Wheeler with copies of the Scriptures and a large number of religious tracts in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Before leaving Tahiti, a meeting was held at Papara on board the Henry Freeling for all who could speak English, soon after which the way seemed clear to embark for the Island of Eimeo.

Dangers again attended, the vessel made a formidable pitch, and the mizzen mast was broken away. Still the good little craft, by the blessing of Him who commands the winds and the waves, carried them safely through, the pilot frequently crying out "Maitai, Maitai " "Good, good," or in tolerable English, "She works well." Charles Wheeler, writing of Taloo Harbour, says: "This is a most romantic spot surrounded by almost perpendicular hills, towering nearly four thousand feet, with a broken fantastic outline. Its scenery is wilder and more diversified, and the ridges are much more angular and rugged than those of Tahiti, some of them, where huge black rocks and foliage blend in the obscurity of

distance, resembling the broken fragments of a stupendous ruin."

At the meeting held on shore, Alexander Simpson, the resident missionary, read the certificates of the stranger-friend, who after a solemn pause spoke to them of the unsearchable riches of Christ. It was thought there were twelve hundred present.

On their way to visit the opposite side of the island, they landed and explored the largest Marai in the South Seas, called Orua, where human sacrifices were offered in the days of heathenism. "Much of the hewn stone work," says Daniel Wheeler, "is yet to be seen, and the upright stones are still remaining, placed in a position best adapted to accommodate the backs of the priests when praying, and from whence they could witness the sacrifices of the wretched human victims.” Charles Wheeler speaks of its ruined piles of rock, its consecrated enclosures, praying-stones and venerable grove of Aitos and Tamanus trees. He adds: "After surveying this gloomy grove, once associated with scenes of horror and death, we

continued an intricate passage through innumerable beds of coral, till we reached Afareaitu, and were cordially welcomed by the resident English family."

After the regular service with the people, conducted by A. Simpson, was finished, Daniel Wheeler addressed them in very plain terms, especially warning them of the evil consequences of strong drink, which was, alas! put in their way. He showed them that their only strength was from above, quoting, "Draw nigh unto God and He

will

draw nigh unto you, resist the devil and he

will flee from you." "Several of the people went out," continues the Journal, "when strong drink was mention, but the Queen (Pomare V.) and her party, with all the principal authorities and judges from Tahiti, as well as those from this island, were present and remained to the last.

Only

one man and one woman ventured to shake

hands with me. Paofai, one of the principal chiefs,

told

A. Simpson that he wished, in reply to my

testimony borne in the meeting, to have said

on

behalf of the natives of these Islands and

himself that he hoped I would go to Britain and beg the people to have mercy on them, and then go to America, and beg the people there also to have mercy on them, because it was these countries that sent the poison amongst them.

The Island of Huahine was their next destination; it was supposed that about 1,000 persons out of the whole population of 1,760 were present at the meeting, Charles Barff, the missionary, acting as interpreter.

Here they accepted an invitation to dinner from Manini, their pilot through the reef. It ran as follows (translation) :

"As I know not the names of you two gentlemen, I address you thus generally. Dear Friends, all peace to you after diving through the waves all the way to Tahiti. This is my little word, to which I desire you two to agree. passionate me, and come to my little dinner about one or two of the day—a little friendly meeting. May you two be saved by Jehovah.

Com

"MANINI."

Our friends attended by invitation a convention of the authorities of the island, at which more than a thousand people were

present. The

children were reminded by one of the orators that in the days of superstition and idolatry many of them would have been offered as human sacrifices. "But now look round," said he, "at the comforts and blessings we enjoy; and how did they all come but by the introduction of Christianity amongst us. It was all the goodness and mercy and love of Jehovah in sending the Gospel among us. Your address to us last Sabbath-day in the chapel astonished us. I thought you had got the Bible in your head. We are happy to have a teacher come among us, then we have two teachers, one within and one without. You told us that a mere outward profession of religion was nothing: that it would not benefit us. The Holy Spirit of the Messiah in the heart is what we must learn to be acquainted with," &c. "We have formerly been a very wicked people; our island has been worse than any other in these seas. Captain Cook said so he found us so; we were the greatest thieves