THE VOYAGE OF THE MISSIONARY BARQUE JOHN WILLIAMS FROM ENGLAND TO SAMOA.

Samoan Reporter, Issue 1, 1 March 1845, Page 1

THE VOYAGE OF THE MISSIONARY BARQUE JOHN WILLIAMS FROM ENGLAND TO SAMOA.

Long before our Reporter reach England, the arrival of our vessel at the Society Islands will have been published, together, probably, with the principal incidents of her voyage. But we wish, not only to complete the tale, but also to record, for preservation, a brief outline. On the morning of the sth. of June, 1844, she was at anchor a few miles above Gravesend, and the missionaries and other passengers, were conveyed to her in a steamer, accompanied by about 500 of the friends of our missions, including many Directors and other personal friends of the missionaries. On the steamer approaching the Barque, the parties about to leave were arranged in a line of seats, and all on board hastily passed along the line to exchange the “ farewell.” Then on coming alongside, after prayer and the offering of a brief, but very appropriate address by the Rev. T. Binney, the party about to sail went on board the Barque, which was soon under way. She was much admired by all on board the Steamer. The two then kept company to Gravesend, the parties interchanging hymns and salutations. On arrival at Gravesend the steamer returned to London. The Barque did not sail from Gravesend until the the 12th, nor from the Downs until the 17tln The British channel was cleared about the 23rd —the northern tropic entered on the Bth July, on the 11th. and 12th. two of the Cape de Verds were in sight, and the Equator passed on the 24th. On that occasion we had a holiday for the men—an address by Mr B. on the discoveries of modern astronomy in the forenoon, and another in the evening, by Mr H. on, “the North and the South.” On the 24th we anchored in Table Bay, off Cape Town, S. Africa, and found there the “ Gloriana” for Calcutta, which had arrived a lit-

tie before, although she did not leave England until several days after us. Her speed was considered as extraordinary : with this exception, the John Williams outsailed every Vessel she had to compete with, and including a large number in the British Channal, she passed altogether some 60 or 70 during her voyage. Dr. Philip and parties of friends soon came on board, and took most of us on shore, and we spent a week very agreeably among them. Many visited, and admired the Vessel. There we had to part with Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their children, and Mr. Durant Philip, who had endeared themselves to us all by their amiable conduct, and Christian sympathy. Mr. B. went out to succeed Dr. P. as Pastor of the Congregation at Union Chapel, and Mr. D. P. was on his way to join the Mission at Calcutta. The information we obtained indicaed that the missions, and religious operations in C. Town, on the whole, were in a prosperous state. We left Table Bay on the 31st August, and on the 19th September passed St Pauls, and Amsterdam. The Captain and others of our party went on shore at St Pauls, and found, to their surprize a Frenchman residing there, somewhat in the Robinson Crusoe style, save that he had some 50 Malagassy slaves, and a good library: he said the French had taken possession of the island :—if so, probably it is because of its proximity to Madagascar, where they are again forming settlements. During the week commencing 22nd September, calling to mind what would be done in England, we celebrated the Jubilee of our society, by holdspecial prayer meetings, having two sermons on the sabbath, and a meeting for addresses on the Wednesday. On the latter day the captain gave the men a holiday, and at the conclusion contributions were made, to the amount of 13 Guineas, which, on the Ist of January following, was increased to upwards of twenty guineas. 10th October we entered Storm Bay and the Derwent River, Van Dieman’s Land, and on the following day anchored off Hobart Town, which we found to be large, well set out, and well built, and in a delightful situation; and still better, we found in it a large number of the pious and zealous friends of missions—missions to the Heathen, and missions to their own heathen-like ne'ghbours. They gave us a most warm-hearted welcome, and the more so as it was the first time they had been visited, either by a missionary Vessel, or a band of Missionaries connected with the L. M. S. We assisted them in a series of Jubilee services, at which, notwithstanding the colony was suffering from great Commercial depression, they raised about £IOO for our society; and then engaged us for a second series of services, for their very efficient colonial missions, at which they raised about £BO more. They also collected for us a large quantity of clothing, prints, &c. for the children of our Samoan Boarding Schools and for the families of our numerous native Teachers.

All this was done in 12 days, at the end of which we parted from the numerous friendswhoseacqualntance we had made there ,and on the 27th arrived in safety at our next anchorage, Port Jackson, Sydney. There also, although visits of missionary vessels are no new thing, Dr. Ross and freinds received us very cordially, and took advantage of our call to hold a Jubilee meeting, and made a liberal collection. On Thursday 7th November, the Friends of our cause and of the Sailors, procured gratis a Steamer to tow us out of the harbour, the produce of the tickets to be for the Sailors’ Society there. The next port we made was Huahine, which we reached on the 4th December. There we staid upwards of a week, and held some interesting services with the people, and, among them, Jubilee addresses. Then we proceeded to Raiatea (14th) and remained five days. In the colonies and at Huahine we had heard much of the disastrous affairs at Tahiti. Here we found poor Pomare herself, living in a most exposed Cottage, in a situation in which she could watch the approach of any French vessels, and flee, accordingly, to one of the 2 strong holds which the people had prepared for her defence. We told her of the continued sympathy and efforts of millions in Britain to save her from further acts of injustice. Thence we proceeded to Tahiti itself and anchored in Papeete Harbour, on the 24th. The new French Admiral, Hamelin, who succeeds the now-most-famous Du Petit Thouars, had arrived a few hours before us; it was hoped, but not divulged, that he brought instructions to adopt a more lenient course. But he had left France before the imprisonment and expulsion of the British Consul, the killing of our much beloved and lamented brother Mackean, and the fights between the French and Tahitians —were known, and therefore, there was still to be procrastination. Nothing more is necessary to shew, that, there is no connexion between what the French in Paris promise the English Government they will do, and what their agents actually do—than this; that although, several months had elapsed since the French Government disavowed the furtive seizure by Du Petit Thouars, the French were still in possession, and pursuing just such a course as would have been expected had Du P. Thouars’ acts been confirmed. We found the population at Papeete, with the exception of a few families of settlers, to consist half of French soldiers and sailors and half of the young

whose morals they are corrupting. M Guizot drew, in the French Chambers, a splendid—but alas merely imaginary—picture of Protestant Missionaries acting in concert with the French and the Romish Priests in carrying forward the religous instruction and civilization of the people. But we found the schools deserted, some of the congregations broken up,aud the cream of the population in their strong holds, from which the French have found that it will be no easy matter to dislodge them. While Captain Bruat, the Governor, very candidly admitted to us that the Missionaries had done much good, and politely gave us liberty to circulate “The opinions of Napoleon Buonaparte in favour of Christianity” which we had printed, in French, at Huahine, and also French Bibles and Tracts, he admitted, that he could rot stop the licentiousness of the soldiers—For their benefit he said there must be bad women, or no women at all. To shew how far they are disposed to aid in the process of evangelization, it is only necessary to say, that they are, as far as they can, encouraging the natives to revive their old licentious dances. Calling to mind the repeated assurances of the French Goverment, that the British missionaries should be protected and encouraged, we were somewhat surprised—though not much— at the number of petty annoyances to which our brethren there have had to submit. Since Du P. Thuars had published to France and the world the lie, that they are drawn from “ the dregs of the population of London,” no wonder that upstart Captains, and Lieutenants, and Commissaires Royale, should treat them with insult and injustice. We wish M. Bruat may be able to shew that the blame rests with his subordinates; but that will not make it the less a grievance, and a grievous shame. On the 20th December we again returned to Huahine, and, on entering the harbour, were fora short time aground, but happily got off again without any great damage. But our limits indicate that the tale of our voyage must be rapidly concluded. On the 9th January last we made Rarotonga, and there left the valued companions of our voyage Mr. & Mrs G. Gill. They, and all of us, and the vessel, were received there in a most hearty manner. After some of us had landed, and many goods been put on shore, the “ John Williams” was blown off for eight days in a strong gale, during which she lost two jib booms. In the mean time we had an opportunity of seeing the stations—the strong and elegant new House, Lecture Rooms &c. for the Native Teachers’ Institution, from which three young men were selected to proceed with us to the westward —Mr Gill’s elegant stone chapel, the boarding and day schools &c. We again embarked on the 17th and on the 22nd were off Mr Royle’s station at Aitutaki; and there we not only failed to land the goods, but Captain Morgan and Mr Heath, and a boats’ crew of six men, were all in great danger of being drowned, their boat having been dashed on the rocks in the entrance. Some of the crew swam to the reef and thence got on shore, Captain Morgan, with great difficulty, reached the jolly boat which was then not far distant; but Mr Heath and three others had to cling to the keel of the whale boat for nearly hour before they could be taken up, during which time they werg drifted out to sea, and constantly exposed to the tremendous sweeps of the impetuous waves. How they were saved could only be explained by their adopting, as they thankfully did, Jona’s confession, “ Salvation is of the Lord.”

Another week brought us to this long wished for groupe, and after calling at Manua and Tutuila, we safely anchored in Apia Bay on the 3rd February. Our reception by the Mission families and the natives was more than cordial—it was enthusiastic. We wish we could give our readers a pictorial illustration, by a sketch of the scenes in Apia and its Bay, occasioned by the crowding thither of canoes and boats ; and the hundreds of attentive and eager listeners to the tale of our Voyage. At the Colonies and the Islands our new Barque was universally admired.