{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_41258/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_41258","id":"gutenberg_41258","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41258","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Biographies","Category: History - Modern (1750+)","Category: History - Religious","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Marsden, Samuel, 1765-1838","Missions -- French Polynesia -- Tahiti (Island)","Missions -- New Zealand","M\u0101ori (New Zealand people)"],"text":"MEMOIRS\n\n OF\n\n _The Life and Labours_\n\n OF THE\n\n REV. SAMUEL MARSDEN,\n\n OF PARAMATTA,\n\n SENIOR CHAPLAIN OF NEW SOUTH WALES;\n\n AND OF HIS EARLY CONNEXION WITH THE MISSIONS\n TO NEW ZEALAND AND TAHITI.\n\n EDITED BY THE\n\n REV. J. B. MARSDEN, M.A.,\n\n AUTHOR OF \"THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY AND LATER PURITANS,\" ETC. ETC.\n\n\n LONDON:\n THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY;\n 56, PATERNOSTER ROW; 65, ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD;\n AND 164, PICCADILLY:\n AND SOLD BY THE BOOKSELLERS.\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTORY NOTE.\n\n\nThe Editor would make his kind acknowledgments to the Church Missionary\nand London Missionary Societies for the free use of the hitherto\nunpublished correspondence of Mr. Samuel Marsden in their hands; and to\nJ. S. Nicholas, Esq., who accompanied Mr. Marsden on his first visit to\nNew Zealand, for the use of a valuable manuscript account of his\nresidence in New South Wales, containing much information respecting Mr.\nMarsden. He has also had before him a manuscript life of Mr. Marsden by\nLieut. Sadleir of Paramatta, from which several extracts are made. And\nlastly, he would acknowledge the courtesy of those surviving friends who\nhave placed in his hands Mr. Marsden's autograph letters to themselves\nor deceased members of their families. From these several sources the\nwork has been chiefly compiled.\n\nThe Editor may be permitted to add, that the similarity of his name\nhaving led to the general conclusion (which however is incorrect) that\nhe was related to Mr. Samuel Marsden, he has been repeatedly urged to\npublish his life. At length this request being renewed by the Religious\nTract Society, into whose hands some valuable papers and documents had\nfallen, he was induced to comply with their wishes, under the conviction\nthat the facts and incidents, as well as the moral grandeur, of Mr.\nMarsden's life, were too important to be suffered to lie any longer in\ncomparative obscurity. There are ample materials for a much larger\nvolume; but of course the Editor has been obliged to select what\nappeared to be most suitable for general usefulness.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n PAGE\n\n Introductory Note iii\n\n CHAPTER I.\n Early life of Mr. Samuel Marsden--His appointment to New\n South Wales--Voyage, and arrival in the Colony 1\n\n CHAPTER II.\n Discovery and early History of New South Wales--Becomes a\n Penal Settlement--Its state, moral and religions, on Mr.\n Marsden's arrival 11\n\n CHAPTER III.\n Mr. Marsden appointed to the Magistracy--Objections to\n this considered--Cultivates Land--Charge of Secularity\n considered--His connexion with the London Missionary\n Society, and care of its Polynesian Mission--Revisits\n England in 1807 26\n\n Distant view of Sydney (_Engraving_) 27\n\n CHAPTER IV.\n Various measures devised for the benefit of New South\n Wales--The establishment of Missions in New\n Zealand--Friendship with Dr. Mason Good 47\n\n CHAPTER V.\n Return to the Colony--Duaterra--His strange Adventures--Mr.\n Marsden's Labours in New South Wales--Aborigines--Their\n Habits--Plans for their Civilization 63\n\n CHAPTER VI.\n Mr. Marsden's Correspondence with the London Missionary\n Society--Buys the brig Active--His First Voyage to New\n Zealand--Journal of Events 85\n\n CHAPTER VII.\n Death of Duaterra--Trials of Mr. Marsden in the\n Colony--Libel of Philo-free--Letter to the Rev. George\n Burder--To Dr. Mason Good--Sympathy of his Friends in\n England--Congratulations of the 46th Regiment, and Mr. M's\n acknowledgment--Letters of Lord Gambier, Rev. C. Simeon,\n and Mrs. Fry 108\n\n CHAPTER VIII.\n Tooi and Teterree--Mr. Marsden's Second Voyage to New\n Zealand--Progress of the Gospel there--Shunghie--His\n ferocity--Mr. Marsden returns to New South Wales--Third\n Voyage to New Zealand--Malicious charges brought against\n him in his absence--A Commission of Inquiry--Its\n result--Letters, etc.--Approbation of the Government 129\n\n The Bay of Islands, New Zealand (_Engraving_) 133\n\n CHAPTER IX.\n Fourth Visit to New Zealand--Trials and Successes of the\n various Missions--Shipwreck and Danger of Mr. Marsden and\n the Rev. S. Leigh--Returns home--Letter to Avison Terry,\n Esq. 167\n\n CHAPTER X.\n Aborigines--South Sea Mission--Fresh Slanders on Mr.\n Marsden's character--His Pamphlet in self-defence--Letter\n of Messrs. Bennett and Tyerman--Libels and Action at\n Law--Verdict--Case of Ring--Pastoral Letters of Mr. Marsden:\n To a Lady; On the Divinity of Christ--Fifth Voyage to New\n Zealand--Letters, etc. 184\n\n CHAPTER XI.\n Death of Dr. Mason Good--Malicious charges brought against\n Mr. Marsden and confuted--Sixth Voyage to New Zealand--\n Frightful state of the Island--Battle of the Maories--Their\n Cannibalism--Progress of the Mission--Mr. Marsden's\n return--Death of Mrs. Marsden--Anticipation of his own\n decease 212\n\n CHAPTER XII.\n State of New South Wales--The Aborigines--Cruelties\n practised upon them--Attempts to civilize and convert\n them--They fail--Mr. Marsden's Seventh Visit to New\n Zealand--His Daughter's Journal--Affection of the\n Natives--Progress of the Mission--Danger from European\n vices--Returns in H. M. S. Rattlesnake to Sydney 232\n\n Paramatta Church (_Engraving_) 233\n\n CHAPTER XIII.\n Mr. Marsden's ministerial pursuits and journeys--Love\n of the Country and of Patriarchal story--His Old Age--Its\n mental features--Anecdotes--Love of Children--Bishop\n Broughton--His reverence for Mr. Marsden's character--Mr.\n Marsden's views of Death, etc.--His Habits of Prayer--His\n Illness and Death 260\n\n CHAPTER XIV.\n Character of Mr. Marsden--His Life and Labours 280\n\n APPENDIX I.\n\n Progress of the Gospel and of Civilization in New Zealand,\n since Mr. Marsden's Decease 295\n\n APPENDIX II.\n\n State and Prospects of the Protestant Mission at Tahiti,\n under the French Protectorate 311\n\n\n\n\nLIFE\n\nOF\n\nTHE REVEREND SAMUEL MARSDEN.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\n Early Life of Mr. Samuel Marsden--His appointment to New South\n Wales--Voyage, and arrival in the Colony.\n\n\nSamuel Marsden, whose life is sketched in the following pages, was not\nennobled by birth or rank, nor was he greatly distinguished by splendid\ntalents. Yet he was, in the true sense, a great man; and he was an\ninstance, one of the most striking of modern times, of the vast results\nwhich may be accomplished when an honest heart, a clear head, and a\nresolute mind and purpose, are directed, under the influence of the\ngrace of God, to the attainment of a noble object. While he lived he\nshared the usual lot of those whose large philanthropy outruns the\nnarrow policy of those around them. His motives were seldom understood,\nand in consequence he was thwarted and maligned. Nor was it till death\nhad removed him from the scene that either the grandeur of his projects\nor the depth of his self-denying, unobtrusive piety was generally\nappreciated. At length, however, his character has begun to be revered.\nIt is perceived that he was, at least, a far-sighted man; and that in\nhis own labours he was laying the foundations for the successes of\nthousands; while in the church of Christ he is had in reverence as the\nApostle of New Zealand--a title of high distinction, yet by no means\nmisapplied to one who, in the simplicity of his faith as well as in zeal\nand self-denying labours, was truly an apostolic man.\n\nOf his early life the memorials are but scanty. His father was a\ntradesman at Horsforth, a village in the neighbourhood of Leeds; and\nboth his parents are known in the traditions of his family as having\nbeen persons of integrity and piety, attached to the ministry of the\nWesleyan Methodists. He was born on the 28th of July, 1764, and after\nreceiving the elements of learning at a village school, was placed in\nthe free grammar-school of Hull, of which the celebrated Dr. Joseph\nMilner, the ecclesiastical historian, and brother to the no less eminent\nDr. Isaac Milner, dean of Carlisle, was then head master. Here he was on\nthe same form with Dr. Dealtry, the late rector of Clapham and\nchancellor of Winchester. Of his early youth little more is known; for\nhis modesty, rather than any sentiment of false shame, to which indeed\nhis whole nature was opposed, seldom permitted him to speak of himself,\nor to dwell upon the adventures or incidents of his early life. He was\nremoved from school to take his share in his father's business; but he\nnow had higher thoughts, and longed to be a minister of Christ. That he\nwas a young man of more than ordinary promise is at once evident from\nthe fact, that he was adopted by the Elland Society and placed at St.\nJohn's college, Cambridge, to study for the ministry of the church of\nEngland.\n\nThe Elland Society, so called from the parish in which its meetings are\nheld, is an institution to which the cause of evangelical truth in the\nchurch of England has been much indebted for the last sixty or seventy\nyears. It is simply an association of pious members of the church of\nEngland, who assist young men of enlightened zeal and suitable talents\nwith the means of obtaining an education with a view to the Christian\nministry. In its early days, the funds were supplied by Thornton,\nSimeon, Wilberforce, and others like minded with themselves; and the\nsociety was managed by a few devoted clergymen of Yorkshire and the\nneighbouring counties; amongst whom were Venn of Huddersfield and Joseph\nMilner. To this society Samuel Marsden was introduced by his friend the\nReverend Mr. Whittaker, a neighbouring clergyman; and not without some\napprehensions, it is said, on the part of the latter, lest his simple\nand unassuming manner should create a prejudice against him. Such\nanxieties were superfluous. The Milners themselves had fought their way\nto eminence from the weaver's loom, and well knew how to distinguish\nreal worth, however unpretending. The piety, the manly sense, and the\nmodest bearing of the candidate, at once won the confidence of the\nexaminers; and he was sent to college at their expense.\n\nOf his college life we are not aware that any memorials have been\npreserved. He was, no doubt, a diligent student; and from the warm\nfriendship which grew up between himself and Mr. Simeon in after life,\nwe may infer that he profited from his ministry. He had not yet\ncompleted his studies or taken his degree, when, to his great surprise,\nan offer was made to him by the government, of a chaplaincy in what was\nthen designated \"His Majesty's territory of New South Wales.\" That a\npost of such importance should have been offered, unsolicited, to a\nstudent hitherto quite unknown, is supposed to have been owing to the\ninfluence of Mr. Wilberforce. He had already secured the appointment of\nmore than one pious chaplain to the colony, and from its commencement\nhad always been anxious to promote its moral and religious welfare. At\nfirst, Mr. Marsden declined the tempting offer; for such it undoubtedly\nwas to a young man in his circumstances, although no human sagacity\ncould then foresee its vast importance. He was naturally anxious to\ncomplete his studies, and he had a deep and unaffected sense of his own\nincompetence, while yet so young and inexperienced. The offer, however,\nwas repeated and pressed upon him, when he modestly replied, that he was\n\"sensible of the importance of the post--so sensible, indeed, that he\nhardly dared to accept it upon any terms, but if no more proper person\ncould be found, he would consent to undertake it.\" The choice reflects,\nno doubt, great credit upon the sagacity and spiritual discernment of\nthose who made it. \"Young as he was,\" says one who knew him well in\nafter life, Dr. Mason Good, \"he was remarkable for a firmness of\nprinciple, an intrepidity of spirit, a suavity of manner, a strong\njudgment, and above all, a mind stored with knowledge and deeply\nimpressed with religious truth, which promised the happiest results.\"\n\nHe was accordingly appointed as second chaplain to the settlement in New\nSouth Wales, by a royal commission, bearing date 1st January, 1793. He\nwas ordained shortly afterwards, and proceeded at once to Hull, from\nwhence he was to take his passage in a convict transport, the only\nconveyance, at that period, for the far distant colony; a banishment of\nhalf a world. On the 21st of April, he was married to Miss Elizabeth\nTristan, in whom, for upwards of thirty years, he found not only an\naffectionate and faithful wife, but a companion singularly qualified to\nshare his labours and lighten his toils. Disinterested and generous as\nhe was, even to a fault, it was to her admirable management that not\nonly his domestic comfort, but even his means of assisting others so\nprofusely, was owing in no small degree. While at Hull, an incident\noccurred which shows to what an extent, even thus early in life, he\npossessed the art of gaining the respect and warm affection of those who\nknew him however slightly. While waiting for the sailing of the ship, he\nwas frequently asked to officiate in various churches. One Sunday\nmorning, when he was just about to enter the pulpit, a signal-gun was\nheard; his ship was about to sail, and it was of course impossible for\nhim to preach. Taking his bride under his arm, he immediately left the\nchurch and walked down to the beach; but he was attended by the whole\ncongregation, who, as if by one movement, followed in a body. From the\nboat into which he stepped he gave his parting benedictions, which they\nreturned with fervent prayers, and tender farewells. He now found\nhimself in a new world. What contrast could indeed be greater, or more\ndistressing? The calm, though vigorous pursuits of Cambridge, and the\npious circle of warm Christian friends, were at once exchanged for the\nsociety of felons, and the doubly irksome confinement of a convict-ship.\nFrom his journal, which has been fortunately preserved, we make the\nfollowing extracts, omitting much which our space does not permit us to\ninsert.\n\n \"_Sunday, 28th August, 1793._--This morning we weighed anchor, with\n a fair wind, and have sailed well all the day. How different this\n sabbath to what I have been accustomed to! Once I could meet the\n people of God, and assemble with them in the house of prayer; but\n now am deprived of this valuable privilege; and instead of living\n among those who love and serve the Lord Jesus, spending the\n sabbath in prayer and praise, I hear nothing but oaths and\n blasphemies. Lord, keep me in the midst of them, and grant that I\n may neither in word or deed countenance their wicked practices.\"\n\nIt was not till the 30th of September that the fleet in which his ship\nsailed finally left Cork. The war with France was then raging, and her\nfleets were still formidable; so that our merchantmen only ventured to\nput to sea in considerable numbers, and under the convoy of a ship of\nwar.\n\n \"_Cork, 30th September._--This morning the signal was given by the\n commodore for all the ships under his convoy to weigh anchor and\n prepare for sea. About nine o'clock the whole fleet was under\n sail, which consisted of about forty ships. The wind was very\n fair, so that we were quickly in the main ocean. I was soon\n affected by the motion of the vessel; this rendered me quite unfit\n for any religious duties. Oh! how miserable must their state be\n who have all their religion to seek when sickness and death come\n upon them. Lord, grant that this may never be my case.\n\n \"_Monday, 23rd October._--I have this day been reading a portion\n of Dr. Dodd's 'Prison Thoughts.' What an awful instance of human\n infirmity is here! What need of humility in every situation, but\n more especially in the ministerial office! How needful the\n apostle's caution, 'Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed\n lest he fall.'\"\n\nThe two following entries will be read with pain. The mercantile marine\nof England is still capable of great improvement in matters of religion,\nbut we hope the instances are few in which the commander of a first rate\nmerchant vessel would follow the examples they record.\n\n \"_Sunday, 29th September._--How different is this sabbath from\n those I have formerly known, when I could meet with the great\n congregation! I long for those means and privileges again. 'Oh,\n when shall I come and appear before God?' Yet it is a great\n consolation to me to believe that I am in the way of my duty. I\n requested the captain to-day to give me permission to perform\n divine service to the ship's company; he rather hesitated, _said\n he had never seen a religious sailor_, but at length promised to\n have service the following Sunday.\n\n \"_Sunday, 6th October._--The last sabbath the captain promised me\n I should have liberty to perform divine service to-day, but to my\n great mortification, he now declines. How unwilling are the\n unconverted to hear anything of divine truth!\"\n\nBut Mr. Marsden was not one of those who are discouraged by a first\nrepulse. The next Sunday relates his triumph, and, from this time,\ndivine service, whenever the weather allowed, was statedly performed,\nthough the captain was a grossly immoral man, and Mr. M. was constantly\nsubject to annoyance.\n\n \"_Sunday, 13th._--I arose this morning with a great desire to\n preach to the ship's company, yet did not know how I should be\n able to accomplish my wish. We were now four ships in company. Our\n captain had invited the captains belonging to the other three to\n dine with us to-day. As soon as they came on board I mentioned my\n design to one of them, who immediately complied with my wish, and\n said he would mention it to our captain, which he did, and\n preparations were made for me to preach. I read part of the church\n prayers, and afterwards preached from the 3rd chapter of St John,\n the 14th and 15th verses: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the\n wilderness,' etc. The sailors stood on the main deck, I and the\n four captains upon the quarter-deck; they were attentive, and the\n good effects were apparent during the remainder of the day.\n\n \"_Thursday, 12th December._--I have been reading of the success of\n Mr. Brainerd among the Indians. How the Lord owned and blessed his\n labours to the conversion of the heathen! Nothing is too hard for\n the Lord. This gives me encouragement under my present difficult\n undertaking. The same power can also effect a change upon those\n hardened ungodly sinners to whom I am about to carry the words of\n eternal life.\n\n \"_January 1st, 1794._--A new year. I wish this day to renew my\n covenant with God, and to give myself up to his service more than\n ever I have done heretofore. May my little love be increased, my\n weak faith strengthened, and hope confirmed.\"\n\nIn this humble yet trustful spirit, Mr. Marsden entered his new field of\nlabour. On board the ship there were a number of convicts, whose daring\nwickedness--in which, indeed, they were countenanced by the whole\nconduct of the captain and his crew--grieved his righteous soul from day\nto day; while at the same time it prepared him, in some measure, for\nscenes amidst which his life was to be spent. \"I am surrounded,\" he\nsays, \"with evil-disposed persons, thieves, adulterers, and blasphemers.\nMay God keep me from evil, that I may not be tainted by the evil\npractices of those amongst whom I live.\" His last sermon was preached,\n\"notwithstanding the unwillingness there was in all on board to hear the\nword of God,\" from the vision of dry bones (Ezekiel xxvxii.) \"I found\nsome liberty, and afterwards more comfort in my own soul. I wish to be\nfound faithful at last, and to give up my account with joy to God.\" To\nadd to his anxieties, Mrs. Marsden was confined on shipboard, in stormy\nweather, and under circumstances peculiarly distressing, \"though both\nthe mother and daughter did well.\" But the same day the scene\nbrightened; the perils and privations of the voyage were drawing to a\nclose, and they were in sight of their future home--that magnificent\nAustralia--destined hereafter to assume, perhaps, a foremost place among\nthe nations of the earth, though scarcely known to Europe when Mr.\nMarsden first stepped upon its shores; and valued only by the British\ngovernment as a settlement for the refuse of our jails. He thus gives\nutterance to the feelings of a grateful heart:--\n\n \"_March 2nd._--I shall ever retain a grateful sense of the mercies\n received this day, and the deliverances wrought. The Lord is good,\n and a stronghold in the day of trouble, and knows them that fear\n him.... As soon as I had the opportunity to go upon deck, I had\n the happiness again to behold the land: it was a very pleasing\n sight, as we had not seen it since the 3rd of December. We came up\n with the Cape about noon.\"\n\nIn a few days, Mr. Marsden had taken up his abode in the \"barracks\" of\nParamatta, a few miles from Port Jackson, and entered upon his arduous\nand toilsome duties as chaplain to the colony. His first Sunday in\nAustralia is thus described:--\"Saw several persons at work as I went\nalong, to whom I spoke, and warned them of the evil of sabbath-breaking.\nMy mind was deeply affected with the wickedness I beheld going on. I\nspoke from the 6th chapter of Revelation.--'Behold the great day of his\nwrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?' As I was returning home,\na young man followed me into the wood, and told me how he was distressed\nfor the salvation of his soul. He seemed to manifest the strongest marks\nof contrition, and to be truly awakened to a sense of his danger. I hope\nthe Lord will have many souls in this place.\" He had, for a short time,\na single associate, in the Rev. Mr. Johnson, the senior chaplain, a good\nand useful minister, but unequal to the difficulties peculiar to his\nsituation. This gentleman soon relinquished his appointment, and\nreturned to England. And thus Mr. Marsden was left alone with a charge\nwhich might have appalled the stoutest heart, and under which even his\nwould have given way, had he not learned to cast himself for help on One\nwho comforted the apostle, under circumstances of the keenest suffering,\nwith the assurance, \"My grace is sufficient for thee.\" On that grace our\nmissionary chaplain trusted; and he found it all-sufficient.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\n Discovery and early History of New South Wales--Becomes a Penal\n Settlement--Its state, moral and religious, on Mr. Marsden's\n arrival.\n\n\nThe colony in which Mr. Marsden was now entering on his labours, and on\nwhich he was to leave the impression both of his holy zeal, and his\nfar-sighted practical wisdom, is one of whose history our readers may\nnaturally wish to have some account. We shall therefore suspend our\nnarrative for a few pages, and lay before them a brief sketch of the\nearlier days of the great Australian colony.\n\nEuropeans are indebted for their first knowledge of the existence of the\nvast country which now bears the name of Australia, to the enterprise of\nSpain and Holland, when these nations were at the head of the world's\ncommerce, two centuries and a half ago. In 1607, Luis de Torres, who was\nsent out by the Spanish government on a voyage of discovery, passed\nthrough the straits which still bear his name, and which separate New\nGuinea from the greater continent of Australia; but he was not aware of\nits vast extent, and merely concluded that the coasts along which he\nsailed were those of a group of islands. Just about the same time, the\nDutch explored the eastern shores of what has since been termed the Gulf\nof Carpentaria; and their knowledge of Australia was extended by\nsubsequent voyagers, of whom the chief was Abel Tasman. In 1642, he\ndiscovered Van Diemen's Land, which was long supposed to be a part of\nthe great continent named by the Dutch New Holland--the Australia of\nmodern times. Known as Tasmania, Van Diemen's Land now immortalizes the\ngreat sea-captain. But these discoveries led to no immediate results of\nimportance; and for upwards of a century New Holland was laid down, in\ncharts and maps, as a region whose coasts were not defined, and whose\ninterior was utterly unknown. Early in the reign of George the Third a\nnoble spirit of enterprise animated the British government. Voyages of\ndiscovery were undertaken in the Southern Seas, under Captains Wallace,\nCarteret, and others; and at length the celebrated Captain Cook may be\nsaid to have retrieved a new world from romance and fable, and to have\nmade it over to England and to the best interests of mankind.\n\nOn the evening of the 19th of April, 1770, unknown land was descried\nfrom the mast-head of the \"Resolute,\" of which Cook was the commander.\nThe rugged coast of a vast continent seemed to extend far beyond the\nsweep of the telescope; and as the sun went down, the vessel, after\nsoundings, dropped her anchor within a spacious bay. The smoke of\ndistant fires told that the land was not without inhabitants; and it was\ndetermined, if possible, to open a communication with them. In the\nmorning, a boat was rowed on shore, and the first Englishman set his\nfoot upon Australia. A forest extended to the beach, and dipped its\nbranches into the sea; while an abundant variety of beautiful flowering\nshrubs delighted the eye; and from this circumstance \"Botany Bay\"\nreceived its European name. A dismal solitude prevailed; for the\nnatives, one or two of whom had been observed crouching behind the\nrocks, fled in terror to the woods as the boat approached. After\nspending a few hours on shore in search of water and fresh vegetables,\nand in the vain attempt to communicate with the savages, the boat\nreturned at night. The bay was found to abound with fish; and the\nsailors were glad to relieve the weary monotony of their many months at\nsea, as well as to provide an agreeable change from their diet of salt\nmeat and mouldy biscuits, in fishing both with nets and lines. Fish too\nwas a wholesome diet for the sick; and at this period, even in the navy,\nsickness, especially from the scurvy, almost invariably attended a long\nvoyage.\n\nThe natives, seeing the men thus employed, discovered in our sailors\nsome tastes common to themselves, and at length ventured towards the\nfishermen in a couple of light canoes. After paddling about for some\ntime in evident suspense, they ventured to approach the boat, then came\nstill nearer and shouted, and having caught a few beads which were\nthrown out to them, immediately retired. Gaining courage from the\npeaceful conduct of our sailors, who were instructed to continue their\nfishing without any attempt to follow them, the natives soon returned\nwith a canoe laden with fine fish, which they readily bartered for such\ntrifles as the boat was provided with. They were invited, by signs, to\ncome on board the ship lying in the offing, which they soon ventured to\ndo in considerable numbers. At first, they seemed harmless, scarcely\nunderstanding the use of the various novelties on ship board, and not\nmuch surprised by them; and honest, until the sight of ten or twelve\nfine turtle crawling on the deck proved too great a temptation. First,\nby signs they begged for some of these, and then, not succeeding, made a\nchildish attempt to carry them off by force. They set little value on\nthe beads and baubles which generally have so great a charm for savages.\nNothing tempted them to barter but turtle or iron tools and nails,\nneither of which could well be spared. On shore it was found almost\nimpossible to approach them; such was the distrust and dismay with which\nthey evidently regarded the intrusion of their strange visitors. On\nfurther acquaintance the savages were discovered to be a singularly\nhelpless and timid race. Their country appeared to be very thinly\npeopled, and that chiefly along the coast, for fish were plentiful and\nwild animals were few. Of the latter, the largest was scarcely bigger\nthan a greyhound, and the first sight of it caused great amazement to\nthe sailors, one of whom rushed into the tent which had been pitched on\nthe shore for the use of the sick, declaring, with horror depicted on\nhis countenance, that he had seen an evil spirit. He described it as\nhaving assumed the colour of a mouse with two fore-paws, but that it sat\nupon its hind quarters \"like a Christian.\" An animal answering this\ndescription was soon after shot, and the flesh, when roasted, proved\nexcellent food; it was called by the natives the kangaroo, and had\nhitherto been quite unknown to Europeans. There were no beasts of prey;\nunless wild dogs deserved that title, but the long grass concealed vast\nnumbers of snakes and scorpions. At night, the forests were disturbed by\nthe hideous flight of huge bats; by day, they echoed to the whooping of\ncockatoos and the screaming of innumerable parrots. Crows and a few wild\npigeons were occasionally seen, and the rocks abounded with wild fowl,\nwhile now and then an eagle might be seen soaring far above. Such were\nthe first impressions which Englishmen received, from their great\nvoyager, of that vast continent.\n\nOn the return of Captain Cook, the accounts he brought home of New South\nWales suggested to the government the idea of making it a vast\nprison-house for convicted felons, who had now become a sore burden, as\nwell as a cause of grave uneasiness, to this country. Its distance and\nits solitude recommended it to their choice. It would effectually rid\nthe mother country of a dangerous class--this was the argument of the\nselfish; and it would afford the lost the opportunity of starting afresh\nin life--this was the hope of the few benevolent and humane who cared\nfor the welfare of convicted felons. No one thought of the future\ngrandeur of Australia. None wrote or spoke at present of our duties to\nthe aboriginal savages, or probably wasted a thought on the subject of\ntheir conversion.\n\nIn 1778, Botany Bay was selected by Sir Joseph Banks, who had sailed\nwith Captain Cook as a naturalist and scientific observer, as a most\neligible site for a penal settlement. But the project was no sooner\nbroached than it had to encounter the most determined opposition from\nthe public, to most of whom it seemed no doubt utterly chimerical and\nabsurd. The \"Gentleman's Magazine,\" the great organ of literature and\nscience at that time, led the van. At first the editors affected to\ntreat the scheme as an extravagant hoax; afterwards they tell their\nreaders \"with what alarm they read in the public prints that so wild a\nproject was actually to be carried into execution.\" However, \"it could\nnever be countenanced by any professional man after a moment's\nreflection. Not only the distance, but the utter impossibility of\ncarrying a number of male and female felons across the line, without\nthe ravages of putrid disorders sweeping them off by the score, must for\never render such a plan abortive. The rains, the heats, tempests,\ntornados, and mountainous seas to be encountered, were enough to deter\nthe most reckless of human life from such a hazardous enterprise. If any\nsuch desperadoes could be found, they ventured to foretell that their\nfate would for ever be a warning to others not to repeat the attempt.\"\nThe subject was not suffered to rest; a few months afterwards SYLVANUS\nURBAN--for under this name the editors of that able journal have for\nupwards of a century disguised themselves--returned to the charge. \"The\nostensible design of the projector,\" they say, \"to prepare a settlement\nfor the reception of felons on the most barren, least inhabited, and\nworst cultivated country in the southern hemisphere, was beyond belief.\"\nMoreover, \"Botany Bay was beyond the reach of succour or assistance from\nany European settlement.\"\n\nThen again the lavish expense of such an establishment was another\nserious objection. \"It was said that it was to consist of a\npost-captain, a governor, with a salary of 500_l._ a-year, a master, and\ncommander. A lieutenant-governor, with 300_l._ a-year, four captains,\ntwelve subalterns, twelve sergeants, and one hundred and sixty rank and\nfile from the marines; a surgeon, chaplain, and quartermaster. The whole\nequipment, army, navy, and felons, were to be supplied with two years'\nprovisions, and all sorts of implements for the culture of the earth,\nand hunting and fishing. Some slight buildings were to be run up until a\nproper fort and a town could be erected. If such a report could be true,\nthe expense would equal that of an expedition to the South Seas against\nan enemy.\" If such extravagance were repeated with every freight of\nfelons, \"it would furthermore extinguish all hope of paying off the\nnational debt.\"\n\nWe leave the reader to smile while he muses on the short-sightedness\neven of wise men, and the strange fluctuations of human opinion. The\ngovernment persevered in spite of these prophetic warnings; which\nprobably represented the general state of feeling on the subject among\neducated men in England, with whom, in those days, _Sylvanus_ was no\nmean authority. Accordingly, in March 1787, eleven sail, consisting of\nthe frigate Sirius, an armed tender, three store-ships, and six\ntransports, assembled at Portsmouth, having on board five hundred and\nsixty-five male, and one hundred and ninety-two female convicts, under\nCaptain Arthur Phillip, an experienced officer, who was appointed\ngovernor of the new colony. The fleet set sail from the Mother Bank, on\nthe 13th of May, 1787, and after a tedious voyage of eight months, the\nwhole convoy arrived safely in Botany Bay in the middle of January,\n1788. But Captain Cook's description of the country surrounding the Bay\nwas found far too flattering--the harbour being exposed to tempestuous\ngales, which often rolled a heavy sea upon the beach, while the land was\ndeformed with swamps and barren sand banks. On pressing forward to a\nneighbouring creek, marked by Captain Cook as a mere boat harbour,\nGovernor Phillip had the satisfaction to find one of the finest havens\nin the world, in which a thousand sail of the line might ride in safety.\nIt was then called Port Jackson. The different coves of this harbour\nwere examined with all possible expedition, and the preference was given\nto one which had the finest spring of water, and in which ships might\nanchor so close to the shore that, at a very small expense, quays could\nbe constructed where the largest vessels might unload. This cove is\nabout half a mile in length, and about a quarter of a mile across at the\nentrance. In honour of Lord Sydney, the governor distinguished it by the\nname of Sydney Cove. On the twenty-sixth of February, 1788, the British\ncolours were displayed on these shores; the plan of an encampment, the\nfirst rude outline of the metropolitan city of SYDNEY, was formed. The\nspot chosen was at the head of the cove, near a stream of fresh water,\nwhich stole silently along by a thick wood now the site of crowded\nstreets, the stillness of which for the first time since the creation\nwas then broken by the rude sound of the labourer's axe, and the hum of\nbusy men. The anniversary of this great event has for some years been a\nfestival in New South Wales. Governor Phillip landed with a thousand and\nthirty souls; his live stock consisted of six head of horned cattle and\nseven horses. The town and district of Sydney has now a population of\nthree hundred thousand souls; every year the increase is enormous; and\nthe ratio of each year's increase exceeds the last.\n\nThese figures, however, make but a feeble impression upon us at a\ndistance. The colonists feel a warmth of enthusiasm such as only the\nsight of the marvellous contrast can create. We copy the following\nextract from the Sydney Herald on one of these anniversaries--\"the\nnativity of the city of Sydney and of the colony of New South Wales.\"\n\n\"When we compare the town and the country as they are now with what they\nwere then, we may well be proud of British enterprise, and of the local\nresources which it has so rapidly and triumphantly developed. How\nforcibly are we reminded of the miraculous transformation foretold by\nthe inspired son of Amoz--'The wilderness and the solitary place shall\nbe glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.'\nLet the imagination attempt this day to realize the enchanting contrast.\nAs we look upon the noble ships riding in our harbour, and the steamers,\nyachts, wherries, and boats innumerable, gliding to and fro amid the\njoyous excitements of the regatta, let us picture the three humble boats\nwhich, this day fifty-seven years,[A] were slowly creeping up the\nunknown waters of Port Jackson, in quest of a sure resting-place for our\nfirst predecessors. As we cast our eye over the elegant buildings which\nnow skirt our shores on either side, and over the crowds of well-dressed\nmen, women and children, who are keeping holiday on this our national\nfestival, let us think of the dense woods which then frowned on Governor\nPhillip, of the profound silence that reigned around him, of the awful\nsense of solitude with which he and his little band must have been\nimpressed, and of the exultation they would have felt could they have\nforeseen that, within so brief a term, the wilderness they were\napproaching would have become 'replenished' with a teeming population,\nand have been 'subdued' to the beauty and affluence of civilized life.\"\n\n [A] This was published in 1845.\n\nBut the dark side of this romantic picture must not be withheld. The\ninfant colony was chiefly composed of the worst class of felons; they\nwere the days of barbarous justice even in England, and it would often\nbe difficult to say why some convicts were sentenced to transportation,\nwhile others for lighter causes were punished with death. There was, at\nthat time, a fearful indifference to human life in our penal code.\nPunishment was its sole object; amendment was seldom if ever\ncontemplated. Amongst the convicts there was every shade of crime, but\nscarcely any corresponding gradation of punishment. The truth is, true\nreligion was at its lowest ebb, and pure philanthropy, in consequence,\nall but unknown; a formal, heartless religion prevailed; and, as one of\nits fruits, a stern and iron code of law. The convict-ship, which has\nnow become a reformatory school, was rivalled in its horrors only by the\nslave-ship; indeed if the physical suffering was greater in the latter,\nin moral torture and mental defilement the hold of the convict-ship had,\nbeyond all doubt, the bad pre-eminence.\n\nThe prisoners consisted of the most abandoned persons of all nations;\nBritish, Dutch, and Portuguese sailors, the polite swindler, and the\naudacious highwayman, with their female accomplices. They were shipped\noff in chains; during the passage outward a detachment of soldiers was\nconstantly on guard; and the voyage was seldom accomplished without\nbloodshed. The secret plots, in which the prisoners were continually\nengaged, broke out into open mutiny whenever circumstances offered a\nchance of success; for this purpose a storm, a leak, or a feigned\nsickness, was readily taken advantage of. When signs of such\ndisturbances showed themselves, the ringleaders were seized and tried in\na summary way by court martial; but the sailors often refused to enforce\nthe sentence, so that it became necessary to compel obedience with\nloaded muskets.\n\nThe hold of a convict-ship presented a melancholy picture of human\ndepravity. In the course of the voyage most of the felons survived the\nsense of shame: the sounds of ribaldry and boisterous mirth, mingled\nwith catches from the popular songs of the day, issued unceasingly from\nthe prisoners' deck; this uproar was ever and anon increased by more\nriotous disturbances, blows and bloodshed followed; and occasionally the\nmonotony of the voyage was broken by mock trials among the prisoners, to\nshow that even in the most profligate and abandoned the principle of\njustice was not altogether destroyed. When a prisoner committed an\noffence against his fellows, a judge was appointed, advocates were\nassigned to the prosecutor and the accused, a jury was sworn to try\naccording to the evidence, witnesses were examined, and the prisoner,\nbeing found guilty, was sentenced to an immediate and brutal punishment.\n\nFrom such elements the society of New South Wales was formed. Most of\nthe convicts, after a short servitude, obtained tickets-of-leave, and\nsettled upon the parcels of land allotted to them by government; and by\nthe improvement of such opportunities they easily drew a subsistence\nfrom the soil; others devoted themselves to the care of cattle; while\nmany more, as the colony increased, betook themselves to trade, by which\nmeans large fortunes were frequently acquired. Many of the convicts in\nthe course of a few years contrived to amass great wealth, which was\nexpended in the extension, or improvement of their property. The results\nof such industry were to be seen in the cleared inclosures, the neat\norchard, and the trim garden that here and there surrounded a well-built\nbrick-house. Even here honest labour seems to have been crowned with\nsuccess.\n\nFree settlers were at present few in number, and the convict on his\nplot of land had many advantages over them. From acquaintance with the\nclimate and the modes of cultivation best suited to the soil, as well as\nthe easiest method of carrying on agricultural operations, he had\nlearned to avoid many fruitless experiments. He understood the habits\nand character of the servants who assisted him, for the labourers were\nall of them felons; and he himself had probably shared the same cell,\nand worked in the same gang. He understood their principles of action;\nand they were infected with his prejudices. They lived together, ate at\nthe same board and slept under the same roof. Thus a good understanding\nwas maintained between them by his connivance with their follies or\ntheir vices. The men themselves always preferred a master who had been a\nprisoner to a free settler of stricter virtue, and a disposition less\nakin to their own; and for such an one they would make extraordinary\nexertions, of great importance at seed time and harvest, which a better\nmaster could not obtain at any cost.\n\nA brotherhood and close fellowship, the fruit of old associations,\nsprang up among the convict population. Many considered themselves as\nmartyrs to the vengeance rather than the justice of the law; others,\ntransported for political offences, regarded themselves in the light of\npatriots. In short a unity of interest cemented them; and each newly\narrived convict ship was heartily welcomed. When it anchored in the\nharbour boats swarmed around it, the decks were crowded, the new comers\nwere loaded with presents of fresh bread and other luxuries. They were\npressed with eager inquiries after absent friends, the comrades they had\nleft in English jails. They were greeted with the heartiness of old\ncompanions, and without reluctance exchanged the close confinement of\nthe convict ship for the fellowship of their old acquaintance on shore.\nThe colony at this time abounded with Irish who had shared in the\nrebellion of 1798, and who generally brought with them a fair knowledge\nof agriculture without very industrious habits. They attached little\nturpitude to their offences, considering themselves rather as sacrificed\nto the cause of freedom. Indeed it is well ascertained that some of them\nhad been banished without even the formality of a trial, some without\nany specific sentence as to the term of their transportation, victims to\nthe angry spirit of the times. They are described as, for the most part,\nconducting themselves with great propriety in the hope of one day\nregaining their freedom, and being restored to their long absent\nfriends. Such men as these proved excellent colonists, and successful\nsettlers.\n\nThe criminal history of the colony in its first years discloses a\ndreadful list of both crimes and punishments. Small bodies of the\nconvicts occasionally broke loose, fled to the woods, and there, setting\nall restraints at defiance, became reckless and ferocious. The dread of\npunishment did not restrain them from robbery, murder, and the most\nappalling crimes. The risks were well calculated, for the chances of\nconviction were few, and punishment was uncertain. If they were\ndetected, a convict, being dead in law, could not be summoned as a\nwitness. The jury would probably be composed of men who had been sharers\nin crimes of equal magnitude, perhaps old associates. The prisoners\nwould be defended by convict attorneys, a nefarious class with which the\ncolonial courts were filled. Ineffectual attempts were made to exclude\nthese men, but the influence they had been suffered already to attain,\nmade this impracticable. Amongst the most notorious of them was one who\nobtained a large practice by dint of his ingenuity, and managed the most\nimportant business in the colony. He had been some years previously\nsentenced to transportation for life, for forging a will. He had\nresorted to the ingenious device of putting a _fly_ into the mouth of a\ndead man, and then guiding his hand to trace his signature to the\nwriting; and, upon the trial, he swore, with audacious assurance, that\nhe saw the testator sign the will while _life_ was in him. In passing\nsentence, the late Lord Ellenborough took the opportunity of\ncongratulating the profession on getting rid of such a pest.\n\nThe records of the court are scarcely less painful than the history of\nthe criminals themselves. The punishments adjudged were frightfully\nsevere. If they did not reclaim the prisoner, they must have hardened\nhim beyond recovery, if indeed they did not in many instances torture\nhim to death. The men thus punished were already convicts it is true,\nand more than usual severity may have been justified. But no penal code\nemanating from a people professing the name of Christ may inflict savage\nand barbarous penalties. They recoil with disgrace upon the legislation\nwhich exacts them, and a whole nation is degraded in the person of its\nown malefactors; while God's displeasure is evident both in the increase\nand audacity of criminals on the one hand, and in the loss of humane and\nvirtuous sentiments throughout the community on the other. We have taken\nthree cases as a specimen of the method in which justice was dealt out\nto criminals in the early days of the colony in New South Wales.\n\n\"John Allen, stealing in dwelling-house to the value of forty shillings.\nPublicly whipped, hundred lashes, confined in solitary cell at Paramatta\non bread and water for six months, and hard labour at Newcastle three\nyears.\"\n\n\"Michael Hoare and James Gilchrist, feloniously and burglariously\nbreaking and entering Schoolhouse at Kissing Point, and stealing from\nthere divers articles of property. Twelve months solitary confinement at\nParamatta, two years hard labour in jail gang, then transported for life\nto Newcastle.\"\n\n\"John Hale, Robert Holton, and Peter Allen, killing a bullock with\nintent to steal the carcase. Solitary confinement on bread and water for\nthree years in Paramatta jail, afterwards two years labour in jail gang\nthere, and afterwards transportation for life to Newcastle.\"[B]\n\n [B] See Wentworth's Colony of New South Wales, second edition, 1820.\n\nSuch was the sphere of Mr. Marsden's labours, such the difficulties with\nwhich he had to contend, and the system, too, which, as a magistrate, he\nwas even called upon to administer. A more hopeless task could scarcely\nhave been undertaken; but he set himself vigorously to work, looking to\nthe Strong One for strength, and the fruit was \"seen after many days.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\n Mr. Marsden appointed to the Magistracy--Objections to this\n considered--Cultivates Land--Charge of Secularity considered--His\n connexion with the London Missionary Society, and care of its\n Polynesian Mission--Revisits England in 1807.\n\n\nThe retirement of the senior chaplain left Mr. Marsden in sole charge of\nthe spiritual concerns of the infant colony. He had now to officiate at\nthe three settlements of Sydney, Paramatta, and Hawkesbury without\nassistance. The nature of the population, consisting as it did of a mass\nof criminals, rendered his ministerial labours peculiarly distressing.\nThe state of morals was utterly depraved; oaths and ribaldry, and\naudacious lying were universal; marriage, and the sacred ties of\ndomestic life, were almost unknown, and those who, from their station,\nshould have set an example to the convicts and settlers, encouraged sin\nin others by the effrontery of their own transgressions. Under\ndiscouragement such as would have subdued the spirit of most men, did\nhe, for the long period of fourteen years, continue at his post; cheered\nit is true with occasional gleams of success, but upon the whole rather\na witness against abounding vice, than, at present, a successful\nevangelist. Nor were domestic trials wanting to complete that process of\nsalutary discipline by which \"the great Shepherd of the sheep\" was\npreparing his servant for other and wider scenes of labour, and for\ntriumphs greater than the church in these later days had known. His\nfirstborn son, a lovely and promising child scarcely two years old,\nwas thrown from its mother's arms by a sudden jerk of the gig in which\nthey were seated, and killed upon the spot. It would be impossible to\ndescribe the agonized feelings of the mother under such a bereavement,\nnor were the sorrows of the father less profound. He received the\ntidings, together with the body of his lifeless boy, we are told, with\n\"calm, and even dignified submission,\" for \"he was a man who said little\nthough he felt much.\" A second stroke, still more painful, was to\nfollow. Mrs. Marsden, determined not to hazard the safety of another\nchild, left her babe at home in charge of a domestic while she drove\nout. But her very precaution was the occasion of his death: the little\ncreature strayed into the kitchen unobserved, fell backwards into a pan\nof boiling water, and its death followed soon after. Thus early in his\nministerial career the iron entered his own soul, and taught him that\nsympathy for the wounded spirit which marked his character through life.\n\n[Illustration: DISTANT VIEW OF SYDNEY.]\n\nBut from these scenes of private suffering we must turn aside. The\npublic life and ministerial labours of Mr. Marsden require our\nattention; and as we enter upon the review of them we must notice two\ncircumstances which from the very outset of his career exposed him to\nfrequent suspicion and obloquy, both in the colony and at home, and\nformed in fact the chief materials, so to speak, out of which his\nopponents wove the calumnies with which they harassed the greater\nportion of his life.\n\nHe had scarcely arrived at his post when he was appointed a colonial\nmagistrate. Under ordinary circumstances, we should condemn in the\nstrongest manner the union of functions so obviously incompatible as\nthose of the Christian minister and the civil judge. To use the words of\na great living authority on judicial questions, a late lord\nchancellor,[C] \"it is the union of two noble offices to the detriment of\nboth.\" Yet it seems in the case before us, that the office was forced\nupon Mr. Marsden, not as a complimentary distinction, but as one of the\nstern duties of his position as a colonial chaplain, who was bound to\nmaintain the authority of the law amidst a population of lawless and\ndangerous men. Port Jackson, or Botany Bay as it was generally called,\nwas then and long afterwards merely a penal settlement. The governor was\nabsolute, and the discipline he enforced was, perhaps of necessity,\nharsh and rigid. Resistance to the law and its administrators was of\ndaily occurrence; life and property were always insecure, and even armed\nrebellion sometimes broke out. If the government thought it necessary,\nfor the safety of this extraordinary community, to select a minister of\nthe gospel to fill the office of a magistrate, he had no alternative but\nto submit, or else to resign his chaplaincy and return home. Mr. Marsden\nchose to remain; moved by the hope of being able to infuse something of\nthe spirit of the gospel into the administration of justice, and to\nintroduce far higher principles than those which he saw prevailing\namongst the magistrates themselves. In both of these objects he\nsucceeded to an eminent extent, though not till after the lapse of\nyears, and a remonstrance carried by himself in person to the government\nat home. Justice was dealt even to the greatest criminals more fairly,\nand the bench of magistrates grew at length ashamed, in the presence of\nthe chaplain of Paramatta, of its own hitherto unabashed licentiousness.\nBut the cost was great. He was involved in secular business from day to\nday, and that often of the most painful kind. His equal-handed justice\nmade him a host of personal enemies in those whose vices he punished;\nand, still more, in those whose corrupt and partial administration of\nthe law was rebuked by the example of his integrity. In the share he was\nobliged to take in the civil affairs of the colony differences of\nopinion would naturally arise, and angry feelings would, as usual\nfollow. Of course he was not free from human infirmity, his own temper\nwas sometimes disturbed. Thus for years, especially during his early\nresidence in New South Wales, he was in frequent collision with the\nmagistrates, and occasionally even with the governor. Again and again he\nwould have resigned his commission, but was not allowed to do so;\nmeanwhile his mind was often distracted and his character maligned. To\nthese trials we shall be obliged to refer as we trace his steps through\nlife; but we mean to do so as seldom as we can, for the subject is\npainful, and, since few men can ever be placed in his circumstances, to\nmost of us unprofitable.\n\n [C] Lord Brougham.\n\nAnother point on which Mr. Marsden's conduct has been severely, and yet\nmost unjustly blamed, is that he was engaged in the cultivation of a\nconsiderable tract of land. Avarice and secularity were roundly charged\nupon him in consequence; for it was his painful lot through life to be\nincessantly accused not only of failings of which he was quite\nguiltless, but of those which were the most opposite to his real\ncharacter. A more purely disinterested and unselfish man perhaps never\nlived. One who under the constant disturbance of every kind of business\nand employment, still \"walked\" more \"humbly with his God,\" is not often\nto be found. Yet the cry once raised against him was never hushed; until\nat length, having rung in his ears through life, as a warning to him, no\ndoubt, even in his brightest moments of success, that he should \"cease\nfrom man,\" it was suddenly put to shame at last and buried with him in\nhis grave.\n\nThe circumstances were these: When he arrived in the colony, in the\nbeginning of 1794, it was yet but six years old. The cultivation of land\nhad scarcely begun; it was therefore dependent on supplies of food from\nhome, and was often reduced to the brink of famine. One cask of meat was\nall that the king's stores contained when Mr. Marsden first landed on\nthose shores from which the produce of the most magnificent flocks and\nherds the world has ever pastured was afterwards to be shipped. Governor\nPhillip, as we have seen, had laid the foundation of the colony amid\nscenes of difficulty and trial which it is fearful to contemplate. In\nSeptember, 1795, Captain Hunter arrived, and following in the steps of\nhis predecessor, exerted himself in clearing land and bringing it under\ncultivation. To effect this he made a grant to every officer, civil and\nmilitary, of one hundred acres, and allowed each thirteen convicts as\nservants to assist in bringing it into order. Mr. Marsden availed\nhimself of the grant, and his farm soon exhibited those marks of\nsuperior management which might have been looked for by all who were\nacquainted with the energy of his character and his love of rural\npursuits. Where land was to be had on such easy terms, it was not to be\ndesired or expected that he should be limited to the original grant. He\nsoon possessed an estate of several hundred acres--the model farm of\nNew South Wales;--and, let it not be forgotten, the source from whence\nthose supplies were drawn which fed the infant missions of the Southern\nSeas, while at the same time they helped their generous owner to support\nmany a benevolent institution in his own parish and neighbourhood. Years\nafterwards he was induced to print a pamphlet in justification of his\nconduct in this as well as other particulars on which it was assailed;\nand as we copy an extract from it, our feeling is one of shame and\nsorrow that it should ever have been required. He says, \"I did not\nconsider myself in the same situation, in a temporal point of view, in\nthis colony as a clergyman in England. My situation at that period would\nbear no such comparison. A clergyman in England lives in the very bosom\nof his friends; his comforts and conveniences are all within his reach,\nand he has nothing to do but to feed his flock. On the contrary, I\nentered a country which was in a state of nature, and was obliged to\nplant and sow or starve. It was not from inclination that my colleague\nand I took the axe, the spade, and the hoe: we could not, from our\nsituation, help ourselves by any other means, and we thought it no\ndisgrace to labour. St. Paul's own hands ministered to his necessities\nin a cultivated nation, and our hands ministered to our wants in an\nuncultivated one. If this be cast upon me as a shame and a reproach, I\ncheerfully bear it, for the remembrance never gives me any cause of\nreproach or remorse.\" Monsieur Perron, a commander sent out by the\nFrench government to search for the unfortunate La Perouse (who had\nrecently perished in an exploratory voyage to the islands of the South\nPacific), visited Mr. Marsden's farm in 1802, and records, with the\ngenerous admiration his countrymen have never withheld from English\nenterprise and industry, his astonishment and delight. \"No longer,\" he\nexclaims, \"than eight years ago, the whole of this spot was covered with\nimmense and useless forests; what pains, what exertions must have been\nemployed! These roads, these pastures, these fields, these harvests,\nthese orchards, these flocks, the work of eight years!\" And his\nadmiration of the scene was not greater than his reverence for its\nowner, \"who,\" he adds, \"while he thus laboured in his various important\navocations was not unmindful of the interests of others. He generously\ninterfered in behalf of the poorer settlers in their distresses,\nestablished schools for their children, and often relieved their\nnecessities; and to the unhappy culprits, whom the justice of their\noffended country had banished from their native soil, he administered\nalternately exhortation and comfort.\"\n\nIndeed, it would be no easy task to enumerate all the schemes of social,\nmoral, and spiritual enterprise upon which Mr. Marsden was now employed,\nand into all of which he appears to have thrown a force and energy which\nis generally reserved, even by the zealous philanthropist, for some one\nfavoured project. Thus the state of the female convicts, at a very early\nperiod, especially attracted his attention. Their forlorn condition,\ntheir frightful immoralities--the almost necessary consequence of the\ngross neglect which exposed them to temptation, or rather thrust them\ninto sin--pressed heavily upon him, and formed the subject of many\nsolemn remonstrances, first to the authorities abroad, and when these\nwere unheeded, to the government at home. The wrongs of the aborigines,\ntheir heathenism, and their savage state, with all its attendant\nmiseries and hopeless prospects in eternity, sank into his heart; and\nunder his care a school arose at Paramatta for their children. The\nscheme, as we shall explain hereafter, was not successful; but at least\nit will be admitted \"he did well that it was in\" his \"heart.\" He was\noften consulted by the successive governors on questions of difficulty\nand importance, and gave his advice with respect, but at the same time\nwith honest courage. Amusing anecdotes are told of some of their\ninterviews. A misunderstanding had occurred between Governor King and\nhimself, which did not, however, prevent the governor from asking his\nadvice. Mr. Marsden was allowed to make his own terms, which were that\nhe should consider Governor King as a private individual, and as such\naddress him. Much to his credit, the governor consented. Mr. Marsden\nthen locked the door, and in plain and forcible terms explained to\n_Captain_ King the faults, as he conceived, of _Governor_ King's\nadministration. They separated on the most friendly terms; and if we\nadmire the courage of the chaplain, we must not overlook the\nself-command and forbearance of the governor. With a dash of\neccentricity the affair was honourable to both parties.\n\nAnother instance of Mr. Marsden's ready tact and self-possession may be\nmentioned. Governor King, who possessed, by virtue of his office, the\nmost absolute power, was not only eccentric but somewhat choleric. On\none occasion, when Mr. Marsden was present, a violent dispute arose\nbetween the governor and the commissary-general. Mr. Marsden not being\nat liberty to leave the room, retired to a window, determined not to be\na witness of the coming storm. The governor, in his heat, pushed or\ncollared the commissary, who in return, pushed or struck the governor.\nHis excellency, indignant at the insult, called to the chaplain, \"Do you\nsee that, sir!\" \"Indeed, sir,\" replied Mr. M., \"_I see_ nothing,\"\n--dwelling with jocular emphasis on the word see. Thus good\nhumour was immediately restored, and the grave and even treasonable\noffence of striking the representative of the sovereign was forgotten.\nThese trifling circumstances are worth relating, not only in\nillustration of Mr. Marsden's character, but of the history of the\nearlier days of the colony.\n\nBut graver duties had already devolved upon him. Amongst the unpublished\nmanuscripts of the London Missionary Society, there is one document of\nsingular interest, in connexion with the name of Samuel Marsden. It is a\nmemorandum of seventeen folio pages on the state and prospects of their\nmissions to Tahiti and the islands in the South Seas, dated \"Paramatta,\n30th January, 1801,\" and \"read before the committee\" in London--such was\nthe slow, uncertain communication fifty years ago with a colony now\nbrought within sixty days' sail of England--\"on the 19th of April,\n1802.\" Foremost in the literature of another generation will stand those\ntreasures which slumber, for the most part unvalued and undisturbed, on\nthe shelves of our missionary houses. For men will surely one day\ninquire, with an interest similar to that with which we read of the\nconversion of Britain in the dim light of Ingulphus and the Saxon\nChronicle, or the venerable Bede, how distant islands were first\nevangelized, and through what sorrows, errors, and reverses, the first\nmissionary fought his way to victory in continents and islands of the\nsouthern hemisphere. And of these, the document which now lies before\nus will be esteemed as inferior to none in calm and practical wisdom, in\npiety, or in ardent zeal tempered with discretion.\n\nThe circumstances which called it forth were these. The Tahitian\nmission, the first great effort of the London Missionary Society, and\nindeed the first Protestant mission, with perhaps one exception,[D] to\nsavage tribes, had hitherto disappointed the sanguine expectations of\nits promoters. We trust we shall not be thought to make a display of\nthat cheap wisdom which consists in blaming the failures of which the\ncauses were not seen until the catastrophe had occurred, if we say that,\ngreat and truly magnificent as the project was, it carried within itself\nthe elements of its own humiliation. The faith and zeal of its founders\nwere beyond all human praise; but in the wisdom which results from\nexperience, they were of course deficient. \"To attempt great things, and\nto expect great things,\" was their motto; but they did not appreciate\nthe difficulties of the enterprise; nor did they duly estimate the depth\nof the depravity of the savage heart and mind. Dr. Haweis, a London\nclergyman of great piety and note in those days, preached before the\nSociety when the first missionary ship, the Duff, was about to sail. He\ndescribed to his delighted audience the romantic beauty and grandeur of\nthe islands which lie like emeralds upon the calm bosom of the Southern\nOcean, and anticipated their immediate conversion as soon as they should\nhear the first glad tidings of the gospel. The ship sailed from the\nTower wharf, with flags flying and banners streaming, as if returning\nfrom a triumph, amidst the cheers of the spectators. Amongst the crowd\nthere stood a venerable minister of Christ, leaning upon the arm of one\nwho still survives--himself a veteran in the service of his Lord. As\nthey turned slowly away from the exciting scene, the aged minister\nmournfully exclaimed, \"I am afraid it will not succeed: there is too\nmuch of man in it.\" His words were prophetic; for nearly twenty years no\nsuccess followed, but one sweeping tide of disappointment and\ndisaster;[E] till, at length, when, humbled and dejected, about the year\n1814, the missionaries, as well as the Society at home, in despair had\nalmost resolved to abandon the station, the work of God appeared in the\nconversion of the king of Tahiti; and with a rapidity to be compared\nonly to the long, cheerless, period in which they had \"laboured in vain,\nand spent their strength for nought,\" the missionaries beheld not only\nTahiti, but the adjacent islands transformed into Christian lands.\n\n [D] That of the Moravians to Labrador. The Wesleyans had a mission\n in the West Indies, and the Society for the Propagation of the\n Gospel had long had the care of the Danish missions at Malabar. But\n none of these were missions, in the strict sense, among savages.\n\n [E] This anecdote we relate on the authority of the younger\n minister, from whom we received it. The elder one was the Rev.\n Samuel Bradburn, the friend and associate of Wesley.--EDITOR.\n\nIt was in the midst of these disasters that Mr. Marsden was consulted,\nand wrote the memorandum to which we have referred. If in some places he\nseems to lay too great stress upon what may appear to the reader\nprudential considerations of inferior importance, let us remind him that\non these very points the missionaries had betrayed their weakness. Their\nown quarrels and even the gross misconduct of some few amongst them,\nwere not less painful to the church at home than their want of success.\n\nWe make a few extracts:\n\n \"... The first and principal object for the consideration of the\n directors is to select men properly qualified for the mission;\n unless persons equal to the task are sent out nothing can be done.\n It may be asked, who are proper persons, and what are the\n requisite qualifications? To the question I would reply in general\n terms. A missionary should be a man of real sound piety, and well\n acquainted with the depravity of the human heart, as well as\n experimental religion; he should not be a novice; he should not\n only be a good man in the strictest sense of the word, but also\n well informed, not taken from the dregs of the common people, but\n possessed of some education, and liberal sentiments. He should\n rather be of a lively active turn of mind than gloomy and heavy. A\n gloomy ignorant clown will be disgusting even to savages, and\n excite their contempt. The more easy and affable a missionary is\n in his address, the more easily will he obtain the confidence and\n good opinion of the heathen.\n\n \"In my opinion a man of a melancholy habit is altogether\n unqualified for a missionary; he will never be able to sustain the\n hardships attending his situation, nay, he will magnify his\n dangers and difficulties and make them greater than what in\n reality they may be. A missionary, were I to define his character,\n should be a pious good man, should be well acquainted with\n mankind, should possess some education, should be easy in address,\n and of an active turn. Some of the missionaries who have come to\n this colony, are the opposite character to the above. They are\n totally ignorant of mankind, they possess no education, they are\n clowns in their manners. If the directors are determined to\n establish a mission in these Islands there is another object to be\n attended to; they must send out a sufficient body and furnish\n them with the means of self-defence. Unless the missionaries are\n able to protect themselves from the violence of the natives, they\n will be in constant danger of being cut off by them. Their lives,\n if unprotected by their own strength, will hang sometimes perhaps\n upon the fate of a single battle between two contending chiefs.\n Can any idea be more distressing than for the lives of a few\n defenceless missionaries to depend upon the sudden whim or turn of\n an enraged savage, without the means of self-defence? See them\n driven, in order to escape the savage fury of the natives, into\n holes and caverns of the rocks, suffering every hardship that\n nature can bear from hunger, toil, and anxiety, without so much as\n the prospect of relief in time of danger from Europe, or\n accomplishing in the smallest degree the object of the mission.\n Yet this must and will be the case, unless the missionaries are\n furnished with the means of self-defence, and are able to convince\n the natives of their superiority in point of skill and\n protection.\"\n\nMany will condemn this counsel. Nor do we feel bound to justify it to\nthe letter. A reasonable degree of caution in avoiding danger, and under\ngreat emergency in preparing measures for self-defence, may be allowed\neven to the missionary. Yet experience shows that his safety chiefly\nlies in cultivating and exhibiting the spirit of Him who \"suffered the\njust for the unjust,\" and \"when led as a lamb to the slaughter, yet\nopened not his mouth.\"\n\nVarious prudential hints follow, on marriage and other delicate\nsubjects. The reader will smile to learn that fifty years ago it was a\nquestion at missionary boards whether married men were not disqualified\nfor missionary work. It was argued that their wives would be exposed to\nill-usage from the natives, and that they themselves would be diverted\nby the anxieties or the comforts of home from their proper calling. Mr.\nMarsden combats both of these objections. \"It appears to me that a\nmarried woman, coming along with her husband in the mission, would have\nno extraordinary dangers to apprehend from the natives, and would, if a\nprudent woman, prove the greatest comfort and protection to her husband,\nsweeten his toils and sustain his burdens.\" Beyond this even Mr.\nMarsden's views did not yet extend. The time had not yet come when\nexperience should drive the friends of missions, in the failure of many\na plausible theory, to fall back simply on the New Testament, not merely\nfor their principles, for this they did, but for the best and safest\nprecedents in missionary work. They forgot how large a share of the\nhonours of the primitive church in its labours for Christ belong to the\nweaker sex. That a missionary's wife might be no less, nay in some\ninstances far more, successful than her husband was a thought not yet\nentertained in missionary counsels. They did not foresee that the\ninstruction of the native woman, and the Christian education of the\nheathen child, would soon become the special province of the\nmissionary's wife. Mrs. Wilson had not yet arisen \"a mother in Israel,\"\nnor Mrs. Judson, nor others whose fame is only less in missionary\nannals, because their work has been carried on in places less\ninteresting, or at least less open to the world's gaze, than Calcutta\nand Burmah. Nor can we give more than a hesitating and partial consent\nto some of the following observations:\n\n \"Civilization must pave the way for the conversion of the\n heathen. As the natives in these islands are totally unconnected\n with the commercial world, however friendly disposed they may be\n towards strangers, they are, nevertheless, in a state of gross\n ignorance and barbarity. They must, from their social situation,\n their great distance from the civilized part of the world, be less\n prepared to receive the gospel than the Esquimaux on the coast of\n Labrador or the negroes in the West Indian Islands, and other\n parts of the heathen world where the Moravians in general send\n their missionaries. The heathens in these islands are, in the\n strictest sense, in a state of nature. Hence it becomes the\n indispensable duty of the missionaries to use every means for\n their civilization, and not to imagine they are already prepared\n to receive the blessings of Divine revelation.\"\n\nTrue, they were not prepared. But here we are at variance alike with Dr.\nHaweis on the one hand, and Mr. Marsden on the other. \"The preparation\nof the heart,\" the wise man tells us, \"is from the Lord;\" and this is a\nkind of preparation which civilization will not supply. It is easy, as\nwe have said, to find fault with men who, whatever their mistakes,\ndeserve the veneration of the church. Let it be borne in mind that of\nsavage life, its horrors, its ferocity, its cannibalism, England then\nknew but little. Had they been favoured with the experience we now\npossess, they would have felt more deeply how impotent a weapon is\ncivilization to hew down the strongholds of Satan in a heathen land;\ntheir failures perhaps would have been fewer, and their successes more\nspeedy if not more complete. A true Christian missionary, amongst\nsavages, must be of necessity a civilizer. His own pure and quiet\nhomestead, adorned with the arts of life, his cultivated garden, his\nneatly fenced paddock, the corn-field which soon follows, and then the\nmill--all these, and, we may say, all the habits and circumstances of\nhis life, directly tend to civilize; and thus the process of outward\nreformation goes on amongst the surrounding tribes, while the spiritual\nseed is being sown in the native heart. And it will sometimes happen\nthat native tribes are civilized before they are converted, simply\nbecause the carnal mind rejects the spiritual lesson, while selfishness,\nor the mere love of imitation, (equally powerful in the breast of\nchildren and of savages) induces them readily to adopt European habits.\nBut after all we question whether the native heathen thus outwardly\nchanged is one whit more likely to embrace the gospel than before.\n\nThere is, however, much truth in the following remarks; they show a\nthoughtful mind, and they prove too, if we are not mistaken, that the\ngospel of Jesus Christ has lost nothing of its pristine force after the\nlapse of eighteen centuries; for the Christian missions of our own day\nhave triumphed amidst some difficulties against which even the apostles\nhad not to contend. \"The conduct of the apostles cannot exactly apply as\na guide to the missionaries in these islands; St. Paul was sent to\npreach a crucified Jesus, not to savage, but to civilized heathens; to\nGreece and Rome, to nations noted for their politeness of manners and\nhuman learning, the inhabitants both of Greece and Rome had obtained the\nhighest degree of civilization, they were\"--intellectually, of course,\nMr. Marsden must be understood to mean--\"prepared for the reception of\nthe gospel; their philosophers had for ages been making diligent\ninquiries after the true God; they had erected altars and the most\nmagnificent temples for the worship of some superior being whom they\nknew not. This is not the case with the natives of these islands.... It\nis unnecessary for me to contrast the situations of the primitive\napostles and the present missionaries, and to point out their vast\ndifference. Sacred and profane history will furnish the missionaries\nwith this information, provided they will study their records.\"\n\nMr. Marsden continued to be through life the confidential adviser of the\nLondon Missionary Society, and the warm friend and, as they passed to\nand fro upon their voyages, the kind host of their missionaries.\n\nHis character was now established. The colony was rapidly increasing in\nimportance; and yet no change had been made in its government, which was\nstill committed to the absolute direction of a single mind, that of the\ncolonial governor. He too was a military officer, and not always one of\nhigh position and large capacity, or even of the purest morals; for by\nsuch men the governorship of his Majesty's territory in New South Wales\nwould have then been disdained. Mr. Marsden had done much, but much more\nremained to be accomplished. There were mischiefs that lay far beyond\nhis reach, and spurned control. On the first establishment of the colony\nall the military officers were forbidden to take their wives with\nthem--the governor and chaplains were the only exceptions--and there is\none instance of a lady whose love to her husband led her to steal across\nthe ocean in the disguise of a sailor, who was actually sent home again\nby Governor Phillip without being permitted to land. Our readers may\nanticipate the consequences which followed in an almost universal\nlicentiousness. The most abandoned females often appeared fearlessly\nbefore the magistrates, well knowing that they would have impunity even\nfor the greatest crimes; and male offenders used their influence to\nobtain a judgment in their favour. Expostulation, remonstrance, and\nentreaty Mr. Marsden had tried in vain. \"Of all existing spots in New\nSouth Wales the court of judicature at Sydney,\" it was publicly\naffirmed, \"was the most iniquitous and abandoned;\" and at length a\nrebellious spirit broke out, and the authority of the governor, even in\nhis military capacity, was at an end. The efforts of the faithful\nchaplain were now thwarted at the fountain head, and his life was not\nunfrequently in danger. Mr. Marsden's sagacity fastened the conviction\non his mind that a crisis was at hand, which could only be averted by\nthe interference of the government at home. He therefore asked for, and\nobtained, permission to revisit England. His fears were just; he had\nalready assisted in quelling one rebellion, and another of a more\nserious nature broke out soon after he embarked, which drove the\ngovernor from the colony, and ended in his recall, and the establishment\nof a new order of things. The spiritual fruit of Mr. Marsden's labours\nhad not yet been great, but already the foundations had been laid for\nextensive usefulness. On the eve of his departure, he was presented with\na gratifying address, bearing the signatures of three hundred and two\npersons, \"the holders of landed estates, public offices, and other\nprincipal inhabitants of the large and extensive settlements of\nHawkesbury, Nepean, and Portland-Head, and adjacent parts of New South\nWales,\" conveying \"their grateful thanks for his pious, humane, and\nexemplary conduct throughout this whole colony, in the various and\narduous situations held by him as a minister of the gospel,\nsuperintendent magistrate, inspector of public, orphan, and charity\nschools, and in other offices.\" They thank him too for \"his attention\nand cares in the improvement of stock, agriculture, and in all other\nbeneficial and useful arts, for the general good of the colony, and for\nhis unremitting exertions for its prosperity,\" and conclude thus:--\"Your\nsanctity, philanthropy, and disinterestedness of character, will ever\nremain an example to future ministers; and that God, whom we serve, may\npour down his blessings upon you and yours to the latest posterity, is\nthe sincere prayer of those who sign this address.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\n Various measures devised for the benefit of New South Wales--The\n establishment of Missions in New Zealand--Friendship with Dr.\n Mason Good.\n\n\nMr. Marsden returned home in His Majesty's ship Buffalo, after an\nabsence of fourteen years. On the voyage he had one of those\nhair-breadth deliverances in which devout Christians recognise the hand\nof God. The Buffalo was leaky when she sailed, and a heavy gale\nthreatening, it was proposed that the passengers should quit the ship\nand take refuge in a stauncher vessel which formed one of the fleet. Mr.\nMarsden objected, Mrs. Marsden being unwilling to leave Mrs. King, the\nwife of Governor King, who was returning in the same vessel, and who was\nat the time an invalid. In the night, the expected storm came on. In the\nmorning, the eyes of all on board the crazy Buffalo were strained in\nvain to discover their companion. She was never heard of more, and no\ndoubt had foundered in the hurricane.\n\nOn his arrival in London he waited on the under secretary of state to\nreport his return, and learned from him that his worst fears had been\nrealized, and that the colony was already in a state of open\ninsurrection, headed by the \"New South Wales Corps,\" who were leagued\nwith several of the wealthier traders. The insurrection was, however,\nsuppressed, and Lieut.-colonel Macquarie was sent out with his regiment\nto assume the government. Lord Castlereagh, the colonial minister, was\nquick to perceive the value of such an adviser on the affairs of\nAustralia as Mr. Marsden, and encouraged him to lay before the\ngovernment a full statement of his views. Seldom has it happened to a\nprivate individual to be charged with weightier or more various affairs,\nnever perhaps with schemes involving more magnificent results. As the\nobscure chaplain from Botany Bay paced the Strand, from the colonial\noffice at Whitehall to the chambers in the city where a few pious men\nwere laying plans for Christian missions in the southern hemisphere, he\nwas in fact charged with projects upon which not only the civilization,\nbut the eternal welfare, of future nations were suspended. Nor was he\nunconscious of the greatness of the task. With a total absence of\nromance or enthusiasm--for his mind was wanting in the imaginative\nfaculty on which enthusiasm feeds--he was yet fully alive to the\npossible consequences of his visit to his native shores, and intensely\ninterested in his work. He aimed at nothing less than to see Australia a\ngreat country; and, with a yet firmer faith, he expected the conversion\nof the cannibal tribes of New Zealand and the Society Islands; and this\nat a time when even statesmen had only learned to think of New South\nWales as a national prison, and when the conversion of New Zealanders\nwas regarded as a hopeless task, even by the majority of Christian men,\nand treated by the world with indifference or scorn. In fact, during\nthis short visit he may be said to have planned, perhaps unconsciously,\nthe labours of his whole life, and to have laid the foundation for all\nthe good of which he was to be the instrument.\n\nLet us first turn to the efforts he made for the settlements in New\nSouth Wales. The improvement of the convict population was his primary\nobject, and his more immediate duty. He had observed that by far the\ngreater number of reformed criminals consisted of those who had\nintermarried, or whose wives had been able to purchase their passage\nover, and he suggested that those of the convicts' wives who chose to do\nso should be permitted to accompany their husbands even at the public\nexpense. This was refused, and it was almost the only point upon which\nhis representations failed; but, as a compromise, the wives of the\nofficers and soldiers were permitted to accompany their husbands, and\nnot less than three hundred immediately went with a single regiment. To\nencourage honesty and industry he recommended not only remission of the\nsentence to the well conducted convict, but a grant of land to a certain\nextent; with which the government complied. But he had no weak and\nfoolish sympathy with crime, and long after the period at which we are\nnow writing, he continued to incur the hatred of a certain class by\nprotesting, as he never ceased to do, against the monstrous impropriety\nof placing men, however wealthy, who had themselves been convicts, on\nthe magisterial bench. Amongst the convicts he had observed that the\ngreater number were acquainted with some branch of mechanics or\nmanufactures; at present, they were unemployed, or occupied in labour\nfor which they were unfit, and which was therefore irksome to themselves\nand of no advantage to the colony. He therefore suggested that one or\ntwo practical mechanics with small salaries, and one or two general\nmanufacturers, should be sent out to instruct the convicts. But here a\nserious obstacle presented itself; for this was the age of commercial\nprohibitions, and it was objected that the manufacturers of the mother\ncountry would be injured by such a step. Mr. Marsden met the objection\nat once. If the government would but accede to the proposal, \"he would\nundertake that the enormous expense at which the country was for\nclothing the convicts should entirely cease within a certain period.\"\nThe wool of the government flocks and the flesh of the wild cattle was\nalready sufficient to provide both food and raiment for the convicts\nwithout any expense to the parent state, and all he prayed for was, the\nopportunity of turning those advantages to the best account. These\nrequests were granted, and on the same night, and at his own cost, he\nset off by the mail for Warwickshire and Yorkshire in search of four\nartisans and manufacturers, who were soon upon their way to the scene of\ntheir future operations.\n\nThe vast importance of Australia as the source on which the English\nmanufacturer must at some future day depend for his supplies of wool,\nhad already occupied his thoughts. He found that within three years his\nown stock without any care on his part, (for his farm was entirely\nmanaged in his absence by a trusty bailiff who had been a convict,) had\nupon an average been doubled in number and value. With the energy which\nwas natural to him, he carried some of his own wool to Leeds, where he\nhad it manufactured, and he had the satisfaction to learn that it was\nconsidered equal, if not superior, to that of Saxony or France. His\nprivate letters abound with intimations that ere long Australia must\nbecome the great wool-producing country to which the English\nmanufacturer would look. He was introduced to king George the Third, and\ntook the liberty, through Sir Joseph Banks, of praying for a couple of\nMerino sheep, His Majesty's property, to improve the breed; and his last\nletter from England, dated from the Cowes Roads, mentions their\nreception on board. We anticipate a little, but must quote the letter,\nwere it only to let the reader see how possible it is to be at once\ndiligent in business and fervent in spirit. \"We are this moment getting\nunder weigh, and soon expect to be upon the ocean. I have received a\npresent of five Spanish sheep from the king's flock, which are all on\nboard; if I am so fortunate as to get them out they will be a most\nvaluable acquisition to the colony. I leave England with much\nsatisfaction, having obtained so fully the object of my mission. It is\nthe good hand of our God that hath done these things for us. I have the\nprospect of getting another pious minister. I am writing to him on the\nsubject this morning, and I hope he will soon follow us.... On Sunday I\nstood on the long boat and preached from Ezekiel xviii. 27: 'When the\nwicked man turneth away,' etc. It was a solemn time, many of the\nconvicts were affected. We sang the Hundredth Psalm in the midst of a\nlarge fleet. The number of souls on board is more than four hundred. God\nmay be gracious to some of them; though exiled from their country and\nfriends, they may cry unto him in a foreign land, when they come like\nthe Jews of old to hang their harps upon the willows, and weep when they\nremember Zion, or rather when they remember England.\"[F]\n\n [F] To Avison Terry, Esq., Hull.\n\nThe spiritual wants of the colony were not forgotten. He induced the\ngovernment to send out three additional clergymen and three\nschoolmasters; and happily the selection was intrusted to his own\njudgment. A disciple in the school of Venn and Milner, he knew that the\nordinances of the church, though administered by a moral and virtuous\nman, or by a zealous philanthropist, were not enough. He sought for men\nwho were \"renewed in the spirit of their minds;\" who uttered no mere\nwords of course when they said at their ordination that they \"believed\nthemselves moved thereto by the Holy Ghost.\" But here again his task was\ndifficult; clergymen of such a stamp were but few; the spirit of\nmissionary enterprise was almost unfelt; and, to say the truth, there\nwas a missionary field at home, dark and barbarous, and far too wide for\nthe few such labourers of this class whom the Lord had yet \"sent forth\ninto his harvest.\" Mr. Marsden, however, nothing daunted, went from\nparish to parish till he met with two admirable men, the Rev. Mr. Cowper\nand the Rev. Robert Cartwright, who, with their families, accompanied\nhim on his return. His choice was eminently successful. In a short\naccount of Mr. Marsden, published in Australia in 1844, they are spoken\nof as still living, pious and exemplary clergymen, the fathers of\nfamilies occupying some of the most important posts in the colony, and,\n\"notwithstanding their advancing years and increasing infirmities,\" it\nis added, \"there are few young men in the colony so zealous in preaching\nthe gospel, and in promoting the interests of the church of England.\"\nThe schoolmasters too, we believe, did honour to his choice. He had\nalready established two public free-schools for children of both sexes,\nand he was now able to impart the elements of a pious education, and to\ntrain them in habits of industry and virtue. Into all these plans the\narchbishop of Canterbury cordially entered, and wisely and liberally\nleft it to the able founder to select his agents and associates.\n\nMr. Marsden likewise urged upon the home administration the necessity of\na female Penitentiary; and obtained a promise that a building should be\nprovided. That he was deeply alive to the importance of an institution\nof this kind, is manifest in his own description of the state of the\nfemale prisoners in the earlier years of the colony, and the deplorable\npicture he draws of their immorality and wretchedness. \"When I returned\nto England in 1807,\" he says, \"there were upwards of fourteen hundred\nwomen in the colony; more than one thousand were unmarried, and nearly\nall convicts: many of them were exposed to the most dangerous\ntemptations, privations and sufferings; and no suitable asylum had been\nprovided for the female convicts since the establishment of the colony.\nOn my arrival in London in 1808, I drew up two memorials on their\nbehalf, stating how much they suffered from want of a proper barrack--a\nbuilding for their reception. One of these memorials I presented to the\nunder secretary of state, and the other to his grace the archbishop of\nCanterbury. They both expressed their readiness to promote the object.\"\nYears, however, passed before the consent of the colonial governor could\nbe gained; and Mr. Marsden's benevolent exertions on behalf of these\noutcast women were for some time frustrated.\n\nThe variety of his engagements at this time was equal to their\nimportance. He had returned home charged with an almost infinite\nmultiplicity of business. He was the agent of almost every poor person\nin the colony who had, or thought he had, important business at home.\nPenny-postages lay in the same dim future with electric telegraphs and\nsteam-frigates, and he was often burdened with letters from Ireland and\nother remote parts (so wrote a friend, who published at the time a\nsketch of his proceedings in the \"Eclectic Review,\") the postage of\nwhich, for a single day, has amounted to a guinea; which he cheerfully\npaid, from the feeling that, although many of these letters were of no\nuse whatever, they were written with a good intention, and under a\nbelief that they were of real value. He had already been saluted, like\nthe Roman generals of old, with the title of common father of his\nadopted country; and one of his last acts before he quitted England, was\nto procure, by public contributions and donations of books, \"what he\ncalled a lending library\" (so writes the reviewer,[G] and the expression\nseems to have amused him from its novelty), \"consisting of books on\nreligion, morals, mechanics, agriculture, and general history, to be\nlent out under his own control and that of his colleagues, to soldiers,\nfree settlers, convicts, and others who had time to read.\" In this, too,\nhe succeeded, and took over with him a library of the value of between\nthree and four hundred pounds.\n\n [G] Eclectic Review, vol. v. pp. 988-995.\n\nIt was during this two-years'-visit to his native land, that Mr. Marsden\nlaid the foundation of the Church of England mission to New Zealand. In\nits consequences, civil and religious, this has already proved one of\nthe most extraordinary and most successful of those achievements, which\nare the glory of the churches in these later times. This was the great\nenterprise of his life: he is known already, and will be remembered\nwhile the church on earth endures, as the apostle of New Zealand. Not\nthat we claim for him the exclusive honour of being the only one\nalthough we believe he was, in point of time, the first who began, about\nthis period, to project a mission to New Zealand. The Wesleyans were\nearly in the same field. The Rev. Samuel Leigh, a man whose history and\nnatural character bore a marked resemblance to those of Mr. Marsden, was\nthe pioneer of Methodism, and proved himself a worthy herald of the\ncross amongst the New Zealanders. A warm friendship existed between the\ntwo. On his passage homewards he was a guest at Paramatta; and no tinge\nof jealousy ever appears to have shaded their intercourse, each\nrejoicing in the triumphs of the other. Still, Mr. Marsden's position\nafforded him peculiar facilities, and having once undertaken it, the\nsuperintendence of the New Zealand mission became, without design on his\npart, the great business of his life.\n\nHe had formed a high, we do not think an exaggerated, estimate of the\nMaori or New Zealand tribes. \"They are a noble race,\" he writes to his\nfriend John Terry, Esq., of Hull, \"vastly superior in understanding to\nanything you can imagine in a savage nation.\" This was before the\nmission was begun. But he did not speak merely from hearsay: several of\ntheir chieftains and enterprising warriors had visited Australia, and\nthey ever found a welcome at the hospitable parsonage at Paramatta.\nSometimes, it is true, they were but awkward guests, as the following\nanecdote will show; which we present to the reader, as it has been\nkindly furnished to us, in the words of one of Mr. Marsden's daughters.\n\"My father had sometimes as many as thirty New Zealanders staying at the\nparsonage. He possessed extraordinary influence over them. On one\noccasion, a young lad, the nephew of a chief, died, and his uncle\nimmediately made preparations to sacrifice a slave to attend his spirit\ninto the other world. Mr. M. was from home at the moment, and his family\nwere only able to preserve the life of the young New Zealander by\nhiding him in one of the rooms. Mr. M. no sooner returned and reasoned\nwith the chief, than he consented to spare his life. No further attempt\nwas made upon it, though the uncle frequently deplored that his nephew\nhad no attendant in the next world, and seemed afraid to return to New\nZealand, lest the father of the young man should reproach him for having\ngiven up this, to them, important point.\"\n\nThe Church Missionary Society, which had now been established about\nseven years, seemed fully disposed to co-operate with him; and at their\nrequest he drew up a memorial on the subject of a New Zealand mission,\nnot less important than that we have already mentioned, to the London\nMissionary Society, on the subject of their Polynesian missions. He\nstill lays great stress upon the necessity of civilization going first\nas the pioneer of the gospel; \"commerce and the arts having a natural\ntendency to inculcate industrious and moral habits, open a way for the\nintroduction of the gospel, and lay the foundation for its continuance\nwhen once received\" \"... Nothing, in my opinion, can pave the way for\nthe introduction of the gospel but civilization.\" ... \"The\nmissionaries,\" he thought, \"might employ a certain portion of their time\nin manual labour, and that this neither would nor ought to prevent them\nfrom constantly endeavouring to instruct the natives in the great\ndoctrines of the gospel.\" ... \"The arts and religion should go together.\nI do not mean a native should learn to build a hut or make an axe before\nhe should be told anything of man's fall and redemption, but that these\ngrand subjects should be introduced at every favourable opportunity,\nwhile the natives are learning any of the simple arts.\" He adds that\n\"four qualifications are absolutely necessary for a missionary--piety,\nindustry, prudence, and patience. Without sound piety, nothing can be\nexpected. A man must feel a lively interest in the eternal welfare of\nthe heathen to spur him on to the discharge of his duty.\" On the three\nother qualifications, he enlarges with great wisdom and practical good\nsense; but the paper has been frequently printed, and we must not\ntransfer it to these pages.\n\nIt is no dishonour done to Mr. Marsden if we say that, in mature\nspiritual wisdom, the venerable men who had founded the Church\nMissionary Society, and still managed its affairs, were at this time his\nsuperiors. Strange indeed it would have been had the case been\notherwise. They listened gratefully and with deep respect to the opinion\nof one so well entitled to advise; they determined on the mission, and\nthey gave a high proof of their confidence, both in the practical wisdom\nand sterling piety of their friend, in consulting him in the choice of\ntheir first agents. But they did not adopt his views with regard to the\nimportance of civilization as the necessary pioneer to the gospel. So\nlong ago as the year 1815, they thought it necessary to publish a\nstatement of the principles upon which their mission was established.\n\"It has been stated,\" they say, \"that the mission was originally\nestablished, and for a long time systematically conducted, on the\nprinciple of first civilizing and then christianizing the natives. This\nis wholly a mistake. The agents employed in establishing the mission\nwere laymen, because clergymen could not be had; and the instructions\ngiven to them necessarily correspond with their lay character. The\nforemost object of the mission has, from the first, been to bring the\nnatives, by the use of all suitable means, under the saving influences\nof the grace of the gospel, adding indeed the communication to them of\nsuch useful arts and knowledge as might improve their social condition.\"\nThe committee's instructions to their first agents in the mission\nabundantly sustain these assertions. Mr. William Hall and Mr. John King\nwere the two single-hearted laymen to whom, in the providence of God,\nthe distinguished honour was committed of first making known the gospel\nin New Zealand. They bore with them these instructions, ere they\nembarked in the same vessel in which their friend and guide Mr. Marsden\nhimself returned to Australia:--\"Ever bear in mind that the only object\nof the Society, in sending you to New Zealand, is to introduce the\nknowledge of Christ among the natives, and in order to this, the arts of\ncivilized life.\"\n\nThen after directing Messrs. Hall and King \"to respect the sabbath day,\"\nto \"establish family worship,\" at any favourable opportunity to\n\"converse with the natives on the great subject of religion,\" and to\n\"instruct their children in the knowledge of Christianity,\" the\ninstructions add--\"Thus in your religious conduct you must observe the\nsabbath and keep it holy, attend regularly to family worship, talk to\nthe natives about religion when you walk by the way, when you labour in\nthe field, and on all occasions when you can gain their attention, and\nlay yourselves out for the education of the young.\"\n\nMr. Thomas Kendall followed; a third layman, for no ordained clergyman\nof the church of England could yet be found. The same instructions were\nrepeated, and in December, 1815, when the Rev. John Butler, their first\nclerical missionary, entered on his labours in New Zealand, he and his\ncompanions were exhorted thus--\"The committee would observe that they\nwish, in all the missions of the Society, that the missionaries should\ngive their time as much as possible, and wholly if practicable, first to\nthe acquisition of the native language, and then to the constant and\nfaithful preaching to the natives.\" It is subsequently added--\"Do not\nmistake civilization for conversion. Do not imagine when heathens are\nraised in intellect, in the knowledge of the arts and outward decencies,\nabove their fellow-countrymen, that they are Christians, and therefore\nrest content as if your proper work were accomplished. Our great aim is\nfar higher; it is to make them children of God and heirs of his glory.\nLet this be your desire, and prayer, and labour among them. And while\nyou rejoice in communicating every other good, think little or nothing\ndone till you see those who were dead in trespasses and sins, quickened\ntogether with Christ.\" These passages fully exhibit the views of the\ncommittee of this evangelical Society with regard, not only to the New\nZealand, but to all their other missions. Nor do they stand alone; every\nmissionary association, taught in many instances by bitter\ndisappointment, has long since discovered that the arts and sciences do\nnot prepare the way of the Lord amongst the heathen abroad; just as they\nleave unsanctified our civilized heathendom at home.\n\nBut we must return from our digression, which its great importance must\nexcuse.\n\nBefore he left England, Mr. Marsden formed or renewed an acquaintance\nwith many great and good men, Mr. Wilberforce, Sir George Grey, the Rev.\nDaniel Wilson, late Bishop of Calcutta, the Rev. Charles Simeon, the\nRev. Josiah Pratt, Dr. Olinthus Gregory, and others whose names are dear\nto the church of Christ. But we must particularly notice the friendship\nwhich he formed with Dr. Mason Good as productive of the highest\nblessings to his friend, and of much advantage to himself.\n\nThe life of this excellent and accomplished person was published by Dr.\nOlinthus Gregory, soon after his death, in 1828. He tells us that Dr.\nMason Good, when he became acquainted with Mr. Marsden, had long\nprofessed Socinian principles, but of these had recently begun to doubt,\nwhile he had not yet embraced the gospel of Christ so as to derive\neither comfort or strength from it. He was anxious and inquiring; his\nfather had been an orthodox dissenting minister, and he himself a\nconstant student and indeed a critical expositor of the Bible. He had\npublished a translation of the book of Job, with notes, and also a\ntranslation of Solomon's Song of Songs. He saw in the latter a sublime\nand mystic allegory, and in the former a poem, than which nothing can be\npurer in its morality, nothing sublimer in its philosophy, nothing more\nmajestic in its creed. He had given beautiful translations of many of\nthe Psalms; but with all this he had not yet perceived that Christ is\nthe great theme of the Old Testament, nor did he understand the\nsalvation of which \"David in the Psalms, and all the prophets,\" as well\nas Job the patriarch \"did speak.\" His introduction to Mr. Marsden, in\nsuch a state of mind, was surely providential. He saw, and wondered at,\nhis self-denial; he admired the true sublimity of his humble,\nunassuming, but unquestionable and active piety. \"The first time I saw\nMr. Marsden,\" says his biographer, \"was in January, 1808; he had just\nreturned from Hull, and had travelled nearly the whole journey on the\noutside of a coach in a heavy fall of snow, being unable to secure an\ninside place. He seemed scarcely conscious of the inclemency of the\nseason, and declared that he felt no inconvenience from the journey. He\nhad accomplished his object, and that was enough. And what was that\nobject, which could raise him above the exhaustion of fatigue and the\nsense of severe cold? He had engaged a rope-maker who was willing, at\nhis (Mr. Marsden's) own expense, to go and teach his art to the New\nZealanders.\" So writes Dr. Olinthus Gregory.\n\nAs a philosopher who loved to trace phenomena to their causes, Dr. Mason\nGood endeavoured to ascertain the principles from which these\nunremitting exertions sprang; and, as he often assured his friend, Dr.\nGregory, he could trace them only to the elevating influence of Divine\ngrace. He could find no other clue; and he often repeated the wish that\nhis own motives were as pure, and his own conduct as exemplary as those\nof Mr. Marsden. Thus light broke in, and at length he received the\ngospel \"as a little child,\" and began to adorn it by his conduct. For\nseveral years he was an efficient member of the committee of the Bible\nSociety, and of that of the Church Missionary Society. To the latter\nespecially he devoted himself with the utmost activity and ardour, and\nat his death, which occurred in 1827, the committee transmitted to Mrs.\nGood a resolution expressive of the very high value they set on his\nservices, and of the heavy loss they were conscious they sustained by\nthat event. The resolution was accompanied by a letter of cordial\nsympathy from the pen of the Rev. Edward Bickersteth, the secretary.\nWhen dying he was, heard, without any suggestion or leading remark from\nthose around him, to repeat with quivering lips the text, \"All the\npromises of God in him (Christ Jesus) are Yea, and in him Amen.\" \"What\nwords,\" said he, \"for a dying man to rest upon!\"[H]\n\n [H] See Life of Dr. Mason Good, by Dr. Olinthus Gregory.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\n Return to the Colony--Duaterra--His strange adventures--Mr.\n Marsden's Labours in New South Wales--Aborigines--Their\n Habits--Plans for their Civilization.\n\n\nMr. Marsden took what proved to be his last leave of his native land in\nAugust 1809. Resolute as he was, and nerved for danger, a shade of\ndepression passed across him. \"The ship, I understand,\" he writes to\nMrs. Mason Good, \"is nearly ready. This land in which we live is\npolluted, and cannot, on account of sin, give rest to any of its\ninhabitants. Those who have (sought) and still do seek their happiness\nin anything it can give, will meet nothing but disappointment, vexation,\nand sorrow. If we have only a common share of human happiness, we cannot\nhave or hope for more.\" A few weeks afterwards he addresses the same\nChristian lady thus:--\n\n \"Cambridge, August 1, 1809.\n\n \"Yesterday I assisted my much esteemed friend, Mr. Simeon, but\n here I shall have no continuing city. The signal will soon be\n given, the anchor weighed, and the sails spread, and the ship\n compelled to enter the mighty ocean to seek for distant lands. I\n was determined to take another peep at Cambridge, though conscious\n I could but enjoy those beautiful scenes for a moment. In a few\n days we shall set off for Portsmouth. All this turning and\n wheeling about from place, to place, and from nation to nation, I\n trust is our right way to the heavenly Canaan. I am happy in the\n conclusion, to inform you that I have got all my business settled\n in London much to my satisfaction, both with government and in\n other respects. The object of my mission has been answered, far\n beyond my expectations. I believe that God has gracious designs\n towards New South Wales, and that his gospel will take root there,\n and spread amongst the heathen nations to the glory of his grace.\n\n \"I have the honour to be, dear madam,\n \"Yours, in every Christian bond,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nHis prayers and devout aspirations for New Zealand had been heard on\nhigh, and \"the way of the Lord\" was \"preparing\" in a manner far beyond\nhis expectations, ardent as they seem. The ship Ann, in which he sailed,\nby order of the government, for New South Wales, carried with her one\nwhom Providence had raised up to act a part, only less important than\nhis own, in the conversion of that benighted land.\n\nThe ship had been some time at sea before Mr. Marsden observed on the\nforecastle, amongst the common sailors, a man whose darker skin and\nwretched appearance awakened his sympathy. He was wrapped in an old\ngreat coat, very sick and weak, had a violent cough, accompanied with\nprofuse bleeding. He was much dejected, and appeared as though a few\ndays would close his life. This was Duaterra, a New Zealand chieftain,\nwhose story, as related by Mr. Marsden himself, is almost too strange\nfor fiction. And as \"this young chief became,\" as he tells us, \"one of\nthe principal instruments in preparing the way for the introduction of\nthe arts of civilization and the knowledge of Christianity into his\nnative country,\" a brief sketch of his marvellous adventures will not be\nout of place.\n\nWhen the existence of New Zealand was yet scarcely known to Europeans,\nit was occasionally visited by a South Sea whaler distressed for\nprovisions, or in want of water. One of these, the Argo, put into the\nBay of Islands in 1805, and Duaterra, fired with the spirit of\nadventure, embarked on board with two of his companions. The Argo\nremained on the New Zealand coast for above five months, and then sailed\nfor Port Jackson, the modern Sydney of Australia, Duaterra sailing with\nher. She then went to fish on the coast of New Holland for six months,\nagain returning to Port Jackson. Duaterra had been six months on board,\nworking in general as a common sailor, and passionately fond of this\nroving life. He then experienced that unkindness and foul play of which\nthe New Zealander has always had sad reason to complain. He was left on\nshore without a friend and without the slightest remuneration.\n\nHe now shipped himself on board the Albion whaler, Captain Richardson,\nwhose name deserves honourable mention; he behaved very kindly to\nDuaterra, repaid him for his services in various European articles, and\nafter six months cruising on the fisheries, put him on shore in the Bay\nof Islands, where his tribe dwelt. Here he remained six months, when the\nSanta Anna anchored in the bay, on her way to Norfolk Island and other\nislets of the South Sea in quest of seal skins. The restless Duaterra\nagain embarked; he was put on shore on Norfolk Island at the head of a\nparty of fourteen sailors, provided with a very scanty supply of water,\nbread, and salt provisions, to kill seals, while the ship sailed,\nintending to be absent but a short time, to procure potatoes and pork in\nNew Zealand. On her return she was blown off the coast in a storm, and\ndid not make the land for a month. The sealing party were now in the\ngreatest distress, and accustomed as he was to hardship, Duaterra often\nspoke of the extreme suffering which he and his party had endured,\nwhile, for upwards of three months, they existed on a desert island with\nno other food than seals and sea fowls, and no water except when a\nshower of rain happened to fall. Three of his companions, two Europeans\nand one Tahitian, died under these distresses.\n\nAt length the Santa Anna returned, having procured a valuable cargo of\nseal skins, and prepared to take her departure homewards. Duaterra had\nnow an opportunity of gratifying an ardent desire he had for some time\nentertained of visiting that remote country from which so many vast\nships were sent, and to see with his own eyes the great chief of so\nwonderful a people. He willingly risked the voyage, as a common sailor,\nto visit England and see king George. The Santa Anna arrived in the\nriver Thames about July 1809, and Duaterra now requested that the\ncaptain would make good his promise, and indulge him with at least a\nsight of the king. Again he had a sad proof of the perfidiousness of\nEuropeans. Sometimes he was told that no one was allowed to see king\nGeorge; sometimes that his house could not be found. This distressed him\nexceedingly; he saw little of London, was ill-used, and seldom permitted\nto go on shore. In about fifteen days, the vessel had discharged her\ncargo, when the captain told him that he should put him on board the\nAnn, which had been taken up by government to convey convicts to New\nSouth Wales. The Ann had already dropped down to Gravesend, and Duaterra\nasked the master of the Santa Anna for some wages and clothing. He\nrefused to give him any, telling him that the owners at Port Jackson\nwould pay him in two muskets for his services on his arrival there; but\neven these he never received.\n\nMr. Marsden was at this time in London, quite ignorant of the fact that\nthe son of a New Zealand chief, in circumstances so pitiable, lay on\nboard a South Sea whaler near London bridge. Their first meeting was on\nboard the Ann, as we have stated, when she had been some days at sea.\nHis sympathies were at once roused, and his indignation too; for it was\nalways ill for the oppressor when he fell within the power of his stern\nrebuke. \"I inquired,\" he says, \"of the master where he met with him, and\nalso of Duaterra what had brought him to England, and how he came to be\nso wretched and miserable. He told me that the hardships and wrongs\nwhich he had endured on board the Santa Anna were exceedingly great, and\nthat the English sailors had beaten him very much, which was the cause\nof his spitting blood, and that the master had defrauded him of all his\nwages, and prevented his seeing the king. I should have been very happy,\nif there had been time, to call the master of the Santa Anna to account\nfor his conduct, but it was too late. I endeavoured to soothe his\nafflictions, and assured him that he should be protected from insults,\nand that his wants should be supplied.\"\n\nBy the kindness of those on board, Duaterra recovered, and was ever\nafter truly grateful for the attention shown him. On their arrival at\nSydney, Mr. Marsden took him into his house for six months, during which\ntime he applied himself to agriculture; he then wished to return home,\nand embarked for New Zealand; but further perils and adventures were in\nprospect, and we shall have occasion to advert to them hereafter. For\nthe present we leave him on his voyage to his island home.\n\nThe Ann touched on her passage out at Rio Janeiro, and Mr. Marsden spent\na short time on shore, where his active mind, already, one would\nsuppose, burthened with cares and projects, discovered a new field of\nlabour. The ignorance and superstition of a popish city stirred his\nspirit, like that of Paul at Athens. He wrote home to entreat the Church\nMissionary Society, if possible, to send them teachers; but this lay not\nwithin their province. From a letter of Sir George Grey's, addressed to\nhimself, it appears that he had interested some members of the English\ngovernment upon the subject, and that while at Rio he had been active in\ndistributing the Scriptures.\n\nBut he was now to resume his labours in Australia, where he arrived in\nsafety, fondly calculating upon a long season of peaceful toil in his\nheavenly Master's service. His mind was occupied with various projects,\nboth for the good of the colony and of the heathen round about. His own\nletters, simply and hastily thrown off in all the confidence of\nfriendship, will show how eagerly he plunged, and with what a total\nabsence of selfish considerations, into the work before him:\n\n \"To John Terry, Esq. \"Paramatta, October 26, 1810.\n\n \"DEAR SIR.--I received your kind and affectionate letter, also a\n bottle of wheat, with the Hull papers, from your brother; for all\n of which I feel much indebted. We had a very fine passage, and I\n found my affairs much better than I had any reason to expect. The\n revolution had caused much distress to many families, and the\n settlement has been thrown much back by this event. My wishes for\n the general welfare of the colony have been more successful than I\n expected they would be. The rising generation are now under\n education in almost all parts of the country. The Catholic priests\n have all left us, so that we have now the whole field to\n ourselves. I trust much good will be done; some amongst us are\n turning to the Lord. Our churches are well attended, which is\n promising and encouraging to us. My colleagues are men of piety\n and four of the schoolmasters. This will become a great country in\n time, it is much favoured in its soil and climate. I am very\n anxious for the instruction of the New Zealanders; they are a\n noble race, vastly superior in understanding to anything you can\n imagine a savage nation could attain. Mr. Hall, who was in Hull,\n and came out with us with an intention to proceed to New Zealand\n as a missionary, has not yet proceeded, in consequence of a\n melancholy difference between the natives of that island and the\n crew of a ship called the 'Boyd.' The ship was burnt, and all the\n crew murdered; our people, it appears, were the first aggressors,\n and dearly paid for their conduct towards the natives by the loss\n of their lives and ship. I do not think that this awful event will\n prevent the establishment of a mission at New Zealand. Time must\n be allowed for the difference to be made up, and for confidence to\n be restored. I wrote a letter to Mr. Hardcastle, and another to\n Rev. J. Pratt, Secretary to the Society for Missions to Africa and\n the East, and have pointed out to them the necessity of having a\n ship constantly employed in visiting the islands in the South\n Seas, for the convenience, safety, and protection of the\n missionaries, either at Otaheite and New Zealand, or at any other\n island upon which they may reside....\n\n \"Your's respectfully,\n \"(Signed) SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nGreat projects are not to be accomplished without many disappointments.\nThe first attempt is seldom the successful one. In spiritual things,\nthis may be regarded as the established rule, or law, in accordance to\nwhich the Head of the church controls while he purifies his servants'\nzeal. They are made to feel their weakness. Where they expect honour\nthey meet with opposition, perhaps with scorn. Their favourite plans are\nthose which bring, for a time, the least success and the greatest\nanxiety. Thus they are taught the great lesson of their own weakness,\nand the only less important one of the insignificance of others in whom\nthey trusted. And thus, too, in the painful but salutary school of\nadversity, they learn that the highest wisdom is, after all, simply to\naccept the cross of Christ, and to cast themselves on the unerring\nguidance of the Holy Spirit; and, in a word, \"to cease from man.\"\n\nThe new governor, General Macquarie, had arrived out a few months before\nMr. Marsden. He was an able commander, and had the good of the colony\nmuch at heart; and he had a task of no little difficulty to perform, in\nreducing what was still a penal colony, just recovering from a state of\ninsurrection, into order and obedience. His powers were great; he\nconsidered them absolute. Mr. Marsden, too, was justly tenacious of\npublic morality and virtue, and still more so of the spiritual\nindependence of the ministerial character. It seems that the rights of\nthe governor on the one side, and those of the ministers of religion on\nthe other, had not been accurately defined by the government at home,\nand thus a collision between two minds so firm and so resolute as those\nof the governor and Mr. Marsden, was inevitable. Occasions of difference\nsoon arose; the governor anxious, we doubt not, to raise their character\nand elevate their position, with a view to the future welfare of the\ncolony, placed several of the convicts on the magisterial bench, treated\nthem with respect, and even invited them to his table. With these men,\nMr. Marsden refused, as a magistrate, to act, or to meet them in society\non equal terms. Some of them were notoriously persons of a bad and\nvicious life; while none of them, he thought, could, without gross\nimpropriety, punish others judicially for the infraction of that law\nwhich they themselves had broken. He would gladly have resigned his\nmagisterial office, but the governor knew the worth of his services, and\nrefused to accept his resignation, which was repeatedly tendered. The\nnew magistrates were of course offended, and became his bitter foes; and\nsome of them harassed him for twenty years with slanders and libellous\ninsults, until at length an appeal to the laws of his country vindicated\nhis reputation and silenced his opponents. Differences of opinion may\nexist as to the wisdom of Governor Macquarie's conduct in these civil\naffairs, and many will perhaps justify his proceedings; but every\nright-minded man will condemn without hesitation the attempts which he\nmade to lord it over the consciences of the established clergy and other\nChristian ministers in the colony, in the discharge of their purely\nministerial work. He wished to dictate even to the pulpit. Mr. Marsden\nrelates that he once sent for him to the Government-house, and commanded\nhim to produce the manuscript of a sermon which he had preached nearly a\nyear before: he did so; when the governor severely commented upon it,\nand returned it with the remark that one sentence, which it is more than\nprobable he did not understand, was \"almost downright blasphemy.\" The\njunior clergy were of course still more exposed to the same despotic\ninterference. The governor wished to prescribe the hymns they should\nsing, as well as the doctrines they should teach; and he repeatedly\ninsisted on their giving out, during divine service, secular notices of\nso improper a character, that the military officers in attendance\nexpressed their disgust. Happy it was for the colony of New South Wales\nthat he met with an opponent firm and fearless, and at the same time\nsound in the faith, such as the senior chaplain. On him menaces and\nflattery were lost. The governor, at one time, even threatened him with\na court-martial; nor was the threat altogether an empty one, for he\nactually brought one of the junior chaplains, Mr. Vale, before a\ncourt-martial, and had him dismissed the colony. These are painful\nfacts, and such as, at this distance of time, we should gladly pass over\nin silence; but, in that case, what could the reader know of the trials\nthrough which Mr. Marsden passed?\n\nYet amidst all these distractions his letters testify that he possessed\nhis soul in peace, and that \"no root of bitterness, troubled\" him. He\nspeaks with respect of the governor, gives him credit for good\nintentions, and acknowledges the many benefits he conferred upon the\ncolony; and when at length he was on the eve of returning home,\nGovernor Macquarie himself bore testimony to the piety, integrity, and\ninvaluable services of the only man who had dared patiently yet firmly\nto contend with him during a long course of years.\n\nThe records of ministerial life offer little variety, but to pious minds\nthey are not without interest. Mr. Marsden rose early, generally at four\no'clock during the summer; and the morning hours were spent in his\nstudy. To a Christian minister a few hours of retirement in the morning\nare indispensable, or the mind is distracted and the day is lost. Very\nearly rising is a question of health and constitution as well as of\nconscience, and we lay no burden upon those who cannot practise it. To\nthose who can, the habit is invaluable. Three friends of Mr. Marsden\npresent us with different examples in this matter. Simeon's twenty\nvolumes of Hor\u00e6 Homilic\u00e6, or outlines of sermons, were all written\nbetween five and eight o'clock in the morning. Thomas Scott, the\ncommentator, seldom had more than three hours a-day in his study and\nthose three were early ones. Wilberforce on the other hand laments that\nhe could do nothing till he had had his \"full dose of sleep.\" Those who\ncannot rise early may still make the day long by turning to account the\nfragments of time and vacant half-hours which are so recklessly\npermitted by most men, especially strong men, to run to waste.\n\nIn the early days of the colony, Mr. Marsden used to officiate in the\nmorning at St. Philip's, Sydney. Roads were bad and conveyances scarce,\nand he often walked a distance of fifteen miles to Paramatta, where he\nconducted another service and preached again. His preaching is described\nas very plain, full of good sense and manly thought, and treating\nchiefly of the great foundation truths of the gospel. Man a lost sinner\nand needing conversion, Christ an Almighty Saviour pardoning sin, the\nHoly Ghost an all-sufficient sanctifier, guide, and comforter, carrying\non the work of grace within the soul. Those who came to hear a great\npreacher went away disappointed; those who came to pass a listless hour\nwere sometimes grievously disturbed. The authenticity of the following\nanecdote has been assured to us by Mr. Marsden's surviving friends.\n\nHe was one day walking by the banks of the river, when a convict as he\npassed plunged into the water. Mr. Marsden threw off his coat, and in an\ninstant plunged in after him and endeavoured to bring the man to land.\nHe contrived however to get Mr. Marsden's head under the water, and a\ndesperate struggle for life ensued between them; till Mr. Marsden, being\nthe stronger of the two, not only succeeded in getting safe to shore but\nin dragging the man with him. The poor fellow, struck with remorse,\nconfessed his intention. He had resolved to have his revenge on the\nsenior chaplain, whose offence was that he had preached a sermon which\nhad stung him to the quick; and he believed, as a sinner exasperated by\nthe reflection of his own vices does frequently believe, that the\npreacher had meant to hold him up to the scorn of the congregation. He\nknew too that the sight of a drowning fellow-creature would draw out the\ninstant help of one who never knew what fear was in the discharge of\nduty; and he threw himself into the stream confident of drowning Mr.\nMarsden, and then of making good his own escape. He became very\npenitent, was a useful member of society, and greatly attached to his\ndeliverer, who afterwards took him into his own service, where he\nremained for some years. We cannot give a more painful illustration of\nthe malignity with which he was pursued, than to state that the current\nversion of this story in the colony was, that the convict had been\nunjustly punished by Mr. Marsden as a magistrate, and took this method\nof revenge.\n\nHe made the most, too, of his opportunities. At a time when there were\nvery few churches or clergymen, and the settlers were widely scattered\nover large tracts, he frequently made an itinerating ministerial visit\namongst them. He was everywhere received with the greatest cordiality\nand respect. On arriving at a farm, a man on horseback was immediately\ndispatched to all the neighbours within ten or twelve miles to collect\nthem for public worship. The settlers gladly availed themselves of these\nopportunities, and assembled, in numbers varying from sixty to eighty,\nwhen Divine service was conducted in a vacant barn or under the shade of\na verandah. The next day, he proceeded twenty or twenty-five miles\nfurther on in the wilds, and again collected a congregation. These tours\nwould often extend over ten days or a fortnight, and were repeated as\nhis more settled duties permitted. Thus his name became a household\nword, pronounced with love and gratitude far beyond the limits of his\nparish, or even of the colony; and probably he found some of his most\nwilling hearers amongst those to whom he thus carried in their solitude\nthe glad tidings of a salvation which when offered to them week by week\nat home they had neglected or despised.\n\nYet his duties as principal chaplain were not neglected. From a general\ngovernment order, dated September, 1810, it appears that amongst them\nwere those of an overseer, or chief pastor of the church. \"The assistant\nchaplains are directed to consider themselves at all times under the\nimmediate control and superintendence of the principal chaplain, and are\nto make such occasional reports to him respecting their clerical duties\nas he may think proper to require or call for.\" A high tribute to his\nworth under the circumstances in which he was placed by his opposition\nto the governor. The chaplains frequently sought his protection against\narbitrary power, and he willingly fought their battles and his own in\ndefence of liberty of conscience and the right of conducting God's\nworship undisturbed. His connexion with his clerical brethren seems to\nhave been uniformly happy, and the same remark is true of the\nmissionaries of various denominations, not a few in number, who, during\na period of twenty years, were virtually under his control. He had\nundoubtedly the rare power of governing others in a very high degree,\nand it was done noiselessly and with a gentle hand; for the men who\ngovern well seldom obtrude their authority in an offensive manner, or\nworry those they should control with a petty interference. He had the\nsame kind of influence, and probably from the same cause, over the very\nhorses in his carriage. He used, in driving from Sydney to Paramatta, to\nthrow the reins behind the dash-board, take up his book, and leave them\nto themselves, his maxim being \"that the horse that could not keep\nitself up was not worth driving.\" One of the pair was almost\nunmanageable in other hands, but it was remarked that \"Captain\" always\nconducted himself well when his master drove, and never had an\naccident.\n\nAmongst his strictly pastoral cares, two schools for orphans had a\nforemost place. A female orphan school was first proposed, and Mr.\nMarsden undertook the direction of the work, and became treasurer to the\ninstitution. From its formation in 1800 to the year 1821, two hundred\nchildren were admitted. It may be a question whether the children of\nliving parents, however ignorant or even dissolute they may be, should\nbe totally withdrawn from parental sympathies. The presence of a child\nmay restrain, and its artless remonstrances are often known to touch, a\nvicious father or mother whom no other influence can reach; and Dr.\nGuthrie's recent experiment in Edinburgh seems to show us that the best\nmethod of Christianizing both child and parent is to instruct the former\nwell by day, and to send him home at night a little missionary to his\nparents, where other teaching would be scorned. But in the case of\norphans no such questions occur, and we must look upon an orphan school\nwith unmixed satisfaction. A male orphan school followed in due course,\nin which the boys were instructed in some trade and then apprenticed. In\nboth schools the moral and religious training was the chief\nconsideration; yet Mr. Marsden's connexion with them was attributed by\nhis enemies to a sordid motive, and even those in power, who should have\nknown him better, gave public currency to these injurious reports.\n\nThe fact was that when the institutions were founded the treasurer was\nallowed a small per centage upon the receipts, as a clerical fee or\nstipend; this he allowed to accumulate until he resigned the office,\nwhen he presented the whole sum to the institution. The committee\nabsolutely refusing to accept it, he purchased cattle from the\ngovernment to the full amount, and made a present of them to the orphan\nschools. Soon after his return from England it became necessary to erect\nnew schools. The work was long and tedious, and owing to the want of\nlabour in the colony, and the idle and drunken habits of the labourers,\nnearly ten years elapsed before they were completed, and the work too\nwas often at a stand for want of funds. These, however, Mr.\nMarsden--whom no pecuniary obstacles could daunt--supplied, in a great\nmeasure, out of his own purse, till his advances amounted to nearly\n900_l._; and his disinterested conduct in the end occasioned him very\nconsiderable loss. To the latest period he never ceased to take the\nwarmest interest in the prosperity of these institutions.\n\n\"I am sure,\" says his daughter, \"my father's parish was not neglected.\nHe was well known to all his parishioners, as he was in the habit of\nconstantly calling upon them. He was very attentive to the sick, whether\nat their own homes or at the government hospital. He also took great\ninterest in the education of the young. It was through his\ninstrumentality that many schools were established. His Sunday school,\nat the time of which I speak, was in a more efficient state than any I\nhave since seen; but this my brother-in-law, the Rev. T. Hassell, had a\ngreat deal to do with, as he was then acting as my father's curate. The\nfactory for the reception of female convicts was built entirely by his\nsuggestion, and to their religious and moral improvement he devoted a\ngood deal of his time. It was principally owing to his endeavours to get\nthis and other institutions in good order that much of his discomfort\nwith his fellow-magistrates and government officers arose.\"\n\nThe aborigines of Australia were, even when the colony was first\nsettled, comparatively few in number; and in painful conformity with\nuniversal experience, they have wasted away before the white man, and\nwill probably disappear in time from the face of the earth. If the New\nZealander stands highest in the scale of savage nature, the native\nAustralian occupies perhaps the lowest place. So low, indeed, was their\nintellect rated, that when the phrenological system of Drs. Gall and\nSpurzheim began to occupy attention, some forty years ago, the skulls of\nseveral of them were sent over to England to be submitted to the\nmanipulations of its professors, with a view of ascertaining whether the\nCreator had not thrust into existence a whole race of idiots--men who\nhad neither reason to guide them on the one hand, nor well-developed\ninstinct on the other. They are supposed to be a mixture of the Malay\nand negro races, but they have nothing of the muscular strength of the\nnegro, nor of his mental pliancy, and both in body and mind are far\nbelow the pure Malay. In the infancy of the colony they rambled into the\ntown of Port Jackson in a state of nudity, and when blankets were\npresented to them they were thrown aside as an incumbrance. They seemed\nto have no wants beyond those which the dart or spear--never out of\ntheir hands--could instantly supply. Their food was the opossum, but\nwhen this was not to be found they were by no means delicate; grubs,\nsnakes, putrid whales, and even vermin were eagerly devoured, though\nfish and oysters were preferred. They are a nomad or wandering people,\nalways moving from place to place in search of food, or from the mere\nlove of change. During the winter, they erect a hut, resembling a\nbeehive, of rude wicker-work besmeared with clay; but in general a mere\nhurdle, such as we use in England for penning sheep, placed to windward\nin the ground, is all their shelter; under this they lie with a fire\nkindled in the front of it. Our English stragglers have made themselves\nwell acquainted with their habits, frequently living amongst them for\nweeks together in the bush. These all agree in admiration of the skill\nwith which they throw the dart, which seldom misses, even from a child's\nhand, to strike its prey. They are peaceable and inoffensive to\nstrangers, and kind to their \"gins,\" or wives, and to their children,\nunless their savage natures are aroused, when they become horribly\nbrutal and vindictive. Few savage tribes have been found whose ideas on\nreligion are less distinct. They believe in a good spirit, _Royan_, and\na bad one, _Potoyan_; but like all savages--like all men, we may say,\neither savage or civilized, who know not God--they dread the evil spirit\nfar more than they love the good one. They offer no prayer, and have no\nworship or sacrifices. Civil government is unknown; authority in the\ntribe depends on personal strength or cunning. A wandering life with\nabundance of provisions, amongst their native woods, shores, and\nmountains, is the sum of all the little happiness they know or seek.\n\nSome efforts were made in the early period of the colony on their\nbehalf. A district near Port Jackson was assigned them, and they were\nencouraged to reside in it; but it was very soon deserted. The roving\nhabits of the aborigines made any settled residence irksome; and their\nwants were so few that they would neither engage in trade, nor submit to\nlabour for the sake of wages. It retained the name of the Black Town for\nmany years; but the black men have long since deserted it. Governor\nMacquarie, after consulting with Mr. Marsden, then attempted a farm,\nand, in connexion with it, a kind of reformatory school at Paramatta,\nwhere they were to be civilized and cured of their migratory habits, and\ninstructed in the Christian religion. Mr. Marsden took a warm interest\nin the scheme, as he did in everything that concerned the welfare of the\naborigines. Still it failed; for it was founded, as experience has\nshown, upon wrong principles. Mr. Marsden, however, is not to be blamed\nfor this; since Governor Macquarie, having now conceived a violent\nprejudice against him, omitted his name from the committee of\nmanagement, although the institution was placed in his own parish,\nintroducing those of two junior chaplains; and it was not till the\ngovernor's retirement that he took an active part in its affairs. But\nthe character of the institution was then fixed, and its approaching\nfailure was evident.\n\nTwo faults were interwoven with it, either of which must have proved\nfatal. In the first place, the attempt to confine a nomad, wandering\ntribe within the precincts of a farm, or to bring them to endure, except\nit had been by force, the discipline of lads in an English workhouse,\nwas upon the very face of it absurd. These, we must remember, were the\nearly days of English philanthropy amongst wild black men. She had yet\nto make her blunders and learn her first lessons. Why should a nomad\nrace be settled upon the workhouse plan, or even confined to an English\nfarm? Why should they not rather be encouraged to dwell in tents, carry\ncivilization with them into their own woods and mountains, and, roam,\nfree and fearless, over those vast regions which God had given them to\npossess, until at last they themselves shall wish to adopt the settled\nhabits of European Christians? A roving life in the wilderness is not\nof necessity an idle or a barbarous one. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were\nhighly civilized, and eminently devout. \"Arabians\" and \"dwellers in\nMesopotamia,\" wanderers of the desert, heard the word with gladness, and\nreceived the Holy Ghost upon the day of Pentecost. But we do not read\nthat they were required to live in cities, and abandon the\nlong-cherished wilderness, with all its solemn associations and grand\ndelights. And we have not so mean an opinion of Christianity as to\nbelieve that it can thrive only in towns well paved and lighted, or in\nfarms neatly fenced and artificially cultivated. The true missionary\nmust track the wandering savage into the desert, and there make himself\nhis guide and friend; and teach him that the gospel of Jesus Christ is\nindeed of God, inasmuch as it is fitted, as no human contrivance can be\nfitted, for man, whatever his outward circumstances or his mode of life;\nthat it knows no difference between the dweller in the tent, and in\n\"cities, tall and fenced up to heaven.\" \"Barbarian, Scythian, bond or\nfree,\" are all alike welcome to its blessings; and we can see no good\nreason why there should not be Christian tribes in the wilderness, as\nthere were patriarchal churches in the plains of the Euphrates, long\nbefore the law was given on Mount Sinai.\n\nThe other mistake was the same which has tainted other missions in their\ninfancy, and to which we have made some allusion. It was thought\nnecessary to prepare the savage mind for Christianity, by the\npreliminary discipline of a civilizing process. This is inverting the\norder in which God proceeds: \"The entrance of thy word giveth light.\"\nWhen the voice of God speaks within, and not before, the demoniac quits\n\"his dwelling amongst the tombs;\" no longer \"tears off his raiment\" like\na brute beast, unconscious of shame; ceases to be \"exceeding fierce,\"\nand is now found \"sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his\nright mind.\" A few efforts upon this, the right evangelical principle as\nwe conceive, have been made from time to time amongst these degraded\naborigines; but the success has not been great. A wide field still\nremains, thinly peopled and spiritually uncultivated. If these lines\nshould be read by our Christian friends in Australia, to them we would\nventure to commend the glorious enterprise. Let there be one colony at\nleast in which the aborigines shall share the intruder's prosperity. Let\nthe vast centre of the Australian continent one day rejoice in its\nthronging tribes of Christian aborigines.\n\nMr. Marsden's view of the native character may be gathered from the\nfollowing statement, which he published in self-defence when charged\nwith indifference as to their conversion. \"More than twenty years ago, a\nnative lived with me at Paramatta, and for a while I thought I could\nmake something of him; but at length he got tired, and no inducement\ncould prevail upon him to continue in my house; he took to the bush\nagain, where he has continued ever since. One of my colleagues, the Rev.\nR. Johnstone, took two native girls into his house, for the express\npurpose of educating them; they were fed and clothed like Europeans; but\nin a short time they went into the woods again. Another native, named\nDaniel, was taken when a boy into the family of Mrs. C.; he was taken to\nEngland; mixed there with the best society, and could speak English\nwell; but on his return from England he reverted to his former wild\npursuits.\" In reply to the inquiries made by Mr. Marsden, who once met\nDaniel after he returned to his savage state, he said; \"The natives\nuniversally prefer a free and independent life, with all its privations,\nto the least restraint.\" Without multiplying instances quoted by Mr.\nMarsden, the trial he made with an infant shows that his heart was not\nunfriendly towards these people. \"One of my boys, whom I attempted to\ncivilize, was taken from its mother's breast, and brought up with my own\nchildren for twelve years; but he retained his instinctive taste for\nnative food; and he wanted that attachment to me and my family that we\nhad just reason to look for; and always seemed deficient in those\nfeelings of affection which are the very bonds of social life.\" This boy\nran away at Rio from Mr. Marsden, when returning from England in 1810,\nbut was brought back to the colony by Captain Piper; and died in the\nSydney hospital, exhibiting Christian faith and penitence. \"I mentioned\nto the governor,\" he adds, \"some of these circumstances, but not with\nany view to create difficulties; so far from it, that I informed him\nthat I was authorized by the Church Missionary Society to assist any\nplan with pecuniary aid, that was likely to benefit the natives of the\ncolony.\" A mission was in fact set on foot by this Society; but from\nvarious causes, it failed, and was abandoned.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\n Mr. Marsden's correspondence with the London Missionary\n Society--Buys the brig Active--His first Voyage to New\n Zealand--Journal of Events.\n\n\nRichard Baxter, after describing his ministerial labours at\nKidderminster in preaching and visiting from house to house, has these\nremarkable words: \"But all these, my labours, even preaching and\npreparing for it, were but my recreations, and, as it were, the work of\nmy spare hours; for my writings were my chiefest daily labour.\" Mr.\nMarsden had his recreations, too. Amidst the anxieties of his colonial\nchaplaincy he found or made opportunities to conduct a work which of\nitself would have been sufficient to exhaust the energies and to\nimmortalize the memory of any other man. We devote this chapter to a\nshort, and, of necessity, imperfect sketch of these his _recreations_ in\nthe missionary field.\n\nOn his return from England in 1810, he found disastrous tidings of the\nTahitian mission awaiting his arrival. Disheartened by their utter want\nof success, divided amongst themselves, distracted with fears of danger\nfrom the natives, several of the missionaries had fled from their posts,\nand taken refuge in New South Wales. The work appeared to be on the eve\nof ruin, and it was owing in no small measure to the firmness and wise\nconduct of Mr. Marsden that it was not, for a time at least, abandoned.\n\"Sooner,\" he exclaims, in one of his letters to the Society at home,\n\"than _that_ shall be the case, I will give up my chaplaincy, and go\nmyself and live at Otaheite.\" Yet it was no easy task to inspire others\nwith his own courage, or to impart his hopeful spirit to a desponding\nband of men. He felt the difficulty, and acted towards them in the most\nconsiderate manner. Instead of at once insisting on their return, he\nreceived them into his family, where it is scarcely necessary to say\nthey were treated with that patriarchal hospitality for which the\nparsonage of Paramatta was famed. When a few months had passed, and\ntheir spirits were cheered and their health restored, the question of\ntheir return to Tahiti was introduced and quietly discussed. Their kind\nand pious host had never for an instant doubted of their ultimate\nsuccess. We have perused numerous letters addressed by him to the London\nMissionary Society, and to various friends in England; but in not one of\nthem is the shadow of a doubt expressed as to the triumph of the gospel\nin Tahiti and the Society Islands; and we may extend the remark to the\nNew Zealand mission, as shown by his correspondence with the Church\nMissionary Society a few years later. About this period a reaction had\ntaken place in England amongst religious people. The fond hopes they had\nunwisely entertained of seeing vast results wherever the gospel was\nintroduced among the heathen and upon the first proclamation of it, had\nbeen grievously disturbed; and now the tide ran in the opposite\ndirection. Nothing appears to have given Mr. Marsden more uneasiness\nthan the general lukewarmness of the church of Christ at home, and their\ndespondency as to the success of missions. He speaks of his \"anxious\ndays and sleepless nights.\" But his own courage never failed; and this\nhigh undoubting faith, it is beautiful to observe, rests always on the\nsame foundation. It was not, much as he respected them, his confidence\neither in the Societies at home, or in their missionaries abroad, but\nsimply in the promises of God, in the power of the gospel, and in the\nunchanging love of Christ for his \"inheritance\" among the heathen. Thus\nthe missionaries were induced to return to their deserted posts; and not\nonly so, but to resume their work in a higher spirit of faith and\ncheerfulness. It was not long before hopeful signs broke out, and within\nten years Pomare the sovereign became a Christian king, and the island\nof Tahiti a Christian land.\n\nThe distance of these missions from Australia, and the difficulty of\ncommunicating with them, suggested to Mr. Marsden the advantage of\nemploying a vessel entirely on missionary service. When his mind was\nonce made up he lost no time; the consent of the Societies in England\ncould not all at once be gained; so he resolved, at his own cost, to\npurchase a missionary ship, the first probably that ever floated on the\ndeep, and bought the Active, a brig of a hundred tons burden, for the\nservice of the two great missions on which his heart was fixed. The\nfollowing letter, addressed to the Rev. George Burder, though written\ntwo years later, is introduced here to complete our summary of the\nre-establishment of the Tahitian mission:\n\n \"Paramatta, June 9, 1815.\n\n \"REV. AND DEAR SIR,--I received a short letter from you by the\n late arrivals, and found you had not got any very interesting\n accounts from the brethren at Otaheite. The last account I had\n from them, they were going on exceedingly well, and the Lord was\n owning and blessing their labours. You will hear I lately visited\n New Zealand, and also my views of that island. Finding that the\n Societies in London could not make up their minds, neither as a\n body nor as individuals, to send out a vessel, I at last\n determined to purchase one for the purpose on my own account. The\n various expenses attending it have created me some little\n pecuniary difficulties; but they are only known to myself, and not\n such as will be attended with any serious consequence. I hope in a\n little time I shall be able to surmount them; whether I shall keep\n the vessel in my own hands or not, I am not certain as yet. I\n cannot do it without some assistance at the first; if I could, I\n certainly would not trouble any of my friends. The vessel has been\n twice at New Zealand, and is gone a third time. When she returns I\n intend her to visit the brethren at Otaheite. It is my intention\n that she should sail in August next to Otaheite. The brethren\n there have been labouring hard to build a vessel for themselves,\n which is almost completed. I have agreed to take a share with them\n in her. During the time the brethren have been building their\n vessel, the work of the Lord appears to have prospered very much,\n far beyond all expectation.\"\n\nHe adds, \"I estimate the expenses of the vessel at 1500_l._ per annum,\nand I think, if I am not mistaken in my views, that her returns will not\nbe less than 1000_l._ per annum, and perhaps more. I may venture to say\nI should not call on the two Societies for more than the sum I have\nstated, namely, 500_l._ per annum from this time. I will not demand\nanything if the returns cover the expenses for the use of the vessel.\"\nThese returns were to be obtained by \"freighting the Active with the\nproduce of the industry of the natives, and trading with them in\nreturn.\" This would \"stimulate their exertions, correct their vagrant\nminds, and enrich them with the comforts and conveniences of civil\nlife.\" The letter closes with suggesting yet another mission; for the\nlarge heart of the writer saw in the approaching triumph of the gospel\nin his favourite missions only a call to fresh exertions. Even as Paul,\nwhen he had \"fully preached from Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum,\"\nsighed after fresh labours, and still remoter conquests for his Lord. \"I\nwish to mention to you that it would be a great object if the Society\nwould turn their thoughts a little to the Friendly Islands. New Zealand\nbeing on one side, and the Society Islands on the other, with labourers\nnow upon them, the Friendly Islands ought not to be left destitute.\nThese islands are very populous, and as the London Missionary Society\nfirst began the work there, I think they should renew their attempt. I\ncannot recommend any establishment upon any of the islands in the South\nSeas, unless commerce is more or less attended to, in order to call\nforth the industry of the natives. Provided the Society as a body will\nnot consent to have anything to do with commerce, I see no reason why a\nfew pious friends might not, who wish to aid the missionary cause. You\ncannot form a nation without commerce and the civil arts. A person of\ninformation who is well acquainted with the Friendly Islands informed me\nthat the labour of a hundred thousand men might be brought into action\nupon these islands in producing sugar, cordage, cotton, etc.... A\nhundred thousand men will never form themselves into any regular\nsociety, and enjoy the productions of their country without commerce.\nShould the Society have any doubts upon the point, let them authorize an\ninquiry into the state of these islands, when there is an opportunity\nto examine them, and a report of their inhabitants and their productions\nlaid out before them.\" Mr. Marsden then describes the openings at New\nZealand, and concludes a long letter thus: \"I have stated my sentiments\nwith great haste. You will excuse the hasty scrawl. I can assure you my\nsincere wish and prayer to the great Head of the church is that all may\nprosper that love him. I am, dear sir, yours affectionately,\nS. MARSDEN.\"\n\nA postscript adds:--\n\n \"Since writing this letter, I have determined to keep the Active\n in my own hands.\"\n\nLet us now turn to the New Zealand mission, which occupied, from this\ntime, so large a portion of Mr. Marsden's public life.\n\nWe have mentioned the designation of two laymen, Messrs. Hall and King,\nfor this mission by the Church Missionary Society in 1808. They sailed\nfrom England, with Mr. Marsden, in 1810, and were soon after followed by\nMr. Kendall, and the three assembled at New South Wales, intending to\nsail thence without delay for the scene of their future work. But here\nfresh difficulties arose. Mr. Marsden's intention was to accompany them,\nand in person to meet the first dangers, and lay, as it were, the first\nstone. But this the new governor absolutely forbade. To him, and in fact\nto most men in his circumstances, the whole scheme seemed utterly\npreposterous. The idea of converting the savages of New Zealand was the\nchimera of a pious enthusiast--a good and useful man in his way, but one\nwho was not to be allowed thus idly to squander the lives of others, to\nsay nothing of his own. Nor in truth were the governor's objections\naltogether without foundation. The last news from New Zealand was that\nan English ship, the Boyd, had been seized and burned by the cannibals\nin the Bay of Islands, and every soul on board, seventy in all, killed\nand eaten. The report was true, save only that, out of the whole of the\nship's company, two women and a boy had been spared to live in slavery\nwith the savages. A New Zealand chief had sailed on board, as it\nafterwards appeared, and had been treated with brutal indignities\nsimilar to those which Duaterra suffered from the captain of the Santa\nAnna. He smothered his resentment, and, waiting the return of the Boyd\nto the Bay of Islands, summoned his tribe, who, on various pretences,\ncrowded the deck of the ship, and at a given signal rushed upon the\ncrew, dispatched them with their clubs and hatchets, and then gorged\nthemselves and their followers on the horrible repast. All then that Mr.\nMarsden could obtain at present was permission to charter a vessel, if a\ncaptain could be found sufficiently courageous to risk his life and ship\nin such an enterprise, and to send out the three missionaries as\npioneers; with a reluctant promise from the governor that if on the\nship's return, all had turned out well, he should not be hindered from\nfollowing. For some time no such adventurous captain could be found. At\nlength, for the sum of 600_l._ for a single voyage, an offer was made,\nbut Mr. Marsden looked upon the sum as far too much; and this, with\nother considerations, induced him to purchase his own missionary brig,\nthe Active, in which Messrs. Hall and Kendall finally set sail for the\nBay of Islands. They carried a message to Duaterra, entreating him to\nreceive them kindly, and inviting him, too, to return with them to\nParamatta, bringing along with him two or three friendly chiefs.\n\nDuaterra, after his visit to Mr. Marsden, on his way from England, had\nagain suffered great hardships from the perfidy of the master of the\nFrederick, with whom he had embarked from New South Wales under an\nexpress engagement to be set on shore at the Bay of Islands, where his\ntribe dwelt. He was carried to Norfolk Island, and there left; and, to\naggravate his wrongs and sorrows, the vessel passed within two miles of\nhis own shores and in sight of his long lost home. He was defrauded too\nof his share of the oil he had procured with his companions, worth\n100_l_. A whaler found him on Norfolk Island, almost naked and in the\nlast stage of want, and brought him once more to Australia and to his\nfriend and patron Mr. Marsden. A short stay sufficed; he sailed again\nfrom Sydney, and soon found himself, to his great joy, amongst his\nfriends in New Zealand. On the arrival of the Active with its\nmissionaries--the first messengers of Christ who landed on its\nshores--he was there to greet them, and to repay, a thousandfold, the\nkindness of his friend the minister of Paramatta, in the welcome he\nsecured for these defenceless strangers. They carried with them too a\npresent which, trifling as it may seem, was not without its share of\ninfluence in the great work; the story is suggestive, and may serve a\nhigher purpose than merely to amuse the reader.\n\nDuaterra had been provided by Mr. Marsden with a supply of wheat for\nsowing on his return to New Zealand. No such thing as a field of grain\nof any kind had yet waved its golden ears on that fertile soil. To this\naccomplished savage the honour belongs of first introducing agriculture\ninto an island destined, within forty years, to rival the best farms of\nEngland both in the value of its crops and the variety of its produce.\nThe neighbouring chiefs and their tribes viewed with wonder first the\ngreen ears and then the growing corn. The wild potato, the fern, and a\nfew other roots were the only produce of the earth they were yet\nacquainted with, and when Duaterra assured them that his field of wheat\nwas to yield the flour out of which the bread and biscuits they had\ntasted on English ships were made, they tore up several plants,\nexpecting to find something resembling their own potato at the root.\nThat the ears themselves should furnish the materials for a loaf was not\nto be believed. Duaterra meant to impose upon them, or else he had been\nduped himself, but they were not to be cajoled with the tales of a\ntraveller. The field was reaped and the corn threshed out, when Duaterra\nwas mortified with the discovery that he was not provided with a mill.\nHe made several attempts to grind his corn with the help of a\ncoffee-mill borrowed from a trading-ship, but without success; and now,\nlike the inventor of steam navigation, and other benefactors of their\nspecies nearer home, he was laughed at for his simplicity. It is strange\nthat the ancient Roman _quern_, a hollow stone in which the grain was\npounded, the rudest form in fact of the pestle and mortar, should not\nhave occurred to him; but the total want of invention is an invariable\ncharacteristic of savage nature. At length the Active brought the\nimportant present of a hand-mill for grinding corn. Duaterra's friends\nassembled to watch the experiment, still incredulous of the promised\nresult; but when the meal began to stream out beneath the machine their\nastonishment was unbounded; and when a cake was produced, hastily baked\nin a frying-pan, they shouted and danced for joy, Duaterra was now to\nbe trusted when he told them that the missionaries were good men. And\nthus the first favourable impression was made upon the savage Maories,\nwhose race was in the next generation to become a civilized and\nChristian people.\n\nMessrs Hall and Kendall, having introduced themselves and their mission\nin New Zealand, now, in obedience to their instructions, returned to\nSydney accompanied by Duaterra and six other chiefs, amongst whom was\nDuaterra's uncle the famous Shunghie, or Hongi, the most powerful of New\nZealand chieftains; such was the confidence which Mr. Marsden's name,\ntogether with the good conduct of the missionaries, had now inspired.\nThe Active reached New South Wales on the 22nd of August, 1814. Nothing\ncould exceed the joy which Mr. Marsden experienced on the successful\ntermination of the voyage, and being filled with an earnest desire to\npromote the dissemination of the gospel amongst the New Zealanders, and\nhaving obtained the governor's permission, he determined to accompany\nthe missionaries on their return to the Bay of Islands. To his friend,\nAvison Terry, Esq., he wrote just before he sailed, Oct. 7, 1814--\"It is\nmy intention to visit New Zealand and see what can be done to promote\nthe eternal welfare of the inhabitants of that island. I have now\nseveral of the chiefs living with me at Paramatta. They are as noble a\nrace of men as are to be met with in any part of the world. I trust I\nshall be able, in some measure, to put a stop to those dreadful murders\nwhich have been committed upon the island for some years past, both by\nthe Europeans and the natives. They are a much injured people,\nnotwithstanding all that has been advanced against them. The time is\nnow come, in my opinion, for them to be favoured with the everlasting\ngospel; and I trust to hear the joyful sound in those dark and dreary\nregions of sin and spiritual bondage. I have long had the most ardent\nwish to visit these poor heathen, but have never till the present time\nobtained permission. I have submitted my views to the Church Missionary\nSociety, and solicited their aid. The expense of establishing a mission\nhere will at first be very considerable.\" ... [Here he mentions his\npurchase of the Active, etc.] \"Should the Society approve of my views,\nno doubt they will give their support, but if they cannot enter into\nthem in the manner I do, I cannot expect that assistance from them which\nmay be required. My own means will enable me to set the mission on foot\nin the first instance, and I have little doubt but it will succeed.\"\nZeal such as this, tempered with discretion and guided by the \"wisdom\nwhich cometh from above,\" in answer to many believing prayers, could\nscarcely fail of its sure reward.\n\nOn the 19th of November, 1814, he embarked on his great mission, with a\nmotley crew, such as (except perhaps on some other missionary ship) has\nseldom sailed in one small vessel--savages and Christian teachers and\nenterprising mechanics, their wives and children, besides cattle and\nhorses. Of this strangely assorted company he gives the following\ndescription: \"The number of persons on board the Active, including women\nand children, was thirty-five; the master, his wife and son, Messrs.\nKendall, Hall, and King, with their wives and children, eight New\nZealanders, (including Duaterra and his uncle the great warrior Shunghie\nor Hongi) two Otaheitans, and four Europeans belonging to the vessel,\nbesides Mr. John Lydiard Nicholas and myself; there were also two\nsawyers, one smith, and a runaway convict whom we afterwards found on\nboard, a horse and two mares, one bull and two cows, with a few sheep\nand poultry. The bull and cows have been presented by Governor Macquarie\nfrom his Majesty's herd.\" On the 15th December, they were in sight of\nland; the next day, the chiefs were sent on shore, and a friendly\ncommunication was at once opened with the natives. But even before they\nhad landed \"a canoe came alongside the Active, with plenty of fish, and\nshortly afterwards a chief followed from the shore, who immediately came\non board.\" Mr. Marsden's fame, as the friend of the New Zealanders, had\narrived before him. \"I told them my name, with which they were all well\nacquainted.... We were now quite free from all fear, as the natives\nseemed desirous to show us attention by every possible means in their\npower.\" The Active dropped her anchor a few days after at Wangaroa, near\nthe Bay of Islands, the scene of the massacre of the Boyd's crew, and\nthere amongst the very cannibals by whose hands their countrymen had\nfallen so recently the first Christian mission to New Zealand was\nopened. A fierce and unholy revenge had been taken, in the murder of\nTippahee, a native chieftain, and all his family, by an English crew who\nhad visited Wangaroa after the Boyd's destruction, and Tippahee, as Mr.\nMarsden always maintained, suffered unjustly, having had no share in the\ndreadful massacre. But thus it was; and amongst a people so exasperated\ndid these servants of the most high God venture forth as the heralds of\nthe gospel. Seldom since the words of the prophet were first uttered\nhave they had, in reference to missionaries, a more significant, or a\nmore correct appropriation than they now received. \"How beautiful upon\nthe mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that\npublisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth\nsalvation.\"\n\nMr. Marsden's journal of this his first visit to New Zealand is a\ndocument of singular interest, and when published at the time in\nEngland, it made a deep impression. It is written in plain and forcible\nlanguage, and is characterized by that vein of good sense and practical\nwisdom which so distinguished him. There is no display of his own\nsufferings, trials and privations, no affectation of laboured and\nstudied expression, no highly coloured and partial representation of the\nsavage condition of the natives. All his aim is to lay the truth before\nthe Society and the friends of missions, and in doing so he has written\nwith a degree of accuracy and honest feeling, which while they inform\nthe understanding at once reach the heart. From this unpretending\nrecord, a few selections will be laid before the reader. And here, too,\nwe would, once for all, acknowledge our obligations to his \"companion in\ntravel,\" J. L. Nicholas, Esq., to whose manuscript journal of the visit\nto New Zealand, as well indeed as for other communications of great\ninterest on the subject of Mr. Marsden's life and labours, we shall be\nmuch indebted through the future pages of our work.\n\nDuaterra and Shunghie had often told of the bloody war, arising out of\nthe affair of the Boyd, that was raging, while they were at Paramatta,\nbetween the people of Wangaroa (the tribe of Tippahee) and the\ninhabitants of the Bay of Islands, who were their own friends and\nfollowers; the Wangaroans accusing the people of the Bay of Islands of\nhaving conspired with the English in the murder of Tippahee. When the\nActive arrived, several desperate battles had been fought, and the war\nwas likely to continue.\n\nMr. Marsden was determined to establish peace amongst these contending\ntribes. He was known already as the friend of Duaterra and Shunghie; he\nnow felt that he must convince the other party of his good intentions.\nHe did not come amongst them as an ally of either, but as the friend of\nboth; he resolved therefore to pass some time with the Wangaroans; and\nwith a degree of intrepidity truly astonishing even in him, not only\nventured on shore, but actually passed the night, accompanied by his\nfriend Mr. Nicholas alone, with the very savages who had killed and\neaten his countrymen. After a supper of fish and potatoes in the camp of\nShunghie, they walked over to the hostile camp distant about a mile.\nThey received the two white strangers very cordially. \"We sat down\namongst them, and the chiefs surrounded us.\" Mr. Marsden then introduced\nthe subject of his embassy, explained the object of the missionaries in\ncoming to live amongst them, and showed how much peace would conduce in\nevery way to the welfare of all parties. A chief, to whom the Europeans\ngave the name of George, acted as interpreter; he had sailed on board an\nEnglish ship, and spoke English well. Mr. Marsden tells us how the first\nnight was passed: \"As the evening advanced the people began to retire to\nrest in different groups. About eleven o'clock Mr. Nicholas and I\nwrapped ourselves in our great coats, and prepared for rest. George\ndirected me to lie by his side. His wife and child lay on the right\nhand, and Mr. Nicholas close by. The night was clear; the stars shone\nbright, and the sea in our front was smooth; around us were innumerable\nspears stuck upright in the ground, and groups of natives lying in all\ndirections, like a flock of sheep upon the grass, as there were neither\ntents nor huts to cover them. I viewed our present situation with\nsensations and feelings that I cannot express, surrounded by cannibals\nwho had massacred and devoured our countrymen. I wondered much at the\nmysteries of providence, and how these things could be. Never did I\nbehold the blessed advantage of civilization in a more grateful light\nthan now. I did not sleep much during the night. My mind was too\nseriously occupied by the present scene, and the new and strange ideas\nit naturally excited. About three in the morning I rose and walked about\nthe camp, surveying the different groups of natives. When the morning\nlight returned we beheld men, women, and children, asleep in all\ndirections like the beasts of the field. I had ordered the boat to come\non shore for us at daylight; and soon after Duaterra arrived in the\ncamp.\"\n\nIn the morning he gave an invitation to the chiefs to breakfast on board\nthe Active, which they readily accepted. \"At first I entertained doubts\nwhether the chiefs would trust themselves with us or not, on account of\nthe Boyd, lest we should detain them when we had them in our power; but\nthey showed no signs of fear, and went on board with apparent\nconfidence. The axes, billhooks, prints, etc., I intended to give them\nwere all got ready after breakfast; the chiefs were seated in the cabin\nin great form to receive the presents, I sat on the one side, and they\non the other side of the table; Duaterra stood and handed me each\narticle separately that I was to give them. Messrs. Kendall, Hall, and\nKing, with the master of the Active and his son, were all one after the\nother introduced to the chiefs. The chiefs were at the same time\ninformed what duty each of the three persons were appointed to do. Mr.\nKendall to instruct their children, Mr. Hall to build houses, boats,\netc., Mr. King to make fishing lines, and Mr. Hanson to command the\nActive, which would be employed in bringing axes and such things as were\nwanted from Sydney, to enable them to cultivate their lands and improve\ntheir country. When these ceremonies were over, I expressed my hope that\nthey would have no more wars, but from that time would be reconciled to\neach other. Duaterra, Shunghie, and Koro Koro shook hands with the\nchiefs of Wangaroa, and saluted each other as a token of reconciliation\nby joining their noses together. I was much gratified to see these men\nat amity once more.\"\n\nThe chieftains now took their leave, much pleased with the attention of\nMr. Marsden, and still more so with his presents; and they promised for\nthe future to protect the missionaries and never to injure the European\ntraders. Some of the presents excited no little wonder; no New\nZealander, except the few who like Duaterra had been on foreign travel,\nhad ever seen either cows or horses, for the largest quadruped yet\nnaturalized in the island was the pig, and even that had been introduced\nbut recently. Duaterra had often told his wondering countrymen of the\nhorse and its rider, and in return was always laughed at; but when the\nhorses were now landed and Mr. Marsden actually mounted one of them,\nthey stood in crowds and gazed in mute astonishment. These traits of\ninfant civilization are not without their use to those who may hereafter\nbe cast among barbarous tribes, or may attempt their improvement.\n\nThe first Sunday on which the one true God was worshipped in New Zealand\nsince the creation, will be for ever memorable in her annals. It was\nalso Christmas-day, the 25th of December, 1815, \"a day much to be\nremembered.\" Mr. Marsden thus describes it: \"Duaterra passed the\nremaining part of the previous day in preparing for the sabbath. He\ninclosed about half an acre of land with a fence, erected a pulpit and\nreading desk in the centre, and covered the whole either with black\nnative cloth or some duck which he had brought with him from Port\nJackson. He also procured some bottoms of old canoes, and fixed them up\nas seats on each side of the pulpit, for the Europeans to sit upon;\nintending to have divine service performed there the next day. These\npreparations he made of his own accord; and in the evening informed me\nthat everything was ready for divine service. I was much pleased with\nthis singular mark of his attention. The reading-desk was about three\nfeet from the ground, and the pulpit about six feet. The black cloth\ncovered the top of the pulpit, and hung over the sides; the bottom of\nthe pulpit, as well as the reading-desk, was part of a canoe. The whole\nwas becoming, and had a solemn appearance. He had also erected a\nflagstaff on the highest hill in the village, which had a very\ncommanding view.\n\n\"On Sunday morning, when I was upon deck, I saw the English flag flying,\nwhich was a pleasing sight in New Zealand. I considered it as the signal\nand the dawn of civilization, liberty and religion, in that dark and\nbenighted land. I never viewed the British colours with more\ngratification; and flattered myself they would never be removed, till\nthe natives of that island enjoyed all the happiness of British\nsubjects.\n\n\"About ten o'clock we prepared to go ashore, to publish for the first\ntime the glad tidings of the gospel. I was under no apprehension for the\nsafety of the vessel; and, therefore, ordered all on board to go on\nshore to attend divine service, except the master and one man. When we\nlanded, we found Koro Koro, Duaterra, and Shunghie, dressed in\nregimentals, which Governor Macquarie had given them, with their men\ndrawn up, ready to be marched into the inclosure to attend divine\nservice. They had their swords by their sides, and switches in their\nhands. We entered the inclosure, and were placed on the seats on each\nside of the pulpit. Koro Koro marched his men, and placed them on my\nright hand, in the rear of the Europeans: and Duaterra placed his men on\nthe left. The inhabitants of the town, with the women and children, and\na number of other chiefs, formed a circle round the whole. A very solemn\nsilence prevailed--the sight was truly impressive. I rose up and began\nthe service with singing the Old Hundredth Psalm; and felt my very soul\nmelt within me when I viewed my congregation, and considered the state\nthey were in. After reading the service, during which the natives stood\nup and sat down at the signals given by Koro Koro's switch, which was\nregulated by the movements of the Europeans, it being Christmas day, I\npreached from the second chapter of St. Luke's gospel and tenth verse,\n'Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy,\" etc. The natives told\nDuaterra that they could not understand what I meant. He replied, that\nthey were not to mind that now, for they would understand by-and-by; and\nthat he would explain my meaning as far as he could. When I had done\npreaching, he informed them what I had been talking about. Duaterra was\nvery much pleased that he had been able to make all the necessary\npreparations for the performance of divine worship in so short a time,\nand we felt much obliged to him for his attention. He was extremely\nanxious to convince us that he would do everything in his power, and\nthat the good of his country was his principal consideration.\n\n\"In this manner, the gospel has been introduced into New Zealand; and I\nfervently pray that the glory of it may never depart from its\ninhabitants till time shall be no more.\"\n\nThe confidence of the natives in Mr. Marsden was now unbounded, and\nscarcely less was the confidence he reposed in them; and he resolved\nupon a short coasting voyage, with the view of exploring their different\nharbours, and making arrangements for the future extension of the\nmission. Many of the chiefs and warriors, led by Duaterra, wished to\nsail with him, and without the slightest misgiving, twenty-eight\nsavages, fully armed after the fashion of their country, were invited on\nboard the Active, manned as she was by only seven Europeans. \"I do not\nbelieve,\" Mr. Nicholas observes, \"that a similar instance can be shown\nof such unlimited confidence placed in a race of savages known to be\ncannibals. We are wholly in their power, and what is there to hinder\nthem from abusing it? Next to the overruling providence of God, there is\nnothing but the character of the ship, which seems to have something\nalmost sacred in their eyes, and the influence of Mr. Marsden's name,\nwhich acts as a talisman amongst them. They feel convinced that he is\nsacrificing his own ease and comfort to promote their welfare.\"\n\nTheir leave of absence having nearly expired, Mr. Marsden and his\ncompanions were now obliged to prepare for their voyage homeward. They\nhad laid the foundations of a great work--how great, none of them could\ntell. But they were full of faith in God, while, as patriots, they\nexulted in the prospect of extending the renown of dear old England. Mr.\nMarsden, in his conversations with the natives, explained to them the\nnature of our government, and the form of trial by jury; he discoursed\nwith them upon the evils of polygamy, and showed his marked abhorrence\nof their darling vices--theft and lying. A chisel being lost from the\nActive a boat was sent on shore, manned by Duaterra and other\nchieftains, to demand restitution; the culprit was not found, nor the\nimplement restored; but a whole village was aroused from its slumbers at\nmidnight, and the inhabitants literally trembled with fear of the\nconsequences when they saw the angry chieftains, though no harm was\npermitted to ensue. An example of high integrity was always set. Mr.\nMarsden might, for instance, have obtained land, or timber, or, in\nshort, whatever he required in exchange for ammunition and muskets; but\nhe sternly interdicted the sale or barter of these articles upon any\nterms whatever, and to this resolution he always adhered. Again and\nagain does he express his determination, as well in this its earliest\nstage as in later periods of the mission, rather to abandon the whole\nwork, which was far dearer to him than life itself, than to suffer it to\nbe tainted by what he considered so nefarious a barter. \"I further told\nthem,\" he says, \"that the smith should make axes or hoes, or any other\ntools they wanted; but that he was on no account to repair any pistols\nor muskets, or make any warlike instruments, no not even for the\ngreatest chiefs upon the island.\" And he \"took an opportunity, upon all\noccasions, to impress upon their minds the horrors their cannibalism\nexcited; how much their nation was disgraced by it, and dreaded on this\naccount.\"\n\nOne thing still remained to be done. The missionaries possessed no land,\nand were liable, after his departure, to be removed or driven out at the\nmere caprice of the tribes amongst whom they settled. He therefore\ndetermined, if possible, to purchase for them a small estate. It\nconsisted of about two hundred acres; and the first plot of ground to\nwhich England can lay claim in New Zealand was formally made over in a\ndeed, of which Mr. Nicholas has fortunately preserved a transcript. It\nwas executed in the presence of a number of chiefs, who were assembled\nto take leave of the Active on the day before she sailed, and ran as\nfollows:--\n\n \"Know all men to whom these presents shall come, that I, Anodee O\n Gunna, king of Rangheehoo, in the island of New Zealand, have, in\n consideration of twelve axes to me in hand now paid and delivered\n by the Reverend Samuel Marsden of Paramatta, in the territory of\n New South Wales, given, granted, bargained, and sold; and by this\n present instrument do give, grant, bargain, and sell unto the\n committee of the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the\n East, instituted in London, in the kingdom of Great Britain, and\n to their heirs and successors, all that piece and parcel of land\n situate in the district of Hoshee, in the island of New Zealand,\n bounded on the south side by the bay of Lippouna and the town of\n Rangheehoo, on the north side by a creek of fresh water, and on\n the west by a public road into the interior, together with all\n the rights, members, privileges, and appurtenances thereto\n belonging; to have and to hold to the aforesaid committee of the\n Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East, instituted in\n London, in the kingdom of Great Britain, their heirs, successors,\n and assigns, for ever, clear and freed from all taxes, charges,\n impositions, and contributions whatsoever, as and for their own\n absolute and proper estate for ever.\n\n \"In testimony whereof I have to these presents, thus done and\n given, set my hand at Hoshee, in the island of New Zealand, this\n twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of Christ, one thousand\n eight hundred and fifteen.\n\n (Signatures to the grant.) \"THOMAS KENDALL.\n \"J. L. NICHOLAS.\"\n\nTo this was affixed a complete drawing of the \"amoco,\" or tattooing of\nGunna's face, done by Shunghie, on one side of which he set his mark.\n\nWe need scarcely remind the reader how closely this transaction\nresembles the famous contract of William Penn with the native Indians,\nby which he became possessed of Pennsylvania. Much and justly as Penn\nhas been admired, Mr. Marsden's conduct is even more worthy of respect.\nPenn sought to found a colony, to place himself at its head, and to\nassociate his own name with it through generations to come. The chaplain\nof Paramatta had not even these motives of honest and laudable ambition;\nhe sought nothing for himself, nothing for his country, nothing even for\nthe church of which he was a member, and which he warmly loved. His one\naim was to evangelize New Zealand; to bring a nation of cannibals from\ndarkness into the marvellous light of the gospel, and from the power of\nSatan unto God. His own name appears on the instrument only as the agent\nor representative of a missionary society in whom the property was\nvested; and yet at the time the purchase was made he was uncertain\nwhether the bare expenses of his voyage, or even the cost and charges of\nhis vessel, would ever be repaid to him. He sought neither wealth, nor\nhonour, nor preferment, but acted with a simple aim to the glory of God.\nThe memorial of such a name can never perish amongst men; and should it\nbe forgotten, still his record is on high.\n\nMr. Marsden returned from his first voyage to New Zealand accompanied by\nno less than ten chiefs, and landed at Sydney on the 23rd of March,\n1815. He and Mr. Nicholas immediately presented themselves to the\ngovernor, who \"congratulated them on their safe return,\" from what, in\ncommon with all the colony, he regarded as a most perilous and rash\nadventure.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\n Death of Duaterra--Trials of Mr. Marsden in the Colony--Libel of\n Philo-free--Letter to Rev. George Burder--To Dr. Mason\n Good--Sympathy of his Friends in England--Congratulations of the\n 46th Regiment, and Mr. Marsden's acknowledgment--Letters of Lord\n Gambier, Rev. C. Simeon, and Mrs. Fry.\n\n\nIt was not to be expected that a career of unbroken success and easy\ntriumph should crown the infant mission in New Zealand. Reverses and\ndelays were to be looked for; they were in the nature of the work\nitself; and for such trials Mr. Marsden was prepared. But he had\nscarcely arrived at Paramatta before he was involved in sharper\nconflicts. No doubt they were a part of God's discipline of love: for if\nPaul required \"a thorn in the flesh\" lest he \"should be exalted above\nmeasure,\" meaner disciples may surely expect to meet with stern rebuffs,\nin their career of usefulness and honour; and they will even learn to\naccept them with a thankful and a joyous heart.\n\nThe first discouragement was the death of Duaterra. Mr. Marsden had left\nhim sick; and four days after his departure he expired, surrounded by\nhis heathen countrymen, from whose superstitions, even to the last, he\nwas by no means free. \"He appeared at this awful moment,\" Mr. Marsden\nwrites, describing his last interview, \"not to know what to do. He\nwished me to pray with him, which I did; but the superstitions of his\ncountry had evidently a strong hold upon his mind; the priest was always\nwith him, night and day. Duaterra seemed at a loss where to repose his\nafflicted mind; his views of the gospel were not sufficiently clear to\nremove his superstitions; and at the same time he was happy to hear what\nI had to say to him. What horrors do these poor people suffer when they\ncome to die!\" His favourite wife, Dahoo, was inconsolable; and while\nShunghie and his near relatives cut themselves with knives till the\nblood gushed out, she sought and found an opportunity to put a period to\nher own life by hanging herself, at a short distance from the body of\nher husband. None of the natives, not even her relatives, appeared\nshocked or surprised. \"Her mother,\" Mr. Kendall wrote, \"wept while she\nwas composing the limbs of her daughter; but she applauded her\nresolution, and the sacrifice which she had made for the man she so\ntenderly loved. Her father observed her corpse without any apparent\nconcern. I could not discover a tear at the time it was brought before\nhim. Two of her brothers smiled on the occasion, and said, 'it was a\ngood thing at New Zealand.' It is common for women to act thus when\ntheir husbands die; they think that they then go to them.\" Mr. Marsden,\nfor a time, was almost overwhelmed. \"I could not but view Duaterra, as\nhe lay dying, with wonder and astonishment; and could scarcely bring\nmyself to believe that the Divine Goodness would remove from the earth a\nman whose life appeared of such infinite importance to his country,\nwhich was just emerging from barbarism and superstition. No doubt but he\nhad done his work and finished his appointed course, though I fondly\nimagined he had only just begun his race. He was in the prime and vigour\nof manhood: I judge his age to be about twenty-eight years. In\nreflecting on this awful and mysterious event, I am led to exclaim, with\nthe apostle of the Gentiles, 'Oh the depth of the riches both of the\nwisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his\nways past finding out!'\"\n\nHe was indeed a noble specimen of human nature in its savage state. His\ncharacter was cast in the mould of heroes: at the very period of his\ndeath, after ten years of as much privation, danger, and hardship as\nnature could well bear, his courage was unsubdued, and his patriotism\nand enterprise unabated. He told Mr. Marsden with an air of triumph, \"I\nhave now introduced the cultivation of wheat into New Zealand; New\nZealand will become a great country; in two years more I shall be able\nto export wheat to Port Jackson, in exchange for hoes, axes, spades, tea\nand sugar.\" He had made arrangements for farming on a large scale, and\nhad formed his plan for building a new town, with regular streets, after\nthe European mode, on a beautiful situation which commanded a view of\nthe harbour and the adjacent country. \"I accompanied him to the spot,\"\nsays Mr. M.; \"we examined the ground fixed on for the town, and the\nsituation where the church was to stand.\" Had he lived he would have\nbeen the Ulysses of his Ithaca--perhaps its Alfred; and nothing in his\nwhole life gives us a juster idea of Mr. Marsden's sagacity and keen\nperception than the fact of his singling out Duaterra, a sick and\napparently dying common sailor on shipboard, and training him to be a\npowerful instrument, in God's hands, for the civilization of New\nZealand.\n\nOther trials followed the death of Duaterra. Fresh wars broke out. One\nhostile tribe encamped in sight of the mission premises, and, no longer\nrestrained by Mr. Marsden's presence, threatened, not indeed to expel\nthe missionaries, but to kill and eat them. For months together the\naffrighted band kept watch night and day; their children were laid to\nsleep in their cots dressed, to be ready for instant flight, and the\nboat was always kept afloat, with its oars and sail in readiness. The\nstorm blew over, and they remained stedfast at their posts. Soon\nafterwards, the Wesleyan Methodists established their important and\nsuccessful mission in the island, and the missionaries gained strength\nfrom each other in society and mutual counsel. The first Wesleyan\nmissionary, the Rev. Samuel Leigh, was well known at Paramatta, and Mr.\nMarsden viewed his labours with thankfulness and hope; but the reports\nwhich reached him from time to time of the difficulties to which the\nmissions were exposed still added much to his anxieties.\n\nAnd now a series of persecutions began, which, while they never cowed\nhis brave spirit, harassed and disturbed him more than those who were\nacquainted only with the outward features of his strong, dauntless\ncharacter would have readily believed. It is greatly to his honour that\nall the sufferings to which he was exposed--newspaper libels, official\nmisrepresentations, and personal abuse--arose immediately out of his\nendeavours to raise the morals of the colony, and to protect the unhappy\nwomen who came out as convicts, and were at that time exposed by most\niniquitous neglect to still further degradation.\n\nJust before his departure for New Zealand, he had addressed an official\nletter to the governor, calling his attention to the present state of\nParamatta and its neighbourhood, as far as it related to its public\nmorals and police, and especially with regard to the female convicts, of\nwhom upwards of one hundred and fifty, besides seventy children, were\nemployed in a government factory there, and whose condition, as far as\nwe can venture to describe it, may be gathered from the following\npassage. The scene is painful; it is the dark side of our colonial\nhistory; but those who will not listen to these recitals can know but\nlittle of the obligations which society is under to such men as Howard\nand Samuel Marsden, or to heroic women, such as Mrs. Fry. In his letter\nto the governor he says:\n\n \"The number of women employed at the factory is one hundred and\n fifty; they have seventy children. There is not any room in the\n factory that can be called a bed-room for these women and children.\n There are only two rooms, and these are both occupied as\n workshops; they are over the jail, and are about eighty feet long\n and twenty wide. In these rooms there are forty-six women daily\n employed, twenty spinning wool upon the common wheel, and\n twenty-six carding. There are also in them the warping-machine,\n etc., belonging to the factory. These rooms are crowded all the\n day, and at night such women sleep in them as are confined for\n recent offences, amongst the wheels, wool, and cards, and a few\n others, who have no means whatever of procuring a better abode.\n The average number of women who sleep in the factory is about\n thirty in the whole. Many of these women have little, and some no\n bedding; they all sleep on the floor. There is not a candle or\n bedstead belonging to the factory. I do not deem it either safe or\n prudent that even thirty women should sleep in the factory, which\n has been crowded all day with working people; the air must be bad\n and contagious. Were the magistrate to compel even half the number\n of women, with their children, to sleep in the factory which\n belong to it, they could not exist. Not less than one hundred and\n twenty women are at large in the night to sleep where they can.\"\n\nHe urges upon the governor the necessity of at least providing lodgings\nin barracks for these poor creatures. \"When I am called upon,\" he adds,\n\"in the hour of sickness and want to visit them in the general hospital,\nor in the wretched hovels where they lodge, my mind is often oppressed\nbeyond measure at the sight of their sufferings.... And if their dreary\nprospect beyond the grave be viewed in a religious light it far exceeds\nin horror the utmost bounds of human imagination. As their minister I\nmust answer ere long at the bar of Divine justice for my duty to these\nobjects of vice and woe, and often feel inexpressible anguish of spirit,\nin the moment of their approaching dissolution, on my own and their\naccount, and follow them to the grave with awful forebodings lest I\nshould be found at last to have neglected any part of my public duty as\ntheir minister and magistrate, and by so doing contributed to their\neternal ruin. So powerful are these reflections at times that I envy the\nsituation of the most menial servant who is freed from this sacred and\nsolemn responsibility, namely, the care of immortal souls.... I am of\nopinion that no clergyman was ever placed in so painful and trying a\nsituation as far as relates to the moral and religious state of the\npeople committed to his care. I see them devoted to vice, and infamy,\nand extreme wretchedness while living, and when they come to die\nsuffering all the horror of mind and anguish of spirit that guilt can\npossibly inspire, without the means of applying any remedy in either\ncase.... I humbly conceive it is incompatible with the character and\nwish of the British nation that her own exiles should be exposed to\nsuch privations and dangerous temptations, when she is daily feeding the\nhungry, and clothing the naked, and receiving into her friendly, I may\nadd pious bosom, strangers whether savage or civilized of every nation\nunder heaven.\"\n\nThe governor courteously replied, acknowledging the receipt of his\nletter; but no further steps were taken; and after waiting eighteen\nmonths \"without the most distant prospect of obtaining relief for the\nfemale convicts from the colonial government,\" he sent a copy of his own\nletter, with the governor's answer, to the British government at home.\nBy them it was submitted to a select committee of the House of Commons,\nwhen, in 1819, the state of our jails came under the consideration of\nparliament, and was afterwards printed in their report; Lord Bathurst,\nthe colonial secretary, having previously submitted it to Governor\nMacquarie, requesting his opinion on the several matters it contained.\nGreat exasperation followed; it seemed for a time as if the whole\ncolony, with scarcely an exception, had risen as one man to crush the\nprincipal chaplain, who alone had dared to expose its profligacy and to\ncheck its abuses. The storm indeed had begun to mutter around his head\nbefore Lord Bathurst's communication was received. The \"Sydney Gazette,\"\nwhich was under the immediate control of the governor, was allowed to\npublish from week to week the most scandalous libels upon his character.\nAt length, a letter appeared signed Philo-free, which Mr. Marsden\nsuspected, and at length discovered, to have been written by the\ngovernor's secretary; it was aimed not merely against himself--this he\ncould have borne in silence--but against the conduct and the moral\ncharacter of the missionaries in the South Sea Islands, whose\nreputation he felt it his duty at every hazard to protect. He therefore\nappealed to the laws for shelter and redress, and two successive\nverdicts justified the course he took. There were at the time many, even\nof his warm friends, in England, who were almost disposed to blame him\nfor a too sensitive and litigious spirit. But when the whole case lay\nbefore them, the wisest and the mildest men absolved him from the\ncharge, and heartily approved his conduct. In the place of any comments\nof our own we will lay before the reader, in his own words, some of Mr.\nMarsden's views upon the subject. They will see the principles by which\nhe was actuated, and they will learn with amazement how great the\ndifficulties with which the friends of missions have had to contend from\ntheir own countrymen. The first letter is addressed to the Rev. George\nBurder, and was read, as appears from the endorsement it bears, in the\ncommittee of the London Missionary Society, July 10th, 1818, having been\nreceived on the 25th of June.\n\n \"Paramatta, Dec. 9, 1817.\n\n \"REV. SIR,--I wrote to you very fully by Mr. Hassall, and informed\n you what state I was in at that time. Since that period I have had\n many hard struggles to maintain my ground. A very shameful attack\n was made upon me and the missionaries in the South Sea Islands by\n the governor's secretary, in an anonymous letter which he\n published in the Sydney Gazette, and of which you are already\n informed. Since my last I have brought the secretary to the\n criminal bar for the libel. Every means were used to pervert\n judgment that the cunning and art of certain persons could exert.\n After three days' contest, I obtained a verdict against the\n secretary. This was a matter of much joy to all who loved the\n cause of religion, and also to the colony in general. The trouble,\n anxiety, and expense of the trial were very great, as I had only\n truth on my side. When I had got a verdict I hoped to enjoy a\n little quiet, but the next Gazette in the report made of the\n trial, being so false and scandalous, and casting such reflections\n on me and my friends, I was compelled to appeal to C\u00e6sar once\n more; and last Tuesday the cause was heard before the supreme\n court, when I obtained a verdict again. The supreme judge, Justice\n Field, is a very upright man, and acted with great independence in\n the cause. A verdict was given in my favour to the amount of\n 200_l._, with costs. The expense to the secretary will not be much\n less than 500_l._ None can tell what I have suffered in my mind\n for the last five years, on account of the missions, from the\n opposition of those in power.\n\n \"I must request the Society to use their interest with the British\n government to check those in authority here from exposing the\n missionaries, and those connected with them, to the contempt of\n the whole world by such scandalous anonymous publications as that\n of which I complain. I have been very anxious to leave the colony\n altogether, from the continual anxiety I have suffered, and the\n opposition thrown in the way of every measure I have wished to\n promote, for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ among the\n heathen.\"\n\nYet he had, in truth, no ground for this despondency. St. Paul laid the\nfoundations of flourishing churches amidst \"a great fight of\nafflictions;\" what wonder if one of the greatest of Protestant missions\nin a later age should share in trials from which \"the churches in\nMacedonia and Achaia\" were not exempt? The letter proceeds thus:\n\n\"I am very happy to inform you that all goes on well at the Islands,\nnotwithstanding the contests here. I have forwarded to you, by this\nconveyance, all the letters; from them you will learn the affairs of the\nmissionaries: I hope all the brethren have joined them. Four thousand of\nthe natives can now read. I send you one of Pomare's letters to me. Mr.\nJohn Eyre has translated it. You will see what the views of the king\nare. He is now writing a dictionary of his own language, and one of the\nchiefs is employed at the press. I am very sorry they did not meet the\nking's wishes with regard to the printing press, and set it up at\nTahiti, where he lives; taking it away from him was unwise.... The main\nwork is done now, as far as respects the planting of the gospel. Their\nnative idols are burned in the fire, and many have 'tasted that the Lord\nis gracious' amongst the inhabitants. They sing, and read, and pray, and\nteach one another, so that there can be no fear that religion will be\nlost in the Islands again. The work has evidently been of God, and he\nwill carry it on for his own glory. They will now also have their\nvessel, by which means they can visit the different islands and Port\nJackson. I should wish much to see them turning their attention to\nagriculture, etc., so as to induce habits of industry among the natives,\nso that the natives of the Society Islands may rank with civilized\nnations.\" The letter closes, after a minute detail of the affairs of\ntheir missions, with an appeal, which, even at this distance of time,\nmust be read with pain, and which nothing short of mental agony would\nhave wrung from such a pen. \"I rely with confidence on the Society for\ntheir support and protection. Unless his Majesty's ministers will\ninterfere, I may expect similar attacks from the same quarter. If this\nshould be the case, it cannot be expected I should remain in the colony\nto be ruined in my character, circumstances, and peace of mind. The last\nseven years have been very dreadful. A solitary individual cannot\nwithstand the influence of those in power, armed with such a deadly\nweapon as the public papers, and every other means of annoyance at their\ncommand. I have written on the subject to Lord Bathurst....\n\n \"I remain, rev. Sir, yours affectionately,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\n \"To Rev. George Burder.\"\n\nIn the same strain he writes to his friend Dr. Mason Good, inclosing the\nletter of Philo-free, and other documents. Amongst other threats,\nrepresentations to the archbishop and the bishop of London had been\nmuttered in the colony, with a view no doubt of inducing them to\nwithdraw him from his post. \"Should you learn,\" he says, \"that any\nrepresentations are made to the bishops, and you should deem it\nnecessary, I will thank you to send them the documents I have\ntransmitted, or any part of them, for their information. I should also\nwish Mr. Wilberforce to be acquainted with them, if you will at any time\ntake the trouble to lay them before him.\" Then turning to brighter\nobjects, he has the following remarkable passage:\n\n \"With regard to New Zealand, I must refer you to the Rev. Josiah\n Pratt, (secretary to the Church Missionary Society). Great\n difficulties have opposed the establishment upon that island; but\n I hope they will all be overcome in time. We have sent two young\n men to England, as we think this will greatly tend to enlarge\n their ideas, and prepare them for greater usefulness in their own\n country. I have no doubt, but that New Zealand will soon become a\n civilized nation. If I were inclined to become a prophet I should\n say, that all the islands in the South Seas will afford an asylum\n for thousands of Europeans hereafter, and New South Wales will\n give laws to, and regulate, all their governments in the course of\n time. The gospel, humanly speaking, could not be planted in the\n South Sea Islands, unless our government had established a colony\n in New South Wales. The British government had no view of this\n kind when they first formed the colony. How mysterious are all the\n ways of Divine Providence! yet may the Divine footsteps be traced,\n if we mark attentively what is passing in the world. God, the\n Governor of this world, orders all things according to his\n infinite mind, and all things well.\"\n\nHe soon had reason to adopt a happier strain. The trial was severe, the\nmore so perhaps from the ardour of his own temperament, which, no doubt,\nrequired the chastisement, which became in the highest sense a blessing\nboth to himself and others. Writing to the same friend, 3rd October,\n1818, he says: \"When I take a retrospect of all that has passed in this\ncolony since my return, I see, with wonder and gratitude, the Divine\ngoodness overruling the wills and affections of sinful men, and making\nall things unite in promoting his glory. 'Philo-free' will not be\nwithout its benefit to the great cause. Had this libel never appeared,\nthe character, constitution and object of the Church, and London\nMissionary Societies would not have been known in this settlement for\nmany years to come; nor would they have gained the friends which they\nwill eventually do here.\"\n\nLetters of congratulation flowed in rapidly, both on account of his\nmissionary exploits in New Zealand, and of his personal triumph in New\nSouth Wales. We can afford only to give a specimen of each; the one to\nshow how the successes of the gospel thrilled English Christians with\njoy in the infancy of missions; and the other to exhibit the warm\naffection with which the great missionary leader of the southern seas\nwas regarded by his friends at home.\n\n \"From William Terry, Esq., \"Hull, 7th May, 1817.\n\n ...\"The account, you gave in your letter, as well as those sent\n to the Church Missionary Society, which appeared in the\n Missionary Register, were very gratifying to all who have at\n heart the prosperity of Zion. I have felt peculiarly interested\n in the journal of your voyage to New Zealand, and when at our\n (St. John's) church the Old Hundredth Psalm was sung, I felt much\n elevated in praise to our Almighty Saviour, that at the same\n period of the year, and exactly two years before, you had been\n enabled to proclaim the glad tidings of his salvation, and to\n commence with the same divine song upon the heathen shores of New\n Zealand. God grant that it may be the dawn of a brighter day:\n that the Lord of all may be adored by all the uncivilized world;\n that the Sun of righteousness may arise and go on to shine with\n increasing and transforming light and influence upon them, and\n upon all others who are yet sitting in darkness and in the shadow\n of death! May he bless all human attempts to promote so glorious\n a cause, and particularly your own zealous efforts; and may he,\n for the sake of the same, continue, if it please him, your\n valuable life for many years to come. I know, from the arduous\n post which you occupy, that your time must be entirely filled up,\n and that you can find very little leisure for a correspondent\n like me, who can render you little or no service.... Our esteemed\n friends, the Rev. Messrs. Dykes, Scott, Clarke, and Foster, are\n all very well, being in mercy continued yet to this highly\n favoured town. Mr. Scott has obtained the living of St.\n Margaret's since the death of Mr. Barker, and has engaged an\n excellent curate, a young man of high birth of the name of\n Sibthorpe, who seems very faithful, and will, I hope, be\n abundantly useful. May the Lord bless you and your young family\n with all temporal and spiritual blessings! And may he bless and\n direct all your zealous endeavours to promote his cause among the\n heathen, and to spread the knowledge and saving influence of his\n truth to all within your influence!\"\n\n Dr. Mason Good, writing on the subject of the libel, under the\n date of April, 1818, says: \"The triumph you have gained is indeed\n complete ... persevere, then, my dear friend, in the same good\n and great and magnanimous course. The eyes of the world are upon\n you, and what is more, the eye of Him who governs the world, and\n will never fail to give efficacy to his own instruments, and\n ultimate success to his designs. To this time, however,\n notwithstanding all the terrible threats that have been thrown\n out against you, not a single syllable of complaint has arrived\n from any one; do not therefore let your spirits fail. Depend upon\n esteem and support at home, for your perseverance and manly\n conduct have produced a very deep and popular sensation in every\n quarter in which you would wish to stand well.\"\n\nIn addition to these gratifying testimonies from home, Mr. Marsden\nreceived a public mark of approbation from the officers of the 46th\nregiment, then stationed in the colony, who with a high and chivalrous\nsense of what was due to one who single handed had so long maintained\nthe cause of truth and righteousness, stepped forward to offer their\ntribute of respect. He replied as follows:--\n\n \"To Col. Molle and the officers of the 46th regiment.\n\n \"Paramatta, 16th Oct. 1818.\n\n \"GENTLEMEN,--I had the honour to receive your public letter under\n date 14th May, 1818, and nothing could have given me more real\n gratification than the very handsome manner in which you have\n communicated your kind and friendly sentiments to me on the issue\n of the trials I instituted against the author of the libel,\n 'Philo-free.' I beg, gentlemen, to return you my most grateful\n acknowledgments for the honour you have done me, and to assure you\n that this mark of your good will to me, in bearing your testimony\n to my conduct, will ever be held in the highest estimation by me;\n and I trust I shall retain to the latest moment of my life a\n grateful sense of your favour to me as an individual, and at the\n same time never forget the public service you rendered to this\n colony from the time you landed to the day of your departure, by\n your firmness and gentlemanly conduct, as British officers, and by\n your good and prudent example as members of the community.\" After\n these expressions of gratitude he turns aside to remark upon the\n former condition of the colony, and the services which the 46th\n regiment had rendered in the cause of virtue. Proud as this\n regiment may justly be of honours won in far different scenes, it\n will not, we are assured, nor will its countrymen, regard with\n other feelings than those of high satisfaction, the following\n tribute to its moral worth and character. May every regiment in\n the British army deserve a similar eulogy from men who, like Job\n of old, and we may add, like the chaplain of New South Wales,\n 'know not to give flattering titles.'\n\n \"When you first arrived in New South Wales every barrier against\n licentiousness was broken down, every fence swept away. There were\n a few, and but a few, who resolved to stand their ground, and\n preserve that line of conduct which the wisest and best men\n consider essential as marking the distinction between the good and\n the evil.\"\n\nAnd again: \"Had you not arrived in New South Wales and acted the\nhonourable part you did, the few who were marked for future conquest\nwould not have been able to have stood out longer, but must have either\nyielded to superior force, or have withdrawn from the colony. Some would\nnot have had strength of mind sufficient to have carried on a perpetual\nwarfare against such an unequal force, and thus would not have been able\nto meet the expense of continued resistance. You just arrived in time to\nturn the wavering balance, and to inspire the desponding with hopes.\"\n\nA vote of thanks, in the most cordial terms, was also presented to him\nat the anniversary meeting of the Church Missionary Society, at the\nFreemasons' Tavern, in 1819. It would have been presented to the annual\nmeeting of the previous year, but it was a mark of respect which had\nnever yet been paid to any individual by the Society. \"The\ncircumstances, however, which have lately transpired,\" so writes his\nfriend, Dr. Mason Good, who was a member of the committee, \"the severe\nand important battle you have fought, and the triumph you have so\ngloriously achieved, have induced the Society to step out of their usual\nroutine on this occasion, and to show, not only to yourself, but to the\nworld at large, the full sense they entertain of the honourable and\nupright part you have taken, and their unanimous determination to give\nyou all their support. I agree with you most fully that your contest has\nnot been a personal one, but that the important objects of the Society\nhave been at stake, and that the victory you have obtained is of more\nimportance to the cause of virtue, honour, and true religion, and more\nespecially to the cause of Christian missions in Australasia, than to\nyourself.\"\n\nWe shall conclude our notice of these painful conflicts with two\nletters, the one from Lord Gambier, the other from the venerable Simeon.\nThe former breathes the warm heart of a sailor and the mature wisdom of\nan experienced Christian. And thus while British soldiers were ready to\nacknowledge the integrity of Mr. Marsden, the navy, as represented by\none of her great heroes, stood forward likewise in his behalf.\n\n \"DEAR SIR,--I was happy to hear of your health and welfare by your\n letters to me of the 22nd January and the 5th March, 1817, which\n came to my hands in due time, though they were rather longer, I\n believe, in their passage than is usual. I deeply lament with you\n that your very zealous and arduous exertions to extend the kingdom\n of our gracious Lord, and to diffuse the knowledge of the glorious\n gospel of salvation among the inhabitants of the dark regions\n around you, should meet with the spirit of opposition from the\n persons in the colony whom you naturally would look to for\n support and assistance. And very grievous indeed it is that you\n should stand almost alone and single in a work of charity that\n exceeds the praises of human language to express its excellence\n and blessed effects upon the race of mankind. Mr. Pratt will have\n informed you that a special meeting of the committee of the Church\n Missionary Society was held last month for the sole purpose of\n deliberating upon the communication you have made to him of the\n state of the affairs of the Society, and the disgraceful letter\n that appeared in the 'Sydney Gazette,' signed 'Philo-free.' The\n result of the committee's consultation was, that your letters on\n this subject should be referred to the consideration of the\n vice-presidents of the Society, requesting them to take such\n measures as they deemed most advisable to relieve you from the\n distressing and painful situation in which you were placed. I had\n the satisfaction of being present at the meeting of the\n vice-presidents; the bishop of Gloucester and Mr. Wilberforce were\n of the number. Mr. Pratt was also present, and as he will\n communicate to you the judgment that we passed upon the occasion\n it is unnecessary for me to add anything thereto; but I cannot\n forbear to express to you the admiration I entertain of your\n conduct, your zeal, perseverance, and unremitted exertions in the\n blessed and glorious cause in which you are engaged. May our\n gracious Lord be your shield; may his powerful arm protect you\n against all your adversaries, and enable you to overcome them all\n with the weapons of a Christian warfare, meekness, patience,\n faith, and charity; and may he lay them all at your feet.! May his\n grace be sufficient for you, and give you strength to go on as you\n have done in his service, to the glory of his name and to the\n salvation of the heathen nations around! You have achieved great\n things in New Zealand. May the seed you have sown there be like\n the grain of mustard, and grow to a large tree; and may you\n finally receive the bright reward of your labours, and have that\n blessing pronounced upon you, 'Well done, good and faithful\n servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' There is a fine\n field for missionary labours in New Zealand, and I anticipate the\n happiest consequences to the race of men in that country from the\n establishment you have made among them, and I think it very\n probable that they will make more rapid progress in the knowledge\n and practice of Christianity and civilization than any heathen\n nation to whom the gospel has been preached. May you live to see\n this verified!\n\n \"With cordial and earnest wishes for your health and prosperity, I\n remain, dear Sir, with sincere regard,\n\n \"Your faithful and humble friend and servant,\n\n \"GAMBIER.\"\n\nMr. Simeon, of Cambridge, wrote to him in the same strain of\nencouragement:--\n\n \"Dec. 15, 1819.\n\n \"Last summer I was at Hull, and saw Mr. Scott and other of your\n friends and relatives. It was a joy to me to see how ardent was\n their love towards you. I commissioned Mrs. Scott to tell you, in\n general terms, that your character and cause were duly appreciated\n by the government and by the House of Commons. I take for granted\n that Mr. Wilberforce has given you particulars. It was from him\n that I was enabled to declare the general result.\n\n \"I am overwhelmed almost with work. Eleven volumes will be out in\n the spring. The first six will make their appearance in less than\n a month; it is of the same nature as my former work, though\n distinct from it. It is on all the finest passages from Genesis to\n Revelation. It is entitled 'Hor\u00e6 Homiletic\u00e6,' as being homilies\n for the assistance both of clergy and laity.\"\n\nIn this age of \"reformatories,\" when the treatment of our prisoners has\nbecome a popular question, it is impossible to read without deep\ninterest such letters as the following. Mr. Marsden had taken up the\ncause of the degraded female prisoners in New South Wales. Mrs. Fry in\nEngland hears of his benevolent exertions, and hastens to express her\njoy; and thus she writes to the prison-philanthropist of the southern\nworld:--\n\n \"Mildred's Court, second month, 11th, 1820.\n\n \"RESPECTED FRIEND,--I have received thy letters, one sent by\n Deputy-commissary-general Allan, and the other written some time\n before, but only arrived within a day or two of each other. I am\n sorry that I happened to be out when Deputy-commissary-general\n Allan called, but I hope soon to see him, and to consult with him\n as to the steps best to be taken to improve the condition of the\n female convicts in New South Wales. Much influence has already\n been used here, and the subject has been brought before the House\n of Commons. I some time ago obtained a copy of thy letter to the\n governor of New South Wales, and the information contained in it\n has been much spread in this country, and it is quite my opinion\n that some beneficial alterations will in time take place; but the\n present parliament being so soon to be dissolved, owing to the\n death of the king, I fear will retard their progress; but much is\n doing in this country, and I trust that much is likely to be\n done. Many of us are deeply interested in the welfare of the poor\n convicts as to their situation here, and their voyage, and when\n they arrive in Botany Bay. And if life and ability be granted us,\n I trust that much will in time be accomplished; but all these\n things require patience and perseverance, which I hope we shall be\n endowed with, both here and on your side of the water. I am sorry\n thou hast had so many trials and discouragements in filling thy\n very important station, and I cannot help hoping and believing\n that thy labours will prove not to be in vain; and even if thou\n shouldst not fully see the fruit of thy labours, others, I trust,\n will reap the advantage of them, so that the words of Scripture\n may be verified, 'That both he that soweth and he that reapeth may\n rejoice together.' I consider myself greatly obliged by thy\n valuable communications, and I think it would be very desirable\n that thou shouldst let us know exactly what sort of place is\n wanted for the women, and what would be its probable expense, as\n it would enable us more clearly to state what we wish for. And I\n should think our government would give the necessary directions to\n have the work done. I remain, etc., thy friend, ELIZABETH FRY.\"\n\nThrough such toils and conflicts our predecessors of the last generation\npassed, before they could lay effectually the foundations of those great\nprinciples of humanity and justice in the public mind, which are now\nyielding their abundant fruit.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\n Tooi and Teterree--Mr. Marsden's Second Voyage to New\n Zealand--Progress of the Gospel there--Shunghie--His ferocity--Mr.\n Marsden returns to New South Wales--Third Voyage to New\n Zealand--Malicious charges brought against him in his absence--A\n Commission of Inquiry--Its result--Letters, etc.--Approbation of\n the Government.\n\n\nThe New Zealand mission still continued to occupy Mr. Marsden's\nthoughts. He seems to have been always alert, turning every hint to\naccount, seizing every occasion and employing every likely instrument to\npromote the grand design. The excellent quality of the New Zealand flax\nhad not escaped him. He induced two young New Zealanders, whom he had\nbrought with him to Paramatta, to visit England, which they did in H. M.\nship Kangaroo, and were placed under the care of his friends in London.\n\"I wish on no account,\" he writes to Mr. Pratt, \"that they should be\nidle; if they cannot be useful in forming a vocabulary, (of the Maori\nlanguage of which he was now anxious that a grammar should be prepared)\nlet them be _put into a rope walk_, and be kept close to labour while\nthey remain in England.\" They were both chieftains, Tooi and Teterree;\nstill the reader must not suppose the rope walk was to them a degrading\nemployment. Mr. Marsden had another object in view besides their\nimprovement, and he wished to impart to his friends in London something\nof his own enthusiasm in behalf of the Maorie race. \"The Society will\nsee,\" he says in his letter to the secretary, Mr. Pratt, \"from these\ntwo young men what the natives of New Zealand are. They are prepared to\nreceive any instruction that we can give them; they are fine young men,\nand in temper and natural parts very like their countrymen in general.\"\nThey seem to have deserved the character here given them. We insert a\nletter from each, written while they were in England. The first is\naddressed to Mr. Pratt while Tooi was on a visit amongst the\nmanufactories of Staffordshire and Shropshire.\n\n \"Madeley, Sept. 17, 1818.\n\n \"DEAR SIR,--I am much obliged and thank you, Mr. Pratt, for the\n letter you sent me. I so pleased when Mr. Pratt finds a ship. I\n want a ship to go home. I have been to Coalport. I made four cups.\n Mr. Rose tell me, 'You soon learn.' 'Yes,' I say, 'very soon learn\n with fingers, but book very hard,' etc.\n\n \"To Mr. Pratt. THOMAS TOOI.\"\n\nThe other letter is in a graver strain from Teterree to Mr. Marsden.\n\n \"Church Missionary House, October 12, 1818.\n\n \"MY DEAR FRIEND,--I like Englishman much; he love New Zealand man.\n I very sick in missionary house, and very near die; nothing but\n bone. Kind friend missionary pray for me every night.\n\n \"I kneel down in my bed-room every night, and pray to Jesus Christ\n our Saviour to learn me to read the book.\n\n \"Very nice country England. I never see the king of England; he\n very poorly, and Queen Charlotte very poorly too.\n\n \"I see the iron make, and bottle blow. Tooi blow a bottle, and I\n blow a bottle. I make four cups at China work, etc. Farewell, good\n friend.\n\n \"TETEREE.\"\n\nTheir English education being completed, the young chieftains returned\nto Paramatta, and Mr. Marsden embarked a second time for New Zealand,\ntaking Tooi and Teterree with him, with several missionaries, three\nmechanics and their families. They landed at Rangheehoa, in the Bay of\nIslands, on the 12th August. The rival chiefs Shunghie and Koro-Koro now\ncontended for the site of the new missionary settlement which Mr.\nMarsden contemplated, each being anxious that his own domain should be\npreferred, and offering a grant of land. The spot was selected at Kiddee\nKiddee (or Keri-Keri) a district in the territory of Shunghie, at the\nhead of a fine harbour; but such was the distress of the disappointed\nchieftain, whose part was taken by young Tooi, that Mr. Marsden almost\nrelented: \"He made strong appeals to our feelings, and urged his request\nby every argument that he could advance, so that we were obliged to\npromise to accompany him on the next day to Parroa, and that we would\nbuild him and Tooi a house if the situation pleased us, and send one or\ntwo Europeans to reside amongst them.\" The stores were now landed, and\nall the beach exhibited a scene of happiness and busy civilization;\nfourteen natives sawing timber, others cutting knees, etc.; \"a sight\nmore grateful to a benevolent mind could not possibly have been seen;\nour hearts overflowed with gratitude. We viewed the various operations\nwith delight, and considered them the dawn of civil and religious\nliberty to this land of darkness, superstition, and cruelty.\" Such were\nthe comments which the missionary leader noted down at the time, and in\nreading them we are made to feel how much Christian benevolence excels\nthe mere selfishness of the most enterprising colonist. Simply for the\ngood of others, without the hope or wish of reaping any other advantage\nthan that of extending the kingdom of God amongst a savage race, the\nlittle missionary band, self exiled, and consecrated to a life of\nunknown toil and hardship, exult in laying the foundations of their\nsettlement, as the Jews of old exulted when they began to build their\ntemple to the living God. On the next sabbath day, the work was\nconsecrated with prayer and praise. Mr. Marsden's simple language best\ndescribes the scene:--\n\n \"_August 22._--We assembled on the beach for public worship, as\n there was no place sufficiently spacious to hold the people. We\n were surrounded with natives and a number of chiefs from different\n districts.\n\n \"It was gratifying to be able to perform worship to the true God\n in the open air, without fear or danger, when surrounded by\n cannibals with their spears stuck in the ground, and their\n pattoo-pattoos and daggers concealed under their mats. We could\n not doubt but that the time was at hand for gathering in this\n noble people into the fold of Christ. Their misery is extreme, the\n prince of darkness has full dominion over their souls and bodies;\n under the influence of ignorance and superstition many devote\n themselves to death, and the chiefs sacrifice their slaves as a\n satisfaction for the death of any of their friends. This is a\n tyranny from which nothing but the gospel can set them free.\"\n\n[Illustration: THE BAY OF ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND.]\n\nDuring this three months' sojourn, besides the attention which Mr.\nMarsden gave to the missions in the Bay of Islands, he made a circuitous\njourney of seven hundred miles, exploring the country with a view to\nmore extensive operations. His arrival over land and in health, at the\nBay of Islands, on his return, relieved the minds of his anxious\nfriends the missionaries, and \"gave them additional cause,\" they say,\n\"to bless and thank God for his protecting care, and that he had again\nheard and answered our supplications.\" \"There is not one in ten\nthousand, I think,\" writes Mr. Hall, \"who could or would have borne the\nprivations, difficulties, and dangers, which he has undergone. I pray\nthat he may reap the fruits of his labour by the New Zealanders turning\nfrom their degraded state to serve the only living and true God.\" Mr.\nMarsden's journal of this second visit will be valuable in time to come,\nas perhaps the best record in existence of the character and habits of a\nwonderful people, on whom civilization had not yet dawned, and whose\nspiritual darkness was profound. He landed, during a coasting voyage,\nwith young Tooi, on the small island of Motooroa. \"The first object that\nstruck my eye was a man's head stuck on a pole near the hut where we\nwere to sleep; the face appeared beautifully tattooed; it was the head\nof a chief who was killed by Shunghie's people. The sight,\" he says,\n\"naturally excited feelings of horror in my breast.\" Most men would have\nfelt something of alarm. But Mr. Marsden seems to have been a perfect\nstranger to fear; and if courage, whether physical or moral, makes a\nhero, he must be ranked high in the heroic class. He merely adds, \"This\ncaused me to value more and more the blessing of Divine revelation, and\nthe blessing of civil government.\"\n\nIn his journal on a tour to the River Shukeangha, he writes thus:\n\n \"_September 28, 1819._--After we had passed the swamp, we came\n into a very open country, for many miles round covered with fern.\n The part through which we walked was gravelly, and not very good\n in general.\n\n \"The wind increased toward evening, and blew strong from the rainy\n quarter, so that we had the prospect of a very wet night, without\n a single tree to shelter us from the storm for about eight miles\n from the swamp we had passed. At this distance was a wood, through\n which our road lay, which we were anxious to reach, if possible,\n in order to shelter ourselves from the wind and rain. With this\n hope we pushed forward, and arrived at the edge of the wood about\n nine o'clock. The rain now began to fall heavily. The natives cut\n branches of fern and boughs of trees, and made us a little shed\n under the trees, to afford us some shelter. The blackness of the\n heavens, the gloomy darkness of the wood, the roaring of the wind\n among the trees, the sound of the falling rain on the thick\n foliage, united with the idea that we were literally at the ends\n of the earth, with relation to our native land, surrounded with\n cannibals whom we knew to have fed on human flesh, and wholly in\n their power, and yet our minds free from fear of danger--all this\n excited in my breast such new, pleasing, and, at the same time,\n opposite sensations, as I cannot describe.\n\n \"While I sat musing under the shelter of a lofty pine, my thoughts\n were lost in wonder and surprise, in taking a view of the wisdom\n and goodness of God's providential care, which had attended all my\n steps to that very hour. If busy imagination inquired what I did\n there, I had no answer to seek in wild conjecture: I felt with\n gratitude that I had not come by chance; but had been sent to\n labour in preparing the way of the Lord in this dreary wilderness,\n where the voice of joy and gladness had never been heard: and I\n could not but anticipate with joyful hope the period when the\n Day-star from on high would dawn and shine on this dark and heathen\n land, and cause the very earth on which we then reposed to bring\n forth its increase, when God himself would give the poor\n inhabitants his blessing. After reflecting on the different ideas\n which crowded themselves upon my mind, I wrapped myself up in my\n great coat, and lay down to sleep.\"\n\nHe visited an island where he met with a singular spectacle. A number of\nnatives were at work, breaking up the ground with a sort of spatula, or\nwooden spade, to plant their sweet potato. Amongst these was Koro-Koro's\nhead wife, or queen. \"Her Majesty was working hard with a wooden spade,\ndigging the ground for potatoes, with several of the women and some\nmen.\" The royal infant lay on the ground sprawling and kicking by her\nside; \"the old queen earnestly requested that I would give her a hoe,\nshowing me the difficulty she had in digging with a stick; a request\nwith which I promised to comply.\" We leave the reader to admire at\nleisure the Homeric simplicity of the scene, or to indulge in those\nsentiments of contemptuous pity to which Englishmen are possibly more\nprone.\n\nIn another place, he found the head wife of Shunghie, though perfectly\nblind, digging in the same manner, surrounded by her women, and\napparently with as much ease as the rest. The offer of a hoe in exchange\nfor her spatula was accepted with joy. The scene drew forth these\nreflections: \"When we viewed the wife of one of the most military\nchiefs, possessing large territories, digging with a spatula for her\nsubsistence, this sight kindled within us the best feelings of the human\nheart. If a woman of this character, and blind, can thus labour with\nher servants, what will not this people rise to, if they can procure the\nmeans of improving their country, and of bettering their condition?\nTheir temporal state must be improved by agriculture and the simple\narts, in connexion with the introduction of Christianity, in order to\ngive permanence and full influence to the gospel among them. Our God and\nSaviour, who is loving to every man, and whose tender mercies are over\nall his works, is now, blessed be his name, moving the hearts of his\nservants to send relief to the poor heathen, even to the very ends of\nthe earth.\"\n\nThe journal affords us repeated evidences of a phenomenon, which recent\noccurrences in India have at this moment deeply impressed on the heart\nof England,--one with which both divines and legislators ought to have\nbeen acquainted (for it is not obscurely referred to in the word of\nGod), but which a foolish and spurious benevolence has led many to\ndeny--namely, that the most Satanic ferocity frequently lurks under\ngentle manners, and is even to be found in connexion with the warmest\nnatural affection. Nothing, for instance, can be more affecting than the\nmeeting of Tooi and his sister, after the absence of the former in\nEngland. Tooi himself anticipated _a scene_, and half ashamed, when he\nsaw his sister at a distance, tried to avoid the interview in public,\nand requested Mr. Marsden to order off the canoe in which they were\napproaching. But her love could not be restrained; in an instant she\nsprang into the boat, fell on her knees, and clung to Tooi. He saluted\nher in return; when she gave vent to her feelings in tears and loud\nlamentations, which she continued for about an hour. \"Tooi conducted\nhimself with great propriety, suppressing all his wild feelings, and at\nthe same time treating his sister with all the soft and tender feelings\nof nature. I could not but view his conduct with admiration.\" When Tooi\nwas in England, he had been taught to read and write, and instructed in\nthe doctrines of Christianity; and he and his companion Teterree were\ngeneral favourites, from their gentle manners and quick intelligence.\nThey were one day taken to St. Paul's by Mr. Nicholas, who naturally\nsupposed they would be lost in astonishment at the grandeur of the\nbuilding, but they expressed neither surprise nor pleasure; on which\nthat gentleman makes this just remark; \"It is only things of common\noccurrence, I suspect, that strike the mind of a savage. The faculties\nmust be cultivated to fit them for the enjoyment of the beautiful or the\nsublime.\" One thing, however, did strike them, and caused no small\nexcitement. In walking up Fleet-street, they suddenly stopped before a\nhair-dresser's shop, in the window of which were some female busts. They\nscreamed out \"Wyenee! Wyenee!\" (Women! Women!) taking them for dried\nheads of the human subject. \"I took some pains,\" adds their kind\nconductor, \"to beat this notion out of them, lest they should tell their\ncountrymen on their return that Europeans preserved human heads as well\nas New Zealanders.\"\n\nThese bursts of feeling were, it seems, quite natural; intense sorrow or\nsavage exultation, the extremes of tenderness and of brutality, were\nindulged by turns, without any suspicion on their part of insincerity in\neither. Immediately after, Mr. Marsden mentions that he passed a canoe\nin which he recognised an old acquaintance, Hooratookie, the first New\nZealander introduced into civil society--Governor King having once\nentertained him with great kindness. Hooratookie was grateful; spoke of\nthe governor's daughter, then a child, with unfeigned regard, calling\nher by her Christian name, Maria. But looking into his large war-canoe,\ncapable of holding from sixty to eighty men, with provisions, Mr.\nMarsden observed on the stern the dried head of a chief. \"The face was\nas natural as life, the hair was long, and every lock combed straight,\nand the whole brought up to the crown, tied in a knot, and ornamented\nwith feathers, according to the custom of the chiefs when in full dress.\nIt was placed there as an incentive to revenge. It is possible the death\nof this chief may be revenged by his children's children; hence the\nfoundation is laid for new acts of cruelty and blood from generation to\ngeneration.\"\n\nMr. Marsden's fame now preceded him, and wherever he went, he was\nreceived not with rude hospitality, but with courteous respect. One\nchieftain offered up an ovation and prayer on their arrival. \"He invoked\nthe heavens above and the earth beneath to render our visit advantageous\nto his people, and agreeable to us, and that no harm may happen to us,\nwhom he esteemed as the gods of another country. We heard the profane\nadulations with silent grief, and could not but wish most ardently for\nthe light of Divine truth to shine on such a dark and superstitious\nmind.\" Yet this man was a ferocious cannibal; and when Mr. Marsden\nexpressed his anxiety for the safety of the missionaries after he should\nhave left them, he was calmed by the assurance that, as we had done them\nno harm, they had no satisfaction to demand, \"and that as for eating us,\nthe flesh of a New Zealander was sweeter than that of an European, in\nconsequence of the white people eating so much salt.\" From this the\nconversation turned to that of eating human flesh, which they defended\nwith arguments which to them appeared, no doubt, perfectly conclusive.\nThey alleged that fishes, animals, and birds, preyed upon each other;\nand that one god would devour another god, therefore there was in nature\nsufficient warrant for the practice. Shunghie explained how it was the\ngods preyed on each other, \"and that when he was to the southward, and\nhad killed a number of people and was afraid of their god, he caught\ntheir god, being a reptile, and ate part of it, and reserved the\nremainder for his friends.\"\n\nShunghie, the greatest of New Zealand warriors, was at the same time a\nstriking instance of that union of gentleness and ferocity which\ncharacterized this people. To the missionaries his kindness was always\ngreat, and his respect for Mr. Marsden knew no bounds. An instance of\nhis good feeling may here be noticed. In the beginning of 1817, a naval\nexpedition, under his command, sailed from the Bay of Islands. It\nconsisted of thirty canoes, and about eight hundred men. Its object was\nto obtain peace with his enemies at the North Cape. The chief took an\naffectionate leave of the settlers, and told them that if he fell they\nmust be kind to his children; and if he survived, he would take care of\ntheir families when they should die. The expedition returned, however,\nin about a fortnight, his people having quarrelled with those of\nWangaroa, into which place they had put for refreshment; and being\nafraid, he said, that the Wangaroa people would attack the settlers in\nhis absence, he, for the present, abandoned the expedition.\n\nShunghie was again preparing for war when Mr. Marsden paid his second\nvisit to New Zealand; his army, to the number of several thousand men,\nwere already assembled; his war-canoes were ready, and all his\npreparations complete; yet in deference to the remonstrances of Mr.\nMarsden, he again abandoned his scheme of conquest or revenge, and\ndismissed his followers.\n\nShunghie paid a visit to England about the year 1820. His majestic\nperson, graceful manners, and gentle yet manly disposition were much\nadmired. He was one of Nature's nobles; what might not be expected from\nsuch a man when he returned home again? George the Fourth invited him to\nCarlton Palace, and received him with marked attention, presenting him\nwith some military accoutrements and costly fire-arms. Yet the heart of\na savage never ceased to beat beneath this polished exterior, while his\npride was fanned to madness by the consideration he received in England.\n\"There is,\" he exclaimed, \"but one king in England; there shall be only\none king in New Zealand.\" Returning by way of Sydney he there happened\nto meet with Inacki, another chief, with whom he had an ancient feud. He\ntold him that when they got back to New Zealand he would fight him.\nInacki accepted the challenge, and Shunghie accordingly assembled, on\nhis return to New Zealand, no fewer than two thousand men to attack\nInacki. The latter was prepared to receive him, and for some time the\nevent of the battle that ensued was doubtful. At length Shunghie, who\nhad the greatest number of muskets, and who had arranged his men in the\nform called, in Roman tactics, the cuneus, or wedge, placing himself at\nthe apex and directing those behind him to wheel round the enemy, from\nthe right and left, or to fall back into their original position as\nopportunity offered, shot Inacki. The savage Shunghie immediately sprang\nforward, scooped out the eye of the dying man with his knife, and\nswallowed it; and then, holding his hands to his throat, into which he\nhad plunged his knife, and from which the blood flowed copiously, drank\nas much of the horrid beverage as the two hands could hold. Amongst the\nhorrible superstitions of the Maories, one was that the eye of a victim\nthus devoured became a star in the firmament, and thus the ferocious\nShunghie sought for honour and immortality. With the sword which he had\nreceived as a present from King George in England, he immediately cut\noff the heads of sixteen of his captives in cold blood; this was done to\nappease the spirit of his son-in-law, who had fallen in battle. In this\nbattle, Shunghie and his tribe were armed with muskets, his opponents\nonly with the native weapons, the club and spear. His victory,\ntherefore, was an easy one, but his revenge was cruel. A New Zealand\ntraveller, who visited the spot in 1844, says: \"The bones of two\nthousand men still lie whitening on the plain, and the ovens remain in\nwhich the flesh of the slaughtered was cooked for the horrible repasts\nof the victorious party, and yet so numerous were the slaves taken\nprisoners that the Nga-Puis (the tribe of which Shunghie was the head)\nkilled many of them on their way to the Bay of Islands merely to get rid\nof them.\"[I] Such was the gentle Shunghie when his viler nature was let\nloose--a frightful specimen of human nature, varnished by education, but\nunvisited by the grace of God. We turn aside for a moment to describe a\nscene in bright contrast with these revolting details. Amongst the few\nwho escaped the general slaughter was Koromona, a chief who became blind\nsoon afterwards, but hearing archdeacon W. Williams preach at Matamata,\nwas converted. \"For the last four years,\" says the traveller above\nmentioned, \"Koromona has been a native teacher, and may be seen every\nsabbath day with his class instructing them in the truths of the\nScripture with an earnestness which is truly admirable; he is now about\nto start to preach Christianity to a tribe which has not yet received\nit. His memory is wonderful; he knows the whole of the church service by\nheart, and repeats hymns and many long chapters verbatim.\" Thus the\ngospel won its victorious way, and proved itself triumphant over hearts\nno less depraved and passions no less degraded than those of Shunghie\nhimself. No earthly power could have effected such a change; it was\nwrought by that \"gospel\" which is truly \"the power of God unto salvation\nto every one that believeth.\"\n\n [I] Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand. By George\n French Angas, London, 1847.\n\nAmidst such scenes the missionaries dwelt in peace. War, and its\ninseparable and more hideous companion, cannibalism, showed themselves\nat their gates, but were not allowed to hurt them. Under the good\nprovidence of God, their security was owing, in a great measure, to the\nprudence and courage with which Mr. Marsden planned and carried out his\nprojects. Himself a stranger to fear, he infused courage into those\naround him, and both he and they felt secure under the shield and\nbuckler of the Almighty. No doubt the fearlessness of Mr. Marsden won\nthe admiration of these savages and contributed not a little to his\nsafety. His journal abounds in instances such as that which follows.\nThe scene is in a Maori village, and the writer is surrounded with\ncannibals. \"After conversing on several subjects, we had supper, sung a\nhymn, and then committed ourselves to the Angel of the everlasting\ncovenant, and so lay down to rest; a number of the natives lay around\nthe hut and some within. I slept well until daybreak, being weary with\nwalking.\"\n\nHe appears to have arrived at home, after this second visit to New\nZealand, towards the close of November, 1819. In February, 1820, he was\nonce more on his way back to New Zealand. His letters bear ample\ntestimony to a fact which all who were acquainted with him in private\nlife observed, that his heart was full of affection, and that his home\nwas the scene of his greatest happiness. He had not returned, it is\ntrue, to be greeted with public honours; on the contrary, he was still a\nmarked man. The governor and many of the leading men in the colony were\nprejudiced against him. We believe it is to this period of his life that\nan anecdote which we give on the best possible authority belongs. The\ngovernor had consented to his recent visit to New Zealand with\nreluctance, and had limited the period of his absence with military\nprecision, threatening at the same time to deprive him of his chaplaincy\nunless he returned within the given time. The last day arrived, and the\nexpected vessel was not in sight. The governor repeated his\ndetermination to those around him, and Mr. Marsden's friends were filled\nwith anxiety, and his wife and family at length gave up all hope.\nTowards evening the long-wished-for sail appeared in the offing, and at\neight o'clock in the evening Mr. Marsden quietly walked into the\ngovernor's drawing-room with the laconic and yet respectful address,\n\"Sir, I am here to report myself.\" But within the bosom of his family\nall was peace, and his presence shed light and joy on everything around\nhim. His circumstances were prosperous--for his farm, which was almost\nentirely committed to Mrs. Marsden's care, was now a source of\nconsiderable income; his children were growing up to manhood under their\nparents' roof; his circle of friends and visitors was large, for there\nwere no bounds to his simple hospitality; and the clergy of the colony,\nmen like minded with himself, had now begun to regard him not only with\naffection, but with the reverence which belongs to years and wisdom and\nwide experience.\n\nYet at the call of duty this veteran was ready, on the shortest notice,\nto resume a life of such toil and hardship as nothing could have\nrendered welcome, its novelty once over, but motives the most solemn and\ncommanding. H.M.S. Dromedary, Captain Skinner, was directed by\ngovernment to proceed from Sydney to the Bay of Islands to receive a\ncargo of New Zealand timber for trial in the dockyards of England; and\nSir Byam Martin, controller of the navy, knowing something of the energy\nof Mr. Marsden's character, and his great acquaintance with New Zealand,\nrequested that he would accompany the Dromedary, which was joined by the\nCoromandel, in order to facilitate the object of their visit. With this\nrequest he felt it his duty to comply. He arrived in New Zealand on the\n20th of February, and embarked on board the Dromedary to return on the\n25th of November. Thus nearly the whole year was given to the service of\nNew Zealand.\n\nThe time was not lost. On his arrival, a difficulty occurred which he\nonly could have set at rest. The natives had come to the determination\nto exchange nothing, nor to do any kind of work, except for muskets and\npowder. His first business was to assemble the few European settlers,\nthe advanced guard of that mighty band of European colonists which was\nsoon to follow, and to persuade them not on any account to supply the\nnatives with these weapons of war, in their hands so sure a source of\nmischief. With regard to the duty of the missionaries there could be no\ndoubt; and this he explained to all the powerful chiefs. They had come\namong them to preach the gospel of peace, how then could they be\nexpected to furnish the means and implements of destruction? In writing\nto the Missionary Society at home he says, and he must have written such\na sentence with an aching heart, \"I think it much more to the honour of\nreligion and the good of New Zealand even to give up the mission for the\npresent, than to trade with the natives in those articles.\"\n\nAfter a short time spent in the Bay of Islands, at the mission, he\nproceeded, sometimes in company with Europeans, but for the most part\nalone, upon a tour of many hundred miles through regions yet untrodden\nby the foot of civilized men, mingling with the native tribes,\naccompanying them in their wanderings from place to place, teaching the\nfirst lessons of civilization and gospel truth, and receiving everywhere\nfrom these savages the kindest attention and the most hospitable welcome\nin return.\n\nOn their way to Tourangha, he writes, under the date of June 20: \"The\nday was far spent when we reached the plain. We walked on till the sun\nwas nearly set, when we stopped and prepared for the night. The\nservants, who had the provisions to carry, were very tired. There were\nno huts on the plain, nor any inhabitants, and we were therefore\ncompelled to take up our lodging in the open air. I was very weary,\nhaving had no rest the preceding night; and having come a long day's\njourney, so that I felt that rest would be very acceptable, even on a\nheap of fern or anything else.\n\n\"The peculiar scene that surrounded me, furnished the mind with new\nmatter for contemplation on the works and ways of God. The mystery of\nhis providence, and the still greater mystery of his grace, were all\nunsearchable to me. I had come from a distant country, and was then at\nthe ends of the earth, a solitary individual, resting on an extensive\nwild, upon which no civilized foot had ever before trodden. My\ncompanions were poor savages, who nevertheless vied with each other in\ntheir attentions to me. I could not but feel attached to them. What\nwould I have given to have had the book of life opened, which was yet a\nsealed book to them,--to have shown them that God who made them, and to\nhave led them to Calvary's mount, that they may see the Redeemer who had\nshed his precious blood for the redemption of the world, and was there\nset up as an ensign for the nations. But it was not in my power to take\nthe veil from their hearts, I could only pray for them, and entreat the\nFather of mercies to visit them with his salvation. I felt very grateful\nthat a Divine revelation had been granted to me; that I knew the Son of\nGod had come, and believed that he had made a full and sufficient\nsacrifice or atonement for the sins of a guilty world. With\ncompassionate feelings for my companions, under a grateful sense of my\nown mercies, I lay down to rest, free from all fear of danger.\"\n\nIt was during this tour that the following letter was addressed to the\nlady of his excellent friend Dr. Mason Good. It is long, but the reader\nwill scarcely wish that it had been shorter. Let it stand on record as\nan evidence of the power of true religion in maintaining amidst the\nrudest scenes, and the rough warfare of an adventurous life, all the\ngentleness and affection of the most refined and polished society of a\nChristian land.\n\n \"New Zealand, Sept. 22, 1820.\n\n \"DEAR MADAM,--Your kind favour arrived in the Bay of Islands\n September 7, the evening I returned from a long journey. I had no\n sooner cast my eye over your letter, than busy imagination\n transported me from the solitary woods, dreary wastes, and savage\n society of New Zealand, into 'the polished corner' of\n Guilford-street, and surrounded me with every cordial that could\n refresh the weary traveller, revive the fainting spirits, and blow\n the languishing spark of Christian love with a heavenly flame. I\n had literally been living for weeks a savage life, as far as\n outward circumstances went. I ate, I slept in the thick wood, in a\n cave, or on the banks of a river, or sea, with my native\n companions, wherever the shadows of the evening, or gathering\n storm compelled us to seek for shelter. Every day as I advanced\n from tribe to tribe, I was introduced to new acquaintances; my\n object was to gain from observation and experience that knowledge\n of savage life which I could not learn from books, and to make\n myself well acquainted with the wants, wishes, and character of\n the native inhabitants, to enable me, if my life should be spared,\n to aid to the utmost of my power in their deliverance from their\n present temporal miseries, which are great upon them, and from\n their much sorer bondage to the prince of darkness. I am happy in\n having obtained this object to a certain extent, at the expense of\n a few temporal privations, and a little bodily evil. When I have\n lain down upon the ground after a weary day's journey, wrapped up\n in my great coat, surrounded only by cannibals, I often thought\n how many thousands are there in civil life, languishing upon beds\n of down, and saying, with Job, 'in the evening would God it were\n morning,' while I could sleep free from fear or pain, far remote\n from civil society under the guardian care of him who keepeth\n Israel. Though I everywhere met with the greatest kindness from\n the natives, as well as hospitality, for they always gave me the\n best fern-root, potato, or fish in their possession, yet I could\n never have duly estimated the sweets of civil life, and the still\n greater mental gratification of Christian communion, if I had not\n passed through these dark regions of Satan's dominions, on which\n the dayspring from on high hath never cast a single ray. You\n cannot conceive how great a feast your letter was, after so long a\n fast. I was instantly present with every person you mentioned, and\n lived over again some of those happy moments I once spent under\n your hospitable roof. A sacred warmth flowed round my soul, my\n heart was sweetly melted under the influence of that pure and\n undefiled religion which dropped from your pen, like the heavenly\n dew, as it ran through every line. What shall we call those pure\n sensations that thus warm and captivate the soul? Do they flow\n from the communion of saints, or at these delightful moments does\n some invisible seraph touch our lips with a live coal from God's\n altar? If you have ever experienced similar feelings, their\n recollection will explain more fully my meaning than my words can\n express. When these lines meet your eye, may they find your soul\n rapt up to the third heaven! But to where am I now wandering? the\n veil of the flesh is not now rent, we have not yet entered into\n the holy of holies. Though God has given you and your seed the\n land of Goshen, and you have light continually in your dwelling,\n yet you are still in Egypt, while I am constrained to dwell in\n Mesech, and to dwell in these remote and dark tents of Kedar. But,\n my dear madam, seas and continents will not long separate the\n people of God. I humbly hope the day is at no great distance, when\n we shall join the spirits of just men made perfect. At present you\n abound with blessings.... Jacob often thought of Bethel, and when\n in his afflictions he seemed to have forgotten that sacred spot,\n God said unto him, 'Arise and go to Bethel, and dwell there.' It\n will always be safest for us to dwell also at Bethel. I must now\n close, as my paper is nearly full, and your patience must also be\n tired when it comes to your turn to read what I have written.\n\n \"Remember me to your sister, Mrs. Skinner. Tell Mr. Good I\n received his last letter, and will answer it at a more convenient\n season. I was on my passage to Port Jackson in a small schooner,\n but adverse winds drove me back almost dead with sea-sickness. I\n have been here since February last, and when I shall get home I am\n uncertain; I venture no more in the schooner. Mrs. M. wants me\n back, as she has much upon her hands. It gave me great\n satisfaction to hear my son had arrived safe. I knew your\n kindness would far exceed my wishes. I will endeavour, as far as\n able, to pay all my debts when I see Mr. Good and you face to\n face; till then you must give me credit, and if I do not pay you,\n you will be sure to receive both principal and interest in the\n resurrection of the just.\n\n \"I remain, dear madam,\n \"Yours, in the bonds of Christian love,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nThe immediate object of his visit being accomplished, he returned to\nSydney, where a strange reception awaited him. Governor Macquarie had\nsent to Lord Bathurst a despatch in answer to the statements of the\nsenior chaplain, already noticed, in which he brought heavy charges\nagainst the latter, which deeply affected his character, not only as a\nmagistrate, but as a Christian man and a minister. The office of a\nmagistrate he had been compelled to undertake in common with the other\nclergy of the colony, who were all included in the commission of the\npeace. For this there was no justification except hard necessity. Mr.\nMarsden, however, had long been weary of the irksome task, and had once\nand again requested the governor to accept his resignation. This the\ngovernor had expressly declined to do, on the ground that \"his services\nas a magistrate were too beneficial to the public;\" but in fact, it\nwould seem, only that he might have the opportunity of inflicting upon\nhim the annoyance of a formal dismissal, which was shortly afterwards\nnotified in the \"Sydney Gazette.\"\n\nLord Bathurst, in consequence of the governor's despatch, determined\nupon a step which gave great satisfaction to Mr. Marsden's friends at\nhome, and sent out a commissioner to investigate upon the spot the\ntruth of these and various other matters affecting the state of the\ncolony, which had now obtained public notoriety, and had already engaged\nthe attention of the British parliament; and Commissioner Bigge arrived\nduring Mr. Marsden's absence to manage the inquiry. On his return we\nfind him seeking a public and searching examination of his whole\nconduct. Addressing a letter to the commissioner, he says: \"I am happy\nto meet every charge that can be brought against me. I have no wish to\ndo more than set my character right in the opinion of his Majesty's\ngovernment and in that of the Christian world; and I am unfeignedly\nthankful to you for the fair opportunity you afford me to justify my\npublic and private conduct.\"\n\nAmong the many charges brought before the commission of inquiry was that\nalready preferred against Mr. Marsden by the governor in his despatch to\nLord Bathurst, namely, that he had been guilty of extraordinary severity\nas a magistrate. Another, scarcely consistent with the first, was, that\nmore profligacy and depravity were to be found amongst the convicts of\nParamatta than in any other district, and that this was owing to the\nneglect of the senior chaplain. Perhaps it would have been impossible to\nhave brought forward any two charges of a more painful nature. Happily\nthe first was easily disproved, or rather it fell at once to the ground\nfor want of proof. The second was the more cruel, because, while the\nfacts bore out the statement, Mr. Marsden was the only public man in the\ncolony who was not guilty, by his silence at least, to some extent of\nthe iniquities which the governor affected to deplore. Paramatta was, in\nfact, the receptacle of the most hardened and depraved of the convict\nclass; it received the sweepings of the jails in every district. There\nwere nearly two hundred women and seven hundred male convicts there,\nwhile the factory was so small as not to be able to contain more than\nsixty women, and the remainder were obliged to find lodging for\nthemselves or to sleep in the open fields. This was Mr. Marsden's answer\nto the commissioner; it was a repetition of the remonstrance which he\nalone had had the courage, two years before, to present to the governor,\nand then to remit home to England. Thus he found himself arraigned as\nthe cause of those very evils--evils, too, lying at his own door--which\nhe had obtained so much obloquy for attempting to remove. The reflection\nis a trite one, but it will bear to be repeated, that the Christian\nphilanthropist must look for his recompense in heaven, and not from man.\n\"If when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is\nacceptable with God, for even hereunto were ye called.\" A third charge\nwas that he had squandered public money in building the female orphan\nhouse. He showed, however, on his defence, that the lieutenant-governor,\njudge-advocate, and others, who formed the committee, had examined the\naccounts and passed them every quarter, and that the governor had\nhimself afterwards approved of them, and published them in the \"Sydney\nGazette\" three years before the charge was made. It now appeared further\nthat Mr. Marsden had advanced largely to the institution; to the amount\nindeed of more than eight hundred pounds, for the mere cost of the\nbuilding; \"and this,\" he says, \"must have been known to the governor, as\nI was obliged to apply to him for repayment for some of these sums, and\nreceived an answer that he could not assist me.\"\n\nSuch are some of the trials which they must learn to encounter who would\nbe brave and fearless soldiers of the cross. They must expect to have\ntheir motives censured, their tempers blamed, their actions\nmisconstrued, sometimes by men as good, or, at least, as honest as\nthemselves. Governor Macquarie left the impression of his genius upon\nthe youthful institutions of Australia, where his memory is still\nhonoured as that of a great man; yet his conduct to Mr. Marsden was\noppressive and unjust. It is consoling to know that there had been\nnothing in the personal conduct of the latter unworthy of his sacred\ncalling. The commissioner, in the conclusion of the investigation,\ninserts, for Mr. Marsden's information, the governor's testimonial of\nhis character, which, considering the charges brought against him,\ncertainly does go far to prove that misapprehension and exasperated\nfeelings had betrayed his excellency into a warmth and precipitancy of\nwhich, in moments of less irritation, he felt ashamed. \"The governor\nadmits that Mr. Marsden's manner to him has been constantly civil and\naccommodating, and that nothing in his manner could provoke the\ngovernor's warmth. The governor admits his qualifications, his activity,\nand his unremitting vigilance as a magistrate, and in society his\ncheerful disposition and readiness to please.\"\n\nWhile this inquiry was pending at Sydney, the governor addressed a\nletter to Lord Sidmouth, and published it in England. It was a defence\nof his own line of policy against various attacks which had been made\nagainst it in the House of Commons by the Hon. H. Grey Bennett and\nothers. In the course of his defence, the governor not only ridiculed\nMr. Marsden's letter on the necessity of a female factory, and his\naccount of the melancholy condition of the convict women, but charges\nhim with being himself accustomed to traffic in spirituous liquors, and\nin consequence of being displeased at having so many public-houses in\nhis neighbourhood.\n\nMalicious, and absurd as the accusation was, carrying with it its own\nrefutation, it found some who were weak or wicked enough to believe, or\nhowever to repeat it. It was revived in the colony, and republished in\none of the Sydney newspapers after Mr. Marsden's death. Such is the\ntenacity of slander. \"Only throw mud enough,\" says the eloquent Mr.\nBurke, \"and some of it will be sure to stick.\" Mr. Marsden felt his\ncharacter so seriously compromised that he wrote home to the minister in\nself-defence, and also addressed a statement of the case to the new\ngovernor, Sir Thomas Brisbane. After showing the absurdity, and indeed\nthe impossibility, of the charge, since, in the first place, the\ngovernor himself had granted a monopoly to certain contractors to\npurchase and land all spirits brought to the colony, and that in the\nsecond he had no licence, he adds: \"Such is the watchful eye that was\nkept upon my whole conduct by night and by day, if I had been guilty of\nthat or any other impropriety, it would have been impossible for me to\nhave escaped detection.\" So far as any pretence of truth could have been\nurged in support of this foul slander, namely that \"he kept a\npublic-house for the sale of ardent spirits, selling them in any\nquantity from a pint to a puncheon,\" it may be stated in his own words:\n\"In the infancy of the colony, previously to my arrival, barter was\nestablished among all classes from the governor downwards. As there was\nneither beer nor milk, tea nor sugar, to be purchased at any price,\nwine and spirits became the medium of exchange. As the colony\nprogressively advanced in agriculture, commerce, and wealth, barter\ngradually decreased, and money transactions became more general. I can\naffirm that for the last eighteen years I have not had in my possession\nas much spirits as would allow my servants half a pint a head per week.\nAnd at no period of my residence did I ever purchase spirits for\nsale.\"[J]\n\n [J] Rations of spirits, as in the navy, would seem at this time to\n have been regularly served out to the servants and labourers in the\n colony.\n\nThese were not the only troubles through which he was called to pass.\nBut enough has been said both to explain the difficulties in which Mr.\nMarsden was placed and to clear his character from the vile aspersions\ncast upon it. It is with pleasure that we turn from these false and\ndisgraceful charges to follow him in those Christian and philanthropic\npursuits which have given splendour to his name.\n\nOn the arrival of Sir Thomas Brisbane, in 1821, to assume the government\nof New South Wales, Mr. Marsden immediately waited upon him, when he\nreceived the assurance of his countenance and support, not only as a\ncolonial chaplain, but as the representative of the great missionary\nwork going forward in New Zealand. Such encouragement was opportune; he\nthanked God and took courage; for the difficulties were great, and from\ntime to time grievous disappointments and vexations had occurred. It was\nabout this time that the seminary at Paramatta, for the education of New\nZealanders, was abandoned. It had its origin with Mr. Marsden, and was\nconducted for some time in his own house. It was indeed one of his most\nfavourite plans, and its failure was a severe disappointment. It was\nfound, however, that the change of habits and of climate was injurious\nto the health of the New Zealanders, while the results were not always\nsuch as might have been desired. But nothing could damp his ardent zeal,\nor quench his spirit of enterprise. \"I see,\" he says, writing to his\nfriends at home, \"the way preparing for the spread of the gospel. I feel\nthe fullest conviction that the South Sea Islands will now receive the\nblessing of civilization and the gospel. The work is great, and many\ndifficulties may oppose it. The foundation is now firmly laid, and no\npower on earth can overturn it. To impart these blessings to the New\nZealanders is an object worthy of the British nation: a more noble\nundertaking could not be suggested to the Christian world.\" This at\nleast was not the mere declamation of the platform, but the deliberate\nexpression of the views of one who had toiled and suffered in the cause\nfor twenty years, and had scarcely been cheered, at present, with the\nsight of a single New Zealand convert. \"Here,\" at least, \"is the\npatience of the saints.\"\n\nHis home duties were not neglected; nor was his the easy philanthropy\nwhich overlooks the humble claims of the rustic flock or obscure parish,\nwhile it stalks abroad on some heroic enterprise which may feed the\nvanity, while it satisfies the conscience, of the actor. Through his\nexertions Paramatta had now its association in behalf of the Bible\nSociety, which already collected funds for the Parent Society in\nEngland. An early report from this institution contains a remarkable\naccount of his visits to the sick bed of a young woman, whose experience\nbeautifully illustrates the text, that the Scripture \"is able to make us\nwise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.\" It brings\nthe writer also before us incidentally as a spiritual pastor and an\nenlightened minister of Christ.\n\n\"Some time ago,\" says Mr. Marsden, \"I was called on to visit a young\nwoman, about twenty years of age, in one of our districts, who was\nextremely ill, and who wished very much to see me before she died. On my\narrival at her father's house, I found her heavily afflicted, and death\nappeared to be at no great distance. I sat by her bedside with the Bible\nin my hand; expecting to find her, as I have but too often found others\nin similar circumstances, ignorant of the first principles of religion.\n\n\"I read a portion of this sacred book to her, and was most agreeably\nsurprised to find that she not only understood the letter but the spirit\nof the Scriptures.\n\n\"I asked her father how she became so well acquainted with the\nScriptures: he said he did not know--she was always reading her Bible at\nevery opportunity, and sometimes sat up whole nights for that purpose.\nHe observed, she was a very dutiful daughter: he had a large family, and\nshe, being the eldest, and very industrious, was of great service to her\nmother and the younger branches of the family; the only indulgence which\nshe desired was to be allowed to read the Bible when her work was done;\nbut he could not account for her attachment to it; and it seemed very\nstrange to him that she should attend to it so much. I asked him if she\nwas in the habit of going to church, as I did not personally know her.\nHe said she went sometimes, but was generally prevented, from the\ndistance and the large family which she had to attend to.\n\n\"This young woman may be said to have obtained her religion wholly from\nthe Bible. None of the family knew anything of the Bible but herself. I\nvisited her during the whole of her sickness, from the time she sent for\nme, until she fell asleep in Jesus. Her faith was simple, her views of\nthe way of salvation clear. She gave me many proofs of this, in the\nvarious conversations which I had with her during her sickness. The\nBible was more precious to her than gold; she had found it, under the\ninfluence of the Divine Spirit, her counsellor and her guide, and by it\nshe had been brought to a knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus\nChrist whom he had sent; and hereby she was filled with a hope full of\nimmortality. Previously to her last sickness, she had enjoyed good\nhealth: it was in the prime of youth and vigour that she had read her\nBible, and loved it, so that she had not to seek God, for the first\ntime, in this trying moment; but found him a present help in sickness\nand in the approach of death. The Bible had testified of Christ to her:\nshe had found eternal life revealed therein; and the Divine promises\nwere both great and precious to her soul.\"\n\nSuch instances of faith, and of the happy effects of a simple reliance\nupon the atonement, were at that time of rare occurrence in the colony.\nInstances of conversion simply from the reading of the Scriptures are\nnot perhaps so rare as we generally suppose. Lieutenant Sadleir, who\nhimself resided at Paramatta, has remarked upon this occurrence: \"It is\ngratifying to the reflecting mind to observe such glimmerings of light\nin the midst of so much darkness. Although found in obscurity and in the\ncottage of the peasant, it proved that there were some who had not bowed\nthe knee to the Baal of universal licentiousness.\"\n\nMr. Marsden's anxiety for the female convicts was not to be abated by\nridicule or opposition. We find him, in August, 1822, addressing a\nletter to Dr. Douglas, the police magistrate of Paramatta, on their\nbehalf. Some of the sentiments are beautifully touching. The substance\nof the plea on their behalf is \"that these poor creatures, who are\nconfined in the penitentiary, and who have committed no offence in these\nsettlements, be allowed the privilege of attending at least once on the\nsabbath day on public worship.\" The request was surely reasonable, and\nin urging it he rises to a pathetic eloquence: \"There is no nation under\nthe heavens in whose bosom the wretched and unfortunate finds so warm a\nreception as in our own. The unhappy situation of the female convicts\nduring their confinement in the different jails in the empire interests\nthe best feelings of the human heart. They are instructed by the\ncounsels of the wise, consoled by the prayers of the pious, softened by\nthe tears of the compassionate, and relieved by the alms of the\nbenevolent. The noble senator does not pass over their crimes and their\npunishments unnoticed; he is anxious for the prevention of the former,\nand the mitigation of the latter; nor does the wise politician consider\nthem beneath his care.\" He then speaks with natural exultation of \"the\nwatchful eye with which the British government provides for their wants\nand conveniences during their voyage to New South Wales, even more\nliberally than for the brave soldiers and sailors who have fought the\nbattles of their country, and never violated its laws;\" and then follows\na sentence which leaves us uncertain whether more to admire his\npatriotism or the gentleness of his nature and the warmth of his heart:\n\n\"This apparently singular conduct may seem as if the British government\nwished to encourage crime and afterwards reward it; but upon a nearer\nview this principle of action will be found to spring spontaneously from\nvirtue, from that inherent, laudable, Christian compassion and anxiety,\nwhich the father of the prodigal felt for his lost son, which kept alive\nthe spark of hope that he might one day return to his father's house and\nbe happy. This parable of our blessed Saviour's most beautifully\nexhibits the character of the British nation towards her prodigal sons\nand daughters, and is more honourable to her than all the victories she\nhas achieved by sea and land.\"\n\nThe welfare of the female convict population lay near to Mr. Marsden's\nheart; scarcely his beloved New Zealanders and their missions engaged\nmore of his affection. His plans for the improvement of their temporal\ncondition, and his incessant labours for their spiritual welfare,\noccupied no small portion of his time and thoughts; and there is good\nreason to believe that his labours amongst these outcasts were not \"in\nvain in the Lord.\" Standing, as we should have thought, himself in need\nof encouragement, he stimulated the languid zeal of others. Mrs. Fry and\nother philanthropists were now engaged in their great work of amending\nour prison discipline at home. We have inserted a letter from that\nexcellent lady to Mr. Marsden. His answer to it must have cheered her\nspirits amidst the many disheartening toils to which she was exposed.\n\n\"The Wellington had just arrived when,\" he says, \"I went on board, and\nwas highly gratified with the order which appears to have been\nmaintained in that vessel. I could not have conceived that any ship\ncould have been fitted up to have afforded such accommodation to the\nunfortunate female exiles as the Wellington was. All the women looked\nclean, healthy, and well. They had not that low, vicious, squalid, dirty\nlook which the women at former periods have had when they first arrived.\nI believe there has been very great attention paid by the master and\nsurgeon to their morals and comfort, in every possible way. The very\nsight of the arrangements of the vessel showed that the humane and\nbenevolent wishes of the Christian world had been carried into effect,\nand proved beyond all contradiction that order and morality can be\nmaintained upon so long a voyage in a female convict ship.... The\npresent inquiry into the state of this colony, before the committee of\nthe House of Commons, will greatly benefit this country. I can speak\nfrom painful experience that for the last twenty-six years, it has been\nthe most immoral, wretched society in all the Christian world. Those who\nare intimate with the miseries and vices of large jails alone can form\nany idea of the colony of New South Wales. I know what Newgate was when\nI was in London, in the years 1808 and 1809. I was then in the habit of\nseeing that miserable abode of vice and woe. What has since been done in\nNewgate may be done elsewhere, if suitable means are adopted by those in\nauthority, seconded by individual exertions; much might be done in these\ncolonies towards restoring the poor exiles to society, with the\ncountenance and support of the government. Great evils are not removed\nwithout great difficulties. When I visited the Wellington, I saw much\nhad been done in England, and more than I could have credited, had I not\nbeen an eye witness of the situation of the females.\"\n\nSir Thomas Brisbane, the new governor, was not slow to perceive the\nworth of services such as those which Mr. Marsden had rendered to the\ncolony, and pressed him to accept once more the office of a magistrate.\nIn reference to this, \"I wish,\" says Mr. Marsden, in a letter to Dr.\nMason Good, \"to avoid the office if I can; but I fear it will not be in\nmy power, without giving offence. The judges as well as the public and\nthe magistrates have urged me to take the bench at the present time.\" In\nthe same letter, he adds: \"I feel happy that I have stood firm against\nall calumnies and reproaches, and have been the instrument of bringing\nto light the abominations that have been committed here: and some of the\nevils are already remedied.\" The friends of religion and virtue in\nEngland could not fail to sympathize with him, being well assured that\nsubstantially he was fighting the cause of true piety and equal justice,\nagainst profligacy and oppression. Mr. Wilberforce wrote to him in the\nyear 1823, with his usual warm affection:--\n\n \"Though I may be a somewhat doubtful and unfrequent correspondent,\n I am not an uncertain friend; and where good will, as in your\n instance, is grounded on early esteem, and cemented by the\n consciousness of having many mutual friends, I should be ashamed\n if that should suffer any decay from the impression not being\n often renewed. It was with no small concern that I heard that\n anything unpleasant had occurred. I had meant to endeavour to\n obtain a sight of any letters or papers to our common friends, and\n to have consulted with them whether any, and if any, what\n measures, could be taken for the benefit of your colony, or in\n your own support, which, without a compliment, I hold to be in a\n degree coincident.... And now, my dear sir, farewell: but I ought\n not to conclude without congratulating you on the progressive\n advancement, as I trust, of the religious and moral interests of\n your Australian world, and begging that you will always inform me\n unreservedly whenever you conceive I can be of use publicly, or to\n yourself personally.\n\n \"I remain, with much esteem and regard,\n \"My dear sir,\n \"Your sincere friend,\n \"W. WILBERFORCE.\"\n\nThe report of Commissioner Bigge was made public soon afterwards; and\nwith it the clouds which had gathered so long around the chaplain of\nParamatta were at last dispersed. He was too prominent a mark not to be\nagain assailed. Always in the front of the battle when the oppressed\nrequired protection, or evil doers in high positions his bold assaults,\nit was not in the nature of things that he should lead a very quiet\nlife. His calling was peculiar; so were his talents; and the latter were\nadmirably fitted for the former. But for the present his triumph was\ncomplete, and the government at home appreciated his faithful service.\nThe document which follows requires no further comment. It was not\nreceived till some time had elapsed, but we insert it here as a fitting\nconclusion to the chapter:--\n\n \"Private Secretary's Office, Sydney, 9th April, 1825.\n\n \"REVEREND SIR,--I have the honour to acquaint you, by command of\n his excellency the governor, that Earl Bathurst, having taken into\n consideration your long and useful services in the colony of New\n South Wales, has determined upon increasing your stipend to the\n sum of four hundred pounds sterling, per annum.\n\n \"I have further the pleasing satisfaction of coupling with it his\n lordship's instructions to the governor, to acquaint you that it\n has been done in consideration of your long, laborious, and\n praiseworthy exertions in behalf of religion and morality.\n\n \"I have the honour to be, reverend Sir,\n \"Your obedient servant,\n \"JOHN OVENS,\n _Private Secretary._\n\n \"To the Rev. Samuel Marsden,\n Principal Chaplain.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\n Fourth Visit to New Zealand--Trials and Successes of the various\n Missions--Shipwreck and Danger of Mr. Marsden and the Rev. S.\n Leigh--Returns home--Letter to Avison Terry, Esq.\n\n\nIn July, 1823, we find Mr. Marsden again taking ship and embarking for\nNew Zealand; his intention being to visit the stations of the Church\nMissionary Society, and to arrange its affairs. Since his last visit\nfresh causes for anxiety had appeared. In consequence of Shunghie's\nmisconduct, the natives were now alienated from the missionaries; they\nhad become indifferent to education and agricultural improvements; and\nthe gospel, it was too evident, had made little progress hitherto.\nShunghie declared that as to himself, \"he wanted his children to learn\nto fight and not to read.\" The Maories about the settlement insisted\nupon being paid for their services in fire-arms and ammunition. \"Since\nShunghie's return,\" writes one of the missionaries, \"the natives, one\nand all, have treated us with contempt. They are almost past bearing;\ncoming into our houses when they please, demanding food, thieving\nwhatever they can lay their hands on, breaking down our garden fences,\nstripping the ship's boats of everything they can. They seem, in fact,\nripe for any mischief; had Mr. Marsden himself been amongst us, much as\nhe deserves their esteem, I believe he would not escape without insult;\nbut the Lord is a very present help in time of trouble.\" Amongst the\nmissionaries themselves certain evils had appeared, the growth of a\nsecular and commercial spirit, which had injured their cause, and\nthreatened to frustrate the great end for which the mission was\nprojected. Mr. Marsden heard of these untoward events, and hastened his\ndeparture, full of anxiety, but not abating one jot of his confidence in\nthe final triumph of God's cause. What his feelings were his own journal\ntestifies:--\n\n \"I am still confident that this land of darkness and superstition\n will be visited by the day-star from on high. The glory of the\n Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for\n the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. O Lord, let thy kingdom come;\n thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. I have suffered\n so much annoyance and persecution for some time past, from\n unreasonable and wicked men, that I am happy in leaving the colony\n for a little time, in which I have experienced so much annoyance.\n In reflecting upon the state of New Zealand there are many things\n which give me both pleasure and pain. I am happy the Church\n Missionary Society has not relinquished the cause, but have sent\n out more strength to carry on the work. Many have been the\n discouragements from the misconduct of some of the servants of the\n Society; but I am confident that the sword of the Spirit, which is\n the word of God, will in time subdue the hearts of these poor\n people to the obedience of faith.\"\n\nHe was accompanied on his voyage by the Reverend Henry Williams and his\nfamily, who now went out to strengthen the New Zealand mission, of which\nhe soon became one of the most effective leaders. One of Bishop Selwyn's\nfirst steps when he was appointed bishop of New Zealand, was to make Mr.\nHenry Williams one of his archdeacons, and since then he has been\ndesignated to a New Zealand bishopric in a district inhabited\nexclusively by Christianized Maories. Could Mr. Marsden have foreseen\nthe course which awaited his companion, how would his soul have been\ncheered! but it was for him to sow in tears, and for others to reap in\njoy. The field was not yet ripe for the harvest; other men laboured, who\nnow sleep in the dust, and we of this generation have entered into their\nlabours. Mr. Marsden was not mistaken in his estimate of his new\ncompanion. Indeed he appears to have been very seldom mistaken in the\njudgments he formed about other men. \"I think,\" he notes, \"that Mr.\nWilliams and his family will prove a great blessing to the Society. I\nhope he will be able to correct and remedy, in time, many evils that\nhave existed, and also to set an example to the rest what they as\nmissionaries should do.\"\n\nThis was his fourth visit to New Zealand, and though in some respects it\nwas painful, yet in others there was ground for joy. The cloud which the\nprophet saw from Carmel, though no greater than a man's hand, foretold\nabundance of rain; and so now too, at length, after nine years' toil, a\nfew hopeful symptoms appeared amongst the Maories. Their anxious visitor\nobserved with much pleasure, he says, that since his last visit, the\nnatives in general were much improved in their appearance and manners;\nand now for the first time he heard them, with strange delight, sing\nsome hymns and repeat some prayers in their own language. This convinced\nhim that, notwithstanding the misconduct of a few of the Europeans, the\nwork was gradually going on, and the way preparing for the blessings of\nthe gospel. \"I have no doubt that the greatest difficulties are now\nover, and that God will either incline the hearts of those who are now\nin New Zealand, to devote themselves to their work, or he will find\nother instruments to do his work.\"\n\nYet he had a painful duty to discharge. Firm as he was and lion-hearted\nwhen danger was to be met, his nature was very gentle, and his\naffections both deep and warm; and he had now to rebuke some of the\nmissionaries whom he loved as his own soul, and even to dismiss one of\nthem. Of those whom he had been obliged to censure, he writes\nthus:--\"They expressed their regret for the past, and a determination to\nact in a different way for the future. Some, I have no doubt, will\nretrace their steps, and will be more cautious and circumspect, but I\nhave not the same confidence in all. Some express sorrow, but I fear not\nthat which worketh repentance.\" Again he remarks: \"Missionary work is\nvery hard work, unless the heart is fully engaged in it. No\nconsideration can induce a man to do habitually what he has a habitual\naversion to. The sooner such a one leaves the work, the better it will\nbe for himself and the mission.\" But though compelled to blame, he did\nnot forget to sympathize. \"The present missionaries, though some of them\nhave erred greatly from the right way, yet have all had their trials and\ntroubles. Some allowance must be made for their peculiar situation, and\ntheir want of Christian society, and of the public ordinances of\nreligion.\"\n\nSeveral chiefs, among whom was Tooi, warmly took up the cause of the\nmissionary who had been dismissed. The conversation which followed is a\nbeautiful illustration of the too much forgotten Scripture which tells\nus that \"a soft answer turneth away wrath,\" while at the same time it\npresents an interesting view of the Maori mind and character at this\ncritical period of their national history.\n\n \"Tooi addressing me, said a missionary had informed him that day\n that he was going to leave New Zealand, and the chiefs wished to\n know whether this person had been dismissed for selling muskets\n and powder to the natives. To this I replied that Mr. ---- was\n directed by the gentlemen in England who had sent him out as a\n missionary, not to sell muskets and powder; that it was not the\n custom in England for clergymen to sell muskets and powder; and\n that no missionary could be allowed to sell them in New Zealand.\n As several of the chiefs present had been at Port Jackson, I\n observed that they knew that the clergymen there did not sell\n muskets and powder. They knew that I had not one musket in my\n house, and that they had never seen any when they were with me.\n They replied, they knew what I said was true. I further added we\n did not interfere with the government of New Zealand; they did\n what they pleased, and the missionaries should be allowed to do\n what they pleased. Tooi said that this was but just, and observed,\n 'We are at present in the same state as the Otaheitans were some\n time back. The Otaheitans wanted only muskets and powder, and\n would have nothing else, and now, as they knew better, they wanted\n none; and the New Zealanders would care nothing about muskets when\n they knew better, which they would in time.' All the chiefs\n acquiesced in the observations Tooi made. I was happy to find\n their minds were so enlarged, and that they had begun to take such\n proper views of the subject. I said, Tooi's remarks upon the\n conduct of the Otaheitans were very just, and told them that the\n Queen Charlotte brig, which had sailed from the bay the preceding\n day, belonged to the young king Pomare; that the Otaheitans had\n sent oil and various other articles to Port Jackson, and that they\n had received in return, tea, sugar, and flour, and clothing, as\n they wanted these articles, and that the New Zealanders might in\n time have a ship of their own to procure sperm oil, spars, etc.,\n which they might sell at Port Jackson, and many of them were able\n to kill the whales, having been employed on board the whalers.\n When they got a vessel of their own, they would soon be equal to\n the Otaheitans, and give over their cruel wars. They expressed\n much pleasure at having a vessel of their own. After some further\n explanation the chiefs were satisfied that Mr. ---- had violated\n our laws and had brought all his distress upon himself.\"\n\nThe conduct of the natives confirmed the impression which Mr. Marsden\nhad previously formed, and which their subsequent history down to the\npresent day entirely sustains, that they are a noble race of men, of\nconsiderable mental capacity, of great perseverance and enterprise, who\nnever lose sight of an object upon which they have once set their minds;\npowerful reasoners upon any subject that has come within their\nknowledge; possessed of a quick perception and a natural sagacity, which\nenables them to form a just acquaintance with human nature as it\npresents itself before them. Who would not wish that they too may form a\nhappy exception to the rule which seems in every land to condemn the\nnative population to waste away before the advances of European\nenterprise? Who would not desire that the Maorie tribes may long be a\ngreat and powerful nation, protected, but not oppressed by English rule?\n\nMr. Marsden now paid a visit at Wangaroa, to the Wesleyan missionary\nstation there. Over the Wesleyan missions he had of course no control or\noversight, such as that with which he was intrusted towards the missions\nof the London Missionary Society in the South Sea Islands. This,\nhowever, did not prevent his taking an affectionate interest in their\naffairs. He found Mr. Leigh, the founder of their mission, very ill, and\ninvited him to return with him on a voyage of health and recreation to\nPort Jackson; and having taken leave of the Church Missionary brethren\nwith solemn and affectionate counsels he embarked on the 6th of\nSeptember, 1823, with feelings which he thus describes.\n\n \"I now felt much pleasure in the prospect of a speedy return to my\n family and people, and being very weary with various toils and\n anxieties both of body and mind, I longed for a little rest, and\n retired to my cabin with much thankfulness and comfort. I had\n cause to be thankful for continual good health during the period I\n had been in New Zealand, as I had not lost one day. I felt great\n confidence in the Rev. Mr. Williams, and I doubt not that God will\n prosper the work, and raise up a seed in this benighted land to\n serve him; for many shall come from the south as well as the\n north, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the\n kingdom of God.\"\n\nBut his bright visions were overcast. Like the first and greatest of\nChristian missionaries, it was ordained that he, too, \"should suffer\nshipwreck and be cast upon a desert island.\" His own journal gives us\nthe story of his danger and deliverance.\n\n \"_Sunday 7th._--This morning we weighed anchor. I spent some time\n this day reading the Scriptures with the Rev. S. Leigh, our\n subject for contemplation was the 1st chapter of St. Paul to the\n Romans. The weather was very threatening and stormy; the wind from\n the eastward and strong, blowing directly into the mouth of the\n harbour. We lay in Korororika Bay, on the south side of the\n harbour, and had to sail along a lee rocky shore. In working out\n with the wind dead on the land, the ship being light and high out\n of the water she would not answer her helm, and twice missed\n stays. The lead was kept continually sounding, and we soon found\n ourselves in little more than three fathoms water, with a rocky\n bottom and a shoal of rocks on our lee, and it was then high\n water. When the captain found the situation we were in, he\n immediately ordered to let go the anchor, which was done. When the\n tide turned the ship struck, the gale increased, and the sea with\n it; a shipwreck was now more than probable; there appeared no\n possible way to prevent it. The Rev. Mr. Leigh was very ill, and\n felt the disturbance much, Mrs. Leigh also being very ill. I\n requested the captain to lend me the boat to take Mr. and Mrs.\n Leigh to the nearest island, where we arrived very safely, the\n island being but two miles distant. The natives expressed much\n concern for us, made a fire, prepared the best hut they could,\n which was made of bulrushes, for our reception. I requested them\n to send a canoe to Rungheehe, to inform Mr. and Mrs. Hall of the\n loss of the ship, and to bring their boat to assist in bringing\n the people to land. At the same time, I desired they would tell\n the natives to bring a large war canoe. The natives for some time\n alleged that their canoe would be dashed to pieces by the waves,\n but at length I prevailed upon them. They had between five and\n six miles to go, through a very rough sea. About three o'clock,\n Messrs. Hall, King, and Hanson, arrived in Mr. Hall's boat, and a\n large war canoe with natives; they immediately proceeded to the\n ship, and we had the satisfaction to see them arrive safe, and\n waited until dark with the greatest anxiety for their return. The\n rain fell in torrents, the gale increased, and they had not\n returned; we lay down in our little hut full of fear for the\n safety of all on board. The night appeared very long, dark, and\n dreary. As we could not rest, we most anxiously wished for the\n morning light, to learn some account of them.\n\n \"_September 8th._--When the day arrived we had the happiness to\n see the vessel still upright, but driven nearer the shore. No boat\n or canoe from her; the gale still increased; about mid-day we saw\n the mainmast go overboard. The natives on the island screamed\n aloud when the mast fell. I concluded they had cut away the mast\n to relieve the vessel. We spent the rest of this day in great\n suspense, as we could not conjecture why all the passengers should\n remain on board in the state the ship was in. At dark in the\n evening Mr. Hall returned, and informed us that the bottom of the\n vessel was beaten out, and that both her chain and best bower\n cable were parted; and that she beat with such violence upon the\n rocks when the tide was in that it was impossible to stand upon\n the deck; at the same time, he said, there was no danger of any\n lives being lost, as he did not think the vessel would go to\n pieces, as she stood firm upon the rock, when the tide was out. He\n said, the passengers on board had not determined what they would\n do, or where they would land as yet; they wished to wait till the\n gale was abated. Mr. Hall's information relieved us much; as it\n was now dark, the wind high, and the sea rough, we could not leave\n the island, and therefore took up our lodgings in our little hut.\n\n \"The natives supplied us with a few potatoes and some fish. My\n pleasing prospect of returning to Port Jackson was at an end, for\n some time at least. I was exceedingly concerned for the loss of so\n fine a vessel on many accounts, as individuals who are interested\n in her must suffer as well as the passengers on board, and spent\n the night in reflections on the difficulties with which I was\n surrounded; while the raging of the storm continued without\n intermission.\n\n \"_Tuesday 9th._--At the return of day we discovered the ship still\n upright, but she appeared to be higher on the reef. I now\n determined to return to Kiddee-Kiddee in Mr. Hall's boat with Mr.\n and Mrs. Leigh. We left the island for the missionary settlement,\n where we arrived about nine o'clock. Our friends had not heard of\n the loss of the ship until our arrival, as there had not been any\n communication between the different settlements in consequence of\n the severe weather. We were very kindly received by the brethren;\n I informed them in what situation we had left the ship, and\n requested that every assistance might be given to land the\n passengers and luggage. The wreck was about twelve or fourteen\n miles from the settlement. Four boats were immediately sent off;\n Mr. Hall's boat took the women and children to Rungheehe, and two\n of the boats returned with part of our luggage, and we went to the\n station of the Rev. Henry Williams. All the brethren rendered\n every aid in their power. The boats on their return brought the\n welcome news that all was well on board, and Mr. Leigh did not\n appear to have suffered much injury from the wet and cold he\n endured on the island, though in so weak a state. Divine wisdom\n has no doubt some wise ends to answer in all that has befallen us.\n The word of God expressly says all things shall work together for\n the good of them that love God, and the Scripture cannot be\n broken.\n\n \"We cannot see through this dark and mysterious dispensation at\n the present time; the why and wherefore we must leave to him who\n ordereth all things according to the counsel of his own will. As\n the gale continued with unremitting violence, if we had gone out\n to sea we might have been cast on shore under more dangerous and\n distressing circumstances. Our shipwreck has been a most merciful\n one, as no lives have been lost, nor anything but the ship.\"\n\nThe shipwreck of the Brampton--for that was the vessel's name--occurred\non the 7th of September, and in consequence Mr. Marsden was detained in\nNew Zealand until the 14th of November, when he returned home in the\nDragon, and arrived at Sydney in the beginning of December, 1823. The\ninterval was not lost; for he seems to have been one of those who gather\nup the fragments of time, and turn to the best account the idle hours\nand spare moments of life. He drew up some excellent rules for the\nguidance of the missionaries and Christian settlers in their intercourse\nwith the shipping which now began to visit the Bay of Islands. He\nencouraged the erection of a school-house for the natives. \"The\nfoundation,\" he says, \"must be laid in the education of the rising\ngeneration. The children possess strong minds, are well-behaved and\nteachable. They are capable of learning anything we wish to teach them.\"\nDuring his detention he also addressed a circular letter to the\nmissionaries respecting a grammar in the Maori or New Zealand language,\npointing out the necessity of adopting some more systematic method both\nfor its arrangement and pronunciation. This led to a new vocabulary of\nthe native language, and in a short time to a new method of spelling. We\nhave, of course, retained Mr. Marsden's orthography of New Zealand\nnames, but we may remark, by the way, it is very different from that\nwhich has been since introduced. Shunghie became E'Hongi; Kiddee Kiddee,\nKeri Keri; and so in other instances. But even Mr. Marsden, with all his\nsagacity, did not penetrate New Zealand's future, nor foresee in how\nshort a time the well-known and familiar sounds of English towns and\nvillages would be transferred to that still savage island, superseding\neven in Maori lips their native designations. It seems probable that the\nNew Zealand language may, in the course of another generation, come to\nbe known only by the grammar which the missionaries compiled and the\nScriptures which they have since translated. But whatever be its fate,\nit is in a high degree sonorous and expressive, and had it but an\nantique literature, a Tallessin or an Ossian, it could never perish.\nWithout a literature of its own no spoken language can long endure\nagainst the assaults of that which is evidently destined to be the\nuniversal speech of trade and commerce, the English tongue. On the other\nhand the literature of a language, or even of a dialect, embalms it\nafter it has ceased to be a spoken tongue even to the end of time.\n\nAnd lastly, a political object occupied some of Mr. Marsden's time and\nthoughts. The incessant and desolating wars which the native tribes\nwaged against each other were, he saw, the great obstacle to the\nprogress of New Zealand. The missions were always insecure, for the\ncountry was always more or less disturbed. Civil war is, under all\ncircumstances, the bane, and, if persisted in, the ruin of a country;\nadd the ferocity of New Zealand warfare, its cannibalism and its undying\nspirit of revenge, and nothing more was wanted to degrade the finest\ncountry under heaven into a very pit of darkness. All this Mr. Marsden\nfelt; he conceived that if he could succeed in establishing some one\nchief as supreme, a plan of government might be drawn up securing life\nand property throughout the island. He consulted Shunghie, Wyatto Riva,\nand other powerful chieftains. Shunghie's ambitious spirit would have\nembraced the proposal, the condition being, of course, that he should be\nthe sovereign; but the jealousy of the rest prevented anything like\nunanimity. Riva justly remarked that to have any superior would degrade\nthem; yet all the chiefs appeared tired of war and the unsettled state\nconsequent upon it. So the project failed.\n\nAt length he returned home, accompanied by six New Zealand youths, whose\neagerness was such that they gladly promised to sleep upon the deck\nrather than miss the opportunity. Mr. Leigh, the Wesleyan missionary,\nwas also his fellow voyager. Mr. Leigh's opinion of Mr. Marsden and his\nlabours is highly gratifying, and not the less so as coming from one who\nbelonged to another Society. \"The shipwreck,\" he says, \"which we have\nexperienced will, I have no doubt, prove favourable to the reputation of\nthe New Zealanders. For several days we were in their power, and they\nmight have taken all that we had with the greatest ease; but instead of\noppressing and robbing us, they actually sympathized with us in our\ntrials and afflictions. Mr. Marsden, myself, and Mrs. Leigh, were at a\nnative village for several days and nights, without any food but what\nthe natives brought us; what they had they gave us willingly, and\nsaid--'Poor creatures! you have nothing to eat, and you are not\naccustomed to our kind of food.' I shall never forget the sympathy and\nkindness of these poor heathens.\n\n \"I do hope that the Rev. S. Marsden will be successful in his\n endeavours to put an end to the frequent wars in New Zealand. I\n have heard many natives and chiefs say, 'It is no good to go to\n fight and eat men; we wish to cease from war, and retire to some\n peaceful place.' I pray God that this object may be soon effected\n among this people. The Christian world, and especially the Church\n Missionary Society, will never be able fully to appreciate the\n valuable labours of the Rev. Samuel Marsden. His fervent zeal, his\n abundant toil, and extensive charity in the cause of missions, are\n beyond estimation. May he live long as a burning and shining light\n in the missionary world!\"\n\nWithin a few days of his return home, Mr. Marsden, the impression of his\nvisit still fresh upon his mind, wrote the following interesting\nletter:--\n\n \"Paramatta, December 20, 1823.\n\n \"MY VERY DEAR SIR,--I now sit down to thank you for your very\n valuable presents, which you were so kind as to send me for the\n natives of New Zealand. They arrived a little before I sailed for\n that island. I was at Van Diemen's Land when the vessel which\n brought them arrived at Port Jackson. On my return from the\n southern settlements I prepared for New Zealand. Your spades,\n axes, etc., made the hearts of many rejoice; and they are now\n dispersed over the country, from the North Cape to the Thames.\n When I arrived at the Bay of Islands there were several chiefs\n there, who had fled for safety in the late wars, but returned when\n peace was restored, and took with them some of your presents. I\n have just returned from New Zealand, having been absent about\n twenty weeks; was shipwrecked, but no lives were lost. The natives\n have made considerable advances in civilization, and I have no\n doubt they will become a great nation in due time. Much has been\n done already to better their situation. I believe their\n agriculture has increased more than twenty-fold since they have\n got hoes, but it will be many years before every man in the island\n will be able to procure a hoe. The Church Missionary Society has\n done much for them, and their labour has not been in vain. All\n that is wanted now is faithful missionaries to labour amongst\n them; it will be very difficult to find such men. There are even\n very few pious men who are qualified to be missionaries; it\n requires much self-denial, much patience, and much perseverance,\n united with the wisdom of the serpent and the innocence of the\n dove. Men, also, of education and knowledge are wanted; ignorant\n men, though possessed of piety, will be found ill-qualified for a\n mission in New Zealand. The natives are a wise and understanding\n people, and will pry into the very secrets of every man who\n resides amongst them. Their study is human nature in all its\n bearings; they talk more of the heart of man than we do, and of\n the evil that is lodged there. They will soon find out a man's\n real character, whether he is ignorant or wise, prudent or\n foolish, and will estimate the benefits which they are likely to\n derive from his knowledge, his good temper, his charity, and will\n esteem him or despise him accordingly. A wise and prudent man\n will have great influence over them, while they would laugh at an\n ignorant man. A good farmer or mechanic would be much esteemed,\n because they would be benefited by him. I have gained considerable\n knowledge of their customs and manners in my last visit.\n Cannibalism is interwoven through the whole of their religious\n system. They offer up human sacrifices as sin offerings. Whenever\n the gospel shall be revealed to them they will very easily\n understand the doctrine of the atonement. They demand a sacrifice\n or an atonement for almost everything which they consider as an\n injury. Human sacrifices are offered for the death of their\n friends, whether they are slain in battle or die a natural death.\n Their eating human flesh has its origin in superstition. They pay\n great attention to all the ceremonies of their religion, and are\n very much afraid of offending their god. As for their wars, these\n will not be prevented until an object can be found that will\n employ their active minds. Agriculture and commerce are the only\n means that promise to remedy their civil wars; when these can be\n brought into operation they will have a beneficial effect. It is\n only the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, that can\n subdue their hearts to the obedience of faith. I am of opinion\n that civilization and Christianity will go hand in hand, if means\n are used at the same time to introduce both, and one will aid and\n assist the other. To bring this noble race of human beings to the\n knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ is an attempt\n worthy of the Christian world. I believe as God has stirred up the\n hearts of his people to pray for them, and to open both their\n hearts and their purses he will prosper the work, and raise up a\n people from amongst these savages to call him blessed. In time\n the voice of joy and gladness will be heard in the present abodes\n of cruelty, darkness, and superstition. I consider every axe,\n every hoe, every spade, in New Zealand as an instrument to prepare\n the way of the Lord. They are silent but sure missionaries in the\n hands of the natives of that country. I was very happy to learn\n that your dear mother was still alive, and all your family were\n well at present. Remember us kindly to your mother, if still\n alive, and to Mrs. Terry and our other friends.\n\n \"I am, yours affectionately,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\n \"To Avison Terry, Esq.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\n Aborigines--South Sea Mission--Fresh Slanders on Mr. Marsden's\n character--His Pamphlet in self-defence--Letter of Messrs. Bennett\n and Tyerman--Libels and Action at Law--Verdict--Case of\n Ring--Pastoral Letters of Mr. Marsden: To a Lady; On the Divinity\n of Christ--Fifth Voyage to New Zealand--Letters, etc.\n\n\nScarcely had Mr. Marsden returned to Paramatta when we find him in\ncorrespondence with the new governor on the subject of the aborigines of\nAustralia. They were already wasting away in the presence of the\nEuropean colonists like snow before the sun. Their restless and\nwandering habits seemed to present insuperable difficulties, whether the\nobject were to convert or merely to protect them. His memorandum to the\ngovernor, and subsequent correspondence with the Church Missionary\nSociety, show his anxiety for their welfare and the largeness of his\nheart. Each new project, as it came before him, was welcomed with\nserious attention, while at the same time there was no fickleness, no\nrelaxation of his efforts in his old engagements and pursuits. But he\nwas not allowed to connect his name with the evangelization of these\npoor heathen. Various attempts have been made by different denominations\nto bring them into the fold of Christ, but hitherto with very small\nsuccess. It seems, at length, as if Christians had acquiesced in the\nconclusion that their conversion is hopeless, that we can do nothing\nmore than to throw over them the shield of the British government, and\nprevent their wholesale destruction by lawless \"squatters\" and\n\"bush-rangers.\" We shall return, however, to the subject hereafter.\n\nHis interest in the mission to the South Sea Islands continued unabated.\nThe London Missionary Society had deputed the Rev. Daniel Tyerman and\nGeorge Bennett, Esq., to visit these missions, and bring home in person\na report of all they might see upon the spot. On their voyage, they\nstayed awhile at Sydney, and Mr. Marsden addressed a letter to them,\nwhich shows his own zeal in the cause, and the painful apathy or profane\ncontempt of others. Such memorials, in this day of comparative fervour,\nought not to be forgotten. When a Livingstone returns home to receive a\nshower of honours from a grateful country let us not forget the\nvenerable pioneers in the same missionary work, and the different\ntreatment they experienced. The contrast will call forth emotions both\nof gratitude and of shame.\n\n \"Sydney, November 4, 1824.\n\n \"GENTLEMEN,--I know of no circumstance that has given me more\n satisfaction than your mission to the South Sea Islands. The\n attempt to introduce the arts of civilization and the knowledge of\n Christianity amongst the inhabitants of those islands was\n confessedly great. An undertaking of such a new and important\n nature could not be accomplished without much labour, expense,\n anxiety, and risk, to all who were concerned in the work. The\n missionaries, for the first ten years, suffered every privation in\n the islands, from causes which I need not state. They called for\n every support and encouragement to induce them to remain in the\n islands, and to return to their stations, after they had been\n compelled to take refuge in New South Wales. During these ten\n years, I used every means in my power to assist the missionaries,\n and to serve the Society Islands. During the next ten years, the\n ruling powers in this colony manifested a very hostile spirit to\n the mission. As I felt it my pleasure as well as my duty to\n support the cause, I fell under the marked displeasure of those in\n authority, and had a painful warfare to maintain for so long a\n period, and many sacrifices I had to make. The ungodly world\n always treated the attempt to introduce the gospel among the\n natives of the Islands as wild and visionary, and the Christian\n world despaired of success.\n\n \"In those periods of doubt and uncertainty in the public mind, I\n suffered much anxiety, as very great responsibility was placed on\n me. Sometimes, from one cause and another, my sleep departed from\n me; though I was persuaded God would bless the work. The work is\n now done; this your eyes have seen, and your ears heard; in this I\n do rejoice and will rejoice. I wish you, as representatives of the\n Society, to satisfy yourselves, from friends and foes, relative to\n my conduct towards the mission for the last twenty-five years. You\n must be aware that many calumnies have been heaped upon me, and\n many things laid to my charge which I know not. My connexion with\n the missionaries and the concerns of the mission has been purely\n of a religious nature, without any secular views or temporal\n interests; and my services, whether they be great or small, were\n gratuitous. The missionaries, as a body, are very valuable men,\n and as such I love them; but some of them, to whom I had been\n kind, have wounded me severely, both here and elsewhere. I have\n always found it difficult to manage religious men; what they\n state, though in a bad spirit, is generally believed by the\n Christian world. I need not enter into the circumstances which\n urged me to purchase the Queen Charlotte, as you are in full\n possession of them; you are also acquainted with the reason why\n her expenses became so heavy, the fall of colonial produce more\n than twenty per cent. in so short a period, which no one could\n have anticipated at that time, and the increased duty of one\n hundred per cent. upon tobacco. If these two circumstances had not\n occurred, there would have been no loss to any individuals or the\n mission. I inclose the statement of the accounts of the Queen\n Charlotte, and shall leave the matter in your hands, to act as you\n think proper. I shall also leave the Society to make their own\n account of the interest upon the 600l. I borrowed. I have no doubt\n but the Society will be satisfied that I had no motive but the\n good of the mission, and that, as Christian men who fear God, they\n will do what is just and right. I shall therefore leave the matter\n in your hands.\n\n \"I have the honour to be, gentlemen,\n \"Your most obedient, humble servant,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nWhile thus engaged, he was still a faithful minister of the gospel in\nits richest consolations, and a bold opponent of vice. His position as a\nmagistrate not only obliged him to reprove but to punish sin. The task\nwas difficult, when the real offender, in too many cases, was not the\nwretched culprit at the bar of justice, but some rich and insolent\ndelinquent, beyond the reach of the limited powers of a colonial\nmagistrate. In consequence of Mr. Marsden's fearless conduct in a case\nwe shall not describe, he was at length formally dismissed from the\nmagistracy. All that is necessary to be known, in order to vindicate his\ncharacter, is contained in an extract of a letter written by himself to\nMr. Nicholson, dated Paramatta, 12th August, 1824:\n\n \"My very dear sir,\" he says, \"I have still to strive against sin\n and immorality, which brings upon me the hatred of some men in\n power; this I must expect from those who live on in sin and\n wickedness.... You would hear of the whole bench of magistrates at\n Paramatta being dismissed at one stroke, five in number--Messrs.\n ... and your humble servant. We fell in the cause of truth and\n virtue. If certain individuals could have knocked me down, and\n spared my colleagues, I should have fallen alone; but there was no\n alternative but to sacrifice all at once. I glory in my disgrace.\n As long as I live I hope to raise a standard against vice and\n wickedness. We have some Herods here who would take off the head\n of the man who dared to tell them that adultery was a crime.\"\n\nHe was still subject to the most annoying insults. Imputations,\nludicrous from their absurdity and violence, were heaped upon him. In\nreading the libels which were published in the colony, and in England\ntoo, about this time, we should suppose that the man against whom they\nwere aimed was some delinquent, notorious even in a penal settlement. He\nwas openly accused of being \"a man of the most vindictive spirit,\"--\"a\nturbulent and ambitious priest,\"--a \"cruel magistrate\"--an \"avaricious\nman.\" These charges, amongst many more, were contained in a work in two\nvolumes octavo, professing to give an account of Australasia, which\nreached a third edition, and to which the author's name was attached. As\nif these were not sufficient to grind his reputation to the dust,\nfurther charges of hypocrisy and bigotry were thrown in. These last were\neasily repelled; to refute the others was more difficult, inasmuch as\nfacts were involved which it was necessary to clear up and place in a\njust light before the public. It might have seemed magnanimous to\ndespise such assailants, and meet them with silent pity. And yet we\ndoubt whether such magnanimity would have been wise, for with a\nblemished reputation his usefulness would have been at an end; since his\naccusers were not anonymous hirelings, but magistrates and men of high\nposition in the colony.\n\nHe referred the matter to his friends at home, placing his character in\ntheir hands. He was willing to institute an action for libel, if this\nstep were thought advisable; or else to lay a statement of his wrongs\nbefore the House of Commons; and he transmitted the manuscript of a\npamphlet, in self-justification, to his friend Dr. Mason Good. It was\naccompanied with a letter, remarkable for the modest estimate of his own\nabilities, as well as for true Christian meekness: \"I have requested our\nmutual friend, Baron Field, Esq., to show the documents to you, and to\nconsult with you on the propriety of publishing them. I have much more\nconfidence in your superior judgment than in my own.... Many hard\ncontests,\" he says, \"I have had in this colony. But God has hitherto\noverruled all for good, and he will continue to do so. As a Christian I\nrejoice in having all manner of evil spoken of me by wicked men. As a\nmember of society, it is my duty to support, by every lawful means, an\nupright character. The good of society calls upon me to do this, from\nthe public situation I hold, as well as that gospel which I believe; on\nthis principle I think it right to notice Mr. W.'s work. I leave it,\" he\nadds, \"to you and my other friends to publish what I have written or\nnot, as you may think proper, and with what alterations and arrangements\nyou may think necessary. I do not know how to make a book, any more than\na watch, but you have learned the trade completely; I therefore beg your\nassistance, for which I shall feel very grateful.\" But even these\nanxieties could not engross his confidential correspondence. In the same\nletter we have pleasant mention of New Zealand and its missionaries:--\"I\nhave no doubt about New Zealand; we must pray much for them, and labour\nhard, and God will bless the labour of our hands.\" Nor is science quite\nforgotten:--\"I have sent you a small box of fossils and minerals, by\nCaptain Dixon, of the Phoenix, from Point Dalrymple principally; the\nwhole of them came from Van Diemen's Land.\"\n\nMr. Wilberforce and other friends of religion were consulted; and under\ntheir advice his pamphlet was published in London, though not till the\nyear 1826. It is entitled, \"An Answer to certain Calumnies, etc., by the\nRev. Samuel Marsden, principal Chaplain to the colony of New South\nWales.\" It contains a temperate, and at the same time a conclusive\nanswer, to all the charges made against him. To some of these we have\nalready had occasion to refer; others have lost their interest. The\ncharge of hypocrisy was chiefly grounded on the fact that a windmill, on\nMr. Marsden's property, had been seen at work on Sunday. But \"the mill,\"\nhe says, \"was not in my possession at that time, nor was I in New South\nWales. I never heard of the circumstance taking place but once; and the\ncommissioner of inquiry was the person who told me of it after my return\nfrom New Zealand. I expressed my regret to the commissioner that\nanything should have taken place, in my absence, which had the\nappearance that I sanctioned the violation of the sabbath-day. As I was\ntwelve hundred miles off at the time, it was out of my power to prevent\nwhat had happened; but I assured him it should not happen again, _for\nthe mill should be taken down_, which was done.\" How few, it is to be\nfeared, would make such a sacrifice, simply to avoid the possibility of\na return of the appearance of evil! The charge of bigotry arose out of\nhis interference with Mr. Crook, a person in the colony who had formerly\nbeen intended for the South Sea mission. It was at the request of the\nmissionaries themselves, that Mr. Marsden, as agent of their Society,\nhad been led to interfere; but he was represented, in consequence, as \"a\npersecutor of dissenters.\" Messrs. Bennett and Tyerman were then in\nAustralia; and in answer to Mr. Marsden's request that \"they would do\nhim the favour to communicate to him their impartial opinion, how far he\nhad in any way merited such an accusation, either as it respects Mr. C.\nor any other missionary belonging to the London Missionary Society,\" he\nreceived a grateful acknowledgment of his services, which we are happy\nto insert:--\n\n \"Sydney, May 11, 1825.\n\n \"REV. AND DEAR SIR,--We have to acknowledge the receipt of your\n letter of the 5th inst., requesting our opinion, as the\n representatives of the London Missionary Society, on one of the\n malicious charges against you in the outrageous publication lately\n come to the colony. It is with the utmost satisfaction we state,\n as our decided opinion, that the charge of intolerance or\n persecution towards Mr. Crook, or any other missionary connected\n with the London Society, or, indeed, connected with any other\n missionary society, is utterly untrue. We believe it to have\n originated in malice or culpable ignorance, and to be a gross\n libel.\n\n \"We rejoice, sir, to take the opportunity to say that the South\n Sea mission, and all its missionaries, have been, and continue, to\n be, exceedingly indebted to your singular kindness and persevering\n zeal in their behalf. No temporal reward, we are persuaded, would\n have been equivalent to the most valuable services which you have\n so long and so faithfully rendered to this mission and its\n missionaries. After all your upright and perfectly disinterested\n kindness towards the missionaries, when they have been residing on\n the Islands,--when they have been residing in the colony, on their\n way from England to the Islands,--when they have voluntarily\n returned from the Islands to the colony,--and when, from dire\n necessity and cruel persecution, compelled to flee from the scenes\n of their missionary labours, and take up their residence here;\n that you have met with so much calumny, and so few returns of\n grateful acknowledgment, for all you have done and borne on their\n behalf, is to us a matter of surprise and regret.\n\n \"Allow us, dear sir, to conclude by expressing our hope, that the\n other envenomed shafts aimed at you in this infamous publication,\n will prove as impotent as that aimed at you through that Society,\n in whose name, and as whose representatives, we beg to renew its\n cordial thanks and unqualified acknowledgments. And desiring to\n present our own thanks in the amplest and most respectful manner,\n\n \"We remain, rev. and dear sir, most faithfully,\n \"Your obliged and obedient servants,\n \"GEORGE BENNETT.\n \"DANIEL TYERMAN.\"\n\nThe case of James Ring, we cannot pass unnoticed. It shows the cruelty\nwith which Mr. Marsden's reputation was assailed on the one hand, and\nhis own firm and resolute bearing on the other. Ring was a convict, who\nfor his general good conduct had been assigned as a domestic servant to\nMr. Marsden. He was permitted by the latter, in accordance with the\nusual custom, to work occasionally at his own trade--that of a painter\nand glazier, on his own account, and as a reward for his good conduct.\nHe was frequently employed in this way by the residents at Paramatta;\namongst others by the chief magistrate himself. This man having been\nill-treated and severely beaten by another servant, applied, with Mrs.\nMarsden's approbation, to the magistrates of Paramatta for redress;\ninstead of receiving which, he was charged by them with being illegally\nat large, and committed to the common jail.\n\nMr. Marsden was then absent on duty in the country: on appearing before\nthe bench of magistrates upon his return home, he at once stated that he\nhad given permission to Ring to work occasionally for himself, and that\ntherefore if there was any blame it lay with him, and not the prisoner.\nThe magistrates not only ordered Mr. Marsden to be fined two shillings\nand sixpence per day for each day his servant had been thus at large,\nunder the assumed plea of his transgressing a general government order,\nbut also ordered Ring to be remanded to jail and ironed; and he was\nsubsequently worked in irons in a penal gang. \"At this conviction there\nwas no informer, nor evidence,\" (we are now quoting Mr. Marsden's words,\nfrom a statement which he made before a court of inquiry instituted by\nLord Bathurst, the colonial minister at home, to investigate the\nsubject at Mr. Marsden's request,) \"but the bench convicted me on my own\nadmission that I had granted indulgence to my servant to do jobs in the\ntown. There were two convictions, the first was on the 17th of May,\n1823. On the 23rd of the same month, without a hearing, or being\npresent, without informer, evidence, or notice, on the same charge I was\nconvicted in the penal sum of ten pounds. On the 7th of June, a convict\nconstable entered my house with a warrant of execution, and levied the\nfine by distress and sale of my property.\"\n\nThese convictions took place under an obsolete colonial regulation of\n1802, made in the first instance by Governor King, to meet a temporary\nemergency; but virtually set aside by a general order of Governor\nMacquarie's, of a much later date, granting the indulgence under certain\nregulations, with which Mr. Marsden had complied. Mr. Marsden says, in\nhis official defence, that he \"was the only person in the colony who was\never fined under such circumstances, since the first establishment of\nthe colony, to the present time.\" And he adds a statement which, had it\nnot come down to us thus accredited under his own hand, would have\nseemed incredible, namely that \"the two magistrates by whom the fines\nwere inflicted, Dr. ---- and Lieut. ----, were doing, on that very day,\nthe same thing for which they fined me and punished my servant, and I\npointed that out to them at the time they were sitting on the bench, and\nwhich they could not deny.\" Denial indeed was out of the question,\nsince, says Mr. Marsden, \"one of Dr. ----'s convict servants, Henry\nBuckingham, by trade a tailor, was working for me, and had been so for\nmonths. Lieut. ---- at that very time also had two convict servants\nbelonging to Dr. Harris, working for him at his own house.\"\n\nIn vain did Mr. Marsden appeal to the governor; even he was afraid to\nbreast the torrent, which for a time bore all before it. \"He found no\nreason to interfere with the colonial law.\" Mr. Marsden prayed him at\nleast to bring the matter before a full bench of magistrates, in whose\nhands he would leave his character; this, too, the governor declined,\nwhereupon as a last step, he laid the affair before the supreme court\nfor its decision; prosecuting the magistrates, and obtaining a verdict\nfor the amount of the fine so unjustly levied. They now affected to\ntriumph in the small amount of the damages in which they were cast,\n\"wishing,\" he says, \"to make the world believe that the injury I had\nsustained was proportionally small.\" And thus even his forbearance and\nhis Christian spirit in rendering good for evil, were turned against\nhim; for he had instructed his solicitor expressly, not to insert in the\nindictment the count or charge of malice, but merely to sue for the\nrecovery of the amount of the fine. He states the case thus in simple\nand forcible language. \"I may here observe, the only error it appears I\ncommitted originally was in not prosecuting the magistrates for\nvindictive damages before the supreme court. Had I alleged malice, I\nmust have obtained a verdict accordingly; but I sought for no vindictive\ndamages; I sought redress no further than to set my character right with\nthe public. To have done more than this would not have become me,\naccording to my judgment, as a minister of the gospel, and I instructed\nmy solicitor, Mr. Norton, merely to sue for the amount of the award\nwhich had been levied on my property by warrant and distress of sale.\nThe court gave me the amount I prosecuted for, with costs of suit, and\nwith this I was perfectly satisfied.\"\n\nFor two whole years this miserable affair lingered on. The unfortunate\nman Ring at length gave way to despondency, made his escape from the\ncolony, and found his way to New Zealand, but was never heard of more.\nMr. Marsden was much concerned for Ring's misfortunes, and deplored his\nrashness in making his escape when all his sufferings were unmerited. \"I\nknew,\" he says, \"if he should return to England and be apprehended as a\nreturned felon, his life would be forfeited.\" Such even to a recent\nperiod was the severity of our penal code, an escaped felon was\nconsigned to the gallows. With a view of preventing this additional\ncalamity, he wrote to the Right Honourable Mr. Robert Peel, his\nMajesty's secretary of state for the home department, under date of July\n1824; and having stated the case, he says: \"I feel exceedingly for Ring;\nshould he return to England and fall a sacrifice to the law, I should\nnever forgive myself unless I used every means in my power to save him.\nThe above statement of facts might have some influence with the\nexecutive in saving his life, if the circumstances of the case could\nreach the throne of mercy.\" The contents of this letter were transmitted\nby Mr. Peel to Lord Bathurst the colonial secretary, and his lordship\nordered the governor of New South Wales to establish a formal inquiry\ninto the case. A court was accordingly summoned at Sydney, consisting of\nthe governor assisted by two assessors, the chief justice and the\nnewly-appointed archdeacon Scott, before which Mr. Marsden was cited to\nappear. He did so, the whole affair was investigated, and the result\nwas, as the reader will have anticipated, not only Mr. Marsden's entire\nacquittal of the charges which wantonness and malice had preferred, but\nthe establishment of his reputation as a man of high courage and pure\nintegrity, and a Christian minister of spotless character.\n\nThe Christian reader will probably ask what were the effects of these\nvarious trials upon Mr. Marsden's mind and temper? Did he become selfish\nand morose? were his spiritual affections quickened? As a minister of\nChrist, did his light shine with a more resplendent ray, or was it\ndisturbed and overcast with gloom? To suggest and answer such inquiries\nare the proper uses of biography, especially the biography of religious\nmen. With regard, then, to his habitual temper and tone of mind nothing\ncan be more cheering than a letter, which we now insert, written to a\nlady in solitude, when the storm of insult and misrepresentation was at\nits highest pitch.\n\n \"Paramatta, December 26, 1824.\n\n \"DEAR MRS. F.,--I received your kind letter by Mr. Franklane, and\n was happy to learn that you and your little boy were well. The\n circumstance to which you allude is not worthy to be had in\n recollection for a single moment, and I hope you will blot it out\n of your remembrance for ever; we are so weak and foolish, and I\n may add sinful, that we allow real or imaginary trifles to vex and\n tease our minds, while subjects of eternal moment make little\n impression upon us. It is a matter of no moment to our great\n adversary, if he can only divert our minds from attending to the\n best things. He wishes at all times 'a root of bitterness' should\n 'spring up' in our minds, as this will eat like a canker every\n pious feeling, every Christian disposition. 'Learn of me,' says\n our blessed Lord, 'for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall\n find rest unto your souls.' 'The meek will he guide in judgment,\n and the meek will he teach his way.' It is for want of this\n meekness, this humility of mind, that we are soon angry. The\n apostle exhorts us 'to be kindly affectioned one towards another,'\n and live in unity and godly love, and 'bear ye one another's\n burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.' Situated as you are,\n remote from all Christian society, and from the public ordinances\n of religion, you will want, in a very especial manner, the\n consolations which can only be derived from the Holy Scriptures.\n You are in a barren and thirsty land where no water is; you have\n none to give you to drink of the waters of Bethlehem, and you must\n not be surprised if you grow weary and faint in your mind. Though\n God is everywhere, and his presence fills heaven and earth, yet\n all places are not equally favourable for the growth of religion\n in our souls. We want Christian society; we want the public\n ordinances; we want social worship. All these are needful to keep\n up the life of God in our souls. Without communion and fellowship\n with God, without our souls are going forth after him, we cannot\n be easy, we cannot be happy; we are dissatisfied with ourselves,\n and with all around us. A little matter puts us out of humour,\n Satan easily gains an advantage over us, we become a prey to\n discontent, to murmuring, and are prone to overlook all the great\n things the Lord hath done for us. Under your peculiar\n circumstances you will require much prayer, and much watchfulness;\n religion is a very tender plant, it is soon injured, it requires\n much nourishing in the most favourable situations, but it calls\n for more attention, where it is more exposed to blights and\n storms. A plant removed from a rich cultivated soil, into a barren\n uncultivated spot soon droops and pines away. I hope this will not\n be the case with you, though you must expect to feel some change\n in your feelings of a religious nature. Without much care the\n sabbaths will be a weariness; instead of your soul being nourished\n and fed upon this day, it will sicken, languish, and pine. I most\n sincerely wish you had the gospel preached unto you; this would be\n the greatest blessing, but it cannot be at present. There is no\n man to care for your souls, you have no shepherd to watch over\n you, and must consider yourselves as sheep without a shepherd. You\n know how easily sheep are scattered, how they wander when left to\n themselves, how soon the wolves destroy them. It is impossible to\n calculate the loss you must suffer, for want of the public\n ordinances of religion. My people, says God, perish for lack of\n knowledge. You know it is true that there is a Saviour, you have\n your Bible to instruct you, and you have gained much knowledge of\n Divine things, but still you will want feeding on the bread of\n life, you will want Jesus to be set before your eyes continually\n as crucified. You will want eternal things to be impressed upon\n your minds from time to time. Though you know these things, yet\n you will require to have your minds stirred up, by being put in\n remembrance of these things. As you cannot enjoy the public\n ordinances, I would have you to have stated times for reading the\n Scriptures and private prayer; these means God may bless to your\n soul. Isaac lived in a retired situation, he had no public\n ordinances to attend, but we are told he planted a grove, and\n built an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord. This you\n have within your power to do. Imitate his example, labour to\n possess his precious faith, and then it will be a matter of little\n importance where you dwell. With the Saviour you will be happy,\n without him you never can be. When you once believe on him, when\n he becomes precious to your soul, then you will seek all your\n happiness in him. May the Father of mercies give you a right\n judgment in all things, lead you to build your hopes of a blessed\n immortality upon that chief corner stone, which he hath laid in\n Zion; then you will never be ashamed through the countless ages of\n eternity.\n\n \"Mrs. M. and my family unite in kind regards to you, wishing you\n every blessing that the upper and nether springs can afford.\n\n \"In great haste. I remain, dear Mrs. F----,\n \"Yours very faithfully,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nSystematic theology, or indeed deep learning in any of its branches,\nsacred or profane, Mr. Marsden had never cultivated. His life had not\nbeen given to abstraction and close study, but to the most active\npursuits. Activity, however, is not inconsistent with deep\nthoughtfulness, and it affords some aids to reflection and observation,\nwhich often lay the foundation for a breadth of mind and a solid wisdom\nto which the mere student or man of letters seldom attains. Mr. Marsden,\ntoo, was well acquainted with his Bible, and, above most men, with\nhimself. Thus, without being in any sense a learned divine, he was an\ninstructive minister, and often an original thinker. His early\nacquaintance with Dr. Mason Good had led him deeply to consider the\nquestion of the deity of Christ and the following letter upon this\nall-important doctrine proves how capable he was of standing forward in\nits defence, and how deeply alive he was to its importance. It was\naddressed to one who had begun to doubt upon the subject of our Lord's\nDivine nature.\n\n \"Paramatta, June 13, 1825.\n\n \"MY DEAR SIR,--I ought to have answered your letter long ago, but\n was prevented from one thing and another, which called away my\n attention when I was determined to write. I received the books you\n sent me. That respecting our Lord's Divinity I read with care and\n attention. I found nothing in it that would satisfy me; there was\n no food to the soul, no bread, no water of life. I found nothing\n that suited my ruined state. I know I have destroyed myself by my\n iniquities, that I am hopeless and helpless, and must be eternally\n undone unless I can find a Divine Saviour who is able and willing\n to answer all the demands of law and justice. If I were alone in\n the world, and no individual but myself believed that Jesus was\n God over all blessed for evermore, and that he had died for my\n sins, that the penalty due to them was laid upon him, I know and\n am persuaded unless I believed this I could not be saved. I find\n no difficulty in my mind in praying to him, because I believe he\n is able to save. The dying thief did this in the very face of\n death: 'Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.'\n Jesus promised that he should be with him that very day in\n paradise. Stephen, we are told, was a man full of faith and the\n Holy Ghost; he was mighty in the Scriptures, so that none of the\n Jewish priests were able to withstand his arguments which he\n advanced in support of the doctrine that Jesus was the Son of God.\n When he was brought to the place of execution his only hope of\n eternal life was in Jesus. 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' was\n his dying prayer. He fled to him as the Almighty God at this most\n awful period. No other foundation can any man lay than that is\n laid, says St. Paul, which is Christ Jesus. It is to no purpose to\n quote Scripture on this important doctrine, I mean any particular\n passage, for Jesus is the sum and substance of them all. I am\n fully convinced that no man can have a well-grounded hope of\n salvation unless he believes in the Divinity of our Lord and only\n Saviour. I would ask you, why should you not have as firm a hope\n as any other man in the world of eternal life, if you do not\n believe in the Divinity of our Lord? Admitting that you have the\n same view as the author of the work you sent me to read, of God\n and religion, I may put the question to you, Can you depend on the\n foundation your hope stands upon? Does it now give you full\n satisfaction? Are you sure that you are right? I believe Jesus to\n be a Divine person, I believe him to be God over all; I have no\n doubt upon this point, and I believe that all will be saved by him\n who trust in him for salvation. This doctrine is as clear to me as\n the sun at noon-day, and while I believe this doctrine it\n administers comfort to my mind, and gives me hope of a better\n state. I envy none their views of religion. I am satisfied with my\n own, though I am not satisfied with the attainments I have made in\n it, because I have not made those advances in divine knowledge in\n all the fruits of the Spirit I might have done. This is matter of\n shame, and regret, and humiliation. Examine the Christian religion\n as it stands revealed, with prayer for Divine illumination, and\n that God who giveth wisdom to all who call upon him for it will\n impart it to you. I have never met with a Socinian who wished me\n to embrace his faith, which has surprised me. I feel very\n differently. I wish all to believe in our Lord, because I believe\n this is necessary to salvation, as far as I understand the\n Scriptures; and I would wish all men to be saved, and to come to\n the knowledge of the truth. I would not change my views of\n religion for ten thousand worlds. But I must drop this subject,\n and reply to your last note.\n\n * * * * *\n\n \"Our affectionate regards to Mrs. F.; accept the same from,\n\n \"Dear sir, yours very sincerely,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nHe remembered with gratitude his early friends, and was now in a\ncondition to repay their kindness, and in his turn to repeat the\nChristian liberality which had once been extended to himself. From a\nprivate letter to the Rev. J. Pratt, we venture to make the following\ninteresting quotation: \"I believe in the year 1786 I first turned my\nattention to the ministry, and from the year 1787 to 1793 I received\npecuniary assistance, more or less, from the Elland Society, but to what\namount I never knew. First I studied under the Rev. S. Stores, near\nLeeds. In 1788, I went to the late Rev. Joseph Milner, and remained two\nyears with him. From Hull I went to Cambridge, and in 1793 I left\nCambridge, was ordained, and came out to New South Wales. I shall be\nmuch obliged to you to learn, if you can, the amount of my expenses to\nthe Elland Society. I have always considered _that_ a just debt, which I\nought to pay. If you can send me the amount I shall be much obliged to\nyou. I purpose to pay the amount from time to time, in sums not less\nthan 50_l._ per annum. When I close the Society's accounts on the 31st\nof December next, I will give your Society credit for 50_l._, and will\nthank you to pay the same to the Elland Society on my account. When I\nknow the whole amount, I will then inform you how I purpose to liquidate\nit. Should the Elland Society not be in existence, I have to request\nthat the Church Missionary Society will assist some pious young man with\na loan, per annum, of not less than 50_l._, to get into the church as a\nmissionary. In the midst of all my difficulties God has always blessed\nmy basket and my store, and prospered me in all that I have set my hand\nunto. The greatest part of my property is in the charge of common\nfelons, more than a hundred miles from my house, in the woods, and much\nof it I never saw, yet it has been taken care of, and will be. A kind\nprovidence has watched over all that I have had, and I can truly say I\nfeel no more concern about my sheep and cattle than if they were under\nmy own eye. I have never once visited the place where many of them are,\nhaving no time to do this. We may trust God with all we have. I wish to\nbe thankful to him who has poured out his benefits upon me and mine.\"\n\nThe practical wisdom, the spirit of calm submission to the Divine will\nwhen danger appears, and the simple faith in Christ displayed in the\nfollowing letter require no comment, nor will its affectionate and\npaternal tone pass unnoticed. It appears to have been written to a lady\non the eve of a voyage to England. We could wish that a copy of it were\nplaced in the hands of every lady who may be compelled to go to sea.\n\n \"Paramatta, May 27, 1826.\n\n \"MY DEAR MRS.----,--Should you sail to-morrow it will not be in my\n power to see you again. I feel much for your very trying\n situation; why and wherefore you are so severely exercised remains\n at present known to the only wise God. If time does not reveal the\n mystery, eternity will. Clouds and darkness are round about the\n paths of the Almighty, and his footsteps are not known. You must\n now cast yourself and your little ones upon the bosom of the great\n deep. Remember always that he who holdeth the waters in the hollow\n of his hand, will continually watch over you and yours; winds and\n seas are under his sovereign control. We are prone to imagine that\n we are in much more danger on the seas than on dry land, but this\n is not really the case; our times are all in his hands, and if we\n only reflected that the hairs of our heads are all numbered, we\n should often be relieved from unnecessary and anxious fears. As\n for myself, I am constrained to believe that I am as safe in a\n storm as in a calm from what I have seen and known. Should you\n meet with raging seas and stormy winds, let not these distress\n you; they can do no more to injure you than the breath of a fly,\n or the drop of a bucket, without Divine permission. The promise\n is, 'When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee.'\n This is sufficient for the Christian to rest upon. You must live\n near to God in prayer. Labour to get right views of the Redeemer,\n who gave his life as a ransom for you. Humble faith in the Saviour\n will enable you to overcome every trial and bear every burden. No\n doubt but that you will have many painful exercises before you see\n the shores of old England. Tribulations will meet us, and follow\n us, and attend us all our journey through, and it is through much\n tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God. Could you and I meet\n on your arrival in London, and could we put our trials in\n opposite sides, it is very probable that mine would overbalance\n yours during the period you were at sea. You are not to conclude\n when the storm blows hard, the waves roar, and seas run mountain\n high, that you are more tried and distressed than others.\n\n \"I hope the captain will be kind to you and the children; if he\n should not you will have no remedy but patience. Should the\n servant woman behave ill, you must submit to this also, because\n you can do no good in complaining. Should the woman leave you ...\n this is no more than what has happened to my own family. I should\n recommend you to give the children their dinner in your own cabin;\n never bring them to table but at the particular request of the\n captain. This precaution may prevent unpleasant disputes. You will\n soon see what the feelings of the captain and his wife are, and\n regulate your conduct accordingly. When I returned to England,\n when I entered the ship I resolved that I would not have any\n difference with any one during my passage; whatever provocations I\n might meet with, I would not notice them; and that resolution I\n kept to the last.\n\n \"If you take no offence at anything, but go on quietly your own\n way, those who would wish to annoy you, will cease to do so,\n finding their labour in vain. Never appear to see or hear anything\n that you have not the power to remedy. If you should even know\n that the persons intended to vex you, never notice their conduct.\n There will be no occasions for these precautions if your\n companions on board be such as they ought to be.\n\n \"Let your passage be pleasant or not, take your Bible for your\n constant companion. The comfort to be derived from the Divine\n promises will always be sweet and seasonable. 'They that love thy\n law,' says the Psalmist, 'nothing shall offend them.' If Jesus be\n precious to your soul, you will be able to bear every trial with\n Divine submission. To believe that Jesus is your Saviour, and that\n he is God over all blessed for evermore, will make you happy in\n the midst of the sea, as well as on dry land. Wishing you a safe\n and pleasant passage, and a happy meeting of your friends in\n England, and praying that the God of all grace may preserve you\n and yours in his everlasting kingdom, I subscribe myself,\n\n \"Yours respectfully,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nMore than two years had now passed since Mr. Marsden's last visit to New\nZealand. The close of the year 1826 found him preparing for another, his\nfifth voyage, of twelve hundred miles, to the scene of those missions he\nhad so long regarded with all a parent's fondness. A great change had\njust taken place in the conduct of several chiefs towards the\nmissionaries in consequence of their fierce intestine wars. At Wangaroa\nthe whole of the Wesleyan missionary premises had been destroyed; the\nproperty of all the missionaries was frequently plundered, and their\nlives were exposed to the greatest danger. The worst consequences were\napprehended, and the missionaries, warned of their danger by the\nfriendly natives, were in daily expectation of being at least stripped\nof everything they possessed, according to the New Zealand custom. For a\ntime the Wesleyan mission was suspended, and their pious and zealous\nmissionary, Mr. Turner, took refuge at Sydney, and found a home at the\nparsonage of Paramatta. The clergy of the church mission deeply\nsympathized with him. Mr. Henry Williams writes: \"The return of Mr.\nTurner will be a convincing proof of our feelings on this point. In the\npresent unsettled state of things we consider ourselves merely as\ntenants for the time being, who may receive our discharge at any hour.\"\nHis brother, the Rev. William Williams, in another communication says:\n\"We are prepared to depart or stay according to the conduct of the\nnatives; for it is, I believe, our united determination to remain until\nwe are absolutely driven away. When the natives are in our houses,\ncarrying away our property, it will then be time for us to take refuge\nin our boats.\"\n\nAs soon as the painful intelligence reached New South Wales, Mr. Marsden\ndetermined to proceed to the Bay of Islands, and use his utmost\nexertions to prevent the abandonment of the mission. He was under no\napprehension of suffering injury from the natives; and his long\nacquaintance with their character and habits led him to anticipate that\nthe storm would soon pass away. Accordingly, he sailed for New Zealand\nin H.M.S. Rainbow, and arrived in the Bay of Islands on the 5th April,\n1827. He had reached the period of life when even the most active crave\nfor some repose, and feel themselves entitled to the luxury of rest; but\nhis ardent zeal never seems to have wanted other refreshment than a\nchange of duties and of scene. He found the state of things improved;\npeace had been restored; and the missionaries were once more out of\ndanger. He conferred with them, and gave them spiritual counsel. As far\nas time would permit, he reasoned with the chiefs upon the baneful\nconsequences of the late war, and, at the end of five days from his\narrival, he was again upon the ocean, on his way back to Sydney. \"He\nwas not wanted in New Zealand;\" in Australia, besides domestic cares,\nmany circumstances combined to make his presence desirable. Thus he was\ninstant in season, out of season; disinterested, nay indifferent and\nutterly regardless of the honours and preferments which even good men\ncovet; and ever finding in the work itself, and in Him for the love of\nwhom it was undertaken, an abundant recompense.\n\nBrief as the visit was, it confirmed his faith, and reassured his\nconfidence in the speedy conversion of New Zealand. He found the\nmissionaries living in unity and godly love, and devoting themselves to\nthe work. \"I trust,\" he says, \"that the Great Head of the church will\nbless their labours.\" In consequence of his co-operation with the\nmissionaries, the beneficial labours of the press now for the first time\nreached the Maori tribes. During a visit to Sydney, Mr. Davis had\ncarried through the press a translation of the first three chapters of\nGenesis, the twentieth of Exodus, part of the fifth of Matthew, the\nfirst of John, and some hymns. These were small beginnings, but not to\nbe despised; they prepared the way for the translation of the New\nTestament into Maori, which was printed a few years afterwards at the\nexpense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. The importance of this\nwork can scarcely be estimated, and it affords a striking example of the\nway in which that noble institution becomes the silent handmaid,\npreparing the rich repast which our various missionary societies are\never more distributing abroad, with bounteous hand, to feed the starving\nmyriads of the heathen world.\n\nNor was the Polynesian mission forgotten by its old friend. The London\nMissionary Society now conducted its affairs on so wide a basis, and to\nso great an extent, that Mr. Marsden's direct assistance was no longer\nwanted. But how much he loved the work, how much he revered the\nmissionaries, those who shall read the extract with which this chapter\nconcludes will be at no loss to judge.\n\n \"Paramatta, February 4, 1826.\n\n \"MY DEAR SIR,--It is not long since I wrote to you, but as a\n friend of mine is returning, the Rev. Mr. Nott, who has been\n twenty-seven years a missionary in the Society Islands, I could\n not deny myself the pleasure of introducing him to you. Mr. Nott\n was one of the first missionaries who was sent out to the Islands.\n Like Caleb, he always said the missionaries were able to take the\n land. He remained a long time in Tahiti alone, labouring by\n himself when all his colleagues were gone, and lived with and as\n the natives, under the full persuasion that the mission would\n succeed. He remained breaking up the ground, sowing the gospel\n seed, until he saw it spring up, and waiting until part of the\n harvest was gathered in, until many of the poor heathen crossed\n the river Jordan, with the heavenly Canaan full in view. Such have\n been the fruits of his patient perseverance and faith. Should his\n life be spared, I shall expect to see him again in fourteen months\n returning to his labours, to die amongst his people, and to be\n buried with them.\n\n \"I venerate the man more than you can conceive: in my estimation,\n he is a great man: his piety, his simplicity, his meekness, his\n apostolic appearance, all unite to make him great in my view, and\n more honourable than any of the famed heroes of ancient or modern\n times. I think Mrs. Good will like to see such a character return\n from a savage nation, whom God has so honoured in his work. I\n shall leave Mr. Nott to tell his own story, while you listen to\n his report....\n\n \"I remain, my dear sir,\n \"Your's affectionately,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n \"To John Mason Good, M.D.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\n Death of Dr. Mason Good--Malicious Charges brought against Mr.\n Marsden and confuted--Sixth Voyage to New Zealand--Frightful state\n of the Island--Battle of the Maories--Their Cannibalism--Progress\n of the Mission--Mr. Marsden's return--Death of Mrs.\n Marsden--Anticipation of his own decease.\n\n\nThe shadows of evening now began to fall on him whose life had hitherto\nbeen full of energy, and to whom sickness appears to have been a\nstranger. He had arrived at the period when early friendships are almost\nextinct, and the few who survive are dropping into the grave. The year\n1827 witnessed the death of Dr. Mason Good. Nearly twenty years had\nelapsed since he and Mr. Marsden had taken leave of one another; but\ntheir friendship had not cooled during that long term of absence; it\nseems rather to have gained strength with distance and declining years.\nDr. Mason Good felt, and gratefully acknowledged, that to the\nconversations, and yet more to the high example of Mr. Marsden, he owed\nit, under God, that he was led to seek, through faith in Jesus, that\nholiness and peace which he found at last, and which shed so bright a\nlustre on his closing years. He had seen in his friend a living instance\nof disinterestedness, zeal, and humility combined, all springing from\nthe love of God, and directed for Christ's sake towards the welfare of\nman; such as he had never seen before--such as, he confessed, his own\nSocinian principles were incapable of producing. Far his superior as a\nscholar and a man of genius, he perceived and felt his inferiority in\nall that relates to the highest destinies of man; he sat, as a little\nchild, a learner, in his presence; and God, who is rich in mercy,\nbrought home the lessons to his soul.\n\nNothing, on the other hand, could exceed the respect, almost amounting\nto reverence, mingled however with the warmest affection, with which Mr.\nMarsden viewed his absent friend. In every difficulty he had recourse to\nhim for advice; more than once he intrusted the defence of his character\nand reputation entirely to his discretion. A correspondence of nearly\ntwenty years, a few specimens of which are in the reader's hand, show\nthe depth of his esteem. Upon his death a fuller tide of affection\ngushed out; while he wrote thus to the mourning widow:--\n\n \"Paramatta, November 9, 1827.\n\n \"MY DEAR MRS. GOOD,--A few days ago we received two letters from\n your daughter M--, informing us of the death of your much revered\n husband. I had seen his death noticed in one of the London papers,\n but had not received any other information. I feel for all your\n loss. He was a blessing to the Christian world, and to mankind at\n large. No one I esteemed more, and his memory will always be dear\n to me. When I was with you, he and I had many serious\n conversations on the subject of religion.\n\n \"His great talents, united with his child-like simplicity,\n interested me much. I always experienced the greatest pleasure in\n his company, as well as advantage; in knowledge I found myself an\n infant in his presence, but yet at perfect ease. His gentle\n manners, his mild address, often made me forget to whom I was\n speaking; and after retiring from his presence I, on reflecting,\n have been ashamed that I should presume to talk to him as I had\n done, as if he were my equal. I never could account for the ease\n and freedom I felt in his company, in giving my opinion upon the\n various subjects we were wont to converse upon. He was a very\n learned man, and knew a thousand times more of men and things than\n I did, excepting on the subject of religion; here I always felt\n myself at home; and he would attend to what I said with the\n sweetest simplicity and the greatest openness of mind. In our\n various conversations on the most important doctrines of the\n gospel, he manifested a humble desire to know the truth, though he\n proceeded with great caution. I experienced no difficulty in my\n own mind in urging the truths of religion upon him, by every\n argument in my power. I always saw, or thought I saw, the Day-star\n from on high dawning upon his mind; and my own soul was animated\n and refreshed whenever the subjects of the gospel engaged our\n conversation. Perhaps our mutual friend, Dr. Gregory, may remember\n the observations I made to him, on what passed between your dear\n husband and myself, respecting religion, and what were my views of\n the state of his mind at that time; the period to which I allude\n was when he joined the Church Missionary Society, or intended to\n join it. I had the firmest conviction in my mind that he would\n embrace the gospel, and cordially believe to the salvation of his\n soul. I could never account for that love which I have continued\n to have for Dr. Good, even here at the ends of the earth, but from\n the _communion of saints_. Though the affliction of yourself and\n your dear daughters must be severe, having lost such a husband and\n father, yet you cannot sorrow as those without hope; you must be\n satisfied that the Lord has taken him away from the evil to come;\n and as he cannot now return to you, comfort one another with the\n hope that you shall go to him. He finished his course with joy,\n and the work that had been given him to do; and came to the grave\n like a shock of corn that was fully ripe. This consideration\n should reconcile you to the Divine dispensation, and constrain you\n to say, 'Not my will, but Thine be done.' You and your dear\n husband had travelled long together; few in this miserable world\n were so happy and blessed as you were for so long a period.\n Remember all the way the Lord hath led you in this wilderness;\n recall to mind his mercies of old, and bless his name. I have long\n wished to see you face to face; but that wish will never be\n gratified. The day may come when, in another and a better world,\n we may recount all our travels here below. We are sure that we are\n fast approaching to the end of our journey, and shall soon arrive\n at the banks of Jordan. Let us labour, my dear madam, to keep the\n promised land in view. You have the consolation of your two\n amiable daughters' company. I have never thought of Mrs. N. but\n with feelings of sympathy, and regret for her loss in the death of\n her excellent husband. How mysterious are the ways of God! We\n cannot account for them now, but we shall know hereafter. As a\n father pitieth his own children, so is the Lord merciful unto them\n that fear him. Mrs. Neale may derive comfort from the Divine\n promises. There are many made to the widow and the fatherless, and\n God is never unmindful of his promises. When we arrive in Mount\n Zion, we shall then be satisfied with all the Divine\n dispensations, and see cause to bless God for the severest. Give\n my love to Miss Good; tell her how much I am obliged to her, for\n the communication she has made to me respecting her dear\n father....\n\n \"I am yours, very sincerely,\"\n\n\nHe was still subject to the persecutions of \"unreasonable and wicked\nmen,\" and was again compelled to vindicate his conduct in a pamphlet,\nwhich issued from the press at Sydney, in 1828. Transmitting a copy to\nhis friend, the Rev. Josiah Pratt, he says: \"I consider myself a\nproscribed person these last few years. All the charges against me are\ncontained in this pamphlet. My public offences, my illegal acts, the\ncharges against me for inflicting torture to extort confession, for\nwhich I have been condemned unheard, and suffered as guilty. What an\nungodly world may think or say of me, is of little moment; but I do not\nwish to lose the good opinion of my Christian friends, and fall in their\nestimation.\" He returns to the subject in his correspondence with other\nChristian friends; for the apprehension that in him the cause of\nreligion might seem to have received a wound, lay heavy on his mind. \"I\nshould feel much,\" he says, writing to Mr. D. Coates, \"if the cause of\nreligion should suffer in my personal conduct; but I hope it will not. I\nhope I have said enough to satisfy the Christian world that I am clear\nin this matter. To justify my public conduct, was an act due to my\nfamily and to all my Christian friends, as well as the general interests\nof religion.\" Nor was it merely the breath of slander that assailed him:\nhe mentions in a private letter to the Rev. Edward Bickersteth, an act\nof grievous wrong inflicted by the British government. \"I and my family\nwere all struck off the public victualling books in the latter part of\nGovernor Macquarie's administration, without any compensation. The Rev.\nR. Cartwright and the Rev. William Cooper, with their families, were\nalso struck off from the public stores at the same time. They have both\nhad their claims settled since governor Darling arrived. One received\n700_l._, and the other more than 800_l._; but I have received nothing.\nMy claim is equally just, had I only served the same period as my\ncolleagues, though I have served nearly twenty years longer than either\nof them. I can only attribute this act of injustice to some hostile\nfeeling in the colonial office. Governor Darling has always shown me\nevery attention I could wish.\"\n\nYet he uttered no protest; he raised no clamour for redress. \"I mention\nthis circumstance to you,\" he adds, \"_confidentially_: when the truth of\nmy case is laid before the public, perhaps my superiors may think\ndifferently of my conduct, and do me common justice.\" Whether he\nobtained redress we are not informed. The occurrence shows the depth and\nbitterness of those hostile feelings, which we can trace to no other\ncause on his part than his boldness in rebuking vice, and his fidelity\nto the cause of his Lord and Master.\n\nThe year 1830 found Mr. Marsden once more upon the ocean. For neither\nincreasing years nor the vexations through which he had passed damped\nhis ardour in the missionary cause. His mind was stedfastly fixed on the\nprogress of the gospel in New Zealand, and there he was anxious once\nmore in person to assist in carrying on the work. He felt that his time\nwas growing short, and hastened, \"before his decease,\" to \"set in order\nthe things which were wanting.\"\n\nHe perceived, too, with mingled feelings, that New Zealand was about to\nundergo a great change. His efforts to induce the chiefs to unite under\none head or sovereign elected by themselves, had totally failed.\nShunghie had been slain in battle, and his ambitious projects of gaining\na New Zealand throne by conquest were at an end. War was the natural\ncondition of all the Maori tribes, and this, rendered more deadly,\nthough possibly less ferocious, by the introduction of fire-arms, was\nfearfully thinning their numbers from year to year. They were subject,\ntoo, to periodical returns of a terrible scourge, a disease resembling\nthe influenza, which cut off multitudes. On the whole, it was\ncalculated, that not more than a hundred thousand Maories now survived;\nwhile twenty years before, when the island was first visited, the\nnumbers were at least two hundred thousand. It was evident that they\ncould not long maintain their independence as a nation. European ships\nbegan to crowd the Bay of Islands. English settlers were already making\ntheir way into their choice and fertile lands. To minds less sagacious\nthan Mr. Marsden's, the result could be no longer doubtful--New Zealand\nmust become an English colony. He foresaw the necessity, and, though at\nfirst with reluctance, cordially acquiesced in it, even for the sake of\nthe Maories themselves. His concern now was to prepare them for a\nmeasure which must sooner or later take place. Everything was in a\nlawless state; the progress of the missions was greatly interrupted, and\nhis presence was once more highly necessary. His own anxiety was great,\nfirst on behalf of the missions which had so long been the especial\nobjects of his care; and then for New Zealand at large that the policy\nof Great Britain should respect the rights of the native tribes and\npledge itself to their protection.\n\nOn his arrival in New Zealand, in March, 1830, he was greeted before the\nship had cast anchor by the Messrs. Williams and others of the\nmissionary band, who hastened on board, and expressed their joy at his\nunexpected appearance among them. It was a critical moment, for they\nwere in greater anxiety and difficulty than they had experienced at any\nformer period of the mission. The natives were at open war, and but a\nday or two before a great battle had been fought on the opposite beach\nof the Bay of Islands, in which about fourteen hundred had been engaged.\nThe alleged cause of the war was the misconduct of an English captain\nwho had offered indignities to some native women on board his vessel.\nOne tribe espoused his cause, while another came forward to avenge the\ninsult. Six chiefs had fallen in the battle, and a hundred lives were\nlost; several whaling vessels were lying in the Bay, and their crews as\nwell as the missionary stations, were in the utmost peril from the\nrevenge of the victorious tribe, which now lay encamped at Keri-Keri.\n\nThere was not an hour to be lost. Mr. Marsden crossed the bay with Mr.\nHenry Williams early the next morning, to visit the camp as a mediator.\nThe chiefs, many of whom from different parts of the island, had\nformerly been acquainted with Mr. Marsden, all expressed their\ngratification at meeting him again. After conversing with them on\ndifferent points connected with proposals of peace, the two friendly\nmediators crossed over to the camp of their opponents, and entered at\nonce on the subject of their mission. They spoke to them of the evils of\nwar, and more particularly of the civil war in which they were engaged.\n\"They heard all we had to say with great attention, and several of them\nreplied to the different arguments we had used. They contended that we\nwere answerable for the lives of those who had fallen in the battle, as\nthe war had been occasioned by the misconduct of the captain of a vessel\none of our own countrymen; they wished to know what satisfaction we\nwould give them for the loss of their friends who had been slain. We\nreplied that we could give them no satisfaction, that we condemned his\nconduct, and were sorry that any of our countrymen had behaved so badly,\nand that we would write to England and prevent his return.\" This the\nsavages requested that Mr. Marsden would not do; they longed for his\nreturn, that they might take their own revenge. Mr. Marsden then\nproceeded to inform them that he had had an interview with the chiefs on\nthe other side, who were willing to come to terms of peace, and wished\nhim to assist in settling their quarrel. This information was received\nin a friendly way by the greater part: one or two still wished to fight.\nThe mediators now returned to the beach, which they found covered with\nwar canoes and armed men. A war council was held, and the Rev. Henry\nWilliams stated the business upon which they had come amongst them. The\nnatives listened attentively. Many of the chiefs gave their opinion in\nturn, with much force and dignity of address. These orations continued\nfrom an early hour in the morning, till the shades of evening were\nclosing. It was finally agreed that the mediating party should proceed\nthe next morning to the opposite camp and repeat what had taken place.\nAfter a long discussion, it was concluded that two commissioners from\neach party should be appointed, along with Mr. Marsden and Mr. Williams,\nto conclude the terms of peace. Having now urged all that was in their\npower to bring about a reconciliation, they walked over the ground\nwhere the battle had been fought; a dreadful scene under any\ncircumstances, unutterably loathsome, where cannibals were the\ncontending parties. \"The remains of some of the bodies that had been\nslain were lying unconsumed on the fires; the air was extremely\noffensive, and the scene most disgusting. We could not but bitterly\nlament these baneful effects of sin, and the influence of the prince of\ndarkness over the minds of the poor heathen.\"\n\nThe next day was Sunday, it was spent by Mr. Williams at the camp, for\nit was not considered safe at present to leave the savage warriors,\nwhose angry passions smouldered. Mr. Marsden proceeded to the station,\nand preached to the infant church. Never was the gospel of Christ placed\nin finer contrast with the kingdom of darkness, and the appalling\ntyranny of the god of this world. Mr. Marsden's pen thus describes the\nscene as he sketched it upon the spot:\n\n \"The contrast between the state of the east and west side of the\n bay was very striking. Though only two miles distant, the east\n shore was crowded with different tribes of fighting men in a wild\n savage state, many of them nearly naked, and when exercising\n entirely naked; nothing was to be heard but the firing of muskets,\n the noise, din, and commotion of a savage military camp; some\n mourning the death of their friends, others suffering from their\n wounds, and not one but whose mind was involved in heathen\n darkness without one ray of Divine knowledge. On the other side\n was the pleasant sound of the church going bell; the natives\n assembling together for divine worship, clean, orderly and\n decently dressed, most of them in European clothing; they were\n carrying the litany and the greatest part of the church service,\n written in their own language, in their hands with their hymns.\n The church service, as far as it has been translated, they can\n write and read. Their conduct and the general appearance of the\n whole settlement reminded me of a well-regulated English country\n parish. In the chapel, the natives behaved with the greatest\n propriety, and joined in the church service. Here might be viewed\n at one glance the blessings of the Christian religion, and the\n miseries of heathenism with respect to the present life; but when\n we extend one thought over the eternal world how infinite is the\n difference!\"\n\nThese were trying times undoubtedly. The missions had existed fifteen\nyears, and yet the powers of darkness raged in all the horrors of\ncannibal warfare, close to the doors of the missionary premises. On the\nfollowing Tuesday morning, Mr. Marsden was aroused from his bed by a\nchief calling at his window to tell him that the army was in motion, and\nthat a battle seemed to be at hand. He arose immediately and was\ninformed that thirty-six canoes had been counted passing between the\nmain and the island. He immediately launched the missionary boat and\nproceeded to meet them. \"When we came up to them we found they had left\ntheir women and children on the island, and that they were all fighting\nmen, well armed and ready for action in a moment's notice. I counted\nmore than forty men in one war canoe.\" Yet amongst these infuriated\nsavages the missionaries felt no alarm. \"We were under no apprehension\nof danger; both parties placed the utmost confidence in us, and we were\nfully persuaded the commissioners would be cordially received.\" If the\nevent had turned out otherwise Mr. Marsden and his friends had notice\ngiven them by the native commissioners, of whom we have spoken, that\nthey would be seen alive no more. \"The three native commissioners\naccompanied us in a small canoe which they paddled themselves. They\nbrought their canoe between our two boats, and in that position we\napproached the beach. They told us if they were killed, we must be given\nup to their friends as a sacrifice for the loss of their lives.\" The\nmissionaries' confidence was not misplaced; \"the whole day was spent in\ndeliberation; at night, after a long oration, the great chief on one\nside clove a stick in two to signify that his anger was broken. The\nterms of peace were ratified, and both sides joined in a hideous war\ndance together; repeatedly firing their muskets. We then took our\ndeparture from these savage scenes with much satisfaction, as we had\nattained the object we were labouring for.\"\n\nSuch scenes did not for an instant disturb the firm faith and confidence\nof the great missionary leader. Coming from the midst of them he could\nsit down in the missionary hut and write as follows:\n\n \"The time will come when human sacrifices and cannibalism shall be\n annihilated in New Zealand, by the pure, mild and heavenly\n influence of the gospel of our blessed Lord and Saviour. The work\n is great, but Divine goodness will find both the means and the\n instruments to accomplish his own gracious purposes to fallen man.\n His word, which is the sword of the Spirit, is able to subdue\n these savage people to the obedience of faith. It is the duty of\n Christians to use the means, to sow the seed and patiently to wait\n for the heavenly dews to cause it to spring up, and afterwards to\n look up to God in faith and prayer to send the early and latter\n rain.\"\n\nEven now the \"Day-spring from on high\" had visited this savage race. In\nno part of the world was the sabbath day more sacredly observed than by\nthe converts in the missionary settlements; their lives gave evidence\nthat their hearts were changed. Spiritual religion, deep and earnest,\nbegan to show its fruit in some of them; others were at least much\nimpressed with the importance of eternal things. Mr. Marsden was waited\nupon one evening by several native young men and women who wished to\nconverse on religious subjects; when they came in their anxious\ncountenances explained the inward working of their minds; their object\nwas to know what they must do to be saved. He endeavoured to set before\nthem the love of Jesus in coming from heaven to die for a ruined world,\nand mentioned many instances of his love and mercy which he showed to\nsinners while on earth. \"When I had addressed them at some length,\" he\nadds, \"a young native woman begun to pray.\"\n\n\"I never heard any address offered up to heaven with such feelings of\nreverence, and piety, so much sweetness and freedom of expression, with\nsuch humility and heavenly mindedness. I could not doubt but that this\nyoung woman prayed with the Spirit, and with the understanding. She\nprayed fervently that God would pardon her sins and preserve her from\nevil; and for all the natives in the room, that they might all be\npreserved from falling into the temptations by which they were\nsurrounded. Her very soul seemed to be swallowed up with the sense she\nhad of the evil and danger of sin, and the love of Jesus, who came to\nsave sinners. Her voice was low, soft and harmonious; her sentences were\nshort and expressed in the true spirit of prayer. I never expected to\nhave seen, in my day, any of the natives of this barbarous nation\noffering up their supplications for pardon and grace, to the only true\nGod, with such godly sorrow and true contrition.\"\n\nAmongst the audience in the room were the aged widow and two daughters\nof the great Shunghie. When they rose from their knees the ex-queen\nexclaimed, \"Astonishing, astonishing!\" and then retired; \"and I\nconfess,\" adds Mrs. Marsden, \"I was not less astonished than she was.\"\nThe young woman he learned had for some time lived upon the mission\npremises, and conducted herself in all respects as a Christian, adorning\nthe gospel she professed. A few days after we find Mr. Marsden \"marrying\nan Englishman to a native Christian woman, who repeated the responses\nvery correctly in English which she well understood; she conducted\nherself with the greatest propriety, and appeared neatly dressed in\nEuropean clothing of her own making, for she was a good sempstress.\" Mr.\nMarsden considered, he says, this marriage to be of the first\nimportance; and the New Zealanders appear to have been of the same mind,\nand to have done due honour to the occasion: for \"the company came in a\nwar canoe and brought their provisions with them, a pig and plenty of\npotatoes.\" Shortly afterwards, he united a young native man and woman in\nmarriage, they were both Christians, domestic servants to Mr. Clarke,\none of the missionaries, and seemed to have a great affection for each\nother. The young man was free and of a good family; the young woman was\na slave, having become such by capture; for all their prisoners of war\nif not massacred were reduced to slavery. Mr. Clarke therefore redeemed\nher from her master, for five blankets, an axe, and an iron-pot. A chief\nseldom allowed any of his female slaves to marry, always reserving a\nnumber of them as wives for himself. We must therefore suppose that the\nprice was a very liberal one.\n\nThe effects of Christianity were now apparent in some favoured spots,\nand Mr. Marsden returned home again full of hope and consolation. He had\nwitnessed already changes far greater than he had ever hoped to see,\nsanguine as he was of ultimate success. So confident was he in the good\nfeeling of the natives towards himself, that he had taken one of his\ndaughters with him, and she accompanied him in his visits to the chiefs,\none of whom, known by the title of King George, demanded her in marriage\nfor his son; \"an honour,\" writes her father, \"which I begged permission\nto decline.\" Fearful indeed had been the condition of females hitherto\namongst these savages, as the following extract, with which we conclude\nour notice of Mr. Marsden's sixth visit to New Zealand, sufficiently\nattests. He is describing the great change which Christianity had\neffected among the New Zealanders.\n\n\"On one of my former visits to New Zealand, sitting in the room I am at\npresent in, the natives killed and ate a poor young woman just behind\nthe house. But what a wonderful change the gospel has wrought! In this\nlittle spot, where so late hellish songs were sung and heathen rites\nperformed, I now hear the songs of Zion, and the voice of prayer offered\nup to the God of heaven. So wonderful is the power of God's word.\"\n\nHe returned home greatly cheered and well qualified \"to comfort others\nwith the comforts wherewith\" he himself \"was comforted of God.\" To Mrs.\nGood, the widow of his departed friend, he wrote as follows, soon\nafterwards:\n\n \"Paramatta, August 27, 1833.\n\n \"MY DEAR MRS. GOOD,--We received Miss Good's letter, which gave us\n much concern to learn that you had met with such severe trials....\n How mysterious are the ways of God! We cannot comprehend them now,\n but we are assured, that what we know not at present we shall know\n hereafter. Our heavenly Father has promised that all things shall\n work together for good to them that love God, and the Scriptures\n cannot be broken. He willingly suffers none of his children to be\n afflicted. In the end we shall find that he hath done all things\n well. At present our trials may bear heavy upon us, but St. Paul\n tells us they are but for a moment, and eventually will work for\n us a far more exceeding weight of eternal glory. Job, when he had\n lost all his children and property exclaimed, 'Naked came I out of\n my mother's womb, and naked shall I return; the Lord gave and the\n Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' We know\n Infinite Wisdom cannot err in any of his dispensations towards us,\n and he will never leave or forsake them that trust in him. I pray\n that the Father of mercies may support you under all your trials\n and afflictions. The very remembrance of the pleasure I\n experienced in the society of your ever-to-be-revered husband is\n very refreshing to my mind. We often speak of you all, and humbly\n pray that we may meet again in another and a better world. I am\n now almost seventy years old, and I cannot but be thankful, when I\n look back and consider how the Lord hath led me all my life long.\n I have gone through many dangers by land, by water, amongst the\n heathen and amongst my own countrymen, robbers and murderers, by\n night and by day; but though I have been robbed, no personal\n injury have I ever received, not so much as a bone broken. I have\n also had to contend with many wicked and unreasonable men in\n power, but the Lord in his providence ordered all for good. Most\n of them are now in the silent grave, and I have much peace and\n comfort in the discharge of my public duty, and I bless God for\n it. I have visited New Zealand six times. The mission prospers\n very much; the Lord has blessed the missionaries in their labours,\n and made their work to prosper.\n\n \"I am happy to say my family are all pretty well.... Mrs. M.\n enjoys her health well at her age, so that we have everything to\n be thankful for. The colony increases very fast in population; 599\n women arrived from Europe a few days ago. Provisions are very\n cheap and in great plenty. Our number increases some thousands\n every year, so that there is a prospect of this country becoming\n great and populous. Your daughter mentions the sheep; she will be\n astonished to hear that one million eight hundred thousand pounds\n of wool, were exported last year from New South Wales to England,\n and we may expect a very great annual increase from the fineness\n of the climate, and the extent of pasturage.... Wool will prove\n the natural wealth of these colonies and of vast importance to the\n mother country also. We are very much in want of pious\n ministers.... None but pious men will be of any service in such a\n society as ours.... I should wish to go to England again to select\n some ministers, if I were not so very old; but this I cannot do,\n and therefore I must pray to the great Head of the church, to\n provide for those sheep who are without a shepherd.\n\n \"May I request you to remember us affectionately to Mrs. Neale and\n Dr. Gregory--I pray that you and yours may be supported under\n every trial, and that they may be all sanctified to your eternal\n good. I remain, dear Mrs. Good,\n\n \"Yours affectionately.\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nIn 1835, Mrs. Marsden died. She had long been patiently looking forward\nto her great change, and her last end was full of peace. Years had not\nabated his love for his \"dear partner;\" so he always called her when,\nafter her decease, he had occasion to speak of her. He showed her grave,\nin sight of his study window, with touching emotion to his friends, and\nfelt himself almost released from earth and its attractions when she had\nleft it. His own increasing infirmities had led him to anticipate that\nhe should be first removed, and the parsonage house being his only by a\nlife tenure, he had built a comfortable residence for his widow, which\nhowever, she did not live to occupy. By this bereavement he was himself\nled to view the last conflict as near at hand; henceforward it\nconstantly occupied his mind, and formed at times the chief subject of\nhis conversation. He sometimes spoke of it amongst his friends with a\ndegree of calmness, and at the same time with such a deep sense of its\nnearness and reality, as to excite their apprehensions as well as their\nastonishment. He stood on the verge of eternity and gazed into it with a\ntranquil eye, and spoke of what he saw with the composure of one who was\n\"now ready to be offered, and the time of whose departure was at\nhand;\"--his last text before he had quitted New Zealand.\n\nYet he was not at all times equally serene. Returning one day from a\nvisit to a dying bed, he called at the residence of a brother minister,\nthe Rev. R. Cartwright, in a state of some dejection. He entered on the\nsubject of death with feeling, and expressed some fears with regard to\nhis own salvation. Mr. Cartwright remarked upon the happiness of himself\nand his friend as being both so near to their eternal rest, to which Mr.\nMarsden seriously replied with emphasis, \"But Mr. C----, _if_ I am\nthere.\" \"If, Mr. Marsden?\" rejoined his friend, surprised at the doubt\nimplied. The aged disciple then brought forward several passages of\nScripture bearing upon the deep responsibility of the ministerial office\ncoupled with his own unworthiness; \"lest I myself should be a castaway;\"\n\"if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;\"\nremarking on his own sinfulness,--every thing he had done being tainted\nwith sin,--on his utter uselessness,--and contrasting all this with the\nholiness and purity of God. At another time, coming from the factory\nafter a visit to a dying woman, and deeply impressed with the awfulness\nof a dying hour in the case of one who was unprepared to die, he\nrepeated in a very solemn manner some lines from Blair's once celebrated\npoem on the grave--\n\n \"In that dread moment how the frantic soul\n Raves round the walls of her clay tenement,\n Runs to each avenue and shrieks for help,\n But shrieks in vain. How wistfully she looks\n On all she is leaving; now no longer hers.\n A little longer, yet a little longer. Oh! might she stay\n To wash away her crimes, and fit her for her passage.\"\n\nHe then spoke on the plan of salvation and the grace offered by the\ngospel with great feeling.\n\nThe holiness and purity of God appeared at times to overwhelm his soul;\ncontrasting it, as he did, with his own sinfulness, and viewing it in\nconnexion with the fact that he must soon stand before his awful\npresence. Yet he speedily recovered his habitual peace, recalling the\nblessed truth that \"there is now no condemnation to them which are in\nChrist Jesus.\" He was still on the whole a most cheerful Christian,\njoying and rejoicing in the hope of a blessed immortality. And as he\ndrew near his journey's end his prospects were still brighter and his\npeace increased.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\n State of New South Wales--The Aborigines--Cruelties practised upon\n them--Attempts to civilize and convert them--They fail--Mr.\n Marsden's Seventh Visit to New Zealand--His Daughter's\n Journal--Affection of the Natives--Progress of the Mission--Danger\n from European vices--Returns in H.M.S Rattlesnake to Sydney.\n\n\nHistory affords but few examples of a change such as New South Wales had\nundergone since Mr. Marsden landed from a convict ship in the penal\nsettlement of Botany Bay in the year 1794. The gold fields had not yet\ndisclosed their wealth, nor did he live to see the stupendous\nconsequences which resulted from their discovery in 1851, the rush of\nEuropean adventurers, and the sudden transformation of the dismal\nsolitudes of Bendigo and Ballarat into the abode of thousands of\nrestless, enterprising men, with all the attendant circumstances, both\ngood and evil, of civilized life. But Australia was already a vast\ncolony; in almost everything except the name, an empire, self-supporting,\nand with regard to its internal affairs, self governed, though still\nunder the mild control, borne with loyalty and pride, of the English\nsovereign. The state of society was completely changed. For many years,\nthe stream of emigration had carried to the fertile shores of Australia\nnot the refuse of our jails, but some of the choicest of our population;\nthe young, the intelligent, the enterprising, and the high principled,\nwho sought for a wider field of action, or disdained to live at home,\nuseless to society, and a burden to their relatives. Large towns such\nas Sydney, Victoria, Geelong and Melbourne, with their spacious\nharbours crowded with shipping, were already in existence, and English\nsettlers had covered with their flocks those inland plains which long\nafter Mr. Marsden's arrival still lay desolate and unexplored.\n\nThe religious condition of Australia was no less changed. All\ndenominations were now represented by a ministry, and accommodated in\nplaces of worship not at all inferior to those at home. The Church of\nEngland had erected Sydney into a bishopric, of which the pious and\nenergetic archdeacon Broughton was the first incumbent, and the number\nof the colonial clergy had been greatly increased; under all these\ninfluences the tone of social morality was improved, and real spiritual\nreligion won its triumphs in many hearts. Mr. Marsden was now released\nfrom those official cares and duties as senior chaplain which once so\nheavily pressed upon him. Beyond his own parish of Paramatta his\nministerial labours did not necessarily extend, and in his parish duties\nhe had the efficient aid of his son-in-law and other coadjutors.\n\n[Illustration: PARAMATTA CHURCH.]\n\nThe one spot on which no cheering ray seemed to fall, the sterile field\nwhich after years of laborious cultivation yielded no return, was the\nnative population, the aborigines of New South Wales.\n\nWe have mentioned some of the many futile attempts made for their\nconversion; more might be added; for various missions were devised,--by\nthe Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, aided by\nthe colonial government; by the Wesleyan and the Church Missionary\nSocieties; and by the London Missionary Society; but none of these met\nwith much success, and we fear all have been in turn abandoned. The\nmission of Mr. Threlkeld, on the margin of lake Macquarie deserves\nespecial notice. It was continued for upwards of fourteen years; during\nthe first six years at the charges of the London Missionary Society, but\nowing to the heavy expense, and the slow progress of the mission, they\nwithdrew from it after an outlay of about three thousand pounds. Mr.\nThrelkeld was reluctant to give up the mission, and pursued it for some\ntime from his own resources and those of his friends, with a small grant\nof a hundred and fifty pounds a-year from the British government, who\nalso made over ten thousand acres of land to be held on trust on behalf\nof the natives. Mr. Threlkeld seems to have been admirably fitted for\nhis work; he had been the fellow labourer of the martyr John Williams,\nof Erromanga, and left the Tahitian mission in consequence of heavy\ndomestic afflictions. He had spent much time in acquiring a knowledge of\nthe language of the \"blacks\" or aborigines, of which he drew up a\ngrammar, besides translating some portions of Scripture, Watts's hymns,\nand other suitable works. He had generally three or four tribes resident\naround him upon the land granted for their use. Occasionally he employed\nfrom twelve to sixty of them in burning off the timber and clearing the\nland, an employment which they liked best. At this they would continue\nfor eight or ten days at a time, until some native custom, or the report\nof the hostile intention of some neighbouring tribe, called them off,\nperhaps never to return. Harmless as they seemed, their customs were\nferocious; the tribes were constantly at war, and upon human life they\nset no value; they had no law against murder, and consequently no\npunishment for it. A man may murder his wife, or child, or any other\nrelative with impunity; but if a person murder another who is no way\nconnected with him, the nearest of kin to the murdered person will\nsometimes avenge his death; though this seldom happens unless the\ndelinquent and the sufferer are of different tribes. It is only as they\nbecome acquainted with the customs of Europeans that human life is\nregarded. In their native wilds they sport with the sufferings both of\nman and beast.\n\nAt different periods, Mr. Threlkeld erected huts, but in these they\ncould not be induced to live, alleging the accumulation of vermin and\nthe fear of other natives coming in the night and spearing them without\na possibility of escape. On urging them to plant corn on a piece of\nground he had prepared for them, they replied it would be useless, as\nthe tribes from the neighbouring Sugar Loaf Mountain, although on\nfriendly terms, would come down and take it away when ripe. Mr.\nThrelkeld attributed the failure of his mission partly to the want of\nfunds, but still more to the influx of European settlers. He deeply\ndeplored the want of legal protectors, both to prevent the ferocious\nattacks of the blacks upon each other, and to protect them from the\nwhite man's atrocities. \"I am firmly of opinion,\" adds Mr. Threlkeld, in\nthe annual report of his mission for the year 1836, \"that a Protector of\nAborigines will be fully employed in investigating cases of the cruelty\nof European settlers, which are both numerous and shocking to humanity,\nand in maintaining their civil rights.\"\n\nHe had but too much reason to express himself thus. The cases of\noppression which he himself describes, are most revolting. In one\ninstance, a stockman, or herdsman, boasted to his master of having\nkilled six or seven black men with his own hands, when in pursuit of\nthem with his companions; for they were hunted down in mere wantonness\nand sport. He was merely dismissed from his employer's service. In\nanother, a party of stockmen went out, some depredation having been\ncommitted by the blacks in spearing their cattle, took a black prisoner,\ntied his arms, and then fastened him to the stirrup of a stockman on\nhorseback to drag him along. When the party arrived near their\nrespective stations they separated, leaving the stockman to conduct the\nprisoner to his own hut. The black, when he found they were alone, was\nreluctant to proceed, and struggled to get free, when the stockman took\nhis knife from his pocket, coolly stuck the black in the throat, and\nleft him for dead. The poor fellow crawled to the house of a gentleman\ndwelling on the plains, told his tale, and died.\n\nThese are but specimens of cruelties, too numerous and too horrible to\nrelate. The blacks, of course, retaliated, and military parties were\nsent out against them. On the 31st October, 1828, the executive council\nof the colony declared in their minutes, \"that the outrages of the\naboriginal natives amount to a complete declaration of hostilities\nagainst the settlers generally,\" but they forgot to add that these\nhostilities had been provoked in every instance by the wanton aggression\nof the Europeans. Martial law was again proclaimed in October, 1830,\nagainst the natives, and the governor at length determined to call upon\nthe inhabitants to take up arms, and join the troops in forming a\nmilitary cordon, by means of which he proposed to drive the aborigines\ninto Tasman's Peninsula. The inhabitants responded to the call, and an\narmed force of between two and three thousand men were in the field from\nthe 4th October till the 26th November; but the attempt entirely\nfailed.\n\nMr. Marsden lived to see the beginnings of a better system, though from\nhis advanced age he was now no longer able to take an active part in the\nformation of new institutions. Before his death, a society had been\nformed in the colony for the protection of the aborigines, and\ngovernment had also appointed protectors to defend them against wanton\noutrage. This was a great advance in a colony where, Lieutenant Sadleir\n(who had the charge of the school at Paramatta for the aborigines) tells\nus, that on his first tour up the country he saw the skull of a\ncelebrated native, in which was visible the hole where the ball had\npenetrated the forehead, placed over a gentleman's bookcase in his\nsitting-room; \"a trophy,\" he says, \"which he prized very much, of his\nsuccess in one of those exterminating excursions then sometimes\nundertaken, when the natives were hunted down like beasts of prey to be\ndestroyed.\" But it was not till the year 1839 that an act was passed by\nthe legislative council giving extensive powers to certain\n\"commissioners of lands,\" who were also magistrates of the territory, to\nput a stop to the atrocities so extensively committed beyond the\nboundaries, both by the aborigines and the European settlers. The\ngovernor drew attention to this act in a proclamation worthy of his high\noffice. \"As human beings,\" he remarks, \"partaking of our common nature,\nas the aboriginal possessors of the soil from which the wealth of the\ncountry has been principally derived, and as subjects of the queen,\nwhose authority extends over every part of New Holland, the natives of\nthe colony have an equal right with the people of European origin to the\nprotection and assistance of the law of England.\n\n\"His excellency thinks it right further to inform the public that each\nsucceeding despatch from the secretary of state marks in an increasing\ndegree the importance which her Majesty's government, and no less the\nparliament and the people of Great Britain, attach to the just and\nhumane treatment of the aborigines of this country, and to declare most\nearnestly and solemnly his deep conviction that there is no subject or\nmatter whatsoever in which the interests as well as the honour of the\ncolonists are more essentially concerned.\"\n\nHis excellency was soon called upon to bring his professions of\nimpartial justice to the test. A few weeks only after the date of the\nproclamation, seven monsters in human shape, convicts who had been\nassigned as stockmen to some of the settlers in the interior,\ninfluenced, it would seem, by no other motive than a fiendish\ndetermination to exterminate the unhappy natives, set out on horseback\nin pursuit of their victims. One Charles Kilmaister was their leader.\nThey were traced in their progress, inquiring after blacks, and at last\nit appeared they arrived at a hut near the Orawaldo, commonly called the\nBig River, beyond Liverpool Plains. Here they discovered a little tribe\nof about thirty natives, men, women, and children, including babes at\ntheir mothers' breasts, assembled in the bush, unsuspicious of danger,\nand unconscious of offence. It was on Sunday. They immediately\napproached their victims, who, terrified at their manner, ran into\nKilmaister's hut, crying for protection; but they appealed to hearts of\nstone. The bandits having caught them as it were in a trap, dismounted\nand followed them into the hut, and, despite of their entreaties, tied\nthem together with a rope. When all were thus secured, one end of the\nrope was tied round the body of the foremost of the murderers, who,\nhaving mounted his horse, led the way, dragging the terrified group\nafter him, while his infamous companions guarded them on all sides.\nOnward they were dragged till a fitting place in the bush was reached,\nwhen the work of slaughter commenced, and unresisting, these hapless\nwretches, one after the other, were brutally butchered. Fathers, and\nmothers, and children, fell before the previously sharpened swords of\ntheir executioners, till all lay together a lifeless mass, clinging to\neach other even in death, as with the throes of natural affection. But\none shot was fired, so that it was presumed one only perished by\nfire-arms. The precise number thus immolated has not been accurately\nascertained, but it is computed not less than thirty lay stretched on\ntheir own native soil. The demon butchers then placed the bodies in a\nheap, kindled an immense fire over them, and so endeavoured to destroy\nthe evidence of their unheard-of brutality. The eye of providence,\nhowever, was not to be thus blinded; and although for a time the\nmiscreants imagined they had effectually disguised their horrible work,\ncircumstances led to their apprehension. Birds of prey were seen\nhovering about the spot where the unconsumed remains yet rotted on the\nground. Stockmen in search of their strayed cattle were attracted to the\nplace, supposing they should find their carcasses. In this way it was\nthat the ribs, jaw-bones, half-burned skulls, and other portions of\nhuman skeletons were found, while symptoms of the conflagration in the\nvicinity were likewise discovered. This led to inquiry, and ultimately\nto the discovery of the horrible truth. The place was fifty miles from\nthe nearest police station. The whole of the villains were apprehended,\nand their own admissions and conduct, both previous and subsequent to\nthe atrocious deed, added to a chain of circumstantial evidence, left no\ndoubt of their guilt. It chanced that the night previous to the murders\na heavy rain had fallen, and traces were thus discovered of horses feet,\nas well as of the naked feet of the wretched natives, on the way to the\nfield of death. The chief witness, a respectable man, scarce dared,\nhowever, to return to the district, so strong was the sympathy expressed\ntowards these miscreants, even by persons of influence, some of whom\nwere magistrates. All possible pains were taken to save them from\ncondign punishment; subscriptions were made for their defence, and\ncounsel retained, but in vain; their guilt was established beyond a\ndoubt, and Sir George Gipps, the governor, suffered the law to take its\nrighteous course.\n\nYet the progress of humanity and righteousness was very slow, and Mr.\nMarsden did not live to see equal justice, not to speak of gospel truth\nor English liberty, carried to the aborigines. In the very year of his\ndeath, an effort was made by the attorney-general of the colony to pass\na bill to enable the courts of justice to receive the evidence of the\nblacks, hitherto inadmissible. The chief justice of Australia gave his\nsanction to the measure. In laying this bill before the council, as the\nlaw officer of the crown, the attorney-general gave some painful\ninstances of its necessity. There was then, he said, lying in his office\na very remarkable case, in which there was no doubt a considerable\nnumber of blacks had been shot, but in consequence of not being able to\ntake the evidence of the blacks who witnessed the transaction, it was\nimpossible to prosecute, although there was proof that certain parties\nwent into the bush in a certain direction with fire-arms, and that shots\nwere heard. The dead bodies of blacks were afterwards found there, the\nskulls of some of them being marked with bullets. On the other hand five\nblacks were convicted of a larceny, and could be convicted of no higher\noffence, although those who heard the case must have been convinced that\nthey had murdered two white men; but, because the blacks, who knew how\nthe murder was committed, could not be heard as witnesses, it was\nimpossible to prosecute them for the murder. The bill only went so far\nas to allow the blacks to be heard,--\"to allow them to tell their own\nstory; the jury might believe them or not as their evidence was\ncorroborated circumstantially, or by other witnesses.\" Yet this simple\ninstalment of justice was denied, and the bill was rejected by the\nlegislative council. Such are some of the crimes through which even\nEngland, just and generous England, has ascended her dazzling throne of\ncolonial empire. When we tear aside the veil of national pride, how\ngloomy are the recesses of our colonial history; how large the amends\nwhich Britain owes to every native population which God has intrusted to\nher care!\n\nMr. Marsden was now seventy-two years of age. On every side the friends\nof his youth were falling, and he was bowed down with bodily\ninfirmities, the natural consequence of a life of toil. He often pointed\nto an aged tree which grew in sight of his windows, as an emblem of\nhimself. It had once stood in the middle of a thick wood, surrounded on\nall sides with fine timber; which the waste of years and the ruthless\naxe had levelled; now it stood alone, exposed to every blast, its\nbranches broken off, its trunk decayed and its days numbered. Yet he\nresolved to pay another, his seventh, and, as it proved, his last visit\nto New Zealand. It was thought by his friends, that he would never live\nto return. His age and infirmities seemed to unfit him for any great\nexertion of either mind or body; but having formed the resolution,\nnothing could now deter him, or divert him from it. He sailed on the 9th\nFebruary, 1837, in the Pyramus, accompanied by his youngest daughter,\nand he seemed to be cheered by the reflection that if he should die upon\nhis voyage he should die in his harness and upon the battle field on\nwhich God had chosen him to be a leader.\n\nAnd yet his sturdy spirit scarcely bowed itself to such misgivings. As\non former visits, he had no sooner landed than his whole soul was\ninvigorated by scenes from which most others would have shrunk. He\nlanded on the southern side of the island, at the river Hokianga, and\nremained amongst the Wesleyan missionaries for about a fortnight; after\nwhich he crossed over to the Bay of Islands, carried all the way in a\nlitter by the natives. In this way he visited the whole of the\nmissionary stations in the neighbourhood of the Bay of Islands, as well\nas Kaitaia, a station at the North Cape. On the arrival of H. M. S.\nRattlesnake, he accompanied Captain Hobson (afterwards governor of New\nZealand), to the river Thames, and the East Cape, returning at length to\nSydney in that ship, where he arrived on the 27th of July after an\nabsence of five months. When entering the heads of Port Jackson, one of\nthe officers of the ship observed, \"I think Mr. M. you may look upon\nthis as your last visit to New Zealand;\" upon which he replied, \"No I\ndon't, for I intend to be off again in about six weeks, the people in\nthe colony are becoming too fine for me now. I am too old to preach\nbefore them, but I can talk to the New Zealanders.\"\n\nOf this, his last visit, we must give some account. Captain Livesay of\nthe Pyramus, in a valuable letter to Mr. Nicholas, has given some\ninteresting reminiscences of his passenger:--\n\n \"Devonport, November 29, 1837.\n\n \"MY DEAR SIR,-- ... I looked forward to meeting you with\n inexpressible delight, to talk about our much esteemed friend Mr.\n Marsden, and compare notes about New Zealand; but we are born to\n disappointment, although I shall still look forward to have that\n pleasure on my return to England.\n\n \"From the last account I had of Mr. Marsden, previous to my\n quitting New Zealand, I was informed that the trip had done him\n much good. When he left the ship, and indeed when I last saw him,\n which was a month afterwards, he used to walk with a great stoop;\n he was then able to walk upright, and take considerable exercise.\n The dear old man! it used to do my heart good to see his pious\n zeal in his Master's cause. Nothing ever seemed a trouble to him.\n He was always calm and cheerful, even under intense bodily\n suffering, which was the case sometimes from the gravel, which\n caused him great distress. His daughter Martha was a very great\n comfort to him; she was constantly with him, and very affectionate\n in her attentions. I did hope my next voyage would have been to\n New South Wales, that I might have the pleasure of seeing him once\n more, should God have spared him so long; but that thought must\n now be given up.\" ...\n\nThe remainder of the letter has reference to the state and prospects of\nNew Zealand. The sentiments are honourable to a British sailor. How\nhappy it would have been for the Maori race, had all English captains\nwho visited the Bay of Islands, been such men as Captain Livesay!\n\nHe says, \"It affords me great satisfaction to find that a committee are\nforming for the colonization of New Zealand, on the scale you intimate.\nIt is very much to be desired indeed; as the poor natives are becoming a\nprey and a sacrifice to a set of dissolute wretches who do all in their\npower to sink the savage into the perfect brute, or by design and craft\nto cheat them out of all their possessions. Even those who call\nthemselves respectable, are amongst this number, and one or two, to my\ncertain knowledge, have purchased an immense extent of land for a mere\nsong, depriving the rising generation of all their claims. The New\nZealanders are upon the whole, a fine and intelligent race, capable of\nmuch if well directed. They are accused of low cunning, and covetousness\nin their dealings with the Europeans. Let the question be asked, who\ntaught them to be so? Why, the Europeans themselves. They are said to be\nferocious. I maintain that they are not half so much so as our own\nancestors in the barbarous times of Britain; and where Christianity has\nbeen properly introduced, they are quite a different race of beings. Let\nbut the ill weeds that have taken root there be torn up, and the\nwholesome plant of industry and sobriety, with the spirit of the gospel,\nsown in its place, and all the savage will soon cease to be.\"\n\nThe \"ill weeds\" were springing up apace, and, as a consequence, the\nmissionary cause was once more in peril.\n\nAn English barque had lately been wrecked upon the coast, but\nfortunately Mr. Guard the captain, his wife, two children, and the crew,\ntwenty-eight in all, escaped to land. At first, according to the\nstatement of the captain, the natives treated them with kindness, which\nthey soon exchanged, under what pretext, or in consequence of what\nprovocations on either side, it would be useless to ask, for open\nhostilities. A quarrel was got up between two native tribes, and an\nengagement followed, in which twelve Europeans, and about forty Maories\nfell. Guard and his party were taken prisoners. It shows how great an\nimprovement had taken place amongst the natives, that they were not\nmassacred and devoured; but, on condition of returning with a cask of\npowder as a ransom for himself and the rest, Guard and five of his men\nwere allowed to proceed, without further molestation, to Sydney; where\nhe laid the matter before Sir Richard Bourke the governor. Relying on\nthe accuracy of Guard's narrative, the governor, with the advice of the\nexecutive council, requested Captain Lambert to proceed with H.M.S.\nAlligator, which happened to be lying in Port Jackson, to obtain the\nrestoration of the British subjects, then in the hands of the New\nZealanders. He was instructed to abstain from any act of retaliation,\nand to obtain the restoration of the captives by amicable means; and\nGuard and his five men returned in the same ship.\n\nSoon after the arrival of the party at New Zealand, Guard recognised the\nchief who was now the proprietor of the shipwrecked woman and children;\nand the unsuspicious native rubbed noses with him in token of amity, at\nthe same time expressing his readiness to give up his prisoners on\nreceiving the \"payment\" guaranteed to him. This, however was not the\nway in which the affair was to be settled; Guard and his sailors seized\nhim as a prisoner, and dragged him into the whale boat in which the\nparty had gone ashore. The cruelty practised towards this unfortunate\nman, and the fearful havoc committed by the English, we gladly pass\nover. Such iniquitous transactions reflect but little credit on us as a\nChristian or a civilized people; and they were, moreover, in direct\nopposition to the benevolent instructions of Sir Richard Bourke. The\nBritish subjects were restored; as indeed they might have been without\nthe loss of a single life, through the intervention of the missionaries,\nand of the British resident at the Bay of Islands, and the expedition\nhaving gained its object by force and stratagem, returned to Sydney with\nthe troops and the liberated captives.\n\nThis painful affair, as well as other acts of outrage, on the part of\nthe natives, which were its natural consequence, made a deep impression\nat the time, and were a source of great uneasiness to Mr. Marsden. He\nsaw at once the danger to which they exposed the missionaries and their\ncause, and felt, no doubt, a just reliance on himself. Unarmed and\nunprotected, had he been upon the spot, he would have accomplished more\nin his own person than all those warlike measures had effected, which\nanew embittered the Maori race against the Europeans.\n\nHis record of his farewell visit was probably not kept with his former\naccuracy; but the chasm is well supplied by the interesting journal of\nhis daughter, some extracts from which the reader will peruse with\npleasure. We have the whole scene placed before us by her graceful pen,\nand we gain some glimpse into her father's character, which we should\ncertainly not have gathered from his own modest, self-forgetting,\nmemoranda.\n\n \"_February 12, Sunday._--Had service on deck. The Rev. Mr.\n Wilkinson read prayers, and my father preached. The sailors were\n very attentive; the service was truly interesting from its novelty\n and the impressiveness of the scene; nothing around us but the\n wide waste of waters.\n\n \"_13th._--At the suggestion of Captain L----, reading in the\n evenings was introduced. We began the History of Columbus, by\n Washington Irving, and the arrangement is that we are to read by\n turns.\"\n\n The weather proved boisterous, and it was not before the 21st they\n made the land.\n\n \"_22nd._--Up early on deck to view the land, which presented a\n very bold and romantic appearance.\n\n \"Not being able to obtain a pilot, the captain determined, lest he\n should lose the tide, Hokianga being a bar harbour, to take the\n vessel in himself. The dead lights were put in, and every\n arrangement made as we approached the bar. Not a voice was heard\n but that of the captain and the two men in the chains, heaving the\n lead. Every sailor was at his station, and the anchors in\n readiness to let go at a moment's warning. We sounded as shallow\n as 'a quarter less four,' when the ladies became alarmed, though\n we were obliged to keep our fears to ourselves, as the gentlemen\n very politely left us. The wind being light, the fear was the\n breakers would have overtaken the ship, thrown her upon her beam\n ends, and rendered her unmanageable; but providence guided and\n preserved us.\n\n \"I seldom remember a more beautiful scene; the moon is near its\n full, and the banks of the river are very high, covered with the\n most luxuriant foliage. We were so delighted with the scenery that\n we would willingly have stayed up all night. As we proceeded up,\n the mountains appeared to lessen into hills. Several native\n hamlets, and two or three residences of Europeans, show that the\n busy hand of man has been engaged in the work of redeeming the\n wilderness from the wild dominion of nature. Anchored near the\n Wesleyan mission station, where we were kindly welcomed by Mr. and\n Mrs. Turner. The mission here has been established nearly nine\n years; they have a neat chapel and one or two comfortable houses,\n and are about to form an additional station. The missionaries\n related several instances of the melancholy death of various New\n Zealanders who have opposed the progress of the mission. One chief\n became so incensed against the 'Atua,' for the death of his child,\n that he formed a circle of gunpowder, placed himself in the\n centre, and fired it. The explosion did not immediately destroy\n him; he lingered a few weeks in dreadful agony, and then died.\n\n \"_Saturday._--The natives are coming in great numbers to attend\n divine worship. Mr. Turner preached, and afterwards my father\n addressed them. They listened with earnest attention, and were\n much pleased. Many of the old chiefs were delighted to see my\n father, and offered to build him a house, if he would remain. One\n said, 'Stay with us and learn our language, and then you will\n become our father and our friend, and we will build you a house.'\n 'No,' replied another, 'we cannot build a house good enough, but\n we will hire Europeans to do it for us.'\n\n \"The whole congregation joined in the responses and singing, and\n though they have not the most pleasing voices, yet it was\n delightful to hear them sing one of the hymns commencing 'From\n Egypt lately come.'\"\n\nThe journey across from Hokianga to the Waimat\u00e9, as described by Miss\nMartha Marsden, shows, in the absence of railroads and steam carriages,\nan agreeable if not expeditious mode of conveyance. \"Took leave of Mrs.\nTurner; and, mounted in a chair on the shoulders of two New Zealanders,\nI headed the procession. My father, Mr. Wilkinson, and the two children,\nwere carried in 'kaw-shores,' or native biers, on which they carry their\nsick. We entered a forest of five miles, then stopped to dine. The\nnatives soon cooked their potatoes, corn, etc., in their ovens, which\nthey scoop in the sand, and after heating a number of stones, the\npotatoes are put in, covered with grass and leaves, and a quantity of\nwater poured upon them; they were exquisitely steamed. As I approached\none of the groups sitting at dinner, I was much affected by seeing one\nof them get up and ask a blessing over the basket of potatoes.\n\n\"Five miles from Waimat\u00e9 I left my chair, mounted on horseback, and\nreached Waimat\u00e9 for breakfast. Old Nini accompanied us the whole way,\nand told my father if he attempted to ride he would leave him. The\nnatives carried him the whole way with the greatest cheerfulness, and\nbrought him through the most difficult places with the greatest ease.\nThe distance they carried him was about twenty miles.\"\n\nThe state of all the missions with regard to their spiritual work was\nnow full of hope. Of the Wesleyan mission Mr. Marsden himself reports,\n\"I found that many were inquiring after the Saviour, and that a large\nnumber attended public worship. The prospect of success to the Church\nof England Mission is very great. Since my arrival at the missionary\nstation I have not heard one oath spoken by European or native; the\nschools and church are well attended, and the greatest order is observed\namong all classes. I met with many wherever I went, who were anxious\nafter the knowledge of God. Wherever I went I found some who could read\nand write. They are all fond of reading, and there are many who never\nhad an opportunity of attending the schools who, nevertheless, can read.\nThey teach one another in all parts of the country, from the North to\nthe East Cape.\"\n\nThe native tribes were still at war with each other, and with the\nEuropean settlers--the miserable effect of Captain Guard's rash conduct.\nFrom the missionary station at Pahia Mr. Marsden's daughter counted one\nmorning twenty-one canoes passing up the bay. A battle followed, which\nshe witnessed at a distance, and the Europeans all around fled to the\nmissionary station. In the engagement three chiefs fell; a second fight\noccurred soon afterwards. \"We have heard firing all day,\" she writes;\n\"many have been killed; we saw the canoes pass down the river containing\nthe bodies of the slain.\" Mr. Marsden himself was absent on a visit to\nthe southward, or his presence might possibly have prevented these\nscenes of blood.\n\nWherever the venerable man appeared, he was received by the converted\nnatives with Christian salutations and tears of joy; the heathen\npopulation welcomed him with the firing of muskets and their rude war\ndances. Wherever he went, he was greeted with acclamations as the friend\nand father of the New Zealanders. One chieftain sat down upon the ground\nbefore him gazing upon him in silence, without moving a limb or\nuttering a single word for several hours. He was gently reproved by Mr.\nWilliams for what seemed a rudeness. \"Let me alone,\" said he, \"let me\ntake a last look; I shall never see him again.\" \"One principal chief,\"\nwrites Mr. Marsden, \"who had embraced the gospel and been baptized,\naccompanied us all the way. We had to travel about forty miles, by land\nand water. He told me he was so unhappy at Hokianga that he could not\nget to converse with me from the crowds that attended, and that he had\ncome to Waimat\u00e9 to speak with me. I found him to be a very intelligent\nman, and anxious to know the way to heaven.\" While at Kaitai he held a\nconstant lev\u00e9e, sitting in an arm-chair, in an open field, before the\nmission house; it was attended by upwards of a thousand Maories, who\npoured in from every quarter; many coming a distance of twenty or thirty\nmiles, contented to sit down and gaze on his venerable features; and so\nthey continued to come and go till his departure. With his\ncharacteristic kindness and good nature he presented each with a pipe\nand fig of tobacco; and when he was to embark at last, they carried him\nto the ship, a distance of six miles.\n\nBefore leaving New Zealand, he wrote to the Church Missionary Society an\naccount which glows with pious exultation, describing the success with\nwhich the Head of the church had at length been pleased to bless the\nlabours of his faithful servants. Since his arrival, he says, he had\nvisited many of the stations within the compass of a hundred miles. It\nwas his intention to have visited all of them, from the North to the\nEast Cape; but from the disturbed state of the country \"it was not\nconsidered prudent for him to go to the south,\" where he still\ncontemplated further efforts \"when the country should be more settled in\nits political affairs.\" He had \"observed a wonderful change: those\nportions of the sacred Scriptures which had been printed have had a most\nastonishing effect; they are read by the natives in every place where I\nhave been; the natives teach one another, and find great pleasure in the\nword of God, and carry that sacred treasure with them wherever they go.\nGreat numbers have been baptized, both chiefs and their people.\" He had\nmet with some very pious chiefs, who had refused to share in the present\nwar, and avowed their resolution to fight no more. One of them, at his\nown cost, had built a chapel, or place of public worship, which was\nvisited by the missionaries; in this he himself taught a school,\nassisted by his son. \"Waimat\u00e9, once the most warlike district in the\nisland, is now,\" he says, \"the most orderly and moral place I was ever\nin. My own mind has been exceedingly gratified by what I have seen and\nheard.\" Old age, it seems, is not always querulous; its retrospects are\nnot always in favour of the past; the aged Christian walks with a more\nelastic step as he sees the fruit of his labour, and anticipates his own\ngreat reward. \"Mine eyes,\" he concludes, \"are dim with age like Isaac's;\nit is with some difficulty I can see to write.\"\n\nNor had the weakness and credulity of advancing years led him to take\nfor granted, as in second childhood old age is wont to do, the truth of\nfirst impressions, or the accuracy of every man's reports. He still gave\nto every subject connected with missions the closest attention,\npenetrated beneath the surface, and formed his own conclusions. While in\nNew Zealand, for instance, he addresses the following queries to Mr.\nMatthews, one of the missionaries, on the subject of education:--\n\n \"April, 1837.\n\n \"... I will thank you to return me what number of native young\n men there are employed from your station on the sabbath in\n visiting the natives, I mean the numbers who occasionally visit\n their countrymen and instruct them. What schools there are at the\n station, and who are the teachers? Have you an infant school, or a\n school for men and boys? a school for women? What do they learn?\n Do they learn to read and write? Do they understand figures? Have\n they renounced generally their former superstitions? At what\n period of the day do they attend school? Have they any meeting in\n the week-days for prayer and religious instruction? Do they appear\n to have any views of the Lord Jesus Christ as a Saviour? Any\n information you can give me, along with your brethren, will be\n very acceptable to the lovers of the gospel in New South Wales.\"\n\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nOn one point only he met with no success. He had not yet quite abandoned\nthe pleasing dream of a Maori nation, united under one chief; a\nChristian people, governed by a code of native law. Tahiti naturally\nencouraged these bright visions, and seemed to show how easily they\nmight be realized. There, for ten years past, under king Pomare, the\nwondrous spectacle had been presented to the world of a whole people,\nunder the guidance of their king, rejecting idolatry, and with it all\nthe base usages of savage life, and working out their own national\nregeneration; framing a Tahitian code of law on the sound principles of\nChristian jurisprudence, and cordially adopting it. Why should not a\nsimilar state of things be brought about in New Zealand? The\ninstrumental agency in both islands was the same; namely, that of\nChristian missionaries, chiefly, if not entirely, English Christians,\nwho carried with them, it might be supposed, to both islands the same\nreverence for order, and with it the same love of liberty. Were the\nMaories an inferior race, compared with the aborigines of the Tahitian\ngroup? On the contrary, the difference was rather in favour of the\nMaori; he was the more athletic, and consequently the more vigorous in\nhis mental development; indeed, upon the whole, he stands unapproached\nby any other tribe of man uncivilized and in a state of nature; unless\nwe go back to the heroic ages and find his equal amongst ancient Greeks\nat the dawning of their somewhat fabulous history.\n\nYet the project failed; and Mr. Marsden was now obliged mournfully to\nadmit that New Zealand's only hope lay in her annexation to the British\ncrown. The two causes of the failure of these otherwise reasonable\nexpectations are to be found, no doubt, first, in the circumstances of\nthe Maori tribes, and secondly, in the pernicious effects produced by\nEuropean traders and settlers.\n\nTahiti was happy in possessing one sovereign. New Zealand was\nunfortunate in its multitude of petty chieftains. When the heart of king\nPomare was gained, the confidence of a loyal and devoted people was at\nonce won over. There was no rival to foment rebellion, or to seize the\noccasion of a religious festival, when he and his people were unarmed,\nto make inroads on his territory. With the assistance of his council,\nand under the advice of the faithful missonaries, a code of law was\neasily prepared, suited for all his subjects, and adapted to every part\nof his little kingdom. In New Zealand, on the contrary, the chiefs,\neach of whom claimed to be perfectly independent of the rest, were\nconstantly at enmity with each other. The violent passions of civil war\nnever slept--hatred, revenge, and jealousy. The missionaries, if\ncherished by Shunghie, were hated or feared by Shunghie's opponent.\nTheir direct influence in the politics of the Maories was therefore, of\nnecessity, slight. But the chief hindrance arose from the mutual\nanimosities of the chiefs, and the want of confidence in each other\nwhich universally prevailed, both among chiefs and people.\n\nAnd it must be confessed with sorrow, that the evil example of the\nEuropeans provoked the natives to fresh crimes, and indisposed them to\nall the restraints of civil government. The Polynesian Islands had, up\nto this period, known neither commerce nor colonization. Except a chance\nvisit from a man-of-war, a European ship was scarcely ever seen; or the\nfew which came and went were connected with the missions, and were\nmanned by decent if not religious crews. The polluting influence of a\ndebauched and drunken body of seamen, rolling in constant succession to\nits shores, had not yet tainted the moral atmosphere of Tahiti and its\nneighbouring group. And colonization had not even been attempted; the\nnatives were left in full possession of their soil, no man making them\nafraid. In New Zealand all this was reversed. Wicked seamen infected\neven savages with new vices; and lawless settlers set an example of\ninjustice, shocking even to New Zealanders. For these evils it was\nevident there was but one remedy, the strong hand of British rule. Take\nthe following sketch from the pen of Mr. Marsden. After describing the\nhappy state of the Christian settlement at Waimat\u00e9, he goes on to say:\n\"On the opposite side of the harbour, a number of Europeans have settled\nalong with the natives. Several keep public-houses, and encourage every\nkind of crime. Here drunkenness, adultery, murder, etc. are committed.\nThere are no laws, judges, nor magistrates; so that Satan maintains his\ndominion without molestation. Some civilized government must take New\nZealand under its protection, or the most dreadful evils will be\ncommitted by runaway convicts, sailors and publicans. There are no laws\nhere to punish crimes. When I return to New South Wales, I purpose to\nlay the state of New Zealand before the colonial government, to see if\nanything can be done to remedy these public evils.\" \"I hope in time,\" he\nsays again, in a letter, dated May 16th, 1837, from Pahaia, to the Rev.\nJames Matthews, \"the chiefs will get a governor. I shall inform the\nEuropeans in authority how much they are distressed in New Zealand for\nwant of a governor with power to punish crime. The Bay of Islands is now\nin a dreadful state.... It is my intention to return to New South Wales\nby the first opportunity.\"\n\nThat opportunity soon appeared, and the venerable founder of its\nmissions, the advocate of its native population, the friend of all that\nconcerned its present or spiritual welfare, took his last leave of the\nshores of New Zealand. Preparations were made for his reception on board\nH. M. S. Rattlesnake. The signal gun was fired, and all the friends from\nWaimat\u00e9 and Keri-Keri arrived to accompany their revered father to the\nbeach, \"Where,\" says one of them who was present, \"like Paul at Miletus,\nwe parted with many benedictions: sorrowing most of all that we should\nsee his face again no more. Many could not bid him adieu. The parting\nwas with many tears.\"\n\nHis happy temperament always diffused pleasure and conciliated\nfriendship. On board the Rattlesnake he was welcomed with warm,\naffectionate, respect. Captain Hobson, who was afterwards for a time\ngovernor of New Zealand, knew his worth, and felt honoured by his\ncompany; and Mr. Marsden fully appreciated the high character and\ncourtesy of the commander, whose widow retains a handsome piece of plate\npresented to her husband by his grateful passenger, as a memorial of the\nhappiness he enjoyed on this his last voyage homewards.\n\nThe chaplain of the Rattlesnake noted down an affecting conversation\nwith the aged minister upon his voyage, which we are permitted to\ninsert:--\n\n\"We enjoyed a most lovely evening. I had a long conversation with Mr.\nMarsden on deck. He spoke of almost all his old friends having preceded\nhim to the eternal world; Romaine, Newton, the Milners, Scott, Atkinson,\nRobinson, Buchanan, Mason Good, Thomason, Rowland Hill, Legh Richmond,\nSimeon, and others. He then alluded in a very touching manner to his\nlate wife; they had passed, he observed, more than forty years of their\npilgrimage through this wilderness in company, and he felt their\nseparation the more severely as the months rolled on. I remarked that\ntheir separation would be but for a short period longer. 'God grant it,'\nwas his reply; then lifting his eyes towards the moon, which was\npeacefully shedding her beams on the sails of our gallant bark, he\nexclaimed with intense feeling.\n\n 'Prepare me, Lord, for thy right hand,\n Then come the joyful day.'\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\n Mr. Marsden's ministerial pursuits and journeys--Love of the\n Country and of Patriarchal story--His Old Age--Its mental\n features--Anecdotes--Love of Children--Bishop Broughton--His\n reverence for Mr. Marsden's character--Mr. Marsden's views of\n Death, etc.--His Habits of Prayer--His Illness and Death.\n\n\nMr. Marsden had now passed the allotted span of human life, though his\ndays were not yet \"labour and sorrow.\" Entering upon his seventy-second\nyear with stooping gait and failing eyesight and a decaying memory, he\nhad otherwise few of the mental infirmities of age. He was still a\nperfect stranger to fear, as well as to that nervous restlessness and\nsusceptibility which wears the appearance of it, though often found, as\nmay be daily observed, in connexion with the truest courage. After his\nreturn home from his last voyage he was attacked, when driving with his\nyoungest daughter, upon one of his excursions in the bush, by two famous\nbush rangers Wormley and Webber, part of a gang who for a period of two\nyears kept the whole country in a state of terror. One of the ruffians\npresented a loaded pistol at his breast and another at his daughter's,\nthreatening with horrid imprecations to shoot them both, if they said a\nword, and bidding his daughter to empty her father's pockets into their\nhands. Perfectly undismayed, Mr. Marsden remonstrated with them on their\nwicked course of life, telling them at last that he should soon see them\nagain, he had no doubt, on the gallows. At parting, though charged, with\nthe usual threats, not to look behind him, he turned round, and\ncontinued, while they were in sight, to warn them in the same strain of\nthe certain consequences of a life of crime. His admonition was soon\nverified; the wretched men were apprehended for other outrages and\nsentenced to death, and he himself attended them from the condemned cell\nto the place of execution.\n\nThese excursions into the country around Paramatta, where he had gone\nabout for a period of nearly forty years doing the work of an evangelist\nor home missionary, were continued to the last. To wind through devious\npaths in the bush in his one horse chaise, where his good horse _Major_\nseemed as if trained to penetrate, gave him the highest pleasure. The\nway was often trackless, and he was obliged to ask his companion whether\nthe trace of a cartwheel could be seen. Yet there was an instinctive\nfeeling of safety in his company, and a refreshment in his conversation,\nwhich always made the vacant seat in the gig prized by those who knew\nand loved him. \"As he drove along,\" says a Christian lady, the wife of\nCaptain B---- who was his companion on some of his last journeys,\n\"wherever he went there was always to be found some testimony to that\ngoodness and mercy which had followed him all the days of his life. Some\nEbenezer he could raise where helped perhaps in an encounter with a\nbushranger, having only the sword of the Spirit with which to defend\nhimself and disarm his foe, or some Bethel, it might be, where like\nJacob he had been enabled to wrestle and prevail. With such a companion\nno one could be a loser. On these excursions, no matter to what\ndistance, he seemed to think preparations needless, he would travel\nmiles and miles without any previous consideration for his own comfort\nor convenience. Even a carpet-bag was an encumbrance. He had been too\nlong accustomed to make his toilet with the New Zealander, and take with\nhim his meal of fern-root, to be particular, or to take thought, what he\nshould eat, or wherewithal should he be clothed.\"\n\nHis love of the country and of rural scenes gave a strong colouring, and\ngreat originality to his preaching as well as to his own religious\ncharacter. He called his estate \"The plains of Mamre.\" This property we\nmay remind the reader had been presented to Mr. Marsden in the early\ndays of the colony, when land uncleared was absolutely worthless, to eke\nout his insufficient stipend. It had now become valuable, and he was\nexposed both in the colony and in England to many unjust remarks, even\nfrom those who should have known him better, on the score of his reputed\nwealth. His own justification of himself is more than sufficient. Being\ntold that he was charged with avarice, \"Why,\" said he, \"they might as\nwell find fault with Abraham whose flocks and herds multiplied. Abraham\nnever took any trouble about it, nor do I. I can't help their\nincreasing;\" and he added, a remark so true and of such pregnant import\nthat it ought for ever to have put to silence this miserable carping;\n\"It was not for myself, but for the benefit of this colony and New\nZealand, that I ever tried to promote agriculture or the improvement in\nsheep or cattle.\" Had he done nothing else for Australia, his\nintroduction of Merino sheep with a view to the growth of wool would\nhave marked him down upon the roll of her greatest benefactors.\n\nThrough life his choicest topics in the pulpit had been the patriarchs,\ntheir lives and characters but as he grew old, he seemed unconsciously\nto rank amongst their number; to fall into and become one of their own\nbody; himself a Christian patriarch. It was the frequent remark of his\nfriends that he spoke of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, just as if he had\nlived in their times, heard their conversations, and been well\nacquainted with them. It is much to be regretted that more full and\naccurate reports of his sermons and conversations should not have been\nkept. The truth and originality of his remarks would have made them\ninvaluable. When seated in his chair upon the lawn before his house,\nsurrounded by his family and friends, his conversations took the\nprevailing turn of his mind, and he used to dwell on the incidents of\npatriarchal life with a depth of feeling and a power of picturesque\ndescription of which one would be glad that the memorials should not\nhave been allowed to perish.\n\nAt an examination of the King's School at Sydney, the headmaster having\nrequested him to ask the boys some questions upon Scripture history,\nforgetting the business in hand, he broke out into a long and\ninteresting address on patriarchal life and manners. The end\ncontemplated by the headmaster was of course frustrated, \"but we dare\nsay,\" says the colonial journalist who tells the story, \"there are many\nyoung persons now growing up into manhood, who, to this day remember the\npious and excellent observations of the venerable man.\"\n\nHis old age exhibited some traits not always to be found, even in good\nmen, after a long life passed among scenes of danger or amidst the\nhardening warfare of personal animosities. Though to the last bold in\nreproving sin his real character was that of gentleness and the warmest\nsocial affection. None but the bad were ever afraid of him; on the\ncontrary, his presence diffused a genial light and warmth in every\ncompany. Cruel savages and little children loved him alike; the wisest\nmen gathered instruction from his lips, while they found pleasure in his\nsimple courtesy and manly open heartedness. He brought home with him in\nthe Rattlesnake from New Zealand, several Maori youths; \"they seemed to\nlove and respect their _Matua_, as they called him, more than any one,\nor anything, besides. They used to run after his gig like joyous\nchildren, and to attempt to catch his eye as if to bask in the sunshine\nof his benevolent countenance.\" \"They delighted;\" says Mrs. B----, to\nwhose manuscript of Mr. Marsden's last years of life we are again\nindebted, \"to come to our barrack apartments with him, always making\ntheir way to the bookcase first, take out a book and point upwards, as\nif everybody who had anything to do with 'Matua' must have all their\nbooks leading to heaven. Pictures pleased them next; when they would\ndirect each others' attention to what they considered worthy of notice,\nwith extraordinary intelligence; but when the boiled rice and sweets\nmade their appearance, digging their elbows into each others' sides,\nwith gesticulations of all sorts, and knowing looks, putting their\nfingers to their mouths, and laughing with greedy joy, Mr. Marsden all\nthe time watching their movements, and expressive faces, as a kind nurse\nwould the gambols and frolics of her playful charge, saying with\nrestrained, but grateful emotion, 'Yes, sir, nothing like bringing the\ngospel at once to the heathen. If \"music charms the savage breast,\" sir,\nwhy should not the sweetest sounds that ever met man's ear do more? Why,\nsir, the gospel turns a worse than savage into a man, ay, and into a\nwoman too.' He then related to us the anecdote of a New Zealand woman\nwho, for the last remaining years of her life preached the gospel among\nher own sex, having acknowledged to him, that before he had brought the\nword of God to New Zealand, and the Spirit applied it to her heart, she\nhad killed and eaten nineteen children.\"\n\nHis last communication to the Church Missionary Society, dated December\n10th, 1837, and received after his death, is full of hope for his\nbeloved New Zealanders. \"I am happy to say the mission goes on well\namidst every difficulty. I visited many places in my last voyage from\nthe North Cape to Cloudy Bay. The gospel has made a deep impression upon\nmany of the natives, who now lead godly lives.\" The letter, which is\nwritten in a large and straggling hand, as though the pen were no longer\nunder its usual firm control, concludes with these touching words: \"I am\nnow very feeble. My eyes are dim, and my memory fails me. I have done no\nduty on the sabbath for some weeks through weakness. When I review all\nthe way the Lord has led me through this wilderness I am constrained to\nsay, _Bless the Lord, O my soul, etc_,\n\n \"Yours very affectionately,\n \"SAMUEL MARSDEN.\"\n\nThe innocent games of children pleased him to the last. When such\nmeetings were more rare than they have now become, the children of the\nParamatta school once a year assembled on his lawn, and then his\nhappiness was almost equal to their own. In his own family, and amongst\nthe children of his friends, he would even take his share in their\nyouthful gambols, and join the merry party at blind man's buff. Though,\nas he said of himself, he \"never sang a song in his life, for he\nlearned to sing hymns when ten years old, and never sang anything else,\"\nyet he was charmed with the sweet and hearty voices of children joining\nin some innocent little song, and it pleased him better still if it\nfinished off with a noisy chorus. Yet all this was consistent with his\ncharacter as a grave, wise old man. Though mirthful, he was never\nfrivolous; in a moment, if occasion called for it, he was ready to\ndiscuss the most serious subjects, or to give his opinion upon matters\nof importance; and he had the enviable talent of mingling even pious\nconversation with the sports of children.\n\nIt was observed that though always unembarrassed in the presence of\nstrangers whatever their rank or importance might be, he never seemed\ncompletely happy but in the company of persons of true piety. He does\nnot appear to have spoken very freely in ordinary society on the subject\nof personal religion, still less on the subject of his own experience;\nbut his emotions were deep, and out of the fulness of the heart his lips\nwould speak, in the midst of such a circle, of the loving-kindness of\nthe Lord. The sense of his own unworthiness seems to have been always\npresent. Of all God's servants he might have been, as he verily thought\nhimself to be, the most unprofitable; and when any circumstance occurred\nwhich led him to contrast the justice of God to others who were left to\ndie impenitent, with the mercy shown to himself, he spoke with a\nhumiliation deeply affecting. With scenes of vice and human depravity\nfew living men were more conversant than he, yet to the last such was\nthe delicacy of his conscience that the presence of vice shocked him as\nmuch as if the sight were new. \"Riding down to the barracks one\nmorning,\" says the lady whose narrative we have already quoted, \"to\ninvite Captain B---- and myself that day to dinner to meet the bishop,\nhe had passed what, alas! used to be too frequent an object, a man lying\ninsensible and intoxicated in the road. His usually cheerful countenance\nwas saddened, and after telling us his errand, we could not but ask the\ncause of his distress. He gave us the unhappy cause, and turning his\nhorse's head round to leave us, he uttered with deep emotion--\n\n 'Why was I made to hear thy voice\n And enter while there's room?'\n\nThroughout the day the subject dwelt upon his mind; after dinner the\nconversation turned to it, and he was casually asked who was the author\nof the hymn he had quoted in the morning. He shook his head and said, 'I\ncannot tell, perhaps it was Watts, or Wesley,' and several hymn books\nwere produced in which the bishop and others instituted a fruitless\nsearch, the bishop at length saying, 'I can't find the hymn, Mr.\nMarsden.' 'Can't you, sir,' was the reply, 'that is a pity, for it is a\ngood hymn, sir--says what the Bible says, free sovereign grace for poor\nsinners. No self-righteous man can get into heaven, sir, he would rather\nstarve than take the free gift.' In the course of the day the\nconversation turning upon New Zealand, the bishop expressed the opinion,\nonce almost universal though now happily exploded, an opinion, too,\nwhich Mr. Marsden himself had regarded with some favour in his younger\ndays, that civilization must precede the introduction of the gospel; and\nhis lordship argued, as Mr. Marsden himself had argued thirty years\nbefore, in favour of expanding the mind of savages by the introduction\nof arts and sciences, being impressed with the idea that it was\nimpossible to present the gospel with success to minds wholly\nunenlightened. Mr. Marsden's answer is thus recorded--'Civilization is\nnot necessary before Christianity, sir; do both together if you will,\nbut you will find civilization follow Christianity, easier than\nChristianity to follow civilization. Tell a poor heathen of his true God\nand Saviour, point him to the works he can see with his own eyes, for\nthese heathen are no fools, sir--great mistake to send illiterate men to\nthem--they don't want men learned after the fashion of this world, but\nmen taught in the spirit and letter of the Scripture. I shan't live to\nsee it, sir, but I may hear of it in heaven, that New Zealand with all\nits cannibalism and idolatry will yet set an example of Christianity to\nsome of the nations now before her in civilization.'\"\n\nIt will not be out of place to offer a passing remark upon Mr. Marsden's\nconduct to Dr. Broughton, the first bishop of Sydney. As an\nEpiscopalian, sincerely attached to the church of England, he had long\ndesired the introduction of the episcopate into the colonial church, of\nwhich, as senior chaplain, he himself had been the acknowledged leader\nfor so many years. When the appointment was made it was a matter of just\nsurprise to his friends that he was passed over in silence, while an\nEnglish clergyman was placed over him to govern the clergy, amongst whom\nhe had so long presided, and whose entire respect and confidence he had\ngained. There is no doubt that his integrity and fearless honesty had\nrendered him somewhat unacceptable to men in power, and that to this his\nexclusion is, in a great measure, to be ascribed. But this slight\nbrought out some of the finest features in his truly noble character. He\nhad never sought either honours, wealth, or preferment for himself. If\na disinterested man ever lived it was Samuel Marsden. The only remark\nwhich his family remember to have heard him make upon the subject was in\nanswer to a friend, who had expressed surprise at the slight thus put\nupon him, in these words--\"It is better as it is; I am an old man; my\nwork is almost done.\" And when Dr. Broughton, the new bishop, arrived in\nthe colony, he was received by Mr. Marsden not with cold and formal\nrespect but with Christian cordiality. When the new bishop was installed\nhe assisted at the solemn service; the eloquent author of the \"Prisoners\nof Australia,\"[K] who chanced to be present, thus describes the\nscene--\"On a more touching sight mine eyes had never looked than when\nthe aged man, tears streaming down his venerable cheek, poured forth,\namidst a crowded and yet silent assemblage, the benediction upon him\ninto whose hands he had thus, as it were, to use his own metaphor,\n'yielded up the keys of a most precious charge;' a charge which had been\nhis own devoted care throughout the storms and the tempests of a long\nand difficult pilotage. And now like another Simeon, his work well nigh\naccomplished, the gospel spreading far and wide over the colony and its\ndependencies, and the prayer of his adopted people answered, he could\nsay without another wish, 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in\npeace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.'\" Though differing from\nhim, we may add, on some points, Mr. Marsden retained to the last\nsincere regard for bishop Broughton, who in return fully appreciated the\nhigh and lofty character of his senior chaplain. \"Well!\" said he one day\nwhen he heard of his last illness, breaking out after a thoughtful\nsilence, \"if there ever was a truly honest man, Mr. Marsden certainly\nis one;\" and after his death he publicly expressed his \"deep sense of\nthe loss he had experienced, and the painful void he felt in the absence\nof his aged and faithful companion who had so often stood by his side,\nwhose genuine piety and natural force of understanding,\" said he, \"I\nheld in the highest esteem while he lived, and still retain them in\nsincerely affectionate remembrance.\"\n\n [K] London: Hatchard, 1841.\n\nConscious that in the course of nature his decease could not be far\ndistant, death was now his frequent meditation. He viewed its approach\nwithout levity and without alarm. Familiar through life with death in\nevery form, his feelings were not blunted; he still felt it was a solemn\nthing to die, but he had experienced the love of Him who had tasted\ndeath for every man, and was no longer \"subject to bondage through fear\nof death.\" He continued his pastoral visits to the sick and dying to the\nlast, and some of those who were raised from a bed of languishing, and\nwho survived their pastor, speak of the affectionate kindness, the\ndelicacy and tenderness, as well as the deep-toned spirituality of mind\nhe showed in the sick chamber, as something which those who had not\nwitnessed it would be backward to credit. One of the last letters which\nhe penned filled three sides of folio paper, addressed to a friend who\nhad met with a severe accident in being thrown from a carriage; it\ncontained the most consoling and Scriptural aids and admonitions; it was\nunfortunately lost by its possessor on a voyage to India, or it would\nhave proved, we are assured, an acquisition to our memoir, of real\ninterest and importance.\n\nAs he stepped out of his gig, his family easily perceived from his\nmanner if he had been visiting the chamber of death, and never presumed\nto break a sacred silence that was sure to follow his deep-drawn sigh\ntill he was pleased to do so himself. This he did in general by the\nsolemn and subdued utterance of a text from Scripture, or some verse of\na favourite hymn. The tears often fell down his aged cheeks while slowly\narticulating, in a suppressed voice, \"Blessed are the dead which die in\nthe Lord;\" or from one of Watts's hymns.\n\n \"Oh could we die with those that die,\" etc.\n\nAfter this touching relief he seemed to feel more at liberty to speak on\nfuture events connected with his own decease, when he should be sitting\ndown, as he frequently said, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the\nkingdom of God. Indeed his happy, social spirit led him to connect the\njoys of heaven with the society of saints and patriarchs and his own\ndeparted friends. Sitting at dinner with the bishop and others as his\nguests, his mind abstracted itself from the surrounding scene, and he\naddressed the Christian friend to whose notices of his last days we have\nalready had recourse: \"You know, madam, you and I are to take an\nalphabetical list some day of all the names of the good men I expect\nsoon to meet in heaven; there will be (counting them up upon his\nfingers) John Wesley, Isaac Watts, the two Milners, Joseph and Isaac,\nJohn Newton and Thomas Scott, Mr. Howels of Long Acre, and Matthew\nHenry----\" Here the conversation of the party broke off the solemn\nreverie.\n\nYet all this tranquillity was consistent with that natural fear of death\nwhich for the wisest purposes God has implanted in man, and which Adam\nmust have known in paradise, or else the Divine prohibition and the\nthreatened penalty, \"in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt\nsurely die,\" could have had no force and appealed to no motive. \"In the\nmonth of September, after his last voyage, he called at the house of his\nfriend, the Rev. Mr. Cartwright, with a young lady from New Zealand, to\nintroduce her to Mrs. Cartwright. The door was opened by his aged and\nnow deeply afflicted friend and brother in the ministry, for Mrs.\nCartwright had expired in the night, after a few hours' illness. Mr.\nMarsden, with his usual cheerfulness of manner, said, 'Well! I have\nbrought Miss W. to introduce her to Mrs. Cartwright.' 'Stop! stop, my\nfriend,' responded the mourner, in a solemn manner, 'don't you know that\nMrs. Cartwright is dead?' 'Dead? dead?' replied Mr. Marsden. 'Oh no; oh\nno. You must be in joke; it is too serious a matter to make a joke of,\nMr. Cartwright.' 'Indeed,' responded Mr. Cartwright, 'it is too true.\nCome, and I will convince you,' and then led him to the room where the\nremains of his departed wife lay. Mr. Marsden approached the body,\nsaying, 'Oh! she is not dead; no, no, she is not dead;' (the bright\ncomplexion remaining unchanged), 'she is not dead;' and then, passing\nhis hand over the face, the cold chill of death dissipated the delusion.\n'Yes, she is dead, she is dead,' and leaving the room, he hurried away\nto give vent to his feelings.\"\n\nAs he contemplated his own near approach to the eternal state, a few\nchosen passages of Scripture fell often from his lips; and it was\nremarked they were almost the only repetitions he made use of; for his\nmind was richly stored with Scripture, which he seemed to bring forth\nwith endless variety, and often in the happiest combination; but now he\noften repeated the words of Job, \"He cometh forth like a flower, and is\ncut down; he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not,\" chap. xiv. 2.\nAnd those of Zechariah, \"Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets,\ndo they live for ever?\" chap. i. 5.\n\nLike Cornelius, he had been a devout man, a man of prayer through life.\nHe believed in the promises of effectual aid from God the Holy Spirit,\nto carry on the work of grace in his own soul. Nerved with this faith,\nhe waged a ceaseless war against corruptions within, and temptations\nfrom without. And while he viewed the promises of assistance from the\nHoly Spirit, as given not to supersede our own exertions, but to animate\nthem, he simply trusted to Him to become the author of his complete\nsanctification. And all the blessed fruits of faith were found richly\nclustering round his character. It was his constant habit, after his\nreturn from a journey, to spend some time in his room alone, engaged, no\ndoubt, in holy communing with God. When he prayed in the family, or\nbefore his sermon in the pulpit, where he seldom used a form, the rich\nand fervid unction, the variety and copiousness of his supplications and\nthanksgivings, seemed to intimate how closely he had been wont to\ncommune in secret with his heavenly Father. The fifty-first Psalm now\noften supplied the words for many a humble confession of sin, and many\nan earnest aspiration for larger supplies of the Holy Spirit's\nsanctifying influences, both in the pulpit and elsewhere. He appears\nalways to have held frequent communion with God in ejaculatory prayer\nthroughout the day. To one whose engagements were so many, and whose\ninterruptions were necessarily so frequent, the practice was no doubt\nmost beneficial. Thus the lamp of God in his soul was always trimmed,\nand the light went not out as age and infirmities drew on. His friends\nnow remarked his frequent abstraction from the scenes around, while his\nmoving lip and solemn gesture significantly intimated the direction of\nhis mind, and the occupation of his thoughts. His mind became daily more\nspiritual, and even when in the midst of visitors he seemed often to be\nabsorbed in silent prayer.\n\n\"An incident which seems to show that he had a presentiment of his\napproaching end occurred on the last Sunday on which the holy communion\nwas administered before his death. Although in his usual health, he did\nnot assist in the service, as he always had done for a long period of\nforty-five years in the same congregation; and when the officiating\nminister was ready to distribute the bread and wine, he remained in his\npew, apparently overcome by his feelings. A pause ensued, when, as he\nstill did not attempt to move, the Rev. Henry Bobart, his son-in-law,\nthought it advisable to take the elements to him. Many of his\ncongregation were affected to tears, impressed with the belief that they\nmight not again receive from his venerable hands those emblems of the\nSaviour's love. He had never yet been present at the church without\nassisting at the solemn rite. Such fears were but too truly and sadly\nrealized. On the Sunday evening, at the parsonage, it was the custom, at\nfamily worship, to read one of a course of sermons. The Sunday before\nhis death, when he was still apparently as well as usual, he requested\nthat the one in course for that evening might be laid aside and\nBradley's sermon the 'Morrow unknown,' from the text 'Boast not thyself\nof to-morrow,' substituted. Some slight objection was made; but on his\nagain expressing his wish, it was of course complied with. The remarks\nmade by him upon the subject during the evening excited the\napprehensions of his family that the coming week might be one of trial,\nbut they little thought that ere the next sabbath one so loved and\nrevered would be removed from them.\"\n\nOn Tuesday the 8th of May, 1838, a few of his friends visited him at his\nown house; he wore his usual cheerfulness, and they wished him, as they\nthought, a short farewell as he stepped into his gig on a journey of\nabout five and-twenty-miles. In passing through the low lands contiguous\nto Windsor, the cold suddenly affected him, and he complained of illness\non his arrival at the house of his friend, the Rev. Mr. Styles, the\nchaplain of the parish. Erysipelas in the head broke out, and a general\nstupor followed, so that he became insensible. His mind wandered amongst\nthe scenes to which his life had been devoted, and he uttered a few\nincoherent expressions about the factory, the orphan school, and the New\nZealand mission. \"Though he spoke but little,\" says his friend, Mr.\nStyles, in his funeral sermon, \"yet in his few conscious moments he said\nquite enough to show that the Saviour whom he served through life was\nwith him in the time of trial. A single remark was made to him by a\nbystander on the value of a good hope in Christ in the hour of need.\n'Yes,' said he, 'that hope is indeed precious to me now;' and on the\nfollowing evening, his last on earth, he was heard repeating the words\n'precious, precious,' as if still in the same strain of thought which\nthat remark had suggested. Soon after, inflammation having reached the\nbrain, his spirit was released. On Saturday morning, the 12th of May, he\nentered--who can doubt?--upon the enjoyment of his 'eternal and\nexceeding great reward.'\"\n\n * * * * *\n\nHe was buried in his own churchyard at Paramatta. Upwards of sixty\ncarriages formed the mourning train, and a numerous assemblage of\nmourners, including most of the public functionaries in the colony,\nfollowed him to the grave. Of these, some who had in years long past\nthwarted and opposed him came at last to offer an unfeigned tribute of\ndeep respect. A few had been his early associates in the ministry, and\nin every good word and work. The majority were a youthful generation, to\nwhom he was only known as a wise and venerable minister of God. His\nparishioners had been most of them brought up under his instructions,\nand had been taught from their infancy to look up to him with respect\nand love. The solemn burial service was read by the Rev. Dr. Cowper, who\nfirst came out to the colony at Mr. Marsden's solicitation. He stood\nover the grave and addressed the mourners on the early devotedness of\ntheir departed friend and pastor to the great work of the ministry, told\nthem how solemnly he had dedicated himself to God before he left England\nin his youth, and reminded them of the fidelity with which through evil\nand good report he had endured his Master's cross, despising the shame.\n\nAustralia seemed at length fully to appreciate his worth. It was quite\nfitting, and indeed an additional tribute to his integrity, that some\nmutterings of calumny should be uttered by ungodly men, even as the\ngrave closed over him, and that a priest of the apostate church of Rome\nshould catch them up, and gladly give expression to them. With this\nexception the colony was unanimous, as were the friends of religion in\nEngland, and throughout the world, in mourning for him as for one who\nhad been great as an evangelist in the church of Christ, and as a\nphilanthropist second to none who have ever devoted their lives to the\nwelfare of their fellow creatures. It was proposed to erect a monument\nto his memory by public subscription; the proposition was warmly\napproved on all sides, and subscriptions were offered to a considerable\namount. Whole families became subscribers--parents, and children, and\ndomestic servants, all ready thus to testify their reverence. On further\nconsideration, it was thought better to erect a church to his memory on\na piece of his own land, which he himself had devised for that purpose,\nto which the name of Marsfield should be given; and the design, we\nbelieve, has been carried into effect, at the cost of about six thousand\npounds.\n\nThe public press, not only in Australia but in England, published\nbiographical sketches of his life and labours, with articles on his\nmotives and character. The great missionary societies recorded his death\nwith becoming feelings of reverential love. The notice of him in the\nminutes of the Church Missionary Society, the reader will not be\ndispleased to find in these pages. It was read at their annual meeting\nat Exeter-hall, and published in their thirtieth report.\n\n \"The Committee of the Church Missionary Society record the death\n of the late Rev. Samuel Marsden with feelings of deep respect for\n his personal character and gratitude to the Great Head of the\n church, who raised up, and who so long preserved, this\n distinguished man, for the good of his own, and of future\n generations.\n\n \"In him the Committee recognise an individual whom Providence had\n endowed with a vigorous constitution, both of body and mind,\n suited to meet the circumstances which ever attend a course of new\n and arduous labours. Entering upon the duties of his chaplaincy\n forty-five years ago, at a time when the colonists of New South\n Wales were, for the most part, of abandoned character and\n suffering the penalty of the law, he, with admirable foresight,\n anticipated the probable future destinies of that singular and\n important colony, and never ceased to call the attention of both\n the local and home governments to the great duty of providing for\n the interests, both temporal and spiritual, of the rapidly\n increasing population by a proportionate increase in the number of\n colonial chaplains.\n\n \"In the discharge of his diversified duties, the native energies\n of his mind were conspicuously exhibited in the undisturbed\n ardour, public spirit, and steady perseverance, with which his\n various plans of usefulness were prosecuted; while his high\n natural gifts were sanctified by those Christian principles, which\n from his youth up, he maintained and adorned, both by his teaching\n and by his life.\n\n \"But it is to his exertions in behalf of Christian missions that\n the Committee are bound especially to call the attention of the\n Society. While he omitted no duty of his proper ministerial\n calling, his comprehensive mind quickly embraced the vast\n spiritual interests, till then well nigh entirely unheeded, of the\n innumerable islands of the Pacific Ocean, whose 'inhabitants were\n sitting in darkness, and in the shadow of death.'\n\n \"Under the influence of these considerations, Mr. Marsden\n zealously promoted the labours of the different societies which\n have established missions in the South Seas. And it is to his\n visits to New Zealand, begun twenty-five years ago, and often\n since repeated, and to his earnest appeals on behalf of that\n people, that the commencement and consolidation of the Society's\n missions in the Northern Island are to be attributed.\n\n \"In calling to mind the long series of eminent services rendered\n to the Society by Mr. Marsden, the committee notice with peculiar\n satisfaction the last visit made by him, in the year 1836, to the\n Society's missions in New Zealand--a visit justly termed by the\n Lord Bishop of Australia 'Apostolical.' With paternal authority\n and affection, and with the solemnity of one who felt himself to\n be standing on the verge of eternity, he then gave his parting\n benediction to the missionaries and the native converts.\"\n\nAnd thus was the man honoured in his death, whose life had been one long\nconflict with obloquy and slander. With few exceptions his enemies had\ndied away, or been gradually led to abandon their prejudices, and many\nof them now loved and revered the man whom they had once hated or\ndespised. This, however, is but the usual recompense of a life of\nconsistent holiness. God often allows his servants to live and even to\ndie under a cloud of prejudice; but sooner or later, even the world does\nhomage to their virtues and confesses its admiration of the Christian\ncharacter, while the church of Christ glorifies God in the grace which\nmade their departed brother to shine as a light in the world.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\n Character of Mr. Marsden--His Life and Labours.\n\n\nThe reader may naturally expect in conclusion a summary of Mr. Marsden's\ncharacter. In attempting this, we are by no means insensible to the\ndifficulty of the undertaking. Indiscriminate eulogy, and the arrogance\nwhich affects to blame in order to establish its own claim to superior\nwisdom, are both alike impertinent and unbecoming. Yet it is not easy to\nspeak of one whose motives were so high, whose labours so constant and\nself-denying, and whose triumphs so remarkable, without enthusiasm.\nWhile, on the other hand, those infirmities which may generally be\ndetected even in the best men, and which truth requires to be\nimpartially noted down, did not much affect his public life; and we have\nfelt all along as we have written with the disadvantage of having known\nhim only by the report of others. Still, however, something should be\nattempted. The character of Mr. Marsden is too instructive to be lost;\nperhaps few great men ever lived whose example was more calculated for\ngeneral usefulness,--for the simple reason that he displayed no gigantic\npowers, no splendid genius; he had only a solid, well ordered, mind,\nwith which to work,--no other endowments than those which thousands of\nhis fellow men possess. It was in the _use of his materials_ that his\ngreatness lay.\n\nMr. Marsden was a man of a masculine understanding, of great decision of\ncharacter, and an energy which nothing could subdue. He naturally\npossessed such directness and honesty of purpose, that his intentions\ncould never be mistaken; and he seemed incapable of attempting to gain\nhis purpose by those dexterous shifts and manoeuvres which often pass\ncurrent, even amongst professing Christians, as the proper, if not\nlaudable, resources of a good diplomatist, or a thorough man of\nbusiness. When he had an object in view, it was always worthy of his\nstrenuous pursuit, and nothing stopped him in his efforts to obtain it,\nexcept the impossibility of proceeding further. Had his mind been less\ncapacious such firmness would often have degenerated into mere\nobstinacy; had it been less benevolent and less under the influence of\nreligion, it would have led him, as he pressed rudely onwards, to\ntrample upon the feelings, perhaps upon the rights, of other men. But he\nseems, whenever he was not boldly confronting vice, to have been of the\ngentlest nature. In opposing sin, especially when it showed itself with\neffrontery in the persons of magistrates and men in power, he gave no\nquarter and asked for none. There was a quaintness and originality about\nhim, which enabled him to say and do things which were impossible to\nother men. There was a firmness and inflexibility, combined with earnest\nzeal, which in the days of the reformers would have placed him in their\nforemost rank. None could be long in his society without observing that\nhe was a man of another mould than those around him. There was an air of\nunconscious independence in all he did which, mixed with his other\nqualities, clearly showed to those who could read his character, that he\nwas a peculiar instrument in the hands of God to carry out his own\npurposes. These traits are illustrated by many remarkable events in his\nlife.\n\nWhen he first arrived in New South Wales, while theft, blasphemy, and\nevery other crime, prevailed to an alarming extent among the convicts,\nthe higher classes of society, the civil and military officers, set a\ndisgraceful example of social immorality. Such is the account given by a\nSydney periodical a few weeks after Mr. Marsden's decease, which goes on\nto say: \"Many an individual of a more plastic nature might have been\nmoulded by the prevailing fashion of the age in which he lived, and\ninstead of endeavouring to struggle against the tide of popular opinion,\nwould have yielded in all probability to its seducing influence. Such\nwas not the case with Mr. Marsden. When he was opposed on all hands, and\neven by the civil and military authorities of the day, he faithfully\nperformed his duty, and careless of the powerful coalitions combined for\nhis destruction, 'all the ends he aimed at were his country's, his\nGod's, and truth's.' Educated in the school of the Milners, the Simeons,\nand the Fletchers, he was not disposed to flatter the vices of any man;\nbut with plainness and sincerity of speech, he discoursed 'of\nrighteousness, temperance and judgment to come.'\" He has been known to\nrebuke sin at a dinner-table in such a manner as to electrify the whole\ncompany. Once, arriving late, he sat down in haste, and did not for a\nfew minutes perceive the presence of one who should have been the wife\nof the host, but who stood in a very different relation to him. Mr.\nMarsden always turned a deaf ear to scandal, and in the excess of his\ncharity was sometimes blind to facts which were evident enough to\nothers. The truth now flashed upon him, and though such things were\nlittle thought of in the colony, he rose instantly from the table,\ncalling to the servant in a decided tone to bring his hat, and without\nfurther ceremony, or another word, retired. That such a man should raise\nup a host of bitter enemies is not to be wondered at.\n\nTo these qualities his great successes in life, under God, were due. The\nyoung chaplain who single handed confronted and at length bore down the\nprofligacy of New South Wales, and the shameless partiality of its\ncourts of justice (the immediate result and consequence of the\nlicentious lives and connexions of the magistrates) planned, and was\nhimself the first to adventure upon the mission to New Zealand. Against\nthe rashness of this attempt the timid expostulations of his friends,\nthe hesitation of the captains who declined so perilous an adventure,\nand even the remonstrances of Governor Macquarie himself weighed not a\nfeather in the scale. He saw his way clearly; it was the path of duty,\nand along it he must go. And when, ten years afterwards, scarcely a\nnominal convert had been won from among the cannibals, when tens of\nthousands of good money had been spent, when the church at home was\nalmost weary of the project, and half disposed to give it up, he was\nstill true as ever to the cause. He neither bolstered up his courage\nwith noisy protestations, nor attempted to cheer the languid zeal of\nothers by the slightest exaggerations, but quietly went forward calmly\nresting upon the two great pillars, the _commands_ and the _promises_ of\nGod. So again with respect to the Polynesian missions; at first he\nshowed little of that enthusiasm in which some of its promoters were\ncaught as in a whirlwind, and carried off their feet. But high principle\nendures when enthusiasm has long worn out. And it was to the firm and\nyet cheering remonstrances of Samuel Marsden, and to the weight which\nhis representations had with the churches of Christ in England, that\nthe directors were indebted for the ability to maintain their ground,\nand that this perhaps the most successful of Protestant missions, was\nnot finally abandoned upon the very eve of its triumphs.\n\nWhile he embraced large and comprehensive projects, it was one of his\nstriking peculiarities that he paid close attention to minute details.\nSome minds beginning with the vast and theoretical, work backwards into\nthe necessary details; others setting out upon that which is minute and\npractical, from the necessities of the hour and the duties of the day\nbefore them seem to enlarge their circle and to build up new projects as\nthey proceed. The former may be men of greater genius, but the latter\nare in general the more successful, and to these Mr. Marsden belonged.\nThe cast of his mind was eminently practical. No crude visions of\ndistant triumphs led him away from the duties which belonged to the\nscene and circumstances in which providence had placed him. Paramatta\nwas for many years the model parish of New South Wales, although its\npastor was the soul of the New Zealand mission, and of many a\nphilanthropic enterprise besides. Commissioner Biggs, in his \"Report of\nInquiry,\" which was published by order of the House of Commons, observes\nthat \"Mr. Marsden, though much occupied by the business of the missions\nwhich he conducted, and by the superintendence of the orphan school\nwhich he had himself called into existence, was remarkably attentive to\nthe duties of his ministry.\" \"The congregation at Paramatta appeared to\nme to be more respectable than at the other places of worship, and the\nchoral parts of the service were admirably performed by the singers, who\nhave been taught under the direction of the Rev. S. Marsden.\" He was\nwell known to all his parishioners, to whom he paid constant ministerial\nvisits; his attention to the sick, whether at their own homes or the\ngovernment hospital, was unremitting, and here his natural shrewdness,\nsharpened as it was by his spiritual penetration, showed itself in his\ninsight into the true character of those he dealt with. Nothing\ndisgusted him more than a want of reality. High professions from\ninconsistent lips were loathsome to him, and his rebukes were sometimes\nsharp. A gentleman, whose habits of life were not altogether consistent\nwith Christian simplicity and deadness to the world, had been reading\n\"Mammon,\" when that volume had just made its appearance, and with that\npartial eye with which we are too apt to view our own failings, had come\nto the flattering conclusion that by contrast with the monster depicted\nin \"Mammon,\" the desires he felt to add field to field and house to\nhouse, were not covetousness, but that diligence in business which the\nScriptures inculcate. In the happy excitement of the discovery, he\nexultingly exclaimed, \"Well, thank God, I have no covetousness.\" Mr.\nMarsden, who had read no more about covetousness than he found in the\nBible, had sat silent; rising from his chair, and taking his hat, he\nmerely said, \"Well, I think it is time for me to go: and so, sir, you\nthank God that you are not as other men are. You have no covetousness?\nhavn't you? Why, sir, I suppose the next thing you'll tell us is that\nyou've no pride;\" and left the room.\n\nBut when he spoke to a modest inquirer, these roughnesses, which lay\nonly on the surface, disappeared. To the sick, his manner was gentle and\naffectionate, and in his later years, when he began, from failing\nmemory and dimness of sight, to feel himself unequal to the pulpit, he\nspent much of his time in going from house to house and amongst the\nprison population, exhorting and expounding the Scriptures. Upon one of\nthese occasions, a friend who accompanied him relates that he made a\nshort journey to visit a dying young lady, whose parents on some account\nwere strangely averse to his intrusion, pastoral though it was. But the\nkindness with which he addressed the sufferer, whom he found under deep\nspiritual anxieties, and the soothing manner in which he spoke and\nprayed with her, instantly changed the whole bias of their minds. \"To\nthink,\" they exclaimed when he left the house, \"of the aged man, with\nhis silver locks, coming such a distance as seventeen miles, and\nspeaking so affectionately to our feeble child!\"\n\n\"At Paramatta, his Sunday-school,\" his daughter writes, \"was in a more\nefficient state than any I have since seen;\" and the same remark might\nprobably be applied to his other parochial institutions, for whatever he\ndid was done with all his heart; and he was one of those who easily find\ncoadjutors. Their example seems to shed an immediate influence. And his\ncurates and the pious members of his flock were scarcely less zealous\nand energetic than himself.\n\nHe found time to promote missionary meetings, and to encourage the\nformation of tract and Bible societies, as well as other benevolent\ninstitutions, at Sydney and other places. On many occasions he delivered\ninteresting speeches, and not long before his death he presided at a\nBible Society meeting at Paramatta, when, in the course of an\naffectionate address, he alluded to his beloved New Zealand. New Zealand\nwas near his heart, and he now seldom spoke of it without being\nsensibly affected. Relating an anecdote respecting Mowhee, a converted\nNew Zealander, he was completely overcome, and burst into tears.\n\nHis manner of preaching was simple, forcible, and persuasive, rather\nthan powerful or eloquent. In his later years, when he was no longer\nable to read his sermons, he preached extempore. His memory, until the\nlast year or two of his life, was remarkably tenacious: he used to\nrepeat the whole of the burial service _memoriter_, and in the pulpit,\nwhole chapters or a great variety of texts from all parts of Scripture,\nas they were required to prove or illustrate his subject. He was seldom\ncontroversial, nor did he attempt a critical exposition of the word of\nGod. His ministry was pure and evangelical. \"You can well remember him,\nmy hearers,\" says the preacher, in his funeral sermon, \"as having\nfaithfully preached to you the word of God; clearly did he lay before\nyou the whole counsel of God. Man was represented by him as in a\ncondemned and helpless state, lying in all the pollution and filthiness\nof his sin, totally unable to justify himself wholly or in part, by any\nworks of righteousness which he can do; God, as too pure to look upon\niniquity without abhorrence, and yet too merciful to leave sinners to\ntheir sad estate without providing a refuge for them; Christ, as All in\nall to the sinner; as wisdom to enlighten him, as righteousness to\njustify him, sanctification to make him holy in heart and life, as\ncomplete redemption from the bondage of sin and death into the glorious\ninheritance of heaven; the Holy Spirit of God as the only author of\naught that is good in the renewed soul; faith as the only means of\napplying the salvation of the gospel to the case of the individual\nsinner; justification by faith; the necessity of regeneration; holiness\nindispensable. All these were represented by your departed minister as\nthe vital doctrines of the gospel, and the mutual bearing and connexion\nof each was clearly shown. And this he has been doing for nearly\nforty-five years.\"\n\nDwelling on the outskirts of civilization and of the Christian world, he\nwas too deeply impressed with the grand line of distinction between\nChristianity and hideous ungodliness, whether exhibited in the vices of\na penal settlement or the cannibalism of New Zealand, to be likely to\nattach too much importance to those minor shades of difference which are\nto be met with in the great family of Jesus Christ. As his heart was\nlarge, so too was his spirit catholic. He was sincerely and\naffectionately attached to the church of England. He revered her\nliturgy, and in her articles and homilies he found his creed, and he\nlaboured much to promote her extension. Yet his heart was filled with\nlove to all those who name the name of Christ in sincerity. Wherever he\nmet with the evidences of real piety and soundness of doctrine, his\nhouse and his purse flew open; and orthodox Christians of every\ndenomination from time to time either shared his hospitalities or were\nassisted in their benevolent projects with pecuniary aid. With what\ndelicacy this was done may be gathered from such statements as the\nfollowing, which is copied from the \"Colonist\" newspaper, September\n12th, 1838: \"An attempt having been made to build a Scotch church in\nSydney, the colonial government for a time opposed the scheme, and in\nconsequence some of its friends fell away. Then it was that the late\nSamuel Marsden, unsolicited, very generously offered the loan of 750_l._\nto the trustees of the Scotch church, on the security of the building\nand for its completion. This loan was accordingly made; but as it was\nfound impracticable to give an available security on the building, Mr.\nMarsden agreed to take the personal guarantee of the minister for the\ndebt.\"\n\nIn the same spirit he presented the Wesleyan Methodists with a valuable\npiece of land on which to erect a chapel, at Windsor. This act of\nChristian charity was acknowledged by their missionaries in a grateful\nletter. Mr. Marsden's reply is full of warmth and feeling. \"You express\nyour acknowledgment for the ground at Windsor to build your chapel and\nhouse upon. I can only say I feel much pleasure in having it in my power\nto meet your wishes in this respect. To give you the right hand of\nfellowship is no more than my indispensable duty; and were I to throw\nthe smallest difficulty in your way I should be highly criminal and\nunworthy the Christian name, more especially considering the present\ncircumstances of these extensive settlements, 'where the harvest is so\ngreat and the labourers are so few.' ... The importation of convicts\nfrom Europe is very great every year; hundreds have just landed on our\nshores from various parts of the British empire, hundreds are now in the\nharbour ready to be disembarked, and hundreds more on the bosom of the\ngreat deep are hourly expected. These exiles come to us laden with the\nchains of their sins, and reduced to the lowest state of human\nwretchedness and depravity. We must not expect that magistrates and\npoliticians can find a remedy for the dreadful moral diseases with which\nthe convicts are infected. The plague of sin, when it has been permitted\nto operate on the human mind with all its violence and poison, can never\nbe cured, and seldom restrained by the wisest human laws and\nregulations. Heaven itself has provided the only remedy for sin--the\nblessed balm in Gilead; to apply any other remedy is lost labour. In\nrecommending this at all times and in all places, we shall prevail upon\nsome to try its effect; and whoever do this we know they will be healed\nin the selfsame hour. I pray that the Divine blessing may attend all\nyour labours for the good of immortal souls in these settlements.\"\n\nHis private charities displayed the same catholic spirit. His\ndisinterestedness was great, and his only desire seemed to be to assist\nthe deserving or to retrieve the lost. He was not foolishly indifferent\nto the value of money, as those who had business transactions with him\nwere well aware; but its chief value in his eyes consisted in the\nopportunities it gave him to promote the happiness of others. Hundreds\nof instances of his extraordinary liberality might be mentioned, and it\nis probable that many more are quite unknown. The following anecdotes,\nfurnished by his personal friends, will show that his bounty was dealt\nout with no sparing hand.\n\nA gentleman, at whose house he was a visitor, happened to express a wish\nthat he had three hundred pounds to pay off a debt. The next morning Mr.\nMarsden came down and presented him with the money, taking no\nacknowledgment. The circumstance would have remained unknown had not the\nobliged person, after Mr. Marsden's decease, honourably sent an\nacknowledgment to his executors. All he assisted were not equally\ngrateful. Travelling with a friend in his carriage, a vehicle passed by.\n\"Paddy,\" said he, calling to his servant, \"who is that?\" On being told,\n\"Oh,\" said he, \"he borrowed from me two hundred pounds, and he never\npaid me.\" This was his only remark.\n\nYet he was not tenacious for repayment, nor indeed exact in requiring it\nat all where he thought the persons needy and deserving. The same friend\nwas with him when a man called to pay up the interest on a considerable\nsum which Mr. Marsden had lent to him. He took a cheque for the amount,\nbut when the person retired, tore it up and threw it into the fire,\nremarking, \"He is an honest man. I am satisfied if he returns me the\nprincipal; that is all I want.\"\n\nOn another occasion, a friend who had been requested to make an advance\nof fifty pounds to a needy person, but was unable to do so, mentioned\nthe case to Mr. Marsden, with, \"Sir, can you lend me fifty pounds?\" \"To\nbe sure I can,\" was the answer, and the money was instantly produced.\nWhen he called, shortly afterwards, to repay the loan, Mr. Marsden had\nforgotten all about it. \"Indeed I never looked to its being repaid.\"\n\nThe Rev----, being pressed for a hundred pounds, walking with Mr.\nMarsden, mentioned his difficulties. Mr. Marsden at once gave him a\nhundred pounds, simply remarking, \"I dare say that will do for you.\"\n\nA lady had come to the colony at the solicitation of her family, with\nthe view of establishing a school of a superior class for the daughters\nof the colonists. At first she met with little success. Mr. Marsden saw\nthe importance of her scheme, and at once invited her to Paramatta,\noffering her a suitable house and all the pecuniary aid she might\nrequire, and this under the feeling of a recent disappointment in an\nundertaking of the same nature.\n\nOf the large sums he expended on the New Zealand mission from his own\nprivate resources it is impossible even to conjecture the amount, to say\nnothing of a life in a great measure devoted to the service. He one day\ncalled upon a young man of enterprise and piety, whom he was anxious to\ninduce to settle in New Zealand, and offered him fifty pounds per annum\nout of his own purse, as well as to raise a further sum for him from\nother sources. Nor should it be forgotten, in proof of this\ndisinterestedness, that with all his opportunities and influence in New\nZealand, he never possessed a single acre of land there, or sought the\nslightest advantage either for himself or for any member of his family.\n\nAnother feature in his character was his unaffected humility. This was\nnot in him the nervous weakness which disqualifies some men for vigorous\naction, rendering them either unconscious of their power, or incapable\nof maintaining and asserting their position, and consequently of\ndischarging its obligations. This, though often called humility, is, in\nfact, disease, and ought to be resisted rather than indulged. Mr.\nMarsden's mind was vigorous and healthy; he took a just measure of his\npowers and opportunities, as the use he put them to proves abundantly.\nThere was nothing in him of the shyness which disqualifies for public\nlife; he was bold without effrontery, courageous without rashness, firm\nwithout obstinacy; but withal he was a humble man. His private\ncorrespondence will have shown the reader how anxious he was to submit\nhis own judgment, even on questions affecting his personal character, to\nwhat he considered the better judgment of his friends at home. To vanity\nor ostentation he seems to have been a perfect stranger. There is not a\npassage in his correspondence, nor can we learn that a word ever fell\nfrom his lips, which would lead us to suppose that he ever thought\nhimself in any way an extraordinary man. Flattery disgusted him, and\neven moderate praise was offensive to his feelings. When the life of his\nfriend, Dr. Mason Good, appeared from the pen of Dr. Olinthus Gregory,\nit contained an appendix, giving an account of his own labours and\ntriumphs at Paramatta and in New Zealand. This he cut out of the volume\nwith his penknife, without any remark, before he permitted it to lie\nupon his table or to be read by his family. He was so far from thinking\nhe had accomplished much, either in the colony or amongst the heathen,\nthat he was rather disposed, in his later days, to lament that his life\nhad been almost useless; and indeed he was heard more than once to\nexpress a doubt whether he had not mistaken his calling, and been no\nbetter than an intruder into the sacred ministry. Perhaps failing health\nand spirits were in part the cause of these misgivings, but his\nunfeigned humility had a deeper root. It originated in that evangelical\npiety upon which all his usefulness was built. He saw the holiness of\nGod, he saw his Divine perfection reflected in his law, and though he\nhad a clear, abiding sense of his adoption through the grace of our Lord\nJesus Christ, this did not interfere with a clear conception too of his\nown unworthiness. When told one day, by a justly indignant friend, how\nbasely he was misrepresented, \"Sir,\" he exclaimed, and the solemnity of\nhis manner showed the depth of his meaning, \"these men don't know the\nworst. Why, sir, if I were to walk down the streets of Paramatta with my\nheart laid bare, the very boys would pelt me.\"\n\nSuch was Samuel Marsden, a man whose memory is to be revered and his\nexample imitated. \"Not merely a good man,\" says the preacher of his\nfuneral sermon, \"who filled up the place allotted to him on earth, and\nthen sank into his grave; not merely a faithful minister of Christ, who\nloved and served his Saviour and turned many to repentance, but more\nthan either of these. Rightly to estimate his character we must view him\nas a peculiar man, raised up for an especial purpose.\" And he adds--\n\n \"As Luther in Germany, and John Knox in Scotland, and Cranmer in\n England, were sent by the Head of the church, and fitted with\n peculiar qualifications to make known his glorious gospel, hidden\n in Romish darkness, so too, no less truly, was SAMUEL MARSDEN\n raised up in this southern hemisphere, and admirably fitted for\n the work, and made the instrument of diffusing the light of that\n same gospel, and of bringing it to bear on the darkness of New\n Zealand and the Isles of the Sea, and upon the darkness, too, no\n less real, of the depravity of society in early Australia.\"\n\n\n\n\nAPPENDIX I.\n\n Progress of the Gospel and of Civilization in New Zealand, since\n Mr. Marsden's Decease.\n\n\nThe great work of Mr. Marsden's life was undoubtedly the New Zealand\nmission; but he was also, as we have seen, the early friend, the wise\nadviser, and not unfrequently the generous host of that devoted band of\nmen who first essayed the introduction of the gospel to the Society\nIslands. Each of these missions has been attended with astonishing\nsuccess; each has produced what may be called magnificent\nresults,--results which already far exceed, in some respects, the most\nsanguine hopes, extravagant as at the time they seemed to be, of Mr.\nMarsden and his early coadjutors some fifty years ago. Yet in other\nrespects their disappointment would have been great had they lived to\nwitness the present state of things, whether in New Zealand or Tahiti.\nInstead of native tribes growing up into Christian brotherhood, and\nasserting a national independence, these beautiful islands have bowed to\na foreign yoke. Instead of native churches they have rather assumed the\nform of offshoots and dependencies of British churches. A great work has\nbeen accomplished, and its fruits will never cease to ripen. But events\nhave occurred which only prophets could have foreseen; changes have\ntaken place which neither political sagacity nor the saintly wisdom of\nthose good men who first projected our foreign missions amidst storms of\ninsult, or, what was worse to bear, the withering influences of a\ncontemptuous neglect, anticipated. It is often so in this world's\nhistory. Our successes, our trials, the events which happen to us, our\nnational history, and that of the church of Christ, scoop out for\nthemselves fresh channels, and flow still onwards, but in the direction\nperhaps least of all expected.\n\nOur readers are, we trust, so far interested in the details already\ngiven as to desire some further acquaintance with the later history of\nthese great missions since Mr. Marsden's death. This we propose to give,\nbriefly of course, for the subject would fill a volume; and such a\nvolume, whenever it shall be written well and wisely, will be received\nwith delight by every intelligent member of the whole catholic church of\nChrist.\n\nWe shall direct our attention in the first place to NEW ZEALAND.\n\nAttempts to colonize upon a large scale, attended with constant\naggressions upon the native tribes, had occurred before Mr. Marsden's\ndeath, and awakened his anxiety. A New Zealand Company was formed in\n1839, with the avowed object of purchasing land from the Maories, and\nsettling large tracts of the island with English emigrants. It made no\nprovision for the spiritual welfare of the natives, nor indeed for that\nof the European settlers; and it was evident that, however\nwell-intentioned, the project in the hands of a mercantile company would\nbe effected, as such schemes always have been effected, only at the cost\nof injustice and oppression to the natives. Meanwhile danger was\nthreatening from another quarter. Louis Philippe now sat upon the throne\nof France. Though not ambitious of military conquest, he was cunning\nand unprincipled, and anxious to extend the power of France by force or\nfraud. Her colonial possessions she had lost during her long war with\nEngland, and now scarcely one of them remained. He saw and coveted the\nislands of the Southern Ocean, and resolved to repair his colonial\nempire by the addition of these splendid and inviting prizes. It was\nsaid, and we believe with truth, that a frigate was already equipped and\non the very point of sailing for New Zealand with secret orders to annex\nthat island to the crown of France, when the English government, tardily\nand with sincere reluctance, resolved to anticipate the project and\nclaim New Zealand for the queen of England. This was done, and the\nisland was formally annexed to the English crown, and in January, 1842,\nbecame an English colony.\n\nFor once the story of colonial annexation is neither darkened with crime\nnor saddened with war and bloodshed. The measure was essential both to\nthe security of the natives and to the work of the Protestant missions.\nLawlessness and anarchy were universal: the Maori tribes were\nslaughtering one another; the white man was slaughtering the Maori\ntribes. For the native laws were obsolete, and the laws of England no\nman yet had the power to enforce.\n\nThere was, too, on the part of England, and it was strongly expressed in\nthe British parliament, a determination to secure, as far as possible,\nnot only the safety but the independence of the natives under their old\nchiefs, and to leave them in possession of their ancient usages and\nforms of government. In fact, the authority of queen Victoria was to be\nthat of a mild protectorate rather than an absolute sovereignty. The\nchiefs were to acknowledge the supremacy of the crown as represented in\nthe governor. To him, and not as heretofore to the field of battle, with\nits horrors and cannibalism, were their disputes to be referred; and in\nall doubtful questions English law, its maxims and analogies, were to be\nheld supreme. Upon these easy terms the most fastidious will find little\nto blame in our annexation of New Zealand. The Maories did not exceed,\nit was computed, one hundred thousand souls. Suppose they had been twice\nthat number, still they could scarcely be said to _occupy_ the whole of\nan island of the size of Ireland, and quite as fruitful. There was still\nroom for a vast influx of Europeans, leaving to the natives wide tracts\nof land far beyond their wants, either for tillage or the chase, or for\na nomad wandering life, had this been the habit of the Maories. And when\nthe threatened seizure by France is thrown into the scale, few\nProtestants, of whatever nation they may be, will hesitate to admit that\nthe conduct of England in this instance was both wise and just.\n\nThe Maories in general accepted this new state of things with\nsatisfaction. Those of them who resided on the coast and in the\nneighbourhood of the Bay of Islands saw that the aggression of the\ncolonists was restrained, and that their own safety was secured. Further\nin the interior, where the want of an English protectorate was less\nfelt, heart-burnings occurred, fomented, as usual, by designing men, and\naggravated by the occasional outrage of individuals. Some of the tribes\nresisted, and a war broke out, though happily neither bloody nor of long\nduration, in which the Maories maintained the reputation of their native\nvalour, even against English regiments. Nor was it till the year 1849\nthat the peace of the island and the supremacy of the English crown\nwere perfectly restored and asserted.\n\nFor a time the progress of the gospel was triumphant. For example,\narchdeacon William Williams could report that the number of communicants\nin the eastern district, beneath his care, had risen from twenty-nine in\n1840, to two thousand eight hundred and ninety-three in 1850; and these\nwere \"members of the congregation who were supposed to walk in the\nnarrow way. Here then,\" he exclaims, \"is abundant encouragement; the\nlittle one is become a thousand. In the course of ten years, there has\nbeen time for the novelty of Christianity to wear away; but, while some\nare gone back again to the beggarly elements of the world, hitherto the\nLord has blessed his vineyards with increase.\" In other districts the\nprogress of the gospel was equally gratifying. At Tauranga, out of a\npopulation not exceeding two thousand four hundred, upwards of eight\nhundred partook of the Lord's supper; and yet there were many native\nChristians who, from various causes, had been kept away from this\nordinance. Other denominations of Protestant Christians had likewise\ntheir trophies to exhibit to the \"praise of his grace,\" who had crowned\ntheir labours with success. \"The facilities,\" reports one missionary,\nupon the eastern coast, \"the facilities for usefulness are great; the\ncoast might become one of the most interesting missionary gardens in the\nworld. Crowds can be got together at any time for catechizing; the dear\nchildren are all anxious for schooling; the native teachers and monitors\nput themselves quite under your hands; and they are, I think, a very\nimproving and improvable class.\"\n\nSimilar reports reached home from almost every station in New Zealand.\nAt the intervention of a missionary of the church of England, a Wesleyan\nmissionary, and an English lay gentleman, (the surveyor-general,) the\nWaikato and Wangaroa tribes, bent on mutual slaughter, laid down their\narms at the instant the battle should have joined. They had had their\nwar-dance; some random shots had even been fired; their mediators had\nbegun to despair; when at length, towards evening, they agreed to leave\nthe subject in dispute between them (the right to a piece of land), to\nSir George Grey, the governor, and Te Werowero, a native chieftain, for\narbitration. The question was put to the whole army, \"Do you agree to\nthis?\" Four hundred armed natives answered with one voice, assenting.\nThe question was put a second time, and they again gave their consent.\n\"The surveyor-general giving the signal, we all,\" says the missionary,\n\"gave three hearty cheers; after which the natives assembled for\nevening-prayers, and,\" he adds, \"I trust I felt thankful.\" The accounts\nthat reached England, filled men's hearts with astonishment; even upon\nthe spot, men long enured to the spiritual warfare with idolatry, were\namazed at the greatness of their triumph. They wrote home in strains\nsuch as the following.\n\n \"Rotorua is endeared to us by every tie that should endear a place\n to a missionary's heart. We came hither, to a people utterly\n debased by everything that was savage. Now, there is not a village\n or place around us, where the morning and evening bell does not\n call to prayer and praise, and where the sabbath is not observed.\n I am sometimes astonished when I look back upon the past, and\n remember what we have passed through. If I think only of those\n scenes which occurred to us during the southern war, the\n remembrance seems appalling. Now peace reigns in every border;\n the native chapel stands conspicuous in almost every Pa; wars seem\n almost forgotten; and for New Zealand, the promise seems\n fulfilled, 'I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance,\n and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.'\"\n\nNew Zealand was at length, outwardly at least, a Christian land. Bishop\nSelwyn had, in 1842, taken charge of the church of England and the\noversight of her missions, and other denominations assumed a fixed and\nsettled character. The missionary began to merge and disappear in the\nstated minister. The ancient warrior chieftain too, was fading fast from\nsight; and we cannot deny that, savage as he was, we part from him with\nsome feelings of respect. Who that has a heart to feel, or any\nimagination capable of being warmed by strains of exquisite pathos, can\nread unmoved the last words of the dying Karepa? The scene is in the\nlonely village of Te Hawera, of which he was the chief. Mr. Colenzo, the\nmissionary, arrived just as his people, with loud cries, sitting around\nhis new-made tomb, bewailed his departure. At night they gathered around\ntheir spiritual father in his tent, and one of the natives thus related\nthe last words of Karepa.\n\n \"He summoned us all,\" said he, \"to come close around him, and with\n much love exhorted us; talking energetically, as was his custom, a\n long while, he said:--'You well know that I have brought you, from\n time to time, much riches, muskets, powder, hatchets, knives,\n blankets. I afterwards heard of the new riches, called faith. I\n sought it. I went to Manawatu; in those days a long and perilous\n journey, for we were surrounded by enemies; no man travelled\n alone: I saw the few natives who, it was said, had heard of it;\n but they could not satisfy me. I sought further, but in vain. I\n heard afterwards of a white man at Otaki, and that with him was\n the spring where I could fill my empty and dry calabash. I\n travelled to his place, to Otaki, but in vain; he was gone--gone\n away ill. I returned to you, my children, dark minded. Many days\n passed by; the snows fell, they melted, they disappeared; the buds\n expanded, and the tangled paths of our low forests were again\n passable to the foot of the native man. At last we heard of\n another white man who was going about over mountains and through\n forests and swamps, giving drink from his calabash to the secluded\n native--to the remnants of the tribes of the mighty, of the\n renowned of former days, now dwelling by twos and threes among the\n roots of the big trees of the ancient forests, and among the long\n reeds by the rills in the valleys. Yes, my grandchildren, my and\n your ancestors, once spread over the country as the Koitarek\u00e8\n (_quail_) and Krivi (_apteryx_) once did; but now their\n descendants are even as the descendants of these birds, scarce,\n gone, dead, fast hastening to utter extinction. Yes, we heard of\n that white man; we heard of his going over the high snowy range to\n Patea, all over the rocks to Turakir\u00e1e. I sent four of my children\n to meet him. They saw his face; yes you, you talked with him. You\n brought me a drop of water from his calabash. You told me he had\n said he would come to this far-off isle to see me. I rejoiced, I\n disbelieved his coming; but I said he may. I built the chapel, we\n waited expecting. You slept at nights; I did not. He came, he\n emerged from the long forest, he stood upon Te Hawera ground. I\n saw him. I shook hands with him; we rubbed noses together. Yes, I\n saw a missionary's face; I sat in his cloth house (_tent_); I\n tasted his new food; I heard him talk Maori; my heart bounded\n within me; I listened; I ate his words. You slept at nights; I did\n not. Yes, I listened, and he told me about God, and his Son Jesus\n Christ, and of peace and reconciliation, and of a loving Father's\n home beyond the stars. And now I, too, drank from his calabash and\n was refreshed, he gave me a book, as well as words. I laid hold of\n the new riches for me, and for you, and we have it now. My\n children, I am old; my teeth are gone, my hair is white; the\n yellow leaf is falling from the T\u00e1wai (_beech tree_); I am\n departing; the sun is sinking behind the great western hills, it\n will soon be night. But, hear me; hold fast the new riches--the\n great riches--the true riches. We have had plenty of sin and pain\n and death; but now we have the true riches. Hold fast the true\n riches, which Karepa sought out for you.'\n\n \"Here he became faint, and ceased talking. We all wept like little\n children around the bed of the dying old man--of our father. He\n suffered much pain, from which he had scarcely any cessation until\n death relieved him.\"\n\nBut New Zealand was now passing through a dangerous crisis. The Maori\nceased to exist in his savage state. Cannibalism was a mere tradition.\nOf the ancient superstitions scarcely a trace was left. European arts\nand manners were introduced in almost every part of the island, and New\nZealand took her place amongst other civilized communities. Still, under\nnew circumstances fresh dangers threatened her. The church of Rome saw\nfrom afar and coveted so glorious a possession; and in the course of a\nsingle year a Romish bishop and sixteen priests landed at Wellington,\nand a second bishop with his troop of priests and nuns at Auckland. For\na while the childish simplicity of the Maori character, fond of show and\na stranger to suspicion, gave them great advantage; and the missionaries\nof evangelical churches viewed their progress with serious apprehension.\nBut as the novelty wore off the Maori Christian discovered that Popery\nwas but a hollow pretence, without heart, or life, or abiding\nconsolation, and whole tribes which had been led astray returned with\ntheir chiefs to purer churches in search of better pasturage. Lately the\ntranslation of the whole of the Bible has been completed, and in this we\nhave the best antidote, under God, to the progress of this baneful\nsuperstition. New Zealand, too, besides its several Protestant bishops\nof the church of England, its zealous missionaries, and stated ministers\nof every evangelical denomination, has now at length a native ministry\nof her own Maories, few as yet in number, but holy men, men of competent\nlearning and gifts of utterance, who have evidently been called of God.\nOne of these, the Rev. Riwai Te Ahu, who was ordained by Bishop Selwyn,\nis not only highly esteemed by all the natives of whatever tribe they\nmay be, but by the English too; and he is entirely supported by internal\nresources, by regular contributions from the natives, and a private\ngrant from the governor himself. We can understand something of the joy\nwith which an honoured missionary, one of the oldest labourers in the\nfield, sat and listened in the house of prayer while he officiated,\nassisted by the Rev. Rota Waitoa, the only two Maori ministers of the\nchurch of England in New Zealand, and his own early converts, \"the one\nreading prayers, and the other preaching an admirable sermon to his own\nnative tribe.\" Other churches have similar triumphs. The Wesleyans have\nthree native assistant ministers, and probably these are not all, for it\nmay be presumed that a great work is going forward in so large an\nisland, of which our missionary societies have no official reports, and\nby agents who are no longer responsible to them. Thus it is often found\nthat in the interior some village or hamlet has become Christian where\nno European missionary was ever seen. Native converts have done their\nown work.\n\nStill the church in New Zealand is in an infant state, surrounded by\nmany dangers. The influx of Europeans, the sudden increase of wealth and\nluxury, the introduction of a new and foreign literature from England,\nbearing as it were upon its wings all that is bad as well as all that is\nlovely and of good report in theology, politics, and morals, may well\ncause, as indeed it does create, the deepest concern to those who have\nat heart the purity of the Maori faith, and the continued progress of\nthe gospel. It is not for those who know that the gospel is the power of\nGod unto salvation, to doubt for a moment of its ultimate success; but\nthe firmest faith may, at the same time, be apprehensive and anxious, if\nnot alarmed, for the fiery trial that awaits her,--not of persecution,\nbut of wealth and luxury, and the sad example of every European vice.\nLet the reader help them with his prayers.\n\nWe cannot close our sketch of the progress of Christianity in New\nZealand, without some allusion to the Canterbury Association, one of the\nmost remarkable attempts of modern times to colonize on Christian\nprinciples, or rather perhaps we should say, to carry abroad the old\ninstitutions of England, and plant them as it were full blown in a new\ncountry. The design was not altogether original, for the New England\npuritans of the seventeenth century, had led the way, in their attempts\nto colonize at Boston and in New England, in the days of Charles I. They\nwould have carried out the principles, and worship of the Brownites to\nthe exclusion of other sects, though happily for the freedom of\nreligion, their design was soon found to be impracticable, and was only\npartially accomplished. The Canterbury Association was formed on high\nchurch of England principles, \"avowedly for the purpose of founding a\nsettlement, to be composed in the first instance of members of that\nchurch, or at least of those who did not object to its principles.\" Its\nearly friends now admit that their project was, in some of its parts,\nutopian and impracticable. The idea, if ever seriously entertained, of\nexcluding by a test of church membership those whose profession differed\nfrom their own was abandoned by most of the colonists as soon as they\nhad set foot on the shores of New Zealand. In 1848, Otakou or Otago, in\nthe southern part of the Middle Island, was colonized by an association\nof members of the Free Church of Scotland; and in 1850, the first\ncolonists were sent out to the church of England settlement, founded in\nthe vicinity of Banks's Peninsula, by the Canterbury Association. The\nsite made choice of possessed a harbour of its own, an immense extent of\nland, which it was supposed might easily be brought under cultivation,\nand removed from danger of disturbance from the natives, of whom there\nwere but few, an extent of grazing country unequalled in New Zealand,\nand a territory \"every way available for being formed into a province,\nwith a separate legislature.\" The plan was to sell the land at an\nadditional price, and appropriate one third of the cost to\necclesiastical purposes. The sums thus realized by sales of land, were\nto be placed at the disposal of an ecclesiastical committee, who were\nempowered to make such arrangements as they might think fit to organize\nan endowed church in the colony. A bishopric was to be at once endowed,\na college, if not a cathedral, was to be connected with it, a\ngrammar-school of the highest class, was to be opened as well as\ncommercial schools; and all the luxuries of English country life,\nincluding good roads, snug villas, well cultivated farms; and good\nsociety, were to be found by the future settler, after a very few years\nof probationary toil.\n\nThe scheme was warmly taken up at home, and within a single twelvemonth\nfrom the 16th December, 1850, when the first detachment arrived, nearly\nthree thousand emigrants had seated themselves in the Canterbury Plains.\nThe towns of Lyttelton and Christchurch were founded, and operations on\na large scale were fairly begun. Of course bitter disappointment\nfollowed, as it too often does with the early colonists, whose\nexpectations are unduly raised by the romantic stories told them in\nEngland. But we must quote a passage from \"Archdeacon Paul's Letters\nfrom Canterbury,\" just published. It may be of use to other emigrants,\ninto whatever region of the world they go. \"Restless spirits, who had\nnever yet been contented anywhere, expected to find tranquillity in this\nnew Arcadia, where their chief occupation would be to recline under the\nshadow of some overhanging rock, soothing their fleecy charge with the\nshepherd's pipe, remote from fogs and taxation and all the thousand\nnameless evils which had made their lives a burthen to them at home.\n\n\"Alas! the reality was soon found to be of a sterner type--\n\n 'These are not scenes for pastoral dance at even,\n For moonlight rovings in the fragrant glades:\n Soft slumbers in the open eye of heaven,\n And all the listless joys of summer shades.'\n\nLong wearisome rides and walks in search of truant sheep and cattle;\nbivouacs night after night, on the damp cold ground; mutton, damper, (a\nkind of coarse biscuit,) and tea (and that colonial tea) at breakfast,\ndinner, and supper, day after day, and week after week, and month after\nmonth; wanderings in trackless deserts, with a choice of passing the\nnight on some bleak mountain side or wading through an unexplored swamp;\nand, after all this labour, finding perhaps that his flock are infected,\nand that no small amount of money as well as toil must be expended\nbefore he can hope for any profit at all;--these are the real\nexperiences of a settler's early days in a young pastoral colony.\"\n\nYet, upon the whole, the founders of the settlement consider that it has\nanswered all reasonable expectations. None of the early settlers have\nbeen driven home by the failure of their prospects, and few have been so\neven from qualified disappointment. The plains of Canterbury have a\nthoroughly English look, dotted in every direction with comfortable\nfarm-houses, well-cultivated inclosures, and rickyards filled with the\nproduce of the harvest: and the great seaport of the colony, Lyttelton,\nis well filled with shipping. Christchurch boasts at length its college,\nincorporated and endowed. It became an episcopal see, too, in 1856,\nunder the first bishop of Christchurch; it has its grammar school and\nSunday schools. Here, too, as well as at Lyttelton, the Wesleyans have\ntaken root, and, besides chapels, have their day and Sunday schools.\nFrom the first, the Scotch Church was represented by some enterprising\nsettlers. The decorum of religion is everywhere perceptible; \"I\nbelieve,\" writes a nobleman, whose name stands at the head of the\nAssociation, \"that no English colony, certainly none of modern days, and\nI hardly except those of the seventeenth century has been better\nsupplied with the substantial means of religious worship and education.\nNo one doubts the great material prosperity and promise of the colony;\nand no one denies that it is the best and most English-like society in\nall our colonies.... Sometimes a very vain notion has been entertained\nthat we meant or hoped to exclude dissenters from our settlement. Of\ncourse, nothing could be more preposterous. What we meant was to impress\nthe colony in its origin with a strong church of England character. This\nwas done by the simple but effectual expedient of appropriating one\nthird of the original land fund to church purposes, but this was of\ncourse a voluntary system.\"\n\nThus New Zealand stands at present. The lonely island of the Southern\nOcean approached only fifty years ago with awe by the few adventurous\nwhalers which dared its unknown coasts and harbours, now teems with\nEnglish colonists. The dreaded New Zealander has forsaken his savage\nhaunts and ferocious practices, and may be seen \"clothed and in his\nright mind,\" and sitting to learn at the feet of some teacher of \"the\ntruth as it is in Jesus.\" The face of the country has undergone a\ncorresponding change. And in many places, the scene is such as to force\nthe tears from the eye of the self-exiled settler; the village spire\nand the church-going bell reminding him of home. What the future may be,\nwe shall not even hazard a conjecture. Let it be enough to say that a\nmighty change has already been accomplished, and that its foundations\nwere laid, and the work itself effected more than by any other man, by\nSamuel Marsden.\n\n\n\n\nAPPENDIX II.\n\n State and Prospects of the Protestant Mission at Tahiti under the\n French Protectorate.\n\n\nAt the period of Mr. Marsden's decease, the Tahitian mission, over which\nhe had watched with parental solicitude from its infancy, presented an\naspect even more cheering than that of New Zealand. Idolatry had fallen;\nits idols were utterly abolished; they had found their way to the most\nignoble uses, or to the museums of the curious, or those of the various\nmissionary societies in Great Britain. So complete was their destruction\nthat natives of Tahiti have actually visited the museum of the London\nMissionary Society within the last few years, and there seen, for the\nfirst time in their lives, a Tahitian idol. But a dark cloud already\nskirted the horizon, and the infant church was soon to pass through the\npurifying furnace of a long, relentless, wearying, and even bitter\npersecution.\n\nThe revolution of 1830 had placed Louis Philippe on the throne of\nFrance. During the earlier years of his reign, the church of Rome was\ndeprived of much of that power and dignity which it had enjoyed under\nthe elder Bourbons. As to any hold on the affections of the people of\nFrance, this it seldom boasted,--certainly not within the last hundred\nyears. Yet the crafty king of the French was not unwilling to give to\nhis restless priesthood the opportunities both of employment and renown\nin foreign parts; especially if in doing so he could extend his own\npower, and add a wreath to that national glory so dear to Frenchmen.\nThe priests were therefore instructed to direct their attention to the\nSouth Sea Islands. Animated partly by hatred to England, they succeeded\nin effecting a settlement in the Society Islands. The first of them, who\narrived there, called Columban (though his original name was Murphy),\ncame in rather strange guise. \"He was clad like a man before the mast,\nsmoked a short pipe, and at first was mistaken for what he appeared to\nbe. He had an old English passport, and among other pious tricks,\nendeavoured to make use of the lion and the unicorn, to prove to the\nnatives that he was sent by the king of Great Britain.\"[L] Two others,\nCaret and Laval, arrived soon afterwards. The law of the island forbade\nforeigners to reside without obtaining the sanction of the queen. The\npriests, accordingly, when their arrival became known, were ordered to\ndepart. They refused; comparing the Protestant missionaries to Simon\nMagus, and claiming for themselves the exclusive right to instruct the\nTahitian people. After some delay, however, they left, and went to the\nGrambier Islands. Captain Lord E. Russell, then with his ship of war at\nthe island, publicly declared, that \"if the priests had remained in the\ncountry, anarchy and confusion, disastrous to the island, would have\ninevitably ensued.\" This was in December, 1836.\n\n [L] Wilkes's Tahiti, etc.\n\nIn September, 1837, M. Montpellier, accompanied by Murphy-Columban,\narrived at Tahiti. He was followed in 1838 by Captain Du Petit Thouars\nin the frigate Venus, who made no secret in avowing to our English\nofficers that he was looking out for a suitable island on which to hoist\nthe French flag for the purpose, he added, of forming a penal\nsettlement. Returning to Paris, Thouars was raised to the rank of\nrear-admiral, and sent back to the Pacific with his flag in La Reine\nBlanche on a secret expedition. He seized on two of the Marquesas\nIslands, built a fort on each, and garrisoned them with four hundred\nmen. He now wrote home, demanding thrice that number of troops and four\nships of war for the maintenance of his conquest; but he had further\nobjects in view. False representations had probably been made to the\nFrench government with regard to the removal of Caret and Laval; and\nCaptain Du Petit Thouars was instructed to demand satisfaction at Tahiti\nfor injuries done to French subjects. A desire of conquest no doubt\ninflamed Guizot the French minister--alas! that a Protestant should thus\nhave tarnished his fame--as well as his royal master; but hatred of\nProtestantism had its full share in these nefarious proceedings.\n\nOne M. Henicy, who accompanied the Antoine French frigate to Tahiti, in\nthe summer of 1839, thus writes of the English missionaries: \"Ferocious\noppressors, shameless monopolizers, trafficking in the word of God, they\nhave procured for themselves a concert of curses. Their ministers are\nfound to be vile impostors.\" Caret, Murphy, and the other priests now\nreturned to Tahiti. A French consul was appointed, a worthless,\nprofligate man; he professed, however, to be a zealous friend of the\ntrue faith, anxious for missionary labourers to convert the deluded\nTahitian Protestants. Very little progress, however, could be made in\nthis spiritual work; the natives obstinately preferred sermons to\nmasses, and possessed so little taste as to reject pictures and rosaries\nwhile they still read their Bibles. It was evident that efforts of a\nmore strenuous kind, though, such as the church of Rome is never\nunwilling to resort to when persuasion fails, must be tried. And now it\nwas announced that the island was placed under the protection of France;\nto this arrangement, it was pretended, the chiefs of Tahiti and the\nqueen herself had consented; nay, that they had solicited the protection\nof France. This unblushing falsehood was immediately exposed, and we now\nknow, from queen Pomare herself, that all the proceedings in this\ndisgraceful affair had their origin in fraud and treachery. They were\nchiefly carried out by the French consul, who is accused of having,\nunder false pretences, prevailed on certain chiefs of the island to\naffix their signatures, in the name of the queen, to a document, the\nobject of which was to induce the king of the French to take Tahiti\nunder his protection, the pretence being grounded on a false statement,\nwhich accused some native chiefs, and the representatives of other\nnations, of bad conduct and various crimes. When the queen was apprised\nof this document, she called a council of her chiefs, with an assembled\nmultitude of natives and foreigners; and, in the presence of the\nBritish, French, and American consuls, denied all knowledge of it, as\nalso did the chiefs themselves who signed it. They declared that the\nFrench consul brought it to them in the night, and that they put their\nnames to it without knowing what it contained. The governor, being one\nof the persons imposed upon, wrote to the British consul, Mr.\nCunningham, declaring that the parties subscribing did not know what\nwere the contents of the letter which the French consul brought them to\nsign, and that they affixed their names to it, as it were, in the dark.\nThe translator also affirmed that it must have been written by some\nperson not a Tahitian; its idiom being foreign, its orthography bad,\nwords misapplied, and the handwriting even foreign.\n\nBut the most convincing evidence of the forgery was the declaration of\ntwo of the chiefs who signed the document, Tati and Ulami, to the\nfollowing effect: \"That all men may know, We, who have signed our names\nhereunto, clearly and solemnly make known and declare, as upon oath,\nthat the French consul did wholly dictate and write the letter, said to\nbe written by the queen Pomare and her governors, requesting protection\nof the king of the French. Through fear we signed it. It was in his own\nhouse, and in the night time, that the document was signed by us. And we\nsigned it also because he said, If you will sign your names to this, I\nwill give you one thousand dollars each when the French admiral's ship\nreturns to Tahiti.\n\n (Signed) \"TATI,\n \"ULAMI.\"\n\nThis disgraceful plot was carried on in the absence of the queen. She\nwas no sooner made acquainted with it, than she addressed a short and\ndignified protest and remonstrance to the queen of Great Britain, the\npresident of the United States, and the king of the French. Few\ndiplomatic notes are more worthy of a place in history than that which\nwas addressed to Louis Philippe.\n\n \"Peace be to you. I make a communication to you, and this is its\n nature,--\n\n \"During my absence from my own country a few of my people,\n entirely without my knowledge or authority, wrote a letter to you,\n soliciting your assistance. I disavow any knowledge of that\n document. Health to you.\n\n (Signed) \"POMARE.\"\n\nBut the French consul proceeded to form a provisional government of\nthree persons, placing himself at the head of it as consul-commissary of\nthe king. The triumvirate behaved with the greatest insolence, not only\nto the poor queen, but even to the British flag. Captain Sir T.\nThompson, with the Talbot, lay in the harbour. The queen arrived and\nhoisted the Tahitian flag, which the Talbot saluted. A letter from the\nconsul-commissary and the two French officials with whom he was\nassociated was addressed as a protest to the gallant captain, \"holding\nhim responsible to the king of the French, his government and nation,\nfor the consequences of such disrespect, and for a measure so hostile\ntowards France.\" Sir Thomas knew his duty too well to answer the\naffront, or in any way to notice it; but he could only look on with\nsilent sorrow and disgust, he had no power to interfere. The queen also\nreceived an insolent letter from the consul; he even forced himself into\nher presence, and behaved in a rude and disrespectful manner. \"He said\nto me,\" she writes, in a letter to the captain of the Talbot, \"shaking\nhis head at me, throwing about his arms, and staring fiercely at me,\n'Order your men to hoist the new flags, and that the new government be\nrespected.' I protested against this conduct, and told him I had nothing\nmore to say to him.\" Bereft of other hope, the insulted and greatly\ninjured Pomare wrote a most touching and pathetic letter to queen\nVictoria. It was published in the newspapers, and went to the heart of\nevery man and woman in Britain who had a heart to feel for dignity and\nvirtue in distress, \"Have compassion on me in my present trouble, in my\naffliction and great helplessness. Do not cast me away; assist me\nquickly, my friend. I run to you for refuge, to be covered, under your\ngreat shadow, the same as afforded to my fathers by your fathers, who\nare now dead, and whose kingdoms have descended to us.\" She explains how\nher signature was obtained. \"Taraipa (governor of Tahiti) said to me,\n'Pomare, write your name under this document (the French deed of\nprotection); if you don't sign your name you must pay a fine of 10,000\ndollars, 5000 to-morrow and 5000 the following day; and should the first\npayment be delayed beyond two o'clock the first day, hostilities will be\ncommenced, and your country taken from you. On account of this threat,\"\nsays the queen, \"against my will I signed my name. I was compelled to\nsign it, and because I was afraid; for the British and American subjects\nresiding in my country in case of hostilities would have been\nindiscriminately massacred. No regard would have been paid to parties.\"\n\nThere was no exaggeration in this pathetic statement; it is confirmed by\na letter--one of the last he ever wrote--from John Williams, the martyr\nmissionary, who called at Tahiti, March 1839, on his last fatal voyage\nto the New Hebrides. \"You will doubtless see by the papers the cruel and\noppressive conduct of the French. A sixty-gun frigate has been sent here\nto chastise the queen and people of Tahiti for not receiving the Roman\nCatholic priests; and the captain demanded 2000 dollars (10,000?) to be\npaid in twenty-four hours, or threatened to carry devastation and death\nto every island in the queen's dominion. Mr. Pritchard and some\nmerchants here paid the money and saved the lives of the people. The\nFrench would only hear one side of the question, but demanded four\nthings within twenty-four hours: 2000 dollars (10,000), a letter of\napology to the French king, a salute of twenty-one guns, and the\nhoisting of the French flag.\"\n\nIn short, the island became a French dependency, and the poor queen was\nleft with the mere shadow of her former sovereignty. And so it remains\nto this day. A strong feeling of indignation was aroused in England.\nMissionary meetings, particularly a noble one at Leeds, were held,\npledging themselves to do all in their power to induce our government to\nexert its legitimate influence with the government of France to restore\nto the queen of Tahiti her just independence, and to all classes of her\nsubjects their civil rights and religious freedom. But the English\ngovernment was either infatuated or afraid. Lord Aberdeen, secretary of\nstate for colonial affairs, stated in the House of Lords that, \"although\nhe was not sufficiently informed of the precise grounds upon which the\nFrench government had acted, or of the complaints made against the\nauthorities in those islands which had led to the convention; yet he had\nno apprehension as to the establishment of the French in those seas, nor\nthat our commercial or political interests would be affected by it.\" He\nstated that \"he had received the most unqualified assurance that every\ndegree of protection and encouragement would be afforded to the British\nmissionaries residing in those islands; that in granting the\nprotectorship to the French king, it had been stipulated that all the\nplaces of worship at present existing would receive protection, and that\nthe fullest liberty would be given to the missionaries to exercise their\nfunctions.\" And he concluded by saying, \"that he reposed the fullest\nconfidence, not only in the king of the French himself, but in the\nminister, who at this moment was the principal adviser of that monarch.\"\nBut a righteous God looked on. This king was driven from his throne, and\ndied an exile in England; while his minister, M. Guizot, who sacrificed\nhis Protestantism to his ambition in this matter, after escaping with\ndifficulty in 1848, from a mob who would have torn him to pieces, saw\nhimself compelled to give up for ever all hope of recovering power in\nFrance.\n\nFrom that time to the present all political power and influence has\ncentred in the French governors, who have been sent out from Europe, and\ntheir subordinate officers. Pomare still lives, revered by her people,\nbut without being able to exercise any one independent act of\nsovereignty; and the native chiefs and governors who formerly took a\nprominent part in all public affairs, and in their respective districts\npossessed great influence, are without a vestige of authority, except in\nthose instances in which they have been induced to accept office under\nthe French governor. In 1842, a treaty, so called, was framed, which did\nindeed provide for \"the freedom of religious worship, and especially\nthat the English missionaries shall continue in their labours without\nmolestation.\" \"The same shall apply,\" says its fifth article, \"to every\nother form of worship: no one shall be molested or constrained in his\nbelief.\" But this treaty was probably intended only to cajole those whom\nit could not intimidate, and in practice it is a mere dead letter. The\ntreaty itself is brief and informal, and evidently drawn up in haste, or\nperhaps with a view, from the absence of precision in its language, to\nprovide for its more easy violation. Yet if the language in which it is\ncouched conveys any meaning the treaty provides that the people of the\nisland, and the English missionaries in the prosecution of their labours\namongst them, shall continue to enjoy unrestricted religious liberty.\nNow it might be urged, and with some plausibility, by the French\nauthorities in Tahiti, that the people are still allowed, as heretofore,\nto attend their public worship, and to retain their Bibles and Christian\nbooks. They might even maintain, that although a number of Romish\npriests, with a bishop at their head, have been thrust upon the island,\nno Protestant missionary has been expelled by the act of the\nauthorities. The substantial truth of these statements cannot be denied,\nand yet there is abundant evidence that the clauses of the treaty\nguaranteeing the religious liberty of the islanders and the missionaries\nhave, for every practical purpose, been palpably and grossly violated.\nThe places of worship have not indeed been closed, but the English\nmissionaries have, from time to time, been placed under such severe\nrestrictions that four of their number, finding themselves entirely\ndebarred from the free exercise of their ministry, left the island in\n1852. There are at present but two missionaries remaining. One of these\nis solely engaged in the operations of the press, but without permission\nto preach to the people; and the other--far advanced in age--is merely\npermitted, by a kind of sufferance, to remain at his post, and to\nminister to his own flock, though prohibited from extending his labours\nto other districts. So far as the churches and congregations scattered\nover the island are still supplied with the means of religious\ninstruction, it is by the agency of natives, many of whom were formerly\ntrained to the work by the missionaries. But these native preachers are\nsubject to the constant inspection and interference of the authorities,\nand they hold their offices solely by sufferance. It will thus be seen,\nthat although the English missionaries have not been forcibly ejected\nfrom the island, the object aimed at by the French authorities has,\nthrough the artful policy they have adopted, been effectually attained.\nThe missionaries have been silenced, disowned, and cast aside.\n\nIn pursuance of the same cautious and subtle policy, the French rulers\nhave not ventured to excite or irritate the people by sanctioning any\nhasty measures for enforcing conformity to the Roman Catholic faith;\nstill they have encouraged the formation of elementary schools, in which\nthe young people are taught by priests appointed by the government, and\neverything is done to give undue importance to these schools, so that\nthe pupils taught in them may, at the periodical examinations, appear to\nmore advantage than those under native masters.\n\nNotwithstanding the prevalence of a system so calculated to ensnare and\nmystify the minds of a simple unsuspicious people, it is a most\nremarkable and gratifying fact that instances of apostasy to Romanism\nhave been exceedingly rare, and that the bulk of the people continue\nstedfast in their attachment to the pure Scriptural truths taught them\nby the missionaries. To account for this it should be borne in mind that\nthe churches and congregations still assemble as heretofore for Divine\nworship under native pastors, some of whom are known to be pious,\ndevoted, and well qualified men. Then again, through the active and\nefficient agency of the Rev. W. Howe, who, though prohibited from\npreaching, still remains in charge of the mission press at Papeete, the\nnative pastors and people have been well supplied with religious books.\nAnd it is further to be noted that the natives generally are amply\nprovided with copies of the sacred Scriptures in their own language,\nwhich will no doubt, in the good providence of God, prove an effectual\nsafeguard against popish error and superstition. In the year 1847, five\nthousand copies of the entire Tahitian Bible, revised by the Rev. Messrs\nHowe and Joseph, and generously provided by the British and Foreign\nBible Society, were sent out in the missionary ship John Williams for\ncirculation in Tahiti and the other islands of the Society group; and\nagain, in 1852, three thousand copies of the New Testament were\ndespatched to Tahiti, chiefly for the use of schools.\n\nIn proof that the social and political troubles of the island have not\nhad the effect of diminishing the number of its Christian population,\nthe following most satisfactory statement, furnished by Mr. Howe, dated\n11th July, 1856, may be adduced.\n\n \"I have been comparing the number of persons in church fellowship\n at the present time with the numbers respectively before the\n establishment of the French protectorate, and at the period when\n it had become fully established. In 1842, there were about one\n thousand six hundred and eighty church members in Tahiti and\n Eimeo. In 1851, when the island of Tahiti was supplied by three\n foreign missionaries, and the students in the seminary, the report\n of the Society stated the number of church members to be upwards\n of one thousand six hundred, which is probably equal to that of\n 1842. Almost ever since that period the districts have been\n entirely supplied by native pastors only, with the exception of\n Bunaauia; and there are at the present time upwards of one\n thousand six hundred members on the two islands, and many are now\n seeking admission. It must also be borne in mind that during the\n interval between 1851 and the present time, the population of the\n two islands has been reduced by epidemic disease and removals at\n least one thousand, a large proportion of whom were church members\n from middle to old age, so that the present number in fellowship\n is comprised of the strength and pride of the nation, and the\n proportion of communicants to the population is greater than it\n has ever been.\"\n\nOf the kind of annoyance to which the missionaries are exposed, and of\nthe influences which are brought to bear against them, the reader will\nbe able to judge after perusing the account of a prosecution lately\ninstituted by the Romish bishop against the Rev. Mr. Howe. In the autumn\nof 1855, the Roman Catholic bishop having issued a catechism in which\nthe doctrines and superstitions of Popery were dogmatically stated, and\nProtestantism as grossly misrepresented, Mr. Howe felt constrained, by a\nsense of Christian fidelity, to publish in reply a firm but temperate\nrefutation. For this publication a criminal action was commenced against\nhim by the bishop; but so vexatious and unfounded were the charges that\nthe legal officer of the government, on whom it devolved to prosecute,\nthough urged by the governor, declined to bring the case into court, for\nwhich he was suspended from his office; and when at length the case was\ncarried before the proper tribunal, the charges against our missionary\nwere dismissed. But the bishop, notwithstanding his signal discomfiture,\nwas not to be diverted from his object; he determined to renew the\ncontest, in the hope that by a change of tactics his ultimate object\nmight be secured. The _criminal_ prosecution already described was\nbrought to a termination in December. On the following 15th of March,\nMr. Howe received notice that his inveterate opponent had entered a\n_civil_ action against him; and although the charges brought forward\nwere essentially the same, they were put into such a shape, and\ncontained statements so grossly exaggerated, that in order to meet them\nMr. Howe was compelled to remodel his reply.\n\nAfter various delays, the trial at length commenced, in the court of\nFirst Instance, on the 28th April, 1856, and in proof of the malevolence\nby which the bishop was actuated, it may be stated that he demanded\n30,000 francs damages, the suppression of the Tatara-taa,[M] and that\nMr. Howe should pay all the expenses of the courts, and also for 2000\ncopies of the judgment for distribution.\n\n [M] The native name of the publication issued by Mr. Howe, in\n refutation of the bishop's catechism; which the latter charged to be\n libellous.\n\nThe following is a summary of the proceedings, which excited the\nliveliest interest in the island, both among the natives and the foreign\nresidents.\n\n\"My pleadings,\" writes Mr. Howe, \"were so successful that the court\ndeclared itself incompetent to judge the case, and fined his lordship\n100 francs, and condemned him to all the expenses of that court and\nthose of the preceding chambers.\n\n\"The judgment was read on the 3rd of May. On the 10th I received notice\nthat the bishop had appealed to the Imperial Tribunal, and demanded that\nthe previous judgment should be rescinded.\n\n\"This tribunal met on the 16th, when I objected to one of the judges,\ngiving as my reasons that an intimacy existed between him and the\nbishop, which rendered his sitting as a judge in the case illegal. My\nobjection was sustained by the court.\n\n\"On the 17th, I objected to his lordship's advocate, as being under the\nsentence of banishment for political offences, and by which he had\nforfeited his civil rights. This was also sustained by the court.\n\n\"On the 26th, the bishop himself appeared to plead his own cause, and he\nlikewise objected to one of the judges, but his objection was overruled.\nSuffice it to say, that after having made several unsuccessful attempts\nto prove my defence unsound, the bishop beat a retreat, and said that if\nI would consent to submit my cause to arbitration he would withdraw the\naction. I demanded that his cause, to which this is an answer, should be\nsubmitted to the same test, and he consented.\n\n\"The court then retired, and on its return announced its judgment to be,\nthat the decisions of the previous courts were sustained, and that the\nbishop should pay all the expenses of this appeal, as well as the\nexpenses of the previous courts. By this step his lordship cannot appeal\nagain, either to the administration here, or to the Court of Cassation\nin France.\"\n\nIt is gratifying to learn, that through this long and painful affair,\nour missionary not only had the countenance of the British and American\nconsuls, and the fervent prayers of the native converts, both in public\nand private, but that even the French officers, greatly to their honour,\nopenly expressed their sympathy.\n\nIn order more fully to appreciate the result of this protracted contest,\nit should be borne in mind that the real point at issue was, whether the\ncause of Protestant Christianity, as represented by Mr. Howe, should be\npermitted to hold a footing in the island; that Mr. Howe stood alone,\nunsustained, excepting by a stedfast confidence in the justice of his\ncause, and the generous aid and sympathy of friends, French, English,\nand native, who rallied round him in the time of need; that his potent\nadversary could reasonably calculate on the countenance and\nencouragement of the authorities, who, as Frenchmen and Roman Catholics,\nwould naturally be disposed to favour the interests of their own church,\nand to repress what they had been taught to regard as heresy. But in the\nprovidence of God, the presiding judges of the French tribunals before\nwhich the cause was heard magnanimously regardless of all prejudices on\nthe score of nationality or religion, delivered a judgment which, while\ncompletely exculpating the accused, reflected the highest honour upon\ntheir own discernment, impartiality, and justice. While, therefore we\ndevoutly recognise the hand of God so conspicuously manifest in\noverruling and directing this trial, or rather series of trials, to so\nmerciful an issue, we would add the expression of our hope and belief\nthat so long as the cause of Protestant Christianity is represented in\nTahiti by men like-minded with Mr. Howe, and so long as the courts of\njustice on the island are presided over by men who, without fear or\nfavour, dispense their judgments in accordance with the principles of\ntruth and equity, the light of the gospel, which has for so many years\nmade glad the hills and valleys of Tahiti, can never be extinguished.\n\n\n\n\n LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET.\n\n * * * * *\n\n\n\n\nPUBLICATIONS\n\nOF THE\n\nRELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.\n\n\nBIOGRAPHICAL WORKS.\n\n THE LIFE OF FRANCIS, LORD BACON, Lord Chancellor of England. By the\n Rev. JOSEPH SORTAIN, A.B. of Trinity College, Dublin. With a\n Portrait engraved on Steel. 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By JOHN SHEPPARD. Royal 18mo. 3_s._ boards; 4_s._\n half-bound. 12mo. edition, 4_s._ 6_d._ boards.\n\n WATER FROM THE WELL-SPRING, for the Sabbath Hours of Afflicted\n Believers. By EDWARD BICKERSTETH, M.A. Royal 18mo. 2_s._ cloth\n boards.\n\n * * * * *\n\nTRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:\n\n Missing punctuation has been added and obvious punctuation errors\n have been corrected.\n\n Alternate spellings have been retained.\n\n Footnotes have been moved closer to their reference points as an\n aid to the reader.\n\n The following printer errors have been corrected:\n\n Page vi: \"The Bay of Islands, New Zealand (_Engraving_)\"\n added to the Table of Contents.\n\n Page 11: \"aud\" changed to \"and\" (Discovery and early History of).\n\n Page 25: \"Shoolhouse\" changed to \"Schoolhouse\" (breaking and\n entering Schoolhouse at Kissing Point).\n\n Page 84: \"set set\" changed to \"set\" (in fact set on foot)\n\n Page 256: \"misssionaries\" changed to \"missionaries\" (the advice of\n the faithful missionaries).\n\n Page 305: \"asistant\" changed to \"assistant\" (three native assistant\n ministers).\n\n Page 306: \"Cantrebury\" changed to \"Canterbury\" (The Canterbury\n Association).\n\n Page 330: \"copions\" changed to \"copious\" (a copious ANALYSIS, Notes,\n and Indexes.)","title":"Memoirs of the Life and Labours of the Rev. Samuel Marsden, of Paramatta, Senior Chaplain of New South Wales; and of His Early Connexion with the Missions to New Zealand and Tahiti","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":95648}