sense of personal
 danger--that could not occur at such a 
time2 but the idea that the vessel might
 be lost1 the missionary operations     
suspended1 c42 this shot through me in  
those two minutes6 ,but ,i had no time  
for more than mental prayer1 for ,i was 
pulling at ropes with all my strength2  
not till it was all over could ,i go    
below and fall on my knees in a burst of
 thanksgiving and praise4 ,we suppose   
that there must be a very strong        
under-current near the reef at the mouth
 of the bay1 for the vessel1 instead of 
coming round as usual 7and there was    
abundance of room71 would not obey the  
helm1 and we touched an outlying rock   
before we could alter the sails1 when   
she rounded instantly on the other tack4
 ,humanly speaking1 she would have come 
off very soon1 as the tide was flowing1 
and she received no damage1 as we came  

very gently against the rock1 which was 
only about the size of an ordinary      
table4 ,but it is an event to be        
remembered by me with thankfulness all  
my life4 ,i think the number of natives 
who had been on deck and about us in    
canoes that morning could not have been 
less than #dej4 ,they behaved very well4
 ,of the five principal chiefs three    
could talk some ,bauro language1 so ,i  
could communicate with them1 and this   
was one reason why ,i felt satisfied of 
their good-will4 ,they gave me two pigs1
 about #ejj or #fjj cocoa-nuts1 and     
upwards of a ton of yams1 though ,i told
 them ,i had only two small hatchets1   
five or six adzes1 a few gimlets1 and   
empty bottles to give in exchange4 ,if  
,i had not been satisfied of their being
 quite friendly1 ,i would not have put  
ourselves so entirely into their power2 
but it is of the greatest consequence to
 let the natives of a place see that you
 are not suspicious1 and where there is 
no evident hazard in so doing1 ,i think 

,i ought to act upon it4 ,perhaps the   
,bishop1 being an older hand at it1 will
 think ,i was rash2 but as far as the   
natives are concerned1 the result shows 
,i was quite right2 the letting go a    
kedge in deepish water is another       
matter1 that was a mistake ,i know now4 
,but we could not work the vessel by    
reason of the crowds of natives1 and    
what was ,i to do8 ,either not stand    
close in1 as they all expected1 or let  
go a kedge4 ,if ,i did not go into the  
mouth of the bay1 they would have said1 
,he does not trust us1 and mutual       
suspicion would have been 7possibly7 the
 result1 and ,i could not make them     
understand rightly the reason why ,i did
 not want to drop the kedge or small    
anchor4  ',i had slept on shore about   
three miles up the bay among a number of
 natives1 twenty-five or twenty-six in  
the same room with me1 on the previous  
evening3 at least1 ,i lay down in my    
things1 which1 by the bye1 were drenched
 through with salt and rain water4 ,they

 said ,i was the first white person that
 had been ashore there4 ,they treated me
 very well4 ,how in the face of all this
 could ,i run the risk of letting them  
think ,i was unwilling to trust them8   
,so ,i think still that ,i was right in 
all but one thing4 ,i ought to have     
ascertained better the nature of the    
current and the bottom of the harbour1  
to see if there was good holding ground4
 ,but it is easier to do those things in
 an ,english port than in the sight of a
 number of natives1 and especially when 
there is but one person able to         
communicate with the said natives4 ,if  
,i went off in the boat sounding1 who   
was to look after the schooner8 ,if ,i  
stayed on board1 who was to explain to  
the natives what was being done in the  
boat8 ,besides1 we have but five men on 
board1 including the master and mate1   
and one of them was disabled by a bad   
hand1 so that if ,i had manned the boat1
 ,i should have left only three         
able-bodied men on board--it was a      

puzzle1 you see1 dear ,uncle4 ,now ,i   
have entered into this long defence lest
 any of you dear ones should think me   
rash4 ,indeed1 ,i don't want to run any 
risks at all4 ,but there was no risk    
here1 as ,i supposed1 and had we chosen 
to go round on the other tack we should 
have known nothing of a risk now4 ,as it
 was1 we did run a great hazard of      
grounding on the reef1 and therefore1   
,laus ,deo4  ',oh6 dear little ,pena1 if
 you had only seen the village which1 as
 yet1 ,i alone of white people have been
 allowed to see--the great tall         
cocoa-nuts1 so tall and slender at the  
top1 that ,i was almost afraid when a   
boy was sent up to gather some nuts for 
me--the cottages of bamboo and cocoa-nut
 leaves--the great forest trees1 the    
parrots flying about among the          
branches--the crowd of men and children 
and a few women all looking at1 and some
 talking to the strange chief1 who had  
spoken the truth and brought their      
kinsman as he promised1--the sea in the 

harbour shut off by small islets and    
looking like a beautiful lake with high 
wooded and steep banks--the pretty      
canoes on the beach1 and the great state
 canoe lying at its stone anchor about  
fifty yards off1 about fifty feet long1 
and inlaid throughout with              
mother-of-pearl1 the spears leaning     
against the houses--men stalking about  
with a kind of club 7the great chief    
,puruhanua gave me his72--,i think your 
little head would have been almost      
turned crazy4444  ',june #dth1          
,auckland4--,we reached harbour a week  
ago in a violent squall of wind and rain
 at #h4de ,p4,m4 ,anxious night after   
the anchor was dropped1 lest the vessel 
should drag4 ,nine days coming from     
,norfolk ,island1 very heavy weather--no
 accident1 but jib-boom pitched away    
while lying to in a south-easter4444    
',your loving nephew1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'    
,the ,rev4 ,benjamin ,thornton ,dudley1 
for several years a most valuable helper
 in the work1 both at home and abroad1  

gives the following account of his own  
share in it1 and his recollections of   
that first year3--  ',the first time ,i 
ever saw ,mr4 ,patteson was in the      
beginning of #ahef1 when you 7this is a 
letter to ,mrs4 ,selwyn7 all visited    
,lyttelton in the newly arrived         
,southern ,cross4 ,that indescribable   
charm of manner1 calculated at once to  
take all hearts by storm1 was not       
perhaps as fully developed in him then  
as afterwards1 and my experience was    
then comparatively limited1 yet his     
words in the sermon he preached on      
behalf of the ,melanesian ,mission 7a   
kind of historical review of the growth 
and spread of the ,gospel71 although    
coming after the wonderful sermon of the
 ,bishop in the morning1 made a deep    
impression on several of us1 myself     
among the number4  ',you came to        
,lyttelton at the end of #ahef again1   
this time without him1 and the ,bishop  
brought me up to ,st4 ,john's ,college1 
and placed me under him there4 ,i       

remember at first how puzzled ,i felt as
 to what my position was1 and what ,i   
was expected to do4 ,not a single       
direction was given me by ,mr4          
,patteson1 nor did he invite me to take 
a class in the comparatively small      
,melanesian school4 ,gradually it dawned
 upon me that ,i was purposely left     
there1 and that ,i was expected to offer
 myself for anything ,i could do4 ,when 
,i offered myself ,i was allowed to     
assist in this and that1 until at length
 ,i fell into my regular place4         
,although the treatment ,i received in  
this respect puzzled me1 ,i felt his    
great kindness from the first4 ,how     
bright he was in those days1 and how    
overflowing with spirits when among the 
,melanesians4 ,what fun there used to be
 of a morning1 when he would come and   
hunt the lazy ones out of bed1 drive    
them down to the bath house1 and there  
assist their ablutions with a few basins
 of water thrown at them2 and what an   
amount of quiet chaff used to go on at  

breakfast time about it as we sat with  
them in the great hall1 without any of  
those restraints of the high table which
 were introduced at dinner4  ',during   
the first voyage made that year to      
return our ,melanesian party1 ,i think  
,mr4 ,patteson was feeling very much out
 of sorts4 ,i do not remember any time  
during the years in which ,i was        
permitted to see so much of him when he 
took things so easily4 ,he spoke of     
himself as lazy1 and ,i confess ,i used 
to wonder somewhat how it was that he   
retired so completely into the cabin1   
and did apparently so little in the way 
of study4 ,he read the ,heir of         
,redclyffe1 and other books of light    
reading in that voyage4 ,i understood   
better afterwards what1 raw youth as ,i 
was at the time1 puzzled me in one for  
whom ,i was already beginning to        
entertain a feeling different from any  
previously experienced4 ,that seems to  
me now to have been quite a necessary   
pause in his life after he had with     

wholeheartedness and full intention     
given himself to his work1 but before he
 had fully faced all its requirements   
and had learnt to map out his whole time
 with separate toil4'  ,so concluded    
what may be called the first term of    
,coley ,patteson's tutorship of his     
island boys4 ,his work is perhaps best  
summed up in this sentence in a letter  
to me from ,mrs4 ,abraham3 ',mr4        
,patteson's love for them1 and his      
facility in communicating with them in  
their own tongue1 make his dealing with 
the present set much more intimate and  
effective than it has ever been before1 
and their affections towards him are    
drawn out in a lively manner4'          
,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,st4 ,,john',s       
,,college ,,and ,,lifu4 #aheg-ahei4     
,it seems to me that the years between  
#ahef and #ahfa were the very brightest 
of ,coleridge ,patteson's life4 ,he had 
left all for ,christ's sake and the     
,gospel's1 and was reaping the blessing 
in its freshness4 ,his struggles with   

his defects had been successful1 the    
more so because he was so full of       
occupation that the old besetting       
trouble1 self-contemplation1 had been   
expelled for lack of opportunity2 and he
 had become far more simple1 since      
humility was ceasing to be a conscious  
effort4  ,there is a light-heartedness  
about his letters like that of the old  
,eton times4 ,something might have been 
owing to the impulse of health1 which   
was due to the tropical heat4 ,most     
probably this heat was what exhausted   
his constitution so early1 but at first 
it was a delightful stimulus1 and gave  
him exemption from all those discomforts
 with which cold had affected him at    
home4 ,this exhilaration bore him over  
the many trials of close contact with   
uncivilised human nature so completely  
that his friends never even guessed at  
his natural fastidiousness4 ,that which 
might have been selfish in this         
fastidiousness was conquered1 though the
 refinement remained4 ,even to the last1

 in his most solitary hours1 this       
personal neatness never relaxed1 but the
 victory over disgust was a real triumph
 over self1 which no doubt was an       
element of happiness4  ,while the       
,bishop continued to go on the voyages  
with him1 he had companionship1         
guidance1 and comparatively no          
responsibility1 while his success1 that 
supreme joy1 was wonderfully unalloyed1 
and he felt his own especial gifts      
coming constantly into play4 ,his love  
for his scholars was one continual well 
of delight1 and really seemed to be an  
absolute gift1 enabling him to win them 
over1 and compensating for what he had  
left1 even while he did not cease to    
love his home with deep tenderness4     
,another pair of ,new ,zealand friends  
had to be absent for a time4 ,archdeacon
 ,abraham's arm was so severely injured 
by an accident with a horse1 that the   
effects were far more serious than those
 of a common fracture4 ,the disaster    
took place in ,patteson's presence4 ',i 

shall never forget1' writes his friend1 
'his gentleness and consideration as he 
first laid me down in a room and then   
went to tell my wife4'  ,it was found   
necessary to have recourse to ,english  
advice2 the ,archdeacon and ,mrs4       
,abraham went home1 and were never again
 residents at ,auckland4  ,a letter to  
,mr4 ,justice ,coleridge was written in 
the interval between the voyages3--     
',auckland3 ,june #ab1 #aheg4  ',my dear
 ,uncle1--,you will not give me credit  
for being a good correspondent1 ,i fear2
 but the truth is that ,i seldom find   
time to do more than write long chatty  
letters to my dear father and sisters1  
occasionally to ,thorverton1 and to     
,miss ,neill and one or two others to   
cheer them in their sickness and        
weariness4 ,any news from afar may be a 
real relaxation4  ',for myself ,i need  
only say that ,i find these dear people 
most attractive and winning1 that it is 
no effort to love them1 that they       
display all natural gifts in a          

remarkable way--good temper1 affection1 
gentleness1 obedience1 gratitude1 c41   
occasionally real self-restraint4 ,dear 
,hirika's last words to me at ,san      
,cristoval were1 ,oh1 ,i do love you so1
 and his conduct showed it4 ,he is a    
bright handsome lad1 clever but         
inaccurate1 of most sweet disposition4  
,in matters of personal cleanliness1    
healthy appearance1 c41 the change in   
seven months was that of a lad wholly   
savage becoming neat1 tidy in dress1 and
 of gentlemanly appearance4 ,in some    
ways he was my pet of the whole party1  
though ,i have equally bright hopes of  
,grariri1 a sturdy1 honest fellow with  
the best temper ,i almost ever found    
among lads of sixteen anywhere1 and     
,kerearua is the most painstaking fellow
 of the lot2 and a boy whose            
distinguishing features it would be hard
 to describe2 but he may be summed up as
 a very good boy1 and certainly a most  
loveable one4 ,sumaro and ,kimarua older
 and less interesting4  ',i printed     

short catechisms1 a translation of the  
,lord's ,prayer1 ,creed1 ,general       
,confession1 two or three other of the  
,common ,prayer prayers1 and one or two 
short missionary prayers in the dialect 
of both islands2 but ,i can only speak  
at all fluently the language of ,san    
,cristoval4  ',of the ,nengone people ,i
 could say much more4 ,the two young    
women 7married7 and the two young       
unmarried men had been under ,mr4       
,nihill's instruction two or three      
years1 baptized1 and were regular       
communicants while at the ,college4     
,simeona was baptized on the same day as
 his infant son1 after he had been with 
us five months4 ,he and the other four  
were confirmed at the ,college chapel1  
and he afterwards received the ,holy    
,communion with the rest4  ',kowine1 a  
lad of seventeen1 is not baptized1      
though well instructed4 ,we were not    
wholly satisfied about him4 ,of the     
knowledge of them all ,i can speak with 
the utmost confidence4 ,they know more a

 great deal than most candidates for    
confirmation in a well-regulated        
,english parish4 ,it was delightful to  
work with them4 ,we wrote ,bible        
history1 which has reached about fifty  
sheets in ,,ms4 in small handwriting1   
bringing the history to the time of     
,joshua2 very many questions and        
answers1 and translated ninety pages of 
the ,prayer ,book1 including ,services  
for ,infant and ,adult ,baptism1        
,catechism1 ,burial ,service1 c4  ',it  
is most interesting work1 though not    
easy1 and much of it will no doubt be   
altered when we come to know the        
language thoroughly well4 ,this island  
of ,nengone 7called also ,maro and      
,britannia ,island7 contains about      
#f1ejj inhabitants1 of whom some profess
 ,christianity1 while the remainder are 
still fighting and eating one another1  
though accessible to white people4  ',we
 hope to have time to see something of  
the heathen population1 though the      
,london ,mission ,society having        

re-occupied the island1 we do not       
regularly visit it with the intention of
 establishing ourselves4444 ,the        
language is confined to that island4 ,i 
call it language1 not dialect1 for it   
is1 ,i believe1 really distinct from any
 others we have or have heard of1 very  
soft1 like ,italian1 and capable of     
expressing accurately minute shades of  
meaning4 ,causative forms1 c41 remind us
 of the oriental structure1 one         
peculiarity 7that of the chief's        
dialect1 or almost language1 running    
parallel to that of common life7 ,i     
think ,i have before mentioned4  ',in   
about a month ,i suppose we shall be off
 again for three or four months1 and we 
long to get hold of pupils from the     
,banks ,archipelago1 ,santa ,cruz1      
,espiritu ,santo1 in which no ground is 
broken at present4 ,we visited them last
 year1 but did not get any pupils2      
lovely islands1 very populous1 and the  
natives very bright1                    
intelligent-looking4 ,but how ,i long to

 see again some of my own dear boys1 ,i 
do so think of them6 ,it may be that two
 or three of them may come again to us1 
and then we may perhaps hope that they  
may learn enough to be really useful to 
their own people4444 ,dear uncle1 ,i    
should indeed rejoice much to see my    
dear1 dear father and sisters and ,jem  
and all of you if it came in the way of 
one's business1 but ,i think1 so long as
 ,i am well1 that the peculiar nature of
 this work must require the constant    
presence of one personally known to1 and
 not only officially connected with1 the
 natives4 ,while ,i feel very strongly  
that in many ways intercourse           
occasionally resumed with the home      
clergy must be very useful to us1 yet if
 you can understand that there is no one
 to take one's place1 you see how very  
unlikely it must be that ,i can move    
from this hemisphere4 ,i say if you can 
understand1 for it does seem sad that   
one should really be in such a position 
that one's presence should be of any    

consequence2 but1 till it please ,god   
that the ,bishop shall receive other men
 for this ,mission1 there is no other   
teacher for these lads1 and so we must  
rub on and do the best we can4 ,of      
course ,i should be most thankful1 most 
happy if1 during his lifetime1 ,i once  
more found myself at home1 but ,i don't 
think much nor speculate about it1 and  
,i am very happy1 as ,i am well and     
hearty4 ,you won't suspect me of any    
lessening of strong affection for all   
that savours of home4 ,i think that ,i  
know every face in ,alfington and in    
,feniton1 and very many in ,ottery as of
 old2 ,i believe ,i think of all with   
increasing affection1 but while ,i      
wonder at it1 ,i must also confess that 
,i can and do live happy day after day  
without enjoying the sight of those dear
 faces4  ',always your affectionate and 
grateful nephew1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4' 
,as soon as the ',southern ,cross' had  
carried ,bishop ,harper back to         
,lyttelton1 the ,melanesian voyage was  

recommenced1 this time with a valuable  
assistant in ,mr4 ,benjamin ,dudley4    
,mrs4 ,selwyn was again dropped at      
,norfolk ,island1 and five young        
,pitcairners were taken on board to     
serve as a boat's crew1 and also to     
receive instruction4  ,this was a more  
extensive voyage than the first1 as more
 time could be spent on it1 but there is
 less full description1 as there was    
less time for writing2 and besides1     
these coral islands are much alike4     
,futuma was the first new island        
visited3--  ',the canoes did not venture
 to come off to us1 so we went ashore in
 the boat1 ,bishop and ,i wading        
ankle-deep to the beach4 ,forty or fifty
 natives under a deep overhanging rock1 
crouching around a fire1 plenty of lads 
and boys1 no women4 ,some ,tanna men in 
the group1 with their faces painted red 
and black1 hair 7as you know7           
elaborately frizzled and dressed with   
coral lime4 ,the ,futuma people speak a 
different language from those of        

,anaiteum1 and the ,tanna people speak a
 third 7having1 moreover1 four dialects 
of their own74 ,these three islands are 
all in sight of each other4 ,tanna has  
an active volcano1 now smoking away1 and
 is like a hot-bed1 wonderfully fertile4
 ,people estimate its population at     
#aj1jjj1 though it is not very          
large1--about thirty miles long4 ,at    
,futuma1 the process by which these     
coral islands have been upheaved is well
 seen4 ,the volcanic rocks are lying    
under the coral1 which has been         
gradually thrust upwards by them4 ,as   
the coral emerged1 the animal went on   
building under water1 continually       
working lower and lower down upon and   
over the volcanic formation1 as this    
heaved in its upward course the coral   
formation out of the sea4'  ,erromango  
was occupied by the ,scottish ,mission1 
and ,mr4 ,gordon was then living there  
in peace and apparent security1 when a  
visit was paid to him1 and ,patteson    
gathered some leaves in ,dillon's ,bay1 

the spot where ,john ,williams met his  
death sixteen years before1 not1 as now 
was understood1 because he was          
personally disliked1 but because he was 
unconsciously interfering with a        
solemnity that was going on upon the    
beach4  ,at ,fate ,isle1 the people were
 said to be among the wildest in those  
seas4 ,when the ',royal ,sovereign' was 
wrecked1 they had killed the whole crew1
 nineteen in number1 eaten ten at once1 
and sent the other nine as presents to  
their friends4 ,very few appeared1 but  
there was a good 'opening' exchange of  
presents4  ,a great number of small     
islets lie around ,fate1 forming part of
 the cluster of the ,new ,hebrides1 ,the
 ,bishop had been at most of them       
before1 and with a boat's crew of three 
,pitcairners and one ,english sailor1   
starting early and spending all day in  
the boat1 he and ,patteson touched at   
eleven in three days1 and established   
the first steps to communication by     
obtaining #abg names of persons present1

 and making gifts4 ,these little        
volcanic coral isles were all much      
alike1 and nothing remarkable occurred  
but the obtaining two lads from ,mai1   
named ,petere and ,laure1 for a ten     
months' visit4 ,poor fellows1 they were 
very sea-sick at first1 and begged to go
 home again1 but soon became very happy1
 and this connection with ,petere had   
important consequences in the end4      
,these lads spoke a language approaching
 ,maori1 whereas the ,fate tongue       
prevailed in the other isles4  ,at      
,mallicolo1 on ,august #bj1 a horrible  
sight presented itself to the eyes of   
the two explorers when they walked      
inland with about eighteen most obliging
 and courteous natives--an open space   
with four hollowed trunks of trees      
surrounding two stones1 the trees carved
 into the shape of grotesque human      
heads1 and among them1 a sort of temple1
 made of sloping bamboos and pandanus   
leaves meeting at the top1 from whence  
hung a dead man1 with his face painted  

in stripes of red and yellow1 procured1 
it was thought1 from the pollen of      
flowers4 ,there was not enough          
comprehension of the language to make   
out the meaning of all this4  ,ambrym1  
the next island1 was more than usually  
lovely1 and was destined to receive many
 more visits4 ,the women made their     
approach crawling1 some with babies on  
their backs4 ,whitsuntide1 where the    
casks had to be filled with water1      
showed a great number of large1         
resolute-looking men1 whose air demanded
 caution2 'but1' says the journal1      
'practice makes perfect1 and we get the 
habit of landing among strangers1 the   
knack of managing with signs and        
gesticulations1 and the feeling of ease 
and confidence which engenders          
confidence and good-will in the others4 
,quarrels usually arise from both       
parties being afraid and suspicious of  
each other4'  ,leper's ,isle owes its   
unpleasant name to its medicinal        
springs4 ,it is a particularly beautiful

 place1 containing a population of good 
promise4 ,three landings were made      
there1 and at the fourth place ,patteson
 jumped ashore on a rock and spent some 
time in calming the fears of a party of 
natives who had been frightened in their
 canoe by the boat under sail overtaking
 them4 ',they fingered bows and arrows1 
but only from nervousness1' he says4    
,however1 they seem to have suspected   
the visitors of designs on their load of
 fine taro1 and it was some time before 
the owner would come out and resume it4 
,on all these isles the plan could as   
yet only be to learn names and write    
them down1 so as to enquire for         
acquaintance next time1 either make     
presents1 or barter them for provisions1
 discover the class of language1 and    
invite scholars for another time4  ,so  
at ,star ,island three or four natives  
said1 ',in ten moons you two come back2 
very good1 then we go with you4' ',i    
think1' ,patteson tells his sisters1    
'you would have liked to have seen me1  

standing on a rock1 with my two         
supporters1 two fine young men1 who will
 ,i trust go with us next time1 my arms 
round their necks1 and a fine background
 of some thirty or forty dark figures   
with bows and arrows1 c41 and two or    
three little rogues1 perched on a point 
of rock above me1 just within reach1    
asking for fish-hooks4' ,he says it in  
all simplicity1 but the picture         
presupposes some strength of mind in the
 sisters who were to appreciate it4     
,few natives appeared at ,espiritu      
,santo1 and the vessel passed on to     
,oanuta or ,cherry ,island1 where the   
,bishop had never been1 and where a race
 of dull1 good-natured giants was found4
 ,the chief was a noble-looking man with
 an aquiline nose1 and seemed to have   
them well under command1 and some of the
 younger men1 who had limbs which might 
have been a model for a sculptor1 could 
have lifted an ordinary-sized           
,englishman as easily as a child4 ,they 
were unluckily already acquainted with  

whalers1 whom they thought the right    
sort of fellows1 since they brought     
tobacco and spirits1 did not interfere  
with native habits1 nor talk of         
learning1 for which the giants saw no   
need4 ,the national complexion here was 
of a lighter yellow1 the costume a      
tattooed chest1 the language akin to    
,maori2 and it was the same at ,tikopia1
 where four chiefs1 one principal one   
immensely fat1 received their visitors  
seated on a mat in the centre of a wide 
circle formed by natives1 the innermost 
seated1 the others looking over them4   
,these1 too1 were accustomed to whalers1
 and when they found that pigs and yams 
in exchange for spirits and tobacco were
 not the object1 they were indifferent4 
,they seemed to despise fish-hooks1 and 
it was plain that they had even obtained
 muskets from the whalers1 for there    
were six in the chiefs house1 and one   
was fired1 not maliciously but out of   
display4 ,the ,bishop told them his     
object1 and they understood his         

language1 but were uninterested4 ,the   
fat chief regaled the two guests with a 
cocoa-nut apiece1 and then seemed       
anxious to be rid of them4  ,the ,banks 
,islands1 as usual1 were much more      
hopeful1 ,santa ,maria coming first4    
,canoes came round the vessel1 and the  
honesty of the race showed itself1 for  
one little boy1 who had had a fish-hook 
given him1 wished to exchange it for    
calico1 and having forgotten to restore 
the hook at the moment1 swam back with  
it as soon as he remembered it4 ,there  
was a landing1 and the usual friendly   
intercourse1 but just as the boat had   
put off1 a single arrow was suddenly    
shot out of the bush1 and fell about ten
 yards short4 ,it was curious that the  
,spanish discoverers had precisely the  
same experience4 ,it was supposed to be 
an act of individual mischief or fun1   
and the place obtained the appropriate  
name of ,cock ,sparrow ,point4  ,it was 
not possible to get into the one        
landing-place in the wall round ,mota's 

sugar-loaf1 but there was an exchange of
 civilities with the ,saddleites1 and in
 ,vanua ,lava1 the largest member of the
 group1 a beautiful harbour was         
discovered1 which the ,bishop named     
,port ,patteson1 after the ,judge4  ,the
 ,santa ,cruz group was visited again on
 the #bcrd of ,september4 ,nothing      
remarkable occurred2 indeed1 ,patteson's
 journal does not mention these places1 
but that of the ,bishop speaks of a     
first landing at ,nukapu1 and an        
exchange of names with the old chief    
,acenana2 and the next day of going to  
the main island1 where swarms of natives
 swam out1 with cries of ,toki1 toki1   
and planks before them to float through 
the surf4 ,about #bej assembled at the  
landing place1 as before1 chiefly eager 
for traffic4 ,the ,volcano ,isle was    
also touched at1 but the language of the
 few inhabitants was incomprehensible4  
,the mountain was smoking1 and red-hot  
cinders falling as before on the steep  
side4 ,it was tempting to climb it and  

investigate what probably no white man  
had yet seen1 but it was decided to be  
more prudent to abstain4  ,some events  
of the visit to ,bauro are related in   
the following letter to the young cousin
 whose ,confirmation day had been       
notified to him in time to be thought of
 in his prayers3--   ',off ,san         
,cristoval3 ,october #e1 #aheg4  ',my   
dearest ,pena1--,it was in a heathen    
land1 among a heathen people1 that ,i   
passed the ,sunday--a day most memorable
 in your life--on which ,i trust you    
received for the first time the blessed 
,sacrament of our ,saviour's ,body and  
,blood4  ',my darling--1 as ,i knelt in 
the chiefs house1 upon the mat which was
 also my bed--the only ,christian in    
that large and beautiful island--my     
prayers were1 ,i hope1 offered earnestly
 that the full blessedness of that      
heavenly ,union with the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ1 and in ,him with the ,father   
and the ,holy ,ghost1 might rest upon   
you for ever4 ,i had reckoned upon being

 on board that ,sunday1 when the ,holy  
,eucharist was administered on board our
 vessel2 but as we reached ,mwaata1 our 
well-known village at ,san ,cristoval1  
on ,saturday1 we both agreed that ,i had
 better go ashore while the vessel went 
away1 to return for me on ,monday4 ,my  
day was now passed strangely enough1 my 
first ,sunday in a land where no ,sunday
 is known4  ',it was about #c ,p4,m4 on 
,saturday when ,i landed1 and it was an 
effort to have to talk incessantly till 
dark4 ,then the chief ,iri went with me 
to his house4 ,it is only one oblong    
room1 with a bamboo screen running      
halfway across it about half-way down   
the room4 ,it is only made of bamboo at 
the sides1 and leaves for the roof4     
,yams and other vegetables were placed  
along the sides4 ,there is no floor1 but
 one or two grass mats are placed on the
 ground to sleep on4 ,iri and his wife1 
and an orphan girl about fourteen or    
fifteen1 ,i suppose1 slept on the other 
side of the screen2 and two lads1 called

 ,grariri and ,parenga1 slept on my side
 of it4 ,i can't say ,i slept at all1   
for the rats were so very many1 coming  
in through the bamboo on every side1 and
 making such a noise ,i could not sleep1
 though tired4 ,they were running all   
about me4  ',well1 at daylight ,i sent  
,gariri to fetch some water1 and shaved 
and washed1 to the great admiration of  
,iri and the ladies1 and of others also1
 who crowded together at the hole which 
serves for door and windows4 ,i lay down
 in my clothes1 all but my coat1 but ,i 
took a razor and some soap ashore4      
',sunday was spent in going about to    
different neighbouring settlements1 and 
climbing the coral rocks was hard work1 
the thermometer at sea being #he in the 
cool cabin1 as the ,bishop told me      
to-day4  ',of course many people were at
 work in the yam grounds1 several of    
which ,i saw2 but ,i found considerable 
parties at the different villages1 and  
had1 on the whole1 satisfactory         
conversations with them4 ,they listened 

and asked questions1 and ,i told them as
 well as ,i could the simplest truths of
 ,christianity4  ',i had a part of a yam
 and drank four cocoa-nuts during the   
day1 besides eating some mixture of yam1
 taro1 and cocoa-nut all pounded        
together4  ',people offered me food and 
nuts everywhere4 ,walked back with a boy
 called ,tahi for my guide1 and stopped 
at several plantations1 and talked with 
the people4  ',sat out in the cool      
evening on the beach at ,mwaata1 after  
much talk in a chiefs house called      
,tarua2 people came round me on the     
beach1 and again ,i talked with them 7a 
sort of half-preaching1 half-conversing 
these talks were71 till ,iri said we    
must go to bed4 ,slept a little that    
night4  ',i can truly say that you were 
in my head all day4 ,after my evening   
prayers1 when ,i thought of you--for it 
was about #i ,p4,m4  #aj4aj ,a4,m4 with 
you1 and you were on your way to        
church--,i thought of you1 kneeling     
between your dear mamma and grandmamma1 

and dear grandpapa administering to his 
three beloved ones the ,bread of ,life1 
and ,i was very happy as ,i thought of  
it1 for ,i trust1 through the mercy of  
,god1 and the merits of our ,lord1 that 
we shall be by ,him raised at the ,last 
,day to dwell with ,him for ever4 ,but  
indeed ,i must not write to you how very
 unworthy ,i felt to belong to that     
little company4  ',this morning about   
eleven the vessel's boat came off for   
me1 with the ,bishop4 ,i had arranged   
about some lads coming on with us1 and  
it ended in seven joining our party4    
,only one of our old scholars has come  
again3 he is that dear boy ,grariri1    
whose name you will remember4  ',now ,i 
have had a good change of shirts1 etc41 
and feel clean and comfortable1 though  
,i think a good night's rest will do me 
no harm4 ,i have written to you the     
first minute that ,i had time4 ,what a  
blessed1 happy day it must have been for
 you1 and ,i am sure they thought of you
 at ,feniton4  ',your loving cousin1    

',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,this strange ,sunday   
was spent in conversation with different
 sets of natives1 and that some distinct
 ideas were conveyed was plain from what
 old ,iri was overheard saying to a man 
who was asking him whether he had not a 
guest who spoke ,bauro3 ',yes1' said    
,iri1 adding that 'he said men were not 
like dogs1 or pigs1 or birds1 or fishes1
 because these cannot speak or think4   
,they all die1 and no one knows anything
 more about them1 but he says we shall  
not die like that1 but rise up again4'  
,on ,monday1 the #gth of ,october1      
,grera was revisited1 and ,toto1 a last 
year's scholar1 came forth with his     
welcome in a canoe2 but it was rather a 
mixed success1 for the danger of the    
vessel on her previous visit was a      
warning against bringing her into the   
harbour1 where there was no safe        
anchorage1 and this disappointed the    
people4 ,thirteen1 indeed1 slept on     
board1 and the next morning sixty canoes
 surrounded the vessel1 and some hundred

 and sixty came on deck at once2 but    
they brought only one pig and a few     
yams1 and refused to fetch more1 saying 
it was too far--a considerable          
inconvenience1 considering the necessity
 of providing the ,melanesian passengers
 with vegetable food4 ,the whole nine   
slept in the inner cabin1 ,orariri on   
,patteson's sofa1 'feet to feet1 the    
others on the floor like herrings in a  
barrel4'  ,the great island of ,new     
,caledonia was next visited4 ,the       
,bishop had been there before1 and      
,basset1 one of the chiefs1 lamented    
that he had been so long absent1 and    
pleaded hard to have an ,english        
missionary placed in his part of the    
country4 ,it was very sad to have no    
means of complying with the entreaty1   
and the ,bishop offered him a passage to
 ,auckland1 there to speak for himself4 
,he would have come1 but that it was the
 season for planting his yams2 but he   
hoped to follow1 and in the meantime    
sent a little orphan named ,kanambat to 

be brought up at ,auckland4 ,the little 
fellow was pleased enough with the ship 
at first1 but when his countrymen who   
had been visiting there left her1 he    
jumped overboard and was swimming like a
 duck after them1 when1 at a sign from  
the ,bishop1 one of the ,pitcairners    
leapt after him1 and speedily brought   
him back4 ,he soon grew very happy and  
full of play and fun1 and was well off  
in being away from home1 for the ,french
 were occupying the island1 and poor    
,basset shortly after was sent a        
prisoner to ,tahiti for refusing to     
receive a ,roman ,catholic priest4      
,nengone were reached on ,october #bc1  
and most of the old scholars were ready 
with a warm welcome2 but ,mr4 ,creagh1  
the ,london missionary1 had taken       
,wadrokala away with him on an          
expedition1 and of the others1 only     
,kowine was ready to return1 though the 
two married couples were going on well1 
and one previous scholar of the         
,bishop's and four new ones presented   

themselves as willing to go4 ,urgent    
letters from the neighbouring isle of   
,lifu entreated the ,bishop to come     
thither1 and1 with a splendid supply of 
yams1 the ',southern ,cross' again set  
sail1 and arrived on the #bfth4 ,this   
island had entirely abandoned           
heathenism1 under the guidance of the   
,samoans4 ,the people felt that they had
 come to the end of the stock of        
teaching of these good men1 and         
entreated for an ,englishman from the   
,bishop1 and thus1 here was the third   
island in this one voyage begging for a 
shepherd1 and only one ,english priest  
had been found to offer himself to that 
multitude of heathen6  ,the only thing  
that could be done was to take ,john    
,cho1 a former ,st4 ,john's scholar1 to 
receive instruction to fit him for a    
teacher1 and with him came his young    
wife ,naranadune1 and their babe1 whom  
the ,bishop had just baptized in the    
coral-lime chapel1 with three other     
children4  ,the next few days were spent

 in great anxiety for ,wailumai1 a youth
 from ,grera1 who was taken ill         
immediately after dinner with a most    
distressing difficulty of breathing4 ,he
 proved to have a piece of sugar cane in
 his throat1 which made every breath    
agony1 and worked a small ulcer in the  
throat4 ,all through the worst ,patteson
 held him in his arms1 with his hand on 
his chest3 several times he seemed gone1
 and ammonia and sal volatile barely    
revived him4 ,his first words after he  
was partially relieved were1 ',i am     
,bishop6 ,i am ,patihana6' meaning that 
he exchanged names with them1 the       
strongest possible proof of affection in
 ,melanesian eyes4 ,he still seemed at  
the point of death1 and they made him   
say1 ',god the ,father1 ,god the ,son1  
and ,god the ,holy ,ghost6 ,jesus       
,christ1 ,son of ,god4' ,at last a      
favourable change took place1 but he    
continued so ill for several days that  
his two attendants never did more than  
lie down in their clothes2 nor was it   

till the third day that he at length    
coughed up the piece of cane that had   
caused the mischief4 ,he still required 
so much care that ,patteson did not go  
on shore at ,norfolk ,island when the   
five ,pitcairners were exchanged for    
,mrs4 ,selwyn4  ,on ,november #ae       
,auckland harbour was again reached     
after this signally prosperous voyage4  
,it is thus summed up in a letter       
written two days later3--   ',november  
#ag1 #aheg3 ,st4 ,john's ,college4  ',my
 dear ,miss ,neill1--,thanks for your   
#ba4 #bs41 and more thanks still for    
your prayers and constant interest in   
this part of the world4 ,after nearly   
seventeen weeks at sea1 we returned     
safely on ,sunday morning the #aeth1    
with thirty-three ,melanesians1 gathered
 from nine islands and speaking eight   
languages4 ,plenty of work for me3 ,i   
can teach tolerably in three1 and have a
 smattering of one or two more4  ',one  
is the wife of a young man1 ,john ,cho1 
an old scholar baptized4 ,his           

half-brother is chief of ,lifu ,isle1 a 
man of great influence4 ,the ,london    
,mission 7,independents7 are leaving all
 their islands unprovided with          
missionaries1 and these people having   
been much more frequently visited by the
 ,bishop than by the ,john ,williams1   
turn to him for help4 ,by and by ,i will
 explain all this3 at present no time4  
',we visited sixty-six islands and      
landed eighty-one times1 wading1        
swimming1 c42 all most friendly and     
delightful2 only two arrows shot at us1 
and only one went near--so much for     
savages4 ,i wonder what people ought to 
call sandal-wood traders and            
slave-masters if they call my           
,melanesians savages4  ',you will hear  
accounts of the voyage from ,fanny4 ,i  
have a long journal going to my father1 
but ,i can't make time to write at      
length any more4 ,i am up before five   
and not in bed before eleven1 and you   
know ,i must be lazy sometimes4 ,it does
 me good4 ,oh6 how great a trial        

sickness would be to me6 ,in my health  
now all seems easy4 ,were ,i            
circumstanced like you1 how much ,i     
should no doubt repine and murmur4 ,god 
has given me hitherto a most merciful   
share of blessings1 and my dear father's
 cordial approbation of and consent to  
my proceedings is among the greatest4444
  ',the anniversary of my dear mother's 
death comes round in ten days4 ,that is 
my polar star 7humanly speaking71 and   
whensoever it pleases ,god to take my   
dear dear father to his rest1 how       
blessed to think of their waiting for   
us1 if it be ,his merciful will to bring
 me too to dwell before ,him with them  
for ever4  ',i must end1 for ,i am very 
busy4 ,the weather is cold1 and my room 
full of lads and young men4 ,if ,i was  
not watching like a cat they would be   
standing about in all sorts of places   
and catching cold4  ',i send you in a   
box1 a box made by ,pitcairners of      
,pitcairn woods4  ',ever your loving old
 pupil1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,the   

little ,new ,caledonian remained at     
,taurarua with the ,bishop1 and as there
 was no woman at ,st4 ,john's to take   
the charge of ,cho's wife1 she was      
necessarily sent to ,mrs4 ,kissling's   
school for ,maori girls1 while her      
husband pursued his studies at ,st4     
,john's4  ,patteson often gave his      
services at the ,maori village of       
,orakei1 where there was to be a central
 native school managed by ,pirimona     
7,philemon71 a well-trained man1 a      
candidate for ,holy ,orders4  ',however1
 this did not satisfy his countrymen4   
,as if ,i had not enough to do1 old ,wi 
comes with a request from the folks at  
,orakei that ,i would be their minita1  
and take the management of the concern4 
,rather rich1 is it not8 ,i said1 of    
course1 that ,i was minita for the      
islanders4 ,oh1 let the ,bishop take    
another man for that1 you are the       
minister for us4 ,he is1 you know1      
wonderfully tatooed1 and a great object 
of curiosity to the boys6  ,before many 

days had passed1 there had occurred the 
first case of that fatal tetanus1 which 
became only too well known to those     
concerned in the ,mission4 ,of course1  
all weapons were taken from the         
scholars2 but one of the ,san ,cristoval
 boys1 named ,tohehammai1 fetched one of
 his own arrows out of ,mr4 ,dudley's   
room to exchange with an ,english lad   
for a shirt1 and as he was at play1     
carrying the arrow in his left hand     
behind his back and throwing a stick    
like a spear with the other1 he sharply 
pricked his right arm1 within the elbow1
 against the point of the arrow2 but    
thinking nothing of the hurt1 and       
knowing that the weapons were forbidden 
playthings1 he said nothing for twelve  
days1 but then complained of stiffness  
in the arm4 ,two doctors happened to be 
at the college that day2 one thought it 
rheumatism1 the other mentioned the word
 tetanus1 but for three days more the   
arm was merely stiff1 it was hung in a  
sling1 and the boy went about as usual1 

until1 on the fifteenth day1 spasmodic  
twitchings in the arm came on4          
,liniment of chloroform was rubbed in1  
and the boy was kept under chloroform1  
but in vain2 the next day his whole body
 was perfectly rigid1 with occasional   
convulsions4 ,about #d p4m4 his throat  
had become contracted1 and the endeavour
 to give him nourishment brought on     
convulsive attacks4 ,the ,bishop came at
 #h4 p4m41 and after another attempt at 
giving him food1 which produced a       
further spasm1 he was lying quietly when
 ,patteson felt his pulse stop4  ',he is
 dying6 the ,bishop said4 ',father1 into
 ,thy hands we commend his spirit4'     
,patteson's ',amen' came from his heart4
 ,the poor fellow made no sound as he   
lay with his frame rigid1 his back      
arched so that an arm could be thrust   
under it4 ,he was gone in that moment1  
unbaptized4 ,patteson writes3--  ',i had
 much conflict with myself about it4 ,he
 had talked once with me in a very      
hopeful way1 but during his illness ,i  

could not obtain from him any distinct  
profession of faith1 anything to make me
 feel pretty sure that some conviction  
of the truth of what he he had been     
taught1 and not mere learning by rote1  
was the occasion of his saying what he  
did say4 ,i did wish much that ,i might 
talk again with the ,bishop about it1   
but his death took us by surprise4 ,i   
pray ,god that all my omission and      
neglect of duty may be repaired1 and    
that his very imperfect and unconscious 
yearnings after the truth may be        
accepted for ,christ's sake4'  ,the     
arrow was reported to have been         
poisoned1 but by the time the cause of  
the injury had been discovered it had   
been thrown away and could not be       
recovered for examination4 ,indeed1     
lockjaw seems to be so prevalent in the 
equatorial climates1 and the natives so 
peculiarly liable to it1 that poison did
 not seem needful to account for the    
catastrophe4  ,altogether1 these lads   
were exotics in ,new ,zealand1 and      

exceedingly fragile4 ,in the very height
 of summer they had to wear corduroy    
trousers1 blue serge shirts1 red woollen
 comforters1 and blue ,scotch caps1 and 
the more delicate a thick woollen jersey
 in addition2 and with all these        
precautions they were continually       
catching cold1 or getting disordered1   
and then the ,bauro and ,grera set could
 only support such treatment as young   
children generally need4 ,the ,loyalty  
,islanders were much tougher and        
stronger and easier to treat1 but they  
too showed that the climate of ,auckland
 was a hard trial to their              
constitutions4  ,on the last day of     
,march came tidings of the sudden death 
of the much-beloved and honoured ,dr4   
,james ,coleridge of ,thorverton4  ',it 
is a great shock1' says the letter      
written the same day2 'not that ,i feel 
unhappy exactly1 nor low1 but that many 
many memories are revived and keep      
freshening on my mind4444 ,and since ,i 
left ,england his warm1 loving1 almost  

too fond letters have bound me very     
closely to him1 and sorely ,i shall miss
 the sight of his handwriting2 though he
 may be nearer to me now than before1   
and his love for me is doubtless even   
more pure and fervent4  ',i confess ,i  
had thought sometimes that if it pleased
 ,god to take you first1 the            
consciousness that he would be with you 
was a great comfort to me--not that any 
man is worth much then4 ,god must be all
 in all4 ,but yet he of all men was the 
one who would have been a real comfort  
to you1 and even more so to others4' ,to
 his cousin he writes3--   ',wednesday  
in ,passion ,week1 #aheh3 ,st4 ,john's  
,college4  ',my dearest ,sophy1--,your  
letter with the deep black border was   
the first that ,i opened1 with trembling
 hand1 thinking3 ,is it dear dear ,uncle
 gone to his eternal rest2 or dear      
,aunty8 not that dear child1 may ,god   
grant2 for that would somehow seem to   
all most bitter of all--less1 so to     
speak1 reasonable and natural4 ,and he  

is really gone2 that dear1 loving1      
courageous1 warm-hearted servant of     
,christ2 the desire of our eyes taken   
away with a stroke4 ,i read your letter 
wondering that ,i was not upset1 knelt  
down and said the two prayers in the    
,burial ,service1 and then came the     
tears2 for the memory of him rose up    
very vividly before me1 and his deep    
love for me and the notes of comfort and
 encouragement he used to write were    
very fresh in my mind4 ,i looked at the 
print of him1 the one he sent out to me1
 with your loving old ,uncle in pencil  
on it4 ,i have all his letters3 when    
making a regular clearance some months  
ago1 ,i could not tear up his1 although 
dangerous ones for me to read unless    
used as a stimulant to become what he   
thought me4 ,his ,jacob sermon in his   
own handwriting1 ,i have by me4 ,but    
more than all1 the memory of his holy   
life1 and his example as a minister of  
,christ1 have been left behind for us as
 a sweet1 undying fragrance2 his manner 

in the sick-room--,i see him now1 and   
hear that soft1 steady1 clear voice     
repeating verses over my dear mother's  
death-bed2 his kindly1 loving ways to   
his poor people2 his voice and look in  
the pulpit1 never to be forgotten4 ,i   
knew ,i should never see him again in   
this world4 ,may ,god of ,his mercy take
 me to be with him hereafter4  ',thank  
you1 dear ,sophy1 for writing to me2    
every word about him is precious1 from  
his last letter to me3--  ',you will    
believe how sweet it is to me every     
month now to give the ,holy ,eucharist  
to my three dear ones4  ',all complaints
 of old men must be serious4  ',i wish  
,i had more time to write1 but ,i am too
 busy in the midst of school1 and       
printing ,scripture histories and       
private prayers1 and translations in    
,nengone1 ,bauro1 ,lifu2 and as all my  
time out of school is spent in working  
in the printing office1 ,i really have  
not a minute unoccupied4 ,with one      
exception1 ,i have scarcely ever taken  

an hour's walk for some six weeks4 ,a   
large proportion of the printing is     
actually set up by my own fingers2 but  
now one ,nengone lad1 the flower of my  
flock1 can help me much--a young man    
about seventeen or eighteen1 of whom ,i 
hope very much--,malo1 baptized by the  
name of ,harper1 an excellent young man1
 and a great comfort to me4 ,he was     
setting up in type a part of the little 
book of private prayers ,i am now       
printing for them4 ,i had just pointed  
out to him the translation of what would
 be in ,english--,it is good that a man 
as he lies down to sleep should remember
 that that night he may hear the summons
 of the ,angel of ,god2 so then let him 
think of his death1 and remember the    
words of ,st4 ,paul3 ',awake1 thou that 
sleepest1' etc42 when in came the man   
whom the ,archdeacon left in charge here
 with my letters4 ,i hope1 sir1 there is
 no bad news for you2 and my eye lighted
 on the deep black border of your       
envelope4  ',to-morrow1 if ,i live1 ,i  

enter upon my thirty-second year--a     
solemn warning ,i have received to-day1 
as another year is passing from me4 ,may
 some portion of his spirit rest on me  
to bless my poor attempt to do what he  
did so devotedly for more than forty    
years3 his duty as a soldier and servant
 of his ,lord and ,master1 into whose   
joy he has no doubt now entered4        
',easter ,day4--,what an ,easter for    
him6 and doubtless we all who will by   
and by1 as the world rolls round1       
receive the ,holy ,eucharist shall be in
 some way united to him as well as to   
all departed saints--members of ,his    
,mystical ,body4  ',april #ab4--;,bishop
 came out yesterday afternoon from      
,auckland4 ,after baptisms at #e1 and   
evening service at #g1 sat till past #aa
 settling plans3 thus1 ,god willing1    
start this day fortnight to return the  
boys--this will occupy about two months2
 as we come back from the far north1 he 
will drop one at ,lifu1 one of the      
,loyalty ,islands1 with large           

population2 he will go on to ,new       
,zealand1 stay perhaps six weeks in ,new
 ,zealand1 or it may be two months2 so  
that with the time occupied by his      
voyage from ,lifu to ,new ,zealand1     
#a1jjj miles and back1 he will be away  
from ,lifu about two and a half or three
 months4 ,then1 picking me up 7say about
 ,september #ab71 we go on at once to   
the whole number of our islands1        
spending three months or so among them1 
getting back to ,new ,zealand about the 
end of ,november4 ,so that ,i shall be  
in ,melanesia1 ,d4,v41 from the         
beginning of ,may to the end of         
,november4 ,i shall be able to write    
once more before we start--letters which
 you will get by the ,june mail from    
,sydney--and of course ,i shall send    
letters by the ,bishop when he leaves me
 at ,lifu4 ,but ,i shall not be able to 
hear again from ,england till the       
,bishop comes to pick me up in          
,september4 ,never mind4 ,i shall have  
plenty to do2 and ,i can think of those 

dear ones at home1 and of you all1 in   
,god's keeping1 with perfect comfort4   
,the ,lifu people are in a more critical
 state than any others just now1        
otherwise ,i should probably stop at    
,san ,cristoval4 ,a few years ago they  
were very wild--cannibals of course2 but
 they are now building chapels1 and     
thirsting for the living waters4 ,what a
 privilege and responsibility to go to  
them as ,christ's minister1 to a people 
longing for the glad tidings of the     
,gospel of ,peace4 ,samoan teachers have
 been for a good many years among them4 
',i cannot write now to dearest ,aunty  
or ,pena4  ',may ,god bless you and     
abundantly comfort you4444 ,i think ,i  
see his dear face4 ,i see him always4   
',your loving cousin1  ',j4 ,c4         
,,patteson4'   ,cho's wife had arrived  
in a cart at the ,college when her baby 
was a day old1 so rapid is recovery with
 mothers in those climates4 ',i saw the 
baby1' observes the journal1 quite      
strong1 not dark1--but ,i don't care for

 them till they can talk2 on the        
contrary1 ,i think them a great bore1   
especially in wooden houses1 where a    
child with good lungs may easily succeed
 in keeping all the inhabitants awake4' 
',april #ab4--,settled that ,i stop at  
,lifu in the interval between the two   
voyages4 ,i think ,lifu wants me more   
than any other island just now4 ,some   
#ae1jjj or #bj1jjj stretching out their 
hands to ,god4 ,the ,london ,mission    
7,independent7 sent ,samoan teachers    
long ago1 but no missionary1 even after 
frequent applications4 ,at last they    
applied personally to the ,bishop1 he   
being well known to them of old4 ,i     
can't go for good1 because ,i have of   
course to visit all these islands2 but  
,i shall try to spend all the time that 
,i am not at sea or with boys in ,new   
,zealand1 perhaps three months yearly1  
with them1 till they can be provided    
with a regular clergyman4  ',so ,i shall
 have no letters from you till the      
return of the vessel to pick me up in   

,september4 ,but be sure you think of me
 as very happy and well cared for1      
though1 ,i am glad to say1 not a white  
man on the island2 lots of work1 but ,i 
shall take much exercise and see most of
 the inhabitants4 ,the island is large1 
not so large as ,bauro1 but still large4
  ',you will say all that is kind to all
 relations1 ,buckerell1 etc4 ,thank the 
dear old vicar for the spurs1 and tell  
him that ,i had a battle royal the other
 day with a colonial steed1 which backed
 into the bush1 and kicked1 and played  
the fool amazingly1 till ,i considerably
 astonished him into a gallop1 in the   
direction ,i wanted to go1 by a vigorous
 application of the said spurs4  ',god  
bless and keep you all4  ',your loving  
',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,a few days     
later he writes3--   ',the ,southern    
,cross1 returning to ,lifu1 will bring  
my letters2 but unless a stray whaler   
comes to ,lifu while ,i am there1 on its
 way to ,sydney1 that will be the only  
exchange of letters4 ,i am afraid this  

will be an increase of the trial of     
separation to you all1 but it is not    
sent until you have learnt to do pretty 
well without me1 and you will be        
comforted by knowing that this island of
 ,lifu1 with many inhabitants1 is in a  
very critical state2 that what it most  
wants is a missionary1 and that as far  
as ,i am concerned1 all the people will 
be very anxious to do all they can for  
me4 ,i take a filter and some tea4 ,we  
shall have yams1 taro1 cocoa-nuts1      
occasionally a bit of turtle1 a fowl1 or
 a bit of pork4 ,so1 you see1 ,i shall  
live like an alderman2 ,i mean1 if ,i am
 to go to every part of the island1     
heathen and all4 ,perhaps #bj1jjj       
people1 scattered over many miles4 ,i   
say heathen and all1 because only a very
 small number of the people now refuse  
to admit the new teaching4 ,samoans have
 been for some time on the island1 and  
though1 ,i dare say1 their teaching has 
been very imperfect and only perhaps ten
 or fifteen people are baptized1 they   

have chapels1 and are far advanced      
beyond any of the islands except        
,nengone and ,toke1 always excepting    
,anaiteum4 ,hence it is thought the     
leaven may work quietly in the ,solomon 
,islands without me1 but that at ,lifu  
they really require guidance4 ,so now ,i
 have a parochial charge for three      
months of an island about twenty-five   
miles long and some sixteen or eighteen 
broad4  ',i feel that my letters1 after 
so long an absence1 may contain much to 
make me anxious1 so that ,i shall not   
look with unmixed pleasure to my return 
to my great packet2 yet ,i feel much    
less anxiety than you might imagine2 ,i 
know well that you are in ,god's        
keeping1 and that is enough4'  ,after   
just touching at ,nengone early in ,may 
the ',southern ,cross' went on to ,lifu1
 and on landing1 the ,bishop and ,mr4   
,patteson found a number of people ready
 to receive them1 and to conduct them to
 the village1 where the chief and a     
great number of people were drawn up in 

a half-circle to receive them4 ,the     
young chief1 ,angadhohua1 bowed and     
touched his hat1 and taking ,coley's    
hand1 held it1 and whispered1 ',we will 
always live together4'  ',by and by we  
will talk about it1' was the answer2 and
 they were taken to a new house1        
belonging to one of the ,samoans1 built 
of lath plastered and thatch1 with one  
large room and a lesser one at each of  
its angles4 ,there the ,bishop and ,mr4 
,patteson sat on a chest1 and seventy or
 eighty men squatted on mats1 ,john ,cho
 and the native teacher foremost4 ,there
 was a five minutes' pause4 ,lifu was   
not yet familiar to ,coley1 who spoke it
 less well than he had spoken ,german1  
and ,john ,cho said to him3 ',shall ,i  
tell them what you have said to me      
formerly8'  ,he then explained that ,mr4
 ,patteson could only offer them a visit
 of three or four months1 and would then
 have the charge of lads from 'dark     
isles4'  ,silence again2 then           
,angadhohua asked3 ',cannot you stop    

always8'  ',there are many difficulties 
which you cannot understand1 which      
prevent me4 ,would you like me to shut  
the door which ,god has opened to so    
many dark lands8'  ',no1 no2 but why not
 have the summer school here as well as 
the winter8'  ',because it does the lads
 good to see ,new ,zealand1 and because 
the ,bishop1 who knows better than ,i   
do1 thinks it right4'  ',and cannot we  
have a missionary8'  ,however1 they were
 forced to content themselves with all  
that could be granted to them1 and it   
was further explained that ,mr4         
,patteson would not supersede the native
 teachers1 nor assume the direction of  
the ,sunday services1 only keep a school
 which any one might join who liked4    
,this was felt to be only right in good 
faith to the ,london ,mission1 in order 
not to make dire confusion if they      
should be able to fill up the gap before
 the ,church could4  ,after sleeping in 
the house1 ,patteson produced the books 
that had been printed for them at ,st4  

,john's4  ',would that you could have   
seen their delight6 ,about two pages1   
indifferently printed1 was all they had 
hitherto4 ,now they saw thirty-two      
clearly printed #hvo4 pages of ,bible   
,history1 sixteen of prayers1 rubrics1  
c41 eight of questions and answers4 ,you
 see1 said ,i cunningly2 that we don't  
forget you during these months that ,i  
can't live among you4'  ,they began     
reading at once1 and crying1            
',excellent1 exactly right1 the very    
thing4'  ,it was thought good that some 
one from ,lifu should join the ,mission 
party and testify to their work1 and on 
the invitation1 the chief1 ,angadhohua1 
a bright youth of seventeen1 volunteered
 to go4 ,it was an unexampled thing that
 a chief should be permitted by his     
people to leave them1 there was a public
 meeting about it1 and a good deal of   
excitement1 but it ended in ,cho1 as    
spokesman1 coming forward with tears in 
his eyes1 saying1 ',yes1 it is right he 
should go1 but bring him back soon4     

,what shall we do8'  ,patteson laid his 
hand on the young chief's shoulder1     
answering1 ',god can guard him by sea as
 on land1 and with ,his blessing we will
 bring him back safe to you4 ,let some  
of the chiefs go with him to protect    
him4 ,i will watch over him1 but you may
 choose whom you will to accompany him4'
  ,so five chiefs were selected as a    
body-guard for the young ,angadhohua1   
who was prince of all the isle1 but on  
an insecure tenure1 for the ,french1 in 
,new ,caledonia1 were showing a manifest
 inclination to annex the ,loyalty      
group4  ,the heavily loaded boat had a  
perilous strife with the surf before the
 ship was reached1 and it was a very    
rough passage to ,anaiteum1 where some  
goods had to be left for ,mr4 ,inglis1  
and he asked that four ,fate visitors   
might be taken home4 ,this was done1 and
 ,mr4 ,grordon was visited at ,erromango
 on the way1 and found well and         
prosperous4  ,at ,mai1 the reception of 
,petere and ,laure was ecstatic4 ,there 

was a crowd on shore to meet them1 and  
on the two miles' walk to the village   
parties met1 hugged1 and wept over them4
 ,at the village ,mr4 ,patteson         
addressed the people for ten minutes1   
and ,petere made an animated exposition 
of what he had learnt1 and his speeches 
evidently had great effect4 ,his younger
 brother and two little boys all came in
 his stead1 and would form part of the  
winter school at ,lifu4  ,the ,espiritu 
,santo boy1 the dunce of the party1 was 
set down at home1 and the ,banks        
,islanders were again found pleasant1   
honest1 and courteous1 thinking1 as it  
appeared afterwards1 that the white men 
were the departed spirits of deceased   
friends4 ,a walk inland at ,vanua ,lava 
disclosed pretty villages nestling under
 banyan trees1 one of them provided with
 a guest-chamber for visitors from other
 islands4 ,two boys1 ,sarawia and       
another1 came away to be scholars at    
,lifu1 as well as his masters in the    
language1 of which he as yet scarcely   

knew anything1 but which he afterwards  
found the most serviceable of all these 
various dialects4  ,the #bfth of ,may   
brought the vessel to ,bauro1 where poor
 old ,iri was told of the death of his  
son1 and had a long talk with ,mr4      
,patteson1 beginning with1 ',do you     
think ,i shall see him again8' ,it was a
 talk worth having1 though it was       
purchased by spending a night in the    
house with the rats4  ,it seemed as     
though the time were come for calling on
 the ,baurese to cease to be passive1   
and sixty or seventy men and women      
having come together1 ,mr4 ,patteson    
told them that he did not mean to go on 
merely taking their boys to return them 
with heaps of fish-hooks and knives1 but
 that1 unless they cared for good       
teaching1 to make them good and happy   
here and hereafter1 he should not come  
like a trader or a whaler4 ,that their  
sons should go backwards and forwards   
and learn1 but to teach at home2 and    
that they ought to build a holy house1  

where they might meet to pray to ,god   
and learn ,his will4  ,much of this was 
evidently distasteful1 though they      
agreed to build a room4  ',i think1' he 
writes1 'that the trial stage of the    
work has arrived4 ,this has less to     
attract outwardly than the first        
beginning of all1 and as here they must 
take a definite part1 they 7the great   
majority who are not yet disposed to    
decide for good7 are made manifest1 and 
the difficulty of displacing evil       
customs is more apparent4'  ,in fact1   
these amiable1 docile ,baurese seemed to
 have little manliness or resolution of 
character1 and ,sumaro1 a scholar of    
#aheg1 was especially disappointing1 for
 he pretended to wish to come and learn 
at ,lifu1 but only in order to get a    
passage to ,gera1 where he deserted1 and
 was well lectured for his deceit4  ,the
 ,gera people were much more warlike and
 turbulent1 and seemed to have more     
substance in them1 though less apt at   
learning4 ,patteson spent the night on  

shore at ,perua1 a subsidiary islet in  
the bay1 sleeping in a kind of shed1    
upon two boards1 more comfortably than  
was usual on these occasions4 ,showing  
confidence was one great point1 and the 
want of safe anchorage in the bay was   
much regretted1 because the people could
 not understand why the vessel would not
 come in1 and thought it betokened      
mistrust4 ,many lads wished to join the 
scholars1 but of those who were chosen1 
two were forced violently overboard by  
their friends1 and only two eventually  
remained1 making a total of twelve      
pupils for the winter school at ,lifu1  
with five languages between them--seven 
with the addition of the ,nengone and   
,lifu scholars4  ',you see1' writes     
,patteson on ,june #aj1 on the voyage1  
'that our difficulty is in training and 
organising nations1 raising them from   
heathenism to the life1 morally and     
socially1 of a ,christian4 ,this is what
 ,i find so hard4 ,the communication of 
religious truth by word of mouth is but 

a small part of the work4 ,the real     
difficulty is to do for them what       
parents do for their children1 assist   
them to--nay1 almost force upon         
them--the practical application of      
,christian doctrine4 ,this descends to  
the smallest matters1 washing1          
scrubbing1 sweeping1 all actions of     
personal cleanliness1 introducing method
 and order1 habits of industry1         
regularity1 giving just notions of      
exchange1 barter1 trade1 management of  
criminals1 division of labour4 ,to do   
all this and yet not interfere with the 
offices of the chief1 and to be the     
model and pattern of it1 who is         
sufficient for it8'  ,on ,june #af1 ,mr4
 ,patteson was landed at ,lifu1 for his 
residence there1 with the five chiefs1  
his twelve boys1 and was hospitably     
welcomed to the large new house by the  
,samoan4 ,he and four boys slept in one 
of the corner rooms1 the other eight    
lads in another1 the ,rarotongan        
teacher1 ,tutoo1 and his wife in a      

third4 ,the central room was parlour1   
school1 and hall1 and as it had four    
unglazed windows1 and two doors opposite
 to each other1 and the trade-wind      
always blowing1 the state of affairs    
after daylight was much like that which 
prevailed in ,england when ,king ,alfred
 invented lanterns1 while in the latter 
end of ,june the days were1 of course1  
as short as they could be on the tropic 
of ,capricorn1 so that ,patteson got up 
in the dark at #e-cj in the morning4    
,at #g the people around dropped in for 
prayers1 which he thought it better not 
to conduct till his position was more   
defined4 ,then came breakfast upon yams 
cooked by being placed in a pit lined   
with heated stones1 with earth heaped   
over the top4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,tutoo1    
with their white guest1 sat at the scrap
 of a table1 'which1 with a small stool1
 was the only thing on four legs in the 
place1 except an occasional visitor in  
the shape of a pig4' ,then followed     
school4 ,two hundred ,lifu people came1 

and it was necessary to hold it in the  
chapel4 ,one o'clock1 dinner on yams1   
and very rarely on pig or a fowl1 baked 
or rather done by the same process2 and 
in the afternoon some reading and slate 
work with the twelve ,melanesians1 and  
likewise some special instruction to a  
few of the more promising ,lifuites4 ,at
 #f4cj1 another meal of yams1 but this  
time ,patteson had recourse to his      
private store of biscuit2 and the       
evening was spent in talk1 till bedtime 
at #i or #i4cj4 ,it was a thorough      
sharing the native life2 but after a few
 more experiments1 it was found that    
,english strength could not be kept up  
on an exclusive diet of yams1 and the   
,loyalty ,isles are not fertile4 ,they  
are nothing but rugged coral1 in an     
early stage of development2 great       
ridges1 upheaved1 bare and broken1 and  
here and there with pits that have      
become filled with soil enough to grow  
yams and cocoa-nuts4  ,the yams--except 
those for five of the lads1 whose       

maintenance some of the inhabitants had 
undertaken--were matter of purchase1 and
 formed the means of instruction in the 
rules of lawful exchange4 ,a fixed      
weight of yams were to constitute       
prepayment for a pair of trousers1 a    
piece of calico1 a blanket1 tomahawk1 or
 the like1 and all this was agreed to1  
,cho being a great assistance in        
explaining and dealing with his people4 
,but it proved very difficult to keep   
them up to bringing a sufficient supply1
 and as they had a full share of the    
universal spirit of haggling1 the       
commissariat was a very harassing and   
troublesome business1 and as to the     
boys1 it was evident that the experiment
 was not successful4 ,going to ,new     
,zealand was seeing the world4 ,horses1 
cows1 sheep1 a town1 soldiers1 c41 were 
to be seen there1 whereas ,lifu offered 
little that they could not see at home1 
and schooling without novelty was       
tedious4 ,indeed1 the sight of civilised
 life1 the being taken to church1 the   

kindness of the friends around the      
,college1 were no slight engines in     
their education2 but the ,lifu people   
were not advanced enough to serve as an 
example--except that they had renounced 
the more horrible of their heathen      
habits4 ,they were in that unsettled    
state which is peculiarly trying in the 
conversion of nations1 when the old     
authoritative customs have been         
overthrown1 and the ,christian rules not
 established4  ,it was a good sign that 
the respect for the chief was not       
diminished4 ,one evening an ,english    
sailor 7for there turned out to be three
 whites on the island7 who was employed 
in the sandal-wood trade was in the     
house conversing with ,tutoo1 when      
,angadhohua interrupted him1 and he--in 
ignorance of the youth's rank--pushed   
him aside out of the way4 ,the          
excitement was great4 ,a few years      
previously the offender would have been 
killed on the spot1 and as it was1 it   
was only after apology and explanation  

of his ignorance that he was allowed to 
go free2 but an escort was sent with him
 to a place twenty miles off lest any   
one should endeavour to avenge the      
insult1 not knowing it had been         
forgiven4  ,many of the customs of these
 ,loyalty ,isles are very unhealthy1 and
 the almost exclusive vegetable diet    
produced a low habit of body1 that      
showed itself in all manner of          
scrofulous diseases1 especially tumours1
 under which the sufferer wasted and    
died4 ,much of ,patteson's time was     
taken up by applications from these poor
 creatures1 who fancied him sure to heal
 them1 and had hardly the power1        
certainly not the will1 to follow his   
advice4  ,nor had he any authority4 ,he 
only felt himself there on sufferance   
till the promised deputation should come
 from ,rarotonga from the ,london       
,mission1 to decide whether the island  
should be reserved by them1 or yielded  
to the ,church4 ,meantime he says on    
,sunday3--  ',tutoo has had a pretty    

hard day's work of it1 poor fellow1 and 
he is anything but strong4 ,at #i4cj we 
all went to the chapel1 which began by a
 hymn sung as roughly as possible1 but  
having rather a fine effect from the    
fact of some #djj or #ejj voices all    
singing in unison4 ,then a long         
extemporary prayer1 then another hymn1  
then a sermon nearly an hour long4 ,it  
ought not to have taken more than a     
quarter of an hour1 but it was delivered
 very slowly1 with endless repetitions1 
otherwise there was some order and      
arrangement about it4 ,another hymn     
brought the service to an end about #aa4
 ,but his work was not done2 school     
instantly succeeded in the same         
building1 and though seven native       
teachers were working their classes1 the
 burthen of it fell on him4 ,school was 
concluded with a short extemporary      
prayer4 ,at three1 service again--hymn1 
prayer1 another long sermon1 hymn1 and  
at last we were out of chapel1 there    
being no more school4'  ',to be sure1'  

is the entry on another ,sunday1 'little
 thought ,i of old that ,sunday after   
,sunday ,i should frequent an           
,independent chapel4 ,as for extemporary
 prayer not being a form1 that is       
absurd4 ,these poor fellows just repeat 
their small stock of words over and over
 again1 and but that they are evidently 
in earnest1 it would seem shockingly    
irreverent sometimes4 ,most extravagant 
expressions6 ,tutoo is a very simple1   
humble-minded man1 and ,i like him much4
 ,he would feel the help and blessing of
 a ,prayer-book1 poor fellow1 to be a   
guide to him2 but even the ,lord's      
,prayer is never heard among them4'  ,so
 careful was ,mr4 ,patteson not to      
offend the men who had first worked on  
these islands1 that on one ,sunday when 
,tutoo was ill1 he merely gave a        
skeleton of a sermon to ,john ,cho to   
preach4 ,on the #bgth of ,july1 however1
 the deputation arrived in the ',john   
,williams'--two ministers1 and ,mr4     
,creagh on his way back to ,nengone1 and

 the upshot of the conference on board1 
after a dinner in the house of ,apollo1 
the native teacher1 was that as they had
 no missionary for ,lifu1 they made no  
objection to ,mr4 ,patteson working     
there at present1 and that if in another
 year they received no reinforcement    
from home1 they would take into         
consideration the making over their     
teachers to him4 ',my position is thus  
far less anomalous1 my responsibility   
much increased4 ,god will1 ,i pray and  
trust1 strengthen me to help the people 
and build them up in the faith of       
,christ4'  ',august #b4--,yesterday ,i  
preached my two first ,lifu sermons2    
rather nervous1 but ,i knew ,i had      
command of the language enough to       
explain my meaning1 and ,i thought over 
the plan of my sermons and selected     
texts4 ,fancy your worthy son stuck up  
in a pulpit1 without any mark of the    
clergyman save white tie and black coat1
 commencing service with a hymn1 then   
reading the second chapter of ,st4      

,matthew1 quite new to them1 then a     
prayer1 extemporary1 but practically    
working in1 ,i hope1 the principle and  
much of the actual language of the      
,prayer-book--i4e4 ,confession1 prayer  
for pardon1 expression of belief and    
praise--then another hymn1 the sermon   
about forty minutes4 ,text3 ,i am the   
,way1 c4 ,afternoon3 ,thy ,word is a    
lantern unto my feet4  ',you can easily 
understand how it was simple work to    
point out that a man lost his way by his
 sin1 and was sent out from dwelling    
with ,god2 the recovery of the way by   
which we may again return to ,paradise  
is practically the one great event which
 the whole ,bible is concerned in       
teaching4 ,the subject admitted of any  
amount of illustration and any amount of
 reference to the great facts of        
,scripture history1 and everything      
converges to the ,person of ,christ4 ,i 
wish them to see clearly the great      
points--first1 ,god's infinite love1 and
 the great facts by which ,he has       

manifested ,his ,love from the very     
first1 till the coming of ,christ       
exhibited most clearly the infinite     
wisdom and love by which man's return to
 ,paradise has been effected4           
',significant is that one word to the   
thief on the ,cross ,paradise4 ,the way 
open again2 the guardian angel no longer
 standing with flaming sword in the     
entrance2 admission to the ,tree of     
,life4'  ',the services were much       
shorter than usual1 chiefly because ,i  
don't stammer and bungle1 and take half 
an hour to read twenty verses of the    
,bible1 and also because ,i discarded   
all the endless repetitions and         
unmeaning phrases1 which took up half   
the time of their unmeaning harangues4  
,about an hour sufficed for the         
morning-service2 the evening one might  
have been a little longer4 ,i feel quite
 at my ease while preaching1 and ,john  
told me it was all very clear2 but the  
prayers--oh6 ,i did long for one of our 
,common ,prayer-books4'  ,one effect of 

the ,independent system began to reveal 
itself strongly4 ,how could definite    
doctrines be instilled into the converts
 by teachers with hardly any books1 and 
no formula to commit to memory8 ,what   
was the faith these good ,samoans knew  
and taught8  ',no doctrinal belief      
exists among them1' writes ,patteson1 in
 the third month of his stay4 ',a man   
for years has been associated with those
 who are called the people that seek    
,baptism4 ,he comes to me3--  ',j4 ,g4  
,p4 ',who instituted baptism8  ',a4     
,jesus4  ',j4 ,g4 ,p4 ,and ,he sent ,his
 ,apostles to baptize in the ,name of   
,whom8  ',dead silence4  ',why do you   
wish to be baptized8  ',to live4  ',all 
that ,jesus has done for us1 and given  
to us1 and taught us1 is for that       
object4 ,what is the particular benefit 
we receive in baptism8 ',no conception4'
 ,such is their state4  ',i would not   
hesitate if ,i thought there were any   
implicit recognition of the doctrine of 
the ,trinity2 but ,i can't baptize      

people morally good who don't know the  
,name into which they are to be         
baptized1 who can't tell me that ,jesus 
is ,god and man4 ,there is a lad who    
soon must die of consumption1 whom ,i   
now daily examine4 ,he has not a notion 
of any truth revealed from above1 and to
 be embraced and believed as truth upon 
the authority of ,god's ,word4 ,a kind  
of vague morality is the substitute for 
the ,creed of the ,apostles4 ,what am ,i
 to do8 ,i did speak out for three days 
consecutively pretty well1 but ,i am    
alone1 and only here for four months1   
and yet1 ,i fear1 ,i am expecting too   
much from them1 and that ,i ought to be 
content with something much less as the 
7so to speak7 qualifications2 but surely
 they ought to repent and believe4 ,to  
say the word1 ,i believe1 without a     
notion of what they believe1 surely that
 won't do4 ,they must be taught1 and    
then baptized1 according to our ,lord's 
command1 suited for adults4'  ,constant 
private teaching to individuals was     

going on1 and the #bej copies of the    
,lifu primer were dispersed where some  
thousands were wanted1 and ,mr4         
,patteson wrote a little book of sixteen
 pages1 containing the statement of the 
outlines of the faith1 and of ,scripture
 history2 but this could not be         
dispersed till it had been printed in   
,new ,zealand4  ,and in the meantime a  
fresh element of perplexity was arising4
 ,the ,french had been for some time    
past occupying ,new ,caledonia1 and a   
bishop had been sent thither about the  
same time as ,bishop ,selwyn had gone to
 ,new ,zealand2 but though an earnest   
and hardworking man1 he had never made  
much progress4 ,he had the misfortune of
 being connected in the people's minds  
with ,french war ships and aggression1  
and1 moreover1 the ,south ,sea race seem
 to have a peculiar distaste for the    
,roman ,catholic branch of the ,church1 
for which it is not easy to account4    
,the ,loyalty ,isles1 as lying so near  
to ,new ,caledonia1 were tempting to the

 ,french ,empire1 and the ,bishop at the
 same time felt it his duty to attempt  
their conversion4  ,some priests had    
been placed at the north end of the     
island for about six months past1 but   
the first communication was a letter on 
,july #f1 complaining1 partly in        
,french1 partly in ,english1 that since 
,mr4 ,patteson's arrival1 the people had
 been making threatening reports4 ,now  
,mr4 ,patteson had from the first warned
 them against showing any unkindness to 
the ,french priests1 and he wrote a     
letter of explanation1 and arranged to  
go and hold a conference4 ,on the way1  
while supping with the ,english sailor1 
at the village where he was to sleep1 he
 heard a noise1 and found the           
,frenchman1 ,pere ,montrouzier1 had     
arrived4 ,he was apparently about forty2
 intelligent1 very experienced in       
mission work1 and conversant with the   
habits and customs of ,french and       
,english in the colonies2 moreover1 with
 plenty of firmness in putting forward  

his cause4 ,he seems to have been       
supported by the ,state in a manner     
unusual with ,french missions4  ',i had 
one point only that ,i was determined to
 press 7,patteson says71 namely1 liberty
 to the people to follow any form of    
religion they might choose to adopt4 ,i 
knew that they and ,i were completely in
 his power1 yet that my line was to     
assume that we were now about to arrange
 our plans for the future independently 
of any interference from the civil      
power4  ',he let me see that he knew he 
could force upon the ,lifu people       
whatever he pleased1 the ,french        
,government having promised him any     
number of soldiers he may send for to   
take possession1 if necessary1 of the   
island4 ,they have #a1jjj men in ,new   
,caledonia1 steamers and frigates of    
war2 and he told me plainly that this   
island and ,nengone are considered as   
natural appendages of ,new ,caledonia1  
and practically ,french possessions     
already1 so that1 of course1 to attempt 

doing more than secure for the people a 
religious liberty is out of the         
question4 ,he promised me that if the   
people behaved properly to him and his  
people1 he would not send for the       
soldiers1 nor would he do anything to   
interfere with the existing state of the
 island4  ',he will not himself remain  
here long1 being commissioned1 in       
consequence of his fourteen years'      
experience1 to prepare the way for the  
,french mission here4 ,he told me that  
twenty missionaries are coming out for  
this group1 about seven or eight of whom
 will be placed on ,lifu1 others on     
,nengone1 c42 that the ,french          
,government is determined to support    
them2 that the ,commandant of ,nimia in 
,new ,caledonia had sent word to him    
that any number of men should be sent to
 him at an instant's notice1 in a war   
steamer1 to do what he might wish in    
,lifu1 but that honestly he would do    
nothing to compel the people here to    
embrace ,romanism2 but that if necessary

 he would use force to establish the    
missionaries in houses in different     
parts of the island1 if the chiefs      
refused to sell them parcels of land1   
for instance1 one acre4 ,the captain of 
the ,iris1 an ,english frigate1 called  
on him on ,monday1 and sent me a letter 
by him1 making it quite clear that the  
,french will meet with no opposition    
from the ,english ,government4 ,he too  
knew this1 and of course knew his power2
 but he behaved1 ,i must say1 well1 and 
if he is really sincere about the       
liberty of religion question1 ,i must be
 satisfied with the result of our talk4 
,i was much tired4 ,we slept together on
 a kind of bed in an unfurnished house1 
where ,i was so cold that ,i could not  
sleep2 besides1 my head ached much2 so  
my night was not a very pleasant one4   
,in the morning we resumed our talk1 but
 the business was over really4 ,the     
question that we had discussed the      
evening before was brought to an issue1 
however1 by his requiring from ,john    

,cho1 who was with us1 permission to buy
 about an acre of land in his territory4
 ,john was much staggered at this4 ,it  
looked to him like a surrender of his   
rights4 ,i told him1 at great length1   
why ,i thought he must consent2 but     
finally it was settled1 that as ,john is
 not the real chief1 ,i should act as   
interpreter for the ,frenchmen2 and send
 him from ,mu an answer to a letter     
which he addresses to me1 but which is1 
in fact1 intended for the chief4  ',it  
is1 ,i suppose1 true1 that civilised    
nations do not acknowledge the right of 
a chief to prevent any one of his       
subjects from selling a plot of his land
 to a foreigner unless they may be at   
war with that particular nation4  ',he  
said that ,france would not allow a     
savage chief to say ,my custom in this  
respect is different from yours2 and    
again1 ,this is not a taking possession4
 ,it is merely requiring the right to   
put up a cottage for which ,i pay the   
just price4 ,he told me plainly1 if the 

chiefs did not allow him to do so1 he   
would send for soldiers and put it up by
 force2 but not use the soldiers for any
 other purpose4 ,of course ,i shall     
relate all this to ,angadhohua at ,mu1  
and make them consent4  ',he told me    
that at ,new ,caledonia they had        
reserved inalienably one-tenth of the   
land for the natives1 that the rest     
would be sold to ,french colonists of   
the poor class1 no one possessing more  
than ten acres2 that #e1jjj convicts    
would be sent there1 and the            
ticket-of-leave system adopted1 and that
 he thought the worst and most          
incorrigible characters would be sent to
 ,lifu4 ,poor ,john6 ,but ,i can't help 
him2 he must make such terms as he can1 
for he and his people are wholly in     
their power4  ',our talk being ended1 ,i
 found a great circle of men assembled  
on the outside with a pile of yams as   
usual in the centre for me4 ,i was glad 
to see a small pile also for the        
,frenchman4 ,i made my speech in his    

presence1 but he knows not ,lifu4 ,be   
kind to the ,french1 give them food and 
lodging4 ,this is a duty which you are  
bound to pay to all men2 but if they try
 to persuade you to change the teaching 
which you have received1 don't listen to
 them4 ,who taught you to leave off war 
and evil habits1 to build chapels1 to   
pray8 ,remember that4 ,trust the        
teachers who have taught you the ,word  
of ,god4  ',this was the kind of thing  
,i said4 ,then off we set--two miles of 
loose sand at a rattling pace1 as ,i    
wanted to shake off some #bjj people who
 were crowding about me4 ,then turning  
to the west1 climbed some coral rocks   
very quickly1 and found myself with only
 half my own attendants1 and no         
strangers4 ,sat down1 drank a cocoa-nut1
 and waited a long time for ,john1 who  
can't walk well1 and then quietly went  
on the remaining eight or nine miles to 
,zebedee's place1 a ,samoan teacher4    
,they were very attentive1 and gave me  
some supper4 ,they had a bed1 which was1

 of course1 given up to me in spite of  
opposition4 ,they regard a missionary as
 something superhuman almost4 ,sometimes
 ,i can't make them eat and drink with  
me2 they think it would be presumptuous4
 ,large meeting of people in the        
afternoon1 and again the following      
morning1 to whom ,i said much what ,i   
had already said at ,we4 ,then fifteen  
miles over to ,apollo's place on the    
west coast1 a grand bay1 with perfectly 
calm water1 delicious in the winter     
months4 ,comfortable quarters2 ,apollo a
 cleverish1 free-spoken fellow4  ',i    
went1 on the same afternoon1 two miles  
of very bad road to visit the ,french   
priest1 who is living here4 ,more talk  
and of a very friendly nature4 ,he has  
been eighteen months at ,san ,cristoval1
 but knows not the language2 at         
,woodlark ,island1 ,new ,caledonia1 c4  
,we talked in ,french and ,english4 ,he 
knows ,english fairly1 but preferred to 
talk ,french4 ,this day's work was      
nineteen miles4  ,slept at ,apollo's4   

,next morning went a little way in      
canoes and walked six miles to ,toma's  
place2 meeting held1 speech as usual1   
present of yams1 pig1 c4 ,walked back   
the six miles1 started in double canoe  
for ,gaicha1 the other side of the bay3 
wind cold1 some difficulty in getting   
ashore4 ,walked by the bad path to      
,apollo's and slept there again2        
,frenchman came in during the evening4  
,next day1 ,friday1 meeting in the      
chapel4 ,walked twenty miles back to    
,we1 where ,i am now writing4 ,went the 
twenty miles with no socks2 feet sore   
and shoes worn to pieces1 cutting off   
leather as ,i came along4 ,nothing but  
broken bottles equals jagged coral4     
,paths went so that you never take three
 steps in the same direction1 and every 
minute trip against logs1 coral hidden  
by long leaves1 arid weeds trailing over
 the path4 ,often for half a mile you   
jump from one bit of coral to another4  
,no shoes can stand it1 and ,i was      
tired1 ,i assure you4 ,indeed1 for the  

last two days1 if ,i stopped for a      
minute to drink a nut1 my legs were so  
stiff that they did not get into play   
for five minutes or so4  ',july         
#afth4--,the captain of the ,iris       
frigate passing ,lifu dropped me a line 
which satisfied me that the ,french will
 meet with no impediment from the       
,english ,government in the prosecution 
of their plans out here4 ,well1 this    
makes one's own path just as easy1      
because all these things1 great and     
small1 are ordered for us2 but yet ,i   
grieve to think that we might be        
occupying these groups with             
missionaries4 ,even ten good men would  
do for a few years2 and is it           
unreasonable to think that ten men might
 be found willing to engage in such a   
happy work in such a beautiful part of  
the world--no yellow fever1 no snakes1  
c4 ,i think of the ,banks ,islands1     
,vanua ,lava1 with its harbour and      
streams1 and abundance of food1 and with
 eight or nine small islands round it1  

speaking the same language1 few         
dialectic differences of consequence1 as
 ,i believe4  ',even one good man might 
introduce religion here as we have      
received it1 pure and undefiled4 ,oh6   
that there were men who could believe   
this1 and come out unconditionally1     
placing themselves in the ,bishop's     
hands unreservedly4 ,he must know the   
wants and circumstances of the islands  
far better than they can1 and therefore 
no man ought to stipulate as to his     
location1 c4 ,did the early teachers do 
so8 ,did ,titus ever think of saying to 
,st4 ,paul1 ,mind ,i must be an elder1  
or bishop1 or whatever he was1 of       
,crete8 ,just as if that frame of mind  
was compatible with a real desire to do 
what little one can by ,god's help to   
bring the heathen to a knowledge of     
,christ4  ',at this moment1 one man for 
the ,banks group and another for ,mai   
and the neighbouring islands would be   
invaluable4 ,if anything occurs to make 
me leave these ,loyalty ,islands as my  

residence during a part of the year1 ,i 
am off to ,banks1 or ,mai1 or ,solomon  
,isles4 ,but what am ,i8 ,in many       
respects not so well qualified for the  
work as many men who yet1 perhaps1 have 
had a less complete education4 ,i know  
nothing of mechanics1 and can't teach   
common things2 ,i am not apt to teach   
anything1 ,i fear1 having so long       
deferred to learn the art of teaching1  
but of course exposing one's own        
shortcomings is easy enough4 ,how to get
 the right sort of men8 ,first          
qualification is common-sense1 guided1  
of course1 by religious principle4 ,some
 aptitude for languages1 but that is of 
so little consequence that ,i would     
almost say no one was sufficient by     
itself as a qualification4 ,of course   
the mission work tends immensely to     
improve all earnest men2 the            
eccentricities and superfluities        
disappear by degrees as the necessary   
work approves itself to the affection   
and intellect4'  ,the ,french question  

resulted in a reply in ,angadhohua's    
name1 that the people should be         
permitted to sell ground where the      
mission required it2 and that in the one
 place specified about which there was  
contention1 the land should be ceded as 
a gift from the chiefs4 ',this1'        
observes ,mr4 ,patteson1 'is the first  
negotiation which has been thrust upon  
me4 ,i more than suspect ,i have made   
considerable blunders4'  ,by the #acth  
of ,august1 he had to walk over the     
coral jags for another consultation with
 ,pere ,montrouzier1 whose negotiation  
with ,cho had resulted in thorough      
misunderstanding1 each thinking the     
other was deceiving him1 and not dealing
 according to promise to ,mr4 ,patteson4
 ,the ,pere had1 in his fourteen years' 
experience1 imbibed a great distrust of 
the natives1 and thought ,mr4 ,patteson 
placed too much confidence in them1     
while the latter thought him inclined to
 err the other way2 however1 matters    
were accommodated1 at heavy cost to poor

 ,coley's feet4 ,a second pair of shoes 
were entirely cut to pieces1 and he     
could not put any on the next day1 his  
feet were so blistered4  ,the troubles  
were not ended1 for when the ground was 
granted1 there followed a stipulation   
that the chiefs should not hinder the   
men from working at the building2 and   
when the men would not work1 the chiefs 
were suspected of preventing it1 and a  
note from ,pere ,montrouzier greatly    
wounded ,patteson's feelings by calling 
,john ,cho faux et artificieux4         
,however1 after another note1 he        
retracted this1 and a day or two after  
came the twenty miles over the coral to 
make a visit to the ,english clergyman4 
',there is much to like in him3 a       
gentleman1 thoroughly well informed1    
anxious of course to discuss            
controversial points1 and uncommonly    
well suited for that kind of work1 he   
puts his case well and clearly1 and1 of 
course1 it is easy to make their system 
appear most admirably adapted for       

carrying out all the different duties of
 a ,church1 as it is consistent in all1 
or nearly all1 particulars1 given the   
one or two leading points on which all  
depend4 ,the ,church of ,england here is
 very much in the position of any one of
 those other bodies1 ,wesleyan1         
,independent1 or ,presbyterian2 and     
though we have a ,bishop at the head--of
 what1 however8 ,of one individual      
clergyman6 ,oh1 that we had now a good  
working force--twenty or thirty men with
 some stuff in them2 and there are      
plenty if they would only come4         
,meanwhile1 ,france sends plenty of men2
 steamers bring them houses1 cows for   
themselves and as presents for          
natives--supports the missionary in     
every way4 ,new ,caledonia is handy for 
the central school1 everything almost   
that can be requisite4 ,never mind2 work
 on1 one small life is a mighty trifling
 thing considered with reference to     
those great schemes overruled by ,god to
 bring out of them great ultimate good1 

no doubt4'  ,there was an interchange of
 books between the ,french and ,english 
priest4 ,pere ,montrouzier lent1 and    
finally gave1 ,martinet's ',solution de 
,grands ,problemes1' which ,patteson    
calls 'a very interesting book1 with a  
great deal of dry humour about it1 not  
unlike ,newman's more recent            
publications4 ,it is1 he 7,montrouzier7 
says1 thought very highly of in ,france4
 ,he is a well-read man1 ,i should      
imagine1 in his line2 and that is pretty
 extensive1 for he is a really          
scientific naturalist1 something of a   
geologist1 a good botanist1 besides     
having a good acquaintance with         
ecclesiastical literature4'  ,there was 
the more time for recreation with the   
,pere's ,french books1 and the serious  
work of translating ,st4 ,mark's        
,grospel and part of the ,litany into   
,lifu1 as the inhabitants were all      
called off from school in the middle of 
,august 'by a whale being washed ashore 
over a barrier reef--not far from me4   

,all the adjacent population turned out 
in grass kilts1 with knives and         
tomahawks to hack off chunks of flesh to
 be eaten1 and of blubber to be boiled  
into oil2 and in the meantime the       
neighbourhood was by no means agreeable 
to anyone possessing a nose4'           
,meanwhile ,sarawia1 the best of the    
,banks pupils1 had a swelling on the    
knee1 and required care and treatment1  
but soon got better4 ,medical knowledge1
 as usual1 ,patteson felt one of the    
great needs of missionary life4 ,cases  
of consumption and scrofula were often  
brought to him1 and terrible abscesses1 
under which the whole body wasted away4 
',poor people6' he writes1 'a           
consumptive hospital looms in the far   
perspective of my mind2 a necessary     
accompaniment1 ,i feel now1 of the      
church and the school in early times4 ,i
 wish ,i could contrive some remedy for 
the dry food1 everything being placed   
between leaves and being baked on the   
ground1 losing all the gravy2 and when  

you get a chicken it is a collection of 
dry strings4 ,if ,i could manage        
boiling2 but there is nothing like a bit
 of iron for fire-place on the island1  
and to keep up the wood fire in the bush
 under the saucepan is hard work4 ,i    
must commence a more practical study    
than hitherto of ,robinson ,crusoe1 and 
the ,swiss ,family4 ,why does no        
missionary put down hints on the        
subject8 ,my three months here will     
teach me more than anything that has    
happened to me1 and ,i dare say ,i shall
 get together the things ,i want most   
when next ,i set forth from ,new        
,zealand4444 ,i find it a good plan to  
look on from short periods to short     
periods1 and always ask1 what next8 ,and
 at last it brings one to the real      
answer3--,work as hard as you can1 and  
that rest which lacks no ingredient of  
perfect enjoyment and peace will come at
 last4'  ,among the needs he discovered 
was this3--',by the bye1 good cheap     
,bible prints would be very useful2     

large1 so as to be seen by a large      
class1 illustrating just the leading    
ideas4 ,schnorr's ,bible prints by ,rose
 and ,bingen are something of the kind  
that ,i mean1 something quite rude will 
do4 ,twenty-four subjects1 comprising   
nothing either conventional or          
symbolical1 would be an endless treasure
 for teachers2 the intervening history  
would be filled up and illustrated by   
smaller pictures1 but these would be    
pegs on which to hang the great events  
these lads ought to know4 ,each should  
be at least twenty-four inches by ten4  
',try to remember1 in the choice of any 
other picture books for them1 that      
anything that introduces ,european      
customs is no use yet4 ,pictures of     
animals are the best things4 ,one or two
 of a railway1 a great bridge1 a view of
 the ,thames with steamers rushing up   
and down1 would all do2 but all our     
habits of social life are so strange    
that they don't interest them yet4      
',when ,i next reach ,auckland1 ,i      

suppose my eyes will rejoice at seeing  
your dear old likenesses4 ,when we build
 our permanent central school-house at  
,kohimarama1 ,i shall try to get a      
little snuggery1 and then furnish it    
with a few things comfortably2 ,i shall 
then invest in a chest of drawers1 as ,i
 dare say my clothes are getting tired  
of living in boxes since ,march #ahee4  
',i can hardly tell you how much ,i     
regret not knowing something about the  
treatment of simple surgical cases4 ,if 
when with ,w---- ,i had studied the     
practical--bled1 drawn teeth1 mixed     
medicines1 rolled legs perpetually1 it  
would have been worth something4 ,surely
 ,i might have foreseen all this6 ,i    
really don't know how to find the time  
or the opportunity for learning4 ,how   
true it is that men require to be       
trained for their particular work6 ,i am
 now just in a position to know what to 
learn were ,i once more in ,england4    
,spend one day with old ,fry 7mason71   
another with ,john ,venn 7carpenter71   

and two every week at the ,exeter       
hospital1 and not look on and see others
 work--there's the mischief1 do it      
oneself4 ,make a chair1 a table1 a box2 
fit everything2 help in every part of   
making and furnishing a house1 that is1 
a cottage4 ,do enough of every part to  
be able to do the whole4 ,begin by      
felling a tree2 saw it into planks1 mix 
the lime1 see the right proportion of   
sand1 c41 know how to choose a good lot 
of timber1 fit handles for tools1 c4    
',many trades need not be attempted2 but
 every missionary ought to be a         
carpenter1 a mason1 something of a      
butcher1 and a good deal of a cook4     
,suppose yourself without a servant1 and
 nothing for dinner to-morrow but some  
potatoes in the barn1 and a fowl running
 about in the yard4 ,that's the kind of 
thing for a young fellow going into a   
new country to imagine to himself4 ,if a
 little knowledge of glazing could be   
added1 it would be a grand thing1 just  
enough to fit in panes to window-frames1

 which last1 of course1 he ought to make
 himself4 ,much of this cannot be done  
for you4 ,i can buy window-frames in    
,auckland1 and glass2 but ,i can't carry
 a man a thousand miles in my pocket to 
put that glass into these frames2 and if
 it is done in ,new ,zealand1 ten to one
 it gets broken on the voyage2 whereas1 
glass by itself will pack well4         
,besides1 a pane gets broken1 and then  
,i am in a nice fix4 ,to know how to    
tinker a bit is a good thing2 else your 
only saucepan or tea-kettle may be lying
 by you useless for months4 ,in fact1 if
 ,i had known all this before1 ,i should
 be just ten times as useful as ,i am   
now4 ,if anyone you know thinks of      
emigrating or becoming a missionary1    
just let him remember this4'  ,to these 
humble requisites1 it appears that a    
missionary ought on occasion to be able 
to add those of a prime minister and    
lawgiver4 ,angadhohua1 a bright1 clever 
lad1 only too easily led1 was to be     
instructed in the duties of a chief2    

,mr4 ,patteson scrupulously trying in   
vain to make him understand that he was 
a person of far more consideration and  
responsibility than his white visitor   
would be in his own country4 ,the point 
was to bring the ,christian faith into  
connection with life and government4    
',much talk have ,i had with ,john in   
order that we may try to put before them
 the true grounds on which they ought to
 embrace ,christianity1' writes ,mr4    
,patteson1 when about to visit a heathen
 district which had shown an inclination
 to abandon their old customs1 'and also
 the consequences to which they pledge  
themselves by the profession of a       
religion requiring purity1 regularity1  
industry1 c41 but ,i have little doubt  
that our visit now will result in the   
nominal profession of ,christianity by  
many heathen4 ,angadhohua1 ,john1 and ,i
 go together1 and ,isaka1 a ,samoan     
teacher who has been a good deal among  
them4 ,i shall make an arrangement for  
taking one of their leading men to ,new 

,zealand with me1 that he may get some  
notion of what is meant by undertaking  
to become a ,christian4 ,it is in many  
respects a great benefit to be driven   
back upon the very first origin of a    
,christian society2 one sees more than  
ever the necessity of what our ,lord has
 provided1 a living organised community 
into which the baptized convert being   
introduced falls into his place1 as it  
were1 naturally2 sees around him        
everything at all times to remind him   
that he is a regenerate man1 that all   
things are become new4 ,a man in        
apostolic times had the lessons of the  
,apostles and disciples practically     
illustrated in the life of those with   
whom he associated4 ,the church was an  
expression of the verbal teaching       
committed to its ministers4 ,how clearly
 the beauty of this comes out when one  
is forced to feel the horrible blank    
occasioned by the absence of the living 
teacher1 influencing1 moulding1 building
 up each individual professor of        

,christianity by a process always going 
on1 though oftentimes unconsciously to  
him on whom it operates4  ',but how is  
the social life to be fashioned here in 
,lifu according to the rule of ,christ8 
,there is no organised body exemplifying
 in daily actions the teaching of the   
,bible4 ,a man goes to chapel and hears 
something most vague and unmeaning4 ,he 
has never been taught to grasp anything 
distinctly--to represent any truth to   
his mind as a settled resting-place for 
his faith4 ,who is to teach him8 ,what  
does he see around him to make him      
imperceptibly acquire new habits in     
conformity with the ,bible8 ,is the     
,christian community distinguished by   
any habits of social order and          
intercourse different from              
non-,christians8  ',true1 they don't    
fight and eat one another now1 but      
beyond that are they elevated as men8   
,the same dirt1 the same houses1 the    
same idle vicious habits2 in most cases 
no sense of decency1 or but very little4

 ,where is the expression of the        
,scriptural life8 ,is it not a most     
lamentable state of things8 ,and whence 
has it arisen8 ,from not connecting     
,christian teaching in church with the  
improvement in social life in the hut   
and village1 which is the necessary     
corollary and complement of such        
teaching4  ',by ,god's grace1 ,i trust  
that some little simple books in ,lifu  
will soon be in their houses1 which may 
be useful4 ,it is even a cause for      
thankfulness that in a few days 7for the
 ,southern ,cross ought to be here in a 
week with #ejj more copies7 some #fjj or
 more copies1 in large type1 of the     
,lord's ,prayer1 ,creed1 and ,ten       
,commandments will be in circulation2   
but they won't use them yet4 ,they won't
 be taught to learn them by heart1 and  
be questioned upon them2 yet they may   
follow by and by4 ,hope on is the rule4 
,give them the ,bible1 is the cry2 but  
you must give them the forms of faith   
and prayer which ,christendom has       

accepted1 to guide them2 and oh6 that we
 were so united that we could baptize   
them into a real living exemplification1
 and expression--an embodiment of       
,christian truth1 walking1 sleeping1    
eating and drinking before their eyes4  
,christ ,himself was that on earth1 and 
,his ,church ought to be now4 ,these men
 saw to accept ,his teaching was to bind
 themselves to a certain course of life 
which was exhibited before their own    
eyes4 ,hence1 multitudes approved ,his  
teaching1 but would not accept it--would
 not profess it1 because they saw what  
was involved in that profession4 ,but   
now men don't count the cost2 they      
forget that ,if any man come to ,me is  
followed by ,which of you intending to  
build a tower1 c4 ,hence the great and  
exceeding difficulty in these latter    
days when ,christianity is popular6'    
,in this state of things it was         
impossible to baptize adults till they  
had come to a much clearer understanding
 of what a ,christian ought to do and to

 believe2 and therefore ,coley's only   
christenings in ,lifu were of a few     
dying children1 whom he named after his 
brother and sisters1 as he baptized them
 with water1 brought in cocoa-nut       
shells1 having taught himself to say by 
heart his own translation of the        
baptismal form4  ,he wrote the following
 letter towards the end of his stay3--  
',september #f1 #aheh3 ,lifu1 ,loyalty  
,islands4  ',my dear ,miss ,neill1--,the
 delay of four or five days in the      
arrival of the ,southern ,cross gives me
 a chance of writing you a line4 ,the   
,bishop dropped me here this day three  
months1 and told me to look out for him 
on ,september #a4 ,as ,new ,zealand is  
#a1jjj miles off1 and he can't command  
winds and waves1 of course ,i allow him 
a wide margin2 and ,i begged him not to 
hurry over my important business in ,new
 ,zealand in order to keep his          
appointment exactly4 ,but his wont is to
 be very punctual4 ,i have here twelve  
lads from the north-west islands3 from  

seven islands1 speaking six languages4  
,the plan of bringing them to a winter  
school in some tropical isle is now     
being tried4 ,the only difficulty here  
is that ,lifu is so large and populous2 
and just now 7what with ,french priests 
on it1 and the most misty vague kind of 
teaching from ,independents the only    
thing to oppose to the complete         
machinery of the ,romish system7 demands
 so much time1 that it is difficult to  
do justice to one's lads from the       
distant lands that are living with one  
here4 ,the ,bishop had an exaggerated   
notion of the population here4 ,i       
imagine it to be somewhere about #h1jjj4
 ,the language is not very hard1 but has
 quite enough difficulty to make it more
 than a plaything3 the people in that   
state when they venerate a missionary--a
 very dangerous state2 ,i do my best to 
turn the reverence into the right       
channel and towards its proper object4  
',you will see by the last ,melanesian  
report of which ,i desired a copy to be 

sent to you1 that our work is very      
rapidly increasing2 that openings are   
being made in all directions2 and that  
had we men of trust1 we could occupy    
them at once4 ,as it is1 we keep up a   
communication with some seventy-four    
islands1 waiting1 if it may be1 that men
 may be sent1 trying to educate picked  
men to be teachers2 but ,i am not very  
sanguine about that4 ,at all events1 the
 first flush of savage customs1 c41 is  
being1 ,i trust1 removed1 so that for   
some other body of ,christians1 if not  
the ,church of ,england1 the door may be
 laid open4  ',of course1 the interest  
of the work is becoming more and more   
absorbing2 so that1 much as there is    
indeed going on in your world to        
distract and grieve one1 it comes to me 
so weakened by time and distance that ,i
 don't sympathise as ,i ought with those
 who are suffering so dreadfully from   
the ,indian ,mutiny1 or the commercial  
failure1 or the great excitement and    
agitation of the country4 ,you can      

understand how this can be1 perhaps2 for
 my actual present work leaves me small 
leisure for reflecting1 and for placing 
myself in the position of others at a   
distance2 and when ,i have a moment's   
time surely it is right that ,i should  
be in heart at ,feniton1 with those dear
 ones1 and especially my dear dear      
father1 of whom ,i have not heard for   
five months1 so that ,i am very anxious 
as to what account of him the ,southern 
,cross may bring1 and try to prepare    
myself for news of increased illness1 c4
  ',you1 ,i imagine1 my dear ,miss      
,neill1 are not much changed to those   
who see you day by day2 but ,i should   
find you much weaker in body than when  
,i saw you last1 and yet it did not seem
 then as if you had much strength to    
lose3 ,i don't hear of any sudden       
changes1 or any forms of illness2 the   
gradual exhausting process is going on1 
but accompanied1 ,i fear1 with even     
greater active pain than of old2 your   
sufferings are indeed very severe and   

very protracted1 a great lesson to us   
all4 ,yet you have much1 even speaking  
only of worldly comfort1 which makes    
your position a much happier one than   
that of the poor suffering souls whom ,i
 see here4 ,their house is one round    
room1 a log burning in the centre1 no   
chimney1 the room full of smoke1 common 
receptacle of men1 women1 boys1 girls1  
pigs1 and fowls4 ,in the corner a dying 
woman or child4 ,no water in the island 
that is fresh1 a few holes in the coral 
where water accumulates1 more or less   
brackish2 no cleanliness1 no quiet1 no  
cool fresh air1 hot smoky atmosphere1 no
 proper food1 a dry bit of yam1 and no  
knowledge of a life to come3 such is the
 picture of the invalided or dying      
,south ,sea ,islander4 ,all dying       
children under years of discretion ,i   
baptize1 and all the infants brought to 
the chapel by parents who themselves are
 seeking baptism2 but ,i have not       
baptized any adults yet1 they must be   
examined and taught for some time1 for  

the ,samoan and ,rarotongan teachers    
sent by the ,independent missionaries   
are very imperfectly instructed and     
quite incapable of conveying definite   
teaching to them4  ',i don't see1       
humanly speaking1 how this island is to 
be kept from becoming purely ,roman     
,catholic4 ,they have a large staff of  
men1 and are backed up by the presence  
of a complete government establishment  
in ,new ,caledonia1 only two or three   
days distant1 while what have we8 ,four 
months a year of the time1 partially    
otherwise occupied by ,melanesian       
schools1 of one missionary1 and while   
here these four months1 ,i have my lads 
from many islands to teach1 so that ,i  
can't lay myself out to learn this one  
language1 c4 ,i am writing this on      
,september #af4 ,southern ,cross not yet
 come1 and my lads very anxious2 ,i     
confess ,i should like to see it1 not   
only 7as you will believe7 because all  
my stores are gone4 ,i have not a morsel
 of biscuit or grain of sugar left1 and 

am reduced to native fare1 which does   
not suit my ,english constitution for   
very long4 ,yams and taro1 and a fowl   
now and then1 will be my food until the 
ship comes4 ,hitherto ,i have had coffee
 and biscuits in addition4  ',my very   
kind love to ,mrs4 ,s ----1 and many    
thanks for the letters1 which ,i much   
enjoy4  ',your very affectionate old    
pupil1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,the whole of   
,september passed without the arrival of
 the ',southern ,cross4' ,the fact was  
that after ,mr4 ,patteson had been left 
at ,lifu1 the vessel when entering      
,port-au-,france1 ,new ,caledonia1 had  
come upon a coral reef1 and the damage  
done to her sheathing was so serious    
that though she returned to ,auckland   
from that trip1 she could not sail again
 without fresh coppering2 and as copper 
had to be brought from ,sydney for the  
purpose1 there was considerable delay   
before she could set forth again1 so    
that it was not till the last day of    
,september that she gladdened           

,patteson's eyes1 and brought the       
long-desired tidings from home4  ,this  
voyage was necessarily short1 as there  
were appointments to be kept by the     
,bishop in ,new ,zealand in ,november1  
and all that could be aimed at was the  
touching at the more familiar islands   
for fresh instalments of scholars4 ,the 
grand comet of #aheh was one feature of 
this expedition--which resulted in      
bringing home forty-seven ,melanesians1 
so that with the crew1 there were       
sixty-three souls on board during the   
homeward voyage6  ',as you may suppose1 
the little ,southern ,cross is cram     
full1 but the ,bishop's excellent       
arrangements in the construction of the 
vessel for securing ventilation1        
preserve us from harm by ,god's         
blessing4 ,every day a thorough cleaning
 and sweeping goes on1 and frequent     
washing1 and as all beds turn up like   
the flap of a table1 and some thirty    
lads sleep on the floor on mats and     
blankets1 by #g ,a4,m4 all traces of the

 night arrangements have vanished4 ,the 
cabin looks and feels airy2 meals go on 
regularly2 the boys living chiefly on   
yams1 puddings1 and cocoa-nuts1 and     
plenty of excellent biscuit4 ,we laid in
 so many cocoa-nuts that they have daily
 one apiece1 a great treat to them4 ,a  
vessel of this size1 unless arranged    
with special reference to such objects1 
could not carry safely so large a party1
 but we have nothing on board to create1
 conceal1 or accumulate dirt2 no hold1  
no storeroom1 no place where a mixed    
mess of spilt flour1 and sugar1 and     
treacle1 and old rotten potatoes1 and   
cocoa-nut parings and bits of candle1   
can all be washed together into a dark  
foul hold2 hence the whole ship1 fore   
and aft1 is sweet and clean4 ,stores are
 kept in zinc lockers puttied down1 and 
in cedar boxes lined with zinc4 ,we of  
course distribute them ourselves2 a     
hired steward would be fatal1 because   
you can't get a servant to see the      
importance of care in such details4'    

,mr4 ,patteson always1 in the most      
careful manner1 paid respect both to the
 chief's person and his dicta4 ,he      
declined more than once to give         
directions which he said ought to issue 
from the chief1 although on one of these
 occasions he was asked by the chief    
himself4 ,he foresaw clearly the evils  
that might follow if the people's       
respect for recognised authority were   
weakened1 instead of being1 as it might 
be1 turned to useful account4 ,and so he
 always accorded to ,john ,cho1 and to  
other persons of rank when they were    
with us in the ,mission school1 just    
such respect as they were accustomed to 
receive at the hands of their own       
people4 ,for instance1 he would always  
use to a moderate extent the chief's    
language in addressing ,john ,cho or any
 other of the ,loyalty chiefs2 and it   
being a rule of theirs that no one in   
the presence of the chiefs should ever  
presume to sit down higher than the     
chiefs1 he would always make a point of 

attending to it as regarded himself2 and
 once or twice when1 on shore in the    
islands1 the chief had chosen to squat  
down on the ground among the people1 he 
would jocularly leave the seat that had 
been provided for him1 and place himself
 by the chief's side on the ground4 ,all
 this was keenly appreciated as         
significant1 but alas6 the ,loyalty     
,islanders were not long to remain under
 his charge4  ,the ensuing letter was   
written to ,sir ,john ,taylor           
,coleridge1 after learning the tidings  
of his retirement from the ,bench in the
 packet of intelligence brought by the  
vessel3--   ',november #aj1 #aheh3 ,lat4
 #ca #bi' ,s42 ,long4 #aga #ab' ,e4     
',my dear ,uncle ,john1--,i see by the  
papers that you have actually resigned1 
and keep your connection with the judges
 only as a ,privy ,councillor4 ,i am of 
course on my own account heartily glad  
that you will be near my dear father for
 so many months of the year1 and you are
 very little likely to miss your old    

occupation much1 with your study at     
,heath's ,court1 so ,i shall often think
 of you in summer sitting out on the    
lawn1 by ,john's ,pinus excelsis1 and in
 winter in your armchair by the fire1   
and no doubt you will often find your   
way over to ,feniton4 ,and then you have
 a glorious church64444 ,oh6 ,i do long 
for a venerable building and for the    
sound of ancient chants and psalms4 ,at 
times1 the ,sunday is specially a day on
 which my mind will go back to the old  
country1 but never with any wish to     
return4 ,i have never experienced that  
desire1 and think nothing but absolute  
inability to help on a ,melanesian or a 
,maori will ever make a change in that  
respect4 ,i feel as certain as ,i can be
 of anything that ,i should not be half 
as happy in ,england as ,i am in ,new   
,zealand1 or in ,lifu1 in the ,banks or 
,solomon ,islands1 c4 ,i like the life  
and the people1 everything about it and 
them4444  ',coppering the schooner      
caused delay1 so that he 7the ,bishop7  

could give but two months instead of    
three to the ,island voyage1 for he     
starts on ,november #be for a three     
months' ,confirmation tour 7#a1jjj      
miles7 among the ,new ,zealanders1 which
 will bring him to ,wellington by ,march
 #a1 for the commencement of the first  
synod4 ,consequently we have only       
revisited some of our seventy and odd   
islands1 but we have no less than       
forty-seven ,melanesians from twelve    
islands on board1 of whom three are     
young married women1 while two are      
babies4  ',this makes our whole number  
on board sixty1 viz41 four ,pitcairners1
 forty-seven ,melanesians1 ourselves    
crew  sixty-three1 a number too great   
for so small a vessel1 but for the      
excellent plan adopted by the ,bishop in
 the internal arrangement of the vessel 
when she was built1 and the scrupulous  
attention to cleanliness in every place 
fore and aft4 ,as it is1 we are not only
 healthy but comfortable1 able to have  
all meals regularly1 school1 prayers1   

just as if we had but twenty on board4  
,nevertheless1 ,i think1 if you could   
drop suddenly on our lower deck at #i   
,p4,m4 and visit unbeknown to us the two
 cabins1 you would be rather surprised  
at the number of the sleepers--twelve in
 our after-cabin1 and forty-five in the 
larger one1 which occupies two-thirds of
 the vessel4  ',of course we make no    
invasion upon the quarters forward of   
the four men before the mast--common    
seamen1 and take good care that master  
and mate shall have proper              
accommodation4  ',one gets so used to   
this sort of thing that ,i sleep just as
 well as ,i used to do in my own room at
 home1 and by #f4cj or #g ,a4,m4 all    
vestiges of anything connected with     
sleeping arrangements have vanished1 and
 the cabins look like what they         
are1--large and roomy4 ,we have1 you    
know1 no separate cabins filled with    
bunks1 c41 abominations specially       
contrived to conceal dirt and prevent   
ventilation4 ,light calico curtains     

answer all purposes of dividing off a   
cabin into compartments1 but we agree to
 live together1 and no one has found it 
unpleasant as yet4 ,we turn a part of   
our cabin into a gunaikhon at night for 
the three women and two babies by means 
of a canvas screen4 ,bishop looks after 
them1 washes the babies1 tends the women
 when sick1 c41 while ,i1 by virtue of  
being a bachelor1 shirk all the trouble4
 ,one of these women is now coming for  
the second time to the college2 her name
 is ,carry4 ,margaret ,cho is on her    
second visit1 and ,hrarore is the young 
bride of ,kapua1 now coming for his     
third time1 and baptized last year4     
',we wish to make both husbands and     
wives capable of imparting better       
notions to their people4  ',we have1 ,i 
think1 a very nice set on board4444  ',i
 think everything points to ,vanua      
,lava1 the principal island of the      
,banks group1 becoming our centre of    
operations1 i4e41 that it would be the  
place where winter school would be      

carried on with natives from many       
islands1 from ,solomon ,islands group to
 the north-west1 and ,santa ,cruz group 
to north1 ,new ,hebrides to south and   
,loyalty ,islands south-west1 and also  
the depot among the islands1 a splendid 
harbour1 safe both from trade and       
hurricane winds1 plenty of water1       
abundantly supplied with provisions1    
being indeed like a hot-house1 with its 
hot springs constantly sending up clouds
 of vapour on the high hills1 a         
population wholly uninjured by          
intercourse with traders and whalers1 it
 being certain that our vessel was the  
first at all events that has ever been  
seen by the eyes of any member of this  
generation on the islands2 ,i could     
prove this to you easily if ,i had time4
  ',they are most simple1 gentle and    
docile1 unwarlike1 not cannibals1 ,i    
verily believe as good a specimen of the
 natural fallen man as can be met with1 
wholly naked1 yet with no sense of shame
 in consequence2 timid1 yet soon        

learning to confide in one2 intelligent1
 and gleaming with plenty of spirit and 
fun4 ,as the island1 though #ddj miles  
north of the ,loyalty ,isles1 is not to 
leeward of them1 it would only take us  
about eight days more to run down1 and a
 week more to return to it from ,new    
,zealand1 than would be the case if we  
had our winter school on one of the     
,loyalty ,islands4 ,so ,i hope now we   
may get a missionary for ,lifu1 and so  
,i may be free to spend all my time1    
when not in ,new ,zealand1 at ,vanua    
,lava4 ,temperature in winter something 
under #hj in the shade1 being in lat4   
#ac #de' #e4 ,the only thing against    
,vanua ,lava is the fact that           
elephantiasis abounds among the natives1
 and they say that the mortality is very
 considerable there1 so it might not be 
desirable to bring many lads to it from 
other islands2 but the neighbouring     
islands of ,mota and ,valua1 and        
,uvaparapara are in sight and are       
certainly healthy1 and our buildings are

 not so substantial as to cause much    
difficulty in shifting our quarters if  
necessary4 ,the language is very hard1  
but when it is one's business to learn a
 thing1 it is done after a while as a   
matter of course4  ',we have quite made 
up our mind that ,new ,zealand itself is
 the right place for the head-quarters  
of the ,mission4 ,true1 the voyage is   
long1 and lads can only be kept there   
five or six months of the year1 but the 
advantages of a tolerably settled state 
of society are so great1 and the        
opportunities of showing the            
,melanesians the working of an ,english 
system are so many1 that ,i think now   
with the ,bishop that ,new ,zealand     
should be the place for the summer      
school in preference to any other4 ,i   
did not think so at one time1 and was   
inclined to advocate the plan of never  
bringing the lads out of the tropics1   
but ,i think now that there are so many 
good reasons for bringing the lads to   
,new ,zealand that we must hope to keep 

them by good food and clothing safe from
 colds and coughs4 ,norfolk ,island     
would have been in some ways a very good
 place1 but there is no hope now of our 
being settled there4444  ',i can hardly 
have quite the same control over lads   
brought to an island itself wholly      
uncivilised as ,i can have over them in 
,new ,zealand1 but as a rule1           
,melanesians are very tractable4        
,certainly ,i would sooner have my      
present school to manage1 forty-five of 
all ages from nine to perhaps           
twenty-seven or eight1 from twelve or   
thirteen islands1 speaking at least     
eight languages1 than half the number of
 ,english boys1 up to all sorts of      
mischief4444  ',thank you1 dear uncle1  
for the ,xavier2 a little portable book 
is very nice for taking on board ship1  
and ,i dare say ,i may read some of his 
letters in sight of many a heathen      
island4444  ',good-bye1 my dear ,uncle4 
',your affectionate and grateful nephew1
  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ',savages are 

all ,fridays1 if you know how to treat  
them' is a saying of ,patteson's in one 
of his letters1 and a true one4 ,in     
truth1 there was no word that he so     
entirely repudiated as this of savage1  
and the courtesy and untutored dignity  
of many of his native friends fully     
justified his view1 since it was sure to
 be called forth by his own conduct     
towards them4  ,the chiefs1 having a    
great idea of their own importance1 and 
being used to be treated like something 
sacred1 and never opposed1 were the most
 difficult people to deal with1 and in  
the present voyage there was a time of  
great anxiety respecting a young chief  
named ,aroana1 from the great isle of   
,malanta4 ,he fell into an agony of     
nervous excitement lest he should never 
see his island again1 an attack of      
temporary insanity came on1 and he was  
so strong that ,mr4 ,patteson could not 
hold him down without the help of the   
,bishop and another1 and it was         
necessary to tie him down1 as he        

attempted to injure himself4 ,he soon   
recovered1 and the cooler latitudes had 
a beneficial effect on him1 but there   
was reason to fear that in ,malanta the 
restraint might be regarded as an       
outrage on the person of a chief4  ,the 
voyage safely ended on the night of the 
#afth of ,november4 ,here is part of a  
letter to ,mr4 ,edward ,coleridge1      
written immediately after reading the   
letters that had been waiting in        
,auckland3--   ',my father writes3--,my 
tutor says that there must be a         
,melanesian ,bishop soon1 and that you  
will be the man1 a sentence which amused
 me not a little4  ',the plan is that   
the ,bishop should gradually take more  
and more time for the islands1 as he    
transfers to the ,general ,synod all    
deeds1 documents1 everything for which  
he was corporation sole1 and as he      
passes over to various other ,bishops   
portions of ,new ,zealand4 ,finally1    
retaining only the north part of the    
northern island1 to take the ,melanesian

 ,bishopric4  ',i urged this plan upon  
him very strongly one day1 when         
somewhere about lat4 #ab ,s4 7,i fancy7 
he pressed me to talk freely about the  
matter4 ,i said3 ,one condition only ,i 
think should be present to your mind1   
viz41 that you must not give up the     
native population in ,new ,zealand1 and 
to this he assented4  ',if1 dear tutor1 
you really were not in joke1 just try to
 find some good man who would come and  
place himself under the ,bishop's       
direction unreservedly1 and in fact be  
to him much what ,i am  the ability and 
earnestness1 c4 ,seriously1 ,i am not at
 all fitted to do anything but work     
under a good man4 ,of course1 should ,i 
survive the ,bishop1 and no other man   
come out1 why it is better that the     
ensign should assume the command than to
 give up the struggle altogether4 ,but  
this of course is pure speculation4 ,the
 ,bishop is hearty1 and1 ,i pray ,god1  
may be ,bishop of ,melanesia for twenty 
years to come1 and by that time there   

will be many more competent men than ,i 
ever shall be to succeed him1 to say    
nothing of possible casualties1 climate1
 c4  ',good-bye1 my dear ,uncle2 kind   
love to all4  ',your loving nephew and  
pupil1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,the    
three women and the two babies were     
disposed of in separate houses1 but     
their husbands1 with thirty-nine other  
,melanesians1 four ,norfolk ,islanders1 
two printers1 ,mr4 ,dudley and ,mr4     
,patteson1 made up the dinner-party     
every day in the hall of ,st4 ,john's   
,college4 ',not a little happy ,i feel  
at the head of my board1 with two rows  
of merry1 happy-looking ,melanesians on 
either side of me6'  ,the coughs1 colds1
 and feverish attacks of these scholars 
were the only drawback2 the slightest   
chill made them droop2 and it was a     
subject of joy to have any day the full 
number in hall1 instead of one or two   
lying ill in their tutor's own          
bed-chamber4  ,on the #bith of ,december
 came the exceeding joy of the arrival  

of the ,judge and ,mrs4 ,martin1 almost 
straight from ,feniton1 ready to talk   
untiringly of everyone there4 ,on the   
,new ,year's day of #ahei there was a   
joyful thanksgiving service at ,taurarua
 for their safe return1 at which all the
 best ,church people near were present1 
and when ,john ,cho made his first      
,communion4  ,on the #bjth these        
much-loved friends came to make a long  
stay at the ,college1 and the           
recollections they preserved of that    
time have thus been recorded by ,lady   
,martin4 ,it will be remembered that she
 had parted from him during the year of 
waiting and irregular employment3  ',we 
were away from ,new ,zealand nearly     
three years4 ,we had heard at ,feniton  
dear ,coley's first happy letters       
telling of his voyages to the islands in
 #ahef-g1 letters all aglow with        
enthusiasm about these places and       
people4 ,one phrase ,i well remember1   
his kindly regret expressed for those   
whose lot is not cast among the         

,melanesian islands4 ,on our return we  
went to live for some months at ,st4    
,john's ,college1 where ,mr4 ,patteson  
was then settled with a large party of  
scholars4  ',we soon found that a great 
change had passed over our dear friend4 
,his whole mind was absorbed in his     
work4 ,he was always ready1 indeed1 to  
listen to anything there was to tell    
about his dear father2 but about our    
foreign travels1 his favourite pictures1
 the scenes of which we had heard so    
much from him1 he would listen for a few
 minutes1 but was sure in a little while
 to have worked round to ,melanesia in  
general1 or to his boys in particular1  
or to some discussion with my husband on
 the structure of their many languages  
and dialects4 ,it was then that ,bishop 
,abraham said that when the two came to 
their ninth meaning of a particle1 he   
used to go to sleep4  ',there were a    
very fine intelligent set of young men  
from the ,loyalty ,islands1 some sleepy1
 lazy ones from ,mai1 some fierce1      

wild-looking lads from the ,solomon     
,islands who had long slits in their    
ears and bone horns stuck in their      
frizzly hair4 ,mr4 ,patteson could      
communicate with all more or less       
easily1 and his readily delicate hearing
 enabled him to distinguish accurately  
sounds which others could not           
catch--wonderful mp and piv and mbw     
which he was trying to get hold of for  
practical purposes4  ',he was in        
comfortable quarters1 in one long low   
room1 with a sunny aspect4 ,it looked   
fit for a student1 with books all about1
 and pictures1 and photos of loved      
friends and places on the walls1 but he 
had no mind to enjoy it alone4 ,there   
was sure to be some sick lad there1     
wrapped up in his best rugs1 in the     
warmest nook by the fire4 ,he had       
morning and afternoon school daily in   
the large schoolroom1 ,mr4 ,dudley and  
,mr4 ,lask assisting him4               
,school-keeping1 in its ordinary sense1 
was a drudgery to him1 and very         

distasteful4 ,he had none of that bright
 lively way and readiness in catechising
 which made some so successful in       
managing a large class of pupils at     
once1 but every person in the place     
loved to come to the evening classes in 
his own room1 where1 in their own       
language1 he opened to them the         
,scriptures and spoke to them of the    
things pertaining to the kingdom of     
,god4 ,it was in those private classes  
that he exercised such wonderful        
influence2 his musical voice1 his holy  
face1 his gentle manner1 all helping    
doubtless to impress and draw even the  
dullest4 ,long after this he told me    
once how after these evening classes1   
one by one1 some young fellow or small  
boy would come back with a gentle tap at
 the door1 ,i want to talk to you1 and  
then and there the heart would be laid  
open1 and counsel asked of the beloved  
teacher4  ',it was very pleasant to see 
him among his boys4 ,they all used to go
 off for a walk on ,saturday with him1  

sometimes to town1 and he as full of fun
 with them as if they had been a party  
of ,eton boys4 ,he had none of the      
conventional talk1 so fatal to all true 
influence1 about degraded heathen4 ,they
 were brethren1 ignorant indeed1 but    
capable of acquiring the highest wisdom4
 ,it was a joke among some of us1 that  
when asked the meaning of a ,nengone    
term of endearment he answered naively1 
,oh1 it means old fellow4 ,he brought   
his fresh1 happy1 kindly feelings       
towards ,english lads and young men into
 constant play among ,melanesians1 and  
so they loved and trusted him4'  ,i     
think that exclusiveness of interest    
which ,lady ,martin describes1 and which
 his own family felt1 and which is apt  
to grow upon missionaries1 as indeed on 
every one who is very earnestly engaged 
in any work1 diminished as he became    
more familiar with his work1 and had a  
mind more at liberty for thought4  ,mr4 
,dudley thus describes the same         
period3--',it was during the summers of 

#aheg-h and #aheh-i that the ,loyalty   
,islanders mustered in such numbers at  
,st4 ,john's ,college1 as it was        
supposed that they1 at least ,lifu would
 be left in the hands of the ,church of 
,england4 ,mr4 ,patteson worked very    
hard these years at translations1 and   
there was an immense enthusiasm about   
printing1 the ,lifuites and ,nengonese  
striving each to get the most in their  
own language4  ',never shall ,i forget  
the evening service during those years  
held in the ,college chapel1 consisting 
of one or two prayers in ,bauro1 ,gera1 
and other languages1 and the rest in    
,nengonese1 occasionally changing to    
,lifu1 when ,mr4 ,patteson used to      
expound the passage of ,scripture that  
had been translated in school during the
 day4 ,usually the ,loyalty ,islanders  
would take notes of the sermon while it 
went on1 but now and then it was simply 
impossible1 for although his knowledge  
of ,nengonese at that time1 as compared 
with what it was afterwards1 was very   

limited1 and his vocabulary a small one 
from which to choose his expressions1 he
 would sometimes speak with such intense
 earnestness and show himself so        
thoroughly en rapport with the most     
intelligent of his hearers1 that they   
were compelled to drop their papers and 
pencils1 and simply to to listen4 ,i    
remember one evening in particular4 ,for
 some little time past the conduct of   
the men1 especially the married men1 had
 not been at all satisfactory4 ,the     
married couples had the upper house1 and
 ,john ,cho1 ,simeona1 and ,kapua had   
obtained a draught-board1 and had       
regularly given themselves up to        
draught-playing1 night and day1         
neglecting all the household duties they
 were expected to perform1 to the great 
annoyance of their wives1 who had to    
carry the water1 and do their husbands' 
work in other ways as well their own4   
,this became soon known to ,mr4         
,patteson1 and without saying anything  
directly to the men1 he took one evening

 as his subject in chapel those words of
 our ,lord1 ,if thy hand or thy foot    
offend thee1 c41 and spoke as you know  
he did sometimes speak1 and evidently   
was entirely carried out of himself1    
using the ,nengonese with a freedom     
which showed him to be thinking in it as
 he went on1 and with a face only to be 
described as the face of an angel4 ,we  
all sat spellbound4 ,john ,cho1         
,simeona1 and the other walked quietly  
away1 without saying a word1 and in a   
day or two afterwards ,i learnt from    
,john that he had lain awake that night 
thinking over the matter1 that fear had 
come upon him1 lest he might be tempted 
again1 and jumping up instantly1 he had 
taken the draught-board from the place  
where he had left it and had cast it    
into the embers of their fire4  ',many  
and many a time was ,i the recipient of 
his thoughts1 walking with him up and   
down the lawn in front of the cottage   
buildings of an evening1 when he would  
try to talk himself clear4 ,you may     

imagine what a willing listener ,i was1 
whatever he chose to talk upon1 and he  
often spoke very freely to me1 ,i being 
for a long time his only resident white 
companion4 ,it was not long before ,i   
felt ,i knew his father well1 and       
reverenced him deeply4 ,he never was    
tired of talking of his home1 and of    
former days at ,eton and ,oxford1 and   
then while travelling on the ,continent4
 ,often and often during those early    
voyages have ,i stood or sat by his side
 on the deck of the ,southern ,cross1 as
 in the evening1 after prayers1 he stood
 there for hours1 dressed in his        
clerical attire1 all but the grey tweed 
cap1 one hand holding the shrouds1 and  
looking out to windward like a man who  
sees afar off all the scenes he was     
describing4'  ,thinking over those times
 since1 one understands better far than 
one did at the time the reality of the  
sacrifice he had made in devoting       
himself for life to a work so far away  
from those he loved best on earth4  ,the

 ,bishop of ,wellington1 for to that see
 ,archdeacon ,abraham had been          
consecrated while in ,england1 arrived  
early in ,march1 and made a short stay  
at the ,college1 during which he        
confirmed eleven and baptized one of    
,patteson's flock4 ,mrs4 ,abraham and   
her little boy remained at the ,college1
 while her husband went on to prepare   
for her at ,wellington1 and thus there  
was much to make the summer a very      
pleasant one1 only chequered by frequent
 anxieties about the health of the      
pupils1 as repeated experiments made it 
apparent that the climate of ,st4       
,john's was too cold for them4 ,another 
anxiety was respecting ,lifu for the    
,london ,missionary ,society1 had1 after
 all1 undertaken to supply two          
missionaries from ,england1 and it was a
 most doubtful and delicate question    
whether the wishes of the natives or the
 established principle of               
noninterference with pre-occupied       
ground1 ought to have most weight4 ,the 

,primate was so occupied by ,new        
,zealand affairs that he wrote to ,mr4  
,patteson to decide it himself and he   
could but wait to be guided by          
circumstances on the spot4  ,to ,mr4    
,edward ,coleridge he writes on the     
#ahth of ,march3--   ',i have many and  
delightful talks with ,mr4 ,martin on   
our languages4 ,we see already how      
strong an infusion of ,polynesian       
elements exists in the ,melanesian      
islands4 ,with the language of four     
groups we are fairly acquainted now1    
besides some of the distinguishing      
dialects1 which differ very much from   
one another2 nevertheless1 ,i think that
 by-and-by we shall connect them all if 
we live2 but as some dialects may have  
dropped out altogether1 we may want a   
few links in the chain to demonstrate   
the connection fully to people at a     
distance4 ,it is a great refreshment to 
me to work out these matters1 and the   
,judge kindly looked up the best books  
that exist in all the ,polynesian       

languages1 so that we can found our     
induction upon a comparison of all the  
dialects now from the ,solomon ,islands 
to the ,marquesas1 with the exception of
 the ,santa ,cruz archipelago4 ,we have 
been there two or three times1 but the  
people are so very numerous and noisy1  
that we never have had a chance as yet  
of getting into a quiet talk 7by signs1 
c47 with any of the people4  ',still1 as
 we know some ,polynesian inhabitants of
 a neighbouring isle who have large sea 
canoes1 and go to ,santa ,cruz1 we may  
soon get one of them to go with us1 and 
so have an interpreter1 get a lad or    
two1 and learn the language4  ',we are  
sadly in want of men2 yet we cannot     
write to ask persons to come out for    
this work who may be indisposed1 when   
they arrive in ,new ,zealand1 to carry  
out the particular system on which the  
,bishop proceeds4 ,any man who would    
come out and consent to spend a summer  
at the ,melanesian school in ,new       
,zealand in order to learn his work1 and

 would give up any preconceived notions 
of his own about the way to conduct     
missionary work that might militate     
against the ,bishop's plan--such a man  
would be1 of course1 the very person we 
want2 but we must try to make people    
understand that half-educated men will  
not do for this work4 ,men sent out as  
clergymen to the mission-field who would
 not have been thought fit to receive   
,holy ,orders at home1 are not at all   
the men we want4 ,it is not at all      
probable that such men would really     
understand the natives1 love them1 and  
live with them2 but they would be great 
dons1 keeping the natives at a distance1
 assuming that they could have little in
 common1 c4--ideas wholly destructive of
 success in missionary1 or in any work4 
,that pride of race which prompts a     
white man to regard coloured people as  
inferior to himself1 is strongly        
ingrained in most men's minds1 and must 
be wholly eradicated before they will   
ever win the hearts1 and thus the souls 

of the heathen4  ',what a preachment1 as
 usual1 about ,melanesia6444  ',your    
loving old ,pupil and ,nephew1  ',j4 ,c4
 ,,patteson4'   ,next follows a         
retrospective letter3--   ',april #a1   
#ahei3 ,st4 ,john's ,college4  ',my     
dearest ,father1--,thirty-two years old 
to-day6 ,well1 it is a solemn thing to  
think that one has so many days and     
months and years to account for4        
,looking back1 ,i see how fearfully ,i  
wasted opportunities which ,i enjoyed1  
of which1 ,i fancy1 ,i should now avail 
myself gladly2 but ,i don't know that ,i
 fancy what is true1 for my work now1   
though there is plenty of it1 is        
desultory1 and ,i dare say hard         
application1 continuously kept up1 would
 be as irksome to me as ever4  ',it     
seems very strange to me that ,i never  
found any pleasure in classical studies 
formerly4 ,now1 the study of the        
languages for its own sake even is so   
attractive to rue that ,i should enjoy  
working out the exact and delicate      

powers of ,greek particles1 c42 but ,i  
never cared for it till it was too late1
 and the whole thing was drudgery to me4
 ,i had no appreciation1 again1 of      
,historians1 or historians2 only thought
 ,thucydides difficult and ,herodotus   
prosy76671 and ,tacitus dull1 and ,livy 
apparently easy and really very hard4   
,so1 again1 with the poets2 and most of 
all ,i found no interest 7fancy67 in    
,plato and ,aristotle4 ,they were       
presented to me as merely school books2 
not as the great effort of the          
cultivated heathen mind to solve the    
riddle of man's being2 and ,i1 in those 
days1 never thought of comparing the    
heathen and ,christian ethics1 and the  
great writers had no charm for me4      
',then my ,french4 ,if ,i had really    
taken any pains with old ,tarver in old 
days--and it was your special wish that 
,i should do so--how useful it would be 
to me now2 whereas1 though ,i get on    
after a sort1 ,i don't speak at all as  
,i ought to do1 and might have learnt to

 do4 ,it is sad to look back upon all   
the neglected opportunities2 and it is  
not only that ,i have not got nearly 7so
 to speak7 a quantity of useful         
materials for one's work in the present 
time1 but that ,i find it very hard to  
shake off desultory habits4 ,i suppose  
all persons have to make reflections of 
this kind1 more or less sad2 but1       
somehow1 ,i feel it very keenly now3 for
 certainly ,i did waste time sadly2 and 
it so happens that ,i have just had ,tom
 ,brown's ,schooldays lent me1 and that 
,i spent some time in reading it on this
 particular day1 and1 of course1 my     
,eton life rose up before me4 ,what a   
useful book that is6 ,a real gain for a 
young person to have such a book4 ,that 
is very much the kind of thing that     
would really help a boy--manly1 true1   
and plain4  ',i hear from ,sydney by    
last mail that the ,bishop is really    
desirous to revive the long dormant     
,board of ,missions4 ,he means to       
propose to send a priest and a deacon to

 every island ready for them1 and to    
provide for them--if they are           
forthcoming1 and funds4 ,of this latter 
,i have not much doubt4444  ',april     
#bd--;,i have to get ready for three    
,english full services to-morrow1       
besides ,melanesian ditto4--,so goodbye1
 my dearest ,father1  ',your loving and 
dutiful ,son1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'    
,sir ,john ,patteson might well say1 in 
a letter of this summer1 to ,bishop     
,selwyn3--  ',as to my dear boy ,coley1 
,i am more and more thankful every day  
that ,i agreed to his wishes2 and in    
whatever situation he may be placed1    
feel confident that his heart will be in
 his work1 and that he will do ,god     
service4 ,he will be contented to work  
under any one who may be appointed      
,bishop of ,melanesia 7or any other     
title71 or to be the ,bishop himself4   
,if ,i judge truly1 he has no ambitious 
views1 and only desires that he may be  
made as useful as his powers enable him 
to be1 whether in a high or subordinate 

situation4'  ,nothing could be more true
 than this4 ,there was a general sense  
of the probability that ,mr4 ,patteson  
must be the first ,missionary ,bishop2  
but he continued to work on at the      
immediate business1 always keeping the  
schemes and designs which necessarily   
rose in his mind ready to be subjected  
to the control of whomsoever might be   
set over him4 ,the cold had set in      
severely enough to make it needful to   
carry off his 'party of coughing1       
shivering ,melanesians' before ,easter1 
and the ',southern ,cross' sailed on the
 #ahth4 ,patteson took with him a good  
store of coffee1 sugar1 and biscuits1   
being uncertain whether he should or    
should not again remain at ,lifu4  ,in  
the outward voyage he only landed his   
pupils there1 and then went on to the   
,banks ,islands1 where ,sarawia was     
returned at ,vanua ,lava1 and after ,mr4
 ,patteson had spent a pleasant day     
among the natives1 ,mota was visited    
next after4  ',may #bd4--,on ,monday1 at

 #c ,p4,m41 we sailed from ,port        
,patteson across to ,mota4 ,here ,i     
landed among #gej people and the boat   
returned to the vessel4 ,she was to keep
 up to windward during the night and    
call for me the next morning4 ,i walked 
with my large following1 from the teach1
 up a short steep path1 to the village1 
near to which1 indeed only #bjj yards   
off1 is another considerable village4   
,the soil is excellent2 the houses      
good--built round the open space which  
answers to the green in our villages1   
and mighty banyan trees spreading their 
lofty and wide-branching arms above and 
around them4 ,the side walls of these   
houses are not more than two feet high1 
made only of bamboos lashed by cocoa-nut
 fibre1 or wattled together1 and the    
long sloping roofs nearly touch ground  
but within they are tolerably clean and 
quite dry4 ,the moon was in the first   
quarter1 and the scene was striking as  
,i sat out in the open space with some  
#bjj people crowding round me--men1     

women and children2 fires in front where
 yams were roasting2 the dark brown     
forms glancing to and fro in the        
flickering light2 the moon's rays       
quivering down through the vast trees1  
and the native hollow drum beating at   
intervals to summon the people to the   
monthly feast on the morrow4 ,i slept   
comfortably on a mat in a cottage with  
many other persons in it4 ,much talk ,i 
had with a large concourse outside1 and 
again in this cottage1 on ,christianity2
 and all were quiet when ,i knelt down  
as usual and said my evening prayers4   
,up at #e4cj ,a4,m41 and walked up a    
part of the ,sugar ,loaf peak1 from     
which the island derives its ,english   
name1 and found a small clear stream1   
flowing1 through a rocky bed1 back to   
the village1 where were some #cjj people
 assembled2 sat some time with them1    
then went to the beach1 where the boat  
soon came for me4  ',after this there   
was a good deal of bad weather2 but all 
the lads were restored to their islands1

 including ,aroana1 the young ,malanta  
chief1 who had begun by a fit of frenzy1
 but had since behaved well2 and who    
left his ,english friends with a promise
 to do all in his power to tame his     
people and cure them of cannibalism4'   
,then came some foul winds and hot      
exhausting weather4  ',i have done      
little more than read ,stanley's ,sinai 
and ,palestine1 and ,helps's ,spanish   
,america1 two excellent books and most  
delightful to me4 ,the characters in the
 ,spanish conquest of ,mexico and       
,america generally2 the whole question  
of the treatment of natives2 and that   
nobleman1 ,las ,casas--are more         
intelligible to me than to most persons 
probably4 ,the circumstances of my      
present life enable me to realise it to 
a greater extent4  ',then ,i have been  
dipping into a little ethnology2        
yesterday a little ,plato2 but it is    
almost too hot for anything that        
requires a working head-piece4 ,you know
 ,i take holiday time this voyage when  

we are in open water and no land near1  
and it is great relaxation to me4'  ,a  
pretty severe gale of wind followed1 a  
sharp test of ,patteson's seamanship4   
',then came one day of calm1 when we all
 got our clothes dry1 and the deck and  
rigging looked like an old clothes'     
shop4 ,then we got a fairish breeze2 but
 we can get nothing in moderation4 ,very
 soon it blew up into a strong breeze1  
and here we are lying to with a very    
heavy sea4 ,landsmen would call it      
mountainous1 ,i suppose4 ,i am tired1   
for ,i have had an anxious time2 and we 
have had but one quiet night for an age1
 and then ,i slept from #i4cj ,p4,m4 to 
#g4cj ,a4,m4 continuously4 ',it may be  
that this is very good training for me4 
,indeed it must give me more coolness   
and confidence4 ,i felt pleased as well 
as thankful when we made the exact point
 of ,nengone that ,i had calculated     
upon1 and at the exact time4'  ,on the  
#bjth of ,june1 ,auckland harbour was   
safely attained2 but the coming back    

without scholars did not make much of   
holiday time for their master1 who was  
ready to give help to other clergymen   
whenever it might be needed1 though1 in 
fact1 this desultory occupation always  
tried him most4  ,on the #beth of ,july 
he says3--  ',i have had a sixty miles' 
walk since ,i wrote last2 some part of  
it over wild country4 ,i lost my way    
once or twice and got into some swamps1 
but ,i had my little pocket-compass4    
',my first day was eighteen miles in    
pouring rain2 no road1 in your sense of 
the word2 but a good warm room and tea  
at the end4 ,next day on the move all   
day1 by land and water1 seeing settlers 
scattered about4 ,third day1 ,sunday1   
services at two different places4       
,fourth day1 walk of some twenty-seven  
miles through unknown regions baptizing 
children at different places2 and       
reaching1 after divers adventures1 a    
very hospitable resting-place at #h p4m4
 in the dark4 ,next day an easy walk    
into ,auckland and ,taurarua4           

,yesterday1 ,sunday1 very wet day4      
,man-of-war gig came down for me at     
#i4ae ,a4,m41 took the service on board2
 #aa ,a4,m4 ,st4 ,paul's service2       
afternoon1 hospital1 a mile or so off2  
#f ,p4,m41 ,st4 ,paul's evening service2
 #h4cj1 arrived at ,taurarua dripping4' 
,the same letter replies to one from    
home3--  ',i thank you1 my dear father1 
for writing so fully about yourself1 and
 especially1 for seeing and stating so  
plainly your full conviction that ,i    
ought not to think of returning to      
,england4 ,it would1 as you say1 humanly
 speaking1 interfere most seriously with
 the prospects of the ,mission4 ,some   
dear friends write to me differently1   
but they don't quite understand1 as you 
have taken pains to do1 what our        
position is out here2 and they don't see
 that my absence would involve great    
probable injury to the whole work4  ',it
 is curious how few there are who know  
anything of ,new ,zealand and           
,melanesia6  ',of course it is useless  

to speculate on the future1 but ,i see  
nothing at all to make it likely that ,i
 shall ever revisit ,england4 ,i can't  
very well conceive any such state of    
things as would make it a duty to       
gratify my constant inclination4 ,and1  
my dear father1 ,i don't scruple to say 
7for you will understand me7 that ,i am 
happier here than ,i should be in       
,england1 where1 even though ,i were    
absent only a few months1 ,i should bear
 about with me the constant weight of   
knowing that ,melanesia was not provided
 for4 ,and1 strange as it may seem1 this
 has quite ceased to be a trial to me4  
,the effort of subduing the longing     
desire to see you is no longer a great  
one3 ,i feel that ,i am cheerful and    
bright1 and light-hearted1 and that ,i  
have really everything to make a man    
thankful and contented4  ',and if you   
could see the thankful look of the      
,bishop1 when he is again assured that  
there is no item of regret or desire to 
call me home on your part1 you would    

feel1 ,i know1 that colonial work does  
require1 especially1 an unconditional   
unreserved surrender of a man to        
whatever he may find to do4'  ,but while
 admiring the noble spirit in which the 
son held fast his post1 and the father  
forebore to unsettle him there1 let not 
their example he used in the unkind and 
ignorant popular cry against the        
occasional return of colonial ,bishops4 
,for1 be it remembered1 that dire       
necessity was not drawing ,coleridge    
,patteson to demand pecuniary assistance
 round all the platforms of ,english    
towns4 ,the ,eton1 and the ,australian  
and ,new ,zealand ,associations1        
supplemented by the ,society for the    
,propagation of the ,gospel and his own 
family1 relieved him from the need of   
having to maintain his ,mission by such 
means4 ,all these letters are occupied  
with the arrangements for raising means 
for removing the ,melanesian ,college to
 a less bleak situation1 and it is      
impossible to read them without feeling 

what a difference it made to have a     
father who did not view giving to ,god's
 work as robbing his family4  ,on the   
#acth of ,august1 ,patteson was on      
board1 preparing for the voyage2 very   
cold1 and eager for the tropics4 ,the   
parting voice in his farewell letter is3
 ',i think ,i see more fully that work1 
by the power of ,god's ,spirit1 is the  
condition of us all in this world2 tiny 
and insignificant as the greatest work  
of the greatest men is1 in itself1 yet  
the one talent is to be used4'  ,it was 
meant to be a farewell letter1 but      
another followed in the leisure1 while  
waiting for the ,bishop to embark1 with 
some strong 7not to say fiery7 opinions 
on the stern side of duty3--  ',i feel  
anxious to try to make some of the      
motives intelligible1 upon which we     
colonial folk act sometimes4 ,first4 ,i 
think that we get a stronger sense of   
the necessity for dispensing with that  
kind of courtesy and good nature which  
sometimes interferes with duty than     

people do in ,england4  ',so a man      
placed as ,i am 7for example7 really    
cannot oftentimes avoid letting it be   
seen that work must come first2 and1 by 
degrees1 one sympathises less than one  
possibly should do with drones and      
idlers in the hive1 and feels it wrong  
to assent to a scheme which lets a real 
work suffer for the sake of acquiescing 
in a conventional recognition of        
comfort1 claims of society1 c4  ',would 
the general of an army say to his       
officers1 ,pray1 gentlemen1 don't dirty 
your boots or fatigue your horses to    
succour the inhabitants of a distant    
village8 ,or a captain to his mates and 
middies3 ,don't turn out1 don't go      
aloft4 ,it is a thing hard1 and you     
might get wet8  ',and the difference    
between us and people at home sometimes 
is1 that we don't see why a clergyman is
 not as much bound as an officer in the 
army or navy to do what he is pledged of
 his own act to do2 and that at home the
 'parsonage and pony-carriage' delusion 

practically makes men forget this4 ,i   
forget it as much as any man1 and should
 very likely never have seen the mistake
 but for my coming to ,new ,zealand2 and
 it is one of the great blessings we    
enjoy4  ',there is a mighty work to be  
done4 ,god employs human agents1 and the
 ,bible tells us what are the rules and 
conditions of their efficiency4  ',oh6  
but1 poor man1 he has a sickly wife6    
,yes1 but1 it remaineth that those who  
have wives be as they that have none4   
',true1 but the case of a large family8 
,whosoever loveth child more than me1 c4
  ',second4 ,the fact that we live      
almost without servants makes us more   
independent1 and also makes us          
acquainted with the secrets of each     
other's housekeeping1 c4 ,all that      
artificial intercourse which depends a  
good deal upon a well-fitted servants'  
hall does not find place here4 ,more    
simple and more plain and homely in     
speech and act is our life in the       
colonies--e4g41 you meet me carrying six

 or seven loaves from town to the       
college4 ,oh1 ,i knew that the ,bishop  
had to meet some persons there to-day1  
and ,i felt nearly sure there would be  
no breakfast then4 ,of course an        
,english person thinks1 ,why didn't he  
send the bread8 ,to which ,i answer1    
,who was there to send8  ',i don't mean 
that ,i particularly like turning myself
 into a miller one day and a butcher the
 next2 but that doing it as a matter of 
course1 where there is no one else to do
 it1 one does sometimes think it        
unreasonable to say1 as has been said to
 the ,bishop3--,two thousand pounds a   
year you want for your ,mission work6   
,yes1 said the ,bishop1 and not too much
 for sailing over ten thousand miles1   
and for educating1 clothing1 and feeding
 some forty young men6  ',i mean that   
conventional notions in ,england are    
preventing people from really doing half
 what they might do for the good of the 
needy4  ',i don't know how this might be
 said to be a theory tending to         

revolutionise society2 but ,i think ,i  
do know that there is a kind of         
religious common sense which comes in to
 guide people in such matters4 ,only1 ,i
 do not think it right to admit that    
plea for not doing more in the way of   
almsgiving which is founded upon the    
assumption that first of all a certain  
position in society must be kept up1    
which involves certain expenditure4  ',a
 barrister is living comfortably on #hjj
 a year1 or a clergyman in his living of
 #djj4 ,the professional income of the  
one increases1 and a fatter living is   
given to the other1 or some money is    
left them4 ,what do they do8 ,instantly 
start a carriage1 another servant1 put  
the jack-of-all-trades into a livery1   
turn the buttons into a flunkey1 and the
 village girl into a ladies' maid6 ,is  
this really right8 ,they were well      
enough before4 ,why not use the surplus 
for some better purpose8  ',i imagine   
that we1 the clergy1 are chiefly to     
blame1 for not only not protesting      

against1 but most contentedly           
acquiescing in such a state of things4  
,you ask now for something really       
demanding a sacrifice4 ,i can't afford  
it4 ,what1 not to rescue that village   
from starvation8 not to enable that good
 man to preach the ,gospel to people    
only accessible by means of such an     
outlay on his vessel1 c48 ,give up your 
carriage1 your opera box2 don't have so 
many grand balls1 c4 ,oh no6 it is all a
 corban to the genius of society4       
',now1 is this ,scriptural or not1 my   
dear father8 ,i don't mean that any     
individual is justified in dictating to 
his neighbour1 still less in condemning 
him4 ,but are not these the general     
principles of religion and morality in  
the ,bible8 ,there are duties to        
society3 but a good man will take       
serious counsel as to what they are1 and
 how far they may be militating against 
higher and holier claims4  ',august     
#bd4--,why ,i wrote all this1 my dearest
 father1 ,i hardly know1 only ,i feel   

sure that unless men at home can1 by    
taking real pains to think about it1    
realise the peculiar circumstances of   
colonial life1 they will never          
understand any one of us4  ',i have     
written ,fan a note in which ,i said    
something about my few effects if ,i    
should die4  ',one thing ,i should like 
to say to you1 not as venturing to do   
more than let you be in full possession 
of my own mind on the matter4 ,should ,i
 die before you die1 would it be wrong  
for me to say1 ,make the ,melanesian    
,mission my heir8  ',it may be according
 to the view which generally obtains    
that the other three should then divide 
my share4 ,but now ,i would take what   
may seem the hard view of which ,i have 
been writing1 and say1 ,they have enough
 to maintain them happily and           
comfortably4 ,the ,mission work without 
such a bequest will be much endangered4 
,i feel sure that they would wish it to 
be so1 for1 of course1 you know that    
this large sum of which you write will  

be1 if ,i survive you1 regarded simply  
as a bequest to the ,mission in which ,i
 have a life interest1 and the interest 
of which1 in the main1 would be spent on
 the ,mission4  ',but ,i only say       
plainly1 without any reserve1 what ,i   
have thought about it2 not for one      
moment putting up my opinion against    
yours1 of course1 in case you take a    
contrary view4  ',we sail1 ,i hope1     
to-morrow1 but the ,bishop is more busy 
than ever4  ',again1 my dearest ,father1
  ',your loving and dutiful ,son1  ',j4 
,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,the history of this 
voyage was1 as usual1 given in a long   
letter for the ,feniton fireside2 but   
there was a parallel journal also1 kept 
for the ,bishop of ,wellington1 which is
 more condensed1 and1 therefore1 better 
for quotation4  ,the manner in which the
 interest in1 and connection with all   
,english friends and relations was kept 
up is difficult to convey1 though it was
 a very loveable part of the character4 
,little comments of condolence or       

congratulation1 and messages of loving  
remembrance to persons mentioned by     
playful names1 would only be troublesome
 to the reader2 but it must be taken for
 granted that every reply to a home     
packet was full of these evidences that 
the black children on a thousand isles  
had by no means driven the cousins and  
friends of youth from a heart that was  
enlarged to have tenderness for all4    
',lat4 #i #bi' ,s42 ,long4 #afc ,s4,e4  
,southern ,cross3 ,october #i1 #ahei4   
',my dear ,bishop1--,we are on our way  
from ,uleawa to the ,santa ,cruz group1 
having visited the ,loyalty ,islands1   
,southern ,new ,hebrides1 ,banks ,island
 7#b71 and ,solomon ,islands4  ',the    
,bishop so planned the voyage as to run 
down the wind quickly to the ,solomon   
,islands1 and do the real work coming   
home2 not1 as usual1 beating up in the  
open water between the ,santa ,cruz     
archipelago1 ,banks ,islands and ,new   
,hebrides to the east1 and ,new         
,caledonia to the west4 ,we are thus    

able to visit ,vanua ,lava on the way   
out and home also2 and as we meant to   
make the ,banks ,islands the great point
 this voyage1 that was1 of course1 great
 gain4  ',we touched at ,norfolk        
,island4444 ,going on to ,nengone we    
found everybody away at the distant yam 
grounds1 and could not wait to see them4
  ',at ,lifu1 the first thing that      
shocked us was ,john's appearance3 one  
of those fatal glandular swellings has  
already produced a great change in him4 
,he looked sallow and weak1 and ,i fear 
ut sit vitalis4 ,he spoke to me very    
calmly about his illness1 which he      
thinks is unto death1 and ,i did not    
contradict him4  ',we had much private  
talk together4 ,he is a fine fellow and1
 ,i believe1 a sincere ,christian man4  
,then came the applications to us not to
 desert them1 and letters enumerating   
all the villages of ,lifu almost without
 exception1 and entreating us to suffer 
them to be connected with us1 and we had
 to answer that already two missionaries

 from the ,l4 ,m4 ,s4 are on their way  
from ,sydney to ,lifu1 and that it would
 do harm to have two rival systems on   
the island4 ,they acquiesced but not    
heartily1 and it was a sad affair       
altogether1 all parties unhappy and     
dissatisfied1 and yet unable to solve   
the difficulty4 ,then came a talk with  
,angadhohua1 ,john's half-brother1 the  
real chief4 ,the poor lad feels now what
 a terrible thing it will be for him and
 his people if they should lose ,john4  
,nothing can be nicer than his way of   
talking3 ,i know you don't think me firm
 enough1 and that ,i am easily led by   
others4 ,what am ,i to do if ,john dies8
 ,we all respect him4 ,he has been      
taught so much1 and people all listen to
 him4 ,i gave him the best advice that  
,i could and longed to be able to do    
something for him and his people4 ,it   
was1 however1 a comfort to leave with   
them ,st4 ,mark1 ,scripture books1 c4   
',we called at ,tanna1 to see poor ,mr4 
,paton1 who lost his wife last ,april4  

,he is living on there quite alone1 and 
has already lived down the first angry  
opposition of some of the people1 and   
the unkind treatment that he received   
from men and women alike who mocked him 
because of his wife's death1 c4 ,he has 
had much fever and looked very ill1 but 
his heart was in his work2 and the      
,bishop said he seemed to be one of the 
weak things which ,god hath chosen4 ,i  
know he made me feel pretty well ashamed
 of myself4  ',next day we spent a few  
hours with ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,gordon at    
,erromango4 ,he has a small house on the
 high table-land overlooking ,dillon's  
,bay1 and certainly is exposed to winds 
which may1 for aught ,i know1 rival     
those of ,wellington notoriety4 ,the    
situation is1 however1 far preferable in
 the summer to that on the beach1 which 
is seldom free from malaria and ague4   
',then we sailed to the great bay of    
,pango1 landed at ,fate a fellow who had
 come to the ,bishop in ,new ,zealand   
for a passage1 and in the afternoon     

sailed away through the ,pool 7the      
landlocked space between ,mallicolo and 
,espiritu ,santo to the west2 ,aspee1   
,ambrym1 ,whitsuntide1 ,aurora to the   
east71 where for eighty miles the water 
is always smooth1 the wind always       
steady1 the scenery always lovely1 and  
where1 on this occasion1 the volcano was
 bright4  ',being nearly becalmed to the
 south-east of ,leper's ,isle1 the      
,bishop gave me the choice of a visit to
 ,whitsuntide or ,leper's ,island4 ,i   
voted for the latter1 and delighted we  
were to renew an acquaintance made two  
years ago1 and not since kept up1 with  
these specially nice people4 ,we were   
recognised at once1 but we have a very  
small vocabulary4  ',the sea was running
 heavily into the bay1 but it is sand   
there and not much rock on the beach1   
and we had a jolly swim ashore4 ,then we
 bought a few yams1 which the surf did  
not permit us to get to the boat1 and   
had a very pleasant visit2 for1 as we   
sat among them1 words came into one's   

head1 or were caught from their mouth1  
and at the end of twenty minutes we were
 getting on a little4 ,the old chief    
took me by the hand and led me aside to 
the spot where the ladies were          
assembled1 and divining no doubt that ,i
 was a bachelor1 politely offered me his
 daughter1 and his protection1 c41 if ,i
 would live among them4  ',i missed     
seeing the ,bishop knocked clean over by
 the breakers as he was swimming off to 
the boat2 ,i was still talking to the   
people1 with my back to the sea1 and    
only saw him staggering to his feet     
again4 ,thinking to myself that if he   
was knocked over1 ,i had better look    
out1 ,i awaited a smooth and swam out   
comfortably4  ',the next morning        
7,sunday7 at ten1 we dropped anchor in  
,port ,patteson1 the harbour which you  
know the ,bishop would call after my    
father4 ,the first person who came off  
to us was ,sarawia1 my old ,lifu pupil1 
from this island6 ,then came a good many
 men4 ,i told them there would be no    

going ashore and no trading till the    
next day4 ,palemana1 your friend        
,matawathki1 c41 were at church1 all    
dressed and well-behaved4 ,what nice    
orderly people they are1 to be sure6    
',the next day we bought lots of yams1  
and gave away seeds and fruit-trees1 or 
rather planted them2 and looked for a   
place for a station1 and fixed at last  
on the rising-ground which forms the    
east side of the harbour1 and the       
,bishop1 arming himself with an axe1 led
 a party to clear the bush1 which was   
very thick4 ,they made a fair path      
through in one afternoon to the top1 and
 a healthy place might be found now with
 little trouble to return to at night   
from the schools1 c4 in the village     
below1 and so shirk the malaria4  ',but 
the next day1 as ,i had anticipated1    
rather changed his intentions as to the 
principal station being formed at ,vanua
 ,lava4 ,we landed at ,sugar ,loaf      
,island1 and with something of pride ,i 
showed off to him the beauties of the   

villages where ,i slept in ,may         
last--the dry soil1 the spring of water1
 the wondrous fertility1 the large and  
remarkably intelligent1 well-looking    
population1 the great banyan tree1      
twenty-seven paces round--and at once he
 said1 ,this is such a place as ,i have 
seen nowhere else for our purpose4      
',the ,bishop had seen this island      
before ,i was with him1 during one of   
the ,border ,maid's voyages1 and knew   
the people1 of course1 but had not      
happened to have walked in shore at all1
 and so the exceeding beauty and fitness
 of the island for a ,mission station   
had not become so apparent to him4 ,we  
know of no place where there seems to be
 such an unusual combination of         
everything that can be desired1 humanly 
speaking1 for such an institution4 ,so  
that is settled 7,d4,v47 that next      
winter ,i should be here1 if alive and  
well2 and that the ,banks ,islands      
should be regarded as the central point 
of the ,mission4  ',such boys6          

,bright-eyed1 merry fellows1 many really
 handsome2 of that reddish yellow tinge 
of colour which betokens affinity with  
,polynesian races1 as their language    
also testifies4 ,the majority of the    
people were pleasing in their appearance
 and manner4 ,well1 all this was very   
hopeful1 and we went off very happy1    
taking ,eumau1 the boy who first met us 
at ,port ,patteson when we found it out1
 and old ,wompas 7who was with me at    
,lifu71 and another from ,mota1 to see  
the ,northern ,islands4  ',i think our  
work is more likely now to revolve upon 
a fixed centre--,sugar ,loaf ,island in 
the ,banks group--that we shall make the
 occupation of the group the first      
ohject1 and do all with reference to    
that as the necessary part of the work  
to be attended to first4 ,in the choice 
of scholars1 e4g41 we have considered   
whether we should not limit our         
selection to such as might pass the next
 winter with me at ,sugar ,loaf ,island1
 and so that the vessel need not run    

down to leeward of it4 ,solomon ,islands
 are the extreme verge4 ,in the ,east   
,island1 where there would be merely a  
question of nothing or something1 we may
 take very young men who would perhaps  
not be easy to keep out of harm at      
,sugar ,loaf1 because there will be no  
difficulty about returning them to their
 homes4444  ',november #aath4--,we found
 in the ,santa ,cruz group that the news
 of ,captain ,front's and his two men's 
death in ,vanikoro1 and 7as we suppose7 
the news of the ,cordelia having been at
 that island to inquire into the matter1
 had made the people anxious1 uneasy1   
noisy1 and rather rude4 ,that poor man  
went to make a station at ,vanikoro in  
the usual way1 taking three poor ,new   
,caledonian women with him4 ,the        
,vanikoro people killed the three       
,english and took away the women4  ',we 
did not land at ,sta4 ,cruz1 but we had 
a more pleasant intercourse than        
heretofore with thirty or forty canoes' 
crews4  ',timelin ,island we ascertained

 to be identical with ,nukapu1 an old   
familiar place whose latitude we had not
 ascertained correctly before4 ,the     
small reef 7,polynesian7 islands did not
 give us so good a reception as last    
year1 though there was no               
unfriendliness4 ,the news about         
,vanikoro had made them suspicious of   
visits from white men4 ,but they will be
 all right by next time4444  ',we saw a 
pleasant party at ,bligh ,island1       
brought away one young man from that    
island1 and two lads belonging to a     
neighbouring small island called ,eowa4 
,the next day we watered on the north   
side of ,vanua ,lava1 and in the evening
 went across to ,santa ,maria4 ,here we 
landed on the next day among two hundred
 or more people1 shy and noisy4 ,we     
bought a few yams1 and ,i detected some 
young fellows stealing from our little  
heap ,i would not overlook this1 but the
 noticing it made them more suspicious  
that we meant to hurt them4 ,as the     
,bishop and ,i1 after some twenty       

minutes1 turned to rejoin the boat1 the 
whole crowd bolted like a shot right and
 left into the bush4 ,evidently they    
must have had some trading crew tire a  
parting shot in mere wantonness at them 
from their boat4 ,i expected some arrows
 to be shot at us2 but they did not     
shoot any4  ',the same evening          
7,saturday7 we stood across the passage 
with a brisk breeze1 and took up our    
party1 consisting of five and including 
,sarawia and four others anciently noted
 as promising in appearance4444  ',we   
reached ,mota 7,sugar ,loaf ,island7 in 
time to leave me for a night's visit to 
the people4 ,i had time before the boat 
called next day at noon to see five or  
six of their villages4 ,people quite    
accustomed to expect me--all most       
friendly1 apparently pleased to be told 
that ,i would stop with them in the     
winter4 ,seven scholars joined us       
here4444  ',at ,mai1 ,i slept in the    
house of ,petere and ,laure4 ,things are
 promising4 ,it is quite ready for a    

missionary4 ,we brought away ,moto1     
,pepeu1 and the two young boys who were 
with me at ,lifu1 and very many wished  
to come4  ',thence we had a very long   
passage to ,lifu4 ,john ,cho is1 ,i am  
thankful to say1 very much better4 ,the 
two men from the ,london ,missionary    
,society are on the island4444 ,the     
,lifu people tell me that in the north  
of the island many are accepting the    
teaching of the two ,french priests4    
,william ,martin ,tahia and ,chakham1 a 
principal chief and old scholar1 are    
with us4  ',at ,nengone1 ,wadrokala1    
,george ,simeona1 and ,harper ,malo have
 come away for good4444 ,we number      
thirty-nine ,melanesians4444 ,this is a 
long letter which will try your         
patience4  ',always1 my dear ,bishop1   
',affectionately yours1  ',j4 ,c4       
,,patteson4'   ,another long letter was 
written during this voyage to ,mr4      
,edward ,coleridge1 a great portion of  
it on the expediency of the islands     
being taken under ,british protection1  

also much respecting the ,church of ,new
 ,zealand1 which is scarcely relevant to
 the immediate subject1 and only at the 
end is there anything more personal3--  
',the last accounts of my father were   
unusually good1 but ,i well know what   
news may be awaiting our return from a  
voyage whether long or short1 and ,i try
 to be ready for any news2 yet ,i       
suppose that ,i cannot at all realize   
what it would be4 ,it makes some        
difference when the idea of meeting     
again in this world has been            
relinquished for now four and a half    
years1 yet it is all very well to wait  
or think about it6 ,i was not so upset  
by dear ,uncle ,james's death as ,i     
should no doubt have been had ,i enjoyed
 the prospect of frequently seeing him4 
,somehow1 when all ideas of time and    
space are annihilated by death1 one must
 think about such separations in a      
religious way3 for separations in any   
other sense to us here1 from people in  
,england1 have already taken place4 ,i  

must except1 however1 the loving wise   
letters1 and the power of realising more
 clearly perhaps the occupations of     
those still in the body--their          
accustomed places and duties2 though ,i 
suppose we can tell quite enough about  
all this in the case of those who have  
died in the true faith of ,christ to    
know1 at all events1 that we are brought
 and united to them whenever we think or
 do anything religiously4 ,i often think
 that this is well brought out in the   
,heir of ,redclyffe--the loss of the    
bright outside1 the life and energy and 
vigour1 and all the companionable and   
sociable qualities1 contrasted with the 
power of thinking oneself into the inner
 spiritual relations that exist between 
the worlds visible and invisible4  ',all
 this effort is much diminished in our  
case4 ,there is no very great present   
loss2 at least1 it is not so sensibly   
felt by a great deal as it would be if  
we missed some one with whom we lived up
 to the time of his death4 ,it is much  

easier to think of them as they are than
 it could be in the case of persons who 
remember so vividly what they so lately 
were2 and this is why1 ,i suppose1 the  
news of ,uncle ,james's death seemed to 
affect me so much less than ,i should   
have expected1 and it may be so again3  
certain it is that ,i loved him dearly1 
and that ,i miss his letters very much  
indeed2 but ,i think that the point ,i  
felt most about him was the sad         
affliction to his family1 and the great 
loss to my dear father1 who had of late 
seen more than ever of him4'  ,from the 
home letter ,i only quote from the      
reflections so regularly inspired by the
 anniversary of the #bhth of ,november4 
,after lamenting that it was difficult  
to realise those scenes in his mother's 
illness which he and his brother only   
knew from narration1 ,patteson adds3--  
',the memory of those days would perhaps
 have been more precious to me if ,i had
 witnessed more with my own eyes4 ,and  
yet of course it really mattered nothing

 at all1 because the lesson of her life 
does not depend on an acquaintance with 
a few days of it2 and what ,i saw when  
,i was there ,i never have forgotten1   
and hope that ,i never may forget4      
',and indeed ,i feel now with regard to 
you1 my dear ,father1 that ,i have not  
learned to know you better while ,i was 
with you than ,i do now4 ,i think that  
in some ways ,i enter more almost into  
your mind and thought1 or that ,i fancy 
,i do so3 just as the present possession
 of anything so often prevents our      
really taking pains to learn all about  
it4 ,we rest content with the           
superficial knowledge of that which is  
most easily perceived and recognised in 
it4444  ',i think ,i know from your     
letters1 and from the fact of my absence
 from you making me think more about    
you1 as much about you as those present4
 ,i very much enjoy a letter from ,joan1
 which gives me a kind of tableau vivant
 of you all4 ,that helps me to realize  
the home life2 so do the photographs1   

they help in the same way4 ,but your    
letters1 and the fact that ,i think so  
much about them1 and about you1 are my  
real helps4'  ,the voyage ended on the  
#gth of ,december4 ,it was the last made
 under the guidance of the ,bishop of   
,new ,zealand1 and1 alas6 the last      
return of the first ',southern ,cross4' 
,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,mota ,,and ,,st4      
,,andrew',s ,,college1 ,,kohimarama4    
#ahei-ahfb4    ,with the year #ahfj a   
new period1 and one far more responsible
 and eventful1 began4 ,after working for
 four years under ,bishop ,selwyn's     
superintendence1 ,coleridge ,patteson   
was gradually passing into a sphere of  
more independent action2 and1 though his
 loyal allegiance to his ,primate was   
even more of the heart than of the      
letter1 his time of training was over2  
he was left to act more on his own      
judgment2 and things were ripening for  
his becoming himself a ,bishop4 ,he had 
nearly completed his thirty-third year1 
and was in his fullest strength1 mental 

and bodily2 and1 as has been seen1 the  
idea had already through ,bishop        
,selwyn's letters become familiar to his
 family1 though he himself had shrunk   
from entertaining it4  ,the first great 
change regarded the locality of the     
,melanesian school in ,new ,zealand4    
,repeated experience had shown that ,st4
 ,john's ,college was too bleak for     
creatures used to basking under a       
vertical sun1 and it had been decided to
 remove to the sheltered landing-place  
at ,kohimarama1 where buildings for the 
purpose had been commenced so as to be  
habitable in time for the freight of    
#ahei4  ,it should be explained1 that   
the current expenses of the ,mission had
 been defrayed by the ,eton and ,sydney 
associations1 with chance help from     
persons privately interested1 together  
with a grant of #bjj1 and afterwards    
#cjj per annum from the ,society for the
 ,propagation of the ,gospel4 ,the extra
 expense of this foundation was         
opportunely met by a discovery on the   

part of ,sir ,john ,patteson1 that his  
eldest son1 living upon the ,merton     
,fellowship1 had cost him #bjj a year   
less than his younger son1 and therefore
 that1 in his opinion1 #hjj was due to  
,coleridge4 ,moreover1 the earlier      
voyages1 and1 in especial the characters
 of ,siapo and ,umao1 had been so       
suggestive of incidents fabricated in   
the ',daisy ,chain1' that the proceeds  
of the book were felt to be the due of  
the ,mission and at this time these had 
grown to such an amount as to make up   
the sum needful for erecting such       
buildings as were immediately requisite 
for the intended ,college4  ,these are  
described in the ensuing letter1 which  
,i give entire1 because the form of     
acknowledgment is the only style        
suitable to what1 however lightly       
acquired1 was meant as an offering1 even
 though it cost the giver all too       
little3   ',kohimarama3 ,dec4 #ba1      
#ahei4  ',my dear ,cousin1--,i have     
received at length from my father a     

distinct statement of what you have     
given to the ,melanesian ,mission4 ,i   
had heard rumours before1 and the       
,bishop of ,wellington had spoken to me 
of your intentions1 but the fact had not
 been regularly notified to us4  ',i    
think ,i know you too well to say more  
than this4 ,may ,god bless you for what 
you have lent to ,him1 and give us1 who 
are specially connected with the        
,mission1 grace to use your gift as you 
intend it to be used1 to ,his glory in  
the salvation of souls4  ',but you will 
like to hear how your gift will be      
appropriated4 ,for three summers the    
,melanesian scholars lived at ,st4      
,john's ,college1 which is situated on a
 low hill1 from which the ground falls  
away on every side1 leaving it exposed  
to every wind that blows across and     
around the narrow isthmus4  ',thank     
,god1 we had no death traceable to the  
effect of the climate1 but we had       
constant anxiety and a considerable     
amount of illness4 ,when arrangements   

were completed for the arrival of a new 
principal to succeed the ,bishop of     
,wellington1 the college was no longer  
likely to be available for the ,mission 
school4 ,consequently1 we determined to 
build on the site long ago agreed upon2 
to put up some substantial buildings1   
and to remove some of the wooden        
buildings at the ,college which would   
not be required there1 and set them up  
again at ,kohimarama4  ',just opposite  
the entrance into the ,auckland harbour1
 between the island of ,eangitoto with  
its double peak and the easternmost     
point of the northern shore of the      
harbour1 lies a very sheltered bay1 with
 its sea-frontage of rather more than a 
quarter of a mile1 bounded to the east1 
south1 and west by low hills1 which     
where they meet the sea become sandy    
cliffs1 fringed with the                
red-flower-bearing pohutakawa4 ,the     
whole of this bay1 the seventy acres of 
flat rich soil included within the      
rising ground mentioned1 and some       

seventy acres more as yet lying         
uncleared1 adjoining the same block of  
seventy acres1 and likely to be very    
valuable1 as the land is capital--the   
whole of this was bought by the ,bishop 
many years ago as the property of the   
,mission1 and is the only piece of      
,church land over which he retains the  
control1 every other bequest or gift to 
the amount of #ad1jjj acres1 having been
 handed over by him to the ,general     
,synod4 ,this he retains till the state 
of the ,melanesian ,mission is more     
definitely settled4  ',on the west      
corner of this bay we determined to     
build4 ,a small tide creek runs for a   
short way about ,s4,s4,e4 from the      
extreme end of the western part of the  
beach1 then turns early eastward1 and   
meets a small stream coming down from   
the southern hill at its western        
extremity4 ,this creek encloses a space 
extending along the whole width of the  
bay of about eighteen or twenty acres4  
',at the east end stand three wooden    

cottages1 occupied by the master1 mate1 
and a married seaman of the ,southern   
,cross4 ,at the west end stands the     
,melanesian school4 ,fences divide the  
whole space into three portions1 whereof
 the western one forms our garden and   
orchard2 and the others pasture for cows
 and working bullocks2 small gardens    
being also fenced off for the three     
cottages4 ,the fifty acres of flat land 
south of the creek we are now clearing  
and ploughing4  ',the situation here is 
admirably adapted for our school4 ,now  
that we have a solid wall of the scoria 
from the volcanic island opposite1 we   
have a complete shelter from the cold   
south wind4 ,the cliff and hill to the  
west entirely shut off the wind from    
that quarter1 and the north and east    
winds are always warm4 ,the soil is very
 dry1 and the beach composed exclusively
 of small pipi shells--small bivalves4  
,so that by putting many cart-loads of  
these under our wooden floors1 and      
around our buildings1 we have so perfect

 a drainage that after heavy rain the   
soil is quite dry again in a few hours4 
,it causes me no anxiety now1 when ,i am
 for an hour away from my flock1 to be  
thinking whether they are lying on the  
ground1 forgetting that the hot sun     
overhead does not destroy the bad effect
 of a damp clay soil such as that at    
,st4 ,john's ,college4  ',the buildings 
at present form three sides of a        
quadrangle1 but the south side is only  
partly filled up4 ,the large schoolroom1
 eighty feet long1 with three sets of   
transepts1 has been removed from the    
,college1 and put up again so as to form
 the east side of the quadrangle4 ,this 
is of wood2 so is the small wooden      
quadrangle which serves now for         
dormitories1 and a part of which ,i     
occupy2 my house consisting of three    
little rooms1 together measuring        
seventeen feet by seven4 ,these         
dormitories are the southern side of the
 quadrangle1 but do not reach more than 
half-way from the east to the west side1

 room being left for another set of     
dormitories of equal size1 when we want 
them and can afford them4 ,the west side
 consists of a very nice set of stone   
buildings1 including a large kitchen1   
store room1 and room for putting things 
in daily and immediate use2 and the     
hall1 which is the northern part of the 
side of the quadrangle1 is a really     
handsome room1 with simple open roof and
 windows of a familiar collegiate       
appearance4 ,these buildings are of the 
dark grey scoria1 almost imperishable ,i
 suppose1 and look very well4 ,the hall 
is just long enough to take seven of us 
at the high table 7so to speak71 and    
thirty-four at the long table1          
stretching from the high table to the   
end of the room4  ',at present this is  
used for school also1 as the carpenters 
who are making all our fittings1        
shelves1 c41 are still in the large     
schoolroom4 ,we take off the north end  
of the schoolroom1 including one set of 
transepts for our temporary chapel4     

,this part will be lined1 i4e4 boarded1 
neatly inside4 ,the rest of the building
 is very rough1 but it answers its      
purpose4  ',in all the stone buildings1 
the rough stone is left inside just as  
it is outside4 ,it does not look bad at 
all to my eye1 and ,i doubt if ,i would 
have it lined if we had funds to pay for
 it4  ',i hope eventually that stone    
buildings will take the place of the    
present wooden schoolroom and           
dormitories2 but this ought to last many
 years4 ,here we live most happily and  
comfortably4 ,the climate almost        
tropical in summer4 ,the beautiful      
scenery of the harbour before our eyes1 
the smooth sea and clean dry beach      
within a stone's throw of my window4    
,the lads and young men have their      
fishing1 bathing1 boating1 and basking  
in the sun1 which all day from sunrise  
to sunset beats right upon us2 for the  
west cliff does not project more than a 
few yards to the north of us1 and the   
eastern boundary is low and some way    

off4 ,i see the little schooner at her  
moorings whenever ,i look off my book or
 my paper1 and with an opera-glass can  
see the captain caulking the decks4 ,all
 is under my eye2 and the lads daily    
say1 ,college too cold2 ,kohimarama very
 good2 all the same ,bauro1 ,mota1 as   
the speaker belongs to one or other of  
our fourteen islands represented4444    
,the moment we heard of your gift1 we   
said simultaneously1 ,let it be given to
 this or to some specific and definite  
object4 ,i think you will like to feel  
not only that the money came most       
opportunely1 but that within the walls  
built with that money1 many many        
hundreds1 ,i trust1 of these ,melanesian
 islanders will be fed and taught1 and  
trained up in the knowledge and fear of 
,god4444  ',your affectionate ,cousin1  
',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,before the old 
year was out came the tidings of the    
death of good ,miss ,neill1 the         
governess whom ,patteson had so         
faithfully loved from early childhood1  

and whose years of suffering he had done
 his best to cheer4 ',at rest at last4' 
,in the same letter1 in answer to some  
complaint from his sister of want of    
detail in the reports1 he says3 ',am ,i 
trying to make my life commonplace8     
,well1 really so it is more or less to  
me4 ,things go on in a kind of routine4 
,two voyages a year1 five months in ,new
 ,zealand1 though certainly two-thirds  
of my flock fresh every year4 ,i suppose
 it still sounds strange to you         
sometimes1 and to others always1 but    
they should try to think for themselves 
about our circumstances4  ',and you     
know1 ,fan1 ,i can't write for the world
 at large anecdotes of missionary life1 
and swell the number of the ,gems and   
other trashy books4 ,if people who care 
to know1 would think of what their own  
intuition tells them of human nature1   
and history tells them of heathenism1   
they can make out some notion of real   
missionary work4  ',the school is the   
real work4 ,teaching adults to read a   

strange tongue is hard work2 ,i have    
little doubt but that the ,bishop is    
right in saying they must be taught     
,english2 but it is so very difficult a 
language1 not spelt a bit as pronounced2
 and their language is all vocalic and  
so easy to put into writing4  ',but if  
you like ,i will scatter anecdotes      
about--of how the ,bishop and his       
chaplain took headers hand in hand off  
the schooner and roundhouse2 and how the
 ,bishop got knocked over at ,leper's   
,island by a big wave2 and how ,i       
borrowed a canoe at ,tariko and paddled 
out yams as fast as the ,bishop brought 
them to our boat1 c4--but this is       
rubbish4'  ,this letter is an instance  
of the reserve and reticence which ,mr4 
,patteson felt so strongly with regard  
to his adventures and pupils4 ,he could 
not endure stories of them to become1 as
 it were1 stock for exciting interest at
 home4 ,there was something in his      
nature that shrank from publishing      
accounts of individual pupils as a      

breach of confidence1 as much1 or       
perhaps even more1 than if they had been
 ,english people1 likely to know what   
had been done4 ,moreover1 instances had 
come to his knowledge in which harm had 
been done to both teachers and taught by
 their becoming aware that they were    
shown off to the public in print4 ,such 
things had happened even where they     
would have seemed not only unlikely1 but
 impossible2 and this rendered him      
particularly cautious in writing of his 
work1 so that his reports were often    
dry1 while he insisted strongly on his  
letters to his family being kept        
private4  ,the actual undertakings of   
the ,mission did not exceed its         
resources1 so that there was no need for
 those urgent appeals which call for    
sensation and incident to back them2 and
 thus there sometimes seemed to the     
exterior world to be a lack of          
information about the ,mission4  ,the   
letters of ,january #ahfj show how the  
lads were fortified against weather3    

',they wear a long flannel waistcoat1   
then a kind of jersey-shaped thing1 with
 short trousers1 reaching a little below
 the knee1 for they dabble about like   
ducks here1 the sea being not a hundred 
yards from the building4 ,all the       
washing1 of course1 and most of the     
clothes-making they can do themselves2  
,i can cut out after a fashion1 and they
 take quickly to needle and thread2 but 
now the ,auckland ladies have provided  
divers very nice garments1 their ,sunday
 dresses are very nice indeed4'  ,the   
question of the ,bishopric began to come
 forward4 ,on the #ahth of ,january a   
letter to ,sir ,john ,patteson1 after   
speaking of a playful allusion which    
introduced the subject1 details how     
,mrs4 ,selwyn had disclosed that a      
letter had actually been despatched to  
the ,duke of ,newcastle1 then ,colonial 
,secretary1 asking permission to appoint
 and consecrate ,john ,coleridge        
,patteson as ,missionary ,bishop of the 
,western ,pacific ,isles4               

,j4,c4,p4--',well1 then1 ,i must say    
what ,i feel about it4 ,i have known for
 some time that this was not unlikely to
 come some day2 but ,i never spoke      
seriously to you or to the ,martins when
 you insinuated these things1 because ,i
 thought if ,i took it up gravely it    
would come to be considered a settled   
thing4'  ,mrs4 ,s4--',well1 so it has   
been1 and is----'  ,j4,c4,p4--',but has 
the ,bishop seriously thought of this1  
that he has had no trial of any other   
man2 that ,i could give any other man   
who may come1 perhaps1 the full benefit 
of my knowledge of languages1 and of my 
acquaintance with the islands and the   
people1 while we may reasonably expect  
some one to come out before long far    
better fitted to organise and lead men  
than ,i am8 ,has he fairly looked at all
 the per contra8  ,mrs4 ,s4--',i feel   
sure he has4'  ,j4,c4 ,p4--',i don't    
deny that my father tells me ,i must not
 shrink from it2 that some things seem  
to point to it as natural2 that ,i must 

not venture to think that ,i can be as  
complete a judge as the ,bishop of what 
is good for ,melanesia--but what        
necessity for acting now8'  ,here came  
an interruption1 but the conversation   
was renewed later in the day with the   
,bishop himself1 when ,patteson pleaded 
for delay on the score that the isles   
were as yet in a state in which a       
missionary chaplain could do all that   
was requisite1 and that the real        
management ought not to be withdrawn    
from the ,bishop2 to which the reply was
 that at the present time the ,bishop   
could do much to secure such an         
appointment as he wished2 but1 in case  
of his death1 even wishes expressed in  
writing might be disregarded4 ,after    
this1 the outpouring to the father      
continues3--  ',i don't mean to shrink  
from this4 ,you tell me that ,i ought   
not to do so1 and ,i quite believe it4  
,i know that no one can judge better    
than you can as to the general question1
 and the ,bishop is as competent to     

decide on the special requirements of   
the case4  ',but1 my dear father1 you   
can hardly tell how difficult ,i find it
 to be1 amidst all the multiplicity of  
works1 a man of devotional prayerful    
habits2 how ,i find from time to time   
that ,i wake up to the fact that while  
,i am doing more than ,i did in old     
times1 yet that ,i pray less4 ,how often
 ,i think that ,god gives habitually to 
the ,bishop all that sail with him2 that
 the work is prospering in his hands2   
but will it prosper in mine8 ,i know ,he
 can use any instrument to ,his glory3  
,i know that1 and that ,he will not let 
my sins and shortcomings hinder ,his    
projects of love and blessing to these  
,melanesian islanders2 but as far as    
purity of motive1 and a spirit of prayer
 and self-denial do go for anything in  
making up the qualification on the human
 side for such an office--in so far1 do 
they exist in me8 ,you will say ,i am   
over sensitive and expect too much4     
,that1 ,i think1 very likely may be     

true4 ,it is useless to wait till one   
becomes really fit1 for that of course  
,i never shall be4 ,but while ,i believe
 most entirely that grace does now      
supply all our deficiencies when we seek
 it fully1 ,i do feel frightened when ,i
 see that ,i do not become more         
prayerful1 more real in communion with  
,god4 ,this is what ,i must pray for    
earnestly3 to become more prayerful1    
more constantly impressed with the      
necessity of seeking for everything from
 ,him4  ',you all think that absence    
from relations1 living upon yams1 want  
of the same kind of meat and drink that 
,i had at home1 that these things are   
proofs of sincerity1 c4 ,i believe that 
they all mean just nothing when the     
practical result does not come to       
this--that a man is walking more closely
 with his ,god4 ,i dare not say that ,i 
can feel humbly and reverently that my  
inner life is progressing4 ,i don't     
think that ,i am as earnest in prayer as
 ,i was4 ,whether it be the effect of   

the amount of work distracting me2 or1  
sometimes1 of physical weariness1 or of 
the self-indulgence 7laugh as you may7  
which results from my never being       
contradicted or interfered with1 or much
 worried1 still ,i do feel this2 and may
 ,he strengthen me to pray more for a   
spirit of prayer4  ',i don't know that  
the actual time for my being            
consecrated1 if ,i live1 is nearer by   
reason of this letter3 ,i think it most 
probable that it may take place when the
 ,general ,synod meets1 and1            
consequently1 five bishops will be      
present1 in #ahfb1 at ,nelson4 ,but ,i  
suppose it is more fixed than it has    
been hitherto1 and if the ,bishop writes
 to you1 as he may do1 even more plainly
 than he speaks to me1 you will know    
what especially to ask for me from ,god1
 and all you dear ones will recollect   
daily how ,i do inwardly tremble at the 
thoughts of what is to come4 ,do you    
remember how strangely ,i was upset     
before leaving home for my ordination as

 a deacon2 and now it is coming to      
this--a church to be planted1 organised1
 edified among the wild heathen         
inhabitants of ,melanesia2 and what hope
 can there be for me if there is to be  
no growth of a fervent1 thankful1 humble
 spirit of prayer and love and          
adoration8 ,not that1 as ,i feel to my  
great comfort1 ,god's work is dependent 
upon the individual growth in grace even
 of those who are entrusted with any    
given work2 but it is in some way       
connected with it4  ',and yet1 the      
upshot of it all is that ,i shall do    
7,d4,v47 what the ,bishop tells me is   
right4 ,i hope he won't press on the    
matter1 but ,i am content now to leave  
it with him1 knowing what you have said1
 and being so thankful to leave it with 
you and him4'  ,there is a letter to his
 sister ,fanny of the same date1        
beginning merrily about the family      
expostulation on receiving a box of     
reports where curiosities had been      
expected3--  ',fancy not thinking your  

worthy brother's important publications 
the most satisfactory treasures that any
 box could contain6 ,the author's       
feelings are seriously injured6 ,what   
are ,melanesian shells to ,melanesian   
statistics1 and ,lifu spears to a       
dissertation on the treatment of ,lifu  
diseases8 ,great is the ingratitude of  
the houses of ,feniton and ,dawlish6    
',well1 it must have been rather a sell1
 as at ,eton it is called1 to have seen 
the long-desired and highly-paid-for box
 disgorge nought but ,melanesian        
reports6 all thanks to ,mrs4 ,martin1   
who packed it after ,i was off to the   
,islands4  ',i cannot send you anything 
yet1 but ,i will bear in mind the fact  
that reports by themselves are not      
considered satisfactory4 ,does anybody  
read them1 after all8 for they really   
cost me some days' trouble1 which ,i    
can't find time for again4 ,this year's 
report 7for ,i suppose there must be    
one7 is not begun1 and ,i don't know    
what to put in it4 ,i have but little   

news beyond what ,i have written once   
for all to ,father4  ',the decisive     
letter from the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand
 to the ,duke of ,newcastle is in the   
,governor's hands1 and all discussion of
 the question is at an end4 ,may ,god   
bring out of it all that may conduce to 
,his glory2 but how ,i dread what is to 
come1 you1 who remember my leaving home 
first for my deacon's ordination1 can   
well imagine4  ',it is true ,i have seen
 this coming for a year or two1 and have
 seen no way of preventing its coming   
upon me--no one else has come out2 the  
,bishop feels he cannot work his present
 diocese and ,melanesia3 he is satisfied
 that he ought to take ,new ,zealand    
rather than the islands2 that the time  
is come for settling the matter while he
 is able to settle it2 and ,i had       
nothing to say1 for all personal        
objections he overruled4 ,so then1 if ,i
 live1 it is settled2 and that1 at all  
events1 is a comfort4444 ,many of my    
,melanesians have heavy coughs--some    

twelve1 but ,i don't think any of them  
seriously ill1 only needing to be       
watched4 ,i am very well1 only ,i want  
some more exercise 7which1 by the bye1  
it is always in my power to take71 and  
am quite as much disposed as ever to    
wish for a good game at tennis or fives 
to take it out of me4  ',your loving    
,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,the 
birthday letter of ,february #aa is a   
happy one1 though chiefly taken up with 
the business matters respecting the     
money required for the ,mission1 of     
which ,sir ,john was one trustee4 ,life 
was pleasant then1 for ,patteson says3--
  ',i do feel sometimes that the living 
alone has its temptations1 and those    
great ones2 ,i mean that ,i can arrange 
everything--my work1 my hours1 my whole 
life--after my own pleasure a great deal
 more than probably is good for me2 and 
it is very easy to become1 in a manner1 
very self-indulgent4 ,i think that most 
likely1 as our work 7,d4,v47 progresses1
 one or two men may be living with me1  

and that will supply a check upon me of 
some kind4 ,at present ,i am too much   
without it4 ,here ,i am in my cosy      
little room1 after my delicious         
breakfast of perfect coffee1 made in    
,jem's contrivance1 hot milk and plenty 
of it1 dry toast and potato4 ,missionary
 hardships6 ,on the grass between me and
 the beach--a distance of some seventy  
yards--lie the boys' canvas beds and    
blankets and rugs1 having a good airing4
 ,the schooner lies at anchor beyond2   
and1 three or four miles beyond the     
schooner1 lies ,eangitoto1 the great    
natural breakwater to the harbour4 ,with
 my ,dollond's opera-glass that you gave
 me1 ,i can see the master and mate at  
their work refitting4 ,everything is    
under my eye4 ,our long boat and whale  
boat 7so-called from their shapes7 lie  
on the beach1 covered with old sails to 
protect them from the sun4 ,the lads are
 washing clothes1 or scrubbing their    
rooms1 and all the rooms--kitchen1 hall1
 store-room1 and school-room4 ,there is 

a good south-western breeze             
stirring--our cold wind2 but it is shut 
off here1 and scarcely reaches us1 and  
the sun has great power4  ',i have the  
jolliest little fellows this time--about
 seven of them--fellows scarcely too big
 to take on my knee1 and talk to about  
,god1 and ,heaven1 and ,jesus ,christ2  
and ,i feel almost as if ,i had a kind  
of instinct of love towards them1 as    
they look up wonderingly with their deep
 deep eyes1 and smooth and glossy skins1
 and warm soft cheeks1 and ask their    
simple questions4 ,i wish you could have
 seen the twenty ,banks ,islanders as ,i
 told them that most excellent of all   
tales--the story of ,joseph4 ,how their 
eyes glistened6 and they pushed out     
their heads to hear the sequel of his   
making himself known to his brethren1   
and asking once more about the old man  
of whom ye spake1 is he yet alive8  ',i 
can never read it with a steady voice1  
nor tell it either4'  ,sir ,john had    
thus replied to the tirade against      

,english conventional luxury3--  ',the  
conventional notions in this old country
 are not always suited to your country1 
and ,i quite agree that even here they  
are carried too far4 ,yet there are     
other people than the needy whose souls 
are entrusted to the clergy here1 and in
 order to fulfil that trust they must   
mix on some degree of equality with the 
gentry1 and with the middle classes who 
are well-to-do4 ,then again1 consider   
both as to clergy and laity here4 ,if   
they were all to lower themselves a peg 
or two1 and give up many not only       
luxuries1 but comforts1 numbers of      
tradesmen1 and others working under     
them1 aye1 even merchants1              
manufacturers1 and commercial men of all
 sorts1 would be to some extent thrown  
out of employ4 ,the artificial and even 
luxurious state of society here does    
really prevent many persons from falling
 into the class of the needy4 ,all this 
should be regulated in its due          
proportion4 ,every man ought so to limit

 his expenses as to have a good margin  
for charitable purposes of all sorts1   
but ,i cannot think that he is doing    
good by living himself like a pauper in 
order to assist paupers4 ,if all men did
 so1 labour of all kinds would be       
overstocked with hands1 and more paupers
 created4 ,true it is1 that we all are  
too apt as means increase1 some to set  
our hearts upon them1 which is          
wickedness2 some to indulge in over much
 luxury1 which is wicked also2 there    
should be moderation in all things4 ,i  
believe that more money is given in     
private charities of various kinds in   
helping those who are struggling with   
small means1 and yet not apparently in  
the class of the needy1 than the world  
is aware of2 and those who do the most  
are precisely those who are never heard 
of4 ,but do not mistake me4 ,i am no    
advocate for luxury and idle            
expenditure4 ,yet ,i think you carry    
your argument a little farther than is  
just4 ,the impositions that are         

practised1 or attempted to be practised1
 upon charitable people are beyond all  
conception4' ,the following is the      
answer3--   ',april #bc1 #ahfj4  ',my   
dearest ,father1--,thank you for writing
 your views about luxuries1 extravagant 
expenditure1 and the like4 ,i see at    
once the truth of what you say4  ',what 
,i really mean is something of this     
kind4 ,a high degree of civilisation    
seems to generate 7perhaps necessarily7 
a state of society wherein the natural  
desires of people to gratify their      
inclinations in all directions1         
conjoined with the power of paying      
highly for the gratification of such    
inclinations1 tends to call forth the   
ingenuity of the working class in       
meeting such inclinations in all        
agreeable ways4 ,so springs up a        
complicated mechanism1 by which a habit 
of life altogether unnecessary for      
health and security of life and property
 is introduced and becomes naturalised  
among a people4  ,if this is the        

necessary consequence of the distinction
 between rich and poor1 and the course  
of civilisation must result in luxury   
and poverty among the two classes       
respectively 7and this seems to be so71 
it is1 of course1 still more evident    
that the state of society being once    
established gradually1 through a long   
course of years1 no change can          
subsequently be introduced excepting in 
one way4 ,it is still in the power of   
individuals to act upon the community by
 their example--e4g41 the early         
,christians1 though only for a short    
time1 showed the result of the practical
 acceptance of the ,lord's teaching in  
its effect upon society4 ,rich and poor1
 comparatively speaking1 met each other 
half way4 ,the rich man sold his        
possessions1 and equal distribution was 
made to the poor4  ',all that ,i contend
 for is that1 seeing the fearful        
deterioration1 and no less fearful      
extravagance1 of a civilised country1   
the evil is one which calls loudly for  

careful investigation4 ,thousands of    
artisans and labourers who contribute   
nothing to the substantial wealth of the
 country1 and nothing towards the       
production of its means of subsistence1 
would be thrown out of employment1 and  
therefore that plan would be wrong4     
,jewellers1 c41 c41 all kinds of fellows
 who simply manufacture vanities1 are   
just as honest and good men as others1  
and it is not their fault1 but the fault
 7if it be one at all7 of civilisation  
that they exist4 ,but ,i don't see why1 
the evil being recognised1 some         
comprehensive scheme of colonisation    
might not be adopted by the rulers of a 
,christian land1 to empty our           
poor-houses1 and draft off the surplus  
population1 giving to the utterly       
destitute the prospect of health1 and   
renewed hopes of success in another     
thinly-inhabited country1 and securing  
for those who remain behind a more      
liberal remuneration for their work by  
the comparative absence of competition4 

',i hardly know what to write to you1 my
 dear ,father1 about this new symptom of
 illness4 ,i suppose1 from what you say1
 that at your time of life the disease  
being so mild in its form now1 will     
hardly prove dangerous to you1          
especially as you submit at once to a   
strictness of diet which must be pretty 
hard to follow out--just the habit of a 
whole life to be given up2 and ,i know  
that to forego anything that ,i like1 in
 matters of eating and drinking1 wants  
an effort that ,i feel ashamed of being 
obliged to make4 ,i don't1 therefore1   
make myself unnecessarily anxious1      
though ,i can't help feeling that such a
 discipline must be hard4 ,you say that 
in other respects you are much the same2
 but that means that you are in almost  
constant pain1 and that you cannot      
obtain entire relief from it1 except in 
bed4  ',still1 my dear ,father1 as you  
do bear it all1 how can we wish that    
,god should spare you one trial or      
infirmity1 which1 we know1 are1 in ,his 

providence1 making you daily riper and  
riper for ,heaven8 ,i ought not to write
 to you like this1 but somehow the idea 
of our ever meeting anywhere else has so
 entirely passed from my mind1 that ,i  
try to view things with reference to    
,his ultimate purpose and work4  ',your 
loving and dutiful ,son1  ',j4 ,c4      
,,patteson4'   ,the most present trouble
 of this summer was the sickness of     
,simeona4 ,the account of him on ,ash   
,wednesday is3 ',he is dying of         
consumption slowly1 and may go back with
 us two months hence1 but ,i doubt it4  
,poor fellow1 he makes the worst of his 
case1 and is often discontented and     
thinks himself aggrieved because we     
cannot derange the whole plan of the    
school economy for him4 ,i have         
everything which is good for him1 every 
little dainty1 and everyone is most     
kind2 but when it comes to a complaint  
because one pupil-teacher is not set    
apart to sit with him all day1 and      
another to catch him fish1 of course ,i 

tell him that it would be wrong to grant
 what is so unreasonable4 ,some one or  
other of the most stupid of the boys    
catches his fish just as well as a      
pupil-teacher1 and he is quite able to  
sit up and read for two or three hours a
 day1 and would only be injured by      
having another lad in the room on       
purpose to be the receptacle of all his 
moans and complaints1 yet ,i know1 poor 
fellow6 it is much owing to the disease 
upon him4'  ,in spite of his fretfulness
 and exactions1 the young man1 meeting  
not with spoiling1 but with true        
kindness1 responded to the touch4 ,lady 
,martin tells us3 ',i shall never forget
 dear ,mr4 ,patteson's thankfulness     
when1 after a long season of reserve1 he
 opened his heart to him1 and told him  
how1 step by step1 this sinfulness of   
sin had been brought home to him4 ,he   
knew he had done wrong in his heathen   
boyhood1 but had put away such deeds    
when he was baptized1 and had almost    
forgotten the past1 or looked on it as  

part of heathenism4 ,but in his illness1
 tended daily and hourly by our dear    
friend1 his conscience had become very  
tender4 ,he died in great peace4'  ,his 
death is mentioned in the following     
letter to ,sir ,john ,coleridge3--      
',march #bf1 #ahfj4 '7,this day #e years
 ,i left home4 ,it was a ,black ,monday 
indeed47  ',my dear ,uncle1--,at three  
this morning died one of my old         
scholars1 by name ,george ,selwyn       
,simeona1 from ,nengone4 ,he was here   
for his third time2 for two years a     
regular communicant1 having received a  
good deal of teaching before ,i knew    
him4 ,he was baptized three years ago4  
,i did not wish to bring him this time1 
for it was evident that he could not    
live long when we met last at ,nengone1 
and ,i told him that he had better not  
come with us2 but he said1 ,heaven was  
no farther from ,new ,zealand than from 
,nengone2 and when we had pulled some   
little way from shore1 he ran down the  
beach1 and made us return to take him   

in4 ,gradual decline and chronic        
bronchitis wore him to a skeleton4 ,on  
,thursday the ,bishop and ,i            
administered the ,holy ,eucharist to    
him2 and he died at #c ,a4,m4 to-day1   
with his hand in mine1 as ,i was in the 
act of commending his soul to ,god4 ,his
 wife1 a sweet good girl1 one of ,mrs4  
,selwyn's pupils from ,nengone in old   
times1 died last year4 ,they leave one  
boy of three years1 whom ,i hope to get 
hold of entirely1 and as it were adopt  
him4  ',the clear bright moon was right 
over my head as after a while1 and after
 prayer with his friends1 ,i left his   
room2 the quiet splash of the tiny waves
 on our sheltered shore1 and the little 
schooner at her anchorage3 and ,i       
thanked ,god that one more spirit from  
among the ,melanesian islanders was gone
 to dwell1 we trust1 with ,,jesus       
,,christ in ,paradise4  ',he will not be
 much missed in the ,melanesian school  
work1 for1 for months1 he could not make
 one of us4444  ',i find ,trench's      

,notes on the ,authorised ,version of   
the ,new ,testament very useful1 chiefly
 as helping one to acquire a habit of   
accurate criticism for oneself1 and when
 we come 7,d4,v47 to translate any      
portion of the ,scriptures1 of course   
such books are very valuable4'  ',last  
mail brought me but a very few letters4 
,the account of my dear ,father's being 
obliged to submit to discipline did not 
alarm me1 though ,i know the nature of  
the disease1 and that his father died of
 it4 ,it seems in his case likely to be 
kept under1 but 7as ,i have said before7
 ,i cannot feel uneasy and anxious about
 him1 be the accounts what they may4 ,it
 is partly selfish1 for ,i am spared the
 sight of his suffering1 but then ,i do 
long for a look at his dear face and for
 the sound of his voice4 ,five years of 
absence has of course made so much      
change in my mind in this respect1 that 
,i do not now find myself dreaming of   
home1 constantly thinking of it2 the    
first freshness of my loss is not felt  

now4 ,but ,i think ,i love them all and 
you all better than ever2 and ,i trust  
that ,i am looking inward on the whole  
to the blessedness of our meeting       
hereafter4  ',but this work has its     
peculiar dangers4 ,a man may become so  
familiarised with the habits of the     
heathen that insensibly his conscience  
becomes less sensitive4  ',there is a   
danger in living in the midst of utter  
lawlessness and violence2 and though the
 blessings and privileges far excel the 
disadvantages1 yet it is not in every   
way calculated to help one forward1 as  
,i think ,i have in some ways found by  
experience4  ',well1 this is all dull   
and dry4 ,but our life is somewhat      
monotonous on shore1 varied only by the 
details of incidents occurring in       
school1 and witnessing to the growth of 
the minds of my flock4 ,they are a very 
intelligent set this year1 and there are
 many hopeful ones among them4 ,we have 
worked them hard at ,english1 and all   
can read a little2 and some eight or ten

 really read nicely1 but then they do   
not understand nearly all they read     
without an explanation1 just like an    
,english boy beginning his knowledge of 
letters with ,latin 7or ,french1 a still
 spoken language74  ',in about a month  
we shall 7,d4,v47 start to take them    
back2 but the vessel will be absent but 
a short time1 as ,i shall keep the      
,solomon ,islanders with me in the      
,banks ,archipelago for the winter1 and 
so avoid the necessity of the schooner  
running #bjj or #cjj miles to leeward   
and having to make it up again4 ,i have 
slept ashore twice in the ,banks        
,islands1 but no other white man has    
done so1 and that makes our course very 
clear1 as they have none of the injuries
 usually committed by traders1 c41 to   
revenge4  ',good-bye once more1 my      
dearest ,uncle1  ',your affectionate and
 grateful ,nephew1  ',j4 ,c4            
,,patteson4'   ,the calmness of mind    
respecting his father which is here     
spoken of was not perpetual1 and his    

grief broke out at times in talks with  
his young friend and companion1 ,mr4    
,dudley1 as appears by this extract3--  
',i remember his talking to me more than
 once on the subject of his father1 and 
especially his remarking on one occasion
 that his friends were pressing him to  
come out there oftener1 and suggesting1 
when he seemed out of health and        
spirits1 that he was not taking care of 
himself2 but that it was the anguish he 
endured1 as night after night he lay    
awake thinking of his father gradually  
sinking and craving for him1 and        
cheerfully resigning him1 that really   
told upon him4 ,i know that ,i obtained 
then a glimpse of an affection and a    
depth of sorrow such as perfectly awed  
me1 and ,i do not think ,i have         
witnessed anything like it at all1      
either before or since4 ,it was then    
that he seemed to enter into the full   
meaning of those words of our ,lord1 in 
,st4 ,mark x4 #bi-cj1 i4e41 into all    
that the leaving there spoken of        

involved4'  ,yet in spite of this       
anxiety there was no flinching from the 
three months' residence at ,mota1       
entirely out of reach of letters4 ,a    
frame house1 with planks for the floor1 
was prepared at ,auckland to be taken   
out1 and a stock of wine1 provisions1   
and medicines laid in4 ,the ,rev4 ,b4   
,y4 ,ashwell1 a ,new ,zealand clergyman1
 joined the ,mission party as a guest1  
with two ,maori youths1 one the son of a
 deacon2 and1 besides ,mr4 ,dudley1     
another pupil1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,kerr1 was  
beginning his training for service in   
the ,mission4 ,sailing on one of the    
last days of ,april1 there was a long   
passage to ,nengone1 where the party    
went ashore1 and found everything in    
trouble1 the ,french constantly         
expected1 and the chiefs entreating for 
a missionary from the ,bishop1 and no   
possibility of supplying them4 ,lifu was
 rendered inaccessible by foul winds4   
',much to my sorrow1' writes ,mr4       
,patteson1 ',i could not land my two    

pupil-teachers1 who1 of course1 wished  
to see their friends1 and who made me   
more desirous to give them a run on     
shore1 by saying at once3 ,don't think  
of us1 it is not safe to go4 ,but ,i    
thought of what my feelings would be if 
it were the ,devonshire coast1 somewhere
 about ,sidmouth1 and no landing6'      
,however1 they1 as well as the three    
,nengonese1 ,wadrokala1 ,harper ,malo1  
and ,martin ,tahia1 went on contentedly4
  ',off ,mai1 ,may #aith4--,mr4 ,kerr   
has been busy taking bearings1 c41 for  
the purpose of improving our ,,ms4      
chart1 and constructing a new one4      
,commodore ,loring wanted me to tell him
 all about ,port ,patteson1 and asked me
 if ,i wished a man-of-war to be sent   
down this winter to see me1 supposing   
the ,new ,zealand troubles to be all    
over4 ,i gave him all the information he
 wanted1 told him that ,i did not want a
 vessel to come with the idea of any    
protection being required1 but that a   
man-of-war coming with the intention of 

supporting the ,mission1 and giving     
help1 and not coming to treat the       
natives in an off-hand manner1 might do 
good4 ,i did not speak coldly2 but      
really ,i fear what mischief even a few 
wildish fellows might do on shore among 
such people as those of the ,banks      
,islands6  ',a fore-and-aft schooner in 
sight6 ,probably some trader4 ,may be a 
schooner which ,i heard the ,french had 
brought for missionary purposes4 ,what  
if we find a priest or two at ,port     
,patteson6 ,however1 my course is clear 
any way3 work straight on4  ',may       
#bast4--,schooner a false alarm4 ,we had
 a very interesting visit on ,saturday  
afternoon at ,mai4 ,we could not land   
till #d ,p4,m42 walked at once to the   
village1 a mile and a half inland4      
,after some excitement caused by our    
appearance1 the people rushing to       
welcome us1 we got them to be quiet1 and
 to sit down4 ,i stood up1 and gave them
 a sermonette1 then made ,dudley1 who   
speaks good ,mai1 say something4 ,then  

we knelt down1 and ,i said the second   
,good ,friday ,collect1 inserted a few  
petitions which you can imagine anyone  
would do at such a time1 then a simple  
prayer in their language1 the ,lord's   
,prayer in ,english1 and the ,grace4'   
,on ,friday ,mota was reached1 and the  
people showed great delight when the    
frame of the house was landed at the    
site purchased for a number of hatchets 
and other goods1 so that it is the      
absolute property of the ,mission4      
,saturday was spent in a visit to ,port 
,patteson1 where the people thronged1   
while the water-casks were being filled1
 and bamboos cut down1 with entreaties  
that the station might be there2 and the
 mosquitoes thronged too--,mr4 ,patteson
 had fifty-eight bites on one foot4  ,on
 ,whit ,sunday1 after ,holy ,communion  
on board1 the party went on shore1 and  
prayed for1 ',i cannot say with the     
people of ,vanua ,lava4'  ,and on ,whit 
,monday the house was set up 'in a most 
lovely spot1' says ,mr4 ,dudley1        

'beneath the shade of a gigantic banyan 
tree1 the trunk and one long horizontal 
branch of which formed two sides of as  
beautiful a picture as you would wish to
 look upon2 the sloping bank1 with its  
cocoa-nut1 bread-fruit1 and other trees1
 forming the base of the picture2 and   
the coral beach1 the deep1 clear1 blue  
tropical ocean1 with others of the      
,banks ,islands1 ,valua1 ,matlavo1 and  
,uvaparapara1 in the distance1 forming  
the picture itself4'  ,at least a       
hundred natives came to help1 pulling   
down materials from their own houses to 
make the roof1 and delighted to obtain a
 bit of iron1 or still better of broken 
glass1 to shave with4 ,in the afternoon1
 the master of the said house1 using a  
box for a desk1 wrote3 ',our little     
house will1 ,i think1 be finished       
to-night2 anyhow we can sleep in it1 if 
the walls are but half ready2 they are  
merely bamboo canes tied together4 ,we  
sleep on the floor boarded and well     
raised on poles1 two feet and more from 

the ground--beds are superfluous here4' 
,here then was the first stake of the   
,church's tabernacle planted in all     
,melanesia6  ,the boards of the floor   
had been brought from ,new ,zealand1 the
 heavy posts on which the plates were   
laid were cut in ,vanua ,lava1 and the  
thatch was of cocoa-nut leaves1 the     
leaflets ingeniously bound together1    
native fashion1 and quite waterproof2   
but a mat or piece of canvas had to be  
nailed within the bamboo walls to keep  
out the rain4  ,on ,wednesday a short   
service was held1 the first ever known  
in ,mota2 and then ,mr4 ,ashwell and    
,mr4 ,kerr embarked1 leaving ,mr4       
,patteson and ,mr4 ,dudley with their   
twelve pupils in possession4 ,mr4       
,dudley had skill to turn their         
resources to advantage4 ,space was      
gained below by making a frame1 to which
 knapsacks1 bags1 c41 could be hung up1 
and the floor was only occupied by the  
four boxes1 which did the further part  
of tables1 desks1 and chairs in turn4   

,as to beds1 was not the whole floor    
before them8 and1 observes the ,journal3
 ',now ,i see the advantage of having   
brought planks from ,new ,zealand to    
make a floor4 ,we all had something     
level to lie on at night1 and when you  
are tired enough1 a good smooth plank or
 a box does just as well as a mattress4'
  ,fresh water was half a mile off1 and 
had to be fetched in bamboos2 but this  
was a great improvement upon ,lifu1     
where there was none at all2 and a store
 of it was always kept in four          
twenty-gallon casks1 three on the beach1
 and one close to the house4  ,the place
 was regularly purchased3--  ',june     
#hth4--,i have just bought for the      
,mission this small clearing of half an 
acre1 and the two acres 7say7 leading to
 the sea1 with twenty or more           
bread-fruits on it4 ,there was a long   
talk with the people1 and some          
difficulty in finding out the real      
proprietors1 but ,i think we arranged   
matters really well at last4 ,you would 

have been amused at the solemnity with  
which ,i conducted the proceeding3      
making a great show of writing down     
their names1 and bringing each one of   
the owners up in their turn to see his  
name put down1 and making him touch my  
pen as ,i put a cross against his name4 
,having spent about an hour in enquiring
 whether any other person had any claim 
on the land or trees1 ,i then said1 ,now
 this all belongs to me1 and they       
assented4 ,i entered it in my books--,on
 behalf of the ,melanesian ,mission1 but
 they could only understand that the    
land belonged to the ,bishop and me1    
because we wanted a place where some    
people might live1 who should be placed 
by the ,bishop to teach them4 ,of course
 the proceeding has no real validity1   
but ,i think they will observe the      
contract3 not quite the same thing as   
the transfer of land in the old country6
 ,here about #abj men1 quite naked1     
represented the interests of the late   
owners1 and ,dudley and ,i represented  

the ,mission4'  ,the days were thus laid
 out--,morning school in the village1   
first with the regular scholars1 then   
with any one who liked to come in2 and  
then1 when the weather permitted1 a     
visit to some village1 sometimes walking
 all round1 a circuit of ten miles1 but 
generally each of the two taking a      
separate village1 talking to the people1
 teaching them from cards1 and          
encouraging interrogatories4 ,mr4       
,patteson always had such an attraction 
for them that they would throng round   
him eagerly wherever he went4  ,the     
,mota people had a certain faith of     
their own2 they believed in a supreme   
god called ,ikpat1 who had many         
brothers1 one of whom was something like
 ,loki1 in the ,northern mythology1     
always tricking him4 ,ikpat had         
disappeared in a ship1 taking the best  
of everything with him4 ,it was also    
believed that the spirits of the dead   
survived and ranged about at night1     
maddening all who chanced to meet them2 

and1 like many other darkly coloured    
people1 the ,motans had begun by        
supposing their white visitors to be the
 ghosts of their deceased friends come  
to revisit them4  ,there were a good    
many other superstitions besides2 and a 
ceremony connected with one of them was 
going on the second week of the         
residence at ,mota--apparently a sort of
 freemasonry1 into which all boys of a  
certain age were to be initiated4  ,the 
,journal says3--  ',there is some       
strange superstitious ceremony going on 
at this village4 ,a space had been      
enclosed by a high hedge1 and some      
eighteen or nineteen youths are spending
 a month or more inside the fence1 in a 
house where they lie wrapped up in mats1
 abundantly supplied with food by the   
people1 who1 from time to time1 assemble
 to sing or perform divers rites4 ,i had
 a good deal of trouble with the father 
of our second year's pupil ,tagalana1   
who insisted upon sending his son       
thither4 ,i warned him against the      

consequences of hindering his son1 who  
wished to follow ,christ4 ,he yielded1  
because he was evidently afraid of me1  
but not convinced1 as ,i have no right  
to expect he should be4  ',the next     
morning comes an old fellow1 and plants 
a red-flowering branch in our small     
clearing1 whereupon our ,mota boys go   
away1 not wishing to go1 but not daring 
to stay4 ,no people came near us1 but   
by-and-by comes the man who had planted 
it1 with whom ,i had much talk1 which   
ended in his pulling up and throwing    
away the branch1 and in the return of   
our boys4  ',in the evening many people 
came1 to whom ,i spoke very plainly     
about the necessity of abandoning these 
customs if they were in earnest in      
saying they wished to embrace the ,word 
of ,god4 ,on ,sunday they gave up their 
singing at the enclosure1 or only       
attempted it in a very small way4       
',june #fth4--,i am just returned from a
 village a mile and a half off1 called  
,tasmate1 where one of their religious  

ceremonies took place this morning4 ,the
 village contains upwards of twenty     
houses1 built at the edge of the bush1  
which consists here almost exclusively  
of fruit-bearing trees--cocoa-nut trees1
 bananas1 bread-fruit1 and large almond 
trefts are everywhere the most          
conspicuous4 ,the sea view looking south
 is very beautiful4  ',i walked thither 
alone1 having heard that a feast was to 
be held there4 ,as ,i came close to the 
spot1 ,i heard the hum of many voices1  
and the dull1 booming sound of the      
native drum1 which is nothing but a     
large hollow tree1 of circular shape1   
struck by wooden mallets4 ,some few     
people ran off as ,i appeared1 but many 
of them had seen me before4 ,the women1 
about thirty in number1 were sitting on 
the ground together1 in front of one of 
the houses1 which enclosed an open air  
circular space2 in front of another     
house were many children and young      
people4 ,in the long narrow house which 
forms the general cooking and lounging  

room of the men of each village1 and the
 sleeping room of the bachelors1 were   
many people preparing large messes of   
grated yam and cocoa-nut in flat wooden 
dishes4 ,at the long oblong-shaped drum 
sat the performers1 two young men1 each 
with two short sticks to perform the    
kettledrum part of the business1 and an 
older man in the centre1 whose art      
consisted in bringing out deep1 hollow  
tones from his wooden instrument4       
,around them stood some thirty men1 two 
of whom ,i noticed especially1 decked   
out with red leaves1 and feathers in    
their hair4 ,near this party1 and close 
to the long1 narrow house in the end of 
which ,i stood1 was a newly raised      
platform of earth1 supported on stones4 
,on the corner stone were laid six or   
eight pigs' jaws1 with the large curling
 tusks left in them4 ,this was a sacred 
stone4 ,in front of the platform were   
three poles1 covered with flowers1 red  
leaves1 c4  ',for about an hour and a   
half the men at or around the drum kept 

up an almost incessant shouting1        
screaming and whistling1 moving their   
legs and arms in time1 not with any wild
 gesticulations1 but occasionally with  
some little violence1 the drum all the  
time being struck incessantly4 ,about   
the middle of the ceremony1 an old1     
tall1 thin man1 with a red handkerchief1
 our gift at some time1 round his waist1
 began ambling round the space in the   
middle of the houses1 carrying a boar's 
skull in his hand4 ,this performance he 
repeated three times4 ,then a man jumped
 up upon the platform1 and1 moving      
quickly about on it and gesticulating   
wildly1 delivered a short speech1 after 
which the drum was beat louder than     
ever2 then came another speech from the 
same man2 and then the rain evidently   
hastening matters to a conclusion to the
 whole thing1 without any ceremony of   
consecrating the stone1 as ,i had       
expected4  ',in the long room afterwards
 ,i had the opportunity of saying       
quietly what ,i had said to those about 

me during the ceremony3 the same story  
of the love of ,god1 especially         
manifested in ,,jesus ,,christ1 to turn 
men from darkness to light1 and from the
 power of ,satan unto ,god4 ,with what  
power that verse speaks to one while    
witnessing such an exhibition of        
ignorance1 or fear1 or superstition as  
,i have seen to-day6 ,and through it all
 ,i was constantly thinking upon the    
earnestness with which these poor souls 
follow out a mistaken notion of         
religion4 ,such rain as fell this       
morning would have kept a whole ,english
 congregation from going to church1 but 
they never sought shelter nor desisted  
from their work in hand2 and the        
physical effect was really great1 the   
perspiration streamed down their bodies1
 and the learning by heart all the songs
 and the complicated parts of the       
ceremony implied a good deal of pains4  
,christians do not always take so much  
pains to fulfil scrupulously their      
duties as sometimes these heathens do4  

,and1 indeed1 their bondage is a hard   
one1 constant suspicion and fear        
whenever they think at all4 ,everything 
that is not connected with the animal   
part of our nature seems to be the prey 
of dark and gloomy superstitions2 the   
spiritual part is altogether inactive as
 an instrument of comfort1 joy1 peace   
and hope4 ,you can imagine that ,i      
prayed earnestly for these poor souls1  
actually performing before me their     
strange mysteries1 and that ,i spoke    
earnestly and strongly afterwards4      
',the argument with those who would     
listen was3 ,what good comes of all     
this8 ,what has the spirit you call     
,ikpat ever done for you8 ,has he taught
 you to clothe yourselves1 build houses1
 c48 ,does he offer to make you happy8  
,can you tell me what single good thing 
has come from these customs8 ,but if you
 ask me what good thing has come to us  
from the ,word of ,god1 first you had   
better let me tell you what has happened
 in ,england of old1 in ,new ,zealand1  

,nengone1 or ,lifu1 then ,i will tell   
you what the ,word of ,god teaches2--and
 these with the great outline of the    
,faith4'  ,every village in the island  
had the platforms1 poles1 and flowers2  
and the next day1 at a turn in the path 
near a village1 the ,mission party      
suddenly came upon four sticks planted  
in a row1 two of them bearing things    
like one-eyed masks2 two others1 like   
mitres1 painted red1 black1 and white4  
,as far as could be made out1 they were 
placed there as a sort of defiance to   
the inhabitants2 but ,mr4 ,patteson took
 down one1 and declared his intention of
 buying them for fish-hooks1 to take to 
,new ,zealand1 that the people might see
 their dark and foolish customs6  ,some 
effect had already been produced1 the   
people declared that there had been much
 less of fighting since the missionaries
 had spoken to them eighteen months     
back1 and they had given up some of the 
charms by which they used to destroy    
each other2 but there was still much    

carrying of bows2 and on the way home   
from this expedition1 ,mr4 ,patteson    
suddenly came on six men with bows bent 
and arrows pointed in his direction4 ,he
 at once recognised a man from ,veverao1
 the next village to the station1 and   
called out ',all right6' ,it proved that
 a report had come of his being attacked
 or killed on the other side of the     
island1 and that they had set out to    
defend or avenge him4  ,he received his 
champions with reproof3--',this is the  
very thing ,i told you not to do4 ,it is
 all your foolish jealousy and suspicion
 of them4 ,there is not a man on the    
island who is not friendly to me6 ,and  
if they were not friendly1 what business
 have you with your bows and arrows8 ,i 
tell you once more1 if ,i see you take  
your bows again1 though you may do it as
 you think with a good intention towards
 me1 ,i will not stay at your village4  
,if you want to help me1 receive the    
,word of ,god1 abandon your senseless   
ceremonies4 ,that will be helping me    

indeed6'  ',cannot you live at peace in 
this little bit of an island8' was the  
constant theme of these lectures2 and   
when ,wompas1 his old scholar1 appeared 
with bow and arrows1 saying1 ,i am sent 
to defend you1' the answer was1 ',don't 
talk such nonsense6 ,give me the bow6'  
,this was done1 and ,patteson was       
putting it across his knee to break it1 
when the youth declared it was not his4 
',if ,i see these things again1 you know
 what will become of them6'  ,the mitres
 and masks were gone2 but the ,veverao  
people were desperately jealous of the  
next village1 ,auta1 alleging that the  
inhabitants were unfriendly1 and by     
every means trying to keep the guest    
entirely to themselves2 while he        
resolutely forced on their reluctant    
ears1 ',if you are sincere in saying    
that you wish to know ,god1 you must    
love your brother4 ,god will not dwell  
in a divided heart1 nor teach you ,his  
truth while you wilfully continue to    
hate your brother6'  ,the ,st4 ,barnabas

 ,day on which most of this was written 
was a notable one1 for it was marked by 
the first administration of both the    
,sacraments in ,mota4 ,in the morning   
one ,english and four ,nengonese        
communicants knelt round their pastor2  
and1 in the evening1 after a walk to    
,auta1 and much of this preaching of    
peace and goodwill1 then a dinner1 which
 was made festive with preserved meat   
and wine1 there came a message from one 
,ivepapeu1 a leading man1 whose child   
was sick4 ,it was evidently dying1 and  
,mr4 ,patteson1 in the midst of the     
people1 told them that--  ',the ,son of 
,god had commanded us to teach and      
baptize all nations2 that they did not  
understand the meaning of what he was   
about to do1 but that the word of       
,,jesus the ,son of ,god was plain1 and 
that he must obey it2 that this was not 
a mere form1 but a real gift from       
heaven1 not for the body but the soul2  
that the child would be as likely to die
 as before1 but that its spirit would be

 taken to ,god1 and if it should        
recover1 it must be set apart for ,god1 
not taken to any heathen rites1 but     
given to himself to be trained up as a  
child of ,god4' ,the parents consented3 
',then1' he continues1 'we knelt1 and in
 the middle of the village1 the naked   
group around me1 the dying child in its 
mother's lap1 ,i prayed to ,god and     
,christ in their language to bless the  
child according to ,his own promise1 to 
receive it for ,his own child1 and to   
convey to it the fulness of the blessing
 of ,his holy ,sacrament4 ,then while   
all were silent1 ,i poured the water on 
its head1 pronouncing the form of words 
in ,english1 and calling the child      
,john1 the first ,christian child in the
 ,banks ,islands4 ,then ,i knelt down   
again and praised ,god for ,his         
goodness1 and prayed that the child     
might live1 if it were ,his good        
pleasure1 and be educated to ,his glory2
 and then ,i prayed for those around me 
and for the people of the island1 that  

,god would reveal to them ,his ,holy    
,name and ,word and ,will2 and so1 with 
a few words to the parents and people1  
left them1 as darkness settled down on  
the village and the bright stars came   
out overhead4'  ,the innocent           
first-fruits of ,mota died three days   
later1 and ,mr4 ,patteson found a great 
howling and wailing going on over its   
little grave under a long low house4    
,this was hushed when he came up1 and   
spoke of the ,resurrection1 and         
described the babe's soul dwelling in   
peace in the ,kingdom of the ,father1   
where those would join it who would     
believe and repent1 cast away their evil
 practices1 and be baptized to live as  
children of ,god4 ,kneeling down1 he    
prayed over it1 thanking ,god for having
 taken it to ,himself1 and interceding  
for all around4 ,they listened and      
seemed touched2 no opposition was ever  
offered to him1 but he found that there 
was much fighting and quarrelling1 many 
of the villages at war with each other1 

and a great deal too much use of the bow
 and arrow1 though the whole race was   
free from cannibalism4 ,they seemed to  
want to halt between two opinions3 to   
keep up their orgies on the one hand1   
and to make much of the white teacher on
 the other2 and when we recollect that  
two unarmed ,englishmen1 and twelve     
blacks from other islands1 were         
perfectly isolated in the midst of a    
heathen population1 having refused      
protection from a ,british man-of-war1  
it gives a grandeur to the following    
narrative3--  ',june #gth4--,one of     
their chief men has just been with two  
bread-fruit as a present4 ,i detected   
him as a leader of one of their chief   
ceremonies yesterday1 and ,i have just  
told him plainly that ,i cannot accept  
anything from him1 neither can ,i suffer
 him to be coming to my place while it  
is notorious that he is teaching the    
children the very things they ought not 
to learn1 and that he is strongly       
supporting the old false system1 while  

he professes to be listening attentively
 to the ,word of ,god4 ,i made him take 
up his two bread-fruit and carry them   
away2 and ,i suppose it will be the     
story all over the village that ,i have 
driven him away4  ',by-and-by we will   
listen to the ,word of ,god1 when we    
have finished these ceremonies4  ',yes1 
you hearken first to the voice of the   
evil spirit2 you choose him firsthand   
then you will care to hear about ,god4' 
,the ceremony was to last twenty days1  
and only affected the lads1 who were    
blackened all over with soot1 and       
apparently presented pigs to the old    
priest1 and were afterwards admitted to 
the privileges of eating and sleeping in
 the separate building1 which formed a  
kind of club-house for the men of each  
village1 and on which ,mr4 ,patteson    
could always reckon as both a lecture   
room and sleeping place4  ,the people   
kept on saying that 'by-and-by' they    
would make an end of their wild ritual1 
and throw down their enclosures1 and at 

the same time they thronged to talk to  
him at the ,mission station1 and built a
 shed to serve for a school at ,auta4   
,meantime the little estate was brought 
into order4 ,a pleasant day of          
landscape-gardening was devoted to      
clearing gaps to let in the lovely views
 from the station2 and a piece of ground
 was dug and planted with pine-apples1  
vines1 oranges1 and cotton1 also a      
choicer species of banana than the      
indigenous one4 ,bread-fruit was so     
plentiful that breakfast was provided by
 sending a boy up a tree to bring down  
four or five fruits1 which were laid in 
the ashes1 and cooked at once2 and as to
 banana leaves 'we think nothing of     
cutting one down1 four feet long and    
twenty inches wide1 of a bright pale    
green1 just to wrap up a cooked yam or  
two4'  ,the first week in ,july1 with   
,wadrokala1 ,mark1 and two ,malanta men1
 ,mr4 ,patteson set forth in the boat   
that had been left with him1 for an     
expedition among the other islands1     

beginning with ,saddle ,island1 or      
,valua1 which was the proper name4  ,the
 day after leaving ,eowa1 the weather   
changed2 and as on these perilous coasts
 there was no possibility of landing1   
two days and the intervening night had  
to be spent in the open four-oared boat1
 riding to a grapnel6  ,very glad they  
were to get into ,port ,patteson1 and to
 land in the wet1 'as it can rain in the
 tropics4' ,the nearest village1        
however1 was empty1 everybody being gone
 to the burial wake of the wife of a    
chief1 and there was no fire to cook the
 yams1 everything dreary and deserted1  
but a short walk brought the wet and    
tired party to the next village1 where  
they were made welcome to the common    
house2 and after1 supping on yams and   
chocolate1 spent a good night1 and found
 the sea smooth the next day for a      
return to head-quarters4  ,these first  
weeks at ,mota were very happy1 but     
after that the strain began to tell4    
,mr4 ,patteson had been worn with       

anxiety for his father1 and no doubt    
with awe in the contemplation of his    
coming ,episcopate1 and was not in a    
strong state of health when he left     
,kohimarama1 and the lack of animal     
food1 the too sparing supply of wine1   
and the bare board bed told upon him4   
,on the #bdth of ,july he wrote in a    
letter to his ,uncle ,edward3--   ',i   
have lost six days3 a small tumour      
formed inside the ear about two inches  
from the outer ear1 and the pain has    
been very considerable1 and the         
annoyance great4 ,last night ,i slept   
for the first time for five nights1 and 
,i have been so weary with sleeplessness
 that ,i have been quite idle4 ,the     
mischief is passing away now4 ,that ear 
is quite deaf2 it made me think so of   
dear ,father and ,joan with their       
constant trial4 ,i don't see any results
 from our residence here2 and why should
 ,i look for them8 ,it is enough that   
the people are hearing1 some of them    
talking1 and a few thinking about what  

they hear4 ,all in ,god's own time6'    
,mr4 ,dudley adds3 ',his chief trouble  
at this time was with one of his ears4  
,the swelling far in not only made him  
deaf while it lasted1 but gave him      
intense and protracted agony4 ,more than
 once he had to spend the whole night in
 walking up and down the room4 ,but only
 on one occasion during the whole time  
do ,i remember his losing his patience1 
and that was when we had been subjected 
to an unusually protracted visitation   
from the loafers of the village1 who    
would stretch themselves at full length 
on the floor and table1 if we would let 
them1 and altogether conduct themselves 
in such a manner as to call for summary 
treatment1 very different from the more 
promising section4 ,the half jocular but
 very decided manner in which he cleared
 the house on this occasion1 and made   
them understand that they were to       
respect our privacy sometimes1 and not  
make the ,mission station an idling     
place1 was very satisfactory4 ,it was no

 small aggravation of the pain to feel  
that this might be the beginning of     
permanent deafness1 such as would be    
fatal to his usefulness in a work in    
which accuracy of ear was essential4'   
,however1 this gradually improved2 and  
another boat voyage was made1 but again 
was frustrated by the torrents of rain4 
,in fact1 it was an unusually wet and   
unwholesome season1 which told upon     
everyone4 ,mark ,chakham1 the           
,nengonese1 was brought very near the   
grave by a severe attack of dysentery4  
,all the stores of coffee1 chocolate1   
wine and biscuit were used up4 ,the     
',southern ,cross' had been due full a  
month1 and nothing was heard of her     
through the whole of ,september4        
,teaching and conversation went on all  
this time1 trying as it was2 and the    
people still came to hear1 though no one
 actually undertook to forsake his      
idols4  ',i am still hopeful about these
 people1' is the entry on ,september    
#ah1 'though all their old customs and  

superstitions go on just as before4 ,but
 7#a7 they know that a better teaching  
has been presented to them4 7#b7 ,they  
do not pursue their old habits with the 
same unthinking-security4 7#c7 ,there   
are signs of a certain uneasiness of    
mind1 as if a struggle was beginning in 
them4 7#d7 ,they have a vague           
consciousness1 some of them1 that the   
power is passing away from their        
witchcrafts1 sorceries1 c41 by which    
unquestionably they did and still do    
work strange effects on the credulous   
people1 like ',pharaoh's magicians of   
old4'  ,this was ground gained2 and one 
or two voyages to ,vanua ,lava and the  
other isles were preparatory steps1 and 
much experience had been acquired1 and  
resulted in this3--  ',the feasibility  
of the ,bishop's old scheme is more and 
more apparent to me4 ,only ,i think that
 in taking away natives to the summer   
school1 it must be understood that some 
7and they few7 are taken from new       
islands merely to teach us some of their

 languages and to frank us1 so that we  
may have access in safety to their      
islands4 ,should any of them turn out   
well1 so much the better2 but it will   
not be well to take them with the       
expectation of their becoming teachers  
to their people4 ,but the other section 
of the school will consist of young men 
whose behaviour we have watched during  
the winter in their own homes1 whose    
professions we have had an opportunity  
of testing--they may be treated as young
 men on the way to become teachers      
eventually to their countrymen4 ,one    
learns much from living among a heathen 
people1 and only by living in our       
pupils' homes shall we ever know their  
real characters4 ,poor fellows6 they are
 adepts in all kinds of deceitfulness at
 a very early age1 and so completely in 
our power on board the schooner and at  
,kohimarama1 that we know nothing of    
them as they are4'  ,the very paper this
 is copied from shows how the stores    
were failing1 for the full quarto sheets

 have all failed1 and the journal is    
continued on note paper4  ,not till     
,october #a was ,mr4 ,patteson's watch  
by a poor dying woman interrupted by    
tidings that a ship was in sight4 ,and  
soon it was too plain that she was not  
the ',southern ,cross1' though1 happily1
 neither trader nor ,french ,mission    
ship4 ,in a short time there came ashore
 satisfactory letters from home1 but    
with them the tidings that the little   
',southern ,cross' lay in many fathoms  
water on the ,new ,zealand coast6  ,on  
her return1 on the night of the #agth of
 ,june1 just as ,new ,zealand itself was
 reached1 there was a heavy gale from   
the north-east4 ,a dangerous shoal of   
rocks1 called the ,hen and ,chickens1   
stands out from the head of ,ngunguru   
,bay2 and1 in the darkness and mist1 it 
was supposed that these were safely     
passed1 when the ship struck on the     
eastern ,chicken1 happily on a spot     
somewhat sheltered from the violence of 
the breakers4 ,the two passengers and   

the crew took refuge in the rigging all 
night2 and in the morning contrived to  
get a line to land1 on which all were   
safely drawn through the surf1 and were 
kindly received by the nearest ,english 
settlers4  ,so1 after five years' good  
service1 ended the career of the good   
',southern ,cross' the first4 ,she had  
gone down upon sand1 and much of the    
wreck might have been recovered and made
 useful again had labour not been scarce
 at that time in ,new ,zealand that the 
,bishop could find no one to undertake  
the work1 and all he could do was to    
charter another vessel to be despatched 
to bring home the party from ,mota4 ,nor
 were vessels fit for the purpose easy  
to find1 and the schooner               
',zillah'--welcome as was the sight of  
her--proved a miserable substitute even 
in mere nautical capabilities1 and her  
internal arrangements were of course    
entirely inappropriate to the peculiar  
wants of the ,mission4  ,this was the   
more unfortunate because the very day   

after her arrival ,mr4 ,dudley was      
prostrated by something of a sunstroke4 
,martin ,tehele was ill already1 and    
rapidly became worse2 and ,wadrokala and
 ,harper ,malo sickened immediately1 nor
 was the former patient recovered4 ,mr4 
,dudley1 ,wadrokala and ,harper were for
 many days in imminent danger1 and were 
scarcely dragged through by the help of 
six bottles of wine1 providentially sent
 by the ,bishop4 ,mr4 ,dudley says3--   
',during the voyage ,mr4 ,patteson's    
powers of nursing were severely tried4  
,poor ,martin passed away before we     
arrived at ,nengone1 and was committed  
to the deep4 ,before he died he was     
completely softened by ,mr4 ,patteson's 
loving care1 and asked pardon for all   
the trouble he had given and the        
fretfulness he had shown4 ,poor fellow6 
,i well remember how he gasped out the  
,lord's ,prayer after ,mr4 ,patteson a  
few minutes before he died4 ,we all who 
had crawled up round his bed joining in 
with them4  ',oh1 what a long dreary    

time that was6 ,light baffling winds    
continually1 and we in a vessel as      
different from the ,southern ,cross as  
possible1 absolutely guiltless1 ,i      
should think1 of having ever made two   
miles an hour to windward in a wind4    
,the one thing that stands out as having
 relieved its dreariness is the presence
 of ,mr4 ,patteson1 the visits he used  
to pay to us1 and the exquisite pathos  
of his voice as1 from the corner of the 
hold where we lay1 we could hear him    
reading the ,morning and ,evening       
,prayers of the ,church and leading the 
hymn4 ,these prevented these long weary 
wakeful days and nights from being      
absolutely insupportable4'  ,at last    
,nengone was reached1 and ,wadrokala and
 ,harper were there set ashore1 better1 
but very weak4 ,here the tidings were   
known that in ,lifu ,john ,cho had lost 
his wife ,margaret1 and had married the 
widow of a ,karotongan teacher1 a very  
suitable match1 but too speedy to be    
according to ,european ideas2 and on    

,november #bf the ',zillah' was off the 
,three ,kings1 ,new ,zealand4           
',monday3 ,nov4 #bf1 #ahfj4 ',zillah    
,schooner1 off the ,three ,kings1 ,n4 of
 ,new ,zealand4  ',you know pretty well 
that ,kohimarama is a small bay1 about  
one-third of a mile along the sea       
frontage1 two-and-a-half miles due east 
of ,auckland1 and just opposite the     
entrance into the harbour1 between the  
,north ,head and ,eangitoto4 ,the beach 
is composed entirely of the shells of   
pipi 7small cockles72 always1 therefore1
 dry and pleasant to walk upon4 ,a fence
 runs along the whole length of it4 ,at 
the eastern end of it1 a short distance 
inside this ,n4 7 sea7 fence1 are the   
three cottages of the master and mate   
and ,fletcher4 ,sam ,fletcher is a      
man-of-war's man1 age about             
thirty-eight1 who has been with us some 
four years and a half4 ,he has all the  
habits of order and cleanliness that his
 life as coxswain of the captain's gig  
taught him2 he is a very valuable       

fellow4 ,he is our extra man at sea4    
',each of these cottages has its garden1
 and all three men are married1 but only
 the master 7,grange7 has any family1   
one married daughter4  ',then going     
westward comes a nine-acre paddock1 and 
then a dividing fence1 inside 7i4e4 to  
,w47 of which stand our buildings4      
',now our life here is hard to          
represent4 ,it is not like the life of  
an ordinary schoolmaster1 still less    
like that of an ordinary clergyman4     
,much of the domestic and cooking       
department ,i may manage1 of course1 to 
superintend4 ,i would much rather do    
this than have the nuisance of a paid   
servant4  ',so at #e ,a4,m41 say1 ,i    
turn out2 ,i at once go to the kitchen1 
and set the two cooks of the week to    
work1 light fire1 put on yams or        
potatoes1 then back to dress1 read1 c42 
in and out all the time1 of the kitchen 
till breakfast time3 say #h or #h4cj4   
,you would be surprised to see how very 
soon the lads will do it all by         

themselves1 and leave me or ,mr4 ,kerr  
to give all our attention to school and 
other matters4  ',so you can fancy1     
,joan1 now1 the manner of life4 ,my     
little room with my books is my snuggery
 during the middle of the day1 and at   
night ,i have also a large working table
 at one end of the big school-room1     
covered with books1 papers1 c41 and here
 ,i sit a good deal1 my room being too  
small to hold the number of books that  
,i require to have open for comparison  
of languages1 and for working out       
grammatical puzzles4 ,then ,i am in and 
out of the kitchen and store-room1 and  
boys' rooms1 seeing that all things1    
clothes1 blankets1 floors1 c41 are      
washed and kept clean1 and doing much   
what is done in every house4'  ,snuggery
 no doubt it looked compared with the   
',zillah2' but what would the ',eton    
fellow' of fifteen years back have      
thought of the bare1 scantily furnished 
room1 with nothing but the books1       
prints1 and photographs around to recall

 the tastes of old1 and generally a sick
 ,melanesian on the floor8 ,however1 he 
was glad enough to return thither1      
though with only sixteen scholars from  
ten places4 ,among them was ,taroniara  
from ,bauro1 who was to be his follower1
 faithful to death4 ,the following      
addition was made to the letter to ,mr4 
,edward ,coleridge1 begun in ,banks     
,islands3--   ',kohimarama3 ,dec4 #a1   
#ahfj4  ',one line1 my dear tutor1      
before ,i finish off my pile of hastily 
written letters for this mail4  ',alas6 
alas6 for the little schooner1 that dear
 little vessel1 our home for so many    
months of each year1 so admirably       
qualified for her work4 ,whether she may
 be got off her sandy bed1 no one can   
say4 ,great expense would certainly be  
incurred1 and the risk of success great 
also4  ',i have not yet had time to talk
 to the ,bishop1 ,i only reached ,new   
,zealand on ,november #bh4 ,we cannot1  
however1 well do our work in chartered  
vessels then follows a full detail of   

the imperfections of the ',zillah' and  
all other ,australian merchant craft2   
then--,but1 dear old tutor1 even the    
,southern ,cross 7though what would ,i  
give to see her now at her usual        
anchorage from the window at which ,i am
 now sitting67 for a time retires into  
the distance1 as ,i think of what is to 
take place 7,d4,v47 in ,january next4   
',i hoped that ,i had persuaded the     
,bishop that the meeting of the ,general
 ,synod in ,february #ahfb would be a   
fit time4 ,i do not see that the ,duke's
 despatch makes any difference in the   
choice of the time4 ,but all was settled
 in my absence2 and now at the ,feast of
 the ,epiphany or of the ,conversion of 
,st4 ,paul 7as suits the convenience of 
the ,southern ,bishops7 the             
,consecration is to take place4 ,i am   
heartily glad that the principle of     
consecrating ,missionary ,bishops will  
be thus affirmed and acted upon2 but oh6
 if some one else was to be the ,bishop6
  ',and yet ,i must not distrust ,god's 

grace1 and the gift of the ,holy ,spirit
 to enable me for this work4 ,i try and 
pray to be calm and resigned1 and ,i am 
happy and cheerful4  ',and it is a      
blessed thing that now three of your old
 dear friends1 once called ,selwyn1     
,abraham1 ,hobhouse should be           
consecrating your own nephew and pupil1 
gathered by ,god's providence into the  
same part of ,god's field at the ends of
 the earth4'   ,still with his heart    
full of the never-forgotten influence of
 his mother1 he thus begins his home    
letter of the same date3--              
',kohimarama3 ,dec4 #a4  ',my dearest   
,father1--,i could not write on         
,november #bh1 but the memory of that   
day in #ahdb was with me from morning to
 night4 ,we anchored on that day at #a  
,a4,m41 and ,i was very busy till late  
at night4 ,i had no idea till ,i came   
back from the ,islands that there was   
any change in the arrangements for the  
consecration in ,february #ahfb4 ,but   
now the ,bishops of ,wellington and     

,nelson have been summoned for the      
,feast of the ,epiphany1 or of the      
conversion of ,st4 ,paul1 and all was   
done in my absence4 ,i see1 too1 that   
you in ,england have assumed that the   
consecration will take place soon after 
the reception of the ,duke's despatch4  
',i must not now shrink from it1 ,i     
know4 ,i have full confidence in your   
judgment1 and in that of the ,bishop2   
and ,i suppose that if ,i was speaking  
of another1 ,i should say that ,i saw   
reasons for it4 ,but depend upon it1 my 
dear ,father1 that a man cannot         
communicate to another the whole of the 
grounds upon which he feels reluctant to
 accept an office4 ,i believe that ,i   
ought to accept this in deference to you
 all1 and ,i do so cheerfully1 but ,i   
don't1 say that my judgment agrees      
wholly with you all4  ',and yet there is
 no one else2 and if the separation of  
,new ,zealand and ,melanesia is         
necessary1 ,i see that this must be the 
consequence4 ,so ,i regard it now as a  

certainty4 ,i pray ,god to strengthen   
and enable me3 ,i look forward1 thanks  
to ,him1 hopefully and cheerfully4 ,i   
have the love and the prayers of many1  
many friends1 and soon the whole ,church
 of ,england will recognise me as one   
who stands in special need of grace and 
strength from above4  ',oh6 the awful   
power of heathenism6 the antagonism1 not
 of evil only1 but of the ,evil ,one1   
rather1 ,i mean the reality felt of all 
evil emanating from a person1 as ,st4   
,paul writes1 and as our ,lord spoke of 
him4 ,i do indeed at times feel         
overwhelmed1 as if ,i was in a dream4   
,then comes some blessed word or thought
 of comfort1 and promised strength and  
grace4  ',but enough of this4  ',the    
,southern ,cross cannot1 ,i think1 be   
got off without great certain expense   
and probable risk4 ,i think we shall    
have to buy another vessel1 and ,i dare 
say she may be built at home1 but ,i    
don't know what is the ,bishop's mind   
about it4444  ',i shall write to        

,merton1 ,i don't know why ,i should    
needs vacate my fellowship4 ,i have no  
change of outward circumstances brought 
upon me by my change presently from the 
name of ,presbyter to ,bishop1 and we   
want all the money4  ',what you say     
about a ,missionary ,bishop being for   
five months of the year within the      
diocese of another ,bishop1 ,i will talk
 over with the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand4
 ,i think our ,synodical system will    
make that all right2 and as for my work1
 it will be precisely the same in all   
respects1 my external life altered only 
to the extent of my wearing a broader   
brimmed and lower crowned hat4 ,dear    
,joan is investing moneys in cutaway    
coats1 buckles without end1 and no doubt
 knee-breeches and what she calls       
gambroons 7whereof ,i have no           
cognizance71 none of which will be worn 
more than 7say7 four or five times in   
the year4 ,gambroons and aprons and lawn
 sleeves won't go a-voyaging1 depend    
upon it4 ,just when ,i preach in some   

,auckland church ,i shall appear in full
 costume2 but the buckles will grow very
 rusty indeed6  ',how kind and good of  
her to take all the trouble1 ,i don't   
laugh at that1 and at her dear love for 
me and anxiety that ,i should have      
everything2 but ,i could not help having
 a joke about gambroons1 whatever they  
are4444  ',good-bye once more1 my       
dearest ,father4 ,you will1 ,i trust1   
receive this budget about the time of   
your birthday4 ,how ,i think of you day 
and night1 and how ,i thank you for all 
your love1 and perhaps most of all1 not 
only letting me come to ,melanesia1 but 
for your great love in never calling me 
away from my work even to see your face 
once more on earth4  ',your loving and  
dutiful son1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'     
,remark upon a high-minded letter is    
generally an impertinence both to the   
writer and the reader1 but ,i cannot    
help pausing upon the foregoing1 to note
 the force of the expression that thanks
 the father for the love that did not   

recall the son4 ,what a different notion
 these two men had of love from that    
which merely seeks self-gratification6  
,observe1 too1 how the old              
self-contemplative1 self-tormenting     
spirit1 that was unhappiness in those   
days of growth and heart-searching at   
the first entrance into the ministry1   
had passed into humble obedience and    
trust4 ,looking back to the             
correspondence of ten years ago1 volumes
 of progress are implied in the quiet   
',enough of this4'  ,there were1        
however1 some delays in bringing the    
three together1 and on the ,new ,year's 
,day of #ahfa1 the designate writes to  
,bishop ,abraham3 ',i dare say the want 
of any positive certainty as to the time
 of the ,consecration is a good         
discipline for me4 ,i think ,i feel calm
 now2 but ,i know ,i must not trust     
feelings1 and when ,i think of those    
islands and the practical difficulty of 
getting at them1 and the need of so many
 of those qualities which are so        

wonderfully united in our dear ,primate1
 ,i need strength from above indeed to  
keep my heart from sinking4 ,but ,i     
think that ,i do long and desire to work
 on by ,god's grace1 and not to look to 
results at all4'  ,a 'supplementary     
mail' made possible a birthday letter   
7the last7 written at #f ,a4,m4 on the  
#aath of ,february3 ',i wanted of course
 to write to you to-day4 ,many happy    
returns of it ,i wish you indeed1 for it
 may yet please ,god to prolong your    
life2 but in any case you know well how 
,i am thinking and praying for you that 
every blessing and comfort may be given 
you4 ,oh ,i how ,i do think of you night
 and day4 ,when ,mrs4 ,selwyn said      
,good-bye1 and spoke of you1 ,i could   
not stand it4 ,i feel that anything else
 7as ,i fancy7 ,i can speak of with     
composure2 but the verses in the ,bible1
 such as the passage which ,i read      
yesterday in ,st4 ,mark x41 almost      
unnerve me1 and ,i can't wish it to be  
otherwise4 ,but ,i feel that my place is

 here1 and that ,i must look to the     
blessed hope of meeting again           
hereafter4444  ',of course no treat is  
so great to me as the occasional talks  
with the ,bishop4 ,oh6 the memory of    
those days and evenings on board the    
,southern ,cross4 ,well1 it was so happy
 a life that it was not good for me1 ,i 
suppose1 that it should last4 ,but ,i   
feel it now that the sense of           
responsibility is deepening on me1 and  
,i must go out to work without him2 and 
very1 very anxious ,i am sometimes1 and 
almost oppressed by it4  ',but strength 
will come2 and it is not one's own work1
 which is the comfort1 and if ,i fail   
7which is very likely7 ,god will place  
some other man in my position1 and the  
work will go on1 whether in my hands or 
not1 and that is the real point4  ',some
 talk ,i find there has been about my   
going home4 ,i did not hear of it until 
after ,mrs4 ,selwyn had sailed4 ,it was 
thought of1 but it was felt1 as ,i      
certainly feel1 that it ought not to    

be4444 ,my work lies out here clearly2  
and it is true that any intermission of 
voyages or residences in the islands is 
to be avoided4'  ,mrs4 ,selwyn had gone 
home for a year1 and had so arranged as 
to see the ,patteson family almost      
immediately on her return4 ,meantime the
 day drew on4 ,the ,consecration was not
 by ,royal mandate1 as in the case of   
,bishops of sees under ,british         
jurisdiction2 but the ,duke of          
,newcastle1 then ,colonial ,secretary1  
wrote3--',that the ,bishops of ,new     
,zealand are at liberty1 without        
invasion of the ,royal prerogative or   
infringement of the law of ,england1 to 
exercise what ,bishop ,selwyn describes 
as their inherent power of consecrating 
,mr4 ,patteson or any other person to   
take charge of the ,melanesian ,islands1
 provided that the consecration should  
take place beyond ,british territory4'  
,in consequence it was proposed that the
 three consecrating ,bishops should take
 ship and perform the holy rite in one  

of the isles beneath the open sky2 but  
as ,bishop ,mackenzie had been legally  
consecrated in ,cape ,town ,cathedral1  
the ,attorney-,general of ,new ,zealand 
gave it as his opinion that there was no
 reason that the consecration should not
 take place in ,auckland4               
',kohimarama3 ,feb4 #ae1 #ahfa4  ',my   
dearest ,father1--,mr4 ,kerr1 who has   
just returned from ,auckland1 where he  
spent yesterday1 brings me the news that
 the question of the ,consecration has  
been settled1 and that it will take     
place 7,d4,v47 on ,sunday week1 ,st4    
,matthias ,day1 ,february #bd4  ',i     
ought not to shrink back now4 ,the      
thought has become familiar to me1 and  
,i have the greatest confidence in the  
judgment of the ,bishop of ,new         
,zealand2 and ,i need not say how your  
words and letters and prayers too are   
helping me now4  ',indeed1 though at any
 great crisis of our lives no doubt we  
are intended to use more than ordinary  
strictness in examining our motives and 

in seeking for greater grace1 deeper    
repentance1 more earnest and entire     
devotion to ,god1 and amendment of life1
 yet ,i know that any strong-emotion1 if
 it existed now1 would pass away soon1  
and that ,i must be the same man as     
,bishop as ,i am now1 in this sense1    
viz41 that ,i shall have just the same  
faults1 unless ,i pray for strength to  
destroy them1 which ,i can do equally   
well now1 and that all my characteristic
 and peculiar habits of mind will remain
 unchanged by what will only change my  
office and not myself4 ,so that where ,i
 am indolent now ,i shall be indolent   
henceforth1 unless ,i seek to get rid of
 indolence2 and ,i shall not be at all  
better1 wiser1 or more consistent as    
,bishop than ,i am now by reason simply 
of being a ,bishop4  ',you know my      
meaning4 ,now ,i apply what ,i write to 
prove that any strong excitement now    
would be no evidence of a healthy state 
of mind4 ,i feel now like myself1 and   
that is not at all like what ,i wish to 

be4 ,and so ,i thank ,god that as before
 any solemn season special inducements  
to earnest repentance are put into our  
minds1 so ,i now feel a special call    
upon me to seek by ,his grace to make a 
more faithful use of the means of       
usefulness which ,he gives me1 that ,i  
may be wholly and entirely turned to    
,him1 and so be enabled to do ,his will 
in ,melanesia4 ,you know1 my dearest    
,father1 that ,i do not indeed          
undervalue the grace of ,ordination2    
only ,i mean that the right use of any  
great event in one's life1 as ,i take   
it1 is not to concentrate feeling so    
much on it as earnestness of purpose1   
prayer for grace1 and for increase of   
simplicity and honesty and purity of    
heart4 ,perhaps other matters affect me 
more than my supposed state of feeling1 
so that my present calmness may be      
attributed to circumstances of which ,i 
am partially ignorant2 and1 indeed1 ,i  
do wonder that ,i am calm when one      
moment's look at the map1 or thought of 

the countless islands1 almost overwhelms
 me4 ,how to get at them8 ,where to     
begin8 ,how to find men and means8 ,how 
to decide upon the best method of       
teaching1 c48 ,but ,i must try to be    
patient1 and to be content with very    
small beginnings--and endings1 too1     
perhaps4   ',sunday1 ,feb4 #bd1 ,st4    
,matthias1 #aj ,a4,m4--,the day is come1
 my dearest ,father1 and finds me1 ,i   
thank ,god1 very calm4 ,yesterday1 at #f
 ,p4,m41 in the little chapel at        
,taurama1 the three ,bishops1 the dear  
,judge1 ,lady ,martin1 ,mrs4 ,abraham1  
,mr4 ,lloyd and ,i met together for     
special prayer4 ,how we missed ,mrs4    
,selwyn1 dear dear ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 from  
among us1 and how my thoughts passed on 
to you6 ,evening hymn1 ,exhortation in  
,consecration ,service1 ,litany from the
 ,st4 ,augustine's ,missionary ,manual1 
with the questions in ,consecration     
,service turned into petitions1 ,psalm  
cxxxii41 cxxxi41 li42 ,lesson i ,tim4   
iii42 special prayer for the ,elect     

,bishop among the heathen1 for the      
conversion of the heathen2 and the      
,gloria in ,excelsis4  ',then the dear  
,bishop walked across to me1 and taking 
my hand in both of his1 looking at me   
with that smile of love and deep deep   
thought1 so seldom seen1 and so deeply  
prized4 ,i can't tell you what ,i feel1 
he said1 with a low and broken voice4   
,you know it--my heart is too full6     
',ah6 the memory of six years with that 
great and noble servant of ,god was in  
my heart too1 and so we stood1 tears in 
our eyes1 and ,i unable to speak4  ',at 
night again1 when1 after arranging      
finally the service1 ,i was left with   
him alone1 he spoke calmly and          
hopefully4 ,much he said of you1 and we 
are all thinking much of you4 ,then he  
said3 ,i feel no misgiving in my heart2 
,i think all has been done as it should 
be4 ,many days we three have discussed  
the matter4 ,by prayer and ,holy        
,communion we have sought light from    
above1 and it is1 ,i believe1 ,god's    

will4 ,then once more taking both hands1
 he kissed my forehead3 ,god bless you1 
my dear ,coley4 ,i can't say more words1
 and you don't desiderate them4  ',no1  
said ,i2 my heart1 as yours1 is too full
 for words4 ,i have lived six years with
 you to little purpose1 if ,i do not    
know you full well now6  ',and then ,i  
walked1 in the perfect peace of a still 
cloudless night--the moon within two    
days of full--the quarter of a mile to  
,st4 ,stephen's schools1 where ,i slept 
last night4 ,on the way ,i met the      
,bishop of ,wellington and ,mrs4        
,abraham1 coming up from ,st4 ,stephen's
 to the ,bishop's house4  ,j4 ,c4       
,p4--,what a night of peace6 the harbour
 like a silver mirror6  ',b4 of         
,w4--,dominus tecum4  ',mrs4 ,a4--,i    
trust you will sleep4  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4--,i 
thank you2 ,i think so4 ,i feel calm4   
',sunday ,night1 #aj ,p4,m4 7,feniton1  
,sunday1 #aj4dj ,a4,m47--,it is over--a 
most solemn blessed service4 ,glorious  
day4 ,church crowded--many not able to  

find admittance2 but orderly4 ,more than
 two hundred communicants4 ,more        
to-morrow 7,d4,v474 ,all day you have   
been in our minds4 ,the ,bishop spoke of
 you in his sermon with faltering voice1
 and ,i broke down2 yet at the moment of
 the ,veni ,creator being sung over me1 
and the ,imposition of ,hands1 ,i was   
very calm4 ,the ,bible presented is the 
same that you gave me on my fifth       
birthday with your love and blessing4   
,oh6 my dear dear ,father1 ,god will    
bless you for all your love to me1 and  
your love to ,him in giving me to ,his  
service4 ,may ,his heavenly blessing be 
with you--all your dear ones for ever6  
',your most loving and dutiful ,son1    
',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson1 ,missionary        
,bishop4   ',february #beth4--,i am     
spending to-day and to-morrow           
here--i4e41 sleeping at the ,judge's1   
dining and living half at his house1 and
 half at the ,bishop's--quiet and calm  
it is1 and ,i prize it4 ,the music      
yesterday was very good2 organ well     

played4 ,the choirs of the three town   
churches1 and many of the choral society
 people1 filled the gallery--some eighty
 voices perhaps4 ,the ,veni ,creator the
 only part that was not good1 well sung1
 but too much like an anthem4           
',tagalana1 half-sitting1 half-kneeling 
behind me1 held the book for the        
,primate to read from at the ,imposition
 of ,hands--a striking group1 ,i am     
told4'   ,here ends the letter1 to which
 a little must be added from other pens2
 and1 first1 from ,mrs4 ,abraham's      
letter for the benefit of ,eton         
friends3--   ',the ,consecration was at 
,st4 ,paul's ,church1 in default of a   
,cathedral4 ,built before the ,bishop   
arrived1 ,st4 ,paul's has no chancel3   
and the ,clergy1 including a ,maori     
,deacon1 were rather crowded within the 
rail4 ,mr4 ,patteson was seated in a    
chair in front1 ten of his island boys  
close to him1 and several working men of
 the rougher sort were brought into the 
benches near4 ,we were rather glad of   

the teaching that none were excluded4   
,the service was all in harmony with the
 occasion2 and the sermon gave          
expression to all the individual and    
concentrated feeling of the moment1 as  
well as pointing the ,lesson and its    
teaching4  ',the sermon was on the      
thought of the ,festival3 ,and they     
prayed1 and said1 ,thou1 ,lord1 which   
knowest the hearts of all men1 show     
whether of these two ,thou hast chosen4 
7,acts i4 #bd47 ,after speaking of the  
special import and need of the prayers  
of those gathered to offer up their     
prayers at the ,holy ,communion1 for    
those who were to exercise the office of
 apostles in their choice1 he spoke in  
words that visibly almost overpowered   
their subject3--  ',in this work of     
,god1 belonging to all eternity1 and to 
the ,holy ,catholic ,church1 are we     
influenced by any private feelings1 any 
personal regard8 ,the charge which ,st4 
,paul gives to ,timothy1 in words of    
awful solemnity1 'to lay hands suddenly 

on no man1' may well cause much         
searching of heart4 ',i charge thee     
before ,god1 and the ,lord ,jesus       
,christ1 and the elect angels1 that thou
 observe these things1 without          
preferring one before another1 doing    
nothing by partiality4' ,does our own   
partial love deceive us in this choice8 
,we were all trained in the same place  
of education1 united in the same circle 
of friends2 in boyhood1 youth1 manhood1 
we have shared the same services1 and   
joys1 and hopes1 and fears4 ,i received 
this1 my son in the ministry of ,christ 
,jesus1 from the hands of a father1 of  
whose old age he was the comfort4 ,he   
sent him forth without a murmur1 nay1   
rather with joy and thankfulness1 to    
these distant parts of the earth4 ,he   
never asked even to see him again1 but  
gave him up without reserve to the      
,lord's work4 ,pray1 dear brethren1 for 
your ,bishops1 that our partial love may
 not deceive us in this choice1 for we  
cannot so strive against natural        

affection as to be quite impartial4     
',and again1 as the ,primate1 addressing
 more especially his beloved son in the 
ministry1 exclaimed1 ,may ,christ be    
with you when you go forth in ,his name1
 and for ,his sake1 to those poor and   
needy people1 and his eye went along the
 dusky countenances of his ten boys1    
,coleridge ,patteson could hardly       
restrain his intensity of feeling4'     
,another letter from the same lady to   
the sisters adds further details to the 
scene1 after describing the figures in  
the church3--  ',lady ,martin1 who had  
never seen the dress 7the cassock and   
rochet7 before1 said that ,coley        
reminded her of the figures of some     
young knight watching his armour1 as he 
stood in his calm stedfastness1 and     
answered the questions put to him by the
 ,primate4  ',the whole service was very
 nicely ordered1 and the special ,psalm 
well chanted4 ,with one exception 7which
 was1 alas6 the ,veni ,creator71 the    
music was good1 and ,coley says was a   

special help to him2 the pleasure of it1
 and the external hold that it gave1    
helping him out of himself1 as it were1 
and sustaining him4'  ,lady ,martin adds
 her touch to the picture2 and it may   
perhaps be recorded for those who may in
 after times read the history of the    
first ,bishop of the ,melanesian        
,church1 that whatever might be wanting 
in the beauty of ,st4 ,paul's1          
,auckland1 never were there three       
,bishops who outwardly as well as       
inwardly more answered to the dignity of
 their office than the three who stood  
over the kneeling ,coleridge ,patteson4 
',i shall never forget the expression of
 his face as he knelt in the quaint     
rochet4 ,it was meek and holy and calm1 
as though all conflict was over and he  
was resting in the ,divine strength4 ,it
 was altogether a wonderful scene3 the  
three consecrating ,bishops1 all such   
noble-looking men1 the goodly company of
 clergy and ,hohua's fine intelligent   
brown face among them1 and then the long

 line of island boys1 and of ,st4       
,stephen's native teachers and their    
wives1 were living testimonies of       
,mission work4 ,coley had told us in the
 morning of a consecration he had seen  
at ,rome1 where a young ,greek deacon   
had held a large illuminated book for   
the ,pope to read the words of          
,consecration4 ,we had no such gorgeous 
dresses as they1 but nothing could have 
been more simply beautiful and touching 
than the sight of ,tagalana's young face
 as he did the same good office4 ,there 
was nothing artistic about it2 the boy  
came forward with a wondering yet bright
 look on his pleasant face1 just dressed
 in his simple grey blouse4  ',you will 
read the sermon1 so there is no need to 
talk about it4 ,your brother was        
overcome for a minute at the reference  
to his father1 but the comfort and      
favour of ,his ,heavenly ,master kept   
him singularly calm1 though the week    
before he had undoubtedly had much      
struggle1 and his bodily health was     

affected4'  ,all the friends who were   
thus brought together were like one     
family1 and still called the new ,bishop
 by the never disused abbreviation that 
recalled his home4 ,he was the guest of 
the now retired ,chief ,justice and     
,lady ,martin1 who were occupying       
themselves in a manner probably unique  
in the history of law and lawyers1 by   
taking charge of the native school at   
,st4 ,stephen's4  ,the next two were    
great days of letter writing4 ,another  
long full letter was written to the     
father1 telling of the additional record
 which each of the three consecrating   
,bishops had written in the ,bible of   
his childhood1 and then going into      
business matters1 especially hoping that
 the ,warden and ,fellows of ,merton    
would not suppose that as a ,bishop he  
necessarily had #e1jjj a year and a     
palace1 whereas in fact the see had no  
more than the capital of #e1jjj required
 by ,government6 ,he had already agreed 
with his father that his own share of   

the inheritance should go to the        
,mission2 and1 as he says1 on hearing   
the amount3--  ',hard enough you worked1
 my dear ,father1 to leave your children
 so well off4 ,dear old ,jem will have  
enough2 and my children now dwell in    
#bjj islands1 and will need all that ,i 
can give them4 ,god grant that the day  
may come when many of them may          
understand these things1 and rise up and
 call your memory blessed6  ',your words
 of comfort and blessing come to me with
 fresh strength just now1 two days only 
after the time when you too1 had you    
been here1 would in private have laid   
your hand on my head and called down    
,god's blessing upon me4 ,i shall never 
know in this world what ,i owe to your  
prayers4'  ,there is much1 too1 of his  
brother's marriage2 and in a separate   
letter to the sisters there are         
individual acknowledgments of each      
article of the equipment1 gratifying the
 donor by informing her that the        
'cutaway' coat was actually to be worn  

that very evening at a dinner party at  
the ,chief ,justice's1 and admiring the 
'gambroon1' which turned out to be the  
material of the cassock1 so much as to  
wish for a coat made of it for the      
islands4 ,apropos of the hat3-- ',you   
know my forehead is square1 so that an  
oval hat does not fit2 it would hang on 
by the temples1 which form a kind of    
right angle with the forehead4'         
,another letter of that #bfth was from  
the ,bishop of ,wellington to ,dr4      
,goodford respecting this much-loved old
 pupil3--  ',anything more conscientious
 and painstaking cannot be conceived    
than the way he has steadily directed   
every talent1 every hour or minute of   
his life1 to the one work he had set    
before him4 ,however small or           
uncongenial or drumdrudgery-like his    
occupation1 however hard1 or dangerous1 
or difficult1 it seemed to be always met
 in the same calm1 gentle1              
self-possessed spirit of love and duty1 
which ,i should fancy that those who    

well knew his good and large-minded1    
large-hearted father1 and his mother1   
whom ,i have always heard spoken of as  
saintly1 could best understand4 ,perhaps
 the most marked feature in his         
character is his genuine simplicity and 
humility4 ,i never saw it equalled in   
one so gifted and so honoured and       
beloved4  ',it is really creditable to  
the community to see how universal is   
the admiration for his character1 for he
 is so very good1 so exceedingly        
unworldly1 and therefore such a living  
rebuke to the selfishness of the world2 
and though so gentle1 yet so firm and   
uncompromising that you would have      
supposed he would hardly be popular     
outside the circle of friends who know  
him and understand him4 ,certainly he is
 the most perfect character ,i ever     
met4'  ,the last day of ,february was   
that of the ,installation4  ,again ,mrs4
 ,abraham must speak3--  ',on ,thursday 
last we had another happy day at        
,kohimarama1 where ,bishop ,patteson was

 duly installed in the temporary chapel 
of ,st4 ,andrew's ,college1 as we hope  
to call it1 after the church at         
,cocksmoor1 in ,the ,daisy ,chain4 ,the 
morning was grey1 and we feared rain    
would keep our ladies away1 but we made 
the venture with our willing squire1    
,mr4 ,m----1 in the ,iris boat to help  
us4 ,the pity was1 that after all ,lady 
,martin could not go1 as she had an     
invalid among her ,maori flock1 whom she
 could not trust all day by herself4    
,the day lightened1 and our sail was    
pleasant4  ',the ,primate and           
,missionary ,bishop planted a ,norfolk  
pine in the centre of the               
quadrangle--the tree planted by the     
water side1 c4 ,the ,bishop then robed  
and proceeded to chapel1 and the        
,primate led the little service in which
 he spoke the words of installation1 and
 the mew ,bishop took the oath of       
allegiance to him4 ,the ,veni ,creator  
was sung1 and the ,primate's            
blessing-given4 ,the island boys looked 

on from one transept1 the ,iris sailors 
from another1 and ,charlie stood beside 
me4 ,i am afraid his chief remembrance  
of the day is fixed upon ,kanambat's    
tiny boat and outrigger1 which he sat in
 on the beach1 and went on voyages1 in  
which the owner waded by his side1 and  
saw him 7,kanambat7 skim along the waves
 like a white butterfly4 ,we all dined  
in hall1 after the boys1 on roast beef  
and plum pudding1 melons and water      
melons1 and strolled about the place and
 beach at leisure1 till it was time to  
sail back again4'  ,on the ,sunday the  
new ,bishop preached at ,st4 ,mary's one
 of the sermons that broke from him when
 he was too much excited 7if the word   
may be used7 for his usual metaphysical 
style4 ,the subject was the promise of  
the ,comforter1 ,his eternal presence   
and anointing1 and the need of          
intercessory prayer1 for which the      
preacher besought earnestly1 as one too 
young for his office1 and needing to    
increase in the ,holy ,spirit more and  

more4 ,very far were these from being   
unrealised words4 ,god's grace had gone 
along with him1 and had led him through 
every step and stage of his life1 and so
 mastered his natural defects1 that     
friends who only knew him in these years
 hear with incredulous indignation of   
those flaws he had conquered in his     
younger days4 ',fearless as a man1      
tender as a woman1 showing both the best
 sides of human nature1' says one of the
 ,new ,zealand friends who knew him     
best2 'always drawing out the good in   
all about him by force of sympathy1 and 
not only taking care that nothing should
 be done by others that he would not do 
himself1 but doing himself what he did  
not like to ask of them1 and thinking   
that they excelled him4' ,humility1 the 
effort of his life1 was achieved at last
 the more truly because not consciously4
  ,the letter to his father was again   
almost wholly on money matters2 but at  
the end come two notable sentences3--   
',how can ,i thank you for giving me up 

to this work1 and for all the wise and  
loving words with which you constantly  
cheer me and encourage me8 ,your        
blessing comes now to strengthen me1 as 
work and responsibilities are fast      
accumulating upon me4 ,i thank ,god that
 ,he enables us at the two ends of the  
world to see this matter in the same    
way1 so that no conflict of duties      
arises in my mind4  ',this book1 ,essays
 and ,reviews1 ,i have1 but pray send   
your copy also2 also any good books that
 may be produced bearing on that great  
question of the ,atonement1 and on      
,inspiration1 ,authority of ,scripture1 
c4 ,how sad it is to see that spirit of 
intellectualism thinking to deal with   
religion in forgetfulness of the        
necessary conditions of humility and    
faith6 ,how different from the true     
gnosis6'   ',kohimarama3 ,april #bi1    
#ahfa4  ',my dearest ,father1--,as ,i   
read your letters of ,feb4 #ba-be1 you  
are1 ,i trust1 reading mine which tell  
you of what took place on ,feb4 #bd4    

,that point is settled4 ,i almost fear  
to write that ,i am a ,bishop in the    
,church of ,christ4 ,may ,god strengthen
 me for the duties of the office to     
which ,i trust ,he has indeed called me6
  ',as ,i read of what you say so wisely
 and truly1 and dear ,joan and ,fan and 
,aunt ,james and all1 of my having      
expected results too rapidly at ,mota1  
,i had sitting with me that dear boy    
,tagalana1 who for two months last      
winter was in the great sacred          
enclosure1 though1 dear lad1 not by his 
own will1 yet his faith was weak1 and no
 wonder4  ',now1 ,god's holy name be    
praised for it1 he is1 ,i verily        
believe1 in his very soul1 taught by the
 ,spirit to see and desire to do his    
duty4 ,i feel more confidence about him 
than ,i have done about anyone who has  
come into my hands originally in a state
 of complete heathenism4 ,it is not that
 his knowledge only is accurate and     
clearly grasped1 but the humility1 the  
loving spirit1 the 7apparent7 personal  

appropriation of the blessing of having 
been brought to know the love of ,god   
and the redemption wrought for him by   
the death of ,christ2 this is what1 as  
,i look upon his clear truthful eyes1   
makes me feel so full of thankfulness   
and praise4  ',but ,tagalana1 if ,i     
should die1 you used to say that without
 my help you should perhaps fall back   
again3 is that true8  ',no1 no2 ,i did  
not feel it then as ,i do now in my     
heart4 ,i can't tell how it came there1 
only ,i know ,he can never die1 and will
 always be with me4 ,you know you said  
you were only like a sign-post1 to point
 out the way that leads to ,him1 and ,i 
see that we ought to follow you1 but to 
go altogether to ,him4  ',i can't tell  
you1 my dearest ,father1 what makes up  
the sum of my reasons for thinking that 
,god is in ,his mercy bringing this dear
 boy to be the first-fruits of ,mota    
unto the ,christ1 but ,i think that     
there is an inward teaching going on now
 in his heart1 which gives me sure hope1

 for ,i know it is not my doing4  ',all 
you all say about ,mota is most true3 ,i
 never thought otherwise really1 but ,i 
wrote down my emotions and impulses     
rather than my deliberate thoughts1 that
 my letter written under such strange   
circumstances might become as a record  
of the effect produced day by day upon  
us by outward circumstances4  ',what    
some of you say about self-possession on
 one's going about among the people     
being marvellous1 is just what of course
 appears to me commonplace4 ,of course  
it is wrong to risk one's life1 but to  
carry one's life in one's hand is what  
other soldiers besides those of the     
,cross do habitually2 and no one1 as ,i 
think1 would willingly hurt a hair of my
 head in ,melanesia1 or that part of it 
where ,i am at all known4  ',how ,i     
think of those islands6 ,how ,i see     
those bright coral and sandy beaches1   
strips of burning sunshine fringing the 
masses of forest rising into ridges of  
hills1 covered with a dense mat of      

vegetation4 ,hundreds of people are     
crowding upon them1 naked1 armed1 with  
wild uncouth cries and gestures2 ,i     
cannot talk to them but by signs4 ,but  
they are my children now6 ,may ,god     
enable me to do my duty to them6  ',i   
have now as ,i write a deepening sense  
of what the change must be that has     
passed upon me4 ,again ,i go by ,god's  
blessing for seven months to ,melanesia4
 ,all that our experience has taught us 
we try to remember3 food1 medicine1     
articles of trade and barter4  ',but    
what may be the result8 ,who can tell8  
,you know it is not of myself that ,i am
 thinking4 ,if ,god of ,his great mercy 
lead me in ,his way1 to me there is     
little worth living for but the going   
onward with ,his blessed work1 though ,i
 like my talks with the dear ,bishop and
 the ,judge4 ,but others are committed  
to me--,mr4 ,pritt and ,mr4 ,kerr go    
with me4 ,shall ,i find dear old        
,wadrokala and ,harper alive1 and if    
alive1 well8  ',and yet1 thank ,god1 we 

go on day by day1 so happy1 so hopeful6 
',i see two sermons by the ,bishop of   
,oxford1 ,god's ,revelation ,man's      
,trial1 please send them4 ,they bear1 ,i
 conclude1 on the controversy of the    
day4 ,i need not tell you that ,i find a
 very great interest in reading these   
books1 or rather at present in talking  
now and then1 when we meet1 with the    
,judge on the subject of which those    
books treat4 ,the books ,i have not     
read4 ,but ,i know no refreshment so    
great as the reading any books which    
deal with these questions thoughtfully4 
,i hope you don't think it wrong and    
dangerous for me to do so2 pray tell me4
 ,i don't believe that ,i am wrong in   
doing it1 yet it may be that ,i read    
them as an intellectual treat1 and      
prefer them to thoughtful books on other
 subjects1 because they deal with a     
study which ,i am a little more         
conversant with than with history1      
science1 c4  ',besides1 ,i do see that  
we have1 many of us1 very vague notions 

of the meaning of terms which we use1   
and ,i see that ,i must be prepared 7,i 
speak for myself7 to expect that a      
clergyman may not with impunity use a   
language wanting in definiteness and    
precision4 ,it is possible that men do  
too passively receive hereditary and    
conventional opinions which never have a
 living reality to them4 ,but this1 you 
know1 ,i do not confound with the humble
 submission to authoritative teaching1  
given upon authority1 to supersede the  
necessity of every person investigating 
for himself the primary grounds of his  
religious convictions4'  ,it is worth   
noting how the ,bishop submits his      
reading to his father's approval1 as    
when he was a young boy4 ,alas6 no more 
such letters of comfort and counsel     
would be exchanged4 ,this one could     
hardly have been received by that       
much-loved father4  ,preparations for   
the voyage were going on2 but the       
',dunedin1' the only vessel to be       
procured1 at best a carthorse to a racer

 compared with the ',southern ,cross1'  
was far from being in a satisfactory    
state1 as appears in a note of #crd of  
,may to the ,bishop of ,wellington3--   
',here we are still4 ,the only vessel   
that ,i could make any arrangement about
 not yet returned1 and known to be in   
such a state that the pumps were going  
every two hours4 ,i have not chartered  
her1 but only agreed with the owner a   
month ago nearly that ,i would take her 
at a certain sum per day1 subject to    
divers conditions about being caulked   
7which is all she wants1 ,i have        
ascertained71 being provided with spare 
sails1 spars1 chronometer1 boat1 c41 and
 all agreement to be off unless by a    
certain day 7already past7 she was in a 
state satisfactory to ,mr4 ,kerr4 ,but  
there is1 ,i fear1 none other1 and ,i am
 in a difficulty4'   ,of the same day is
 a letter to the ,rev4 ,stephen         
,hawtrey3--   ',taurarua1 ,auckland3    
,may #f1 #ahfa4  ',my dear ,mr4         
,hawtrey1--,i was highly pleased to     

receive a note from you4 ,though ,i     
never doubt of the hearty sympathy and  
co-operation of all ,eton friends 7how  
could you do so with such an annual     
subscription list871 yet it is very     
pleasant and more than pleasant to be   
reminded by word or by letter that      
prayers and wishes are being offered up 
for ,melanesia by many good men         
throughout the world4  ',i should like  
to send a special appeal for a ,mission 
,vessel by the next mail4 ,we cannot get
 on without one4 ,vessels built for     
freight are to the ,southern ,cross as a
 cart-horse to a thoroughbred steed1 and
 we must have some vessel which can do  
the work quickly among the multitude of 
the isles1 and many other reasons there 
are which we seamen only perhaps can    
judge fully1 which make it quite        
essential to the carrying on this       
peculiar ,mission that we should have a 
vessel of a peculiar kind4  ',tagalana1 
from ,mota 7,sugar ,loaf ,island71 in   
the ,banks ,archipelago1 is1 ,i think1  

likely by ,god's great mercy to become  
the first-fruits of that cluster of     
islands unto ,christ4 ,he is here for   
the third time2 and ,i have infinite    
comfort in seeing the earnestness of his
 character1 and the deep sense of what  
he was1 and what he is going to be1 so  
truly realised4  ',he is now so unlike  
what still his people are1 so bright and
 open in manner1 and all who see him    
say1 ,what is come to the lad1 his      
manner and very appearance so changed6  
,clothed1 thank ,god1 he is1 and in his 
right mind1 soon to sit1 if not already 
seated1 at the feet of ,christ4 ,you    
may1 if you think fit1 let your thoughts
 centre more especially in him4 ,he1 of 
all who have come into my hands         
absolutely stark naked and savage1 gives
 now the greatest ground for hope and   
thanksgiving4 ,i shall 7,d4,v47 think of
 all your dear friends assembled in your
 church and house on ,st4 ,barnabas     
,day4 ,may ,god bless and reward you all
 for your work of charity to ,melanesia6

  ',very sincerely yours1  ',j4 ,c4     
,,patteson1 ,missionary ,bishop4        
',p4,s4--,i hope to baptize that dear   
boy ,tagalana on his own island in the  
course of the winter4 ,i should wish to 
make the service as impressive as       
possible1 in the presence of as many    
islanders as ,i can bring to the spot1  
under the shadow of a mighty banyan     
tree1 and above the sparkling waves of  
the great ,pacific4'   ,the ',dunedin'  
was patched up into sailing with the new
 ,bishop for his cathedral--the banyan  
tree of ,mota4  ,it carried him away to 
his work1 away from all knowledge of the
 blow that was preparing for him at     
home1 and thinking of the delight that  
was in store for his family in a visit  
from ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 who1 immediately    
after his ,consecration1 had returned   
home to spend a year in ,england on     
business4  ,sir ,john ,patteson's       
happiness in his son's work and worth   
were far greater than those of the      
actual worker1 having none of the       

drawbacks that consciousness of weakness
 must necessarily excite4 ,the joy this 
gave his heart may1 without             
exaggeration1 he deliberately said to   
have been full compensation for the loss
 of the presence so nobly sacrificed4   
,on ,january #bb he had written to the  
,bishop of ,new ,zealand3--   ',you     
write most kindly touching him1 dear    
fellow1 and truly ,i am to be envied1   
qui natum haberem tali ingenio          
praeditum4 ,not for a moment have ,i    
repented of giving my sanction to his   
going out to ,new ,zealand2 and ,i fully
 believe that ,god will prosper his     
work4 ,i did not contemplate his        
becoming a ,bishop1 nor is that the     
circumstance which gives me the great   
satisfaction ,i feel4 ,it is his        
devotion to so good a work1 and that he 
should have been found adequate to its  
performance2 whether as a ,bishop or as 
a ,priest is not of itself of so much   
importance4  ',perhaps he may have been 
consecrated before ,i am writing this1  

though ,i am puzzled as to the time4444 
',may ,god bless with the fullest       
success the labours of both of you in   
your high and ,christian works6'        
,there had for more than a year been    
cause of anxiety for ,sir ,john's       
health1 but it was not the disease that 
had then threatened which occasioned the
 following calm-hearted letter to be    
written to his son3--   ',feniton       
,court3 ,march #bb1 #ahfa4  ',my own    
dearest ,coley1--,i promised always to  
tell you the truth respecting myself1   
and will do so4 ,about a month ago1 on  
my rising from reading prayers1 the     
girls and the ,dawlish party who were   
here exclaimed that my voice was broken1
 at which ,i laughed4 ,whitby was in    
,london1 but his partner happened to    
call1 and looking at my throat found it 
relaxed1 and recommended a mustard      
poultice on the front4 ,when we came to 
put it on1 we discovered that the glands
 of the throat were much swelled and in 
hard knots4 ,whitby returned in two     

days1 and was much alarmed4 ,he declared
 that it was serious1 and nothing but   
iodine could check it4 ,i had been      
unable to take iodine under ,watson some
 years ago1 as it affected my head      
tremendously1 so he applied it outwardly
 by painting2 this painting did not     
reduce them1 and he strongly pressed my 
having ,london advice1 for he said that 
if not reduced and the swellings        
increased internally1 they would press  
on the windpipe and choke me3 it was    
somewhat a surgical matter4 ,so on      
,tuesday the #abth inst4 we went to     
,london1 and ,i consulted ,paget4 ,he   
entirely agreed with ,whitby1 and       
thought it very serious1 and ordered    
iodine internally at all hazards4 ,i    
took it1 and by ,god's mercy it agreed  
with me4 ,paget wished to talk over the 
case with ,watson1 and they met on the  
#afth1 ,saturday4 ,they quite agreed1   
and did not conceal from me that if     
iodine did not reduce the swellings1 and
 they should increase internally1 the   

result must be fatal4 ,how soon1 or in  
what particular manner1 they could not  
tell2 it might even become cancerous4   
,they did not wish me to stay in town1  
but thought ,i was better here1 and     
,paget1 knowing ,whitby1 has perfect    
confidence in his watching1 and will    
correspond with him1 if necessary4 ,at  
present there is no reduction of the    
swellings4 ,the iodine has certainly    
lessened the pains in my limbs1 but does
 not seem1 so to speak1 to determine to 
the throat1 but it may be there has been
 hardly time to say that it will not4   
,my own impression is1 that it will not1
 and that it is highly improbable that  
,i shall last very long4 ,i mean that ,i
 shall not see #ahfb1 nor perhaps the   
summer or autumn of this year4 ,i cannot
 tell why1 but this near prospect of    
death has not given me any severe shock1
 as perhaps it ought to have done4 ,it  
brings more than ever to my mind serious
 recollection of the sins of my youth1  
and the shortcomings of my after life in

 thousands of instances4 ,i have never  
been a hardened sinner1 but years ago1  
if ,i did what was sin1 it smote me1 and
 ,i tried to repent2 yet there has      
always been in me a want of fervid love 
to ,god1 and to my blessed ,redeemer for
 ,his unspeakable love in suffering for 
my sins2 but it has been cold--that may 
have been the natural constitution of   
the man1 ,i cannot tell--but ,i never   
have placed my hopes of forgiveness and 
of blessedness hereafter in anything but
 in ,his merits1 and most undeserved    
goodness in offering me salvation1 if ,i
 have not thrown it away4 ,but what     
shall ,i say8 ,as the time approaches1  
it may please ,him in ,his mercy to give
 me a warmer heart1 and a more vivid    
perception of all that ,he has done for 
me4 ,if ,i were to say that ,i am not a 
sinner1 the truth would not be in me2   
and if ,i am washed in ,his blood and   
cleansed1 it is not by any efforts or   
merits of my own1 but by ,his unlimited 
mercy and goodness4 ,pray for me1 that  

when the time comes ,i may not for any  
fears of death fall from ,him4 ,you know
 that as far as regards this world and  
its enjoyments1 save the love of my dear
 good children1 they have sate but      
lightly upon me for some time2 but it is
 not because we have nothing that we are
 unwilling to leave1 therefore we are   
prepared for that which is to come4     
,perhaps it may please ,god to give me  
still a short time that ,i may try more 
strenuously to prepare myself4 ,we shall
 never meet again in this world4 ,oh6   
may ,almighty ,god in ,his infinite     
mercy grant us to meet again in ,his    
kingdom1 through the merits of our      
blessed ,redeemer4444  ',oh6 my dearest 
,coley1 what comfort ,i have had in     
you--what delightful conversations we   
have had together1 and how thankful we  
ought to be to our gracious ,god for    
allowing it to be so3 and still not less
 thankful for the blessings of being    
watched and comforted and soothed by the
 dear girls1 and by that dear and good  

,jem4 ,all so good in their various     
ways1 and ,i so little worthy of        
them444of ,francis4 ,that will indeed1  
humanly speaking1 be a terrible loss to 
his family1 for they want his fatherly  
care1 and will do so for years4 ,not so 
with me2 and as ,i am in my             
seventy-second year1 it cannot be said  
that ,i am cut off prematurely3 but on  
the contrary1 fall like a fruit or a    
sheaf at its proper ripeness4 ,oh6 that 
it may be so spiritually indeed4'       
,another letter followed the next       
month3--   ',feniton ,court3 ,april #bd1
 #ahfa4  ',my own dearest ,coley1--,how 
many more letters you may receive from  
me1 ,god only knows1 but1 as ,i think1  
not many4 ,the iodine fails altogether1 
and has produced no effect on the       
swellings in my throat2 on the contrary1
 they steadily increase1 though not     
rapidly4 ,doubtless they will have their
 own course1 and in some way or other   
deliver my soul from the burden of the  
flesh4 ,oh6 may it by ,god's mercy be   

the soul of a faithful man6 ,faith and  
love ,i think ,i have1 and have long    
had3 but ,i am not so sure that ,i have 
really repented for my past sins1 or    
only abandoned them when circumstances  
had removed almost the temptation to    
commit them4 ,yet ,i do trust that my   
repentance has generally been sincere1  
and though ,i may have fallen again1    
that ,i may by ,god's grace have risen  
again4 ,i have no assurance that ,i have
 fought the good fight like ,st4 ,paul1 
and that henceforth there is laid up a  
crown of gold2 yet ,i have a full and   
firm hope that ,i am not beyond the pale
 of ,god's mercy1 and that ,i may have  
hold of the righteousness of ,christ1   
and may be partaker of that happiness   
which he has purchased for ,his own1 by 
,his atoning blood4 ,no other hope have 
,i2 and in all humility ,i from my heart
 feel that any apparent good that ,i may
 have done has been ,his work in me and 
not my own4 ,may it please ,him that you
 and ,i1 my dear son1 may meet          

hereafter1 together with all those      
blessed ones1 who have already departed 
this life in ,his faith and fear1 in    
,his kingdom above4  ',my head aches    
occasionally1 and is not so clear as it 
used to be4444 ,the next mail will bring
 us more definite news1 if indeed ,i am 
not myself removed before then4444 ,i am
 afraid that you discern by what ,i have
 written that ,i am become stupid1 and  
though ,i could never write decently1   
yet you will see that continued dull    
pain in the head1 and other pains in    
various parts1 have made me altogether  
heavy and stupid4 ,i have had the       
kindest letters and messages from       
various quarters when it became known1  
as it is always very soon1 that my      
health was in a precarious state3 one   
particularly from the ,bishop of        
,lichfield 7all companions in ,old      
,court1 ,king's1 you know7 which is very
 consoling4 ,he says1 ,if not for such  
as you1 for whom did ,christ die8 ,i    
will not go on in such strains1 for it  

is of no use4 ,only do not despair of   
me1 my beloved ,son1 and believe me     
always1  ',your loving ,father1  ',j4   
,,patteson4'   ',feniton ,court3 ,may   
#be1 #ahfa4  ',o my own dearest         
,coley1--,almighty ,god be thanked that 
,he has preserved my life to hear from  
you and others of your actual           
consecration as a ,missionary ,bishop of
 the ,holy ,catholic ,church3 and may   
,he enable you by ,his grace and the    
powerful assistance of ,his ,spirit to  
bring to ,his faith and fear very many  
who have not known ,him1 and to keep and
 preserve in it many others who already 
profess and call themselves ,christians4
  ',i was too ill to be present at the  
whole service on ,sunday1 but ,i        
attended the ,holy ,sacrament1 and hope 
to do so to-morrow4 ,we have with us our
 dear ,sarah ,selwyn1 who came on       
,thursday3 she came in the most kind and
 affectionate spirit1 the first visit   
that she could make1 that she might if  
possible see me3 ,i will go and see him 

before he dies4 ,what delight this has  
been to me you may easily imagine1 and  
what talk1 and what anecdotes we have   
had about you and all your circle2 for  
though your letters have all along let  
us in wonderfully into your daily life1 
yet there were many things to be filled 
up1 which we have now seen more clearly 
and more perfectly recollect as long as 
our lives are spared4  ',what at present
 intensely fills our hearts and minds is
 all that took place on ,st4 ,matthias  
,day1 and the day or two before and     
after4 ,passages and circumstances there
 were1 which it is almost wonderful that
 you all could respectively bear1 some  
affecting one the more and some the     
other2 but the absorbing feeling that a 
great work was then done1 and the ardent
 trust and prayer that it might turn out
 to the glory of ,god1 and the good of  
mankind1 supported every one1 ,i have no
 doubt4 ,it was about one of those days 
that ,i was first informed of the nature
 of the complaint which had just been   

discovered1 and which is bringing me    
gradually to the grave4  ',trinity      
,sunday4--,i am just returned from      
receiving the ,holy ,sacrament4 ,you    
will do so the same in a few hours1 and 
they may well be joined together1 and   
probably the last that you and ,i shall 
receive together in this world4 ,my time
 is probably very short4 ,dear ,sarah   
will hereafter tell you more particulars
 of these few days4 ,dear ,joan and     
,fanny are watching me continually2 it  
is hard work for them continually and   
most uncertain1 but in my mind it cannot
 be very long4 ,jem is here helping them
 continually1 but his wife's mother is  
grievously ill at a relation's in       
,gloucestershire1 and ,i will not have  
him withdrawn from her4 ,i hope that    
next week she may be removed to ,jem's  
new cottage1 next ,hyde ,park1 and then 
they1 ,joan and ,fanny will watch me1   
and ,jem on a telegraph notice may come 
to me4 ,if ,i dare express a hope1 it is
 that this state of things may not last 

long4 ,but ,i have no desire to express 
any hope at all2 the matter is in the   
hands of a good ,god1 who will order all
 things as is best4444 ,i would write   
more1 but ,i am under the serious       
impression that ,i shall be dead before 
this letter reaches you4  ',may our     
,almighty ,god1 three ,persons1 blessed 
for evermore1 grant that we may meet    
hereafter in a blessed eternity6'   ,one
 more letter was written3--   ',feniton 
,court1 ,honiton3 ,june #ab1 #ahfa4     
',oh6 my dearest ,right ,reverend       
well-beloved ,son1 how ,i thank ,god    
that it has pleased ,him to save my life
 until ,i heard of the actual fact of   
your being ordained and consecrated1 as 
,i have said more than once since ,i    
heard of it4 ,may it please ,him to     
prolong your life very many years1 and  
to enable you to fulfil all those       
purposes for which you have been now    
consecrated1 and that you may see the   
fruit of your labour of love before ,he 
calls you to ,his rest in ,heaven4 ,but 

if not1 may you have laid such          
foundations for the spread of ,god's    
,word throughout the countries committed
 to your charge1 that when it pleases   
,god to summon you hence1 you may have a
 perfect consciousness of having devoted
 all your time and labour1 and so far as
 you are concerned have advanced all the
 works as fastly and as securely as it  
seemed fit to your great ,assister1 the 
,holy ,spirit1 that they should be      
advanced4 ,only conceive that an old    
,judge of seventy-two1 cast out of his  
own work by infirmity1 should yet live  
to have a son in the ,holy ,office of   
,bishop1 all men rejoicing around him2  
and so indeed they do rejoice around me1
 mingling their loving expressions at my
 illness and approaching death4444  ',i 
shall endeavour to write at intervals   
between this and ,july mail4 ,it tries  
me to write much at a time4  ',your     
loving ,father1  ',j4 ,,patteson4'      
,the calm of these letters was the      
pervading spirit of ,feniton4 ,with     

perfect cheerfulness did the aged ,judge
 await the summons1 aware that he       
carried the 'sentence of death within   
himself1' and that the manner of his    
summons would probably be in itself     
sudden--namely1 one of the choking fits 
that increased in frequency4 ,he lived  
on with his children and relations round
 him1 spending his time in his usual    
manner1 so far as his strength          
permitted--bright1 kind1 sunny as ever1 
and not withdrawing his interest from   
the cares and pleasures of others1 but  
glad to talk more deeply1 though still  
peacefully1 of his condition and his    
hopes4 ,one thing only troubled him4    
,once he said1 and with tears in his    
eyes1 to his beloved brother-in-law1    
,sir ,john ,coleridge3 ',woe unto you   
when all men shall speak well of you1'  
adding to this effect1 ',alas6 ,that    
this has been my lot without my deserts4
 ,it pains me now6'  ,but as this       
popularity had come of no self-seeking  
nor attempt to win applause1 it was a   

grief that was soon dispelled4 ,perhaps 
if there was one strong wish1 it was to 
hear of his son's actually having been  
received into the order of ,bishops1 and
 that gratification was granted to him4 
,the letters with the record of         
consecration arrived in time to be his  
,whitsuntide joy--joy that he still     
participated in the congregation1 for   
though not able to be at church for the 
whole service1 he still was always      
present at the celebration of the ,holy 
,communion4  ,on the day the letters    
came there was great peace1 and a kind  
of awful joy on all the household4 ,for 
many weeks past1 ,sir ,john had not     
attempted to read family prayers1 but on
 this evening he desired his daughters  
to let him do so4 ,where in the prayer  
for missionaries he had always          
mentioned1 'the absent member of this   
family1' he added in a clear tone1      
'especially for ,john ,coleridge        
,patteson1 ,missionary ,bishop4' ,that  
was the father's one note of triumph1   

the last time he ever led the household 
prayers4 ,in a day or two ,mrs4 ,selwyn 
came to him1 and he wrote the following 
to the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand3--      
',feniton ,court3 ,may #bd1 #ahfa4  ',my
 very dear ,friend1--,here ,i am1 and ,i
 have with me your dear and good wife1  
who arrived yesterday4 ,she looks well1 
and ,i trust is so4 ,she has arranged   
her visits so as to come to me as soon  
as possible4 ,i will go and see him     
before he die1 and ,i feel sensibly the 
kindness of it4 ,what a mercy is it that
 my life should have been preserved to  
receive from my dear son ,coley and from
 you by letter the account of his having
 been consecrated by you as ,bishop of  
the true ,catholic ,church4 ,there were 
accounts8 of that most impressive       
service1 which1 had ,i been present1    
would have1 ,i fear1 sent me to the     
floor2 and you and ,coley must have had 
difficulty in holding up at those       
feeling statements of your having       
received him at my old hands4 ,when you 

so received him1 it was known ,i was    
satisfied that his heart was really     
fixed on this missionary work--that he  
felt a call to it4 ,i believe1 you know1
 and ,i am sure ,god knows1 that ,i had 
not the most distant notion in my mind  
that it would lead to his becoming a    
,bishop1 nor do ,i now rejoice in the   
result1 simply on account of the honour 
of the office2 but because my confidence
 in the honesty and sincerity of his    
then feelings has been justified1 and   
that it has pleased ,god to endow him   
with such abundant graces4 ,may it      
please ,god that you should continue    
together in your respective governments 
in ,his ,church many years1 and that we 
may all meet together in his kingdom    
above6  ',when ,i parted with him ,i did
 not expect to see his face on earth1   
yet perhaps ,i hardly expected that our 
separation would be so soon1 though ,i  
am in my seventy-second year4 ,but in   
,february ,i discovered these swellings 
in my throat2 which1 humanly speaking1  

could only be cured by iodine4 ,iodine  
has failed1 and other attempts at a cure
 fail also2 and it is only a question of
 time when the soul will be delivered   
from the burthen of the flesh4 ,so      
indeed it is with all human beings2 but 
it is one thing to know this as a       
general proposition1 and another to know
 that the particular minister of death  
has hold of you1 and that you are really
 only living from day to day4  ',for all
 your many kindnesses to all of us and  
to my son1 ,i thank you from the very   
bottom of my soul1 and pray that we may 
meet hereafter1 through the merits1 and 
for the sake of our blessed ,mediator   
and ,redeemer ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 
that as we have striven on earth to be  
followers of ,him and ,his glory1 so we 
may be partakers of it in ,heaven4      
',your loving ,friend1  ',j4            
,,patteson4'   ,the ,july mail was      
without a letter from the father4 ,the  
end had come in the early morning of    
,june #bh1 #ahfa1 with a briefer1 less  

painful struggle than had been thought  
probable1 and the great1 sound1 wise1   
tender heart had ceased to beat4  ,there
 is no need to dwell on the spontaneous 
honours that all of those who had ever  
been connected with him paid to the good
 old ,judge1 when he was laid beside his
 much-loved wife in ,feniton churchyard4
 ,bishop ,sumner of ,winchester1 the    
friend of his boyhood1 read the funeral 
service4  ',his works do follow him3'   
and we turn to that work of his son's in
 which assuredly he had his part1 since 
one word of his would have turned aside 
the course that had brought such        
blessing on both1 had he not accepted   
the summons1 even as ,zebedee1 when he  
was left by the lake side1 while his    
sons became fishers of men4  ,unknowing 
of the tidings in reserve for him1 the  
,bishop was on his voyage1 following the
 usual course2 hearing at ,anaiteum that
 a frightful mortality had prevailed in 
many of these southern islands4 ,measles
 had been imported by a trader1 and had1

 in many cases1 brought on dysentery1   
and had swept away a third of ,mr4      
,geddie's ,anaiteum flock4 ,mr4         
,gordon's letters had spoken of it as   
equally fatal in ,erromango1 and there  
were reports of the same1 as well as of 
famine and war1 in ,nengone4  ',god will
 give me men in ,his time2 for could ,i 
be cut up into five pieces already ,i   
would be living at ,nengone1 ,lifu1     
,mai1 ,mota1 and ,bauro6' was the       
comment on this visit2 and this need of 
men inspired a letter to his uncle      
,edward1 on a day dear to the ,etonian  
heart3--   ',schooner ,dunedin1 #fj     
tons4  ',in sight of ,erromango1 ,new   
,hebrides3 ,june #d1 #ahfa4  ',my dear  
,tutor1--,naturally ,i think of ,eton   
and of you especially to-day4 ,i hope   
you have as fine a day coming on for the
 cricket-match and for ,surley as ,i    
have here4 ,thermometer #ha2 ,tanna and 
,erromango1 with their rugged hilly     
outlines1 breaking the line of the      
bright sparkling horizon4  ',i managed  

to charter the vessel for the voyage    
just in time to escape cold weather in  
,new ,zealand4 ,she is slow1 but sound2 
the captain a teetotaller1 and crew     
respectable in all ways4 ,so the voyage1
 though lengthy1 is pleasant4  ',i have 
some six or seven classes to take1 for  
they speak as many more languages2 and  
,i get a little time for reading and    
writing1 but not much4  ',i need not    
tell you how heavily this new           
responsibility presses on me1 as ,i see 
the islands opening1 and at present feel
 how very difficult it must be to obtain
 men to occupy this opening--  ',true1  
we have not to contend with subtle and  
highly-elaborated systems of false      
religion4 ,it is the ignorantia purae   
negationis1 comparatively speaking1 in  
some of the islands2 yet1 generally1    
there is a settled system of some kind  
observed among them1 and in the ,banks  
,islands1 an extraordinarily developed  
religion1 which enters into every detail
 of social and domestic life1 and is    

mixed up with the daily life of every   
person in the archipelago4  ',i think1  
therefore1 that men are needed who have 
what ,i may call strong religious common
 sense to adapt ,christianity to the    
wants of the various nations that live  
in ,melanesia1 without compromising any 
truth of doctrine or principle of       
conduct--men who can see1 in the midst  
of the errors and superstitions of a    
people1 whatever fragment of truth or   
symptom of a yearning after something   
better may exist among them1 and make   
that the point d'appui1 upon which they 
may build up the structure of ,christian
 teaching4 ,men1 moreover1 of industry  
they must be1 for it is useless to talk 
of picking up languages4 ,of course1 in 
a few days a man may learn to talk      
superficially and inaccurately on a few 
subjects2 but to teach ,christianity1 a 
man must know the language well1 and    
this is learnt only by hard work4       
',then1 again1 unless a man can dispense
 with what we ordinarily call comfort or

 luxuries to a great extent1 and knock  
about anywhere in ,melanesian huts1 he  
can hardly do much work in this         
,mission4 ,the climate is so warm that1 
to my mind1 it quite supplies the place 
of the houses1 clothing1 and food of old
 days1 yet a man cannot accommodate     
himself to it all at once4 ,i don't say 
that it came naturally to me five years 
ago1 as it does now1 when ,i feel at    
home anywhere1 and cease to think it odd
 to do things which1 ,i suppose1 you    
would think very extraordinary indeed4  
',but most of all--for this makes all   
easy--men are wanted who really do      
desire in their hearts to live for ,god 
and the world to come1 and who have     
really sought to sit very loosely to    
this world4 ,the enjoyment1 and the     
happiness1 and the peace all come1 and  
that abundantly2 but there is a         
condition1 and the first rub is a hard  
one1 and lasts a good while4            
',naturally buoyant spirits1 the gift of
 a merry heart1 are a great help2 for   

oftentimes a man may have to spend      
months without any white man within     
hundreds of miles1 and it is very       
depressing to live alone in the midst of
 heathenism4 ,but there must be many    
many fellows pulling up to ,surley      
to-night who may be well able to pull   
together with one on the ,pacific--young
 fellows whose enthusiasm is not mere   
excitement of animal spirits1 and whose 
pluck and courage are given them to     
stand the roughnesses 7such as they are7
 of a missionary life4 ,for1 dear       
,uncle1 if you ever talk to any old     
pupil of yours about the work1 don't let
 him suppose that it is consistent with 
ease and absence of anxiety and work4   
,when on shore at ,kohimarama1 we live  
very cosily1 as ,i think4 ,some might   
say we have no society1 very simple     
fare1 c42 ,i don't think any man would  
really find it so4 ,but in the islands1 
,i don't wish to conceal from anyone    
that1 measured by the rule of the       
,english gentleman's household1 there is

 a great difference4 ,why should it1    
however1 be measured by this standard8  
,i can truly say that we have hitherto  
always had what is necessary for health1
 and what does one need more8 though ,i 
like more as much as anyone4  ',how you 
will wonder at the news of my           
consecration1 and1 indeed1 well you may6
 ,i would1 indeed1 that there were a    
dozen men out here under whom ,i was    
working1 if only they were such men as  
the ,primate would have chosen to the   
work4  ',but it is done now1 and ,i know
 ,i must not shrink from it4 ,never did 
,i need the love and prayers of my dear 
relations and friends as ,i do now4     
,already difficulties are rising up     
around me1 and ,i am so little fit to be
 a leader of work like this4 ,don't     
forget1 dear ,tutor1 your old pupil1 who
 used to copy the dear ,bishop's letters
 in your study from ,anaiteum1          
,erromango1 c42 and little thought that 
he would write from these islands to    
you1 himself the ,missionary ,bishop4   

',with kind love to all1  ',your loving 
old ,pupil and ,nephew1  ',j4 ,c4       
,,patteson1 ,missionary ,bishop4'       
,this thoughtful and beautiful letter   
was written in sight of ,erromango1 a   
sandal-wood station1 whence a trader    
might be found to take charge of it4    
,the ink was scarcely dry before the    
full cost of carrying the ,gospel among 
the heathen was brought before the      
writer4 ,not only houses and brethren   
must be given up1 but the 'yea and his  
own life also' was now to be exemplified
 almost before his eyes4  ,the          
,erromaugo ,mission1 like that of       
,anaiteum1 came from the ,scottish      
,kirk4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,gordon1 as has   
been seen1 had been visited on every    
voyage of the ',southern ,cross' during 
their three years' residence there1 and 
there was a warm regard between them and
 the ,bishop4 ,it was then a great shock
 to hear a ,nengone man call out from a 
sandal-wood vessel1 lying in ,dillon's  
,bay1 that they had both been killed6   

,it was but too true4 ,the ,erromango   
people had been little inclined to      
listen to ,mr4 ,gordon's warnings1 and  
he1 a young and eager man1 had told them
 that to persevere in their murders and 
idolatries would bring a judgment upon  
them4 ,when therefore the scourge of    
sickness came1 as at ,anaiteum1 they    
connected him with it2 and it was plain 
from his diary that he had for some     
months known his life to be in danger1  
but he had gone about them fearlessly1  
like a brave man1 doing his best for the
 sick4  ,on ,may #bj he was in a little 
wood1 putting up a house instead of one 
that had been blown down by a hurricane1
 and he had sent his few faithful pupils
 to get grass for the thatch4 ,nine     
natives from a village about three      
hours' walk distant came to the house   
where his wife was1 and asked for him4  
,she said he was in the little wood4    
,they went thither1 and while eight hid 
themselves in the bush1 one went forward
 and asked for some calico4 ,mr4 ,gordon

 took a bit of charcoal and wrote on a  
bit of wood directions to his wife to   
give the bearer some cotton1 but the man
 insisted that he must come himself to  
give out some medicine for a sick man4  
,mr4 ,gordon complied1 walking in front 
as far as the place where lay the       
ambush1 when the man struck him with a  
tomahawk on the spine1 and he fell1 with
 a loud scream1 while the others leaping
 out fell upon him with blows that must 
have destroyed life at once1 yelling and
 screaming over him4 ,another went up to
 the house4 ,mrs4 ,gordon had come out1 
asking what the shouts meant4 ',look    
there6' he said1 and as she turned her  
head1 he struck her between the         
shoulders1 and killed her as soon as she
 had fallen4  ,another native had in the
 meantime rushed down the hill to the   
sandal-wood station half a mile off on  
the beach1 and the trader1 arming his   
natives1 came up too late to do more    
than prevent the murderers from carrying
 off the bodies or destroying the house4

 ,the husband and wife were buried in   
the same grave2 the natives fenced it   
round2 and now1 on ,june #g1 eighteen   
days after1 ,bishop ,patteson read the  
,burial ,service over it1 with many     
solemn and anxious thoughts respecting  
the population1 now reduced to #b1ejj1  
and in a very wild condition4  ,at ,mai 
the ,bishop spent two hours the next    
day1 and brought away one old scholar   
and one new one4  ,at ,tariko1 where he 
had been three years before with the    
,primate1 the ,episcopal hat brought the
 greeting ',bishop1' as the people no   
doubt thought the wearer identical4 ,of 
,ambrym there is a characteristic       
sentence3 ',as we left the little rock  
pool where ,i had jumped ashore1        
leaving1 for prudence sake1 the rest    
behind me in the boat1 one man raised   
his bow and drew it1 then unbent it1    
then bent it again1 but apparently      
others were dissuading him from letting 
fly the arrow4 ,the boat was not ten    
yards off1 ,i don't know why he did so2 

but we must try to effect more frequent 
landings4'  ,on ,june #ab ,mota was     
reached1 and the next morning the       
,mission party landed1 warmly welcomed  
by the inhabitants4 ,the house was found
 safely standing and nearly             
weather-proof4  ',june #acth4--,this    
morning ,i put up the framework for     
another small house1 where ,i shall put 
,wadrokala1 his child-wife1 and many of 
our boxes4 ,we had to carry up the      
timber first from the beach1 and it was 
rather hot work1 as also the            
carpentering1 as ,i chose a place for   
the house where no falling bread-fruit  
or branches of trees would hurt it1 and 
the sun was so hot that it almost burnt 
my hand when ,i took up a handful of    
nails that had been lying for ten       
minutes in the sun4 ,so our picnic life 
begins again1 and that favourably4 ,i   
feel the enjoyment of the glorious view 
and climate1 and my dear lads1 ,tagalana
 and ,parenga1 from ,bauro1 are with me1
 the rest in ,port ,patteson1 c41 coming

 over in the vessel to-morrow1 which ,i 
shall then discharge4 ,i see that the   
people are very friendly2 they all speak
 of your bread-fruit tree1 your         
property4 ,the house had not been       
entered1 a keg of nails inside it not   
touched4  ',tagalana's father is dead4  
,his first words to me were1 ,oh that   
the ,word of ,god had come in old times 
to ,mota1 ,i should not then cry so much
 about him4 ,yes1 it is true1 ,i know1  
,i must be thankful it is come now1 and 
,i must remember that1 and try to help  
others who may die too before they      
believe it4  ',yes1 ,i am quite your    
child now6 ,yes1 one ,father for us all 
in ,heaven4 ,you my father here6 ,yes1  
,i stop always with you1 unless you send
 me away4 ,they ask me with whom ,i     
shall live now2 ,i say with the ,bishop4
  ',how ,i was praising and rejoicing in
 my heart as the dear boy was speaking3 
,yes1 ,i am feeling calm again now4     
,when people die at ,mota1 you know they
 make a great shouting1 but soon forget 

the dead person4 ,but ,i am able to be  
quiet and calm now1 as you talk to me   
about ,god and ,jesus ,christ4 ,yes1 ,he
 rose again4 ,death is not the end4 ,i  
know you said it is for those who repent
 and believe in ,christ the ,door to    
enter into life eternal4 ,how different 
it all seems then6  ',when you read this
 you will say1 ,thank ,god that ,i sent 
him out to ,melanesia with my blessing  
on his head4 ,i too may see ,tagalana   
one day with ,him who is the ,father of 
us all4  ',one soul won to ,christ1 as  
,i hope and believe1 by ,his love and   
power1 and if in any degree by my       
ministry1 to ,god be the praise6'  ,the 
comfort sent home to the sisters with   
the letter respecting this voyage is3-- 
',mota3 ,june #ad1 #ahfa4  ',now1 dear  
,joan1 don't any of you think too much  
about the murder of ,mr4 and ,mrs4      
,gordon1 as if my life was exposed to   
the same kind of risk4  ',certainly it  
is not endangered here4 ,it may be true 
that at places where ,i am not known    

some sudden outbreak may occur2 but     
humanly speaking1 there are not many    
places that as yet ,i am able to visit  
where ,i realise the fact of any danger 
being run4  ',yet it may happen that    
some poor fellow1 who has a good cause  
to think ill of white men1 or some      
mischievous badly disposed man1 may let 
fly a random arrow or spear some day4   
',if so1 you will not so very much      
wonder1 nor be so very greatly grieved4 
,every clergyman runs at least as great 
a risk among the small-pox and fevers of
 town parishes4 ,think of ,uncle ,james 
in the cholera at ,thorverton4'  ,so    
with the ',dunedin' dismissed1 ,bishop  
,patteson1 ,mr4 ,pritt1 ,mr4 ,kerr1 and 
their pupils recommenced their residence
 at ,mota4 ,the ,banks ,islanders       
returned to their homes2 and when the   
,bishop came to ,aroa1 ,tagalana's      
native place1 three weeks lately the    
little fellow received him              
affectionately1 cooked yams1 fetched    
mats1 and was not ashamed before his own

 people to kneel down1 and join audibly 
in hymn and prayer4 ,the people begged  
for ,wadrokala or some other teacher to 
be placed among them4 ,the ,journal     
continues3--  ',on ,friday1 at #h4cj1 ,i
 started1 not quite knowing whither ,i  
should go1 but soon saw that ,i could   
fetch round the south end of ,vanua     
,lava1 which was well4 ,the sea1 when it
 comes through the passage between ,mota
 and ,valua1 is heavy1 but the boat had 
great way on her1 sailing very fast1 so 
that ,i could steer her well1 and we did
 not take very long crossing to the     
small reef islands4 ,i passed between   
,pakea and ,vanua ,lava 7,dudley        
,passage71 and then we had unexpectedly 
a very heavy sea1 a strong tide up4 ,i  
did not like it1 but1 thank ,god1 all   
went well4 ,one very heavy sea in       
particular ,i noticed1 which broke some 
twenty yards ahead1 and about the same  
distance astern of us1 while the exact  
part of it which came down upon us was  
only a black wall of water1 over which  

we rode lightly and dry4 ,i think that  
it might have swamped us had it broken  
upon the boat4 ,my boat is an open      
four-oared one1 #bf feet long1 and about
 five wide1 strong but light4 ,she sails
 admirably with a common lug sail4 ,i   
had one made last summer1 very large1   
with two reefs1 so that ,i can reduce it
 to as small a sail as ,i please4 ,by #d
 or #e ,p4,m4 ,i neared ,aruas1 in the  
bay on the west side of ,vanua ,lava2   
the same crowd as usual on the beach1   
but ,i did not haul the boat up4 ,i had 
a grapnel1 and dropped it some fifty    
yards from the beach4  ',somehow ,i did 
not much like the manner of some of the 
people2 they did not at night come into 
the ,ogamal1 or men's common eating and 
sleeping house1 as before1 and ,i       
overheard some few remarks which ,i did 
not quite like--something about the     
unusual sickness being connected with   
this new teaching--,i could not be quite
 sure1 as ,i do not know the dialect of 
,aruas4 ,there were1 however1 several   

who were very friendly1 and the great   
majority were at least quiet1 and left  
us to ourselves4 ,the next morning ,i   
started at about eight1 buying two small
 pigs for two hatchets1 and yams and    
taro and dried bread-fruit for          
fish-hooks4 ,i gave one young man a     
piece of iron for his attention to us4  
,as we pulled away1 one elderly man drew
 his bow1 and the women and children ran
 off into the bush1 here1 as everywhere 
almost in these islands1 growing quite  
thickly some twenty yards above         
high-water mark4 ,the man did not let   
fly his arrow3 ,i cannot tell why this  
small demonstration took place4'  ,when 
an arrow was pointed at him1 it was     
,bishop ,patteson's custom to look the  
archer full in the face with his bright 
smile1 and in many more cases than are  
here hinted at1 that look of cheery     
confidence and good-will made the weapon
 drop4  ,after a few more visits to the 
coasts of this archipelago the boat     
returned to ,mota1 where ,mr4 ,pritt and

 ,mr4 ,kerr had kept school every day1  
besides getting the station into        
excellent order and beauty4 ,their      
presence at the head-quarters left the  
,bishop free to circulate in the        
villages1 sleeping in the ,ogamals1     
where he could collect the men4 ,they   
always seemed pleased and interested1   
and their pugnacious habits were        
decidedly diminishing1 though their     
superstitious practices and observances 
were by no means dropped4  ,the ,diary1 
on ,july #bd1 thus speaks of the way of 
life2 which1 however1 was again telling 
on the health of the party3--  ',i am so
 accustomed to sleeping about anywhere  
that ,i take little or no account of    
thirty1 forty1 fifty naked fellows1     
lying1 sitting1 sleeping round me4      
,someone brings me a native mat1 someone
 else a bit of yam2 a third brings a    
cocoa-nut2 so ,i get my supper1 put down
 the mat 7like a very thin door-mat7 on 
the earth1 roll up my coat for a pillow1
 and make a very good night of it4 ,i   

have had deafness in my right ear again 
for some days2 no pain with it1 but it  
is inconvenient4  ',several of our lads 
have had attacks of fever and ague2     
,wadrokala and his child of a wife1     
,bum1 a ,bauro boy1 c4 ,the island is   
not at all unhealthy1 but natives cannot
 be taught caution4 ,i1 thank ,god1 am  
in robust health1 very weather-beaten4  
,i think my ,bishop's dress would look  
quite out of keeping with such a face   
and pair of hands6  ',there is much as  
usual in such cases to encourage and to 
humble us4 ,some few people seem to be  
in earnest4 ,the great majority do their
 best to make me think they are         
listening4 ,meanwhile1 much goes on in  
the island as of old4  ',sunday1 ,july  
#bhth1 #aa4de ,a4,m4--,i have much      
anxiety just now4 ,at this moment       
,wadrokala is in an ague fit1 five or   
six others of my party kept going by    
quinine and port wine1 and one or other 
sickening almost daily4 ,henry          
,hrahuena1 of ,lifu1 ,i think dying1    

from what ,i know not--,i think         
inflammation of the brain1 induced      
possibly by exposure to the sun1 though 
,i have not seen him so exposed1 and it 
is a thing ,i am very careful about with
 them4 ,i do what ,i can in following   
the directions of medical books1 but it 
is so hard to get a word from a native  
to explain symptoms1 c42 besides1 my ear
 is now1 like last year1 really painful2
 and for two nights ,i have had little  
sleep1 and feel stupid1 and getting a   
worn-out feeling4 ,with all this1 ,i am 
conscious that it is but a temporary    
depression1 a day or two may bring out  
the bright colours again4 ,henry may    
recover by ,god's mercy1 the boys become
 hearty again2 my ear get right4 ,at    
present ,i feel that ,i must rub on as  
,i can1 from hour to hour4  ',if ,i find
 from experience that natives of        
,melanesia1 taken to a different island1
 however fertile1 dry1 and apparently   
healthy1 do seem to be affected by it1  
,i must modify my plans1 try as soon as 

possible to have more winter schools1   
and1 what is of more consequence1 ,i    
must reconsider the whole question of   
native teachers4 ,if a great amount of  
sickness is to be the result of         
gathering scholars around me at an      
island1 ,i could do1 perhaps1 more      
single-handed1 in health1 and with no   
one to look after1 than with twenty     
fellows of whom half are causing        
continual anxiety on the score of       
health4 ,now were ,i alone1 ,i should be
 as brisk as a bee1 but ,i feel weighed 
down somewhat with the anxiety about all
 these fellows about me4  ',i must      
balance considerations1 and think it    
out4 ,it requires great attention4 ,it  
is at times like these that ,i          
experience some trials4 ,usually my life
 is1 as you know1 singularly free from  
them4  ',july #cast4--,henry died on    
,sunday about #d ,a4,m4 ,wadrokala is   
better4 ,the boys are all better4 ,i    
have had much real pain and weariness   
from sleepless nights1 owing to the     

small tumour in my ear4 ,what a sheet of
 paper for you to read6 ,and yet it is  
not so sad either4 ,the boys were       
patient and good2 ,wadrokala takes his  
ague attacks like a man2 and about      
,henry ,i had great comfort4  ',he was  
about eighteen or nineteen1 as ,i       
suppose1 the son of the great enchanter 
in ,lifu in old times--the hereditary   
high priest of ,lifu indeed4 ,he was a  
simple-minded1 gentle1 good fellow1 not 
one probably who would have been able to
 take a distinct line as a teacher1 yet 
he might have done good service with a  
good teacher4 ,we found that afternoon a
 slate on which he had written down some
 thoughts when first taken ill1 showing 
that he felt that he was sick unto      
death4 ,very full of comfort were his   
written as well as his spoken words4'   
,on ,august #a1 while the ,bauro        
scholars were writing answers to        
questions on the ,lord's ,prayer1 a     
party of men and women arrived1 headed  
by a man with a native scarf over his   

shoulders4 ,they had come to be taught1 
bringing provisions with them1 and      
eating them1 men and women together1 a  
memorable infringement of one of the    
most unvarying customs of the ,banks    
inhabitants2 and from the conversation  
with them and with others1 ,bishop      
,patteson found that the work of        
breaking down had been attained1 that of
 building up had to be begun4 ,they must
 learn that leaving off heathen         
practices was not the same thing as     
adopting the religion of ,christ1 and   
the kind of work which external         
influences had cut short in ,lifu had to
 be begun with them4  ',soon1 ,i think1 
the great difficulty must be met in     
,mota of teaching the ,christian's      
social and domestic life to people      
disposed to give up much of their old   
practices4 ,this is the point at which  
,i suppose most ,missions have broken   
down4 ,it is a great blessing indeed to 
reach it1 but the building up of        
converts is the harder work4 ,here1 for 

example1 a population of #a1ejj people2 
at present they know all that is        
necessary for the cultivation of yams1  
c41 they build houses sufficient for the
 purpose of their present life1 they are
 giving up fighting1 losing-faith in    
their old charms and contrivances for   
compassing the death of their enemies2  
they will very likely soon be at peace  
throughout the whole island4 ,well1     
then1 they will be very idle1 talk      
infinite scandal1 indulge in any amount 
of gluttony2 professing to believe our  
religion1 their whole life will         
contradict that profession1 unless their
 whole social and domestic life be      
changed1 and a new character infused    
into them4 ,it would be a great mistake 
to suppose that the ,english aspect of  
the ,christian's social life is         
necessarily adapted to such races as    
these4 ,the ,oriental tendencies of     
their minds1 the wholly different       
circumstances of their lives1 climate1  
absence of all poverty or dependence    

upon others1 c41 will prevent them from 
ever becoming a little ,english         
community2 but not1 ,i trust1 their     
becoming a ,christian community4 ,but   
how shall ,i try to teach them to become
 industrious1 persevering1 honest1 tidy1
 clean1 careful with children1 and all  
the rest of it8 ,what a different thing 
from just going about and teaching them 
the first principles of ,christianity6  
,the second stage of a ,mission is the  
really difficult one4'  ,a few days     
after the foregoing observations were   
written1 ,h4,m4,s4 ',cordelia1' a war   
steamer1 entered ,port ,patteson1 and   
,captain ,hume himself came across by   
boat to ,mota1 to communicate to ,bishop
 ,patteson his instructions to offer him
 a cruise in the vessel1 render him any 
assistance in his power in the ,solomon 
,islands1 and return him to any island  
he might desire4 ,letters from the      
,primate assumed that the proposal      
should be accepted2 it was an           
opportunity of taking home the ,bauro   

and ,grera boys2 moreover there was a   
quarrel between ,english and natives to 
be enquired into at ,ysabel ,island1    
where the ,bishop could be useful as    
interpreter2 and1 as he could leave his 
two friends to carry on the school at   
,mota1 he went on board1 and very good  
it was for him1 in the depressed state  
of health brought on by rude bed and    
board1 to be the guest on board a       
,queen's ship and under good medical    
care4  ,for the ',cordelia' had brought 
out the letters which gave the first    
intimation of his father's state2 and   
without the privacy1 and freedom from   
toil and responsibility1 he could hardly
 have borne up under the blow4 ,the     
first day was bad enough3 'a long busy  
day on shore with just one letter read1 
and the dull heavy sensation of an agony
 that was to come1 as soon as ,i could  
be alone to think4' ,arrangements had to
 be made2 and there was not one solitary
 moment till #i ,p4,m4 in the cabin when
 this loving and beloved son could shut 

himself in1 kneel down1 and recover     
composure to open the two letters in his
 father's hand4  ,he wrote it all--his  
whole heart--as of old to the father who
 had ever shared his inmost thoughts3-- 
',it may be that as ,i write1 your      
blessed spirit1 at rest in ,paradise1   
may know me more truly than ever you did
 on earth2 and yet the sorrow of knowing
 how bitter it is within may never be   
permitted to ruffle your everlasting    
peace4  ',i may never see you on earth4 
,all thought of such a joy is gone4 ,i  
did really cling to it 7,i see it now7  
when most ,i thought ,i was quite       
content to wait for the hope of the     
great meeting4 ,i will try to remember  
and to do what you say about all        
business matters4  ',i will pray ,god to
 make me more desirous and more able to 
follow the holy example you leave       
behind4 ,oh that the peace of ,god may  
be given to me also when ,i come to die2
 though how may ,i dare to hope for such
 an end1 so full of faith and love and  

the patient waiting for ,christ6  ',i   
must go on with my work4 ,this very     
morning ,i was anxious1 passing shoal   
water with the captain and master beside
 me1 and appealing to me as pilot4 ,i   
must try to be of some use in the ship4 
,i must try to turn to good account     
among the islands this great            
opportunity4 ,probably elasticity of    
mind will come again now for very pain  
of body4 ,oh6 how much more sorrow and  
heavy weight on my heart6 ,i am quite   
worn out and weary4 ,it seems as if the 
light were taken from me1 as if it was  
no longer possible to work away so      
cheerily when ,i no longer have you to  
write to about it all1 no longer your   
approval to seek1 your notice to obtain4
  ',i must go on writing to you1 my own 
dearest ,father1 even as ,i go on       
praying for you4 ,it is a great comfort 
to me1 though ,i feel that in all human 
probability you are to be thought of now
 as one of the blessed drawn wholly     
within the veil4 ,oh6 that we may all   

dwell together hereafter for ,his       
blessed sake who died for us4 ,now more 
than ever your loving and dutiful ,son1'
 c4  ,such another letter was written to
 his sister ,fanny2 but it is dated four
 days later1 when he was better in      
health1 and was somewhat recovered from 
the first shock2 besides which1 he felt 
his office of comforter when writing to 
her4 ,so the letter is more cheerful1   
and is a good deal taken up with the    
endeavour to assure the sisters of his  
acquiescence in whatever scheme of life 
they might adopt1 and willingness that1 
if it were thought advisable1 ,feniton  
,court should be sold4 ',this is all    
cold and heartless1' he says1 'but ,i   
must try and make my view pretty clear4'
 ,towards the end occurs the            
following3--  ',last night1 my slight   
feverish attack over1 my ears           
comfortable1 with the feeling of health 
and ease returning1 ,i lay awake1       
thought of dear ,uncle ,frank1 and then 
for a long time of dear ,mamma4 ,how    

plainly ,i saw her face1 and dear dear  
,uncle ,james1 and ,i wondered whether  
dear dear ,father was already among them
 in ,paradise4 ,it is not often that ,i 
can fasten down my mind to think        
continuously upon those blessed ones2 ,i
 am too tired1 or too busy2 and this    
climate1 you know1 is enervating4 ,but  
last night ,i was very happy1 and seemed
 to be very near them4 ,the ,evening    
,lesson set me off1 #a ,john iii4 ,how  
wonderful it is6 ,but all the evening ,i
 had been reading my book of ,prayers   
and ,meditations4 ,do you know1 ,fan1 at
 times the thought comes upon me with a 
force almost overpowering1 that ,i am a 
,bishop2 and that ,i must not shrink    
from believing that ,i am called to a   
special work4 ,i don't think that ,i    
dwell morbidly on this1 but it is an    
awful thought4 ,and then ,i feel just   
the same as of old1 and don't reach out 
more1 or aim more earnestly at amendment
 of life and strive after fresh degrees 
of enlightenment and holiness4 ,but     

probably ,i have to learn the lesson1   
which it may be only sickness will teach
 me1 of patient waiting1 that ,god will 
accomplish ,his own work in ,his own    
time4'  ,some of this is almost too     
sacred for publication1 and yet it is   
well that it should be seen how         
realising the ,communion of ,saints     
blessed the solitary man who had given  
up home4 ,the next letter is to ,sir ,j4
 ,t4 ,coleridge3--   ',h4,m4,s4         
,cordelia1 ,september #aa1 #ahfa4  ',my 
dearest ,uncle1--,it is now nearly five 
weeks since ,i learnt from my letters of
 ,march and ,april1 brought to me by    
this ship1 the very precarious state of 
my dear ,father4  ',he has never missed 
a mail since we have been parted1 never 
once2 and he wrote as he always did both
 in ,march and ,april4 ,i had read a    
letter from the good ,primate first2    
because ,i had to make up my mind       
whether ,i could1 as ,i was desired1    
take a cruise in this vessel2 and in his
 letter ,i heard of my dear ,father's   

state4 ,with what reverence ,i opened   
his letters6 ,with what short earnest   
prayers to ,god that ,i might have      
strength supplied and resignation ,i had
 kept them till the last4 ,all day at   
,mota ,i had been too busy to read any  
but the ,primate's letters4 ,i had many 
matters to arrange444and it was not     
until night that ,i could quietly read  
my letters in the captain's cabin4 ,my  
dear ,father's words seem to come to me 
like a voice from another world4 ,i     
think from what he says1 and what they  
all say1 that already he has departed to
 be with ,christ4  ',i think of him and 
my dear mother1 and those dear uncles   
,james and ,frank1 so specially dear to 
me1 and others gone before4 ,i think of 
all that he has been to me1 and yet how 
can ,i be unhappy8 ,the great shock to  
me was long overpast3 it is easy for me 
to dwell on his gain rather than my     
loss2 yet how ,i shall miss his wise    
loving letters and all the unrestrained 
delights of our correspondence4  ',it is

 not with me as with those dear sisters1
 or with old ,jem4 ,theirs is the       
privilege of witnessing the beauty and  
holiness of his life to the end2 and    
theirs the sorrow of learning to live   
without him4 ,yet ,i feel that the      
greatest perhaps of all the pleasures of
 this life is gone4 ,how ,i did delight 
in writing to him and seeking his       
approval of what ,i was about6 ,how ,i  
read and re-read his letters1 entering  
so entirely into my feelings1           
understanding me so well in my life1 so 
strangely different from what it used to
 be4  ',well1 it should make me feel    
more than ever that ,i have but one     
thing to live for--the good1 if so it   
may please ,god1 of these ,melanesian   
islands4  ',i cannot say1 for you will  
like to know my feelings1 that ,i felt  
so overwhelmed with this news as not to 
be able to go about my usual business4  
,yet the rest on board the vessel has   
been very grateful to me4 ,the quiet    
cheerfulness and briskness will all come

 again1 as ,i think2 and yet ,i think   
too that ,i shall be an older and more  
thoughtful man by reason of this4       
',there has been reported a row at      
,ysabel ,island1 one of the ,solomon    
group1 eighteen months ago4 ,this       
vessel1 a screw steamer1 ten guns and a 
large pivot gun1 came to enquire1 with  
orders from the ,commodore of the       
station to call at ,mota and see me1 and
 request me to go with the vessel if ,i 
could find time to do so2 adding that   
the vessel was to take me to any island 
which ,i might wish to be returned to4  
,now ,i have long wished to indoctrinate
 captains of men-of-war with our notions
 of the right way to settle disputes    
between natives and traders4 ,secondly1 
,i had a passage free with my ,solomon  
,islanders1 and consequently all        
,october and half ,november ,i may      
devote to working up carefully 7,d4,v47 
the ,banks and ,new ,hebrides group     
without being under the necessity of    
going down to the ,solomon ,islands4    

,thirdly1 ,i had an opportunity of going
 further to the westward than ,i had    
ever been before1 and of seeing new     
ground4 ,fourthly1 the ,primate1 ,i     
found1 assumed that ,i should go4 ,so   
here ,i am1 in great clover1 of course3 
the change from ,mota to man-of-war life
 being amusing enough4 ,barring some    
illness1 slight attacks of fever1 ,i    
have enjoyed myself very much4 ,the     
seeing ,ysabel ,island is a real gain4  
,i had time to acquire some #bjj words  
and phrases of the language1 which      
signify to me a great deal more4 ,the   
language is a very remarkable one1 very 
,polynesian2 yet in some respects       
distinguished from the ,polynesian1 and 
most closely related to ,melanesian     
dialects4  ',i need not enter into all  
this4 ,it is my business1 you know1 to  
work at such things1 and a word or two  
often tells me now a good deal of the   
secrets of a language--the prominent    
forms1 affixes1 c41 c42 the way in which
 it is linked on to other dialects by   

peculiar terminations1 the law by which 
the transposition of vowels and         
consonants is governed in general4 ,all 
these things soon come out1 so ,i am    
very sanguine about soon1 if ,i live1   
seeing my way in preparing the way for  
future missionaries in the far ,west4   
',but ,i must not forget that ,i have   
some islands to visit in the next month 
or two where the people are very wild1  
so that ,i of all people have least     
reason to speculate about what ,i may   
hope to do a year hence4  ',the real    
anxiety is in the making up my own mind 
whether or not ,i ought to lower the    
boat in such a sea way2 whether or not  
,i ought to swim ashore among these     
fellows crowded there on the narrow     
beach1 c4  ',when my mind is made up1 it
 is not so difficult then4 ,but1 humanly
 speaking1 there are but few islands now
 where ,i realise the fact of there     
being any risk2 at very many ,i land    
with confidence4 ,yet ,i could          
enumerate1 ,i dare say1 five-and-twenty 

which we have not visited at all1 or not
 regularly2 and where ,i must be        
careful1 as also in visiting different  
parts of islands already known to us in 
part4 ,poor poor people1 who can see    
them and not desire to make known to    
them the words of life8 ,i may never    
forget the ,bishop's words in the       
,consecration ,service3--,your office is
 in the highest sense to preach the     
,gospel to the poor2 and then his eye   
glanced over the row of ,melanesians    
sitting near me4  ',how strange that ,i 
can write all this1 when one heavy sense
 of trouble is hanging vaguely over me4 
,and yet you will be thankful that ,i   
can think1 as ,i trust1 heartily of my  
work1 and that my interest is in no way 
lessened4 ,it ought to be increased4    
,yet ,i scarce realise the fact of being
 a ,bishop1 though again it does not    
seem unnatural4 ,i can't explain what ,i
 mean4 ,i suppose the fact that ,i knew 
for so long before that it must come    
some day if ,i lived1 makes the         

difference now4  ',i don't think1       
however1 that your words will come true 
of my appearing in shovel hat1 c41 at   
,heath's ,court some fine day4 ,it is   
very improbable that ,i shall ever see  
the northern hemisphere1 unless ,i see  
it in the longitude of ,new ,guinea4    
',i must try to send a few island shells
 to ,m----1 ,b----1 and ,co42 those     
little ones must not grow up1 and ,i am 
sure that you all do not suffer them to 
grow up1 without knowing something about
 old cousin ,coley tumbling about in a  
little ship 7albeit at present in a war 
steamer7 at the other end of the world4 
,seriously1 dear ,uncle1 as they grow   
older1 it may be some help for them to  
hear of these poor ,melanesians1 and of 
our personal intercourse with them1 so  
to speak4  ',i have but little hope of  
hearing1 if ,i return safe to ,new      
,zealand at the end of ,november1 that  
this disastrous war is over4 ,i fear    
that the original error has been        
overlaid by more recent events1         

forgotten amongst them4 ,the ,maori must
 suffer1 the country must suffer4       
,confession of a fault in an individual 
is wrong in a ,state2 indeed1 the rights
 of the case are1 and perhaps must be1  
unknown to people at a distance4 ,we    
have no difficulty here in exposing the 
fallacies and duplicities of the authors
 of the war1 but we can't expect 7and ,i
 see that it must be so7 people in      
,england to understand the many details4
 ,to begin with1 a man must know1 and   
that well1 ,maori customs1 their        
national feeling1 c4 ,it is all known to
 ,one above1 and that is our only hope  
now4 ,may ,he grant us peace and wisdom 
for the time to come6  ',i have been    
reading ,helps again this voyage1 a     
worthy book1 and specially interesting  
to me4 ,how much there is ,i shall be   
glad to read about4 ,what an age it is6 
,america1 how is that to end8 ,india1   
,china1 ,japan1 ,africa6 ,i have        
,jowett's books and ,essays and         
,reviews4 ,how much ,i should like to   

talk with you and ,john1 in an evening  
at ,heath's ,court1 about all that such 
books reveal of ,intellectualism at     
home4 ,one does feel that there is      
conventionalism and unreality in the    
hereditary passive acceptance of much   
that people think they believe4 ,but how
 on ,jowett's system can we have        
positive teaching at all8 ,can the thing
 denoted by entering into the mind of   
,christ or ,st4 ,paul be substituted for
 teaching the ,catechism8  ',not so1    
writes my dear ,father in the depth of  
his humility and simplicity1 writing to 
me what a father could scarcely say to a
 son6 ,but our peculiar circumstances   
have brought this blessing to me1 that  
,i think he has often so reamed out his 
heart to me in the warmth of his love to
 a son he was never again to see in the 
body1 that ,i know him better even than 
,i should have done had ,i remained at  
home4  ',so wonderful was my dearest    
,father's calmness when he wrote on the 
#bdth of ,april1 that if he was alive to

 write again in ,may1 ,i think it not   
impossible that he may allude to these  
matters4 ,if so1 what golden words to be
 treasured up by me6 ,i have all his    
letters4 ,you will see1 or have seen him
 laid by my dear ,mother's side4 ,they  
dwell together now with ,him in         
,paradise4  ',good-bye1 my dearest      
,uncle4 ,should ,god spare your life1 my
 letters will be more frequent to you   
now4  ',my kindest love to ,aunt4       
',your affectionate and grateful        
,nephew1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson1          
,missionary ,bishop4'   ,there is little
 more record of this voyage4 ,there was 
less heart and spirit than usual for the
 regular journalizing letter2 but the   
five weeks' voyage had been most        
beneficial in restoring health and      
energy1 and it had one very important   
effect upon the ,mission1 for it was    
here that ,lieutenant ,capel ,tilly1    
,r4,n41 became so interested in the     
,mission and its head1 as to undertake  
the charge of the future ',southern     

,cross4' ,the ',cordelia' was about to  
return to ,england1 where1 after she was
 paid off1 ,mr4 ,tilly would watch over 
the building of the new vessel on a     
slightly larger scale than the first1   
would bring her out to ,kohimarama1 and 
act as her captain4  ,so great a boon as
 his assistance did much to cheer and   
encourage the ,bishop1 who was quite    
well again when he landed at ,mota on   
,september #ag1 and found ,mr4 ,pritt   
convalescent after a touch of ague1 and 
,mr4 ,kerr so ill as to be glad to avail
 himself of ,captain ,hume's kind offer 
to take him back to ,auckland in the    
',cordelia4'  ,probably all were        
acclimatised by this time1 for we hear  
of no more illness before the ',sea     
,breeze1' with ,mr4 ,dudley1 came1 on   
the #ajth of ,october1 to take the party
 off4  ,he says3--',the ,bishop and ,mr4
 ,pritt both looked pale and worn4      
,there were1 however1 signs in the      
island of a great advance in the state  
of things of the previous year4 ,an     

admirable schoolroom had been built2 and
 in the open space cleared in front of  
it1 every evening some hundred people   
would gather1 the older ones chatting1  
the younger ones being initiated in the 
mysteries of leap-frog1 wrestling1 and  
other ,english games1 until prayer time1
 when all stood in a circle1 singing a  
,mota hymn1 and the ,bishop prayed with 
and for them4  ',that voyage was not a  
long one4 ,we did not go to the ,solomon
 ,islands and the groups to the north1  
but we worked back through the ,new     
,hebrides1 carefully visiting them4'    
,mr4 ,dudley had brought letters that   
filled the ,bishop's heart to           
overflowing1 and still it was to his    
father that he wrote3 ',it seems as if  
you had lived to see us all1 as it were1
 fixed in our several positions1 and    
could now depart in peace1 according to 
,his word4'  ,the agony and bitterness  
seem to have been met and struggled     
through1 as it were1 in those first days
 on board the ',cordelia4' ,in this     

second letter there is infinite peace   
and thankfulness2 and so there still    
was1 when1 at ,norfolk ,island1 the     
tidings of the good old man's death met 
him1 as described in the ensuing        
letter3--   ',sea ,breeze1 one hundred  
miles south-east of ,norfolk ,island3 #h
 ,a4,m4  ',my dearest ,sisters1--,joy   
and grief were strangely mingled        
together while ,i was on shore in       
,norfolk ,island1 from #f ,p4,m4        
,saturday to #h ,p4,m4 ,sunday          
7yesterday74  ',i was sitting with ,mr4 
,nobbs 7,benjamin ,dudley the only other
 person present7 when he said1 ,we have 
seen in our papers from ,sydney the news
 of the death of your revered ,father4  
,he concluded that ,i must have known of
 it4  ',how wonderful it seems to me    
that it did not come as a great shock4  
,i showed by my face 7naturally7 that ,i
 had not known before that ,god had     
taken him unto ,himself1 but ,i could   
answer quite calmly1 ,i thank ,god4 ,do 
not be distressed at telling me         

suddenly1 as you see you have done      
inadvertently4 ,i knew he could not live
 long4 ,we all knew that he was only    
waiting for ,christ4  ',and1 dear dear  
,john and ,fan1 how merciful ,god has   
been6 ,the last part of his letter to   
me1 of date ,june #be1 only three days  
before his call came1 so that ,i know   
7and praise ,god for it7 that he was    
spared protracted suffering4 ,shall ,i  
desire or wish to be more sorry than ,i 
am8 ,shall ,i try to make myself grieve1
 and feel unhappy8 ,oh1 no2 it is of    
,god's great mercy that ,i still feel   
happy and thankful1 for ,i cannot doubt 
the depth of my love to him who has     
indeed been1 and that more than ever of 
late1 the one to whom ,i clung in the   
world4  ',i could be quiet at night1    
sleeping in ,mr4 ,nobbs's house1 and yet
 ,i could not at once compose myself to 
think it all over1 as ,i desired to do4 
,and then ,i had much to do1 and here   
was the joy mingling with the sorrow4   
',for the ,norfolk ,island people have  

come to see how wise was the ,primate's 
original plan1 and now they much desire 
to connect themselves more closely with 
the ,mission4  ',mr4 and ,mrs4 ,nobbs   
desire their son ,edwin1 who was two    
years at the ,governor's at ,sydney1 and
 is now eighteen and a half years old1  
to be given wholly to us4444 ,so said   
,simon ,young of his boy ,fisher1 and so
 did three others4 ,all spoke simply1   
and without excitement1 but with deep   
feeling4 ,i thought it right to say that
 they should remain at ,norfolk ,island 
at present1 that we all might prove them
 whether they were indeed bent upon this
 work1 that we might be able to trust   
that ,god had indeed called them4 ,to   
the lads ,i said1 ,this is a            
disappointment1 ,i know1 but it is good 
for you to have to bear trials4 ,you    
must take time to count the cost4 ,it is
 no light thing to be called to the work
 of a teacher among the heathen4 ,in    
giving up your present wish to go       
immediately1 you are obeying your       

parents and others older than           
yourselves1 and your cheerful obedience 
to them is the best evidence that you   
wish to act upon a sense of duty1 and   
not only from impulse2 but don't think  
,i wish to discourage you4 ,i thank ,him
 who has put the good desire into your  
hearts4 ,prove yourselves now by special
 prayer and meditation4  ',then came the
 happy1 blessed service1 the whole      
population present1 every confirmed     
person communicating1 my voice trembling
 at the ,fifth ,commandment and the end 
of the ,prayer for the ,church          
,militant1 my heart very full and       
thankful4 ,i preached to them extempore1
 as one can preach to no other          
congregation1 from the lesson1 ,,jesus  
gone to be the guest of a man that is a 
sinner1 the consequences that would     
result in us from ,his vouchsafing to   
tabernacle among us1 and1 as displayed  
in the ,parable of the ,pounds1 the use 
of ,god's gifts of health1 influence1   
means2 then1 specifying the use of      

,god's highest gifts of children to be  
trained to ,his glory1 quoting #a       
,samuel i4 #bg1 #bh1 lent to the ,lord1 
,i spoke with an earnestness that felt  
strange to me at the time4  ',simon     
,young said afterwards3 ,my wife could  
not consent months ago to ,fisher's     
going away1 but she has told me now that
 she consents4 ,she can't withhold him  
with the thought of holy ,hannah in her 
mind4 ,and ,i felt as if ,i might apply 
7though not in the first sense7 the     
prophecy ,instead of thy fathers1 thou  
shalt have children4  ',to add to all1  
,mr4 ,nobbs said3 ,i have quite altered 
my mind about the ,melanesian school1 ,i
 quite see that ,i was mistaken2 and the
 people are considering how to connect  
themselves closely with us4  ',you may  
imagine1 dear ,joan1 that joy and grief 
made a strange1 yet not unhappy tumult  
in my mind4 ,i came away at #c ,p4,m4   
7the wind being very fair7 hoping to    
revisit them1 and1 by the ,bishop of    
,tasmania's desire1 hold a confirmation 

in six months' time4 ,how ,i am longing 
to hear the last record of the three    
days intervening between ,june #be and  
#bh1 you may well imagine4444 ,already1 
thank ,god1 four months have passed1 and
 you are recovering from the great      
shock4 ,yours is a far harder trial than
 mine4 ,may ,god comfort and bless us   
all1 and bring us to dwell with our dear
 parents in heaven1 for our blessed     
,lord's sake4  ',your very loving       
,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,and 
this most touching account from within  
is supplemented by the following1 by    
,mr4 ,dudley1 from without3--   ',he    
took it the tidings of his father's     
death quite calmly4 ,evidently it had   
been long expected and prepared for4 ,he
 was even cheerful in his quiet grave   
way4 ,in the evening there was singing  
got up for him by some of the ,norfolk  
,islanders1 in one of the large rooms of
 the old barracks4 ,he enjoyed it2 and  
after it had gone on some time1 he      
thanked them in a few touching words    

that went home1 ,i am sure1 to the      
hearts of many of them1 and then we all 
knelt down1 and he prayed extempore4 ,i 
wish ,i had kept the words of that      
prayer6 ,everyone was affected1 knowing 
what was then occupying his mind1 but we
 were still more so next morning1 at the
 service in church4 ,his voice had that 
peculiarly low and sweet tone which     
always came into it when he was in great
 anxiety or sorrow1 but his appeal to   
the congregation was inspiring to the   
last degree4 ,it was the ,twenty-third  
,sunday after ,trinity1 and the subject 
he took was from the second lesson1 the 
,parable of the ,pounds1 in ,st4 ,luke  
xix41 and so pointed out the            
difficulties between the reception of a 
talent and the use of it4 ,he showed    
that the fact of people's children      
growing up as wild and careless as      
heathen was no proof that no grace had  
been bestowed upon them2 on the         
contrary1 in the baptized it was there1 
but it had never been developed2 and    

then came the emphatic assertion1 ,the  
best way of employing our gifts of      
whatever kind--children1 means1         
position--is by lending them to the     
,lord for ,his service1 and then a      
double blessing will be returned for    
that we give4 ,hannah giving her child  
to the ,lord1 did she repent of it      
afterwards1 think you1 when she saw him 
serving the ,lord1 the one upright man  
of the house of ,israel8'  ,no doubt    
these words were founded on those       
heartfelt assurances which stirred his  
very soul within him that his own father
 had never for a moment regretted or    
mourned over the gift unto the ,lord1   
which had indeed been costly1 but had   
been returned1 'good measure1 pressed   
together1 and flowing over1' in         
blessing6 can ,i grieve and sorrow about
 my dear dear ,father's blessed end8'   
are the words in a letter to myself     
written on the #aith4 ,it further       
contained thanks for a photograph of    
,hursley ,church spire and ,vicarage1   

which had been taken one summer         
afternoon1 at the desire of ,dr4        
,moberly 7the present ,bishop of        
,salisbury71 and of which ,i had begged 
a copy for him4 ',i shall like the      
photograph of ,hursley ,vicarage and    
,church1 the lawn and group upon it4    
,but most shall ,i like to think that   
,mr4 ,keble1 and ,i dare say ,dr4       
,moberly too1 pray for me and this      
,mission4 ,i need the prayers of all    
good people indeed4' ,i quote this      
sentence because it led to a            
correspondence with both ,mr4 ,keble and
 ,dr4 ,moberly1 which was equally prized
 by the holy and humble men of heart who
 wrote and received the letters3--      
',st4 ,andrew's1 ,kohimarama3 ,november 
#bj1 #ahfa4  ',thank you1 my dearest    
,sophy1 for your loving letters1 and all
 your love and devotion to him4  ',i    
fear ,i do not write to those two dear  
sisters of mine as they and you all     
expect and wish4 ,i long to pour it all 
out2 ,i get great relief in talking1 as 

at ,taurarua ,i can talk to the dear    
,judge and ,lady ,martin4 ,she met me   
with a warm loving kiss that was        
intended to be as home-like as possible1
 and for a minute ,i could not speak1   
and then said falteringly1 ,it has been 
all one great mercy to the end4 ,i have 
heard at ,norfolk ,island4 ,but ,i feel 
it still pent up to a great extent1 and 
yet ,i have a great sense of relief4 ,i 
fancy ,i almost hear sometimes the      
laboured breathing1 the sudden stop--the
 thanks be to ,god1 he has entered into 
his rest4  ',what his letters are1 ,i   
cannot even fully say to another1       
perhaps never fully realise myself4     
',as ,i write1 the tears come1 for it   
needs but a little to bring them now1   
though ,i suppose the world without     
thinks that ,i bear up1 and go on       
bravely4  ',but when any little word or 
thought touches the feelings1 the       
sensitive rather than the intellectual  
part of me1 then ,i break down4  ',and  
yet it seems to bring thoughts and hopes

 into more definite shape4 ,how ,i read 
that magnificent last chapter of ,isaiah
 last ,sunday4 ,i seemed to feel my     
whole heart glowing with wonder1 and    
exultation1 and praise4 ,the world      
invisible may well be a reality to us1  
whose dear ones there outnumber now     
those still in the flesh4 ,jem's most   
beautiful1 most intensely affecting     
letter1 with all his thoughtfulness     
about the grave1 c41 fairly upset me4 ,i
 let the ,judge and ,lady ,martin read  
some parts of it1 and they returned it1 
saying it had quite overcome them4 ,now 
all day ,i feel really as much as at    
those moments1 only the special         
circumstances give more expression at   
one time than at another to the inward  
state of mind4  ',how ,i treasure up    
many many of his words and actions6     
',what a history in these words3 ,all   
times of the day are alike to me now2   
getting near1 ,i trust1 the time when it
 will be all day4  ',those are the      
things that break me down4 ,i see his   

dear face1 and hear him slowly and      
calmly saying such words of patient     
trust and faith1 and it is too much4    
,oh6 that ,i might live as the son of   
such parents ought to live6  ',and then 
,i turn to the practical duties again1  
and get lost in the unceasing languages 
and all the rest of it4  ',now          
enough--but ,i write what comes         
uppermost4  ',your loving ,cousin1  ',j4
 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,very soon after the
 return1 on the #fth ,december1 #ahfa1  
an ,ordination was held at ,st4 ,paul's1
 ,auckland1 when the ,primate ordained  
two ,maori deacons1 and ,bishop         
,patteson1 the ,rev4 ,benjamin ,dudley4 
,sir ,william and ,lady ,martin spent   
part of this summer in the little       
cottage at ,kohimarama where the sailing
 master of the late ',southern ,cross'  
had lived3 and again we have to thank   
her for a picture of life at ,st4       
,andrew's4 ,she says3--  ',the new      
settlement was then thought to be       
healthy1 and he and his boys alike      

rejoiced in the warmth of the sheltered 
bay1 after the keenness of the air at   
,st4 ,john's on higher ground4 ,the     
place looked very pretty4 ,the green    
fields and hawthorn hedges and the sleek
 cattle reminded one of ,england4 ,as a 
strong contrast1 there was the white    
shelly beach and yellow sands4 ,here the
 boys sunned themselves in play hours1  
or fished on the rocks1 or cooked their 
fish at drift-wood fires4 ,on calm days 
one or two would skim across the blue   
water in their tiny canoes4 ,one great  
charm of the place was the freedom and  
naturalness of the whole party4 ,there  
was no attempt to force an overstrained 
piety on these wild fellows1 who showed 
their sincerity by coming with the      
,bishop4 ,by five in the morning all    
were astir1 and jokes and laughter and  
shrill unaccountable cries would rouse  
us up1 and go on all day1 save when     
school and chapel came to sober them4   
',the ,bishop had not lost his ,eton    
tastes1 and only liked to see them play 

games1 and the little fat merry-faced   
lads were always on the look-out for a  
bit of fun with him4 ,one evening a     
tea-drinking was given in the hall in   
honour of us4 ,the ,mota boys sung in   
twilight the story of the first arrival 
of the ,mission vessel and of their     
wonder at it4 ,the air1 with a          
monotonous1 not unpleasing refrain1     
reminded us of some old ,french         
,canadian ditties4 ,i remember well the 
excitement when the ,bishop sent up a   
fire balloon4 ,it sailed slowly towards 
the sea1 and down rushed the whole      
,melanesian party1 shrieking with       
delight after it4 ,our dear friend's own
 quarters were very tiny1 and a great   
contrast to his large airy room at ,st4 
,john's4 ,he occupied a corner house in 
the quadrangle1 to be close to the boys4
 ,neither bedroom nor sitting-room was  
more than ten feet square4 ,everything  
was orderly1 as was his wont4           
,photographs of the faces and places he 
loved best hung on the walls4 ,just by  

the door was his standing desk1 with    
folios and lexicons4 ,a table1 covered  
with books and papers in divers         
languages1 and a chair or two1 completed
 his stock of furniture4 ,the door stood
 open all day long in fine weather1 and 
the ,bishop was seldom alone4 ,one or   
other of the boys would steal quietly in
 and sit down4 ,they did not need to be 
amused1 nor did they interrupt his work4
 ,they were quite content to be near    
him1 and to get now and then a kind word
 or a pleasant smile4 ,it was the       
habitual gentle sympathy and            
friendliness on his part that won the   
confidence of the wild timid people who 
had been brought up in an element of    
mistrust1 and which enabled them after a
 while to come and open their hearts to 
him4  ',how vividly the whole scene     
comes back to me as ,i write6 ,the      
,bishop's calm thoughtful face1 the     
dusky lads1 the white-shelled square in 
front1 relieved by a mass of bright     
geraniums or gay creepers1 the little   

bed-room with its camp bed1 and medicine
 bottles and good books1 and1 too often1
 in spite of our loving remonstrances1  
an invalid shivering with ague1 or      
influenza1 in possession4 ,we knew that 
this involved broken nights for him1 and
 a soft board and a rug for a couch4 ,he
 was overtasking his powers during those
 years4 ,he was at work generally from  
five ,a4,m4 to eleven ,p4,m41 and this  
in a close atmosphere2 for both the     
schoolroom and his own house were       
ill-ventilated4 ,he would not spare time
 enough either for regular exercise4 ,he
 had a horse and enjoyed riding1 but he 
grudged the time except when he had to  
come up to town on business or to take  
,sunday services for the ,english in the
 country4 ,it was very natural1 as he   
had all a student's taste for quiet     
study1 yet could only indulge it by     
cutting off his own hours for           
relaxation4 ,he was constantly called   
off during the day to attend to         
practical work1 teaching in school1     

prescribing for and waiting on the sick1
 weighing out medicines1 keeping the    
farm accounts1 besides the night classes
 in several languages4  ',he was really 
never so happy as among his boys or his 
books4 ,he had no liking for general    
society1 though his natural             
courteousness made him shrink from      
seeming ungracious4 ,he did thoroughly  
enjoy a real talk with one or two       
friends at a time1 but even this he     
denied himself4'  ,fanny ,patteson had  
spent several days at ,hursley in the   
course of the winter1 and the ,vicar and
 ,mrs4 ,keble had greatly delighted in  
hearing her brother's letters4 ,the     
following letter from ,mr4 ,keble was   
written1 as will be perceived1          
immediately after hearing the account of
 the baptism of the dying child at      
,mota3--   ',hursley1 ,february #ai1    
#ahfb4  ',my dear ,bishop ,patteson1--,i
 seat myself down on a low chair between
 the pictures of your uncle and your    
,metropolitan1 and that by command of   

your sister1 who is on a footstool in   
the corner opposite1 ,i to send two     
words1 she #bjj1 or1 for aught ,i know1 
#b1jjj1 to greet you on the other side  
of the world4 ,we have the more right1  
as your kind sisters have kept us well  
up to your ,missionary doings from time 
to time1 and we seem to be very often   
with you on board or in your islands 7,i
 say we1 for my dear wife is more than  
half of me1 as you may well suppose1 in 
such sympathies71 and it seems to me    
that1 perhaps1 in the present state of  
your island or sea-work you may have    
more time than by-and-by for thinking of
 one and another2 anyhow we trust that  
that may happen which we ask for every  
evening--that we may be vouchsafed a    
part in the holy prayers which have been
 that day offered to the ,throne of     
,grace1 in ,melanesia or elsewhere4 ,i  
don't know whether ,i am right1 but ,i  
fancy you at times something between a  
,hermit and a ,missionary4 ,god grant   
you a double blessing6 and as you are a 

,bishop besides1 you will breathe us a  
blessing in return for this1 such as it 
is4 ,fanny's visit has been1 as you know
 it would be1 most charming and genial  
to us old folks 7not that my wife ought 
to be so spoken of71 and ,i shall always
 think it so kind of her to have spared 
us the time when she had so much to do  
and so short a time to do it in2 but she
 seems like one going about with a bag  
of what ,bishop ,selwyn calls hope-seed1
 and sowing it in everyplace2 yet when  
one comes to look close at it1 it all   
consists of memories1 chiefly you know  
of whom4 ,i only wish ,i could rightly  
and truly treasure up all she has kindly
 told us of your dear ,father2 but it   
must be a special grace to remember and 
really understand such things4 ,it will 
be a most peculiar satisfaction1 now    
that we have had her with us in this    
way1 to think of you all three together1
 should ,god's ,providence allow the    
meeting of which we understand there is 
a hope4 ,the last thing she has told us 

of is the baptism on ,st4 ,barnabas'    
,day--the first fruits of ,mota unto    
,christ4 ,what a thought--what a subject
 for prayer and thanksgiving6 ,god grant
 it may prove to you more than we can   
ask or think4  ',ever yours1 my dear    
,bishop1  ',j4 ,k4  ',don't trouble     
yourself to write1 but think of us4'    
,of course there was no obeying this    
postscript1 and the immediate reply     
was3--   ',my dear dear ,mr4            
,keble1--,few things have ever given me 
more real pleasure than the receipt of  
your letter by this mail4 ,i never      
doubted your interest in ,new ,zealand  
and ,melanesia1 and your affection for  
me for my dear ,father's sake4 ,i felt  
quite sure that prayers were being      
offered up for us in many places1 and   
where more frequently than at ,hursley8 
,even as on this day1 five years ago1   
when ,i touched the reef at             
,guadalcanar1 in the presence of three  
hundred armed and naked men1 7,i heard  
afterwards7 prayers were being uttered  

in the dead of your night by my dear old
 governess1 ,miss ,neill1 that ,god     
would have me in ,his safe keeping4 ,but
 it is most pleasant1 most helpful to   
me1 to read your letter1 and to feel    
that ,i have a kind of right now to     
write to you1 as ,i hope ,i may do while
 ,i live fully and freely4  ',i do not  
say a word concerning the idea some of  
you in ,england seem to take of my life 
here4 ,it is very humbling to me1 as it 
ought to be1 to read such a letter from 
you4 ,how different it is really6  ',if 
my dear sisters do come out to me for a 
while1 which1 after their letters by    
this ,february mail1 seems less         
impossible than before1 they will soon  
see what ,i mean3 a missionary's life   
does not procure him any immunity from  
temptations1 nor from falling into them2
 though1 thanks be to ,god1 it has      
indeed its rich and abundant blessings4 
,it is a blessed thing to draw a little 
fellow1 only six months ago a wild      
little savage1 down upon one's knee1 and

 hear his first confession of his past  
life1 and his shy hesitating account of 
the words he uses when he prays to his  
newly-found ,god and ,saviour4 ,these   
are rare moments1 but they do occur2    
and1 if they don't1 why the duty is to  
work all the same4  ',the intelligence  
of some of these lads and young men     
really surprises me4 ,some with me now1 
last ,october were utterly wild1 never  
had worn a stitch of clothing1 were     
familiar with every kind of vice4 ,they 
now write an account of a ,scripture    
print1 or answer my ,,ms4 questions     
without copy1 of course1 fairly and     
legibly in their books1 and read their  
own language--only quite lately reduced 
to writing--with ease4 ,what an         
encouragement6 ,and this applies to1 ,i 
think1 the great majority of these      
islanders4  ',one child1 ,i suppose some
 thirteen or fourteen years of age1 ,i  
baptized on ,christmas ,day4 ,three days
 afterwards ,i married her to a young   
man who had been for some years with us4

 ,they are both natives of ,nengone1 one
 of the ,loyalty ,isles4 ,i administered
 the ,holy ,eucharist to her last       
,saturday1 and she is dying peacefully  
of consumption4 ,what a blessed thing6  
,this little one1 fresh from ,baptism1  
with all ,church ministrations round    
her1 passing gently away to her eternal 
rest4 ,she looks at me with her soft    
dark eyes1 and fondles my hand1 and says
 she is not unhappy4 ,she has1 ,i verily
 believe1 the secret of real happiness  
in her heart4  ',i must write more when 
at sea4 ,i have very little time here4  
',i hope by ,god's blessing to make a   
long round among my many islands this   
winter2 some1 ,i know1 must be          
approached with great caution4 ,your    
prayers will be offered for me and those
 with me1 ,i know1 and am greatly       
comforted by the knowledge of it4       
',fanny tells me what you have said to  
her about supplying any deficit in the  
money required for our vessel4 ,i feel  
as if this ought not in one sense to    

come upon you1 but how can ,i venture to
 speak to you on such matters8 ,you know
 all that ,i think and feel about it4   
,send me more your blessing4 ,i feel    
cares and anxieties now4 ,my kind love  
to ,mrs4 ,keble4  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson1  
,missionary ,bishop4'   ,two more notes 
followed in quick succession to ,hursley
 ,vicarage1 almost entirely upon the    
matter of the new ',southern ,cross1'   
which was being built under ,mr4        
,tilly's eye4 ,the two ,bishops were    
scrupulous about letting ,mr4 ,keble    
give more than a fair proportion towards
 the vessel1 which was not to cost more 
than #c1jjj1 though more roomy than her 
lamented predecessor4 ,meantime the     
',sea ,breeze' was 'again to serve for  
the winter voyage3--   ',st4 ,barnabas  
,day1 ,auckland3 #ahfb4  ',my dear      
,sisters1--,think of my being ashore1   
and in a ,christian land on this day4   
,so it is4 ,we sail 7,d4,v47 in six     
days1 as it may be this day week4 ,the  
,melanesians are very good and pretty   

well in health1 but we are all anxious  
to be in warm climates4 ,i think that   
most matters are settled4 ,primate and  
,i have finished our accounts4 ,think of
 his wise stewardship6 ,the endowment in
 land and money1 and no debts           
contracted6 ,i hope that ,i leave       
nothing behind me to cause difficulty1  
should anything happen4 ,the ,primate   
and ,sir ,william ,martin are my        
executors2 ,melanesia1 as you would     
expect1 my heir4 ,i may have forgotten  
many items1 personal reminiscences4 ,ask
 for anything1 should anything happen4  
,i see no reason to anticipate it1      
humanly speaking1 but it is always well 
to think of such things4 ,i am just     
going to the little ,taurarua chapel to 
our ,melanesian ,commemoration service  
with ,holy ,communion4  ',oh6 if it     
should please ,god to grant us a meeting
 here6  ',great blessings have been     
given me this summer in seeing the      
progress made by the scholars1 so great 
as to make me feel sober-minded and     

almost fearful1 but that is wrong and   
faithless perhaps1 and yet surely the   
trials must come some day4  ',god bless 
you all1 and keep you all safe from all 
harm4  ',your loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4
 ,,patteson1 ,bishop4'   ',friday1 ,june
 #bgth1 #b ,p4,m4--,how you are thinking
 of all that took place that last night 
on earth4 ,he was taking his departure  
for a long voyage1 rather he was        
entering into the haven where he would  
be6 ,may ,god give us grace to follow   
his holy example1 his patient endurance 
of his many trials1 the greatest his    
constant trial of deafness4  ',i think  
if the weather be fair1 that we shall go
 off to-morrow4 ,oh6 if we do meet1 and 
spend1 it may be1 ,christmas together4  
#bhth1 #c ,p4,m4--,the first anniversary
 of our dear ,father's death4 ,how you  
are all recalling what took place then6 
,how full of thankfulness for his gain1 
far outweighing the sorrow for our loss6
 ,and yet how you must feel it1 more    
than ,i do1 and yet ,i feel it deeply3  

but the little fond memories of the last
 months1 and above all the looks and    
spoken words of love1 ,i can't          
altogether enter into them4 ,his letters
 are all that letters can be1 more than 
any other letters can be1 but they are  
not the same thing in all ways4 ,the    
,primate has left us to hurry down the  
sailing master of the ,sea ,breeze4 ,it 
was a very rough morning1 but is calm   
now1 boats passing and repassing between
 the shore and the schooner at anchor   
off ,kohimarama4'  ,the habit of writing
 journals was not at once resumed by    
,bishop ,patteson when his father was   
not there to read them2 and the chance  
of seeing his sisters1 no doubt1 made   
him write less fully to them1 since they
 might be on the voyage when the letters
 arrived in ,england4 ,thus the fullest 
record of the early part of the voyage  
is in a report which he drew up and     
printed in the form of a letter to the  
,rev4 ,j4 ,keble3--  ',we chartered the 
,sea ,breeze schooner in ,june last for 

four months3 she is a vessel of seventy 
tons register1 a little larger than the 
old ,southern ,cross1 and as well suited
 for our purpose as a vessel can be     
which is built to carry passengers in   
the ordinary way4 ,no voyage can of     
course equal in importance those early  
expeditions of the ,primate1 when he    
sailed in his little schooner among seas
 unknown1 to islands never before       
visited1 or visited only by the         
sandal-wood traders4 ,but ,i never      
recollect myself so remarkable a voyage 
as this last4 ,i do not mean that any   
new method was adopted in visiting      
islands1 or communicating with the      
natives4 ,god gave to the ,bishop of    
,new ,zealand wisdom to see and carry   
out from the first the plan1 which more 
and more approves itself as the best and
 only feasible plan1 for our peculiar   
work4 ,but all through this voyage1 both
 in revisiting islands well known to us1
 and in recommencing the work in other  
islands1 where1 amidst the multitude of 

the ,primate's engagements1 it had been 
impossible to keep up our acquaintance  
with the people1 and in opening the way 
in islands now visited for the first    
time1 from the beginning to the end1 it 
pleased ,god to prosper us beyond all   
our utmost hopes4 ,i was not only able  
to land on many places where1 as far as 
,i know1 no white man had set foot      
before1 but to go inland1 to inspect the
 houses1 canoes1 c41 in crowded villages
 7as at ,santa ,cruz71 or to sit for two
 hours alone amidst a throng of people  
7as at ,pentecost ,island71 or to walk  
two and a half miles inland 7as at      
,tariko or ,aspee74 ,from no less than  
eight islands have we for the first time
 received1 young people for our school  
here1 and fifty-one ,melanesian men1    
women1 and young lads are now with us1  
gathered from twenty-four islands1      
exclusive of the islands so long-known  
to us of the ,loyalty ,group4 ,when you 
remember that at ,santa ,cruz1 e4g41 we 
had never landed before1 and that this  

voyage ,i was permitted to go ashore at 
seven different places in one day1      
during which ,i saw about #a1bjj men3   
that in all these islands the           
inhabitants are1 to look at1 wild1      
naked1 armed with spears and clubs1 or  
bows and poisoned arrows2 that every    
man's hand 7as1 alas6 we find only too  
soon when we live among them7 is against
 his neighbour1 and scenes of violence  
and bloodshed amongst themselves of     
frequent occurrence2 and that throughout
 this voyage 7during which ,i landed    
between seventy and eighty times7 not   
one hand was lifted up against me1 not  
one sign of ill-will exhibited2 you will
 see why ,i speak and think with real   
amazement and thankfulness of a voyage  
accompanied with results so wholly      
unexpected4 ,i say results1 for the     
effecting a safe landing on an island1  
and much more the receiving a native lad
 from it1 is1 in this sense1 a result1  
that the great step has been made of    
commencing an acquaintance with the     

people4 ,if ,i live to make another     
voyage1 ,i shall no longer go ashore    
there as a stranger4 ,i know the names  
of some of the men2 ,i can by signs     
remind them of some little present made1
 some little occurrence which took      
place2 we have already something in     
common1 and as far as they know me at   
all1 they know me as a friend4 ,then    
some lad is given up to us1 the language
 learned1 and a real hold on the island 
obtained4  ',the most distant point we  
reached was the large island ,ysabel1 in
 the ,solomon ,archipelago4 ,from this  
island a lad has come away with us1 and 
we have also a native boy from an island
 not many miles distant from ,ysabel1   
called ,anudha1 but marked in the charts
 7though not correctly7 as ,florida4    
',it would weary you if ,i wrote of all 
the numerous adventures and strange     
scenes which in such a voyage we of     
course experience4 ,i will give you1 if 
,i can1 an idea of what took place at   
some few islands1 to illustrate the     

general character of the voyage4  ',one 
of the ,new ,hebrides ,islands1 near the
 middle of the group1 was discovered by 
,cook1 and by him called ,three ,hills4 
,the central part of it1 where we have  
long-had an acquaintance with the       
natives1 is called by them ,mai4 ,some  
six years ago we landed there1 and two  
young men came away with us1 and spent  
the summer in ,new ,zealand4 ,their     
names were ,petere and ,laure2 the      
former was a local chief of some        
consequence4 ,we took a peculiar        
interest in this island1 finding that a 
portion of the population consists of a 
tribe speaking a dialect of the great   
,polynesian language of which another   
dialect is spoken in ,new ,zealand4     
,every year we have had scholars from   
,mai1 several of whom can read and      
write4 ,we have landed there times      
without number1 slept ashore three or   
four times1 and are well known of course
 to the inhabitants4  ',the other day ,i
 landed as usual among a crowd of old   

acquaintances1 painted and armed1 but of
 that ,i thought nothing4 ,knowing them 
to be so friendly to us1 instead of     
landing alone1 ,i took two or three of  
our party to walk inland with me2 and   
off we started1 ,mr4 ,dudley and        
,wadrokala being left sitting in the    
boat1 which was1 as usual1 a short      
distance from the beach4 ,we had walked 
about half a mile before ,i noticed     
something unusual in the manner of the  
people1 and ,i overheard them talking in
 a way that made me suspect that        
something had happened which they did   
not want me to know4 ,petere had not    
made his appearance1 though in general  
the first to greet us1 and on my making 
enquiries for him1 ,i was told that he  
was not well4 ,not long afterwards ,i   
overheard a man say that ,petere was    
dead1 and taking again some opportunity 
that offered itself for asking about    
him1 was told that he was dead1 that he 
had died of dysentery4 ,i was grieved to
 hear this1 because ,i liked him        

personally and had expected help from   
him when the time came for commencing a 
,mission station on the island4 ,the    
distance from the beach to the village  
where ,petere lived is about one and a  
half mile1 and a large party had        
assembled before we reached it4 ,there  
was a great lamentation and crying on   
our arrival1 during which ,i sat down on
 a large log of a tree4 ,then came a    
pause1 and ,i spoke to the people1      
telling them how sorry ,i was to hear of
 ,petere's death4 ,there was something  
strange still about their manner1 which 
,i could not quite make out2 and one of 
our party1 who was not used to the kind 
of thing1 did not like the looks of the 
people and the clubs and spears4 ,at    
last one of them1 an old scholar of     
ours1 came forward and said1 ,the men   
here do not wish to deceive you2 they   
know that you loved ,petere1 and they   
will not hide the truth2 ,petere was    
killed by a man in a ship1 a white man1 
who shot him in the forehead4 ,of course

 ,i made minute enquiries as to the     
ship1 the number of masts1 how many     
people they saw1 whether there was      
anything remarkable about the appearance
 of any person on board1 c4 ,the men    
standing round us were a good deal      
excited1 but the same story was told by 
them all4  ',after a while ,i walked    
back to the beach1 no indication having 
been made of unfriendliness1 but ,i had 
not gone more than a quarter of a mile  
when three men rushed past me from      
behind1 and ran on to the beach4        
,meanwhile ,mr4 ,dudley and ,wadrokala  
in the boat were rather uneasy at the   
manner of the people standing near them 
on the reef2 and they too suspected that
 something unusual had occurred4        
,presently they saw these three men rush
 out of the bush on to the beach and    
distribute kava 7leaves of the pepper   
plant7 among the people1 who at once    
changed their manner1 became quite      
friendly and soon dispersed4 ,it was    
quite evident that a discussion had     

taken place on shore as to the treatment
 we were to receive2 and these men on   
the beach were awaiting the result of   
the discussion1 prepared to act         
accordingly4 ,there was scarcely any    
danger in our case of their deciding to 
injure us1 because they knew us well2   
but had we been strangers we should have
 been killed of course2 their practice  
being1 naturally enough1 to revenge the 
death of a countryman on the arrival of 
the next man who comes from what they   
suppose to be their enemies' country4   
',this story may show you that caution  
is necessary long after the time that a 
real friendship has commenced and been  
carried on4 ,we never can tell what may 
have taken place during the intervals of
 our visits4 ,i returned to the village1
 with ,mr4 ,kerr and ,mr4 ,dudley and   
slept ashore1 thinking it right to      
restore mutual confidence at once2 and  
there was not the slightest risk in     
doing so4  ',now let me tell you about  
an island called ,ambrym1 lying to the  

south of ,aurora and ,pentecost1 the two
 northernmost islands of the ,new       
,hebrides group4  ',ambrym is a grand   
island1 with a fine active volcano1 so  
active on this last occasion of our     
visiting it1 that we were covered and   
half-blinded by the ashes2 the deck was 
thickly covered with them1 and the sea  
for miles strewed with floating cinders4
 ,we have repeatedly landed in different
 parts of the island1 but this time we  
visited an entirely new place4 ,there   
was a considerable surf on the beach1   
and ,i did not like the boat to go near 
the shore1 partly on that account1 but  
chiefly because our rule is not to let  
the boat approach too near the beach    
lest it should be hauled up on shore by 
the people and our retreat to the       
schooner cut off4 ,so ,i beckoned to    
some men in a canoe 7for ,i could not   
speak a word of the language71 who      
paddled up to us1 and took me ashore4   
',as ,i was wading to the beach1 an     
elderly man came forward from the crowd 

to the water's edge1 where he stood     
holding both his arms uplifted over his 
head4 ,directly that ,i reached him1 he 
took my hand1 and put it round his neck1
 and turned to walk up the beach4 ,as ,i
 walked along with him through the      
throng of men1 more than three hundred  
in number1 my arm all the while round   
his neck1 ,i overheard a few words which
 gave me some slight clue as to the     
character of their language1 and a very 
few words go a long way on such         
occasions4 ,we went inland some short   
distance1 passing through part of a     
large village1 till we came to a house  
with figures1 idols or not1 ,i hardly   
know1 placed at some height above the   
door4  ',they pointed to these figures  
and repeated a name frequently1 not     
unlike the name of one of the gods of   
some of the islands further to the      
north2 then they struck the hollow tree1
 which is their native drum1 and        
thronged close round me1 while ,i gave  
away a few fish-hooks1 pieces of red    

braid1 c4 ,i asked the names of some of 
the people1 and of objects about me1    
trees1 birds1 c4 ,i was particularly    
struck with two boys who kept close to  
me4 ,after some time ,i made signs that 
,i would return to the beach1 and we    
began to move away from the village2 but
 ,i was soon stopped by some men1 who   
brought me two small trees1 making signs
 that ,i should plant them4  ',when ,i  
returned to the beach1 the two boys were
 still with me1 and ,i took their hands 
and walked on amidst the crowd4 ,i did  
not imagine that they would come away   
with me1 and yet a faint hope of their  
doing so sprang up in my mind1 as ,i    
still found them holding my hands1 and  
even when ,i began to wade towards the  
boat still close by my side in the      
water4 ,all this took place in the      
presence of several hundred natives1 who
 allowed these boys to place themselves 
in the boat and be taken on board the   
schooner4  ',i was somewhat anxious     
about revisiting an island called       

,tikopia4 ,once we were there1 five or  
six years ago4 ,the island is small1 and
 the inhabitants probably not more than 
three hundred or four hundred4 ,they are
 ,polynesians1 men of very large        
stature1 rough in manner1 and not very  
easily managed4 ,i landed there and     
waded across the reef among forty or    
fifty men4 ,on the beach a large party  
assembled4 ,i told them in a sort of    
,polynesian patois1 that ,i wished to   
take away two lads from their island1   
that ,i might learn their language1 and 
come back and teach them many things for
 their good4 ,this they did not agree   
to4 ,they said that some of the         
full-grown men wished to go away with   
me2 but to this ,i in my turn could not 
agree4 ,these great giants would be     
wholly unmanageable in our school at    
present4 ,i went back to the edge of the
 reef--about three hundred yards--and   
got into the boat with two men2 we rowed
 off a little way1 and ,i attempted1    
more quietly than the noisy crowd on    

shore would allow1 to explain to them my
 object in coming to them4 ,after a     
while we pulled back to the reef1 and ,i
 waded ashore again2 but ,i could not   
induce them to let me take any one away 
who was at all eligible for the school4 
,still ,i was very thankful to have been
 able twice to land and remain half an  
hour or more on shore among the people4 
,next year 7,d4,v47 ,i may be able to   
see more of them1 and perhaps may obtain
 a scholar1 and so open the island4 ,it 
is a place visited by whalers1 but they 
never land here1 and indeed the         
inhabitants are generally regarded as   
dangerous fellows to deal with1 so ,i   
was all the more glad to have made a    
successful visit4  ',nothing could have 
been more delightful than the day ,i    
spent in making frequent landings on the
 north side of ,santa ,cruz4 ,this      
island was visited by ,spaniards1 under 
the command of ,mendana1 nearly three   
hundred years ago4 ,they attempted to   
found a colony there1 but after a short 

time were compelled1 by illness and the 
death of ,mendana and his successor1 to 
abandon their endeavour4 ,it is         
apparently a very fertile island1       
certainly a very populous one4 ,the     
inhabitants are very ingenious1 wearing 
beautiful ornaments1 making good bags   
woven of grass stained with turmeric1   
and fine mats4 ,their arrows are        
elaborately carved1 and not less        
elaborately poisoned3 their canoes well 
made and kept in good order4 ,we never  
before landed on this island2 but the   
,primate1 long before ,i was in this    
part of the world1 and two or three     
times since1 had sailed and rowed into  
the bay at the north-west end1 called   
,graciosa ,bay1 the fine harbour in     
which the ,spaniards anchored4 ,i went  
ashore this last voyage in seven        
different places1 large crowds of men   
thronging down to the water's edge as ,i
 waded to the beach4 ,they were         
exceedingly friendly1 allowed me to     
enter the houses1 sit down and inspect  

their mode of building them4 ,they      
brought me food to eat2 and when ,i went
 out of the houses again1 let me examine
 the large sea-going canoes drawn up in 
line on the beach4 ,i wrote down very   
many names1 and tried hard to induce    
some young people to come away with me1 
but after we had pulled off some way1   
their courage failed them1 and they swam
 back to the shore4  ',two or three of  
the men took off little ornaments and   
gave them to me2 one bright pretty boy  
especially ,i remember1 who took off his
 shell necklace and put it round my     
neck1 making me understand1 partly by   
words1 but more by signs1 that he was   
afraid to come now1 but would do so if  
,i returned1 as ,i said1 in eight or ten
 moons4  ',large baskets of almonds were
 given me1 and other food also thrown   
into the boat4 ,i made a poor return by 
giving some fish-hooks and a tomahawk to
 the man whom ,i took to be the person  
of most consequence4 ,on shore the women
 came freely up to me among the crowd1  

but they were afraid to venture down to 
the beach4 ,now this is the island about
 which we have long felt a great        
difficulty as to the right way of       
obtaining any communication with the    
natives4 ,this year1 why and how ,i     
cannot tell1 the way was opened beyond  
all expectation4 ,i tried hard to get   
back from the ,solomon ,islands so as to
 revisit it again during the voyage1 but
 we could not get to the eastward1 as   
the trade-wind blew constantly from that
 quarter4  ',at ,leper's ,island ,i had 
just such another day--or rather two    
days were spent in making an almost     
complete visitation of the northern part
 of the island--the people were         
everywhere most friendly1 and ,i am     
hoping to see them all again join us    
soon1 when some may be induced to4  ',it
 would be the work of days to tell you  
all our adventures4 ,how at ,malanta ,i 
picked two lads out of a party of       
thirty-six in a grand war canoe going on
 a fighting expedition--and very good   

fellows they are2 how we filled up our  
water-casks at ,aurora1 standing up to  
our necks in the clear cool stream      
rushing down from a cataract above1 with
 the natives assisting us in the most   
friendly manner2 how at ,santa ,maria1  
which till this year we never visited   
without being shot at1 ,i walked for    
four or five hours far inland wherever  
,i pleased1 meeting great crowds of men 
all armed and suspicious of each        
other--indeed actually fighting with    
each other--but all friendly to me2 how 
at ,espiritu ,santo1 when ,i had just   
thrown off my coat and tightened my belt
 to swim ashore through something of a  
surf1 a canoe was launched1 and without 
more ado a nice lad got into our boat   
and came away with us1 without giving me
 the trouble of taking a swim at all2   
how at ,florida ,island1 never before   
reached by us1 one out of some eighty   
men1 young and old1 standing all round  
me on the reef1 to my astonishment      
returned with me to the boat1 and       

without any opposition from the people  
quietly seated himself by my side and   
came away to the schooner2 how at       
,pentecost ,island1 ,taroniara 7a lad   
whom the ,primate in old days had picked
 up in his canoe paddling against a     
strong head wind1 and kept him on board 
all night1 and sent him home with       
presents in the morning7 now came away  
with me1 but not without his bow and    
poisoned arrows1 of which ,i have taken 
safe possession2 how ,misial felt       
sea-sick and home-sick for a day or two1
 but upon being specially patronised by 
the cook1 soon declared that no place   
could compare with the galley of a      
,mission vessel1 to the truth of which  
declaration the necessity of enlarging  
his scanty garments soon bore           
satisfactory testimony2 how at ,ysabel  
the young chief came on board with a    
white cockatoo instead of a hawk on his 
wrist1 which he presented to me with all
 the grace in the world1 and with an    
enquiry after his good friend ,captain  

,hume1 of ,h4,m4,s4 ,cordelia1 who had  
kindly taken me to this island in the   
winter of #ahfa4'  ,to this may be added
 some touches from the home letter of   
,august #bg1 off ,vanikoro3--  ',i don't
 deny that ,i am thankful that the      
,tikopia visit is well over4 ,the people
 are so very powerful and so independent
 and unmanageable1 that ,i always have  
felt anxious about visiting them4 ,once 
we were there in #ahef1 and now again4  
,i hope to keep on visiting them        
annually4 ,sydney traders have been     
there1 but have never landed2 they trade
 at arm's length from their boat and are
 well armed4 ,it is a strange sensation1
 sitting alone 7say7 #cjj yards from the
 boat1 which of course can't be trusted 
in their hands1 among #bjj or more of   
people really gigantic4 ,no men have ,i 
ever seen so large--huge ,patagonian    
limbs1 and great heavy hands clutching  
up my little weak arms and shoulders4   
,yet it is not a sensation of fear1 but 
simply of powerlessness2 and it makes   

one think1 as ,i do when among them1 of 
another ,power present to protect and   
defend4  ',they perfectly understood my 
wish to bring away lads4 ,full-grown    
,brobdignag men wished to come1 and some
 got into the boat who were not easily  
got out of it again4 ,boys swam off1    
wishing to come1 but the elder people   
prevented it1 swimming after them and   
dragging them back4 ,it was a very      
rough1 blustering day2 but even on such 
a day the lee side of the island is a   
beautiful sight1 one mass of cocoa-nut  
trees1 and the villages so snugly       
situated among the trees4  ',just been  
up the rigging to get a good look at    
this great encircling reef at ,vanikoro4
 ,green water as smooth as glass1 inside
 the reef for a mile1 and then pretty   
villages2 but there is no passage       
through the reef1 it is a continuous    
breakwater4 ,we are working up towards a
 part of the reef where ,i think there  
may be a passage4 ,anyhow ,i am gaining 
a good local knowledge of this place1   

and that saves time another year4  ',the
 ten lads on board talk six languages1  
not one of which do ,i know2 but as ,i  
get words and sentences from them1 ,i   
see how they will work in with the      
general character of the language of    
which ,i have several dialects4 ,it is  
therefore not very difficult to get on  
some little way into all at once2 but ,i
 must not be disappointed if ,i find    
that other occupations take me away too 
much for my own pleasure from this      
particular branch of my work4'  ,a long 
letter to ,sir ,john ,t4 ,coleridge     
gives another aspect of the voyage3--   
',sea ,breeze ,schooner3 off ,rennell   
,island4 ',therm4 #hi in shade2 lat4 #aa
 #dj'1 long4 #afj #ah' #e4 ',september  
#g1 #ahfb4  ',my dear ,uncle1--,i can   
hardly keep awake for the unusually     
great heat4 ,the wind is northerly1 and 
it is very light1 indeed we are almost  
becalmed1 so you will have a sleepy     
letter1 indeed over my book ,i was      
already nodding4 ,i think it better to  

write to you 7though on a ,sunday7 than 
to sleep4 ,what a compliment6 ,but ,i   
shall grow more wakeful as ,i write4    
,perhaps my real excuse for writing is  
that ,i feel to-day much oppressed with 
the thought of these great islands that 
,i have been visiting1 and ,i am sadly  
disappointed in some of my scholars from
 ,san ,cristoval4  ',leaving ,new       
,zealand on ,june #bjth1 ,i sailed to   
,norfolk ,island1 where ,i held my first
 ,confirmation4 ,by desire of the       
,bishop of ,tasmania1 ,i act as ,bishop 
for the ,norfolk ,islanders4 ,this was1 
as you know1 a very solemn time for me2 
sixteen dear children were confirmed4   
,since that time ,i have visited very   
many islands with almost unequalled     
success1 as far as effecting landings1  
opening communication1 and receiving    
native lads are concerned4 ,i have on   
board natives from many places from     
which we have never received them       
before4 ,many ,i have left with ,mr4    
,dudley and ,mr4 ,pritt on ,mota ,island

 at school1 but ,i have now twenty-one1 
speaking eleven languages4 ,at many     
places where we had never landed1 ,i was
 received well4  ',the state of things1 
too1 in the ,banks ,islands is very     
encouraging4 ,what do you think of my   
having two married 7after their fashion7
 couples on board from the ,solomon     
,islands 7,san ,cristoval and           
,contrariete78 ,this was effected with  
some difficulty4 ,both the men are old  
scholars1 of course4 ,i ought therefore 
to be most thankful2 and yet my heart is
 sad because1 after promises given by   
,grariri and his wife1 ,parenga and     
,kerearua 7all old scholars1 save ,mrs4 
,garm71 not one came away with me       
yesterday1 and ,i feel grieved at the   
loss of my dear boys1 who can read and  
write1 and might be taught so much now6 
,it is all very faithless2 but ,i must  
tell it all to you1 for indeed ,i do not
 feel as if ,i had any right to expect  
it otherwise1 but in the moment of      
perceiving and confessing that it is    

very good for me1 ,i find out for the   
first time how much my heart was set    
upon having them4  ',and then ,san      
,cristoval1 sixty miles long1 with its  
villages and languages1 and ,malanta    
over eighty miles long1 and             
,guadalcanar1 seventy6 ,it is a silly   
thought or a vain1 human wish1 but ,i   
feel as if ,i longed to be in fifty or a
 hundred places at once4 ,but ,god will 
send qualified men in good time4 ,in the
 meanwhile 7for the work must be carried
 on mainly by native teachers gathered  
from each island71 as some fall off ,i  
must seek to gain others4 ,even where   
lads are only two1 or even one year with
 mer and then apparently fall back to   
what they were before1 some good may be 
done1 the old teaching may return upon  
them some day1 and they may form a      
little nucleus for good1 though not now4
  ',as for openings for men of the right
 sort1 they abound4 ,really if ,i were  
free to locate myself on an island      
instead of going about to all1 ,i hardly

 know to which of some four or five ,i  
ought to go4 ,but it is of no use to    
have men who are not precisely the kind 
of men wanted4 ,somehow one can't as yet
 learn to ask men to do things that one 
does oneself as a matter of course4 ,it 
needs a course of training to get rid of
 conventional notions4 ,i think that    
,norfolk ,island may supply a few1 a    
very few fellows able to be of use1 and 
perhaps ,new ,zealand will do so1 and ,i
 have the advantage of seeing and       
knowing them4 ,i don't think that ,i    
must expect men from ,england1 ,i can't 
pay them well2 and it is so very        
difficult to give a man on paper any    
idea of what his life will be in        
,melanesia or ,kohimarama4 ,so very much
 that would be most hazardous to others 
has ceased to be so to me1 because ,i   
catch up some scrap of the language     
talked on the beach1 and habit has given
 an air of coolness and assurance4 ,but 
this does not come all at once1 and you 
cannot talk about all this to others4 ,i

 feel ashamed as ,i write it even to    
you4 ,they bother me to put anecdotes of
 adventures into our ,report1 but ,i    
cannot4 ,you know no one lands on these 
places but myself1 and it would be no   
good to tell stories merely to catch    
somebody's ear4 ,it was easier to do so 
when the ,bishop and ,i went together1  
but ,i am not training up anyone to be  
the visitor1 and so ,i don't wish       
anybody else to go with me4 ,besides    
,mr4 ,pritt and ,mr4 ,dudley are bad    
swimmers1 and ,mr4 ,kerr not first-rate4
 ,my constant thought is ,by what means 
will ,god provide for the introduction  
of ,christianity into these islands1 and
 my constant prayer that ,he will reveal
 such means to me1 and give me grace to 
use them4  ',what reality there is in   
such a work as this6 ,what continual    
need of guidance and direction6 ,i here 
see before me now an island stretching  
away twenty-five miles in length6 ,last 
night ,i left one sixty miles long4 ,i  
know that hundreds are living there     

ignorant of ,god1 wild men1 cannibals1  
addicted to every vice4 ,i know that    
,christ died for them1 and that the     
message is for them1 too4 ,how am ,i to 
deliver it8 ,how find an entrance among 
them8 ,how1 when ,i have learnt their   
language1 speak to them of religion1 so 
as not to introduce unnecessary         
obstacles to the reception of it1 nor   
compromise any of its commands8  ',thank
 ,god ,i can fall back upon many solid  
points of comfort--chiefest of all1 ,he 
sees and knows it all perfectly4 ,he    
sees the islanders too1 and loves them1 
how infinitely more than ,i can6 ,he    
desires to save them4 ,he is1 ,i trust1 
sending me to them4 ,he will bless      
honest endeavours to do ,his will among 
them4 ,and then ,i think how it must all
 appear to angels and saints1 how       
differently they see these things4      
,already1 to their eyes1 the light is   
breaking forth in ,melanesia2 and ,i    
take great comfort from this thought1   
and remember that it does not matter    

whether it is in my time1 only ,i must  
work on4 ,and then ,i think of the      
prayers of the ,church1 ascending       
continually for the conversion of the   
heathen2 and ,i know that many of you   
are praying specially for the heathen of
 ,melanesia4 ,and so one's thoughts     
float out to ,india1 and ,china1 and    
,japan1 and ,africa1 and the islands of 
the sea1 and the very vastness of the   
work raises one's thoughts to ,god1 as  
the only ,one by whom it must be done4  
',now1 dear ,uncle1 ,i have written all 
this commonplace talk1 not regarding its
 dulness in your eyes1 but because ,i   
felt weary and also somewhat overwrought
 and sad2 and it has done me much good1 
and given me a happy hour4  ',we had our
 service on board this morning1 and the 
,holy ,eucharist afterwards2 ,mr4 ,kerr1
 two ,norfolk ,islanders1 a ,maori1 and 
a ,nengone man present4 ,i ought not to 
be faint-hearted4 ,my kind love to ,aunt
 and ,mary4  ',your affectionate and    
dutiful ,nephew1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson1  

,missionary ,bishop4'   ,the climate of 
,mota had again disagreed with ,mr4     
,dudley1 who was laid up with chronic   
rheumatism nearly all the time he was   
there2 and the ,bishop returned from his
 voyage very unwell2 but ,mr4 ,pritt    
happily was strong and active1 and the  
elder ,banks ,island scholars were very 
helpful1 both in working and teaching1  
so that the schools went on             
prosperously1 and the custom of carrying
 weapons in ,mota was dropped4  ,on     
,november #g the ',sea ,breeze' was     
again in harbour2 and on the #aeth1     
after mature consideration1 was written 
this self-sacrificing letter3--   ',st4 
,andrew's3 ,november #ae1 #ahfb4  ',my  
dearest ,sisters1--,i returned from a   
voyage unusually interesting and        
prosperous on the #gth of this month2   
absent just nineteen weeks4 ,we were in 
all on board seventy-one4  ',i found all
 your letters from ,april to ,august    
#be4 ,how thankful ,i am to see and know
 what ,i never doubted1 the loving      

manner in which my first and later      
letters about ,new ,zealand were taken4 
,how wise of you to perceive that in    
truth my judgment remained all through  
unaltered1 though my feelings were      
strongly moved1 indeed the good folk    
here begged me to reconsider my         
resolution1 thinking no doubt kindly for
 me that it would be so great a joy to  
me to see you4 ,of course it would2 were
 there no other considerations that we  
already know and agree upon1 what joy so
 great on earth6 ,but ,i feel sure that 
we are right4 ,thank ,god that we can so
 speak1 think1 and act with increasing  
affection and trust in each other6      
',the more ,i think of it1 the more ,i  
feel ,no1 it would not do6 ,it would not
 be either what ,joan expects or what   
,fan expects4 ,they look at it in some  
ways alike--i4e41 in the matter of      
seeing me1 which both equally long to   
do4 ,in some ways they regard it        
differently4 ,but it would not to one or
 the other be the thing they hope and   

wish for4 ,they would both feel 7what   
yet they would not like to acknowledge7 
disappointment4 ,though1 therefore1 ,i  
could not help feeling often during the 
voyage1 ,what if ,i hear that they may  
be with me by ,christmas6 yet it was not
 exactly unwelcome to hear that you do  
not come4 ,i recognised at once your    
reading of my letters as the right one2 
and my feelings1 strong as they are1    
give way to other considerations1       
especially when1 from my many           
occupations1 ,i have very little time to
 indulge them4  ',but for the thought of
 coming1 and your great love to me1 ,i  
thank you1 dear ones1 with all my heart4
 ,may ,god bless you for it6444         
',good-bye1 my dear ,sisters2 we are    
together in heart at all events4  ',your
 loving ,brother1 ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'  ,the   
judgment had decided that the elder     
sister especially would suffer more from
 the rough life at ,kohimarama than her 
brother could bear that she should      
undergo1 when he could give her so      

little of his society as compensation1  
without compromising his own decided    
principle that all must yield to the    
work4 ,perhaps he hardly knew how much  
he betrayed of the longing1 even while  
deciding against its gratification2 but 
his sisters were wise enough to act on  
his judgment1 and not on their own      
impulse2 and the events of the next     
season proved that he had been right4   
,to ,sir ,john ,coleridge he wrote3--   
',kohimarama3 ,november #ae1 #ahfb4     
',my dear ,uncle1--,i should indeed1 as 
you say1 delight to have a ramble in the
 old scenes1 and a good unburthening of 
thoughts conceived during the past seven
 or eight years4  ',and yet you see ,i  
could not try the experiment of those   
dear good sisters of mine coming out4   
,it would not have been what they       
expected and meant to come out to4 ,i am
 little seen by any but ,melanesians1   
and quite content that it should be so4 
,i can't do what ,i want with them1 nor 
a tenth part of it as it is4 ,i cannot  

write to you of this last voyage--in    
many respects a most remarkable         
one--indicating1 if ,i am not over      
hopeful1 a new stage in our ,mission    
work4 ,many islands yielding scholars   
for the first time2 old scholars1 with  
but few exceptions1 steadfast and       
rapidly improving2 no less than         
fifty-seven ,melanesians here now from  
twenty-four islands1 exclusive of the   
,loyalty ,islands1 and five bright      
,pitcairners1 from twenty-four to       
sixteen1 helpful1 good1 conscientious   
lads4 ,there are eight languages that ,i
 do not know1 besides all the rest2 yet 
,i can see that they are all links in   
the great chain of dialects of the great
 ,pacific language1--yet dialects very  
far removed sometimes from one another4 
',i find it not very easy to comply with
 reasonable demands from men in ,europe1
 who want to know about these things4   
,if ,i had time and ability1 ,i think ,i
 should enjoy really going into         
philology4 ,i get books sent me from    

people such as ,max ,muller1            
,grabalentz1 c42 and if ,i write to them
 at all1 it is useless to write anything
 but an attempt at classification of the
 dialects2 and that is difficult1 for   
there are so many1 and it takes so long 
to explain to another the grounds upon  
which ,i feel justified in connecting   
dialects and calling them cognate4 ,it  
becomes an instinct almost1 ,i suppose1 
with people in the trade4  ',but ,i     
hardly know how far ,i ought to spend   
any time in such things4 ,elementary    
grammars for our own missionaries and   
teachers are useful1 and the time is    
well spent in writing them4 ,hence it is
 that ,i do not write longer letters4   
,oh6 how ,i enjoy writing un-business   
letters2 but ,i can't help it--it's part
 of my business now to write dull       
,reports--i4e4 reports that ,i can't    
help making dull1 and all the rest of   
it4444  ',i cannot write about ,bishop  
,mackenzie4 ,mr4 ,pritt 7at #i4cj ,p4,m4
 the night we landed7 put his head into 

my room and said1 ,bishop ,mackenzie is 
dead1 and ,i sat and sat on and knelt   
and could not take it all in6 ,i cannot 
understand what the papers say of his   
modus operandi1 yet ,i know that it was 
an error of judgment1 if an error at    
all1 and there may be much which we do  
not know4 ,so ,i suspend my opinion4'   
,in a letter to myself1 written by the  
same mail1 in reply to one in which ,i  
had begged him to consider what was the 
sight1 to a ,christian man1 of slaves   
driven off with heavy yokes on their    
necks1 and whether it did not justify   
armed interposition1 he replies with    
arguments that it is needless now to    
repeat1 but upholding the principle that
 the shepherd is shepherd to the cruel  
and erring as well as to the oppressed1 
and ought not to use force4 ,the opinion
 is given most humbly and tenderly1 for 
he had a great veneration for his       
brother ,missionary ,bishop4 ,commenting
 on the fact that ,bishop ,selwyn's     
speech at ,cambridge had made ,charles  

,mackenzie a missionary1 and that he    
would gladly have hailed an invitation  
to the ,australasian field of labour1   
the letter proceeds3--  ',how wonderful 
it is to reflect upon the events of the 
last few years6 ,had he come out when ,i
 did to ,new ,zealand1 ,i might be now  
his ,missionary ,chaplain2 and yet it is
 well that there should be two          
missionary dioceses1 and without the    
right man for the ,african ,mission1    
there might have been a difficulty in   
carrying out the plan4  ',the chapel is 
not built yet1 for ,i have sixty mouths 
to feed1 and other buildings must be    
thought of for health's sake4 ,but ,i   
have settled all that in my will4'  ',in
 a postscript is mentioned the arrival  
of some exquisite altar plate for the   
,college chapel1 which had been offered 
by a lady1 who had also bountifully     
supplied with chronometers and nautical 
instruments the ',southern ,cross1'     
which was fast being built at           
,southampton4  ,the above letter was    

accompanied by one to ,dr4 ,moberly3--  
',st4 ,andrew's ,college1 ,kohimarama3  
,nov4 #ah1 #ahfb4  ',my dear ,dr4       
,moberly1--,thank you heartily for      
writing to me4 ,it is a real help to me 
and to others also1 ,i think1 of my     
party to be in communication with those 
whom we have long respected1 and whose  
prayers we now more than ever earnestly 
ask4 ,we returned on ,november #g from a
 very remarkable voyage4  ',i was       
nineteen weeks absent all but a day3    
sailed far beyond our most distant      
island in my previous voyage1 landed    
nearly eighty times amidst 7often7 #cjj 
and more natives1 naked1 armed1 c41 and 
on no less than thirty or forty places  
never trodden before 7as far as ,i know7
 by the foot of a white man4 ,not one   
arm was lifted up against me1 not one   
bow drawn or spear shaken4 ,i think of  
it all quietly now with a sort of       
wondering thankfulness4  ',from not less
 than eight islands we have now for the 
first time received native lads2 and not

 only are openings being thus made for  
us in many directions1 but the permanent
 training of our old scholars is going  
on most favourably2 so that by the      
blessing of ,god we hope1 at all events 
in the ,banks ,islands1 to carry on     
continuously the ,mission ,schools      
during the winter and summer also4 ,we  
have spent the three last winters here1 
but it would not be wise to run the risk
 of the damp hot climate in the summer4 
,natives of the island must do this1 and
 thank ,god there are natives being     
raised up now to do it4 ,the enclosed   
translation of a note4 ,it is but three 
or four years since the language was    
reduced to writing1 and here is a young 
man writing down his thoughts to me     
after a long talk about the question of 
his being baptized4  ',four others there
 are soon1 by ,god's blessing1 to be    
baptized also--,sarawia from ,vanua     
,lava1 ,tagalana from ,aroa1 ,pasvorang 
from ,eowa1 ,woleg from ,mota1 and      
others are pressing on2 ,taroniara from 

,san ,cristoval1 ,kanambat from ,new    
,caledonia1 c4 ,i tell you their names1 
for you will ,i know1 remember them in  
your prayers4  ',will you kindly let    
,mr4 ,keble see the enclosed note8 ,it  
does not1 of course1 give much idea of  
the lad's state of mind2 but he is      
thoroughly in earnest1 and as for his   
knowledge of his duty there can be no   
question there4 ,he really knows his    
,catechism4 ,i have scarcely a minute to
 write by this mail4 ,soon you will     
have1 ,i hope1 a sketch of our last     
voyage4 ,we remember you all1           
benefactors and benefactresses1 daily4  
,thank you again for writing to me3 it  
humbles me1 as it ought to do1 to       
receive such a letter from you4  ',very 
faithfully yours1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson1 
,missionary ,bishop4'   ,these names    
deserve note3 ,sarawia the first to be  
ordained of the ,melanesian ,church2 and
 ,taroniara1 who was to share his       
,bishop's death4 ,b----1 as will be     
seen1 has had a far more chequered      

course4 ,tagalana is described in       
another letter as having the            
thoughtfulness of one who knows that he 
has the seeds of early death in him2 but
 he1 the living lectern at the          
consecration1 has lived to be the first 
deacon of his island of ,aroa4  ,the    
ensuing is to the ,rev4 ,derwent        
,coleridge1 at that time ,principal of  
,st4 ,mark's ,training ,college1        
,chelsea1 upon the question whether that
 institution would afford assistants3-- 
',auckland1 ,new ,zealand3 ,nov4 #ae1   
#ahfb4  ',my dear ,cousin1--,you will   
not be surprised1 ,i hope1 to hear from 
me2 ,i only wish ,i had written to you  
long ago4 ,but until quite recently we  
could not speak with so much confidence 
concerning the ,melanesian ,mission1 and
 it is of little use to write vaguely on
 matters which ,i am anxious now to make
 known to you4  ',the general plan of   
the ,mission you may get some notion of 
from the last year's ,report 7which ,i  
send71 and possibly you may have heard  

or seen something about it in former    
years4 ,this last voyage of nineteen    
weeks1 just concluded1 has determined me
 to write to you2 for the time is come  
when we want helpers indeed1 and ,i     
think that you will expect me naturally 
to turn to you4  ',it is not only that  
very many islands throughout the ,south 
,pacific1 from the ,loyalty ,islands on 
to the northwest as far as ,ysabel      
,island in the ,solomon group1 are now  
yielding up scholars and affording      
openings for ,mission stations1 though  
this indeed is great matter for         
thankfulness2 but there is1 thank ,god1 
a really working staff gathered round us
 from the ,banks ,archipelago1 which    
affords a definite field1 already       
partially occupied with a regular system
 at work in it2 and here young persons  
may receive the training most needed for
 them1 actually on a heathen island1    
though soon not to be without some few  
,christians amongst its population4 ,now
 ,i can say to anyone willing and       

qualified to help me3--  ',in the six   
summer months there is the central      
school work in ,new ,zealand1 where now 
there are with me fifty-one ,melanesians
 from twenty-four islands1 speaking     
twenty-three languages2 and in the six  
winter months there is a station        
regularly occupied on ,mota ,island1    
where all the necessary experience of   
life in the islands can be acquired4    
',i am not in any hurry for men4        
,norfolk ,island has given me five young
 fellows from twenty-one to sixteen     
years of age1 who already are very      
useful4 ,one has been with me a year1   
another four months4 ,they are given    
unreservedly into my hands1 and already 
are working well into our school1 taking
 the superintendence of our cooking1    
e4g41 off our hands2 with some help from
 us1 they will be very useful at once as
 helpers on ,mota1 doing much in the way
 of gardening1 putting up huts1 c41     
which will free us for more teaching    
work1 c41 and they are being educated by

 us with an eye to their future         
employment 7,d4,v47 as missionaries4 ,i 
would not wish for better fellows2 their
 moral and religious conduct is really  
singularly good--you know their         
circumstances and the character of the  
whole community4 ,but ,i should be      
thankful by-and-by to have men equally  
willing to do anything1 yet better      
educated in respect of book knowledge4  
,no one is ever asked to do what we are 
not willing to do1 and generally in the 
habit of doing ourselves--cooking1      
working1 c41 c4 ,but the ,melanesian    
lads really do all this kind of work    
now4 ,i have sixty mouths to fill here  
now2 and ,melanesian boys1 told out week
 by week1 do the whole of the cooking   
7simple enough1 of course7 for us all   
with perfect punctuality4 ,i don't think
 any particular taste for languages     
necessary at all4 ,anyone who will work 
hard at it can learn the language of the
 particular class assigned to him4      
,earnest1 bright1 cheerful fellows1     

without that notion of making           
sacrifices1 c41 perpetually occurring to
 their minds1 would be invaluable4 ,you 
know the kind of men1 who have got rid  
of the conventional notion that more    
self-denial is needed for a missionary  
than for a sailor or soldier1 who are   
sent anywhere1 and leave home and       
country for years1 and think nothing of 
it1 because they go on duty4 ,alas6 we  
don't so read our ordination vows4 ,a   
fellow with a healthy1 active tone of   
mind1 plenty of enterprise and some     
enthusiasm1 who makes the best of       
everything1 and above all does not think
 himself better than other people       
because he is engaged in ,mission       
work--that is the fellow we want4 ,i    
assume1 of course1 the existence of     
sound religious principle as the        
greatest qualification of all4 ,now1 if 
there be any young persons whom you     
could wish to see engaged in this       
,mission now at ,st4 ,mark's1 or if you 
know of any such and feel justified in  

speaking to them1 you will be doing a   
great kindness to me1 and1 ,i believe1  
aiding materially in this work4  ',i    
should not wish at all any young man to 
be pledged to anything2 as on my part ,i
 will not pledge myself to accept1 much 
less ordain1 any man of whom ,i have no 
personal knowledge4 ,but let anyone     
really in earnest1 with a desire and    
intention 7as far as he is concerned7 to
 join the ,mission1 come to me about    
,december or ,january in any year4 ,then
 he will live at the ,mission ,college  
till the end of ,april1 and can see for 
himself the mode of life at the ,central
 ,summer ,school in ,new ,zealand4 ,then
 let him take a voyage with me1 see     
,melanesians in their own homes1 stop   
for a while at ,mota--e4g4 make trial of
 the climate1 c41 c41 and then let me   
have my decisive talk with him4  ',if he
 will not do for the work1 ,i must try  
and find other employment for him in    
some ,new ,zealand diocese1 or help to  
pay his passage home4 ,i don't think    

such a person as you would recommend    
would fail to make himself useful2 but  
,i must say plainly that ,i would rather
 not have a man from ,england at all1   
than be bound to accept a man who might 
not thoroughly and cordially work into  
the general system that we have adopted4
 ,we live together entirely1 all meals  
in common1 same cabin1 same hut1 and the
 general life and energy of us all would
 be damaged by the introduction of any  
one discordant element4 ,you will       
probably say1 ,men won't go out on these
 terms1 and this is indeed probable1 yet
 if they are the right fellows for this 
work--a work wholly anomalous1 unlike   
all other work that they have thought of
 in many respects--they will think that 
what ,i say is reasonable1 and like the 
prospect all the better 7,i think7      
because they see that it means downright
 work in a cheery1 happy1 hopeful1      
friendly spirit4  ',a man who takes the 
sentimental view of coral islands and   
cocoa-nuts1 of course1 is worse than    

useless2 a man possessed with the idea  
that he is making a sacrifice will never
 do2 and a man who thinks any kind of   
work beneath a gentleman will simply be 
in the way1 and be rather uncomfortable 
at seeing the ,bishop do what he thinks 
degrading to do himself4 ,i write all   
this quite freely1 wishing to convey1 if
 possible1 some idea to you of the kind 
of men we need4 ,and if the right fellow
 is moved by ,god's grace to come out1  
what a welcome we will give him1 and how
 happy he will soon be in a work the    
abundant blessings of which none can    
know as we know them4 ,there are three  
clergymen with me4 ,mr4 ,pritt1 who came
 out with the ,bishop of ,nelson as his 
chaplain1 but who1 ,i am thankful to    
say1 is regularly part and parcel of the
 ,mission staff2 ,mr4 ,dudley1 ordained 
last year1 who for six years has been in
 the ,mission1 and has had the special  
advantage of being trained under the    
,primate's eye2 and ,mr4 ,kerr who was  
also ordained about ten months ago4  ',i

 give #ajj pounds to a clergyman when   
ordained1 increasing it #aja annually to
 a maximum of #aej pounds4 ,but this    
depends upon subscriptions1 c4 ,i could 
not pledge myself even to this1 except  
in the case of a man very highly        
recommended4 ,but of this ,i will write 
more4  ',again let me say that ,i do not
 want anyone yet1 not this year4 ,i     
shall be off again 7,d4,v47 in the      
beginning of ,may #ahfc1 for six months2
 and if then ,i find on my return       
7,d4,v47 in ,november1 letters from you1
 either asking me to write with         
reference to any young man1 or informing
 me that one is on the way out1 that    
will be quite soon enough4  ',i need not
 say ,i don't expect any such help so   
soon1 if at all4  ',finally1 pray don't 
think that ,i underrate the great       
advantage of having such persons as ,st4
 ,mark's produces2 but ,i write         
guardedly4 ,my kind love to ,mrs4       
,derwent4  ',affectionately yours1  ',j4
 ,c4 ,,patteson1 ,missionary ,bishop4'  

,on the #bith of ,december1 after two   
pages of affectionate remarks on various
 family incidents1 the letter           
proceeds3--  ',we are having an extra   
scrubbing in preparation for our        
visitors on ,thursday1 who may wish to  
be with us on the occasion of the       
baptism of our six ,banks ,islanders2   
and ,i am writing in the midst of it1   
preferring to sit in the schoolroom to  
my own room1 which is very tiny and very
 hot4  ',we have some eight only out of 
the fifty-one whom ,i am obliged to     
treat rather as an awkward squad1 not   
that they are too stupid to learn1 but  
that we cannot give them the individual 
attention that is necessary4 ,they teach
 me their language2 but ,i cannot put   
them into any class where they could be 
regularly taught--indeed1 they are not  
young fellows whom ,i should bring      
again4 ,they do the work of introducing 
us to their islands1 and of teaching us 
something of their language4 ,so ,i     
continue to give them what little time  

,i can--the real strength of our force  
being given to those whom we hope to    
have here again4  ',we are all on the   
qui vive about our beautiful vessel1    
hoping to see it in about six or eight  
weeks4 ,it will1 please ,god1 be for    
years the great means by which we may   
carry on the ,mission if we live2 and   
all the care that has been spent upon it
 has been well spent1 you may be sure4  
',i don't want to appear as if ,i       
expected this to be done in one sense1  
but it is only when ,i think of the     
personal interest shown in it that ,i   
suppose it right to thank people much4  
,i don't want it to be thought of any   
more than you do as a gift to us        
particular missionaries4 ,it is the     
,church carrying on its own work4 ,yet1 
as you truly say1 private feelings and  
interests are not to be treated rudely2 
and ,i do think it a very remarkable    
thing that some #b1jjj pounds should be 
raised by subscriptions1 especially when
 one knows that so very few people have 

an idea of the work that is being done4'
  ',what a blessed ,new ,year's         
rejoicing in hope here follows3--       
',kohimarama3 ,jan4 #a1 #ahfc4  ',my    
dearest ,sisters1--,the first letter of 
the year to you6 ,thank ,god for        
bringing us to see it6 ,it is #a ,p4,m41
 and at #d4cj ,p4,m4 six dear children  
7from twenty-two to fourteen7 are to be 
baptized4 ,everything in one sense is   
done2 how very little in the other and  
higher sense6 ,may ,almighty ,god pour  
the fulness of ,his blessing upon them6 
,i sit and look at them1 and my heart is
 too full for words4 ,they sit with me1 
and bring their little notes with       
questions that they scarcely dare trust 
themselves to speak about4 ,you will    
thank ,god for giving me such comfort1  
such blessings1 and such dear children4 
,how great a mercy it is6 ,how          
unexpected6 ,may ,god make me humble and
 patient through it all6  ',what a sight
 it would be for you four hours hence6  
,our party of sixty-one1 visitors from  

,auckland1 the glorious day1 and the    
holy service1 for which all meet4  ',i  
use ,proper ,psalms1 #hi1 #if1 #abf1    
#ade1 and for lessons a few verses1 #b  
,kings v4 #i-ae1 and ,acts viii4 #ce-i4 
,after the third ,collect1 the ,primate 
may say a few words1 or ,i may do so2   
and then ,i shall use our usual         
,melanesian ,collect for many islands1  
very briefly named2 and so conclude with
 the ,blessing4  ',what this is to me   
you must try and realise1 that you may  
be partakers of my joy and thankfulness4
 ,to have ,christians about me1 to whom 
,i can speak with a certainty of being  
understood1 to feel that we are all     
bound together in the blessed ,communion
 of the ,body of ,christ1 to know that  
angels on high are rejoicing and evil   
spirits being chased away1 that all the 
,banks ,islands and all ,melanesia are  
experiencing1 as it were1 the first     
shock of a mighty earthquake1 that ,god 
who foresees the end may1 in his        
merciful ,providence1 be calling even   

these very children to bear ,his message
 to thousands of heathens1 is not it too
 much8 ,one's heart is not large enough 
for it1 and confession of one's own     
unworthiness breaks off involuntarily   
into praise and glory6  ',i know1 my    
dear ,sisters1 that this is most likely 
one of the great blessings that precede 
great trials4 ,i can't expect or wish   
7perhaps7 always to sail with a fair    
wind1 yet ,i try to remember that trial 
must come1 without on that account      
restraining myself from a deep taste of 
the present joy4 ,i can't describe it6  
',then we have now much that we ever can
 talk about--deep talk about ,mota and  
the other islands1 and the special      
temptations to which they must be       
exposed2 that now is the time when the  
devil will seek with all his might to   
have them1 and so hinder ,god's work in 
the land2 that they have been specially 
blest by ,god to be the first to desire 
to know ,his will1 and that they have   
heavy responsibilities4  ',yes1 they    

say1 we see man does not know that his  
room is dirty and full of cobwebs while 
it is all dark2 and another man1 whose  
room is not half so dirty1 because the  
sun shines into it and shows the dirt1  
thinks his room much worse than the     
other4 ,that is like our hearts4 ,it is 
worse now to be angry than it was to    
shoot a man a long time ago4 ,but the   
more the sun shines in1 the more we     
shall find cobwebs and dirt1 long after 
we thought the room was clean4 ,yes1 we 
know what that means4 ,we asked you what
 would help us to go on straight in the 
path1 now that we are entering at the   
gate4 ,we said prayer1 love1 helping our
 countrymen4 ,now we see besides        
watchfulness1 self-examination2 and then
 you say we must at once look forward to
 being confirmed1 as the people you     
confirmed at ,norfolk ,island4 ,then    
there is the very great thing1 the holy 
and the great1 the ,supper of the ,lord4
 ,so1 evening by evening and day by day1
 we talk1 this being of course not      

called school1 being1 indeed1 my great  
relaxation1 for this is the time when   
they are like children with a father4   
',i know ,i feel it so4 ,don't take the 
above as a fair sample of our talk1 for 
the more solemn words we say about      
,god's ,love1 ,christ's ,intercession1  
and the ,indwelling of the ,spirit1 ,i  
can hardly write down now4  ',your      
loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4          
',p4,s4--,feast of the ,epiphany4 ,those
 dear children were baptized on         
,thursday4 ,a most solemn interesting   
scene it was6'  ,thoroughly happy indeed
 was the ,bishop at this time4 ,in a    
note of ,february #c to the ,bishop of  
,wellington1 he speaks of the orderly   
state of the ,college3--  ',mr4 ,pritt  
has made a complete change in the       
,melanesian school1 very properly       
through me2 not putting himself forward1
 but talking with me1 suggesting1       
accepting suggestions1 giving the       
benefit of his great knowledge of boys  
and the ways to educate them4 ,all the  

punctuality1 order1 method1 c41 are     
owing to him2 and he is so bright and   
hearty1 thoroughly at ease with the     
boys1 and they with him4'  ,the same    
note announces two more recruits--,mr4  
,john ,palmer1 a theological student at 
,st4 ,john's1 and ,joseph ,atkin1 the   
only son of a settler in the            
neighbourhood1 who had also held a      
scholarship there4 ,he had gained it in 
#ahfj1 after being educated at the      
,taranaki ,scotch ,school and the       
,church of ,england ,grammar ,school at 
,parnell1 and his abilities were highly 
thought of4 ,the ,bishop says3--  ',joe 
,atkin1 you will be glad to hear1 has   
joined us on probation till next        
,christmas1 but he is very unlikely to  
change his mind4 ,he and his father have
 behaved in a very straightforward      
manner4 ,i am not at all anxious to get 
fellows here in a hurry4 ,the ,norfolk  
,islanders1 e4g41 are in need of        
training much more than our best        
,melanesians1 less useful as teachers1  

cooks1 even as examples4 ,this will     
surprise you1 but it is so4  ',i have   
long suspected that ,joe thought about  
joining us4 ,he tells me1 ,you never    
would give me a chance to speak to you1 
,sir4  ,quite true1 ,joe2 ,i wished the 
thought to work itself out in your own  
mind1 and then ,i thought it right to   
speak first to your father4  ',i told   
him that ,i could offer but a small and 
that an uncertain salary should he be   
ordained five years hence2 and that he  
ought to think of that1 that there was  
nothing worldly in his wishing to secure
 a maintenance by-and-by for wife and   
child1 and that ,i much doubted my power
 to provide it4 ,but this did not at all
 shake either his father or him4 ,i have
 a great regard for the lad1 and ,i know
 you have4'  ,from that time forward    
reading with and talking with ',joe     
,atkin' was one of the chief solaces of 
the ,bishop's life1 though at present   
the young man was only on trial1 and    
could not as yet fill the place of ,mr4 

,benjamin ,dudley1 who1 soon after the  
voyage1 married1 and returned to        
,canterbury settlement4 ,the loss was   
felt1 as appears in the following3--    
',kohimarama2 ,saturday1 #a ,p4,m41     
,feb4 #g1 #ahfc4  ',my dearest          
,sisters1--,i have a heavy cold1 so you 
must expect a stupid letter4 ,i am off  
in an hour or two for a forty-mile ride1
 to take to-morrow's services 7four7    
among soldiers and settlers4 ,the worst 
of it is that ,i have no chance of sleep
 at the end1 for the mosquitos near the 
river are intolerable4 ,how jolly it    
would be1 nevertheless1 if you were     
here1 and strong enough to make a sort  
of picnic ride of it4 ,i do it this way3
 strap in front of the saddle a         
waterproof sheet1 with my silk gown1    
,prayer-book1 brush and comb1 razor and 
soap1 a clean tie1 and a couple of sea  
biscuits4 ,then at about #c ,p4,m4 off  
,i go4 ,about twenty miles or so bring  
me to ,papakura1 an ugly but good road  
most of the way4 ,here there is an inn4 

,i stop for an hour and a half1 give the
 horse a good feed1 and have my tea4 ,at
 about #g4cj or #h ,i start again1 and  
ride slowly along a good road this dry  
weather4 ,the moon rises at #i4cj1 and  
by that time ,i shall be reaching the   
forest1 through which a good military   
road runs4 ,this is the part of the road
 ,i should like to show you4 ,such a    
night as this promises to be6 ,it will  
be beautiful4 ,about #aa ,i reach a hut 
made of reeds on the very brink of the  
river1 tether the horse1 give him a     
feed1 which ,i carry with me from       
,papakura1 light a fire 7taking matches7
 inside the hut1 and try to smoke away  
mosquitos1 lie down in your plaid1      
,joan--do you remember giving it to     
me8--and get what sleep ,i can4         
,to-morrow ,i work my way home again1   
the fourth service being at ,papakura at
 #d ,p4,m41 so ,i ought to be at        
,kohimarama by #i ,p4,m41 dead tired ,i 
expect4 ,i think these long days tire me
 more than they did2 and ,i really do   

see not a few white hairs1 a dozen or   
so1 this is quite right and respectable4
  ',i am writing now because ,i am tired
 with this cold1 but chiefly because    
when ,i write only for the mail ,i send 
you such wretched scrawls1 just business
 letters1 or growls about something or  
other which ,i magnify into a grievance4
 ,but really1 dear ,joan and ,fan1 ,i do
 like much writing to you2 only it is so
 very seldom ,i can do so1 without      
leaving undone some regular part of the 
day's work4 ,i am quite aware that you  
want to know more details about my daily
 life1 and ,i really wish to supply     
them2 but then ,i am so weary when ,i   
get a chance of writing1 that ,i let my 
mind drift away with my pen1 instead of 
making some effort to write             
thoughtfully4 ,how many things ,i should
 like to talk about1 and which ,i ought 
to write about3 ,bishops ,mackenzie and 
,colenso1 the true view of what         
heathenism is1 ,church government1 the  
real way to hope to get at the mass of  

heathens at home1 the need of a         
different education in some respects for
 the clergy1 c4 ,but ,i have already by 
the time ,i begin to write taken too    
much out of myself in other ways to     
grapple with such subjects1 and so ,i   
merely spin out a yarn about my own     
special difficulties and anxieties4     
',don't mind my grumbling4 ,i think that
 it is very ungrateful of me to do so1  
when1 this year especially1 ,i am       
receiving such blessings2 it is partly  
because ,i am very much occupied1       
working at high pressure1 partly because
 ,i do not check my foolish notions1 and
 let matters worry me4 ,i don't justify 
it a bit2 nor must you suppose that     
because ,i am very busy just now1 ,i am 
really the worse for it4 ,the change to 
sea life will set me all to rights      
again2 and ,i feel that much work must  
be done in a little time1 and a wise man
 would take much more pains than ,i do  
to keep himself in a state fit to do it4
  ',i have told you about our manner of 

life here4 ,up at #e1 when ,i go round  
and pull the blankets1 not without many 
a joke1 off the sleeping boys1 many of  
the party are already up and washing4   
,then1 just before prayers1 ,i go into  
the kitchen and see that all is ready   
for breakfast4 ,prayers at #e4de in     
,english1 ,mota1 ,baura1 c41 beginning  
with a ,mota ,hymn1 and ending with the 
,lord's ,prayer in ,english4 ,breakfast 
immediately after3 at our table ,mr4    
,pritt1 ,mr4 ,kerr1 and young ,atkin who
 has just joined us4 ,at the teachers'  
table1 five ,norfolk ,islanders1 ,edward
 7a ,maori71 five girls and two of their
 husbands1 and the three girls being    
placed at this table because they are   
girls2 ,melanesians at the other three  
tables indiscriminately4 ,there are four
 windows1 one at the north1 three at the
 east side4 ,the school and chapel1 in  
one long modern building1 form the      
corresponding wing on the eastern side  
of my little room1 and the boys         
dormitories between4  ',we are daily    

expecting the vessel1 though it will be 
a quick passage for her if she comes in 
the next ten days1 and then what a      
bustle6  ',we send ,dudley and his wife 
away to ,canterbury for eight or nine   
months2 he is so weak as to make the    
change1 which ,i had urged him to try   
for some time past1 quite necessary4    
',next ,sunday a ,confirmation at       
,orehunga1 eight miles off2 back to     
,auckland for catechising and ,baptism  
at #c p4m4 and evening service at #f4cj1
 and never a word of either sermon      
written1 and all the school work6 ,never
 mind1 a good growl to you is a fine    
restorative1 and really ,i get on very  
well somehow4  ',well1 good-bye1 you    
dear ,sisters1  ',your affectionate     
,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,on the last 
day of ,february came the new ',southern
 ,cross1' and two delightful notes      
announced it to the ,vicar of ,hursley  
and to myself in one envelope4   ',st4  
,andrew's3 ,feb4 #bh1 #ahfc4  ',my dear 
,cousin1--,the ,southern ,cross arrived 

safely this morning4 ,thanks to ,god6   
',what it is to us even you can hardly  
tell2 ,i know not how to pour out my    
thankfulness4 ,she seems admirably      
adapted for the work4 ,mr4 ,tilly's     
report of her performance is most       
satisfactory3 safe1 fast1 steers well1  
and very manageable4 ,internal          
arrangements very good2 after cabin too 
luxurious1 but then that may be wanted  
for sick folk1 and as it is luxurious1  
why ,i shall get a soft bed1 and take to
 it very kindly4  ',pray let dear ,mr4  
,keble and ,dr4 ,moberly know at once   
how very happy and thankful ,i am for   
this blessing4 ,i know all you good     
friends at home will try to picture to  
yourselves my delight as ,i jumped on   
board6  ',the boys are1 of course1 wild 
with excitement4 ,it is blowing very    
hard4 ,last night 7when we were thinking
 of them7 it was an anxious night for   
them close on the coast4  ',i have no   
time to write more4 ,i thought of       
,lady444 as ,i looked at the            

chronometers and instruments1 and of you
 all as ,i looked at the beautiful      
vessel slipping along through the water 
with scarce a stitch of canvas4 ,i pray 
that she may be spared many years to the
 ,mission1 and that we may have grace to
 use her1 as she ought to be used1 to   
,his glory4  ',your affectionate        
,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson1 ,bishop4 
',you know that you are daily remembered
 in our prayers4 ,god bless you4'       
'#aj4cj ,p4,m41 ,march #a1 #ahfc4  ',my 
dear ,mr4 ,keble1--,one line1 though on 
,sunday night1 to tell you of the safe  
arrival of the ,southern ,cross4 ,you   
have a large share in her1 and she has a
 large share in your good wishes and    
prayers1 ,i am sure4  ',solemn thoughts 
on this day1 an ,ordination ,sunday1    
mingle with the joy at the coming of    
this messenger 7,i trust of mercy and   
peace74 ,i need not ask you to pray     
continually for us1 for ,i know you do  
so4 ,but indeed1 now is the time when we
 seem especially to need your prayers4  

',the lads have no lack of intellectual 
capacity1 they not unfrequently surprise
 me4 ,now is the time when they are in  
the receptive state1 and now especially 
any error on our part may give a wrong  
direction to the early faith of         
thousands6 ,what an awful thought6 ,we  
are their only teachers1 the only       
representatives of ,christianity among  
them4 ,how inexpressibly solemn and     
fearful6 ,this is the thought so        
perpetually present to me4 ,the training
 of the future missionaries of          
,melanesia is1 by ,god's ,providence1   
placed in our hands4 ,no wonder that ,i 
feel sometimes overwhelmed at the       
thought6  ',but ,i know that if ,god    
gives me grace to become more           
simple-minded and humble1 ,he will order
 even this aright4 ,you ,i know will    
pray more than ever for me4 ,my kindest 
regards to ,mrs4 ,keble2 ,i hope she is 
better4  ',your affectionate and        
grateful young ,friend1  ',j4 ,c4       
,,patteson1 ,missionary ,bishop4'       

,before the first joy of the arrival was
 over1 ere the ',southern ,cross' could 
make her first voyage among the         
multitude of isles1 a great calamity had
 fallen upon ,st4 ,andrew's4 ,whether it
 was from the large numbers1 or the     
effect of the colder climate1 or from   
what cause could not be told1 but a     
frightful attack of dysentery fell upon 
the ,melanesians1 and for several weeks 
suffering and death prevailed among     
them4 ,how ,bishop ,patteson tended them
 during this time can be better guessed 
than described4  ,archdeacon ,lloyd1 who
 came to assist in the cares of the     
small party of clergy1 can find no words
 to express the devotion with which the 
,bishop nursed them1 comforting and     
supporting them1 never shrinking from   
the most repulsive offices1 even bearing
 out the dead silently at night1 lest   
the others should see and be alarmed4   
,still no mail1 except during the       
voyages1 had ever left ,new ,zealand    
without a despatch for home2 and time   

was snatched in the midst of all this   
distress for a greeting1 in the same    
beautiful1 clear minute hand as usual3--
   ',hospital1 ,st4 ,andrew's3 ,saturday
 night1 #i ,p4,m41 ,march #bb1 #ahfc4   
',my dearest ,brother and ,sister1--,i  
write from the dining hall 7now our     
hospital71 with eleven ,melanesians     
lying round me in extremity of peril4 ,i
 buried two to-day in one grave1 and ,i 
baptized another now dying by my side4  
',god has been pleased in ,his wisdom   
and mercy to send upon us a terrible    
visitation1 a most virulent form of     
dysentery4 ,since this day fortnight ,i 
have scarce slept night or day1 but by  
snatching an hour here and there2 others
 are working quite as hard1 and all the 
good points of our ,melanesian staff are
 brought out1 as you may suppose4  ',the
 best medical men cannot suggest any    
remedy4 ,all remedies have been tried   
and failed4 ,every conceivable kind of  
treatment has been tried in vain4 ,there
 are in the hall 7the hospital now7 at  

this moment eleven--eleven more in the  
little quadrangle1 better1 but in as    
anxious a state as can be2 and two more 
not at all well4  ',i have sent all the 
rest on board to be out of the way of   
contagion4 ,how we go on ,i scarce      
know4444 ,my good friend1 ,mr4 ,lloyd1  
is here1 giving great help2 he is well  
acquainted with sickness and a capital  
nurse4  ',i have felt all along that it 
would be good for us to be in trouble2  
we could not always sail with a fair    
wind1 ,i have often said so1 and ,god   
has sent the trial in the most merciful 
way4 ,what is this to the falling away  
of our baptized scholars6  ',but it is a
 pitiful sight6 ,how wonderfully they   
bear the agony of it4 ,no groaning4     
',when ,i buried those two children     
to-day1 my heart was full1 ,i durst not 
think1 but could only pray and believe  
and trust in ,him4 ,god bless you4      
',your loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4   
',o ,lord1 correct me1 but with         
judgment6'   ,on the #beth1 two more    

were dead1 and buried without time to   
make coffins1 for thirteen still hung   
between life and death1 while fresh     
cases were sent from on board ship4 ,mr4
 ,pritt and ,mr4 ,palmer cooked         
nourishing food and prepared rice-water 
unceasingly2 while the others tended the
 sick1 and the ,primate returned from a 
journey to give his effective aid4 ,on  
the night of the #cjth1 a fifth died    
unexpectedly1 having only been ill a    
week1 the only scholar from ,pentecost  
,island4 ,one of these lads1 when all   
hope was over1 was wrapped in his white 
winding sheet1 carried into the chapel1 
and there baptized by the ,bishop1 with 
choked voice and weeping eyes4  ,over   
those who had not faith enough to       
justify him in baptizing them1 he said  
the following prayers as he laid them in
 their graves3--  ',sentences4 ,psalms  
from the ,burial ,service4  ',forasmuch 
as it hath pleased ,thee1 ,o ,almighty  
,god1 to take from amongst us the souls 
of these two children committed to our  

charge1 we therefore commit their bodies
 to the ground2 earth to earth1 ashes to
 ashes1 dust to dust2 humbly commending 
to ,thy ,fatherly mercy these and all   
other ,thy children who know not ,thee1 
whom ,thou knowest1 who art the ,father 
and ,lord of all things in heaven and   
earth1 to whom be all praise and glory1 
with ,thy ,son1 ,jesus ,christ1 and the 
,holy ,spirit1 for ever and ever4 ,amen4
  ',we humbly beseech ,thee1 most       
merciful ,god1 to remember for good the 
inhabitants of the islands of           
,melanesia1 and specially we pray ,god  
by the grave of these children1 for the 
dwellers in ,vanua ,lava and ,ambrym    
that ,thou wouldest cause the light of  
the ,gospel to shine m their hearts4    
,give unto ,thy servants grace in their 
sight1 that we may go forth in peace1   
and return if it be ,thy will in safety1
 to the honour and glory of ,thy ,name1 
through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4  ',o  
,almighty ,god1 ,father of ,mercy1 we   
cry unto ,thee in our sorrow and        

distress1 most humbly confessing that we
 have most justly provoked ,thy wrath   
and heavy indignation4  ',we know1 ,o   
,lord1 that this is a dispensation of   
mercy1 a gift from ,thee1 to be used1 as
 all things may be used to ,thy glory4  
,yet1 ,o ,lord1 suffer not our          
unworthiness to hinder ,thy work of     
mercy6  ',o ,lord1 look down from       
heaven1 visit with ,thy tender          
compassion ,thy children lying under    
,thy hand in grievous sufferings of     
body4 ,restore them if it be ,thy good  
pleasure to health and strength1 or if  
it be ,thy good will to take them out of
 this world1 receive them to ,thy tender
 mercies for ,his blessed sake who died 
for all men1 ,thy ,son our ,lord4       
',lord's ,prayer4 ,grace4'  ,this was   
written down for use1 in great haste1 in
 the same spirit that breathes through  
the account of the next death3 the entry
 dated on ,coleridge ,patteson's        
thirty-sixth birthday1 ,april #a1 #ahfc1
 which must be transcribed1 though much 

of the detail of this time of trial has 
been omitted4  ',sosaman died at #i     
,a4,m4 this day--a dear lad1 one of the 
,banks ,islanders1 about ten or twelve  
years old4 ,as usual ,i was kneeling by 
him1 closing his eyes in death4 ,i can  
see his poor mother's face now6 ,what   
will she say to me8 she who knows not   
the ,christian's life in death6 ,yet to 
him1 the poor unbaptized child1 what is 
it to him8 ,what a revelation6 ,yes1 the
 names he heard at our lips were names  
of real things and real persons6 ,there 
is another world6 ,there is a ,god1 a   
,father1 a ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 a      
,spirit of holiness1 a ,love and ,glory4
 ,so let us leave him1 ,o ,father1 in   
,thy hands1 who knowest him who knew not
 ,thee on earth4 ,thy mercies never     
fail4 ,thou hast created all things1 and
 for ,thy pleasure they are and were    
created4  ',i washed him1 and laid him  
out as usual in a linen sheet4 ,how     
white it looked6 ,so much more simple   
and touching than the coffin--the form  

just discernible as it lay where five   
had lain before2 and then ,i knelt down 
in our little chapel2 and1 ,i thank     
,god1 ,i could still bless and praise   
,him in my heart6  ',how is it that ,i  
don't pray more8 ,i pray in one sense   
less than usual--am not so long on my   
knees4 ,i hope it is that ,i am so worn 
out1 and so very1 very much occupied in 
tending the sick and dying1 but ,i am   
not sure4  ',anyhow ,i am sure that ,i  
am learning at terrible cost lessons    
which1 it may be1 ,god would have taught
 me more gently if ,i had ears to hear4 
,i have not in all things depended upon 
,him1 and perpetually sought help from  
,him4  ',oh that my unworthiness may not
 hinder ,his work of mercy6  ',if ,i    
live1 the retrospect of this most solemn
 time will1 ,i hope1 be very useful4 ,i 
wonder if ,i ever went through such     
acute mental suffering1 and yet1 mind6  
,i feel perfectly hardened at           
times--quite devoid of sensibility4'    
,he said in another letter that he felt 

that if he relaxed his self-command for 
one moment he should entirely break     
down4 ,to him writing to his beloved    
home was what speaking1 nay1 almost     
thinking1 would be in another man2 it   
gave an outlet to his feeling1 and      
security of sympathy4 ,there was        
something in his spiritual nature that  
gave him the faculty of realising the   
,communion of ,saints in its fullest    
sense1 both with those on earth and in  
,paradise2 and1 above all1 with his     
,heavenly ,father1 so that he seems as  
complete an example as ever lived of the
 reality of that privilege1 in which too
 often we only express our belief4      
,sosaman's was the last death4 ,on a    
fragment of pink paper1 bearing the date
 of the next day1 it is declared that an
 alleviation in the worst symptoms had  
taken place1 and that the faces and eyes
 were less haggard4 ',oh6 if it be      
,god's will to grant us now a great     
deliverance1 all glory be to ,him6'     
,the deliverance was granted4 ,the next 

mail brought tidings of gladness3--     
',st4 ,andrew's3 ,april #ag1 #ahfc4     
',my dearest ,sisters1--,you know the   
calm yet weary feeling that succeeds to 
the period of intense anxiety and       
constant watchfulness4 ,six dear        
children are taken from us1 as you know 
already4 ,some twenty-one others have   
been very ill1 nigh unto death4 ,two or 
three are still weak1 but doing well4   
',all the rest are convalescent4 ,oh6 ,i
 look at them1 to see the loving bright 
smile again on their poor wan faces4 ,i 
don't mind breaking down now2 yet ,i    
have experienced no decided reaction2   
only ,i am very indolent1 like one who1 
for six weeks1 has not had his usual    
allowance of sleep4 ,what abundant cause
 we have for thankfulness6 ,all the many
 hours that ,i spent in that atmosphere1
 and yet not a whit the worse for it4   
,what a sight it was6 ,what scenes of   
suffering6 ,there seemed to be no end to
 it2 and yet there was always strength  
for the immediate work in hand4 ,tending

 twenty-four sick1 after hurrying back  
from burying two dear lads in one grave1
 or with a body lying in its white sheet
 in the chapel2 and once1 after a       
breathless watch of two hours1 while    
they all slept the sleep of opium1 for  
we dared almost anything to obtain some 
rest1 stealing at dead of night across  
the room to the figure wrapped so       
strangely in its blanket1 and finding it
 cold and stiff1 while one dying lay    
close by4 ,it has been a solemn time    
indeed4 ,and now the brightness seems to
 be coming back4  ',i have not yet      
ceased to think of the probable         
consequences2 but1 speaking somewhat    
hastily1 ,i do not think that this will 
much retard the work4 ,i may have to use
 some extra caution in some             
places--e4g41 one of the two first lads 
brought from ,ambrym is dead3 one lad1  
the only one ever brought from the      
middle of ,whitsuntide ,island1 is dead2
 ,i must be careful there4 ,the other   
four came from ,mota1 ,matlavo1 ,vanua  

,lava 7,w4 side71 and ,guadalcanar2 for 
the six who died came from six islands4 
',one dear lad1 ,edmund ,quintal1       
sixteen or seventeen years old1 was for 
a while in a critical state4 ,fisher    
,young1 a little older1 was very unwell 
for three or four days4 ,they came from 
,norfolk ,island4  ',the last six weeks 
have been very unhealthy4 ,we had an    
unusually hot dry summer--quite a       
drought2 the wells1 for example1 were   
never so tried4 ,there was also an      
unusual continuance of north-east       
winds--our sultry close wind4 ,and when 
the dry weather broke up1 the rain and  
damp weather continued for many days4   
,great sickness prevailed in ,auckland  
and the country generally4  ',the       
,norfolk ,islanders1 now four in        
number--,edwin ,nobbs1 ,gilbert         
,christian1 ,fisher ,young1 and ,edmund 
,quintal--have behaved excellently4 ,oh1
 how different ,i was at their age6 ,it 
is pleasant1 indeed1 to see them so very
 much improved2 they are so industrious1

 so punctual1 so conscientious4 ,the    
fact seems to be that they wanted just  
what ,i do hope the routine of our life 
has supplied--careful supervision1      
advice1 and1 when needed1 reproof4 ,they
 had never had any training at all4     
',but there was something               
better--religious feeling--to work on6  
and the life here has1 by ,god's        
blessing1 developed the good in them4 ,i
 am very hopeful about then now4 ,not1  
mind6 that any one of them has a notion 
of teaching1 but they are acquiring     
habits which will enable them to be good
 examples in all points of moral conduct
 to those of the ,melanesians who are   
not already like ,b----1 c4 ,the head   
work will come by-and-by1 ,i dare say4  
',april #bb4--,the storm seems to have  
passed1 though one or two are still very
 weak4 ,but there are no active symptoms
 of disease4 ,how mercifully ,god has   
dealt with us6 ,i have been very seedy  
for a few days1 and am so still4 ,in    
spite of two teeth taken out a fortnight

 ago1 my whole jaw has been paining me  
much1 heavy cold1 and ,i can't get good 
sleep by reason of the pain1 and ,i want
 sleep much4 ,i think ,i must go to the 
dentist again4 ,you see we hope to sail 
in ten days or so1 and ,i want to be    
well4  ',we have just washed and        
scrubbed the hall thoroughly1 and once  
again it ceases to be our hospital4     
,that looks bright1 does not it8 ,you   
must let all friends know about us1 for 
,i shall not be able to write to many1  
and perhaps ,i shall not have time to   
write at all4 ,in the midst of all this1
 ,i have so much work about the         
management of the ,mission farm and     
property1 and the ,st4 ,john's ,college 
estate1 and educational prospects4'     
,the ',southern ,cross' was at sea again
 on ,may #b1 and approved herself       
entirely to her owners' satisfaction4   
,moreover1 another clergyman had come on
 board for a trial trip1 the ,rev4      
,robert ,codrington1 a ,fellow of       
,wadham1 ,oxford1 who brought the       

,university culture which was no small  
personal pleasure to ,bishop ,patteson  
in the companion of his labours4 ,so    
that the staff consisted of ,mr4 ,pritt1
 ,mr4 ,kerr1 ,mr4 ,codrington1 ,mr4     
,palmer and ,mr4 ,atkin1 besides ,mr4   
,tilly1 whose management of the vessel  
left the ,bishop free from cares        
whenever his knowledge of the coast was 
not needed4 ,some of the results of his 
leisure on the outward voyage here      
appear3--  ',i am glad ,i have read the 
accounts which ,bishop ,mackenzie's     
sister sent me4 ,i know more about it   
now4 ,work and anxiety and necessity for
 action all came upon them so rapidly1  
that there was but little time for      
forming deliberate plans4 ,i can well   
realise the finding oneself surrounded  
with a hundred poor creatures1 diseased 
and hungered1 the multitude of questions
 how to feed1 lodge1 and clothe them4   
,how far it is right to sanction their  
mode of life1 c4 ,one thing ,i am glad  
to notice1 that the ,bishop abstained   

from all attempts to convey religious   
instruction1 because he was not         
sufficiently acquainted with the        
language to know what ideas he might or 
might not be suggesting4 ,that was wise1
 and yet how unlike many hot-headed men1
 who rush with unintentional irreverence
 into very dangerous experiments4  ',i  
confess1 as you know1 that there seems  
to me far too cumbrous and expensive and
 talkative a method employed in         
,england1 for raising supplies for that 
,mission and ,columbia1 ,honolulu1 c4 ,i
 never think of all that fuss of the    
four ,universities1 and all the meetings
 and speeches1 without some shame4 ,but 
united action will come in the train of 
real synodical action2 and if ,i        
understand aright1 the last ,convocation
 of ,canterbury accepted all that we are
 trying for1 taking the right view in   
the question of ,provinces1             
,metropolitans1 position of ,colonial   
,churches1 joint action of the ,church  
at large1 c4 ,extension of ,episcopate  

in ,england4 ,oh1 thanks be to ,god for 
it all4 ,what a work for this branch of 
the ,catholic ,church6 ,how can people  
sit quiet1 not give their all6  ',i like
 very much ,vaughan's work on the       
,epistle to the ,romans4 ,that is the   
book to teach young students how to read
 their ,greek ,testament4 ,accurate     
scholarship1 no private notions imported
 into the ,greek text4 ,i should like to
 hear ,mr4 ,keble speak about the law   
underlying the superstitions of         
heathenism1 the way to deal with the    
perversions of truth1 c4 ,somehow ,i get
 to marvel at and love that first book  
of ,hooker more and more4 ,it is        
wonderful4 ,it goes to the bottom of the
 matter2 and then at times it gives one 
to see something of the ,divine wisdom  
of the ,bible as one never saw it       
before4  ',but ,i fear that ,i seek too 
much after a knowledge and understanding
 of principles of action which are      
attainable by a scholar and man of real 
reasoning power1 but which ,i am not    

able to make of practical use1 having   
neither the brains nor the goodness4    
,this is what ,i really mean4  ',may    
#bjth4--,any really good book on the    
,new ,testament1 especially dealing     
critically with the ,greek text1 ,i     
certainly wish to have4 ,i feel that the
 great neglect of us clergy is the      
neglect of the continual study most     
critically and closely of the           
grammatical meaning of the ,hebrew and  
,greek texts4 ,oh6 that in old days ,i  
had made myself a good scholar6 ,oh6    
that ,i did really know ,hebrew and     
,greek well6 ,what a blessing and       
delight it would be now6 ,i fear that ,i
 shall never be a good ,hebrew scholar1 
,i can't make time for it2 but a decent 
,greek scholar ,i hope to be4 ,i work   
away1 but alas ,i for want of time1 only
 by fits and starts1 at grammars1 and   
such a book as ,vaughan's ,epistle to   
the ,romans1 an excellent specimen of   
the way to give legitimate help to the  
student4 ,trench's books ,i delight in4 

,the ,revision by ,five ,clergymen is an
 assistance4 ,there was a review in the 
,quarterly the other day on the ,greek  
,testament1 very nearly an excellent    
one4 ,the ordinary use of folio         
commentaries ,i don't wish to           
depreciate1 but ,i think it far less    
valuable than the diligent study for    
oneself with the best grammatical aids  
of the original text4 ,i always assume  
an acquaintance with the true mind and  
spirit of the ,church of ,england as a  
substratum of interpretation4 ,i like   
,westcott's book on the ,introduction to
 the ,study of the ,gospels4  ',oh6 why1
 when ,i sat evening after evening with 
our dear ,father1 did ,i not ask him on 
all these points much more than ,i did8 
,he did talk of such things6 ,but ,i    
suppose it is partly the impulse given  
to such studies by the tendency of      
present religious thought4 ,yet ought it
 not to have been always put forward at 
,eton and ,oxford that the close study  
of the text of the ,bible is the first  

duty of a ,christian scholar4 ,i never  
really thought of it till ,i came out   
here1 and then other occupations crowded
 upon me1 and so it was too late to make
 myself a scholar4 ,alas6  ',now ,i     
really think nothing is so great a      
relaxation tome as a good book by       
,trench1 or ,vaughan1 or ,ellicott1 or  
,dr4 ,pusey1 and ,i do enjoy it4 ,not   
that ,i can keep up my attention for    
very long so as to make it profitable1  
but even then it is delightful1 only ,i 
must go over it again1 and so it is     
perhaps time wasted4  ',but ,i greatly  
miss the intimate friend with whom to   
fix what ,i read by conversation and    
communication of mutual difficulties in 
understanding passages4 ,i don't often  
forget points on which the ,judge and ,i
 have had a talk1 but what ,i read by   
myself ,i read too quickly1 and forget4 
,i want to fix it by subsequent         
discussion and enquiry with a competent 
friend4 ,if ,i have intelligent young   
men to read with1 that will almost do1  

it will easily help me to remember what 
,i have read4 ,it won't be suggestive1  
like the ,judge's conversation2 yet if  
one tries to teach conscientiously one  
does learn a great deal4 ,i am puzzled  
as to books for my ,norfolk ,islanders4 
,i should like much the ,conversations  
on the ,catechism4 ,are they published  
separately8 ,shall ,i ask ,miss ,yonge  
to give me a copy8 ,and the ,plain      
,commentary would be useful too1 if     
7which ,i doubt7 it is plain enough4'   
',southern ,cross3 ,may #i1 #ahfc4  ',my
 dear ,joan1--,you ask me about         
qualifications which a man had better   
possess for this ,mission1 so perhaps ,i
 had better ask you to enquire of cousin
 ,derwent ,coleridge and of ,ernest     
,hawkins for letters written to them    
some six months ago in which 7if ,i     
remember rightly7 ,i succeeded as well  
as ,i am likely to do now in describing 
the class of men ,i should like some day
 to have4 ,i dare say they have not kept
 the letters1 ,i forgot that1 because   

although they took me some little time  
to write1 they may have chucked them    
away naturally enough4 ,still if they   
have them and can find them1 it may be  
worth while for you to keep a copy by   
you to show to any person who wishes for
 information4  ',it is not necessary at 
all that a man should have a taste for  
languages or a faculty of acquiring     
them4 ,what ,i want now is not a        
linguist1 but a well-trained            
school-master of black boys and men1 who
 will also put his hand to any kind of  
work--a kindly1 gentle1 cheerful1       
earnest fellow1 who will make light of  
all little inconveniences1 such as      
necessarily attend sea life1 c41 who is 
so much of a gentleman that he can      
afford to do any kind of work without   
being haunted by the silly thought that 
it is beneath him1 not his business4    
,that is the fellow for me4 ,he would   
have to learn one language1 the language
 of the particular class given over to  
him1 and ,i think that a person of any  

moderate ability might soon do this with
 our teaching4 ,if ,i could get him to  
take an interest in the general science 
of language and to go into philological 
points1 of course his work would be     
lighter1 and he would have soon the     
advantage of knowing dialects cognate to
 that which he must know4 ,but that is  
not necessary4  ',the real thing is to  
train a certain number of lads in habits
 of attention1 punctuality1 tidiness1   
c41 to teach them also upon a plan1     
which ,i should show him1 to read and   
write4 ,the religious instruction ,i    
should take1 and the closer             
investigation of the language too1      
unless he showed a capacity for going   
into the nicer points of structure1 c4  
',but somehow a cut and dried teaching  
machine of a man1 however methodical1   
and good1 and conscientious1 won't do4  
,there must be a vivacity1 an activity  
of mind1 a brightness about the man1 so 
that a lesson shall never be mere       
drudgery2 in short1 there must be a real

 love in the heart for the scholars1    
that is the qualification4  ',one man   
and one only ,i hope to have some day   
who ought to be able to learn scraps at 
least of many languages1 but he will    
have a different work to do4 ,no work   
can be considered to be satisfactorily  
carried on while it depends on the life 
of any one man4 ,someone to take my     
place will come1 ,i hope1 some day4 ,he 
would have to go round the islands with 
me1 and acquire a knowledge of the whole
 field of work--the wading and swimming1
 the mode of dealing with fellows on a  
first meeting1 c42 he will not only have
 one class to look after1 but he must   
learn the same kind of lesson that ,i   
learnt under the ,primate4 ,where to get
 such a man1 ,i'm sure ,i don't know4   
,he must be of standing and ability to  
be acceptable to the others should ,i   
die1 c41 c4  ',so we need not speculate 
about him1 and the truth is1 ,i am not  
in any hurry to get men from home4 ,we  
are educating ourselves lads here who   

will very likely learn to do this kind  
of work fairly well4 ,mr4 ,palmer will1 
,i hope1 be ordained at ,christmas4     
,young ,atkin will be useful some day4  
,by-and-by if ,i can get one or two     
really first-rate men1 it will indeed be
 a great thing4 ,but who knows anything 
of me in ,england8 ,i don't expect a    
really able man to come out to work with
 me4 ,they will go to other parts of the
 world kept more before the notice of   
the public by committees and meetings   
and speeches1 c42 and indeed ,i am very 
thankful for it4 ,i am not old nor wise 
enough to be at the head of a party of  
really able men4 ,i must be more fit to 
lead before ,i can ask men to follow4   
',of course ,i know that the work1 if ,i
 chose to speak out1 is second to none  
in interest and importance1 and that    
very little comparatively is known about
 it in ,england4 ,but it is evidently   
far better that it should go quietly on 
without attracting much notice1 and that
 we all should remain unknown at all    

events at present4 ,by-and-by1 when by  
,god's blessing things are more ripe for
 definite departments of work1 and men  
can have distinct duties at once        
assigned to them1 and our mode of       
carrying on the ,mission has been fairly
 tested1 then it will be high time to   
think about first-rate men4  ',and1     
presumptuous and strange as it may seem 
for me to say it1 a man confessedly     
second-rate1 unfit to hold a position   
with the best stamp of ,english         
clergymen1 ,i had rather not have4 ,i   
can get the material cheaper and made to
 my own hand out here4  ',some men are  
dull though good1 others can't get away 
from their book life and the            
proprieties1 others are donnish1 others 
are fine gentlemen1 others are weak in  
health1 most have preconceived and1     
many1 mistaken views about heathenism1  
and the way to deal with it2 some would 
come out with the notion that ,england  
and ,english clergymen were born to set 
the colonies right4  ',how few would    

say1 ,there's a young man for the       
,bishop1 only a second-class man1 no    
scholar1 not remarkable in any way1 but 
he has learnt his work in a good school1
 and will go out to him with the purpose
 of seeing how he carries on the work1  
and learning from him4 ,i don't expect  
men worth anything to say this4 ,of     
course ,i don't2 and yet you know1      
,joan1 ,i can't take them on any other  
terms4 ,no1 ,i prefer taking promising  
lads here1 and training them up1 not    
with any pledge that ,i will employ them
 in the ,mission1 but with the promise  
of giving them every chance of becoming 
qualified for it4'  ,the voyage was much
 shorter than had been intended1 and its
 history is best summed up here3--      
',southern ,cross1 ,kohimarama3 ,aug4   
#f1 #ahfc4  ',my dear ,cousin1--,this   
date1 from this place1 will surprise    
you4 ,we returned yesterday1 after a    
short voyage of only three months4 ,i   
had arranged my plans for a long voyage1
 hoping to revisit all our known        

islands1 and that more than once4 ,we   
sailed to ,norfolk ,island1 thence at   
once to ,mota4 ,i spent two days there1 
and left the ,rev4 ,l4 ,pritt in charge 
of the station2 ,mr4 ,palmer being with 
him and the four ,norfolk ,islanders1   
and several old scholars4  ',i spent a  
fortnight in the ,banks ,archipelago1   
returning some scholars1 and taking away
 others from divers islands2 and then   
went back to ,mota1 bringing some       
sixteen or seventeen lads to the central
 school4 ,i found them all pretty well2 
the whole island at peace1 people moving
 about everywhere unarmed1 and a large  
school being gathered together4  ',i    
went off again to the south 7the ,new   
,hebrides group71 returning scholars who
 had been in ,new ,zealand1 purchasing  
yams for axes and iron1 c41 to supply   
the large number of scholars at ,mota4  
,the season had been unfavourable1 and  
the crop of yams in some islands had    
almost failed4 ,however1 in another     
fortnight ,i was again at ,mota with    

some six or seven tons of yams4 ,i found
 things lamentably changed4 ,a great    
mortality was going on1 dysentery and   
great prostration of strength from      
severe influenza4  ',but of those not   
actually boarding at the station1 the   
state was very sad indeed4 ,about       
twenty-five adults were dead already1   
several of them regular attendants at   
school1 of whom we were very hopeful4   
',i spent two days and a half in going  
about the island1 the wet incessant1 the
 ground steaming and reeking with       
vegetable exhalations4 ,during those    
days twenty-seven adults died1 fifty-two
 in all1 and many1 many more were dying1
 emaciated1 coughing1 fainting2 no      
constitutional vigour of body1 nor any  
mutton broth1 or beef tea1 or jellies1  
or chickens1 or wine1 c4 ,mr4 ,pritt did
 what he could1 and more than ,i thought
 could have been done2 but what could be
 done8 ,how could nourishing food be    
supplied to dozens of invalids living   
miles off1 refusing to obey directions  

in a country which supplies no food to  
rally the strength of persons in        
illness8  ',i decided to remove the     
whole party at once1 explaining to the  
people that we were not afraid to share 
with them the risk of dying1 but that if
 ,mr4 ,pritt and the others died1 there 
were no teachers left4 ,i felt that our 
,banks ,island scholars must be removed1
 and that at once lest they should die4 
,i could not send the vessel to the     
,solomon ,islands without me1 for ,mr4  
,tilly was completely laid up and unable
 to move from rheumatic gout1 and no one
 else on board knows those languages4   
',i could not leave the party at ,mota  
in the sickness1 and ,i could not well  
send the vessel to ,port ,patteson for a
 time1 for the danger was imminent4 ,so 
,i took them all away1 in all           
thirty-nine4  ',but now the vessel was  
full1 more than sixty on board1 and ,i  
had reckoned upon an empty vessel in the
 hot ,santa ,cruz and ,solomon ,island  
latitudes4 ,moreover1 the weather was   

extraordinarily unfavourable--damp1 foul
 winds1 squalls1 calms1 unhealthy       
weather4 ,mr4 ,tilly was being greatly  
pulled down1 and everything seemed to   
point out that the voyage ought not to  
be long4 ,i made my mind up1 took back  
the ,solomon ,island scholars2 and1 with
 heavy sea and baffling winds and one   
short gale1 sailed back to ,new         
,zealand4  ',how mysteriously our plans 
are overruled for good6 ,i came back to 
hear of the war2 and to learn to be     
thankful for my small1 very young and   
very manageable party4 ,thirty-three    
,banks ,islanders1 the baptized party   
and select lads from their islands1 one 
,new ,caledonian1 four ,ysabel lads1    
constitute this summer's ,melanesian    
school4  ',don't be disappointed2 ,i was
 at first1 but ,i had the comfort of    
having really no alternative4 ,i had1   
indeed1 a great desire to make a        
thorough visitation of ,leper's ,island1
 and ,santa ,cruz especially2 but the   
wind1 usually so fair1 was dead against 

me1 we had1 so to speak1 no trade winds1
 and ,i had to give it up4 ,it was      
certainly my duty to get to the south   
with my invalids as soon as ,i could1   
and alter my plans1 which1 you know1    
always are made with a view to divers   
modifications being rendered necessary4 
',training the baptized scholars1 and   
putting into shape such knowledge as ,i 
have of ,melanesian tongues1 that made a
 good summer programme1 as ,i was       
obliged to content myself with a small  
party gathered from but few islands4    
,concentration v4 diffusion ,i soon     
began to think a very good thing4       
',well1 so it is1 and now ,i see great  
reason to be thankful4 ,why do we not   
always give thanks whether we see the   
reason or not8  ',the vessel behaves    
admirably4 ,i have written to ,jem at   
length1 and he must be applied to for my
 account of her4 ,pray tell ,mr4 ,keble 
all this4 ,i have a most valuable letter
 from ,dr4 ,moberly1 a great delight and
 honour to me4 ,it is very kind of him  

to write2 and his view of ,church       
matters is really invaluable1 no papers 
can give that which his letter gives1   
and only he and a very few others could 
give an opinion which ,i so greatly     
value4 ,he speaks hopefully of ,church  
matters in general1 and there are great 
reasons surely for thankfulness and     
hope4  ',yet men such as he see far and 
wide1 and to their great hearts no very 
violent storms are caused by such things
 as sorely trouble others4 ,he sees the 
presumption and weakness1 the vain      
transitory character of that phase of   
modern thought which ,bishop ,colenso   
represents1 and confidently expects its 
speedy disappearance4 ,but it does try  
the earnest1 while it makes shipwreck of
 the frivolous1 and exercises the faith 
and humility of all4 ,even a very poor  
scholar can see that his reasoning is   
most inconclusive1 and his reading      
superficial and inferences illogical4   
',god bless you1 my dear ,cousin4       
',your affectionate ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4  

,,patteson1 ,missionary ,bishop4'       
,perhaps this is the fittest place to   
give ,mr4 ,tilly's description of the   
,bishop in his voyages3--  ',my         
acquaintance with the late ,bishop      
,patteson began at ,port ,patteson1 in  
the ,banks ,islands1 in #ahfa4 ,he went 
with us in ,h4,m4,s4 ,cordelia to the   
,solomon ,islands1 and after being      
together some two months we again left  
him at ,port ,patteson on our way back  
to ,auckland4 ,during the time he was on
 board the ,cordelia it was arranged    
that ,i was to sail the new vessel 7the 
present ,southern ,cross71 then about to
 be built by the ,messrs4 ,wigram1 and  
the size1 internal arrangements1 c4 were
 told me by him4 ,he did not trouble me 
with much detail1 referring me almost   
altogether to ,bishop ,selwyn--and gave 
no written directions2 the little he    
said ,i carefully noted1 observing that 
he spoke as with a thorough knowledge of
 the subject 7so far as ,i could be a   
judge7 as to sea-going qualities1       

capacity1 c41 and to the best of my     
recollection1 ,i found that while the   
vessel was building these few directions
 were the main ones to be kept in view4 
,we entered ,auckland harbour 7from     
,england7 early on the morning of       
,february #bh1 #ahfc1 and hove to off   
the ,north ,head1 to wait for the       
,bishop coming off from ,kohimarama     
before going up the harbour4 ,it had    
been blowing hard outside the night     
before from the ,n4,e41 and there was   
still much wind1 and some sea1 even in  
the harbour4 ,i was much struck by his  
appearance and manner4 ,having to launch
 his boat through a surf at ,kohimarama 
beach1 he had only on a shirt and       
trousers1 and was of course drenched4   
,he stepped on board more like a sailor 
than a clergyman1 and almost immediately
 made one or two sailor-like remarks    
about the vessel1 as if he understood   
her qualities as soon as he felt her in 
motion2 and he was quite right in what  
he said4  ',before the building of the  

present vessel he had 7,i am told7      
navigated at different times to and from
 the islands2 of his capacity in this   
respect1 therefore1 others who knew him 
there can speak4 ,during the time ,i    
remained in the ,southern ,cross1 he    
never in any way1 to the best of my     
recollection1 interfered in the         
navigation or management of the vessel2 
but ,i came to know--almost at          
once--that his general planning of a    
voyage1 knowledge of local courses and  
distances1 the method by which it could 
be done most quickly and advantageously1
 and the time required to do it in1 were
 thorough2 and1 in fact1 ,i suppose1    
that almost without knowing it1 in all  
this ,i was his pupil1 and to the last  
felt the comfort of his advice or       
assistance1 as1 e4g41 when looking out  
together from aloft he has seen shoal   
water more quickly than myself1 or has  
decided whether certain doubtful        
appearances ahead were or were not      
sufficient to make us alter our course1 

c42 and always speaking as no one who   
was what sailors call a landsman could  
have done4 ,there was1 of course1 always
 a great deal of boat work1 much of it  
to be done with a loaded boat in a      
seaway1 requiring practical knowledge of
 such matters1 and ,i do not remember   
any accidents1 such as staving a boat on
 a reef1 swamping1 c4 in all those      
years2 and he invariably brought the    
boat out when it was easy for the vessel
 to pick her up1 a matter not           
sufficiently understood by many people4 
,this was where ,mr4 ,atkin's usefulness
 was conspicuous4 ,mr4 ,atkin was a     
fearless boatman1 and the knowledge of  
boating he gained with us at sea was    
well supplemented when in ,auckland1    
where he had a boat of his own1 which he
 managed in the most thorough manner1   
,auckland being at times a rough place  
for boating4 ,he 7,mr4 ,atkin7 pulled a 
good and strong oar1 and understood well
 how to manage a boat under sail1 much  
better in fact than many sailors 7who   

are not always distinguished in that    
respect74 ,his energy1 and the amount of
 work he did himself were remarkable2   
his manner was quiet and                
undemonstrative4 ,he took all charge--it
 may in a manner be said--of the boys on
 board the vessel1 regulated everything 
concerning meals1 sleeping arrangements1
 c41 how much food had to be bought for 
them at the different islands1 what     
trade 7i4e4 hatchets1 beads1 c47 it was 
necessary to get before starting on a   
voyage1 calculated how long our supply  
of water would last1 and in fact did so 
much on board as left the master of the 
vessel little to do but navigate4 ,with 
regard to the loss the ,mission has     
sustained in ,mr4 ,atkin1 speaking from 
my personal knowledge of his invaluable 
services on a voyage1 ,i can safely say 
there is no one here now fitted to take 
his place4 ,he had always capital health
 at sea1 and was rarely sea-sick1 almost
 the only one of the party who did not  
suffer in that way4 ,and his loss will  

be the more felt now1 as those who used 
to help in the boat are now otherwise   
employed as teachers1 c42 and as        
,norfolk ,island is a bad place to learn
 boating1 there is great need of some   
one to take his place1 for a good boat's
 crew is a necessity in this work as may
 be readily understood when the boat is 
away sometimes for the greater part of  
the day1 pulling and sailing from place 
to place4 ,at those places where the    
,bishop landed alone1 ,mr4 ,atkin       
gradually acquired the experience which 
made him so fit to look after the safety
 of the boat and crew4 ,in this manner  
he1 next to the ,bishop1 became best    
known to the natives throughout the     
islands1 and was always looked for2 in  
fact1 at many places they two were      
perhaps only recognised or remembered4  
',bishop ,patteson was hardly what could
 be called a good sailor in one sense of
 the word2 rough weather did not suit   
him1 and although ,i believe seldom if  
ever actually sea-sick1 he was now and  

then obliged to lie down the greater    
part of the day1 or during bad weather4 
,he used to read and write a great deal 
on board1 and liked to take brisk walks 
up and down the deck1 talking to whoever
 happened to be there4 ,he was orderly  
and methodical on board1 liked to see   
things in their places1 and was most    
simple in all his habits4 ,he always    
brought a good stock of books on board  
7which we all made use of71 but very few
 clothes4  ',the living on board was    
most simple1 much the same as the crew1 
those in the cabin waiting on themselves
 7carrying no steward71 until gradually 
boys used to volunteer to do the washing
 up1 c4 ,school with all the boys was   
kept up when practicable2 but the       
,bishop was always sitting about among  
them on the deck1 talking to one and    
another1 and having classes with him in 
the cabin4 ,there were regular morning  
and evening native and ,english prayers4
 ,the sermons on ,sundays were specially
 adapted for the sailors1 and listened  

to with marked attention1 as indeed they
 well might be1 being so earnest1       
simple1 and suitable4  ',speaking for   
myself1 ,i used to look forward to the  
voyage as the time when ,i should have  
the privilege of being much with him for
 some months4 ,while on shore at        
,kohimarama ,i saw but comparatively    
little of him1 except at meals2 but     
during the voyage ,i saw of course a    
great deal of him1 and learned much from
 him--learned to admire his             
unselfishness and simplicity of mode of 
life1 and to respect his earnestness and
 abilities4 ,his conversation on any    
subject was free and full2 and those on 
the few nights when quietly at anchor   
they could be enjoyed more1 will be long
 remembered4 ,of his manner to          
,melanesians1 others will1 no doubt1 say
 enough1 but ,i may be excused for      
mentioning one scene that very much     
struck me1 and of which ,i am now the   
only 7white7 one left who was present at
 it4 ,we were paying a visit for the    

first time to an island1 and--the vessel
 being safe in the offing--the ,bishop  
asked me if ,i would go with them as he 
sometimes did on similar occasions4 ,we 
pulled in to a small inner islet among a
 group1 where a number of 7say #bjj7    
natives were collected on the beach4    
,seeing they looked as if friendly1 he  
waded on shore without hesitation and   
joined them2 the reception was friendly1
 and after a time he walked with them   
along the beach1 we in the boat keeping 
near4 ,after a while we took him into   
the boat again1 and lay off the beach a 
few yards to be clear of the throng1 and
 be able to get at the things he wanted 
to give them1 they coming about the boat
 in canoes2 and this is the fact ,i     
wished to notice--viz41 the look on his 
face while the intercourse with them    
lasted4 ,i was so struck with it1 quite 
involuntarily1 for ,i had no idea of    
watching for anything of the sort2 but  
it was one of such extreme gentleness1  
and of yearning towards them4 ,i never  

saw that look on his face again1 ,i     
suppose because no similar scene ever   
occurred again when ,i happened to be   
with him4 ,it was enough in itself to   
evoke sympathy2 and as we pulled away1  
though the channel was narrow and       
winding1 yet1 as the water was deep1 we 
discussed the possibility of the        
schooner being brought in there at some 
future time4 ,i am quite aware of my    
inability to do justice to that side of 
the ,bishop's character1 of which1 owing
 to the position in which ,i stood to   
him as master of the ,mission vessel1 ,i
 have been asked to say a few words4    
,there are others who know far better   
than myself what his peculiar           
qualifications were4 ,his conduct to me 
throughout the time was marked by an    
unvarying confidence of manner and      
kindliness in our everyday intercourse1 
until1 gradually1 ,i came to think ,i   
understood the way in which he wished   
things done1 and acted in his absence   
with an assurance of doing his wishes1  

so far as ,i could1 which ,i never had  
attained to before with anyone else1 and
 never shall again4 ,and1 speaking still
 of my own experience1 ,i can safely say
 the love we grew to feel for him would 
draw such services from us 7if such were
 needed7 as no fear of anyone's reproof 
or displeasure ever could do4 ,and      
perhaps this was the greatest privilege1
 or lesson1 derived from our intercourse
 with him1 that ,love casteth out fear6 
',tiros4 ,,capel ,,tilly4   ',auckland3 
,october #bh1 #ahgb4'  ,this letter to  
,mr4 ,derwent ,coleridge follows up the 
subject of the requisites for missionary
 work3--   ',southern ,cross1           
,kohimarama3 ,august #h1 #ahfc4  ',my   
dear ,cousin1--,thank you for a very    
kind letter which ,i found here on my   
return from a short three months' voyage
 in ,melanesia4 ,you will1 ,i am sure1  
give me any help that you can1 and a    
young man trained under your eye would  
be surely of great use in this work4 ,i 
must confess that ,i distrust greatly   

the method adopted still in some places 
of sending out men as catechists and    
missionaries1 simply because they appear
 to be zealous and anxious to engage in 
missionary work4 ,a very few men1 well  
educated1 who will really try to        
understand what heathenism is1 and will 
seek1 by ,god's blessing1 to work       
honestly without prejudice and without  
an indiscriminating admiration for all  
their own national tastes and modes of  
thought--a few such men1 agreeing well  
together and co-operating heartily1 will
 probably be enabled to lay foundations 
for an enduring work4 ,i do not at all  
wish to apply hastily for men--for any  
kind of men--to fill up posts that ,i   
shall indeed be thankful to occupy with 
the right sort of men4 ,i much prefer   
waiting till it may please ,god to put  
it into the head of some two or three   
more men to join the ,mission--years    
hence it may be4 ,we need only a few2 ,i
 don't suppose that ten years hence ,i  
should 7if alive7 ever wish to have more

 than six or eight clergy2 because their
 work will be the training of young     
natives to be themselves teachers1 and1 
,i pray ,god1 missionaries in due time4 
,i am so glad that you quite feel my    
wants1 and sympathise with me4 ,it is   
difficult to give reasons--intelligible 
to you all at a distance--for everything
 that ,i may say and do1 because the    
circumstances of this ,mission are so   
very peculiar4 ,but you know that ,i    
have always the ,primate to consult with
 as to principles2 and ,i must1 for want
 of a better course1 judge for myself as
 to the mode of working them out in     
detail4  ',two plans are open for       
obtaining a supply of young men4 ,first1
 ,i may receive some few ready-trained  
men1 who nevertheless will have to learn
 the particular lessons that only can be
 taught here on the spot4 ,secondly1 ,i 
may have youths of 7say7 sixteen to     
eighteen years of age1 sent out from    
such a school as ,stephen ,hawtrey's for
 example1 who will come with a good     

general knowledge of ordinary things1   
and receive a special training from     
myself4 ,i think1 too1 that ,new        
,zealand will now and then supply an    
earnest1 active-minded young fellow--who
 will be a ,greek or ,latin scholar1 yet
 may find a useful niche in which he may
 be placed4 ,at present ,i have means   
only to maintain one or two such        
persons1 and this because ,i am able to 
use the money my dear ,father left me   
for this purpose4 ,indeed1 ,i have no   
other use for it4 ,the money received on
 public account would not keep the      
,mission in its present state1 and the  
expenditure ought to be increased by    
maintaining more scholars and teachers4 
,i don't forget what you say about the  
philological part of my business4 ,my   
difficulty is this1 mainly3 that it is  
next to impossible to secure a few hours
 of continuous leisure4 ,you can have no
 idea of the amount of detail that ,i   
must attend to3 seeing everything       
almost1 and having moreover not a few   

,new ,zealand matters to employ my time1
 besides my ,melanesian work4 ,i have1  
,i suppose1 a considerable amount of    
knowledge of ,melanesian tongues1       
unknown by name to anyone else perhaps2 
,i quite feel that this ought not to die
 with me1 if anything should suddenly   
happen to me4 ,i hoped this summer to   
put together something2 but now there is
 this ,maori war1 and an utterly        
unsettled state of things4 ,i may have  
to leave ,new ,zealand with my          
,melanesians almost any day4 ,but ,i    
will do what ,i can1 and as soon as ,i  
can4 ,again3 ,i find it so hard to put  
on paper what ,i know4 ,i could talk to 
a philologist1 and ,i fancy that ,i     
could tell him much that would interest 
him2 but ,i never wrote anything beyond 
a report in my life1 and it is labour   
and grief to me to write them--,i can't 
get on as a scribe at all4 ,then1 for   
two or three years ,i have not been able
 to visit some islands whose language ,i
 know just enough of to see that they   

supply a valuable link in the great     
,polynesian chain4 ,one might almost get
 together all the disjecta membra and   
reconstruct the original ,polynesian    
tongue4 ,but chiefly1 of course1 my     
information about ,melanesia may be     
interesting4 ,i have begun by getting   
together numerals in forty quite unknown
 dialects4 ,i will give1 at all events1 
short skeleton grammars too of some4    
,but we have no time4 ,why1 ,i have from
 five hundred to two thousand or more   
carefully ascertained words in each of  
several dialects1 and of course these   
ought to be in the hands of you all at  
home4 ,i know that1 and have known it   
for years2 but how to do it1 without    
neglecting the daily necessary work8    
',again3 the real genius of the         
language1 whatever it may be1 is learned
 when ,i can write down what ,i overhear
 boys saying when they are talking with 
perfect freedom1 and therefore          
idiomatically1 about sharks1 cocoa-nuts1
 yams1 c4 ,all translations must fail to

 represent a language adequately1 and   
most of all the translation into a      
heathen language of religious           
expressions4 ,they have not the ideas1  
and the language cannot be fairly seen  
in the early attempts to make it do an  
unaccustomed work4  ',i remember more of
 you and my ,aunt than you suppose4     
,even without the photograph 7which ,i  
am very glad to have--thank you for it71
 ,i could have found you and ,aunt out  
in a crowd4 ,i can't say that ,i        
remember my own generation so well4     
',thank you again for writing so kindly4
  ',always1 my dear ,cousin1            
',affectionately yours1  ',j4 ,c4       
,,patteson1 ,missionary ,bishop4'   ,the
 next mail carried the reply to         
,johanna's sympathy with the troubles of
 the time of sickness in the early part 
of the year4   ',august #bh1 #ahfc4     
',my dear ,joan1--,very full of comfort 
to have all your kind loving thoughts   
and words about our sickness4 ,i know   
you thought and talked much about it1   

and indeed it was a very heavy          
visitation viewed in one way1 though in 
another 7and ,i really can't analyze the
 reason why7 there was not only peace   
and calmness1 but eyen happiness4 ,i    
suppose one may be quite sure one is    
receiving mercies1 and be thankful for  
them1 although one is all the time like 
a man in a dream4 ,i can hardly think of
 it all as real4 ,but ,i am sure that   
,god was very1 very merciful to us4     
,there was no difficulty anywhere about 
the making known the death of the lads  
to their relatives4 ,i did not quite    
like the manner of the people at        
,guadalcanar1 from which island poor    
,porasi came2 and ,i could not get at   
the exact place from which ,taman came1 
though ,i landed on the same island     
north and south of the beach from which 
,i brought him4  ',i do not at all think
 that any interruption of the work has  
been occasioned by it4 ,it was very     
unfortunate that ,i could not1 last     
voyage1 make visits 7and long ones too1 

as ,i had hoped7 to many islands where  
in the voyage before ,i had met with    
such remarkable tokens of good-will1    
especially ,leper's ,island and ,santa  
,cruz1 but ,i think that if ,i can make 
a regular good round next time1 it may  
be all as well4 ,i imagine that in a    
great many islands it would now take a  
good deal to shake their confidence in  
us4 ,at the same time it was and is a   
matter of great regret that ,i did not  
at once follow up the openings of the   
former year1 and by returning again to  
the ,new ,hebrides and ,solomon ,islands
 7as in the contemplated six months'    
voyage ,i intended to do71 strengthen   
the good feeling now existing4          
,moreover1 many scholars who were here  
last year would have come again had ,i  
revisited them and picked them up again4
 ,but the ,mota sickness1 the weather1  
and ,mr4 ,tilly's illness made it more  
prudent to return by what is on the     
whole the shorter route1 i4e41 to the   
west of ,new ,caledonia4  ',you should  

have been with me when1 as ,i jumped on 
shore at ,mota1 ,i took ,paraskloi's    
father by the hand4 ,that dear lad ,i   
baptized as he lay in his shroud in the 
chapel1 when the whole weight of the    
trial seemed1 as it were1 by a sudden   
revelation to manifest itself1 and      
thoroughly overwhelmed and unnerved me4 
,i got through the service with the     
tears streaming down my cheeks1 and my  
voice half choked4 ,he was his father's 
pride1 some seventeen years old4 ,a girl
 ready chosen for him as his wife4 ,it  
is all well1 ,bishop1 he died well4 ,i  
know you did all you could1 it is all   
well4 ,he trembled all over1 and his    
face was wet with tears2 but he seemed  
strangely drawn to us1 and if he        
survives this present epidemic1 his     
son's death may be to him the means in  
,god's hands of an eternal life4 ,most  
touching1 is it not1 this entire        
confidence8  ',at ,aruas1 the small     
island close to ,valua1 from which dear 
,sosaman came1 it was just the same2    

rather different at the west side of    
,vanua ,lava1 where they did not behave 
so well1 and where 7as ,i heard         
afterwards7 there had been some talk of 
shooting me2 but nothing occurred while 
,i was on shore with them to alarm me4  
',at ,ambrym ,i landed with ,talsil     
7,joval1 from the same place1 had died71
 a great crowd1 all friendly1 walked    
into the village and sat down1          
speechifying by the principal man1 a    
presentation to me of a small pig2 but  
such confidence that this man came back 
with me on board1 where ,i gave him     
presents4 ,i much wished to land at     
,taman's place1 but could not do so1    
though ,i tried twice1 without causing  
great delay4  ',i could have brought    
away any number of scholars from almost 
any of these islands1 probably from all4
 ,i have great reason to regret not     
having revisited ,ambrym and other      
islands1 but ,i think that a year hence1
 if alive1 ,i may feel that it is better
 as it is4  ',these ,norfolk ,islanders1

 four of them1 ,i take as my children1  
for ,i can't fairly charge them 7except 
,edwin ,nobbs7 to the ,mission1 and ,i  
wish to give ,norfolk ,island some help1
 as it is really1 though not by letters 
patent1 part of my charge4 ,edwin ,nobbs
 is a thoroughly good fellow1 and       
,fisher ,young is coming on very well4  
',now1 my dearest ,joan1 good-bye4 ,my  
hats will come no doubt in good time1 my
 present chapeau is very seedy1 very    
limp and crooked and battered2 as near  
green as black almost--a very good      
advertisement of the poverty of the     
,mission4 ,but if ,i go about picking up
 gold in ,australia1 ,i shall come out  
in silk cassock and all the             
paraphernalia--very episcopal indeed6   
',your loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4       
,,patteson4'   ,herewith was a letter   
for ,dr4 ,moberly3--  ',st4 ,andrew's   
,college1 ,kohimarama3 ,august #bi1     
#ahfc4 ',my dear ,dr4 ,moberly1--,thank 
you for a very kind and most interesting
 letter written in ,may4 ,i know that   

you can with difficulty find time to    
write at all1 and thank you all the     
more4 ,if you knew the real value to us 
of such letters as you have now sent1   
containing your impressions and opinions
 of things in general1 men1 books1 c41  
you would be well rewarded for your     
trouble1 ,i assure you4 ,to myself1 ,i  
must say to you1 such letters are       
invaluable2 they are a real help to me1 
not only in that they supply information
 from a very good authority on many     
questions which ,i much desire to       
understand1 but even more because ,i    
rise up or kneel down after reading     
them1 and think to myself1 how little   
such men who so think of me really know 
me2 how different ,i ought to be1 and   
then it is another help to me to try and
 become by ,god's grace less unlike what
 you take me to be4 ,indeed1 you must   
forgive me for writing thus freely4 ,i  
live very much alone as far as persons  
of the same language1 modes of thought1 
c41 are concerned4 ,i see but little    

7strange as it may seem to you7 even of 
my dear ,primate4 ,we are by land four  
or five miles apart1 and meet perhaps   
once or twice a month for a few minutes 
to transact some necessary business4    
,his time is1 of course1 fully occupied2
 and ,i never leave this place1 very    
seldom even this little quadrangle1 and 
when other work does not need immediate 
attention 7a state of things at which ,i
 have not arrived as yet71 there are    
always a dozen new languages to be taken
 up1 translations to be made1 c4 ,so    
that when ,i read a letter which is full
 of just such matters as ,i think much  
of1 ,i naturally long to talk on paper  
freely with the writer4 ,were ,i in     
,england1 ,i know scarcely any place to 
which ,i would go sooner than           
,winchester1 ,hursley1 ,otterbourne1 and
 then ,i should doubtless talk as now ,i
 write freely4 ,all that you write of   
the state of mind generally in ,england 
on religious questions is most deeply   
interesting4 ,what a matter of          

thankfulness that you can say1 ,with all
 the sins and shortcomings that are     
amongst us1 there is an unmistakeable   
spreading of devotion and the wish to   
serve ,god rightly on the part of very  
many4  ',then1 the ,church preferments  
have lately been good2 ,bishop          
,ellicott1 one of your four coadjutors  
in the revision of the ,a4 ,v41         
especially4 ,i know some part of his    
,commentary1 and am very glad to find   
that you speak so very highly of it4    
,what a contrast to be sure between such
 work as his and ,jowett's and          
,stanley's6 ,jowett actually avows a    
return to the old exploded theory of the
 inaccurate use of language in the      
,greek ,testament4 ,this must make men  
distrust him sooner or later as an      
interpreter of ,scripture4 ,i thank you 
heartily for your offer of sending me   
,bishop ,ellicott's ,commentary1 but ,i 
hardly like you to send me so valuable a
 gift4 ,what if you substitute for it a 
copy of what you have written yourself1 

not less valuable to me1 and less       
expensive to you8 ,i hardly like to     
write to ask favours of such people as  
,bishop ,ellicott2 ,i mean ,i have no   
right to do so2 yet ,i almost thought of
 asking him to send a copy of his       
,commentaries to us for our library4 ,i 
have ventured to write to ,dean ,trench3
 and ,i am pretty sure that ,mr4 ,keble 
will send me his ,life of ,bishop       
,wilson4 ,but pray act as you wish4 ,i  
am very grateful to you for thinking of 
it at all2 and all such books whether   
yours or his will be used and valued1 ,i
 can undertake to say4 ,my good friend  
,kidding knows that ,i was1 alas6 no    
scholar at ,eton or ,oxford4 ,i have    
sought to remedy this in some measure as
 far as the ,greek ,testament is        
concerned1 and there are some excellent 
books which help one much2 yet ,i can   
never make myself a good scholar1 ,i    
fear2 one among many penalties ,i pay   
for want of real industry in old days4  
',miss ,yonge will hear from my sisters1

 and you from her1 ,i have no doubt1 my 
very scanty account of a very           
uninteresting voyage4 ,i see everywhere 
signs of a change really extraordinary  
in the last few years4 ,i can tell no   
stories of sudden conversions1 striking 
effects1 c4 ,but ,i know that in twenty1
 thirty1 perhaps forty places1 where a  
year or two ago no white man could land 
without some little uncertainty as to   
his reception1 ,i can feel confident now
 of meeting with friends2 ,i can walk   
inland--a thing never dreamt of in old  
days1 sleep ashore1 put myself entirely 
into their hands1 and meet with a return
 of the confidence on their part4 ,we   
have1 too1 more dialects1 talk or find  
interpreters in more places2 our object 
in coming to them is more generally     
known--and in ,mota1 and two or three   
other small islands of the ,banks group1
 there is almost a system of instruction
 at work4 ,the last voyage was a failure
 in that ,i could not visit many        
islands1 nor revisit some that ,i longed

 to land at for the second or third     
time4 ,but ,i don't anticipate any      
difficulty in reestablishing 7,d4 ,v47  
all the old familiarity before long4 ,no
 doubt it is all1 humanly speaking1     
hazardous where so much seems to depend 
upon the personal acquaintance with the 
people4  ',by-and-by ,i hope to have    
some young man of character and ability 
enough to allow of his being regarded as
 my probable successor1 who may always  
go with me--not stop on any one         
island--but learn the kind of work ,i   
have to do2 then1 when ,i no longer can 
do the work1 it will be taken up by a   
man already known to the various        
islanders4  ',i have not touched on many
 points in your letter4 ,again1 thank   
you for it3 it is very kind of you to   
write4 ,i must send a line to ,dr4      
,eidding4  ',i am1 my dear ,dr4         
,moberly1  ',yours very truly1  ',j4 ,c4
 ,,patteson1 ,bishop4'   ,the next of   
the closely written sheets that every   
mail carried was chiefly occupied with  

the ,maori war and apostasy1 on which   
this is not the place to enter1 until   
the point where more personal           
reflections begin4  ',how all this makes
 me ponder about my own special work ,i 
need not say4 ,there is not the         
complication of an ,english colony1 it  
is true2 that makes a great difference4 
',my own feeling is that one should     
teach positive truth1 the plain message 
of ,christianity1 not attacking         
prejudices4 ,conviction as it finds its 
way into the heart by the truth         
recommending itself will do the work of 
casting out the old habits4 ,i do not   
mean to say that the devil is not in a  
special way at work to deceive people to
 follow lying delusions4 ,but all error 
is a perversion of truth2 it has its    
existence negatively only1 as being a   
negation of truth4 ,but ,god is truth1  
and therefore ,truth is ----4 ,now this 
is practically to be put1 it seems to   
me1 in this way4 ,error exists in the   
mind of man1 whom ,god has created1 as a

 perversion of truth2 his faculties are 
constructed to apprehend and rest       
satisfied with truth4 ,but his faculties
 are corrupted1 and the devil supplies a
 false caricature of truth1 and deceives
 him to apprehend and rest satisfied    
with a lie4 ,but inasmuch as his nature1
 though damaged1 is not wholly ruined by
 the ,fall1 therefore it is still not   
only possible for him to recognise      
positive truth when presented to him1   
but he will never rest satisfied with   
anything else--he will be restless and  
uneasy till he has found it4  ',it is   
because ,i feel that it is more natural 
to man to follow truth than error       
7natural being understood to mean       
correspondent to the true nature7 that  
,i believe the right thing is to address
 oneself to the principle in a man which
 can and will recognise truth4 ,truth   
when recognised expels error4 ,but why  
attack error without positively         
inculcating truth8 ,i hope it does not  
bore you for me to write all this4 ,but 

,i wish you to learn all that may       
explain my way of dealing with these    
questions4'  ,the next day1 ,october    
#be1 a headache gives the ,bishop a     
reason for indulging himself1 while     
waiting for his pupils1 in calling up   
and setting down a realisation of his   
sisters' new home at ,st4 ,mary ,church1
 where for the time he seems to go and  
live with them1 so vividly does he      
represent the place to himself4 ,his    
first return to his own affairs is a    
vision that once more shows his         
unappeased craving for all appliances   
'for glory and for beauty' in the       
worship of ,god4  ',i may some day have 
a connection with ,mary ,church marbles4
 ,sometimes ,i have a vision--but ,i    
must live twenty years to see more than 
a vision--of a small but exceedingly    
beautiful ,gothic chapel1 rich inside   
with marbles and stained glass and      
carved stalls and encaustic tiles and   
brass screen work4 ,i have a feeling    
that a certain use of really good       

ornaments may be desirable1 and being on
 a very small scale it might be possible
 to make a very perfect thing some day4 
,there is no notion of my indulging such
 a thought4 ,it may come some day1 and  
most probably long after ,i am dead and 
gone4 ,it would be very foolish to spend
 money upon more necessary things than a
 beautiful chapel at present1 when in   
fact ,i barely pay my way at all4 ,and  
yet a really noble church is a wonderful
 instrument of education1 if we think   
only of the lower way of regarding it4  
,well1 you have a grand church1 and it  
is pleasant to think of dear dear       
,father having laid the stone1 and of   
,cousin ,george4 ,what would he say now 
to ,convocation and ,synods1 and the    
rapid progress of the organisation of   
the ,church8  ',i think that what you   
say1 ,fan1 about my overvaluing the     
world's opinion is very true4           
,self-consciousness and a very foolish  
sinful vanity always have been and are  
great sources of trial to me4 ,how often

 ,i have longed for that simplicity and 
truthfulness of character that we saw so
 beautifully exemplified in our dear    
,father6 ,how often ,i think that it is 
very good for me that ,i am so wanting  
in all personal gifts6 ,i should be     
intolerable6 ,i tell you this1 not to   
foster such feelings by talking of them1
 but because we wish to know and be     
known to each other as we are4 ,it is a 
very easy thing to be a popular preacher
 here1 perhaps anywhere4 ,you know that 
,i never write a really good sermon1 but
 ,i carry off platitudes with a sort of 
earnest delivery1 tolerably clear voice1
 and with all the prestige of being a   
self-devoted ,missionary ,bishop4 ,bless
 their hearts6 if they could see me     
sipping a delicious cup of coffee1 with 
some delightful book by my side1 and    
some of my lads sitting with me1 all of 
them really loving one1 and glad to do  
anything for one6  ',a less             
self-conscious person could do what ,i  
can hardly do without danger4 ,i see my 

name in a book or paper1 and then comes 
at once a struggle against some craving 
after praise4 ,i think ,i know the      
fault1 but ,i don't say ,i struggle     
against it as ,i ought to do4 ,it is    
very hard1 therefore1 for me to write   
naturally about work in which ,i am     
myself engaged4 ,but ,i feel that a     
truthful account of what we see and hear
 ought to be given1 and yet ,i never    
speak about the ,mission without feeling
 that ,i have somehow conveyed a false  
impression4'   ,again there was a time  
of sickness4 ,the weather alternated    
between keen cutting winds and stifling 
heat2 and there was much illness among  
the colonists1 as well as a recurrence  
of the dreadful disease of the former   
year among the scholars of ,st4         
,andrew's1 though less severe1 and one  
boy died after fourteen days' sickness1 
while two pulled through with           
difficulty4 ,in the midst came the      
,ember ,week1 when ,mr4 ,palmer was     
ordained ,deacon2 and then the ,bishop  

collapsed under ague1 and spent the     
morning of ,christmas ,day in bed1 but  
was able to get up and move into chapel 
for the celebration1 and afterwards to  
go into hall and see the scholars eat   
their ,christmas dinner4  ,in the letter
 he wrote in the latter part of the day1
 he confessed that 'he felt older and   
less springy2' though1 as he added1     
there was good reason for it in the     
heavy strain that there had been upon   
him throughout the year1 though his     
native1 scholars were all that he could 
desire4  ,a few days' holiday and change
 at the ,primate's brought back spirits 
and strength2 but the question whether  
under any circumstances ,new ,zealand   
would be a safe residence for the great 
body of ,melanesian scholars was        
becoming doubtful1 and it seemed well to
 consider of some other locality4       
,besides1 it was felt to be due to the  
supporters of the ,mission in ,australia
 to tell them personally how great had  
been the progress made since #ahee2 and1

 accordingly1 on one of the first days  
of ,february1 ,bishop ,patteson embarked
 in a mail steamer for ,sydney1 but he  
was obliged to leave six of his lads in 
a very anxious state with a recurrence  
of dysentery4 ,however1 the ,governor1  
,sir ,george ,grey1 had lent his place  
on the island of ,kawau1 thirty miles   
north of ,auckland1 to the party1 so    
that there was good hope that change    
would restore the sick4  ',fancy me1'   
says the ,journal of ,february #f1 'on  
board a screw steamer1 #beb feet long1  
with the best double cabin on board for 
my own single use1 the manager of the   
company being anxious to show me every  
attention1 eating away at all sorts of  
made dishes1 puddings1 c41 and lounging 
about just as ,i please on soft red     
velvet sofas and cushions4'  ,the rest  
and good living were the restorative he 
needed2 and1 in spite of anxiety about  
the patients at home1 he enjoyed and    
profited by it4  ,on ,february #f1      
,sydney was reached1 but the ,bishop    

sailed on at once for his farthest      
point4 ,at ,melbourne1 on the #aath1 he 
quaintly declares1 after describing his 
kind reception3 ',i feel at present a   
stranger among strangers2 no new thing  
to me1 especially if they are black1 and
 begin by offering me cocoa-nut instead 
of bread and butter4 ,this place looks  
too large for comfort--like a section of
 ,london1 busy1 bustling1 money-making4 
,there are warm hearts somewhere amid   
the great stores and banks and shops1 ,i
 dare say4 ,but you know it feels a     
little strange1 and especially as ,i    
think it not unlikely that a regular    
hearty ,church feeling may not be the   
rule of the place4 ,still ,i am less shy
 than ,i was1 and with real gentlemen   
feel no difficulty in discussing points 
on which we differ4  ,it is the vulgar  
uneducated fellow that beats me4 ,the   
,melanesians1 laugh as you may at it1   
are naturally gentlemanly and courteous 
and well-bred4 ,i never saw a gent in   
,melanesia1 though not a few downright  

savages4 ,i vastly prefer the savage4'  
,melbourne was1 however1 to be taken on 
the return2 and he went on to ,adelaide1
 where ,bishop ,short and the clergy met
 him at the port1 and he was welcomed   
most heartily4 ,the ,diocesan ,synod    
assembled to greet him1 and presented an
 address2 and there were daily services 
and meetings1 when great interest was   
excited1 and tangibly proved by the     
raising of about #bej4 ,he was perfectly
 astonished at the beauty and fertility 
of the place1 and the exceeding         
luxuriance of the fruit4 ,one bunch of  
grapes had been known to weigh fourteen 
pounds4 ,as to the style of living with 
all ordinary ,english comforts and      
attendance1 he says3--',i feel almost   
like a fish out of water1 and yet ,i    
can't help enjoying it4 ,one very easily
 resumes old luxurious habits1 and yet  
the thought of my dear boys1 sick as ,i 
fear some must be1 helps to keep me in a
 sober state of mind4'  ,on ,st4        
,matthew's ,day he assisted at an       

,ordination3 and on the #bgth returned  
to ,melbourne for three weeks1 and      
thence to ,sydney4 ,his time was so     
taken up that his letters are far more  
scanty and hurried than usual4  ',i have
 been running no little risk of being   
spoilt1 and ,i don't say that ,i have   
come off uninjured4 ,in ,melbourne ,i   
was told by the ,dean 7the ,bishop is in
 ,england7 and by ,judge ,pohlman 7an   
excellent good man7 that they remembered
 no occasion during the twenty-two years
 of sojourn 7before ,melbourne was more 
than a village7 when so much interest   
had been shown in ,christian work1      
especially ,mission work4 ,this is a    
thing to be very thankful for4 ,i felt  
it my duty to speak strongly to them on 
their own duties1 first to ,aborigines1 
secondly to ,chinese 7of whom some      
#dj1jjj live in ,victoria71 thirdly to  
,melanesians4 ,i did not aim only at    
getting money for ,melanesia2 ,i took   
much higher ground than that4 ,but the  
absence of the ordinary nonsense about  

startling conversions1 rapid results1   
c41 and the matter-of-fact unsentimental
 way of stating the facts of heathenism1
 and the way to act upon it1 did1 no    
doubt1 produce a very remarkable effect4
  ',i need not tell you that ,i did pray
 for strength to make good use of such  
unexpected and very unusual             
opportunities4 ,crowded meetings1       
nothing before like it in ,melbourne or 
the provinces4 ,i did not feel nervous1 
much to my surprise2 ,i really wonder at
 it1 ,i had dreaded it much4  ',it was a
 sight to see ,st4 ,george's ,hall      
crowded1 children sitting on the floor1 
platform1 anywhere1 and very many adults
 7about #ejj7 besides4 ,now you know my 
old vanity4 ,thank ,god1 ,i don't think 
it followed me very much here4 ,there   
was a strong sense of a grand           
opportunity1 and the need of grace to   
use it4'  ,the enthusiasm at ,victoria  
resulted in #cej pounds1 and pledges of 
future assistance2 and at ,sydney there 
was the like grand meeting1 the like    

address1 and hearty response2 and the   
,churches of ,australia pledged         
themselves to bear the annual expenses  
of the voyages of the ',southern        
,cross4' ,a number of young clerks and  
officials1 too1 united in an arrangement
 by which she could be insured1 high as 
was the needful rate4  ,the preaching   
and speeches produced an immense        
feeling1 and the after review of the    
expedition is thus recorded3--  ',as for
 my sermons in ,australia1 ,i found to  
my surprise that every minute was so    
occupied that ,i could not make time to 
write2 and as for doing so in ,new      
,zealand before ,i started1 why1 ,i     
systematized and put into the printer's 
hands1 in about four months1 grammars1  
c41 more or less complete1 of seventeen 
languages1 working up eight or ten more 
in ,,ms46  ',i had to preach extempore  
for the most part3 ,i did not at all    
like it1 but what could ,i do8 ,sermons 
and speeches followed like hail--at     
least one1 sometimes two on week-days1  

and three on ,sundays4 ,i preached on   
such points as ,i had often talked out  
with the ,primate and ,sir ,william1 and
 illustrated principles by an occasional
 statement of facts drawn from          
missionary experience4  ',now1 old ,fan1
 as you know1 the misery of             
self-consciousness and conceit clings to
 me4 ,i can't1 as dear old father could1
 tell you what actually occurred without
 doing myself harm in the telling of it4
  ',it pleased ,god to make me able to  
say all through what ,i think it was    
good for people to hear4 ,all meetings  
and services 7with a few1 very few      
exceptions1 from heavy rains1 c47 were  
crowded4 ,i could not in a few minutes  
speak with any degree of completeness on
 subjects which for years had occupied  
my thoughts3 ,i was generally about an  
hour and a half1 occasionally longer--,i
 tried to be shorter4 ,but people were  
attentive and interested all through4   
,at ,melbourne1 it was said that #a1ejj 
children 7at a meeting for them7 were   

present1 and #ejj adults1 including many
 of the most educated people4 ,all1     
children included1 were as still as mice
 for an hour and a half1 except         
occasional cheers4  ',but generally     
there was little excitement4 ,i did not1
 as you can suppose1 take the sensation 
line2 spoke very rapidly1 for ,i had no 
time to spare--but clearly and quietly1 
sometimes gravely1 sometimes with       
exceeding earnestness1 and exposed      
sophistries and fallacies and errors    
about the incapacity of the black races1
 c4 ,there were times when ,i lost all  
sense of nervousness and self1 and only 
wished that #aj1jjj people had been     
present1 for ,i felt that ,i was        
speaking out1 face to face1 plain simple
 words of truth4  ',the effect at the   
time was no doubt very remarkable4 ,the 
,dean of ,melbourne1 e4g41 said publicly
 that no such earnestness in religious1 
matters had ever been exhibited there4  
,the plan of ,mission work was simple1  
practicable1 commended itself to        

hard-headed men of business4 ,many came 
to hear who had been disgusted with the 
usual sentimentalism and twaddle1 the   
absence of knowledge of human nature1   
the amount of conventional prejudice1 c4
 ,they were induced to come by friends  
who represented that this was something 
quite different1 and these men went away
 convinced in many cases1 seconding     
resolutions and paying subscriptions4   
',i said what was true1 that ,i was the 
mouthpiece of the ,bishop of ,new       
,zealand2 that ,i could speak freely of 
the plan of the ,mission1 for it was not
 my plan1 c4 ,how ,i was carried through
 it all1 ,i can't say4 ,i was unusually 
well1 looked and felt bright1 and really
 after a while enjoyed it1 though ,i was
 always glad when my share in the       
speechifying was over4 ,yet ,i did feel 
it a blessing1 and a privilege1 to stand
 up there and speak out2 and ,i did     
speak out1 and told them their plain    
duties1 not appealing to feelings1 but  
aiming at convincing the judgment4 ,i   

told #a1ejj people in church at ,sydney1
 ,i speak as to wise men1 judge ye what 
,i say4 ,do you know1 ,fan1 ,i almost   
feel that if ,i live a few years ,i     
ought to write a book1 unless ,i can get
 the ,primate to do it8 ,so much that is
 self-evident to us1 ,i now see to be   
quite unknown to many good educated men4
 ,i don't mean a silly book1 but a very 
simple statement of general principles  
of ,christian work1 showing the mode    
that must be adopted in dealing with men
 as partakers of a common nature1       
coupled with the many modifications and 
adaptations to circumstances which      
equally require special gifts of        
discernment and wisdom from on high4    
,then occasional narratives1 by way of  
illustration1 to clench the statement of
 principles1 might be introduced2 but ,i
 can't write1 what ,i might write if ,i 
chose1 folios of mere events without    
deducing from them some maxims for      
,christian practice4'  ,the impression  
produced was deep and lasting at all the

 ,australian capitals1 including        
,brisbane4  ,a plan was even set on foot
 for transferring a part of the         
,melanesian school to a little island   
not far from the coast of ,queensland1  
in a much warmer climate than           
,kohimarama1 where it was thought       
,australian natives might be gathered   
in4  ,here is the description of the    
place1 written a day or two after the   
return to ,new ,zealand3--   ',st4      
,andrew's3 ,april #bg1 #ahfd4  ',my dear
 ,cousin1--,i returned on the #bdth from
 ,australia4 ,i visited the dioceses of 
,adelaide1 ,melbourne1 ,sydney1 and     
,brisbane4 ,everywhere ,i met with great
 encouragement2 and indeed1 ,i thank    
,god that 7as ,i had hoped7 the special 
work of the ,mission became the means of
 exciting unusual interest in the work  
of the ,church generally4 ,it was a     
great opportunity1 a great privilege in 
the crowded meetings to tell people face
 to face their duties1 to stand up as   
the apologist of the despised           

,australian black1 and the ,chinese     
gold-digger1 and the ,melanesian        
islander4  ',all the ,primate had taught
 me--what heathenism is1 how to deal    
with it1 the simple truisms about the   
common sin1 common redemption1 the      
capacity latent in every man1 because he
 is a man1 and not a fallen angel nor a 
brute beast1 the many conventional      
errors on ,mission 7rather7 ministerial 
work--many1 many things ,i spoke of very
 fully and frequently4 ,i felt it was a 
great responsibility4 ,how strange that 
,i forgot all my nervous dread1 and only
 wished there could be thousands more   
present1 for ,i knew that ,i was        
speaking words of truth1 of hope1 and   
love2 and ,god did mercifully bless much
 that ,he enabled1 me to say1 and men's 
hearts were struck within them1 though1 
indeed1 ,i made no effort to excite     
them4  ',much may result from it4 ,we   
may have a branch school on the ,s4,w4  
of ,curtis ,island1 on the east coast of
 ,queensland1 healthy1 watered1 wooded1 

with anchorage1 about #be ,s4 latitude1 
a fair wind to and from some of the     
islands2 to which place ,i could rapidly
 carry away sick persons4  ',there ,i   
could convey two hundred or more        
scholars1 in the same time required to  
bring sixty to ,new ,zealand2 there yams
 can be grown2 there it may be ,god's   
will that a work may be commenced at    
length among the remnant that is left of
 the ,australian blacks4 ,the latter    
consideration is very strongly urged    
upon me by the united voice of the      
,australian ,churches1 by none more     
strongly than by the ,bishop of ,sydney4
 ,i dare to hope that the communion of  
the ,australian and ,new ,zealand       
,churches will be much strengthened by  
the ,mission as a link4 ,what blessings1
 what mercies6  ',this will not involve 
an abandonment of ,st ,andrew's1 but the
 work must expand4 ,i think ,australia  
will supply near #a1jjj pounds a year1  
perhaps more before long4  ',to teach me
 that all is in ,his hands1 we have     

again had a visitation from dysentery4  
,it has been very prevalent everywhere1 
no medical men remember such a season4  
,we have lost from consumption two1 and 
from dysentery six this year2 in        
fourteen months not less than fourteen3 
more than in all the other years put    
together4 ,marvellous to relate1 all our
 old baptized and confirmed scholars are
 spared to us4 ,good-bye1 and ,god ever 
bless and keep you4  ',your affectionate
 cousin1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson1 ,bishop4'
   ,one of these deaths was that of     
,kareambat1 the little ,new ,caledonian 
confided to the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand
 by poor ,basset4 ,he had been          
christened on the previous ,epiphany4   
,no doubt this grief on coming home     
increased the effect of this year of    
trial4 ,indeed even on the voyage there 
had been this admission1 ',somehow ,i   
don't feel right with all this holiday2 
,i have worked really very hard1 but    
change of work is the best holiday4 ,i  
don't feel springy4 ,i am not so young  

as ,i was1 that's the truth of it1 and  
this life is not likely to be a long    
one4 ,yet when used up for this work1   
absence of continual anxiety and more   
opportunity of relaxation may carry a   
man on without his being wholly         
useless6'  ,the ,maori war was a        
constant grief and anxiety to all the   
friends on shore1 and there was thus    
evidently much less elasticity left to  
meet the great shock that was preparing 
for the voyagers in the expedition of   
#ahfd4 ,mr4 ,codrington was not of the  
party1 having been obliged to go to     
,england to decide whether it was       
possible to give himself wholly to the  
,mission2 and the staff therefore       
consisted of ,mr4 ,pritt1 ,mr4 ,kerr1   
and ,mr4 ,palmer1 with ,mr4 ,joseph     
,atkin1 whose journal his family have   
kindly put at my disposal4  ,the        
endeavour was to start after the        
,ascension ,day ,communion1 but things  
were not forward enough4 ,may was not1  
however1 very far advanced before the   

',southern ,cross' was at sea4  ,on ,may
 #ag1 ,norfolk ,island was visited1 and 
,edwin ,nobbs and ,fisher ,young had    
what proved to be their last sight1 of  
their home and friends4 ,the plan was to
 go on to ,nengone and ,erromango1 take 
up the stores sent to the latter place  
from ,sydney1 drop the two clergymen at 
,mota1 and after a stay there1 go to the
 ,new ,hebrides1 and then take up the   
party1 and if possible leave them to    
make experiment of ,curtis ,island1     
while going to those ,santa ,cruz       
islands for which he always seems to    
have had such a yearning4  ',i feel as  
usual1' he finishes the letter sent from
 ,norfolk ,island1 'that no one can tell
 what may be the issue of such voyages4 
,i pray and trust that ,god will        
mercifully reveal to me what ,i ought to
 do1 and give me grace and power to     
fulfil the same4  ',i have now been for 
some time out of the way of this kind of
 work1 but ,i hope that all may be      
safely ordered for us4 ,it is all in    

,his hands2 and you all feel1 as ,i try 
to do1 that there should be no cause for
 anxiety or trouble4  ',yet there are   
moments when one has such an            
overwhelming sense of one's sins and    
negligences provoking ,god to chastise  
one4 ,i know that ,his merciful         
intention towards men must be           
accomplished1 and on the whole ,i rest  
thankfully in that1 and feel that ,he   
will not suffer my utter unworthiness to
 hinder ,his work of love and goodness4'
  ,at ,mota1 ,mr4 ,atkin's journal shows
 to what work a real helper needed to be
 trained3--  ',the ,mission-house had   
lost its roof in a gale of wind4 ,the   
epidemic that was raging last year did  
not seem to have continued long after   
with such violence2 some more of the    
people were dead1 but not very many4 ,we
 took off all the ,mota boys1 and things
 that were wanted in three boat-loads1  
the last time leaving the ,bishop4      
,there was1 fortunately1 very little    
surf1 and we got nothing wet1 but as the

 tide was high1 we had to carry the     
things over the coral reefs with the    
water a little above our knees4  ',about
 an hour later we dropped anchor at     
,vanua ,lava4 ,on ,saturday morning ,i  
went ashore with the boat1 and got water
 for washing and sand for scrubbing     
decks1 and several tons of taro and yams
 discharged on board the vessel4 ,then  
made another trip1 left all the boys on 
shore for a holiday1 and took off twelve
 or fourteen cwt4 of yams1 taro1 and    
cocoa-nuts4 ,after dinner and washing   
up1 went to fetch boys back4 ,where we  
bought the yams there was such a surf   
breaking that we could not haul the boat
 on the beach1 and we had to wade and   
carry them out4 ,after we got on board1 
we had a bathe4 ,two of the ,solomon    
,islanders distinguished themselves by  
jumping off the fore-yard1 and diving   
under the ship4 ,mr4 ,tilly and the     
mates had been stowing1 and the rest of 
us had been getting yams all day1 and if
 our friends could have seen us then1   

haggard-looking and dirty1 singing      
choruses to nigger melodies1 how shocked
 they would have been6  ',next ,thursday
 went across to ,mota1 took the ,bishop 
on board1 and sailed south as fast as   
possible4  ',sunday morning we were at  
the entrance of the passage between     
,ambrym and ,mallicolo1 without a breath
 of wind4 ,we had service at #aj ,a4,m42
 and in the afternoon1 psalms and hymns 
and chants in the cabin1 the ,bishop    
doing most of the singing4  ',june      
#fth4--,on ,monday morning we landed at 
the old place at ,tariko4 ,we began to  
buy some yams4 ,the ,bishop and ,william
 ,pasvorang went ashore1 and the rest of
 us stayed in the boat1 keeping her     
afloat and off the reefs4 ,unfortunately
 the place where we landed was neutral  
ground between two tribes1 who both     
brought yams to the place to sell4 ,one 
party said another was getting too many 
hatchets1 and two or three drew off and 
began shooting at the others4 ,one man  
stood behind the ,bishop1 a few feet    

from him1 and fired away in the crowd   
with a will4 ,the consternation and     
alarm of both parties were very         
ludicrous4 ,some of each set were       
standing round the boat1 armed with bows
 and arrows1 but they were so frightened
 that they never seemed to think of     
using them1 but ran off as hard as they 
could scamper to the shallow water1     
looking over their shoulders to see if  
the enemies' arrows were after them4    
,one arrow was fired at the ,bishop from
 the shore1 and one hit the boat just as
 we pushed off4  ',the ,bishop himself  
says of this fray3--,i was in the       
middle1 one man only remained by me1    
crouching under the lee of the branch of
 the tree1 and shooting away from thence
 within a yard of me4 ,i did not like to
 leave the steel-yard1 and ,i had to    
detach it from the rope with which it   
was tied to the tree1 and the basket too
 was half full of yams and heavy1 so    
that it was some time before ,i got     
away1 and walked down the beach1 and    

waded to the boat1 shooting going on all
 round at the time2 no one shooting at  
me1 yet as they shot on both sides of me
 at each other1 ,i was thankful to get  
well out of it4 ,i thought of him who   
preserves from 'the arrow that flieth by
 day1' as ,he has so mercifully         
preserved so many of us from 'the       
sickness4' ,now don't go and let this   
little affair be printed4'  ,at ,parama 
there was a friendly landing4 ,at       
,sopevi ,mr4 ,atkin says3 ',we could not
 find the landing place where the       
,bishop two years ago found several     
people4 ,we saw three or four on the    
shore4 ,they were just the same colour  
as the dust from the volcano4 ,what a   
wretched state they must be in6 ,if they
 go to the neighbouring-isles they will 
be killed as enemies1 and if they stay  
at home they are constantly suffocated  
by the ashes1 which seemed to have      
fallen lately to the depth of more than 
afoot4'  ,at ,mallicolo a landing place 
was found1 and an acquaintance begun by 

means of gifts of calico4 ,at ,leper's  
,island ,st4 ,barnabas ,day was         
celebrated by bringing off two boys1 but
 here again was peril4 ,the ,bishop     
writes3--  ',the people1 though         
constantly fighting1 and cannibals and  
the rest of it1 are to me very          
attractive1 light-coloured1 and some    
very handsome4 ,as ,i sat on the beach  
with a crowd about me1 most of them     
suddenly jumped up and ran off4 ,turning
 my head ,i saw a man 7from the boat    
they saw two men7 a few yards from me1  
corning to me with club uplifted4 ,i    
remained sitting1 and held out a few    
fish-hooks to him1 but one or two men   
jumped up and seizing him by the waist  
forced him off4 ,after a few minutes    
7lest they should think ,i was          
suspicious of them71 ,i went back to the
 boat4 ,i found out from the two young  
men who went away with me from another  
place1 just what ,i expected to hear1   
viz4 that a poor fellow called ,moliteum
 was shot dead two months ago by a      

trader for stealing a bit of calico4    
,the wonder was1 not that they wanted to
 avenge the death of their kinsman1 but 
that the others should have prevented   
it4 ,how could they possibly know that  
,i was not one of the wicked set8 ,yet  
they did discriminate2 and here again1  
always by the merciful ,providence of   
,god1 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 friend4'       
,curtis ,island was inspected1 but there
 was no possibility of leaving a party  
to make experiment on it2 and then the  
',southern ,cross' sailed for the ,santa
 ,cruz cluster1 that group whose        
,spanish name was so remarkable a       
foreboding of what they were destined to
 become to that small party of          
,christian explorers4 ,young ,atkin made
 no entry in his diary of those days1   
and could never bear to speak of them2  
and yet1 from that time forward1 his    
mind was fully made up to cast in his   

lot with the ,mission4  ,it was on      
,august #ae that the first disaster at  
these islands took place4 ,not till the 
#bgth could the ,bishop--on his sister  
,fanny's birthday--begin a letter to    
her1 cheering himself most touchingly   
with the thought of the peace at home1  
and then he broke off half way1 and     
could not continue for some days3--     
',my dearest ,fan1--,you remember the   
old happy anniversaries of your         
birthday--the ,feniton party--the       
assembly of relations--the regular      
year's festivity4  ',no doubt this      
anniversary brings as much true         
happiness1 the assurance of a more      
abiding joy1 the consciousness of deeper
 and truer sympathy4 ,you are1 ,i hope1 
to pass the day cheerfully and brightly 
with perhaps ---- and ---- about you4444
 ,anyhow1 ,i shall think of you as      
possibly all together1 the remnant of   
the old family gathering1 on a calm     
autumn day1 with lovely ,south ,devon   
scenery around you4  ',the day comes to 

me in the midst of one of the deepest   
sorrows ,i have ever known--perhaps ,i  
have never felt such sorrow444perhaps ,i
 have never been so mercifully supported
 under it4 ,it is a good and profitable 
sorrow ,i trust for me3 it has made so  
much in me reveal itself as hollow1     
worldly1 selfish1 vainglorious4 ,it has1
 ,i hope1 helped to strip away the veil1
 and may be by ,god's blessing the      
beginning of more earnest life-long     
repentance and preparation for death4   
',on ,august #ae ,i was at ,santa ,cruz4
 ,you know that ,i had a very remarkable
 day there three years ago4 ,i felt very
 anxious to renew acquaintance with the 
people1 who are very numerous and       
strong4  ',i went off in the boat with  
,atkin 7twenty71 ,pearce 7twenty-three  
or twenty-four years old71 ,edwin       
,nobbs1 ,fisher ,young1 and ,hunt       
,christian1 the last three ,norfolk     
,islanders4 ,atkin1 ,edwin and ,fisher  
have been with me for two or three      
years--all young fellows of great       

promise1 ,fisher perhaps the dearest of 
all to me1 about eighteen1 and oh6 so   
good1 so thoroughly truthful1           
conscientious1 and unselfish6  ',i      
landed at two places among many people1 
and after a while came back as usual to 
the boat4 ,all seemed pleasant and      
hopeful4 ,at the third place ,i landed  
amidst a great crowd1 waded over the    
broad reef 7partially uncovered at low  
water71 went into a house1 sat down for 
some time1 then returned among a great  
crowd to the boat and got into it4 ,i   
had some difficulty in detaching the    
hands of some men swimming in the water4
  ',well1 when the boat was about       
fifteen yards from the reef1 on which   
crowds were standing1 they began 7why ,i
 know not7 to shoot at us4--7,another   
letter adds7 #cjj or #djj people on the 
reef1 and five or six canoes being round
 us1 they began to shoot at us4--,i had 
not shipped the rudder1 so ,i held it   
up1 hoping it might shield off any      
arrows that came straight1 the boat     

being end on1 and the stern1 having been
 backed into the reef1 was nearest to   
them4  ',when ,i looked round after a   
minute1 providentially indeed1 for the  
boat was being pulled right into a small
 bay on the reef1 and would have        
grounded1 ,i saw ,pearce lying between  
the thwarts1 with the long shaft of an  
arrow in his chest1 ,edwin ,nobbs with  
an arrow as it seemed in his left eye1  
many arrows flying close to us from many
 quarters4 ,suddenly ,fisher ,young1    
pulling the stroke oar1 gave a faint    
scream2 he was shot through the left    
wrist4 ,not a word was spoken1 only my  
,pull6 port oars1 pull on steadily4     
,once dear ,edwin1 with the fragment of 
the arrow sticking in his cheek1 and the
 blood streaming down1 called out1      
thinking even then more of me than of   
himself1 ,look out1 sir6 close to you6  
,but indeed1 on all sides they were     
close to us6  ',how we any of us escaped
 ,i can't tell2 ,fisher and ,edward     
pulled on1 ,atkin had taken ,pearce's   

oar1 ,hunt pulled the fourth oar4 ,by   
,god's mercy no one else was hit1 but   
the canoes chased us to the schooner4   
,in about twenty minutes we were on     
board1 the people in the canoes round   
the vessel seeing the wounded paddled   
off as hard as they could1 expecting of 
course that we should take vengeance on 
them4 ,but ,i don't at all think that   
they were cognisant of the attack on    
shore4'   ,several letters were written 
about this adventure2 but ,i have       
thought it better to put them together1 
every word being ,bishop ,patteson's    
own1 because such a scene is better     
realised thus than by reading several   
descriptions for the most part          
identical4 ,what a scene it is6 ,the    
palm-clad island1 the reef and sea full 
of the blacks1 the storm of long arrows 
through the air1 the four youths pulling
 bravely and steadily1 and their ,bishop
 standing over them1 trying to ward off 
the blows with the rudder1 and gazing   
with the deep eyes and steadfast smile  

that had caused many a weapon to fall   
harmless6  ,pearce1 it should be        
observed1 was a volunteer for the       
,mission then on a trial-trip4  ,there  
was an even more trying time to come on 
board4 ,the ,bishop continues3--  ',i   
drew out the arrow from ,pearce's chest3
 a slanting wound not going in very     
deep1 running under the skin1 yet of    
apparently almost fatal character to an 
ignorant person like myself2 ,five      
inches were actually inside him4 ,the   
arrow struck him almost in the centre of
 the chest and in the direction of the  
right breast4 ,there was no effusion of 
blood1 he breathed with great           
difficulty1 groaning and making a kind  
of hollow sound1 was perfectly composed1
 gave me directions and messages in case
 of his death4 ,i put on a poultice and 
bandage1 and leaving him in charge of   
some one1 went to ,fisher4 ,the wrist   
was shot through1 but the upper part of 
the arrow broken off and deep down2     
bleeding profuse1 of which ,i was glad2 

,i cut deeply1 though fearing much to   
cut an artery1 but ,i could not extract 
the wooden arrow-head4 ,at length       
getting a firm hold of the projecting   
point of the arrow on the lower side of 
his wrist1 ,i pulled it through3 it came
 out clean4 ,the pain was very great1 he
 trembled and shivered3 we gave him     
brandy1 and he recovered4 ,i poulticed  
the wound and went to ,edwin4 ,atkin had
 got out the splinter from his wound2   
the arrow went in near the eye and came 
out by the cheek-bone3 it was well      
syringed1 and the flow of blood had been
 copious from the first4 ,the arrows    
were not bone-headed1 and not poisoned1 
but ,i well knew that lock-jaw was to be
 dreaded4 ,edwin's was not much more    
than a flesh wound4 ,fisher's being in  
the wrist1 frightened me more3 their    
patience and quiet composure and calm   
resignation were indeed a strength and  
comfort to us all4  ',this was on       
,monday1 ,august #ae4 ,all seemed doing 
well for a day or two1 ,i kept on       

poultices1 gave light nourishing food1  
c4 ,but on ,saturday morning ,fisher    
said to me1 ,i can't make out what makes
 my jaws feel so stiff4  ',then my heart
 sank down within me1 and ,i prayed     
earnestly1 earnestly to ,god4 ,i talked 
to the dear dear lad of his danger1     
night and day we prayed and read4 ,a    
dear guileless spirit indeed4 ,i never  
saw in so young a person such a thorough
 conscientiousness as for two years ,i  
witnessed in his daily life1 and ,i had 
long not only loved but respected him4  
',we had calm weather and could not get 
on4 ,by ,saturday the jaws were         
tight-locked4 ,then more intense grew   
the pain1 the agony1 the whole body     
rigid like a bar of iron6 ,oh6 how ,i   
blessed ,god who carried me through that
 day and night4 ,how good he was in his 
very agonies1 in his fearful spasms1    
thanking ,god1 praying1 pressing my hand
 when ,i prayed and comforted him with  
holy words of ,scripture4 ,none but a   
well-disciplined1 humble1 simple        

,christian could so have borne his      
sufferings3 the habit of obedience and  
faith and patience2 the childlike       
unhesitating trust in ,god's love and   
fatherly care1 supported him now4 ,he   
never for a moment lost his hold upon   
,god4 ,what a lesson it was6 it calmed  
us all4 ,it almost awed me to see in so 
young a lad so great an instance of     
,god's infinite power1 so great a work  
of good perfected in one young enough to
 have been confirmed by me4  ',at #a    
,a4,m4 7,monday7 ,i moved from his side 
to my couch1 only three yards off4 ,of  
course we were all 7,i need not say7 in 
the after cabin4 ,he said faintly1 ,kiss
 me4 ,i am very glad that ,i was doing  
my duty4 ,tell my father that ,i was in 
the path of duty1 and he will be so     
glad4 ,poor ,santa ,cruz people6 ,ah6 my
 dear boy1 you will do more for their   
conversion by your death than ever we   
shall by our lives4 ,and as ,i lay down 
almost convulsed with sobs1 though not  
audible1 he said 7so ,mr4 ,tilly        

afterwards told me71 ,poor ,bishop6 ,how
 full his heart was of love and peace1  
and thoughts of heaven4 ,oh6 what love1 
he said4 ,the last night when ,i left   
him for an hour or two at #a ,a4,m4 only
 to lie down in my clothes by his side1 
he said faintly 7his body being then    
rigid as a bar of iron71 ,kiss me1      
,bishop4 ,at #d ,a4,m4 he started as if 
from a trance2 he had been wandering a  
good deal1 but all his words even then  
were of things pure and holy4 ,his eyes 
met mine1 and ,i saw the consciousness  
gradually coming back into them4 ,they  
never stop singing there1 sir1 do       
they8--for his thoughts were with the   
angels in heaven4 ,then1 after a short  
time1 the last terrible struggle1 and   
then he fell asleep4 ,and remember1 all 
this in the midst of that most          
agonizing1 it may be1 of all forms of   
death4 ,at #d ,a4,m4 he was hardly      
conscious1 not fully conscious3 there   
were same fearful spasms3 we fanned him 
and bathed his head and occasionally got

 a drop or two of weak brandy or wine   
and water down4 ,then came the last     
struggle4 ,oh6 how ,i thanked ,god when 
his head at length fell back1 or rather 
his whole body1 for it was without      
joint1 on my arm3 long drawn sighs with 
still sadder contraction of feature     
succeeded1 and while ,i said the        
,commendatory ,prayer1 he passed away4  
',the same day we anchored in ,port     
,patteson1 and buried him in a quiet    
spot near the place where the ,primate  
and ,i first landed years ago4 ,it seems
 a consecration of the place that the   
body of that dear child should be       
resting there4  ',some six years ago1   
when ,mrs4 ,selwyn stopped at ,norfolk  
,island she singled him out as the boy  
of special promise4 ,for two or three   
years he had been with me1 and my       
affection flowed out naturally to him4  
,god had tried him by the two sicknesses
 at ,kohimarama and at ,mota1 and by his
 whole family returning to ,pitcairn4 ,i
 saw that he had left all for this work4

 ,he had become most useful1 and oh6 how
 we shall miss him6  ',but about five   
days after this 7,august #bb7 ,edwin's  
jaws began to stiffen4 ,for nine or ten 
days there was suspense1 so hard to     
bear4 ,some symptoms were not so bad1 it
 did not assume so acute a form4 ,i     
thought he ought to be carried through  
it4 ,he was older1 about twenty-one1 six
 feet high1 a strong handsome young man1
 the pride of ,norfolk ,island1 the     
destined helper and successor 7had ,god 
so willed7 of his father1 the present   
,clergyman4 ,the same faith1 the same   
patience1 the same endurance of         
suffering4  ',on ,friday1 ,september #b1
 ,i administered the ,holy ,communion to
 him and ,pearce4 ,he could scarce      
swallow the tiniest crumb4 ,he was often
 delirious1 yet not one word but spoke  
of things holy and pure1 almost         
continually in prayer4 ,he was in the   
place where ,fisher had died1 the best  
part of the cabin for an invalid4       
,sunday came3 he could take no          

nourishment1 stomach and back in much   
pain3 a succession of violent spasms at 
about #aj4cj ,a4,m41 but his body never 
became quite rigid4 ,the death struggle 
at #a ,a4,m4 ,september #e1 was very    
terrible4 ,three of us could scarcely   
hold him4 ,then he sank back on my arm1 
and his spirit passed away as ,i        
commended his soul to ,god4 ,then all   
motionless4 ,after some minutes1 ,i said
 the first prayer in the ,burial        
,service1 then performed the last       
offices1 then had a solemn talk with    
,pearce1 and knelt down1 ,i know not how
 long4  ',we buried him at sea4 ,all    
this time we were making very slow      
progress2 indeed the voyage has been    
very remarkable in all respects4 ,pearce
 seems to be doing very well1 so that ,i
 am very hopeful about him4 ,the        
temperature now is only #gb degrees1 and
 ,i imagine that his constitution is    
less liable to that particular disease4 
,yet punctured wounds are always        
dangerous on this account4  ',patience  

and trust in ,god1 the same belief in   
,his goodness and love1 that ,he orders 
all things for our good1 that this is   
but a proof of ,his merciful dealing    
with us3 such comforts ,god has         
graciously not withheld4 ,i never felt  
so utterly broken down1 when ,i thought1
 and think1 of the earthly side of it   
all2 never perhaps so much realised the 
comfort and power of ,his ,presence1    
when ,i have had grace to dwell upon the
 heavenly and abiding side of it4 ,i do 
with my better part heartily and humbly 
thank ,him1 that ,he has so early taken 
these dear ones by a straight and short 
path to their everlasting home4 ,i think
 of them with blessed saints1 our own   
dear ones1 in ,paradise1 and in the     
midst of my tears ,i bless and praise   
,god4  ',but1 dear ,fan1 ,fisher most of
 all supplied to me the absence of      
earthly relations and friends4 ,he was  
my boy3 ,i loved him as ,i think ,i     
never loved any one else4 ,i don't mean 
more than you all1 but in a different   

way3 not as one loves another of equal  
age1 but as a parent loves a child4  ',i
 can hardly think of my little room at  
,kohimarama without him4 ,i long for the
 sight of his dear face1 the sound of   
his voice4 ,it was my delight to teach  
him1 and he was clever and so thoughtful
 and industrious4 ,i know it is good    
that my affections should be weaned from
 all things earthly4 ,i try to be       
thankful1 ,i think ,i am thankful       
really2 time too will do much1 ,god's   
grace much more4 ,i only wonder how ,i  
have borne it all4 ,in the multitude of 
the sorrows that ,i had in my heart1    
,thy comforts have refreshed my soul4   
,mr4 ,tilly has been and is full of     
sympathy1 and is indeed a great aid4 ,he
 too has a heavy loss in these two dear 
ones4 ,and now ,i must land at ,norfolk 
,island in the face of the population   
crowding the little pier4 ,mr4 ,nobbs   
will be there1 and the brothers and     
sisters of ,edwin1 and the uncles and   
aunts of ,fisher4  ',yet ,god will      

comfort them2 they have been called to  
the high privilege of being counted     
worthy to suffer for their ,savior's    
sake4 ,however much ,i may reproach     
myself with want of caution and of      
prayer for guidance 7and this is a      
bitter thought71 they were in the simple
 discharge of their duty4 ,their        
intention and wish were to aid in       
bringing to those poor people the       
,gospel of ,christ4 ,it has pleased ,god
 that in the execution of this great    
purpose they should have met with their 
deaths4 ,surely there is matter for     
comfort here6  ',i can't write all this 
over again4444 ,i have written at some  
length to ,jem also2 put the two letters
 together1 and you will be able to      
realise it somewhat4  ',this is a joint 
letter to you and ,joan4 ,it was begun  
on your birthday1 and it has been       
written with a heavy1 dull weight of    
sorrow on my heart1 yet not unrelieved  
by the blessed consciousness of being   
drawn1 as ,i humbly trust1 nearer to our

 most merciful ,father in heaven1 if    
only by the very impossibility of       
finding help elsewhere4 ,it has not been
 a time without its own peculiar        
happiness4 ,how much of the ,bible      
seemed endued with new powers of        
comfort4444 ,how true it is1 that they  
who seek1 find4 ,i sought the ,lord1 and
 ,he heard me4 ,the closing chapters of 
the ,gospels1 #b ,corinthians1 and how  
many other parts of the ,new ,testament 
were blessings indeed6 ,jeremy ,taylor's
 ,life of ,christ1 and ,holy ,living and
 ,dying1 ,thomas a ,kempis1 most of all 
of course the ,prayer-book1 and such    
solemn holy memories of our dear parents
 and uncles1 such blessed hopes of      
reunion1 death brought so near1 the     
longing 7if only not unprepared7 for the
 life to come3 ,i could not be unhappy4 
,yet ,i could not sustain such a frame  
of mind long2 and then when ,i sank to  
the level of earthly thoughts1 then came
 the weary heartache1 and the daily     
routine of work was so distasteful1 and 

,i felt sorely tempted to indulge the   
luxury of grief4 ,but1 thanks be to     
,god1 it is not altogether an unhealthy 
sorrow1 and ,i can rest in the full     
assurance that all this is working out  
,god's purposes of love and mercy to us 
all--,melanesians1 ,pitcairners1 and    
all2 and that ,i needed the discipline  
,i know full well4444  ',your loving    
,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,it was not  
possible to touch at ,norfolk ,island1  
each attempt was baffled by the winds2  
and on ,september #af the ',southern    
,cross' anchored at ,kohimarama1 and a  
sad little note was sent up to the      
,primate with the announcement of the   
deaths and losses4  ,in spite of the    
comfort which1 as this note said1       
,patteson felt 'in the innocence of     
their lives1 and the constancy of their 
faith' unto the death1 the fate of these
 two youths1 coming at the close of a   
year of unusual trial1 which1 as he had 
already said1 had diminished his        
elasticity1 had a lasting effect4 ,it   

seemed to take away his youthful        
buoyancy1 and marked lines of care on   
his face that never were effaced4 ,the  
first letter after his return begins by 
showing how full his heart was of these 
his children3--   ',kohimarama3 ,sunday1
 ,september #ah1 #ahfd4  ',my dearest   
,fan1--,i must try to write without     
again making my whole letter full of    
dear ,edwin and ,fisher4 ,that my heart 
is full of them you can well believe4   
',these last five weeks have taught me  
that my reading of the ,bible was       
perhaps more intellectual and perhaps   
more theological than devotional1 to a  
dangerous extent probably2 anyhow ,i    
craved for it as a revelation not only  
of truth1 but of comfort and support in 
heavy sorrow4 ,it may be that when the  
sorrow does not press so heavily1 the   
,bible cannot speak so wonderfully in   
that particular way of which ,i am      
writing1 and it is right to read it     
theologically also4  ',but yet it should
 always be read with a view to some     

practical result2 and so often there is 
not a special1 though many general      
points which may make our reading at    
once practical4 ,then comes the real    
trial1 and then comes the wondrous power
 of ,god's ,word to help and strengthen4
  ',now it helps me to know where ,i am1
 to learn how others manage to see where
 they are4  ',all that you say about    
self-consciousness1 c41 can't ,i        
understand it6 ,ah6 when ,i saw the     
guileless pure spirit of those two dear 
fellows ever brightening more and more  
for now two years4 ,i had respected them
 as much as ,i loved them4 ,i used to   
think1 ,yes1 we must become such as     
they2 we too must seek and pray for the 
mind of a little child4  ',and surely   
the contemplation of ,god is the best   
cure4 ,how admirable ,jeremy ,taylor is 
on those points6 ,oh that he had not    
overlaid it all with such superabundant 
ornamentation of style and rhetoric4    
,but it is the manner of the age4 ,many 
persons ,i suppose get over it1 perhaps 

like it2 but ,i long for the same       
thoughts1 the same tenderness and       
truthfulness1 and faithful searching    
words with a clear1 simple1 not         
unimaginative diction4 ,yet his book is 
a great heritage4  ',newman has a sermon
 on ,contemplation or ,meditation1 ,i   
forget which2 and my copy is on board4  
,but ,i do hope that by praying for     
humility1 with contemplation of ,god's  
majesty and love and our ,savior's      
humility and meekness1 some improvement 
may be mercifully vouchsafed to me4     
',to dwell on ,his humiliation1 ,his    
patience1 that ,he should seek for      
heavenly aids1 accept the ministration  
of an angel strengthening ,him1 how full
 of mystery and awe6 and yet written for
 us6 ,and yet we are proud and          
self-justified and vainglorious6  ',the 
,archbishop of ,york1 in ,aids to       
,faith1 on the ,death of ,christ1 has   
some most solemn and deep remarks on the
 ,lord's ,agony4 ,i don't know that it  
could ever be quite consistent with     

reverence to speak on what is there     
suggested4 ,yet if ,i could hear ,mr4   
,keble and ,dr4 ,pusey 7say7 prayerfully
 talking together on that great mystery1
 ,i should feel that it might be very   
profitable4 ,but he must be a very      
humble man who should dare to speak on  
it4 ,yet read it1 ,fan1 it cannot harm  
you2 it is very awful1 it is fully meant
 that ,he was sinless1 without spot1    
undefiled through all4 ,it makes the    
mystery of sin1 and of what it cost to  
redeem our souls1 more awful than ever4 
',and then1 surely to the contemplation 
of ,god and the necessary contrast of   
our own weakness and misery1 we add the 
thought of our approaching death1 we    
anticipate the hours1 the days1 it may  
be the weeks and months1 even the years 
of weariness1 pain1 sleeplessness1      
thirst1 distaste for food1 murmuring    
thoughts1 evil spirits haunting us1     
impatient longings after rest for which 
we are not yet prepared1 the thousand   
trials1 discomforts1 sadnesses of       

sickness--yes1 it must come in some     
shape2 and is it to come as a friend or 
an enemy to snatch us from what we love 
and enjoy1 or to open the gates of      
,paradise8  ',i humbly thank ,god that1 
while ,i dare not be sure that ,i am not
 mistaken1 and suppose that if ready to 
go ,i should be taken1 the thought of   
death at a distance is the thought of   
rest and peace1 of more blessed         
communion with ,god's saints1 holy      
angels and the ,lord4 ,yet ,i dare not  
feel that if death was close at hand1 it
 might not be far otherwise4 ,how often 
the ,christian ,year1 and all true      
divinity helps up here6 ,why indulge in 
such speculations8 ,seek to prepare for 
death by dying daily4 ,oh6 that blessed 
text3 ,be not distracted1 worry not     
yourselves about the morrow1 for the    
morrow shall1 c4 ,how it does carry one 
through the day6 ,bear everything as    
sent from ,god for your good1 by way of 
chastisement or of proving you4 ,pusey's
 sermon on ,patience1 ,newman's on a    

,particular ,providence1 guarding so    
wisely against abuse as against neglect 
of the doctrine4 ,how much to comfort   
and guide one6 and then1 most of all1   
the continual use of the ,prayer-book4  
,do you often use the ,prayer at the end
 of the ,evening ,service for ,charles  
the ,martyr8 ,leave out from great      
deep444teach us to number--and          
substitute pride for splendour4 ,leave  
out according to444 blessed martyr4 ,in 
the ,primate's case1 it is a prayer full
 of meaning1 and it may have a meaning  
for us all4  ',once more1 the love of   
approbation is right and good1 but then 
it must be the love of the approbation  
of ,god and of good men4 ,here1 as      
everywhere1 we abuse ,his gift2 and it  
is a false teaching which bids us       
suppress the human instinct which ,god  
implanted in us1 but a true leading1    
which bids us direct and use it to its  
appointed and legitimate use4 ,on this  
general subject1 read if you have not   
read them1 and you can't read them too  

often1 ,butler's ,sermons2 you know1 the
 great ,butler4 ,i think you will easily
 get an analysis of them1 such as       
,mill's ,analysis of ,pearson on the    
,creed1 which will help you1 if you want
 it4 ,analyse them for yourself1 if you 
like1 and send me out your analysis to  
look at4 ,there is any amount of        
fundamental teaching there and the      
imprimatur of thousands of good men to  
assure us of it4  ',i think1 as ,i have 
written to ,joan1 that if ,i were with  
you1 after the first few days my        
chiefest delight would be in reading and
 talking over our reading of good books4
 ,edwin and ,fisher were beginning to   
understand thoughtful books2 and how ,i 
did delight in reading with them1       
interspersing a little ,pitcairn remark 
here and there6 ,ah6 never more6 never  
more6 ,but they don't want books now4   
,all is clear now3 they live where there
 is no night1 in the ,glory of ,god and 
of the ,lamb1 resting in ,paradise1     
anticipating the full consummation of   

the ,life of the ,resurrection4 ,thanks 
be to ,god1 and it may not be long--but 
,i must not indulge such thoughts4  ',i 
feel better1 but at times this sad      
affliction weighs me down much1 and     
business of all kinds seems almost to   
multiply4 ,yet there are many many      
comforts1 and kindest sympathy4  ',your 
loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,just 
at this time heavy sorrow fell upon     
,bishop ,hobhouse of ,nelson2 and the   
little council of friends at ,auckland  
decided that ,bishop ,patteson should go
 at once to do his best to assist and   
comfort him1 and bring him back to      
,auckland4 ,there was a quiet time of   
wholesome rest at ,nelson2 and the      
effects appeared in numerous letters1   
and in the thinking out of many matters 
on paper to his sisters4  ',oh6 how ,i  
think with such ever-increasing love of 
dear ,fisher and ,edwin6 ,how ,i praised
 ,god for them on ,all ,saints' ,day4   
,but ,i don't expect to recover spring  
and elasticity yet awhile4 ,i don't     

think ,i shall ever feel so young again4
 ,really it is curious that the number  
of white hairs is notably increased in  
these few weeks 7though it is silly to  
talk about it4 ,don't mention it671 and 
,i feel very tired and indolent4 ,no    
wonder ,i seem to go softly4 ,but ,i am 
unusually happy down in the depths1 only
 the surface troubled4 ,i hope that it  
is not fancy only that makes the        
shortness and uncertainty of this life a
 ground of comfort and joy4 ,perhaps it 
is1 indeed ,i think it is1 very much a  
mere cowardly indolent shirking of work4
  ',did ,i say ,i thought ,i might some 
day write a book8 ,it will be some day  
indeed4 ,it seems funny enough to think 
of such a thing4 ,the fact is1 it is    
much easier to me to speak than to      
write4 ,i think ,i could learn with a   
good deal of leisure and trouble to     
write intelligibly1 but not without it4 
,i am so diffusive and wanting in close 
condensed habits of thought4 ,how often 
,i go off in a multitude of words1 and  

really say nothing worthy to be         
remembered4  ',how ,i should enjoy1     
indeed1 a day or two at ,hursley with   
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,keble4 ,a line from him 
now and then1 if he can find time1 would
 be a great delight to me2 but ,i know  
that he thinks and prays1 and that is   
indeed a great happiness4  ',oh1 the    
blessing of such thoughts as ,all       
,saints' ,day brings6--and now more dear
 than ever1 every day                   
brings6--,patriarchs1 prophets1         
apostles1 martyrs1 and every spirit made
 perfect in the faith of ,christ1 as an 
old ,liturgy says4 ,and the ,collects in
 the ,burial ,service6 ,how full1 how   
simple and soothing1 how full of calm1  
holy1 tender1 blessed hopes and         
anticipations6  ',so you think the large
 ,adelaide photograph very sad4 ,i      
really don't remember it2 ,i fancy ,i   
thought it a very fair likeness4 ,but   
you know that ,i have a heavy lumpy dull
 look1 except when talking--indeed1 then
 too for aught ,i know--and this may be 

mistaken for a sad look when it is only 
a dull stupid one4 ,you can't get a nice
 picture out of an ugly face1 so it's no
 use trying1 but you are not looking for
 that kind of thing4 ,you want to see   
how far the face is any index of the    
character and life and work4  ,i don't  
think it odd that ,i should look        
careworn4 ,i have enough to make me so6 
,and yet if ,i were with you now1       
brightened up by being with you1 you    
would say1 ,how well he looks6 ,and you 
would think ,i had any amount of work in
 me1 as you saw me riding or walking or 
holding services4 ,and then ,i had to a 
very considerable extent got over that  
silly shyness1 which was a great trial  
and drawback to me of old1 and sadly    
prevented me from enjoying the society  
of people 7at ,oxford especially7 which 
would have done me much good4 ,but      
without all these bodily defects1 ,i    
should have been even more vain1 and so 
,i can see the blessing and mercy now1  
though how many times ,i have indulged  

murmuring rebellious thoughts6          
',perhaps ,i shall live ten or twenty   
years1 and look back and say1 ,i        
recollect how in '#fd ,i really almost  
thought ,i should not last long4 ,but   
don't fancy that ,i am morbidly         
cherishing such fancies4 ,only ,i like  
you all to know me as ,i am changing in 
feeling from time to time4 ,there is    
quite enough to account for it all4'  ,a
 few days later he returned to          
,auckland1 and thence wrote to me a     
letter on the pros and cons of a move   
from ,new ,zealand4 ,the sight of ships 
and the town he had ceased to think of  
great importance1 and older scholars had
 ceased to care for it1 and there was   
much at that time to recommend ,curtis  
,island to his mind4 ,the want of       
bread-fruit was the chief disadvantage  
he then saw in it1 but he still looked  
to keeping up ,kohimarama for a good    
many years to come4 ,i cannot describe  
how tender and considerate he was of    
feelings he thought ,i might possibly   

have of disappointment that ,st4        
,andrew's was not a successful          
experiment as far as health was         
concerned1 evidently fearing that ,i had
 set my hopes on that individual        
venture1 and that my feelings might be  
hurt if it had to be deserted4  ,the    
next letters are a good deal occupied   
with the troubles incident to the       
judgment upon ',essays and ,reviews4'   
,he took a view1 as has been seen1 such 
as might be expected of the delicate    
refining metaphysical mind1 thinking out
 points for itself1 and weighing the    
possible value of every word1 and       
differed from those who were in the     
midst of the contest1 and felt some form
 of resistance and protest needful4 ,he 
was strongly averse to agitation on the 
subject1 and at the same time grieved to
 find himself for the first time1 to his
 own knowledge1 not accepting the policy
 of those whom he so much respected2    
though the only difference in his mind  
from theirs was as to the manner of the 

maintenance of the truth1 and the       
immediate danger of error going         
uncondemned--a point on which his remote
 life perhaps hardly enabled him to     
judge4  ,all these long letters and     
more1 which were either in the same     
tone1 or too domestic to be published1  
prove the leisure caused by having an   
unusually small collection of pupils1   
and happily all in fair health2 but with
 ,christmas came a new idea1 or rather  
an old one renewed4 ,instead of only    
going to ,norfolk ,island1 on sufferance
 from the ,pitcairn ,committee1 and by  
commission from the ,bishop of          
,tasmania1 a regular request was made1  
by ,sir ,john ,young1 the ,governor of  
,australia1 that the ,pitcairners might 
be taken under his supervision1 so that1
 as far as ,government was concerned1   
the opposition was withdrawn which had  
hindered his original establishment     
there1 though still ,curtis ,island     
remained in the ascendency in the       
schemes of this summer4 ,the ensuing is 

a reply to ,sir ,john ,coleridge's      
letter1 written after hearing of the    
attack at ,santa ,cruz3--               
',kohimarama3 ,march #c1 #ahfe4  ',my   
dearest ,uncle1--,many many thanks for  
your letter1 so full of comfort and     
advice4 ,i need not tell you that the   
last budget of letters revived again    
most vividly not only the actual scene  
at ,santa ,cruz1 but all the searchings 
of heart that followed it4 ,i believe   
that we are all agreed on the main      
point4 ,enough ground has been opened   
for the present4 ,codrington was right  
in saying that the object of late has   
been to fill up gaps4 ,but some of the  
most hazardous places to visit lie      
nearest to the south1 e4g4 some of the  
,new ,hebrides1 c41 south of the ,banks 
,islands4 ,my notion is1 that ,i ought  
to be content even to pass by 7alas67   
some places where ,i had some hold when 
,i had reason to feel great distrust of 
the generally kind intentions of the    
people 7that is a dark sentence1 but you

 know my meaning74 ,in short1 there are 
very few places where ,i can feel1      
humanly speaking1 secure against this   
kind of thing4 ,it is always in the     
power of even one mischievous fellow to 
do mischief4 ,and if the feeling of the 
majority might be in my favour1 yet     
there being no way of expressing public 
opinion1 no one cares to take an active 
part in preventing mischief4 ,it is not 
worth his while to get into a squabble  
and risk his own life4  ',but ,i shall  
be 7,d4,v47 very cautious4 ,i dare say  
,i was becoming presumptuous3 one among 
the many faults that are so discernible4
 ,it is1 dear ,uncle1 hard to see a wild
 heathen party on the beach1 and not try
 to get at them4 ,it seems so sad to    
leave them4 ,but ,i know that ,i ought  
to be prudent1 even for my own sake 7for
 ,i quite suppose that1 humanly         
speaking1 my life is of consequence for 
a few years more71 and ,i can hardly    
bear the thought of bringing the boat's 
crew1 dear good volunteers1 into danger4

 ,young ,atkin1 the only son of my      
neighbour1 behaved admirably at ,santa  
,cruz1 and is very staunch4 ,but his    
parents have but him and one daughter1  
and ,i am bound to be careful indeed4   
,but don't think me careless1 if we get 
into another scrape4 ,there is scarcely 
one island where ,i can fully depend    
upon immunity from all risk4 ,there was 
no need to talk so much about it all    
before4  ',as to ,curtis ,island1 ,i    
need not say that ,i have no wish indeed
 to take ,australian work in hand4 ,i   
made it most clear1 as ,i thought1 that 
the object of a site on ,curtis ,island 
was the ,melanesian and not the         
,australian ,mission4 ,i offered only to
 incorporate ,australian blacks1 if     
proper specimens could be obtained1 into
 our school1 regarding in fact ,east    
,australia as another ,melanesian       
island4 ,this would only have involved  
the learning a language or two1 and     
might have been of some use4 ,i did not 
make any pledge4 ,but ,i confess that ,i

 think some such plan as this one only  
feasible one4 ,i don't see that the     
attempts at mission work are made on the
 most hopeful plan4 ,but ,i have written
 to the ,brisbane authorities1 urging   
them to appropriate large reserves for  
the natives4 ,i tell them that it is    
useless for them to give me a few acres 
and think they are doing a mission work1
 if they civilize the native races off  
their own lands4 ,in short1 ,i almost   
despair of doing anything for blacks    
living on the same land with whites4    
,even here in ,new ,zealand1 the        
distrust now shown to us all1 to our    
religion even1 is the result in very    
great measure of the insolent1 covetous 
behaviour exhibited by the great        
majority of the white people to the     
,maori4 ,who stops in ,australia to     
think whether the land which he wants   
for his sheep is the hunting ground of  
native people or not8  ',i confess that 
while ,i can't bear to despair and leave
 these poor souls uncared for1 ,i can't 

propose any scheme but one1 and who will
 work that8 ,if1 indeed1 one or two men 
could be found to go and live with a    
tribe1 moving as they move and really   
identifying himself with their          
interests6 ,but where are such men1 and 
where is a tribe not already exasperated
 by injurious treatment8  ',it was the  
statement for our mode of action which  
commended itself so much to people in   
,australia1 that they urged me to try   
and do something4 ,but ,i answered as ,i
 have now written2 and when at one      
meeting in ,sydney ,i was asked whether 
,i would take ,australians into my      
school1 ,i said1 ,yes1 if ,i can get the
 genuine wild man1 uncontaminated by    
contact with the white man4 ,i can't1 in
 justice to our ,melanesian scholars1   
take the poor wretched black whose      
intercourse with white men has rendered 
him a far more hopeless subject to deal 
with than the downright ferocious yet   
not ungenerous savage4 ,if1 was the     
answer1 you can get them1 ,i will pay   

for them4  ',indeed1 dear ,uncle1 ,i    
don't want more but less work on my     
hands3 yet as ,i look around1 ,i see 7as
 far as ,i can judge7 so great a want of
 that prudence and knowledge and calm   
foresight that the ,primate has shown so
 remarkably1 that ,i declare ,i do think
 his plan is almost the only reasonable 
one for dealing with black races4 ,alas6
 you can't put hearty love for strangers
 into men's hearts by paying them       
salaries4  ',i think that in two or     
three years ,i may1 if ,i live1 have    
some preparatory branch school at       
,curtis ,island4 ,if it should clearly  
succeed1 then ,i think in time the      
migration from ,new ,zealand might take 
place4 ,i do not think two schools in   
two different countries would answer4   
,we want the old scholars to help us in 
working the school2 we can't do without 
them1 and the old scholars can't be     
trained without the younger ones1 the   
material on whom their teaching1 and    
training faculties must be exercised4   

',you all know how deeply ,i feel about 
dear ,mr4 ,keble6  ',thank ,god1 we have
 as yet no dysentery4 ,i baptized last  
week a lad dying of consumption4 ,there 
are many blessings1 as all clergymen    
know1 in having death scenes so         
constantly about one2 and the having to 
do everything for these dear fellows    
makes one love them so4444  ',your      
affectionate and dutiful ,nephew1  ',j4 
,c4 ,p4'   ,the above sentence refers to
 the paralytic attack ,mr4 ,keble had on
 ,november #cj1 #ahfd4 ,nevertheless1   
almost at that very time1 he was writing
 thus3--   ',penzance3 ,march #g1 #ahfe4
  ',my dear and more than dear          
,bishop1--,it would be vain for me to   
write to you1 if ,i pretended to do more
 than just express my heart's wish that 
,i could say something of the doings and
 sufferings which now for years past we 
of course associate with your name1 so  
as to encourage and support you in your 
present manifold distress4 ,but         
7especially for reasons known only to   

myself7 ,i must leave that altogether to
 ,him who helps ,his own to do and      
suffer4 ,one thing only ,i would say1   
that to us at our great distance it     
looks as if the sanguis martyrum were   
being to you as the semen ,ecclesiae1   
and you know how such things were hailed
 in the time of ,st4 ,cyprian4 ,may it  
please ,god before long to give you some
 visible earnest of this sure blessing6 
but ,i suppose that if it tarry1 it may 
be the greater when it comes4 ,our      
troubles as a ,church1 though of a      
different kind1 are not small4 ,the     
great point with me is1 lest1 if in our 
anxiety to keep things together1 we     
should be sinfully conniving at what is 
done against the faith1 and so bringing 
a judgment upon ourselves4 ,i do not for
 a moment think that by anything which  
has yet been done or permitted our being
 as a ,church is compromised 7though    
things look alarmingly as if it might be
 before long71 but ,i fear that her     
well-being is more and more being       

damaged by our entire and conscious     
surrender of the disciplinary part of   
our trust1 and that if we are apathetic 
in such things we may forfeit our       
charter4 ,there is no doubt1 ,i fear1   
that personal unbelief is spreading2 but
 ,i trust that a deeper faith is        
spreading also2 it is 7at ,oxford1 e4g47
 ,pusey and ,moberly1 c41 against the   
,rationalists and other tempters4 ,as to
 the question of the ,bible being 7not  
only containing7 the ,word1 ,i had no   
scruples in signing that ,declaration4  
,one thought which helped me was1 the   
use made in the ,new ,testament of the  
,old1 which is such as to show that we  
are not competent judges as to what     
passages convey deep moral or religious 
meanings or no4 ,another1 that in every 
instance where one had the means of     
ascertaining1 so far as ,i have known1  
the ,bible difficulty has come right3   
therefore1 it is reasonable to conclude 
that so it would be in all the rest1 if 
we knew the right reading and the right 

interpretation of the words4 ,and as to 
what are called the ,divine and ,human  
,elements1 ,i have seemed to help myself
 with the thought that the ,divine      
adoption 7if so be7 of the human words  
warrants their truthfulness1 as a man's 
signature makes a letter his own2 but   
whether this is relevant1 ,i doubt4 ,my 
wife and ,i are both on the sick list1  
and ,i must now only add that we never  
forget you4  ',ever yours1  ',j4 ,k4    
,nothing has hitherto been said of this 
term at ,st4 ,andrew's3 so here is an   
extract from a letter to one of the     
cousinhood1 who had proposed a plan     
which has since been carried out        
extensively and with good effect3--     
',the difficulty about scholars         
appropriated to certain places or       
parishes is this3 ,i cannot be sure of  
the same persons remaining with me4     
,some sickness in an island1 some panic1
 some death of a relative1 some war1 or 
some inability on my part from bad      
weather or accident to visit an island1 

may at any time lose me a scholar4      
,perhaps he may be the very one that has
 been appropriated to some one1 and what
 am ,i to say then8  ',this year we have
 but thirty-eight ,melanesians1 we ought
 to have sixty4 ,but after dear ,edwin  
and ,fisher's wounds1 ,i could not      
delay1 but hurried southwards1 passing  
by islands with old scholars ready to   
come away4 ,this was sad work1 but what 
could ,i do8  ',i will gladly assign1 to
 the best of my power1 scholars whom ,i 
think likely to remain with me to       
various places or persons2 but pray make
 them understand that their scholar may 
not always be forthcoming4 ,anyhow1     
their alms would go to the support of   
some ,melanesian1 who would be their    
scholar as it were for the time being4  
',you would perhaps feel interested in  
knowing that the ,gospel of ,st4 ,luke  
has been printed in the ,mota language1 
to a great extent by our scholars1 and  
that ,george ,sarawia is printing now   
the ,acts1 composing it1 and doing      

press-work and all4 ,young ,wogale      
7about thirteen7 prints very fairly1 and
 sent off #bej copies of a prayer1 which
 the ,bishop of ,nelson wanted for      
distribution1 of which everything was   
done by him entirely4 ,they both began  
to learn about last ,november4  ',when  
morning school is over at #aj ,a4,m41   
all hands1 dons and all1 are expected to
 give their time to the ,mission till   
#ab4de4 ,mr4 ,pritt is general          
overlooker 7which does not mean doing   
nothing himself7 of domestic work3      
kitchen1 garden1 farm1 dairy1 c4 ,you   
know that we have no servants4 ,mr4     
,palmer prints and teaches printing4    
,atkin works at whatever may be going   
on1 and has a large share of work to get
 ready for me1 and to read with me3     
,greek ,testament1 #ab to #ab4de1 ,greek
 and ,latin from #b to #c4 ,so all the  
lads are busy at out-door work from #aj 
to #ab4de2 and ,i assure you1 under ,mr4
 ,pritt's management1 we begin to       
achieve considerable results in our farm

 and garden work4 ,we are already       
economising our expenditure greatly by  
keeping our own cows1 for which we grow 
food 7a good deal artificial71 and      
baking our own bread4 ,we sell some of  
our butter1 and have a grand supply of  
milk for our scholars1 perhaps the very 
best kind of food for them4  ',if we can
 manage to carry on a winter's school   
here with some ten or twelve of the lads
 left under ,mr4 ,pritt's charge1 while 
,i go off with the rest1 ,i really think
 that the industrial department may     
become something considerable4 ,it is an
 essential part of the system1 for we   
must begin with teaching habits of      
order1 punctuality1 c31 in respect of   
those things with which they have       
already some acquaintance4 ,no          
,melanesian can understand why he is to 
sit spelling away at a black board2 and 
he is not like a child of four or five  
years old1 he must be taught through his
 power of reasoning1 and perceiving the 
meaning of things4 ,secondly1 we can    

gradually invest the more advanced      
scholars with responsible duties4 ,there
 are the head cooks in the various      
weeks1 the heads of departments in      
garden work1 c41 c4 ,as these lads and  
men are being trained 7we hope7 to teach
 others1 and as we want them to teach   
industry1 decency1 cleanliness1         
punctuality1 to be1 and to teach others 
to be honest1 and careful1 and          
thoughtful1 so we find all these lessons
 are learnt more in the industrial work 
than in the mere book work1 though that 
is not neglected4 ,indeed school1 in the
 restricted sense of the word1 is going 
on for four or four and a half hours a  
day4  ',the main difficulty remains1 of 
retaining our hold upon boys4 ,oh that  
,i could live permanently in twenty     
islands at once6 ,but ,i can't do so    
even in one2 and all the letter-writing 
and accounts1 and1 worst of all1 the    
necessity for being trustee for matters 
not a bit connected with ,melanesia1    
because there is no one else1 interferes

 sadly with my time4 ,i think ,i could  
work away with the languages1 c41 and   
really do something with these fellows1 
but ,i never get a chance4 ,i never have
 two days together which ,i can spend   
exclusively at ,melanesian work4 ,and ,i
 ought to have nothing whatever to      
distract me4 ,twenty languages calling  
for arrangement and comparison causes   
confusion enough6'  ,these interruptions
 made the ,kohimarama life trying4 ',as 
for correspondence1' says the birthday  
despatch to ,fanny1 'why this mail my   
letters to ,victoria alone are twelve1  
let alone ,sydney1 ,brisbane1 ,adelaide1
 ,tasmania1 ,new ,zealand1 and ,england4
 ,then three sermons a week1 occasional 
services1 reading up for a most         
difficult session of ,general ,synod1   
with really innumerable interruptions   
from persons of all kinds4 ,sometimes ,i
 do feel tempted to long for ,curtis    
,island merely to get away from ,new    
,zealand6 ,i feel as if ,i should never 
do anything here4 ,everything is in     

arrears4 ,i turn out of a morning and   
really don't know what to take up first4
 ,then1 just as ,i am in the middle of a
 letter 7as yesterday7 down comes some  
donkey to take up a quarter of an hour  
7lucky if not an hour7 with idle        
nonsense2 then in the afternoon an      
invasion of visitors1 which is worst of 
all4 ,that fatal invention of calling6  
,however1 ,i never call on anyone1 and  
it is understood now1 and people don't  
expect it4 ,i have not even been to     
,government ,house for more than a year6
  ',there1 a good explosion does one    
good6 ,but why must idle people         
interfere with busy men8 ,i used to make
 it up by sitting up and getting up very
 early indeed2 but somehow ,i feel fit  
for nothing but sleeping and eating     
now4'  ,after an absence of three weeks 
at the ,general ,synod at ,christchurch1
 the ,bishop took up such of his party  
as were to return1 and sailed home1     
leaving those whom he thought able to   
brave the winter with ,mr4 and ,mrs4    

,pritt1 on one of the first days of     
,june4 ,the first visit was one to the  
bereaved family at ,norfolk ,island1    
whence a brief note to his brother on   
the #ith begins3--  ',nothing can be    
more comforting to me than the loving   
patient spirit of these dear people4    
,poor ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,nobbs and all the 
brothers and sisters so good and so full
 of kindness to me4 ,it was very trying 
when ,i first met them yesterday4 ,they 
came and kissed me1 and then1 poor      
things1 fairly gave way1 and then ,i    
began to talk quietly about ,edwin and  
,fisher1 and they became calm1 and we   
knelt and prayed together4'  ,after     
landing the ,bishop at ,mota1 the others
 crossed to ,port ,patteson where they  
found ,fisher ,young's grave carefully  
tended1 kept clear of weeds1 and with a 
fence round it4 ,after establishing ,mr4
 ,palmer at the station at ,mota1 the   
,bishop re-embarked for ,santa ,maria1  
where1 at the north-east--,cock ,sparrow
 ,point1 as some one had appropriately  

called it--the boat was always shot at2 
but at a village called ,lakona1 the    
people were friendly1 and five scholars 
had come from thence1 so the ,bishop    
ventured on landing for the night1 and a
 very unpleasant night it1 was--the     
barrack hut was thronged with natives1  
and when the heat was insufferable and  
he tried to leave it1 two of his former 
scholars advised him strongly to remain 
within4  ,it was bad weather too1 and   
there was some difficulty in fetching   
him off1 and he was thankful that the   
wet had hindered more than #cjj or #djj 
natives from collecting2 there was no   
possibility of speaking to them quietly1
 for the sight of the boat suggested    
trading1 and they flocked round as he   
was fetched off1 half a dozen swimming  
out and begging to go to ,new ,zealand4 
,he took three old scholars and one new 
one1 and sent the others off with       
fish-hooks1 telling them that if they   
would not behave at ,lakona as he liked1
 he would not do as they liked4         

,however1 no arrows were shot4  ,then   
while the ',southern ,cross1' with ,mr4 
,tilly and ,mr4 ,atkin1 went on to land 
the ,solomon ,island scholars1 the work 
at ,mota was resumed in full force4 ,it 
seems well worth while to dwell on the  
successive steps in the conversion of   
this place1 and the following letter    
shows the state of things in the season 
of #ahfe3--   ',mota3 ,july #d1 #ahfe4  
',my dearest ,sisters and ,brother1--,i 
must write a joint letter for all1 with 
little notes if ,i have anything more   
special for anyone of you4 ,i wish you  
could see this place4 ,the old hut is   
queer enough certainly1 quite open on   
one side1 and nearly so on another1 but 
it is weather-tight in the middle1 with 
forms to sit on and a table or two like 
a kitchen table1 on which ,i read and   
write by day1 and sleep by night4 ,last 
night we killed five lizards2 they get  
on the roof and drop down and bite      
pretty severely1 so seeing these running
 all about1 we made a raid upon them1   

poor things4 ,the great banyan tree is  
as grand as ever1 a magnificent tree1 a 
forest in itself1 and the view of the   
sea under its great branches1 and of the
 islands of ,matlavo and ,valua1 is     
beautiful4  ',at daylight ,i turn off my
 table and dress1 not elaborately--a    
flannel shirt1 old trousers and shoes2  
then a yam or two is roasted on the     
embers1 and the coffee made1 and 7fancy 
the luxury here in ,mota67 delicious    
goat's milk with it4 ,then the morning  
passes in reading1 writing1 and somewhat
 desultory talking with people1 but you 
can't expect punctuality and great      
attention4 ,then at one1 a bit of       
biscuit and cheese 7as long as the      
latter lasts74 ,mr4 ,palmer made some   
bread yesterday4 ,then generally a walk 
to meet people at different villages1   
and talk to them1 trying to get them to 
ask me questions1 and ,i try to question
 them4 ,then at #f ,p4,m41 a tea-ation1 
viz41 yam and coffee1 and perhaps a crab
 or two1 or a bit of bacon1 or some good

 thing or other4 ,but ,i forgot6 this   
morning we ate a bit of our first       
full-grown and fully ripe ,mota         
pine-apple 7,i brought some two years   
ago7 as large and fine as any specimens 
,i remember in hot-houses4 ,if you      
mention all these luxuries1 we shall    
have no more subscriptions1 but you may 
add that there is as yet no other       
pineapple1 though our oranges1 lemons1  
citrons1 guavas1 c41 are coming on4     
,anyone living here permanently might   
make a beautiful place indeed1 but it   
becomes sadly overgrown in our absence1 
and many things we plant are destroyed  
by pigs1 c4  ',then after tea--a large  
party always witnessing that            
ceremony--there is an hour or so spent  
in speaking again to the people1 and    
then ,i read a little with ,wadrokala   
and ,carry4 ,then ,mr4 ,palmer and ,i   
read a chapter of ,vaughan on the       
,revelation1 then prayers1 and so to    
bed4 ,it seems as if little was         
done--certain talks with people1        

sometimes many1 sometimes few2 yet1 on  
the whole1 ,i hope an increased         
acquaintance with our teaching4 ,you can
 well understand that the consciousness 
of sin and the need of a ,redeemer may  
be talked about1 but cannot be stated so
 as to make one feel that one has stated
 it in the most judicious and attractive
 manner4 ,of course it is the work of   
,god's ,spirit to work this conviction  
in the heart4 ,but it is very hard so to
 speak of it as to give 7if you can     
understand me7 the heathen man a fair   
chance of accepting what you say4       
,forgetfulness of ,god2 ingratitude to  
the ,giver of life1 health1 food2       
ignorance of the ,creator and the world 
to come1 of the ,resurrection and ,life 
,everlasting1 are all so many proofs to 
us of a fallen and depraved state4 ,but 
the heathen man recognises some outward 
acts as more or less wrong2 there he    
stops4 ,yes1 we don't fight now1 nor    
quarrel1 nor steal so much as we used to
 do4 ,we are all right now4  ',are you8 

,i never taught you to think so4 ,you   
tell me that you believe that the ,son  
of ,god came down from heaven4 ,what did
 ,he come for8 ,what is the meaning of  
what you say that ,he died for us8  ',it
 is the continual prayer and effort of  
the ,christian minister everywhere1 that
 ,god would deepen in his own heart the 
sense of sin1 and create it in the mind 
of the heathen4 ,and then the imperfect 
medium of a language very far from      
thoroughly known6 ,it is by continual   
prayer1 the intercession of ,christ1 the
 power of the ,spirit 7we well know7    
that the work must be carried on4 ,how  
one does understand it6 ,the darkness   
seems so thick1 the present visible     
world so wholly engrosses the thoughts1 
and yet1 you see1 there are many signs  
of progress even here1 in changed habits
 to some extent1 in the case of our     
scholars1 real grounds of hope for the  
future4 ,one seems to be doing nothing1 
yet surely if no change be wrought1 what
 right have we to expect it4 ,it is not 

that ,i looked for results1 but that ,i 
seek to be taught how to teach better4  
,the ,collect for the first ,sunday     
after ,epiphany is wonderful4  ',it     
requires a considerable effort to       
continually try to present to oneself   
the state of the heathen mind1 to select
 illustrations1 c41 suitable to his     
case4 ,and then his language has never  
been used by him to set forth these new 
ideas2 there are no words which convey  
the ideas of repentance1 sin1 heartfelt 
confession1 faith1 c4 ,how can there be1
 when these ideas don't exist8 ,yet     
somehow the language by degrees is made 
the exponent of such ideas1 just as all 
religious ideas are expressed in        
,english by words now used in their     
second intention1 which once meant very 
different and less elevated ideas4  ',i 
find everywhere the greatest willingness
 to listen4 ,everywhere ,i take my pick 
of boys1 and now for any length of time4
 ,that is the result of eleven scholars 
remaining now in ,new ,zealand4         

,everyone seems to wish to come4 ,i     
think ,i shall take away five or six    
young girls to be taught at ,kohimarama1
 to become by and by wives for scholars4
 ,else the ,christian lad will have to  
live with a heathen girl4 ,but all this1
 if carried out properly1 would need a  
large number of scholars from only one  
island4 ,at ,curtis ,island1 indeed     
7should it answer and supply plenty of  
food71 we might hope to have a school   
some day of #cjj or #djj1 and then      
thirty or forty from each island could  
be educated at once2 but it can't be so 
in ,new ,zealand4 ,and a good school on 
an island before a certain number are   
trained to teach could not1 ,i think1 be
 managed successfully4 ,i feel that ,i  
must concentrate more than hitherto4 ,i 
must ascertain--,i have to some extent  
ascertained--the central spots upon     
which ,i must chiefly work4 ,this is not
 an easy thing1 nevertheless1 to find   
out1 and it has taken years4 ,then using
 them as centres1 ,i must also find out 

how far already the dialect of that spot
 may extend1 how far the people of the  
place have connections1 visiting        
acquaintances1 c4 elsewhere1 and to use 
the influence of that place to its      
fullest extent4 ,many islands would thus
 fall under one centre1 and thus ,i     
think we may work4 ,my mind is so       
continually1 day and night1 ,i may say1 
working on these points1 that ,i dare   
say ,i fill up my letters with nothing  
else4 ,but writing on these points helps
 me to see my way4'   ,on ,july #g1 an  
expedition to ,aroa seems to have       
overtired ,bishop ,patteson1 and a      
slight attack of fever and ague came on4
 ,one of his aunts had provided him with
 a cork bed1 where1 after he had exerted
 himself to talk to his many visitors1  
he lay 'not uncomfortably4' ,he was not 
equal to going to a feast where he hoped
 to have met a large concourse1 and     
after a day of illness1 was taken back  
to ,mota in the bottom of the boat2 but 
in another week more revived1 and went  

on with his journal1 moralising on the  
books he had been reading while laid up4
  ',i looked quite through ,bishop      
,mackenzie's life4 ,what a beautiful    
story it is6 what a truthful1 simple1   
earnest character1 and that             
persuasiveness that only real humility  
and self-forgetfulness and              
thoughtfulness can give4 ,then his early
 desire to be useful1 his ,cambridge    
life1 the clear way in which he was     
being led on all through4 ,it is very   
beautiful as an illustration of the best
 kind of help that ,god bestows on ,his 
children4 ,here was one so evidently    
moulded and fashioned by ,him1 and that 
willingly1 for so it must be1 and his   
life was just as it should be1 almost as
 perfect perhaps as a life can be4 ,what
 if his work failed on the ,shire8      
,first1 his work has not failed to begin
 with1 for aught we know2 and secondly  
his example is stimulating work         
everywhere4 ,i shall indeed value his   
,thomas a ,kempis4 ,a copy sent home    

from the ,zambesi stained with the water
 of the ,shire1 and sent to the ,bishop 
by ,miss ,mackenzie4  ,the ship returned
 with tidings that the more important   
scholars would be ready to come back    
after a short holiday with their        
friends1 and the ,bishop embarked again 
on the #bith4 ,at ,mai he landed1 and   
slept ashore1 when little ,petere1 the  
son of the young man whose death had so 
nearly been revenged on the ,bishop1 a  
boy of eight years old1 did the honours 
as became a young chief1 and announced1 
',i am going to ,new ,zealand with you4'
 ,no one made any attempt to prevent    
him2 but the old scholars did not show  
themselves helpful1 and only one of     
them1 besides three more new ones1 came 
away4 ,the natives were personally      
friendly1 but there was no sign of      
fighting being lessened among them4  ,at
 ,whitsuntide there was a brisk trade in
 yams1 but no scholars were brought     
away2 the parents would not part with   
any young enough to be likely to be     

satisfactory pupils1 nor would the one  
last year's scholar come4 ,here         
intelligence was received that a        
two-masted ship had been at ,leper's    
,island1 a quarrel had taken place and  
some natives had been shot4 ,it was     
therefore decided that it would not be  
safe to land1 but as the vessel sailed  
along the coast1 numerous canoes came   
out1 bringing boars' tusks for sale4    
,three boys who had been taken on a     
cruise of six weeks the year before1    
eagerly came on board1 and thirty or    
forty more4 ,all the parents were averse
 to letting them go1 and only two ended 
by being brought away3 ,itole1 a young  
gentleman of fourteen or so1 slim and   
slight1 with a waist like a wasp1 owing 
to a cincture worn night and day1 and   
his hair in ringlets1 white with        
coral-lime2 his friend a little older1 a
 tall1 neat-limbed fellow1 not dark and 
with little of the negro in his         
features4  ,a letter to me was written  
during this cruise1 from which ,i give  

an extract3--  ',it was a great delight 
to me to receive a letter from ,mr4     
,keble1 by the ,february mail from      
,england4 ,how kind of him to write to  
me2 and his words are such a help and   
encouragement4  ',i dare say ,i shall   
see ,merivale's ,lectures soon4 ,nothing
 can well be so wonderful1 as a proof of
 ,god's hand controlling and arranging  
all the course of history to those who  
need it1 as a subject for adoration and 
praise1 to those who need not such      
proof1 than the vast preparation made   
for the coming of ,christ and the       
spreading of the ,gospel4 ,to popularise
 this the right way1 and bring it home  
to the thought of many who have not time
 nor inclination for much reading1 must 
be a good work4 ,i suppose that all good
 ,church histories deal with that part  
of the subject2 it is natural for the   
mere philosopher to do so4  ',and think 
how the early ,alexandrian teachers used
 the religious yearnings of the ,east to
 draw men to the recognition of their   

wants1 supplied and satisfied only in   
,christianity4 ,often it is the point   
d'appui that the ,missionary must seek  
for4 ,there is an element of faith in   
superstition2 we must fasten on that1   
and not rudely destroy the superstition1
 lest with it we destroy the principle  
of faith in things and beings unseen4 ,i
 often think1 that to shake a man's     
faith in his old belief1 however wrong  
it may be1 before one can substitute    
something true and right1 is1 to say the
 least1 a dangerous experiment4 ,but    
positive truth wins its way without     
controversy1 while error has no positive
 existence1 and there is a craving for  
truth deep down in the heathen heart4   
',do you remember that grand passage of 
,hooker1 where he says that he cannot   
stand to oppose all the sophisms of     
,romanism1 only that he will place      
against it a structure of truth1 before 
which1 as ,dagon before the ,ark1 error 
will be dashed in fragments8  ',in our  
work 7and so ,i suppose in a ,sunday    

school7 one must think out each step1   
anticipate each probable result1 before 
one states anything4 ,it is of course   
full of the highest interest4 ,can't you
 fancy a party of twenty or thirty dark 
naked fellows1 when 7having learnt to   
talk freely to them7 ,i question them   
about their breakfast and cocoa-nut     
trees1 their yams and taro and bananas1 
c41 ,who gave them to you8 ,can you make
 them grow8 ,why1 you like me and thank 
me because ,i give you a few hatchets1  
and you have never thought of thanking  
,him all these long years4  ',it is     
true1 but we didn't think4  ',but will  
you think if ,i tell you about ,him8    
',he gave them rain from heaven and     
fruitful seasons4  ',how it takes one   
back to the old thoughts1 the true      
philosophy of religion4 ,sometimes ,i   
lie awake and think if ,jowett and      
others could see these things6  ',and   
yet1 if it is not presumptuous in me to 
say so1 ,i do think that this work needs
 men who can think out principle and    

supply any thoughtful scholar or        
enquirer with some good reason for      
urging this or that change in the       
manners and observances of the people4  
,often as ,i think of it1 ,i feel how   
greatly the ,church needs schools for   
missionaries1 to be prepared not only in
 ,greek and ,latin and manual work1 but 
in the mode of regarding heathenism4 ,it
 is not a moment's work to habitually   
ask oneself1 ,why feel indignant8 ,how  
can he or she know better8 ,it is not   
always easy to be patient and to        
remember the position which the heathen 
man occupies and the point of view from 
which he must needs regard everything   
brought before him4  ',thank you for    
,maclear's book4 ,it is a clear         
statement of the leading facts that one 
wishes to know1 a valuable addition to  
our library4 ,you know1 no doubt1 a book
 which ,i like much1 ,neander's ,light  
in ,dark ,places4  ',i shall remember   
about ,miss ,mackenzie's memoir of that 
good ,mrs4 ,robertson4 ,i wonder that   

men are not found to help ,mr4          
,robertson4 ,here1 as you know1 the     
climate 7as in ,central ,africa7 is our 
difficulty4 ,i think sometimes ,i make  
too much of it1 but really ,i don't see 
how a man is to stand many months of it4
 ,but ,i can't help thinking and hoping 
that if that difficulty did not exist ,i
 could see my way to saying1 ,now1 a    
missionary is wanted for these four or  
five or six islands1 one for each1 and a
 younger man as fellow-helper to that   
missionary1 and they would be           
forthcoming4  ',yet doubtless ,i don't  
estimate fairly the difficulties and    
hardships as they appear to the man who 
has never left ,england1 and is not used
 to knocking about4 ,i should have felt 
the same years ago but for the thought  
of being with the ,primate1 at least ,i 
suppose so4  ',well1 ,i have written a  
very dull letter1 but the place from    
which it comes will give it some        
interest4 ,i really think that not ,mota
 only1 but the ,banks ,islands are in a 

hopeful state4  ',next year 7,d4,v47    
,mr4 ,palmer will try the experiment of 
stopping here for eight or ten months4  
,i almost dare to hope that a few years 
may make great changes4 ,yet it seems as
 if nothing were done in comparison with
 what remains to be done4  ',sarah1     
,sarawia's wife1 pronounced that as she 
was always ill at home1 she would risk  
the ,new ,zealand winter2 two more      
married pairs came1 and four little     
maidens to be bred up under ,mrs4       
,pritt1 girls from twelve to eight years
 old1 of whom ,sarah was quite able to  
take charge4'  ,there was the usual     
proportion of lads from various islands2
 but the most troublesome member of the 
community seems to have been            
,wadrokala's three years old daughter4  
',i have daily to get ,wadrokala and    
,carry to prevent their child from being
 a nuisance to everybody4' ,but this    
might have been a difficulty had she    
been white4  ,this large party had to be
 taken to the ,solomon ,isles to        

complete the party1 sailing in company  
with the ',curacoa1' the ,commodore's   
ship1 when the local knowledge and      
accurate surveying done by ,mr4 ,tilly  
and ,mr4 ,kerr proved very valuable1 and
 ,sir ,william ,wiseman gave most kind  
and willing assistance4  ,since his     
short interview with the ,bishop off    
,norfolk ,island1 he had been cruising  
in the ,new ,hebrides4 ,there some of   
the frequent outrages of the traders had
 made the people savage and suspicious1 
and one of the ,missionaries of the     
,london ,missionary ,society living at  
,tanna had been threatened1 driven away 
across the island1 and his property     
destroyed4 ,he had appealed for         
protection as a ,british subject1 and   
,sir ,william ,wiseman had no choice but
 to comply2 so after warning had been   
sent to the tribe chiefly concerned to  
quit their village1 it was shelled and  
burnt4 ,no one seems to have been hurt1 
and it was hoped that this would teach  
the natives to respect their            

minister--whether to love his           
instruction was another question4  ,this
 would not have been worth mentioning   
had not a letter from on board the      
',curacoa' spoken of chastising a       
village for attacking a ,missionary4 ,it
 went the round of the ,english papers1 
and some at once concluded that the     
,missionary could be no other than the  
,bishop4 ,articles were published with  
the usual disgusting allusions to the   
temptation presented by a plump         
missionary2 and also observing with more
 justice that ,british subjects had no  
right to run into extraordinary peril   
and appeal to their flag for protection4
  ,every friend or relative of ,bishop  
,patteson knew how preposterous the     
supposition was1 and his brother took   
pains to contradict the rumour4 ,as a   
matter of fact1 as his letters soon     
proved1 he was not only not in company  
with the ',curacoa' at the time1 but had
 no knowledge either of the outrage or  
the chastisement1 till ,sir ,william    

,wiseman mentioned it to him when they  
were together at ,sydney4  ,at ,ysabel  
or ,mahya1 the party was made up to     
sixty1 seven married couples and seven  
unmarried girls among them4 ,the female 
population was stowed away at night in  
the after cabins1 with 'arrangements    
quite satisfactory to them1 as they were
 quite consistent with propriety1 but   
which would somewhat startle            
unaccustomed folk4'  ,the ',curapoa'    
stood in the offing while ,sta4 ,cruz   
was visited1 or rather while the        
',southern ,cross' approached1 for the  
,bishop thought it better not to risk   
landing2 but numerous canoes came off1  
and all the curiosities were bought     
which were offered in hopes of          
reestablishing a friendly relation4     
,there was reason to think the people of
 this group more than usually attached  
to the soil1 and very shy and           
distrustful1 owing perhaps to the       
memories left by the ,spaniards4        
,thence the ',southern ,cross' sailed   

across for an inspection of ,curtis     
,island1 and again with a favourable    
impression2 but the ,brisbane           
,parliament had just been prorogued1    
everyone was taking holiday1 and the    
,bishop therefore gave up his visit to  
that place1 and sent the vessel straight
 home to ,auckland with her cargo of    
souls1 while he returned to ,sydney to  
carry on the same work as in the former 
year4 ,here one great delight and       
refreshment to him was a visit to ,mr4  
and ,mrs4 ,mort at their beautiful home 
at ,greenoaks4 ,what a delight it must  
have been to find himself in a church   
built by his host himself6 'one of the  
most beautiful things ,i have seen1     
holds about #ejj people2 stained glass1 
carved stalls1 stone work1              
c41--perfect4' ,and the house1 'full of 
first-rate works of art1 bronzes1       
carvings1 c41' was pleasant to the eyes 
that had been so enthusiastic in ,italy 
and ,germany1 and had so long fasted    
from all beauty but that of ,nature1 in 

one special type4 ,the friends there    
were such as to give life and spirit to 
all these external charms1 and this was 
a very pleasant resting place in his    
life4 ,to ,sir ,john ,coleridge he      
writes3--  ',i am having a real holiday4
 ,this place1 ,greenoaks1 the really    
magnificent place of my good friends    
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,mort1 is lovely4 ,the   
view of the harbour1 with its           
land-locked bays1 multitude of vessels1 
wooded heights1 c41 is not to be        
surpassed2 and somehow ,i don't         
disrelish handsome rooms and furniture  
and pictures and statues and endless    
real works of art in really good taste4 
',one slips into these ways very        
readily4 ,i must take care ,i am not    
spoilt4 ,everyone1 from the governor    
downwards1 lays himself out to make my  
visit pleasant4 ,they work me hard on   
,sundays and week days1 but it is a     
continual round of1 ,i don't deny1 to   
me1 pleasurable occupation4 ,kindly     
people asked to meet me1 and the        

conversation always turned to pleasant  
and useful subjects3 ,church government1
 principles of ,mission work1 c4 ,these 
colonies1 unfortunate in many ways1 are 
fortunate in having governors and others
 in high position who are good men1 and 
the class of people among whom my time  
is spent might 7me judice7 hold its     
position among the best ,english        
society4  ',i am very intimate with some
 few families1 drop in and set the young
 ladies down to play ,beethoven and     
,mendelssohn1 and it is a nice change1  
and refreshes me4'  ,from ,sydney the   
,bishop went to ,adelaide and           
,melbourne1 and these five weeks in     
,australia obtained about #hjj pounds   
for the ,mission2 the ,bishop of ,sydney
 had hoped to raise more1 but there had 
been two years of terrible drought and  
destruction of cattle1 and money was not
 abundant4 ,the plan of sending         
,australian blacks to be educated with  
the ,melanesians was still entertained2 
but he had not much hope of this being  

useful to the tribes1 though it might be
 to the individuals1 and none of them   
ever were sent to him4  ,but what had a 
more important effect on the ,mission   
was a conference between ,sir ,william  
,wiseman and ,sir ,john ,young1 the     
,governor of ,new ,south ,wales1        
resulting in an offer from the latter of
 a grant of land on ,norfolk ,island for
 the ,mission1 for the sake of the      
benefit to the ,pitcairners2 at the same
 time the ,commodore offered him a      
passage in the ',curacoa' back to       
,auckland1 touching at ,norfolk ,island 
by the way4 ,the plan was carried out1  
and brought him home in time for        
,christmas1 to find all and prosperous  
under ,mr4 ,pritt at ,st4 ,andrew's4    
,his mind was nearly made up on the     
expedience of a change to a place which 
was likely to suit both ,english and    
tropical constitutions alike1 and he    
hoped to make the experiment the ensuing
 winter with ,mr4 ,palmer and a small   
body of scholars4     ,,chapter ,x4     

,,the ,,episcopate ,,at ,,kohimarama4   
#ahff4    ,the removal of his much-loved
 correspondent did not long withhold the
 outpouring of ,bishop ,patteson's heart
 to his family2 while his work was going
 on at the ,college1 according to his   
own definition of education which was   
given about this time in a speech at    
,st4 ,john's3 ',education consists in   
teaching people to bear                 
responsibilities1 and laying the        
responsibilities on them as they are    
able to bear them4'  ,meanwhile1 he     
wrote as follows to ,miss ,mackenzie1 on
 receiving the book she had promised to 
send him as a relic of her brother3--   
',january #a1 #ahff4  ',my dear ,miss   
,mackenzie1--,i have this evening       
received your brother's ,thomas a       
,kempis1 and your letter4 ,i valued the 
letter much1 as a true faithful record  
of one whom may ,god grant that ,i may  
know hereafter1 if1 indeed1 ,i may be   
enabled to follow him as he followed    
,christ4 ,and as for the former1 what   

can ,i say but ,i hope that the thought 
of your dear brother may help me to read
 that holy book in something of the     
spirit in which he read and meditated on
 it4  ',it seems to bring me very near  
to him in thought4 ,send me one of his  
autographs to paste into it4 ,i don't   
like to cut out the one ,i have in the  
long letter to the ,scottish ,episcopal 
,church1 which you kindly sent me4  ',i 
found1 too1 in one of ,mr4 ,codrington's
 boxes1 a small sextant for me1 which1  
being packed with the ,thomas a ,kempis1
 ,i think may have been your brother's4 
,do you really mean this for me too8 ,if
 so1 ,i shall value it scarcely less    
than the book4 ,indeed1 ,i think that1  
divided as ,i am from all relations and 
home influences and affections1 ,i cling
 all the more to such means as ,i may   
still enjoy of keeping up associations4 
,i like to have my father's watch-chain 
in use1 and to write on his old desk4 ,i
 remember my inkstand in our            
drawing-room in ,london4 ,so ,i value   

much these memorials of the first       
,missionary ,bishop of the ,church of   
,england1 in modern days at all events1 
and night by night as ,i read a few     
lines in his book1 and think of him1 it 
brings me1 ,i hope1 nearer in spirit to 
him and to others1 who1 like him1 have  
done their duty well and now rest in    
,christ4  ',we are pretty well now      
7,jan4 #bj71 but one very promising lad 
sank last week in low fever2 a good     
truthful lad he was1 and as ,i baptized 
him at midnight shortly before he died1 
,i felt the great blessing of being able
 with a very clear conscience to        
minister to him that holy sacrament2 and
 so he passed away1 to dwell1 ,i trust1 
with his ,lord4  ',what a revelation to 
that spirit in its escape from the body6
 ,but ,i must not write on4 ,with many  
thanks once again for these             
highly-valued memorials of your brother1
  ',i remain1 my dear ,miss ,mackenzie1 
',very truly yours1  ',j4 ,c4           
,,patteson4'   ,the sandal-wood referred

 to in the following letter was the     
brother's gift to a church1 ,all        
,saints1 ,babbicombe1 in which his      
sisters were deeply interested1 and of  
which their little nephew laid the first
 stone3--   ',st4 ,matthias' ,day4  ',my
 dearest ,sisters1--,you are thinking of
 me to-day1 ,i know1 but you hardly know
 that in an hour or two ,i hope the     
,primate will ride down and baptize nine
 of our ,melanesian scholars4  ',the    
last few weeks have been a happy1 though
 of course an anxious time1 and now     
to-day the great event of their lives is
 to take place4 ,may ,god grant that the
 rest of their lives may be like this   
beginning6  ',we avoid all fuss4 ,i     
don't like anyone being here but the    
,primate and ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 yet ,i think
 some dozen more may come1 though ,i    
don't like it4 ,i need not say that     
making a scene on such occasions is to  
my mind very objectionable4 ,i could    
much prefer being quite alone4 ,i have  
translated some appropriate ,psalms1 but

 the #bnd and #egth they hardly know as 
yet quite well2 so our service will be  
,psalms #if1 #ig1 #aad2 #ast lesson #b  
,kings1 v4 #i--ae1 ,magnificat2 #bnd    
lesson ,acts viii4 #e-ab1 and the       
,baptismal ,service4 ,henry ,tagalana   
reads the first1 and ,george ,sarawia   
the second lesson4 ,then will come my   
quiet evening1 as1 ,i trust1 a close of 
an eventful day4 ,i have your ,english  
letters of ,december1 with the news of  
,johnny laying the stone4 ,i am thankful
 that that good work is begun4 ,sir     
,john ,young writes to me that ,i can   
have a gift of #ajj acres at ,norfolk   
,island1 with permission to buy more4 ,i
 think that1 all being well1 ,i shall   
certainly try it with a small party next
 summer1 the main body of scholars being
 still brought to ,kohimarama4  ',the   
sandal-wood is not yet gone6 ,but1 my   
dear ,joan1 the altar of sandal-wood6   
,if it is to be solid and not veneered1 
why1 #ej would not buy it at ,erromango4
 ,it sells in ,sydney for about #gj a   

ton1 and it is very heavy wood4         
,however1 ,i will send some of the      
largest planks ,i ever saw of the wood1 
and it is now well seasoned4 ,it cost me
 #ad merely to work it into a very      
simple lectern1 so hard is the grain4   
',what has become of the old ,eton stamp
 of men8 ,have you any in ,england8 ,i  
must not run the risk of the ,mission   
being swamped1 by well-intentioned1 but 
untaught men4 ,we must have gentlemen of
 white colour1 or else ,i must rely     
wholly1 as ,i always meant to do        
chiefly1 on my black gentlemen2 and many
 of them are thorough gentlemen in      
feeling and conduct1 albeit they don't  
wear shoes4  ',it was a most impressive 
service4 ,the dear ,primate looking worn
 and somewhat aged1 very full of        
feeling2 the two most advanced1 ,george 
and ,henry1 in their surplices1 reading 
the ,lessons2 the nine candidates       
looking so reverent and grave1 yet not  
without self-possession4  ',as he signed
 each one with the sign of the ,cross1  

his left hand resting on the head of    
each1 the history of the ,mission rushed
 into my mind1 the fruit of the little  
seed be sowed when1 eight years ago1 he 
thought it wisest not to go ashore at   
,mota1 and now more than twenty         
,christians of the ,banks ,islands serve
 ,god with prayers night and day4       
',what would you have thought1 if you   
could have been there8 ,our little      
chapel looked nice with the red hangings
 and sandal-wood lectern4  ',then we had
 a quiet cup of tea1 and the old and new
 baptized party had a quiet talk with me
 till #h4cj1 when ,i sent them away4    
',and then after an hour ,i was alone4  
,that ,i should have been already five  
years a ,bishop1 and how much to think  
of and grieve over1 something too to be 
thankful for4 ,perhaps after all1 dear  
,edwin and ,fisher stand out most       
clearly from all the many scenes and    
circumstances4  ',and now what is to    
come8 ,this move to ,norfolk ,island8   
,or what8 ,something1 you say2 perhaps  

in time showing the ,governor that the  
,melanesians are not so very wild4 ,but 
it is another ,governor2 and so far from
 the ,melanesians being wild1 it is     
expressly on the ground that the example
 of the school will be beneficial that  
,i am asked to go6  ',tell all who may  
care to know it about our ,st4          
,matthias' ,day1 ,i must give myself the
 pleasure of writing one line to ,mr4   
,keble4 ,i won't write many lest ,i     
weary him1 dear good man4 ,i like to    
look at his picture1 and have stuck the 
photograph of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,keble     
which ,charlotte ,yonge sent me into the
 side of it4 ,how ,i value his prayers  
and thoughts for us all6  ',your loving 
brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4  ',p4,s4--,no    
terms of full communion between the     
,home and the ,colonial ,church can be  
matter of ,parliamentary legislation4   
,it is the ,one ,faith1 ,one ,lord1 that
 binds us together2 and as for          
regulating the question of colonially   
ordained clergy ministering in ,english 

dioceses1 you had better equalise your  
own ,church law first for dealing with  
an ,incumbent and a ,curate4'           
',auckland3 ,tuesday in ,holy ,week4    
',my dear ,uncle1--,i have long owed you
 a letter1 but ,i have not written      
because ,i have had an unusual time of  
distraction4 ,now1 all my things being  
on board the ,southern ,cross1 ,i am    
detained by a foul wind4 ,we can do     
nothing till it changes2 and ,i am not  
sorry to have a few quiet hours1 though 
the thought of a more than usually      
serious separation from the dear        
,primate and ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 ,sir        
,william and ,lady ,martin1 hangs over  
my head rather gloomily4 ,still ,i am   
convinced1 as far as ,i can be of such  
matters1 that this move to ,norfolk     
,island is good for the ,mission on the 
whole4 ,it has its drawbacks1 as all    
plans have1 but the balance is decidedly
 in favour of ,norfolk ,island as       
against ,new ,zealand4 ,i have given    
reasons at length for this opinion in   

letters to ,joan and ,fan1 and also1 ,i 
think1 to ,charlotte ,yonge1 who        
certainly deserves to know all my       
thoughts about it4  ',but ,i may shortly
 state some of them1 in case you may not
 have heard them1 because ,i should like
 this step to approve itself to your    
mind3--  '#a4 ,norfolk ,island is #fjj  
miles hearer to ,melanesian islands than
 ,auckland1 and not only nearer in      
actual distance1 but the #fjj miles from
 ,norfolk ,island to ,auckland are the  
cold and boisterous miles that must be  
passed at the extremities of the voyages
 with no intervening lands to call at   
and obtain a change for our large party 
on board4  '#b4 ,the difficulty usually 
is to get westward when sailing from    
,new ,zealand1 by the ,north ,cape of   
,new ,zealand1 because the prevalent    
winds are from the west4 ,so that       
usually the passage to ,norfolk ,island 
is a long-one4  '#c4 ,new ,zealand is   
much to the east of ,norfolk ,island1   
and to go from the ,loyalty1 ,new       

,hebrides1 ,banks1 and ,santa ,cruz     
groups to ,new ,zealand1 it is necessary
 to make a long stretch out to the      
,n4,e4 7the trades blowing from about   
,s4,e4 by ,e471 standing down to ,s4 on 
the other tack4 ,but ,norfolk ,island is
 almost due ,s4 of other those groups4  
'#d4 ,i cannot come back from the       
islands during my winter voyage to ,new 
,zealand1 it is too distant2 the coast  
is dangerous in the winter season and   
the cold too great for a party of       
scholars first coming from the tropics4 
,but ,i can go backwards and forwards   
through the islands and ,norfolk ,island
 during the five winter months4 ,it is  
not wise to sail about in the summer1   
hurricanes being prevalent then4  '#e4  
,as ,i can only make one return from the
 islands to ,new ,zealand in the year1  
,i can only have a school consisting of 
7say7 sixty ,melanesians brought in the 
very crowded vessel  7say7 thirty left  
in ,new ,zealand for the winter2 and ,i 
dare not attempt to leave many1 for so  

much care is needed in the cold season4 
,but in ,norfolk ,island ,i can have a  
school of any number1 because ,i can    
make separate voyages thither from the  
,banks and ,solomon ,islands1 c41 each  
time bringing a party of sixty1 if ,i   
think fit4  '#f4 ,the productions of    
,norfolk ,island include the yam1 taro  
7,caladium esculentum71 sweet potato1   
sugar-cane1 banana1 almond1 orange1     
pine-apple1 coffee1 maize4 ,only        
cocoa-nut and bread-fruit are wanting1  
that natives of ,melanesia care much    
about4  '#g4 ,there is no necessity for 
so violent a contrast as there must be  
in ,new ,zealand between the life with  
us and in their homes in respect of     
dress1 food1 and houses4  ',light       
clothing and an improved style of native
 house and more cleanly way of eating   
their food--not of cooking it1 for they 
are cleanly already in that--may be     
adopted1 and more easily perpetuated in 
their own homes than the heavy clothing 
necessary here1 and the different style 

of houses and more ,english food4       
',this is very important1 because with  
any abrupt change of the outer man1     
there is sometimes a more1 very more    
natural abandonment of the inner        
thoughts and disposition and character4 
,just as men so often lose self-respect 
when they take to the bush life2 or     
children who pray by their own little   
bedside alone1 leave off praying in long
 chamber1 the outward circumstances     
being altered4  ',i have for years      
thought that we seek in our ,missions a 
great deal too much to make ,english    
,christians of our converts4 ,we        
consciously and unanimously assume      
,english ,christianity 7as something    
distinct ,i mean from the doctrines of  
the ,church of ,england71 to be         
necessary2 much as so many people assume
 the relation of ,church and ,state in  
,england to be the typical and normal   
condition of the ,church1 which should  
be everywhere reproduced4 ,evidently the
 heathen man is not treated fairly if we

 encumber our message with unnecessary  
requirements4  ',the ancient ,church had
 its selection of fundamentals--a kind  
of simple and limited expansion of the  
,apostles' ,creed for doctrine and      
,apostolic practice for discipline4     
',notoriously the ,eastern and ,western 
mind misunderstood one another4 ,the    
speculative ,east and the practical     
,west could not be made to think after  
the same fashion4 ,the ,church of       
,christ has room for both4  ',now any   
one can see what mistakes we have made  
in ,india4 ,few men think themselves    
into the state of the ,eastern mind1    
feel the difficulties of the ,asiatic1  
and divine the way in which             
,christianity should be presented to    
him4  ',we seek to denationalise these  
races1 as far as ,i can see2 whereas we 
ought surely to change as little as     
possible--only what is clearly          
incompatible with the simplest form of  
,christian teaching and practice4  ',i  
don't mean that we are to compromise    

truth1 but to study the native          
character1 and not present the truth in 
an unnecessarily unattractive form4     
',don't we overlay it a good deal with  
human traditions1 and still more often  
take it for granted that what suits us  
must be necessary for them1 and vice    
versa4  ',so many of our missionaries   
are not accustomed1 not taught to think 
of these things4 ,they grow up with     
certain modes of thought1 hereditary    
notions1 and they seek to reproduce     
these1 no respect being had to the      
utterly dissimilar character and        
circumstances of the heathen4  ',i think
 much about all this4 ,sir ,william     
,martin and ,i have much talk about it2 
and the strong practical mind of the    
,primate1 ,i hope1 would keep me        
straight if ,i was disposed to theorise1
 which ,i don't think is the case4      
',but ,christianity is the religion for 
humanity at large4 ,it takes in all     
shades and diversities of character1    
race1 c4  ',the substratum of it is1 so 

to say1 inordinate and coextensive with 
the substratum of humanity--all men must
 receive that4 ,each set of men must    
also receive many thing of secondary1   
yet of very great importance for them2  
but in this class there will be         
differences according to the            
characteristic differences of men       
throughout the world4  ',i can't explain
 myself fully2 but1 dear ,uncle1 ,i     
think there is something in what ,i am  
trying to say4  ',i want to see more    
discrimination1 more sense of the due   
proportion1 the relative importance of  
the various parts which make up the sum 
of extra teaching4  ',there is so great 
want of order in the methods so often   
adopted1 want of arrangement1 and proper
 sequence1 and subordination of one to  
another4  ',the heathen man will assume 
some arbitrary dictate of a missionary  
to be of equal authority and importance 
with a moral command of ,god1 unless you
 take care4 ,of course the missionary   
ought not to attempt to impose any      

arbitrary rule at all2 but many         
missionaries do1 and usually justify    
such conduct on the ground of their     
exceptional position4  ',but one must go
 much further4 ,if ,i tell a man just   
beginning to listen1 two or three points
 of ,christian faith1 or two or three   
rules of ,christian life1 without any   
orderly connection1 ,i shall but puzzle 
him4  ',take1 e4g41 our ,english        
,sunday1 ,i am far from wishing to      
change the greater part of the method of
 observing it in ,england4  ',i hope the
 ,melanesian ,christians may learn to   
keep holy the ,lord's ,day4 ,but am ,i  
to begin my teaching of a wild ,solomon 
,islander at that end2 when he has not  
learned the evil of breaking habitually 
the sixth1 seventh1 and eighth          
,commandments8  ',i notice continually  
the tendency of the teaching of the very
 men who denounce forms to produce      
formation4  ',it is nearest to the      
native mind2 it generates hypocrisy and 
mere outward observance of certain      

rules1 which1 during the few years that 
the people remain docile on their first 
acceptance of the new teaching1 they are
 content to submit to4  ',i see the     
great difficulty of making out all this4
 ,it necessitates the leaving so very   
much to the discretion of the pioneer4  
,ergo the missionary must not be the man
 who is not good enough for ordinary    
work in ,england1 but the men whom      
,england even does not produce in large 
numbers with some power of dealing with 
these questions4  ',it is much better   
and safer to have a regular well-known  
rule to act by2 but ,i don't see how you
 can give me1 e4g41 precise directions4 
,it seems to me that you must use great 
care in selecting your man1 and then    
trust him fully4  ',i hope it is not an 
excess of self-conceit and self-reliance
 which makes me pass by1 rather lightly1
 ,i confess1 some of the advice that    
very well-intentioned people            
occasionally volunteer to missionaries4 
,i have had 7,d4 ,gr47 the ,primate and 

,sir ,william ,martin's men1 who know   
what heathenism is1 and the latter of   
whom has deeply studied the character of
 the various races of the world4  ',i   
mean that when some one said1 ,do you   
really mean to place those savage       
,melanesians among the immaculate       
,pitcairners8 the natural answer seemed 
to me to be1 ,i am not aware that you   
ever saw either a ,pitcairner or a      
,melanesian4 ,i thought it rather       
impertinent4 ,the truth is1 that the    
great proportion of our ,melanesian     
scholars in our school1 i4e41 not       
standing alone1 but helped by the       
discipline of the school1 are quite     
competent to set an example to the      
average ,pitcairners4 ,but this ,i mark 
only as an illustration of my meaning4  
,occasionally ,i hear of some book or   
sermon or speech in which sound views   
7as ,i venture to call them7 are        
propounded on these points4  ',always   
your loving and grateful ,nephew1  ',j4 
,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,the next letter was 

called forth by my sorrowful            
communication of the shattered state of 
both my dear friends2 of whom1 one1 at  
the very time that my ,cousin wrote1 was
 already gone to his rest1 having been  
mercifully spared the loneliness and    
grief we had feared for him4   ',st4    
,andrew's3 ,april #bd1 #ahff4  ',my dear
 ,cousin1--,i write a line at once in   
reply to a letter of ,january #bi1 for  
,i see that a great sorrow is hanging   
over you1 is perhaps already fallen on  
you1 and ,i would fain say my word of   
sympathy1 possibly of comfort4  ',one1  
perhaps1 of the great blessings that a  
person in my position enjoys is that he 
must perforce see through the present   
gloom occasioned by loss of present     
companionship on to the joy beyond4 ,i  
hear of the death of dear ,uncle1 and   
friends1 and even of that loving and    
holy ,father of mine1 and somehow it    
seems all peace1 and calmness1 and joy4 
,it would not be so were ,i in ,england1
 to actually experience the sense of    

loss1 to see the vacant seat1 and miss  
the well-known voice2 but it is 7as ,i  
see7 a great and most blessed           
alleviation to the loss of their society
 here below4 ,you feel that when those  
loving hearts at ,hursley can no longer 
be a stay and comfort to you here1 you  
will have a sense almost of desolation  
pressing on you4 ,you must1 we all have1
 many trials and some sorrows1 and ,i   
suppose ,hursley has always been to you 
a city of refuge and house of rest4     
',but ,i think the anticipation is      
harder than the reality4 ,for him1 but  
how can ,i speak of such as he is8 ,why 
should we feel anxiety8 ,surely he is   
just the man upon whom we should expect 
some special suffering1 which is but    
some special mark of love and 7may we   
not say in such a case87 of approbation4
 ,some special aid to a very close      
conformity to the mind and character of 
,christ1 to be sent in special love and 
mercy4  ',i always seem to think that in
 the case of good men the suffering is  

the sure earnest of special nearness to 
,god4 ,it surely--if one may dare so to 
speak1 and the case of ,job warrants it1
 and the great passage ,simon1 ,simon1  
,satan hath desired to have you         
7all7--is true that ,god is glorified in
 the endurance of sufferings which ,he  
lays upon the saints4 ,and if dear ,mr4 
,keble must suffer this last blow1 as   
all through his life he has felt the    
care of the ,churches pressing sorely on
 him1 and has even had to comfort the   
weary1 and guide the wayward1 and to    
endure disappointment1 and to restrain  
the over zealotish1 and reprove the     
thoughtless1 and bear in his bosom the  
infirmities of many people--why must we 
be unhappy about him1 and why mourn for 
ourselves8 ,god forbid6 ,it is only one 
mark of the cross stamped upon him1 only
 one more draught of the cup of the     
lacking measures of the afflictions of  
,christ4 ,but you must1 more than ,i1   
know and feel all this2 and it is only  
in attempting to put before your eyes   

your own thoughts1 that ,i have written 
this4 ,for1 indeed1 ,i do sympathise    
with you1 and ,i think how to me1 who   
knew him so little yet yield to no one  
in deep reverence and love for him1 his 
departure would be almost what the      
passing away of one of those who had    
seen the ,lord must have been to those  
of old time2 yet our time is not so very
 long now1 and may be short1 and we have
 had this blessed example for a long    
time1 and there is on all accounts far  
more cause for joy than for sorrow4     
',you must not think me unkind to ,miss 
,mackenzie1 because ,i have written to  
,fan to say that my letters and         
anecdotes are not to be fishes to swim  
in her ,net4 ,it may be unwise in me to 
write all that kind of thing1 but it    
does such an infinity of harm by its    
reflex action upon us who are engaged in
 this work4 ,and ,i can write brotherly 
letters1 if they are to be treated as   
public property4 ,i could not trust my  
own brother to make extracts from my    

letters4 ,no one in ,england can be a   
judge of the mischief that the letters  
occasion printed contrary to my wish by 
friends4 ,we in the ,mission think them 
so infinitely absurd1 one-sided1        
exaggerated1 c41 though we don't mean to
 make them so when we write them4  ',we 
are all well1 thank ,god1 except a good 
fellow called ,walter ,hotaswol1 from   
,matlavo 7,saddle ,island71 who is in a 
decline4 ,he has had two bad            
haemorrhages2 but he is patient1        
simple-minded1 quite content to die1 and
 not doubting at all his ,father's love1
 and his ,saviour's merits1 so ,i cannot
 grieve for him1 though he was the one1 
humanly speaking1 to have led the way in
 his home4  ',you know that ,i          
sympathise with all your anxieties about
 ,church matters4 ,parliamentary        
legislation would be the greatest evil  
of all4 ,all your troubles only show    
that synodical action1 and ,i believe   
with the laity in the ,synod1 is the    
only cure for these troubles4  ',god    

bless you1 my dear ,cousin1  ',your     
affectionate ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4         
,,patteson4'   ,to the sisters he wrote 
at the same time3--  ',i hear from ,miss
 ,yonge that ,mrs4 ,keble is very       
ill--dying4 ,but1 as ,i wrote to her1   
why should such things grieve us8 ,he   
will soon rejoin her1 and so it is all  
peace and comfort4 ,he was seventy-five1
 ,i think1 last ,st4 ,mark's ,day1 and  
,i began a letter to him1 but it was not
 fair to him to give him the trouble of 
reading it1 and ,i tore it up4 ,he knows
 without it how ,i do love and revere   
him1 and ,i cannot pluck up courage to  
ask for some little book which he has   
used1 that there may be a sort of odour 
of sanctity about it1 just as ,bishop   
,mackenzie's ,thomas a ,kempis1 with him
 on the ,zambesi1 is on my table now4'  
,before going forth with this 'lonely   
watcher' upon his voyage1 the           
description of this season's work with  
his scholars must be given from a       
,report which he brought himself to     

write for the ,eton ,association4 ,after
 saying how his efforts were directed to
 the forming a number of native clergy  
in time to work among their own people1 
he continues3--',when uncivilised races 
come into contact with civilised men1   
they must either be condemned to a      
hopeless position of inferiority1 or    
they must be raised out of their state  
of ignorance and vice by appealing to   
those powers within them which ,god     
intended them to use1 and the use of    
which will place them by ,his blessing  
in the possession of whatever good      
things may be denoted by the words      
,religion and ,civilisation4  ',either  
we may say to our ,melanesian scholars1 
,you can't expect to be like us3 you    
must not suppose that you can ever cease
 to be dependent on us1 you must be     
content always to do as you are told by 
us1 to be like children1 as in malice so
 in knowledge2 you can never be         
missionaries1 you may become assistant  
teachers to ,english missionaries whom  

you must implicitly obey1 you must do   
work which it would not be our place to 
do1 you must occupy all the lower and   
meaner offices of our society2--or1 if  
we do not say this 7and1 indeed1 no one 
would be likely to say it71 yet we may  
show by our treatment of our scholars   
that we think and mean it4  ',or we may 
say what was1 e4g41 said to a class of  
nineteen scholars who were reading ,acts
 ix4  ',did our ,lord tell ,saul all    
that he was to do8  ',no4  ',what6 not  
even when ,he appeared to him in that   
wonderful way from ,heaven8  ',no4      
',what did the ,lord say to him8  ',that
 he was to go into ,damascus1 and there 
it would be told him what he was to do4 
',what means did the ,lord use to tell  
,saul what he was to do8  ',he sent a   
man to tell him4  ',who was he8         
',ananias4  ',do we know much about him8
  ',no1 only that he was sent with a    
message to ,saul to tell him the ,lord's
 will concerning him and to baptize him4
  ',what means did the ,lord employ to  

make ,his will known to ,saul8  ',he    
sent a disciple to tell him4 ',did ,he  
tell him ,himself immediately8  ',no1   
,he sent a man to tell him4  ',mention  
another instance of ,god's working in   
the same way1 recorded in the ,acts4    
',the case of ,cornelius1 who was told  
by the angel to send for ,peter4  ',the 
angel then was not sent to tell         
,cornelius the way of salvation8  ',no1 
,god sent ,peter to do that4  ',jesus   
,christ began to do the same thing when 
,he was on earth1 did ,he not1 even     
while ,he was ,himself teaching and     
working miracles8  ',yes2 ,he sent the  
twelve ,apostles and the seventy        
disciples4  ',but what is the greatest  
instance of all1 the greatest proof to  
us that ,god chooses to declare ,his    
will through man to man8  ',god sent    
,his own ,son to become man4  ',could   
,he not have converted the whole world  
in a moment to the obedience of faith by
 some other way8  ',yes4  ',but what did
 ,he in ,his wisdom choose to do8  ',he 

sent ,his ,son to be born of the ,virgin
 ,mary1 to become man1 and to walk on   
this earth as a real man1 and to teach  
men1 and to die for men4  ',what does   
,jesus ,christ call us men8  ',his      
brethren4 ',who is our ,mediator8  ',the
 ,man ,christ ,jesus4  ',what means does
 ,god employ to make ,his will known to 
us8  ',he uses men to teach men4  ',can 
they do this by themselves8  ',no1 but  
,god makes them able4  ',how have you   
heard the ,gospel8  ',because ,god sent 
you to us4  ',and now1 listen4 ,how are 
all your people still in ignorance to   
hear it8 ,what have ,i often told you   
about that8  ',whereupon the scholars   
looked shy1 and some said softly1 ,we   
must teach them4  ',yes1 indeed you     
must6  ',and so the lesson ended with   
questioning them on the great duty and  
privilege of prayer for ,god's ,holy    
,spirit to give them both the will and  
the power to do the work to which ,god  
is calling them4  ',so we constantly    
tell them ,god has already been very    

merciful to you1 in that ,he has called 
you out of darkness into ,his marvellous
 light4 ,he has enabled you to receive  
the knowledge of ,his will1 and to      
understand your relations to ,him4 ,he  
has taught you to believe in ,him1 to   
pray to ,him1 to hope for salvation     
through the merits of ,his ,son's death 
and resurrection4 ,he has made you feel 
something of the power of ,his love1 and
 has taught you the duty of loving ,him 
and serving your brother4 ,he calls upon
 you now to rouse yourself to a sense of
 your true position1 to use the gifts   
which ,he has given you to ,his glory   
and the good of your brethren4 ,don't   
suppose that you are unable to do this4 
,you are unable to do it1 as you were   
unable to believe and love ,him by      
yourselves1 but ,he gives you strength  
for this very purpose that you may be   
able to do it4 ,you can do it through   
,christ1 who strengtheneth you4 ,our    
fathers were not more able to teach     
their people once than you to teach your

 people now6  ',we make no distinction  
whatever between ,english and           
,melanesian members of the ,mission as  
such4 ,no ,melanesian is excluded from  
any office of trust4 ,no classification 
is made of higher and lower kinds of    
work1 of work befitting a white man and 
work befitting a black man4 ,english and
 ,melanesian scholars or teachers work  
together in the school1 printing-office1
 dairy1 kitchen1 farm4 ,the senior      
clergyman of the ,mission labours most  
of all with his own hands at the work   
which is sometimes described as menial  
work2 and it is contrary to the         
fundamental principle of the ,mission   
that anyone should connect with the idea
 of white man the right to fag a black  
boy4  ',young men and lads come to us   
and say1 ,let me do that4 ,i can't write
 the languages1 or do many things you or
 ,mr4 ,pritt or ,mr4 ,palmer do1 so let 
me scrub your floor1 or brush your      
shoes1 or fetch some water4 ,and of     
course we let them do so1 for the doing 

it is accompanied by no feeling of      
degradation in their minds2 they have   
seen us always doing these things1 and  
not requiring them to do them as if it  
were the natural work for them1 because 
they are black1 and not proper for us1  
because we are white4  ',last night1 a  
young man1 sitting by the fire1 said to 
the ,bishop1 ,they want you to stop with
 them in my land4  ',i wish with all my 
heart ,i could4  ',yes1 ,i know1 you    
must go to so many places4  ',but they  
are different in your land now4  ',oh6  
yes1 they don't fight now as they used  
to do2 they don't go about armed now4   
',well1 that is a thing to be thankful  
for4 ,what is the reason of it1 do you  
think8   ,why they know about you1 and  
see you now and then1 and ,henry        
,tagalana talked to them1 and ,i talked 
a little to them1 and they asked me     
about our ways here1 and they want to   
learn4  ',well1 there are now five of   
you from your island1 and you must try  
hard to learn1 that you may teach them1 

for remember you must do it1 if ,god    
spares your life4'  ',during the year   
#ahfe a great advance was made in the   
industrial department of our work4      
,about seventeen acres of land were     
taken in hand and worked by ,mr4 ,pritt1
 with the ,melanesian lads4 ,we have our
 own dairy of thirteen cows1 and1       
besides supplying the whole ,mission    
party1 numbering in all seventy-seven   
persons1 with abundance of milk1 we sell
 considerable quantities of butter4 ,we 
grow1 of course1 our own potatoes and   
vegetables1 and maize1 c41 for our cows4
 ,the farm and dairy work affords       
another opportunity for teaching our    
young people to acquire habits of       
industry4'  ,cooking1 farm1 gardening1  
dairy-work1 setting out the table1 c41  
were all honourable occupations1 and of 
great importance in teaching punctuality
 and regularity1 and the various arts   
and decencies of life to the youths1 who
 were in time to implant good habits in 
their native homes4 ,their natural      

docility made them peculiarly easy to   
manage and train while in hand2 the real
 difficulty was that their life was so  
entirely different from their home1 that
 there was no guessing how deep the     
training went1 and1 on every voyage1    
some fishes slipped through the meshes  
of the net1 though some returned again1 
and others never dropped from their     
,bishop's hands4 ,but he was becoming   
anxious to spare some of his scholars   
the trial of a return to native life2   
and1 as the season had been healthy1 he 
ventured on leaving twenty-seven pupils 
at ,st4 ,andrew's with ,mr4 and ,mrs4   
,pritt1 among them ,george and ,sarah   
,sarawia4  ,after ,trinity ,sunday1 ,may
 #bg1 the ',southern ,cross' sailed1 and
 the outward voyage gave leisure for the
 following letter to ,prof4 ,max        
,muller1 explaining why he could not    
make his knowledge of languages of more 
benefit to philology while thus absorbed
 in practical work3--   ',southern      
,cross1 off ,norfolk ,ireland3 ,june #f1

 #ahff4  ',my dear ,friend1--,i am about
 to tire your patience heavily4 ,for ,i 
must find you some reasons for doing so 
little in making known these ,melanesian
 dialects1 and that will be wearisome   
for you to read2 and1 secondly1 ,i      
cannot put down clearly and             
consecutively what ,i want to say4 ,i   
have so very little time for thinking   
out1 and working at any one subject     
continuously1 that my whole habit of    
mind becomes1 ,i fear1 inaccurate and   
desultory4 ,i have so very many and so  
very different occupations1 and so much 
anxiety and so many interruptions1 as   
the friction that attends the working1  
of a new and somewhat untried machine4' 
',you know that we are few in number2   
indeed 7,codrington being absent7 ,i    
have but two clergymen with me1 and two 
young men who may be ordained by-and-by4
 ,besides1 had ,i the twenty troublesome
 men1 whom you wish to banish into these
 regions1 what use would they or any men
 be until they had learnt their work8   

,and it must fall to me to teach them1  
and that takes again much of my time2 so
 that1 as a matter of fact1 there are   
many things that ,i must do1 even when  
all is going on smoothly2 and should    
sickness come1 then1 of course1 my days 
and nights are spent in nursing poor    
lads1 to whom no one else can talk1     
cheering up poor fellows seized with    
sudden nervous terror1 giving food to   
those who will take it from no one else1
 c4  ',then the whole management of the 
,mission must fall upon me2 though ,i am
 most thankful to say that for some time
 ,mr4 ,pritt has relieved me from the   
charge of all domestic and industrial   
works4 ,he does everything of that kind1
 and does it admirably1 so that our     
institution really is a well-ordered    
industrial school1 in which kitchen     
work1 dairy work1 farm work1 printing1  
clothes making and mending1 c41 are all 
carried on1 without the necessity of    
having any foreign importation of       
servants1 who would be sure to do harm1 

both by their ideas as to perquisites 7 
stealing in the minds of our            
,melanesians71 and by introducing the   
idea of paid labour2 whereas now we all 
work together1 and no one counts any    
work degrading1 and still less does any 
one qua white consider himself entitled 
to fag a ,melanesian4  ',mr4 ,tilly1    
,r4,n41 has also quite relieved me from 
my duties as skipper1 and ,i have no    
trouble about marine stores1 shipping   
seamen1 navigating the vessel now4 ,i   
cannot be too thankful for this2 it1    
saves me time1 anxiety1 and worry2 yet  
much remains that ,i must do1 which is  
not connected with peculiar work        
directly4  ',i can't refuse the ,bishop 
of ,new ,zealand when he presses me 7for
 want of a better man7 to be trustee of 
properties1 and to engage in managing   
the few educational institutions we     
have4 ,i can't refuse to take some share
 in ,english clerical work while on     
shore2 indeed1 in #ahfe1 my good friend 
,archdeacon ,lloyd being ill1 ,i took   

his parish 7one and a half hour distant 
from ,kohimarama71 the most important   
parish in ,auckland1 for some three     
months2 not slacking my ,melanesian     
work1 though ,i could only avoid going  
back by hard application1 and could make
 no progress4 ,then ,i must attend our  
,general ,synod2 and all these questions
 concerning the colonial churches take  
some time to master1 and yet ,i must    
know what is going on4  ',then ,i must  
carry on all the correspondence of the  
,mission4 ,i am always writing letters4 
,every #e from any part of ,new ,zealand
 or ,australia ,i must acknowledge2 and 
everyone wants information1 anecdotes1  
c41 which it vexes my soul to have to   
supply1 but who else can do it8 ,then ,i
 keep all the accounts1 very            
complicated1 as you would say if you saw
 my big ledger4 ,and ,i don't like to be
 altogether behindhand in the knowledge 
of theological questions1 and people    
sometimes write to me1 and their letters
 need to be answered carefully4         

,besides1 take my actual time spent in  
teaching4 ,shall ,i give you a day at   
,kohimarama8  ',i get in the full summer
 months an hour for reading by being    
dressed at #e4cj ,a4,m4 ,at #e4cj ,i see
 the lads washing1 c41 #g ,a4,m4        
breakfast all together1 in hall1 #g4cj  
chapel1 #h-i4cj school1 #i4cj-ab4cj     
industrial work4 ,during this time ,i   
have generally half an hour with ,mr4   
,pritt about business matters1 and proof
 sheets are brought me1 yet ,i get a    
little time for preparing lessons4      
#ab4de short service in chapel1 #a      
dinner1 #b-c ,greek ,testament with     
,english young men1 #c-d classics with  
ditto1 #e tea1 #f4cj evening chapel1    
#g-h4cj evening school with divers      
classes in rotation or with candidates  
for ,baptism or ,confirmation1 #h4cj-i  
special instruction to more advanced    
scholars1 only a few4 #i-aj school with 
two other ,english lay assistants4 ,add 
to all this1 visitors interrupting me   
from #d-e1 correspondence1 accounts1    

trustee business1 sermons1 nursing sick 
boys1 and all the many daily unexpected 
little troubles that must be smoothed   
down1 and questions inquired into1 and  
boys' conduct investigated1 and what    
becomes of linguistics8 ,so much for my 
excuse for my small progress in         
languages6 ,don't think all this        
egotistical2 it is necessary to make you
 understand my position4  ',if ,i had   
spare time1 leisure for working at any  
special work1 perhaps eleven years of   
this kind of life have unfitted me for  
steady sustained thought4 ,and you know 
well ,i bring but slender natural       
qualifications to the task4 ,a tolerably
 true ear and good memory for words1 and
 now something of the instinctive       
insight into new tongues1 but that is   
chiefly from continual practice4  ',but 
when ,i attempt to systematise1 ,i find 
endless ramifications of cognate        
dialects rushing through my brain1 by   
their very multitude overwhelming me1   
and though ,i see the affinities and can

 make practical use of them1 ,i don't   
know how to state them on paper1 where  
to begin1 how to put another person in  
my position4  ',again1 for observation  
of the rapid changes in these dialects1 
,i have not much opportunity4 ,for no   
one in ,melanesia can be my informant4  
,it is not easy where so many dialects  
must be known for practical purposes1   
for the introductory part of ,mission   
work1 to talk to some wild naked old    
fellow1 and to make him understand what 
,i am anxious to ascertain4 ,it is a    
matter that has no interest for him1 he 
never thought of it1 he doesn't know my 
meaning1 what have we in common8 ,how   
can ,i rouse him from his utter         
indifference1 even if ,i know his       
language so well as to talk easily1 not 
to a scholar of my own1 but to an       
elderly man1 with none but native ideas 
in his head8  ',all that ,i can do is to
 learn many dialects of a given         
archipelago1 present their existing     
varieties1 and so work back to the      

original language4 ,this1 to some       
extent1 has been done in the ,banks     
group1 and in the eastern part of the   
,solomon ,isles4 ,but directly ,i get so
 far as this1 ,i am recalled to the     
practical necessity of using the        
knowledge of the several dialects rather
 to make known ,god's truth to the      
heathen than to inform literati of the  
process of dialectic variation4 ,don't  
mistake me1 my dear friend1 or suspect  
me of silly sentimentalism4 ,but you can
 easily understand what it is to feel   
,god has given to me only of all        
,christian men the power of speaking to 
this or that nation1 and1 moreover1 that
 is the work ,he has sent me to do4     
,often1 ,i don't deny1 ,i should like   
the other better4 ,it is very pleasant  
to shirk my evening class1 e4g4 and     
spend the time with ,sir ,william       
,martin1 discussing some point of       
,melanesian philosophy4 ,but then my    
dear lads have lost two hours of        
,christian instruction1 and that won't  

do4  ',i don't need to be urged to do   
more in working out their languages4 ,i 
am quite aware of the duty of doing all 
that ,i can in that way1 and ,i wish to 
do it2 but there are only twenty-four   
hours in the day and night together6 ,i 
feel that it is a part of my special    
work1 for each grammar and dictionary   
that ,i can write opens out the language
 to some other than myself4 ,but ,i am  
now apologising rather for my           
fragmentary way of writing what ,i do   
write by saying that what ,i find       
enough1 with my help given in school to 
enable one of my party to learn a       
dialect1 ,i am almost obliged to regard 
as a measure of the time that ,i ought  
to spend on it4  ',another thing1 ,i    
have no outline provided for me1 which  
,i can fill up4 ,my own clear impression
 is that to attempt to follow the       
analogy of our complicated ,greek and   
,latin grammars would not only involve  
certain failure1 but would mislead      
people altogether4 ,i don't want to be  

hunting after a ,melanesian             
paulo-post-futurum4 ,i had rather say1  
,all men qua men think1 and have a power
 of expressing their thoughts4 ,they    
have wants and express them4 ,they use  
many different forms of speech in making
 that statement1 if we look             
superficially at the matter1 not so if  
we look into it1 and so on4 ,then1      
discarding the ordinary arrangement of  
grammars1 explain the mode of thought1  
the peculiar method of thinking upon    
matters of common interest1 in the mind 
of the ,melanesian1 as exhibited in his 
language4 ,an ,englishman says1 ,when ,i
 get there1 it will be night4 ,but a    
,pacific ,islander says1 ,i am there1 it
 is night4 ,the one says1 ,go on1 it    
will soon be dark4 ,the other1 ,go on1  
it has become already night4 ,anyone    
sees that the one possesses the power of
 realising the future as present1 or    
past2 the other now whatever it may have
 been once1 does not exercise such      
power4 ,a companion calls me at #e4cj   

,a4,m41 with the words1 ,eke6 me gong   
veto1 7,hullo6 it is night already74 ,he
 means1 ,why1 we ought to be off1 we    
shall never reach the end of our journey
 before dark4 ,but how neatly and       
prettily he expresses his thought6 ,i   
assure you1 civilised languages1 for    
common conversational purposes needed by
 travellers1 c41 are clumsy             
contrivances6 ,of course you know all   
this a hundred times better than ,i do4 
,i only illustrate my idea of a grammar 
as a means of teaching others the form  
of the mould in which the ,melanesian's 
mind is cast4 ,i think ,i ought to go   
farther1 and seek for certain           
categories1 under which thought may be  
classified 7so to say71 and beginning   
with the very simplest work on to the   
more complicated powers4  ',but ,i      
haven't the head to do this2 and suppose
 that ,i did make such a framework1 how 
am ,i to fill it in so as to be         
intelligible to outsiders8 ,for         
practical purposes1 ,i give numerals1   

personal1 possessive1 and demonstrative 
pronouns1 the mode of qualifying nouns1 
e4g41 some languages interpose a        
monosyllable between the substantive and
 adjective1 others do not4 ,the words   
used 7as it is called7 as prepositions  
and adverbs1 the mode of changing a     
neuter verb into a transitive or        
causative verb1 usually by a word       
prefixed1 which means do or make1 e4g41 
die1 do-die1 do-to-the-death1 him4      
',then ,i teach orally how the          
intonation1 accentuation1 pause in the  
utterance1 gesticulation1 supply the    
place of stops1 marks of interrogation1 
c4  ',then giving certain nouns1 verbs1 
c41 make my ,english pupils construct   
sentences2 then give them a vocabulary  
and genuine native stories1 not         
translations at all1 least of all of    
religious books1 which contain very few 
native ideas1 but stories of sharks1    
cocoa-nuts1 canoes1 fights1 c4 ,this is 
the apparatus4 ,this gives but little   
idea of a ,melanesian dialect to you4 ,i

 know it1 and am anxious to do more4    
',this last season ,i have had some     
three or four months1 during which ,i   
determined that ,i must refuse to take  
so much ,english work1 c4 ,i sat and    
growled in my den1 and of course rather 
vexed people1 and perhaps1 for which ,i 
should be most heartily grieved1 my dear
 friend and leader1 the ,bishop of ,new 
,zealand4 ,but ,i stuck to my work4 ,i  
wrote about a dozen papers of phrases in
 as many dialects1 to show the mode of  
expressing in those dialects what we    
express by adverbs and prepositions1 c4 
,this is1 of course1 the difficult part 
of a language for a stranger to find    
out4 ,i also printed three1 and have    
three more nearly finished in ,,ms41    
vocabularies of about #fjj words with a 
true native sehdia on each word4 ,the   
mere writing 7for much was written twice
 over7 took a long time4 ,and there is  
this gained by these vocabularies for   
practical purposes3 these are 7with more
 exceptions1 it is true1 than ,i        

intended7 the words which crop up most  
readily in a ,melanesian mind4 ,much    
time ,i have wasted1 and would fain save
 others from wasting1 in trying to form 
a ,melanesian mind into a given         
direction into which it ought1 as ,i    
supposed1 to have travelled1 but which  
nevertheless it refused to follow4 ,just
 ten years' experience has1 of course1  
taught me a good deal of the minds of   
these races2 and when ,i catch a new    
fellow1 as wild as a hawk1 and set to   
work at a new language1 it is a great   
gain to have even partially worked out  
the problem1 ,what words shall ,i try to
 get from this fellow8 ,now ,i go       
straight to my mark1 or rather ,i am    
enabling1 ,i hope1 my young friends with
 me to do so1 for of course1 ,i have    
learnt to do so myself1 more or less1   
for some time past4 ,many words may     
surprise you1 and many alterations ,i   
should make in any revision4 ,i know a  
vast number of words not used in these  
vocabularies1 in some languages ,i      

daresay five times the number1 but ,i   
had a special reason for writing only   
these4 ,the rest must come1 if ,i live1 
by-and-by4  ',of course these languages 
are very poor in respect of words       
belonging to civilised and literary and 
religious life1 but exceedingly rich in 
all that pertains to the needs and      
habits of men circumstanced as they are4
 ,i draw naturally this inference1      
,don't be in any hurry to translate1 and
 don't attempt to use words as 7assumed7
 equivalents of abstract ideas4 ,don't  
devise modes of expression unknown to   
the language as at present in use4 ,they
 can't understand1 and therefore don't  
use words to express definitions4  ,but1
 as everywhere1 our ,lord gives us the  
model4 ,a certain lawyer asked ,him for 
a definition of his neighbour1 but ,he  
gave no definition1 only ,he spoke a    
simple and touching parable4 ,so teach1 
not a technical word1 but an actual     
thing4  ',why do ,i write all this to   
you8 ,it is wasting your time4 ,but ,i  

prose on4--7,a sheet follows on the     
structure of the languages47  ',well1 ,i
 have inflicted a volume on you4 ,we are
 almost becalmed after a weary fortnight
 of heavy weather1 in which we have been
 knocked about in every direction in our
 tight little #ij-ton schooner4 ,and my 
head is hardly steady yet1 so excuse a  
long letter1 or rather long chatty set  
of desultory remarks1 from  ',your old  
affectionate ,friend1  ',j4 ,c4         
,,patteson4'   ,a little scene from ,mr4
 ,atkin's journal shows how he had      
learnt to talk to natives4 ,he went     
ashore with the ,bishop and some others 
at ,sesaki for yams3--  ',it has been by
 far the pleasantest day of the kind    
that ,i have seen here4 ,the people are 
beginning to understand that they can do
 no better than trade fairly with us1   
and to-day they on the whole behaved    
very well4 ,a very big fellow had been  
ringing all the changes between         
commanding and entreating me to give him
 a hatchet 7,i was holding the trade    

bag74 ,when he found it was no use1 he  
said1 ,i was a bad man1 and never gave  
anything4 ,i said ,yes1 ,i was4 ,he said
 the ,bishops were very good men1 they  
gave liberally4 ,he had better go and   
ask the ,bishop for something1 for he   
was a good man1 though ,i was not4'     
,after landing ,mr4 ,palmer at ,mota1   
the vessel went onto the ,solomon       
,isles1 reaching ,bauro on the #bgth3-- 
',about #h4cj in the evening the boat   
was lowered1 and the party pulled       
towards the village1 which was the home 
of ,taroniara1 in a fine clear moonlit  
night1 by the fires which people had lit
 for the people on shore1 and directed  
by ,taroniara himself to the opening in 
the reef4 ,they landed in the midst of a
 group of dark figures1 some standing in
 a brook1 some by the side under a large
 spreading tree1 round a fire fed by dry
 cocoa-nut leaves2 and in the background
 were tall cocoa-nuts with their        
gracefully drooping plumes1 and the moon
 behind shining through them made the   

shade seem darker and deeper as the     
flashing crests of the surf1 breaking on
 the reef1 made the heaving sea beyond  
look murkier4 ,it was a sight worth     
going a long way to see1' so says ,mr4  
,atkin's journal4  ,the next sight was1 
however1 still more curious4 ,the       
,bishop relented so far towards 'the    
,net1' as to write an account of it on  
purpose for it4 ,ysabel ,island is1 like
 almost all the rest1 divided among many
 small communities of warlike habits4   
,and some years previously the people of
 ,mahaga1 the place with which he was   
best acquainted1 had laid an ambush for 
those of ,hogirano1 killed a good many1 
and1 cutting off their heads1 had placed
 them in a row upon stones1 and danced  
round them in a victorious suit of      
white-coral lime4 ,however1 a more      
powerful tribe1 not long after1 came    
down upon ,mahaga and fearfully avenged 
the massacre of ,hogirano4 ,all were    
slain who could not escape into the     
bush2 and when the few survivors1 after 

days and nights of hunger1 ventured     
back1 they found the dwellings burnt1   
the fruit trees cut down1 the yam and   
taro grounds devastated1 and more than a
 hundred headless bodies of their       
kindred lying scattered about4  ,this   
outrage had led to the erection of      
places of refuge in the tops of trees2  
and ,bishop ,patteson1 who had three    
,mahagan scholars1 went ashore1 with the
 hope of passing the night in one of    
these wonderful places1 where the people
 always slept1 though by day they lived 
in the ordinary open bamboo huts4       
,after landing in a mangrove swamp1 and 
wading through deep mud1 he found that  
the ,mahaga people had removed from     
their old site1 and had built a strong  
fortification near the sea2 and close   
above1 so as to be reached by ladders   
resting on the wall1 were six large     
tree-houses4  ,it had been raining      
heavily for a day or two1 and the paths 
were so deep in mud that the bed of a   
water-course was found preferable to    

them4 ,the bush had been cleared for    
some distance before the steep rocky    
mound where the village stood1          
surrounded by a high wall of stones1 in 
which one narrow entrance was left1     
approached by a fallen trunk of a tree  
lying over a hollow4 ,the huts were made
 of bamboo canes1 and the floors1 raised
 above the ground1 were nearly covered  
with mats and a kind of basket work4    
,the tree-houses1 six in number1 were   
upon the tops of trees of great height1 
#ej feet round at the base1 and all     
branches cleared off till near the      
summit1 where two or three grew out at  
right angles1 something after the manner
 of an ,italian stone pine3--  ',from   
the top of the wall the ladder that led 
to one of these houses was #fj feet     
long1 but it was not quite upright1 and 
the tree was growing at some little     
distance from the bottom of the rock1   
and the distance by a plumb line from   
the floor of the verandah to the ground 
on the lower side of the tree was #id   

feet4 ,the floor of the house1 which is 
made first1 was #bc feet long and about 
#aa broad2 a narrow verandah is left at 
each end1 and the inside length of the  
house is #ah feet1 the breadth #aj feet1
 the height to the ridge pole #f feet4  
,the floor was of bamboo matted1 the    
roof and sides of palm-leaf thatch4 ,the
 ladders were remarkable contrivances3 a
 pole in the centre1 from #d to #f      
inches in diameter1 to which were lashed
 by vines cross pieces of wood1 about   
two feet long4 ,to steady these and hold
 on by were double shrouds of           
supple-jacks4 ,the rungs of the ladder  
were at unequal distances1 #db upon the 
#ej feet ladder4'  ,the ,bishop and     
,pasvorang1 who had gone ashore         
together1 beheld men1 women1 and        
children running up and down these      
ladders1 and walking about the bare     
branches1 trusting entirely to their    
feet and not touching with their hands4 
,the ,bishop1 in his wet slippery shoes1
 did not think it right to run the risk 

of an accident3 and though ,pasvorang1  
who was as much at home as a sailor     
among the ropes of the ',southern       
,cross1' made the ascent1 he came down  
saying1 ',i was so afraid1 my legs      
shook4 ,don't you go1 going aloft is    
nothing to it2' but the people could not
 understand any dread2 and when the     
,bishop said1 ',i can't go up there4 ,i 
am neither bird nor bat1 and ,i have no 
wings if ,i fall1' they thought him     
joking4 ,at the same time he saw a woman
 with a load on her back1 quietly       
walking up a ladder to another tree1 not
 indeed so lofty as that ,pasvorang had 
tried1 but as if it were the most       
natural thing in the world1 and without 
attempting to catch hold with her hands4
  ',at night1' says the ,bishop1 'as ,i 
lay ignominiously on the ground in a    
hut1 ,i heard the songs of the women    
aloft as voices from the clouds1 while  
the loud croaking of the frogs1 the     
shrill noise of countless cicadas1 the  
scream of cockatoos and parrots1 the    

cries of birds of many kinds1 and the   
not unreasonable fear of scorpions1 all 
combined to keep me awake4 ,solemn      
thoughts pass through the mind at such  
times1 and from time to time ,i spoke to
 the people who were sleeping in the hut
 with me4 ,it rained heavily in the     
night1 and ,i was not sorry to find     
myself at #g ,a4,m4 on board the        
schooner4'  ,the next day was spent in  
doing the honours of the ship1 a crowd  
on board all day2 and on ,july #b the   
,bishop landed again with ,mr4 ,atkin1  
and mounted up to this wonderful nest1  
where all these measurements were made4 
,it proved much more agreeable to look  
at from below than to inhabit 'the low  
steaming bamboo huts--the crowds1 the   
dirt1 the squalling of babies--you can't
 sit or stand1 or touch anything that is
 not grimy and sooty and muddy4 ,it is  
silly to let these things really affect 
one1 only that it now seems rather to   
knock me up4 ,after such a day and night
 ,i am very tired1 come back to our     

little ship as to a palace1 wash1 and   
sit down on a clean1 if not a soft      
stool1 and am free for a little while   
from continual noise and the necessity  
of making talk in an imperfectly known  
language4  ',it is really curious to see
 how in some way our civilised mode of  
life unfits one for living among these  
races4 ,it is not to be denied that the 
want of such occupations as we are      
employed in is a large cause of their   
troubles4 ,what are they to do during   
the long hours of night1 and on wet1    
pouring days8 ,they can't read1 they    
can't see in their huts to do any work1 
making baskets1 c4 ,they must lie about1
 talking scandal and acquiring listless 
indolent habits4 ,then comes a wild     
reaction4 ,the younger people like      
excitement as much as our young men like
 hunting1 fishing1 shooting1 c4 ,how can
 they get this8 ,why1 they must quarrel 
and fight1 and so they pass their time4 
,it does seem almost impossible to do   
much for people so circumstanced2 yet it

 was much the same in ,mota and         
elsewhere1 where things are altered for 
the better4'  ,it was bad and trying    
weather1 and it was well to have only   
two old ,banks ,islanders on board1     
besides three ,ysabel lads4 ,the ,bishop
 had plenty of time for writing2 and for
 the first time in his life 'pronounced 
himself forward with that ,report which 
was always on his mind4' ,he goes on3   
',i read a good deal1 but ,i don't say  
that my mind is very active all the     
time1 and ,i have some schooling4 ,yet  
it is not easy to do very much mental   
work4 ,i think that ,i feel the heat    
more than ,i used to do1 but that may be
 only my fancy4  ',you meantime are1 ,i 
hope1 enjoying fine summer weather4     
,certainly it must be a charming place  
that you have1 close to that grand      
,church and grand scenery4 ,i think my  
idea of a cosy home is rather that of a 
cottage in the ,isle of ,wight1 or1     
better still1 a house near such a       
,cathedral as ,wells1 in one of the     

cottages close to the clear streams that
 wind through and about the ,cathedral  
precincts4 ,but ,i can form no real     
notions about such things4 ,only ,i am  
pretty sure that there is little        
happiness without real hard work4 ,i do 
long sometimes for a glorious ,cathedral
 service1 for the old chants1 anthems1  
not for functions and processions1 c4 ,i
 have read ,freeman's pamphlet on       
,ritual with interest2 he really knows  
what he writes about1 and has one great 
object and a worthy one1 the restoration
 of the universal practice of weekly    
communion as the special ,sunday        
service4 ,that all our preachifying is a
 wide departure from the very idea of   
worship is self-evident1 when it is made
 more than a necessary part of the      
religious observance of the ,lord's     
,day1 and catechising is worth far more 
than preaching 7in the technical sense  
of the word74'  ,a first visit was paid 
to ,savo2 where numerous canoes came out
 to meet them1 one a kind of state      

galley1 with the stem and stern twelve  
feet high1 inlaid with mother-of-pearl1 
and ornamented with white shells 7most  
likely the ovum or poached egg71 and    
containing the chief men of the island4 
,the people spoke the ,ysabel language1 
and the place seemed promising4  ,some  
little time was spent in beating up to  
,bauro2 where the ,bishop again landed  
at ,taroniara's village1 and slept in   
his hut1 which was as disagreeable as   
all such places were3--',such a night   
always disturbs me for a time1 throws   
everything out of regular working order2
 but it always pays1 the people like it1
 and it shows a confidence in them which
 helps us on4  ',i was disappointed     
though in the morning1 when ,taroniara  
declined to come with me to this place4 
',my people say1 ,why do you go         
away8--the old stupid way of getting out
 of an engagement4' ,however1 two others
 came to 'this place1' which was a hut  
in the village of ,wango1 which the     
,bishop had hired for ten days for the  

rent of a hatchet4  ',a very sufficient 
rent too1 you would say1 if you could   
see the place4 ,i can only stand upright
 under the ridge pole1 the whole of the 
oblong is made of bamboo1 with a good   
roof that kept out a heavy shower last  
night4 ,there is a fresh stream of water
 within fifteen yards1 where ,i bathed  
at #i ,p4,m4 yesterday2 and as ,i       
managed to get rid of strangers by      
#h4cj1 it was not so difficult to manage
 a shift into a clean and dry sleeping  
shirt1 and then1 lying down on ,aunt    
,william's cork-bed 7my old travelling  
companion71 ,i slept very fairly4       
',people about the hut at earliest dawn2
 and the day seems long1 the sustained  
effort of talking1 the heat1 the crowd1 
and the many little things that should  
not but do operate as an annoyance1 all 
tire one very much4 ,but ,i hope that by
 degrees ,i may get opportunities of    
talking about the matter that ,i come to
 talk about4 ,just now the trading with 
the vessel1 which is detained here by   

the weather1 and surprise at my         
half-dozen books1 c41 prevent any       
attention being paid to anything else4  
'#g ,p4,m4--,the vessel went off at     
#aj4cj ,a4,m4 ,i felt for a little while
 rather forlorn1 and a little sinking at
 the heart4 ,you see ,i confess it all1 
how silly6 ,can't ,i after so many years
 bear to be left in one sense alone8 ,i 
read a little of you know what ,book1   
and then found the feeling pass entirely
 away4  ',but1 more than that1 the      
extreme friendliness of the people1 the 
real kindness was pleasant to me4 ,one  
man brought his child1 ,the child of us 
two1 ,bishop4 ,another man1 ,these      
cocoa-nut trees are the property of us  
two1 remember4 ,a third1 ,when you want 
yams1 don't you buy them1 tell me4      
',but far better still4 ,many times     
already to-day have ,i spoken to the    
people2 they have so far listened that  
they say1 ,take this boy1 and this boy1 
and this boy4 ,we see now why you don't 
want big men1 we see now that you can't 

stop here long1 what for you wish for   
lads whom you may teach1 we see that you
 want them for a long time4 ,keep these 
lads two years4  ',yes1 two or three or 
four4 ,by-and-by you will understand    
more and more my reason4  ',then came   
the talks that you too may experience   
when dealing with some neglected child  
in ,london1 or it may be in the country2
 but which1 under the cocoa-nut tree1   
with dark naked men1 have a special     
impressiveness4 ,it was the old lesson1 
of the ,eternal and ,universal ,father1 
who has not left ,himself without       
witness in that ,he gives us all rain   
from ,heaven1 c41 and of our            
ingratitude1 and ,his love2 of ,his     
coming down to point out the way of     
life1 and of ,his ,death and ,rising    
again2 of another world1 ,resurrection1 
and ,judgment4 ,all interrupted1 now and
 then1 by exclamations of surprise1     
laughter1 or by some one beginning to   
talk about something that jarred sadly  
on one's ear1 and yet was but natural4  

,but ,i do hope that a week may pass not
 unprofitably4 ,in one sense1 ,i shall  
no doubt be glad when it is over2 but ,i
 think that it may1 by ,god's great     
goodness1 be a preparation for something
 more to come4  ',last night1 my little 
hired hut being crowded as usual1 they  
all cried out at once ,numu             
7earthquake74 ,i should not the least   
have known that anything had occurred4  
,i said ,i thought it was a pig pushing 
against the bamboo wall of the hut4     
,they say that they have no serious     
shocks1 but very many slight ones4      
,crocodiles they have too1 but1 they    
say1 none in this stream4  ',july       
#bbnd4--,it is #i ,p4,m41 the           
pleasantest time1 in one sense1 of my   
twenty-four hours1 for there are only   
two people with me in the hut4  ',my    
arrangements are somewhat simple2 but ,i
 am very comfortable4 ,delicious bathes 
,i have in the stream3 yams and fish are
 no bad fare2 and ,i have some biscuit  
and essence of coffee1 and a few books1 

and am perfectly well4 ,the mode of life
 has become almost natural to me4 ,i am 
on capital terms with the people1 and   
even the babies are no longer afraid of 
me4 ,old and young1 men and women1 boys 
and girls about me of course all day2   
and small presents of yams1 fish1       
bananas1 almonds1 show the friendliness 
of the people when properly treated4    
,but the bunches of skulls remain slung 
up in the large canoe houses1 and they  
can be wild enough when they are        
excited4'  ,the home diary continues1 on
 the #bfth3--',i am expecting the       
schooner1 and shall be glad to get off  
if it arrives to-day1 for it is very    
fine4 ,i don't think ,i could do any    
good by staying a few days more1 so ,i  
might as well be on my way to ,santa    
,cruz4 ,if ,i were here for good1 of    
course ,i should be busy about many     
things that it would be useless to      
attempt now1 e4g41 what good would it be
 to induce half-a-dozen boys to learn a1
 when ,i should be gone before they     

could learn b8 ,so ,i content myself    
with making friends with the people1    
observing their ways1 and talking to    
them as ,i can4 ,it is hot1 now at #h4cj
 ,a4,m4 ,what will it be at #b ,p4,m48  
,but ,i may perhaps be able to say      
something to cheer me up4 ,one of the   
trials of this kind of thing is that one
 seems to be doing nothing4 ,simply ,i  
am here6 ,hardly in one hour out of the 
twenty-four am ,i sure to be speaking of
 religion4 ,yet the being here is       
something1 the gaining the confidence   
and goodwill of the people4 ,then comes 
the thought1 who is to carry this on8   
,and yet ,i dare not ask men to come1   
for ,i am certain they would after all  
my pains find something different from  
what they expect4  ,my death would very 
likely bring out some better men for the
 work1 with energy and constructive     
power and executive genius1 all of      
which1 guided by ,divine ,wisdom1 seem  
to be so much wanted6 ,but just now1 ,i 
don't see what would become of a large  

part of the work if ,i died4 ,i am      
leaving books somewhat more in order2   
but it is one thing to have a book to   
help one in acquiring a language1 quite 
another to speak it freely1 and to be   
personally known to the people who speak
 it4  '#aath ,sunday after              
,trinity4--,off ,anudha ,island1 #d     
,p4,m4 ,thermometer #hh in the empty    
cabin1 everyone being on deck4 ,well1   
dear old ,joan and ,fan1 refreshed      
by--what do you think8 ,o feast of      
,guildhall and ,bristol mayors6 ,who    
would dream of turtle soup on board the 
,southern ,cross in these unknown seas8 
,tell it not to ,missionary ,societies6 
,let no platform orator divulge the     
great secret of the luxurious           
self-indulgent life of the ,missionary  
,bishop6 ,what nuts for the ,pall ,mall 
,gazette6 ,how would all subscriptions  
cease1 and denunciations be launched    
upon my devoted head1 because good ,mr4 
,tilly bought1 at ,san ,cristoval1 for  
the price of one tenpenny hatchet1 a    

little turtle1 a veritable turtle1 with 
green fat and all the rest of it1 upon  
which we have made to-day a most regal  
feast indeed4  ',but seriously4 ,there  
has been much to make me hopeful1 and   
something to disappoint me1 since ,i    
last wrote4'  ,the two days at ,santa   
,cruz were hopeful--,mr4 ,atkin says    
that the natives came on board with     
readiness and stole with equal          
readiness2 but this was all in a        
friendly way--and a small island1 named 
,piteni1 was visited1 and judged likely 
to prove a means of reaching the larger 
isle4  ,the disappointment is not here  
mentioned1 unless it was the missing    
some of the ,ysabel scholars1 and       
bringing away only three2 but this      
mattered the less1 as the ,banks ,island
 party1 which1 as forming a nucleus1 was
 far more important1 was now            
considerable4 ,sixty-two scholars were  
the present freight1 including nine     
little girls1 between eight and twelve1 
mostly betrothed to old pupils4  ,at    

,malanta1 a new village called ,saa was 
visited4 ,the 'harbour' was a wall of   
coral1 with the surf breaking upon it1  
but a large canoe showed the only       
accessible place1 and this was exposed  
to the whole swell of the ,pacific4     
',the natives1' writes ,mr4 ,atkin1     
'held the boat in water up to their     
knees1 but the seas that broke thirty   
yards outside washed over their         
shoulders and sometimes their heads4 ,we
 might have taken away half the people  
of the village1 and had no trouble in   
getting two nice-looking little boys4   
,about #cbj miles from ,norfolk ,island1
 one of these little boys1 ,wate1       
playing1 fell overboard3 we were going  
ten knots at the time1 right before the 
wind2 it was a quarter of an hour before
 we picked him up1 as it took five      
minutes to stop the vessel and ten to   
get to him4 ,wate seemed all the better 
for his ducking4' ,this little ,wate    
became ,mr4 ,atkin's especial child1 his
 godson and devoted follower4  ,on      

,october #b1 ,norfolk ,island was       
reached1 and there1 a wooden house      
having been conveyed thither by         
,h4,m4,s4 ',falcon1' ,mr4 ,palmer and   
fifteen scholars were placed to spend   
the winter4 ,the ,pitcairners welcomed  
the ,mission1 but were displeased at the
 ,government assuming a right to dispose
 of the land which they had fancied     
entirely their own4  ,one of the letters
 written separate from the journal      
during this voyage gives a commission   
for photographs from the best devotional
 prints1 for the benefit chiefly of his 
young colonial staff3--',i have not the 
heart to send for my ,lionardo da       
,vinci1' 7he says71 that much valued    
engraving1 purchased at ,florence1 and  
he wishes for no modern ones1 save ,ary 
,scheffer's ',christis ,consolator1'    
mentioning a few of his special         
favourites to be procured if possible4  
,for the ,melanesians1 pictures of      
ships1 fishes1 and if possible tropical 
vegetation1 was all the art yet needed1 

and beads1 red and blue1 but dull ones2 
none not exactly like the samples would 
be of any use4 ',it is no good sending  
out any fancy articles such as you would
 give ,english children4 ,toys for      
savages are all the fancies of those who
 manufacture such toys for sale4 ,of    
course1 any manufacturer who wishes to  
give presents of knives1 tools1         
hatchets1 c41 would do a great benefit1 
but then the knives must be really      
strong and sharp4'  ,i have concluded   
the letters of the island voyage1 before
 giving those written on the homeward   
transit from ,norfolk ,island1 whither  
the ',falcon' had conveyed the letters  
telling of the departure of both ,mr4   
and ,mrs4 ,keble4 ,the first written    
under this impulse was of course to ,sir
 ,john ,coleridge1 the oldest friend3-- 
',at ,sea1 near ,norfolk ,island3       
,october #c1 #ahff4  ',my dear1 dear    
,uncle1--,how can ,i thank you enough   
for telling me so much of dear saintly  
,mr4 ,keble and his wife8 ,he has been1 

for my dear father and mother's sakes1  
very loving to me1 and actually wrote me
 two short letters1 one after his       
seizure1 which ,i treasure4 ,how ,i had 
grown to reverence and love him more and
 more you can easily believe2 and       
yesterday at ,norfolk ,island1 whither  
some letters had been sent1 ,i read with
 a very full heart of the peaceful close
 of such a holy life4 ,and ,i do love to
 think too of you and him1 if ,i may    
speak freely of such as you2 and the    
weight attached to all you say and do   
7you two ,i mean7 in your several       
occupations seems at all events one     
hopeful sign among not a few gloomy     
ones4 ,i suppose you and ,mr4 ,keble    
little estimated the influence which    
even a casual word or sentence of yours 
exercises upon a man of my age1         
predisposed 7it is true7 to hearken with
 attention and reverence4444  ',is it   
possible that fifty years hence any     
similar event1 should there be such1    
which should so stir the heart of the   

country 7as you say about ,mr4 ,keble's 
death71 might stimulate people to raise 
large sums for the endowment of a       
,church about to be1 or already         
separated from the ,state8 ,i can't     
avoid feeling as if ,god may be         
permitting the extension of the         
,colonial ,churches1 partly and in a    
secondary sense that so the ground may  
be travelled over on a small scale      
before the ,church at home may be thrown
 in like manner upon its own resources4 
,the alliance is a very precarious one  
surely1 and depends upon the solemn     
adherence to a fiction4 ,it is          
extraordinary that some ,colonial       
,bishops should seek to reproduce the   
state of things which is of course      
peculiar to ,england1 the produce of    
certain historical events1 and which can
 have no resemblance whatever to the    
circumstances of our ,colonies4  ',the  
mail closes just after our arrival2 and 
,i am very busy at first coming on shore
 with such a party4 ,goodbye for the    

present1 my dear dear ,uncle1  ',your   
loving and grateful ,nephew1 ',j4 ,c4   
,p4'   ,to me the condolence was3--     
',october #f1 #ahff4  ',and so1 my dear 
,cousin1 the blow has fallen upon you1  
and dear ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,keble have     
passed away to their eternal rest4 ,i   
found letters at ,norfolk ,island on    
,october #b1 not my ,april letters1     
which will tell me most about him1 but  
my ,may budget4  ',how very touching the
 account is which my ,uncle ,john sends 
me of dear ,mrs4 ,keble1 so thankful    
that he was taken first1 so desirous to 
go1 yet so content to stay6 ,and how    
merciful it has all been4 ,such a calm  
holy close to the saintly life4 ,may    
,god bless and support all you who feel 
the bereavement6 ,even ,i feel that ,i  
would fain look for one more letter from
 him1 but we have his ,christian ,year1 
and other books4 ,is it not wonderful   
that all the wisdom and love and beauty 
of the ,christian ,year1 to say nothing 
of the exquisite and matured poetry1    

should have been given to him so early  
in life8 ,why1 as ,i gather1 the book   
was finished in the year #ahbe1 though  
not published till #ahbg4 ,he wrote it  
when he was only #cc years old1 and for 
#de years he lived after he was capable 
of such a work4 ,surely such a union of 
extreme learning1 wisdom1 and           
scholarship1 with humility and purity of
 heart and life has very seldom been    
found4 ,everyone wishes to say something
 to everyone else of one so dear to all1
 and no one can say what each and all   
feel4 ,we ought indeed to be thankful1  
who not only have in common with all men
 his books1 but the memory of what he   
was personally to us4  ',the change must
 needs be a great one to you4 ,i do feel
 much for you indeed4 ,but you will bear
 it bravely2 and many duties and the    
will and power to discharge them occupy 
the mind1 and the elasticity comes back 
again after a time4 ,i know nothing of  
the ,keble family1 not even how they    
were related to him1 so that my interest

 in ,hursley is connected with him only4
 ,yet it will always be a hallowed spot 
in the memory of ,english ,churchmen4   
,you will hear the various rumours as to
 who is to write his life1 c4 ,let me   
know what is worth knowing about it4    
',kohimarama4 ,anchored on ,october #h1 
after an absence of exactly six weeks2  
all well on board and ashore4  ',thanks 
be to ,god for so many mercies4 ,the    
mail is gone1 and alas6 all my letters  
and newspapers were sent off a few days 
since in the ,brisk to ,norfolk ,island4
 ,we passed each other4 ,they did not   
expect me back so soon1 so ,i have no   
late news1 and have no time to read     
newspapers4  ',may ,god bless you1 my   
dear ,cousin1  ',your affectionate      
,cousin1 ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,in    
spite of this deep veneration for ,mr4  
,keble and for his teachings1 ,bishop   
,patteson did not embrace to the full   
the doctrine which had been maintained  
in ',eucharistic ,adoration1' and which 
he rightly perceived to lie at the root 

of the whole ,ritualistic question4 ,his
 conclusions had been formed upon the   
teachings of the elder ,anglican        
divines1 and his predilections for the  
externals of worship upon the most      
reverent and beautiful forms to which he
 had been accustomed before he left     
home4  ,after an ,all ,saints'          
,communion1 the following letter was    
written3--   ',all ,saints' ,day1 #ahff4
  ',my dear ,cousin1--,you know why ,i  
write to you on this day4 ,the          
,communion of ,saints becomes ever a    
more and more real thing to us as holy  
and saintly servants of ,god pass beyond
 the veil1 as also we learn to know and 
love more and more our dear             
fellow-labourers and fellow-pilgrims    
still among us in the flesh4  ',such a  
day as this brings1 thanks be to ,god1  
many calm1 peaceful memories with it4   
,of how many we may both think humbly   
and thankfully whose trials and sorrows 
are over for ever1 whose earthly work is
 done1 who dwell now in ,paradise and   

see ,his ,face1 and calmly wait for the 
great consummation4 ,to you the sense of
 personal loss must be now--it will     
always be--mixed up with the true spirit
 of thankfulness and joy2 but remember  
that as they greatly helped you1 so you 
in no slight measure have received from 
,god power to help others1 a trust which
 ,i verily believe you are faithfully   
discharging1 and that the brightness of 
the ,christian life must be not lost    
sight of in our dealings with others1   
would we really seek to set forth the   
attractiveness of religion4  ',i don't  
mean that ,i miss this element in any of
 your writings2 rather ,i am thankful to
 you because you teach so well how      
happiness and joy are the portion of the
 ,christian in the midst of so much that
 the world counts sorrow and loss4 ,but 
,i think that depression of mind rapidly
 communicates itself1 and you must be   
aware that you are through your books   
stamping your mind on many people4  ',do
 you mind my saying all this to you8    

only ,i would fain say anything that at 
such a time may1 if only for a minute1  
help to keep the bright side before you4
 ,the spirit of patience did seem so to 
rest upon him and his dear saintly wife4
 ,the motto of the ,christian ,year     
seemed to be inwoven into his life and  
character4 ,i suppose he so well knew   
the insignificance of what to us mortals
 in our own generation seems so great1  
that he had learned to view eternal     
truths in the light of ,him who is      
eternal4 ,he fought manfully for the    
true eternal issues1 and everything else
 fell into its subordinate place4 ,is   
not one continually struck with his keen
 sense of the proportion of things8 ,he 
wastes no time nor strength in the      
accidents of religion2 much that he     
liked and valued he never taught as     
essential1 or even mentioned1 lest it   
might interfere with essentials4  ',oh6 
that his calm wise judgment1 his        
spiritual discernment1 may be poured out
 on many earnest men who ,i can't help  

thinking lack that instinct which       
divinely guided the early ,church in the
 selection of fundamentals4 ,we must all
 grieve to see earnest1 zealous men     
almost injuring the good cause1 and     
placing its best and wisest champions in
 an unnecessarily difficult position1   
because they do not see what ,i suppose 
,mr4 ,keble did see so very clearly4    
',i know that these questions present   
themselves somewhat differently to those
 situated severally as you and we are4  
,but it is1 ,i suppose1 by freely       
interchanging amongst ourselves thoughts
 that the general balance is best       
preserved4 ,pray1 when you have time1   
write freely to me on such matters if   
you think it may be of use to do so4    
,the ,church everywhere ought to guard1 
and teach1 and practise what is         
essential4 ,in non-essentials ,i suppose
 the rule is clear4 ,i will eat no meat1
 c4  ',and now good-bye1 my dear        
,cousin2 and may ,god ever bless and    
comfort you4  ',your affectionate       

,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,sir  
,william and ,lady ,martin had just paid
 their last visit to ,kohimarama1 and   
here is the final record by ,lady       
,martin's hand of the pleasant days     
there spent3--  ',one more visit we paid
 to our dear friend in ,november #ahff1 
a few months before he left ,kohimarama 
for ,norfolk ,island4 ,he invited my    
dear husband specially for the purpose  
of working together at ,hebrew1 with the
 aid of the lights they thought our     
languages throw on its grammatical      
structure4  ',the ,bishop was very happy
 and bright4 ,he was in his new house1 a
 great improvement upon the stuffy      
quarters in the quad4 ,his sitting-room 
was large and lofty1 and had ,french    
windows which opened on a little        
verandah facing the sea4  ',the ,mission
 party were most co-operative1 and would
 not let the ,bishop come into school   
during the three weeks of our stay1 so  
he had a working holiday which he       
thoroughly enjoyed4 ,the weather was    

lovely1 the boys were all well1 and     
there was no drawback to the happiness  
of that time4 ,at seven the chapel bell 
rang and we walked across with him to   
the pretty little chapel4 ,the prayers  
and hymn were in ,mota1 the latter a    
translation by the ,bishop of the hymn  
,now that the daylight fills the sky4   
,the boys all responded heartily and    
were reverent in demeanour4 ,after      
breakfast the two wise men worked       
steadily till nearly one4 ,we were not  
allowed to dine in ,hall as the weather 
was very warm1 and we inveigled the     
,bishop to stay out and be our host4    
',a quaint little procession of         
demure-looking little maidens brought   
our dinner over4 ,they were grave and   
full of responsibility till some word   
from ',bisop' would light up their faces
 with shy smiles4  ',what pleasant walks
 we had together before evening chapel  
under the wooded cliffs or through the  
green fields4 ,mr4 ,pritt had by this   
time brought the ,mission farm into     

excellent working order by the aid of   
the elder lads alone4 ,abundance of good
 milk and butter 7the latter getting    
ready sale in town7 and of vegetables4  
,his gifts too in school-keeping were   
invaluable4  ',i wish ,i could recall   
some of the conversations with our dear 
friend4 ,a favourite topic was          
concerning the best modes of bringing   
the doctrines of the ,christian religion
 clearly and fully within the           
comprehension of the converts4 ,some of 
their papers written after being taught 
by him showed that they did apprehend   
them in a thoughtful intelligent way4   
',at half-past six we had a short       
service1 again in ,mota1 in chapel1 and 
then we rarely saw our dear friend till 
nine4 ,he would not neglect any of his  
night classes4 ,at half-past nine the   
,english workers gathered together in   
the ,bishop's room for prayers and for a
 little friendly chat4 ,curiously       
enough1 the conversation ,i most        
distinctly remember was one with him as 

we rode up one ,saturday from           
,kohimarama to ,st4 ,john's ,college4 ,i
 got him to describe the game of tennis1
 and he warmed up and told me of games  
he had played at4  ',how that cheery    
talk came to mind as ,i drove down the  
same road last year just after fine     
weather had come6 ,it was the same      
season1 and the hedges on each side of  
the narrow lane were fragrant as then   
with may and sweet briar4'     ,,chapter
 ,,xi4 ,,st4 ,,barnabas ,,college1      
,,norfolk ,,island4 #ahfg--ahfi4    ,a  
new phase of ,coleridge ,patteson's life
 was beginning with the year #ahfg1 when
 he was in full preparation for the last
 of his many changes of home1 namely1   
that to ,norfolk ,island1 isolating him 
finally from those who had become almost
 as near kindred to him1 and devoting   
him even more exclusively to his one    
great work4 ,no doubt the separation    
from ordinary society was a relief1 and 
the freedom from calls to irregular     
clerical duty at ,auckland was an       

immense gain2 but the lack of the close 
intercourse with the inner circle of his
 friends was often felt1 and was        
enhanced by the lack of postal          
communication with ,norfolk ,island1 so 
that1 instead of security of home       
tidings by every mail1 letters and      
parcels could only be transmitted by    
chance vessels touching at that         
inaccessible island1 where there was no 
harbour for even the ',southern ,cross' 
to lie4  ,but the welfare of the        
,mission1 and the possible benefit to   
the ,pitcairners1 outweighed everything4
 ,it is with some difficulty that the   
subject of this latter people is        
approached4 ,they have long been the    
romance of all interested in ,missionary
 effort1 and precious has been the      
belief that so innocent and pious a     
community existed on the face of the    
earth4 ,and it is quite true that when  
they are viewed as the offspring of     
,english mutineers and heathen          
,tahitians1 trained by a repentant old  

sailor1 they are wonderful in many      
respects2 and their attractive manners  
and manifest piety are sure to strike   
their occasional visitors1 who have     
seldom stayed long enough to penetrate  
below the surface4  ,but it has been    
their great disadvantage never to have  
had a much higher standard of religion1 
morals1 civilisation1 or industry set   
before them1 than they had been able to 
evolve for themselves2 and it is a law  
of nature that what is not progressive  
must be retrograde4 ,the gentle         
,tahitian nature has entirely mastered  
the ,english turbulence1 so that there  
is genuine absence of violence1 there is
 no dishonesty2 and drunkenness was then
 impossible2 there is also a general    
habit of religious observance1 but not  
including self-restraint as a duty1     
while the reaction of all the           
enthusiastic admiration expressed for   
this interesting people has gendered a  
self-complacency that makes them the    
harder to deal with4 ,parental authority

 seems to be entirely wanting among     
them1 the young people grow up          
unrestrained2 and the standard of       
morality and purity seems to be pretty  
much what it is in a neglected ,english 
parish1 but1 as before said1 without the
 drunkenness and lawlessness1 and with a
 universal custom of church-going1 and a
 great desire not to expose their fault 
to the eyes of strangers4 ,the fertile  
soil1 to people of so few wants1 and    
with no trade1 prevents the necessity of
 exertion1 and the dolce far niente     
prevails universally4 ,the ,government  
buildings have fallen into entire ruin1 
and the breed of cattle has been allowed
 to become worthless for want of care4  
,the dwellings are uncleanly1 and the   
people so undisciplined that only their 
native gentleness would make their      
present self-government possible2 and it
 is a great problem how to deal with    
them4  ,the ,english party who were to  
take up their abode on ,norfolk ,island 
consisted of the ,bishop1 the ,rev4 ,mr4

 ,palmer1 who was there already1 ,mr4   
,atkin1 and ,mr4 ,brooke4 ,the ,rev4 ,r4
 ,codrington was on his way from        
,england with ,mr4 ,bice1 a young       
student from ,st4 ,augustine's1         
,canterbury2 but ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,pritt  
had received an appointment at the      
,waikato1 and left the ,mission4 ,the   
next letter to myself tells something of
 the plans3--   ',january #bi1 #ahfg4   
',my dear ,cousin1--,i enclose a note to
 ,miss ,mackenzie1 thanking her for her 
book about ,mrs4 ,robertson4 ,it does   
one good to read about such a couple4 ,i
 almost feel as if ,i should like to    
write a line to the good man4 ,there was
 the real genuine love for the people1  
the secret of course of all missionary  
success1 the consideration for them1 the
 power of sympathy1 of seeing with the  
eyes of others1 and putting oneself into
 their position4 ,many a time have ,i   
thought3 ,yes1 that's all right1 that's 
the true spirit1 that's the real thing4 
',oh that men could be trained to act in

 that way4 ,it seems as if mere common  
sense would enable societies and men to 
see that it must be so4 ,and yet how    
sadly we mismanage men1 and misuse      
opportunities4  ',men should be made to 
understand that they cannot receive     
training for this special ,mission work 
except on the spot2 at the institution  
the aim should be to give them a        
thorough grounding in ,greek and ,latin1
 the elements of ,divinity1 leaving out 
all talk about experiences1 and all that
 can minister to spiritual pride1 and   
delude men into the idea that the desire
 7as they suppose7 to be missionaries   
implies that they are one whit better   
than the baker and shoemaker next door4 
',the ,german system is very different4 
,the ,moravians don't handle their young
 candidates after this fashion4  ',now  
,mr4 ,robertson and his good wife       
refresh one by the reality and          
simplicity of their life1 the           
simple-mindedness1 the absence of all   
cant and formalism4 ,i mean the formal  

observance of a certain set of views    
about the ,sabbath1 about going to      
parties1 about reading books1 c41 the   
formal utterance of an accepted         
phraseology4  ',would that there were   
hundreds such6 ,would that his and her  
example might stir the hearts of many   
young people1 women as well as men6     
,well1 ,i like all that helps me to know
 him and her in the book1 and am much   
obliged to ,miss ,mackenzie for it4     
',we have had a trying month1 unusually 
damp close weather1 and influenza has   
been prevalent4 ,many boys had it1 one  
little fellow died4 ,he was very        
delirious at last1 and as he lay day and
 night on my bed we had often to hold   
him4 ,but one night he was calm and     
sensible1 and with ,henry ,tagalana's   
help ,i obtained from him such a simple 
answer or two to our questions that ,i  
felt justified in baptizing him4 ,he was
 about ten years old1 ,i suppose one of 
our youngest4  ',last ,saturday1 at     
#ab4de ,a4,m41 he passed away into what 

light1 and peace1 and knowledge1 and    
calm rest in his ,saviour's bosom6 we   
humbly trust4 ,god be praised for all   
,his mercies6 ,it was touching1 indeed1 
to hear ,henry speaking to his little   
friend4 ,he spoke so as to make me feel 
very hopeful about his work as a teacher
 being blessed1 his whole heart on his  
lips and in his voice and manner and    
expression of face4  ',but1 my dear     
,cousin1 often ,i think that ,i need    
more than ever your prayers that ,i may 
have the blessing for which we pray in  
our ,collect for the ,first ,sunday     
after ,epiphany3 grace to use the       
present opportunities aright4 ,my time  
may be short2 we are very few in number3
 now the young ,english and ,melanesian 
teachers ought to be completely trained1
 that so1 by ,god's blessing1 the work  
may not come to nought4 ,codrington's   
coming ought to be a great gain in this 
way4 ,a right-minded man of age and     
experience may well be regarded as      
invaluable indeed4 ,i so often feel that

 ,i am distracted by multitudinous      
occupations1 and can't think and act out
 my method of dealing with the elder    
ones1 so as to use them aright4 ,so many
 things distract--social1 domestic1     
industrial matters and general          
superintendence1 and my time is of      
course always given to anyone who wants 
it4  ',the change to ,norfolk ,island1  
too1 brings many anxious thoughts and   
cares1 and the state of the people there
 will be an additional cause of anxiety4
 ,i think that we shall move en masse in
 ,april or ,may1 making two or three    
trips in the schooner4 ,palmer has      
sixteen now with him there4 ,i shall    
perhaps leave ten more for the winter   
school and then go on to the islands1   
and return 7,d4,v47 in ,october1 not to 
,new ,zealand1 but to ,norfolk ,island2 
though1 as it is the year of the meeting
 of the ,general ,synod1 i4e41 ,february
 #ahfh1 ,i shall have to be in ,new     
,zealand during that summer4 ,you shall 
have full information of all my and our 

movements1 as soon as ,i know myself    
precisely the plan4  ',and now good-bye1
 my dear ,cousin2 and may ,god ever     
bless and keep you4 ,i think much of    
you1 and of how you must miss dear ,mr4 
,keble4  ',your affectionate ,cousin1   
',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ',sunday1 ,february #aj1
 #ahfg4  ',my dear old ,fan1--,no time  
to write at length4 ,we are pretty well1
 but coughs and colds abound1 and ,i am 
a little anxious about one nice lad1    
,lelenga1 but he is not very seriously  
ill4  ',i have of course occasional     
difficulties1 as who has not8           
,irregularities1 not 7,d4 ,gr47 of very 
serious nature1 yet calling for reproof2
 a certain proportion of the boys1 and a
 large proportion of the girls careless1
 and of course1 like boys and girls such
 as you know of in ,devonshire1 not free
 from mischief4  ',indeed1 it is a      
matter for great thankfulness that1 as  
far as we know1 no immorality has taken 
place with fifteen young girls in the   
school4 ,we take of course all          

precautions1 rooms are carefully locked 
at night4 ,still really evil-minded     
young persons could doubtless get into  
mischief1 if they were determined to do 
so4 ,only to-day ,i spoke severely1 not 
on this point1 but on account of some   
proof of want of real modesty and purity
 of feeling4 ,but how can ,i be         
surprised at that8  ',all schoolmaster's
 work is anxious work4 ,it is even more 
so than the ordinary clergyman's work1  
because you are parent and schoolmaster 
at once4  ',you may suppose that as time
 approaches for ,codrington and ,bice to
 arrive1 and for our move to ,norfolk   
,island1 ,i am somewhat anxious1 and    
have very much to do4 ,indeed1 the      
,norfolk ,island people do sadly want   
help4  ',your affectionate ,brother4    
',j4 ,c4 ,p4  ',p4 ,s4--,you may tell   
your boys at night school1 if you think 
it well1 that no ,melanesian ,i ever had
 here would be so ungentlemanly as to   
throw stones or make a row when a lady  
was present4'   ',st4 ,matthias ,day1   

#ahfg4  ',my dearest ,joan and          
,fan1--,the beginning of the seventh    
year of my ,bishop's life6 ,how quickly 
the time has gone1 and a good deal seems
 to have taken place1 and yet 7though   
some experience has been gained7 but    
little sense have ,i of real improvement
 in my own self1 of pressing onwards1   
and daily struggles against faults4 ,but
 for some persons it is dangerous to    
talk of such things1 and ,i am such a   
person4 ,it would tend to make me       
unreal1 and my words would be unreal1   
and soon my thoughts and life would     
become unreal too4 ,i am conscious of   
very1 very much that is very wrong1 and 
would astonish many of even those who   
know me best1 but ,i must use this      
consciousness1 and not talk about it any
 more4  ',i am in harness again for     
,english work4 ,how can ,i refuse8 ,i am
 writing now between two ,english       
services4  ',indeed1 no adequate        
provision is made here for married      
clergymen with families2 #cjj a year is 

starvation at present prices4 ,men can't
 live on it2 and who can work vigorously
 with the thought ever present to him1  
,when ,i die1 what of my wife and       
family8 ,what is to be done8  ',i solve 
the difficulty in ,melanesian work by   
saying1 ,use ,melanesians4 ,i tell      
people plainly1 ,i don't want white men4
  ',i sum it all up thus3 ,they cost    
about ten times as much as the          
,melanesian 7literally71 and but a very 
small proportion do the work as well4   
',i was amused at some things in your   
,december letters4 ,how things do       
unintentionally get exaggerated6 ,i went
 up into the tree-house by a very good  
ladder of bamboos and supple-jacks1     
quite as easily as one goes up the      
rigging of a ship1 and my ten days at   
,bauro were spent among a people whose  
language ,i know1 and where my life was 
as safe and everybody was as disposed to
 be friendly as if ,i had been in your  
house at ,weston4 ,but1 of course1 it is
 all missionary hardships and trials4 ,i

 don't mean that you talk in this way4  
',our first instalment of scholars with 
,messrs4 ,atkin and ,brooke will go off 
7,d4,v47 about ,march #ba4 ,then my     
house is taken down2 the boys who now   
live in it having been sent off3 and on 
the schooner's return about ,april #ae1 
another set of things1 books1 houses1 c4
 ,probably a third trip will be         
necessary1 and then about ,may #e or #f 
,i hope to go4 ,it will be somewhat     
trying at the end4 ,but ,i bargain for  
all this1 which of course constitutes my
 hardest and most trying business4 ,the 
special ,mission work1 as most people   
would regard it1 is as nothing in       
comparison4 ,good-bye1 and ,god bless   
you4  ',your loving ,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 
,p4'   ,on ,march #e ,mr4 ,codrington   
safely arrived1 bringing with him ,mr4  
,bice4 ,the boon to the ,bishop was     
immense1 both in relief from care and in
 the companionship1 for which he had    
henceforth to depend entirely on his own
 staff4 ,the machinery of the routine   

had been so well set in order by ,mr4   
,pritt that it could be continued       
without him2 and though there was no    
,english woman to superintend the girls1
 it was hoped that ,sarah ,sarawia had  
been prepared by ,mrs4 ,pritt to be an  
efficient matron4   ',kohimarama3 ,march
 #bc1 #ahfg4  ',my dear ,cousin1--,our  
last ,new ,zealand season1 for it may be
 our last1 draws near its close4 ,on    
,monday1 only two days hence1 the       
,southern ,cross sails 7weather         
permitting7 with our first instalment4  
,mr4 ,palmer has got his house up1 and  
they must stow themselves away in it1   
three whites and forty-five blacks1 the 
best way they can4 ,the vessel takes    
besides #ad1jjj feet of timber1 #f1jjj  
shingles for roofing1 and boxes of      
books1 c41 c41 without end4  ',i hope   
she may be here again to take me and the
 remaining goods1 live and inanimate1 in
 about eighteen or twenty days4 ,i can't
 tell whether ,i am more likely to spend
 my ,easter in ,new ,zealand or ,norfolk

 ,island4  ',i see that in many ways the
 place is good for us4 ,the first       
expense is heavy4 ,i have spent about   
#a1jjj already1 sinking some of my      
private money in the fencing1 building1 
c41 but very soon the cost of all the   
commissariat1 exclusive of the stores   
for the voyage1 and a little ,english   
food for the whites1 will be provided4  
,palmer has abundance of sweet potatoes 
which have been planted in ground       
prepared by our lads since last         
,october4 ,the yam crop is coming on    
well3 fish are always abundant4  ',i    
think that in twelve months' time we    
ought to provide ourselves with almost  
everything in the island4 ,the ship and 
the clergymen's stipends and certain    
extras will always need subscriptions1  
but we ought at once to feed ourselves1 
and soon to export wool1 potatoes1 corn 
7maize ,i mean71 c4  ',i never forget   
about the idea of a chapel4 ,at present 
the ,norfolk ,island ,chapel will be    
only a wing of my house3 which will     

consist of two rooms for myself1 a spare
 room for a sick lad or two1 and a large
 dormitory which1 if need be1 can be    
turned into a hospital1 and the other   
end a wing in the chapel1 #db x #ah     
feet1 quite large enough for eighty or  
more people4 ,the entrance from without1
 and again a private door from my       
sitting room4 ,all is very simple in the
 plan4 ,it seem almost selfish having it
 thus as a part of my dwelling house2   
but it will be such a comfort1 so       
convenient for ,confirmation and        
,baptism and ,holy ,communion classes1  
and so nice for me4 ,some ladies in     
,melbourne give a velvet altar cloth1   
,lady ,s4 in ,sydney gives all the white
 linen3 our ,communion plate1 you know1 
is very handsome4 ,some day ,joan must  
send me a solid block of ,devonshire    
serpentine for my ,font1 such a one as  
there is at ,alfington1 or ,butterfield 
might now devise even a better4  ',but  
,i think1 though ,i have not thought    
enough yet1 that in the diocese of      

,norfolk ,island1 and in the islands1   
the running stream of living water and  
the ,catechumens going down into it is  
the right mode of administering the holy
 sacrament4 ,the ,lectern and the small 
,prayer-desk are of sandal-wood from    
,erromango4  ',it will be far more like 
a ,church than anything the ,pitcairners
 have ever seen4 ,perhaps next          
,christmas--but much may take place     
before then--,i may ordain ,palmer      
,priest1 ,atkin and ,brooke ,deacons1   
and there may be a goodly attendance of 
,melanesian communicants and candidates 
for baptism4 ,if so1 what a day of hope 
to look forward to6 ,and then ,i think  
,i see the day of dear ,george          
,sarawia's ,ordination drawing nigh1 if 
,god grant him health and perseverance4 
,he is1 indeed1 and so are others1      
younger than he1 all that ,i could      
desire4  ',so1 my dear ,cousin1 see what
 blessings ,i have1 how small our trials
 are4 ,they may yet come1 but it is now 
just twelve years1 exactly twelve years 

on ,monday1 since ,i saw my ,father's   
and ,sisters' faces1 and how little have
 those years been marked with sorrows4  
,my lot is cast in a good land indeed4  
,i read and hear of others1 such as that
 noble ,central ,african band1 and ,i   
wonder how men can go through it all4   
,it comes to me as from a distance1 not 
as to one who has experienced such      
things4 ,we know nothing of war1 or     
famine1 or deadly fever2 and we seem now
 to have a settled plan of work1 one of 
the greatest comforts of all2 but while 
,i write thus brightly ,i don't forget  
that a little thing 7humanly speaking7  
may cause great reverses1 delays1 and   
failures4  ',i am very glad you         
understand my unwillingness to write1   
and still more to print over much about 
our proceedings4 ,i do speak pretty     
freely in ,new ,zealand and ,australia1 
from whence ,i profess and mean to draw 
our supplies4  ',accurate information is
 all very well1 but to convey an idea of
 our life and work is quite beyond my   

powers4 ,still1 everything that helps   
the ordinary men and women of ,england  
to look out into the world a bit1 and   
see that the ,gospel is a power of ,god1
 is good4  ',and now1 good-bye1 my dear 
,cousin4 ,may ,god bless and keep you4  
',your affectionate ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4  
,,patteson4'   ,on ,lady ,day the       
,bishop wrote to his sisters3--  ',this 
day1 twelve years ago1 ,i saw your faces
 for the last time2 and so ,i told ,mary
 ,atkin1 my good young friend's only    
sister1 as we stood on the beach just   
now1 watching the ',southern ,cross'    
carrying away her only brother and some 
forty other people to ,norfolk ,island4 
,the first detachment is therefore gone2
 ,i hope that we1 the rest1 will follow 
in about sixteen or eighteen days4 ,i   
think back over these twelve years4 ,on 
the whole1 how smoothly and easily they 
have passed with me6 ,less of sorrow and
 anxiety than was crowded into one short
 year of ,bishop ,mackenzie's life4 ,i  
have been reading ,mr4 ,rowley's book on

 the ,university ,mission to ,central   
,africa1 and am glad to have read it4   
,they were indeed fine gallant fellows1 
full of faith and courage and endurance4
  ',as ,i write1 some dozen boys are on 
the roof1 knocking away the shingles1   
i4e41 the wooden tiles of roofing1 a    
carpenter is taking down all that needs 
some more skilled handiwork4 ,in a week 
the house will all be tied up in bundles
 of boarding1 battens1 about #ad1jjj or 
#ae1jjj feet of timber in all4          
,yesterday ,i was with the ,primate2 ,i 
went up indeed on ,monday afternoon1 as 
the ,southern ,cross sailed with        
thirty-one ,melanesians at #aa ,a4,m41  
and ,i could get away4 ,it was rather a 
sad day4 ,i was resigning trusts1 and it
 made the departure from ,new ,zealand  
appear very real4  ',april #ast4--,my   
fortieth birthday4 ,it brings solemn    
thoughts4 ,last night ,i had to take the
 service at ,st4 ,paul's1 and as ,i came
 back ,i thought of many things1 and    
principally of how very different ,i    

ought to be from what ,i am4  ',all are 
well here at ,kohimarama4 ,my house     
knocked down and arrangements going on1 
the place leased to ,mr4 ,atkin1 ,joe   
,atkin's father1 my trusts resigned1    
accounts almost made up1 many letters   
written1 business matters arranged4'    
,in a few days more the last remnant of 
,st4 ,andrew's was broken up2 and the   
first letter to the ,bishop of ,new     
,zealand was written from ,norfolk      
,island before the close of the month3--
   ',st4 ,barnabas' ,mission ,school3   
,april #bi1 #ahfg4  ,my dear            
,primate1--,we had a fair wind all the  
way1 and having shortened sail during   
all ,friday so as not to reach ,norfolk 
,island in the night1 made the lead at  
#e ,a4,m4 on ,saturday morning4 ,but a  
sad casualty occurred2 we lost a poor   
fellow overboard1 one of the seamen4 ,he
 ought not to have been lost1 and ,i    
blame myself4 ,he was under the davits  
of the boat doing something1 and the    
rope by which he was holding parted2 the

 life-buoy almost knocked him as he     
passed the quarter of the vessel1 and   
,i1 instead of jumping overboard1 and   
shouting to the ,melanesians to do the  
same1 rushed to the falls4 ,the boat was
 on the spot where his cap was floating 
within two and a half minutes of the    
time he fell into the sea1 but he was   
gone4  ',fisher in the hurry tore his   
nail by letting the falls run through   
his hand too fast4 ,i was binding it up1
 the boat making for the poor fellow    
faster than any swimmer could have done4
 ,how it was that he did not lay hold of
 the buoy1 or sank so soon1 ,i can't    
say2 the great mistake was not jumping  
overboard at once4 ,this is a gloomy    
beginning1 and made us all feel very    
sad4 ,he was not married and was a      
well-behaved man4  ',it was blowing     
fresh on ,saturday1 but we anchored     
under ,nepean ,island1 and by hard work 
cleared the vessel by #e ,p4,m42 all    
worked hard1 and all the things were    
landed safely4 ,palmer1 with the cart   

and boys1 was on the pier1 and the      
things were carted and carried into the 
store as they arrived4 ,i came on shore 
about #e1 found all well and hearty1 the
 people very friendly1 nothing in their 
manner to indicate any change of        
feeling4  ',i walked up to our place4   
,it is1 indeed1 a beautiful spot4       
,palmer has worked with a will4 ,i was  
surprised to see what was done4 ,some   
three and a half acres of fine kumaras1 
maize1 yams1 growing well2 a yam of ten 
pounds weight1 smooth and altogether    
,melanesian1 just taken up1 not quite   
ripe1 so the boys say they will grow    
much bigger4 ,abundant supply of water1 
though the summer has been dry4  ',much 
of the timber has been carted up1 more  
has been stacked at the top of the hill4
 ,this was carried by the boys1 and will
 be carted along the pine avenue2 a good
 deal is still near the pines1 but      
properly stacked4 ,i see nothing        
anywhere thrown about1 even here not a  
chip to be seen1 all buried or burnt1   

and the place quite neat though         
unfinished4  '#a4 ,house1 on the plan of
 my old house just taken down by ,gray1 
but much larger4  '#b4 ,kitchen of good 
size4  '#c4 ,two raupo outhouses4  '#d4 
,cow-shed4  ',i find it quite assumed   
here that the question is settled about 
our property here2 but ,i have not      
thought it desirable to talk expressly  
about it4 ,they talk about school1      
doctor1 and other public arrangements as
 usual4  ',it seems that it was on ,st4 
,barnabas ,day that1 after ,holy        
,communion1 we walked up here last year 
and chose the site of the house4 ,the   
people have of their own accord taken to
 call the place ,st4 ,barnabas2 and as  
this suits the ,eton feeling also1 and  
you and others never liked ,st4         
,andrew's1 don't you think we may adopt 
the new name8 ,miss ,yonge won't mind1  
,i am sure4  ',i could not resist       
telling the people that you and ,mrs4   
,selwyn might come for a short time in  
,september next to see them1 and they   

are really delighted2 and so shall we   
be1 ,i can tell you indeed4444  ',your  
affectionate  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'     
,the time for the island voyage was     
fully come2 and1 after a very brief stay
 in the new abode1 the ,bishop sailed   
again for ,mota1 where the old house was
 found 7,may #h7 in a very dilapidated  
condition2 and vigorous mending with    
branches was needed before a corner     
could be patched up for him to sleep on 
his table during a pouring wet night1   
having first supped on a cup of tea and 
a hot yam1 the latter brought from the  
club-house by one of his faithful       
adherents2 after which an hour and a    
half's reading of ,lightfoot on the     
,epistle to the ,galatians made him     
forget every discomfort4  ,there had1   
however1 been a renewal of fighting of  
late2 and at a village called ,tasmate1 
a man named ,natungoe had ten days      
previously been shot in the breast with 
a poisoned arrow1 and was beginning to  
show those first deadly symptoms of     

tetanus4 ,he had been a well-conducted  
fellow1 though he had hitherto shown    
indifference to the new teaching2 and it
 had not been in a private quarrel that 
he was wounded1 but in a sudden attack  
on his village by some enemies1 when a  
feast was going on4  ,on that first     
evening when the ,bishop went to see him
 it was plain that far more of the      
recent instruction had taken root in him
 than had been supposed4 ',he showed    
himself thoroughly ready to listen1 and 
manifested a good deal of simple faith4 
,he said he had no resentment against   
the person who had shot him1 and that he
 did wish to know and think about the   
world to come4 ,he accepted at once the 
story of ,god's love1 shown in sending  
,jesus to die for us1 and he seemed to  
have some apprehension of what ,god must
 be1 and of what we are--how unlike     
,him1 how unable to make ourselves fit  
to be with ,him4 ,he certainly spoke of 
,jesus as of a living ,person close by  
him1 willing and able to help him4 ,he  

of his own accord made a little prayer  
to ,him1 ,help me1 wake me1 make my     
heart light1 take away the darkness4 ,i 
wish for you1 ,i want to go to you1 ,i  
don't want to think about this world4'  
,early the next morning the ,bishop went
 again1 taking ,george ,sarawia with    
him4 ,the man said1 ',i have been       
thinking of what you said4 ,i have been 
calling on the ,saviour 7i ,vaesu7 all  
night4' ,the ,bishop spoke long to him1 
and left ,sarawia with him1 speaking and
 praying quietly and earnestly4         
,meanwhile continues the diary3--  ',i  
went to the men in the village1 and     
spoke at length to them3 ,yes1 ,god will
 not cast out those who turn to ,him    
when they are called1 but you must not  
suppose that it is told us anywhere that
 ,he will save those who care nothing   
about ,him through their years of       
health1 and only think about ,him and   
the world to come when this world is    
already passing away4  ',how utterly    
unable one feels to say or do the right 

thing1 and the words fall so flat and   
dull upon careless ears6'  ,every day   
for ten days the poor sufferer ,natungoe
 was visited1 and he listened with      
evident faith and comprehension4 ,on    
,may #ae the entry is3--  ',i was so    
satisfied with his expressions of faith 
in the ,saviour1 of his hope of living  
with ,him2 he spoke so clearly of his   
belief in ,jesus having been sent from  
the ,great ,creator and ,father of all  
to lead us back to ,him1 and to cleanse 
us from sin1 which had kept us from our 
,father1 by ,his ,death for us2 he was  
so evidently convinced of the truth of  
our ,lord's ,resurrection and of the    
resurrection of us all at the last      
day--that ,i felt that ,i ought to      
baptize him4 ,i had already spoken to   
him of ,baptism1 and he seemed to       
understand that1 first1 he must believe 
that the water is the sign of an inward 
cleansing1 and that it has no magical   
efficacy1 but that all depended on his  
having faith in the promise and power of

 ,god2 and second1 that ,jesus had      
commanded those who wished to believe   
and love ,him to be baptized4  ',the    
expression ,nan ive ,maroo i ,vaesu1 ,i 
wish for the ,saviour1 had been         
frequently used by him2 and ,i baptized 
him by the name of ,maroovaesu1 a name  
instantly substituted for his old name  
,natungoe by those present4  ',i have   
seen him again to-day2 he cannot        
recover1 and at times the tetanus spasms
 are severe1 but it is nothing like dear
 ,fisher's case4 ,he can still eat and  
speak2 women sit around holding him1 and
 a few people sit or lie about in the   
hut4 ,it looks all misery and           
degradation of the lowest kind1 but     
there is a blessed change1 as ,i trust1 
for him4'  ,on ,sunday the #aith the    
last agony had come4 ,he lay on a mat on
 the ground1 in the middle of the       
village1 terribly racked by convulsions1
 but still able in the intervals to     
speak intelligibly1 and to express his  
full hope that he was going to his      

,saviour1 and that his pain would soon  
be over1 and he would be at rest with   
,him1 listening earnestly to the        
,bishop's prayers4 ,he died that night4 
,in the meantime1 the ,bishop had not   
neglected the attacking party4 ,of them1
 one had been killed outright1 and two  
more were recovering from their wounds1 
and it was necessary to act as          
pacificator4  ',meanwhile1 ,i think how 
very little religion has to do directly 
with keeping things quiet2 in ,england  
7for example7 men would avenge          
themselves1 and steal and kill1 were it 
not for the law1 which is1 indeed1 an   
indirect result of religion2 but        
religion simply does not produce the    
effect1 i4e4 men are not generally      
religious in ,england or ,mota4 ,i have 
,maine's ,book of ,ancient ,law among   
the half-dozen books ,i have brought on 
shore1 and it is extremely interesting  
to read here4'  ,how he read1 wrote1 or 
did anything is the marvel1 with the hut
 constantly crowded by men who had      

nothing to do but gather round1 in      
suffocating numbers1 to stare at his pen
 travelling over the paper4 ',they have 
done so a hundred times before1' he     
writes1 actually under the oppression1  
'but anything to pass an hour lazily4   
,it is useless to talk about it1 and one
 must humour them1 or they will think ,i
 am vexed with them4'  ,the scholars1   
neatly clothed1 with orderly and        
industrious habits1 were no small       
contrast3 ',but ,i miss as yet the link 
between them and the resident heathen   
people4 ,i trust and pray that ,george  
and others may1 ere long1 supply it4    
',but it is very difficult to know how  
to help them to change their mode of    
life4 ,very much1 even if they did      
accept ,christianity1 must go on as     
before4 ,their daily occupations include
 work in the small gardens1 cooking1 c41
 and this need not be changed4  ',then  
as to clothing4 ,i must be very careful 
lest they should think that wearing     
clothes is ,christianity4 ,yet certain  

domestic changes are necessary1 for a   
,christian life seems to need certain   
material arrangements for decency and   
propriety4 ,there ought to be partition 
screens in the hut1 for example1 and    
some clothing is desirable no doubt4 ,a 
resident missionary now could do a good 
deal towards showing the people why     
certain customs1 c41 are incompatible   
with a ,christian life4 ,his daily      
teaching would show how ,christ acted   
and taught1 and how inconsistent such   
and such practices must be with the     
profession of faith in ,him4 ,but       
regulations imposed from without ,i     
rather dread1 they produce so often an  
unreasoning obedience for a little while
 only4  ,the rules for the new life     
should be very few and very simple1 and 
carefully explained4 ,love to ,god and  
man1 explained and illustrated as the   
consequence of some elementary knowledge
 of ,god's love to us1 shown of course  
prominently in the giving ,his own ,son 
to us4 ,there is no lack of power to    

understand simple teaching1 a fair      
proportion of adults take it in very    
fairly4 ,i was rather surprised on      
,friday evening 7some sixty or seventy  
being present7 to find that a few men   
answered really rather well questions   
which brought out the meaning of some of
 our ,saviour's names4  ',the ,saviour8 
',the saving ,his people4  ',not all    
men8 ,and why not all men8 ,and from    
what poverty1 sickness1 c41 here below8 
',from their sins4  ',what is sin8      
',all that ,god has forbidden4  ',what  
has ,he forbidden8 ,why8 ,because ,he   
grudges us anything8 ,why do you forbid 
a child to taste vangarpal 7'poison'71  
c4 c48  ',the ,way1 the ,mediator1 the  
,redeemer1 the ,resurrection1 the       
,atoner1 the ,word4 ,some eight days'   
teaching had preceded this2 but ,i dare 
say there are ten or fifteen people here
 now1 not our scholars1 who can really  
answer on these points so as to make it 
clear that they understand something    
about the teaching involved in these    

names4 ,of course1 ,i had carefully     
worked out the best way to accept these 
names and ideas in ,mota2 and the       
illustrations1 c41 from their customs   
made me think that to some extent they  
understood this teaching4  ',of course  
the personal feeling is as pleasant as  
can be1 and ,i think there is something 
more3 a real belief that our religion   
and our habits are good1 and that some  
day they will be accepted here4 ,a      
considerable number of people are       
leading very respectable lives on the   
whole4 ,but ,i see that we must try to  
spend more time here4 ,george ,sarawia  
is being accepted to some extent as one 
whom they are to regard as a teacher4   
,he has a fair amount of influence4 ,but
 in this little spot1 among about #a1ejj
 people1 local jealousies and old       
animosities are so rife1 that the       
stranger unconnected with any one of    
them has so far a better chance of being
 accepted by all2 but then comes1 on the
 other hand1 his perfect knowledge and  

our comparative ignorance of the        
language and customs of the people4 ,we 
want to combine both for a while1 till  
the native teacher and clergyman is     
fully established in his true position4 
',it is a curious thing that the        
,solomon ,islanders from the south-east 
part of that group should have dropped  
so much behind the ,banks ,islanders4 ,i
 knew their language before ,i knew the 
language of ,mota1 they were 7so to say7
 my favourites4 ,but we can't as yet    
make any impression upon them4 ,the     
,loyalty ,islanders have been suffered  
to drop out2 and so it is that all our  
leading scholars1 all who set good      
examples1 and are made responsible for  
various duties1 are 7with the sole      
exception of ,soro1 from ,mai ,island1  
,new ,hebrides7 from the ,banks group4  
,consequently1 their language is the    
lingua franca of the school--not that we
 made it so1 or wished it rather than   
any other to be so2 indeed ,bauro is    
easier1 and so are some others3 but so  

it is4 ,it is an excellent thing1 for   
any ,melanesian soon acquires another   
,melanesian language1 however different 
the vocabulary may be4 ,their ideas and 
thoughts and many of their customs are  
similar1 the mode of life is similar1   
and their mode of expressing themselves 
similar4 ,they think in the same way1   
and therefore speak in the same way4    
,their mode of life is natural2 ours is 
highly artificial4 ,we are the creatures
 of a troublesome civilisation to an    
extent that one realises here4 ,when ,i 
go ashore for five weeks1 though ,i     
could carry all my luggage1 yet it must 
comprise a coffee-pot1 sugar1 biscuits1 
a cork bed1 some tins of preserved meat1
 candles1 books1 and my hut has a table 
and a stool1 and ,i have a cup1 saucer1 
plate1 knife1 fork1 and spoon4 ,my good 
friend ,george1 who ,i think is on the  
whole better dressed than ,i am1 and who
 has adopted several of our signs of    
civilisation1 finds the food1 cooking1  
and many of the ways of the island      

natural and congenial1 and would find   
them so throughout the ,pacific4  ',may 
#blst4--,the morning and evening school 
here is very nice4 ,i doubt if ,i am    
simple enough in my teaching4 ,i think  
,i teach too much at a time2 there is so
 much to be taught1 and ,i am so        
impatient1 ,i don't go slowly enough1   
though ,i do travel over the same ground
 very often4 ,some few certainly do take
 in a good deal4  ',a very hot day1     
after much rain4 ,this morning we took  
down our old wooden hut1 that was put up
 here by us six years ago4 ,parts of it 
are useless1 for in our absence the rain
 damaged it a good deal4 ,i mean to take
 it across to ,arau1 ,henry ,tagalana's 
little island1 for there1 even in very  
wet weather1 there is little fear of    
ague1 the soil being light and sandy4   
,it would be a great thing to escape    
from the rich soil and luxuriant        
vegetation in the wet months1 if any one
 of us spent a long time here4 ,it was  
hot work1 but soon over4 ,it only took  

about two and a half hours to take down1
 and stack all the planks1 rafters1 c4  
,two fellows worked well1 and some      
others looked on and helped now and     
then4  ',i have had some pleasant       
occupation for an hour or so each day in
 clearing away the bush1 which in one   
year grows up surprisingly here4 ,many  
lemon1 citron1 and orange trees that we 
planted some years ago4 cocoa-nut trees 
also1 were almost1 some quite overgrown1
 quite hidden1 and our place looked and 
was quite small and close2 but one or   
two hours for a few days1 spent in      
clearing1 have made a great difference4 
,i have planted out about twenty-five   
lemon suckers1 and as many pine-apples1 
for our old ones were growing everywhere
 in thick clumps1 and ,i have to thin   
them out4  ',yesterday was a great day2 
we cut down two large trees1 round one  
of which ,i had carelessly planted      
orange1 lemon1 and cocoa-nut trees1 so  
that we did not know how to fell it so  
as to avoid crushing some fine young    

trees2 but the tree took the matter into
 its own hands1 for it was hollow in the
 centre1 and fell suddenly1 so that the 
fellows holding the rope could not guide
 it1 and it fell at right angles to the 
direction we had chosen1 but right      
between all the trees1 without seriously
 hurting one4 ,it quite reminds me of   
old tree-cutting days at ,feniton2 only 
here ,i see no oaks1 nor elms1 nor      
beeches1 nor firs1 only bread-fruit     
trees and almond trees1 and many        
fruit-bearing trees--oranges1 c41 and   
guavas and custard-apples--growing up   
7all being introduced by us71 and the   
two gigantic banyan trees1 north and    
south of my little place4 ,it is so very
 pretty6  ',i don't trouble myself much 
about cooking4 ,my little canteen is    
capital2 and ,i can make myself all     
sorts of good things1 if ,i choose to   
take the trouble1 and some days ,i do   
so4 ,i bake a little bread now and then1
 and natter myself it is uncommonly     
good2 and one four-pound tin of         

,bloxland's preserved meat from         
,queensland has already lasted me twelve
 days1 and there is about half of it    
remaining4 ,he reckons each pound well  
soaked and cooked to be equal to three  
pounds1 and ,i think he is right4 ,a    
very little of this1 with a bit of yam  
deliciously cooked1 and brought to me   
each day as a present by some one from  
their cooking ovens1 makes a capital    
dinner4 ,then ,i have some rice and     
sugar for breakfast1 a biscuit and      
coffee1 and a bit of bread-fruit        
perhaps2 and all the little delicacies  
are here--salt1 pepper1 mustard1 even to
 a bottle of pickles--so ,i am pretty   
well off1 ,i think4  ',i find that the  
white ant1 or an insect like it1 is     
here4 ,the plates of our old hut are    
quite rotten1 the outside still         
untouched1 all within like tinder4 ,they
 call the insect vanoa2 it is not found 
in ,new ,zealand1 but it is a sad       
nuisance in ,australia4  ',i do not read
 much here this time1 so much of every  

day is taken up with talking to the     
people about me4 ,that is all right1 and
 ,i generally can turn the talk to      
something that ,i wish them to hear1 so 
it is all in the way of business here4  
,and ,i am glad to say that my school1  
and conversations and lessons1 need some
 careful preparation4 ,i have spent some
 time in drawing up for myself a little 
scheme of teaching for people in the    
state of my friends here4 ,i ought of   
course to have done it long ago1 and it 
is a poor thing now4 ,i cannot take a   
real pleasure in teaching1 and so ,i do 
it badly4 ,i am always1 almost always1  
glad when school is over1 though        
sometimes ,i get much interested myself1
 though not often able to interest      
others4  ',i am reading some ,hebrew    
nearly every day1 and ,lightfoot on the 
,galatians1 ,tyler's ,researches into   
the ,early ,history of ,mankind1        
,dollinger's ,first ,ages of the        
,church1 and ,ecce ,homo4 ,i tried      
,maine's ,ancient ,law1 but it is too   

tough for the tropics1 unless ,i chance 
to feel very fresh4 ,i generally get an 
hour in the evening1 if ,i am sleeping  
at home4  ',may #bcrd4--,i suppose      
anyone who has lived in a dirty ,irish  
village--pigs1 fowls1 and children      
equally noisy and filthy1 and the       
parents wild1 ignorant1 and             
impulsive--may have some notion of this 
kind of thing4 ,you never get a true    
account1 much less a true illustration  
of the real thing4 ,did you happen to   
see a ridiculous engraving on one of the
 ,s4 ,p4 ,gr4 sheets some years ago1    
supposed to be me taking two ,ambrym    
boys to the boat8 7,footnote3 ,no such  
engraving can be found by the ,s4 ,p4   
,gr4 ,it was probably put forth in some 
other publication47 ,now it is much     
better not to draw at all than to draw  
something which can only mislead people4
 ,if ,ambrym boys really looked like    
those two little fellows1 and if the    
boat with bland-looking white men could 
quietly be pulled to the beach1 and if  

,i1 in a respectable dress1 could go to 
and from the boat and the shore1 why the
 third stage of ,mission work has been  
reached already6 ,i don't suppose you   
can picture to yourselves the real state
 of things in this1 and in many of these
 islands1 and therefore the great       
difficulty there is in getting them out 
of their present social1 or unsocial1   
state6  ',to follow ,christian teaching 
out in detail1 to carry it out from the 
school into the hut1 into the actual    
daily life of the dirty naked women1 and
 still dirtier though not more naked    
children2 to get the men really to      
abandon old ways from a sense of        
responsibility and duty and love to     
,god1 this of course comes very slowly4 
,i am writing very lazily1 being indeed 
tired with heat and mosquitos4 ,the sun 
is very hot again to-day4 ,i have no    
thermometer here1 but it feels as if it 
ought to be #ij in the shade4  ',may    
#beth4--,george ,sarawia spent yesterday
 here1 and has just gone to his village4

 ,he and ,i had a good deal of          
conversation4 ,i copied out for him the 
plan of teaching drawn up from books    
already printed in their language4 ,he  
speaks encouragingly1 and is certainly  
recognised as one who is intended to be 
the teacher here4 ,no one is surprised  
that he should be treated by me in a    
very different way from anyone else1    
with a complete confidence and a mutual 
understanding of each other4 ,he is a   
thoroughly good1 simple-minded fellow1  
and ,i hope1 by ,god's blessing1 he may 
do much good4 ,he told me that ,b----   
wants to come with me again2 but ,i     
cannot take him4 ,as we have been living
 properly1 and for the sake of the head 
school and our character in the eyes of 
the people here1 ,i cannot take him     
until he shows proof of a real desire to
 do his duty4 ,i am very sorry for it4  
,i have all the old feeling about him2  
and he is so quick and intelligent1 but 
he allows himself again and again to be 
overcome by temptation1 hard ,i dare say

 to withstand2 but this conduct does    
disqualify him for being chosen to go   
with us4 ,i am leaving behind some good 
but dull boys1 for ,i can't make room as
 yet for them1 and ,i must not take an  
ill-conducted fellow because he is quick
 and clever4 ,he has some sort of       
influence in the place from his         
quickness1 and from his having acquired 
a good deal of riches while with us4 ,he
 says nothing1 according to ,sarawia1   
for or against our teaching4 ,meanwhile1
 he lives much like a somewhat civilised
 native4 ,poor fellow6 ,i sent a message
 to him by ,george that if he wished to 
see me1 ,i should be very willing to    
have a talk with him4  ',yesterday we   
made some sago4 ,a tree is cut down in  
its proper stage of growth1 just when it
 begins to flower4 ,the pith is pulled  
and torn into shreds and fibres1 then   
the juice is squeezed out so as to allow
 it to run or drip into some vessel1    
while water is poured on the pith by    
some one assisting the performer4 ,the  

grounds 7as say of coffee7 remain at the
 bottom when the water is poured off1   
and an hour of such a sun as we had     
yesterday dries and hardens the sago4   
,it is then fit for use4 ,i suppose that
 it took an hour and a half to prepare  
about a slop-basin full of the dried    
hard sago4 ,i have not used it vet4 ,we 
brought tapioca here some years ago1 and
 they used it in the same way1 and they 
had abundance of arrow-root4 ,on ,monday
 ,i will make some1 if all is well4 ,any
 fellow is willing to help for a few    
beads or fish-hooks1 and they do all the
 heavy work1 the fetching water1 c4  ',i
 never saw anything like the pigeons in 
the great banyan tree close by4 ,they   
eat its berries1 and ,i really think    
there are at times more than a hundred  
at once in it4 ,had ,i a gun here ,i    
think ,i might have brought down three  
or four at a shot yesterday1 sitting    
shot of course1 but then ,i should shoot
 for the pot4 ,palmer had his gun here  
last year1 and shot as many as he wanted

 at any time4 ,the bats at night are    
innumerable2 they too eat the banyan    
berries1 but chiefly the ripening       
bread-fruit4 ,the cats we brought here  
have nearly cleared the place of the    
small rats which used to abound here2   
but lizards abound in this hut1 because 
it is not continually smoke-dried4      
',last night ,i think some of the people
 here heard some rather new notions1 to 
them1 about the true relation of man and
 woman1 parent and child1 c4 ,they said1
 as they do often say1 ,every word is   
true6 how foolish we are6 ,but how to   
get any of them to start on a new course
 is the question4  ',ascension ,day1    
,may #cjth4--,there is a good deal of   
discussion going on now among the       
people4 ,i hear of it not only from our 
old scholars1 but from some of the men4 
,i have been speaking day by day more   
earnestly to the people2 always reading 
here and there verses of the ,gospels or
 the ,acts1 or paraphrasing some passage
 so that they may have the actual words 

in which the message is recorded4 ,they 
say1 ,this is a heavy1 a weighty word1  
and they are talking1 as they say1 night
 after night about it4 ,some few1 and   
they elderly men1 say1 ,let us talk only
 about our customs here4 ,others say1   
,no1 no2 let us try to think out the    
meaning of what he said4 ,a few come and
 ask me questions1 only a few1 not many 
are in earnest1 and all are shy4 ,many  
every night meet in ,robert ,pantatun's 
house1 twenty-five or thirty1 and ask   
him all manner of questions1 and he     
reads a little4 ,they end with prayer4  
',they have many strange customs and    
superstitious observances peculiar to   
this group4 ,they have curious clubs1   
confraternities with secret rites of    
initiation4 ,the candidate for admission
 pays pigs and native money1 and after  
many days' seclusion in a secret place  
is1 with great ceremony1 recognised as a
 member4 ,no woman and none of the      
uninitiated may know anything of these  
things4  ',in every village there is a  

,sala ,goro1 a place for cooking1 which 
only those who have gazed at the sacred 
symbol may frequent4 ,food cooked there 
may not be eaten by one uninitiated1 or 
by women or children4 ,the path to the  
,sala ,goro is never trodden by any     
woman or matanomorous 7eye closed74     
,when any ceremony is going on the whole
 of the precincts of the ,sala ,goro are
 sacred4 ,at no time dare any woman eat 
with any man1 no husband with his wife1 
no father with his daughter as soon as  
she is no longer a child4  ',of course  
such a system can be used by us in two  
ways4 ,i say1 ,you have your method of  
assembling together1 and you observe    
certain customs in so doing2 so do we1  
but yours is an exclusive and selfish   
system3 your secret societies are like  
our clubs1 with their entrance fees1 c4 
,but ,christ's society has its sacred   
rite of admission1 and other mysteries  
too1 and it is for all who wish to      
belong to it4 ,he recognises no         
distinction of male or female1 bond or  

free4  ',some of the elder men are      
becoming suspicious of me4 ,i tell them 
plainly that whatever there may be in   
their customs incompatible with the     
great law of ,love to ,god and man must 
come to nought4 ,you beat and terrify   
matanomorous in order to make them give1
 that you may get pigs and native money 
from them4 ,such conduct is all wrong1  
for if you beat or frighten a youth or  
man1 you certainly can't love him4  ',at
 the same time ,i can't tell how far    
this goes4 ,if there were a real        
ceremony of an idol or prayer to it1 of 
course it would be comparatively easy to
 act in the matter2 but the ceremony    
consists in sticking a curious sort of  
mitre1 pointed and worked with hair1 on 
the head of the candidate1 and covering 
his body with a sort of ,jack-in-the    
green wicker work of leaves1 c41 and    
they joke and laugh about it1 and       
attach1 apparently1 no religious        
significance to it whatever4  ',i think 
it has the evil which attends all secret

 societies1 that it tends to produce    
invidious distinctions and castes4 ,an  
instinct impels men to form themselves  
into associations2 but then ,christ has 
satisfied that instinct legitimately in 
the ,church4  ',christianity does meet a
 human instinct2 as1 e4g41 the ,lord's  
,supper1 whatever higher and deeper     
feelings it may have1 has this simple1  
but most significant meaning to the     
primitive convert1 of feasting as a     
child with his brethren and sisters at  
the ,father's ,board4  ',the            
significance of this to people living as
 more than half the human beings in the 
world are living still1 is such as we   
have lost the power of conceiving2 the  
,lord's ,supper has so long had1 so to  
say1 other meanings for many of us4 ,yet
 to be admitted a member of ,god's      
family1 and then solemnly at stated     
times to use this privilege of          
membership1 strengthening the tie1 and  
familiarising oneself more and more with
 the customs of that heavenly family1   

this surely is a very great deal of what
 human instinct1 as exhibited in almost 
universal customs1 requires4  ',there   
are depths for those who can dive into  
them2 but ,i really think that in some  
of these theological questions we view  
the matter solely from our state of     
civilisation and thought1 and forget the
 multitudes of uneducated1 rude1        
unrefined people to whom all below the  
simple meaning is unmeaning4 ,may ,i not
 say to ,robert ,pantatun1 ,christ1 you 
know1 gave ,his ,body and ,blood for us 
on the ,cross1 ,he gives them to you    
now1 for all purposes of saving you and 
strengthening your spiritual life1 while
 you eat and drink as an adopted child  
at your ,father's ,table8  ',it is the  
keeping alive the consciousness of the  
relation of all children to ,god through
 ,christ that is needed so much4 ,and   
with these actual sights before me1 and 
you have them among you in the hundreds 
of thousands of poor ignorant creatures1
 ,i almost wonder that men should spend 

so much time in refining upon points    
which never can have a practical meaning
 for any persons not trained to habits  
of accurate thought and unusual         
devotion4 ,but here ,i am very likely   
wrong1 and committing the very fault of 
generalizing from my own particular     
position4  ',june #dth4--,i was greatly 
pleased1 on ,friday evening last which  
,george ,sarawia spent here with me1 to 
hear from him that he had been talking  
with the ,banks ,islanders at ,norfolk  
,island1 and on board ship1 about a plan
 which he now proposed to me4 ,i had    
indeed thought of it1 but scarcely saw  
my way4 ,it is a new proof of his real  
earnestness1 and of his seeking the good
 of his people here4 ,the plan is       
this3--  ',g4 ,s4 ,bishop1 we have been 
talking together about your buying some 
land here1 near your present place1     
where we all can live together1 where we
 can let the people see what our mode of
 life is1 what our customs are1 which we
 have learnt from you4  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4    

,capital1 ,george1 but are you all      
willing to give up your living in       
villages among your own particular      
relations8  ',g4 ,s4 ,yes1 we all agreed
 about it4 ,you see1 sir1 if we live    
scattered about we are not strong enough
 to hold our ground1 and some of the    
younger ones fall back into their old   
ways4 ,the temptations are great1 and   
what can be expected of one or two boys 
among eighty or ninety heathen people8  
',j4 ,c4 ,p4 ,of course you know what ,i
 think about it4 ,it is the very thing  
,i have always longed for4 ,i did have a
 general school here1 as you know4  ',g4
 ,s4 ,yes1 but things are different now4
 ,people are making enquiries4 ,many    
young fellows want to understand our    
teaching1 and follow it4 ,if we have a  
good large place of our own there1 we   
can carry on our own mode of living     
without interfering with other people4  
',j4 ,g4 ,p4 ,yes1 and so we can1       
actually in the midst of them1 let them 
see a ,christian village1 where none of 

the strange practices which are         
inconsistent with ,christianity will be 
allowed1 and where the comforts and     
advantages of our customs may be        
actually seen4  ',g4 ,s4 ,by-and-by it  
will be a large village1 and many will  
wish to live there1 and not from many   
parts of ,mota only4  ',well1 ,i have   
told you1 ,i suppose1 of the fertility  
of this island1 and how it is far more  
than sufficient to supply the wants of  
the people4 ,food is wasted on all      
sides4 ,this very day ,i have plucked   
ten large bread-fruits1 and might have  
plucked forty now nearly ripe1 simply   
that the bats may not get them4 ,i gave 
them away1 as ,i can't eat more than a  
third part of one at a meal4  ',so ,i   
went with ,george on ,saturday1 and we  
chose such a beautiful property1 between
 ,veverao and ,maligo1 ,i dare say about
 ten acres4 ,then ,i spoke to the people
 here1 explaining my wishes and motives4
 ,to-day we have been over it with a    
large party1 that all might be done     

publicly and everybody might hear and   
know4 ,the land belongs to sixteen      
different owners2 the cocoa-nut trees1  
breadfruit1 almond1 and other           
fruit-trees are bought separately4      
',they all agree2 indeed1 as they have  
abundance of space of spare land just as
 good all about1 and they will get a    
good stock of hatchets1 pigs1 c41 from  
me1 for this land1 there is not much    
doubt about that4 ,but it is pleasant to
 hear some of them say1 ,no1 no1 that is
 mine and my son's1 and he is your boy4 
,you can have that for nothing4  ',i    
shan't take it2 it is safer to buy1 but 
it is pleasant to see the kind feeling4 
',if it be ,god's will to prosper this  
undertaking1 we should begin next year  
with about fifteen of our own scholars1 
and a goodly number of half-scholars1   
viz41 those who are now our regular     
scholars here1 but have not been taken  
to ,new ,zealand4  ',fencing1 clearing1 
c41 could go on rapidly4 ,many would    
help1 and small payments of beads and   

fish-hooks can always secure a man's    
services4  ',i should build the houses  
with the material of the island1 save   
only windows1 but adopt of course a     
different shape and style for them4 ,the
 idea would be to have everything native
 fashion1 but improved1 so as to be     
clearly suitable for the wants of people
 sufficiently civilised4 ,all that a    
,christian finds helpful and expedient  
we ought to have1 but to adopt ,english 
notions and habits would defeat my      
object4 ,the people could not adopt     
them1 there would be no teaching for    
them4 ,i want to be able to say3 ,well1 
you see1 there is nothing to prevent you
 from having this and that1 and your    
doing this and that4  ',we must have    
some simple rules about cleanliness1    
working hours1 c41 but all that is      
already familiar to those who have been 
with us at ,kohimarama and ,norfolk     
,island4 ,above all1 ,i rejoice in the  
thought that the people understand that 
very soon this plan is to be worked by  

,george ,sarawia4 ,he is to be the1 so  
to say1 head of the ,christian village4 
,i shall be a kind of ,visitor4 ,palmer 
will1 of course1 be wanted at first1 but
 must avoid the fault of letting the    
people1 our own pupils as well as       
others1 become dependent upon us4 ,the  
,paraguay ,mission produced docile      
good-natured fags for the missionaries1 
but the natives had learnt no           
self-respect1 manliness1 nor positive   
strength of character4 ,they fought     
well1 and showed pluck when the         
missionaries armed them1 but they seem  
to have had no power of perpetuating    
their newly-learnt customs1 without the 
continual guidance of the missionaries4 
,it may be that such supervision is     
necessary2 but ,i do not think it is so1
 and ,i should be sorry to think it is  
so4'  ,as usual1 the ,mota climate told 
on the health of the party1 there was   
general influenza1 and the ,bishop had a
 swelling under his left arm2 but on    
,whitsunday the ',southern ,cross1'     

which had been to set down the ,solomon 
,islanders1 returned1 and carried him   
off4 ,vanua ,lava was touched at1 and a 
stone1 carved by ,john ,adams1 put up at
 ,fisher ,young's grave1 which was      
found1 as before1 well kept in order4   
,then the round of the ,new ,hebrides   
was made2 but new volunteers were       
refused1 or told to wait ten moons1 as  
it was an object to spend the first     
season in the new locality with tried   
scholars4  ,at 'the grand island1       
miscalled ,leper's1' the ,bishop slept  
ashore for the first time1 and so also  
at ,whitsuntide4  ,at ,espiritu ,santo  
much friendliness was shown1 and a man  
would not take a present ,mr4 ,atkin    
offered1 because he had nothing1 to pay 
for it4 ,santa ,cruz1 as usual1 was     
disappointing1 as1 ,mr4 ,atkin says1 the
 only word in their mouths1 the only    
thought in their heads1 was 'iron2' they
 clamoured for this1 and would not      
listen2 moreover1 their own             
pronunciation of their language was very

 indistinct1 owing to their teeth being 
destroyed by the use of the betel-nut1  
so that they all spoke like a man with a
 hot potato in his mouth4  ',so again we
 leave this fine island without any     
advance1 as far as we can see1 having   
been made4 ,i may live to think these   
islanders very wild1 and their speech   
very difficult1 yet ,i know no more of  
them now than ,i did years ago4 ,yet ,i 
hope that some unforeseen means for     
entering in among them may be given some
 day4 ,their time is to come1 sooner or 
later1 when ,he knows it to be the right
 time4'  ,savo was then touched at2 and 
the ,bishop slept ashore at ,florida1   
and left ,mr4 ,brooke there to the      
hospitality of three old scholars for a 
few days1 by way of making a beginning4 
,the observations on the plan show a    
strange sense of ageing at only forty3--
  ',he speaks the language fairly2 and  
his visit will1 ,i hope1 do good4 ,of   
course he will be tired1 and will enjoy 
the quiet of the schooner after it4 ,i  

know what that is pretty well1 and it   
takes something to make one prefer the  
little vessel at sea to any kind of     
shore life4 ,however1 he has youth and  
cheery spirits at command1 and that     
makes life on an island4 ,a man whose   
tastes naturally are for books1 c41     
rather than for small talk1 and who     
can't take much interest in the very    
trifling matters that engage the        
attention of these poor fellows1 such a 
man finds it very tiring indeed         
sometimes1 when a merry bright          
good-natured fellow would amuse himself 
and the natives too4  ',in these        
introductory visits1 scarcely anything  
is done or said that resembles ,mission 
work as invented in stories1 and        
described by the very vivid imagination1
 of sensational writers4 ,the crowd is  
great1 the noise greater1 the heat1 the 
dirt1 the inquisitiveness1 the endless  
repetition of the same questions and    
remarks1 the continual requests for a   
fish-hook1 for beads1 c4--this is       

somewhat unlike the interesting         
pictures1 in a ,missionary ,magazine1 of
 an amiable individual very correctly   
got up in a white tie and black tailed  
coat1 and a group of very attentive1    
decently-clothed and nicely-washed      
natives4 ,they are wild with excitement1
 not to hear the good news1 but to hear 
how the trading went on3 ,how many axes 
did they sell8 ,how many bits of iron8  
',you say1 ,why do you trade at all8    
,answer3 ,in the first visits that we   
make we should at once alienate all the 
goodwill of the people from us unless we
 so far complied with their desire to   
get iron tools1 or to trade more or less
 with them4 ,as soon as ,i can ,i give  
presents to three or four leading men1  
and then let the buying curiosities be  
carried on by the crew and others2 but  
not to trade at all would be equivalent 
to giving up hope of establishing any   
intercourse with the people4  ',but in  
new islands1 and upon our first visits1 
if we do get a chance of saying         

something amid the uproar1 what can we  
say about religion that will be         
intelligible to men whose language has  
never been used to express any thought  
of ours that we long to communicate1 and
 whose minds are pre-occupied by the    
visit of the vessel1 and the longing for
 our articles of trade8 ,sometimes we do
 try to say a few words2 sometimes we do
 a little better1 we get a hearing1 some
 persons listen with some interest2 but 
usually1 if we can merely explain that  
we don't come to trade1 though we trade 
to please them1 that we wish to take    
lads and teach them1 we are obliged to  
be satisfied4 ,teach them6 teach them   
what8 think the natives4 ,why1 one old  
hatchet would outweigh in their minds   
all that boy or man can gain from any   
teaching4 ,what appreciable value can   
reading1 writing1 wearing clothes1 c41  
have in their eyes8 ,so we must in first
 visits 7of which ,i am now thinking7 be
 thankful that we can in safety sleep on
 shore at all1 and regard the merely    

making friends with the people as a     
small beginning of ,mission work4       
',poor fellows6 they think it very      
strange6 ,as you lie down in the dark   
and try to sleep1 you presently feel    
hands stroking your arms and legs1 and  
feeling you about to make sure that the 
stranger has the same allowance of arms 
and legs that they have2 and you        
overhear such quaint remarks as you lie 
still1 afraid to let them know that you 
are awake1 lest they should oblige you  
to begin talking over again the same    
things that you have already said twenty
 times4'  ,mr4 ,brooke stayed four days 
at ,florida2 and came away with three   
former pupils1 and four new ones1 one of
 them grown up1 a relative of the       
leading man of the island4 ,taroniara   
was the only ,bauro scholar brought away
 this time2 but so many were taken from 
,mota that the whole party numbered     
thirty-seven1 seven of them girls1 all  
betrothed to one or other of the lads4  
,the entire colony at ,st4 ,barnabas1   

including ,english1 was thus raised to  
seventy1 when the ',southern ,cross'    
returned thither in ,august4 ,on the    
#bcrd1 ,bishop ,patteson writes3--  ',i 
wish you could see this place and the   
view from this room4 ,i have only got   
into it within this hour4 ,the          
carpenters are just out of it4 ,you know
 that ,i left ,palmer here about eleven 
months ago1 on the return from that     
island voyage4 ,he had sixteen lads with
 him1 of whom eleven were good stout    
fellows4  ',he did work wonderfully4    
,the place ,i chose for the site of the 
station is about three miles from the   
settlement--the town1 as the people call
 it4 ,if you have a map of the island1  
you will see ,longridge on the western  
part of it4 ,follow on the principal    
road1 which goes on beyond ,longridge in
 a ,n4 and ,,nw4 direction1 and about a 
mile beyond ,longridge is our station4  
,the top of ,mount ,pitt is nearly      
opposite our houses1 of which two are   
now habitable1 though not finished4 ,the

 third1 which is the house at           
,kohimarama which ,i had for one year1  
and in which ,sir ,w4 and ,lady ,martin 
spent ten days1 will be begun on ,monday
 next1 ,i hope4 ,the labour of getting  
all these things from ,new ,zealand and 
then landing them 7for there is no      
harbour71 and then carting them up here 
7for there are no really good horses    
here1 but the two ,i bought and sent    
down71 was very considerable4 ,palmer   
and his boys worked admirably4 ,he was  
industrious indeed4 ,he and they lived  
at first in a little cottage1 about     
three-quarters of a mile from our place1
 i4e41 about a quarter of a mile from   
,longridge4 ,during the first month1    
while they had no cart or horses as yet 
7for ,i had to send them down from      
,auckland71 they fenced in some lands   
7the wire for which ,i had bought at    
,sydney1 and a man-of-war brought it    
hither71 planted yams 7which grow       
excellently1 such a crop never was seen 
here7 and sweet potatoes1 melons1       

vegetables1 c4 ,meanwhile1 the timber   
for the houses was being sent as ,i had 
opportunity1 a large quantity having    
been already taken to ,norfolk ,island  
in a man-of-war4 ,luckily1 timber was   
selling very cheap at ,auckland4        
',after this first month1 ,palmer set to
 work at house building4 ,he built      
entirely by himself1 save the chimney   
and some part of the shingling 7wooden  
roofing74 ,as yet1 no rooms have any    
ceiling or lining2 they might by        
innocent people be thought to resemble  
barns1 but they are weather-proof1      
strong1 and answer all present purposes4
 ,the verandah1 about #h feet broad1 is 
another great room really4  ',i am still
 buying and sending down bricks1 timber1
 c4 ,two ,auckland carpenters1          
thoroughly steady men1 left ,norfolk    
,island1 about three weeks after we left
 it1 for the ,melanesian islands4 ,they 
have been putting up my special         
building4 ,we have no doors like hall   
doors1 as all the rooms open with glass 

doors on to the verandah1 and they are  
the doors for going in and out4         
,comprenez-vous8 ,the ground slopes away
 from these two houses for some #bjj    
yards or more to a little stream2 and   
this slope is all covered with sweet    
potatoes and vegetables1 and ,codrington
 and ,palmer have planted any number of 
trees1 bushes1 flowers1 c4 ,everything  
grows1 and grows luxuriantly4 ,such     
soil1 such a climate6  ',by-and-by ,i   
shall have1 ,i hope1 such myrtles and   
azaleas1 kalmias and crotons1 and       
pine-apples and almond trees1 bananas   
and tree-ferns1 and magnolias and       
camellias1 c41 all in the open air4     
',the ground slopes up beyond the little
 stream1 a beautiful wooded bank1 wooded
 with many kinds of trees and bushes1   
large ,norfolk ,island pines2 cattle and
 sheep stray about4 ,oh6 how very pretty
 it is6 ,and then beyond and above this 
first slope1 the eye travels along the  
slopes of the ,pitt to its summit1 about
 #a1jjj feet1 a pretty little hill4 ,it 

is1 indeed1 a calm peaceful scene1 away 
from noise and bustle1 plenty of        
pleasant sounds of merry boys working in
 the gardens1 and employing themselves  
in divers ways4 ,the prospect is 7,d4   
,gr47 a very happy one4 ,it is some     
pleasure to work here1 where the land   
gives her increase indeed4  ',all seem  
very happy and well pleased with the    
place4 ,i don't see how it can be       
otherwise1 and yet to the young people  
there may be something attractive in    
society4 ,but the young ones must       
occasionally go to ,auckland or ,sydney1
 or whithersoever they please1 for a two
 or three months' holiday4 ,for me1 what
 can ,i desire more than this place     
affords8 ,more than half of each year   
spent here if ,i live1 and quietly1 with
 any amount of work1 uninterrupted work1
 time for quiet reading and thought4    
,this room of mine in which ,i now am   
sitting is magnifique1 my dear ,joan2   
seriously1 a very good room4 ,you see it
 will be full of boys and girls2 and ,i 

must have in it many things1 not books  
only1 for the general use of all here1  
so that ,i determined to make it a nice 
place at once4  ',this room then1 nicely
 lined1 looking rather like a wooden    
box1 it is true1 but clean and airy1 is 
#bb feet x #ad feet #f in41 and the wall
 plates #i feet #f in4 high1 the ceiling
 coved a little1 so as to be nearly #ad 
feet high in the centre4 ,what do you   
think of that for a room8 ,it has a     
fire-place1 and wide verandah1 which is 
nearly #f feet above the ground1 so that
 ,i am high and dry1 and have all the   
better view too1 quite a grand flight of
 steps--a broad ladder--up into my      
house4 ,the ,mahaga lads and ,i call it 
my tree-house4  ',then ,i have one great
 luxury4 ,i thought ,i would have it1   
and it is so nice4 ,my room opens into  
the ,chapel by red baize swinging doors2
 my private entrance1 for there is a    
regular porch where the rest go in4     
',service at #g ,a4,m4 and #h ,p4,m4    
,but it is always open1 boys come in of 

a morning to say their private prayers1 
for sleeping together in one room they  
have little privacy there4 ,and ,i can  
go in at all hours4 ,soon it will become
 a sacred spot to us4 ,it is really like
 a ,chapel4  ',august #bgth4--,your     
birthday1 my dear old ,fan6 ,god bless  
you1 and grant you all true happiness1  
and the sense of being led onwards to   
the eternal peace and joy above4 ,the   
parting here is a long one2 and likely  
to be a parting for good1 as far as this
 world is concerned4  ',last night was  
the coldest night that they have had    
during the whole winter2 the thermometer
 touched #dc--;,codrington has regular  
registering thermometers1 so you see    
what a charming climate this is for us4 
,palmer was here all the summer1 and he 
says that the heat1 though great as     
marked by thermometer1 was never trying1
 relaxing1 and unfitting for work1 as at
 ,kohimarama4'  ,thus began the first   
period of the residence in ,norfolk     
,island2 where ,mr4 ,codrington's       

account of the way of life shall        
supplement the above3--  ',when the     
,bishop returned in ,august #ahfg1 our  
party consisted of himself1 ,mr4 ,palmer
 in ,deacon's orders1 and myself1 ,mr4  
,atkin and ,mr4 ,brooke already         
experienced in the work1 and ,mr4 ,bice1
 who had with myself lately arrived from
 ,england4 ,the whole number of         
,melanesians was about sixty2 among the 
eldest of these the most intelligent and
 advanced of the few then baptized1     
,george1 ,henry1 ,b----1 ,robert and    
,edward4 ,there were then1 ,i think1    
thirteen baptized1 and two              
,communicants4 ,to this elder class1 the
 ,bishop1 as far as ,i can recollect1   
devoted the greater part of his time4   
,he said that now for the first time he 
was able without interruption to set to 
work to teach them1 and he certainly    
made great progress in those months4 ,i 
remember that every evening they used to
 sit in ,chapel after prayers1 and      
consider what difficulty or question    

they should propound to him2 and he     
would come in after a time1 and1 after  
hearing the question1 discuss the       
subject1 discourse upon it1 and end with
 prayer4 ,they were at the time1 ,i     
remember1 much impressed by this2 and   
those who were the most advanced took in
 a great deal of an elevated strain of  
doctrine which1 no doubt1 passed over   
the heads of the greater number1 but not
 without stirring up their hearts4  ',it
 became a regular custom on the evening 
before the ,communion ,sunday1 i4e41    
every other ,sunday1 to give the        
,communicants instruction and           
preparation after the ,chapel service4  
,at this time there was no ,sunday      
sermon in ,chapel4 ,the ,bishop used to 
say that the preaching was done in the  
school2 but much of his school was of a 
hortatory kind in the ,chapel1 and often
 without taking off the surplice4  ',at 
this time ,i should add that he used    
from time to time to have other boys    
with him to school1 and particularly    

,solomon ,islanders1 whose languages he 
alone could generally speak4 ,he had    
also a good deal with him the second set
 of eight ,banks ,islanders1 who were by
 this time recognised ,catechumens4     
',there were other occupations of the   
,bishop's time1 besides his school with 
,melanesians4 ,the hour from #ab to #a  
was devoted to instruction given to the 
two young men1 one from ,new ,zealand   
and one a son of ,mr4 ,nobbs1 who were  
working with the ,mission2 and on       
alternate days to the younger members of
 the ,mission1 who were being prepared  
for ,ordination4  ',the reading with the
 younger clergy continued to be to the  
last one of the most regular and most   
fruitful of the ,bishop's engagements4  
,the education which ,mr4 ,atkin had for
 many years received from the ,bishop   
had set him considerably above the      
average of young ,english clergy1 not   
only in scholarship and information1 but
 also in habits of literary industry4   
,the ,bishop1 with his own great        

interest in ,hebrew1 enjoyed very much  
his ,hebrew reading with ,mr4 ,atkin and
 ,mr4 ,bice4  ',the ,bishop also began  
as soon as he could to pay attention to 
the teaching of the young ,norfolk      
,islanders4 ,he preached very often in  
their ,church1 and went down on         
,wednesdays to take a class of          
candidates for ,confirmation4 ,he said1 
and ,i believe with truth1 that he      
wasted a great deal of time in preparing
 his lessons with the candidates for    
,ordination or younger clergy2 that is1 
he looked up the subject in some book1  
and read on and on till he had gone far 
beyond the point in search of which he  
started1 and had no time left to take up
 the other points which belonged to the 
subject he had in view4 ,i should say he
 was always a desultory scholar1 reading
 very much and to very great purpose1   
but being led continually from one      
subject or one book to another long     
before coming to an end of the first4   
,he was always so dissatisfied with what

 he did1 that whereas there are         
remaining several beginnings of one or  
two pages on one subject or another1    
there is no paper of his which is more  
than a fragment--that is1 in ,english4  
,there is one series of ,notes on the   
,catechism in ,mota complete4 ,in those 
days ,i was not myself able to converse 
sufficiently in ,mota to learn much from
 the elder boys about the teaching they 
were receiving2 but it was evident that 
they were much impressed and stirred up1
 they spent much time with their books  
by themselves1 and one could not fail to
 form a high estimate of the work that  
was going on4 ,now they say they never  
had school like that before or since4   
,the ,bishop was1 in fact1 luxuriating  
in the unbroken opportunity of pouring  
out instruction to intelligent and      
interested scholars4 ,i think it was    
altogether a happy time to him2 he      
enjoyed the solitude1 the advantages of 
the move to the island were apparent in 
the school work1 and were anticipated in

 the farm1 and the hope of doing        
something for the ,pitcairn people1     
which ,i believe had much to do with    
fixing the ,mission here1 was fresh4'   
,this judgment is thoroughly borne out  
by the ,bishop's own letter to his      
sisters of ,october #bg1 wherein it     
appears how considerable an element of  
his enjoyment and comfort was ,mr4      
,codrington's own companionship1 partly 
as a link with the younger members of   
the little community3--  ',do ,i feel   
doubtful about an early ,communion      
,service1 ,codrington1 when ,i broach   
the matter1 takes it up more eagerly    
almost than ,i do2 and then ,i leave him
 to talk with the others1 who could     
hardly differ from me on such a point if
 they wished to do so1 but will speak   
freely to him4 ,not that1 mind1 ,i am   
aware of there being anything like a    
feeling of distance between me and them1
 but necessarily they must just feel    
that ,i am forty and their ,bishop1 and 
so ,i might perhaps influence them too  

much1 which would be undesirable4       
',then ,i can talk with him on matters  
which of course have special interest   
for me1 for somehow ,i find that ,i     
scarcely ever read or think on any      
points which do not concern directly my 
work as clergyman or language-monger4   
,it is very seldom that ,i touch a book 
which is not a commentary on the ,bible 
or a theological treatise1 scarcely     
ever1 and of course one likes to talk   
about those things of which one's mind  
is full4 ,that made the talks with the  
,judge so delightful4 ,now young people1
 of course1 have their heads full 7as ,i
 used to have mine7 of other things1 and
 so my talk would be dull and heavy to  
them4  ',no doubt1 if you had me at home
 you would find that ,i am pretty full  
of thoughts on some points1 but not very
 well able to express myself1 and to put
 my thoughts into shape4 ,it is partly  
want of habit1 because1 except as one   
speaks somewhat dictatorially to pupils1
 ,i do not arrange my ideas by          

conversing with others--to a great      
extent1 from want of inclination1 i4e41 
indolence1 and also ,i have not the     
brains to think out a really difficult  
subject4 ,i am amused occasionally to   
see what a false estimate others form of
 me in that way4 ,you see it has pleased
 ,god to give me one faculty in rather  
an unusual degree1 that of learning     
languages1 but in every other respect my
 abilities are very moderate indeed4    
,distance exaggerates of course1 and ,i 
get credit with some folks for what if  
,i had it would simply be a gift and no 
virtue in me2 but ,i attain anything ,i 
work at with very considerable labour1  
and my mind moves very sluggishly1 and  
,i am often very dull and stupid4 ,you  
may judge1 therefore1 of the great      
advantage of having a bright1 cheery1   
intelligent1 well-informed man among us1
 without whom every meal would be heavy 
and silent1 and we should 7by my fault7 
get into a mechanical grind4444  ',as   
for your own worthy ,brother1 ,i don't  

think ,i knew what rest meant till ,i   
got here4 ,i work1 in one sense1 as hard
 as before1 i4e41 from early morn till  
#aj ,p4,m41 with perhaps the            
intermission of a hour and a half for   
exercise1 besides the twenty minutes for
 each of the three meals2 and did my    
eyes allow it1 ,i could go on devouring 
books much later4 ,but then ,i am not   
interrupted and distracted by the       
endless occupation of the ,new ,zealand 
life4 ,oh6 how utterly distasteful to me
 were all those trustee meetings1 those 
,english duties of all kinds1 and most  
of all1 those invasions of ,kohimarama  
by persons for whom ,i could get up no  
interest4 ,i am not defending these     
idiosyncrasies as if they were all      
right1 but stating what ,i felt and what
 ,i feel4 ,i am indeed very happy here2 
,i trust not less useful in my way4     
,school of course flourishes4 ,you would
 be surprised at the subjects that ,i   
and my first class work at4 ,no lack of 
brains6 ,perhaps ,i can express it      

briefly by saying that ,i have felt for 
a year or more the need of giving them  
the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,because they
 were ready1 thank ,god1 for those      
marvellous discourses and arguments in  
that blessed ,gospel1 following upon the
 record of miracles wrought or events   
that happened4  ',of course the         
knowledge of the facts must come first1 
but there was always in school with     
me--either they have it as a natural    
gift1 or my teaching takes naturally    
that line--a tendency to go deeper than 
the mere apprehension of a fact1 a      
miracle wrought1 or a statement made4   
,the moral meaning of the miracle1 the  
principle involved in the less important
 expression of it1 or particular        
manifestation of it1 these points always
 of late ,i am able to talk about as to 
intelligent and interested listeners4 ,i
 have these last six weeks been         
translating ,st4 ,john2 it is nearly    
done4 ,think1 ,fan1 of reading1 as ,i   
did last night1 to a class of fifteen   

,melanesian ,christians1 the very words 
of ,st4 ,john vi4 for the first time in 
their ears6 ,they had heard me          
paraphrase much of it at different      
times4 ,i don't notice these things1    
unless 7as now7 ,i chance to write about
 them4 ,after #f ,p4,m4 ,chapel1 ,i     
remain with some of the lads1 the first 
class of boys1 men1 and women1 every    
night1 and in addition1 the second class
 every other night 7not on the nights   
when ,i have had them from #g to #h74 ,i
 used to catechise them at first1       
starting the subject myself4 ,now1 ,i   
rejoice to say1 half goes very quickly  
in answering questions1 of which they   
bring me plenty4  ,then1 at about #h4ej 
or #i1 ,i leave them alone in the       
,chapel 7which opens1 as you know1 into 
my sitting-room71 and there they stay   
till past #aj1 talking over points among
 themselves1 often two or three coming  
in to me1 ,bishop1 we can't quite make  
out this4 ,what do they know and ask8   
,well1 take such a subject as the second

 ,psalm1 and they will answer you1 if   
you ask them1 about prophecy and the    
prophetic state4 ,test them as to the   
idea they form of a spiritual vision of 
something seen1 but not with the fleshly
 eye1 and they will say1 ,yes1 our minds
 have that power of seeing things4 ,i   
speak of ,mota1 it is far off1 but as ,i
 speak of it1 ,i see my father and my   
mother and the whole place4 ,my mind has
 travelled to it in an instant4 ,i am   
there4 ,yes1 ,i see4 ,so ,david1 so     
,moses1 so ,st4 ,peter on the housetop1 
so ,st4 ,paul1 caught up into the third 
heaven1 so with his mind4  ',but was it 
like one of our dreams8  ',yes and      
,no--,yes1 because they were hardly like
 waking-men4 ,no1 because it was a real 
true vision which ,god made them see4   
',ask them about the object of prophecy1
 and they will say1 in quaint           
expression1 it is true1 what is         
tantamount to this--it was not only a   
prediction of things to come1 but a     
chief means of keeping before the minds 

of the ,jews the knowledge of ,god's    
true character as the moral ,governor of
 their nation1 and gradually the        
knowledge was given of ,his being the   
,lord and ,ruler of all men4 ,the       
,prophet was the teacher of the present 
generation as well as the utterer of    
truths that1 when fulfilled in after    
ages1 would teach future ages4  ',i     
mention these fragmentary sentiments1   
merely to show you how ,i can carry     
these fellows into a region where       
something more than memory must be      
exercised4 ,the recurrence of the same  
principles upon which ,god deals with us
 is an illustration of what ,i mean2    
e4g41 the ,redemption out of ,egypt from
 the ,captivity and the ,redemption     
involve the same principle4 ,so the     
principle of ,mediation runs through the
 ,bible1 the ,prophet1 ,priest1 ,king1  
c4 ,then go into the particular ,psalm1 
ask the meaning of the words1 ,anointed1
 ,prophet1 ,priest1 ,king--how our ,lord
 discharged and discharges these        

offices4 ,what was the decree8 ,the     
,anointed is ,his ,son4 ,this day have  
,i begotten ,thee--the ,eternal         
,generation--the ,birth from the grave4 
,his continual ,intercession4 ,take up  
,psalm cx41 the ,priest1 the ,priest for
 ever1 not after the order of ,aaron4   
,go into the ,aaronical ,priesthood4    
,sacrifices1 the idea of sacrifice1 the 
,mosaic ritual1 its fulfilment2 the     
principle of obedience1 as a consequence
 of ,faith1 common to ,old and ,new     
,testaments1 as1 indeed1 ,god's ,moral  
,law is unchangeable1 but the object of 
faith clearly revealed in the ,new      
,testament for the first time1 c41 c4   
',christ's ,mediatorial reign1 ,his     
annihilation of all opposition in the   
appointed time1 the practical ,lesson   
the ,wrath of the ,lamb4  ',often you   
would find that pupils who can be taught
 these things seem and are very ignorant
 of much simpler things2 but they have  
no knowledge of books1 as you are aware1
 and my object is to teach them pretty  

fully those matters which are really of 
the greatest importance1 while ,i may   
fill up the intervening spaces some day1
 if ,i live4 ,to spend such energy as   
they and ,i have upon the details of    
,jewish history1 e4g41 would be unwise4 
,the great lessons must be taught1 as1  
e4g41 ,st4 ,paul in #a ,cor4 x4 uses    
,jewish history4  ',october #ae1 ,i     
finished my last chapter of ,st4 ,john's
 ,gospel in the ,mota language2 we have 
also a good many of the ,collects and   
,gospels translated1 and some printed4  
,what is better than to follow the      
,church's selection of passages of      
,scripture1 and then to teach them      
devotionally in connection with the     
,collects8  ',brooke works away hard at 
his singing class in the afternoon4 ,we 
sing the ,venite1 ,magnificat1 ,nunc    
dimittis1 c41 in parts1 to single and   
double chants1 my old favourite ,jacob's
 for the ,venite1 also a fine chant of  
,g4 ,elvey's4 ,they don't sing at all   
well1 but nevertheless1 though apt to   

get flat1 and without good voices1 there
 is a certain body of sound1 and ,i like
 it4 ,brooke plays the harmonium nicely4
  ',the ,norfolk ,island people1 two or 
three only1 have been here at evening   
service1 and are extremely struck with  
the reverence of the ,melanesians4  ',i 
work away with my ,confirmation class1  
liking them personally1 but finding no  
indication of their having been taught  
to think in the least4 ,it is a relief  
to get back to the ,melanesians4'  ,the 
visit of the ,bishop of ,new ,zealand   
which had been hoped for1 had been      
prevented by the invitation to attend   
the ,synod of the ,church held at       
,lambeth1 in the autumn of #ahfg1 and   
instead of himself welcoming his        
friends1 ,bishop ,patteson was picturing
 them to himself staying with his       
sisters at ,torquay1 and joining in the 
,consecration ,services of the ,church  
of ,all ,saints1 at ,babbicombe1 where  
the altar stood1 fragrant with the      
sandal wood of the ,pacific isles4 ,the 

letters sent off by an opportunity in   
,november were to family and friends1   
both in ,england4 ,the one to his sister
 ,joanna narrates one of those incidents
 that touched the ,bishop most deeply3--
  ',on ,friday last we had such a very1 
very solemn service in our little       
,chapel4 ,walter ,hotaswol1 from        
,matlavo ,island1 is dying--he has long 
been dying1 ,i may say--of consumption4 
,for two winters past he has remained   
with us rather than in his own island1  
as he well knew that without good food  
and care he would sink at once4 ,years  
ago he was baptized1 and after much time
 spent in preparation1 ,tuesday1 at     
#g4cj ,a4,m41 was the day when we met in
 ,chapel4 ,walter leant back in a chair4
 ,the whole service was in the ,mota    
language1 and ,i administered the ,holy 
,communion to eleven of our ,melanesian 
scholars1 and last of all to him4 ,three
 others ,i trust ,i may receive to ,holy
 ,communion ,sunday next4 ,is not this a
 blessed thing8 ,i think of it with     

thankfulness and fear4 ,my old text     
comes into my mind--,your heart shall   
fear and be enlarged4 ,i think there is 
good hope that ,i may baptize soon seven
 or eight catechumens4'  ,the letter to 
,bishop ,selwyn despatched by the same  
vessel on ,november #af1 gives the first
 hint of that 'labour traffic' which    
soon became the chief obstacle to the   
,mission4  ,after describing an         
interview with an ,american captain1 he 
continues3--',reports are rife of a     
semi-legalised slave-trading between the
 ,south ,sea ,islands and ,new          
,caledonia and the white settlers in    
,fiji4 ,i have made a little move in the
 matter4 ,i wrote to a ,wesleyan        
,missionary in ,fiji 7,ovalau7 who sent 
me some books4 ,i am told that          
,government sanctions natives being     
brought upon agreement to work for pay1 
c41 and passage home in two years4 ,we  
know the impossibility of making        
contracts with ,new ,hebrides or        
,solomon natives4 ,it is a mere sham1 an

 evasion of some law1 passed1 ,i dare   
say1 without any dishonourable          
intention1 to procure colonial labour4  
,if necessary ,i will go to ,fiji or    
anywhere to obtain information4 ,but ,i 
saw a letter in a ,sydney paper which   
spoke strongly and properly of the      
necessity of the most stringent rules to
 prevent the white settlers from        
injuring the coloured men4'  ,so first  
loomed the cloud that was to become so  
fatal a darkening of the hopes of the   
,mission1 all the more sad because it   
was caused by ,christian men1 or men who
 ought to have been ,christian4 ,it will
 be seen1 however1 that ,bishop         
,patteson did not indiscriminately set  
his face against all employment of      
natives4 ,occupation and training in    
civilised customs were the very things  
he desired for them1 but the whole      
question lay in the manner of the thing4
 ,however1 to him as yet it was but a   
report1 and this ,advent and ,christmas 
of #ahfg were a very happy time4 ,a     

letter to me describes the crowning joy4
   ',norfolk ,island3 ,christmas ,day1  
#ahfg4  ',my dear ,cousin1--,one line to
 you to-day of ,christmas feelings and  
blessings4 ,indeed1 you are daily in my 
thoughts and prayers4 ,you would have   
rejoiced could you have seen us last    
,sunday or this morning at #g ,a4,m4    
,our fourteen ,melanesian ,communicants 
so reverent1 and 7apparently7 earnest4  
,on ,sunday ,i ordained ,mr4 ,palmer    
,priest1 ,mr4 ,atkin and ,mr4 ,brooke   
,deacons4  ',the service was a solemn   
one1 in the ,norfolk ,island ,church1   
the people joining heartily in the first
 ordination they had seen2 ,codrington's
 sermon excellent1 the singing good and 
thoroughly congregational1 and the whole
 body of confirmed persons remaining to 
receive the ,holy ,communion4 ,our own  
little ,chapel is very well decorated   
7,codrington again the leader7 with     
fronds of tree-ferns1 arums1 and lilies2
 ,emmanuel1 ,god amemina 7with us71 in  
large letters over the altar4  ',and now

 7#i4cj,p4,m47 they are practising      
,christmas hymns in ,mota for our #aa   
,a4,m4 service4 ,then we have a regular 
feast1 and make the day a really        
memorable one for them4 ,the change from
 the old to the new state of things1 as 
far as our ,banks ,islanders are        
concerned1 is indeed most thankworthy4  
,i feel that there is great probability 
of ,george ,sarawia's ordination before 
long4 ,this next year he will be left   
alone 7as far as we whites are          
concerned7 at ,mota1 and ,i shall be    
able to judge1 ,i hope1 of his fitness  
for carrying on the work there4 ,if it  
be ,god's will to give him health of    
body and the will and power to serve    
,him1 then he ought to be ordained4 ,he 
is an excellent fellow1 thoughtful1     
sensible1 and my right hand among the   
,melanesians for years4 ,his wife1 ,sara
 ,irotaviro1 a nice gentle creature1    
with now a fine little boy some seven   
months old4 ,she is not at all equal to 
,george in intelligence1 and is more    

native in habits1 c4 ,but ,i think that 
she will do her best4  ',you know ,i    
have long felt that there is almost harm
 done by trying to make these islanders 
like ,english people4 ,all that is      
needful for decency and propriety in the
 arrangement of houses1 in dress1 c41 we
 must get them to adopt1 but they are to
 be ,melanesian1 not ,english           
,christians4 ,we are so far removed from
 them in matters not at all necessarily 
connected with ,christianity1 that      
unless we can denationalise ourselves   
and eliminate all that belongs to us as 
,english1 and not as ,christians1 we    
cannot be to them what a well-instructed
 fellow-countryman may be4 ,he is nearer
 to them4 ,they understand him4 ,he     
brings the teaching to them in a        
practical and intelligible form4  ',i   
hope and pray that dear old ,george may 
be the first of such a band of          
fellow-workers4 ,others--,henry         
,tagalana1 who is1 ,i suppose1 about    
eighteen1 ,fisher ,pantatun1 about      

twenty-one1 ,edward ,wogale 7,george's  
own brother71 about sixteen1 ,robert    
,pantatun1 about eighteen--are          
excellent1 all that ,i could wish2 and  
many younger ones are coming up4 ,they  
stay with us voluntarily two or three   
years now without any going home1 and   
the little ones read and write          
surprisingly well4 ,they come to me very
 often and say1 ,bishop1 ,i wish to stop
 here again this winter4  ',they come   
for help of the best kind4 ,they have   
their little printed private prayers1   
but some are not content with this4     
,marosgagalo came last week with a slip 
of paper--  ',well1 ,maros1 what is it8 
',he is a shy little fellow who has been
 crippled with rheumatism4  ',please    
write me my prayer4  ',and as my room   
opens into the ,chapel1 and they are    
told to use that at all times 7their    
sleeping-rooms not allowing much        
privacy71 ,i know how they habitually   
come into it early 7at #e ,a4,m47 and   
late at night for their private prayers4

 ,you cannot go into the ,chapel between
 #e and #f4cj ,a4,m4 without seeing two 
or three kneeling about in different    
corners4 ,as for their intelligence1 ,i 
ought to find time to send you a full   
account of them1 translations of their  
answers1 papers1 c41 but you must be    
content to know that ,i am sure they can
 reason well upon facts and statements1 
that they are 7the first class7 quite   
able to understand all the simpler      
theological teaching which you would    
expect ,communicants and 7,i pray7      
future clergymen to understand4 ,of some
 six or seven ,i can thus speak with    
great confidence1 but ,i think that the 
little fellows may be better educated   
still1 for they are with us before they 
have so much lee-way to make up--jolly  
little fellows1 bright and sharp4 ,the  
whole of the third ,banks ,island class 
7eight of them7 have been with me for   
eighteen months1 and they have all      
volunteered to stay for eighteen months 
more4 ,they ought to know a great deal  

at the end of that time1 then they will 
go home almost to a certainty only for  
two or three months1 and come back again
 for another long spell4  ',all this is 
hopeful1 and we have much to be thankful
 for indeed2 but ,i see no immediate    
prospect of anything like this in the   
other islands at present4 ,we know very 
many of the islanders and more or less  
of their languages2 we have scholars who
 read and write1 and stop here with us1 
and who are learning a good deal        
individually1 but ,i have as yet no     
sense of any hold gained upon the people
 generally4 ,we are good friends1 they  
like us1 trust young people with us1 but
 they don't understand our object in    
coming among them properly4 ,the trade  
and the excitement of our visit has a   
good deal to do with their willingness  
to receive us and to give us children   
and young men4 ,they behave very well   
when here1 and their people treat us    
well when we are with them4 ,but as yet 
,i see no religious feeling1 no         

apprehension of the reality of the      
teaching3 they know in one sense1 and   
they answer questions about the meaning 
of the ,creed1 c41 but they would soon  
fall again into heathen ways1 and their 
people show no disposition to abandon   
heathen ways4 ,in all this there is     
nothing to surprise or discourage us4   
,it must be slow work1 carried on       
without observation amidst many failures
 and losses and disappointments4 ,if ,i 
wished to attribute to secondary causes 
any of the results we notice1 ,i might  
say that our having lived at ,mota two  
or three months each year has had a     
great deal to do with the difference    
between the ,banks and the other        
islanders4  ',it may be that1 could we  
manage to live in ,bauro1 or ,anudha1 or
 ,mahaga1 or ,whitsuntide1 or ,lepers'  
,island1 or ,espiritu ,santo1 we might  
see soon some such change take place as 
we notice in ,mota2 but all that is     
uncertain1 and such thoughts are        
useless4 ,we must indeed live in those  

other islands as soon as we can1 but it 
is hard to find men able to do so1 and  
only a few of the islands are ripe for  
the attempt4  ',i feel often like a     
horse going his regular rounds1 almost  
mechanically4 ,every part of the day is 
occupied1 and ,i am too tired at night  
to think freshly4 ,so that ,i am often  
like one in a dream1 and scarcely       
realise what ,i am about4 ,then comes a 
time when ,i wish to write1 e4g4 7as to 
you now7 about the ,mission1 and it     
seems so hard to myself to see my way1  
and so impossible to make others see    
what is in my mind about it4 ,sometimes 
,i think these ,banks ,islanders may be 
evangelists beyond the limits of their  
own islands4 ,so many of the natives of 
other islands live here with them1 and  
speak the language of ,mota1 and then   
they have so much more in common with   
them than with us1 and the climate and  
food and mode of life generally are     
familiar to them alike4 ,i think this   
may come to pass some day2 ,i feel      

almost sure that ,i had better work on  
with promising islanders than attempt to
 train up ,english boys1 of which ,i    
once thought4 ,i am more and more       
confirmed in my belief that what one    
wants is a few right-minded1            
well-educated ,english clergymen1 and   
then for all the rest trust to native   
agency4  ',when ,i think of ,mr4        
,robertson and such men1 and think how  
they work on1 it encourages me4 ,and so1
 where do ,i hear of men who have so    
many comforts1 so great immunity from   
hardship and danger as we enjoy8 ,this  
is nothing to the case of a ,london     
parish4  ',fanny has sent me out my old 
engravings1 which ,i like to look at    
once more1 although there is only one   
really good one among them1 and yet ,i  
don't like to think of her no longer    
having them4 ,i have also a nice        
selection of photographs just sent out1 
among which the cartoons from ,hampton  
,court are especially good4 ,that grand 
figure of ,st4 ,paul at ,athens1 which  

,raphael copied from ,masaccio's fresco1
 always was a favourite of mine4  ',i   
feel at home here1 more so than in any  
place since ,i left ,england2 but ,i    
hope that ,i may be able to spend longer
 intervals in the islands than the mere 
sixteen or eighteen weeks of the voyage1
 if ,i have still my health and         
strength4 ,but ,i think sometimes that  
,i can't last always2 ,i unconsciously  
leave off doing things1 and wake up to  
find that ,i am shirking work4  ',holy  
,innocents' ,day4--,i don't think ,i    
have sufficiently considered your       
feelings in suffering the change of name
 in the ,mission ,school that took      
place1 and ,i am rather troubled about  
it4 ,i came back from the last voyage to
 find that as ,i had selected a site for
 the buildings on ,st4 ,barnabas ,day1  
which was1 by a coincidence1 the day ,i 
spent here on my outward voyage in      
#ahff1 the people had all named the     
place ,st4 ,barnabas4 ,then came the    
thought of the meetings on ,st4         

,barnabas1 and the appropriateness of   
the ,missionary ,apostle's name1 and ,i1
 without thinking enough about it1      
acquiesced in the change of name4 ,i    
should have consulted you1--not that you
 will feel yourself injured1 ,i well    
know2 but for all that1 ,i ought to have
 done it4 ,it was the more due to you1  
because you won't claim any right to be 
consulted4 ,i am really sorry for it1   
and somewhat troubled in mind4          
7,footnote3 ',he need not have been     
sorry4 ,i give this to show his kind1   
scrupulous consideration2 but ,i1 like  
everyone else1 could not help feeling   
that it was more fitting that the germ  
of a missionary theological college     
should not bear a name even in allusion 
to a work of fiction47  ',the occasional
 notices of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,keble in    
your letters1 and the full account of   
him and her as their end drew nigh1 is  
very touching4 ,how much1 how very much 
there is that ,i should like to ask him 
now6 ,how ,i could sit at his feet and  

listen to him6 ,these are great subjects
 that ,i have neither time nor brains to
 deal with1 and there is no one here who
 can give me all the help ,i want4 ,i   
think a good deal about ,ritualism1 more
 about ,union1 most about the           
,eucharistic question2 but ,i need some 
one with whom to talk out these matters4
 ,when ,i have worked out the mind of   
,hooker1 ,bull1 ,waterland1 c41 and read
 ,freeman's ,principles1 and ,pusey's   
books1 and ,mr4 ,keble's1 c41 then ,i   
want to think it out with the aid of a  
really well-read man4 ,it is clearly    
better not to view such holy subjects in
 connection with controversy2 but then  
comes the thought--,how is ,christendom 
to be united when this diversity exists 
on so great a point8 ,and then one must 
know what the diversity really amounts  
to1 and then the study becomes a very   
laborious and intricate enquiry into the
 ecclesiastical literature of centuries4
 ,curiously enough1 ,i am still waiting 
for the book ,i so much want1 ,mr4      

,keble's book on ,eucharistic           
,adoration4 ,i had a copy1 of course1   
but ,i lent it to some one4 ,i lose a   
good many books in that way4  ',the     
extraordinary change in the last thirty 
years will of course mark this time     
hereafter as one of the most noticeable 
periods in the history of the ,church1  
indeed one can't fail to see it1 which  
is not always the case with persons     
living in the time of great events4 ,the
 bold1 outspoken conduct of earnest men1
 the searching deeply into principles1  
the comparative rejection of            
conventionalities1 local prejudices1    
exclusive forms of thought and practice1
 must strike everyone4 ,but one misses  
the guiding1 restraining hand444the man 
in the ,church corresponding to the     
,duke at one time in the ,state1 the    
authority4  ',one thing ,i do think1    
that the being conversant only with     
thoughtful educated ,christians may     
result in a person ignoring the simpler 
idea of the ,eucharist which does not in

 the least divest it of its mysterious  
character1 but rather1 recognising the  
mystery1 seeks for no solution of it4   
,how can ,i teach my fifteen ,melanesian
 ,communicants the points which ,i      
suppose an advanced ,ritualist would    
regard as most essential8 ,but ,i can   
give them the actual words of some of   
the ancient1 really ancient1 ,liturgies1
 and teach them what ,christ said1 and  
,st4 ,paul said1 and the ,church of     
,england says1 and bid them acquiesce in
 the mystery4  ',yet ,i would fain know 
more4 ,i quite long for a talk with ,mr4
 ,keble4 ,predisposed on every account  
to think that he must be right1 ,i am   
not sure that ,i know what he held to be
 the truth1 nor am ,i quite sure that ,i
 would see it without much explanation2 
but to these holy men so much is        
revealed that one has no right to expect
 to know4 ,what he held was in him at   
all events combined with all that a man 
may have of humility1 and learning1 and 
eagerness for union with ,god4'   ,this 

letter was sent with these3--           
',norfolk ,island3 ,december #af1 #ahfg4
  ',my dear ,mr4 ,atkin1--,the ,pacific 
arrived on ,friday after a quick        
passage4 ,all our things came safely4   
,she leaves to-morrow for ,sydney1 and  
we are in a great hurry4 ,for 7#a7 we   
have three mails all at once1 and ,i    
have my full share of letters1 public   
and private2 and 7#b7 we have had last  
week our first fall of rain for some    
three and a half months1 and we are     
doing our best to plant kumaras1 c41    
which grow here wonderfully1 if only    
they get anything like a fair chance4   
',joe as usual is foremost at all work2 
fencing1 well-sinking1 c4 ,and he proves
 the truth of the old saying1 that the  
head does not suffer by the work of the 
hand4 ,his knowledge of ,scripture      
truth1 of what ,i may fairly call the   
beginning of theological studies1 gives 
me great comfort4 ,i am quite sure that 
in all essentials1 in all which by      
,god's blessing tends to qualify a man  

for teaching faithfully1 and with       
sufficient learning and knowledge of the
 ,word of ,god1 he is above the average 
of candidates for ordination in         
,england4  ',i don't say that he would  
pass the kind of examination before an  
,english ,bishop so well as a great     
many--they insist a good deal on        
technical points of historical          
knowledge1 c4--but in all things really 
essential--in his clear perception of   
the unity of the teaching of the ,bible2
 in his knowledge of the ,greek         
,testament1 in his reading with me the  
,articles1 ,prayer ,book1 c41 ,i am     
convinced that he is well fitted to do  
his work well and truly4 ,we have had   
more than one talk on deeper matters    
still1 on inward feelings and thoughts1 
on prayer and the devotional study of   
,god's ,word1 and divinity in general4  
,i feel the greatest possible           
thankfulness and happiness as ,i think  
of his ordination1 and of what1 by the  
grace of ,god1 he may become to very    

many both heathens and ,christians1 if  
his life be spared4  ',once again1 my   
dear friends1 ,i thank you for giving   
him to this work4 ,he is the greatest   
conceivable comfort and help to me4 ,i  
always feel when he is walking or       
working with others1 that there is one  
on whose steadiness and strong sense of 
duty ,i can always rely4 ,may ,god bless
 him with ,his richest blessings4444    
',on ,sunday next 7,d4,v47 we shall not 
forget you1 as ,i well know your        
thoughts and prayers will be with us2   
and we sing ,before ,,jehovah',s awful  
,throne to the ,old ,hundredth2 #bnd1   
,no4 #add of the ,hymnal1 after third   
,collect2 and before sermon1 #crd1 ,no4 
#adc2 after sermon1 #dth1 ,no4 #ai2     
after ,litany1 #eth1 ,veni ,creator to  
,all ,saints4  ,the ordination will be  
in the ,norfolk ,island ,church4--,my   
kind regards to ,mrs4 ,atkin and ,mary4 
',always1 my dear friend1 very truly    
yours1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'           
',december #af1 #ahfg4  ',my dear ,miss 

,mackenzie1--,your brother's pedometer  
reached me safely three days ago4 ,i    
feel most truly unworthy to receive such
 gifts4 ,i have now his sextant1 his    
pedometer1 and1 most precious of all1   
his ,thomas a ,kempis2 they ought to    
help me to think more of him1 and his   
holy example4 ,your letter commenting on
 the published life makes me know him   
pretty well4 ,he was one to love and    
honour2 indeed1 the thorough humility   
and truthfulness1 the single-mindedness 
of the man1 the simple sense of duty and
 unwearied patience1 energy1 and        
gentleness--indeed you must love to     
dwell on the memory of such a brother1  
and look forward with hope and joy to   
the reunion4  ',we are fast settling    
ourselves into our headquarters here4   
,our buildings already sufficient to    
house eighty or one hundred             
,melanesians4 ,we are fencing1 planting1
 c41 c41 vigorously1 and the soil here  
repays our labours well4 ,the yam and   
sweet potatoes grow excellently1 and the

 banana1 orange1 lemon1 and nearly all  
semi-tropical fruits and vegetables4 ,i 
think that our commissariat expenditure 
will soon be very small1 and we ought to
 have an export before long4  ',two     
things seem to be pretty clear3 that    
there is no lack of capacity in the     
,melanesian1 and no probability of any  
large supply of ,english teachers and   
clergymen1 even if it were desirable to 
work the ,mission with foreign rather   
than native clergymen4 ,my own mind is1 
and has long been in favour of the      
native pastorate2 but it needs much time
 to work up to such a result4  ',all our
 party are well in health1 save one good
 fellow1 ,walter ,hotaswol1 who is dying
 of consumption1 in faith and hope4     
,better1 he says1 to die here with a    
bright heart than to live in my own land
 with a dark one4 ,it is a solemn ,ember
 week for us4  ',i remain1 dear ,miss   
,mackenzie1 very truly yours1  ',j4 ,c4 
,,patteson4  ',i quite agree with you   
that you cannot educate tropical and    

semi-tropical people in ,england2 and   
you don't want to make them ,english    
,christians1 you know4'   ,walter's     
history is here completed3--   ',january
 #bb1 #ahfh4  ',my dear ,cousin1--,i    
write you a line3 ,i have not time for  
more in addition to my other epistle1 to
 tell you that ,i purpose to baptize1 on
 ,sunday next1 eight ,melanesian youths 
and one girl4 ,you will1 ,i know1 thank 
,god for this4 ,indeed ,i hope 7though  
,i say it with a kind of trembling and  
wonder7 that a succession of scholars is
 now regularly established from the     
,banks ,islands4  ',these nine are being
 closely followed by some ten or twelve 
more1 younger than they1 averaging from 
seven to eleven years1 who all read and 
write and know the elements of          
,christian teaching1 but you should see 
them1 bright merry little fellows1 and  
the girls too1 full of play and fun4    
,yet so docile1 and obedient1 and       
good-tempered4 ,they all volunteer to   
stay here again this winter1 though they

 have not been at home since they first 
left it1 in ,july and ,august #ahff4    
,they have a generation of              
,christians--,i mean one of our         
generations--some two dozen or more1 to 
help them2 they have not the brunt of   
the battle to bear1 like dear ,george   
and ,henry and others2 and because1     
either here or there1 they will be      
living with ,christians2 ,i need not1 ,i
 think1 subject them to a probation4    
,next year 7,d4,v47 they may be         
baptized1 and so the ranks are being    
filled up4  ',i would call the girl     
,charlotte were she a favourite of mine1
 but ,i wait in hopes that a nicer girl 
7though this one is good and nice too7  
may be baptized by your and ,mrs4       
,keble's name4 ,you may well believe    
that my heart and mind are very full of 
this4 ,may ,god grant that they may     
continue ,his for ever6  ',i confirm on 
the same day fourteen ,norfolk          
,islanders4  ',walter ,hotaswol1 from   
,matlavo1 the southern part of ,saddle  

,island1 died on the evening of the     
,epiphany3 a true ,epiphany to him1 ,i  
trust4 ,he was remarkably gentle and    
innocent for one born in a heathen land4
 ,his confession1 very fully made to me 
before his first ,communion1 was very   
touching1 simply given1 and1 thank ,god1
 he had been wonderfully kept from the  
sins of heathenism4 ,with us1 his life  
for years was blameless4 ,he died almost
 without pain1 after many weeks of      
lingering in consumption1 ,i verily     
believe in full faith in his ,saviour   
and his ,god4  ',during his last        
illness1 and for a short time before he 
actually took to his bed1 he frequently 
received the ,holy ,communion4 ,and very
 remarkable were his words to me the day
 after his first ,communion4 ,i was     
sitting by him1 when he said1 apropos of
 nothing1 ,very good6  ',what is very   
good1 ,walter8  ',the ,lord's ,supper4  
',why do you think so8  ',i can't talk  
about it4 ,i feel it here 7touching his 
heart71 ,i don't feel as ,i did6  ',but 

you have long believed in ,him4  ',yes1 
but ,i feel different from that2 ,i     
don't feel afraid for death4 ,my heart  
is calm 7me masur kal1 of a calm        
following a gale74 ,his look was very   
earnest as he added3 ,i do believe that 
,i am going to ,him4 ,presently1        
,bishop6  ',well4  ',last night--no1 the
 night before ,i received the ,lord's   
,supper1 ,i saw a man standing there1 a 
tanum liana 7a man of rank1 or          
authority74 ,he said ,your breath is    
bad1 ,i will give you a new breath4'    
',yes4  ',i thought it meant1 ,i will   
give you a new life4 ,i thought it must 
be ,,jesus4  ',he was weak1 but not     
wandering4 ,yes1 better to die here with
 a bright heart than to live in my old  
home with a dark one4  ',january        
#bhth4--,the nine young ,christians were
 baptized on ,sunday evening2 a very    
touching and solemn service it was1 very
 full of comfort4 ,it may be that now1  
in full swing of work1 ,i am too        
sanguine1 but ,i try to be sober-minded1

 thankful1 and hopeful4 ,i try1 ,i      
say--it is not easy4  ',god bless you1  
my dear ,cousin1 and as ,i pray for you1
 so ,i know you pray for us4  ',your    
affectionate ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4         
,,patteson4'   ,a long letter to ,james 
,patteson1 which was begun a few days   
later1 goes into the man's retrospect of
 the boy's career3--   ',march #crd4--,i
 think often of your boys4 ,jack1 in two
 or three years1 will be old enough for 
school1 and ,i suppose it must make you 
anxious sometimes4 ,i look back on my   
early days1 and see so much1 so very    
much to regret and grieve over1 such    
loss of opportunities1 idleness1 c41    
that ,i think much of the way to make   
lessons attractive to boys and girls4 ,i
 think a good deal may be done simply by
 the lessons being given by the persons 
the children love most1 and hence 7where
 it can be done7 the mother first1 and  
the father too 7if he can7 are the best 
people4 ,they know the ways of the      
child1 they can take it at the right    

times4 ,of course1 at first it is the   
memory1 not the reasoning power1 that   
must be brought into exercise4 ,young   
children must learn by heart1 learn     
miles which they can't understand1 or   
understand but very imperfectly4 ,i     
think ,i forget this sometimes1 and talk
 to my young ,melanesians as ,i should  
to older persons4 ,but ,i feel almost   
sure that children can follow a simple1 
lively account of the meaning and       
reasons of things much more than one is 
apt to fancy4 ,and ,i don't know how    
anything can be really learnt that is   
not understood4 ,a great secret of      
success here is an easy and accurate use
 of illustration--parabolic teaching4   
',every day of my life ,i groan over the
 sad loss ,i daily experience in not    
having been grounded properly in ,latin 
and ,greek4 ,i have gone on with my     
education in these things more than many
 persons1 but ,i can never be a good    
scholar2 ,i don't know what ,i would not
 give to have been well taught as a boy4

 ,and then at ,eton1 any little taste   
one might have had for languages1 c41   
was never called out4  ,my fault again1 
but ,i can't help thinking that it was  
partly because the reason of a rule was 
never explained4 ,who ever taught in    
school the difference between an aorist 
and a perfect1 e4g48 ,and at college ,i 
was never taught it1 because it was     
assumed that ,i knew it4 ,i know that at
 ten1 fifteen1 or twenty1 ,i should not 
in any case have gone into languages as 
,i do now4 ,but ,i might have learnt a  
good deal1 ,i think4 ,a thoroughly good 
preparatory school is1 ,i dare say1 very
 difficult to find4 ,i would make a     
great point1 ,i think1 to send a boy to 
a good one2 not to cram him or make a   
prig of him1 but simply to give him the 
advantage which will make his whole     
career in life different from what it   
will be if his opening days pass by     
unimproved4 ,cool of me1 ,jem1 to write 
all this2 but ,i think of this boy1 and 
my boyish days1 and what ,i might have  

been1 and am not4  ',i was always       
shallow1 learned things imperfectly1    
thought ,i knew a thing when ,i knew    
scarce any part of it1 scrawling off    
common-place verses at ,eton1 and1      
unfortunately1 getting sent up for them4
 ,i had a character which passed at     
school and at home for that of a fair   
scholar4 ,thence came my disgrace at    
being turned out of the select1 my bad  
examination for the ,balliol            
scholarship1 my taking only a second1 c4
 ,nothing was really known6 ,pretty     
quick in seizing upon a superficial view
 of a matter1 ,i had little patience or 
determination to thoroughly master it4  
,the fault follows me through life4 ,i  
shall never1 ,i fear1 be really accurate
 and able to think out a matter fully4  
,the same fault ,i see in my inner life4
 ,but it is not right to talk perhaps   
too much of that1 only ,i know that ,i  
get credit for much that ,i don't do1   
and for qualities which ,i don't        
possess4 ,this is simple truth1 not     

false humility4 ,some gifts ,i have1    
which1 ,i thank ,god1 ,i have been now  
taught to employ with more or less of   
poverty in the service4'   ,the vessel  
that took away the above despatches     
brought the tidings of ,new ,zealand's  
beloved ,primate being appointed to the 
,see of ,lichfield4 ,it was another     
great wrench to the affectionate heart1 
as will be seen in this filial reply to 
the intelligence3--   '#bnd ,sunday in  
,lent1 #aj ,p4,m4  ',my dear1 dear      
,bishop1--,i don't think ,i ever quite  
felt till now what you have been to me  
for many a long year4 ,indeed1 ,i do    
thank ,god that ,i have been taught to  
know and dearly love you2 and much ,i   
reproach myself 7not now for the first  
time7 that ,i have been wilful1 and     
pained you much sometimes by choosing   
for myself when ,i ought to have        
followed your choice4 ,i could say much1
 but ,i can't say it now1 and you don't 
desire it4 ,you know what ,i think and  
feel4 ,your letter of the #crd reached  

me last night4 ,i don't yet realise what
 it is to me1 but ,i think much more    
still of those dear people at ,taurarua4
 ,it is perfectly clear to my mind that 
you could not have acted otherwise4 ,i  
don't grudge you to the ,mother ,church 
one atom6  ',i write at this time       
because ,i think you may possibly be    
soon beginning your first ,ordination   
,service in your ,cathedral4 ,it was    
almost my first thought when ,i began to
 think quietly after our #h ,p4,m4      
prayers4 ,and ,i pray for those whom you
 may be leading to their work1 as so    
often you have laid your hands on me4 ,i
 understand ,bishop ,andrewes' ,greek   
text now4  ',what it must have been to  
you and still is6444  ',this move to    
,norfolk ,island does make a great      
difference1 no doubt4 ,and full well ,i 
know that your prayers will be around   
us2 and that you will do all that mortal
 man can do for us and for the islands4 
,indeed1 you must not trouble yourself  
about me too much4 ,i shall often need  

you1 often sadly miss you1 a just return
 for having undervalued the blessing of 
your presence4 ,but ,i do feel that it  
is right4 ,i humbly pray and trust that 
,god's blessing may be on us all1 and   
that a portion of your spirit may be    
with us4  ',more than ever              
affectionately yours1  ',j4 ,c4         
,,patteson4'   ,the tidings had come    
simultaneously with the history of the  
,consecration of ,all ,saints1          
,babbicombe1 for indeed the ,bishop and 
,mrs4 ,selwyn were staying with ,joanna 
and ,fanny ,patteson for the ,octave    
,services when the first offer arrived4 
,so that the two mails whose contents   
were transported together to ,norfolk   
,island contained matter almost         
overwhelming for the brother and friend1
 and he had only one day in which to    
write his answers4 ,to the sisters the  
assurance is1 ',only be quite comforted 
about me6' and then again1 ',no1 ,i     
don't grudge him one bit4 ,there is no  
room for small personal considerations  

when these great issues are at stake4'  
',i don't think ,i quite know yet what  
it is to me4 ,i can't look at his       
photograph with quite dry eyes yet4 ,but
 ,i don't feel at all sad or unhappy4   
,you know the separation1 if ,god1 in   
,his mercy1 spare me at last1 can't be  
long2 and his prayers are always around 
us1 and he is with us in spirit         
continually1 and then it will be such   
joy and delight to me to watch his work4
  ',i think with such thankfulness of   
the last ,holy ,week2 the last ,easter  
,sunday spent wholly with him4 ,i think 
too1 and that sadly enough1 of having   
pained him sometimes by being           
self-willed1 and doing just what he has 
not done1 viz41 chosen for myself when  
,i ought to have followed him4  ',do you
 remember when1 on the morning of       
,mamma's death1 we came into the study  
where ,uncle and ,aunt ,frank were1 and 
our dear ,father in his great faith and 
resignation said1 with broken voice1 ,i 
thank ,god1 who spared her to me so     

long8 ,surely ,i may with far greater   
ease say1 ,i thank ,god for the blessing
 for now thirteen1 years of his example 
and loving care of me4 ,had he been     
taken away by death we must have borne  
it1 and we can bear this now by ,his    
grace4'  ,the thought engrossed him most
 completely4 ,it is plain in all his    
letters that it was quite an effort to  
turn his mind to anything but the       
approaching change4 ,his ,primate had   
truly been a ',father in ,god' to him4  
,his affections had wound themselves    
about him and ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 and the    
society that they formed together with  
,sir ,william and ,lady ,martin had     
become the next thing to his home and   
family4 ,above all1 the loneliness of   
sole responsibility was not complete    
while the ,primate was near to be       
consulted4 ,there had been an almost    
visible loss of youth and playfulness   
ever since the voyages had been made    
without the leader often literally at   
the helm2 and though ,bishop ,patteson  

had followed his own judgment in two    
decided points--the removal to ,norfolk 
,island1 and the use of ,mota language  
instead of ,english1 and did not repent 
having done so1 yet still the being left
 with none to whom to look up as an     
authority was a heavy trial and strain  
on mind and body1 and brought on another
 stage in that premature age that the   
climate and constant toil were bringing 
upon him when most men are still in the 
fulness of their strength4  ,the next   
letter spoke the trouble that was to    
mark the early part of the year #ahfh as
 one of sickness and sorrow4   ',our two
 ,ambrym boys are coming out2 and ,i am 
hopeful as to some more decided         
connection with the north face of the   
,island4 ,mahaga lads very promising1   
but at present ,banks ,islanders much   
ahead of the rest4 ,indeed1 of some of  
them1 ,i may say that while they have no
 knowledge of many things that an       
,english lad ought to know1 yet they    
have a very fair share of intelligence  

concentrated on the most important      
subject1 and know a good deal about it4 
,they think4'  ,then follows a working  
out of one of the difficult questions   
that always beset missionaries          
respecting the heathen notions--or no   
notions--about wedlock4 ,speaking of the
 persons concerned1 the journal         
continues3--  ',they were not able to   
understand--and how can a man and woman1
 or rather a girl and boy1              
understand--what we understand by       
marriage4 ,they always saw men and women
 exchanging husbands and wives when they
 pleased1 and grew up in the midst of   
such ideas and practices1 so that there 
never was a regular contract1 nor a     
regularly well-conceived and            
clearly-understood notion of living     
together till death us do part in their 
minds4 ,you will say1 ,and yet they were
 baptized4 ,yes1 but ,i did not know so 
much about heathen ways then1 and1      
besides1 read ,st4 ,paul to the         
,corinthians1 and see how the idea of   

sanctity of marriage1 and of chastity in
 general is about the last idea that the
 heathen mind comprehends4 ,long after  
the heathen know that to break the      
sixth1 eighth1 even the ninth and tenth 
,commandments is wrong1 and can         
understand and practically recognise it 
to be so1 the seventh is a puzzle to    
them4 ,at the best they only believe it 
because we say that it is a ,commandment
 of ,god4 ,look at the ,canons of the   
early ,church on the question2 look how 
,luther sanctioned the polygamy1 the    
double marriage1 of the ,landgrave of   
,hesse6 ,so that although now1 thank    
,god1 our scholars understand more of   
what is meant by living with a woman1   
and the relation of husband and wife is 
not altogether strange to them1 yet it  
was not so at first1 and is not likely  
to be so with any but our well-trained  
scholars for a long time4'   ',norfolk  
,island3 ,march #bf1 #ahfh4 ',my dearest
 ,sisters1--,how you are thinking of me 
this anniversary8 ,thirteen years since 

,i saw your dear faces and his face4    
,oh6 how thankful ,i am that it is so   
long ago4 ,it was very hard to bear for 
a long long time4 ,last night as ,i lay 
awake ,i thought of that last ,sunday1  
the words ,i said in church 7how        
absurdly consequential they seem to me  
now71 the walk home1 calling to see ,c4 
,l41 parting with the ,vicar and ,m41   
the last evening--hearts too full to say
 what was in them1 the sitting up at    
night and writing notes4 ,and then black
 ,monday6 ,well1 ,i look back now and   
see that it was very hard at first1 and 
,i don't deny that ,i found the mere    
bodily roughnesses very trying at first1
 but that has long past4 ,my present    
mode of life is agreeable to me         
altogether now4 ,servants and company   
would be a very great bore indeed4 ,so  
even in smaller ways1 you see1 ,i have  
all that ,i can desire4 ,i always try to
 remember that ,i may miss these things1
 and specially miss you if it should    
please ,god to send any heavy sickness  

upon me4 ,i dare say ,i should be very  
impatient1 and need kind soothing       
nurses4 ,but ,i must hope for the best4 
',just now we have some anxiety4 ,there 
has been and is a bad typhoid fever     
among the ,pitcairners3 want of         
cleanliness1 no sewerage1 or very bad   
draining1 crowded rooms1 no ventilation1
 the large drain choked up1 a dry       
season1 so that the swampy ground near  
the settlement has been dry1 these are  
secondary causes4 ,for two months it has
 been going on4 ,i never anticipated    
such a disease here4  ',but the fever is
 bad4 ,last night two died1 both young  
women of about twenty4 ,two1 one a      
married man of thirty1 with five        
children1 the other a girl of twelve1   
had died before4 ,i have been backwards 
and forwards1 but no one else of the    
party4 ,the poor people like to see me4 
,for three weeks ,i have felt some      
anxiety about four or five of our lads1 
and they have been with me in my room4  
,i don't like the symptoms of one or two

 of them4 ,but it is not yet a clear    
case of the fever4'   ',easter          
,eve4--,dear ,sisters1 once more ,i     
write out of a sick hospital4 ,this     
typhoid fever1 strongly marked1 as      
described in ,dr4 ,watson's books1      
,graye's edition of ,hooper's ,vade     
,mecum1 and1 as a very solemn lesson of 
,lent and ,holy ,week1 seven            
,pitcairners have died4 ,for many weeks 
the disease did not touch us2 we        
established a regular quarantine1 and   
used all precautions4 ,we had1 ,i think1
 none of the predisposing causes of     
fever at our place4 ,it is high1        
well-drained1 clean1 no dirt near1      
excellent water1 and an abundant supply 
of it2 but ,i suppose the whole air is  
impregnated with it4 ,anyhow1 the fever 
is here4  ',april #bcrd4--,my house     
consists1 you know1 of ,chapel1 my      
rooms1 and hospital4 ,this is the abode 
of the sick and suspected4 ,the hospital
 is a large1 lofty1 well-ventilated     
room2 a partition1 #f feet high1 only   

divides it into two2 on one side are the
 sick1 on the other side sleep those who
 are sickening4  ',as yet twenty have   
been in my quarters4 ,of these seven are
 now in ,codrington's house1 half-way   
between hospital and ordinary school    
life4 ,they are convalescents1 real     
convalescents4 ,you know how much       
so-called convalescents need care in    
recovering from fever1 but these seven  
have had the fever very slightly indeed1
 thank ,god2 the type of the disease is 
much less severe than it was at first4  
,one lad of about sixteen1 ,hofe from   
,ysabel ,island1 died last ,friday      
morning4 ,the fever came on him with    
power from the first4 ,he was very      
delirious for some days1 restless1      
sleepless1 then comatose4 ,the symptoms 
are so very clearly marked1 and my books
 are so clear in detail of treatment1   
that we don't feel much difficulty now  
about the treatment1 and the nursery and
 hospital work we are pretty well used  
to4  ',barasu1 from ,ysabel ,island1 who

 was near dying on ,thursday week1 a    
fortnight ago to-day1 has hovered       
between life and death4 ,i baptized him 
at #i ,p4,m4 on ,holy ,thursday 7the    
anniversary of ,mr4 ,keble's death74    
,john ,keble3 rather presumptuous to    
give such a name1 but ,i thought he     
would not have been named here by it for
 many hours4 ,he is now sitting by the  
hospital fire4 ,i have just fed him with
 some rice and milk2 and he is well     
enough to ask for a bit of sweet potato1
 which he cannot yet hold1 nor guide his
 hand to his mouth4 ,he has had the     
regular fever1 and is now1 thank ,god1  
becoming convalescent4 ,no other patient
 is at present in a dangerous state2 all
 have the fever signs more or less      
doubtful4 ,no one is at present in a    
precarious state4 ,it has been very     
severe in the town1 and there are many  
cases yet4 ,partly it is owing to the   
utter ignorance or neglect of the most  
ordinary rules of caution and nursing4  
,children and men and women all lie on  

the ground together in the fever or out 
of it4 ,the contagion fastens upon one  
after another4 ,in ,isaac ,christian's  
house1 the mother and five children were
 all at one time in a dangerous state1  
wandering1 delirious1 comatose4 ,yet the
 mortality has been small4 ,only seven  
have died2 some few are still very ill1 
yet the character of the fever is less  
severe now4 ,we had some sharp hospital 
work for a few days and nights1 all the 
accompaniments of the decay of our frail
 bodies4 ,now we have a respite4        
,codrington1 ,palmer1 and ,i take the   
nursing2 better that the younger ones1  
always more liable to take fever1 should
 be kept out of contagion2 to no one but
 ,i have gone among the sick in town1 or
 to town at all4 ,we are all quite well4
  ',beef tea1 chicken broth1 mutton     
broth1 wine1 brandy1 milk to any extent1
 rice1 c4--,palmer manufactures all4    
,the ,pitcairners1 most improvident     
people1 are short of all necessary      
stores4 ,i give what ,i can1 but ,i must

 be stingy1 as ,i tell them1 for ,i     
never anticipated an attack of typhus   
here4 ,they will1 ,i trust1 learn a     
lesson from it1 and not provoke a       
recurrence of it by going on in their   
old ways4  ',i don't deny that at times 
,i have been a good deal depressed3     
about ,holy ,week and ,easter ,week was 
the worst time4 ,things are much        
brighter now2 though ,i fully expect    
that several others1 perhaps many       
others1 will yet have the attack1 but ,i
 trust and fancy it may be only in a    
modified form4 ,we have regular ,chapel 
and school1 but the school is a mild    
affair now2 ,i who am only in bed from  
#ab4cj or #a to #e1 and in the hospital 
all day1 cannot be very bright in       
school4 ,i just open a little bit of my 
red baize door into ,chapel1 so that the
 sick in my room join in the service4   
,nice1 is it not8  ',this will greatly  
unsettle plans for the voyage4 ,the     
,southern ,cross is expected here about 
,may #aj2 but ,i can't leave any sick   

that may want my care then1 and ,i can't
 take back to the islands any that are  
only just convalescent1 or indeed any of
 the apparently healthy who may yet have
 the seeds of the fever in them4 ,it    
would be fearful if it broke out on the 
islands4 ,i must run no risk of that2 so
 ,i think that very likely ,i may keep  
the whole party here another year1 and  
make myself a short visitation4 ,i      
suppose that the ,bishop will come to   
,new ,zealand1 and ,i must try to meet  
him2 ,i should like to see his face once
 more2 but if he doesn't come1 or if ,i 
can't 7by reason of this sickness7 go to
 meet him--well1 ,i shall be spared the 
parting if ,i don't have the joy of the 
meeting1 and these things are not now   
what they once were4  ',april           
#bhth4--,barasu 7,john ,keble7 died this
 morning as ,i read the ,commendatory   
,prayer by his side4 ,he had a relapse  
some five days ago1 how we cannot say1  
he was always watched day and night4 ,i 
had much comfort in him1 he was a dear  

lad1 and our most hopeful ,ysabel       
scholar4 ,his peaceful death1 for it was
 very peaceful at the last1 may work    
more than his life would have done2 some
 twenty others convalescent1 or ailing1 
or sick4 ,at this moment another comes  
to say that he feels out of sorts2 you  
know that sensation1 and how one's heart
 seems to stop for a minute1 and then   
one tries to look and speak cheerfully4 
',april #bith4--,i read the ,service    
over another child to-day1 son of ,james
 and ,priscilla ,quintall1 the second   
child they have lost within a few days1 
and ,priscilla herself is lying ill of  
the fever4 ,poor people1 ,i did what    
little ,i could to comfort them2 the    
poor fellow is laid up too with a bad   
foot2 a great many others are very ill1 
some young ones especially4  ',may      
#eth4--,jemima ,young sent for me       
yesterday morning4 ,i was with her the  
day before1 and she was very ill4 ,i    
reached the room at #aa4de1 and she died
 at noon4 ,jemima ,young had been       

particularly bright1 pleasant1 and      
helpful when ,mrs4 ,selwyn was on the   
island4  ',may #gth4--,the sick ones    
doing pretty well4 ,you must not think  
it is all gloom1 far from it1 there is  
much to cheer and comfort us4 ,the      
hearty co-operation of these excellent  
fellow-workers is such a support1 and is
 brought out at such times4  ',we are   
going on with divers works1 but not very
 vigorously just now4 ,we are sawing the
 timber for our large hall3 the building
 still to be put up1 and then our       
arrangements will be complete for the   
present4  ',then our fencing goes on4   
,we have one large field of some ninety 
or one hundred acres enclosed1 the sea  
and a stream bounding two sides1 and two
 other fields of about forty and twenty 
acres4 ,i have good cart mares and one  
cart horse1 a riding mare which ,i      
bought of ,mr4 ,pritt1 and ,atkin has   
one also1 eleven cows1 and as many      
calves1 poultry 7sadly destroyed by wild
 cats7 and pigs1 and two breeding sows1 

and a flock of fifty well-bred sheep    
imported4 ,these cost me #d4 #ajs4 a    
head2 ,i hope they are the progenitors  
of a fine flock4 ,the ram cost #ab4 ,we 
have plenty of work1 and must go on     
fencing and subdividing our fields4     
,most of the land is wooded2 but a      
considerable quantity can easily be     
cleared4 ,indeed #bjj or #cjj acres are 
clear now of all but some smaller stuff 
that can easily be removed4 ,a thick    
couch-grass covers all4 ,it is not so   
nutritious as the ordinary ,english     
grasses2 but cattle1 sheep1 and horses  
like it1 only a larger quantity is      
needed by each animal4 ,it gives trouble
 when one wants to break it up1 it is   
such a network of roots2 but once out of
 the ground and the soil clear1 and it  
will grow anything4 ,our crops of sweet 
potatoes are excellent4 ,the ordinary   
potato does very well too2 and maize1   
vegetables of all sorts1 many fruit     
trees1 all the semi-tropical things1    
capitally2 guavas by the thousand1 and  

very soon ,i hope oranges2 lemons now by
 thousands1 melons almost a weed1       
bananas abundant2 by-and-by coffee1     
sugar-cane1 pineapples 7these last but  
small71 arrowroot of excellent quality4 
,violets from my bed1 and mignonette    
from ,palmer's1 scent my room at this   
minute4 ,the gardeners1 ,codrington1    
,palmer1 and ,atkin1 are so kind in     
making me tidy1 devising little         
arrangements for my little plot of      
ground1 and my comfort and pleasure     
generally4 ,well1 that is a nice little 
chat with you4 ,now it is past #h       
,p4,m41 and the mutton broth for        
,clement and ,mary is come4 ,i must feed
 my chicks4 ,excellent patients they    
are1 as good as can be4 ,they don't make
 the fuss that ,i did in my low fever   
when ,i was so savage with your doves   
that would go on cooing at my window1   
don't you remember8  ',my dear ,bishop  
will be touched by the confidence in him
 shown by his late ,diocesan ,synod in  
entrusting to him the nomination of his 

successor4 ,it was clearly the right    
thing to do4 ,as for me1 no one who     
knows anything about it or me would     
dream of removing me from ,melanesia1 as
 long as ,i have health and strength1   
and still less of putting me into       
another diocese4 ,when ,i break down1 or
 give up1 it will not be to hold any    
other office1 as ,i think4  ',may       
#hth4--,all going on pretty well1 thank 
,god4 ,mary is weak1 but ,i think       
better2 did not wander last night4      
,clement1 with strong typhoid symptoms1 
yet1 at all events1 not worse4 ,but he  
is a very powerful1 thickset fellow1 not
 a good subject for fever4 ,i feel that 
,i am beginning to recover my interest  
in things in general1 books1 c4 ,for two
 months ,i was entirely occupied with   
hospital work1 and with visiting daily  
the sick ,pitcairners1 and ,i was weary 
and somewhat worn out4 ,now ,i am better
 in mind and body2 some spring in me    
again4 ,this may be to fit me for more  
trials in store2 but ,i think that the  

sunshine has come again4'  ,there were1 
however1 two more deaths--the twins of  
,mwerlau4 ,clement died on the #bdth of 
,may2 the other brother1 ,richard1      
followed him a fortnight later4 ,they   
were about seventeen1 strong and        
thick-set2 ,clement had made            
considerable progress during his two    
years of training1 and had been a       
,communicant since ,christmas4 ,before  
passing to the other topics with which1 
as the ,bishop said1 he could again be  
occupied1 here is ,mr4 ,codrington's    
account of this period of trouble3--    
',a great break in the first year was   
caused by the visitation of typhus fever
 in the earlier part of #ahfh4 ,this    
disease1 brought as ,i always believed  
by infection from a vessel that touched 
here1 first attacked a ,norfolk         
,islander who did not live in the town4 
,he was ill in the middle of ,february1 
others of the ,pitcairn people soon     
after4 ,the ,bishop began at once to    
visit the sick very diligently1 and     

continued to visit them throughout1     
though after a time our own hospital was
 full4 ,our first case was on the llth  
of ,march1 and our last convalescents   
did not go out until near the end of    
,june4 ,for some time there was hard    
work to be done with nursing the sick4  
,the ,bishop had the anxiety and the    
charge of medically treating the sick4  
,mr4 ,nobbs1 as always1 was most kind in
 giving the benefit of his experience1  
but he was too fully occupied with the  
care of his own flock to be able to help
 us much4 ,it was agreed1 as soon as we 
saw the disease was among us1 that the  
three elder members of the ,mission     
should alone come into communication    
with the sick4 ,we kept watch in turns1 
but the ,bishop insisted on taking a    
double share1 i4e41 he allowed us only  
to take regular watches in the night1   
undertaking the whole of the day's work1
 except during the afternoon when he was
 away with the ,pitcairn people4 ,he    
seemed quite at home in the hospital1   

almost always cheerful1 always very     
tender1 and generally very decided as to
 what was to be done4 ,he was fond of   
doctoring1 read a good deal of medical  
books1 and knew a good deal of medical  
practice2 but the weight of such a      
responsibility as belonged to the charge
 of many patients in a fever of this    
kind was certainly heavy upon him4 ,the 
daily visit to the ,pitcairn people on  
foot or on horseback was no doubt a     
relief1 though hard work in itself4 ,of 
the four lads we lost1 two1 twins1 had  
been some time christened1 one was      
baptized before his death1 the first who
 died had not been long with the        
,mission4 ,it is characteristic of      
,bishop ,patteson that ,i never heard   
him say a word that ,i remember of      
religion to one of the sick4 ,on such   
things he would not1 unless he was      
obliged1 speak except with the patient  
alone4  ',before the sickness was quite 
over1 the ,southern ,cross arrived for  
the winter voyage4 ,the danger of       

carrying infection to the islands could 
not be incurred1 and the vessel was sent
 back to ,auckland for a time4'  ,the   
letters she carried back refer again to 
the growing anxiety about the 'labour   
traffic4'  ',may #fth4--,i am           
corresponding with a ,wesleyan          
,missionary in ,ovalau 7,fiji7 on a     
matter that you may see mentioned some  
day in the papers1 a very questionable  
practice of importing from the ,southern
 ,new ,hebrides 7principally ,tanna7    
natives to work on the cotton           
plantations of white settlers in ,fiji4 
,it is all1 as ,i am assured1 under the 
regulation of the ,consul at ,ovalau1   
and managed properly4 ,but ,i feel      
almost sure that there is1 or will be1  
injuries done to the natives1 who 7,i am
 sure7 are taken away under false       
pretences4 ,the traders don't know the  
,tannese language1 and have no means of 
making the people understand any terms1 
and to talk of any contract is absurd4  
,yet1 a large number of ,tanna men1     

living on really well-conducted         
plantations1 owned by good men1 might   
lead to a nucleus of ,christian         
,tannese4 ,so says ,mr4 ,m4 ,true1 say  
,i1 if 767 you can find the good        
planters and well-conducted plantations4
 ,mr4 ,m4 assures me that they 7the     
,wesleyan ,missionaries7 are watching   
the whole thing carefully4 ,he writes   
well and sensibly on the whole1 and     
kindly asks me to visit his place1 and  
judge for myself4  ',tanna is in the    
hands of the ,nova ,scotia              
,presbyterians--,mr4 ,greddie1 ,inglis1 
and others2 but the adjacent islands we 
have always visited and considered ours1
 and of course a plague of this kind    
soon spreads4 ,my letter to ,mr4        
,attwood on the matter was read by ,sir 
,john ,young and ,commodore ,lambert1   
and they expressed a warm interest in   
the matter4 ,mr4 ,m4 says that they     
think it would be well to accept some   
rule of conduct in the matter from the  
,commodore1 which is1 ,i think1 likely  

to do good4'  ,by the #aeth of ,june the
 glad intelligence was received that the
 hospital had been empty for a          
fortnight2 and the house that was to    
have been carried to ,mota was put up   
for the married couples1 for whom it    
afforded separate sleeping rooms1 though
 the large room was in common4 ,two     
weddings were preparing1 and ,b---- and 
his wife had become reconciled4  ',we   
may hope that this time it is not a case
 of two children1 then unbaptized1      
living together1 heathen fashion1       
obeying mere passion1 ignorant of true  
love1 but a sober1 somewhat sad reunion 
of two clever and fairly-educated       
grown-up people1 knowing much of life   
and its sad experience1 understanding   
what they are about1 and trying to begin
 again with prayer to ,god and purposes 
of a good life4'  ,this time of         
convalescence was a time of great       
progress4 ,a deep impression had been   
made on many1 and there was a strong    
spirit of enquiry among them4 ,the      

,bishop then began a custom of preaching
 to his black scholars alone after the  
midday service1 dismissing his five or  
six white companions after prayers1     
because he felt he could speak more     
freely and go more straight to the      
hearts of his converts and catechumens  
if he had no other audience4  ,the other
 inhabitants of the island suffered long
 after the ,st4 ,barnabas scholars were 
free1 and deaths continued4 ,it was     
impossible to enforce on such an        
undisciplined race the needful attention
 to cleanliness1 or even care of the    
sick2 the healthy were not kept apart1  
nor was the food properly prepared for  
the sick4 ,it was impossible to stir or 
convince the easy-going tropical nature1
 and there was no authority to enforce  
sanitary measures1 so the fever         
smouldered on1 taking first one1 then   
another victim1 and causing entire      
separation from ,st4 ,barnabas1 except  
as far as the ,bishop was concerned4    
,meantime1 a house was being put up to  

receive ,mr4 ,palmer's intended wife1   
the daughter of that ,mr4 ,ashwell who  
had shared in the disastrous voyage when
 the ',southern ,cross' had been        
wrecked4 ,she had been brought up to    
,mission work1 and was likely to be     
valuable among the young girls4 ,after  
this announcement1 the ,bishop          
continues3--  ',my mind is now made up  
to take the great step of ordaining dear
 ,george ,sarawia1 for nine years my    
pupil1 and for the last three or four my
 friend and helper4 ,codrington is only 
surprised that he is not ordained       
already4 ,humanly speaking1 there can be
 no doubt of his steadfastness4 ,he is1 
indeed1 a thoroughly good conscientious 
man1 humble without servility1 friendly 
and at his ease without any forwardness1
 and he has a large share of good sense 
and clear judgment4 ,moreover1 he has   
long held a recognised position with all
 here and in ,new ,zealand1 and for the 
last two years the ,mota people and the 
neighbouring islanders have quite       

regarded him as one whom they recognise 
as their leader and teacher1 one of our 
own race1 yet not like us--different2 he
 knows and does what we can't do and    
don't know4  ',they quite look upon him 
as free from all the difficulties which 
attend a man's position as inheriting   
feuds1 animosities1 c4 ,he goes         
anywhere2 when the island may be in a   
disturbed state1 no one would hurt him2 
he is no partisan in their eyes1 a man  
of other habits and thoughts and        
character1 a teacher of all4  ',i think1
 oh6 with such feelings of thankfulness 
and hope too1 of the first ,melanesian  
clergyman6 ,i should almost like to take
 him to ,auckland1 that the ,bishop     
might ordain him2 but he ought to be    
ordained here1 in the presence of the   
,melanesians2 and in the hasty confusion
 of the few weeks in ,new ,zealand1     
,george would be at a sad loss what to  
do1 and the month of ,october is cold   
and raw4 ,but you may get this just in  
time to think of his ,ordination1 and   

how you will pray for him6 ,his wife    
,sara is a weakly body1 but good1 and   
she and ,i are1 and always have been1   
great friends4 ,she has plenty of good  
sense4 ,their one child1 ,simon1 born in
 ,norfolk ,island some fourteen months  
ago1 is a very nice-looking child1 and  
healthy enough4  ,meantime the spirit of
 enquiry and faith was making-marked    
progress4 ,mr4 ,codrington says3 ',the  
stir in the hearts and minds of those   
already christened might be called a    
revival1 and the enquiring and earnest  
spirit of many more seemed to be working
 towards conversions4 ,during this time1
 there might be seen on the cliff or    
under the trees in the afternoon1 or on 
,sundays1 little groups gathered round  
some of the elder ,christians1 enquiring
 and getting help4 ,it was the work that
 ,george evidently was enabled to do in 
this way that convinced everyone that   
the time had quite come for his         
,ordination4 ,it is worth mentioning    
that the boys from one island1 and one  

individual in particular1 were much     
influenced by the last conversations of 
the first ,christian who died here      
7,walter ,hotaswol71 who had told his   
friends to be sure that all the ,bishop 
had told them was true4'  ,this         
quickening and its results are further  
described in the ensuing letter1 wherein
 is mention of the ,bauro man           
,taroniara1 the most remarkable of the  
present conversions1 and destined three 
years after to die with the ,bishop and 
,mr4 ,atkin4   ',june #bj1 #i ,p4,m41   
#ahfh4  ',my dear ,sisters1--,you know  
how ,i am thinking of him to-day4 ,seven
 years ago6 ,i think that he seems more 
and more present to my mind than ever4  
,how grateful it is to me to find the   
dear ,bishop ever recurring to him in   
his sermons1 c42 but indeed we all have 
the great blessing and responsibility of
 being his children4 ,the thought of    
meeting him again1 if ,god be so        
merciful1 comes over me sometimes in an 
almost overpowering way3 ,i quite seem  

to see and feel as if kneeling by his   
side before the ,great ,glory1 and even 
then thinking almost most of him4 ,and  
then1 so many others too--,mamma1 ,uncle
 ,james1 ,frank1 c41 and you1 dear      
,joan1 think of your dear ,mother4 ,it  
seems almost too much4 ,and then the    
mind goes on to think of the ,saints of 
,god in every generation1 from one of   
the last gathered in 7dear ,mr4 ,keble7 
to the very first2 and as we realise the
 fact that we may1 by ,god's wonderful  
mercy1 be companions1 though far beneath
 the feet1 of ,patriarchs1 and          
,apostles1 and ,martyrs1 and even see   
,him as ,he is--it is too great for     
thought6 and yet1 thank ,god1 it is     
truth4  ',my heart is full too of other 
blessed thoughts4 ,there seems to be a  
stirring of heart among our present set 
of scholars1 the younger ones ,i mean2  
they come into my room after evening    
,chapel and school1 one or two at a     
time1 but very shy1 sit silent1 and at  
last say very softly1 ,bishop1 ,i wish  

to stop here for good4  ',why8  ',i do  
wish to be good1 to learn1 to be like   
,george and ,henry and the rest4  ',this
 morning ,i baptized ,charlotte and     
,joanna4 ,charlotte will be married to  
,fisher on ,wednesday1 when ,benjamin   
and ,marion will also be married4 ,oh1  
what blessings are these6 ,i spoke      
earnestly of the service in my          
preachment4  ',taroniara1 from ,san     
,cristoval1 said to me the other night1 
,bishop1 why is it that now ,i think as 
,i never thought before8 ,i can't tell  
quite what ,i think4 ,you know ,i used  
to be willing to learn1 but ,i was      
easily led away on my own island2 but ,i
 think that ,i shall never wish again to
 listen to anything but the ,word of    
,god4 ,i know ,i may be wrong1 but ,i   
think ,i shall never be inclined to     
listen to anything said to me by my     
people to keep me from you and from this
 teaching4 ,i feel quite different3 ,i  
like and wish for things ,i never really
 used to care for2 ,i don't care for    

what ,i used to like and live for4 ,what
 is it8  ',what do you think it is8  ',i
 think--but it is so 7mava7 great--,i   
think it is the ,spirit of ,god in my   
heart4  ',as for the ,mota and ,matlavo 
fellows1 and the girls too1 they have   
now good examples before them1 and one  
and all wish to stop here as long as ,i 
please4 ,and that being so1 the return  
to their homes not being a return to    
purely heathen islands1 ,i trust that   
they may soon be baptized4 ,so my heart 
is full of thankfulness and wonder and  
awe4  ',all this time ,i write with a   
full sense of the uncertainty of this   
and every human work4 ,i know the       
,bishop is preaching on failures1 and ,i
 try to think he is preaching to me4    
',july #bnd1 #h ,a4,m4--,my dear        
,sisters1 what a day we had yesterday6  
so full of happiness and thankfulness4  
,it was the wedding-day of ,fisher and  
,charlotte1 ,benjamin and ,marion4      
',the chapel was so prettily dressed up 
by ,mr4 ,codrington and ,mr4 ,bice1     

under whose instructions some of the    
lads made evergreen ornaments1 c41 large
 white arums and red flowers also4  ',at
 #g ,a4,m4 ,morning-,prayers1 as usual4 
,at #i4cj the wedding4 ,all the         
,melanesians in their places in ,chapel2
 and as we came into the ,chapel from my
 room1 the #ajjth ,psalm was chanted    
capitally4 ,mr4 ,codrington said he     
never was present at so thoroughly      
devotional a wedding4 ,it was a really  
solemn religious service4  ',then ,i    
gave good presents to everyone in the   
school1 even the smallest boys came in  
for a knife1 beads1 c4 ,then cricket1   
for the day was beautifully fine1 though
 it is midwinter4 ,and all sorts of fun 
we had4 ,then a capital dinner1         
puddings1 c4 ,then cricket1 running     
races1 running in sacks 7all for        
prizes71 then a great tea1 #g ,p4,m4    
,chapel1 then native dances by a great  
bonfire4 ,then at #aj ,p4,m4 hot coffee 
and biscuits1 then my little speech1    
presenting all our good wishes to the   

married couples1 and such cheering1 ,i  
hope it may be well remembered4 ,the    
deeper feeling of it all is bearing     
fruit4 ,already lads and young men from 
the ,solomon ,islands say1 ,we begin to 
see what is meant by a man and woman    
living together4 ,the solemnity of the  
service struck them much4  ',the        
bridegrooms wore their ,sunday dresses1 
nice tidy trousers of dark tweed1       
,crimean shirt1 collar and tie1 and blue
 serge coat4 ,the brides1 white jackets 
trimmed with a bit of red1 white collar 
and blue skirts4 ,all the answers       
quietly and reverently made2 the whole  
congregation answering ,amen to the word
 of blessing in an unmistakeable way4   
,the #fgth ,psalm was chanted1 of       
course4  ',my plan is to have ,psalms1  
with reading and singing to suit each   
day1 regarded as commemorative of the   
great facts and doctrines1 so that every
 week we read in chapel about forty     
,psalms1 and sing about twelve hymns4   
,these are pretty well known by heart1  

and form already a very considerable    
stock of ,scriptural reference4 ,the    
,resurrection and the ,gift of the      
,spirit1 the ,nativity1 ,manifestation1 
,betrayal1 ,ascension1 ,crucifixion1    
,burial1 with the doctrines connected   
with them1 come in this way every week  
before their minds4 ,i translated       
,psalms chosen with reference to this   
plan1 and wrote hymns1 c4 in the same   
way4  ',i wish you could have been with 
us yesterday4 ,it was really a          
strikingly solemn service4 ,then our    
fortnightly #g ,a4,m4 ,communions1 our  
daily #g ,a4,m4 and #g ,p4,m4 ,services1
 our ,baptisms1 yes and our burials too1
 all are so quiet1 and there is so much 
reverence4 ,you see that they have never
 learnt bad habits4 ,a ,melanesian      
scholar wouldn't understand how one     
could pray in any other posture than    
kneeling4  ',the evening ,catechumen    
classes1 so happy4 ,and then the dear   
fellows at their private prayers4 ,the  
,chapel is always open1 you know1 and in

 the early morning and late evening     
little knots of three and four1 or eight
 and ten1 are kneeling about1 quietly   
saying their prayers4 ,the sick         
lads--dear ,clement and ,richard who    
died--as long as they could move1 knelt 
up in hospital to say their prayers1 and
 all but quite the new comers did the   
same4 ,it was touching to see them1 weak
 and in much pain1 yet ,i did not of    
course tell them that they might as well
 pray as they lay on their rugs4 ,better
 for them even if it did a little       
exhaust them4 ,it is no mere formal     
observance of a rule1 for there never   
has been any rule about it4 ,i have     
given them short simple prayers1 and    
they first learn to kneel down with me  
here in my room1 or with ,codrington in 
his room1 c4 ,but ,i merely said 7long  
ago at ,kohimarama71 ,you know you can  
always go into the ,chapel whenever you 
like4  ',sometimes ,i do wish you could 
see them2 but then unless you could talk
 with them1 and indeed unless you knew  

the ,melanesian mind and nature1 you    
couldn't estimate these things rightly4 
',but never did ,i feel so hopeful1     
though my old text is ever in my mind1  
,isaiah lx4 #e3 ,thine heart shall fear1
 and be enlarged4 ,that's exactly it4   
',july #ahth4--,to-morrow ,i baptize    
,taroniara1 of ,san ,cristoval1 a young 
man full of promise4 ,he has a wife and 
little girl of about four years old4 ,he
 may become1 by ,god's blessing1 the    
teacher of the people of his island4'   
7,from a letter of the same date to     
myself1 ,i add the further particulars  
about one who was to teach by his death 
instead of his life1 and for whom the   
name of the first martyr was chosen73-- 
',he has been with me for some years1   
always good and amiable2 but too        
good-natured1 too weak1 so that he did  
not take a distinct line with his       
people4 ,he is a person of some         
consequence in his neighbourhood4 ,now  
he gives all the proofs that can well be
 given of real sincerity4 ,he wonders   

himself1 as he contrasts his present    
with his former thoughts4 ,i feel1      
humanly speaking1 quite convinced that  
he is thoroughly in earnest4 ,his wife  
and little child are in the islands4    
,how foolish of me not to have listened 
to you1 and brought them here at once4  
,then we could stop here for good4 ,but 
he will return with them1 all being     
well1 or without them1 if anything has  
happened to them1 and ,i see in him1 as 
,i hope and pray1 the pioneer for ,san  
,cristoval at last4  '7,resuming the    
home letter47 ,the language of ,mota now
 is beginning to be a very fair channel 
for communicating accurate theological  
teaching4 ,we have1 of course1 to a     
large extent made it so by assigning    
deeper meanings to existing words 7we   
have introduced very few words74 ,this  
is the case in every language4 ,on      
,sunday night1 if you had been here1 and
 been able to understand my teaching on 
,st4 ,john vi4 to the ,communicants1 you
 would have been surprised1 ,i think4   

,something of ,hooker's fifth book was  
being readily taken in by several of    
those present4 ,an ,old ,testament      
history they don't learn merely as      
certain events4 ,they quickly take up   
the meaning1 the real connection4 ,i use
 the ,sunday ,teaching1 or work them at 
all events on that plan4 ,well1 you     
mustn't say too much of the bright side 
of the picture4 ,it is so easy to       
misunderstand4  ',the time has been bad 
for our lambing4 ,we have thirty-five   
lambs1 looking well1 and have lost1 ,i  
think1 nine4 ,yesterday a great event   
occurred4 ,one of the cart-mares foaled2
 great was the satisfaction of the      
,melanesians at the little filly4       
,calves are becoming too common1 as we  
have now fourteen or fifteen cows1 and  
five more are owing to us for goods     
which the people take in exchange--not  
money1 which would not suit them as     
well4 ,we have fenced in plenty of      
grass1 and ,i don't wan't to pay any    
more for keep4 ,of course1 we use a good

 deal of salt beef on shore here1 as    
well as seek to supply the ,southern    
,cross on her voyages4  ',it is pleasant
 to walk about and see the farm and     
gardens thriving4 ,all being well1 we   
shall have some #cjj bananas next year1 
lots of sugar-canes2 many fruit trees   
are being planted1 pine-apples1 coffee1 
c4 ,guavas grow here like weeds4 ,i     
don't care for these things2 but the    
others do1 and of course the scholars   
rejoice in them4  ',i think of the      
islands1 and see them in my waking      
dreams1 and it seems as if nothing was  
done4 ,but ,i think again of what it was
 only a very short time ago1 and oh6 ,i 
do feel thankful indeed1 and amazed1 and
 almost fearful4 ,i should like much1 if
 ,i am alive and well1 to see my way to 
spending more of my time on the islands4
 ,but the careful training of picked    
scholars for future missionaries is1 ,i 
am sure1 the most important part of our 
work 7though it must be combined as much
 as possible with residence in the      

islands74 ,if ,i could feel that the    
school was well able to get on without  
me1 ,i would be off to the islands for a
 good spell4 ,on the other hand1 ,i feel
 most strongly that my chief business is
 to make such provision as ,i may for   
the multiplication of native            
missionaries1 and the future permanent  
development and extension of the        
,mission2 and to do this1 our best      
scholars must be carefully trained1 and 
then we may hope to secure a competent  
staff of native clergymen for the       
islands4  ',mind1 ,i am not disposed to 
act in a hasty way4 ,only ,i don't mean 
to let conventional notions about an    
,english clergyman hinder my providing  
,melanesian islands with a ,melanesian  
ministry4 ,these scholars of ours know  
very much more1 and ,i imagine possess  
qualifications of all kinds for their   
work in ,melanesia1 greater than the    
majority of the missionaries in the old 
missionary times4  ',how many men did   
good work who could hardly read1 only   

repeat a few portions of the            
,service-book1 c46  ',i need not say    
that we wish to educate them up to the  
maximum point of usefulness for their   
practical work4 ,but1 given earnestness 
and steadfastness of character1 a fair  
amount of teaching power1 and a sound   
knowledge of fundamental truths1 of the 
,church ,services1 and the meaning and  
spirit of the ,prayer-book1 and we may  
surely trust that1 by ,god's grace1 they
 may execute the office of the ,ministry
 to the glory of ,god1 and the          
edification of the ,church4  ',they have
 now in ,mota1 in print1 ,st4 ,luke1 the
 ,acts2 soon will have ,st4 ,john1 which
 is all ready2 the ,prayer-book1 save   
some of the ,psalms1 and a few other    
small portions4 ,and in ,,ms4 they have 
a kind of manual of the ,catechism1     
abstract of the ,books of the ,old      
,testament1 papers on ,prophecy1 c41 c4 
,all this work1 once done in ,mota1 is1 
without very much labour1 to be         
transferred into ,bauro1 ,mahaga1 ,mara1

 c41 c4 as ,i hope2 but that is in the  
future4'  ,in the birthday letter to his
 sister ,fanny1 his chilly nature       
confesses that ,august cold was making  
itself felt2 and it was becoming time   
for him to make a journey to the settled
 world1 both on account of a small      
tumour under his eyelid1 and of the     
state of his teeth4 ,moreover1 no       
letters from home had reached him since 
the #bnd of ,march4 ,but he writes on   
the #gth of ,september to his brother3--
  ',this does not a bit distress me4 ,i 
like the freedom from all external      
excitement4 ,it gives me uninterrupted  
time from my own work2 and the world    
does not suffer from my ignorance of its
 proceedings4 ,how you exist with all   
the abominations of daily papers1 ,i    
can't imagine4 ,your life in ,england   
seems to be one whirl and bustle1 with  
no real time for quiet thought and      
patient meditation1 c4 ,and yet men do  
think and do great things1 and it       
doesn't wear them out soon either4      

,witness ,bishops and ,judges1 c41      
living to eighty and even ninety in our 
own days4  ',i like quiet and rest1 and 
no railroads and no daily posts2 and1   
above all1 no visitors1 mere consumers  
of time1 mere idlers and producers of   
idleness4 ,so1 without any post1 and    
nothing but a cart on wheels1 save a    
wheelbarrow1 and no visitors1 and no    
shops1 ,i get on very happily and       
contentedly4 ,the life here is to me1 ,i
 must confess1 luxurious1 because ,i    
have what ,i like1 great punctuality1   
early hours1 regular school work1       
regular reading1 very simple living2 the
 three daily meals in hall take about   
seventy minutes all put together1 and so
 little time is lost2 and then the      
climate is delightful4 ,too cold now1   
but then ,i ought to be in the islands4 
,the thermometer has been as low as #ef 
in my room2 and ,i am standing in my    
room and writing now with my great coat 
on1 the thermometer being #fg4  ',you   
know that ,i am not cut out for society1

 never was at my ease in it1 and am glad
 to be out of it4 ,i am seldom at my    
ease except among ,melanesians3 they and
 my books are my best companions4 ,i    
never feel the very slightest desire for
 the old life4 ,you know how ,i should  
like to see you dear ones1 and444others 
by name but ,i couldn't stand more than 
a week in ,england1 if ,i could         
transplant myself there in five minutes6
 ,i don't think this augurs any want of 
affection2 but ,i have grown into this  
life2 ,i couldn't change it without a   
most unpleasant wrench4'  ,the letter   
was at this point1 when the ',southern  
,cross' arrived1 on ,september #aj1 to  
carry off the ,bishop and ,mr4 ,palmer3 
the one to the ,general ,synod1 and to  
take leave of his most loved and        
venerated friend2 the other1 to fetch   
his bride4  ,he arrived on the #ahth of 
the month1 looking ill1 and much worn   
and even depressed1 more so than ,lady  
,martin had ever seen him1 for the      
coming parting pressed heavily upon him4

 ,the eye and teeth were operated upon  
without loss of time1 and successfully2 
but this1 with the cold of the voyage1  
made him1 in his own word1 'shaky1' and 
it was well that he was a guest at      
,taurarua1 with ,lady ,martin to take   
care of him1 feed him on food not solid1
 and prevent him on the ensuing ,sunday 
from taking more than one of the three  
services which had been at once         
proffered to him4  ,it was no small     
plunge from the calm of ,st4 ,barnabas4 
',we agree1' said ,lady ,martin1 in a   
note within his envelope1 'that we      
cannot attempt to write letters just    
now4 ,we are in a whirl1 mental and     
bodily2 one bit of blue sky has just    
shown itself1 viz4 that ,coley may      
possibly stay on with us for a week or  
two after the ,selwyns have left us4    
,this really is proeter spem1 and ,i    
mean to think that it will come to      
pass4'  ,but in all this bustle1 he     
found time to enclose a kind little note
 to me2 showing his sympathy with the   

sorrow of that summer1 in my mother's   
illness3--   ',auckland4 ,october #c1   
#ahfh4  ',i add one line1 my dear       
,cousin1 to assure you of my prayers    
being offered for you1 now more         
especially when a heavy trial is upon   
you and a deep sorrow awaiting you4 ,may
 ,god comfort and bless you6 ,perhaps   
the full experience of such anxiety and 
the pressure of a constant weight may1  
in ,his good ,providence1 qualify you   
more than ever to help others by words  
put into your mouth out of your own     
heart-felt troubles4  ',yet in whatever 
form the sorrow comes1 there is the     
blessing of knowing that she is only    
being mysteriously prepared for the life
 of the world to come4 ,there is no real
 sorrow where there is no remorse1 nor  
misery for the falling away of those we 
love4 ,you have1 ,i dare say1 known 7as 
,i have7 some who have the bitterness of
 seeing children turn out badly1 and    
this is the sorrow that breaks one      
down4'  ,it was during these spring days

 of ,october1 that last ,sunday before  
the final parting1 that being hindered  
by pouring rain from going with the     
,primate1 who was holding a farewell    
service with the sick at the hospital1  
,bishop ,patteson said the prayers in   
the private chapel4 ,after these were   
ended 7,lady ,martin says71 'he spoke a 
few words to us4 ,he spoke of our ,lord 
standing on the shore of the ,lake after
 ,his ,resurrection2 and he carried us1 
and ,i think himself too1 out of the    
heaviness of sorrow into a region of    
peace and joy1 where all conflict and   
partings and sin shall cease for ever4  
,it was not only what he said1 but the  
tones of his musical voice1 and         
expression of peace on his own face1    
that hushed us into a great calm4 ,one  
clergyman1 who was present1 told ,sir   
,william ,martin that he had never known
 anything so wonderful4 ,the words were 
like those of an inspired man4  ',three 
days after1 our dear friends sailed4 ,i 
will not dwell on the last service at   

,st4 ,paul's ,church1 when more than    
four hundred persons received the ,holy 
,communion1 where were four ,bishops    
administering in the body of the church 
and the transepts2 but in the chancel1  
the ,primate and his beloved son in the 
faith were partaking together for the   
last time of the ,bread of ,life4       
',from the ,church we accompanied our   
beloved friends to the ship1 and drove  
back on a cold1 dry evening1 a forlorn  
party1 to the desolate house4 ,but from 
that time dear ,bishop ,patteson roused 
himself from his natural depression 7for
 to whom could the loss be greater than 
to him87 and set himself to cheer and   
comfort us all4 ,how gentle and         
sympathising he was6 ,he let me give him
 nourishing things1 even wine--which he 
had long refused to take--because ,i    
told him ,mrs4 ,selwyn wished him to    
have it4 ,many hearts were drooping1 and
 he no longer shrank from society1 but  
went about from one to another in the   
kindest manner4 ,i do not know how we   

could have got on without him4 ,he loved
 to talk of the ,bishop4 ,in his        
humility he seemed to feel as if any    
power of usefulness in himself had been 
gained from him4 ,it was like him to    
think of our ,auckland poor at this     
time4 ,they would so miss the ,bishop   
and ,mrs4 ,selwyn4 ,he prayed me to draw
 #ej a year for the next year or two1 to
 be spent in any way ,i should think    
best4 ,and he put it as a gift from his 
dear ,father1 who would have wished that
 money of his invested here should be   
used in part for the good of the        
townspeople4 ,this did not include his  
subscriptions to the ,orphan ,home and  
other charities4'  ,to make his very    
liberal gifts in time of need in the    
name of his ,father1 was his favourite  
custom2 as his former fellow-labourer1  
the ,rev4 ,b4 ,t4 ,dudley1 found when a 
case of distress in his own parish in   
the ,canterbury ,settlement called forth
 this ready assistance4  ,perhaps the   
young ,church of ,new ,zealand has never

 known so memorable or so sorrowful a   
day as that which took from her her     
first ,bishop3 a day truly to be likened
 to that when the ,ephesians parted with
 their ,apostle at ,miletus4 ,the       
history of this parting ,bishop         
,patteson had himself to read on        
,saturday1 ,october #ag1 the            
twenty-seventh anniversary of ,bishop   
,selwyn's ,consecration4 ,it was at the 
,celebration preceding the last meeting 
of the ,synod1 when ,collect1 ,epistle1 
and ,gospel were taken from the ,order  
for the ,consecration of ,bishops2 and  
as the latter says1--',he has always    
told me to officiate with him1 and ,i   
had1 by his desire1 to read ,acts xx4   
for the ,epistle4 ,i did read it without
 a break-down1 but it was hard work4'   
,then followed the ,sunday1 before      
described by ,lady ,martin2 and on      
,tuesday the #bjth1 that service in ,st4
 ,mary's--the parting feast3--  ',then1'
 writes the younger ,bishop1 'the       
crowded streets and wharf1 for all      

business was suspended1 public offices  
and shops shut1 no power of moving about
 the wharf1 horses taken from the       
carriage provided for the occasion1 as a
 mixed crowd of ,english and ,maoris    
drew them to the wharf4 ,then choking   
words and stifled efforts to say1 ,god  
bless you1 and so we parted6  ',it is   
the end of a long chapter4 ,i feel as if
 my master was taken from my head4      
',ah6 well1 they are gone1 and we will  
try to do what we can4  ',i feel rather 
no-how1 and can't yet settle down to    
anything6'  ,but to the other sister on 
the same day comes an exhortation not to
 be alarmed if friends report him as    
'not up to the mark4' ,how could it be  
otherwise at such a time8 ,for truly it 
was the last great shock his affections 
sustained4 ,in itself1 it might not be  
all that the quitting home and family   
had been2 but not only was there the    
difference between going and being left 
behind1 but youth1 with its spirit of   
enterprise and compensation1 was past1  

and he was in a state to feel the pain  
of the separation almost more intensely 
than when he had walked from the door at
 ,feniton1 and gathered his last        
primrose at his mother's grave4 ,before 
leaving ,auckland1 the ,bishop married  
the ,rev4 ,john ,palmer to ,miss        
,ashwell2 and while they remained for a 
short time in ,new ,zealand1 he returned
 for the ,ember ,week4   ',st4 ,thomas1 
,norfolk ,island3 ,december #ba1 #ahfh4 
',my dear ,cousin1--,i must write you a 
few lines1 not as yet in answer to your 
very interesting letter about ,mr4      
,keble and about ,ritualism1 c41 but    
about our great event of yesterday4     
',george ,sarawia was ordained ,deacon  
in our little chapel1 in the presence of
 fifty-five ,melanesians and a few      
,norfolk ,islanders4 ,with him ,charles 
,bice1 a very excellent man from ,st4   
,augustine's1 was ordained ,deacon also4
 ,he has uncommon gifts of making       
himself thoroughly at home with the     
,melanesians4 ,it comes natural to him1 

there is no effort1 nothing to overcome 
apparently1 and they of course like him 
greatly4 ,he speaks the language of     
,mota1 the lingua franca here1 you know4
  ',but what am ,i to say of ,george    
that you cannot imagine for yourself8   
,it was in the year #aheg that the      
,bishop and ,i first saw him at ,vanua  
,lava ,island4 ,he has been with us now 
ten years2 ,i can truly say1 that he has
 never given me any uneasiness4 ,he is  
not the cleverest of our scholars2 but  
no one possesses the confidence of us   
all in the same degree4 ,true1 he is the
 oldest of the party1 he can hardly be  
less than twenty-six years old1 for he  
had been married a year when first we   
saw him2 but it is his character rather 
than his age which gives him his        
position4 ,for a long time he has been  
our link with the ,melanesians          
themselves whenever there was something 
to be done by one of themselves rather  
than by us strangers4 ,somehow the other
 scholars get into a way of recognising 

him as the ,a #a of the place1 and so   
also in ,mota and the neighbouring      
islands his character and reputation are
 well known4 ,the people expect him to  
be a teacher among them1 they all know  
that he is a person of weight4  ',the   
day was warm and fine4  ',at #g4bj      
,a4,m4 we had the ,morning ,service1    
chanting the #bnd ,psalm4 ,i read ,isa4 
xlii4 #e-ab for the ,first ,lesson1 and 
#a ,tim4 iii4 #h-ac for the ,second1 and
 the ,collect in the ,ordination        
,service before the ,prayer of ,st4     
,chrysostom4 ,mr4 ,codrington1 as usual1
 read the prayers to the end of the     
third ,collect1 after which we sang our 
,sunday hymn4  ',at #aa ,a4,m4 we began 
the ,ordination ,service4 ,one ,epiphany
 hymn1 my short sermon1 then ,mr4       
,codrington presented the candidates1   
speaking ,mota for one and ,english for 
the other4 ,the whole service was in    
,mota1 except that ,i questioned ,bice1 
and he answered in ,english1 and ,i used
 the ,english words of ,ordination in   

his case4 ,george was questioned and    
answered in ,mota1 and then ,bice in    
,english1 question by question4 ,mr4    
,nobbs was here and a few of the people1
 ,mr4 ,atkin1 ,mr4 ,brooke1 so we made a
 goodly little party of seven in our    
clerical supper4  ',what our thoughts   
were you can guess as we ordained the   
first ,melanesian clergyman4 ,how full  
of thankfulness1 of awe1 of wonderment1 
the fulfilment of so much1 the pledge of
 it1 if it be ,god's will1 of so much   
more6 ,and not a little of anxiety1     
too--yet the words of comfort are many2 
and it does not need much faith1 with so
 evident a proof of ,god's ,love and    
,power and ,faithfulness before our very
 eyes1 to trust ,george in ,his ,hands4 
',the closing stanzas of the ,ordination
 ,hymn in the ,christian ,year comforted
 me as ,i read them at night2 but ,i had
 peace and comfort1 thank ,god1 all     
through4  ',others1 too1 are pressing   
on4 ,i could say1 with truth1 to them in
 the evening in the ,chapel1 ,this is   

the beginning1 only the beginning1 the  
first fruit4 ,many blossoms there are   
already4 ,i know that ,god's ,spirit is 
working in the hearts of some of you4   
,follow that holy guidance1 ,i pray     
always that you may be kept in the right
 way1 and that you may be enabled to    
point it out to others1 and to guide    
them in it4  ',and yet no words can     
express what the recoil of the wave     
heathenism is1 but when the enemy shall 
come in like a flood1 and it has indeed 
its own glorious word of ,promise4 ,it  
is like one who was once a drunkard and 
has left off drinking1 and then once    
more tastes the old deadly poison1 and  
becomes mad for drink2 or like the wild 
furious struggles 7as ,i suppose7 of    
poor penitents in penitentiaries1 when  
it seems as if the devil must whirl them
 back into sin4 ,you know we see things 
which look like possession1 a black     
cloud settling down upon the soul1      
overwhelming all the hopeful signs for a
 time4 ,and then1 when ,i have my quiet 

talk with such an one 7and only very    
few1 and they not the best among us71 he
 will say1 ,i can't tell1 ,i didn't mean
 it4 ,it was not ,i4 ,what was it8 ,and 
,i say1 ,it was the devil1 seeking to   
devour you1 to drag you back into the   
old evil dark ways4 ,it is awful1       
fearful4 ,then you must gird your loins 
and pray the more1 and remember that you
 are ,christ's1 that you belong to ,him1
 that you are ,god's child1 that ,satan 
has no right to claim you now4 ,resist  
him in this name1 in the strength of the
 ,spirit whom ,christ has sent to us    
from the ,father1 and he will flee from 
you4  ',it is of course the same more or
 less with us all1 but it comes out in1 
a shape which gives it terrible reality 
and earnestness4 ,only think1 then1 more
 than ever1 of them and of me1 and pray 
that the ,spirit of the ,lord may lift  
up a standard against the enemy4 ,at    
times we do seem to realise that it is a
 downright personal struggle for life or
 death4'  ,there the writer paused1 and 

the next date is  ',christmas ,day1     
#ahfh4  ',my dearest ,sisters1--,what a 
happy happy day6 ,at #ab4e ,a4,m4 ,i was
 awoke by a party of some twenty        
,melanesians1 headed by ,mr4 ,bice1     
singing ,christmas carols at my bedroom 
door4 ,it is a glass window1 opening on 
to the verandah4 ,how delightful it was6
 ,i had gone to bed with the ,book of   
,praise by my side1 and ,mr4 ,keble's   
hymn in my mind2 and now the ,mota      
versions1 already familiar to us1 of the
 ,angels' ,song and of the ,light to    
lighten the ,gentiles1 sung too by some 
of our heathen scholars1 took up as it  
were the strain4 ,their voices sounded  
so fresh and clear in the still         
midnight1 the perfectly clear sky1 the  
calm moon1 the warm genial climate4  ',i
 lay awake afterwards1 thinking on the  
blessed change wrought in their minds1  
thinking of my happy happy lot1 of how  
utterly undeserved it was and is1 and   
7as is natural7 losing myself in        
thoughts of ,god's wonderful goodness   

and mercy and love4  ',then at #d4de    
,a4,m4 ,i got up1 a little later perhaps
 than usual4 ,codrington and ,brooke    
were very soon at work finishing the    
decorations in the ,chapel2 branches of 
,norfolk ,island pines1 divers          
evergreens1 pomegranates and oleanders  
and lilies 7in handfuls7 and large      
snow-white arums2 on the altar-table    
arums above1 and below lilies and       
evergreens4 ,oleanders and pomegranates 
marked the chancel arch4 ,the rugs      
looked very handsome1 the whole floor at
 the east end is covered with a red     
baize or drugget to match the curtains4 
'#g ,a4,m41 ,holy ,communion4 ,six      
clergymen in surplices and fifteen other
 communicants4 ,at #aj ,a4,m41 a short1 
very bright1 joyful service1 the regular
 ,morning ,prayers1 ,psalms xcv4 xix4   
cx4 all chanted4 ,proper ,lessons1 two  
,christmas hymns4  ',then games1        
cricket1 prisoner's base1 running races4
 ,beef1 pork1 plum-puddings4  ',now we  
shall soon have evening ,chapel1 a great

 deal of singing1 a few short words from
 me2 then a happy1 merry1 innocent      
evening1 native dances1 coffee1 biscuit1
 and snapdragons to finish with4  ',if  
you had been here to-day1 you would     
indeed have been filled with surprise   
and thankfulness and hope4 ,there is1 ,i
 do think1 a great deal to show that    
these scholars of ours so connect       
religion with all that is cheerful and  
happy4 ,there is nothing1 as ,i think1  
sanctimonious about them4 ,they say1 ,we
 are so happy here6 ,how different from 
our lands6  ',and ,i think ,i can truly 
say that this is not from want of       
seriousness in those of an age to be    
serious4  ',i pour this out to you in my
 happy day--words of hope and joy and   
thankfulness6 ,but remember that ,i feel
 that all this should make me thoughtful
 as well as hopeful4 ,how can ,i say but
 what sorrow and trial may even now be  
on their way hither8 ,but ,i thank ,god1
 oh6 ,i do thank ,him for his great love
 and mercy1 and ,i do not think it wrong

 to give my feelings of joy some        
utterance4'  ,with this year the        
,eucharist was administered weekly1 the 
,melanesians still attending            
fortnightly2 but it proved to have been 
a true foreboding that a sorrow was on  
its way3--  ',january #hth4--,a very    
joyful ,christmas1 but a sad ,epiphany6 
',u---1 dearer to me than ever1 has 7,i 
now hear from him7 been putting himself 
in the way of temptation4 ,i had noticed
 that he was not like himself1 and spoke
 to him and warned him4 ,i told him that
 if he wished to be married at once1 ,i 
was quite willing to marry him2 but he  
said they were too young1 and yet he was
 always thinking of the young fiancee4  
,alas6 he had too often 7as he says7 put
 himself in the way of temptation with  
his eyes open1 and he fell4 ,he was     
frightened1 terrified1 bewildered4      
',alas6 it is our first great sorrow of 
the kind1 for he was a ,communicant of  
nearly three years' standing4 ,yet ,i   
have much comfort4  ',i can have no     

doubt1 #ast1 that a fall was necessary1 
,i believe fully4 ,his own words 7not   
suggested by me7 were1 ,i tempted ,god  
often1 and ,he let me fall2 ,i don't    
mean ,he was the cause of it1 it is of  
course only my fault2 but ,i think ,i   
see that ,i might have gone on getting  
more and more careless and wandering    
further and further from ,him unless ,i 
had been startled and frightened4 ,and  
then he burst out1 ,oh6 don't send me   
away for ever4 ,i know ,i have made the 
young ones stumble1 and destroyed the   
happiness of our settlement here4 ,i    
know ,i must not be with you all in     
,chapel and school and hall4 ,i know ,i 
can't teach any more1 ,i know that1 and 
,i am miserable1 miserable4 ,but don't  
tell me ,i must go away for ever4 ,i    
can't bear it6  ',i did manage to answer
 almost coldly1 for ,i felt that if ,i  
once let loose my longing desire to let 
him see my real feeling1 ,i could not   
restrain myself at all4 ,who wishes to  
send you away1 ,u--8 ,it is not me whom 

you have displeased and injured4  ',i   
know4 ,it is terrible6 ,but ,i think of 
the ,prodigal ,son4 ,oh6 ,i do long to  
go back6 ,oh6 do tell me that ,he loves 
me still4  ',poor dear fellow6 ,i       
thought ,i must leave him to bear his   
burthen for a time4 ,we prayed together1
 and ,i left him1 or rather sent him    
away from my room1 but he could neither 
eat nor sleep4  ',the next day his whole
 manner1 look1 everything made one sure 
7humanly speaking7 that he was indeed   
truly penitent2 and then when ,i began  
to speak words of comfort1 of ,god's    
tender love and compassion1 and told him
 how to think of the ,lord's gentle pity
 when ,he appeared first to the         
,magdalene and ,peter1 and when ,i took 
his hand in the old loving way1 poor    
fellow1 he broke down more than ever1   
and cried like a child4  ',ah6 it is    
very sad2 but ,i do think he will be a  
better1 more steadfast man3 he has      
learnt his weakness1 and where to find  
strength1 as he never had before4 ,and  

the effect on the school is remarkable4 
,that there should be so much tenderness
 of conscience and apprehension of the  
guilt of impurity among the children of 
the heathen in among many brought up in 
familiarity with sin1 is a matter for   
much thankfulness4'  ,to this may well  
be added an extract from ,joseph        
,atkin's journal1 showing his           
likemindedness both in thoughtfulness   
and charity3--  ',i feel quite sure that
 we must be prepared for many such      
cases4 ,the whole associations and      
training of the early lives of these    
people must influence them as long as   
they live4 ,the thought of what my      
mother and sister would think1 never    
occur to them as any influence for good2
 and although this may be said to be a  
low motive for doing right1 it is a very
 powerful one1 and it is more tangible  
because it is lower4  ',the ,bishop1 in 
speaking of it to-day1 told the boys    
that they ought not to do right to      
please him1 but because it was right to 

please ,god2 but ,i can't help thinking 
that pleasing the ,bishop may and can   
help the other very much4 ,is it not    
right for a child to do right to please 
its parents1 and for older children too 
to be helped by the thought that they   
are pleasing those they love and honour8
  ',we had a council to-day of all the  
,church members to talk about how ,u----
 was to be treated4 ,for himself1 poor  
fellow1 ,i should think kindness would  
be harder to bear than neglect4  ',mr4  
,codrington says1 ,on this occasion all 
the male ,communicants went together to 
some little distance1 where a group of  
boulders under the pines gave a         
convenient seat4 ,the ,bishop set out   
the case1 and asked what was the opinion
 of the elder boys as to the treatment  
of the offender4 ,they were left alone  
to consider2 and when we came back1 they
 gave their judgment1 that he should not
 eat in the hall at what may be called  
the high table1 that he should not teach
 in school1 and should not come into    

,chapel4  ',this was of course what was 
intended1 but the weight of the sentence
 so given was greater with the school1  
and a wholesome lesson given to the     
judges4 ,how soon the ,bishop's         
severity1 which never covered his pity1 
gave way to his affection for one of his
 oldest and dearest pupils1 and his     
tenderness for the penitent1 and how he 
took a large share of blame upon        
himself1 just where it was not due1 can 
well be understood by all who knew him4'
  ,there was soon a brighter day4 ,on   
,january #be1 writes ,mr4 ,atkin3--     
',we had a great day4 ,in the morning   
some who were baptized last summer were 
confirmed1 and at night there were      
baptized three girls and thirteen boys4 
,most of them were quite little fellows4
 ,i don't think any of us will easily   
forget their grave and sober but not shy
 looks1 as one by one they stepped up to
 the ,bishop4 ,i think that all         
understood and meant what they said1    
that ,baptism was no mere form with     

them1 but a real solemn compact4 ,all   
who were in my class 7nine71 or the     
,sunday morning school1 were baptized in
 the evening4 ,while we were standing   
round the font1 ,i thought of you at    
home1 and half wished that you could    
have seen us there4 ,i was witness for  
my son 7,wate72 he was called ,joseph1  
so that ,i shall lose my name that ,i   
have kept so long4'  ,joseph ,wate1 the 
little ,malanta boy1 was always viewed  
by the ,atkin family as a kind of child1
 and kept up a correspondence with his  
godfather's sister1 ,mother ,mary as he 
called her4  ,on the same day the       
,bishop wrote to ,judge ,pohlman3--     
',my very dear ,friend1--,i must not let
 our correspondence drop1 and the less  
likely it seems to be that we may meet1 
the more ,i must seek to retain your    
friendship1 by letting you know not only
 the facts that occur here1 but my      
thoughts and hopes and fears about      
them4'  7,then1 after mentioning the    
recent transgression1 the letter        

continues respecting the youth47  ',his 
fright and terror1 his misery and deep  
sorrow1 and 7,i do believe7 godly       
repentance1 make me say that he is      
still1 as ,i trust1 one of our best     
scholars4 ,but it is very sad4 ,for     
three weeks he did not come even into   
chapel with us4 ,he not only acquiesced1
 but wished that it should be so4       
',last ,saturday evening he was         
readmitted1 without any using of fine   
names4 ,i did as a matter of fact do    
what was the practice of the early      
,christians1 and is recognised in our   
,ash ,wednesday service now4 ,it was    
very desirable that great notice should 
be taken of the commission of an act    
which it is hard for a heathen to       
understand to be an act of sin1 and the 
effect upon the whole school of the sad 
and serious way in which this offence   
was regarded has been very good4  ',in  
the circumstances it is so easy to see  
how the discipline of the early ,church 
was not an artificial1 but a necessary  

system1 though by degrees elaborated in 
a more complicated manner4 ,but ,i find1
 not seldom1 that common sense dictates 
some course which afterwards ,i come    
across in ,bingham1 or some such writer1
 described as a usage of the early      
,christians4  ',in our ,english         
nineteenth century life such practices  
could hardly be reintroduced with       
benefit4 ,yet something which might mark
 open offences with the censure of the  
,christian ,body is clearly desirable   
when you can have it2 and of course with
 us there is no difficulty whatever4    
',i cannot be surprised1 however deeply 
grieved at this sad occurrence2 and     
though it is no comfort to think how    
many ,english persons would think       
nothing of this1 and certainly not show 
the deep compunction and sorrow which   
this poor fellow shows1 yet1 as a matter
 of fact1 how few young ,englishmen are 
there who would think such an act1 as   
this young ,melanesian thinks it to be1 
a grievous sin against ,god1 and matter 

for continual sorrow and humiliation4   
,so ,i do rejoice that he is sorrowing  
after a godly sort4  ',in other respects
 there is a very hopeful promising      
appearance just now4 ,we number seven   
clergymen1 including myself4 ,we have a 
very efficient band of ,melanesian      
teachers1 and could at this moment work 
a school of #aej scholars4  ',george    
,sarawia will 7,d4,v47 start with a     
little company of ,christian friends at 
his own island4 ,the scholars from all  
the different islands fraternise        
excellently well1 and in many cases the 
older and more advanced have their      
regular chums1 by private arrangement   
among themselves1 whom they help1 and to
 whose islands they are quite prepared  
to be sent1 if ,i think fit so to       
arrange2 and ,i really do believe that  
from the ,banks ,islands we may send out
 missionaries to many of the ,melanesian
 islands1 as from ,samoa and ,karotonga 
they have gone out to the islands of the
 ,eastern ,pacific4 ,humanly speaking1  

,i see no difficulty in our drawing into
 our central school here any number of  
natives that we can support1 from the   
,new ,hebrides1 ,banks and ,solomon     
,islands1 and ,i trust soon from the    
,santa ,cruz ,islands also4  ',here must
 be the principal work1 the training up 
missionaries and steadfast ,christian   
men and women1 not of ability sufficient
 to become themselves missionaries1 but 
necessary to strengthen the hands of    
their more gifted countrymen4 ,this     
training must be carried on here1 but   
with it must be combined a frequent     
visitation and as lengthened sojourns in
 the islands as possible4 ,the next     
winter we hope that the ,rev4 ,j4 ,atkin
 will be some time at ,san ,cristoval1  
the ,rev4 ,c4 ,h4 ,brooke at ,florida1  
the ,rev4 ,j4 ,palmer at ,mota4 ,but ,i 
am more than ever convinced that the    
chiefest part of our work is to consist 
in training up ,melanesian clergymen1   
and educating them up to the point of   
faithfully reproducing our simple       

teaching4 ,we must hope to see native   
self-supporting ,melanesian ,churches1  
not weak indolent ,melanesians dependent
 always on an ,english missionary1 but  
steadfast1 thoughtful men and women1    
retaining the characteristics of their  
race so far as they can be sanctified by
 the ,word of ,god in prayer1 and not   
force useless imitations of ,english    
modes of thought and nineteenth century 
civilisation4  ',it is sometimes a      
consequence of our national             
self-conceit1 sometimes of want of      
thought1 that no consideration is shown 
to the characteristic native way of     
regarding things4 ,but ,christianity is 
a universal religion1 and assimilates   
and interpolates into its system all    
that is capable of regeneration and     
sanctification anywhere4  ',before long 
,i hope to get something more           
respectable in the way of a report      
printed and circulated4 ,it seems       
unreasonable to say so1 but really ,i   
have very little time that ,i can spare 

from directly ,melanesian work1 what    
with school1 translations1 working out  
languages1 and 7thank ,god7 the many1   
many hours spent in quiet interviews    
with ,melanesians of all ages and       
islands1 who come to have private talks 
with me1 and to tell me of their        
thoughts and feelings4 ,these are happy 
hours indeed4 ,i must end4 ,always1 my  
dear friend1 affectionately and         
sincerely yours1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4' 
,the readmission thus mentioned was by  
the imposition of hands1 when the       
penitent was again received1 and his    
conduct ever since has proved his       
repentance true4  ,february brought ,mr4
 and ,mrs4 ,palmer to their new home1   
and carried away ,mr4 ,codrington for a 
holiday4 ,the budget of letters sent by 
this opportunity contained a remarkable 
one from young ,atkin4 ,like master1    
like scholar3--   ',february #bd1 #ahfi4
  ',my dear ,mother1--,you must not     
think about my coming back2 ,i may have 
to do it1 but if ,i do1 it will seem    

like giving up the object of my life4 ,i
 did not enter upon this work with any  
enthusiasm1 and it is perhaps partly    
from that cause that ,i am now so       
attached to it that little short of     
necessity would take me away2 my own    
choice1 ,i think1 never4 ,i know it is  
much harder for you than for me4 ,i wish
 ,i could lighten it to you1 but it     
cannot be4 ,it is a great deal more     
self-denial for you to spare me to come 
away than for me to come away4 ,you must
 think1 like ,david1 ,i will not offer  
unto the ,lord my ,god of that which    
doth cost me nothing4 ,if you willingly 
give ,him what you prize most1 however  
worthless the gift may be1 ,he will     
prize it for the willingness with which 
it is given4 ,if it had been of my own  
choosing that ,i came away1 ,i should   
often blame myself for having made a    
selfish choice in not taking harder and 
more irksome work nearer home1 but it   
came to me without choosing4 ,i can only
 be thankful that ,god has been so good 

to me4'   ,well might the ,bishop write 
to the father1 ',i thank you in my heart
 for ,joe's promise4'  ,how exactly his 
own spirit1 in simple1 unconscious      
self-abnegation and thorough devotion to
 the work4 ,how it chimes in with this1 
written on the self-same morning to the 
,bishop of ,lichfield3--   ',st4        
,matthias ,day1 #f4de ,a4,m41 #ahfi4    
,my dear ,bishop1--,you do not doubt    
that ,i think continually of you1 yet ,i
 like you to have a line from me to-day4
 ,we are just going into ,chapel1       
altering our usual service to-day that  
we may receive the ,holy ,communion with
 special remembrance of my ,consecration
 and special prayer for a blessing on   
the ,mission4 ,there is much to be      
thankful for indeed1 much also that may 
well make the retrospect of the last    
eight years a somewhat sad and painful  
one as far as ,i am myself concerned4   
,it does seem wonderful that good on the
 whole is done4 ,but everything is      
wonderful and full of mystery4444  ',it 

is rather mean of me1 ,i fear1 to get   
out of nearly all troubles by being     
here4 ,yet it seems to me very clear    
that the special work of the ,mission is
 carried on more conveniently 7one      
doesn't like to say more successfully7  
here1 and my presence or absence is of  
no consequence when general questions   
are under discussion4444  ',your very   
affectionate  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'     
,the same mail brought a letter to ,miss
 ,mackenzie1 with much valuable matter  
on ,mission work3--   ',february #bf1   
#ahfi4  ',dear ,miss ,mackenzie1--,i    
have just read your letter to me of     
,april #ahfg1 which ,i acknowledged1    
rather than answered1 long ago4  ',i    
can't answer it as it deserves to be    
answered now4 ,i think ,i have already  
written about thirty-five letters to go 
by this mail1 and my usual work seldom  
leaves me a spare hour4  ',but ,i am    
truly thankful for the hopes that seem  
to show themselves through the mists1 in
 places where all ,christian men must   

feel so strong an interest4 ,i do hope  
to hear that the new ,bishopric may soon
 be founded1 on which ,mr4 ,robertson   
and you and others have so set your     
hearts4 ,that good man6 ,i often think  
of him1 and hope soon to send him1      
through you1 #aj from our ,melanesian   
offertory4  ',you know we have1 thank   
,god1 thirty-nine baptized ,melanesians 
here1 of whom fifteen are communicants1 
and one1 ,george ,sarawia1 a clergyman4 
,he was ordained on ,december #bj4      
',there are many little works usually   
going ons which ,i don't consider it    
fair to reckon among the regular        
industrial work of the ,mission4 ,i pay 
the young men and lads and boys small   
sums for such things1 and ,i think it   
right to teach the elder ones the use of
 money by giving them allowances1 out of
 which they buy their clothing1 c41 when
 necessary1 all under certain           
regulations4 ,i say this that you may   
know that our weekly offertory is not a 
sham4 ,no one knows what they give1 or  

whether they give or not4 ,a ,melanesian
 takes the offertory bason1 and they    
give or not as they please4 ,i take care
 that such moneys as are due to them    
shall be given in #c;d41 #d;d41 and     
#f;d4 pieces4  ',last year our offertory
 rather exceeded #dj1 and it is out of  
this that my brother will now pay you   
#aj for the ,mackenzie fund4 ,i write   
all this because you will like to think 
that some of this little offertory comes
 bond fide from ,melanesians4  '444,you 
take me to mean1 ,i hope1 that          
,christianity is the religion for       
mankind at large1 capable of dealing    
with the spiritual and bodily needs of  
man everywhere4  ',it is easy for us now
 to say that some of the early ,english 
,missions1 without thinking at all about
 it1 in all probability1 sought to      
impose an ,english line of thought and  
religion on ,indians and ,africans4     
,even ,english dress was thought to be  
almost essential1 and ,english habits1  
c41 were regarded as part of the        

education of persons converted through  
the agency of ,english ,missions4 ,all  
this seems to be burdening the message  
of the ,gospel with unnecessary         
difficulties4 ,the teacher everywhere1  
in ,england or out of it1 must learn to 
discriminate between essentials and     
non-essentials4 ,it seems to me         
self-evident that the native scholar    
must be educated up to the highest point
 that is possible1 and that unless one  
is 7humanly speaking7 quite sure that he
 can and will reproduce faithfully the  
simple teaching he has received1 he     
ought not to teach1 much less to be     
ordained4  ',all our elder lads and     
girls here teach the younger ones1 and  
we know what they teach4 ,their notes of
 our lessons are brought to me1 books   
full of them1 and there ,i see what they
 know2 for if they can write down a     
plain account of facts and doctrines1   
that is a good test of their having     
taken in the teaching4 ,george          
,sarawia's little essay on the doctrine 

of the ,communion is to me perfectly    
satisfactory4 ,it was written without my
 knowledge4 ,i found it in one of his   
many note-books accidentally4  ',as for 
civilisation1 they all live entirely    
with us1 and every ,melanesian in the   
place1 men and women1 boys and girls1   
three times a day take their places with
 all of us in hall1 and use their knives
 and forks1 plates1 cups and saucers    
7or1 for the passage1 one's pannikins7  
just as we do4 ,george and two others1  
speaking for themselves and their wives1
 have just written out1 among other     
things1 in a list which ,i told them to 
make out3 plates1 cups1 saucers1 knives1
 forks1 spoons1 tubs1 saucepans1        
kettles1 soap1 towels1 domestic things  
for washing1 ironing1 c4  ',the common  
presents that our elder scholars take or
 send to their friends include large    
iron pots for cooking1 clothing1 c4     
,they build improved houses1 and ask for
 small windows1 c41 to put in them1     
boxes1 carpet bags for their clothes1   

small writing desks1 note-books1 ink1   
pens4 ,they keep their best clothes very
 carefully1 and on ,sundays and great   
days look highly respectable4 ,and for  
years we know no instance of a baptized 
,melanesian throwing aside his clothing 
when taking his holiday at home4  ',as  
far as ,i can see my way to any rule in 
the matter1 it is this3 all that is     
necessary to secure decency1 propriety1 
cleanliness1 health1 c41 must be        
provided for them4 ,this at once        
involves alteration of the houses1      
divisions1 partitions4 ,people who can  
read and write1 and cut out and sew     
clothes1 must have light in their       
houses4 ,this involves a change of the  
shape and structure of the hut4 ,they   
can't sit in clean clothes on a dirty   
floor1 and they can't write1 or eat out 
of plates and use cups1 c41 without     
tables or benches1 and as they don't    
want to spend ten hours in sleep or idle
 talk1 they must have lamps for         
cocoa-nut and almond oil4  ',these      

people are not taught to adopt these    
habits by word of mouth4 ,they live with
 us and do as we do4 ,two young married 
women are sitting in my room now4 ,i    
didn't call them in1 nor tell them what 
to do4 ,we didn't quite understand what 
you said last night4 ,well1 ,i have     
written it out1--there it is4 ,they     
took1 as usual1 the ,,ms41 sat down1    
just as you or anyone would do1 at the  
table to read it1 and are now making    
their short notes of it4 ,anyone comes  
in and out at any time1 when not at     
school1 chapel1 or work1 just as they   
please4 ,we each have our own           
sitting-room1 which is in this sense    
public property1 and of course they fall
 into our ways4  ',there is perhaps no  
such thing as teaching civilisation by  
word of command1 nor religion either4   
,the sine qua non for the               
missionary--religious and moral         
character assumed to exist--is the      
living with his scholars as children of 
his own4 ,and the aim is to lift them   

up1 not by words1 but by the daily life1
 to the sense of their capacity for     
becoming by ,god's grace all that we    
are1 and ,i pray ,god a great deal more2
 not as literary men or scholars1 but as
 ,christian men and women1 better suited
 than we are for work among their own   
people4 ,they shall be saved even as we4
 ,they have a strong sense of and       
acquiescence in1 their own inferiority4 
,if we treat them as inferiors1 they    
will always remain in that position of  
inferiority4  ',but ,christ humbled     
,himself and became the servant and     
minister that ,he might make us children
 of ,god and exalt us4  ',it is surely  
very simple1 but if we do thus live     
among them1 they must necessarily accept
 and adopt some of our habits4 ,our     
,lord led the life of a poor man1 but   
,he raised ,his disciples to the highest
 pitch of excellence by ,his ,life1 ,his
 ,words1 and ,his ,spirit1 the highest  
that man could receive and follow4 ,the 
analogy is surely a true one4 ,and      

exclusiveness1 all the pride of race    
must disappear before such              
considerations4  ',but it is not the    
less true that ,he did not make very    
small demands upon ,his disciples1 and  
teach them and us that it needs but     
little care and toil and preparation to 
be a ,christian and a teacher of        
,christianity4 ,the direct contrary to  
this is the truth4  ',the teacher's duty
 is to be always leading on his pupils  
to higher conceptions of their work in  
life1 and to a more diligent performance
 of it4 ,how can he do this if he       
himself acquiesces in a very imperfect  
knowledge and practice of his duty8     
',and yet the mass of mediaeval         
missionaries could perhaps scarce read4 
,that may be true1 but that was not an  
excellence but a defect1 and the mass of
 the gentry and nobility could not do so
 much4 ,they did a great work then4 ,it 
does not follow that we are to imitate  
their ignorance when we can have        
knowledge4  ',but ,i am wasting your    

time and mine4  ',yours very truly1     
',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4  ',p4,s4--,george  
and his wife and child1 ,charles and his
 wife1 ,benjamin and his wife1 will live
 together at ,mota on some land ,i have 
bought4 ,a good wooden house is to be   
put up by us this winter 7,d4,v47 with  
one large room for common use1 school1  
c41 and three small bed-rooms opening on
 to a verandah4 ,one small bed-room at  
the other end which any one1 two or     
three of us ,english folks can occupy   
when at ,mota4 ,i dare say1 first and   
last1 this house will cost seventy or   
eighty pounds4  ',then we hope to have  
everything that can be sown and planted 
with profit in a tropical climate1      
first-class breed of pigs1 poultry1 c41 
so that all the people may see that such
 things are not neglected4 ,these things
 will be given away freely-settings of  
eggs1 young sows1 seeds1 plants1 young  
trees1 c4 ,all this involves expense1   
quite rightly too1 and after all1 ,i    
dare say that dear old ,george will cost

 about a sixth or an eighth of what we  
,english clergymen think necessary4 ,i  
dare say #be per annum will cover his   
expenses4'   ,on ,easter ,sunday the    
penitent was readmitted to the ,lord's  
,table4 ,a happy letter followed3--     
',easter ,tuesday1 #ahfi4  ',my dearest 
,sisters1--,another opportunity of      
writing4 ,i will only say a word about  
two things4 ,first1 our ,easter and the 
,holy ,week preceding it2 secondly1 how 
full my mind has been of ,mr4 ,keble1 on
 his two anniversaries1 ,holy ,thursday 
and ,march #bi4 ,and ,i have read much  
of the ,christian ,year1 and the two    
letters ,i had from him ,i have read    
again1 and looked at the picture of him1
 and felt helped by the memory of his   
holy saintly life1 and ,i dared to think
 that it might be that by ,god's great  
mercy in ,christ1 ,i might yet know him 
and other blessed ,saints in the ,life  
to come4  ',our ,holy ,week was a calm  
solemn season4 ,all the services have   
long been in print4 ,day by day in      

school and chapel we followed the holy  
services and acts of each day1 taking   
,ellicott's ,historical ,lectures as a  
guide4  ',each evening ,i had my short  
sermonet1 and we sought to deepen the   
impressions made evidently upon our     
scholars by whatever could make it a    
real matter of life and death to them   
and us4 ,then came ,good ,friday and    
,easter ,eve1 during which the          
,melanesians with ,mr4 ,brooke were     
busily engaged in decorating the ,chapel
 with fronds of tree-ferns1 bamboo1     
arums1 and oleander blossoms4  ',then1  
at #g ,a4,m4 on ,easter ,morning1 thirty
 of us--twenty-one1 thank ,god1 being   
,melanesians--met in ,chapel for the    
true ,easter ,feast4  ',then1 at #aa    
,a4,m41 how we chanted ,psalms ii1      
cxiii1 cxiv1 and ,hymn1 and the old     
,easter ,hallelujah hymn to the old tune
 with ,mota words4 ,then at #g ,p4,m4   
,psalms cxviii1 cxlviii1 to joyful      
chants1 and singing ,easter and other   
hymns4  ',so yesterday and so to-day4   

,the short ,communion ,service in the   
morning with hymn1 and in the evening we
 chant ,psalm cxviii1 and sing out our  
,easter hymn4 ,ah well6 it makes my     
heart very full4 ,it is the season of   
refreshing1 perhaps before more trails4 
',dear ,u---- was with us again on      
,easter morn1 a truly repentant young   
man1 ,i verily believe1 feeling deeply  
what in our country districts is often  
not counted a sin at all to be a foul   
offence against his ,father and ,saviour
 and ,sanctifier4  ',six were there for 
their first ,communion1 among them      
honest old ,stephen ,taroniara1 the     
first and only communicant of all the   
,solomon ,isles--of all the world west  
of ,mota1 or east of any of the ,bishop 
of ,labuan's communicants4 ,think of    
that6 ,what a blessing6 ,what a thought 
for praise and hope and meditation6  ',i
 sit in my verandah in the moonlight and
 ,i do feel happy in spite of many      
thoughts of early days which may well   
make me feel unhappy4  ',but ,i do feel 

an almost overpowering sensation of     
thankfulness and peace and calm tranquil
 happiness1 which ,i know cannot last   
long4 ,it would not1 ,i suppose1 be     
good3 anyhow it will soon be broken by  
some trial which may show much of my    
present state to be a delusion4 ,yet ,i 
like to tell you what ,i think1 and ,i  
know you will keep it to yourselves4    
',good-bye1 and all ,easter blessings be
 with you4  ',your loving brother1  ',j4
 ,c4 ,,patteson '   ,the island voyage  
was coming near1 and was to be          
conducted1 on a larger scale1 after the 
intermission of a whole year4 ,mr4      
,brooke was to make some stay at        
,florida1 ,mr4 ,atkin at ,wango in      
,bauro1 and the ,bishop himself was to  
take the party who were to commence the 
,christian village at ,mota1 while ,mr4 
,codrington and ,mr4 ,bice remained in  
charge of twenty-seven ,melanesians4    
,the reports of the effects of the      
labour traffic were becoming a great    
anxiety1 and not only the ,fiji         

settlers1 but those in ,queensland were 
becoming concerned in it4  ,the         
',southern ,cross' arrived in ,june1 but
 the weather was so bad that1 knocking  
about outside the rocks1 she sustained  
some damage1 and could not put her      
freight ashore for a week4 ,however1 on 
the #bdth she sailed1 and put down ,mr4 
,atkin at ,wango1 the village in ,bauro 
where the ,bishop had stayed two years  
previously4  ,mr4 ,atkin gives a        
touching description of ,taroniara's    
arrival3--  ',stephen was not long in   
finding his little girl1 ,paraiteka4    
,she was soon in his arms4 ,the old     
fellow just held her up for the ,bishop 
to see1 and then turned away with her1  
and ,i saw a handkerchief come out      
privately and brush quickly across his  
eyes1 and in a few minutes he came back 
to us4'  ,the little girl's mother1 for 
whose sake ,taroniara had once refused  
to return to school1 had been carried   
off by a ,maran man2 and as the heathen 
connection had been so slight1 and a    

proper marriage so entirely beyond the  
ideas of the native state1 it was       
thought advisable to leave this as a    
thing of heathen darkness1 and let him  
select a girl to be educated into       
becoming fit for his true wife4         
,besides ,stephen1 ,joseph ,wate and two
 other ,christian lads were with ,mr4   
,atkin1 and he made an expedition of two
 days' visit to ,wate's father4 ,at     
,ulava he found that dysentery had swept
 off nearly all the natives1 and he     
thought these races1 even while left to 
themselves1 were dying out4 ',but1' adds
 the brave man in his journal1 ',i will 
never1 ,i hope1 allow that because these
 people are dying out1 it is of no use  
or a waste of time carrying the ,gospel 
to them4 ,it is1 ,i should rather say1 a
 case where we ought to be the more     
anxious to gather up the fragments4'    
,so he worked on bravely1 making it an  
object1 if he could do no more1 to teach
 enough to give new scholars a start in 
the school1 and to see who were most    

worth choosing there4 ,he suffered a    
little loss of popularity when it was   
found that he was not a perpetual       
fountain of beads1 hatchets1 and        
tobacco1 but he did the good work of    
effecting a reconciliation between      
,wango and another village named ,hane1 
where he made a visit1 and heard a song 
in honour of ,taroniara4 ,he was invited
 to a great reconciliation feast2 which 
he thus describes1 beginning with his   
walk to ,hane by short marches3--  ',we 
waited where we overtook ,taki1 until   
the main body from ,wango came up4 ,they
 charged past in fine style1 looking    
very well in their holiday dress1 each  
with his left hand full of spears1 and  
one brandished in the right4 ,it looked 
much more like a fighting party than a  
peace party2 but it is the custom to    
make peace with the whole army1 to      
convince the enemy that it is only for  
his accommodation that they are making  
peace1 and not because they are afraid  
to fight him4 ,it was about #ab o'clock 

when we reached the rendezvous4 ,there  
was a fine charge of all1 except a dozen
 of the more sedate of the party2 they  
rattled their spears1 and ran1 and      
shouted1 and jumped1 even crossing the  
stream which was the neutral ground4 ,we
 halted by the stream for some time2 at 
last some ,hane people came to their    
side2 there was a charge again almost up
 to them1 but they took it coolly4 ,at  
about #aj o'clock the whole body of the 
,hane men came1 and two or three from   
,wango went across to them4 ,i was tired
 of waiting1 and asked ,taki if ,i      
should go4 ,yes1 and tell them to bring 
the money1 he said4  ',while ,i was     
wading through the stream1 the ,hane men
 gathered up and advanced2 ,i turned    
back with them4 ,they rushed1           
brandishing their spears1 to within ten 
or twelve paces of the ,wango party1 who
 had joined into a compact body1 and so 
seated themselves as soon as they saw   
the movement4  ',kara1 a ,hane man1 made
 his speech1 first running forwards and 

backwards1 shaking his spear all the    
time2 and at the end1 he took out four  
strings of ,makira money1 and gave it to
 ,taki4 ,hane went back across the      
stream2 and ,wango went through the same
 performance1 ,taki making the speech4  
,he seemed a great orator1 and went on  
until one standing by him said1 ,that's 
enough1 when he laughed1 and gave over4 
,he gave four strings of money1 two     
shorter than the others1 and the        
shortest was returned to him1 ,i don't  
know why2 but in this way the peace was 
signed4'  ,after nineteen days1 during  
which the ,bishop had been cruising     
about1 ,mr4 ,atkin and his scholars were
 picked up again1 and likewise ,mr4     
,brooke1 who had been spending ten days 
at ,florida with his scholars1 in all   
thirty-five2 and then ensued a very     
tedious passage to the ,banks ,islands1 
for the vessel had been crippled by the 
gale off ,norfolk ,island1 and could not
 be pressed2 little canvas was carried1 
and the weather was unfavourable4       

,however1 on ,september #f1 ,mota was   
safely reached2 and great was the joy1  
warm the welcome of the natives1 who    
eagerly assisted in unloading the       
vessel1 through storms of rain and surf4
  ,the old station house was in entire  
decay2 but the orange and lemon trees   
were thirty feet high1 though only the  
latter in bearing4  ,the new village1 it
 was agreed1 should bear the name of    
,kohimarama1 after the old home in ,new 
,zealand1 meaning1 in ,maori1 ',focus of
 ,light4' ,after landing the goats1 the 
,bishop1 ,mr4 ,atkin1 and five more     
crossed to ,valua4 ,they were warmly    
welcomed at ,ara1 where their long      
absence had made the natives fancy they 
must all be dead4 ,the parents of       
,henry1 ,lydia1 and ,edwin were the     
first to approach the boat1 eager to    
hear of their children left in ,norfolk 
,island2 and the mother walked up the   
beach with her arm round ,mr4 ,atkin's  
neck4 ,but here it appeared that the    
vessels of the labour traffic had come  

to obtain people to work in the cotton  
plantations in ,queensland1 and that    
they had already begun to invite them in
 the name of the ,bishop1 whose absence 
they accounted for by saying his ship   
had been wrecked1 he had broken his leg1
 he had gone to ,england1 and sent them 
to fetch natives to him4 ,no force had  
been used as yet1 but there was evident 
dread of them2 and one vessel had a     
,mota man on board1 who persuaded the   
people to go to ,sydney4 ,about a       
hundred natives had been taken from the 
islands of ,valua1 ,ara1 and ,matlavo1  
and from ,bligh ,island twenty-three    
were just gone1 but ,mota's             
inaccessibility had apparently protected
 it4 ,it will be remembered that it has 
a high fortification of coral all round 
the beach1 with but one inconvenient    
entrance1 and that the people are little
 apt to resort to canoes4 ,this really  
has hitherto seemed a special           
,providence for this nucleus of         
,christianity4  ,they spent the night at

 ,ara1 making a fire on the sandy beach1
 where they boiled their chocolate1 and 
made gravy of some extract of meat to   
season their yam1 and supped in public  
by firelight1 reclining upon mats4      
,afterwards they went up to the ,ogamal1
 or barrack tent3 it was not an inviting
 bed-chamber1 being so low that they    
could only kneel upright in it1 and so  
smoky that ,stephen remarked1 ',we shall
 be cooked ourselves if we stay here1'  
proving an advance in civilisation4 ,one
 of the private houses was equally      
unattractive1 and the party slept on the
 beach4  ,the next morning they started 
to walk round the island3 taking two    
cork beds1 a portmanteau and a basket of
 provisions2 stopping wherever a few    
people were found1 but it was a thinly  
peopled place1 and the loss of the men  
carried off was sensibly felt4  ,one    
village had had a fight with a boat's   
crew from ,sydney4 ,they made no secret 
of it1 saying that they would not have  
their men taken away2 and they had been 

sharp enough to pour water into the guns
 before provoking the quarrel4  ,further
 on there was a closer population1 where
 the ,bishop was enthusiastically       
welcomed1 and an ,ogamal was found1     
making a good shelter for the night4    
,then they returned to ,ara1 where ,mr4 
,atkin notes1 in the very centre of the 
island1 a curious rock1 about #bjj feet 
high1 and on the top1 #bj or #cj feet   
from the nearest visible soil1 a she-oak
 stump1 and two more green and          
flourishing a little below4 ,the rock   
was of black scoriae1 too hot in the    
middle of the day to sit upon1 and near 
it was a pool of water4 ',such water1 so
 rotten4' ,the water used by the        
visitors had been brought from          
,auckland4 ,the natives do not trouble  
water much1 ,i don't think they ever    
drink it1 and they certainly don't look 
as if they ever washed4  ,on the        
following day they recrossed to ,vanua  
,lava1 where they spent a quiet calm    
,sunday in the vessel1 landing in the   

afternoon to see ,fisher ,young's grave1
 which they found well kept and covered 
with a pretty blue creeper4  ,the next  
,sunday they spent at ,kohimarama3      
beginning with ,celebration at #g4cj    
,a4,m41 and in the afternoon making the 
circuit of the island1 about ten miles4 
,in one place ,mr4 ,atkin bent over the 
edge of the natural sea wall1 and saw   
the sea breaking #aej or #bjj feet      
below6  ,after a fortnight spent in this
 manner1 he and the other two clergymen 
carried off their ,melanesians to       
,norfolk ,island1 leaving the ,bishop to
 be fetched away in a month's time4     
,here is the letter written during his  
solitude3--   ',kohimarama1 ,mota       
,island3 ,september #bc1 #ahfi4  ',my   
dearest ,joan and ,fan1--,here ,i am    
sitting in a most comfortable house in  
our new ,kohimarama1 for so the         
,melanesians determine to call our      
station in ,mota4 ,the house is #dh feet
 by #ah1 with a #i-;foot verandah on two
 sides4 ,it has one large room1 a       

partition at each end1 one of which is  
subdivided into two small sleeping rooms
 for ,george and his wife1 and ,charles 
and his wife4 ,there is no ceiling1 so  
that we have the full advantage of the  
height of the house1 and plenty of      
ventilation1 as the space beyond where  
the roof comes down upon the wall plates
 is left open4  ',the verandah is a     
grand lounging place2 very commodious   
for school also1 when other classes fill
 the large room1 and a delightful place 
to sit or lie about on in this genial   
warm climate4 ,these bright moonlight   
nights are indeed delicious4 ,the       
mosquito gives no trouble here to speak 
of4 ,the cocoa-nut trees1 the           
bread-fruit trees1 yam gardens1 and many
 kinds of native trees and shrubs1 are  
all around us2 the fine wooded hill of  
,mota shows well over the house4 ,the   
breeze always plays round it2 and though
 it is very hot1 it is only when the    
wind comes from the north and           
north-west1 as in the midsummer1 that   

the heat is of an oppressive and sickly 
nature4  ',about twenty lads and young  
men live here1 and about forty attend   
daily school2 but ,i think there is     
every indication of all ,mota sending   
its young people here as soon as we have
 our crops of yams1 c41 c41 to provide  
sufficient food4 ,improved native huts  
will1 ,i think1 soon be built over our  
little estate here4  ',many girls ,i    
hope to take to ,norfolk ,island4 ,they 
could hardly be brought together with   
safety to this place yet4 ,the parents  
see and admit this1 and consent to my   
taking them4 ,i tell them that their    
sons will not marry ignorant heathen    
girls 7their sons ,i mean who have been 
and are still with us72 that all the    
young fellows growing up at ,kohimarama 
must have educated wives provided for   
them1 and that ,i must therefore take   
away many young girls with me to        
,norfolk ,island4 ,the fashion here is  
to buy at an early age young girls for  
their sons1 though occasionally a girl  

may be found not already betrothed1 but 
almost grown up4 ,i now say1 ,i want to 
train up wives for my sons1 and the     
fashion of the place allows of my buying
 or appropriating them4 ,you would be   
amused to see me engaged in this        
match-making4 ,it is all the same a very
 important matter1 for clearly it is the
 best way to secure1 as ,i trust1 the   
introduction of ,christian family life  
among these people4  ',george and ,i are
 satisfied that things are really very  
promising here4 ,of course1 much old    
heathen ignorance1 and much that is very
 wrong1 will long survive4 ,so you      
recollect perhaps old ,joe 7great-,uncle
 ,edward's coachman7 declaring that ,c4 
,s4 as a witch1 and there is little     
proof of practical ,christianity in the 
morals of our peasants of the west1 and 
of ,wales especially4  ',it is not that 
one should acquiesce in what is wrong   
here1 but one ought not to be surprised 
at it4 ,public opinion1 the constraint  
of law1 hereditary notions1 are more    

effective in preventing the outbreak of 
evil passions into criminal acts in very
 many cases and districts in ,england4  
',now these restraints are1 indeed1     
indirect consequences of ,christianity1 
but do not imply any religion in the    
individuals who are influenced by them4 
,these restraints don't exist here4 ,if 
they did1 ,i think these ,mota people   
now would live just as orderly decent   
lives as average ,english folk4         
,christianity would not be a vigorous   
power in the one case or in the other4  
,exceptional cases would occur here and 
there4  ',if ,i am asked for proofs of  
the conversion of this people1 ,i should
 say1 ,conversion from what to what8 and
 then ,i should say1 ,ask any close     
observer in ,england about the          
commercial and social morality existing 
in not only the most ignorant ranks of  
society3 how much is merely formal1 and 
therefore1 perhaps1 actually detrimental
 to a true spirit of religion6 ,here you
 don't find much that you associate with

 religion in ,england1 in the external  
observances of it2 but there are not a  
few ignorant people 7,i am not speaking 
of our trained scholars7 who are giving 
up their old habits1 adopting new ways1 
accepting a stricter mode of life1      
foregoing advantages of one kind and    
another1 because they believe that this 
,good news1 this ,gospel1 is true1 and  
because the simple truths of            
,christianity are1 thank ,god1 finding  
some entrance into their hearts4  ',i   
dread the imposition from without of    
some formal compliances with the        
externals of religion while ,i know that
 the meaning and spirit of them cannot  
as yet be understood4 ,can there be     
conceived anything more formal1 more    
mischievous1 than inculcating a rigid   
,sabbatarian view of the ,lord's ,day   
upon a people who don't know anything   
about the ,cross and the ,resurrection8 
,time enough to talk about the          
observance when the people have some    
knowledge of the vital living truth of a

 spiritual religion4  ',so about        
clothing4 ,if ,i tried to do it1 ,i     
think ,i could make the people here buy1
 certainly accept1 and wear1 clothing4  
,with what result at present8 ,that they
 would think that wearing a yard of     
unbleached calico was a real evidence of
 the reception of the new teaching4     
',such things are1 in this stage of     
,mission work1 actually hurtful4 ,the   
mind naturally takes in and accepts the 
easy outward form1 and by such treatment
 you actually encourage it to do so1 and
 to save itself the trouble of thinking 
out the real meaning and teaching which 
must of course be addressed to the      
spirit4  ',these outward things all     
follow as a matter of course after a    
time1 as consequences of the new power  
and light felt in the soul2 but they may
 be so spoken of as to become           
substitutes for the true spiritual life1
 and train up a people in hypocrisy4    
',i beg your pardon really for parading 
all these truisms4 ,throw it in the     

fire4  ',i don't for a moment mean or   
think that religion is to be taught by  
mere prudence and common sense4 ,but a  
spiritual religion is imperilled the    
moment that you insist upon an          
unspiritual people observing outward    
forms which are to them the essence of  
the new teaching4 ,anything better than 
turning heathens into ,pharisees6 ,what 
did our ,lord call the proselytes of the
 ,pharisee and the ,scribe8  ',and while
 ,i see and love the beauty of the      
outward form when it is known and felt  
to be no more than the shrine of the    
inward spiritual power2 while ,i know   
that for highly advanced ,christians1 or
 for persons trained in accurate habits 
of thought1 all that beauty of holiness 
is needful2 yet ,i think ,i see that the
 ,divine wisdom of the ,gospel would    
guard the teacher against presenting the
 formal side of religion to the untaught
 and ignorant convert4 ,god is a        
,spirit1 and they that worship ,him must
 worship ,him in spirit and in truth1 is

 the great lesson for the heathen mind  
chained down as it is to things of      
sense4  ',he that hateth his brother is 
a murderer3 not the outward act1 but the
 inward motive justifies or condemns the
 man4 ,every day convinces me more and  
more of the need of a different mode of 
teaching than that usually adopted for  
imperfectly taught people4 ,how many of 
your 7ordinary7 parishioners even       
understand the simple meaning of the    
,prayer-book1 nay1 of their well-known  
7as they think7 ,gospel miracles and    
parables8 ,who teaches in ordinary      
parishes the ,christian use of the      
,psalms8 ,who puts simply before peasant
 and stone-cutter the ,jew and his      
religion1 and what he and it were       
intended to be1 and the real error and  
sin and failure8--the true nature of    
prophecy1 the progressive teaching of   
the ,bible1 never in any age            
compromising truth1 but never ignoring  
the state1 so often the unreceptive     
state1 of those to whom the truth must  

therefore be presented partially1 and in
 a manner adapted to rude and           
unspiritual natures8 ,what an amount of 
preparatory teaching is needed6 ,what   
labour must be spent in struggling to   
bring forth things new and old1 and     
present things simply before the        
indolent1 unthinking1 vacant mind6 ,how 
much need there is of a more special    
training of the ,clergy even now6 ,many 
men are striving nobly to do all this4  
,but think of the rubbish that most of  
us chuck lazily out of our minds twice a
 week without method or order4 ,it is   
such downright hard work to teach well4 
,oh6 how weary it makes me to try4 ,i   
feel as if ,i were at once aware of what
 should be attempted1 and yet quite     
unable to do it6  ',st4 ,michael's      
,day4--,after an affectionate review of 
most of his relations at home4--,when   
the ,bishop and ,mrs4 ,selwyn pressed me
 a good deal to go with them to         
,england1 it obliged me a little to     
analyse my feelings4 ,you won't suspect 

me of any want of longing to see you1   
when ,i say that it never was a doubtful
 matter to me for five minutes4 ,i saw  
nothing to make me wish to go to        
,england in comparison with the crowd of
 reasons for not doing so4 ,they1 good  
people1 thought it would be rest and    
refreshment to me4 ,little they know how
 a man so unlike them takes his rest6 ,i
 am getting it here1 hundreds of miles  
out of reach of any white man or woman1 
free from what is to me the bother of   
society4 ,i am not defending myself2 but
 it is true that to me it is a bore1 the
 very opposite of rest1 to be in        
society4 ,i like a good talk with ,sir  
,william ,martin above anything1 but ,i 
declare that even that is dearly        
purchased by the other accompaniments of
 society4  ',and ,i could not spend a   
quiet month with you at ,weston4 ,i     
should have people calling1 the greatest
 of all nuisances1 except that of having
 to go out to dinner4 ,i should have to 
preach1 and perhaps to go to meetings1  

all in the way of my business1 but not  
tending to promote rest4  ',seriously1  
,i am very well now2 looking1 ,i am     
sure1 and feeling stronger and stouter  
than ,i was in ,new ,zealand in the     
winter4 ,so don't fret yourself about   
me1 and don't think that ,i shouldn't   
dearly love to chat awhile with you4    
,what an idle1 lazy letter4 ,you see ,i 
am taking my rest with you1 writing     
without effort4'  ,he was looking well4 
,kohimarama must be more healthily      
situated than the first station1 for all
 his three visits there were beneficial 
to him2 and there seems to have been    
none of the tendency to ague and low    
fever which had been the trouble of the 
first abode4  ,mr4 ,codrington and ,mr4 
,bice came back in the schooner early in
 ,october1 and were landed at ,mota1    
while the ,bishop went for a cruise in  
the ,new ,hebrides2 but the lateness of 
the season and the state of the vessel  
made it a short one1 and he soon came   
back with thirty-five boys4 ,meanwhile1 

a small harmonium1 which was to be left 
with the ,christian settlement1 had     
caused such an excitement that ,mr4     
,bice was nearly squeezed to death by   
the crowds that came to hear it4 ,he    
played nearly all day to successive     
throngs of men1 but when the women      
arrived1 they made such a clatter that  
he was fain to close the instrument4    
,unbleached calico clothing had been    
made for such of the young ladies as    
were to be taken on board for ,norfolk  
,island1 cut out by the ,bishop and made
 up by ,robert1 ,william1 and ,benjamin1
 his scholars2 and ,mr4 ,codrington     
says1 ',it was an odd sight to see the  
,bishop on the beach with the group of  
girls round him1 and a number of        
garments over his arm4 ,as each bride   
was brought by her friends1 she was     
clothed and added to the group4         
',esthetically1 clothes were no         
improvement4 ,a ,melanesian clothed1 the
 ,bishop observes1 never looks well2    
there is almost always a stiff1         

shabby-genteel look4 ,a good specimen1  
not disfigured by sores and ulcers1 the 
well-shaped form1 the rich warm colour  
of the skin1 and the easy1 graceful play
 of every limb1 unhurt by shoe or       
tight-fitting dress1 the flower stuck   
naturally into the hair1 c41 make them  
look pleasant enough to my eye4 ,you see
 in ,picture ,bibles figures draped as  
,i could wish the ,melanesians to be    
clothed4'  ,to continue ,mr4            
,codrington's recollections of this stay
 in ,mota3--  ',i remember noticing how 
different his manner was from what was  
common at home4 ,his eyes were cast all 
about him1 keeping a sharp look-out1 and
 all his movements and tones were quick 
and decisive4 ,in that steaming climate1
 and those narrow paths1 he walked      
faster than was at all agreeable to his 
companions1 and was dressed moreover in 
a woollen coat and waistcoat all the    
time4 ,in fact1 he thoroughly enjoyed   
the heat1 though no doubt it was        
weakening him2 he liked the food1 which 

gave him no trouble at all to eat1 and  
he liked the natives4  ',he felt1 of    
course1 that he was doing his work all  
the while2 but the expression of his    
countenance was very different while    
sitting with a party of men over their  
food at ,mota1 and when sitting with a  
party in ,norfolk ,island4  ',the       
contrast struck me very much between his
 recluse studious life there1 and his   
very active one at ,mota1 with almost no
 leisure to read1 and very little to    
write1 and with an abundance of society 
which was a pleasure instead of a       
burthen4  ',i think that the alert and  
decisive tone and habit which was so    
conspicuous in the islands1 and came out
 whenever he was roused1 was not natural
 to his disposition1 but had been       
acquired in early years in a public     
school1 and faded down in the quiet     
routine of ,st4 ,barnabas1 and was      
recalled as occasion required with more 
effort as time went on4 ,no doubt1 his  
habitual gentleness made his occasional 

severity more felt1 but at ,mota his    
capacity for scolding was held in       
respect4 ,i was told when ,i was last   
there1 that ,i was no good1 for ,i did  
not know how to scold1 but that the     
,bishop perfectly well understood how to
 do it4 ,words certainly would never    
fail him in twenty languages to express 
his indignation1 but how seldom among   
his own scholars had he to do it in     
one6'  ,this voyage is best summed up in
 the ensuing letter to one of the       
,norfolk relations3--   ',southern      
,cross ,schooner1 #bj miles ,east of    
,star ,island4  ',my dear ,cousin1--,we 
are drawing near the end of a rather    
long cruise1 as ,i trust1 in safety4 ,we
 left ,norfolk ,island on the #bdth     
,june1 and we hope to reach it in about 
ten days4 ,we should have moved about in
 less time1 but for the crippled state  
of the schooner4 ,she fell in with a    
heavy gale off ,norfolk ,island about   
,june #bjth-#bcrd2 and we have been     
obliged to be very careful of our spars1

 which were much strained4 ,indeed1 we  
still need a new mainmast1 main boom1   
and gaff1 a main topmast1 foretopmast1  
and probably new wire rigging1 besides  
repairs of other kinds1 and possibly new
 coppering4 ,thank ,god1 the voyage has 
been so far safe1 and1 on the whole1    
prosperous4 ,we sailed first of all to  
the ,banks ,islands1 only dropping two  
lads at ,ambrym ,island on our way4 ,we 
spent a week or more at ,mota1 while the
 vessel was being overhauled at the     
harbour in ,vanua ,lava ,island1 seven  
miles from ,mota4 ,it was a great relief
 to us to get the house for the station 
at ,mota out of the vessel1 the weight  
of timber1 c41 was too much for a vessel
 not built for carrying freight4 ,after 
a few days we left ,mr4 ,palmer1 ,george
 ,sarawia1 and others at ,mota1 busily  
engaged in putting up the house1 a very 
serious matter for us1 as you may       
suppose4  ',our party was made up of    
,mr4 ,atkin1 ,mr4 ,brooke1 and two ,mota
 volunteers for boat work1 and divers   

,solomon ,islanders4 ,we were absent    
from ,mota about seven years1 during    
which time we visited ,santa ,cruz1 and 
many of the ,solomon ,isles4 ,mr4 ,atkin
 spent three weeks in one of the isles1 
and ,mr4 ,brooke in another1 and we had 
more than thirty natives of the ,solomon
 ,islands on board1 including old       
scholars1 when we left ,ulava1 the last 
island of the ,solomon group at which we
 called4  ',mr4 ,palmer1 ,mr4 ,atkin1   
and ,mr4 ,brooke went on to ,norfolk    
,island1 the whole number of            
,melanesians on board being sixty-two4  
,i had spent a very happy month at ,mota
 when the vessel returned from ,norfolk 
,island both with ,mr4 ,codrington and  
,mr4 ,bice on board1 bringing those of  
the ,melanesians 7nearly thirty in all7 
who chose to stay on ,norfolk ,island4  
,then followed a fortnight's cruise in  
the ,new ,hebrides1 and now with exactly
 fifty ,melanesians on board from divers
 islands1 we are on our way to ,norfolk 
,island4 ,we have fourteen girls1 two   

married1 on board1 and there are ten    
already at ,norfolk ,island4 ,this is an
 unusual number2 but the people         
understand that the young men and lads  
who have been with us for some time1 who
 are baptized and accustomed to decent  
orderly ways1 are not going to marry    
heathen wild girls1 so they give up     
these young ones to be taught and       
qualify to become fit wives for our     
rapidly increasing party of young men4  
',it is quite clear that we must aim at 
exhibiting1 by ,god's blessing1         
,christian family life in the islands1  
and this can only be done by training up
 young men and women4  ',three married  
couples1 all ,communicants1 live now at 
,kohimarama1 the station at ,mota4      
,george has two children1 ,benjamin one4
 ,it is already a small specimen of a   
little ,christian community1 and it must
 be reinforced1 year by year1 by        
accessions of new couples of ,christian 
men and women4  ',about twenty lads live
 at the station1 and about forty more   

come daily to school4 ,it may grow soon 
into a real working school1 from which  
the most intelligent and best conducted 
boys may be taken to ,norfolk ,island   
for a more complete education4 ,i am    
hopeful about a real improvement in     
,mota and elsewhere4  ',but a new       
difficulty has lately been caused by the
 traders from ,sydney and elsewhere1 who
 have taken many people to work in the  
plantations at ,brisbane1 ,mimea1 7,new 
,caledonia71 and the ,fiji ,islands1    
actual kidnapping1 and this is a sad    
hindrance to us4 ,i know of no case of  
actual violence in the ,banks ,islands2 
but in every case1 they took people away
 under false pretences1 asserting that  
the ,bishop is ill and can't come2 he   
has sent us to bring you to him4 ,the   
,bishop is in ,sydney1 he broke his leg 
getting into his boat1 and has sent us  
to take you to him1 c41 c4 ,in many of  
these places some of our old scholars   
are found who speak a little ,english1  
and the traders communicated with them4 

',in most places where any of our young 
people happened to be on shore1 they    
warned their companions against these   
men1 but not always with success4       
,hindrances there must be always in the 
way of all attempts to do some good4    
,but this is a sad business1 and very   
discreditable to the persons employed in
 it and the ,government which sanctions 
it1 for they must know that they cannot 
control the masters of the vessels      
engaged in the trade2 they may pass laws
 as to the treatment the natives are to 
receive on the plantations1 as to food1 
pay1 c41 the time of service1 the date  
of their being taken home1 but they know
 that the whole thing is dishonest4 ,the
 natives don't intend or know anything  
about any service or labour2 they don't 
know that they will have to work hard1  
and any regular steady work is hard work
 to ,south ,sea ,islanders4 ,they are   
brought away under false pretences1 else
 why tell lies to induce them to go on  
board8  ',i dare say that many young    

fellows go on board without much        
persuasion4 ,many causes may be at work 
to induce them to do so1 e4g41 sickness 
in the island1 quarrels1 love of        
excitement1 spirit of enterprise1 c41   
but if they knew what they were taken   
for1 ,i don't think they would go4      
',november #bnd4--,in sight of ,norfolk 
,island4 ,all well on board4  ',november
 #fth4--,yesterday we all landed safely1
 and found our whole party quite well4  
,our new hall is finished1 and in good  
time to receive #acd ,melanesians4'     
,before the full accumulation of letters
 arrived from ,auckland1 a report by a  
passing ship from ,sydney stirred the   
hermit ,bishop deeply1 and elicited the 
following warm congratulation3--        
',norfolk ,island3 ,november #ag1 #ahfi4
  ',my dear ,dr4 ,moberly1--,since my   
return--a fortnight since--from the     
islands a rumour has reached us1 brought
 hither in a small trader1 that the     
,bishop of ,winchester has resigned his 
see1 and that you are his successor4 ,it

 is almost too good to be true4 ,i am   
waiting with great anxiety for a vessel 
expected soon2 ,i have had no ,english  
news since letters of ,april4 ,but in   
all seriousness1 private news is of     
small moment compared with the news of  
what is to become of that great         
,diocese4 ,and especially now1 when     
almost all the south of ,england is so  
sadly in want of officers to command the
 ,church's army4 ,exeter1 ,bath and     
,wells1 ,salisbury1 ,chichester 7very   
old71 and till now 7if this rumour be   
true7 ,winchester1 from old age or      
sickness almost1 if not quite1 unfit for
 work4 ,if indeed ,i hear that ,god's   
,providence has placed you in charge of 
that great see1 it will give a different
 hue to the prospect1 dreary enough1 ,i 
confess1 to me2 though ,i hope ,i am    
mistaken in my gloomy forebodings of the
 results of all those many ,dioceses    
being so long without active ,bishops4  
,salisbury of course ,i except1 and     
,chichester is a small ,diocese         

comparatively1 and the good ,bishop1 ,i 
know1 works up to the maximum of his age
 and strength4 ,but if this be a true   
rumour1 and ,i do sincerely trust and   
pray that it may be so1 indeed it will  
give hope and courage and fresh life and
 power to many and many a fainting soul4
 ,if ,i may presume to say so1 it is 7as
 ,mrs4 ,selwyn wrote to me when he was  
appointed to ,lichfield7 a solemn and   
anxious thing to undertake a great      
charge on the top of such great         
expectations4 ,but already there is one 
out here anyhow who feels cheered and   
strengthened by the mere hope that this 
story is true2 and everywhere many      
anxious men and women will lift up their
 hearts to ,god in thankfulness1 and in 
earnest prayers that you may indeed do a
 great work to ,his glory and to the    
good of ,his ,church in a new and even  
greater sphere of usefulness4 ,no doubt 
much of my thoughts and apprehensions   
about the religious and social state of 
,england is very erroneous4 ,i have but 

little time for reading about what is   
going on1 and though ,i have the        
blessing of ,codrington's good sense and
 ability1 yet ,i should like to have    
more persons to learn from on such      
matters4 ,i am willing and anxious to   
believe that ,i am not cheerful and     
faithful enough to see the bright side  
as clearly as ,i ought4 ,your letters   
have always been a very great help to   
me2 not only a great pleasure1 much more
 than a pleasure4 ,i felt that ,i       
accepted1 occasionally even that ,i had 
anticipated1 your remarks on the        
questions of the day1 the conduct of    
parties and public men1 books1 c4 ,it   
has been a great thing for me to have my
 thoughts guided or corrected in this   
way4  ',your last present to me was your
 volume of ,bampton ,lectures1 of which 
,i need not say how both the subject and
 the mode of treating it make them      
especially valuable just now4 ,and there
 is a strong personal feeling about the 
work and writings of one where the      

public man is also the private friend1  
which gives a special zest to the       
enjoyment of reading a work of this     
kind4  ',certainly it is one of the many
 blessings of my life that ,i should    
somehow have been allowed to grow into  
this degree of intimacy with you1 whom  
,i have always known by name1 though ,i 
don't remember ever to have seen you4 ,i
 think ,i first as a child became       
familiar with your name through good    
,miss ,rennell1 whom ,i dare say you    
remember3 the old ,dean's daughter4     
,what a joy this would have been to dear
 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,keble2 what a joy it is
 to ,charlotte ,yonge2 and there may be 
others close to ,winchester whose lives 
have been closely bound tip with yours4 
',but1 humanly speaking1 the thing is to
 have ,bishops who can command the      
respect and love and dutiful obedience  
of their clergy and laity alike4  ',one 
wants men who1 by solid learning1 and by
 acquaintance too with modern modes of  
criticism and speculation1 by           

scholarship1 force of character1        
largeness of mind1 as well as by their  
goodness1 can secure respect and        
exercise authority4 ,it is the          
lawlessness of men that one deplores2   
the presumption of individual priests   
striking out for themselves unauthorised
 ways of managing their parishes and    
officiating in their churches4 ,and1 if 
,i may dare to touch on such a subject1 
is there not a mode of speaking and     
writing on the ,holy ,eucharist         
prevalent among some men now1 which has 
no parallel in the ,church of ,england1 
except1 it may be1 in some of the       
non-jurors1 and which does not express  
the ,church of ,england's mind2 which is
 not the language of ,pearson1 and      
,jackson1 and ,waterland1 and ,hooker1  
no1 nor of ,bull1 and ,andrewes1 and    
,taylor1 c48 ,i know very little of such
 things--very little indeed4 ,but it is 
oftentimes a sad grief to me that ,i    
cannot accept some of the reasonings and
 opinions of dear ,mr4 ,keble in his    

book on ,eucharistic ,adoration4 ,i know
 that ,i have no right to expect to see 
things as such a man saw them3 that most
 probably the instinctive power of      
discerning truth--the reward of a holy  
life from early childhood--guided him   
where men without such power feel all   
astray4 ,but yet1 there is something    
about the book which may be quite right 
and true1 but does not to me quite      
savour of the healthy sound theology of 
the ,church of ,england2 the fragrance  
is rather that of an exotic plant2 here 
and there ,i mean--though ,i feel angry 
with myself for daring to think this1   
and to say it to you1 who can understand
 him4  ',november #bgth4--,i leave this 
as ,i wrote it1 though now ,i know from 
our mails1 which have come to us1 that  
you are ,bishop of ,salisbury1 not of   
,winchester4 ,i hardly stop to think    
whether it is ,winchester or ,salisbury1
 so great is my thankfulness and joy at 
the report being substantially true4    
,though it did seem that ,winchester was

 a natural sphere for you1 ,i can't help
 feeling that at ,salisbury you can do  
7,d4,v47 what perhaps scarcely any one  
else could do4 ,and now ,i rejoice that 
you have had the opportunity of speaking
 with no uncertain sound in your        
,bampton ,lectures4 ,anyone can tell    
what the ,bishop of ,salisbury holds on 
the great questions of ,church ,doctrine
 and ,church ,government4 ,the diocese  
knows already its ,bishop1 not only by  
many former but by his latest book4     
,surely you will have the confidence of 
all ,churchmen1 and be blessed to do a  
great work for the glory of ,god and the
 edification of the ,church4  ',and now1
 my dear ,bishop of ,salisbury1 you will
 excuse my writing on so freely1 too    
freely ,i fear4 ,i do like to think of  
you in that most perfect of ,cathedrals4
 ,i hope and trust that you will have   
ere long1 right good fellow-workers in  
,exeter1 ,winton1 and ,bath and ,wells4 
',but in the colonies you have a        
congeries of men from all countries1 and

 with every variety of creed1 jumbled up
 together1 with nothing whatever to hold
 them together--no reverence--no        
thoughts of the old parish church1 c4   
,they are restless1 worldly people to a 
great extent1 thinking of getting on1   
making money4 ,to such men the very idea
 of the ,church as a ,divine            
,institution1 the mystical ,body of the 
,lord1 on which all graces are bestowed1
 and through whose ministrations men are
 trained in holiness and truth1 is      
wholly unknown4 ,the personal religion  
of many a man is sincere2 his position  
and duty as a ,churchman he has never   
thought about4 ,i wish the clergy would 
master that part1 at all events1 of your
 ,lectures which deals with this great  
fundamental point1 and then1 as they    
have opportunity1 teach it to their     
people4 ,and by-and-by1 through the     
collective life of the ,church in its   
synods1 c41 many will come to see it1 we
 may hope4  ',i think that ,i may give  
you a cheering account of ourselves4 ,i 

was nineteen weeks in the islands--met  
with no adventures worth mentioning1    
only one little affair which was rather 
critical for a few minutes1 but ended   
very well--and in some of the ,solomon  
,islands made more way than heretofore  
with the people4 ,we have #acd          
,melanesians here and a baby4 ,george   
,sarawia and his wife and two children1 
and two other married couples--all      
,communicants--are at ,mota1 in a nice  
place1 with some twenty-two lads        
boarding with them1 and about thirty    
more coming to daily school4  ',the     
vessel was much knocked about in a      
violent gale in ,june off ,norfolk      
,island1 and we had to handle her very  
carefully4 ,the whole voyage was made   
with a mainmast badly sprung1 and fore  
topmast very shaky4 ,mr4 ,tilly was very
 watchful over the spars1 and though we 
had a large share of squally weather1   
and for some days1 at different times1  
were becalmed in a heavy swell1 the most
 trying of all situations to the gear of

 a vessel1 yet1 thank ,god1 all went    
well1 and ,i have heard of the schooner 
safe in ,auckland harbour4 ,about forty 
of our ,melanesians here are ,solomon   
,islanders1 from seven different        
islands2 a few came from the ,new       
,hebrides1 the rest from the ,banks     
,islands4 ,we are already pretty well   
settled down to our work4 ,indeed1 it   
took only a day or two to get to work2  
our old scholars are such great helpers 
to us4 ,we number six clergymen here    
7,g4 ,sarawia being at ,mota74 ,ten or  
twelve of the sixth form are teachers4  
,if you care to hear more2 ,i must refer
 you to a letter just written to ,miss  
,yonge4 ,but it is not easy to write    
details about #acd young people4 ,their 
temptations are very great when they    
return to their islands2 every          
inducement to profligacy1 c41 is held   
out to them4 ,one of our young baptized 
lads fell into sinful ways1 and is not  
now with us4 ,he was not one of whom we 
had great expectations1 though we       

trusted that he would go on steadily4   
,many others1 thank ,god1 were kept pure
 and truthful in the midst of it all1   
refusing even to sleep one night away   
from our little hut1 and in some cases  
refusing even to leave the schooner4    
,no1 ,i will wait till ,i am married1   
said two lads to me1 who were married   
here to ,christian girls on ,november   
#bdth1 and then go ashore for a time    
with my young wife4 ,i don't think ,i   
should yield1 but ,i don't want to put  
myself in the way of such temptations4  
,and so1 when ,i had naturally expected 
that they would take their six weeks'   
holiday on shore1 while the ,southern   
,cross went from ,mota to ,norfolk      
,island and back 7during my stay at     
,mota71 they remained on board1         
rejoining me1 as they were two of my    
boating crew1 for the ,new ,hebrides    
trip6 ,this was very comforting4 ,and   
when ,i married three couples on        
,november #bdth1 and knew that they were
 pure1 youths and girls alike1 from the 

great sin of heathenism1 you can well   
think that my heart was very full of    
thankfulness and hope4  ',i must end my 
long letter4 ,how will you find time to 
read it8 ,send me some day a photograph 
of your beautiful ,cathedral4  ',yours  
very faithfully1  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4' 
,before the letter to which ,bishop     
,moberly is referred1 ,mr4 ,codrington's
 bit about the weddings seems           
appropriate3--  ',these wedding days    
were great festivals1 especially before 
many had been seen4 ,the ,chapel was    
dressed with flowers1 the wedding party 
in as new and cheerful attire as could  
be procured1 the ,english ,marriage     
,service translated into ,mota4 ,we make
 rings out of sixpences or threepenny   
bits4 ,the place before is full of the  
sound of the hammer tapping the silver  
on the marlingspike4 ,the wedding       
ceremony is performed with as much      
solemnity as possible1 all the school   
present in their new clothes and with   
flowers in their hair4 ,there is even a 

kind of processional ,psalm as the      
wedding party enters the ,chapel4 ,there
 is of course a holiday1 and after the  
service they all go off1 taking with    
them the pig that has been killed for   
the feast4 ,an enormous quantity of plum
 pudding awaits them when1 in the       
evening1 they come back to prayers and  
supper4 ,rounds of hearty cheers1 led   
off by the ,bishop1 used to complete the
 day4 ,weddings of this kind between old
 scholars1 christened1 confirmed1 and   
trustworthy1 represented much anxiety   
and much teaching and expense1 but they 
promise so much1 and that so near of    
what has been worked for1 that they have
 brought with them extraordinary        
pleasure and satisfaction4'   ',norfolk 
,island3 ,november #bd1 #ahfi4  ',my    
dear ,cousin1--,to-day we married three 
young couples3 the bridegrooms4 ,robert 
,pantatun1 ,william ,pasvorang1 and     
,marsden ,sawa1 who have been many years
 with us1 and are all ,communicants2 the
 brides1 ,emily ,milerauwe1 ,lydia      

,lastitia1 and ,rhoda ,titrakrauwe1 who 
were baptized a year ago4  ',the ,chapel
 was very prettily dressed up with      
lilies and many other flowers4 ,the     
bridegrooms wore white trousers1 shirts1
 c41 the brides wore pretty simple      
dresses and flowers in their hair4 ,we  
crowded as many persons as possible into
 our little ,chapel4 ,mr4 ,nobbs and    
some ten or twelve of our ,pitcairn     
friends were all the visitors that we   
could manage to make room for4  ',great 
festivities followed1 a large pig was   
killed yesterday and eaten to-day1 and  
,mr4 ,palmer had manufactured puddings  
without end1 a new kind of food to many 
of the present set of scholars1 but     
highly appreciated by most of them4     
,then followed in the evening native    
dances and songs1 and a supper to end   
with1 with cheers for the brides and    
bridegrooms4  ',there are now six       
married couples here1 three more at     
,mota1 and one or two more weddings will
 take place soon4 ,very fortunately1 a  

vessel came from ,auckland only three or
 four days ago1 the first since the     
,southern ,cross1 in ,june1 ,it brought 
not only five mails for us ,english     
folk1 but endless packages and boxes for
 the ,mission1 ordered by us long ago1  
stores1 clothing1 c4 ,we had all ordered
 more or less in the way of presents for
 scholars1 and though we keep most of   
these treasures for ,christmas gifts1   
yet some are distributed now4  ',these  
presents are for the most part really   
good things4 ,it is quite useless for   
kind friends to send presents to        
,melanesians as they would do to an     
,english lad or girl4 ,to begin with1   
most of our scholars are grown up1 and  
are more like ,english young people of  
twenty or eighteen years old than like  
boys and girls1 and not a few are older 
still2 and secondly1 no ,melanesian1 old
 or young1 cares a rush about a toy4    
,they1 boys and girls1 men and women1   
take a practical view of a present1 and 
are the very reverse of sentimental     

about it1 though they really do like a  
photograph of a friend4 ,but a mere     
,brummagem article that won't stand wear
 is quite valueless in their eyes4      
',whatever is given them1 cheap or dear1
 is estimated according to its          
usefulness2 and whatever is given1      
though it may cost but a shilling1 must 
be good of its kind4 ,for example1 a    
rough-handled1 single-bladed knife1     
bought for a shilling1 they fully       
appreciate2 but a knife with            
half-a-dozen blades1 bought for         
eighteen-pence1 they would almost throw 
away4 ,and so about everything else4 ,i 
mention this as a hint to kind friends4 
,they do like to hear that people think 
of them and are kind to them1 but they  
don't understand why useless things     
should be sent from the other end of the
 world when they could buy much better  
things with their own money out of the  
mission store here4  ',they are very    
fond of anything in the way of          
notebooks1 #hvo and #abmo sizes 7good   

paper71 writing-cases 7which must be    
good if given at all71 patent safety    
inkstands--these things are useful on   
board ship1 and can be carried to the   
islands and brought back again safely4  
,work-baskets or boxes for the girls1   
with good serviceable needles1 pins1    
thread1 scissors1 thimbles1 tapes1 c4   
c41 not a plaything4 ,here we can buy   
for them1 or keep in the store for them 
to buy1 many things that are much too   
bulky to send from a distance1 the      
freight would be ruinous4 ,the ,southern
 ,cross brings them usually to us4 ,such
 things ,i mean as good carpet-bags1    
from #es4 to #ajs41 stout tin boxes with
 locks and keys1 axes1 tools1 straw     
hats1 saucepans1 good strong stuff      
7tweed or moleskin7 for trousers and    
shirts1 which they cut out and make up  
for themselves1 quite understanding the 
inferior character of slop work1 good   
flannel for under-shirts1 or for making 
up into ,crimean shirts1 ,nottingham    
drill1 good towelling1 huckaback1 c41   

ought to be worth while to send out1 and
 if bought in large quantities at the   
manufacturer's1 it would pay us to get  
it in ,england1 especially if the said  
manufacturer reduced the price a little 
in consequence of the use to be made of 
his goods4  ',dull small blue beads are 
always useful1 ditto red4 ,bright       
glittering ones are no use1 few         
,melanesians would take them as a gift4 
,some islanders like large beads1 as big
 or bigger than boys' marbles4 ,these   
are some hints to any kind people who   
may wish to contribute in kind rather   
than in money4  ',mr4 ,codrington has   
given these fellows a great taste for   
gardening4 ,much of their spare hours   
7which are not many7 are spent in       
digging up1 fencing in and preparing    
little pieces of land close about the   
station1 two or three lads generally    
making up a party1 and frequently the   
party consists of lads and young men    
from different islands4 ,then they have 
presents of seeds1 cuttings1 bulbs1 c41 

from ,mr4 ,codrington chiefly1 and ,mrs4
 ,palmer and others contribute4 ,some of
 these little gardens are really very   
nicely laid out in good taste and well  
looked after4 ,they have an eye to the  
practically useful here too1 as every   
garden has its stock of bananas1 and    
here and there we see the sugar-cane    
too4  ',from #c4cj ,p4,m4 to #f ,p4,m4  
is the play time1 although they do not  
all have this time to themselves4 ,for  
three lads must milk from #e to #f1 one 
or two must drive in the cows1 seven or 
eight are in the kitchen1 three or four 
must wash the horses1 one must drive the
 sheep into the fold1 all but the       
milkers have only their one week of     
these diverse occupations4 ,there are   
about twelve head cooks1 who choose     
their helpers 7the whole school1 minus  
the milkers and two or three            
overlookers1 being included71 and so the
 cooking work comes only once in twelve 
weeks4 ,the cooks of the one week drive 
up the cows and water the horses the    

next week1 and then there is no extra   
work1 that is1 nothing but the regular  
daily work from #i4cj ,a4,m4 after      
school to #a ,p4,m4 ,wednesday is a     
half-holiday1 ,saturday a whole holiday4
 ,there are six milkers1 one of whom is 
responsible for the whole4 ,one receives
 #bs4 #j;d4 per week1 his chief mate    
#as4 #f;d41 and the other four #as4     
each4 ,they take it in turns1 three each
 week4 ,this is the hardest work in one 
sense2 it brings them in from their play
 and fishing1 or gardening1 c41 and so  
they are paid for it4 ,we do not approve
 of the white man being paid for        
everything1 and the ,melanesian being   
expected to work habitually extra hours 
for nothing4 ,there are many other      
little extra occupations for which we   
take care that those engaged in them    
shall have some reward1 and as a matter 
of fact a good deal of money finds its  
way into the hands of the storekeeper1  
and a very fair amount of #c;d41 #d;d4  
and #f;d4 pieces may be seen every      

,sunday in the offertory bason4         
',perhaps ,i should say that we have    
seldom seen here any indications of     
these ,melanesians expecting money or   
presents2 but we want to destroy the    
idea in their minds of their being fags 
by nature1 and to help them to have some
 proper self-respect and independence of
 character4 ,we see very little in them 
to make us apprehensive of their being  
covetous or stingy1 and indisposed to   
give service freely4  ',school hours    
#h-i4bj1 #b-c4cj1 singing #g-h ,p4,m41  
chapel #f4de ,a4,m41 #f4cj ,p4,m4  ',of 
the #acd ,melanesians1 besides the baby1
 ten are teachers1 and with their help  
we get on very fairly4 ,there are       
sixteen of us teachers in all1 so that  
the classes are not too large4  ',mr4   
,codrington takes at present the elder  
,banks ,islanders1 ,mr4 ,palmer the next
 class1 and ,mr4 ,bice the youngest set 
of boys from the same group4  ',mr4     
,atkin takes the ,southern ,solomon     
,islanders1 and ,mr4 ,brooke those from 

the northern parts of the same group4 ,i
 have been taking some ,leper's         
,islanders and ,maiwo or ,aurora        
,islanders as new comers1 and other     
classes occasionally4  ',out of so many 
we shall weed out a good number no      
doubt4 ,at present we don't condemn any 
as hopelessly dull1 but it will not be  
worth while to spend much time upon lads
 who in five months must go home for    
good1 and some such there must be2 we   
cannot attempt to teach all1 dull and   
clever alike4 ,we must make selections1 
and in so doing often1 ,i dare say1 make
 mistakes4 ,but what can we do8  ',our  
new hall is a great success4 ,we had all
 the framework sawn out here2 it is     
solid1 almost massive work1 very unlike 
the flimsy wooden buildings that are run
 up in a week or two in most colonial   
villages4 ,it is so large that our party
 of #ade1 plus #i ,english1 sit in the  
aisles without occupying any part of the
 middle of the room4 ,this gives us     
ample accommodation for the present4    

,indeed we might increase our numbers to
 #bjj without any more buildings being  
necessary4 ,the married people give the 
most trouble in this respect1 as they   
have their separate rooms1 and four or  
five married couples take up more room  
than three times the number of single   
folk4 ,however we have here room for    
all1 ,i am thankful to say1 though we   
must build again if more of our young   
people take it into their heads to be   
married4 ,they pass on quickly1 however1
 when married1 into the next stage1 the 
life in their own islands1 and so they  
leave their quarters here for some      
successors4  ',i hope you can understand
 this attempt at a description1 but ,i  
never could write properly about such   
things1 and never shall do so1 ,i       
suppose4 ,i like the life1 ,i know1 a   
great deal better than ,i can write     
about it4 ,indeed1 it is a quiet restful
 life here1 comparatively4 ,some        
anxieties always1 of course1 but1 as    
compared with the distractions of ,new  

,zealand life1 it is pleasant indeed4   
,we have very few interruptions here to 
the regular employment of our time1 and 
need not waste any of it in visits or   
small talk1 which seems to be a         
necessary1 though most wearisome part of
 civilised life4  ',your namesake goes  
on well2 not a clever girl1 but very    
steady and good2 her sister and brother 
are here2 the sisters are much alike in 
character and ability1 the brother is   
sharper4 ,you will1 ,i know1 specially  
think of ,george ,sarawia and his wife  
,sarah at ,mota1 with ,charles and      
,ellen1 ,benjamin and ,marion4 ,they are
 all ,communicants1 but the temptations 
which surround them are very great1 and 
early familiarity with heathen practices
 and modes of thought may yet deaden the
 conscience to the quick apprehension of
 the first approaches of sin4 ,they do  
indeed need the earnest prayers of all4 
',your affectionate ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4  
,,patteson4'   ,how many sons who have  
lost a mother at fifteen or sixteen     

dwell on the thought like this          
affectionate spirit1 twenty-seven years 
later8   ',advent ,sunday1 ,november    
#bj1 #ahfi4  ',it is a solemn thing to  
begin a new year on the anniversary of  
our dear ,mother's death4 ,i often think
 whether she would approve of this or   
that opinion1 action1 c4 ,wright's      
painting is pleasant to look upon4 ,i   
stand in a corner of my room1 at        
father's old mahogany desk4 ,her picture
 and his1 the large framed photographs  
from ,richmond's drawing1 and a good    
photograph of the ,bishop are just      
above4 ,i wish you could see my room4 ,i
 write now on ,december #c1 a bright    
summer day1 but my room with its deep   
verandah is cool and shady4 ,it is true 
that ,i refuse carpet and curtains4     
,they only hold dust and make the room  
fusty4 ,but the whole room is filled    
with books1 and those pictures1 and the 
,lionardo da ,vinci over the fireplace1 
and ,mr4 ,boxall's photograph over it1  
and his drawing vis-a-vis to it at the  

other end of the room1 and by my window 
a splendid gloxinia with fine full      
flowers out in a very pretty porcelain  
pot1 both ,mr4 ,codrington's gift4 ,on  
another glass stand 7also his present7 a
 ,mota flower imported here1 a brilliant
 scarlet hibiscus1 and blossoms of my   
creepers and bignonia1 most beautiful4  
,so fresh and pretty4 ,the steps of the 
verandah are a mass of honeysuckle4 ,the
 stephanotis1 with the beautiful scented
 white flowers and glossy leaves1 covers
 one of the posts4 ,how pleasant it is4 
,everyone is kind1 all are well1 all are
 going on well just now4 ,such are      
missionary comforts4 ,where the         
hardships are ,i have not yet           
discovered4 ,your chain1 dear ,joan1 is 
round my neck1 and the locket 7,mamma's7
 in which you1 ,fan1 put the hair of you
 five1 hangs on it4  ',i am dipping my  
pen into the old silver inkstand which  
used to be in the front drawing-room4   
,every morning at about #e ,a4,m4 ,i    
have a cup of tea or coffee1 and use    

,grandmamma ,coleridge's old-fashioned  
silver cream-jug1 and the cup and saucer
 which ,augusta sent out years ago1 my  
old christening spoon1 and the old      
silver tea-pot and salver4 ,very grand1 
but ,i like the old things4  ',this day 
fortnight 7,d4,v47 ,i ordain ,j4 ,atkin 
and ,c4 ,h4 ,brooke ,priests4  ',i have 
no time to answer your ,april and       
,september letters4 ,i rejoice with all 
my heart to hear of ,dr4 ,moberly's     
appointment4 ,what a joyful event for   
,charlotte ,yonge4 ,that child ,pena    
sent me ,shairp's 7dear old ,shairp7    
book1 which ,i wanted4 ,i must write to 
,sophy as soon as ,i can4 ,you will     
forgive if ,i have seemed to be1 or     
really have been1 unmindful of your     
sorrows and anxieties4 ,sometimes ,i    
think ,i am in too great a whirl to     
think long enough to realise and enter  
into all your doings4  ',your loving    
,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'   ,the intended
 letter to ,mrs4 ,martyn was soon       
written4 ,the death there referred to   

was that of ,mrs4 ,william ,coleridge1  
widow of the ,bishop of ,barbadoes3--   
',norfolk ,island3 ,december #ad1 #ahfi4
  ',my dear ,sophy1--,i should be       
specially thinking of you as ,christmas 
draws nigh with its blessed thoughts1   
and hopes1 and the ,st4 ,stephen's      
memories in any case ,i should be       
thinking of you4 ,but now ,i have lately
 received your long loving letter of    
last ,eastertide1 partly written in bed4
  ,then your dear child's illness makes 
me think greatly 7and how lovingly67 of 
you three of the three generations4     
,lastly1 ,i hear of dear ,aunt          
,william's death4 ,you know that ,i had 
a very great affection for her1 and ,i  
feel that this is a great blow probably 
to you all1 though dear ,aunty 7as ,i   
have noticed in all old persons1        
especially when good as well as old7    
takes this quietly1 ,i dare say4 ,the   
feeling must be1 ,well1 ,i shall soon   
meet her again2 a few short days only   
remain4  ',i suppose that you1 with your

 quarter of a century's widowhood1 still
 feel as if the waiting time was all    
sanctified by the thought of the        
reunion4 ,oh6 what a thought it is3 too 
much almost to think that by ,his       
wonderful mercy1 one may hope to be with
 them all1 and for ever2 to behold the  
faces of ,apostles1 and ,apostolic men1 
and ,prophets1 and ,saints1 holy men and
 women2 and1 as if this were not enough1
 to see ,him as ,he is1 in ,his         
essential perfections1 and to know ,him4
 ,one can't sustain the effort of such a
 thought1 which shows how great a change
 must pass on one before the great      
,consummation4 ,well1 the more one can  
think of dear ,father and ,mother1 and  
dear dear ,uncle ,james and ,uncle      
,frank1 and ,cousin ,george1 and ,uncle 
and ,aunt ,william1 others too1 uncles  
and aunts1 and your dear ,fanny1 and    
your husband1 though it would be untrue 
to say ,i knew him1 taken so early--the 
more one thinks of them all the better4 
,and ,i have1 ,sophy1 so many very      

different ones to think of ,edwin and   
,fisher1 and so many ,melanesians taken 
away in the very first earnestness and  
simplicity of a new convert's faith4    
,how many have died in my arms--,god be 
thanked--in good hope6  ',if by ,his    
great mercy there be a place for me     
there1 ,i feel persuaded that ,i shall  
there find many of those dear lads1 whom
 indeed ,i think of with a full heart1  
full of affection and thankfulness4  ',i
 have been reading the ,memoir of ,mr4  
,keble1 of course with extreme interest4
 ,it is all about events and chiefly    
about persons that one has heard about  
or even known4 ,i think we get a little 
autobiography of our dear ,uncle ,john  
in it too1 for which ,i don't like it   
the less4  ,there are passages1 as      
against going to ,borne1 which ,i am    
glad to see in print2 they are wanted   
now again1 ,i fear4 ,i am glad you like 
,moberly's ,bampton ,lectures4 ,his book
 on ,the ,great ,forty ,days1 his best  
book 787 after all1 has the germ of it  

all4 ,i am so thankful for his          
appointment to ,salisbury4 ,i dare say  
you know that he is kind enough to write
 to me occasionally2 and he sends me his
 books1 one of the greatest of the      
indirect blessings of being known to    
,mr4 ,keble4 ,i do very little in the   
way of reading1 save that ,i get a quiet
 hour for ,hebrew1 #e-f ,a4,m41 and ,i  
do read some theology4 ,in one sense it 
is easier reading to me than other      
books1 history1 poetry1 because1 though 
,i don't know much about it1 ,i know    
nothing about them4  ',my pleasure would
 be1 if with you1 in talking over such  
little insight as ,i may have received  
into the wondrous harmony and symmetry  
of the whole ,bible1 by tolerably close 
examination of the text of the ,greek1  
and to some extent of the ,hebrew4 ,the 
way in which a peculiar word brings a   
whole passage or argument en rapport    
with a train of historical associations 
or previous statements is wonderful2    
e4g41 the verb of which ,moses is formed

 occurs only in ,exodus ii4 #aj1 #b     
,samuel xxii4 #ag1 ,psalm xviii4 #af4   
,see how the magnificent description of 
the ,passage of the ,red ,sea in ,psalm 
xviii4 is connected with ,moses by this 
one word4 ,these undesigned             
coincidences1 and 7surely7 proofs of    
inspiration are innumerable4  ',i do    
delight in it3 only ,i want more help1  
far more4 ,we have great advantages in  
this generation4 ,dear ,uncle ,james had
 no ,commentary1 one might almost say1  
on ,old ,testament or ,new ,testament4  
,ellicott1 ,wordsworth1 and ,alford on  
the ,new ,testament were not in         
existence2 and the ,germans1 used with  
discrimination1 are great helps4 ,an    
orthodox ,lutheran1 one ,delitzsch 7of  
whom ,liddon wrote that ,dr4 ,pusey     
thinks highly of his ,hebrew            
scholarship71 helps me much in ,isaiah4 
,he has sucked all the best part out of 
,vitringa's enormous book1 and added    
much minute1 and ,i am told correct     
criticism4 ,and how grand it is6 ,this  

morning--it is now #f4ae ,a4,m4--,i have
 been reading part of that wonderful    
chapter xxvi4  ',it strikes me that the 
way to teach a class or a congregation  
is to bring out the doctrine from the   
very words of ,scripture carefully1     
critically examined and explained4 ,only
 think1 ,sophy1 of the vague desultory  
way in which we all1 more or less1 read2
 and we have accepted a phraseology     
without enquiring to a great extent1 and
 use words to which we attach no        
definite meaning4 ,few in the           
congregation could draw out in clear    
words what they mean when they talk of  
faith1 justification1 regeneration1     
conversion1 c4 c4 ,all language denoting
 ideas and thoughts is transferred to   
the region of the mind from denoting at 
first only external objects and         
sensations4 ,this is in accordance with 
the mystery of all1 the union of mind   
and matter--which no pagan philosopher  
could comprehend--the extreme difficulty
 of solving which caused ,dualism and   

,asceticism on the one hand1 and neglect
 of all bodily discipline on the other4 
,mind and matter must be antagonistic1  
the work of different beings3 man must  
get rid of his material part to arrive  
at his true end and perfection4  ',so   
some said1 ,mortify1 worry the body1    
which is essentially and inherently     
evil4 ,no1 said others1 the sins of the 
body don't hurt the mind2 the two things
 are distinct1 don't react on one       
another4 7,st4 ,paul deals with all this
 in the ,colossians47 ,the ,incarnation 
is the solution or the culmination of   
the mystery4  ',what a prose6 but ,i    
meant1 that people so often use words as
 if the use of a word was equivalent to 
the knowledge of the thought which1 in  
the mind of an accurate thinker1        
accompanies the utterance of the word4  
',i should think that three-fourths of  
what we clergymen say is unintelligible 
to the mass of the congregation4 ,we    
assume an acquaintance with the ,bible  
and ,prayer-book1 thought1 and a        

knowledge of the meaning of words which 
few1 alas6 possess4 ,we must begin1     
then1 with the little ones2 as far as ,i
 see1 all children are apt to fail at   
the point when they ought to be passing 
from merely employing the memory 7in    
learning by heart1 e4g41 the ,catechism7
 by exercising the reasoning and        
thinking faculty4  ',well now1 you have 
said that very well1 now let us think   
what it means4  ',how well ,dr4 ,pusey  
says1 in his ,sermons1 ,not altogether  
intentional deliberate vice1 but        
thoughtlessness is destroying souls4    
',i run on at random1 dear ,sophy1      
hoping to give you one and a half hour's
 occupation on a sick bed or couch1 and 
because1 as you say1 this is the only   
converse we are likely to have on earth4
  ',i think ,i am too exclusively fond  
of this reading1 very little else       
interests me4 ,i take up a theological  
book as a recreation1 which is1 perhaps1
 hardly reverent1 and may narrow the    
mind2 but even ,church history is not   

very attractive to me4 ,i like ,jackson 
and ,hooker1 and some of the moderns1 of
 whom ,i read a good many2 and ,i lose a
 good deal of time in diving into things
 too deep by half for me1 while ,i      
forget or don't learn simple things4    
',all this modern rage for reviews1     
serials1 magazines1 ,i can't abide4 ,my 
mind is far too much distracted already1
 and that fragmentary mode of reading is
 very bad for many people1 ,i am sure4  
',naturally enough at forty-two years of
 age ninety-nine hundredths of the      
lighter books seem to me mere rubbish4  
,they come to me occasionally4 ,however1
 there are younger ones here1 so it     
isn't sheer waste to receive such       
donations3 they soon get out of my room4
 ,not1 mind you1 that ,i think this the 
least evidence of my being wiser1 or    
employing my time more carefully than   
other folk4 ,only ,i want you to know   
what ,i am1 and what ,i think4  ',pena  
has sent me a nice book which ,i wanted3
 #ast4 ,because ,i have a great personal

 liking for ,shairp1 a simple-minded1   
affectionate man1 with much poetical    
feeling and good taste-a kindly-natured 
man4 #bnd4 ,because he writes in an     
appreciative kind of way1 and is the    
very opposite of 4444 whom ,i can't     
stand with his insufferable             
self-sufficiency1 and incapacity for    
appreciating the nobler1 simpler1 more  
generous natures who are unlike him4    
,well6 that is fierce4 ,but there is a  
school of men whom ,i can't stand4      
,their nature repels me1 and ,i hardly  
wish to like them2 which is an evil     
feeling4  ',i shall add a line in a few 
days4  ',my very dearest love to        
,aunty--dear ,aunty2 and if ,i can't    
write to ,pena1 give her my best love   
and thanks for her book4  ',dear ,sophy1
 your loving ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'    
,two other letters1 one to each of the  
sisters1 were in progress at this time4 
,to ,joanna1 who had been grieved for   
the poor girl whose transgression had   
occurred in the beginning of the year1  

he says3--  ',about ,semtingvat1 you    
must be comforted about her4 ,for a poor
 child who1 two short years before1 had 
assumed as a matter of course that a    
woman simply existed to be a man's slave
 in every kind of way1 her fault could  
not1 ,i think1 be regarded as very      
great4 ,indeed1 there was much comfort  
from the first2 and since that time they
 not only have gone on well1 but ,i do  
believe that their religious character  
has been much strengthened by the kind  
of revelation they then obtained of what
 ,christianity really does mean4        
,anyhow1 all notice the fact that ,u----
 has improved very much1 and they all   
sing ,semtingvat's praises4 ,i had no   
difficulty about marrying them after a  
little while4 ,i spoke openly in chapel 
to everyone about it4 ,their wedding was
 not as other weddings--no festivity1 no
 dressing of the chapel1 no feast1 no   
supper and fun and holiday4 ,it was     
perfectly understood to be in all       
respects different from a bright1 happy 

wedding4 ,but it was quite as much for  
the sake of all1 for the sake of        
enforcing the new teaching about the    
sanctity of marriage1 that we made so   
very much of what 7as men speak7 was    
under the circumstances a comparatively 
light fault1 less than an impure thought
 on the part of such as have been taught
 their duty from their childhood4  ',i  
am almost confused with the accounts    
from ,england4 ,all seems in a state of 
turmoil and confusion2 all the old      
landmarks being swept away by a deluge  
of new opinions as to all matters civil 
and ecclesiastical4 ,i don't think that 
we ought to refuse to see these signs of
 a change in men's mode of regarding    
great political and religious questions4
 ,a man left high and dry on the        
sand-bank of his antiquated notions will
 do little good to the poor folk        
struggling in the sea way1 though he is 
safer as far as he is himself concerned 
by staying where he is than by plunging 
in to help them4  ',it is a critical    

time in every sense4 ,men and women can 
hardly be indifferent2 they must be at  
the pains of making up their minds4 ,as 
for us clergy1 everywhere but in        
,norfolk ,island1 we must know that     
people are thinking of matters which all
 were content a few years ago to keep   
back in silence1 and that they expect us
 to speak about them4 ,how thankful ,i  
am that we fortunate ones are exempt    
from this4 ,yet in my way ,i1 too1 try  
to think a bit about what is going on2  
and ,i don't want to be too gloomy1 or  
to ignore some good in all this ferment 
in men's minds4 ,it is better than      
stagnation and indolent respectability4 
,there is everywhere a consciousness of 
a vast work to be done1 and sincere     
efforts are made to do it4 ,i suppose   
that is a fact2 many1 many poor souls   
are being taught and trained for heaven 
through all these various agencies which
 seem to a distant and idle critic to be
 so questionable in some ways4  ',of old
 one thought that the sober standard of 

,church of ,england divinity was the    
rule to which all speculations should be
 reduced2 and one thought that ,pearson1
 ,hooker1 ,waterland1 ,jeremy ,taylor   
also1 and ,andrewes1 and ,bull1 and     
,jackson1 and ,barrow1 c41 stood for the
 idea of ,english divinity4 ,now we are 
launched upon a wider sea4 ,catholic    
usage and doctrine take the place of    
,church of ,england teaching and        
practice2 rightly1 ,i dare say1 only it 
may be well to remember that men who can
 perhaps understand a good deal of the  
,english divines1 can hardly be supposed
 to be equally capable of understanding 
the far wider and more difficult range  
of ecclesiastical literature of all ages
 and all writers4  ',everyone knows and 
is struck by the fact that passages of  
old writers are continually quoted by   
men of quite different schools of       
thought in favour of their own          
7different7 views4 ,clearly they can't  
both understand the mind and spirit of  
these writers2 and the truth is1 isn't  

it1 that only they who by very long     
study1 and from a large share of the    
true historical imagination1 sympathise 
with and really enter into the hearts   
and minds of these writers1 are         
competent to deal with and decide upon  
such wide and weighty matters8  ',it    
seems to me as if men who are in no     
sense divines1 theologians1 or well     
read1 speak strongly and use expressions
 and teach doctrines which1 indeed1 only
 very few men should think of uttering  
or teaching4  ',and yet1 don't think ,i 
wish to be only an exclusive ,anglican1 
without sympathy for ,east or ,west2    
still less that ,i wish to ignore the   
,catholic ,church of the truly primitive
 times2 but ,i take the real1 so to say1
 representative teaching of the ,church 
of ,england to be the divinity of the   
truly primitive ,church1 to which our   
formularies and reformers appeal4 ,i    
know1 moreover1 that our dear ,father   
accepted ,jackson and ,waterland2 and ,i
 don't feel disposed to disparage them1 

as it is the fashion to do nowadays4    
,few men1 in spite of occasional        
scholastic subtlety1 go so deep in their
 search right down into principles as   
,jackson4 ,few men so analyse1 dissect1 
search out the precise1 exact meaning of
 words and phrases1 so carry you away   
from vague generalities to accurate     
defined meanings and doctrines4 ,he had 
an honest and clear brain of his own1   
though he was a tremendous book-worm2   
and ,i think he is a great authority1   
though ,i know about him and his        
antagonism to ,rome4 ,i don't fear to   
weary you by this kind of talk2 but     
don't ,i wish ,i could hear three or    
four of our very best men discuss these 
points thoroughly4 ,in all sincerity ,i 
believe that ,i should be continually   
convinced of error1 shallow judgments1  
and ignorance4 ,but then ,i should most 
likely get real light on some points    
where ,i would fain have it4'  ,to this 
unconscious token of humility1 another  
must be added1 from the same letter1    

speaking of two ,new ,zealand           
friends3--',to me she has always been   
kindness itself1 with her husband       
overrating me to such an amusing extent 
that ,i don't think it hurt even my     
vanity4'  ,full preparation was going on
 for the ordination1 of the two priests4
  ,no special account of the actual     
service seems to have been written2 and 
the first letter of ,january was nearly 
absorbed by the tidings of the three    
,episcopal appointments of the close of 
#ahfi1 the ,oxford choice coming near to
 ,bishop ,patteson by his family        
affections1 and the appointment to      
,exeter as dealing with his beloved     
county at home4  ,and now1 before       
turning the page1 and leaving the period
 that had1 on the whole1 been full of   
brightness1 will be the best time to    
give ,mr4 ,codrington's account of the  
manner of life at ,st4 ,barnabas1 while 
the ,bishop was still in his strength3--
  ',certainly one of the most striking  
points to a stranger would have been the

 familiar intercourse between the       
,bishop and his boys1 not only the      
advanced scholars1 but the last and     
newest comers4 ,the kindly and friendly 
disposition of the ,melanesians leads to
 a great deal of free and equal         
familiarity even where there are chiefs1
 and the obsequious familiarity of which
 one hears in ,india is here quite      
unknown4 ,nevertheless1 ,i doubt very   
much whether other ,melanesians live in 
the same familiarity with their         
missionaries--e4g41 ,carry1 wife of     
,wadrokala1 writes thus3--,i tremble    
very much to write to you1 ,i am not fit
 to write to you1 because1 does an ant  
know how to speak to a cow8 ,we at      
,nengone would not speak to a great man 
like you2 no1 our language is different 
to a chief and a missionary4  ',making  
every allowance1 and1 looking at the    
matter from within1 that perfect freedom
 and affectionateness of intercourse    
that existed with him seems very        
remarkable4  ',the secret of it is not  

far to seek4 ,it did not lie in any     
singular attractiveness of his manner   
only1 but in the experience that        
everyone attracted gained that he sought
 nothing for himself2 he was entirely   
free from any desire to be admired1 or  
love of being thought much of1 as he was
 from love of commanding for the sake of
 being obeyed4 ,the great temptations to
 missionaries among savage people1 as it
 seems1 are to self-esteem1 from a      
comparison of themselves with their     
,european advantages and the natives    
among whom they live2 and to a          
domineering temper1 because they find an
 obedience ready1 and it is delightful  
to be obeyed4 ,bishop ,patteson's       
natural disposition was averse to       
either1 and the principles of missionary
 work which he took up suited at once   
his natural temper and his religious    
character4 ,he was able naturally1      
without effort1 to live as a brother    
among his black brothers1 to be the     
servant of those he lived to teach4 ,the

 natural consequence of this was1 the   
unquestioned authority which he         
possessed over those with whom he lived 
on equal terms4 ,no one could entertain 
the idea that anything was ordered from 
a selfish motive1 for any advantage to  
himself1 or that anything was forbidden 
without some very good reason4 ,this    
familiarity with a superior1 which is   
natural with ,melanesians1 is           
accompanied1 especially in ,banks       
,islanders1 with a very great reserve   
about anything that touches the feelings
 or concerns character4 ,thus a boy1 who
 would use the ,bishop's room as if it  
were his own1 coming in unasked1 to read
 or write1 or sit by the fire there1    
would with very great difficulty get    
over the physical trembling1 which their
 language implies1 that would come upon 
him1 if he wished to speak about his own
 feelings on religious matters1 or to   
tell him something which he well knew it
 was his duty to make known4 ,when one  
knows how difficult it is to them to    

speak openly1 their openness with the   
,bishop is more appreciated1 though he  
indeed often enough complained of their 
closeness with him4 ,the real affection 
between the boys and the ,bishop        
required no acquaintance with the       
character of either to discern1 and     
could surprise no one who knew anything 
of the history of their relation one to 
another4 ,it is well known that he      
wished his elder boys to stand in the   
place of the sixth form of a public     
school2 and to some extent they did so1 
but being mostly ,banks ,islanders1 and 
,banks ,islanders being peculiarly      
afraid of interfering with one another1 
his idea was never reached4 ,still no   
doubt a good deal is attained when they 
arrive rather at the position of        
pupil-teacher in a ,national ,school2   
and this at least they occupy very      
satisfactorily1 as is shown by the      
success with which so large a school has
 been carried on since the ,bishop's    
death4 ,no doubt the ,ordination of more

 from among their number would go far to
 raise them in their own estimation4    
',in truth1 the carrying out of the     
principle of the equality of black and  
white in a missionary work1 which is the
 principle of this mission1 is very     
difficult1 and cannot be done in all    
particulars in practice by anyone1 and  
by most people1 unless brought up to it1
 probably not at all4 ,nevertheless1 it 
is practicable1 and1 as we think1       
essential1 and was in all main points   
carried out by ,bishop ,patteson4 ,but  
the effect of this must not be          
exaggerated4 ,it is true that we have no
 servants1 yet a boy regularly brought  
water1 c41 for the ,bishop1 and a woman 
regularly swept and cleaned his rooms1  
and received regular wages for it4 ,the 
,bishop never cooked his dinner or did  
any such work except upon occasions on  
which a bachelor curate in ,england does
 much of the kind1 as a matter of       
course4 ,the extraordinary thing is that
 it is1 as he at any rate supposed1 the 

custom in other missions to make        
scholars and converts servants as a     
matter of course2 and the difference    
lies not in the work which is done or   
not done by the one party or the other1 
but in the social relation of equality  
which subsists between them1 and the    
spirit in which the work is asked for   
and rendered4  ',the main thing to      
notice about the ,bishop is that there  
was nothing forced or unnatural in his  
manner of taking a position of equality1
 and equality as real in any way as his 
superiority in another4 ,consequently1  
there was never the least loss of       
dignity or authority on his part4       
',there never was visible the smallest  
diminution of freedom and affection in  
the intercourse that went on4 ,it       
required some knowledge in one respect  
to appreciate the extraordinary facility
 with which he conversed with boys from 
various islands4 ,a stranger would be   
struck with his bright smiles and sweet 
tones as he would address some little   

stranger who came into his room2 but one
 who knew a little of the languages     
alone could know with what extraordinary
 quickness he passed from one language  
to another1 talking to many boys in     
their own language1 but accommodating   
his tongue with wonderful readiness to  
each in succession4 ,it would be hard to
 say how many languages he could speak2 
those which he spoke quite freely1 to my
 knowledge1 were not so many3 ,mota1    
,bauro1 ,mahaga1 and ,nengone1          
certainly2 some others no doubt quite   
readily when among the people who spoke 
them2 and very many only with a small   
vocabulary which was every instant being
 enlarged4 ,it does not appear to me    
that his scientific philological        
acquirements were extraordinary2 but    
that his memory for words giving him    
such a command of vocabulary1 and so    
wide a scope for comparison1 and his    
accurate and delicate ear to catch the  
sounds1 and power of reproducing them1  
were altogether wonderful and very      

rarely equalled4 ,a man of his faculty  
of expression and powers of mind could  
not speak like a native2 he spoke better
 than a native1 than a native of ,mota  
at least4 ,that is that1 although no    
doubt he never was quite master of the  
little delicate points of ,mota         
scholarship1 which no one not a native  
can keep quite right1 and no native can 
account for1 yet his vocabulary was so  
large and accurate1 and his feeling of  
the native ways of looking at things and
 representing them in words so true1    
that he spoke to them more clearly and  
forcibly than even any native spoke1 and
 with the power of an educated mind     
controlling while following the native  
taste4 ,he was an enthusiast1 no doubt1 
about these languages1 and jealous of   
their claim to be considered true       
language1 and not what people suppose   
them to be1 the uncouth jargon of       
savages4 ,i will only say that his      
translations of some of the ,psalms into
 ,mota are as lofty in their diction and

 as harmonious in their rhythm1 in my   
estimation1 as anything almost ,i read  
in any language4 ,this no doubt sounds  
exaggerated1 and must be taken only for 
what it is worth4  ',it was probably in 
a great measure because his natural     
power of acquiring languages was so     
extraordinary1 and needed so very little
 labour in him1 that he did so very     
little to put on paper what he knew of  
all those many tongues4 ,all there is in
 print ,i have put together4 ,besides   
this1 he carried the same unfortunate   
way of leaving off what he had begun    
into these notes on language also4 ,in  
the year '#fc-'fd he got printed a      
number of small grammatical papers in   
almost all the languages he knew1       
because he felt he ought not to subject 
them to the risk of being lost4 ,another
 reason why he did not go into any      
laborious manuscript or printing work   
with the various languages was1 that he 
saw as time went on1 first1 that it was 
so very uncertain what language would   

come in practice into request2 and1     
secondly1 that one language would       
suffice for the use1 in practice1 of all
 natives of a neighbourhood4 ,for       
example1 the language of part of ,mae   
7,three ,hills71 in the ,new ,hebrides1 
was once studied and well known4        
,nothing whatever came of the           
intercourse with that island1 once so   
constant1 ,i don't know why1 and now the
 people themselves are destroyed almost1
 and hopes of doing them good destroyed 
by the slave trade4 ,and1 secondly1 the 
use of the ,mota language in our        
ordinary intercourse here has very much 
diminished the need for any one's       
knowing a particular language beyond the
 missionary who has charge of the boys  
who speak it4 ,thus the ,bishop rather  
handed over the language of ,bauro to   
,mr4 ,atkin1 of ,florida to ,mr4        
,brooke1 of ,leper's ,island to ,mr4    
,price2 and as the common teaching of   
all boys who belonged to either of the  
principal groups into which the school  

fell went on in ,mota1 there was no     
practical use in the other tongues the  
,bishop knew1 except in his voyages1 and
 in giving him more effectual powers of 
influencing those to whom he could speak
 in their own tongue4 ,besides1 he saw  
so clearly the great advantage1 on the  
one hand1 of throwing together in every 
possible way the boys from all the      
islands1 which was much helped by the   
use of one language1 and1 on the other  
hand1 the natural tendency in a group of
 boys from one island or neighbourhood  
to keep separate1 and of the teacher of 
a particular set to keep them separate  
with himself1 that1 without saying much 
about it1 he discouraged the printing of
 other languages besides ,mota1 and in  
other ways kept them rather in the      
background4 ,how things would have      
arranged themselves if ,mota had not by 
circumstances come into such prominence 
,i cannot say1 but the predominance of  
,mota came in with the internal         
organisation of the ,mission by ,mr4    

,pritt4 ,it is impossible for one who   
knew ,bishop ,patteson intimately1 and  
the later condition of the ,mission     
intimately1 to lose sight for long of   
,mr4 ,pritt's influence and his useful  
work4'  ,perhaps this chapter can best  
be completed by the external testimony  
of a visitor to ,norfolk ,island1 given 
in a letter to the ,editor of the       
',australian ,churchman'3--  ',daily at 
#g ,a4,m4 the bell rings for chapel     
about one minute1 and all hands promptly
 repair thither4 ,in spite of the vast  
varieties of language and dialect spoken
 by fifty or sixty human beings1        
collected from twenty or thirty islets  
of the ,pacific main1 no practical      
difficulty has been found in using the  
,mota as the general language in ,chapel
 and school1 so that in a short time a  
congregation of twenty languages are    
able to join in worship in the one ,mota
 tongue1 more or less akin to all the   
rest1 and a class of1 say1 nine boys1   
speaking by nature five different       

languages1 easily join in using the one 
,mota language1 just as a ,frenchman1 a 
,german1 a ,russian1 a ,pole1 an        
,italian1 and an ,englishman1 all       
meeting in the same cafe or railway     
carriage1 on the same glacier or        
mountain top1 might harmoniously agree  
to use the ,french language as their    
medium of communication4 ,so the service
 is conducted in ,mota with one         
exception only4 ,the collect for the day
 is read in ,english1 as a brief        
allowable concession to the ears and    
hearts of the ,english members of the   
,mission4 ,the service consists of the  
greater part of the ,church of ,england 
,service translated4 ,some modifications
 have been made to suit the course of   
religious instruction4 ,the ,psalms are 
chanted and hymns sung in parts1 and    
always in admirable tune1 by the        
congregation4 ,noteworthy are the       
perfect attention1 the reverent         
attitude1 the hearty swing and unison of
 the little congregation1 a lesson1 ,i  

felt with shame1 to many of our white   
congregations4  ',immediately after     
service clinks out the breakfast bell1  
and1 with marvellous promptitude and    
punctuality1 whites and blacks1 lay and 
clerical1 are seen flocking to the      
mess-room4 ,the whites sit at the upper 
end of the table1 but beyond the special
 privilege of tea1 all fare alike1      
chiefly on vegetables3 yams or sweet    
potatoes1 and carrots or vegetable      
marrows1 as may suit the season1 with   
plenty of biscuit for more ambitious    
teeth1 and plenty of milk to wash it    
down4 ,soon afterwards comes school for 
an hour and a half4 ,then work for the  
boys and men1 planting yams1 reaping    
wheat1 mowing oats1 fencing1 carting1   
building1 as the call may be1 only no   
caste distinction or ordering about2 it 
is not go and do that1 but come and do  
this1 whether the leader be an ordained 
clergyman1 a white farm bailiff1 or a   
white carpenter4 ,this is noteworthy1   
and your readers will gain no clear idea

 of the ,mission if they do not seize   
this point1 for it is no matter of mere 
detail1 but one of principle4 ,the      
system is not that of the ship or the   
regiment1 of the farm or the manufactory
 of the old country1 but essentially of 
the family4 ,it is not the officer or   
master saying ,go but the father or the 
brother saying ,come4 ,and to this1 ,i  
firmly believe1 is the hearty cheerful  
following and merry work of the blacks  
chiefly due4 ,at #a ,p4,m4 is dinner1   
much the same as breakfast4 ,meat1      
though not unknown1 is the weak point of
 the ,mission dietary4 ,in the          
afternoon1 work4 ,at #f1 tea4 ,in the   
evening1 class again for an hour or two2
 this evening class being sometimes a   
singing lesson1 heartily enjoyed by the 
teacher4 ,i forget precisely when the   
boys have to prepare matter arising out 
of the lessons they have received viva  
voce4  ',there are evening prayers1 and 
bed-time is early4 ,noteworthy are the  
happy conjunctions of perfect discipline

 with perfect jollity1 the marvellous   
attainment of a happy familiarity which 
does not breed contempt4  ',i presume ,i
 need scarcely say to your readers that 
besides education in reading1 writing1  
and arithmetic1 through the medium of   
the ,mota language1 instruction in the  
,holy ,scriptures and the most careful  
explanations of their meaning and mutual
 relation1 forms a main part of the     
teaching given4 ,the men and boys of the
 senior classes take notes2 notes not by
 order expressly to be inspected1 but1  
so to say1 private notes for the aid of 
their memories2 and from the translation
 given to me by ,bishop ,patteson of    
some of these1 ,i should say that few1  
if any1 of the senior class of an       
,english ,sunday ,school could give     
anything like so close1 and sometimes   
philosophical1 an explanation of        
,scripture1 and that sometimes in       
remarkably few words4  ',there remains  
to be noticed one most effectual means  
of doing good4 ,after evening school1   

the ,bishop1 his clergy1 and his aides1 
retire mostly into their own rooms4     
,then1 quietly and shyly1 on this night 
or the other night1 one or two1 three or
 four of the more intelligent of the    
black boys steal silently up to the     
,bishop's side1 and by fits and starts1 
slowly1 often painfully1 tell their     
feelings1 state their difficulties1 ask 
for help1 and1 ,i believe1 with ,god's  
blessing1 rarely fail to find it4 ,they 
are not gushing as negroes1 but shy as  
,englishmen2 we ,englishmen ought1      
indeed1 to have a fellow-feeling for    
these poor black boys and help them with
 all our hearts4  ',such is the routine 
for five of the six work days4 ,saturday
 is whole holiday1 and all hands go to  
fish if the sea permits2 if not1 to play
 rounders or what not4 ,merry lads they 
are1 as ever gladdened an ,english      
playground4  ',on ,sunday1 the early    
,chapel is omitted4 ,the full ,liturgy  
is divided into two services--,i forget 
the laws--and a kind of sermon in ,mota 

is given2 and in the afternoon1 the     
,bishop1 or one of the ordained members 
of the ,mission1 usually goes down to   
the town to relieve ,mr4 ,nobbs in his  
service for the ,pitcairners4  ',as     
regards the manual work of the station1 
this general principle is               
observed--women for washing and         
house-work2 the men for planting and    
out-of-door work2 but no one1 white or  
black1 is to be too grand to do his     
share4 ,the ,bishop's share1 indeed1 is 
to study and investigate and compare the
 languages and necessary translations1  
but no one is to be above manual labour4
 ,no one1 because he is a white man1 is 
to say1 ,here1 black fellow1 come and   
clean my boots4 ,here1 black people1    
believe that ,i have come to give you a 
treasure of inestimable price4          
,meantime1 work for me1 am ,i not your  
superior8 ,can ,i not give you money1   
calico1 what not8  ',this ,christian    
democracy1 if ,i may so call it1 has    
worked well in the long run4'  ,this    

observer does seem to have entered well 
into the spirit of the place2 and there 
can be no doubt that the plan and       
organisation of the ,mission had by this
 time been well tested and both found   
practicable1 and1 as at present worked1 
more than ordinarily successful4 ,the   
college was in full working order1 with 
a staff of clergy1 all save one formed  
under the ,bishop1 one native deacon and
 two teachers living with their wives in
 a population that was fast becoming    
moulded by the influence of             
,christianity1 many more being trained  
up1 and several more islands in course  
of gradual preparation by the same      
process as was further advanced in      
,mota4  ,such were the achievements     
which could be thankfully recounted by  
the end of #ahfi4     ,,chapter ,,xii4  
,,the ,,last ,,eighteen ,,months4       
#ahgj-ahga4    ,the prosperous days of  
every life pass away at last4 ,suffering
 and sorrow1 failure and reverse are    
sure to await all who live out anything 

like their term of years1 and the       
missionary is perhaps more liable than  
other men to meet with a great          
disappointment4 ',success but signifies 
vicissitude1' and looking at the history
 of the growth of the ,church1 it is    
impossible not to observe that almost in
 all cases1 immediately upon any        
extensive progress1 there has followed  
what seems like a strong effort of the  
,evil ,one at its frustration1 either by
 external persecution1 reaction of      
heathenism1 or1 most fatally and        
frequently during the last #cjj years1  
from the reckless misdoings of          
unscrupulous sailors and colonists4 ,the
 ,west ,indies1 ,japan1 ,america1 all   
have the same shameful tale to          
tell--what wonder if the same shadow    
were to be cast over the ,isles of the  
,south8  ,it is one of the misfortunes1 
perhaps the temptations of this modern  
world1 that two of its chief            
necessaries1 sugar and cotton1 require a
 climate too hot for the labour of men  

who have intelligence enough to grow and
 export them on a large scale1 and who  
are therefore compelled1 as they        
consider1 to employ the forced toil of  
races able to endure heat4 ,the         
,australian colony of ,queensland is    
unfit to produce wheat1 but well able to
 grow sugar1 and the islands of ,fiji1  
which the natives have implored ,england
 to annex1 have become the resort of    
numerous planters and speculators4      
,there were #cjj white inhabitants in   
the latter at the time of the visit of  
the ',curacoa' in #ahfe4 ,in #ahga the  
numbers were from #e1jjj to #f1jjj4     
,large sheep farms have been laid out1  
and sugar plantations established4      
,south ,sea ,islanders are found to have
 much of the negro toughness and        
docility1 and1 as has been seen1 when   
away from their homes they are easily   
amenable1 and generally pleasant in     
manner1 and intelligent4 ,often too they
 have a spirit of enterprise1 which     
makes them willing to leave home1 or    

some feud with a neighbour renders it   
convenient4 ,thus the earlier planters  
did not find it difficult to procure    
willing labourers1 chiefly from those   
southern ,new ,hebrides1 ,anaiteum1     
,tanna1 ,erromango1 c41 which were      
already accustomed to intercourse with  
sandal-wood traders1 had resident       
,scottish or ,london missionaries1 and  
might have a fair understanding of what 
they were undertaking4  ,the ,fiji      
islanders themselves had been converted 
by ,wesleyan ,missionaries1 and these1  
while the numbers of imported labourers 
were small1 did not think ill of the    
system1 since it provided the islanders 
with their great need1 work1 and might  
give them habits of industry4 ,but in   
the years #ahfh and #ahfi the demand    
began1 both in ,queensland and ,fiji1 to
 increase beyond what could be supplied 
by willing labour1 and the premium1 #h a
 head1 on an able-bodied black1 was     
sufficient to tempt the masters of small
 craft to obtain the desired article by 

all possible means4 ,neither in the     
colony nor in ,fiji were the planters   
desirous of obtaining workers by foul   
means1 but labour they must have1 and   
they were willing to pay for it4        
,queensland1 anxious to free herself    
from any imputation of slave-hunting1   
has drawn up a set of regulations1      
requiring a regular contract to be made 
with the natives before they are        
shipped1 for so many years1 engaging    
that they shall receive wages1 and be   
sent home again at the end of the       
specified time4 ,no one denies that when
 once the labourer has arrived1 these   
rules are carried out2 he is well fed1  
kindly treated1 not over worked1 and at 
the end of three or five years sent home
 again with the property he has earned4 
,a recent traveller has argued that this
 is all that can be desired1 and that no
 true friend of the poor islander can   
object to his being taught industry and 
civilisation4 ,complaints are all       
'missionary exaggeration1' that easy    

term for disposing of all defence of the
 dark races1 and as to the difficulty of
 making a man1 whose language is not    
understood1 understand the terms of a   
contract--why1 we continually sign legal
 documents we do not understand6        
,perhaps not1 but we do understand      
enough not to find ourselves bound to   
five years' labour when we thought we   
were selling yams1 or taking a pleasure 
trip4 ,and we have some means of        
ascertaining the signification of such  
documents1 and of obtaining redress if  
we have been deceived4  ,as to the      
boasted civilisation1 a sugar plantation
 has not been found a very advanced     
school for the ,american or ,west       
,indian negro1 and as a matter of fact1 
the islander who has fulfilled his term 
and comes home1 bringing tobacco1       
clothes1 and fire-arms1 only becomes a  
more dangerous and licentious savage    
than he was in his simplicity4 ,it is   
absolutely impossible1 even if the      
planters wished it1 to give any         

instruction to these poor fellows1 so   
scattered are the settlements1 so       
various the languages on each1 and to   
send a man home with guns and gunpowder1
 and no touch of ,christian teaching1 is
 surely suicidal policy4  ,yet1 as long 
as the natives went in any degree       
willingly1 though the ,missionaries     
might deplore their so doing for the    
men's own sakes1 and for that of their  
islands1 it was only like a clergyman at
 home seeing his lads engage themselves 
to some occupation more undesirable than
 they knew4 ,therefore1 the only thing  
that has been entreated for by all the  
missions of every denomination alike in 
the ,south ,seas1 has been such         
sufficient supervision of the labour    
traffic as may prevent deceit or        
violence from being used4  ,for1 in the 
years #ahfi and #ahgj1 if not before1   
the captains of the labour ships1       
finding that a sufficient supply of     
willing natives could not be procured1  
had begun to cajole them on board4 ,when

 they went to trade1 they were thrust   
under hatches1 and carried off1 and if  
the ,southern ,new ,hebrides became     
exhausted1 and the labour ships entered 
on those seas where the ',southern      
,cross' was a welcome visitor1 these    
captains sometimes told the men that    
'the ,bishop gave no pipes and tobacco1 
he was bad1 they had better hold with   
them4' ,or else 'the ,bishop could not  
come himself1 but had sent this vessel  
to fetch them4' ,sometimes even a figure
 was placed on deck dressed in a black  
coat1 with a book in his hand1 according
 to the sailors' notion of a missionary1
 to induce the natives to come on deck1 
and there they were clapped under       
hatches and carried off4  ,in #ahgj1    
,h4,m4,s4 ',rosario1' ,captain ,palmer1 
brought one of these vessels1 the       
',daphne1' into ,sydney1 where the      
master was tried for acts of violence1  
but a conviction could not be procured1 
and1 as will be seen in the             
correspondence1 ,bishop ,patteson did   

not regret the failure1 as he was       
anxious that ships of a fair size1 with 
respectable owners1 should not be       
deterred from the traffic1 since the    
more it became a smuggling1 unrecognised
 business1 the worse and more           
unscrupulous men would be employed in   
it4  ,but decoying without violence     
began to fail2 the natives were becoming
 too cautious1 so the canoes were upset1
 and the men picked up while struggling 
in the water4 ,if they tried to resist1 
they were shot at1 and all endeavours at
 a rescue were met with the use of      
firearms4  ,they were thus swept off in 
such numbers1 that small islands lost   
almost all their able-bodied            
inhabitants1 and were in danger of      
famine for want of their workers4 ,also1
 the ,fiji planters1 thinking to make   
the men happier by bringing their wives1
 desired that this might be done1 but it
 was not easy to make out the married   
couples1 nor did the crews trouble      
themselves to do so1 but took any woman 

they could lay hands on4 ,husbands      
pursued to save the wives1 and were shot
 down1 and a deadly spirit of hatred and
 terror against all that was white was  
aroused4  ,there is a still lower depth 
of atrocity1 but as far as enquiry of   
the ,government at ,sydney can make out1
 unconnected with labour traffic1 but   
with the tortoise-shell trade4 ,skulls1 
it will be remembered1 were the ornament
 of old ,iri's house at ,bauro1 and     
skulls are still the trophies in the    
more savage islands4 ,it seems that some
 of the traders in tortoise-shell are in
 the habit of assisting their clients by
 conveying them in their vessels in     
pursuit of heads4 ,there is no evidence 
that they actually do the work of       
slaughter themselves1 though suspicion  
is strong1 but these are the 'kill-kill'
 vessels in the patois of the ,pacific1 
while the kidnappers are the            
'snatch-snatch4' ,both together1 these  
causes were working up the islanders to 
a perilous pitch of suspicion and       

exasperation during the years #ahgj1    
#ahga1 and thus were destroying many of 
the best hopes of the fruit of the toils
 of all these years4 ,but the full      
extent of the mischief was still unknown
 in ,norfolk ,island1 when in the midst 
of the ,bishop's plans for the          
expedition of #ahgj came the illness    
from which he never wholly recovered4   
,already he had often felt and spoken of
 himself as an elderly man4 ,most men of
 a year or two past forty are at the    
most vigorous period of their existence1
 generally indeed with the really       
individual and effective work of their  
lives before them1 having hitherto been 
only serving their apprenticeship2 but  
,coleridge ,patteson had begun his task 
while in early youth1 and had been      
obliged to bear at once responsibility  
and active toil in no ordinary degree4  
,few have had to be at once head of a   
college1 sole tutor and steward1 as well
 as primary schoolmaster all at once1 or
 afterwards united these charges with   

those of ,bishop1 examining chaplain and
 theological professor1 with the        
interludes of voyages which involved    
intense anxiety and watchfulness1 as    
well as the hardships of those unrestful
 nights in native huts1 and the         
exhaustion of the tropical climate4 ,no 
wonder then that he was already as one  
whose work was well-nigh done1 and to   
whom rest was near4 ,and though the     
entrance into that rest was by a sudden 
stroke1 it was one that mercifully      
spared the sufferings of a protracted   
illness1 and even if his friends pause  
to claim for it the actual honours 7on  
earth7 of martyrdom1 yet it was no doubt
 such a death as he was most willing to 
die1 full in his ,master's service--such
 a death as all can be thankful to think
 of4 ,and for the like-minded young man 
who shared his death1 only with more of 
the bitterness thereof1 the spirit in   
which he went forth may best be seen in 
part of a letter written in the ,january
 of #ahgj1 just after his ,ordination3--

  ',the right way must be to have a     
general idea of what to aim at1 and to  
make for the goal by what seem1 as you  
go1 the best ways1 not to go on a course
 you fixed to yourself before starting  
without having seen it4 ,it is so easy  
for people to hold theories1 and        
excellent ones too1 of the way to manage
 or deal with the native races1 but the 
worst is that when you come to work the 
theory1 the native race will never be   
found what it ought to be for properly  
carrying it out4 ,i am quite sure that  
nothing is to be done in a hurry2 a good
 and zealous man in ignorance and haste 
might do more harm in one year than     
could be remedied in ten4 ,i would not  
root out a single superstition until ,i 
had something better to put in its      
place1 lest if all the weeds were rooted
 up1 what had before been fertile should
 become desert1 barren1 disbelieving in 
anything4 ,is not the right way to plant
 the true seed and nourish it that it   
may take root1 and out-grow and choke   

the weeds8 ,my objection to ,mission    
reports has always been that the readers
 want to hear of progress1 and the      
writers are thus tempted to write of it1
 and may they not1 without knowing it1  
be at times hasty that they may seem to 
be progressing8 ,people expect too much4
 ,those do so who see the results of    
,mission work1 who are engaged in it2   
those do so who send them4 ,we have the 
precious seed to sow1 and must sow it   
when and where we can1 but we must not  
always be looking out to reap what we   
have sown4 ,we shall do that in due time
 if we faint not4 ,because missionary   
work looks like a failure1 it does not  
follow that it is4  ',our ,saviour1 the 
first of all ,christian ,missionaries1  
was thirty years of ,his life preparing 
and being prepared for ,his work4 ,three
 years ,he spake as never man spake1 and
 did not ,his work at that time look a  
failure8 ,he made no mistakes either in 
what ,he taught or the way of teaching  
it1 and ,he succeeded1 though not to the

 eyes of men4 ,should not we be         
contented with success like ,his8 ,and  
with how much less ought we not to be   
contented6 ,so6 ,the wonder is that by  
our means any result is accomplished at 
all4'  ,these are remarkable words for a
 young man of twenty-seven1 full of     
life1 health1 and vigour1 and go far to 
prove the early ripening of a spirit    
chastened in hopes1 even while all was  
bright4  ,in the latter part of         
,february1 ,bishop ,patteson1 after     
about six days of warning1 was          
prostrated by a very severe attack of   
internal inflammation1 and for three    
days--from the #bjth to the #bbnd--was  
in considerable danger as well as       
suffering4 ,mr4 ,nobbs's medical        
knowledge seems1 humanly speaking1 to   
have brought him through1 and on the    
#bhth1 when an opportunity occurred of  
sending letters1 he was able to write a 
note to his brother and sisters--weak   
and shattered-looking writing indeed1   
but telling all that needed to be told1 

and finishing with 'in a few days       
7,d4,v47 ,i may be quite well2' then in 
a postscript3 ',our most merciful       
,father1 ,redeemer and ,sanctifier is   
merciful indeed4 ,there was a time when 
,i felt drawing near the dark valley1   
and ,i thought of ,father1 ,mother1 of  
,uncle ,frank1 and our little ones1     
,frankie and ,dolly1'--a brother and    
sister who had died in early infancy4   
,but it was not the ,divine will that he
 should be well in a few days4 ,day     
after day he continued feeble2 and      
suffering much1 though not so acutely as
 in the first attack1 ,mr4 ,nobbs       
continued to attend him1 and the        
treatment was approved afterwards by the
 physicians consulted4 ,all the clergy  
took their part in nursing1 and the     
,melanesian youths in turn watched him  
day and night4 ,he did not leave his    
room till the beginning of ,april1 and  
then was only equal to the exertion of  
preparing two lads for ,baptism and a   
few more for ,confirmation4 ,on ,easter 

,sunday he was able to baptize the first
 mentioned1 and confirm the others2 and1
 the ',southern ,cross' having by this  
time arrived for the regular voyage1 he 
embarked in her to obtain further advice
 at ,auckland4  ,lady ,martin1 his kind 
and tender hostess and nurse1 thus      
describes his arrival3--  ',we had heard
 of his illness from himself and others1
 and of his being out of danger in the  
middle of ,march4 ,we were therefore    
much surprised when the ,southern       
,cross1 which had sailed a fortnight    
before for ,norfolk ,island1 came into  
the harbour on the morning of the #beth 
of ,april1 and anchored in our bay with 
the ,bishop's flag flying4 ,we went down
 to the beach with anxious hearts to    
receive the dear invalid1 and were      
greatly shocked at his appearance4 ,his 
beard1 which he had allowed to grow     
since his illness1 and his hair were    
streaked with grey2 his complexion was  
very dark1 and his frame was bowed like 
an old man's4  ',the ,captain and ,mr4  

,bice almost carried him up the hill to 
our house4 ,he was very thankful to be  
on shore1 and spoke cheerfully about the
 improvement he had made on the voyage4 
,it was not very apparent to us who had 
not seen him for two years4 ,even then  
he was looking worn and ill1 but still  
was a young active man4 ,he seemed now  
quite a wreck4 ,for the first fortnight 
his faithful attendant ,malagona slept  
in his room1 and was ready at all hours 
to wait upon his beloved ,bishop4 ,day  
by day he used to sit by the fire in an 
easy chair1 too weak to move or to      
attend to reading4 ,he got up very      
early1 being tired of bed4 ,his books   
and papers were all brought out1 but he 
did little but doze4'  ,yet1 in his     
despatch of the #bnd of ,may1 where the 
manuscript is as firm1 clear1 and       
beautiful as ever1 only somewhat less   
minute1 he says that he had improved    
wonderfully on the voyage1 though he    
adds that the doctor told him1 ',at an  
office1 they would insure your life at  

fifty1 instead of forty-three years of  
age4'  ,dr4 ,goldsboro had1 on          
examination1 discovered a chronic       
ailment1 not likely1 with care and      
treatment1 to be dangerous to life1 but 
forbidding active exertion or horse     
exercise1 and warning him that a sudden 
jar or slip or fall on rugged ground    
would probably bring on acute           
inflammation1 which might prove fatal   
after hours of suffering4  ,after1 in   
the above-mentioned letter1             
communicating his exact state1 he       
adds3--',the pain has been at times very
 severe1 and yet ,i can't tell you of   
the very great happiness and actual     
enjoyment of many of those sleepless    
nights2 when1 perhaps at #b ,a4,m41 ,i  
felt the pain subsiding1 and prayer for 
rest1 if it were ,his will1 was changed 
into thanksgiving for the relief2 then1 
as the fire flickered1 came restful1    
peaceful1 happy thoughts1 mingled with  
much1 ,i trust1 heart-felt sorrow and   
remorse4 ,and ,psalms seemed to have a  

new meaning1 and prayers to be so real1 
and somehow there was a sense of a very 
near ,presence1 and ,i felt almost sorry
 when it was #e4cj1 and ,i got up1 and  
my kind ,melanesian nurse made me my    
morning cup of weak tea1 so good to the 
dry1 furred tongue4  ',well1 that is all
 past and gone2 and now the hope and    
prayer is1 that when my time is really  
come1 ,i may be better prepared to go4  
',sir ,william and ,lady ,martin are    
pretty well2 and ,i am in clover here1  
getting real rest1 and gaining ground   
pretty well4 ,i have all confidence in  
the prudence of the other missionaries  
and leave the work thankfully in their  
hands1 knowing well ,whose work it is1  
and to ,whose guidance and protection we
 all trust4'  ,on the #ith1 in a letter 
sent by a different route1 he adds3--   
',so ,i think it will come to my doing  
my work on ,norfolk ,island just as     
usual1 with only occasional             
inconvenience or discomfort4 ,but ,i    
think ,i shall have to forego some of   

the more risky and adventurous part of  
the work in the islands4 ,this is all   
right4 ,it is a sign that the time is   
come for me to delegate it to others4 ,i
 don't mean that ,i shall not take the  
voyages1 and stop about on the islands  
7,d4,v47 as before4 ,but ,i must do it  
all more carefully1 and avoid much that 
of old ,i never thought about4 ,yet ,i  
think it will not1 as a matter of fact1 
much interfere with my work4  ',i have1 
you understand1 no pain now1 only some  
discomfort4 ,the fact that ,i can't do  
things1 move about1 c41 like a sound    
healthy person is not a trial4 ,the     
relief from pain1 the resty feeling1 is 
such a blessing and enjoyment that ,i   
don't seem1 as yet at all events1 to    
care about the other4'  ,so of that     
restful state ,lady ,martin says3       
',indeed it was a most happy time to us1
 and ,i think on the whole to him4 ,it  
was a new state of things to keep him   
without any pricks of conscience or     
restlessness on his part4 ,he liked to  

have a quiet half-hour by the fire at   
night2 and before ,i left him ,i used to
 put his books near him3 his ,bible1 his
 ,hebrew ,psalter1 his father's copy of 
,bishop ,andrewes4 ,sometimes ,i would  
linger for a few minutes to talk about  
his past illness4 ,he used to dwell     
specially on his dear father's nearness 
to him at that time4 ,he spoke once or  
twice with a reverent holy awe and joy  
of sleepless nights1 when thoughts of   
,god had filled his soul and sustained  
him4  ',his face1 always beautiful from 
the unworldly purity of its expression1 
was really as the face of an angel while
 he spoke of these things and of the    
love and kindness he had received4 ,he  
seemed to have been standing on the very
 brink of the river1 and it was yet     
doubtful whether he was to abide with   
us4 ,now1 looking back1 we can see how  
mercifully ,god was dealing with ,his   
servant4 ,a time of quiet and of        
preparation for death given to him apart
 from the hurry of his daily life1 then 

a few months of active service1 and then
 the crown4  ',at the end of a fortnight
 78--you must please to rectify dates7  
the ,southern ,cross sailed again1 with 
,mr4 ,bice and ,malagona on board2 when1
 just as we were expecting she would    
have reached ,norfolk ,island1 she was  
driving back into the harbour4'  ,the   
following letter to the ,bishop of      
,lichfield gives an account of her      
peril3--   ',taurarua3 ,may #aa1 #ahgj4 
',my dear ,bishop1--,i have to tell you 
of another great mercy4 ,the ,southern  
,cross left ,auckland on ,may #c--;fair 
wind and fine weather4  ',on ,may #e she
 was within #ahe miles of ,norfolk      
,island4  ',then came on a fearful gale 
from the east and northeast to          
north-west4 ,they were hove-to for three
 days1 everything battened down2 port   
boat and davits carried away by a sea2  
after a while the starboard boat dashed 
to pieces4  ',malagona1 my nurse at     
,norfolk ,island1 who was brought up for
 a treat1 was thrown completely across  

the cabin by one lurch1 when she seemed 
almost settling down4 ,it was dark4 ,the
 water in the cabin1 which had come     
through the dead-light1 showed a little 
phosphoric glimmer4 ,brother1 he said to
 ,bice1 are we dying8 ,i don't know2 it 
seems like it4 ,we are in ,god's hands4 
,yes1 ,i know4  ',mr4 7,captain7 ,jacobs
 was calm and self-possessed4 ,he even  
behaved excellently4 ,once1 all on deck 
were washed into the lee scuppers1 and  
one man washed overboard2 but he held a 
rope1 and with it and the recoil was    
borne in again upon the deck4 ,lowest   
barometer1 #bh #fe'6 ,we were startled  
yesterday at about #d ,p4,m4 with the   
news of the reappearance of the vessel4 
,i think that some #cj and the replacing
 the boats will pay damages1 but one    
doesn't think of that4  ',we hope to    
get1 at all events1 one ready-made boat1
 so as to cause no delay4 ,the good     
people at ,norfolk ,island will be      
anxious if the vessel does not reappear 
soon4  ',auckland1 ,june #fth--,southern

 ,cross could not sail till ,may #bc4   
,if ,i am not found by them at ,norfolk 
,island on their return1 they are to    
come on for me4 ,i hope to make a two   
months' cruise4  ',general health quite 
well1 no pain for weeks past4 ,dr4      
,goldsboro' says ,i shall be better in a
 hot climate2 but he won't let me out of
 his hands yet4  ',i really think ,i    
shall do very well by-and-by4  ',your   
very affectionate  ',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'
   ',the repairs took some time         
7continues ,lady ,martin74 ,the delay   
must have been very trying to the       
,bishop in his weak state1 as it threw  
out all the plans for the winter voyage2
 but he showed no signs of fretfulness  
or of a restless desire to go himself to
 see after matters4 ,the winter was     
unusually cold after the vessel sailed  
again2 and ,i used to wonder sometimes  
whether he lay awake listening to the   
wind that howled in gusts round the     
house2 he may have1 but certainly there 
was always a look of unruffled calm and 

peace on his face when we met in the    
morning4   ',tis enough that ,thou      
shouldst care ,why should ,i the burden 
bear8   ',our dear friend mended very   
slowly4 ,it was more than a month before
 he could bear even to be driven up to  
,bishop's ,court to receive the ,holy   
,communion in the private ,chapel1 and  
some time longer before he could sit    
through the ,sunday services4 ,i cannot 
be sure whether he went first on        
,ascension ,day4 ,his own letters may   
inform you4 ,i only remember how        
thankful and happy he was to be able to 
get there4 ,he had felt the loss of the 
frequent ,communions in which he could  
join all through his illness4'  ,he was 
making a real step towards recovery1 and
 by the #ajth of ,june he was able to go
 and stay at ,st4 ,sepulchre's parsonage
 with ,mr4 ,dudley1 and attend the      
gathering at the ,bishop of ,auckland's 
,chapel on ,st4 ,barnabas ,day2 but the 
calm enjoyment and soothing indifference
 which seems so often a privilege of the

 weakness of recovery was broken by     
fuller tidings respecting the labour    
traffic that imperilled his work4 ,a    
schooner had come in from ,fate with    
from fifteen to twenty natives from that
 and other islands to work in flax      
mills2 and a little later a letter      
arrived from his correspondent in ,fiji1
 showing to what an extent the          
immigration thither had come1 and how   
large a proportion of the young men     
working in the sugar plantations had    
been decoyed from home on false         
pretences4  ,this was the point1 as far 
as at the time appeared in ,new         
,zealand4 ,if violence had then begun1  
no very flagrant instances were known2  
and the ,bishop was not at all averse to
 the employment of natives1 well knowing
 how great an agent in improvement is   
civilisation4 ,but to have them carried 
off without understanding what they were
 about1 and then set to hard labour1 was
 quite a different thing4  ',the        
difficulty is 7he writes7 to prove in a 

court of law what everyone acknowledges 
to be the case1 viz41 that the natives  
of the islands are inveigled on board   
these vessels by divers means1 then put 
under the hatches and sold1 ignorant of 
their destination or future employment1 
and without any promises of being       
returned home4  ',it comes to this1     
though of course it is denied by the    
planters and the ,queensland            
,government1 which is concerned in      
keeping up the trade4  ',there will     
always be some islanders who from a     
roving nature1 or from a necessity of   
escaping retaliation for some injury    
done by them1 or from mere curiosity1   
will paddle off to a ship and go on     
board4 ,but they can't understand the   
white men3 they are tempted below to    
look at some presents1 or1 if the vessel
 be at anchor1 are allowed to sleep on  
board4 ,then1 in the one case1 the      
hatches are clapped on2 in the other1   
sail is made in the night1 and so they  
are taken off to a labour of which they 

know nothing1 among people of whom they 
know nothing6  ',it is the regulation   
rather than the suppression of the      
employment of native labourers that ,i  
advocate4 ,there is no reason why some  
of these islanders should not go to a   
plantation under proper regulations4 ,my
 notion is that--  '#a4 ,a few vessels  
should be licensed for the purpose of   
conveying these islanders backwards and 
forwards4  '#b4 ,that such vessels      
should be in charge of fit persons1     
heavily bound to observe certain rules1 
and punishable summarily for violating  
them4  '#c4 ,that the missionaries1     
wherever they be situated1 should be    
informed of the names of the vessels    
thus licensed1 of the sailing masters1  
c4  '#d4 ,that all other vessels engaged
 in the trade should be treated as      
pirates1 and confiscated summarily when 
caught4  '#e4 ,that a small man-of-war1 
commanded by a man fit for such work1   
should cruise among the islands from    
which islanders are being taken4  '#f4  

,that special legislative enactments    
should be passed enabling the ,sydney   
,court to deal with the matter          
equitably4  ',something of this kind is 
the best plan ,i can suggest4  ',it is  
right and good that the ,galatea should 
undertake such work2 and yet we want a  
little tender to the ,galatea rather    
than the big vessel1 as ,i think my     
experience of large vessels is that     
there is too much of routine2 and great 
delay is occasioned by the difficulty of
 turning a great ship round1 and you    
can't work near the shore1 and even if  
chasing a little vessel which could be  
caught at once in the open sea1 you may 
be dodged by her among islands4 ,yet the
 sense of the country is expressed very 
well by sending ,captain ,edinburgh     
himself to cruise between ,new          
,caledonia1 ,fiji1 and the ,kingsmill   
,islands1 for the suppression of the    
illegal deportation of natives4 ,so     
reads the despatch which the ,governor  
showed me the other day4 ,he asked me to

 give such information as might be      
useful to the ,galatea4'  ,with the     
,governor1 ,sir ,george ,bowen1 an old  
,oxford friend1 ,bishop ,patteson spent 
several days1 and submitted to him a    
memorial to ,government1 on the subject1
 both at home and in ,queensland1       
stating the regulations1 as above       
expressed4  ,the ',rosario1' ,captain   
,palmer1 had actually captured the      
',daphne1' a vessel engaged in capturing
 natives1 and brought her into ,sydney1 
where the master was tried2 but though  
there was no doubt of the outrage1 it   
was not possible to obtain a conviction2
 and a ,fiji planter whom the ,bishop   
met in ,auckland told him that the      
seizure of the ',daphne' would merely   
lead to the exclusion of the better     
class of men from the trade1 and that it
 would not stop the demand for native   
labourers4 ,it would always pay to 'run'
 cargoes of natives into the many islets
 of ,fiji2 and they would be smuggled   
into the plantations4 ,and there the    

government was almost necessarily by the
 whip4 ',i can't talk to them1' said the
 planter2 ',i can only point to what    
they are to do2 and if they are lazy1 ,i
 whip them4'  ,it was no wonder that    
,mr4 ,dudley thought the ,bishop        
depressed2 and1 moreover1 he            
over-exerted himself1 walking a mile and
 a half one day1 and preaching in the   
little ,church of ,st4 ,sepulchre's4 ,he
 longed to return to ,st4 ,barnabas1 but
 was in no state to rough it in a common
 little sailing vessel1 so he waited on4
 ',i am very lazy1' he says3 ',i can't  
do much work4 ,sir ,william and ,i read 
,hebrew1 and discuss many questions in  
which his opinion is most valuable4 ,i  
have business letters to write1 e4g41   
about the deportation of islanders and  
about a clergyman whom the ,melbourne   
people are helping to go to ,fiji4444   
,this is perhaps a good trial for me1 to
 be sitting lazily here and thinking of 
others at work6'  ,this was written     
about the middle of ,july1 when the     

convalescent had regained much more     
strength1 and could walk into town1 or  
stand to read and write according to his
 favourite custom1 as well as thoroughly
 enjoy conversations with his hosts at  
,taurarua4  ',i never saw 7observes     
,lady ,martin7 a larger charity united  
to a more living faith4 ,he knew in     
,whom he believed2 and this unclouded   
confidence seemed to enable him to be   
gentle and discriminating in his        
judgments on those whose minds are      
clouded with doubt4  ',it was pleasant  
to see how at this time his mind went   
back to the interests which he had laid 
aside for years4 ,he liked to hear bits 
of ,handel1 and other old masters1 and  
would go back to recollections of       
foreign travels and of his enthusiasm   
for music and art as freshly and        
brightly as he had done in the first    
days of our acquaintance4 ,but this was 
only in the gloaming or late in the     
evening when he was resting in his easy 
chair4  ',at the end of ,july we were   

expecting a young relation and his bride
 to spend a week with us before         
returning to ,england1 and we gave the  
,bishop the option of going to ,bishop's
 ,court for the time1 where he was      
always warmly welcomed4 ,some years     
before1 he would certainly have slipped 
away from the chatter and bustle2 but   
now he decided to remain with us1 and   
throw himself into the small interests  
around1 in a way which touched and      
delighted the young couple greatly4 ,he 
put away his natural shrinking from     
society and his student ways1 and was   
willing to enjoy everything as it came4 
,we had a curious instance at this time 
of the real difficulty the ,bishop felt 
about writing sermons4 ,he had not      
attempted to preach1 save at ,mr4       
,dudley's ,church2 but a week or two    
before he left us1 ,archdeacon ,maunsell
 came to beg of him to preach at ,st4   
,mary's1 where he had often taken       
service formerly4 ,he promised to do so 
without any apparent hesitation1 and    

said afterwards to us that he could not 
refuse such a request4 ,so on ,wednesday
 he began to prepare a sermon4 ,he was  
sitting each morning in the room where  
,i was at work1 and he talked to me from
 time to time of the thoughts that were 
in his mind4 ,the subject was all that  
was implied in the words1 ,i have called
 thee by thy name1 the personal         
knowledge1 interest1 c42 and ,i was     
rejoicing in the treat in store1 when1  
to my dismay1 ,i saw sheet after sheet1 
which had been written in his neat1     
clear hand as though the thoughts flowed
 on without effort1 flung into the fire4
 ,i can't write1 was said again and     
again1 and the work put by for another  
day4 ,at last1 on ,saturday morning1 he 
walked up to the parsonage to make his  
excuses4 ,happily ,dr4 ,maunsell would  
not let him off1 so on ,sunday the      
,bishop1 without any notes or sermon1   
spoke to us out of the fulness of his   
heart about the ,mission work1 of its   
encouragements and its difficulties4 ,he

 described1 in a way that none can ever 
forget who heard the plaintive tones of 
his voice and saw his worn face that    
day1 what it was to be alone on an      
island for weeks1 surrounded by noisy   
heathen1 and the comfort and strength   
gained then by the thought that we who  
have the full privileges of ,christian  
worship and communion were remembering  
such in our prayers4  ',our young       
friends sailed on ,sunday1 ,august #g2  
and we expected the ,bishop to sail the 
next day1 but the winds were foul and   
boisterous1 and we had him with us till 
,friday morning1 the #abth4 ,those last 
days were very happy ones4 ,his thoughts
 went back to ,melanesia and to his     
work2 and every evening we drew him to  
tell of adventures and perils1 and to   
describe the islands to us in a way he  
had scarcely ever done before4 ,i think 
it was partly to please our ,maori      
maiden1 who sat by his side on a        
footstool in the twilight1 plying him   
with questions with so much lively      

natural interest that he warmed up in   
return4 ,generally1 he shrank into      
himself1 and became reserved at once if 
pressed to tell of his own doings4 ,he  
spoke one evening quite openly about his
 dislike to ship life4 ,we were laughing
 at some remembrance of the ,bishop of  
,lichfield's satisfaction when once     
afloat2 and he burst into an expression 
of wonder1 how anyone could go to sea   
for pleasure4 ,i asked him what he      
disliked in particular1 and he answered1
 ,everything4 ,that he always felt      
dizzy1 headachy1 and unable to read with
 comfort2 the food was greasy1 and there
 was a general sense of dirt and        
discomfort4 ,as the time drew nigh for  
sailing1 he talked a good deal about the
 rapidly growing evil of the labour     
trade4 ,he grew very depressed one day1 
and spoke quite despondingly of the     
future prospects of the ,mission4 ,he   
told us of one island1 ,vanua ,lava1 ,i 
think1 where1 a few years ago1 #cjj men 
used to assemble on the beach to welcome

 him4 ,now1 only thirty or forty were   
left4 ,he saw that if the trade went on 
at the same rate as it had been doing   
for the last year or two1 many islands  
would be depopulated1 and everywhere he 
must expect to meet with suspicion or   
open ill will4'  ',the next morning the 
cloud had rolled away1 and he was ready 
to go forth in faith to do the work     
appointed him1 leaving the result in    
,god's hands4 ,we accompanied him to the
 boat on ,friday morning4 ,bishop and   
,mrs4 ,cowie came down1 and one or two  
of the clergy1 and his two ,english boys
 who were to go with him4  ',it was a   
lovely morning4 ,we rejoiced to see how 
much he had improved in his health      
during his stay4 ,he had been very good 
and tractable about taking nourishment1 
and certainly looked and was all the    
better for generous diet4 ,he had almost
 grown stout1 and walked upright and    
briskly4 ,sir ,william parted with him  
on the beach1 where we have had so many 
partings2 and ,i meant to do so too1 but

 a friend had brought another boat1 and 
invited me to come1 so ,i gladly went   
off to the ,southern ,cross1 which was  
lying about half-a-mile off4 ,the       
,cowies were very anxious to see the    
vessel1 and the ,bishop showed them all 
about4 ,i was anxious to go down to his 
cabin1 and arrange in safe nooks        
comforts for his use on the voyage4 ,in 
half an hour the vessel was ready to    
sail4 ,one last grasp of the hand1 one  
loving smile1 and we parted--never to   
meet again on earth4'   ,so far this    
kind and much-loved friend6 ,and to this
 ,i cannot but add an extract from the  
letter she wrote to his sisters         
immediately after the parting1 since it 
adds another touch to the character now 
ripened3--  ',i think you are a little  
mistaken in your notion that your       
brother would feel no interest in your  
home doings4 ,he has quite passed out of
 that early stage when the mind can     
dwell on nothing but its own sphere of  
work4 ,he takes a lively interest in all

 that is going on at home1 specially in 
,church matters1 and came back quite    
refreshed from ,bishop's ,court with all
 that ,bishop ,cowie had told him4      
',what he would really dread in ,england
 would be the being lionised1 and being 
compelled to speak and preach here1     
there1 and everywhere4 ,and yet he would
 have no power to say nay4 ,but the cold
 would shrivel him up1 and              
society--dinners1 table talk--would bore
 him1 and he would pine for his warmth  
and his books4 ,not a bit the less does 
he dearly love you all4'  ,the brother  
and sisters knew it1 and forebore to    
harass him with remonstrances1 but      
resigned themselves to the knowledge    
that nothing would bring him home save  
absolute disqualification for his       
mission4  ,his own last letter from     
,taurarua dwells upon the enjoyment of  
his conversations with ,sir ,william    
,martin and ,bishop ,cowie2 and then    
goes into details of a vision of        
obtaining young ,english boys to whom a 

good education would be a boon1 bringing
 them up at ,st4 ,barnabas1 and then1 if
 they turned out fit for the ,mission   
there1 they would be prepared--if not1  
they would have had the benefit of the  
schooling4  ,meantime the ',southern    
,cross1' with three of the clergy1 had  
made the voyage according to minute     
directions from the ,bishop4 ,mr4 ,atkin
 made his yearly visit to ,bauro4 ,he   
says3--  ',i hardly expected that when  
we came back we should have found the   
peace still unbroken between ,wango and 
,hane1 but it is4 ,though not very good 
friends1 they are still at peace4 ,in   
the chief's house ,i was presented with 
a piece of pork1 about two pounds1 and a
 dish of tauma 7their favourite71 a     
pudding made of yams1 nuts1 and         
cocoa-nut milk1 and cooked by steaming4 
,fortunately1 good manners allowed me to
 take it away4 ,before we left the      
village1 it took two women to carry our 
provisions4 ,a little boy came back with
 us1 to stay with ,taki4 ,the two boys  

who ought to have come last year are    
very anxious to do so still4  ',july    
#abth4--,we anchored the boat on the    
beach at ,tawatana1 and ,i went into the
 oka 7public house7 to see the tauma    
prepared for the feast4 ,there were     
thirty-eight dishes4 ,the largest1 about
 four feet long1 stood nearly three feet
 high4 ,i tried to lift one from the    
ground1 but could not2 it must have been
 five hundredweight2 the smallest daras 
held eighty or a hundred pounds4 ,i     
calculated that there was at least two  
tons4 ,when freshly made it is very     
good1 but at these feasts it is always  
old and sour1 and dripping with         
cocoa-nut oil4 ,the daras1 or wooden    
bowls1 into which it is put1 are almost 
always carved and inlaid with           
mother-of-pearl shell4  ',there was a   
great crowd at the landing-place at ,saa
 7,malanta7 to meet us4 ,nobody knew    
,wate at first1 but he was soon         
recognised4 ,the boat was pulled up into
 a little river1 and everything         

stealable taken out4 ,we then went up to
 the village1 passing some women crying 
on the way2 here1 as at ,uleawa1 crying 
seems to be the sign of joy1 or welcome4
 ,wate's father's new house is the best 
,i have seen in any of these islands4   
,it has two rooms2 the drawing-room is  
about forty-five feet long by thirty    
wide1 with a roof projecting about six  
feet outside the wall at the end and    
four feet at the eaves2 the bed-room is 
about eighteen feet wide1 so that the   
whole roof covers about seventy feet by 
forty4 ,wate's father lives like a chief
 of the olden time1 with large property1
 but nothing of his own2 all that he has
 or gets goes as soon as he gets it to  
his retainers4  ',august #crd4--,went to
 ,heuru4 ,the bwea began about ten      
o'clock4 ,a bwea means a stage1 but the 
word is used as we speak of the stage4  
,there is a stage in this case about    
three feet square1 twenty feet from the 
ground1 walled in to three feet height  
on three sides1 with a ladder of two    

stout poles4 ,on the bwea sit or stand  
two or three men1 on either side having 
a bag2 visitors run up the ladder1 put  
their money or porpoise teeth into the  
bags if small1 give it to the men if    
large2 and1 if their present is worth   
it1 make a speech a little way down the 
ladder4 ,a party from a village         
generally send up a spokesman1 and when 
he has done go up in a body and give    
their money4 ,taki was orator for       
,waiio1 and ,i led the party with my    
present of beads1 which if red or white 
pass as money4 ,the object of a bwea is 
to get money1 but it may only be held on
 proper occasions4 ,the occasion of this
 was the adoption of a ,mara lad by the 
chief man at ,heuru2 to get money to pay
 the lad's friends he held a bwea that  
all his friends might help him4 ,as he  
was a connection of ,taki's1 and ,waiio 
is the richest of the settlements1 he   
got great spoils from thence4444 ,at    
,tawatana the young men put on          
petticoats of cocoa-nut leaves1 and     

danced their graceful mao4 ,i had only  
seen it before at ,norfolk ,island2 it  
is very pretty1 but must be very        
difficult to learn2 they say that not   
many know it4 ,at ,nora they danced     
another most dirty dance3 all the       
performers were daubed from head to foot
 with mud1 and wore masks covered with  
mud and ashes2 the aim of the dance1 as 
far as ,i could see1 was to ridicule all
 sorts of infirmities and imbecilities1 
tottering1 limping1 staggering1 and     
reeling1 but in time and order4 ,one man
 had a basket of dripping mud on his    
head which was streaming down his face  
and back all the time4 ,a great point is
 that the actors should not be          
recognised4 ,mr4 ,brooke was likewise   
dropped at ,florida4 ,after this the    
rest of the party had gone on to ,mota1 
where ,george ,sarawia was found working
 away well at his school1 plenty of     
attendants1 and the whole place clean1  
well-ventilated1 and well-regulated4  ,a
 watch sent out as a present to ,sarawia

 was a delight which he could quite     
appreciate1 and he had sent back very   
sensible right-minded letters4 ,of      
,bishop ,patteson's voyage the history  
is pieced together from two letters1 one
 to the sisters1 the other to the       
,bishop of ,lichfield4 ,neither was     
begun till ,september1 after which they 
make a tolerably full diary4  ',more    
than five weeks have passed since ,i    
left ,new ,zealand1 more than three     
since ,i left ,norfolk ,island4 ,mr4    
,codrington and ,i reached ,mota on the 
morning of the eighth day after leaving 
,norfolk ,island4 ,i spent but half an  
hour on shore with ,george ,sarawia and 
his people2 sailed across to ,aroa and  
,matlavo1 where ,i landed eight or ten  
of our scholars2 and came on at once to 
the ,solomon ,islands4 ,on ,sunday      
morning 7,september #d7 what joy to find
 ,mr4 ,atkin well and hearty6  ',mr4    
,brooke1 who took up his abode at the   
village of ,mboli1 had with him ,dudley 
,lankana and ,richard ,maru1 but they   

were a good deal absorbed by their      
relations1 and not so useful to him as  
had been hoped1 though they kept out of 
heathen habits1 and remained constant to
 their intention of returning4          
',brooke1 says the ,bishop1 knows and   
speaks the one language of ,anudha very 
well1 for there is but one language1    
with a few dialectical varieties of     
course4  ',a nice little house was built
 for him at ,mboli1 which ,i have always
 thought to be a very healthy place4    
',the coral grit and sand runs a long   
way in shore under cocoa-nut groves1 but
 there is no very dense undergrowth4    
,the wind when easterly blows freely    
along and is drawn rather upon the shore
 there4 ,two miles to windward of ,mboli
 is the good harbour of ,sara1 where the
 vessel anchored with us4  ',brooke's   
house was raised on poles1 five feet    
from the ground2 the floor made of neat 
smooth bamboos1 basket-worked4 ,he had  
his table and two benches1 one easy cane
 chair1 cork bed1 boxes1 harmonium1 and 

plenty of food4  ',close to his house is
 the magnificent kiala1 or boat house1  
about #ahj feet long1 #db high1 and     
about as many feet broad1 a really      
grand1 imposing place4 ,here ,brooke1 in
 surplice1 with his little band1 had his
 ,sunday services1 singing hymns1 and   
chanting ,psalms1 in parts1 in the      
presence of from #aej to #cjj1 once     
nearly #djj people1 to whom he spoke of 
course1 usually twice1 making two       
sermonets4  ',the island is unlike any  
other2 much more open1 much less bush1  
but it is not coral crag that crops out1
 but almost bare reddish rock1 with but 
little soil on it1 and the population1  
which is large1 finds it hard to procure
 food4  ',three brothers1 ,takua1       
,savai1 and ,dikea1 are the principal   
men4 ,local chiefs exercise some small  
authority in each village4 ,anudha1 or  
,aunta1 is properly the name of a small 
island1 for there is no one great       
mainland1 but many islands separated by 
very narrow salt-water creeks and       

rivers1 along which a skiff may be      
sculled4  ',brooke has been over every  
part of it4 ,his only difficulties arose
 from jealousy on the part of ,takua and
 ,savai1 who1 living at ,mboli1 were    
very wroth at his not being their tame  
,pakeha1 at his asserting his           
independence1 his motive in coming to   
teach all1 and make known to all alike a
 common message4 ,especially they were  
indignant at his making up small parties
 of boys from different parts of the    
island1 as they of course wanted to     
monopolise him1 and through him the     
trade4 ,he has evidently been firm and  
friendly too1 keeping his temper1 yet   
speaking out very plainly4 ,the result1 
as far as bringing boys goes1 is that we
 have now thirteen on board1 including  
,dudley and ,richard1 from six different
 parts of the island4 ,but so vexed was 
,takua1 that he would not fulfil his    
promise of sending his two little girls4
  ',the fortnight spent in the ,solomon 
,islands has been very fine2 winds very 

light1 and very little rain4 ,we have at
 length got ,stephen ,taroniara's child1
 a little girl of about seven years old1
 ,paraitaku1 from the old grandmother   
and aunts4 ,so1 thank ,god1 she will be 
brought up as a ,christian child4 ,she  
is a dear little thing4  ',this work of 
,mr4 ,atkin and ,mr4 ,brooke in the     
easterly and more north-westerly parts  
of the ,solomon ,islands respectively1  
is the nearest approach that has yet    
been made to regular missionary         
operations there4 ,our short visits in  
the ,southern ,cross1 or my short three 
to ten days' visits on shore are all    
useful as preparing the way for         
something more4 ,but it is the quiet1   
lengthened staying for some months among
 these islanders that gives             
opportunities for knowing them and their
 ways4 ,they do everything with endless 
talk and discussion about it2 and it is 
only by living with1 and moving about   
constantly among them1 that any hold can
 be gained over them4 ,i think that the 

,mission is now in a more hopeful state 
than ever before in these islands4      
',our parties of scholars are large4    
,they trust quite little fellows with   
us1 and for any length of time4 ,true1  
these little fellows cannot exercise any
 influence for years to come2 but if we 
take young men or lads of sixteen or    
eighteen years old1 it needs as many    
years to qualify them 7with heathen     
habits to be unlearned1 and with the    
quickness of apprehension of new        
teaching already gone7 for being useful 
among their people as would suffice for 
the arrival of these young children at  
mature age4'  ,three ,tikopian giants   
had made a visit at ,mota in the course 
of this year1 attracted by the fame of  
the hospitality and fertility of the    
place4 ,george ,sarawia had got on well 
with them1 and tried to keep them to    
meet the ,bishop1 but one of them fell  
sick1 and the others took him away4     
,this was hailed as a possible opening  
to those two curious isles1 ,oanuta and 

,tikopia1 in so far as the ',southern   
,cross' work was concerned4 ,the ,bishop
 continues1 to his former ,primate3--   
',on the whole1 things seem to be going 
on favourably4 ,the ,banks ,islanders   
are very shy now of the vessels sent to 
carry off men to ,fiji or ,queensland4  
,they will find their way into the      
,solomon ,islands soon4 ,one1 indeed1 a 
cutter1 has taken about twenty men from 
,ulava4 ,they were all kept under       
hatches4 ,we warn the people wherever we
 go4  ',the pressing question now is how
 to supply our young men and women1     
married ,christian couples1 with proper 
occupations to prevent their acquiescing
 in an indolent1 useless1 selfish life4 
',when their education is finished1 they
 have no profession1 no need to work to 
obtain a livelihood for themselves1     
wives1 and children4 ,they can't all be 
clergymen1 nor all even teachers in such
 a sense as to make it a calling and    
occupation4  ',some wants they          
have--houses fit for persons who like   

reading and writing1 a table1 a bench1 a
 window becomes necessary4 ,coral lime  
houses would be good for them4 ,they    
make and wear light clothing1 they wash 
and cook on new principles1 c42 but     
these wants are soon supplied4 ,only a  
practical sense of the duty of helping  
others to know what they have been      
taught will keep them from idleness and 
its consequences4 ,and how few of us1   
with no other safeguard against         
idleness1 would be other than idle6     
',some1 ,i think1 may be helped by being
 associated with us1 and with their     
friends of the ,solomon ,isles1 ,new    
,hebrides1 in spending some months on   
shore1 where they would soon acquire a  
fair knowledge of the language1 and     
might be of great use to less advanced  
friends4 ,this would be a real work for 
them4 ,just as ,mission work is the     
safeguard of the settled ,church1 so it 
must be the safeguard of these young    
native ,churches4  ',no doubt the       
,missionary spirit infused into the     

,samoan and ,karotongan ,churches kept  
them living and fruitful4 ,i am trying  
to think upon these points4  ',if the   
contrast be too violent between the     
,mission station with its daily         
occupations and the island life1 it     
becomes very difficult for the natives  
to perpetuate the habits of the one     
amidst the circumstances of the other4  
',the habits acquired at ,norfolk       
,island ought to be capable of being    
easily transferred to the conditions of 
the ,melanesian isles4  ',they ought1 ,i
 think1 to wear 7in the hot summer and  
on week days7 light loose clothing1     
which could be worn at home2 or clothing
 of the same shape and fit 7though      
perhaps of warm materials7 might be     
worn4  ',the circumstances of the two   
places must be different1 but we must   
minimise the difference as much as      
possible4  ',i often think of the       
steady-going ,english family1 with      
regular family prayers1 and attendance  
twice at ,church on ,sunday1 and the    

same people spending two months on the  
,continent4 ,no opportunity is made for 
family prayers before the table d'hte   
breakfast2 and at least one part of the 
,sunday is spent in the ,roman ,catholic
 ,cathedral1 or in a different way from 
the home use4 ,and if this be so with   
good respectable folk among ourselves1  
what must be the effect of altered      
circumstances on our ,melanesians8  ',it
 is not easy to keep up the devotional  
life on shore at home1 or in the        
islands1 or on board ship with the same 
regularity4 ,and where the convert must 
be more dependent than we ought to be on
 external opportunities1 the difficulty 
is increased4 ,so if the alteration be  
as little as possible1 we gain          
something1 we make it easier to our     
scholars to perpetuate uninterruptedly  
the ,norfolk ,island life4  ',to live   
with them and try to show them how1 on  
their island1 to keep up the religious  
life unchanged amidst the changed       
outward circumstances is a good way1 but

 then we can't live among them very     
long1 and our example is so often       
faulty4  ',curiously do these practical 
difficulties make us realise that there 
may really be some benefit in artificial
 wants2 and that probably the most      
favourable situation for the development
 of the human character is a climate    
where the necessaries of life are just  
sufficiently difficult of production to 
require steady industry1 and yet that   
nature should not be so rigorous as to  
make living so hard a matter as to      
occupy the whole attention1 and dwarf   
the mental faculties4'  ,how remarkable1
 is the date of the following thoughts1 
almost like a foreboding3--  ',september
 #aith1 #aj ,a4,m4 7to the              
sisters74--,we are drawing near ,santa  
,cruz1 about #ajj miles off4 ,how my    
mind is filled with hopes1 not unmingled
 with anxiety4 ,it is more than eleven  
years since we sought to make an opening
 here1 and as yet we have no scholar4   
,last year1 ,i went ashore at a large   

village called ,taive1 about seven miles
 from the scene of our disaster4 ,many  
canoes came to us from that spot1 and we
 stood in quite close in the vessel1 so 
that people swam off to us4  ',they are 
all fighting among the various villages 
and neighbouring islets of the ,reef    
,archipelago1 twenty miles north of the 
main island4 ,it is very difficult what 
to do or how to try to make a beginning4
 ,god will open a door in ,his own good 
time4 ,yet to see and seize on the      
opportunity when given is difficult4    
,how these things make one feel more    
than ever the need of ,divine guidance1 
the gift of the ,spirit of ,wisdom and  
,counsel and ghostly strength4 ,to human
 eyes it seems almost hopeless4 ,yet    
other islanders were in a state almost  
as hopeless apparently4 ,only there is a
 something about ,santa ,cruz which is  
probably very unreal and imaginary1     
which seems to present unusual          
difficulties4 ,in a few days1 ,i may1 by
 ,god's goodness1 be writing to you     

again about our visit to the group4 ,and
 if the time be come1 may ,god grant us 
some opening1 and grace to use it       
aright6  ',at ,piteni1 ,matama1 ,nupani1
 ,analogo1 ,i can talk somewhat to the  
people1 who are ,polynesians1 and speak 
a dialect connected with the ,maori of  
,new ,zealand4 ,i think that the people 
of ,indeni 7the native name for ,santa  
,cruz7 are also more than half          
,polynesians2 but ,i don't know a single
 sentence of their language properly4 ,i
 can say nothing about it4 ,they destroy
 and distort their organs of            
pronunciation by excessive use of the   
betel-nut and pepper leaf and lime1 so  
that no word is articulately pronounced4
 ,it is very hard to catch the sounds   
they make amidst the hubbub on deck or  
the crowds on shore2 yet ,i think that  
if we had two or three lads quietly with
 us at ,norfolk ,island1 we should soon 
make out something4  ',don't think ,i am
 depressed by this4 ,i only feel        
troubled by the sense that ,i frequently

 lose opportunities from indolence and  
other faults4 ,i am quite aware that we 
can do very little to bring about an    
introduction to these islanders2 and ,i 
fully believe that in some quite        
unexpected way1 or at all events in some
 way brought about independently of our 
efforts1 a work will be begun here some 
day1 in the day when ,god sees it to be 
fit and right4   7,to the ,bishop of    
,lichfield47   ',september              
#bgth4--,leaving ,santa ,cruz we came to
 this group from ,ulava with light fair 
winds2 left ,ulava on ,saturday at #f   
,p4,m41 and sighted the island1 making  
the west side of ,graciosa ,bay on the  
next ,wednesday2 sea quite smooth2      
thermometer reached #ib degrees4        
',sunday4--,very calm1 but a light      
breeze took us into ,nukapu4 ,a canoe   
came off1 ,i made them understand that  
it was our day of rest1 and that ,i     
would visit them atainu 7to-morrow71 a  
curious word4 ,i gave a few presents1   
and we slowly sailed on4  ',monday1 #f  

,a4,m4--,off ,piteni1 canoe off1 went   
ashore1 low tide1 got into a canoe1 and 
so reached the beach1 people well       
behaved1 much talk of taking lads1 quite
 well understood4 ,the speech is 7you   
remember7 very ,maori indeed4 ,there    
were some nice lads1 but no one came    
away4 ,four canoes from ,taumaho were   
here1 and two ,piteni men came back from
 ,taumaho while ,i was on shore4  ',at  
,nukapu at #b4cj ,p4,m4 ,high water1    
went in easily over the reef by a short 
cut1 not by our old winding narrow      
passage4 ,i was greatly pleased by the  
people asking me on board1 ,where is    
,bisambe8 ,here ,i am4 ,no1 no1 the     
,bisambe tuai 7of old74 ,your mutua     
7father74 ,is he below8 ,why doesn't he 
come up with some hatchets8  ',so you   
see they remember you4 ,a tall          
middle-aged man1 ,moto1 said that he was
 with us in the boat in #ahei1 and he   
and ,i remembered the one-eyed man who  
piloted us4  ',i went here also into the
 houses4 ,here is a quaint place2 many  

things1 not altogether idols1 but       
uncanny1 and feared by the people4      
,women danced in my honour1 people gave 
small presents1 c41 but no volunteers4  
,i could talk with them with sufficient 
ease2 and took my time1 lying at my ease
 on a good mat with cane pillow1        
,anaiteum fashion4 ,i told them that    
they had seen on board many little      
fellows from many islands2 that they    
need not fear to let their children go2 
that ,i could not spend time and        
property in coming year by year and     
giving presents when they were unwilling
 to listen to what ,i said1 but they    
only made unreal promises1 put boys in  
the boat merely to take them out again1 
and so we went away atrakoi4'  ,there is
 a little weariness of spirits--not of  
spirit--in the contemporaneous words to 
the home party3--  ',i don't know what  
to write about this voyage4 ,you have   
heard all about tropical vegetation1    
,santa ,cruz canoes1 houses1 customs1 c4
 ,if indeed ,i could draw these fellows1

 among whom ,i was lying on a mat on    
,monday2 if you could see the fuzzy     
heads1 stained white and red1 the great 
shell ornaments on the arms1 the round  
plate of shell as big as a small dinner 
plate hanging over the chest1 the large 
holes in the lobes of the ears rilled   
with perhaps fifteen or twenty rings of 
tortoise-shell hung on to one another2  
the woven scarves and girdles stained   
yellow with turmeric and stamped with a 
black pattern3 then it would make a     
curious sight for you2 and your worthy  
brother1 much at his ease1 lying flat on
 his back on two or three mats1 talking 
to the people about his great wish to   
take away some of the jolly little      
fellows to whom he was giving           
fish-hooks1 would no doubt be very      
interesting4 ,but really all this has   
become so commonplace1 that ,i can't    
write about it with any freshness4 ,the 
volcano in this group1 ,tenakulu1 is now
 active1 and was a fine sight at night1 
though the eruption is not continuous as

 it was in #ahei4  ',october #ith--,near
 ,ambrym to the ,bishop4 ,some people   
from ,aruas1 the large western bay of   
,vanua ,lava1 had been taken by force to
 ,queensland or ,fiji4 ,the natives     
simply speak of a ship of ,sydney4      
',wednesday4--,aroa and ,matlavo4       
',henry ,tagalana and ,joanna and their 
baby ,elizabeth1 ,william ,pasvorang and
 ,lydia1 and six others1 all baptized1  
and four communicants among them1 had   
spent five weeks on shore2 a very nice  
set4 ,six of them lived together at     
,aroa1 had regular morning and evening  
prayers1 sang their hymns1 and did what 
they could1 talking to their people4    
,codrington went over in a canoe1 and   
spent four days with them1 much pleased4
 ,we brought three scholars for ,george 
from thence4  ',thursday1               
,mota4--,codrington says the time is    
come1 in his opinion1 for some steps to 
be taken to further the movement in     
,mota4 ,grown-up people much changed1   
improved1 some almost to be regarded as 

catechumens4  ',we left ,mota1 bringing 
all that were to come2 indeed1 we       
scarcely know what it is nowadays to    
lose a boy or man--a great blessing4    
,there had been another visit of eleven 
canoes of ,tikopians2 friendly1 though  
unable to converse1 and promising to    
return again in two months4  ',october  
#aath4--,a topsail schooner in sight1   
between ,ambrym and ,paama--one of those
 kidnapping vessels4 ,i have any amount 
of 7to me7 conclusive evidence of       
downright kidnapping4 ,but ,i don't     
think ,i could prove any case in a      
,sydney ,court4 ,they have no names     
painted on some of their vessels1 and   
the natives can't catch nor pronounce   
the names of the white men on board4    
,they describe their appearance         
accurately1 and we have more than       
suspicions about some of these fellows4 
',the planters in ,queensland and ,fiji1
 who create the demand for labourers1   
say that they don't like the kidnapping 
any more than ,i do4 ,they pay          

occasionally from #f to #ab for an      
imported labourer1 and they don't want  
to have him put into their hands in a   
sullen irritable state of mind4'        
,touching at ,nengone1 the ,bishop saw  
,mr4 ,creagh1 who had recently visited  
,new ,caledonia1 whither ,basset1 the   
poor chief who had been banished to     
,tahiti for refusing to receive a       
,french priest1 had been allowed to     
return1 on the ,emperor ,napoleon       
forbidding interference with ,protestant
 missionaries or their converts4        
,wadrokala and his wife and child were  
brought away1 making up a number of #fe 
black passengers1 besides the #fj       
scholars already at ,norfolk ,island4   
,the weather throughout the voyage had  
been unusually still1 with frequent     
calms1 the sea with hardly any swell4   
,and this had been very happy for the   
,bishop2 but he was less well than when 
he had left ,taurarua1 and was unequal  
to attending the ,general ,synod in ,new
 ,zealand1 far more so to another       

campaign in ,australia1 though he       
cherished the design of going to see    
after the condition of the labourers in 
,fiji4  ,he finishes his long letter to 
his former ,primate3--  ,it is perhaps  
cowardly to say that ,i am thankful that
 ,i am not a clergyman in ,england4 ,i  
am not the man even in a small parish to
 stand up and fight against so many     
many-headed monsters4 ,i should give in1
 and shirk the contest4 ,the more ,i    
pray that you may have strength to      
endure it4 ,i don't think ,i was ever   
pugnacious in the way of controversy2   
and ,i am very very thankful to be out  
of it4'  ,indeed1 the tone of the       
references to ,church matters at home   
had become increasingly cautious2 and   
one long letter to ,mrs4 ,martyn he     
actually tore up1 lest it should do     
harm4 ,his feeling more and more was to 
wish for patience and forbearance1 and  
to deprecate violent words or hasty     
actions--looking from his hermit life   
upon all the present distress more as a 

phase of ,church history that would     
develop into some form of good1 and     
perhaps hardly sensible of the urgency  
of the struggle and defence4 ,for peace 
and shelter from the strife of tongues  
was surely one of the compensating      
blessings conferred on him4 ,but1 as all
 his companions agree1 he was never the 
same man again after his illness4 ,there
 was a lower level of spirits and of    
energy1 a sensitiveness to annoyances1  
and an indisposition to active exertion1
 which distressed him4  ,his day began  
as early as ever1 and was mapped out as 
before1 for classes of all kinds1       
,hebrew and reading2 but he seldom left 
his room1 except for ,chapel and meals1 
being unable to take much out-door      
exercise4 ,he did not see so much of his
 elder scholars as before1 chiefly      
because the very large number of newer  
pupils made it necessary to employ them 
more constantly2 but he never failed to 
give each of them some instruction for a
 short time every day1 though with more 

effort1 for indeed almost everything had
 become a burthen to him4 ,mr4          
,codrington's photograph taken at this  
time shows how much changed and aged he 
had become4 ,the quiet in which he now  
lived resulted in much letter-writing1  
taking up correspondences that had      
slumbered in more busy times1 as his    
mind flew back to old friends3 though1  
indeed1 the letters given in the        
preceding ,memoir must not be taken by  
any means to represent the numbers he   
wrote4 ,when he speaks of sending       
thirty-five by one mail1 perhaps only   
one or two have come into my hands2 and 
of those only such portions are of      
course taken as illustrate his life1    
work1 character1 and opinions without   
trenching on the reserve due to         
survivors4 ,thus multitudes of          
affectionate letters1 participating in  
the joys and sorrows of his brother1 his
 cousins and friends1 can necessarily   
find no place here2 though the idea of  
his character is hardly complete without

 direct evidence of the unbroken or more
 truly increasing sympathy he had with  
those whom he had not met for sixteen   
years1 and his love for his brother's   
wife and children whom he had never     
seen4  ,soon after his return to        
,norfolk ,island came a packet with a   
three months' accumulation of home      
despatches4 ,he read and replied in his 
old conversational way1 with            
occasionally a revelation of his deep   
inner self3--  ',i have been thinking1  
dear old ,fan1 about your words1 there  
would be a good deal to give and take if
 you came home for a time2 less perhaps 
now than before ,i was somewhat tamed by
 my illness4 ,i see more of the meaning 
of that petition1 from all blindness of 
heart1 from pride1 vainglory1 and       
hypocrisy2 and from all                 
uncharitableness4  ',alas6 you don't    
know what a misspent life ,i looked back
 upon1 never losing hold1 ,god be       
praised1 of the sure belief in ,his     
promises of pardon and acceptance in    

,christ4 ,i certainly saw that a want of
 sympathy1 an indifference to the       
feelings of others1 want of             
consideration1 selfishness1 in short1   
lay at the bottom of very much that ,i  
mourned over4  ',there is one thing1    
that ,i don't mention as an excuse for a
 fault which really does exist1 but     
simply as a fact1 viz41 that being      
always1 even now1 pressed for time1 ,i  
write very abruptly1 and so seem to be  
much more positive and dogmatic than ,i 
hope1 and really think1 is the case4 ,i 
don't remember ever writing you a letter
 in which ,i was able to write but as ,i
 would have talked out the matter under 
discussion in all its bearings4 ,this   
arises partly from impatience1 my pen   
won't go fast enough2 but as ,i state   
shortly my opinion1 without going       
through the reasons which lead me to    
adopt it1 no doubt much that ,i say     
seems to be without reason1 and some of 
it no doubt is4'  ,i need make no excuse
 for giving as much as possible of the  

correspondence of these last few months1
 when--though the manner of his actual  
departure was violent1 there was already
 the shadow1 as it were1 of death upon  
him4  ,to ,sir ,j4 ,t4 ,coleridge the   
letter was3--   ',december #i1 #ahgj4   
',my dearest ,uncle1--,how long it is   
since ,i wrote to you6444 ,and yet it is
 true that ,i think more often of you   
than of anyone1 except ,jem1 ,joan and  
,fan4 ,in fact1 your name meets me so   
often in one way or another--in papers  
from ,england1 and much more in books   
continually in use1 that ,i could not   
fail to think of you if ,i had not the  
true1 deep love that brings up the old  
familiar face and voice so often before 
my eyes4444  ',i wish ,i could talk with
 you1 or rather hear you answer my many 
questions on so many points4 ,i get     
quite bewildered sometimes4 ,it is hard 
to read the signs of our times2 so hard 
to see where charity ends and compromise
 begins1 where the old opinion is to be 
stoutly maintained1 and where the new   

mode of thought is to be accepted4 ,i   
suppose there always was some little    
difference among divines as to          
fundamentals1 and no ready-made solution
 exists of each difficult question as it
 emerges4  ',there is reason for that   
being so1 because it is part of our duty
 and trial to exercise our own power of 
discretion and judgment4 ,but so much   
now seems to be left to individuals1 and
 so little is accepted on authority4 ,in
 ,church matters ,i have for years      
thought ,synods to be the one remedy4   
,if men meet and talk over a difficulty1
 there is a probability of men's        
understanding each other's motives1 and 
thus preserving charity4 ,if            
one-twentieth part of a diocese insists 
upon certain observances which          
nineteen-twentieths repudiate1 it seems 
clear that the very small minority is   
put out of court4 ,yet how often the    
small minority contains more salt than  
the large majority6  ',i know indeed ,i 
am speaking honestly1 that ,i am not    

worthy to understand dear ,mr4 ,keble on
 many points4 ,the secret of our ,lord  
is with such men1 and we fail to        
understand him1 nous autres ,i mean1    
outside the sanctuary4 ,yet there is1 ,i
 must confess it to you1 my dear uncle1 
a something about his book on           
,eucharistic ,adoration which has the   
character to me of foreign rather than  
of ,english divinity4 ,i don't want to  
be exclusive1 far from it4 ,i don't want
 to be ,anglican versus ,primitive2 but 
yet somehow1 to me1 there is a something
 which belongs more to ,french or       
,italian than to ,english character     
about some parts of the book4 ,it is no 
doubt because ,i can't see what to his  
eye was plain4'  ,an account of the     
voyage follows as before given4 ',the   
islanders are beginning to find out the 
true character of the many small vessels
 cruising among them1 taking away people
 to the plantations in ,queensland1     
,fiji1 c4 ,so now force is substituted  
for deceit4 ,natives are enticed on     

board under promises 7by signs of       
course1 for nowhere can they talk to    
them7 of presents1 tempted down below   
into the hold to get tomahawks1 beads1  
biscuit1 c41 then the hatches are       
clapped on1 and they are stolen away4 ,i
 have to try and write a statement about
 it1 which is the last thing ,i can do  
properly4'  ,then the history of the    
weddings and baptisms4 ',there is       
another pleasant feature to be noticed4 
,the older scholars1 almost all of whom 
are ,banks ,islanders1 talk and arrange 
among themselves plans for helping      
natives of the islands4 ,thus ,edward   
,wogale1 of ,mota1 volunteers to go to  
,anudha1 #cjj or #djj miles off1 to stay
 there with his friend ,charles         
,sapinamba of that island1 to aid him in
 working among his people4 ,edward is   
older and knows more than ,charles4     
,they talk in ,mota1 but ,edward will   
soon have to speak the tongue of ,anudha
 when living there4 ,b---- and his wife 
offer to go to ,santa ,maria1 ,robert   

,pantatun and his wife to go to         
,matlavo1 ,john ,nonono to go to ,savo1 
and ,andrew ,lalena also4 ,this is very 
comforting to me4 ,it is bona fide      
giving up country and home4 ,it is      
indicative of a real desire to make     
known the ,gospel to other lands4 ,so   
long as they will do this1 so long ,i   
think we may have the blessed assurance 
that ,god's ,holy ,spirit is indeed     
working in their hearts4 ,dear fellows6 
,it makes me very thankful4  ',my       
clerical staff is increased by a ,mr4   
,jackson1 long a friend and supporter of
 the ,mission4444  ',atkin is a         
steady-going fellow1 most conscientious1
 with a good head-piece of his own1     
diligent and thoughtful rather than     
quick4 ,he and ,bice read ,hebrew daily 
with me1 and they will have soon a very 
fair knowledge of it4 ,joe ,atkin knows 
his ,greek ,testament very fairly       
indeed3 ,ellicott1 ,trench1 ,alford1    
,wordsworth and others are in use among 
us4  ',i wish you could see some of     

these little fellows4 ,it is1 ,i        
suppose1 natural that an old bachelor   
should have pleasure in young things    
about him1 ready-made substitutes for   
children of his own4 ,i do like them4   
,with ,english children1 save and except
 ,pena1 ,i never was at my ease1 partly 
,i think from a worse than foolish      
self-consciousness about so ugly a      
fellow not being acceptable to children4
 ,anyhow1 ,i don't feel shy with        
,melanesians2 and ,i do like the little 
things about me1 even the babies come to
 me away from almost anyone1 chiefly1   
perhaps1 because they are acquainted at 
a very early age with a corner of my    
room where dwells a tin of biscuits4    
',to this day ,i shut up and draw into  
my shell when any white specimen of     
humanity looms in sight4 ,how seldom do 
one's natural tastes coincide with one's
 work4 ,and ,i may be deceiving myself  
all along4 ,it is true that ,i have a   
very small acquaintance with men2 not so
 very small an acquaintance with men    

passed from this world who live in their
 books2 and some living authors ,i      
read--our ,english ,commentators are    
almost all alive4  ',i think that ,i    
read too exclusively one class of books4
 ,i am not drawn out of this particular 
kind of reading1 which is alone really  
pleasant and delightful to me1 by       
meeting with persons who discuss other  
matters4 ,so ,i read divinity almost if 
not quite exclusively4 ,i make dutiful  
efforts to read a bit of history or     
poetry1 but it won't do4 ,my relaxation 
is in reading some old favourite1       
,jackson1 ,hooker1 ,jeremy ,taylor1 c4  
,not that ,i know much about them1 for  
my real studying time is occupied in    
translating and teaching4 ,and so ,i    
read these books1 and others some       
,german1 occasionally 7but seldom7      
,french3 ,reuss1 for example1 and       
,guizot4 ,and on the whole ,i read a    
fair amount of ,hebrew2 though even now 
it is only the narrative books that ,i  
read1 so to say1 rapidly and with ease4 

',i wish some of our good ,hebrew       
scholars were sound ,poly- and          
,melanesian scholars also4 ,i believe it
 to be quite true that the mode of      
thought of a ,south ,sea islander       
resembles very closely that of a        
,semitic man4 ,and their state of mental
 knowledge or ignorance1 too4 ,it is    
certainly a mistake to make the ,hebrew 
language do the work of one of our      
elaborated ,european languages1 the     
products of thoughts and education and  
literary knowledge which the ,hebrew    
knew nothing of4 ,a ,hebrew grammar     
constructed on the principle of a ,greek
 or a ,latin grammar is simply a huge   
anachronism4  ',how did the people of   
the time of ,moses1 or ,david1 or       
,jeremiah think8 is the first question4 
,how did they express their thoughts8 is
 the second4 ,the grammar is but the    
mode adapted in speech for notifying and
 communicating thoughts4 ,that the ,jew 
did not think1 consequently did not     
speak1 like a ,european is self-evident4

 ,where are we to find people1 children 
in thought1 keenly alive to the outer   
world1 impressible1 emotional1 but      
devoid of the power of abstract thought1
 to whom long involved processes of     
thought and long involved sentences of  
speech are unknown8 ,consequently1 the  
contrivances for stringing together     
dependent clauses don't exist4 ,then    
some wiseacre of an #ahth or #aith      
century ,german writes a grammar on the 
assumption that a paulo-post-futurum is 
necessarily to be provided for the      
unfortunate ,israelite who thought and  
talked child's language4 ,now1 we       
,melanesians habitually think and speak 
such languages4 ,i assure you the       
,hebrew narrative viewed from the       
,melanesian point of thought is         
wonderfully graphic and lifelike4 ,the  
,english version is dull and lifeless in
 comparison4 ,no modern ,hebrew scholar 
agrees with any other as to the mode of 
construing ,hebrew4 ,anyone makes       
anything out of those unfortunately     

misused tenses4 ,delitzsch1 ,ewald1     
,gesenius1 ,perowne1 ,thrupp1 ,kay too1 
give no rule by which the scholar is to 
know from the grammar whether the time  
is past1 present1 or future1 i4e41      
whether such and such a verse is a      
narrative of a past fact or the prophecy
 of a future one4 ,it is much a matter  
of exegesis2 but exegesis not based on  
grammar is worth very little4  ',really 
the time is not inherent in the tense at
 all4 ,but that is a strong assertion1  
which ,i think ,i could prove1 give me  
time and a power of writing clearly4    
,sir ,william ,martin is trying to prove
 it4  ',all languages of the ,south     
,seas are constructed on the same       
principle4 ,we say1 ,when ,i get there1 
it will be right4 ,but all ,south ,sea  
,islanders1 ,i am there1 and it is      
right4 ,the time is given by something  
in the context which indicates that the 
speaker's mind is in past1 present1 or  
future time4 ,in the beginning ,god made
 rightly1 so1 but not because the tense 

gives the past sense1 for the same tense
 very often can't have anything to do   
with a past sense1 but in the beginning 
indicates a past time4  ',the doctrine  
of the ,vaw conversive is simply a      
figment of so-called grammarians2       
language is not an artificial product1  
but a natural mode of expressing ideas4 
',and if they assume that ,hebrew has a 
perfect and imperfect1 or past and      
future 7for the grammars use all kinds  
of names71 why on earth should people   
who have1 on their showing1 a past      
tense1 use a clumsy contrivance of      
turning a future tense into a past1 and 
vice versa8  ',if people had remembered 
that language is not a trick invented   
and contrived by scholars at their      
desks1 but a natural gift1 simple at    
first1 and elaborated by degrees1 they  
could not have made such a mess4  ',the 
truth is1 ,i think1 that such a         
contrivance was devised to make ,hebrew 
do what ,european scholars decided it   
must do1 these very men being ignorant  

of languages in a simple uncivilised    
form4  ',but1 my dear ,uncle1 what a    
prose6 ,only1 as ,i think a good deal   
about it1 you will excuse it1 ,i know4  
',well1 it is time for the weddings6    
,the ,chapel looks so pretty1 and 7you  
can't believe it7 so do the girls1      
,emma1 ,eliza1 and ,minnie1 to be       
married to ,edwin1 ,mulewasawasa1       
,thomas4 ,the native name is a baptismal
 one1 nevertheless1 and a good fellow he
 is1 my head nurse in my illness4  ',i  
can't write about politics4 ,then comes 
the astounding news of this fearful war4
 ,what am ,i to say to my ,melanesians  
about it8 ,do these nations believe in  
the ,gospel of peace and goodwill8 ,is  
the ,sermon on the ,mount a reality or  
not8 ,is such conduct a repudiation of  
,christianity or not8 ,are nations less 
responsible than individuals8 ,what     
possible justification is there for this
 war8 ,it is fearful1 fearful on every  
ground4 ,oh1 this mighty belauded       
nineteenth-century civilisation6  ',yet 

society has improved in some ways4 ,even
 war is not without its accompaniment of
 religion4 ,and it brings out kindly    
sympathy and stimulates works of        
charity4 ,but what a fearful            
responsibility lies upon the cause of   
the war4 ,it is hard to acquit ,louis   
,napoleon of being really the cause4    
',there would be great pleasure in      
seeing all the younger ones1 not equal  
of course to that of seeing you all2 but
 as ,i get older in my ways and habits1 
,i think that my mind goes back more to 
the young ones4 ,true1 ,i have a large  
family about me1 #ade ,melanesians here 
now4 ,yet there is the want of community
 of thought on some subjects1 and the   
difficulty of perfectly easy            
communication with them4 ,no ,melanesian
 tongue is like ,english to me4  ',i    
wrote a first sheet1 but filled it up   
with mere stupid thoughts about         
questions of the day1 not worth sending4
 ,and this long letter1 badly written1  
too1 will weary your eyes4  ',i must    

end4 ,my kindest love to ,aunt1 ,mary1  
and all4 ,always1 my dearest ,uncle1    
',your loving and grateful ,nephew1     
',j4 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,two letters of 
,december #ab follow2 the first to      
,bishop ,abraham4   ,mrs4 ,palmer's     
picture of the brides1 at the last of   
the weddings the ,bishop so enjoyed1 may
 be acceptable4 ,it went to ,mrs4       
,abraham by the same opportunity3--     
',three were married a short time before
 ,christmas2 they1 with five others1    
were baptized on ,advent ,sunday4 ,they 
had been here about thirteen months1 and
 had got on very well during that time1 
improved in every way4 ,i think some of 
them are loveable girls1 and it is      
pleasant to see them so happy and at    
home here4  ',they were a queer-looking 
set when they first came1 or ,i suppose 
,i thought them so4  ',i got some of the
 older girls to give them a good wash   
all over in warm water1 and then gave   
them the new clothes4 ,they looked at me
 in such a curious way4 ,they had heard 

of me1 ,palmer's wife1 from the others1 
but had not seen an ,englishwoman       
before4 ,a few days after they came1 ,i 
ran into their room with my hair down1  
and they exclaimed with wonder ,we ura  
ras 7very good71 almost shouting1 and   
then ,i told them to feel it1 and some  
kissed it with gentle reverence1 as     
though it were something very           
extraordinary4  ',they are very kind and
 obliging in doing anything ,i want4    
,they have to be looked after a good    
bit1 but are very obedient4 ,i did not  
imagine they would give so little       
trouble4 ,they are great chatterboxes1  
and very noisy1 but all in an innocent  
way4 ,they seldom quarrel among         
themselves4 ,i don't think their        
feelings are so strong as those of the  
,maoris1 either of love or hate4  ',i   
wish you could have been present at the 
baptism4 ,they looked so solemn1 and    
spoke out very distinctly4 ,they wore   
white calico jackets1 and the ,font was 
prettily decorated4 ,the whole service  

was impressive1 and not less so our good
 ,bishop's voice and manner4 ,they      
looked very nice1 and it was amusing to 
see how they took it4 ,only one could ,i
 get to look in the glass2 and she said 
the flowers were too large3 the other   
two only submitted to being beautified4'
   ,i return to the ,bishop's           
correspondence3--   ',norfolk ,island3  
,fourth ,sunday in ,advent1 #ahgj4  ',my
 dearest ,joan1--,i am choosing--a      
strange moment to write in4 ,it is #h4cj
 ,a4,m41 and in an hour ,i am going to  
the ,new ,church1 built by the          
,pitcairners1 to ordain ,mr4 ,c4 ,bice1 
,priest4 ,i was up as usual early this  
morning1 and ,i am not well1 and feeling
 queer1 and having already read and had 
,morning ,chapel ,service1 ,i take now  
this means of quieting myself4 ,you see 
it is nearly three miles to the town2   
the service will be nearly three hours2 
,i don't quite know how ,i shall get    
through it4 ,i thought of having the    
service here2 but our little ,chapel    

won't hold even our ,melanesian party   
7#hj out of #ade7 who attend public     
prayers1 and of course the islanders    
want to see1 and it is good for them to 
see an ordination4  ',this is my first  
expedition to the town since ,i came    
from the islands1 ,i shall have a horse 
in case ,i am very tired1 but ,i would  
rather walk all the way if ,i can4      
',just now ,i am headachy1 and seedy    
too2 but ,i think it is all coming right
 again4 ,i hope to have a bright happy  
,christmas4  ',after this day's         
,ordination we shall number one ,bishop1
 six ,priests1 and one ,deacon4 ,there  
are three or four ,melanesians who ought
 soon to be ordained2 and if it is      
possible for me to spend two or three   
months this next winter at ,mota1 ,i    
must read with ,george1 and perhaps     
ordain him ,priest4 ,it troubles me much
 that during all these summer months    
there can be no administration of the   
,holy ,communion1 though there are six  
communicants1 besides ,george1 now      

living for good at ,mota4 ,there will be
 four or five next year taking up their 
abode at the neighbouring island of     
,aroa4  ',dear ,joan6 ,at such times as 
these1 when one is engaged in a         
specially solemn work1 there is much    
heart-searching1 and ,i can't tell you  
how my conscience accuses me of such    
systematic selfishness during many long 
years4 ,i do see it now1 though only in 
part4 ,i mean1 ,i see how ,i was all    
along making self the centre1 and       
neglecting all kinds of duties1 social  
and others1 in consequence4  ',i think  
that self-consciousness1 a terrible     
malady1 is one's misfortune as well as  
one's fault4 ,but the want of any       
earnest effort at correcting a fault is 
worse perhaps than the fault itself4    
,and ,i feel such great1 such very great
 need for amendment here4 ,this great   
fault brings its punishment in part even
 now4 ,i mean1 there is a want of       
brightness1 cheerfulness1 elasticity of 
mind about the conscious man or woman4  

,he is prone to have gloomy1 narrow1    
sullen thoughts1 to brood over fancied  
troubles and difficulties2 because1     
making everything refer to and depend on
 self1 he naturally can get none of that
 comfort which they enjoy whose minds   
naturally turn upwards for help and     
light4  ',in this way ,i do suffer a    
good deal4 ,my chariot-wheels often drag
 very heavily4 ,i am not often in what  
you may call good spirits4 ,and yet ,i  
am aware that ,i am writing now under   
the influence of a specially depressing 
disorder1 and that ,i may misinterpret  
my real state of mind4 ,no one ought to 
be happier1 as far as advantages of     
employment in a good service1 and       
kindness of friends1 c41 can contribute 
to make one happy4 ,and1 on the whole1  
,i know my life is a happy one4 ,i am   
sure that ,i have a far larger share of 
happiness than falls to the lot of most 
people4 ,only ,i do feel very much the  
lack1 almost the utter lack of just that
 grace which was so characteristic of   

our dear ,father1 that simplicity and   
real humility and truthfulness of       
character6  ',well1 one doesn't often   
say these things to another person6 ,but
 it is a relief to say them4 ,i know the
 remedy quite well4 ,it is a very simple
 case for the doctor to deal with2 but  
it costs the patient just everything    
short of life1 when you have to dig     
right down and cut out by the roots an  
evil of a whole life standing4 ,i assure
 you that it is hard work1 because these
 feelings of ours are such intangible1  
untractable things6 ,it is hard to lay  
hold of1 and mould and direct them4     
',but ,i pray ,god that ,i may not      
willingly yield to these gloomy unloving
 feelings4 ,as often as ,i look out of  
myself upon ,him1 ,his love and         
goodness1 then ,i catch a bright gleam4 
,i think that you will not suspect me of
 being in a morbid state of mind4 ,you  
will say1 ,poor old fellow6 he was seedy
 and depressed when he wrote all that4  
,and that's true1 but not the whole     

truth4 ,i have much need of your        
prayers1 indeed1 for grace and strength 
to correct faults of which ,i am        
conscious1 to say nothing of unknown    
sin4  ',the ,ordination is over1 a quiet
 solemn service4 ,the new ,church1 which
 ,i had not seen1 is very creditable to 
the people1 who built it themselves4 ,it
 is wooden1 about thirty-six or         
thirty-eight feet high1 will hold #ejj  
people well4  ',mr4 ,nobbs preached a   
very good sermon4 ,i got on very well4  
,singing very good4 ,five ,priests      
assisting in this little place6         
',christmas ,eve4--,what a meaning one  
of my favourite hymns 7xxxviii4 in ,book
 of ,praise7 has1 when one thinks of    
this awful war1 how hard to realize the 
suffering and misery2 the rage and      
exasperation2 the pride and exaltation6 
,how hard to be thankful enough for the 
blessings of peace in this little spot6 
',our ,chapel is beautifully decorated4 
,a star at the east end over the word   
,emmanuel1 all in golden everlasting    

flame1 with lilies and oleanders in     
front of young ,norfolk ,island pines   
and evergreens4  ',seven new            
,communicants to-morrow morning4 ,and   
all things1 ,god be praised1 happy and  
peaceful about us4 ,all ,christmas      
blessings and joys to you1 dear ones6   
',christmas ,day1 #c ,p4,m4--,such a    
happy day6 ,such a solemn1 quiet service
 at #g ,a4,m41 followed by a short      
joyous #aa ,a4,m4 service4 ,christmas   
,hymn1 one with words set to the tune   
for ,hark6 the herald ,angels sing4     
',you know we never have the ,litany on 
,sundays1 because everybody is in       
,chapel twice a day1 and we of course   
have it on ,wednesday and ,friday1 and  
every native ,communion ,sunday1 i4e41  
every alternate ,sunday2 we have no     
,communion ,service at #aa ,a4,m4 as our
 ,communicants have been in ,chapel at  
the #g o'clock service2 so to-day1 the  
,lessons being short1 the service1      
including my short service1 was over by 
#aa4bj4  ',now we have a week's holiday1

 that is1 no school2 though ,i think it 
is hard work1 inasmuch as the preparing 
plans for school lessons1 rearranging   
classes1 sketching out the work1 is     
tiring to me4  ',then ,i have such heaps
 of letters1 which do worry me4 ,but1 on
 the other hand1 ,i get much quiet time 
for some reading1 and ,i enjoy that more
 than anything4 ,ten of our party were  
in ,chapel at #aa ,a4,m4 with us for the
 first time4 ,you know that we don't    
allow everyone to come1 but only those  
that we believe to be aware of the      
meaning of ,prayer1 and who can read1   
and are in a fair way to be             
,catechumens4 ,all these ten will1 ,i   
hope1 be baptized this summer4  ',we are
 obliged1 seriously1 to think of a      
proper ,chapel4 ,the present one is #de 
ft4 by #ai ft4 and too small4 ,it is    
only a temporary oblong room2 very nice1
 because we have the crimson hangings1  
handsome sandal-wood lectern1 and some  
good carving4 ,but we have to cram about
 eighty persons into it1 and on         

occasions 7,baptisms and ,confirmations1
 or at an ,ordination7 when others come1
 we have no room4 ,mr4 ,codrington      
understands these things well1 and not  
only as an amateur archaeologist2 he    
knows the principle of building well in 
stone and wood4 ,especially useful in   
this knowledge here1 where we work up   
our own material to a great extent4 ,our
 notion--his notion rather--is to have  
stone foundations and solid stone       
buttresses to carry a light roof4 ,then 
the rest will be wood4 ,it ought to be  
about sixty feet by thirty1 exclusive of
 chancel and apse4 ,when we get all the 
measurements carefully made1 we shall   
send exact accounts of the shape and    
size of the windows1 and suggest        
subjects for stained glass by ,hardman1 
or whoever might now be the best man4 ,i
 hope that it won't cost very much1     
perhaps #ejj4  ,december #bast4--,we    
have not had a fine ,christmas week1    
heavy rain and hot winds4 ,but the rain 
has done much good4 ,the ,norfolk       

,islanders have much influenza1 but we  
are at present quite free from it4      
',yesterday ,i spent two hours in       
training and putting to rights my       
stephanotis1 which now climbs over half 
my verandah4 ,i have such ,japanese     
lilies making ready to put forth their  
splendours4 ,two or three azaleas grow  
well4 ,rhododendrons won't grow well4   
,my little pines grow well1 and are     
about seven feet high4 ,it is very      
pleasant to see the growth of these     
things when ,i return from the voyage4  
,the pottering about the little gardens1
 the park-like paddocks1 with our sheep 
and cattle and horses1 gives me some    
exercise every day4 ,i go about quietly1
 and very often by myself1 with a book4 
,after thinking of all kinds of things  
and persons1 ,i think that my increased 
and increasing unwillingness to write is
 one proof of my not being so strong or 
vigorous4 ,i can't tell you what an     
effort it is to me to write a business  
letter2 and ,i almost dread a long      

effusion from anyone1 because1 though ,i
 like reading it1 ,i have the thought of
 the labour of answering it in my mind4 
',then again1 ,i who used to be so very 
talkative1 am taciturn now4             
,occasionally1 ,i victimize some        
unfortunate with a flow of language     
about some point of divinity1 or if ,i  
get a hearer on ,south ,sea languages1  
,i can bore him with much satisfaction  
to myself4 ,but ,i am so stupid about   
small talk4 ,i cannot make it4 ,when ,i 
have to try with some ,norfolk          
,islander1 e4g4 it does weary me so6    
,mind1 ,i don't despise it4 ,but instead
 of being a relaxation1 it is of all    
things the hardest work to me4 ,i am    
very dull in that way1 you know4 ,and   
sometimes ,i think people must take me  
to be sullen1 for ,i never know how to  
keep the talk going4 ,then if ,i do     
talk1 ,i get upon some point that no one
 cares for1 and bore everybody4 ,so     
here1 too1 ,i fall back on my own set of
 friends1 who are most tolerant of my   

idiosyncrasies1 and on my ,melanesians  
who don't notice them4  ',your loving   
,brother1  ',j4 ,c4 ,p4'  ,in spite of  
this distaste for writing1 a good many  
letters were sent forth during the early
 months of #ahga1 most of them the final
 ones to each correspondent4 ,the next1 
to ,miss ,mackenzie1 is a reply to one  
in which1 by ,bishop ,wilkinson's       
desire1 she had sought for counsel      
regarding the ,zulu ,mission1 especially
 on questions that she knew by          
experience to be most difficult1 i4e41  
of inculcating ,christian modesty1 and  
likewise on the qualifications of a     
native ministry3--   ',norfolk ,island3 
,jan4 #bf1 #ahga4  ',my dear ,miss      
,mackenzie1--,in addition to a very long
 and interesting letter of yours1 ,i    
have a letter from my sister1 who has   
just seen you at ,havant1 so ,i must    
lose no more time in writing4  ',first1 
let me say that ,i am as sure as ,i can 
be of anything that ,i have not         
registered1 that ,i wrote to thank you  

for the prints long ago4 ,indeed1 all   
these many gifts of yours are specially 
valuable as having been once the        
property of your brother1 of whom it    
seems presumptuous for me to speak1 and 
as having actually been used in ,mission
 work in so distant a part of the world4
  ',i need not say that ,thomas a       
,kempis1 his sextant1 and his pedometer1
 are among my few real valuables4 ,for  
the use of the prints1 ,i can't say much
 on my own knowledge4 ,my classes are   
for the most part made up of lads and   
young men1 teachers1 or preparing for   
,confirmation or ,holy ,communion2 one  
class1 always of younger ones1 being    
prepared for ,baptism2 and sometimes    
youths1 newcomers1 when we have to take 
in hand a new language4 ,those prints   
are not of much use1 therefore1 to my   
special classes4 ,most of them have     
passed beyond the stage of being taught 
by pictures1 though they like to look at
 them4 ,but ,mrs4 ,palmer has been using
 them constantly with the girls'        

classes1 and so with the less advanced  
classes throughout the school4  ',one   
difficulty will to the end be1 that by  
the time we can talk freely to our      
scholars1 and they can understand their 
own language employed as a vehicle for  
religious teaching1 they are not        
sufficiently supplied with books4 ,true1
 we have translations of such parts of  
the ,bible as quite enable us to teach  
all that a ,christian need know and do2 
but ,i often wish for plenty of good    
useful little books on other subjects1  
and ,i don't see my way to this4 ,our   
own press is always at work printing    
translations1 c4 ,it is not easy to     
write the proper kind of book in these  
languages1 and how are they to be       
printed8 ,we haven't time to print them 
here1 and who is to correct the press   
elsewhere8 ,the great fact in your      
letter is the account of ,bishop        
,wilkinson's ,consecration4 ,i am       
heartily glad to hear of it1 and ,i will
 send1 if ,i can1 now1 if not1 soon1 an 

enclosure to him for you to forward4 ,i 
doubt if ,i can help him by any means as
 to qualifications of candidates for    
,holy ,orders1 c4 ,our work is quite in 
a tentative state1 and ,i am sometimes  
troubled to see that this ,mission is   
supposed to be in a more advanced state 
than is really the case4  ',for example1
 the report of a man going ashore       
dressed as a ,bishop with a ,bible in   
his hand to entice the natives away1    
assumes islands to be in a state where  
the conventional man in white tie and   
black-tail coat preaches to the natives4
 ,my costume1 when ,i go ashore1 is an  
old ,crimean shirt1 a very ancient      
wide-awake4 ,not a syllable has in all  
probability ever been written1 except in
 our small note-books1 of the language  
of the island4 ,my attention is turned  
to keeping the crowd in good-humour by a
 few simple presents of fish-hooks1     
beads1 c4 ,only at ,mota is there a     
resident ,christian2 and even there1    
people who don't know what ,mota was1   

and what a ,melanesian island1 for the  
most part1 alas6 still is1 would see    
nothing to indicate a change for the    
better1 except that the people are      
unarmed1 and would be friendly and      
confiding in their manner to a stranger4
  ',i hardly know how to bring my       
,melanesian experience to bear upon     
,zululand4 ,the immorality1 infanticide1
 superstition1 c41 seem to be as great  
in a ,melanesian island as in any part  
of the heathen world4 ,and with our many
 languages1 it is not possible for us   
to-know the slang of the various        
islands4  ',we must be cheery about it  
all4 ,just see what the old writers1    
e4g4 ,chrysostom1 say about ,christian  
7nominally7 morals and manners at       
wedding feasts1 and generally4 ,impurity
 is the sin1 par excellence1 of all     
unchristian people4 ,look at ,st4       
,paul's words to the ,corinthians and   
others4 ,and we must not expect1 though 
we must aim at1 and hope1 and pray for  
much that we don't see yet4  ',what     

opportunity will ,bishop ,wilkinson have
 for testing the practical teaching     
power and steady conduct of his         
converts8  ',many of our ,melanesians   
have their classes here1 and we can form
 an opinion of their available          
knowledge1 how far they can reproduce   
what they know1 c4 ,we can see1 too1    
whether they exercise any influence over
 the younger ones4  ',twelve 7this      
season7 are counted as sixth form1 or   
monitors1 or whatever you please to call
 them4 ,then ensues an account of the   
rotation of industrial work1 c4  ',the  
other day ,i was examining an ,ysabel   
lad1 not formally in school1 but he     
happened to be in my room1 as they are  
always hanging about 7as you know74 ,he 
knew much more than ,i expected3 ,who   
taught you all this8 ,i am very well    
pleased4  ',wogale1 was the answer4     
',edward ,wogale is ,george ,sarawai's  
own brother1 volunteering now to go to  
,anudha 7,florida71 near ,ysabel        
,island4 ,if ,i see that a young man 7by

 his written notes1 little essays so to 
say1 analysis of lessons7 understands   
what he has been taught2 and if ,i see  
7by the proficiency of his pupils7 that 
he can reproduce and communicate this   
teaching to others1 then one part of the
 question of his fitness is answered4   
,if he has been here for years1 always  
well conducted1 and if when at home     
occasionally he has always behaved well 
and resisted temptation2 and perhaps ,i 
should add1 if he is respectably        
married1 or about to be married1 to a   
decent ,christian girl1 then we may hope
 that the matter of moral fitness may be
 hopefully settled4 ,assuming this1 and 
thank ,god1 ,i believe ,i may assume    
that it is the case with several here   
now1 as soon as a ,deacon is required in
 any place that he is willing to work   
in1 ,i should not hesitate to ordain    
him2 but ,i can't specify exactly what  
his qualifications ought to be1 because 
,i can't undertake to settle the        
difficult question of what constitutes  

absolutely essential teaching for a     
,christian1 i4e41 the doctrine of       
fundamentals4 ,practically one can      
settle it2 and that quite as well as in 
,england1 where there is1 and must be   
any amount of inequality in the         
attainments and earnestness of the      
candidates1 and where no examination can
 secure the fitness or even the mental  
capacity of the minister4  ',i say to   
myself1 ,here is an island or a part of 
an island from which we have had a good 
many scholars4 ,some married ones are   
going back to live permanently4 ,they   
are ,christians1 and some are           
,communicants4 ,they wish to do what    
they can to get the young ones about    
them for regular school and to talk to  
the older people4 ,they all have and can
 use their ,prayer-books4 ,the people   
are friendly4 ,is there one among them  
of whom ,i can 7humanly speaking7 feel  
sure that1 by ,god's blessing1 he will  
lead a good life among them1 and that he
 can and will teach them faithfully the 

elements of ,christian truth and        
practice8 ,if we all agree that there is
 such a one1 why not ordain him8  ',but 
,i want to see people recognising the   
office of ,deacon as something very     
distinct indeed from that of the        
,priest4 ,it is a very different matter 
indeed1 when we come to talk about      
candidates for ,priest's orders4        
',again1 look at the missionary clergy  
of old times4 ,no doubt in mediaeval    
times so much stress was laid upon the  
mere perfunctory performance of the     
ministerial act1 as apart from careful  
teaching of the meaning and purport of  
the act1 that the mediaeval missionary  
is so far not a very safe model for us  
to imitate4  ',but ,i suppose that      
multitudes of men did good work who     
could no more comprehend nor write out  
the result of lessons that ,edward1     
,henry1 ,edmund1 ,robert and twenty     
others here are writing out1 than our   
,english peasant can comprehend a       
learned theological treatise4  ',and we 

must consider the qualifications of     
one's native clergy in relation to the  
work that they have to do4 ,they have   
not to teach theology to educated       
,christians1 but to make known the      
elements of ,gospel truth to ignorant   
heathen people4 ,if they can state      
clearly and forcibly the very primary   
leading fundamental truths of the       
,gospel1 and live as simple-minded      
humble ,christians1 that is enough      
indeed4  ',perhaps this is as likely to 
make the ,bishop understand my notions  
on the subject as any more detailed     
account of the course of instruction4 ,i
 really have not time to copy out some  
ten or twelve pages of some older lad's 
note-book4 ,i think you would be        
satisfied with their work4 ,i don't     
mean1 of course1 the mere writing1 which
 is almost always excellent1 but there  
is a ready apprehension of the meaning  
of any point clearly put before them1   
which is very satisfactory4 ,i am now   
thinking of the twenty or thirty best   

among our #ade scholars4 ,this is a     
confused1 almost unintelligible scrawl2 
but ,i am busy1 and not very fresh for  
work4  ',yours very truly1  ',j4 ,c4    
,,patteson4'   ,a letter to ,bishop     
,abraham was in hand at the same time1  
full of replies to the information in   
one newly received from this much valued
 friend4 ,after deploring an attack of  
illness from which ,mrs4 ,abraham had   
been suffering1 comes the remark--      
',you know what one always feels1 that  
one can't be unhappy about good people1 
whatever happens to them4 ,i do so enjoy
 your talk about ,church works in       
,england4 ,it makes the modern          
phraseology intelligible4 ,i know now   
what is meant by missions and missioners
 and retreats4  ',i was thinking lately 
of ,george ,herbert at ,hereford1 as ,i 
read the four sermons which ,vaughan    
lately preached there1 one on the       
,atonement1 which ,i liked very much    
indeed4 ,the ,cathedral has been        
beautifully restored1 has it not8 ,then1

 ,i think of you in ,york ,minster on   
,november #bj1 with that good text from 
,psalm xcvi4 ,i read your letter on     
,tuesday2 on which day our morning      
,psalms in ,chapel are always chanted1  
xcv41 xcvi41 xcvii4 ,the application    
seems very natural1 but to work out     
those applications is difficult4 ,the   
more ,i read sermons1 and ,i read a good
 many1 the more ,i wonder how men can   
write them6  ',mind1 ,i will gladly pay 
,charley ten shillings a sermon1 if he  
will copy it out for me4 ,it will do the
 boy good4 ,dear old ,tutor used to fag 
me to write copies of the ,bishop's long
 ,new ,zealand letters1 as ,i wrote a   
decent hand then4 ,don't ,i remember a  
long one from ,anaiteum1 and how ,i     
wondered where on earth or sea ,anaiteum
 could be6  ',i want to hear men talk on
 these matters 7the ,eucharistic        
question7 who represent the view that is
 least familiar to me4 ,and then ,i     
feel1 when it comes to a point of ,greek
 criticism1 sad regret and almost       

remorse at my old idleness and foolish  
waste of time when ,i might have made   
myself a decent scholar4 ,i cram up     
passages1 instead of applying a         
scholarly habit of mind to the          
examination of them4 ,and now too1 it is
 harder than ever to correct bad habits 
of inattention1 inaccuracy1 c4 ,i am    
almost too weary oftentimes to do my    
work anyhow1 much less can ,i make an   
effort to improve my way of doing it4   
,but ,i must be content1 thankful to get
 on somehow or other1 and to be able to 
teach the fellows something4  ',it is   
quite curious to see how often one is   
baffled in one's attempts to put oneself
 en rapport with the ,melanesian mind4  
,if one can manage it1 they really show 
one that they know a good deal1 not     
merely by heart1 or as matter of memory1
 that is worth little2 but they show    
that they can think4 ,but often they    
seem utterly stupid and lost1 and one is
 perplexed to know what their difficulty
 can possibly be4 ,one thing is clear1  

that they have little faculty of        
generalization4 ,as you know1 they      
seldom have a name for their island1 but
 only names for each tiny headland1 and 
bay1 and village4 ,the name for the     
island you must learn from the          
inhabitants of another island who view  
the one whose name you are seeking as   
one because1 being distant1 it must     
appear to them in its oneness1 not in   
its many various parts4 ,just so1 they  
find it very difficult to classify any  
ideas under general heads4 ,ask for     
details1 and you get a whole list of    
them4 ,ask for general principles1 and  
only a few can answer4  ',for example1  
it is not easy to make them see how all 
temptations to sin were overcome in the 
three representative assaults made upon 
,him in the wilderness2 how love is the 
fulfilling of the ,law2 or how the      
violation of one ,commandment is the    
violation 7of the principle7 of all4    
',then they have much difficulty 7from  
shyness partly1 and a want of teaching  

when young7 in expressing themselves4   
,they really know much that only skilful
 questioning1 much more skilful than    
mine1 can get out of them4 ,it          
wants--all teaching does--a man with    
lots of animal spirits1 health1 pluck1  
vigour1 c4 ,every year ,i find it more  
difficult4'   ,to another of the ,new   
,zealand friends who had returned to    
,england there was a letter on ,jan4    
#ca3--   ',my dear ,mr4 ,lloyd1--,i must
 send you a line1 though ,i have little 
to say4 ,and ,i should be very sorry if 
we did not correspond with some attempt 
at regularity4  ',what can one think of 
long without the mind running off to    
,france8 ,what a wonderful story it is6 
,only ,old ,testament language can      
describe it1 only a ,prophet can        
moralise upon it4 ,it is too dreadful in
 its suddenness and extent4 ,one fears  
that vice and luxury and ungodliness    
have destroyed whatever of chivalry and 
patriotism there once was in the ,french
 character4 ,to think that this is the  

country of ,st4 ,louis and ,bayard6 ,the
 ,empire seems almost systematically to 
have completed the demoralisation of the
 people4 ,there is nothing left to      
appeal to1 nothing on which to rally4   
,it is an awful thing to see such       
judgments passing before our very eyes4 
,so fearful a humiliation may do        
something yet for the ,french people1   
but ,i dread even worse news4 ,it nearly
 came the other day to a repetition of  
the old ,danton and ,robespierre days4  
',here we are going on happily4444 ,i   
would give something to spend a quiet   
,sunday with you in your old ,church4   
,how pleasant to have an old ,church4   
',always yours affectionately1  ',j4 ,c4
 ,,patteson4'   ,my own last letter came
 at the same time3--   ',norfolk        
,island3 ,february #afth1 #ahga4  ',my  
dear ,cousin1--,i must not leave your   
letter of last ,october without an      
instalment of an answer1 though this is 
only a chance opportunity of sending    
letters by a whaler1 and ,i have only   

ten minutes4  ',your account of the     
,southampton ,congress is a regular     
picture4 ,i thinly ,i can see the       
,bishops of ,winton1 ,sarum1 and ,oxon2 
and all that you say by way of comment  
on what is going off in the ,church at  
home interests me exceedingly4 ,you     
can't think what a treat your letters   
are4  ',you see ,mr4 ,codrington is the 
only one of my age1 and 7so to say7     
education here1 and so to commune with  
one who thinks much on these matters1   
which of course have the deepest        
interest for me1 is very pleasant and   
useful4 ,on this account ,i do so value 
the ,bishop of ,salisbury's letters1 and
 it is so very kind of him to write to  
me in the midst of the overwhelming     
occupations of an ,english diocese4  ',i
 don't think you have mentioned ,dr4    
,vaughan4 ,i read his books with much   
interest4 ,he doesn't belong to the     
,keble theology2 but he seems to me to  
be a thoughtful1 useful1 and eminently  
practical writer4 ,he seems to know what

 men are thinking of1 and to grapple    
with their difficulties4 ,i am pleased  
with a little book1 by ,canon ,norris1  
,key to the ,new ,testament3 the work of
 a man who has read a good deal1 and    
thought much4  ',he condenses into a    
#bs4 #f;d4 book the work of years4      
',you are all alive now1 trying to work 
up your parochial schools to efficiency 
mark--rather you were doing so1 for ,i  
think there was only time allowed up to 
,december #ca1 #ahgj4 ,i hope that the  
efforts were successful4 ,at such times 
one wishes to see great noble gifts1 men
 of great riches giving their #aj1jjj to
 a common fund4 ,then ,i remember that  
the claims and calls are so numerous in 
,england1 that very wealthy men can     
hardly give in that way4  ',certainly ,i
 am spared the temptation myself of     
seeing the luxury and extravagance which
 must tempt one to feel hard and bitter1
 ,i should fear4 ,we go on quietly and  
happily4 ,you know our school is large4 
,thank ,god1 we are all well1 save dear 

old ,fisher1 who met with a sad boating 
accident last week4 ,a coil of the boat 
raft caught his ankle as the strain was 
suddenly tightened by a rather heavy    
sea1 and literally tore the front part  
of his foot completely off1 besides     
dislocating and fracturing the          
ankle-bone4 ,he bears the pain well1 and
 he is doing very well2 but there may be
 latent tetanus1 and ,i shall not feel  
easy for ten days more yet4  ',his smile
 was pleasant1 and his grasp of the hand
 was an indication of his faith and     
trust1 as he answered my remark1 ,you   
know ,fisher1 ,he does nothing without a
 reason3 you remember our talk about the
 sparrows and the hairs of our heads4   
',i know1 was all he said2 but the look 
was a whole volume4444  ',your          
,charlotte is ,fisher's wife1 you know1 
and a worthy good creature she is4 ,poor
 old ,fisher1 the first time ,i saw     
tears on his cheeks was when his wife   
met him being carried up1 and ,i took   
her to him4  ',the mail goes4 ,your     

affectionate ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4         
,,patteson4'   ,it may as well be here  
mentioned that ,fisher ,pantatun escaped
 tetanus1 lived to have his limb        
amputated by a medical man1 who has     
since come to reside at ,norfolk        
,island1 and that he has been further   
provided with a wooden leg1 to the      
extreme wonder and admiration of his    
countrymen at ,mota1 where he has since 
joined the ,christian community4  ,the  
home letter1 finished the last1 had been
 begun before the first1 on ,feb4 #aa1  
',my birthday1' as the ,bishop writes1  
adding3--',how as time goes on we think 
more and more of him and miss him4      
,especially now in these times1 with so 
many difficult questions distressing and
 perplexing men1 his wise calm judgment 
would have been such a strength and     
support4 ,you know ,i have all his      
letters since ,i left ,england1 and he  
never missed a mail4 ,and now it is     
nearly ten years since he passed away   
from this world4 ,what would he say to  

us all8 ,what would he think of all that
 has taken place in the interval8 ,thank
 ,god1 he would certainly rejoice in    
seeing all his children loving each     
other more and more as they grow older  
and learn from experience the           
blessedness and infrequency of such a   
thoroughly united1 happy set of brothers
 and sisters4 ,why1 you have never      
missed a single mail in all these       
sixteen years2 and ,i know1 in spite of 
occasional differences of opinion1 that 
there is really more than ever of mutual
 love1 and much more of mutual esteem   
than ever4 ,there is no blessing like   
this4 ,and it is a special and unusual  
blessing4 ,and surely1 next to ,god1 we 
owe it to our dear parents1 and perhaps 
especially to him who was the one to    
live on as we grew up into men and      
women4 ,what should ,i have done out    
here without a perfect trust in you     
three1 and without your letters and     
loving remembrances in boxes1 c48 ,i    
fancy that ,i should have broken down   

altogether1 or else have hardened 7more 
than ,i have become7 to the soft and    
restful influences of the home life4 ,i 
see some people really alone in these   
countries1 really expatriated4 ,now ,i  
never feel that2 partly because ,i have 
your letters1 partly because ,i have the
 knowledge that1 if ever ,i did have to 
go to ,england1 ,i should find all the  
old family love1 only intensified and   
deepened4 ,i can tell you that the      
consciousness of all this is a great    
help1 and carries one along famously4   
,and then the hope of meeting by-and-by 
and for ever6'   ',true to the kindred  
points of heaven and home4' ,surely such
 loyalty of heart1 making a living      
influence of parents so long in their   
graves1 has been seldom1 at least1 put  
on record1 though maybe it often and    
often has existed4   ,again1 on ,march  
#h3--',such a fit came over me yesterday
 of old memories4 ,i was reading a bit  
of ,wordsworth 7the poet74  ,i          
remembered dear dear ,uncle ,frank      

telling me how ,wordsworth came over to 
,ottery1 and called on him1 and how he  
felt so honoured2 and so ,i felt on     
thinking of him1 and the old 7pet7      
names1 and most of all1 of course1 of   
,father and ,mother1 ,i seemed to see   
them all with unusual clearness4 ,then  
,i read one of the two little notes ,i  
had from ,mr4 ,keble1 which live in my  
,christian ,year1 and so ,i went on     
dreaming and thinking4  ',yes1 if by    
,his mercy ,i may indeed be brought to  
the home where they dwell6 ,but as the  
power of keen enjoyment of this world   
was never mine1 as it is given to bright
 healthy creatures with eyes and teeth  
and limbs sound and firm1 so ,i try to  
remember dear ,father's words1 that he  
did not mean that he was fit to go      
because there was little that he cared  
to stop here for4 ,and ,i don't feel    
morbid like1 only with a diminished     
capacity for enjoying things here4 ,of  
the mere animal pleasures1 eating and   
drinking are a serious trouble4 ,my eyes

 don't allow me to look about much1 and 
,i walk with unshowing eye turned       
towards the earth4 ,i don't converse    
with ease2 there is the feeling of      
difficulty in framing words4 ,i prefer  
to be alone and silent4 ,if ,i must     
talk1 ,i like the ,english tongue least 
of all4 ,melanesia doesn't have such    
combinations of consonants and harsh    
sounds as our vernacular rejoices in4   
,if ,i speak loud1 as in preaching1 ,i  
am pretty clear still2 but ,i can't read
 at all properly now without real       
awkwardness4  ',i am delighted with     
,shairp's ,essays that ,pena sent me4   
,he has the very nature to make him     
capable of appreciating the best and    
most thoughtful writers1 especially     
those who have a thoughtful spirit of   
piety in them4 ,he gives me many a very 
happy quiet hour4 ,i wish such a book   
had come in my way while ,i was young4  
,i more than ever regret that ,mr4      
,keble's ,praelectiones was never       
translated into ,english4 ,i am sure    

that ,i have neglected poetry all my    
life for want of some guide to the      
appreciation and criticism of it1 and   
that ,i am the worse for it4 ,if you    
don't use ,uncle ,sam's ,biographia     
,literaria1 and ,literary ,remains1 ,i  
should much like to have them4  ',do    
you1 ,fan1 care to have any of my       
,german books8 ,i have1 indeed1 scarce  
any but theological ones4 ,but no one   
else reads ,german here1 and ,i read    
none but the divinity2 and1 indeed1 ,i  
almost wish ,i had them in translations1
 for the sake of the ,english type and  
paper4 ,my eyes don't like the ,german  
type at all4  ',moreover1 now 7it was   
not so years ago71 all that is worth    
reading in their language is in a good  
serviceable ,english dress1 and passed1 
moreover1 through the minds of clear    
,english thinkers--and the ,germans are 
such wordy1 clumsy1 involved writers4 ,a
 man need not be a ,german scholar to be
 well acquainted with all useful ,german
 theology4 ,dllinger is almost the only 

clear1 plain writer ,i know among them4 
,dorner1 the great ,lutheran divine1    
gives you about two pages and a half of 
close print for a single sentence--awful
 work1 worse than my ,english6444 ,but  
,i know that if ,i read less1 and       
thought more1 it would be better4 ,only 
it is such hard work thinking1 and ,i am
 so lazy6 ,i was amused at hearing1     
through another lad1 of ,edward         
,wogale's remark1 ,this helping in      
translation 7a revisal of the ,acts in  
,mota7 is such hard work6 ,yes1 my boy1 
brain work takes it out of you4 ,i wish 
,i had ,jem's power of writing reports1 
condensing evidence into clear reliable 
statements4 ,lawyers get that power2    
while we ,clergymen are careless and    
inaccurate1 because1 as old ,lord       
,campbell said1 there is no reply to our
 sermons4  ',what would ,i give to have 
been well drilled in grammar1 and made  
an accurate scholar in old days6 ,ottery
 ,school and ,eton didn't do much for me
 in that way1 though of course the fault

 was chiefly in myself4  ',but most of  
all1 ,i think that ,i regret the real   
loss to us ,eton boys of the weekly help
 that ,winchester1 ,rugby1 and ,harrow  
boys had from ,moberly1 ,arnold1 and    
,vaughan in their sermons6 ,i really    
think that might have helped to keep us 
out of harm6  ',it is now #d4cj ,p4,m41 
calm and hot4 ,such a tiger-lily on my  
table1 and the pretty delicate          
achimenes1 and the stephanotis climbing 
up the verandah1 and a bignonia by its  
side1 with honeysuckle all over the     
steps1 and jessamine all over the two   
water-tanks at the angle of the         
verandah4 ,the ,melanesians have1 ,i    
think1 twenty-nine flower gardens1 and  
they bring the flowers1 c4--lots of     
flowers1 and the oleanders are a sight6 
,some azaleas are doing well1 verbenas1 
hibiscus of all kinds4 ,roses and1 alas6
 clove carnations1 and stocks1 and many 
of the dear old cottage things won't    
grow well4 ,scarlet passion flowers and 
splendid ,japanese lilies of perfect    

white or pink or spotted4 ,the golden   
one ,i have not yet dared to buy4 ,they 
are most beautiful4 ,i like both the red
 and the yellow tritoma2 we have both4  
,but ,i don't think we have the perfume 
of the ,english flowers1 and ,i miss the
 clover and buttercup4 ,and what would  
,i give for an old-fashioned cabbage    
rose1 as big as a saucer1 and for fresh 
violets1 which grow here but have little
 scent1 and lilies of the valley6 ,still
 more1 fancy seeing a ,devonshire bank  
in spring1 with primroses and daisies1  
or meadows with cowslip and clover and  
buttercups1 and hearing thrushes and    
blackbirds and larks and cuckoos1 and   
seeing trout rise to the flies on the   
water6 ,there is much exaggeration in   
second-rate books about tropical        
vegetation4 ,you are really much better 
off than we are4 ,no trees equal        
,english oaks1 beeches1 and elms1 and   
chestnuts2 and with very little expense 
and some care1 you have any flowers you 
like1 growing out of doors or in a      

greenhouse4 ,you can make a warmer      
climate1 and we can't a colder one4 ,but
 we have plenty to look at for all that4
 ,there1 what a nice hour ,i have spent 
in chatting with you6'  ,this same      
dreamy kind of 'chat1' full of the past1
 and of quiet meditation over the       
present1 reminding one of ,bunyan's     
,pilgrims in the ,land of ,beulah1      
continues at intervals through the      
sheets written while waiting for the    
',southern ,cross4' ,here is a note     
7,march #ad7 of the teaching3--  ',i am 
working at the ,miracles with the second
 set1 and ,i am able to venture upon    
serious questions1 viz4 the connection  
between sin and physical infirmity or   
sickness1 the ,demoniacs1 the power of  
working miracles as essential to the    
,second ,adam1 in whom the prerogative  
of the ,man 7the ideal man according to 
the idea of his original condition7 was 
restored4 ,then we go pretty closely    
into detail on each miracle1 and try to 
work away till we reach a general       

principle or law4  ',with another class 
,i am making a kind of ,commentary on   
,st4 ,luke4 ,with a third1 trying to    
draw out in full the meaning of the     
,lord's ,prayer4 ,with a fourth1 ,old   
,testament history4 ,it is often very   
interesting2 but1 apart from all sham1  
,i am a very poor teacher4 ,i can       
discourse1 or talk with equals1 but ,i  
can't teach4 ,so ,i don't do justice to 
these or any other pupils ,i may chance 
to have4 ,but they learn something among
 us all4'  ,he speaks of himself as     
being remarkably well and free from the 
discomforts of illness during the months
 of ,march and ,april3 and these letters
 show perfect peace and serenity of     
spirit2 but his silence and inadequacy  
for 'small talk' were felt like         
depression or melancholy by some of his 
white companions1 and he always seemed  
to feel it difficult to rouse himself4  
,to sit and study his ,hebrew ,isaiah   
with ,delitzsch's comment was his chief 
pleasure2 and on his birthday1 ,april   

#a1 ,easter ,eve1 and the ensuing holy  
days1 he read over all his ,father's    
letters to him1 and dwelt1 in the       
remarks to his sisters1 upon their      
wisdom and tenderness4  ,mr4 ,codrington
 says3 ',before starting on the voyage  
he had confirmed some candidates in the 
,church in town3 on which occasion he   
seemed to rouse himself with difficulty 
for the walk1 and would go by himself2  
but he was roused again by the service1 
and gave a spirited and eloquent        
address1 and came back1 after a hearty  
meal and lively conversation1 much      
refreshed in mind and body4 ,this was on
 ,palm ,sunday4 ,on ,easter ,day he held
 his last confirmation of three girls   
and two ,solomon ,island boys4  ,then   
came the ',southern ,cross1' bringing   
with her from ,new ,zealand a box with  
numerous books and other treasures1 the 
pillow that the old ,bishop of ,exeter  
was leaning on when he died2 a          
photograph1 from the ,bishop of         
,salisbury1 of his ,cathedral1 and among

 the gifts for the younger ,melanesians1
 a large ,noah's ark1 which elicited    
great shouts of delight4  ',well6 after 
mentioning the articles in order all    
these things1 and still more the thought
 of the pains taken and the many loving 
feelings engaged in getting them        
together1 will help me much during the  
coming months4 ,all the little          
unexpected things are so many little    
signs of the care and love you always   
have for me1 and that is more than their
 own value1 after all4 ,i always feel it
 solemn to go off on these voyages4 ,we 
have had such mercies4 ,fisher is doing 
quite well1 getting about on crutches2  
and that is the only hospital case we   
have had during the whole summer4'      
,then follows3--  ',april #bgth4--,we   
start in a few hours 7,d4,v474 ,the     
weather is better4 ,you have my thoughts
 and hopes and prayers4 ,i am really    
pretty well3 and though often distressed
 by the thought of past sins and present
 ones1 yet ,i have a firm trust in      

,god's mercy through ,christ1 and a     
reasonable hope that the ,holy ,spirit  
is guiding and influencing me4 ,what    
more can ,i say to make you think       
contentedly and cheerfully about me8    
,god bless you all6'  ,so the last      
voyage was begun4 ,the plan was much the
 same as usual4 ,on the way to ,mota1   
the ,bishop landed on ,whitsuntide      
,island1 and there was told that what   
the people called a 'thief ship' had    
carried off some of their people4 ,star 
,island was found nearly depopulated4   
,on ,may #af1 the ,bishop1 with ,mr4    
,bice and their scholars1 landed at     
,mota1 and the ',southern ,cross' went  
on with ,mr4 ,brooke to ,florida1 where 
he found that the ',snatch-snatch'      
vessels1 as they were there called1 had 
carried off fifty men4 ,they had gone on
 board to trade1 but were instantly     
clapped under hatches1 while tobacco and
 a hatchet were thrown to their friends 
in the canoe4 ,some canoes had been     
upset by a noose from the vessel1 then a

 gun was fired1 and while the natives   
tried to swim away1 a boat was lowered1 
which picked up the swimmers1 and       
carried them off4 ,one man named ,lave1 
who jumped overboard and escaped1 had   
had two fingers held up to him1 which he
 supposed to mean two months1 but which 
did mean two years4  ,it was plain that 
enticing having failed1 violence was    
being resorted to2 and ,mr4 ,brooke was 
left to an anxious sojourn1 while ,mr4  
,atkin returned to ,mota on his way to  
his own special charge at ,bauro4 ,he   
says1 on ,june #i3--  ',the ,bishop had 
just come back from a week's journeying 
with ,william in his boat4 ,they had    
been to ,santa ,maria1 ,vanua ,lava1 and
 ,saddle ,island2 the weather was bad1  
but the ,bishop1 although he is tired1  
does not think he is any the worse for  
his knocking about4 ,he is not at all   
well2 he is in low spirits1 and has lost
 almost all his energy4 ,he said1 while 
talking about the deportation of        
islanders to ,fiji1 that he didn't know 

what was to be done2 all this time had  
been spent in preparing teachers        
qualified to teach their own people1 but
 now when the teachers were provided1   
all the people were taken away4 ,the    
extent to which the carrying off of the 
natives has gone is startling4 ,it      
certainly is time for us to think what  
is to be done next4 ,i do not think that
 it is an exaggerated estimate1 others  
would say it is under the mark1 that one
 half the population of the ,banks      
,islands over ten years of age have been
 taken away4 ,i am trying not to expect 
anything about the ,solomon ,islands    
before we are there1 but we have heard  
that several vessels have cargoes from  
there4 ,if the people have escaped a    
little longer for their wildness1 it    
will not be for long4  ',the ,bishop    
still remained at ,mota1 while ,i went  
back to the ,solomon ,islanders4 ,the   
cliffs of ,mota1 and perhaps the        
intelligence of the people1 had         
comparatively protected it1 though ,port

 ,patteson had become a station of the  
labour ships4 ,the village of           
,kohimarama was not a disappointment4'  
,bishop ,patteson proceeds3--  ',things 
are very different4 ,i think that we    
may1 without danger1 baptize a great    
many infants and quite young            
children--so many parents are actually  
seeking ,christian teaching themselves1 
or willing to give their children to be 
taught4 ,i think that some adults1      
married men1 may possibly be baptized4  
,i should think that not less than forty
 or fifty are daily being taught twice a
 day1 as a distinct set of ,catechumens4
 ,besides this1 some of the women seem  
to be in earnest4  ',about two hours and
 a half are spent daily by me with about
 twenty-three grown-up men4 ,they come1 
too1 at all hours1 in small parties1 two
 or three1 to tell their thoughts and   
feelings1 how they are beginning to     
pray1 what they say1 what they wish and 
hope1 c4  ',there is more indication    
than ,i ever saw here before of a       

movement1 a distinct advance1 towards   
,christianity4 ,the distinction between 
passively listening to our teaching1 and
 accepting it as ,god's ,word and acting
 upon it1 seems to be clearly felt4 ,i  
speak strongly and habitually about the 
necessity of baptism4 ,he that          
believeth1 and is baptized c4           
,independently of the doctrinal truth   
about baptism1 the call to the heathen  
man to take some step1 to enter into    
some engagement1 to ally himself with a 
body of ,christian believers by some    
distinct act of his own1 needing careful
 preparation1 c41 has a meaning and a   
value incalculably great4  ',yes1       
,,jesus is to us all a source of pardon1
 light1 and life1 all these treasures   
are in ,him4 ,but he distributes these  
gifts by ,his ,spirit in ,his appointed 
ways4 ,you can't understand or receive  
the ,gospel with a heart clinging to    
your old ways4 ,and you can't remake    
your hearts4 ,he must do it1 and this is
 ,his way of doing it4 ,you must be born

 again4 ,you must be made new men4      
',but why write all this1 which is so   
commonplace8  ',i feel more than ever   
the need of very simple1 very short     
services for ignorant ,catechumens4     
',they used to throng our morning and   
evening prayer1 perhaps #acj being      
present1 for about that number attend   
our daily school2 but they could not    
understand one sentence in ten of the   
,common ,prayer-book4 ,and it is bad for
 people to accustom themselves to a     
formal service4 ,so ,i have stopped     
that4 ,we baptized people have our      
regular service and at the end of my    
school1 held in the dark1 #g-h4cj       
,p4,m41 in the verandah1 we kneel down1 
and ,i pray extempore1 touching the     
points which have formed the lesson4    
',i don't like teaching these adults who
 can't read a form of private prayer4 ,i
 try to make them understand that to    
wish earnestly is to pray2 that they    
must put what they wish for clearly     
before their own minds1 and then pray to

 ,god for it1 through ,christ4 ,but ,i  
must try to supply progressive lessons  
for the ,catechumens and others1 with   
short prayers to be read by the teacher 
at the end 7and beginning1 too1 perhaps7
 of the lesson4 ,much must depend on the
 individual teacher's unction and force4
  ',well1 ,i hope and trust to be able  
to tell you two months hence of some of 
these people being baptized4 ,only three
 adults have been baptized here on the  
island1 and all three were dying4  ',it 
is very comforting to think that all of 
us have been engaged in this ,mota work1
 ,dudley1 and ,mr4 ,pritt1 and ,mr4     
,kerr1 too1 and all our present staff   
have had much to do with it4 ,especially
 ,i think now of three young men1 all   
married1 who came to me lately1 saying1 
,all these years 7an interval of six or 
seven years7 we have been thinking now  
and then about what we heard years ago1 
when we were with you in ,new ,zealand  
for a few months4 ,they are now         
thoroughly in earnest1 as far as ,i can 

judge1 and their wives1 as ,i hope1 move
 along with them4 ,how one old set must 
have influenced them a long time ago4   
,bice1 who speaks ,mota very well1 was  
very energetic during his fortnight     
here4 ,he is now gone on with ,mr4      
,brooke and ,mr4 ,atkin that he may see 
the work in the ,solomon ,isles4 ,i     
meant to go2 but there seemed to be a   
special reason why ,i should stay here  
just now1 vessels seeking labourers for 
,fiji and ,queensland are very          
frequently calling at these islands4    
',mr4 ,thurston1 late ,acting ,consul at
 ,fiji1 was with me the day before      
yesterday4 ,he has taken a very proper  
view of this labour question2 and he    
assures me that the great majority of   
the ,fiji planters are very anxious that
 there should be no kidnapping1 no      
unfair treatment of the islanders4 ,i   
have engaged to go to ,fiji 7,d4,v47 at 
the end of my island work1 i4e41 on my  
return to ,norfolk ,island1 probably    
about the end of ,september4 ,i shall go

 there in the ,southern ,cross1 send her
 on to her summer quarters in ,new      
,zealand1 and get from ,fiji to ,new    
,zealand1 after six or eight weeks in   
,fiji1 in some vessel or other4 ,there  
are about #d1jjj or #e1jjj white people 
in ,fiji1 mostly ,church of ,england    
people1 but 7as ,i suppose7 not very    
clearly understanding what is really    
meant by that designation4 ,it is       
assumed that ,i am to act as their      
,bishop2 and ,i ought to have been there
 before4 ,but really a competent man    
might work these islands into a         
,bishopric before long4  ',we must try  
to follow these islanders into ,fiji or 
,queensland4 ,but how to do it8 ,on a   
plantation of1 say1 one hundred         
labourers1 you may find natives of eight
 or ten islands4 ,how can we supply     
teachers at the rate of one for every   
fifteen or twenty people8 ,and there are
 some #f1jjj or #g1jjj islanders already
 on the ,fiji plantations1 and ,i       
suppose as many in ,queensland4  ',some 

one knowing several languages1 and      
continually itinerating from one        
plantation to another1 might do         
something2 but ,i don't think a native  
clergyman could do that4 ,he must move  
about among white people continually in 
the boats1 c4 ,i ought to do it2 but ,i 
think my day has gone by for that kind  
of thing4  ',i hope to judge of all this
 by-and-by4 ,it might end in my dividing
 my year into ,melanesian work as of    
old1 and ,melanesian work in ,fiji1     
combined with the attempt to organise   
the white ,church of ,england community1
 and only a month or two's work in      
,norfolk ,island4 ,to do this ,i must be
 in pretty good health4 ,i may soon find
 out the limit of my powers of work1 and
 then confine myself to whatever ,i find
 ,i can do with some degree of          
usefulness4 ,we ought to make no attempt
 to proselytise among the ,fiji natives1
 who have been evangelised by the       
,wesleyans4 ,but there is work among our
 ,western ,pacific imported islanders   

and the white people4  ',norfolk ,island
 could be quite well managed without me4
 ,mr4 ,codrington could take that       
entirely into his own hands4 ,i might   
spend a month or two there1 and confirm 
,melanesians and ,norfolk ,islanders1   
and quietly fall into a less responsible
 position and be a moveable clergyman in
 ,fiji or anywhere else1 as long as my  
strength lasts4  ',norfolk ,island      
certainly was rather my resting-place4  
,but ,i think ,i am becoming more and   
more indifferent to that kind of thing4 
,a tropical climate suits me1 and ,fiji 
is healthy--no ague4 ,dysentery is the  
chief trouble there4 ,these are notions1
 flying thoughts1 most likely never to  
be fully realised4 ,indeed1 who can say 
what may befall me8'  ,never to be fully
 realised6 ,no4 ,he1 who in broken      
health so freely and simply sacrificed  
in will his cherished nook of rest on   
earth for a life so trying and          
distasteful1 was very near the ',rest   
that remaineth for the people of ,god4' 

,on ,june #bf1 the first public baptism 
in ,mota took place1 of one man1 the    
,bishop and ,sarawia in surplices in    
front of their verandah1 the people     
standing round2 but unfortunately it was
 a very wet day1 and the rush of rain   
drowned the voices1 as the ,bishop made 
his convert ,wilgan renounce            
individually and by name individual evil
 fashions of heathenism1 just as ,st4   
,boniface made the ,germans forsake     
,thor and ,odin by name4 ,there were    
twenty-five more nearly ready1 and a    
coral-lime building was finished1 'like 
a cob wall1 only white plaster instead  
of red mud1' says the ,devonshire man4  
,it was the first ,church of ,mota1     
again reminding us of the many 'white   
churches' of our ancestors2 and on the  
#beth of ,june at #g ,a4,m41 the first  
,holy ,eucharist was celebrated there4  
,it is also the place of private prayer 
for the ,christians and ,catechumens of 
,kohimarama4  ,the weather was          
exceedingly bad1 drenching rain         

continually1 yet the ,bishop continued  
unusually well4 ,his heart might well be
 cheered1 when1 on that ,sunday evening 
in the dark1 he was thus accosted3--    
',i have for days been watching for a   
chance of speaking to you alone6 ,always
 so many people about you4 ,my heart is 
so full1 so hot every word goes into it1
 deep deep4 ,the old life seems a dream4
 ,everything seems to be new4 ,when a   
month ago ,i followed you out of the    
,said ,goro1 you said that if ,i wanted 
to know the meaning and power of this   
teaching1 ,i must pray6 ,and ,i tried to
 pray1 and it becomes easier as every   
day ,i pray as ,i go about1 and in the  
morning and evening2 and ,i don't know  
how to pray as ,i ought1 but my heart is
 light1 and ,i know it's all true1 and  
my mind is made up1 and ,i have been    
wanting to tell you1 and so is          
,sogoivnowut1 and we four talk together1
 and all want to be baptized4'  ,this   
man had spent one season at ,st4        
,john's1 seven years before2 but on his 

return home had gone back to the        
ordinary island life1 until at last the 
good seed was beginning to take root4   
,the next ,sunday1 the #bnd of ,july1   
ninety-seven children were baptized1 at 
four villages1 chosen as centres to     
which the adjacent ones could bring     
their children4 ,it was again a wet day1
 but the rain held up at the first two  
places4 ,the people stood or sat in a   
great half-circle1 from which the eldest
 children1 four or five years old1      
walked out in a most orderly manner1 the
 lesser ones were carried up by their   
parents1 and out of the whole           
ninety-seven only four cried6 ,the      
people all behaved admirably1 and made  
not a sound4 ,at the last two places    
there was a deluge of rain2 but as      
sickness prevailed in them1 it was not  
thought well to defer the ,baptism4     
',it was a day full of thankful and     
anxious feelings4 ,i was too tired1 and 
too much concerned with details of      
arrangements1 new names1 c41 to feel the

 more contemplative devotional part of  
the whole day's services till the       
evening4 ,then1 for ,i could not sleep  
for some hours1 it came on me2 and ,i   
thought of the old times too1 the dear  
,bishop's early visits1 my own fourteen 
years' acquaintance with this place1 the
 care taken by many friends1 past and   
present members of the ,mission4 ,the   
,sunday ,collects as we call them1 ,st4 
,michael's1 ,all ,saints'1 ,saint ,simon
 and ,st4 ,jude's calmed me1 and my     
,sunday prayer1 7that beautiful prayer  
in the ,ordination of ,priests1         
',almighty ,god and ,heavenly ,father1' 
slightly altered7 was very full of      
meaning4 ,so1 thank ,god1 one great step
 has been taken1 a great responsibility 
indeed1 but ,i trust not rashly         
undertaken4'  ,on ,july #d the          
',southern ,cross' returned1 and the    
cruise among the ,new ,hebrides was     
commenced4 ,mr4 ,bice was left to make a
 fortnight's visit at ,leper's ,island2 
and the ,bishop1 going on to ,mai1 found

 only three men on the beach1 where     
there used to be hundreds1 and was      
advised not to go to ,tariko1 as there  
had been fighting4  ,at ,ambrym there   
was a schooner with ,mr4 ,thurston on   
board1 and fifty-five natives for ,fiji4
 ,on the north coast was the            
',isabella1' with twenty-five for       
,queensland4 ,the master gave ,captain  
,jacob his credentials to show to the   
,bishop1 and said the ,bishop might come
 on board and talk to the people1 so as 
to be convinced they came willingly1 but
 weighed anchor immediately after1 and  
gave no opportunity2 and one man who    
stood on the rail calling out ',pishopa1
 ,pishopa1' was dragged back4  ,mr4     
,bice was picked up again on the #agth1 
having been unmolested during his visit2
 but two of the ',lepers1' who had been 
at ,espiritu ,santo1 had brought back a 
fearful story that a small two-masted   
vessel had there been mastered by the   
natives1 and the crew killed and eaten  
in revenge for the slaughter of some men

 of their own by another ship's company 
some time back4  ,on the voyage he wrote
 to the ,bishop of ,lichfield3--   ',off
 ,tariko4 ,sloop3 ,july #h1 #ahga4  ',my
 dear ,bishop1--,towards the end of     
,april ,i left ,norfolk ,island1 and    
after a six days' passage reached ,mota4
 ,i called at ,ambrym 7dropping three   
boys7 at three places2 at ,whitsuntide2 
at ,leper's ,island1 dropping seven     
boys2 ,aurora1 two places2 ,santa       
,maria1 where ,i left ,b----1 and so to 
,mota on the day before ,ascension ,day1
 and sent the vessel back at once to    
,norfolk ,island for the ,solomon       
,island scholars4 ,all our ,aroa and    
,matlavo party wished to spend          
,ascension ,day with us2 and after ,holy
 ,communion they went across with       
,commodore ,william ,pasvorang in a good
 whale boat1 which ,i brought down on   
the deck of the schooner1 and which     
,willy looks after at ,aroa4 ,we want it
 for keeping up a visitation of the     
group4  ',bice1 ordained ,priest last   

,christmas1 was with me4 ,we found      
,george and all well1 ,george very      
steady and much respected4 ,charles     
,woleg1 ,benjamin ,vassil and ,james    
,neropa1 all going on well4 ,the wives  
have done less than ,i hoped2 true1 they
 all had children to look after1 yet    
they might have done more with the      
women4 ,then as before about the        
movement4  ',after a week ,i went off in
 the boat1 leaving ,bice at ,kohimarama1
 the ,mota station4 ,i went to ,b----   
first at the north-east part of the     
island2 back to ,tarasagi 7north-east   
point72 sailed round to ,lakona1 our old
 ,cock ,sparrow ,point1 where ,b---- and
 ,i selected one or two boys to stay    
with him at ,tarasagi4 ,thence we sailed
 to ,avreas ,bay1 the great bay of      
,vanua ,lava1 ,b---- going back to      
,tarasagi by land4 ,heavy sea and rain2 
reached land in the dark #h ,p4,m41     
thankful to be safe on shore4  ',on to  
,aroa1 where ,i spent two days2 ,willie 
and ,edwin doing what they can4 ,twenty 

children at school2 but the island is   
almost depopulated1 some seven hundred  
gone to ,brisbane and ,fiji4 ,i did not 
go to ,uvaparapara2 the weather was bad1
 ,i was not well1 and ,i expected the   
,southern ,cross from ,norfolk ,island4 
,next day1 after just a week's trip in  
the boat1 ,i got to ,mota2 and the next 
day the ,southern ,cross arrived with   
,joe ,atkin and ,brooke and some        
twenty-four ,solomon ,islanders1 many of
 them pressing to stay at ,norfolk      
,island1 where about eighty scholars in 
all are under the charge of ,codrington1
 ,palmer1 and ,jackson4  ',i sent ,bice 
on in the ,southern ,cross1 as he ought 
to see something of his brethren's work 
in the north and west4 ,i had just a    
month at ,mota1 very interesting4  ',i  
hope to spend three weeks more at ,mota1
 if this ,new ,hebrides trip is safely  
accomplished1 and to baptize the rest of
 the children1 and probably some ten or 
fifteen adults4 ,all seem thoroughly in 
earnest4 ,some of the first scholars1   

who for years have seemed indifferent1  
are now among my class of thirty-three  
adults4 ,it would be too long a story to
 tell you of their frequent private     
conversations1 their stories1 their     
private prayers1 their expressions of   
earnest thankfulness that they are being
 led into the light4  ',some of the     
women1 wives of the men1 are hopeful4   
,george's old mother said to me1 ,my    
boys are gone2 ,george1 ,woleg1         
,wogale--,lehna died a ,christian2      
,wowetaraka 7the first-born7 is going4  
,i must follow4 ,i listen to it all1 and
 believe it all4 ,when you think fit1 ,i
 must join you1 i4e4 be baptized4  ',it 
is very comforting that all the old     
party from the beginning are directly   
7of course indirectly also7 connected   
with this movement4 ,some of those most 
in earnest now came under the influence 
of the early workers1 ,dudley1 ,mr4     
,pritt1 c4  ',we need this comfort4     
',from ,mota some thirty or more have   
gone or been taken away1 but the other  

islands are almost depopulated4 ,mr4    
,thurston1 late ,acting ,consul in      
,fiji1 was at ,mota the other day       
seeking labourers4 ,he says that about  
#c1jjj natives from ,tanna and          
,uvaparapara are now in ,fiji1 and      
,queensland has almost as many4  ',he   
admits that much kidnapping goes on4    
,he1 with all his advantages of personal
 acquaintance with the people and with  
native interpreters on board1 could only
 get about thirty4 ,another1 ,captain   
,weston1 a respectable man who would not
 kidnap1 cruised for some weeks1 and    
left for ,fiji without a single native  
on board4 ,how then do others obtain    
seventy or one hundred more8  ',but the 
majority of the ,fiji settlers1 ,i am   
assured1 do not like these kidnapping   
practices1 and would prefer some honest 
way of obtaining men4 ,indeed1 many     
natives go voluntarily4  ',in the       
,solomon ,isles a steamer has been at   
,savo and other places1 trying to get   
men4  ',three or four of these vessels  

called at ,mota while ,i was there4 ,on 
one day three were in sight4 ,they told 
me they were shot at at ,whitsuntide1   
,sta4 ,maria1 ,vanua ,lava1 c4 ,and1    
indeed1 ,i am obliged to be very        
careful1 more so than at any time2 and  
here1 in the ,north ,hebrides1 ,i never 
know what may happen1 though of course  
in many places they know me4  ',we are  
now at our maximum point of dispersion3 
,brooke at ,anudha1 ,j4 ,atkin at or    
near ,san ,cristoval1 ,gr4 ,sarawia at  
,mota1 ,b---- at ,santa ,maria1 ,bice at
 ,leper's ,island1 ,codrington at       
,norfolk ,island1 ,i on board ,southern 
,cross4  ',leper's ,island is very      
pleasant2 ,i longed to stay there4 ,all 
the people wanting to come with us1 and 
already discriminating between us and   
the other white visitors1 who seem to   
have had little or no success there4    
',july #bast4--,at anchor1 ,lakona1 west
 side of ,santa ,maria4 ,pleasant to be 
quietly at anchor on our old shooting   
ground4 ,we anchored for a day and a    

night at ,ambrym1 near the east point1  
very safe and comfortable place4 ,nine  
lads from five villages are on board4 ,i
 bought about three and a half tons of  
yams there4 ,anchored again at the end  
of ,whitsuntide1 where ,i am thankful to
 say we have at last received two lads1 
one a very pleasant-looking fellow4     
,that sad year of the dysentery1 #ahfb1 
when ,tanau died and ,tarivai was so    
ill1 two out of only three scholars from
 the island1 made them always unwilling 
to give up lads4  ',next day at ,leper's
 ,island4 ,anchored a night off         
,wehurigi1 the east end of the high     
land1 the centre part of the island4    
',bice was quite feted by the people4   
,we brought away three old and twelve   
new scholars1 refusing the unpromising  
old scholars4 ,there is1 ,i hope1 a     
sufficient opening now at ,ambrym and   
,leper's ,island to justify my assigning
 these islands to ,jackson and ,bice    
respectively4  ',our plan now is to take
 very few people indeed from the ,banks 

,islands to ,norfolk ,island1 as they   
have a permanent school and resident    
clergyman at ,mota4 ,the lads who may   
turn out clever and competent teachers  
are taken to ,norfolk ,island1 none     
others4  ',we must take our large       
parties from islands where there is as  
yet no permanent teacher3 ,ambrym1      
,leper's ,island1 the ,solomon ,islands4
  ',meanwhile the traders are infesting 
these islands1 as ,captain ,jacobs says1
 like mosquitoes4 ,three vessels        
anchored at ,mai during the day ,i was  
there4 ,three different vessels were at 
,ambrym4 ,to-day ,i saw four1 three     
anchored together near the north-east   
side of ,santa ,maria4 ,b---- saw six   
yesterday4  ',the people now refuse to  
go in them1 they are much exasperated at
 their people being kept away so long4  
,sad scenes are occurring4 ,several     
white men have been killed1 boats' crews
 cut off1 vessels wrecked4  ',we shall  
hear more of such doings2 and really ,i 
can't blame the islanders4 ,they are    

perfectly friendly to friends2 though   
there is much suspicion shown even      
towards us1 where we are not well known4
  ',as far as ,i can speak of my own    
plans1 ,i hope to stay at ,mota for a   
time1 till the ,southern ,cross returns 
from ,norfolk ,island2 then go to the   
,solomon ,islands2 return by way of     
,santa ,cruz and probably ,tikopia1 to  
,mota2 thence to ,norfolk ,island2      
thence probably to ,new ,zealand1 to    
take the steamer for ,fiji4 ,we have no 
chart on board of ,fiji2 and ,i don't   
think it right to run the risk of       
getting somehow to ,levuka with only the
 general chart of the ,south ,pacific1  
so ,i must go1 as ,i think1 to ,new     
,zealand1 and either take the steamer or
 procure charts1 and perhaps take ,mr4  
,tilly as pilot4 ,i don't like it2 it   
will be very cold2 but then ,i shall    
7,d4,v47 see our dear ,taurarua friends1
 the good ,bishop and others1 and get   
advice about my ,fiji movements4 ,the   
,church of ,england folk there regard me

 as their ,bishop1 ,i understand2 and   
the ,bishops of ,sydney and ,melbourne  
assume this to be the fitting course4 ,a
 really able energetic man might do much
 there1 and1 in five years1 would be    
,bishop of ,levuka4  ',this is all of   
,melanesia and myself2 but you will like
 to have this scrawl read to you4  ',how
 ,i think of you as ,i cruise about the 
old familiar places1 and think that you 
would like to have another trip1 and see
 the old scenes with here and there1    
thank ,god1 some little changes for the 
better4 ,best love1 my dear dear        
,bishop1 to ,mrs4 ,selwyn1 ,william and 
,john4  ',your very affectionate  ',j4  
,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,about forty1 old    
scholars and new1 had been collected and
 brought back to ,mota2 where1 after    
landing the ,bishop1 ,captain ,jacobs   
sailed back to ,norfolk ,island1        
carrying with him the last letters that 
were to be received and read as from a  
living man4 ,all that follow only came  
in after the telegram which announced   

that the hand that had written them was 
resting beneath the ,pacific waters4    
,but this was not until it had been     
granted to him to gather in his harvest 
in ,mota1 as will be seen3--   ',mota3  
,july #ca1 #ahga4  ',my dearest         
,sisters1--,you will be glad to know    
that on my return hither after three    
weeks' absence1 ,i found no diminution  
of strong earnest feeling among the     
people4 ,george ,sarawia had1 indeed1   
been unable to do very much in the way  
of teaching #fj or #ij men and women1   
but he had done his best1 and the #ajj  
younger people were going on with their 
schooling regularly4 ,i at once told the
 people that those who wished to be     
baptized must let me know2 and out of   
some #cj or #dj who are all1 ,i think1  
in earnest1 #ae1 and some few women are 
to be baptized next ,sunday4 ,these will
 be the first grown-up people1 save     
,john ,wilgan1 baptized in ,mota1 except
 a few when in an almost dying state4   
,they think and speak much of the fact  

that so many of their children have been
 baptized1 they wish to belong to the   
same set4 ,but ,i believe them all to be
 fairly well instructed in the great    
elementary truths4 ,they can't read2 all
 the teaching is oral1 no objection in  
my eyes4 ,it may be dangerous to admit  
it1 but ,i am convinced that all that we
 can do is to elevate some few of the   
most intelligent islanders well1 so that
 they can teach others1 and be content  
with careful oral teaching for the rest4
 ,how few persons even among ourselves  
know how to use a book6 ,and these poor 
fellows1 for ,i can only except a       
percentage of our scholars1 have not so 
completely mastered the mechanical      
difficulty of reading as to leave their 
minds free for examination of the       
meaning and sense of what they read4 ,i 
don't undervalue a good education1 as   
you know4 ,but ,i feel that but few of  
these islanders can ever be             
book-learned2 and ,i would sooner see   
them content to be taught plain truths  

by qualified persons than puzzling      
themselves to no purpose by the doubtful
 use of their little learning4 ,you know
 that ,i don't want to act the ,romish  
,priest amongst them4 ,i don't want to  
domineer at all4 ,and ,i do teach       
reading and writing to all who come into
 our regular school1 and ,i make them   
read passages to verify my teaching4 ,at
 the same time1 ,i feel that the        
,protestant complaint of shutting up the
 ,bible from the laity1 is the complaint
 of educated persons1 able to read1     
think1 and reflect4  ',the main         
difficulty is1 of course1 to secure a   
supply of really competent teachers4    
,george1 ,edward1 ,henry1 ,robert1 and  
some three or four others are           
trustworthy4 ,i comfort myself by       
thinking that a great many of the       
mediaeval ,clergy certainly did not know
 as much nor teach as well4  ',yesterday
 ,i baptized #da more children and      
infants on again an unpropitious day4 ,i
 was obliged to leave #db to be baptized

 at some future time4 ,the rain poured  
down4 ,the people will bring them over  
to-morrow4 ,the whole number of infants 
and children will amount to #bcj or     
more1 of adults to perhaps #be or #cj4  
,you will pray earnestly for them that  
they may lead the rest of their lives   
according to this beginning4  ',there is
 much talk1 something more than talk1 ,i
 think1 about putting up a large        
church-house here1 on this side of the  
island 7north-west side7 and of a       
school-house1 for church also1 on the   
south-east side4  ',we have all heavy   
coughs and colds2 and ,i have had two or
 three very disturbed nights1 owing to  
the illness of one of the many babies4  
,the little thing howls all night4      
',all our means of housing people are   
exhausted4 ,people flock here for the   
sake of being taught4 ,four new houses  
have been built1 three are being built4 
,we shall have a large ,christian       
village here soon1 ,i hope and trust4   
,at present every place is crammed1 and 

#be or #cj sleep on the verandah4 ,the  
little cooking house holds somehow or   
other about #bd boys2 they pack close1  
not being burdened with clothes and     
four-posters4 ,i sleep on a table1      
people under and around it4 ,i am very  
well1 barring this heavy cold and almost
 total loss of voice for a few hours in 
the morning and evening4  ',august      
#ast4--,very tired #g ,a4,m41 ,prayers  
#g4bj-h4bj1 school #h4bj-aj2 baptized   
#ee infants and young children4 ,now it 
is past #a2 a boisterous day1 though as 
yet no rain4 ,i had a cup of cocoa at   
#f4cj1 and at #aj4cj a plate of rice and
 a couple of eggs1 nice clean fare4 ,the
 weather is against me1 so cold1 wet1   
and so boisterous4 ,i got a good night  
though1 for ,i sent ,mrs4 ,rhoda and her
 squalling baby to another house1 and so
 slept quietly4  ',i am sorry that      
teaching is so irksome to me4 ,i am1 in 
a sense1 at it all day4 ,but there is so
 much to be done1 and the people1 worthy
 souls1 have no idea that one can ever  

be tired4 ,after ,i was laid down on my 
table1 with my air-pillow under my head 
and my plaid over me1 ,i woke up from a 
doze to find the worthy ,tanoagnene     
sitting with his face towards me1       
waiting for a talk about the rather     
comprehensive subject of ,baptism4      
',and at all odd times ,i ought to be   
teaching ,george and others how to      
teach1 the hardest work of all4 ,i think
 what a life a real pedagogue must have 
of it4 ,there is so much variety with   
me1 so much change and holiday1 and so  
much that has its special interest4     
',the ,southern ,cross has been gone a  
week4 ,i hope they have not this kind of
 weather4 ,if they have1 they are       
getting a good knocking about1 and they 
number about #ee on board4  ',august    
#fth4--,to-day there is no rain1 for the
 first time for weeks4 ,it blew a heavy 
gale all night1 and had done so with    
heavy rain for some days before4  ',at  
#h ,a4,m4 to-day ,i baptized #ad grown  
men1 one an old bald man1 and another   

with a son of sixteen or so1 five women 
and six lads1 taught entirely in        
,george's school4 ,afterwards1 at a     
different service1 #g infants and little
 children were baptized4 #bch  #e who   
have died have now been baptized since  
the beginning of ,july4 ,to-day's       
service was very comforting4 ,i pray and
 trust that these grown-up men and women
 may be kept steadfast to their         
profession4 ,it is a great blessing that
 ,i could think it right to take this   
step4 ,you will1 ,i know1 pray for them2
 their position is necessarily a        
difficult one4  ',it is #b ,p4,m41 and  
,i feel tired3 the crowds are gone1     
though little fellows are as usual      
sitting all round one4 ,i tell them ,i  
can't talk2 ,i must sit quietly1 with   
,charlotte ,yonge's ,pupils of ,st4     
,john the ,divine4 ,dear me1 what       
advantage young folks have nowadays1    
though indeed the dangers of these times
 far outweigh those of our young days4  
',i suppose ,lightfoot's ,commentaries  

hardly come in your way4 ,they are      
critical and learned on the ,greek of   
,st4 ,paul's ,epistles4 ,but there are  
dissertations which may be read by the  
,english reader4 ,he seems to me to be a
 very valuable man1 well fitted by his  
learning1 and moderation1 and           
impartiality1 and uncontroversial temper
 to do much good4 ,his sympathies with  
the modern school of thought are1 ,i    
fancy1 beyond me4  ',there is no doubt  
that ,matthew ,arnold says much that is 
true of the narrowness1 bigotry1 and    
jealous un-,christian temper of         
,puritanism2 and ,i suppose no one      
doubts that they do misrepresent the    
true doctrine of ,christianity1 both by 
their exclusive devotion to one side    
only of the teaching of the ,bible1 and 
by their misconception of their own     
favourite portions of ,scripture4 ,the  
doctrine of the ,atonement was never in 
ancient times1 ,i believe1 drawn out in 
the form in which ,luther1 ,calvin1     
,wesley1 and others have lately stated  

it4  ',the fact of the ,atonement       
through the ,death of ,christ was always
 clearly stated2 the manner1 the why1   
the how man's ,redemption and           
,reconciliation to ,god is thus brought 
about1 was not taught1 if at all1 after 
the ,protestant fashion4  ',oxenham's   
,history of the ,catholic ,doctrine of  
the ,atonement is a fairly-written      
statement of what was formerly held and 
taught4 ,such words as substitution1    
satisfaction1 with all the ideas        
introduced into the subject from the use
 of illustrations1 e4g4 of criminals    
acquitted1 debts discharged1 have       
perplexed it perhaps1 rather than       
explained1 what must be beyond          
explanation4  ',the ultra-,calvinistic  
view becomes in the mind and language of
 the hot-headed ignorant fanatic a      
denial of ,god's ,unity4 ,the merciful  
,son appeasing the wrath of the angry   
,father is language which implies two   
,wills1 two ,counsels in the ,divine    
,mind 7compare with this ,john iii4     

#af74  ,i suppose that an irreverent    
man1 being partly disgusted with the    
popular theology1 having no scruples    
about putting aside ,inspiration1 c41   
and conceiving that he himself is an    
adequate representative of the          
nineteenth century's intelligence1 and  
that the nineteenth century's           
intelligence is most profound and       
infallible1 sets to work to demolish    
what is distasteful to himself1 and what
 the unerring criticism of the day      
rejects1 correcting ,st4 ,paul's        
mistakes1 patronising him whenever he is
 fortunate enough to receive the        
approbation of the great thinkers of our
 day1 and so constructs a vague human   
religion out of the ,christianity which 
he criticises1 eliminating all that lies
 beyond the speculative range of the    
mind1 and that demands assent by its own
 authority as ,god's ,revelation4 ,i    
don't know how to state briefly what ,i 
mean4  ',i think ,i can understand that 
this temper of mind is very prevalent in

 ,england now1 and that ,i can partly   
trace the growth of it4 ,moreover1 ,i   
feel that to ignore1 despise1 or        
denounce it1 will do no good4  ',as a   
matter of fact1 thousands of educated   
men are thinking on these great matters 
as our fathers did not think of them4   
,simplicity of belief is a great gift2  
but then the teaching submitted to such 
simple believers ought to be true1      
otherwise the simple belief leads them  
into error4 ,how much that common       
,protestant writers and preachers teach 
is not true6 ,perhaps some of their     
teaching is untrue absolutely1 but it is
 certainly untrue relatively1 because   
they do not hold the proportion of the  
faith1 and by excluding some truths and 
presenting others in an extravagant form
 they distort the whole body of truth4  
',but when a man not only points out    
some of the popular errors1 but claims  
to correct ,st4 ,paul when he ,judaizes1
 and to do a little judicious           
,hellenizing for an inspired ,apostle1  

one may well distrust the nineteenth    
century tone and spirit4  ',i do really 
and seriously think that a great and    
reverently-minded man1 conscious of the 
limits of human reason--a man like      
,butler--would find his true and proper 
task now in presenting ,christian       
teaching in an unconventional form1     
stripped of much error that the terms   
which we all employ when speaking       
doctrine seem unavoidably to carry with 
them4  ',such a man might ask1 ,what do 
you mean by your theory of              
,substitution1 ,satisfaction1 c48 ,where
 do you find it8 ,prove it logically    
from the ,bible4 ,show that the early   
,church held it4  ',butler1 as you know1
 reproved the curiosity of men who      
sought to find out the manner of the    
,atonement4 ,i do not find1 he says1    
that it is declared in the ,scriptures4 
,he believed the fact1 of course1 as his
 very soul's treasure4 ,our ignorance1  
he says1 is the proper answer to such   
enquiries4  ',at the same time1 no one  

now can do1 it seems1 what another      
,butler might do1 viz41 deal with the   
,bible as the best of the               
nineteenth-century men wish to hear a   
divine deal with it4 ,he would never    
make mere assertions4 ,he would never   
state as a proved truth1 to be presented
 to a congregation's acceptance1 a      
statement or a doctrine which really    
equalled only an opinion of ,wesley or  
any other human teacher4 ,he would never
 make arbitrary quotations from         
,scripture1 and try to prove points by  
illogical reasoning1 and unduly pressing
 texts which a more careful collation of
 ,,mss4 has shown to be at least        
doubtful4 ,and by fairness and learning 
he would win or conciliate right-minded 
men of the critical school4 ,what       
offends these men is the cool reckless  
way in which so many preachers make the 
most audacious statements1 wholly       
unsupported by any sound learning and   
logical reasoning4 ,a man makes a       
statement1 quotes a text or two1 which  

he doesn't even know to be capable of at
 least one interpretation different from
 that which he gives to it2 and so the  
critical hearer is disgusted1 and no    
wonder4  ',one gain of this critical    
spirit is1 that it makes all of us      
,clergy more circumspect in what we say1
 and many a man looks at his ,greek     
,testament nowadays1 and at a good      
,commentary too1 before he ventures to  
quote a text which formerly would have  
done duty in its ,english dress and     
passed muster among an uncritical       
congregation4 ,nowadays every clergyman 
knows that there are probably men in his
 congregation who know their ,bible     
better than he does1 and as practical   
lawyers1 men of business1 c41 are more  
than his match at an argument4 ,it      
offends such men to have a              
shallow-minded preacher taking for      
granted the very points that he ought to
 prove1 giving a sentence from some     
divine of his school as if it settled   
the question without further reference  

even to the ,bible4  ',this critical    
spirit becomes very easily captious2 and
 a man needn't be unbelieving because he
 doesn't like to be credulous4          
,campbell's book on the ,atonement is   
very hard1 chiefly because the man      
writes such unintelligible ,english4 ,i 
think ,shairp in his ,essays1 gives a   
good critique as far as it goes on the  
philosophical and religious manner of   
our day4  ',alexander ,knox says        
somewhere in his correspondence with    
,bishop ,jebb that he couldn't          
understand the ,protestant theory of    
,justification4 ,and it does seem to be 
often stated as if the terms employed in
 describing a mere transaction could    
adequately convey the true power and    
meaning of a ,divine mystery4  ',but ,i 
only puzzle you1 ,i dare say1 and       
certainly ,i am liable to the charge of 
not writing intelligible ,english4 ,i   
can tell you ,i am glad enough that ,i  
am not called on to preach on these     
subjects after the fashion that a       

preacher in ,england must go to work4   
',it is a cool thing to say1 but ,i do  
believe that what half our ,english     
congregations want is just the plain    
simple teaching that our ,melanesians   
get1 only the ,english congregations    
wouldn't stand it4'   ,a letter to      
,arthur ,coleridge is of the same       
date3--   ',mota ,island3 ,august #f1   
#ahga--  ',my dear ,arthur1--,i have had
 a busy day1 having baptized thirty-two 
persons1 of whom twenty-five are adults2
 and then the crowd1 the incessant      
talking1 teaching1 and the anxious      
feeling which attend any step of so much
 importance as the ,baptism from        
heathenism4 ,fourteen of the men are    
married1 two are elderly1 several are   
middle-aged1 five women are among the   
number4 ,i believe that ,god's spirit is
 indeed working in the hearts of these  
people4 ,some twelve or thirteen years  
have passed1 and only now have ,i felt  
that ,i could take the step of baptizing
 the infants and young children here1   

the parents promising that they shall be
 sent to school as they grow up4 ,about 
#bjj young children have during the past
 month been baptized3 things seem       
hopeful4 ,it is very happy work2 and ,i 
get on pretty well1 often very tired1   
but that doesn't matter4  ',i could wish
 all my good friends were here1 that    
those who have been enabled to          
contribute to this end might see for    
themselves something of the long hoped  
for beginning of a new state of things  
in this little island4  ',august        
#aa4--;,in a little more than a month   
#bdh persons have been baptized here1   
twenty-five of them adults1 the rest    
infants and young children4 ,i am very  
sorry to think that ,i must leave them  
soon1 for ,i expect the ,southern ,cross
 in a few days2 and ,i must go to the   
,solomon ,islands1 from them to ,santa  
,cruz ,island1 and so to ,norfolk       
,island1 calling here on the way4 ,then 
,i am off to the ,fiji ,islands for1 ,i 
suppose1 a month or six weeks4 ,there   

are some #f1jjj or #g1jjj white people  
there1 and it is assumed by them and the
 ,church people in this part of the     
world that ,i must be regarded as their 
,bishop4 ,very soon a separate ,bishop  
ought to be at work there1 and ,i shall 
probably have to make some arrangement  
with the settlers4 ,then1 on the other  
hand1 ,i want to look into the question 
of ,south ,sea ,islanders who are taken 
to the ,fiji plantations4  ',how far ,i 
can really examine into the matter1 ,i  
hardly know4 ,but many of the settlers  
invite me to consider the matter with   
them4  ',i believe that for the most    
part the islanders receive good         
treatment when on the plantations1 but  
,i know that many of them are taken away
 from their islands by unfair means4    
',the settlers are only indirectly      
responsible for this4 ,the traders and  
sailing masters of the vessels who take 
away the islanders are the most         
culpable4 ,but the demand creates the   
supply4  ',among all my multifarious    

occupations here1 ,i have not much time 
for reading2 ,i am never alone night or 
day4 ,i sleep on a table1 with some     
twelve or more fellows around me2 and   
all day long people are about me1 in and
 out of school hours4 ,but ,i have read1
 for the third time ,i think1           
,lightfoot's ,galatians--and ,i am      
looking forward to receiving his book on
 the ,ephesians4 ,he doesn't lay himself
 out to do exactly the work that ,bishop
 ,ellicott has done so excellently1 and 
his dissertations are perhaps the most  
valuable part of his work4 ,he will gain
 the ear of the men of this generation1 
rather than ,ellicott2 he sympathises   
more with modern modes of thought1 and  
is less rigid than ,ellicott4 ,but he   
seems very firm on all the most         
essential and primary points1 and ,i am 
indeed thankful for such a man4 ,i don't
 find much time for difficult reading2  
,i go on quietly1 ,hebrew1 c4 ,i have   
many good books on both ,old and ,new   
,testaments1 ,english and ,german1 and  

some ,french1 e4g4 ,keuss and ,guizot4  
',i like to hear something of what this 
restless speculative scientific         
generation is thinking and doing4 ,but  
,i can't read with much pleasure the    
fragmentary review literature of the    
day4 ,the ,cornhill and that class of   
books ,i can't stand1 and sketchy       
writings4 ,the best specimens of light  
reading ,i have seen of late are        
,charlotte ,yonge's ,pupils of ,st4     
,john the ,divine1 and ,guizot's ,st4   
,louis1 excellent4  ',i did read1 for it
 was put on board1 ,disraeli's novel4 ,i
 was on my back sea-sick for four days2 
what utter rubbish6 clever nonsense6    
,and ,i have read ,mr4 ,arnold's ,st4   
,paul and ,protestantism4 ,he says some 
clever things about the ,puritan mind1  
no doubt4 ,but what a painful book it   
is3 can't he see that he is reducing all
 that the spirit of a man must needs    
rest on to the level of human criticism8
 simply eliminating from the writings of
 the ,apostles1 and ,i suppose from the 

words of the ,saviour1 all that is      
properly and strictly ,divine4--,then   
follows much that has been before       
given4--,how winding up thus thankful ,i
 am that ,i am far away from the noise  
and worry of this sceptical yet earnest 
age6  ',there is something hazy about   
your friend ,davis's writings4 ,i know  
some of his publications1 and sympathise
 to a very considerable extent with him4
 ,but ,i can't be sure that ,i always   
understand him3 that school has a       
language of its own1 and ,i am not so   
far initiated as to follow4  ',i can't  
understand ,maurice1 much as ,i respect 
him4 ,it is simply wasting my time and  
my brains to attempt to read him2 he has
 great thoughts1 and he makes them      
intelligible to people less stupid than 
me1 and many writers whom ,i like and   
understand have taken their ideas from  
him2 but ,i cannot understand him4 ,and 
,i think many of his men have his       
faults4 ,at least ,i am so conceited as 
to think it is not all my fault4  ',do  

you know two little books by ,norris1   
,canon of ,bristol1 ,key to the ,gospel 
,history1 and a ,manual on the          
,catechism8  ',they are well worth      
reading1 indeed ,i should almost say    
studying1 so as to mould the teaching of
 your young ones upon them4  ',how you  
would be amused could you see the       
figures and scenes which surround me    
here6 ,to-day about #adj men1 women1    
lads and girls are working voluntarily  
here1 clearing and fencing the gardens1 
and digging the holes for the yams1 and 
they do this to help us in the school2  
we have two pigs killed1 and give them a
 bit of a feast4 ,the feeling is very   
friendly4 ,a sculptor might study them  
to great advantage1 though clothing is  
becoming common here now4 ,our          
thirty-four baptized adults and our     
sixteen or twenty old scholars wear     
decent clothing1 of course4  ',well1 ,i 
must leave off4  ',i think very often of
 you1 your wife and children1 and1      
indeed1 of you all4 ,it would be very   

nice to spend a few weeks with you1 but 
,i should not get on well in your       
climate4  ',the heat seems to suit me   
better1 and ,i am pretty well here4     
,indeed ,i am better than ,i have been  
for more than a year1 though ,i have a  
good deal of discomfort4  ',good-bye1   
dear ,arthur4 ,how often ,i think of    
your dear dear ,father4  ',your         
affectionate ,cousin1  ',j4 ,c4         
,,patteson4'   ,to the sisters1 the     
journal continues--recording1 on ,august
 #ad1 the ,baptism of twelve men and    
women the day before1 the ,communion of 
sixteen at #g ,a4,m41 the presence of   
fifty-six baptized persons at morning   
service4 ,more than #ajj were working   
away the ensuing day in preparing yam   
gardens for ,kohimarama1 while two pigs 
were stewing in native ovens to feast   
them afterwards2 and the ,bishop was    
planting cocoa-nut trees and sowing     
flower seeds1 or trying experiments with
 a machine for condensing water1 in his 
moments of relaxation1 which were few1  

though he was fairly well1 and very     
happy1 as no one can doubt on reading   
this3--  ',lots of jolly little         
children1 and many of them know me quite
 well and are not a bit shy4 ,they are  
often very sad-looking objects1 and as  
they don't get regularly washed1 they   
often have large sores and abscesses1   
poor little things4 ,but there are many 
others--clean-skinned1 reddish brown1   
black-eyed1 merry little souls among    
them4 ,the colour of the people is just 
what ,titian and the ,venetian painters 
delighted in1 the colour of their own   
weather-beaten ,venetian boatmen1       
glowing warm rich colour4 ,white folks  
look as if they were bleached and had   
all the colour washed out of them4      
',some of the ,solomon ,islanders are   
black1 and some of the ,new ,hebrides   
people glossy and smooth and            
strong-looking2 but here you seldom see 
any very dark people1 and there are some
 who have the yellow1 almost olive      
complexion of the ,south ,european4     

,many of the women are tattooed from    
head to foot1 a regular network of a    
bluish inlaid pattern4 ,it is not so    
common with the men1 rather ,i ought to 
say very unusual with them1 though many 
have their bodies marked pretty freely4'
  ,on the #agth sixteen more adults were
 baptized1 elderly men1 whose sons had  
been baptized in ,new ,zealand coming   
in1 and enemies resigning deadly feuds4 
,the work in ,mota is best summed up in 
this last letter to ,bishop ,abraham1   
begun the day after what proved the     
final farewell to the flock there1 for  
the ',southern ,cross' came in on the   
#aith1 and the last voyage was at once  
commenced3--   ',southern ,cross3       
,sunday1 ,august #bj1 #ahga4  ',my dear 
dear ,friends1--,yesterday the ,southern
 ,cross came to me at ,mota1            
twenty-seven days after leaving that    
island for ,norfolk ,island with some   
fifty ,melanesians on board under charge
 of ,bice4  ',into what a new world your
 many kind affectionate letters take me6

 ,and how good it must be for me to be  
taught to think more than ,i1 alas6     
usually do1 about the trials and sorrows
 of others4  ',i have had such a seven  
weeks at ,mota1 broken by a three weeks'
 course in the ,new ,hebrides1 into two 
portions of three and four weeks4       
',last year we said in our ,report1 that
 the time seemed to be come when we     
should seek to move the people in ,mota 
to do more than assent to the truth of  
our words and the blessings promised in 
the ,gospel1 when we should urge them to
 appropriate to themselves those        
blessings1 by abandoning their ignorant 
heathen ways1 and embracing             
,christianity4  ',that time has come in 
the good ,providence of ,god1 in answer 
to ,his all-prevailing ,intercession1   
and hastened 7who can doubt it87 by the 
prayers of the faithful everywhere--your
 ,whit-,sunday thoughts and prayers1    
your daily thoughts and prayers1 all    
contributing to bring about a blessed   
change indeed in the little island4     

',in these two months ,i have baptized  
#bhi persons in ,mota1 #bca children and
 infants1 seventeen of the lads and boys
 at ,kohimarama1 ,george ,sarawia's     
school1 and forty-one grown and almost  
all married men and women4  ',i have    
tried to proceed cautiously and to act  
only when ,i had every human probability
 of a personal conviction and sincere   
desire to embrace ,christian teaching   
and to lead a ,christian life4 ,i think 
the adult candidates were all           
competently instructed in the great     
truths4  ',i feel satisfied of their    
earnestness1 and ,i think it looks like 
a stable1 permanent work4 ,yet ,i need  
not tell you how my old text is ever in 
my mind1 ,thine heart shall fear1 and be
 enlarged4 ,now more than ever are your 
prayers needed for dear old ,george     
,sarawia and his infant ,church4  ',i   
never had such an experience before4 ,it
 is something quite new to me4 ,classes 
regularly1 morning and evening1 and all 
day parties coming to talk and ask      

questions1 some bringing a wife or      
child1 some a brother1 some a friend4   
,we were #aej sleeping on the ,mission  
premises1 houses being put up all round 
by people coming from a distance4       
',scarce a moment's rest1 but the work  
so interesting and absorbing1 that ,i   
could scarcely feel weariness4 ,the     
weather for six out of the seven weeks  
was very rainy and bad generally2 but ,i
 am and was well1 very well--not very   
strong1 yet walking to ,gatava and back1
 five or six miles1 on slippery and wet 
paths1 and schooling and talking all    
day4  ',the actual services were        
somewhat striking4 ,the behaviour of the
 people reverent and quiet during the   
infants' and children's baptisms2 and   
remarkably so during the baptisms of    
adults4  ',you can understand the drift 
of my teaching3 trying to keep to the   
great main truths1 so as not to perplex 
their minds with a multiplicity of new  
thoughts4  ',i think that ,i shall have 
to stay a few days at ,mota on my return

 7,d4,v47 from ,solomon and ,santa ,cruz
 ,islands1 as there are still many      
,catechumens4  ',i am half disposed to  
ordain ,george ,priest on my return     
7,d4,v47 ,yet on the whole ,i think it  
may be better to wait till another year4
 ,but ,i am balancing considerations4   
,should any delay occur from my         
incapacity to go to ,mota1 which ,i     
don't at all anticipate1 it would be a  
serious thing to leave such a work in   
the hands of a ,deacon1 e4g4 ten        
communicants are permanent dwellers now 
in ,mota2 and ,i really believe that    
,george1 though not learned1 is in all  
essentials quite a fit person to be     
ordained ,priest4 ,this growth of the   
work1 owing1 no doubt1 much to him1 is a
 proof of ,god's blessing on him4  ',i  
pray ,god that this may be a little     
gleam of light to cheer you1 dear       
friends1 on your far more toilsome and  
darksome path4 ,it is a little indeed in
 one sense2 yet to me1 who know the     
insufficiency of the human agency1 it is

 a proof indeed that the ,gospel is     
dunamis ,theou eis soterian4  ',i can   
hardly realize it all yet4 ,it is good  
to be called away from it for a month or
 two4 ,i often wished that ,codrington1 
,palmer1 and the rest could be with me3 
it seemed selfish to be witnessing by   
myself all this great happiness--that   
almost visible victory over powers of   
darkness4  ',there is little excitement1
 no impulsive vehement outpouring of    
feeling4 ,people come and say1 ,i do see
 the evil of the old life2 ,i do believe
 in what you teach us4 ,i feel in my    
heart new desires1 new wishes1 new      
hopes4 ,the old life has become hateful 
to me2 the new life is full of joy4 ,but
 it is so mawa 7weighty71 ,i am afraid4 
,what if after making these promises ,i 
go back8  ,what do you doubt--,god's    
power and love1 or your own weakness8   
',i don't doubt ,his power and love2 but
 ,i am afraid4  ',afraid of what8 ',of  
falling away4  ',doesn't ,he promise    
,his help to those who need it8  ',yes1 

,i know that4 ',do you pray8  ',i don't 
know how to pray properly1 but ,i and my
 wife say--,god1 make our hearts light4 
,take away the darkness4 ,we believe    
that you love us because you sent       
,,jesus to become a ,man and die for us1
 but we can't understand it all4 ,make  
us fit to be baptized4  ',if you really 
long to lead a new life1 and pray to    
,god to strengthen you1 come in faith1  
without doubting4  ',evening by evening 
my school with the baptized men and     
women is the saying by heart 7at first  
sentence by sentence after me1 now they 
know them well7 the ,general            
,confession1 which they are taught to   
use in the singular number1 as a private
 prayer1 the ,lord's ,prayer1 the       
,creed1 the ten ,commandments 7a short  
version74 ,they are learning the ,te    
,deum4 ,they use a short prayer for     
grace to keep their baptismal vows4  ',i
 think that they know fairly well the   
simpler meaning of these various        
compendiums of ,prayer1 ,faith and      

,duty4 ,but why enter into details8 ,you
 know all about it4 ,and1 indeed1 you   
have all had your large share1 so to    
say1 in bringing about this happy       
change4  ',and then ,i turn from all    
this little secluded work to the        
thoughts of ,england and ,france1 the   
,church at home1 c4444  ',i have now    
read the ,guardian's account of the     
civil war in ,france4 ,there is nothing 
like it to be read of1 except in the    
,old ,testament perhaps4 ,it is like the
 taking of ,jerusalem4  ',it is an awful
 thing6 most awful6 ,i never read       
anything like it4 ,will they ever learn 
to be humble8 ,i don't suppose that even
 now they admit their sins to have      
brought this chastening on them4 ,it is 
hard to say this without indulging a    
,pharisaic spirit1 but ,i don't mean to 
palliate our national sins by           
exaggerating theirs4 ,yet ,i hardly     
think any mob but a ,french or ,irish   
mob could have done what these men did4 
',and what will be the result8 ,will it 

check the tendency to ,republicanism8   
,will ,governments unite to put down the
 many-headed monster8 ,will they take a 
lesson from the fate of ,paris and      
,france8 ,of course ,republicanism is   
not the same thing as ,communism4 ,but  
where are we to look for the good       
effects of ,republicanism8  ',august    
#bbnd4--,the seventh anniversary of dear
 ,fisher's death4 ,may ,god grant us    
this year a blessing at ,santa ,cruz6   
',your affectionate  ',j4 ,c4           
,,patteson4'   ,the last letter to the  
beloved sister ,fanny opened with the   
date of her never-forgotten birthday1   
the #bgth of ,august1 though it was     
carried on during the following weeks2  
and in the meantime ,mr4 ,atkin1        
,stephen1 ,joseph and the rest were     
called for from ,wango1 in ,bauro1 where
 they had had a fairly peaceable stay1  
in spite of a visit from a labour       
traffic vessel1 called the ',emma       
,bell1' with twenty-nine natives under  
hatches1 and1 alas6 on her way for more4

 ,after picking the ,bauro party up1 the
 ,bishop wrote to the elder ,mr4        
,atkin3--   ',wango ,bay 7at anchor73   
,august #be1 #ahga4  ',my dear ,mr4     
,atkin1--,you may imagine my joy at     
finding ,joe looking really well when we
 reached this part of the world on the  
#bcrd4 ,i thought him looking unwell    
when he spent an hour or two with me at 
,mota1 about ten weeks since1 and ,i    
begged him to be careful1 to use quinine
 freely1 c4 ,he is certainly looking now
 far better than he was then1 and he    
says that he feels quite well and       
strong4 ,there is the more reason to be 
thankful for this1 because the weather  
has been very rough1 and rain has been  
falling continually4 ,i had the same    
weather in the ,banks ,islands2 scarcely
 a day for weeks without heavy rain4    
,here the sandy soil soon becomes dry   
again1 it does not retain the moisture1 
and so far it has the advantage over the
 very tenacious clayey soil of ,mota4   
',nearly all the time of the people here

 has been spent--wasted1 perhaps1 we    
should say--in making preparations for a
 great feast3 so that ,joe found it very
 hard to gain the attention of the      
people1 when he tried to point out to   
them better things to think of than     
pigs1 native money1 tobacco and pipes4  
,such advance as has been made is rather
 in the direction of gaining the        
confidence and good-will of the people  
all about1 and in becoming very popular 
among all the young folks4 ,nearly all  
the young people would come away with   
him1 if the elders would allow them to  
do so4 ,i have no doubt that much more  
has been really effected than is        
apparent to us now4 ,words have been    
said that have not been lost1 and seed  
sown that will spring up some day4 ,just
 as at ,mota1 now1 after some twelve or 
thirteen years1 we first see the result 
in the movement now going on there1 so  
it will be1 by ,god's goodness1 some day
 here4 ,there at ,mota the good example 
of ,george ,sarawia1 the collective     

result of the teaching of many years1   
and the steady conduct1 with one        
exception1 of the returned scholars1    
have now been blessed by ,god to the    
conversion of many of the people4 ,we no
 longer hesitate to baptize infants and 
young children1 for the parents engage  
to send them to school when they grow   
up1 and are themselves receiving        
instruction in a really earnest spirit4 
',many1 too1 of those who have for some 
time abandoned the old ways1 but yet did
 not distinctly accept the new teaching1
 have now felt the power of the ,gospel2
 and though many candidates are still   
under probation1 and ,i sought to act   
with caution1 and to do all that lay in 
my power to make them perceive the      
exceeding solemnity of being baptized1  
the weighty promises1 the great         
responsibility1 yet ,i thought it right 
to baptize not less than forty-one grown
 men and women1 besides seventeen lads  
of ,george's school1 about whom there   
could be no hesitation4 ,it has1 indeed1

 been a very remarkable season there4 ,i
 spent seven weeks broken by a ,new     
,hebrides trip of three weeks' duration 
into two periods of three and four      
weeks4 ,bice was with me for the first  
three weeks2 and with a good many of our
 scholars turned into teachers here1 we 
three 7,bice1 ,george1 and ,i7 kept up  
very vigorous school3 a continual       
talking1 questioning1 c41 about         
religion1 were always going on day and  
night4 ,many young children and infants 
were baptized1 about #bdj in all  #da   
#ag4  ',you will1 ,i am sure1 pray more 
than ever for ,george and all these     
converts to ,christianity1 that they may
 be strengthened and guarded against all
 evil1 and live lives worthy of their   
profession4 ,we hope to spend two or    
three days there on our return 7,d4,v472
 and if so1 ,joe will write you his     
impressions4 ,meanwhile1 ,i tell him    
what ,i fully believe1 that no one      
hearty effort of his to benefit these   
poor people is thrown away4 ,already    

they allow us to take boys1 and perhaps 
this very day we may go off with two    
young girls also4 ,and all this will    
result in some great change for the     
better some day4  ',you will want to    
hear a word about myself4 ,i am much    
better1 partly ,i confess owing to the  
warmth of the climate1 which certainly  
agrees with me4 ,i may feel less well as
 we draw by-and-by to the south once    
more4  ',i can't take strong exercise1  
and that is a privation4 ,it did me     
good1 and ,i feel the want of it2 but ,i
 am much better than ,i was a year or   
ten months ago1 and ,i do my work very  
fairly1 and get about better than ,i    
expected4 ,remember me kindly to ,mrs4  
,atkin and ,mary1 and believe me to be  
',your very sincere ,friend1  ',j4 ,c4  
,,patteson4'   ,mr4 ,brooke and ,edward 
,wogale had had a far more trying       
sojourn at ,florida4  ',wogale suffered 
much from his eyes2 and the labour ships
 were frequently on the coast--all the  
three varieties3 the fairly conducted   

one with a ,government agent on board2  
the ,snatch-snatch1 which only          
inveigled1 but did not kill without     
necessity2 and the ,kill-kill1 which    
absolutely came head-hunting4 ,it was a 
dreary eleven weeks4  ',on ,july #aa1 a 
,sydney vessel1 as the natives called   
it1 was on the west of the island1 and  
nine natives were reported to ,mr       
,brooke as having been killed1 and with 
so much evidence that he had no doubt on
 the subject4  ',on the #acth ,takua    
came to him to say the ,kill-kill vessel
 had anchored four miles off4 ,what was 
he to do8  ',how was it you and ,bisope 
came first1 and then these slaughterers8
 ,do you send them8  ',mr4 ,brooke      
advised them to remain on shore2 but if 
the strangers landed and wanted to kill 
or burn them1 to fight for their lives4 
,your words are the words of a chief1   
said ,takua4  ',this ship1 however1     
sailed away2 but on ,august #ac another 
came1 much like the ,southern ,cross1   
and canoes went out to her1 in one of   

them ,dudley ,lankona4 ,these returned  
safely1 but without selling their fruit2
 and ,dudley related that the men said1 
,bishop and ,brooke were bad1 but they  
themselves were good1 and had pipes and 
tobacco for those who would go with     
them4  ',these1 however1 went away      
without doing them harm1 only warning   
them that another vessel which was      
becalmed near at hand was a killer1 and 
the people were so uneasy about her that
 ,mr4 ,brooke went on board1 and was    
taken by the captain for a maker of     
cocoa-nut oil4 ,he was a ,scotchman1    
from ,tanna1 where he had settled1 and  
was in search of labourers2 a           
good-natured friendly kind of person on 
the whole1 though regarding natives as  
creatures for capture4  ',if ,i get a   
chance to carry a lot of them off1 he   
said1 ,i'll do it2 but killing is not my
 creed4  ',mr4 ,brooke hinted that the  
natives might attack him1 and he pointed
 to six muskets4 ,that's only a few of  
them4 ,let them come4 ,we'll give it    

them pretty strong4  ',he was rather    
taken aback when he found that he was   
talking to a clergyman4 ,well1 wherever 
you go nowadays there's missionaries4   
,who would have thought you'd got so far
 down8  ',and he looked with regret at  
,mr4 ,brooke's party of natives in their
 canoes1 and observed1 ,ah6 my fine     
fellows1 if your friend was not here    
,i'd have the whole lot of you3 what a  
haul6  ',he said the other ship was from
 ,queensland1 and had a ,government     
agent on board1 of whom he spoke with   
evident awe4  ',on ,mr4 ,brooke's       
return1 ,takua and ,dikea were          
furbishing up old guns which some       
incautious person on board the ,curacoa 
had given them1 and they were           
disappointed to find that there could be
 no attack on the vessel4'  ,she1       
however1 was scarcely gone before1 at   
the other end of the island1 ,vara1 four
 out of five men were killed by a boat's
 crew4 ,the survivor1 ,sorova1 told ,mr4
 ,brooke that he and one companion had  

gone out in one canoe1 and three more in
 another1 to a vessel that lay near the 
shore4 ,he saw four blacks in her1 as he
 thought ,ysabel men4 ,a white man came 
down from the boat1 and sat in the bow  
of ,sorova's canoe1 but presently stood 
up and capsized both canoes1 catching at
 ,sorova's belt1 which broke1 and the   
poor fellow was thus enabled to get     
away1 and shelter himself under the     
stern of the canoe1 till he could strike
 out for land2 but he saw a boat come   
round from the other side of the ship1  
with four men--whether whites or        
light-coloured islanders was not        
clear--but they proceeded to beat his   
companions with oars1 then to fall on   
them with tomahawks1 and finally cut off
 their heads1 which were taken on board1
 and their bodies thrown to the sharks4 
,these men evidently belonged to that   
lowest and most horrible class of       
men-stealers1 who propitiate the chiefs 
by assisting them in head-hunting4  ,of 
course the island was full of rage1 and 

on the #bfth again another brig was in  
sight4 ,spite of warning1 desire to     
trade induced five men to put off in a  
canoe4 ,two boats came down1 and placed 
themselves on either side4 ,mr4 ,brooke 
could not watch1 but a fierce shout     
arose from the crowd on shore1 they     
rushed to the great canoe house1 and a  
war fleet was launched1 ,dikea standing 
up in the foremost1 with a long ebony   
spear in his hand4 ,fortunately they    
were too late3 the boats were hauled up1
 and the brig went off at full sail4    
,whether the five were killed or carried
 captive is not clear4  ,the whole place
 was full of wailing4 ,revenge was all  
the cry4 ',let not their pigs be        
killed1' said ,takua2 'we will give them
 to ,bisope1 he shall avenge us4' ,his  
brother ,dikea broke out3 ',my humour is
 bad because ,bisope does not take us   
about in his vessel to kill-kill these  
people6'  ,when1 two days later1 the    
',southern ,cross' was unmistakeably in 
sight1 ,takua said1 ',let ,bisope only  

bring a man-of-war1 and get me vengeance
 on my adversaries1 and ,i shall be     
exalted like--like--like our ,father    
above6'  ,the residence of ,mr4 ,brooke 
in the island1 and the testimony of     
their own countrymen to the way of life 
in ,norfolk ,island1 had taught the     
,floridians to separate the ,bishop from
 their foes2 but it could scarcely be   
thus in places where confidence in him  
had not been established4  ,the ,bishop 
meanwhile wrote on3--  ',the ,new       
,zealand ,bishops have sent me a kind   
letter1 a round robin1 urging me to go  
to ,england2 but they are ignorant of   
two things3-- #ast1 that ,i am already  
much better2 #bnd1 that ,i should not   
derive the benefit generally to my      
spirits1 c4 from a visit to ,england as 
they would1 and take it for granted that
 ,i should do so4  ',they use only one  
other argument1 viz41 that ,i must rest 
after some years' work4 ,that is not so4
 ,i don't feel the pressure of work for 
a very simple reason1 viz41 that ,i     

don't attempt to work as ,i used to do4 
',but just now1 it is quite clear that  
,i must not go1 unless there were a very
 obvious necessity for it4 ,for1 #ast1  
,mota needs all the help we can give2   
#bnd1 several ,melanesians are coming on
 rapidly to the state when they ought to
 be ordained2 #crd1 we are about to     
start 7,d4,v47 new stations at ,ambrym1 
,leper's ,island1 and ,savo2 #dth1 the  
school is so large that we want all     
hands to work it2 #eth1 ,i must go to   
,fiji1 and watch both ,fiji and         
,queensland2 #fth1 after the #ahgb      
voyage1 we shall need1 as ,i think1 to  
sell this vessel1 and have another new  
one built in ,auckland4 ,the funds will 
need careful nursing for this4 ,but ,i  
will really not be foolish4 ,if ,i have 
a return of the bad symptoms1 ,i will go
 to ,dr4 ,goldsboro'1 and if he advises 
it strongly1 will go to ,england4  ',the
 deportation of natives is going on to a
 very great extent here1 as in the ,new 
,hebrides and ,banks ,islands4 ,means of

 all kinds are employed3 sinking canoes 
and capturing the natives1 enticing men 
on board1 and getting them below1 and   
then securing hatches and imprisoning   
them4 ,natives are retaliating4 ,lately1
 two or three vessels have been taken   
and all hands killed1 besides boats'    
crews shot at continually4 ,a man called
 on me at ,mota the other day1 who said 
that five out of seven in the boat were 
struck by arrows a few days before4 ,the
 arrows were not poisoned1 but one man  
was very ill4 ,it makes even our work   
rather hazardous1 except where we are   
thoroughly well known4 ,i hear that a   
vessel has gone to ,santa ,cruz1 and ,i 
must be very cautious there1 for there  
has been some disturbance almost to a   
certainty4  ',whatever regulations the  
,government of ,queensland or the       
,consul of ,fiji may make1 they can't   
restrain the traders from employing     
unlawful means to get hold of the       
natives4 ,and ,i know that many of these
 men are utterly unscrupulous4 ,but ,i  

can't get proofs that are sufficient to 
obtain a verdict in a court of law4     
',some islands are almost depopulated2  
and ,i dread the return of these        
labourers1 when they are brought back4  
,they bring guns and other things1 which
 enable them to carry out with impunity 
all kinds of rascality4 ,they learn     
nothing that can influence them for     
good4 ,they are like squatters in the   
bush1 coming into the town to have their
 fling4 ,these poor fellows come back to
 run riot1 steal men's wives1 shoot1    
fight1 and use their newly acquired     
possessions to carry out more vigorously
 all heathen practices4  ',september    
#crd4--,at anchor3 ,savo ,island3       
,sunday4 ,the experiment of anchoring at
 ,sara 7,florida7 and this place answers
 well4 ,the decks were crowded and      
crammed2 but the people behaved very    
well1 barring the picking up of         
everything they could lay hands upon1 as
 is natural to many persons whose       
education has been neglected4           

',yesterday ,i took ,wadrokala 7of      
,nengone7 to the village here1 where he 
is to live with some of our old scholars
 from these parts1 and try to begin a   
good work among the people4 ,he has four
 baptized friends1 a married couple     
being two1 and three other very good    
lads1 to start with4 ,it was a long and 
very hot walk4 ,a year ago ,i could not 
have got through it4 ,i was tired1 but  
not over-tired4  ',and now we have had  
,holy ,communion2 and this afternoon we 
take our party on shore3 ,wadrokala's   
wife ,carry1 and ,jemima1 their daughter
 of eight or nine4 ,there is no fighting
 or quarrelling here now4 ,i know all   
the people1 so ,i leave them with good  
hope4'   ,on the #gth1 ,joseph ,atkin   
began a letter as follows3--   ',our    
,bishop is much improved in health and  
strength4 ,his stay at ,mota has put new
 life into him again2 the whole island  
is becoming ,christian4  ',the ,bishop  
is now very strong and clear about      
establishing permanent schools on the   

islands2 ,i fear in almost too great a  
hurry4 ,the great requisite for a school
 is a native teacher2 and generally1 if 
not always1 a teacher ought1 as ,george 
was at ,mota1 to be well supported by a 
little band of native converts1 who1 if 
their teaching1 in the common use of the
 word1 is not much1 can1 by their       
consistent lives1 preach a continual    
sermon1 that all who see may understand4
 ,what is the use of preaching an       
eloquent sermon on truth to a people who
 do not know what it means1 or purity of
 which they have never dreamt8 ,their   
ears take in the words1 they sound very 
pleasant1 and they go away again to     
their sin2 and the preacher is surprised
 that they can do so4 ,i do not forget  
the power of the ,spirit to change men's
 hearts1 but do not expect the ,holy    
,spirit to work with you as ,he never   
worked with anyone else1 but rather as  
,he always has worked with others4444   
,if in looking into the history of      
,missions1 you find no heathen people   

has been even nominally and             
professionally ,christianised within1   
say1 ten or fifteen years1 why not be   
content to set to work to try that the  
conversion of those to whom you are sent
 may be as thorough and real as possible
 in that time1 and not to fret at being 
unable to hurry the work some           
years8'4444   ,this letter too was      
destined never to be finished1 though it
 was continued later1 as will be seen4  
,the ,bishop's next letter is dated--   
',september #afth4--,off the ,santa     
,cruz group1 some twenty miles distant4 
,to-morrow1 being ,sunday1 we stay      
quietly some way off the islands2 and on
 ,monday 7,d4,v47 we go to ,nukapu1 and 
perhaps to ,piteni too1 wind permitting4
 ,you can enter into my thoughts1 how ,i
 pray ,god that if it be ,his will1 and 
if it be the appointed time1 ,he may    
enable us in ,his own way to begin some 
little work among these very wild but   
vigorous energetic islanders4 ,i am     
fully alive to the probability that some

 outrage has been committed here by one 
or more vessels4 ,the master of the     
vessel that ,atkin saw did not deny his 
intention of taking away from these or  
from any other islands any men or boys  
he could induce to come on board4 ,i am 
quite aware that we may be exposed to   
considerable risk on this account4 ,i   
trust that all may be well2 that if it  
be ,his will that any trouble should    
come upon us1 dear ,joseph ,atkin1 his  
father and mother's only son1 may be    
spared4 ,but ,i don't think there is    
very much cause for fear2 first1 because
 at these small reef islands they know  
me pretty well1 though they don't       
understand as yet our object in coming  
to them1 and they may very easily       
connect us white people with the other  
white people who have been ill-using    
them2 second1 last year ,i was on shore 
at ,nukapu and ,piteni for some time1   
and ,i can talk somewhat with the       
people2 third1 ,i think that if any     
violence has been used to the natives of

 the north face of the large island1    
,santa ,cruz1 ,i shall hear of it from  
these inhabitants of the small islets to
 the north1 ,nukapu1 and ,piteni1 and so
 be forewarned4  ',if any violence has  
been used1 it will make it impossible   
for us to go thither now4 ,it would     
simply be provoking retaliation4 ,one   
must say1 as ,newman of the ,new ,dogma1
 that the progress of truth and religion
 is delayed1 no one can say how long4   
,it is very sad4 ,but the ,evil ,one    
everywhere and always stirs up          
opposition and hindrance to every       
attempt to do good4 ,and we are not so  
sorely tried in this way as many        
others4'  ,contrary winds--or rather a  
calm1 with such light wind as there was1
 contrary--kept the vessel from         
approaching the island for four days    
more1 while the volcano made every night
 brilliant1 and the untiring pen ran on 
with affectionate responses to all that 
the last home packet had contained1 and 
then proceeded to public interests3--   

',then the great matters you write      
about--the great social and religious   
crisis in ,england now4 ,moreover1 who  
can estimate the effect of this ,german 
and ,french war upon the social state of
 ,europe8 ,possibly a temporary violent 
suppression in ,north ,germany of       
,republican principles1 a reaction1 an  
attempt to use the neutrality of        
,england as a focus for political       
agitation4 ,and then the extravagant    
luxury side by side with degrading      
poverty6 ,it is a sad picture2 and you  
who have to contemplate it have many    
trials and troubles that are in one     
sense far away from me4  ',september    
#aith4--,here we are becalmed2 for three
 days we have scarcely made ten miles in
 the direction we want to go4 ,it is not
 prudent to go near the large island1   
unless we have a good breeze1 and can   
get away from the fleets of canoes if we
 see reason for so doing4 ,we may have  
one hundred and fifty canoes around us1 
and perhaps sixty or eighty strong men  

on deck1 as we had last year2 and this  
year we have good reason for fearing    
that labour vessels have been here4     
,many of the people here would          
distinguish between us and them2 but it 
is quite uncertain1 for we can't talk to
 the people of the large island1 and    
can't therefore explain our object in so
 doing4 ',yesterday1 being becalmed1 a  
large canoe1 passing 7for there was     
occasionally a light air from the north7
 from ,nupani to ,santa ,cruz1 came near
 us4 ,it could not get away1 and the    
,southern ,cross could not get near it4 
,so we went to it in the boat4 ,i can   
talk to these ,nupani people1 and we had
 a pleasant visit4 ,they knew my name   
directly1 and were quite at ease the    
moment they were satisfied it was the   
,bishop4 ,they will advertise us1 ,i    
dare say1 and say a good word for us1   
and we gave them presents1 c4  ',i shall
 be thankful if this visit ends         
favourably1 and oh6 how thankful if we  
obtain any lads4 ,it seems so sad to    

leave this fine people year after year  
in ignorance and darkness1 but ,he knows
 and cares for them more than we do4    
',the sun is nearly vertical2           
thermometer #ia1 and #hh at night2 ,i am
 lazy1 but not otherwise affected by it1
 and spend my day having some1 about an 
hour's1 school1 and in writing and      
reading4  ',i think that the ,education 
question has been more satisfactorily   
settled than ,i dared to hope a year    
ago4 ,a religious1 as opposed to an     
irreligious education has been advisedly
 chosen by the country1 and             
denominationalism 7what a word67 as     
against secularism4 ,well1 that's not   
much from a ,christian country2 but it  
isn't the choice of an anti-,christian1 
or even of a country indifferent to     
,christianity4  ',mrs4 ,abraham and     
,pena have sent me ,shairp's little book
 on ,religion and ,culture4 ,it is      
capital2 and if you knew the man you    
would not wonder at his writing such    
sensible1 thoughtful books4 ,he is one  

of the most loveable beings ,i ever     
knew4 ,his good wholesome teaching is   
about the best antidote ,i have seen to 
much of the poison circulating about in 
magazines and alluring ignorant1 unsound
 people with the specious name of       
philosophy4 ,and he is always fair1 and 
credits his opponents with all that can 
possibly be imagined to extenuate the   
injury they are doing by their false and
 faithless teaching4'   ,here the letter
 suddenly ceases4 ,no doubt this last   
sentence had given the last impulse     
towards addressing the old ,balliol     
friend above named1 now ,principal of   
,st4 ,andrew's1 in the following3--     
',southern ,cross ,mission ,schooner1   
',in the ,santa ,cruz ,group1 ,s4,w4    
,pacific3 ,september #ai4  ',my dear    
,principal1--,you won't remember my     
name1 and it is not likely that you can 
know anything about me1 but ,i must     
write you a line and thank you for      
writing your two books 7for ,i have but 
two7 on ,studies on ,poetry and         

,philosophy1 and ,religion and ,culture4
  ',the ,moral ,dynamic and the latter  
book are indeed the very books ,i have  
longed to see2 books that one can put   
with confidence and satisfaction into   
the hands of men1 young and old1 in     
these stirring and dangerous times4     
',then it did me good to be recalled to 
old scenes and to dream of old faces4   
',i was almost a freshman when you came 
up to keep your ,m4,a4 term2 and as ,i  
knew some of the men you knew1 you      
kindly1 as ,i well remember1 gave me the
 benefit of it4 ,as ,john ,coleridge's  
cousin and the acquaintance of ,john    
,keate1 ,cumin1 ,palmer1 and dear ,james
 ,eiddell1 ,i came to know men whom     
otherwise ,i could not have known1 and  
of these how many there still are that  
,i have thought of and cared for ever   
since6  ',you must have thought of      
,riddell1 dear ,james ,riddell1 when you
 wrote the words in p4 #gf of your book 
on ,religion and ,culture3 ,we have     
known such4 ,yes1 there was indeed about

 him a beauty of character that is very 
very rare4 ,sellar is in the north      
somewhere1 ,i think ,i have seen ,essays
 by him on ,lucretius4  ',i think that  
he is ,professor at some ,university4 ,i
 am ashamed to know so little about him4
 ,should you see him1 pray remember me  
most kindly to him4 ,as year after year 
passes on1 it is very pleasant to think 
there are men on the other side of the  
world that ,i can with a certainty count
 upon as friends4  ',i find it difficult
 to read much of what is worth reading  
nowadays1 and ,i have little taste for  
magazines1 c41 ,i confess4  ',but ,i    
know enough of what is working in men's 
minds in ,europe to be heartily thankful
 for such thoughtful wholesome teaching 
as yours4  ',indeed1 you are doing a    
good work1 and ,i pray ,god it may be   
abundantly blessed4  ',i remain1 my dear
 ,friend1  ',very sincerely yours1  ',j4
 ,c4 ,,patteson4'   ,this is the last   
letter apparently finished and signed6  
,to the ,bishop of ,lichfield the long  

journal-letter says3--   ',tenakulu 7the
 volcano7 was fine last night1 but not  
so fine as on that night we saw it      
together4 ,but it was very solemn to    
look at it1 and think how puny all man's
 works are in comparison with this      
little volcano4 ,what is all the        
bombardment of ,paris to those masses of
 fire and hundreds of tons of rock cast 
out into the sea8 ,if ,he do but touch  
the hills1 they shall smoke4  ',and now 
what will the next few days bring forth8
 ,it may be ,god's will that the opening
 for the ,gospel may be given to us now4
 ,sometimes ,i feel as if ,i were almost
 too importunate in my longings for some
 beginning here2 and ,i try not to be   
impatient1 and to wait ,his good time1  
knowing that it will come when it is the
 fulness of time4 ,then1 again1 ,i am   
tempted to think1 ,if not soon1 if not  
now1 the trading vessels will make it   
almost impossible1 as men think1 to     
obtain any opening here4 ,but ,i am on  
the whole hopeful1 though sometimes     

faint-hearted4  ',to day's ,first       
,lesson has a good verse3 ,haggai1 ii4  
#d2l and there is ,psalm xci4 also4'    
,then follows a good deal about further 
plans1 and need of men2 ending with the 
decision that the present ',southern    
,cross' ought to be sold1 and that a new
 one could be built at ,auckland for    
#b1jjj1 which the ,bishop thought he    
could obtain in ,new ,zealand and       
,australia4  ',yet now be strong1 ,o    
,zerubbabel1 saith the ,lord2 and be    
strong1 ,o ,joshua1 son of ,josedech1   
the high priest2 and be strong1 all ye  
people of the land1 saith the ,lord1 and
 work3 for ,i am with you1 saith the    
,lord of hosts4'  ,a much smaller       
additional vessel would be useful2 and  
he merrily says3--  ',you don't know an 
amiable millionaire1 with a nice quick  
yacht from #gj to #abj tons1 to be given
 away1 and sent out to ,auckland free of
 expense1 ,i suppose4  ',we must give up
 all idea of our ,chapel for a time1 but
 we can do without it4 ,and a vessel is 

necessary4'  ,the last of this letter is
 on ,delitzsch and ,biblical criticism1 
but too much mixed up with other        
persons' private affairs for quotation4 
,reading ,hebrew with ,mr4 ,atkin1 or   
studying ,isaiah alone1 had been the    
special recreation throughout the       
voyage4  ,his scholar ,edward ,wogale   
has given a touch of that last morning  
of the #bjth3--  ',and as we were going 
to that island where he died1 but were  
still in the open sea1 he schooled us   
continually upon ,luke ii4 iii4 up to   
vi41 but he left off with us with his   
death4 ,and he preached to us           
continually at ,prayers in the morning1 
every day1 and every evening on the     
,acts of the ,apostles1 and he spoke as 
far as to the seventh chapter1 and then 
we reached that island4 ,and he had     
spoken admirably and very strongly      
indeed to us1 about the death of        
,stephen1 and then he went up ashore on 
that island ,nukapu4'  ,that island     
,nukapu lay with the blue waves breaking

 over the circling reef1 the white line 
of coral sand1 the trees coming down to 
it2 and in the glowing sun of ,september
 #bj1 the equatorial midsummer eve1 four
 canoes were seen hovering about the    
reef1 as the ',southern ,cross' tried to
 make for the islet4  ,mr4 ,brooke says 
that this lingering had seemed to       
intensify the ,bishop's prayer and      
anxiety for these poor people2 and1     
thinking that the unusual movements of  
the vessel puzzled the people in the    
canoes1 and that they might be afraid to
 approach1 he desired that at #aa4cj    
,a4,m4 the boat should be lowered1 and  
entered it with ,mr4 ,atkin1 ,stephen   
,taroniara1 ,james ,minipa1 and ,john   
,nonono4 ,he sat in the stern sheets1   
and called back to ,mr4 ,brooke3 ',tell 
the captain ,i may have to go ashore4'  
,then he waited to collect more things  
as presents to take on shore1 and pulled
 towards the canoes2 ,but they did not  
come to meet the boat1 and seemed       
undecided whether to pull away or not4  

,the people recognized the ,bishop2 and 
when he offered to go on shore they     
assented1 and the boat went on to a part
 of the reef about two miles from the   
island1 and there met two more canoes1  
making six in all4 ,the natives were    
very anxious that they should haul the  
boat up on the reef1 the tide being too 
low for her to cross it1 but1 when this 
was not consented to1 two men proposed  
to take the ,bishop into their boat4    
,it will be remembered that he had      
always found the entering one of their  
canoes a sure way of disarming          
suspicion1 and he at once complied4 ,mr4
 ,atkin afterwards said he thought he   
caught the word ',tabu1' as if in       
warning1 and saw a basket with yams and 
other fruits presented2 and those       
acquainted with the customs of the      
,polynesians--the race to which these   
islanders belonged--say that this is    
sometimes done that an intended victim  
may unconsciously touch something tabu1 
and thus may become a lawful subject for

 a blow1 and someone may have tried to  
warn him4  ,there was a delay of about  
twenty minutes2 and then two canoes went
 with the one containing the ,bishop1   
the two chiefs1 ,moto and ,taula1 who   
had before been so friendly to him1     
being in them4 ,the tide was so low that
 it was necessary to wade over the reef1
 and drag the canoes across to the      
deeper lagoon within4 ,the boat's crew  
could not follow2 but they could see the
 ,bishop land on the beach1 and there   
lost sight of him4  ,the boat had been  
about half-an-hour drifting about in    
company with the canoes1 and there had  
been some attempt at talk1 when         
suddenly1 at about ten yards off1       
without any warning1 a man stood up in  
one of them1 and calling out1 ',have you
 anything like this8' shot off one of   
the yard-long arrows1 and his companions
 in the other two canoes began shooting 
as quickly as possible1 calling out1 as 
they aimed1 ',this for ,new ,zealand    
man6 ,this for ,bauro man6 ,this for    

,mota man6' ,the boat was pulled back   
rapidly1 and was soon out of range1 but 
not before three out of the four had    
been struck2 ,james only escaped by     
throwing himself back on the seat1 while
 an arrow had nailed ,john's cap to his 
head1 ,mr4 ,atkin had one in his left   
shoulder1 and poor ,stephen lay in the  
bottom of the boat1 'trussed1' as ,mr4  
,brooke described it1 with six arrows in
 the chest and shoulders4  ,it was about
 two hours since they had left the ship 
when they reached it again3 and ,mr4    
,atkin said1 ',we are all hurt8 as they 
were helped on board2 but no sooner had 
the arrow-head1 formed of human bone1   
and acutely sharp1 been extracted1 than 
he insisted on going back to find his   
,bishop4 ,he alone knew the way by which
 the reef could be crossed in the now   
rising tide1 so that his presence was   
necessary4 ,meantime ,mr4 ,brooke       
extracted as best he might the arrows   
from poor ,stephen4  ',we two ,bisope1' 
said the poor fellow1 meaning that he   

shared the same fate as the ,bishop4    
,as ,joseph ,wate1 a lad of fifteen1    
,mr4 ,atkin's ,malanta godson and pupil1
 wrote afterwards1 ',joe said to me and 
,sapi1 ,we are going to look for the    
,bishop1 are you two afraid8  ',no1 why 
should ,i be afraid8  ',very well1 you  
two go and get food for yourselves1 and 
bring a beaker full of water for us all1
 for we shall have to lie on our oars a 
long time to-day4'  ,the others who     
pulled the boat were ,charles           
,sapinamba1 a sailor1 and ,mr4          
,bongarde1 the mate1 who carried a      
pistol1 for the first time in the       
records of the ',southern ,cross4'      
,they had long to wait till the tide was
 high enough to carry them across the   
reef1 and they could see people on      
shore1 at whom they gazed anxiously with
 a glass4  ,about half-past four it     
became possible to cross the reef1 and  
then two canoes rowed towards them3 one 
cast off the other and went back2 the   
other1 with a heap in the middle1       

drifted towards them1 and they rowed    
towards it4  ',but' 7says ,wate71 'when 
we came near we two were afraid1 and ,i 
said to ,joe1 ,if there is a man inside 
to attack us1 when he rises up1 we shall
 see him4'  ,then the mate took up his  
pistol1 but the sailor said1 ',those are
 the ,bishop's shoes4'  ,as they came up
 with it1 and lifted the bundle wrapped 
in matting into the boat1 a shout or    
yell arose from the shore4 ,wate says   
four canoes put off in pursuit2 but the 
others think their only object was to   
secure the now empty canoe as it drifted
 away4 ,the boat came alongside1 and two
 words passed1 ',the body6' ,then it was
 lifted up1 and laid across the         
skylight1 rolled in the native mat1     
which was secured at the head and feet4 
,the placid smile was still on the face2
 there was a palm leaf fastened over the
 breast1 and when the mat was opened    
there were five wounds1 no more4  ,the  
strange mysterious beauty1 as it may be 
called1 of these circumstances almost   

makes one feel as if this were the      
legend of a martyr of the ,primitive    
,church2 but the fact is literally true1
 and can be interpreted1 though probably
 no account will ever be obtained from  
the actors in the scene4  ,the wounds   
were1 one evidently given with a club1  
which had shattered the right side of   
the skull at the back1 and probably was 
the first1 and had destroyed life       
instantly1 and almost painlessly2       
another stroke of some sharp weapon had 
cloven the top of the head2 the body was
 also pierced in one place2 and there   
were two arrow wounds in the legs1 but  
apparently not shot at the living man1  
but stuck in after his fall1 and after  
he had been stripped1 for the clothing  
was gone1 all but the boots and socks4  
,in the front of the cocoa-nut palm1    
there were five knots made in the long  
leaflets4 ,all this is an almost certain
 indication that his death was the      
vengeance for five of the natives4      
',blood for blood' is a sacred law1     

almost of nature1 wherever ,christianity
 has not prevailed1 and a whole tribe is
 held responsible for the crime of one4 
,five men in ,fiji are known to have    
been stolen from ,nukapu2 and probably  
their families believed them to have    
been killed1 and believed themselves to 
be performing a sacred duty when they   
dipped their weapons in the blood of the
 ,bisope1 whom they did not know well   
enough to understand that he was their  
protector4 ,nay1 it is likely that there
 had been some such discussion as had   
saved him before at ,mai from suffering 
for ,petere's death2 and1 indeed1 one   
party seem to have wished to keep him   
from landing1 and to have thus solemnly 
and reverently treated his body4  ,even 
when the tidings came in the brief      
uncircumstantial telegram1 there were   
none of those who loved and revered him 
who did not feel that such was the death
 he always looked for1 and that he had  
willingly given his life4 ,there was    
peace in the thought even while hearts  

trembled with dread of hearing of       
accompanying horrors2 and when the full 
story arrived1 showing how far more     
painless his death had been than had he 
lived on to suffer from his broken      
health1 and how wonderfully the         
unconscious heathen had marked him with 
emblems so sacred in our eyes1 there was
 thankfulness and joy even to the       
bereaved at home4  ,the sweet calm smile
 preached peace to the mourners who had 
lost his guiding spirit1 but they could 
not look on it long4 ,the next morning1 
,st4 ,matthew's ,day1 the body of ,john 
,coleridge ,patteson was committed to   
the waters of the ,pacific1 his 'son    
after the faith1' ,joseph ,atkin1       
reading the ,burial ,service4  ,mr4     
,atkin afterwards wrote to his mother4  
,he had written to his father the day   
before2 but the substance of his letter 
has been given in the narrative3--      
',september #ba1 #ahga4  ',my dear      
,mother1--,we have had a terrible loss1 
such a blow that we cannot at all       

realise it4 ,our ,bishop is dead2 killed
 by the natives at ,nukapu yesterday4   
,we got the body1 and buried it this    
morning4 ,he was alone on shore1 and    
none of us saw it done4 ,we were        
attacked in the boat too1 and ,stephen  
so badly wounded that ,i am afraid there
 is small hope of his recovery4 ,john   
and ,i have arrow wounds1 but not       
severe4 ,our poor boys seem quite       
awe-stricken4 ,captain ,jacobs is very  
much cut up4 ,brooke1 although not at   
all well1 has quite devoted himself to  
the wounded1 and so has less time to    
think about it all4  ',it would only be 
selfish to wish him back4 ,he has gone  
to his rest1 dying1 as he lived1 in his 
,master's service4  ,it seems a shocking
 way to die2 but ,i can say from        
experience that it is far more to hear  
of than to suffer4 ,in whatever way so  
peaceful a life as his is ended1 his end
 is peace4 ,there was no sign of fear or
 pain on his face--just the look that he
 used to have when asleep1 patient and a

 little wearied4 ,what a stroke his     
death will be to hundreds6 ,what his    
,mission will do without him1 ,god only 
knows ,who has taken him away4 ,his ways
 are not as our ways4 ,seeing people    
taken away1 when1 as we think1 they are 
almost necessary to do ,god's work on   
earth1 makes one think that we often    
think and talk too much about ,christian
 work4 ,what ,god requires is ,christian
 men4 ,he does not need the work1 only  
gives it to form or perfect the         
character of the men whom ,he sends to  
do it4  ',stephen is in great pain at   
times to-night2 one of the arrows seems 
to have entered his lungs1 and it is    
broken in1 too deep to be got out4 ,john
 is wounded in the right shoulder1 ,i in
 the left4 ,we are both maimed for the  
time2 but1 if it were not for the fear  
of poison1 the wounds would not be worth
 noticing4 ,i do not expect any bad     
consequences1 but they are possible4    
,what would make me cling to life more  
than anything else is the thought of you

 at home2 but if it be ,god's will that 
,i am to die1 ,i know ,he will enable   
you to bear it1 and bring good for you  
out of it4  ',saturday1 #bcrd4--,we are 
all doing well4 ,stephen keeps up his   
strength1 sleeps well1 and has no long  
attacks of pain4 ,we have had good      
breezes yesterday and to-day--very      
welcome it is1 but the motion makes     
writing too much labour4 ,brooke and    
,edward ,wogale are both unwell--ague1  
,i believe1 with both of them2 and      
,brooke's nerves are upset4 ,he has     
slept most of to-day1 and will probably 
be the better for it4'4444  ,his private
 journal adds3--  ',september           
#bast4--,buried the ,bishop in the      
morning4 ,the wounded all doing well1   
but ,stephen in pain occasionally4 ,calm
 day1 passed over a reef in the morning1
 about eighteen miles north of ,nukapu1 
nine fathoms on it4 ,thermometer        
ninety-one degrees yesterday and to-day4
 ,began writing home at night4 ,began   
reading ,miss ,yonge's ,chaplet of      

,pearls4  ',friday1 #bbnd4--,a light    
breeze came up in the evening1 which    
freshened through the night1 and carried
 us past ,tenakulu4 ,stephen doing very 
well1 had a good night1 and has very    
little pain to-day4 ,a breeze through   
the day1 much cooler4 ,i am dressing my 
shoulder with brine4 ,read some sermons 
of ,vaughan's1 preached at ,doncaster   
during ,passion ,week4  ',saturday1     
#bcrd4--,breeze through the day4 ,a few 
showers of rain4 ,brooke and ,wogale    
down with ague2 gave ,wogale ipecacuanha
 and quinine afterwards4 ,read ,mota    
prayers in evening4 ,all wounds going on
 well4 ,finished ,chaplet of ,pearls1   
and wrote a little4  ',sunday1          
#bdth4--,this morning the wind went     
round to ,n4,e4 and ,n4 and then died   
away4 ,we were #ee miles ,w4 of the     
,torres ,islands at noon4 ,brooke took  
,english and ,mota morning ,prayers4 ,i 
celebrated ,holy ,communion afterwards4 
,john came into cabin2 ,i went out to   
,stephen4  ',brooke and ,wogale both    

better1 but ,b---- quite weak4'  ,during
 that ,celebration1 while administering 
the ,sacred ,elements1 ,mr4 ,atkin's    
tongue stumbled and hesitated over some 
of the words4  ,then the ,mota men      
looked at one another1 and knew what    
would follow4  ,he knew it himself too1 
and called to ,joseph ,wate1 his own    
special pupil1 saying 7as the lad wrote 
to ,mr4 ,atkin the elder71 ',stephen and
 ,i again are going to follow the       
,bishop1 and they of your country--6    
,who is to speak to them8'  ',i do not  
know4'  ,then he said again1 ',it is all
 right4 ,don't grieve about it1 because 
they did not do this thing of           
themselves1 but ,god allowed them to do 
it4 ,it is very good1 because ,god would
 have it so1 because ,he only looks     
after us1 and ,he understands about us1 
and now ,he wills to take away us two1  
and it is well4'  ,there was much more  
for that strong young frame to undergo  
before the vigorous life could depart4  
,the loss was to be borne4 ,the head of 

the ,mission1 who had gone through long 
sickness1 and lain at the gates of the  
grave so long1 died almost painlessly3  
his followers had deeply to drink of the
 cup of agony4 ,the night between the   
#bfth and #bgth was terrible1 the whole 
nervous system being jerked and strained
 to pieces1 and he wandered too much to 
send any message home2 ',i lost my wits 
since they shot me1' he said4 ,towards  
morning he almost leapt from his berth  
on the floor1 crying ',good-bye4'  ,mr4 
,brooke asked if he would have a little 
,sal volatile4  ',no4'  ',a little      
brandy8'  ',no4'  ',do you want         
anything8'  ',i want nothing but to     
die4'  ,those were his last words4 ,he  
lay convulsed on a mattress on the floor
 for about an hour longer1 and was      
released on the morning of the #bith4   
,stephen1 with an arrow wound in the    
lungs1 and several more of these wounds 
in the chest1 could hardly have lived1  
even without the terrible tetanus4 ,he  
had spent his time in reading his ,mota 

,gospel and ,prayer-book1 praying and   
speaking earnestly to the other men on  
board1 before the full agony came on4   
,he was a tall1 large1 powerfully framed
 man2 and the struggles were violent    
before he too sank into rest on the     
morning of the #bhth1 all the time most 
assiduously nursed by ,joseph ,wate4 ,on
 ,st4 ,michael's ,day1 these two        
teachers of poor ,bauro received at the 
same time their funeral at sea4  ,john  
,coleridge ,patteson was forty-four     
years and a half old4  ,joseph ,atkin1  
twenty-nine4  ,stephen ,taroniara       
probably twenty-five--as he was about   
eighteen when he joined the ,mission in 
#ahfd4 ,his little girl will be brought 
up at ,norfolk ,island2 his wife ,tara1 
to whom he had been married only just   
before his voyage1 became consumptive1  
and died ,january1 #ahgc1 only twenty   
minutes after her ,baptism4 ,as one of  
the scholars said1 ,had the songs of the
 angels for joy of her being made a     
child of ,god finished before they were 

again singing to welcome her an         
inheritor of the kingdom of heaven8     
,john ,nonono showed no symptoms of     
tetanus1 but was landed at ,mota to     
recover under more favourable           
circumstances than the crowded cabin    
could afford4  ,calms and baffling winds
 made the return to this island trying  
and difficult1 and ,mota was not reached
 till the #dth of ,october4 ,george     
,sarawia was still perfectly            
satisfactory2 and his community1 on the 
whole1 going on hopefully4 ,want of     
provisions1 which ,mota could not       
supply1 made the stay very brief2 and   
after obtaining the necessary supplies  
at ,aurora1 the ',southern ,cross'      
brought her sad tidings to ,norfolk     
,island on the #agth4 ,that day ,mrs4   
,palmer wrote3--   ',on ,monday         
afternoon1 #aeth1 ,mr4 ,codrington went 
for a ride to the other side of the     
island1 and there espied the schooner1  
eight miles off4 ,he rode home quickly1 
and soon the shouting and racing of the 

boys told us that the vessel had come4  
,they were all at arrowroot-making4     
,never1 ,i think1 had the whole party1  
,english and natives1 seemed in higher  
spirits4 ,mr4 ,bice walked to the       
settlement1 to see if she was far in    
enough to land that night2 we asked him 
to call and tell us on his way home4    
',next morning ,mr4 ,bice rode down to  
see if it really was the schooner1 and  
was back to breakfast1 all thinking we  
should soon see them come up4  ',mr4    
,codrington and ,mr4 ,bice got their    
horses ready to ride down1 and ,i got   
the rooms ready1 when1 in an hour1 a    
,norfolk ,island boy rode up to say the 
flag was half-mast high4'  ',we told the
 boys and girls something was wrong1 to 
stop their joyous shouting and laughing2
 and then ,i waited till ,mr4 ,jackson  
returned1 and all he could say was1     
,only ,brooke has come6'  ,what more    
shall ,i tell8 ,comments on such a life 
and such a death are superfluous2 and to
 repeat the testimonies of friends1     

outpourings of grief1 and utterances in 
sermons is but to weaken the impression 
of the reality6  ,there is pain too in  
telling the further fate of ,nukapu4    
,h4,m4,s4 ',rosario1' ,commander        
,markham1 then cruising in the ,southern
 ,pacific1 touched at ,norfolk ,island1 
and ,captain ,markham undertook at once 
to go to the island and make enquiries4 
,a protest was drawn up and signed by   
all the members of the ,mission against 
any attempt to punish the natives for   
the murder2 and ,captain ,markham1 a    
kind1 humane1 and conscientious man1 as 
no one can doubt1 promised that nothing 
of the kind should be attempted4  ,but  
the natives could not but expect        
retaliation for what they had done4     
,there was no interpreter4 ,they knew   
nothing of flags of truce2 and when they
 saw a boat approaching1 full of white  
men1 armed1 what could they apprehend   
but vengeance for ',bisope'8 ,so they   
discharged a volley of arrows1 and a    
sergeant of marines was killed4 ,this   

was an attack on the ,british flag1 and 
it was severely chastised with ,british 
firearms4 ,it is very much to be doubted
 whether ,nukapu will ever understand   
that her natives were shot1 not for     
killing the ,bishop1 but for firing on  
the ,british flag4 ,for the present the 
way is closed1 and we can only echo     
,fisher ,young's sigh1 ',poor ,santa    
,cruz people6'  ,bishop ,patteson's will
 bequeathed his whole inheritance to the
 ,melanesian ,mission1 and appointed    
that the senior ,priest should take     
charge of it until another ,bishop      
should be chosen4  ,the ,rev4 ,robert   
,codrington1 therefore1 took the        
management1 though refusing the         
,episcopate2 and considering the        
peculiar qualifications needful for a   
,melanesian ,bishop1 which can only be  
tested by actual experiment on physical 
as well as moral and spiritual          
abilities1 it has1 up to the present    
moment 7,may #ahgc71 been thought better
 to leave the ,see vacant1 obtaining    

episcopal aid from the ,bishop of       
,auckland4  ,but this implies no        
slackness nor falling off in the        
,mission4 ,by ,god's good providence1   
,coleridge ,patteson had so matured his 
system that it could work without him4  
,mr4 ,codrington and the other clergy   
make their periodic voyages in the      
',southern ,cross4' ,kohimarama         
flourishes under ,george ,sarawia1 who  
was ordained ,priest at ,auckland on    
,st4 ,barnabas ,day1 #ahgc4 ,bishop     
,cowie has paid a visit to ,norfolk     
,island1 and ordained as ,deacons1      
,edward ,wogale1 ,robert ,pantatun1     
,henry ,tagalana1 to work in ,mota1     
,santa ,maria1 and ,ara4 ,joseph ,wate  
remains the chief teacher of the lads   
from ,bauro2 but there is much to be    
done before the work in that island can 
be carried on4 ,the people there seem   
peculiarly devoid of earnestness2 and it
 is remarkable that though they were    
among the first visited1 and their      
scholars the very earliest favourites1  

,stephen has been the only one whose    
,christianity seems to have been        
substantial4 ,but the sight of his      
patient endurance had the same effect on
 those who were with him in the ship as 
,walter ,hotaswol's exhortations had had
 on himself1 and several of them began  
in earnest to prepare for ,baptism4     
,the ,english staff of the ,mission has 
been recruited by the ,rev4 ,john ,r4   
,selwyn1 and the ,rev4 ,john ,still1 as 
well as by ,mr4 ,kenny from ,new        
,zealand4 ,and there is good hope that  
',he who hath begun a good work will    
perform it unto the day of the ,lord4'  
,as to the crimes connected with the    
murder1 the ,queen herself directed the 
attention of ,parliament to it in her   
,speech at the commencement of the      
,session of #ahgb4 ,the ,admiralty do   
what in them lies to keep watch over the
 labour vessels by means of ,queen's    
ships2 and in ,queensland1 regulations  
are made2 in ,fiji1 the ,british ,consul
 endeavours to examine the newly        

arrived1 whether they have been taken   
away by force4 ,but it may be feared    
that it will not be possible entirely to
 prevent atrocities over so wide a      
range2 though if1 as ,bishop ,patteson  
suggested1 all vessels unregistered1 and
 not committed to trustworthy masters1  
were liable to be seized and            
confiscated1 much of the shameless      
deceit and horrible skull-hunting would 
be prevented4  ,perhaps the fittest     
conclusion to the ,bishop's history will
 be the words written by ,henry         
,tagalana1 translated literally by ,mr4 
,codrington3--  ',as he taught1 he      
confirmed his word with his good life   
among us1 as we all know2 and also that 
he perfectly well helped anyone who     
might be unhappy about anything1 and    
spoke comfort to him about it2 and about
 his character and conduct1 they are    
consistent with the law of ,god4 ,he    
gave the evidence of it in his practice1
 for he did nothing carelessly1 lest he 
should make anyone stumble and turn from

 the good way2 and again he did nothing 
to gain anything for himself alone1 but 
he sought what he might keep others     
with1 and then he worked with it3 and   
the reason was his pitifulness and his  
love4 ,and again1 he did not despise    
anyone1 nor reject anyone with scorn2   
whether it were a white or a black      
person he thought them all as one1 and  
he loved them all alike4'  ',he loved   
them all alike6' ,that was the secret of
 ,john ,coleridge ,patteson's history   
and his labours4  ,need more be said of 
him8 ,surely the simple islander's      
summary of his character is the honour  
he would prefer4