ROUND THE WORLD. A MUCH-TRAVELLED PARSON.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 360, 17 April 1889, Page 5

ROUND THE WORLD. A MUCH-TRAVELLED PARSON.

Auckland, April 15. Till!/ most-travelled parson that we have heard or read about is the Row James Paterson, at present on a visit to Auckland. To enumerate the various parts of the world which this gentleman has visited would take up more space than is available, and hence the following sketch of his career, as furnished to a Stak representative, is general rather than particular in detail. "You are a Scotchmen, are you not?,' queried the reporter. " Yes, I am," said Mr Paterson, as if he were proud of the relationship. " 1 was born at Milngavie, near Glasgow."' "And studied for the ministry, L pro ,su me?" " I studied for the ministry in Edin burgh. lam a minister of the Presbyterian Church, and I am licensed by the Free Church of Scotland." " \\ lien did you commence your travels ?" "I commenced my travels in 1860, when ! I left Glasgow for Australia to preach the Gospel." - • " On your Qw n account V" " Ye&, ot my own motion. lam connected with no society." " Well, now for your travels? 1 ' " E visited all of the colonies, and travelled moro than 2,000 miles in coaches, preaching the Gospel as I weut. 1 went through Queensland, New South Wale?, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. 1 went Home via Ceylon and India." " That was your first trip, was it not ?" " Yos. I remained at Home for two or three yrars, preaching and lecturing about the Australian colonies.'' " On your own behafV' " Certainly. Then 1 went to India, and remained theie for three years. I was there during the monsoon season, and I went through India, free of all charges. I visited Nineveh and Babylon, scattering copies, of the Scriptures amongst the people, the Euphrates and Tigris, and alter that I spent two yea is in Coy 'on among the coffee planters. Then 1 went through Russia and Finland, and across the White Sea into the port of Archangel. From Archangel I crossed the Omega Bay and then went 400 miles past Car^opal, to the river that comes out of Lake Omega, where I found a steamer that took me down to Lake Ladoga, past a great Russian state pi ison and dow n the Neva to Alexandrowside, St. Petersburg and Cronstadt. Next I visited the ports of the Baltic, and eventually arrived Home." "I suppose you settled down fora time then ?" " 1 remained in England for two or three years, and in 1879 1 went across to America, travellingthroughallthe States. I returned to Scotland and lectured about the countries I had visited." •' Now, what about your last journey ?" "At the end of February, 1888, I crossed through Europe, via Florence, Rome, Naples. I went by P. and 0. steamer to Aden, and on to Queensland by the Royal Mail line, then to Townsville through the principal towns in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, to New Zealand. I have had nearly a hundred meetings in New Zealand.*' " And how has your time been occupied on these tours ?" "Scattering infoimation and copie^of the Sei ipbm c? in 'different language?. " " On your own account ?" " Yes. I got the books, and I sold them. 1 sold the information which I had obtained by lecturing, and that helped me to pay tor horses that carried me across the plains, and so on. That all takes money, you must know.' " Have you obtained no assistance from Missionary Societies or committees ?" " Never. If committees' yay you they rule you, and I don't want to be the slave of any body of men." "Then "you work your passage, I sup" pose ?" "I do.'' " Woll, what provides you with the sinews of war ?'" " My lectures, of course ; they are valuable, tor no other parson has travelled where I have been. They have cost me thousands of pounds, and must be worth something." " And I suppose you have had some : rough experiences ?" ! "1 have risked my lite in many ways, in coming clown dangerous rivers, going about amongst wild Indians and all sorts of savages." "Are you a married man V" " No, I am not married, and 1 have no family hanging on to my coat tail."' "Perhaps you will relate some of your adventures by way of diversion ?*' " Well, there's a tiger story. 1 ' "No d- übt that would be interesti'ig. Go on." " I was traveling in India with several attendants about 1 o'clock in the morning 1 o l the road between Jubbopore and Nagpore. We had taken our horses from the conveyance and substituted bullocks. We were going up a steep hill and I ieli asleep. Suddenly I felt a violent shake, and one of the fellows said to me, "There's a tiger here, and you'll be eaten up in no time." I woke up, and found that the conveyance had stopped. There was the tiger sitting on the road, and looking extremely fierce. The natives weie trembling with tear, for so many of their people had been eaten up by tigers before this. I had no pistol, and the only thing I had in the shape of a weapon was my umbrella. 1 remembered how the old people used to relate that cows could be frightened by the sudden expansion of this article, and 1 decided to try the experiment on the tiger." " How did it answer?" " Well I opened the umbrella, got behind it. and yelled as loud as I could. The fellows' thought I had a patent for frightening timers, so they also got behind the umbrella and we all yelled together. The tiger did not seem to be frightened, but it soon turned tail and disappeared out of sight. Then we resumed our journey. " " That's not a very exciting finale. Let's have another." " Well, I have been among the wild elephant? in Ceylon. 1 was crossing a plain to get to an elophant hunter's hut. I couli not find this hut, and wandered about till darkness came upon me. I heard the rush of elephants, but fortunately they were rushinc in the opposite direction. 1 said to my companion, 'Let us lie down,' and we did so, keeping my horse at my side for defence. The horse suddenly became heightened and pounced about, so we concluded that some wild animal vva3 close upon us. We made a great noi?e, and speedily saw what we believed to be a panther taking his departure." "But what about the elephants ? "We lay down again and during the night we beard a gi-eat mob of elephants crushing through the trees. 1 got up, wondering what would happen, but. luckily for us the monsters went down to a valley , not, f ar off. We had another fright like this before morning, and thon we discovered that the elephants had been

promenading all night and had made a bridge over the valley by breaking down large trees and trampling them under their ponderous feet." '•Have you had no more serious adventures than theso?' " Well, I can say I have been wondei fully taken care of. I have had many risks, bub never grot a bone brokon. Some travellers have been eaten here a"d there but I have not great stories to tell. J do not make stories, yon understand. 1 have not got a scratch, and I am in perfect health."