NEW HEBRIDES MISSION.-No. II.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume VI, Issue 158, 6 April 1854, Page 3

NEW HEBRIDES MISSION.-No. 11.

To the Editor of the New Zealander. Aneiteum, September 30, 1853. Sir, The effects of the Gospel on this island are already in many points very obvious. I can speak of tbese the more freely, ns they have been brought about chiefly by the agency of others, and I have simply helped to carry forward what had previously been ill operation. The change effected in the personal appearance of the natives is one ol the first effects that is noticed, hvery heathen man here goes naked, except a cincture of leaves; his skin is bedaubed with pigment and ochre, ami he wears long plaited hair, ii-ici'il'li"". as Cook remarked of the Tanese, ''a bunch of whipcord. The heathen men would not we r clothing though it were offered them for nothing. lively Christian man wears clothing, washes his person clean, and for the most part wears his hair short. The girdle of fig-leaves oil our first parents bptokened the tall—the promise of til • Saviour and the hope of eternal life, were followed by their being clothed. In all ages, and in all countries, among the whole race of Adam, the principles, the effects and the indications of sin and salvation respectively are essentially the same. The superstitions, abominations, and cruelties of heathenism; as idolatry, war, cannibalism, strangulation of willows, infanticide, feasting, and lascivious dances, are either passed, or rapidly passing away ; and the peace, purity, and happiness of Christianity are fast occupying their place. For n considerable time peace has been establ siied an.l a free intercourse opened up through the whole island —a state of tilings unknown within the memory of man. There are old chiefs here who have never made the circuit of the island —a walk of thirty mil'S only—till within the last year. The last act of cannibalism that occurred was about eighteen J months ago. One murder was committed within the last year ; both the murderer and the murdered person were heathens. We had thought that the strangulation of widows was at an end, hut we have heard of three cases within the last fifteen months. 'J he last two cases occurred a few months ago, anil both nearly at ilie sane time, one at each side of the island. They were effected, however, not openly as formerly, but by stealth, an I during the darkness of night. For, lest the Christian . natives should know their intentions and pre • vent the deed, all wailing was suppressed by the heathen till the bones of the dead man and his strangled wife were cast together into the sea—the heathen custom of disposing of the dead. Tile Christian natives all bury their dead. The Christian natives arc always oil the alert when any heathen man is dangerously ill, that his wife may not be strangled. With the security of life and pioperty that Christianity has thus far brought about, the spirit of industry is being fast awakened nmong the natives. To say nothing of the liiissior buildings at both stations, which have drawn largely 011 their time anil strength, a much greater breadth of cultivation is taken in this year, and n greater number of houses are being erected than has formerly been known.

The tone of moral tceling is Cast rising among the Christian natives. J-O'ing, stealing. conjugal infidelity, and other immoralities, are no longer looked n|io:i as mere venial offences. The ten commandments are now recognised as the standard of right mid wrong —and moral conduc is tested by these holy and unerring precepts. 11l the performance of religions duties the natives are very exemplary. The Sabbath is strictly observed It is a day of rest both from labour and amusement : anil, as far as could be reasonably expected, the whole day is spent in the public and private e.v.rcises of God's worship, Family worship, morning and evening, is regularly observed among all the Christian natives. The weekly prayi r meeting is well attended, both at the principal station and .-it the out-stations In c.is-s of sickness, the neighbours asscmlil and frcquentljt engage in prayer o.i bell ' of the sick poison. A short time before mvarrival, Mr. Oeildie organised a Church. It now consists of 3D native members, who have all maintained, during their respective periods of member ship, n consistent and exemplary conduct. One member only has been suspended- There are hopeful appearances of piety in a number of otllcrs. Lot mo not, how ever, bo mistaken, as if by tlieso remarks I wished to convoy any other idea respecting the natives than that the work of evangelisation has only fairly commenced among them. A very hopeful beginning-has been made, but it is only a Spring we witness—tlio fruits of Autumn are yet far distant. Then) is much to encourage labour and effort, but nothing to suggest that the work is nearly done. The

native converts nre for the most part still the veriest children- Their knowledgo is necessarily very limited. Their faith and practice cannot rise above their knowledge. Their faith, indeed, rests inoro upon the word of man than the word of God. In tho first stapes of most, if not all, heathen missions, the missionary is to the converts what a parent is to his children—there is an implicit relying upon his word and authority. The converts, like children, have much life but little strength. Delighted with their emancipation from the bondage of superstition mid idolatry,and introduced into a new region of lliotigM and action, like the Israelites at Sinai, in the ardour of their newly awakened zeal, thev are disposed to say, " All that 'lie l.ord hath said will we do, and be obedient." Hut let the missionary's influence, like the presence of Moses, bo withdrawn, and s mic new and powerful temptation be presented to them, and scarcely lorty days will elapse till they will seek, in some way or other, to return to tho bondage of heathenism. It was human nature —depraved human nature to remember the melons and the cucumbers, but to forget tho brick-kilns ami the mortar, sinful humanity is still tho same —men fondly remember the pleasures of sin, while, with a singular futility, thev forget its pai is and its punishment. The ritual and devotional parts of religion the natives easily comprehend and readily practise; but what is moral :.nd .spiritual they are slow to undcr.stand and embrace. It reipiires line upon line to make them understand the principles contained iu such texts iis "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal," etc. Tlioy would compel their brethren to come in ; j or "Dearly beloved avenge not yourselves, etc. Christians, however, of much longer standing than they, often fail to remember (his last test. Hut tender blossoms expand into mellow fruit— children become men 'J'ho Israelites, so often rebellious under Moses, became highly exemplary for j obcdieuci', and did wonders under ■loslnui, ' ami rose (o be a distinguished people under j David ami Solomon. And our poor, degraded, but withal docile natives, may, by the blessing of Hod upon our labouis, yet rise under our sueces-ors to be an eminently Christian and highly civilised people. Hut almost everything excellent is of slow growth, and long in leaching per cetion. Although Christianity may bo said to have gained a complete victory on this is- | land, ye t there still remains a considerable ; amount of very obstinato heathenism, j which must neither be neglected nor deI spised. It is something like the Caimanitcsot old who, when dispossessed from the plains and tho valleys, entrenched themselves in tho mountains. It will require to bo dealt with as earnestly anil wisely as wo car. with the means at our command. The general feeling throughout tho island is this, that the Nalaingaheni—- ' Christianity—is good and true; but that the power of sin and superstition still retains inauv of the heathen in their oltl condition, ami keeps many of the professedly Christian, as it were, halting between two opinions. The desire to hold feasts and enjoy tho revellings connected with them still operates as one of tho principal barriers in the way of the heathen. i'ho ill - Joged power of the disease-makers is also another causo of clinging to the old religion. Ignorance of the real nature and character of i hristianity still deters a number of the remote inland natives ; for although tho Christian natives have displayed a laudable zeal ill visiting their heathen countrymen, besides constant local visitations, 11 number of tho leading men have made several tours round the whole island ; yet no doubt much ig loranco still prevails as to tho true character and real objects of Christianity. Old fowls, also, are still remembered, and render some districts distrustful of their Christian neighbours. Among the prof.ssedly Christian natives our greatest practical difficulties have been polygamy, or more frequently bigamy on the part of Uic men, and desertion of their husbands on the part of tho women. Higamy prevails to a limited extent, principally unions; the ell ill's. Tliov p-ofoss that tliey have put away the one wile, and n£ taiued only the other ; "ut wo often find that, like the princes of Judah, in the days of Jeremiah, who having sot free t hei mini servants and their maidservants, afterwards made them return to be servants and handmaids; the cliiefs often cause ;licir wives to return to their former subjection, and if not to live openly with them, at least to work for them. Of late, however, a very marked improvement has appeared in the rase of some of the most infliienti: -bielV on tho other side of the island- -the.. ;eem to be acting honestly and decidedly on this point.

As in niaiiy of tlie islands to the eastward, tho women on this island appear always to have regarded tlio marriage relation as a very slender tie ; and tlio presence of a number of foreigners for tlio last 1vears, connected with tlio sandalwood establishment—now happily removed from the island--many of whom were anything but belpful to the mission, has had a moil injurious influence upon female character and conjugal fidelity. V.'hon any domestic iiuaiTel takes place, or when mere caprice excites her, the wife leaves her husband, mdgiestobe a wile to some other man. Tho female pipulation, from the strangulation of widows and feniide infanticide, bom" considerably smaller than tho mule, .rives great facility to this practice. 1 hero ure low women on this island, at least so far iis my enquiries have extended, above the n"0 of thirty, who have not lived with more husb.mds than one. On this point Socialism has had a full, fair, and unfettered trial here ; but no Kden his blo>m:'d—donsrstic happiness has withered and died. This evil, though still prevalent, is on the decline; public opinon is becoming strongly -opposed to it.

A sad cloud lias come over the prospect;,' of the mission at I'ort He-solution oit 'i'mn. In Apr 1 last, a vessel, said to li-> the ship Edward, Captain Thomas, from California lor Uvduey, l>nt into Port Resolution for supplies of wood, water, and provisions. There was one case of small-pox on heard, it not more : yet, notwithstanding this, the Captain allowed the most unrestricted intercourse between the vessel and the shore. The conse • cpience was, as might have hcen expected, small-pox broke out at Port Resolution. At that time there wire three Ruratongau teachers and one Samoan teacher stationed at Port Resolution. The S.uuo.ui and one of the Rarotongans were married nun. 'I he teachers hat! been very helpful in procuring supplies for the vessel. One of the Karotoii.gans was the first to be affected with that dreadful malady, and died : all the other Ilarotungans who "were affected died in succession. A number of Tanese were also attacked •by the disease, and several of them died. The heathen natives there, who have ever been prone to ascribe disease to Christianity, became enraged at the C'nistian natives, and killed four of them on that account. 1 he Samoan teacher, with his wife and child, had to flee for their life, and came over to this island a few weeks .ago in an open boat. Thus in the mysterious but all-wise Providence of God the station at Port Resolution, that has been kept open for so many years, ■and which, now that so much interest has been awakened in behalf of this group, we fondly hoped would soon have been occupied by two missionaries, is in ihc meantime completely shut up. But " man's extremity is God's opportunity." It was only a special providence that preserved this island. The same vessel called here, and sent in two boats to the harbour to ascertain what supplies could be obtained. Three natives volunteered their services, and went on board to pilot the vessel into the haibour. 'llie Captain tried hard for a part of two days to make the harbour, but could not. This was the first vessel ever known that could not enter the harbour with the same wind blowing at the same vale. 1 he Captain then resolved to make for the Isle ol Pines, but the natives advisi d him to steer for Port Resolution. We heard no more of the three natives till about six weeks afterwards, that they and the Samoan teacher arrived here in a "canoe from Tana- They told r«s that one of the Rarotongan teachers had ■died, and that they had helped to bury him the day before they left Tana. After they had described the disease of which he died, we felt.scarcely a doubt hut that it was small pox. They told us also that they s nv one or two men on board who were recovering from the same disease, We took every precaution in our power to prevent infection, and happily no symptoms of the disease appealed here. In a short time the Samoan teacher returned to Tana in his canoe, being anxious about his wife and child after he became acquainted with the character of the disease. We learned by the Hisliop of New Zealand that a vessel had reported in Sydney that small-pox was prevalent at Port Resolution, in Tana; and by the arrival of tin; .Samoan teacher a few weeks ago, we lean.ed the melancholy facts that I have just stated, th.,t four Rarotongans and a number of Tanese had died of small-pox—that four Christian natives had been murdered by the heathen on account of the disease—and that he and his family had to flee for their life. What punishment can be legally inflicted on the man or men who could thus wantonly sport with human life—who could thin carelessly scatter the seeds of a virulent and deadly disease among an ignorant and defenceless people ? This was surely the niad-

mall scattering fire-brands, arrows, anil death, or deceiving his neighbour, and saying, " Am I not ill sport ?" What moral dillc'rence would there have been in his_ crime h id lie taken his musket and shot his benefactors, the Rarotong.ins and Tanese, dead in coM blood. lie eonld not have been ignorant ot what effects would follow, Wc scut to Sydney by the John AN to procure vaccine matter, with the view of vaccinating all the natives of the island. The Sauioan teaclier at Tan i had been vaccinated ; the liarotongans, I believe, had not. Hut although the station at l'ort Resolution has been thus painfully closed, Tana is open at other points. The* three natives referred to, while they: remained at Tana, visile.! a district at some distance from Port Resolution, from which a paity of natives had some time lieforc visited this island, and remained for several weeks among t'.e Christian intive.". Their visit to that district was interesting ami gr.itil'ving in a high decree. The natives were very urgent lor a teacher from this island to live among them and instruct them ill the new religion. "The isles are waiting for his Jaw." A great amount of preparatory work has been doni' on this group, and what is most urgently wanted at present is a sullicient number of devoted, energetic, and pruilent missionaries. The missions in these seas are sadly injured and annoyed by unprincipled captains of ves els. One beautiful morning, about a fortnight ago, a vessel love in sight at this station: sdlcr a few t eks, she came up directly opposite my house, and sent two boats ashore. .She had rather a suspicious looking appe.traiii e, inasmuch as she did not show a rag of colours of any kind. The boats left n 11) .II oil shore, and returned to the vessel, which made away with all the? sail she could carry The man said that the ves-el was the brig" Ximrod, of I lobar! Toivn, ('apt. Jacobs, a whaler ; tin* owners were Jsws. That the men had complained of being badly found ; that the capt '.in had looked upon liiui as the leader, and hail struck liiin, and he struck the captain in return. The capta 11 had put him ia confinement for so.lie time, and finally set here. Jlis name, he said, was Lee; he was a native of llristol, but had resided in Unhurt Town fur the last nine years, lie had 110 certificate. With the quarrel between the captain and Lee it is not my province to interfere in any way ; but for the captain to set down the worst man in his vessel within a quarter of a mile of a missionary's door, on an island where it might be six months before he could get away in another vessel, what name shall we OV-? to such conduct? All we can do is to let o.ir caae tie known. Providentially, in this C.ise, a small vessel was lying at the harbour 011 the o her side of the island. I sent a few trusty natives along with him to the other side. Sir. lieddie spoke to the niast-r of the vessel, and he being short of hands, the j o.ir fellow was shipped the same "lay he hail been set ashore, 1 lit of this vessel the captain could know nothing. No man-of-war lias called at this island for three years. Ten months ago the Calliope called rt Tana. All the missionaries who have visited these islamis in the Jului Williams speak distinctly of the good cHivt« that have been produced upon the minds of the natives, esp. cially at Kate, one of the worst of the islands, by the visits of ("apt. Krskine, of 11.M.5. Ilavaimah, and Captain Oliver, of 11.M.5. I'ly. Their linn, prn.'e t, and Int.. inane conduct inspired ihe natives with both fear and confidence ; at the same time their presence proved a teiror to the evil doers that frequent these seas. Would that tl.e visits of such men could be more frequent!

I c.-inm.t omit this opportunity. the fir.it I have had, of publicly acknowledging my oilligations 10 the Bishop of Sew Zealand for his kindness to us and 10 the iiiissitm with which we a>c eonneiti-tl. Ho not only most cheerfull> favoured lis with a free passage, but crowded his vessel uncomfortably, in order to accommodate ns with everything we considered necessary for the mission, as stores, furniture, a whalebii.it. materials for a house, a quantity of live stock, &e. Had we beui connected with his own mission I e could not have displayed more kindness and courtesy towards in, or have done more to promote the objects of our mission. May the I-iord remember his good deeds, and reward liim according to the multitude of liis tender mercies! I am, Sir, Your-, very respectfully, John I.nums.