stand aghast, while charity weeps for joy. A few extracts from recent accounts will show what God has wrought.

"In the direct object of the mission much more work offers itself than the missionaries are able to perform. Scarcely a day passes without their preaching, and many persons who live at distant places earnestly request visits from them, if it were only for a few days; offering to make roads on purpose for them, and to afford them every possible facility. But a short time ago, the people tabooed, or made sacred the roads, that the missionaries might not traverse them, and declared the rivers sacred to prevent them from crossing them. The natives are not only anxious to receive religious instruction ; but they wish the missionaries to make laws for them. They consult them as casuists, and they seek counsel of them as to matters of peace and war. The native cruelty is diminishing. War is less known. Infanticide is likely to be altogether abolished. In the course of the first few years of my residence in New Zealand, I witnessed six different cases of infanticide. I have seen mothers break the necks and dash out the brains of babes who hung at their breasts; but in the course of the last four years, I have not witnessed one case of the kind. Eight hundred natives have been taught to read the word of God for themselves, while hundreds more able to make out the meaning, though not so as to be fully intelligible to others. When I mention that three hundred New Zealanders have embraced the Gospel, and are aiming to live in consistency with its sacred requirements, I am sure that the people of

are

God will rejoice. I have attended the death beds of upwards of forty natives, and have witnessed some of those scenes of holy confidence and joy which are so delightful to the Christian."

Speaking of occupying a new station, the missionary remarks," Formerly we were not allowed to land at that place, but now we were met by fifteen hundred of the natives. An old chief was called upon by his people to make a speech, and he spoke for nearly an hour. The missionaries,' said he, 'are come to blunt the points of our spears-to snap our clubs asunderto draw the bullets out of our muskets-to bury our bayonets to bring this tribe and that together, and to make them all live in peace.' A loud shout then burst forth from the whole assembly, 'We will have them-we will have them.' Such have been the displays of divine grace in New Zealand."

"On the

Polynesia. The London, Wesleyan and American societies occupy these numerous and scattered islands. Here too the most remarkable revolutions have been accomplished by the power of the truth. 10th of August, 1796, twenty-nine missionaries of the London Missionary Society embarked from London for this and the neighboring islands. March 6, 1797, eighteen landed at Tahiti; ten at Tongataboo, in the following month; the other at St. Christina, in the succeeding June. A number of most auspicious circumstances attended this commencement; and the report of Capt. Wilson, upon the return of the ship Duff, elated the friends of the mission beyond measure. But the triumph was soon turned into lamentation. The capture by the French of the Duff in her second

voyage to the South Seas, with ten married and nineteen single missionaries—the report of the departure of eleven of the number that were at Tahiti for Port Jackson, on account of the ill-treatment of the natives the murder of one of them at New South Wales the murder of three others at Tongataboo, and other calamities almost overwhelmed the Society, and threatened to quench the missionary zeal of the religious public. The cause of the South Sea islanders, however, was not relinquished. The directors encouraged the seven missionaries remaining at Tahiti to continue, urged those that were at Port Jackson to return, and sent out twelve more to assist them. In 1810, thirteen years after they first reached Tahiti, they all, with the exception of two, left the islands on account of the wars of the natives. This news again afflicted the Society, and their hopes of final success were almost extinguished. It was a time of great anxiety and much prayer. The majority of the Society urged the missionaries again to return to Tahiti as soon as circumstances would allow it. They did return, and now the sun of prosperity dawned and brightened upon them. Several of the missionaries had become quite masters of the language, and the saving power of the Spirit accompanied their preaching."* The king Pomare was the first convert. Twenty-two years after their arrival, the surviving missionaries had the gratification of receiving him to the communion of the Christian church. Others were similarly and almost simultaneously affected. And

*

Missionary Gazetteer.

now the holy flame spread, and as it spread the idol temples and wooden gods were speedily consumed. Schools were instituted ; congregations were organized ; churches, some of them of vast dimensions, were

. erected and even auxiliary missionary societies were formed.

The tidings spread to the neighboring islands, and even to the distant groups of islands. The effect was electrical. Without ever having seen a missionary, several islands, incited by mere report, deliberately renounced idolatry, and abjured heathenism. Successive bands of missionaries have been sent forth, and an army of native assistants have devoted themselves to the cause of missions. The work of evangelizing these islands has advanced with amazing rapidity. From the last report of the London Missionary Society, they have stations on three of the Georgian islands, five of the Society, six of the Hervey, and seveTal of the Austral, Paumota, Navigator's and Marquesas groups.

The success of the Wesleyans at the Friendly ishands is almost incredible. In one year, three thousand three hundred and twenty-nine were added to church fellowship.

More than one hundred native missionaries are employed. In one year, sixteen thousand eight hundred books were issued from the press. Since the establishment of the mission nine years ago, about ten thousand natives have embraced the profession of Christianity ; of whom four thousand four hundred are communicants. There is no limit to the usefulness of the mission, but the physical strength of the missionaries.

The Sandwich Islands. This mission was commenced by the American Board in 1820. Twentytwo missionaries arrived in July of that year. Before they reached the islands, the natives had heard the rummor from the Society cluster-three thousand miles distant, and such was the mighty influence of this reiterated report, that the government and people determined to abandon idolatry, and commit their images and all the monuments of their former heathenism to the flames. The first news which saluted the ears of the missionaries on their arrival was, “ Tamahmaha is dead--the taboos are broken--the idols are burnt- the morais are destroyed, and the priesthood abolished.”

The labors of the missionaries so auspiciously commenced have resulted in the most favorable changes, as well in the intellectual, social and civil, as in the religious condition of the islanders,

A few years ago, about one third of the whole population were connected with the schools-nine hundred of the natives were employed as school-masters. Lately the mission has experienced some trying reverses. Most of the schools formerly under the instruction of native teachers have been partially or wholly suspended. The want of sufficiently qualified teachers—those formerly employed being themselves but children in knowledge --and the fact that the authority of the rulers, which for a time kept the schools in operation, is now relaxed, are among the principal reasons. The influence and conduct of unprincipled Europeans has been a serious disadvantage to the Gospel in these islands.

At present the missions are recovering from the shock-good has resulted from the trial, and the work