MISSIONARY

CHRONICLE

SOUTH SEAS.

TAHITI.

Extract of a Letter from Rev. John Davies,

dated Tahiti, Feb. 21, 1826.

CIRCUMSTANCES will but allow of a few hasty lines, as the ship is out at sea, and the captain making a very short stay on shore.

"I am just returned from a voyage to the Islands of Rapa (or Oparo), Raivavai, and Tupuai. An account of the voyage and the circumstances which led to it I shall transmit the first opportunity; at present I can only say, that I took six members of the church at Papara to the island, called by the natives Rapa, as Teachers of the Christian religion, viz. Hota and his wife, Nene and his wife, and two single brethren, Mahana and Pano. They have been well received by the chiefs, and have, I hope, a prospect of doing good.

Death of Mrs. Davies.

The Lord was pleased to prosper our voyage; but, alas! on my arrival at Tahiti, the first intelligence I received was, that my beloved partner, Mrs. Davies (late Mrs. Bicknell) was no more in the land of the living! She died January 30th, after just three days illness. Brother Crook was also at death's door, as it were, but has been mercifully restored. I feel the present dispensation a severe trial, and though I have often been attempting to teach others that the Lord "doeth all things well," yet in this instance (as in some others in time past), I feel it a hard matter to pray, as we are taught "Thy will be done."

I left my dear partner in better health and spirits than usual, and though loath to part with me when I sailed, yet fully approved of the object of the voyage. Brother Crook, who was with her when she died, wrote to me yesterday as follows:

I was anxious to see you, that I might endeavour to comfort you under this bereaving dispensation, and deliver your affectionate VOL. IV.

wife's dying charge. Her death was not triumphant, nor did comfort greatly abound; but the most striking features of her character during her last short affliction were humility, resignation, and peace. Deep humility was manifest in all she said, and she abounded in confession of sin; she had also an entire resignation to the will of God through Christ, and she died in peace, saying, in broken accents, as her last words, "Christ is precious to my soul."

Her youngest child, Henry, is now with me; he is about five years old. The others, four in number, are with Mr. Orsmond, at the school, which has been established for the instruction of the children of the brethren, the Missionaries.

Extract of a Letter from Rev. Tho. Jones, dated Matavai, Tahiti, Nov. 19, 1825, communicating to the Directors an Account of the

DEATH OF MRS. JONES.

I have at present the melancholy task of communicating to you the demise of my dear partner, Mrs. Jones, which happened yesterday, November 18th, at about halfpast three o'clock, P. M. She had been a very great sufferer for nearly three years; and, in general, she manifested great resignation to Him who doth not willingly afflict the children of men. When her dissolution drew near, she did not appear to lose her confidence in the Friend of Sinners. She was not able to speak much for many days before her death, but it was evident that she held converse with Him who shows mercy to the distressed, even in her latest moments; and we all, who were around her at her departure, believe that her end was peace.

She had come from Hidiâ to Matavai in September last, where the greatest kindness and attention were showed her by Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, and great hopes were entertained that her health might be restored. But her appointed hour was come, and she 3 A

was to obey the summons. She is to be buried this afternoon, at the chapel at Matavai. O may this dispensation have its due weight and proper effect on my mind! I feel the stroke severely-I have lost a father, a brother, a sister, but never felt any thing like this. I wish not to murmur or repine at the Divine will.

HUAHINE.

Extract of a Letter from Rev. C. Barff,

Huahine, dated June 5, 1825.

We are happy to inform the Directers, that the cause of our blessed Redeemer continues to flourish. We continue to receive additions to the church. The number

is now near 500. The inhabitants are greatly on the increase, from deaths being now comparatively few, and the births numerous. The people are still building new houses. There may be 400 plastered ones, and many more in frame. We are preparing to build a new chapel, a little larger than our old one, with galleries to be capable of holding 2,000. The people cultivate more land now than formerly, with different kinds of vegetables, which have become a great article of trade to the vessels that frequently visit us.

We have but lately finished our May Meeting, which was attended as usual by all the people. They continue to take a lively interest in missionary work. The Meetings in May occupy three days. On Wednesday we have two exhortations; on Thursday read the Report; on Friday examine the children, and conclude the whole with a social feast.

I spent last April at Maiaoti. I am happy to say I found things there in a flourishing state. The great work of religion is the main business of their lives; and indeed all the inhabitants of that little spot are busy in learning to read the sacred Scriptures, and attending diligently to the ordinances of God's house. Thirty were

added to the church during our visit, and a number baptized. Among those baptized were sixteen infants; whereas, the deaths had been but one during the past year. The inhabitants of the little spot are busy in building neat houses for themselves, planting gardens, &c. &c., to add to their temporal comfort, while they are seeking for glory, immortality, and eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ,

TAHA.

Extract of a Letter from Mr. R. Bourne, Taha, January 30, 1825, addressed to a Friend in London.

I AM happy to inform you, that the work of God is [prospering among the islands

which we so lately visited. In the let ter mislaid, I sent you an account of that journey; but most likely, long ere this, the Directors have published the whole of our Journal. We have lately received pleas. ing accounts from those islands which the directors have named the Harvey Islands; they are six in number, and exceed the population of the Society Islands by two or three thousand souls. The British and Foreign Bible Society have sent out a large supply of paper, to print the Scriptures for them; but there is every reason to believe they will not be able to read the Tahitian version. Their language approaches very closely to that of New Zealand; it has no f or h nor can the natives pronounce them, but k and the ng occur very frequently. There is also a very material difference in the pronouns, and it is rather remarkable, that after a very short time, the native teachers lose their own language, and assimilate to that of their new companions; they also catch the brogue, which is very peculiar in some of these islands.

Character of the Tahitian Language.

The Tahitian may be called the Italian of the Polynesian language, for its smoothness and sweetness, and great nicety of expression. One remarkable feature in it, is the dual number, which runs with beautiful exactness through the whole of the language. I have forwarded to you a grammar which we have lately printed, which may afford you information on the construction of the Tahitian language. A new version will have to be made for the Harvey Islands, and which will be of very great use to our brethren in the New Zealand Mission, whenever it shall please God to turn the hearts of that warlike and ferocious people to listen to the sound of the Gospel of peace. In our journey, we partially failed at two islands, Mangeea and Rarotonga, on account of the licentious conduct of the natives towards the wives of the native teachers we intended to leave: however, we have sent two single men to the Island of Mangeèa. We have not yet heard from them, but we hope soon to be gladdened with the joyful news that the powers of darkness have fallen before the force of truth. At Rarotonga, the idols have been destroyed and cast away-part of them have been forwarded to us, and we have sent them to England. A place of worship has been erected, which is crowded to excess the Sabbath-day. Mr. Dacre, commander of the brig Endeavour, took the dimensions of the Chapel which the natives have erected, and he states that it is full six

on

* These Idols have arrived, and are now in the Missionary Museum.

hundred feet long, and sixty feet wide! Allowing four feet between each seat, it will hold one hundred and fifty seats; and allowing two feet in width for each person, then thirty persons can sit upon a form; and the thirty multiplied by one hundred and fifty gives four thousand five hundred. And Captain Dacre says, that the aisles were so crowded that he could not walk down them, and yet many were outside anxious to hear the Word of God. They are all learning to read; they pay the greatest respect to their teachers, and the island begins to assume altogether a different appearance.

Wonderful Power of the Gospel.

All the heathen games and dances are abolished, and this hitherto solitary and spiritually desolate island, is beginning to blossom as the rose. What is too hard for the Lord? What will the wisdom of the world say to this?-A few unlettered South Sea islanders, who have but just learned to read themselves, going to their fellow Gentiles with only a part of the Word of God in their hands, sitting down among them, and in an artless and unadorned manner, telling them of the love of Christ to a fallen world, what God has wrought in their own islands, and what the power of his Word is able to do and will perform even to the ends of the earth. The listening crowds attend; they assent to the truth of what is advanced; destroy the fabric of idolatry which the labour of ages has erected; forsake the worship of their forefathers; erect temples for the worship of the only living and true God; offer themselves as candidates for the ordinance of baptism, and enrol their names among the disciples of Jesus. We are astonished-we wonder, and adore. The signs of the times are very pleasing; you and I shall not live to see the meridian of millennial glory; but I think we behold the breaking of the twilight: it is delightful to reflect on the progress which all the Societies for doing good are making, the zeal that is displayed, the resources that are brought into action. Oh! what a blessed day will that be, when HOLINESS TO THE LORD shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and when the posts in the Lord's house shall be as the bowls before the altar; the little cloud is spreading, and will soon cover the moral hemisphere: the Lord hasten it in his time. I have lately finished printing the books of Daniel, Ruth, and Esther, and have forwarded two copies, 'one for yourself and the other for your brother. I purpose, in my next, to give you some account of the ancient laws of these islands." I have sent you a piece of Rarotonga cloth, as a specimen of the manufacture of that place. The substance is made of the bark of the Chinese mulberry plant, which being beaten out and dried, the pattern is then printed on it.

To another Friend Mr. Bourne writes :

I would just mention (make what use you please of the observation), that any Christian tradesman or others, who may have fish-hooks, &c. were they to send them here, any very common scissors, knives, razors, they would be very thankfully received by the poor people of the newly-discovered island; and I should feel great pleasure in being made the dispenser of such bounty. You want to know whether the fish-hooks would be of any use to me; I answer very great; for although I am no fisherman myself, yet, if I have a hook to give a man, he will catch a fish for me, and then he keeps the hook for his trouble.

Extract of a Letter from Haavi, a Native Teacher in the Harvey Islands, addressed to and translated by Mr. Bourne, dated Dec. 31, 1825.

(TRANSLATION.)

MY DEAR FRIEND,

PEACE be to you, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The people of Mautii have re ceived the Word of God, and several have offered themselves as candidates for bap tism: my heart rejoices in God, because the devils have become subject to the name of Jesus. I have sent you some of the gods of Mautii; one has been burnt. We are erecting a place of worship; it is finished plastering; also the seats are completed; our own dwelling-house is also finished, and sofa,

table, and bedstead; and all the evil and bad talk which I informed you of formerly, has entirely vanished by the power of God. The people troubled me very much for merly; I could not sleep in the night for them; but I recollected the word that God had spoken, viz.-From the rising of the sun, even to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of Hosts. This passage of Scripture was the subject of my thoughts night and day in that season of trial and persecution; and now He has caused it all to fall to the ground, and He has given us our hearts desire, for behold the people of Mautii are offering themselves as servants of Jesus Christ, and the great end for which we came here has been accomplished. (Signed)

HAAVI.

SANDWICH ISLANDS.

Extract of a Letter from Rev. H. Bingham, to Rev. William Ellis, under date Oahu, June 8, 1825.

I AM sure you will rejoice to know that our work never has appeared to be so prosperous as since the commencement of the current year; that particularly since the return

of Karaimoku from Tauai, he has appeared, as you and ourselves so ardently desired to see him, a decided Christian. When he returned, he humbly laid his thank-offering on the public altar of the Lord, and has since, in a highly satisfactory manner, given himself up to God, and will probably be received into communion in about three months, acknowledging his former baptism.

Boki's baptism was acknowledged in England, and on board the Blonde, and he has once participated in the Sacrament with us. So far as we can see, he lives like a Christian, and takes a very happy and decided stand on the side of the cause of the Gospel.

Since the months of December and January last, there have been very obvious marks of the operation of the spirit of God, attending the preaching of the word at Tauai, at Honoruru, at Lahaina, and at Kaavaroa. Many at those places have been induced seriously to inquire what they should do to be saved. Of such, more than one hundred names have been put down with a view to their particular instruction. Among these, including several who had before given in their names, twelve persons now stand as candidates for admission to the church.. These, after a long trial, have publicly presented themselves before the Lord, declaring what they believe God has done for their souls, and proposing to give themselves up to him. They are now under a course of particular instruction, with a view to their being admitted to the fold of Christ, the kind Shepherd of Israel. Probably as many more will soon be examined and placed in the same class. Among these I may mention, the wife of Hopu, the wife of Puaa, Taomi, Hoaai, Wahinearli, Naaoa, Kupolu, and Karaikoa. Most of all I have named above, I presume you will be able to recollect as among the most hopeful while you were with us. Several of them have appeared to have a new heart and a new spirit given them since the insurrection at Tauai.

EAST INDIES.

CALCUTTA.

Renunciation of a National Idol by some Hindoos at Kidderpore.

In a letter from Rev. Micaiah Hill, under date, Berhampore, March 14, 1826, the Directors have had a most important communication, that a triumph has been effected over one of the national gods of India. "SHEEB has been thrown by his former worshippers from the place he has occupied

All their names are mentioned.

for ages, and doomed henceforth to receive ́ divine adoration no more. The idol is an image of several hundred weight; it will be sent to England, and the materials of the temple will be converted into a chapel." "This, I believe," says Mr. Hill," is the first public idol which the natives have been ever known to discard." "As it is at Brother Trawin's station," adds Mr. Hill," he will have the pleasure of giving you the particulars; though I could not refrain from announcing that Sheeb, like Dagon, had fallen before the ark of God."

N. B. Further particulars when the communication from Mr. T. arrives.

SURAT.

Some interesting Particulars of the late Mrs. Skinner, Widow of the Rev. Mr. Skinner, late Missionary at Surat, communicated to the Directors by the Rev. J. Dawson, of Vizagapatam, under date August 30, 1825.

SOME of the Directors and the friends of the late Mrs. Skinner, residing in London, know much of her real piety, her improved mind, and devotedness of heart to the work in which she was engaged. During the time she lived with us she was very ill, her spirits greatly depressed, and she was often unable to converse on any subject.

Outline of her Character.

She spent much of her time in her room alone, and a more devoted, heavenly-minded Christian I never was acquainted with. In conversation she excelled, when able to express what she felt and knew. Her religious character had every thing to recommend it. She had a great mind, well cultivated, an amiable temper, a cheerful disposition, a kind benevolent heart, a most engaging deportment, and her humility and meekness adorned all. Her painful affliction called forth our sympathy, while her superior attainments in the Divine life made us ashamed that we were so far behind. I can say, without the least hesitation, that her faith was strong, her hopes lively, her desires fervent, and her patience great, while her trials were many and of long duration. Her example is worthy of imitation in regard to the manner in which she spent her time. While she was with us, notwithstanding her extreme weakness, she nity to see, I had every reason to believe she arose early, and although I had no opportuwas engaged in prayer, reading the Scriptures, and meditation, during the greater part of the morning. After family worship and breakRev. Mr. Scott's Commentary, and the first fast, she retired again to her room to read the opportunity she had, we received advantage from what she had read. Few have excelled her in treasuring up important passages from

whatever valuable book she perused. She spent a considerable time daily in teaching my eldest child, whom she greatly loved, and laboured beyond her strength to impress upon bis mind the importance of religion. It was her daily practice to commit a portion of Scripture to memory: and such was her desire to be useful, that when scarcely able to sit in her chair, she had a number of girls from the Orphan School brought to the house, beard them read the Scriptures, explained to them what they had read, and taught them to sing.

Circumstances of her Death.

But it was not the will of her heavenly Father, who loved her much more than we could, that she should remain long with us in such a world of misery, and to her of grief. The little strength she had, failed, and her happy change appeared to be fast approaching. Mrs. Vaughan, of Chicacole, came to Vizagapatam on purpose to take her back with her, in hopes that a change of air might be of service; she complied with that good lady's request, and accompanied her. No change, however, short of that of the paradise above, was designed for her. Her departure out of time evidently appearing at hand, Mrs. Dawson was sent for, and afterwards brother Gordon went, to accompany her back to this place, as she was very anxious to return. They left Chicacole, but the ap pointed time had arrived for her release from all the miseries of this life, and they were obliged to stop on the road, where she fell asleep in Christ, and only what was mortal reached the house of her friends here. I was not with her in her last illness; but I learned from those who were, that she spoke very little for several days previous to her death, but evidently enjoyed the comforts which real religion imparts to the soul of the believer in the valley of the shadow of death. Her answers to questions put to her respecting how she felt and what she enjoyed, were very satisfactory. We never heard her express a hope that she should recover, but she did not seem to be aware that her departure was so near, when it was evident to all about her. A very short time before we were called to part with her, she talked of going to England by the first favourable opportunity, and seemed to have had her mind set upon going where the climate was more favourable for her recovery; but that was not the will of God, and she has reached more delightful shores than those of England, and arrived safe in a country where the inhabitants are no more sick, and where they weep no more.

Mrs. Skinner has left few behind her possessing such fine feelings as she had, or in whose heart wounds inflicted by painful providences have bled so abundantly and so long, It may well be said of her, that tears were her food, and she wept till she could

weep no more.

A tear was formed in her eye which never fell, for death prevented it; but it remained visible, to remind her friends that this world is a bochim. Had the writer of these lines discovered among the papers of the deceased any thing written in the form of a diary of her experience, he might from it have been able to select many interesting particulars respecting his muchesteemed friend; but nothing of the kind has been found; nor can be give any accu rate account of the way in which Mrs. S. was brought to the knowledge of the truth, excepting what she often told him, that Mrs. D brought her under the sound of the Gospel, which was very soon blessed to

her soul.

Attachment subsisting between her and
Mrs. Dawson.

It was the esteem which she had for her friend that induced her to comply with her request, for she had at that time a great aversion to go to those places of worship which Mrs. Dawson attended; and the real benefit which she derived from hearing the truth faithfully declared was one, and not the least of the reasons for her great affection for Mrs. Dawson, which perhaps has never been surpassed in the case of any two sisters of the same family. Neither change of place nor circumstances had the least influence to weaken the attachment by which their hearts were bound together, for the union was evidently formed for eternity: even death, which often separates for a considerable time those whose souls are united like those of Jonathan and David, was not permitted to keep these dear friends long apart. Now, that which is mortal of both is in the same grave; and we trust their happy spirits are in the same mansion of bliss, where their affection, which was so strong while they lived below, shall for ever flourish in its proper element, and separation shall never be the occasion of an unpleasant feeling in their pure minds through all eternity.

NAGERCOIL.

Extracts of a Letter from Rev. C. Mault, Nagercoil, March 21, 1826.

My letter of the 22nd of September last, which I hope has come to hand, will have given you a circumstantial account of the character and labours of the Readers employed here; and in a subsequent letter, if duly received, you will have been informed of Mr. Crow's relapse, and of his intended removal from his station; and that I had no alternative but to send Mr. Ashton, whom I could very ill spare, to take charge of the Quilon Mission, till the arrival of another Missionary.