office, I was most agreeably surprised and delighted to find on my table a little heap of coppers and silver from different children, and a note from a little coloured girl about six years of age, one of our Sunday School scholars, of which I give you a literal translation. "My dear Teacher,-I wish to become a member of the Children's Society for sending the word of the true God to those places where he is still called the Unknown God.' "CATOJE SAMSON.' "You can readily imagine what a thrill of pleasure ran through me on reading those few words, and I am confident that they will also afford you no little gratification. I find a great difficulty in procuring suitable books for the English classes in the Sabbath School. Could you not send me a box of spelling and reading Cards, and books? I would most willingly pay for them. If you could send me any, they would be of great service. You could ship them to Algoa Bay, and I would arrange for having them forwarded to here. "I must crave your pardon for so long trespassing on your valuable time; and remain, with Christian greeting, Rev. and dear Sir, G. HURFORD. POLYNESIA. ISLAND OF AITUTAKI, HERVEY GROUP. WHEN the first attempt was made, more than half a century ago, to introduce the Gospel into the islands of the South Pacific, but few were found to render a helping hand or to utter a word of encouragement to an enterprise so apparently hopeless and fanatical, while, by the writers of that day-the recognised guides of public opinion-it was treated with undisguised scorn and ridicule. In contrast to the sentiments then so generally felt and avowed by our countrymen, it is pleasing to have the testimony of an impartial and honourable witness to what has been done through the instrumentality of one of our Missionaries-the Rev. Henry Royle-to raise the savage idolater from a state of brutish ignorance and degradation to the dignity of a man and a Christian. The subjoined account of a visit lately paid by Captain Harvey, of H. B. M.'s frigate "Havannah," is extracted from a valuable publication, entitled "The Book and its Missions." "TO THE EDITOR OF THE BOOK AND ITS MISSIONS.' "MY DEAR FRIEND, The great progress of Christianity in the South Seas has been disputed by many, doubted by some, and scoffed at by others. Perhaps the following statement, forwarded to the British Admiralty by Captain Harvey, of Her Majesty's frigate, the Havannah,' may be believed by those who have hitherto put no trust in mere missionary records,' because they have not considered them impartial. On my way to Peru, I had recently the pleasure of dining with Captain Harvey on board his own ship, in the bay of Panama, A. J. Duffield, CAPTAIN HARVEY AT AITUTAKI. "At 19.30 A.M. on Friday, the 20th of February, made the Island of Aitutaki, distant about twenty miles, bearing S.S.E. It first showed as two hummocks. On ap proaching, it assumed a very pleasing ap pearance, from the undulating nature of its formation, and the tropical luxuriance of the vegetation. It was well wooded, and apparently with fine trees. The eastern end of the island ran off into a long low spit; near the centre, on the north side, was a round hill of some elevation, having two cocoa-nut trees on its summit; to the westward of this were several smaller rounded hillocks, one showing a bold front of dark stone; from the eastern spit, spreads a broad beach of white sand; and off the western end is a detached island covered with trees: the sea breaks the whole way. An American whaling ship was observed standing off east. When we were about five miles off the land, a whale-boat, with a native crew, came alongside, having presents of oranges and pine-apples. Two of them spoke English tolerably well, and informed us that the whaler, the Alarm,' had communicated with them, but that no one had landed; that there was an English missionary at the place, and that they all much wished us to go on shore. One of the natives, who styled himself Timee,' offered to pilot a cutter, and, accompanied by half a dozen men and officers, we put ourselves under the guidance of 'Timee.' The entrance to the lagoon through the coral reef was marked by a staff with a flag on it. There is a coral stone jetty built out from the beach, between two and three hundred yards in length; it was covered with natives waiting to receive us. The scene that presented itself on entering the lagoon was beautiful beyond any powers of description; the deep-shaded and magnificent foliage the rich, variegated tints of the deeply-wooded shore the dazzling white of the sandy beach-the light and beautiful blue of the shallow water of the lagoon in contrast with the darker colour of the deeper sea outside, with a clear, bright sky overhead, formed a picture only to be realised in the torrid zones. Add to all this the sincere welcome offered to us by hundreds of the islanders assembled for the purpose, and you may possibly imagine something like the pleasurable excitement experienced on the occasion. My first object was to visit the missionary, whose residence we found on the hill side, at about an elevation of two hun dred feet- so steep, that a rough stone staircase had been constructed to make the approach easy. At the foot of this, on the right hand, in a most picturesque clearance, stood two substantially built, commodious buildings the church and school-house. On either side, going up, the flowers, shrubs, and trees formed a pleasing approach to the house of the missionary. We found the Rev. Henry Royle prepared to receive our visit, and Mrs. Royle was making her welcome ready in the shape of the various refreshments their establishment could afford. “I found they had resided in the island between eighteen and nineteen years. They have a family of six daughters, the two eldest at present being in England for education. On first lauding, their settlement was opposed by a vast majority of the natives, who twice burnt them out of their houses, as also a friendly chief, who protected them to the utmost of his power. After great difficulties, much privation and self-denial, by perseverance they have succeeded, inasmuch as at the present day there is not a man, woman, or child, that would not sacrifice everything for them. "These islanders do not touch fermented liquor, and but few use tobacco in any shape. The greater portion can both read and write. They are all respectably clothed. Their houses are built of coral stone, with high and well-thatched roofs, having a considerable air of comfort in their interior arrangements. They possess nine whaleboats, some of which were presents to them from American whale ships. Mr. and Mrs. Royle spoke very highly of these people. They provide everything in their power towards making them comfortable, and frequently Mr. Royle stated, that tea, sugar, coffee, &c., &c., were found in his verandah, which these kind fellows had obtained from the captains of the ships in exchange for their labour or goods, expressly for the missionary. They also met annually to subscribe towards their domestic and foreign missions, and did so most liberally. "There are six cows on the island. Cattle are not permitted to increase beyond twelve. On reaching that number they kill them, and divide the flesh among the inhabitants. Pigs, fowls, muscovy ducks, plantains, sweet potatoes, yams, a kind of bran, bread-fruit, oranges, pine-apples, and many other fruits and vegetables, are to be had in great quantity. Cocoa-nut oil is made, and, I understand, in tolerable quantity at a reasonable price. I asked Mr. and Mrs. Royle, if seeing the American captains and crews using tobacco and spirits, did not cause some difficulty in persuading the people to abstain from them? They replied they thought not, and spoke very highly of the considerate and kind behaviour of the whaling captains who have visited them. Some seventy ships recruit wood and water annually at this island, and about a hundred vessels call for the same purpose at the larger islands. The value of money is well understood, although much is done by exchange for cloth, linen, stuffs, &c. Captain Whynger, of the Illinois' whaler, of New Bedford, who was obtaining his supplies for a passage home, told me it was exceedingly economical to recruit at these islands. There is a schooner belonging to the island, which trades between them, and has been once to Tahiti. The John Williams,' a barque belonging to the Missions, was daily expected, having left England in July last, on her round, viâ the Cape of Good Hope, in which colony they have an establishment. Beyond that periodical visit, they seldom or never see other than American ships. Let me add, that fourteen hundred of these islanders subscribed 300 dollars towards the Sailor's Home at Honolulu ! seeing English man-of-war' captain. That they had never before been so visited, that the fruits, vegetables, tapa, &c., &c., piled in heaps on either side in front they gave to me. I thanked them very much for their generosity and kindness, and said that I was not prepared for visiting them, that I had no presents to offer in exchange, and that my boats could not carry so great a quantity of these good things. The interpreter replied. 'They make free present-no exchange—no want anything but you, captain, to take all, and ask for anything the island affords, and it is freely at your service and our own boats shall take everything on board.' 1 then expressed my sorrow that my visit was so necessarily short, and asked if any would now come off to see the ship for the little time I could give them. Ten or eleven said 'Yes;' the old man and his son accompanied me. Four whale-boats, deeply laden with the fruits, started, taking the cutter in tow. On board they expressed great delight at everything they saw, refused spirits. wine, or beer, but enjoyed a cup of tea in my cabin; and although the roughest of the rough in costume, they behaved like gentlemen; the men (about eighty) were all over the ship, and not single thing of any sort was missed. Their common exclamation was, English, we all English!' As they had shown great wonder at a 56 lb. shot, I told them I would send them one on shore after they had left the ship, but they preferred having it fired off at once. On bidding them good-bye they shook hands with their heads uncovered, several of the older chiefs kissing my hand as they did so. "I was utterly unprepared for meeting such a civilized, hospitable people, and sincerely regretted not having the means for making them some return for the generous welcome offered to Her Majesty's ship." DEATH OF MRS. RATTRAY. Ir is our mournful duty to announce the removal by death of the excellent and devoted wife of the Rev. Charles Rattray, of the Demerara Mission. The following impressive particulars of the event are communicated by Mr. R., under date 24th July: 66 You will probably have learned, before this reaches you, that my dear wife has been suddenly removed, by the hand of death, from the work in which she had been diligently and devotedly employed, in connection with the Mission in Demerara, for nearly 19 years. Her health was never very robust, and for some years past it has often been in a very precarious state. This, with advancing years, and long residence in one of the most unhealthy localities of this colony, had produced a visible decay in her bodily strength; and she frequently expressed regret that she could not exert herself as she used to do in visiting the people from house to house, and that she now felt so easily fatigued. But, under increasing infirmity and weakness, she was graciously favoured to experience, in a very large measure, that, though our outward man perish, the inward man is renewed day by day;' and, almost to the very last hour of her life, she was enabled and permitted to be happily and actively engaged in the service of her Heavenly Master. “Her death was affectingly sudden; but it was quite in accordance with her frequently expressed desire and resolve, never to leave her post till the Lord should call her to himself. On the Lord's Day morning, July the 4th, she appeared to be in her ordinary state of health; she made no complaint, was up as early, and was as cheerful, active, and happy, as usual. At the time I left home for Lust en Rust Chapel, she was preparing to go to Salem. When we observe the Lord's Supper at the one Chapel, some of the deacons conduct the forenoon service at the other. On that day we had the Lord's Supper at Lust en Rust Chapel, and after the service I went to see some sick people in that quarter, and did not get home till nearly, or a little past, six o'clock in the evening. I had been down with fever for a day or two the preceding week, and had a little fever when I left home in the morning. On that account Mrs. Rattray was anxiously looking for me, fearing that I had become ill. Her anxieties on that score were soon relieved; but I at once saw, from her appearance, that she had been unwell during the day, and, on inquiry, I learned that, while in chapel, she had a rather sharp attack of fever. Very hot fever,' she said, 'with very cold feet.' But, being unwilling to go out of chapel during the service--a practice which she was much grieved to see prevailing among the people on the slightest excuse-she sat to the close, and by that time the fever was much abated. She then, as I afterwards learned from some of the people, stood up and addressed the congregation, with special reference to the heathen festivals (dances, &c.) of the coolies, which had been recently celebrated in the neighbourhood, earnestly exhorting the young people against going to witness them, and parents and others to keep their children away from such scenes. She then superintended the arrangement of the Sabbath-school classes, and took charge of a class of girls herself, till the person who had the school list marked the names present, when she gave over the class to him, remarking that she did not feel well, as she had been suffering from fever all the time of the service. This was the last part of her public work. She left the earthly sanctuary little anticipating that she would never enter it again. Having got an hour or two's quiet repose, she felt refreshed, and got up, expecting a few girls whom she was accustomed to meet on the Sabbath afternoons; but they, having learned that she was poorly, did not come, and, after talking a little with our own girl, on the subject that would have occupied their attention that afternoon, she began to express some anxiety about my return. I found her waiting for me; and, having satisfied her inquiries as to the cause of my detention, we sat down to our ordinary Sunday's fare. I was telling her about the people I had been to visit, mentioning especially the case of an old disciple whom she well knew, and who, notwithstanding his own extreme weakness, had particularly begged to be remembered to her. She expressed her deep concern for these old people, and remarked how distressing it was to see many of them so utterly destitute of every earthly comfort in sickness and old age. While I was speaking, she rose from the table and went into the bed-room, with her usually light and lively step. There was no appearance of pain, and I supposed she had gone for something she might have forgotten. In a moment I was called by the servant, who had providentially entered by the other door, and, hastening to her assistance, I found my dear wife already stretched upon the couch, and after a slight expiration-scarcely a sigh-all was still in death. She was not, for God had taken her. Not a struggle, nor the least change of countenance; where an hour before she had slept, and awakened refreshed to speak yet once more of the love of Jesus to her little attendant, she now slept in death. But she slept in Jesus. Absent from the body, present with the Lord.' "Mrs. Rattray felt deeply interested in the Missionary work, especially in Missions to Africa, long before she entered on her active labours among the children of Africa in this colony. She belonged especially to that tribe which loves the black men.' For many years she was a member of the Church under the pastoral care of the late Dr. Wardlaw, in Glasgow; and among the friends of 'the black men' in that city, particularly among the female Friends,' in the Anti-Slavery movement of nearly thirty years ago, Elisabeth Brown was not unknown as an humble, but earnest and active, fellow worker." ORDINATION OF MISSIONARIES IN INDIA. Mr. William Johnson, lately a Student of Airedale College, was ordained to the work of a Christian Missionary in India, at East Parade Chapel, Leeds, on Thursday, 20th May. The service having been opened by the Rer. E. Harley, of Brighouse, with reading of the Scriptures and prayer, the Rev. Edward Storrow, Missionary from India, described the field of labour. The Rev. Dr. Fraser, of Airedale College, put the usual questions, the Rev. H. R. Reynolds, of Leeds, offered the ordination prayer, and the Rev. R. C. Mather, Missionary from India, delivered the charge. The following ministers of Leeds and adjacent places also took part in the service, viz., the Revs. W. Hudswell, W. Guest, Dr. Brewer, and J. Marsden. Mr. Samuel Mateer, lately a Student at Bedford, was ordained to the work of a Christian Missionary in India, at Frederick Street Wesleyan Chapel, Belfast, on Friday evening, 13th August. After prayer by the Rev. G. Vance, and the reading of a portion of Scripture by the Rev. R. G. Jones, the field of labour was described by the Rev. James M'Kee, Missionary from India. The Rev. G. Vance put the usual questions, to which Mr. Mateer furnished satisfactory replies. The Rev. Dr. Edgar then addressed the meeting, and offered the ordination prayer, after which the Rev. Daniel M'Afee delivered the charge and the interesting proceedings concluded with prayer. |