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diff --git a/41258-8.txt b/41258-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8d7c466..0000000 --- a/41258-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9562 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life and Labours of the Rev. Samuel -Marsden, by Samuel Marsden - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Life and Labours of the Rev. Samuel Marsden - -Author: Samuel Marsden - -Editor: J. B. Marsden - -Release Date: November 2, 2012 [EBook #41258] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE, LABOURS, REV. SAMUEL MARSDEN *** - - - - -Produced by Pat McCoy, Steven Gibbs and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - MEMOIRS - - OF - - _The Life and Labours_ - - OF THE - - REV. SAMUEL MARSDEN, - - OF PARAMATTA, - - SENIOR CHAPLAIN OF NEW SOUTH WALES; - - AND OF HIS EARLY CONNEXION WITH THE MISSIONS - TO NEW ZEALAND AND TAHITI. - - EDITED BY THE - - REV. J. B. MARSDEN, M.A., - - AUTHOR OF "THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY AND LATER PURITANS," ETC. ETC. - - - LONDON: - THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY; - 56, PATERNOSTER ROW; 65, ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD; - AND 164, PICCADILLY: - AND SOLD BY THE BOOKSELLERS. - - - - -INTRODUCTORY NOTE. - - -The Editor would make his kind acknowledgments to the Church Missionary -and London Missionary Societies for the free use of the hitherto -unpublished correspondence of Mr. Samuel Marsden in their hands; and to -J. S. Nicholas, Esq., who accompanied Mr. Marsden on his first visit to -New Zealand, for the use of a valuable manuscript account of his -residence in New South Wales, containing much information respecting Mr. -Marsden. He has also had before him a manuscript life of Mr. Marsden by -Lieut. Sadleir of Paramatta, from which several extracts are made. And -lastly, he would acknowledge the courtesy of those surviving friends who -have placed in his hands Mr. Marsden's autograph letters to themselves -or deceased members of their families. From these several sources the -work has been chiefly compiled. - -The Editor may be permitted to add, that the similarity of his name -having led to the general conclusion (which however is incorrect) that -he was related to Mr. Samuel Marsden, he has been repeatedly urged to -publish his life. At length this request being renewed by the Religious -Tract Society, into whose hands some valuable papers and documents had -fallen, he was induced to comply with their wishes, under the conviction -that the facts and incidents, as well as the moral grandeur, of Mr. -Marsden's life, were too important to be suffered to lie any longer in -comparative obscurity. There are ample materials for a much larger -volume; but of course the Editor has been obliged to select what -appeared to be most suitable for general usefulness. - - - - -CONTENTS. - PAGE - - Introductory Note iii - - CHAPTER I. - Early life of Mr. Samuel Marsden--His appointment to New - South Wales--Voyage, and arrival in the Colony 1 - - CHAPTER II. - Discovery and early History of New South Wales--Becomes a - Penal Settlement--Its state, moral and religions, on Mr. - Marsden's arrival 11 - - CHAPTER III. - Mr. Marsden appointed to the Magistracy--Objections to - this considered--Cultivates Land--Charge of Secularity - considered--His connexion with the London Missionary - Society, and care of its Polynesian Mission--Revisits - England in 1807 26 - - Distant view of Sydney (_Engraving_) 27 - - CHAPTER IV. - Various measures devised for the benefit of New South - Wales--The establishment of Missions in New - Zealand--Friendship with Dr. Mason Good 47 - - CHAPTER V. - Return to the Colony--Duaterra--His strange Adventures--Mr. - Marsden's Labours in New South Wales--Aborigines--Their - Habits--Plans for their Civilization 63 - - CHAPTER VI. - Mr. Marsden's Correspondence with the London Missionary - Society--Buys the brig Active--His First Voyage to New - Zealand--Journal of Events 85 - - CHAPTER VII. - Death of Duaterra--Trials of Mr. Marsden in the - Colony--Libel of Philo-free--Letter to the Rev. George - Burder--To Dr. Mason Good--Sympathy of his Friends in - England--Congratulations of the 46th Regiment, and Mr. M's - acknowledgment--Letters of Lord Gambier, Rev. C. Simeon, - and Mrs. Fry 108 - - CHAPTER VIII. - Tooi and Teterree--Mr. Marsden's Second Voyage to New - Zealand--Progress of the Gospel there--Shunghie--His - ferocity--Mr. Marsden returns to New South Wales--Third - Voyage to New Zealand--Malicious charges brought against - him in his absence--A Commission of Inquiry--Its - result--Letters, etc.--Approbation of the Government 129 - - The Bay of Islands, New Zealand (_Engraving_) 133 - - CHAPTER IX. - Fourth Visit to New Zealand--Trials and Successes of the - various Missions--Shipwreck and Danger of Mr. Marsden and - the Rev. S. Leigh--Returns home--Letter to Avison Terry, - Esq. 167 - - CHAPTER X. - Aborigines--South Sea Mission--Fresh Slanders on Mr. - Marsden's character--His Pamphlet in self-defence--Letter - of Messrs. Bennett and Tyerman--Libels and Action at - Law--Verdict--Case of Ring--Pastoral Letters of Mr. Marsden: - To a Lady; On the Divinity of Christ--Fifth Voyage to New - Zealand--Letters, etc. 184 - - CHAPTER XI. - Death of Dr. Mason Good--Malicious charges brought against - Mr. Marsden and confuted--Sixth Voyage to New Zealand-- - Frightful state of the Island--Battle of the Maories--Their - Cannibalism--Progress of the Mission--Mr. Marsden's - return--Death of Mrs. Marsden--Anticipation of his own - decease 212 - - CHAPTER XII. - State of New South Wales--The Aborigines--Cruelties - practised upon them--Attempts to civilize and convert - them--They fail--Mr. Marsden's Seventh Visit to New - Zealand--His Daughter's Journal--Affection of the - Natives--Progress of the Mission--Danger from European - vices--Returns in H. M. S. Rattlesnake to Sydney 232 - - Paramatta Church (_Engraving_) 233 - - CHAPTER XIII. - Mr. Marsden's ministerial pursuits and journeys--Love - of the Country and of Patriarchal story--His Old Age--Its - mental features--Anecdotes--Love of Children--Bishop - Broughton--His reverence for Mr. Marsden's character--Mr. - Marsden's views of Death, etc.--His Habits of Prayer--His - Illness and Death 260 - - CHAPTER XIV. - Character of Mr. Marsden--His Life and Labours 280 - - APPENDIX I. - - Progress of the Gospel and of Civilization in New Zealand, - since Mr. Marsden's Decease 295 - - APPENDIX II. - - State and Prospects of the Protestant Mission at Tahiti, - under the French Protectorate 311 - - - - -LIFE - -OF - -THE REVEREND SAMUEL MARSDEN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - Early Life of Mr. Samuel Marsden--His appointment to New South - Wales--Voyage, and arrival in the Colony. - - -Samuel Marsden, whose life is sketched in the following pages, was not -ennobled by birth or rank, nor was he greatly distinguished by splendid -talents. Yet he was, in the true sense, a great man; and he was an -instance, one of the most striking of modern times, of the vast results -which may be accomplished when an honest heart, a clear head, and a -resolute mind and purpose, are directed, under the influence of the -grace of God, to the attainment of a noble object. While he lived he -shared the usual lot of those whose large philanthropy outruns the -narrow policy of those around them. His motives were seldom understood, -and in consequence he was thwarted and maligned. Nor was it till death -had removed him from the scene that either the grandeur of his projects -or the depth of his self-denying, unobtrusive piety was generally -appreciated. At length, however, his character has begun to be revered. -It is perceived that he was, at least, a far-sighted man; and that in -his own labours he was laying the foundations for the successes of -thousands; while in the church of Christ he is had in reverence as the -Apostle of New Zealand--a title of high distinction, yet by no means -misapplied to one who, in the simplicity of his faith as well as in zeal -and self-denying labours, was truly an apostolic man. - -Of his early life the memorials are but scanty. His father was a -tradesman at Horsforth, a village in the neighbourhood of Leeds; and -both his parents are known in the traditions of his family as having -been persons of integrity and piety, attached to the ministry of the -Wesleyan Methodists. He was born on the 28th of July, 1764, and after -receiving the elements of learning at a village school, was placed in -the free grammar-school of Hull, of which the celebrated Dr. Joseph -Milner, the ecclesiastical historian, and brother to the no less eminent -Dr. Isaac Milner, dean of Carlisle, was then head master. Here he was on -the same form with Dr. Dealtry, the late rector of Clapham and -chancellor of Winchester. Of his early youth little more is known; for -his modesty, rather than any sentiment of false shame, to which indeed -his whole nature was opposed, seldom permitted him to speak of himself, -or to dwell upon the adventures or incidents of his early life. He was -removed from school to take his share in his father's business; but he -now had higher thoughts, and longed to be a minister of Christ. That he -was a young man of more than ordinary promise is at once evident from -the fact, that he was adopted by the Elland Society and placed at St. -John's college, Cambridge, to study for the ministry of the church of -England. - -The Elland Society, so called from the parish in which its meetings are -held, is an institution to which the cause of evangelical truth in the -church of England has been much indebted for the last sixty or seventy -years. It is simply an association of pious members of the church of -England, who assist young men of enlightened zeal and suitable talents -with the means of obtaining an education with a view to the Christian -ministry. In its early days, the funds were supplied by Thornton, -Simeon, Wilberforce, and others like minded with themselves; and the -society was managed by a few devoted clergymen of Yorkshire and the -neighbouring counties; amongst whom were Venn of Huddersfield and Joseph -Milner. To this society Samuel Marsden was introduced by his friend the -Reverend Mr. Whittaker, a neighbouring clergyman; and not without some -apprehensions, it is said, on the part of the latter, lest his simple -and unassuming manner should create a prejudice against him. Such -anxieties were superfluous. The Milners themselves had fought their way -to eminence from the weaver's loom, and well knew how to distinguish -real worth, however unpretending. The piety, the manly sense, and the -modest bearing of the candidate, at once won the confidence of the -examiners; and he was sent to college at their expense. - -Of his college life we are not aware that any memorials have been -preserved. He was, no doubt, a diligent student; and from the warm -friendship which grew up between himself and Mr. Simeon in after life, -we may infer that he profited from his ministry. He had not yet -completed his studies or taken his degree, when, to his great surprise, -an offer was made to him by the government, of a chaplaincy in what was -then designated "His Majesty's territory of New South Wales." That a -post of such importance should have been offered, unsolicited, to a -student hitherto quite unknown, is supposed to have been owing to the -influence of Mr. Wilberforce. He had already secured the appointment of -more than one pious chaplain to the colony, and from its commencement -had always been anxious to promote its moral and religious welfare. At -first, Mr. Marsden declined the tempting offer; for such it undoubtedly -was to a young man in his circumstances, although no human sagacity -could then foresee its vast importance. He was naturally anxious to -complete his studies, and he had a deep and unaffected sense of his own -incompetence, while yet so young and inexperienced. The offer, however, -was repeated and pressed upon him, when he modestly replied, that he was -"sensible of the importance of the post--so sensible, indeed, that he -hardly dared to accept it upon any terms, but if no more proper person -could be found, he would consent to undertake it." The choice reflects, -no doubt, great credit upon the sagacity and spiritual discernment of -those who made it. "Young as he was," says one who knew him well in -after life, Dr. Mason Good, "he was remarkable for a firmness of -principle, an intrepidity of spirit, a suavity of manner, a strong -judgment, and above all, a mind stored with knowledge and deeply -impressed with religious truth, which promised the happiest results." - -He was accordingly appointed as second chaplain to the settlement in New -South Wales, by a royal commission, bearing date 1st January, 1793. He -was ordained shortly afterwards, and proceeded at once to Hull, from -whence he was to take his passage in a convict transport, the only -conveyance, at that period, for the far distant colony; a banishment of -half a world. On the 21st of April, he was married to Miss Elizabeth -Tristan, in whom, for upwards of thirty years, he found not only an -affectionate and faithful wife, but a companion singularly qualified to -share his labours and lighten his toils. Disinterested and generous as -he was, even to a fault, it was to her admirable management that not -only his domestic comfort, but even his means of assisting others so -profusely, was owing in no small degree. While at Hull, an incident -occurred which shows to what an extent, even thus early in life, he -possessed the art of gaining the respect and warm affection of those who -knew him however slightly. While waiting for the sailing of the ship, he -was frequently asked to officiate in various churches. One Sunday -morning, when he was just about to enter the pulpit, a signal-gun was -heard; his ship was about to sail, and it was of course impossible for -him to preach. Taking his bride under his arm, he immediately left the -church and walked down to the beach; but he was attended by the whole -congregation, who, as if by one movement, followed in a body. From the -boat into which he stepped he gave his parting benedictions, which they -returned with fervent prayers, and tender farewells. He now found -himself in a new world. What contrast could indeed be greater, or more -distressing? The calm, though vigorous pursuits of Cambridge, and the -pious circle of warm Christian friends, were at once exchanged for the -society of felons, and the doubly irksome confinement of a convict-ship. -From his journal, which has been fortunately preserved, we make the -following extracts, omitting much which our space does not permit us to -insert. - - "_Sunday, 28th August, 1793._--This morning we weighed anchor, with - a fair wind, and have sailed well all the day. How different this - sabbath to what I have been accustomed to! Once I could meet the - people of God, and assemble with them in the house of prayer; but - now am deprived of this valuable privilege; and instead of living - among those who love and serve the Lord Jesus, spending the - sabbath in prayer and praise, I hear nothing but oaths and - blasphemies. Lord, keep me in the midst of them, and grant that I - may neither in word or deed countenance their wicked practices." - -It was not till the 30th of September that the fleet in which his ship -sailed finally left Cork. The war with France was then raging, and her -fleets were still formidable; so that our merchantmen only ventured to -put to sea in considerable numbers, and under the convoy of a ship of -war. - - "_Cork, 30th September._--This morning the signal was given by the - commodore for all the ships under his convoy to weigh anchor and - prepare for sea. About nine o'clock the whole fleet was under - sail, which consisted of about forty ships. The wind was very - fair, so that we were quickly in the main ocean. I was soon - affected by the motion of the vessel; this rendered me quite unfit - for any religious duties. Oh! how miserable must their state be - who have all their religion to seek when sickness and death come - upon them. Lord, grant that this may never be my case. - - "_Monday, 23rd October._--I have this day been reading a portion - of Dr. Dodd's 'Prison Thoughts.' What an awful instance of human - infirmity is here! What need of humility in every situation, but - more especially in the ministerial office! How needful the - apostle's caution, 'Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed - lest he fall.'" - -The two following entries will be read with pain. The mercantile marine -of England is still capable of great improvement in matters of religion, -but we hope the instances are few in which the commander of a first rate -merchant vessel would follow the examples they record. - - "_Sunday, 29th September._--How different is this sabbath from - those I have formerly known, when I could meet with the great - congregation! I long for those means and privileges again. 'Oh, - when shall I come and appear before God?' Yet it is a great - consolation to me to believe that I am in the way of my duty. I - requested the captain to-day to give me permission to perform - divine service to the ship's company; he rather hesitated, _said - he had never seen a religious sailor_, but at length promised to - have service the following Sunday. - - "_Sunday, 6th October._--The last sabbath the captain promised me - I should have liberty to perform divine service to-day, but to my - great mortification, he now declines. How unwilling are the - unconverted to hear anything of divine truth!" - -But Mr. Marsden was not one of those who are discouraged by a first -repulse. The next Sunday relates his triumph, and, from this time, -divine service, whenever the weather allowed, was statedly performed, -though the captain was a grossly immoral man, and Mr. M. was constantly -subject to annoyance. - - "_Sunday, 13th._--I arose this morning with a great desire to - preach to the ship's company, yet did not know how I should be - able to accomplish my wish. We were now four ships in company. Our - captain had invited the captains belonging to the other three to - dine with us to-day. As soon as they came on board I mentioned my - design to one of them, who immediately complied with my wish, and - said he would mention it to our captain, which he did, and - preparations were made for me to preach. I read part of the church - prayers, and afterwards preached from the 3rd chapter of St John, - the 14th and 15th verses: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the - wilderness,' etc. The sailors stood on the main deck, I and the - four captains upon the quarter-deck; they were attentive, and the - good effects were apparent during the remainder of the day. - - "_Thursday, 12th December._--I have been reading of the success of - Mr. Brainerd among the Indians. How the Lord owned and blessed his - labours to the conversion of the heathen! Nothing is too hard for - the Lord. This gives me encouragement under my present difficult - undertaking. The same power can also effect a change upon those - hardened ungodly sinners to whom I am about to carry the words of - eternal life. - - "_January 1st, 1794._--A new year. I wish this day to renew my - covenant with God, and to give myself up to his service more than - ever I have done heretofore. May my little love be increased, my - weak faith strengthened, and hope confirmed." - -In this humble yet trustful spirit, Mr. Marsden entered his new field of -labour. On board the ship there were a number of convicts, whose daring -wickedness--in which, indeed, they were countenanced by the whole -conduct of the captain and his crew--grieved his righteous soul from day -to day; while at the same time it prepared him, in some measure, for -scenes amidst which his life was to be spent. "I am surrounded," he -says, "with evil-disposed persons, thieves, adulterers, and blasphemers. -May God keep me from evil, that I may not be tainted by the evil -practices of those amongst whom I live." His last sermon was preached, -"notwithstanding the unwillingness there was in all on board to hear the -word of God," from the vision of dry bones (Ezekiel xxvxii.) "I found -some liberty, and afterwards more comfort in my own soul. I wish to be -found faithful at last, and to give up my account with joy to God." To -add to his anxieties, Mrs. Marsden was confined on shipboard, in stormy -weather, and under circumstances peculiarly distressing, "though both -the mother and daughter did well." But the same day the scene -brightened; the perils and privations of the voyage were drawing to a -close, and they were in sight of their future home--that magnificent -Australia--destined hereafter to assume, perhaps, a foremost place among -the nations of the earth, though scarcely known to Europe when Mr. -Marsden first stepped upon its shores; and valued only by the British -government as a settlement for the refuse of our jails. He thus gives -utterance to the feelings of a grateful heart:-- - - "_March 2nd._--I shall ever retain a grateful sense of the mercies - received this day, and the deliverances wrought. The Lord is good, - and a stronghold in the day of trouble, and knows them that fear - him.... As soon as I had the opportunity to go upon deck, I had - the happiness again to behold the land: it was a very pleasing - sight, as we had not seen it since the 3rd of December. We came up - with the Cape about noon." - -In a few days, Mr. Marsden had taken up his abode in the "barracks" of -Paramatta, a few miles from Port Jackson, and entered upon his arduous -and toilsome duties as chaplain to the colony. His first Sunday in -Australia is thus described:--"Saw several persons at work as I went -along, to whom I spoke, and warned them of the evil of sabbath-breaking. -My mind was deeply affected with the wickedness I beheld going on. I -spoke from the 6th chapter of Revelation.--'Behold the great day of his -wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?' As I was returning home, -a young man followed me into the wood, and told me how he was distressed -for the salvation of his soul. He seemed to manifest the strongest marks -of contrition, and to be truly awakened to a sense of his danger. I hope -the Lord will have many souls in this place." He had, for a short time, -a single associate, in the Rev. Mr. Johnson, the senior chaplain, a good -and useful minister, but unequal to the difficulties peculiar to his -situation. This gentleman soon relinquished his appointment, and -returned to England. And thus Mr. Marsden was left alone with a charge -which might have appalled the stoutest heart, and under which even his -would have given way, had he not learned to cast himself for help on One -who comforted the apostle, under circumstances of the keenest suffering, -with the assurance, "My grace is sufficient for thee." On that grace our -missionary chaplain trusted; and he found it all-sufficient. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - Discovery and early History of New South Wales--Becomes a Penal - Settlement--Its state, moral and religious, on Mr. Marsden's - arrival. - - -The colony in which Mr. Marsden was now entering on his labours, and on -which he was to leave the impression both of his holy zeal, and his -far-sighted practical wisdom, is one of whose history our readers may -naturally wish to have some account. We shall therefore suspend our -narrative for a few pages, and lay before them a brief sketch of the -earlier days of the great Australian colony. - -Europeans are indebted for their first knowledge of the existence of the -vast country which now bears the name of Australia, to the enterprise of -Spain and Holland, when these nations were at the head of the world's -commerce, two centuries and a half ago. In 1607, Luis de Torres, who was -sent out by the Spanish government on a voyage of discovery, passed -through the straits which still bear his name, and which separate New -Guinea from the greater continent of Australia; but he was not aware of -its vast extent, and merely concluded that the coasts along which he -sailed were those of a group of islands. Just about the same time, the -Dutch explored the eastern shores of what has since been termed the Gulf -of Carpentaria; and their knowledge of Australia was extended by -subsequent voyagers, of whom the chief was Abel Tasman. In 1642, he -discovered Van Diemen's Land, which was long supposed to be a part of -the great continent named by the Dutch New Holland--the Australia of -modern times. Known as Tasmania, Van Diemen's Land now immortalizes the -great sea-captain. But these discoveries led to no immediate results of -importance; and for upwards of a century New Holland was laid down, in -charts and maps, as a region whose coasts were not defined, and whose -interior was utterly unknown. Early in the reign of George the Third a -noble spirit of enterprise animated the British government. Voyages of -discovery were undertaken in the Southern Seas, under Captains Wallace, -Carteret, and others; and at length the celebrated Captain Cook may be -said to have retrieved a new world from romance and fable, and to have -made it over to England and to the best interests of mankind. - -On the evening of the 19th of April, 1770, unknown land was descried -from the mast-head of the "Resolute," of which Cook was the commander. -The rugged coast of a vast continent seemed to extend far beyond the -sweep of the telescope; and as the sun went down, the vessel, after -soundings, dropped her anchor within a spacious bay. The smoke of -distant fires told that the land was not without inhabitants; and it was -determined, if possible, to open a communication with them. In the -morning, a boat was rowed on shore, and the first Englishman set his -foot upon Australia. A forest extended to the beach, and dipped its -branches into the sea; while an abundant variety of beautiful flowering -shrubs delighted the eye; and from this circumstance "Botany Bay" -received its European name. A dismal solitude prevailed; for the -natives, one or two of whom had been observed crouching behind the -rocks, fled in terror to the woods as the boat approached. After -spending a few hours on shore in search of water and fresh vegetables, -and in the vain attempt to communicate with the savages, the boat -returned at night. The bay was found to abound with fish; and the -sailors were glad to relieve the weary monotony of their many months at -sea, as well as to provide an agreeable change from their diet of salt -meat and mouldy biscuits, in fishing both with nets and lines. Fish too -was a wholesome diet for the sick; and at this period, even in the navy, -sickness, especially from the scurvy, almost invariably attended a long -voyage. - -The natives, seeing the men thus employed, discovered in our sailors -some tastes common to themselves, and at length ventured towards the -fishermen in a couple of light canoes. After paddling about for some -time in evident suspense, they ventured to approach the boat, then came -still nearer and shouted, and having caught a few beads which were -thrown out to them, immediately retired. Gaining courage from the -peaceful conduct of our sailors, who were instructed to continue their -fishing without any attempt to follow them, the natives soon returned -with a canoe laden with fine fish, which they readily bartered for such -trifles as the boat was provided with. They were invited, by signs, to -come on board the ship lying in the offing, which they soon ventured to -do in considerable numbers. At first, they seemed harmless, scarcely -understanding the use of the various novelties on ship board, and not -much surprised by them; and honest, until the sight of ten or twelve -fine turtle crawling on the deck proved too great a temptation. First, -by signs they begged for some of these, and then, not succeeding, made a -childish attempt to carry them off by force. They set little value on -the beads and baubles which generally have so great a charm for savages. -Nothing tempted them to barter but turtle or iron tools and nails, -neither of which could well be spared. On shore it was found almost -impossible to approach them; such was the distrust and dismay with which -they evidently regarded the intrusion of their strange visitors. On -further acquaintance the savages were discovered to be a singularly -helpless and timid race. Their country appeared to be very thinly -peopled, and that chiefly along the coast, for fish were plentiful and -wild animals were few. Of the latter, the largest was scarcely bigger -than a greyhound, and the first sight of it caused great amazement to -the sailors, one of whom rushed into the tent which had been pitched on -the shore for the use of the sick, declaring, with horror depicted on -his countenance, that he had seen an evil spirit. He described it as -having assumed the colour of a mouse with two fore-paws, but that it sat -upon its hind quarters "like a Christian." An animal answering this -description was soon after shot, and the flesh, when roasted, proved -excellent food; it was called by the natives the kangaroo, and had -hitherto been quite unknown to Europeans. There were no beasts of prey; -unless wild dogs deserved that title, but the long grass concealed vast -numbers of snakes and scorpions. At night, the forests were disturbed by -the hideous flight of huge bats; by day, they echoed to the whooping of -cockatoos and the screaming of innumerable parrots. Crows and a few wild -pigeons were occasionally seen, and the rocks abounded with wild fowl, -while now and then an eagle might be seen soaring far above. Such were -the first impressions which Englishmen received, from their great -voyager, of that vast continent. - -On the return of Captain Cook, the accounts he brought home of New South -Wales suggested to the government the idea of making it a vast -prison-house for convicted felons, who had now become a sore burden, as -well as a cause of grave uneasiness, to this country. Its distance and -its solitude recommended it to their choice. It would effectually rid -the mother country of a dangerous class--this was the argument of the -selfish; and it would afford the lost the opportunity of starting afresh -in life--this was the hope of the few benevolent and humane who cared -for the welfare of convicted felons. No one thought of the future -grandeur of Australia. None wrote or spoke at present of our duties to -the aboriginal savages, or probably wasted a thought on the subject of -their conversion. - -In 1778, Botany Bay was selected by Sir Joseph Banks, who had sailed -with Captain Cook as a naturalist and scientific observer, as a most -eligible site for a penal settlement. But the project was no sooner -broached than it had to encounter the most determined opposition from -the public, to most of whom it seemed no doubt utterly chimerical and -absurd. The "Gentleman's Magazine," the great organ of literature and -science at that time, led the van. At first the editors affected to -treat the scheme as an extravagant hoax; afterwards they tell their -readers "with what alarm they read in the public prints that so wild a -project was actually to be carried into execution." However, "it could -never be countenanced by any professional man after a moment's -reflection. Not only the distance, but the utter impossibility of -carrying a number of male and female felons across the line, without -the ravages of putrid disorders sweeping them off by the score, must for -ever render such a plan abortive. The rains, the heats, tempests, -tornados, and mountainous seas to be encountered, were enough to deter -the most reckless of human life from such a hazardous enterprise. If any -such desperadoes could be found, they ventured to foretell that their -fate would for ever be a warning to others not to repeat the attempt." -The subject was not suffered to rest; a few months afterwards SYLVANUS -URBAN--for under this name the editors of that able journal have for -upwards of a century disguised themselves--returned to the charge. "The -ostensible design of the projector," they say, "to prepare a settlement -for the reception of felons on the most barren, least inhabited, and -worst cultivated country in the southern hemisphere, was beyond belief." -Moreover, "Botany Bay was beyond the reach of succour or assistance from -any European settlement." - -Then again the lavish expense of such an establishment was another -serious objection. "It was said that it was to consist of a -post-captain, a governor, with a salary of 500_l._ a-year, a master, and -commander. A lieutenant-governor, with 300_l._ a-year, four captains, -twelve subalterns, twelve sergeants, and one hundred and sixty rank and -file from the marines; a surgeon, chaplain, and quartermaster. The whole -equipment, army, navy, and felons, were to be supplied with two years' -provisions, and all sorts of implements for the culture of the earth, -and hunting and fishing. Some slight buildings were to be run up until a -proper fort and a town could be erected. If such a report could be true, -the expense would equal that of an expedition to the South Seas against -an enemy." If such extravagance were repeated with every freight of -felons, "it would furthermore extinguish all hope of paying off the -national debt." - -We leave the reader to smile while he muses on the short-sightedness -even of wise men, and the strange fluctuations of human opinion. The -government persevered in spite of these prophetic warnings; which -probably represented the general state of feeling on the subject among -educated men in England, with whom, in those days, _Sylvanus_ was no -mean authority. Accordingly, in March 1787, eleven sail, consisting of -the frigate Sirius, an armed tender, three store-ships, and six -transports, assembled at Portsmouth, having on board five hundred and -sixty-five male, and one hundred and ninety-two female convicts, under -Captain Arthur Phillip, an experienced officer, who was appointed -governor of the new colony. The fleet set sail from the Mother Bank, on -the 13th of May, 1787, and after a tedious voyage of eight months, the -whole convoy arrived safely in Botany Bay in the middle of January, -1788. But Captain Cook's description of the country surrounding the Bay -was found far too flattering--the harbour being exposed to tempestuous -gales, which often rolled a heavy sea upon the beach, while the land was -deformed with swamps and barren sand banks. On pressing forward to a -neighbouring creek, marked by Captain Cook as a mere boat harbour, -Governor Phillip had the satisfaction to find one of the finest havens -in the world, in which a thousand sail of the line might ride in safety. -It was then called Port Jackson. The different coves of this harbour -were examined with all possible expedition, and the preference was given -to one which had the finest spring of water, and in which ships might -anchor so close to the shore that, at a very small expense, quays could -be constructed where the largest vessels might unload. This cove is -about half a mile in length, and about a quarter of a mile across at the -entrance. In honour of Lord Sydney, the governor distinguished it by the -name of Sydney Cove. On the twenty-sixth of February, 1788, the British -colours were displayed on these shores; the plan of an encampment, the -first rude outline of the metropolitan city of SYDNEY, was formed. The -spot chosen was at the head of the cove, near a stream of fresh water, -which stole silently along by a thick wood now the site of crowded -streets, the stillness of which for the first time since the creation -was then broken by the rude sound of the labourer's axe, and the hum of -busy men. The anniversary of this great event has for some years been a -festival in New South Wales. Governor Phillip landed with a thousand and -thirty souls; his live stock consisted of six head of horned cattle and -seven horses. The town and district of Sydney has now a population of -three hundred thousand souls; every year the increase is enormous; and -the ratio of each year's increase exceeds the last. - -These figures, however, make but a feeble impression upon us at a -distance. The colonists feel a warmth of enthusiasm such as only the -sight of the marvellous contrast can create. We copy the following -extract from the Sydney Herald on one of these anniversaries--"the -nativity of the city of Sydney and of the colony of New South Wales." - -"When we compare the town and the country as they are now with what they -were then, we may well be proud of British enterprise, and of the local -resources which it has so rapidly and triumphantly developed. How -forcibly are we reminded of the miraculous transformation foretold by -the inspired son of Amoz--'The wilderness and the solitary place shall -be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.' -Let the imagination attempt this day to realize the enchanting contrast. -As we look upon the noble ships riding in our harbour, and the steamers, -yachts, wherries, and boats innumerable, gliding to and fro amid the -joyous excitements of the regatta, let us picture the three humble boats -which, this day fifty-seven years,[A] were slowly creeping up the -unknown waters of Port Jackson, in quest of a sure resting-place for our -first predecessors. As we cast our eye over the elegant buildings which -now skirt our shores on either side, and over the crowds of well-dressed -men, women and children, who are keeping holiday on this our national -festival, let us think of the dense woods which then frowned on Governor -Phillip, of the profound silence that reigned around him, of the awful -sense of solitude with which he and his little band must have been -impressed, and of the exultation they would have felt could they have -foreseen that, within so brief a term, the wilderness they were -approaching would have become 'replenished' with a teeming population, -and have been 'subdued' to the beauty and affluence of civilized life." - - [A] This was published in 1845. - -But the dark side of this romantic picture must not be withheld. The -infant colony was chiefly composed of the worst class of felons; they -were the days of barbarous justice even in England, and it would often -be difficult to say why some convicts were sentenced to transportation, -while others for lighter causes were punished with death. There was, at -that time, a fearful indifference to human life in our penal code. -Punishment was its sole object; amendment was seldom if ever -contemplated. Amongst the convicts there was every shade of crime, but -scarcely any corresponding gradation of punishment. The truth is, true -religion was at its lowest ebb, and pure philanthropy, in consequence, -all but unknown; a formal, heartless religion prevailed; and, as one of -its fruits, a stern and iron code of law. The convict-ship, which has -now become a reformatory school, was rivalled in its horrors only by the -slave-ship; indeed if the physical suffering was greater in the latter, -in moral torture and mental defilement the hold of the convict-ship had, -beyond all doubt, the bad pre-eminence. - -The prisoners consisted of the most abandoned persons of all nations; -British, Dutch, and Portuguese sailors, the polite swindler, and the -audacious highwayman, with their female accomplices. They were shipped -off in chains; during the passage outward a detachment of soldiers was -constantly on guard; and the voyage was seldom accomplished without -bloodshed. The secret plots, in which the prisoners were continually -engaged, broke out into open mutiny whenever circumstances offered a -chance of success; for this purpose a storm, a leak, or a feigned -sickness, was readily taken advantage of. When signs of such -disturbances showed themselves, the ringleaders were seized and tried in -a summary way by court martial; but the sailors often refused to enforce -the sentence, so that it became necessary to compel obedience with -loaded muskets. - -The hold of a convict-ship presented a melancholy picture of human -depravity. In the course of the voyage most of the felons survived the -sense of shame: the sounds of ribaldry and boisterous mirth, mingled -with catches from the popular songs of the day, issued unceasingly from -the prisoners' deck; this uproar was ever and anon increased by more -riotous disturbances, blows and bloodshed followed; and occasionally the -monotony of the voyage was broken by mock trials among the prisoners, to -show that even in the most profligate and abandoned the principle of -justice was not altogether destroyed. When a prisoner committed an -offence against his fellows, a judge was appointed, advocates were -assigned to the prosecutor and the accused, a jury was sworn to try -according to the evidence, witnesses were examined, and the prisoner, -being found guilty, was sentenced to an immediate and brutal punishment. - -From such elements the society of New South Wales was formed. Most of -the convicts, after a short servitude, obtained tickets-of-leave, and -settled upon the parcels of land allotted to them by government; and by -the improvement of such opportunities they easily drew a subsistence -from the soil; others devoted themselves to the care of cattle; while -many more, as the colony increased, betook themselves to trade, by which -means large fortunes were frequently acquired. Many of the convicts in -the course of a few years contrived to amass great wealth, which was -expended in the extension, or improvement of their property. The results -of such industry were to be seen in the cleared inclosures, the neat -orchard, and the trim garden that here and there surrounded a well-built -brick-house. Even here honest labour seems to have been crowned with -success. - -Free settlers were at present few in number, and the convict on his -plot of land had many advantages over them. From acquaintance with the -climate and the modes of cultivation best suited to the soil, as well as -the easiest method of carrying on agricultural operations, he had -learned to avoid many fruitless experiments. He understood the habits -and character of the servants who assisted him, for the labourers were -all of them felons; and he himself had probably shared the same cell, -and worked in the same gang. He understood their principles of action; -and they were infected with his prejudices. They lived together, ate at -the same board and slept under the same roof. Thus a good understanding -was maintained between them by his connivance with their follies or -their vices. The men themselves always preferred a master who had been a -prisoner to a free settler of stricter virtue, and a disposition less -akin to their own; and for such an one they would make extraordinary -exertions, of great importance at seed time and harvest, which a better -master could not obtain at any cost. - -A brotherhood and close fellowship, the fruit of old associations, -sprang up among the convict population. Many considered themselves as -martyrs to the vengeance rather than the justice of the law; others, -transported for political offences, regarded themselves in the light of -patriots. In short a unity of interest cemented them; and each newly -arrived convict ship was heartily welcomed. When it anchored in the -harbour boats swarmed around it, the decks were crowded, the new comers -were loaded with presents of fresh bread and other luxuries. They were -pressed with eager inquiries after absent friends, the comrades they had -left in English jails. They were greeted with the heartiness of old -companions, and without reluctance exchanged the close confinement of -the convict ship for the fellowship of their old acquaintance on shore. -The colony at this time abounded with Irish who had shared in the -rebellion of 1798, and who generally brought with them a fair knowledge -of agriculture without very industrious habits. They attached little -turpitude to their offences, considering themselves rather as sacrificed -to the cause of freedom. Indeed it is well ascertained that some of them -had been banished without even the formality of a trial, some without -any specific sentence as to the term of their transportation, victims to -the angry spirit of the times. They are described as, for the most part, -conducting themselves with great propriety in the hope of one day -regaining their freedom, and being restored to their long absent -friends. Such men as these proved excellent colonists, and successful -settlers. - -The criminal history of the colony in its first years discloses a -dreadful list of both crimes and punishments. Small bodies of the -convicts occasionally broke loose, fled to the woods, and there, setting -all restraints at defiance, became reckless and ferocious. The dread of -punishment did not restrain them from robbery, murder, and the most -appalling crimes. The risks were well calculated, for the chances of -conviction were few, and punishment was uncertain. If they were -detected, a convict, being dead in law, could not be summoned as a -witness. The jury would probably be composed of men who had been sharers -in crimes of equal magnitude, perhaps old associates. The prisoners -would be defended by convict attorneys, a nefarious class with which the -colonial courts were filled. Ineffectual attempts were made to exclude -these men, but the influence they had been suffered already to attain, -made this impracticable. Amongst the most notorious of them was one who -obtained a large practice by dint of his ingenuity, and managed the most -important business in the colony. He had been some years previously -sentenced to transportation for life, for forging a will. He had -resorted to the ingenious device of putting a _fly_ into the mouth of a -dead man, and then guiding his hand to trace his signature to the -writing; and, upon the trial, he swore, with audacious assurance, that -he saw the testator sign the will while _life_ was in him. In passing -sentence, the late Lord Ellenborough took the opportunity of -congratulating the profession on getting rid of such a pest. - -The records of the court are scarcely less painful than the history of -the criminals themselves. The punishments adjudged were frightfully -severe. If they did not reclaim the prisoner, they must have hardened -him beyond recovery, if indeed they did not in many instances torture -him to death. The men thus punished were already convicts it is true, -and more than usual severity may have been justified. But no penal code -emanating from a people professing the name of Christ may inflict savage -and barbarous penalties. They recoil with disgrace upon the legislation -which exacts them, and a whole nation is degraded in the person of its -own malefactors; while God's displeasure is evident both in the increase -and audacity of criminals on the one hand, and in the loss of humane and -virtuous sentiments throughout the community on the other. We have taken -three cases as a specimen of the method in which justice was dealt out -to criminals in the early days of the colony in New South Wales. - -"John Allen, stealing in dwelling-house to the value of forty shillings. -Publicly whipped, hundred lashes, confined in solitary cell at Paramatta -on bread and water for six months, and hard labour at Newcastle three -years." - -"Michael Hoare and James Gilchrist, feloniously and burglariously -breaking and entering Schoolhouse at Kissing Point, and stealing from -there divers articles of property. Twelve months solitary confinement at -Paramatta, two years hard labour in jail gang, then transported for life -to Newcastle." - -"John Hale, Robert Holton, and Peter Allen, killing a bullock with -intent to steal the carcase. Solitary confinement on bread and water for -three years in Paramatta jail, afterwards two years labour in jail gang -there, and afterwards transportation for life to Newcastle."[B] - - [B] See Wentworth's Colony of New South Wales, second edition, 1820. - -Such was the sphere of Mr. Marsden's labours, such the difficulties with -which he had to contend, and the system, too, which, as a magistrate, he -was even called upon to administer. A more hopeless task could scarcely -have been undertaken; but he set himself vigorously to work, looking to -the Strong One for strength, and the fruit was "seen after many days." - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - Mr. Marsden appointed to the Magistracy--Objections to this - considered--Cultivates Land--Charge of Secularity considered--His - connexion with the London Missionary Society, and care of its - Polynesian Mission--Revisits England in 1807. - - -The retirement of the senior chaplain left Mr. Marsden in sole charge of -the spiritual concerns of the infant colony. He had now to officiate at -the three settlements of Sydney, Paramatta, and Hawkesbury without -assistance. The nature of the population, consisting as it did of a mass -of criminals, rendered his ministerial labours peculiarly distressing. -The state of morals was utterly depraved; oaths and ribaldry, and -audacious lying were universal; marriage, and the sacred ties of -domestic life, were almost unknown, and those who, from their station, -should have set an example to the convicts and settlers, encouraged sin -in others by the effrontery of their own transgressions. Under -discouragement such as would have subdued the spirit of most men, did -he, for the long period of fourteen years, continue at his post; cheered -it is true with occasional gleams of success, but upon the whole rather -a witness against abounding vice, than, at present, a successful -evangelist. Nor were domestic trials wanting to complete that process of -salutary discipline by which "the great Shepherd of the sheep" was -preparing his servant for other and wider scenes of labour, and for -triumphs greater than the church in these later days had known. His -firstborn son, a lovely and promising child scarcely two years old, -was thrown from its mother's arms by a sudden jerk of the gig in which -they were seated, and killed upon the spot. It would be impossible to -describe the agonized feelings of the mother under such a bereavement, -nor were the sorrows of the father less profound. He received the -tidings, together with the body of his lifeless boy, we are told, with -"calm, and even dignified submission," for "he was a man who said little -though he felt much." A second stroke, still more painful, was to -follow. Mrs. Marsden, determined not to hazard the safety of another -child, left her babe at home in charge of a domestic while she drove -out. But her very precaution was the occasion of his death: the little -creature strayed into the kitchen unobserved, fell backwards into a pan -of boiling water, and its death followed soon after. Thus early in his -ministerial career the iron entered his own soul, and taught him that -sympathy for the wounded spirit which marked his character through life. - -[Illustration: DISTANT VIEW OF SYDNEY.] - -But from these scenes of private suffering we must turn aside. The -public life and ministerial labours of Mr. Marsden require our -attention; and as we enter upon the review of them we must notice two -circumstances which from the very outset of his career exposed him to -frequent suspicion and obloquy, both in the colony and at home, and -formed in fact the chief materials, so to speak, out of which his -opponents wove the calumnies with which they harassed the greater -portion of his life. - -He had scarcely arrived at his post when he was appointed a colonial -magistrate. Under ordinary circumstances, we should condemn in the -strongest manner the union of functions so obviously incompatible as -those of the Christian minister and the civil judge. To use the words of -a great living authority on judicial questions, a late lord -chancellor,[C] "it is the union of two noble offices to the detriment of -both." Yet it seems in the case before us, that the office was forced -upon Mr. Marsden, not as a complimentary distinction, but as one of the -stern duties of his position as a colonial chaplain, who was bound to -maintain the authority of the law amidst a population of lawless and -dangerous men. Port Jackson, or Botany Bay as it was generally called, -was then and long afterwards merely a penal settlement. The governor was -absolute, and the discipline he enforced was, perhaps of necessity, -harsh and rigid. Resistance to the law and its administrators was of -daily occurrence; life and property were always insecure, and even armed -rebellion sometimes broke out. If the government thought it necessary, -for the safety of this extraordinary community, to select a minister of -the gospel to fill the office of a magistrate, he had no alternative but -to submit, or else to resign his chaplaincy and return home. Mr. Marsden -chose to remain; moved by the hope of being able to infuse something of -the spirit of the gospel into the administration of justice, and to -introduce far higher principles than those which he saw prevailing -amongst the magistrates themselves. In both of these objects he -succeeded to an eminent extent, though not till after the lapse of -years, and a remonstrance carried by himself in person to the government -at home. Justice was dealt even to the greatest criminals more fairly, -and the bench of magistrates grew at length ashamed, in the presence of -the chaplain of Paramatta, of its own hitherto unabashed licentiousness. -But the cost was great. He was involved in secular business from day to -day, and that often of the most painful kind. His equal-handed justice -made him a host of personal enemies in those whose vices he punished; -and, still more, in those whose corrupt and partial administration of -the law was rebuked by the example of his integrity. In the share he was -obliged to take in the civil affairs of the colony differences of -opinion would naturally arise, and angry feelings would, as usual -follow. Of course he was not free from human infirmity, his own temper -was sometimes disturbed. Thus for years, especially during his early -residence in New South Wales, he was in frequent collision with the -magistrates, and occasionally even with the governor. Again and again he -would have resigned his commission, but was not allowed to do so; -meanwhile his mind was often distracted and his character maligned. To -these trials we shall be obliged to refer as we trace his steps through -life; but we mean to do so as seldom as we can, for the subject is -painful, and, since few men can ever be placed in his circumstances, to -most of us unprofitable. - - [C] Lord Brougham. - -Another point on which Mr. Marsden's conduct has been severely, and yet -most unjustly blamed, is that he was engaged in the cultivation of a -considerable tract of land. Avarice and secularity were roundly charged -upon him in consequence; for it was his painful lot through life to be -incessantly accused not only of failings of which he was quite -guiltless, but of those which were the most opposite to his real -character. A more purely disinterested and unselfish man perhaps never -lived. One who under the constant disturbance of every kind of business -and employment, still "walked" more "humbly with his God," is not often -to be found. Yet the cry once raised against him was never hushed; until -at length, having rung in his ears through life, as a warning to him, no -doubt, even in his brightest moments of success, that he should "cease -from man," it was suddenly put to shame at last and buried with him in -his grave. - -The circumstances were these: When he arrived in the colony, in the -beginning of 1794, it was yet but six years old. The cultivation of land -had scarcely begun; it was therefore dependent on supplies of food from -home, and was often reduced to the brink of famine. One cask of meat was -all that the king's stores contained when Mr. Marsden first landed on -those shores from which the produce of the most magnificent flocks and -herds the world has ever pastured was afterwards to be shipped. Governor -Phillip, as we have seen, had laid the foundation of the colony amid -scenes of difficulty and trial which it is fearful to contemplate. In -September, 1795, Captain Hunter arrived, and following in the steps of -his predecessor, exerted himself in clearing land and bringing it under -cultivation. To effect this he made a grant to every officer, civil and -military, of one hundred acres, and allowed each thirteen convicts as -servants to assist in bringing it into order. Mr. Marsden availed -himself of the grant, and his farm soon exhibited those marks of -superior management which might have been looked for by all who were -acquainted with the energy of his character and his love of rural -pursuits. Where land was to be had on such easy terms, it was not to be -desired or expected that he should be limited to the original grant. He -soon possessed an estate of several hundred acres--the model farm of -New South Wales;--and, let it not be forgotten, the source from whence -those supplies were drawn which fed the infant missions of the Southern -Seas, while at the same time they helped their generous owner to support -many a benevolent institution in his own parish and neighbourhood. Years -afterwards he was induced to print a pamphlet in justification of his -conduct in this as well as other particulars on which it was assailed; -and as we copy an extract from it, our feeling is one of shame and -sorrow that it should ever have been required. He says, "I did not -consider myself in the same situation, in a temporal point of view, in -this colony as a clergyman in England. My situation at that period would -bear no such comparison. A clergyman in England lives in the very bosom -of his friends; his comforts and conveniences are all within his reach, -and he has nothing to do but to feed his flock. On the contrary, I -entered a country which was in a state of nature, and was obliged to -plant and sow or starve. It was not from inclination that my colleague -and I took the axe, the spade, and the hoe: we could not, from our -situation, help ourselves by any other means, and we thought it no -disgrace to labour. St. Paul's own hands ministered to his necessities -in a cultivated nation, and our hands ministered to our wants in an -uncultivated one. If this be cast upon me as a shame and a reproach, I -cheerfully bear it, for the remembrance never gives me any cause of -reproach or remorse." Monsieur Perron, a commander sent out by the -French government to search for the unfortunate La Perouse (who had -recently perished in an exploratory voyage to the islands of the South -Pacific), visited Mr. Marsden's farm in 1802, and records, with the -generous admiration his countrymen have never withheld from English -enterprise and industry, his astonishment and delight. "No longer," he -exclaims, "than eight years ago, the whole of this spot was covered with -immense and useless forests; what pains, what exertions must have been -employed! These roads, these pastures, these fields, these harvests, -these orchards, these flocks, the work of eight years!" And his -admiration of the scene was not greater than his reverence for its -owner, "who," he adds, "while he thus laboured in his various important -avocations was not unmindful of the interests of others. He generously -interfered in behalf of the poorer settlers in their distresses, -established schools for their children, and often relieved their -necessities; and to the unhappy culprits, whom the justice of their -offended country had banished from their native soil, he administered -alternately exhortation and comfort." - -Indeed, it would be no easy task to enumerate all the schemes of social, -moral, and spiritual enterprise upon which Mr. Marsden was now employed, -and into all of which he appears to have thrown a force and energy which -is generally reserved, even by the zealous philanthropist, for some one -favoured project. Thus the state of the female convicts, at a very early -period, especially attracted his attention. Their forlorn condition, -their frightful immoralities--the almost necessary consequence of the -gross neglect which exposed them to temptation, or rather thrust them -into sin--pressed heavily upon him, and formed the subject of many -solemn remonstrances, first to the authorities abroad, and when these -were unheeded, to the government at home. The wrongs of the aborigines, -their heathenism, and their savage state, with all its attendant -miseries and hopeless prospects in eternity, sank into his heart; and -under his care a school arose at Paramatta for their children. The -scheme, as we shall explain hereafter, was not successful; but at least -it will be admitted "he did well that it was in" his "heart." He was -often consulted by the successive governors on questions of difficulty -and importance, and gave his advice with respect, but at the same time -with honest courage. Amusing anecdotes are told of some of their -interviews. A misunderstanding had occurred between Governor King and -himself, which did not, however, prevent the governor from asking his -advice. Mr. Marsden was allowed to make his own terms, which were that -he should consider Governor King as a private individual, and as such -address him. Much to his credit, the governor consented. Mr. Marsden -then locked the door, and in plain and forcible terms explained to -_Captain_ King the faults, as he conceived, of _Governor_ King's -administration. They separated on the most friendly terms; and if we -admire the courage of the chaplain, we must not overlook the -self-command and forbearance of the governor. With a dash of -eccentricity the affair was honourable to both parties. - -Another instance of Mr. Marsden's ready tact and self-possession may be -mentioned. Governor King, who possessed, by virtue of his office, the -most absolute power, was not only eccentric but somewhat choleric. On -one occasion, when Mr. Marsden was present, a violent dispute arose -between the governor and the commissary-general. Mr. Marsden not being -at liberty to leave the room, retired to a window, determined not to be -a witness of the coming storm. The governor, in his heat, pushed or -collared the commissary, who in return, pushed or struck the governor. -His excellency, indignant at the insult, called to the chaplain, "Do you -see that, sir!" "Indeed, sir," replied Mr. M., "_I see_ nothing," ---dwelling with jocular emphasis on the word see. Thus good -humour was immediately restored, and the grave and even treasonable -offence of striking the representative of the sovereign was forgotten. -These trifling circumstances are worth relating, not only in -illustration of Mr. Marsden's character, but of the history of the -earlier days of the colony. - -But graver duties had already devolved upon him. Amongst the unpublished -manuscripts of the London Missionary Society, there is one document of -singular interest, in connexion with the name of Samuel Marsden. It is a -memorandum of seventeen folio pages on the state and prospects of their -missions to Tahiti and the islands in the South Seas, dated "Paramatta, -30th January, 1801," and "read before the committee" in London--such was -the slow, uncertain communication fifty years ago with a colony now -brought within sixty days' sail of England--"on the 19th of April, -1802." Foremost in the literature of another generation will stand those -treasures which slumber, for the most part unvalued and undisturbed, on -the shelves of our missionary houses. For men will surely one day -inquire, with an interest similar to that with which we read of the -conversion of Britain in the dim light of Ingulphus and the Saxon -Chronicle, or the venerable Bede, how distant islands were first -evangelized, and through what sorrows, errors, and reverses, the first -missionary fought his way to victory in continents and islands of the -southern hemisphere. And of these, the document which now lies before -us will be esteemed as inferior to none in calm and practical wisdom, in -piety, or in ardent zeal tempered with discretion. - -The circumstances which called it forth were these. The Tahitian -mission, the first great effort of the London Missionary Society, and -indeed the first Protestant mission, with perhaps one exception,[D] to -savage tribes, had hitherto disappointed the sanguine expectations of -its promoters. We trust we shall not be thought to make a display of -that cheap wisdom which consists in blaming the failures of which the -causes were not seen until the catastrophe had occurred, if we say that, -great and truly magnificent as the project was, it carried within itself -the elements of its own humiliation. The faith and zeal of its founders -were beyond all human praise; but in the wisdom which results from -experience, they were of course deficient. "To attempt great things, and -to expect great things," was their motto; but they did not appreciate -the difficulties of the enterprise; nor did they duly estimate the depth -of the depravity of the savage heart and mind. Dr. Haweis, a London -clergyman of great piety and note in those days, preached before the -Society when the first missionary ship, the Duff, was about to sail. He -described to his delighted audience the romantic beauty and grandeur of -the islands which lie like emeralds upon the calm bosom of the Southern -Ocean, and anticipated their immediate conversion as soon as they should -hear the first glad tidings of the gospel. The ship sailed from the -Tower wharf, with flags flying and banners streaming, as if returning -from a triumph, amidst the cheers of the spectators. Amongst the crowd -there stood a venerable minister of Christ, leaning upon the arm of one -who still survives--himself a veteran in the service of his Lord. As -they turned slowly away from the exciting scene, the aged minister -mournfully exclaimed, "I am afraid it will not succeed: there is too -much of man in it." His words were prophetic; for nearly twenty years no -success followed, but one sweeping tide of disappointment and -disaster;[E] till, at length, when, humbled and dejected, about the year -1814, the missionaries, as well as the Society at home, in despair had -almost resolved to abandon the station, the work of God appeared in the -conversion of the king of Tahiti; and with a rapidity to be compared -only to the long, cheerless, period in which they had "laboured in vain, -and spent their strength for nought," the missionaries beheld not only -Tahiti, but the adjacent islands transformed into Christian lands. - - [D] That of the Moravians to Labrador. The Wesleyans had a mission - in the West Indies, and the Society for the Propagation of the - Gospel had long had the care of the Danish missions at Malabar. But - none of these were missions, in the strict sense, among savages. - - [E] This anecdote we relate on the authority of the younger - minister, from whom we received it. The elder one was the Rev. - Samuel Bradburn, the friend and associate of Wesley.--EDITOR. - -It was in the midst of these disasters that Mr. Marsden was consulted, -and wrote the memorandum to which we have referred. If in some places he -seems to lay too great stress upon what may appear to the reader -prudential considerations of inferior importance, let us remind him that -on these very points the missionaries had betrayed their weakness. Their -own quarrels and even the gross misconduct of some few amongst them, -were not less painful to the church at home than their want of success. - -We make a few extracts: - - "... The first and principal object for the consideration of the - directors is to select men properly qualified for the mission; - unless persons equal to the task are sent out nothing can be done. - It may be asked, who are proper persons, and what are the - requisite qualifications? To the question I would reply in general - terms. A missionary should be a man of real sound piety, and well - acquainted with the depravity of the human heart, as well as - experimental religion; he should not be a novice; he should not - only be a good man in the strictest sense of the word, but also - well informed, not taken from the dregs of the common people, but - possessed of some education, and liberal sentiments. He should - rather be of a lively active turn of mind than gloomy and heavy. A - gloomy ignorant clown will be disgusting even to savages, and - excite their contempt. The more easy and affable a missionary is - in his address, the more easily will he obtain the confidence and - good opinion of the heathen. - - "In my opinion a man of a melancholy habit is altogether - unqualified for a missionary; he will never be able to sustain the - hardships attending his situation, nay, he will magnify his - dangers and difficulties and make them greater than what in - reality they may be. A missionary, were I to define his character, - should be a pious good man, should be well acquainted with - mankind, should possess some education, should be easy in address, - and of an active turn. Some of the missionaries who have come to - this colony, are the opposite character to the above. They are - totally ignorant of mankind, they possess no education, they are - clowns in their manners. If the directors are determined to - establish a mission in these Islands there is another object to be - attended to; they must send out a sufficient body and furnish - them with the means of self-defence. Unless the missionaries are - able to protect themselves from the violence of the natives, they - will be in constant danger of being cut off by them. Their lives, - if unprotected by their own strength, will hang sometimes perhaps - upon the fate of a single battle between two contending chiefs. - Can any idea be more distressing than for the lives of a few - defenceless missionaries to depend upon the sudden whim or turn of - an enraged savage, without the means of self-defence? See them - driven, in order to escape the savage fury of the natives, into - holes and caverns of the rocks, suffering every hardship that - nature can bear from hunger, toil, and anxiety, without so much as - the prospect of relief in time of danger from Europe, or - accomplishing in the smallest degree the object of the mission. - Yet this must and will be the case, unless the missionaries are - furnished with the means of self-defence, and are able to convince - the natives of their superiority in point of skill and - protection." - -Many will condemn this counsel. Nor do we feel bound to justify it to -the letter. A reasonable degree of caution in avoiding danger, and under -great emergency in preparing measures for self-defence, may be allowed -even to the missionary. Yet experience shows that his safety chiefly -lies in cultivating and exhibiting the spirit of Him who "suffered the -just for the unjust," and "when led as a lamb to the slaughter, yet -opened not his mouth." - -Various prudential hints follow, on marriage and other delicate -subjects. The reader will smile to learn that fifty years ago it was a -question at missionary boards whether married men were not disqualified -for missionary work. It was argued that their wives would be exposed to -ill-usage from the natives, and that they themselves would be diverted -by the anxieties or the comforts of home from their proper calling. Mr. -Marsden combats both of these objections. "It appears to me that a -married woman, coming along with her husband in the mission, would have -no extraordinary dangers to apprehend from the natives, and would, if a -prudent woman, prove the greatest comfort and protection to her husband, -sweeten his toils and sustain his burdens." Beyond this even Mr. -Marsden's views did not yet extend. The time had not yet come when -experience should drive the friends of missions, in the failure of many -a plausible theory, to fall back simply on the New Testament, not merely -for their principles, for this they did, but for the best and safest -precedents in missionary work. They forgot how large a share of the -honours of the primitive church in its labours for Christ belong to the -weaker sex. That a missionary's wife might be no less, nay in some -instances far more, successful than her husband was a thought not yet -entertained in missionary counsels. They did not foresee that the -instruction of the native woman, and the Christian education of the -heathen child, would soon become the special province of the -missionary's wife. Mrs. Wilson had not yet arisen "a mother in Israel," -nor Mrs. Judson, nor others whose fame is only less in missionary -annals, because their work has been carried on in places less -interesting, or at least less open to the world's gaze, than Calcutta -and Burmah. Nor can we give more than a hesitating and partial consent -to some of the following observations: - - "Civilization must pave the way for the conversion of the - heathen. As the natives in these islands are totally unconnected - with the commercial world, however friendly disposed they may be - towards strangers, they are, nevertheless, in a state of gross - ignorance and barbarity. They must, from their social situation, - their great distance from the civilized part of the world, be less - prepared to receive the gospel than the Esquimaux on the coast of - Labrador or the negroes in the West Indian Islands, and other - parts of the heathen world where the Moravians in general send - their missionaries. The heathens in these islands are, in the - strictest sense, in a state of nature. Hence it becomes the - indispensable duty of the missionaries to use every means for - their civilization, and not to imagine they are already prepared - to receive the blessings of Divine revelation." - -True, they were not prepared. But here we are at variance alike with Dr. -Haweis on the one hand, and Mr. Marsden on the other. "The preparation -of the heart," the wise man tells us, "is from the Lord;" and this is a -kind of preparation which civilization will not supply. It is easy, as -we have said, to find fault with men who, whatever their mistakes, -deserve the veneration of the church. Let it be borne in mind that of -savage life, its horrors, its ferocity, its cannibalism, England then -knew but little. Had they been favoured with the experience we now -possess, they would have felt more deeply how impotent a weapon is -civilization to hew down the strongholds of Satan in a heathen land; -their failures perhaps would have been fewer, and their successes more -speedy if not more complete. A true Christian missionary, amongst -savages, must be of necessity a civilizer. His own pure and quiet -homestead, adorned with the arts of life, his cultivated garden, his -neatly fenced paddock, the corn-field which soon follows, and then the -mill--all these, and, we may say, all the habits and circumstances of -his life, directly tend to civilize; and thus the process of outward -reformation goes on amongst the surrounding tribes, while the spiritual -seed is being sown in the native heart. And it will sometimes happen -that native tribes are civilized before they are converted, simply -because the carnal mind rejects the spiritual lesson, while selfishness, -or the mere love of imitation, (equally powerful in the breast of -children and of savages) induces them readily to adopt European habits. -But after all we question whether the native heathen thus outwardly -changed is one whit more likely to embrace the gospel than before. - -There is, however, much truth in the following remarks; they show a -thoughtful mind, and they prove too, if we are not mistaken, that the -gospel of Jesus Christ has lost nothing of its pristine force after the -lapse of eighteen centuries; for the Christian missions of our own day -have triumphed amidst some difficulties against which even the apostles -had not to contend. "The conduct of the apostles cannot exactly apply as -a guide to the missionaries in these islands; St. Paul was sent to -preach a crucified Jesus, not to savage, but to civilized heathens; to -Greece and Rome, to nations noted for their politeness of manners and -human learning, the inhabitants both of Greece and Rome had obtained the -highest degree of civilization, they were"--intellectually, of course, -Mr. Marsden must be understood to mean--"prepared for the reception of -the gospel; their philosophers had for ages been making diligent -inquiries after the true God; they had erected altars and the most -magnificent temples for the worship of some superior being whom they -knew not. This is not the case with the natives of these islands.... It -is unnecessary for me to contrast the situations of the primitive -apostles and the present missionaries, and to point out their vast -difference. Sacred and profane history will furnish the missionaries -with this information, provided they will study their records." - -Mr. Marsden continued to be through life the confidential adviser of the -London Missionary Society, and the warm friend and, as they passed to -and fro upon their voyages, the kind host of their missionaries. - -His character was now established. The colony was rapidly increasing in -importance; and yet no change had been made in its government, which was -still committed to the absolute direction of a single mind, that of the -colonial governor. He too was a military officer, and not always one of -high position and large capacity, or even of the purest morals; for by -such men the governorship of his Majesty's territory in New South Wales -would have then been disdained. Mr. Marsden had done much, but much more -remained to be accomplished. There were mischiefs that lay far beyond -his reach, and spurned control. On the first establishment of the colony -all the military officers were forbidden to take their wives with -them--the governor and chaplains were the only exceptions--and there is -one instance of a lady whose love to her husband led her to steal across -the ocean in the disguise of a sailor, who was actually sent home again -by Governor Phillip without being permitted to land. Our readers may -anticipate the consequences which followed in an almost universal -licentiousness. The most abandoned females often appeared fearlessly -before the magistrates, well knowing that they would have impunity even -for the greatest crimes; and male offenders used their influence to -obtain a judgment in their favour. Expostulation, remonstrance, and -entreaty Mr. Marsden had tried in vain. "Of all existing spots in New -South Wales the court of judicature at Sydney," it was publicly -affirmed, "was the most iniquitous and abandoned;" and at length a -rebellious spirit broke out, and the authority of the governor, even in -his military capacity, was at an end. The efforts of the faithful -chaplain were now thwarted at the fountain head, and his life was not -unfrequently in danger. Mr. Marsden's sagacity fastened the conviction -on his mind that a crisis was at hand, which could only be averted by -the interference of the government at home. He therefore asked for, and -obtained, permission to revisit England. His fears were just; he had -already assisted in quelling one rebellion, and another of a more -serious nature broke out soon after he embarked, which drove the -governor from the colony, and ended in his recall, and the establishment -of a new order of things. The spiritual fruit of Mr. Marsden's labours -had not yet been great, but already the foundations had been laid for -extensive usefulness. On the eve of his departure, he was presented with -a gratifying address, bearing the signatures of three hundred and two -persons, "the holders of landed estates, public offices, and other -principal inhabitants of the large and extensive settlements of -Hawkesbury, Nepean, and Portland-Head, and adjacent parts of New South -Wales," conveying "their grateful thanks for his pious, humane, and -exemplary conduct throughout this whole colony, in the various and -arduous situations held by him as a minister of the gospel, -superintendent magistrate, inspector of public, orphan, and charity -schools, and in other offices." They thank him too for "his attention -and cares in the improvement of stock, agriculture, and in all other -beneficial and useful arts, for the general good of the colony, and for -his unremitting exertions for its prosperity," and conclude thus:--"Your -sanctity, philanthropy, and disinterestedness of character, will ever -remain an example to future ministers; and that God, whom we serve, may -pour down his blessings upon you and yours to the latest posterity, is -the sincere prayer of those who sign this address." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - Various measures devised for the benefit of New South Wales--The - establishment of Missions in New Zealand--Friendship with Dr. - Mason Good. - - -Mr. Marsden returned home in His Majesty's ship Buffalo, after an -absence of fourteen years. On the voyage he had one of those -hair-breadth deliverances in which devout Christians recognise the hand -of God. The Buffalo was leaky when she sailed, and a heavy gale -threatening, it was proposed that the passengers should quit the ship -and take refuge in a stauncher vessel which formed one of the fleet. Mr. -Marsden objected, Mrs. Marsden being unwilling to leave Mrs. King, the -wife of Governor King, who was returning in the same vessel, and who was -at the time an invalid. In the night, the expected storm came on. In the -morning, the eyes of all on board the crazy Buffalo were strained in -vain to discover their companion. She was never heard of more, and no -doubt had foundered in the hurricane. - -On his arrival in London he waited on the under secretary of state to -report his return, and learned from him that his worst fears had been -realized, and that the colony was already in a state of open -insurrection, headed by the "New South Wales Corps," who were leagued -with several of the wealthier traders. The insurrection was, however, -suppressed, and Lieut.-colonel Macquarie was sent out with his regiment -to assume the government. Lord Castlereagh, the colonial minister, was -quick to perceive the value of such an adviser on the affairs of -Australia as Mr. Marsden, and encouraged him to lay before the -government a full statement of his views. Seldom has it happened to a -private individual to be charged with weightier or more various affairs, -never perhaps with schemes involving more magnificent results. As the -obscure chaplain from Botany Bay paced the Strand, from the colonial -office at Whitehall to the chambers in the city where a few pious men -were laying plans for Christian missions in the southern hemisphere, he -was in fact charged with projects upon which not only the civilization, -but the eternal welfare, of future nations were suspended. Nor was he -unconscious of the greatness of the task. With a total absence of -romance or enthusiasm--for his mind was wanting in the imaginative -faculty on which enthusiasm feeds--he was yet fully alive to the -possible consequences of his visit to his native shores, and intensely -interested in his work. He aimed at nothing less than to see Australia a -great country; and, with a yet firmer faith, he expected the conversion -of the cannibal tribes of New Zealand and the Society Islands; and this -at a time when even statesmen had only learned to think of New South -Wales as a national prison, and when the conversion of New Zealanders -was regarded as a hopeless task, even by the majority of Christian men, -and treated by the world with indifference or scorn. In fact, during -this short visit he may be said to have planned, perhaps unconsciously, -the labours of his whole life, and to have laid the foundation for all -the good of which he was to be the instrument. - -Let us first turn to the efforts he made for the settlements in New -South Wales. The improvement of the convict population was his primary -object, and his more immediate duty. He had observed that by far the -greater number of reformed criminals consisted of those who had -intermarried, or whose wives had been able to purchase their passage -over, and he suggested that those of the convicts' wives who chose to do -so should be permitted to accompany their husbands even at the public -expense. This was refused, and it was almost the only point upon which -his representations failed; but, as a compromise, the wives of the -officers and soldiers were permitted to accompany their husbands, and -not less than three hundred immediately went with a single regiment. To -encourage honesty and industry he recommended not only remission of the -sentence to the well conducted convict, but a grant of land to a certain -extent; with which the government complied. But he had no weak and -foolish sympathy with crime, and long after the period at which we are -now writing, he continued to incur the hatred of a certain class by -protesting, as he never ceased to do, against the monstrous impropriety -of placing men, however wealthy, who had themselves been convicts, on -the magisterial bench. Amongst the convicts he had observed that the -greater number were acquainted with some branch of mechanics or -manufactures; at present, they were unemployed, or occupied in labour -for which they were unfit, and which was therefore irksome to themselves -and of no advantage to the colony. He therefore suggested that one or -two practical mechanics with small salaries, and one or two general -manufacturers, should be sent out to instruct the convicts. But here a -serious obstacle presented itself; for this was the age of commercial -prohibitions, and it was objected that the manufacturers of the mother -country would be injured by such a step. Mr. Marsden met the objection -at once. If the government would but accede to the proposal, "he would -undertake that the enormous expense at which the country was for -clothing the convicts should entirely cease within a certain period." -The wool of the government flocks and the flesh of the wild cattle was -already sufficient to provide both food and raiment for the convicts -without any expense to the parent state, and all he prayed for was, the -opportunity of turning those advantages to the best account. These -requests were granted, and on the same night, and at his own cost, he -set off by the mail for Warwickshire and Yorkshire in search of four -artisans and manufacturers, who were soon upon their way to the scene of -their future operations. - -The vast importance of Australia as the source on which the English -manufacturer must at some future day depend for his supplies of wool, -had already occupied his thoughts. He found that within three years his -own stock without any care on his part, (for his farm was entirely -managed in his absence by a trusty bailiff who had been a convict,) had -upon an average been doubled in number and value. With the energy which -was natural to him, he carried some of his own wool to Leeds, where he -had it manufactured, and he had the satisfaction to learn that it was -considered equal, if not superior, to that of Saxony or France. His -private letters abound with intimations that ere long Australia must -become the great wool-producing country to which the English -manufacturer would look. He was introduced to king George the Third, and -took the liberty, through Sir Joseph Banks, of praying for a couple of -Merino sheep, His Majesty's property, to improve the breed; and his last -letter from England, dated from the Cowes Roads, mentions their -reception on board. We anticipate a little, but must quote the letter, -were it only to let the reader see how possible it is to be at once -diligent in business and fervent in spirit. "We are this moment getting -under weigh, and soon expect to be upon the ocean. I have received a -present of five Spanish sheep from the king's flock, which are all on -board; if I am so fortunate as to get them out they will be a most -valuable acquisition to the colony. I leave England with much -satisfaction, having obtained so fully the object of my mission. It is -the good hand of our God that hath done these things for us. I have the -prospect of getting another pious minister. I am writing to him on the -subject this morning, and I hope he will soon follow us.... On Sunday I -stood on the long boat and preached from Ezekiel xviii. 27: 'When the -wicked man turneth away,' etc. It was a solemn time, many of the -convicts were affected. We sang the Hundredth Psalm in the midst of a -large fleet. The number of souls on board is more than four hundred. God -may be gracious to some of them; though exiled from their country and -friends, they may cry unto him in a foreign land, when they come like -the Jews of old to hang their harps upon the willows, and weep when they -remember Zion, or rather when they remember England."[F] - - [F] To Avison Terry, Esq., Hull. - -The spiritual wants of the colony were not forgotten. He induced the -government to send out three additional clergymen and three -schoolmasters; and happily the selection was intrusted to his own -judgment. A disciple in the school of Venn and Milner, he knew that the -ordinances of the church, though administered by a moral and virtuous -man, or by a zealous philanthropist, were not enough. He sought for men -who were "renewed in the spirit of their minds;" who uttered no mere -words of course when they said at their ordination that they "believed -themselves moved thereto by the Holy Ghost." But here again his task was -difficult; clergymen of such a stamp were but few; the spirit of -missionary enterprise was almost unfelt; and, to say the truth, there -was a missionary field at home, dark and barbarous, and far too wide for -the few such labourers of this class whom the Lord had yet "sent forth -into his harvest." Mr. Marsden, however, nothing daunted, went from -parish to parish till he met with two admirable men, the Rev. Mr. Cowper -and the Rev. Robert Cartwright, who, with their families, accompanied -him on his return. His choice was eminently successful. In a short -account of Mr. Marsden, published in Australia in 1844, they are spoken -of as still living, pious and exemplary clergymen, the fathers of -families occupying some of the most important posts in the colony, and, -"notwithstanding their advancing years and increasing infirmities," it -is added, "there are few young men in the colony so zealous in preaching -the gospel, and in promoting the interests of the church of England." -The schoolmasters too, we believe, did honour to his choice. He had -already established two public free-schools for children of both sexes, -and he was now able to impart the elements of a pious education, and to -train them in habits of industry and virtue. Into all these plans the -archbishop of Canterbury cordially entered, and wisely and liberally -left it to the able founder to select his agents and associates. - -Mr. Marsden likewise urged upon the home administration the necessity of -a female Penitentiary; and obtained a promise that a building should be -provided. That he was deeply alive to the importance of an institution -of this kind, is manifest in his own description of the state of the -female prisoners in the earlier years of the colony, and the deplorable -picture he draws of their immorality and wretchedness. "When I returned -to England in 1807," he says, "there were upwards of fourteen hundred -women in the colony; more than one thousand were unmarried, and nearly -all convicts: many of them were exposed to the most dangerous -temptations, privations and sufferings; and no suitable asylum had been -provided for the female convicts since the establishment of the colony. -On my arrival in London in 1808, I drew up two memorials on their -behalf, stating how much they suffered from want of a proper barrack--a -building for their reception. One of these memorials I presented to the -under secretary of state, and the other to his grace the archbishop of -Canterbury. They both expressed their readiness to promote the object." -Years, however, passed before the consent of the colonial governor could -be gained; and Mr. Marsden's benevolent exertions on behalf of these -outcast women were for some time frustrated. - -The variety of his engagements at this time was equal to their -importance. He had returned home charged with an almost infinite -multiplicity of business. He was the agent of almost every poor person -in the colony who had, or thought he had, important business at home. -Penny-postages lay in the same dim future with electric telegraphs and -steam-frigates, and he was often burdened with letters from Ireland and -other remote parts (so wrote a friend, who published at the time a -sketch of his proceedings in the "Eclectic Review,") the postage of -which, for a single day, has amounted to a guinea; which he cheerfully -paid, from the feeling that, although many of these letters were of no -use whatever, they were written with a good intention, and under a -belief that they were of real value. He had already been saluted, like -the Roman generals of old, with the title of common father of his -adopted country; and one of his last acts before he quitted England, was -to procure, by public contributions and donations of books, "what he -called a lending library" (so writes the reviewer,[G] and the expression -seems to have amused him from its novelty), "consisting of books on -religion, morals, mechanics, agriculture, and general history, to be -lent out under his own control and that of his colleagues, to soldiers, -free settlers, convicts, and others who had time to read." In this, too, -he succeeded, and took over with him a library of the value of between -three and four hundred pounds. - - [G] Eclectic Review, vol. v. pp. 988-995. - -It was during this two-years'-visit to his native land, that Mr. Marsden -laid the foundation of the Church of England mission to New Zealand. In -its consequences, civil and religious, this has already proved one of -the most extraordinary and most successful of those achievements, which -are the glory of the churches in these later times. This was the great -enterprise of his life: he is known already, and will be remembered -while the church on earth endures, as the apostle of New Zealand. Not -that we claim for him the exclusive honour of being the only one -although we believe he was, in point of time, the first who began, about -this period, to project a mission to New Zealand. The Wesleyans were -early in the same field. The Rev. Samuel Leigh, a man whose history and -natural character bore a marked resemblance to those of Mr. Marsden, was -the pioneer of Methodism, and proved himself a worthy herald of the -cross amongst the New Zealanders. A warm friendship existed between the -two. On his passage homewards he was a guest at Paramatta; and no tinge -of jealousy ever appears to have shaded their intercourse, each -rejoicing in the triumphs of the other. Still, Mr. Marsden's position -afforded him peculiar facilities, and having once undertaken it, the -superintendence of the New Zealand mission became, without design on his -part, the great business of his life. - -He had formed a high, we do not think an exaggerated, estimate of the -Maori or New Zealand tribes. "They are a noble race," he writes to his -friend John Terry, Esq., of Hull, "vastly superior in understanding to -anything you can imagine in a savage nation." This was before the -mission was begun. But he did not speak merely from hearsay: several of -their chieftains and enterprising warriors had visited Australia, and -they ever found a welcome at the hospitable parsonage at Paramatta. -Sometimes, it is true, they were but awkward guests, as the following -anecdote will show; which we present to the reader, as it has been -kindly furnished to us, in the words of one of Mr. Marsden's daughters. -"My father had sometimes as many as thirty New Zealanders staying at the -parsonage. He possessed extraordinary influence over them. On one -occasion, a young lad, the nephew of a chief, died, and his uncle -immediately made preparations to sacrifice a slave to attend his spirit -into the other world. Mr. M. was from home at the moment, and his family -were only able to preserve the life of the young New Zealander by -hiding him in one of the rooms. Mr. M. no sooner returned and reasoned -with the chief, than he consented to spare his life. No further attempt -was made upon it, though the uncle frequently deplored that his nephew -had no attendant in the next world, and seemed afraid to return to New -Zealand, lest the father of the young man should reproach him for having -given up this, to them, important point." - -The Church Missionary Society, which had now been established about -seven years, seemed fully disposed to co-operate with him; and at their -request he drew up a memorial on the subject of a New Zealand mission, -not less important than that we have already mentioned, to the London -Missionary Society, on the subject of their Polynesian missions. He -still lays great stress upon the necessity of civilization going first -as the pioneer of the gospel; "commerce and the arts having a natural -tendency to inculcate industrious and moral habits, open a way for the -introduction of the gospel, and lay the foundation for its continuance -when once received" "... Nothing, in my opinion, can pave the way for -the introduction of the gospel but civilization." ... "The -missionaries," he thought, "might employ a certain portion of their time -in manual labour, and that this neither would nor ought to prevent them -from constantly endeavouring to instruct the natives in the great -doctrines of the gospel." ... "The arts and religion should go together. -I do not mean a native should learn to build a hut or make an axe before -he should be told anything of man's fall and redemption, but that these -grand subjects should be introduced at every favourable opportunity, -while the natives are learning any of the simple arts." He adds that -"four qualifications are absolutely necessary for a missionary--piety, -industry, prudence, and patience. Without sound piety, nothing can be -expected. A man must feel a lively interest in the eternal welfare of -the heathen to spur him on to the discharge of his duty." On the three -other qualifications, he enlarges with great wisdom and practical good -sense; but the paper has been frequently printed, and we must not -transfer it to these pages. - -It is no dishonour done to Mr. Marsden if we say that, in mature -spiritual wisdom, the venerable men who had founded the Church -Missionary Society, and still managed its affairs, were at this time his -superiors. Strange indeed it would have been had the case been -otherwise. They listened gratefully and with deep respect to the opinion -of one so well entitled to advise; they determined on the mission, and -they gave a high proof of their confidence, both in the practical wisdom -and sterling piety of their friend, in consulting him in the choice of -their first agents. But they did not adopt his views with regard to the -importance of civilization as the necessary pioneer to the gospel. So -long ago as the year 1815, they thought it necessary to publish a -statement of the principles upon which their mission was established. -"It has been stated," they say, "that the mission was originally -established, and for a long time systematically conducted, on the -principle of first civilizing and then christianizing the natives. This -is wholly a mistake. The agents employed in establishing the mission -were laymen, because clergymen could not be had; and the instructions -given to them necessarily correspond with their lay character. The -foremost object of the mission has, from the first, been to bring the -natives, by the use of all suitable means, under the saving influences -of the grace of the gospel, adding indeed the communication to them of -such useful arts and knowledge as might improve their social condition." -The committee's instructions to their first agents in the mission -abundantly sustain these assertions. Mr. William Hall and Mr. John King -were the two single-hearted laymen to whom, in the providence of God, -the distinguished honour was committed of first making known the gospel -in New Zealand. They bore with them these instructions, ere they -embarked in the same vessel in which their friend and guide Mr. Marsden -himself returned to Australia:--"Ever bear in mind that the only object -of the Society, in sending you to New Zealand, is to introduce the -knowledge of Christ among the natives, and in order to this, the arts of -civilized life." - -Then after directing Messrs. Hall and King "to respect the sabbath day," -to "establish family worship," at any favourable opportunity to -"converse with the natives on the great subject of religion," and to -"instruct their children in the knowledge of Christianity," the -instructions add--"Thus in your religious conduct you must observe the -sabbath and keep it holy, attend regularly to family worship, talk to -the natives about religion when you walk by the way, when you labour in -the field, and on all occasions when you can gain their attention, and -lay yourselves out for the education of the young." - -Mr. Thomas Kendall followed; a third layman, for no ordained clergyman -of the church of England could yet be found. The same instructions were -repeated, and in December, 1815, when the Rev. John Butler, their first -clerical missionary, entered on his labours in New Zealand, he and his -companions were exhorted thus--"The committee would observe that they -wish, in all the missions of the Society, that the missionaries should -give their time as much as possible, and wholly if practicable, first to -the acquisition of the native language, and then to the constant and -faithful preaching to the natives." It is subsequently added--"Do not -mistake civilization for conversion. Do not imagine when heathens are -raised in intellect, in the knowledge of the arts and outward decencies, -above their fellow-countrymen, that they are Christians, and therefore -rest content as if your proper work were accomplished. Our great aim is -far higher; it is to make them children of God and heirs of his glory. -Let this be your desire, and prayer, and labour among them. And while -you rejoice in communicating every other good, think little or nothing -done till you see those who were dead in trespasses and sins, quickened -together with Christ." These passages fully exhibit the views of the -committee of this evangelical Society with regard, not only to the New -Zealand, but to all their other missions. Nor do they stand alone; every -missionary association, taught in many instances by bitter -disappointment, has long since discovered that the arts and sciences do -not prepare the way of the Lord amongst the heathen abroad; just as they -leave unsanctified our civilized heathendom at home. - -But we must return from our digression, which its great importance must -excuse. - -Before he left England, Mr. Marsden formed or renewed an acquaintance -with many great and good men, Mr. Wilberforce, Sir George Grey, the Rev. -Daniel Wilson, late Bishop of Calcutta, the Rev. Charles Simeon, the -Rev. Josiah Pratt, Dr. Olinthus Gregory, and others whose names are dear -to the church of Christ. But we must particularly notice the friendship -which he formed with Dr. Mason Good as productive of the highest -blessings to his friend, and of much advantage to himself. - -The life of this excellent and accomplished person was published by Dr. -Olinthus Gregory, soon after his death, in 1828. He tells us that Dr. -Mason Good, when he became acquainted with Mr. Marsden, had long -professed Socinian principles, but of these had recently begun to doubt, -while he had not yet embraced the gospel of Christ so as to derive -either comfort or strength from it. He was anxious and inquiring; his -father had been an orthodox dissenting minister, and he himself a -constant student and indeed a critical expositor of the Bible. He had -published a translation of the book of Job, with notes, and also a -translation of Solomon's Song of Songs. He saw in the latter a sublime -and mystic allegory, and in the former a poem, than which nothing can be -purer in its morality, nothing sublimer in its philosophy, nothing more -majestic in its creed. He had given beautiful translations of many of -the Psalms; but with all this he had not yet perceived that Christ is -the great theme of the Old Testament, nor did he understand the -salvation of which "David in the Psalms, and all the prophets," as well -as Job the patriarch "did speak." His introduction to Mr. Marsden, in -such a state of mind, was surely providential. He saw, and wondered at, -his self-denial; he admired the true sublimity of his humble, -unassuming, but unquestionable and active piety. "The first time I saw -Mr. Marsden," says his biographer, "was in January, 1808; he had just -returned from Hull, and had travelled nearly the whole journey on the -outside of a coach in a heavy fall of snow, being unable to secure an -inside place. He seemed scarcely conscious of the inclemency of the -season, and declared that he felt no inconvenience from the journey. He -had accomplished his object, and that was enough. And what was that -object, which could raise him above the exhaustion of fatigue and the -sense of severe cold? He had engaged a rope-maker who was willing, at -his (Mr. Marsden's) own expense, to go and teach his art to the New -Zealanders." So writes Dr. Olinthus Gregory. - -As a philosopher who loved to trace phenomena to their causes, Dr. Mason -Good endeavoured to ascertain the principles from which these -unremitting exertions sprang; and, as he often assured his friend, Dr. -Gregory, he could trace them only to the elevating influence of Divine -grace. He could find no other clue; and he often repeated the wish that -his own motives were as pure, and his own conduct as exemplary as those -of Mr. Marsden. Thus light broke in, and at length he received the -gospel "as a little child," and began to adorn it by his conduct. For -several years he was an efficient member of the committee of the Bible -Society, and of that of the Church Missionary Society. To the latter -especially he devoted himself with the utmost activity and ardour, and -at his death, which occurred in 1827, the committee transmitted to Mrs. -Good a resolution expressive of the very high value they set on his -services, and of the heavy loss they were conscious they sustained by -that event. The resolution was accompanied by a letter of cordial -sympathy from the pen of the Rev. Edward Bickersteth, the secretary. -When dying he was, heard, without any suggestion or leading remark from -those around him, to repeat with quivering lips the text, "All the -promises of God in him (Christ Jesus) are Yea, and in him Amen." "What -words," said he, "for a dying man to rest upon!"[H] - - [H] See Life of Dr. Mason Good, by Dr. Olinthus Gregory. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - Return to the Colony--Duaterra--His strange adventures--Mr. - Marsden's Labours in New South Wales--Aborigines--Their - Habits--Plans for their Civilization. - - -Mr. Marsden took what proved to be his last leave of his native land in -August 1809. Resolute as he was, and nerved for danger, a shade of -depression passed across him. "The ship, I understand," he writes to -Mrs. Mason Good, "is nearly ready. This land in which we live is -polluted, and cannot, on account of sin, give rest to any of its -inhabitants. Those who have (sought) and still do seek their happiness -in anything it can give, will meet nothing but disappointment, vexation, -and sorrow. If we have only a common share of human happiness, we cannot -have or hope for more." A few weeks afterwards he addresses the same -Christian lady thus:-- - - "Cambridge, August 1, 1809. - - "Yesterday I assisted my much esteemed friend, Mr. Simeon, but - here I shall have no continuing city. The signal will soon be - given, the anchor weighed, and the sails spread, and the ship - compelled to enter the mighty ocean to seek for distant lands. I - was determined to take another peep at Cambridge, though conscious - I could but enjoy those beautiful scenes for a moment. In a few - days we shall set off for Portsmouth. All this turning and - wheeling about from place, to place, and from nation to nation, I - trust is our right way to the heavenly Canaan. I am happy in the - conclusion, to inform you that I have got all my business settled - in London much to my satisfaction, both with government and in - other respects. The object of my mission has been answered, far - beyond my expectations. I believe that God has gracious designs - towards New South Wales, and that his gospel will take root there, - and spread amongst the heathen nations to the glory of his grace. - - "I have the honour to be, dear madam, - "Yours, in every Christian bond, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -His prayers and devout aspirations for New Zealand had been heard on -high, and "the way of the Lord" was "preparing" in a manner far beyond -his expectations, ardent as they seem. The ship Ann, in which he sailed, -by order of the government, for New South Wales, carried with her one -whom Providence had raised up to act a part, only less important than -his own, in the conversion of that benighted land. - -The ship had been some time at sea before Mr. Marsden observed on the -forecastle, amongst the common sailors, a man whose darker skin and -wretched appearance awakened his sympathy. He was wrapped in an old -great coat, very sick and weak, had a violent cough, accompanied with -profuse bleeding. He was much dejected, and appeared as though a few -days would close his life. This was Duaterra, a New Zealand chieftain, -whose story, as related by Mr. Marsden himself, is almost too strange -for fiction. And as "this young chief became," as he tells us, "one of -the principal instruments in preparing the way for the introduction of -the arts of civilization and the knowledge of Christianity into his -native country," a brief sketch of his marvellous adventures will not be -out of place. - -When the existence of New Zealand was yet scarcely known to Europeans, -it was occasionally visited by a South Sea whaler distressed for -provisions, or in want of water. One of these, the Argo, put into the -Bay of Islands in 1805, and Duaterra, fired with the spirit of -adventure, embarked on board with two of his companions. The Argo -remained on the New Zealand coast for above five months, and then sailed -for Port Jackson, the modern Sydney of Australia, Duaterra sailing with -her. She then went to fish on the coast of New Holland for six months, -again returning to Port Jackson. Duaterra had been six months on board, -working in general as a common sailor, and passionately fond of this -roving life. He then experienced that unkindness and foul play of which -the New Zealander has always had sad reason to complain. He was left on -shore without a friend and without the slightest remuneration. - -He now shipped himself on board the Albion whaler, Captain Richardson, -whose name deserves honourable mention; he behaved very kindly to -Duaterra, repaid him for his services in various European articles, and -after six months cruising on the fisheries, put him on shore in the Bay -of Islands, where his tribe dwelt. Here he remained six months, when the -Santa Anna anchored in the bay, on her way to Norfolk Island and other -islets of the South Sea in quest of seal skins. The restless Duaterra -again embarked; he was put on shore on Norfolk Island at the head of a -party of fourteen sailors, provided with a very scanty supply of water, -bread, and salt provisions, to kill seals, while the ship sailed, -intending to be absent but a short time, to procure potatoes and pork in -New Zealand. On her return she was blown off the coast in a storm, and -did not make the land for a month. The sealing party were now in the -greatest distress, and accustomed as he was to hardship, Duaterra often -spoke of the extreme suffering which he and his party had endured, -while, for upwards of three months, they existed on a desert island with -no other food than seals and sea fowls, and no water except when a -shower of rain happened to fall. Three of his companions, two Europeans -and one Tahitian, died under these distresses. - -At length the Santa Anna returned, having procured a valuable cargo of -seal skins, and prepared to take her departure homewards. Duaterra had -now an opportunity of gratifying an ardent desire he had for some time -entertained of visiting that remote country from which so many vast -ships were sent, and to see with his own eyes the great chief of so -wonderful a people. He willingly risked the voyage, as a common sailor, -to visit England and see king George. The Santa Anna arrived in the -river Thames about July 1809, and Duaterra now requested that the -captain would make good his promise, and indulge him with at least a -sight of the king. Again he had a sad proof of the perfidiousness of -Europeans. Sometimes he was told that no one was allowed to see king -George; sometimes that his house could not be found. This distressed him -exceedingly; he saw little of London, was ill-used, and seldom permitted -to go on shore. In about fifteen days, the vessel had discharged her -cargo, when the captain told him that he should put him on board the -Ann, which had been taken up by government to convey convicts to New -South Wales. The Ann had already dropped down to Gravesend, and Duaterra -asked the master of the Santa Anna for some wages and clothing. He -refused to give him any, telling him that the owners at Port Jackson -would pay him in two muskets for his services on his arrival there; but -even these he never received. - -Mr. Marsden was at this time in London, quite ignorant of the fact that -the son of a New Zealand chief, in circumstances so pitiable, lay on -board a South Sea whaler near London bridge. Their first meeting was on -board the Ann, as we have stated, when she had been some days at sea. -His sympathies were at once roused, and his indignation too; for it was -always ill for the oppressor when he fell within the power of his stern -rebuke. "I inquired," he says, "of the master where he met with him, and -also of Duaterra what had brought him to England, and how he came to be -so wretched and miserable. He told me that the hardships and wrongs -which he had endured on board the Santa Anna were exceedingly great, and -that the English sailors had beaten him very much, which was the cause -of his spitting blood, and that the master had defrauded him of all his -wages, and prevented his seeing the king. I should have been very happy, -if there had been time, to call the master of the Santa Anna to account -for his conduct, but it was too late. I endeavoured to soothe his -afflictions, and assured him that he should be protected from insults, -and that his wants should be supplied." - -By the kindness of those on board, Duaterra recovered, and was ever -after truly grateful for the attention shown him. On their arrival at -Sydney, Mr. Marsden took him into his house for six months, during which -time he applied himself to agriculture; he then wished to return home, -and embarked for New Zealand; but further perils and adventures were in -prospect, and we shall have occasion to advert to them hereafter. For -the present we leave him on his voyage to his island home. - -The Ann touched on her passage out at Rio Janeiro, and Mr. Marsden spent -a short time on shore, where his active mind, already, one would -suppose, burthened with cares and projects, discovered a new field of -labour. The ignorance and superstition of a popish city stirred his -spirit, like that of Paul at Athens. He wrote home to entreat the Church -Missionary Society, if possible, to send them teachers; but this lay not -within their province. From a letter of Sir George Grey's, addressed to -himself, it appears that he had interested some members of the English -government upon the subject, and that while at Rio he had been active in -distributing the Scriptures. - -But he was now to resume his labours in Australia, where he arrived in -safety, fondly calculating upon a long season of peaceful toil in his -heavenly Master's service. His mind was occupied with various projects, -both for the good of the colony and of the heathen round about. His own -letters, simply and hastily thrown off in all the confidence of -friendship, will show how eagerly he plunged, and with what a total -absence of selfish considerations, into the work before him: - - "To John Terry, Esq. "Paramatta, October 26, 1810. - - "DEAR SIR.--I received your kind and affectionate letter, also a - bottle of wheat, with the Hull papers, from your brother; for all - of which I feel much indebted. We had a very fine passage, and I - found my affairs much better than I had any reason to expect. The - revolution had caused much distress to many families, and the - settlement has been thrown much back by this event. My wishes for - the general welfare of the colony have been more successful than I - expected they would be. The rising generation are now under - education in almost all parts of the country. The Catholic priests - have all left us, so that we have now the whole field to - ourselves. I trust much good will be done; some amongst us are - turning to the Lord. Our churches are well attended, which is - promising and encouraging to us. My colleagues are men of piety - and four of the schoolmasters. This will become a great country in - time, it is much favoured in its soil and climate. I am very - anxious for the instruction of the New Zealanders; they are a - noble race, vastly superior in understanding to anything you can - imagine a savage nation could attain. Mr. Hall, who was in Hull, - and came out with us with an intention to proceed to New Zealand - as a missionary, has not yet proceeded, in consequence of a - melancholy difference between the natives of that island and the - crew of a ship called the 'Boyd.' The ship was burnt, and all the - crew murdered; our people, it appears, were the first aggressors, - and dearly paid for their conduct towards the natives by the loss - of their lives and ship. I do not think that this awful event will - prevent the establishment of a mission at New Zealand. Time must - be allowed for the difference to be made up, and for confidence to - be restored. I wrote a letter to Mr. Hardcastle, and another to - Rev. J. Pratt, Secretary to the Society for Missions to Africa and - the East, and have pointed out to them the necessity of having a - ship constantly employed in visiting the islands in the South - Seas, for the convenience, safety, and protection of the - missionaries, either at Otaheite and New Zealand, or at any other - island upon which they may reside.... - - "Your's respectfully, - "(Signed) SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -Great projects are not to be accomplished without many disappointments. -The first attempt is seldom the successful one. In spiritual things, -this may be regarded as the established rule, or law, in accordance to -which the Head of the church controls while he purifies his servants' -zeal. They are made to feel their weakness. Where they expect honour -they meet with opposition, perhaps with scorn. Their favourite plans are -those which bring, for a time, the least success and the greatest -anxiety. Thus they are taught the great lesson of their own weakness, -and the only less important one of the insignificance of others in whom -they trusted. And thus, too, in the painful but salutary school of -adversity, they learn that the highest wisdom is, after all, simply to -accept the cross of Christ, and to cast themselves on the unerring -guidance of the Holy Spirit; and, in a word, "to cease from man." - -The new governor, General Macquarie, had arrived out a few months before -Mr. Marsden. He was an able commander, and had the good of the colony -much at heart; and he had a task of no little difficulty to perform, in -reducing what was still a penal colony, just recovering from a state of -insurrection, into order and obedience. His powers were great; he -considered them absolute. Mr. Marsden, too, was justly tenacious of -public morality and virtue, and still more so of the spiritual -independence of the ministerial character. It seems that the rights of -the governor on the one side, and those of the ministers of religion on -the other, had not been accurately defined by the government at home, -and thus a collision between two minds so firm and so resolute as those -of the governor and Mr. Marsden, was inevitable. Occasions of difference -soon arose; the governor anxious, we doubt not, to raise their character -and elevate their position, with a view to the future welfare of the -colony, placed several of the convicts on the magisterial bench, treated -them with respect, and even invited them to his table. With these men, -Mr. Marsden refused, as a magistrate, to act, or to meet them in society -on equal terms. Some of them were notoriously persons of a bad and -vicious life; while none of them, he thought, could, without gross -impropriety, punish others judicially for the infraction of that law -which they themselves had broken. He would gladly have resigned his -magisterial office, but the governor knew the worth of his services, and -refused to accept his resignation, which was repeatedly tendered. The -new magistrates were of course offended, and became his bitter foes; and -some of them harassed him for twenty years with slanders and libellous -insults, until at length an appeal to the laws of his country vindicated -his reputation and silenced his opponents. Differences of opinion may -exist as to the wisdom of Governor Macquarie's conduct in these civil -affairs, and many will perhaps justify his proceedings; but every -right-minded man will condemn without hesitation the attempts which he -made to lord it over the consciences of the established clergy and other -Christian ministers in the colony, in the discharge of their purely -ministerial work. He wished to dictate even to the pulpit. Mr. Marsden -relates that he once sent for him to the Government-house, and commanded -him to produce the manuscript of a sermon which he had preached nearly a -year before: he did so; when the governor severely commented upon it, -and returned it with the remark that one sentence, which it is more than -probable he did not understand, was "almost downright blasphemy." The -junior clergy were of course still more exposed to the same despotic -interference. The governor wished to prescribe the hymns they should -sing, as well as the doctrines they should teach; and he repeatedly -insisted on their giving out, during divine service, secular notices of -so improper a character, that the military officers in attendance -expressed their disgust. Happy it was for the colony of New South Wales -that he met with an opponent firm and fearless, and at the same time -sound in the faith, such as the senior chaplain. On him menaces and -flattery were lost. The governor, at one time, even threatened him with -a court-martial; nor was the threat altogether an empty one, for he -actually brought one of the junior chaplains, Mr. Vale, before a -court-martial, and had him dismissed the colony. These are painful -facts, and such as, at this distance of time, we should gladly pass over -in silence; but, in that case, what could the reader know of the trials -through which Mr. Marsden passed? - -Yet amidst all these distractions his letters testify that he possessed -his soul in peace, and that "no root of bitterness, troubled" him. He -speaks with respect of the governor, gives him credit for good -intentions, and acknowledges the many benefits he conferred upon the -colony; and when at length he was on the eve of returning home, -Governor Macquarie himself bore testimony to the piety, integrity, and -invaluable services of the only man who had dared patiently yet firmly -to contend with him during a long course of years. - -The records of ministerial life offer little variety, but to pious minds -they are not without interest. Mr. Marsden rose early, generally at four -o'clock during the summer; and the morning hours were spent in his -study. To a Christian minister a few hours of retirement in the morning -are indispensable, or the mind is distracted and the day is lost. Very -early rising is a question of health and constitution as well as of -conscience, and we lay no burden upon those who cannot practise it. To -those who can, the habit is invaluable. Three friends of Mr. Marsden -present us with different examples in this matter. Simeon's twenty -volumes of Horæ Homilicæ, or outlines of sermons, were all written -between five and eight o'clock in the morning. Thomas Scott, the -commentator, seldom had more than three hours a-day in his study and -those three were early ones. Wilberforce on the other hand laments that -he could do nothing till he had had his "full dose of sleep." Those who -cannot rise early may still make the day long by turning to account the -fragments of time and vacant half-hours which are so recklessly -permitted by most men, especially strong men, to run to waste. - -In the early days of the colony, Mr. Marsden used to officiate in the -morning at St. Philip's, Sydney. Roads were bad and conveyances scarce, -and he often walked a distance of fifteen miles to Paramatta, where he -conducted another service and preached again. His preaching is described -as very plain, full of good sense and manly thought, and treating -chiefly of the great foundation truths of the gospel. Man a lost sinner -and needing conversion, Christ an Almighty Saviour pardoning sin, the -Holy Ghost an all-sufficient sanctifier, guide, and comforter, carrying -on the work of grace within the soul. Those who came to hear a great -preacher went away disappointed; those who came to pass a listless hour -were sometimes grievously disturbed. The authenticity of the following -anecdote has been assured to us by Mr. Marsden's surviving friends. - -He was one day walking by the banks of the river, when a convict as he -passed plunged into the water. Mr. Marsden threw off his coat, and in an -instant plunged in after him and endeavoured to bring the man to land. -He contrived however to get Mr. Marsden's head under the water, and a -desperate struggle for life ensued between them; till Mr. Marsden, being -the stronger of the two, not only succeeded in getting safe to shore but -in dragging the man with him. The poor fellow, struck with remorse, -confessed his intention. He had resolved to have his revenge on the -senior chaplain, whose offence was that he had preached a sermon which -had stung him to the quick; and he believed, as a sinner exasperated by -the reflection of his own vices does frequently believe, that the -preacher had meant to hold him up to the scorn of the congregation. He -knew too that the sight of a drowning fellow-creature would draw out the -instant help of one who never knew what fear was in the discharge of -duty; and he threw himself into the stream confident of drowning Mr. -Marsden, and then of making good his own escape. He became very -penitent, was a useful member of society, and greatly attached to his -deliverer, who afterwards took him into his own service, where he -remained for some years. We cannot give a more painful illustration of -the malignity with which he was pursued, than to state that the current -version of this story in the colony was, that the convict had been -unjustly punished by Mr. Marsden as a magistrate, and took this method -of revenge. - -He made the most, too, of his opportunities. At a time when there were -very few churches or clergymen, and the settlers were widely scattered -over large tracts, he frequently made an itinerating ministerial visit -amongst them. He was everywhere received with the greatest cordiality -and respect. On arriving at a farm, a man on horseback was immediately -dispatched to all the neighbours within ten or twelve miles to collect -them for public worship. The settlers gladly availed themselves of these -opportunities, and assembled, in numbers varying from sixty to eighty, -when Divine service was conducted in a vacant barn or under the shade of -a verandah. The next day, he proceeded twenty or twenty-five miles -further on in the wilds, and again collected a congregation. These tours -would often extend over ten days or a fortnight, and were repeated as -his more settled duties permitted. Thus his name became a household -word, pronounced with love and gratitude far beyond the limits of his -parish, or even of the colony; and probably he found some of his most -willing hearers amongst those to whom he thus carried in their solitude -the glad tidings of a salvation which when offered to them week by week -at home they had neglected or despised. - -Yet his duties as principal chaplain were not neglected. From a general -government order, dated September, 1810, it appears that amongst them -were those of an overseer, or chief pastor of the church. "The assistant -chaplains are directed to consider themselves at all times under the -immediate control and superintendence of the principal chaplain, and are -to make such occasional reports to him respecting their clerical duties -as he may think proper to require or call for." A high tribute to his -worth under the circumstances in which he was placed by his opposition -to the governor. The chaplains frequently sought his protection against -arbitrary power, and he willingly fought their battles and his own in -defence of liberty of conscience and the right of conducting God's -worship undisturbed. His connexion with his clerical brethren seems to -have been uniformly happy, and the same remark is true of the -missionaries of various denominations, not a few in number, who, during -a period of twenty years, were virtually under his control. He had -undoubtedly the rare power of governing others in a very high degree, -and it was done noiselessly and with a gentle hand; for the men who -govern well seldom obtrude their authority in an offensive manner, or -worry those they should control with a petty interference. He had the -same kind of influence, and probably from the same cause, over the very -horses in his carriage. He used, in driving from Sydney to Paramatta, to -throw the reins behind the dash-board, take up his book, and leave them -to themselves, his maxim being "that the horse that could not keep -itself up was not worth driving." One of the pair was almost -unmanageable in other hands, but it was remarked that "Captain" always -conducted himself well when his master drove, and never had an -accident. - -Amongst his strictly pastoral cares, two schools for orphans had a -foremost place. A female orphan school was first proposed, and Mr. -Marsden undertook the direction of the work, and became treasurer to the -institution. From its formation in 1800 to the year 1821, two hundred -children were admitted. It may be a question whether the children of -living parents, however ignorant or even dissolute they may be, should -be totally withdrawn from parental sympathies. The presence of a child -may restrain, and its artless remonstrances are often known to touch, a -vicious father or mother whom no other influence can reach; and Dr. -Guthrie's recent experiment in Edinburgh seems to show us that the best -method of Christianizing both child and parent is to instruct the former -well by day, and to send him home at night a little missionary to his -parents, where other teaching would be scorned. But in the case of -orphans no such questions occur, and we must look upon an orphan school -with unmixed satisfaction. A male orphan school followed in due course, -in which the boys were instructed in some trade and then apprenticed. In -both schools the moral and religious training was the chief -consideration; yet Mr. Marsden's connexion with them was attributed by -his enemies to a sordid motive, and even those in power, who should have -known him better, gave public currency to these injurious reports. - -The fact was that when the institutions were founded the treasurer was -allowed a small per centage upon the receipts, as a clerical fee or -stipend; this he allowed to accumulate until he resigned the office, -when he presented the whole sum to the institution. The committee -absolutely refusing to accept it, he purchased cattle from the -government to the full amount, and made a present of them to the orphan -schools. Soon after his return from England it became necessary to erect -new schools. The work was long and tedious, and owing to the want of -labour in the colony, and the idle and drunken habits of the labourers, -nearly ten years elapsed before they were completed, and the work too -was often at a stand for want of funds. These, however, Mr. -Marsden--whom no pecuniary obstacles could daunt--supplied, in a great -measure, out of his own purse, till his advances amounted to nearly -900_l._; and his disinterested conduct in the end occasioned him very -considerable loss. To the latest period he never ceased to take the -warmest interest in the prosperity of these institutions. - -"I am sure," says his daughter, "my father's parish was not neglected. -He was well known to all his parishioners, as he was in the habit of -constantly calling upon them. He was very attentive to the sick, whether -at their own homes or at the government hospital. He also took great -interest in the education of the young. It was through his -instrumentality that many schools were established. His Sunday school, -at the time of which I speak, was in a more efficient state than any I -have since seen; but this my brother-in-law, the Rev. T. Hassell, had a -great deal to do with, as he was then acting as my father's curate. The -factory for the reception of female convicts was built entirely by his -suggestion, and to their religious and moral improvement he devoted a -good deal of his time. It was principally owing to his endeavours to get -this and other institutions in good order that much of his discomfort -with his fellow-magistrates and government officers arose." - -The aborigines of Australia were, even when the colony was first -settled, comparatively few in number; and in painful conformity with -universal experience, they have wasted away before the white man, and -will probably disappear in time from the face of the earth. If the New -Zealander stands highest in the scale of savage nature, the native -Australian occupies perhaps the lowest place. So low, indeed, was their -intellect rated, that when the phrenological system of Drs. Gall and -Spurzheim began to occupy attention, some forty years ago, the skulls of -several of them were sent over to England to be submitted to the -manipulations of its professors, with a view of ascertaining whether the -Creator had not thrust into existence a whole race of idiots--men who -had neither reason to guide them on the one hand, nor well-developed -instinct on the other. They are supposed to be a mixture of the Malay -and negro races, but they have nothing of the muscular strength of the -negro, nor of his mental pliancy, and both in body and mind are far -below the pure Malay. In the infancy of the colony they rambled into the -town of Port Jackson in a state of nudity, and when blankets were -presented to them they were thrown aside as an incumbrance. They seemed -to have no wants beyond those which the dart or spear--never out of -their hands--could instantly supply. Their food was the opossum, but -when this was not to be found they were by no means delicate; grubs, -snakes, putrid whales, and even vermin were eagerly devoured, though -fish and oysters were preferred. They are a nomad or wandering people, -always moving from place to place in search of food, or from the mere -love of change. During the winter, they erect a hut, resembling a -beehive, of rude wicker-work besmeared with clay; but in general a mere -hurdle, such as we use in England for penning sheep, placed to windward -in the ground, is all their shelter; under this they lie with a fire -kindled in the front of it. Our English stragglers have made themselves -well acquainted with their habits, frequently living amongst them for -weeks together in the bush. These all agree in admiration of the skill -with which they throw the dart, which seldom misses, even from a child's -hand, to strike its prey. They are peaceable and inoffensive to -strangers, and kind to their "gins," or wives, and to their children, -unless their savage natures are aroused, when they become horribly -brutal and vindictive. Few savage tribes have been found whose ideas on -religion are less distinct. They believe in a good spirit, _Royan_, and -a bad one, _Potoyan_; but like all savages--like all men, we may say, -either savage or civilized, who know not God--they dread the evil spirit -far more than they love the good one. They offer no prayer, and have no -worship or sacrifices. Civil government is unknown; authority in the -tribe depends on personal strength or cunning. A wandering life with -abundance of provisions, amongst their native woods, shores, and -mountains, is the sum of all the little happiness they know or seek. - -Some efforts were made in the early period of the colony on their -behalf. A district near Port Jackson was assigned them, and they were -encouraged to reside in it; but it was very soon deserted. The roving -habits of the aborigines made any settled residence irksome; and their -wants were so few that they would neither engage in trade, nor submit to -labour for the sake of wages. It retained the name of the Black Town for -many years; but the black men have long since deserted it. Governor -Macquarie, after consulting with Mr. Marsden, then attempted a farm, -and, in connexion with it, a kind of reformatory school at Paramatta, -where they were to be civilized and cured of their migratory habits, and -instructed in the Christian religion. Mr. Marsden took a warm interest -in the scheme, as he did in everything that concerned the welfare of the -aborigines. Still it failed; for it was founded, as experience has -shown, upon wrong principles. Mr. Marsden, however, is not to be blamed -for this; since Governor Macquarie, having now conceived a violent -prejudice against him, omitted his name from the committee of -management, although the institution was placed in his own parish, -introducing those of two junior chaplains; and it was not till the -governor's retirement that he took an active part in its affairs. But -the character of the institution was then fixed, and its approaching -failure was evident. - -Two faults were interwoven with it, either of which must have proved -fatal. In the first place, the attempt to confine a nomad, wandering -tribe within the precincts of a farm, or to bring them to endure, except -it had been by force, the discipline of lads in an English workhouse, -was upon the very face of it absurd. These, we must remember, were the -early days of English philanthropy amongst wild black men. She had yet -to make her blunders and learn her first lessons. Why should a nomad -race be settled upon the workhouse plan, or even confined to an English -farm? Why should they not rather be encouraged to dwell in tents, carry -civilization with them into their own woods and mountains, and, roam, -free and fearless, over those vast regions which God had given them to -possess, until at last they themselves shall wish to adopt the settled -habits of European Christians? A roving life in the wilderness is not -of necessity an idle or a barbarous one. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were -highly civilized, and eminently devout. "Arabians" and "dwellers in -Mesopotamia," wanderers of the desert, heard the word with gladness, and -received the Holy Ghost upon the day of Pentecost. But we do not read -that they were required to live in cities, and abandon the -long-cherished wilderness, with all its solemn associations and grand -delights. And we have not so mean an opinion of Christianity as to -believe that it can thrive only in towns well paved and lighted, or in -farms neatly fenced and artificially cultivated. The true missionary -must track the wandering savage into the desert, and there make himself -his guide and friend; and teach him that the gospel of Jesus Christ is -indeed of God, inasmuch as it is fitted, as no human contrivance can be -fitted, for man, whatever his outward circumstances or his mode of life; -that it knows no difference between the dweller in the tent, and in -"cities, tall and fenced up to heaven." "Barbarian, Scythian, bond or -free," are all alike welcome to its blessings; and we can see no good -reason why there should not be Christian tribes in the wilderness, as -there were patriarchal churches in the plains of the Euphrates, long -before the law was given on Mount Sinai. - -The other mistake was the same which has tainted other missions in their -infancy, and to which we have made some allusion. It was thought -necessary to prepare the savage mind for Christianity, by the -preliminary discipline of a civilizing process. This is inverting the -order in which God proceeds: "The entrance of thy word giveth light." -When the voice of God speaks within, and not before, the demoniac quits -"his dwelling amongst the tombs;" no longer "tears off his raiment" like -a brute beast, unconscious of shame; ceases to be "exceeding fierce," -and is now found "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his -right mind." A few efforts upon this, the right evangelical principle as -we conceive, have been made from time to time amongst these degraded -aborigines; but the success has not been great. A wide field still -remains, thinly peopled and spiritually uncultivated. If these lines -should be read by our Christian friends in Australia, to them we would -venture to commend the glorious enterprise. Let there be one colony at -least in which the aborigines shall share the intruder's prosperity. Let -the vast centre of the Australian continent one day rejoice in its -thronging tribes of Christian aborigines. - -Mr. Marsden's view of the native character may be gathered from the -following statement, which he published in self-defence when charged -with indifference as to their conversion. "More than twenty years ago, a -native lived with me at Paramatta, and for a while I thought I could -make something of him; but at length he got tired, and no inducement -could prevail upon him to continue in my house; he took to the bush -again, where he has continued ever since. One of my colleagues, the Rev. -R. Johnstone, took two native girls into his house, for the express -purpose of educating them; they were fed and clothed like Europeans; but -in a short time they went into the woods again. Another native, named -Daniel, was taken when a boy into the family of Mrs. C.; he was taken to -England; mixed there with the best society, and could speak English -well; but on his return from England he reverted to his former wild -pursuits." In reply to the inquiries made by Mr. Marsden, who once met -Daniel after he returned to his savage state, he said; "The natives -universally prefer a free and independent life, with all its privations, -to the least restraint." Without multiplying instances quoted by Mr. -Marsden, the trial he made with an infant shows that his heart was not -unfriendly towards these people. "One of my boys, whom I attempted to -civilize, was taken from its mother's breast, and brought up with my own -children for twelve years; but he retained his instinctive taste for -native food; and he wanted that attachment to me and my family that we -had just reason to look for; and always seemed deficient in those -feelings of affection which are the very bonds of social life." This boy -ran away at Rio from Mr. Marsden, when returning from England in 1810, -but was brought back to the colony by Captain Piper; and died in the -Sydney hospital, exhibiting Christian faith and penitence. "I mentioned -to the governor," he adds, "some of these circumstances, but not with -any view to create difficulties; so far from it, that I informed him -that I was authorized by the Church Missionary Society to assist any -plan with pecuniary aid, that was likely to benefit the natives of the -colony." A mission was in fact set on foot by this Society; but from -various causes, it failed, and was abandoned. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - Mr. Marsden's correspondence with the London Missionary - Society--Buys the brig Active--His first Voyage to New - Zealand--Journal of Events. - - -Richard Baxter, after describing his ministerial labours at -Kidderminster in preaching and visiting from house to house, has these -remarkable words: "But all these, my labours, even preaching and -preparing for it, were but my recreations, and, as it were, the work of -my spare hours; for my writings were my chiefest daily labour." Mr. -Marsden had his recreations, too. Amidst the anxieties of his colonial -chaplaincy he found or made opportunities to conduct a work which of -itself would have been sufficient to exhaust the energies and to -immortalize the memory of any other man. We devote this chapter to a -short, and, of necessity, imperfect sketch of these his _recreations_ in -the missionary field. - -On his return from England in 1810, he found disastrous tidings of the -Tahitian mission awaiting his arrival. Disheartened by their utter want -of success, divided amongst themselves, distracted with fears of danger -from the natives, several of the missionaries had fled from their posts, -and taken refuge in New South Wales. The work appeared to be on the eve -of ruin, and it was owing in no small measure to the firmness and wise -conduct of Mr. Marsden that it was not, for a time at least, abandoned. -"Sooner," he exclaims, in one of his letters to the Society at home, -"than _that_ shall be the case, I will give up my chaplaincy, and go -myself and live at Otaheite." Yet it was no easy task to inspire others -with his own courage, or to impart his hopeful spirit to a desponding -band of men. He felt the difficulty, and acted towards them in the most -considerate manner. Instead of at once insisting on their return, he -received them into his family, where it is scarcely necessary to say -they were treated with that patriarchal hospitality for which the -parsonage of Paramatta was famed. When a few months had passed, and -their spirits were cheered and their health restored, the question of -their return to Tahiti was introduced and quietly discussed. Their kind -and pious host had never for an instant doubted of their ultimate -success. We have perused numerous letters addressed by him to the London -Missionary Society, and to various friends in England; but in not one of -them is the shadow of a doubt expressed as to the triumph of the gospel -in Tahiti and the Society Islands; and we may extend the remark to the -New Zealand mission, as shown by his correspondence with the Church -Missionary Society a few years later. About this period a reaction had -taken place in England amongst religious people. The fond hopes they had -unwisely entertained of seeing vast results wherever the gospel was -introduced among the heathen and upon the first proclamation of it, had -been grievously disturbed; and now the tide ran in the opposite -direction. Nothing appears to have given Mr. Marsden more uneasiness -than the general lukewarmness of the church of Christ at home, and their -despondency as to the success of missions. He speaks of his "anxious -days and sleepless nights." But his own courage never failed; and this -high undoubting faith, it is beautiful to observe, rests always on the -same foundation. It was not, much as he respected them, his confidence -either in the Societies at home, or in their missionaries abroad, but -simply in the promises of God, in the power of the gospel, and in the -unchanging love of Christ for his "inheritance" among the heathen. Thus -the missionaries were induced to return to their deserted posts; and not -only so, but to resume their work in a higher spirit of faith and -cheerfulness. It was not long before hopeful signs broke out, and within -ten years Pomare the sovereign became a Christian king, and the island -of Tahiti a Christian land. - -The distance of these missions from Australia, and the difficulty of -communicating with them, suggested to Mr. Marsden the advantage of -employing a vessel entirely on missionary service. When his mind was -once made up he lost no time; the consent of the Societies in England -could not all at once be gained; so he resolved, at his own cost, to -purchase a missionary ship, the first probably that ever floated on the -deep, and bought the Active, a brig of a hundred tons burden, for the -service of the two great missions on which his heart was fixed. The -following letter, addressed to the Rev. George Burder, though written -two years later, is introduced here to complete our summary of the -re-establishment of the Tahitian mission: - - "Paramatta, June 9, 1815. - - "REV. AND DEAR SIR,--I received a short letter from you by the - late arrivals, and found you had not got any very interesting - accounts from the brethren at Otaheite. The last account I had - from them, they were going on exceedingly well, and the Lord was - owning and blessing their labours. You will hear I lately visited - New Zealand, and also my views of that island. Finding that the - Societies in London could not make up their minds, neither as a - body nor as individuals, to send out a vessel, I at last - determined to purchase one for the purpose on my own account. The - various expenses attending it have created me some little - pecuniary difficulties; but they are only known to myself, and not - such as will be attended with any serious consequence. I hope in a - little time I shall be able to surmount them; whether I shall keep - the vessel in my own hands or not, I am not certain as yet. I - cannot do it without some assistance at the first; if I could, I - certainly would not trouble any of my friends. The vessel has been - twice at New Zealand, and is gone a third time. When she returns I - intend her to visit the brethren at Otaheite. It is my intention - that she should sail in August next to Otaheite. The brethren - there have been labouring hard to build a vessel for themselves, - which is almost completed. I have agreed to take a share with them - in her. During the time the brethren have been building their - vessel, the work of the Lord appears to have prospered very much, - far beyond all expectation." - -He adds, "I estimate the expenses of the vessel at 1500_l._ per annum, -and I think, if I am not mistaken in my views, that her returns will not -be less than 1000_l._ per annum, and perhaps more. I may venture to say -I should not call on the two Societies for more than the sum I have -stated, namely, 500_l._ per annum from this time. I will not demand -anything if the returns cover the expenses for the use of the vessel." -These returns were to be obtained by "freighting the Active with the -produce of the industry of the natives, and trading with them in -return." This would "stimulate their exertions, correct their vagrant -minds, and enrich them with the comforts and conveniences of civil -life." The letter closes with suggesting yet another mission; for the -large heart of the writer saw in the approaching triumph of the gospel -in his favourite missions only a call to fresh exertions. Even as Paul, -when he had "fully preached from Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum," -sighed after fresh labours, and still remoter conquests for his Lord. "I -wish to mention to you that it would be a great object if the Society -would turn their thoughts a little to the Friendly Islands. New Zealand -being on one side, and the Society Islands on the other, with labourers -now upon them, the Friendly Islands ought not to be left destitute. -These islands are very populous, and as the London Missionary Society -first began the work there, I think they should renew their attempt. I -cannot recommend any establishment upon any of the islands in the South -Seas, unless commerce is more or less attended to, in order to call -forth the industry of the natives. Provided the Society as a body will -not consent to have anything to do with commerce, I see no reason why a -few pious friends might not, who wish to aid the missionary cause. You -cannot form a nation without commerce and the civil arts. A person of -information who is well acquainted with the Friendly Islands informed me -that the labour of a hundred thousand men might be brought into action -upon these islands in producing sugar, cordage, cotton, etc.... A -hundred thousand men will never form themselves into any regular -society, and enjoy the productions of their country without commerce. -Should the Society have any doubts upon the point, let them authorize an -inquiry into the state of these islands, when there is an opportunity -to examine them, and a report of their inhabitants and their productions -laid out before them." Mr. Marsden then describes the openings at New -Zealand, and concludes a long letter thus: "I have stated my sentiments -with great haste. You will excuse the hasty scrawl. I can assure you my -sincere wish and prayer to the great Head of the church is that all may -prosper that love him. I am, dear sir, yours affectionately, -S. MARSDEN." - -A postscript adds:-- - - "Since writing this letter, I have determined to keep the Active - in my own hands." - -Let us now turn to the New Zealand mission, which occupied, from this -time, so large a portion of Mr. Marsden's public life. - -We have mentioned the designation of two laymen, Messrs. Hall and King, -for this mission by the Church Missionary Society in 1808. They sailed -from England, with Mr. Marsden, in 1810, and were soon after followed by -Mr. Kendall, and the three assembled at New South Wales, intending to -sail thence without delay for the scene of their future work. But here -fresh difficulties arose. Mr. Marsden's intention was to accompany them, -and in person to meet the first dangers, and lay, as it were, the first -stone. But this the new governor absolutely forbade. To him, and in fact -to most men in his circumstances, the whole scheme seemed utterly -preposterous. The idea of converting the savages of New Zealand was the -chimera of a pious enthusiast--a good and useful man in his way, but one -who was not to be allowed thus idly to squander the lives of others, to -say nothing of his own. Nor in truth were the governor's objections -altogether without foundation. The last news from New Zealand was that -an English ship, the Boyd, had been seized and burned by the cannibals -in the Bay of Islands, and every soul on board, seventy in all, killed -and eaten. The report was true, save only that, out of the whole of the -ship's company, two women and a boy had been spared to live in slavery -with the savages. A New Zealand chief had sailed on board, as it -afterwards appeared, and had been treated with brutal indignities -similar to those which Duaterra suffered from the captain of the Santa -Anna. He smothered his resentment, and, waiting the return of the Boyd -to the Bay of Islands, summoned his tribe, who, on various pretences, -crowded the deck of the ship, and at a given signal rushed upon the -crew, dispatched them with their clubs and hatchets, and then gorged -themselves and their followers on the horrible repast. All then that Mr. -Marsden could obtain at present was permission to charter a vessel, if a -captain could be found sufficiently courageous to risk his life and ship -in such an enterprise, and to send out the three missionaries as -pioneers; with a reluctant promise from the governor that if on the -ship's return, all had turned out well, he should not be hindered from -following. For some time no such adventurous captain could be found. At -length, for the sum of 600_l._ for a single voyage, an offer was made, -but Mr. Marsden looked upon the sum as far too much; and this, with -other considerations, induced him to purchase his own missionary brig, -the Active, in which Messrs. Hall and Kendall finally set sail for the -Bay of Islands. They carried a message to Duaterra, entreating him to -receive them kindly, and inviting him, too, to return with them to -Paramatta, bringing along with him two or three friendly chiefs. - -Duaterra, after his visit to Mr. Marsden, on his way from England, had -again suffered great hardships from the perfidy of the master of the -Frederick, with whom he had embarked from New South Wales under an -express engagement to be set on shore at the Bay of Islands, where his -tribe dwelt. He was carried to Norfolk Island, and there left; and, to -aggravate his wrongs and sorrows, the vessel passed within two miles of -his own shores and in sight of his long lost home. He was defrauded too -of his share of the oil he had procured with his companions, worth -100_l_. A whaler found him on Norfolk Island, almost naked and in the -last stage of want, and brought him once more to Australia and to his -friend and patron Mr. Marsden. A short stay sufficed; he sailed again -from Sydney, and soon found himself, to his great joy, amongst his -friends in New Zealand. On the arrival of the Active with its -missionaries--the first messengers of Christ who landed on its -shores--he was there to greet them, and to repay, a thousandfold, the -kindness of his friend the minister of Paramatta, in the welcome he -secured for these defenceless strangers. They carried with them too a -present which, trifling as it may seem, was not without its share of -influence in the great work; the story is suggestive, and may serve a -higher purpose than merely to amuse the reader. - -Duaterra had been provided by Mr. Marsden with a supply of wheat for -sowing on his return to New Zealand. No such thing as a field of grain -of any kind had yet waved its golden ears on that fertile soil. To this -accomplished savage the honour belongs of first introducing agriculture -into an island destined, within forty years, to rival the best farms of -England both in the value of its crops and the variety of its produce. -The neighbouring chiefs and their tribes viewed with wonder first the -green ears and then the growing corn. The wild potato, the fern, and a -few other roots were the only produce of the earth they were yet -acquainted with, and when Duaterra assured them that his field of wheat -was to yield the flour out of which the bread and biscuits they had -tasted on English ships were made, they tore up several plants, -expecting to find something resembling their own potato at the root. -That the ears themselves should furnish the materials for a loaf was not -to be believed. Duaterra meant to impose upon them, or else he had been -duped himself, but they were not to be cajoled with the tales of a -traveller. The field was reaped and the corn threshed out, when Duaterra -was mortified with the discovery that he was not provided with a mill. -He made several attempts to grind his corn with the help of a -coffee-mill borrowed from a trading-ship, but without success; and now, -like the inventor of steam navigation, and other benefactors of their -species nearer home, he was laughed at for his simplicity. It is strange -that the ancient Roman _quern_, a hollow stone in which the grain was -pounded, the rudest form in fact of the pestle and mortar, should not -have occurred to him; but the total want of invention is an invariable -characteristic of savage nature. At length the Active brought the -important present of a hand-mill for grinding corn. Duaterra's friends -assembled to watch the experiment, still incredulous of the promised -result; but when the meal began to stream out beneath the machine their -astonishment was unbounded; and when a cake was produced, hastily baked -in a frying-pan, they shouted and danced for joy, Duaterra was now to -be trusted when he told them that the missionaries were good men. And -thus the first favourable impression was made upon the savage Maories, -whose race was in the next generation to become a civilized and -Christian people. - -Messrs Hall and Kendall, having introduced themselves and their mission -in New Zealand, now, in obedience to their instructions, returned to -Sydney accompanied by Duaterra and six other chiefs, amongst whom was -Duaterra's uncle the famous Shunghie, or Hongi, the most powerful of New -Zealand chieftains; such was the confidence which Mr. Marsden's name, -together with the good conduct of the missionaries, had now inspired. -The Active reached New South Wales on the 22nd of August, 1814. Nothing -could exceed the joy which Mr. Marsden experienced on the successful -termination of the voyage, and being filled with an earnest desire to -promote the dissemination of the gospel amongst the New Zealanders, and -having obtained the governor's permission, he determined to accompany -the missionaries on their return to the Bay of Islands. To his friend, -Avison Terry, Esq., he wrote just before he sailed, Oct. 7, 1814--"It is -my intention to visit New Zealand and see what can be done to promote -the eternal welfare of the inhabitants of that island. I have now -several of the chiefs living with me at Paramatta. They are as noble a -race of men as are to be met with in any part of the world. I trust I -shall be able, in some measure, to put a stop to those dreadful murders -which have been committed upon the island for some years past, both by -the Europeans and the natives. They are a much injured people, -notwithstanding all that has been advanced against them. The time is -now come, in my opinion, for them to be favoured with the everlasting -gospel; and I trust to hear the joyful sound in those dark and dreary -regions of sin and spiritual bondage. I have long had the most ardent -wish to visit these poor heathen, but have never till the present time -obtained permission. I have submitted my views to the Church Missionary -Society, and solicited their aid. The expense of establishing a mission -here will at first be very considerable." ... [Here he mentions his -purchase of the Active, etc.] "Should the Society approve of my views, -no doubt they will give their support, but if they cannot enter into -them in the manner I do, I cannot expect that assistance from them which -may be required. My own means will enable me to set the mission on foot -in the first instance, and I have little doubt but it will succeed." -Zeal such as this, tempered with discretion and guided by the "wisdom -which cometh from above," in answer to many believing prayers, could -scarcely fail of its sure reward. - -On the 19th of November, 1814, he embarked on his great mission, with a -motley crew, such as (except perhaps on some other missionary ship) has -seldom sailed in one small vessel--savages and Christian teachers and -enterprising mechanics, their wives and children, besides cattle and -horses. Of this strangely assorted company he gives the following -description: "The number of persons on board the Active, including women -and children, was thirty-five; the master, his wife and son, Messrs. -Kendall, Hall, and King, with their wives and children, eight New -Zealanders, (including Duaterra and his uncle the great warrior Shunghie -or Hongi) two Otaheitans, and four Europeans belonging to the vessel, -besides Mr. John Lydiard Nicholas and myself; there were also two -sawyers, one smith, and a runaway convict whom we afterwards found on -board, a horse and two mares, one bull and two cows, with a few sheep -and poultry. The bull and cows have been presented by Governor Macquarie -from his Majesty's herd." On the 15th December, they were in sight of -land; the next day, the chiefs were sent on shore, and a friendly -communication was at once opened with the natives. But even before they -had landed "a canoe came alongside the Active, with plenty of fish, and -shortly afterwards a chief followed from the shore, who immediately came -on board." Mr. Marsden's fame, as the friend of the New Zealanders, had -arrived before him. "I told them my name, with which they were all well -acquainted.... We were now quite free from all fear, as the natives -seemed desirous to show us attention by every possible means in their -power." The Active dropped her anchor a few days after at Wangaroa, near -the Bay of Islands, the scene of the massacre of the Boyd's crew, and -there amongst the very cannibals by whose hands their countrymen had -fallen so recently the first Christian mission to New Zealand was -opened. A fierce and unholy revenge had been taken, in the murder of -Tippahee, a native chieftain, and all his family, by an English crew who -had visited Wangaroa after the Boyd's destruction, and Tippahee, as Mr. -Marsden always maintained, suffered unjustly, having had no share in the -dreadful massacre. But thus it was; and amongst a people so exasperated -did these servants of the most high God venture forth as the heralds of -the gospel. Seldom since the words of the prophet were first uttered -have they had, in reference to missionaries, a more significant, or a -more correct appropriation than they now received. "How beautiful upon -the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that -publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth -salvation." - -Mr. Marsden's journal of this his first visit to New Zealand is a -document of singular interest, and when published at the time in -England, it made a deep impression. It is written in plain and forcible -language, and is characterized by that vein of good sense and practical -wisdom which so distinguished him. There is no display of his own -sufferings, trials and privations, no affectation of laboured and -studied expression, no highly coloured and partial representation of the -savage condition of the natives. All his aim is to lay the truth before -the Society and the friends of missions, and in doing so he has written -with a degree of accuracy and honest feeling, which while they inform -the understanding at once reach the heart. From this unpretending -record, a few selections will be laid before the reader. And here, too, -we would, once for all, acknowledge our obligations to his "companion in -travel," J. L. Nicholas, Esq., to whose manuscript journal of the visit -to New Zealand, as well indeed as for other communications of great -interest on the subject of Mr. Marsden's life and labours, we shall be -much indebted through the future pages of our work. - -Duaterra and Shunghie had often told of the bloody war, arising out of -the affair of the Boyd, that was raging, while they were at Paramatta, -between the people of Wangaroa (the tribe of Tippahee) and the -inhabitants of the Bay of Islands, who were their own friends and -followers; the Wangaroans accusing the people of the Bay of Islands of -having conspired with the English in the murder of Tippahee. When the -Active arrived, several desperate battles had been fought, and the war -was likely to continue. - -Mr. Marsden was determined to establish peace amongst these contending -tribes. He was known already as the friend of Duaterra and Shunghie; he -now felt that he must convince the other party of his good intentions. -He did not come amongst them as an ally of either, but as the friend of -both; he resolved therefore to pass some time with the Wangaroans; and -with a degree of intrepidity truly astonishing even in him, not only -ventured on shore, but actually passed the night, accompanied by his -friend Mr. Nicholas alone, with the very savages who had killed and -eaten his countrymen. After a supper of fish and potatoes in the camp of -Shunghie, they walked over to the hostile camp distant about a mile. -They received the two white strangers very cordially. "We sat down -amongst them, and the chiefs surrounded us." Mr. Marsden then introduced -the subject of his embassy, explained the object of the missionaries in -coming to live amongst them, and showed how much peace would conduce in -every way to the welfare of all parties. A chief, to whom the Europeans -gave the name of George, acted as interpreter; he had sailed on board an -English ship, and spoke English well. Mr. Marsden tells us how the first -night was passed: "As the evening advanced the people began to retire to -rest in different groups. About eleven o'clock Mr. Nicholas and I -wrapped ourselves in our great coats, and prepared for rest. George -directed me to lie by his side. His wife and child lay on the right -hand, and Mr. Nicholas close by. The night was clear; the stars shone -bright, and the sea in our front was smooth; around us were innumerable -spears stuck upright in the ground, and groups of natives lying in all -directions, like a flock of sheep upon the grass, as there were neither -tents nor huts to cover them. I viewed our present situation with -sensations and feelings that I cannot express, surrounded by cannibals -who had massacred and devoured our countrymen. I wondered much at the -mysteries of providence, and how these things could be. Never did I -behold the blessed advantage of civilization in a more grateful light -than now. I did not sleep much during the night. My mind was too -seriously occupied by the present scene, and the new and strange ideas -it naturally excited. About three in the morning I rose and walked about -the camp, surveying the different groups of natives. When the morning -light returned we beheld men, women, and children, asleep in all -directions like the beasts of the field. I had ordered the boat to come -on shore for us at daylight; and soon after Duaterra arrived in the -camp." - -In the morning he gave an invitation to the chiefs to breakfast on board -the Active, which they readily accepted. "At first I entertained doubts -whether the chiefs would trust themselves with us or not, on account of -the Boyd, lest we should detain them when we had them in our power; but -they showed no signs of fear, and went on board with apparent -confidence. The axes, billhooks, prints, etc., I intended to give them -were all got ready after breakfast; the chiefs were seated in the cabin -in great form to receive the presents, I sat on the one side, and they -on the other side of the table; Duaterra stood and handed me each -article separately that I was to give them. Messrs. Kendall, Hall, and -King, with the master of the Active and his son, were all one after the -other introduced to the chiefs. The chiefs were at the same time -informed what duty each of the three persons were appointed to do. Mr. -Kendall to instruct their children, Mr. Hall to build houses, boats, -etc., Mr. King to make fishing lines, and Mr. Hanson to command the -Active, which would be employed in bringing axes and such things as were -wanted from Sydney, to enable them to cultivate their lands and improve -their country. When these ceremonies were over, I expressed my hope that -they would have no more wars, but from that time would be reconciled to -each other. Duaterra, Shunghie, and Koro Koro shook hands with the -chiefs of Wangaroa, and saluted each other as a token of reconciliation -by joining their noses together. I was much gratified to see these men -at amity once more." - -The chieftains now took their leave, much pleased with the attention of -Mr. Marsden, and still more so with his presents; and they promised for -the future to protect the missionaries and never to injure the European -traders. Some of the presents excited no little wonder; no New -Zealander, except the few who like Duaterra had been on foreign travel, -had ever seen either cows or horses, for the largest quadruped yet -naturalized in the island was the pig, and even that had been introduced -but recently. Duaterra had often told his wondering countrymen of the -horse and its rider, and in return was always laughed at; but when the -horses were now landed and Mr. Marsden actually mounted one of them, -they stood in crowds and gazed in mute astonishment. These traits of -infant civilization are not without their use to those who may hereafter -be cast among barbarous tribes, or may attempt their improvement. - -The first Sunday on which the one true God was worshipped in New Zealand -since the creation, will be for ever memorable in her annals. It was -also Christmas-day, the 25th of December, 1815, "a day much to be -remembered." Mr. Marsden thus describes it: "Duaterra passed the -remaining part of the previous day in preparing for the sabbath. He -inclosed about half an acre of land with a fence, erected a pulpit and -reading desk in the centre, and covered the whole either with black -native cloth or some duck which he had brought with him from Port -Jackson. He also procured some bottoms of old canoes, and fixed them up -as seats on each side of the pulpit, for the Europeans to sit upon; -intending to have divine service performed there the next day. These -preparations he made of his own accord; and in the evening informed me -that everything was ready for divine service. I was much pleased with -this singular mark of his attention. The reading-desk was about three -feet from the ground, and the pulpit about six feet. The black cloth -covered the top of the pulpit, and hung over the sides; the bottom of -the pulpit, as well as the reading-desk, was part of a canoe. The whole -was becoming, and had a solemn appearance. He had also erected a -flagstaff on the highest hill in the village, which had a very -commanding view. - -"On Sunday morning, when I was upon deck, I saw the English flag flying, -which was a pleasing sight in New Zealand. I considered it as the signal -and the dawn of civilization, liberty and religion, in that dark and -benighted land. I never viewed the British colours with more -gratification; and flattered myself they would never be removed, till -the natives of that island enjoyed all the happiness of British -subjects. - -"About ten o'clock we prepared to go ashore, to publish for the first -time the glad tidings of the gospel. I was under no apprehension for the -safety of the vessel; and, therefore, ordered all on board to go on -shore to attend divine service, except the master and one man. When we -landed, we found Koro Koro, Duaterra, and Shunghie, dressed in -regimentals, which Governor Macquarie had given them, with their men -drawn up, ready to be marched into the inclosure to attend divine -service. They had their swords by their sides, and switches in their -hands. We entered the inclosure, and were placed on the seats on each -side of the pulpit. Koro Koro marched his men, and placed them on my -right hand, in the rear of the Europeans: and Duaterra placed his men on -the left. The inhabitants of the town, with the women and children, and -a number of other chiefs, formed a circle round the whole. A very solemn -silence prevailed--the sight was truly impressive. I rose up and began -the service with singing the Old Hundredth Psalm; and felt my very soul -melt within me when I viewed my congregation, and considered the state -they were in. After reading the service, during which the natives stood -up and sat down at the signals given by Koro Koro's switch, which was -regulated by the movements of the Europeans, it being Christmas day, I -preached from the second chapter of St. Luke's gospel and tenth verse, -'Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy," etc. The natives told -Duaterra that they could not understand what I meant. He replied, that -they were not to mind that now, for they would understand by-and-by; and -that he would explain my meaning as far as he could. When I had done -preaching, he informed them what I had been talking about. Duaterra was -very much pleased that he had been able to make all the necessary -preparations for the performance of divine worship in so short a time, -and we felt much obliged to him for his attention. He was extremely -anxious to convince us that he would do everything in his power, and -that the good of his country was his principal consideration. - -"In this manner, the gospel has been introduced into New Zealand; and I -fervently pray that the glory of it may never depart from its -inhabitants till time shall be no more." - -The confidence of the natives in Mr. Marsden was now unbounded, and -scarcely less was the confidence he reposed in them; and he resolved -upon a short coasting voyage, with the view of exploring their different -harbours, and making arrangements for the future extension of the -mission. Many of the chiefs and warriors, led by Duaterra, wished to -sail with him, and without the slightest misgiving, twenty-eight -savages, fully armed after the fashion of their country, were invited on -board the Active, manned as she was by only seven Europeans. "I do not -believe," Mr. Nicholas observes, "that a similar instance can be shown -of such unlimited confidence placed in a race of savages known to be -cannibals. We are wholly in their power, and what is there to hinder -them from abusing it? Next to the overruling providence of God, there is -nothing but the character of the ship, which seems to have something -almost sacred in their eyes, and the influence of Mr. Marsden's name, -which acts as a talisman amongst them. They feel convinced that he is -sacrificing his own ease and comfort to promote their welfare." - -Their leave of absence having nearly expired, Mr. Marsden and his -companions were now obliged to prepare for their voyage homeward. They -had laid the foundations of a great work--how great, none of them could -tell. But they were full of faith in God, while, as patriots, they -exulted in the prospect of extending the renown of dear old England. Mr. -Marsden, in his conversations with the natives, explained to them the -nature of our government, and the form of trial by jury; he discoursed -with them upon the evils of polygamy, and showed his marked abhorrence -of their darling vices--theft and lying. A chisel being lost from the -Active a boat was sent on shore, manned by Duaterra and other -chieftains, to demand restitution; the culprit was not found, nor the -implement restored; but a whole village was aroused from its slumbers at -midnight, and the inhabitants literally trembled with fear of the -consequences when they saw the angry chieftains, though no harm was -permitted to ensue. An example of high integrity was always set. Mr. -Marsden might, for instance, have obtained land, or timber, or, in -short, whatever he required in exchange for ammunition and muskets; but -he sternly interdicted the sale or barter of these articles upon any -terms whatever, and to this resolution he always adhered. Again and -again does he express his determination, as well in this its earliest -stage as in later periods of the mission, rather to abandon the whole -work, which was far dearer to him than life itself, than to suffer it to -be tainted by what he considered so nefarious a barter. "I further told -them," he says, "that the smith should make axes or hoes, or any other -tools they wanted; but that he was on no account to repair any pistols -or muskets, or make any warlike instruments, no not even for the -greatest chiefs upon the island." And he "took an opportunity, upon all -occasions, to impress upon their minds the horrors their cannibalism -excited; how much their nation was disgraced by it, and dreaded on this -account." - -One thing still remained to be done. The missionaries possessed no land, -and were liable, after his departure, to be removed or driven out at the -mere caprice of the tribes amongst whom they settled. He therefore -determined, if possible, to purchase for them a small estate. It -consisted of about two hundred acres; and the first plot of ground to -which England can lay claim in New Zealand was formally made over in a -deed, of which Mr. Nicholas has fortunately preserved a transcript. It -was executed in the presence of a number of chiefs, who were assembled -to take leave of the Active on the day before she sailed, and ran as -follows:-- - - "Know all men to whom these presents shall come, that I, Anodee O - Gunna, king of Rangheehoo, in the island of New Zealand, have, in - consideration of twelve axes to me in hand now paid and delivered - by the Reverend Samuel Marsden of Paramatta, in the territory of - New South Wales, given, granted, bargained, and sold; and by this - present instrument do give, grant, bargain, and sell unto the - committee of the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the - East, instituted in London, in the kingdom of Great Britain, and - to their heirs and successors, all that piece and parcel of land - situate in the district of Hoshee, in the island of New Zealand, - bounded on the south side by the bay of Lippouna and the town of - Rangheehoo, on the north side by a creek of fresh water, and on - the west by a public road into the interior, together with all - the rights, members, privileges, and appurtenances thereto - belonging; to have and to hold to the aforesaid committee of the - Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East, instituted in - London, in the kingdom of Great Britain, their heirs, successors, - and assigns, for ever, clear and freed from all taxes, charges, - impositions, and contributions whatsoever, as and for their own - absolute and proper estate for ever. - - "In testimony whereof I have to these presents, thus done and - given, set my hand at Hoshee, in the island of New Zealand, this - twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of Christ, one thousand - eight hundred and fifteen. - - (Signatures to the grant.) "THOMAS KENDALL. - "J. L. NICHOLAS." - -To this was affixed a complete drawing of the "amoco," or tattooing of -Gunna's face, done by Shunghie, on one side of which he set his mark. - -We need scarcely remind the reader how closely this transaction -resembles the famous contract of William Penn with the native Indians, -by which he became possessed of Pennsylvania. Much and justly as Penn -has been admired, Mr. Marsden's conduct is even more worthy of respect. -Penn sought to found a colony, to place himself at its head, and to -associate his own name with it through generations to come. The chaplain -of Paramatta had not even these motives of honest and laudable ambition; -he sought nothing for himself, nothing for his country, nothing even for -the church of which he was a member, and which he warmly loved. His one -aim was to evangelize New Zealand; to bring a nation of cannibals from -darkness into the marvellous light of the gospel, and from the power of -Satan unto God. His own name appears on the instrument only as the agent -or representative of a missionary society in whom the property was -vested; and yet at the time the purchase was made he was uncertain -whether the bare expenses of his voyage, or even the cost and charges of -his vessel, would ever be repaid to him. He sought neither wealth, nor -honour, nor preferment, but acted with a simple aim to the glory of God. -The memorial of such a name can never perish amongst men; and should it -be forgotten, still his record is on high. - -Mr. Marsden returned from his first voyage to New Zealand accompanied by -no less than ten chiefs, and landed at Sydney on the 23rd of March, -1815. He and Mr. Nicholas immediately presented themselves to the -governor, who "congratulated them on their safe return," from what, in -common with all the colony, he regarded as a most perilous and rash -adventure. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - Death of Duaterra--Trials of Mr. Marsden in the Colony--Libel of - Philo-free--Letter to Rev. George Burder--To Dr. Mason - Good--Sympathy of his Friends in England--Congratulations of the - 46th Regiment, and Mr. Marsden's acknowledgment--Letters of Lord - Gambier, Rev. C. Simeon, and Mrs. Fry. - - -It was not to be expected that a career of unbroken success and easy -triumph should crown the infant mission in New Zealand. Reverses and -delays were to be looked for; they were in the nature of the work -itself; and for such trials Mr. Marsden was prepared. But he had -scarcely arrived at Paramatta before he was involved in sharper -conflicts. No doubt they were a part of God's discipline of love: for if -Paul required "a thorn in the flesh" lest he "should be exalted above -measure," meaner disciples may surely expect to meet with stern rebuffs, -in their career of usefulness and honour; and they will even learn to -accept them with a thankful and a joyous heart. - -The first discouragement was the death of Duaterra. Mr. Marsden had left -him sick; and four days after his departure he expired, surrounded by -his heathen countrymen, from whose superstitions, even to the last, he -was by no means free. "He appeared at this awful moment," Mr. Marsden -writes, describing his last interview, "not to know what to do. He -wished me to pray with him, which I did; but the superstitions of his -country had evidently a strong hold upon his mind; the priest was always -with him, night and day. Duaterra seemed at a loss where to repose his -afflicted mind; his views of the gospel were not sufficiently clear to -remove his superstitions; and at the same time he was happy to hear what -I had to say to him. What horrors do these poor people suffer when they -come to die!" His favourite wife, Dahoo, was inconsolable; and while -Shunghie and his near relatives cut themselves with knives till the -blood gushed out, she sought and found an opportunity to put a period to -her own life by hanging herself, at a short distance from the body of -her husband. None of the natives, not even her relatives, appeared -shocked or surprised. "Her mother," Mr. Kendall wrote, "wept while she -was composing the limbs of her daughter; but she applauded her -resolution, and the sacrifice which she had made for the man she so -tenderly loved. Her father observed her corpse without any apparent -concern. I could not discover a tear at the time it was brought before -him. Two of her brothers smiled on the occasion, and said, 'it was a -good thing at New Zealand.' It is common for women to act thus when -their husbands die; they think that they then go to them." Mr. Marsden, -for a time, was almost overwhelmed. "I could not but view Duaterra, as -he lay dying, with wonder and astonishment; and could scarcely bring -myself to believe that the Divine Goodness would remove from the earth a -man whose life appeared of such infinite importance to his country, -which was just emerging from barbarism and superstition. No doubt but he -had done his work and finished his appointed course, though I fondly -imagined he had only just begun his race. He was in the prime and vigour -of manhood: I judge his age to be about twenty-eight years. In -reflecting on this awful and mysterious event, I am led to exclaim, with -the apostle of the Gentiles, 'Oh the depth of the riches both of the -wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his -ways past finding out!'" - -He was indeed a noble specimen of human nature in its savage state. His -character was cast in the mould of heroes: at the very period of his -death, after ten years of as much privation, danger, and hardship as -nature could well bear, his courage was unsubdued, and his patriotism -and enterprise unabated. He told Mr. Marsden with an air of triumph, "I -have now introduced the cultivation of wheat into New Zealand; New -Zealand will become a great country; in two years more I shall be able -to export wheat to Port Jackson, in exchange for hoes, axes, spades, tea -and sugar." He had made arrangements for farming on a large scale, and -had formed his plan for building a new town, with regular streets, after -the European mode, on a beautiful situation which commanded a view of -the harbour and the adjacent country. "I accompanied him to the spot," -says Mr. M.; "we examined the ground fixed on for the town, and the -situation where the church was to stand." Had he lived he would have -been the Ulysses of his Ithaca--perhaps its Alfred; and nothing in his -whole life gives us a juster idea of Mr. Marsden's sagacity and keen -perception than the fact of his singling out Duaterra, a sick and -apparently dying common sailor on shipboard, and training him to be a -powerful instrument, in God's hands, for the civilization of New -Zealand. - -Other trials followed the death of Duaterra. Fresh wars broke out. One -hostile tribe encamped in sight of the mission premises, and, no longer -restrained by Mr. Marsden's presence, threatened, not indeed to expel -the missionaries, but to kill and eat them. For months together the -affrighted band kept watch night and day; their children were laid to -sleep in their cots dressed, to be ready for instant flight, and the -boat was always kept afloat, with its oars and sail in readiness. The -storm blew over, and they remained stedfast at their posts. Soon -afterwards, the Wesleyan Methodists established their important and -successful mission in the island, and the missionaries gained strength -from each other in society and mutual counsel. The first Wesleyan -missionary, the Rev. Samuel Leigh, was well known at Paramatta, and Mr. -Marsden viewed his labours with thankfulness and hope; but the reports -which reached him from time to time of the difficulties to which the -missions were exposed still added much to his anxieties. - -And now a series of persecutions began, which, while they never cowed -his brave spirit, harassed and disturbed him more than those who were -acquainted only with the outward features of his strong, dauntless -character would have readily believed. It is greatly to his honour that -all the sufferings to which he was exposed--newspaper libels, official -misrepresentations, and personal abuse--arose immediately out of his -endeavours to raise the morals of the colony, and to protect the unhappy -women who came out as convicts, and were at that time exposed by most -iniquitous neglect to still further degradation. - -Just before his departure for New Zealand, he had addressed an official -letter to the governor, calling his attention to the present state of -Paramatta and its neighbourhood, as far as it related to its public -morals and police, and especially with regard to the female convicts, of -whom upwards of one hundred and fifty, besides seventy children, were -employed in a government factory there, and whose condition, as far as -we can venture to describe it, may be gathered from the following -passage. The scene is painful; it is the dark side of our colonial -history; but those who will not listen to these recitals can know but -little of the obligations which society is under to such men as Howard -and Samuel Marsden, or to heroic women, such as Mrs. Fry. In his letter -to the governor he says: - - "The number of women employed at the factory is one hundred and - fifty; they have seventy children. There is not any room in the - factory that can be called a bed-room for these women and children. - There are only two rooms, and these are both occupied as - workshops; they are over the jail, and are about eighty feet long - and twenty wide. In these rooms there are forty-six women daily - employed, twenty spinning wool upon the common wheel, and - twenty-six carding. There are also in them the warping-machine, - etc., belonging to the factory. These rooms are crowded all the - day, and at night such women sleep in them as are confined for - recent offences, amongst the wheels, wool, and cards, and a few - others, who have no means whatever of procuring a better abode. - The average number of women who sleep in the factory is about - thirty in the whole. Many of these women have little, and some no - bedding; they all sleep on the floor. There is not a candle or - bedstead belonging to the factory. I do not deem it either safe or - prudent that even thirty women should sleep in the factory, which - has been crowded all day with working people; the air must be bad - and contagious. Were the magistrate to compel even half the number - of women, with their children, to sleep in the factory which - belong to it, they could not exist. Not less than one hundred and - twenty women are at large in the night to sleep where they can." - -He urges upon the governor the necessity of at least providing lodgings -in barracks for these poor creatures. "When I am called upon," he adds, -"in the hour of sickness and want to visit them in the general hospital, -or in the wretched hovels where they lodge, my mind is often oppressed -beyond measure at the sight of their sufferings.... And if their dreary -prospect beyond the grave be viewed in a religious light it far exceeds -in horror the utmost bounds of human imagination. As their minister I -must answer ere long at the bar of Divine justice for my duty to these -objects of vice and woe, and often feel inexpressible anguish of spirit, -in the moment of their approaching dissolution, on my own and their -account, and follow them to the grave with awful forebodings lest I -should be found at last to have neglected any part of my public duty as -their minister and magistrate, and by so doing contributed to their -eternal ruin. So powerful are these reflections at times that I envy the -situation of the most menial servant who is freed from this sacred and -solemn responsibility, namely, the care of immortal souls.... I am of -opinion that no clergyman was ever placed in so painful and trying a -situation as far as relates to the moral and religious state of the -people committed to his care. I see them devoted to vice, and infamy, -and extreme wretchedness while living, and when they come to die -suffering all the horror of mind and anguish of spirit that guilt can -possibly inspire, without the means of applying any remedy in either -case.... I humbly conceive it is incompatible with the character and -wish of the British nation that her own exiles should be exposed to -such privations and dangerous temptations, when she is daily feeding the -hungry, and clothing the naked, and receiving into her friendly, I may -add pious bosom, strangers whether savage or civilized of every nation -under heaven." - -The governor courteously replied, acknowledging the receipt of his -letter; but no further steps were taken; and after waiting eighteen -months "without the most distant prospect of obtaining relief for the -female convicts from the colonial government," he sent a copy of his own -letter, with the governor's answer, to the British government at home. -By them it was submitted to a select committee of the House of Commons, -when, in 1819, the state of our jails came under the consideration of -parliament, and was afterwards printed in their report; Lord Bathurst, -the colonial secretary, having previously submitted it to Governor -Macquarie, requesting his opinion on the several matters it contained. -Great exasperation followed; it seemed for a time as if the whole -colony, with scarcely an exception, had risen as one man to crush the -principal chaplain, who alone had dared to expose its profligacy and to -check its abuses. The storm indeed had begun to mutter around his head -before Lord Bathurst's communication was received. The "Sydney Gazette," -which was under the immediate control of the governor, was allowed to -publish from week to week the most scandalous libels upon his character. -At length, a letter appeared signed Philo-free, which Mr. Marsden -suspected, and at length discovered, to have been written by the -governor's secretary; it was aimed not merely against himself--this he -could have borne in silence--but against the conduct and the moral -character of the missionaries in the South Sea Islands, whose -reputation he felt it his duty at every hazard to protect. He therefore -appealed to the laws for shelter and redress, and two successive -verdicts justified the course he took. There were at the time many, even -of his warm friends, in England, who were almost disposed to blame him -for a too sensitive and litigious spirit. But when the whole case lay -before them, the wisest and the mildest men absolved him from the -charge, and heartily approved his conduct. In the place of any comments -of our own we will lay before the reader, in his own words, some of Mr. -Marsden's views upon the subject. They will see the principles by which -he was actuated, and they will learn with amazement how great the -difficulties with which the friends of missions have had to contend from -their own countrymen. The first letter is addressed to the Rev. George -Burder, and was read, as appears from the endorsement it bears, in the -committee of the London Missionary Society, July 10th, 1818, having been -received on the 25th of June. - - "Paramatta, Dec. 9, 1817. - - "REV. SIR,--I wrote to you very fully by Mr. Hassall, and informed - you what state I was in at that time. Since that period I have had - many hard struggles to maintain my ground. A very shameful attack - was made upon me and the missionaries in the South Sea Islands by - the governor's secretary, in an anonymous letter which he - published in the Sydney Gazette, and of which you are already - informed. Since my last I have brought the secretary to the - criminal bar for the libel. Every means were used to pervert - judgment that the cunning and art of certain persons could exert. - After three days' contest, I obtained a verdict against the - secretary. This was a matter of much joy to all who loved the - cause of religion, and also to the colony in general. The trouble, - anxiety, and expense of the trial were very great, as I had only - truth on my side. When I had got a verdict I hoped to enjoy a - little quiet, but the next Gazette in the report made of the - trial, being so false and scandalous, and casting such reflections - on me and my friends, I was compelled to appeal to Cæsar once - more; and last Tuesday the cause was heard before the supreme - court, when I obtained a verdict again. The supreme judge, Justice - Field, is a very upright man, and acted with great independence in - the cause. A verdict was given in my favour to the amount of - 200_l._, with costs. The expense to the secretary will not be much - less than 500_l._ None can tell what I have suffered in my mind - for the last five years, on account of the missions, from the - opposition of those in power. - - "I must request the Society to use their interest with the British - government to check those in authority here from exposing the - missionaries, and those connected with them, to the contempt of - the whole world by such scandalous anonymous publications as that - of which I complain. I have been very anxious to leave the colony - altogether, from the continual anxiety I have suffered, and the - opposition thrown in the way of every measure I have wished to - promote, for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ among the - heathen." - -Yet he had, in truth, no ground for this despondency. St. Paul laid the -foundations of flourishing churches amidst "a great fight of -afflictions;" what wonder if one of the greatest of Protestant missions -in a later age should share in trials from which "the churches in -Macedonia and Achaia" were not exempt? The letter proceeds thus: - -"I am very happy to inform you that all goes on well at the Islands, -notwithstanding the contests here. I have forwarded to you, by this -conveyance, all the letters; from them you will learn the affairs of the -missionaries: I hope all the brethren have joined them. Four thousand of -the natives can now read. I send you one of Pomare's letters to me. Mr. -John Eyre has translated it. You will see what the views of the king -are. He is now writing a dictionary of his own language, and one of the -chiefs is employed at the press. I am very sorry they did not meet the -king's wishes with regard to the printing press, and set it up at -Tahiti, where he lives; taking it away from him was unwise.... The main -work is done now, as far as respects the planting of the gospel. Their -native idols are burned in the fire, and many have 'tasted that the Lord -is gracious' amongst the inhabitants. They sing, and read, and pray, and -teach one another, so that there can be no fear that religion will be -lost in the Islands again. The work has evidently been of God, and he -will carry it on for his own glory. They will now also have their -vessel, by which means they can visit the different islands and Port -Jackson. I should wish much to see them turning their attention to -agriculture, etc., so as to induce habits of industry among the natives, -so that the natives of the Society Islands may rank with civilized -nations." The letter closes, after a minute detail of the affairs of -their missions, with an appeal, which, even at this distance of time, -must be read with pain, and which nothing short of mental agony would -have wrung from such a pen. "I rely with confidence on the Society for -their support and protection. Unless his Majesty's ministers will -interfere, I may expect similar attacks from the same quarter. If this -should be the case, it cannot be expected I should remain in the colony -to be ruined in my character, circumstances, and peace of mind. The last -seven years have been very dreadful. A solitary individual cannot -withstand the influence of those in power, armed with such a deadly -weapon as the public papers, and every other means of annoyance at their -command. I have written on the subject to Lord Bathurst.... - - "I remain, rev. Sir, yours affectionately, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN. - "To Rev. George Burder." - -In the same strain he writes to his friend Dr. Mason Good, inclosing the -letter of Philo-free, and other documents. Amongst other threats, -representations to the archbishop and the bishop of London had been -muttered in the colony, with a view no doubt of inducing them to -withdraw him from his post. "Should you learn," he says, "that any -representations are made to the bishops, and you should deem it -necessary, I will thank you to send them the documents I have -transmitted, or any part of them, for their information. I should also -wish Mr. Wilberforce to be acquainted with them, if you will at any time -take the trouble to lay them before him." Then turning to brighter -objects, he has the following remarkable passage: - - "With regard to New Zealand, I must refer you to the Rev. Josiah - Pratt, (secretary to the Church Missionary Society). Great - difficulties have opposed the establishment upon that island; but - I hope they will all be overcome in time. We have sent two young - men to England, as we think this will greatly tend to enlarge - their ideas, and prepare them for greater usefulness in their own - country. I have no doubt, but that New Zealand will soon become a - civilized nation. If I were inclined to become a prophet I should - say, that all the islands in the South Seas will afford an asylum - for thousands of Europeans hereafter, and New South Wales will - give laws to, and regulate, all their governments in the course of - time. The gospel, humanly speaking, could not be planted in the - South Sea Islands, unless our government had established a colony - in New South Wales. The British government had no view of this - kind when they first formed the colony. How mysterious are all the - ways of Divine Providence! yet may the Divine footsteps be traced, - if we mark attentively what is passing in the world. God, the - Governor of this world, orders all things according to his - infinite mind, and all things well." - -He soon had reason to adopt a happier strain. The trial was severe, the -more so perhaps from the ardour of his own temperament, which, no doubt, -required the chastisement, which became in the highest sense a blessing -both to himself and others. Writing to the same friend, 3rd October, -1818, he says: "When I take a retrospect of all that has passed in this -colony since my return, I see, with wonder and gratitude, the Divine -goodness overruling the wills and affections of sinful men, and making -all things unite in promoting his glory. 'Philo-free' will not be -without its benefit to the great cause. Had this libel never appeared, -the character, constitution and object of the Church, and London -Missionary Societies would not have been known in this settlement for -many years to come; nor would they have gained the friends which they -will eventually do here." - -Letters of congratulation flowed in rapidly, both on account of his -missionary exploits in New Zealand, and of his personal triumph in New -South Wales. We can afford only to give a specimen of each; the one to -show how the successes of the gospel thrilled English Christians with -joy in the infancy of missions; and the other to exhibit the warm -affection with which the great missionary leader of the southern seas -was regarded by his friends at home. - - "From William Terry, Esq., "Hull, 7th May, 1817. - - ..."The account, you gave in your letter, as well as those sent - to the Church Missionary Society, which appeared in the - Missionary Register, were very gratifying to all who have at - heart the prosperity of Zion. I have felt peculiarly interested - in the journal of your voyage to New Zealand, and when at our - (St. John's) church the Old Hundredth Psalm was sung, I felt much - elevated in praise to our Almighty Saviour, that at the same - period of the year, and exactly two years before, you had been - enabled to proclaim the glad tidings of his salvation, and to - commence with the same divine song upon the heathen shores of New - Zealand. God grant that it may be the dawn of a brighter day: - that the Lord of all may be adored by all the uncivilized world; - that the Sun of righteousness may arise and go on to shine with - increasing and transforming light and influence upon them, and - upon all others who are yet sitting in darkness and in the shadow - of death! May he bless all human attempts to promote so glorious - a cause, and particularly your own zealous efforts; and may he, - for the sake of the same, continue, if it please him, your - valuable life for many years to come. I know, from the arduous - post which you occupy, that your time must be entirely filled up, - and that you can find very little leisure for a correspondent - like me, who can render you little or no service.... Our esteemed - friends, the Rev. Messrs. Dykes, Scott, Clarke, and Foster, are - all very well, being in mercy continued yet to this highly - favoured town. Mr. Scott has obtained the living of St. - Margaret's since the death of Mr. Barker, and has engaged an - excellent curate, a young man of high birth of the name of - Sibthorpe, who seems very faithful, and will, I hope, be - abundantly useful. May the Lord bless you and your young family - with all temporal and spiritual blessings! And may he bless and - direct all your zealous endeavours to promote his cause among the - heathen, and to spread the knowledge and saving influence of his - truth to all within your influence!" - - Dr. Mason Good, writing on the subject of the libel, under the - date of April, 1818, says: "The triumph you have gained is indeed - complete ... persevere, then, my dear friend, in the same good - and great and magnanimous course. The eyes of the world are upon - you, and what is more, the eye of Him who governs the world, and - will never fail to give efficacy to his own instruments, and - ultimate success to his designs. To this time, however, - notwithstanding all the terrible threats that have been thrown - out against you, not a single syllable of complaint has arrived - from any one; do not therefore let your spirits fail. Depend upon - esteem and support at home, for your perseverance and manly - conduct have produced a very deep and popular sensation in every - quarter in which you would wish to stand well." - -In addition to these gratifying testimonies from home, Mr. Marsden -received a public mark of approbation from the officers of the 46th -regiment, then stationed in the colony, who with a high and chivalrous -sense of what was due to one who single handed had so long maintained -the cause of truth and righteousness, stepped forward to offer their -tribute of respect. He replied as follows:-- - - "To Col. Molle and the officers of the 46th regiment. - - "Paramatta, 16th Oct. 1818. - - "GENTLEMEN,--I had the honour to receive your public letter under - date 14th May, 1818, and nothing could have given me more real - gratification than the very handsome manner in which you have - communicated your kind and friendly sentiments to me on the issue - of the trials I instituted against the author of the libel, - 'Philo-free.' I beg, gentlemen, to return you my most grateful - acknowledgments for the honour you have done me, and to assure you - that this mark of your good will to me, in bearing your testimony - to my conduct, will ever be held in the highest estimation by me; - and I trust I shall retain to the latest moment of my life a - grateful sense of your favour to me as an individual, and at the - same time never forget the public service you rendered to this - colony from the time you landed to the day of your departure, by - your firmness and gentlemanly conduct, as British officers, and by - your good and prudent example as members of the community." After - these expressions of gratitude he turns aside to remark upon the - former condition of the colony, and the services which the 46th - regiment had rendered in the cause of virtue. Proud as this - regiment may justly be of honours won in far different scenes, it - will not, we are assured, nor will its countrymen, regard with - other feelings than those of high satisfaction, the following - tribute to its moral worth and character. May every regiment in - the British army deserve a similar eulogy from men who, like Job - of old, and we may add, like the chaplain of New South Wales, - 'know not to give flattering titles.' - - "When you first arrived in New South Wales every barrier against - licentiousness was broken down, every fence swept away. There were - a few, and but a few, who resolved to stand their ground, and - preserve that line of conduct which the wisest and best men - consider essential as marking the distinction between the good and - the evil." - -And again: "Had you not arrived in New South Wales and acted the -honourable part you did, the few who were marked for future conquest -would not have been able to have stood out longer, but must have either -yielded to superior force, or have withdrawn from the colony. Some would -not have had strength of mind sufficient to have carried on a perpetual -warfare against such an unequal force, and thus would not have been able -to meet the expense of continued resistance. You just arrived in time to -turn the wavering balance, and to inspire the desponding with hopes." - -A vote of thanks, in the most cordial terms, was also presented to him -at the anniversary meeting of the Church Missionary Society, at the -Freemasons' Tavern, in 1819. It would have been presented to the annual -meeting of the previous year, but it was a mark of respect which had -never yet been paid to any individual by the Society. "The -circumstances, however, which have lately transpired," so writes his -friend, Dr. Mason Good, who was a member of the committee, "the severe -and important battle you have fought, and the triumph you have so -gloriously achieved, have induced the Society to step out of their usual -routine on this occasion, and to show, not only to yourself, but to the -world at large, the full sense they entertain of the honourable and -upright part you have taken, and their unanimous determination to give -you all their support. I agree with you most fully that your contest has -not been a personal one, but that the important objects of the Society -have been at stake, and that the victory you have obtained is of more -importance to the cause of virtue, honour, and true religion, and more -especially to the cause of Christian missions in Australasia, than to -yourself." - -We shall conclude our notice of these painful conflicts with two -letters, the one from Lord Gambier, the other from the venerable Simeon. -The former breathes the warm heart of a sailor and the mature wisdom of -an experienced Christian. And thus while British soldiers were ready to -acknowledge the integrity of Mr. Marsden, the navy, as represented by -one of her great heroes, stood forward likewise in his behalf. - - "DEAR SIR,--I was happy to hear of your health and welfare by your - letters to me of the 22nd January and the 5th March, 1817, which - came to my hands in due time, though they were rather longer, I - believe, in their passage than is usual. I deeply lament with you - that your very zealous and arduous exertions to extend the kingdom - of our gracious Lord, and to diffuse the knowledge of the glorious - gospel of salvation among the inhabitants of the dark regions - around you, should meet with the spirit of opposition from the - persons in the colony whom you naturally would look to for - support and assistance. And very grievous indeed it is that you - should stand almost alone and single in a work of charity that - exceeds the praises of human language to express its excellence - and blessed effects upon the race of mankind. Mr. Pratt will have - informed you that a special meeting of the committee of the Church - Missionary Society was held last month for the sole purpose of - deliberating upon the communication you have made to him of the - state of the affairs of the Society, and the disgraceful letter - that appeared in the 'Sydney Gazette,' signed 'Philo-free.' The - result of the committee's consultation was, that your letters on - this subject should be referred to the consideration of the - vice-presidents of the Society, requesting them to take such - measures as they deemed most advisable to relieve you from the - distressing and painful situation in which you were placed. I had - the satisfaction of being present at the meeting of the - vice-presidents; the bishop of Gloucester and Mr. Wilberforce were - of the number. Mr. Pratt was also present, and as he will - communicate to you the judgment that we passed upon the occasion - it is unnecessary for me to add anything thereto; but I cannot - forbear to express to you the admiration I entertain of your - conduct, your zeal, perseverance, and unremitted exertions in the - blessed and glorious cause in which you are engaged. May our - gracious Lord be your shield; may his powerful arm protect you - against all your adversaries, and enable you to overcome them all - with the weapons of a Christian warfare, meekness, patience, - faith, and charity; and may he lay them all at your feet.! May his - grace be sufficient for you, and give you strength to go on as you - have done in his service, to the glory of his name and to the - salvation of the heathen nations around! You have achieved great - things in New Zealand. May the seed you have sown there be like - the grain of mustard, and grow to a large tree; and may you - finally receive the bright reward of your labours, and have that - blessing pronounced upon you, 'Well done, good and faithful - servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' There is a fine - field for missionary labours in New Zealand, and I anticipate the - happiest consequences to the race of men in that country from the - establishment you have made among them, and I think it very - probable that they will make more rapid progress in the knowledge - and practice of Christianity and civilization than any heathen - nation to whom the gospel has been preached. May you live to see - this verified! - - "With cordial and earnest wishes for your health and prosperity, I - remain, dear Sir, with sincere regard, - - "Your faithful and humble friend and servant, - - "GAMBIER." - -Mr. Simeon, of Cambridge, wrote to him in the same strain of -encouragement:-- - - "Dec. 15, 1819. - - "Last summer I was at Hull, and saw Mr. Scott and other of your - friends and relatives. It was a joy to me to see how ardent was - their love towards you. I commissioned Mrs. Scott to tell you, in - general terms, that your character and cause were duly appreciated - by the government and by the House of Commons. I take for granted - that Mr. Wilberforce has given you particulars. It was from him - that I was enabled to declare the general result. - - "I am overwhelmed almost with work. Eleven volumes will be out in - the spring. The first six will make their appearance in less than - a month; it is of the same nature as my former work, though - distinct from it. It is on all the finest passages from Genesis to - Revelation. It is entitled 'Horæ Homileticæ,' as being homilies - for the assistance both of clergy and laity." - -In this age of "reformatories," when the treatment of our prisoners has -become a popular question, it is impossible to read without deep -interest such letters as the following. Mr. Marsden had taken up the -cause of the degraded female prisoners in New South Wales. Mrs. Fry in -England hears of his benevolent exertions, and hastens to express her -joy; and thus she writes to the prison-philanthropist of the southern -world:-- - - "Mildred's Court, second month, 11th, 1820. - - "RESPECTED FRIEND,--I have received thy letters, one sent by - Deputy-commissary-general Allan, and the other written some time - before, but only arrived within a day or two of each other. I am - sorry that I happened to be out when Deputy-commissary-general - Allan called, but I hope soon to see him, and to consult with him - as to the steps best to be taken to improve the condition of the - female convicts in New South Wales. Much influence has already - been used here, and the subject has been brought before the House - of Commons. I some time ago obtained a copy of thy letter to the - governor of New South Wales, and the information contained in it - has been much spread in this country, and it is quite my opinion - that some beneficial alterations will in time take place; but the - present parliament being so soon to be dissolved, owing to the - death of the king, I fear will retard their progress; but much is - doing in this country, and I trust that much is likely to be - done. Many of us are deeply interested in the welfare of the poor - convicts as to their situation here, and their voyage, and when - they arrive in Botany Bay. And if life and ability be granted us, - I trust that much will in time be accomplished; but all these - things require patience and perseverance, which I hope we shall be - endowed with, both here and on your side of the water. I am sorry - thou hast had so many trials and discouragements in filling thy - very important station, and I cannot help hoping and believing - that thy labours will prove not to be in vain; and even if thou - shouldst not fully see the fruit of thy labours, others, I trust, - will reap the advantage of them, so that the words of Scripture - may be verified, 'That both he that soweth and he that reapeth may - rejoice together.' I consider myself greatly obliged by thy - valuable communications, and I think it would be very desirable - that thou shouldst let us know exactly what sort of place is - wanted for the women, and what would be its probable expense, as - it would enable us more clearly to state what we wish for. And I - should think our government would give the necessary directions to - have the work done. I remain, etc., thy friend, ELIZABETH FRY." - -Through such toils and conflicts our predecessors of the last generation -passed, before they could lay effectually the foundations of those great -principles of humanity and justice in the public mind, which are now -yielding their abundant fruit. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - Tooi and Teterree--Mr. Marsden's Second Voyage to New - Zealand--Progress of the Gospel there--Shunghie--His ferocity--Mr. - Marsden returns to New South Wales--Third Voyage to New - Zealand--Malicious charges brought against him in his absence--A - Commission of Inquiry--Its result--Letters, etc.--Approbation of - the Government. - - -The New Zealand mission still continued to occupy Mr. Marsden's -thoughts. He seems to have been always alert, turning every hint to -account, seizing every occasion and employing every likely instrument to -promote the grand design. The excellent quality of the New Zealand flax -had not escaped him. He induced two young New Zealanders, whom he had -brought with him to Paramatta, to visit England, which they did in H. M. -ship Kangaroo, and were placed under the care of his friends in London. -"I wish on no account," he writes to Mr. Pratt, "that they should be -idle; if they cannot be useful in forming a vocabulary, (of the Maori -language of which he was now anxious that a grammar should be prepared) -let them be _put into a rope walk_, and be kept close to labour while -they remain in England." They were both chieftains, Tooi and Teterree; -still the reader must not suppose the rope walk was to them a degrading -employment. Mr. Marsden had another object in view besides their -improvement, and he wished to impart to his friends in London something -of his own enthusiasm in behalf of the Maorie race. "The Society will -see," he says in his letter to the secretary, Mr. Pratt, "from these -two young men what the natives of New Zealand are. They are prepared to -receive any instruction that we can give them; they are fine young men, -and in temper and natural parts very like their countrymen in general." -They seem to have deserved the character here given them. We insert a -letter from each, written while they were in England. The first is -addressed to Mr. Pratt while Tooi was on a visit amongst the -manufactories of Staffordshire and Shropshire. - - "Madeley, Sept. 17, 1818. - - "DEAR SIR,--I am much obliged and thank you, Mr. Pratt, for the - letter you sent me. I so pleased when Mr. Pratt finds a ship. I - want a ship to go home. I have been to Coalport. I made four cups. - Mr. Rose tell me, 'You soon learn.' 'Yes,' I say, 'very soon learn - with fingers, but book very hard,' etc. - - "To Mr. Pratt. THOMAS TOOI." - -The other letter is in a graver strain from Teterree to Mr. Marsden. - - "Church Missionary House, October 12, 1818. - - "MY DEAR FRIEND,--I like Englishman much; he love New Zealand man. - I very sick in missionary house, and very near die; nothing but - bone. Kind friend missionary pray for me every night. - - "I kneel down in my bed-room every night, and pray to Jesus Christ - our Saviour to learn me to read the book. - - "Very nice country England. I never see the king of England; he - very poorly, and Queen Charlotte very poorly too. - - "I see the iron make, and bottle blow. Tooi blow a bottle, and I - blow a bottle. I make four cups at China work, etc. Farewell, good - friend. - - "TETEREE." - -Their English education being completed, the young chieftains returned -to Paramatta, and Mr. Marsden embarked a second time for New Zealand, -taking Tooi and Teterree with him, with several missionaries, three -mechanics and their families. They landed at Rangheehoa, in the Bay of -Islands, on the 12th August. The rival chiefs Shunghie and Koro-Koro now -contended for the site of the new missionary settlement which Mr. -Marsden contemplated, each being anxious that his own domain should be -preferred, and offering a grant of land. The spot was selected at Kiddee -Kiddee (or Keri-Keri) a district in the territory of Shunghie, at the -head of a fine harbour; but such was the distress of the disappointed -chieftain, whose part was taken by young Tooi, that Mr. Marsden almost -relented: "He made strong appeals to our feelings, and urged his request -by every argument that he could advance, so that we were obliged to -promise to accompany him on the next day to Parroa, and that we would -build him and Tooi a house if the situation pleased us, and send one or -two Europeans to reside amongst them." The stores were now landed, and -all the beach exhibited a scene of happiness and busy civilization; -fourteen natives sawing timber, others cutting knees, etc.; "a sight -more grateful to a benevolent mind could not possibly have been seen; -our hearts overflowed with gratitude. We viewed the various operations -with delight, and considered them the dawn of civil and religious -liberty to this land of darkness, superstition, and cruelty." Such were -the comments which the missionary leader noted down at the time, and in -reading them we are made to feel how much Christian benevolence excels -the mere selfishness of the most enterprising colonist. Simply for the -good of others, without the hope or wish of reaping any other advantage -than that of extending the kingdom of God amongst a savage race, the -little missionary band, self exiled, and consecrated to a life of -unknown toil and hardship, exult in laying the foundations of their -settlement, as the Jews of old exulted when they began to build their -temple to the living God. On the next sabbath day, the work was -consecrated with prayer and praise. Mr. Marsden's simple language best -describes the scene:-- - - "_August 22._--We assembled on the beach for public worship, as - there was no place sufficiently spacious to hold the people. We - were surrounded with natives and a number of chiefs from different - districts. - - "It was gratifying to be able to perform worship to the true God - in the open air, without fear or danger, when surrounded by - cannibals with their spears stuck in the ground, and their - pattoo-pattoos and daggers concealed under their mats. We could - not doubt but that the time was at hand for gathering in this - noble people into the fold of Christ. Their misery is extreme, the - prince of darkness has full dominion over their souls and bodies; - under the influence of ignorance and superstition many devote - themselves to death, and the chiefs sacrifice their slaves as a - satisfaction for the death of any of their friends. This is a - tyranny from which nothing but the gospel can set them free." - -[Illustration: THE BAY OF ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND.] - -During this three months' sojourn, besides the attention which Mr. -Marsden gave to the missions in the Bay of Islands, he made a circuitous -journey of seven hundred miles, exploring the country with a view to -more extensive operations. His arrival over land and in health, at the -Bay of Islands, on his return, relieved the minds of his anxious -friends the missionaries, and "gave them additional cause," they say, -"to bless and thank God for his protecting care, and that he had again -heard and answered our supplications." "There is not one in ten -thousand, I think," writes Mr. Hall, "who could or would have borne the -privations, difficulties, and dangers, which he has undergone. I pray -that he may reap the fruits of his labour by the New Zealanders turning -from their degraded state to serve the only living and true God." Mr. -Marsden's journal of this second visit will be valuable in time to come, -as perhaps the best record in existence of the character and habits of a -wonderful people, on whom civilization had not yet dawned, and whose -spiritual darkness was profound. He landed, during a coasting voyage, -with young Tooi, on the small island of Motooroa. "The first object that -struck my eye was a man's head stuck on a pole near the hut where we -were to sleep; the face appeared beautifully tattooed; it was the head -of a chief who was killed by Shunghie's people. The sight," he says, -"naturally excited feelings of horror in my breast." Most men would have -felt something of alarm. But Mr. Marsden seems to have been a perfect -stranger to fear; and if courage, whether physical or moral, makes a -hero, he must be ranked high in the heroic class. He merely adds, "This -caused me to value more and more the blessing of Divine revelation, and -the blessing of civil government." - -In his journal on a tour to the River Shukeangha, he writes thus: - - "_September 28, 1819._--After we had passed the swamp, we came - into a very open country, for many miles round covered with fern. - The part through which we walked was gravelly, and not very good - in general. - - "The wind increased toward evening, and blew strong from the rainy - quarter, so that we had the prospect of a very wet night, without - a single tree to shelter us from the storm for about eight miles - from the swamp we had passed. At this distance was a wood, through - which our road lay, which we were anxious to reach, if possible, - in order to shelter ourselves from the wind and rain. With this - hope we pushed forward, and arrived at the edge of the wood about - nine o'clock. The rain now began to fall heavily. The natives cut - branches of fern and boughs of trees, and made us a little shed - under the trees, to afford us some shelter. The blackness of the - heavens, the gloomy darkness of the wood, the roaring of the wind - among the trees, the sound of the falling rain on the thick - foliage, united with the idea that we were literally at the ends - of the earth, with relation to our native land, surrounded with - cannibals whom we knew to have fed on human flesh, and wholly in - their power, and yet our minds free from fear of danger--all this - excited in my breast such new, pleasing, and, at the same time, - opposite sensations, as I cannot describe. - - "While I sat musing under the shelter of a lofty pine, my thoughts - were lost in wonder and surprise, in taking a view of the wisdom - and goodness of God's providential care, which had attended all my - steps to that very hour. If busy imagination inquired what I did - there, I had no answer to seek in wild conjecture: I felt with - gratitude that I had not come by chance; but had been sent to - labour in preparing the way of the Lord in this dreary wilderness, - where the voice of joy and gladness had never been heard: and I - could not but anticipate with joyful hope the period when the - Day-star from on high would dawn and shine on this dark and heathen - land, and cause the very earth on which we then reposed to bring - forth its increase, when God himself would give the poor - inhabitants his blessing. After reflecting on the different ideas - which crowded themselves upon my mind, I wrapped myself up in my - great coat, and lay down to sleep." - -He visited an island where he met with a singular spectacle. A number of -natives were at work, breaking up the ground with a sort of spatula, or -wooden spade, to plant their sweet potato. Amongst these was Koro-Koro's -head wife, or queen. "Her Majesty was working hard with a wooden spade, -digging the ground for potatoes, with several of the women and some -men." The royal infant lay on the ground sprawling and kicking by her -side; "the old queen earnestly requested that I would give her a hoe, -showing me the difficulty she had in digging with a stick; a request -with which I promised to comply." We leave the reader to admire at -leisure the Homeric simplicity of the scene, or to indulge in those -sentiments of contemptuous pity to which Englishmen are possibly more -prone. - -In another place, he found the head wife of Shunghie, though perfectly -blind, digging in the same manner, surrounded by her women, and -apparently with as much ease as the rest. The offer of a hoe in exchange -for her spatula was accepted with joy. The scene drew forth these -reflections: "When we viewed the wife of one of the most military -chiefs, possessing large territories, digging with a spatula for her -subsistence, this sight kindled within us the best feelings of the human -heart. If a woman of this character, and blind, can thus labour with -her servants, what will not this people rise to, if they can procure the -means of improving their country, and of bettering their condition? -Their temporal state must be improved by agriculture and the simple -arts, in connexion with the introduction of Christianity, in order to -give permanence and full influence to the gospel among them. Our God and -Saviour, who is loving to every man, and whose tender mercies are over -all his works, is now, blessed be his name, moving the hearts of his -servants to send relief to the poor heathen, even to the very ends of -the earth." - -The journal affords us repeated evidences of a phenomenon, which recent -occurrences in India have at this moment deeply impressed on the heart -of England,--one with which both divines and legislators ought to have -been acquainted (for it is not obscurely referred to in the word of -God), but which a foolish and spurious benevolence has led many to -deny--namely, that the most Satanic ferocity frequently lurks under -gentle manners, and is even to be found in connexion with the warmest -natural affection. Nothing, for instance, can be more affecting than the -meeting of Tooi and his sister, after the absence of the former in -England. Tooi himself anticipated _a scene_, and half ashamed, when he -saw his sister at a distance, tried to avoid the interview in public, -and requested Mr. Marsden to order off the canoe in which they were -approaching. But her love could not be restrained; in an instant she -sprang into the boat, fell on her knees, and clung to Tooi. He saluted -her in return; when she gave vent to her feelings in tears and loud -lamentations, which she continued for about an hour. "Tooi conducted -himself with great propriety, suppressing all his wild feelings, and at -the same time treating his sister with all the soft and tender feelings -of nature. I could not but view his conduct with admiration." When Tooi -was in England, he had been taught to read and write, and instructed in -the doctrines of Christianity; and he and his companion Teterree were -general favourites, from their gentle manners and quick intelligence. -They were one day taken to St. Paul's by Mr. Nicholas, who naturally -supposed they would be lost in astonishment at the grandeur of the -building, but they expressed neither surprise nor pleasure; on which -that gentleman makes this just remark; "It is only things of common -occurrence, I suspect, that strike the mind of a savage. The faculties -must be cultivated to fit them for the enjoyment of the beautiful or the -sublime." One thing, however, did strike them, and caused no small -excitement. In walking up Fleet-street, they suddenly stopped before a -hair-dresser's shop, in the window of which were some female busts. They -screamed out "Wyenee! Wyenee!" (Women! Women!) taking them for dried -heads of the human subject. "I took some pains," adds their kind -conductor, "to beat this notion out of them, lest they should tell their -countrymen on their return that Europeans preserved human heads as well -as New Zealanders." - -These bursts of feeling were, it seems, quite natural; intense sorrow or -savage exultation, the extremes of tenderness and of brutality, were -indulged by turns, without any suspicion on their part of insincerity in -either. Immediately after, Mr. Marsden mentions that he passed a canoe -in which he recognised an old acquaintance, Hooratookie, the first New -Zealander introduced into civil society--Governor King having once -entertained him with great kindness. Hooratookie was grateful; spoke of -the governor's daughter, then a child, with unfeigned regard, calling -her by her Christian name, Maria. But looking into his large war-canoe, -capable of holding from sixty to eighty men, with provisions, Mr. -Marsden observed on the stern the dried head of a chief. "The face was -as natural as life, the hair was long, and every lock combed straight, -and the whole brought up to the crown, tied in a knot, and ornamented -with feathers, according to the custom of the chiefs when in full dress. -It was placed there as an incentive to revenge. It is possible the death -of this chief may be revenged by his children's children; hence the -foundation is laid for new acts of cruelty and blood from generation to -generation." - -Mr. Marsden's fame now preceded him, and wherever he went, he was -received not with rude hospitality, but with courteous respect. One -chieftain offered up an ovation and prayer on their arrival. "He invoked -the heavens above and the earth beneath to render our visit advantageous -to his people, and agreeable to us, and that no harm may happen to us, -whom he esteemed as the gods of another country. We heard the profane -adulations with silent grief, and could not but wish most ardently for -the light of Divine truth to shine on such a dark and superstitious -mind." Yet this man was a ferocious cannibal; and when Mr. Marsden -expressed his anxiety for the safety of the missionaries after he should -have left them, he was calmed by the assurance that, as we had done them -no harm, they had no satisfaction to demand, "and that as for eating us, -the flesh of a New Zealander was sweeter than that of an European, in -consequence of the white people eating so much salt." From this the -conversation turned to that of eating human flesh, which they defended -with arguments which to them appeared, no doubt, perfectly conclusive. -They alleged that fishes, animals, and birds, preyed upon each other; -and that one god would devour another god, therefore there was in nature -sufficient warrant for the practice. Shunghie explained how it was the -gods preyed on each other, "and that when he was to the southward, and -had killed a number of people and was afraid of their god, he caught -their god, being a reptile, and ate part of it, and reserved the -remainder for his friends." - -Shunghie, the greatest of New Zealand warriors, was at the same time a -striking instance of that union of gentleness and ferocity which -characterized this people. To the missionaries his kindness was always -great, and his respect for Mr. Marsden knew no bounds. An instance of -his good feeling may here be noticed. In the beginning of 1817, a naval -expedition, under his command, sailed from the Bay of Islands. It -consisted of thirty canoes, and about eight hundred men. Its object was -to obtain peace with his enemies at the North Cape. The chief took an -affectionate leave of the settlers, and told them that if he fell they -must be kind to his children; and if he survived, he would take care of -their families when they should die. The expedition returned, however, -in about a fortnight, his people having quarrelled with those of -Wangaroa, into which place they had put for refreshment; and being -afraid, he said, that the Wangaroa people would attack the settlers in -his absence, he, for the present, abandoned the expedition. - -Shunghie was again preparing for war when Mr. Marsden paid his second -visit to New Zealand; his army, to the number of several thousand men, -were already assembled; his war-canoes were ready, and all his -preparations complete; yet in deference to the remonstrances of Mr. -Marsden, he again abandoned his scheme of conquest or revenge, and -dismissed his followers. - -Shunghie paid a visit to England about the year 1820. His majestic -person, graceful manners, and gentle yet manly disposition were much -admired. He was one of Nature's nobles; what might not be expected from -such a man when he returned home again? George the Fourth invited him to -Carlton Palace, and received him with marked attention, presenting him -with some military accoutrements and costly fire-arms. Yet the heart of -a savage never ceased to beat beneath this polished exterior, while his -pride was fanned to madness by the consideration he received in England. -"There is," he exclaimed, "but one king in England; there shall be only -one king in New Zealand." Returning by way of Sydney he there happened -to meet with Inacki, another chief, with whom he had an ancient feud. He -told him that when they got back to New Zealand he would fight him. -Inacki accepted the challenge, and Shunghie accordingly assembled, on -his return to New Zealand, no fewer than two thousand men to attack -Inacki. The latter was prepared to receive him, and for some time the -event of the battle that ensued was doubtful. At length Shunghie, who -had the greatest number of muskets, and who had arranged his men in the -form called, in Roman tactics, the cuneus, or wedge, placing himself at -the apex and directing those behind him to wheel round the enemy, from -the right and left, or to fall back into their original position as -opportunity offered, shot Inacki. The savage Shunghie immediately sprang -forward, scooped out the eye of the dying man with his knife, and -swallowed it; and then, holding his hands to his throat, into which he -had plunged his knife, and from which the blood flowed copiously, drank -as much of the horrid beverage as the two hands could hold. Amongst the -horrible superstitions of the Maories, one was that the eye of a victim -thus devoured became a star in the firmament, and thus the ferocious -Shunghie sought for honour and immortality. With the sword which he had -received as a present from King George in England, he immediately cut -off the heads of sixteen of his captives in cold blood; this was done to -appease the spirit of his son-in-law, who had fallen in battle. In this -battle, Shunghie and his tribe were armed with muskets, his opponents -only with the native weapons, the club and spear. His victory, -therefore, was an easy one, but his revenge was cruel. A New Zealand -traveller, who visited the spot in 1844, says: "The bones of two -thousand men still lie whitening on the plain, and the ovens remain in -which the flesh of the slaughtered was cooked for the horrible repasts -of the victorious party, and yet so numerous were the slaves taken -prisoners that the Nga-Puis (the tribe of which Shunghie was the head) -killed many of them on their way to the Bay of Islands merely to get rid -of them."[I] Such was the gentle Shunghie when his viler nature was let -loose--a frightful specimen of human nature, varnished by education, but -unvisited by the grace of God. We turn aside for a moment to describe a -scene in bright contrast with these revolting details. Amongst the few -who escaped the general slaughter was Koromona, a chief who became blind -soon afterwards, but hearing archdeacon W. Williams preach at Matamata, -was converted. "For the last four years," says the traveller above -mentioned, "Koromona has been a native teacher, and may be seen every -sabbath day with his class instructing them in the truths of the -Scripture with an earnestness which is truly admirable; he is now about -to start to preach Christianity to a tribe which has not yet received -it. His memory is wonderful; he knows the whole of the church service by -heart, and repeats hymns and many long chapters verbatim." Thus the -gospel won its victorious way, and proved itself triumphant over hearts -no less depraved and passions no less degraded than those of Shunghie -himself. No earthly power could have effected such a change; it was -wrought by that "gospel" which is truly "the power of God unto salvation -to every one that believeth." - - [I] Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand. By George - French Angas, London, 1847. - -Amidst such scenes the missionaries dwelt in peace. War, and its -inseparable and more hideous companion, cannibalism, showed themselves -at their gates, but were not allowed to hurt them. Under the good -providence of God, their security was owing, in a great measure, to the -prudence and courage with which Mr. Marsden planned and carried out his -projects. Himself a stranger to fear, he infused courage into those -around him, and both he and they felt secure under the shield and -buckler of the Almighty. No doubt the fearlessness of Mr. Marsden won -the admiration of these savages and contributed not a little to his -safety. His journal abounds in instances such as that which follows. -The scene is in a Maori village, and the writer is surrounded with -cannibals. "After conversing on several subjects, we had supper, sung a -hymn, and then committed ourselves to the Angel of the everlasting -covenant, and so lay down to rest; a number of the natives lay around -the hut and some within. I slept well until daybreak, being weary with -walking." - -He appears to have arrived at home, after this second visit to New -Zealand, towards the close of November, 1819. In February, 1820, he was -once more on his way back to New Zealand. His letters bear ample -testimony to a fact which all who were acquainted with him in private -life observed, that his heart was full of affection, and that his home -was the scene of his greatest happiness. He had not returned, it is -true, to be greeted with public honours; on the contrary, he was still a -marked man. The governor and many of the leading men in the colony were -prejudiced against him. We believe it is to this period of his life that -an anecdote which we give on the best possible authority belongs. The -governor had consented to his recent visit to New Zealand with -reluctance, and had limited the period of his absence with military -precision, threatening at the same time to deprive him of his chaplaincy -unless he returned within the given time. The last day arrived, and the -expected vessel was not in sight. The governor repeated his -determination to those around him, and Mr. Marsden's friends were filled -with anxiety, and his wife and family at length gave up all hope. -Towards evening the long-wished-for sail appeared in the offing, and at -eight o'clock in the evening Mr. Marsden quietly walked into the -governor's drawing-room with the laconic and yet respectful address, -"Sir, I am here to report myself." But within the bosom of his family -all was peace, and his presence shed light and joy on everything around -him. His circumstances were prosperous--for his farm, which was almost -entirely committed to Mrs. Marsden's care, was now a source of -considerable income; his children were growing up to manhood under their -parents' roof; his circle of friends and visitors was large, for there -were no bounds to his simple hospitality; and the clergy of the colony, -men like minded with himself, had now begun to regard him not only with -affection, but with the reverence which belongs to years and wisdom and -wide experience. - -Yet at the call of duty this veteran was ready, on the shortest notice, -to resume a life of such toil and hardship as nothing could have -rendered welcome, its novelty once over, but motives the most solemn and -commanding. H.M.S. Dromedary, Captain Skinner, was directed by -government to proceed from Sydney to the Bay of Islands to receive a -cargo of New Zealand timber for trial in the dockyards of England; and -Sir Byam Martin, controller of the navy, knowing something of the energy -of Mr. Marsden's character, and his great acquaintance with New Zealand, -requested that he would accompany the Dromedary, which was joined by the -Coromandel, in order to facilitate the object of their visit. With this -request he felt it his duty to comply. He arrived in New Zealand on the -20th of February, and embarked on board the Dromedary to return on the -25th of November. Thus nearly the whole year was given to the service of -New Zealand. - -The time was not lost. On his arrival, a difficulty occurred which he -only could have set at rest. The natives had come to the determination -to exchange nothing, nor to do any kind of work, except for muskets and -powder. His first business was to assemble the few European settlers, -the advanced guard of that mighty band of European colonists which was -soon to follow, and to persuade them not on any account to supply the -natives with these weapons of war, in their hands so sure a source of -mischief. With regard to the duty of the missionaries there could be no -doubt; and this he explained to all the powerful chiefs. They had come -among them to preach the gospel of peace, how then could they be -expected to furnish the means and implements of destruction? In writing -to the Missionary Society at home he says, and he must have written such -a sentence with an aching heart, "I think it much more to the honour of -religion and the good of New Zealand even to give up the mission for the -present, than to trade with the natives in those articles." - -After a short time spent in the Bay of Islands, at the mission, he -proceeded, sometimes in company with Europeans, but for the most part -alone, upon a tour of many hundred miles through regions yet untrodden -by the foot of civilized men, mingling with the native tribes, -accompanying them in their wanderings from place to place, teaching the -first lessons of civilization and gospel truth, and receiving everywhere -from these savages the kindest attention and the most hospitable welcome -in return. - -On their way to Tourangha, he writes, under the date of June 20: "The -day was far spent when we reached the plain. We walked on till the sun -was nearly set, when we stopped and prepared for the night. The -servants, who had the provisions to carry, were very tired. There were -no huts on the plain, nor any inhabitants, and we were therefore -compelled to take up our lodging in the open air. I was very weary, -having had no rest the preceding night; and having come a long day's -journey, so that I felt that rest would be very acceptable, even on a -heap of fern or anything else. - -"The peculiar scene that surrounded me, furnished the mind with new -matter for contemplation on the works and ways of God. The mystery of -his providence, and the still greater mystery of his grace, were all -unsearchable to me. I had come from a distant country, and was then at -the ends of the earth, a solitary individual, resting on an extensive -wild, upon which no civilized foot had ever before trodden. My -companions were poor savages, who nevertheless vied with each other in -their attentions to me. I could not but feel attached to them. What -would I have given to have had the book of life opened, which was yet a -sealed book to them,--to have shown them that God who made them, and to -have led them to Calvary's mount, that they may see the Redeemer who had -shed his precious blood for the redemption of the world, and was there -set up as an ensign for the nations. But it was not in my power to take -the veil from their hearts, I could only pray for them, and entreat the -Father of mercies to visit them with his salvation. I felt very grateful -that a Divine revelation had been granted to me; that I knew the Son of -God had come, and believed that he had made a full and sufficient -sacrifice or atonement for the sins of a guilty world. With -compassionate feelings for my companions, under a grateful sense of my -own mercies, I lay down to rest, free from all fear of danger." - -It was during this tour that the following letter was addressed to the -lady of his excellent friend Dr. Mason Good. It is long, but the reader -will scarcely wish that it had been shorter. Let it stand on record as -an evidence of the power of true religion in maintaining amidst the -rudest scenes, and the rough warfare of an adventurous life, all the -gentleness and affection of the most refined and polished society of a -Christian land. - - "New Zealand, Sept. 22, 1820. - - "DEAR MADAM,--Your kind favour arrived in the Bay of Islands - September 7, the evening I returned from a long journey. I had no - sooner cast my eye over your letter, than busy imagination - transported me from the solitary woods, dreary wastes, and savage - society of New Zealand, into 'the polished corner' of - Guilford-street, and surrounded me with every cordial that could - refresh the weary traveller, revive the fainting spirits, and blow - the languishing spark of Christian love with a heavenly flame. I - had literally been living for weeks a savage life, as far as - outward circumstances went. I ate, I slept in the thick wood, in a - cave, or on the banks of a river, or sea, with my native - companions, wherever the shadows of the evening, or gathering - storm compelled us to seek for shelter. Every day as I advanced - from tribe to tribe, I was introduced to new acquaintances; my - object was to gain from observation and experience that knowledge - of savage life which I could not learn from books, and to make - myself well acquainted with the wants, wishes, and character of - the native inhabitants, to enable me, if my life should be spared, - to aid to the utmost of my power in their deliverance from their - present temporal miseries, which are great upon them, and from - their much sorer bondage to the prince of darkness. I am happy in - having obtained this object to a certain extent, at the expense of - a few temporal privations, and a little bodily evil. When I have - lain down upon the ground after a weary day's journey, wrapped up - in my great coat, surrounded only by cannibals, I often thought - how many thousands are there in civil life, languishing upon beds - of down, and saying, with Job, 'in the evening would God it were - morning,' while I could sleep free from fear or pain, far remote - from civil society under the guardian care of him who keepeth - Israel. Though I everywhere met with the greatest kindness from - the natives, as well as hospitality, for they always gave me the - best fern-root, potato, or fish in their possession, yet I could - never have duly estimated the sweets of civil life, and the still - greater mental gratification of Christian communion, if I had not - passed through these dark regions of Satan's dominions, on which - the dayspring from on high hath never cast a single ray. You - cannot conceive how great a feast your letter was, after so long a - fast. I was instantly present with every person you mentioned, and - lived over again some of those happy moments I once spent under - your hospitable roof. A sacred warmth flowed round my soul, my - heart was sweetly melted under the influence of that pure and - undefiled religion which dropped from your pen, like the heavenly - dew, as it ran through every line. What shall we call those pure - sensations that thus warm and captivate the soul? Do they flow - from the communion of saints, or at these delightful moments does - some invisible seraph touch our lips with a live coal from God's - altar? If you have ever experienced similar feelings, their - recollection will explain more fully my meaning than my words can - express. When these lines meet your eye, may they find your soul - rapt up to the third heaven! But to where am I now wandering? the - veil of the flesh is not now rent, we have not yet entered into - the holy of holies. Though God has given you and your seed the - land of Goshen, and you have light continually in your dwelling, - yet you are still in Egypt, while I am constrained to dwell in - Mesech, and to dwell in these remote and dark tents of Kedar. But, - my dear madam, seas and continents will not long separate the - people of God. I humbly hope the day is at no great distance, when - we shall join the spirits of just men made perfect. At present you - abound with blessings.... Jacob often thought of Bethel, and when - in his afflictions he seemed to have forgotten that sacred spot, - God said unto him, 'Arise and go to Bethel, and dwell there.' It - will always be safest for us to dwell also at Bethel. I must now - close, as my paper is nearly full, and your patience must also be - tired when it comes to your turn to read what I have written. - - "Remember me to your sister, Mrs. Skinner. Tell Mr. Good I - received his last letter, and will answer it at a more convenient - season. I was on my passage to Port Jackson in a small schooner, - but adverse winds drove me back almost dead with sea-sickness. I - have been here since February last, and when I shall get home I am - uncertain; I venture no more in the schooner. Mrs. M. wants me - back, as she has much upon her hands. It gave me great - satisfaction to hear my son had arrived safe. I knew your - kindness would far exceed my wishes. I will endeavour, as far as - able, to pay all my debts when I see Mr. Good and you face to - face; till then you must give me credit, and if I do not pay you, - you will be sure to receive both principal and interest in the - resurrection of the just. - - "I remain, dear madam, - "Yours, in the bonds of Christian love, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -The immediate object of his visit being accomplished, he returned to -Sydney, where a strange reception awaited him. Governor Macquarie had -sent to Lord Bathurst a despatch in answer to the statements of the -senior chaplain, already noticed, in which he brought heavy charges -against the latter, which deeply affected his character, not only as a -magistrate, but as a Christian man and a minister. The office of a -magistrate he had been compelled to undertake in common with the other -clergy of the colony, who were all included in the commission of the -peace. For this there was no justification except hard necessity. Mr. -Marsden, however, had long been weary of the irksome task, and had once -and again requested the governor to accept his resignation. This the -governor had expressly declined to do, on the ground that "his services -as a magistrate were too beneficial to the public;" but in fact, it -would seem, only that he might have the opportunity of inflicting upon -him the annoyance of a formal dismissal, which was shortly afterwards -notified in the "Sydney Gazette." - -Lord Bathurst, in consequence of the governor's despatch, determined -upon a step which gave great satisfaction to Mr. Marsden's friends at -home, and sent out a commissioner to investigate upon the spot the -truth of these and various other matters affecting the state of the -colony, which had now obtained public notoriety, and had already engaged -the attention of the British parliament; and Commissioner Bigge arrived -during Mr. Marsden's absence to manage the inquiry. On his return we -find him seeking a public and searching examination of his whole -conduct. Addressing a letter to the commissioner, he says: "I am happy -to meet every charge that can be brought against me. I have no wish to -do more than set my character right in the opinion of his Majesty's -government and in that of the Christian world; and I am unfeignedly -thankful to you for the fair opportunity you afford me to justify my -public and private conduct." - -Among the many charges brought before the commission of inquiry was that -already preferred against Mr. Marsden by the governor in his despatch to -Lord Bathurst, namely, that he had been guilty of extraordinary severity -as a magistrate. Another, scarcely consistent with the first, was, that -more profligacy and depravity were to be found amongst the convicts of -Paramatta than in any other district, and that this was owing to the -neglect of the senior chaplain. Perhaps it would have been impossible to -have brought forward any two charges of a more painful nature. Happily -the first was easily disproved, or rather it fell at once to the ground -for want of proof. The second was the more cruel, because, while the -facts bore out the statement, Mr. Marsden was the only public man in the -colony who was not guilty, by his silence at least, to some extent of -the iniquities which the governor affected to deplore. Paramatta was, in -fact, the receptacle of the most hardened and depraved of the convict -class; it received the sweepings of the jails in every district. There -were nearly two hundred women and seven hundred male convicts there, -while the factory was so small as not to be able to contain more than -sixty women, and the remainder were obliged to find lodging for -themselves or to sleep in the open fields. This was Mr. Marsden's answer -to the commissioner; it was a repetition of the remonstrance which he -alone had had the courage, two years before, to present to the governor, -and then to remit home to England. Thus he found himself arraigned as -the cause of those very evils--evils, too, lying at his own door--which -he had obtained so much obloquy for attempting to remove. The reflection -is a trite one, but it will bear to be repeated, that the Christian -philanthropist must look for his recompense in heaven, and not from man. -"If when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is -acceptable with God, for even hereunto were ye called." A third charge -was that he had squandered public money in building the female orphan -house. He showed, however, on his defence, that the lieutenant-governor, -judge-advocate, and others, who formed the committee, had examined the -accounts and passed them every quarter, and that the governor had -himself afterwards approved of them, and published them in the "Sydney -Gazette" three years before the charge was made. It now appeared further -that Mr. Marsden had advanced largely to the institution; to the amount -indeed of more than eight hundred pounds, for the mere cost of the -building; "and this," he says, "must have been known to the governor, as -I was obliged to apply to him for repayment for some of these sums, and -received an answer that he could not assist me." - -Such are some of the trials which they must learn to encounter who would -be brave and fearless soldiers of the cross. They must expect to have -their motives censured, their tempers blamed, their actions -misconstrued, sometimes by men as good, or, at least, as honest as -themselves. Governor Macquarie left the impression of his genius upon -the youthful institutions of Australia, where his memory is still -honoured as that of a great man; yet his conduct to Mr. Marsden was -oppressive and unjust. It is consoling to know that there had been -nothing in the personal conduct of the latter unworthy of his sacred -calling. The commissioner, in the conclusion of the investigation, -inserts, for Mr. Marsden's information, the governor's testimonial of -his character, which, considering the charges brought against him, -certainly does go far to prove that misapprehension and exasperated -feelings had betrayed his excellency into a warmth and precipitancy of -which, in moments of less irritation, he felt ashamed. "The governor -admits that Mr. Marsden's manner to him has been constantly civil and -accommodating, and that nothing in his manner could provoke the -governor's warmth. The governor admits his qualifications, his activity, -and his unremitting vigilance as a magistrate, and in society his -cheerful disposition and readiness to please." - -While this inquiry was pending at Sydney, the governor addressed a -letter to Lord Sidmouth, and published it in England. It was a defence -of his own line of policy against various attacks which had been made -against it in the House of Commons by the Hon. H. Grey Bennett and -others. In the course of his defence, the governor not only ridiculed -Mr. Marsden's letter on the necessity of a female factory, and his -account of the melancholy condition of the convict women, but charges -him with being himself accustomed to traffic in spirituous liquors, and -in consequence of being displeased at having so many public-houses in -his neighbourhood. - -Malicious, and absurd as the accusation was, carrying with it its own -refutation, it found some who were weak or wicked enough to believe, or -however to repeat it. It was revived in the colony, and republished in -one of the Sydney newspapers after Mr. Marsden's death. Such is the -tenacity of slander. "Only throw mud enough," says the eloquent Mr. -Burke, "and some of it will be sure to stick." Mr. Marsden felt his -character so seriously compromised that he wrote home to the minister in -self-defence, and also addressed a statement of the case to the new -governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane. After showing the absurdity, and indeed -the impossibility, of the charge, since, in the first place, the -governor himself had granted a monopoly to certain contractors to -purchase and land all spirits brought to the colony, and that in the -second he had no licence, he adds: "Such is the watchful eye that was -kept upon my whole conduct by night and by day, if I had been guilty of -that or any other impropriety, it would have been impossible for me to -have escaped detection." So far as any pretence of truth could have been -urged in support of this foul slander, namely that "he kept a -public-house for the sale of ardent spirits, selling them in any -quantity from a pint to a puncheon," it may be stated in his own words: -"In the infancy of the colony, previously to my arrival, barter was -established among all classes from the governor downwards. As there was -neither beer nor milk, tea nor sugar, to be purchased at any price, -wine and spirits became the medium of exchange. As the colony -progressively advanced in agriculture, commerce, and wealth, barter -gradually decreased, and money transactions became more general. I can -affirm that for the last eighteen years I have not had in my possession -as much spirits as would allow my servants half a pint a head per week. -And at no period of my residence did I ever purchase spirits for -sale."[J] - - [J] Rations of spirits, as in the navy, would seem at this time to - have been regularly served out to the servants and labourers in the - colony. - -These were not the only troubles through which he was called to pass. -But enough has been said both to explain the difficulties in which Mr. -Marsden was placed and to clear his character from the vile aspersions -cast upon it. It is with pleasure that we turn from these false and -disgraceful charges to follow him in those Christian and philanthropic -pursuits which have given splendour to his name. - -On the arrival of Sir Thomas Brisbane, in 1821, to assume the government -of New South Wales, Mr. Marsden immediately waited upon him, when he -received the assurance of his countenance and support, not only as a -colonial chaplain, but as the representative of the great missionary -work going forward in New Zealand. Such encouragement was opportune; he -thanked God and took courage; for the difficulties were great, and from -time to time grievous disappointments and vexations had occurred. It was -about this time that the seminary at Paramatta, for the education of New -Zealanders, was abandoned. It had its origin with Mr. Marsden, and was -conducted for some time in his own house. It was indeed one of his most -favourite plans, and its failure was a severe disappointment. It was -found, however, that the change of habits and of climate was injurious -to the health of the New Zealanders, while the results were not always -such as might have been desired. But nothing could damp his ardent zeal, -or quench his spirit of enterprise. "I see," he says, writing to his -friends at home, "the way preparing for the spread of the gospel. I feel -the fullest conviction that the South Sea Islands will now receive the -blessing of civilization and the gospel. The work is great, and many -difficulties may oppose it. The foundation is now firmly laid, and no -power on earth can overturn it. To impart these blessings to the New -Zealanders is an object worthy of the British nation: a more noble -undertaking could not be suggested to the Christian world." This at -least was not the mere declamation of the platform, but the deliberate -expression of the views of one who had toiled and suffered in the cause -for twenty years, and had scarcely been cheered, at present, with the -sight of a single New Zealand convert. "Here," at least, "is the -patience of the saints." - -His home duties were not neglected; nor was his the easy philanthropy -which overlooks the humble claims of the rustic flock or obscure parish, -while it stalks abroad on some heroic enterprise which may feed the -vanity, while it satisfies the conscience, of the actor. Through his -exertions Paramatta had now its association in behalf of the Bible -Society, which already collected funds for the Parent Society in -England. An early report from this institution contains a remarkable -account of his visits to the sick bed of a young woman, whose experience -beautifully illustrates the text, that the Scripture "is able to make us -wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." It brings -the writer also before us incidentally as a spiritual pastor and an -enlightened minister of Christ. - -"Some time ago," says Mr. Marsden, "I was called on to visit a young -woman, about twenty years of age, in one of our districts, who was -extremely ill, and who wished very much to see me before she died. On my -arrival at her father's house, I found her heavily afflicted, and death -appeared to be at no great distance. I sat by her bedside with the Bible -in my hand; expecting to find her, as I have but too often found others -in similar circumstances, ignorant of the first principles of religion. - -"I read a portion of this sacred book to her, and was most agreeably -surprised to find that she not only understood the letter but the spirit -of the Scriptures. - -"I asked her father how she became so well acquainted with the -Scriptures: he said he did not know--she was always reading her Bible at -every opportunity, and sometimes sat up whole nights for that purpose. -He observed, she was a very dutiful daughter: he had a large family, and -she, being the eldest, and very industrious, was of great service to her -mother and the younger branches of the family; the only indulgence which -she desired was to be allowed to read the Bible when her work was done; -but he could not account for her attachment to it; and it seemed very -strange to him that she should attend to it so much. I asked him if she -was in the habit of going to church, as I did not personally know her. -He said she went sometimes, but was generally prevented, from the -distance and the large family which she had to attend to. - -"This young woman may be said to have obtained her religion wholly from -the Bible. None of the family knew anything of the Bible but herself. I -visited her during the whole of her sickness, from the time she sent for -me, until she fell asleep in Jesus. Her faith was simple, her views of -the way of salvation clear. She gave me many proofs of this, in the -various conversations which I had with her during her sickness. The -Bible was more precious to her than gold; she had found it, under the -influence of the Divine Spirit, her counsellor and her guide, and by it -she had been brought to a knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus -Christ whom he had sent; and hereby she was filled with a hope full of -immortality. Previously to her last sickness, she had enjoyed good -health: it was in the prime of youth and vigour that she had read her -Bible, and loved it, so that she had not to seek God, for the first -time, in this trying moment; but found him a present help in sickness -and in the approach of death. The Bible had testified of Christ to her: -she had found eternal life revealed therein; and the Divine promises -were both great and precious to her soul." - -Such instances of faith, and of the happy effects of a simple reliance -upon the atonement, were at that time of rare occurrence in the colony. -Instances of conversion simply from the reading of the Scriptures are -not perhaps so rare as we generally suppose. Lieutenant Sadleir, who -himself resided at Paramatta, has remarked upon this occurrence: "It is -gratifying to the reflecting mind to observe such glimmerings of light -in the midst of so much darkness. Although found in obscurity and in the -cottage of the peasant, it proved that there were some who had not bowed -the knee to the Baal of universal licentiousness." - -Mr. Marsden's anxiety for the female convicts was not to be abated by -ridicule or opposition. We find him, in August, 1822, addressing a -letter to Dr. Douglas, the police magistrate of Paramatta, on their -behalf. Some of the sentiments are beautifully touching. The substance -of the plea on their behalf is "that these poor creatures, who are -confined in the penitentiary, and who have committed no offence in these -settlements, be allowed the privilege of attending at least once on the -sabbath day on public worship." The request was surely reasonable, and -in urging it he rises to a pathetic eloquence: "There is no nation under -the heavens in whose bosom the wretched and unfortunate finds so warm a -reception as in our own. The unhappy situation of the female convicts -during their confinement in the different jails in the empire interests -the best feelings of the human heart. They are instructed by the -counsels of the wise, consoled by the prayers of the pious, softened by -the tears of the compassionate, and relieved by the alms of the -benevolent. The noble senator does not pass over their crimes and their -punishments unnoticed; he is anxious for the prevention of the former, -and the mitigation of the latter; nor does the wise politician consider -them beneath his care." He then speaks with natural exultation of "the -watchful eye with which the British government provides for their wants -and conveniences during their voyage to New South Wales, even more -liberally than for the brave soldiers and sailors who have fought the -battles of their country, and never violated its laws;" and then follows -a sentence which leaves us uncertain whether more to admire his -patriotism or the gentleness of his nature and the warmth of his heart: - -"This apparently singular conduct may seem as if the British government -wished to encourage crime and afterwards reward it; but upon a nearer -view this principle of action will be found to spring spontaneously from -virtue, from that inherent, laudable, Christian compassion and anxiety, -which the father of the prodigal felt for his lost son, which kept alive -the spark of hope that he might one day return to his father's house and -be happy. This parable of our blessed Saviour's most beautifully -exhibits the character of the British nation towards her prodigal sons -and daughters, and is more honourable to her than all the victories she -has achieved by sea and land." - -The welfare of the female convict population lay near to Mr. Marsden's -heart; scarcely his beloved New Zealanders and their missions engaged -more of his affection. His plans for the improvement of their temporal -condition, and his incessant labours for their spiritual welfare, -occupied no small portion of his time and thoughts; and there is good -reason to believe that his labours amongst these outcasts were not "in -vain in the Lord." Standing, as we should have thought, himself in need -of encouragement, he stimulated the languid zeal of others. Mrs. Fry and -other philanthropists were now engaged in their great work of amending -our prison discipline at home. We have inserted a letter from that -excellent lady to Mr. Marsden. His answer to it must have cheered her -spirits amidst the many disheartening toils to which she was exposed. - -"The Wellington had just arrived when," he says, "I went on board, and -was highly gratified with the order which appears to have been -maintained in that vessel. I could not have conceived that any ship -could have been fitted up to have afforded such accommodation to the -unfortunate female exiles as the Wellington was. All the women looked -clean, healthy, and well. They had not that low, vicious, squalid, dirty -look which the women at former periods have had when they first arrived. -I believe there has been very great attention paid by the master and -surgeon to their morals and comfort, in every possible way. The very -sight of the arrangements of the vessel showed that the humane and -benevolent wishes of the Christian world had been carried into effect, -and proved beyond all contradiction that order and morality can be -maintained upon so long a voyage in a female convict ship.... The -present inquiry into the state of this colony, before the committee of -the House of Commons, will greatly benefit this country. I can speak -from painful experience that for the last twenty-six years, it has been -the most immoral, wretched society in all the Christian world. Those who -are intimate with the miseries and vices of large jails alone can form -any idea of the colony of New South Wales. I know what Newgate was when -I was in London, in the years 1808 and 1809. I was then in the habit of -seeing that miserable abode of vice and woe. What has since been done in -Newgate may be done elsewhere, if suitable means are adopted by those in -authority, seconded by individual exertions; much might be done in these -colonies towards restoring the poor exiles to society, with the -countenance and support of the government. Great evils are not removed -without great difficulties. When I visited the Wellington, I saw much -had been done in England, and more than I could have credited, had I not -been an eye witness of the situation of the females." - -Sir Thomas Brisbane, the new governor, was not slow to perceive the -worth of services such as those which Mr. Marsden had rendered to the -colony, and pressed him to accept once more the office of a magistrate. -In reference to this, "I wish," says Mr. Marsden, in a letter to Dr. -Mason Good, "to avoid the office if I can; but I fear it will not be in -my power, without giving offence. The judges as well as the public and -the magistrates have urged me to take the bench at the present time." In -the same letter, he adds: "I feel happy that I have stood firm against -all calumnies and reproaches, and have been the instrument of bringing -to light the abominations that have been committed here: and some of the -evils are already remedied." The friends of religion and virtue in -England could not fail to sympathize with him, being well assured that -substantially he was fighting the cause of true piety and equal justice, -against profligacy and oppression. Mr. Wilberforce wrote to him in the -year 1823, with his usual warm affection:-- - - "Though I may be a somewhat doubtful and unfrequent correspondent, - I am not an uncertain friend; and where good will, as in your - instance, is grounded on early esteem, and cemented by the - consciousness of having many mutual friends, I should be ashamed - if that should suffer any decay from the impression not being - often renewed. It was with no small concern that I heard that - anything unpleasant had occurred. I had meant to endeavour to - obtain a sight of any letters or papers to our common friends, and - to have consulted with them whether any, and if any, what - measures, could be taken for the benefit of your colony, or in - your own support, which, without a compliment, I hold to be in a - degree coincident.... And now, my dear sir, farewell: but I ought - not to conclude without congratulating you on the progressive - advancement, as I trust, of the religious and moral interests of - your Australian world, and begging that you will always inform me - unreservedly whenever you conceive I can be of use publicly, or to - yourself personally. - - "I remain, with much esteem and regard, - "My dear sir, - "Your sincere friend, - "W. WILBERFORCE." - -The report of Commissioner Bigge was made public soon afterwards; and -with it the clouds which had gathered so long around the chaplain of -Paramatta were at last dispersed. He was too prominent a mark not to be -again assailed. Always in the front of the battle when the oppressed -required protection, or evil doers in high positions his bold assaults, -it was not in the nature of things that he should lead a very quiet -life. His calling was peculiar; so were his talents; and the latter were -admirably fitted for the former. But for the present his triumph was -complete, and the government at home appreciated his faithful service. -The document which follows requires no further comment. It was not -received till some time had elapsed, but we insert it here as a fitting -conclusion to the chapter:-- - - "Private Secretary's Office, Sydney, 9th April, 1825. - - "REVEREND SIR,--I have the honour to acquaint you, by command of - his excellency the governor, that Earl Bathurst, having taken into - consideration your long and useful services in the colony of New - South Wales, has determined upon increasing your stipend to the - sum of four hundred pounds sterling, per annum. - - "I have further the pleasing satisfaction of coupling with it his - lordship's instructions to the governor, to acquaint you that it - has been done in consideration of your long, laborious, and - praiseworthy exertions in behalf of religion and morality. - - "I have the honour to be, reverend Sir, - "Your obedient servant, - "JOHN OVENS, - _Private Secretary._ - - "To the Rev. Samuel Marsden, - Principal Chaplain." - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - Fourth Visit to New Zealand--Trials and Successes of the various - Missions--Shipwreck and Danger of Mr. Marsden and the Rev. S. - Leigh--Returns home--Letter to Avison Terry, Esq. - - -In July, 1823, we find Mr. Marsden again taking ship and embarking for -New Zealand; his intention being to visit the stations of the Church -Missionary Society, and to arrange its affairs. Since his last visit -fresh causes for anxiety had appeared. In consequence of Shunghie's -misconduct, the natives were now alienated from the missionaries; they -had become indifferent to education and agricultural improvements; and -the gospel, it was too evident, had made little progress hitherto. -Shunghie declared that as to himself, "he wanted his children to learn -to fight and not to read." The Maories about the settlement insisted -upon being paid for their services in fire-arms and ammunition. "Since -Shunghie's return," writes one of the missionaries, "the natives, one -and all, have treated us with contempt. They are almost past bearing; -coming into our houses when they please, demanding food, thieving -whatever they can lay their hands on, breaking down our garden fences, -stripping the ship's boats of everything they can. They seem, in fact, -ripe for any mischief; had Mr. Marsden himself been amongst us, much as -he deserves their esteem, I believe he would not escape without insult; -but the Lord is a very present help in time of trouble." Amongst the -missionaries themselves certain evils had appeared, the growth of a -secular and commercial spirit, which had injured their cause, and -threatened to frustrate the great end for which the mission was -projected. Mr. Marsden heard of these untoward events, and hastened his -departure, full of anxiety, but not abating one jot of his confidence in -the final triumph of God's cause. What his feelings were his own journal -testifies:-- - - "I am still confident that this land of darkness and superstition - will be visited by the day-star from on high. The glory of the - Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for - the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. O Lord, let thy kingdom come; - thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. I have suffered - so much annoyance and persecution for some time past, from - unreasonable and wicked men, that I am happy in leaving the colony - for a little time, in which I have experienced so much annoyance. - In reflecting upon the state of New Zealand there are many things - which give me both pleasure and pain. I am happy the Church - Missionary Society has not relinquished the cause, but have sent - out more strength to carry on the work. Many have been the - discouragements from the misconduct of some of the servants of the - Society; but I am confident that the sword of the Spirit, which is - the word of God, will in time subdue the hearts of these poor - people to the obedience of faith." - -He was accompanied on his voyage by the Reverend Henry Williams and his -family, who now went out to strengthen the New Zealand mission, of which -he soon became one of the most effective leaders. One of Bishop Selwyn's -first steps when he was appointed bishop of New Zealand, was to make Mr. -Henry Williams one of his archdeacons, and since then he has been -designated to a New Zealand bishopric in a district inhabited -exclusively by Christianized Maories. Could Mr. Marsden have foreseen -the course which awaited his companion, how would his soul have been -cheered! but it was for him to sow in tears, and for others to reap in -joy. The field was not yet ripe for the harvest; other men laboured, who -now sleep in the dust, and we of this generation have entered into their -labours. Mr. Marsden was not mistaken in his estimate of his new -companion. Indeed he appears to have been very seldom mistaken in the -judgments he formed about other men. "I think," he notes, "that Mr. -Williams and his family will prove a great blessing to the Society. I -hope he will be able to correct and remedy, in time, many evils that -have existed, and also to set an example to the rest what they as -missionaries should do." - -This was his fourth visit to New Zealand, and though in some respects it -was painful, yet in others there was ground for joy. The cloud which the -prophet saw from Carmel, though no greater than a man's hand, foretold -abundance of rain; and so now too, at length, after nine years' toil, a -few hopeful symptoms appeared amongst the Maories. Their anxious visitor -observed with much pleasure, he says, that since his last visit, the -natives in general were much improved in their appearance and manners; -and now for the first time he heard them, with strange delight, sing -some hymns and repeat some prayers in their own language. This convinced -him that, notwithstanding the misconduct of a few of the Europeans, the -work was gradually going on, and the way preparing for the blessings of -the gospel. "I have no doubt that the greatest difficulties are now -over, and that God will either incline the hearts of those who are now -in New Zealand, to devote themselves to their work, or he will find -other instruments to do his work." - -Yet he had a painful duty to discharge. Firm as he was and lion-hearted -when danger was to be met, his nature was very gentle, and his -affections both deep and warm; and he had now to rebuke some of the -missionaries whom he loved as his own soul, and even to dismiss one of -them. Of those whom he had been obliged to censure, he writes -thus:--"They expressed their regret for the past, and a determination to -act in a different way for the future. Some, I have no doubt, will -retrace their steps, and will be more cautious and circumspect, but I -have not the same confidence in all. Some express sorrow, but I fear not -that which worketh repentance." Again he remarks: "Missionary work is -very hard work, unless the heart is fully engaged in it. No -consideration can induce a man to do habitually what he has a habitual -aversion to. The sooner such a one leaves the work, the better it will -be for himself and the mission." But though compelled to blame, he did -not forget to sympathize. "The present missionaries, though some of them -have erred greatly from the right way, yet have all had their trials and -troubles. Some allowance must be made for their peculiar situation, and -their want of Christian society, and of the public ordinances of -religion." - -Several chiefs, among whom was Tooi, warmly took up the cause of the -missionary who had been dismissed. The conversation which followed is a -beautiful illustration of the too much forgotten Scripture which tells -us that "a soft answer turneth away wrath," while at the same time it -presents an interesting view of the Maori mind and character at this -critical period of their national history. - - "Tooi addressing me, said a missionary had informed him that day - that he was going to leave New Zealand, and the chiefs wished to - know whether this person had been dismissed for selling muskets - and powder to the natives. To this I replied that Mr. ---- was - directed by the gentlemen in England who had sent him out as a - missionary, not to sell muskets and powder; that it was not the - custom in England for clergymen to sell muskets and powder; and - that no missionary could be allowed to sell them in New Zealand. - As several of the chiefs present had been at Port Jackson, I - observed that they knew that the clergymen there did not sell - muskets and powder. They knew that I had not one musket in my - house, and that they had never seen any when they were with me. - They replied, they knew what I said was true. I further added we - did not interfere with the government of New Zealand; they did - what they pleased, and the missionaries should be allowed to do - what they pleased. Tooi said that this was but just, and observed, - 'We are at present in the same state as the Otaheitans were some - time back. The Otaheitans wanted only muskets and powder, and - would have nothing else, and now, as they knew better, they wanted - none; and the New Zealanders would care nothing about muskets when - they knew better, which they would in time.' All the chiefs - acquiesced in the observations Tooi made. I was happy to find - their minds were so enlarged, and that they had begun to take such - proper views of the subject. I said, Tooi's remarks upon the - conduct of the Otaheitans were very just, and told them that the - Queen Charlotte brig, which had sailed from the bay the preceding - day, belonged to the young king Pomare; that the Otaheitans had - sent oil and various other articles to Port Jackson, and that they - had received in return, tea, sugar, and flour, and clothing, as - they wanted these articles, and that the New Zealanders might in - time have a ship of their own to procure sperm oil, spars, etc., - which they might sell at Port Jackson, and many of them were able - to kill the whales, having been employed on board the whalers. - When they got a vessel of their own, they would soon be equal to - the Otaheitans, and give over their cruel wars. They expressed - much pleasure at having a vessel of their own. After some further - explanation the chiefs were satisfied that Mr. ---- had violated - our laws and had brought all his distress upon himself." - -The conduct of the natives confirmed the impression which Mr. Marsden -had previously formed, and which their subsequent history down to the -present day entirely sustains, that they are a noble race of men, of -considerable mental capacity, of great perseverance and enterprise, who -never lose sight of an object upon which they have once set their minds; -powerful reasoners upon any subject that has come within their -knowledge; possessed of a quick perception and a natural sagacity, which -enables them to form a just acquaintance with human nature as it -presents itself before them. Who would not wish that they too may form a -happy exception to the rule which seems in every land to condemn the -native population to waste away before the advances of European -enterprise? Who would not desire that the Maorie tribes may long be a -great and powerful nation, protected, but not oppressed by English rule? - -Mr. Marsden now paid a visit at Wangaroa, to the Wesleyan missionary -station there. Over the Wesleyan missions he had of course no control or -oversight, such as that with which he was intrusted towards the missions -of the London Missionary Society in the South Sea Islands. This, -however, did not prevent his taking an affectionate interest in their -affairs. He found Mr. Leigh, the founder of their mission, very ill, and -invited him to return with him on a voyage of health and recreation to -Port Jackson; and having taken leave of the Church Missionary brethren -with solemn and affectionate counsels he embarked on the 6th of -September, 1823, with feelings which he thus describes. - - "I now felt much pleasure in the prospect of a speedy return to my - family and people, and being very weary with various toils and - anxieties both of body and mind, I longed for a little rest, and - retired to my cabin with much thankfulness and comfort. I had - cause to be thankful for continual good health during the period I - had been in New Zealand, as I had not lost one day. I felt great - confidence in the Rev. Mr. Williams, and I doubt not that God will - prosper the work, and raise up a seed in this benighted land to - serve him; for many shall come from the south as well as the - north, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the - kingdom of God." - -But his bright visions were overcast. Like the first and greatest of -Christian missionaries, it was ordained that he, too, "should suffer -shipwreck and be cast upon a desert island." His own journal gives us -the story of his danger and deliverance. - - "_Sunday 7th._--This morning we weighed anchor. I spent some time - this day reading the Scriptures with the Rev. S. Leigh, our - subject for contemplation was the 1st chapter of St. Paul to the - Romans. The weather was very threatening and stormy; the wind from - the eastward and strong, blowing directly into the mouth of the - harbour. We lay in Korororika Bay, on the south side of the - harbour, and had to sail along a lee rocky shore. In working out - with the wind dead on the land, the ship being light and high out - of the water she would not answer her helm, and twice missed - stays. The lead was kept continually sounding, and we soon found - ourselves in little more than three fathoms water, with a rocky - bottom and a shoal of rocks on our lee, and it was then high - water. When the captain found the situation we were in, he - immediately ordered to let go the anchor, which was done. When the - tide turned the ship struck, the gale increased, and the sea with - it; a shipwreck was now more than probable; there appeared no - possible way to prevent it. The Rev. Mr. Leigh was very ill, and - felt the disturbance much, Mrs. Leigh also being very ill. I - requested the captain to lend me the boat to take Mr. and Mrs. - Leigh to the nearest island, where we arrived very safely, the - island being but two miles distant. The natives expressed much - concern for us, made a fire, prepared the best hut they could, - which was made of bulrushes, for our reception. I requested them - to send a canoe to Rungheehe, to inform Mr. and Mrs. Hall of the - loss of the ship, and to bring their boat to assist in bringing - the people to land. At the same time, I desired they would tell - the natives to bring a large war canoe. The natives for some time - alleged that their canoe would be dashed to pieces by the waves, - but at length I prevailed upon them. They had between five and - six miles to go, through a very rough sea. About three o'clock, - Messrs. Hall, King, and Hanson, arrived in Mr. Hall's boat, and a - large war canoe with natives; they immediately proceeded to the - ship, and we had the satisfaction to see them arrive safe, and - waited until dark with the greatest anxiety for their return. The - rain fell in torrents, the gale increased, and they had not - returned; we lay down in our little hut full of fear for the - safety of all on board. The night appeared very long, dark, and - dreary. As we could not rest, we most anxiously wished for the - morning light, to learn some account of them. - - "_September 8th._--When the day arrived we had the happiness to - see the vessel still upright, but driven nearer the shore. No boat - or canoe from her; the gale still increased; about mid-day we saw - the mainmast go overboard. The natives on the island screamed - aloud when the mast fell. I concluded they had cut away the mast - to relieve the vessel. We spent the rest of this day in great - suspense, as we could not conjecture why all the passengers should - remain on board in the state the ship was in. At dark in the - evening Mr. Hall returned, and informed us that the bottom of the - vessel was beaten out, and that both her chain and best bower - cable were parted; and that she beat with such violence upon the - rocks when the tide was in that it was impossible to stand upon - the deck; at the same time, he said, there was no danger of any - lives being lost, as he did not think the vessel would go to - pieces, as she stood firm upon the rock, when the tide was out. He - said, the passengers on board had not determined what they would - do, or where they would land as yet; they wished to wait till the - gale was abated. Mr. Hall's information relieved us much; as it - was now dark, the wind high, and the sea rough, we could not leave - the island, and therefore took up our lodgings in our little hut. - - "The natives supplied us with a few potatoes and some fish. My - pleasing prospect of returning to Port Jackson was at an end, for - some time at least. I was exceedingly concerned for the loss of so - fine a vessel on many accounts, as individuals who are interested - in her must suffer as well as the passengers on board, and spent - the night in reflections on the difficulties with which I was - surrounded; while the raging of the storm continued without - intermission. - - "_Tuesday 9th._--At the return of day we discovered the ship still - upright, but she appeared to be higher on the reef. I now - determined to return to Kiddee-Kiddee in Mr. Hall's boat with Mr. - and Mrs. Leigh. We left the island for the missionary settlement, - where we arrived about nine o'clock. Our friends had not heard of - the loss of the ship until our arrival, as there had not been any - communication between the different settlements in consequence of - the severe weather. We were very kindly received by the brethren; - I informed them in what situation we had left the ship, and - requested that every assistance might be given to land the - passengers and luggage. The wreck was about twelve or fourteen - miles from the settlement. Four boats were immediately sent off; - Mr. Hall's boat took the women and children to Rungheehe, and two - of the boats returned with part of our luggage, and we went to the - station of the Rev. Henry Williams. All the brethren rendered - every aid in their power. The boats on their return brought the - welcome news that all was well on board, and Mr. Leigh did not - appear to have suffered much injury from the wet and cold he - endured on the island, though in so weak a state. Divine wisdom - has no doubt some wise ends to answer in all that has befallen us. - The word of God expressly says all things shall work together for - the good of them that love God, and the Scripture cannot be - broken. - - "We cannot see through this dark and mysterious dispensation at - the present time; the why and wherefore we must leave to him who - ordereth all things according to the counsel of his own will. As - the gale continued with unremitting violence, if we had gone out - to sea we might have been cast on shore under more dangerous and - distressing circumstances. Our shipwreck has been a most merciful - one, as no lives have been lost, nor anything but the ship." - -The shipwreck of the Brampton--for that was the vessel's name--occurred -on the 7th of September, and in consequence Mr. Marsden was detained in -New Zealand until the 14th of November, when he returned home in the -Dragon, and arrived at Sydney in the beginning of December, 1823. The -interval was not lost; for he seems to have been one of those who gather -up the fragments of time, and turn to the best account the idle hours -and spare moments of life. He drew up some excellent rules for the -guidance of the missionaries and Christian settlers in their intercourse -with the shipping which now began to visit the Bay of Islands. He -encouraged the erection of a school-house for the natives. "The -foundation," he says, "must be laid in the education of the rising -generation. The children possess strong minds, are well-behaved and -teachable. They are capable of learning anything we wish to teach them." -During his detention he also addressed a circular letter to the -missionaries respecting a grammar in the Maori or New Zealand language, -pointing out the necessity of adopting some more systematic method both -for its arrangement and pronunciation. This led to a new vocabulary of -the native language, and in a short time to a new method of spelling. We -have, of course, retained Mr. Marsden's orthography of New Zealand -names, but we may remark, by the way, it is very different from that -which has been since introduced. Shunghie became E'Hongi; Kiddee Kiddee, -Keri Keri; and so in other instances. But even Mr. Marsden, with all his -sagacity, did not penetrate New Zealand's future, nor foresee in how -short a time the well-known and familiar sounds of English towns and -villages would be transferred to that still savage island, superseding -even in Maori lips their native designations. It seems probable that the -New Zealand language may, in the course of another generation, come to -be known only by the grammar which the missionaries compiled and the -Scriptures which they have since translated. But whatever be its fate, -it is in a high degree sonorous and expressive, and had it but an -antique literature, a Tallessin or an Ossian, it could never perish. -Without a literature of its own no spoken language can long endure -against the assaults of that which is evidently destined to be the -universal speech of trade and commerce, the English tongue. On the other -hand the literature of a language, or even of a dialect, embalms it -after it has ceased to be a spoken tongue even to the end of time. - -And lastly, a political object occupied some of Mr. Marsden's time and -thoughts. The incessant and desolating wars which the native tribes -waged against each other were, he saw, the great obstacle to the -progress of New Zealand. The missions were always insecure, for the -country was always more or less disturbed. Civil war is, under all -circumstances, the bane, and, if persisted in, the ruin of a country; -add the ferocity of New Zealand warfare, its cannibalism and its undying -spirit of revenge, and nothing more was wanted to degrade the finest -country under heaven into a very pit of darkness. All this Mr. Marsden -felt; he conceived that if he could succeed in establishing some one -chief as supreme, a plan of government might be drawn up securing life -and property throughout the island. He consulted Shunghie, Wyatto Riva, -and other powerful chieftains. Shunghie's ambitious spirit would have -embraced the proposal, the condition being, of course, that he should be -the sovereign; but the jealousy of the rest prevented anything like -unanimity. Riva justly remarked that to have any superior would degrade -them; yet all the chiefs appeared tired of war and the unsettled state -consequent upon it. So the project failed. - -At length he returned home, accompanied by six New Zealand youths, whose -eagerness was such that they gladly promised to sleep upon the deck -rather than miss the opportunity. Mr. Leigh, the Wesleyan missionary, -was also his fellow voyager. Mr. Leigh's opinion of Mr. Marsden and his -labours is highly gratifying, and not the less so as coming from one who -belonged to another Society. "The shipwreck," he says, "which we have -experienced will, I have no doubt, prove favourable to the reputation of -the New Zealanders. For several days we were in their power, and they -might have taken all that we had with the greatest ease; but instead of -oppressing and robbing us, they actually sympathized with us in our -trials and afflictions. Mr. Marsden, myself, and Mrs. Leigh, were at a -native village for several days and nights, without any food but what -the natives brought us; what they had they gave us willingly, and -said--'Poor creatures! you have nothing to eat, and you are not -accustomed to our kind of food.' I shall never forget the sympathy and -kindness of these poor heathens. - - "I do hope that the Rev. S. Marsden will be successful in his - endeavours to put an end to the frequent wars in New Zealand. I - have heard many natives and chiefs say, 'It is no good to go to - fight and eat men; we wish to cease from war, and retire to some - peaceful place.' I pray God that this object may be soon effected - among this people. The Christian world, and especially the Church - Missionary Society, will never be able fully to appreciate the - valuable labours of the Rev. Samuel Marsden. His fervent zeal, his - abundant toil, and extensive charity in the cause of missions, are - beyond estimation. May he live long as a burning and shining light - in the missionary world!" - -Within a few days of his return home, Mr. Marsden, the impression of his -visit still fresh upon his mind, wrote the following interesting -letter:-- - - "Paramatta, December 20, 1823. - - "MY VERY DEAR SIR,--I now sit down to thank you for your very - valuable presents, which you were so kind as to send me for the - natives of New Zealand. They arrived a little before I sailed for - that island. I was at Van Diemen's Land when the vessel which - brought them arrived at Port Jackson. On my return from the - southern settlements I prepared for New Zealand. Your spades, - axes, etc., made the hearts of many rejoice; and they are now - dispersed over the country, from the North Cape to the Thames. - When I arrived at the Bay of Islands there were several chiefs - there, who had fled for safety in the late wars, but returned when - peace was restored, and took with them some of your presents. I - have just returned from New Zealand, having been absent about - twenty weeks; was shipwrecked, but no lives were lost. The natives - have made considerable advances in civilization, and I have no - doubt they will become a great nation in due time. Much has been - done already to better their situation. I believe their - agriculture has increased more than twenty-fold since they have - got hoes, but it will be many years before every man in the island - will be able to procure a hoe. The Church Missionary Society has - done much for them, and their labour has not been in vain. All - that is wanted now is faithful missionaries to labour amongst - them; it will be very difficult to find such men. There are even - very few pious men who are qualified to be missionaries; it - requires much self-denial, much patience, and much perseverance, - united with the wisdom of the serpent and the innocence of the - dove. Men, also, of education and knowledge are wanted; ignorant - men, though possessed of piety, will be found ill-qualified for a - mission in New Zealand. The natives are a wise and understanding - people, and will pry into the very secrets of every man who - resides amongst them. Their study is human nature in all its - bearings; they talk more of the heart of man than we do, and of - the evil that is lodged there. They will soon find out a man's - real character, whether he is ignorant or wise, prudent or - foolish, and will estimate the benefits which they are likely to - derive from his knowledge, his good temper, his charity, and will - esteem him or despise him accordingly. A wise and prudent man - will have great influence over them, while they would laugh at an - ignorant man. A good farmer or mechanic would be much esteemed, - because they would be benefited by him. I have gained considerable - knowledge of their customs and manners in my last visit. - Cannibalism is interwoven through the whole of their religious - system. They offer up human sacrifices as sin offerings. Whenever - the gospel shall be revealed to them they will very easily - understand the doctrine of the atonement. They demand a sacrifice - or an atonement for almost everything which they consider as an - injury. Human sacrifices are offered for the death of their - friends, whether they are slain in battle or die a natural death. - Their eating human flesh has its origin in superstition. They pay - great attention to all the ceremonies of their religion, and are - very much afraid of offending their god. As for their wars, these - will not be prevented until an object can be found that will - employ their active minds. Agriculture and commerce are the only - means that promise to remedy their civil wars; when these can be - brought into operation they will have a beneficial effect. It is - only the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, that can - subdue their hearts to the obedience of faith. I am of opinion - that civilization and Christianity will go hand in hand, if means - are used at the same time to introduce both, and one will aid and - assist the other. To bring this noble race of human beings to the - knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ is an attempt - worthy of the Christian world. I believe as God has stirred up the - hearts of his people to pray for them, and to open both their - hearts and their purses he will prosper the work, and raise up a - people from amongst these savages to call him blessed. In time - the voice of joy and gladness will be heard in the present abodes - of cruelty, darkness, and superstition. I consider every axe, - every hoe, every spade, in New Zealand as an instrument to prepare - the way of the Lord. They are silent but sure missionaries in the - hands of the natives of that country. I was very happy to learn - that your dear mother was still alive, and all your family were - well at present. Remember us kindly to your mother, if still - alive, and to Mrs. Terry and our other friends. - - "I am, yours affectionately, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN. - "To Avison Terry, Esq." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - Aborigines--South Sea Mission--Fresh Slanders on Mr. Marsden's - character--His Pamphlet in self-defence--Letter of Messrs. Bennett - and Tyerman--Libels and Action at Law--Verdict--Case of - Ring--Pastoral Letters of Mr. Marsden: To a Lady; On the Divinity - of Christ--Fifth Voyage to New Zealand--Letters, etc. - - -Scarcely had Mr. Marsden returned to Paramatta when we find him in -correspondence with the new governor on the subject of the aborigines of -Australia. They were already wasting away in the presence of the -European colonists like snow before the sun. Their restless and -wandering habits seemed to present insuperable difficulties, whether the -object were to convert or merely to protect them. His memorandum to the -governor, and subsequent correspondence with the Church Missionary -Society, show his anxiety for their welfare and the largeness of his -heart. Each new project, as it came before him, was welcomed with -serious attention, while at the same time there was no fickleness, no -relaxation of his efforts in his old engagements and pursuits. But he -was not allowed to connect his name with the evangelization of these -poor heathen. Various attempts have been made by different denominations -to bring them into the fold of Christ, but hitherto with very small -success. It seems, at length, as if Christians had acquiesced in the -conclusion that their conversion is hopeless, that we can do nothing -more than to throw over them the shield of the British government, and -prevent their wholesale destruction by lawless "squatters" and -"bush-rangers." We shall return, however, to the subject hereafter. - -His interest in the mission to the South Sea Islands continued unabated. -The London Missionary Society had deputed the Rev. Daniel Tyerman and -George Bennett, Esq., to visit these missions, and bring home in person -a report of all they might see upon the spot. On their voyage, they -stayed awhile at Sydney, and Mr. Marsden addressed a letter to them, -which shows his own zeal in the cause, and the painful apathy or profane -contempt of others. Such memorials, in this day of comparative fervour, -ought not to be forgotten. When a Livingstone returns home to receive a -shower of honours from a grateful country let us not forget the -venerable pioneers in the same missionary work, and the different -treatment they experienced. The contrast will call forth emotions both -of gratitude and of shame. - - "Sydney, November 4, 1824. - - "GENTLEMEN,--I know of no circumstance that has given me more - satisfaction than your mission to the South Sea Islands. The - attempt to introduce the arts of civilization and the knowledge of - Christianity amongst the inhabitants of those islands was - confessedly great. An undertaking of such a new and important - nature could not be accomplished without much labour, expense, - anxiety, and risk, to all who were concerned in the work. The - missionaries, for the first ten years, suffered every privation in - the islands, from causes which I need not state. They called for - every support and encouragement to induce them to remain in the - islands, and to return to their stations, after they had been - compelled to take refuge in New South Wales. During these ten - years, I used every means in my power to assist the missionaries, - and to serve the Society Islands. During the next ten years, the - ruling powers in this colony manifested a very hostile spirit to - the mission. As I felt it my pleasure as well as my duty to - support the cause, I fell under the marked displeasure of those in - authority, and had a painful warfare to maintain for so long a - period, and many sacrifices I had to make. The ungodly world - always treated the attempt to introduce the gospel among the - natives of the Islands as wild and visionary, and the Christian - world despaired of success. - - "In those periods of doubt and uncertainty in the public mind, I - suffered much anxiety, as very great responsibility was placed on - me. Sometimes, from one cause and another, my sleep departed from - me; though I was persuaded God would bless the work. The work is - now done; this your eyes have seen, and your ears heard; in this I - do rejoice and will rejoice. I wish you, as representatives of the - Society, to satisfy yourselves, from friends and foes, relative to - my conduct towards the mission for the last twenty-five years. You - must be aware that many calumnies have been heaped upon me, and - many things laid to my charge which I know not. My connexion with - the missionaries and the concerns of the mission has been purely - of a religious nature, without any secular views or temporal - interests; and my services, whether they be great or small, were - gratuitous. The missionaries, as a body, are very valuable men, - and as such I love them; but some of them, to whom I had been - kind, have wounded me severely, both here and elsewhere. I have - always found it difficult to manage religious men; what they - state, though in a bad spirit, is generally believed by the - Christian world. I need not enter into the circumstances which - urged me to purchase the Queen Charlotte, as you are in full - possession of them; you are also acquainted with the reason why - her expenses became so heavy, the fall of colonial produce more - than twenty per cent. in so short a period, which no one could - have anticipated at that time, and the increased duty of one - hundred per cent. upon tobacco. If these two circumstances had not - occurred, there would have been no loss to any individuals or the - mission. I inclose the statement of the accounts of the Queen - Charlotte, and shall leave the matter in your hands, to act as you - think proper. I shall also leave the Society to make their own - account of the interest upon the 600l. I borrowed. I have no doubt - but the Society will be satisfied that I had no motive but the - good of the mission, and that, as Christian men who fear God, they - will do what is just and right. I shall therefore leave the matter - in your hands. - - "I have the honour to be, gentlemen, - "Your most obedient, humble servant, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -While thus engaged, he was still a faithful minister of the gospel in -its richest consolations, and a bold opponent of vice. His position as a -magistrate not only obliged him to reprove but to punish sin. The task -was difficult, when the real offender, in too many cases, was not the -wretched culprit at the bar of justice, but some rich and insolent -delinquent, beyond the reach of the limited powers of a colonial -magistrate. In consequence of Mr. Marsden's fearless conduct in a case -we shall not describe, he was at length formally dismissed from the -magistracy. All that is necessary to be known, in order to vindicate his -character, is contained in an extract of a letter written by himself to -Mr. Nicholson, dated Paramatta, 12th August, 1824: - - "My very dear sir," he says, "I have still to strive against sin - and immorality, which brings upon me the hatred of some men in - power; this I must expect from those who live on in sin and - wickedness.... You would hear of the whole bench of magistrates at - Paramatta being dismissed at one stroke, five in number--Messrs. - ... and your humble servant. We fell in the cause of truth and - virtue. If certain individuals could have knocked me down, and - spared my colleagues, I should have fallen alone; but there was no - alternative but to sacrifice all at once. I glory in my disgrace. - As long as I live I hope to raise a standard against vice and - wickedness. We have some Herods here who would take off the head - of the man who dared to tell them that adultery was a crime." - -He was still subject to the most annoying insults. Imputations, -ludicrous from their absurdity and violence, were heaped upon him. In -reading the libels which were published in the colony, and in England -too, about this time, we should suppose that the man against whom they -were aimed was some delinquent, notorious even in a penal settlement. He -was openly accused of being "a man of the most vindictive spirit,"--"a -turbulent and ambitious priest,"--a "cruel magistrate"--an "avaricious -man." These charges, amongst many more, were contained in a work in two -volumes octavo, professing to give an account of Australasia, which -reached a third edition, and to which the author's name was attached. As -if these were not sufficient to grind his reputation to the dust, -further charges of hypocrisy and bigotry were thrown in. These last were -easily repelled; to refute the others was more difficult, inasmuch as -facts were involved which it was necessary to clear up and place in a -just light before the public. It might have seemed magnanimous to -despise such assailants, and meet them with silent pity. And yet we -doubt whether such magnanimity would have been wise, for with a -blemished reputation his usefulness would have been at an end; since his -accusers were not anonymous hirelings, but magistrates and men of high -position in the colony. - -He referred the matter to his friends at home, placing his character in -their hands. He was willing to institute an action for libel, if this -step were thought advisable; or else to lay a statement of his wrongs -before the House of Commons; and he transmitted the manuscript of a -pamphlet, in self-justification, to his friend Dr. Mason Good. It was -accompanied with a letter, remarkable for the modest estimate of his own -abilities, as well as for true Christian meekness: "I have requested our -mutual friend, Baron Field, Esq., to show the documents to you, and to -consult with you on the propriety of publishing them. I have much more -confidence in your superior judgment than in my own.... Many hard -contests," he says, "I have had in this colony. But God has hitherto -overruled all for good, and he will continue to do so. As a Christian I -rejoice in having all manner of evil spoken of me by wicked men. As a -member of society, it is my duty to support, by every lawful means, an -upright character. The good of society calls upon me to do this, from -the public situation I hold, as well as that gospel which I believe; on -this principle I think it right to notice Mr. W.'s work. I leave it," he -adds, "to you and my other friends to publish what I have written or -not, as you may think proper, and with what alterations and arrangements -you may think necessary. I do not know how to make a book, any more than -a watch, but you have learned the trade completely; I therefore beg your -assistance, for which I shall feel very grateful." But even these -anxieties could not engross his confidential correspondence. In the same -letter we have pleasant mention of New Zealand and its missionaries:--"I -have no doubt about New Zealand; we must pray much for them, and labour -hard, and God will bless the labour of our hands." Nor is science quite -forgotten:--"I have sent you a small box of fossils and minerals, by -Captain Dixon, of the Phoenix, from Point Dalrymple principally; the -whole of them came from Van Diemen's Land." - -Mr. Wilberforce and other friends of religion were consulted; and under -their advice his pamphlet was published in London, though not till the -year 1826. It is entitled, "An Answer to certain Calumnies, etc., by the -Rev. Samuel Marsden, principal Chaplain to the colony of New South -Wales." It contains a temperate, and at the same time a conclusive -answer, to all the charges made against him. To some of these we have -already had occasion to refer; others have lost their interest. The -charge of hypocrisy was chiefly grounded on the fact that a windmill, on -Mr. Marsden's property, had been seen at work on Sunday. But "the mill," -he says, "was not in my possession at that time, nor was I in New South -Wales. I never heard of the circumstance taking place but once; and the -commissioner of inquiry was the person who told me of it after my return -from New Zealand. I expressed my regret to the commissioner that -anything should have taken place, in my absence, which had the -appearance that I sanctioned the violation of the sabbath-day. As I was -twelve hundred miles off at the time, it was out of my power to prevent -what had happened; but I assured him it should not happen again, _for -the mill should be taken down_, which was done." How few, it is to be -feared, would make such a sacrifice, simply to avoid the possibility of -a return of the appearance of evil! The charge of bigotry arose out of -his interference with Mr. Crook, a person in the colony who had formerly -been intended for the South Sea mission. It was at the request of the -missionaries themselves, that Mr. Marsden, as agent of their Society, -had been led to interfere; but he was represented, in consequence, as "a -persecutor of dissenters." Messrs. Bennett and Tyerman were then in -Australia; and in answer to Mr. Marsden's request that "they would do -him the favour to communicate to him their impartial opinion, how far he -had in any way merited such an accusation, either as it respects Mr. C. -or any other missionary belonging to the London Missionary Society," he -received a grateful acknowledgment of his services, which we are happy -to insert:-- - - "Sydney, May 11, 1825. - - "REV. AND DEAR SIR,--We have to acknowledge the receipt of your - letter of the 5th inst., requesting our opinion, as the - representatives of the London Missionary Society, on one of the - malicious charges against you in the outrageous publication lately - come to the colony. It is with the utmost satisfaction we state, - as our decided opinion, that the charge of intolerance or - persecution towards Mr. Crook, or any other missionary connected - with the London Society, or, indeed, connected with any other - missionary society, is utterly untrue. We believe it to have - originated in malice or culpable ignorance, and to be a gross - libel. - - "We rejoice, sir, to take the opportunity to say that the South - Sea mission, and all its missionaries, have been, and continue, to - be, exceedingly indebted to your singular kindness and persevering - zeal in their behalf. No temporal reward, we are persuaded, would - have been equivalent to the most valuable services which you have - so long and so faithfully rendered to this mission and its - missionaries. After all your upright and perfectly disinterested - kindness towards the missionaries, when they have been residing on - the Islands,--when they have been residing in the colony, on their - way from England to the Islands,--when they have voluntarily - returned from the Islands to the colony,--and when, from dire - necessity and cruel persecution, compelled to flee from the scenes - of their missionary labours, and take up their residence here; - that you have met with so much calumny, and so few returns of - grateful acknowledgment, for all you have done and borne on their - behalf, is to us a matter of surprise and regret. - - "Allow us, dear sir, to conclude by expressing our hope, that the - other envenomed shafts aimed at you in this infamous publication, - will prove as impotent as that aimed at you through that Society, - in whose name, and as whose representatives, we beg to renew its - cordial thanks and unqualified acknowledgments. And desiring to - present our own thanks in the amplest and most respectful manner, - - "We remain, rev. and dear sir, most faithfully, - "Your obliged and obedient servants, - "GEORGE BENNETT. - "DANIEL TYERMAN." - -The case of James Ring, we cannot pass unnoticed. It shows the cruelty -with which Mr. Marsden's reputation was assailed on the one hand, and -his own firm and resolute bearing on the other. Ring was a convict, who -for his general good conduct had been assigned as a domestic servant to -Mr. Marsden. He was permitted by the latter, in accordance with the -usual custom, to work occasionally at his own trade--that of a painter -and glazier, on his own account, and as a reward for his good conduct. -He was frequently employed in this way by the residents at Paramatta; -amongst others by the chief magistrate himself. This man having been -ill-treated and severely beaten by another servant, applied, with Mrs. -Marsden's approbation, to the magistrates of Paramatta for redress; -instead of receiving which, he was charged by them with being illegally -at large, and committed to the common jail. - -Mr. Marsden was then absent on duty in the country: on appearing before -the bench of magistrates upon his return home, he at once stated that he -had given permission to Ring to work occasionally for himself, and that -therefore if there was any blame it lay with him, and not the prisoner. -The magistrates not only ordered Mr. Marsden to be fined two shillings -and sixpence per day for each day his servant had been thus at large, -under the assumed plea of his transgressing a general government order, -but also ordered Ring to be remanded to jail and ironed; and he was -subsequently worked in irons in a penal gang. "At this conviction there -was no informer, nor evidence," (we are now quoting Mr. Marsden's words, -from a statement which he made before a court of inquiry instituted by -Lord Bathurst, the colonial minister at home, to investigate the -subject at Mr. Marsden's request,) "but the bench convicted me on my own -admission that I had granted indulgence to my servant to do jobs in the -town. There were two convictions, the first was on the 17th of May, -1823. On the 23rd of the same month, without a hearing, or being -present, without informer, evidence, or notice, on the same charge I was -convicted in the penal sum of ten pounds. On the 7th of June, a convict -constable entered my house with a warrant of execution, and levied the -fine by distress and sale of my property." - -These convictions took place under an obsolete colonial regulation of -1802, made in the first instance by Governor King, to meet a temporary -emergency; but virtually set aside by a general order of Governor -Macquarie's, of a much later date, granting the indulgence under certain -regulations, with which Mr. Marsden had complied. Mr. Marsden says, in -his official defence, that he "was the only person in the colony who was -ever fined under such circumstances, since the first establishment of -the colony, to the present time." And he adds a statement which, had it -not come down to us thus accredited under his own hand, would have -seemed incredible, namely that "the two magistrates by whom the fines -were inflicted, Dr. ---- and Lieut. ----, were doing, on that very day, -the same thing for which they fined me and punished my servant, and I -pointed that out to them at the time they were sitting on the bench, and -which they could not deny." Denial indeed was out of the question, -since, says Mr. Marsden, "one of Dr. ----'s convict servants, Henry -Buckingham, by trade a tailor, was working for me, and had been so for -months. Lieut. ---- at that very time also had two convict servants -belonging to Dr. Harris, working for him at his own house." - -In vain did Mr. Marsden appeal to the governor; even he was afraid to -breast the torrent, which for a time bore all before it. "He found no -reason to interfere with the colonial law." Mr. Marsden prayed him at -least to bring the matter before a full bench of magistrates, in whose -hands he would leave his character; this, too, the governor declined, -whereupon as a last step, he laid the affair before the supreme court -for its decision; prosecuting the magistrates, and obtaining a verdict -for the amount of the fine so unjustly levied. They now affected to -triumph in the small amount of the damages in which they were cast, -"wishing," he says, "to make the world believe that the injury I had -sustained was proportionally small." And thus even his forbearance and -his Christian spirit in rendering good for evil, were turned against -him; for he had instructed his solicitor expressly, not to insert in the -indictment the count or charge of malice, but merely to sue for the -recovery of the amount of the fine. He states the case thus in simple -and forcible language. "I may here observe, the only error it appears I -committed originally was in not prosecuting the magistrates for -vindictive damages before the supreme court. Had I alleged malice, I -must have obtained a verdict accordingly; but I sought for no vindictive -damages; I sought redress no further than to set my character right with -the public. To have done more than this would not have become me, -according to my judgment, as a minister of the gospel, and I instructed -my solicitor, Mr. Norton, merely to sue for the amount of the award -which had been levied on my property by warrant and distress of sale. -The court gave me the amount I prosecuted for, with costs of suit, and -with this I was perfectly satisfied." - -For two whole years this miserable affair lingered on. The unfortunate -man Ring at length gave way to despondency, made his escape from the -colony, and found his way to New Zealand, but was never heard of more. -Mr. Marsden was much concerned for Ring's misfortunes, and deplored his -rashness in making his escape when all his sufferings were unmerited. "I -knew," he says, "if he should return to England and be apprehended as a -returned felon, his life would be forfeited." Such even to a recent -period was the severity of our penal code, an escaped felon was -consigned to the gallows. With a view of preventing this additional -calamity, he wrote to the Right Honourable Mr. Robert Peel, his -Majesty's secretary of state for the home department, under date of July -1824; and having stated the case, he says: "I feel exceedingly for Ring; -should he return to England and fall a sacrifice to the law, I should -never forgive myself unless I used every means in my power to save him. -The above statement of facts might have some influence with the -executive in saving his life, if the circumstances of the case could -reach the throne of mercy." The contents of this letter were transmitted -by Mr. Peel to Lord Bathurst the colonial secretary, and his lordship -ordered the governor of New South Wales to establish a formal inquiry -into the case. A court was accordingly summoned at Sydney, consisting of -the governor assisted by two assessors, the chief justice and the -newly-appointed archdeacon Scott, before which Mr. Marsden was cited to -appear. He did so, the whole affair was investigated, and the result -was, as the reader will have anticipated, not only Mr. Marsden's entire -acquittal of the charges which wantonness and malice had preferred, but -the establishment of his reputation as a man of high courage and pure -integrity, and a Christian minister of spotless character. - -The Christian reader will probably ask what were the effects of these -various trials upon Mr. Marsden's mind and temper? Did he become selfish -and morose? were his spiritual affections quickened? As a minister of -Christ, did his light shine with a more resplendent ray, or was it -disturbed and overcast with gloom? To suggest and answer such inquiries -are the proper uses of biography, especially the biography of religious -men. With regard, then, to his habitual temper and tone of mind nothing -can be more cheering than a letter, which we now insert, written to a -lady in solitude, when the storm of insult and misrepresentation was at -its highest pitch. - - "Paramatta, December 26, 1824. - - "DEAR MRS. F.,--I received your kind letter by Mr. Franklane, and - was happy to learn that you and your little boy were well. The - circumstance to which you allude is not worthy to be had in - recollection for a single moment, and I hope you will blot it out - of your remembrance for ever; we are so weak and foolish, and I - may add sinful, that we allow real or imaginary trifles to vex and - tease our minds, while subjects of eternal moment make little - impression upon us. It is a matter of no moment to our great - adversary, if he can only divert our minds from attending to the - best things. He wishes at all times 'a root of bitterness' should - 'spring up' in our minds, as this will eat like a canker every - pious feeling, every Christian disposition. 'Learn of me,' says - our blessed Lord, 'for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall - find rest unto your souls.' 'The meek will he guide in judgment, - and the meek will he teach his way.' It is for want of this - meekness, this humility of mind, that we are soon angry. The - apostle exhorts us 'to be kindly affectioned one towards another,' - and live in unity and godly love, and 'bear ye one another's - burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.' Situated as you are, - remote from all Christian society, and from the public ordinances - of religion, you will want, in a very especial manner, the - consolations which can only be derived from the Holy Scriptures. - You are in a barren and thirsty land where no water is; you have - none to give you to drink of the waters of Bethlehem, and you must - not be surprised if you grow weary and faint in your mind. Though - God is everywhere, and his presence fills heaven and earth, yet - all places are not equally favourable for the growth of religion - in our souls. We want Christian society; we want the public - ordinances; we want social worship. All these are needful to keep - up the life of God in our souls. Without communion and fellowship - with God, without our souls are going forth after him, we cannot - be easy, we cannot be happy; we are dissatisfied with ourselves, - and with all around us. A little matter puts us out of humour, - Satan easily gains an advantage over us, we become a prey to - discontent, to murmuring, and are prone to overlook all the great - things the Lord hath done for us. Under your peculiar - circumstances you will require much prayer, and much watchfulness; - religion is a very tender plant, it is soon injured, it requires - much nourishing in the most favourable situations, but it calls - for more attention, where it is more exposed to blights and - storms. A plant removed from a rich cultivated soil, into a barren - uncultivated spot soon droops and pines away. I hope this will not - be the case with you, though you must expect to feel some change - in your feelings of a religious nature. Without much care the - sabbaths will be a weariness; instead of your soul being nourished - and fed upon this day, it will sicken, languish, and pine. I most - sincerely wish you had the gospel preached unto you; this would be - the greatest blessing, but it cannot be at present. There is no - man to care for your souls, you have no shepherd to watch over - you, and must consider yourselves as sheep without a shepherd. You - know how easily sheep are scattered, how they wander when left to - themselves, how soon the wolves destroy them. It is impossible to - calculate the loss you must suffer, for want of the public - ordinances of religion. My people, says God, perish for lack of - knowledge. You know it is true that there is a Saviour, you have - your Bible to instruct you, and you have gained much knowledge of - Divine things, but still you will want feeding on the bread of - life, you will want Jesus to be set before your eyes continually - as crucified. You will want eternal things to be impressed upon - your minds from time to time. Though you know these things, yet - you will require to have your minds stirred up, by being put in - remembrance of these things. As you cannot enjoy the public - ordinances, I would have you to have stated times for reading the - Scriptures and private prayer; these means God may bless to your - soul. Isaac lived in a retired situation, he had no public - ordinances to attend, but we are told he planted a grove, and - built an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord. This you - have within your power to do. Imitate his example, labour to - possess his precious faith, and then it will be a matter of little - importance where you dwell. With the Saviour you will be happy, - without him you never can be. When you once believe on him, when - he becomes precious to your soul, then you will seek all your - happiness in him. May the Father of mercies give you a right - judgment in all things, lead you to build your hopes of a blessed - immortality upon that chief corner stone, which he hath laid in - Zion; then you will never be ashamed through the countless ages of - eternity. - - "Mrs. M. and my family unite in kind regards to you, wishing you - every blessing that the upper and nether springs can afford. - - "In great haste. I remain, dear Mrs. F----, - "Yours very faithfully, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -Systematic theology, or indeed deep learning in any of its branches, -sacred or profane, Mr. Marsden had never cultivated. His life had not -been given to abstraction and close study, but to the most active -pursuits. Activity, however, is not inconsistent with deep -thoughtfulness, and it affords some aids to reflection and observation, -which often lay the foundation for a breadth of mind and a solid wisdom -to which the mere student or man of letters seldom attains. Mr. Marsden, -too, was well acquainted with his Bible, and, above most men, with -himself. Thus, without being in any sense a learned divine, he was an -instructive minister, and often an original thinker. His early -acquaintance with Dr. Mason Good had led him deeply to consider the -question of the deity of Christ and the following letter upon this -all-important doctrine proves how capable he was of standing forward in -its defence, and how deeply alive he was to its importance. It was -addressed to one who had begun to doubt upon the subject of our Lord's -Divine nature. - - "Paramatta, June 13, 1825. - - "MY DEAR SIR,--I ought to have answered your letter long ago, but - was prevented from one thing and another, which called away my - attention when I was determined to write. I received the books you - sent me. That respecting our Lord's Divinity I read with care and - attention. I found nothing in it that would satisfy me; there was - no food to the soul, no bread, no water of life. I found nothing - that suited my ruined state. I know I have destroyed myself by my - iniquities, that I am hopeless and helpless, and must be eternally - undone unless I can find a Divine Saviour who is able and willing - to answer all the demands of law and justice. If I were alone in - the world, and no individual but myself believed that Jesus was - God over all blessed for evermore, and that he had died for my - sins, that the penalty due to them was laid upon him, I know and - am persuaded unless I believed this I could not be saved. I find - no difficulty in my mind in praying to him, because I believe he - is able to save. The dying thief did this in the very face of - death: 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.' - Jesus promised that he should be with him that very day in - paradise. Stephen, we are told, was a man full of faith and the - Holy Ghost; he was mighty in the Scriptures, so that none of the - Jewish priests were able to withstand his arguments which he - advanced in support of the doctrine that Jesus was the Son of God. - When he was brought to the place of execution his only hope of - eternal life was in Jesus. 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' was - his dying prayer. He fled to him as the Almighty God at this most - awful period. No other foundation can any man lay than that is - laid, says St. Paul, which is Christ Jesus. It is to no purpose to - quote Scripture on this important doctrine, I mean any particular - passage, for Jesus is the sum and substance of them all. I am - fully convinced that no man can have a well-grounded hope of - salvation unless he believes in the Divinity of our Lord and only - Saviour. I would ask you, why should you not have as firm a hope - as any other man in the world of eternal life, if you do not - believe in the Divinity of our Lord? Admitting that you have the - same view as the author of the work you sent me to read, of God - and religion, I may put the question to you, Can you depend on the - foundation your hope stands upon? Does it now give you full - satisfaction? Are you sure that you are right? I believe Jesus to - be a Divine person, I believe him to be God over all; I have no - doubt upon this point, and I believe that all will be saved by him - who trust in him for salvation. This doctrine is as clear to me as - the sun at noon-day, and while I believe this doctrine it - administers comfort to my mind, and gives me hope of a better - state. I envy none their views of religion. I am satisfied with my - own, though I am not satisfied with the attainments I have made in - it, because I have not made those advances in divine knowledge in - all the fruits of the Spirit I might have done. This is matter of - shame, and regret, and humiliation. Examine the Christian religion - as it stands revealed, with prayer for Divine illumination, and - that God who giveth wisdom to all who call upon him for it will - impart it to you. I have never met with a Socinian who wished me - to embrace his faith, which has surprised me. I feel very - differently. I wish all to believe in our Lord, because I believe - this is necessary to salvation, as far as I understand the - Scriptures; and I would wish all men to be saved, and to come to - the knowledge of the truth. I would not change my views of - religion for ten thousand worlds. But I must drop this subject, - and reply to your last note. - - * * * * * - - "Our affectionate regards to Mrs. F.; accept the same from, - - "Dear sir, yours very sincerely, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -He remembered with gratitude his early friends, and was now in a -condition to repay their kindness, and in his turn to repeat the -Christian liberality which had once been extended to himself. From a -private letter to the Rev. J. Pratt, we venture to make the following -interesting quotation: "I believe in the year 1786 I first turned my -attention to the ministry, and from the year 1787 to 1793 I received -pecuniary assistance, more or less, from the Elland Society, but to what -amount I never knew. First I studied under the Rev. S. Stores, near -Leeds. In 1788, I went to the late Rev. Joseph Milner, and remained two -years with him. From Hull I went to Cambridge, and in 1793 I left -Cambridge, was ordained, and came out to New South Wales. I shall be -much obliged to you to learn, if you can, the amount of my expenses to -the Elland Society. I have always considered _that_ a just debt, which I -ought to pay. If you can send me the amount I shall be much obliged to -you. I purpose to pay the amount from time to time, in sums not less -than 50_l._ per annum. When I close the Society's accounts on the 31st -of December next, I will give your Society credit for 50_l._, and will -thank you to pay the same to the Elland Society on my account. When I -know the whole amount, I will then inform you how I purpose to liquidate -it. Should the Elland Society not be in existence, I have to request -that the Church Missionary Society will assist some pious young man with -a loan, per annum, of not less than 50_l._, to get into the church as a -missionary. In the midst of all my difficulties God has always blessed -my basket and my store, and prospered me in all that I have set my hand -unto. The greatest part of my property is in the charge of common -felons, more than a hundred miles from my house, in the woods, and much -of it I never saw, yet it has been taken care of, and will be. A kind -providence has watched over all that I have had, and I can truly say I -feel no more concern about my sheep and cattle than if they were under -my own eye. I have never once visited the place where many of them are, -having no time to do this. We may trust God with all we have. I wish to -be thankful to him who has poured out his benefits upon me and mine." - -The practical wisdom, the spirit of calm submission to the Divine will -when danger appears, and the simple faith in Christ displayed in the -following letter require no comment, nor will its affectionate and -paternal tone pass unnoticed. It appears to have been written to a lady -on the eve of a voyage to England. We could wish that a copy of it were -placed in the hands of every lady who may be compelled to go to sea. - - "Paramatta, May 27, 1826. - - "MY DEAR MRS.----,--Should you sail to-morrow it will not be in my - power to see you again. I feel much for your very trying - situation; why and wherefore you are so severely exercised remains - at present known to the only wise God. If time does not reveal the - mystery, eternity will. Clouds and darkness are round about the - paths of the Almighty, and his footsteps are not known. You must - now cast yourself and your little ones upon the bosom of the great - deep. Remember always that he who holdeth the waters in the hollow - of his hand, will continually watch over you and yours; winds and - seas are under his sovereign control. We are prone to imagine that - we are in much more danger on the seas than on dry land, but this - is not really the case; our times are all in his hands, and if we - only reflected that the hairs of our heads are all numbered, we - should often be relieved from unnecessary and anxious fears. As - for myself, I am constrained to believe that I am as safe in a - storm as in a calm from what I have seen and known. Should you - meet with raging seas and stormy winds, let not these distress - you; they can do no more to injure you than the breath of a fly, - or the drop of a bucket, without Divine permission. The promise - is, 'When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee.' - This is sufficient for the Christian to rest upon. You must live - near to God in prayer. Labour to get right views of the Redeemer, - who gave his life as a ransom for you. Humble faith in the Saviour - will enable you to overcome every trial and bear every burden. No - doubt but that you will have many painful exercises before you see - the shores of old England. Tribulations will meet us, and follow - us, and attend us all our journey through, and it is through much - tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God. Could you and I meet - on your arrival in London, and could we put our trials in - opposite sides, it is very probable that mine would overbalance - yours during the period you were at sea. You are not to conclude - when the storm blows hard, the waves roar, and seas run mountain - high, that you are more tried and distressed than others. - - "I hope the captain will be kind to you and the children; if he - should not you will have no remedy but patience. Should the - servant woman behave ill, you must submit to this also, because - you can do no good in complaining. Should the woman leave you ... - this is no more than what has happened to my own family. I should - recommend you to give the children their dinner in your own cabin; - never bring them to table but at the particular request of the - captain. This precaution may prevent unpleasant disputes. You will - soon see what the feelings of the captain and his wife are, and - regulate your conduct accordingly. When I returned to England, - when I entered the ship I resolved that I would not have any - difference with any one during my passage; whatever provocations I - might meet with, I would not notice them; and that resolution I - kept to the last. - - "If you take no offence at anything, but go on quietly your own - way, those who would wish to annoy you, will cease to do so, - finding their labour in vain. Never appear to see or hear anything - that you have not the power to remedy. If you should even know - that the persons intended to vex you, never notice their conduct. - There will be no occasions for these precautions if your - companions on board be such as they ought to be. - - "Let your passage be pleasant or not, take your Bible for your - constant companion. The comfort to be derived from the Divine - promises will always be sweet and seasonable. 'They that love thy - law,' says the Psalmist, 'nothing shall offend them.' If Jesus be - precious to your soul, you will be able to bear every trial with - Divine submission. To believe that Jesus is your Saviour, and that - he is God over all blessed for evermore, will make you happy in - the midst of the sea, as well as on dry land. Wishing you a safe - and pleasant passage, and a happy meeting of your friends in - England, and praying that the God of all grace may preserve you - and yours in his everlasting kingdom, I subscribe myself, - - "Yours respectfully, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -More than two years had now passed since Mr. Marsden's last visit to New -Zealand. The close of the year 1826 found him preparing for another, his -fifth voyage, of twelve hundred miles, to the scene of those missions he -had so long regarded with all a parent's fondness. A great change had -just taken place in the conduct of several chiefs towards the -missionaries in consequence of their fierce intestine wars. At Wangaroa -the whole of the Wesleyan missionary premises had been destroyed; the -property of all the missionaries was frequently plundered, and their -lives were exposed to the greatest danger. The worst consequences were -apprehended, and the missionaries, warned of their danger by the -friendly natives, were in daily expectation of being at least stripped -of everything they possessed, according to the New Zealand custom. For a -time the Wesleyan mission was suspended, and their pious and zealous -missionary, Mr. Turner, took refuge at Sydney, and found a home at the -parsonage of Paramatta. The clergy of the church mission deeply -sympathized with him. Mr. Henry Williams writes: "The return of Mr. -Turner will be a convincing proof of our feelings on this point. In the -present unsettled state of things we consider ourselves merely as -tenants for the time being, who may receive our discharge at any hour." -His brother, the Rev. William Williams, in another communication says: -"We are prepared to depart or stay according to the conduct of the -natives; for it is, I believe, our united determination to remain until -we are absolutely driven away. When the natives are in our houses, -carrying away our property, it will then be time for us to take refuge -in our boats." - -As soon as the painful intelligence reached New South Wales, Mr. Marsden -determined to proceed to the Bay of Islands, and use his utmost -exertions to prevent the abandonment of the mission. He was under no -apprehension of suffering injury from the natives; and his long -acquaintance with their character and habits led him to anticipate that -the storm would soon pass away. Accordingly, he sailed for New Zealand -in H.M.S. Rainbow, and arrived in the Bay of Islands on the 5th April, -1827. He had reached the period of life when even the most active crave -for some repose, and feel themselves entitled to the luxury of rest; but -his ardent zeal never seems to have wanted other refreshment than a -change of duties and of scene. He found the state of things improved; -peace had been restored; and the missionaries were once more out of -danger. He conferred with them, and gave them spiritual counsel. As far -as time would permit, he reasoned with the chiefs upon the baneful -consequences of the late war, and, at the end of five days from his -arrival, he was again upon the ocean, on his way back to Sydney. "He -was not wanted in New Zealand;" in Australia, besides domestic cares, -many circumstances combined to make his presence desirable. Thus he was -instant in season, out of season; disinterested, nay indifferent and -utterly regardless of the honours and preferments which even good men -covet; and ever finding in the work itself, and in Him for the love of -whom it was undertaken, an abundant recompense. - -Brief as the visit was, it confirmed his faith, and reassured his -confidence in the speedy conversion of New Zealand. He found the -missionaries living in unity and godly love, and devoting themselves to -the work. "I trust," he says, "that the Great Head of the church will -bless their labours." In consequence of his co-operation with the -missionaries, the beneficial labours of the press now for the first time -reached the Maori tribes. During a visit to Sydney, Mr. Davis had -carried through the press a translation of the first three chapters of -Genesis, the twentieth of Exodus, part of the fifth of Matthew, the -first of John, and some hymns. These were small beginnings, but not to -be despised; they prepared the way for the translation of the New -Testament into Maori, which was printed a few years afterwards at the -expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The importance of this -work can scarcely be estimated, and it affords a striking example of the -way in which that noble institution becomes the silent handmaid, -preparing the rich repast which our various missionary societies are -ever more distributing abroad, with bounteous hand, to feed the starving -myriads of the heathen world. - -Nor was the Polynesian mission forgotten by its old friend. The London -Missionary Society now conducted its affairs on so wide a basis, and to -so great an extent, that Mr. Marsden's direct assistance was no longer -wanted. But how much he loved the work, how much he revered the -missionaries, those who shall read the extract with which this chapter -concludes will be at no loss to judge. - - "Paramatta, February 4, 1826. - - "MY DEAR SIR,--It is not long since I wrote to you, but as a - friend of mine is returning, the Rev. Mr. Nott, who has been - twenty-seven years a missionary in the Society Islands, I could - not deny myself the pleasure of introducing him to you. Mr. Nott - was one of the first missionaries who was sent out to the Islands. - Like Caleb, he always said the missionaries were able to take the - land. He remained a long time in Tahiti alone, labouring by - himself when all his colleagues were gone, and lived with and as - the natives, under the full persuasion that the mission would - succeed. He remained breaking up the ground, sowing the gospel - seed, until he saw it spring up, and waiting until part of the - harvest was gathered in, until many of the poor heathen crossed - the river Jordan, with the heavenly Canaan full in view. Such have - been the fruits of his patient perseverance and faith. Should his - life be spared, I shall expect to see him again in fourteen months - returning to his labours, to die amongst his people, and to be - buried with them. - - "I venerate the man more than you can conceive: in my estimation, - he is a great man: his piety, his simplicity, his meekness, his - apostolic appearance, all unite to make him great in my view, and - more honourable than any of the famed heroes of ancient or modern - times. I think Mrs. Good will like to see such a character return - from a savage nation, whom God has so honoured in his work. I - shall leave Mr. Nott to tell his own story, while you listen to - his report.... - - "I remain, my dear sir, - "Your's affectionately, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - "To John Mason Good, M.D." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - Death of Dr. Mason Good--Malicious Charges brought against Mr. - Marsden and confuted--Sixth Voyage to New Zealand--Frightful state - of the Island--Battle of the Maories--Their Cannibalism--Progress - of the Mission--Mr. Marsden's return--Death of Mrs. - Marsden--Anticipation of his own decease. - - -The shadows of evening now began to fall on him whose life had hitherto -been full of energy, and to whom sickness appears to have been a -stranger. He had arrived at the period when early friendships are almost -extinct, and the few who survive are dropping into the grave. The year -1827 witnessed the death of Dr. Mason Good. Nearly twenty years had -elapsed since he and Mr. Marsden had taken leave of one another; but -their friendship had not cooled during that long term of absence; it -seems rather to have gained strength with distance and declining years. -Dr. Mason Good felt, and gratefully acknowledged, that to the -conversations, and yet more to the high example of Mr. Marsden, he owed -it, under God, that he was led to seek, through faith in Jesus, that -holiness and peace which he found at last, and which shed so bright a -lustre on his closing years. He had seen in his friend a living instance -of disinterestedness, zeal, and humility combined, all springing from -the love of God, and directed for Christ's sake towards the welfare of -man; such as he had never seen before--such as, he confessed, his own -Socinian principles were incapable of producing. Far his superior as a -scholar and a man of genius, he perceived and felt his inferiority in -all that relates to the highest destinies of man; he sat, as a little -child, a learner, in his presence; and God, who is rich in mercy, -brought home the lessons to his soul. - -Nothing, on the other hand, could exceed the respect, almost amounting -to reverence, mingled however with the warmest affection, with which Mr. -Marsden viewed his absent friend. In every difficulty he had recourse to -him for advice; more than once he intrusted the defence of his character -and reputation entirely to his discretion. A correspondence of nearly -twenty years, a few specimens of which are in the reader's hand, show -the depth of his esteem. Upon his death a fuller tide of affection -gushed out; while he wrote thus to the mourning widow:-- - - "Paramatta, November 9, 1827. - - "MY DEAR MRS. GOOD,--A few days ago we received two letters from - your daughter M--, informing us of the death of your much revered - husband. I had seen his death noticed in one of the London papers, - but had not received any other information. I feel for all your - loss. He was a blessing to the Christian world, and to mankind at - large. No one I esteemed more, and his memory will always be dear - to me. When I was with you, he and I had many serious - conversations on the subject of religion. - - "His great talents, united with his child-like simplicity, - interested me much. I always experienced the greatest pleasure in - his company, as well as advantage; in knowledge I found myself an - infant in his presence, but yet at perfect ease. His gentle - manners, his mild address, often made me forget to whom I was - speaking; and after retiring from his presence I, on reflecting, - have been ashamed that I should presume to talk to him as I had - done, as if he were my equal. I never could account for the ease - and freedom I felt in his company, in giving my opinion upon the - various subjects we were wont to converse upon. He was a very - learned man, and knew a thousand times more of men and things than - I did, excepting on the subject of religion; here I always felt - myself at home; and he would attend to what I said with the - sweetest simplicity and the greatest openness of mind. In our - various conversations on the most important doctrines of the - gospel, he manifested a humble desire to know the truth, though he - proceeded with great caution. I experienced no difficulty in my - own mind in urging the truths of religion upon him, by every - argument in my power. I always saw, or thought I saw, the Day-star - from on high dawning upon his mind; and my own soul was animated - and refreshed whenever the subjects of the gospel engaged our - conversation. Perhaps our mutual friend, Dr. Gregory, may remember - the observations I made to him, on what passed between your dear - husband and myself, respecting religion, and what were my views of - the state of his mind at that time; the period to which I allude - was when he joined the Church Missionary Society, or intended to - join it. I had the firmest conviction in my mind that he would - embrace the gospel, and cordially believe to the salvation of his - soul. I could never account for that love which I have continued - to have for Dr. Good, even here at the ends of the earth, but from - the _communion of saints_. Though the affliction of yourself and - your dear daughters must be severe, having lost such a husband and - father, yet you cannot sorrow as those without hope; you must be - satisfied that the Lord has taken him away from the evil to come; - and as he cannot now return to you, comfort one another with the - hope that you shall go to him. He finished his course with joy, - and the work that had been given him to do; and came to the grave - like a shock of corn that was fully ripe. This consideration - should reconcile you to the Divine dispensation, and constrain you - to say, 'Not my will, but Thine be done.' You and your dear - husband had travelled long together; few in this miserable world - were so happy and blessed as you were for so long a period. - Remember all the way the Lord hath led you in this wilderness; - recall to mind his mercies of old, and bless his name. I have long - wished to see you face to face; but that wish will never be - gratified. The day may come when, in another and a better world, - we may recount all our travels here below. We are sure that we are - fast approaching to the end of our journey, and shall soon arrive - at the banks of Jordan. Let us labour, my dear madam, to keep the - promised land in view. You have the consolation of your two - amiable daughters' company. I have never thought of Mrs. N. but - with feelings of sympathy, and regret for her loss in the death of - her excellent husband. How mysterious are the ways of God! We - cannot account for them now, but we shall know hereafter. As a - father pitieth his own children, so is the Lord merciful unto them - that fear him. Mrs. Neale may derive comfort from the Divine - promises. There are many made to the widow and the fatherless, and - God is never unmindful of his promises. When we arrive in Mount - Zion, we shall then be satisfied with all the Divine - dispensations, and see cause to bless God for the severest. Give - my love to Miss Good; tell her how much I am obliged to her, for - the communication she has made to me respecting her dear - father.... - - "I am yours, very sincerely," - - -He was still subject to the persecutions of "unreasonable and wicked -men," and was again compelled to vindicate his conduct in a pamphlet, -which issued from the press at Sydney, in 1828. Transmitting a copy to -his friend, the Rev. Josiah Pratt, he says: "I consider myself a -proscribed person these last few years. All the charges against me are -contained in this pamphlet. My public offences, my illegal acts, the -charges against me for inflicting torture to extort confession, for -which I have been condemned unheard, and suffered as guilty. What an -ungodly world may think or say of me, is of little moment; but I do not -wish to lose the good opinion of my Christian friends, and fall in their -estimation." He returns to the subject in his correspondence with other -Christian friends; for the apprehension that in him the cause of -religion might seem to have received a wound, lay heavy on his mind. "I -should feel much," he says, writing to Mr. D. Coates, "if the cause of -religion should suffer in my personal conduct; but I hope it will not. I -hope I have said enough to satisfy the Christian world that I am clear -in this matter. To justify my public conduct, was an act due to my -family and to all my Christian friends, as well as the general interests -of religion." Nor was it merely the breath of slander that assailed him: -he mentions in a private letter to the Rev. Edward Bickersteth, an act -of grievous wrong inflicted by the British government. "I and my family -were all struck off the public victualling books in the latter part of -Governor Macquarie's administration, without any compensation. The Rev. -R. Cartwright and the Rev. William Cooper, with their families, were -also struck off from the public stores at the same time. They have both -had their claims settled since governor Darling arrived. One received -700_l._, and the other more than 800_l._; but I have received nothing. -My claim is equally just, had I only served the same period as my -colleagues, though I have served nearly twenty years longer than either -of them. I can only attribute this act of injustice to some hostile -feeling in the colonial office. Governor Darling has always shown me -every attention I could wish." - -Yet he uttered no protest; he raised no clamour for redress. "I mention -this circumstance to you," he adds, "_confidentially_: when the truth of -my case is laid before the public, perhaps my superiors may think -differently of my conduct, and do me common justice." Whether he -obtained redress we are not informed. The occurrence shows the depth and -bitterness of those hostile feelings, which we can trace to no other -cause on his part than his boldness in rebuking vice, and his fidelity -to the cause of his Lord and Master. - -The year 1830 found Mr. Marsden once more upon the ocean. For neither -increasing years nor the vexations through which he had passed damped -his ardour in the missionary cause. His mind was stedfastly fixed on the -progress of the gospel in New Zealand, and there he was anxious once -more in person to assist in carrying on the work. He felt that his time -was growing short, and hastened, "before his decease," to "set in order -the things which were wanting." - -He perceived, too, with mingled feelings, that New Zealand was about to -undergo a great change. His efforts to induce the chiefs to unite under -one head or sovereign elected by themselves, had totally failed. -Shunghie had been slain in battle, and his ambitious projects of gaining -a New Zealand throne by conquest were at an end. War was the natural -condition of all the Maori tribes, and this, rendered more deadly, -though possibly less ferocious, by the introduction of fire-arms, was -fearfully thinning their numbers from year to year. They were subject, -too, to periodical returns of a terrible scourge, a disease resembling -the influenza, which cut off multitudes. On the whole, it was -calculated, that not more than a hundred thousand Maories now survived; -while twenty years before, when the island was first visited, the -numbers were at least two hundred thousand. It was evident that they -could not long maintain their independence as a nation. European ships -began to crowd the Bay of Islands. English settlers were already making -their way into their choice and fertile lands. To minds less sagacious -than Mr. Marsden's, the result could be no longer doubtful--New Zealand -must become an English colony. He foresaw the necessity, and, though at -first with reluctance, cordially acquiesced in it, even for the sake of -the Maories themselves. His concern now was to prepare them for a -measure which must sooner or later take place. Everything was in a -lawless state; the progress of the missions was greatly interrupted, and -his presence was once more highly necessary. His own anxiety was great, -first on behalf of the missions which had so long been the especial -objects of his care; and then for New Zealand at large that the policy -of Great Britain should respect the rights of the native tribes and -pledge itself to their protection. - -On his arrival in New Zealand, in March, 1830, he was greeted before the -ship had cast anchor by the Messrs. Williams and others of the -missionary band, who hastened on board, and expressed their joy at his -unexpected appearance among them. It was a critical moment, for they -were in greater anxiety and difficulty than they had experienced at any -former period of the mission. The natives were at open war, and but a -day or two before a great battle had been fought on the opposite beach -of the Bay of Islands, in which about fourteen hundred had been engaged. -The alleged cause of the war was the misconduct of an English captain -who had offered indignities to some native women on board his vessel. -One tribe espoused his cause, while another came forward to avenge the -insult. Six chiefs had fallen in the battle, and a hundred lives were -lost; several whaling vessels were lying in the Bay, and their crews as -well as the missionary stations, were in the utmost peril from the -revenge of the victorious tribe, which now lay encamped at Keri-Keri. - -There was not an hour to be lost. Mr. Marsden crossed the bay with Mr. -Henry Williams early the next morning, to visit the camp as a mediator. -The chiefs, many of whom from different parts of the island, had -formerly been acquainted with Mr. Marsden, all expressed their -gratification at meeting him again. After conversing with them on -different points connected with proposals of peace, the two friendly -mediators crossed over to the camp of their opponents, and entered at -once on the subject of their mission. They spoke to them of the evils of -war, and more particularly of the civil war in which they were engaged. -"They heard all we had to say with great attention, and several of them -replied to the different arguments we had used. They contended that we -were answerable for the lives of those who had fallen in the battle, as -the war had been occasioned by the misconduct of the captain of a vessel -one of our own countrymen; they wished to know what satisfaction we -would give them for the loss of their friends who had been slain. We -replied that we could give them no satisfaction, that we condemned his -conduct, and were sorry that any of our countrymen had behaved so badly, -and that we would write to England and prevent his return." This the -savages requested that Mr. Marsden would not do; they longed for his -return, that they might take their own revenge. Mr. Marsden then -proceeded to inform them that he had had an interview with the chiefs on -the other side, who were willing to come to terms of peace, and wished -him to assist in settling their quarrel. This information was received -in a friendly way by the greater part: one or two still wished to fight. -The mediators now returned to the beach, which they found covered with -war canoes and armed men. A war council was held, and the Rev. Henry -Williams stated the business upon which they had come amongst them. The -natives listened attentively. Many of the chiefs gave their opinion in -turn, with much force and dignity of address. These orations continued -from an early hour in the morning, till the shades of evening were -closing. It was finally agreed that the mediating party should proceed -the next morning to the opposite camp and repeat what had taken place. -After a long discussion, it was concluded that two commissioners from -each party should be appointed, along with Mr. Marsden and Mr. Williams, -to conclude the terms of peace. Having now urged all that was in their -power to bring about a reconciliation, they walked over the ground -where the battle had been fought; a dreadful scene under any -circumstances, unutterably loathsome, where cannibals were the -contending parties. "The remains of some of the bodies that had been -slain were lying unconsumed on the fires; the air was extremely -offensive, and the scene most disgusting. We could not but bitterly -lament these baneful effects of sin, and the influence of the prince of -darkness over the minds of the poor heathen." - -The next day was Sunday, it was spent by Mr. Williams at the camp, for -it was not considered safe at present to leave the savage warriors, -whose angry passions smouldered. Mr. Marsden proceeded to the station, -and preached to the infant church. Never was the gospel of Christ placed -in finer contrast with the kingdom of darkness, and the appalling -tyranny of the god of this world. Mr. Marsden's pen thus describes the -scene as he sketched it upon the spot: - - "The contrast between the state of the east and west side of the - bay was very striking. Though only two miles distant, the east - shore was crowded with different tribes of fighting men in a wild - savage state, many of them nearly naked, and when exercising - entirely naked; nothing was to be heard but the firing of muskets, - the noise, din, and commotion of a savage military camp; some - mourning the death of their friends, others suffering from their - wounds, and not one but whose mind was involved in heathen - darkness without one ray of Divine knowledge. On the other side - was the pleasant sound of the church going bell; the natives - assembling together for divine worship, clean, orderly and - decently dressed, most of them in European clothing; they were - carrying the litany and the greatest part of the church service, - written in their own language, in their hands with their hymns. - The church service, as far as it has been translated, they can - write and read. Their conduct and the general appearance of the - whole settlement reminded me of a well-regulated English country - parish. In the chapel, the natives behaved with the greatest - propriety, and joined in the church service. Here might be viewed - at one glance the blessings of the Christian religion, and the - miseries of heathenism with respect to the present life; but when - we extend one thought over the eternal world how infinite is the - difference!" - -These were trying times undoubtedly. The missions had existed fifteen -years, and yet the powers of darkness raged in all the horrors of -cannibal warfare, close to the doors of the missionary premises. On the -following Tuesday morning, Mr. Marsden was aroused from his bed by a -chief calling at his window to tell him that the army was in motion, and -that a battle seemed to be at hand. He arose immediately and was -informed that thirty-six canoes had been counted passing between the -main and the island. He immediately launched the missionary boat and -proceeded to meet them. "When we came up to them we found they had left -their women and children on the island, and that they were all fighting -men, well armed and ready for action in a moment's notice. I counted -more than forty men in one war canoe." Yet amongst these infuriated -savages the missionaries felt no alarm. "We were under no apprehension -of danger; both parties placed the utmost confidence in us, and we were -fully persuaded the commissioners would be cordially received." If the -event had turned out otherwise Mr. Marsden and his friends had notice -given them by the native commissioners, of whom we have spoken, that -they would be seen alive no more. "The three native commissioners -accompanied us in a small canoe which they paddled themselves. They -brought their canoe between our two boats, and in that position we -approached the beach. They told us if they were killed, we must be given -up to their friends as a sacrifice for the loss of their lives." The -missionaries' confidence was not misplaced; "the whole day was spent in -deliberation; at night, after a long oration, the great chief on one -side clove a stick in two to signify that his anger was broken. The -terms of peace were ratified, and both sides joined in a hideous war -dance together; repeatedly firing their muskets. We then took our -departure from these savage scenes with much satisfaction, as we had -attained the object we were labouring for." - -Such scenes did not for an instant disturb the firm faith and confidence -of the great missionary leader. Coming from the midst of them he could -sit down in the missionary hut and write as follows: - - "The time will come when human sacrifices and cannibalism shall be - annihilated in New Zealand, by the pure, mild and heavenly - influence of the gospel of our blessed Lord and Saviour. The work - is great, but Divine goodness will find both the means and the - instruments to accomplish his own gracious purposes to fallen man. - His word, which is the sword of the Spirit, is able to subdue - these savage people to the obedience of faith. It is the duty of - Christians to use the means, to sow the seed and patiently to wait - for the heavenly dews to cause it to spring up, and afterwards to - look up to God in faith and prayer to send the early and latter - rain." - -Even now the "Day-spring from on high" had visited this savage race. In -no part of the world was the sabbath day more sacredly observed than by -the converts in the missionary settlements; their lives gave evidence -that their hearts were changed. Spiritual religion, deep and earnest, -began to show its fruit in some of them; others were at least much -impressed with the importance of eternal things. Mr. Marsden was waited -upon one evening by several native young men and women who wished to -converse on religious subjects; when they came in their anxious -countenances explained the inward working of their minds; their object -was to know what they must do to be saved. He endeavoured to set before -them the love of Jesus in coming from heaven to die for a ruined world, -and mentioned many instances of his love and mercy which he showed to -sinners while on earth. "When I had addressed them at some length," he -adds, "a young native woman begun to pray." - -"I never heard any address offered up to heaven with such feelings of -reverence, and piety, so much sweetness and freedom of expression, with -such humility and heavenly mindedness. I could not doubt but that this -young woman prayed with the Spirit, and with the understanding. She -prayed fervently that God would pardon her sins and preserve her from -evil; and for all the natives in the room, that they might all be -preserved from falling into the temptations by which they were -surrounded. Her very soul seemed to be swallowed up with the sense she -had of the evil and danger of sin, and the love of Jesus, who came to -save sinners. Her voice was low, soft and harmonious; her sentences were -short and expressed in the true spirit of prayer. I never expected to -have seen, in my day, any of the natives of this barbarous nation -offering up their supplications for pardon and grace, to the only true -God, with such godly sorrow and true contrition." - -Amongst the audience in the room were the aged widow and two daughters -of the great Shunghie. When they rose from their knees the ex-queen -exclaimed, "Astonishing, astonishing!" and then retired; "and I -confess," adds Mrs. Marsden, "I was not less astonished than she was." -The young woman he learned had for some time lived upon the mission -premises, and conducted herself in all respects as a Christian, adorning -the gospel she professed. A few days after we find Mr. Marsden "marrying -an Englishman to a native Christian woman, who repeated the responses -very correctly in English which she well understood; she conducted -herself with the greatest propriety, and appeared neatly dressed in -European clothing of her own making, for she was a good sempstress." Mr. -Marsden considered, he says, this marriage to be of the first -importance; and the New Zealanders appear to have been of the same mind, -and to have done due honour to the occasion: for "the company came in a -war canoe and brought their provisions with them, a pig and plenty of -potatoes." Shortly afterwards, he united a young native man and woman in -marriage, they were both Christians, domestic servants to Mr. Clarke, -one of the missionaries, and seemed to have a great affection for each -other. The young man was free and of a good family; the young woman was -a slave, having become such by capture; for all their prisoners of war -if not massacred were reduced to slavery. Mr. Clarke therefore redeemed -her from her master, for five blankets, an axe, and an iron-pot. A chief -seldom allowed any of his female slaves to marry, always reserving a -number of them as wives for himself. We must therefore suppose that the -price was a very liberal one. - -The effects of Christianity were now apparent in some favoured spots, -and Mr. Marsden returned home again full of hope and consolation. He had -witnessed already changes far greater than he had ever hoped to see, -sanguine as he was of ultimate success. So confident was he in the good -feeling of the natives towards himself, that he had taken one of his -daughters with him, and she accompanied him in his visits to the chiefs, -one of whom, known by the title of King George, demanded her in marriage -for his son; "an honour," writes her father, "which I begged permission -to decline." Fearful indeed had been the condition of females hitherto -amongst these savages, as the following extract, with which we conclude -our notice of Mr. Marsden's sixth visit to New Zealand, sufficiently -attests. He is describing the great change which Christianity had -effected among the New Zealanders. - -"On one of my former visits to New Zealand, sitting in the room I am at -present in, the natives killed and ate a poor young woman just behind -the house. But what a wonderful change the gospel has wrought! In this -little spot, where so late hellish songs were sung and heathen rites -performed, I now hear the songs of Zion, and the voice of prayer offered -up to the God of heaven. So wonderful is the power of God's word." - -He returned home greatly cheered and well qualified "to comfort others -with the comforts wherewith" he himself "was comforted of God." To Mrs. -Good, the widow of his departed friend, he wrote as follows, soon -afterwards: - - "Paramatta, August 27, 1833. - - "MY DEAR MRS. GOOD,--We received Miss Good's letter, which gave us - much concern to learn that you had met with such severe trials.... - How mysterious are the ways of God! We cannot comprehend them now, - but we are assured, that what we know not at present we shall know - hereafter. Our heavenly Father has promised that all things shall - work together for good to them that love God, and the Scriptures - cannot be broken. He willingly suffers none of his children to be - afflicted. In the end we shall find that he hath done all things - well. At present our trials may bear heavy upon us, but St. Paul - tells us they are but for a moment, and eventually will work for - us a far more exceeding weight of eternal glory. Job, when he had - lost all his children and property exclaimed, 'Naked came I out of - my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave and the - Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' We know - Infinite Wisdom cannot err in any of his dispensations towards us, - and he will never leave or forsake them that trust in him. I pray - that the Father of mercies may support you under all your trials - and afflictions. The very remembrance of the pleasure I - experienced in the society of your ever-to-be-revered husband is - very refreshing to my mind. We often speak of you all, and humbly - pray that we may meet again in another and a better world. I am - now almost seventy years old, and I cannot but be thankful, when I - look back and consider how the Lord hath led me all my life long. - I have gone through many dangers by land, by water, amongst the - heathen and amongst my own countrymen, robbers and murderers, by - night and by day; but though I have been robbed, no personal - injury have I ever received, not so much as a bone broken. I have - also had to contend with many wicked and unreasonable men in - power, but the Lord in his providence ordered all for good. Most - of them are now in the silent grave, and I have much peace and - comfort in the discharge of my public duty, and I bless God for - it. I have visited New Zealand six times. The mission prospers - very much; the Lord has blessed the missionaries in their labours, - and made their work to prosper. - - "I am happy to say my family are all pretty well.... Mrs. M. - enjoys her health well at her age, so that we have everything to - be thankful for. The colony increases very fast in population; 599 - women arrived from Europe a few days ago. Provisions are very - cheap and in great plenty. Our number increases some thousands - every year, so that there is a prospect of this country becoming - great and populous. Your daughter mentions the sheep; she will be - astonished to hear that one million eight hundred thousand pounds - of wool, were exported last year from New South Wales to England, - and we may expect a very great annual increase from the fineness - of the climate, and the extent of pasturage.... Wool will prove - the natural wealth of these colonies and of vast importance to the - mother country also. We are very much in want of pious - ministers.... None but pious men will be of any service in such a - society as ours.... I should wish to go to England again to select - some ministers, if I were not so very old; but this I cannot do, - and therefore I must pray to the great Head of the church, to - provide for those sheep who are without a shepherd. - - "May I request you to remember us affectionately to Mrs. Neale and - Dr. Gregory--I pray that you and yours may be supported under - every trial, and that they may be all sanctified to your eternal - good. I remain, dear Mrs. Good, - - "Yours affectionately. - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -In 1835, Mrs. Marsden died. She had long been patiently looking forward -to her great change, and her last end was full of peace. Years had not -abated his love for his "dear partner;" so he always called her when, -after her decease, he had occasion to speak of her. He showed her grave, -in sight of his study window, with touching emotion to his friends, and -felt himself almost released from earth and its attractions when she had -left it. His own increasing infirmities had led him to anticipate that -he should be first removed, and the parsonage house being his only by a -life tenure, he had built a comfortable residence for his widow, which -however, she did not live to occupy. By this bereavement he was himself -led to view the last conflict as near at hand; henceforward it -constantly occupied his mind, and formed at times the chief subject of -his conversation. He sometimes spoke of it amongst his friends with a -degree of calmness, and at the same time with such a deep sense of its -nearness and reality, as to excite their apprehensions as well as their -astonishment. He stood on the verge of eternity and gazed into it with a -tranquil eye, and spoke of what he saw with the composure of one who was -"now ready to be offered, and the time of whose departure was at -hand;"--his last text before he had quitted New Zealand. - -Yet he was not at all times equally serene. Returning one day from a -visit to a dying bed, he called at the residence of a brother minister, -the Rev. R. Cartwright, in a state of some dejection. He entered on the -subject of death with feeling, and expressed some fears with regard to -his own salvation. Mr. Cartwright remarked upon the happiness of himself -and his friend as being both so near to their eternal rest, to which Mr. -Marsden seriously replied with emphasis, "But Mr. C----, _if_ I am -there." "If, Mr. Marsden?" rejoined his friend, surprised at the doubt -implied. The aged disciple then brought forward several passages of -Scripture bearing upon the deep responsibility of the ministerial office -coupled with his own unworthiness; "lest I myself should be a castaway;" -"if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;" -remarking on his own sinfulness,--every thing he had done being tainted -with sin,--on his utter uselessness,--and contrasting all this with the -holiness and purity of God. At another time, coming from the factory -after a visit to a dying woman, and deeply impressed with the awfulness -of a dying hour in the case of one who was unprepared to die, he -repeated in a very solemn manner some lines from Blair's once celebrated -poem on the grave-- - - "In that dread moment how the frantic soul - Raves round the walls of her clay tenement, - Runs to each avenue and shrieks for help, - But shrieks in vain. How wistfully she looks - On all she is leaving; now no longer hers. - A little longer, yet a little longer. Oh! might she stay - To wash away her crimes, and fit her for her passage." - -He then spoke on the plan of salvation and the grace offered by the -gospel with great feeling. - -The holiness and purity of God appeared at times to overwhelm his soul; -contrasting it, as he did, with his own sinfulness, and viewing it in -connexion with the fact that he must soon stand before his awful -presence. Yet he speedily recovered his habitual peace, recalling the -blessed truth that "there is now no condemnation to them which are in -Christ Jesus." He was still on the whole a most cheerful Christian, -joying and rejoicing in the hope of a blessed immortality. And as he -drew near his journey's end his prospects were still brighter and his -peace increased. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - State of New South Wales--The Aborigines--Cruelties practised upon - them--Attempts to civilize and convert them--They fail--Mr. - Marsden's Seventh Visit to New Zealand--His Daughter's - Journal--Affection of the Natives--Progress of the Mission--Danger - from European vices--Returns in H.M.S Rattlesnake to Sydney. - - -History affords but few examples of a change such as New South Wales had -undergone since Mr. Marsden landed from a convict ship in the penal -settlement of Botany Bay in the year 1794. The gold fields had not yet -disclosed their wealth, nor did he live to see the stupendous -consequences which resulted from their discovery in 1851, the rush of -European adventurers, and the sudden transformation of the dismal -solitudes of Bendigo and Ballarat into the abode of thousands of -restless, enterprising men, with all the attendant circumstances, both -good and evil, of civilized life. But Australia was already a vast -colony; in almost everything except the name, an empire, self-supporting, -and with regard to its internal affairs, self governed, though still -under the mild control, borne with loyalty and pride, of the English -sovereign. The state of society was completely changed. For many years, -the stream of emigration had carried to the fertile shores of Australia -not the refuse of our jails, but some of the choicest of our population; -the young, the intelligent, the enterprising, and the high principled, -who sought for a wider field of action, or disdained to live at home, -useless to society, and a burden to their relatives. Large towns such -as Sydney, Victoria, Geelong and Melbourne, with their spacious -harbours crowded with shipping, were already in existence, and English -settlers had covered with their flocks those inland plains which long -after Mr. Marsden's arrival still lay desolate and unexplored. - -The religious condition of Australia was no less changed. All -denominations were now represented by a ministry, and accommodated in -places of worship not at all inferior to those at home. The Church of -England had erected Sydney into a bishopric, of which the pious and -energetic archdeacon Broughton was the first incumbent, and the number -of the colonial clergy had been greatly increased; under all these -influences the tone of social morality was improved, and real spiritual -religion won its triumphs in many hearts. Mr. Marsden was now released -from those official cares and duties as senior chaplain which once so -heavily pressed upon him. Beyond his own parish of Paramatta his -ministerial labours did not necessarily extend, and in his parish duties -he had the efficient aid of his son-in-law and other coadjutors. - -[Illustration: PARAMATTA CHURCH.] - -The one spot on which no cheering ray seemed to fall, the sterile field -which after years of laborious cultivation yielded no return, was the -native population, the aborigines of New South Wales. - -We have mentioned some of the many futile attempts made for their -conversion; more might be added; for various missions were devised,--by -the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, aided by -the colonial government; by the Wesleyan and the Church Missionary -Societies; and by the London Missionary Society; but none of these met -with much success, and we fear all have been in turn abandoned. The -mission of Mr. Threlkeld, on the margin of lake Macquarie deserves -especial notice. It was continued for upwards of fourteen years; during -the first six years at the charges of the London Missionary Society, but -owing to the heavy expense, and the slow progress of the mission, they -withdrew from it after an outlay of about three thousand pounds. Mr. -Threlkeld was reluctant to give up the mission, and pursued it for some -time from his own resources and those of his friends, with a small grant -of a hundred and fifty pounds a-year from the British government, who -also made over ten thousand acres of land to be held on trust on behalf -of the natives. Mr. Threlkeld seems to have been admirably fitted for -his work; he had been the fellow labourer of the martyr John Williams, -of Erromanga, and left the Tahitian mission in consequence of heavy -domestic afflictions. He had spent much time in acquiring a knowledge of -the language of the "blacks" or aborigines, of which he drew up a -grammar, besides translating some portions of Scripture, Watts's hymns, -and other suitable works. He had generally three or four tribes resident -around him upon the land granted for their use. Occasionally he employed -from twelve to sixty of them in burning off the timber and clearing the -land, an employment which they liked best. At this they would continue -for eight or ten days at a time, until some native custom, or the report -of the hostile intention of some neighbouring tribe, called them off, -perhaps never to return. Harmless as they seemed, their customs were -ferocious; the tribes were constantly at war, and upon human life they -set no value; they had no law against murder, and consequently no -punishment for it. A man may murder his wife, or child, or any other -relative with impunity; but if a person murder another who is no way -connected with him, the nearest of kin to the murdered person will -sometimes avenge his death; though this seldom happens unless the -delinquent and the sufferer are of different tribes. It is only as they -become acquainted with the customs of Europeans that human life is -regarded. In their native wilds they sport with the sufferings both of -man and beast. - -At different periods, Mr. Threlkeld erected huts, but in these they -could not be induced to live, alleging the accumulation of vermin and -the fear of other natives coming in the night and spearing them without -a possibility of escape. On urging them to plant corn on a piece of -ground he had prepared for them, they replied it would be useless, as -the tribes from the neighbouring Sugar Loaf Mountain, although on -friendly terms, would come down and take it away when ripe. Mr. -Threlkeld attributed the failure of his mission partly to the want of -funds, but still more to the influx of European settlers. He deeply -deplored the want of legal protectors, both to prevent the ferocious -attacks of the blacks upon each other, and to protect them from the -white man's atrocities. "I am firmly of opinion," adds Mr. Threlkeld, in -the annual report of his mission for the year 1836, "that a Protector of -Aborigines will be fully employed in investigating cases of the cruelty -of European settlers, which are both numerous and shocking to humanity, -and in maintaining their civil rights." - -He had but too much reason to express himself thus. The cases of -oppression which he himself describes, are most revolting. In one -instance, a stockman, or herdsman, boasted to his master of having -killed six or seven black men with his own hands, when in pursuit of -them with his companions; for they were hunted down in mere wantonness -and sport. He was merely dismissed from his employer's service. In -another, a party of stockmen went out, some depredation having been -committed by the blacks in spearing their cattle, took a black prisoner, -tied his arms, and then fastened him to the stirrup of a stockman on -horseback to drag him along. When the party arrived near their -respective stations they separated, leaving the stockman to conduct the -prisoner to his own hut. The black, when he found they were alone, was -reluctant to proceed, and struggled to get free, when the stockman took -his knife from his pocket, coolly stuck the black in the throat, and -left him for dead. The poor fellow crawled to the house of a gentleman -dwelling on the plains, told his tale, and died. - -These are but specimens of cruelties, too numerous and too horrible to -relate. The blacks, of course, retaliated, and military parties were -sent out against them. On the 31st October, 1828, the executive council -of the colony declared in their minutes, "that the outrages of the -aboriginal natives amount to a complete declaration of hostilities -against the settlers generally," but they forgot to add that these -hostilities had been provoked in every instance by the wanton aggression -of the Europeans. Martial law was again proclaimed in October, 1830, -against the natives, and the governor at length determined to call upon -the inhabitants to take up arms, and join the troops in forming a -military cordon, by means of which he proposed to drive the aborigines -into Tasman's Peninsula. The inhabitants responded to the call, and an -armed force of between two and three thousand men were in the field from -the 4th October till the 26th November; but the attempt entirely -failed. - -Mr. Marsden lived to see the beginnings of a better system, though from -his advanced age he was now no longer able to take an active part in the -formation of new institutions. Before his death, a society had been -formed in the colony for the protection of the aborigines, and -government had also appointed protectors to defend them against wanton -outrage. This was a great advance in a colony where, Lieutenant Sadleir -(who had the charge of the school at Paramatta for the aborigines) tells -us, that on his first tour up the country he saw the skull of a -celebrated native, in which was visible the hole where the ball had -penetrated the forehead, placed over a gentleman's bookcase in his -sitting-room; "a trophy," he says, "which he prized very much, of his -success in one of those exterminating excursions then sometimes -undertaken, when the natives were hunted down like beasts of prey to be -destroyed." But it was not till the year 1839 that an act was passed by -the legislative council giving extensive powers to certain -"commissioners of lands," who were also magistrates of the territory, to -put a stop to the atrocities so extensively committed beyond the -boundaries, both by the aborigines and the European settlers. The -governor drew attention to this act in a proclamation worthy of his high -office. "As human beings," he remarks, "partaking of our common nature, -as the aboriginal possessors of the soil from which the wealth of the -country has been principally derived, and as subjects of the queen, -whose authority extends over every part of New Holland, the natives of -the colony have an equal right with the people of European origin to the -protection and assistance of the law of England. - -"His excellency thinks it right further to inform the public that each -succeeding despatch from the secretary of state marks in an increasing -degree the importance which her Majesty's government, and no less the -parliament and the people of Great Britain, attach to the just and -humane treatment of the aborigines of this country, and to declare most -earnestly and solemnly his deep conviction that there is no subject or -matter whatsoever in which the interests as well as the honour of the -colonists are more essentially concerned." - -His excellency was soon called upon to bring his professions of -impartial justice to the test. A few weeks only after the date of the -proclamation, seven monsters in human shape, convicts who had been -assigned as stockmen to some of the settlers in the interior, -influenced, it would seem, by no other motive than a fiendish -determination to exterminate the unhappy natives, set out on horseback -in pursuit of their victims. One Charles Kilmaister was their leader. -They were traced in their progress, inquiring after blacks, and at last -it appeared they arrived at a hut near the Orawaldo, commonly called the -Big River, beyond Liverpool Plains. Here they discovered a little tribe -of about thirty natives, men, women, and children, including babes at -their mothers' breasts, assembled in the bush, unsuspicious of danger, -and unconscious of offence. It was on Sunday. They immediately -approached their victims, who, terrified at their manner, ran into -Kilmaister's hut, crying for protection; but they appealed to hearts of -stone. The bandits having caught them as it were in a trap, dismounted -and followed them into the hut, and, despite of their entreaties, tied -them together with a rope. When all were thus secured, one end of the -rope was tied round the body of the foremost of the murderers, who, -having mounted his horse, led the way, dragging the terrified group -after him, while his infamous companions guarded them on all sides. -Onward they were dragged till a fitting place in the bush was reached, -when the work of slaughter commenced, and unresisting, these hapless -wretches, one after the other, were brutally butchered. Fathers, and -mothers, and children, fell before the previously sharpened swords of -their executioners, till all lay together a lifeless mass, clinging to -each other even in death, as with the throes of natural affection. But -one shot was fired, so that it was presumed one only perished by -fire-arms. The precise number thus immolated has not been accurately -ascertained, but it is computed not less than thirty lay stretched on -their own native soil. The demon butchers then placed the bodies in a -heap, kindled an immense fire over them, and so endeavoured to destroy -the evidence of their unheard-of brutality. The eye of providence, -however, was not to be thus blinded; and although for a time the -miscreants imagined they had effectually disguised their horrible work, -circumstances led to their apprehension. Birds of prey were seen -hovering about the spot where the unconsumed remains yet rotted on the -ground. Stockmen in search of their strayed cattle were attracted to the -place, supposing they should find their carcasses. In this way it was -that the ribs, jaw-bones, half-burned skulls, and other portions of -human skeletons were found, while symptoms of the conflagration in the -vicinity were likewise discovered. This led to inquiry, and ultimately -to the discovery of the horrible truth. The place was fifty miles from -the nearest police station. The whole of the villains were apprehended, -and their own admissions and conduct, both previous and subsequent to -the atrocious deed, added to a chain of circumstantial evidence, left no -doubt of their guilt. It chanced that the night previous to the murders -a heavy rain had fallen, and traces were thus discovered of horses feet, -as well as of the naked feet of the wretched natives, on the way to the -field of death. The chief witness, a respectable man, scarce dared, -however, to return to the district, so strong was the sympathy expressed -towards these miscreants, even by persons of influence, some of whom -were magistrates. All possible pains were taken to save them from -condign punishment; subscriptions were made for their defence, and -counsel retained, but in vain; their guilt was established beyond a -doubt, and Sir George Gipps, the governor, suffered the law to take its -righteous course. - -Yet the progress of humanity and righteousness was very slow, and Mr. -Marsden did not live to see equal justice, not to speak of gospel truth -or English liberty, carried to the aborigines. In the very year of his -death, an effort was made by the attorney-general of the colony to pass -a bill to enable the courts of justice to receive the evidence of the -blacks, hitherto inadmissible. The chief justice of Australia gave his -sanction to the measure. In laying this bill before the council, as the -law officer of the crown, the attorney-general gave some painful -instances of its necessity. There was then, he said, lying in his office -a very remarkable case, in which there was no doubt a considerable -number of blacks had been shot, but in consequence of not being able to -take the evidence of the blacks who witnessed the transaction, it was -impossible to prosecute, although there was proof that certain parties -went into the bush in a certain direction with fire-arms, and that shots -were heard. The dead bodies of blacks were afterwards found there, the -skulls of some of them being marked with bullets. On the other hand five -blacks were convicted of a larceny, and could be convicted of no higher -offence, although those who heard the case must have been convinced that -they had murdered two white men; but, because the blacks, who knew how -the murder was committed, could not be heard as witnesses, it was -impossible to prosecute them for the murder. The bill only went so far -as to allow the blacks to be heard,--"to allow them to tell their own -story; the jury might believe them or not as their evidence was -corroborated circumstantially, or by other witnesses." Yet this simple -instalment of justice was denied, and the bill was rejected by the -legislative council. Such are some of the crimes through which even -England, just and generous England, has ascended her dazzling throne of -colonial empire. When we tear aside the veil of national pride, how -gloomy are the recesses of our colonial history; how large the amends -which Britain owes to every native population which God has intrusted to -her care! - -Mr. Marsden was now seventy-two years of age. On every side the friends -of his youth were falling, and he was bowed down with bodily -infirmities, the natural consequence of a life of toil. He often pointed -to an aged tree which grew in sight of his windows, as an emblem of -himself. It had once stood in the middle of a thick wood, surrounded on -all sides with fine timber; which the waste of years and the ruthless -axe had levelled; now it stood alone, exposed to every blast, its -branches broken off, its trunk decayed and its days numbered. Yet he -resolved to pay another, his seventh, and, as it proved, his last visit -to New Zealand. It was thought by his friends, that he would never live -to return. His age and infirmities seemed to unfit him for any great -exertion of either mind or body; but having formed the resolution, -nothing could now deter him, or divert him from it. He sailed on the 9th -February, 1837, in the Pyramus, accompanied by his youngest daughter, -and he seemed to be cheered by the reflection that if he should die upon -his voyage he should die in his harness and upon the battle field on -which God had chosen him to be a leader. - -And yet his sturdy spirit scarcely bowed itself to such misgivings. As -on former visits, he had no sooner landed than his whole soul was -invigorated by scenes from which most others would have shrunk. He -landed on the southern side of the island, at the river Hokianga, and -remained amongst the Wesleyan missionaries for about a fortnight; after -which he crossed over to the Bay of Islands, carried all the way in a -litter by the natives. In this way he visited the whole of the -missionary stations in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Islands, as well -as Kaitaia, a station at the North Cape. On the arrival of H. M. S. -Rattlesnake, he accompanied Captain Hobson (afterwards governor of New -Zealand), to the river Thames, and the East Cape, returning at length to -Sydney in that ship, where he arrived on the 27th of July after an -absence of five months. When entering the heads of Port Jackson, one of -the officers of the ship observed, "I think Mr. M. you may look upon -this as your last visit to New Zealand;" upon which he replied, "No I -don't, for I intend to be off again in about six weeks, the people in -the colony are becoming too fine for me now. I am too old to preach -before them, but I can talk to the New Zealanders." - -Of this, his last visit, we must give some account. Captain Livesay of -the Pyramus, in a valuable letter to Mr. Nicholas, has given some -interesting reminiscences of his passenger:-- - - "Devonport, November 29, 1837. - - "MY DEAR SIR,-- ... I looked forward to meeting you with - inexpressible delight, to talk about our much esteemed friend Mr. - Marsden, and compare notes about New Zealand; but we are born to - disappointment, although I shall still look forward to have that - pleasure on my return to England. - - "From the last account I had of Mr. Marsden, previous to my - quitting New Zealand, I was informed that the trip had done him - much good. When he left the ship, and indeed when I last saw him, - which was a month afterwards, he used to walk with a great stoop; - he was then able to walk upright, and take considerable exercise. - The dear old man! it used to do my heart good to see his pious - zeal in his Master's cause. Nothing ever seemed a trouble to him. - He was always calm and cheerful, even under intense bodily - suffering, which was the case sometimes from the gravel, which - caused him great distress. His daughter Martha was a very great - comfort to him; she was constantly with him, and very affectionate - in her attentions. I did hope my next voyage would have been to - New South Wales, that I might have the pleasure of seeing him once - more, should God have spared him so long; but that thought must - now be given up." ... - -The remainder of the letter has reference to the state and prospects of -New Zealand. The sentiments are honourable to a British sailor. How -happy it would have been for the Maori race, had all English captains -who visited the Bay of Islands, been such men as Captain Livesay! - -He says, "It affords me great satisfaction to find that a committee are -forming for the colonization of New Zealand, on the scale you intimate. -It is very much to be desired indeed; as the poor natives are becoming a -prey and a sacrifice to a set of dissolute wretches who do all in their -power to sink the savage into the perfect brute, or by design and craft -to cheat them out of all their possessions. Even those who call -themselves respectable, are amongst this number, and one or two, to my -certain knowledge, have purchased an immense extent of land for a mere -song, depriving the rising generation of all their claims. The New -Zealanders are upon the whole, a fine and intelligent race, capable of -much if well directed. They are accused of low cunning, and covetousness -in their dealings with the Europeans. Let the question be asked, who -taught them to be so? Why, the Europeans themselves. They are said to be -ferocious. I maintain that they are not half so much so as our own -ancestors in the barbarous times of Britain; and where Christianity has -been properly introduced, they are quite a different race of beings. Let -but the ill weeds that have taken root there be torn up, and the -wholesome plant of industry and sobriety, with the spirit of the gospel, -sown in its place, and all the savage will soon cease to be." - -The "ill weeds" were springing up apace, and, as a consequence, the -missionary cause was once more in peril. - -An English barque had lately been wrecked upon the coast, but -fortunately Mr. Guard the captain, his wife, two children, and the crew, -twenty-eight in all, escaped to land. At first, according to the -statement of the captain, the natives treated them with kindness, which -they soon exchanged, under what pretext, or in consequence of what -provocations on either side, it would be useless to ask, for open -hostilities. A quarrel was got up between two native tribes, and an -engagement followed, in which twelve Europeans, and about forty Maories -fell. Guard and his party were taken prisoners. It shows how great an -improvement had taken place amongst the natives, that they were not -massacred and devoured; but, on condition of returning with a cask of -powder as a ransom for himself and the rest, Guard and five of his men -were allowed to proceed, without further molestation, to Sydney; where -he laid the matter before Sir Richard Bourke the governor. Relying on -the accuracy of Guard's narrative, the governor, with the advice of the -executive council, requested Captain Lambert to proceed with H.M.S. -Alligator, which happened to be lying in Port Jackson, to obtain the -restoration of the British subjects, then in the hands of the New -Zealanders. He was instructed to abstain from any act of retaliation, -and to obtain the restoration of the captives by amicable means; and -Guard and his five men returned in the same ship. - -Soon after the arrival of the party at New Zealand, Guard recognised the -chief who was now the proprietor of the shipwrecked woman and children; -and the unsuspicious native rubbed noses with him in token of amity, at -the same time expressing his readiness to give up his prisoners on -receiving the "payment" guaranteed to him. This, however was not the -way in which the affair was to be settled; Guard and his sailors seized -him as a prisoner, and dragged him into the whale boat in which the -party had gone ashore. The cruelty practised towards this unfortunate -man, and the fearful havoc committed by the English, we gladly pass -over. Such iniquitous transactions reflect but little credit on us as a -Christian or a civilized people; and they were, moreover, in direct -opposition to the benevolent instructions of Sir Richard Bourke. The -British subjects were restored; as indeed they might have been without -the loss of a single life, through the intervention of the missionaries, -and of the British resident at the Bay of Islands, and the expedition -having gained its object by force and stratagem, returned to Sydney with -the troops and the liberated captives. - -This painful affair, as well as other acts of outrage, on the part of -the natives, which were its natural consequence, made a deep impression -at the time, and were a source of great uneasiness to Mr. Marsden. He -saw at once the danger to which they exposed the missionaries and their -cause, and felt, no doubt, a just reliance on himself. Unarmed and -unprotected, had he been upon the spot, he would have accomplished more -in his own person than all those warlike measures had effected, which -anew embittered the Maori race against the Europeans. - -His record of his farewell visit was probably not kept with his former -accuracy; but the chasm is well supplied by the interesting journal of -his daughter, some extracts from which the reader will peruse with -pleasure. We have the whole scene placed before us by her graceful pen, -and we gain some glimpse into her father's character, which we should -certainly not have gathered from his own modest, self-forgetting, -memoranda. - - "_February 12, Sunday._--Had service on deck. The Rev. Mr. - Wilkinson read prayers, and my father preached. The sailors were - very attentive; the service was truly interesting from its novelty - and the impressiveness of the scene; nothing around us but the - wide waste of waters. - - "_13th._--At the suggestion of Captain L----, reading in the - evenings was introduced. We began the History of Columbus, by - Washington Irving, and the arrangement is that we are to read by - turns." - - The weather proved boisterous, and it was not before the 21st they - made the land. - - "_22nd._--Up early on deck to view the land, which presented a - very bold and romantic appearance. - - "Not being able to obtain a pilot, the captain determined, lest he - should lose the tide, Hokianga being a bar harbour, to take the - vessel in himself. The dead lights were put in, and every - arrangement made as we approached the bar. Not a voice was heard - but that of the captain and the two men in the chains, heaving the - lead. Every sailor was at his station, and the anchors in - readiness to let go at a moment's warning. We sounded as shallow - as 'a quarter less four,' when the ladies became alarmed, though - we were obliged to keep our fears to ourselves, as the gentlemen - very politely left us. The wind being light, the fear was the - breakers would have overtaken the ship, thrown her upon her beam - ends, and rendered her unmanageable; but providence guided and - preserved us. - - "I seldom remember a more beautiful scene; the moon is near its - full, and the banks of the river are very high, covered with the - most luxuriant foliage. We were so delighted with the scenery that - we would willingly have stayed up all night. As we proceeded up, - the mountains appeared to lessen into hills. Several native - hamlets, and two or three residences of Europeans, show that the - busy hand of man has been engaged in the work of redeeming the - wilderness from the wild dominion of nature. Anchored near the - Wesleyan mission station, where we were kindly welcomed by Mr. and - Mrs. Turner. The mission here has been established nearly nine - years; they have a neat chapel and one or two comfortable houses, - and are about to form an additional station. The missionaries - related several instances of the melancholy death of various New - Zealanders who have opposed the progress of the mission. One chief - became so incensed against the 'Atua,' for the death of his child, - that he formed a circle of gunpowder, placed himself in the - centre, and fired it. The explosion did not immediately destroy - him; he lingered a few weeks in dreadful agony, and then died. - - "_Saturday._--The natives are coming in great numbers to attend - divine worship. Mr. Turner preached, and afterwards my father - addressed them. They listened with earnest attention, and were - much pleased. Many of the old chiefs were delighted to see my - father, and offered to build him a house, if he would remain. One - said, 'Stay with us and learn our language, and then you will - become our father and our friend, and we will build you a house.' - 'No,' replied another, 'we cannot build a house good enough, but - we will hire Europeans to do it for us.' - - "The whole congregation joined in the responses and singing, and - though they have not the most pleasing voices, yet it was - delightful to hear them sing one of the hymns commencing 'From - Egypt lately come.'" - -The journey across from Hokianga to the Waimaté, as described by Miss -Martha Marsden, shows, in the absence of railroads and steam carriages, -an agreeable if not expeditious mode of conveyance. "Took leave of Mrs. -Turner; and, mounted in a chair on the shoulders of two New Zealanders, -I headed the procession. My father, Mr. Wilkinson, and the two children, -were carried in 'kaw-shores,' or native biers, on which they carry their -sick. We entered a forest of five miles, then stopped to dine. The -natives soon cooked their potatoes, corn, etc., in their ovens, which -they scoop in the sand, and after heating a number of stones, the -potatoes are put in, covered with grass and leaves, and a quantity of -water poured upon them; they were exquisitely steamed. As I approached -one of the groups sitting at dinner, I was much affected by seeing one -of them get up and ask a blessing over the basket of potatoes. - -"Five miles from Waimaté I left my chair, mounted on horseback, and -reached Waimaté for breakfast. Old Nini accompanied us the whole way, -and told my father if he attempted to ride he would leave him. The -natives carried him the whole way with the greatest cheerfulness, and -brought him through the most difficult places with the greatest ease. -The distance they carried him was about twenty miles." - -The state of all the missions with regard to their spiritual work was -now full of hope. Of the Wesleyan mission Mr. Marsden himself reports, -"I found that many were inquiring after the Saviour, and that a large -number attended public worship. The prospect of success to the Church -of England Mission is very great. Since my arrival at the missionary -station I have not heard one oath spoken by European or native; the -schools and church are well attended, and the greatest order is observed -among all classes. I met with many wherever I went, who were anxious -after the knowledge of God. Wherever I went I found some who could read -and write. They are all fond of reading, and there are many who never -had an opportunity of attending the schools who, nevertheless, can read. -They teach one another in all parts of the country, from the North to -the East Cape." - -The native tribes were still at war with each other, and with the -European settlers--the miserable effect of Captain Guard's rash conduct. -From the missionary station at Pahia Mr. Marsden's daughter counted one -morning twenty-one canoes passing up the bay. A battle followed, which -she witnessed at a distance, and the Europeans all around fled to the -missionary station. In the engagement three chiefs fell; a second fight -occurred soon afterwards. "We have heard firing all day," she writes; -"many have been killed; we saw the canoes pass down the river containing -the bodies of the slain." Mr. Marsden himself was absent on a visit to -the southward, or his presence might possibly have prevented these -scenes of blood. - -Wherever the venerable man appeared, he was received by the converted -natives with Christian salutations and tears of joy; the heathen -population welcomed him with the firing of muskets and their rude war -dances. Wherever he went, he was greeted with acclamations as the friend -and father of the New Zealanders. One chieftain sat down upon the ground -before him gazing upon him in silence, without moving a limb or -uttering a single word for several hours. He was gently reproved by Mr. -Williams for what seemed a rudeness. "Let me alone," said he, "let me -take a last look; I shall never see him again." "One principal chief," -writes Mr. Marsden, "who had embraced the gospel and been baptized, -accompanied us all the way. We had to travel about forty miles, by land -and water. He told me he was so unhappy at Hokianga that he could not -get to converse with me from the crowds that attended, and that he had -come to Waimaté to speak with me. I found him to be a very intelligent -man, and anxious to know the way to heaven." While at Kaitai he held a -constant levée, sitting in an arm-chair, in an open field, before the -mission house; it was attended by upwards of a thousand Maories, who -poured in from every quarter; many coming a distance of twenty or thirty -miles, contented to sit down and gaze on his venerable features; and so -they continued to come and go till his departure. With his -characteristic kindness and good nature he presented each with a pipe -and fig of tobacco; and when he was to embark at last, they carried him -to the ship, a distance of six miles. - -Before leaving New Zealand, he wrote to the Church Missionary Society an -account which glows with pious exultation, describing the success with -which the Head of the church had at length been pleased to bless the -labours of his faithful servants. Since his arrival, he says, he had -visited many of the stations within the compass of a hundred miles. It -was his intention to have visited all of them, from the North to the -East Cape; but from the disturbed state of the country "it was not -considered prudent for him to go to the south," where he still -contemplated further efforts "when the country should be more settled in -its political affairs." He had "observed a wonderful change: those -portions of the sacred Scriptures which had been printed have had a most -astonishing effect; they are read by the natives in every place where I -have been; the natives teach one another, and find great pleasure in the -word of God, and carry that sacred treasure with them wherever they go. -Great numbers have been baptized, both chiefs and their people." He had -met with some very pious chiefs, who had refused to share in the present -war, and avowed their resolution to fight no more. One of them, at his -own cost, had built a chapel, or place of public worship, which was -visited by the missionaries; in this he himself taught a school, -assisted by his son. "Waimaté, once the most warlike district in the -island, is now," he says, "the most orderly and moral place I was ever -in. My own mind has been exceedingly gratified by what I have seen and -heard." Old age, it seems, is not always querulous; its retrospects are -not always in favour of the past; the aged Christian walks with a more -elastic step as he sees the fruit of his labour, and anticipates his own -great reward. "Mine eyes," he concludes, "are dim with age like Isaac's; -it is with some difficulty I can see to write." - -Nor had the weakness and credulity of advancing years led him to take -for granted, as in second childhood old age is wont to do, the truth of -first impressions, or the accuracy of every man's reports. He still gave -to every subject connected with missions the closest attention, -penetrated beneath the surface, and formed his own conclusions. While in -New Zealand, for instance, he addresses the following queries to Mr. -Matthews, one of the missionaries, on the subject of education:-- - - "April, 1837. - - "... I will thank you to return me what number of native young - men there are employed from your station on the sabbath in - visiting the natives, I mean the numbers who occasionally visit - their countrymen and instruct them. What schools there are at the - station, and who are the teachers? Have you an infant school, or a - school for men and boys? a school for women? What do they learn? - Do they learn to read and write? Do they understand figures? Have - they renounced generally their former superstitions? At what - period of the day do they attend school? Have they any meeting in - the week-days for prayer and religious instruction? Do they appear - to have any views of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Saviour? Any - information you can give me, along with your brethren, will be - very acceptable to the lovers of the gospel in New South Wales." - - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -On one point only he met with no success. He had not yet quite abandoned -the pleasing dream of a Maori nation, united under one chief; a -Christian people, governed by a code of native law. Tahiti naturally -encouraged these bright visions, and seemed to show how easily they -might be realized. There, for ten years past, under king Pomare, the -wondrous spectacle had been presented to the world of a whole people, -under the guidance of their king, rejecting idolatry, and with it all -the base usages of savage life, and working out their own national -regeneration; framing a Tahitian code of law on the sound principles of -Christian jurisprudence, and cordially adopting it. Why should not a -similar state of things be brought about in New Zealand? The -instrumental agency in both islands was the same; namely, that of -Christian missionaries, chiefly, if not entirely, English Christians, -who carried with them, it might be supposed, to both islands the same -reverence for order, and with it the same love of liberty. Were the -Maories an inferior race, compared with the aborigines of the Tahitian -group? On the contrary, the difference was rather in favour of the -Maori; he was the more athletic, and consequently the more vigorous in -his mental development; indeed, upon the whole, he stands unapproached -by any other tribe of man uncivilized and in a state of nature; unless -we go back to the heroic ages and find his equal amongst ancient Greeks -at the dawning of their somewhat fabulous history. - -Yet the project failed; and Mr. Marsden was now obliged mournfully to -admit that New Zealand's only hope lay in her annexation to the British -crown. The two causes of the failure of these otherwise reasonable -expectations are to be found, no doubt, first, in the circumstances of -the Maori tribes, and secondly, in the pernicious effects produced by -European traders and settlers. - -Tahiti was happy in possessing one sovereign. New Zealand was -unfortunate in its multitude of petty chieftains. When the heart of king -Pomare was gained, the confidence of a loyal and devoted people was at -once won over. There was no rival to foment rebellion, or to seize the -occasion of a religious festival, when he and his people were unarmed, -to make inroads on his territory. With the assistance of his council, -and under the advice of the faithful missonaries, a code of law was -easily prepared, suited for all his subjects, and adapted to every part -of his little kingdom. In New Zealand, on the contrary, the chiefs, -each of whom claimed to be perfectly independent of the rest, were -constantly at enmity with each other. The violent passions of civil war -never slept--hatred, revenge, and jealousy. The missionaries, if -cherished by Shunghie, were hated or feared by Shunghie's opponent. -Their direct influence in the politics of the Maories was therefore, of -necessity, slight. But the chief hindrance arose from the mutual -animosities of the chiefs, and the want of confidence in each other -which universally prevailed, both among chiefs and people. - -And it must be confessed with sorrow, that the evil example of the -Europeans provoked the natives to fresh crimes, and indisposed them to -all the restraints of civil government. The Polynesian Islands had, up -to this period, known neither commerce nor colonization. Except a chance -visit from a man-of-war, a European ship was scarcely ever seen; or the -few which came and went were connected with the missions, and were -manned by decent if not religious crews. The polluting influence of a -debauched and drunken body of seamen, rolling in constant succession to -its shores, had not yet tainted the moral atmosphere of Tahiti and its -neighbouring group. And colonization had not even been attempted; the -natives were left in full possession of their soil, no man making them -afraid. In New Zealand all this was reversed. Wicked seamen infected -even savages with new vices; and lawless settlers set an example of -injustice, shocking even to New Zealanders. For these evils it was -evident there was but one remedy, the strong hand of British rule. Take -the following sketch from the pen of Mr. Marsden. After describing the -happy state of the Christian settlement at Waimaté, he goes on to say: -"On the opposite side of the harbour, a number of Europeans have settled -along with the natives. Several keep public-houses, and encourage every -kind of crime. Here drunkenness, adultery, murder, etc. are committed. -There are no laws, judges, nor magistrates; so that Satan maintains his -dominion without molestation. Some civilized government must take New -Zealand under its protection, or the most dreadful evils will be -committed by runaway convicts, sailors and publicans. There are no laws -here to punish crimes. When I return to New South Wales, I purpose to -lay the state of New Zealand before the colonial government, to see if -anything can be done to remedy these public evils." "I hope in time," he -says again, in a letter, dated May 16th, 1837, from Pahaia, to the Rev. -James Matthews, "the chiefs will get a governor. I shall inform the -Europeans in authority how much they are distressed in New Zealand for -want of a governor with power to punish crime. The Bay of Islands is now -in a dreadful state.... It is my intention to return to New South Wales -by the first opportunity." - -That opportunity soon appeared, and the venerable founder of its -missions, the advocate of its native population, the friend of all that -concerned its present or spiritual welfare, took his last leave of the -shores of New Zealand. Preparations were made for his reception on board -H. M. S. Rattlesnake. The signal gun was fired, and all the friends from -Waimaté and Keri-Keri arrived to accompany their revered father to the -beach, "Where," says one of them who was present, "like Paul at Miletus, -we parted with many benedictions: sorrowing most of all that we should -see his face again no more. Many could not bid him adieu. The parting -was with many tears." - -His happy temperament always diffused pleasure and conciliated -friendship. On board the Rattlesnake he was welcomed with warm, -affectionate, respect. Captain Hobson, who was afterwards for a time -governor of New Zealand, knew his worth, and felt honoured by his -company; and Mr. Marsden fully appreciated the high character and -courtesy of the commander, whose widow retains a handsome piece of plate -presented to her husband by his grateful passenger, as a memorial of the -happiness he enjoyed on this his last voyage homewards. - -The chaplain of the Rattlesnake noted down an affecting conversation -with the aged minister upon his voyage, which we are permitted to -insert:-- - -"We enjoyed a most lovely evening. I had a long conversation with Mr. -Marsden on deck. He spoke of almost all his old friends having preceded -him to the eternal world; Romaine, Newton, the Milners, Scott, Atkinson, -Robinson, Buchanan, Mason Good, Thomason, Rowland Hill, Legh Richmond, -Simeon, and others. He then alluded in a very touching manner to his -late wife; they had passed, he observed, more than forty years of their -pilgrimage through this wilderness in company, and he felt their -separation the more severely as the months rolled on. I remarked that -their separation would be but for a short period longer. 'God grant it,' -was his reply; then lifting his eyes towards the moon, which was -peacefully shedding her beams on the sails of our gallant bark, he -exclaimed with intense feeling. - - 'Prepare me, Lord, for thy right hand, - Then come the joyful day.'" - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - Mr. Marsden's ministerial pursuits and journeys--Love of the - Country and of Patriarchal story--His Old Age--Its mental - features--Anecdotes--Love of Children--Bishop Broughton--His - reverence for Mr. Marsden's character--Mr. Marsden's views of - Death, etc.--His Habits of Prayer--His Illness and Death. - - -Mr. Marsden had now passed the allotted span of human life, though his -days were not yet "labour and sorrow." Entering upon his seventy-second -year with stooping gait and failing eyesight and a decaying memory, he -had otherwise few of the mental infirmities of age. He was still a -perfect stranger to fear, as well as to that nervous restlessness and -susceptibility which wears the appearance of it, though often found, as -may be daily observed, in connexion with the truest courage. After his -return home from his last voyage he was attacked, when driving with his -youngest daughter, upon one of his excursions in the bush, by two famous -bush rangers Wormley and Webber, part of a gang who for a period of two -years kept the whole country in a state of terror. One of the ruffians -presented a loaded pistol at his breast and another at his daughter's, -threatening with horrid imprecations to shoot them both, if they said a -word, and bidding his daughter to empty her father's pockets into their -hands. Perfectly undismayed, Mr. Marsden remonstrated with them on their -wicked course of life, telling them at last that he should soon see them -again, he had no doubt, on the gallows. At parting, though charged, with -the usual threats, not to look behind him, he turned round, and -continued, while they were in sight, to warn them in the same strain of -the certain consequences of a life of crime. His admonition was soon -verified; the wretched men were apprehended for other outrages and -sentenced to death, and he himself attended them from the condemned cell -to the place of execution. - -These excursions into the country around Paramatta, where he had gone -about for a period of nearly forty years doing the work of an evangelist -or home missionary, were continued to the last. To wind through devious -paths in the bush in his one horse chaise, where his good horse _Major_ -seemed as if trained to penetrate, gave him the highest pleasure. The -way was often trackless, and he was obliged to ask his companion whether -the trace of a cartwheel could be seen. Yet there was an instinctive -feeling of safety in his company, and a refreshment in his conversation, -which always made the vacant seat in the gig prized by those who knew -and loved him. "As he drove along," says a Christian lady, the wife of -Captain B---- who was his companion on some of his last journeys, -"wherever he went there was always to be found some testimony to that -goodness and mercy which had followed him all the days of his life. Some -Ebenezer he could raise where helped perhaps in an encounter with a -bushranger, having only the sword of the Spirit with which to defend -himself and disarm his foe, or some Bethel, it might be, where like -Jacob he had been enabled to wrestle and prevail. With such a companion -no one could be a loser. On these excursions, no matter to what -distance, he seemed to think preparations needless, he would travel -miles and miles without any previous consideration for his own comfort -or convenience. Even a carpet-bag was an encumbrance. He had been too -long accustomed to make his toilet with the New Zealander, and take with -him his meal of fern-root, to be particular, or to take thought, what he -should eat, or wherewithal should he be clothed." - -His love of the country and of rural scenes gave a strong colouring, and -great originality to his preaching as well as to his own religious -character. He called his estate "The plains of Mamre." This property we -may remind the reader had been presented to Mr. Marsden in the early -days of the colony, when land uncleared was absolutely worthless, to eke -out his insufficient stipend. It had now become valuable, and he was -exposed both in the colony and in England to many unjust remarks, even -from those who should have known him better, on the score of his reputed -wealth. His own justification of himself is more than sufficient. Being -told that he was charged with avarice, "Why," said he, "they might as -well find fault with Abraham whose flocks and herds multiplied. Abraham -never took any trouble about it, nor do I. I can't help their -increasing;" and he added, a remark so true and of such pregnant import -that it ought for ever to have put to silence this miserable carping; -"It was not for myself, but for the benefit of this colony and New -Zealand, that I ever tried to promote agriculture or the improvement in -sheep or cattle." Had he done nothing else for Australia, his -introduction of Merino sheep with a view to the growth of wool would -have marked him down upon the roll of her greatest benefactors. - -Through life his choicest topics in the pulpit had been the patriarchs, -their lives and characters but as he grew old, he seemed unconsciously -to rank amongst their number; to fall into and become one of their own -body; himself a Christian patriarch. It was the frequent remark of his -friends that he spoke of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, just as if he had -lived in their times, heard their conversations, and been well -acquainted with them. It is much to be regretted that more full and -accurate reports of his sermons and conversations should not have been -kept. The truth and originality of his remarks would have made them -invaluable. When seated in his chair upon the lawn before his house, -surrounded by his family and friends, his conversations took the -prevailing turn of his mind, and he used to dwell on the incidents of -patriarchal life with a depth of feeling and a power of picturesque -description of which one would be glad that the memorials should not -have been allowed to perish. - -At an examination of the King's School at Sydney, the headmaster having -requested him to ask the boys some questions upon Scripture history, -forgetting the business in hand, he broke out into a long and -interesting address on patriarchal life and manners. The end -contemplated by the headmaster was of course frustrated, "but we dare -say," says the colonial journalist who tells the story, "there are many -young persons now growing up into manhood, who, to this day remember the -pious and excellent observations of the venerable man." - -His old age exhibited some traits not always to be found, even in good -men, after a long life passed among scenes of danger or amidst the -hardening warfare of personal animosities. Though to the last bold in -reproving sin his real character was that of gentleness and the warmest -social affection. None but the bad were ever afraid of him; on the -contrary, his presence diffused a genial light and warmth in every -company. Cruel savages and little children loved him alike; the wisest -men gathered instruction from his lips, while they found pleasure in his -simple courtesy and manly open heartedness. He brought home with him in -the Rattlesnake from New Zealand, several Maori youths; "they seemed to -love and respect their _Matua_, as they called him, more than any one, -or anything, besides. They used to run after his gig like joyous -children, and to attempt to catch his eye as if to bask in the sunshine -of his benevolent countenance." "They delighted;" says Mrs. B----, to -whose manuscript of Mr. Marsden's last years of life we are again -indebted, "to come to our barrack apartments with him, always making -their way to the bookcase first, take out a book and point upwards, as -if everybody who had anything to do with 'Matua' must have all their -books leading to heaven. Pictures pleased them next; when they would -direct each others' attention to what they considered worthy of notice, -with extraordinary intelligence; but when the boiled rice and sweets -made their appearance, digging their elbows into each others' sides, -with gesticulations of all sorts, and knowing looks, putting their -fingers to their mouths, and laughing with greedy joy, Mr. Marsden all -the time watching their movements, and expressive faces, as a kind nurse -would the gambols and frolics of her playful charge, saying with -restrained, but grateful emotion, 'Yes, sir, nothing like bringing the -gospel at once to the heathen. If "music charms the savage breast," sir, -why should not the sweetest sounds that ever met man's ear do more? Why, -sir, the gospel turns a worse than savage into a man, ay, and into a -woman too.' He then related to us the anecdote of a New Zealand woman -who, for the last remaining years of her life preached the gospel among -her own sex, having acknowledged to him, that before he had brought the -word of God to New Zealand, and the Spirit applied it to her heart, she -had killed and eaten nineteen children." - -His last communication to the Church Missionary Society, dated December -10th, 1837, and received after his death, is full of hope for his -beloved New Zealanders. "I am happy to say the mission goes on well -amidst every difficulty. I visited many places in my last voyage from -the North Cape to Cloudy Bay. The gospel has made a deep impression upon -many of the natives, who now lead godly lives." The letter, which is -written in a large and straggling hand, as though the pen were no longer -under its usual firm control, concludes with these touching words: "I am -now very feeble. My eyes are dim, and my memory fails me. I have done no -duty on the sabbath for some weeks through weakness. When I review all -the way the Lord has led me through this wilderness I am constrained to -say, _Bless the Lord, O my soul, etc_, - - "Yours very affectionately, - "SAMUEL MARSDEN." - -The innocent games of children pleased him to the last. When such -meetings were more rare than they have now become, the children of the -Paramatta school once a year assembled on his lawn, and then his -happiness was almost equal to their own. In his own family, and amongst -the children of his friends, he would even take his share in their -youthful gambols, and join the merry party at blind man's buff. Though, -as he said of himself, he "never sang a song in his life, for he -learned to sing hymns when ten years old, and never sang anything else," -yet he was charmed with the sweet and hearty voices of children joining -in some innocent little song, and it pleased him better still if it -finished off with a noisy chorus. Yet all this was consistent with his -character as a grave, wise old man. Though mirthful, he was never -frivolous; in a moment, if occasion called for it, he was ready to -discuss the most serious subjects, or to give his opinion upon matters -of importance; and he had the enviable talent of mingling even pious -conversation with the sports of children. - -It was observed that though always unembarrassed in the presence of -strangers whatever their rank or importance might be, he never seemed -completely happy but in the company of persons of true piety. He does -not appear to have spoken very freely in ordinary society on the subject -of personal religion, still less on the subject of his own experience; -but his emotions were deep, and out of the fulness of the heart his lips -would speak, in the midst of such a circle, of the loving-kindness of -the Lord. The sense of his own unworthiness seems to have been always -present. Of all God's servants he might have been, as he verily thought -himself to be, the most unprofitable; and when any circumstance occurred -which led him to contrast the justice of God to others who were left to -die impenitent, with the mercy shown to himself, he spoke with a -humiliation deeply affecting. With scenes of vice and human depravity -few living men were more conversant than he, yet to the last such was -the delicacy of his conscience that the presence of vice shocked him as -much as if the sight were new. "Riding down to the barracks one -morning," says the lady whose narrative we have already quoted, "to -invite Captain B---- and myself that day to dinner to meet the bishop, -he had passed what, alas! used to be too frequent an object, a man lying -insensible and intoxicated in the road. His usually cheerful countenance -was saddened, and after telling us his errand, we could not but ask the -cause of his distress. He gave us the unhappy cause, and turning his -horse's head round to leave us, he uttered with deep emotion-- - - 'Why was I made to hear thy voice - And enter while there's room?' - -Throughout the day the subject dwelt upon his mind; after dinner the -conversation turned to it, and he was casually asked who was the author -of the hymn he had quoted in the morning. He shook his head and said, 'I -cannot tell, perhaps it was Watts, or Wesley,' and several hymn books -were produced in which the bishop and others instituted a fruitless -search, the bishop at length saying, 'I can't find the hymn, Mr. -Marsden.' 'Can't you, sir,' was the reply, 'that is a pity, for it is a -good hymn, sir--says what the Bible says, free sovereign grace for poor -sinners. No self-righteous man can get into heaven, sir, he would rather -starve than take the free gift.' In the course of the day the -conversation turning upon New Zealand, the bishop expressed the opinion, -once almost universal though now happily exploded, an opinion, too, -which Mr. Marsden himself had regarded with some favour in his younger -days, that civilization must precede the introduction of the gospel; and -his lordship argued, as Mr. Marsden himself had argued thirty years -before, in favour of expanding the mind of savages by the introduction -of arts and sciences, being impressed with the idea that it was -impossible to present the gospel with success to minds wholly -unenlightened. Mr. Marsden's answer is thus recorded--'Civilization is -not necessary before Christianity, sir; do both together if you will, -but you will find civilization follow Christianity, easier than -Christianity to follow civilization. Tell a poor heathen of his true God -and Saviour, point him to the works he can see with his own eyes, for -these heathen are no fools, sir--great mistake to send illiterate men to -them--they don't want men learned after the fashion of this world, but -men taught in the spirit and letter of the Scripture. I shan't live to -see it, sir, but I may hear of it in heaven, that New Zealand with all -its cannibalism and idolatry will yet set an example of Christianity to -some of the nations now before her in civilization.'" - -It will not be out of place to offer a passing remark upon Mr. Marsden's -conduct to Dr. Broughton, the first bishop of Sydney. As an -Episcopalian, sincerely attached to the church of England, he had long -desired the introduction of the episcopate into the colonial church, of -which, as senior chaplain, he himself had been the acknowledged leader -for so many years. When the appointment was made it was a matter of just -surprise to his friends that he was passed over in silence, while an -English clergyman was placed over him to govern the clergy, amongst whom -he had so long presided, and whose entire respect and confidence he had -gained. There is no doubt that his integrity and fearless honesty had -rendered him somewhat unacceptable to men in power, and that to this his -exclusion is, in a great measure, to be ascribed. But this slight -brought out some of the finest features in his truly noble character. He -had never sought either honours, wealth, or preferment for himself. If -a disinterested man ever lived it was Samuel Marsden. The only remark -which his family remember to have heard him make upon the subject was in -answer to a friend, who had expressed surprise at the slight thus put -upon him, in these words--"It is better as it is; I am an old man; my -work is almost done." And when Dr. Broughton, the new bishop, arrived in -the colony, he was received by Mr. Marsden not with cold and formal -respect but with Christian cordiality. When the new bishop was installed -he assisted at the solemn service; the eloquent author of the "Prisoners -of Australia,"[K] who chanced to be present, thus describes the -scene--"On a more touching sight mine eyes had never looked than when -the aged man, tears streaming down his venerable cheek, poured forth, -amidst a crowded and yet silent assemblage, the benediction upon him -into whose hands he had thus, as it were, to use his own metaphor, -'yielded up the keys of a most precious charge;' a charge which had been -his own devoted care throughout the storms and the tempests of a long -and difficult pilotage. And now like another Simeon, his work well nigh -accomplished, the gospel spreading far and wide over the colony and its -dependencies, and the prayer of his adopted people answered, he could -say without another wish, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in -peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.'" Though differing from -him, we may add, on some points, Mr. Marsden retained to the last -sincere regard for bishop Broughton, who in return fully appreciated the -high and lofty character of his senior chaplain. "Well!" said he one day -when he heard of his last illness, breaking out after a thoughtful -silence, "if there ever was a truly honest man, Mr. Marsden certainly -is one;" and after his death he publicly expressed his "deep sense of -the loss he had experienced, and the painful void he felt in the absence -of his aged and faithful companion who had so often stood by his side, -whose genuine piety and natural force of understanding," said he, "I -held in the highest esteem while he lived, and still retain them in -sincerely affectionate remembrance." - - [K] London: Hatchard, 1841. - -Conscious that in the course of nature his decease could not be far -distant, death was now his frequent meditation. He viewed its approach -without levity and without alarm. Familiar through life with death in -every form, his feelings were not blunted; he still felt it was a solemn -thing to die, but he had experienced the love of Him who had tasted -death for every man, and was no longer "subject to bondage through fear -of death." He continued his pastoral visits to the sick and dying to the -last, and some of those who were raised from a bed of languishing, and -who survived their pastor, speak of the affectionate kindness, the -delicacy and tenderness, as well as the deep-toned spirituality of mind -he showed in the sick chamber, as something which those who had not -witnessed it would be backward to credit. One of the last letters which -he penned filled three sides of folio paper, addressed to a friend who -had met with a severe accident in being thrown from a carriage; it -contained the most consoling and Scriptural aids and admonitions; it was -unfortunately lost by its possessor on a voyage to India, or it would -have proved, we are assured, an acquisition to our memoir, of real -interest and importance. - -As he stepped out of his gig, his family easily perceived from his -manner if he had been visiting the chamber of death, and never presumed -to break a sacred silence that was sure to follow his deep-drawn sigh -till he was pleased to do so himself. This he did in general by the -solemn and subdued utterance of a text from Scripture, or some verse of -a favourite hymn. The tears often fell down his aged cheeks while slowly -articulating, in a suppressed voice, "Blessed are the dead which die in -the Lord;" or from one of Watts's hymns. - - "Oh could we die with those that die," etc. - -After this touching relief he seemed to feel more at liberty to speak on -future events connected with his own decease, when he should be sitting -down, as he frequently said, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the -kingdom of God. Indeed his happy, social spirit led him to connect the -joys of heaven with the society of saints and patriarchs and his own -departed friends. Sitting at dinner with the bishop and others as his -guests, his mind abstracted itself from the surrounding scene, and he -addressed the Christian friend to whose notices of his last days we have -already had recourse: "You know, madam, you and I are to take an -alphabetical list some day of all the names of the good men I expect -soon to meet in heaven; there will be (counting them up upon his -fingers) John Wesley, Isaac Watts, the two Milners, Joseph and Isaac, -John Newton and Thomas Scott, Mr. Howels of Long Acre, and Matthew -Henry----" Here the conversation of the party broke off the solemn -reverie. - -Yet all this tranquillity was consistent with that natural fear of death -which for the wisest purposes God has implanted in man, and which Adam -must have known in paradise, or else the Divine prohibition and the -threatened penalty, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt -surely die," could have had no force and appealed to no motive. "In the -month of September, after his last voyage, he called at the house of his -friend, the Rev. Mr. Cartwright, with a young lady from New Zealand, to -introduce her to Mrs. Cartwright. The door was opened by his aged and -now deeply afflicted friend and brother in the ministry, for Mrs. -Cartwright had expired in the night, after a few hours' illness. Mr. -Marsden, with his usual cheerfulness of manner, said, 'Well! I have -brought Miss W. to introduce her to Mrs. Cartwright.' 'Stop! stop, my -friend,' responded the mourner, in a solemn manner, 'don't you know that -Mrs. Cartwright is dead?' 'Dead? dead?' replied Mr. Marsden. 'Oh no; oh -no. You must be in joke; it is too serious a matter to make a joke of, -Mr. Cartwright.' 'Indeed,' responded Mr. Cartwright, 'it is too true. -Come, and I will convince you,' and then led him to the room where the -remains of his departed wife lay. Mr. Marsden approached the body, -saying, 'Oh! she is not dead; no, no, she is not dead;' (the bright -complexion remaining unchanged), 'she is not dead;' and then, passing -his hand over the face, the cold chill of death dissipated the delusion. -'Yes, she is dead, she is dead,' and leaving the room, he hurried away -to give vent to his feelings." - -As he contemplated his own near approach to the eternal state, a few -chosen passages of Scripture fell often from his lips; and it was -remarked they were almost the only repetitions he made use of; for his -mind was richly stored with Scripture, which he seemed to bring forth -with endless variety, and often in the happiest combination; but now he -often repeated the words of Job, "He cometh forth like a flower, and is -cut down; he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not," chap. xiv. 2. -And those of Zechariah, "Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, -do they live for ever?" chap. i. 5. - -Like Cornelius, he had been a devout man, a man of prayer through life. -He believed in the promises of effectual aid from God the Holy Spirit, -to carry on the work of grace in his own soul. Nerved with this faith, -he waged a ceaseless war against corruptions within, and temptations -from without. And while he viewed the promises of assistance from the -Holy Spirit, as given not to supersede our own exertions, but to animate -them, he simply trusted to Him to become the author of his complete -sanctification. And all the blessed fruits of faith were found richly -clustering round his character. It was his constant habit, after his -return from a journey, to spend some time in his room alone, engaged, no -doubt, in holy communing with God. When he prayed in the family, or -before his sermon in the pulpit, where he seldom used a form, the rich -and fervid unction, the variety and copiousness of his supplications and -thanksgivings, seemed to intimate how closely he had been wont to -commune in secret with his heavenly Father. The fifty-first Psalm now -often supplied the words for many a humble confession of sin, and many -an earnest aspiration for larger supplies of the Holy Spirit's -sanctifying influences, both in the pulpit and elsewhere. He appears -always to have held frequent communion with God in ejaculatory prayer -throughout the day. To one whose engagements were so many, and whose -interruptions were necessarily so frequent, the practice was no doubt -most beneficial. Thus the lamp of God in his soul was always trimmed, -and the light went not out as age and infirmities drew on. His friends -now remarked his frequent abstraction from the scenes around, while his -moving lip and solemn gesture significantly intimated the direction of -his mind, and the occupation of his thoughts. His mind became daily more -spiritual, and even when in the midst of visitors he seemed often to be -absorbed in silent prayer. - -"An incident which seems to show that he had a presentiment of his -approaching end occurred on the last Sunday on which the holy communion -was administered before his death. Although in his usual health, he did -not assist in the service, as he always had done for a long period of -forty-five years in the same congregation; and when the officiating -minister was ready to distribute the bread and wine, he remained in his -pew, apparently overcome by his feelings. A pause ensued, when, as he -still did not attempt to move, the Rev. Henry Bobart, his son-in-law, -thought it advisable to take the elements to him. Many of his -congregation were affected to tears, impressed with the belief that they -might not again receive from his venerable hands those emblems of the -Saviour's love. He had never yet been present at the church without -assisting at the solemn rite. Such fears were but too truly and sadly -realized. On the Sunday evening, at the parsonage, it was the custom, at -family worship, to read one of a course of sermons. The Sunday before -his death, when he was still apparently as well as usual, he requested -that the one in course for that evening might be laid aside and -Bradley's sermon the 'Morrow unknown,' from the text 'Boast not thyself -of to-morrow,' substituted. Some slight objection was made; but on his -again expressing his wish, it was of course complied with. The remarks -made by him upon the subject during the evening excited the -apprehensions of his family that the coming week might be one of trial, -but they little thought that ere the next sabbath one so loved and -revered would be removed from them." - -On Tuesday the 8th of May, 1838, a few of his friends visited him at his -own house; he wore his usual cheerfulness, and they wished him, as they -thought, a short farewell as he stepped into his gig on a journey of -about five and-twenty-miles. In passing through the low lands contiguous -to Windsor, the cold suddenly affected him, and he complained of illness -on his arrival at the house of his friend, the Rev. Mr. Styles, the -chaplain of the parish. Erysipelas in the head broke out, and a general -stupor followed, so that he became insensible. His mind wandered amongst -the scenes to which his life had been devoted, and he uttered a few -incoherent expressions about the factory, the orphan school, and the New -Zealand mission. "Though he spoke but little," says his friend, Mr. -Styles, in his funeral sermon, "yet in his few conscious moments he said -quite enough to show that the Saviour whom he served through life was -with him in the time of trial. A single remark was made to him by a -bystander on the value of a good hope in Christ in the hour of need. -'Yes,' said he, 'that hope is indeed precious to me now;' and on the -following evening, his last on earth, he was heard repeating the words -'precious, precious,' as if still in the same strain of thought which -that remark had suggested. Soon after, inflammation having reached the -brain, his spirit was released. On Saturday morning, the 12th of May, he -entered--who can doubt?--upon the enjoyment of his 'eternal and -exceeding great reward.'" - - * * * * * - -He was buried in his own churchyard at Paramatta. Upwards of sixty -carriages formed the mourning train, and a numerous assemblage of -mourners, including most of the public functionaries in the colony, -followed him to the grave. Of these, some who had in years long past -thwarted and opposed him came at last to offer an unfeigned tribute of -deep respect. A few had been his early associates in the ministry, and -in every good word and work. The majority were a youthful generation, to -whom he was only known as a wise and venerable minister of God. His -parishioners had been most of them brought up under his instructions, -and had been taught from their infancy to look up to him with respect -and love. The solemn burial service was read by the Rev. Dr. Cowper, who -first came out to the colony at Mr. Marsden's solicitation. He stood -over the grave and addressed the mourners on the early devotedness of -their departed friend and pastor to the great work of the ministry, told -them how solemnly he had dedicated himself to God before he left England -in his youth, and reminded them of the fidelity with which through evil -and good report he had endured his Master's cross, despising the shame. - -Australia seemed at length fully to appreciate his worth. It was quite -fitting, and indeed an additional tribute to his integrity, that some -mutterings of calumny should be uttered by ungodly men, even as the -grave closed over him, and that a priest of the apostate church of Rome -should catch them up, and gladly give expression to them. With this -exception the colony was unanimous, as were the friends of religion in -England, and throughout the world, in mourning for him as for one who -had been great as an evangelist in the church of Christ, and as a -philanthropist second to none who have ever devoted their lives to the -welfare of their fellow creatures. It was proposed to erect a monument -to his memory by public subscription; the proposition was warmly -approved on all sides, and subscriptions were offered to a considerable -amount. Whole families became subscribers--parents, and children, and -domestic servants, all ready thus to testify their reverence. On further -consideration, it was thought better to erect a church to his memory on -a piece of his own land, which he himself had devised for that purpose, -to which the name of Marsfield should be given; and the design, we -believe, has been carried into effect, at the cost of about six thousand -pounds. - -The public press, not only in Australia but in England, published -biographical sketches of his life and labours, with articles on his -motives and character. The great missionary societies recorded his death -with becoming feelings of reverential love. The notice of him in the -minutes of the Church Missionary Society, the reader will not be -displeased to find in these pages. It was read at their annual meeting -at Exeter-hall, and published in their thirtieth report. - - "The Committee of the Church Missionary Society record the death - of the late Rev. Samuel Marsden with feelings of deep respect for - his personal character and gratitude to the Great Head of the - church, who raised up, and who so long preserved, this - distinguished man, for the good of his own, and of future - generations. - - "In him the Committee recognise an individual whom Providence had - endowed with a vigorous constitution, both of body and mind, - suited to meet the circumstances which ever attend a course of new - and arduous labours. Entering upon the duties of his chaplaincy - forty-five years ago, at a time when the colonists of New South - Wales were, for the most part, of abandoned character and - suffering the penalty of the law, he, with admirable foresight, - anticipated the probable future destinies of that singular and - important colony, and never ceased to call the attention of both - the local and home governments to the great duty of providing for - the interests, both temporal and spiritual, of the rapidly - increasing population by a proportionate increase in the number of - colonial chaplains. - - "In the discharge of his diversified duties, the native energies - of his mind were conspicuously exhibited in the undisturbed - ardour, public spirit, and steady perseverance, with which his - various plans of usefulness were prosecuted; while his high - natural gifts were sanctified by those Christian principles, which - from his youth up, he maintained and adorned, both by his teaching - and by his life. - - "But it is to his exertions in behalf of Christian missions that - the Committee are bound especially to call the attention of the - Society. While he omitted no duty of his proper ministerial - calling, his comprehensive mind quickly embraced the vast - spiritual interests, till then well nigh entirely unheeded, of the - innumerable islands of the Pacific Ocean, whose 'inhabitants were - sitting in darkness, and in the shadow of death.' - - "Under the influence of these considerations, Mr. Marsden - zealously promoted the labours of the different societies which - have established missions in the South Seas. And it is to his - visits to New Zealand, begun twenty-five years ago, and often - since repeated, and to his earnest appeals on behalf of that - people, that the commencement and consolidation of the Society's - missions in the Northern Island are to be attributed. - - "In calling to mind the long series of eminent services rendered - to the Society by Mr. Marsden, the committee notice with peculiar - satisfaction the last visit made by him, in the year 1836, to the - Society's missions in New Zealand--a visit justly termed by the - Lord Bishop of Australia 'Apostolical.' With paternal authority - and affection, and with the solemnity of one who felt himself to - be standing on the verge of eternity, he then gave his parting - benediction to the missionaries and the native converts." - -And thus was the man honoured in his death, whose life had been one long -conflict with obloquy and slander. With few exceptions his enemies had -died away, or been gradually led to abandon their prejudices, and many -of them now loved and revered the man whom they had once hated or -despised. This, however, is but the usual recompense of a life of -consistent holiness. God often allows his servants to live and even to -die under a cloud of prejudice; but sooner or later, even the world does -homage to their virtues and confesses its admiration of the Christian -character, while the church of Christ glorifies God in the grace which -made their departed brother to shine as a light in the world. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - Character of Mr. Marsden--His Life and Labours. - - -The reader may naturally expect in conclusion a summary of Mr. Marsden's -character. In attempting this, we are by no means insensible to the -difficulty of the undertaking. Indiscriminate eulogy, and the arrogance -which affects to blame in order to establish its own claim to superior -wisdom, are both alike impertinent and unbecoming. Yet it is not easy to -speak of one whose motives were so high, whose labours so constant and -self-denying, and whose triumphs so remarkable, without enthusiasm. -While, on the other hand, those infirmities which may generally be -detected even in the best men, and which truth requires to be -impartially noted down, did not much affect his public life; and we have -felt all along as we have written with the disadvantage of having known -him only by the report of others. Still, however, something should be -attempted. The character of Mr. Marsden is too instructive to be lost; -perhaps few great men ever lived whose example was more calculated for -general usefulness,--for the simple reason that he displayed no gigantic -powers, no splendid genius; he had only a solid, well ordered, mind, -with which to work,--no other endowments than those which thousands of -his fellow men possess. It was in the _use of his materials_ that his -greatness lay. - -Mr. Marsden was a man of a masculine understanding, of great decision of -character, and an energy which nothing could subdue. He naturally -possessed such directness and honesty of purpose, that his intentions -could never be mistaken; and he seemed incapable of attempting to gain -his purpose by those dexterous shifts and manoeuvres which often pass -current, even amongst professing Christians, as the proper, if not -laudable, resources of a good diplomatist, or a thorough man of -business. When he had an object in view, it was always worthy of his -strenuous pursuit, and nothing stopped him in his efforts to obtain it, -except the impossibility of proceeding further. Had his mind been less -capacious such firmness would often have degenerated into mere -obstinacy; had it been less benevolent and less under the influence of -religion, it would have led him, as he pressed rudely onwards, to -trample upon the feelings, perhaps upon the rights, of other men. But he -seems, whenever he was not boldly confronting vice, to have been of the -gentlest nature. In opposing sin, especially when it showed itself with -effrontery in the persons of magistrates and men in power, he gave no -quarter and asked for none. There was a quaintness and originality about -him, which enabled him to say and do things which were impossible to -other men. There was a firmness and inflexibility, combined with earnest -zeal, which in the days of the reformers would have placed him in their -foremost rank. None could be long in his society without observing that -he was a man of another mould than those around him. There was an air of -unconscious independence in all he did which, mixed with his other -qualities, clearly showed to those who could read his character, that he -was a peculiar instrument in the hands of God to carry out his own -purposes. These traits are illustrated by many remarkable events in his -life. - -When he first arrived in New South Wales, while theft, blasphemy, and -every other crime, prevailed to an alarming extent among the convicts, -the higher classes of society, the civil and military officers, set a -disgraceful example of social immorality. Such is the account given by a -Sydney periodical a few weeks after Mr. Marsden's decease, which goes on -to say: "Many an individual of a more plastic nature might have been -moulded by the prevailing fashion of the age in which he lived, and -instead of endeavouring to struggle against the tide of popular opinion, -would have yielded in all probability to its seducing influence. Such -was not the case with Mr. Marsden. When he was opposed on all hands, and -even by the civil and military authorities of the day, he faithfully -performed his duty, and careless of the powerful coalitions combined for -his destruction, 'all the ends he aimed at were his country's, his -God's, and truth's.' Educated in the school of the Milners, the Simeons, -and the Fletchers, he was not disposed to flatter the vices of any man; -but with plainness and sincerity of speech, he discoursed 'of -righteousness, temperance and judgment to come.'" He has been known to -rebuke sin at a dinner-table in such a manner as to electrify the whole -company. Once, arriving late, he sat down in haste, and did not for a -few minutes perceive the presence of one who should have been the wife -of the host, but who stood in a very different relation to him. Mr. -Marsden always turned a deaf ear to scandal, and in the excess of his -charity was sometimes blind to facts which were evident enough to -others. The truth now flashed upon him, and though such things were -little thought of in the colony, he rose instantly from the table, -calling to the servant in a decided tone to bring his hat, and without -further ceremony, or another word, retired. That such a man should raise -up a host of bitter enemies is not to be wondered at. - -To these qualities his great successes in life, under God, were due. The -young chaplain who single handed confronted and at length bore down the -profligacy of New South Wales, and the shameless partiality of its -courts of justice (the immediate result and consequence of the -licentious lives and connexions of the magistrates) planned, and was -himself the first to adventure upon the mission to New Zealand. Against -the rashness of this attempt the timid expostulations of his friends, -the hesitation of the captains who declined so perilous an adventure, -and even the remonstrances of Governor Macquarie himself weighed not a -feather in the scale. He saw his way clearly; it was the path of duty, -and along it he must go. And when, ten years afterwards, scarcely a -nominal convert had been won from among the cannibals, when tens of -thousands of good money had been spent, when the church at home was -almost weary of the project, and half disposed to give it up, he was -still true as ever to the cause. He neither bolstered up his courage -with noisy protestations, nor attempted to cheer the languid zeal of -others by the slightest exaggerations, but quietly went forward calmly -resting upon the two great pillars, the _commands_ and the _promises_ of -God. So again with respect to the Polynesian missions; at first he -showed little of that enthusiasm in which some of its promoters were -caught as in a whirlwind, and carried off their feet. But high principle -endures when enthusiasm has long worn out. And it was to the firm and -yet cheering remonstrances of Samuel Marsden, and to the weight which -his representations had with the churches of Christ in England, that -the directors were indebted for the ability to maintain their ground, -and that this perhaps the most successful of Protestant missions, was -not finally abandoned upon the very eve of its triumphs. - -While he embraced large and comprehensive projects, it was one of his -striking peculiarities that he paid close attention to minute details. -Some minds beginning with the vast and theoretical, work backwards into -the necessary details; others setting out upon that which is minute and -practical, from the necessities of the hour and the duties of the day -before them seem to enlarge their circle and to build up new projects as -they proceed. The former may be men of greater genius, but the latter -are in general the more successful, and to these Mr. Marsden belonged. -The cast of his mind was eminently practical. No crude visions of -distant triumphs led him away from the duties which belonged to the -scene and circumstances in which providence had placed him. Paramatta -was for many years the model parish of New South Wales, although its -pastor was the soul of the New Zealand mission, and of many a -philanthropic enterprise besides. Commissioner Biggs, in his "Report of -Inquiry," which was published by order of the House of Commons, observes -that "Mr. Marsden, though much occupied by the business of the missions -which he conducted, and by the superintendence of the orphan school -which he had himself called into existence, was remarkably attentive to -the duties of his ministry." "The congregation at Paramatta appeared to -me to be more respectable than at the other places of worship, and the -choral parts of the service were admirably performed by the singers, who -have been taught under the direction of the Rev. S. Marsden." He was -well known to all his parishioners, to whom he paid constant ministerial -visits; his attention to the sick, whether at their own homes or the -government hospital, was unremitting, and here his natural shrewdness, -sharpened as it was by his spiritual penetration, showed itself in his -insight into the true character of those he dealt with. Nothing -disgusted him more than a want of reality. High professions from -inconsistent lips were loathsome to him, and his rebukes were sometimes -sharp. A gentleman, whose habits of life were not altogether consistent -with Christian simplicity and deadness to the world, had been reading -"Mammon," when that volume had just made its appearance, and with that -partial eye with which we are too apt to view our own failings, had come -to the flattering conclusion that by contrast with the monster depicted -in "Mammon," the desires he felt to add field to field and house to -house, were not covetousness, but that diligence in business which the -Scriptures inculcate. In the happy excitement of the discovery, he -exultingly exclaimed, "Well, thank God, I have no covetousness." Mr. -Marsden, who had read no more about covetousness than he found in the -Bible, had sat silent; rising from his chair, and taking his hat, he -merely said, "Well, I think it is time for me to go: and so, sir, you -thank God that you are not as other men are. You have no covetousness? -havn't you? Why, sir, I suppose the next thing you'll tell us is that -you've no pride;" and left the room. - -But when he spoke to a modest inquirer, these roughnesses, which lay -only on the surface, disappeared. To the sick, his manner was gentle and -affectionate, and in his later years, when he began, from failing -memory and dimness of sight, to feel himself unequal to the pulpit, he -spent much of his time in going from house to house and amongst the -prison population, exhorting and expounding the Scriptures. Upon one of -these occasions, a friend who accompanied him relates that he made a -short journey to visit a dying young lady, whose parents on some account -were strangely averse to his intrusion, pastoral though it was. But the -kindness with which he addressed the sufferer, whom he found under deep -spiritual anxieties, and the soothing manner in which he spoke and -prayed with her, instantly changed the whole bias of their minds. "To -think," they exclaimed when he left the house, "of the aged man, with -his silver locks, coming such a distance as seventeen miles, and -speaking so affectionately to our feeble child!" - -"At Paramatta, his Sunday-school," his daughter writes, "was in a more -efficient state than any I have since seen;" and the same remark might -probably be applied to his other parochial institutions, for whatever he -did was done with all his heart; and he was one of those who easily find -coadjutors. Their example seems to shed an immediate influence. And his -curates and the pious members of his flock were scarcely less zealous -and energetic than himself. - -He found time to promote missionary meetings, and to encourage the -formation of tract and Bible societies, as well as other benevolent -institutions, at Sydney and other places. On many occasions he delivered -interesting speeches, and not long before his death he presided at a -Bible Society meeting at Paramatta, when, in the course of an -affectionate address, he alluded to his beloved New Zealand. New Zealand -was near his heart, and he now seldom spoke of it without being -sensibly affected. Relating an anecdote respecting Mowhee, a converted -New Zealander, he was completely overcome, and burst into tears. - -His manner of preaching was simple, forcible, and persuasive, rather -than powerful or eloquent. In his later years, when he was no longer -able to read his sermons, he preached extempore. His memory, until the -last year or two of his life, was remarkably tenacious: he used to -repeat the whole of the burial service _memoriter_, and in the pulpit, -whole chapters or a great variety of texts from all parts of Scripture, -as they were required to prove or illustrate his subject. He was seldom -controversial, nor did he attempt a critical exposition of the word of -God. His ministry was pure and evangelical. "You can well remember him, -my hearers," says the preacher, in his funeral sermon, "as having -faithfully preached to you the word of God; clearly did he lay before -you the whole counsel of God. Man was represented by him as in a -condemned and helpless state, lying in all the pollution and filthiness -of his sin, totally unable to justify himself wholly or in part, by any -works of righteousness which he can do; God, as too pure to look upon -iniquity without abhorrence, and yet too merciful to leave sinners to -their sad estate without providing a refuge for them; Christ, as All in -all to the sinner; as wisdom to enlighten him, as righteousness to -justify him, sanctification to make him holy in heart and life, as -complete redemption from the bondage of sin and death into the glorious -inheritance of heaven; the Holy Spirit of God as the only author of -aught that is good in the renewed soul; faith as the only means of -applying the salvation of the gospel to the case of the individual -sinner; justification by faith; the necessity of regeneration; holiness -indispensable. All these were represented by your departed minister as -the vital doctrines of the gospel, and the mutual bearing and connexion -of each was clearly shown. And this he has been doing for nearly -forty-five years." - -Dwelling on the outskirts of civilization and of the Christian world, he -was too deeply impressed with the grand line of distinction between -Christianity and hideous ungodliness, whether exhibited in the vices of -a penal settlement or the cannibalism of New Zealand, to be likely to -attach too much importance to those minor shades of difference which are -to be met with in the great family of Jesus Christ. As his heart was -large, so too was his spirit catholic. He was sincerely and -affectionately attached to the church of England. He revered her -liturgy, and in her articles and homilies he found his creed, and he -laboured much to promote her extension. Yet his heart was filled with -love to all those who name the name of Christ in sincerity. Wherever he -met with the evidences of real piety and soundness of doctrine, his -house and his purse flew open; and orthodox Christians of every -denomination from time to time either shared his hospitalities or were -assisted in their benevolent projects with pecuniary aid. With what -delicacy this was done may be gathered from such statements as the -following, which is copied from the "Colonist" newspaper, September -12th, 1838: "An attempt having been made to build a Scotch church in -Sydney, the colonial government for a time opposed the scheme, and in -consequence some of its friends fell away. Then it was that the late -Samuel Marsden, unsolicited, very generously offered the loan of 750_l._ -to the trustees of the Scotch church, on the security of the building -and for its completion. This loan was accordingly made; but as it was -found impracticable to give an available security on the building, Mr. -Marsden agreed to take the personal guarantee of the minister for the -debt." - -In the same spirit he presented the Wesleyan Methodists with a valuable -piece of land on which to erect a chapel, at Windsor. This act of -Christian charity was acknowledged by their missionaries in a grateful -letter. Mr. Marsden's reply is full of warmth and feeling. "You express -your acknowledgment for the ground at Windsor to build your chapel and -house upon. I can only say I feel much pleasure in having it in my power -to meet your wishes in this respect. To give you the right hand of -fellowship is no more than my indispensable duty; and were I to throw -the smallest difficulty in your way I should be highly criminal and -unworthy the Christian name, more especially considering the present -circumstances of these extensive settlements, 'where the harvest is so -great and the labourers are so few.' ... The importation of convicts -from Europe is very great every year; hundreds have just landed on our -shores from various parts of the British empire, hundreds are now in the -harbour ready to be disembarked, and hundreds more on the bosom of the -great deep are hourly expected. These exiles come to us laden with the -chains of their sins, and reduced to the lowest state of human -wretchedness and depravity. We must not expect that magistrates and -politicians can find a remedy for the dreadful moral diseases with which -the convicts are infected. The plague of sin, when it has been permitted -to operate on the human mind with all its violence and poison, can never -be cured, and seldom restrained by the wisest human laws and -regulations. Heaven itself has provided the only remedy for sin--the -blessed balm in Gilead; to apply any other remedy is lost labour. In -recommending this at all times and in all places, we shall prevail upon -some to try its effect; and whoever do this we know they will be healed -in the selfsame hour. I pray that the Divine blessing may attend all -your labours for the good of immortal souls in these settlements." - -His private charities displayed the same catholic spirit. His -disinterestedness was great, and his only desire seemed to be to assist -the deserving or to retrieve the lost. He was not foolishly indifferent -to the value of money, as those who had business transactions with him -were well aware; but its chief value in his eyes consisted in the -opportunities it gave him to promote the happiness of others. Hundreds -of instances of his extraordinary liberality might be mentioned, and it -is probable that many more are quite unknown. The following anecdotes, -furnished by his personal friends, will show that his bounty was dealt -out with no sparing hand. - -A gentleman, at whose house he was a visitor, happened to express a wish -that he had three hundred pounds to pay off a debt. The next morning Mr. -Marsden came down and presented him with the money, taking no -acknowledgment. The circumstance would have remained unknown had not the -obliged person, after Mr. Marsden's decease, honourably sent an -acknowledgment to his executors. All he assisted were not equally -grateful. Travelling with a friend in his carriage, a vehicle passed by. -"Paddy," said he, calling to his servant, "who is that?" On being told, -"Oh," said he, "he borrowed from me two hundred pounds, and he never -paid me." This was his only remark. - -Yet he was not tenacious for repayment, nor indeed exact in requiring it -at all where he thought the persons needy and deserving. The same friend -was with him when a man called to pay up the interest on a considerable -sum which Mr. Marsden had lent to him. He took a cheque for the amount, -but when the person retired, tore it up and threw it into the fire, -remarking, "He is an honest man. I am satisfied if he returns me the -principal; that is all I want." - -On another occasion, a friend who had been requested to make an advance -of fifty pounds to a needy person, but was unable to do so, mentioned -the case to Mr. Marsden, with, "Sir, can you lend me fifty pounds?" "To -be sure I can," was the answer, and the money was instantly produced. -When he called, shortly afterwards, to repay the loan, Mr. Marsden had -forgotten all about it. "Indeed I never looked to its being repaid." - -The Rev----, being pressed for a hundred pounds, walking with Mr. -Marsden, mentioned his difficulties. Mr. Marsden at once gave him a -hundred pounds, simply remarking, "I dare say that will do for you." - -A lady had come to the colony at the solicitation of her family, with -the view of establishing a school of a superior class for the daughters -of the colonists. At first she met with little success. Mr. Marsden saw -the importance of her scheme, and at once invited her to Paramatta, -offering her a suitable house and all the pecuniary aid she might -require, and this under the feeling of a recent disappointment in an -undertaking of the same nature. - -Of the large sums he expended on the New Zealand mission from his own -private resources it is impossible even to conjecture the amount, to say -nothing of a life in a great measure devoted to the service. He one day -called upon a young man of enterprise and piety, whom he was anxious to -induce to settle in New Zealand, and offered him fifty pounds per annum -out of his own purse, as well as to raise a further sum for him from -other sources. Nor should it be forgotten, in proof of this -disinterestedness, that with all his opportunities and influence in New -Zealand, he never possessed a single acre of land there, or sought the -slightest advantage either for himself or for any member of his family. - -Another feature in his character was his unaffected humility. This was -not in him the nervous weakness which disqualifies some men for vigorous -action, rendering them either unconscious of their power, or incapable -of maintaining and asserting their position, and consequently of -discharging its obligations. This, though often called humility, is, in -fact, disease, and ought to be resisted rather than indulged. Mr. -Marsden's mind was vigorous and healthy; he took a just measure of his -powers and opportunities, as the use he put them to proves abundantly. -There was nothing in him of the shyness which disqualifies for public -life; he was bold without effrontery, courageous without rashness, firm -without obstinacy; but withal he was a humble man. His private -correspondence will have shown the reader how anxious he was to submit -his own judgment, even on questions affecting his personal character, to -what he considered the better judgment of his friends at home. To vanity -or ostentation he seems to have been a perfect stranger. There is not a -passage in his correspondence, nor can we learn that a word ever fell -from his lips, which would lead us to suppose that he ever thought -himself in any way an extraordinary man. Flattery disgusted him, and -even moderate praise was offensive to his feelings. When the life of his -friend, Dr. Mason Good, appeared from the pen of Dr. Olinthus Gregory, -it contained an appendix, giving an account of his own labours and -triumphs at Paramatta and in New Zealand. This he cut out of the volume -with his penknife, without any remark, before he permitted it to lie -upon his table or to be read by his family. He was so far from thinking -he had accomplished much, either in the colony or amongst the heathen, -that he was rather disposed, in his later days, to lament that his life -had been almost useless; and indeed he was heard more than once to -express a doubt whether he had not mistaken his calling, and been no -better than an intruder into the sacred ministry. Perhaps failing health -and spirits were in part the cause of these misgivings, but his -unfeigned humility had a deeper root. It originated in that evangelical -piety upon which all his usefulness was built. He saw the holiness of -God, he saw his Divine perfection reflected in his law, and though he -had a clear, abiding sense of his adoption through the grace of our Lord -Jesus Christ, this did not interfere with a clear conception too of his -own unworthiness. When told one day, by a justly indignant friend, how -basely he was misrepresented, "Sir," he exclaimed, and the solemnity of -his manner showed the depth of his meaning, "these men don't know the -worst. Why, sir, if I were to walk down the streets of Paramatta with my -heart laid bare, the very boys would pelt me." - -Such was Samuel Marsden, a man whose memory is to be revered and his -example imitated. "Not merely a good man," says the preacher of his -funeral sermon, "who filled up the place allotted to him on earth, and -then sank into his grave; not merely a faithful minister of Christ, who -loved and served his Saviour and turned many to repentance, but more -than either of these. Rightly to estimate his character we must view him -as a peculiar man, raised up for an especial purpose." And he adds-- - - "As Luther in Germany, and John Knox in Scotland, and Cranmer in - England, were sent by the Head of the church, and fitted with - peculiar qualifications to make known his glorious gospel, hidden - in Romish darkness, so too, no less truly, was SAMUEL MARSDEN - raised up in this southern hemisphere, and admirably fitted for - the work, and made the instrument of diffusing the light of that - same gospel, and of bringing it to bear on the darkness of New - Zealand and the Isles of the Sea, and upon the darkness, too, no - less real, of the depravity of society in early Australia." - - - - -APPENDIX I. - - Progress of the Gospel and of Civilization in New Zealand, since - Mr. Marsden's Decease. - - -The great work of Mr. Marsden's life was undoubtedly the New Zealand -mission; but he was also, as we have seen, the early friend, the wise -adviser, and not unfrequently the generous host of that devoted band of -men who first essayed the introduction of the gospel to the Society -Islands. Each of these missions has been attended with astonishing -success; each has produced what may be called magnificent -results,--results which already far exceed, in some respects, the most -sanguine hopes, extravagant as at the time they seemed to be, of Mr. -Marsden and his early coadjutors some fifty years ago. Yet in other -respects their disappointment would have been great had they lived to -witness the present state of things, whether in New Zealand or Tahiti. -Instead of native tribes growing up into Christian brotherhood, and -asserting a national independence, these beautiful islands have bowed to -a foreign yoke. Instead of native churches they have rather assumed the -form of offshoots and dependencies of British churches. A great work has -been accomplished, and its fruits will never cease to ripen. But events -have occurred which only prophets could have foreseen; changes have -taken place which neither political sagacity nor the saintly wisdom of -those good men who first projected our foreign missions amidst storms of -insult, or, what was worse to bear, the withering influences of a -contemptuous neglect, anticipated. It is often so in this world's -history. Our successes, our trials, the events which happen to us, our -national history, and that of the church of Christ, scoop out for -themselves fresh channels, and flow still onwards, but in the direction -perhaps least of all expected. - -Our readers are, we trust, so far interested in the details already -given as to desire some further acquaintance with the later history of -these great missions since Mr. Marsden's death. This we propose to give, -briefly of course, for the subject would fill a volume; and such a -volume, whenever it shall be written well and wisely, will be received -with delight by every intelligent member of the whole catholic church of -Christ. - -We shall direct our attention in the first place to NEW ZEALAND. - -Attempts to colonize upon a large scale, attended with constant -aggressions upon the native tribes, had occurred before Mr. Marsden's -death, and awakened his anxiety. A New Zealand Company was formed in -1839, with the avowed object of purchasing land from the Maories, and -settling large tracts of the island with English emigrants. It made no -provision for the spiritual welfare of the natives, nor indeed for that -of the European settlers; and it was evident that, however -well-intentioned, the project in the hands of a mercantile company would -be effected, as such schemes always have been effected, only at the cost -of injustice and oppression to the natives. Meanwhile danger was -threatening from another quarter. Louis Philippe now sat upon the throne -of France. Though not ambitious of military conquest, he was cunning -and unprincipled, and anxious to extend the power of France by force or -fraud. Her colonial possessions she had lost during her long war with -England, and now scarcely one of them remained. He saw and coveted the -islands of the Southern Ocean, and resolved to repair his colonial -empire by the addition of these splendid and inviting prizes. It was -said, and we believe with truth, that a frigate was already equipped and -on the very point of sailing for New Zealand with secret orders to annex -that island to the crown of France, when the English government, tardily -and with sincere reluctance, resolved to anticipate the project and -claim New Zealand for the queen of England. This was done, and the -island was formally annexed to the English crown, and in January, 1842, -became an English colony. - -For once the story of colonial annexation is neither darkened with crime -nor saddened with war and bloodshed. The measure was essential both to -the security of the natives and to the work of the Protestant missions. -Lawlessness and anarchy were universal: the Maori tribes were -slaughtering one another; the white man was slaughtering the Maori -tribes. For the native laws were obsolete, and the laws of England no -man yet had the power to enforce. - -There was, too, on the part of England, and it was strongly expressed in -the British parliament, a determination to secure, as far as possible, -not only the safety but the independence of the natives under their old -chiefs, and to leave them in possession of their ancient usages and -forms of government. In fact, the authority of queen Victoria was to be -that of a mild protectorate rather than an absolute sovereignty. The -chiefs were to acknowledge the supremacy of the crown as represented in -the governor. To him, and not as heretofore to the field of battle, with -its horrors and cannibalism, were their disputes to be referred; and in -all doubtful questions English law, its maxims and analogies, were to be -held supreme. Upon these easy terms the most fastidious will find little -to blame in our annexation of New Zealand. The Maories did not exceed, -it was computed, one hundred thousand souls. Suppose they had been twice -that number, still they could scarcely be said to _occupy_ the whole of -an island of the size of Ireland, and quite as fruitful. There was still -room for a vast influx of Europeans, leaving to the natives wide tracts -of land far beyond their wants, either for tillage or the chase, or for -a nomad wandering life, had this been the habit of the Maories. And when -the threatened seizure by France is thrown into the scale, few -Protestants, of whatever nation they may be, will hesitate to admit that -the conduct of England in this instance was both wise and just. - -The Maories in general accepted this new state of things with -satisfaction. Those of them who resided on the coast and in the -neighbourhood of the Bay of Islands saw that the aggression of the -colonists was restrained, and that their own safety was secured. Further -in the interior, where the want of an English protectorate was less -felt, heart-burnings occurred, fomented, as usual, by designing men, and -aggravated by the occasional outrage of individuals. Some of the tribes -resisted, and a war broke out, though happily neither bloody nor of long -duration, in which the Maories maintained the reputation of their native -valour, even against English regiments. Nor was it till the year 1849 -that the peace of the island and the supremacy of the English crown -were perfectly restored and asserted. - -For a time the progress of the gospel was triumphant. For example, -archdeacon William Williams could report that the number of communicants -in the eastern district, beneath his care, had risen from twenty-nine in -1840, to two thousand eight hundred and ninety-three in 1850; and these -were "members of the congregation who were supposed to walk in the -narrow way. Here then," he exclaims, "is abundant encouragement; the -little one is become a thousand. In the course of ten years, there has -been time for the novelty of Christianity to wear away; but, while some -are gone back again to the beggarly elements of the world, hitherto the -Lord has blessed his vineyards with increase." In other districts the -progress of the gospel was equally gratifying. At Tauranga, out of a -population not exceeding two thousand four hundred, upwards of eight -hundred partook of the Lord's supper; and yet there were many native -Christians who, from various causes, had been kept away from this -ordinance. Other denominations of Protestant Christians had likewise -their trophies to exhibit to the "praise of his grace," who had crowned -their labours with success. "The facilities," reports one missionary, -upon the eastern coast, "the facilities for usefulness are great; the -coast might become one of the most interesting missionary gardens in the -world. Crowds can be got together at any time for catechizing; the dear -children are all anxious for schooling; the native teachers and monitors -put themselves quite under your hands; and they are, I think, a very -improving and improvable class." - -Similar reports reached home from almost every station in New Zealand. -At the intervention of a missionary of the church of England, a Wesleyan -missionary, and an English lay gentleman, (the surveyor-general,) the -Waikato and Wangaroa tribes, bent on mutual slaughter, laid down their -arms at the instant the battle should have joined. They had had their -war-dance; some random shots had even been fired; their mediators had -begun to despair; when at length, towards evening, they agreed to leave -the subject in dispute between them (the right to a piece of land), to -Sir George Grey, the governor, and Te Werowero, a native chieftain, for -arbitration. The question was put to the whole army, "Do you agree to -this?" Four hundred armed natives answered with one voice, assenting. -The question was put a second time, and they again gave their consent. -"The surveyor-general giving the signal, we all," says the missionary, -"gave three hearty cheers; after which the natives assembled for -evening-prayers, and," he adds, "I trust I felt thankful." The accounts -that reached England, filled men's hearts with astonishment; even upon -the spot, men long enured to the spiritual warfare with idolatry, were -amazed at the greatness of their triumph. They wrote home in strains -such as the following. - - "Rotorua is endeared to us by every tie that should endear a place - to a missionary's heart. We came hither, to a people utterly - debased by everything that was savage. Now, there is not a village - or place around us, where the morning and evening bell does not - call to prayer and praise, and where the sabbath is not observed. - I am sometimes astonished when I look back upon the past, and - remember what we have passed through. If I think only of those - scenes which occurred to us during the southern war, the - remembrance seems appalling. Now peace reigns in every border; - the native chapel stands conspicuous in almost every Pa; wars seem - almost forgotten; and for New Zealand, the promise seems - fulfilled, 'I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, - and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.'" - -New Zealand was at length, outwardly at least, a Christian land. Bishop -Selwyn had, in 1842, taken charge of the church of England and the -oversight of her missions, and other denominations assumed a fixed and -settled character. The missionary began to merge and disappear in the -stated minister. The ancient warrior chieftain too, was fading fast from -sight; and we cannot deny that, savage as he was, we part from him with -some feelings of respect. Who that has a heart to feel, or any -imagination capable of being warmed by strains of exquisite pathos, can -read unmoved the last words of the dying Karepa? The scene is in the -lonely village of Te Hawera, of which he was the chief. Mr. Colenzo, the -missionary, arrived just as his people, with loud cries, sitting around -his new-made tomb, bewailed his departure. At night they gathered around -their spiritual father in his tent, and one of the natives thus related -the last words of Karepa. - - "He summoned us all," said he, "to come close around him, and with - much love exhorted us; talking energetically, as was his custom, a - long while, he said:--'You well know that I have brought you, from - time to time, much riches, muskets, powder, hatchets, knives, - blankets. I afterwards heard of the new riches, called faith. I - sought it. I went to Manawatu; in those days a long and perilous - journey, for we were surrounded by enemies; no man travelled - alone: I saw the few natives who, it was said, had heard of it; - but they could not satisfy me. I sought further, but in vain. I - heard afterwards of a white man at Otaki, and that with him was - the spring where I could fill my empty and dry calabash. I - travelled to his place, to Otaki, but in vain; he was gone--gone - away ill. I returned to you, my children, dark minded. Many days - passed by; the snows fell, they melted, they disappeared; the buds - expanded, and the tangled paths of our low forests were again - passable to the foot of the native man. At last we heard of - another white man who was going about over mountains and through - forests and swamps, giving drink from his calabash to the secluded - native--to the remnants of the tribes of the mighty, of the - renowned of former days, now dwelling by twos and threes among the - roots of the big trees of the ancient forests, and among the long - reeds by the rills in the valleys. Yes, my grandchildren, my and - your ancestors, once spread over the country as the Koitarekè - (_quail_) and Krivi (_apteryx_) once did; but now their - descendants are even as the descendants of these birds, scarce, - gone, dead, fast hastening to utter extinction. Yes, we heard of - that white man; we heard of his going over the high snowy range to - Patea, all over the rocks to Turakiráe. I sent four of my children - to meet him. They saw his face; yes you, you talked with him. You - brought me a drop of water from his calabash. You told me he had - said he would come to this far-off isle to see me. I rejoiced, I - disbelieved his coming; but I said he may. I built the chapel, we - waited expecting. You slept at nights; I did not. He came, he - emerged from the long forest, he stood upon Te Hawera ground. I - saw him. I shook hands with him; we rubbed noses together. Yes, I - saw a missionary's face; I sat in his cloth house (_tent_); I - tasted his new food; I heard him talk Maori; my heart bounded - within me; I listened; I ate his words. You slept at nights; I did - not. Yes, I listened, and he told me about God, and his Son Jesus - Christ, and of peace and reconciliation, and of a loving Father's - home beyond the stars. And now I, too, drank from his calabash and - was refreshed, he gave me a book, as well as words. I laid hold of - the new riches for me, and for you, and we have it now. My - children, I am old; my teeth are gone, my hair is white; the - yellow leaf is falling from the Táwai (_beech tree_); I am - departing; the sun is sinking behind the great western hills, it - will soon be night. But, hear me; hold fast the new riches--the - great riches--the true riches. We have had plenty of sin and pain - and death; but now we have the true riches. Hold fast the true - riches, which Karepa sought out for you.' - - "Here he became faint, and ceased talking. We all wept like little - children around the bed of the dying old man--of our father. He - suffered much pain, from which he had scarcely any cessation until - death relieved him." - -But New Zealand was now passing through a dangerous crisis. The Maori -ceased to exist in his savage state. Cannibalism was a mere tradition. -Of the ancient superstitions scarcely a trace was left. European arts -and manners were introduced in almost every part of the island, and New -Zealand took her place amongst other civilized communities. Still, under -new circumstances fresh dangers threatened her. The church of Rome saw -from afar and coveted so glorious a possession; and in the course of a -single year a Romish bishop and sixteen priests landed at Wellington, -and a second bishop with his troop of priests and nuns at Auckland. For -a while the childish simplicity of the Maori character, fond of show and -a stranger to suspicion, gave them great advantage; and the missionaries -of evangelical churches viewed their progress with serious apprehension. -But as the novelty wore off the Maori Christian discovered that Popery -was but a hollow pretence, without heart, or life, or abiding -consolation, and whole tribes which had been led astray returned with -their chiefs to purer churches in search of better pasturage. Lately the -translation of the whole of the Bible has been completed, and in this we -have the best antidote, under God, to the progress of this baneful -superstition. New Zealand, too, besides its several Protestant bishops -of the church of England, its zealous missionaries, and stated ministers -of every evangelical denomination, has now at length a native ministry -of her own Maories, few as yet in number, but holy men, men of competent -learning and gifts of utterance, who have evidently been called of God. -One of these, the Rev. Riwai Te Ahu, who was ordained by Bishop Selwyn, -is not only highly esteemed by all the natives of whatever tribe they -may be, but by the English too; and he is entirely supported by internal -resources, by regular contributions from the natives, and a private -grant from the governor himself. We can understand something of the joy -with which an honoured missionary, one of the oldest labourers in the -field, sat and listened in the house of prayer while he officiated, -assisted by the Rev. Rota Waitoa, the only two Maori ministers of the -church of England in New Zealand, and his own early converts, "the one -reading prayers, and the other preaching an admirable sermon to his own -native tribe." Other churches have similar triumphs. The Wesleyans have -three native assistant ministers, and probably these are not all, for it -may be presumed that a great work is going forward in so large an -island, of which our missionary societies have no official reports, and -by agents who are no longer responsible to them. Thus it is often found -that in the interior some village or hamlet has become Christian where -no European missionary was ever seen. Native converts have done their -own work. - -Still the church in New Zealand is in an infant state, surrounded by -many dangers. The influx of Europeans, the sudden increase of wealth and -luxury, the introduction of a new and foreign literature from England, -bearing as it were upon its wings all that is bad as well as all that is -lovely and of good report in theology, politics, and morals, may well -cause, as indeed it does create, the deepest concern to those who have -at heart the purity of the Maori faith, and the continued progress of -the gospel. It is not for those who know that the gospel is the power of -God unto salvation, to doubt for a moment of its ultimate success; but -the firmest faith may, at the same time, be apprehensive and anxious, if -not alarmed, for the fiery trial that awaits her,--not of persecution, -but of wealth and luxury, and the sad example of every European vice. -Let the reader help them with his prayers. - -We cannot close our sketch of the progress of Christianity in New -Zealand, without some allusion to the Canterbury Association, one of the -most remarkable attempts of modern times to colonize on Christian -principles, or rather perhaps we should say, to carry abroad the old -institutions of England, and plant them as it were full blown in a new -country. The design was not altogether original, for the New England -puritans of the seventeenth century, had led the way, in their attempts -to colonize at Boston and in New England, in the days of Charles I. They -would have carried out the principles, and worship of the Brownites to -the exclusion of other sects, though happily for the freedom of -religion, their design was soon found to be impracticable, and was only -partially accomplished. The Canterbury Association was formed on high -church of England principles, "avowedly for the purpose of founding a -settlement, to be composed in the first instance of members of that -church, or at least of those who did not object to its principles." Its -early friends now admit that their project was, in some of its parts, -utopian and impracticable. The idea, if ever seriously entertained, of -excluding by a test of church membership those whose profession differed -from their own was abandoned by most of the colonists as soon as they -had set foot on the shores of New Zealand. In 1848, Otakou or Otago, in -the southern part of the Middle Island, was colonized by an association -of members of the Free Church of Scotland; and in 1850, the first -colonists were sent out to the church of England settlement, founded in -the vicinity of Banks's Peninsula, by the Canterbury Association. The -site made choice of possessed a harbour of its own, an immense extent of -land, which it was supposed might easily be brought under cultivation, -and removed from danger of disturbance from the natives, of whom there -were but few, an extent of grazing country unequalled in New Zealand, -and a territory "every way available for being formed into a province, -with a separate legislature." The plan was to sell the land at an -additional price, and appropriate one third of the cost to -ecclesiastical purposes. The sums thus realized by sales of land, were -to be placed at the disposal of an ecclesiastical committee, who were -empowered to make such arrangements as they might think fit to organize -an endowed church in the colony. A bishopric was to be at once endowed, -a college, if not a cathedral, was to be connected with it, a -grammar-school of the highest class, was to be opened as well as -commercial schools; and all the luxuries of English country life, -including good roads, snug villas, well cultivated farms; and good -society, were to be found by the future settler, after a very few years -of probationary toil. - -The scheme was warmly taken up at home, and within a single twelvemonth -from the 16th December, 1850, when the first detachment arrived, nearly -three thousand emigrants had seated themselves in the Canterbury Plains. -The towns of Lyttelton and Christchurch were founded, and operations on -a large scale were fairly begun. Of course bitter disappointment -followed, as it too often does with the early colonists, whose -expectations are unduly raised by the romantic stories told them in -England. But we must quote a passage from "Archdeacon Paul's Letters -from Canterbury," just published. It may be of use to other emigrants, -into whatever region of the world they go. "Restless spirits, who had -never yet been contented anywhere, expected to find tranquillity in this -new Arcadia, where their chief occupation would be to recline under the -shadow of some overhanging rock, soothing their fleecy charge with the -shepherd's pipe, remote from fogs and taxation and all the thousand -nameless evils which had made their lives a burthen to them at home. - -"Alas! the reality was soon found to be of a sterner type-- - - 'These are not scenes for pastoral dance at even, - For moonlight rovings in the fragrant glades: - Soft slumbers in the open eye of heaven, - And all the listless joys of summer shades.' - -Long wearisome rides and walks in search of truant sheep and cattle; -bivouacs night after night, on the damp cold ground; mutton, damper, (a -kind of coarse biscuit,) and tea (and that colonial tea) at breakfast, -dinner, and supper, day after day, and week after week, and month after -month; wanderings in trackless deserts, with a choice of passing the -night on some bleak mountain side or wading through an unexplored swamp; -and, after all this labour, finding perhaps that his flock are infected, -and that no small amount of money as well as toil must be expended -before he can hope for any profit at all;--these are the real -experiences of a settler's early days in a young pastoral colony." - -Yet, upon the whole, the founders of the settlement consider that it has -answered all reasonable expectations. None of the early settlers have -been driven home by the failure of their prospects, and few have been so -even from qualified disappointment. The plains of Canterbury have a -thoroughly English look, dotted in every direction with comfortable -farm-houses, well-cultivated inclosures, and rickyards filled with the -produce of the harvest: and the great seaport of the colony, Lyttelton, -is well filled with shipping. Christchurch boasts at length its college, -incorporated and endowed. It became an episcopal see, too, in 1856, -under the first bishop of Christchurch; it has its grammar school and -Sunday schools. Here, too, as well as at Lyttelton, the Wesleyans have -taken root, and, besides chapels, have their day and Sunday schools. -From the first, the Scotch Church was represented by some enterprising -settlers. The decorum of religion is everywhere perceptible; "I -believe," writes a nobleman, whose name stands at the head of the -Association, "that no English colony, certainly none of modern days, and -I hardly except those of the seventeenth century has been better -supplied with the substantial means of religious worship and education. -No one doubts the great material prosperity and promise of the colony; -and no one denies that it is the best and most English-like society in -all our colonies.... Sometimes a very vain notion has been entertained -that we meant or hoped to exclude dissenters from our settlement. Of -course, nothing could be more preposterous. What we meant was to impress -the colony in its origin with a strong church of England character. This -was done by the simple but effectual expedient of appropriating one -third of the original land fund to church purposes, but this was of -course a voluntary system." - -Thus New Zealand stands at present. The lonely island of the Southern -Ocean approached only fifty years ago with awe by the few adventurous -whalers which dared its unknown coasts and harbours, now teems with -English colonists. The dreaded New Zealander has forsaken his savage -haunts and ferocious practices, and may be seen "clothed and in his -right mind," and sitting to learn at the feet of some teacher of "the -truth as it is in Jesus." The face of the country has undergone a -corresponding change. And in many places, the scene is such as to force -the tears from the eye of the self-exiled settler; the village spire -and the church-going bell reminding him of home. What the future may be, -we shall not even hazard a conjecture. Let it be enough to say that a -mighty change has already been accomplished, and that its foundations -were laid, and the work itself effected more than by any other man, by -Samuel Marsden. - - - - -APPENDIX II. - - State and Prospects of the Protestant Mission at Tahiti under the - French Protectorate. - - -At the period of Mr. Marsden's decease, the Tahitian mission, over which -he had watched with parental solicitude from its infancy, presented an -aspect even more cheering than that of New Zealand. Idolatry had fallen; -its idols were utterly abolished; they had found their way to the most -ignoble uses, or to the museums of the curious, or those of the various -missionary societies in Great Britain. So complete was their destruction -that natives of Tahiti have actually visited the museum of the London -Missionary Society within the last few years, and there seen, for the -first time in their lives, a Tahitian idol. But a dark cloud already -skirted the horizon, and the infant church was soon to pass through the -purifying furnace of a long, relentless, wearying, and even bitter -persecution. - -The revolution of 1830 had placed Louis Philippe on the throne of -France. During the earlier years of his reign, the church of Rome was -deprived of much of that power and dignity which it had enjoyed under -the elder Bourbons. As to any hold on the affections of the people of -France, this it seldom boasted,--certainly not within the last hundred -years. Yet the crafty king of the French was not unwilling to give to -his restless priesthood the opportunities both of employment and renown -in foreign parts; especially if in doing so he could extend his own -power, and add a wreath to that national glory so dear to Frenchmen. -The priests were therefore instructed to direct their attention to the -South Sea Islands. Animated partly by hatred to England, they succeeded -in effecting a settlement in the Society Islands. The first of them, who -arrived there, called Columban (though his original name was Murphy), -came in rather strange guise. "He was clad like a man before the mast, -smoked a short pipe, and at first was mistaken for what he appeared to -be. He had an old English passport, and among other pious tricks, -endeavoured to make use of the lion and the unicorn, to prove to the -natives that he was sent by the king of Great Britain."[L] Two others, -Caret and Laval, arrived soon afterwards. The law of the island forbade -foreigners to reside without obtaining the sanction of the queen. The -priests, accordingly, when their arrival became known, were ordered to -depart. They refused; comparing the Protestant missionaries to Simon -Magus, and claiming for themselves the exclusive right to instruct the -Tahitian people. After some delay, however, they left, and went to the -Grambier Islands. Captain Lord E. Russell, then with his ship of war at -the island, publicly declared, that "if the priests had remained in the -country, anarchy and confusion, disastrous to the island, would have -inevitably ensued." This was in December, 1836. - - [L] Wilkes's Tahiti, etc. - -In September, 1837, M. Montpellier, accompanied by Murphy-Columban, -arrived at Tahiti. He was followed in 1838 by Captain Du Petit Thouars -in the frigate Venus, who made no secret in avowing to our English -officers that he was looking out for a suitable island on which to hoist -the French flag for the purpose, he added, of forming a penal -settlement. Returning to Paris, Thouars was raised to the rank of -rear-admiral, and sent back to the Pacific with his flag in La Reine -Blanche on a secret expedition. He seized on two of the Marquesas -Islands, built a fort on each, and garrisoned them with four hundred -men. He now wrote home, demanding thrice that number of troops and four -ships of war for the maintenance of his conquest; but he had further -objects in view. False representations had probably been made to the -French government with regard to the removal of Caret and Laval; and -Captain Du Petit Thouars was instructed to demand satisfaction at Tahiti -for injuries done to French subjects. A desire of conquest no doubt -inflamed Guizot the French minister--alas! that a Protestant should thus -have tarnished his fame--as well as his royal master; but hatred of -Protestantism had its full share in these nefarious proceedings. - -One M. Henicy, who accompanied the Antoine French frigate to Tahiti, in -the summer of 1839, thus writes of the English missionaries: "Ferocious -oppressors, shameless monopolizers, trafficking in the word of God, they -have procured for themselves a concert of curses. Their ministers are -found to be vile impostors." Caret, Murphy, and the other priests now -returned to Tahiti. A French consul was appointed, a worthless, -profligate man; he professed, however, to be a zealous friend of the -true faith, anxious for missionary labourers to convert the deluded -Tahitian Protestants. Very little progress, however, could be made in -this spiritual work; the natives obstinately preferred sermons to -masses, and possessed so little taste as to reject pictures and rosaries -while they still read their Bibles. It was evident that efforts of a -more strenuous kind, though, such as the church of Rome is never -unwilling to resort to when persuasion fails, must be tried. And now it -was announced that the island was placed under the protection of France; -to this arrangement, it was pretended, the chiefs of Tahiti and the -queen herself had consented; nay, that they had solicited the protection -of France. This unblushing falsehood was immediately exposed, and we now -know, from queen Pomare herself, that all the proceedings in this -disgraceful affair had their origin in fraud and treachery. They were -chiefly carried out by the French consul, who is accused of having, -under false pretences, prevailed on certain chiefs of the island to -affix their signatures, in the name of the queen, to a document, the -object of which was to induce the king of the French to take Tahiti -under his protection, the pretence being grounded on a false statement, -which accused some native chiefs, and the representatives of other -nations, of bad conduct and various crimes. When the queen was apprised -of this document, she called a council of her chiefs, with an assembled -multitude of natives and foreigners; and, in the presence of the -British, French, and American consuls, denied all knowledge of it, as -also did the chiefs themselves who signed it. They declared that the -French consul brought it to them in the night, and that they put their -names to it without knowing what it contained. The governor, being one -of the persons imposed upon, wrote to the British consul, Mr. -Cunningham, declaring that the parties subscribing did not know what -were the contents of the letter which the French consul brought them to -sign, and that they affixed their names to it, as it were, in the dark. -The translator also affirmed that it must have been written by some -person not a Tahitian; its idiom being foreign, its orthography bad, -words misapplied, and the handwriting even foreign. - -But the most convincing evidence of the forgery was the declaration of -two of the chiefs who signed the document, Tati and Ulami, to the -following effect: "That all men may know, We, who have signed our names -hereunto, clearly and solemnly make known and declare, as upon oath, -that the French consul did wholly dictate and write the letter, said to -be written by the queen Pomare and her governors, requesting protection -of the king of the French. Through fear we signed it. It was in his own -house, and in the night time, that the document was signed by us. And we -signed it also because he said, If you will sign your names to this, I -will give you one thousand dollars each when the French admiral's ship -returns to Tahiti. - - (Signed) "TATI, - "ULAMI." - -This disgraceful plot was carried on in the absence of the queen. She -was no sooner made acquainted with it, than she addressed a short and -dignified protest and remonstrance to the queen of Great Britain, the -president of the United States, and the king of the French. Few -diplomatic notes are more worthy of a place in history than that which -was addressed to Louis Philippe. - - "Peace be to you. I make a communication to you, and this is its - nature,-- - - "During my absence from my own country a few of my people, - entirely without my knowledge or authority, wrote a letter to you, - soliciting your assistance. I disavow any knowledge of that - document. Health to you. - - (Signed) "POMARE." - -But the French consul proceeded to form a provisional government of -three persons, placing himself at the head of it as consul-commissary of -the king. The triumvirate behaved with the greatest insolence, not only -to the poor queen, but even to the British flag. Captain Sir T. -Thompson, with the Talbot, lay in the harbour. The queen arrived and -hoisted the Tahitian flag, which the Talbot saluted. A letter from the -consul-commissary and the two French officials with whom he was -associated was addressed as a protest to the gallant captain, "holding -him responsible to the king of the French, his government and nation, -for the consequences of such disrespect, and for a measure so hostile -towards France." Sir Thomas knew his duty too well to answer the -affront, or in any way to notice it; but he could only look on with -silent sorrow and disgust, he had no power to interfere. The queen also -received an insolent letter from the consul; he even forced himself into -her presence, and behaved in a rude and disrespectful manner. "He said -to me," she writes, in a letter to the captain of the Talbot, "shaking -his head at me, throwing about his arms, and staring fiercely at me, -'Order your men to hoist the new flags, and that the new government be -respected.' I protested against this conduct, and told him I had nothing -more to say to him." Bereft of other hope, the insulted and greatly -injured Pomare wrote a most touching and pathetic letter to queen -Victoria. It was published in the newspapers, and went to the heart of -every man and woman in Britain who had a heart to feel for dignity and -virtue in distress, "Have compassion on me in my present trouble, in my -affliction and great helplessness. Do not cast me away; assist me -quickly, my friend. I run to you for refuge, to be covered, under your -great shadow, the same as afforded to my fathers by your fathers, who -are now dead, and whose kingdoms have descended to us." She explains how -her signature was obtained. "Taraipa (governor of Tahiti) said to me, -'Pomare, write your name under this document (the French deed of -protection); if you don't sign your name you must pay a fine of 10,000 -dollars, 5000 to-morrow and 5000 the following day; and should the first -payment be delayed beyond two o'clock the first day, hostilities will be -commenced, and your country taken from you. On account of this threat," -says the queen, "against my will I signed my name. I was compelled to -sign it, and because I was afraid; for the British and American subjects -residing in my country in case of hostilities would have been -indiscriminately massacred. No regard would have been paid to parties." - -There was no exaggeration in this pathetic statement; it is confirmed by -a letter--one of the last he ever wrote--from John Williams, the martyr -missionary, who called at Tahiti, March 1839, on his last fatal voyage -to the New Hebrides. "You will doubtless see by the papers the cruel and -oppressive conduct of the French. A sixty-gun frigate has been sent here -to chastise the queen and people of Tahiti for not receiving the Roman -Catholic priests; and the captain demanded 2000 dollars (10,000?) to be -paid in twenty-four hours, or threatened to carry devastation and death -to every island in the queen's dominion. Mr. Pritchard and some -merchants here paid the money and saved the lives of the people. The -French would only hear one side of the question, but demanded four -things within twenty-four hours: 2000 dollars (10,000), a letter of -apology to the French king, a salute of twenty-one guns, and the -hoisting of the French flag." - -In short, the island became a French dependency, and the poor queen was -left with the mere shadow of her former sovereignty. And so it remains -to this day. A strong feeling of indignation was aroused in England. -Missionary meetings, particularly a noble one at Leeds, were held, -pledging themselves to do all in their power to induce our government to -exert its legitimate influence with the government of France to restore -to the queen of Tahiti her just independence, and to all classes of her -subjects their civil rights and religious freedom. But the English -government was either infatuated or afraid. Lord Aberdeen, secretary of -state for colonial affairs, stated in the House of Lords that, "although -he was not sufficiently informed of the precise grounds upon which the -French government had acted, or of the complaints made against the -authorities in those islands which had led to the convention; yet he had -no apprehension as to the establishment of the French in those seas, nor -that our commercial or political interests would be affected by it." He -stated that "he had received the most unqualified assurance that every -degree of protection and encouragement would be afforded to the British -missionaries residing in those islands; that in granting the -protectorship to the French king, it had been stipulated that all the -places of worship at present existing would receive protection, and that -the fullest liberty would be given to the missionaries to exercise their -functions." And he concluded by saying, "that he reposed the fullest -confidence, not only in the king of the French himself, but in the -minister, who at this moment was the principal adviser of that monarch." -But a righteous God looked on. This king was driven from his throne, and -died an exile in England; while his minister, M. Guizot, who sacrificed -his Protestantism to his ambition in this matter, after escaping with -difficulty in 1848, from a mob who would have torn him to pieces, saw -himself compelled to give up for ever all hope of recovering power in -France. - -From that time to the present all political power and influence has -centred in the French governors, who have been sent out from Europe, and -their subordinate officers. Pomare still lives, revered by her people, -but without being able to exercise any one independent act of -sovereignty; and the native chiefs and governors who formerly took a -prominent part in all public affairs, and in their respective districts -possessed great influence, are without a vestige of authority, except in -those instances in which they have been induced to accept office under -the French governor. In 1842, a treaty, so called, was framed, which did -indeed provide for "the freedom of religious worship, and especially -that the English missionaries shall continue in their labours without -molestation." "The same shall apply," says its fifth article, "to every -other form of worship: no one shall be molested or constrained in his -belief." But this treaty was probably intended only to cajole those whom -it could not intimidate, and in practice it is a mere dead letter. The -treaty itself is brief and informal, and evidently drawn up in haste, or -perhaps with a view, from the absence of precision in its language, to -provide for its more easy violation. Yet if the language in which it is -couched conveys any meaning the treaty provides that the people of the -island, and the English missionaries in the prosecution of their labours -amongst them, shall continue to enjoy unrestricted religious liberty. -Now it might be urged, and with some plausibility, by the French -authorities in Tahiti, that the people are still allowed, as heretofore, -to attend their public worship, and to retain their Bibles and Christian -books. They might even maintain, that although a number of Romish -priests, with a bishop at their head, have been thrust upon the island, -no Protestant missionary has been expelled by the act of the -authorities. The substantial truth of these statements cannot be denied, -and yet there is abundant evidence that the clauses of the treaty -guaranteeing the religious liberty of the islanders and the missionaries -have, for every practical purpose, been palpably and grossly violated. -The places of worship have not indeed been closed, but the English -missionaries have, from time to time, been placed under such severe -restrictions that four of their number, finding themselves entirely -debarred from the free exercise of their ministry, left the island in -1852. There are at present but two missionaries remaining. One of these -is solely engaged in the operations of the press, but without permission -to preach to the people; and the other--far advanced in age--is merely -permitted, by a kind of sufferance, to remain at his post, and to -minister to his own flock, though prohibited from extending his labours -to other districts. So far as the churches and congregations scattered -over the island are still supplied with the means of religious -instruction, it is by the agency of natives, many of whom were formerly -trained to the work by the missionaries. But these native preachers are -subject to the constant inspection and interference of the authorities, -and they hold their offices solely by sufferance. It will thus be seen, -that although the English missionaries have not been forcibly ejected -from the island, the object aimed at by the French authorities has, -through the artful policy they have adopted, been effectually attained. -The missionaries have been silenced, disowned, and cast aside. - -In pursuance of the same cautious and subtle policy, the French rulers -have not ventured to excite or irritate the people by sanctioning any -hasty measures for enforcing conformity to the Roman Catholic faith; -still they have encouraged the formation of elementary schools, in which -the young people are taught by priests appointed by the government, and -everything is done to give undue importance to these schools, so that -the pupils taught in them may, at the periodical examinations, appear to -more advantage than those under native masters. - -Notwithstanding the prevalence of a system so calculated to ensnare and -mystify the minds of a simple unsuspicious people, it is a most -remarkable and gratifying fact that instances of apostasy to Romanism -have been exceedingly rare, and that the bulk of the people continue -stedfast in their attachment to the pure Scriptural truths taught them -by the missionaries. To account for this it should be borne in mind that -the churches and congregations still assemble as heretofore for Divine -worship under native pastors, some of whom are known to be pious, -devoted, and well qualified men. Then again, through the active and -efficient agency of the Rev. W. Howe, who, though prohibited from -preaching, still remains in charge of the mission press at Papeete, the -native pastors and people have been well supplied with religious books. -And it is further to be noted that the natives generally are amply -provided with copies of the sacred Scriptures in their own language, -which will no doubt, in the good providence of God, prove an effectual -safeguard against popish error and superstition. In the year 1847, five -thousand copies of the entire Tahitian Bible, revised by the Rev. Messrs -Howe and Joseph, and generously provided by the British and Foreign -Bible Society, were sent out in the missionary ship John Williams for -circulation in Tahiti and the other islands of the Society group; and -again, in 1852, three thousand copies of the New Testament were -despatched to Tahiti, chiefly for the use of schools. - -In proof that the social and political troubles of the island have not -had the effect of diminishing the number of its Christian population, -the following most satisfactory statement, furnished by Mr. Howe, dated -11th July, 1856, may be adduced. - - "I have been comparing the number of persons in church fellowship - at the present time with the numbers respectively before the - establishment of the French protectorate, and at the period when - it had become fully established. In 1842, there were about one - thousand six hundred and eighty church members in Tahiti and - Eimeo. In 1851, when the island of Tahiti was supplied by three - foreign missionaries, and the students in the seminary, the report - of the Society stated the number of church members to be upwards - of one thousand six hundred, which is probably equal to that of - 1842. Almost ever since that period the districts have been - entirely supplied by native pastors only, with the exception of - Bunaauia; and there are at the present time upwards of one - thousand six hundred members on the two islands, and many are now - seeking admission. It must also be borne in mind that during the - interval between 1851 and the present time, the population of the - two islands has been reduced by epidemic disease and removals at - least one thousand, a large proportion of whom were church members - from middle to old age, so that the present number in fellowship - is comprised of the strength and pride of the nation, and the - proportion of communicants to the population is greater than it - has ever been." - -Of the kind of annoyance to which the missionaries are exposed, and of -the influences which are brought to bear against them, the reader will -be able to judge after perusing the account of a prosecution lately -instituted by the Romish bishop against the Rev. Mr. Howe. In the autumn -of 1855, the Roman Catholic bishop having issued a catechism in which -the doctrines and superstitions of Popery were dogmatically stated, and -Protestantism as grossly misrepresented, Mr. Howe felt constrained, by a -sense of Christian fidelity, to publish in reply a firm but temperate -refutation. For this publication a criminal action was commenced against -him by the bishop; but so vexatious and unfounded were the charges that -the legal officer of the government, on whom it devolved to prosecute, -though urged by the governor, declined to bring the case into court, for -which he was suspended from his office; and when at length the case was -carried before the proper tribunal, the charges against our missionary -were dismissed. But the bishop, notwithstanding his signal discomfiture, -was not to be diverted from his object; he determined to renew the -contest, in the hope that by a change of tactics his ultimate object -might be secured. The _criminal_ prosecution already described was -brought to a termination in December. On the following 15th of March, -Mr. Howe received notice that his inveterate opponent had entered a -_civil_ action against him; and although the charges brought forward -were essentially the same, they were put into such a shape, and -contained statements so grossly exaggerated, that in order to meet them -Mr. Howe was compelled to remodel his reply. - -After various delays, the trial at length commenced, in the court of -First Instance, on the 28th April, 1856, and in proof of the malevolence -by which the bishop was actuated, it may be stated that he demanded -30,000 francs damages, the suppression of the Tatara-taa,[M] and that -Mr. Howe should pay all the expenses of the courts, and also for 2000 -copies of the judgment for distribution. - - [M] The native name of the publication issued by Mr. Howe, in - refutation of the bishop's catechism; which the latter charged to be - libellous. - -The following is a summary of the proceedings, which excited the -liveliest interest in the island, both among the natives and the foreign -residents. - -"My pleadings," writes Mr. Howe, "were so successful that the court -declared itself incompetent to judge the case, and fined his lordship -100 francs, and condemned him to all the expenses of that court and -those of the preceding chambers. - -"The judgment was read on the 3rd of May. On the 10th I received notice -that the bishop had appealed to the Imperial Tribunal, and demanded that -the previous judgment should be rescinded. - -"This tribunal met on the 16th, when I objected to one of the judges, -giving as my reasons that an intimacy existed between him and the -bishop, which rendered his sitting as a judge in the case illegal. My -objection was sustained by the court. - -"On the 17th, I objected to his lordship's advocate, as being under the -sentence of banishment for political offences, and by which he had -forfeited his civil rights. This was also sustained by the court. - -"On the 26th, the bishop himself appeared to plead his own cause, and he -likewise objected to one of the judges, but his objection was overruled. -Suffice it to say, that after having made several unsuccessful attempts -to prove my defence unsound, the bishop beat a retreat, and said that if -I would consent to submit my cause to arbitration he would withdraw the -action. I demanded that his cause, to which this is an answer, should be -submitted to the same test, and he consented. - -"The court then retired, and on its return announced its judgment to be, -that the decisions of the previous courts were sustained, and that the -bishop should pay all the expenses of this appeal, as well as the -expenses of the previous courts. By this step his lordship cannot appeal -again, either to the administration here, or to the Court of Cassation -in France." - -It is gratifying to learn, that through this long and painful affair, -our missionary not only had the countenance of the British and American -consuls, and the fervent prayers of the native converts, both in public -and private, but that even the French officers, greatly to their honour, -openly expressed their sympathy. - -In order more fully to appreciate the result of this protracted contest, -it should be borne in mind that the real point at issue was, whether the -cause of Protestant Christianity, as represented by Mr. Howe, should be -permitted to hold a footing in the island; that Mr. Howe stood alone, -unsustained, excepting by a stedfast confidence in the justice of his -cause, and the generous aid and sympathy of friends, French, English, -and native, who rallied round him in the time of need; that his potent -adversary could reasonably calculate on the countenance and -encouragement of the authorities, who, as Frenchmen and Roman Catholics, -would naturally be disposed to favour the interests of their own church, -and to repress what they had been taught to regard as heresy. But in the -providence of God, the presiding judges of the French tribunals before -which the cause was heard magnanimously regardless of all prejudices on -the score of nationality or religion, delivered a judgment which, while -completely exculpating the accused, reflected the highest honour upon -their own discernment, impartiality, and justice. While, therefore we -devoutly recognise the hand of God so conspicuously manifest in -overruling and directing this trial, or rather series of trials, to so -merciful an issue, we would add the expression of our hope and belief -that so long as the cause of Protestant Christianity is represented in -Tahiti by men like-minded with Mr. Howe, and so long as the courts of -justice on the island are presided over by men who, without fear or -favour, dispense their judgments in accordance with the principles of -truth and equity, the light of the gospel, which has for so many years -made glad the hills and valleys of Tahiti, can never be extinguished. - - - - - LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET. - - * * * * * - - - - -PUBLICATIONS - -OF THE - -RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY. - - -BIOGRAPHICAL WORKS. - - THE LIFE OF FRANCIS, LORD BACON, Lord Chancellor of England. By the - Rev. JOSEPH SORTAIN, A.B. of Trinity College, Dublin. With a - Portrait engraved on Steel. 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By JOHN SHEPPARD. Royal 18mo. 3_s._ boards; 4_s._ - half-bound. 12mo. edition, 4_s._ 6_d._ boards. - - WATER FROM THE WELL-SPRING, for the Sabbath Hours of Afflicted - Believers. By EDWARD BICKERSTETH, M.A. Royal 18mo. 2_s._ cloth - boards. - - * * * * * - -TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: - - Missing punctuation has been added and obvious punctuation errors - have been corrected. - - Alternate spellings have been retained. - - Footnotes have been moved closer to their reference points as an - aid to the reader. - - The following printer errors have been corrected: - - Page vi: "The Bay of Islands, New Zealand (_Engraving_)" - added to the Table of Contents. - - Page 11: "aud" changed to "and" (Discovery and early History of). - - Page 25: "Shoolhouse" changed to "Schoolhouse" (breaking and - entering Schoolhouse at Kissing Point). - - Page 84: "set set" changed to "set" (in fact set on foot) - - Page 256: "misssionaries" changed to "missionaries" (the advice of - the faithful missionaries). - - Page 305: "asistant" changed to "assistant" (three native assistant - ministers). - - Page 306: "Cantrebury" changed to "Canterbury" (The Canterbury - Association). - - Page 330: "copions" changed to "copious" (a copious ANALYSIS, Notes, - and Indexes.) - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life and Labours of the Rev. -Samuel Marsden, by Samuel Marsden - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LIFE, LABOURS, REV. 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